paixaorpg | The Closest of Strangers [completed]

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The Closest of Strangers [completed]

Character(s): Vyers and Gwen
Content: Mama and Vyers clean up the house... and try to figure out how all these people are even going to begin sleeping here. ~~And we get a small dose of adorable Vyers/Mama awkwardness~~
Setting: Vyers' ~~Zoo and Orphanage~~ place.
Time: Week 26, afternoon. ~~Before things can go horribly, horribly wrong.~~ Nope, Spish and I are going to fuck things up here 8Db God we're evil.
Warnings: Awkwardness, possibility for cuteness, ~~possible~~ angst

It still took quite a bit of getting used to, but he supposed that was to be expected, considering that she had only been there for a couple of days. Maybe it was the distance between them.

Mm, no, it was definitely the distance between them.

Vyers never once thought that she wouldn't know him. The more he thought about it now the more he realized he should have known it was a possibility, but it was one of those possibilities he had never, ever wanted to consider. He frowned to himself, once again pushing away the idea of telling her who he was. Had he not already decided to allow her this moment of happiness? Everything that she would witness was at least partially his fault. He had not done enough then. He had not been there, Laharl had said as much. Then why did he doubt this decision so?

Maybe later. Maybe.

Ah, but was he running again? Did it count as running if it wasn't for his sake? It wasn't as though this situation was making him happier. But...

Vyers' brow furrowed and it took him awhile to realize that he had been dusting the same spot for a good five minutes. When had that happened?

Immediately, he moved to another table, trying to look as though he had meant to do this the entire time. After awhile, his gaze began to stray toward Gwen, more out of curiosity--to see what she was doing--than anything else.

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Gwen was more than focused on the battle at hand - the battle to make this place and all the people staying within it work comfortably and with a sense of space amongst each of them. Her mind didn't stray much from the task, and there was a look of determination in her eyes as she surveyed the situation. This woman had seen battle, this woman had seen motherhood, and all her ability would strike down upon this place.

About ten or so people/animals were now living there. It was a lot of people for three bedrooms. But Gwen couldn't blame Vyers for continuously allowing others to stay, whether it was willing or not.

An idea of a better layout in mind, Gwen turns and catches sight of Vyers, blinking at him - or rather, his work ethic. She folds her arms over her chest, frowning. "Is that as far as you've gotten?"

Vyers' jumps as he is caught, juggling the rag he had been using to dust from hand to hand in an attempt not to drop it. He finally succeeds in getting a hold on it and quickly hides it behind him, once again attempting to look as though nothing is wrong. "I, I have been thinking," he explains quickly.

"I still cannot express my apologies for having not introduced myself before. With everything that was going on it must have slipped my mind. Ah, what a terribly ungentlemanly thing to have done!" he laments, only half-lying. It isn't what he was thinking before, but he had been quite mortified to realize he had forgotten his manners in such a way with their meeting. To have forgotten one of the things he prided himself in so... Had he really been in such a state?

She sighs. He was still hung up on that? "I've already told you... don't worry about it. It's in the past now; it's better to look towards the future." Like of this place. She steps over to where he had been (still) cleaning and reaches around his back to pluck the rag away from him, taking over where he had apparently left off.

"One would think you've never cleaned this place before," she says, sincerely.

Vyers stares blankly at the hand the rag was in a moment before watching Gwen take over. His mouth turns downward in a small frown. He hadn't thought he was doing too terrible of a job, moment of thought aside.

"Er, it is not as though I have not tried," he admits with some amount of sheepishness. While he was not extraordinarily skilled at it just yet, for one who had not never had to do cleaning himself, he had thought he had done well. He was getting better.

That earns him a smile. "It does get easier over time," she tells him. "At least you have some help now." Gwen manages to talk and clean at the same time, finishing a section before tossing the rag back at him. "Eventually you really must get everyone to do their part. They're staying here, after all. They should care, even if it's just a little."

She disappears to get a rag of her own and joins him. They can reorganize after everything is tidied up.

Vyers can't help but smile a little as well. Though it is something he already knows, he has missed her advice dearly. "You are right," he says, wondering at the same time how she is able to do that without getting distracted. It doesn't seem too difficult a task, but he would rather make sure he does not knock anything over as he works all the same.

"Although some, I imagine, will be more difficult to convince than others." At least two in particular.

"Yes, I'm sure it will be," she replies with a chuckle. "But I'm sure I'll be able to find something that they can do to help out." She was thinking of Timon and Pumbaa specifically, but she wasn't sure how Laharl would cope with the idea of cleaning. Not that she would leave him much of a choice. Everyone needed to do their part, even an overlord.

Really, it was difficult to imagine any of the animals cleaning, if only because it was hard to think of a task they could do. "Should we should buy more bedding?" he asked suddenly, remembering how all of the beds and couches had, for the most part, been filled.

"Oh, I didn't think about that." She thinks of the beds and couches herself, then looks towards him. "Is there somewhere we can purchase more? I wouldn't want anyone to be uncomfortable. ...How long do people generally stay here?" That was one thing she doesn't remember an answer for, or even if she phrased the question in the first place. It wasn't that she wanted to leave, not with Laharl here, but... what should she be expecting?

"There should be, yes," Vyers answers with a nod. "Unfortunately it is very difficult to tell how long people stay in this place. Some leave only to return, and only a handful keep their memory of this world." He wished he could figure out exactly why that was. There didn't seem to be a pattern to it at all. Perhaps if they were able to learn that, they would be able to go home? It seemed like a good idea.

"Unless you mean here specifically? In... that case it seems to be, for most here, a permanent residence--as permanent as one could be said to be in a world as fickle as this." Although Roxas still hadn't come back yet... He was beginning to get a little worried about the boy.

"I'll be able to pick some up then," though she pauses thoughtfully, "once I know more about the currency, anyway." She's not too worried about finding an actual location; despite Laharl's worry about the dangers of this place, she's certain she'll be able to take a walk safely around the city.

"It sounds like a complicated place," she murmurs. Whether or not Gwen finds that to be reassuring, she isn't too sure. But she smiles and tucks it away like she tucks back a strand of her hair. "Anyway, I think if we move around some of the furniture, it'll open things up in this place. Make it seem like it has more space to it."

And then maybe she can go out and get some extra bedsheets if it isn't too late.

"Ah," Vyers starts cheerfully, holding up a finger. "That is a simple matter. The citizens--odd as they are--will take anything that sparkles as monetary compensation. The leaves off of the trees tend to be the object of choice for most of us here."

He takes another look around the room at her suggestion of moving the furniture and nods. It means a little extra work, but if that also means having extra space, he is more than willing to put in the effort. A little breathing room was always nice. Frowning a little bit with concentration, he moves the pieces of furniture around in his mind, pointing from place to place with the occasional mumble around the lines of "Perhaps this can go here" or "That could be there?"

"Anything that sparkles? Well, that's unique. And yes, quite simple."

She became more pleased with his work ethic, and maybe it was only because she was keeping a good watch on him, or working with him, but still - she was pleased.

"I think we've made a great deal of progress," she announces at last, hands clasped beneath her chin and eyes smiling as much as her lips.

Vyers looked over, any layout he may have come up with immediately lost as Gwen spoke up. Ah, it was wonderful to see her so happy... He took a look around the room, noticing that it looked much cleaner now. There was still quite a bit of work left to do, but what they had managed was fine for now.

He nodded, grinning back at her in return.

She peers curiously out a window, but she's still not accustomed to how time and the domes operate. "I don't think it's too late out," she says, arching a brow back to Vyers. "Think we can get those bedsheets today?" It wasn't necessarily the prospect of bedsheets that had her interested, but being able to see the city more.

"But of course! And I would be more than happy to accompany you, my dea--er--miss." He coughs a little in hope that it will cover his slip-up and hurriedly turns to the door, hiding his embarrassment. "Shall we be off then? It would not do to wait too long."

She catches the slip, but she says nothing, letting it go. "Yes, that sounds good. You'll have to lead the way though." She was pretty sure he wouldn't mind playing tour guide. He seemed like the type.

Of course he wouldn't mind playing the tour guide. Luckily for Gwen, Vyers considered himself the best tour guide she could have ever asked for. He would make sure to make this trip interesting. "I would be more than happy to. If you would like to know where anything is, do not hesitate to ask," he practically sings, and heads out the door.

It's not like she had an assortment of tour guides to choose from. She keeps behind him as he exits, an exasperated look on her face at his near-singing, but there was an underlying amusement there as well. She only hopes that he won't get too carried away by this.

"For now it'd be nice to just get a look at the place. It seems rather... beautiful," that was the only way to put it, "but the bedsheets are the priority. I can't think of anything else I need at the moment."

Vyers nods. "Yes, whoever decorated the city the way they did certainly had an eye for beauty. It is something good to be said about this place at least, among much that cannot. Where we get that which can only be received from plant life or animal life is a mystery." He made wide, dramatic gestures to the false flora around them as he walked to punctuate his explanation.

"Let's see..." Vyers continued, putting a finger to his chin. "I believe we might have to use the train to get to the place we need to go. Is that fine with you?"

"A gilded cage," she murmurs, but she's unbothered by her own comment. There are worse places one could be trapped. She takes in everything he points out, and then some, being exceptionally attentive.

"It's not a problem at all. It'll be relaxing." Not that this wasn't, of course.

A gilded cage... That was an accurate description, wasn't it? "Wonderful! I may not be able to spend as much time on the various sights as I would like, but I should still be able to tell you much more."

((erf... short. Would you like to skip the train ride and get to the store?))

The train ride was much of what their day had already been - Vyers talking excessively about Paixao and there being a touch of awkwardness still lacing their conversations. It wasn't that she minded the talking, but there was still that... something she couldn't pinpoint. So Gwen spent most of the train ride observing the city through the window, occasionally looking back to Vyers with a small smile and a nod to show that she was still listening.

When they hit their stop, she stretches and turns her focus back to Vyers. "So, where to now?"

Vyers stops in the middle of his description of some of the finer places to dine in the city when she speaks up, and it takes him a moment to switch gears in order to answer her question. "It should not be too far now. Up this road, I believe?" he says, and starts in the direction he pointed out.

As he walks, he buttons up the shirt he is wearing, glad that he picked such a shirt to wear to begin with. While Vyers can understand people's want to keep values that they hold dear, this dress code was more than bothersome for one with a fashion sense like himself. To be unable to show off a dazzling body such as his was surely more of a crime than breaking the dress code itself. But that is but a fleeting thought in the demon's head and he is quick to continue his explanation. "It is a small shop, but the items it sells are of the finest quality. I was surprised when I found it here, but of course my intuition served moi well."

It is also more than a little on the expensive side, but he feels no need to mention this.

His fashion sense was... different, to say the least... He certainly didn't need to show his chest most of the time, but Gwen didn't say anything about it. She chalks it up to another one of his (many) oddities.

"How much more should we get?"

It wasn't like Gwen had any idea of the prices - or how they worked - in this city.

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The Closest of Strangers [completed]

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