Two cycles. Two cycles away from this awful, howling room, and it hadn't been nearly enough. Fleur stalked up and over the platforms lining the grey-brown walls, silky white fur buffeted by the winds, ears perked and eyes narrowed in constant vigilance, following the echoes of the sound that had finally lead her home. The tiara perched on her head stayed icy cold, like the body it had surely decomposed off of; the biting edge of freezing gemstone kept her on track, moving to one edge of the platform she had climbed to, peering down at the collected Merrymen.
Her gaze first stuck on the new brat next to Fang, and she almost hissed, muttering under her breath. "New protege..." A disgusted, mute snarl, and she crouched lower, head moving to track the false Queen, lips raised, pink teeth glittering in the light of Monoceros, ears flicking forward to catch the group's words. Traitor... cost us our revenge... turn on the family... punishments. Finally, the tiny thief - and she really was small, now that Fleur could see past all her bluster - shut up, and the white dog stepped forward, backed by the fire rhino. They were... nice.
But if they had known, known Fang had stolen her, left her brother to die alone and forgotten, then they were no better than the so-called "queen of thieves" herself.
The thought made her salivate, bacteria blooming on the tip of her tongue, aching to infect, destroy, eat from the inside out. But the skunk swallowed the disease, sighing. It wasn't time, not yet. Better to let them tear themselves apart from the inside first, and then strike. Gain back Fang's trust a bit, then snap her neck, dig clear claws into her hide, slit open her stomach enough to see all of her pristine organs, feel the blood seep and stain white fur.
She was almost drooling.
She didn't much care.
The fox was speaking again, obviously put off, but then, Fleur didn't quite know what he'd expected. Fang loved having power over others, didn't he get that by now? It wouldn't matter whether he'd actually betrayed the group or not, he'd be punished just the same. Got them away... don't know where you... idea I had deserted. Interesting methods... Diamondfang.
Diamondfang.
Fleur winced, a shudder running through her. Some "secret name" - just another thing Fang had lied about. She didn't deserve a name like that.
Maybe Fleur would take it.
But it was time to join the crowd, and so the assassin-in-training made her way down from the platforms slowly, balanced and poised, looking every inch the royalty Fang had dubbed her as, her brother's cold crown propped on her brow. She came to a stop just outside of their little huddle, sitting down and puffing up her chest, making sure to keep her face blank and her voice even, just a bit colder than it had been. More "grown-up" than "plotting a murder," at least.
"Fang. Nem, Mags." She nodded at each in turn, casting the new welp a disinterested glance before raising an eyebrow to Louie, sending him a sardonic smile. "Louie. Looks like. You're in. Hot water, hm?" She didn't much care about the fox's judgement, so she stayed silent, casting Nemesis glances every few moments, as if planning to dart behind her in case of emergency.
