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[deaftly]

--shit's supposed to record my voice? Why the fuck would I want to leave a message on this thing anyway? They should know who the fuck they're calling if they're calling me in the first place, and obviously I'm not gonna pick up if I don't like them so...

What do you mean it's already recording?

Comments

[preybeforemeals]

See to it that you keep it that way.

[deaftly]

You don't need to tell me that!!

[preybeforemeals]

I'd certainly hope not.

[He's not sure why he's getting so irritated about this; it's not worth fighting over, they've verified that much several times. Just the same, there's something in it that makes him prickly, and he has to bite it back harder than he'd like.]

There's another concern as well, you know, that we haven't discussed.

[deaftly]

Yeah? What is it?

[preybeforemeals]

Do you know a man who goes by Greed?

[deaftly]

Oh yeah, I know him. We've spent some time together since he got to the city. What about him?

[preybeforemeals]

Does he know about you?

[deaftly]

About me...? No, of course not!! You think I'd just tell someone about that!?

[...Though he knows that Naki isn't human, given how he reacted...]

[preybeforemeals]

...Relax, monsieur. I'm asking because I think he suspects something about me - he's been asking me pointed questions since I arrived.

Though this also begs the question of whether you know about him. Has he told you...?

[deaftly]

Yeah, he did that to me too until I told him to knock it off.

[...It didn't go that smoothly and he knows it.]

Told me what?

[preybeforemeals]

That he's not human either. He's not like us, but he's definitely not human.

[deaftly]

...I'm not really surprised by that. I mean, with a name like Greed there's no way he'd be just a normal human!

[preybeforemeals]

It could be another case of "painfully obvious alias," but I'll grant the point anyway.

...He said something to me, about something he suspects is going to happen soon. Once every six months or so something goes strange with the region, for about three days.

Those that weren't human previously are returned to the way they were for those three days. Don't out yourself.

There's also the chance that people we know will arrive here, only to leave again at the end of those three days.

[He does hesitate then, as though trying to figure out whether what he wants to say is a good idea or not.]

I'm told that those people are often ones that are close to us, and according to what I've heard sometimes the dead are brought here, alive again. I thought you ought to...be aware that that might happen.

[You know, in the event of goddamn Yamori.]

[deaftly]

[Naki takes all that in silently, but it's not until Tsukiyama hesitates for a moment that it all falls into place. Tsukiyama's worried about Aogiri showing up, right? It makes sense, if anyone from Aogiri shows up and he lets them know about the situation here, they could try to provoke him into breaking the four gem lions truce with Tsukiyama.]

Well you don't need to worry about that. I'm not going to listen to what they say if they're only here for a short period of time. There's no point in it. I mean it's not like anyone that important will show up--

[That's about when the weight of what Tsukiyama sinks in and Naki stops speaking, eyes widening as he stares at the device.]

...You don't think...? But that's not... I mean, people can't die here maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that...?

[It's stupid to get his hopes up, he knows that much. There's no coming back from the dead, no matter what this place might do. It's not possible for Yamori to show up here. Right?]

[preybeforemeals]

...I don't know, amore. People have posted to the network claiming that they died wherever their home is.

[He shakes his head once that's out there.]

Listen to me, mons-

[He cuts himself off. Starts again.]

...Naki. There's no guarantee that it'll happen, do you understand? Greed-san said he's been here for some time now and he hasn't seen anyone he knows, he just knows that people have had it happen to them. So it's possible that he won't.

At the same time, you ought to know it's a possibility.

[deaftly]

[He's silent for a moment, carefully taking that in. Naki isn't the sort to sit and think things through and he certainly isn't the sort to try to handle whatever emotional stress this is bound to bring one way or another, but he's actually attempting it for once in his life.]

...Okay. Okay. It might happen, it might not happen. I'll just wait and see what happens.

[...]

And hey, you actually called me by name for once!

[That's much easier to focus on and Naki brightens almost immediately.]

[preybeforemeals]

[...THAT IS MUCH BETTER, YES, THANK YOU.]

You're one to talk, you know.

[deaftly]

What are you talking about?

[preybeforemeals]

Sometimes I wonder if you know I have a name that isn't 'Americano.'

[deaftly]

Well of course you have a name!!

[............he thinks??]

[preybeforemeals]

Obviously.

[Sir...]

You never use it, however, is the point.

[deaftly]

Well, yeah. It'd just feel weird after all this time, you know!?

[...he tried??]

[preybeforemeals]

[.....................]

...Do you know what it is?

[deaftly]

Of course I do!! What the fuck would make you think otherwise!?

[Aside from all the very obvious signs??]

[preybeforemeals]

Go on, then.

I want to hear you use it once for me.