im working on the artfight attacks but for now have this !! ^^ um basically some lil lore of bennett and alastor, and some writing practice :0 - - - bennett sighed. had alastor always this obnoxious? his eyes swept across the abandoned hut, the wooden planks lining the wall and ground. wooden crates coated in dust and who-knows-what sat in the corner, a thin mattress set on the ground beside their paws. a table out of something that wasn’t actually wood— rusted iron, it seemed— stood to left of them. “wow. you really picked a spot, haven’t you, alastor?” there was a brooding sarcasm in bennett’s voice, but alastor laughed. “sure did! i mean, it’s pretty dull but it has that homey atmosphere to it, right?” “homey atmosphere thats been long neglected,” bennett muttered, refusing to gaze at the pitiful hut any longer. it was exhausting enough to worry about the future, so there was no need to ponder on the countless bugs and spiders and.. argh. alastor seemed to be oblivious. as xe usually was. just that, this time, they were being annoyingly oblivious. bennett stifled another drawling sigh. “this will do for now. lets get some sleep. we have a long day ahead of us.” there was barely any hint of emotion, as if they had not a care in the world. alastor glanced up. “gosh, bennett. i know you usually sound grumpy, but you’re really doing a number. you alright?” bennett flinched at the overwhelming concern he could hear, practically taste. “i’m fine, alastor.” their reply was affected by agitation, as his words were a bit on edge. “you dont sound fine. i know.. well, i know facing your father is-“ “could you just? be quiet? thats tomorrow. right now, all i want is a good night’s rest. and i cant have that with your yapping all night.” xe seemed taken aback by the sudden snap, but as bennett is, alastor was just as frustratingly stubborn. “bennett, please. you don’t have to do this. it.. it just seems like its taken a toll on you. y’know, recently, you’ve been moping around ever since you decided to confront him. maybe we just.. don’t?” bennett sighed loudly, quickly turning into a growl. he leaned on the table now, gritting his teeth. “okay, alastor, you know what? i dont want to be a coward. my father was when he fled the scene, i was when i didnt say anything about it. i need to face him. i need to face. my. /fear/.” “but are you sure its the right time? are you sure you /have/ to do this? who knows, maybe your father won’t even appear-“ alastor was cut off as bennett snarled. “i never asked for your opinion. i never asked for your questions. i /never/ asked for you to be my friend!! so stop pestering me with your useless, pointless questions! worry about your own pelt, for once.” their words ended with him bearing his teeth, a whisker-length away from alastor’s shocked face. bennett briefly growled as he turned away, turning with their back to alastor. a tensed pause seemed to stretch out for ages, before bennett spoke again. “just.. just leave me alone. for one night. that’s all im asking, okay?” his voice sounded strangely soft, vulnerable in its state. alastor stood there, ver’s nervousness seeming washed over by surprise. a flint of anger struck their eyes. “FINE! if you want to be like this, be like it! i don’t care! if- if you dont want to be my friend, then okay!” there was a thick layer of hurt underneath all alastor’s words of thin anger, which was easily noticeable by bennett’s wince. bennett hadn’t mean to lash out at alastor. alastor didn’t mean to rage at bennett. but both were too stubborn to apologize, to say anything as the silence dawned on them. bennett clenched his jaw, their eyes shut tight as they curled up on the uncomfortable mattress. “night, alastor,” bennett spoke, breaking the fragile quietness with a sting of irritation. “goodnight!” alastor shouted, and unknowingly to bennett, tears were trickling down the hybrid’s face. but bennett was too wrapped up in his own worries, in their own problems, to focus. they promptly tucked their head underneath their paws, ignoring the heavy breathing of the grief-stricken alastor. alastor, in turn, leapt on top of one of the crates and stretched out there, xer’s tail dangling over the edge. bennett eventually fell into an uneasy sleep, as he had not gotten proper sleep for days. alastor tried to sleep, but ultimately failed. bennett’s words kept them awake, as did their own. ve didn’t really mean it. it just.. well, bennett didn’t really mean it either, did he? alastor huffed. bennett was suffering from heavy worry, wasn’t he? was alastor wrong to probe him about it? they recalled when bennett had explained that sometimes, being quiet was the best way to support someone. was this one of those times? - - -