Chapter 3: Set Up
After Merak and Ankoku left, Ombre stared at a photo of his family. That was now gone.
The photo was a faded image of a happier time, a time before the experiments, before the transformations. Ombre traced the edges of the frame with his fingers, his heart aching with a mix of longing and regret. He missed them. He missed his family. He missed being normal.
He looked up as he heard a soft knock at his door. He knew who it was before he even opened it. It was Clover, his twin brother, his only remaining family. He opened the door to reveal Clover standing there, his southern accent filling the room as he spoke.
"Well, howdy there, Omby. I heard you were havin' a bit of a...
situation," Clover drawled, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he stepped into the apartment, his cowboy hat casting a shadow over his face.
Ombre rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile at his brother's casual demeanor. "You could say that," he replied, stepping aside to let Clover in. "I didn't expect you to drop by, though."
Clover grinned, tipping his hat back slightly. "Well, I was in the neighborhood, and I figured it's been a while since we caught up. Plus, I heard you've been workin' yourself to the bone."
He glanced over at the two liters of milk. "Dang. You've been... busy." Clover whistled, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of the two liters of milk on the nightstand. "That's a lot of milk, Omby. What's been goin' on here?"
"It's a long story, Clover. And I'm not sure I want to go into it right now."
Clover nodded, understanding. "Alright, I get it. But I'm here for you, Omby. If you ever need to talk, I'm your brother. And I'll always be here to listen."
Ombre looked up at Clover, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Thanks, Clover."
He sighed, "But I will tell you one thing. You're dang right. I need a break. I accidently