17 :: Like a Steel Sieve [Action/Accidental Voice]

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[There is a man with long, white hair currently sitting on the edge of a fountain in the center of some stupidly quaint, little village. Even though he's trying not to show it, he's clearly disoriented. The morning began badly with him waking in a forest, feeling bruises on his body and a dried cut on his face that he has no memory of receiving.

Comments

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[Here's Mammon, eying the yelling man and wishing the Malnosso had taken away his voice for a change. Now it's safe to return to the Varia house but... Sometimes she wonders why she puts up with it, others she finds it entertaining enough to make up for all the noise.]

Mu~, you're back sooner that I expected. Tired of playing damsel in distress with the Malnosso already?

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[He sends an icy glare in this cloaked person's direction and studies them carefully. The Malnosso huh? Well, that's some information at least. She might know more, but goddammit. Damsel in distress? That was uncalled for.]

VOOOOII! You can just fuck off! [And the worthless journal is chucked at the new arrival's head.]

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[Mammon just, dodges the journal easily, he has thrown worse things at her.]

As charming as ever, I see. Are you planning to go back home soon or do you want more vacation time?

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Home? [The question slips out before he can catch it. Are they housemates? Not wanting to give anything more away at the moment, he stretches his legs out in front of him and leans back lazily on his hands]

I'll think about it. Maybe I'm enjoying myself.

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[Pity, that small slip puts Mammon in warning. Squalo is not someone to let things slip out and that "home?" is just too suspicious, however the attitude is correct, it's Squalo. And she can't sense any illusion working there, she could poke with her telepathy but that would make things too easy.

She feigns a sigh before she sits besides him, all natural and casual.]

Mu~, don't say it like that. You make it sound as if you don't enjoy being with us, are you still angry with him? Bel and me thought you would let it go once you were back, you're always the one saying family has to stick together after all.

[Half lies, half truths. Squalo IS the one who annoys them all the most to stay together in that house after all, Xanxus couldn't care less.]

[Action]

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[What. Whaaaat? He feels an impulse to lean away from her, but he doesn't. Instead, he's silent a moment trying to process this information. Making a scoffing sound, he gives an answer he figures could possibly go either way.]

Don't be stupid. Am I the type to hold a grudge?

[No really. Is he? He doesn't know.]

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Mu~, no... And yes. It depends on how angry you are I suppose.

[She shrugs innocently. Isn't she a good actress? Then again the fact that half of her face is hidden helps a lot.]

But you should be already used to him being that way, right? You can't still be angry for it... Unless there was something else in the whole discussion.

[Action]

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Hn. [A highly articulate response to be sure, but he can't seem to manage much more. Keeping up the charade is getting harder by the minute. Already he feels he's barely keeping his head above water. Even if they are presumably family, he wants a few more details before he gives in, like who the hell this "him" person is anyway. Frowning, he focuses his gaze on a random point across the way.]

And what would you know about the discussion?

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Basically the same I know about all your other discussions. You start yelling, he growls, you yell more, he throws a glass at your head, you yell even more and add threats with the sword, he throws more stuff at your head... You can't win so you come and yell at us.

[Waves a hand innocently.]

That's all there's to know about your discussions normally, the trigger can be something silly as no one doing the dishes that day and leaving the work to you... To him being picky about what to eat and wanting you to go out in the middle of a storm to get him some specific meat.

The difference this time was that you left the house and then were kidnapped. [A heartbeat before she feigns to make a wild guess.] It was because he doesn't pay you enough attention, right? You don't feel loved enough.

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[He looks over to her with a blank face and blinks. Seriously? He puts up with that kind of shit? That doesn't seem right. And what's this about not feeling loved. She has to be trying to pull something over on him. He gapes a bit, jaw working in silence, before he manages to spit something out.]

WHAAAAT! The hell are you talking about?!

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[The best part of it all? She doesn't have to even try to come up with lies, just... Decorate the truth in a way she likes. And it doesn't even take that much of thinking either.

She still feigns an exasperated sigh, as if they have had this conversation before already.]

Oh, come on Squalo, you're the only one who still thinks you're fooling someone. He couldn't care less about what others know, we don't care either, whatever floats your boat, we are still family. You're the only one still freaking over it, but really, it's not working, drop it already.

Your life just revolves around him, your work, your skills, even your frigging hair. You can say it's just you being loyal all you want but no one would put up with all the things you do if it was just a matter of loyalty.

[Really sometimes she doesn't even have to decorate it at all... Then again...] And no matter how loyal you can be, there's no way you can explain the "sweetie" thing without giving away your not-so-secret secret.

[Action]

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I AM NOT FREAKING OUT!

[Okay. So, maybe he is. BUT it's not for the reason she's implying - not yet anyway. He'll deal with that later when he actually, hopefully, starts to remember things. This is so much to take in. He just needs to...breath. That's right. Breath. Breathing is good. He pinches the bridge of his nose a moment then inhales deeply. Alright, now he can start to go back over things. She called him Squalo. That's what the brat in the journals said too, so it must be right. And then she said something about the "secret" and...]

SWEEETIE?! [No, no. Oh, hell no. What?]

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[Mammon just stares, from under her hood, though she's not really staring but calculating by his reactions. Still Squalo, but obviously lacking his memories. Even if she was right about there being more than mere loyalty in his attitude towards Xanxus, even if the sweetie thing was true... There's no way Squalo would react that way, he would probably either excuse it or threat her, or even deny it. Not just, repeat it with that expression of shock.]

Squalo?

... You seem a bit off but... I'm starting to get scared.

[Oh look at her, body language expressing confussion, hesitation. If she wasn't in the mafia she should have tried to get a career as an actress.]

[Action]

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[Oh, that's right. That's him. Squalo frowns at her then starts laughing. The fact that she's worried and that this might make her more so doesn't mean much to him at the moment. He has his own problems.]

Off, huh? Is that right? [Talk about an understatement]

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[More like "you are so useless you allowed them to take away all your memories" than off, but who cares about being precise? Mammon doesn't.]

Yes, off... I don't know if you're angry or what at this moment.

[Lies, but she plays the part so well!]

Xanxus has been really worried about you while you were gone... Not that he said it, mu~, but he obviously wants you back at home.

[And again not a complete lie, though Xanxus would kill her so much that not even the Malnosso would be able to fix her if he heard that.]

[Action]

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Voi! I'm not angry. I...Xanxus?

[Absolutely none of this is ringing a bell, and he's well aware he's doing a poor job of faking it. This is getting way to complicated. Squalo gives her a hard look, trying to divine something, anything, from her. But it doesn't work, and he lets out a huff of air in frustration.]

You know what? Fuck it. I don't know who Xanxus is, and I don't know who the hell you are either. Care to shed some light?