[ All suspicion surrounding the self-claimed titles of an eager teenager die when he's stopped from activating a trap outside of his immediate vision. Akechi hadn't let down his guard - not for a moment, but he didn't see it. Didn't notice. Didn't think a home would be set up like a palace entrance.
He takes the explanation in stride. It's not crazy or irrational - it's logical in a world full of unknowns. Rats of any sort should be caught if they intrude.
The runes, letters, notes - all go beyond him. Akechi looks at each one anyway. Listens to the excited rambles of someone who must know he can't understand in-depth, but tries regardless. Finds this resource useful and asks questions with answers that are basic and routine to someone immersed.
It ends in the kitchen. Varian seems to be dancing around a topic, but he can't fathom what it could be. Focuses on what is being said instead. A desire to bring life to this world in the form of a machine.
Akechi sits content with the half eaten brownie slice in front of him, the hot chocolate a gesture he accepts easily enough. He doesn't particularly care what's set in front of him - he feigns gratitude all the same. ]
I wonder...
[ One gloved hand splays and presses into the paper of grandiose creations. ]
The easiest way would be to ask the crystal to do the thinking for you, but I have a feeling you're not interested in such an unsatisfying solution.
[ It's a robot, automaton. Whatever it's called, it likely needs- ]
I can think of a few scenarios - a computer chip, for one. There are those here who deal in magic and have powers that may be easier to learn in such a world. Ah...I suppose you've thought of that. Still, a creation like this may be welcome by Dreamers, but not by those native to this world. It's difficult to say.
[ Computer chip... He does mumble the word, repeating it, because while he's heard of them, they don't exist in his world. It's something to consider and look into; there must be someone or another here who could instruct him on it, and from there replication would be a simple feat.
He focuses on the lateral statement instead, it being more immediately relevant, ]
Well... It's not really a project that I want to do anything with here. It's something I started back home, so I just want to perfect it... I could probably just disassemble it after confirming that it works right.
[ Varian rubs the back of his head, a light frown appearing as he thinks on that. That's how he wants to spend his time here. He has a vested interest in the crystals in this world, both the ones that grand wishes and the crystal that encases so much of one of them. It's all for what he can learn, all in hopes of what knowledge he can take back with him.
He still has a job to do. ]
I don't - [ He stammers a bit, seeming to have taken that suggestion quite seriously, worry making its way through his features, ] - I don't want to cause trouble for the locals here...
No one does, but we often find ourselves in the midst of their ire anyway. In Somnius, that is. I'm glad you're of that mindset so we don't ruin any goodwill in Stellari too.
[ Not that he cares. Not that it was the particular fault of Dreamers for what happened in their shithole town. ]
This is a good opportunity to do as you said though - perfect what you think will work. I doubt there will ever be a time so many resources will be this easily available to you again.
[ The scribbles are noted. Akechi leans forward and cants his head to read them to no avail. It's illegible from this far away and impossible to know if he would understand it.
But that question is answered as he sets the cup back on the table. The hot chocolate isn't bad - it warms his body well enough. ]
I am. You can imagine our skills don't overlap much with an inventor. You're kind to explain as much to me as you have.
Oh, it's nothing. Not many people take interest in it back home, but my goal is to show the entire world the awesome power of alchemy!
[ There's a bit of a dramatic flair to those words and a gesture to accompany it. In his mind it's the key to bettering the world, and what is that if not something to share?
With that said... ]
What's being a detective like? They're not really a thing where I'm from. Corona's way of handling crime is... [ He rubs the back of his head, glancing up and to the side with a slightly uncertain grin as he decides on a word to describe it, ] ... Simpler than other places
[ That's a kind description of what Akechi can only assume is barbaric in nature. A functional justice system, however flawed, is a rarity. ]
You may find my description boring - often, most of my tasks involve paperwork and waiting around. Catching people in affairs, lost pets - that's the bulk of my work. Though when I get to work with the police, matters become more exciting and I've been involved in everything from government scandals to homicides. That requires more thought - often, I'm up for hours thinking about connections, interviews and the like. A single connection can solve a case, after all.
[ 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. ]
[ The reality of the judicial system is difficult to explain to those embedded in it, let alone someone with no concept of one. A harbinger of justice, a person who brings the truth to light no matter what - Akechi held such idealistic notions when he was rewarded with this fame and fortune.
It's false - as always. Convictions, coverups, those in power - justice is an illusion. Akechi couldn't care less.
But he's supposed to care. A prince offers a quiet laugh, thinks of a humble, thoughtful response. A brownie is plucked apart with his fingers. ]
I can only hope so. You understand my intent well enough and even if it's difficult - well, it's my duty to society and my obligation to my own morals to ensure the truth is always brought to light. [ Sheepish, he wipes his fingers on a napkin. Looks away, as if truly troubled and- ] Though despite all my attempts, even I have to admit good intentions aren't enough and sometimes such a moral standing makes things incredibly difficult. Not everyone wants to see the truth, after all. Even those who will benefit most from it.
Yeah... If you want people to listen, sometimes you have to make them. Even if they believe it, the truth isn't doing them much good if they don't care.
[ He says it in the same tone that a parent might use when describing a child's bad habit - casual and flippant, and just a little bit irritated by the entire thing - and shakes his head as he finishes. Then he lifts his cup off the table, stares down at it, then sets it back on the table without drinking from it. ]
The most important things in life rarely are. I do all I can to make those around me understand the gravity of the situation and accept the truth as it is.
[ That, in itself, isn't a whole lie, not the entire truth. He did his best to make even his stubborn boss understand her vile she actions weren't-
Her.
Though it didn't matter in the end. His begrudging respect towards her exists despite his best efforts to shake it. ]
For all its tedium, there are aspects and moments that are challenging and fulfilling. Sometimes, I think it was what I was born to do.
[ Varian can almost relate. It could be said that alchemy, or rather science, is what he was born to do. In infancy he had already far surpassed what adults would present, and yet, he has no awareness of that fact.
He cares little of that, having never thought on it, and instead cants his head curiously. Rather than press on any other question, Varian asks, ]
... How do you know? I mean, the truth is one thing, [ Which is equally arbitrary and impossible to pin down, but not quite what he's asking about here, ] But how do you know what is justice?
[ That question seems more difficult.
Varian was right. He was a rare example of justice, and he knows that to be true.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
He takes the explanation in stride. It's not crazy or irrational - it's logical in a world full of unknowns. Rats of any sort should be caught if they intrude.
The runes, letters, notes - all go beyond him. Akechi looks at each one anyway. Listens to the excited rambles of someone who must know he can't understand in-depth, but tries regardless. Finds this resource useful and asks questions with answers that are basic and routine to someone immersed.
It ends in the kitchen. Varian seems to be dancing around a topic, but he can't fathom what it could be. Focuses on what is being said instead. A desire to bring life to this world in the form of a machine.
Akechi sits content with the half eaten brownie slice in front of him, the hot chocolate a gesture he accepts easily enough. He doesn't particularly care what's set in front of him - he feigns gratitude all the same. ]
I wonder...
[ One gloved hand splays and presses into the paper of grandiose creations. ]
The easiest way would be to ask the crystal to do the thinking for you, but I have a feeling you're not interested in such an unsatisfying solution.
[ It's a robot, automaton. Whatever it's called, it likely needs- ]
I can think of a few scenarios - a computer chip, for one. There are those here who deal in magic and have powers that may be easier to learn in such a world. Ah...I suppose you've thought of that. Still, a creation like this may be welcome by Dreamers, but not by those native to this world. It's difficult to say.
no subject
He focuses on the lateral statement instead, it being more immediately relevant, ]
Well... It's not really a project that I want to do anything with here. It's something I started back home, so I just want to perfect it... I could probably just disassemble it after confirming that it works right.
[ Varian rubs the back of his head, a light frown appearing as he thinks on that. That's how he wants to spend his time here. He has a vested interest in the crystals in this world, both the ones that grand wishes and the crystal that encases so much of one of them. It's all for what he can learn, all in hopes of what knowledge he can take back with him.
He still has a job to do. ]
I don't - [ He stammers a bit, seeming to have taken that suggestion quite seriously, worry making its way through his features, ] - I don't want to cause trouble for the locals here...
no subject
[ Not that he cares. Not that it was the particular fault of Dreamers for what happened in their shithole town. ]
This is a good opportunity to do as you said though - perfect what you think will work. I doubt there will ever be a time so many resources will be this easily available to you again.
no subject
[ He grins, rubbing the back of his head. He's never particularly struggled back home, which makes it all that much more impressive.
He takes the design plans back, scribbling down a couple notes before looking back up. ]
Oh, wait, that reminds me - you're a detective, right?
no subject
But that question is answered as he sets the cup back on the table. The hot chocolate isn't bad - it warms his body well enough. ]
I am. You can imagine our skills don't overlap much with an inventor. You're kind to explain as much to me as you have.
no subject
[ There's a bit of a dramatic flair to those words and a gesture to accompany it. In his mind it's the key to bettering the world, and what is that if not something to share?
With that said... ]
What's being a detective like? They're not really a thing where I'm from. Corona's way of handling crime is... [ He rubs the back of his head, glancing up and to the side with a slightly uncertain grin as he decides on a word to describe it, ] ... Simpler than other places
no subject
[ That's a kind description of what Akechi can only assume is barbaric in nature. A functional justice system, however flawed, is a rarity. ]
You may find my description boring - often, most of my tasks involve paperwork and waiting around. Catching people in affairs, lost pets - that's the bulk of my work. Though when I get to work with the police, matters become more exciting and I've been involved in everything from government scandals to homicides. That requires more thought - often, I'm up for hours thinking about connections, interviews and the like. A single connection can solve a case, after all.
no subject
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.
no subject
It's false - as always. Convictions, coverups, those in power - justice is an illusion. Akechi couldn't care less.
But he's supposed to care. A prince offers a quiet laugh, thinks of a humble, thoughtful response. A brownie is plucked apart with his fingers. ]
I can only hope so. You understand my intent well enough and even if it's difficult - well, it's my duty to society and my obligation to my own morals to ensure the truth is always brought to light. [ Sheepish, he wipes his fingers on a napkin. Looks away, as if truly troubled and- ] Though despite all my attempts, even I have to admit good intentions aren't enough and sometimes such a moral standing makes things incredibly difficult. Not everyone wants to see the truth, after all. Even those who will benefit most from it.
no subject
[ He says it in the same tone that a parent might use when describing a child's bad habit - casual and flippant, and just a little bit irritated by the entire thing - and shakes his head as he finishes. Then he lifts his cup off the table, stares down at it, then sets it back on the table without drinking from it. ]
I'm sure it's not easy.
no subject
[ That, in itself, isn't a whole lie, not the entire truth. He did his best to make even his stubborn boss understand her vile she actions weren't-
Her.
Though it didn't matter in the end. His begrudging respect towards her exists despite his best efforts to shake it. ]
For all its tedium, there are aspects and moments that are challenging and fulfilling. Sometimes, I think it was what I was born to do.
no subject
He cares little of that, having never thought on it, and instead cants his head curiously. Rather than press on any other question, Varian asks, ]
... How do you know? I mean, the truth is one thing, [ Which is equally arbitrary and impossible to pin down, but not quite what he's asking about here, ] But how do you know what is justice?
[ That question seems more difficult.
Varian was right. He was a rare example of justice, and he knows that to be true.
But he understands it less than ever for that. ]