The sun rises on the cityscape of modern Japan, bringing with it a new morning. Birds chirp aggressively as they leave their nests to find food for their young, and the quiet rumble of cars and bikes on their way to work spread through the waking metropolis. Light filters down through the window onto the serene, peaceful face of Alice Gehabich. The girl's face scrunches slightly at the disturbance, initiating the first steps in leaving the sleeping realm. With her eyes fluttering open, she stretches her arms out with a great big yawn. Sitting up, the girl takes a few moments to right herself as she fully awakens.
It takes a few moments, as the girl sits there peacefully in her bed. They were having such a nice dream, after all: a certain brunette was being made to eat literal dirt while the other brawlers could only watch helplessly as their only hope was shoved into the ground like the worm he was. Masquerade chuckles to himself as the few memories of the dream fade, creating back up memories of the more enjoyable parts for later.
Ah, if only dreams could come true. The boy thinks. But alas, he's not one to complain (that's a Dan thing). The thought, however, makes the boy aware of something that doesn't seem quite right. He ponders this in his half-awake state, before it finally hits him.
Awake.
He's awake.
The boy's eyes snap open as the situation dawns on him, the cloudy fog of sleep vanishing in a hurricane; he's not supposed to wake up, Alice is.
As the initial burst of anxiety passes, he reprimands himself.
Okay, this is a little weird, but whatever. Doesn't matter. And without another thought, he focuses his mind, swapping with his mental neighbor. At least, that's what should've happened.
Masquerade groans in frustration.
That usually works. Why isn't it working?
He squeezes his eyes further and grips Alice's covers tightly as he scours his mind, trying to trigger the switch he's initiated so many times before. To his distress, he finds nothing.
"What is happening? Why aren't you waking up?" The boy inquires with a rising sense of desperation. Panic grips his heart as he stands up, clutching his head.
"Come on you stupid wench, wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
Masquerade's episode is interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Uh, Alice? You alright in there?" Comes the muffled voice of Runo. Masquerade holds his breath; maybe if he's silent enough, she'll go away.
"Uh, Alice? Allllliiiice? You're not hurt are you? Should I come in?"
He continues to hold his ground; after all, she can only sense movement.
"That's it, I'm coming in! Better be decent!"
This plan has immediately backfired.
"N-No! I'm...fine! Just...groggy?" The boy answers in choice words, acutely aware that the door is all that stands between him and one of his enemies.
"If you say so. Shower's open." The girl responds, the following footsteps signaling her departure. The boy can't hold back a deep sigh of relief, slumping against the bed in a small moment of reprieve. In a moment of self awareness, he realizes the ludicrousness of being terrified of Runo, a girl that usually poses no threat to him. If his pulse wasn't so high, he'd probably be laughing.
What is going on?
The question does little to ease his nerves. He glances towards Alice's dresser, mask and DT card hidden in its midst's.
Only one place to find answers.
"Haaaaal!"
Hal G sighs as the familiar voice echoes through the walls, putting down whatever he was tinkering with to deal with the nuisance.
"What is it this time, bo- boy?" Turning around, he's met with the unusual sight of Masquerade wearing his granddaughter's PJ's. He strains to keep a straight face.
"It's a bit early for you, isn't it?"
"Ha ha, hilarious!" The boy responds impatiently, "I woke up instead of Alice, and now I can't get her to wake up at all. What the hell is happening?"
"Why ask me questions I don't know the answer to?" The man replies dismissively, casually returning to tinkering, "I'm a scientist, not a psychologist. Whatever's happening in that head of yours is between you, my granddaughter, and the Silent Core."
"Then give me an educated guess!" The boy demands irritably.
"Well, let's look at this scientifically." Hal begins calmly, clasping his hands together as if giving a lecture, "What variable has been added or subtracted that could possibly create a different reaction?"
Masquerade taps his foot rapidly, shrugging in a jerking motion. "I don't know, new shampoo?"
"Really, nothing else comes to mind?" Hal G continues in a condescending, knowing tone. Masquerade rolls his eyes (aware that no one would see, thus defeating its purpose).
"Hal, just spit it out already, we're wasting time."
Hal G raises a single eyebrow in judgment, further irritating the boy. "Isn't it obvious? I'm talking about the mask breaking."
The tapping stops.
"That doesn't make sense. The mask breaking was unfortunate, but that has nothing to do with this."
"I have a theory," Hal begins cryptically, "Again, I'm no psychologist, but it would seem that you only really 'swap' when the mask is on. Right before, Alice just seems to be in a trance. Only when the mask fully changed her body did you become you." He glances at Masquerade, gauging his reaction "Compare that to the night you broke the mask. For the first time, you had a conversation with me not in your body, but hers."
Masquerade stands perfectly still. "What are you saying?"
"Simple." The man begins slowly, "The mask provided you another body. Two bodies, two minds." He holds up a hand, two fingers raised and spread. "Now that the mask is gone, however…" He pulls the two fingers together.
"Two minds, one body." The boy finishes, finally grasping the situation.
The elf-eared man confirms with a solemn nod.
The boy growls "So, what, I'm starting to merge with her or something? What does that even mean? What's that entail?"
The old man shrugs. "No idea. I'd wager this is mostly harmless, but again; not a psychologist."
Masquerade balks. "Then- then I need to go see Naga to get another mask. That's the only way to fix this, right?"
Hal G shakes his head. "Don't be daft, boy, that could just make things worse. Naga is unpredictable at the best of times, the Silent Core even more so. We have no idea what further exposure could do to you."
"Hal, are you actually telling me that you think me and your granddaughter's minds could violently fuse, but that a little extra negative energy would be making things worse?"
Hal holds his hands up in surrender, "Not to beat a dead horse dry, but I should reiterate; I'm no psychologist. This is just pure speculation. To be quite honest, none of it makes sense to me. I don't even really know what you are."
The boy scrunches his face, his nose twisted in disgust "What I am? What the hell does that mean?"
Hal G purses his lips. "You tell me, boy; what are you?"
Masquerade scoffs, "I'm Masquerade, the bes-"
"You know what I mean." The man interrupts, "What are you outside of my granddaughter? An alien life-form attached to her? Some kind of possessing demon? Another personality etched into her brain? Do you know?"
Whether it be their content or their wording, something in those questions got under the masked boy's skin. Images of sitting in an empty room with nothing but himself. No thoughts. No desires. Just him. Him, trapped alone in the dark. The boy grits his teeth tightly and fights the sudden entourage of overwhelming emotions.
"I. Am. Me." He spits out.
"Yes, very helpful, thank you." Hal G replies sarcastically.
"Shut up!" Masquerade cries, surprising himself with how loudly he shouts. From how he jumps, Hal G is clearly surprised himself. The boy swallows, trying to hide his turmoil.
"Look, that's not important right now. What is important is that I need to switch with Alice now before someone checks her room and finds out she's gone. So put that big brain of yours to work for once and think of something fast, or we're screwed."
"Oh, the solution is quite obvious." Hal G states, "You'll just have to play the part."
Any remaining civility immediately dries up as Masquerade crosses his arms.
"No."
"You have her memories."
"Not happening."
"You have her muscle memory, it should be easy."
"We are nothing alike, complete opposites! I could never pass it off!"
"Well, given that 1) I'm not a psychologist, 2) You're having 'performance issues', and 3) Time is short, I don't believe you have much of a choice. Unless, of course, you have a better plan?"
Masquerade grumbles to himself in serious thought, in denial he's in a losing battle. He snaps his fingers in a desperate burst of inspiration.
"Okay, hear me out: Leave a ransom note and broken window."
Hal G actually, physically facepalms "Ugh, a plan that isn't full of shit!"
"Hey, I think I'm actually onto something here. Consider the advantages-"
"Oh my god, does being a teenage girl for a bit really terrify you that much?!"
"It does when it's this teenage girl!" The boy counters, "Can you imagine me going around all day going 'Hi I'm Alice, how is your day going? Do you need cleaner shoes, cause I won't mind licking them clean for you!"
"Didn't take you for the dramatic type."
"Oh come on, you know what she's like!"
"We're wasting time." Hal G says as he removes his glasses and draws a hand down his face; he fixes Masquerade with an impatient glare.
"If you don't go back and play granddaughter for a bit, I'm not helping you find that Hydra."
Masquerade gapes, "Wha- That's...that's not fair."
"Not trying to be." The old man responds as he cleans his glasses. The masked boy growls to himself.
"Fine, whatever. Just know that if my cover gets blown, it's on you."
"No, it wouldn't; it'd be on you." He says as he replaces the glasses with a smug grin, "So try not to fail."
Biting his lip to keep himself from saying anything further, Masquerade holds up his DT card (middle finger prominently raised) and vanishes.
Appearing back in Alice's room with a flash, he holds his barely held back rage just a bit longer before he relaxes. He went to go get answers, and came back with an existential crisis; all in all, it's shaping up to be a pretty shitty day. Replacing his mask and card in their proper hiding place, he stands before the room's mirror with the posture of a rotting banana; Alice stands before him, giving a death glare.
"You're really going to make me do this?" He asks her. Alice stares back unanswering. Masquerade takes in a deep breath, and exhales it slowly.
First on the list is a shower; he hoped he could skip it, but as it turns out Alice is covered in sweat and smells less than pleasant. Does she really sweat that much in her sleep? It's not as if it's something he's familiar with, given he's never had to think about her hygiene in detail. Thus, he hurries out of the room and into the bathroom to avoid any other interaction. He declothes and jumps in the shower while keeping his gaze up—doesn't have anything there he wants to see—and relies on Alice's muscle memory to clean himself. It probably would help if he looks where he's scrubbing instead of relying entirely on his vestibular sense—as he aimlessly stabs himself with a scrubber—but he stubbornly keeps his eyes tilted upwards, staring at the showerhead with murderous intent.
Moving on to his hair, he smiles at a bottle of shampoo. It was slightly different from what the girl usually used, as it helps maintain shape and creates more volume; now that Alice's hair is his hair, he figured the stuff might help his new mask keep his hair defying gravity a little easier. He had no idea if it worked or not, but he made the girl get it anyways on the off chance that it did. He applies it generously to his head and lathers it, finding it strangely satisfying as it got soapier the more he rubs it; it occurs to the boy that he's never "taken a shower" before, and the novelty of the act is enough to entertain his memory-less mind. Usually the Russian girl is incredibly efficient with her cleaning, making sure to not use any more water than necessary. With a mischievous grin, Masquerade allows himself to lean back and soak in the warm stream, taking an extra 10 minutes—if he's being forced to do her morning routine, he might as well enjoy it.
Stepping out feeling refreshed, he grabs a towel and dries himself with Alice's practiced hands. Wrapping the towel around her body was a bit more trouble without looking, but eventually he secures the temporary reprieve from nudity and makes his way to the mirror. The girl's long ginger hair drips ceaselessly onto the floor, prompting the boy to wring her hair over the bathroom sink to stop the discharge—if only temporarily. By this point she'd brush her teeth, so he grabs her toothbrush and paste and begins scrubbing. Looking at the mirror, he stares at Alice with dead eyes, judgment clear on her face; even something as simple as teeth brushing is an audacious task for her: clean the front, back, and top for 30 seconds each; floss twice; wipe any hint of wear and tear away so there's no chance of food being stuck in your teeth or bad breath to disturb anyone. The boy spit down in disgust, followed with rinsing and flossing his mouth.
Next is using the toilet, where the girl would try to empty herself of all her accumulated waste in as quiet a manner as possible. Masquerade grit his teeth in frustration as he sits on the bowl, trying to push out as loud a fart as possible in spite—damn any embarrassment he might feel later. The girl's diet doesn't support such an action, however, as the quietest of squeaks comes out instead; the toot is so pathetic, it actually makes the boy feel more embarrassed.
Finishing that business, he moves to the next task: moisturizing. He haphazardly slaps some lotion onto either side of his face, and rubs it in smooth circles. It leaves his hands feeling uncomfortably greasy, and that no matter how hard he tries he can't wipe it off; Alice would usually coat her entire body, but he decides that her 'dry, thirsty skin' can survive one day.
Finally, he takes a comb and begins the arduous task of brushing Alice's hair. He's once again face to face with his alter-ego, going through her mental checklist as he continues the repetitive—if not slightly calming—action: Pluck your eyebrows to make sure they're even, check your face for blemishes, cover them with just enough make-up so that it's not noticeable, make sure there's not a single flaw upon her perfect visage else someone might notice and no longer love her anymore. Masquerade resists the urge to roll his eyes as he turns his face ever so slightly to the left, to the right, and then shrugs; as far as he's concerned (or cares), she looks good enough. She never stops glaring at him. She never does.
Done with the list, he scurries out of the bathroom back towards Alice's room, passing a surprised Runo in his haste.
"Oh hey, you took longer than-"
Slam.
Masquerade gulps as he shuts the door; that was probably not a great move to make. Lucky for him, even if Runo reacted to the rude action, she left the boy in peace. He's well aware that he will have to interact with her eventually, but is happy to avoid it for as long as possible.
Getting dressed is a bit more trouble: getting the clothes out is easy as the girl only has one outfit (like everyone else in the world, of course; if you like a look, why waste the budget on different outfits?), but putting them on requires the boy to actually look at what he's doing. Still, he persists on trying anyways: underwear, shorts, socks all slip on easily without a glance. The persistence dies with the next article of clothing. The boy glowers at the bra, mentally debating himself. He can take a gamble and go without it, hoping it'd go without notice. Given how that gamble played out last time, however, gives him severe doubts. He grits his teeth, half tempted to get the binder out and just deal with that, but one russian girl suddenly becoming flat-chested would be immediately noticeable. With a sigh of defeat, he spends the next few uncomfortable moments putting the device on; the rest of the clothes slip on without a thought.
Masquerade takes a long, calming breath as he focuses himself. Another glance in the mirror, he sees a girl with anxious eyes. Murmuring quietly in frustration, he closes his eyes and slaps his cheeks.
Come on, you're Alice Gehabich: goody two-shoes, legitimately likes people, doesn't despise Dan and co. You can do this. Opening his eyes, he stares back at the mirror and attempts to put on his best patented Alice Smile™; that lasts all of half a second before he shoves his face into his hands. There's no way I can do this, this is too hard.
The boy was just about to teleport out, consequences be damned, when another knock came from the door.
"Uh, hey, Alice?" Came the surprisingly timid voice of Runo, "You ready?"
Masquerade froze, eyes turning to some paper and stationary on a desk; he could still scramble out a ransom note and jump through the window. He sighs.
"Yes, I am ready." He responds in as formal a voice he can muster. Despite that, it still sounds stilted and forced, making the boy cringe. With one more deep breath, he walks over to the door and opens it.
There, right before him, is one of his enemies: the loud mouth, Runo. Much like her voice, she appears surprisingly pensive—maybe his earlier action did affect her? He let his face relax into a calm smile™, making sure not to over do it; it might seem colder, but it was a good start.
"Good morning, Runo." He says in a sickeningly sweet voice; it might've been a bit much. If his performance was at all unusual, Runo doesn't seem to notice as she visibly relaxes. Her eyes darted downwards and stayed there, prompting the boy to match her gaze squarely on Alice's chest. His eyes flick forward self-consciously, silently thanking himself for going for the bra.
"Umm…" He drolls, trying and failing to keep any and all judgment out of his voice. Runo's eyes darted back up in surprise, having the decency to at least look partially embarrassed about being caught.
"Sorry, it's just…" The girl starts, eyes flicking downward before something goes through her head. She visibly relaxes, and pensive face gives way to a strangely genuine smile.
"It's nothing. It's...it's nothing." She responded in a tone that felt like it had way more meaning to it than whatever he was picking up, but if she's dropping it she's dropping it. "Come on, let's get breakfast!"
Now there's something he can agree with. He's not particularly familiar with hunger (outside his hunger for power, of course), but the grumbling pit in his stomach felt self-explanatory.
He cautiously follows behind the blunette, careful not to misstep. So far he was good; he interacted with a brawler and wasn't immediately caught. Despite the unfortunate incident he recently dealt with, he honestly was very good at keeping his cool. If he were alone, he'd let out a sigh of relief. However, he knows that the battle has only just begun.
The two eat in relative silence, much to Masquerade's appreciation. It was mostly surprising given that the loud mouth girl refrained from speaking. Runo was not someone that Masquerade would say he saw favorably; in fact, in ranking everyone he knows from best to Dan, she is just slightly higher than the brunette. She's loud, intrusive, annoyingly perceptive, and just all around unpleasant. That was the Runo he was used to, at least. Here, he could honestly say he could see her in a different light. The way she silently ate her meal with a comfortable calm almost made her look contemplative — dare he even say...sophisticated? He thought she would be the biggest problem, but as it turns out...he almost maybe kind of sort of tolerates her presence for the time being. As the two finished their breakfast, Runo (somewhat aggressively) took the dishes and put them in the sink in record time, looking at him with a smug grin — Alice must usually beat her to it.
"So, ready to hit that morning crowd?" Runo asks. Alice gives a nice smile™ while Masquerade silently fumes in confusion; taking a quick dive into his host's memories, he comes to the realization: this is a day Alice helps at the café. A looming dread begins to spread through the maskless masked boi—as if this day couldn't get any harder. Runo stares awkwardly for a time before realizing she isn't getting a response.
"Um, Alice? You didn't forget did you?"
The boy snaps back to attention with a forced smile.
"Of course not!" The boy tries to respond genuinely, but comes off incredibly forced, "Just still waking up I guess, he he." If his awkward delivery didn't do him in, his nervous laugh nailed the coffin. Runo's reluctance gives way to concern.
"Okay…" She drolls, eyeing the maskless girl, "You, uh...you doing alright Alice?"
Shit, now she's worried.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" He snaps back, probably a touch too quickly. It did little to assuage the blunette.
"Well, you've been really off lately." She responds while crossing her arms. That pensive look comes back as she turns her gaze away.
"It's not cause of me, is it?"
Of course it's because of you! He wants to scream. Why is he so tense? Every muscle in Alice's body is clenched.
"No, of course not!" He says in the same forcibly sweet voice. He isn't even convinced. A feeling of dread wells within him; if this is just one conversation, how in the hell would he survive the rest of the day?
Despite the questionable delivery, Runo still seems genuinely relieved. Taking an uncomfortably long couple of seconds looking her friend over, she finally meets his eyes.
"Is it, you know…" She awkwardly rubs the back of her head, a different hesitation suddenly present, "...like, that time of that month or something?"
It takes a good few seconds before the statement fully registers in Masquerade's mind. His first instinct is to vehemently deny it, almost offended by the notion. However, a trained hesitation allows gears to start turning in his head.
With a sudden burst of inspiration, the boy stands up with purpose and declares: "Yes, yes it is! I am menstruating!"
The bold statement catches Runo off guard, but the boy doesn't care. It's genius! Worried someone might find his behavior off? He'll just say he's menstruating! Most people would probably end their probing at that. And it's not like there's any inconsistency there: Alice has only been there for a little while, so they wouldn't find it unusual. They wouldn't know that Alice's period actually ended a week ago because Alice being Alice was so discreet about it, going so far as to dispose of her used products where they wouldn't be seen. And as far as Alice's host family is concerned, Alice could just get a little wacky once a month. It was practically fool proof, why didn't he think of this earlier?
"OK then," drawls Runo awkwardly, "Do you, uh, want the day off or something?"
Masquerade is incredibly tempted to say yes; however, knowing who he's playing as, that would be the last response Alice would give. Plus, the way the blunette phrased the question makes it seem like she's not expecting a yes anyways. With an internal sigh, Masquerade gives a smile™ and answers with a quick shake of Alice's head.
"No, I'll be fine. I'll just be a bit more…" he pauses for dramatic effect "…unpredictable."
With a slight (albeit nervous) nod, the younger girl moves on with Masquerade following. With a quick switch of attire, changing into uniform, the two girls enter the small but homely family café.
Given the early time, the area is relatively empty save for the few morning regulars. Nonetheless, the two girls are put to work the moment they step through the door: handing out plates, picking up dirty dishes, refilling coffee, and the like. Almost immediately Masquerade finds this trite and humiliating; he's used to making others grovel at his feet, and now he's doing quite the opposite. Runo's parents are nice enough, not too pushy or overbearing, and for the most part are rather lenient on tasks they give him. Still, taking orders at all makes his skin crawl.
"Order for table three!" The father calls before turning to him, "Alice, sweetheart, could you get that for me?" The boy turned waitress doesn't respond in anything other than a tense nod, the maskless masked boy straining his face to maintain his forced smile™. It's unfortunately not good enough, as the man almost immediately notices.
"Alice, are you alright? You seem a little tense."
Shit is about the only thing that goes through his head. Not only is he reduced to the whims of these patrons, but must also maintain his "nice girl" façade at the same time? The task feels impossible, even more so than before. He forces out a giggle that he hopes sounds lighthearted, but comes out more as a croak; time to bring out the secret weapon.
"Sorry Misaki-san, I'm just a little off today since I just started my period."
Masquerade would have laughed at the man's reaction, practically cowering as he stares at her aghast.
"O-Oh, I see." He murmurs, looking anywhere but the girl as he hands the red-head the plate. "That's...that's good to know."
And thus, the conversation ends. The waitress has an extra skip in his step as he makes his way to table three, placing the plate down with a smile™ (one he can confidently call his own).
"Oh, good morning Alice!" The skip stops as he's called over by an elderly man with thick glasses and calm demeanor. A brisk perusal of his host's memories tells him that this man is a regular who takes a special interest in the Russian. A mildly uncomfortable interest. Masquerade's smile™ twitches.
"Morning, Susaki-san. I see you're here in the morning as usual." The smile the boy receives is polite enough, but still sends a shiver down his spine.
"Of course. Getting my morning coffee from you never fails to wake me up!" He responds pleasantly, taking the moment to begin eating his breakfast. Masquerade doesn't need eyes on the back of his head to know that the old man has been leering at the waitress as he's been making his rounds, either failing or never attempting to be inconspicuous.
"Jeez, could you be any more creepy you old fuck?" The boy whispers to himself. Sasaki jerks his head in his direction, and Masquerade realizes with horror he might've spoken that thought out loud.
"I'm sorry, did you say something dear?" He inquires. The boy gives a nervous smile™.
"No, sorry, just talking to myself. Enjoy your meal!" He finishes, turning to make a speedy getaway.
"Oh wait, you forgot my coffee." The man calls back, causing the masked boy to clench his jaw. He swiftly acquires the coffee pitcher and returns to the old man's courteous—if not discomforting—smile. He can feel the blood rush through his ears as he pours the brown liquid, the added tension giving him an unsteady hand and spilling some over the sides of the mug.
"Oh goodness, you made a bit of a mess!" The old man critiques, cleaning the excess with a napkin, "Nothing that can't be fixed easily, of course. You seem a little out of sorts this morning, Alice."
Masquerade clenches his jaw tighter behind his smile™, biding his time. It's not until he's mid sip that the boy comments:
"Sorry. I'm on my period today, so maybe that's why."
PShffffffffff!
Like an active volcano, steaming hot liquid comes spewing out of the old man's mouth, covering the wooden table. It takes every fiber in his being to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing, but he manages; he even gives a gasp of concern.
"Oh my, are you alright Sasaki-san? Here, let me help you." He reacts, voice dripping with mock innocence. The man puts a hand up to stop him, his other hand covering his mouth both to cover his coughs and hide his bright red face.
"No no, don't *cough* don't mind me, I can handle this." He remarks with failed indifference, giving a dismissive wave and immediately going to clean up the spill. The sheer chaotic glee running through Masquerade at this moment powers his guise long enough to reach the kitchen before breaking into uncontrollable guffaws. He never expected that trick to work so incredibly well; it did wonders in making him feel significantly less on edge. No longer does he feel like every twitch and blink is being scrutinized; sure he's still a waitress, but at least he no longer feels like he's walking on eggshells.
Maybe, just maybe, this day won't end in disaster.
The worst had yet to come, however. As the late morning turns to afternoon, the café hits its lunch rush. The boy finds himself being pinballed from table to table, coupled with a boom of the traffic training on Alice in particular. This might've been a concern before, but by now he's given up trying to be nice. No onion on your burger? Too bad. Want some extra sauce? Get it yourself. Want to chat with the pretty Russian? He doesn't even grace them a glance, just walks away. Luckily for him, very few people have a problem with it, most just being surprised. For the few who do, he simply recites the magic words "Sorry, I'm on my period today-" and that's all the conversation needs to be. It's practically a magic spell, automatically shutting down any conversation or inquiry while also making everyone delightfully uncomfortable. He'd never say it, but he's almost having fun. The sole source of concern is Runo. The entire time, she's been keeping a close eye on him. Even when he catches her staring, she just smiles and waves, or groans and rolls her eyes as she holds whatever order she was delivering. It doesn't seem like suspicion exactly; if anything, it feels more like…concern. Never-the-less, it makes the boy feel uneasy; extra eyes on his subpar impersonation is not the most ideal of situations to be in. For the most part, however, his little trick completely averts suspicion.
As the day wanes on and Masquerade finds a good rhythm, he finds himself almost relaxing into the work; it's still tiring, but at least he's no longer flustered with every table he serves. So it comes as somewhat of a surprise when, upon hearing a new customer entering through the café door, he turns to find a familiar short mop of black hair with a gravity defying cowlick. Masquerade stands stock still as none other than Shun stands in front of her. The teen is only slightly taller than Alice (not including his ridiculous hair), so they're eye level. Shun's eyes do not meet Alice's though, staring off into the near distance.
"Um, hello Shun." The maskless waitress awkwardly greets. Shun responds with a gruff nod, finally meeting Alice's gaze.
"I had some free time, so I thought I'd come by."
Though he speaks clearly, there's a distinct lack of passion behind his words. Similarly, his posture—though good (no doubt due to that ninja training)—feels lax.
"I…see." faux-Alice replies clumsily. What else is he supposed to say? He was honestly hoping that Runo would be the only brawler he'd have to deal with for the day, but that has clearly been thrown out the window. They stand motionless long enough for the silence to become agonizing before Masquerade blurts out: "You want food?"
This is immediately followed by him wanting to crawl, screaming, down a bottomless hole. Shun scoffs.
"I'm fi-"
"He most certainly would!"
The maskless boy tries to keep himself from reacting too violently to the new voice, only now admonishing himself for missing the very obvious green, spherical creature on Shun's shoulder. The ninja-in-training tenses.
"Skyress, I'm fine." The boy retorts in a controlled voice.
"Shun, when's the last time you ate? You can't just go starving yourself." The tiny, green bird/sphere chirps next to the boy's ear.
"I had that bowl of rice-"
"Which was hours ago! You can't tell me you're not hungry."
The boy squirms uncomfortably, his lips pursed into a straight line.
"I can survive on far less, Skyress."
"And I don't care what that old grouch says, you're a growing boy! You need to eat!"
With that, Skyress turns towards Alice.
"He would like a ham sandwich, please." She requests in the most patient of tones. Shun avoids all eye contact, face fighting a rising blush. Masquerade has to fight back a laugh at the boy's expense (if for nothing else than to keep up appearances).
"Alright, just take a seat and I'll go get it." Masquerade responds with a smile™. Before he can go, he hears a barely audible grumble. Risking a glance back, he sees the rosy-cheeked teen shift his eyes away again.
"Did you…say something?" The waitress asks. Shun whines angstily, still not meeting Alice's gaze.
"With cheese and lettuce, please…" He whispers. Masquerade lets out an inelegant snort, prompting Skyress to give a little chuckle.
"Coming right up!" He practically screams before running away to the safety of the kitchen.
After delivering the order and thoroughly contemplating his uncharming behavior—What on earth caused him to act like that?—he returns to find the next most unexpected guest arriving: Dan. Masquerade has to stop himself from balking, carefully crafting Alice's smile™ to cover his distress.
"Dan!" Masquerade greets through grated pearly whites, "What…the hell…are you doing here?"
Dan stares dumbly, rapid chain-blinking relaying his surprise.
"I'm, uh…hungry? Is that a problem or something?" Dan asks with genuine concern. Masquerade hates that a small part of Alice feels even the tiniest bit of guilt; sure, it was an out-of-character reaction, but he would be damned before he feels sorry for the scarlet menace.
"No, no, of course not! It's just a bit…surprising is all." The boy waitress says back in as unsuspicious manner as possible. It is, unfortunately, not a very good attempt as Dan gives him the side-eye.
"You alright there Alice? You seem weirder than usual today."
Masquerade's response comes out before the thought—or inevitable consequences—can be fully processed.
"Yeah, well, I'm on my period today, so that's why."
It's only after seeing Dan's reaction—or more frighteningly, his lack of reaction—that Masquerade fully realizes the terrible mistake he's made.
"Oh, so you're wearing a blood diaper right now?"
Nothing could've prepared the villain as every synapse in his brain abruptly ceases firing.
"...what?"
"You know, cause you pee blood uncontrollably? I call them blood diapers."
The moment creates a dopamine-void within his brain, where all happiness goes to die. What's worse is the fact that the masked boy can't fully refute the statement, making him feel nauseous. In his frantic attempts to contain his gag reflex, he spews not bile but: "Oh my god, Dan, that is not how menstruation works!"
Looking to retort, the words seem to stop in Dan's throat. In a trice, his stare goes from dopey to…intrusive; the change is more than a little alarming.
"W-what? It's not!" The boy shouts, very much not liking the change.
The comment knocks the tween back to his senses, reacting with a dismissive shrug. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Hey, is that Shun?"
Ignoring the waitress entirely, he walks over to the booth Shun settled at with a wave.
"Hey, if it isn't Mister Hot Shot himself! Long time no see!"
Masquerade glances over to see the ninja's reaction, fully expecting him to have thinly-veiled dread. To his utter surprise, he finds the ninja's eyes light up.
"Dan, we just saw each other a few days ago. When you called? Just to tell me I'm an asshole?" Shun states with mystifying calmness, provoking Dan to snigger.
"Ha ha, yeah. So anyways, anyone sitting here?" He asks at the precise moment he takes the booth opposite the other brawler. If Shun was going to retort, he stays quiet.
"So, anyways, can I have a sandwich or something?" The child calls back to Alice, "That's what you guys sell here, right?" Masquerade vaguely perceives his blood starting to burn. He can endure a lot: Play as his alter ego for the day? Not ideal, but tolerable. Be friendly with his enemies? Difficult, but not impossible. Be a waitress? Humiliating, but he can cope. Find out he might be losing control over his host and be forced to confront the nature of his existence? Well, he's dealing with that mostly by not dealing with it. He has thick skin. But serving Dan?! That is a line his dignity will never allow him to cross. Masquerade is about to scream something (probably obscene, and definitely not appropriate) before a blue haired angel walks in with tray in hand.
"We only do that for paying customers, not freeloaders."
"Hey, I have money!" Dan cries defensively, "What's the deal? This how you treat all your potential customers?"
"Only the annoying ones." Runo whispers to herself, though clearly loud enough for the recipient to hear. Dan only responds with a frown that is gradually over taken by a wide, stupid grin. Masquerade quietly thanks Runo for saving him from potential ruin; he's far from religious, but this moment almost convinces him that there is a god. The blunette places her tray on the table, revealing three sandwiches and a salad. "Whelp, order up." Runo comments while removing her apron, "Dad! Me and Alice are taking our lunch breaks!"
"Alright, sweetie! Just, uh…mind the weather?" The man shouts back. Runo pauses while untying her apron, grumbling to herself in confusion before fully removing it.
"Wait, I didn't even order yet," Dan states, looking at the meal in wonder, "Did you have this prepared?"
"You texted me before you came, you dumbass. Now scoot!" She says as she violently hip shoves him, the boy grunting in pain as he moves further into the booth. She lets out a loud sigh of contentment as she takes her seat.
"Man, my feet were killing me!" She announces a little too loudly, gaining a few side-eyes. Finally making herself comfortable, she turns to Masquerade expectantly.
"You gonna join us?" Recognizing that he's a participant, NOT just an observer, he inwardly screams as he outwardly smiles™.
"Sure, you're so thoughtful Runo!" The boy exclaims. Just to further cement the unavoidable nature of this request, Shun scoots over to make room for Alice to sit. He desires nothing more than to screech into the aether at the moment, but—as is the theme for the day—suppresses the urge as Alice takes a seat. One brawler was already enough, but three?! To make matters worse, the tantalizing smell makes him aware of how famished he is. He feels like the situation should overshadow Alice's appetite, but unfortunately the relatively new sensation remains prominent; damn homeostasis and its constant, needy behavior!
"Soooo you made me a sandwich just cause I said I was coming?" Dan interjects, still inspecting his food as if it's some long lost relic "How would you even know what I would order?"
Runo gives a halfhearted glare "You really gonna complain about a free sandwich?"
"Well, no, this IS what I would've ordered, but how- ?"
"Because you always order the same thing. Your diet has a severe lack of variety. It wasn't that hard to predict."
"There's no way I'm that predictable!"
"Then you clearly don't know yourself that well."
Dan pouts, but doesn't give a response as he takes a bite out of his meal.
"I got you lunch too, you know; you're allowed to eat." Runo says to Alice as she takes a bite out of her own sandwich. Finding Alice's mouth watering at the aroma, her eye's scour over the remaining plates; to his dismay, he realizes she's referring to the salad. He should've expected as much, of course even eating as Alice has to be unpleasant. Keeping his mouth closed with a smile™, he places the plate closer to himself.
"Right." The mask boy responds, glancing over to the remaining sandwich with frustration (and, much to his displeasure, hunger). He looks up to see Shun staring right at him, and feels his throat drop to his stomach.
"Well, I'm sure that Shun is very grateful for the food." Came the small, motherly voice of Skyress, turning from Runo to Shun atop his shoulder, "Isn't that right, Shun?"
The teen in question grunts in response as he twirls a kunai out of nowhere, the sudden appearance of a sharp object gaining a short lived recoil of fear from the waitress (and a reluctant admission of coolness on Dan's part).
"Shun!" The bird-dragon scolds, gaining a quiet growl from the boy as he uses his knife to cut his sandwich into two triangles. "Yeah, thanks Runo. I appreciate the kind gesture." He responds with a reserved—though not ingenuine—voice, wiping off the ninja tool before returning it to wherever it came from with a flicking motion.
"Yeah, no problem." The blunette responds with a raised eyebrow and a crooked grin, her face an undecided mix between laughing and cringing. Masquerade tentatively picks at the salad, munching on a bitter leaf of some unsatisfying origin.
"So Shun, what brought you here?"
The boy looks up and makes eye contact with Runo, but his face remains static and unreadable. "I felt like it." He says simply, grabbing one half of the sandwich and nibbling on one end. Runo scoffs at the standoff-ish response, while Dan grumbles to himself. Masquerade lets a genuine smile shine through; there's a reason Shun is his least hated of the brawlers. If Shun weren't so insistent about not joining him, Masquerade might even go as far as to say he's his favorite. The stone cold stoic with a level head is a godsend among the other children he has to fight daily. If one were to find him brooding alone in the dark, they might even hear Masquerade say he respects Shun, from one cool badass to another.
"So then, why didn't you feel like coming any other day, huh?" Dan shoots back accusingly, sounding more petty than threatening. Shun doesn't respond in turn, moving his gaze to the window.
"I just didn't." He replies candidly, "Grandpa was keeping me busy."
He grabs the other half of the sandwich as he continues to munch on his own. Masquerade finds himself following it out of the corner of his eye with jealousy. Dan twists his face up in a bizarre show of intimidation, causing Runo to puff out her cheeks in held back laughter.
"Yeah, likely story. How do we know you weren't secretly working with Masquerade!?" Masquerade raises an eyebrow at the accusation; he never did anything of the like (despite his best efforts), but he also doesn't enjoy becoming a topic of conversation. He curiously peeks at the boy in question, but sees him roll his eyes.
"Dan, does everything mildly suspicious have to do with Masquerade in your head?" Runo remarks with a sigh, "You know that not everything has to do with you and your problems."
Dan once again pouts. "Says the girl who thought Alice was a spy." Dan shoots back, jabbing his thumb towards said recipient. Runo's face almost immediately erupts into a bright scarlet.
"That was…a very understandable misunderstanding." She spits back with clenched teeth. Masquerade is deciding whether he should laugh or be worried about the dangerous topic change when he feels something poke his arm. Looking down, he sees half a sandwich extended in an offering manner, positioned under the table so that only Alice could see. He looks up at Shun, matching his eye contact. He's still eating his half as he watches the waitress, his other hand flicking in her direction to reaffirm his gesture. Not being in a position (or having the desire) to say no, he reaches up and grabs the morsel with a small nod of gratitude. Shun responds with a nod in kind, returning to his window.
"Don't think that's worse than Julie beating up my grandpa cause she thought he was Hal G." Shun comments. The dry delivery leads to Dan snorting, and Runo chuckling quietly to herself; Masquerade even finds himself smiling, if for nothing more than the irony.
"Yeah, that crazy American is a little too much sometimes." Runo adds, leading to Dan squinting his eyes.
"Wait, I thought she was from Australia?" Dan questions, in turn leading to Runo looking befuddled.
"Dan, that's a completely different continent. How could you get those mixed-up?"
As the two continue to bicker, Masquerade can't help but laugh a little at the chaos. In another world, and another life, he might even say he's enjoying himself. Why was he so worried about interacting with these guys? They're all idiots, he had no chance of being discovered.
"You know Dan, you never said why you came here. Aren't you also subject to suspicion?" Runo adds with a smug grin. Completely bypassing the playful accusation, he shrugs.
"Eh, I was running some errands for my mom and happened to be by." He says with indifference.
"Really now, Dan?" Skyress picks up, "I never took you for the dutiful son type."
"He's not," Runo says with a sigh, "He just does it cause he has to. She feeds him, houses him, and probably still burps him, the guy doesn't have much of a choice."
"I'll try and not be insulted by that," Dan bites back, rubbing a finger under his nose confidently, "I'm plenty capable of burping myself!" With a thump of his chest, the boy releases an obnoxiously loud belch, bringing an immediate reaction of disgust from the table. "Besides, I'll have you know I help my mom cause she needs me. She'd be entirely lost without me there!"
"I entirely doubt that." Runo bites back, waving away the foul air in front of her, "It's not like you help around the family business like I do."
"Yeah, well, I'm not committed to unpaid labor." Dan deadpans.
"I'm not unpaid!" Runo bites back, "I'm paid, with…love."
"Sure." Dan delivers, unimpressed, "I, on the other hand, am always there to help my mom in hard times, like if she needs extra ice cream, she's out of sugar, or she needs some extra blood diapers."
Masquerade involuntarily facepalms, finding at least some purchase that there's no mask to avoid breaking there currently. He swears he hears the slightest of snickers from beside him. Look up, Shun just so happens to turn away at the same time.
"Dan, never say that word again," Runo says with a glare, "It's a crime against women everywhere."
"Mom thinks it's cute." Dan grumbles to himself.
"My parents just need a few extra hands, even if it takes some of my freetime away. I'm just selfless like that."
"Are you seriously implying that your parents need you more than my mother needs me?"
"Your words, not mine."
"Well, my mother doesn't want a slave." Dan shouts.
"Well, my mother doesn't want a freeloader!" Runo shouts back.
"And I guess my mother doesn't want anything." Shun interjects.
Both kids look towards Shun in confusion, the boy suddenly looking nervous. When nobody says anything, Shun coughs awkwardly into his hand.
"Cause…cause my mom's dead. So she…doesn't want…anything…" He drones, voice becoming quiet and leading into a deafening silence. After a good few wordless moments, Dan does what he does best and breaks it.
"Wait, I thought your mom was in a coma?"
"What?" Shun asks with a slight edge, his eyes narrowing, "No, Dan. Why the hell would you think that?"
For the first time in Masquerade's admittedly short memory, Dan looks like he wants to eat his words.
"Oh, well, um" Dan stutters, uncharacteristically nervous under Shun's glare, "The way I heard it, she fell asleep and just didn't wake back up?"
"Yes, Dan, that's called dying." Shun vehemently remarks.
"Ohhh…" Dan shrinks ever so slightly in his seat, his neighbor looking just as tense.
"Now Shun- '' Skyress starts, but she squawks as the boy grabs her and shoves her on the table. "I gotta go." He mumbles, jerking into Alice as he tries to escape. Runo gets up for a split moment, reaching out and calling his name, but stops herself as he rushes past. They all watch silently as he walks out the door.
"Oh Shun…" Skyress groans dejectedly, "I was just trying to get him out to socialize. He spends too much time in that dojo, and it's not good for him."
"He's coming back, right?" Runo asks in disbelief, "I mean, he wouldn't just leave you behind."
"Just give him some time." She answers somberly, "He just needs some time alone. He'll be back."
Shortly after, the two waitresses return to work as Dan promises to watch the table and Skyress, sitting there uncharacteristically quiet. Masquerade feels hollow as he quickly and inconspicuously consumes his sandwich. By all accounts, he should feel grateful: one less brawler to deal with, and a great distraction from himself. Now, however, he just feels bitter. For a moment there, he was almost having fun. Just almost, of course, and entirely around laughing at their stupidity as they barked at each other. Only to return to the hell that is serving others. Then he starts to think about times alone. Sitting in a dark room with nothing but himself. Thoughts bubbling from cracks deep below the surface. Going nowhere. Just building pressure.
"Hey, Alice, not gonna come by and say hi?" The maskless one is interrupted by another customer waving at him. Another regular, it would seem: another guy with wandering eyes. He can barely hold back the sneer.
"Wait your turn." He declares simply, not even trying to hide his disdain. The air of distaste from the customer gives him a short lived sense of satisfaction were it not for remembering his true role here.
"Woah, hey, what's with the attitude? That's not how you would treat an old friend like me, is it?" He asserts. Masquerade feels his air-tight smile™ start to crack.
"You're not a friend, you're a customer who comes by a little too often just to stare at my ass! Now wait! Your! Turn!" He howls, starting to gain the attention of the other occupants of the Café. The customer's face changes several shades in a matter of seconds, disbelief clear on his face. As Alice walks by, the customer stands up and grabs her arm. Touched his arm. Masquerade feels his blood boil.
"Now wait just a moment there-"
"Don't fucking touch me!" Before the customer can even react, Masquerade pulls back and sweeps the leg, turning the man's weight against him and flipping him on his back. The power of the slam causes the ground to shake, a nearby table wobbling and cup shattering onto the ground.
It takes only a moment for Masquerade to regain his senses, but by then it's too late. Everyone in the Café is now staring at him, Runo looking especially baffled. He feels the boiling blood instantly shift to cold. He needs to leave. Now.
"I…I'm on my period." He replies weakly, a last ditch effort to damage control. With nothing else to do but run, he promptly turns to the entrance of the Café to egress.
Only now on the streets, free from eyes, does he begin to calm his nerves.
"What the hell was that?" He whispers to himself, more just to hear his own thoughts out loud. He completely lost his cool, and made a show of it. Was that it? Was the jig up?
No no no, there's a way to smooth this over. Just…calm yourself down. You need to calm down. Why can't you calm down!
"Hey."
The mask boy freezes at the unexpected voice, twisting around to see nothing on the city streets.
"Up here."
Prompted by the voice, he looks up to see a familiar face atop a building, legs dangling over the side.
"Ladder's over there." Shun instructs, pointing towards an alley next to the building. As stated, there is a ladder leading up to the roof. Logic dictates that this is a bad idea (especially considering his most recent endeavor atop a roof). However, right now logic is the last thing on his mind. With a deep breath, he moves towards the ladder. Alice's arms are already tired from carrying trays all day, but the muscle pain serves as a needed distraction from the boy's distress. It takes him a little over half a minute to make the full climb, but finally he steps up upon the tilted, tiled roof. Shun is still there, looking in Alice's direction patiently, before he lays back with both arms behind his head.
"Rough shift?" He asks politely. Masquerade doesn't answer, but Alice's expression says enough. A small grin spreads across Shun's face.
"Yeah, you don't need to say."
He pats the space beside him.
"You can join me if you want."
Masquerade feels Alice's heart through her throat. This is a bad idea. This is a really bad idea. This is such a bad idea, not even Dan would make this mistake. So why the hell does he still want to do it?
Mind fighting with every step, he steadily makes his way next to the ninja. Sitting upon the ledge, he briefly gazes down at the street below. The initial vertigo fizzles out into an overwhelming sense of wonderment; the street looks so much smaller from so high up. Just how can that Café seem so tiny when it felt so large just a moment ago? He sees the entrance open and a panicked Runo running out, scanning the surrounding area. He instinctively shrinks back from the edge, but the blunette never chances a glance up before returning to the restaurant with a defeated demeanor. Masquerade experiences a momentary sense of solace before noticing Shun staring at Alice in amusement.
"Was it that bad?" Shun asks coyly, his voice carrying over the wind as it whips Alice's hair into a tizzy. The teen should make him feel angry or flustered for sticking his nose in, but he mostly just feels embarrassed. Of all the other brawlers, this is the single individual whose opinion he doesn't care about the least.
"I…might've thrown someone onto their back." The words tumble out before he can even think to stop.
The ninja gives an impressed whistle.
"Did they deserve it?"
Yes. Absolutely. 100%.
…is not what Alice would say.
"Not really." He answers stiffly. Shun sighs.
"You don't have to pretend with me, you know." Mask boy stiffens further. Damn that perspective, unfairly attractive ninja! Reluctantly, he replies.
"He…kinda deserved it."
"Only kinda?"
"Well, he grabbed me and I overreacted. There!" Masquerade bites back. What is this, an interrogation? Shun gives a little hum of acknowledgement.
"You seem embarrassed." Shun replies, looking up at the sky before meeting Alice's eyes. It's terrifying in a way, having eyes that can be seen. It makes him feel vulnerable without the mask. Why does Masquerade feel like he's in danger? If his heart goes any faster, he swears it'll be audible.
"Maybe because I am." He counters, shifting her eyes away "I lost my cool. When I shouldn't have."
Why did he say that? Shun almost looks surprised at the reveal.
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" He asks dryly as he turns back to the sky, "You know, Alice, you don't always have to be perfect."
Her name jars him slightly. He agrees…but he knows she doesn't. He doesn't answer, but Shun doesn't continue the conversation, turning the comfortable silence uncomfortable. This does little to quiet down the blond red-head's beating heart; if anything, he just feels more tense in the silence.
"Thanks for the sandwich, by the way." He blurts out rather stupidly, almost immediately regretting the action. To his ever rising horror, it's enough to make his face heat up. Of all the times to blush! The man reprimands Ugh, this whole situation is just ridiculous. I look ridiculous. Masquerade, his face now a different shade, wishes to hide his face, so the world may never find him. His self-deprecating poetry is interrupted when, much to his surprise, Shun actually laughs. He attempts to hide his shock, but seeing the generally stoic teen look happy is too much of an astonishment; the sight even manages to increase his pulse further.
"You were staring. It was kinda pitiful." Shun chuckles, "You were really not enjoying that salad." Masquerade shock vanishes as he glares at the other teen self-consciously.
"What about you, huh? Mister Hot Shot?" The girl shoots back, "Always acting calm and collected, up until a tiny green ball orders food for you?"
To Masquerade's great satisfaction, Shun reacts splendidly: jerking up in embarrassment, a light dusting of pink upon his cheeks.
"That's, uh…*sigh* touché."
The surge of chaotic glee returns, gracing Alice's lips into a smile. "I guess we're both just a couple of posers, then."
Shun stares back at him again, and returns the smile.
"I guess we are."
As the conversation reaches a comfortable lull, the teen leans back in tranquility. The silence feels a lot less oppressive with the hustle and bustle of the streets below sounding so far away. Finding nothing else to do—and really not wanting to return back to the crime scene—Masquerade reluctantly mirrors the other teen and lays down next to him. The quiet makes the red-head keenly aware of just how hard his heart is beating. It baffles him: how is this the most terrifying thing he's ever experienced? He's regularly fought off creatures of unfathomable powers without a lick of fear, yet laying next to his enemy makes him feel like death was close at hand? It's strangely exhilarating, like walking a tightrope. Maybe that's why he hasn't left yet?
"How's Skyress, by the way?"
Masquerade startles at the voice, further reprimanding himself for being so jumpy. "Uh, she's fine. She's sitting with Dan right now, I think." He peers over at the ninja, eyeing his reaction, "She, um, seems pretty worried about you."
Shun replies with a quiet hum, eyes deep in thought. His silence continues, prompting Masquerade to roll on his side to watch him expectantly. Finally, he lets out a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry about earlier." Shun mutters quietly, "I didn't mean to make everyone uncomfortable."
The sobering change of subject elicits a gulp from the masked boy.
"No, don't be. If anything, it's Dan's fault."
Why is he trying to reassure his enemy? If this really is like extreme sports to him, he can think of less risky endeavors.
"No, Dan means well," Shun remarks (causing the red-head to choke slightly), "Skyress means well. It's just-"
He pauses, shutting his eyes tightly before opening them again.
"Skyress was the last thing my mom gave me before she died."
Masquerade feels his blood run cold. This is getting a little too personal for his comfort.
"I was playing a game with Dan before it happened, actually. Got back to her right as she died. Her last moment was giving me Skyress cause she wanted me to have fun with the game we made. I think Skyress feels like she needs to fill that role…or something."
It takes a second for Masquerade to gain his bearings enough to respond.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know that."
"Well, I haven't told anyone else. Except you, I guess."
The hush that follows is deafening. How the hell does he respond to that?
"Is…that why you shut yourself off from everybody?"
The teen groans, shifting his position slightly.
"Kind of. Gramps wants me to follow in his place, become a shinobi. I thought going all in on the training would help." Shun purses his lips. "It didn't."
Whether it be biting curiosity, the continued thrill, or something else entirely, Masquerade pushes onward.
"Skyress mentioned trying to get you out of the dojo. Said it's not healthy for you."
Shun scoffs.
"Sounds like her. Not sure how much good it'll do." Finally, Shun rolls over to meet Alice with an intense look in his eyes.
"You said earlier you thought I'm always calm and collected? Well, that's not true." He looks at a hand with a hollow look. "I just- don't know what to feel anymore. Everything feels so muddled and distant, like I'm always underwater. Like I'm drowning." Shun lets out a humorless chuckle through a sardonic grin.
"And look. The world's a mess. We made a game out of aliens. We're fighting against gods and masked creeps, and your grandpa is an evil green elf. I'm training to be a ninja! The world stopped making sense." His grin rapidly shifts into a quivering scowl. "Since she's been gone, nothing's made sense." Masquerade watches with uncharacteristic concern as he reaches up to cover misty eyes, a single tear starting to stream down his face.
"Damn it, my Mom sacrificed everything so that I could have a childhood, and I don't even remember what being a kid feels like anymore."
Masquerade is speechless. He is honestly, completely without words..
Noticing the girl's reaction, Shun quickly wipes his tears away.
"Sorry about that, I…I'm sorry." He snaps defensively, "Just...forget I-"
Turning to face the girl, Shun abruptly freezes in places as his eyes catch hers. Masquerade is abruptly made aware of just how close the two are. There's a voice in his brain that says this is a bad idea, has been saying it, says he should go and attempt damage control. He shouldn't even be here, relaxing with the enemy, talking to each other in the first place. However, a far deeper, far more potent side of his mind he wasn't even aware screams to continue. A part that doesn't want to think. A part that just wants.
"I…"
He grasps Shun's hand, causing the teen to inhale sharply.
"My…"
Alice's face starts to lean forward.
"A-Alice…?"
There's something that he wants. Something he's long been denied. Shun starts to close his eyes.
"M-My…!"
He feels hot breath, warmth radiating from they're close proximity. They tighten their grip. He should stop.
"My…my parents…"
Stop. Stop. He needs to stop.
"..they're dead…too."
SHE NEEDS TO STOP!
Shun's eyes shoot open, jerking his head back in surprise. The reaction is extreme enough to knock him out of his trance, and a million synapses fire at once. He shoves Shun back, snapping his hand away.
"This was a mistake." He breathes. And then he runs. Shun calls out 'Wait, Alice-', but he slides down the ladder at a breakneck pace. Everything is a blur as he sprints forward, not even knowing (or caring) where he's going, just as long as he gets away. He hears someone call out to him, but he doesn't stop. He runs until he's in the sanctity of Alice's bedroom. Breathing heavily, he leans against the door before screaming. He runs towards the mirror, finding Alice's terrified face staring back.
"Are you enjoying this?" He asks vehemently with a sardonic grin. Alice smiles smugly.
"Okay, you had your fun. I'm a horrible, terrible person who deserves to be punished. Your point's been made. You can stop it now." Alice says nothing, just looks angry. He jerks the mirror as if grappling it.
"Stop it! Take it back! I've had enough! I've had enough of all of this!"
His grip tightens, his knuckles turning white.
"Why won't you wake up? Why? Why!? Why, Why, Why!?"
He holds back a choking sob as he places his head against the mirror.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
Alice comes to in a disorienting manner, blinking rapidly as she takes in her surroundings. She finds a perplexed Alice staring back at her. Why was she holding a mirror?
Her reverie is interrupted by a shouting voice.
"Alice? Alice?!" Runo runs into the room, gasping heavily.
"Alice, I heard yelling. Are you alright?" She shouts. Alice's perplexity twists further into her features.
"I…think so. I just-" She once again looks around in bewilderment, "I guess I was just a little absent minded. Umm, am I still working a shift?" She looks down at her still worn, stained apron. Runo leans against a door, baffled and out of breath.
"No, no, you're fine, everyone is just worried." The girl explains, "What happened back there? I mean, that guy was acting like a creep, but I've never seen you so-"
Runo stops mid sentence as her gaze intensifies. Alice, rightfully alarmed, looks at her in concern.
"Never seen me so what? What are we talking about?" She asks in the gentlest of voices. Runo's gaze softens.
"N-nothing, don't worry about it. Mom says you can have the rest of the day off, so just relax okay?"
"Oh, why? I have no problem working more." Alice responds with a smile, "Afterall, your family is being kind enough to let me stay here, the least I can do is help pay them back."
Runo's face twists in confusion, "Oooookay. Let me rephrase: Mom demands that you take the rest of the day off. Got it?"
Alice's puzzlement furthers, but she still smiles gently.
"I suppose if she demands it. Tell her I'm very grateful."
Runo gives one last concerned nod before exiting the room. Door fully closed, Alice collapses upon her bed, body and mind feeling incredibly worn. She looks across the room towards the mirror she had so tightly held, seeing a worn, tired face. She instantly shapes her face into a serene expression and a nice, claiming, gentle smile. It's a good smile, she thinks. It needs to be, afterall. Her expression wanes ever so slightly, that smile diminishing, before she shakes her head and returns it. Good smiles only last for so long, after all.