Insert Skettios to continue...

Abrasive. Unbelievable that the one word could sum up the emotions and actions of one person. Maybe it wasn’t so surprising, however. This was Johnny he was talking about, after all. Johnny C., Johnny, Nny. One person, one face. A face with so many different and antipathic identities hidden behind it. A dissonant scream rose up from one of the basement rooms, but it had yet to cause Edgar any trauma of sorts. He, of course, was mostly appalled by the torture (though well justified, as it was) that Nny bestowed upon those people. The people were always victims to their own bad judgment, and Nny had reason to repress their hateful words, and “filthy lies”. Yawning and somnolent, Edgar lied down on the tattered couch, lolling across it carelessly. Sleep would alleviate his restlessness for the time being. So sleep he would, just until Nny was done with his punishment giving.

Downstairs, Johnny was staring into the face of yet another one of society’s cheerleaders, a preppy, and blonde, female screw-up. This one had been quite a bit more loquacious than one would have liked, so Johnny was delighted to see that her volubility was ceased. Her vocal box & chords had been the first thing to go, and her larynx after that. Now, as she lay writhing and bleeding on the floor, Johnny smiled in a I’m-not-quite-sane-at-the-moment kind of way. Pleased with what he had accomplished, he headed to the bathroom. The blood and other things that these people spilt had never been something that had whetted his appetite. “Dear lord, how I hate these vile beings and their malice rancor!” Johnny said, as he threw down the soiled towel on the even more soiled floor. With this, he trudged to the living room to see what his comrade was up to.

Edgar had become like a cat while he slept, with always one ear or eye open. Johnny showed no surprise when he woke up as Nny walked into the living room. Removing his glasses to rub his eyes, Edgar sat up and moved his feet for Nny to sit down. Nny, in doing so, asked, “Nice nap?” The response came in the form of a solemn nod. “I still don’t see how you can stand to sleep like that. Even with all the screams and what not from downstairs, you still doze off…” Nny carried on to himself, mumbling slightly until he ceased talking altogether. Edgar assumed the question was either directed at him or one of the many voices that Nny had in his head. “I-well, for one, I hardly have nightmares, or dreams at the least. So I guess that would be one reason why I can sleep more soundly” Edgar spoke with a smile in his voice, but not on his face. He knew that it was rare for Nny to have a peaceful sleep, so he knew not to brag or tease about his effortless instance and ability for rest. Even so, Nny sat curled up at the other end of the couch, reticent with his arms wrapped around his knees. He looked off in the direction of the powerless television. Already acclimated to this behavior, Edgar leaned against the armrest, gazed over at Nny, who seemed to be complacent and pondering on one thing or another. ‘Well,’ Edgar thought to himself, ‘at least he’s sedated for now. With that, he sighed, and rested in his innocuous state.

A few hours and mumbled words later, Johnny got up to make some Skettios. As he looked through the cupboards for something that hadn’t been used as a weapon, he distractedly ran a hand through his hair, which had grown back for the most part. Quite a few things had changed since he had been back. About a week ago, Edgar had let it be known to Johnny that he thought of him as a friend, the porcelain Bubs Burger boy had stopped giving out his annoying edicts, and he had gotten a better pair of boots, courtesy of Edgar as well. As he thought of these things to himself, the savory scent of the Skettios cooking wafted up to his head. Johnny was filled with happy feelings, which was something that was not nondescript. Compassion towards Edgar was something that he had been feeling lately, which was something that was also quite out of the ordinary. It made him uneasy at times. Still, Johnny smiled. He’d found someone who he cared about, and who cared for him in return, and this time, that someone would never leave him, and not have to die to do so. Johnny scooped the Skettios somewhat messily into the two clean bowls he had found and got a spoon for each, he was aware of the feeling of himself blushing. He snickered distractedly at himself, and walked into the living room.

“Hey Sleeping Beauty, wake up! I made you lunch…”