( owl ♛ )

In truth he really had no honest to god idea why he mentioned having a more flexible schedule now. Was it perhaps a bit of a Freudian slip meant to act as a way to vaguely mention the really nasty depressive period he was in? Perhaps. Or more than likely the man is simply an idiot who tends to not think before he speaks.

Actually let’s be real here, it’s probably a bit of both.

“ Yeah, it’s no problem. Honestly I was just going through a rough patch for a while there. One of those things people call a depressive period or whatever. Fuck if I know, I’m not a therapist. But yeah, just had to deal with some shit. Identity crisis and all that. Swear to god this island can be a real bitch at times. ”

His newfound sense of calm and acceptance of the situation at hand had really made the man a lot more ready to simply be himself now. Forget the need of fake names, lies about his path, and all other forms of bullshit. He knew who he was and he was damn proud of it! And if anyone had a problem with it? Well they can simply fuck right off for all he cared.

“ Honestly, sometimes I wonder what’s a lot more exhausting; dealing with the shit those idiots running the joint throw at us on a semi-regular basis, or running a gang back home. At least I had a lot more fun with the latter, hahaha! ”

“Ah, I see,” Eto responded calmly. “Well, such a thing isn’t that out of the ordinary. Rather, I think someone with a bit of introspection might even consider being in a funk... well, normal.”

She shrugged.

“After all, we were all ripped from our homes. Some people would have a lot of trouble adjusting to that.”

“People who are weak probably can’t handle it at all.”

Her smile widened, especially as the Boss continued to speak. A gang? Well, didn’t that sound fun? She chuckled at his words, politely covering her mouth with her hand, if only to hide the devilish smile creeping onto her lips.

@bubonem

"Hey, you."

An alley cat had spotted her. A girl covered in bandages and dressed in rags. Catra called out to her from two stories up, before jumping down. She landed flawlessly on all fours, before getting up on two legs once more. She was able to travel around easily on all fours because she had a paper bag between her teeth.

"Yeah, you, uh... wazzername."

Catra didn't bother to remember the names of people she didn't personally find important, and the most important person of all was Catra. In other words she was rude and self-absorbed, like any other teenager. Her tail coiled around one of her legs as she leaned forward with curiosity.

"Shigaraki told me to give this to you." She tossed the bag straight at her head. "You eat people, right? Well I'm a cat so, I guess it doesn't matter."

Eto tilted her hooded head, deciding whether or not she cared enough to put on the childish mask of Owl right now. Since this girl (?) was sent by Shigaraki, that brat, Eto supposed that doing so would be futile. She also didn’t really have the energy to do so.

So, she just caught the paper bag thrown at her with ease. Eto opened it, only to find a human hand... rather, a plastic one. Eto looked down, then back up at Catra.

Was this a joke? Well, two could play at that game.

She seemed irritated by his very presence, which made Shigaraki enjoy loitering in her room and being a general waste of space all the more. There was an open scab on his neck, and he picked at it with dirty fingernails, until it fell off and onto the floor. Gross.

“You know sensei we’ve known each other for a long time, but we’ve never really talked. I’m starting to think you don’t like me or something.”

He chewed on the longest nail on his left hand as she spoke. His uncombed hair fell in front of his eyes, and the only thing visible underneath his hood were cracked lips parted into a small smile.

“Like, why do you eat people?”

You can’t just ask people why they eat people Shigaraki, that’s rude.

“Really,” Eto said, monotone. “Whatever gave you that bright idea?”

Neither of them looked like they ought to be out in public though, so perhaps it was better that they were cooped up in Eto’s chaotically messy and cluttered home. At least he would have people come searching for him, Eto noted, as much as that fact agitated her.

Finally, a change in subject matter.

“Oh, interested in cannibalism, are you?”

Amity peered inside the shop—intrigued by both aspects of the names. Books were one of her favorite things in the world, and the owl made her think of one of her favorite people, an aspect of familiarity in this crazy world.

“Um, hello?” Her eyes landed on the person sleeping against the counter. It would be rude to wake them, but Amity couldn’t help the way her heart pounded at the prospect of shopping here— maybe finding another book on magic, or finding a present for Luz. 

Amity approached slowly, one finger out to gently poke the woman in the shoulder—

Eto awoke with a start, one that was befitting of the kooky Takatsuki Sen, but was a bit embarrassing all around. Her head popped up, her curls bouncing dangerously so, and Eto blinked. She adjusted her glasses, since they were nearly half-way off of her face.

“Ah...! Oh...”

A young girl, with dyed hair that was nearly the same color as her own. She couldn’t be older than a teenager, but, Eto knew better than anyone that looks could be deceiving.

“I was an unwanted child. Now I’m an unwanted manchild. I like to show where I’m not wanted, just out of spite.” 

Shigaraki looked in that moment to be a ghost haunting her kitchen. He had barely dressed himself with clothes that had been lying on the floor for three days, the collar of his button up shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was still wet from the quick shower he had taken causing it to lose some of its usual fluffiness. 

Wrinkled eyes watched her. At that moment Shigaraki was playing a game of testing his limits, and it greatly enertained him. As far as he figured it, if Eto turned into a monster and ate him, he would win. Well, he would die, but he would still win. 

There was no depths to which one evil little brat would not sink. “You’ve got time, because unlike me you’re a loser with no friends.” Shigaraki never learned how to talk to adults, but that was because every adult in his life had ignored him, turning him into the underdeveloped and starved child that was sitting in front of Eto. 

“Come on don’t be shy. You need somebody to talk to. Let’s talk about something. I know. Murder. Let’s talk about murder. What’s the best way to get rid of a body?” 

At his unnecessarily dramatic statement, Eto resisted the urge to roll her eyes too hard, and for two reasons; one, they might pop out of her skull if she did so, and two, she refused to give this brat even the smallest amount of satisfaction.

She did want to contest the notion that she did not have any friends, but it was painfully obvious how true his claim was. So, Eto just snipped back, tired and uncaring as she was.

“You say you have no friends, but you reek of teenagers.”

Ooh, how scathing.

There’s a thought that runs through this man’s head. It’s a very simple thought. Yet it’s one that, in hindsight, would prove the be one of the absolute worst moments of him assessing another person on their character.

“ Y’know, for being a total freak-ass that one night we talked to each other, she can actually be pretty cute sometimes. ”

Oh you poor stupid son-of-a-bitch.

“ Totally! Even if we don’t have some like, grandiose reason for coming here in the first place, we still got every opportunity to do something worthwhile, right? A change in scenery can always bring out the best in a person. ”

Or in his case an existential crisis. But we’re long past that now.

“ For sure, for sure. Considering my schedule is pretty flexible now, I can stop by as many times as ya need and for however long you’d have me. I’m positive it’ll be a good experience. Helluva lot calmer than running a whole damn company. ”

“Or the worst,” Eto said without missing a beat, only to giggle at her supposed ‘joke’ a moment later. “Ah, but you’re right... There’s certainly things I can do here that I wouldn’t be able to do in the place I was born. I’m sure many people feel similarly.”

That is to say, she already had committed an unknown amount of atrocities within her world’s Tokyo-- after being on this island (and another city whose name she was already forgetting) for so long, Eto just wondered what else there was for her to do? She really was getting old if she was running out of things to keep her busy...

“My, my, you sound like you were quite busy. I’m lucky to have spoken to you now that you’re not as preoccupied.”

“I don’t know how to take care of myself, how else do you think I got this face?”

Shigarakis said, pointing on the scar on his split lip, and over his eyelid that had never quite healed, and the withered skin right above his eyes. He scratched his neck making sure the wounds there would not heal over properly either. 

“Sensei, you should be glad I’m here. It’s not like you’ve got any fucking friends anyway.”

Shigaraki picked up a book with his hand, getting blood on the pages. He threw it at her head, just to continue acting like he owned the place.

“Fucking nerd. If you were really cool you’d be playing video games instead.” 

“You don’t want me to answer that question.” Eto hissed in a low growl of a response. It sounded far too similar to the mouths that sometimes appeared on the horrifying tendrils of her kagune, but it wasn’t like this brat had seen her utilize that level of her power. Well, if she had her way, he wouldn’t, but how often did that happen in this city?

“If you’re that desperate for company,” she began, the bridge of her nose pinched between her forefinger and thumb. “Then why on Earth did you come here?”

She realized the answer to her own question the second it left her mouth; he was just trying to be annoying, to agitate her... Children really were so frustrating sometimes.

Eto caught the book with ease, and began wiping the blood away as best she could with her own shirt. 

While The Boss doesn’t notice the mask slip, he does take her comment as an opportunity to let himself finally be free of these shackles.

“ Hahaha, well you got a point there. Why the fuck should I care? Nobody’s opinion stopped me from being who I was back home, and it’s sure as shit not gonna stop me now. ”

He gives her a smile, almost inappropriately so given the clear anger and conviction behind his words.

This doesn’t go away anytime soon.

“ I’d be happy to be of service then, ma’am. Just let me know what time t’ show up and I’ll be there half an hour earlier. Gotta let my new boss here know just how dedicated I am to the job. ”

Eto clapped her hands together, just like the ditzy, happy go-lucky Takatsuki Sen should. “Now, that’s the spirit!”

“You know, I like to view this place as an opportunity. What anyone does with opportunities is completely up to them. Don’t you think?”

She laughed once more.

“Oh, I can tell. You’re just the sort of person that throws themselves into their work, aren’t you?”

Eto stared at the childish, bloody display happening in front of her. She couldn’t even stop the annoyance from showing on her face, much less prevent herself from snatching a roll of bandages off of her counter and throwing it at Shigaraki’s face.

“Clean it up yourself!”

She cursed, only growing angrier at the second; Eto was agitated with Shigaraki, with herself, with...

The poor man is visibly shaken by the other freak’s appearance, but quickly gets over it as he is desperate to keep up that appearance of being a super tough and cool dude who isn’t afraid of nothin’.

“ I’m pretty sure my therapist back home said something similar. ”

“ A little too late on that I’m afraid. It’s almost a guarantee that most of the town thinks of me like that. Heck, I’m pretty sure you do too. ”

He does not laugh along mostly to make things more awkward. Also it wasn’t that funny to begin with.

“ Surprised ya never came to me sooner. Honestly I can’t imagine a girl your size carrying half of the shit ya got in that store. Not t’ say you could, but I mean.. look at your arms. They’re so.. noodley. ”

This time he’s the one laughing at his own stupid comments.

Both of them are honestly very embarrassing people.

Eto laughs at his responses almost a little too long, almost a little too hard. Almost, almost.

“Ehehe... who cares what anyone here thinks?”

Uh oh, her mask was slipping.

“Noodley? No one’s ever described me like that-- it’s pretty funny.”

It was hilarious, but, she’d stopped laughing now.

@bubonem​

Breaking and entering was a victimless crime.  Well, there was still a victim but it wasn’t as bad as murder. 

The window of Eto’s apartment room was smashed open and a trail of glass on the floor led to only one person. Shigaraki was in the middle of her kitchen, trying to put a bandaid on the back of his bleeding hand. This was the same hand he had used to smash through the window. 

She was so light on her feet Shigaraki barely noticed her. Even when he finally did, all he did was grunt to acknowledge her. He was such a rude boy. Showing up like this without calling first. 

“Mom, I’m hungry. Aren’t you going to make me some chicken nuggets?” 

Shigaraki said, just because he knew it would bother her as he stared her down face to face. He finally finished putting the bandaid on, and leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on the kitchen table. 

“And make the chicken nuggets from actual chickens, please. I saw what was in your fridge. What are you, hannibal lecter?” 

If she had actually been sleeping, the loud noise of her window breaking would have done well enough to rouse anyone from any deep slumber. She had to wonder why he didn’t turn it to ash with that ability of his, but that answer came soon enough when he spoke. He was just trying to piss her off, and it was working. No need for him to know that, though. She didn’t feel like giving him that sense of satisfaction.

So, she just stood there, arms crossed.

Eto was unsure what was worse; the fact he was here, annoying her and demanding things from her, or the fact that she just so happened to have both human flesh and frozen chicken nuggets in her fridge.

“Make them yourself.” Eto walked past him, going to make herself a drink from the various wines and alcohol she had in her pantry. “Then, clean up all that glass.”

“Ah...” Eto clicked her tongue in annoyance, staring at a top shelf that was currently devoid of books. A shame she wasn’t alone, or she could have handled this dilemma much easier. Yet, since that wasn’t the case, Eto poked her head out towards her store’s front.

“Blake...

“ Been thinking of maybe lookin’ around for some work t’ do. Y’know, something a little more active than sitting on my ass taking care of paperwork and designing clothes. ”

“ I mean, it’s cool and all running your own company and having this sort of creative outlet. But I wanna get my hands dirty. Stretch my legs a bit! Pretty much anything other than staring at a computer from like 9 to 5 and potentially going blind from it. ”

“ Plus there’s nothing wrong with having more cash on hand. ”

And suddenly, almost out of nowhere, out pops Takatsuki Sen. Wherever did she appear from? Well, it probably doesn’t matter...

“You have a bad habit of talking to yourself, don’t you?”

“Better stop, or else people will think you’re a weirdo.”

She laughed at her own words, like someone laughing at their own terrible joke.

“Ahaha... well... if it’s extra work you need, I could always use someone with muscles like yourself to lift boxes of books. Those things are heavy, you know!”

The question makes him pause for a moment, as it isn’t something he’s expected to be asked, but he can’t really complain; considering that he is in a bookstore, it makes sense that conversation about books would occur. 

With a smile, he nods, eyes glancing back toward the cover of the book in his hands.

“I am quite fond of poetry, but I’m open to reading novels, too. As well as self-improvement books when I feel the need. This bookstore – are you the owner? It seems very nice.”

If anything, she seems knowledgeable about the types of books this place has, even if she isn’t the owner. 

“I’m very grateful a place like this exists here, honestly. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies.”

Eto’s smile widened.

“That’s right. I’m Takatsuki Sen. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I appreciate your kind words about my store. I’m quite proud of it, if I do say so myself.”

She gives him a simple, almost humble, chuckle.

“It’s one of mine as well... though, I’m sure that’s a bit obvious isn’t it?”

Eto gestures to the shelves near them, all of which were packed to the brim with books.