But really I'm not actually your friend

[gallitrap]

WHO: gallitrap and pillowmania
WHERE: KaibaCorp, because somebody actually has a day job
WHEN: Thursday the 22nd, though before this for obvious reasons
WARNINGS: Katurian is his own warning, but at least nobody is dying here.
WHAT: A distinct lack of shanking!
WORDS: yes

Comments

[pillowmania]

[There’s a stuffed lion in front of the door. It appears quite suddenly, as though it slipped in between blinks. That worn, ratty fur. That stray thread exiting its pitch black eye. That rust-colored stain on its stomach. The lion is so much older than the last time Ruka saw it.]

[gallitrap]

[She doesn't notice it at first. Or rather, she notices something has changed, but the flicker of motion at the corner of her vision is miniscule. She ignores it. She wants to get this line down properly before anything else. It's not like she missed a knock at the door, or some dire memorandum.

It's about thirty seconds later that she glances toward the closed door. Five more before she notices the lion on the ground.

That wasn't there before.

Finally she rises; the pencil rolls across the table unattended. When she gets to the door, she picks up the toy with a bewildered expression on her face.]

... What happened to you?

[She remembers this doll.]

[pillowmania]

[Knock knock, goes the sound on the door. Knock knock knock. There's a sort of empty quality to it, a sound half made out of air.

Katurian waits behind it in costume. It's a different sort of costume, though, than his usual. No fake teeth. No stains. His clothing is the softest white, even whiter than the clothing he wore nine years ago. His gloves contain no blades or poisons.]

[gallitrap]

[The noise startles her. Not for the fact it exists, but for the sound of it. A hand knocking on her door isn't supposed to sound like that. But she knows this doll, and knows who's going to be on the other side.

She opens the door and smiles up at the man with the moke-moke face.]

Hello again.

[And she steps aside, inviting him inside. She wouldn't want to have to explain to Kaiba why she was talking to ghosts in the hallway. (There's no such thing as ghosts, he'd say.)]