[fanfic fifty] [heart no kuni] Prompt 23. Solution
Title: Oiling the Gears
Author: spicy_diamond
Fandom: Heart no Kuni no Alice
Characters: Nightmare Gottschalk / Alice Liddle
Table: Four
Prompt: 23. Solution
Rating: G
Challenge: fanfic50
Summary: [Clover] Clover Tower runs like clockwork, broken clockwork, with gears oiled by far too much paperwork and a slacker Caterpillar at the head of it all. Luckily for Gray, Alice has experience with fixing clocks.
Word Count: 598
If Gray had held any reservations about the Foreigner that had come to stay with them at Clover Tower they were quickly assuaged upon seeing Alice in action. Where most girls would have rallied against being uprooted so suddenly from their home, Alice had adapted to the situation. Taking matters into her own hands, she'd done her best to integrate herself into the Tower's small but dedicated workforce; and, by Meeting's end, she had proven herself to be an irreplaceable asset and every bit the kind-hearted girl that Nightmare had described her to be.
Even if she was a tad more unconventional than Gray had initially been expecting.
“Are you sure I can't-”
“No.” Gray glanced up from where he was pulling things out of files and watched as Alice emphasized her point by setting a second stack of papers on Nightmare's desktop. Indifferent to the incubus' wounded pout, she crossed her arms firmly over her chest.
“Just a little...” Nightmare tried again only to be cut off by a curt shake of her head.
“No. No breaks.” Alice repeated firmly. “You already had one earlier.”
“It was only a short one...” Nightmare began then stopped. Flinching in a way that indicated he was receiving a mental scolding on top of the verbal one, he hurriedly defended himself. “I'm not slacking off! I've been working hard! It's not my fault that I'm so important that everyone wants my approval on these things!”
Alice continued to stare hard at Nightmare.
“That- You- Meanie...“ He sniffed hunching further over his paperwork before giving her a sidelong look. “You've been hanging around with Gray recently, haven't you?”
At that, the girl's gaze dropped back to where the ex-assassin was standing. A smile lit her lips.
“Of course! Gray's a fun guy to be around!”
Nightmare sputtered.
“Ah, thank you.” Gray nodded politely
“I'm fun.” Came the automatic, insistent reply as the incubus fidgeted childishly in his seat.
“Hmm, really?” Already busying herself with taking away the few documents that had been completed Alice gave a distracted hum.
Turning away from the desk to go sort her findings, the girl locked eyes with Gray. The beginnings of a mischievous smile lined her lips.
Suppressing a wry grin of his own, he quickly muffled his snort of amusement under the guise of coughing.
“H-hey!” Oblivious to their byplay, Nightmare thrust an accusing finger was towards Alice's retreating back. “What's with that lackluster response! I'm just as fun as Gray I'll have you know!”
Looking for support, he whipped his head in Gray's direction.
“Of course, Nightmare-sama.” The ex-assassin cleared his throat before reciting evenly. “You're a very fun individual.”
Slumping back down in his seat as he realized that, that hadn't quite been the validation he was looking for, Nightmare frowned down at his desktop for a moment before snatching up the nearest pile of papers. Taking up his pen in one hand, he used the other to rap his desk lightly for attention just as Alice made to leave the office.
“Hold it! Don't go anywhere yet! I'm almost done. I just need to finish these two stacks, right?” Glancing quickly at his retainer for confirmation, Nightmare puffed up proudly. “And then we can go out and I'll prove I'm fun too!”
Watching Alice smile brightly as Nightmare dove into his work with unmatched fervor, Gray gave a low sigh, shaking his head lightly.
Kind-hearted, unconventional, and absolutely brilliant.
Author: spicy_diamond
Fandom: Heart no Kuni no Alice
Characters: Nightmare Gottschalk / Alice Liddle
Table: Four
Prompt: 23. Solution
Rating: G
Challenge: fanfic50
Summary: [Clover] Clover Tower runs like clockwork, broken clockwork, with gears oiled by far too much paperwork and a slacker Caterpillar at the head of it all. Luckily for Gray, Alice has experience with fixing clocks.
Word Count: 598
If Gray had held any reservations about the Foreigner that had come to stay with them at Clover Tower they were quickly assuaged upon seeing Alice in action. Where most girls would have rallied against being uprooted so suddenly from their home, Alice had adapted to the situation. Taking matters into her own hands, she'd done her best to integrate herself into the Tower's small but dedicated workforce; and, by Meeting's end, she had proven herself to be an irreplaceable asset and every bit the kind-hearted girl that Nightmare had described her to be.
Even if she was a tad more unconventional than Gray had initially been expecting.
“Are you sure I can't-”
“No.” Gray glanced up from where he was pulling things out of files and watched as Alice emphasized her point by setting a second stack of papers on Nightmare's desktop. Indifferent to the incubus' wounded pout, she crossed her arms firmly over her chest.
“Just a little...” Nightmare tried again only to be cut off by a curt shake of her head.
“No. No breaks.” Alice repeated firmly. “You already had one earlier.”
“It was only a short one...” Nightmare began then stopped. Flinching in a way that indicated he was receiving a mental scolding on top of the verbal one, he hurriedly defended himself. “I'm not slacking off! I've been working hard! It's not my fault that I'm so important that everyone wants my approval on these things!”
Alice continued to stare hard at Nightmare.
“That- You- Meanie...“ He sniffed hunching further over his paperwork before giving her a sidelong look. “You've been hanging around with Gray recently, haven't you?”
At that, the girl's gaze dropped back to where the ex-assassin was standing. A smile lit her lips.
“Of course! Gray's a fun guy to be around!”
Nightmare sputtered.
“Ah, thank you.” Gray nodded politely
“I'm fun.” Came the automatic, insistent reply as the incubus fidgeted childishly in his seat.
“Hmm, really?” Already busying herself with taking away the few documents that had been completed Alice gave a distracted hum.
Turning away from the desk to go sort her findings, the girl locked eyes with Gray. The beginnings of a mischievous smile lined her lips.
Suppressing a wry grin of his own, he quickly muffled his snort of amusement under the guise of coughing.
“H-hey!” Oblivious to their byplay, Nightmare thrust an accusing finger was towards Alice's retreating back. “What's with that lackluster response! I'm just as fun as Gray I'll have you know!”
Looking for support, he whipped his head in Gray's direction.
“Of course, Nightmare-sama.” The ex-assassin cleared his throat before reciting evenly. “You're a very fun individual.”
Slumping back down in his seat as he realized that, that hadn't quite been the validation he was looking for, Nightmare frowned down at his desktop for a moment before snatching up the nearest pile of papers. Taking up his pen in one hand, he used the other to rap his desk lightly for attention just as Alice made to leave the office.
“Hold it! Don't go anywhere yet! I'm almost done. I just need to finish these two stacks, right?” Glancing quickly at his retainer for confirmation, Nightmare puffed up proudly. “And then we can go out and I'll prove I'm fun too!”
Watching Alice smile brightly as Nightmare dove into his work with unmatched fervor, Gray gave a low sigh, shaking his head lightly.
Kind-hearted, unconventional, and absolutely brilliant.