Chapter Text
Mission Report:
Today, at T+8 hours since mission start, the LCB has successfully identified the localized area wherein subject D-06-H-XY manifests, Manager Dante's capabilities has yet to be successful in determining the exact location of D-06-H-XY or when it will manifest once more.
Due to the subject's high risk of flight from Limbus company jurisdiction, Limbus company has determined that an 'Overtime Contingency' is necessary for the branch LCB to execute it's mission successfully.
Overtime Contingency for the mission, now designated as OC-33, shall be executed as written below:
1. Regiments of three sinners are to patrol the area of manifestation D-06-H-XY in periods of three hours each (with the exception of 3:14 A.M. - 4:34 A.M.) until the next regiment is called.
2. The order which the regiment is called out and the composition of the regiment is determined by sinner number, counting upwards from 1.
3. Should D-06-H-XY manifest at anytime, Executive Manager Dante has complete authority to summon any sinner (or sinners) out of their designated rest hours to perform duty.
4. OC-33 will resume until D-06-H-XY is fully under Limbus Company jurisdiction.
Mission Log :
T+9 Regiment 1, completed without incident.
Regiment 1 composed of: Yi Sang, Faus--
A knock was heard on her door, stopping her necessary documentation of the ongoing mission.
She stood up from her desk to open her door, she can find herself already imagining who it is that was behind the door.
A low energy smile creeping up his lips, a slightly hunched over back, a thick bound leather book on his hand and an eternally drowsy gaze that almost made it seem like he was too tired to put up any walls and that he was truly showing himself.
"Wings-! stop daydreaming and just open the damn door already!"
Ah right.
She opened the door and found that she was correct in the assessment that it was indeed, Yi Sang who had knocked on her door.
What was not correct about it was how cheerful he looked, as if a rainbow had passed over him- and what's that? Is she seeing that right?
"Yes, indeed, you have seen that right. His eyebags have noticeably shrunk by a non-negligible amount."
"Good evening miss Faust, the tranquil winds that blow afore the winding tallways and sidewalks seemed to have brought me a restful slumber," though his dreamy gaze hasn't been altered by any means, his aura evokes a sense of liveliness not often encountered in the city.
"...although for our fellows, rest has been bereft from their quotidian, as they have all gathered in rest on the bus seats in light of... recent events," his eyes were particularly downcast when lamenting the trials and tribulations of his fellows, "it seems that I, alone, enjoy sleeping to the company of others and not the other way around." After uttering the last sentence, a bewildered look soon appeared on his face, one that would eventually turn into worry.
"Are you alright- miss Faust? Seldom do you not greet me with a matter of inquiry."
Right now she probably wouldn't have minded standing there listening to whatever he has to say about any menial number of things but he was right, this was quite unlike her.
"Faust is alright, she should not be the matter of your concerns."
Should it? She's not taken even a wink of sleep for a period of thirty hours ever since this distortion case came into the LCB's hands, since then she's tirelessly negotiated (and bureauracratized) with the higherups of Limbus Company to let the LCB take swift action regarding the distortion even implementing the Overtime Contingency and--
"I... shall take your words true then."
Please don't.
"Come on! Get your act together and do as usual!"
Like usual... as usual....
The meaning of that word escapes her grasp as she has instantaneously forgotten everything about how she used to act normal around him.
How *did* she act normally around him?
"just-- repeat my words:"
"What matter brings you to Faust tonight?"
He smiled at her inquiry, perhaps it was a sign that he was glad she's back to normal-- would he be happy about that?
"Truth is miss Faust, I wanted to thank you," he slanted his gaze for the first time since... a long time. It's a habit he's mostly broken, so why did he...?
"For... what?" She's sure a hint of surprise escaped her lips, she couldn't hold it in when he said something like that.
"For... everything you've done for us, sinners, I meant. I know how much work you've put into this mission due to, in part your efficiency but also in part due to the sinner's objection to all the deaths the distortion has caused."
"Yes... I meant- no- it simply was the most efficient way to deal with the distortion."
"That is not true, the distortion did not require these constant patrols to apprehend- nor is it a 'flight risk' you have convinced Limbus Company it was."
"Perhaps it may be so, but I believe it is the wisest choice in the matter, for no innocents have had their lives unjustly taken away from them since then."
That's right, why did she undertake all this paperwork, all this bother, all this theorizing- planning- execution-- When she knew,
"The distortion would show itself in a perfect location in the tempo of a few days, no patrolling required. It is inevitable."
When was it that she changed?
Her legs were barely holding her up, she wanted to just collapse onto the floor and rest there.
It felt like a warm blanket had been put over her heart upon hearing his reassuring words.
"--Ah, that was strange of me, it appears that miss Don Quixote's impassioned speech has slowly burrowed betwixt my words..." he hid his expression further, "but the sentiment is one I share; and the gratitude is one of mine own to you."
She felt something, like a little flutter -- she had felt it several times before, and it made her felt happy? It was different from when others would compliment her for her genius, the happiness she felt with this fluttering was a lot more grounded than that.
Her mind would short circuit if she thought further about what the fluttering feeling might entail, so she tried to grasp what it was that this fluttering felt like.
It felt like... standing, on solid ground. Solid ground someone had placed, solid ground to stand on, something comfortable that wouldn't be taken away by the endless marches of technology and knowledge in the city.
It felt like, she was here. And that it was okay that she was here, that she needed not to chase after voices in her mind for an eternity. Was it acceptance?
She closed her eyes as she thought of this in the span of about twenty three seconds, when she opened her eyes again she found herself standing in front of a concerned Yi Sang who was in the middle of contemplating whether or not to disturb her thought.
"Miss Faust? I apologize in advance for asking you in redundance, I simply cannot help but ask again, are you fine?"
"...I'm quite exhausted, Faust might need some rest." Her shoulders were put down and some strands of her hair fell in front of her face.
His worry seemed to alleviate when she finally admitted her exhaustion.
"It's wise to take care of oneself even in the midst of business, though I know how resilient you could be miss Faust.
I'd suggest you take a nap, I must confess that I have had an unstirred slumber for the past seven or so hours. A sliver of time resides between ourselves and the next patrol, plenty enough I believe for you."
She glanced back at the unfinished report on her desk, out of view from the doorway yet still plaguing her mind with it's weight.
"Does aught ails your mind still?" He tilted his head as if to peek around the corner and find himself, the source of her worried look.
"The reports-- Faust has yet to finish them, they are of utmost importance," Faust was about to turn her back and go straight to writing the report again but unexpectedly, Yi Sang took hold of her by placing his two hands on her shoulder, stopping her movements.
"Wait! Miss Faust, you don't need to," he had this determined look in his eyes as he held her, "you should rest- if need be, surely I can be of assistance to you," his determined eyes locked with hers for a short time, a little too long it seemed. due to in part, her rather sluggish rate of thoughts yet rapid heartbeats and Yi Sang's shock at what he himself has done.
It very visibly took a moment for the realization and the fluster to arrive on his face, but when it did he immediately retracted his hands and instinctively said "I'm sorry miss Faust-"
"It's fine, Faust was being stupid."
Yi Sang could barely contain his surprise when he heard those words out of her mouth, several questions and or interjections hung at the tip of his tongue.
"So you finally admit it."
After a disgruntled huff of annoyance at the Gesselschaft's comment, she continued to speak,
"Faust trusts your abilities in writing the report following the proper guidelines," her voice lowers, "while you write- I can take some rest, wake me up when the time comes, please." Her voice trailed off at the last plea as she slowly turned her back against him and walked into her room.
Yi Sang mouthed out a question that didn't quite reach her, it was probably something about asking her permission for him to enter the room- which after a couple of seconds, she could hear his steps follow along behind her.
She reached the bed sat on its side while Yi Sang went on to examine the paperwork on her desk.
"Might these be the papers you referred to?" He turned his head towards her as he counted the sheaves of paper with his hand.
"Mhm," she nodded weakly as half her body shut down.
Yi Sang took a seat on her desk and started to comb through the documents and reports to deduce what it was that he needed to write in the first place.
Reading through the reports gave Yi Sang quite the idea of the sort of language to use, though the nuances may have flewn over his head he should be able to mimic it in some capacity.
The language used was rigid, built upon agreed upon terms, devoid of any ambiguity, impartial and most importantly, efficient. It was very similar to writing the more complex parts of his research papers, he was always one to put a little poetry to his words beit spoken or written but when the subject matter exceeds a certain complexity, he believes that prose is unnecessary. For it is that complexity that should be the subject of attention and the source of beauty.
But this writing style... it treats everything quite equally on the emotional level, it was mundanity cast upon bold letters and demanded as much attention as every other part of the rigid structure that made the whole did.
It was unfamiliar territory indeed, and as does he with the daily problems he would come upon in his research, he likes to reframe it in such a way that the problem seems not as a nigh unmovable brick wall rather a collection of small steps around- over- under- or even in some cases, through it.
And it was with this approach that he had come up with a rather entertaining system of thought - or rather viewpoint - which he would approach this task with.
How would miss Faust describe this event, in her words?
He got it after reading dozens of pages of reports that she just wrote tonight and from the countless other times he had read up on her scientific works (or he would much rather compare it to her notes more than anything. Even still, her notes carry the same quality as one would see in published papers), in that her words carried quite the elegance in them.
She selects her words very carefully (generally, as long as it does not encroach upon the sensitive subject of her pride), and though intent is sometimes masked, he's come to appreciate how she values actions more than empty word.
Though tonight, as he'd recall, she was...
The sight of her disheveled hair and tired sigh warmed up his face more than it should have, he tries desperately to usher the thought out of his mind before it overstays its welcome.
His pen stops to a halt on a certain sentence whose tone he could not discern its appropriateness with his own self as the writer.
"Miss Faust? Will you come over and..." he looks over towards the bed and finds Faust sleeping soundly tucked within her sheets.
She seems so at peace...
Certain reminiscences of sleepless nights pass over him, nights too haunted by the past to fall into rest, hence a waking nightmare takes its place.
But just tonight, sleeping between his fellows had brought him such ease.
He wondered what it'd feel like to be able to rest soundly every night, having someone by his side.
...and tonight in her dreams, her works did not haunt her like usual.
For she knew the warm presence of a certain someone accompanying her like the hearth side on a long, endless winter.
She silently wishes he'd be there every night.