[Gee, doesn't that sound terribly familiar? Diluc would not consider himself an insincere person, but when he reflects back on the last four years of his life and then further back onto the boy he used to be, the difference is awfully stark.
The question remains, however, which Diluc is the real Diluc and which is the mask. He contemplates it, brow furrowed in thought. He's never met someone who understood the feeling as well as Akechi seems to. Is that a good thing? Bad? Foreign as it is, Diluc doesn't yet know.]
That's the danger of lying to yourself— you become a stranger to your own eyes. For what little it's worth, I understand.
[But what more can he say? Opening up... No, that isn't for him. Not anymore. convince him to drink and play some darts akechi]
[His posture is less tense, now. While he hates talking about the specifics of his situation, because he hates pity more than he hates himself, and people generally tend to pity that which is pitiful, it's... cathartic, to vaguely discuss Shit That Sucks with someone who understands. He appreciates Diluc a bit more, now.]
[Idly, he runs the palm of a gloved hand along the top of his forearm in something of a nervous gesture, staring long and hard at the ground between them before he snaps his head up with a funny sort of grimace.] Perhaps this is presumptuous of me, but... Being that we have an understanding of unfortunate circumstances, maybe we ought to keep in contact, moreso than the intent of this island requires. [He can't assume he'll be permitted friendship, given the last time it was attempted he regurgitated it in a full-on tantrum in the belly of a cognitive yacht like a cat who ate a bunch of grass.] There's... I hear there's a dart board at one of the local taverns. Have you ever played? [701 and 701 only is in your future, Diluc.]
[Ah. Diluc doesn't hear offers like these often, but... well, he gives it some actual thought. Considering what they have in common and their preference for meaningful conversation, what would it hurt to spend more time with Akechi?
After a moment's consideration, Diluc nods. Darts, eh? They're going to get along just fine.]
Naturally. [And he's quite good at darts to boot, but he'll leave Akechi to discover that on his own.] If you aren't occupied, I'll take you up on a game of 701.
[Ask him about the time he got so turnt he shattered a vase with a dart, Akechi.]
[Listen, Akechi has asked exactly one (1) other human to play darts with him in his entire fucking life, he's more than a little awkward about the suggestion of enjoying time spent with a person.]
[Regardless, when Diluc suggests 701 he smiles before he realizes it, the expression startlingly genuine. It makes him look younger, somehow, closer to his age instead of a grouchy old man.] Ah, so you're proficient. That's good to hear.
[Diluc might have to segue that one on his own, Akechi lacks the social graces to ask for personal anecdotes, he just word vomits and trauma dumps at random.]
[Similar as they are, Diluc's upbringing goes a long way to helping him keep conversations going when need be. He isn't a fan of small talk, but a bit of it is necessary to segue into more interesting conversations.]
Darts is a favorite hobby of mine alongside chess. I don't believe in doing things in half measures, so of course I'm proficient.
[...Yes, he's a noble, but he's a jaded one who doesn't care to blunt his tongue in company like Akechi's. Simply put, he can't imagine he'll mind it much.]
[Brothers from another mother..., Except they probably share the dead moms club hat, too, why are they just the same person. Akechi hums in thought, nodding with a surprisingly genuine smile to his features.]
I don't have a lot of experience with people my age, to be entirely honest, so it's quite pleasant that we have common ground.
[Another commonality they share: they interact more with people older than them as opposed to peers. As they approach the tavern, Diluc opens the door to allow Akechi in first. Force of habit, don't worry about it. He's not calling Akechi a delicate little lady by any means.]
I took over my late father's winery not too long ago. As you might expect, a lot of the people I work with are older than myself.
[And it sounds like Akechi knows the struggle, so...]
[Akechi stares Diluc down for a long handful of seconds while he holds the door open, trying to decide between his pride and the polite response. His shoulders, tense and squared off as they always are, release a fraction of their pressure along with his expression, and Goro files away another bit of information he has in common with Diluc. He strides inside with a shallow bow and a smile, pivoting to face him once inside.] Thank you,
[A hum, and he takes better stock of the tavern around them. It's mostly to avoid looking at Diluc while he decides how much truth and how much lie to feed him.]
I worked with the police during my third year of high school, but beyond that I'm just a student. [The whole psychological assassin thing is more of a party trick to pull out when he wants to sound impressive, maybe.]
[...Ah, so Akechi is involved with law enforcement. Diluc feels a few different ways about that, but none of those feelings are pressing enough to derail their conversation with. He'll see what caliber of man Akechi is in due time.
The tavern is nothing special, certainly not by Diluc's measure, but he's gracious enough to order himself a glass of grape juice and whatever Akechi might like before they make their way over to the dart board.]
Interesting. You must be quite diligent if you're able to balance both your studies and a career. How are your grades?
[Just curious, schoolboy. While Akechi answers, Diluc is assessing the condition of the darts looking over each of them with meticulous focus.]
[Well, his preference is a Mauser, so maybe-- oh he doesn't mean guns, does he. Have fun with that one, then, Diluc.]
[Akechi takes note of Diluc ordering grape juice, of all things, and orders something colorful with an umbrella in it to look like a cocktail with no alcohol. He sips it idly as they make their way to the dart board, chuckling.] I wasn't top of my class, simply for missing marks on attendance, but there wasn't much they taught I couldn't learn on what little of my own time I had.
[He takes note of the fact that Akechi has ordered a cocktail sans any alcohol, but he's underage, isn't he? Not so young that Diluc would say anything if he'd ordered a proper drink, but he notes it all the same.
As for the dart board... well, it's clearly seen better days, but it'll have to do for a quick round of 701. He hands Akechi his darts after balancing each on the tip of his finger, ensuring the weight is equally distributed across each and every one.]
I see. You sound quite confident of that.
[Which isn't a bad thing, of course, but it's what Diluc uses to determine which of them is going first, motioning for Akechi to step up to the board first. Show him what you've got, schoolboy.]
Well then, can I assume you've taught yourself how to play darts as well?
[He's letting Kaeya be his bridge to alcoholism, and on his own doesn't trust himself to do much of anything under its influence, especially not throw tiny pointy metal projectiles in a public setting. The last thing he needs here is to actually accidentally kill someone. He'd much rather it be intentional, you see.]
[He follows Diluc's example when handed darts, inspecting them but somewhat less meticulously. Mostly he skims his fingertips over each of them and then weighs them like those weird little floating birds of the 90s, or like he's Thanos with that pretty little knife. When he's nodded forward to play his hand first, he smiles, ducking into a shallow bow and stepping up.]
[He looks over the board a moment and selects a dart, turned sideways to throw it with his left hand. Given he literally never hits anything but a fucking bull in the game, that's precisely what he goes for with all three of his darts. His fingers curl into his palm when he turns to face Diluc-- he almost reached upward to high-five him.] Floor's yours.
[Oh? Pretty impressive, but Diluc is just as much of a showoff, collecting those darts and stepping onto the line. His leading hand when using a blade may be his right, but he throws darts with his left, aiming not for the bullseye but for the triple 20.
He lands all three handedly — 180 points — and turns to Akechi. What was it he nearly went for? A high five? Diluc raises his hand to offer him just that.]
[Goro is hardly a stranger to dissociation. He's probably actually more a stranger to going longer than a day or two without dissociation in some degree-- anytime he had to deal with Shido in person, he had to schedule himself at least a solid hour of brainless activities so he could simply exit his body and look down on himself from somewhere else. Frequently this was spent reading and/or participating particularly viciously in a Reddit thread, or playing Gun About, or sometimes killing shadows on upper levels of Mementos. Regardless, when something startles him so much that he is veritably bodied out of his own skin by it, it's a little disorienting.]
[Such is the case as Diluc throws his triple 20, his pupils dilating in a sudden lack of focus as he watches the dartboard. He blanches a solid two shades when the redhead then raises his hand for a high-five, feeling the skin of his neck and his scalp prickle uncomfortably. For a moment his vision swims, and Diluc is replaced with a reedy, slim-shouldered boy with a wild shock of untamed black hair and thick-framed glasses, piercing silver eyes and a grin sharper than a blade. He sucks in a sharp breath, closes his eyes to get rid of the hallucination (it remained, etched into the backs of his eyelids as though engraved), and steps forward to clap their hands together neatly as he opens them again. Diluc's words filter into his mind as though the tavern were underwater, but Goro claims his darts again regardless, warbling a vague, wordless sound as he steps past him back to the board.]
[He angles himself sideways again, this time the arm tucked at his side pressed just slightly against his stomach to abate the nausea of the memory. If he takes a moment to close his eyes with the grip of his first dart against the bridge of his nose, well-- maybe Diluc won't raise attention to it.]
[Draw attention to it...? Akechi draws attention to himself well enough. There's a shift in his demeanor that doesn't go unnoticed, a glint in those red eyes so familiar to Diluc that it's almost nauseating.
Every hair on his body stands on end. Every nerve struck. There's something about Akechi, and whatever it is grabs Diluc's attention and refuses to let it go. He watches him with rapt attention, but he's barely watching the board. It's Akechi alone who holds his focus now.]
[He probably should have thought ahead when darts were suggested. Sure, he liked the game, but he should have expected the unfortunate memory of Akira Kurusu being conjured into his mind. He hates it, because does that mean he can't functionally do any of the things he once did with or around the thief? Is jazz going to be forever tainted with multicolored drinks in pale hands, straws between pretty lips?]
[He misses the dartboard entirely.]
[He's also nearly hyperventilating, so he takes his remaining to darts with him to extract the one from the wall about four inches to the left and down, and turns to Diluc with posture wound so tight he looks a bit like he's being puppeteered, speaking thinly.] Apologies, [He can't come up with an excuse to leave, and he certainly isn't going to ask to rethrow his wayward dart, but now he also can't even begin to crunch out how he's meant to proceed with his score. So he just stands there, trying so hard to breathe normally he's circled back around to taking in over-exaggerated lungfuls of air, holding them, and exhaling in odd bursts.]
[Every other blink Diluc looks like Akira. He's going to be sick if he keeps looking at him, so he averts his gaze to the ground, curling his fingers so tightly around his darts the leather of his gloves creaks.] ...I'm sorry.
[No, no, what point would there be in asking to continue on when Akechi is clearly unsettled? By what, Diluc does not know, and by what he won't inquire, aware enough to leave the man be while knowing too little to pry. It's better that they end things here.]
Take a seat, will you? I'll fetch us some water.
[He doesn't wait for a response before urging the darts out of Akechi's grip and setting them back by the board, wandering to the bar to return with two glasses of water.]
...I won't ask what it is that stirred such a reaction out of you, but I'd suggest you don't indulge it.
[Whoever or whatever Akechi sees when he looks at him? He shouldn't. To that end, a suggestion.]
We'll refrain from playing darts in future meetings. If and until that feeling in you passes, I'm not wont to bring it out of you a second time.
[Diluc knows all too well what it feels like to suffer the afterimages of people no longer here, of old memories turned bitter with time. He won't afflict Akechi on purpose.]
[He does as requested, mostly because he's pretty sure if he doesn't sit down his knees will drop him, and he carefully draws in a breath to hold. He exhales slowly, counting backward from ten, and is drawing in another lungful of air when Diluc returns with glasses of water. He's startlingly gracious as he takes it and sips at it carefully.]
...the way you play reminds me quite starkly of someone from home, is all. It'll pass. [He does appreciate Diluc's directness, but he also refuses to allow the ghost of Akira Kurusu in his mind's eye to permanently ruin darts for him.] I'm sorry for dissolving our game, perhaps I will have my wits about me in the future to request a rematch.
[That concession is more than good enough for Diluc. He nods, settling back and eyeing the door. No doubt Akechi could use some time on his own to get his wits about him again and we need to end this thread and start a new one for feb, winks.]
Think nothing of it. I'll give you your space, but if you fancy another game in the future, you'll know where to find me.
[With that, Diluc turns to leave. With any luck, any future games they may have will go a little more smoothly. Oh, and good luck with your Akira problem, bro. Sounds rough.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
The question remains, however, which Diluc is the real Diluc and which is the mask. He contemplates it, brow furrowed in thought. He's never met someone who understood the feeling as well as Akechi seems to. Is that a good thing? Bad? Foreign as it is, Diluc doesn't yet know.]
That's the danger of lying to yourself— you become a stranger to your own eyes. For what little it's worth, I understand.
[But what more can he say? Opening up... No, that isn't for him. Not anymore.
convince him to drink and play some darts akechi]no subject
[Idly, he runs the palm of a gloved hand along the top of his forearm in something of a nervous gesture, staring long and hard at the ground between them before he snaps his head up with a funny sort of grimace.] Perhaps this is presumptuous of me, but... Being that we have an understanding of unfortunate circumstances, maybe we ought to keep in contact, moreso than the intent of this island requires. [He can't assume he'll be permitted friendship, given the last time it was attempted he regurgitated it in a full-on tantrum in the belly of a cognitive yacht like a cat who ate a bunch of grass.] There's... I hear there's a dart board at one of the local taverns. Have you ever played? [701 and 701 only is in your future, Diluc.]
no subject
After a moment's consideration, Diluc nods. Darts, eh? They're going to get along just fine.]
Naturally. [And he's quite good at darts to boot, but he'll leave Akechi to discover that on his own.] If you aren't occupied, I'll take you up on a game of 701.
[Ask him about the time he got so turnt he shattered a vase with a dart, Akechi.]
no subject
[Regardless, when Diluc suggests 701 he smiles before he realizes it, the expression startlingly genuine. It makes him look younger, somehow, closer to his age instead of a grouchy old man.] Ah, so you're proficient. That's good to hear.
[Diluc might have to segue that one on his own, Akechi lacks the social graces to ask for personal anecdotes, he just word vomits and trauma dumps at random.]
no subject
Darts is a favorite hobby of mine alongside chess. I don't believe in doing things in half measures, so of course I'm proficient.
[...Yes, he's a noble, but he's a jaded one who doesn't care to blunt his tongue in company like Akechi's. Simply put, he can't imagine he'll mind it much.]
no subject
Chess, as well? We have quite a lot in common.
no subject
That seems to be the case. It isn't often I run into people around my age with similar interests.
[They're both elderly............]
no subject
I don't have a lot of experience with people my age, to be entirely honest, so it's quite pleasant that we have common ground.
no subject
I took over my late father's winery not too long ago. As you might expect, a lot of the people I work with are older than myself.
[And it sounds like Akechi knows the struggle, so...]
What do you do, Akechi?
no subject
[A hum, and he takes better stock of the tavern around them. It's mostly to avoid looking at Diluc while he decides how much truth and how much lie to feed him.]
I worked with the police during my third year of high school, but beyond that I'm just a student. [The whole psychological assassin thing is more of a party trick to pull out when he wants to sound impressive, maybe.]
no subject
The tavern is nothing special, certainly not by Diluc's measure, but he's gracious enough to order himself a glass of grape juice and whatever Akechi might like before they make their way over to the dart board.]
Interesting. You must be quite diligent if you're able to balance both your studies and a career. How are your grades?
[Just curious, schoolboy. While Akechi answers, Diluc is assessing the condition of the darts looking over each of them with meticulous focus.]
no subject
[Akechi takes note of Diluc ordering grape juice, of all things, and orders something colorful with an umbrella in it to look like a cocktail with no alcohol. He sips it idly as they make their way to the dart board, chuckling.] I wasn't top of my class, simply for missing marks on attendance, but there wasn't much they taught I couldn't learn on what little of my own time I had.
no subject
As for the dart board... well, it's clearly seen better days, but it'll have to do for a quick round of 701. He hands Akechi his darts after balancing each on the tip of his finger, ensuring the weight is equally distributed across each and every one.]
I see. You sound quite confident of that.
[Which isn't a bad thing, of course, but it's what Diluc uses to determine which of them is going first, motioning for Akechi to step up to the board first. Show him what you've got, schoolboy.]
Well then, can I assume you've taught yourself how to play darts as well?
no subject
[He follows Diluc's example when handed darts, inspecting them but somewhat less meticulously. Mostly he skims his fingertips over each of them and then weighs them like those weird little floating birds of the 90s, or like he's Thanos with that pretty little knife. When he's nodded forward to play his hand first, he smiles, ducking into a shallow bow and stepping up.]
[He looks over the board a moment and selects a dart, turned sideways to throw it with his left hand. Given he literally never hits anything but a fucking bull in the game, that's precisely what he goes for with all three of his darts. His fingers curl into his palm when he turns to face Diluc-- he almost reached upward to high-five him.] Floor's yours.
no subject
He lands all three handedly — 180 points — and turns to Akechi. What was it he nearly went for? A high five? Diluc raises his hand to offer him just that.]
Try your best.
[Was that a taunt?]
holy maladjusted youths batman
[Such is the case as Diluc throws his triple 20, his pupils dilating in a sudden lack of focus as he watches the dartboard. He blanches a solid two shades when the redhead then raises his hand for a high-five, feeling the skin of his neck and his scalp prickle uncomfortably. For a moment his vision swims, and Diluc is replaced with a reedy, slim-shouldered boy with a wild shock of untamed black hair and thick-framed glasses, piercing silver eyes and a grin sharper than a blade. He sucks in a sharp breath, closes his eyes to get rid of the hallucination (it remained, etched into the backs of his eyelids as though engraved), and steps forward to clap their hands together neatly as he opens them again. Diluc's words filter into his mind as though the tavern were underwater, but Goro claims his darts again regardless, warbling a vague, wordless sound as he steps past him back to the board.]
[He angles himself sideways again, this time the arm tucked at his side pressed just slightly against his stomach to abate the nausea of the memory. If he takes a moment to close his eyes with the grip of his first dart against the bridge of his nose, well-- maybe Diluc won't raise attention to it.]
THAT'S THEM
Every hair on his body stands on end. Every nerve struck. There's something about Akechi, and whatever it is grabs Diluc's attention and refuses to let it go. He watches him with rapt attention, but he's barely watching the board. It's Akechi alone who holds his focus now.]
no subject
[He misses the dartboard entirely.]
[He's also nearly hyperventilating, so he takes his remaining to darts with him to extract the one from the wall about four inches to the left and down, and turns to Diluc with posture wound so tight he looks a bit like he's being puppeteered, speaking thinly.] Apologies, [He can't come up with an excuse to leave, and he certainly isn't going to ask to rethrow his wayward dart, but now he also can't even begin to crunch out how he's meant to proceed with his score. So he just stands there, trying so hard to breathe normally he's circled back around to taking in over-exaggerated lungfuls of air, holding them, and exhaling in odd bursts.]
[Every other blink Diluc looks like Akira. He's going to be sick if he keeps looking at him, so he averts his gaze to the ground, curling his fingers so tightly around his darts the leather of his gloves creaks.] ...I'm sorry.
no subject
Take a seat, will you? I'll fetch us some water.
[He doesn't wait for a response before urging the darts out of Akechi's grip and setting them back by the board, wandering to the bar to return with two glasses of water.]
...I won't ask what it is that stirred such a reaction out of you, but I'd suggest you don't indulge it.
[Whoever or whatever Akechi sees when he looks at him? He shouldn't. To that end, a suggestion.]
We'll refrain from playing darts in future meetings. If and until that feeling in you passes, I'm not wont to bring it out of you a second time.
[Diluc knows all too well what it feels like to suffer the afterimages of people no longer here, of old memories turned bitter with time. He won't afflict Akechi on purpose.]
no subject
...the way you play reminds me quite starkly of someone from home, is all. It'll pass. [He does appreciate Diluc's directness, but he also refuses to allow the ghost of Akira Kurusu in his mind's eye to permanently ruin darts for him.] I'm sorry for dissolving our game, perhaps I will have my wits about me in the future to request a rematch.
no subject
and we need to end this thread and start a new one for feb, winks.]Think nothing of it. I'll give you your space, but if you fancy another game in the future, you'll know where to find me.
[With that, Diluc turns to leave. With any luck, any future games they may have will go a little more smoothly. Oh, and good luck with your Akira problem, bro. Sounds rough.]