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The sound of walking and soft speaking was normal. The whip of the harsh winds blew through the golden structure of the cage making her cloak, stripped of its tools and weapons flap wildly. She shivered only slightly at the wind as her cloak did little to nothing about it. She had been captured, trapped by a group of bugs with bags over their heads, a familiar symbol drew on top. She couldn't remember the symbol, and as these many days travel came to a halt she still didn't remember it. Like the memory was locked away carefully. Tied with chains she was forced sitting, the metal chilling her carapace over the last few days. Her needle, just in sight was dug into the many things inside the cage, so close yet so far. The cage itself was enchanted with a strong spell of silk. She saw it glow and flash to life every now and then.

She was not one to stay still. Always twitching or fidgeting, but she didn't have a choice, and had to be extremely patient. She would get her chance to escape, she had to, she hoped so. Lifting her head slightly she noticed they had just started to walk across a pretty narrow bridge of sorts. Bellheads as she called them, halling her across it and towards a door of sorts, it seems like they were finally here. Lowering her head she tried to focus her soul into her silk, but it just didn't work. The chains around her or maybe the cage itself blocked her from being able to even create it. She softly sighed, she hated to admit it, but she was scared...

It was silent for a moment as she closed her eyes. The shifting of the cage was only sounds other than the quiet whispers... Then a pulse which made hornets eyes snap open. A pulse even her captures could feel. Quickly, narrowed her eyes, she focused on creating silk, finding it almost laughably easy. Raising her head she let it lash out wildly, some grabbing the edges of the bridge in their wild whipping. The bellheads around her yelled and screamed as she tried to get herself out of the cage, but one better seemed to happen. Or one worse? It was hard to tell. The ground under them started to collapse. Hornet yelping when the cage lurched to the side, her head slamming into the golden metal. Stunning her enough to stop her assault, but the damage had already been done. She shook her head clear in time to see bellheads running away before the bridge collapsed, dragging a few of them with her.

The world slowed as she fell. But squeezing her eyes closed as she prepared herself to hit the ground, she knew it was going to hurt. Hearing the crash she watched the world go black almost instantly after...

---

Blurry. Tired. Hornet felt herself drift awake for only a moment. The world was blurred around her and green. But something white covered her vision almost entirely. She could feel them doing something, but she slipped back out before she could know what.

---

Waking a second time hornet softly groaned before struggling to sit, vision swimming as she rubbed her mask. It took a bit for the ringing in her ears to subside enough to see the world clearly when she looked around. Wherever she was, it was covered in beautiful mosses of all sorts, and after noticing she was leaning on her arms, saw the chains around her were gone, pulled to the side and out of the way. When had that happened? Looking over she saw the cage door cracked open barely, shifting in the slight wind above. Standing slowly she hissed in pain at her side, which had hit the cage first before her head. If she was lucky enough nothing was cracked. But she would have plenty of bruises for sure. Limping forward she ducked out of the cage, having to shove the door open. It looked much heavier than it truly was. She saw the lock that once hung from the door smashed to the floor like nothing, like a weapon had hit it. Hm, had someone let her out? Cause there was no way this was from the fall alone. Spotting the pink shine of her needle she headed for it, relaxing the instant her paws wrapped around the weapon.

It took a few tugs before she pulled it out of the ground, it was still sharp and new looking minus the dirt. At least it wasn't harmed in the fall. Flinching she brought one of her hands to her mask before focusing. Silk ran through her body and injuries, closing them tightly and dulling the pain quite a bit. From there she looked forward and up at her journey ahead, one that would probably test her limits. Taking a deep breath she stepped forward. Disappearing into the mossy undergrowth of pharloom.

Where weavers came to die...

--- Little weaver, dress of red strawberries, a fire burning deep within' You remind me of someone else. Another with six eyes of your kind.

Do you perhaps know them? The one that used to hold such power here...

Either way, I wish you luck little robbin full of silk

- The elder

Moss grotto was a large area. She batted away a few of the small moss creatures that tried to harm her as she passed. A hunger did burn in her from her few days? Weeks? Travel with no food. The bellheads never deciding to feed her. But she felt it was almost unsafe to eat now. Even if the moss creatures looked quite good. She knew the dangers of eating something that she didn't know about. However she found herself collecting small red circles that spilled from the creatures, she wasn't sure what they were yet, but like the geo in the pockets of her cloak. She kept them, feeling like they were extremely important.

It wasn't long till she found a small town. One she hesitated to enter but did anyway. She learned a bit from talking around with the local population. She was in a giant kingdom called pharloom... And she was at the bottom of it, where the poor lived off the land, some happily, some not. She also learned that weavers were priced here like candy, and that many weavers had been coming in via the golden 'carts' from above. Almost one a week and taken to the capital. However none of the townspeople knew why. Or if they did they didnt tell hornet.

Sighing softly she wrote down the little information she had gathered in a journal. She had bought it with the red... Circles. She had learned they were called rosaries, and where the currency of this land. So she produced the few she had to grab a journal and quill. She would probably need it for later. As she was leaving, writing the information down a voice startled her. Looking behind her she saw an older bug heading over to her. Cane in hand to help them walk. Tucking the journal and quill in her dress she turned to the elder bug.

"Pardon?" She asked, tilting her head. "Here." He hummed. Holding up a bag from his other arm. A backpack of sorts. With hesitance, hornet took the bag and looked inside. She was stunned. A few rations of food. A blanket, even some fire starters. "Wha...?" She started but the elder just hummed "you are a weaver are you not?" He asked, but he had asked it quietly, nervously looking around before looking back at hornet. With a pause hornet nodded, slinging the bag on her back after closing it. "Weavers are not... treated well here, killed if not brought to the cult quickly and quietly. I would merely suggest you stay in the village, but I can tell by the fire in your eyes you wouldn't agree to it. But if you plan to climb your way out of here, you will need help." Hornet listened as the elder shifted. "I can do no more than this."

Hornet paused for a bit. Head tilted slightly down in thought before looking back up "thank you." She said gently. A gust of wind took her dress, making her look almost... Godly... To the elder bug "I'm going to need it. Thank you for your hospitality, I hope to come back soon." She bowed her head before turning to leave. Almost cresting the small hill about ten feet away she paused. Turning around she saw the elder watching her go. With a few eyes in the town as well, wide and curious. "what is your name?" She asked curiously. With a pause the elder answered. "My name is Eldritch." He hummed. Hornet nodded before disappearing on the other side.

When the weaver disappeared the elder softly sighed "good luck little one. May I hope you don't end up like the thousands before you..."

---

Hornet continued from the village. The first part of her journey wasn't hard. Setting up camp for a few nights to eat the rations and to sleep but that changed... And quickly. It was like an earthquake when bellheads swarmed her. She fought at first but learned two things quickly. These things may be mind controlled in a sense, but they were nothing like the mindless husks caused by the radiance. Second... They did not care if they killed her in the slightest. She very quickly fled, there were too many of them too fast for her to fight without gaining many an injury, and hornet had a feeling that getting extremely hurt would only be bad for her.

Once she finally got away from them she rested in the moss. Panting softly as she patched her wounds with silk. When she was finished she crossed her legs and looked out into the distance. She would almost find it beautiful... If she had not been dragged here by force... Movement caught the corner of the eye and she shot to her feet instantly, grabbing her needle even if her legs ached. Especially the one she limped on still. The shadow bounced onto one of the close platforms, semi showing themselves from the shadows.

Hornets black eyes glared into the white eye of the other creature. A pin flicked out of the shadows as she showed it off. But she only giggled. A soft almost beautiful sound before jumping away from wherever they came. Whoever that was, it made the fur on her back rise in unease. When she set camp up later she felt uneasy. Even if she had traveled quite far after the sighting of the strange... Person? She didn't sleep easy that night. She couldn't get that bright white eye out of her head. Or that stupid annoying giggle.

---

In the morning she continued to travel, entering this dark almost haunted like area. Dodging and weaving through bellheads and any other thing that got in her way. When she finally didn't see enemies every two seconds she signed and looked around. Traveling through a path she spotted bells littering the ground every now and then. She had learned bells seemed to be something... Bad... But she didn't know why. She just avoided any those bellheads had. Pulling out her journal she sighed, might as well write when she had a moment... a loud yell and the clanking of metal against metal startled her horribly. She visibly jumped backward, her book falling out of her hands and she clumsy grabbing for her needle. A tall figure stood there one arm on a quiver looking bag filled with rolled up paper. The other rested on her hip. Metal rings hung loosely from her arms but never seemed to fall off somehow. And a yellow almost metal looking tail twitched behind her. A dragonfly??

The dragonfly opened her mouth to speak, looking confident before noticing just how rattled the spider had been from her outburst. Nervously laughing the figure spoke. "Sorry about that, I get a little carried away, especially when I see a new face around." Padding over, she picked up hornets journal before offering it to her. "Names shakra, a traveler around these parts and a mapmaker in my spare time, who are you?" Hornet looked between the book and dragonfly for a few beats before placing her needle on her back again and taking the book shakily. "I ah- hornet... My name is hornet." She said, tucking the book under her cloak. She seemed to startle before giving a soft almost pitiful hum. Was hornets name traveling around now to other people? She should be careful giving it out then.

"No need to look so pitiful." She snapped a bit harsher than she had intended. She hated when people pitied her. She was no useless grub that couldn't fight anymore. Shakra just shook her head "you have a journey ahead of you young one. And I wish you luck on it." She patted hornet between her horns making her huff. She decided to change the topic for now, so trying to shove any bitterness she had hornet sighed. "Your a map maker?" She would love a map. She had gotten twisted and turned in this world already enough and it was tiring. Shakra perked. "Indeed I do little weaver, I actually just finished mapping most of the area we're in. Even if it isn't fully finished." She hummed pulling a map out of her bag and opening it. Curiously, hornet tried to wrap around to see it but cursed her own height. Why did her siblings have to get the tall genes... When shakra saw this she chuckled and crouched down on one knee to be more hornets height. "I can sell this to you if you wish for a few rosaries, I do need to make a living and map making and exploring aren't really something that rakes in income." She rolled up the map and offered it to hornet.

Hornet paused before carefully taking the map. Her pockets had been pretty empty of rosaries. They were hard to get her paws on even if they spilled magically from the dead; but she should have enough. "How much?" She asked curiously. Carefully she tied the map with a thread of silk so it didn't get ruined. Shakra seemed to study the strand of silk as hornet tied the map closed. She had never seen silk glow before. Never in the many weavers she had come across had such. Noticing hornet had pocketed the map and was waiting for an answer she shook out of her thoughts and stood. "Oh- ah... Does three hundred sound fair?"

Hornet cocked her head to the side in thought before nodding. Pulling out a strand of rosaries shakra took them and pocketed them carefully. With a simple nod hornet then started to pad off "thank you for your time, but I must continue my journey ." She hummed, shakra agreed "I can promise you we'll be seeing each other again, I wish you the best of luck my friend." She hummed waving to the weaver as she left. Once hornets dress disappeared past a grand looking door she sighed softly. "Poor thing won't make it much farther.... Glowing silk however... No wonder the cult wants her so bad, i've never seen such a thing. Not in a common bug at least... Hornet hm...? I wonder..." She hummed gently before softly sighing. She was probably overthinking things. She headed off to continue her journey and to create more maps. If hornet where to live... She wanted to help, even if it was as simple as a map...

She really saw something in the small weaver, she bet others had as well, something deep inside. Almost like a tidal wave in their path. She knew for certain that others would help the weaver at least... But... Ugh, she was probably just imagining things again. But she knew they would meet again.

---

Panting hornet jumped onto a platform, carefully avoiding the lava below. Bonebottom was an area she already hated intensely. It was hot... very hot. Her feet felt numb from walking on the metal and rock Floors, she was sweaty even! Hornet swore she would kill to sink into a pool of water or even a hot spring for a few hours. Heck even her own needle betrayed her here. The metal burning through the carapace of her hand as she used it. Her silk even burnt up cause it was so god damn hot. She wanted out and now. However of course pharloom didn't play that way. Hearing a mechanical lock she spun. Instantly noticung the door behind her had closed and the one ahead as well. Looking ahead her eyes caught something white carefully standing there. Something she had missed before. Pin and hand and white eyes watching the weaver carefully.

"How sad...." A voice spoke, light and feminine, full of pity and a layer of something hornet couldn't quite place. The voice made her instantly growl. "A little spider has fallen from its cage. So lost, so weak. Poor little morsel." The figure faced hornet fully, she remembered her from that one time in moss grotto. "I can save you little spider. All the trouble you’d face above. All the suffering. It's so simple." A giggle escaped the other, making hornet bristle. "I’ll just skewer you here and now, pluck that flickering life right out of you." She raised her pin to be in between hornets eyes, even if they were quite a few feet apart, pretending to stab the weaver through her mask.

Hornet, tired, drew her needle and crouched down, ready for a battle. If she was anything like the bellheads around she shouldn't underestimate her. "Your threats are worthless. If you are my foe, cease this prattle and raise your blade." She barked making the other startle slightly, eyes widening before narrowing as a grin spread across her face.

Her voice grew much more excited. "Delicious! I like you already!" She spoke before launching forward. Hornet paused before launching forward herself.

The clashing of nails, the sound of the womans yells, the scent of iron in the air from the blood that spilled… It was almost calming in a strange sense. The two battled like their lives depended on it. Cause in reality it did. Hornet dug her claws into the metallic ground, forcing herself to skid to a stop, right at the edge of the lava. She was panting, with many a scratch on her shell from lace's pin. She knew how to strike to kill so many of the scratches where so barely away from her vitals. Lace landed calmly at the other end of the arena. She was panting herself, with a few gashes on her. Hornets needle dug deeper then laces pin when scratched, making lace look quite a bit worse then hornet, when in reality it was hornet who was closer to death, lace didn't even look that tired, still ready for a battle yet.

Hornet hung her head slightly, shaking as she tried not to collapse, this... was not where she died... Lace just huffed "I really expected a bit more out of you little weaver. I've heard amazing stories of how strong you are. And yet here you are now. Unable to even stand." She hummed padding over to hornet that struggled to keep standing. A quick gab and the spider's life was gone... good, she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Didn't have to face this sickening kingdom. She watched hornets legs buckle from under her. Her hand was still tightly wrapped her needle even as it scorched through her hand but lace could see she wouldn't be able to raise it.

Spinning her pin she carefully lifted hornets face with the non-lethal side of the weapon. Looking into hornets eyes, clouded but filled with determination. "Don't worry little weaver, I'll make this quick." She almost sighed, but kept her voice under the mask she had kept up for years. Pulling her needle away she didn't expect for hornet to suddenly spring as she readied her weapon. She yelped as hornet dragged her to the ground. She tried to get the weaver off of her. But she hadn't been prepared enough. Both her hands where pinned to the ground, claws digging into her carapace causing blue blood to drip through. And looking up she was face to face with the weaver. Venom dripped from her fangs as both their eyes locked together. Lace's pin was still in her hand, hornets needle however she couldn't see. Such determination to live, a shame it was a waist.

So this was how she was going to die, by venom? A slow and painful death but did she really deserve anything else? "If you think of me so simple to give up now then you're wrong. I have a family to get back to, a kingdom, and you are not going to halt my progress with your silly words and gilded pin." She growled. Lace just watched her, she wasn't necessarily scared, but her curiosity did shine through as she watched the weaver carefully. "Open these gates or I will kill you here and now." She threatened making lace just hum gently. Mercy? What a surprising thing. She could see the fire burning in hornets eyes, a fire for a freedom she probably would never get, it really made her pity her, knowing there was no way the weaver would live past her. However... Something inside lace was curious, curious if hornet would make it to the top. She remembered giving this change to others and they ended up dead or captured later. She had always felt guilty if they lived but... Just maybe...

"Sorry little weaver, but that would mean letting me up, and I doubt you will do such a thing." Lace watched Hornets eyes narrow. Studying her for a good few moments before springing up and away from lace. Lace was stunned as she stood. Watching hornet gather her needle. She could tell the weaver was hurt. Limping as she walked, but she glared at lace carefully. With a hum lace debated on finishing her... It would be so simple… But with a soft chuckle she just smiled. Pulling a switch from her dress she flicked it off, causing the doors to open. "Fine then little weaver. Continue on your way, but do heed my offer if you ever wish." She giggled, even if it felt humorless. "we will meet again little morsel." Hornet just growled. Summoning silk she tied it to her needle and tossed it. Yanking herself after it before it could light on fire from the sheer heat alone. Lace watched the weaver disappear. What an interesting specimen, but she knew the cult wasn't going to like that she let her go. Aw well, she'll deal with that when it comes...

---

Finding a town she found shakra again and caught up with her, she bought another map for bonebottom, knowing she wanted to get out of here nice and fast. Shakra had pointed out how bad her hand looked but she tried to wave shakra off to not worry her, but in reality it was getting bad. She also found another thing in the town, a blacksmith. Entering was a large carved out room, back coals littered the floor and chains hung high from the roof with many pipes as well. The room gave off heat but it seemed to be dulled down somehow, even if you would expect a forge to be hotter then everything else. Hornet also noticed a layer down where a smaller bug worked at a forge. But the larger bug caught her attention. Little hands poking and prodding inside their forge. Carefully she drew close to the large bug, but she wasn't scared per say, she was nervous however.

"Oh! Small pointy bug, why do you bother us, at our work?" The large bug spoke. Looking over when they had noticed hornet. "The sound of your craft called me to investigate. I’d expected more combative types, but you seem composed?" She tilted her head curiously. "Oh… The rest? They’re all wound up! Their work still continues, in its simple way, but they’re useless for conversation. It’s only ourselves and Ballow over there with any sense left." Hornet looked over when the smith pointed the other bug out, still hard at work. The way the forge bug worded it made her remember of the infection.

"What is your duty? Are you perhaps, a smith of some kind?" She could only assume but the laugh that came from the other made her hesitate. "A smith? Hardly so crude! We are Forge-Daughter! How can a pointy bug not tell? Ours is the ancient line and honoured role. These docks and lands around are fortunate to have our skills." Huh, our? Forge-daughter? Was that their name? "If you are as talented as you suggest, would you lend me your aid, if only briefly? I’ve lacked for my usual tools, and I suspect you could craft fine replacements." She asked. The tools she had before were gone, taken by the bellheads when she had gotten captured by. Regaining them again would help her immensely.

"Blades and traps, no doubt? I know your type!" Type? "Of sorts, but maybe strange to this land? Some would likely prove fine challenge for your craft." She really needed tools, so twisting her words she hoped this... Forge-daughter would be more than willing to help. "Hmph! Then we’ll construct them. But! You’ll provide the materials, and compensation for my time."

She could happily gather materials for weapons, but where was the tricky question. "Would you happen to know where I could gather such materials for your work?" She asked curiously. Forge-daughter hummed "The materials we use are brought to us so I could not help in that endeavor. However, metals of all shines will work. Gunpowder will as well. We can melt, shape and sharpen many things and experiment with others." Hm. Digging around in her cloak she pulled out a few shards, large in shape and colorful. Curiously, forge-daughter took them to inspect the shards closely. "Shell shards?" They hummed. "I have been gathering them, they seemed... Important, do you think you can forge them into weapons and tools to my standard?" She asked. Forge-daughter inspected the shard before nodding.

"If It can be melted it can be crafted. These will work wonders, these and a few rosaries for our troubles, and we shall do what you wish." Hornet nodded, exchanging and talking as forged-daughter crafted.

After a bit she came out of the forge with 12 pin throwing knives, a few balls of silken trapz that when activated shoot out spikes to impale an enemy, a few... Pimpillo's as forge-daughter called them, very explosive bombs she was a little nervous to handle. And a few other random things. She felt so much more confident with her new tools. But she had to make sure they worked and to use them sparingly. If she lost them she would have to go back to this hell pit to ask forge-daughter to craft more and she really didn't want to come back here.

But hey... They probably would come in handy

---

Hornet panted, bonebottom was a lot bigger than she thought or liked. There where a few safe spots where she relaxed in, where the heat didn't bake her alive, but most of bonebottom carefully cooked the weaver in a nice 360 degree rotation. Hornet dealt with it, she had to. But she could tell her feet and hand was burned raw. She found herself limping harder as she traveled. And having to keep her needle on her back so at least it burned through her cloak then her hand. But with her cloak being so light her back started to get the brute of the hot metal as well. She wanted to go back to moss grotto where things were not too hot but not too cold. Stumbling into a room she jumped hard and hissed when a door closed behind her. Crap- the ground rumbled and she yelped, stumbling as the lava lifted and broke. A machine. A large machine rose from the lava. Mechanical and spider like. Two sets of arms above the lava and probably many more below the surface. It reared up and slammed down on the platform breaking off the edge of the floating rock clean off. Yelping she scrambled as the platform rocked. Lava splashing up and around. A few drops of lava hit her, burning her carapace and dress. Fuck godsthat hurt like all hell. The other arm raised and she had to jump out of the way as it crashed down, destroying another second of the platform. Ok- think fast hornet, how the heck where you getting out of this one!?

Robot, robot right? A power source then? But where? There were no signs on the outside but she had to guess. Grabbing something from under her cloak, she looked at the high explosive in her hand. "Alright you pimpillo don't disappoint me." She spoke before throwing it as hard as she could at its chest before crouching on all her limbs on the platform, one still gripping her needle tight. When the bomb hit the robot it exploded, sending a nice shockwave and bits of metal flying. The robot seemed to let out a scream as it rocked before stabilizing itself. With a new wave of confidence she grabbed another from her cloak and threw it at its face this time. As it exploded she could see it did some major damage, the robot roaring out again. "You want another!?" She barked, grabbing a third pimpillo from her cloak. Seeing something exposed from the first explosion she grinned.

Tossing the third at the chest again she ducked as metal and parts exploded outward. The machine moaned and whined as it fell apart. Crashing back into the lava it came from. Watching such a giant thing get destroyed made a part of hornet happy. Even if she was in a lot of pain and danger. She watched the fireworks as other parts of the machine exploded and melted, going back into the lava it came from. She didn't die… Not today. When the door opened she let herself watch the machinery completely disappear before hopping out of the room and carrying on her way. She wrote down a reminder to thank forge-daughter later. Those bombs saved her life...

---

"She, WHAT!?" A black, figure, clattered in armor shrank at the yell, ducking his head nervously. "S-she, t-the weaver, s,she destroyed t-the robot s-sir." The black figure said, looking up nervously at the other. The other figure was a lot larger, clothed in a japanese style robe of sorts. Colored a beautiful purple and black, a nice light grey shirt underneath. It was royalty clothing for sure, shiny silk carefully sewn into the cloth to make a variety of swirls and slashes. However his actual face was underneath a hood making it hard to see his actual face. “Sharpie. I thought you were in charge of that idea.” The figure snarled, eyes narrowing.

“Y-yes sir I was, I-I thought it was f-full proof!” The new named figure, sharpie stuttered. He was very rarely scared of anything, but the god in front of him did for sure scare him. He never knew how lace could act so cocky around him. Talking about lace, the main doors to the room opened, a still hurt but clearly fine lace walking inside. “And you.” He huffed turning to face lace as she calmly stopped in front of the god. “you let the weaver go!” He snarled angrily. Lace just hummed. “Oh I did, you know how I like playing with my prey.” She hummed, not even flinching.

The god snarled, a clawed hand reaching out and grabbing lace by the throat. Lifting her up, lace glared into the four eyes that glaring back at her. “You're already on thin ice lace, if this weaver dies or gets away I’ll make sure your head ends up in a basket.” He snarled. Lace's eyes just narrowed, even as she struggled to breath. “Oh I know dear king” she snarled, eyes narrowing more as his grip tightened. With a simple huff he tossed lace before turning to stalk out of the room. Leaving a bloodied lace and nervous sharpie.

“You ok?” Lace heard sharpie carefully ask, kneeling at her side as she got up, rubbing her head. “I’m fine.” She mumbled. She watched Sharpie sit at her side, she sitting up as well. Looking at her wounds she pulled out a spool of silk. “The weaver did a number on you, she’s a strong one.” He hummed snatching the spool of silk to wrap lace’s wounds himself. She went to protest but just sighed. “What did he talk to you about?” Sharpie sighed. “He said about me capturing her once she gets to the town in coral forest, setting up a trap in the local inn and dragging her to the citadel.”

Lace hummed softly. “Think it would work?” She asked. “I don’t know, the weaver is weak, it should...” Sharpie carefully studied lace’s eyes. “What are you thinking?” He asked worriedly. Lace just hummed. As sharpie finished she stood. “You’ll see sharpie. I would get out of here before he kills you though. Your my best friend after all.” Sharpie paused, taking lace’s offered hand. “Lace... don’t get yourself killed either.” He said worriedly. “I won't. I’m smarter than that.” She chuckled gently.

---

Finally she saw the exit to the eternal heat and suffering that was deepdocks... And entered a possibly worse area. Coral forest... It was just like it was. Her already hurt feet got stabbed and torn apart by the sharp corals underneath. Heck even her hands weren't saved. Her climbing tore the fragile and burned carapace apart. If she were to look behind her she would have known the blood path she was leaving behind. She didn't notice but others did.

Jumping into a new room, tired and panting, wishing for some sleep she listened to the doors close behind her. She didn't even need to open her eyes to know lace was there on the other side. "Always at the worst times." She bit opening her eyes to look over at lace. But hornet startled. Her eyes didn't hold the cocky and confident look she was used to. She was looking at the weaver in worry. But when their eyes met lace looked away, and when she looked back that cocky smile and confidence she was used to was back. Did she imagine the first look? Probably.

"One again we meet. Leaving a blood trail for us to follow." It made hornet look down at her paws, seeing she was bleeding and bad. She was able to ignore the pain earlier, now she felt the throb of pain just by looking at it. Hissing she glared at lace again. "I would say how stupid it is to lead your enemys to you, but the poor beautiful coral you stained is far more important." She faked being upset. Hornet just huffed. She was too tired for such banter… Too hungry to… Everything... "Enough, let's just get this over with." She snapped. Lace paused before shrugging like she didn't care "fine, but you make this no fun." Needle and pin clashed again and lace found herself stopping herself. There were almost a sad amount of times where she could have stabbed hornet in the back, the weaver herself panting and shaking as bloody foot prints showed where the weaver had set foot in the room.

She should finish the weaver before he got his hands on her, but she did have that idea. You know what? She was tired of this. When hornet launched forward she flipped her needle in her hands and dodged. Hooking her pin around the weavers neck she yanked back. Causing hornets feet to be flown from under her. Yelping hornet struggled as lace pinned her to the ground. “Get off me!” She hissed angrily. “Shut up and stay still, you're clearly dieing and if you do nothing are going to get caught easily.” Blinking hornet looked up at lace confusingly as she let hornet go, after the weaver stopped struggling. “Look... ugh. Am I really going to kill myself...?” She asked herself as hornet sat nervously on the ground. Not sure if she should run or not. She didn't know if she had the energy to run or not.

“Yeah I'm going to, look... the person that's chasing you, is planning to ambush you at the next town.” Hornets eyes widened “and... I don’t...” she sighed rubbing her eyes. Hornet paused for a bit. She didn’t know if she should trust lace or not... but a part of her did for some reason. “Why help me though?” She asked gently. Nervously she sat her needle down to look over her bleeding foot. Lace sat down as well. “Because... I’m tired.” Hornet curiously looked up, lace offering her some cream to help stop her foot from getting infected. She took it with a small nod to go on, and a thanks, she wrapped up her foot as lace spoke. “I’m tired of killing weavers... to spare their lives from him. I... you give me hope that this can finally stop. Hornet blinked before nodding nervously.

“I’m going to die...” lace finally continued once hornet patched up her hand. “I’m going to die if I don’t capture you.” Hornet paused before humming. “You... Don't have to die.” Lace looked up confused. “I... still don’t trust you.” She said giving lace her stuff back “but... you could join me... and help me...” lace seemed shocked. Looking into the holes of hornets mask nervously. She wasn’t sure what she had expected this fight... to die probably, let hornet go another. To just sit down and talk wasn’t one she expected. Neither was hornets offer, she didn’t expect it and it stunned her. But she could tell hornet meant the words... loosely. A small offer, a small hope for trust. A small hope for an ally...

Lace paused before smiling. “I didn’t expect such an offer from you little weaver. But...” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She hoped sharpie would be ok. “Of course.” She nodded. Hornet smiled weakly before sighing again, she was so tired. “Come, it's getting late and it looks like you're about to fall over, can you walk?” Hornet paused and stood before stumbling. Lace caught her before she fell, supporting the weaver that studied her nervously. It would take some time for even lace to trust the weaver. But she was too tired of killing, if she were to die, she would die fighting.

They both got far into the wilds of coral forest before resting. Lace was nervous, she wondered what not reporting to him would do, but she didn’t fully care, meanwhile hornet carefully lit a fire, her own eyes distant and thinking. “What are you fighting for?” Confused hornet looked up. “Huh?”

“What are you fighting for? Why do you want so badly to get out?” Hornet paused before sighing. “I wanna go back to my home... There may not be much of anything waiting for me, but I just... need to go back...” lace just hummed, wondering if she should push further. Eventually she did. “You have a family?” Lace noticed the subtle flinch hornet had which made lace regret opening her mouth. “I do... two brothers.” She hummed softly. “They're probably waiting for me...” lace felt bad, but was also curious. No father or mother then? There was no way she was asking, but she was curious. Her curiosity was probably shone in her eyes as hornet paused but didn’t continue.

Digging through her cloak hornet pulled out a whetstone and carefully sharpened her blade. Lace could tell it was well taken care of, looking closer she noticed writing on the side. She tried to squint to see what it said but couldn’t read it in the low light. “A needle hm?” She asked. Hornet nodded “A traditional weapon for us weavers.” She said making sure she smoothed out any scratches before seeming satisfied. “May I see it?” At hornets look she held up her hands innocently. “I’ll let you play around with my pin if it will calm your mind.” Hornet paused before rolling her eyes. She offered her needle and lace tossed over her pin. Standing lace backed up a bit, turning her back on hornet which made the weaver so much more confused.

She carefully tested the weapons weight, swinging and stabbing it. It was a lot heavier than what she was used to. As well as more slicey then stabby, but it wasn’t that bad. Looking behind her she saw hornet had moved on from watching her to curiously studying her pin, stabbing and slashing it. She could see how it almost flew from hornets hands with how light it was. She snickered softly but it seemed the weaver slowly got the hang of it. Looking back down at hornets needle she carefully read the small writing. Hornet, Daughter of Herrah. herrah? Wait- she knew that name. Wasn’t that... she yelped feeling something gently poke her in the back. Jumping and spinning. Needle in hand she watched hornet snicker, twirling lace’s pin, but she was careful with it. “I don’t understand how you can handle this thing, it's too light.” She said, offering the pin back. Lace hummed, taking her weapon back and giving hornet her own. “Your needles extremely heavy compared to my pin. I expected it but I couldn’t use it.” She hummed calming down. "don’t poke me by the way.” She huffed poking hornet back carefully on the back as they padded back over to the fire. “You were distracted and I couldn’t help it.” She hummed. Hornet flinched lightly at the poke but calmed down when no pain flared from the spot.

Yawning hornet flopped onto the ground tiredly, curling up. Lace hummed sitting down. They probably should watch for patrols. But lace trusted they were deep enough for bellheads to not find them. Laying down lace yawned as well. Tiredly she closed her eyes, falling asleep. After a pause hornet rose her mask nervously. A part of her wanted to run but she was exhausted, and she could get an ally here... tiredly she curled up again. But she just couldn’t sleep. She wasn’t sure if it was lace presence or having a feeling something was going to happen. However eventually hornet drifted off. Too tired to stay awake for much longer.

----

Hornet slowly woke up with a soft mumble to the smell of something cooking. Confused she stretched before looking over at the once burnt out fire. Lace sat by it, softly humming as she carefully cooked some bug on a makeshift spit roast. At a closer look hornet noticed lace had stabbed her needle through one of the bugs from the nearby area and had been cooking it like that. Tiredly hornet layed back down. She was starving . But god's she was so tired. Usually when she woke up she was up and moving, but with lace here she didn't even want to move. "Morning little weaver." Hornet huffed "shut it." She mumbled. She would admit being called 'small' was getting on her last nerve and laces snickers just made her more angry. "You slept in for quite a bit, was actually making me worried for a little there." Huh? "Its mid-day darling." That startled hornet, burying her head in her arms she cursed. "Fuck."

Snickering lace carefully took her pin and took a bite into the bug on it. "I brought some more prey back as well, it's already cooked." Nodding hornet sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

It took a bit for her to wake up. Taking one of the pre-cooked bugs she wrapped it in silk before sinking her fangs into it. She let her venom do the work before drinking down the bug liquified meat. It felt nice to get a solid meal in her, and the fact lace was eating the same type of bug told her it wasn't poisonous at least. Lace let her have the extra bug she had caught. Waiting for her to... Uh... Hm. "Where are we going.'' A Nervous hornet licked her lips. "Up." She chuckled nervously before continuing to eat. Yeah, good point, she wouldn't know where the heck they were.

Putting out the fire lace followed after hornet as she trecked outside and forward. The two stayed away from the main trail, and lace made sure they got nowhere near the coral forest town. bellheads would probably be swarming it. But the constant climbing instead of straight shot made lace tired. She could tell hornet was hiding her exhaustion, but a small limp and her bandages growing red made lace worried. She tried to suggest they rest but she just shook her head and continued on.

As they walked lace had slowly grown in front of hornet. But she hadn't realized until she heard a loud thump. Confused, she looked behind her and startled, seeing hornet had collapsed, panting hard. Heading over quickly she crouched down to make sure the weaver was ok. Hornet grunted, trying to wave lace away but she yelped as her arms collapsed from under her. Lace sighed softly before picking hornet up. She tried to wiggle out of lace's grip as she continued but hornet eventually let her exhaustion win against her. Nuzzling her mask into lace's chest she felt herself drift off.

---

Hornet grunted as she woke up. She was curled up on the ground. A blanket draped over her shoulders. Looking around she noticed lace a bit away, also sleeping, they seemed to be in some sort of small cave. A safe place to call it a night for sure. Yawning she noticed it was still dark out, so falling back asleep would probably be the best idea, but her eyes locked onto lace. Why... Why did she feel so safe around the other... So calm. She should be jumpy and on guard around lace, still not knowing her intentions, and yet she wasn't. At least not as often as she should. It was strange to think about. How so suddenly lace seemed to flip flop. Yes they had many fights in these lands, but it almost seemed something finally tipped over something in lace, causing her to follow the weaver instead of the symbol on her chest.

She didn't understand it, but she was grateful for it. Having another body close by gave her at least a little comfort here. Another that feared for her life just like hornet. Maybe that's why she could sleep a bit easier then she should now. She... Still didn't know lace's real intentions, but the way lace acted... Ugh she was so conflicted.

She should never trust someone so quickly, she knew putting your trust in someone quickly could be bad. But from their first meeting, she could see that the other wasn't part of the cult. Not like sharpie was. If lace had been... She had a feeling she would have been dead a long time ago. It didn't help that it felt like lace trusted her, not to kill her and leave her to rot... She didn't know what to think about the other bug yet. But she hoped she told the truth. Flinching she watched lace stretch as she woke up, the two's eyes meeting. "Ah, I'm glad you're awake, I was starting to worry something was wrong... well… Passing out means something is wrong hm?." She yawned as she carefully stretched in the small cave-like area.

Hornet weakly chuckled. Especially when lace talked like such. She used to not care at all... At least that's the show she put on. "Ah... Yeah... I guess I was just finally catching up on those sleepless nights." She mumbled. The worried gaze lace gave her made hornets gut twist. And she found herself speaking before she could even comprehend the emotion. "You confuse me so much."

Lace paused before softly sighing. "I confuse myself a lot." She chuckled weakly. A feeling of... Awkwardness? Settling in. "I just... I guess i'm still so confused why you changed your mind so suddenly, or why I offered for you to come with me so quickly." She sighed burying her mask in her hands. Lace just hummed. "It's because I care for you... Look I... Have things I rather keep secret that helped me change my mind from killing you just like the others before. But I have many a reason I swapped. I'm just... Tired." She mumbled. Hornet could sympathize, she was exhausted as well, from being tugged around on a string like nothing. Just a little toy being played with by a higher creature. The radiance, Now here...

"...I think... Once all this is done i'm taking a vacation." That made lace laugh gently "oh? To where?" Hornet hummed. "Somewhere not here or hallownest, just... Somewhere I can not look every direction and remember a traumatic experience or two. Meet some people, maybe even make some friends, even if i'm horrible at it." She weakly laughed, laying on her back. The silence this time was more comforting, but it didn't last long either. "...Your plenty good at making friends, heh. You have one right here." Hornet paused before sitting up to look at lace, noticing how her eyes shone in honesty. Hornet gave a soft chuckle. "I can never predict you." She smiled making lace chuckle to. But it did leave an open question in the air. Friends..? Are they really friends?

Before hornet could answer however both suddenly heard something growing closer. Both scrambled back to press their backs into the wall of the small cave. Hornet gripped her weapon tight, and she felt lace press her side against hornet. Her own pin in hand. Both held their breath as talking sounded. "...You sure she was spotted over here last?" A voice sounded. Hornet didn't know it. But the way lace's determined glare turned to one of fear as she shrank made hornets fur rise. When the second voice sounded she almost had to bite her hand not to snarl. "Yes sir, she was last seen over here. It was also late when she was spotted, so it can only be assumed the weaver set up camp around the area." sharpie. Seeing a shadow pass by the small cave made both tense but luckily it passed, however a second smaller shadow paused in front of their hiding spot.

"Separate and look around. Make sure nothing gets out of this area." The other voice spoke. So there where more? Fuck- carefully hornet started to creep forward. They couldn't wait for them to find them. They had to strike now. However lace grabbed her hand and pulled her back making hornet slide suddenly. She saw lace's eyes wide and shake her head quickly. However she instantly looked back at the entrance. At the sudden sound the shadow at the entrance curiously peaked inside. Two panicking bugs met sharpies eyes. They narrowed before widening at lace. What-!?

Hornet didn't even let him shout however. Yanking her hand away from lace she felt her fight of flight kick in. They weren't after lace, they were after her, and she wanted to keep it that way. Without thinking she pulled away from lace and pounced tackling into sharpie that yelped, the two rolling before hornet kicked the mosquito away with her back paws. Ignoring the pain from rolling in the sharp corals she skidded herself to a stop and stood. Needle gripped in her hand. A quick look around and her heart stopped. Oh- so many more bellheads then she had assumed. Way too many to fight. Looking up the hill she noticed a cloaked figure, a tail bobbing beside him. He seemed unimpressed. However her attention snapped away from the figure as sharpie snarled. Turning her head she saw sharpie getting to his feet, brushing away shards of coral.

"OW! Rude! Stupid little weaver and your stupid tricks." He growled. Hornet looked around to run but noticed she was surrounded. "Sorry little weaver. But my job cA--" he yelled as something white slammed into the side of the mosquito, sending him father down the hill with many more curse words as he rolled. "Move-" it was lace. Pin in hand and glaring at hornet intensely. Hornet didn't even hesitate as she bolted for the opening in their circle. "SORRY SHARPIE." Lace called before her head turned to look at the shaded figure up on top of the hill. It was only a few milla-seconds when the two's eyes locked. But lace had made her decision a few days ago. The two bolted, bellheads following close behind them. Hornet bit her lip. She wanted lace to not be seen- but why? Why did she care!? Ugh- no time. Spotting something out of the corner of her eye she bolted for it. Making lace skid in confusion before following. "H-hornet that a ravine!" She was very well aware of the fact.

"Jump!" She simply barked as she tossed herself off the ledge. Lace had tried to slide to stop herself before killing herself like the CRAZY WEAVER WAS but she flew off the ledge as well. Ripping her dress where the patch of the cults symbol used to lay. As she was flug off the ledge. There was a few seconds of nothing. Just slowed down air. A horrifying drop far below both of them with no way to save herself. Closing her eyes she readied for her death before feeling something grab her and pull her close. Opening her eyes she saw hornet had grabbed and hugged her close in their free fall. Already tossing her needle to save them from falling to their death. Oh yeah, she forgot hornet had that. Suddenly feeling the two get yanked up she yelled

However when she thought they would land they didn't. Hornet yanked her needle back and tossed it again. At first the bug clinging on for dear life felt sick before a shocking wonder came over her. Like learning to fly. Being terrified, having no control before realizing you were safe. As hornet swung she wondered why the weaver hadn't done it before, but she guessed there had been nowhere to swing from and to. In the ravine the walls did a good job at holding the weavers needle to make her confident in its ability. Once they finally landed on the top of the ravine and hornet had set lace down, the two just... Panted.

"Close... A bit too close." Hornet nervously chuckled. Her arms ached from holding onto lace and swinging them to safety, she hadn't gotten to do such since moss grotto. However when lace exploded into giggles she looked at her confused. "That was... TERRIFYING! But... F-fun!?" Hornet chuckled as the two made eye contact. "How do you do that!?" Hornet just hummed. "Its hard but i've learned how to with practice."

She let lace calm down from her adrenaline hype. She shaking from her own. Alert, concerned, tense, but calming down at lace's total opposite reaction. The two sat down just to breath. As hornet patched up small cuts she had gotten on the coral lace inspected the rip in her suit-like dress. The cut was pretty deep, she was bleeding from it even. It would be such a pain to repair and hide it. However lace didn't miss the golden symbol that used to stand out and show she really did belong to the cult.

Hornet hummed. Finishing her job really fast before looking up at lace and seeing the rip. "Ugh this is going to take forever to fix." Lace whined, making hornet grow closer. "Here. Let me see." Shocked lace stayed still as hornet sat in front of her. Silk flew around the weaver as she worked. It reminded her of magic in a way as it carefully knitted the cut closed underneath before hornet worked on the actual rip. It took maybe five minutes before hornet backed up to appreciate her work. Lace carefully studied the weaver like patch on her dress. It was like she was on the weavers team. She liked it. "It's one way to fix it." She hummed finding the cute little patch... Adorable. However she must of said something wrong.

She noticed hornet flinch nervously. "A-ah- s-sorry. I was supposed to sew it shut n-not cover it up-" lace carefully grabbed hornets hand making her freeze and look up. "Its fine." She hummed "I find it really cute." Hornet paused before giving off a soft sigh and relaxing. "I..I'm glad... My mother taught me how to make them." She said gently. Lace carefully studded the weavers face, seeing the mourning in her eyes as she spoke. "Did you like your mother?" She gently asked. Hornet nodded with a hum. "I did. I'm glad that i'm in this world, but I wish it was under a better reason." Lace just nodded…

"Anyway about us almost dying-" lace suddenly spoke as the silence grew... Tense. Hornet just huffed "I wanted you to stay so they didn't see you." Hornet barked making lace hum. "If they found me I was dead anyway, so I decided to help you out." Hornet just huffed but also sighed. At least neither got seriously hurt. It was probably good they both ran when they did as well. "Well... Now where are we?" She chuckled nervously. "Hopefully almost out of this area. I don't think I can ever look at coral again." She huffed. Nodding lace looked around to try and figure out where they were.

Looking back at hornets expecting face lace shrugged. "No clue." Hornet just groaned and face palmed. "What? I'm no human compass." She chuckled, standing. Hornet rolled her eyes but stood after her. "You could have just said that." She grumbled. "I did!" Lace barked back defensively but chuckled at hornets glare.

"Come on. Let's see if we can look around." Hornet said before padding off. Lace followed her but did notice that hornets limp was back. Concerning, but mentioning it now would probably be a bad idea.

They walked around for a bit until it started to get late. However both were a bit... Tense to rest anywhere. They may be miles away from the bellheads but they had found them once. If they found them again they were screwed. It was a beautiful silent agreement to keep moving even as the world grew dark. Hornet produced a lamp to make sure neither fell into any invisible and deadly holes. But both seemed tense with the light. However it was better getting spotted then being stabbed through the chest from a deadly fall.

As they walked, hornet just was... Nervous, but as they spotted a small little cave; they both knew they couldn't stay up all night. So they made camp in the small cavern. Both still... Tense... From the close call. But hornet was a bit more tense. How did they even know where they were? They said they had spotted hornet but it felt... Strange. However if lace did send them after her why would she save her life? It was... Confusing.

Glaring into the fire hornet had carefully started, she let her mind wander, grip on her needle tight. Lace sat cross legged on the other side of the fire. Inspecting the patch the weaver had made on her dress. It was adorable of course it was, and it made lace blush only slightly at how hornet, instead of fixing it, put her own little touch into her uniform. How she worked, quickly and quietly, with determination and narrowed eyes. It was just... Adorable.

Lace huffed at herself. Absolutely not. Yes, mmmaayybbee she had been growing a small crush on the little weaver as the days passed, but she fully doubted that hornet shared her feelings in the slightest. Maybe that's why she joined her so suddenly. Looking over the fire at the other weaver she noticed just how tense the other was. Like a spring ready to jump. It was sad to see. It almost seemed hornet was breaking from that shell of hers, but the sudden appearance of bellheads made her curl back into her small little protective bubble. Lace softly sighed and got up. She knew hornets head had snapped up as she did so, but lace didn't look over at the other weaver. Instead she carefully ducked outside of their small little hide.

She walked over to the ledge close by and carefully sat down, legs dangling over the edge. Looking up she looked at the fake stars above, made from the crystals and corals of coral forest. She expected to just give hornet a minute to calm down. To feel alone and possibly safe again before heading back in. Maybe she would sleep, maybe not. However what she didn't expect was soft paws to carefully make their way over to her and sit down beside her. She could feel hornets eyes on her before lace decided to look over. Seeing hornet looking up at the ceiling as well she followed her gaze.

It was silent for a bit before lace spoke. "If I made you uncomfortable I can leave." She suggested gently, looking over at hornet. Hornet lowered her head before meeting lace's eyes. "That's not... I..." She sighed. "You don't make me uncomfortable." She mumbled looking out at the distance. "But I don't know how to word how you make me feel..." She mumbled. Lace hummed gently. "I was a enemy once, I wouldn't be shocked if you still feared me in some way." She spoke gently. Realizing she had forgotten her pin inside. "I don't fear you... I don't feel nervous around you, not like... You would backstab me nervous... I feel... I..." She groaned. Lace nervously reached out a hand to pat her back, trying to help the weaver speak her mind. When she pulled her hand back though she froze when hornet had grabbed it and squeezed it gently. "You... Make me feel safer then if I was alone." She whispered softly. "It could be some... Problems in my past speaking for me but... I don't... Know if I could do this journey alone now." She softly mumbled.

Lace paused and carefully squeezed hornets hand to reassure her. "I'm not leaving unless you tell me to... Ya dork." Hornet chuckled gently. Lace could feel the weaver start to shiver, but she doubted it was from being cold. Pulling her hand away lace paused before opening her arms up for a hug. Hornet paused before scooting forward and hugging lace close. Burying her head into lace's chest. Lace hugged hornet back. Carefully moving the weaver into her lap so she could continue to look out into the distance. This was going to be one hell of a journey. Looking down at the weaver in her arms she frowned. She really hoped hornet could make it... To the top... She didn't know if she could lose the other either...

---

They eventually got back to the cave, hornet falling asleep in her arms and lace just curling up with her. The morning both where a bit flustered, but both knew they had to move, and so they did. The corals finally started to fade into golden metals. Both grew tense because of such however. There wasn't a bonebottom part two was there? “Heh what do you know." Lace started, cresting a hill and looking out. Hornet followed behind her and gasped "gilded city." Lace finished. In front of them was a huge city, gold sprinkled around everywhere. One large building however stood above everything else, the symbol written on every bellheads mask above it. "The citadel." Hornet whispered. Lace just nodded. Well wouldn't you know. She didn't even realize they where this high up already. No wonder the bastard himself had come out to gather hornet. They were getting too close to his liking.

The issue instantly was that bellheads and people were everywhere, and hornet knew if one spotted them there was never going to be a break. "What now?" Hornet asked nervously, making lace chuckled "I expected you to just run in there, but that is a good point. If we are going to get any further we need to stay low and have some sort of disguise." She hummed carefully tugging hornet backwards. "For now. It may be best for you to stay in coral forest. I know some people in the city that can help us, but if you get spotted where both dead." Hornet bit her lip. "But if you get spotted won't you be killed as well?" She asked worriedly. "Or at least followed?"

Lace hummed "I doubt word had spread that fast. It was just yesterday he saw my betrayal. I should be fine. But..." Carefully she asked for hornets map that she carefully gave lace. She wrote down a secret room only lace knew about on the paper. "I want you to go to this room. There should be a tunnel leading to it. It goes directly under the city and if you can climb up you should be past the worst of it." Rolling hornets map up she handed it back to the weaver. "T...thank you. But please... Come back." Lace just nodded "no promises, now go, before someone sees you." Hornet nodded, turning back to head back to the coral forest. Lace watched hornets red cloak dissaper before heading into the city. "Please be safe my little weaver." She whispered.

Hornet found a small little cave close to the main road and waited there, listening for anything coming or going. She heard things sometimes, things that made her tense hard. But they would pass by and hornet would calm. But as the hours wore on, hornets became more and more nervous. So much more nervous. However she suddenly heard something coming right at her. Hornet scrambled back and pressed herself against the wall, drawing her needle. When a white face peaked in hornet calmed down quickly "lace, I was starting to worry." Hornet said as she came out of hiding. Lace jumped at the sudden voice but calmed down. "What took you so long!?" She barked.

"Well making sure I wasn't followed or spotted took a while, and then I realized once I got the stuff that I didn't even know where you ran off to so I had to search everywhere--" lace tiredly sighed, sitting down a bag of quite a lot of things. Hornet just chuckled as she headed over "so what's all this for?" She asked curiously. "Disguises, I grabbed a few options just in case." She hummed. "ALL of this?" She pulled out a overly fluffy and stupid looking scarf. Lace blushed softly. "OK- Maybe I got a bit too much ok!? But its better to much than too little." Lace huffed, snatching the scarf from hornet.

"I also heard there's going to be a very important dance a bit from now." She said gently. "And we could probably get some information while all the bellheads are distracted. Maybe even go to the dance to get information. If you're going to get out, where going to need some sort of... Revolution." Hornet paused but nodded. "I'm not one for crowds or dances however." She said nervously but lace just hummed. "Me neither, but it could be our only shot for a while." Hornet nodded nervously. Maybe. But she didn't like it. "Luckily, with some cloth your mask could look just like a mantis. And I can for sure disguise as something pretty easy. Maybe a moth or something." She hummed.

Hornet just nodded. Hearing the word moth made her even more nervous but she tried to ignore the chill that went down her spine. "I can't dance either." She said nervously. Lace just hummed "it's not that hard, we have time to prepare for it." She said. "For now, we should gather some materials. Information can wait till later." She pulled out a blue piece of cloth and hummed. Hornet nervously chuckled. "I... Don't like not having my cloak though." She said gently.

Lace softly hummed "I know, but it's this or chance yourself getting caught." Hornet softly sighed and nodded. "Are we going into the city now?" She asked. Lace hummed "Not now. But I do wanna see what I can do about disguising your mask." She hummed pulling out a makeup set. "No- NO-.” hornet barked blushing hard.

---

Hornet grumbled, trying to focus on anything but the tickle of brushes on her mask. It reminded her of when she was a kid, when bugs would dapper and mess with her to make her look 'pretty.' She always despised it, it just ticked and bothered her to no end, but she got used to just tuning it out. Plus, watching lace carefully focusing was... Cute. Especially when she stuck her tongue out while studying her work. Pulling away she pulled out eye liner and started to draw on her mask "what are you doing?" She huffed.

"Oh trust me little weaver. But I'm giving you extra eyes. Feeling another set of fake eyes go above the first she huffed "Won't six eyes just show my weaver blood more? Or have you forgotten such?" Lace chuckled "I have not forgotten, the eyes are there to confuse anyone that's seen you before, there are no wild weavers after all other then you, now stop squirming. Hornet just grumbled, trying to hold still from the constant poking and prodding. Once lace seemed satisfied she carefully tied the blue cloth around her horns to try and make it look natural instead of the cloth it truly was. "Of course this will look better when we truly go out. But I think I did quite well. You look like a adorable little mantis." Hornet just huffed and rolled her eyes as lace went over to the bag and pulled out a mirror.

Hornet grumbled, picking at her mask as lace came over. "Dont, you destroy my hard work!" She barked, shooing hornets hand away. "Did you just do this to play dress up with me?" Lace chuckled "maybe, but it's important." Hornet rolled her eyes but as lace held up the mirror she let herself look at herself. She frove. She had opened her mouth to say how well it looked before her mind iced over. Six eyes looked back at two and four fake ones. Hah, ah, that... That.

Hornet didn't notice the mirror had been taken away or lace's worried words. All she could think of was her mother. Gods she looked just like her mother. Finally a hand gently lifting her mask snapped her out of her thoughts. "Hornet? Are you ok? If its burns I can take if off?" Huh? Oh. Pulling away she lifted one of her paws and wiped away something wet on her mask. When she looked at her paw she noticed how it was covered in makeup. "Heh- ah, sorry, I ruined your work-" "hornet." She blinked shocked, looking up to see lace's worried but serious face.

Hornet sighed and chuckled weakly "I..." She carefully grabbed the forgotten mirror and looked at herself again. Black lines ran down her eyes but other than that it seemed fine. "I look just like my mother." She whispered. That made lace freeze. "Hornet-" she went to apology's but hornet just waved her off. "N-no it's fine, you didn't know-" "Hornet!" Lace snapped, making hornet flinch and shrink down. "I'm sorry." She said finally. Hornet just sighed and looked off. "Sorry, I- ugh. Here, let me take it off." Hornet was silent as lace carefully scrubbed hornets mask clean, the weaver staying still. A tear slipped from her eyes every now and then, but she just tried to calm down, repress the memories that had surfaced so suddenly.

Of course she fucks everything up, that's her job after all. Lace sighed in anger at herself. But she guessed hornet was right. How in the world would she have known. Once she pulled away lace packed up the few items she had dragged out but a hand on laces made her look up. Hornet opened her mouth then closed it, seeming to think over her words "don't blame yourself over something so small. Kinda cool even that you made me look so closely to my mother." She weakly chuckled, trying to reassure lace. She must of been able to read lace's emotions.

However lace just looked down at hornets hand for a good moment before smiling "yeah?" She asked, looking back up at hornet as she put everything away. Hornet nodded, untying the cloth on her horns and sticking it in the bag as well. "Yeah" hornet mumbled.

"Herrah right? The beast?" Hornet blinked shocked before looking over at lace. "Y-...yeah. Herrah, my mother, how did you know?" Lace hummed. "Your needle has her name engraved in it, I could only assume." She hummed. "That's why you wanted my needle that day huh?" Being caught lace gently chuckled "maybe. I was just curious... Herrah the beast... I feel like that name is important. But my memory fails me." Hornet just hummed. "Then best for me to not look like her huh?" Lace just snorted. "Right."

From there the two just... talked. Talked about whatever was on there mind at the moment. They didn't think about the looming threat, just that well... They were together, and that was all they needed in that moment. But after a bit of contemplating hornet looked up at lace "do... Do you... Ah I regret even trying." Hornet looked away nervously. However lace perked curiously. "What is it?" She asked gently. "Do... Do you have a family." Hornet looked up to watch lace's face, she could see her tense up and almost glance away, but lace shook her head. "I... Did yes... Once."

"What happened to them... If you don't mind me asking." Lace paused for a while before sighing. "My parents were... Killed one night when I was young. The vision is blurred, but I remember a lot of blood. My siblings... I'm not sure, but I have a feeling I repressed those memories for a reason. Hornet paused before carefully taking lace's hand and squeezing it. Lace smiled at the small reassurance. It's all she really needed. "You have a family as well correct...? May I ask the same question to you."

Hornet seemed to pause a lot longer than lace had. "My past... Is very complicated." With a hum lace took hornets other hand. "I'm fine with a long story, it's only if you want to tell it." Hornet studdied laces eyes before sighing. "Alright... Alright... Well.... I am the daughter of the pale king and herrah the beast."

It took place a good second. A good long second of musing that name on why it sounded so familiar before it clicked. Lace shot to her feet and backed away from hornet. "Y-YOUR A GOD!?" Hornet looked away nervously. "A-A.... WEAVER AND WYRM CROSS BREED!?" No wonder hornet had been so strong. No wonder the bastard was impossible to kill. No wonder... Lace's fear and shock slowly faded, seeing hornets head try to hide in her cloak, eyes squeezed closed.

Padding forward lace carefully rested a hand on hornets shoulder, sitting back down.. "I hate them so much." She softly spat. She wasn't just talking about him however… She hated being a cross breed... She hated even thinking that word let alone hearing it. She hated her father, what her life had become... She hated everything about herself... “I think you're beautiful... I wouldn’t change you at all.” Hornet looked up at lace, feeling a blush tint her cheeks as lace carefully placed one of her hands on her mask.

They went quiet for a bit before lace flinched back and started to blush again. "So ah-" hornet blushed as well. "Yeah.” She chuckled shyly with lace “a-anyway.” Lace softly encouraged. Right... her story... “It was... Important to tell you that first." hornet sat down with lace and talked... And then ranted as she grew a bit more... Comfortable... About talking about the topic to lace. She let her emotions spill out of her and it felt... Nice...

She talked about her birth, how she was born just for an agreement for her mother to lay her life down to stop an extremely deadly disease. One that started because of her fathers inflated ego. The infection created by the radiance when he had done... Things. She had planned to end there but continued to just talk. Putting venom behind her words as she described her fathers plan to create the perfect vessel. Described how she met her brother. Then how her mother went into an endless sleep and hollow ripped away to rot away in the black egg. How she ran from her father and just lived on her own for years in a dieing kingdom. A queen with no people to rule over.

She then paused in her anger and started to talk about 'ghost.' A vessel that defeated her twice and grew to stop the infection. Somehow living and bringing her brother back alive. He, hollow, her brother, so much more responsible but still the doof that she knew about. How they were her only 'alive' family now. "When I got captured hollow was still healing... Gods I hope there ok." She whispered. Hornet hugged herself and with a pause lace scooted over to hug her. Hornet froze before hugging lace back. "I'm getting you back to them... I promise." Hornet weakly laughed. "That's a lot to promise." She whispered and hoped it happened. That she got back to them ok. Maybe even bringing lace, they would probably get a kick out of laces stubborn attitude.

They hugged for... A long time... A very long time. Enough time for it to get awkward but neither pulled away. Hornet... Hornet wouldn't describe herself as lonely. But not having real parents, having siblings be ripped away, it left a scar deep inside of the weaver. She craved affection and validation because she was never given such when younger... But she couldn't let herself crumble now, she had kept many feelings trapped inside of her for so long that them breaking through now almost seemed... Foolish. So hornet tried to pull away. However when lace didn't budge she looked down at the other bug. Eyes half lidded and a sad look in her eyes. Lace probably... Felt the same thing. She never even had parents really, so it would make sense, but hornet trying to pull away seemed to snap lace out of her thoughts making her pull away. Both regretted the action, but both didn't want to admit their problems. Admit they needed help... Not when they were so close to freedom. After... After maybe.

Lace, noticing it was dark, carefully told hornet she was going to go hunting before disappearing. Hornet didn't call her back, whine like a child for comfort, she stayed silent as the other left. Hornets emotions conflicted with each other harshly. Like metal weapons clashing in the open air. But in the silence she got to think at least. Hornet... Hornets emotions for lace where... Strange. She could say with confidence now that the other made her feel confident and safe... But there was another that bugged her everytime she listened to lace laugh truthfully. Or when lace had those small little ticks, like her tongue sticking out when she was focusing. She couldn't understand it. What was it? It made her heart skip. At first she thought it was fear but now? She knew it wasn't... When lace came back she looked up. Glad to see that she was back and safe. Both looked at one another before looking away.

The rest of that night was fine. They ate and slept. But hornet couldn't sleep, claws working into the ground. "Can't sleep either?" Lace whispered over making hornet just groan. "I don't.... Dirnrmfn." She made a sound that sounded like complete gibberish. It made lace chuckle before rolling over on her back. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know where to start." She mumbled, rolling onto her back as well. "Its this... Feeling... And I can't place it. I've been feeling it around you and it's starting to drive me crazy!" She barked, flinging her arms into the air before letting them fall back to the ground. Lace calmly hummed. Just as a 'go on.'

After some thinking hornet continued. "I know it's not worry or fear, or nervousness... or me just feeling sick, but it feels like them all at the same time. I... When i'm around you I seem to grow warmer at times at stupid things, or my heart skipped a beat... I'm sick... I have to be sick."

Lace's eyes widened as hornet rambled, looking over. She noticed hornet glaring at one of her clawed hands. Nervously lace shifted, sitting up into a sitting position. "Hornet..." She saw the weaver look over. "I... It may be a bit bold." She laughed, blushing hard. "But...-" "-are you poisoning me or something?" Hornet huffed sitting up. She looked so serious-

Lace laughed, hard, she just laughed unable to control her mindless giggles. Seeing hornets face grow more concerned she straightened herself back up. "Oh my gods, you're serious." She mumbled. Carefully lace headed over to the other weaver and took her hand. Her other raised hornets mask that had been glaring into the ground. "Has no one ever explained what love feels like to you?" As hornets mask scrunched up in confusion, lace was amazed. She had known she had a crush on hornet from their first meeting. Had hornet felt the same but thought of it as something else?

"Well... Not really? Isn't..." Hornet seemed to be thinking hard. "Isn't love supposed to be between a male and female? And... Weavers don't really do love." She just seemed confused at that word. Love? Lace grew concerned by the minute. "Love can be between whoever you wish. No matter the species or gender. It really depends on what your heart sings." She said gently. "And there's many weavers that have loved before. Just some... Take love in an interesting way." Hornet listened to lace and studied her eyes. It was like being a child and learning a new lesson from her mother. "Love." She let herself learn the new word. Of course she's heard it. Her father loved the white lady, she loved her brother. But the way love was used by lace made it feel different. Even if the pale king and white lady where in a relationship.

Lace looked down at hornet. Grasping her hand with both of hers. "Are... What i'm feeling... Signs of love?" Hornet asked confused. Lace nodded gently. "Love... For who?" That made lace laugh again and hornet blushed watching lace. It felt like something... Clicked. The way the other laughed made hornet melt slightly. Oh- hah. "I... Love you.... Strange since our first meeting you tried to kill me." Lace chuckled "indeed." She said softly wondering if she should-

"Do... You... Love me then? Or..." She could see hornet was still new to the concept of 'love' but lace was patient. "I do... I will admit ever since we met I admired you. Getting closer with you didn't help me like you less either." Lace weakly chuckled, scratching the back of her head. Hornet nodded softly. "So.... What... Now?" Lace chuckled gently. "How about this for starters." She said gently. Leaning forward she gently pecked hornet on her mask. As she pulled away she could see how the weaver reddened and hid her face. Lace just chuckled. She may have judged the feelings wrong of course. Heck maybe she was dreaming. But hornet didn't seem to have been pushed into this. Just confused. So she would help her learn. If things didn't work, lace would ignore the break in her heart. If it did... Well who knows.

Whatever happened she wanted to make sure hornet didn't feel overwhelmed, to much to fast could hurt. But learning the new things about being in 'love' would help. As lace cupped hornets cheek she felt the weaver lean into it. If she didn't even know what 'love' was who knows what else she didn't. Maybe she was just touch starved even and confused it for more intimint things. Whatever it was she would help hornet. Lace could see her twitch nervously and hummed. "Don't be afraid to ask things." She encouraged gently.

She had a feeling hornet wasn't used to asking for affection because she looked up nervously and just opened her arms. Lace could understand it though. She leaned forward and hugged hornet before leaning back, flopping onto the ground. Hornet had yelped at first and squirmed before curling up against lace, burying her face into the others chest just like that day she had passed out. Lace just hummed and fell asleep. Cuddled into her little weaver. Well… Maybe her little weaver.

In the morning hornet completely surprised her by already being up. Plucking a few cords of silk that was strapped to her needle. Nothing loud or serious but it was nice to listen to. Lace carefully joined hornets side as she played and waited till she finished to speak. "I didn't know you played." She said gently. Hornet hummed "indeed, a small little trick my mother taught me." She said gently. Plucking a few strings like a guitar, the needle rested carefully in her lap, the sharp point of her needle tucked semi under her leg so it didn't cut her. Lace hummed, seeing how the mention of her mother didn't seem to bother her as much, which made lace calm at the mention. She had felt guilty when hornets grief had been brought up accidentally before.

As hornet strummed the silken strings lace felt like she remembered it from somewhere. And eventually it gently clicked.

"...I can say it but you won't believe me, you say you do but you don't deceive me... It's hard to know there out there, it's hard to know that you still care..." She carefully sang, making hornet blink shocked. "You know this song?" Lace nodded "my mother sang it once." She said gently. Hornet hummed continuing to string. With a small itch of hesitance lace let herself continue to sing. "dead hearts are everywhere... Dead hearts are everywhere~" lace sung gently, closing her eyes.

"They were kids that I once knew, They were kids that I once knew, now there all dead hearts to you. now there all dead hearts to you...."

Hornet listened to lace sing. She wondered if that conversation last night didn't happen if she would even be seeing this side of lace. "Your voice is beautiful." Caught off guard lace coughed and weakly laughed. "Thank you." She said blushing hard.

"That dance is today correct?" She would love to bathe in whatever this feeling... L-love? Was all day but she needed to see her family. "Indeed it is but at night. So we have most of the day to do whatever" Hornet nodded as she stood. "Think we should go ahead and try the outfits? Walk around town and make sure no one can see through then?" She hummed. Lace nodded and stood, heading over to her bag of items. Hornet unstrung her weapon and carefully wrapped the silk back up. She could maybe use it later. However seeing lace pull out the little makeup set with mischievous eyes she groaned.

G r e a t....

Luckily lace was smarter though. She started with the outfit instead of the makeup. Hornet removed her dress with a weak sigh. She would miss it and the feeling of safety it gave. Instead she put on a quite comfortable formal jacket with a tie and poofy pants. She wasn't used to the shockingly comfortable clothes. But she could for sure deal with it."Why formal?" She asked "the dance is for royalty. Without looking good you'll never get in." She said. Hornet guessed that made sense.

From there lace carefully put makeup on the weavers mask. And drew a second set of eyes, however she didn't do the third. Probably a smart idea. Wrapping the cloth around her horns lace pulled out some beautiful jewelry. Expensive looking to and wrapped it carefully around her horns and one around her neck. And of course a few on her arms. She felt fancy and hated it. But lace did let hornet look at herself and she didn't look terrible in the slightest.

As lace got herself ready, hornet hummed "I guess the only problem is that mantises don't have paws." Hornet hummed. "Oh yeah-! Thats why I grabbed these." Confused hornet watched lace pull out two metal gloves of sorts that looked like mantis claws. "Last night I headed to one of the forges around town and with a little talking,got them to make these." Curiously, hornets took them. It was hard to get her hands inside but once they were in there was a metal bar she could grip to make sure they didn't fall off her arms. Slashing the claws she hummed satisfied. "So how am I going to explain why there metal." Lace barked a laugh. Wrapping the ends of the metal gloves with cloth to hide where her arm met metal and readjusted the jewelry. "Oh please you're a mantis, say like, you lost your arms in a battle and got replacements." True. She was supposed to be a battle headstrong mantis afterall.

While hornet got used to her new arms lace pulled out a beautifully made cloak and wrapped it around herself, making her neck look fluffy, but it also gave her the interpretation that she had wings. Sliding some mitten like gloves that made her hands look more moth-like, she fitted and hid a set of fake attena. And of course. She gave herself plenty of shiney jewelry to match the weaver. Even gave herself a necklace of rosaries, if that didn't speak filthy rich nothing would. Hornet however had to ignore how much lace looked like a pillow. And how much she just wanted to hug her.

"Ready?" She asked. Hornet weakly chuckled "absolutely not but let's go." Ducking out of their little cave they both headed for the gilded city. As they walked, hornet spotted many bellheads already a few feet in. But none even looked their way. Strange how a simple clothing change did so much. Calming down hornet looked up. Many of the buildings of the city towered higher than she could see. It was shocking and amazing to see. Lines of clothes in between windows, golden decorations, many types of bugs everywhere. A gentle tug on her upper arm made her look down at lace that chuckled. "You look really cute when you're curious." Hornet rolled her eyes and snorted "oh hush. I've never been in such a big city. I guess we had the city of tears but it was never close to this." She hummed.

Lace just smiled sadly. "I wish I could enjoy it more. I used to live in this city but had to move when... Well you know." Looking at lace worriedly she carefully nudged her to reassure her. Since holding her hand would probably hurt. Lace smiled at hornet before gently tugging her forward. The city was large, the two just... Sightseeing. Lace pointed out important little spots, in case they got seperated hornet knew, but she was also just impressed at how giant and... Fancy everything looked. It was nothing like the city of tears. Good, she didn't want to deal with rain in the slightest.

She didn't know how long they explored. But she could feel herself growing tired, and she knew lace was to. At least she didn't look like she was overheating in the cloak. A gentle tug on her arm made hornet look over to lace. Looking higher at what lace was looking at she noticed a pretty crazy looking marketplace with just about everything you could think about plus some. However a huge crowd of course blocked most of the stalls. Lace and hornet looked at each other. "Could be fun." Lace gently hummed. Hornet weakly laughed. Neither were a fan of crowds but they could find something inside the marketplace. With a nervous sigh hornet nodded. "Where so going to die." She mumbled heading for the crowd. Lace chuckled as she followed hornet.

Both made sure they were close together as they dove into the crowd. Both stayed close and made sure not to wander far, stopping at a few booths just to look. However, hornet paused, making lace pause behind her and smell the air. Ah, something sweet carefully floated around in the air above. "Hungry?" She asked. Hornet hummed "should we?" She asked back. Lace gently hummed "that didn't answer my question~" she said gently. Blushing hornet glared at the ground. "A bit yeah." She mumbled. Nodding lace carefully led her to where the scent seemed to be. A small little market stand stood off to the side. Not many people were around it, letting the fake moth and fake mantis stroll up to it.

Many freshly baked pastries were laid out on the table with a small little fire in the back to cook more. Two bugs were behind the counter. A tall flower mantis and a smaller pill bug. The smaller pill bug managed the cooking while the flower mantis kept tabs of the sales. She had just handed a small bag with a pink logo on it to another bug when she spotted the two heading over. "Oh! 'ello there! Greetings! May I get anything for you two ladies?

Lace hummed happily. She always liked baked goods, and she could never help but buy a bit too much and eat a bit too much. "Got any blueberry crumble bars?" Lace asked curiously and shyly, making the flower mantis chuckle. She nodded happily. "Indeed we do." Lace knew she should only get one, but she found herself speaking before she could think. "Can I get two of them?" Nodding the mantis carefully grabbed one of the bags and a few sheets of parchment paper. Carefully tucking the treats she looked over at hornet, that was carefully scanning everything. "I...." She nervously chuckled. "Haven't had many pastries in my life." That made both bugs perked.

"Really? I'm shocked, I saw you as a very sweet oriented bug. Hm, any flavor you like in particular." When hornet shook her head the mantis curiously wormed her way into the conversation. "How about these, they are very well liked." The mantis held up a small pastry of sorts that looked good to hornet. "There strawberry strudels powdered in sugar, you get six for every 100 rosaries." Hornet paused before nodding. They looked ok even if she wasn't sure. "Make that two of those as well." Lace added in with a smirk. Hornet huffed "I don't need twelve." However lace just carefully nudged hornet "hush, if I get a treat you do to." she said, already pulling out a bag of rosaries before hornet could even mention it. Trading the money for the bag of treats she wished the mantis a farewell before leading hornet away from the crowd.

"T-..thanks." Hornet nervously chuckled. Lace just hummed, leading hornet over to a bench. As the two sat down lace carefully pulled out the smaller tied bag the strawberry strudels were in to offer them to hornet. Hornet went to take them before snorting. "Ah right." Lace chuckled looking at the metal mantis claws. "It should be fine to remove them." Hornet paused but nodded. She carefully tucked them beside her before taking the bag. Lace instantly dug down grabbing one of her blueberry bars and taking a happy bite. Hornet paused looking at her own pastries. They were tied in a quite beautiful pink bag with a white string. She would have felt bad for destroying the beautiful bag if she wasn't so hungry.

Undo-ing the string she opened the sack. The scent of strawberries and sugar was strong, but it wasn't overwhelming. Plucking one of the small pastries she smelled it before popping it unto her mouth. She wasn't fully sure how to eat the small thing, since she was used to catching and eating meat. Not sugary false food. But as the flavor hit her she felt herself melt. They were absolutely delicious, the strawberry and sugar blending together perfectly with the baked pastry. She quickly plucked another and started to devour them as lace ate her own treat, the two just enjoying the moment.

As a sound suddenly appeared lace looked up and around confused. It was like a vibration like sound, almost like a growl. However when she noticed no one was around or focusing on them she looked over at hornet. She looked just fine, happily munching away at the small treats. It made her smile that she liked them. But as she listened closer she narrowed her eyes. "Are... You purring?" She asked shocked but with a huge smile. Hornet froze and nervously blushed, swallowing down the pastry in her mouth. "H-heh, I guess so." She answered, quite flustered. Lace chuckled gently, finding it adorable. She wanted to hear that sound more often. It wasn't solely because the sound sounded cute, but also because. It seemed like hornet truly and finally let her guard down and was just... Happy...

Lace finished off her second pastry quite quickly. She found herself watching hornet enjoy her own. It took a bit however for hornet to lower her guard again and start purring. It was absolutely adorable. She made a mental note that hornet liked sweets as well. When hornet finished her own and looked up lace glanced away with a shy chuckle. Ah she hadn't even realized she was staring. "S-sorry." She nervously chuckled. Hornet paused before blushing softly, carefully gathering the left over trash. "It's alright." A loud annoying chime suddenly rang out making both girls startle and look up. A distance away a giant clock tower like bell rang, its hands sounding every hour that past. Lace softly sighed. "You ready for this?" Hornet really wasn't. But as she slid her metal claws back on she nodded. "As ready as i'll ever be." She hummed.

Lace nodded. Carefully placing the leftover bag in the trash she lead hornet farther into the town. They were heading straight for the castle which made her fur prickle. "It's in the castle?" She hissed. Lace nodded with a hum "it is. The first section of it I believe, it may be good to get in and see the layout of the place." Hornet just gulped. She wasn't fully sure what lace had planned, just small hints, but she was nervous for sure. Something deep inside her heart told her not to go, it's a trap, but how could it be if others knew about it?

"Who told you about this?" She asked carefully. "A loyal friend of mine, she would never willingly lead us into a trap. I promise." She said gently. Hornet bit her lip nervously. As they walked up a staircase to the main doorway hornet softly growled. She really hoped lace knew what the hell she was talking about. She was too close to screw up now. She could almost see hollows shocked and clouded eyes as ghost tackled her head-on. Squeezing the life out of her.

Lace carefully slid past the doors, propped open for some reason or another. The room inside however was dark. As lace walked deeper into the room, trying to see if anything was inside. Hornet stopped only a few feet in. Her nocturnal spider eyes could see the room was pretty much empty. No party at work or anything. Carefully she gripped the metal mantis claws tighter, listening. It had been a long time since she had let her deepnest senses enter to listen to the world around her. She did it at night or in the dark, but right now she closed her eyes and listened. She could feel lace's feet as she walked across the floor. Focusing harder she tried to listen for anything else. She wanted to tell lace to stop moving, but by the time she opened her mouth she froze. Vibrations. Tiny and small vibrations all around the room, surrounding them. But she couldn't see what they belonged to.

A heavier set of feet appeared behind her and hornet spun, slashing her claws out. However a larger, tougher claw caught both of the metal claws. They were yanked out of her hands. She didn't even get to look up in time for something hard to hit her mask. She rolled, ears ringing and eyes blurring. The scent of iron was in the air, but as she passed out the only thing she could focus on was yelling.

Hearing a crack lace had spun seeing hornet get flung and crumble to the ground. A large crack ran through her mask. Blue blood pooling out of it. Lace instantly drew her pin, glaring into the eyes of the one she had 'worked' under for years. "Cortez." She snarled. The scorpion simply chuckled, a purple and black robe hanging off of his shoulders. Lace instantly felt herself move to charge, save hornet, but she didn't get a step forward before she felt something tackle her, pinning her to the ground. She struggled as she saw bellheads slowly come from the shadows. She should have listened to hornet. But why would someone she knew for years lead her straight into a trap!? Turning her head as she struggled she saw sharpie glance away. Bastard. But she understood.

"I'll be taking this." Lace looked forward to see the scorpion calmly pick up the unconscious spider like a plaything. "LET HER GO YOU MONSTER!" She yelled, feeling many emotions pass through her. One of the main ones she could focus on was anger… and guilt. Cortez seemed shocked at her outburst before laughing calmly. "Oh? It's not like you can do much lace of pharloom, you were a good warrior before you tried to betray me. Sad, I would almost give you another chance if the weaver you decided to help wasn't so important." He huffed. "Kill her." He simply said, disappearing deeper into the castle. Lace tensed and closed her eyes. She could try and talk sharpie out of it, but… suddenly her anger just faded. So many killed or suffering because of cortez, but she also caused so much death. Hornet wouldn't be the last. No where close to it. Before... Before hornet had came she was almost tempted just to end it... Kill herself.

It was the only reason she was in the right place at the right time when hornet arrived. And hornets strength helped her gain hope her cycle of killing to spare weavers suffering would end. For hornet to have been beaten in such a pathetic way and for it to be all her fault… She waited for the pin to stab her, or maybe she was already dead or dieing. However a nervous cough made lace open her eyes "I get playing dead and all but uh... They're gone." Confused lace sat up. Looking over at sharpie that stood at her side.

"Oh." She snorted "I actually expected you to kill me." She huffed standing. "Afterall one of my friends have already betrayed me." "Her family." He suddenly cut in confusing lace. She looked at sharpie's sad face. "Cortez said he would kill her family if she didn't lead the two of you here." Lace snarled. She wanted to cook that scorpion's body over a body of lava. "You should run while you can, get out of here before any bellhead sees you alive, getting us both get killed." He started to pad to where cortez had disappeared, but lace spoke. "What's the point? I failed another weaver... I should of killed her the first time I saw her." She growled to herself. Sharpie paused, looking at lace before looking around carefully.

"Go get backup." Confused lace looked up at sharpie. "Hornet has friends does she not? And you have a friend in the castle if I remember right." Lace knew sharpie was talking about himself but... "You'll help the weaver?" Sharpie huffed "I've wanted this murder of weavers over far before you did, when I fought hornet even I could tell something was special about her." That was something lace had never told sharpie. Her hatred at cortez and the desire to stop pointless weavers from dying. Even as Sharpie became her closest friend. Lace narrowed her eyes before nodding. She stood and headed out of the castle, ducking for an alleyway. Carefully pulling hornets needle, One the weaver had trusted her into holding onto, One her mother had crafted and gave her when she was just a spiderling, out. Studying it's pink shine she narrowed her eyes. "This isn't over." She snarled. She would make sure of it.

No, she had no clue where she was going, but only two names had ever danced from hornets mouth, a mapmaker shakra and forge-daughter, but they weren't really on anyone's side, only doing their job. So shakra... hornet had never given how the bug looked, other than her being tall, so she guessed that was something, but in the vast land tall meant everyone... E-...especially when she was shorter than the weaver. It wasn't that noticeable but hornet had called her out on it once and it had stung her slightly. Blast her stupid genes, stupid... Mother she couldn't remember... She- she rather not think about that.

Huh... Lace stood in the middle of the city. No cloaked weaver beside her always charging forward. Never willing to give her still mortal body a break. She had gotten used to constantly moving all the time. Now she wasn't even sure where to go. If shakra was hornets friend then she had to be careful with her name. She could be killed for helping a weaver. But if she was going to get hornet out of that hell hole she was going to need help. So she headed for greymore. More precisely bonebottom. Maybe she could talk to forge-daughter and ask if she knew shakra, And maybe they could lead her in the right direction for a plan. Cause to any of the gods that dared listen she was going to save hornet. Or she be dead six feet under the ground from trying.

---

Hornet woke slowly. She was freezing cold, she could tell that much. The small clatter of chains sounding as she attempted to move her numb limbs. She remembered walking straight into a trap and a blurr. Was lace here as well? Maybe dead? She really hoped neither. The scent of fear and pain made her fur prickle. Wherever she was she knew she shouldn't be here. It took a while to get her limbs to respond to her and to feel them once again. The cold was bad to weavers or really any bug, extremely bad, making their limbs lock up and go numb which made hornet fearful. Too long and she wouldn't be able to move for the rest of her life. She would have to be careful. She sat up seeing her front arms chained together. A chain from her arms led to her neck that led to a stone wall behind her. Bars in front and either side of her.

She could tell the chains were enchanted as she tried to summon silk. Just like with the cage. Great... Great... Standing took some effort, head throbbing with the movement. Touching her mask made her realize a crack had formed in it. And dried blood stained her mask, not cleaned or taken care of. An infection from a wound on her head was something she didn't need to worry about. As she looked up and outside her cage for the first time she visibly froze. Another weaver lay against the ground. Thinner then she could think possible yet still breathing. But that's not why she froze exactly. No, It was the others. Walking towards the bars of her cell even if the chain stopped her half way, either side, as far as her eye could see, was weavers, crumbled, broken, numb. Starving and empty of life.

Hornet: queen of deepnest, one that wanted to protect her weaver kind from anything that could harm them... Was at a loss of words. There were so many... This... This is the horrible truth of this kingdom.... Wasn't it...? She wanted to puke, To scream, to yell and rip apart anyone that had caused this... But all she could do was cry. Her legs buckled from under her as the cold and terror made her shiver. "Where... Where am I?" She whispered. "Hell." She flinched, shocked. Looking over at the cage beside her. A tiny weaver was chained up, her carapace painted with beautiful colors, even if they were dulled and dry now. Hornet could see the weaver looking at her. One eye completely clouded while the other shined dully. If she didn't know better she would have called the other weaver barely a child. But she knew she was a small species of spider. But her condition made her sick. "Hell." Hornet whispered to herself. A good description. She hadn't even been here for a few minutes and could see this place as such.

The sound of something alerted hornet and the weaver beside her just weakly laughed. "First 'milking' already? Course. Welcome to your new home weaver." Hornet shuddered at those words, watching the other weaver weakly looking away. "E-excuse me what!?" Excuse her, MILKING!? What in the fuck did that mean. Head snapping to the door of her cage, she watched two bellheads carefully open the door and step inside with some sort of cart. She snarled and hissed but neither didn't even seem remotely threatened. She tried to bite her lip for venom to form in her fangs. But the minute she bit down a horrible and extreme pain shot through them. Carefully feeling her fangs she noticed some sort of metal was carefully wrapped around them. She could guess at their purpose and it terrified her. Suddenly feeling something snag at the chain behind her head she yelped as she was pushed into the ground. She tried to wiggle free, a large metal hook had grabbed the chain and pinned her securely into the ground, held by one of the bellheads.

The second bellhead padded by her head. Carefully sitting an open bottle down before walking where her thorax was. She tried to see if she could kick the bellhead but her blind struggling didn't seem to do anything. Then she froze. A scent floating around her mask. One she could tell was bad. It was strong and it made her shiver. But it calmed her? It was the only way she could explain how she couldn't move her body, everything foggy. However she tried to focus, moving her head to see what was happening. The one bellhead was still making sure she was against the ground. However the other she could see perfectly now. Silk spun around a spool quickly and quietly. When full the bellhead carefully refilled it with an empty spool. Things clicked horrifyingly fast. Hornet had noticed things in the kingdom were made of silk. A lot of it. Even lace's suit was made with a beautiful silk and she had always meant to ask about it. How weavers were hunted after yet silk was everywhere. The king was harvesting it from dying weavers and selling it to the rest of the bugs.

Did they know? did they know the state of the bugs that wove their clothes and supported their houses...? A gut wrenching feeling told her yes. They very much knew. The same way lace did, unless she had been here as well. But lace wasn't a weaver. So why bring her here... She did work for the king however...

Exhaustion crept up on her as well as pain as they harvested as much silk as her body could produce. She had forced herself to create silk before when hurt or desperate, but never to this amount. However her weak struggles didn't do much of anything. Just as quickly as it started it seemed to stop. Her mind foggy as the bellheads left, calmly as ever. Lace's words rang in her head. Some of the first she had ever said to the weaver. "I can save you little spider. All the trouble you’d face above. All the suffering. It's so simple. I’ll just skewer you here and now, pluck that flickering life right out of you..." Save you little spider... Was it to save her from this? From experiencing and knowing about this? Probably. No... She was certain of it.

She didn't blame lace from wanting to kill her. Because as she slowly felt her determination get crushed. Unable to escape, tired, hungry and cold, she almost wished to die then and there. So she wasn't left in the silence. Begging for a prayer... Wanting desperately to see her family again… wanting desperately to curl into the side of lace and forget this ever happened, wake from some sick nightmare her mind came up with. But she didn't wake up, this was real… oh so real. She felt tears form in her eyes as she curled into a ball.

---

Lace had more or less crashed into forge-daughters shop asking if they knew shakra. Of course they didn't, however they did know she was a dragonfly which narrowed things down drastically. She knew only a few dragonflies, and they themselves could probably help her track down shakra. However as she exited the forge she blinked. A figure stood nearby scribbling on a map, golden tail curled around her feet and attena twitching. Out of everywhere in the kingdom of course... As she approached she spoke. "There's no way in this cursed kingdom did I get lucky enough. Are you shakra?" The dragonfly curiously looked over at lace as she spoke. Curling her map up and hiding the quill she stood straight. She nodded "indeed I am. Have you wished to buy a map of.... Lace?" The way her voice morphed to untrusting so face, it made lace bite her lip. “ Look, long and terrible story of love or some shit but… Hornet got captured."

She saw how Shakra's face morphed into horror. "No... She was so strong." The dragonfly carefully pulled a map from there back. She had been excited to give it to hornet, doing her best to sketch out the land in as extreme detail as she could. "And it was my fault." Shakra looked over at lace shocked. Seeing her slightly shaking. Lace pulled out the beautiful pink needle from her cloak. "And... And i'm not letting another get hurt by that bastard." She snarled gripping hornets needle tight. She looked up at shakra’s startled eyes. "I need your help."

Shakra had paused for a while before softly sighing. "Well... It's been a long time since i've pulled my bow from storage." Shakra smiled at lace and she grinned. Good. This was a good step forward. "Uh... Any idea what now? Look, toppling a monarchy isn't really easy to plan for." Lace weakly laughed making shakra snort. "We'll need friends for sure. And weapons. Killing those little masked freaks are hard enough as it is. Then I guess we'll need a plan to find hornet fast and easily as well as the tools to free her. There's no way a small group is going to kill cortez. So it would probably be better to help hornet and whoever else we can… Unless we can make a big enough distraction..." Shakra pondered carefully.

Feeling something land on her shoulder she smiled. She didn't have control over the lumafly’s around this kingdom. However she could persuade and ask them to do things. They never stayed long to be thanked. But lace thanked them anyway. That one lumafly that freed hornet from her cage... She would thank that one forever. And funnily enough, the same lumafly rested on her shoulder. It had been severely injured from destroying such a powerful spell. But lace carefully had nursed it back to health and fixed the poor things wings with silk.

"I have an idea if she's bound by spells, but chains as well may be hard to break with just a pin. I have my pin and hornets needle for battle and you have a bow, and I would assume you know how to dispatch bellheads and what to be wary of with cortez. So that leaves friends... How many traitors you think lay in this city?" Shakra chuckled "oh plenty, we just have to make sure not to get killed in the meantime."

"Good. It seems i'm pretty good at not dying." Lace snickered.

---

Well their quick agreement was... confusing. Shakra had taken lace to her house. She wanted to waste no time with this. Knowing every second hornet was suffering. But she knew if they were going to topple an empire it was going to take time. She knew hornet was strong, she could get through this. Shakra’s home was quite calm, a small living area to the left, kitchen in the back and some random stuff to the right. It was cozy. She disappeared into the back of her house while waving her to sit down. Lace sat down on the couch. "One or two sugars?" Her voice called out as lace nervously squirmed.

Huh? "I uh... One?" She said confused. Silence and clattering following. Finally shakra came back. Offering her a cup of tea. She was never one for tea but she took it and took a sip. It was really good which shocked her. "Well. Obviously I have questions." Lace groaned. Ah yeah right. She can't make an ally without obviously explaining. Especially if hornet had talked to shakra about her.

Glaring into the tea she collected her thoughts before sighing. "It's a long story." However shakra carefully just settled down. Looking at her expectantly. She groaned again. "Ugh... I was so hopeful you wouldn't of asked.... But ah...." Closing her eyes she leaned back. Looking at her reflecting in the tea in her hands. "It started at the top of this kingdom. I was just at the right place at the right time. Watching them hail the red cloaked weaver across the bridge to the citadel. I had sent a friend of mine. A lumafly to break the spell on the cage. I didn't expect the rush of power that lashed against the fragile bridge as she tried to escape. She fell into this cursed kingdom and I saved my little lumafly friend after she disappeared into the darkness. From there we battled and became rivals. I wanted to kill her to spare her from seeing and living the curse of these lands." She took a sip from her tea.

"I didn't realize until later that I had grown fond of the weaver. Her strength surprised me and I felt myself slowly join sides with her. We had gotten to the citadel and I had heard of a party with cortez. I planned to get information but it was a trap. Cortez took hornet and the only reason I'm alive is that sharpie, The one who was supposed to kill me and one of my best friends, let me go." She mumbled, finishing her tea.

Shakra paused, she wanted more information. But she could tell if she asked for more it would really be a long story. "Lace... Right?" Lace looked up and nodded nervously. She actually wasn't sure what to say for a good bit, trying to think. "You think we could actually topple a government?" Shakra asked after a bit making lace chuckle. "No, but i'm sure as hell ready to give my life to try." She said, meeting shakra’s eyes evenly. Hm... She could tell lace was honest and true with the statement. As well as a good friend of hornets… besides the stories she’s heard. So shakra nodded with a grin. "Where to even start." She huffed. Yes she had laid down a very basic plan. But she was not one for fighting or leading. So it was hard to think or where to go. Heck she lived on her own for the most part, she didn't even think she could properly do small talk let alone fight a god.

Lace hummed. "Maybe sharpie can help with that part?" Lace offered "if I can meet with him I may be able to ask him where there keeping hornet. And if we can get any good shots at distracting the bellheads and cortez long enough to get her out. We can go from there." Lace waved a hand nervously, not sure really what else they could do. Shakra hummed before nodding. "With hornets help this will for sure go smoother. We just have to live to get to that part." She hummed.

With that settled it was just mostly... Quiet. It made lace shift nervously. What else was there to say? She wished there was some drone of music in the background to focus on instead. However as suddenly as awkwardness started it stopped. It was like shakra just needed a moment. It started with a few back and forth questions. Lace had asked one and watched shakra go on this entire tirade about... Something or other. Lace was completely fine to just sit back and listen. She was more of a listener then a speaker. However she found herself thinking about hornet again. She had really gotten that little weaver stuck in her head hadn't she? Gods it made her remember that night where hornet spilled her... Love? To lace? She didn't know. The weaver was so confused about love lace didn't even want to call this dating.

Because it obviously wasn't dating. They just hung around each other, possible feelings hovering in the air uncertainty. Lace would call them... Good friends? Far before mates. Were they even friends? Yeah they acted and laughed at one another. But lace was hornets enemy at first. Suddenly a snap of fingers brought lace out of her thoughts. Looking at shakra, slightly startled. Oh woops, she felt kinda bad getting distracted.

"I had asked if you wished for more tea. Are you ok?" Lace coughed nervously. "Y-yeah im.... Fine." She said, handing her cup over. Shakra paused, taking the cup before humming. "You really care for hornet don't you?" Flinching a second time lace blushed. "I-I... Yeah... I do." She nodded. Shakra just hummed. She came back with another cup of tea and the two continued to talk about simple, little things.

It was the next morning when lace headed out. Before even shakra had risen from her slumber. She was extremely careful around the citadel. But she new sharpies schedule like clockwork. She made eye contact with the bug before disappearing once again, knowing he would meet up with her. It was a while later sharpie had approached her on the outskirts of the city. She had asked him if she could get some information where hornet had been kept, she had found a friend willing to help. Sharpie was tense and hesitant. No wonder, risking her life for such a stupid plan wouldn't sit well with her if she was sharpie. But he agreed to it and lace had nodded. Carefully telling sharpie where she was staying she headed off.

From there it was sharpie's turn. He knew the door the weaver hell was placed behind. But finding a reasonable excuse to go down there was hard to think about. Luckily the bellheads guarding the door took the mention of cortez's name by word. Who wouldn't, defy him and he would kill you, very easy and simple. So fighting sharpie, a very loyal guard of his, was suicide.

However it was sharpie's first time down into these dungeons, only hearing and seeing a few weavers at times. It was... Worse than he could ever imagine. It was clear why Cortez only let the brainless idiots he could control or most loyal of guards down here. Any soul, no matter how loyal would betray a king that did this. He studied every cell he went past carefully and slowly. Finding a weaver he only really knew by the red cloak that billowed around her would be hard. However not impossible.

He had almost walked right past one of the cells before taking a double take. The only reason he had stopped was because out of all the weavers. She had been the only one sitting, not laying on the ground. He watched hornet mess around with the chains, movements slow and clearly shaking. But even in this hellhole it seemed like it took a lot to break her spirit. At his halt however she looked up, meeting sharpie's eyes evenly before glaring at him. No wonder. The only thing she knew about sharpie was that she had tried to kill her and killed lace, if she was even conscious for that part. Sharpie carefully looked around. He was lucky to not run into any bellheads down here.. If even one reported he was down here he could be killed. So carefully he stabbed the ground and drew a line in front of hornets cage, not even watching her glare grow confused.

He didn't want to speak down here and was plenty happy hornet wasn't going to speak either. The only thing he did after was give a hidden wink to the weaver. Backtracking he tapped his weapon every time he passed one of the cells, quietly counting. Once out and safe he pulled out a sheet of paper and drew where hornets exact location should be. It was only when it was sunset in theory that sharpie had followed where lace told him she was staying. Finding shakra's home was easy enough. But it took lace holding shakra back for her not to kill sharpie that had just barged in. In formal citadel armor. Which obviously didn't help his case when he said he was a friend.

An explanation and sharpie promising not to betray them he pulled out the map he had stretched out. Luckily hornet wasn't to far in. But he had a feeling they would only move her deeper in case or if something were to happen. So they had to move quickly. If they failed, then they missed their opportunity completely.

When Sharpie left she regretted not asking about hornets condition, but she felt like she would be sick to her stomach if she heard that hornet was starving, freezing and dying in that hell on earth. So she didn't, she tried to believe hornet was just fine and happy. It was almost impossible to do as she tried to not rip up the valuable map in her hands.

---

The next day lace had tripped over sherma while bolting after some prey. Something to get hornet off of her mind. However hornets needle had came clattering out in the open. Sherma had identified it instantly and asked about it. When lace explained sherma had said that she had helped hornet through her journey after she had saved her, and was very willing to save her again. Lace had been nervous. But honestly? If sherma was some hidden spy she wouldn't have been... Herself. Lace didn't know how to explain it but sherma was so innocent and nice. No way she could be some sort of spy.

Shakra however had crossed her arms when lace brought her back to her place, tucked under her arm like fresh kill. But shakra had agreed with her on the 'there was no way of her being a spy.' Sherma didn't even know what a spy was. So they got... Two... To help them? A tiny bug that no way knew how to fight and sharpie that was more of a spy really. Great. Totally would destroy a government like this.

Lace hated waiting, every day that past hurt and logged on forever. But rushing in blindly would do no good. She just wished they could be a bit faster with planning. Luckily sharpie brought plenty of maps back of the castle’s interior. Lace already knew the shifts perfectly so there was no need to waste more time for that...

It was another day before lace brought up forge-daughter and all four of them went to try and see if they could get them to join their side. With money and materials they would do whatever. So they got crafting a few bombs and fully sat down and planned. Sherma was actually helpful. Their plan was to set off an explosion on the opposite side of the castle. In the chaos she, sharpie and lace would go in. Sharpie would guard the door while lace and shakra went down to gather hornet, Then get out of there. While more bombs carefully planted around the castle went off. Seemed easy enough. If they got caught however they would be killed and each agreed to back each other up until the end. However it was almost a week into lace's agony that a perfect opportunity finally shone.

Sharpie was in charge of the shifts after carefully wording his away about wanting to try it and see if he could help. So he had one day to conduct it. If sharpie was careful enough he could maneuver the schedules to help them immensely. So that was it. This was it. They piled every egg in their basket and were about to make either a beautiful breakfast or burning chunk of ash. Lace was terrified. She believed she was ready for this and to put her life on the line but as she crouched outside the castle's exterior, watching Sherma drag the few bombs with her she wasn't too sure anymore. Was she really going to work? Was she really willing to put her life in danger for a weaver she met... What...? A month ago....?

Yeah...

As an explosion rang off making all three startle. It was LOUD and did the job perfectly, a distraction. They watched bellheads outside bolt inside, ringing from their bells sounding through the air. The three bolted inside. Sharpie leading them straight to the unguarded door of where the weavers where kept. Heart racing lace nodding to shakra and both dove into the depths. Under the castle.. Lace was focused on looking for hornets familiar mask, not wanting to focus on the hell in front of her. But shakra was blindly following. Horrified on what she was looking at. Only a few looked up as they passed. "Oh my gods..."

Shakra had known this place was horrifying, but this... This was so much worse than any nightmare she had ever had. "HORNET-!" Lace's yell snapped shakra out of her horror. Rounding the corner she saw lace looking into one of the cells horrified. Shakra carefully peaked in and understood why lace was frozen in shock.

It was clear the wait had eventually destroyed the weaver as well. There she lay. Thin and holding onto life. But what horrified lace was how her breathing was horribly uneven. It quickened and slowed in rapid succession like she struggled to breath. What the hell happened!?!

As another explosion rang off from above it helped lace snap out of her thoughts. The way her pin broke the lock on the door in such a blur of speed made even shakra startle. Bolting to hornets side, she smelled the real problem. Starvation for two weeks and some was probably nothing to hornet that never had a steady meal here. But it was the stench of infection that made lace understand. The crack in her mask, the wound must have festered without proper treatment. Eating hornet from the inside out. If it was anywhere else it probably would have been fine, but on her head? Lace snarled in anger but muffled it. Revenge was later. When hornet was healthy and ok again. Shakra watched their surroundings as lace broke chains, her lumafly dispelling the spell before she did so, her vision blurred. This was her fault and she was fixing it.

When the weaver was free she picked her up carefully and ran out to shakra. It was a simple nod and both were bolting. However as they ran up the stairs to the exit she heard sharpie yell. Fear hit lace as a truck, don't be dead, don't be dead-. Both skidded to the halt outside the cursed door to sharpie stabbing a bellhead straight through the head, a few others surrounding him. Luckily dead or dieing on the ground. A stab in his side bled as he held it. But the glare in sharpie's eyes told lace he was far from ready to keel over and die.

Sharpie nodded and all three ran for it. Carefully sharpie looked around before following them though. The stab on his side sent stabs of pain his way. But they were possible to ignore for the moment. The escape was almost too easy. Bolting from the castle and away from the city. However even sharpie slowed as they got to coral forest. Breaks weren't really an option. But she was not letting her friend fall over to bleed out here. So shakra carried him. Lace holding an unconscious hornet and shakra carrying a grumbling but clearly in no state to complain sharpie.

They made sure they didn't leave a blood trail straight to them as they walked, and that not a soul followed them. But lace doubted anyone would even know this happened. Heck maybe cortez would just think hornet had died and that be it. She hoped so. "You got sharpie?" Shakra had nodded so lace got to work with hornet as they entered shakra's home. She carefully laid hornet down on the couch, hand under hornets chin. To get the infection underneath she would have to remove hornets mask. Something she had never done. And from times she could remember, hornet was very sensitive about her face being shown. It's not like she could give permission however.

Lace shook her head. Carefully lifting hornets mask from her face. Underneath was much worse. She could see the wound clearly, blunt trauma for sure and it probably had bled for a while after. Feeling something at her side, lace noticed shakra handing her some medical supplies. She thanked her before focusing on hornet again. If this was any other part of hornets body she would simply scrape the infection out and clean it. But it wasn't. So she could only apply the ointment and bandages and hope. She knew it was going to hurt like hell. But with hornet being out of it for two explosions she didn't think her applying the ointment would make hornet flinch back and yelp so loudly.

It almost crushed her heart seeing the shivering weaver try and curl in on herself. Limbs far going numb a long time ago. She swore, if hornet lost a single one of her limbs. Cortez loses two of his own. "I know, I know, it's going to hurt." She gently whispered. Carefully moving hornets face so she could see it again. She carefully applied the herbs to the infected wound. "But it will get better." She said gently. The weaver just whimpered. How much pain ran through her body? It made her sick to think about.

Gods she was so glad the wound didn't spread to her eyes. Losing an eye could be grown back in a shed, same with lost limbs. But it still felt sickening to think about losing such things. What she didn't expect was hornets eyes to open. All six of them. It made lace completely freeze. Yes she knew hornet was a weaver. But she had only one set of eyes carved into her mask. And now that she saw all six she wondered why only one set of eyes to see. "Lace?" Her weak voice croaked.

"Of course dear. Who else would it be?" She smiled. "How... How did..." She shushed the weaver carefully. Moving the bandage her head. "Save your strength dear weaver, I can explain when you can listen better." She said gently. Hornet just grunted as lace finished "stay here and do not sleep." She almost begged. almost lace had never been dragged down to the point of begging. She never would be if she could control it. She carefully brought back a small bug. Nothing really a meal, but a start. Food and her head healing were the two most important things, And keeping her warm, obviously. She offered it to the weaver, crouching beside the couch. The scent of a meal seemed to get her to sturr past her hazed wakefulness. However, even if it seems she wanted to eat, she did not lunge. That... Terrified lace.

"You're starving." She reminded her but hornet shrank even as her body shook. "Can't."

"....Can't?"

The mere thought... of hornets fangs being removed, and there being nothing she could do but watch her starve to death. To any god watching let thay not be the case. It wasn't... Almost. It was almost sickingly close. Hornet had opened her mouth and she saw a contraption carefully hooked around her fangs. First confused, she then realized their purpose. If a weaver were to bite. Their fangs would almost be yanked out of her very skull. When hornet had yelped, she had probably tried to bite her on instinct causing the wave of two very different, very painful pains. It made lace sick. Carefully inspecting the contraption she could tell it had to be uncomfortable, hooked under her gums and stabbing into some areas.

She didn't know how long she had carefully tinkered with the object. Enough for hornet to whimper in pain a few times when she made the wrong move. However, finally, she felt a satisfied click and removed the metal contraption. She looked at it, eyes empty of any emotion before she turned and tossed it as hard as she could. It hit the wall hard and clattered to the floor, she hoped the thing was destroyed beyond repair.

Shakra. Who had finished with sharpie a while ago, peaked out of the kitchen. Startled. Lace stood there. Shaking in barely contained rage. It took a deep breath and digging her claws into the palms of her hand for lace to hold her anger in a bit longer. She carefully turned back to hornet and crouched down again. Offering the dead bug. The barely conscious weaver took it. It took a bit before she finally bit down on the prey. Probably testing to see of any more pain decided to lash at her. Lace let hornet eat, knowing her venom would do most of the work. Let it be enough... Please let it be enough

Lace looked up to see shakra watching her, confused and concerned. Her eyes going from hornet, lace, and then the contraption on the floor. Lace mouthed a tense 'later.' As she carefully grabbed an extra blanket. Once hornet had finished she carefully tucked the weaver in. It took a lot to keep her calm long enough to make sure hornet was ok. It took a lot more to get outside shakra’s house without breaking something. She stood outside and let herself boil. She would lash at the plants around to let her anger out. But she knew it was a bad idea causing a lot of noise. Drag the enemies straight to them causing that THING to be put on her again. Yeah, that was the perfect thing to do now.

"What is this thing?" Lace looked over her shoulder as shakra exited her home. She had been nervous to approach lace while she was boiling. But she was too curious what had snapped her so bad. She always seemed very calmed and reserved, so for her to suddenly lash out like that… was worrying. She held the contraption, Covered in spit, but she tried not to think about it. "It was on hornets fangs, if she were ever to bite down. They would rip them out." Shakra froze at that. "Oh." She said gently. The importance of fangs to weavers was well known to anyone that had a spider as a friend. They wouldn't grow back. And even if they could they would starve before such could happen. She tried to ignore the taste of venom on her tongue as she forced herself to calm down. Lace just nodded, shaking.

She flinched hard when a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder. Shakra looked at the mechanical object before tossing the contraption to the side with her own slice of anger showing. "She's ok." Shakra gently reminded. "For now." Lace countered. Once hornet healed enough to fight she knew it would literally be holding the girl with chains to keep her from ripping Cortez to shreds. Hah... What irony...

Hornet a queen... A god even over weavers. Yeah. The minute everything healed hornet wasn't going to calm till... Her people were free. "We need a plan to destroy cortez once and for all." Lace finally spoke. Shakra just softly hummed. "We need more than just firepower and the five of...." Lace realized it to that same moment. W-where was sherma?? Had she died in one of the explosions? It was grim for sure but lace didn't doubt it. She was just a small bug. But they needed someone to do it. Seeing something gold in the corner of her eye, lace tensed. Gripping her pin in her hand. Shakra noticed lace tense and carefully grabbed her bow, hand hovering over an arrow that sat in a quiver; one that held her maps before. Both watched the yellow speck grow closer, not even taller than the grass around it.

Both were ready to pounce before sherma came climbing up to where the two stood. Unharmed and fine. "Sherma!" Both called. She waves happily. "Is hornet here? I got a bit lost in the panic." She nervously chuckled. Lace nodded and shakra ducked into the forest beyond to make sure sherma wasn't followed "indeed. The plan was successful." She said, waving for her to enter. The small bug carefully padded over to the sleeping weaver once they got inside. Curled safely out of chains or from the claws that wanted to use her. Oh... Carefully lace picked up hornets abandoned mask on the ground. She hadn't even thought about it.

Looking over at hornets sleeping form, her spider heritage shone brightly. She could see her six closed eyes and mouth parts that twitched tiredly. One of her fangs even slightly peaked out. It would have been cute if bandages didn't cover the top part of her face. Somewhat on her horns. She... Also noticed... It looked like she was.... Fluffy? But she shook her head. She carefully placed the mask onto one of the tables nearby. She didn't know about putting it back on. She wanted to keep a close eye on the wound for now. She also should scrub the mask clean of the blood that soaked it.

Sherma watched hornet carefully before looking over at lace, still thinking even as she pulled away from hornets mask. "You think she'll recover?" Sherma's voice barely whispered, making lace paused. Sherma was innocent, but even she knew hornet was in a bad condition and could get killed easily. Lace wasn't sure to tell her what she feared or what she hoped for. But she just softly sighed "I hope..." She said gently...

---

Over the next few days it was kinda the same thing. Eat, sleep, repeat. Hornet would say conscious long enough to talk to lace as she replaced the bandages on her head. But other than that, stayed fast asleep. Well. Until tonight it seemed. Lace had been unable to sleep for some god's reason. It had irritated her but eventually she got up. If she wasn't sleeping she might as well be doing something. She had... Made a nest for herself since the couch was full. The house was a bit crowded with five staying inside instead of the one it's supposed to hold. As she turned the corner to check on hornet she froze mid-step.

There she was. Calmly polishing her needle like absolutely nothing had happened. Or that she was too weak to stay awake for more than a few moments. She even had placed her mask securely back on her face. In lace's sudden pause however, hornet had noticed her appearance. Looking up with a pause of her own before placing her needle to lean against the couch.

"Are... You feeling ok?" She asked, approaching the weaver. Had she been faking how weak she really had been? When hornets suddenly cough and wheeze she could safely say no. "I'm... Feeling better..." Her throat was scratchy but it was hornet alright. She carefully sat up more and crossed her legs as lace carefully sat down across from her. Both were silent for a bit too long, not sure what to say to the other. Finally as hornets nervousness reached its peak, right when she opened her mouth, lace spoke. "I'm so fucking sorry..." Hornet was shocked, watching lace bury her face in her hands. "That was all my fault. You're like this because of me.

Hornet scoffed "no, I'm like this because of myself. This was not your fault. Me... Experiencing that was not your fault." She tried to reassure, but both knew it really was lace's fault. "I lead you right into a trap!" She snapped. "But you got me out did you not?" Hornet shifted her words making lace blink in confusion. She looked up to study hornets eyes. She didn't expect those words to come from hornets mouth. She expected more 'it's not your fault’s'. "I... Guess I did..." Lace mumbled softly.

Carefully, hornet grew closer, ignoring the throbbing of her head. "Then you fixed your misteak." Lace paused before just shaking her head. No... No she didn't. She almost killed her only hope in this stupid kingdom because she trusted her own friends word over hornet and her own gut. Her own GUT feeling. She bowed her head and looked off but she felt a gentle paw lift it. She couldn't make eye contact with hornet. Her guilt was too suffocating to study hornets cracked and broken mask. Especially now that hornet could tell her to her face just how stupid she was.

"Look at me lace." She said, a second gentle paw carefully holding her cheek. Lace closed her eyes, preparing herself before looking into hornets own. She looked tired. Oh so tired from constantly running and hiding and fighting. Lace knew very little of what hornets life was before pharloom. But she looked tired the minute she stepped inside this cursed lands. When hornets hands let go of her face and hornets face turned to irritation, she bristled nervously. Fear filled lace's even if she knew no claw or needle would rake her carapace. She knew hornet was blunt with a lot of things, so hearing this wasn't surprising. It shouldn't be...

"Fine, you wanna hear it? Yes, you are stupid for almost getting me killed yes, you are recklace for not listening to me sooner. YES, you are A MORON" lace shrank at every word she spat, slowly curling in on herself and closing her eyes. Tears forming into the corners of them. "But..." Flinching she felt hornets paw lift her face again. Lace's eyes meeting hornets again. The hostility and anger completely gone. "I forgive you..."

They stayed like that for a good minute. Lace could tell she wasn't lying or hiding some anger just to appease her. She really did forgive the other bugs stupid actions. Lace lifted her hand then lowered it, tears slowly falling from her eyes. How long had it been since she cried... Or had simply been forgiven?

Hornet yelped at the suddenness of lace tacking her, hugging her close and face buried in her chest. She paused. Hands still hovering where they had been before hugging lace back. Hornet had never heard lace sob before, but here she was, crying into her like a child who had woken from a bad nightmare. Hornet rubbed lace's back, feeling her own tears slowly form. She really hoped she hadn't been too harsh. She didn't know what else to say to get lace to listen to her.

Lace jolted when she had felt the soft pitter of water on her back. Pulling away and looking up she saw hornet crying as well. Her eyes reflected that of an elder. One filled with so many stories and history and so tired from it all. Hornet carefully lifted a paw to wipe away lace's tears even if she herself was crying. Hornet smiled the best she could and lace smiled back weakly to match hornets. Lace wiped away her tears. Hornet following with her own. They were both still close to balling. But both chuckled suddenly. Soft and innocent. Hornet found her hand grasping lace's, her other hand being grabbed by lace. They had grown close through their giggles and crys. Enough to feel each other's breaths on one another's faces. Focusing on lace’s face she felt her heart stutter. But why did it shake so much? And why did she want… Hornet carefully leaned forward, was lace doing the same? It was so hard to tell. They were just so close...

Suddenly hornets head shot backwards and up, looking over her shoulder. Lace who had leaned forward a bit too much yelped as she fell onto hornets chest. She could feel a growl rumbling deep in her chest before she straightened up, looking over at where hornets eyes had locked on. A flash of gold just barely escaped her eye. Oh-

She felt hornet pull away and somehow stand, stalking over and around the corner where shakra and sherma probably were. Lace didn't hear half the words she yelled. She looked down at her hand before feeling her face. She was burning up. Had that really almost happened?

"CAN YOU FOUR SHUT UP I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" Sharpies yell cut through lace's thoughts, making her flinch. She looked up to see hornet glaring as shakra and sherma. Both scrambling off quickly, clearing getting one hell of a talk. She watched hornet look over before looking away, blushing hard. This was no fake dream. They had really almost kissed... Lace carefully got up when she saw hornets legs shaking even from a distance. Lurching forward, she just barely got over in time when hornets legs buckled, pulling her close. She watched hornet look up at her. The two looked away from one another when their eyes locked for a tad to long. Goodness...

Carefully she helped hornet back over to the couch, sitting her down. "Thank you." She said softly, lace just nodding. A quiet house other than the two of them. This was... Awkward... "A...anyway. I guess I should actually get some sleep? You ok?" A small affirmative hum is all lace got. "Alright, night." She said softly. Neither looked at one another and yet both yearned for the other. Lace fought with herself before shutting her mind down and turning. She didn't want to leave hornet honestly, the fear of her disappearing once again constantly digging at her mind every time she slept. But she knew hornet was safe... it still hurt though. Luckily she didn't have leave though. Lace froze when a fluffy clawed hand suddenly snagged the back of her dress.

She turned around, seeing hornet shaking, head lowered. Like a small child... How did she look so old yet so young at the same time. "I... No- heh- sorry I..." Hornet pulled away. Lace paused. She wondered how many nights she had spent alone before she met her. Or before she even was dragged here. Lace had never liked children, loud and annoying, always yelling and screaming. But something deep inside lace knew hornet wanted her company almost desperately. Even if she had never seen how children acted. Almost like a starved pet away from their mother. A part of her wondered if she should just leave, but her own want to not be alone finally caved.

"Would you like me to stay?" Lace asked. If it had not been so quiet. If lace didn't have her attention on hornet, she would have never heard the words that left her mouth. So quiet that lace almost thought she dreamed it.

"please” a beg. A plea... Something lace herself had forced herself to never do. A sign of weakness... Lace carefully smiled. She slowly headed back over and sat down, causing hornet to lift her head. For the second time that night. One of them had opened their arms for the other. A safe spot nestled within something you trusted. Hornet carefully hugged lace, burying her face in the other's chest. With her free arm she grabbed a pillow, dragging it closer and under her head before laying down on her back. Hornet with pause carefully dragging the blanket, once abandoned, to cover the two. Head resting on lace's chest. Close... Warm... Safe... The two fell asleep quite quickly in each other's arms.

---

Hornet softly mumbled, waking to soft coo's and clicks of something nearby. She just groaned, burying her face into the other form underneath her. She was exhausted and wanted to sleep another hundred years... But those clicks and coo's silenced the minute she had moved. Nervousness made her look over, barely cracking open her eye. Shakra and sherma? They looked like they where hissing at each other to stay quiet. Strange, why did they want to stay quiet. Moving her mask she just saw a blur of white and gold. Swirls carefully stitched within' the smooth silk. Hornet just hummed and closed her eyes...

Wait-

Gold and white-

Like-

She shot up so fast she grew dizzy almost instantly after. However her face flushed in a dark blue as her eyes locked onto lace, still sleeping even at hornets sudden movements. Her breath hitched before looking over at shakra and sherma, both grinning like idiots. A loud snarl left her, causing those smiles to clear from their faces. Fear wasn't the exact word she would use, but she could tell they both flinched. "Not, a word." She growled. Both nodded. Her glare seemed to be enough to send them off. Last night and now this... Looking down at lace she sighed softly. Anger melting and evaporating around her.

A part of her. The lonely part of her she had shoved, locked in cages and hid under pain surfaced while looking at lace. She shouldn't have gotten attached to the other in the slightest but she HAD. She had told lace... In a way she loved her what.... Weeks ago? And even if uncertain then she was slowly piecing these unknown emotions to the word lace spoke of.

Love.

Hm... Was that really it? Or maybe her loneliness clung to the other in desperation. Or maybe her childish behaviour surfacing from never truly being able to experience them in the first place. She didn't know... She just didn't... She didn't want to believe she had fallen for lace so hard. She cared for her, heck she risked her life to save her more then once... She needed to repay her in some way one day. A gift, maybe to distract herself she would make lace something. But as she carefully pulled the blanket back over lace, not needing it anymore she hissed. Cursed her weakness. She couldn't produce much silk, nowhere near enough without digging into her injuries and causing her body to collapse. Nore could she walk to get any food or other materials. Cursed her mortal body... Curling up on the other side of the couch she wished shakra or sherma would come by, hunger clawing at her desperately. But they deserved to be barked at for chuckling and whispering about the two of them. But ugh... Now what...? Catching lace's pin in the corner of her eye she hummed. Maybe....

Lace jolted awake to the crash of metal on the floor with a sharp yelp. She instinctively tried to grasp for her needle to find it missing from her side. She froze in fear, her needle had never not been at her side— pausing her panic she noticed the situation that caused such noise. Hornet laid sprawled out on the floor. Her needle had slid a few feet away from her, but lace's pin was still clutched in the other.

What...?

Carefully she got up to inspect what in the world hornet was doing. "What are you doing?" She asked, confused. Carefully bending down to scoop hornet into her arms. The weaver yelped before leaning into lace very lightly. "I was... Hungry... And bored. As well as I didn't want to wake you, so I tried to get to the kitchen on my own with our weapons as crutches. It... Didn't work obviously." Hornet weakly laughed with a blush. Her spurr of adrenaline last night felt like a dream now.

Lace sat hornet down on the couch with a soft 'tisk' "why did you not ask sherma or shakra to help? Are they asleep as well?" Lace watched hornets face grow blue once again. "I did not... Wish to see them at the moment." Ah, last night. Lace remembered now. "You could of just woken me, here, let me gather something for you to eat." Lace said gently. She carefully grabbed their weapons on the way to the kitchen. Once she disappeared from the eyes watching her she let out a soft sigh, a blush finally worming its way on her face. She wondered if last night had been real or some wicked dream, she still wasn't sure. She... Hoped it had been real. It meant that hornet really did feel… ugh banish those thoughts away lace. She had to focus.

Gathering a bug from a hunting trip a while ago, she returned back to hornet, handing her the prey already wrapped in silk. She also gave her needle back which hornet thanked her for. She went to eat when she paused... Carefully she smelled the prey in her hands making lace stop. She had been heading off to do... Something when hornet had paused. "Fear pulsates fiercely from the bundle in my arm, the prey is not alive is it?" She hated to see suffering. When she killed, she was just like lace, she aimed to kill quickly so it didn't need to suffer. "It isn't, everything should be killed already." Hm... Strange. "Where did the silk come from?" She would have asked this either way. Curious since she knew it wasn't her own. “I had bought it from a market nearby a while ago. I hate supporting the horrendous acts, but silk is so important around these lands, heck, my suit is made of the silk of weavers, but before they were forced by the hands of cortez." That she was glad about. She would feel too much guilt wearing the garments otherwise. Carefully she pulled out a spool of silk

Looking at the spool of silk hornet shivered, remembering the conditions the weavers and herself had been under not even a few days ago. It made her stomach turn. She almost lost her appetite from the absolute smell of fear in the air. "Can you not smell it?" Lace blinked confused. "The absolute scent of fead wafting from the spool in your hand." Ohh. She... She had at first but over the years she had learned to tune the scent of fear out lest it drive her crazy or fearful at every turn herself. "I had tuned it out long ago." She said, putting the silk back in her cloak. She would have to be careful around hornet with bought silk then. Lest the scent of fear fueled hornet to do something stupid. Hornet hummed and nodded.

A part of her felt a rage like no other that lace supported the crimes of her people and bought silk like it was nothing. But she had learned in her travels this entire kingdom was run from silk. Decorations, support for building, clothes, heck maybe even the weapons upon the backs of said bugs. It may make hornet sick, but lace had to force herself to not see the evil in it and use it herself for the important matters. Without it, maybe even lace herself would have fallen ages ago. She knew hornet would have.

"Is there anything else you wish?" Lace asked, rubbing one of her eyes tiredly. Ah right, she had been asleep not too long ago. "Do you think shakra has some silks or cloths I could play around with? As well as some threads and a needle?" Lace hummed. "I can for sure see if she does." And with a nod of her head lace was gone. Hm... Taking a bite from her meal her head spun. So much happening so quickly. She wondered if she would ever get a moment to really think all that had been said and done.

One hornet was finished, she was shocked to see shakra dragging a giant chest her way. She seemed to be struggling with it. But growing closer and kicking the chest the last few meters she hummed. "That should be everything materialistic I have at least." She spoke before looking around "also, i'm sorry, but you two are absolutely adorable together." Blushing hornet scoffed "enough, we are not even dating, just friends." Shakra rolled her eyes. "Sure you're not, either way this should be all the fabrics I have and the rest of the materials you requested should be inside as well." Hornet rolled her own eyes "thank you shakra." She just chuckled before padding off. Carefully hornet opened the top to the dusty chest. Many a fabric rested on top with two spools of thread and a needle. Perfect...

---

Hornet remembered lace joining her back on the couch as she tore the chest apart. And a small break where another meal sat well in her belly. But other than that a blur of shakra and lace talking, sherma curious as to what she was doing, and sharpie limping and grumbling about some thing or another were the only things she remembered. Other than that she stayed focused on the item growing in her hand. It helped gain her extra arms the exercise they needed, carefully helping her stitch peices closed and hold objects she would need throughout. At first she had made a few small plush pillows to see how rusty her sewing had become before delving into the gift she had promised herself to give lace. The last of the stitches were slowly getting done, but her energy drained as she used her own silk for this part. The see through wire was not what she wanted. She wanted it to glow and shine, even if she felt her energy levels wavering.

"Honet, did you not say yourself you wished to not use your own silk?" Lace's concerned voice spoke startling hornet out of her precise focus. Looking up she noticed lace settling down on the other end of the couch, calm but a sliver of worry shining in her eyes. Hornet paused in her knitting before continuing again. A blush settled on her cheeks however as she worked on the present. At least lace hadn't seemed to notice or know what she was making. "Indeed I had, but I wanted to make sure it glowed instead of just looking plain and boring."

Lace just huffed "you should worry about your own health, not a piece of cloth you can finish another day." Hornet bit her lip. "Ah but... It is a gift for you." That startled lace into silence. Carefully hornet tied the final stitches together and raised it to be seen. After finding a beautiful shade of black fabric and thinking for a bit she had gotten to work. The dress was pure black, representing her own in a sense with how it looked. White spirals, lines that looked like... Lumaflys? and roses decorated the bottom and up a bit, the sleeves held the same pattern to them. Even if it resembled hornets dress, it was a gift for lace. Without her proper measurements she would never be able to make something for her that fit perfectly. Luckily it was hard to make a form of her cloak that shouldn’t fit anyone.

To lace however the gown was startling beautiful, hornets silk giving an almost otherworldly shine to it. Carefully she took it in her own arms and studied it. "A thanks... For helping me, and a sorry for ruining your old uniform." Huh? Oh the rip. Smiling lace carefully got up and put the dress on over her old uniform. The shoulders were a bit to loose and the length went down to past her knees, but hornet blushed hard. Lace looked absolutely adorable in it. lace hummed softly. "It's beautiful." Lace said, studying herself. She almost seemed out of breath when she said those two words. "Thank you little weaver. But you really did not need to." Hornet nodded gently. "I wanted to." Hornet said softly, unable to stop her stare. She knew she should, she would be flustered to all hell if she were to get caught... And yet...

The brightness in lace's eyes as she looked back at her dress made her very heart skip a beat. Maybe she should make more things for lace if that shine in her eyes stayed. "O-oh, right." Nervously she held up another piece of fabric. There was more? Carefully lace took the silver fabric and knew exactly what it was already. It was like the golden one wrapped around her waist underneath the dress. She carefully tired it around her and hummed. Yes... Yes that was beautiful. It also give it a lace’s touch to it all.

Lace smiled at how well made and beautiful the piece was. When she looked over at hornet she couldn't help but laugh as the blush and wide eyed stare the weaver was giving her. Giving a twirl she purred. A sound lace herself startled at for a second. She thought she lost the ability to purr when she was but a young child. However she repressed the memory quickly. "Oh? Do you oogle at my body or my dress little weaver, cause one means a lot more than the other." Startled, she watches hornet blush and bury her face in her hands. She had tried to stutter out something as lace giggled, blushing herself. She was used to being ogled at in her many days, and even with that night on her mind she shoved the thought away. She probably was just seeing how the dress fit.

"I was just jesting, thank you for the gift hornet, but it is late and you should be resting... You still have a journey to make. Just like that the happy bubbly feeling in the air was dragged down by lace. Hornet softly sighed. "Indeed." She mumbled. Lace regretted speaking about such, but the others had already started to see about gathering friends and family to help, spreading the word of their mission to stop this all... And they had to pounce before Cortez sent people to drag them back to the castle where they would never escape again.

"How is sharpie healing?" A subtle change in topic but one lace caught. Hornet was no way stalling the rest of her ascend was she? Or maybe she just didn't wish to talk about such. "He is healing fine, lucky the wound wasn't deep. It should be healed in a day or two, and once your limbs gain their strength again, you should be just fine as well." A hum left hornet. "Can I check on the wound?" A pause from hornet in confusion. "Why do you ask now?"

"You protect your face carefully. I may have had to remove it to make sure you healed and did not die, but now that you can make a reasonable decision, I wanted to ask, knowing how special it seems to be. Hornet stumbled over her words before coughing. "You... May... But let me remove it. Lace nodded. "Let me get my supplies then." Hornet watched her go and come back to sit back down. And with a very heavy pause and deep breath.... She lifted up her mask. She knew lace had already seen her face but it still felt strange to actually let her see it. She simply just hummed, carefully undoing the bandage and looking at the scarred tissue. No infection seemed to be left, just a scab to remind hornet of the mark. "I don't think I need to bandage it again, it looks healed if not scarred." Hornet nodded before taking a deep breath.

She let out a low sigh, closing her eyes. "I know you have questions." Lace did. Why only one set of eyes in her mask while she had six. What was the giant crack that spiraled down her face, once she knew wasn't from the impact wound from pharloom, running the middle of her horn all the way down to her chin. Why was she fluffy- cough she ment... Why hide her face behind a mask. "I do. The main one is why hide how many eyes you really have?" Hornet just hummed. "I was raised with one set of holes in my mask where they all could see out. When I grew I could never really make a new mask to let them all out. Now they disorient me more than help me." That shocked her. "They harm you?" Hornet shook her head.

"No nothing like that. It's more that I've grown used to using only two sets of my eyes." Ah, she guessed that wasn't too bad. But still worrying indeed. "Will you ever change your mask?" That gave hornet a pause. "I doubt I will. This one is to... Valuable to me." She mumbled, looking down at the mask. The crack in it, curse it for everything. Lace hummed, knowing what hornet was thinking. "Would you wish for me to fix it?" That confused hornet.

"Forge daughter could probably repair the crack in it." Hornet hummed, carefully placing the mask back on her head. "Maybe. But I would go with you if this were to ever happen." Lace didn't blame her. But she knew the crack bothered her.

"Alright, maybe another day then." She simply said.

---

What in the hell was lace doing? She had learned when she was young how to sew from her mother, and now she was trying to do something she barely remembered years later. Lace had probably gone through three dresses worth of prototypes and over eight bandages from poking herself but she still had to try. The gift hornet had given her was absolutely beautiful but there was no way she was wearing it to battle that scorpion bastard. But that also made her remember hornet was cloakless. It was probably somewhere deep in the castle with all her weapons.

The minute she realized she had noticed hornet was in a sense naked. It wasn't unusual to see other bugs with little to no clothing, but it had flustered lace quite a lot, even if hornet didn't seem to fully care, more worried for the cloak her mother had made from her being ruined.

So, after finding some beautiful red fabric in the chest hornet used she secretly dragged it away. Many pins carefully held pieces together as she worked. Gods her back had itched and twitched with desperation, but she ignored the urge to rip apart her old white dress right then and there. Not knowing the measurements of the weaver was an issue. Probably why hornet had made lace a dress like hers, she didn't want to make a piece of clothing that didn't fit. Carefully measuring how wide her shoulders were was the only thing she did, and lace had done it so quickly that even hornet couldn't stutter out a question in time. Lace disappearing in the small room she was working in.

It was around the middle of the night that lace had finally felt proud of her work, being around the same height helped a lot as she carefully put the red dress on, studying it carefully in the mirror. For her rough sewing, it looked very closely to hornets old one, however lace had added her own little touch. Small black spirals came from the bottom up, nothing fancy, just... Unique. She thought it would make for a nice little contrast. When sharpie had walked in while folding it she had startled hard, looking over shocked to see the light of day outside the doorway. Wait, she thought it was night still? How long has she been in here?

"Have you really been in here all night?" He barked angrily. She guessed she had. "I guess so, is your side ok?" Sharpie just huffed. "Its fine, but getting no sleep isn't." She had known many countless nights of no sleep, sometimes a few in a row. She would be fine. "I'm fine, I've known plenty of nights of sleeplessness." She shrugged, forcing a yawn back down as she padded up to sharpie. "Do you know where hornet is?" She asked.

Sharpie scoffed but just sighed. "She's on the couch with sharka, but do rest lace." His voice changed. Once rough and angry to a soft worry. Lace softly sighed to herself. "I will, trust me." She gently responded before passing the mosquito.

Lace knew hornet would be on the couch, unable to move from it as she exercised her limbs, but it was better to ask then to not. Approaching the two with the fabric carefully folded into a small square, she grew nervous. She really hoped hornet liked it. "Hornet, you feeling better?" Hornet nodded as she looked over. "I am, but it will still be a bit yet till I can do much. Even staying awake for a few hours seems to be a chore." She hummed. Shakra looked at her worriedly "if my ramblings become too much you can always ask me to stop-" hornet shook her head "you're fine shakra, I was just stating. What is it that you need lace?" She asked looking back over to the other bug.

Nervously she took a deep breath before offering the folded piece of cloth. "I ah... Made you something." Blinking hornet took the article of clothing. "I- oh-!" She went to say something before she carefully undid the beautiful folding. Hornet blinked shocked before standing, shaking a blanket she had curled over her shoulders off. She carefully pulled herself into the article of clothing. Her legs were shaking as she stood but she still looked over the new cloak. Lace could for sure tell the cloak was larger than her old one. But as she tried it on her hands graced over pockets. A lot of pockets, her eyes glowed as she searched all of them before pausing.

"I see you like the pockets." She snorted "I'm sorry it's not your old one, but I wanted to thank you for a gift. And before you say anything. Where not starting an endless 'thank you' gifting game." Hornet was quiet for a bit. She could tell there were plenty of loose threads and seams already falling apart, but she could tell lace had spent a lot of time on the cloak. "I love it." She whispered with a smile. Lace blushed at the happy look hornet gave as she carefully sat down, but lace couldn't help but smile back "of course, at least until we can get your old one back, do you... Need anything?" She asked, she guessed shakra was there but she might as well ask. Hornet shook her head and lace nodded. "Alright. I'll be around if you need me then." She said gently as she padded off. She should probably get some actual sleep.

Hornet watched lace go before looking down at the cloak again. She nuzzled her mask into the soft fabrics. Taking a deep breath she could smell the floral scent lace always seemed to carry along. "You really like her don't you?" Shakra asked gently. Hornet looked up with a soft blush. "A little... yeah." She finally admitted, rubbing the back of her mask. "Are you two?" Hornet shook her head "we had one night where I kinda... Said it? But it feels like a drunk dream now." Shakra hummed simply.

"Maybe one day you two can... Ya know." Hornet blushed harder, looking where lace had gone.

"Maybe..."

---

Hornet groaned.

Why had she agreed to do this again?

Her feet already burned from bonebottoms burning ground as they headed for one of the smaller towns. Lace had convinced her to get some exercise by going to forge-daughters. A safe place from bellheads, and to see about the crack in her mask. Shakra had agreed that it would be nice and almost instantly shoved hornet to go with lace without going with them. When they got home she was going to rip shakra apart she swore... "Here we are." Lace hummed, carefully wiggling her way inside the forge. Hornet paused outside it before padding after lace.

Forge-daughter seemed to have been humming to themselves before looking up. "Ah! Pointy bug and white mushroom, long time no see!" Forge daughter hummed as they approached. "White mushroom?" Hornet snorted making lace roll her eyes. "Greetings, I was curious if you could help us repair something." That forge daughter hummed at. "As long as the materials and compensation is given we'll fix anything." They hummed. Nervously lace carefully took the hornets chin and tilted her mask, showing the crack more clearly in the light. Hornet kept her eyes casted elsewhere. Her mask was so special to her, having it tinkered with felt... Wrong, but she knew if not fixed now then it never would. "Ahhh, you wish not to repair a weapon but a mask, that is a different thing, may we study it?"

Hornet softly sighed, hands twitching around her mask before lifting it. "Indeed you can, please be careful with it, it's extremely important to me." Forge daugher nodded, taking the mask to look at it. "We can indeed fix it, but the shard's you give me will not do. However I should have some left over gold that will do." Gold? Lace softly nodded, pulling a bundle of rosaries from her uniform. "And compensation." She hummed. Carefully forge-daughter took and counted it before nodding. "You ok with this hornet? It is your mask." Lace said, wanting to make sure.

Forge-daughter also hummed "We promise to be careful but it will take a while." Hornet paused, fingers twitching in nervous tension. Letting out a stressed sigh she nodded "it is best to get it fixed now then later where it could shatter completely or get worse." That they both agreed on. "Then you may rest here or outside if you wish." Carefully the giant bell giant that was forge-daughter stood before padding off deeper into the forgery. Ballow nervously watched forge-daughter pass before shaking his head and getting back to work.

Both rested inside the forge. Hornet, with pause, offered to help lace on her stitching skills. It ended with lace patching the loose strands in the cloak she had made for her while they waited. She carefully pointing lace on how to fix them. It didn't seem like a long time but as lace finished patching a hole in hornets shoulder forge daughters heavy footsteps returned. Lace looked up first and stood, carefully helping hornet stand as they watched the giant bell-like bug head over. They offered hornets mask back to the weaver, but hornet gasped in shock, hesitating to take it.

First off her mask had been cleaned carefully, it holding a reflection with how shiny it was. The second and most important thing hornet noticed was the crack. A beautiful golden metal was carefully solidified inside of it, holding the pieces together. Taking the mask from forge-daughters grip she carefully rubbed a finger over the once crack. Now a beautiful river of gold in her mothers work. It was completely smooth... Nervously she turned it in her hands before she put it on. "It seems you like our work, yes?"

However hornet didn't respond, making lace tense worriedly. She padded off to one of the walls, looking at her own reflection and studying herself. It felt so strange but so… right. "It... Looks beautiful forge-daughter." Hornet finally spoke. She would never get used to the look, but her mothers mask could live plenty of more days without falling into shards.

Lace let out a breath she had been holding as the weaver looked over at her, seeming to be... Happy. "Thank you forge-daughter for your time, we'll see you again another day." They bow and go back to their never ending work. Lace nodding and both head outside, hornet still thinking about her mask. It seemed almost normal while wearing it. "Where did you get such an idea?" She tilted her head at lace. She chuckled. "Its called kintsukuroi? I think that's how you pronounce it. It's the process of filling the cracks in pottery with gold or other metals." Hornet curiously hummed. Huh, what a unique way to fix things. "When I saw your mask was cracked and that you couldn't fix it, fix it. I thought that maybe this was a good idea." Hornet nodded "indeed, i've had this mask for a long time, I would hate to lose it now." She said.

Lace nodded "indeed, i'm glad you like it." Lace spoke, truly glad hornet didn't regret the decision. Whenever hornet looked at her she couldn't help but blush slightly. The gold and white of her mask looked almost queen-like... She liked it.

---

As days passed hornet grew more and more impatient. Her kind were rotting away in cells, dying every day by being forced to produce silk against their own will. Knowing this made every day harder to get through without running up to the castle herself. She knew now that she could more or less walk, a plan hovered in the air. Yet she was growing oh so impatient. Even going out during the night when she couldn't sleep to channel her nail and make sure she was ready for battle. Yes there were only four of them that could actually fight, but all they needed was to kill Cortez to be free of everything correct?

It was just... Frustrating. She felt her anger lash out at the five around her as well. She tried to keep her cool, to be as patient as her mother had taught her to be during a hunt. Carefully stalking her kill for possible hours before finally digging her fangs into the sweet taste of meat. But what was the point of waiting to pounce when the meat was rotten and old. So much wasted time. So much...

And finally she's just about had enough of waiting. It had been a fine day, calm and relaxing almost! With them all in the living room of the small house, chatting as if nothing was happening. All but her, slowly being eaten away by her own impatience. "When!?" Her outburst was so sudden. So quick that the others around her had halted in their conversation in confusion. Her eyes cast around to all of them, sharp and fierce. "When are we going to finally attack? I'm growing tired of lying in wait and calmly talking while we should be planning. Every second another weaver suffers in that hell hole of a place and I can't stand it." She yelled her eyes finally resting on lace.

Shakra was the one to sigh "I know the wait is getting much. We all want to save the weavers down in those cells but there's only five of us and there's hundreds of them. There's no way two or three of us could fend them off. Let alone any of us being able to fight a god without some help." Shakra said, making eye contact with hornet. Hornet just snarled, hopping to her feet. "Then let us go get some alleys to help in this fight!" She yelled, spinning to glare at all four of them. Sharpie just scoffed "that's easier said than done princess, a lot of people do not like weavers. And if our need for friends gets through to the wrong person it could very well be our end." He snapped, standing up as well. Hornet snarled looking at lace "then what DO we DO" she yelled desperately. Lace bit her lip before looking away. "I do not know hornet..." She mumbled. She had predicted this happening and yet it hurt her to see hornet so angry. Lace was just as angry as her but she had to keep it under lock and key.

There was a heavy silence for a while before hornet just scoffed "fine, i'll do it by myself." She snarled. Lace's head snapped up so fast it was a shock she didn't snap her own neck. Hornet turned and bolted. Lace launched off the couch right after her. No- no- no- no NO-! Her cloak, just in reach. Her paws reached and missed. Hornet could hear shakra's startled yell and sharpie's angry one. But the weaver didn't look back. She had a family to get back to and lives to save, and she wasn't sitting on the side lines any longer. This may be dumb and stupid but her rage blinded her. Lace however was panicking. If she got to the door there was no catching up to her with the needle in her hand. Pushing forward lace was able to snag hornets dress the second the door flew open. She tried to pull her back but when the weaver felt the resistance she slashed behind her, cutting her dress but freeing herself from lace's grasp. There was only a second where there eyes connected before, without slowing, she tossed her weapon and sailed off.

Painting lace watched her red dress disappear into pharloom once again. Looking down at the red fabric in her hand she shook. Feeling a hand rest on lace's shoulder she squeezed her eyes shut. "Lets go get her." She was shocked, looking back at shakra. However her eyes were narrowed in determination. Determination to not ruin this chance. They may be horribly under prepared. But it was now or never it seemed.

Lace nodded and bolted, already having her trusty weapon at her side. Her skill to maneuver these lands helped her keep her pace. Every now and then she could see the flash of red. A shine of white silk. Everytime she pushed herself quicker. Desperate to stop hornet before she got herself killed. Climbing up a hill to the path where many bugs startled at her sudden appearance, she watched hornet land before the entrance of the citadel’s city and without a moment of hesitation bolted inside. Lace ran right after her, trying desperately to keep hornets red cloak in sight. Her legs started to ache but as she saw the massive castle just in sight an explosion went off. Exploding out of the crowd she watched smoke billow from the front door of the palace. Oh shit this was really happening.

Lace took the stairs two at a time and charged to the other end of the smoke. She just caught hornet threatening a bellhead. The rage in her eyes burning like a forest fire. It terrified her. However it seemed she had gotten the information she wanted. She turned and bolted. Lace kept on her tail, watching the bellhead scramble back and bolt. A part of her felt bad for them as she slowly lost sight of the red cloaked weaver but followed something else red. Well... Blue really. She followed the dead body’s of bellheads deeper the castle. The glance of red climbing up a spiraling staircase and she was quick to follow. They were going higher and more bellheads were showing up. But hornet cut them down or weaved around them. Maybe... Just maybe hornet could do this. But lace's wasn't going to stop until hornet did. More, up and up, it felt like lace legs were going to collapse from under her. She panted, leaning against the wall of another staircases to hear the slam of doors. Lace looked over just in time to see red and purple before the doors shut. Fuck-

---

Hornet padded into the throne room calmly. Carefully she tied silk around the doorknobs making sure lace or anyone else couldn't get in. She heard a slam and lace's yell but tuned it out. watching the two bellheads by Cortez's side. They scrambled back nervously before a snarl made them gulp, charging hornet. She would have felt bad for the bellheads, if they didn't know the horrors down below. But she knew they did. She ripped both to shreds. Stabbing into ones head before turning and slashing at the others chest before her needle stabbed their heart. Ripping the bloodied weapon free she looked up at the figure on the throne. Unimpressed.

Carefully he stands with a hum. "Hornet, queen of hallownest. How lovely to see you in my throne room and not where you should be." His voice held a formal tone to it before it smoothed out into a loud snarl. She watched the scorpion's tail curl, ready to strike. Hornet swept out her nail and readied her silk. Her legs burned but who cared. She didn't, not right now, not so close. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, hopefully it's a short one." Hornet snarled back before launching forward. Something white appeared in the corner of his vision but he ignored it. That annoying bastard lace. She better stay out of this. He swiped his claw out but hornet had aimed more up then he had expected. The weapon slashed into his arm as her feet landed on his swinging claw. Kicking off she lashes her silk out, healthy and bright, slashing and cutting into the scorpions carapace like nothing.

Hornet landed a distance off and cortez snarled, blue blood pooling from the scratches. He could see the smugness behind hornets eyes. But she knew better than to be overconfident so soon. The two carefully circled one another. She could see lace's pin trying to slice away the webbing at the door. At least, she could only hope it was laces, and hoped it lasted a little longer. "A bit more impressed now?" She as the scorpion snarled. "Not nearly, maybe actually hurt me and then i'll be impressed." He said it to rile her up. It worked horribly, she knew to never let anger fuel her slashes and stabs. But all those weavers. All in so much pain... She couldn't help it. For once in her life she let her anger fuel her strikes and movements.

Launching forward she skidded under the scorpions legs as he tried to slash at her. Lashing her needle up she tried to sever his tail quickly but only dug a reasonable side cut into it. Digging her claws into the tile she dodged to the side as it struck the ground beside her with such lightning speed she swore she had actually gotten struck. However she jumped back as it came down again.

This happened for a while. Twist, turn. Lash, blood. Pain and exhaustion. Her legs wobbled under her but she kept moving, she had to keep moving. She felt herself use her tools. A few daggers embedded into the scorpions chiten. Move, keep out of range of the tail, strike, repeat.

However as hornet jumped, seeing a good opening, Cortez's tail came from nowhere and struck her chest, sending her crashing to the ground. Her heart raced as she struggled to stand. Blood did not pool out of the wound in her chest however. Not like a normal wound would. She gripped the broken carapace and stumbled. But she was standing, needle gripped in her hand almost desperately. She looked up to see the scorpion tisk, turning to stalk towards her calmly. Tail still ready and high. Hornet stumbled back, already feeling the scorpions venom pulsing through her. "S-stay back!" She tried to snarl, shakily raising her weapon. But it came out as a squeak of fear. She stumbled backward desperately as the scorpion chuckled.

"How sad..." Hornet felt herself stop, shivering and shaking. "A little spider has fallen from its cage. So lost, so weak. Poor little morsel." The scorpion mocked. The fur on the back of her neck rose. For a few seconds lace stood on the other end of the room, carefully stalking forward. The bubble of lava under both their feet. I can save you little spider..." Hornet tried to stumble back when a clawed hand came at her but she was too slow. She desperately dug her claws into the hand around her neck. His eyes met hornets as he raised her to be eye level. She felt like she couldn't breath. Gasping for air as he weakly chuckled. "I can pull that venom right out of your chest. You could even work for me if you wished." He gently cooed. "I'll even let you send a note to your pathetic family."

Hornet clenched her teeth. Her own venom dripping from them. "I will... Never..." She wheezed, already feeling breathless after such simple words. "Work... For someone that... Uses my kind." She snarled, glaring into Cortez's own. Her vision started to blacken as he scoffed softly. "Sad, I was hopeful you would join me." He said calmly. Hornet could hear claws against the tile heading towards them, but her mind was so foggy. Had Cortez said something more? All she remembered was an angry scream and hitting the ground hard.

She fought for consciousness, seeing a blur of black and white fighting. Lace... Lace was there. She could taste blood in her mouth as she felt the fire in her body flicker desperately. Desperately cling onto life. She felt the wound on her chest, feeling blood finally starting to trickle from it. Was this how she died? Well... At least she died fighting... Trying... To save her friends and family...

---

Lace screamed. As she tried to break through the door. She could see hornet finally get hit by the scorpion's tail. The sickening crack of exoskeleton bouncing off the walls of the room. She had quite literally saw red after. Her pin suddenly turned to herself cutting through the suit she had always worn, went to the wrapping around her waist. It almost felt good, letting four limbs carefully stretch free of the bindings she had put them in. They were weak and shaky, but they were hers… she felt venom on the edge of her tongue as she hissed. Yes… she was a weaver herself, something she had hidden a long time ago.

Using her extra limbs to hold the door open as she carefully slashed through the silk around the door knobs with her claws, instead of her pin. Slamming through the door she charged for Cortez, holding hornet calmly in his claws.

She remembered that night of her childhood almost perfectly. The burning building, the screams of her siblings. Her parents blood spilled in front of her, cold dead eyes staring back into her wide terrified ones... She was recruited to the cult at such a young age. So she didn’t join the many thousands of weavers below her feet. She hid her extra limbs, fearful of what would happen if Cortez would ever found out. But now she wondered if the scorpion always knew. She wanted to save the weavers but there was nothing she could do. One person against a god? No... So she turned to the weavers themselves.

She killed them without blinking, killed her own kind so they never fell in Cortez's claws. Some she let go but they never made it. Guilt followed her through the years as she grew up. Going numb to the pain and suffering around her. It was before hornet came where she had given up. She didn't want to kill anymore, she didn't want to be a part of this suffering. It was one of the only reasons she had been there to see hornet entering the kingdom, chained and tired. She had sighed but promised herself to kill this last weaver before she took her own. Or, if the weaver killed her, let her face this kingdom. It was the rush of power that gave her hope as she destroyed the bridge under her.

She had traveled down into moss grotto to find her unconscious. She was the one to shatter the lock still held on her cage and carefully unwrap her from the chains slowly freezing her to death. But she promised herself that's all she would do. So she left hornet there. Not sure if her wounds would kill her or not. Oh how wrong she was, facing down such a determined weaver with strength she had never seen before. Hope... It gave her hope. It's why she joined her side so fast. She just hadn't expected hornet to let her.

From there its history. How far the two had come in this kingdom. No... No she wasn't going to let it end here. It's why she screamed, jumping and slaming her pin as far into the scorpions shoulder that she could. She saw it come out the other side as he roared. Lace yanked her pin free and jumped away before she could become like hornet from the scorpions venom. She smiled at the twist of pain on the gods face. She had always acted like she loved to kill. Here? Here she actually felt a giggle escape her. Maybe it was her emotions ripping through her, so many so fast. But it didn't matter.

The two danced around one another, lace giving it her all. She felt silk that she hadn't made in years twirl around her. Her limbs wanted to collapse from under her but she refused to quit now. Not so close. Whipping silk out she heard cortez yell as it wrapped around his feet. She jumped, hooking cortez's tail and dragging it to his body. Her limbs digging into his carapace. She felt her vision spin as her own silk wrapped around cortez's tail, connecting it to his body.

"YOU. HAVE DONE. ENOUGH TO ME. TO EVERYONE!” She roared grabbing onto the horns of his mask as she raised her pin high. He stumbled as he lost his balance but slashed out of the silk bindings easily. Their eyes met, rage meeting furry. For her... For them. Her mind rang as she brought down her pin. The satisfying crack that rang out as her pin struck right through his mask made her grin almost crazily. She panted seeing her golden pin come out through the scorpions chin. Gods had she really...

There was silence for a good long minute. Before Cortez's body crumbled. She didn't have the energy to jump and land somewhere else. Just to clutch her pin desperately. When his body hit the ground she lost her grip and rolled, panting and wheezing. Gods she was so tired. But... But that was it... She did it... A happy laugh bubbled to the surface as tears formed in her eyes, but everything went silent as she saw red in the corner of her eye. She inhaled sharply. "Hornet!" She choked out. With energy she didn't think she had left she stumbled over to the other weaver. Tears rolled from her eyes. But they weren't happy. Desperately she hoped, she prayed as she pressed her head to hornets chest. She closed her eyes and held her breath.

she begged

A soft, weak and stuttering heartbeat as well as weak wheezing breath was all lace got. Hornet was dieing from the venom in her veins. It was far too long to look for an anti-venom. She sobbed. Burying her face into the soft red of hornets dress. She sobbed and hiccuped. She begged, she begged to some god to save her life. Please... Please... She heard footsteps coming over to her but she didn't care. Kill her if she must, she didn't care anymore... A hand on her shoulder however made her look up. Shakra carefully settled down beside lace, eyes filled with sadness as she ducked her head for the weaver. Sherma padded up next to her. Sadness coming from her as well. On her other side she saw sharpie sit down as well. All three had wounds on them, probably from fighting off bellheads, but none looked bad. Sharpie was not one to be sad or morn. But he actually seemed... distressed. Lace hiccuped and sobbed, hiding her face as her hands balled into fist. Please... Take her... Not hornet...

. . . . .

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

Hornet was falling, She didn't know how she knew. No wind whipped past her mask nore distance lay under her. It was all darkness. Dark as the void around her. She couldn't feel much of anything or hear much of anything. Her heart throbbed in pain for something she couldn't quite remember. Who had she been again? H...hornet, she was hornet. A weaver and wyrm halfbreed... Right. Yes... So... Where was she? Twisted in the air she tried to feel for any walls around her but she couldn't feel any. Her hand instinctively went to her back but her needle was gone.

She tried to yell, but her voice was sucked away by something around her. No matter how much she tried no sound came from her. She was tired, oh so tired. She went to close her eyes before her instincts shot through her. Spinning she reached out her legs. Shockingly she landed softly on a floor. She couldn't see the floor, but she could feel it. Looking around she padded forward a few feet. Where was she? Was this what dying felt like? Gods the urge to rest...

Dieing? Right. She was dieing. She had charged into the castle and fell victim to the leader of the cult's venom. Feeling her chest the scar of his singer remained. But no pain came from it. Should she wait or move? She wasn't sure. So she walked. A part of her mind didn't want to sleep. Felt like it was a bad thing to rest. She wasn't sure why though. It's not like she could be saved...

Her claws clicked against the stone underneath her. Suddenly she was in a giant city, skyscrapers going up farther then she could raise her head to. Hissing she felt something wet strike inside of her mask. Lowering her head and rubbing her eyes she felt rain slowly start to patter around her and onto her. She could feel the coolness of it, but she noticed her cloak didn't get wet as she walked. Humming she looked ahead and her eyes widened. She paused in front of what caught her eye. A giant monument. A creature's head tilted down, giant dark eyes staring into her soul with three surrounding it. Rain dripped off the statue harmlessly but it made it look like it was crying.

The hollow knight monument. A shadow of her past that ripped scars through her. Closing her eyes she lifted her head. She let the rain run down her mask as it started to finally soak into her dress. She was in the city of tears, back in hallownest. But how? How did she get here? She heard something approaching to her right. After looking down to make sure she wasn't walking she looked up. Her breath hitched in her throat.

The light that shined carefully walked up to stand beside her, but they didn't look her way, eyes locked onto the monument in front of them. However hornet couldn't tear her eyes away from the light beside her.

"Father?" She choked out. Finally the figure looked over at her. He looked just like how she remembered him. His grey cloak hiding away his wyrm body underneath but his tail sticking out just barely, his crown of thorns and the two black eyes that watched her. "Hornet." His glow was faded and flickering. Wings flicking behind him calmly. Hornet shook where she stood. What... cursed dream had she found her way in. "My dear sweet hornet." She felt herself hiccup, tears threatening to spill. It couldn't be. It just couldn't.. He was DEAD!

"I missed you so much my little weaver." Hornet hiccuped. "DAD!" She cried out. Her feet moved before she could think. She tackled into her fathers form, burying her head into his shoulder and just sobbed. The pale king's wings spread and hands hovered in shock, before carefully wrapping around the weaver. He rubbed her back as hornet sobbed her heart out. Pulling away gently he reached up to wipe away the tears that pooled out of hornets eyes. She hiccuped, Leaning into the touch. "It is amazing to see you again, and how much you've grown." His voice held a wave of pride that made hornet want to buckle and sob again. However she tried to stop herself from crying. But she didn’t pull away from her fathers touch. "How... How are you here?"

The god chuckled gently. "It's hard for a god to truly die my dear. Only truly forgetting them, will they fade from this world." Hornets breath shook. He had been alive all this time? "I wish we could speak more." His hands pulled away and crossed behind him, Formal as always. "But you don't have much time left." Hornet rubbed away the last of her tears, memories slowly returning. "I died." She weakly chuckled.

"Your dieing." That made her look at the pale king. "I am trying my best to hold off the venom, but it is overtaking you. And my powers weaken even now." Hornet closed her eyes. Lace... Gods if lace survived she would be destroyed. She knew she would be. "It's too late." She whispered. However a clawed hand on her cheek made her look at her father again. "I can save your life my dear..." Hornets eyes widened. He could? "But... It will take the rest of my power to do so." Hornet froze, breath hitching in her throat. Tears formed again in her eyes. "N-no-! NO! I can't- I just got you back I can't-" hornet hiccuped and pulled her father back into another hug. Her father gently hushed her, closing his eyes gently.

"I will not die." He said, feeling hornet pull away, claws digging into the king's shoulder desperately. "I will go into a sort of... Hibernation... I will not die as long as I am remembered. In this hibernation my powers will recharge and I will come back here..." Hornet nodded weakly. She wasn't sure exactly what that ment. All she really pieced together was that her father was safe. "You will come back?" She asked and he nodded. "How... How long will it take?" That the king grew sad over that. "I am not sure myself." He said gently. “Cortez… he is a god is he not.” The king laughed “he may, but no one belives in him anymore, the only reason he was alive was because of his mortal body. You do not have to worry about him.”

Hornet held her breath. They were on borrowed time... "Promise me." She begged. "Promise me you will come and tell me you are ok once you can." She held her fathers gaze, desperate, praying. He nodded and hornet smiled weakly. "I promise." He said gently. The pale king carefully lowered her mask to kiss the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you my dear." He said gently. A hand carefully placed itself on hornets chest. His hand glowed brightly as he focused. She could see her wound slowly being patched. Hornet held his other hand desperately, shaking. She didn't want to let go. But when the king pulled away she did too. "I love you." He gently said. Hornet watched him start to fade with the world around her. "I love you to."

Then everything was gone. The weight behind her eyes grew heavy as she stumbled. She closed them.... Rest... She needed it. She could feel cold tile on her back and a weight on her chest, clinging onto her desperately. For a few seconds she couldn't feel anything. Not even her own heart beat. But she suddenly spazamed and a groan left her. She kept her eyes closed as she focused on the pain flooding through her body. Her lungs throbbed. Breathing, she forgot that was a thing. She gulped in air desperately, her body twitching and spazzing as the last of the venom was forced out of her body. A voice. Shocked and desperate spoke.

"H-hornet!?" Lace... Lace. Weakly she twitched her hand and raised it. Where... Where. She felt a clawed hand embrace her own. Tiredly she opened her eyes, seeing lace's wide eyes looking down at her. "Lace..." She weakly croaked, a smile playing at her lips. "Hornet!” hornet weakly laughed as she tackled her, claws digging into her carapace. Wheezing she carefully padded lace's back. "Can't... Breath."

Lace instantly let the weaver go. Giving her space again. Moving her main limbs she pushed her way to sit up. Looking up and around she saw the others as well. Shakra, sherma, even sharpie. All three were startled. She would have to explain later. Tiredly she felt the wound on her chest. A light scar was the only thing that remained. It also felt like she gained energy every second

Her eyes met lace's again. A happiness radiating off her in waves. Hornet smiled tiredly. "Thank you father." She whispered softly. Before testing her legs. Seeing what she wanted lace helped her up. She face planted into laces chest but carefully stumbled back. Her legs threatened to collapse under her, but their job wasn't done yet. Looking over lace shoulder, her eyes widened at Cortez's dead body, pin still lodged inside his skull. He was dead... She was free...! She laughed, tears flowing from her eyes. She was free...

A gentle paw rubbed the tears from hornets eyes. She looked over at lace before she felt her lower arms carefully being held. Looking down she saw four extra arms coming from lace, holding her hands gently. Her eyes widened and looked up at lace. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later." She said gently. "Let's get the hell out of this castle." Hornet couldn't agree more. As lace gathered her pin sharpie carefully made sure hornet didn't collapse before they moved.

The walk out of the castle was tedious and annoying. But hornet could deal with it. No matter how much she wanted to sleep, she knew her job wasn't finished. No bellheads were around. Where they all dead? Ran away? She didn't care. All she cared about was lace, that limped tiredly beside her. They were going to sleep in for a LONG time once they got home. Hornet could feel it. However as shakra pushed open the destroyed doors she also banished that thought. Many types of bugs littered the street. Many looked around but most had there eyes on the castle.

Was it the curse of these lands fading they felt? Maybe the bellheads running away in fear? The explosion? Taking a deep breath she carefully pushed away from lace and walked forward, hovering at the edge of the staircase. The bugs hushed when the group exited the castle. Hornet looked out into the scattered bugs, confused, possibly scared, she raised her head high and enjoyed the breeze that swept by. It was like a weight had been moved from her shoulders. Like she could actually relax in the kingdom once and for all.

Hearing footsteps heading up the staircase she looked down. She was surprised, seeing an old bug carefully climbing the stairs, cane in hand as he climbed. "Eldritch." She bowed her head happily. "You made it." His voice, gruff and tired held a happiness to it. "Destroyed the evil laying deep in this kingdom. I must thank you for freeing us all." He bowed his head back. Hornet's breath hitched. She did, she really did save them all, well, ok no lace was the one to free them, but without her… this would have never happened. Standing tall she noticed the shock coming from them all. Was this how it felt... When the pale king had first started his kingdom? Clearing her throat she raised her voice.

"Cortez is dead, his horrendous acts against weaver kind as led to his destruction. You are free from the curse that he lay on these lands." She called. There was a moment of silence before cheers started to sound. Erupting from the crowd. Pride swelled in her belly as lace placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at her and both nodded. Once everything quieted she raised her voice again. "We are all tired from the battle, but I will let no weaver suffer no longer. Will anyone help gather the weavers from there grave and heal them back to full health?" A few hesitant mumbles before a few bugs stepped forward. Sharpie carefully padded forward, looking over at hornet. "You sure?" She asked and sharpie nodded.

Taking another deep and shaky breath she raised her voice again. "Please then, follow sharpie into the depths of the castle, he will tell you what to do." She raised a paw to jester to the mosquito beside her. She never asked about him, his sudden chance in sides. But did it matter now? "Of course, my queen." Sharpie bowed mockingly before heading back into the castle. A few bugs followed alongside him. "Oh shut up." She snapped playfully before rolling her eyes. "Sherma, mind watching over him?" The smaller bug saluted before heading back into the castle.

"Home for you two then." She gently encouraged. Hornet nodded tiredly. She wished she could help, but she felt like she was going to pass out at any second. She hardly resisted as shakra picked her up and tucked her carefully in her arms. Tiredly her eyes fell closed, resting her head against shakra's chest. She was oh so tired, but she felt oh so happy... She let herself drift to sleep knowing she was safe... And loved...

---

Hornet woke slowly. A tired yawn parted her jaws before she settled down. She didn't feel the need to spring to her feet. To shoo away her exhaustion to keep moving. She felt nothing... Well... Nothing bad. Feeling something shift she smiled softly. Lace must've fallen asleep with her, she didn't blame her either. Almost losing her probably scared lace beyond anything. Slowly inhaling she calmly exhaled. She could live like this... She could live like this for the rest of her life.

Feeling lace nuzzle into her chest, hornet lazily rubbed her back. A soft kind moment. No overthinking, no panicking, no flusteredness, just this... Just this soft moment. Finally opening her eyes her guess was correct, lace was curled up with her, resting against her chest tiredly. She smiled as lace looked up. She must have been awake for a while. Exhaustion was laced in her eyes, but seeing hornet ok made her eyes brighten. "Morning." She yawned tiredly. Stretching her limbs, All of them, before curling up again. Hornet let out a soft hum. "Morning." She said gently. "So... Your a weaver." She gently asked. Lace gave an affirmative hum. "I hid it all my life... So cortez would never learn... It was work for him or be in those pits... Or death." Hornet gently squeezed lace's paw.

"How do you feel?" Lace hummed softly. "Good... Very good..." She smiled happily. "You?" Now it was hornets time to think. "At peace." She whispered softly. At lace's curious tilt of head she chuckled. "Good. I feel good." She explained. Lace paused. Carefully squeezing hornets hand gently. "How did you live?" She asked softly. "I... You had been struck by his tail, and I know just how deadly and fast acting that stuff is." Hornet hummed gently. "It's... Hard to explain... But my father saved me." When lace's eyes widened in shock she chuckled. "He... Rid my body from the venom and healed me with the little power he had left... I owe my life to him." Lace's startled eyes softened slowly.

There was nothing lace could say. She had begged for help and gods did hornet get it. "I think your the only person that's made be beg." She chuckled gently. "Oh?" Hornet asked. "Yeah, you gave me a heart attack when you were dying... I... Begged to any god that was listening that you would live... And you did." Lace weakly smiled. Hornet weakly smiled back. "I'm glad I did... My siblings... They will be so happy to see me." She hummed.

"Indeed... I..." Lace took a deep breath nervously. "Will... You let me come with? I do not... Think I can stand staying in pharloom after everything I went through..." Lace's voice lowered to a whisper. Hornet hummed. "Of course you can come." She said happily. Lace brightened and nuzzled into her chest again, hugging hornet close. Hornet yawned and settled down, hugging lace closer she closed her eyes again. Sleep came easy with her so close by.

---

The next time she woke up, lace was gone , but she could see shakra out of the corner of her eye. Stretching she sat up tiredly. "Ah you're awake." Hornet hummed, looking over at shakra as she headed over. "The weavers are all safe and being taken care of." She said, carefully sitting with hornet. "Good." She said with a pleased nod. She wanted to check up on them before she left, but she also felt the urge to run till her legs gave out. Go back home... "The only problem is... A new leader." Ah, that made sense. "And I know you're not staying." Hornet nodded "lace is coming with me, so she can't fill the spot either." She said trying to think.

"Would you mind filling it? Until a non-corrupt person steps up." Shakra was stunned, eyes wide. "Sharpie would probably be more then willing to help." Shakra took a deep breath before weakly laughing. "I... Guess I could." She nodded, eyes growing determined. "I won't fail you." Hornet smiled before looking around. "Where's lace?" She asked curiously.

"She went out hunting." She answered, making hornet curiously look towards the doorway. "That... Sounds nice, maybe i'll join her." Hornet carefully got up, grabbing her needle on the way out. Shakra watched her go, a smile on her face.

"I can't believe she's leaving me for that little weaver." Sharpie's voice spoke, walking up to shakra as hornet disappeared outside. "She's not leaving you, I bet you two will always be friends, but she's found someone special." Sharpie softly huffed. "A lover." He closed his eyes sadly before looking down at sharka, who still looked at the doorway. She seemed sad as well. "Think either will come back?" Sharpie asked curiously. Losing a friend for years would be hard. But he could tell lace was happier now than she had ever been. She deserved it. "Tonight? Or ever?" Shakra curiously asked, finally looking over at sharpie. "Ever." He doubted they would both leave just like that... Right?

"Probably, I don't doubt the two will come back. Be it for official stuff or not." Shakra hummed. Sharpie just nodded, seeing hornets shadow disappear...

---

Hornet carefully stepped outside of shakra's house. Looking into the distance she could appreciate the beauty of pharloom. No bellheads following her or enemies glaring at her in the shadow's. Closing her eyes she jumped off the ledge, landing easily. She then bolted. She didn't know where she was going, she just wanted to run. Zipping through the wildlife she didn't fear for her life. No she could slow and look around before running again. She didn't know why she felt so calm... So free. But it felt amazing. Carefully she perched on a rock in an open field, tall glass surrounding her. A cliff faced her back but she didn't pay no mind to it. looking at the distance before her.

"Having fun?" A voice, once striking such fear in her now made her look behind her and smile. Lace carefully stood at the edge of the short cliff she had ignored before, looking down at hornet happily. Hornet giggled. "A little, are you here to stop me?" A light challenge. A tease that lace picked up on instantly. "Absolutely! You will get no further in this kingdom! I will make sure of it!" Lace waved her hand 'angrily'.

Hornet chuckled. Drawing her needle she crouched to spring. "You'll have to catch me if you wanna stop me!" She called before jumping off the rock and into the tall grass. "HEY!" She heard lace yell. She knew the other weaver was chasing her, trying to catch her to 'kidnap' her and it made her giggle in happiness. Gods she felt like a kid again... Hearing something she jumped to the side when lace almost snagged her. She was fast, faster than she remembered. Both their eyes met, a challenge. Hornet twisted directions. She ran through the tall grass before exploding out into the open. Hornet carefully turned as she slid down a steep hill to a larger drop, but she wasn't scared. She jumped, letting herself twist and open her arms. Lace, fully trusting hornet jumped off with her, falling into her arms as they spun to their 'doom'. However, hornet shot out her needle and yanked them back upward to the other side of the giant ravine.

As hornet touched the ground she let lace down who giggled happily. For right now, for right this moment, she could forget the grief and regret of her past. Right now... She could enjoy the moment, knowing she was safe. Lace suddenly bolted in front of hornet, making her narrow her eyes. "get back here enemy!" She called, bolting after lace. This all they needed. Both their loneliness had brought them together, close, so close. Even now it was impossible to think of losing the other.

Seeing something hornet tossed her needle and yanked after it, flying past lace and landing at the top of the hill. She opened her arms and leaned back once again to letlace tackle her into a hug. Both rolled down the small hill. Once there rolling halted both giggled and chuckled together. The grass around them was as soft as a bed was, and with lace there her fears seemed to be washed away. Meeting lace's eyes, hornet carefully poked her nose. "This isn't hunting." She joked making lace chuckle. "It was until I saw you were awake and challenged me." She hummed happily. That shine in her eyes, gods she never wanted it to fade. She rested there, panting in the grass as she regained her breath. Slowly she finally sat up and let out a relaxed sigh.

Tapping her claws against her needle, a part of her wanted to sing something. A song coming to mind she chuckled. Closing her eyes she sung. "She asked me, Son, when I grow old. Will you buy me a house of gold? And when your father turns to stone Will you take care of me?" She watched lace perk up, looking over at her. Chuckling hornet looked up at the sky. "She asked me, Son, when I grow old. Will you buy me a house of gold? And when your father turns to stone Will you take care of me?" Getting up she offered her hand to lace. Excited and curious she took it. Hornet helped her up, carefully taking lace's other hand as she sang. "I will make you, Queen of everything you see. I'll put you on the map. I'll cure you of disease." They were close... So close, but hornet pulled away quickly, startling lace.

"Let's say we up and left this town, And turned our future upside-down. We'll make pretend that you and me. Lived ever after, happily." She spun, padding away from lace kicking a small pebble as far as she could. Watching it disappear into the grass she turned around when she finished singing. She offered her hand. An invitation, and offer. Lace didn't even hesitate as she took hornets hand. She dragged her forward happily.

"She asked me, Son, when I grow old. Will you buy me a house of gold? And when your father turns to stone. Will you take care of me?" Hornet smiled happily. Pulling lace close. However as she opened her mouth she felt lace's finger shush her. She blinked as lace started to sing. "I will make you queen of everything you see. I'll put you on the map. I'll cure you of disease." Lace pecked hornets forehead, making her blush. However lace pulled away, continuing to sing.

"And since we know that dreams are dead. And life turns plans up on their head. I will plan to be a bum. So I just might become someone." Lace let the emotion fill her voice, making hornet laugh. Both made eye contact before raising both their heads and singing. Pouring their hearts into it. They didn't care if anyone heard, just that they were happy. "She asked me, Son, when I grow old. Will you buy me a house of gold? And when your father turns to stone. Will you take care of me?" They twirled around one another, letting every emotion fill their voice. It felt good. Hornet felt amazing but she chuckled gently. Carefully she took lace's hand again, letting her voice dip back down to a more calm tone.

"I will make you... Queen of everything you see. I'll put you on the map. I'll cure you of disease.” Hornet smiled. She could feel lace’s breath they were so close. Lace took a deep breath and let out a purr. Hornet giggled and purred as well.

“I love you.” Hornet spoke, her voice full of honesty. She had fallen for lace and... could safely admit it now. Lace’s eyes widened before they softened.

“I love you to...” lace whispered with a large smile. They both hesitated before lace cursed to herself. “Oh curse it all, come here.” Hornet startled when lace suddenly launched forward. Hornet froze when lace kissed her, suddenly and without warning. Hornets mind blue screened as she tried to process what was happening. But after calming down she kissed lace back. Closing her eyes she felt her heart flutter. Lace pulled away first, panting softly. Hornet panted as well, eyes wide and happy. “You- I.” She tried to stutter out but lace just chuckled. “First kiss?” She gently asked. Blushing hard hornet nodded. “I can tell.” She giggled. “Gods... how long have I been waiting to do that.” Lace chuckled gently. Hornet smiled with a blush.

Both chuckled happily. Hornet hugged lace close. In the middle of a field, somewhere deep in a foreign land, she was happy. Oh so happy. "When do you plan to leave?" Lace asked curiously as they parted, resting a hand on her cheek. Her other hand carefully rested in hornets hand. Leaning into the touch hornet hummed. A part of her wanted to stay, to explore this kingdom and actually enjoy it, but she couldn't, not now... "A day? Two? It depends on your injuries and how bad they are." Lace chuckled. "I can leave right now if you so wished, i'm fine." It was tempting. Saying goodbye to the ones she knew would be hard. But leaving without saying goodbye sounded so wrong.

"Tomorrow?" She suggested. Lace nodded, she was plenty fine with that. She would miss her home... No... Fuck that, she would miss sharpie but she wanted this, she knew she did. "Shall we actually hunt now. I haven't caught prey for myself in forever. Gods I forget what fresh meat tasted like." She hummed happily. Lace chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure, but make sure you don't eat anything poisonous. That's just what you would do. Save a kingdom and come back from the brink of death, then die by choosing the wrong bug to eat." Hornet snorted." I wont be THAT stupid." She chuckled.

The two stayed together, hunting and gathering prey. Until they headed back to shakra's. Hornet had made a net to carry the prey they got so it was easier carrying it back. How quickly and easily hornet had made it stunned her but got her asking if hornet could make other things. Hornet nodded and talked about a hammock she had made and slept in when she was at home. It pained her heart but she tried not to think about home. She would be there soon after all.

When they entered shakra's house she perked from her spot on the couch, shock stirring in her eyes. "Oh, greetings you two. I... Honestly thought y'all left." Hornet shook her head. "Without saying goodbye?" Shakra smiled with a relieved sigh. Lace and hornet carefully prepared the food they had gotten. Hornet focused on cooking a dinner for them all since this would be their last day while lace carefully salted and wrapped up meat for travel. Hornet couldn't remember how long it had taken her to get to pharloom and she didn't want to risk starving on the road. It's why lace carefully prepared some of it to be made into jerky.

Shakra helped them get a bag to store the jerky and extra salted meat inside. Hornet was thankful for the blankets she also offered with fire starters. As well as grabbing a few canteens of water. It wasn't much, but the two didn't need much to at least get started, and so the two the next day wished their farewells. Hornet gave shakra and sherma a giant hug while lace hugged sharpie that just grumbled... but seemed to lean into the hug. That's when shakra offered her old dress to her, weapons still inside. She had forgotten all about it. She was thankful to have it back and to wear it proudly again. The dress lace made for her would still be held close however, even if she had to fit the rip in the back from her fit.

Gods hornet hated farewell's, but shakra made her promise it was just a 'see you later.' Hornet wasn't fully sure if she could keep it, but she could try. That's how they left, heading through the castle to the outside world, the waists stretching miles out, distant mountain's probably day's journey away. Hornet felt the harsh chill in the air and shivered. She could feel the winter bite starting to set home in the waists. For just a moment she hesitated before shaking it off and padding forward. Lace, her.... girlfriend...? following behind. Neither had truly asked but it felt right, girlfriend...

---

(Was planning to put a few days travel here but got a tad lazy. But maybe they will appear as one shots, alternate universes etc. :3)

---

As they approached the giant mountain. One that had loomed as only a hill in the far distance, hornet grew more excited. The wind, instead of pushing them away with the harsh chill of winter. Now pushed them towards the mountain face that loomed high above them. Lace padded beside her, looking up at the cliff as the wind threatened to knock the two over. "Is this it?" She asked looking over at hornet that's eyes were locked on the cliff. She could see the emotions stirring through her eyes. Hornet weakly nodded trying not to cry. Home... She was home after so long.

Lace chuckled seeing the happiness in her eyes. Carefully placing a hand on hornets shoulder she nodded to the cliff. Go... Hornet took a deep breath and held it. Studying lace before bolting. Launching her needle upward she yanked after it. Pushing herself forward faster and faster. She ran through the lands she remembered. Each footstep propelled her further and further. However she skidded to a halt, panting, standing on a small cliff that overlooked the town below. A great bridge used to lay there, stretching beyond and to the old town. To hollownest. Now it lay crumpled and torn to shreds.

She felt footsteps catch up to her. Soft and delicate. looking over at lace she happily giggled. Jumping off the small cliff she looked up and hornet expectantly. She followed, passing her to lead the way. The town looked alive as ever. Many of the bugs bundled up from the cold winds that shred through the town. The one that stood out to hornet was elder bug. Ghost had introduced her to him a long time ago. They seemed to like them a lot, giving them a extremely delicate flower to show just how much they cared for them. Hornet had slowly grown... Friendly towards the other. But she just wasn't a socal bug. He noticed the two approaching and had to take a double take. "P-princess! hornet! It has been so long- your siblings-" "I know. It is a long story that I rather explain later. Where are they?" She couldn't wait, her mind raced wanting to see them again.

The elder bug nodded. Bowing his head he waved to her old home, one decorated with flowers and plants alike. Home... She held her tears as she headed over to it, pausing at the door. Her hand rested against the fossilized chitin. Taking a deep breath she looked back at lace. Who had seemed to pause next to the elder bug. Does she follow or let hornet have her moment? However something in hornets eyes made her continue to pad over. Giving her an encouraging smile. Turning to the door she took a deep breath... Before knocking.

How long had she been gone? Months? Half a year? Time had blended, meshing together in pharlooms constant running. As the door opened she looked up at first, then down, shocked that little ghost had answered the door.

Were they taller? Or was that just her? They had been looking down before looking up at her. They look so tired, so... Sad? It was hard to tell. However she could see how their ‘empty’ eyes widened as they looked up at her. Carefully she got on one knee and opened her arms. They paused before bolting forward and tackling into hornet. Her breath hitched as she hugged them back, tears flowing from her eyes. When they pulled away she did too, they signed quickly as back tears rolled down their face. Hornet carefully took their hands, pressing a kiss to the top of their head to silence their thousands of questions. "Hush.... I am... So sorry for leaving you two for so long. But i'm back..." The vessel shook before tackling her into a hug again. Hornet smiled and picked up the vessel in her arms. She tucked them close to her chest before looking over at lace with a grin.

A loud screech sounded as hornet felt something collide with her face. She stumbled back but luckily spun and kept herself upright. But she was unable to see anymore. "Oh dear. Child leave her alone." She felt whatever had suction cupped to her face peel off. She looked up to see grimm, carefully holding grimmchild by its tail. They squirmed and chirped angrily before grimm let them go. Grimmchild instantly flew towards hornet again and landed on her shoulder. The warm moth carefully curled up under her chin happily. Very content to just never move.

"Welcome home princess." Grimm softly chuckled. Hornet... Ugh her relationship with grimm wasn't the smoothest. Especially with... Hollow being his best friend and all. But she can deal with them. "Long time no see grimm. Why are you over?" A large creature carefully nudging grimm to the side gave her the answer she seeked. Hollow. Large and imposing was the same as she remembered. A crack on one eye causing it to go blind, on the other side his arm rotted off and gone. However even if they looked terrifying nothing would make her unsee the loveable doof underneath. "Hollow." She softly whispered tears spilling down her eyes. They looked so much more tired than ghost had and absolutely guilty and sorrowful. But the shock behind the void in their eyes just made her smile. They moved so quickly hornet had yelped nervously. Hollow scooped hornet up in their remaining arm and nuzzled their masks together.

She could see the tears pooling out of their eyes as their void bubbled in a purr. "Hollow." She chuckled, using the arm not holding ghost to pet their mask, nuzzling them back. Gods she was home. She really was finally home... let this not be some cursed dream...

From the sidelines grimm watched through happy narrowed eyes. However at movement he perked, curiously spotting a nervous but happy weaver next to there side. Hm... He knew that attire. It was from pharloom, that cursed land, at least... He heard in stories... "And who are you little morsel." He carefully slid around the group to study lace. She froze looking at the looming moth above her. He was terrifying...

"Oh yeah I-" she coughed "this is lace! A friend of mine." The two vessels and two moths curiously looked at the white spider. Grimmchild unwrapped from hornets neck to fly over to lace curiously, softly chirping before landing on her head. Ghost. Who had slowly started to calm down looked over. There curiosity won over hugging her sister to death as they hopped out of hornets arms. They padded over to lace and curiously tapped her with there small nail. Lace watched them curious. They must be the younger brother, however she never saw hornet as a middle child, always the eldest.

Carefully hollow sat hornet on the ground. Raising their hand they signed. 'A friend of my sister?' Lace blinked. She went to speak, nervous about how she couldn't read sign language but hornet caught her. "I don't think she can read sign." Lace expected disappointment or something else, however they carefully pulled out a small book and pin. Hornet carefully took the book from them and held it as they wrote. "Your a friend of sister?" Lace hummed with a smile. "I am." She said as she read the book. "I helped her get home."

Hollow bowed his head and carefully wrote again. When hornet turned towards her she chuckled. A slightly shaky ‘thank you’ lay inside. "It really is no problem. It was one hell of a journey though." Hornet groaned and rolled his eyes. "You can say that again." Lace chuckled "it was one hell of a journey tho-" "-I didn't mean literally!" Hornet barked, making lace laugh. Hornet softly blushed and rolled her eyes. Hollow's eyes widened looking at the two before tapping the book. Hornet let him write and went to show lace before spotting what it said. She instantly shut it blushing hard "YOU DON'T GET BOOK PRIVILEGES ANYMORE!" She barked.

Hollow chuckled, holding their hand in front of their face. Amusement glinted in his eyes. "Oh? What did the bug doof want to say to me?" She asked curiously. Hollow chuckled carefully and drew a heart in the air. Lace got the idea carefully and giggled as hornet hid her face behind the book. "Not in front of grimm." She hissed. Oh? She had forgotten about the terrifying moth that smirked behind his hand. "Oh dear, it seems our little and very terrifying princess has fallen for a little bug from a different kingdom." He swooned.

Hornet snarled "This little princess will still bite your hand off grimm." She flashed her fangs but it just made grimm chuckle. Lace hummed and hugged hornet from behind. Hornet blushed hard but leaned into her. Ghost studied the two of them curiously, how hornets usually sharp face softened as she looked back at lace... Yes... Yes she was a keeper. Lace looked down startled when ghost hugged her leg. Feeling a hand on her shoulder as well she looked up at a still amused but happy face of hollow. Looking ahead of her grimm chuckled gently. "Welcome to hollownest, lace of pharloom." He bowed and her heart skipped a beat. W-wait- how did he know about... Did... It matter anymore. "Don't... Remind me of that ugly place."

Feeling her legs wobble she felt an exhaustion set over her. Eyes trying to focus as the world spun. The cold, the constant traveling. It finally started to pull her down. It seemed hornet felt it too, lace placing more and more weight onto her. Carefully she felt the two of them get scooped up into hollows arms and carefully carried inside of the small house. She was far too tired to look around and study the place. The only... True thing she cared about at that moment was hornet laying against her... Fast asleep... And safe.

Her life, so much bottled up grief and pain... It finally could end. Even if it wasn't the way she had planned it to end. If it hadn't been hornet that dropped into pharloom. She doubted she would have been curled up into a red cloaked weaver. Feeling... Loved for the first time since she was seven... Maybe younger. She felt guilty hornet had to go through all that suffering and pain. But for right now. As hollow laid them down into a hammock made out of spider silk... She was glad hornet had suffered. Not in a bad way, but because no other weaver had to suffer ever again. She was glad hornet wasn't dead and cold in the ground by her pin or another.

She couldn't even imagine what she would have done if hornet had fallen.... All she knew was she never had to hurt another soul ever again... And maybe over time... She could have the family she had been ripped away from so many years ago. As hornet buried her mask into lace's chest she smiled and closed her eyes. Rest came so easy for both of them. No being hunted... No running away in fear anymore. Just resting in a dieing kingdom that maybe... Just one day... Could be the giant kingdom hornets father had nurtured back in the day...

She barely felt the blanket being tucked around them as she drifted into pure darkness. Nothing but her peaceful thoughts to keep her company. A nice... Dreamless... sleep...

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