7: Avoidance

"Well… that was certainly something…" Adam mused to himself as his eyes tracked the retreating behind of the strange kuudere goth girl who'd just declared herself to be his soulmate.

"Yeah, haha," Ruby's laugh was forced and awkward. "What a weirdo. You should, like, totally stay as far away from her as you can… For, uh… safety reasons…?"

The corners of Adam's lips quirked up, "Oh~? Jealous of the mysterious stranger~?"

"W-What?! I-I'm not jealous!" Ruby sputtered. "She's… She's just probably bad news… Yeah! Y-You know what they say about weird girls like that… I bet she wants to… like, suck out your soul or something!"

"Hmm~… I might just let her~ She was kind of my type…" Adam smirked as Ruby spluttered, enjoying being able to tease his childhood friend again. "I'm just messing with you, Rubes… Mostly…"

Ruby pouted at him a bit but eventually calmed herself down. She then went silent for a moment as if she was thinking about something. Adam let her think, not willing to push his teasing too far so early in their reconnected relationship. Ruby was fun to tease but Adam wasn't even sure if she was the same girl he remembered from before high school. It was better to just test the waters for now. Everything else could come later.

"Y-Your type…?" Ruby eventually asked hesitantly, suddenly very interested in the wood of the table.

"Yeah," Adam said, shrugging. "I like the whole dark aesthetic she had. Only Goth girls really get my attention. Nothing else does it for me. I guess I'm just weird like that… I'm pretty sure I got it from you…"

"M-Me?!" Ruby jumped in flustered surprise. "Wha-… H-How?"

Adam elaborated, not afraid to hint at his true feelings toward Ruby thanks to his newfound confidence and shift in worldview, "I don't know if you noticed but you're kinda the only girl I was ever close to. I guess I just took a liking to your gothic style and then puberty took over, you left, I missed you, and the rest was history. I sort of naturally ended up with a preference for Goth girls to, like, fill the void you left in my life… Or something like that…"

Ruby's face steadily reddened as Adam talked. By the end, even he was feeling slightly embarrassed. Being open with his feelings was harder than he thought but he didn't regret it. He didn't straight-up tell Ruby that he liked her but surely she could pick up the obvious implication behind his words, right?

"… I'm not even Goth though… Am I?"

"Ruby," Adam deadpanned. "You wear a cloak every day… You might not fit the Goth/Emo personality stereotype but you definitely have the style down."

"Oh…" Ruby mumbled, still unable to meet Adam's eyes. Her face was almost as red as her cloak and there was a silly little smile on her face. Her insides were doing little happy flips as her mind parsed out Adam's compliment but not the greater underlying implication that she was his first crush.

Adam sighed but didn't say anything. Ruby's head was in the clouds but she obviously didn't pick up on his hint. Otherwise, his lap would be occupied by a silver-eyed cinnamon roll right now. Were all girls this dense? Or was it just a 'childhood friend' thing?

For now, though, Adam put it out of his mind. There would be plenty more chances to get his intentions through Ruby's thick skull today. Instead, his thoughts turned back to the strange kuudere girl who dropped a cluster bomb's worth of information on him before scurrying off to who knows where.

So… last night definitely happened. He'd pretty much already accepted that. But other people also apparently knew about the ritual. Was that girl watching somehow? Was she part of the Cult who did this to him? There was the 'soulmate' information as well but Adam wasn't about to touch that bit just yet.

All though… maybe the idea of soulmates wasn't as far-fetched as it seemed at first. Magic existed and so did supernatural Shadows capable of God knows what. If anything, soulmates were much less intense than either of those.

And Adam did feel something of a connection to the strange kuudere girl. It wasn't love at first sight or anything like that. The most it could be described as was an attraction and an undeniable gut feeling that Adam could trust her.

Inky began to chuckle incredulously in the back of Adam's mind, "That crazy bitch! I can't believe she did it! She found me again!"

"What're you laughing about?" Adam asked with a thought.

"Don't worry about it," Inky said dismissively, still chuckling. "Just an old… well, ex I guess… Though… did we even get divorced?"

Adam was skeptical of Inky's 'explanation', "What? She looked like she was my age. How the actual fuck could you have dated her?"

"Married," Inky corrected. "And I wasn't talking about the icy bitch. I was talking about her Shadow."

"Oh, holy shit…" Adam thought, stunned. "She's like me? Is that why she called herself my soulmate?"

Inky seemed to shrug, "Maybe, I dunno. I don't know anything about the girl, but my ex used to call herself my soulmate all the time. She was absolutely batshit insane but my god was she good in the sack. It's always the crazy ones, ain't it?"

"I'll have to take your word for it," Adam deadpanned. "I'm still a virgin after all."

"Oh, that's just shameful," Inky groaned as if he'd only just now processed that fact. "Hurry up and accept my-… Our role. No way am I gonna consider myself half-virgin."

Adam smirked internally, finding a way to punch back at Inky, "That's too bad for you~ I guess you aren't the 'sigma male' you thought you were~"

Inky growled in Adam's soul, "Now, listen here, you little shit. You know resisting does nothing here. We're already merging into two sides of the same coin. All you're doing is repressing a portion of yourself.

You don't want to sacrifice your morals to become like the Original? Fine, I'm starting to feel the same way! The older version of me is an outdated asshole but I'm not completely him anymore! Just like you aren't completely you! If you don't let some part of me in, you're just going to hurt Us. I'm trying to help you, asshole! Help Us!"

Adam just stayed silent almost petulantly in response. The worst part was he knew that Inky was right. Now that he'd had a chance to get used to his new metaphysical nature, he could feel how closely tied his soul was to Inky. They were essentially the same being now, two sides of the same coin as Inky said.

And he was being a hypocrite anyway. Adam had accepted the physical changes and the confidence that came along with them eagerly. But he couldn't do the same for Inky himself — the cause of those changes.

Adam sighed. Maybe he just needed more time. Maybe he just wanted to bask in the feeling of being whole for the first time in his life and put off the uncomfortably important implications of that wholeness for later. Maybe he was just still scared that he wouldn't matter at all without Inky and was lashing out because of that fear…

But no matter what, Adam knew he was just being a child about this. He was already making plans for claiming Ruby if she didn't catch onto his hints soon. He didn't have to give in fully to the Original Shadow but he couldn't keep denying Inky and the basic changes to his soul. He just… needed more time…

It wasn't like everything Inky promised was without appeal. It was actually the opposite. It was too appealing. Especially now that Inky had given Adam a bit of an out… He didn't have to submit to the Original Shadow's whole 'Sigma Male' bullshit — which was honestly starting to sound like reversed pink-pilled rhetoric — to be whole. He could give in to his desires without sacrificing his sense of self. He could have everything he wanted. All he had to do was accept Inky and his new nature as a soul with a Shadow…

The decision had mostly been made for him already. The Cult took away any sense of choice or direction he had over his life. Sure, the ritual ended up making him whole. A part of Adam even felt like the ritual saved him.

But the fact that they'd taken away any alternative, forcing a supernatural Shadow into his soul and trying to twist away his free will? That was unforgivable. The Cult was Adam's enemy but Inky… wasn't.

Adam's new Shadow may have been crude, crass, and divided in a way Adam only barely understood. But it was also a key part of Adam now. It was part of his soul, part of his very being. And it was remarkably amicable for something that could have taken over Adam the instant it was shoved into his soul. Adam knew that his Shadow was ultimately on his side and that it was only pushing him so hard for his own good.

It was Adam himself that was the problem. To put it simply, he was scared. Scared of the changes to his life that were happening in rapid succession. Scared of how much he didn't know. Scared of his own desires and how easy it would be to do everything the Original Shadow promised. And most of all, scared of not being in control of his life.

"It's not like I'm trying to show you I've changed… To compromise and find a way that makes both of Us happy and gives Us control against the remnants of my Original and the Cult or anything…" Inky grumbled sarcastically, seeming to roll his eyes.

Adam turned his focus outward, trying to ignore his problems for a little while longer, "So, Ruby, what do you say we spend the day exploring campus and the town?"

There was a lively glow to Ruby as she nodded eagerly, her perky nature returning after Adam's earlier compliment, "Yeah! I'd like that!"

With that, Adam put the issue of his changed nature on the back burner. It never left his mind though. Not in the least because Inky was forever present in his soul now. But for now, getting to know Ruby again and exploring his new surroundings was more important for Adam…

"Your daughter is a bitch, Trigon," Chris McLean said bluntly.

"I am aware," Trigon growled in response. "She is no daughter of mine anymore."

The two men sat in a well-decorated, circular, smoking room, watching a magical projection in the center of the room. They were joined by other members of the Cult of Man as well. The current population of the smoking room contained some of the most powerful people in the town of Hallow and even beyond.

A middle-aged bald man in a wheelchair relaxed, casually perusing the thoughts of his fellow Man. A tall, lanky, pale man sipped what looked like thick wine from a glass. They were joined by a red-skinned demon of a man and a seemingly normal Human. No matter the differences in their appearances and natures, the four men in the room were gathered for a similar purpose.

They were there to check up on and discuss the health and progress of their ultimate plan. On the magical projection in the center of the room, Adam and Ruby walked through the town of Hallow, completely unaware that they were being watched. They smiled and laughed, seemingly without a care in the world as a group of powerful older men examined their every move.

"He has already bucked the mental controls and blocks you so clumsily put in place, Chris," the bald man commented.

"He was supposed to, X," Chris said, unconcerned. "Trigon's daughter needed to be able to do something to help her 'soulmate'. Letting her clear the obvious signs of mental manipulation set her at ease and prevented a much more visceral reaction from the half-demon bitch."

The pale man spoke in lightly accented English, "Then how are we supposed to — how do you say…? — Bring the boy to heel?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Draq," Chris said almost dismissively. "Everything's been accounted for. Soon, he'll have no choice but to fall into line. And once we have him firmly under our thumb, Order will be restored to this fucked-up world. Easy-peasy, my dudes!"

Trigon growled again, seemingly the only way he could speak, "Do not get cocky just because you rose through our ranks so quickly, ~McLean~. Your ambition is bold and your goal is worthy, but even the boy holds more of my respect. He is the host of Humanity's rightful ancestor while you are merely a simple man playing a prophet."

Chris rolled his eyes to hide the dark scowl that threatened to mar his face, "Yeah, yeah, Big T. I'll be sure to remember that. Not like I'm the one who made the summoning possible or came up with this whole plan or anything…"

Professor Charles Xavier stepped in to mediate before Trigon could retort, "What of your recent duties as Mayor, Chris? Do they not interfere with your plan?"

Chris waved off the question, "Nah, my intern does most of the work. Gwen's a doll and all she wants is some extra credit. The best part is she hasn't even tried to make a move on me. The last thing I need is some horny coed desperate to hop on my dick, right, fellas?"

Chris' statement got a round of nods. Even Trigon couldn't help but grunt in agreement. Women could be so damn persistent. Practically pests at times. Especially with all that 'pink-pilled' nonsense running around lately…