[ The comment about the sushi genuinely makes him laugh, strained as it is. The thought turns his stomach too. Especially knowing what their own powers could potentially do – ones so inherent to their very senses of self, always with them, just as Akechi said – he can't fathom ever accepting a "power" granted by this place.
That said, though... ]
Ah, you know Venat, right?
[ He does as Akechi says, begins unbuttoning his shirt and immediately regrets it. Sitting still and quiet is fine, not comfortable but fine, but the moment he starts to move, it's misery. His shoulder aches horribly with even that slight motion.
He pushes through it, undoes the shirt as he speaks, fingers shaking on the buttons. ]
She has inherent healing powers. And... Quite a lot more than that, if I'm understanding her tales correctly, but it's the healing that I have experience with. I might ask her to assist again.
[ Might. If he can work up the nerve. And if they make it out of this place.
No, they will. Maruki knows they will. Won't accept any reality but one in which they succeed in their goal. But it's going to be significantly more difficult now, with even this movement painful for him and Akechi's persona running on fumes. They don't know where they're going, have only been able to guess and mostly spent their days chasing their way to safety instead.
Maruki slips the shirt off, breathes. He bundles it in his hands, stares down at it. The back is in tatters, covered in blood. His own. He's never seen so much of it. Such a visceral, humbling, human thing.
He tosses it aside. A lost cause indeed.
The bandages will help. He'll sleep on his stomach. They'll rest as long as they can, rework their strategy, carry on. They must. ]
I'm certain she would. Venat is a kind individual - I doubt she would deny much without reason.
[Venat. A bizarre footnote in his own social circle. Feelings oscillate towards dislike and neutrality with every piece of information she provides. Her brand of logic, reasoning and calm-
Detestable. He can't stand it and-
The wound on his arm a pulsing, persistent annoyance he wants to keep with him awhile longer. A reminder of weakness and wrath towards a world that ripped his strength away.
The final piece of the mental video ends and Akechi plays musical body parts to finagle their remaining roll of bandages around him. He moves quickly, but doesn't seem to care that much about jostling him around. It's necessary. This isn't fun for him either.
And just like that -
Their roll of bandages is down to a pathetic nub. Maruki's injured. Robin Hood's on fumes and Akechi with it.
It doesn't look great, but there's something to thriving in adversity and this is a path he's traveled enough that his metaphorical shoes are worn to shreds. It's so fucking typical. Simple. All you do is keep going.
He slaps the dulled floral band aid to the edge of Maruki's injury - the smallest piece not covered by a true bandage out of spite, maybe, and-
Time to move again. He pushes himself up from the ground - presses his hands against his thighs to force his upper body up when his muscles ache. Shirt. Food. Drink. Supplies.]
You'll have to be on your own for a moment. I'm going to look around and don't plan to be gone long.
[A shuffle to the crumpled up, bloody shirt to get the size on a crimson tinted tag. An exact size will be impossible, but he needs to know how far to deviate. Akechi doesn't want to fuck around with it too much and-
It's tossed again - further and into a pile of forgotten jeans.]
If I may suggest, please take the time to get some sleep. There's nothing around us and should be safe for the foreseeable future.
[ Maruki doesn't mind the jostling – it's a lot of wrapping that needs to be done, he had a much easier time with Akechi's arm.
How incredibly strange, each of them with wounds tended by the other. Before this, they'd joked about an okonomiyaki room. Somehow they're still coming through it alive, mostly intact, and together.
He draws a deep breath, tests the way his wound aches as his chest expansion puts pressure on the bandages. It isn't bad. It hurts like he can't even describe, but the numbing ointment on the gauze helps, and the stability of the wrap does too. He'll make it. They both will.
Maruki nods along with his advice, can't even bring himself to offer to take a look around too. He can do that when they trade off in a couple hours. For now, his whole body is bruised and battered and desperate for even the temporary reprieve of sleep.
He gets to his feet for only a moment, just long enough to cross over to a disheveled pile of clearance clothes. He kicks it to spread it out more, unwilling to bend or move his arms much unless he absolutely must, until the pile has been dispersed enough to still provide a semi-soft cushion from the floor but more resemble a shape a grown man of their height could comfortably lay on. It'll do.
It's an awkward, inelegant movement that makes him laugh at himself, dropping down to his knees and then slowly lowering himself down face first. After a moment of attempting to adjust, he rolls onto his left side, cradles the other arm across his chest to try to give his injured shoulder some support. That's as good as it will get.
He doesn't know where Akechi is in the store, lost sight of him during his pathetic shuffle. But he can hear him rustling about, so he hasn't gone far.
Maruki raises his voice to ensure he hears it. With how exhausted he is, the sincerity normally present in his tone isn't quite so earnestly cloying. He still clearly means what he says, but it's plainly stated, factual rather than sentimental. ]
Akechi. Thank you. I won't ever forget your kindness tonight.
[ A kindness that involved goading him into killing a monstrous creature the likes of which they'll hopefully never see again, but kindness all the same.
A vibration through the floor from the distant rumblings, buildings collapsing, monsters stalking. Not close enough to fear. They'll be fine. Or they won't, and they'll fight their way through. Simple.
Maruki closes his eyes, and he's out before Akechi returns. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
That said, though... ]
Ah, you know Venat, right?
[ He does as Akechi says, begins unbuttoning his shirt and immediately regrets it. Sitting still and quiet is fine, not comfortable but fine, but the moment he starts to move, it's misery. His shoulder aches horribly with even that slight motion.
He pushes through it, undoes the shirt as he speaks, fingers shaking on the buttons. ]
She has inherent healing powers. And... Quite a lot more than that, if I'm understanding her tales correctly, but it's the healing that I have experience with. I might ask her to assist again.
[ Might. If he can work up the nerve. And if they make it out of this place.
No, they will. Maruki knows they will. Won't accept any reality but one in which they succeed in their goal. But it's going to be significantly more difficult now, with even this movement painful for him and Akechi's persona running on fumes. They don't know where they're going, have only been able to guess and mostly spent their days chasing their way to safety instead.
Maruki slips the shirt off, breathes. He bundles it in his hands, stares down at it. The back is in tatters, covered in blood. His own. He's never seen so much of it. Such a visceral, humbling, human thing.
He tosses it aside. A lost cause indeed.
The bandages will help. He'll sleep on his stomach. They'll rest as long as they can, rework their strategy, carry on. They must. ]
no subject
[Venat. A bizarre footnote in his own social circle. Feelings oscillate towards dislike and neutrality with every piece of information she provides. Her brand of logic, reasoning and calm-
Detestable. He can't stand it and-
The wound on his arm a pulsing, persistent annoyance he wants to keep with him awhile longer. A reminder of weakness and wrath towards a world that ripped his strength away.
The final piece of the mental video ends and Akechi plays musical body parts to finagle their remaining roll of bandages around him. He moves quickly, but doesn't seem to care that much about jostling him around. It's necessary. This isn't fun for him either.
And just like that -
Their roll of bandages is down to a pathetic nub. Maruki's injured. Robin Hood's on fumes and Akechi with it.
It doesn't look great, but there's something to thriving in adversity and this is a path he's traveled enough that his metaphorical shoes are worn to shreds. It's so fucking typical. Simple. All you do is keep going.
He slaps the dulled floral band aid to the edge of Maruki's injury - the smallest piece not covered by a true bandage out of spite, maybe, and-
Time to move again. He pushes himself up from the ground - presses his hands against his thighs to force his upper body up when his muscles ache. Shirt. Food. Drink. Supplies.]
You'll have to be on your own for a moment. I'm going to look around and don't plan to be gone long.
[A shuffle to the crumpled up, bloody shirt to get the size on a crimson tinted tag. An exact size will be impossible, but he needs to know how far to deviate. Akechi doesn't want to fuck around with it too much and-
It's tossed again - further and into a pile of forgotten jeans.]
If I may suggest, please take the time to get some sleep. There's nothing around us and should be safe for the foreseeable future.
i. well. thread of all time perhaps
How incredibly strange, each of them with wounds tended by the other. Before this, they'd joked about an okonomiyaki room. Somehow they're still coming through it alive, mostly intact, and together.
He draws a deep breath, tests the way his wound aches as his chest expansion puts pressure on the bandages. It isn't bad. It hurts like he can't even describe, but the numbing ointment on the gauze helps, and the stability of the wrap does too. He'll make it. They both will.
Maruki nods along with his advice, can't even bring himself to offer to take a look around too. He can do that when they trade off in a couple hours. For now, his whole body is bruised and battered and desperate for even the temporary reprieve of sleep.
He gets to his feet for only a moment, just long enough to cross over to a disheveled pile of clearance clothes. He kicks it to spread it out more, unwilling to bend or move his arms much unless he absolutely must, until the pile has been dispersed enough to still provide a semi-soft cushion from the floor but more resemble a shape a grown man of their height could comfortably lay on. It'll do.
It's an awkward, inelegant movement that makes him laugh at himself, dropping down to his knees and then slowly lowering himself down face first. After a moment of attempting to adjust, he rolls onto his left side, cradles the other arm across his chest to try to give his injured shoulder some support. That's as good as it will get.
He doesn't know where Akechi is in the store, lost sight of him during his pathetic shuffle. But he can hear him rustling about, so he hasn't gone far.
Maruki raises his voice to ensure he hears it. With how exhausted he is, the sincerity normally present in his tone isn't quite so earnestly cloying. He still clearly means what he says, but it's plainly stated, factual rather than sentimental. ]
Akechi. Thank you. I won't ever forget your kindness tonight.
[ A kindness that involved goading him into killing a monstrous creature the likes of which they'll hopefully never see again, but kindness all the same.
A vibration through the floor from the distant rumblings, buildings collapsing, monsters stalking. Not close enough to fear. They'll be fine. Or they won't, and they'll fight their way through. Simple.
Maruki closes his eyes, and he's out before Akechi returns. ]