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Merci snorted and shook her head, "Stole, STOLE in the middle of the night while I was out getting Christmas presents. Commandeered. Seriously Dio, I'm not a two year old that you can spell words around so they don't understand what your saying." She folded her arms and eyed the two of them. "You don't have to stay here if you don't want to. I can watch the store and Zero is as safe here as she can be. Why don't you go outside and maybe take a walk? The bookstore isn't to far, as long as you don't buy anything."

Dio rolled his eye and looked up at Red, 'It'd kinda bright outside, but I'll go if Red wants to? Do you wanna go for a walk?' Legs were still a novelty, and he didn't use them very often. The first time Merci had seen his feet he'd had to splash cold water on her to get her to stop laughing. His feet were just like his tail, multicolored. It wasn't like he was ashamed of himself or anything, but she couldn't seem to contain herself from making some comment or other about them.

He was going to get a complex one day.

Hmmm, well there went that idea. Merci would have to either find something to do, or watch them snuggle and coo over each other. She didn't even like watching herself snuggle on Cinder. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and found a piece of paper that she'd shoved there earlier. Her fingers closed around it and she pulled it free and unfolded it. It was a list of the things that needed to be done in the store, luckily, not all of it was done and she could probably throw herself into work for the next hour before she was relieved. "Oooh, look at that. It seems that we need to have an inventory done. I think I'll just um, slip off and do that."

Merci offered a smile before she slid off her stool and made her way into the back rooms of the shop to do that, asking on her way out, "You boys will keep an eye on things and get me if someone needs help right?" Oh yeah, she didn't wait for an answer.

Dio snickered and he looked up at Red, 'I think we made her uncomfortable. What do you think?' He was obviously amused by his guardian's hasty retreat. 'Either way it looks like we get to watch the counter. Will you draw me something else?' Dio's tail was swishing behind him, a physical representation of his glee.

Dio cackled with glee. He always felt so happy around Red, and he'd missed the feeling so very much. He ducked down and rummaged around till he came up with a couple more forms that were blank on the back. 'Can you draw people? You couldn't draw me a picture of you could you? I don't have a picture or photo of you.' He piled the pages up on the counter and his brows furrowed.

Dio needed to find a pencil. There had to be a pencil here somewhere. The black shadow held up a finger to Red, 'One second.' He darted back down and found the stuff Reyna used when she was designing new jewelry. He pulled it out from where it was tucked neatly and rummaged around in it till he came up with a pencil. Dio held it up to Red and he was radiating a smug feeling. 'Will that help?'

Dio realized that he might want to put Auntie Reyna's things away carefully. It would be horribly rude to leave it like he had, so he ducked back down under the counter and stacked everything nice and neat again. He wasn't sure Auntie Reyna would be upset, but if she did and Merci got blamed for it he was pretty sure he'd regret it later.

When he was done he moved back up behind Red and carefully attached himself to his back again. His chin resting on the larger fiend's shoulder so he could look at what was happening on the paper in front of him. Unconsciously Dio's tail wrapped around Red's torso, and he draped his arms around his neck.

Dio reached a hand up and stroked it down the side of Red's face. 'Don't be upset, it's just a pencil. I'm sure that Merci will be able to find a new one if we need to.' He wasn't however oblivious to the fact that his friend was struggling to fulfill his request.

The smaller fiend just made and amused noise and dropped his hand, holding it out with his palm flat. 'Why don't you give it to me and we'll find something else to do. Maybe we can try and do something else that interests you? I know I can't beat things up, but maybe you could teach me a little bit? I don't know the first thing about it actually.' He didn't untangle himself from Red yet. Dio enjoyed being that close to him entirely to much to move until he was sure the other shadow was going to need him to.

(I actually totally have the answer, I was going to msg you and ask anyway)

Merci stretched and frowned for a minute. She was finished, finally. It wasn't that the shop was massive and thus had anything to horribly difficult to do. It was that she was actually feeling super mellow because of the utter contentment that seemed to be running toward her through the bond she shared with Dio.

She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open to check the time. Merci huffed out a surprised hiss before she flipped it shut. She'd actually taken longer then she thought and they were due to close the place up and head home. She stood up and pushed the stool she'd been sitting on to the side. The form that she'd filled out with the information for the stock still in the shop she took with her when she traipsed back to the store front.

Her eyes got huge and she slapped a hand to her face. Dio and Red were not behind the counter. It seemed that the little shadow was trying to get tips on how to form a fist. He kept flexing his fingers and curling them back up. Merci had no qualms about interrupting them, the last thing she needed was Dio getting it into his head he knew how to fight. "Hey Red? You wanna go wake up Zero and get ready to go? I have to lock the place up."

Dio glanced up from where he'd been talking to Red and he scowled. It couldn't have been an hour already, it just couldn't have. He hadn't had nearly enough time to spend with his friend. He moved his burgundy eyes up to look at Red and he sighed, 'We'll see each other soon though right?' The contentment he'd been feeling before was now a sort of melancholy.

Dio blinked at Red, it hadn't dawned on him just how strong he really was. Maybe it was because he was so gentle with him, or maybe it was just that he hadn't ever really had an occasion to see him use his brawny muscles. Either way he moved over to the door and opened it for him. 'We'll get her settled in the car and everything okay?' He turned his burgundy eye on Merci as he spoke. Sure Red probably didn't need his help, but he wanted to feel like he was making himself useful.

Merci waved a hand at the two fiends, "I'll be out in a second, I just have to lock up everything and file the paperwork where it goes." It wouldn't take to horribly long, but she needed to count the money and bag it, put things in the safes, lock up the storefront. She was however thankful that Dio would be out of her hair while she was dealing with everything.

She didn't wait till they were out before she started, and she'd worked now enough that she was pretty quick. Within ten minutes she was walking out of the front door and locking it behind her. Whatever heebie jeebie that Athan did to protect the place she wasn't sure. The only requirement she had was to turn the key in the front door and make sure it was locked up tight.