consultation 007 // [accidental video]
- shut it off, I told you to shut it off, shut it off!!
[Tonegawa's hand yanks back from where it flailed out at the laptop, clenched to knuckles threatening to burst through skin, and the glimpse of his face in profile is twisted with fear and horror and loathing; his eyes are fixed on some far point in the general direction of the door, but what ( Read more... )
[Tonegawa's hand yanks back from where it flailed out at the laptop, clenched to knuckles threatening to burst through skin, and the glimpse of his face in profile is twisted with fear and horror and loathing; his eyes are fixed on some far point in the general direction of the door, but what ( Read more... )
Comments 120
Is this a good time to thank you for all the referrals to my jewelry store?
[Translation: should she comment on what she just saw or avoid doing so?]
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It's fine. I'm sorry you had to witness that... unfortunate accident. [His tone is polite enough, but there's a certain chippiness under the surface that he's obviously struggling to disguise.]
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Oh, no trouble. Is there some restaurant I should be avoiding?
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To be quite frank, I'm still not entirely certain what might have caused it.
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I'm glad you found it so amusing.
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He’s seen that look, heard that desperate, hysteria before. The buzzwords- “electricity”, “fall”- only serve to confirm what he’s thinking. It’s been a year now but suddenly it feels like yesterday as the memories resurface before he can stop them, emerging from the darkest part of his mind like sharks from the blackest, deepest ocean.
A cold sweat spreads over him, rolling down his back, making his hands damp and clammy. His stomach twists.
He has no idea what’s going on but for some reason, he finds himself calling out, his body reacting ahead of his mind.]
T-Tonegawa…! [and then again, louder, voice cracking] Tonegawa-! Get a hold of yourself-! Calm down and focus!
[It barely registers that he’s used these words before. Back then, Tonegawa was on the other side of the beams.]
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Tonegawa doesn't respond for a long while, far longer than it took him to reply to anyone else. The irony is sickening; there's almost certainly some cosmic deity sneering at the role reversal, the fearful symmetry, the all-too-deliberate, fell swoop of karma.
He doesn't want to speak. He'd rather forget that Kaiji ever saw anything. There are ways to scramble for his pride before anyone else, but in front of Kaiji he's as vulnerable as a snail without a shell- the man understands both him and the situation with unmatched clarity.
He's stubbing out his fourth cigarette when he answers, and his voice is beyond tired.]
Save your breath, Itou.
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The irony of the situation only hit him afterwards and now he’s caught somewhere between disgust and pity, silently hating himself for ever drawing the comparison between Tonegawa and his companions. The more he thinks about it, the less comfortable he is with the fact that, deep down, he thinks of him in a similar way as them and has done ever since Hyodo-
No. It's not the time for that.]
… are you okay?
[Kaiji can’t look him in the eye.
He wants to ask the other man if he understands now but he won’t.]
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Fine. Perfectly fine.
[Sharply and uncomfortably spoken, as though coaxed out at gunpoint.]
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That won't be necessary. I simply had a minor accident.
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[He tails off, finally noticing that he's never seen the woman before.]
Ah, excuse me. My name is Tonegawa Yukio- you are...?
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Sir, are you alright now?
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Perfectly fine. My deepest apologies for causing such a scene. [Sorry that he had to be humiliated like that, that is.]
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No need to apologize, sir. It's good that you seem to be feeling better.
Do you...think you might have accidentally eaten something? Like a drug? It might look like something harmless like a breath mint.
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A breath mint? ... now that you mention it... [he breaks off, frowning] That's rather specific, isn't it?
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