Tied between strings of affection and manipulation, The Balladeer was under the impression you adored him, and you were under the impression he adored you. Now, the latter was wrong, and the former…he could never be too sure. But it didn’t matter. All he needed was your trust, you were quite unsubstantial after all.

Though as these ties slowly escalated, he found himself catching feelings, and those ever so fake smiles and words of love becoming genuine with every syllable uttered. Maybe it wasn’t you that was unsubstantial, it was him.

You’d found yourself almost clung onto by the Harbinger, whom was determined to never let you out of his sights. This included times like this, when you were forced to wait outside as to not witness to the lengthy lectures his ‘underlings’ would have to go through on a daily basis. Though that terrifying look of utter disgust and hatred simply melted away the moment he called you back inside, leaving many in shock as a sweet smile upturned his lips.

Cupping your cheeks gently, he turned you away from the gruesome sight of traumatized soldiers with a smile. “You’re back. Did I take too long?” A soothing timbre blanketed his words, as if he hadn’t just threatened to slaughter multiple people’s families.