Magic & Medicine [ Ren & Kouyou]
There was perhaps only a brief moment in which the warlock spared the thought that it was entirely possible that he was causing a perfectly friendly request for help into a series of small regrets for having approached the warlock at all. It was fleeting, of course, and thereforeKouyou disposed of the thought as quickly as he had conjured it. Even were he discouraging the fellow who dared communicate with him, the warlock felt no form of sympathy or regret for his harsh verbal tones.
It seemed to drive home the idea that his time was not something he was willing to waste on someone incapable, because the male coworker returned his gaze with a sort of conviction that spoke more firmly than his words did. His words were feeble, at best, and had the warlock been judging the other based on that solely, he would have turned on his heel and walked away without consenting to help with anything.
“You can promise whatever you want, I don’t take promises seriously. Only effort and result matters to me.” This useless thing. Kouyou was irritated beyond belief already, and if that irritable fuse continued to spark in increments that, should it reach the peak point, it would be unfavorable to the nurse. At least this time around, he got the name correct instead of attaching a ‘sensei’ to the end.
Eyes bearing the hues of darkest brown took their time sizing up the nurse, evaluating anything in particular that would indicate grounds for a useful trade. Since he did seem fairly earnest in his desire to attain knowledge of magic for medicinal usage, the warlock decided to let him off easy this once. Hopefully it would deter him from seeking out his guidance again in the future. “Helping people. Pah.” The warlock reached out and without asking, plucked a few strands of the nurse’s colored hair straight from the roots. “I will take this as our exchange.” The warlock said, encasing them as he spoke within the dimensions of an airborne box that he summoned to keep the strands until they could reach his office. “Follow me.” Without another word, he turned and led the way to the witches‘ tower.
Ren tried to maintain eye contact with the professor in front of him, but it was just...difficult. The man radiated cold and darkness. His words and even his tone made Ren flinch even though, at this point he was being much less hostile than before. Ren was beginning to think that the professor could be talking about his deep love for puppies and cupcakes and it would still sound terrifying to the sensitive moon sprite.
He kept his eyes downcast but nodded obediently as the professor stated promises carried no weight with him. Ren could definitely respect his result-oriented nature. His reaction to Ren's value in helping people, well, it didn't surprise him. He expected that sort of response from the sour-faced man.
What he did not expect was to feel hair suddenly being pulled from his head. Ren balked, eyes wide. He lifted a hand, gingerly rubbing the area on his scalp that was screaming from having his hair wrenched out. Ren continued to stare with wide eyes as the professor actually encased his hair in a box, presumably for future use.
Ren's heart began to pound wildly. This was...this was bad. There were many people in the world who, if they had a few strands of your hair for whatever reason, it wouldn't matter. In some cultures at one point or another it had even been considered romantic to have a lock of someone's hair that was special to you.
A grouchy warlock was NOT someone you wanted to have possession of a piece of your person.
Ren was so distraught that he nearly missed the professor's order to follow him. He flinched and then stumbled forward after him. "T-t-takashima-san? Wh-what exactly are you going to do with that hair?" Ren choked out nervously as he struggled to keep up with his pace while he led him to the Witches Tower.













