@vernades sent a message for akiko:
[ 09. ] a tent in the middle of nowhere where no one can hear anything.
they're no stranger to long days of travel, especially not when it comes to proper journeys like this. they only ever pay to be taken somewhere if time is truly of the essence, or if they have no other option. thankfully, while the matter the duo has been pursuing is urgent, it's likely been wiser to travel on foot, lest they drag an unwilling and innocent bystander into a skirmish with the forces of hell while on the road.
it's what's led them here; in a shared tent, at one of many temporary stops on their way. the proximity isn't what makes the evening feel different; they've been traveling together for weeks, after all, it wouldn't make sense for the prospect of seeing one another so vulnerable to start being a problem now. it's the ability to relax and lower their guard, the reprieve from the exhaustion lingering in their bones, the ability to get off their feet after a long day, that truly makes them realize...
they're grateful to have sypha here.
... no, that's not quite it. they are grateful, of course, but that descriptor doesn't satisfy the unknown feeling in their chest. in the low light of the setting evening sun from outside, they look breathtaking, though akiko isn't entirely certain of whether they'd ever vocalize such a thought.
it's strange. mid-conversation, whilst recounting the day's events, discussing their progress towards their destination, akiko realizes they're hardly hearing the words sypha is saying. they're listening, of course, but they find themselves more transfixed on... the way their face looks as they speak, the way their eyes scan the map to determine which route to take the next day, the way their gaze rises to meet akiko's to confirm they're on the same page.
... their own question is simply one of what to do with this feeling.
( go out on a limb. show them you trust them. )
" i— " akiko clears their throat, closing their eyes for just a moment, even if one is covered by the usual patch. " there's something i need to ask you. " here goes nothing, they suppose. " if you were to learn that i was... hiding something from you, would you trust that i have my reasons ? " it's a question that has the sleuth's heart racing. not out of embarrassment, but out of shame; they really should have come clean about their... affliction sooner than later.
though, it begs the question, how does one calmly bring up the fact that they're harboring the corpse of a demon ? that it still lingers beneath the skin, despite its dormancy ? that even akiko themselves isn't certain of what it can truly do, for better or for worse ? that, in the worst case scenario, they aren't even certain of whether they can trust themselves, let alone whether they're worthy of anyone else's—
" i... you know, it's probably for the best if i simply show you. "
with a deep breath, they bring their hand up to their face, remove their glasses, and hook their thumb beneath their eye patch. " just— promise me you won't freak out on me, alright ? i think i'm already internally doing that enough for the both of us. " maybe a joke at their own expense will lessen the tension in the air, or that in their chest. once they steel themselves, they lift the fabric... and open their eyes. their right eye is fully crimson, anything resembling an iris hardly able to be discerned from the rest of the sclera. a permanent tie to the hellish matter that calls their body home.
it's somewhat surreal, seeing them with full clarity for the first time, even if they're scared shitless. " i- i'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have. but first, i want to assure you, i'm... " akiko sighs to themselves, practically forcing themselves to maintain eye contact at this point. " i'm not a threat. to you or anyone else. this doesn't change that. "
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