talta | Call Me Out 2018

[He and his partner had been progressing well enough - Asuma's still feeling a little lost now and then, but having some kind of goal to shoot for has ultimately helped him shove aside his uncertainties. He may not know why he's trying so hard to live again, but he's got a partner who wants to come back to life too, and, well...

Who is he to drag them down and away from a goal like that?

Today, they've got some time to spare. His partner wants to make a stop in one of the shops to get some better gear, and Asuma finds the idea agreeable enough; he's currently decked out in Natural Puppy, but they've earned more cash since their last shopping adventure, and as strange and silly as it is, their choice in clothes really can mean life or death for them. He eggs his partner on with a bright smile, but as he does...

...? Are they being watched? He glances around curiously, though with his general inquisitiveness, it's not so strange for him to be checking out the crowds of people for the nth time.]

[He should probably be taking refuge in the Dead God's Pad, squirreled away like Kitaniji used to be when it was his turn to suffer through this. That's probably where he belongs now - but it's never been Neku's style to sit still. Not in his city, and not for this.

He's still new enough that most Reapers don't know his face, except for the ones who've been around long enough. But that's more convenient than not. Neku doesn't want to talk to them. Perhaps it's a sense of responsibility that weighs on him, but he just wants to watch.

...Maybe casually make things easier for the Players in really small ways, but nobody else needs to know that. Except for the one who knows everything, of course, and he's more likely to tease Neku over it than actually reprimand him the way he's likely supposed to.

But things don't always seem to go according to plans, as the pair he's watching over today in particular... seems to be staring right at him. Or one half of it is. Oh. That's a first.]

...Tch. [He rubs the back of his neck, mumbling too low for anyone to hear.] Of course it's the lively one that ends up catching me.

[Yet, he doesn't turn around or try to divert attention from himself. He could, but instead he just meets that gaze unflinchingly. And maybe with a little guilt pricking his heart, because Neku is still far too soft to be doing this job.

He remembers taking Asuma's entry fee, after all, even if Asuma can't remember it himself.]

[Hmm...]

Okay! Let's go, let's go!

[Is what he says, scurrying behind his partner and pushing them towards the shop. He keeps his eyes on Neku however, watching to see if his gaze follows them even as they begin to walk in the door.]

[And watch them it does. He could easily slip away as soon as they're both inside, and Neku knows that.

But he doesn't. In fact, Neku gets even closer. He doesn't know what possesses him to do it, but whenever Asuma and his partner exit, he'll be leaning against the nearest railing. Not quite in front of the entrance, but close enough to watch with quiet eyes.

He'll speak if spoken to. But Neku knows he doesn't deserve to seek out Asuma's attention. He's here to watch over them and make sure no one tries anything funny.

Nothing more, and nothing less. Right?]

[Neku won't have long to wait. It's only after a couple minutes that Asuma peeks out of the store again, trotting on out--

Alone.

His hands are clasped behind his back as he approaches Neku, bouncing as he stops right in front of him.]

Is there some reason you're watching us, Mr. Reaper?

[His voice is cheerful and... oddly genuine. There's no sarcasm in his tone; he may as well be greeting a close friend.]

[He shuts his eyes. Neku knows he should've expected this.

Just as he knows that probably, deep down, part of him had wanted this.

His eyes reopen, and when he speaks, it's with a quiet voice that can still somehow be heard over the hustle and bustle surrounding them.]

You could say it's because I felt like it, I guess. [Ever so slightly, his gaze narrows.] You shouldn't be out in the streets without your Partner.

[It isn't quite a reprimand, but it's certainly said in a sharper way.]

Probably not. [Eheheh...] But what he doesn't know won't hurt him.

Unless you're planning to erase us?

[He doesn't sound even slightly concerned about that outcome, though. If that's what he wanted, Neku would have been far more subtle - that, or erased him the second he stepped out of the shop.]

You're talking pretty casually, there.

[Is he talking about Asuma hiding things from his Partner, or about how he easily he brings up being Erased? The answer is both, actually, but Neku won't elaborate on his own words - even if there's a sharpness in his eyes as well now.]

But I don't have any plans to erase you or your Partner. I'm just here to watch and observe.

[So he was right...]

Then... is there some reason you're watching us in particular?

[He's been following them a while...]

...

[He makes a small noise in the back of his throat, eyes darting to the side.

It's not a question he wanted to answer, but it's one he should've expected at the least. But now that it's out there, has has to because...]

If I had to give an answer... I guess I'd call it a sense of obligation.

[He shouldn't let that much be known. Neku knows that. And yet...]

[Asuma tilts his head to the side, expression curious.]

Obligation... Why would a Reaper feel obligated towards Players?

We have some responsibilities towards you, though they aren't much. [Shut up, Neku, something yells inside of him, but he ignores it.] And if you asked most Reapers, they'd say we don't owe you anything at all. But some of us...

[Because I...]

Some of us are more sentimental than others.

[Because it's my fault.]

It's not anything you need to worry about, though. For your sake and mine, it's better if you don't think about it too deeply.

Sentimental?

[How curious. How very, very curious.

Neku made his first mistake long ago, when he decided to stick around when Asuma approached him. The mistakes just continue piling up when he chooses to actually indulge Asuma in his questions.]

Hey-- are you saying some Reapers feel sorry for us?

[He'd seen others, during the first day. That mad dash to make a partner before you got erased. It was hard not to notice their lack of compassion, especially when they were going out of their way to erase as many players as they could with wave after wave of Noise.

But already, this one's different. Already, this one's made no move to harm them, and even stuck around to chat with Asuma for a bit.

He wonders if he can get him to chat a bit more.]

[If there had been any doubt in his mind about whether or not he'd made a mistake by continuing to talk to Asuma, it faded some time ago.

And yet, he can't make himself leave. Even as more words spill from his mouth and Neku says things he knows shouldn't be said.

He really, truly can't. Not when he's faced with those eyes.]

Maybe some do, maybe some don't. It's not my duty to police the others into doing their jobs. [That's probably the biggest lie he's ever told in his life, but the inflection of his voice gives away nothing. There isn't even the slightest change.

There's still no change as he continues, without missing a beat-] Some people are vegetarians, aren't they? While others could care less about where their hamburger comes from. And sometimes... [It's only then that there's a pause, but it's brief.] Sometimes there are the people that are in between.

Point is, no one person is the same. Reapers are like that as well. Believe it or not, we were humans once too.

[And casually remembering to lump himself in with the others while he's at it, there we go.]

Were you?

[That brings up some questions of its own. It makes sense, it's not like they look inhuman even with those wings, but it's also a bit different from the angel imagery that inundates so many depictions of the afterlife.

He hums thoughtfully for a moment before asking his next question:]

Then would that make you a vegetarian, or inbetween?

[There's a small smile on his lips now, leaning forward a bit in his curiosity. Because there's so much of it for this new world he's found himself in, even in spite of the direct threat it poses to his continued existence.]

[He nods at the first question, and his voice is soft when he answers.]

...Yeah. I was.

[A part of him still is, really. No Conductor would feel as guilty as he does over doing the job that keeps him alive, right?

But at the second question, Neku can't help snorting at it.]

I've always been a meat eater. I'll never turn down a good burger. [But after a beat-] ...Still. Enough time doing this, and I've been able to see the in-between.

You haven't tried to eat us, though.

[So far. He may be pushing his luck, maybe not, but-

He's just so curious, and so far, Neku's kept indulging him.]

...You guys weren't to my taste. That's all.

[He shrugs it off, like it isn't important. But then Neku gives him a stern glance.]

That doesn't mean the rest of the Reapers won't, though. I'm the exception to the rule, not an example.

Then-- how do we make sure we aren't tasty for the other Reapers, too?

[He actually leans forward a bit, hands clenched into useless fists. Actions aside, he does wish to survive this, if mostly for his partner's sake.]

[There's something about the way that Asuma's leaning towards him that makes something in his chest soften. Part of Neku hates it, because that doesn't make this easier on any of them - but he should expect himself to feel that way by now, shouldn't he?]

The kinds of thing I went through made you guys not tasty to me. That sort of thing isn't easy to replicate, and wouldn't work on all of them anyway.

The best thing you can do is protect yourself. Fight the Noise and get stronger. And more important than that... trust your Partner and stick together with them, no matter what.

[At the very end, there's just a tinge of regret in his voice, his eyes sliding away before returning.]

Oh.

[Droooooooop. He thought he might have been onto something.]

Darn. I was hoping I could get some hot tips for me and my partner...

[His tone remains light, almost joking, but his expression is... far more melancholy. He really does want his partner to make it through this, even if he's not nearly as enthused about trying to survive as he should be.]

Call Me Out 2018

Neku! Spoiler version of your choice

I flipped a coin and got Option A so here we go ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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