[The question registers and then it doesn't. Untangles a sudden thought that bursts into his mind with blinding clarity.
No one has asked him that before and-
It's an invasive question that leads to the typical 'And what about you?' the reason he avoided it in turn. This is where-
Your justice ends.
A soft laugh mixed with an acidic sigh. A hand moved to his head before he realized and-
Someone from his world is here and he needs plausible deniability when real problems start to apparate from the fucking garden. The unintentional grip on his hair a savior, as he feigns deep thought - eyes closed and recalling-
Dripping red, acrid air, a dingy low lit room-
In vivid clarity so he opens them with effort.]
Ah, I apologize. It's been difficult for me to recollect exactly. It was a rather exhausting week, if I recall, and my schedule was packed to the brim. I get nauseous whenever I try to remember-
[Skull fragments, dulled and sharp, splashed against a metal wall and thunk a loud thunk he can't recall if there was any other sound but the thunk. Adrenaline and euphoria overwhelming to the point he might have puked then-
And now.
And so he drops his hand to his side, lets an uneasy smile take over. A gentle, unassuming exhale - like that simple act takes all his problems away.]
That's not the answer you were hoping for, I'm sure - it's not amnesia or anything of the sort. When I have time to reflect, the details will come to me. For now, it only gives me a headache.
[A small wave of his hand, as he adjusts their direction with a slight turn. A looming structure in sight, no longer out of reach.
He needs to lay down.]
But tell me - what were you doing?
wow i love it when they mutually fucking lie to each other
[ When the answer doesn't come easily, and brings along with it apologetic caveats, a whole new file opens in Maruki's mind.
It would be too easy if they all shared something in common with their last remembered moments in their realities, but he already knows just from the few people he's asked that that's not the case. There is very little consistency in their actions or emotional states. Their wishes may or may not have been acute in their consciousness before they were probed to speak it. And those who come from the point of death pose another set of variables entirely. He's not expecting an answer from Akechi that will cast a sudden light onto any patterns or cognitive themes he's missed until now.
But this: The lack of clarity, the nausea, the headache. That's new.
Maruki doesn't interrogate him or let on that this is a new discovery on his side of things. He only looks at Akechi, concerned and sympathetic, and wants to help. ]
When we get to the castle, we don't need to do the crossword. I can make you a cup of tea and let you rest.
[ That's assuming these perpetual bachelors and one (1) bug(?) have tea, but if not, he'll go get some.
He watches as the castle steadily grows closer, larger in size, and speaks easily. ]
Ah, sorry. To answer your question, I was commuting home after visiting an old friend. It was late on Christmas Eve, the subway was relatively empty, and I nodded off.
[ The blood red sky through the high rise windows, his professor's ignorance, the spite and rebellion boiling over inside him, the voice made manifest. The deal they once struck resurfacing, gaining strength, sealing itself to his soul. Azathoth. A new contract.
He looks down at the crumpled paper in his hand and laughs, shrugs, shoves it back in the satchel. ]
I had just signed something before I fell asleep, so seeing the contract when I awoke was a funny coincidence. But that's really the only notable thing about it.
There's no need. Often even water makes it worse when this happens - I'll be fine after laying down for a few moments. It's only a little uncomfortable. In fact, I think the thought of that unfinished puzzle bothers me far more.
[The last thing he wants is some doting nobody trying to make him tea, like he's a child that needs coddled. He'll get back - lay down for a few minutes, let his stomach settle and refocus on weathered spots on the ceiling and-
Focus now on the tale Maruki offers with ease. Christmas Eve. Shido's election is secure - he doesn't need to question that. No doubt in his mind over their plan coming to fruition with the thieves out of commission. A blood drenched body to bring in the new year. When he looks at Maruki, a man none the wiser over the corruption exploiting him, he feels-
Better. Breathes easier. There's a future guaranteed with his presence by his side, no matter how bizarre his background is. A carefree, lackadaisical tone relaying a story to be expected of anyone with a job. Subway. Asleep. Contract.]
I wonder why each of us was chosen. It seems too intentional to be random and yet it's only minor coincidences that bind us all together - sleeping and dying. It's quite the mystery to unravel.
god i woke up to so much good food from you i am SPOILT
[ Too bad, this doting nobody is still going to make him that cup of tea – much later tonight, long after Akechi's stomach is settled. Just as a friendly peace offering between housemates. Get used to it, punk.
Maruki huffs a sigh at the same musing that keeps circling his head. ]
I have a hard time believing that anything that would happen here is random. Even you and I – there must be a reason for it, as there is for everything else. I know I haven't been here long, but the things I've been hearing...
[ He shakes his head and looks sidelong at Akechi. ]
I hope to uncover some of the answers to that mystery through my counseling. If this reality is influenced at all by our cognitions, then the patterns are likely to lie much deeper beneath the surface.
[ Emotional wounds, pains of the heart. Same as it ever was. ]
I could be chasing after the wrong idea, of course. But this does all seem a little t– oh, wow.
[ They're close enough now that the size of the castle becomes clear. Maruki lets the train of thought drop and laughs, a hand through his hair. ]
I know you said it was something out of a fairy tale, but you weren't kidding! And there are really only three of you living here? What do you even do with all of that space!?
Edited (i lied i wanna make it just slightly worse) 2024-05-16 11:51 (UTC)
[It slams into his body - like a door splitting him in two.
If this reality is influenced by our cognitions-
By Mementos.
By a shared delusion.
By the exploitation of a world unknown from someone who can warp, twist and bend reality in a way that feels impossible, until you travel through a world of shadows and humanity's whispers.
The counseling is only useful to Maruki. Information gleaned for him alone to collect and disperse - Akechi on the sidelines waiting for fucking scraps like a hungry dog. Waiting for an kind, benevolent person to spoon feed him information when it's deemed worthy.
If this is Mementos, he's more than capable of figuring out the shit happening here and-
He needs Loki back, more than ever.]
I look forward to the conclusion of your own investigation then. It should be worthwhile and provide some deeper insight that no one else can achieve but yourself.
[The castle's grander is nothing to scoff at. It's an experience most in Tokyo will never have, so Akechi doesn't blame the shocked reaction. It's far better than carving out a shitty life in a hovel underground.]
I'm unsure what Vash does with it. As I said, I only live in a single room and tend to keep to myself. It would be a shame if he decided his benevolence was no longer necessary by us poking around. He's quite kind, but I would hate to push it.
[ Maruki gives him a curious little smile. There's keeping to yourself, and then there's never having even a cursory look around the place where you live. ]
Don't worry, I won't be poking around. I've lived entirely alone for... wow, ten years? Or more? So keeping to myself is all that I know.
[ With that said, he realizes just how strange it will be to share space again after so long – as ever, he rushed into this without much forethought and nothing but faith that it would all work out. Hopefully it will. He just has to remember what it's like to be around people.
He grins sidelong at Akechi as they enter. ]
I won't torment you by asking for a grand tour now. If you show me where that crossword is, I can take a look while you have a quick rest.
I think you'll find it still has the comforts of living alone, despite the amount of people here. The space is large enough that privacy is respected. There are no issues.
[Honestly? Thank god. This is the second time he's had to play tour guide to Maruki in a couple weeks.
He does offer the kindness of verbally pointing out the restroom, the kitchen, a crossword still on a table in a shared living space and-
He's going to just go off and die for awhile. Don't mind him!! It's just [static hours] now.]
[ None the wiser!! Maruki's going to take the opportunity to familiarize himself with the layout of the ground floor and marvel at the fact that wow, yeah, this really is A CASTLE. Guy who has only lived in shoebox apartments in Tokyo says what??
The kitchen needs... a little work... The state of the refrigerator is tragic. What do these guys eat? Zazie eats raw meat and nothing else, apparently, but what about Akechi and Vash??
Take all the time you need, Akechums. This is dire and he has to fix it.
When Akechi eventually comes back to the living area, he'll find two cups of coffee on the table and Maruki curled up in the corner of a sofa with the journal he got to start writing down what he could remember from dream counseling in his lap. He isn't working on the crossword, he's writing an extensive grocery list to get this place fully stocked, but he will say without looking up: ]
[A new set of steps and noises feel odd in a castle that holds so few. Zazie keeps to themself. Vash is a consistent presence in other ways. A comfortable routine settled, familiar noises that remind him of his plodding neighbors back in Tokyo, enough distance between everyone that all sound is short lived.
Maruki does nothing outlandish, but he hears the fridge open, doors open and shut, tap, tap, tap along castle stone.
Maybe he's just searching for it - trying to memorize whatever Maruki does, so the second he steps out of line, acts abnormal, settles too close to his room-
He can be prepared.
A pounding headache and waves of nausea vanish within, what felt like, a few minutes laying on his shitty blanket - the sun is far too low in the sky for it to have been that.
By the time he ambles back out - Maruki is settled. That's fine. Vash invited him, so he should be the one to be a tour guide around this place. Akechi did the bare minimum and-]
Malnutrition?
[8 letters. Starved. No. Hunger. No. Famine. No.
It's bizarre how easy it is to settle into this game.]
[ He glances back down, finishes the word he was in the middle of writing – dashi??? – and then holds it up for Akechi to see. ]
Groceries. I'll take care of it tomorrow.
[ He rolls himself up off the couch, already so much more relaxed in a home that has furniture that isn't in a state of disrepair, and crosses over to the table with the crossword and the coffees. ]
That one is yours if you'd like, but if your stomach is still off, I'll gladly drink both. I was just excited to have a coffee maker again!
[ He'd only given the crossword a glance earlier, not wanting to get too much of a head start if Akechi slept for a while, but there's one he spotted right away. ]
Founder of client-centered therapy. Rogers. That was all I found before I got distracted and it was just luck.
Oh, I do quite well for myself - thank you. I have three meals a day, just simply from town. I can't speak for the others in this castle though.
[The implication he doesn't take care of himself an annoying observation he rebukes instantly - confident and no hint of a lie belied in his tone.
But groceries are good, probably. Akechi doesn't bother with it. There's no point in this shithole and he won't cook. Maruki can do what he wants - he apparently lives here now and-
The coffee is accepted without a word - hot on his lips and with a much needed caffeine boost on the horizon. Spending all night laying around isn't productive.]
Thank you for the coffee and for the assistance. Rogers is...
[Noted, with small strokes of a pencil. Good. A familiar seat is settled into, coffee off the side, crossword on a counter-
Some things never change.]
That gives a four letter word for trash 'o' as the third letter and 's' as the first.
[This is the BANE of his existence - already hunched over the paper, scribbling different words for trash in the blank corner in small font.
[ Maruki rests an elbow on the table and leans his cheek into the palm of one hand, tipping his head to watch the words Akechi scratches out. His brows furrow thoughtfully – they have half of the letters, they should be able to figure out the rest!! – as he sips his coffee. ]
No one on Sleepr had any ideas? Huh. Irritating...
Please don't underestimate me. The other letters are correct - that I can assure you.
[No ideas though - a bizarre cryptic word with no Google in sight to confirm what it is or isn't.
He taps at 2 down (10 letters) and 4 down (7 letters) - empty blocks that will complete this nightmare word Akechi will commit to memory for the rest of his life. He shifts the paper askew, so both of them can read it comfortably as he takes slow sips of non-LeBlanc coffee.
2 Down - Home of Alan Shepard Park has a '?' scribbled to the side and 4 Down - Emulate eels.]
['Wiggles' is etched into the blocks, a few 'across' are solved with that word to prove it's correct.
Which leaves The Cursed Word. The most annoying four letters in existence. S-_-O-W.
He leans back against the chair - shuts his eyes to mentally run through every combination of characters imaginable. This shit is unreal.]
You know, detectives have a strong desire to solve every mystery set before them. Because of that, I've taken on many cases. Most haven't baffled me as much as this word.
[Old Lady with a missing pet?? Cheating scandals?? Even some murders were blatant in their motivation. The little day to day crimes he solved don't hold a candle to this.
There's a pause. He opens his eyes and-]
I'm going to the library first thing in the morning. If anything, a dictionary should help - hopefully the copies there are modern enough to have such a bizarre word. I'm starting to think it's slang from a different reality.
[ Maruki stares down at the paper, bewildered. He has a pretty extensive vocabulary, but this is new to him. He too starts running through letters in his head. ]
... Slow? As in, to slough off? No, that doesn't make sense.
[ Think, Takuto. THINK. You are smarter than a dictionary. You have a doctorate degree. ]
Depending on the level of pollution, snow can certainly become somewhat trash-like... Ah, that's not it either.
[ There are only so many sounds starting with s-consonant that it could be. He runs through them all in his head again and sighs. ]
I'm counting on you to defeat this evil tomorrow. It may haunt me.
Of course. A detective's goal is always to find the truth and this simple case is no exception to that.
[Slow, S_OW, Slough, Snow and other Words that Drive You Mad Part 1 - hopefully there's a book named that to keep him from having to spend his life searching through pages of an old fashioned dictionary.
When he gets back, he'll never take the internet for granted again.]
Shall we call it for the evening then? Maybe one of us will be hit with a stroke of genius while we sleep. It may not even require a trek to library.
so fucking cute i hate everything god. WRAPPED. COOKED. I'M COOKED
[ Maruki exhales a derisive little laugh at that and shakes his head. ]
I flatter myself to think I've had several strokes of genius in my life, but none would come close to being able to puzzle this one out.
[ Seriously. Stow? Show? Spow? SPOW ISN'T EVEN A WORD. What could it BE.
He's happy to admit defeat for the night and finishes off his coffee, gathers their cups. ]
But no, you're right. I need to figure out my room situation, anyhow. We'll continue our battle tomorrow.
[ Despite the fact that it's been long years since he lived with someone and he hardly knows Akechi well, barely knows Vash or Zazie, it's all too easy for someone as desperate for connection as Maruki to fall into a comfortable domestic routine. Table cleared, cups washed and dried. Shoes by the door and jacket in a closet (not Zazie's). Good nights exchanged casually in passing. A warm shower, a warm bed, the quiet sounds of others going about their lives above and below and around him.
He won't know until he sees him again in the morning that he happened to pick the room directly next to Akechi's. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cw: MURDER, GORE
No one has asked him that before and-
It's an invasive question that leads to the typical 'And what about you?' the reason he avoided it in turn. This is where-
Your justice ends.
A soft laugh mixed with an acidic sigh. A hand moved to his head before he realized and-
Someone from his world is here and he needs plausible deniability when real problems start to apparate from the fucking garden. The unintentional grip on his hair a savior, as he feigns deep thought - eyes closed and recalling-
Dripping red, acrid air, a dingy low lit room-
In vivid clarity so he opens them with effort.]
Ah, I apologize. It's been difficult for me to recollect exactly. It was a rather exhausting week, if I recall, and my schedule was packed to the brim. I get nauseous whenever I try to remember-
[Skull fragments, dulled and sharp, splashed against a metal wall and thunk a loud thunk he can't recall if there was any other sound but the thunk. Adrenaline and euphoria overwhelming to the point he might have puked then-
And now.
And so he drops his hand to his side, lets an uneasy smile take over. A gentle, unassuming exhale - like that simple act takes all his problems away.]
That's not the answer you were hoping for, I'm sure - it's not amnesia or anything of the sort. When I have time to reflect, the details will come to me. For now, it only gives me a headache.
[A small wave of his hand, as he adjusts their direction with a slight turn. A looming structure in sight, no longer out of reach.
He needs to lay down.]
But tell me - what were you doing?
wow i love it when they mutually fucking lie to each other
It would be too easy if they all shared something in common with their last remembered moments in their realities, but he already knows just from the few people he's asked that that's not the case. There is very little consistency in their actions or emotional states. Their wishes may or may not have been acute in their consciousness before they were probed to speak it. And those who come from the point of death pose another set of variables entirely. He's not expecting an answer from Akechi that will cast a sudden light onto any patterns or cognitive themes he's missed until now.
But this: The lack of clarity, the nausea, the headache. That's new.
Maruki doesn't interrogate him or let on that this is a new discovery on his side of things. He only looks at Akechi, concerned and sympathetic, and wants to help. ]
When we get to the castle, we don't need to do the crossword. I can make you a cup of tea and let you rest.
[ That's assuming these perpetual bachelors and one (1) bug(?) have tea, but if not, he'll go get some.
He watches as the castle steadily grows closer, larger in size, and speaks easily. ]
Ah, sorry. To answer your question, I was commuting home after visiting an old friend. It was late on Christmas Eve, the subway was relatively empty, and I nodded off.
[ The blood red sky through the high rise windows, his professor's ignorance, the spite and rebellion boiling over inside him, the voice made manifest. The deal they once struck resurfacing, gaining strength, sealing itself to his soul. Azathoth. A new contract.
He looks down at the crumpled paper in his hand and laughs, shrugs, shoves it back in the satchel. ]
I had just signed something before I fell asleep, so seeing the contract when I awoke was a funny coincidence. But that's really the only notable thing about it.
no it's fine they're good they're gucci
[The last thing he wants is some doting nobody trying to make him tea, like he's a child that needs coddled. He'll get back - lay down for a few minutes, let his stomach settle and refocus on weathered spots on the ceiling and-
Focus now on the tale Maruki offers with ease. Christmas Eve. Shido's election is secure - he doesn't need to question that. No doubt in his mind over their plan coming to fruition with the thieves out of commission. A blood drenched body to bring in the new year. When he looks at Maruki, a man none the wiser over the corruption exploiting him, he feels-
Better. Breathes easier. There's a future guaranteed with his presence by his side, no matter how bizarre his background is. A carefree, lackadaisical tone relaying a story to be expected of anyone with a job. Subway. Asleep. Contract.]
I wonder why each of us was chosen. It seems too intentional to be random and yet it's only minor coincidences that bind us all together - sleeping and dying. It's quite the mystery to unravel.
god i woke up to so much good food from you i am SPOILT
Maruki huffs a sigh at the same musing that keeps circling his head. ]
I have a hard time believing that anything that would happen here is random. Even you and I – there must be a reason for it, as there is for everything else. I know I haven't been here long, but the things I've been hearing...
[ He shakes his head and looks sidelong at Akechi. ]
I hope to uncover some of the answers to that mystery through my counseling. If this reality is influenced at all by our cognitions, then the patterns are likely to lie much deeper beneath the surface.
[ Emotional wounds, pains of the heart. Same as it ever was. ]
I could be chasing after the wrong idea, of course. But this does all seem a little t– oh, wow.
[ They're close enough now that the size of the castle becomes clear. Maruki lets the train of thought drop and laughs, a hand through his hair. ]
I know you said it was something out of a fairy tale, but you weren't kidding! And there are really only three of you living here? What do you even do with all of that space!?
i am MORE SPOILT🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
If this reality is influenced by our cognitions-
By Mementos.
By a shared delusion.
By the exploitation of a world unknown from someone who can warp, twist and bend reality in a way that feels impossible, until you travel through a world of shadows and humanity's whispers.
The counseling is only useful to Maruki. Information gleaned for him alone to collect and disperse - Akechi on the sidelines waiting for fucking scraps like a hungry dog. Waiting for an kind, benevolent person to spoon feed him information when it's deemed worthy.
If this is Mementos, he's more than capable of figuring out the shit happening here and-
He needs Loki back, more than ever.]
I look forward to the conclusion of your own investigation then. It should be worthwhile and provide some deeper insight that no one else can achieve but yourself.
[The castle's grander is nothing to scoff at. It's an experience most in Tokyo will never have, so Akechi doesn't blame the shocked reaction. It's far better than carving out a shitty life in a hovel underground.]
I'm unsure what Vash does with it. As I said, I only live in a single room and tend to keep to myself. It would be a shame if he decided his benevolence was no longer necessary by us poking around. He's quite kind, but I would hate to push it.
[Don't fuck this up FOR HIM MARUKI.]
no subject
Don't worry, I won't be poking around. I've lived entirely alone for... wow, ten years? Or more? So keeping to myself is all that I know.
[ With that said, he realizes just how strange it will be to share space again after so long – as ever, he rushed into this without much forethought and nothing but faith that it would all work out. Hopefully it will. He just has to remember what it's like to be around people.
He grins sidelong at Akechi as they enter. ]
I won't torment you by asking for a grand tour now. If you show me where that crossword is, I can take a look while you have a quick rest.
[ GORO AKECHI DISSOCIATION HOURS 2K24 LET'S GOOOOOO ]
no subject
[Honestly? Thank god. This is the second time he's had to play tour guide to Maruki in a couple weeks.
He does offer the kindness of verbally pointing out the restroom, the kitchen, a crossword still on a table in a shared living space and-
He's going to just go off and die for awhile. Don't mind him!! It's just [static hours] now.]
gives you two domestic castle threads at once
The kitchen needs... a little work... The state of the refrigerator is tragic. What do these guys eat? Zazie eats raw meat and nothing else, apparently, but what about Akechi and Vash??
Take all the time you need, Akechums. This is dire and he has to fix it.
When Akechi eventually comes back to the living area, he'll find two cups of coffee on the table and Maruki curled up in the corner of a sofa with the journal he got to start writing down what he could remember from dream counseling in his lap. He isn't working on the crossword, he's writing an extensive grocery list to get this place fully stocked, but he will say without looking up: ]
Eight letters, suffering from malnutrition.
my life, my happiness, my joy - immense
Maruki does nothing outlandish, but he hears the fridge open, doors open and shut, tap, tap, tap along castle stone.
Maybe he's just searching for it - trying to memorize whatever Maruki does, so the second he steps out of line, acts abnormal, settles too close to his room-
He can be prepared.
A pounding headache and waves of nausea vanish within, what felt like, a few minutes laying on his shitty blanket - the sun is far too low in the sky for it to have been that.
By the time he ambles back out - Maruki is settled. That's fine. Vash invited him, so he should be the one to be a tour guide around this place. Akechi did the bare minimum and-]
Malnutrition?
[8 letters. Starved. No. Hunger. No. Famine. No.
It's bizarre how easy it is to settle into this game.]
Are there any revealed letters?
no subject
Underfed. That's what you guys are.
[ He glances back down, finishes the word he was in the middle of writing – dashi??? – and then holds it up for Akechi to see. ]
Groceries. I'll take care of it tomorrow.
[ He rolls himself up off the couch, already so much more relaxed in a home that has furniture that isn't in a state of disrepair, and crosses over to the table with the crossword and the coffees. ]
That one is yours if you'd like, but if your stomach is still off, I'll gladly drink both. I was just excited to have a coffee maker again!
[ He'd only given the crossword a glance earlier, not wanting to get too much of a head start if Akechi slept for a while, but there's one he spotted right away. ]
Founder of client-centered therapy. Rogers. That was all I found before I got distracted and it was just luck.
no subject
[The implication he doesn't take care of himself an annoying observation he rebukes instantly - confident and no hint of a lie belied in his tone.
But groceries are good, probably. Akechi doesn't bother with it. There's no point in this shithole and he won't cook. Maruki can do what he wants - he apparently lives here now and-
The coffee is accepted without a word - hot on his lips and with a much needed caffeine boost on the horizon. Spending all night laying around isn't productive.]
Thank you for the coffee and for the assistance. Rogers is...
[Noted, with small strokes of a pencil. Good. A familiar seat is settled into, coffee off the side, crossword on a counter-
Some things never change.]
That gives a four letter word for trash 'o' as the third letter and 's' as the first.
[This is the BANE of his existence - already hunched over the paper, scribbling different words for trash in the blank corner in small font.
UNREAL. He's so annoyed.]'
What sort of obscure word is this.
no subject
No one on Sleepr had any ideas? Huh. Irritating...
[ s q u i n t ]
You're sure the other letters are correct?
no subject
[No ideas though - a bizarre cryptic word with no Google in sight to confirm what it is or isn't.
He taps at 2 down (10 letters) and 4 down (7 letters) - empty blocks that will complete this nightmare word Akechi will commit to memory for the rest of his life. He shifts the paper askew, so both of them can read it comfortably as he takes slow sips of non-LeBlanc coffee.
2 Down - Home of Alan Shepard Park has a '?' scribbled to the side and 4 Down - Emulate eels.]
Any ideas?
no subject
I'm not underestimating you. Simply double checking. Let's see–
[ He doesn't even know what Alan Shepard Park is, so he focuses on the other and begins to scribble words along the margin on his side. ]
Squirms? No... Slither? Ah, what else do eels do...
[ He picks his head up to stare out the window, gaze unfocused, pencil pressed to his lips. ]
Wiggles? I feel like the clue doesn't indicate a conjugated verb, though.
no subject
Which leaves The Cursed Word. The most annoying four letters in existence. S-_-O-W.
He leans back against the chair - shuts his eyes to mentally run through every combination of characters imaginable. This shit is unreal.]
You know, detectives have a strong desire to solve every mystery set before them. Because of that, I've taken on many cases. Most haven't baffled me as much as this word.
[Old Lady with a missing pet?? Cheating scandals?? Even some murders were blatant in their motivation. The little day to day crimes he solved don't hold a candle to this.
There's a pause. He opens his eyes and-]
I'm going to the library first thing in the morning. If anything, a dictionary should help - hopefully the copies there are modern enough to have such a bizarre word. I'm starting to think it's slang from a different reality.
no subject
... Slow? As in, to slough off? No, that doesn't make sense.
[ Think, Takuto. THINK. You are smarter than a dictionary. You have a doctorate degree. ]
Depending on the level of pollution, snow can certainly become somewhat trash-like... Ah, that's not it either.
[ There are only so many sounds starting with s-consonant that it could be. He runs through them all in his head again and sighs. ]
I'm counting on you to defeat this evil tomorrow. It may haunt me.
no subject
[Slow, S_OW, Slough, Snow and other Words that Drive You Mad Part 1 - hopefully there's a book named that to keep him from having to spend his life searching through pages of an old fashioned dictionary.
When he gets back, he'll never take the internet for granted again.]
Shall we call it for the evening then? Maybe one of us will be hit with a stroke of genius while we sleep. It may not even require a trek to library.
so fucking cute i hate everything god. WRAPPED. COOKED. I'M COOKED
I flatter myself to think I've had several strokes of genius in my life, but none would come close to being able to puzzle this one out.
[ Seriously. Stow? Show? Spow? SPOW ISN'T EVEN A WORD. What could it BE.
He's happy to admit defeat for the night and finishes off his coffee, gathers their cups. ]
But no, you're right. I need to figure out my room situation, anyhow. We'll continue our battle tomorrow.
[ Despite the fact that it's been long years since he lived with someone and he hardly knows Akechi well, barely knows Vash or Zazie, it's all too easy for someone as desperate for connection as Maruki to fall into a comfortable domestic routine. Table cleared, cups washed and dried. Shoes by the door and jacket in a closet (not Zazie's). Good nights exchanged casually in passing. A warm shower, a warm bed, the quiet sounds of others going about their lives above and below and around him.
He won't know until he sees him again in the morning that he happened to pick the room directly next to Akechi's. ]