route_1065 | And The Walls Came Tumbling Down

This isn't what I had in mind when I asked for a moment of peace and quiet...

[The scenery is fairly serene for an area called The Lake of Rage. The young man doesn't seem out of place in the area, especially with that belt of pokeballs at his hip. Despite the calm, there seemed to be storm brewing within him.]

[Banjou hasn't ever been to The Lake of Rage before. He's actually not quite sure what he's doing here, because the last thing he remembers is being in Goldenrod.

But that white haired man is familiar even if everything about this isn't.]

Kaneki?

[If he sounds stunned, it's only because he is, standing some distance away looking like he's seen a ghost.]

[Though he has been shaken out of his reverie, he's not to bothered by it. Banjou was a typically peaceful person. It was safe to be around Banjou - he as constant, unchanging - ... and he didn't sound calm at the moment. It didn't put Kaneki at ease.]

...Yes? [If he seemed tense before, he was even more on edge now. Why was Banjou so surprised to see him? Admittedly, the surroundings were unfamiliar, but it wasn't as if Kaneki had changed too much since their last meeting.] ...Is something the matter?

[He doesn't know where to begin.

Even though he knew it was possible, it wasn't something Banjou had thought about before.]

I haven't seen you in two months.

[Banjou knows how strange that probably sounds so he's going to continue.]

Time works differently here. I've heard when people leave, it's like no time has passed at all, but time passes here anyway.

Edited 2014-11-28 11:49 (UTC)

[Was that supposed to make sense? Since it was Banjou telling him this outlandish story, there was chance it was true. Kaneki shakes his head, a small smile on his lips.]

It sounds like a plot out of a science fiction novel, Banjou-san.

[Strange, yes, but the truth was always odd. Kaneki would gladly accept any story Banjou told him now. He was knew that given time, he would wake up to find it was all a dream. As far as his dreams went, this one was wonderful.]

It could be an alternate dimension. Or a wormhole.

[He was grinning despite himself. Though he wanted to remain cautious about such a place, there was an obvious appeal to an alternate reality.]

What have you been up to in your other life?

[It's outlandish and ridiculous, and probably something Banjou should have handled with a bit more grace, but when has he handled anything with grace?

He would make a comment about how he's fairly sure it is an alternate dimension, but it's a little too stupid, even for Banjou.]

I've been doing alright.

It's not so bad, living with the animals this place gives you.

[That certainly sounded as if Banjou was doing well in this place. Of course he would be safe in Kaneki's mind. It wasn't as if he would want to conjure up a memory in an area as idyllic as this. He knew that he had never been to a lake like this before. Perhaps his mind decided to show him something new.

Or, perhaps despite his good intentions towards Banjou, he really didn't believe that any of his surroundings were real.]

These animals must be something special. Are they companions?

[Or, if he follows the sci-fi theme his dream has set, they might be bio-engineered. He's sure that cannot be the case, even as he lets the though slid out of mind.]

[Kaneki, if Banjou has heard of Pokemon and you haven't....]

Something like that. They're pretty smart and make good companions.

[He'll spare you from the talk about how they all come from eggs because that does sound like something from some sort of horrible sci-fi movie.]

This is a nice place, Kaneki, even if it doesn't look real. I'm sure you'll find something you like about it.

[Hey hey hey that was more Hide's thing... He has heard of it but never played. His aunt would have never let him own a game boy...]

[At this point, Kaneki would be willing to accept any explanation from the uncanny valley, so long as it gave a meaning to where he was. Again, it was easier to be here and talking about something so outlandish than to consider the reality. ...But as pleasant as this was, it couldn't last. He didn't want to hold on to this place any more than he had to.]

That is the thing with dreams, Banjou-san; there is always something to like about them.

Where are the others? [Particularly Hinami. Especially Hinami. She would need to have a special place in this dream land.]

Tsukiyama-san is here.

[He... wishes the others were, too. Hinami and Banjou's own followers. But no one else has shown up, except for Naki, and.... honestly Banjou isn't sure if Naki and Kaneki ever met so let's just... not.

Kaneki is strong enough that Naki probably won't be much of a threat. Unless Naki tries to challenge Kaneki to a Pokemon battle, but that seems... pretty slim, honestly.]

My dreams aren't this creative, believe me.

[But he's... trying to smile.]

[And just like that, the smile vanishes. In fact, it would almost seem as if Kaneki has rolled his eyes at the very notion of Tsukiyama existing in a dream.]

Is that so.

[This dream hasn't turned into a nightmare but the edges are slightly frayed. Then again, it would have been out of place to have Banjou without Tsukiyama. Unfortunately, a sword and a shield were a pair.

Banjou's efforts haven't been ignored. Kaneki wants to tell him that this is his dream. ...But as a leader, he shouldn't bring down the other members of his team so bluntly.]

...Has he behaved himself? [Has he lived up to his infamy, even in this place?]

[It's awkward to talk about, but he and Tsukiyama have been getting along okay. It's not like this place has turned them into best friends or anything that ridiculous, but they're not enemies.]

As far as I know, he hasn't gotten himself into trouble.

[It's not like he can actually cause any damage here, but that might take too long to explain to Kaneki right now. Tsukiyama might be the Gourmet, but he's still a ghoul, after all. Blending in is just how they do things.]

[Well, then.

Tsukiyama had, at the very least, been prepared for whatever physical changes may be set to occur this weekend, as well as whatever...effects may come with that particular territory; thankfully he is neither ravenous nor interpreting himself as being under some sort of threat, despite the weirdness of the day, so it seems things can be business as usual as long as he's careful about it, and he's spent enough time at uni to know how to be careful about it.

...He hadn't been prepared for the warping in-and-out of places. That's both new and really disorienting, and he doesn't appreciate it very much. Merci et baissez-vous, Johto, he didn't really need this today.

But after a moment of getting his head back on properly...well, it would be a bit of a shame to not actually see what the new surroundings have to offer him, wouldn't it? They are rather pretty, if a bit secluded; the heavily wooded area around the lake has lost most of its autumn color after the flurries, but what remains of the snow is nice as well.

He breathes deep; his senses feel so much more awake now, and the air has that sharp heady scent that cold tends to bring with it, but it isn't until he approaches the large clearing toward the center that the chill shoots through him.

If he were to be asked, he wouldn't be able to say whether it was the sight of that white-haired figure or something else entirely that did it; he just knows that something in his chest has tightened to the point that he has to remind himself to continue to draw breath, and his hands have found the lapels of his coat – not alighting there gently as usual, either, his fingertips are clutching at the fabric and burying themselves hard against his chest.

Stop it. Breathe.

He isn't sure where the thought comes from but he obeys, and he's a lot calmer for it as soon as he does, and when he approaches he's smiling, his hands forced down to his sides, and he's tense as though he's tempted to reach out but he's settling for just letting his fingers curl inward a bit; it's a very open gesture, full of confidence and energy, and even if his words mostly live up to that sense of energy there's a definite sense of breathlessness to his voice that he can't quite shake off.]

Kaneki-kun! I knew you would join me eventually – and I've been waiting for so long, but now that you're here it's as though it was nothing – have you only just arrived?

[It hasn't been weeks since he last encountered Tsukiyama. It was a merely two hours ago that the man came to his room and offered to be the dagger under his pillow. There was no reason to bring up the past at the moment. Answers were far more important to him, and Tsukiyama was normally a man with answers and riddles and questions of his own.

Kaneki did not expect to see Tsukiyama so soon, but he did appreciate the company. The books hadn't helped as much as he would have liked them to. Instead they filled him with empty and horrible thoughts. Yet, seeing that lake before him was soothing in a way that ... pulling weeds could not.

Still, whether this was a dream or not, it was intrusive of Tsukiyama to come near him so soon. He didn't need companionship from someone as duplicitous as the ghoul behind him. He only needed his strength, his mind, his temporary loyalty.

Kaneki hardly offers more than a slight glance over his shoulder. There was s certain level of danger with allowing only the barest of movements. He should face Tsukiyama head-on. He shouldn't allow him the opportunity to surprise him from behind and yet... there was no real danger in allowing this. He could defend himself. There was a lake. No one would be the wiser.]

I don't remember agreeing to anything, Tsukiyama-san, much less joining you by a scenic lakeside.

[If he wasn't so sure that it was just another one of his dreams, he could have relaxed. Time and again his mind played one too many tricks on him. This was no exception. There is a cold edge to his voice as he slowly turns around to face the other man completely. If there was an attempt to remain conversational, it is fleeting and fragile.]

...How long have you been waiting?

[To his credit, Tsukiyama draws up a reasonable distance away; intrusive though he may be, he knows better than to get too close without announcing himself. He doesn't seem off-put by that edge to Kaneki's words, however; if anything, it centers him, refocuses him a bit.

That smile is still present, and it colors his words; there's warmth to it in contrast to Kaneki's coldness, but it's difficult to say exactly how genuine that warmth may be.]

It's easiest to say that it's been a while, for the time being.

[And if it's evasive it's not intentionally so; it doesn't answer the question, but that's due to not wanting to immediately start in with "two and a half months." That's a bit...much, he suspects, and since he normally has no gauge or filter for what can be considered "a bit much," it's safe to say that if he's seeing it as such, it's probably a bit much.]

Not to avoid the question entirely, of course - but has anyone explained the current situation?

[He imagines not; it's going to irk him slightly if someone has, really, but he'll cross that bridge when they arrive at it.]

[It hardly puts him at ease to hear such phrases. He excepts a level of evasiveness in Tsukiyama's words, and that he hears. There isn't much he wants to say in return.

Information was easier to gather when one was quiet or when one used their own methods to extract it. The latter wouldn't do him any good and the former was a tried and true method. He shook his head, just once. Kaneki watched Tsukiyama with an impassive stare, carefully gauging the impact of his solitary action.

There was the possibility that this was not a dream, however fanciful that may have been. Even in his dreams, Tsukiyama would remain the same.]

Explain. You've been here long enough to understand the situation, it seems.

[He seems to relax a bit at that, honestly, one of his hands settling itself on his hip; he flutters a little bit with the other one before seeming to settle, almost as though he's tempted to touch his face in some way before he stops himself, diverting the motion to let his fingers settle against his chest instead.

It's a lot of movement, but a lot of movement is common for him; it's when he goes still that there should probably be concern, because that's a sign that he's considering something and if he's considering for that long, it's probably something he shouldn't be.]

Rubato - of course, Kaneki-kun.

It seems time flows a little differently here, and we have no say over when we arrive or whether or not we can leave; I've been here for over nine weeks - it will be ten on Sunday, in fact - and Banjou-san has been here for almost as long.

I'm told that our absence won't be noticed back in Tokyo, nor will it have any affect on what's happening - which I find unbelievable, but judging from what Banjou-san has told me about the last thing he remembers happening, I have no choice but to accept it to be true. I recall more than he does.

[His words are even, perhaps uncharacteristically straightforward; a blunt delivering of information, nothing more, because that's what he's required to do right now.]

[He mulls over this new information, a slight furrow of his brow the only indication that he had any reaction to their situation at all.There was a reason why Tsukiyama was trusted for his information. He knew how to gather it and how to deliver the segments that were most important.

Still, his gaze is focused on the lake, its dark depths as much a mystery as the one presented to him. If he shared the same memories as Tsukiyama, it would put them on equal ground. If Tsukiyama knew more than him - it wasn't a thought that sat comfortably with him. Kaneki was already at a disadvantage - though it hardly bothered him. If need be, there were ways to get what he wanted that didn't involve a simple exchange of words.

For all of Tsukiyama's exaggerated movements, Kaneki reflects the exact opposite. He slowly turns away from the lake, taking firm and steady steps towards the other ghoul. The distance between them is little more than a stride or two.]

...I don't imagine you and Banjou-san have remained in each others company. There are still pieces missing from this puzzle, Tsukiyama-san.

[He is not in the mood to fish for answers nor is he willing to ask questions at the moment. Rather, it is something he must do. Gathering information, remaining one step ahead of others, juggling his knowledge as he sees fit... this was his life now, a web of lies and misconstrued details.]

No, we have, actually.

[His gaze had darted a little at Kaneki's approach, the effect not quite submissive but it's close, his eyes sliding half-lidded and angled off to look somewhere between Kaneki's left shoulder and the ground; he does return his attention to his face when he's addressed, however, and outwardly he's maintaining the sense of calm that he's been presenting, though it's...difficult with him so close.]

Banjou-san and I have remained in steady contact, if not physically in each others' presence. We've both been aware that a day may come that you would be brought here, as we were...we imagined it wouldn't be looked highly upon if our alliance were to dissolve so easily.

It's been trying, of course, but we've managed well.

[...In other words: We've been trying to tolerate each other for your sake. No one has been punched in the face yet, and no one has died!

This is a triumph, HUGE SUCCESS, etc.

...look it's probably a little sad but they tried

As it is, there's still the implied question of What have you been doing all this time? to handle; he's not...entirely sure how to answer that one so easily.]

There's someone from Aogiri Tree here as well - I suppose I should be grateful that it's Naki as opposed to someone higher up the chain of command, but I've been handling him as well. I've been keeping him close for the sake of being able to keep an eye on him; I have him on a rather tight leash by now.

He's a simpering lapdog, nothing more; he knows nothing about you or the rest of us, and I'm more than willing to cut him off should the need arise, but I imagined it would be prudent to have some way to monitor whether anyone else that will present a problem has come here. So far, no one else has.

And The Walls Came Tumbling Down

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