━━━ side chapter 002, laboratory.

feeling a strong pain in her head, they slowly raised from their lying position, rubbing his temple. it couldn't quite make out where it was, their short-sightedness hindering him from seeing anything except the few things close by. they noticed the blanket resting over her legs, a pillow behind them and a small mattress, which they were sitting on.

"oh, so you're finally awake", a female voice toned, making their gaze shoot up. they couldn't quite make out the details, but there was a person sitting in a corner of the room, cleaning some sort of object. it was a girl with tanned skin, blonde hair with brown roots falling over her shoulders. she had one leg put over the other.

"... who are you?" they asked, putting aside the blanket and checking his legs. they noticed that the pants they were wearing were rather bloody, but their memory was too blurry at the moment. they tried to move their other arm, before they felt a piercing pain go through it. "don't move that one", the female warned them, pointing at it's arm, which had a slightly bloody bandage wrapped around it.

they sighed, staying still and watching the girl as she finished cleaning the object, putting it aside and walking towards them. she sat next to them, ignoring the other looking her up and down cautiously. "i'm seraphina", she nodded, slowly removing the bandages from his arm and replacing them with new ones. "you don't need to introduce yourself, i know who you are."

"how..?" the other asked, still on guard, even if she was helping it. they didn't remember telling her it's name, so how— "i saw your round." she looked and stood up, walking towards a table, before returning with a cloth, holding it out to the other. there was a bloody bullet in it, which made them feel slightly sick.

"you were lucky the bullet didn't hit any vital organs." she said, putting the cloth back and sitting down next to her again. "how much do you remember?" she asked, tilting her head and looking at her through dark brown eyes, her hair falling slightly into her face.

"um.. i.. participated in my round and i lost.. and then everything went black." she mumbles, looking at it's hands hesitantly. seraphina hummed, grinning. "well, you didn't die." she leaned back. "i rescued you when the aliens were going to bring you to the laboratories. thank me later!" she clicked her tongue, a bright expression on her face.

luna on the other hand didn't say anything for a while, before looking around in the room. "what happened to marionette?" they asked quietly, no emotion in their voice. she wasn't sure what to feel, after she had betrayed him like that. seraphina only shrugged. "she's alive i guess, she won after all. probably getting ready for her next round now.. y'know round five is happening right now."

"do you do this often.. rescuing people from alien stage?" seraphina chuckled, brushing her hair out her face and driving a hand through her strands. "you sure have a lot of questions. but yes, i've done ... well, tried multiple times before. you were the first time i succeeded, only because the bullet hit your arm. the others have died before i could get them out."

"i see." luna sighed, moving into a more comfortable sitting position. they didn't die, the plan hadn't worked out, but they were still alive, and marionette was as well. they looked over to seraphina, who was staring at her nails, which were painted yellow.

"... can i join you?"