Day 27: Library

[not_rly_fai]

Libraries, he'd found, were rarely as dull as people made them out to be.  Though he felt no magic in these tomes, they were still full of useful information.  Maybe some of them could tell him a little bit more about this world he'd landed himself in.

For that matter, why hadn't he run into any of the others yet?  They'd all been fairly close

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[hellmunchkin]

Phibrizzo was happy to see the end of lunch roll around. The incident with the fat man had been too close for his liking, though Gluttony had been sedated before he could cause much a scene. Hiding out in the library would be convenient as well- he would bury his face into a book and scheme whilst pretending to read. Hopefully the book alone would be enough to shield him from the Chimera's roaming eyes.

Still, to be safe, he barricaded himself into a corner that was Zelgadis-free at the moment. Pulling up a random book of poetry, the Mazoku lord attempted to blend in and go unnoticed.

[axe_of_oath]

It wasn't until Gremio stepped into the library that he realized just how long it had been since he'd been around so many books. He'd never been particularly bookish as a child--growing up in a fishing village like Kirov meant less time to read in favor of more time out on his father's boat. And after he joined the military, well... there just hadn't been any time at all for that. He'd read to Tir when he was a little boy, certainly, and he'd probably thumbed through more cookbooks than most housewives, but that was about all

[hellmunchkin]

Phibrizzo peered over the top of his book, sweeping the area and making certain Zelgadis was nowhere to be seen. Once convinced of this, he lowered the tome and presented a most amicable smile. "Sure, mister! I would love the company!"

...and the shielding. If Gremio was there and Hellmaster scooted over slightly, the only angle anyone could see him from was...

[axe_of_oath]

... Oh sweet lord, now Gremio's mother senses were tingling.

"Ah... thank you very much," he said, smiling warmly as he took a seat next to the boy. He couldn't help but wonder, though. Just how old was this boy? How had he ended up here in the first place? He certainly hoped his case was a rarity; it was bad enough for young girls like Miku and Haruhi (both Haruhis) to be stuck here, but for an actual child...

"If you don't mind my asking, what's your name?"

[hellmunchkin]

Phibrizzo grinned. "Me? I'm Lei!"

That was the second time he had to hide behind Lei Magnus's name. He probably should have done it from the start, but he hadn't expected anyone who knew (besides Xelloss, of course) to show up. It didn't make sense; why had mother put the chimera here as well, unless he had some undiscovered purpose as well. Maybe instead of running from him, the Mazoku lord decided, he should just make him look like a liar. Yes, that might be a better plan...

"I mean,..." he added sheepishly and trailed off. He looked about as if a bit concerned, but quickly held his book back up and went back to hiding. "Oh, I wish I could tell you, Mister, but I don't want him to find out!"

[axe_of_oath]

... Oh dear. That didn't sound good at all, now, did it? "'Him'?" Gremio repeated, tilting his head in concern. "Is there someone after you? Are you in some sort of trouble?" Other than the obvious, of course. Was there someone else here, besides the doctors and nurses and monsters, that meant to hurt this child? Someone from his own world, perhaps? "I'm afraid I'm limited in what I can do, but I'll help you in any way I can?"

[hellmunchkin]

Phibrizzo feigned sadness. "I...really, mister, it's not something I should involve you in. Someone...Oh, please. Forget I said anything!"

He continued to look pained, as if hiding a deep sorrow that begged Gremio to probe further and save this child. He rather hoped he would.

[axe_of_oath]

Thankfully for Phibrizzo, Gremio was every bit as much of a sucker as he probably looked.

"There, there, now," he said, patting the boy on the shoulder. "You can tell me, alright? I won't let anyone hurt you." There was simply no excuse for making a child look so sad. Gremio couldn't stand for it.

[hellmunchkin]

Phibrizzo protested once again, insisting that he didn't want to involve others, but eventually hanging his head and simply stating, "The man who murdered my parents is here."

Keeping on reeeeeellin' him in...

[axe_of_oath]

His parents... oh, the poor thing! Gremio brought a hand to his mouth in shock, eyes warmed with sympathy. "Good heavens, how terrible." He certainly couldn't let this rest. Not at all. "Now, now, it's alright. You don't need to be afraid of him, okay?" He smiled a little, giving that shoulder a small, soothing squeeze. "Until you're safely at home again, I'll protect you with my life, alright? Everything's going to be just fine."

[hellmunchkin]

Phibrizzo sniffled. "I don't understand, mister," he said, as if fighting back tears, "My father just wanted them to leave us alone and they sent him. I can still remember..." Rather than saying WHAT he remembered, Phibrizzo instead grabbed Gremio and buried his face into him. "No one ever believes me... he's so good at manipulating everyone..."

[axe_of_oath]

"Shh, there, there; there, there..." Gremio wrapped his arms around him, stroking the boy's back tenderly. "You don't need to worry about that now. I believe you, alright? I believe you." Of course he did. What reason would this poor boy have to lie?

[hellmunchkin]

"But...but..." Phibrizzo "wiped his eyes" and tilted his face up towards Gremio. "But he said such horrible things about me back home! That I was a demon lord and that I only took this form to trick people and that I was really very evil and that my parents were just as awfully and..." He buried his face back into Gremio, shuddering and "sobbing" some more. "IT'S NOT FAIR, MISTER! Everyone's always so superstitious and believes the first talk of demons they hear!"

[axe_of_oath]

"It's okay, it's okay!" Gremio managed a small, strained smile (how could he really smile for him, when confronted with a story like that?), absently petting the boy's hair. "You know that he's lying, don't you? So you needn't trouble yourself over things that aren't true. All you have to do is make them understand the truth. That's how a good man handles himself, right?"

[hellmunchkin]

Phibrizzo sobbed louder. "But I can't! No one ever believes me! I thought it was really bad to be here with the monsters and everything, but then he showed up and now I know they brought me here to kill me, because he killed my family and turned everyone against us, and he wants to do it again, I know it!" His grip tightened. "I don't know what to do, mister! If I say anything, he'll know I'm here and come after me, but if I don't say anything, he'll turn everyone against me again and THEN kill me!"

It was nice to have someone as gullible as Gremio to talk to. Phibrizzo suspected he had great potential...

[axe_of_oath]

"Now, now, dear, no one's going to kill you, and everyone's not going to turn against you." He didn't see how anyone could. Poor thing... he really was just a child. "Stop crying now, alright?" he said, tugging Phibrizzo a little closer. "That's not going to fix any of this. Just trust me, alright? You're going to be fine."