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[enteloki]

[ TEXT - AUDIO - VIDEO - ACTION ] 

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oh my GOD

[enteloki]

[The fuck?

Akechi leans back from his scrunched up position at the kotatsu, eyes the bird from his position. He doesn't get up yet. Decides to stare it down, hoping it recognizes there's no meal to be found here, but-

It doesn't.

There's no one else around to shoo it off.

Only Akechi. Only a bird.

He peels himself away from his comfortable little hovel to stride to the window and-

Slam his hand against the pane - LEAVE.]

[placation]

[ A regular bird would startle and take flight at once.

This one stands there on the windowsill, watching Akechi with its round little eyes, and then after a few seconds have passed–

Peck.

Peck. ]

[enteloki]

[Dope.

Akechi walks away. One might think they were victorious from such an exchange.

One would be wrong.

No, he goes back to the kotatsu and kneels down to dig under the numerous covers, pulling two more blankets from the 9000 degree space.

Inside one? All cozy and puffed up from being rudely awoken from her sleep?

One Korokke.

One Korokke that he brings back to the window, held under his arm like a volatile football and-

Unlatches the lock. Guess what's coming next, idiot?]

[placation]

[ SHIT

FUCK

OH, KOROKKE HATES HIM ENOUGH AS A HUMAN, SHE'LL GO RIGHT AFTER HIM AS A BIRD!!!

Nope. Maruki flies up and away, around the house–

To the window above the bathtub that he knows is still open, despite the cold weather. He can just barely squeeze in through the scant space, and he waits in the bathroom doorway, watching out into the home with his beady little bird eyes to see when Akechi goes back to the kotatsu. ]

1/2

[enteloki]

[Aw - he wanted to bring it maximum pain. :(]

[enteloki]

[Ah, well.

Cat? Down. Praise? Petting? To hell with that. It's a fucking cat - this is her one singular job. It's surprising Badb Catha didn't do shit, but whatever. Must be some weird bird solidarity.

Korokke jumps up to the counter, takes the opportunity to look out the window. It's a cat. It's whatever. He doesn't give a shit at this point. Only latches it back up and takes his humble place back at pride kotatsu rock, blankets shoved back under the table to cover his legs.

And just-

Stares at nothing. Vibing. Thinking. Thriving. In his lane.]

[placation]

[ ...............................................

Wait.

Is this what Akechi does all day when no one else is home?

Maruki keeps watching.

Waiting for him to do... well, anything. ]

[enteloki]

[He doesn't move.

Not one bit. Not for-

Awhile.

Very lost, much thought, kotatsu warm. He's got a lot to think about.

Keep watching??? Y/N ]

[placation]

[ Wow. He isn't even reading a book, or scrolling on his phone, or listening to the record player. He's just... staring.

Wow.

No, he won't keep watching. Maruki flutters quietly through the house until he can land on top of Akechi's head. ]

1/??

[enteloki]

[Yo what the fuck.

That is. Something on his head. Pressure??? Did he hear flapping?

Akechi doesn't move - not right away. Averts his eyes to some sort of reflective surface around him and-]

[enteloki]

[Bird.]

[enteloki]

[BIRD.

The cat? Also sees bird and does what cats do-

Which is jump down from the window, push herself down to the ground and slowly begin to stalk bird on his fucking head.

And Akechi? Throws his hand up to hopefully??? whap the fucking thing??? be so serious he's burning down this goddamn house.]

You picked the wrong house to come into.

end

[enteloki]

[WHAP WHAP WHAP WHAP

WAVE WAVE WAVE WAVE

WHAP WHAP WHAP

Move YA NASTY little CREATURE.]

[placation]

[ Ope! Bye! Byebye!! He's flying away now, actually. As fast and as high as he can, far out of the Korokke Jump Zone, up toward the bedrooms. Bye!!!!!!! ]

[enteloki]

[OKAY. NO PROBLEM.

Akechi and The Cat have become a united front and they both follow. The cat is the makeshift leader, Akechi the dutiful follower.

The goal? Lock it in Maruki's room to make a mess and/or let Korokke have a midnight snack.

Whatever room the thing flies into initially? Akechi will follow, cat in tow, and slamming the door shut to keep them all inside one space.]

i can't believe this got the first nat 20 of the thread

[placation]

[ Which is a solid plan.

However!

By the time Akechi makes it upstairs to Maruki's room, he only finds Maruki himself reclining on the bed, book propped up against his chest.

He blinks innocently over the top of it at Akechi, Korokke in his arms. ]

What's up?

go away

[enteloki]

[Maruki is there.

Akechi doesn't see him - not right away. His mind takes one, two, three seconds to catch up and recognize that Maruki Takuto is in bed.

He was alone in this house, or so he thought. The bird is-

Nowhere? Akechi doesn't hear or see it. Doesn't think Maruki would hide it. Why would he want to? It must have come in here if Korokke came into this room. She doesn't willingly go to Maruki and-

She's now held by Maruki without tearing him to shreds..

What in the cognitive manipulation is happening??????? Tis the season for this reality's bullshit.]

You weren't here.

[Maruki was not here. No one was around.]

Care to explain? Or do I need to get answers from you the old fashioned way?

[This is not Maruki.]

[placation]

[ Korokke starts to twist and writhe, and Maruki lets her go before the claws come out. Time to focus only on the claws surely about to come out of Akechi. ]

What are you talking about? I've been here the whole time.

[enteloki]

No, you haven't. You left this morning and haven't stepped foot in the house since. No one has, outside of a little bird.

[This isn't Maruki. It might be the bird - it could be a shapeshifter trying to exploit cognitions. May be a random person. Could be anything.

He's only certain that it's not Maruki. There's no way he can turn into a bird. No chance he didn't notice one fluttering in if he was here the whole time. Korokke saw it, so it's not a figment of Akechi's own volatile imagination.]

Explain yourself. You have five seconds before I blow up this room.

[placation]

Only five?

[ No explanation he could give would be short enough.

So, instead:

A mourning dove takes shape and zips out the window high above Maruki's bed.

He's going to the training ground! Bye! ]

[enteloki]

[Okay.

He jumps onto the bed, standing on his tiptoes to watch the direction of this shitty thing. Towards-

The training grounds, but that's likely a coincidence.

Maybe not, if this thing has incorporated the heart and memories of its original.

So he goes. Jogs to an all too familiar area, unsure if the 'copy' will be here. Unclear if it even matters, but, well-

Maybe he shake it free from the trees - if it's not here, maybe it's nearby? It's a fucking bird. It could be across town by now. If it doesn't appear with this jostle, he'll cut his losses.

And until that loss is clear-

Robin Hood casts Megidolaon at a large group of trees near the illuminated ring.]

[placation]

[ Well, thank fuck Maruki's not in that group of trees!

He does emerge from a thicket on the opposite side of the clearing though, fully human once more. ]

That's a pretty big overreaction for a pretty small bird, don't you think?

[enteloki]

[There it is.]

Is it? You should know from whatever stolen memories are in your pathetic head that my reaction could have been far worse.

[placation]

[ Wait, what. ]

Stolen memories?

[enteloki]

You're not Maruki.

[That's all the warning this cretin gets before another Megidolaon is unleashed - hello not so human target!!!]