o3 [video]

[hearsnoevil]

Muraki~ Muraki, Muraki, Mu-ra-ki~♪ I'm bored so I'm coming to the clinic, okay?

_{[Tilting his head back, Mao spins on his heel and his SFC swings up just enough to catch a brief glimpse of the bubble following him. It's near impossible to tell just what is going on inside of it but the owner pays little attention to it. When he stops, he leans over the device to tilt his sunglasses down a hair and flash a grin.]}

And Zero~! Come out, come out where ever you are! I want to talk. It's not polite to hide so if you don't show yourself I'll just have to get it out of someone. I know we aren't the only people from our world so it won't be that difficult for me. Just be a good boy and don't keep me waiting.

_{[Then all of a sudden he seems to stop and a puzzled look crosses his face--and he sneers, one hand going up to turn the volume of his headphones up. As he does this, the bubble shifts and becomes less and less untangled until a faded image of a woman settles in its place. It still flickers in and out, constantly threatened by everyone around Mao.]}

While I'm at it, how do I get rid of this? If it's going to keep misbehaving, I'd rather just get rid of it.

Comments

voice;

[hearsnoevil]

_{[Where would be a good place, indeed? Hmm...]}

How about the carnival or library?

_{[As much as he'd prefer to stay away from places with frequent human traffic, it'd be easier to keep his own thoughts buried among the jumble of those around him.]}

voice;

[pactum]

[ The carnival is definitely a no. So that leaves... ]

The library, if you please. I assume you intend to meet right away?

voice;

[hearsnoevil]

_{[At least there aren't any giant TVs to smash with a bench there.]}

If it's fine with you, then yes~

voice;

[pactum]

[ That's definitely a plus. ]

Good. Then we will meet in...a half hour, shall we say, in front of the library?

voice;

[hearsnoevil]

That's fine with me.

voice → action?

[pactum]

[ So roughly half an hour later, just as promised, there's Ciel at the library. Though Mao won't necessarily know him, he'll certainly recognize Mao when he sees him, and he's keeping an eye--literally, just the one--out for him. ]

action!

[hearsnoevil]

_{[And outside near the steps with a cluttered bubble floating harmlessly nearby is Mao. He's really trying his best to stay collected on the outside, but with how he fidgets he's getting pretty close to snapping. There's so many thoughts that he just can't focus on searching for the voice of Ciel.]}

Where is he?

[pactum]

[ Ciel's own bubble is rather reliably showing nothing but the color blue--the same color as the stone in the ring on his left thumb. It's easier to concentrate on something he can see to divert his surface thoughts. Mao is a very distinctive person, and easy to pick out, even in a crowd. Ciel approaches without hesitation. ]

Here.

[ Surprised to see a child, Mao? Or maybe his voice had been enough of an indicator of his age. ]

1/2

[hearsnoevil]

<sub>[His first thought is Lelouch. There were so many things he could pick up from Ciel that just screamed his name.

But it wasn't Lelou. It was just that boy--Ciel. Ciel. That Earl. Funtom.]</sub>

Ah--?

[hearsnoevil]

_{[Okay. It's showtime--time to focus on everyone he can while attempting to pick through Ciel's head.]}

You're younger than I expected~

[pactum]

I'm younger than most people expect. [ He scoffs, because yeah, safe to say he gets that a lot. ] Don't let that concern you.

You said that I might feel this power was too personal. [ It's obvious that he's curious, and that would be reflected in his thoughts too. That's what's at the forefront, past the diversion layer of blue.

But there's something else there, too, in Ciel's head; he's thinking that if things get out of hand, he has insurance. He hadn't come alone. He brought his knight with him--out of sight, but not out of mind. ]

[hearsnoevil]

I wasn't. It was just a little surprising.

<sub>[He grins, taking a moment to pull his headphones down so they casually hang from around his neck. England--or, Britannia... That always did have an air of politeness, didn't it? He rarely paid any attention to it. He was always focused on C.C. His world.

But that... Hmm.]</sub>

You're not alone, are you~?

[pactum]

[ Ciel's eye narrows momentarily. How could Mao possibly know that? He spares a quick glance to the bubble hanging in the air near his head--no, nothing about Sebastian. And he knows for a fact he'd told his butler to stay out of sight. ]

What gives you that impression?

[hearsnoevil]

<sub>[Oh. This kid really was important--or he must be in order to have a butler. Then again, he was an Earl. Most nobles did have something like that, didn't they?

Mao doesn't answer him directly. He simply raises a hand and taps at his temple with a smirk.

It's a~ll up here.]</sub>

[pactum]

[ Ciel's a quick study. It doesn't take him long to realize exactly what Mao's implying. He is confident enough in himself that he doesn't think Mao could possibly know any other way. ]

...you don't need that at all, do you?

[ Gesturing dismissively to the bubble near his head. ]

[hearsnoevil]

It's just an added bonus as far as I'm concerned~

_{[He already likes this kid. He's quick on his metaphorical feet, just like another person he knows. Heck, they're almost identical in their thinking patterns to him.]}

You understand why I can vouch for Muraki's trustworthiness, yes?

[pactum]

[ Of course he understands. ]

Because you can read him. [ Hang on just a second, though. ] But there is no reason that I should find him trustworthy simply because you do. All I have is your word.

[ And that, quite frankly, isn't good enough for Ciel. Sorry Mao, this kid doesn't trust anybody.

Also, it's pretty safe to assume that he's as interested in Mao himself at this point as anything else. It isn't every day that you meet someone who can read minds without the help of some ridiculous curse. ]

[hearsnoevil]

So ask your questions if you can't take my word for it, Earl~ <sub>[It's not a bad trait to have, really. Mao himself is fairly wary of others when he can read them like a book, when he can hear them mocking him on the inside.

But then he reaches up to push at his own bubble as the geass sigil makes itself known for a few seconds. Ridiculous curse indeed, these bubbles were becoming a real pain again.]</sub>

Actually, you could call it a contract~! Not like a demon's contract, though. It's fa~ar from that, but I'll keep that just between us, hm?

[pactum]

[ And he's about to start asking questions--but then Mao says that, and Ciel visibly stops. There is no possible way that wording was a mere coincidence. His mind races. Mao must be able to do more than pick up on surface thoughts then, because he certainly hadn't been thinking of the contract of all things. It's a horrifying thought, quite frankly, just how much valuable information about himself Ciel may have unwittingly revealed simply be remaining in Mao's presence, if he's able to comb through his head and choose what he wants to see with so little effort. ]

...and just how [ spoken slowly and a bit too calmly ] is it a contract, then?

[ He'd best keep it between them. ]

[hearsnoevil]

You have to hold up your end of the deal when the time comes, don't you~? It's almost the same with me, only mine isn't as gruesome as being eaten. Mine was forged when I was a little younger than you, actually.

<sub>[It was a little eerie now that Mao was digging further in. The loss of this boy's parents at a young age--it almost made him feel a pang of sympathy.

Almost.]</sub>

I'll show you proof of mine if you show me yours.

[pactum]

And what price must you pay in exchange?

[ What's eerie is the idea that Mao is digging around in his mind at this very moment. Half of him says that he should leave now, not give Mao the opportunity to discover even more--to sift through his head and look at things that no one alive knows about but Ciel himself; those dark, shameful things that lurk in his memory and manifest in his nightmares. But the other half says to press onward; that if he doesn't get the information he's been seeking, he's done this for nothing.

And even if Mao knows about it, he's still reluctant to show him the seal itself. The only person other than himself who's seen that eye is Sebastian. It's something that he would much rather keep to himself. This, at least, is something which can remain sacred and unseen by this stranger.

Sacred; an odd way to think of it, considering that it's a demon's sigil. ]

What further confirmation do either of us need? Your abilities are proof enough to me, and if you can see as much as seems, that should be proof enough to you.

[hearsnoevil]

I'm stuck with it for the rest of my life. There's no stopping it--I can hear everyone in this city and there's no way to stop it~ It's a gift and a curse, really!

_{[Now this was the kind of person he enjoyed picking the brain of. It's so much like Lelouch, always working, always thinking, always speaking in so many volumes. Though he doesn't voice what he's picking up, Mao carefully tucks it away for the future. It could come in handy for Muraki or even himself should something happen.]}

Mm~ You remind me of someone I know, except you're much more polite than he is to me. That goes a long way in this city, don't you think~? Go ahead, ask away, Earl. I'll answer to the best I can~

[pactum]

I see. And you chose this?

[ But right. Questions. It would be foolish to go to all this trouble and not ask. The damage has been done, at this point; he'd best try to come out of it with something, too. Then again, who's to say that Mao won't lie to him?

No matter. Whatever he says will give him a starting point, at the very least. ]

Is this someone here in Vatheon, or from your home? [ Simple curiosity; Mao is an interesting guy, to say the least. But more to the point: ]

And you said that Muraki has similar powers to yours. Just how similar are they?

[hearsnoevil]

I didn't.

_{[He shifts a bit to lean against the side of the building, keeping his eyes fixed on Ciel.]}

Both.

Fairly similar, I'd think. I don't fully understand his powers for myself yet, but it involves reading something... Emotions, I think it was?

I am so not here and don't even exist carry on without me.

[xthecorvus]

[ His orders were to remain unseen, save as nothing more but a watchful eye over his master and the proceedings that were to follow. Protective means for equally protective measures. His young master meeting with someone who promised to have information on the doctor who, despite being rather helpful in the long run rubbed Sebastian the wrong way, alone wasn't exactly on his list of "Things that can go perfectly safe".

So he waited, in silence, senses primed in case any danger came about while he was perfectly hidden in the shadows between the aisles of historical fiction and reference books.

But he hears everything, hears everything perfectly clearly. It's always been this way between them, in case his master had a new case to speculate. A second set of ears helped when one needed to mull over something over tea after supper after all.

And there's no denying that the demon feels something he hadn't in quite a long time upon hearing that smallest declaration.

Guess what it is Mao.

Absolute surprise. ]