[ignitedwill]

It felt like they were playing the loser game all of a sudden and, driven by the sheer willpower to not falter in front of Liam's silliness, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and tried his hardest to control his facial muscles from twitching. Straight face, straight face...

All he did was cock an eyebrow.

[eeriestatic]

It didn't take him long to get to the point where he was shoving his trousers down, Liam was already embarrassed though but he was doing everything in his power to keep it down. His trouser dropped to his ankles along with his boxers that left him exposed, the only noise from him being the clatter of his belt. Liam perched his hands on his hips, looking around at the ground near his feet now, completely overlooking the source of his blurred joke on purpose - not a word from him.

[akphaezya]

When Knox asked that rhetorical question, it was as if he was setting himself up for failure. Syo's eyebrows rose in a taunting manner and the grin that he was sporting got wider, revealing his sharp canines and the rows of teeth beneath which he was stifling a mocking cackle.

However, before he could call Knox out on his spiking heart rate, he felt the pressure that urged him backwards and that shit-eating grin faded from his face, replaced instead by an expression of pure effort. His brows furrowed and he stuck his tongue out by the corner of his mouth, putting in most if not all of his physical strength to keep the serpentine from advancing in on him and trying to pivot his heels into the floor. But that was to no avail. The floor was more reinforced than concrete, after all. Losing his footing, he ended up having to back away from Knox until his back naturally hit the wall.

And then, for once... an expression of genuine emotion flashed across his face. He had gotten shy...? From being boxed in, with his hands pinned to the wall above his head. Realizing that his reaction showed on his face, he averted his wide gaze from the serpentine and looked into the corner of the room. Deathly quiet. Cat got his tongue, indeed.

[eeriestatic]

Knox squinted down at him after the uncharacteristic silence, he was used to Shoichi saying stuff beyond for any situation but being met with nothing seemed to almost make the serpentine sweat - as if he was facing something paranatural now. First to sweaty palms which he became painfully aware of, to his brow, Knox hardly done anything but hold that posture for the time being before clearing his throat with a snort.

"I didn't upset you did I?" The serpentine muttered quietly, albeit the tiny stutter in his breath gave away to his own nervousness since he was trying to be playful too. But before anything more, he let go of one Shoichi's wrists and without warning, poked his exposed side in a small tickle attempt even if it were more akin to a taser prod.

[eeriestatic]

Pocket rocket joke here @ignitedwill

Liam did try backing out of it last second, he did have a snake but in fact it was a brief inappropriate joke... He may as well commit to the nod of it, there really was no right or wrong answer anymore.

"Alrighty." Liam added before he moved his hands to begin undoing his trouser belt abruptly.

[akphaezya]

  As the cloak fluttered around his frail frame, Shoichi’s uncontrollable trembling didn’t seem to ease up. It was an unlikely gesture of kindness coming from the Lich, yet all that he could bring himself to do was reach for the purple fabric and dig his fingers into it. They were cold and rigid, firm in their grip, more rigor than alive. When he looked up at the porcelain mask grimacing down at him, Shoichi’s eyes began to quiver in his skull as if a strange vibration was rattling him from the inside out. He looked mortified, yet that fear of his seemed like nothing more than a mortal's reflex than genuine dread.

  The strange presence that invaded his mind slithered through his brain, spreading its unpercievable tendrils like a root. Shoichi’s mouth contorted into a scream of agony, where only a faint croaking sound came out while his body contorted into Lios’s chest, his wobbling knees threatening to give out underneath him. He could almost taste the finality of his mistake and it beckoned him to lay down in a fetal position to await the reckoning–but what he did instead was burst into an unsettling cackle as he stared with unevenly opened eyes into the nothingness of the archive room and the darkness that surrounded them like a fog.

  “It feels like… shrapnel in my brain… it’s unbearable,” he hissed out through his teeth.

  His headache intensified to a debilitating degree, and once it peaked, there was silence. The heavy silence that came moments before the ticking of a bomb’s timer came to a halt. Shoichi grinned a terrified grin up at Lios before, suddenly, a grotesque form errupted from his skull in an explosion of gore, tendrils snapping at the air as whatever incubated in his subconscious slithered its way into reality.

  With half of his face crushed in, Shoichi’s lifeless body thudded to the floor.

[eeriestatic]

Lios had no clue what to do for him, it wasn't often he had to assist another in atypical situations - more so used to dealing with what he had a grasp on. This? Far from it... The grimace remained plastered on his face, otherwise only hanging onto the smaller body in his embrace, Lios unable to remotely find an answer behind Shoichi's trembling eyes - which in a way made him feel a twinge of pity. But once it felt like he was going to buckle, the lich tightened his hold with some caution, silent with uncertainty but even he could feel the uncanny realization that something more was painfully wrong...

Down to the unsettling response he got from the guard, only serving to root deeper that strange dread and he wasn't even the one facing the consequences. "What did you get into..." Lios murmured to himself with a hollow octave. However, the second he was about to actually address Shoichi, rather than his own prodding thoughts, the sudden burst of horrors made Lios snap his attention upright in a brief spark of shock. Arms on reflex unwound from around the guards frame, both as not to get caught by whatever the hell being decided to punish Shoichi and pad a step back the second his body hit the floor. The lich peered down at the lifeless, facially mutilated body with rounded eyes of the mask that were equivalent to shock - down to the form that presented itself before making his own move, not wanting to be involved in something that was going to be a him problem anyways.

"Ah..." A small sound came out before Lios swiftly turned around and rushed over to the book and scooped it up while putting some distance, avoidant of opening it of course too but just to ensure it stayed closed in his grip. The lich was really only so much in this situation, he may as well had been defenceless without his own book, aside from the small things he could otherwise do physically and on a minor scale... "Are you serious." The lich mumbled, his mask cracking into a semblance of annoyance before peeking down at the book to get a better look at it, and then glancing back up. "Is that your new form or something?" Despite how all around the lich was, he really had no idea that Shoichi could walk this shit off and his question was as dumb as they come.

[akphaezya]

  Whatever one was to call this weird entanglement, it wouldn't make a difference. In a place where people didn't even know each other by their first names, only appearances mattered. So when one of the containment sector trainees walked past them and saw them standing idle in one of the cells, holding hands like scorned lovers, Shoichi made eye contact with the confused person and turned his head to look at them until they were out of sight, an amused smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

  “Titty holding, that's just crass. Hand holding? That good intimate shit, that’s what makes it lewder. Doesn’t it get yer heart racing?” he asked nonchalantly. With a swift turn of his head, he leaned in closer to Knox and almost headbutted him from how abruptly he got up in his face. It was beginning to look less like handholding and more like arm wrestling, really. He was turning it into a competition of who could topple the other over first, or maybe he was just up to his no good antics again. “Reckon they’re gonna give us another set of cards? Considering you ate our last Queen.”

[eeriestatic]

Knox didn't dare entertain the staring, if only beyond a small side-eye that was blocked by the frame of his glasses anyways, if not the unruly juts of hair he hardly kept. But once Shoichi moved before he could digest what he yammered about the lewdity of intimate hand-holding, he made a pinched face briefly. Knox only...clicked his tongue, flinching a little when Shoichi nearly headbutt him.

"What do you think, then? Is my heart racing, Shoichi?" A question be probably didn't want an answer to. A flail to be funny - if not the pulse in his wrist, it was certainly the ones in his palms - that were indeed, racing. That realization made the serpentine furrow his brow as if realizing his body was acting up over a silly comment. But in response to his question, he squinted down at the guard with a nasally puff. "Don't even, it isn't like I can actually make requests...can I?" He mumbled, they did need a new deck...no matter, before Shoichi could have a chance to add anything, Knox clutched his palms harder before pushing forward against Syo's frame, using all his body weight to easily manipulate the shared space and urge him to move backwards with gentle but firm force. No doubt, he was trying to squish him against the back wall.

[eeriestatic]

Lios patiently idled, although his mind fed back into the book. Was it one of theirs? Briefly, he looked over his shoulder again, trying to get a better look at the book laying on the floor, and for a moment, his mask crumbled into a minor grimace. Painfully aware of the other two existing but he decided not to worry about that, whatever happened seemed too out of place but not lacking a possibility. Lios looked back down at Shoichi in his bout of silence, or at least until the poor guard pipped up, making the lich perk up curiously.

Unconsciously, Lios shook his shoulders in a small shudder when the familiar stench finally registered with him, prompting the emphasized frown on his mask to crescent harder down into a long frown. He'd done his best to ignore it nonetheless, it wasn't too difficult...much since too, more important matters stood in front of him, struggling visibly at that when Lios watched Shoichi trying to move with what he could, looking between outstretched hands to uneven steps. Obviously something was wrong but it was something Lios had little to no knowledge on at the time, and at the same time he wasn't about to push Shoichi away after helping him.

With one step, he planted himself closer to Syo, arms motioning swiftly and scooping up a good portion of loose cloak in his hands before instead of letting Syo grab onto his attire - Lios threw his arms around his shoulders, letting the material envelope his frame in a loose, partial hug with the cloak material padding him from any sharp bits of Lios. Unmoving otherwise now and quiet, acting just as a post of support and comfort if it helped any - even the lich could recognize distress, although not knowing where it was stemming from immediately. He was trying to help how he thought would in the moment...

[akphaezya]

Titties? @akphaezya Knox could've felt like he was used to these antics, but he couldn't be more wrong. Silent and casting a hard stare down at Shoichi before his brow raised at his implications - yet unsure of what to expect from his mouth, knowing how quick Shoichi can go from zero to a hundred. But once Shoichi made it known, the serpentine scoffed, his own hands coming up to shield his chest with both forearms as if he was naked now.

"Put those mitts away," but instead of backing off too much himself, both of Knox's hands made a swift motion to grasp onto both of Shoichi's in response, "...we won't be having any groping, they're fine here." He nodded his head to his trapped hands, unmoving his own grip but not enough to be hurtful.

Once the man lifted his muscular arms, Shoichi let out a cheeky laugh and closed his eyes as if he expected to get hit across the face for even as much as joking around about that kind of stuff. But when he felt Knox's much larger hands on top of his own, grasping them while at it, he froze. His fangs poked into his lower lip like snagged teeth and his eyes shot open, his gaze darting between the serpentine's face and the nature of their perceived hand-holding. At least if anyone walked past them that's what they'd think they were doing.

"Here, where?" he asked, playing dumb about it. Knox underestimated just how adorable he could come across, and at that point, Syo wanted to devour him whole. He let out a shuddery breath and tried to maintain his composure while he fought Knox's grip just enough to slither his slender fingers across his palms with the intention of entwining their hands. "Like this? Lewd."

[eeriestatic]

Knox furrowed his brows, instinctively clutching his hands tighter when Shoichi started to wiggle his fingers, under the assumption he was trying to free them. But the comment given the serpentine a bit of doubt, only for a moment giving some leeway to indulge the antics but slacking his own fingers. But it only puzzled Knox more...

"Seriously now?" The serpentine mumbled, but once he felt the actions of the newfound freedom, feeling Shoichi's digits slink between Knox's own - both hands tensed up, inadvertently so by reflex which locked his fingers with Syo's in a entwined grip now. "You call this lewd but trying to put your hands on my titties, not?" Knox had the impulse to plant his hand over Syo's head and give it a shake it, no less than someone rattling a cat's dome after grabbing it's face.

[eeriestatic]

Titties? @akphaezya

Knox could've felt like he was used to these antics, but he couldn't be more wrong. Silent and casting a hard stare down at Shoichi before his brow raised at his implications - yet unsure of what to expect from his mouth, knowing how quick Shoichi can go from zero to a hundred.

But once Shoichi made it known, the serpentine scoffed, his own hands coming up to shield his chest with both forearms as if he was naked now.

"Put those mitts away," but instead of backing off too much himself, both of Knox's hands made a swift motion to grasp onto both of Shoichi's in response, "...we won't be having any groping, they're fine here." He nodded his head to his trapped hands, unmoving his own grip but not enough to be hurtful.

[eeriestatic]

Do not the book. @akphaezya

It was none of his business - often he was stuck in his own set of staying out of others so long as they done the same for him. But in this case... It almost looked like it required him to be useful for once, although at the integrity of Shoichi's clothing and potentially his flesh when Lios didn't shy off from clasping his hand around the individual's bicep. Non-verbal, using his obnoxious height to his advantage, his other hand clamped around Shoichi's freed arm before semi lifting him - acting to make a bit more cautionary distance between the grimoire that fallen to the floor, as he himself was uncertain of the contents and whatever on those pages entailed...

But even Lios knew better. He turned a shoulder in the middle of placing Shoichi down in front of him, unconsciously using his own frame as a blockade while scouting their previous spot from where he swept Shoichi away from. His mask cracked into that of a neutral look at first - lacking any sense of security himself of the situation before risking a small window to look down at his smaller company with a hum. "Are killer books a common thing around here?" Lios chimed in with sudden enthusiasm and an etched smile to match, letting the guard go altogether for now and folding his arms back under the cloak that his form was clad in with a subtle grind of metal joints. "You okay?" He didn't want to bomb him with questions but Lios remained conscious of the book in the background.

[shirtsthatgohard]

[eeriestatic]

akphaezya​:

      When the attention shifted towards him, Syo rolled his eyes and looked away with his usual smirk plastered on his face.

      “Oops,” he muttered to himself, pretending to be shocked.

      Despite Niklaus’s intimidating stare, he wasn’t going to budge from that spot. It seemed like he was ignoring them and removing himself from that conversation altogether. In reality, his finely tuned ears listened in on their hushed conversation, despite them trying to keep their voices down. He would laugh, but that would give him away.

      Feeling the tension rising, Shiro intervened by moving himself in front of Niklaus to take the attention off of Shoichi. Standing up on his knees, he got up in the twin’s face and shook his head, a tinge of disappointment visible on his expression. Before he let Niklaus in on what went down in his absence, he took another smaller bite and adverted his gaze towards the side, lowering it to the ground. His shoulders slumped while he thought back on the encounter he had with Alto shortly after the rampage ended.

      “I didn’t return it to him, but I don’t have it anymore,” he murmured as if he’d done something wrong. “The green eyed man tracked me down and took it back. Well, we bargained for it…” A small smile formed on his lips as his gaze returned to Niklaus’s face. “I’m allowed to walk around now, with supervision.”

      “Everything’s more lax now,” Shoichi chimed in, looking and sounding equally as smug. “You’re welcome.”

Not that he could truly hold foul feelings towards the one that technically saved him along side Shiro but naturally, Niklaus was protective and he couldn’t help it. When Shiro popped up into view, his gaze lowered a bit more curiously. Alas... He followed his lead, slouching a bit with a hum. The mention of this spoken green eyed man made him narrow his eyes for a moment - almost thinking he meant his twin until it dawned on him rather fast on who he was referring to... Knowing really, Markus wouldn’t do that to Shiro from the get-go.

However, before he could go ahead and get annoyed before Shiro even finished, this revelation caught him before it could happen - making the tension in his shoulders slack.

“Didn’t think that was possible in the first place.” Providing much earlier in their previous first encounter - to in which still bothered him since it was fine now all the sudden? Niklaus didn’t dwell on it long, Shoichi butting in made sure the agent didn’t but it did earn him a small glance. Hands moved in a careful motion, scooping up around Shiro in a considerate hug even if the agent was a tad stubborn about it but... Still, he had manners. Despite that tone. He let out a quiet exhale. “Thank you.” Although... His comment about supervision reoccurred back to the twin. “Who’s supposed to be supervising you, then?”

[eeriestatic]

akphaezya​:

  Hearing Niklaus’s concern, he stopped short of the point of no return and turned his gaze towards his fingers, fixing them with an intent, cross-eyed stare. The silly look with his mouth agape only lasted a few more seconds, replaced by a half grin soon after. A giggle erupted from his throat and he closed his eyes, his expression relaxing. It looked like, for the moment, he gave up on the idea of eating the dirty chocolate bar. But before the twin could protest, he bit off a piece out of it and swallowed it without chewing.

  “Mm, I don’t mind,” he mumbled, tightening his arm around Niklaus’s back in a gentle squeeze. “I’d rather you had the… fresh one instead.”

  The unexpected question wiped the smile off his face, however. A tinge of embarrassment lit up his cheeks and he looked askew, his gaze trailing off towards Shoichi in a sluggish manner. In attempt to delay the answer, he cleared his throat and started moving Niklaus around, manhandling him. With a bit of effort, he pulled him upright all the way until he was seated next to him. Unfortunately, that meant the agent lost his shade and was now the one providing it for Shiro instead. Quiet for the while, he resumed his nibbling on the snack bar and waited until the other one chimed in with something.

  “Have I?” Shoichi snickered to himself. “Yer gonna have to juggle my memory a lil’ bit.” Slow footsteps brought him close enough to the two of them in order to have a hush-hush conversation. In his flamboyant glory, he leaned his back against the bookcase and propped his left leg up, hooking his heel onto the edge of a shelf. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked down at Shiro with an expecting smirk, his eyes narrowing in a cat-like manner.

  Shiro understood the cue and gave him a small nod, as if they had just communicated telepathically. While the air of secrecy lingered about, he leaned into Niklaus’s side and propped himself up on his knees until he was in hearing range. He squeezed his opposite shoulder for support while he murmured the revelation into his ear.

  “He is the one that let me out of the cell back then, when the doll incident happened…” He paused and sucked in a reluctant breath. “He gave me the card.”

When his lapse in attention failed him immediately and Shiro ate the bar just out the corner of his eye, the twin looked back at him with a small agape frown. However, his moments flit attention made his head crane - more so from the unexpected reaction that made him partially concerned now. If not for the fact nothing else seemed to be amiss, Niklaus would’ve gotten defensive... He heeded his contact at least so Shiro didn’t need to do all the work, his eyes straining a squeeze before blinking open a bit again while taking in Shoichi’s words.

When he finally decided to join the duo and make it a trio, the agents eyes were on him with a raised brow and bearing silence as if trying to answer his own question in his mind. Not quite picking up on the matter of what was going on anymore, his attitude was near shifting close to someone who wasn’t in on a joke that’s been running up until Shiro made a move - preventing it altogether. Earning him more so as much a side-eye but stable nevertheless to hear him out.

His reaction might’ve seemed visceral when he managed to turn his whole head now and give him and almost unreadable look - though not angry but parts shocked and more so due to his natural concern to what happened during that bout. Internally Niklaus wanted to pop but not at Shiro, but at the same time... His eyes loomed over to Shoichi before glancing back at Shiro.

“Does that mean you didn’t give it back to him?” The agent turned his head, keeping his voice at a whisper of course - attention planted on Shoichi. “Is it yours?”

[akphaezya]

eeriestatic​:

When he reached the near end of the shelving, his steps paced down a bit once he heard his strange response, one that made Niklaus look back over his shoulder. Between all the people in here, he knew that they’d have not a trouble replying to the agent, where it only brought on more question at the bizarre matters at hand.

“Someone? What’s the set difference people in here…plus you didn’t answer my question.” Niklaus stated, but this time mid step came rounding the corner of godly hell light Shiro was casted in - and unfortunately… Niklaus’ was caught on him like he tripped over a hidden rock in obscuring fog - his features flitting shock once he failed to catch the shelf and utterly tripping over Shiro. So much the toss down momentum sent the Agent down faster than a falling tree right on his belly with a heavy whump of gear and grunt. His chocolate bar sadly was lost from his grip, sliding away a few feet as Niklaus lie there like he died on the spot… Not even sure what he tripped on in the first place but at least Shiro was more better off from his rooted spot - F to the agent who was cursed with unwanted height.

      When Niklaus’s lanky form tripped over him, he let out a gasp and hooked his fingers into the edge of the bookshelf. But that didn’t help. Moments later, his body tipped over like a bowling pin and he fell on his back by the agent’s side. When he tried pushing himself off the floor, his palm landed on the twin’s back instead. He stubbornly braved the blinding light and pried his eyes open to see Niklaus laying there like an uncoordinated giraffe. That’s when he realized what had happened. In a frenzy, he began patting around the agent’s back and nudged him from side to side in his attempts to get s good grip on him to lift him up, at least enough to turn him over. It took a moment, but with a heave, he managed to pull him into his lap. Shiro towered over him, providing an escape from the neon beam in the respite of his shadow.

      “Are you okay? That was quite the fall” he noted. Through his periferial vision, he caught glimpse of the chocolate bar that lay abandoned on the floor a little out of his reach, but with a bit of effort he managed to stretch his arm out for it and grabbed it. However, looking over the state of it, he let out a sigh and shook his head. “I don’t think you’d want this anymore. Five seconds have already passed… Oh, but me?” he paused and brought it closed to his lips. “It’s not gross enough to deter me.” After making that declaration, he opened his mouth and was about to chomp down on his snack.

      Somewhere behind the two of them, lurking in the contrasting shadow, Shoichi was tilting his head and staring at them with a look of disappointed confusion on his face and his hanging mouth slightly crooked, half grimacing at the sight. A rare expression. The distance he kept from them showed that he was still on edge, not comfortable having others in his proximity, but at the very least he seemed more approachable now than he did prior to entering the library.

      “Good thing yer not working in Containment. You’d have tripped over the safety rail a long time ago,” he snickered.

[eeriestatic]

A small heave of a breath left the Agent's lips once he felt palmed contact on his back, though far from uncomfortable as the fall might've been. He didn't even think to consider any apologies immediately while he was trying to gather the question as to whom, or what made him forcefully hit the deck. "At ease--" He muttered, feeling the arrange of handsy contact but not instantly expecting Shiro's sudden strength, that in which felt like he was peeled off the floor like a sticker. His expression was alert and half bordering the potential anticipated blindness if not from Shiro's obscuring silhouette. Staring at him with squinted eyes at first with no recognition at the time his eyes were adjusting to the hunkering frame.

His voice reached him before Shiro's visage did, where his gaze softened up on the spot like his rag doll body. "Shiro? I'm sorry, I didn't-- see you there, my bad," although unintentionally brushing over his question in interest of his well being instead. He didn't get a chance to address it when Shiro went for the chocolate bar and the Agent used that small frame - using his arm to prop himself up a little bit. Niklaus was watching him for that mini moment, registering his words last while eyes were watching the bar now - with quick reactivity. "Wait-" Two digits came up to intervene, shoving in front of the treat before it went into his mouth. "I can give you a fresh one, you don't have to eat that one. Not off the floor." His brows upturned with a small frown.

While his hand remained, albeit Shiro was free to ignore him easily while he found comfortable refuge in his lap. The Agent was using his freehand to reach around for his pocket, but briefly caught by the remark from Shoichi that made his features flinch. "I have to go over there but I don't often go on higher floors, I'm all over the place... Wish they didn't think florescent were a good idea-- oh, actually-" Regardless if Shoichi was fixed on his distance, "have you met Shiro yet?"

[eeriestatic]

akphaezya​:

      Most of the staff that frequented the library during their breaks was well aware of Shoichi’s reputation. The moment that man stepped in, their peace of mind was gone and they decided to use the other exit to make themselves unseen. Why someone as dangerous as him was allowed to roam freely inside the panopticon, much less the office building, was beyond them. But they couldn’t argue with authority, not when they were paid so well to work with supranatural entities that others only dream of.

      As for Shiro, he was at his wit’s end by the time the agent’s voice reached him in his secluded spot. His body tensed up, his heart pounding loudly in his tight chest the closer Niklaus’s unsuspecting footsteps got. When they stopped dangerously close to him, he shut his eyes and squeezed them tight, struggling to keep his breath as shallow and less frequent as he could. It felt like they were playing a more sinister game of hide and seek where he was the only one being hunted. He hoped that by sitting still, he would blend in with gray floor and the blinding neon light, but to what end? Even the slits on his arms closed back up in coordination with his one good pair of eyes, as he had yet to learn how to control them individually—for what it’s worth, he was completely blind at the time, much like Niklaus who had to deal with the bothersome contrast.

      “Someone,” Shoichi courtly replied as he rolled the bandage strip around four of his fingers. He stared at it for a while as if entranced by something no one else but him could see, an ethereal gleam laced into the otherwise normal looking medical supply. When he tried prying it apart with his thumbs, it didn’t make a difference. Intrigued by it, he hit it out of sight inside of his jacket’s inner breast pocket and smirked as he returned his attention to them. He didn’t want to miss the next part, so he went to catch up with Niklaus, or at least to lag a few feet behind him.

When he reached the near end of the shelving, his steps paced down a bit once he heard his strange response, one that made Niklaus look back over his shoulder. Between all the people in here, he knew that they’d have not a trouble replying to the agent, where it only brought on more question at the bizarre matters at hand.

“Someone? What’s the set difference people in here...plus you didn’t answer my question.” Niklaus stated, but this time mid step came rounding the corner of godly hell light Shiro was casted in - and unfortunately... Niklaus’ was caught on him like he tripped over a hidden rock in obscuring fog - his features flitting shock once he failed to catch the shelf and utterly tripping over Shiro. So much the toss down momentum sent the Agent down faster than a falling tree right on his belly with a heavy whump of gear and grunt. His chocolate bar sadly was lost from his grip, sliding away a few feet as Niklaus lie there like he died on the spot... Not even sure what he tripped on in the first place but at least Shiro was more better off from his rooted spot - F to the agent who was cursed with unwanted height.

[eeriestatic]

akphaezya​:

      Shoichi derived a sort of perverse pleasure from watching the confusion creeping onto Niklaus’ features. He subdued a chortle that absentmindedly emerged out of his throat and shook his head at the twin, as if to mock him for being a step ahead of him. That would be his payback for the earlier manhandling, at least for the time being.

      “It?” he parroted in an incredulous voice. That misplaced pronoun alone turned his mood around, returning the shit-eating grin to his face along with the mischief in his gaze.

      Their distraction offered Shiro a window to attempt to switch his hideout. He was already on all fours, skittering across the floor on his hands and knees as gracefully as getting entangled in his coat would allow it. Like an amorphous solid object, he wiggled his way across to the nearby bookshelf while small grunts and gasps slipped out of his opened mouth. That was more physical activity than he had done in a week of being in that place. Without knocking any books off the shelves, he made himself small at the far end of it, where his ethereal complexion blended in with the blinding neon spotlight beaming down on him from above. His gloved fingers gripped the side of the shelf as he peered past it, using the unconventional “aid” that ran across his arm as a means to peer past the steep corner. When they blinked, the dozen crevices closed and opened out of sync.

      By the time they reached the table, Shiro was already gone. But what he left behind was incriminating evidence that dispelled any doubt his hunter might have had towards his identity. Swift in his movements, Shoichi swept the long strip of bandage off the floor and held it up into the light, humming positively to himself as he studied it. For good measure, he brought it up to his nose and took a whiff of it, then a couple more, like a trained hound. With a hand on his hip, he turned his head towards Niklaus’ and jutted his shoulder in his direction in a flamboyant manner.

      “Didja want me to go in, or will ya?” he spoke, his voice unusually quiet. He was taking the predator roleplay a bit too seriously.

His senses weren’t nearly as honed as some folks in here were, that’s why when he was greeted wit the idea something else was amiss, he made a small sour look - twinge a combo of puzzled. He wasn’t on the same page as what Shoichi was on, and all he could do was follow his lead for the moment.

Niklaus remained quiet. Eyeing him before they’d carry on toward the table, taking small glances in between at the environment while he remained a small few extra inches behind their pace. Even the people who seemed to take refuge of hiding weren’t making much a peep - as far as weird could be. But as soon as they hit their goal had the agent turned his attention down to Shoichi - eyes barely taking in on himself to look at the personnel and more at the strip of bandage. Although, he was more investigating, Niklaus loosened his arms before a hand popped up to seek out his snack pocket and only choosing to watch for the moment. There with ease did he pull out a candy bar, barely in view of the bookshelf itself from his own annoying angle.

“Guess I will.” The agent murmured, crinkle crinkle of the wrapper while trying to pull it apart. Niklaus succeeded before stuffing the exposed half into his mouth - shuffling over closer now towards the table where he bent down. Not chomping his chocolate bar yet as his hands clasped the edge of the table to support his squatting weight, peering beneath the table and greeted with empty air. With silence did the Agent shuffle further under the table, disappearing from sight briefly before he suddenly popped up on the opposite side of it. “Nof’ing,” he pulled the end of the sweet before biting a chunk out of it on his way back upright. “What are you smelling off that anyways?” He pried no doubt after a hot second, but little knowing that it belonged to Shiro - it wouldn’t even be his immediate assumption. He had waited an answer and amidst it, his attention swiveled about, taking in the current surroundings before nearly landing on the bookshelf Shiro was taking refuge behind. 

Considering that the bandage left behind, by direction that was - Shiro was lucky the light was annoying in here for the more than common tired agent. 

[eeriestatic]

akphaezya​:

      “Eh?” Shiro whispered in response to being called out. When Niklaus’ eyes shot straight in his direction, the strange limb that barely resembled an arm quickly descended under the edge of the table. A strange heat overwhelmed his face, one of embarrassment that trumped over whatever fear he must have had at the time. Still, he opted instead to cover his mouth and pretend he wasn’t there, even if it might have been too late for that.

      Unlike the twin, Shoichi was slow to respond. With a sluggish rotation of his hips, he turned towards the object of Niklaus’ interest and glanced it over with his pupils slit like those of an apex predator. That “hunt” for the unsuspecting white rabbit had its perks though. Little by little, the crazed expression that had been etched into his face started to ease and leave room for neutrality. Even his tense shoulders let up after a while, his fists finally unclenching after what felt like an eternity of his fingernails digging into his palms. All that remained was a slight tremor in his frame and the labored rhythm of his slow breathing.

      “We don’t eat the same shit,” he eventually responded, turning a side glance towards the blonde. He would be lying though if he said he wasn’t curious as to what kind of snacks he had on his person. 

      In grim addition to his foreboding words, he started sniffing the air and turned towards the scent of the familiar smell. It carried him away with jagged footsteps like a wild animal on the prowl, the clinking of his heels chiming his imminent arrival. The sound abruptly stopped when he paused to look over his shoulder at Niklaus, fixing him with an inquisitive gaze as he cocked his brow. 

      “We’re huntin’ wabbits.”

Watching the motion vanish in a mere instant, it made the agent perk up in confusion now and entirely fix attention more on the oddity in the room. Having even paused in his fumbling grip while he was eyeing the environment more as if he thought something abnormal escaped now, and no one knew. But the thing to pull him out of the intrusive thinking was Shoichi’s response, making Niklaus glance at him... If only partial relief since he had an answer despite it being more against his offer than it would be helpful. Eyes peered down at his gear before letting his hands drop to his sides once more. “Well, I didn’t know.” He added - be it he’d save them for himself since that was the kind of answer he got.

However, the strange behaviour that took place unlike Shoichi’s previous demeanour made him raise a brow. Short lived but the agent remained idle while his eyes remained on the skulking company that scoped out interest, not to one he knew(yet). The agent just thought to let him do his thing - or at least planned to until he had those piercing eyes look back at him. Narrowing his own in response before they slacked confused.

“What does that mean?” He murmured audible enough. While finding himself moving this time as well - such a strange aspect but this was likely the first of few times to genuinely interact with the odd personnel. The agent was following Shoichi’s lead but without the flared and painfully dry, at least rolling his steps so they seemed quieter as far as a quiet hunter should be. “Did you hear it too?” Came his vague question. Something about it must’ve been different to not confuse it for just a bystander in the room, especially since Shoichi shown interest only that time.

[eeriestatic]

akphaezya​:

      Before he even had the chance to commit to going on the offensive, his jaw locked up in a rigid and uncomfortable manner. His prior hesitation cost him dearly, every second passed in inertia making it so that his already rigor-like muscles went into a catatonic state. When Niklaus finally released him, his arms  and wrists were contorted with the phantom memory of still clinging onto him while his mouth remained agape, with the slack slowly returning to his jaw. With his head twisted to the side, his posture hunched over and the vacant yet violent look in his eyes, he resembled a rabid beast more than a person. He swayed and jolted unnaturally while he tried to straighten up his body, the same way the mangled corpse of a zombie would recuperate after being knocked down. The masquerade of a human mask he hid behind fell through at that moment, if only for a bit.

      “…hrgh…” he panted, blindly staring at the blurred silhouette in front of him. 

      Unbeknownst to the twin, Shoichi hadn’t heard a single word he said, but only a muffled jumble of words and the awful high-pitched ringing that pierced through his brain. Neither did he hear the small gasps and scuttling footsteps of the very few researchers that were seeking refuge behind the tall shelves, away from their dispute. Only one lone person who was already in the back of the library was making his way against the grain towards the main entrance door. Lithe and quiet as a mouse, he slipped underneath a table to the side of the large room in hopes of listening in on their scuffle. As for seeing them, he was fortunate enough to have eyes on other parts of his body that wouldn’t have been quite as obvious as him peering his head over or underneath the table. With a quick motion, he unrolled the strip of bandage covering his right arm, revealing the countless slits on his afflicted skin up to his elbow. Some of them blinked open with an unnerving squelching sound as he lifted his arm above his head and bent it just out of their view, just enough to catch a glimpse of who it was. 

      “Niklaus? And that’s…” he muttered to himself. The revelation made a cold shiver travel up Shiro’s spine, and when his body trembled involuntarily, it bumped the table just enough for it to make a sudden squeaking noise as its legs got nudged slightly out of place. Given his surprise, though, he didn’t even hear it happen.

Niklaus took little trust in Shoichi’s current state. It was all concerning to say the least but he wasn’t about to let his own worry cloud what could be despite his confidence on handling the matter. But as well as worried for those nearby that scattered, they seemed to get the memo to move along at least without the agent having to make his demands known by a raised voice. All he could do was watch him with a close eye, that any movement could make the agent flinch and jump to action.

The agent wasn’t about to scold him either about it, although he wasn’t sure what necessarily set him off but that wasn’t his main concern. It was making sure he could leave the room without other members putting him on the wringer over a small outburst - that they didn’t have to do that. Even if it wouldn’t have seemed like a favour to him. Niklaus hooked his thumbs into the straps of his vest, idling there for a moment, fumbling with the woven works of the fabric - putting his thoughts together regardless if the other wasn’t going to respond to him.

“You want snacks or something? I got something in my vest, I think.” Not that small talk seemed to be a good thing - it was his effort to try and at least put some ease instead of seeming like a threat. Or to take his mind off the settled focus of what was giving him hell... Be it, the agent had no idea that Shoichi didn’t necessarily eat. One hand moved to fumbling over front of his vest, picking pockets until he heard crinkling in one but not taking much eye off him - trusting his peripheral. But the thing to make him stop and completely take his attention away was the sudden squeak of a stealthy soul in the room.

Cobalt eyes glanced up, immediately trying to pinpoint the sound - casting his gaze off towards the source with a squint. His eyes were still focusing in the light after lifting off Shoichi’s troubled form, but with it, came a word of warning. “Whatever’s going on over there, you better not be trying to radio off help, everything is fine.” Although, squinting harder now... Only came question when his gaze fixed better on the table. “Huh-?”