tw: mentions of suicide, gore, violence, and foul language.

bold: writing

'single quotation': thoughts

slanted/italics: memories.

underlined: underlined sentences are basically commands and thoughts of those who's thoughts are still completely controlled by the mask.

single quotation dialogue basically belongs to a person who isn't a mask or has gained a bit of freedom from the command and can retain their own thoughts.

a/n: sorry in advance for any and all errors

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~" 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘺 "~

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3rd pov:

"Let's part ways here." Baker mask yawned and wiped the blood on her hands on her apron. Ever since the whole incident that happened 10 minutes ago, Butcher mask seemed to stick to her like glue. Every corner turn, she would have to wait for him to go ahead and inspect the area, then wait for his whistle that told her she could follow. It was excessive.

The whistle system had been established when they had met a few weeks ago. Since Butcher mask couldn't call out to her with his voice, they found a different way for him to grab her attention. 

flashback

"So, we need to find a way for you to call to me incase of emergency. Something like a warning system. It's clear that you can't use your vocal cords for speaking at the moment, but that doesn't mean that you're completely mute. It's likely that you had a voice when you were human." She leaned back in her stuffed loveseat quizzically. 

An idea came to her as she sprung up suddenly. "Try whistling."

Butcher mask inhaled before attempting to whistle. His whistle came through and rang in his mask a bit. 

"Sweet! Alright, so we'll use that. Whistle whenever you need my immediate attention. We'll add to it as we go on, if needed. Right now, just practice a bit."

present time

"I assure you that I can fend for myself." Butcher mask sent her an unconvinced glare. Or that's what she thought it was. He was very hard to read, even more now with the mask. 

"That mask just caught me by surprise. I'm sure I could've ripped it to shreds." 

"..."

"..."

"Alright, well, I'll meet you at the meet-up tower in three hours. Ciao~" She sprinted around the corner too quickly for Butcher mask to send her another glance. He sighed inwardly and decided to go to the building's roof. His eyes scanned the walls as he walked forward with cleavers in hand. They were barren, much like everything else in this world. His eyes clung to a flyer that was hung up next to an office door. 

'Helicopter services.' He reached to grab the the paper. 'Might be useful.' He folded it neatly and continued on.

He advanced through rope bridges and rooftops. The buildings were always bare and normal looking. There weren't many humans around these parts of the high-rises. The ones he did run into weren't yet equipped with good weapons, so they weren't much of a hassle to kill. The trip was unusually calm and Butcher mask didn't mind having some time to himself. He enjoyed observing the serene views of buildings that stretched out against the goldening blue sky of the late afternoon. Finding a nice wall to lean against, he let his mind wander elsewhere.

Something had been bothering him since the fight with the other mask. 

Why did that mask attack her? He didn't feel any kind of hostility from her, nor had she provoked it, so why was it so keen on killing her, even when injured? 

'Maybe its mask was defective. That was the first time I've seen a mask act like that.'

A sudden shuffling brought him back to reality. A man was leaning beside him, taking a long drag from his cigarette and then exhaling a puff of translucent white that disappeared into the air.

'I didn't sense him.' Butcher mask eyed the man. The same mask he wore was strapped to his face. A hat sat on his head and light black hair stuck out at the sides. He had on a suit and tie that hugged his figure snuggly. 

'Tacky.'

On his shoulder was a rifle.

'Is this the guy from the tower?' Butcher mask thought before turning back to the sky. 'He doesn't seem to have hostile intentions. I'll ignore him.'

"Are you able to speak?" He spoke out suddenly. Butcher mask tensed and turned his head to the man in a rigid manner.

 'He can speak?' 

The man didn't turn to look at Butcher mask and kept his eyes on the now orange sky. A light yellow was bouncing off his mask, making him glow slightly. After a few seconds, he turned to meet butcher mask's gaze. Butcher mask stiffened at the presumable eye contact and pushed himself off the wall. When he didn't hear the man move to follow him, and he let out a relieved sigh. The feeling of familiarity and distant nostalgia the man made him feel was suffocating and clung onto Butcher mask's mind too long for his liking. The command-controlled part of his brain screamed at him to get away, but he couldn't understand why.

His body folded like a bad lawn chair when he felt the electric pain pulse in his head. The curiosity he had minutes ago was torn by the ripping pain and was now replaced by confusion and agony. 

His lungs constricted tightly and his vision blurred. It had felt like if someone had taken a hold of his throat and squeezed tightly. Tightly...

The group of students gathered around the two boys on the ground. 

The boy looked up at the older with eyes the size of saucers as he struggled to loosen the iron grip he had on his throat. But only in vain. Everyone had stayed back to watch the scene play out, cheering on the boy on top of him.

'Is this how I die?' His body gradually stopped thrashing and his eyes drooped to curtain his spot-filled vision. 

'I've lived long enough, I guess. I was kind of hoping to have a good last meal before my death.'

A sudden commotion echoed in his ringing ears.

Through his blackening vision, he saw a boy push through the crowd and run urgently towards where the two were. 

Suddenly, he felt the pressure on his neck disappear and his body racked with painfully coughing and sharp inhales. 

"Hey, are you alright?" A warm hand rested on his shoulder. His eyes rose to meet with dark grey ones. "Here, let us help you up." He spoke in a kind tone as a different boy popped out from his side and gently pulled him up to his feet.

His hand remained rested on his head and he touched his shoulder where the warmth had been.

'Who was that?'

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"Oh, wow, and he just stared at you? What a weirdo."

Baker mask sat on one of the island's stools and leaned into her palm as she reread the note left on the counter. Butcher mask nodded and continued to cut onions at the kitchen's counter. He had insisted on cooking every night after he accidentally discovered that he was actually good at using a knife outside of combat. 

"Another talking mask, eh? You should introduce me to him, hm?~"   

He paused and then resumed with his aggressive omelette flipping. The man's lean silhouette lingered in his mind, even now into the evening. Why think about him now, of all times? What made his presence so intriguing and familiar?

'What does it matter? Ignore him and continue following your commands.'

'Maybe I should try to find him again.' He stated, completely disregarding the command's voice.

 It was getting significantly quieter and less frequent, much to Butcher mask's pleasure, ever since his first headache. But after having this recent one, he had noticed an immediate change in his mindset, like a switch being flipped somewhere deep in his head.

"AHHHHH! THE OMELETTE!!" Baker mask's scream and the black smoke coming off his pan brought him out of his head fast enough to cause something like mental whiplash. Panic flushed across his face.

'SHIT, MY OMELETTE'

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"What was it you wanted to ask me?" She plopped down on her loveseat and looked at him attentively.

He sat across her on a grey sofa and then started writing on his notepad. 

'That day we met, why did you take me in? How could you have let a stranger into your hideout without giving it a second thought? Why do you put so much trust in me?'

She seemed a bit shocked but quickly regained her relaxed facade. 

"That day, I remembered something from my life before all of this. Someone important. I used to patch them up whenever they would accidentally cut themselves or after getting into fights with other students. You reminded me of them. I think," She leaned forward and clasped a cup of coffee on the table.

"You and I knew each other in the past. I'm not sure who you are, but I couldn't shake off that feeling of familiarity. I'm not sure if you've experienced those sudden flashes of memories, but I've been having them more and more often now."

A thick silence fell as Butcher mask processed the information. Those were his memories flashing by. Well, now it was kind of obvious, but confirmation helped him digest the idea better.

"Now, I have a question for you. Is your mask cracked? Like, at all?"

He titled his head in confusion. Cracked? Why would his mask be cracked?

He shook his head in denial.

She hummed in response and inspected him closely. 

"How do you have thoughts with an intact mask?"

What does that mean? Doesn't everyone have thoughts? 

His confusion seemed to show through, which prompted for Baker to explain further.

"This is my working theory about these masks so far. Most masks are mindless killing machines from the get go. Commands provide instructions and we follow them. Thoughts, personal beliefs, and such are almost nonexistent when someone wears these masks." She motioned to her mask with her hand.

"When these masks are damaged badly, the person wearing the mask will end their own life. I've watched it happen numerous times during fights. But sometimes the mask can be damaged and still be functional enough to carry out these commands. When I cracked my mask, I had no recollection of what I had done prior to that moment. I had a little more freedom over my thoughts, but I still carried out the despair commands." She pushed her hair out of the way to reveal an odd crack on the top of her mask.

She paused to sip her coffee through her mask.

"I think that the same thing applies for other masks. A small crack can mean a small bit of conscience. My theory has seemed to fit with all masks' behaviors. Up until recently."

She motioned to Butcher mask and continued. 

"Do you get what I mean? You have no defect in your mask whatsoever, yet you are still able to control your movements and expressions. Why? I'm sure you don't know, but it's been bugging me."

He remained quiet. He didn't expect to be given such a thorough explanation, but it only left him with more questions. Why was he different? Maybe it's best to just move the conversation on. 

He grabbed the paper.

'Why did that mask attack you?'

"Ah, well, they must've detected the defect in my mask. This isn't the first time one has attacked me." She laughed lowly and cleared her throat when she noticed Butcher mask's piercing stare.

'Why haven't I attacked you?'

"Most mask still ignore me. You're probably like them in that sense."

She yawned loudly and turned to the clock on her wall. 

"It's time to go out again. Remember to grab the phone to keep track of time."

They stood up and made their way over to the meetup tower. 

"Don't make a habit out of being my bodyguard, brat. I'm going this way whether you like it or not." She stuck her tongue out and skipped way. "Don't forget to meet here in 4 hours." Her voice echoed out. And she's gone.

Butcher mask had been eager to get out again. Now that he had a better understanding of masks, he wanted to find that guy again. Maybe he could become an ally, just like Baker.

He led himself to the roof of the building and looked up at the bright stars that were peppered the dark sky like small lanterns. The moon illuminated the night just enough to see where you were going. 

'It's pretty.'

He began his nightly work of supervising the rooftops. It was just as calm as it was during the day. He sat against the wall to take a sip of water when he heard the clashing of swords. Around the corner, a fight had been coming to an end. 

'A human?' His command persuaded him to check out the movement. A small girl wearing a bow and puffy dress stood in the middle of a roof, scathed and cut up.

Had a human been that strong enough to cause so much damage? He glanced to the figures on the ground. Masks. Why did she attack them? Did she have a crack too?

He decided to step out of the corner he was peering out from. She seemed to notice him immediately as she jerked into a defensive stance with her katana pointed at him. He dropped his cleavers on the ground and held his hand up. His actions only confused the girl, but she seemed to understand. Her katana lowered slightly, but she maintained her sloppy stance. She was probably exhausted. 

Butcher mask sat down on the ground a few feet away from her. He reached into his pockets slowly and took out some bandages Baker mask lent him. He placed them on the ground and backed away. 

"For me?" She said in a confused tone while lowering her weapon. Butcher mask nodded his head and reached to offer her a wrapped rice ball.

She relaxed her posture but still remained wary of him. She picked up the bandages and food and back away as well.

"Thank you." She said sincerely and examined her cuts. Her head turned to look down at him. She seemed to be contemplating something, but decided to speak.

"There is a doctor." Her finger pointed to a building not too far away. "Come when you need help." 

A smile spread across his face briefly. He bowed to her slightly and walked away after collecting his knives. The encounter was interesting. She didn't have any cracks on her mask, but she still acted human towards him. It was nice to not have someone run away screaming when he was approached them. He gave a satisfied hum and started retracing his steps back to the familiar building. Even though he didn't find the man, he still encountered a potential ally.

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Baker mask laid lazily in her usual loveseat once again. 

"Huh. A new hole to add to my theory." She dejectedly noted. "Also, what's up with you and befriending random strangers, you social leech." She sprawled herself on the sofa dramatically.

Butcher mask's disappointment didn't need to be seen to be understood.

'wow he's really good at changing the atmosphere quickly.'

"Anyway, I'm gonna go sleep. You do...whatever it is you do. Good night." Almost immediately, she was out cold. 

Butcher mask left the apartment and climbed to the roof. There, the stars and moon seemed to sparkle in harmony and a calm silence hummed through the cool night air. He turned the corner to find a comfortable spot to sleep on the wall, but saw someone he hadn't expected to meet. It was the man. He was leaned against the wall and facing down. His rifle rested in his hands. 

'Is he asleep?' Butcher mask hesitantly waved a hand in front of his face. No response. He took this opportunity to examine his mask closer. 

Everything was intact; not a scratch on it.

He let out a silent sigh. His (e/c) eyes skimmed over his body and stayed on his hat. A curious glint shined in his eyes. One look couldn't hurt, right? He won't remember if he ever cracks his mask anyway. His fingers grazed the surface of the mask but halted.

'Ah, I'm turning into some kind of stalker. I should just leave him be.' He stepped back, but then the figure in front of him bolted up. The rifle's barrel whipped up and found its way to the center of his forehead in a matter of milliseconds. A heavy atmosphere fell and no one dared to move.

'Curiosity killed the cat.'

'No one asked for your input.' He thought bitterly. Had his command always been this irritating? No, when did he start finding it irritating?

The gun lowered down slowly and he was able to see man's mask.

'No defects detected. There is no need to kill this mask.' The voice stated flatly in the man's head.

He hummed in understanding and went back to his comfortable spot on the wall.

Butcher mask simply watched him and then decided it would be best not to provoke him any further. He took the bridge to cross the building and continued to wander aimlessly throughout the maze like buildings with a mind heavy with questions. 

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'hello? mysterious disembodied voice? are you there?' he was back in the apartment, laying on the floor, staring at the popcorn ceiling that he had memorized over the past weeks.

No response.

'I've got a few questions for you. How come you're not as much of a pain in the ass like you were back then? Why can I think?' He paused. 

'Why am I able to be so vulgar now? Woah, I didn't realize how empty my brain has been without an occasional swear.' He didn't know he was so annoying when he had his free will. Wow. Whoever knew him before must've been ready to off him at a moment's notice.

'My control over your brain is faltering. Your thoughts seem to be breaking through at an alarming rate. You shouldn't even be able to talk to me as a separate entity right now. Something is horribly wrong.'

'Wrong? What do you mean?'

'The Command should have picked up on this defect in our mask a long time ago. You should have received a self destruct command as soon as you started to deviate from the rules. For some reason, something went wrong during your brain's reprogramming process. It's not only having an impact on you, but also me, as your command voice.'

'What does this mean for us?'

A pause. His head remained silent for a brief number of seconds. He observed his hands and stretched them upwards to keep him awake and attentive.

'I don't know.'

The voice didn't seem to want to continue talking, and neither did Butcher mask. His mind was struggling to understand. 

Let's say that this whole thing is some advantage or gift. A bug in the system that can take down the very world it was made to strive in. What would he do with that power? He has nothing to fight for and no home to return to. And from what it looked like in his memories, home wasn't any less brutal than how it was now. The images of the humans he killed flashed in his head. He felt a hot guilt bubble in his stomach. Whether he used this advantage for the greater good or wasted it by standing by, he was certain about one thing:

'I don't want to kill humans.'

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we're finally progressing (y/n)'s mindset. woohoo 🎉

baker mask's (prologue) arc is almost complete! I've got a basic lay out of major plot points set up, but for the most part, this story is just gonna be conjured up as it goes. this is the most I've ever written in my life in a single sitting. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! I haven't proofread it, so sorry to all those who get bugged by spelling or grammatical errors.

thank you for bearing with me!