nysalogs | CLOSED ♪ And you were laughing along

[Even with the city starting to calm down and instigators brought to justice, there was still a lot to do. Buildings needed fixing, people needed healing, and many more rioters were still out there trying to relight the flames of violence that had spread across the city. For his part, Mephisto probably spent more time watching than actively helping... but sometimes, that could be of help as well. And one such person he's been watching has working far too hard as of late. Honestly, does Mipha ever take a day off?]

[Maybe it's time for a little demonic intervention.]

[While she's out on some little errand for the sanctuary, probably just after finishing up a home visit to a sick patient, at some point Mephisto is just gonna appear alongside her -- as is his wont.]

Another busy afternoon, I see!

[Perhaps it's because of all the chaos in the city as of late, but ever since their initial meeting up on Thesa Station, Mephisto hasn't seen Yukio around at all. And honestly? He's not too bothered by it. Perhaps a little mystified in the fact that it doesn't bother him, but-- well, he's settled into this world well enough that there wasn't as much of a dire need to seek out people from the same world anymore. Let alone someone who made it very clear that he didn't want to be sought out and who ultimately served no immediate purpose.]

[But there's no way they'd be able to keep out of each other's hair forever. Now that things are slowly going back to normal, there was still a lot to do to fix the city. And while normally Mephisto might not bother lending a hand, well... seeing as the institute was closed for the majority of the time, he could use an extra paycheck to fund his ~~booze money~~ hobbies. And not to mention his promise to Mipha...]

[Which is why, when Yukio heads down to the marketplace today for whatever reason (perhaps after also volunteering to help fix a damaged shop), he'll be in for a weird sight: Mephisto in relatively casual clothing (for him, at least), standing in a damaged store front and counting inventory on a clipboard, while waving a hand and using his powers to lift new panes of glass into the windows alongside other employees.]

[What the fuck is a "day off"?

Mipha's woman (fish...??) enough admit she's startled, and maybe to go as far as to admit to jumping and yelping in alarm when Mephisto suddenly appears. Her hand flies up to press to her chest as if hoping to calm her beating heart, and she stares up at him wide-eyed.]

Mephisto! A little warning would be nice! [Honestly, it's a testament to just how tired she must really be to be startled this badly--or, at least, to show it this much. She sighs softly]

It's going to be a busy month, I fear.

[Look, he's never going to stop surprising her when she gives him such a great reaction every time. But even that did seem like something of an overreaction, hm.]

Yes, it certainly does seem that way, doesn't... ah, incidentally, if you have a bit of time to spare, there's something rather urgent I was hoping you might be able to assist me with! Something only you can do.

[She's a little high-stressed lately, forgive her Meph.

There's a brief consideration for the rest of her schedule, but truthfully it's nothing that can't be put off for a while. The other Sanctuary members can easily pick up her slack--it's just she didn't often choose to let them.

But it should be fine, and if it's something so urgent just for her how can she say no? Mipha, despite looking a bit concerned, nods quickly.]

Of course. What do you need? [And then, with a warm smile, she adds:] And you should know I always have time for you, Mephisto.

I'm glad to hear it! [THAT SMILE... AH... pushes these dokis aside tho.]

You see, a very dear friend of mine has been through quite a bit as of late. She's been working herself far too hard, nearly every hour of the day, to the point where I fear she may just work herself to death! And as much as I greatly admire her perseverance, it truly pains me to see her exhaust herself like this.

[Is he showing his hand too soon? Or will she not realize he's just talking about her?]

Someone working under such conditions... even with the state of things, surely they deserve a day of rest, don't you think?

[With all chaos going on around the two cities, it's a miracle Mephisto had any time to spare to his research at all. But he did make a promise to someone to look into the effects of the moon in Wyver, and now that things have quieted down, it's about time he makes good on that promise.]

[...or rather, it's about time he goes ahead with the little practical joke he's been working on. Sure, he's done plenty of legitimate research so far, and even has a proto-type ready to deliver! But he's also prepared something of a Russian roulette of potions here, where some are effective, some are ineffective, and others... do... other things.]

[But that's the nature of scientific research! Trial and error! It's just too bad for Sanzo that the one behind his research is a trouble-making demon... not that he's let on to that, of course.]

[In the third week of the month, "Faust" sends Sanzo a message, offering to meet him in Wyver while Thesa Station remains inaccessible. It'll be the first time they've actually met in person, so he makes sure to pick a place so they can stand out to one another.]

[...not that Mephisto is very easy to miss. He's 6'5 and dressed vaguely like a supervillain, given he might have mentioned the need to dress incognito while in Wyver. But the monocle is definitely overkill.]

Ah, you must be Mr. Sanzo, yes? Good to finally meet you in person!

[Mipha, bless her, has no idea. He could be talking about anyone! She has no doubt he knows plenty of other women and plenty who probably work too hard.

She brings her hand up to her mouth, tapping thoughtfully on her lower lip] Yes, I would think so. While working hard is all well and good, pushing oneself to the brink of exhaustion is terrible for the body and mind. While one might be afraid of missing the time due to being sick, they'll just end up losing more time recovering because they pushed themselves too hard.

However, I'm afraid my powers don't help much for things like exhaustion... You might have to convince her somehow that rest really is what's best and insist on it.

Hmm, I see! I agree wholeheartedly! In that case, I'll have to be sure not to take no for an answer.

Now then, seeing as we're in agreement-- [And he turns, striking a pose as he points at her with a playful wink.]

--then I should have no trouble convincing you to take the rest of the day off!

[The look of utter bafflement is probably comical to anyone not Mipha right now.]

Me? What? But-- Mephisto, I can't! There's far too much to be done! [Yes, she's aware of the irony of these protests in the face of her own prognosis of what to do here.

She trails off and gives him a begrudgingly impressed sort of look] ...That was very underhanded of you.

Fufu-- it was, wasn't it? Why, it's almost as if I were a demon or something!

[Clearly he thinks he's funny -- but mostly he's snickering at her reaction again.]

[She might be inclined to argue more, but he's not going to give her the opportunity anyway. She already looked tired, and that wasn't going to change by standing around and arguing with her--]

[So he's just gonna go ahead and scoop her up off the ground and into his arms.]

[...he's also, in part, doing this because he thinks her reaction will be funny. Someone stop him.]

But I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist!

[Alright, he's got her there. Her lips purse in an obvious attempt to keep from smiling, because she's trying to be annoyed at him here. Don't get cute with her!!

She takes a breath to try and reason with this, but then he's picking her up. It startles another outcry from her and she throws her arms around him in surprise, thumping her fist against his shoulder in retaliation.]

Mephisto! [WHY. She sighs deeply.] Is there just so arguing with you about this?

[Perhaps a month is a bit too long for one to initially avoid almost everyone he knew from home, and he knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before he would eventually bump into someone. Just... He just wasn't expecting to bump into Mephisto quite like this.

For once- the ex-principal wasn't in his usual outfit nor in some oddball anime based get up and that alone warranted a double take from Yukio; and after the double-take to find that that Mephisto was willingly helping others... Well it was enough to pique Yukio's curiosity to actually approach the other.]

So your powers are not completely extinguished, you still use whatever you can to keep yourself entertained?

I'm afraid not! You see, someone whose opinion matters quite a bit to me told me to convince you that rest is the most important thing right now!

[He's in prime schmooze mode right now, obviously.]

[Also gonna just start walking off with her -- this is now a kidnapping in progress.]

Ah, and of course-- I'm rather stubborn once I've put my mind to something.

I don't know what part of this looks like entertainment for you. But I'm certainly not above earning an honest living if it means helping out our fellow Olympians.

[The grin that goes along with this is so fake it's like he's not even trying tbh. But hopefully Yukio takes it as a sign to play along -- talking about anything Natha related when there are natives around wasn't exactly a good idea.]

[But while he wasn't exactly expecting to run into Yukio here, there's no need to waste the opportunity -- not when Yukio actually approached him first.]

My, but it's certainly been a while, Mr. Okumura! Have you come to lend a hand? [He snaps his fingers-- and behind him, rather comically, the full weight of the window pane comes down on the arms of the men trying to install it. They've got it under control, but they do both shoot Mephisto a look.] I was just about to start reviewing their inventory in the backroom... why don't you help me, and we can take some time to catch up, hm?

Your mood has certainly improved. [Which is a good thing, she supposes, even if it's at her expense apparently. Better than the creepiness he'd shown before during the chaos.

And she admits it's nice to hear him say her opinions matter to him.]

And what's to stop me from, say, sneaking out a window when we get to--Wherever it is we're going?

[It might be a bit intentional. Not to say he isn't in a good mood, even though things certainly haven't been the greatest as of late. But after showing a rather ugly side of himself to her like that, he wanted to make sure that the next time she saw him, it wasn't the sort of thing that would be better suited for her nightmares.]

[But really, for her to still openly enjoy his company after seeing such an ugly side of himself... how can he not be in a great mood?]

Hmm... nothing, I suppose! But then, how can you be so sure I don't plan on simply holding you like this for the rest of the day?

[As for where they're headed-- certainly not the residential district, so he can't be taking her back to her apartment nor his own. No, his destination is rather ritzy hotel that just so happens to have been spared most of the damage by rioters, save for some simple vandalism out front. Of course, most of it seems to have been repaired by now.]

[It helps that she's willing to chalk most of it up to the mist--she'd hardly been herself during it all either.

She laughs, a little helpless and a little defeated.] Is that your plan? I'd say that I could use that to my advantage to get you to rest and relax too, but something tells me that won't be nearly as much of a hardship for you.

Is this all for my sake, or were you looking for an excuse to get out of doing work? [Her tone is lightly teasing though. Despite how much she wants to go back to working, she does appreciate that he cares so much]

Oh no, you caught me! [There's a joke here, and the joke is that they're actually both workaholics -- it's just a bit less obvious for Mephisto, since he does most of his work at night while most people are asleep. There's plenty of time for play when you've got 23 hours of the day.]

Ah, but now that my master plan has been found out, I'll have to come up with something to make it up to you, hmm... how does three wishes sound? All I ask in exchange is that you spend the next 24 hours taking it easy!

What do you say? Care to make a deal with the devil?

[This is surprisingly hard to say with a straight face -- he's already snickering a little.]

[The joke actually has her closing her eyes as if quietly asking for the strength to deal with this. Deal with the devil, indeed.

But two can play this game!!

She reaches up to take his face in her hands, which will probably force him to stop walking so she can turn his head, and attention, towards her fully] 24 hours is a tall order, but I don't need three wishes to agree to it. I only need one.

[She rests her forehead against his and lowers her voice softly] Spend it with me.

[THAT'S CHEATING SHE'S TOO CUTE]

[It's hard to say whether it's simply because he didn't expect her to "fight back" by charming him in turn, or because he didn't expect to be so easily charmed by her-- but there's definitely a moment where his words get caught in his throat and his face flushes.]

[But he manages to recover soon enough, his own voice lowering to match hers.]

Your wish is my command, Lady Mipha.

Edited 2018-03-06 08:37 (UTC)

[She laughs at him, just a little, a pleased little noise under her breath before she kisses his forehead and sits back.]

Will you tell me where we're going then? [She looks curious] This isn't the way to my home, so I would assume it's to yours', but... [But she'd noticed they're not really going in the right direction for homes anyhow.]

[F-Forehead kisses... Mipha, ur so sweet, he's gonna die.]

Ah, unfortunately, the place I had been staying was rather heavily damaged during the riots. But as luck would have it, the owner of a rather fine hotel offered me a free room in exchange for fixing their store front and providing some of my... services.

[He's banging him.]

[He's not gonna say that.]

[But he's totally banging him. Look, sometimes seducing humans quite literally pays, ok.]

And seeing as it's still a bit cold for a day at the beach, I thought a little change of scenery would be a nice chance of pace!

[.... You'd be surprised how strangely accustomed to monocles he is "Faust". In fact, if he were surprised by anything when he was first approached by his accomplice it was probably his height. Now, Sanzo was by no means short, being a decent 5'10" himself. But that sort of difference between the two of them felt outright ridiculous.

Oh. And the cape was pretty stupid too.]

And if I am?

[Really a young blond haired man wearing monks robes and casually smoking a cigarette was a strange enough sight on its own. Not that Mephisto wouldn't have been used to this type of person... Probably.]

So. You're Faust, eh?

[He's just going to put his hand on his hip as he faces you, eyes narrowing as he looks you up and down with absolute judgment.]

CLOSED ♪ And you were laughing along

Closed to Mipha

Closed to Yukio

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Closed to Sanzo

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Re: Closed to Yukio

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject