towerofanimus | Ω → seven

Entry tags:

Ω → seven

Characters: Wilhelm and Shiro... possibly Wretched Egg?
Setting: Libary.
Format: Prose.
Summary: Wilhelm makes good on a promise.
Warnings: Should be relatively innocent... unless Wretched Egg comes out.

White Day. Wilhelm almost never even paid the tradition dating back to Japan on Jerusalem any mind until now, until Valentine's Day came one month prior. Shiro gave him a present, and asked for one in return. Wilhelm may not be the nicest guy ever - depending on who you asked, anyway - but how could he say no to something that harmless? Besides... Shiro interested him. So did the Wretched Egg, for that matter, but for entirely different reasons.

He didn't need to remind Shiro where he'd be. As childish as she seemed on the surface, there was no way she'd forget something like being promised a present. If anything, she's smarter than she lets on.

He slowly reached into his desk, and withdraws a small, white hair-ribbon. Where he did he get it? He actually made it; it was made up of ripped fabric found in the infirmary - hey, they throw that stuff out all the time - and sewn into a hair tie. It wasn't big, or particularly fancy, but it was the best he could do given the materials. And Wilhelm wasn't much of a fashion designer.

She'd be here any minute. And he'd be more than happy to give her what he promised.

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"So Wilhelm has a very strong mind, then?" She looked impressed. "Shiro promise she won't touch the Compass."

If Shiro had known he was only holding her because he thought it could prove useful to gain her trust, she would have been so disappointed. And hurt. She already trusted Wilhelm a lot. And she admired him. ...But she should have known from personal experience that whenever someone was nice to her, whether it was out of personal interest or it ended badly.

For now she just pulled away and slightly looked embarrassed by Wilhelm's question. "There are a lot of nice people in this Tower. More than in Deadman Wonderland. More than anywhere Shiro has ever lived before."

"It is required of my role in the universe." He believes her. Shiro may behave childishly, but she wasn't stupid. Far from it, actually.

Well... he did genuinely like her. But Wilhelm was never the affectionate type, and likely wouldn't be even in a romantic context. He gently strokes her hair, before finally letting go. A hug this long was long enough, right?

"It is not surprising that many people here would be kind to you," he replied. His expression was blank, but if it were possible for him to smile, he would be. "You are young, and moreover, a source of positive energy in the Tower. It is not uncommon for humans to see people like you are a reason to be optimistic, even in the most horrific of situations."

Shiro nodded and seemed to ponder something. "Wilhelm thinks Shiro has a role in the universe too."

Yes. It was long enough. Shiro looked around, searching for a mirror to see how she looked with her new ribbon.

"Shiro is a source of positive energy?" She smiled, not quite sure what he exactly meant by that. But there was a nice ring to it. And maybe that was her role.

"From what I know of you, that is self-evident."

Well, considering what Wretched Egg is a source of, that should be a good thing. There weren't any mirrors present in the library, but there were windows. "Others find you enjoyable to be around."

"Which one?"

She moved to stand in front of a window and looked at her reflection. She looked nice, right? No... Lovely. That was what Wilhelm had said.

"Who does Wilhelm mean?"

"You have friends here, do you not?" A rhetorical question. He knows for a fact she does. "Or do you mean to tell me that you do not believe they truly like you?"

"Shiro... never thought of it that way." But Wilhelm is suggesting she should, apparently. So she decides to do it right now. "Shiro thinks Toto likes her. And Tohko too. And maybe Red too."

"Then you have your answer." Wilhelm places a hand on Shiro's mittened hand, for a moment, but quickly removes it. "It is difficult not to like you, after all. It is only to be expected that the same is the case here."

The fleeting gesture, no matter how brief, has Shiro stare at her mitten covered hand and then at Wilhelm. Shiro's not used to hearing such sweet things about her. She smiles. "It is easy to like Wilhelm too." At least it is for someone as innocent as Shiro.

"Many would disagree. But, thank you." How odd. He'd almost certainly be hearing about this from Wretched Egg, later.

"If Shiro hears them, Shiro will tell them they're wrong!"

Shiro sits down next to Wilhelm, and for a moment, she doesn't say a word. But she looks like a kid who wants to ask you something and doesn't yet dare doing so. After a minute, she braces herself though.

"Does Wilhelm know songs?"

He'd have smiled were it possible for him to do so. But, well, it's Wilhelm. It was hard not to like Shiro. As she takes a seat next to him, Wilhelm notes her hesitation, but her question seemed innocent enough.

"I do."

Maybe she'd earn a smile from him, one day. Even if it was Wilhelm. Because it was Shiro and she'd been close to achieving it more than once.

She looked up at him hopefully.

"Sing it to me?"

"I am afraid that I do not sing." Seriously, Shiro, you don't want to hear him even try. "But I can do this, for you."

He pivots in his seat, and reaches for his small phonograph. He turns the crank a few times, and places one of his records on it. This would begin playing.

"This is one of my favorite musical pieces. It was composed by a German man by the name of Richard Wagner. Have you heard of him?"

Shiro looks disappointed at his first answer. Until he reaches for that small machine. She's seen him use it before. To play music. There's nothing like that where Shiro comes from. It looks a bit funny. But she likes it. She pays great attention to every move Wilhelm makes, so that she would be able to do it alone some time, if need be. When the music starts playing, she closes her eyes and after a bit, starts humming along. And she shakes her head 'no' at his question.

She seems to be enjoying herself, at least. He was impressed that she'd like the same kind of music he does; but then again, she was hardly a typical girl. "Do you like this?" he asks.

He rather enjoyed her company. She wasn't like the Wretched Egg, who only seemed to want to figure out his weakness.

Shiro opens her eyes and nods at Wilhelm. "Shiro likes it. It's like so many voices singing together." She smiles. "And Shiro is happy Wilhelm is sharing his favorite music with Shiro."

He was right about Wretched Egg. And right about Shiro too. She was different for any girl he might have met before. And she enjoyed his company very much.

"It is called 'opera.' It's a very old style of music, even by my standards. It is as much a play as it is a concert." He takes a sip of his wine. "I would be happy to play it for you whenever you like."

"O-pe-ra..." The way she pronounces it it sounds more like 'Opella' since the 'r' sound doesn't really exist in Japanese. She lets the foreign word roll onto her tongue a couple of times.

"Shiro would like that a lot. And Shiro can sing for Wilhelm too!"

Wilhelm seemed amused, in his own deadpan, unreadable way, at her trying to pronounce the word 'opera.' "Then we will. You may find me here at any time during the day."

At night, he's usually in his room. Wilhelm doesn't enjoy fighting - even if he is MORE than capable of dealing with most of the monsters here - and thus leaves the library during the night.

"What can you sing?"

"Wilhelm spends all his days here? Wilhelm should go explore a bit. Shiro already knows a lot of floors in the Tower. Shiro could guide Wilhelm!"

Shiro ponders this for a moment. "Shiro knows lullabies. ...And TV theme songs."

"I would enjoy whatever it is you wish to perform for me, Shiro."

In other words, he has no preference. "I usually stay here."

"...Wilhelm doesn't want to go explore, then?" Shiro looks a bit disappointed but she shrugs. She has other friends to go explore the Tower with. Even if she enjoys spending time with Wilhelm.

Shiro sits down on Wilhelm's desk next to the phonograph. And she starts singing this lullaby.

"I have seen more than enough of this Tower. I have work that requires me to stay here, though that does not mean I am opposed to spending time around you."

As she begins singing, Wilhelm turns the record off. He wanted to hear it. ... that was somewhat morbid, for a child's lullaby. And he couldn't help noticing that it was about a Woodpecker. Wretched Egg had mentioned a 'woodpecker' before. This lullaby had a double-meaning of some kind, though he doesn't quite know what it is.

"You have a natural talent."

"Great!" This answer is enough to make Shiro happy.

When Shiro's done singing she beams at the compliment. "Wilhelm likes Shiro's voice? Shiro will sing for Wilhelm more often, then!"

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