enteloki | LABY - IC INBOX

Given the nature of this place, I would believe it. There's little they gain from lying about it.

[ The last few pieces of bread sit in his lap. When he moves to put it in his mouth, well -

It's impossible to not touch Eren when he raises his arm, so he switches to the one not currently pressed against the man's chest. ]

We had satellites and other machines that travelled small distances. People were limited to the Moon and nowhere else, though-

[ He shoves the last piece of bread into Eren's hand. ]

There is large station that hovers Earth. People go there for short periods of time to live and study space itself.

[ Akechi does have a point, but– ]

That's still not something I want to test! Dear lord... I'll get the gear for us. Consider it another part of your gift.

[ Honestly, Maruki should have thought to do that before he wrote the IOU. That one's on him.

He settles back into his chair, legs stretching out before him and crossing at the ankle, slumping down a bit to fold his arms over his chest as he gets more comfortable. Overhead, unfamiliar stars wink down.

Last year, he didn't think they'd still be here for another birthday. Who knows if they will be next year? It feels impossible, and yet...

Maruki's eyes slip shut. Every day they get together is one more gift. How phenomenally lucky he is already to have gotten so many, he shouldn't want for more. ]

Just tell me when. I'll make myself available to you, as always.

[ No, they won't have such opportunities when they return. Not if they stay in Tokyo, not if the inevitable end is coming for one or both of them–

Grief compounds upon grief, too many stones stacking up upon his chest until it feels like his ribs will cave in. Maruki tries to breathe around it, feels the twist and twinge between muscles, bones, soft tissue, fascia, lungs, heart. Even his blood aches. He's exhausted. ]

Then we'll do it soon. Not tonight.

[ Not tonight, no. Tonight, he only sinks down deeper beneath the comforter, slouching until just the barest edge of his shoulder touches Akechi's beneath the blankets. ]

Close your eyes. The hole isn't going anywhere.

[Akechi is-

Not quite surrounded. Clearly holding his own flawlessly. Kazuya expects that of him, honestly. He's not a slouch, and he's more than capable of taking care of himself in a fight. Of staying alive in a fight and doing what he has to, even if he doesn't want to.

That's where Kazuya comes in. Akechi is doing great! And Kazuya wants to help in a way that isn't helpful at all.

One of the creatures lunges. Akechi moves to dispatch it.

Kazuya moves faster, with a white hot explosion of a Megidolaon that's far too close, that his good friend will be caught in the blast of, at least partially. That'll show him, for blowing his brains out twice.]

Whew! That was a close one, it almost got you!

I have and experienced granting one.

It's interesting, isn't it? A power that felt so out of reach and belonging to only one now in the hands of all. It makes me wonder if someone's control is wavering in the background.

Have you granted any wishes yet, Neil?

[ That almighty blast targets his enemy, consumes it and him a second later. He didn't sense an attack from behind - wasn't prepared to deal with someone taking his goddamn kill.

His leg, a once broken arm, all are caught as he jumps back to avoid the bulk of the explosion.

And a second later -

He spins to see none other than Kazuya, smug and confident. Not the sniveling crybaby in the woods. Not the feral beast that ripped into his body.

He looks normal. Akechi feels no joy at his presence, but-

Something brews in his chest. Foreign. Brief. Gone with a blink.

Instead, he gestures towards the shattered remains of a beast in a small crater.]

That joke was so funny I almost puked. Don't insult me with such a claim. That beast was nearly dead - you only attacked a walking corpse.

[ Another monster lunges, maw open wide and Akechi readies a serrated blade to tear it from the inside out. ]

Go find your own prey.

[The last of Eren's bread is pressed back into his hand. The gift of food is never lost on him. It could be a thoughtless gesture, needlessly polite, but Akechi stopped being needlessly polite with Eren a while ago. Eren holds the bread in his hand for a few seconds before tearing it into two even smaller pieces. He puts one in his mouth, then holds the other up to Akechi's.]

Can birds fly that high too?

Edited 2025-06-16 22:06 (UTC)

It does seem a little odd... I've heard rumors that breaking all that crystal in Visium might be causing it. No one really seems to know.

I've only granted a couple myself. Honestly, it's a little hard to resist.

Which wish did you grant? If it's alright to ask, I mean.

[Kazuya's grin only increases as a familiar scent wafts toward him. Brief. Fleeting. Gone in a breath, but it's still notable. Kazuya knows how Akechi feels, and that's enough for him from someone who refuses to acknowledge anything on his own.

A hand ends up on his hip, stance cocky and sure, even in the face of Akechi's griping. He watches as another monster lunges to take a bite, watches as Akechi readies himself and-

Snaps his fingers.

Another explosion far too close for comfort, something just shy of aggressive on his own part, but never enough to be considered a real attack. An accident. A "Whoops, it's been a second and I'm relearning".

Akechi will know better.]

That one almost got you too! I think you're losing your touch, Akechi. Want me to take care of the crowd for you?

[ More PETS!!!! So many!!

He ruffles her ears, the sides of her maw and he rewards her with A Little Treat that comes out of his pocket.

Good! Girl! Good!!!! GIRL!!!!! ]

A perfect addition to a clinic. My, even I feel at ease seeing such a reaction from her.

[ Maruki's eyes shut and Akechi unintentionally follows suit - leans back against his own chair and stretches his legs out as far as he can.

It's a nice night preluding a nicer day. Once he's sure the world won't rip itself apart and a suitable area for a beginner to climb is found, he'll pluck Maruki from this home and watch him stumble all the way up.

And he will get all the way up. There's not a single doubt in his mind that he won't succeed.

But Akechi doubts he'll do it again.

It's quiet for a second longer and when Akechi crosses his own arms over his chest-

The sight is too much like the man next to him, so he lets them rest on the arms instead. Keeps his eyes open, gaze on the bright, bright stars.

Waits a minute, then two, and- ]

I've often heard people your age start to form bucket lists. [ Quiet. A small dig. ] Have you made one for this place?

[ It's a childish urge, one stemming from not so long ago on a couch in a different home, to utter an I'm not tired. He doesn't. Only huffs out an irritated exhale at Close your eyes. He isn't a goddamn child.

But he doesn't move.

Doesn't do anything.

He is tired. Mind and body worked up from a hole spotted hours ago. A gleam of snow globe with a delusion inside covering it up.

The hole isn't going anywhere and - ]

It isn't.

[ It's a moment after. Two. Three. Five. If Maruki fell asleep in that time, Akechi wouldn't be shocked. It doesn't stop him speaking anyway. ]

But it will only grow. Pests dig where they're most unwanted.

[ It will bloom. Not for Akechi Goro, who is accustomed to leaving sentimentality and memory behind in pursuit of something larger. It will grow for a man who hides memories in trinkets and puts them in a place all can see. Who walks over an untouched toy when he cleans. Akechi ignores the small mouse out of principle. He doesn't care if stays in a dusty corner by the stairwell.

And if Akechi lets his body relax to the point his own shoulder rests against a stalwart man -

Well it's only an accident he doesn't care to fix, much like the toy he steps over. ]

But I suppose it can be patched from the roof too.

No - not at all. Even your powers couldn't take you that high, animal transformation or otherwise.

[ And to the bread held at his mouth -

Akechi only stares for a second, then two.

Eating from someone's hand like an animal - the look he casts Eren's way is equal parts confused and irate at the audacity of thinking he would.

His fingers grip Eren's chin and twists his head until it's fully focused on the hand near Akechi's lips. ]

Your aim is off. Let me help you.

[ The privacy of such a moment-

Is irrelevant. It was just a man asking for a camera.

Still - ]

It was only a basic item the person wanted in the moment. It was nothing that didn't already exist in this world and it was so minor, I've already forgotten it.

What ones have you granted? I'm curious. Everyone seems to be indulging in different ways.

[ A blade never meets its target as another explosion consumes both beast and Akechi's sword. It doesn't stop him from slicing at the attack in frustration - a wide, sweeping slash that does nothing to stop his encroaching anger or give him the satisfaction of a kill.

And Kazuya's voice -

Confident, full of life, full of something akin to joy -

Rings out with the casual, throwaway insult.

He's doing this shit on purpose - Akechi turns his back to bewildered, broken group of monsters and points his blade towards Kazuya instead. ]

Quit screwing around or I'll put another bullet in your goddamn skull!

I'd like to see you try.

[ Earnest, aggressive. A little excited and hot headed because despite the beasts being crystal, there's still a scent of blood amd viscera in the air that pleases that demonic part of his brain.

It makes everything better as Akechi threatens him. ]

Maybe you can give it a shot after I finish cleaning up here for you, since you're having a tough time of it.

[Eren is expecting some punishment when Akechi goes for his face, but it's apparently his attention the other man is after. Eren stares at Akechi; his lips, the bread, a mouth opening, tongue, taste...

[All just his imagining, of course. He obediently puts the bread in his own mouth, eyes locked on Akechi's, muddy red.]

[ The reward is small and miniscule. All Akechi does is drag his thumb over his jaw and chin in small circular motions.

As obedient as ever when it matters. He keeps his grip light on Eren's face.

And turns back to the television - a final battle winding down on the screen.

It really was a good show for its time. ]

[ The dig is noted, of course it is, but Maruki knows that isn't all it is.

He doesn't open his eyes. Doesn't answer right away, either. Just lets the question percolate in his mind, turning over each word like a smooth stone in a riverbed. ]

Why for this place, and not for our true reality?

[ One of the things Maruki treasures most about this secluded home they've made is how quiet it is. Somnius isn't a particularly loud town – even Stellari's city life hardly touches what he's used to from Tokyo – but the novelty of total silence has never quite worn off. When he first moved into the castle, he'd spend hours at night staring out the window in his bedroom at the inky sky speckled with unfamiliar stars, listening to wind whistling through trees and not much else, desperately missing the sounds of a city he'd spent a lifetime falling asleep to. Fondness for those quiet nights came eventually, and now–

Now he wonders if he'll miss this when they return home.

His own eyes slip shut, though sleep doesn't come just yet. The silence of the machiya tonight is heavy, solemn. Pointed, almost. Less the absence of outside hustle and bustle, more a heavy drape of mourning laid over the world to keep all possible noise out.

Grief only grows. It can't be rooted out entirely, can't be patched over and forgotten, can't heal into a clean, seamless scar. There will always be a hole. Sometimes things will catch on it, tear it open wider. Innocuous things. A toy in a corner. Flowers in a garden. Ten splints on a beam above their heads.

Maruki lays his head back against the couch cushions, exhales. Lets the warmth from his own shoulder seep into Akechi's, always perpetually cold.

They'll sleep. They'll wake. They'll go about their business. Maybe someone will find them down here on the couch together. Maybe he'll be treated to the theatre of Akechi making up unbelievable excuses.

And in a few days, or a week, or a month, when the warmth of summer buzzes through the still night air and beckons them out–

They'll look up at the stars. He'll silently pick the brightest one out for a lost friend. He'll let Akechi do the same, and they'll never speak of it, or her, ever again. ]

[ Because Maruki Takuto will languish back in the true world.

Go back to sitting in an empty home and wait for the inevitable, whatever form that takes. A mother will never leave Akechi. A fiance will never leave him.

Still -

Robin Hood sits in the spot that wonders if Maruki will shake free of it all - stranger things have happened.

Not that it matters. He doesn't care what happens after he's tossed into a grave.

This will be the only place such a list is relevant. ]

Does it matter? Answer it.

Go be an annoyance somewhere else. I'm sure there are plenty who want to see you in such rare form.

[ Oh.

He should have absolutely unleashed the entire clip on Kazuya's skull that day. Maybe obliterating his body would've killed him.

There's movement, rustling, Akechi should turn to meet the recovering beast but all he can do is stare down the piece of shit behind him. Waits until he can smell that goddamn creature's breath before turning around to slice it open. ]

[ There's a persistent, unyielding hum in a dream he doesn't remember.

There may have been a snowy field. A group of three. His palms feel warm from a phantom drink he didn't try. A conversation, a game, a moment forgotten with a noise that gets louder and louder and louder.

And when he wakes up in the slow, drowsy way he's used to with a vibration, the increasing volume of an alarm he shuts off -

The rest of the dream vanishes with a crack of his neck and the relief that comes from breaking free of an uncomfortable position against a still sleeping man's shoulder.

He should get up. Get ready. Prepare for Eren's eventual arrival and a jog that never seems to wake him up.

Isn't sure what compels him to readjust the blanket around his body, press his head against the side of Maruki's arm. It's more comfortable that the shoulder he seemingly collapsed on. It's not as if he'll know.

Neither of them disappeared in the dead of night. Maybe it was the mixture of beast and human that made her special. That guided her out of a cage.

And he wonders, briefly -

Which of them will be left behind to rip the world ablaze when one finds the same path she took, that Aubrey did. Maybe they'll both manage it at once.

The odds aren't in their favor for that gamble and Akechi, for all his bets on the improbable, isn't stupid enough to drop a single chip on a false bond's promise.

It doesn't matter in the end - who stays, leaves, wanders in and out in the blink of an eye. Akechi needs to get back and he will.

And so he indulges tonight with freely given warmth - eyes the snowglobe hovering above them like a guardian. He shuts his eyes to it.

And dreams again, maybe, of a snowy field and group of three. ]

[This time, just the once, Kazuya doesn't steal Akechi's kill. Lets the others weapon stab deep into it, lets the smell of its blood permeate the air between them. Kazuya is... Giddy. He's having a great time, and he knows that Akechi is too, despite the words he speaks.

Even if he doesn't know it himself.]

I was worried for a second I'd have to step in to save you again from that one, but I'm glad I gave you a chance. And rare form, huh? You a fan of me showing off my power unrestrained?

[He cracks his knuckles. More of the crystalline monsters charge.

In quick succession, they're all mowed down. It's not regular fire that consumes their bodies, but pitch black, dangerous and deadly. For the moment, they're alone. It's unlikely it'll stay that way for long, given the noises that the creatures make as they're reduced to nothing, not even ash.

Kazuya seems entirely too pleased.]

[ He's not sure that one could call catching people in affairs boring, though it doesn't sound pleasant either. In fact, he wouldn't have expected it as part of the job, though lost pets and the like strike him as reasonable enough. But for someone with no regulation, no guardrails, and no justice save what individuals create, anything done is of interest.

He scoots forward just a tad at the mention of government scandals though, and he does look at Akechi as though he were the most admirable and fascinating person that could be found anywhere. ]

Wow! You can really do it all, huh?

[ There's a little giggle. He's delighted. ]

You're like harbinger of justice, [ He lifts an index finger and cants his head a bit, ] A person who brings the truth to light no matter what, who protects the innocent and brings justice about!

[ That's what Varian has decided, apparently, and he is looking through all this through rose colored glasses; through some lens where justice and courage and determination save the day. ]

You must have saved a lot of people.

LABY - IC INBOX

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(action) @ june intense event.

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fuckin.... cool....... do we wanna wrap here or. do you wanna kill me

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i had a vision also wrapped lol

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