This place will throw enough at you without warning. Please take better care of your wellbeing - eye strain, however limited the exposure is, could lead to many issues with your sight down the road.
[Neil can't decide if Akechi sounds like his mother or one of his teachers, but he feels fondness nonetheless. This is just how Akechi shows he cares, right?]
My eyes will thank you. I have them now, so don't worry about that!
Are you going to grant any other wishes? Or wish for anything else?
[He wants to tell Akechi to let him grant his wish, but it feels...presumptuous.]
I want to experience this power more and see what can be learned from it while we have it. Though I have nothing for myself in mind, I'm certain one of my allies will give me material to work with - so to speak.
[ Outside of the Amphitheatre is where they end up meeting. It's an easy enough spot for them to both find and Akechi offers a small wave when he sees Neil's face in the crowd.
There's a thick band around his neck, a fading mark on his forehead, some black marks poking out along his collarbone. ]
[It's hard not to take note of those marks, as well as the band. Didn't Akechi say that he'd only granted one wish? As for Neil, all evidence of reading glasses, booze, dirty magazines, and literal caves are covered by his long sleeves (despite the summer heat).]
[He hadn't really thought of what he himself might ask for. It can't be something stupid like a favorite snack. Neil feels dumber trying to think smart.]
Give me a copy of your favorite book back home - even if it's in Japanese and I can't read it. Oh! Do I need to say "I wish" first...?
We'll get there. I would prefer to pay for a favor before it becomes a debt. I'm sure you understand.
[ Then comes-
The humble, simple request.
It's a difficult question - his favorite changes with every new classic that comes his way, but- ]
How about a memorable experience - picking a favorite would take me all day. To sort through my thoughts on such a matter...it's almost impossible.
[ And with that -
He holds palm, a book appears in his hand. The cover is in Japanese, but Neil will find the inside is English, somehow. A small book appears on the inside of his wrist.]
Perhaps you'll find this just as fascinating. This is one of Hegel's works and it's been on my mind since I finished it over a year ago.
[Neil has no idea who Hegel is, but Akechi makes him sound important; Hegel's works. To that end, he's stunned and awed by the gift, and more so who it came from. A slow smile spreads out on his face as he takes the book, and then he smacks the cover with his hand, giving a bright laugh.]
Look at that! Brilliant, Akechi! Like it was nothing.
[The book seems to distract him again, and he starts flipping through the first few pages.]
I can't wait to read it. I'd ask what it's about, but...no. [He grips the book, grinning at his friend.] I'll read it all and get right back to you.
[ Akechi expects the bare minimum from those he interacts with - an exchange of pleasantries, the occasional shallow conversation, an amicable parting that will lead to yet another dull dialogue down the road. A few are held to a standard above that. It's a handful. He wants more from them. Expects it.
The excitement Neal has is something else entirely. It catches him off guard and it shows on his face for only a second. A weight lifts and-
It crashes back down.
Even prior to his celebrity status, he's never had a 'normal' school experience. Neil reminds him of the underclassmen making earnest attempts to learn from their seniors. It feels-
Odd. He isn't sure what to do, so he laughs it off with a quiet chuckle. ]
You'll learn much from it - that I assure you. Hegel's philosophy is complicated and erratic, but it's fascinating even with the shallowest understanding.
I look forward to hearing what you take from it in any capacity. It's been too long since I've met someone willing to indulge me on this.
[ He waves the conversation off, and- ]
Now for my request - it seems only fair to ask for your favorite book, no matter what the topic is.
[Neil sometimes gets this sense about Akechi that he doesn't quite know what he's doing. It's almost a little awkward, the way he pauses, quickly speaks his enthusiasm about Hegel, then just as quickly brushes it away. If Neil did something to make him feel embarrassed, he didn't mean to. He could be wrong, but that's he can really equate it to.
[With Akechi's question, he thinks he understands. It's exposing, sharing something so sacred. Under any other circumstances, Neil would hesitate, but Akechi has honored his request; Neil owes his friend the same.
[To that end, and with no more than a sad, small smile, Five Centuries of Verse appears in his hands.
[It's not quite the same as he and Charlie's, as the society's. It's newer, and it doesn't have the same inscriptions written in side - he checks quickly to make sure.
[One day, maybe, he'll share Keating's copy with Akechi too, but today...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
no subject
My eyes will thank you. I have them now, so don't worry about that!
Are you going to grant any other wishes? Or wish for anything else?
[He wants to tell Akechi to let him grant his wish, but it feels...presumptuous.]
no subject
I want to experience this power more and see what can be learned from it while we have it. Though I have nothing for myself in mind, I'm certain one of my allies will give me material to work with - so to speak.
no subject
[Were this not a text message, one might actually see Neil's proverbial tail wagging.]
I want to. Whatever hypotheses you have, we can test them.
Come on.
no subject
How could I deny someone so eager?
Fine then - we'll test this together. When you're free, let's meet up.
leave his reading glasses alone (FEEL FREE TO SKIP AHEAD)
no subject
There's a thick band around his neck, a fading mark on his forehead, some black marks poking out along his collarbone. ]
There you are.
no subject
Here I am.
[He nods toward Akechi, eyebrows raised.]
Just one wish, you said?
On the forehead. That's rough...
no subject
I must have forgotten - the others were so minor, they barely made an impression on me.
[ Anyway- ]
Perhaps your wish will cover up that grotesque mark somehow.
no subject
Maybe it'll come off if you just scrub really hard.
no subject
[ He waves a hand and the topic off- ]
Let's see where your wish brands itself on my body. Go on - feel free to request.
no subject
[He hadn't really thought of what he himself might ask for. It can't be something stupid like a favorite snack. Neil feels dumber trying to think smart.]
Give me a copy of your favorite book back home - even if it's in Japanese and I can't read it. Oh! Do I need to say "I wish" first...?
no subject
[ Then comes-
The humble, simple request.
It's a difficult question - his favorite changes with every new classic that comes his way, but- ]
How about a memorable experience - picking a favorite would take me all day. To sort through my thoughts on such a matter...it's almost impossible.
[ And with that -
He holds palm, a book appears in his hand. The cover is in Japanese, but Neil will find the inside is English, somehow. A small book appears on the inside of his wrist.]
Perhaps you'll find this just as fascinating. This is one of Hegel's works and it's been on my mind since I finished it over a year ago.
no subject
Look at that! Brilliant, Akechi! Like it was nothing.
[The book seems to distract him again, and he starts flipping through the first few pages.]
I can't wait to read it. I'd ask what it's about, but...no. [He grips the book, grinning at his friend.] I'll read it all and get right back to you.
no subject
The excitement Neal has is something else entirely. It catches him off guard and it shows on his face for only a second. A weight lifts and-
It crashes back down.
Even prior to his celebrity status, he's never had a 'normal' school experience. Neil reminds him of the underclassmen making earnest attempts to learn from their seniors. It feels-
Odd. He isn't sure what to do, so he laughs it off with a quiet chuckle. ]
You'll learn much from it - that I assure you. Hegel's philosophy is complicated and erratic, but it's fascinating even with the shallowest understanding.
I look forward to hearing what you take from it in any capacity. It's been too long since I've met someone willing to indulge me on this.
[ He waves the conversation off, and- ]
Now for my request - it seems only fair to ask for your favorite book, no matter what the topic is.
no subject
[With Akechi's question, he thinks he understands. It's exposing, sharing something so sacred. Under any other circumstances, Neil would hesitate, but Akechi has honored his request; Neil owes his friend the same.
[To that end, and with no more than a sad, small smile, Five Centuries of Verse appears in his hands.
[It's not quite the same as he and Charlie's, as the society's. It's newer, and it doesn't have the same inscriptions written in side - he checks quickly to make sure.
[One day, maybe, he'll share Keating's copy with Akechi too, but today...
[He holds the book out with a smile.]
This book changed my life. [For the better?]
no subject
It's not something Akechi will shun or ignore, especially with someone willing to indulge his own favorite.
He takes the book and opens it up - flips through the pages to get a preview, notes it's all poems. Not a genre he reads, so all will be new to him.
It's not unwelcome. ]
Then I'll read it with the same reverence you hold it to. I look forward to starting this evening.
we can wrapperoo if u want
I look forward to our discussion. [It's really just like what they do at the society, isn't it?]