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[regale]

WHO: Eichi (glorification) & Wataru (regale)
WHAT: doppelganger fun (???????? HUH?)
WHEN: Time is fake (During the July Event)
WHERE: Places are fake (mall...general...)
WARNINGS: Dead bodies

[ He can't say he's ever seen a corpse before. Even someone as unflappable as Wataru may seem... when the first few bodies began surfacing, only to find out that they belonged to people who were still alive, it did leave him uneasy. And he still hasn't seen anything up close, just from afar, and he's kind of tried to forget such sights already.

It's unlike him to appear worried about their situation, so he's done a remarkable job of putting on his happy, amazing! face today. A good enough job to ask Eichi to meet him along a corridor leading into one of the department stores. Their own little "home" is sorely in need of a few things and the best way to not think about something is to think about something else.

He was going to wait for him outside of the store, but as he gets closer he can see something—more than one something?—propped up as if on display on a raised platform in the opening. Something like where you'd put last minute deals in an attempt to get rid of the holiday merchandise. Or maybe decorations.

Unfortunately, the closer he gets, the more obvious that it's nothing of the sort.

A pause. Then he turn around to see if Eichi has arrived yet. Wouldn't it be nice if he could intercept him? So he doesn't have to see what's behind him? Too bad life sucks and then you die. ]

Comments

[glorification]

I'm ready, Wataru—

[He calls out calmly, as bright as usual, but something seems off about Wataru immediately. He's not sure what it is. He can hold himself so well, after all. But there's something he picks up, and then his eyes drift behind him, to the mass of something just past.

His breath stops short after he speaks Wataru's name, but he continues his steps forward, even if they're slower. Quietly, his hand rests against Wataru's arm as he finally understands what he's seeing.

It's... them? Or what used to be them, a bloody mess in their Tempest outfits tangled up with one another. It hardly looks like a coincidence. A panicked clinging to the end? Or some sort of twisted art piece by a cruel killer...?

It's hard to say.

Eichi's not sure what he feels. Death is a common thing in his family. But it's different, seeing himself there. And worse, seeing Wataru's still, lifeless expression.]

[regale]

[ Wouldn't it be nice... the idea is ruined immediately, but sometimes... sometimes things are meant to be seen. Whether someone did this on purpose, or it just is inexplicably the situation they've found themselves in, that much is apparent. When he feels Eichi's hand on his arm, he looks back at them again. ]

...doesn't it remind you of a painting? [ It's probably not actually intended, the similarities are not apparent enough for it. But as he looks at it, there's a haunting detachment he feels. Considering it a work of art lets him not process exactly what he's looking at. ] Or perhaps more like that sculpture about Cupid bringing Psyche back to life.

[ Aside from the fact that neither of them have angelic wings and the pose is different. Also these are real dead bodies. ]

[glorification]

[Eichi thinks if it were anyone else in this mall, he'd begin to wonder if the person standing next to him was really the real deal. He'd grow paranoid and question it, not sure what to believe. But this is Wataru. Someone who understands him so completely, and while he's not sure that he understands him nearly as well himself, he does feel confident in saying that the real Wataru is next to him.

But that doppleganger... looks exactly like him. They're so bloody he has to stare harder to see each of the features, but they're there, and he takes a quiet step closer, letting his hand fall away from Wataru.]

It may be easier to think of it that way.

[But he's not sure he can, himself. Death has been everywhere around him, but it's always been very real. It's not that it was so common that he didn't understand the weight of it. Rather, it was so all over the place that he could feel its grip on his shoulder at every moment, the breath at his neck, and the idea of any of his fellow idols or friends falling before him had seemed an impossibility.

It aches, even if it's not really Wataru. He thinks because of how they're tangled together, one way or another. Crouching near the bodies, he moves his fingers over their eyes to close them.]

I wasn't clear on what they could truly be, after the ways they escaped, but from a scene like this they're incredibly human. [He thinks he can see parts of organs, close like this, though he's just glancing over. He wonders briefly if he's addressing this too businesslike, but he doesn't know how to stop or if he's changing it when he breathes out his next comment.]

It's too much, even for me.

[regale]

[ There's silence for a long moment. Uncharacteristic, considering who it is.

There were a lot of bizarre things the last few days. Whenever he'd see the one with his face, he'd try to talk to them, interact with them. They were aware, weren't they? Human... as strange as it was, he'd never considered if they were human or not. It's a relative term, sometimes.

But now he's stepping behind Eichi, leaning over him, and pulling under both of his arms. ]

If they were human, they are deserving of a proper goodbye, hm? Come. Let's hold a funeral to allow them to pass on to their next life together.

[glorification]

Ah—

[He looks back to Wataru like he's surprised. A funeral... He's not opposed to it, even if part of himself feels wrong thinking of a funeral without Keito here.]

How can we manage a proper funeral in a place like this?

[regale]

[ It's... a bit rough, honestly, talking about this so candidly. But he sounds thoughtful, squeezing his fingers on Eichi a little more insistently. ]

It doesn't seem as though we can bury them anywhere, but I do believe... that we can cremate them.

[ Just trying to be as composed as possible as he considers burning their own bodies. It works, for the most part, but there's something in his tone that hints at how unsettled he is by all of this. ]

If their ashes mix together and we find a way to bury them outside, it should be a suitable end to their story.

[ At least... that's how he would feel, if it was actually him there. ]

[glorification]

[While it's true that he doesn't understand Wataru in so many ways, there are some things he does understand and recognize. The difference in his tone, the fact that he has small tells for when he's upset (even if those tells are pushing on, or hiding it, or trying to fall asleep in corners where no one can see him when he's sleep deprived...) and that Eichi knows when there's a difference now. He's good at patterns, and he knows when one is broken.

So he knows Wataru must be upset. Even beyond that, they're both human, and no matter how much Eichi might want to deny that death affects him, it does. Especially seeing himself and Wataru there, clearly killed, tangled up.

He gives into the squeezes and turns away from the bodies, wrapping his arms around Wataru, briefly, instead.]

I suppose there's something poetic about doing this to ourselves. ...But I agree. If we can cremate them, then I'd like that.

[They just have to make sure any fires don't spread, and he thinks they can handle it... At the very least, Wataru can. But. This hug first.]

[regale]

[ A... hug. It's weird to be surprised by it, but there's a moment, then he's hugging him in return leaning his face into his shoulder. It means he's facing their bodies, and hugging in front of them seems... strange. But it doesn't matter, because he's gripping him a bit too tightly to be his usual embrace. ]

It's fitting, isn't it? I don't know if I would love to be handled this way, or if I'd curse such a thing, but I do believe that it would be the right path to take.

[ It's time, as much as he'd like to continue holding him like this. Wataru takes a step backwards, pulling Eichi along with him. ]

Let us go look for what we might need. A couple of buckets to hold water, and something to set them ablaze.

[glorification]

No matter who or what they might be, they're not us.

[That's one thing Eichi is sure of. The more they compare them to themselves, the weirder it gets. And that's the point, isn't it? But they were different. Strange. The best way to cope with it is to separate themselves from it.

Which is hard, when there are human feelings of loss and sadness. He can't stop those, it seems... Even in himself. Still, he follows with the pull, keeping his eyes off the bodies for now. Buckets, and something to set them on fire.]

I believe we can manage that, so let's focus and help both ourselves and them move on from this.

[regale]

[ They're not? They're not. Are they really someone else? They are. It's twisted, malignant, and yet they're clearly dead. He doesn't necessarily want to think on it any further, but he's sure they're connected.

A mask, discarded. People can be themselves when putting a mask on, so perhaps this is what happens when that mask is taken off. He doesn't feel particularly like this double of himself was very relevant to the real one, but who knows? Internal desires are fluid and also demanding. Maybe a part of his heart is hiding the fact that it wants to wreck everything?

... probably not, though. It's just an interesting thought. He turns around to walk properly, curling his fingers between Eichi's. ]

Come, come~ there is something of a hardware store just a minute's walk back.

[ And while it's in disrepair, it somehow has disgruntled camping gear on display right in front! Most of the stuff is going to have holes, but... ]