Noble Decadence (Faust)

[Miguel Van Helsing]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212] THIS IS A GAME. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES. “I heard that your wine business is doing quite nicely. Care to share your secret?” “Have you heard about Vegapunk’s new little toys? I hear they’re going to get rid of pirate pests soon.” “Oh, no! I won’t be giving up my wine business anytime soon, Mr. John.” “I’m here to make you a business proposition. How’s about it Monsieur Brandon?” Mindless chatter blended in with the light, happy melody of the violins and the dark somber tones of the cello, along with many other instruments that Miguel couldn’t be bothered to recognize. The dance floor was filled with waltzing dancers while the sidelines were alive with the various nobles as they chatted away about this and that while the servers hovered around them with plates of appetizers on their hands, ready to serve them at a moment’s notice. All in all, it seemed to be like the perfect, idyllic party for the rich and powerful. Heck, even the decorations seemed to convey the message with all of the elegant white and gold décor that just littered the place in what would pass for tasteful in their civilization. Miguel found it all absolutely revolting. If there was nothing for Miguel in this little pointless show of wealth and power, he would have never come even though he was required to do so as one of the Admirals of the Marines. Alas, there were far too many opportunities to further his personal goals here with all of the weak and spoiled bigwigs that were also in attendance, so he was pretty much forced to attend if he ever wanted to see his dream come to pass. Still, it did not stop the Shandian from feeling the anger coursing through his veins at the sight of all the slaves he could see that were thinly-disguised as servants and trophy wives. Sure they were disguised, but to his experienced eyes there were as obvious as neon signs. To think that these wretches had the gall to parade such things in front of him! It was utterly disgraceful. Why, if he only had a shred of undeniable evidence that these monsters had bought these slaves along with an unbiased court that wasn’t controlled by their fat pockets, he would have them all thrown into jail or executed for this heinous insult. As it was though, he was powerless to do anything but stand in a corner and watch, bound by the very oath of duty he had taken when he had entered the Marine Corps. Sometimes, being the bastion of honor and justice sucked. TAGGING: FAUST | WORDS: 430 | NOTES: WELL THIS ONE ISN'T BROKEN

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[Faust Eisenritter]

Faust was no stranger to the rather unpleasant side of the Marines and the World Government. This fancy dinner - this extravagant event - was little more than that unpleasantness dressed up nicely. It wasn't in Faust's nature to be so sour, yet at the same time he'd seen and experienced a lot in the Marines. He was well aware just how unpleasant the World Government could be. Right now he found himself lost amidst a sea of aristocrats and 'servers'. The dark haired man kept his arms folded as he stood by a table, surveying the whole area. He ran his mechanical hand through his hair, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. He was never the most formal person, having grown up amongst the common folk of Water 7.

Looking over to the table beside him he caught a glimpse of the drinks and wandered over, looking through the selection. If he was going to make it through the night, he told himself, he needed some alcohol in him. Taking a glass and a bottle he poured the wine, watching as the red liquid filled the glass. As soon as he was done he set the bottle of wine down, turning back towards the room. Dancers and entertainers, kings and aristocrats, propositions and handshakes - the whole room was full of it. He downed some of his drink quickly, gulping. The sooner he was at least buzzed, the better. He let out a sigh, which was overwhelmed by the noise of the room. But this time as he looked across the room, he caught sight of another who was, needless to say, uncomfortable with his situation.

He stood in a corner, but his height betrayed him, making him stand out. Possessing a pair of silvery wings, it didn't take long for the Admiral to recognize him - Admiral Gintaka. He was only a young man, but he'd already come quite far in the Marines. But Faust could see an unease in him. Looking around, Faust decided to approach slowly. Rather than walk across the middle of the room he went around, avoiding the nobles and their discussions. Despite his low mood, Faust put on a smile as he always did, approaching the fellow Admiral slowly as he raised his glass to the man.

"Admiral Gintaka!" Faust spoke in a lax manner, coming to a stop just a foot or two away from the Shandian. He gave a small wave with his mechanical hand before resting his hand on his hip. His flesh hand continued to grip the glass of wine, almost waiting to raise the glass to his lips again. "Not get a drink for yourself?"

[Miguel Van Helsing]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212] THIS IS A GAME. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES. “Admiral Gintaka!” At the sound of the very familiar deep voice cutting through the idle chatter, blue gray eyes turned to the right and easily spotted the face to go with that voice. Given that all of the admirals were expected to be at this party, Miguel expected to see one of them at this party sooner or later. Impeccable timing too, as he was already contemplating going out to get some fresh air soon before all of this started to really fray at his nerves. ”Admiral Kokuro.” Miguel turned his full attention towards his fellow admiral and gave him an acknowledging nod, eager to take his eyes away from blood-boiling sight. At the follow-up question though, Miguel had to resist the urge to twitch his eyebrow. That had to be the hundredth question he had received about his refusal to consume alcohol –or anything else in the party, really- in the party since he had arrived. It was bad enough when most of the partygoers spent a lot of time gawking at him and his wings, but did they really have to keep asking too? It was seriously irritating, especially since he knew that he can’t. Why can’t he? The deal with those old men forced him to maintain the image of the virtuous warrior angel, which unfortunately included a clause wherein he wasn’t allowed to indulge in any vice in public. That included alcohol. It was easily one of the most difficult clauses he had to follow, especially since he actually liked the stuff and only pretended that he didn’t. Frankly, he had lost count of the number of times he had to refuse alcohol in his career as a marine. It made him feel somewhat guilty that he was distancing himself further from his subordinates and the other marines, but it had to be done. ”No, Admiral.” Miguel steeled his jaw. ”You know I do not partake of such drinks.” He paused for a moment before letting his jaw relax again. ”Perhaps I will find some suitable non-alcoholic refreshment later.” He probably wouldn’t. TAGGING: FAUST | WORDS: 346 | NOTES: ENVYING FREEDOM

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[Faust Eisenritter]

"Really? You look like you could use one," the Admiral responded with a chuckle, taking another sip from his glass of wine as he looked up towards Admiral Gintaka. Not that Faust was short, but Miguel was very tall. It made Faust wonder if he had some Giant ancestry in him, although the truth was that no one really knew where the Admiral had come from. The World Government certainly liked to say he was an angel sent by God, but Faust had worked for the World Government long enough to know that not everything they did was good and honest. It was rather unfortunate.

Faust glanced across the room for a moment, looking around at all the men chatting with one another as the servers moved to and fro. It was difficult to imagine how anyone could feel comfortable surrounded by "Servants" and "Entertainers".

"You can feel free to call me Faust, by the way. Feels more natural," he remarked as he turned back to the "Angel". "Not like this place, I guess. Mandatory attendance, am I right? They never make it mandatory to attend anything fun, do they?".

Faust figured he had to break the ice somehow. Even if he didn't exactly speak to the other Admirals often, he still considered them better company than the aristocrats in the room. Considering how Faust often tried to get on people's good sides, that said something. He naturally tried to be friendly with people, but places like this made him feel just that tiny bit less friendly and that tiny bit more isolated. At least with the other Admiral, he could make some kind of small talk. That, and alcohol, ought to keep him going throughout the night. He took another small sip of his wine. Staring up to the taller Admiral, he spoke again.

"Mind if I call you Miguel?".

[Miguel Van Helsing]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212] THIS IS A GAME. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES. Really, Admiral, if only you knew. If Miguel had been a more laid-back and jovial person, he would have honestly laughed in the other admiral’s face at the observation because frankly, he needed more than just one drink around these cretins. In fact, he actually needed to be wasted in order to soothe his raging temper! Only that and punching a couple of these monsters in the face would make him even the least bit happy at this stupid party. Miguel didn’t bother to respond to the other admiral’s comment. He had already said his piece; he didn’t need to say anything more to get his point across. Instead, he simply watched the shorter admiral as he took another brief look around. He didn’t need his Mantra to know that the man looked mildly uncomfortable just looking at them. Understandable, considering he most likely also knew the truth about those servants and entertainers those nobles brought with them for the party. It was nice to that there was someone else with decency around here! The Shandian watched as the admiral turned back to him and requested that he call him Faust instead of his title. He almost replied that he would rather stick with formalities out of habit, but he was beaten to speaking up by the other admiral, who commented on the uncomfortable party. ”If it were fun, they wouldn’t need to make it mandatory.” Miguel pointed out with a raised eyebrow. ”People would flock to it anyway.” Miguel then stared at the other admiral for a few moments after he spoke his next piece, not showing a single expression on his face as his blue gray eyes threatened to burn holes in the admiral’s head with their intense gaze. It wasn’t the first time that he had asked this, and he had a feeling that it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Would it really be so bad to try and build up a rapport? His traitorous mind whispered. Surely a little familiarity with comrades wouldn’t hurt? With that in mind, Miguel finally spoke. ”That would be alright… Faust.” TAGGING: FAUST | WORDS: 350 | NOTES: ENVYING FREEDOM

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[Faust Eisenritter]

"Very true!" Faust snickered, bemused by the younger man's remark. The young man probably wasn't trying to be funny, but Faust was a man who liked to laugh and smile, even in places like this. It was probably the only way you could deal with these kinds of situations anyway. He took another sip of his glass, seeing that it was now half-empty. Lowering the glass down from his face he looked back to the younger, taller man, still smiling a little as he mused over what Miguel had said. "If we were invited to a karaoke bar, I don't think I would've waited for an invite!".

A little-known fact was that Faust was actually fond of singing. It usually involved copious amounts of alcohol, granted, but he enjoyed singing songs, and he possessed a decent singing voice. Not incredible, but not half bad. Naturally, it almost went without saying that when the Seventh Fleet hosted a celebration, Faust would be ready to grab a Den Den Mushi and sing into it for all to hear. It was always fun. But then, Faust briefly wondered, did Miguel sing? People often went on about ideas of the "Gates of Heaven" being accompanied by a "chorus of angels". It made him wonder if Miguel had any singing experience whatsoever. Continuing to look up towards the young man, he spoke.

"Do you sing?" he asked, curious. He knew a lot of people enjoyed singing, but Miguel was a bit more of a mystery. He seemed a lot more reserved than most people, but surely he had a much less inhibited side to him, didn't he? Faust obviously couldn't claim he knew, but he wasn't entirely convinced that the whole "Holy Angel" thing was all that he had going on. He had to have hobbies, after all. "Always a great laugh, getting on a stage piss-drunk and singing. Although, I guess you don't have to be drunk...".

[Miguel Van Helsing]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212] THIS IS A GAME. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES. For a moment, Miguel’s eyes held the slightest hint of amusement in them as they watched the admiral snicker. It was good to know that he got the joke even though he also stated it as a fact. However, the admiral probably didn’t know that he was making light of the situation due to his perfectly-serious deliver… but then again, no one else knew that either since his default tone tended to be so calm and serious. Eh, it was their loss. Not his. At the karaoke bar comment, Miguel let his head tilt a bit in curiosity. Usually, most marines would just mention a bar or a restaurant in general. Why so specific? He couldn’t quite remember what these Blue Sea folk used a karaoke bar for since he wasn’t one for group recreation –especially not with that contract hanging over his head- but it was probably very important in order to figure out why Faust had singled that particular kind of bar out. Faust’s next comment only served to confuse him further. Sing…? Miguel was already mentally furrowing his brows at what seemed to be a non-sequitur. What does that have anything to do with this karaoke bar? He stared blankly at the shorter admiral for a few moments as he continued to blather on about getting on a stage and singing while drunk of all things, before it finally hit him. Of course! It was so obvious! A karaoke bar was where humans and other Blue Sea folk get together and sing while having drinks. Well, that was what one of his past superiors told him anyway since he’d personally never indulged in it. Just because he’s never been to a karaoke bar doesn’t mean that he’s never sung before, of course. Singing and dancing were one of the favourite nightly pastimes and celebration methods for the Shandians and sometimes even the Birkans. He used to be pretty good at it when he was younger because he had to be good at something after he kept screwing up in his spars. Unfortunately, he hasn’t sung in years ever since he had gone to these blue seas. His voice has changed drastically since then, so he honestly didn’t know if he still could. And so, Miguel let honesty guide his answer. ”Perhaps.” Before the other admiral could say anything else, Miguel quickly turned the tables around on him. ”How about you, Faust?” TAGGING: FAUST | WORDS: 404 | NOTES: ENVYING FREEDOM

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[Faust Eisenritter]

"Of course!" he answered, smiling to himself. It was clearly something he took some pride in - and why wouldn't he? Singing was a great talent to have, in his opinion. Not that he was some kind of musical genius or lyricist of course, but it was a good skill to have. Plus, it was simply fun. After all, who wouldn't be enjoying themselves up on a stage belting out tunes? Of course, it had to be good music - he'd heard some cringe-inducing songs in his day, and he'd much rather forget about them. "Every once in a while the whole crew'll get out the food and drink and we'll sing until we've passed out. Usually not when we're on duty, of course".

The thought then suddenly occurred to him. What did Miguel do in his spare time? How did he spend time with his crew? Did he spend time with them off duty? The "Angel", as it were, always had a strange air about him. Not a bad one, but it was odd to imagine him spending time with people. Well, at least until now. Faust, after all, was spending time with him talking. But beneath that Angel exterior, what was there? Faust was genuinely curious - as far as he knew, no one really knew what exactly the Admiral did on his own. Giving a small smile, he took another sip of his glass of wine before looking back to the Admiral, a brow slightly raised as he began to question.

"So, what do you do for fun?" he inquired, curious. "I mean, everyone's got hobbies. And I doubt you like to attend places like these for fun".

[Miguel Van Helsing]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212] THIS IS A GAME. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES. The activity called karaoke sounded rather fun from the way that Faust described it. It actually sounded quite a bit like those wild parties that his people held at night with all of the singing, drinking, and celebrating they did because of something like a successful hunt or the return of a lost member. He missed it. And while his tribe may have been a bunch of blind, overly judgmental and two-faced bunch of jerks, he missed them too. Great, now he was starting to get that familiar twinge in his chest. He really had to stop getting all introspective before his emotions start leaking out and showing on his face. It was a weakness he can’t afford. Not here and now of all places, with all of the sharks in the water…. Just as he pushed those thoughts aside, Miguel was given yet another intrusive question from the other admiral. It was becoming obvious that the admiral wanted to pry into his personal life for what seemed to be no discernible reason. He needed to find a way to shut him down and turn the conversation around to something –anything- else that wasn’t about him, because as vain as he was he didn’t really like sharing details. In fact, he wished that there would be something to distract the admiral with so that he would stop asking. “Enjoying the party, gentlemen?” Miguel took it back. He’d rather be pestered with stupid questions from a person he could tolerate than make small talk with some simpering buffoon even if his primary goal was to establish connections with these scoundrels. ”As well as we could be.” Which was not at all, but he didn’t need to know that. The noble grinned widely and clapped his hands. “Well, I’m glad that a pair of fine and powerful men-“ He suddenly paused as he looked up and eyed Miguel’s silver wings. “-people are in charge of our finest men. I am sure that our safety are in capable hands.” His grin then turned rather wily, nearly causing the hairs on the back of Miguel’s neck to rise. “Surely, the both of you must be very popular with the ladies, am I right?” Before Miguel could even think about his strange statement, the noble continued. “So I’m sure that the both of you wouldn’t mind to meet these ladies~” He snapped his fingers twice. A few moments after the noble snapped his fingers, two beautiful girls appeared at his side. One was very pale and had red hair and blue eyes while the other one was tanned and had brown hair and green eyes. Yet despite their differences, they had the same defeated and submissive look in their eyes. The sight made Miguel’s lip twitch upwards for a moment. TAGGING: FAUST | WORDS: 465 | NOTES: RAGE

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[Faust Eisenritter]

Before he could get an answer from the winged man, another man's voice spoke up. The dark-haired Admiral quickly turned his attention away from Miguel as he now fixed his green eyes upon a Nobleman - a portly man in an otherwise nice and very expensive-looking suit. Faust paused for a moment, almost missing the question as his thoughts changed from wanting to know more about the winged Admiral to wanting to end the conversation with this Nobleman as soon as possible. Nevermind how much he disliked the place already - Faust was anything but a nobleman. He didn't come from blueblood stock, and the thought of interacting with one felt off-putting and uncomfortable. Fortunately, Miguel spoke first.

"Same," Faust chimed in, agreeing with Miguel. It was probably the only polite thing to say, really. Faust kept up his smile, but now it seemed a shadow of its former self. It was not confident and bemused, but rather it now seemed a bit forced and fake. It looked like the kind of smile a person wore when they wanted to be anywhere except the place they were standing in. But the nobleman didn't seem to notice - he took the smile as if it were genuine and continued, praising their leadership. Faust gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, that's a bit nice of you. I'd like to think we're doing a good job".

He had hoped vainly that that would be all - that the Nobleman had only really come over to give his praise for the Marines and their work protecting the people. It was a nice thought. But unfortunately, the Nobleman wasn't exactly done. Instead he continued making small talk, remarking how popular the two men must have been with the women. Faust rather naively raised his brow, as if not expecting exactly what would come next. The Nobleman decided it was only right to introduce the two men to some ladies. At the snap of his fingers, two beautiful women began to walk up, standing at either side of him - one a redhead, the other a brunette. But in spite of their beauty, the only thing Faust could notice was the despairing look in their eyes - the look of someone who had not just lost something, but accepted that they would just keep losing.

Then a glass shattered.

It wasn't too loud over the music and chatting going on, but one or two other heads did turn to look at what had happened. The portly Nobleman widened his eyes in surprise, staring at Faust. His mechanical hand had snapped the glass of wine in his hands, causing it to fall to the ground and shatter into more pieces. A spill of red wine spread across the floor, though the puddle was not too large. Faust stepped back a little, looking down. He then looked back up to the Nobleman and let out a nervous chuckle, giving a smile again - even though it looked so hollow and forced.

"My apologies," Faust remarked as he began to reach into his pocket with his flesh hand. "Mechanical hands, you know? Sometimes you don't realize you're gripping too tightly. Even after two years I'm not completely used to it. Don't bother calling anyone over - I can clean it up myself".

Pulling out a handkerchief, he knelt down and began to pick up the pieces of glass with his mechanical hand, collecting them in his palm. His flesh hand wiped away the stain, cleaning up the mess he'd made. Anyone would simply assume he had just made an honest mistake. After all, who would dare assume that the smiling, friendly Admiral broke his glass because he was angry?

[Miguel Van Helsing]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212] THIS IS A GAME. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES. The sound of shattering glass made blue gray eyes widen ever so slightly even as they turned to look at what had caused the sudden sound. They widened a bit further when they took in the sight of Faust’s mechanical hand covered in remnants of wine and the floor covered with bits of glass and a puddle of what was probably the same wine on his hand. If that sight had made his eyes widen, then Faust’s subsequent apology to the noble made them narrow just as much. He had trained himself to detect lies even before he had become a marine, and he didn’t need his Mantra to tell him that Faust was obviously lying about why he had broken his glass “Nonsense!” The noble patted the brunette woman on the shoulder and then pointed at the spilled mess that the other admiral was cleaning up. “Twenty, go clean up the mess. Don’t let the admiral inconvenience himself!” “As you wish, milord.” The brunette obediently walked towards the admiral and then knelt beside him. Once she was kneeling, she began to help the admiral pick up the pieces of glass. However, she wasn’t able to wipe away the spillage before she could, making her cringe just a bit. Her master would make her pay for that later. Indeed, the noble was already frowning at what he deemed to be an incompetent display. However, it would be unseemly to berate his servants in front of such honoured guests, so he settled for giving her a venomous glare instead. After glaring at her for a few moments, he turned his attention towards the towering angelic figure. “Well anyways… gentlemen, I must be off now. There is much left to be done. Consider these two beautiful young ladies as your servants for the night.” He smirked lecherously. “You can make them do anything you wish. Consider them as complimentary gifts from yours truly. Enjoy~” With that, the noble left, completely unaware of the arctic stare that Miguel was levelling at his back. After staring at the noble’s back, Miguel resisted the strong urge to sigh and instead turned his attention to the red-haired girl, who was still looking at her hands and playing with the hem of her dress. He could feel his blood boiling again at the sight of her, knowing what was most likely the truth about her. Still, he had to break the ice somehow. ”What is your name?” The red head looked startled for a second at the sudden question from the quiet, yet imposing angel she had been loaned to for the night. Didn’t her master mention it already? “Fifteen sir.” She replied in a soft voice. It was an answer, but not the one that Miguel was looking for. ”I did not ask for a number.” She didn’t need to look up to feel the intense gaze boring into her, making her shiver a bit. ”I asked for your name.” She spoke again, this time making her voice louder and clearer while making sure it stayed submissive. “Fifteen, sir.” ”Your name.” Miguel’s gaze intensified as he stepped closer to the girl, only to soften as he raised the girl’s chin up and stared at her eyes. ”Your name.” He insisted again in a slightly softer tone. “…Lisa, sir.” Satisfied, the admiral nodded and gently let go of her chin. He wouldn’t let the noble dehumanize the poor girl even more while she was in his presence, even if he wasn’t within earshot. The question now was what he wanted to do with her. Frankly, he wanted nothing to do with slavery or with the use of slave but it would have caused unnecessary uproar if he had refused. This entire situation made his skin crawl. If only he could do something for the poor girl…. A metaphorical light bulb flashed inside his head as one of the memories of this evening came back to him. He knew just what to do. ”Lisa? I would like your complete honesty on something. Do you understand?” Miguel’s jaw tensed. ”And please look me in the eye.” “Yes, sir.” She muttered as she craned her neck to meet the admiral’s eyes. If Miguel wasn’t made of stern stuff, his spine might have shivered from the empty, dead look in her eyes. ”Tell me Lisa, what do you do for fun?” TAGGING: FAUST | WORDS: 730 | NOTES: RAGE

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[Faust Eisenritter]

Faust had been perfectly content to clean up his own mess, but nevertheless the Nobleman chose to have the young woman take care of it. Not even referring to her by name, he designated her with a number and told her to clean up the mess. Faust glanced up, watching as the Nobleman spoke about how these two girls were a 'gift' to them - their own personal servants for the night. The thought revolted him, but fortunately the Nobleman finally chose to take his leave and walk away. The dark-haired Admiral sighed, shaking his head. He simply couldn't understand it - how did someone treat human life so carelessly? How did someone reduce someone else to nothing more than an object in their minds? Faust hoped he would never understand it.

Turning, his gaze now rested on the young woman who had started to clean up the mess as well, picking up the shards of glass. The brunette seemed to be cringing, but Faust could only guess why. He imagined it was probably out of being forced to serve like this. As the young woman picked up the pieces he held out his flesh hand as if to tell her to stop. The brunette however continued, apparently not noticing. Faust bit his lower lip. What did he do? What did he say? What did he tell her? This was not a situation he fully understood. He didn't know what it was like to be taken as a slave. Glancing down for a moment to think about it, he soon looked back to the young woman and placed his hand on hers. Managing to obtain her attention, she looked up at him - her expression that of someone who was awaiting an order. It disturbed him.

"Look, it's fine. Just... I'll take the glass shards. They won't cut my hand," he told her, holding his mechanical hand beneath hers. The young woman looked hesitant, but soon opened her hands, letting the glass shards fall into his metal palm. Clasping his fingers shut around the shards, he began to wonder what to say. What did he do, in this kind of situation? What should he say or do? What could he do? He began to overhear Miguel speaking, asking the young woman her name. Faust turned his gaze towards the brunette as he began to stand up. The servant girl stood up shortly after. "You... Do you... Can I know your name?"

"I am Twenty," the young woman spoke, but Faust felt the words cut through him. How could someone be so dehumanized as to be stripped of their name? Their identity? Faust nearly crushed the shards in his hand into dust.

"No, I mean... Can I know your name?" he asked again, hoping the answer would be different. But the woman's response didn't change at all.

"I am twenty".

"Please," the Admiral pleaded quietly, looking the girl in the eyes. He held her stare for a moment, making sure he didn't break eye contact. "Can I know your name? Your real name?".

The young woman continued to stare back, but she seemed to shrink even more on the spot. Her body shook a little as she made a small gulping sound, only to finally nod to the Admiral.

"Sarah..." she told him. "I am... Sarah".

[Miguel Van Helsing]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212] THIS IS A GAME. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES. If Miguel had been more of a completely heartless jerk like the noble who had just talked to them, he might have actually laughed at the look of surprise on Lisa’s face at his question. Since he actually had a conscience, he just felt sad and horrified at the fact that she was surprised that anyone had asked her that question. It wasn’t the first time he had encountered a reaction like that and he knew that it would be far from the last, but the horror, despair, and disgust never really went away no matter how many times he had seen this before. Still, the silence was rather disconcerting. Didn’t she remember how to have fun? Had the noble tortured and brainwashed her so much that she can’t remember what it was like to have fun? Miguel resisted the urge to sigh and repeated his question with a gentler tone, one that he’d rarely ever used. ”Lisa. I would like to know what you do for fun. Please?” If anything, the last word had shocked Lisa even more. This time, Miguel patiently waited until she had gotten over the shock instead of asking again. He knew how jarring it was for some slaves to be treated like an actual person after a long time of being treated like a servant or a toy. He’d seen it enough over the years. People like her and the noble served as living proof that people like him were still needed in order to try and change the way things work from the inside. They gave him his justification and his motivation in order to keep toiling under the Gorosei and the World Government despite everything that he had experienced because of them. He snapped out of his inner monologue when he finally heard Lisa mutter something underneath her breath, too soft for him to understand but not soft enough to remain completely unheard. Not one to miss an opportunity, he quickly latched onto the breakthrough. ”What was that, Lisa?” Miguel actually leaned towards her, causing her to redden slightly. Interesting. ”Could you please repeat it for me again? I didn’t hear it.” “…I like to read books and take walks, sir.” She whispered again, blushing at how mundane she must’ve sounded. ”Is that so?” Miguel’s tone sounded almost… happy. ”Those are good hobbies.” A crafty glint entered his eyes as he resumed his previous standing position. ”Now Lisa, I want you to do something for me.” Lisa’s back became rigid as she stood at attention. She knew this would happen. It always did. It would figure that even the angel was like everyone else. “Of course, sir. What is it that you wish?” The glint in his eyes intensified. ”But before that... are there any libraries open?” “Yes sir. The castle library is always open for guests.” She replied automatically. ”Well then… I want you to go to the library and read for the rest of the evening. Read whatever you want, I don’t mind.” Miguel had to resist grinning now. ”Oh, and do take the long way around. There’s no rush.” He then put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear again. ”If anyone asks why you’re out and about or in the library, just tell them that Admiral Gintaka personally ordered you to do so. Alright?” Lisa’s face was completely blank as he straightened himself and waited for her response. It didn’t take long before she suddenly engulfed him in a big hug, where he could feel her actually smiling even as she started shaking. “Thank you.” She whispered to his chest. ”No problem-?!” Before he was able to say anything else, Lisa gave him a short but passionate kiss on the lips, leaving him stunned. He could only blink as she practically skipped away. Right now, he couldn’t bring himself to care about all of the eyes that were staring at him or the few people who were applauding him because they thought that he had managed to seduce the girl or something. TAGGING: FAUST | WORDS: 680 | NOTES: PRIORITIES?

TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE

[Faust Eisenritter]

Faust turned towards his junior as he heard a light clapping, catching sight of the other young woman as she left the room and headed out. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. Did he just dismiss her? The dark-haired man, looked towards the door and then back towards Miguel. He seemed to understand exactly what to do, but Faust felt a bit lost. He'd only just managed to get the girl to admit her real name. What was he to do next? There was no way he was going to use her, like how the Nobleman expected. He was about to try and get Miguel's attention, hoping he would know exactly what to say. But before he did so a quiet voice spoke up, catching his attention.

"Is there something you need, sir?"

Faust turned back to the young woman, whose expression still brought to mind someone afraid - terrified of him and everyone else. Terrified to offend, terrified to speak her mind. He could see fear in his eyes, and it scared him. What would someone have to experience to feel so afraid? What would someone have to go through in order to become so subservient? He felt a chill run up his spine at the very thought of it. He looked aside, watching as the other nobles turned back to each other and spoke amongst themselves. He looked down to the shorter girl, watching as she still waited upon an answer.

"Okay, okay... Um, Sarah? Do you... Could you..." he paused, stopping before casting a glance sideways towards the taller Admiral, Miguel. Focusing on the younger man he spoke to him instead. "Miguel... Um, a little help? I'm... I don't know what to say...".

It was strange, to ask the other Admiral for help when he was usually the socialite. But then, Faust had never quite been in this kind of situation before, and he wasn't entirely sure that anything he said or did would do anything to help the young girl. But Miguel - for reasons Faust could only imagine - seemed to know exactly what to say.

[Miguel Van Helsing]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212] THIS IS A GAME. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES. If Blue gray eyes lingered at the doorway that Lisa had walked out from for a few more moments, still wide with dilated pupils from the kiss. He honestly hadn’t anticipated that sort of reaction and it completely threw him off. While Miguel didn’t like being unbalanced like that, he couldn’t help but find that it was worth it to see the girl smile, even if it was just for a little while. A small, traitorous voice in the back of his mind chimed in that it was also pleasant for an entirely different reason. He made sure to quickly squash that though and push it even further in his mind. That last thing he needed was that coloring his thoughts. Miguel was about to turn away from the doorway and look for anything that could distract him from those thoughts when he heard Faust speak up, asking for help about the right thing to say, of all things. Confused, the Shandian turned towards the source of that voice and was met with the sight of the other admiral talking –or rather trying to talk- to the brunette. The sight certainly explained quite a few things. Well, he was always happy to help out in cases like these even if he didn’t show it. He wasn’t quite sure why the older admiral couldn’t think of something to help her, because Nola knew that he still had quite a bit to learn about these strange human and other Blue Sea folk, especially about their customs, but he was still going to help out anyway. ”What my comrade would like to say is that we would like to know what you do for fun.” Miguel smoothly interjected. ”For yourself. Not for anyone else.” Now the girl looked like a deer staring down the barrel of hunting rifle. Instead of saying anything though, Miguel simply stared back and waited for a response. After what seemed like an entire minute of acting like a statue, the girl finally looked down and bit her lip. However, she still didn’t answer the question. ”Please…?” Miguel coaxed gently. ”We would really like to know. We won’t tell anyone else, I promise you.” The girl looked at him with an unreadable expression for a few moments before finally nodding. “Sir, I like to… write stories and illustrate them.” Miguel nodded and put his hands in his pants’ pockets. ”Alright. Thank you for your cooperation.” “…Do you need anything else, sir?” The brunette asked in a quiet tone, already starting to curl into herself. ”Yes.” Miguel moved closer to her and surreptitiously slipped a pen and notebook from his pocket into her hands. ”I always like a good story, so… I’d like for you to write one for us. Pictures would be great too.” Miguel’s lips quirked just a bit. ”Tell your boss that Admiral Kokuro and Gintaka would love nothing more than to see it finished at your own pace.” He then turned to glance at the other admiral, his eyes subtly urging him to play along. ”Right, Faust?” TAGGING: FAUST | WORDS: 510 | NOTES: A REVERSAL

TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE