It's been long enough for you to reach civilization. Do yourself a favor, then, since I won't ask you to do this as a favor to me: if you're currently in one of the inns, order whatever you like from room service and charge it to the room. Don't worry about expense, and don't question why.
Bear in mind that I've promised to not use your answers against you. Move now and do it, and eat when it arrives. You'll understand then.
[The implication of what he is reading strikes him as so absurd (and quite out in left field, admittedly) that he does nothing but sit there for the next minute or so before reading the message a second time to be sure he read it right.
...look he knows you said not to question why, but-]
[The thing is, it doesn't. Not really. Even now, food still looks appetizing to some degree, but that's the extent of it anymore.
He doesn't answer back for a while, namely because he's actually doing as Tsukiyama instructs and ordering something from room service. Coffee and a sandwich of some sort. Once it's there, however, he doesn't try eating right away. He kinda watches it from the edge of his bed, still not sure what to make of what Tsukiyama is telling him to do.
[He isn't going to force the matter, however; he figures that if Kaneki sits there long enough just...staring at it (if that is, in fact, what he's doing), the chances are decent that he'll eat eventually.]
I appreciate you talking to me like this, by the way.
[That's about the gist of it, and honestly Tsukiyama is right in thinking that. Even if it goes badly, he's not going to be able to just leave it forever.
The next thing Tsukiyama says causes him to pause, his grip on his Gear tensing slightly.]
They took you. That much was inevitable, I supppose, and whatever they were trying to do in finding you, they succeeded. Eventually, though, several from Anteiku set out to take you back.
[There's a brief pause before he continues.]
Yoshimura-san is an acquaintance of mine. I found out about what happened through him; he thought it better to make an ally of me, rather than an enemy.
[He can't imagine why he would have done that, but at the same time he doesn't ask. Tsukiyama wouldn't be able to tell him why his future self decided to do anything, after all. Right?]
[He actually knows full well why. At the same time, there's no decent way to put it. They can cross that bridge if and when they eventually get there, but for now, he's all right with leaving that as-is.
That question, though, will get an answer eventually.]
Banjou-san and I were two of those that you took with you.
[And here we go.]
It's as I've said - you haven't forgiven me. You don't keep me around because you like me at all, and I'm perfectly fine with that. You keep me around because I'm useful to you, both in terms of physical strength and perhaps more importantly, the information I'm capable of obtaining and then giving to you to use as you see fit.
The situation between us has changed, in other words.
[That, understandably, doesn't get an answer for a bit. Why he would choose to do that still digs at him, even though Tsukiyama provided that much. He keeps him around because he's useful...apparently.
But as it stands now, he isn't sure if he would be able to do that. It's a good thing this is over text, but it doesn't make his response feel any less lacking.]
Banjou-san is only off from me by a few days, in terms of what we remember. You can ask him about all of this, should you choose to; I think you know that he's trustworthy, just because he's obviously a terrible actor and he couldn't lie to save his life.
[TSUKIYAMA.]
Whether you trust me or not is another matter. I don't expect you to do that anytime soon, you know; I have more of a sense of what's realistic and what isn't than people seem to assume.
At the same time, you aren't alone here, either.
[...]
You might want to try eating whatever it is you ordered, if you haven't yet. It's been six days; you must want something.
[...you know the insistence that he eat is as strange as it was to begin with, only now he's both skeptical and curious. A morbid curiosity, sure, but.]
Well, yeah. But...
[After that he goes for the coffee at least, which he knows he can drink fine. It's not amazing or anything, but it's still better than nothing.
...God, he knows this is a bad idea. He can already taste it and it's literally all of the worst things he can imagine just looking at the thing. And really, it's just a h...am sandwich? Even worse, got to be.
After a lot of staring and weird looks from both Rikki and Carrie, he eventually snatches it up and takes a bite before he can change his mind.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[text]
It's been long enough for you to reach civilization. Do yourself a favor, then, since I won't ask you to do this as a favor to me: if you're currently in one of the inns, order whatever you like from room service and charge it to the room. Don't worry about expense, and don't question why.
Bear in mind that I've promised to not use your answers against you. Move now and do it, and eat when it arrives. You'll understand then.
[text]
...look he knows you said not to question why, but-]
I can't do that. You know I can't do that.
[text]
Just humor me, Kaneki-kun.
If it really disgusts you that much, don't touch it.
[text]
He doesn't answer back for a while, namely because he's actually doing as Tsukiyama instructs and ordering something from room service. Coffee and a sandwich of some sort. Once it's there, however, he doesn't try eating right away. He kinda watches it from the edge of his bed, still not sure what to make of what Tsukiyama is telling him to do.
Humor him? By what, making himself sick?]
I got something.
[text]
[He isn't going to force the matter, however; he figures that if Kaneki sits there long enough just...staring at it (if that is, in fact, what he's doing), the chances are decent that he'll eat eventually.]
I appreciate you talking to me like this, by the way.
[text]
The next thing Tsukiyama says causes him to pause, his grip on his Gear tensing slightly.]
Well...I'm humoring you. Right?
[text]
Of course, Kaneki-kun.
A few more questions, if you don't mind. Has anyone told you how time works here, with relation to how it flows back home?
[text]
Someone told me that...while you're here, time back home stops. It makes it like a dream that way.
If you go back, you go back to where you were before. Nothing changes.
[...]
But you won't remember being here.
[text]
It's still December for you, isn't it?
[text]
[text]
It's early July for the rest of us.
[text]
So you're from a later time.
[Which is redundant because obviously he is, but it's still strange for him to think about.]
[text]
Do you want to know anything about it?
[text]
...I don't know.
Is there anything I need to know?
[text]
You survive whatever happened as a result of Aogiri Tree attacking Anteiku.
[text]
Though, as much of a relief as it is to know he didn't get killed, he still can't help but pose a question after a pause.]
Can you tell me how you know that?
[text]
They took you. That much was inevitable, I supppose, and whatever they were trying to do in finding you, they succeeded. Eventually, though, several from Anteiku set out to take you back.
[There's a brief pause before he continues.]
Yoshimura-san is an acquaintance of mine. I found out about what happened through him; he thought it better to make an ally of me, rather than an enemy.
Anteiku went after you, and I went with them.
[text]
I see.
...were they able to take me back?
[text]
You chose not to return to Anteiku after everything that had happened. You set out on your own, taking a group of people along with you.
[text]
Is there anything else?
[text]
That question, though, will get an answer eventually.]
Banjou-san and I were two of those that you took with you.
[And here we go.]
It's as I've said - you haven't forgiven me. You don't keep me around because you like me at all, and I'm perfectly fine with that. You keep me around because I'm useful to you, both in terms of physical strength and perhaps more importantly, the information I'm capable of obtaining and then giving to you to use as you see fit.
The situation between us has changed, in other words.
[text]
But as it stands now, he isn't sure if he would be able to do that. It's a good thing this is over text, but it doesn't make his response feel any less lacking.]
And you're telling me the truth?
[text]
[TSUKIYAMA.]
Whether you trust me or not is another matter. I don't expect you to do that anytime soon, you know; I have more of a sense of what's realistic and what isn't than people seem to assume.
At the same time, you aren't alone here, either.
[...]
You might want to try eating whatever it is you ordered, if you haven't yet. It's been six days; you must want something.
[text] 1/3? probably
Well, yeah. But...
[After that he goes for the coffee at least, which he knows he can drink fine. It's not amazing or anything, but it's still better than nothing.
...God, he knows this is a bad idea. He can already taste it and it's literally all of the worst things he can imagine just looking at the thing. And really, it's just a h...am sandwich? Even worse, got to be.
After a lot of staring and weird looks from both Rikki and Carrie, he eventually snatches it up and takes a bite before he can change his mind.]
[text] 2/3
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