What time is it?! FANCY DINNER TIME! (SAGA, YAAAS Kasey)

Don't mix business with pleasure.

To anyone with large sums of money, it was a given. To shit in your own backyard, so to speak, was always a poor way to go about things. It would lead to the one scandal that would end it all. Sato had his playthings, but rarely, if at all had it been his own staff. Often, it was interests and other companies to help sweeten deals with inside help. Maybe that last bit of choice words was an innuendo. But who was to say?

To be completely honest, if it was up to Hain, the contract would have already been lost. The man had all but forgotten the name of the company. The man, and the hats however, had kept his interest longer than a cat had their attention snatched by a laser pointer. However, in this case, perhaps he wasn't so different than a cat. The red dot on the wall as the woman lazily pointed at a book, the man stood, and stared at it.

"It stopped moving."

"That means you should grab that one."

"Okay, but if i grab the book, won't it move?"

"That's normally how things work, yes."

Setsuna stood over the woman, fixing and sorting her shirt and skirt, making sure everything was as presentable as possible. As he finished, he would make his way over to Hain to do the same, the man still as he glared at the small red dot. With a finger, she lifted her touch, and the dot would disappear. Hain's hand would swipe at the book, only to grab it at that point to look behind it.

"Master Kasey! It has gone!"

"We'll look for it later. Bring the book. We have shit to do."

"But the dot!"

". . . bring the book Hain. We have hats to get."

A quick turn as Setsuna ducked to avoid the man's arm holding the book, still trying to sort his tie. The trio would begin to make their way out, Setsuna running to jump at Kasey and his body merging with her body once more, being absorbed back into her bones.

. . .

The pair arrived with themselves, a private vehicle, the one in charge the one who sat behind the wheel. The actor playing boss sat behind her. A set of eyes watched him, both metaphorically, but also literally as Setsuna kept watch of the man, who really was just a large child.

The others would arrive either by their own means, or by the provided transportation. The space was rented out to them for the day to give them a more private affair, while still maintaining a bit for the public to come in and enjoy themselves. After all, having the public watch and observe was the whole point of it all. A dozen investors and other notable people would arrive before them. The establishment filled to the brim with interest of what was really preparing to happen beyond the velvet ropes that were set aside for them, keeping them away from the civilians who were set to observe alone.

The dozens of people would arrive, most of them older, elderly men save for a few upcoming younger men. There was only two other females in their early thirties, which still made Kasey the youngest at the table, along with Hain. Compared to those who would arrive, they were infants compared to them, yet their experiences had set them generations beyond their company.

Hain would arrive, similar attire as before, the gold pin still at his collar, as Kasey trailed behind, a similar outfit. Their white dress shirts, the red bow tie. Her black shirt with his black slacks. His black socks to her black stockings. Brown dress shoes on his feet, while her own were wrapped in some other material, perhaps leather straps? A variation of a tabi cloth, done well enough one could mistake it for shoes if not examined.

Hain would lead them as Kasey took in the view of the place, noting every exit, every table and counter. Her mind prepared for a batter that might never come, but she was never too sure. The man, however, was eager to eat. The girl, only really wanted to bury her nose into her book, with the bonus of a snack freshly prepared.

"Oh boy, what do we have prepared today?" he began.

The board was nothing more than a formality. They were stock holders and hired and paid to do their job. They were investors. Their small percentage dwarfed by Kasey's massive hold on over ninety percent of the company. It was her own, and she would treat it as such. They had no real say in anything, but it was still their money. Who cared though, when all you did was profit? What was tossing away a few thousand at some entertainment?

"Ooh! He's starting!"

". . . I regret this already."

They listened as he addressed just the pair of them as the dozen others would observe and place their orders to dine. They came for the food, leaving with a nice hat would be bonus. Especially as a free sample. Business write offs. They were good for some things.

As soon as the box was placed on the table, Hain would begin to clap, only for Kasey to keep her eyes forward and reach out to his hands to silence them. A small look of disappointment towards her, only to smile again at the sight of the damn thing. The question was asked and they would begin.

"I think we should order our fo-"

"OOh! OOH, PICK ME!"

She released him, disappointment on her own face as she kindly waved to the waitress to come and take their orders. She was going to need a drink, maybe three or four, maybe seven or seventy. It didn't matter. She really needed to be drunk to put up with shit like this.

Meanwhile the grown man was acting like a child waiting for the magician to pick his assistant. Needless to say, the only magic he would be doing, was making their money disappear. And with a little bit of hope and faith, making money flow in much easier into their pockets. The other people would sit, amused, only to observe before asking for their own hats.

In her eyes, he was a clown. A man who had all of the connections she needed to run the business into the direction she wanted. A bumbling fool who talked too much, too fast, and too often. A clown with loud appearances and louder outfits. A man she would grow quickly tired of, and would serve her nightmares for a long time.

In his eyes he was the clown. The finest of clowns. The one that hopped into a barrel for your entertainment as you watched and laughed as the bull tried to tip him over. One that made you smile and laugh, and cry when he was gone. A clown who did everything to try and uplift and control the emotions of those around him, in a positive way. Everything about him was distracting, which, in this kind of life, was something desired. And it seemed, even after, he only wanted more of this man. A true masterpiece.

The tapping of his heel set joy to one, and chills down the other's spine. Guess who was who? Yeah. You're probably right, reader. Or maybe you aren't. If you think Kasey was anything more than annoyed or bored, you're dead wrong. But if you picked Hain to be the happy one this time, well, then I suppose you're right. Right?

Right.

"Yuzzzz..." He quietly cheered with a happy fist ready to charge into the sky, but he held his excitement. He didn't want to come off as too eager.

"Let me please get whatever meat based dish you recommend, as well as your hardest liquor." She ordered, her eyes watching the dance show before her centered around the other man. A sigh leaving her lips. "Do you guys have like, mac and cheese? Or like, can you get penne alfredo or something for him? Something simple, no seafood, cheese sauce and pasta." A nod from the woman. "And uhh... apple cider will be fine for him, thanks." Another sigh as she set her head onto the table and buried her face in her hands. The men around the table would order other, extravagant meals, all because of the company paying for it. A small fuck you to their boss, but it was just pocket change to her, or him, or whoever was actually in charge.

"oooOOOOh!" he would say as the cards were laid out. "Is this for color or style? No, don't tell me I wanna be surprised... c'mon red top hat!" and he reached out and set his hand on one, pulling it from the pile...

Wipe the hardrive. A saying meant to delete all files from a computer. A method refering to information not wanting to be seen, observed, viewed, or opened by any other party, removing all evidence. Remove the evidence. Delete all files. Wipe the hardrive. In this case, her harddrive, was her own mind, and wiping it wasn't a click and delete, it was whatever liquor that waitress would bring. Kasey hoped, there would be nothing left of them memory. All of it lost.

She wasn't so lucky.

She would have to resort to a hard rest. Her head lifted, before crashing into the table, a thud as she tried to ease herself away from the situation she was in. The executives thought nothing of her, why would they? She was an assistant, not their boss, she was replaceable. Any honor she had, was for the fact she had worked for Sato personally, and had lived with him, and still did. Though the fact of him still being alive, wasn't known. That didn't matter. There was a new boss, who held the stocks. He too, worked for the former man, but he was the one that called the shots now. Even if the Chairman position was a voted one, Hain was the one with the power. Or at least, that's what they thought.

"Bless'ed be, maker take me please..." a silent prayer echoing from within her mind, not a word from the only being that could hear her.

"Oooh~! fancy~!" He was far too exited by something even he knew he would keep in his home and never actually wear in public, but even so. Pajamas were always something worth being joyful about. He watched the small tricks with the cards as they seemingly vanished, if by magic or a short attention span it was hard to say.

"My quirk?" He paused for a moment, his mind drifting away to the darkness, the void that once consumed him. His smile faded as he could feel the cold air and silence engulf him. The deafening silence. The feeling of being alone, but always watched. The stench of blood, and the screams of-

"No. Master Hain's quirk will not, and is not something that would hinder, nor have any effect on the hat." She would answer, loudly, as her face buried in her arms. "Though he likes to jump around with things on his head, like doorframes, so perhaps a small one, with a clip for his hair would be better. Though, you're the expert." No emotion, no grace. Words poured from her. Monotone as she gave an answer as if reciting it, though to a particular question that wouldn't be asked all that often. The board believed Sato to be a quirkless man, but understood his fascination to hire though with abilities. Though, the strange trade off that all of them appear to be mostly normal, and don't use their quirks at all. Most waved the idea as a strange fascination, or having a personal circus to hinder people's powers. A business to make a better you, yet his own secret remain uncovered by the others, and he prevented any use of quirks in the offices. But they all seemed for the evolution... so what of it?

Hain's stare blank, only to snap back at the woman's speech. "Yeah. What... what Kasey said." he would say. A nervous shiver down his spine as a shy smile went upon his lips. He was getting something he wanted.

But all he could think about was how long they were suffering before it all ended. But did it ever end?

Could his suffering ever end?

Torture. It was what it was, simply put, it was torture. All of it was done in the name of research from willing volunteers. People who signed away their will at the promise of something to improve their lives. In the case of the pair, it was food, shelter, and healthcare. The details in the contract vague, and left out intentionally. They were both starving, and the promise of a warm meal was beyond captivating. No longer the need to feed upon the remains of someone else's last meal, eating, in case it could be their last meal. Survival, replaced with a life worth living. That was how it was presented to them. Years of screaming in pain, soon coming to an end, by a girl who was more than willing to endure the experiments. The girl who...

"No critique, just observations if any." she would answer, lifting her head to lean on a hand as she would look over to the white haired man. The rest of the guests seemed either entertained by the display, or off trying to make a deal with other members outside of their office. They were all fools, thinking that even all of the voting could do anything to change their plans. They were just for show.

"Like a mini top hat." A smile on his face, as his mind drifted away from the endless void. "Those are super cute too!" He would say, clapping in joy, awaiting his gift. He couldn't wait, but he had too. It wasn't like the man had a hat quirk. He had a speaker quirk. Radio quirk? Sound quirk. A weird quirk. One, that caused the idea of trying to understand it to furrow his brows in process. How did it work? Was it like the puppet masters? Throwing your voice? How weird. Why did he work with hats if he couldn't... wait, could he make hats talk?

"Besides the ever growing research and development in quirk studies to help advance society as a whole to ensure the citizens of the world can live a better life with their abilities..."

Kasey nodded, waving a hand to continue. A smile on her face, all just words remembered, recited, even if he barely understood what the string of them meant.

"I have a pet lizard. His name is Dog." he would say with a happy glee. A hand, pressed against the woman's face in her own disappointment as she buried her face, though, returned to her pose soon after.

". . . you only named him Dog because -"

"Because that's your spider's name!"

"That's... okay. Nevermind. No yeah, that seems like a much more realistic answer from you."

Kasey totally wasn't thinking about how Hain had walked in on Kasey during one of her feasts. The leftover remains of an animal left behind. One reduced to a meal as it was abandoned. The sight that caused him to recoil. A pet, purchased to give him peace and silence. Dog.

A lizard. A spider. And a reminder of the animal she was.

In another world, there was a child creature making a deal with a devil for power. In another world they were the paradigm shift. Here? Here, the devil watched their newest beneficiary craft a hat for their ally. It was how the world worked. It didn't matter if their was magic, super powers or if people were completely normal. Deals were made with horrible people. Sometimes it was for the better of the world, other times, not so much.

That being said, the reason why Hain was chosen was plain and simple from those that knew. From an outsiders perspective, he came from nearly nothing, and now had it all. He was a bubbly man child who wore a suit out of necessity, not choice. Granted, in the few instances where he had to make hard choices on his own, he did what was best. It may not have been the right thing to do, but it was for the best. Money was lost from time to time, but their image had never been greater. Besides, he was much better to take pictures with than Sato. Besides, he was getting a hat today. She mustn't ruin that at least.

"Well, it was a family business." Kasey admitted to the truth, perhaps a fault. It was hard to divide the lies from what was real. It was easier just to hide bits of the truth, than to cloak in deceit. "We've both worked closely with Sato for years. Now is no different." The estate, the place they called home. He was there with the both of them. They were almost literally family. The secrets were the same bonds that stuck them together like blood.

"Yeah, he still doesn't like when I call him dad."

"You didn't say dad, you said-"

"ANYWAYS, hat~!"