allen walker

[grigori]

Comments

[grigori]

[ good. maybe snuggling with it will help keep allen warmer.

that said... when he asks for a favor, their smile fades a little, but still they nod. ]

I'll try. What is it?

[lefthandpath]

Well, it's not for me, really.

Rin's been... worried for me lately. And I'm a bit worried for him, if I'm honest. So he might come asking for something that'll let him know if something happens to me and... I'd rather it not be anything that tells him anything too specific? Just in case... something should happen.

[things he's been thinking of doing since Saturday after the trial: this.]

[grigori]

[ ...they give a soft laugh, one with no humor that betrays some of the fatigue they feel. ]

I don't think we could give him something so specific even if we wanted to. I'll keep it in mind, if he asks me, and I'll make sure that Shamsiel and Baraqiel know, too, just in case.

[lefthandpath]

Thank you. It does help to know that.

So with that aside... is there anything I can do for you? It's been a hard couple of weeks for you as well.

[grigori]

[ the smile never slips from their face. ]

Don't worry about us. Just keep taking care of Rin, okay? The more support he has, the better.

[lefthandpath]

Well, you're a part of that support, also, aren't you? In which case, part of taking care of Rin is also taking care of you.

[grigori]

[ hello? this is so soft and gay? what the hell? ]

I guess so... I really don't know what I could even ask, though. Everyone already tries to take good care of us, and... all I really want is to end the competition and save everyone who's already been lost. I just don't know how yet.

[lefthandpath]

I don't, either. But what I do know is how to entertain people so the pressure won't get to them so much.

Would you like to watch a card trick? Or maybe play an easy game?

[grigori]

[ ...well, heck, call them curious. ]

Okay, sure. What did you have in mind?

[lefthandpath]

For a trick, something like...

[pulls out his card deck and fans out the cards.]

Pick a card.

[grigori]

Okay. How about... this one?

[ the nine of spades! ]

[lefthandpath]

That will work just fine. Place it back into the deck?

[and once they do, he'll do a flashy kind of shuffling of the deck.]

Now we get to see if I can find your card again.

[grigori]

[ this is wild? they laugh and clap for allen and he's not even done yet. ]

I've never seen someone shuffle cards like that before! But okay - how are you going to find it? Show me!

[lefthandpath]

Magic, of course!

Now, you've seen me shuffle the deck quite thoroughly. I'll even do a simple cut and shuffle, no tricks!

[and he does so before holding up the deck of cards]

And now... [he pulls a card seemingly from the middle of the deck and at random before holding it up, facing her. it's the 9 of Spades.] Is this your card?

[grigori]

[ gasps?! ]

How? There has to be a trick to it!

[lefthandpath]

Hm? Trick? But it's magic, didn't I say?

[grigori]

Hmmm... Okay, I'll trust you.

[ they know there's a trick!! but they'll let it slide for now. more fun this way. ]

You like making people smile, don't you, Mister Walker?

[lefthandpath]

I do, yes.

[grigori]

Then we have that in common! [ they press their fingers together, grinning. ] That was one of the very first reasons I found for wanting to become a hero - I always loved seeing everyone smile.

[lefthandpath]

... I never really thought of it as being a hero.

Or do you mean like, ah, Wild Tiger?

[grigori]

I mean both. I'm still in training, but I will be a professional like Wild Tiger. But there are all kinds of heroes, and you don't have to be a professional to be that for someone.