AKIRA

[voidbreaker]

Comments

[survivaltricks]

As long as it helped.

[sage nod. also he gestures to his coffee]

Do you want some, by the way?

[voidbreaker]

Sure, if you're fine sharing.

[ that grip on his coffee seems a bit intense. akira has been reunited with the true joy of life. ]

...

You up for talking about what happened, or do you wanna leave it alone?

[survivaltricks]

Wouldn't offer if I wasn't. Do you drink it black?

[already pouring Ash a cup, but. he's silent at that question as he does so]

. . .

I'm. . . all right. [for a definition of "all right"] Talking about it won't change anything.

But if you want to talk about it, then we can.

[voidbreaker]

Yeah. Black's fine.

[ there's a pause, before he snorts and waves his free hand. ]

I'm not here to be a therapist. I mean literally - what the hell happened to turn someone into a rat? If there's some occult magical crap going on that throws a wrench into everything.

[survivaltricks]

[ah. that's what Ash meant. in that case, talking about it is probably a very good idea]

I kind of assumed there was occult magic crap going on from the very beginning, actually.

[he lets out a huffed noise, half-indignant and half-annoyed]

Remember that announcement from the beginning of the week? I asked Pumpkin-san about it.

She said they're so frequent that she just tunes them out.

[SO LIKE. . . THE MANSION? TOTALLY HAUNTED]

[voidbreaker]

[ OH GOOD. THE OCCULT. HIS FAVOURITE THING. ]

I mean. I would too if they’re happening all the time.

[ he moves the ice pack off his hand and wriggles his fingers experimentally, with only the littlest of winces. ] But... it’s weird that we only see three people from this place, yet stuff like the whole mansion being cleaned overnight and enough food for everyone showing up at set names keeps happening like clockwork.

I can only think of one person who could run a ship that tightly and she ain’t here.

[survivaltricks]

[SORRY ASH YOUR LIFE IS SUFFERING]

Plum-san is presumably the one cleaning the mansion overnight, but she absolutely has to be inhuman to accomplish such a feat. And although-- to me-- it seems like Plum-san, Peach-san, and Pumpkin-san don't necessarily enjoy working for Master Blue. . .

I wonder if part of them are afraid of their Master?

[voidbreaker]

[ HE DOESN’T WANT SUBCONSCIOUS INFLUENCES TO MURDER THANK YOU NO THANK YOU GOOD SIR ]

They sound protective of him. But also ticked off by him? Monobun was pretty blunt about not appreciating surprises, and if the surprise is “murder” then I can’t say I blame her.

... if the guy has enough cash to keep a mansion running, hosting this many people and keep it apparently secret from the outside world, then he’s definitely packing cash. Jury’s out on any magical crap though. [ but lbh ash’s life is a giant joke on him specifically so there is definitely “magical crap” going on. ]

[survivaltricks]

[there is definitely "magical crap" going on I'm sorry Ash]

I don't know. It's hard to say.

[. . .]

I don't know anything.

[and he sounds a bit frustrated by that]

[voidbreaker]

[ covering his ears la la la la la la la la la la la ]

None of us do.

[ and there is nothing more annoying than being in the dark about something — especially when it involves literally a person’s life. And your own life. ]

So, we press whatever we can until it cracks and spills its secrets. Or yank it out from their bare hands if we have to. They owe us that much.

[survivaltricks]

[takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly, as though steeling himself]

They do.

[his hands clench into fists at his sides]

And I don't intend to take any of this lying down.

[voidbreaker]

[ ash gets up again, opening up the fridge this time and digging out what looks like a pudding cup? it's sweet? eh. fine. he'll eat it, he's hungry. ]

If you did you might as well be saying "end it now", huh?

[ he drops back into his seat with a spoon, and cracks the top of the dessert open. ]

[survivaltricks]

[watches ASh do that, his stomach rumbling lightly. ah, right. . . he should probably eat, too. he hasn't been able to since yesterday's trial]

Yeah.

[sits up a little straighter and takes a sip of his coffee]

And that isn't my style.

[voidbreaker]

[ sometimes food is important. also, hi akira’s stomach. ]

There’s a couple more in there. Not the sweetest, but that’s not a bad thing.

[ ... ah, good old stubborness. It gets you far. ]

Yeah. [ things might be complicated back home right now, but — ] I’m kinda tired of dancing around to someone else’s tune.

[survivaltricks]

[HI SAYS AKIRA'S STOMACH]

Mmm. . .

[Akira's mouth curves into a grin, partially hidden by the mug of coffee]

. . . I'm glad to hear that. Really.

[voidbreaker]

[ FEED YOSELF. ]

...

[ ash just raises an eyebrow. ]

You really think I look like someone who just wanders wherever I'm told to? [ Excuse. ]

[survivaltricks]

Not at all.

[a thoughtful hum]

You look like the hard-boiled rebel type who is secretly soft on the inside.

[voidbreaker]

[ wow ]

Wow.

You make me sound like a fictional detective.

[survivaltricks]

I think the colloquial term is "tsundere."

[voidbreaker]

[ Excuse me. ]

A what.

[survivaltricks]

Nothing.

[HE JOKES]

Rest assured I wasn't comparing you to a detective, though.

[cops suck]

[voidbreaker]

[ S Q U I N T ]

...

I’m not a detective kinda person, anyway. [ he doesn’t like pancakes enough ]

[survivaltricks]

Neither am I.

[AND THEN BECAUSE AKECHI CAN'T HEAR HIM]

Detectives suck.

[voidbreaker]

[ say it louder, and he might get the creeping feeling someone’s gossiping about him ]

Yeah? Anyone involved in the law usually works for whoever’s paying their paycheque, no matter what they say. Covering shit up when it doesn’t suit, twisting the narrative to fit their plans.

[survivaltricks]

[MAYBE HE WILL SNEEZE]

[Akira's expression twists a little at that, unpleasant memories rising to the surface. he huffs, but it's annoyed, and followed up by a shrug that's meant to dismiss the sudden surge of bitterness he feels]

Yeah, that sounds about right.

. . . positions of power make it easier to keep the people they dislike down, too.