[His hand is outstretched, but there's nothing for him to reach.
His hand is outstretched, but it's already too late.
The blue flame that had begun to stir around his legs sparks and gutters like a dying candle. The body is already gone. Vanished, right into thin air; she wasn't real, just like Maruki said.
I couldn't...
Akira can't fix every problem and every pain. He'd thought he'd known that when he started inflicting Changes of Heart - he hadn't, but he learned. He couldn't, and it was alright that he couldn't, because sometimes people have to find the right way without someone else solving their problems.
He knows that all too well, now.
And yet, his chest still aches with his own ineptitude.
I swore I would protect you, but...
...during such a great moment of pain, Akira still couldn't do anything at all.
The aurora ripples in the air, and Akira's hands curl into fists. Around them, people haven't ceased their panic, but there's none of that on Akira's face. No panic, and no fear, because he knows Azathoth will never deliver unforgiveable harm to him. There's only the sting and strain of his own powerlessness.
Whatever eats at Maruki's heart... if Akira can still find a way to carry him through this, maybe he can deliver him to someone else that can kill off whatever it is.
For now, he'll do the only thing that's left to him.
Please.]
...Alright.
[He's silent for the duration of the walk. He stays near Maruki for the entirety of it, watchful of the way he's moving and taking stock of his condition - but he never quite meets his eyes.
His own feel too heavy.
Excepting the time that Maruki first showed it to him, Akira hasn't been by that much. There's still something about climbing the steps that unwinds something tight in his shoulders, even if he doesn't relax all the way. Perhaps it's simply a place that Akira's brain associates with safety, even if the danger is only coming from within himself.]
...Sit, and I'll get some water for you.
[His voice is quiet but unreadable. It isn't Akira's office to offer such, but he's already moving deeper inside to do so.]
? anyway
His hand is outstretched, but it's already too late.
The blue flame that had begun to stir around his legs sparks and gutters like a dying candle. The body is already gone. Vanished, right into thin air; she wasn't real, just like Maruki said.
I couldn't...
Akira can't fix every problem and every pain. He'd thought he'd known that when he started inflicting Changes of Heart - he hadn't, but he learned. He couldn't, and it was alright that he couldn't, because sometimes people have to find the right way without someone else solving their problems.
He knows that all too well, now.
And yet, his chest still aches with his own ineptitude.
I swore I would protect you, but...
...during such a great moment of pain, Akira still couldn't do anything at all.
The aurora ripples in the air, and Akira's hands curl into fists. Around them, people haven't ceased their panic, but there's none of that on Akira's face. No panic, and no fear, because he knows Azathoth will never deliver unforgiveable harm to him. There's only the sting and strain of his own powerlessness.
Whatever eats at Maruki's heart... if Akira can still find a way to carry him through this, maybe he can deliver him to someone else that can kill off whatever it is.
For now, he'll do the only thing that's left to him.
Please.]
...Alright.
[He's silent for the duration of the walk. He stays near Maruki for the entirety of it, watchful of the way he's moving and taking stock of his condition - but he never quite meets his eyes.
His own feel too heavy.
Excepting the time that Maruki first showed it to him, Akira hasn't been by that much. There's still something about climbing the steps that unwinds something tight in his shoulders, even if he doesn't relax all the way. Perhaps it's simply a place that Akira's brain associates with safety, even if the danger is only coming from within himself.]
...Sit, and I'll get some water for you.
[His voice is quiet but unreadable. It isn't Akira's office to offer such, but he's already moving deeper inside to do so.]