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Doc.

Ichinose's not always good at picking up tones and subtext, but that was obvious enough that it clicked - and plainly, too. She tilted her head a bit in thought, expression softening to curiosity at Zenkichi.

"Hmm. So you do know a Takuto, yourself," she observed, a less fake but certainly enigmatic smile on her face. The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened, and without further comment, Ichinose stepped out before Zenkichi could make a grab at her and started towards the food court.

The curiosity aimed at him, paired with the enigmatic smile, felt so strange. A blank face, a fake placid smile that felt like someone had surgically put it on her or the worst when she looks so utterly satisfied with herself.

He wanted to bite back. He wanted to shut up and bury the idea of bringing his past up with Ichinose of all people. She didn't have to make that observation now, did she? Or was it just because she was surprised?
Did Dr Maruki keep quiet about what they had talked about in the bar? Over drinks? Is that how dodgy he always was and Zenkichi was too dug up in his shit not to realize it?

"What about it?" he asks shockingly, keeping his expression even but casual as he follows behind her when the elevator reaches the designated floor. Even when he hears more voices and people.

"It's nice to hear he has something like a friend in one of these worlds, for one. He always seems so lonesome," Ichinose chuckled as she walked, able to relax and not need to constantly watch Zenkichi with the staff and the cameras watching. "Sometimes because he's done something abhorrent and deserves it, sure - but surely they can't all be like that. I wonder what each Takuto is really like."

Zenkichi's frown grows with Ichinose's comment. The chuckle felt so out of place here- does she not consider him a friend?

Not to mention, as things stand, he's watching them. Maybe he can't hear them? ~~What a great friend you have made, Takuto...~~
The bitter thought comes and leaves.

"..funny of you to assume we were friends," he says while looking away and makes a note of the path. Wait, hasn't he seen this sign before? Ah, well a lot of cognitive spaces look the exact fucking same sometimes- where the hell is she taking him?

"I was a patient assigned to him while he prepared me for my surgery. That's all."

"Oh, yes, that's all," Ichinose sarcastically chuckled back, turning down a corner towards the staff entrance of the cafeteria. "I shouldn't be surprised that his kindness even got through to your grumpy attitude. For once you and I have a friend in common."

With one last turn, she opened the door to the kitchen.

...Which was a mess. A pot turned over with spilled soup on the floor that a staff member was dutifully mopping up, a giant scratch on the refrigerator doors, and of course... a completely shattered coffee pot.

Scowling, crossing her arms, Ichinose turned around and gave Zenkichi the firmest disappointed, annoyed look.

"You really couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"Of course, that's how you see it," he rolls his eyes at the idea of him being grumpy. He's got plenty of things to worry about, then try to rectify his image before Ichinose (oh the sheer horror of it) as he pauses for a moment to look at this place.

The signs at the top, directing someone to different areas like the Food Court and the Kitchen just ahead..

And so he earns another loud and angry comment from Kuon the moment he follows up behind her, eyes closed as he thinks deeply over the layout of the palace and how much he's covered. "What the hell's your problem now? I didn't even- Oh.

He stops, noticing the mess. The spilt soup, scratched refrigerator doors, and the one cognitively mopping it with no complaint.

He raises a brow, a wry awkward smile which feels too unbecoming of the Wolf from before- "Uh...probably why I was thinking that this place looked too familiar. Ahaha. "

"All of this and for what? To kill a few shadows? Are you too proud to be asked to be invited in? Aren't you older than I am?" Ichinose scolded, her stance even more like that of a disappointed teacher.

Zenkichi's face twists into a befuddled expression.

"The hell do you mean by that? I didn't even have to enter a name or type of distortion on the metanav to get in- why would I ask for an invite into an open cognitive space-?" he shakes his head. "That's textbook definition of getting killed even if I just shared my location."

"Besides, what else do you do when a shadow lunges at you if not try to protect yourself or in my case- hit them with a megidolaon. Hug them? Honestly, maybe I don't want to know; given your weird goddamn answers."

Edited 2025-06-22 00:30 (UTC)

"You getting escorted directly inside by Takuto himself? Of course the shadows wouldn't get violent. I've never been attacked once."

Disappointment.

"You could have messaged him and he'd lead you right inside! Do you even use that brain of yours?"

"Oh, shut up!" Seriously. She's really asking him that?

"As if he would just let me walk around his palace freely and go into other rooms, authorized by personnel. Why the hell would he take me around and give a free tour of his place? Or need I remind you that our collaboration has nothing to do with the fact that half of this realm wants to infiltrate this place and get rid of it?"

"And I am no fucking different."

"It's Takuto. He absolutely would have given you a tour of the whole place."

"Uh huh."

Zenkichi folds his arms to his chest. "Do you know where his treasure is then?"

"Why would I need to ask where his Treasure is?"

"His treasure is the reason behind everything that he's doing right now, after all," he explains- remembering what Drake had told him about Masayoshi Shido. He was compelled to believe that most palaces worked this way.

"From what I can tell he wasn’t as transparent with you then." He chuckles. "Not that I am surprised."

Given he himself had no clue that a Takuto Maruki could...show this kind of face.

Edited 2025-06-22 09:17 (UTC)

"Hah. Hasegawa... did you want to go peek at Takuto's heart? That'd be like snooping into someone's bedroom, don't you think? Uncouth."

Zenkichi bends down slightly, if only to find the remnants of the shadow he had thrown at this machine almost about an hour ago. Or less but really- what Ichinose says is enough to make him. Pause.

"Nope." He throws his hands and decides he's not even going to try and apologize for the property damage. If Maruki wants to collaborate with this weirdo that's not on him. "I am going to pretend that I didn't just hear that from you. You're the one who's uncouth, if anything."

He instead decides to grab one of the mugs where one would usually be able to drink their coffee from- only slightly cracked off at the rim. He sets the cup down on the not-disintegrated part of the counter and pulls out his usual decanter.

"Drinking in the middle of the day. Good grief," Ichinose rolled her eyes, turning to the shadow that was dutifully setting up the wet floor sign. "Say, do we have replacement coffee machines? Sorry this reckless bull of a man caused such a mess for you."

The shadow nodded, casual with Ichinose, and shuffled off - presumably to some other spot where it made 'sense' to retrieve a new coffee machine. In the meantime, Ichinose opened the fridge, plucking one of the fruit parfait cups out of the shelves on the door and popping off the plastic top.

"Scoot," she ordered, pushing against Zenkichi's arm to get him out of the way of the spoon drawer.

"Better drunk then listening to your bullshit," he counters as he pours the whiskey into the cup. Maybe he likes the change of scenery with an actual cup rather than his usual vintage decanter.

Staking his claim on the spot, he ignored Ichinose as she went about apologizing to a shadow. The whiskey as always, tasted horrible but with no coffee in sight and dealing with this woman for any longer than necessary was a punishment. This Maruki has to be some sort of masochist or something.

While lost in thought and savoring the adult beverage like any responsible man should, Ichinose suddenly comes close.

"...!"

The Unhuman grabs the coming wrist and hauls it up- away- picking up Kuon in the process.

Zenkichi draws in a snarl, alert as he is and wait it out for her to do something when-

A faint whoosh cuts through the silence. A siren.

"Don't. You. Ever-"

With a slosh and then clambering of footsteps, shadows manifest around them. Looking similar to the rest of the recipients, they wear white clothes and masks holding spirals within, holding their clipboards in hand as if ready to round up the disobedient intruder to a corner.

The Wolf, one hand holding a mug with whiskey and the other with Kuon's wrist and her meeting him eye-to-eye by holding her up like this, stalls. Eyes widened. Anger imminent.

Edited 2025-06-25 16:54 (UTC)

Though there'd been a shocked inhale, a gasp, and a grimace from the unexpected ache of being held up entirely by her arm - Ichinose's mask fell as she held her breath.

The tightness in her brow relaxed, a little, from seeing the shadows surrounding Zenkichi after that abrupt, violent movement. Despite her own heart pounding and her shoulder muscles stretching more than she had ever stretched them, she tried to pull her wrist free, using her other hand after having long dropped the parfait to push at his hand to feebly resist his grip.

But, she was just a person. And he was a cybernetic soldier.

"Put me down," she said flatly, legs kicking a bit as she tried to get some kind of traction to free her wrist, "put me down right now."

He called it. He knew it- this is how she always looks. With that cold look in her eyes that trigger his urge to pull the trigger and get away.

But he can't run. Any sudden movements and he might be in range of attack. This many shadows at once would be...difficult, especially with Ichinose and her void-like stare, the type similar to the mad goddess in his world.
Eventhough as of now, all he's seeing is her again. Surrounded by her shadows.

CLASH!!

He stretches out his hand to keep that firm distance between them, lips quivering as his cup shatters next to the collapsed parfait.

"I would've if they didn't show up," he counters. "Tell them to step back."

"That hurts-- I'm not controlling them, you're the one being a violent freak right now...!" she hissed, the commotion summoning even more staff dressed as orderlies to surround the two.

The shadows seemed only hesitant because they weren't meant to harm Kuon, herself. One moved forward and attempted to gently grab the woman, while one from behind moved and grabbed at Zenkichi's collar far more roughly than Ichinose had been handled.

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