[ He was getting somewhat heated. Maruki takes a moment to calm himself; deep and even breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth. A forced relaxing of his shoulders, unclenching of his jaw. He looks down at the remnants of the coffee, wishes he could drink it to busy himself and buy time before answering–
But it's really not necessary, is it? He's fine raising his eyes and watching Akechi for a moment while he considers his words. He doesn't need an excuse to be quiet. ]
Yes, I am. I'm going to assume that you are at least passingly familiar too.
[ Even if Akechi wasn't investigating the psychotic breaks and mental shutdowns, he's still an intelligent, observant, informed citizen of Tokyo. There's no way he's avoided hearing of Shido during an election cycle turned absurd.
Maruki smiles at him then, but it doesn't reach his eyes by far. ]
[A little. Too much. A lot. Nothing at all. Practiced words come out of his mouth in expectation of - Akechi Goro to come out in support Masayoshi Shido. It's one of the last comments he heard in the media before being pulled, as he watched red drain down the bathroom sink. Promoted by Shido. Curated by Shido. It's pointless for him to even state anything when the world is cultivated for that man to succeed, with no small part owed to Akechi himself.
He laughs - soft, bitter and into his cup at the same time Maruki speaks again.
I'm not a fan of his politics - of course he wouldn't be. It's why he's an enemy. On a list.]
The Detective Prince is supposed to show his support on his policies when we return - isn't that funny? I wonder if his appearance was a reminder of that task. Perhaps we're closer to getting closer to escaping than we think. Maybe that man was a good omen.
Maybe so. That's an optimistic take on the situation. I should try to follow suit.
[ This isn't like him, he knows that. Or– it is like him, but in a way Akechi hasn't had reason to see yet. Even the few times he's been angry in Somnius, it hasn't been anything like this.
Most days, he feels so far from the man that he was when he left Tokyo that it's nearly unreachable. At times like this, he still has one foot in that reality. In his old professor's office, spitting Masayoshi Shido's name and laying the connections he'd drawn bare. So many things have changed since the day he appeared in Somnius. If nothing else, this is a good reminder that his rage has not.
Still. He shakes his head after a moment, offers Akechi a more genuine smile. ]
Sorry. I shouldn't allow myself to be so thrown by a cognitive manipulation – especially not a ridiculous video game-themed one. I'm sure there's no repercussions if we ignore that quest.
[ A thoughtful pause. ]
Or perhaps there will be. We could leave this cafe and enter into a boss battle.
[Ignore it. Don't. It's all irrelevant. Akechi has quests and tasks to fulfill in reality. A false idol is meaningless.
What holds relevance now -
Is Maruki's reaction. His words. Boss battle rings louder than it should. A yacht filled to the brim with the scum of humanity, Maruki among those warped into rats through the halls. Akechi has gone over and over and over. Has stepped through those disgusting, ornate doors into rooms more sickening than the last. Every death in reality by his own hands makes the world more disturbing in Shido's palace. Akechi checks every single time.]
A boss battle - do you really think it would come to that? Actually, let me rephrase -
[Slow. Quiet. Tense. He wants to burn the ship to the ground, watch the filth of humanity sink into the depths of that ocean, let the rats float to the surface and find no ground left to attach to.
He can't fucking wait and-
His cup is placed back on the table - gentle and without a clink. Akechi's always eager to fight. Attack. Conquer. Dominate.
Shido is different. There's a plan to be followed, a path to tread and a world for only Akechi Goro to see. Maruki may be with him in distorted, vivid words. In memories, but he does not belong there.]
They're talking at cross-purposes here. Maruki was merely making a joke about the current absurd circumstances they find themselves in – really, video game cognitions in a medieval peasant's village? – but the way Akechi answers–
Measured. Low. Pulled so taut, one sudden move could snap the strings.
It's more serious than the situation warrants if all they have to worry about is Somnius' special brand of bullshit.
Does he think that Maruki would try to take down Masayoshi Shido?
No. Maybe. But there's something more at a play. He doesn't know yet. He feels so close to knowing, it's maddening.
For the time being, all he can do is take Akechi's words with the gravity they deserve and nod. ]
Heard and understood, Akechi.
[ Don't bother trying.
If you find yourself there, leave. If you manage to get in, refrain.
There's something. There's something. ]
We ought to get out of here, don't you think?
[ Maybe they'll run into a ridiculous monstrosity to fight. It might be good stress relief.
Or maybe they'll run into another nightmare from home and he'll have Akechi's reactions in his peripherals, pieces of the puzzle he's been solving for months slowly coming together. ]
[Heard and understood - the latter part impossible for him to fully comprehend.
Heard and understood - like he fully grasps the goddamn situation he's in. We ought to get out of here with golden idols in his peripherals. A taunt from a god he can't see hammering a nail into his skull, bit by bit. Caffeine isn't helping. A drink isn't helping. Dan in the background isn't fucking helping.
Leaving would help. A battle, a walk - anything that doesn't involve sitting here in this uncomfortable chair, staring at the swirls on the table and walls.
But he doesn't move. His fingers stay wrapped around the rapidly cooling cup, the too bright gold twinkles in flickering candlelight in the corner of his eye. He should move and doesn't. Should leave, but won't. Decides he wants to stay anyway because the pathetic doppelganger may return in a swirl of fury when a job is left undone.
He offers an all too pleasant smile and removes one hand from the cup to wave towards the door. Offhand. Casual.]
Before I forget - do be careful. Often it doesn't matter who accepts the quest, there's a great deal of collateral involved in any choice. Try to stay cautious on your way home.
[ How they left things at the club still sits with Maruki, may never truly leave him.
He hears that tone, those words of warning. Sees that saccharine smile and that carefree gesture.
Nothing passes over his face at all for a moment. Pure static snow, a perfectly blank expression before he settles back into his seat, ankle crossed over knee, and folds his hands in his lap. ]
No. I'm good here.
[ If Akechi wants to get rid of him, then he better do it as himself, not as the Detective Prince.
If not– they're both staying until he decides to leave. Maruki has nothing better to do.
[The petty annoyances around him all disperse and retarget Maruki the second he slides back into his seat. The moment his face shifts into an expression of pure neutrality that Akechi's come to recognize and hate - a visceral sensation in his gut, his chest, rising and looming like an eruption on the brink.
An eruption he wants to see in others. In Maruki. He can match that petulance in spades and-
Late morning shifts into afternoon. Akechi waits for him to leave. He doesn't.
They don't talk again - phones come out, cups refilled, snacks purchased and set between them untouched. A peace offering ignored and refused by both.
Akechi doesn't stand. Doesn't move. Barely crosses and uncrosses legs and arms in the hours against the shitty chair.
Maruki doesn't either.
The world behind windows gets darker - Maruki is still fucking there, comfortable and quiet as he runs his thumb along the phone screen.
He hates Maruki Takuto with every fiber of his being - doesn't understand what this obstinance does for him. Understands it a little too well, when he thinks too long on it, and forgets to drown out thoughts with glasses of water.
It's annoying. Irritating. Infuriating in the way Akechi almost texts him his immense displeasure about instead of continuing this charade and-
Comfortable. Calming. Two sensations he's so unaccustomed to happening in tandem, he would rather tear through Maruki's throat with blunted butter knife than acknowledge it again.
So he doesn't. Akechi shifts - hits Maruki's leg in response with his foot. 'My apologies' he says, for the first time in hours. Thirty minutes later - a response comes with a whap of Maruki's napkin against his head - light and covered up with an exaggerated stretch and a 'Sorry' that doesn't sound apologetic at all.
Unfuckingreal.
Dan leaves. Everyone leaves. Shitty looks come their way. Tables cleared. Windows shut. Employees vanish and-
Finally, Akechi has to relent for the sake of shopkeeper glaring daggers at two people who held a table all day ordering water and the bare minimum to eat.
The pastry is still untouched. Akechi grabs it when he stands to leave and-
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
But it's really not necessary, is it? He's fine raising his eyes and watching Akechi for a moment while he considers his words. He doesn't need an excuse to be quiet. ]
Yes, I am. I'm going to assume that you are at least passingly familiar too.
[ Even if Akechi wasn't investigating the psychotic breaks and mental shutdowns, he's still an intelligent, observant, informed citizen of Tokyo. There's no way he's avoided hearing of Shido during an election cycle turned absurd.
Maruki smiles at him then, but it doesn't reach his eyes by far. ]
I'm not a fan of his politics.
no subject
[A little. Too much. A lot. Nothing at all. Practiced words come out of his mouth in expectation of - Akechi Goro to come out in support Masayoshi Shido. It's one of the last comments he heard in the media before being pulled, as he watched red drain down the bathroom sink. Promoted by Shido. Curated by Shido. It's pointless for him to even state anything when the world is cultivated for that man to succeed, with no small part owed to Akechi himself.
He laughs - soft, bitter and into his cup at the same time Maruki speaks again.
I'm not a fan of his politics - of course he wouldn't be. It's why he's an enemy. On a list.]
The Detective Prince is supposed to show his support on his policies when we return - isn't that funny? I wonder if his appearance was a reminder of that task. Perhaps we're closer to getting closer to escaping than we think. Maybe that man was a good omen.
no subject
Not I'm supposed to–
Maruki will most certainly remember that. ]
Maybe so. That's an optimistic take on the situation. I should try to follow suit.
[ This isn't like him, he knows that. Or– it is like him, but in a way Akechi hasn't had reason to see yet. Even the few times he's been angry in Somnius, it hasn't been anything like this.
Most days, he feels so far from the man that he was when he left Tokyo that it's nearly unreachable. At times like this, he still has one foot in that reality. In his old professor's office, spitting Masayoshi Shido's name and laying the connections he'd drawn bare. So many things have changed since the day he appeared in Somnius. If nothing else, this is a good reminder that his rage has not.
Still. He shakes his head after a moment, offers Akechi a more genuine smile. ]
Sorry. I shouldn't allow myself to be so thrown by a cognitive manipulation – especially not a ridiculous video game-themed one. I'm sure there's no repercussions if we ignore that quest.
[ A thoughtful pause. ]
Or perhaps there will be. We could leave this cafe and enter into a boss battle.
[ That might be fun. ]
no subject
What holds relevance now -
Is Maruki's reaction. His words. Boss battle rings louder than it should. A yacht filled to the brim with the scum of humanity, Maruki among those warped into rats through the halls. Akechi has gone over and over and over. Has stepped through those disgusting, ornate doors into rooms more sickening than the last. Every death in reality by his own hands makes the world more disturbing in Shido's palace. Akechi checks every single time.]
A boss battle - do you really think it would come to that? Actually, let me rephrase -
[Slow. Quiet. Tense. He wants to burn the ship to the ground, watch the filth of humanity sink into the depths of that ocean, let the rats float to the surface and find no ground left to attach to.
He can't fucking wait and-
His cup is placed back on the table - gentle and without a clink. Akechi's always eager to fight. Attack. Conquer. Dominate.
Shido is different. There's a plan to be followed, a path to tread and a world for only Akechi Goro to see. Maruki may be with him in distorted, vivid words. In memories, but he does not belong there.]
Don't bother trying. Am I clear?
no subject
They're talking at cross-purposes here. Maruki was merely making a joke about the current absurd circumstances they find themselves in – really, video game cognitions in a medieval peasant's village? – but the way Akechi answers–
Measured. Low. Pulled so taut, one sudden move could snap the strings.
It's more serious than the situation warrants if all they have to worry about is Somnius' special brand of bullshit.
Does he think that Maruki would try to take down Masayoshi Shido?
No. Maybe. But there's something more at a play. He doesn't know yet. He feels so close to knowing, it's maddening.
For the time being, all he can do is take Akechi's words with the gravity they deserve and nod. ]
Heard and understood, Akechi.
[ Don't bother trying.
If you find yourself there, leave. If you manage to get in, refrain.
There's something. There's something. ]
We ought to get out of here, don't you think?
[ Maybe they'll run into a ridiculous monstrosity to fight. It might be good stress relief.
Or maybe they'll run into another nightmare from home and he'll have Akechi's reactions in his peripherals, pieces of the puzzle he's been solving for months slowly coming together. ]
no subject
[Heard and understood - the latter part impossible for him to fully comprehend.
Heard and understood - like he fully grasps the goddamn situation he's in. We ought to get out of here with golden idols in his peripherals. A taunt from a god he can't see hammering a nail into his skull, bit by bit. Caffeine isn't helping. A drink isn't helping. Dan in the background isn't fucking helping.
Leaving would help. A battle, a walk - anything that doesn't involve sitting here in this uncomfortable chair, staring at the swirls on the table and walls.
But he doesn't move. His fingers stay wrapped around the rapidly cooling cup, the too bright gold twinkles in flickering candlelight in the corner of his eye. He should move and doesn't. Should leave, but won't. Decides he wants to stay anyway because the pathetic doppelganger may return in a swirl of fury when a job is left undone.
He offers an all too pleasant smile and removes one hand from the cup to wave towards the door. Offhand. Casual.]
Before I forget - do be careful. Often it doesn't matter who accepts the quest, there's a great deal of collateral involved in any choice. Try to stay cautious on your way home.
oh, easiest tag of my life
He hears that tone, those words of warning. Sees that saccharine smile and that carefree gesture.
Nothing passes over his face at all for a moment. Pure static snow, a perfectly blank expression before he settles back into his seat, ankle crossed over knee, and folds his hands in his lap. ]
No. I'm good here.
[ If Akechi wants to get rid of him, then he better do it as himself, not as the Detective Prince.
If not– they're both staying until he decides to leave. Maruki has nothing better to do.
This is a good lesson. ]
no subject
An eruption he wants to see in others. In Maruki. He can match that petulance in spades and-
Late morning shifts into afternoon. Akechi waits for him to leave. He doesn't.
They don't talk again - phones come out, cups refilled, snacks purchased and set between them untouched. A peace offering ignored and refused by both.
Akechi doesn't stand. Doesn't move. Barely crosses and uncrosses legs and arms in the hours against the shitty chair.
Maruki doesn't either.
The world behind windows gets darker - Maruki is still fucking there, comfortable and quiet as he runs his thumb along the phone screen.
He hates Maruki Takuto with every fiber of his being - doesn't understand what this obstinance does for him. Understands it a little too well, when he thinks too long on it, and forgets to drown out thoughts with glasses of water.
It's annoying. Irritating. Infuriating in the way Akechi almost texts him his immense displeasure about instead of continuing this charade and-
Comfortable. Calming. Two sensations he's so unaccustomed to happening in tandem, he would rather tear through Maruki's throat with blunted butter knife than acknowledge it again.
So he doesn't. Akechi shifts - hits Maruki's leg in response with his foot. 'My apologies' he says, for the first time in hours. Thirty minutes later - a response comes with a whap of Maruki's napkin against his head - light and covered up with an exaggerated stretch and a 'Sorry' that doesn't sound apologetic at all.
Unfuckingreal.
Dan leaves. Everyone leaves. Shitty looks come their way. Tables cleared. Windows shut. Employees vanish and-
Finally, Akechi has to relent for the sake of shopkeeper glaring daggers at two people who held a table all day ordering water and the bare minimum to eat.
The pastry is still untouched. Akechi grabs it when he stands to leave and-
He hates Maruki Takuto.]