[Having to live that way, maybe Akechi never did have a chance at being a genuine person. It's something that Eren has considered before; doesn't make him any less eager to bring out what authenticity he can.
[He'd like nothing more than to free him, really.]
I'd never considered myself that type of person, but I suppose there's no point in denying it now. It became useful enough. Cultivated or otherwise, I'm sure you can understand the advantages.
That being said...
There are times when you have a certain presence too.
Before he continues the trek in silence. Up and around a corner, a steep path up, until they reach a hidden area with a flower covered bench. A town below, the ocean beyond, a staggering cliff still behind and a sunrise that will bathe this entire place in light in a few hours.]
Maruki-san showed me this place some time ago. Have you been here before?
[Even given the holes in his memory, it's odd to enter this place and realize that it's something he's never seen before. At one time, hadn't Eren known every corner of Somnius? He looks to Akechi.]
I haven't.
[It's beautiful, unfitting of two monsters. It could be a backdrop for them if they were something prettier. Even so, Akechi's face is painted by moonlight; it seems to suit the place.]
[He doesn't move to sit. All he does is watch Eren from the center of this small path.
Watch how different he looks from the day a boy pleaded with him in a boiling hot bath. To see if that face will contort and enrage like he used to when they first met. Akechi hopes it does. ]
I thought now would be a good time to show you the site of that grave. Having a grand return to a false reality means you require a reminder of your real one. It felt appropriate.
[Eren eyes the space. He'd almost forgotten. The memory now is frayed at the edges. They were side by side in a boiling bath, talking about mothers and graves.
[It does look like a lovely place to rest - quiet, hidden away, with a place for mourners to sit and weep.
[Eren was born to be grieved, but like a cockroach that can't be killed, those that grieve him are bound to be chained by him forever. It had seemed more dire, four years ago, to have a place to come die. He could do so repeatedly with the right memories - throw himself down on his sword again and again. There was appeal to that. He can remember craving the feeling of pain, because at least pain was better than nothing at all. Even then, he knew that he could never truly rest, but now...
[All hope gone, there's nothing left for desperation to cling to. A grave is a grave - his, or those he loves, or someone Akechi loved - and he feels nothing. They stand over the proverbial pit together, both watching. This would be a rather poetic moment for Akechi to slice off his head.]
You put a lot of thought into this. I'd almost say that's an honor.
I'm not unhappy. I'm pleased. We both got what we wanted, didn't we? You, a grave. Myself, a favor to a friend granted. What else could I possibly want?
[Oh, his hackles are up. Bristling, despite the smile plastered.]
You've been gone for some time, so I'll let it go this once and offer you a reminder - don't misconstrue my feelings as you often did in your youth.
I'm not sure what it is you want. I might have believed that, actually. You gave me exactly what I wanted. It's beautiful too. You could have just been doing that for a friend.
[Eren steps up closer to Akechi. He can see the moon's glow in the other man's eyes, unblinking.]
But you are unhappy. I can tell. You have that look in your eye again. Like you want to rip me apart.
I never want that. You often interpret my expression in odd ways.
[He could reach up -
and wrap his fingers around Eren's throat again. A bloom of purple would appear, and vanish, with every gasp.
It would be easy. Eren wouldn't bat an eye. A flutter of lashes to stay conscious, and he would, because he's doomed to die another way.]
I just find it interesting that you accept it so easily. A grave given by another in a temporary world filled with people who will come and go in an instant. By the time we walk down this hill, there may be no one left that remembers 'Eren' or his lost mother.
[The grave isn't for his mother.]
So what's the point of this? Why create a memorial when you're a barely a blip on the radar of the majority here? I would have thought four years would've changed your mind over the matter.
You're right about that. [Easy, casual, almost bored-sounding. He scratches a bit at the back of his ear.] It really doesn't make much sense.
I did ask for it though. [He lowers his hand.]
Graves anywhere work the same way, don't they? Eventually, everyone who was there for the burial ends up buried themselves. A grave simply becomes a place dedicated to something that no longer exists.
[Every lazy movement is another notch on an ever increasing list of irritants. Akechi can't place why - doesn't care to figure it out. Eren deserves it. From his disappearance, to arrival, to this.
To being at his home, constantly. Always. Present and there, even if Akechi rarely acknowledges his existence beyond the typical niceties required.]
True. Your name, life, everything you strived for will be completely meaningless. In fact-
[Feigned smile, hand on his hip.]
If you decide to have a tantrum on this world and turn it to a sea of blood too, it'll be buried under the weight of all here. Some who never knew they earned your ire, coating a grave meant for their killer.
I don't have one. Sometimes I enjoy speaking and seeing what other thoughts are for that sake alone. Not every matter requires a solution or answer. You were always someone simple to speak with, so I wanted to do so again.
[Provoking Eren used to be so goddamn easy to the point of annoyance. Akechi could blink, and that boy would bite.
This apathy is a different barrier to contend with.]
Is there anything that would make you want to turn this reality into a mirror image of your own? Without the source of your ire here, I can imagine not, so it's a hypothetical scenario. A small thought exercise. I'm fascinated by the nature of it all - what would make a person shun all the bonds they've formed for such a sordid purpose? What causes someone to snap? Or perhaps you're a one hit wonder, as it were.
As of right now, there's no reason to do anything like I did in my true reality. Aside from that, I don't currently have the means.
[He won't say that the circumstances don't call for it, or that it's impossible. He'll do what's necessary no matter what the circumstances are, and things can turn in this place on a dime.]
There's collateral in every war. I understand that too.
My concern is what it's always been. My people will remain safe. As for what may happen to anyone else when we take control of things, I could care less.
He answers, as always. Akechi listens, and notes it.
What a horrible man Eren turned out to be.]
It does. Thank you for indulging me.
[And with that, he looks to a town he's never hated more, up to the starry sky that's calming more times than it's not, and back to a man that oscillates between both.]
That's all I wanted to discuss with you. You're welcome to take your leave. I'll see you for our jog later.
[Mercifully enough, Eren doesn't take a seat beside Akechi. He stands with his hands shoved into the pocket of his coat, his eyes cast out over the slope of the hill, the town below. He won't speak again until Akechi does. They may talk about idle things. They do on occasion. Or they may remain silent until it's time to trace their way back to the beginning of their route. Sometimes Eren is surprised that Akechi still shows up every morning...]
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no subject
[He'd like nothing more than to free him, really.]
I'd never considered myself that type of person, but I suppose there's no point in denying it now. It became useful enough. Cultivated or otherwise, I'm sure you can understand the advantages.
That being said...
There are times when you have a certain presence too.
no subject
I can only hope it's a positive one. Even in this reality, it's important to maintain such a thing.
no subject
I think "positive" depends on who you're asking.
no subject
[In this silent, dense forest -
Who else would there be but the two of them.]
no subject
For me? It's what I want.
Your presence. The you that others think they know doesn't interest me.
no subject
[It's annoying. The few who accept the rotten parts of him-
That think they do. They're pathetic. Stupid. At least a prince would pretend to care about them. Too chose a life outside of that illusion-
He can't fathom it.]
But I'll allow you to keep that delusion if it makes you content. I'm in a good mood, after all.
no subject
Where are you taking me, Akechi?
no subject
[And that's all Eren gets-
Before he continues the trek in silence. Up and around a corner, a steep path up, until they reach a hidden area with a flower covered bench. A town below, the ocean beyond, a staggering cliff still behind and a sunrise that will bathe this entire place in light in a few hours.]
Maruki-san showed me this place some time ago. Have you been here before?
eyes at that link
I haven't.
[It's beautiful, unfitting of two monsters. It could be a backdrop for them if they were something prettier. Even so, Akechi's face is painted by moonlight; it seems to suit the place.]
stares into the sun
[He doesn't move to sit. All he does is watch Eren from the center of this small path.
Watch how different he looks from the day a boy pleaded with him in a boiling hot bath. To see if that face will contort and enrage like he used to when they first met. Akechi hopes it does. ]
I thought now would be a good time to show you the site of that grave. Having a grand return to a false reality means you require a reminder of your real one. It felt appropriate.
[Dead mom. Dead Eren. It's all the same.]
I meant to show you before your sudden departure.
no subject
[Eren eyes the space. He'd almost forgotten. The memory now is frayed at the edges. They were side by side in a boiling bath, talking about mothers and graves.
[It does look like a lovely place to rest - quiet, hidden away, with a place for mourners to sit and weep.
[Eren was born to be grieved, but like a cockroach that can't be killed, those that grieve him are bound to be chained by him forever. It had seemed more dire, four years ago, to have a place to come die. He could do so repeatedly with the right memories - throw himself down on his sword again and again. There was appeal to that. He can remember craving the feeling of pain, because at least pain was better than nothing at all. Even then, he knew that he could never truly rest, but now...
[All hope gone, there's nothing left for desperation to cling to. A grave is a grave - his, or those he loves, or someone Akechi loved - and he feels nothing. They stand over the proverbial pit together, both watching. This would be a rather poetic moment for Akechi to slice off his head.]
You put a lot of thought into this. I'd almost say that's an honor.
Is this your taste?
no subject
Remains somber on this quiet cliffside - isn't incited by the reminder of a death he's experienced and will come again.
That's all there is. His arms cross over his chest - he doesn't look away. Doesn't blink.]
I have no preference, if you're asking about my ideal grave. A body is a body. I won't be around to know better.
[That's all there is to it.]
I take it you find this place suitable. If so, I'll consider this request completed.
no subject
You're unhappy? Why?
no subject
[Oh, his hackles are up. Bristling, despite the smile plastered.]
You've been gone for some time, so I'll let it go this once and offer you a reminder - don't misconstrue my feelings as you often did in your youth.
no subject
I'm not sure what it is you want. I might have believed that, actually. You gave me exactly what I wanted. It's beautiful too. You could have just been doing that for a friend.
[Eren steps up closer to Akechi. He can see the moon's glow in the other man's eyes, unblinking.]
But you are unhappy. I can tell. You have that look in your eye again. Like you want to rip me apart.
Well. Look at where we're standing.
cw: VIOLENT THOUGHTS
[He could reach up -
and wrap his fingers around Eren's throat again. A bloom of purple would appear, and vanish, with every gasp.
It would be easy. Eren wouldn't bat an eye. A flutter of lashes to stay conscious, and he would, because he's doomed to die another way.]I just find it interesting that you accept it so easily. A grave given by another in a temporary world filled with people who will come and go in an instant. By the time we walk down this hill, there may be no one left that remembers 'Eren' or his lost mother.
[The grave isn't for his mother.]
So what's the point of this? Why create a memorial when you're a barely a blip on the radar of the majority here? I would have thought four years would've changed your mind over the matter.
no subject
I did ask for it though. [He lowers his hand.]
Graves anywhere work the same way, don't they? Eventually, everyone who was there for the burial ends up buried themselves. A grave simply becomes a place dedicated to something that no longer exists.
no subject
To being at his home, constantly. Always. Present and there, even if Akechi rarely acknowledges his existence beyond the typical niceties required.]
True. Your name, life, everything you strived for will be completely meaningless. In fact-
[Feigned smile, hand on his hip.]
If you decide to have a tantrum on this world and turn it to a sea of blood too, it'll be buried under the weight of all here. Some who never knew they earned your ire, coating a grave meant for their killer.
I find things like that fascinating, don't you?
no subject
You're probably used to me getting upset about that sort of thing, aren't you?
Not so much anymore.
You're right. If I decided to wipe this world clean like I did my own, this grave will be a marker of destruction at its best.
What's your point?
no subject
[Provoking Eren used to be so goddamn easy to the point of annoyance. Akechi could blink, and that boy would bite.
This apathy is a different barrier to contend with.]
Is there anything that would make you want to turn this reality into a mirror image of your own? Without the source of your ire here, I can imagine not, so it's a hypothetical scenario. A small thought exercise. I'm fascinated by the nature of it all - what would make a person shun all the bonds they've formed for such a sordid purpose? What causes someone to snap? Or perhaps you're a one hit wonder, as it were.
no subject
As of right now, there's no reason to do anything like I did in my true reality. Aside from that, I don't currently have the means.
[He won't say that the circumstances don't call for it, or that it's impossible. He'll do what's necessary no matter what the circumstances are, and things can turn in this place on a dime.]
There's collateral in every war. I understand that too.
My concern is what it's always been. My people will remain safe. As for what may happen to anyone else when we take control of things, I could care less.
Does that answer your question?
no subject
He answers, as always. Akechi listens, and notes it.
What a horrible man Eren turned out to be.]
It does. Thank you for indulging me.
[And with that, he looks to a town he's never hated more, up to the starry sky that's calming more times than it's not, and back to a man that oscillates between both.]
That's all I wanted to discuss with you. You're welcome to take your leave. I'll see you for our jog later.
no subject
[Eren's hands are in his pockets. He scans the same space.]
We'll see each other soon either way. Let's just stay here a while.
no subject
[Eren is a free man and-
Akechi goes to sit on that makeshift bench, one leg looping over the other, hands folded neatly on his crossed knees.]
By all means stay and enjoy the view.
[He's so annoyed.]
jesus I didn't realize this thread was so long lmao WRAPTTT