nysalogs | CLOSED ♪ And you were laughing along

Aah, that's rude.

[Making them clean like that... Seriously.]

How'd you get caught, anyway? Those same powers?

[She is surprisingly gentle as she peels the bandages off of him, though she doesn't have the expert touch of someone who did this regularly. It'd be easy to mishandle or abuse him when he's like this, but Shura isn't that motivated by vengeance.]

["Rude" is probably the understatement of the century here.]

...something like that.

[Is she really asking him how he fucked up and got himself into a situation like this in the first place?? This is pretty rude too, but he doesn't really stop to think about it. His mind is pretty scrambled right now, after all.]

[Which is why this answer comes out entirely too honest--]

They used their powers to control a young man I've spent the night with a few times in the past to lure me into a trap. By the time I realized what was happening, they were already controlling me.

[ um this is Shura, ofc she's going to ask the tough questions. But she kinda regrets asking it now, thanks. ]

Ah, that so?

[ Maaaan, and she's probably going to have to help clean up his lower half with that knowledge in her brain. Sure, she knew he was a demon and all, but still. ]

Can't win 'em all, I guess.

[Shura, no, let him die with at least some of his dignity in tact!!]

[Ah, but now that he thinks of it, that young man wasn't taken to the same place he was. Was he not taken at all, then? Or did they just...]

...the nurses here haven't been telling me much. But have you heard anything about the others who were taken? I know we weren't the only group being hidden away like this.

[He doesn't even know if everyone he was locked away with survived or not. You, that man Ocelot, Peter and Atsushi... did Slaine ever find Miss Yona? Or did she--]

[...]

[He's not crying okay, it doesn't count as crying when it's just blood welling up in his eye.]

[demons don't deserve dignity

But Shura hesitates before answering, going quiet again. She had heard rumors, had overheard the other workers at the Sanctuary while she was snagging supplies. Was he unaware of the others in the ward, all in the same shape he was? Truthfully, it wouldn't surprise her if one of the other poor souls expired right while they were talking.]

They don't want you to worry about anyone else while you're recoverin'. C'mon, don't look that way.

[UH BLOOD FROM TEAR DUCTS ISN'T GOOD, but Shura keeps her calm, casually reaching for something to dab at his eye. Shit, what was she supposed to do with him? She'll be honest if he presses, but still.]

[Recovering... he closes his eye as she dabs at it, soaking up the blood. Thankfully, it's not a constant drip -- which might just make it seem even more as though they were meant to be tears.]

...Miss Kirigakure. I know you're only trying to help... but the sooner I accept that this body is dying, the sooner I can accept what might come next.

This isn't the first time I've gone through this, you know. It's not exactly well-known... but all demon kings eventually perish in this way.

[Which is pretty Extra compared to other demons, who would simply die of old age if they weren't immortal, or aren't exorcised or killed first.]

Tch.

[She clicks her tongue, setting aside the bloodied tissue to refocus on his bandages. If they were alone, she wouldn't have thought much before telling him what she knew. But a quick glance over her shoulder shows that most of the other victims around them probably weren't focused on listening in. Truthfully, they probably would want to know, too.

Still, she keeps her voice low when she replies.]

From what I can tell, there have been a lot of fatalities. Lotta people in your state.

[She doesn't want to linger on what else he's saying. He was probably going to tell her anyway. She'd let him, that soft spot inside of her willing to listen.]

I don't have any numbers for ya, but it doesn't look good for anyone who got snatched.

...I see.

[His voice is small when he replies, and only comes after a brief pause. That means it's likely that Mipha and Yona are already--]

[He doesn't really get to finish that thought, starting to cough instead, turning his head to the side away from Shura. It lasts for a good while, his breathing too shallow to really get a solid cough to clear his throat.]

[By the time he finally stops, he's wheezing a little, his voice considerably more strained.]

I suppose... that makes me one of the lucky ones. In a manner of speaking, at least...

[This... was really unpleasant. More so for him than her, but still. There's little else she knows to do. How was she supposed to comfort a demon king? Honestly, she'd probably demean him if she tried. It wasn't like he was Rin. or one of the other kids.]

Depends on who you ask.

[Drawn out suffering, the amount of pain he must be in--lingering in this state and fading away didn't sound any better than a quick death.]

Ain't much point in lingerin' on that. [A pause] Think you can drink somethin'?

[maybe... booze... Less because being inebriated would help, but it feels respectful somehow??]

I should still be able to drink a little. That's always one of the last things we lose, after our sight. And I can still see you clearly.

[Clearly enough, at least. But he knows this process well enough to know he has at least two days left of this. If she can get him even a little tipsy, it'd be a godsend.]

[...of course, two days would be his estimate were he at full power. As it is now, he won't last past the next morning. And it's already getting late.]

[UGH she doesn't know what to say to that, it's weird. Does he want her to ask for details?? No, who would want to talk about that?]

I'll see what I can sneak in, I guess.

[she sound so... excited... But that could come after she's finished bandaging his dumb body up.]

Any requests?

[His brain isn't exactly screwed on right at the moment, hence that little bit of being entirely too honest about how they kidnapped him before...]

[He closes his eye and hums for a second.]

...some sake, perhaps. There's a nice little noodle restaurant on the edge of the entertainment district that serves some of the most authentic I've found on El Nysa so far.

[Which is a little far from this side of the city -- at least an hour to get back and forth.]

[please never tmi or be open with her again this may be worse than keeping secrets]

Yer demandin'.

[But also dying. Shura can tolerate it, just this once.]

But you'll go and bring it anyway, won't you?

[He'd say she's only being nice to him because he's dying, but... it's not like this is the first time she's helped him here.]

[Please don't get any ideas about her being nice or helpful, that would only lead to tears. Shura's tears, mostly, but still, tears.]

I guess I ain't doin' much else today.

[She'd say he owes her, but that feels weird. Plus, if he did manage to make it through, then she'd have to deal with him trying to pay her back??

But she will, as soon as she's done taking care of his immediate physical needs,]

[Sorry, he's gotta gross her out a little bit more first--]

[He'll fall quiet for as she finishes up redoing his bandages. It does feel better having them fresh, even if he had to show a lot more of himself than he ever really wanted to with Shura... but as she goes to leave and fetch the requested sake, he calls out to her before she walks out the door. He's looking up, but... not quite at her.]

Shura? [...] ...thank you.

[Shura is a professional at heart, even if she doesn't like anyone to know it. And really, she didn't want to see that much of him either?? They were both going to suffer for her rare moment of kindness.

She expects him to say something, probably something stupid, while she's leaving. He's the kind of demon who enjoys having the last word. But those words aren't what she's expecting to hear, and it sends a chill down her spine. It'll be a second before she replies.]

--Yeah, yeah, whatever. Save your strength for something important.

[Time to make the trek across town for some booze, eventually returning after about an hour and a half. Look, he said authentic noodles, so she's going to try some?? But since the staff at the Sanctuary seem to be preoccupied, she can slip in the bottle and a paper cup no problem, setting the bottle at his side before trying to arrange him in a better position to drink.]

Aren't you lucky~ I'm not even going to make you share with me ♥. Can ya sit up, or are you going to make me force it down your throat?

[The staff are indeed preoccupied -- which is probably why his current condition went unnoticed until now.]

[When Shura returns, he looks normal enough, if not a bit sleepy and out of it, his eye only just barely open and his breathing shallow. But he neither greets her, nor turns to look at her this time. And attempting to shift him at all, if she even tries, will only result in his head hanging to the side -- limp as a ragdoll.]

[He might have been lying when he says he could still see her before. Or maybe he just didn't want to admit it to himself either.]

[Well. Shit. Now those noodles are starting to feel like a mistake--less because of the time it took to snarf them and more because she's not prepared for just how quickly he seemed to be deteriorating. It's making her nauseous, her lunch churning in her stomach. Crap.]

Oi, Mephisto, you can hear me still, right? Fine, I'll make you drink it. Just groan or something if you don't think you can't swallow.

[She could at least try, slipping one hand behind his neck to cradle and support the back of his head, like he was some overgrown demon baby. Pouring the sake into the paper cup is a little more difficult with just one hand, but she's remarkably deft at it, as if this isn't the first time she's had to open up a bottle one-handed.]

Open up~

[Despite his condition, he's at least vaguely aware that she's there, not entirely unconscious just yet. But his mind feels heavy and hazy, and even if he tried, he feels as though he wouldn't be able to move or speak. The rot has long since reached his nerves by now, with only his remaining power sustaining him.]

[But the sake makes it down -- and stays down. The only indication he can give her is to slightly open his eye, but with how red and inflamed it looks now, he won't bother trying to look in her direction.]

[Chances are he only has a few hours left -- will she stay?]

[Damn it.

Fine. She'll stay with him for a while. Leaving him now seemed almost cruel, even if he might have deserved it. Maybe it's her loneliness and vulnerability from losing Rin so recently, maybe it's her own decency showing through. Feeding him sips of sake until he stops swallowing, finishing off a few cups on her own. Play on her phone while she waits with him. She's not feeling chatty, but she is remarkably good at waiting, periodically moving to check him, his bandages, his pulse. She learned plenty of idle games to play in her mind when she was still a brat in Aomori.

Of course, maybe he wanted to pass on alone without someone to see him in this state. Well, whatever. He should have told her to go away earlier.]

[Eventually, perhaps thanks to the sake, he loses consciousness completely. It's probably for the best, as once he does, he visibly relaxes -- just a little. It's easier to let the pain killers do their thing when his mind isn't running a hundred miles a minute.]

[At some point in his sleep, he dreams of meeting someone who's been waiting for him.]

[But as the sun begins to rise and the first light of the day slips in through the window, something strange happens. The bleeding had grown steadily worse over the last hour, bleeding through many of the bandages and leaking out around his eye like tears. His breathing was shallow, rattling in the back of his throat.]

[But without warning, there's a familiar poof of colorful smoke over his chest. Now, floating inches over his heart, is his demon heart -- an oddly beautiful clock, vaguely shaped like an anatomical human heart. Although no clockface is present, tiny gears turn and shift as it ticks softly in the quiet room, like a gentle heartbeat.]

[Until it stops.]

[The same rot that had covered his skin suddenly creeps up over the heart, causing it to crack and crumble into dust -- and then nothingness. And as it disappears, so too does the sound of Mephisto's breathing, his body finally letting go.]

CLOSED ♪ And you were laughing along

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