Video; Action for Violet

[pineapplet]

[Chrome appears on the screen, looking tired and travel-worn, but surprisingly cheerful. She's hanging out outside the Pokemon Center]

Ah, I'm back in Violet for a short time. Mukuro-sama has arrived in Johto now, so, I... [She trails off and smiles lightly, looking very pleased. She missed the man and even without their bond, having him back is a

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[action] YUH-HUH

[fauxearl]

[Not for him. This is normal and wonderful and he hopes she tells Ciel all about this. He lets her go and takes her hands in his, just as he did before, yet instead of spinning her into a dance he brings her hands slowly to his lips and places a kiss on her knuckles. His eyes do not leave hers as he raises himself up and smiles.]

As am I, Chrome. [She was an important piece of the puzzle after all. Important in that she had placed herself as a person of interest. Ciel may have been interested in her, that came as no doubt, but it was Sebastian who seemed almost too protective of Chrome. He smiled for her and put on his sunniest expression.]

I was ill for a few days. [His great acting skills are on display as he mellows out, his voice heavy with emotion. Even his grip on her hands have changed from simply holding to clinging.] ...It was terrible, my lady. It was as if some sort of poison had seeped into my body and rendered me helpless. I had only eaten breakfast, as I am wont to do, when I was overcome by a sickness so debilitating...

[There are tears in his eyes as he speaks, a few roll down his cheek. He lifts his head, shaking the rest out of place. With a shaky breath he puts back on a smile.] But thankfully I had friends who were kind enough to help me. I know that if Ciel were around he would have done the same.

[And had Ciel come near him, he would have found a rusty kitchen knife and returned a past favor but that was neither here nor now. Alois sighed, his little act completed.] I apologize for burdening you with my trivial matters. ...What brings you back here, Chrome?

[action] NOPE

[mosorgans]

[She doesn't really know what to think then, feeling a bit like a rag doll being tossed about in a storm of emotions that is Alois.]

I-I'm sorry that happened to you. You're alright now? [She sort of. Awkward brushes some of his tears away, because it feels like the right thing to do and hesitates when he turns a question like that onto her]

I... The man I mentioned before that saved me in my world is here. I've come to meet him.

[action] .///. STOP BEING SO CUTE

[fauxearl]

I'm fine now. There was a girl who helped me.

[Whether she can tell or not, his expression seems to soften as he mentions "that girl". He had no intention of letting her out of his sight after all she had done for him. There was no one else who would do the same in this new world. He moves away from Chrome, before she is able to wipe away all of his tears. Having one woman (as soft spoken as she was) look after him was nice, but he wasn't too keen on having Chrome baby him as well. He still needed to use her.]

Is he nearby? It would be nice to meet a man you hold in such high esteem, Chrome.

[No it would not. It would be nice to meet a person who may or may not be used against Sebastian.]

[action] wat. get out.

[mosorgans]

[She just lowers her hands in her lap, hesitating]

Mukuro-sama... My master is, ah... [She touches at her eyepatch with a frown, before she turns away, searching for him. It's distressing not to automatically know where he is, to not feel him and know]

I'm not sure where he is, to be honest. He'll find me when he arrives, I'm sure. [And maybe meeting Mukuro would scare him off some. Maybe.]

[action] no. nevah fsdafd /superglues self

[fauxearl]

Your master? [He can see her anxiety. 'Mukuro' was much more than a master to her, that much he could assume. It didn't seem fair to him that Chrome was so close to the one she loved while he -- Alois looked off sadly. No, he had to stay positive. He was here. He... was just preoccupied with Sebastian. That was all.]

[Alois straightens his clothes, more out of habit than for appearance's sake.] How long will it take for him arrive, do you know? We should have ourselves a little fun until then!

[action]

[mosorgans]

Yes. At least, that's the closest thing you could say he is to me.

[She turns back to him, folding her hands in her lap]

...Fun? i... suppose that'd be alright. [Although she's not sure she'd be up to the kind of 'fun' Alois likes]

[action]

[fauxearl]

Yes. Fun. I understand you were traveling with Ciel but there's no reason for you to become as stuffy as he is.

[He grabs her hands and swings her around, laughing all the way.]

Come on no need to be so nervous, Chrome! We're only going to have fun! Just you and I! Isn't that grand? [Spinning, turning, laughing, swaying, dragging -- he stops and presses Chrome close to him again, pointing her towards the direction of Sprout Tower.]

There! There is where we'll have our fun, Lady Chrome.

[mosorgans]

[She lets her self be pulled along, not putting up much of a fuss. She uses it as a sort of warm-up; after all, it should be obvious to Alois by now that Chrome is incredibly flexible and quick on her feet, able to anticipate a move and shift herself accordingly so she won't be hurt in whatever way Alois decides to turn her.

But she swallows hard and shivers as she's pressed against him, turning her head to look at the tower--and it occurs to her she never really bothered to explore it during her stay]

Ah. I've never been in there before... Alright. [She nods lightly in agreement, curious about the tower]

[iridisiridum]

[ god okay why is it that Mukuro cannot even turn his back for a minute (or at least long enough to commit some harmless vending machine theft and destruction) without some touchy-feely pre-pube attempting to grope on chrome. honestly, chrome, so troublesome. etc. etc. tsun. just punch the fucker in the eye or something.

well, fortunately for you, even without being able to read your mind, mukuro can recognize your facial discomfort! also, Mukuro spoke with this brat briefly earlier and his asshole radar is tingling. THEREFORE, BEING AN ASSHOLE HIMSELF, HE WILL INSERT HIMSELF DRAMATICALLY INTO THIS EXCHANGE. ]

Fun tends to have varying definitions, does it not?

[ breaking your teeth, for instance, might be fun. ]

[fauxearl]

[He could get used to dancing with her. He adored the way her body moved, as if it could do anything. She was much more interesting up close. Alois wanted to test her more, find out how else she could keep up with him.

But first he had to pay attention to the stranger-who-really-wasn't-a-stranger. He recognized the man from the gear and if he was allowed a guess, he'd say this was that Mukuro little Chrome spoke so fondly of. Alois rested his head against Chrome's and smiled.]

It does! That's what makes it so versatile. To each their own, as they say.

[He gives Chrome a light squeeze. And here, Mukuro, have a polite and innocent face from Alois. Isn't he the perfect noble child?]

I'll make sure it's something we'll both enjoy, my lady. You're welcome to come along, sir, though I'm sure the antics of children wouldn't amuse you.

[mosorgans]

[Suddenly, a wild Mukuro appears! She gives Mukuro a quiet look that speaks volumes on how she's putting up with Alois because she is a polite girlchild and that she is silently hoping for Mukuro to help her get away. Except that she wants to do this politely and without breaking anyone's teeth, Mukuro, so really, they should think of something better.

Clearly Chrome has a very expressive face to convey all of this, but it's composed and quiet when she looks to Alois, then back again]

Mukuro-sama, this is Alois-san. He's a friend I've made here. [But she looks at Mukuro again, because even without that old thread that connected their minds and bodies, there is still a connection that allows Chrome to 'speak' nonverbally, and her body language and eyes suggest that they're not quite friends, but Chrome doesn't have any other word to describe him with that wouldn't come off as rude]

Alois-san. [She looks to him now and smiles, just slightly] This is Mukuro-sama, my master.

[iridisiridum]

[ The thing about the perfect noble child look is that Mukuro is no stranger to it. He's no stranger to adorable youth or the antics of children; he, in fact, mastered that same smile, that same demeanor, that same charm (that same spirit of play) directly prior to the slaughter of his entire adopted mafiosi relations. So, really, Alois, you and any like you cannot shit Mukuro for a second into believing a veneer of harmlessness and benign intent.

Mukuro stands nearby, fingers itching for the familiar feel of his now absent trident. His hand twitches at his side, as if expecting the length of wood and metal to fall, casually, against his palm. He could make a fist, but he does not. No, nothing so crass, right? Certainly not at this early juncture, and Mukuro watches the hand squeezing Chrome, watches Chrome's eye -- and there's an alert, almost hawklike quality to the way his eyes shift and focus, even while his body remains rigidly fixed. Waiting. Waiting.

Right this moment, his eyes and attention are more tuned towards the boy, but Mukuro does not miss Chrome's signals. ]

Are you quite certain of that?

[ Laughs, casually, as if they're making small talk, although his stance -- the straight shoulders, legs set apart as if he is about to take a swing with an invisible weapon, but there is none, and Mukuro is umoving -- belies his friendly voice. ]

You might be surprised at how mistaken you are.

[ His own child's antics, so long ago, amused him quite greatly. (: ]

Should Chrome wish to leave with you, I should think I will wish to watch. What other form of entertainment do I have in this world?

[fauxearl]

[Mukuro. He may not know what's going on with Chrome but he can see how Mukuro stares at them. He's no stranger to odd looks and glances. Growing up with them, he's figured out the silent language. Alois knows Mukuro does not like him. And he has no plans to endear himself to the other man, for any reason.]

Absolutely. I've found that even in ignorance, people have a way of surprising themselves. [Even if they are full of shit. Like the small talk.]

I'm sure she must want to catch up with her master, so I wouldn't object to letting her go. She is, after all, quite special. But, my lady...

[He lets go of Chrome but only to show some level of respect for Mukuro. Except not really. He still holds her hands in his as he addresses her.] ...should you feel the need to see me, you must only say the word.

[pineapplet]

[Well, at least Alois is letting her go. She looks to him and bows her head politely]

Of course. [She doesn't say "same to you" but only smiles lightly before slipping her hands from his to cross to Mukuro's side again. She reaches for him, to graze her fingers against Mukuro's arm in an expression of comfort--trying to calm him and herself--and glances back to Alois]

I'll be sure to contact you again sometime, Alois-san.

[iridisiridum]

[ What's this? Chrome touching him? Well, that is somewhat unusual -- in the sense of, it is literally unusual, as Mukuro is rather accustomed to being underwater, thank you, and so there is a slight moment of pause, shall we say (not quite to the point of a shiver), though it is not tense; rather, the tension he was feeling before abates slightly, though he does not take his eyes from Alois. Not immediately.

Rather, casually loops his other arm around Chrome's shoulder and, lackadaisically as in all things, effects the appearance of ushering her forward. ]

Yes. Certainly we will have cause to have fun with you again at some point. In this world of curious children and strange animals -- [ ALMOST A SIGH of a pause; figure that out ] -- it seems a given.

Come now, Chrome.