middaeg | Aguril catchall

[Bless Sougo. Because Mikasa wasn't managing anything remotely resembling a smile. One was hard for her at the best of times and she really wasn't trying at the moment. If anything, she was purposefully scowling.

Not that it mattered. Because the man's face remained twisted in a snarl as he looked at the mirrorbound. The lines on his face deepening as he look at both their faces. When they don't shift, he waves a dismissive hand at them. Then after a whole two seconds of them clearly not moving. He's tutting under is breath as he takes just one step closer.]

If you're looking for work, you can clear off. I have enough layabouts as it is. Off with you.

[And they're getting another wave of the hand as the children wilt and slowly drifted back to the factory. The fae moving to join them, or attempting to. She's just checking they okay.

Only for the owner to turn again.]

[ With Mikasa moving to check on the children, Sougo is fast to try to distract the owner. He's a pretty competent liar, and excellent at omitting the full truth, so it's a small matter for him to grab the owner's wrist and try to spin the man back around to face him.

It's actually an easier matter than it looks like it should be for Sougo, and considering how rude he's being it's amazing he still looks so friendly as the disgruntled man sputters in his face. ]

Ah, actually I wasn't looking for work! It's just I've never been to this area before, so I'm trying to figure my way around. You seem like you know your way around here well, so I thought you might be able to help me!

[ He's rambling right now, but he's doing it to distract this man so Mikasa has more than enough time to check and see if the kids are okay. He's already decided he's not likely to get a lot from the man himself if he asks about his treatment of the children considering his contemptuous response to a total stranger. ]

[Sneaky sneaky... Except Mikasa was legit just walking over to them. Kneeling to get a better look once she was close enough, some pausing, eyeing the fae. Were they in trouble with her? They just didn't know.

But Sougo was somehow managing to keep the guy's attention. Partly because this dude was just that angry, inhaling a sharp breath. Scowling as his face reddened with irritation as he puffed up. Like Sougo should already know. How dare he ask. He didn't respond at first, giving a splutter as he spat. Bringing a hand up to POINT!! At Sougo's chest.]

Do I look like I have the time for that? Look- [He waved a hand behind him, at the children. Some of which, the braver ones or the ones too upset to be afraid edged their way closer to the fae.] at what I have to deal with. Why should I wast my time with you?

[And yet, here he was. Yelling at Sougo while a fae...absconded with one of his workers. A small boy who'd been sniffling, the fae had originally just hugged him. But then didn't let go. Then there's that loud, droning buzz as her wings kick into gear and she's flitting up onto an overhang.

That got the man's attention. As he pun around, ]

You lot! Get inside, and you, what are you doing?

[The fae kept her back to him, hiding that she was hug-carring one of his workers in front of her.]

[ Having been facing towards the children to witness the whole events, Sougo sees Mikasa abduct the child, but does a pretty good job of keeping that fact off of his face. He doesn't really know what his fae friend plans to do with the kid after she spirits him away, but he knows at least the kid is in better hands than with this man.

He doesn't really like leaving the kids with this tyrant either, but he's not sure there's much he can do at this exact moment. He will be back to investigate the situation later, however. Yelling at the children is bad enough, but he's absolutely not going to stand back if he sees anything else go on.

For now he smacks the man just a little too hard on the shoulder in a "friendly" gesture, and laughs easily. ]

They were probably just surprised because I was making a scene, right?

[ He uses his free hand to wave at the kids. ]

There's nothing going on though, you guys don't have to loiter around.

[ And he keeps his hand on the man's shoulder, fingers curled around it in a little too tight a grip to be comfortable as the children scurry off, waiting for the last of them to get inside before he finally lets go, stepping back quickly from the already fuming man. ]

Since you're so busy I won't waste any more of your time!

[ He's got to figure out where Mikasa will be heading with that boy in tow. ]

[That made multiple people. Because despite it being her own actions, Mikasa would not know what to do with the child either. But in the moment, taking the sniffling boy and protecting him, hiding him away just felt right. Children shouldn't be afraid. Not like she had been all those years ago. She wouldn't let them suffer like she had.

The other children though. They looked at Sougo like he had two heads. Not quite catching on, but a few scurried off before the man's ire could return to them. The others quickly following.

The man, well he was so red he might of exploded. Muttering but unable to get his words out to voice his irritation. Though there was the normal displeasure, the complaint of them taking over the Haven. Wrenching himself away from Sougo like he'd been scalded, the nerve.

But hey, Mikasa had made her escape. New son in tow, cradled in her arms as she quickly scurried away and out of the courtyard of the factory. Unnoticed by the owner who was too busy storming away, herding his charges back in. The missing boy...probably wouldn't be noticed for a bit. Not with so many heads to count.

She didn't get far. Her own puzzlement over the kidnapping making her still on a side road less than five minutes away. Only one wall between them and the building the owner had entered. The boy still held in her arms and clinging to her neck. Apparently, the strange fae was preferable to going back. ]

[ Five minutes is more than enough time for Sougo to process the information he'd gleaned from that small, unpleasant interaction with the man as he jogs away from the factory.

The children looked like they were probably a mix of Monsters and Witches, and the man seemed to have little favoring of one over the other, so that likely wasn't the issue here. They didn't look very well off, however, and Sougo wondered if their parents knew how they were being treated.

If they were still around at all.

It was a sad thought, but hadn't he just recently established that he and Mikasa shared that particular boat. It wasn't too uncommon of a sad personal history, and he couldn't imagine most parents would allow their kids to work for a man like that knowingly.

Something deeply wrong is going on at that factory though, and Sougo isn't certain it's just the one either, though he doesn't know what to do about it, or how well known it is to the natives of this world.

His pondering about all of this is brought up short as he finally stumbles across Mikasa and her new ward by the side of the road. His jogging slows to a walk as he comes closer. ]

Is he okay?

[Mikasa was still just holding the boy. Staring at the top of his head, giving a little bump in her arms, that is what you did with small children right? That's what she'd seen mothers do with their babies.

Her gaze shifted from the boy to Sougo. Giving him a hesitant blink, unsure. The boy didn't seem hurt exactly. Just scared and what been crying, that and the fact the boy was still clinging to her made it hard to say he was fine. But after a few seconds she looked back to the boy.]

I don't know... [Then back to Sougo.] I'm not sure what to do with him.

[and with that comment, the boy's shoulders hitched. Tightening his grasp on the fae.]

[ Sougo isn't sure either. He's always been around people either older than him or his own age, so he's no expert on child care himself. It seems like she's doing find holding the kid, and the way he's grabbing onto her seems to indicate he feels protected by her.

But they can't really abduct the child for good. He doesn't want to take him back to the warehouse the other kids had to run back in, though he's also worried what happens if the man notices he's missing.

Hopefully the lack of care the man seemed to show for the kids extends to not being able to recognize if one is gone. ]

We should probably find out if he has family to get back to, right?

[She'd helped at Historia's orphanage. That was the extent of her knowledge of childcare really. Doing chores while the kids shied away from her. They'd been fine jumping and pulling the others' hair but had stayed away from her for some reason.

Mikasa hadn't grown up with other kids around to know how to handle younger kids. She was just holding this one, letting him hang on.]

Yeah... [And she dipped her head slightly, chin brushing the boy's hair as she tried to look at his face. Try was the keyword, if Mikasa's neck hadn't been covered in that hardened chitin he might have been strangling her with how hard he was clinging. Then she looked back to Sougo, help, please...]

[ They're just two young adults with no real child rearing skills, suddenly responsible for this child that one of them stole. There is absolutely nothing that could go wrong in this situation right now.

Sougo will give it his best though, moving to crouch down in front of Mikasa, and place a hand very lightly on top of the boy's head. ]

Hey, you don't have to worry about anything. You're back on the ground and safe now.

Aguril catchall

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