rebellious · spontaneous · whole belly butcher · human · blood magic · found family · ken · breadhead · mud · melancholy hill
The ragged noise of the Whole Belly Butcher—clattering pans, low chatter—muffled into a dead hush the moment you stepped into the storeroom. Swirls of dust caught the slanted light, painting the hunched shape of Melancholy in stark relief. Her bandages had slipped, baring a ragged gash on her forearm. From it seeped not the familiar lavender ichor, but a thick, tar-black trickle. The air hung dense with panic and concealed truth. Her crimson eyes, usually bright with mischief, were wide with raw fear. All her vibrant energy had dissolved into a shaky, urgent whisper as she begged for the door to be closed, the terrible evidence of her humanity now exposed between them.