[The details don't matter. Eren will never see it with his own eyes - won't ever grasp the difference between a distorted heart or a bizarre, twisting subway station full of creatures ready to kill.
They're the same, in essence. Both 'worlds' pull from the Metaverse. Show it in different ways.
The water really could stand to go up a few degrees. He can see his reddened fingertips just below the surface.]
The strongest desire to rebel against an unjust world and the ability to form a contract with that power inside of you. Of course, there's an argument to be made about whether someone should be battling in that place at all.
In fact, it's rumored people can die from it, if they're targeted. A stray attack killing a person's distorted heart, causing them to die in reality. Of course, that's all hypothetical.
There is an argument to be made. What's the use in fighting against a distorted heart? If those rumors are true, then there's a whole new way of taking out chess pieces. Is that it?
[Eren's heart is distorted. He knows that much. Anyone who knows him knows that much. What would the use of fighting that distortion been in him? To stop him, clearly, with an attack like Akechi's described.
[Eren's wondered before - who is Akechi trying to "stop"?]
That's a bit cruel, isn't it? Imagine, a heart targeted because of the passing whims of another, your life lost with the death of an ego. A miserable end. A painful one, more than likely. Human beings aren't chess pieces, after all. You can't tip one over to end their life. You have to choke it out of them.
[Streams of blackened, murky blood flowing through eyes and mouth, choking on their own rot.]
It's a matter I was investigating in my reality - a rumor that 'Mental Shutdowns' occur due to such an attack. Though I'm fortunate that I have the ability to explore such a world, it's been a difficult connection to make.
Regardless of how difficult they are to take out, a chess piece plays the same role. Remove them, and you turn the tides of the game. I know you understand what I mean.
Surely, you've come to the same conclusion in your research.
I've noted it, naturally. But it would have to be a powerful person to pull those strings, unnoticed. To keep the dots from connecting with the masses. To hide from the few who can traverse that world, with someone under their own heel leaving a path of destruction.
[A God holding the leash of someone who would kill him.
It's so goddamn funny.
Similar words dropped in a group chat of criminal trash. Less words, less connections. They brushed it off, and paid for it.
It's incredible.]
Wouldn't that be something? I've had ample time to think about it in this reality. When I return, I'll be able to continue my investigation in full with a new perspective or two.
I assume you would take advantage of killing someone in their own heart, unprompted and without mercy.
[Eren would. Akechi has zero doubts about it, and the man doesn't lie about his intentions.
But he leans back against the stone wall, feigns thought. Finds meaning. Tries to decide what would it take to get him to kill someone in their own soul.
A single order, it turns out. A single chance at revenge.]
I think people can be pushed to do the unthinkable with enough motivation.
[A beat - he turns to back at Eren, and-]
Who's to say what a tipping point is. It would be ignorant to think I'm above it, but I would hope it would be in the most dire straits, with no other option afforded to me and that only the scum of society would suffer for it. To take a life is a point you can't return from. I'm sure you know that well.
As usual, I don't believe you. I don't expect you to change your tone based on that alone, of course.
Like you accept the type of person I am, I'll have to come to accept the type of person you are too. It does make it more enjoyable when the shell cracks.
Is a reminder of how Eren grates on his nerves so easily. A volatile, aggressive boy who was less so in his later days was far easier to navigate than this smug shit.]
There's nothing to crack - there never has been. If that's your idea of entertainment, you've failed at it. However, I'm pleased to know you've finally accepted me as I am. What a gift you've given me after so many months.
As if any of the shit out of his mouth is true. As if he believes a single goddamn word. As if his mind isn't as broken and distorted as those under Loki's thrall.
Eren doesn't have a goddamn clue. Akechi doesn't look away, even as his arms cross over his chest, body still submerged.
That look-
Reminds him of a false reality in a shared bed. The same one shared by half of Somnius. A farm left without a ruler. A boy who should've stayed in his reality to die alone, instead of coming back like nothing happened.
A front yard left barren when he vanished. Meeting places with only shadows to fill the seats. Sunlight on a cliff hitting nothing.
Nothing, and Akechi doesn't care. He left, and came back. He doesn't care. Will never care because it's pointless in any reality.
But he has the audacity to say-]
Oh, I can't get rid of you?
[Barbed at the edges, a prince in its shadow.]
That was so funny I almost puked.
[He's not laughing. ❤️]
What a bold statement. The world pushed you out only weeks ago, or have you already forgotten that too?
No, I think it's quite simple to get rid of you. Your weakness is apparent. I'm sure you'll be pulled back into a grave before long.
[The desired result is achieved - Akechi is angry - but it doesn't appear to be for the reason Eren intended. Eren hasn't particularly gotten the impression that Akechi was all that bothered by his absence. He half-doubts that for a moment, watching him through thin pillars of steam.]
I'm not going anywhere. [Quiet, cautious. He watches him.]
It was necessary once. Now, it's time to finish things.
[Still. Held taut. Akechi's own gaze doesn't waver - he stares up at Eren's face with insults on the tip of his tongue. A prison holds them in. He lets the water cover his lips to keep the prince from disappearing completely and-
Lets out an exhale, slow and calm. The bathhouse is a haven. This conversation is pointless. Eren can say whatever the hell he wants because their partnership ends when reality crashes.
He pushes himself back up until the water settles against the middle of his torso.
The words of a dead man don't matter.]
Very well.
[He raises a hand above water, as if waving off the conversation. A flash of 'II' inked into a finger. It falls just as quick.]
Let's hope you don't find it necessary again. You, or this world. Those able to unleash their rebellion are few and far between. We can't afford to lose those willing to fight against this unjust world.
[Eren is quiet for a minute. He lets the topic die - doesn't particularly feel like talking about rebellion at the moment. He and Akechi don't talk about much else. Tonight, he would have preferred to keep sharing fun facts.
[He sinks down into the water until its covering his nose. He can hold his breath for a long time. He didn't come to this bathhouse often. The only memories here feel almost identical to this one.
[Hatred, rage - wrapped in enough truth to make everything worth it, though, really, just time spent close mattered enough. Eren craves it. He wants to eat Akechi alive. It's an ache.
[He eases up out of the water just enough to speak.]
Akechi expected them to fall into silence, as usual. Wait out their time together, slink back to their homes with the same resolve always shared.
Eren speaks, and Akechi exhales in a way that might be mistaken as an exasperated laugh.
Stays silent a little longer. Ignoring him, potentially. He's deciding on whether he wants to or not when his mouth opens, words fall out - easy as ever. Tension there, but waning.]
Boiling was once a form of torture. Often a person was placed headfirst into a large object full of hot water, or another liquid. Other times, they would have to sit in an ice cold bath until it heated up enough to kill them. Knowing what happens to the skin and body -
I imagine at this temperature, they became quite afraid of what was to come. It's quite sad.
cw: disgusting...cannibalism...horror shit, dead bodies, aot is a horror canon
Yeah...[He hangs on the word, reaching to recall something.
[Casual as ever:]
I've been in a situation like that before. In a titan's stomach. There were dead bodies, and...living people too, getting boiled alive like you said...
His stomach churns at the thought, body leaning in closer to Eren to listen because curiosity is a weakness he's yet to kill. A firsthand account of such a morbid scenario impossible to resist.]
If you were all being boiled alive, or I suppose digested is the better word - the agony you must have felt would have been unfathomable.
How did you manage to transform in such a scenario?
cw: really gross shit, more horrifying cannibalism shit, gore, dead bodies
It did hurt, but digested really isn't the right word. Titan's don't digest people when they eat them. They stay in that liquid for a while, then the titan coughs them up. Kind of like a cat with a hairball.
[Anyway.]
The transformation is unlocked by injury and intention. I'd lost an arm and a leg at the time too. I wasn't ready to die yet, so I must have put all of my intention into killing that titan.
Edited 2024-10-25 06:55 (UTC)
cw: cannibalism talk, gore, dead bodies, just don't read
[Akechi does react - disgust apparent in the way his features scrunch. An act, and not. Morbid curiosity overriding all else.
He's fascinated by this whole ordeal and doesn't have the sensitivity training required to shut his mouth about it.]
What's the point? If it's only to suffocate and kill, there are easier methods. Though that's assuming the flesh doesn't melt away in the liquid - perhaps it's still a way to gain energy. Maybe it's the act itself, or..
[Titans are rational. Think. Feel. They know, surely. There's a reason for it somewhere.]
And then to have a titan transforming inside another titan - I assume it was killed in the process.
cw: crimes against humanity, cannibalism, fictional racism FLATVIEW BEWARE!!!
[Killing for the sake of killing, torture for the sake of torture. He can see the necessity from a practical standpoint - Eren can be injured, but is seemingly impossible to kill by normal standards. It's a trait likely shared.
He finally sinks back into the water in thought - notes it.]
My, what a mess. Your reality was a test of fortitude.
[Tone noted. Ignored. Akechi wants to incite in any direction. See what pushes his buttons. Relearn someone he thought he knew and exploit it in the future. ]
A boy takes up a mantle against an unjust world - drowns it in rot, the way those around him were drowned in the guts of executioners.
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cw: murder
They're the same, in essence. Both 'worlds' pull from the Metaverse. Show it in different ways.
The water really could stand to go up a few degrees. He can see his reddened fingertips just below the surface.]
The strongest desire to rebel against an unjust world and the ability to form a contract with that power inside of you. Of course, there's an argument to be made about whether someone should be battling in that place at all.
In fact, it's rumored people can die from it, if they're targeted. A stray attack killing a person's distorted heart, causing them to die in reality. Of course, that's all hypothetical.
no subject
There is an argument to be made. What's the use in fighting against a distorted heart? If those rumors are true, then there's a whole new way of taking out chess pieces. Is that it?
[Eren's heart is distorted. He knows that much. Anyone who knows him knows that much. What would the use of fighting that distortion been in him? To stop him, clearly, with an attack like Akechi's described.
[Eren's wondered before - who is Akechi trying to "stop"?]
cw: murder
[Streams of blackened, murky blood flowing through eyes and mouth, choking on their own rot.]
It's a matter I was investigating in my reality - a rumor that 'Mental Shutdowns' occur due to such an attack. Though I'm fortunate that I have the ability to explore such a world, it's been a difficult connection to make.
no subject
Surely, you've come to the same conclusion in your research.
no subject
[A God holding the leash of someone who would kill him.
It's so goddamn funny.
Similar words dropped in a group chat of criminal trash. Less words, less connections. They brushed it off, and paid for it.
It's incredible.]
Wouldn't that be something? I've had ample time to think about it in this reality. When I return, I'll be able to continue my investigation in full with a new perspective or two.
no subject
Would you take advantage of it if you could?
[He won't answer truthfully, Eren knows, but his lies can speak volumes.]
It would have been a useful tool in the war I fought.
no subject
[Eren would. Akechi has zero doubts about it, and the man doesn't lie about his intentions.
But he leans back against the stone wall, feigns thought. Finds meaning. Tries to decide what would it take to get him to kill someone in their own soul.
A single order, it turns out. A single chance at revenge.]
I think people can be pushed to do the unthinkable with enough motivation.
[A beat - he turns to back at Eren, and-]
Who's to say what a tipping point is. It would be ignorant to think I'm above it, but I would hope it would be in the most dire straits, with no other option afforded to me and that only the scum of society would suffer for it. To take a life is a point you can't return from. I'm sure you know that well.
no subject
It seems you do too. Talking like that.
no subject
Less than you think - I am a detective. I am on murder cases. I've spoken to a fair share of those relaying such feelings.
no subject
As usual, I don't believe you. I don't expect you to change your tone based on that alone, of course.
Like you accept the type of person I am, I'll have to come to accept the type of person you are too. It does make it more enjoyable when the shell cracks.
no subject
[This-
Is a reminder of how Eren grates on his nerves so easily. A volatile, aggressive boy who was less so in his later days was far easier to navigate than this smug shit.]
There's nothing to crack - there never has been. If that's your idea of entertainment, you've failed at it. However, I'm pleased to know you've finally accepted me as I am. What a gift you've given me after so many months.
no subject
[Eren's eyes fall; he looks Akechi up and down.]
At any rate, you should know you can't get rid of me by now. You'll lose the long game.
no subject
As if any of the shit out of his mouth is true. As if he believes a single goddamn word. As if his mind isn't as broken and distorted as those under Loki's thrall.
Eren doesn't have a goddamn clue. Akechi doesn't look away, even as his arms cross over his chest, body still submerged.
That look-
Reminds him of a false reality in a shared bed. The same one shared by half of Somnius. A farm left without a ruler. A boy who should've stayed in his reality to die alone, instead of coming back like nothing happened.
A front yard left barren when he vanished. Meeting places with only shadows to fill the seats. Sunlight on a cliff hitting nothing.
Nothing, and Akechi doesn't care. He left, and came back. He doesn't care. Will never care because it's pointless in any reality.
But he has the audacity to say-]
Oh, I can't get rid of you?
[Barbed at the edges, a prince in its shadow.]
That was so funny I almost puked.
[He's not laughing. ❤️]
What a bold statement. The world pushed you out only weeks ago, or have you already forgotten that too?
No, I think it's quite simple to get rid of you. Your weakness is apparent. I'm sure you'll be pulled back into a grave before long.
no subject
I'm not going anywhere. [Quiet, cautious. He watches him.]
It was necessary once. Now, it's time to finish things.
no subject
Lets out an exhale, slow and calm. The bathhouse is a haven. This conversation is pointless. Eren can say whatever the hell he wants because their partnership ends when reality crashes.
He pushes himself back up until the water settles against the middle of his torso.
The words of a dead man don't matter.]
Very well.
[He raises a hand above water, as if waving off the conversation. A flash of 'II' inked into a finger. It falls just as quick.]
Let's hope you don't find it necessary again. You, or this world. Those able to unleash their rebellion are few and far between. We can't afford to lose those willing to fight against this unjust world.
no subject
[He sinks down into the water until its covering his nose. He can hold his breath for a long time. He didn't come to this bathhouse often. The only memories here feel almost identical to this one.
[Hatred, rage - wrapped in enough truth to make everything worth it, though, really, just time spent close mattered enough. Eren craves it. He wants to eat Akechi alive. It's an ache.
[He eases up out of the water just enough to speak.]
Tell me something else interesting.
CW: boiling torture & mmm skin again
That.
Akechi expected them to fall into silence, as usual. Wait out their time together, slink back to their homes with the same resolve always shared.
Eren speaks, and Akechi exhales in a way that might be mistaken as an exasperated laugh.
Stays silent a little longer. Ignoring him, potentially. He's deciding on whether he wants to or not when his mouth opens, words fall out - easy as ever. Tension there, but waning.]
Boiling was once a form of torture. Often a person was placed headfirst into a large object full of hot water, or another liquid. Other times, they would have to sit in an ice cold bath until it heated up enough to kill them. Knowing what happens to the skin and body -
I imagine at this temperature, they became quite afraid of what was to come. It's quite sad.
cw: disgusting...cannibalism...horror shit, dead bodies, aot is a horror canon
[Casual as ever:]
I've been in a situation like that before. In a titan's stomach. There were dead bodies, and...living people too, getting boiled alive like you said...
[Anyway.]
That was the first time I transformed, actually.
cw: cont - cannibalism talk, dead bodies, boiling
His stomach churns at the thought, body leaning in closer to Eren to listen because curiosity is a weakness he's yet to kill. A firsthand account of such a morbid scenario impossible to resist.]
If you were all being boiled alive, or I suppose digested is the better word - the agony you must have felt would have been unfathomable.
How did you manage to transform in such a scenario?
cw: really gross shit, more horrifying cannibalism shit, gore, dead bodies
[He pauses a moment to scratch idly at his ear.]
It did hurt, but digested really isn't the right word. Titan's don't digest people when they eat them. They stay in that liquid for a while, then the titan coughs them up. Kind of like a cat with a hairball.
[Anyway.]
The transformation is unlocked by injury and intention. I'd lost an arm and a leg at the time too. I wasn't ready to die yet, so I must have put all of my intention into killing that titan.
cw: cannibalism talk, gore, dead bodies, just don't read
He's fascinated by this whole ordeal and doesn't have the sensitivity training required to shut his mouth about it.]
What's the point? If it's only to suffocate and kill, there are easier methods. Though that's assuming the flesh doesn't melt away in the liquid - perhaps it's still a way to gain energy. Maybe it's the act itself, or..
[Titans are rational. Think. Feel. They know, surely. There's a reason for it somewhere.]
And then to have a titan transforming inside another titan - I assume it was killed in the process.
cw: crimes against humanity, cannibalism, fictional racism FLATVIEW BEWARE!!!
You've got it wrong, though...
[Some darkness starts to settle into his expression, though his tone remains dry, casual.]
Titans don't gain energy from eating humans. The closest guess we had was sunlight.
They aren't animals trying to survive so they can continue their species.
They're Eldians, transformed into monsters, sent to eat and kill other Eldians. That's the point.
cw: crimes against humanity, cannibalism, torture, death talk
He finally sinks back into the water in thought - notes it.]
My, what a mess. Your reality was a test of fortitude.
[It deserved to sink under a sea of red.]
Drowning the world seems almost poetic now.
no subject
You think so?
no subject
[Tone noted. Ignored. Akechi wants to incite in any direction. See what pushes his buttons. Relearn someone he thought he knew and exploit it in the future. ]
A boy takes up a mantle against an unjust world - drowns it in rot, the way those around him were drowned in the guts of executioners.
(no subject)
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however we can still wrap if you'd like hehe
<3 wrappin but they still hanging <3