The Hired Help

Kaoru Naito

Kaoru is going more and more insane every day. The addition of literal imposed voices in his head isn’t helping that fact.

He’s sitting at the dining room table with a stack of plates to one side of him, holding one up on a hand while starting to practice spinning the plate on top of his fingers. He catches it when it’s about to fall before trying again. This would be a pretty cool trick to do if he can nail it, but he does look like he’s getting closer and closer to dropping the plates on the ground as he takes away fingers. The goal is to balance it on one finger, he's currently down to three.

Shiori Yoshida

It really is unfortunate that she's once again handcuffed to her sister. Properly assisting others the last time this happened had been a struggle, and now with them both being even further restrained, it was practically out of the question. That alone was enough for discomfort to well up in Shiori, for how could she fulfill her duty as a puppet when she's tangled up in her strings?

So when the pair of sisters wander into the dining hall and see their fellow unforgiven prisoner trying to do tricks with plates, Shiori's first thought is how difficult it'll be to pick up the broken silverware were it to fall. Perhaps there was a way to help Kaoru with something without her restraints getting in the way? In the hopes of that being the case, Shiori cautiously approaches with Nobuko in tow.

"Ah, hello Mr. Kaoru. Do you require any assistance?"

Nobuko Yoshida

It felt strange having nothing to do. Breaks usually weren't unwelcome per say, but this was different. This wasn't a lull between errands, this wasn't the rare day off, this was judgement. This was being measured and found wanting. It was a mostly unfamiliar sensation, and one that Nobuko greatly disliked. Even now, the dynamic between the sisters was being challenged, with Shiori taking the lead and Nobuko being the one to follow.

What had the world come to?

The sound of a plate crashing to the ground snapped her out of her stupor, and she puts on a curious face, attempting to cover up her weariness as best as possible.

"Ah, hello Naito-san. I see you're practicing a new skill. How commendable."