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vocab_drabblesTitle: Calling It A Day
Fandom: The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window
Author:elidelio
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,123
Summary: Mikado and Hiyakawa face a difficult client, but sometimes people don’t want to be helped.
Had Mikado known this job was going to prove so troublesome, he would've just told Hiyakawa that he was going to sit this one out. Honestly, he should've suspected something when the old lady insisted they come at a very specific time, or even when they were interrupted in the middle of their investigation by a very upset homeowner.
“What do you mean exorcists? I told you to stop falling for stupid scams!” The woman had barely let them talk after they introduced themselves, turning to the elderly woman who had originally hired them and beginning her tirade, “There's no such thing as ghosts, mom, they're lying to you.”
Both women looked haggard, but in different ways. The black cloud hanging around them seemed to irritate the daughter, sapping her of her patience, while leaving her mother feeling drained and willing to do anything to find respite.
“I can assure you I'm not lying,” Hiyakawa spoke up again with his usual superficial alacrity, “Whether it's a ghost or a curse, we can help.”
Mikado’s ears perked with his words, and he couldn't help but mutter as he looked around the room again, “A curse? What makes you think it's a curse?”
He had asked in earnest curiosity, but the daughter was having none of it, “A curse?! Are you insane?! You think this is a fucking curse?!”
“Please, let them explain—” The elderly woman tugged at her daughter's arm, urging her to calm down, but her daughter simply shrugged her off and stormed towards Hiyakawa, the dense black cloud trailing after her.
As the cloud drifted closer, Mikado could feel a cold shiver running down his spine.
“You see it too, don't you?” Hiyakawa ignored the impending threat of the woman as he leaned next to his ear.
He did. Small figures lay hidden inside the dark cloud, or rather, the dark cloud was made up of thousands of small black figures. When Mikado focused his attention, he could see screaming mouths and grasping hands writhing among the black mass, clawing and biting at anything they could reach. The woman didn't know it, but they had latched onto her hair, her clothes, even her bare skin, pulling at her in a vain attempt at freeing themselves from their torment, or perhaps at pulling her in with them. Her mother was also surrounded by a cloud, but the bulk of the squirming wraiths followed the woman, seemingly drawn to her, engulfing her in an oily smog. If she could see what they saw, she'd surely be begging them instead.
“That much resentment, it's not natural.” Mikado confirmed, though he was sure the other had figured it out long before he did.
“What are you two muttering on about? Do you think this is funny?” The woman continued to vituperate them, “You should be ashamed of yourselves for trying to scam the elderly. What are you still doing here? I'm not giving you a single fucking cent, so you can go to hell.”
“Madam, we're just trying to help,” Hiyakawa tried again, “I’m afraid it will be too late for your son if we don’t do anything now.” The woman’s mother had filled them in before they were interrupted, and the situation seemed dire indeed.
Not even a split-second later, a loud smack resounded across the small living room, and Hiyakawa’s head swung to the side with the force of the impact.
“Rihito!” Mikado rushed to his side, standing between him and the woman, who still had her hand raised as if ready to strike again.
“Don’t you dare bring my son into this.” For the first time that afternoon, the woman’s voice trembled with something akin to fear.
Hiyakawa remained silent. He just rubbed his reddened cheek as if trying to slow down the visible swelling and straightened up, not looking at the woman.
“What are you doing?!” The elderly lady rushed to her daughter’s side, finally dragging her away, “They’re just trying to help!”
It was only when Mikado was sure the woman wouldn’t rush back towards them that he turned his attention to Hiyakawa, and frowned when he saw a bloody cut on his lip, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” He wiped at the cut and smiled in what was meant to be a reassuring manner, but his miserable appearance at the moment somewhat dulled the effect.
“Should we leave?” Mikado didn’t feel too well about leaving the women without help, but he knew that insisting when they were clearly unwanted was not the right move either.
“I think so.” Hiyakawa began walking towards the exit and Mikado trailed behind him. The older woman made a move to stop them, but her daughter stood in the way, making it clear that she wanted them gone.
As they reached the door, Hiyakawa stopped with his hand on the knob, “One last thing,” he turned to look at the woman, “That gift you got a month ago, I would throw it away, preferably on a dumpster outside of the house. Burning it beforehand might be a good option—or don’t, just stop carrying it around in your purse.”
Hearing his words, the woman choked on the retort she was about to give, and stared at Hiyakawa in shock.
But he simply opened the door before any more questions could be asked and walked outside, closing it again with conclusive finality.
The two men walked in silence for a few minutes before Mikado finally broke the silence, “Do you think she’ll do it?”
“I don’t know.” The answer was accompanied by a brief shrug.
Mikado found his nonchalant honesty irritating, but he couldn’t get mad given the circumstances, “Oh.”
“Are you upset?” Hiyakawa asked him with a bit of a smile.
“Of course I’m upset.”
“We could try going back.” He offered.
“What? No!” Mikado turned to face him, “Look at your face! We’re going to the hospital right now!”
Hiyakawa frowned in slight confusion, “We don’t need to go, it’s not that bad…”
Mikado looked like he wanted to say something else, but stopped and simply acquiesced, “Okay, let’s hurry back, then, but we’re buying a first aid kit on the way.”
“You’re not upset about leaving without helping?” Hiyakawa was sure he would be, he saw the frown on Mikado’s face when he had asked his question just now.
“I am.” He admitted with a sigh, “But I’m more upset she hit you. Even I’ve learnt that you can’t help people who don’t want to be helped…”
At this, Hiyakawa let out a laugh, prompting Mikado’s annoyance, “What’s so funny?”
“You’ve really grown.” His smile would have been charming if not for his broken lip and bruised face.
“…Shut up, your face is swelling.”
Fandom: The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window
Author:
elidelioRating: G
Word Count: 1,123
Summary: Mikado and Hiyakawa face a difficult client, but sometimes people don’t want to be helped.
Had Mikado known this job was going to prove so troublesome, he would've just told Hiyakawa that he was going to sit this one out. Honestly, he should've suspected something when the old lady insisted they come at a very specific time, or even when they were interrupted in the middle of their investigation by a very upset homeowner.
“What do you mean exorcists? I told you to stop falling for stupid scams!” The woman had barely let them talk after they introduced themselves, turning to the elderly woman who had originally hired them and beginning her tirade, “There's no such thing as ghosts, mom, they're lying to you.”
Both women looked haggard, but in different ways. The black cloud hanging around them seemed to irritate the daughter, sapping her of her patience, while leaving her mother feeling drained and willing to do anything to find respite.
“I can assure you I'm not lying,” Hiyakawa spoke up again with his usual superficial alacrity, “Whether it's a ghost or a curse, we can help.”
Mikado’s ears perked with his words, and he couldn't help but mutter as he looked around the room again, “A curse? What makes you think it's a curse?”
He had asked in earnest curiosity, but the daughter was having none of it, “A curse?! Are you insane?! You think this is a fucking curse?!”
“Please, let them explain—” The elderly woman tugged at her daughter's arm, urging her to calm down, but her daughter simply shrugged her off and stormed towards Hiyakawa, the dense black cloud trailing after her.
As the cloud drifted closer, Mikado could feel a cold shiver running down his spine.
“You see it too, don't you?” Hiyakawa ignored the impending threat of the woman as he leaned next to his ear.
He did. Small figures lay hidden inside the dark cloud, or rather, the dark cloud was made up of thousands of small black figures. When Mikado focused his attention, he could see screaming mouths and grasping hands writhing among the black mass, clawing and biting at anything they could reach. The woman didn't know it, but they had latched onto her hair, her clothes, even her bare skin, pulling at her in a vain attempt at freeing themselves from their torment, or perhaps at pulling her in with them. Her mother was also surrounded by a cloud, but the bulk of the squirming wraiths followed the woman, seemingly drawn to her, engulfing her in an oily smog. If she could see what they saw, she'd surely be begging them instead.
“That much resentment, it's not natural.” Mikado confirmed, though he was sure the other had figured it out long before he did.
“What are you two muttering on about? Do you think this is funny?” The woman continued to vituperate them, “You should be ashamed of yourselves for trying to scam the elderly. What are you still doing here? I'm not giving you a single fucking cent, so you can go to hell.”
“Madam, we're just trying to help,” Hiyakawa tried again, “I’m afraid it will be too late for your son if we don’t do anything now.” The woman’s mother had filled them in before they were interrupted, and the situation seemed dire indeed.
Not even a split-second later, a loud smack resounded across the small living room, and Hiyakawa’s head swung to the side with the force of the impact.
“Rihito!” Mikado rushed to his side, standing between him and the woman, who still had her hand raised as if ready to strike again.
“Don’t you dare bring my son into this.” For the first time that afternoon, the woman’s voice trembled with something akin to fear.
Hiyakawa remained silent. He just rubbed his reddened cheek as if trying to slow down the visible swelling and straightened up, not looking at the woman.
“What are you doing?!” The elderly lady rushed to her daughter’s side, finally dragging her away, “They’re just trying to help!”
It was only when Mikado was sure the woman wouldn’t rush back towards them that he turned his attention to Hiyakawa, and frowned when he saw a bloody cut on his lip, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” He wiped at the cut and smiled in what was meant to be a reassuring manner, but his miserable appearance at the moment somewhat dulled the effect.
“Should we leave?” Mikado didn’t feel too well about leaving the women without help, but he knew that insisting when they were clearly unwanted was not the right move either.
“I think so.” Hiyakawa began walking towards the exit and Mikado trailed behind him. The older woman made a move to stop them, but her daughter stood in the way, making it clear that she wanted them gone.
As they reached the door, Hiyakawa stopped with his hand on the knob, “One last thing,” he turned to look at the woman, “That gift you got a month ago, I would throw it away, preferably on a dumpster outside of the house. Burning it beforehand might be a good option—or don’t, just stop carrying it around in your purse.”
Hearing his words, the woman choked on the retort she was about to give, and stared at Hiyakawa in shock.
But he simply opened the door before any more questions could be asked and walked outside, closing it again with conclusive finality.
The two men walked in silence for a few minutes before Mikado finally broke the silence, “Do you think she’ll do it?”
“I don’t know.” The answer was accompanied by a brief shrug.
Mikado found his nonchalant honesty irritating, but he couldn’t get mad given the circumstances, “Oh.”
“Are you upset?” Hiyakawa asked him with a bit of a smile.
“Of course I’m upset.”
“We could try going back.” He offered.
“What? No!” Mikado turned to face him, “Look at your face! We’re going to the hospital right now!”
Hiyakawa frowned in slight confusion, “We don’t need to go, it’s not that bad…”
Mikado looked like he wanted to say something else, but stopped and simply acquiesced, “Okay, let’s hurry back, then, but we’re buying a first aid kit on the way.”
“You’re not upset about leaving without helping?” Hiyakawa was sure he would be, he saw the frown on Mikado’s face when he had asked his question just now.
“I am.” He admitted with a sigh, “But I’m more upset she hit you. Even I’ve learnt that you can’t help people who don’t want to be helped…”
At this, Hiyakawa let out a laugh, prompting Mikado’s annoyance, “What’s so funny?”
“You’ve really grown.” His smile would have been charming if not for his broken lip and bruised face.
“…Shut up, your face is swelling.”
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Date: 2023-01-25 05:37 am (UTC)