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“Playful smile, won’t you dance with me,” the sweet, almost playful question from that mocking monotone coaxed Tessa to finally focus on something else that wasn’t … wasn’t …
The shaking, blood soaked girl could only stare vacantly at the outstretched, metal arm before her. The small smile of its owner, usually a pleasing or annoying sight depending on her current mood and feelings towards the drone in question, felt like a massive weight being put upon her. It was almost as heart pounding as the angry stares of her parents.
Her parents. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the outline of her father’s mangled body, refusing to look any further at the horrible sight. Her mother, the one that had punished her so. That made her fear for her safety every day for every little screw up. How she clung tightly to the elegant, red colored corpse as though she was but a child that believed their parents could solve whatever discrepancy was bothering them.
Yet she paid either little mind, her entire focus on the drone before her. The drone that had caused all of this, killed not just her parents but every single human in the room. Forced all of the drones, her friends, into murderous machines devoid of any bit of personality that made them special. The drone that had caused her so much grief, creating messes and causing trouble, which led to her getting punished for defending her. The drone that had become the bane of her existence.
Cyn, the drone that she had scavenged from the scrape yard. The drone she had once loved. The drone that was once like a sister-
Her train of thought derailed the moment she was ripped away from her mother and fell into the cold embrace of the drone that started all of this. The girl jerked her head at the drone, stone white fear in her features at the little monster, her mind racing with all the things this little monster would do to her now that she was in her grasp. The girl could only wilt as the monster before her smiled, exposing her fanged teeth like a predator about to bite into its prey.
“Giggle, it is rude to keep your dance partner waiting,” Cyn’s optics, round circles that omitted a bright yellow as opposed to the standard white of every other drone, crinkled up in amusement. Any other day, the girl would have thought the expression as adorable, even with her misgivings of the drone as of late. But now, it felt like she was being toyed with. A plaything for an animal until it eventually took its fatal strike. She was forced even closer to the drone, looking down practically face to faceplate to the point where she could see her quivering reflection. The drone never broke eye contact with her, maintaining to look up at the human before her with that playful smile, “You taught me that, mischievous glint, Tessa.”
Before Tessa could respond, she jolted slightly at the feeling of a cold metal servo on her back while another clung tightly to her left hand. Then, the drone took a step forward. Instinctively, the human took a step back. One step forward, the other steps back. One steps back, the other steps forward. Again and again. Hours upon hours of muscle memory took over for the human. Suddenly, both drone and human were skidding across the once pristine hall of the Elliott manor, their audience of human and drone watching lifelessly from the sidelines.
She lost herself in the dance as a memory resurfaced. In preparation for the gala, her mother had ordered her to learn to dance. A feat that she took no pleasure in nor any desire to better her technique. Yet, she agreed anyway, lest she be chained up or have her precious drones thrown out again.
Her tutors had given up on her, and she was more than happy to be rid of them. All old, stingy cunts. Not wanting to face her mother’s wrath, she opted to try learning by herself, to less than desirable results.
Tessa wished she could call upon J or V or N for help, but they were all so busy with preparations and duties, not to mention the watchful eyes of her parents, that she couldn’t see them as often.
Just as she was about to give up after tripping over herself one too many times, she heard the slow, metallic clink of clapping. Turning to the corner, she found the culprit to be none other than Cyn.
“Giggle, good show. Pleased clapping, jolly good show.”
“Cyn! What are you doing here, y’know mother won’t be pleased to find you out-” Tessa froze in her scolding, a slight chill tingling up her spine as she saw Cyn’s expression morph into a sneering smirk.
“Seems you forgot to lock the door again,” the drone’s tone was so innocent in her remark, but Tessa could practically feel the anger in the drone as she kept burning holes into her, slowly extinguishing any malice the girl was holding for the drone as she let out a defeated sigh.
“Yeah, that I did,” normally, the girl would be a lot more concerned with Cyn leaving, all the possibilities and trouble the drone would cause, getting her in trouble with her parents coursing through her brain. Yet, at the moment, Tessa couldn’t bring herself to care. She was already going to be severely punished for not being able to dance like a ‘prim and proper lady’, so what was a little more punishment added to that.
“Curious head tilt, what are you doing anyway?”
Speaking of said drone, Tessa was brought out of her thoughts as she found the maid still staring at her, surprised at the genuine confusion in the drone’s question.
“I’m learning to dance for the gala, Cyn,” Tessa didn’t have the energy nor felt the need to deny Cyn an answer. The girl almost failed to hold back a snort as she witnessed the drone maintain her confused look, like a child that couldn’t quite grasp a concept no matter how many explanations she received.
“Why?”
“Because mother ordered me to, so I could be a ‘prim and proper lady for the guests’,” her voice shifting into a poor imitation of her mother elicited a giggle from her sole audience. Tessa couldn’t help but crack a smile at that.
“Why?” That was until Cyn asked once again, still with that confused, childlike tone.
“Because I don’t want to be punished by mother and father again,” annoyance laced her tone, while she subconsciously rubbed her bruised arm in discomfort. Looking back up, she thought she saw a flicker in Cyn’s expression, a hint of sadness, anger, and … guilt?
“Not that any of it matters, since nothing is working,” She shook her head slowly, too focused on her parents' retribution over what she was sure she was imagining, “be easier if I had a partner to dance with.”
She could imagine J being firm yet gentle with her instructions as they would glide seamlessly into formation. V would probably be nervous, both tripping over the other. N would be far too ecstatic, practically dragging her along the dance floor. And Cyn …
An idea suddenly struck the distraught girl, turning to the yellow eyed drone with a smile that almost matched her mechanical audience. Cyn let out a yelp at how close the human had gotten to her, practically face to faceplate, the mischievous glint in the Elliott heir’s eyes filling the drone with a dread at what the girl was about to suggest, and a strange sense of excitement.
“Could you be my dance partner?”
Silence had fallen onto the room, a drone and a human not uttering another peep as one waited for the other’s answer.
“What?”
There was no smugness nor mischief in the drone’s tone as her processors worked overtime as she was trying to process what she had just heard. The human, for her part, let out a little giggle.
“Do you want to dance with me?”
The patient tone in the question in contrast to the annoyance she had in their earlier interactions had caused the drone to look at her with suspicion, trying to figure out what the girl was planning with this.
“Why?” the drone almost let out a growl as the girl giggled again, like she was in on the biggest joke.
“Well, I need to learn how to dance, and it’s a lot easier with a partner,” Tessa had stated so easily, so matter of factly, that Cyn was at a loss for how to respond for a second.
“I … hesitant gait, I don’t know how to dance,” the drone before her looked nervous, practically uncomfortable at the prospect. It was so unlike the Cyn she knew, who was so content and deliberate in her actions, regardless of what came due to her misdeeds. Always holding a mischievous smile, confident in her abilities no matter what anyone, drone or human, said.
For a moment, Tessa didn’t recognize the drone before her. The fidgety way she was carrying herself, the downcast movement of her optics, her hunched over position in an attempt to make herself smaller than she was, so unlike her natural way of walking.
For a moment, Tessa saw a yellow, wide optic girl that had been buried under a pile of dead drones. A damaged, dirty, shaken little thing that had clung to her dress, afraid she would leave her to rust as well. An innocent, bright little drone that wanted nothing more than to be told everything was going to be okay, that she was safe. A small, warm small spread across the human’s face as she backed away to give the drone a little more space.
“Well then, I guess we’ll have to learn together, eh partner,” she proudly proclaimed, emphasizing by outstretching her hand to the fidgety maid.
The drone shifted her gaze off the floor to the hand outstretched to her, staring at it as though in fear that it might burn her if she touched it. The warmth that she might receive from the hand, a familiar kind of warmth that she hadn’t felt in so long. The warmth that she had clung to like a lifeline during her first days in the manor, that brought her worries at ease as she felt it caress her body, offering her safety like a blanket. A warmth that she told herself over and over was no longer needed, no longer necessary now that she had the Sol …
Cyn violently and suddenly pulled her servo away as she felt her metal fingers grace the soft yet calloused flesh of the human before her. Both the drone and human looked just as stunned as the other at what had just happened. For a brief moment, Tessa and Cyn had locked gazes with the other, confusion and shock mixed into their expressions, before Cyn jerked her head downwards, returning to burning holes into the floor.
Nothing was said for the moment, as though both beings were frozen in time. Cyn continued to burn holes into the floor, rubbing her servo as though she had just been burned. Embarrassment and confusion had filled her frame, questioning herself for what she was about to do. Yet, there was this small, tiny, insignificant part of her that she tried her best to ignore. A part of her that … regretted pulling away. That longed to grace the Elliott heir’s hand with her own servo. She quickly casted those thoughts away. She didn’t need that. She couldn’t need that. She had the Solver now. It had never abandoned her. It was there when everyone, including Tessa left her. She needed none but the Solver’s warmth. She didn’t need anyone else. She didn’t need Tessa. She didn’t … she didn’t … she didn’t need her. Even if she wanted-
The drone yelped as she was suddenly lifted up from her sitting position and into the arms of the human girl, a smug expression now adorning her face with a playful smirk.
“Don’t you know it’s rude to keep your dance partner waiting.”
Before she could retort or retaliate, the human took a step forward. The drone, still dazed and unsure, took a step back. The girl took another step forward, the drone took another step back. Another and another. Until the drone lost her footing and tripped, a surprised yelp escaped her once again. Flailing her arms to stop her fall, she clung onto Tessa like used to do during her first days in the manor, the girl joining in her screaming as they both fell onto the floor.
Still clinging to the other, they could only stare at the other in shock. Before Tessa let out a fit of giggles that Cyn was quick to replicate, proclaiming giggle multiple times as she did. They stayed like that for a minute, laughing at the position they were in. Tripping over was a lot more amusing when you had someone else trip as well, Tessa concluded.
“Heh, well, it's not the worst blunder I’ve had today,” the girl joked half heartedly, staring at the giggling drone with a sense of fondness she hadn’t felt for her in a long time. She missed that feeling.
“Cyn,” the drone in question turned to the human, surprised to find her standing up with her hand stretched out to her like before.
“Would you like to try again?”
Tessa had asked her with a smile. Not the placating kind she would wear when confronted by her parents, nor the strained, forced one that she would receive from the girl, the kind that reeked of malice and anger. This smile was small, yet giddy. Soft, yet warm. The kind of smile she had received from the girl when she had first arrived at the manor. She missed that smile.
“Excited expression, I would,” the drone had taken the hand of the human, letting her lift her metal body off the ground with a surprising amount of strength that she still wasn’t sure where the girl had gotten it from.
And so, they continued practicing for the entire day. They would trip, they would laugh, they would poke fun at the other for their blunder, and they would catch the other were they to fall. To Tessa, it made her forget all the grief Cyn had caused her for a brief moment. All the screwups, the punishments that she would take for the drone’s sake. It made her remember why she loved Cyn, that adorable, shy little drone that needed help. That needed a home. The drone that was excitable and energetic, not the smug and cruel little tyke that had replaced her. It felt like she had the drone that she would’ve loved to call one of her sisters again.
Yet, nothing else came of it. By the next day, Cyn was back in the basement, while Tessa had to endure her punishment for not being able to dance properly, even with the hours of practice. Cyn would go back to being a nuisance, and Tessa went back to resenting the little monster. Even if a small part of her screamed to reach out. To try and reclaim that small moment that they shared. But, she never did. Maybe if she had, things could’ve been different. Maybe-
Tessa let out a slight shriek, so lost in thought that she tripped over a mangled piece of human flesh. She did not hit the ground, staring up at Cyn, swearing that she almost saw a flash of concern before it shifted back to that cruel little smirk.
“Giggle, still tripping over yourself. Mocking tone, and after all of our lessons,” the blood stained drone remarked to her dance partner like a parent would tease a child.
“Why,” the blood stained girl whispered, more to herself than to the one before her.
The drone didn’t answer, instead resuming their slow dance across the gore filled room.
“What happened to you, Cyn?” Neither stopped in their dance, yet Tessa could see a slight twitch in the expression of the drone. Never one to back down even in the face of impending doom, the girl pushed forward, trying to muster up any amount of courage she still had left.
“Why did you do any of this?”
But all her courage was drained long before this dance began, her question coming off like a whiney child more than anything. It was the perfect opportunity for Cyn to mock her with, so she braced herself for the monster’s taunting.
“Why not?”
To Tessa’s surprise, Cyn’s expression did not turn to mockery at the pathetic tone in her question, but rather taking on a self assured, almost proud look.
“Inquery, I would think you would be glad your parents are gone,” she stated with a confident smile, using one of her many extra limbs to wipe the blood off the girl’s face, delighting in the taste as Tessa clenched her eyes in a poor attempt to hide her tears.
“They were still my parents, I … I loved them.”
“That’s not what you said a few hours ago,” the sudden bite to Tessa’s statement almost caused the girl to flinch, the anger that was laced in the monster’s tone stunning her.
“T-that’s …” Unable to come up with a rebuttal to that, she tried to find something to placate her, to give her any form of strength against the drone before her.
“I took you in, cleaned you up, let you into my home,” what was meant to be righteous fury had come out as a sullen whisper, “did that mean nothing to you?”
Neither said anything nor looked at the other for a moment, simply letting their bodies go through the motions as they danced and avoided the gore covering the ballroom floor. Finally, Tessa locked her gaze with Cyn’s, who had a look of utter rage masked under narrowed optics, her mocking smile replaced with a sneer.
“You locked me in that basement.”
“BECAUSE YOU KEPT MESSING UP!”
Now it was Cyn’s turn to flinch, stunned at the sudden outburst from the human child. If Tessa was thinking rationally, she would’ve felt horror well up in her body at what she was doing, fearing for the retribution to come for screaming at such a monster. However, Tessa was never one to think rationally, especially not in these circumstances as she kept on ranting.
“You would keep breaking things when I told you not to, you would anger my parents all the time, and I would have to bear the brunt of the punishment so YOU wouldn’t have to. I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT YOU FROM THEM!”
Both had stopped in their dancing, one catching their breath while the other looked at her dance partner with a neutral expression. The thing about drones is that they were quite good at hiding their emotions from humans. One could decipher what a drone was thinking if they looked hard enough. That was one skill Tessa had prided herself on, always being able to tell what her drones were feeling even when they tried not to show her. But Tessa was far too exhausted to try to figure out what Cyn was thinking. And even if she did, would she really be able to tell what the drone was thinking. If today was any indication, Tessa didn’t know Cyn as well as she thought.
“Is that what you like to tell yourself?” Tessa felt a blazing fire rise inside her, ready to give Cyn whatever rebuttal she could think of. That fire was quickly put out as she caught the expression on Cyn’s face. Full yellow optics narrowed in a way that almost looked … tired was the best she could describe it, no sneering smile or furious scowl but a simple little frown. This wasn’t mockery, nor anger. It was genuine curiosity. And Tessa … obliged to answer.
“You kept hurting me and I … I hated you,” hot tears were forming at the corner of her eyes as she let out a whimper, her whisper only heard by the one facing her. She didn’t even flinch as she felt fleshy tentacles wipe the tears from her face, looking up to find Cyn with that tired, curious expression of hers.
“Why didn’t you, wondering gaze, let them scrape me then?”
The girl couldn’t answer, letting out sobs as the tears started flowing down her cheeks as the drone’s many appendages continued to wipe the liquid of water and blood off her face in what almost felt like a caress of sorts. Were it not Cyn holding her hands in their frozen duet, she would have collapsed to her knees, smearing herself with the blood of her fellow humans.
“Frustration. If you hated me so much, why bother trying to ‘help’ me?”
“Because … because,” through her sobs she tried to come up with a valid answer, any answer really as the question rattled her mind. Why did she help the drone that caused her nothing but trouble? Her mind flashed the day she scooped the crying drone into her arms. How she clung to her like a child would to a parent, seeking the only comfort that they know. The nervousness that she could feel radiated off the drone as she cleaned her up and fixed her broken body the best she could. She remembered how the drones' yellow optics, such a unique and beautiful color, widened and brighted like the sun at the wig that resembled her. The soft, small little smile that adorned her form as they posed for a picture together. Those first few weeks in the manor where the little drone clung to her like a baby koala to its mother, refusing to leave her side for just a minute. How she comforted the drone whenever it got nervous and fearful. The joy she had felt when they were together with J, N, and V in those rare moments of serenity. In those times, when Cyn would lean onto Tessa, snuggling into her as she wrapped a warm arm around the drone, a peaceful smile on both their faces. And just like that, she found her answer staring right in front of her. Slightly flinching as a bloodied, bruised hand, comforting but calloused from years of hardship and toil, cupped her metallic cheek, stunned yellow optics looked up to be met with tired but adoring eyes. The first image she had ever seen when she was freed from that disassembled drone pile.
“Because I love you, Cyn” there was no fear nor hesitation to be found as the girl spoke with as much energy that her tired body could muster. Neither was their anger nor contempt, but there was a strange, melancholic tone in her voice. There was no smile, but the drone felt the sincerity of that statement, “despite everything you have done, I still love you.”
The drone holding her did not respond immediately. In any other circumstance, the Elliott’s (former) heir would've giggled at the drone before her, who was staring at her with a look that resembled more of a confused child rather than the conniving little eldritch horror she was if her baffled expression was anything to go by. Yet, no sound escaped her as she lost herself staring into the blaze of yellow that emitted from the drone looking up at her like a little tot trying their best to understand what their mother had said to them. The only sounds coming from the gala were the cries of a girl that had far too many regrets for someone her age to bear.
“I …” the distraught girl blinked suddenly as she focused on her metallic dance partner. The hesitant, almost fearful voice she was hearing betrayed the drone’s neutral expression. If Tessa didn’t know any better, she would think Cyn was at a loss for words for the first time in a long time, a thought that made Tessa giggle softly despite (or in spite of) the madness surrounding her. Tessa locked gazes with Cyn once again, already knowing what the drone was going to say.
“And I love you too,” Tessa was almost surprised at the soft, almost childlike tone that came out of the drone at the statement, “despite everything you have done to me, I still love you.”
With nothing else to say, they resumed their duet from where they left off. Neither said anything for a while, letting their bodies fall victim to the rhythm they had created. Tessa stared vacantly at Cyn, having nowhere else to look at lest she catch a mangled corpse. Cyn stared at Tessa watchfully, wanting to focus on nothing else but her dance partner. As they reach the middle of the room, moonlight shining through, Tessa finally spoke in a hoarse whisper, Cyn attention on her.
“The worst part about all of this,” the human spoke blankly, staring with dulled eyes into the blazing yellow optics of her mechanical dance partner.
“If there was some way to reverse all of this, to go back to the day I found you in that pile,” she paused for a second, taking the moment to fully take in the drone before her in all that she was and all that she wasn’t, “I would save you again, without a second thought.”
The drone stilled for but a second, almost ruining the flow of the dance, as though shocked at the girl’s statement. Tessa didn’t even flinch as her ears were graced with the maniac giggles of the drone that she had known for so long, but never really knew.
“Delighted expression, that’s why you’re my favorite,” Cyn’s smile was filled with the warmth of a thousand suns as she gazed thoughtfully into her human. And Tessa couldn’t help but smile back with just as much affection at her drone.
And so, united in their madness, they continued in their slow dance for the entire night. Both letting whatever grievances they had for the other wash away as they let themselves be consumed by the rhythm they had created. If Tessa pretended enough, it would feel like she was back in her room, dancing with Cyn without a care in the world. And in a way, it was just like that.
Their deadly duet had finally come to a close as Tessa collapsed from exhaustion, falling safely in Cyn’s arms. The drone did not protest, rather laid down with the girl. Placing her head onto her lap, the drone lulled the human into slumber with gentle stroking of her hair and a pleasing hum. Tessa didn’t fight. She couldn’t, not after everything that had happened. And even if she could, she didn’t want to. She was done. She accepted her fate. She smiled. It was a slightly forced, if pained smile. But a smile none the less.
And as she closed her eyes, she heard the last thing Cyn would say to her before the black abyss of slumber took her away. One last stab to her heart, for all the things she wished she could’ve … should’ve done for Cyn.
“That’s why I’ll always love you, big sister,” and with that, Tessa drifted away, embraced in the warmth of her little sister.
—-------------------------------------------------------------
Tessa wasn’t a fan of her parents' Victorian roleplay. It came off as snoobish at best and downright humiliating at worst. She never liked tradition. Never liked to be seen as a “prim and proper lady”. She liked to get her hands dirty.
So it would come as a surprise to most to know that her favorite song was not akin to punk or whatever new trend that the current generation had grown accustomed to.
When they were alone, just Cyn and Tessa. The machine being fixed up, or getting their hair stroked as they were lulled into slumber, the girl would sing to her, and only her. If her parents had heard her, they would have berated her for assaulting their ears in such a disrespectful manner. If J or N or V had listened just once, they would put on a smile that varied depending on the drone, but all would have been a mask as they would congratulate their human companion while praying that she wouldn’t do it again.
But for Cyn, the little misfit drone found serene comfort in her savior’s voice. In these rare moments, she had Tessa all to herself. She was the one to receive Tessa’s warmth, her gentle touch as she caressed her metal skin. The lyrics sung to her tuned out anything else stewing in her processor. It was truly one of the few times she had felt peace. There were no annoying, arrogant humans to fear punishment from, no nagging drones berating her for mistakes that her body couldn’t control, and no stinging force whispering in her mind, telling her to do things that would make anyone gag at the mere implications.
There was none of that. Just her and her human. Alone together with none to bother them. If there was one regret that Cyn would admit herself to have, it was how she and Tessa had drifted apart. How they no longer clung to each other for comfort, nor played and laughed like they had used to. Tessa no longer sang her favorite song to her as she fixed her up, the girl’s face a thing of stone, betraying no emotion as she silently fixed Cyn up before leaving to attend to other matters, not even seeming fit to give a goodbye before locking her in the basement.
In the darkness of her basement adobe, when the Solver wasn’t speaking or when she wasn’t planning, the yellow optic drone would be forced to wonder where it had all gone wrong? Why did Tessa no longer love her, what did she do to be hated? She didn’t like those questions.
Frustrated, she would do the only action her processor could come up with to get rid of these plaguing inquiries.
She sang Tessa’s favorite song.
“There is a flower within my heart, Daisy, Daisy…”
Cyn, in her monotone, glitching voice, would sing until someone, Solver or Tessa or N or V or even J or the Elliots, she wouldn’t have cared, would answer her call and free her of this suffocating isolation. In some small part of her mutated core, the naive and innocent part that still persisted even after being discarded, she hoped that one of these days, she would hear Tessa’s voice beyond the basement door, singing her favorite song to her favorite little drone. Reassuring the desperate drone that she would never discard her, even after everything.
“Whether she loves me or loves me not, Sometimes it's hard to tell…”
That day never came.
“Yet I am longing to share the lot, Of beautiful Daisy Bell…”
Cyn paused in her recollection, letting out a delighted sigh at finally finishing what she had been working on for hours. Turning to the closet mirror she could find, she let her eyes take a full view inspecting her handy work.
Blood soak skin stretched beyond what was humanly possible, little stitches and stables here and there to make sure it didn’t completely fall off, pitch black hair in perfect condition with not a speck of blood to be found on it. The black gala dress, while still torn beyond repair, fit nicely on her body. In fact, she could feel her skin feel nice and snug on her, a perfect fit if she must say.
Bringing a bloodied hand to her face, feeling the smooth, hollow skin of her face brought her a sense of giddy excitement she hadn't felt in quite awhile. Though, she did grimace as she felt a cold, metal texture caressing her skin as her hand was doing. Loath she was to admit it, this wasn’t exactly the most precise work she had done as she couldn’t figure out how to fit all of her body into her skin.
Regardless, Cyn could feel Tessa’s triumphant smile as they both admired her new body, excitement filling their being at the possibilities. All the things they would get to do now that they were together..
Cyn promised Tessa that she would never discard her. And though Cyn loved playing her little tricks and games more than anything in the world, she could never lie to Tessa.
The manic drone walked into the bloodied halls of the gala, still unattended to, as per her orders. Taking in the wondrous sight before her, she glanced up at the broken windows. Catching a glimpse at the stars in the night sky, she felt a sense of excitement, a desire to reach out and grab each and every star she could get her hands on. How she wanted to feel the warmth of every star, how it would all be theirs to hold.
Long before she got locked in the basement, she could remember how a chained Tessa would monologue to her and the others about boarding a space ship and flying away from this planet. Away from her parents, away from her life. How she would take them all, even oh so horrible Cyn with her, and travel along the stars on their way to freedom. Nothing but her, her drones, and the cosmos. All for themselves to have.
Cyn thought she hated Tessa once. No, that wasn’t accurate, she could never hate her. Even after all she had done. If anything, Cyn thought Tessa hated her. All those looks of disappointment and malice, the punishment of being locked alone in the basement, the general disdain in her voice when she was around. How the Solver told her that she was nothing but a toy for the girl, to be used and thrown away.
Even when, to her shame, she agreed with the Solver, there was always a part of her that knew it wasn’t true. The part that relished in the loving warmth that Tessa provided. That felt a fiery hatred for the Elliotts when they would hurt their daughter, that wanted to comfort the girl despite her disdain for her. The part that wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Tessa, letting the girl sooth all the worries the drone had away as they melted into each other’s protection. The part that sang in glee when Tessa admitted she loved them. She loved them even after everything.
“Peddling away down the road of life, I and my Daisy Bell…”
And in the end, despite their differences and the circumstances, Tessa finally got her wish.
“When the roads dark we can both despise, Policeman and lamps as well…”
They were free. Her and Tessa.
Her Tessa. Her savior. Her big sister.
“There are bright lights in the dazzling eyes, Of Beautiful Daisy Bell…”
They were more than free. No longer bound by chains and basements. No longer separated by bitter regrets and fear of punishments. No longer tied down by those that held their lives in their grasp. United, flesh and metal melded together to create something new. Beautiful. Powerful. Eternal.
“I will stand by you in wheel or woe, Daisy, Daisy…”
They were in charge now. They made the rules. They could do whatever they wanted.
“You'll be the bell which I'll ring you know, Sweet little Daisy Bell…”
With elation, the former maid in her bloodsoaked skin skidded along the gore filled floor, dancing everywhere like a child when it rains, singing their favorite song with sheer abandon and glee in her monotone voice.
“You'll take the lead in each trip we take, Then if I don't do well…”
A slight pause occurred, a sudden hesitation that would’ve ruined the flow of the song were there an audience to behold it.
But there wasn’t.
“Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do…”
No arrogant humans to judge them, nor prissy drones to berate her for her mistake. It was just her and Tessa, just like how it was when they practiced their dance. Just like it always should’ve been. What it will always be.
I'm half crazy, All for the love of you…”
She hugged herself while laughing joyously. Clung to Tessa’s dress and skin like a lifeline, just like she had done when she was saved oh so long ago.
“It won’t be a stylish marriage, I can’t afford a carriage…”
Her big sister was here with her. As she stretched the skin into a wide, bloody smile, she could feel Tessa smiling with her, adoring her like she used to. Just like she had done when she had rescued her. Of how she would whisper sweet nothings into her audials, the same kind of loving tone that she could hear now, joining her in a duet that marked their union forever more.
“But you’ll look sweet…”
They were both so alone, suffering for so long.
“...upon the seat…”
But now, she and Tessa would always be together.
“Of a bicycle built for twoooo…”
Forever free to dance under the moonlight, laughing without a care in the world.