video @bodaiju

[gurge]

[ there's a monk. a buddhist monk, dressed nape to ankle in ceremonial robes, bare feet on hard tile floors. the penthouse behind him is classy and tasteful, but a jarring modern contrast to his clothing. it doesn't take much movement to realize his right sleeve, however, is completely empty. cheerful and chipper, he smiles and waves at the camera. ]

Hi hi~! Oh. I've been here since the first of us and not properly introduced myself on the network. My apologies, I'm a bit shy. [ yeah right. ] I'm Getou Suguru — [ the bow of his head is just deep enough to not be impolite. ] — a shaman from Japan. Back home, I specialized in hauntings and strange phenomena, as well as karmic work and even some chakra alignment. If you're suffering from strange aches and recurring nightmares, compulsive thoughts or stranger whispers, unprecedented cravings...

[ he's extremely animated through each of these symptoms even though he rattles them off like a medication commercial: acting out an ache in his nonexistent arm, a hand over his eyes for the nightmares, holding his head for thoughts and whispers, and... something a little more devious for cravings as he winks. ]

Please don't hesitate to visit.

[ a map link identifies his location. he's not very worried about stranger danger, is he? there's a long beat where he just smiles, and it seems like the feed might end, but then he acts on another thought that's been rolling around in that silly head of his: ]

Ah, and... Satoru.

[ to throw himself at the mercy of the public image is... a lot. he must know it, this man who values his pristine image. is it apology enough then, to make himself look like such a fool? he slides onto his knees mid-screen, clapping his hands together in prayer. are there tears? there might be tears. ]

Can't you please finally forgive meeeee?

[ what an embarrassing note to end on. ]



[ note: this character is a villain who hates humans so please check the journal for content warnings! i caught covid in the middle of sept so sorry for the abrupt hiatus; i'm working my way through backtags soon. no worries if anything's too old! cheers ]

Comments

[gurge]

Do I? What are you going to do about it?

[oversize]

What did I have to do the first time?

[gurge]

[ tilts his head in thought, ]

Ignore me for ten years? Not so easy to do, here.

[oversize]

( if there's one thing that's good about this... it's cathartic to feel the same rush of anger he felt back then again. )

You left. You. Left. Not me. Ignore you? Did you ever say anything? You walked your own path and ended it at my feet.

You're not taking advantage of people here that way again. If this is your way of apologizing, you're doing a shitty job of it. I'll always get in your way.

( ahhhh....it makes sense now. so this is what he's trying to do. )

[gurge]

[ what he was trying to do, albeit not the way he wanted to do it. in the end, it's fine; results are what matter. the result that he won't let Gojou ignore him anymore. of course, an elbow on his table and a fist resting his jaw make it look like boring work. his eyes narrow; it could be pain or irritation but, either way, he's lost that good-natured smile. ]

I didn't think you wanted to revisit this. [ and, he has more patience than Gojou. he always has. it's one thing to wait him out; it's another to give him a moment to reconsider. ] You're the one hiding secrets, after all.

Shall we?

[ this... this is more of a threat than the previous one. to release the dam of all this hurt they've both been holding back — would this city even survive it? ]

private, starting from here.

[oversize]

Shall we what, Suguru.

[gurge]

Suit yourself.

[ he leans back, one hand on the floor behind him, chin tipping back to look at the ceiling. ]

I left you, because you failed me.

[ he's never said it out loud. he never thought he'd have to. ]

[oversize]

( nothing like getting hit in the face with everything he worried suguru had felt, then. it hurts, but he deserves to feel it. )

The school failed you.

Our world failed you.

I failed you. I know.

[gurge]

[ the notification draws his eye back down. it's obvious the admission doesn't bring him any comfort. he opens his mouth— reconsiders. he thought he'd feel rage right now, but it's just sadness. ]

I didn't... contact you all that time, because I thought you hated me. I thought you'd kill me... that day in Shibuya. That's what I was prepared for.

[ it isn't easy, to feel this reflective. it normally only happens on the hottest summer days or in the depths of the night before Christmas. ]

So when you didn't, but you didn't contact me either, I thought, "Okay. This is it. This is what he wants."

[oversize]

I didn't want any of it, but you made our choice. I didn't get any say in it.

I don't care what you do here, but if you kill someone, I won't have any choice again. Are there people here with real curses? I know you aren't just being generous.

1/2

[gurge]

[ this? ]

[ this is what he gets for being the one to step forward and open up, show his vulnerability, try to repair things? what makes Gojou think it would've been any fucking different if it was then instead of now, when he was a clumsy teenager with even less emotional awareness? ]

[ oh, now he does feel rage — but it isn't the hot, lashing kind that made Gojou see and use red. it's a cold slither that robs his eyes of warmth, knocks even the fleeting smile off of his face. ]

You had a say in it for a year after Riko-chan died. If you had met me with anything other than your unchecked arrogance that day, maybe things would have been different.

But you didn't, did you, Satoru?

[gurge]

Try and stop me.

[ the feed disconnects. ]