no

Her mask wavered, but only for a moment, she was impressed. His plethora of knowledge for talented people was no surprise, considering his lineage; but even then, hearing someone name your accomplishments as if they were something so inconsequential, like a laundry list was like being in a therapist’s office (which, due to the traumatic experiences she was subjected to, she had no shortage of visits to that kind of establishment.) 

She rocked back and forth on her toes, compromising the impression she was going for; a professional one. She didn’t like being put under the microscope. She’d had enough of that for her whole life. Byakuya obviously didn’t want to be friends, and she didn’t either. She knew that he would throw some sort of tantrum if she refused him. Despite all the social niceties and theatrics he went through, he was still nothing more than a wealthy, spoiled brat; but the stakes went much higher than getting a few painful words thrown at you. This was the heir to the fearful Togami Financial Conglomerate. He could destroy her reputation, have her killed, or much worse. ‘I think I’ll have to play along.’ she thought.

"Well, Togami-kun, I can see you’ve done your homework; and you’re really the heir to the Togami Conglomerate? How interesting." she threw in a smile for good measure.

Alright, not one of her best efforts, but he probably wasn’t impartial to flattery.

"I hope we can be good friends; and sorry about bumping into you earlier, but I’m a bit lost. Could you show me to my class? It’s 1-B."

Of course, a little bit of obsequious remarks never hurt his already swollen ego. "Indeed I am, in fact-- the one and only." With no bitter undertone, he briefly recalled some of the ordeals he had gone through, to climb up from the bottom to claw his way to his current standing. Of course he would be proud; he had fought tooth and nail for everything he had today.

But he smoothly continued, "As am I. I have no qualms to be in the company of someone of your caliber. No need to fret over a tiny slight on me. A tiny bump wouldn't be the concern of a friend, now would it?" Along with that statement, he smiled disarmingly, surprisingly for someone with such a hardened expression. Inwardly, he scoffed at the thought. Friends? She would be nothing more than an associate. Possibly he would use her as a pawn in the grander scheme of things, but making small white lies and compromises in the beginning wouldn't hurt.

You wrinkle your nose, seeing how disheveled your clothes had become after that restless pill-induced sleep you had. You slept much longer than the time you had designated yourself, and thus, a tad bit late for school if you adhered to your normally strict morning routine. With a sigh, you quickly change clothes, moodily slamming the door to your personal quarters shut behind you just as you were adjusting your jacket. Now's not the day to be meticulous over how clean you were.

Dismissing the sycophantic guards who tried to discreetly remind you of your hectic hairstyle without offending you, you march on out of the mansion, slinging your schoolbooks with you. It's a clear sunny day, such a sickly ironic contrast to your irritable mood right now. Nevertheless, you manage to make it to school, just barely more amicable than a serial killer right now. Your mood has never been worse for a while, and it's clear from the way people are avoiding you that it's blatantly obvious how terrible your expression must be right now.

Meandering into class, you hardly restrain yourself from collapsing into your seat and heavily dropping your bag onto the floor. But you notice you've forgotten a book for this class. Furious with everything right now, you shove your hand into your bag and pull out your phone, intending to call your personal hotline to go fetch your book for you. But after a couple seconds with no dial tone, you suddenly realise you've grabbed the TV remote instead of your phone.

"..." 

"My name is Mukuro Ikusaba." she answered languidly; "Nice to meet you." her curt introduction was followed by a salute that would put any other soldier to shame.

Her nature was odd, to say the least. The way she carried herself was so apathetic and yet so earnest at the same time. Kind and cold. Intelligent and naive. Strong and weak. The girl, still fixed in her rigid stance, was a mix of contradictions wrapped into one.

As she made small talk, she promptly took it upon herself to analyze her new colleague. Blond hair, a freshly ironed suit, and vibrant blue eyes guarded by two lenses. His immaculate appearance would be jarring to most, but this was a Super High School Level Soldier; she was well acquainted with neat types. She thought, ‘He must think very highly of himself if he has the audacity to dress so flamboyantly in a place like this. He must not understand fully that he’s not the only special one here.’ Such offhandedly derisive thoughts were commonplace in her usual inner monologue.

Her face remained expressionless as the silence grew between them. This wasn’t going well. She was never good at introductions, that was her sister’s forte, and she needed to say something quickly. She noticed that even he was feeling uncomfortable.

"What did you want from me?" she stated through barely-moving lips.

"I needed to see your face. Someone who didn't even flinch when I asked your name?" Hours of studying everyone. Hours of poring over files no one was supposed to see paid off now. Closing his eyes disdainfully, he recited, "Ikusaba...? Member of the Fenrir organization. Noted for her remarkable prowess for never once getting wounded on the battlefield." Opening one eye, he pushed his glasses up once more, for good measure. 

So with a shrewd decision of a few seconds notice, he came to the conclusion that this was someone he could use to help himself. Of course, even with such weighty accomplishments, he couldn't help but feel disdain toward someone so modestly quiet, but even then he felt that there was more to this girl than she would let on at first sight. Outstretching his hand, with a minute lopsided grin, he impassively declared, "I am Byakuya Togami. Elite class heir, to the renowned Togami Conglomerate." 

She wouldn't dare refuse such a formal gesture unless she was raised with pigs, so he figured this was a harmless way to go. There was still much he needed to study about her, since there wasn't much information on her other than her talent. But- with dastardly confidence, Togami decided that this was a gamble that'd be worth taking. Having Ikusaba as an ally during the school year would definitely prove to be vital at some point. Were she to refuse his subsequent offer of allegiance...? 

He carries himself, you think, like someone with a lot of power would. You think you’ve heard his name before, but you’ve never met him in person. He must be a top! Or at least an aggressive, commandeering bottom. You make a mental note to investigate before you next meet him. Which you will, of course. You never forget a cute boy, especially one with such an dominating personality. He’d look mighty fine hanging from the wall! Despite trying to keep a low profile with your murders now that you’re in high school, maybe you can make an exception for him. You also wonder what the hell Gloomy did to get him to even be in her presence, what with her being such a loser and all.

if u like psychology combined with hypnotism and other weird mental shit that will leave u confused and tossing and turning all night this is the magician 4 u. also he mentally scars a lot of random people. why WOULDN’T you watch these

ITALICS+BOLD ARE RECOMMENDED!

theater shows:

svengali

enigma

evening of wonders

the experiments:

remote control (aka “the gameshow")

the secret of luck

fear and faith (part 1//part 2)

apocalypse (part 1//part 2)

the assassin

the guilt trip

hero at 30,000 feet

other shows:

miracles for sale

ask and i will deliver

ask and i will deliver

"Eh. Not as bloody as I would have liked!" You sigh. “I guess you can’t be picky about these things."

A small clink! sounds through the tower, and you stop the grief seed rolling towards you with a sure and steady foot.

"Oh, right! I forgot the spoils of war! This is what we’re technically doing it for, isn’t it?" A beat passes, then your head jerks around to look at him.

"But who is "we," eh?! I only know half of “we", the part that’s what I am, and that’s not much at all!! Although, I’m only half of a “me," aren’t I?!" You giggle, fluttering your eyelids. “So I only know a quarter of “we! That’s even less than before!! A real travesty!!!" This totally makes complete sense.

“Point is," you say, voice taking on a rough and predatory tone as you step off the seed and walk over to the boy, then place one hand on his chest, dangerously close to his neck.

You look impassively back at her, flicking off her forehead without so much as blinking. "Don't touch me with those grubby hands. Listen well, and remember it. My name is Togami Byakuya."