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[dollmaxing]

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Hiiii! You've reached Ichinose Kuon, head of AI research and development. Leave a message and I'll get back to you!

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[dollmaxing]

Giving the lingering tentacle a fond wave with her fingers, Kuon calmed and opened the door.

Unfortunately, she would have to keep pretending in front of the Hasegawas. They were still on a hair trigger, eager for her to 'prove them right', to come off as the horrible villain they want her to be.

Still - she'd demand an apology. She deserved one.

Gradually she made her way back, taking her time on the walk there to clear her head. Upon re-entering the IT room, she gave Takuto a grateful smile and returned to her desk, dropping into her chair and scooping up the mug of coffee made just for her. Mmm... tasty as always.

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi had settled back in the IT room, leaning against a wall while observing the workings of the mechanical turnings of each machine here. His insides buzzed with the remnants of the stabilisers flowing through his blood vessels and the electrodes pumping through.

There was Takuto, setting Kuon's mug on her table with a small thermos in his hand. There was a stupid cartoon tiger printed on it. What fun.

He hadn't spoken a word even when Takuto greeted him, only nodding lightly but really- he doesn't know if he could look him in the eye again. Especially when his shadows had surrounded him and Kuon like that.
Terrifying. They were both terrifying.

He knew he could fight them off. He knew he could still put a bullet in Kuon's skull if push came to shove, but it was completely unsettling when Takuto still smiled at him like that. Like his Maruki did.

When Zenkichi didn't respond to his words, Takuto had chuckled lightly and decided to stay close to Kuon's desk. Tch. Whatever. Soon enough, Ichinose came to the room, announcing her presence with the slightest wave of her hair trailing behind her in the air.

Akane's words echoed in his head.

"She touched your arm, Wolf. That's not war crime territory. You think I didn’t see what happened? You grabbed her like she was a damn enemy combatant. You need to stop looking at her like she is her. Distrust her, sure. Don't provoke her to do shit which will make you regret everything!"

"I get it. You’re angry. You’re broken. We all are. But if you’re gonna fly off the handle every time someone brushes past your trauma, then you shouldn’t be on the field."

A silence follows that hangs like static in the air. Zenkichi’s jaw tightens. Akane watches him, unmoving.

Then softly, she continues, "I don’t want you to get hurt."

That sentence—barely a whisper—slips out before she can stop it. It sounds... childish. Human. Too raw. She instantly frowns and looks away, arms crossing.

"—Not because I care or anything. Just... I need you functional. So stop being a pathetic wreck and take your meds on time. I shouldn’t have to track your heartbeat just to know you’re spiralling."

She...always said words that cut him deep.

Once Takuto was happy with Kuon's approval, he walked up to him with the thermos.

"Oh, here we go," Wolf muttered. "Stop pitying me, damn it."

Takuto held out the thermos.

"..."

"It's not poisoned."

"Oh yeah?" He tilted his head at him before glancing at Ichinose. Just sitting there, innocently. That bitch. "Well, even if it was, I am immune to it, so sorry about that."

"Oh-kay, I will just-" Takuto backed up with one raised hand. "You said you wanted coffee earlier, so I got some for you, but if you don't want it, I will just keep it aside, alright?"

"Just be her goddamn guard dog, will you?" He sharply murmurs those words at his face, raising his head to look at him but keeping his voice lowered so only Maruki can hear him. "I already warned you about her. I told you what happened with the Maruki in my world, so quit. The. Niceties. I don't need it from you."

Takuto sighed as he set the thermos on one of the centre tables. Still in close proximity to Zenkichi which makes him roll his eyes.

[dollmaxing]

"That venom would be warranted if I were the Ichinose Kuon from your world. Streaks of greyed hair, right? Quite a bit older?" she asked blithely, still holding the mug cupped in her hands to let it warm and steady her fingers. "Doesn't know the Phantom Thieves. Never worked with them. Quite a different person."

She paused to take a long sip, the warmth a comfort and matching the pleasant numbness that Azathoth had given her. From over the lip of it, she gave Zenkichi a scathing glare with a plastered on smile.

"Probably unwilling to even consider helping dismantle her creation. Probably wouldn't even do it to alternate world EMMAs unless her own was on the line. I doubt she'd ever consider doing something responsible to help another universe in peril."

1/2

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi returned her glare with his own and the way she went on and on and on was exhausting enough that Takuto's presence was grounding. Nearly.

Heard the voice- smooth, self-soothing, curling smug around the facts she could twist just enough to sound helpful. Heard the way she said "your world" like it was a story she wasn't part of. Like she could stand outside it and analyze it under a microscope.

When she was done speaking, he let out scoff.

"She wasn't older. Not where it showed on her face."

His voice was dry. Firm. Too calm.

"Emma kept her young. Made her clean. Untouched. No sleep. No hunger. Gave her white hair that resembled its own form. So much so she could show up as literally anyone."

Eyes narrowed just slightly behind his mask.

"Because she'd already stopped being human." The tone was even because really, he had no use of trying to spare her time and energy.

"And you would be surprised with how desperate that Kuon is to keep her dolls alive."

2/2

[unit_8910_wolf]

His lip quirked up from the side.

"You really don't know yourself, do you?"

[dollmaxing]

Ichinose's gaze sharpened, dropping the pretense of a smile. What the fuck did this dog know about knowing oneself? All he has to do is behave and follow orders, kill when told. Probably kills even without being told.

"Do you think you'd be recognizable to yourself from before your world's EMMA?"

[unit_8910_wolf]

That's right.

Don't mask. Don't act polite for the sake of it, Kuon Ichinose.

Her question does make him pause for a moment however, considering her words carefully. If he could see himself from year 2016- would he be able to recognize all the faults? All the terrible terrible ways he had failed everyone around him?

"Probably not," he shrugs- not taking her question seriously at all. That's what she would want. "He had a bad back, for one."

[dollmaxing]

He paused - that's all she needs to see to know that he did think about her question. He didn't need to answer it aloud for her.

"So, no, naturally... I don't know the Ichinose Kuon of your world. She's not recognizable to me in any way."

[unit_8910_wolf]

Before Zenkichi could even bother to reply back, Akane's voice chimed into the silence.

"Alrightyyy, guys, glad to see everyone's here with no more bone breaking-!"

Her voice cheerily chirped from Kuon's desktop. "But you know, unlike you irresponsible people, I have made some progress. Good and bad."

"Let's wrap this out nicely, shall we?"

---

As it turns out all of that was for naught.

The instance was initiated, sure. The jail containment architecture had nearly manifested in time to test Kuon's code; however, as it turned out, since they weren't in their real world, all technological parameters were rejected by the cognition here.
Naturally, he had offered to be a jail owner because that was a totally reasonable idea to bring up- now he has no idea why Akane had rejected his proposal; but all in all, there was no point in coming here.

His LED ring blinked- engaged in a conversation with her.

Akane: What are you planning to do with her now?

Wolf: Talk to her.

Akane: Would you be okay?

Wolf: I will be fine. This is not a burden you should be carrying anyway.

Akane: Ugh.
Fine. As long as you know what you are doing.

Zenkichi sighed as he tuned his sensors to calm down, despite the repeated alerts coming from Kuon's presence. Or even coming from the Maruki who was happily perched on a chair close to the main panel- not at all bothered by the literal mind-numbing treatments happening around him (and because of him) while he read a book.

The doctor glanced to the side when the shadow weapon walked up to Kuon's desk.

"We need to talk, Ichinose."

[dollmaxing]

After focusing on her work with Akane for a while, and signing off and wrapping up, Ichinose gave Zenkichi a look at that statement.

"You owe me an apology," she said immediately.

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi raises a brow at her for the look.

But first, before he ends up bowing down to that demand, he tilts his head to glance at her hand.

And the smudge of green on her hand. "Looks like your wrist is fine."

[dollmaxing]

"No thanks to you. You can't just pick people up like they're animals. You pulled my shoulder almost out of socket and cracked my wrist without even thinking. So you have to think."

Defensively, she covered and rubbed the smudge of green with her other palm. Just... grateful it was healed and not hurt.

"I happen to be lucky enough to have someone looking after me."

[unit_8910_wolf]

"Don't lecture me, damn it-" he grits his teeth at her words cause he knows all of what she's saying. He hadn't even realised what he had done up until he was there, holding her up with noise screaming in his ears.

Maruki listens in on them from afar, and he raises his head to look at Kuon to smile at her while gesturing to himself that he's listening but not going to intervene unless it's needed.

"I suppose it's a good thing you trust someone enough to let them heal you," he says- pointedly glancing back at the other man in the room, who, caught off guard, ended up fumbling with his book to look casual. Pages flipping like the nervous flutter of wings.

"See, yeah, turns out being around you is taking an actual toll on me. That is not your fault, I know- I am going to figure out how to optimise my systems a little."

"I took things a little far this time."

[dollmaxing]

Admitting he took things too far... but Kuon turned in her chair, folding her arms over her chest.

"Do you apologize for it?"

[unit_8910_wolf]

"Is an apology going to fix the fact that I broke your wrist?" He sighs while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Come on, Ichinose- what is this pre-school?"

[dollmaxing]

"It makes you acknowledge that not only did you make a mistake, you don't intend to do it again."

She won't accept an implied apology. She wants to hear it.

[unit_8910_wolf]

He curses under his breath. She's got a point. Ugh. He hates this.

For a long while he's quiet, palming his face before sighing to himself. "Okay fine, I am sorry for nearly dislocating your shoulder, breaking your wrist and ruining your parfait."

He points out with a wince. "That was actually tragic."

"Happy now?"

[dollmaxing]

In a way that was probably insufferable, Ichinose immediately smiled.

"Yes, actually, quite content about that. Now, I will at least apologize for physical contact - I didn't realize how afraid of me that you are."

[unit_8910_wolf]

"Oh shut up-!" He barks out, even when his heart picks up a beat or two. He really was terrified of her. He didn't want her here at all. "I am not afraid of you, just...goddamn sensors." He mutters out the last part mostly to himself- his LED ring still glowing red on his forehead. He quickly picked up his hat from the table- letting the tiny tracker fall from his hat and latch onto the table as he placed it on his head- if only to conceal his distress.

He rubs his shoulder and massages it a little, the stabiliser still burning through his port. "I will take your apology, though. Whatever that means anyway."

[dollmaxing]

The outburst caught her attention and made her tense in anticipation, completely missing any detail or hint of a tracker falling out of the hat. No, she was preoccupied reading his body language, hands unwinding from her chest and legs bracing to kick herself away and back from him if she needed to.

...But he relaxed, so she did, too. Fine. Alright.

"Then for the next meeting, let's start with a clean slate. We're working on a project together."

[unit_8910_wolf]

He backs away from her anyway when he sees her flinch. Instinct, knowing that he had to do the same for the general populace back home.

"I don't trust you, Ichinose. I really never will," he says with a huff. "But...we made a deal and I need to see this through," he gestures lightly with a wave of his hand, "Help us take down EMMA and we will put her creator down with her- hopefully by then you won't try ruining everyone else's lives back in your world."

"For the love of god, just don't touch me. Seriously. Use your mouth."

[dollmaxing]

"Lesson learned. Don't touch the traumatized soldier."

If he wanted her to react to the goading about killing the other Ichinose... it really didn't work. She wasn't that other person, she was the woman sitting right here. Her own EMMA wouldn't be a failure in the same way.

[unit_8910_wolf]

"Traumatised?" What the hell is that supposed to- oh fuck off he doesn't need that goddamn pity.

"Ah...whatever," he relents as he adjusts the hem of his hat. "Could've just stopped at lesson learned, honestly." Just putting a damn label and being over with it. No one gives a fuck anyway, and why would they? Especially for a man who's only ever known to protect someone in a building burning down around them by covering them with his body.

[dollmaxing]

"Well then! Give me a few more weeks and I'll have an updated code. Honestly, Akane can pick it up herself - she's brilliant, she can take the reins if you don't want to be triggered by my appearance."