in the midst of a crowd going and coming

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

[Kyouya is trying to work, sitting on a couch near the ballroom.]

[Status report:

-Headphones: around the neck, chiming out performances by Martha Argerich, Idil Biret, and Arthur Rubinstein.
-Notebook: in hand, being written in.
-Pile of broken pens: rather large and to the left.
-Pen in hand: just now snapping under the pressure of his thumb.]

[Kyouya sighs and puts the broken pen in the pile.] Meritless. [It is a word that means the same to him as violent curses mean to others.]

[Blindly, he reaches out to the right for a new pen. He grabs nothing.]

[His eyes narrow on the empty space where new pens should be. From the look on his face, it would not be ridiculous to infer that every pen manufacturer in Japan will be exiled from the country if a new pen does not miraculously appear in his hands within the next minute.]

Comments

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

The mansion isn't an option. [Kyouya is very firm on that.] The greatest problem is that we will not be treating our usual customers. The demographics are very scattered.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[his fox yawns a little and curls up on Kaoru's lap.] No? Why not? And maybe having a varied demographic will help. Should make things interesting, at least.

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

That varied demographic includes murderers. So unless you're interested in dying twice, it's a problem.

[Another pen breaks. And if someone looked closely, they might see the tremble in Kyouya's fingers that reveals the tenseness which keeps breaking his pens.]

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[frowns, perhaps noticing the tremble, then he shrugs, his tone seemingly flippant] Hmmm. Sure, why not? The first time was pleasant. Bring them on, I say.

[of course, he doesn't really mean any of it. the thought of dying again petrifies him]

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

You're going to hurt someone if you keep saying careless things like that.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[sighs] Honestly, Kyouya-sempai, do you really think I'd want to go through that again?

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

And do you think it doesn't bother people when you say that sort of thing?

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[shrugs and waits for another pen to snap] You seem to be doing all right, aside from a little pen trouble.

[why yes, he's intentionally goading you]

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

[That is a lot of violent force that Kaoru is goading.] I'm not concerned with myself.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[pets the sleeping fox and scoops him up to move him to the other end of the couch, the fox still fast asleep before]

Will you be once you've run out of pens again? That's a lot of ink you're wasting, you know.

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

When I run out of pens, I will be concerned for the nearest person.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

Moving on to breaking fingers instead? Have Tachibana and co. been teaching you some tricks? Or have you asked the sempai the best way to do it?

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

It's not something I need instruction in.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[casually] Given the chance, I'm sure you'd like to break mine, wouldn't you, Kyouya-sempai?

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

Of course not. That would be too much effort to make saleable.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

I did say 'given the chance', so we're only talking in theory here, or with the possibility that Roxas is around on the Plane and I can call him up to heal any broken appendages.

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

Roxas can perform healing magic? That may be helpful. Thank you, Kaoru.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[sighs heavily and shrugs, knowing his tactics just aren't working] Yeah, whatever.

[then he thinks about what Haruhi said to him.] You know Kyouya-sempai, you don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm not going to do that again. And with this teleporting thing, I can get us to safety! ...I think. I haven't tried it with actual people yet. Just the tea set.

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

[Kyouya looks up at Kaoru, the surprise clear on his face. He settles into a smile and looks back at his notebook.] You shouldn't believe everything Haruhi tells you.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[casually, though in this case, it should be read as 'shifty'] I don't know what you're talking about.

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

Really? My mistake. [He does not seem to consider himself mistaken. Nor does he seem very upset. Perhaps Haruhi has his number after all.]

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[glances over at his fox still asleep on the other couch cushion. goodness it's lazy!]

Anything I can do to help?

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

[Five minutes earlier, he might have brushed Kaoru off. But now he writes something down in his notebook, considers for a moment, and speaks.] If you have any further reports of people on the Plane.

[maturelildevil.livejournal.com]

[ah, he has a feeling this would come up and pulls out his cellphone.] Few more this time. There was someone who could have been a threat, but I haven't seen him around in a while. Called himself Dr. Horrible and seemed convinced that he was now in control of the Plane, but so much for that, huh?

There's Kuhn, but he's a good guy. Definitely get along with him, but he managed to change his sex at one point. Think it was one of those experiments.

And there's Merlin, and he definitely has 'commoner' written all over him, but not in the same way as Haruhi. I think he's from a more medieval time, somewhere in Europe, and he's definitely a servant. He was cleaning shoes by hand and wanted to get water from a well instead of the sink! It was almost pathetic.

Oh, and Remus, but I've already told you a bit about him. Wizard, fights in a resistance against an evil wizard named Voldemort, and knows a spell that can knock you out instantly--and one that can kill you. The latter is forbidden though, and Remus seems the type who would only use it as a last resort.

That's all I have.

[hostclubmommy.livejournal.com]

[Kyouya taps his pen against his clipboard for a moment.] When we host the Tanabata festival, I would like some people with powers to be on standby for potential problems. This is the only security I can arrange.