[ with that message sent, oda sets off towards the building without voicing any qualms. deep down, however, he can't help but quietly curse the man known as dazai osamu. does he think that, just because he has the same face as his friend, that they are also friends?
on top of that, the fact of the matter is that he seems to know everything about him. from his favorite curry, to his ability, to the children. and while he can excuse the former two and let them slide, it's a different matter when it comes to the lives of those kids. sure, it doesn't matter here, but who's to say what could happen? he already saw what the dazai of his world was willing to do for whatever plans that he had. that means that this dazai is capable of the same.
... he reaches the roof, the wind somewhat chilling. it's an odd comfort for the detective. ]
(his feet hang from the ledge he sits at, eyes closed, unworried. the wind smells of nothing, much like the city beneath him. this level of blankness might feel perhaps like an odd version of freedom for those who are more daring than him.
in a way, this oda's existence could mean so. an oda who breathes - but he's not brave here, either. with a sigh, he won't look back for an instant, he'll tap tap the spot near him.)
This city being a Singularity is not that far-fetched. I'm not here to talk shop, but it is a thought I had.
[ oda watches the man sitting at the edge of the roof, his back turned towards him and he can't help but stare for a couple seconds in awe of the loneliness that basically exudes from him. it's like watching a painting in a museum, all too bleak and depressing.
he approaches casually, standing just a step behind him. though he's not necessarily afraid of heights, he's no daredevil either. if anything, he feels just a smidge of concern towards where dazai is. ]
I haven't heard much about Singularities. But it is unique in its way, like a convergence point for many different people of different worlds. [ ... ] What did you bring me here for, then?
I am able to explain them better once I manage to test it. There's no particular need to bother you with musings that I haven't found an explanation for. In a way, I'm simply pulling knowledge from what we know, and that's limited in itself, isn't it?
(his own oda's last words have always been true. he would never be completely healed, never at peace from the darkness that sinks him and claws him to drown - but it isn't so bad when there is some wonderfulness in his living. the people he saves, the way he mentors now, all true to his words. there hasn't been a moment in these last years in which he hasn't really thought of oda. he talks to him as he had been there, shares drinks upon his grave and visits their spots when he needs the strength the other gave him.
it's tough to see a stranger, who isn't quite a stranger, who wears this man's face. the smile he gives is large, eyes closed, but if one's ears are tuned to emotion, they might as well hear the shatters behind it.)
... I thought we should speak a little! I know you're not my friend, Odasaku. My friend, unfortunately, is dead, and wouldn't let me die too! If I'm the Port Mafia boss in your world, I suppose you have good reasons not to want me around, but I am also not the Port Mafia boss. Should we begin anew?
[ except, he doesn't. not really, at least. he can see the way that the man's emotion breaks behind the mask of a smile, and he can see the distance between the two of them, kilometers apart despite their physical proximity. he feels like there's a thousand walls between the two of them, though the detective is aware that he built a good amount of them himself.
he recognizes the pang of guilt in his chest, bitter and unpleasant. he feels like his own presence is like shards of glass for dazai, and yet the man in front of him won't stop running head first into it. it's reckless. it's stupid. ]
I know that you're not the Port Mafia boss. [ he frowns, brows knit slightly closer together ] I don't have a grudge towards you. [ ... ] But as you said, I have the face and personality of someone that you cared about. So is this really fine?
After all, it isn't that different. You're smart - if I know so much about you and it rings true, the opposite is also correct, is it not?
(what a question that he is presented with. one that he can't deny will be a battle, uphill, perilous in each and every way for him. 'friend' is understating how he felt about odasaku, after all. dazai isn't just looking at a familiar face, he's looking at someone he couldn't reach for out of fear at first, and out of fate later.
it's not something he could easily let go, not in the reality oda comes from, not right now, even in this place. there's no way that dazai would not be sure - whatever piece of odasaku, whatever memory, is something he can't let go easy. he knows himself, after all. he knows the one odasaku met couldn't, either, if he knew the man this dazai does.
so, it's a smile, again. this one is less cracked, slightly more genuine.)
We won't know. Is it really fine to you? I know much more about you than you know about me.
You’re overestimating me. Is it common for Dazais to have high hopes for people that don’t deserve them?
[ oda would hardly consider himself a smart person. he would hardly consider himself skilled in anything that doesn’t have to do with his guns. as a detective he’s third rate, having hardly any of the deduction skills necessary to solve a case the way that ranpo or most of the others could, sans maybe akutagawa. and yet dazai refers to him as such so easily…
well, maybe the oda of that world was smarter than he was. that seems far more likely.
he shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, as if topic weren’t a big deal for the both of them. even if he’s not going through the same level of turmoil as dazai is, he can’t help but notice his own anxieties stirring in his chest. how much does dazai know about him? ]
I don’t mind sharing information about myself, I just don’t do it often because I don’t see a reason to. [ he’s hardly someone worth paying attention to, after all. ] But the kids are a different matter. Different worlds… I’ve never dealt with that type of thing. Even if you’re not a threat, that doesn’t mean that it’s the same for everyone else around us.
[ and dazai went and said that in a public network. in the back of his head, oda recognizes that, maybe, he’s being overprotective. it’s not like he knows what’s happening nor are the kids here. but it’s because of those unknowns that he’s being cautious. he promised to protect those kids— until he’s sure that things are safe there, it’ll be difficult to stop feeling on edge. ]
Why is it that you think you don't deserve us! Ah, I'm not a particularly good person.
(and that isn't regarding being port mafia or ada itself. in the end, one does what one must do, but come on. he knows he's rather suspicious at the end of the day.
there's a beat, because dazai does think there's a layer of protection that is keeping odasaku from thinking clearly. no one gains anything from that knowledge, only dazai has the certainty that odasaku isn't that different from who he was to him after all.
besides, his odasaku had no children to protect any longer. not a piece of information he wanted to give, so he nods, as if he hadn't done that for a purpose.)
Mhm. I haven't seen anyone their age, though. The ones I know, anyway. Hey, Odasaku - do you believe this city has ears?!
(should they never bring it up again to seal their wishful thinking?)
[ he's not. he figures that dazai isn't either. though in the latter case, he feels that, in the short time that he's known the man, he doesn't think there's any way that he could define dazai as falling as either a good or bad person. maybe he's his own category, unable to be categorized.
how lonely. ]
I'm just not as smart as you think I am.
[ and that's all there is to it. he's not talented in any meaningful way, unfortunately. how he still has his job is beyond him. ]
As for the city, I'd say that it does. [ he shrugs. ] I don't think there's a place that doesn't.
You say that, but you know, Odasaku. I've never won a single game of poker against you - and I'm supposed to be a strategy Master, I was an Executive, after all.
(it's almost like telling oda would bring something to his mind, wishful thinking - he knows they've never played. this is not odasaku, it's not, but it's a small comfort to dazai either way.)
I mean in a more supernatural sense. I've seen abilities that are a dimension, after all. I've seen quite a lot! However... If it's that, there would be no way I'd be here!
Hm. And here I thought nothing would get past you. Maybe we'll have to see if I'm as good as the Oda Sakunosuke in your world.
[ while it doesn't awaken any memories in oda (because there are none to have. he never played poker with any osamu dazai), the story does get the smallest upturn of a corner of his lip; the slightest hint of a smile.
it's the slightest bit of levity, but it's extremely surprising for oda-- to think that he'd be trying to make friends with this man. ]
You wouldn't be here because your ability nullifies, right? But what if something took away enough of your ability first?
I saved a deck in case you said 'yes'. Without 'Flawless', maybe I'll have a chance for the first time! Fufufu, shall we make bets? Ah, I wouldn't know what to bet against you, though!
(a kid that just knows too much - that's how odasaku had once seen dazai, and it's how he definitely is presenting himself with how excited he is over a simple game of cards.
poor oda.)
Then this is not an ability whatsoever. 'No Longer Human' is absolute, you see.
however, he does seem to approve of the idea. he gives a short nod in agreement, not ignoring the fact that, deep down, there is just a smidge of relief in oda's part over having found a common ground. ]
I'm in.
[ but as for the city... ]
But is it the being in the city that dampens our ability or is it something else that may have happened before it? [ a beat. ] No matter what, someone had to have built this.
(it's both fun and heartbreaking. when he had oda, he was young, a different person, and now, he's oda's age when they were separated. he has to wonder if he'd look at dazai to see the progress he has made - all thanks to him, and wonder how he would feel.
the thought makes him laugh, and he can see the little relief on oda's face, which brings a smile to dazai's own. genuine, after all. most of his honesty was for oda anyway.)
[ that's a rather unexpected response. the earnest expression coupled with those words come as a surprise to the detective, and he's left speechless for a second as he scrambles to gather his thoughts together. they had only met recently, but he still wanted to work with him?
...come to think about it, the dazai from his world was rather forward with him too, no? because he was friends with him in another world, right?
it must be the case here, too. nostalgia must have taken a hold of dazai, obscuring his better judgment in favor for spending time with someone that has the same face as his dead friend. and yet to push him away would be far too cruel, especially when the smile on his face is so honest.
oda nods, scratching the back of his neck with a mildly awkward expression. ]
I can do my best. Though I'm sorry that we ended up talking shop anyways. 's my fault.
It's fine, what else is there to talk about? I'd answer questions, but it seems like you don't have any!
(or he simply chose not to ask.
he sees all those emotions dancing on oda's face, the realizations, awkwardness, confusion. it's hard to come up with any sentiment that isn't fondness, difficult to think in different ways even if it's a different person sitting next to him.
Is there no way to mimic the sort of setting you're used to? Though sometimes even knowing things are different is enough to cork up the well of creativity, I understand.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text @dazaiosamu
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Where?
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text -> action
[ with that message sent, oda sets off towards the building without voicing any qualms. deep down, however, he can't help but quietly curse the man known as dazai osamu. does he think that, just because he has the same face as his friend, that they are also friends?
on top of that, the fact of the matter is that he seems to know everything about him. from his favorite curry, to his ability, to the children. and while he can excuse the former two and let them slide, it's a different matter when it comes to the lives of those kids. sure, it doesn't matter here, but who's to say what could happen? he already saw what the dazai of his world was willing to do for whatever plans that he had. that means that this dazai is capable of the same.
... he reaches the roof, the wind somewhat chilling. it's an odd comfort for the detective. ]
I'm here. What's up?
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in a way, this oda's existence could mean so. an oda who breathes - but he's not brave here, either. with a sigh, he won't look back for an instant, he'll tap tap the spot near him.)
This city being a Singularity is not that far-fetched. I'm not here to talk shop, but it is a thought I had.
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he approaches casually, standing just a step behind him. though he's not necessarily afraid of heights, he's no daredevil either. if anything, he feels just a smidge of concern towards where dazai is. ]
I haven't heard much about Singularities. But it is unique in its way, like a convergence point for many different people of different worlds. [ ... ] What did you bring me here for, then?
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(his own oda's last words have always been true. he would never be completely healed, never at peace from the darkness that sinks him and claws him to drown - but it isn't so bad when there is some wonderfulness in his living. the people he saves, the way he mentors now, all true to his words. there hasn't been a moment in these last years in which he hasn't really thought of oda. he talks to him as he had been there, shares drinks upon his grave and visits their spots when he needs the strength the other gave him.
it's tough to see a stranger, who isn't quite a stranger, who wears this man's face. the smile he gives is large, eyes closed, but if one's ears are tuned to emotion, they might as well hear the shatters behind it.)
... I thought we should speak a little! I know you're not my friend, Odasaku. My friend, unfortunately, is dead, and wouldn't let me die too! If I'm the Port Mafia boss in your world, I suppose you have good reasons not to want me around, but I am also not the Port Mafia boss. Should we begin anew?
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[ except, he doesn't. not really, at least. he can see the way that the man's emotion breaks behind the mask of a smile, and he can see the distance between the two of them, kilometers apart despite their physical proximity. he feels like there's a thousand walls between the two of them, though the detective is aware that he built a good amount of them himself.
he recognizes the pang of guilt in his chest, bitter and unpleasant. he feels like his own presence is like shards of glass for dazai, and yet the man in front of him won't stop running head first into it. it's reckless. it's stupid. ]
I know that you're not the Port Mafia boss. [ he frowns, brows knit slightly closer together ] I don't have a grudge towards you. [ ... ] But as you said, I have the face and personality of someone that you cared about. So is this really fine?
[ 'are you really sure?' ]
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(what a question that he is presented with. one that he can't deny will be a battle, uphill, perilous in each and every way for him. 'friend' is understating how he felt about odasaku, after all. dazai isn't just looking at a familiar face, he's looking at someone he couldn't reach for out of fear at first, and out of fate later.
it's not something he could easily let go, not in the reality oda comes from, not right now, even in this place. there's no way that dazai would not be sure - whatever piece of odasaku, whatever memory, is something he can't let go easy. he knows himself, after all. he knows the one odasaku met couldn't, either, if he knew the man this dazai does.
so, it's a smile, again. this one is less cracked, slightly more genuine.)
We won't know. Is it really fine to you? I know much more about you than you know about me.
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[ oda would hardly consider himself a smart person. he would hardly consider himself skilled in anything that doesn’t have to do with his guns. as a detective he’s third rate, having hardly any of the deduction skills necessary to solve a case the way that ranpo or most of the others could, sans maybe akutagawa. and yet dazai refers to him as such so easily…
well, maybe the oda of that world was smarter than he was. that seems far more likely.
he shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, as if topic weren’t a big deal for the both of them. even if he’s not going through the same level of turmoil as dazai is, he can’t help but notice his own anxieties stirring in his chest. how much does dazai know about him? ]
I don’t mind sharing information about myself, I just don’t do it often because I don’t see a reason to. [ he’s hardly someone worth paying attention to, after all. ] But the kids are a different matter. Different worlds… I’ve never dealt with that type of thing. Even if you’re not a threat, that doesn’t mean that it’s the same for everyone else around us.
[ and dazai went and said that in a public network. in the back of his head, oda recognizes that, maybe, he’s being overprotective. it’s not like he knows what’s happening nor are the kids here. but it’s because of those unknowns that he’s being cautious. he promised to protect those kids— until he’s sure that things are safe there, it’ll be difficult to stop feeling on edge. ]
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(and that isn't regarding being port mafia or ada itself. in the end, one does what one must do, but come on. he knows he's rather suspicious at the end of the day.
there's a beat, because dazai does think there's a layer of protection that is keeping odasaku from thinking clearly. no one gains anything from
that knowledge, only dazai has the certainty that odasaku isn't that different from who he was to him after all.
besides, his odasaku had no children to protect any longer. not a piece of information he wanted to give, so he nods, as if he hadn't done that for a purpose.)
Mhm. I haven't seen anyone their age, though. The ones I know, anyway. Hey, Odasaku - do you believe this city has ears?!
(should they never bring it up again to seal their wishful thinking?)
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[ he's not. he figures that dazai isn't either. though in the latter case, he feels that, in the short time that he's known the man, he doesn't think there's any way that he could define dazai as falling as either a good or bad person. maybe he's his own category, unable to be categorized.
how lonely. ]
I'm just not as smart as you think I am.
[ and that's all there is to it. he's not talented in any meaningful way, unfortunately. how he still has his job is beyond him. ]
As for the city, I'd say that it does. [ he shrugs. ] I don't think there's a place that doesn't.
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(it's almost like telling oda would bring something to his mind, wishful thinking - he knows they've never played. this is not odasaku, it's not, but it's a small comfort to dazai either way.)
I mean in a more supernatural sense. I've seen abilities that are a dimension, after all. I've seen quite a lot! However... If it's that, there would be no way I'd be here!
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[ while it doesn't awaken any memories in oda (because there are none to have. he never played poker with any osamu dazai), the story does get the smallest upturn of a corner of his lip; the slightest hint of a smile.
it's the slightest bit of levity, but it's extremely surprising for oda-- to think that he'd be trying to make friends with this man. ]
You wouldn't be here because your ability nullifies, right? But what if something took away enough of your ability first?
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(a kid that just knows too much - that's how odasaku had once seen dazai, and it's how he definitely is presenting himself with how excited he is over a simple game of cards.
poor oda.)
Then this is not an ability whatsoever. 'No Longer Human' is absolute, you see.
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[ hm... the stakes are way too low in this game. they're practically nonexistent. ]
If it's not an ability, then it's a phenomenon. That wouldn't be covered by your ability, would it?
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(create stakes, please, where is your imagination!!)
No, then it wouldn't be. It does damp our abilities, too, and in that case...
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however, he does seem to approve of the idea. he gives a short nod in agreement, not ignoring the fact that, deep down, there is just a smidge of relief in oda's part over having found a common ground. ]
I'm in.
[ but as for the city... ]
But is it the being in the city that dampens our ability or is it something else that may have happened before it? [ a beat. ] No matter what, someone had to have built this.
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the thought makes him laugh, and he can see the little relief on oda's face, which brings a smile to dazai's own. genuine, after all. most of his honesty was for oda anyway.)
If you get me data, I can start build a case.
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...come to think about it, the dazai from his world was rather forward with him too, no? because he was friends with him in another world, right?
it must be the case here, too. nostalgia must have taken a hold of dazai, obscuring his better judgment in favor for spending time with someone that has the same face as his dead friend. and yet to push him away would be far too cruel, especially when the smile on his face is so honest.
oda nods, scratching the back of his neck with a mildly awkward expression. ]
I can do my best. Though I'm sorry that we ended up talking shop anyways. 's my fault.
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(or he simply chose not to ask.
he sees all those emotions dancing on oda's face, the realizations, awkwardness, confusion. it's hard to come up with any sentiment that isn't fondness, difficult to think in different ways even if it's a different person sitting next to him.
both know this.)
text; @weltyang
[ what's up, stranger ]
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How's what you're doing?
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[ too bad emotion doesn't carry through text well. ]
Lacking inspiration?
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'Lacking inspiration' is one way to put it.
It just feels strange to write in a place so far from home.
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I was living in a place that was a metropolis similar to this one. Although that city was far more populated than this one.
Something about this one still feels artificial, in my opinion.
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