[Shadon]

Weeks past him by as he searched for his lost wife. Shadon had come across only a couple of faces, ones unfamiliar as he was no longer in Saboro. Saboro had been his life for so long, he forgot the taste of freedom. He felt so odd, though chased as best as he could where Poltergeist could have gone. There was no leads, none at all, except for one. One that sat at his feet for days until he could no longer stand it. He did not want to face the ghostly son for a second time, not after their goodbye. It was a moment he wouldn't forget, a moment he held to his heart and going back could corrupt what was good. Poltergeist could have found him though, could have been saved and guided to a better place. He could jeopardize that for her, but he had to know.

Amen had pointed him in the right direction.

Gemini.

So when he approached the fabled wall with bones upon the cobbles to warn outsiders, Shadon had a sinking feeling. The red around his eyes could trigger something he didn't want, but the hellion was already here. It was too late to turn back now. He only smiled nervously, that knife-cutting smile that hadn't grown upon his features in a long while. He was tickled somewhat by the decorations, as he too had bones upon his back and neck, a warning.

"What a fuckin' display. Is that supposed to scare me?" Probably not, but if he had been anyone else, he could've been nervous at best. He then howled, a drone all too familiar to his family, for he had gifted them this feature. He called to them, he knew they were here. The question was, would they show their faces? If the girl had been truthful then he could expect more grandbabies or even Akki. He was not here for them, though.

"Where is my wife."

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ooc:// ok before we get started on this, just want to say I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS.
secondly, Zeke and Shay will have a few rounds until Rip is ready to post and have Akki crash the party.
After that... well.... we may have others come in when the aftermath is done. so yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shadon]

He wasn't sure how long it'd been after he and Amen had let the little three legged woman into Gemini but it wasn't more than a few days. Zeke had been hovering along the edges of the pack lately, walking the border as a ranger but also, it almost as if he were daring himself to just go ahead and leave. Walk away and leave everything behind. The thought of his fathers disappointment was the only thing that kept him from running away. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to care though. Every day it became harder and harder to resist the urge.

He wasn't even sure what it was about Gemini that displeased him so much. Other than the miserable fucking weather with its constant rain and fog. The people weren't mean and maybe that was the problem. Every one here was so nice all the damn time, it wasn't natural. The paranoid side of his mind kept telling him that it was all fake, that everyone was just pretending to be happy, to be his friend so that they could get something from him. Well, they'd get nothing from the rotten hellion.

The sound of a deep, ominous howl reached his ears and the overly large flaps swiveled in the direction of the call. It sounded like it was someone on the other side of the wall. Visitors? Curiosity drove him towards the summons at a swift pace, wondering if it could be his infamous grandfather he'd heard so little about. Zeke KnEW this would happen! And if it was indeed Shadon then Zeke wanted to have the advantage, just in case things got violent.

Patting himself on the back for being so smart, Zeke scaled the wall like a feline, silky tail flailing to keep his balance he dug his claws into the finest of cracks along the length of the wall and pulled himself up to the top with a grunt. Shaking out his pelt he prowled along the top of the wall towards the dark figure in the distance. Sharp golden eyes peered down at Shadon as excitement began to hum in his veins. He had fucking bone decorations on his back that made him look intimidating and his large size only added to his formidable image.

He looked so fucking awesome.

"Where is my wife."

Oh, right. That.

Zeke had told Amen that bringing in that grandma lady would bring nothing but trouble. But did anyone listen to Zeke? Noooo. Zeke laid down above Shadon's head and stretched out leisurely along the wall, silky tail swishing near one of the pelts like a pale banner. It wasn't every day you got to meet a legend, why rush things? "Who?" Zeke quipped, tilting his head as if he were bemused, "You'll have to be more specific. There's no one here by the name of 'MyWife'." He had to swipe his tongue across his muzzle to keep from smirking. He didn't want to piss grandpa Shadon off. Yet.

[Shadon]

A voice came from above, emerald eyes glancing up the large wall to catch the figure of someone sitting atop the unsteady cobble stones —some old, some new. The purple pelt gave away who this was, another spawn from his son, though unlike Amen’s pale lavender, Zeke had a darker coat that reminded him of Kyeza. The clouded eye glistened in the morning sun and his tongue lapped along his muzzle. Flashes of snow came to him, but he pushed that thought away. The mouth on this one was definitely of his line and he couldn’t help but smirk, teeth glistening like his scarred eye. “Smart mouth like your father, but ain’t smart enough. Your sister told me where this place was.” Not a smart move, but Shadon needed this break.

Poltergeist could be here. So close, yet so far. This goddamn kid was slowing him down.

“What, she tell you I’d drag her back into hell? To bring her back to Saboro where she would die?” He wasn’t Knife. He wasn’t going to do that to her, if he had found a way to get her out of Saboro sooner, he would’ve thrown her himself instead of Red having to. The kids would be fine, they had been raised fine. Some did not make it, some did not. Life was harsh, death followed him.

If this pup was really Akki’s son, well, he knew how to get under the skin of his own blood. “Never knew your dad could raise a coward, but being Kol Nidre’s son isn’t so surprising. That’s why he left Saboro, because he couldn’t own up to his own mistakes. Instead Coven had to pick up the shit he fucked up. Even Serrate left him behind.” Shadon chuckled, wondering if Serrate truly did leave Kol Nidre behind or if she was just as cowardly and couldn’t take her throne with enough power. Halberd had been one of the strongest Queens he’s ever faced, but Coven had grasped his title so tightly, he choked Serrate from her seat. Sol Katti had sat upon her throne with grace and violence, remembering very well how she tore Knife’s throat out. Oh how jealous he was that it wasn’t his fangs severing her life.

But that wasn’t now. He wanted this boy down from the wall so they could talk.

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[Shadon]

His cheeky attitude won him a smile from his relative but it was all teeth and no mirth. Shadon was not amused by Zeke's antics but even so, the purple youth still thought he was hilarious. Crotchety old grandpa just didn't have a sense of humor. “Smart mouth like your father, but ain’t smart enough. Your sister told me where this place was.” Thanks Amen. His easygoing smirk was wiped away by a scowl as he decided he'd have to have a talk with his little sister about how to keep her fucking mouth shut in the neutrals. If she was just going to walk around out there giving every stranger she ran across directions and a map then what good was she?

Sure, she was his sister but that meant nothing to him if she was just going to point a giant neon sign at them that said 'Traitors This Way'. Day by day he became more and more fed up with his siblings and this entire place. If it were for his fathers- his thoughts were cut short by Shadon's next question, “What, she tell you I’d drag her back into hell? To bring her back to Saboro where she would die?” Zeke gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders, "I'm still trying to figure that out. Why would anyone want a tiny little cripple like her back anyways?" He mused, gauging Shadon's reaction.

Zeke was extremely pleased with himself and the fact that he'd had the forethought to scale the enormous wall to gain the high ground. Not that he was known to take the 'high road', in this instance it was probably the only thing saving him from a good throttling by his grandfather. “Never knew your dad could raise a coward," Golden eyes narrowed into slits as he looked down at the dark hellion, his blood slowly beginning to boil. If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was to be insulted or belittled, "but being Kol Nidre’s son isn’t so surprising. That’s why he left Saboro, because he couldn’t own up to his own mistakes. Instead Coven had to pick up the shit he fucked up." There was only one thing he couldn't stand more than insults to himself: insults to his father. Rage ran through his veins as he sprang to his feet, pebble skittering as he planted his feet evenly to keep from falling.

"Even Serrate left him behind.”

Zeke wanted so badly to leap down, to launch himself at that ugly milky eye of his and rip it from his skull. Back in the day Zeke might have done just that but he'd done some growing up since his fight with Corrosion and had learned to pick his battles more carefully. So as much as he wanted to tear Shadon to pieces he was alone and it would be stupid and Zeke was many things but stupid was not one of them. So instead he did what any sane, angsty teenager would do in a situation like this.

He peed on him.

Zeke lifted his leg, took careful aim and released his bladder in Shadon's direction, hoping at least some of it landed on the Saboroan. Even if he didn't manage to piss on Shadon his urine was musky and pungent which meant if Shadon intended to have further conversation he'd have to stand beside a stinking puddle of Zeke's pee. Sighing loudly in satisfaction he lowered his leg and grinned devilishly down at his grandfather. "That means fuck you and get out of my pack." Family or not he didn't give a shit about people he barely knew. He'd made the mistake of hoping his grandfather would be someone he could relate to. Turned out, Shadon was just an asshole. But oh how Zeke's teeth itched to sink into flesh and release this pent up fury.

Maybe they were more alike than he thought.

[Shadon]

Oh the boy had no idea who he was talking to, trying to worm his way under Shadon's skin, but the gray hellion had been doing this a lot longer, and he had been brought up very differently. Akki and Kol Nidre raised a prick, but not someone who could play the same game. Shadon smirked, even chuckled at Zeke's stab, but he heard worse things screamed at him. This boy was no Knife, no Thresher, no Nero — he was young and stupid. He made it too easy. "Who would run off with a mad king who nearly died by the hands of the War Captain? Ah yes, I should've crushed his throat while I had the chance, I could have killed Kol Nidre. I should have. He should have died when Coven took his crown. Only natural he raised a weak son and a coward. At least my wife lost her leg while doing something noble, not running away like a FUCKING. WORTHLESS. COWARD. YOU HEAR THAT AKKI?! I LET YOU GO AND YOU RAISE A WORM?! DID I TEACH YOU NOTHING?!" Body would tense as he screamed, slobber flying. Patience was wearing thin.

Eyes moved up just in time to see the kid stand and raise a leg. Oh fuck no. He would not let another goddamn person piss on him. He could've ripped off Thresher's dick from his stomach, but this time, luckily for Zeke, he was too high. So, instead, the hellion bolted to the left, and kept going. Although Shadon could possibly jump up the wall, he was getting too fucking old for that shit. Instead, he would try to find a break or a place where it was lower for him to climb. He was no stranger to invasions, as he was the one who led troops into Inaria with Akki by his side.

As the wall dipped lower, he used the momentum he gained to try to scale the cobble, his skinny body rippled with muscle as he attempted to gain ground up above. His feet could not gain any grip and he failed, landing back on the ground. Bastards were smart enough to make it un-scalable. So, the hellion ignored trying to go over, he would run along the edge to try to find an opening, anything that would let him in.

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[Shadon]

Weak.
Worthless.
Coward.

Each word spiked his temper up until his heart hammered in his veins and a guttural snarl ripped from his throat. How dare this fucking bastard freak come in here and insult his heritage and question his value. Shadon was nothing. Zeke was a GOD compared to him. He could feel the poison in his mind spreading, whispering, taunting. Attack, his dark urges begged him until he finally had no choice but to give in.

Shadon was already on the move though. They'd both reached the end of what little patience they had. Zeke raced along the top of the wall, sharp golden eyes following Shadon's gaze to a small dip in the stone wall. Cursing under his breath he watched grimly as the dark hellion launched himself at the wall and grinned smugly when Shadon couldn't get a good enough grip and slipped back down. His grandfather wasn't as experienced in climbing as Zeke was.

Maybe this big fucking wall wasn't as useless as Zeke had thought it was. But it did have one weak spot: the enterance that opened the low lands to the high lands of the pack. If Shadon managed to slip through that opening who knew what would happen. Fuck fuck fuck. He threw back his head and howled as he sprinted along the wall, calling for whoever was nearby for back up[WEE WOO WEE WOO]. Then he snarled and decided that he'd had enough of this bullshit. If the old bastard wanted to fight then he'd give him a fight.

Zeke was directly above the hellion when he sprang from the wall and aimed himself at the large beast like a missile. It felt like flying as he fell from the twenty foot wall. He felt.. invincible. Until he crashed into Shadon like a freight train and sent the two of them rolling with the force of their collision. Zeke landed painfully with a grunt, wincing his legs scrambled to pull himself to his feet as quickly as he could.

Shit that hurt.

It definitely hadn't been one of his brightest ideas. His body ached but he decided to ignore it as he bared his teeth, silky tail lashing the ground behind him. "I'll show you a fucking coward." Zeke growled between clenched teeth as he headed towards Shadon. He was going to try to circle the dark hellion until he found an opening to launch himself at hideous, milky looking eye. Shadon probably couldn't see out of that one as well and Zeke bet he'd have an advantage if he struck from that side.

[Shadon]

Ears caught the clicking of nails on stone, giving Shadon ample time to veer his gaze up and see Zeke plummeting down upon him. The boy was stupid, jumping from that high. The wardog snarled, bearing his teeth and in a split second, his muscles recoiled only to launch his body up, teeth snatching at the boy's neck in an attempt to pull him down, yet also slowing the fall to minimize both their injuries if they had collided. The hellion would not be gentle, however, even if Zeke was family, even if blood were common in their veins; Shadon would not relent just because this boy was his grandson. Instead, the hellion would try to throw the boy to the ground, letting go. He stepped away, just as Zeke got to his feet to whirl around on him.

The ex-War Captain was calm, relaxed as the boy tried to circle, his steps light and silent. Or, at least that's what he thought, but Shadon had been fighting all his life, he knew tricks and what was possibly going to come next. His eye was a hinderance, though not fully. Vision was clouded by a scar, yet there was still a veil he could see through. The shape of Zeke was apparent, and the hellion snarled with a smile, those ivory teeth shining into that knife-cut grin. In a split second, the hellion charged, jaw open and ready to rip flesh from bone.

Blood was all he could see, all he wanted to see. To feel the warmth upon his tongue, to taste the iron and sweet satisfaction.

And he would not stop until he swallowed his pound of flesh.

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[Akki]

He'd been waiting.

Not since the little ghost on the border. Not since wave after wave of refugees came seeking sanctuary. Not since Coven's shadow cast over Iron in the dim light. Not since Kekkai cursed and threatened at the border of a foreign pack. Not since he took up the scent of Kol Nidre's lost children and trailed them through the wild.

He'd been waiting.

Since crossing the ravine. Since the flames licked the space hanging between them.

Shadon said "goodbye". Shadon was a liar, then, now, forever.

He'd been waiting.

---

Zeke's rancorous cry bounced from lowland flats to rolling hills, and at the gap in the wall stood Akki, eyes focused on his son as he leapt from on high (falling, falling, purple like purple flowers). He whistled like all bodies whistle as they cut through the air, flying toward rock, earth, teeth. His violent, horrible son, who lived like the blood in his veins demanded.

"— WORTHLESS. COWARD. YOU HEAR THAT AKKI?! I LET YOU GO AND YOU RAISE A WORM?! DID I TEACH YOU NOTHING?!"

Let?

Long legs devoured the space between where there was no fire, would not be fire, and even if there was fire he would chill it, kill it, blow through it. Behind him whipped a long tail—his heritage— and on his skull shone two horns—his birthright. In the mouth that lips pulled back to reveal glistened long fangs and a tongue as silver and wicked as moonlight.

Let?

He was silent under the whistle of Zeke's body as he had been silent while leading the swarm of red poppies and tattoos down Inaria's woods. They spread, they blanketed, they smothered, they tracked in the snow and tramped fresh grass desperate to feel spring's heat. But Shadon would feel HEAT this time. Shadon would feel HEAT pooling, congealing, sticking.

Let?

Zeke circled his grandfather and like any novice struck at the long healed weakness, a handicap overcome long ago (didn't I teach you better, he thought, while his legs gobbled, don't you see the scars and how they've healed?). Shadon knew. Shadon unhinged those jaws that carried the flesh of wolves and aimed the cleaver towards his SON—

Let?

His narrow head lowered and behind it came the body (does it whistle?) straight for Shadon, any part of him—neck, jaw, ribs, he'll take it—with the weight of so much piled, piled, PILED behind it. The hideous crunch of bone on bone and a body whistling announced Hel Wendigo, who, full of FIRE, did something he had not before. With jaws glistening and eyes wide, he hissed, like a cat, like a snake, like something that was not a wolf.

LET?

He slunk in front of his son, ears flicking towards him once. Stay back.

"This is your only chance to leave."

LET?

"Take it."

LET?

As if Shadon could have stopped him.

[Zeke]

The dark beast charged him with a snarl, alabaster pillars flashing in the light. Strings of saliva dripped like acid from those wicked teeth but Zeke felt no fear. Only exhilaration. His heart hammered in his chest, pumping adrenaline through his veins but it was more than that. Anticipation. Eagerness. Zeke wanted this. Wanted to rip that hideous eye sore from the monsters face. Wanted to sink his teeth into thick, warm flesh and feel it slide down his throat.

He moved to meet the horrible creature but the sound of fast approaching footsteps made him hesitate, his ears swiveling before his head did he was just quick enough to leap back in time. Suddenly Akki filled the space in front of him, a demonic hiss escaping his lips. He'd never heard his father make that sound before. "This is your only chance to leave." LEAVE? "Take it." LEAVE? Shadon, the infamous monster who his father had warned him so much about, came in here with his bleeding red tattoos and insulted his heritage and he was just going to... LEAVE?


Rage blossomed anew in his chest and he snarled from over Akki's shoulder, silky banner like tail slashing the ground like an angry cat's. No, no this wouldn't do. This wouldn't do at all. Zeke wanted blood. He wanted to hold Shadon's still warm heart between his teeth and crush it between his jaws. "We should kill him." Zeke hissed at Akki, golden eyes narrowed into slits, "If he leaves he'll just come back with reinforcements." He took a step forward despite his fathers warning and growled in response, "We can't take any chances." Don't be stupid, dad. Just let me kill grandpa.

[Shadon]

The wind buffeted the mountains, the chilling wind driving in from the north as specks of ice floated down in droves. Teeth clicked as hot breath blew to the chilling breeze, a ghost that revealed a hissing hound much like a snake would to warn a larger predator. The long, slender body came between the bulky hellion and the yearling — just in time before the ex-War Captain decided to lunge and kill his own kin. That pelt reminding him of a land very cold and hostile, of a land that nearly consumed him and his son. His only son. His pride and joy, but within the temperate jungle that belonged to the Red Bone, the only thing that mattered was power.

And when power became his, as his eyes were encircled with RED — now did he see his son, yearned to have the connection they never had, to erase the hurt, the cold, the wind. To erase the feelings of false love and to establish something more warm like blood lining his innards. Chest heaved deeply, inhaling the soft specks of ice as his jaw opened to a row of ivory teeth, ones who had killed so many. Ones who had stripped a princess of her worth. Ones who tore into the muscle of WHITE that was stained RED. The hellion roared then, spit spraying the ground before him as he flicked his tail violently, turning on his paws to stride back and forth.

He stopped then, the gray hellion, staring as the grass became white, as the wind blew harder and shifted his fur. Something hot and heavy burned within his chest, a pain he could not describe. Green eyes shifted toward Akki, pupils nearly invisible against the iris as his eyes widened as much as they could. He could see fire — feel the hot embers burning all around them, disregarding the pain that scarred his cloudy eye.

This is your only chance to leave.

He closed his eyes, remembering the cracks of embers. The smell of smoke and the rumble of the Earth, how ash rained and fire devoured every inch of Saboro it could. The memory faded, slowly and silently as the cold crept in, tendrils of ice crawling up his bones and into his heart.

Take it.

Mouth parted, sticky saliva stringing between teeth. The boy behind his father was muffled against ears unhearing, and Shadon finally lifted his head and eyes to look into gray. “No.” he said, pupils dilating to pin-pricks once again. “I’m here for Poltergeist.” The iron ball within resting against his ribs burned hot with anger, fueling his muscles to tense. They released in a violent burst of energy, claws scoring the earth as Shadon lunged at Akki. Teeth would aim for his shoulder, though he knew well that Akki was more agile and could easily dodge. He surged forward still, wanting to meet flesh within teeth.

Shadon would fight for Poltergeist, it was the reason he left Saboro.

As if Akki could have stopped him.

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---

just akki vs shadon for a bit pls

[Akki]

In the narrowing time bought from a well aimed tackle, Akki shot Zeke a chilly look. Nothing his son said was untrue. Shadon had an army behind him once and even if the old war dog had fallen from publicity, there were loyal monsters always waiting in the wings. He thought of Seven and her group of child killers, cozy beneath Shadon's chin. A clever, ruthless creature would have tried to kill this living blockade back when he stood in the way of the ravine.

Akki was a lot of things—occasionally clever and ruthless—but he was rarely rude.

"You pay your debts," he told Zeke in a low, measured  voice while Shadon scrambled through old, stale visions. He had a score to settle with his father.

Like all narcissistic power mongers, Shadon believed he was owed love and forgiveness because he compared the weight of his gifts to the slights against an abandoned child. To him, the scales were tipped. He might have left the child, but he had given it training. The promise of prestige. Assurance of placement. And the most delectable, the most mouth watering, the most savory of all:  the grooming to replace himself, for what could be a better prize than to be made in the image of the Father? What did neglect matter in the face of all that? Did he not make up for it? Did he not collect enough chips to cash in? When Akki felt grief for leaving his personal monster behind and told him he had his forgiveness, did Shadon think it was bought?

It didn't matter, in the end, what prompted a throwaway boy to reconcile with a creature he never expected to see again.  Akki had no illusions. He knew the scales, and he knew the weight on either end. Kol Nidre once suggested that if Shadon truly loved him, he wouldn't track them down, as if love was ever part of the equation. Shadon didn't fight Akki when he tried to leave. It was a loan. And now, Akki returned the favor, with interest.

What Shadon did with it was his own problem.

"No," his father, predictably, growled.

"Stay on the edge," Akki told Zeke. "If he tries to run, follow him."

"I’m here for Poltergeist."

"Don't get in the way."

The monster left wounds in the earth as it barreled towards them. Akki lowered his head, shoulders squared, and waited. He saw the red webbed whites in that healthy green eye. The chords of foam and spit bouncing at the chin. The edge of teeth that had shaved flesh of his kin.

He waited until hot breath and the tip of fangs sliced into his  shoulder before slipping left, with the wall behind him. The cut across his upper leg was worth the hold he may have found—Akki tried to clamp down on Shadon's scruff and, using his father's momentum, tried to drive him face first into Gemini's wall like some kind of horrible crash test dummy.

[Zeke]

"You pay your debts," Akki told Zeke and the violet hellion screwed his face up in confusion and frustration. The hell did that mean?! He hated when his father started talking in riddles and stopped making sense. Just kill the monster already and be done with it. The tension in the air grew thicker, electricity filling the air and making his hair stand on end. He wanted to fling himself at his grandfather spray the air with crimson but no. "Stay on the edge," He was told and he bared his teeth in silent acknowledgment, "If he tries to run, follow him." Oh geez, thanks, dad. Zeke wasn't stupid enough to believe Shadon would step down from a challenge.

"Don't get in the way."

Mouth set in a grim line he nodded curtly, golden eyes burning with some unreadable emotion while inside Zeke burned with rage. Told to sit on the sidelines like a fucking child when he was more than capable of taking on an old geezer past his prime. Scowling darkly he watched from a few yards away as the two crashed together in a ball of fury, teeth flashing as snarls rang out. His smooth, silky tail whipped behind him in excitement as he paced just out of range of the two fighting bodies. "Kick his ass, dad!" Zeke growled.

Rip his fucking throat out.

[Shadon]

And as expected, the white hellion he deemed his second-in-command whipped around him like a snake, body fluid around his father. Teeth clacked together as they caught nothing between, the momentum he carried still falling forward, pushing him toward the wall. A string of red followed him, how fucking ironic. Again, symbolism was some sort of wicked bitch.

He felt teeth sink into his thick scruff, Shadon watching as the wall came closer and closer until his nose nearly skimmed. He might be old, Zeke, but the dog was a machine of war.

And so the hellion used that momentum to coil in his muscles as his feet planted against the cobble, building up tension until they burned. Shadon would then repel back into his son, jaws snapping with saliva spraying. If he managed to catch Akki in his jaws, he would use his bulk to push into him, sending him to the ground to pin him. If the white beast didn't think his father was capable of killing his own son, he was wrong.

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[Shadon]

since things happened, this is going to be oocly concluded, as agreed to by Rip.

So pretty much what happens is they fight, yada-yada, the scuffle gets bad, Shadon ends up really hurt, says something touching like "I'm proud of you, son" before collapsing on the ground, bleeding out.
He's not dead, but man he's close to it. So if any healers want to heal this dumbass (while he's probably in the punishment pit) then hmu pls, i wanna rp this dumbass again <3