[ Akechi arrives when Maruki expects him. He calls out from the kitchen to welcome him home; old habits truly do die hard. But otherwise, he focuses on the task at hand: Refrigerator cleanout stir fry, a truly massive and random assortment of leftovers at his disposal for it. The hazards of having cooked enough for an army at Vash's birthday...

He doesn't look up as he hears Akechi settle in, doesn't say anything at all until he speaks first. But then his response is immediate. ]

Oh, I can't stand it.

[ A spoonful of the sauce he's cobbled together, and then a surprised little face. It's actually not bad. ]

I would take the townsfolks' inexplicable violence over this, any day. I'm not cut out for video game mechanics. Back in my day, all we had was Pong, and we were perfectly happy with it...

[ That last part is a joke, and he looks over at Akechi with a grin before dumping the sauce into the sizzling pan. ]

Why, did something happen to you on your way over?