[Hopefully there wouldn't be a fight, not when Strohl is still hurting from his last one. But who knows what fate has in store. He is curious by what Maruki means by his arrival though. Would it be tentacles again?
Either way, Maruki would find Strohl leaning against one of the pillars by the entrance, patiently waiting.]
[ IT'S NOT ALWAYS TENTACLES!! It's usually tentacles. But this time it's not tentacles.
Wishing for his home to be set as far from town as possible has rarely been anything but a blessing... but it does make travel more difficult. It takes forever to walk anywhere from it. Biking is faster, but it's late at night and he's tired. So, the secret third option–
A mourning dove flutters in front of Strohl for a moment, looking at him with its beady little eyes surrounding by suspiciously glasses-looking square marks. Then, in a burst of soft gray feathers, Maruki appears in its place.
He coughs lightly, a stray feather stuck to the tip of his tongue as he plucks it off. ]
I still haven't mastered the actual transformation aspect of that...
[ At least he didn't fall straight on his ass this time. ]
[Animal transformations weren’t that much of a surprise to Strohl now that he’s aware of their existence. It has also made him rather wary of pets that stare at him for too long, wondering if they have been a person this entire time. It’s why he stares back curiously at the mourning dove in his vicinity, wondering if it was the good doctor —
And indeed he is. Strohl stays his tongue in commenting how adorable the entire sequence of events were in front of him. How fortunate that Archetype transformations do not have such mishaps.]
Of course.
[Speaking of…he nods with his usual noble politeness, although this time it is more guarded than how it was before. Especially now that he knows a part of a puzzle he did not expect:]
[ Hands tucked neatly into the pockets of his weather beaten, well-worn brown jacket from home, Maruki hums in acknowledgment as they set off down the dimly lit road. ]
It's more difficult to find someone in this reality that I don't know. I was able to put together that you were talking about Kazuya fairly quickly.
[Strohl raises an eyebrow - he's not buying that, not exactly.]
I'd wager that your relationship with him is more than simply knowing, however. He chose you as his second for our duel, after all.
[The evening cold feels great against his face, it keeps him awake and alert for this conversation.]
I wonder if things would have been different, if I let you talk to him as we've discussed. Or perhaps this was an inevitable turn of events, in the end.
[ Maruki holds up a hand, palm out in front of his chest. ]
I wouldn't have spoken to him for you. I offered to mediate the discussion. That's all.
[ And it drops back to his pocket as he looks over at Strohl, serious. ]
Everything you told me in my office remained in confidence. I didn't speak a word to him about it. I want you to know that.
[ Eyes back on the dim road before them. ]
Anyhow... Whether you involved me in the discussion or not, I'm sure it would have come to the same conclusion. You're both headstrong people, and I'm not in the habit of telling anyone what to do.
[Ah. Still the professional, despite the personal relations. Strohl can respect that, at least.]
Perhaps you might be right. That our duel was an inevitability, in the end.
[He exhales, looking upwards as his breath materializes as a mist in the air.]
I was planning on calling it off, actually. We've crossed paths quite often, and I slowly realized that there is more to Kazuya than what I originally thought. But then he almost killed Will, and - [there's a clenched fist there, frustration barely contained.] - now that I look back at it, it doesn't seem to make sense. Kazuya kept telling me to back off, but now he takes the first move in staining his hands with blood?
I trust Will more than anyone else, so I do believe that Kazuya dealt the first blow. He also said it himself. And that's why I could barely contain my anger, in the end.
I have no desire to kill Kazuya, but I want to see him defeated. It's a poor excuse for my foul play, but that's why I had to use everything in my power to try.
[Attack in any number, wield any weapons. Someone loathsome once told them that teamwork is also the sign of one's power in a duel. To think that he ended up employing the same train of thought for this fight.]
[ Maruki's hardly a true neutral party here, but the reality of the situation is that he can't fight anyone else's battles, nor does he have any desire to. There's too much else to focus on for him to get in the middle of squabbles like this.
He may be on Kazuya's side, in the end, but by that same token... ]
You've met Eren Jaeger, right?
[ Maruki knows he has. There's little they don't tell each other. ]
He's one of the most important people in my life. [ And there's a weight to those words that says that's putting it mildly. ] A while back, someone tried to kill him and very nearly succeeded. I intervened, and when he showed no sign of stopping, I was ready to kill him to protect a person that I love.
[ He squints up at the sky, hands curled into fists in his jacket pockets. Akutagawa is long gone, and Eren has lived a thousand lifetimes and experienced his own inevitable death since then, but the rage will always remain fresh in his mind. ]
Luckily, it didn't come to that. The whole thing was a mess, but I want you to know... I get where you're coming from. Even if I may not agree with it, I do understand. I don't think less of you for it.
[ That feels important to put out there, before anything else. ]
[Eren’s name wasn’t something he expected to be brought up, but Maruki did say he knows almost everyone in here. His hands idly clench and unclench in a repeating motion, hoping that it helps release some of his nerves away.]
He has been an enjoyable conversation partner.
[It’s an understatement, in a way. In all of the times they have talked, Strohl has been left in deep contemplation. Talking to him feels like scrubbing his own skin raw. And yet, he can’t help but continue such dialogue.
He too would have been upset if Eren were to die, he thinks.
To be honest, he came here expecting a lecture, or at least a stern frown. It’s why he wanted to talk to Maruki in the first place, because he does want to apologize for his foul play. But more importantly, he still wants to trust Maruki as his doctor, and he wants to know where they stand after all this. Perhaps that’s why he’s still capable of being this honest.]
I think I surprised myself, really. Killing in my world is a matter of survival, but this is the first time I felt the urge for using violence to meet personal ends.
[Not in order to serve a cause or to change the world, but only so he could protect someone that he loves. Something in it sends a shiver on his spine, but it’s also something he’s willing to accept.
(Ah, so even he is still capable of something like this.)]
But regardless — thank you. I would say that I understand how you feel — but I suppose you already know that, yes?
[ An enjoyable conversation partner. Very, very few people who don't already love Eren would describe him that way. Maruki can only imagine what sorts of discussions they've had, if that's the case.
Noted.
He smiles over at Strohl, subdued but warm. ]
Yes, we understand one another on that matter.
[ And then a soft sigh through his nose, back to the other matter at hand. ]
As for the foul play... Kazuya asked me to ensure the fight remained fair, so that's why I intervened. I assume Will-kun would have done the same if I'd assisted Kazuya. I don't hold it against either of you. I was only doing my job.
[And there is much guilt there, to have Will involved in his plan in the first place. But it was his best bet in destroying Kazuya - and it would have been, if not for the fact that apparently the demon lord was capable of recovering back to his normal form despite that he has been reduced into a bloody mess of bones and organs.]
The fault is solely mine. Will didn't agree to the duel in the first place. He only wanted to be there such that he could heal either of us once the fighting was over.
[It didn't take much convincing Will to eventually agree to his plan, sure, but he's going to leave that detail over for his sake.]
But I must admit, I am curious - those appendages you used to restrain Will, is that how your power manifests, then?
[ Maruki hums an agreeing sound and nods, a hand coming out to trace the vague wiggly shapes of tentacles in the air as he speaks. ]
Mm, that's Azathoth. Do you remember when I asked if you considered what you're able to summon to be an extension of your soul? That's the best way I can describe my own ability.
[ And because it's a common enough misconception that Azathoth is wholly separate from him even with people who aren't familiar with that sort of power, he might as well clear it up for Strohl too, just so their differences can't be conflated. ]
I'm not like Kazuya. His demons aren't a part of his soul, and I can't summon anything but Azathoth because it is a part of mine. What you saw is as much me as I am right now.
[ Probably horrifying, but hey, after the bug-based gore he witnessed, what's a little tentacle monsters between friends? ]
[He’d take the tentacles over the insect eggs, thank you very much! After all he’d seen about humans and monsters, tentacles are rather tame in comparison, really.]
Then we have more in common. You have only seen one form it can take, and they may change depending on what I need in battle, but all of them are an extension of my soul — an expression of my justice, so to speak. It just so happens that one of these forms allows me to summon demons the same way Kazuya does, but even then my powers are limited compared to him.
Even then, I do think our powers also differ in another way.
[He places a hand towards his chest, fingers splayed across.]
My power is to transform into different parts of myself, while yours is to summon that extension. I can only assume that despite their similarities, the sources of our powers remain something different.
Maruki nods along with that, steering them down a path to an open park, abandoned in the dead of night. ]
Oh, I'm certain that they do! I don't presume that abilities from different realities function exactly the same, but it's fascinating to find the areas where we overlap, isn't it?
[ And then he grins, sheepish, and rubs at the stubble of his jaw. ]
Perhaps that's my profession talking, though. I doubt most people spend so much of their time thinking about things like that. I'm just grateful to learn more about how yours functions!
[Their stroll continues, footsteps echoing inbetween the silence of their words.]
If it helps, I do think your curiosity is refreshing. I do not know the full potential of my own power, but if there is more you would wish to know, please feel free to ask.
[Better than being called a monster, he thinks, by those who has heard the rumors in fear and apprehension back in Euchronia. It is still considered to be forbidden magic, after all.]
It does make me wonder if our worlds are connected in some way - I met someone from another world who said she hails from Shinjuku, for example. In my world, the very same place is a ruin from a time long past.
[ She hails from Shinjuku– there's not many people that applies to. There's a chance Strohl means someone else, of course, but as far as Maruki knows... ]
Do you mean Mifune-san? Ah, Chihaya, you'd probably call her. [ A beat, and then: ] Wait, Shinjuku is in ruins in your reality!?
I have, we're from the same reality– that's probably why we had the same reaction!
[ Shinjuku used to be a city there... from his conversations with Rella, he really thought their worlds couldn't have been more different. Maybe it's a world built on the ashes of a ruined Japan. Who knows? ]
But to your point, it wouldn't surprise me if our realities shared some type of connection. I feel that way about many people I've met here. Perhaps there's a reason we all were drawn to this place, and those connections have something to do with it.
[That leaves some gears turning in Strohl's head, and he can't help but voice out his theory:]
Doctor Maruki, we talk as if we come from different realities - but what if we actually come from the same world, just in different periods of time? Much of our history is a mystery to us, obscured by...other factors, but this Shinjuku is testament to something that possibly binds us. Perhaps your present is our past, and my present is your future.
[ The same gears are turning in both of their minds. Maruki hums in acknowledgment as Strohl speaks, then lets out a soft sigh. ]
It's entirely possible. There's already someone here who I firmly believe is from my own reality's past. It's easier to prove something like that when there's only a few years separating you, but...
[ He inclines his head to look at Strohl then, eyes bright with curiosity, even though this isn't a particularly pleasant thing to postulate on. ]
I suppose there was nothing that could be done to prevent that war that destroyed your Shinjuku, was there?
I suppose the same rule applies in short amount of times - most of my companions are from days before the events that I have already personally experienced.
[He can't help the small twitch of his eyebrow. Those events sure were something!]
I...don't know. I have in fact met a time traveler in here, so perhaps it is possible with the same kind of powers, but I don't know if such things still exist in my reality. To be honest, I'm not sure if it would be wise to prevent it either - it might cause too many changes in the timeline.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text sometime after the duel | un: hacknslash
Doctor Maruki?
I believe there's something we should talk about in person.
thank you for your contribution to the Get My Inbox To Captcha By May fund
This ought to be good. ]
Of course. Is there somewhere in particular you'd like to meet?
oh god you're so close WHY ARE YOU SO CLOSE
no subject
[ Or, if it seems like whatever conversation they have is edging toward a fight, they can walk to the farm instead. Maruki's not picky. ]
Please don't be alarmed by how I arrive. See you soon.
action time!
[Hopefully there wouldn't be a fight, not when Strohl is still hurting from his last one. But who knows what fate has in store. He is curious by what Maruki means by his arrival though. Would it be tentacles again?
Either way, Maruki would find Strohl leaning against one of the pillars by the entrance, patiently waiting.]
no subject
Wishing for his home to be set as far from town as possible has rarely been anything but a blessing... but it does make travel more difficult. It takes forever to walk anywhere from it. Biking is faster, but it's late at night and he's tired. So, the secret third option–
A mourning dove flutters in front of Strohl for a moment, looking at him with its beady little eyes surrounding by suspiciously glasses-looking square marks. Then, in a burst of soft gray feathers, Maruki appears in its place.
He coughs lightly, a stray feather stuck to the tip of his tongue as he plucks it off. ]
I still haven't mastered the actual transformation aspect of that...
[ At least he didn't fall straight on his ass this time. ]
Shall we?
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And indeed he is. Strohl stays his tongue in commenting how adorable the entire sequence of events were in front of him. How fortunate that Archetype transformations do not have such mishaps.]
Of course.
[Speaking of…he nods with his usual noble politeness, although this time it is more guarded than how it was before. Especially now that he knows a part of a puzzle he did not expect:]
So — you knew Kazuya this entire time.
[It’s a neutral statement. For now.]
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It's more difficult to find someone in this reality that I don't know. I was able to put together that you were talking about Kazuya fairly quickly.
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I'd wager that your relationship with him is more than simply knowing, however. He chose you as his second for our duel, after all.
[The evening cold feels great against his face, it keeps him awake and alert for this conversation.]
I wonder if things would have been different, if I let you talk to him as we've discussed. Or perhaps this was an inevitable turn of events, in the end.
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I wouldn't have spoken to him for you. I offered to mediate the discussion. That's all.
[ And it drops back to his pocket as he looks over at Strohl, serious. ]
Everything you told me in my office remained in confidence. I didn't speak a word to him about it. I want you to know that.
[ Eyes back on the dim road before them. ]
Anyhow... Whether you involved me in the discussion or not, I'm sure it would have come to the same conclusion. You're both headstrong people, and I'm not in the habit of telling anyone what to do.
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Perhaps you might be right. That our duel was an inevitability, in the end.
[He exhales, looking upwards as his breath materializes as a mist in the air.]
I was planning on calling it off, actually. We've crossed paths quite often, and I slowly realized that there is more to Kazuya than what I originally thought. But then he almost killed Will, and - [there's a clenched fist there, frustration barely contained.] - now that I look back at it, it doesn't seem to make sense. Kazuya kept telling me to back off, but now he takes the first move in staining his hands with blood?
I trust Will more than anyone else, so I do believe that Kazuya dealt the first blow. He also said it himself. And that's why I could barely contain my anger, in the end.
I have no desire to kill Kazuya, but I want to see him defeated. It's a poor excuse for my foul play, but that's why I had to use everything in my power to try.
[Attack in any number, wield any weapons. Someone loathsome once told them that teamwork is also the sign of one's power in a duel. To think that he ended up employing the same train of thought for this fight.]
no subject
He may be on Kazuya's side, in the end, but by that same token... ]
You've met Eren Jaeger, right?
[ Maruki knows he has. There's little they don't tell each other. ]
He's one of the most important people in my life. [ And there's a weight to those words that says that's putting it mildly. ] A while back, someone tried to kill him and very nearly succeeded. I intervened, and when he showed no sign of stopping, I was ready to kill him to protect a person that I love.
[ He squints up at the sky, hands curled into fists in his jacket pockets. Akutagawa is long gone, and Eren has lived a thousand lifetimes and experienced his own inevitable death since then, but the rage will always remain fresh in his mind. ]
Luckily, it didn't come to that. The whole thing was a mess, but I want you to know... I get where you're coming from. Even if I may not agree with it, I do understand. I don't think less of you for it.
[ That feels important to put out there, before anything else. ]
no subject
He has been an enjoyable conversation partner.
[It’s an understatement, in a way. In all of the times they have talked, Strohl has been left in deep contemplation. Talking to him feels like scrubbing his own skin raw. And yet, he can’t help but continue such dialogue.
He too would have been upset if Eren were to die, he thinks.
To be honest, he came here expecting a lecture, or at least a stern frown. It’s why he wanted to talk to Maruki in the first place, because he does want to apologize for his foul play. But more importantly, he still wants to trust Maruki as his doctor, and he wants to know where they stand after all this. Perhaps that’s why he’s still capable of being this honest.]
I think I surprised myself, really. Killing in my world is a matter of survival, but this is the first time I felt the urge for using violence to meet personal ends.
[Not in order to serve a cause or to change the world, but only so he could protect someone that he loves. Something in it sends a shiver on his spine, but it’s also something he’s willing to accept.
(Ah, so even he is still capable of something like this.)]
But regardless — thank you. I would say that I understand how you feel — but I suppose you already know that, yes?
no subject
Noted.
He smiles over at Strohl, subdued but warm. ]
Yes, we understand one another on that matter.
[ And then a soft sigh through his nose, back to the other matter at hand. ]
As for the foul play... Kazuya asked me to ensure the fight remained fair, so that's why I intervened. I assume Will-kun would have done the same if I'd assisted Kazuya. I don't hold it against either of you. I was only doing my job.
cw mention of gore and also tentacles
[And there is much guilt there, to have Will involved in his plan in the first place. But it was his best bet in destroying Kazuya - and it would have been, if not for the fact that apparently the demon lord was capable of recovering back to his normal form despite that he has been reduced into a bloody mess of bones and organs.]
The fault is solely mine. Will didn't agree to the duel in the first place. He only wanted to be there such that he could heal either of us once the fighting was over.
[It didn't take much convincing Will to eventually agree to his plan, sure, but he's going to leave that detail over for his sake.]
But I must admit, I am curious - those appendages you used to restrain Will, is that how your power manifests, then?
no subject
Mm, that's Azathoth. Do you remember when I asked if you considered what you're able to summon to be an extension of your soul? That's the best way I can describe my own ability.
[ And because it's a common enough misconception that Azathoth is wholly separate from him even with people who aren't familiar with that sort of power, he might as well clear it up for Strohl too, just so their differences can't be conflated. ]
I'm not like Kazuya. His demons aren't a part of his soul, and I can't summon anything but Azathoth because it is a part of mine. What you saw is as much me as I am right now.
[ Probably horrifying, but hey, after the bug-based gore he witnessed, what's a little tentacle monsters between friends? ]
no subject
Then we have more in common. You have only seen one form it can take, and they may change depending on what I need in battle, but all of them are an extension of my soul — an expression of my justice, so to speak. It just so happens that one of these forms allows me to summon demons the same way Kazuya does, but even then my powers are limited compared to him.
Even then, I do think our powers also differ in another way.
[He places a hand towards his chest, fingers splayed across.]
My power is to transform into different parts of myself, while yours is to summon that extension. I can only assume that despite their similarities, the sources of our powers remain something different.
no subject
Noted. Akechi will hear about that.
Maruki nods along with that, steering them down a path to an open park, abandoned in the dead of night. ]
Oh, I'm certain that they do! I don't presume that abilities from different realities function exactly the same, but it's fascinating to find the areas where we overlap, isn't it?
[ And then he grins, sheepish, and rubs at the stubble of his jaw. ]
Perhaps that's my profession talking, though. I doubt most people spend so much of their time thinking about things like that. I'm just grateful to learn more about how yours functions!
no subject
If it helps, I do think your curiosity is refreshing. I do not know the full potential of my own power, but if there is more you would wish to know, please feel free to ask.
[Better than being called a monster, he thinks, by those who has heard the rumors in fear and apprehension back in Euchronia. It is still considered to be forbidden magic, after all.]
It does make me wonder if our worlds are connected in some way - I met someone from another world who said she hails from Shinjuku, for example. In my world, the very same place is a ruin from a time long past.
no subject
Oh?
[ She hails from Shinjuku– there's not many people that applies to. There's a chance Strohl means someone else, of course, but as far as Maruki knows... ]
Do you mean Mifune-san? Ah, Chihaya, you'd probably call her. [ A beat, and then: ] Wait, Shinjuku is in ruins in your reality!?
no subject
[The recognition of the name puts a chuckle to Strohl's face.]
It's funny, she had the same reaction when I told her. But yes, Shinjuku used to be a city back in the old world, before the war.
no subject
[ Shinjuku used to be a city there... from his conversations with Rella, he really thought their worlds couldn't have been more different. Maybe it's a world built on the ashes of a ruined Japan. Who knows? ]
But to your point, it wouldn't surprise me if our realities shared some type of connection. I feel that way about many people I've met here. Perhaps there's a reason we all were drawn to this place, and those connections have something to do with it.
no subject
Doctor Maruki, we talk as if we come from different realities - but what if we actually come from the same world, just in different periods of time? Much of our history is a mystery to us, obscured by...other factors, but this Shinjuku is testament to something that possibly binds us. Perhaps your present is our past, and my present is your future.
no subject
It's entirely possible. There's already someone here who I firmly believe is from my own reality's past. It's easier to prove something like that when there's only a few years separating you, but...
[ He inclines his head to look at Strohl then, eyes bright with curiosity, even though this isn't a particularly pleasant thing to postulate on. ]
I suppose there was nothing that could be done to prevent that war that destroyed your Shinjuku, was there?
no subject
[He can't help the small twitch of his eyebrow. Those events sure were something!]
I...don't know. I have in fact met a time traveler in here, so perhaps it is possible with the same kind of powers, but I don't know if such things still exist in my reality. To be honest, I'm not sure if it would be wise to prevent it either - it might cause too many changes in the timeline.
[You know, butterfly effects and all.]
hehe we can wrap up.... yowling at them