forum “I am the righteous hand of God!” he said,” and I am the devil you forgot” she yelled

Started October 11, 2022 by @Adam_gets_railed_by_men

tune

"yes." She answered simply. Daya moved to lean on the wall " and this would be the draw back. Human body's cannot take the stress of holding a god within it "

Malcolm nodded, then snorted.

“I can see that,”he remarked.

He then gestured for the necklace.

“I’ll hold onto it until I can find someone who can better take care of it. I won’t tell anyone about its abilities, nor say who you are. That will simplify things in the end,”Malcolm said.

" I don't want anyone else to have it though. Just you.." she said and sighed, taking it off. " Please, I only want you and I only trust you to take care of it"

Malcolm rose his lone eyebrow in surprise. She was seriously willing to trust him? He quickly composed himself and nodded.

“Alright. Hand it here. No one’s going to get it from me, I assure you,”he said.

She nodded and handed it to him "thank you…" She closed her eyes as the weight was taken " I remember you.. sorta.. in a past life at some point you were a loved one I believe.. and I lost you because of that foul thing"

(Ooh… interesting twist)

Malcolm took the necklace and moved to turn away. He froze at her words, immediately turning back with a bewildered gaze.

“What in the fucking hell are you talking about?”he asked.

He didn’t believe in past lives, so he was utterly confused at the moment. But, the thought that he had known this woman, possibly even loved her somehow, in some other life, was just ludicrous.

" I'm sorry..I shouldn't have said anything.." she mumbled softly

Malcolm just stared at her in confusion for a long moment. He then shook his head and headed into the back room, setting the necklace in a safe place off to the side.

Afterward, Malcolm headed back out to the front, though he wasn’t sure why. Was there anything more he could do regarding Daya? Anything more to question her about? He didn’t know. And, her words about their supposed ‘past life’ nagged at him for some reason.

Daya had slide down the wall while he was gone, sleeping silently against the wall. Now that she was still, it was obvious that her hands and arms were covered blackened brusius

Malcolm stared at Daya for a long while, contemplating what to do. Normally, he would’ve woken her up and kicked her out of the store. But… for some unfathomable reason that bothered him, he didn’t want to with Daya.

So, after a good five minutes of hesitation, Malcolm moved to the front door and locked it, putting the ‘Closed’ sign up. He didn’t need money, since he still had a stash of millions of dollars from his pre-explosion self, so he didn’t really need to keep the store open.

Malcolm then walked into the back and retrieved a blanket from a rarely used cabinet in the corner. Afterward, he returned to Daya and covered her with the blanket.

He didn’t miss the bruises, but nor did he inspect them. Bruises would fade, whereas scars did not. That was why he wore a mask over half his face. The hidden half wasn’t even a face anymore, just a grotesque jumble of scarred flesh that was hopeless to repair.

Daya breathed sharply when the blanket was put over her, her body naturally curling into it.

It was an oddly cute sight. An all-powerful reincarnation all curled up like a helpless kitten

Malcolm was unfazed by Daya’s actions as he finished putting the blanket on her. He then stepped back, looking at her with his lingering confusion.

After a moment, Malcolm snapped his fingers, summoning some of his nanobots. He pointed at Daya, and they made a circle around her, both guarding her and spying on her.

Daya slept throughout most of the night, her body never moving unless it rolled over

Malcolm packed up anything he needed to for the day, then shut the store lights off. Afterward, he went down into his basement laboratory, where he slept in a small, barren bedroom tucked in a corner of the basement. It took him forever to fall asleep though, because his mind was whirling with questions about Daya. He had no idea what to do with her.

In the morning, Malcolm woke before dawn, did his morning routine, and went upstairs. He kept the lights off, despite his usual habits, and instead turned on a lamp on the counter. It gave him enough light to check around the store without disturbing Daya. His courtesy to her served to confuse him more, but he focused on his work for now, instead of the growing maelstrom of questions in his head.

Data eventually woke up, her body stretching out before she stood up, leaving the blanket wrapped around her “ your up early..”

Malcolm paused in his work when he heard Daya stirring. He turned to face her, snorting disdainfully at her words.

“I’m always up early. I just don’t open the store until later,”he remarked.

She giggled softly “don't get so huffy about it, I was joking with you,” she said and nudged him gently. Her soft smile stayed on her tired face as she watched him work

Malcolm turned to give her a disinterested glare.

“I wasn’t joking,”he stated.

He tensed when she nudged him, his glare sharpening briefly. Afterward, he turned back to his work and ignored her.

He steadily set up the jewelry displays, making sure everything was ready for when he opened the store. He then went to sweeping and cleaning.

Data helped where she could, and somehow it make the shop seem warmer and more welcoming. Like the thing that had been missing was there now. Every now and then she'd glance at Malcolm and smile

When Daya started helping out, Malcolm nearly snapped at her. But, he did have issues with some things, his body wasn’t like it used to be, after all. So, he left her be.

As they worked, Malcolm noticed how the store seemed to change. It bothered him. He liked the starkness, the straightforward ‘buy something or get the fuck out’ atmosphere. But, it was gone.

Malcolm noticed the occasional smiles from Daya and avoided them. He’d left that side of life the day he barely stumbled out of a collapsed building. He’d even abandoned his fiancée. He just wasn’t built for romance anymore, let alone any other form of civility.

Daya welcomes customers as they came, but something made her stop dead mid-sentence. Max had walked in, and the glare on his face made her start to shake slightly. “Max.. H- hi”

When Malcolm finally opened the store, he moved to sit behind the counter. He brooded when he wasn’t with a customer, pondering this strange fondness between him and Daya. Though, when he heard Daya stutter, he stood up and headed over to face Max, subtly moving between the man and his sister.

“You’re early. It’s only been two weeks. I haven’t finished my appraisal yet. Come back in another week, unless you’re planning on buying something,”Malcolm stated in a tone that allowed for no argument.

“I plan on taking daya home,” he said sternly.

Daya unconsciously grabbed Malcolm's hand. She needed something to ground herself and keep from having a panic attack

Malcolm flinched when Daya grabbed his scarred hand, shooting her a glare before taking his hand away. He then turned his glare on Max.

“Since that doesn’t count as shopping, get the fuck out of my store. Daya is a grown fucking woman, and can go where she wants to. If she doesn’t want to go with you, then fuck off,”Malcolm snapped.

Maximus snarled and forcefully grabbed daya, dragging her forwards “ she will listen to what I say!”