Chapter Text
It had been over a week now since they had all arrived in Shibuya.
To Louis's surprise, they all seemed to be getting along quite harmoniously. They were settling in more smoothly than he'd expected, and he was satisfied with it.
For he had thought, when he proposed this deal to them, that he would be doing all of the heavy lifting for the group and they would only flounder about, but to his surprise, they all had been putting in some sort of sincere effort. He should have expected it, he supposed, because although they were foolish, they were each capable in their own right. He was, after all, in the company of a trained knight, a vengeance-driven noble, and an idealistic dreamer — all with different, yet equally strong methods of motivation.
But it seemed that Louis had proved himself capable enough that they did rely on him quite a bit anyway, much more than they did each other, and so they came to him often for advice and the like. And having their trust did bode well for him.
He found, of course, that it was all quite a lot of work. He'd been keeping up meticulously with his notebook — it was filled nearly halfway, now, with notes about the world, their plans for the coming days, and even such mundane things as grocery lists and running tallies of chore completions. Of course, he managed the finances too, and he kept in close contact with that employment specialist of his.
And as he thought on it, yes, she did seem like a bit of a shady individual. In truth, calling her an 'employment specialist' was probably a bit merciful. She seemed to be more of an information broker than any sort of specialist — perhaps her work even bordered on illicit. But he had carefully weighed the risks of associating with her, and he came to the conclusion that her services were too valuable to pass up, even at the risk of legal repercussions. After all, four complete aliens such as themselves would be completely unable to function without the heavy amount of guidance and the occasional fabrication services she was able to provide them with.
As for how he had met her, she was, in fact, the very same woman that had so graciously paid for his hotel stay on the first night. Without his notice — which was an impressive feat, truly — she had slipped a small note in his pocket detailing her contact information and location in the case he was interested in her services.
It was a struggle, really, to find her, because Louis, at first, had no knowledge of phone numbers or addresses. But he inquired of some passersby where to find the building and he was able to make his way there eventually.
He felt the shady nature of her business and knew that he might be walking into a trap of sorts, but in truth, Louis was far from worried about it. His reasoning had been as follows: if he pursued her and she had a legitimate way to aid him, then that would be the best-case scenario. If she turned out to be shifty and posed a threat to him, well… he was quite sure he could overpower her. If worse came to worst, he held confidence in the magic he had at his disposal.
Thankfully, the best-case scenario did come to pass. She was the one who provided him with most of the information that he had written in his notebook, and she answered so many of his foolish little questions at a price, of course, but without so much an odd look.
Perhaps she specialized in identifying the kinds of people that needed the sort of help she could provide, and this was why she had approached him on the first day. And in a way, this disappointed him. Because that would mean that, although she had been kind enough to take money from her own pocket to provide Louis with a place to stay, it was an investment rather than out of any sort of altruistic motivation.
But this didn't surprise him too much. In the end, people would be people, even in a different world. And he couldn't blame her for being interested in an income.
In any case, she seemed capable. As far as he could tell, she was trustworthy as well. And so he put his faith in her, and he took the advice she provided him with, and he blended into this society with minimal issue. His funds were running out, however, between his contributions to the group and the cost of all this information, so he was a bit antsy to get their employment settled.
So he brought this up, and she said she would expedite the process, just for him. And this was when he began to question the legitimacy of her services, because his impression was that legal matters, such as what one needed to have squared away in order to apply for employment, were similarly slow and meticulous as they were in Euchronia, so the fact that she was able to have an influence on them such as she did was a bit suspicious.
But then again, being as ignorant as he still was, he was unsure of anything regarding the law here. All he knew was that she was very helpful, and he appreciated that.
He had yet to tell any of his associates about this help he was receiving, but none of them had asked, either. He was forthright enough with the information he learned that he assumed they had all pinned him as one who would relay anything important.
Or perhaps they simply thought he was a genius who happened to catch on to everything here extraordinarily quickly. He wouldn't be opposed to adopting that sort of image.
In any case, it was all a little tiring, and he was almost constantly out and about running errands or being counseled by that woman. But today was a day he decided to take a break. After being busy for so many days straight, he sat himself down on the couch one morning with a stack of books — he had purchased them for very cheap at a secondhand store — and put his feet up, intending to let himself relax.
The day progressed as most days did — with little activity, and quite a bit of banter between the other three. Louis usually had no opportunity or drive to converse with any of them, so he let them do as they would.
Today, the routine was broken a little. Will and Hulkenberg went out into town together, so he and Strohl were left alone in the apartment together. This was a combination, Louis noted, that hadn't occurred before. And once they were alone, to his surprise, Strohl took the initiative to talk with him.
“Louis.”
He turned his head at the sound of Strohl's voice, replying easily, “What is it?”
And oh, despite being the one to start the conversation, he looked less than overjoyed to see Louis. Haha. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, but I’m not falling for it.”
“I am not quite sure what you mean.” Louis casually sipped at the glass of water before him.
Strohl huffed at him. "Don't play dumb. You have been trying very hard to make a good impression on everyone here. I know you are not amiable by nature, so why?"
“I have no ulterior motives, I assure you. I simply mean to exist here alongside you all, until we come to a collective solution. As I have said.”
“But that’s the part I don’t understand,” Strohl said. “Why would someone like you need our help? You're so calculating, you would do just fine without us. Even aside from that — after all you have done, why do you bother trying to get along with us? You should know you are irredeemable.”
Irredeemable. Louis had to chuckle at that. “Indeed. And?”
“And,” Strohl bit out, “if Will wasn’t so damned stubborn about keeping you alive, you would be long dead. Be it by my hand, or Hulkenberg’s, you wouldn’t be breathing right now if it weren’t for Will. You are aware, aren't you?”
There was a pregnant pause, and Louis just stared at him. He was curious to see where this was going, and waited for him to continue.
Strohl sighed heavily. “…I think he sees something in you that simply isn’t there. As far as I can tell, you’re nothing more than a selfish wretch. As you always have been.”
“Perhaps you are right,” Louis replied casually, setting down his glass. “I am a selfish wretch with no redeeming qualities, and yet he keeps me around. He must be a fool, just as you imply.”
Strohl bristled, fists clenching in his lap. “I said no such thing, Louis, and do not insult him like that. Might I remind you again that his kindness is the only reason—“
“His kindness is the only reason I yet draw breath,” Louis finished. “Yes, I understand what you are saying very well. One thing I find laughable, however, is your confidence that you could actually kill me so easily." He motioned languidly in Strohl's direction. "You hardly count as a fighter, and even the knight is much less powerful than I am if we take magic into consideration. In fact… even with magic out of the question, I am loath to believe any of you could overpower me.”
Strohl was easily baited, it seemed, given how livid he looked after only a bit of prodding. Louis found it amusing, honestly.
But maybe he shouldn’t be so thoughtless with his words, if his goal was to stay with them for a while longer. After all, even though he was quite certain he would be able to support himself well enough by himself, it would be much easier to share this burden with others.
…
Oh. An odd realization, that was. He had come to it just now, for the first time.
He neither liked nor understood the way the thought created an odd little feeling in his stomach, so he pushed it down. There should be no feelings involved here. He shouldn’t allow himself get used to their company, because really, he was only staying with them for convenience’s sake. To ease pressure on the individual, and save money on housing.
…No. No, it was not even that — not for Louis. In the first place, unlike these three, no part of his goal had ever been to lighten his work load. Much less to form bonds. He knew he could handle it all alone, because he had spent so much of his life by himself and gotten so far despite it.
Maybe even because of it. Because to be honest, they were a liability, since he kept having to hold their hands and walk them through everything.
So it was not for his personal benefit. Everything he was doing was simply to prevent them from undoing the spell.
And yet. And yet, even though it was pointless, even though he knew a feeling like this would only get in the way, he had been finding himself enjoying their company, if only just a little. Even though they were hostile to him, he was living on equal footing with other people. And he was enjoying it.
So he should keep more of a distance, he thought, to ensure he would not be held back. To be safe.
The clemar was glaring at him, looking about five seconds away from striking Louis squarely in the face. But for whatever reason, he did not. He turned away and grumpily poured himself his own glass of water, then sat down at the table to gulp it down.
"You are quite the fool for proclaiming your hatred for me so openly," Louis reiterated when the clemar failed to react any further. "But I, just like you, am only being amiable because it is advantageous for me. So continue to hate me, if you so wish, and I will continue to tolerate you as I have been.
"Yeah. Sure."
"All right. I will go for a shower now, if we are done with this conversation."
The clemar sighed at him. "I don't care. You don't have to announce to me whatever it is you do."
"Ah. Well, I appreciate your graciousness in allowing me some autonomy."
He watched as the clemar waved him off with a roll of his eyes. He was quite finished, it seemed.
…My, these three were all quite sensitive, weren't they? A mere poke at their fragile egos seemed to cause them all to crumble. People were so very interesting.
So, as he had said he would, Louis headed off to the bathroom. He allowed himself to relax in the bath for a while, and opted to clear his head rather than dwell on the thoughts swirling around in it.
Later that afternoon, he got a bit restless while he was doing nothing productive, and decided to settle himself down at the kitchen table to read through all of the notes he had collected thus far. But after only a few minutes, he was interrupted.
"Writing in that notebook of yours again?"
Louis looked up from his book to where the knight had sat down down in front of him, an apple in hand as she leaned over the table to peer at his writing. He chuckled at her. "Indeed. I am reviewing all of the information I have gathered."
The knight nodded. "I see. Your handwriting is quite nice to look at."
"Many thanks."
She was quiet for a while, watching him work, and if he'd cared more about her opinion he might have felt a bit self-conscious being watched so carefully. Of course, he did not.
"We are appreciative of your assistance," she said after a long stretch of silence. "I feel you should know this. And because I am grateful, I do not want to bother you about this, but… have you heard any news about our employment opportunities?"
"It takes a while to process the paperwork," Louis said, "but our contact has made an attempt to expedite the process, so I should hear back from them within a week."
"Wonderful." Another pause. "Will mentioned something earlier. I am unsure whether you have been made aware of it."
"Something?" Louis echoed. "What sort of something did he mention?"
The knight took a large bite of her apple. "That we should take tomorrow, and many of our days off in the future, to begin searching around town to find some clues regarding how to return. As much as we appreciate all of the practical information you have been gathering, I don't suppose it leaves you with very much time to research our goal."
Oh. So, it was beginning. Here was the first kink in Louis's plan.
"You may do so, if you would like," Louis replied, keeping his expression indifferent. "I am not sure you will be able to find anything if you go in blind, however. I can assist the three of you in your search."
"You may, if you would like. In truth, you are already doing so much work that if you would like to take some time to relax instead, you may."
"No need. I am quite used to working hard." And it was in his best interest to prevent them from getting far ahead of him.
Hulkenberg smiled. "Ah, a kindred spirit! I enjoy keeping myself busy, as well."
"As I would expect of a knight of your caliber."
"Indeed. I will not pretend to be unaware of the skill I possess, but such skill is certainly a result of strict discipline. Genuine 'days off' are few and far between, lest my blade become rusty."
Louis looked up at her. "And you enjoy never having days off?"
"Yes." Hulkenberg leaned back, taking another monstrous bite of the apple. "I become crazed if I do not burn off enough energy in a day."
"I see," Louis said. "I am similar, I suppose. For me, as well, it is a sort of compulsion to keep myself busy. But rather than because I enjoy the things I do, it is because I do not know how to relax."
"Oh? I must teach you some breathing exercises, then," Hulkenberg said. "'Tis astonishingly simple to relax if you learn the right methods."
Louis felt a smile tug at his lips. "I would appreciate that."
…Then he stopped himself. Because no, what was he doing? How could this be called 'keeping his distance'? Should he say something now to push her away?
No, that might ruin his reputation among them. Let her get close, then, as she would, and he would simply prevent himself from becoming attached.
He couldn't imagine being attached to someone like her, anyway. They were quite different, in the end — and anyway, it would only do him harm to become fond of someone who hated him as much as she seemed to.
"Louis? Were you listening?"
Louis blinked up at her. In truth… no, he had been quite distracted. "Apologies. Could you repeat what you said?"
The knight clicked her tongue. "Asking for my assistance and then losing yourself in a daydream directly afterward? How ungrateful of you. I was attempting to guide you through a breathing exercise."
Louis chuckled, leaning back from the table. "All right. You have my attention now, so show me this breathing exercise, if you would."
The knight nodded. "Here. Inhale for four seconds, then hold it for four…" She demonstrated, motioning for Louis to follow. "Then you exhale for four, and hold for four."
"That is all?" Louis raised an eyebrow. "I would have thought your relaxation techniques would be more complicated, but… I suppose such a simple mind as yours must require a similarly simple solution."
She rolled her eyes. "Arrogant as ever. You must try it sometime, Louis, and then you will have to admit to yourself that you are just as simple as me when it works."
"All right. Then I will humor you."
She smiled at him, and he couldn't help but return it again.
…Indeed, this was dangerous.