Speak of the Devil // COMPLETED ✔

Killua Gets A Piercing Done At Claire's

Illumi fasted for all of Monday, though by Tuesday, Chrollo's cursed smoothie sludge was back in his system and wrecking havoc. He wasn't well enough to think, let alone speak , so Zeno took it upon himself to flip through Illumi's work books in search of a phonebook.

Chrollo watched as Zeno flipped to the back of Illumi's agenda and released a triumphant, "Aha!" Zeno flicked the page and said, "Found it. This should do the trick."

"I'll take it from here," Chrollo said, and ignored the hesitation on Zeno's face as Chrollo sifted through the names and numbers. Illumi's supervisor wasn't far down the list.

He dialed the number and, with Zeno watching, gave the name of the supervisor to Directory Assistance. The call was forwarded to the company where Chrollo first made do with the secretary.

"Hello. I'm calling on behalf of Illumi Zoldyck. He can't make it to the phone," he said.

The secretary was at once sympathetic. " Oh, dear, I hope it isn't too serious. We were concerned when he didn't call in yesterday ."

"No doubt," he said, amicably. Judging by the skepticism on Zeno's face, Chrollo likely sounded more inauthentic than the secretary could tell. "He was out of commission all yesterday, couldn't lift a hand to the phone, you see."

" Oh, how awful ."

"Yes. He asked me to call and say he'll be out for a month. This is his nurse speaking—I can fetch a doctor if need be."

" That won't be necessary ."

"May I speak with his supervisor? I'd like to relay the information to them directly."

" Absolutely. I'll put you on hold and pass you along ."

"Thank you. You're a doll," Chrollo said.

The call with his supervisor went just as smoothly, and at the end of it, he cradled the phone and turned to Zeno. The old man was in shock.

"That is," he said, wagging a finger as he walked off. "That is a trick for sure."

"At least your grandson won't lose his job," Chrollo said. "That influence will spread like a virus. No one at the company will question his absence."

"Are Gon and Hisoka like this?" Zeno asked, no doubt thinking about lecture. He had just paired those two with humans, and though Hisoka seemed harmless and sane enough, Gon had killed his grandson.

"Hisoka, yes. Gon is still learning," Chrollo said.

He followed Zeno to the office at the back of the house. It was just as populated with books as the library was, only these were sentimental. Essays by colleagues, books by peers, a combination of both by past students. Chrollo had even found a bound copy of essays from Killua—scripts from debate club and juvenile research papers.

It wasn't a stretch that being kindred spirits made Chrollo like Zeno. Zeno was a connoisseur in his own right—books—and Chrollo appreciated that more than anything.

Just as Chrollo was going to ask about a paper he'd read from one of Zeno's colleagues at the university, a thump distracted him. His eyes went skyward, and then back toward the foyer.

"Is something the matter?" Zeno asked.

"Your grandson is up," Chrollo relayed, and moved to the stairs. The last thing he needed was Illumi falling and breaking his neck on the stairs. Though that wouldn't be a direct consequence of Gon, his behavior now certainly was . It wouldn't hold up in court, so to speak, and they'd likely be pushed back another month in progress.