Maruki remained still for most of Drake's tirade, his face calm, though his brows twitched slightly at the sheer venom in the words aloud. Maruki was just pissed enough to wish that he could catch him in surprise like that but- all of this was...something else. He listened without interruption, his gaze dropping occasionally to his hands, resting palms-up on the table as though studying their lines might hold some kind of answer. A flicker of something crossed his face—empathy? Resignation?—as Drake spoke about Sparrow's Ren. About Sparrow and Midnight's insistence to help them. When the words finally wound down, Maruki let the silence linger, as though giving it space to settle.
“Well,” he said softly, almost to himself, “I wouldn’t say any choice can be entirely wrong. Misguided, possibly. Horrifying, sure. But...wrong?” He tilted his head slightly. “I had a moment with Sparrow’s shadow in the depths of mementos, you know. Even if they are from a different difference, I... saw that. Almost got myself eaten, too. I think. I am not too sure.” He offered a wry smile, though it barely reached his eyes. “Rough day.”
For a moment, Maruki looked as though he might elaborate, but instead, he folded his hands neatly in front of him and said no more. His focus shifted, his expression softening with thoughtfulness as he mulled over Drake’s last words and his seriousness over the counter. Then, slowly, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. It wasn’t mocking, but there was a flicker of amused self-awareness in it.
“Then what, exactly?” He leaned back in his chair, one hand rubbing at his chin in mock contemplation. “Should I start stabbing my way through every problem? Reawaken to a brand-new self in a blaze of... what? Fury? Glory?” His smirk deepened briefly, but his eyes remained serious, almost distant.
His tone dropped, quieter but not without a certain weight. “You know, after everything that happened—after Ru-" he stops and takes a deep breath. "After I got these powers—I... thought about it. Just for a moment.” He hesitated, his fingers brushing the table's edge.
What if I used my powers on the robbers? Made them regret what they did? Hear them scream for the lives they have ruined and destroyed like Rumi's?
Maruki’s voice softened even further, a faint, bittersweet chuckle escaping him. “But then I didn’t. Because that’s not who I am. I’m not a brainwashing maniac. I’m not a willful god. I’m... just a cognitive presearcher. My entire life has been about observing, articulating, and concluding. Even my powers—this Actualization—it’s... unfair, but it’s also not absolute. Cognition is never wholly right, nor wholly wrong. It’s just...” He searched for the right word, then smiled faintly. “It’s Schrodinger’s problem. It’s the way our brains fix our inverted image, making the world coherent to us, whether or not it’s accurate.”
He exhaled, sitting up straighter. “It’s the only answer I know how to trust. Even if it isn’t the answer you’d pick.”
Maruki gave a small shrug, “Still, I’ll admit... I appreciate the advice. Free, no less. I can only imagine what you’ve been through to offer that kind of wisdom.” His smirk softened into a more genuine, sheepish smile. “I’d offer you a consultation fee if I thought you’d take it. Or money was of any worth.”
no subject
When the words finally wound down, Maruki let the silence linger, as though giving it space to settle.
“Well,” he said softly, almost to himself, “I wouldn’t say any choice can be entirely wrong. Misguided, possibly. Horrifying, sure. But...wrong?” He tilted his head slightly. “I had a moment with Sparrow’s shadow in the depths of mementos, you know. Even if they are from a different difference, I... saw that. Almost got myself eaten, too. I think. I am not too sure.” He offered a wry smile, though it barely reached his eyes. “Rough day.”
For a moment, Maruki looked as though he might elaborate, but instead, he folded his hands neatly in front of him and said no more. His focus shifted, his expression softening with thoughtfulness as he mulled over Drake’s last words and his seriousness over the counter. Then, slowly, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. It wasn’t mocking, but there was a flicker of amused self-awareness in it.
“Then what, exactly?” He leaned back in his chair, one hand rubbing at his chin in mock contemplation. “Should I start stabbing my way through every problem? Reawaken to a brand-new self in a blaze of... what? Fury? Glory?” His smirk deepened briefly, but his eyes remained serious, almost distant.
His tone dropped, quieter but not without a certain weight. “You know, after everything that happened—after Ru-" he stops and takes a deep breath. "After I got these powers—I... thought about it. Just for a moment.” He hesitated, his fingers brushing the table's edge.
What if I used my powers on the robbers? Made them regret what they did? Hear them scream for the lives they have ruined and destroyed like Rumi's?
Maruki’s voice softened even further, a faint, bittersweet chuckle escaping him. “But then I didn’t. Because that’s not who I am. I’m not a brainwashing maniac. I’m not a willful god. I’m... just a cognitive presearcher. My entire life has been about observing, articulating, and concluding. Even my powers—this Actualization—it’s... unfair, but it’s also not absolute. Cognition is never wholly right, nor wholly wrong. It’s just...” He searched for the right word, then smiled faintly. “It’s Schrodinger’s problem. It’s the way our brains fix our inverted image, making the world coherent to us, whether or not it’s accurate.”
He exhaled, sitting up straighter. “It’s the only answer I know how to trust. Even if it isn’t the answer you’d pick.”
Maruki gave a small shrug, “Still, I’ll admit... I appreciate the advice. Free, no less. I can only imagine what you’ve been through to offer that kind of wisdom.” His smirk softened into a more genuine, sheepish smile. “I’d offer you a consultation fee if I thought you’d take it. Or money was of any worth.”