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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]

Maybe.

[He's quiet for a moment; thinking, really.]

I suppose I've just been a bit restless lately - I don't miss the way things were in Tokyo, per se, but all of that would at least be familiar in a way that a lot of things in this world aren't.

[deaftly]

Yeah... I kinda miss it too. Or at least, I really miss murdering people.

[preybeforemeals]

[...Naki, were he anyone else he probably wouldn't have laughed at that, but you know what, here we are.

That does kind of beg the question, though - ]

So would you go back, if given the chance?

[deaftly]

[Naki tips his head a bit at the question, obviously deep in thought.]

Well... I mean, I'd like to go back to being a ghoul. If I could be a ghoul here, that'd be ideal. There really isn't much for me back home though. There's Aogiri and they don't want me, so...

[He trails off with a shrug.]

[preybeforemeals]

[...Ah...]

What do you mean, they don't want you?

[deaftly]

Well, I mean that they don't give a shit about me. I'm not allowed to do anything on my own. It's a pain. I mean it's not like I like most of them either.

[preybeforemeals]

I understand, I think - after all, I'm not exactly everyone's favorite person either.

[To put it gently.]

But you're fine here...? You like it well enough, I mean.

[deaftly]

Yeah, of course! I've got a lot of friends here and the Inkays... it's pretty nice here, but I mean if I was a ghoul things would be better.

[preybeforemeals]

That would mean no more cake, you know.

[And that's entirely facetious, but still.]

[deaftly]

...Ahh--!

[LIKE THIS HADN'T OCCURRED TO HIM???]

N-No more cake...!! Shit, what would I do without cake!?

[preybeforemeals]

[MONSIEUR

MONSIEUR NO]

Ah, that is a bit of a problem, isn't it...now that you've experienced it and everything...

[deaftly]

Oh god, how could I ever go back!? How could I live without cake!?

[SEND HELP, MAN DOWN]

[preybeforemeals]

[YOU ARE SUCH A MESS]

Well, we lived just fine without it before; I'm sure you'd manage, somehow.

[deaftly]

But now that I know the taste, how could I possibly live without it!? Nothing will ever compare!!

[And as usual, Naki looks like he's going to start crying.]

[preybeforemeals]

...You know, I've actually experienced a similar sentiment before - you find ways to work through it, believe me.

Granted, sometimes it's because someone dragged you through it, but the sentiment remains.

[deaftly]

Yeah, I guess that's true. There's no point to be so upset about it, you've just gotta do what you can and move forward, right?

[...He gets the feeling that this isn't talking about cake anymore...]

[preybeforemeals]

[Well, actually he was referring to just kind of going "FUCK IT" with regards to being discerning for a while after the whole Kaneki thing started, because nothing else he did was ever going to live up. :|a So it's not explicitly talking about cake, but it technically is still talking about "this thing I want to eat to the exclusion of literally goddamn everything."

Shuu Tsukiyama: Often not nearly as deep as anyone thinks he is, unless it's by total accident.]

Something like that, I think.

It is good to know you're enjoying yourself here, however.

[deaftly]

[LOOK HE TRIED, HE'S NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN, HIS HEAD HURTS]

Of course! I mean, I'm a little antsy now, but it's not like it's all that bad. It could be a hell of a lot worse!

[preybeforemeals]

[NO NO HE'S ACTUALLY PROUD OF YOU YOU TRIED REALLY HARD TO MAKE A METAPHOR

IT JUST

WASN'T QUITE WHAT HE WAS GOING FOR THIS TIME...]

Well, yes - when it comes to all of the strange situations we could have been thrown into with absolutely no warning, this is one of the nicer ones, I'll admit that much.

[deaftly]

[METAPHORS FUCKING SUCKS HE'S NEVER DOING IT AGAIN!!!!]

Yeah, it definitely is! I mean, this place would be worse if you weren't here, but we showed up at the same time so that's good!

[preybeforemeals]

[...Ah.

That...seems to strike him strangely for a moment, though he relaxes quickly enough.]

...It truly has been good getting to know you here, monsieur. It's an opportunity we wouldn't have had otherwise; I've been enjoying it while we've been given the chance.

[deaftly]

[Naki nods and grins widely.]

It is, yeah! It would've sucked if we'd never gotten to know each other like this. I'm really, really glad we got that chance here! You've been really fucking good to me!

[preybeforemeals]

Well, perhaps you deserve to have someone be kind to you once in a while.

[deaftly]

I... yeah. Thanks.

[It's such a stupid thing to get sentimental over, but here he is, kind of on the verge of crying again. Thanks, Tsukiyama.]

[preybeforemeals]

[...He knows.

And there's something about all of this - the earlier mention of Aogiri, discussions Tsukiyama's had with other people that touched on this sort of thing - that's striking him a bit oddly; he hesitates for a moment, not because he isn't sure of what he wants to say, but because feelings are difficult and stupid and he isn't sure he wants to say it in the first place before just sort of going on ahead with it anyway.]

I do mean it, you know. I'm good to you because you deserve it, and because you're...worth being good to. Don't let anyone - Aogiri or otherwise - tell you that you aren't, and don't let anyone say that you're not valuable, because you are.

All right?