Subtle

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ae/aer/aer/aers/aerself

they/them/their/theirs/themself

xe/xem/xyr/xys/xemself

it/it/its/its/itself

sir/siren/sirens/sirens/sirenself

she/her/her/hers/herself

ey/em/eir/eirs/emself

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The forest ground was consumed by moss, and even some of the trees were if you looked close enough. It was as if the moss lived on consuming everything within its path. Ae was alright with it. It wasn't like ae did anything with their life anyways. Xe just laid there on the ground staring through the forest's canopy, watching the birds fly by and watching the sky go from blackish blue to pinks and oranges to a pastel and then back again.

Xyr life was on a time lapse. So again, ae was alright with it. No one bothered to check on them anyways, so why care if the moss wriggled its way into aer ribcage becoming them? Why care if their crown of horns were being eaten away? There was no reason, none at all.

It did grow tiring though, simply staring. Ae didn't have any thoughts, as xe had no brain. They didn't have any organs actually. Xe was just a bunch of different bones of different densities. They barely remember anything because of this, barely feel anything. Ae simply wandered this forest, staring, waiting for someone.

Soon so much time has past, that ae gave up. That's what led xem here, to where the moss would eat and eat them up. If xe wasn't already dead, xe certainly would be now. Their everything was practically in moss.

And that's when ae finally felt something. After a time unknown to the world, to even the forest that's eating xem away, they felt something. It was a deep hopelessness. It was so odd and foreign xe thought of a musical laughter.

Upon that connection, ae tilted xyr head, mimicking the movement one would make while laughing. Was this what one would do when feeling this intense dread? This feeling of not wanting to exist any longer? Xe wished they would know the answer to this. To something. But ae never could as xe couldn't speak or think, just walk and exist in silence.

It combed a hand through her hair staring at the sink watching the blackish goop swirl down the drain. The goop made this odd slurping swooshing sound as it went down sending chills down sirens spine. It made her shiver and feel bile climb up and down eir throat. It was always difficult for siren to believe that that blackish goop came from her.

It was one of the worst things ever. Its fingers would start to hurt and burn, turning an odd sort of reddish color before coming up eir fingers turning lighter and lighter: into a pink. It swirled and swirled, leaking off the blackish goop. It happened every two months but it never stopped terrifying her.

Sir stretched out her arms eyeing the odd little pink lines swirling around em. While she had them for awhile now, the markings would never cease to amaze it. They were so wonderful and amazing, creating little floral designs the further down its arm they went.

Ey couldn't help but smile at them. She lets out a small sigh and puts its hands in sirens pockets.

Ey eyed the area around, kind of wondering if there were similar flowers, or something resembling her odd markings, in the forest around it. With a tilt of eir head it starts to wander, her eyes scanning the ground for any sign of flowers.

Hours had past before she found any sign of things other than trees or moss or vines. There were odd, rock formations? Sir rose her brow wondering about it, combing a hand through sirens hair as it wandered closer to the formation. She tilted her head when realizing the formation was in fact not rocks.

Eir eyes widened as siren realized what it was. It was a skeleton, with a ton of horns coming from the top of its head. Sir let out a scream as this hit her, stumbling backwards. "What in the everloving-" Sir shouts lifting a hand to its mouth.

An odd sense of peace came over the two, despite the hopelessness and the terrifying-ness of it all. She stared at aer in horror, and they stared at it with interest. Moments past between the two and soon enough the creature with the pink markings walked towards the skeletal being.

Slowly sir picked off bits of the moss with its clawed fingers, eyeing aer here and there. They simply stared at the sky through the canopy as she did this. Ey thought of the stories of horror of beings of bone walking throughout the forests, using their demonic teeth to devour whoever dared to enter what they called home. The crown of horns used to channel their terrifying power.

Sir couldn't help but feel a bit of bile come up its throat again at the mere realization she was helping such a thing. This thing was trapped under seemingly decades worth of moss, was so dangerous, she wondered to sirenself.

And these thoughts continued for quite some time, til xe lifted a finger, gently touching its hand. She felt her insides freeze and curl, a thousand memories of sirens general life: but especially childhood, rushing to mind. But it didn't feel any fear.

"Uu..." A low long groan came out. Sir flinched a little hearing the sound. Ey flinched again when it realized it came from xem. She eyed him with a little bit of fear as their jaw opened again. "Yuu..." Ae said again in that gravelly raspy tone. She nodded slowly. "Arrreee.... Nnniiicccceeee..." Ey froze, blinking at xem.

"Wh- what?"

"Yooouuu... Arrree... Niiccee..." Ae repeats, supposedly making eye contact with it. She couldn't help but blink yet again.

"I.. Thank, you?-" Ey says slowly, ensuring none of the moss remained over the creature. In response to this, the skeleton carefully rose from the ground, a low groan coming from xem as their bones cracked and creaked. Sir inhaled deeply at the sound, a similar shiver running along her spine.

The two of them walked side by side, stepping over various logs, mushrooms, rocks and other things found amongst the forest the two called home. She couldn't understand much of what xe said along the walk, making ae often repeating themselves much to their frustration.

That didn't cause too much trouble though, at least Ame thought. Sir found it quite interesting, their communication differences. It made sense the more she thought of it: the two's peoples being century long enemies. The ones of vines, flora and fauna, and the ones of bones and demise. They were well known enemies.

And yet here they were. Conversing. Walking together side by side in peace. Ey loved it. She remembered a few times as a child where sir tried to reason with its peers and members of eir society, but time and time again those people crushed those ideas down. Sir eyed her newfound friend.

Sensing her eyes on aer, xe glanced at her, tilting xyr head ever so slightly. With every head tilt she realized that that was aer attempt at a smile, and she couldn't help but return a large one. "You're nice as well, my friend."

They did the head tilting pattern once more and nodded with thanks. Ame laughed a little before pointing to herself. "I'm Ame, who're you?" It asks, directing eir hand to xem. Xe simply stood there confused. Sir pointed to herself again: "Ame." And with just that, it seemed to click within xem what siren meant.

Ae slowly rose their hand, pointing towards xemself. "Ruuu...iiinnn..?" Xyr voice calls out in that now familiar gravelly dead like voice. She chuckles again, smiling wide.

"It's very nice to meet you Ruin!" Ae did a few head tilts before nodding xyr head. Xe laughed once more. "You're very nice." Xe did a few more head tilts.

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