samsa | 007 | Text/Action for Goldenrod

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007 | Text/Action for Goldenrod

[Text]

[There have no doubt been plenty of people broadcasting their displeasure at the appearance of these creatures that have shown up, and even more talking about strange changes that have suddenly begun to take over their bodies within the last day or so. With each passing hour, the affliction seems to have affected more and more trainers.

At this point, though, Kaneki isn't interested in complaining about the situation on the Network, so he instead has a different question to ask.]

How long do you think this will last?

[That's assuming, of course, if this will even wear off...]

[Action near the edge of the city]

[Staying indoors is a solution that can only last for so long when your body is rapidly changing beyond your control. It started slowly as all things like this seem to at first, beginning with his aching leg and traveling outward from there to the rest of his body. While it wasn't particularly painful any more than the cut had been, it was an ache that settled into his bones in a way that was a little too familiar for his liking.

It wasn't like he had a whole lot of time to think about what was happening, at any rate. His first reaction to the change was initially to contact someone, but that never made it past being just a thought. For some reason, talking to anyone while like this was too daunting to think about, so he didn't. By now, though, he's wondering if maybe that wasn't the best idea.

Kaneki eventually has to leave his hotel room and wander outside thanks to a myriad of tentacles that now protrude from his shoulders and back, making it difficult to avoid undue property damage from being indoors. Not to mention the thick, purple substance that occasionally drips off of them, only to hiss and sizzle wherever it lands. At least going outside closer to dusk and away from the town's center made it less likely that he'd be spotted...maybe. None of his Pokemon are out with him, either, all either in their balls or back in his room. His Gear was left behind as well, so anyone trying to reach him right now won't get a response.

But now that he's out here...he honestly doesn't know what to do. He's had a day or so to actually quietly panic about the situation in private as the changes really took shape, leaving him at a bit of a loss afterwards. He doesn't want to be alone, not really...but he hasn't even gotten to a mirror to see what he looks like. He can't imagine it's good, and just not knowing for sure has his hands (which are blessedly still intact, compared to some) shaking a little at his sides, particularly when he lifts one up to hesitantly run his fingertips along the hard substance that has grown from the crown of his head down over his forehead and the bridge of his nose. It doesn't help that the growth has made it significantly harder to see in any direction that isn't straight on or slightly to either side, meaning that he wouldn't even be able to see if someone decided to approach from behind.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Are you sure? Might fit pretty well with Carrie.

[Or completely contrast her, but you know.]

I think you just like surrounding yourself with possessive Pokemon on purpose, Ken, you have a problem.

[Considering what happened to the owner of Christine and all.]

...you know I think I might name her Christine just because you said that.

[Is he kidding? Who knows.]

Ahaha, brat!

[Maka would reach out to push him, but the very very strong message of "DON'T." coming from Flash keeps her from it.]

Don't expect me to bail you out if she starts making you choke on a hamburger or something.

If she's that much like you that Soul felt like he needed to name her after you, then I'm not too worried.

[...thanks Dadkazam, because there's still a steady flow of poison dripping carelessly from those tentacles of his.]

...[And just like that, her expression flickers and falls into one of quiet thought.]

God, that was a long time ago...five years? It feels like a weird dream.

[And two years spent here, three years next year. She hasn't seen Soul at all in that time, vague memories of him from the first time around occasionally seep in but...]

...Ah, well, as long as you give her time alone to read, I think it'll be fine. [The Alakazam version isn't...as kind to nonsense, though.]

[Ah. Maybe he shouldn't have...no, it's probably fine. Maka has had a lot of time to reflect on her time here after all, hasn't she? He just nods to that, absently lifting a hand to again run it across the mask over his face.]

...did you know that I will have been here for a whole year in a few months?

Uh-huh. It'll be your birthday in a few months, too, and in February it'll have been a year since we met.

[...]

I guess you can call that a "friendiversary."

[That was stupid, Maka knows very well it's stupid, but she's shaking herself out of the Moment to smile so maybe it's all right.]

[Kaneki huffs out a soft laugh, lowering his hand back to his lap.]

I almost forgot about my birthday.

[He'll be 19, won't he? It doesn't even feel like it's been a whole year. It feels like so, so much longer.]

To think, we wouldn't have if it weren't for that dating thing.

[Maka's mind is like a steel trap when it comes to memories, but that detail inexplicably forces a laugh out of her--which is quickly smothered into her...uh, paws.]

Can you imagine explaining that to people from your own world? "Yeah this is my friend I met through a dating survey, we really hit it off." I think Soul would laugh himself into a coma, or say something like "of course you used that to find friends, like anyone would date you."

[...oh my god if he ever actually meets Soul he's going to punch him in the face. ...or not. Maybe.

...MOVING ON.]

Hide probably wouldn't be surprised at all. He'd be more surprised that I managed to get myself on a dating survey in the first place.

Hide?

[That's his Smeargle isn't--?

Oh.]

Ohhh...you named Hide after your friend, too. ...Geez, I hope you didn't think I was insulting you with complaining about Soul's Alakazam.

[Maka, Kaneki probably didn't take it personally at all, calm down.]

In retrospect, even if I didn't submit myself to it, I'm glad it happened--otherwise I wouldn't have found you.

No, it's okay. I don't think Hide would really mind...he'd probably tease me about it, if nothing else.

[But hey, what are friends for?]

I am too. I think you might be the one person I've met who loves books as much as I do.

Ah? As much? No way, it's definitely more, I'll fight you on that.

[Still teasing, of course Maka wouldn't fight him on that. Time could be spent reading instead.]

I didn't have any friends that liked books back at home. Liz would pull me into shopping trips or helping with her makeup, Tsubaki would be chasing after Black*Star the whole time, Black*Star is...someone that studies but still fails, Soul just talks about jazz music nonstop. ...Even Kid didn't, at least not in the same sense I did, he'd just relentlessly ask questions and do his own investigations, like the most obsessive compulsive junior cop in Death City.

[So it's pretty safe to say that even if Maka had a fair amount of friends, she still felt a fundamental lack of anything in common with them. Books. The most important thing.]

Ah, sorry, I rambled again.

[Kaneki shakes his head a little, making him more aware of the weight that still sits heavily on his skull right now.]

I don't mind. It's better than worrying about what's going on with us right now.

...but I'm still pretty sure that I like books more.

We'll have to see when this is over and we get back to my house, I do have a library there.

[Yeah. This is the good part about spending time with someone in this...uh, thing. Mock arguments and talking about books.]

Scar actually contacted me asking what he should get a friend for her birthday. I found out she likes mysteries, too. Seems like we've got more competition than just each other.

I don't mind. That means you'll just have more people to join your book club.

[...and, well, all she had to do is breathe the word library to make him anxious for all of this to be over so he can go hide in it.]

She is part of it, actually. Her name is Lust, I think she runs a radio show now at this point too.

[Being in familiar bookish territory is the best thing to look forward to.]

Man...it's been such a while since I've done anything with that. There's been so much going on.

[...]

It's your fault, you know, you're an incredibly distracting person.

You'll probably have plenty of time, once all of this is over.

[He lets out another sort of laugh under his breath, shaking his head a little.]

Sorry. I don't mean to be.

[This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme in his life, actually...]

Pft, I was just kidding--but then, considering our mutual lack of luck, I can believe this being a...thing with you.

[People tend to be inexplicably drawn to her, too, but outside of Johto it...wasn't exactly a positive thing. It was more like "being targeted."]

You can't really get away from that sort of thing...even here, I guess.

[But here it doesn't have such...heavy consequences, at least.]

For the most part it's okay, you can't get anything really bad out of it.

[...]

Except Clair probably still hates me for taking down her Gyarados with Bolt...and saying Gyarados isn't even a Dragon type.

[MAKA...]

Well...you aren't wrong. It isn't a Dragon type, is it?

No, it's Flying and Water, I guess it's just an aesthetic sort of thing? But really, Gyarados is more like a giant oarfish than a dragon. I don't get people who are obsessed with appearances over logic.

Maybe she figured that if a challenger didn't do their research, they'd assume all of her Pokemon were Dragon types...and end up at a disadvantage when Gyarados showed up.

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