tabularasa_rp | 006 - Connecting Lines, Connecting Lives

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006 - Connecting Lines, Connecting Lives

Connecting Lines, Connecting Lives New Imprints ▲ Comments The Ground Shakes
It begins unremarkably enough, with the light tremors of the ground so small they might easily go unnoticed, or else dismissed as the movement of some creature nearby. As time goes on, however, those little tremors begin to grow in both strength and duration, the length of time shortening between each one. To begin with only small, light, unsecured objects are rattled loose by the rumbling of the ground, but as the tremors grow in strength there is a growing danger of much larger things being moved.

The realm’s clear lack of understanding of how things work cannot be relied upon in such a situation. If the tremors have grown strong enough to throw all the books of Hammerhead to the ground and throw over all the clothes rails and capsule machines and furniture in the Academy, then what if they grow strong enough to move the heavy blanket of snow atop Mount Silver? What if they grow strong enough to damage the caverns within?

Then there is the question of how, or why, the realm has made the land shake. It must surely have picked up the idea of an earthquake from someone, right? An answer to the question is not immediately forthcoming, but should one stay low to the ground and listen, they might well hear the muffled, distorted sound of screaming.

Creature Chaos
As the rumbling and shaking continues, it is clear to see that the local wildlife has been disturbed, and they seem remarkably active. Critters can be seen running and flying to and fro, and any who go out to investigate may find themselves the center of attention. Brushboys may paint arrows on the ground in an effort to lead them somewhere, or bluurgobos might actively offer rides, or the flying cat-like creatures will excitedly circle someone before attempting to lead them somewhere. Going along with them will lead to one of two places:

The meaty, pulsating, cavernous tunnels of Mementos shudder and convulse in a way quite unlike before, and closer inspection will quickly reveal why. The flesh has been cut and torn, hacked apart, leaving gaping and bleeding wounds to spill over the subway tracks. Whichever critter has brought someone here excitedly gestures towards the wounds, and as it does a giant and painful shudder goes through the tunnels and shakes the earth. All those earthquakes… could this be the source?

The road to the Hammerlocke Citadel Ruins are as long as winding as ever, and precarious with the risk of an earthquake dislodging snow and rock from the mountainside. The animal that has taken the lead is on a mission, however, as unclear as that mission might be. On arriving, it turns its attention to a group of the spiky, bear-headed beasts that are lazing about as though the land is not currently shaking and quaking around them, and tries to draw their attention. Clearly, these bear heads are expected to do something, and they aren’t doing it.

First Words
Though the tremors have finally stopped, they have left a significant change to the World in their wake. Where the ground above was once flat and untouched, there now lay cracks and fissures that glow with a strange, but enchantingly warm light. There doesn’t seem to be a single area that has been left untouched by them - though the number of cracks are denser in some places than others, it’s difficult to find a place completely devoid of them. Could this be the world’s attempt at trying to heal itself?

If all of that wasn’t enough to warrant investigation, the sound of whispers that appear to be coming from they might do the trick. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that the whispers aren’t coming from the lights, but from inside your own head. Focus a little more, and some of the voices may sound familiar…

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You've no sense of self-preservation at all.

[He squeezes Ren's hands, feels his nails start to bite into the other boy's skin and abruptly yanks his hands back.]

Do you know why I went into Mementos? It's so I wouldn't take my sword to every breakable thing in this apartment. Tell me, is that the behavior of a rational man?

Inside.

(While the nails hurt, Ren barely flinches. It's not the first time. He feels like this fight might escalate, and while there isn't anyone in the streets that he can see, he sure isn't just going to assume that they're safe. Ren takes his can, but doesn't drink from it, leaving it at their desk once he is inside.)

You not breaking our apartment and knowing it'd be wrong, redirecting your anger elsewhere? Sure does.

(Why are you angry? Was it something I've done?)

I need you to listen to me.

(I know you're scared. How can I make you understand?)

I'm not angry at you. We've had this conversation before -- I know this frightens you. I know you have things to work through, Goro. I accept you the way you are. Why can't you accept that? I'm not leaving.

[He hides a sneer when Ren tells him to move inside, recognizing it as petulant. Their apartment, normally so open and airy and welcoming, feels stifling right now as he glares at the other boy.]

What, [he says again, breath coming hard through his nose,] do you want me to say? You ask for answers I don't have, Ren, both what you say and what you think. One may as well ask why and how you can love so unconditionally.

(He's fuming. Not because Akechi brings out his thoughts, but simply for the fact that they can be heard. When rhetorical questions, not the ones he means to ask, turn into reality by these goddamned little goos in the creeks of their floor.

Unlike the other, he's not one to lash out. It's not Akechi's fault that he can hear it, and once again, he reminds himself to keep his attention on the air entering and leaving his lungs, empty his head of unwelcomed thoughts. There must be a way to turn this off.)

Those questions were not for you.

(A breath in, a breath out.)

I accept and love you for what you are, Goro. I hope you can accept that one day.

(He removes his turtleneck, only to give way for the sweatshirt he's putting on.)

[It hurts. Ren's words dig into his chest and settle into his heart like a weight that makes him feel too much. They have an air of finality about them, like Ren's willing to accept that as the end of the conversation.

He just stands there in the middle of the room and watches Ren, focuses on simply breathing and not grinding his teeth into pulp. Eventually, like a puppet with cut strings, he sags onto the couch and stares straight ahead.]

Masayoshi Shido, [he murmurs, quietly enough that if Ren wanted to pretend he couldn't hear, it would be easy to act like it's too soft,] had a terrible temper. Paperwork strewn about, bottles broken, people beaten. You experienced the consequences of his anger firsthand.

I do not want to be like him.

(While Akechi digests the words, Ren finishes changing into something more homely, more comfortable. He did think the conversation was over, Akechi surely didn't seem willing to continue it, to talk to him. With the way things were, Ren preferred not to push, but then Akechi speaks properly, even if it's soft and quiet, barely audible if he hadn't been paying attention.

Following the other to the couch, Ren sits, ready to listen with a hand offered to Akechi, as if he was giving the man another chance to take it.)

[He doesn't look at Ren as he sits, doesn't seem to see the offered hand. Maybe he doesn't even see his own hands folded and clenched between his knees as he stares straight ahead.]

You have an unparalleled ability to empathize with the people around you, [he continues finally, just as quietly.] Like you can feel their pain for yourself. Their happiness is your happiness, their sadness is your sadness. I... do not think I am capable of that. Not genuinely. Not like you.

[He snorts through his nose, lips twisting into a bitter, humorless parody of a smile.]

Pathetic, isn't it?

No.

(While Ren would be the first to argue that he isn't anything special, he also knows that not many people are capable of his level of empathy. One could even argue that it's not a healthy one, given how it moves him into reckless action.

Akechi had to care for himself, where would he find space to learn how to care for others while dealing with so much as he was?)

It's just different.

Different, but not better.

[He grips his own hands more tightly, still not daring to look at Ren. He opens his mouth, closes it, scowls and shakes his head. Normally he can simply think his way through anything, decide the best words to use for any given situation. But with the threat of the ley-lines projecting his innermost thoughts for not only Ren, but for the entire Void to hear, he has to keep up a certain effort not to let his own mind wander too far. Like he has to project a curtain of static to keep him from letting his brain dip into the magic.]

Sometimes, I think anger is the only emotion I can truly understand, [he murmurs, exhaling through his nose. His words are slow and deliberate as he tries to think himself through what he means to say without letting the magic take hold of his thoughts.] And even you have to admit that isn't normal.

It's normal if it's all you've ever felt.

(And Ren knows it is. From when his mother was alive, the disgust and anger towards his father for drowning her in such circumstances. After she had passed, the fear of abandonment and the resentment for never staying in the same place, the wrath of being unwanted.

Akechi has never learned otherwise. It's the chains that hold him in place, that hinder his growth. It's the chains that Ren, the trickster himself, is trying to break and show him differently. He loves Akechi, he isn't going anywhere.)

Be patient with yourself.

And when that anger boils over into hurting you?

[He does turn to look at Ren, then, meeting his eyes and refusing to flinch as he tries to convey just what it is that this comes down to. His outlets for containing that anger are violence. Ren knows that just as well as Akechi does. This latest incident is only the beginning.]

You fear people abandoning you when they learn that you were imprisoned. Are you not equally as afraid that I'll turn people against you through my own actions?

(Akechi is finally talking to him, and it would feel shitty to not be just as equally open and honest. His hand rests on Akechi's cheek, a gentle caress.)

Different trauma.

(Because it is a trauma. An unprocessed fear of being mistrusted brought by consequences of his rather fair and just actions.)

You react this way because it's what you were taught. I'd like to show you differently, if you'll let me.

(This conversation on itself is a start.)

Trauma.

[Akechi repeats it dryly, as if he can't quite believe that's the word Ren's chosen to use. It doesn't seem like the right word; he wouldn't call himself traumatized. He'd consider himself a highly-functional person, really.

But then again, that's a knee-jerk defensive response, isn't it? Maybe Ren's right. Hadn't he just admitted that he's not reacting to things in a normal way? He frowns, eyes flicking away from Ren's momentarily before he exhales a heavy sigh through his nose and turns more fully toward him, letting his forehead come to rest on the other boy's shoulder.]

Just don't treat me like a child, [he says quietly. An order, but as is so often the case with Ren, also a plea.]

(The promise Ren makes is initially a non-verbal one, an arm that gently snakes around the other's shoulders to pull him a little closer, a nod that confirms that he won't. As often is the case, many times Ren thinks he's displaying an act of affection and understanding, and Akechi processes it differently.

He too can do his part, find a way to make the other more comfortable and avoid these patterns of behavior. With the full knowledge that they aren't the most healthy couple, Ren can consider today a small step towards it. They'll get there one day.)

I won't.

[He closes his eyes and just lets himself rest against Ren's shoulder a little longer, allows himself to accept the arm around his shoulders. Perhaps these little gestures Ren offers aren't the empty reassurances one gives a child, but simply his attempt at affection. Perhaps, perhaps.

Cautiously, he lifts a hand and lightly grips Ren's waist, holding him back in a tentative hug.]

Tell me, [he murmurs without lifting his head,] What will you do if I continue to tear at the walls of Mementos?

Will you?

(He's not sure if Akechi is asking out of curiosity or intention. Technically speaking, Ren can't force Akechi into doing anything. That's not how leadership works, much less a relationship, and he has no intentions of ever being authoritarian in any position he ever holds, any role he might take up.

Ever so calm, Ren gently plants a kiss to the Akechi's head, awaiting an answer.)

This Mementos is alive.

[Something started screaming after he'd damaged it enough. Something forced him out of the underground. His fingers grip more tightly at Ren's waist, but his voice remains calm and certain.]

Or, it's connected to something that is. This is the first time that we've been able to affect a profound change in our gilded prison, Ren. Not simply the ruler of this place plucking things piecemeal from our conscious and unconscious thoughts, but a direct, immediate response to something done.

Edited 2021-01-23 21:37 (UTC)

Are you hurt?

(He asked before, but perhaps he didn't phrase it the way it would get the answer he was seeking. Akechi's got a point, and Ren's strategic mind starts working upon it.)

If that's the case, it's worth investigating. We need to make sure everyone is safe first, and we can hack it enough to see if we can draw the Void out.

(Ren's on board. Whatever happens next, they can face later.)

[He growls with annoyance when it seems like Ren's ignoring his observation, though it's quickly eased when the other boy continues. Instead, a smirk spreads across his lips, eyes brightening. Oh, yes. Yes.]

Fine. I'll agree to that.

[He surges up then and presses a kiss to Ren's lips, emboldened by the other boy's support. The quick motion sparks a hiss from him, though he's quick to pull back to reassure,] I'm fine. Cole-san gave me some kind of healing herb. The bandages shouldn't need to be changed yet.

(Oh, Akechi. Ren can't help but to smile against the lips, pulling him closer with the arm that was wrapped around his shoulders. As expected, the hissing brought concern over his features.)

Can I see?

(Like, he was going to see it sooner or later. Akechi can't sleep next to him while dressed, considering just how warm Ren is.)

[He almost says no. But it's true, Ren will see it sooner or later, and truth be told, it's a welcome distraction from the other boy picking into his own psyche. Akechi permits himself one more kiss before shifting back on the couch and pulling off his shirt, revealing a cross-cross of partially-healed wounds, most covered with bandages, some looking more like scrapes that had healed recently. Perhaps most importantly, the herb had almost entirely healed the wound on his face without scarring. That would have pissed him off to no end.

And, contrary to his words, some of them are too deep for bandages alone, but he'd planned to worry about stitches in a few hours. Testing to see if Cole's herb would heal them even without more conventional aid.]

(The kiss is reciprocated easily, gladly, and Ren retrieves his arm to make space for Akechi to undress. His eyes take in every injury, every cut, and his eyes goggle at the sight of deeper wounds that still bleed through the bandage.

Ren can stitch wounds, considering he couldn't have gone to Takemi after he was beaten into a pulp by none other than the police. It's still apparent on his skin, spots where the needle didn't stick quite right and the repeated action, permanent scars of all the kicks that assaulted his stomach, spots that still hurt when pressed hard. In the end, it had just been him and Sojiro. Akechi, on the other hand, doesn't have to patch his own wounds anymore.

Ren excuses himself, leaving a kiss on the man's forehead before he returns with the first-aid kit.)

Can we take care of it?

Don't look so pathetic, [he chides, as if the attention and the concern doesn't make him feel too much, like it always does. He clicks his tongue with some impatience, but just nods, starting to unwrap some of the cloth bandages. He can wash and reuse them later, considering that he doesn't want to waste their medical resources.]

I was testing to see if Cole-san's herb worked instantly, or had some lingering effects. I suppose it's been long enough to ascertain that it's more immediate.

[So, fine. Have at, Ren.]

I didn't know that existed.

(They should have a plant of it here, considering just how much Akechi had been stabbed/shot at/hurt the past few months. He only excuses himself to grab a vodka bottle to hand Akechi, as well as some clean rags to clean the wounds. Something to make the pain at least a little more bearable, he thought, coming to his knees in front of the other and applying the disinfectant on the rag.

Still unsure how infection works here, actually.)

Nor I. Apparently the leaves are for healing; either putting them on the wound, or just eating them directly. He mentioned using them for potions as well, but didn't know how to concoct them.

[He takes the bottle and wrinkles his nose a bit. Can anyone blame him for being a bit turned off to vodka after his last experience? Still, he can see the practicality in it and uncaps it to take a swig. Ugh.]

The flowers "cause heat." I had more pressing things to worry about than ask further at the time.

[A hiss as Ren starts to apply the disinfectant, muscles rippling a little in response to the pain.]

You're thinking of growing them here?

006 - Connecting Lines, Connecting Lives

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cw from here foward, stitches, needles, etc

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cw underage drinking

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