personavelvetroomdr | The Silence After the Storm

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The Silence After the Storm

The Ken Amada who made certain threats, whom Igor didn't bring to the Velvet Room and didn't welcome, has been permanently contained within his other-world self. Many of the Velvet Room residents mobilized in the effort to neutralize the threat he posed, and now, in the moments after the devastating battle that sealed Ken away, perhaps you have business to conclude.

Maybe you're a fighter, left in the rubble the battle made of its surroundings—or maybe you were a noncombatant this time, left behind to wonder what's happening or prepare for the aftermath. Maybe you linger around the battle site, or maybe you have other things to do.

Or maybe you didn't survive. Maybe you're one of the glowing forms slowly coalescing in front of Igor's desk in the Velvet Room over the course of the subsequent half hour. Igor presides over them gravely, with no sign of his usual smile. Near his desk sits a box of snacks, familiar to anyone who's used the operation's training room.

[[ooc: This post is a general catch-all for the aftermath of the battle! It's backdated to February 26, the day Ken got got.]]

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After a beat, Hamuko passed the hefty blanket she'd folded up to Ren - something to pull his attention. If she let them both carry on, they'd get into a heated argument and do no one any good.

"If you're entering a life-or-death situation, you need to trust the other people fighting at your side - regardless of what problems you've had with each other before. I do understand trust is not a very easy thing to give someone else... but whatever happened before that battle isn't what happened during it.

"Maruki might have poorly communicated and confused other fighters, but he tried to pull his weight and save others. Drake may have struggled prioritizing and last minute strategizing with the changed element, but no one else died after I did.

"All we can do now is to take what happened into consideration for next time, regardless of what roles we decide to play or how severe 'next time' happens to be. What do you guys want the next battle to look like, what do you want to bring to the table next time, or even if you think this was your last one. We have nowhere to go but forward."

For a moment, Maruki just... pauses.

Drake’s words aren’t what hurt—no, Maruki isn’t particularly fragile to being called out. What throws him off, what actually gives him pause, is the way Drake is speaking to him at all.

Like he was actually part of this fight.

Like he was part of the team.

That doesn’t make sense.

Maruki swallows, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His fingers flex against his arm, gripping it unconsciously. “...You’re saying I should’ve trusted you,” he murmurs, tone oddly steady, contemplative. “That I should’ve relied on the others. That I—” He exhales, half a bitter chuckle, shaking his head slightly. His voice lowers, quieter, less directed at Drake and more at himself.

“...That you even wanted me...to?”

It’s not sarcastic. It’s not accusatory. It’s genuine. Surprised.

Because when he was out there—fighting Fatalis, pushing himself past every limit he thought he had—he had done so fully believing he was on his own. That his survival, his presence there, was nothing but an afterthought to them at best, a nuisance at worst.

Drake hates him. That much, Maruki has never questioned. And yet, here he is, spitting venom at him not because-?

Maruki’s lips press together. His eyes flick down, a furrow in his brow, thoughts tangling in ways he hadn’t expected. He doesn’t try to defend himself, doesn’t try to argue back. Instead, he just mutters, more to himself than anyone, “...Huh.”

He watches her as she speaks, expression shifting—his stance, once tense and withdrawn, slowly eases, uncertainty creeping into his features.

"…I don’t blame anyone for how things played out,” he admits finally, his voice quieter now. “And I—” A pause. He glances at Drake, then exhales. “Maybe I did end up making things harder. Maybe I should’ve communicated more, I wasn't...”

He lets out a tired chuckle, shaking his head.

A beat. His fingers flex, then release.

He's not apologizing to him about it. That is for sure. He has no reason to believe in Drake's intentions but...one thing that does set them apart is the fact that as a team things might have been different. He glances back at Drake, but this time, the bitterness in his tone is weaker—less sharp, less defensive. More like someone who has simply been caught off-guard. “All those strategy meetings when you discussed retreat...I was included? Not when I was help- meddling with all of you- I made that choice knowing what it would have costed, before that."

Because all he wants to be certain about is that people like Drake would just want him dead.

Which is wrong to assume out of anyone. It goes against everything he's ever stood for for wanting to give others a chance. For all those in pain who lash out in non-descriptive ways.

"My mind is hazy on all the details..."

He goes back into his pocket and pulls out an apple juice. ~~Damn jitters.~~ He curses himself as he rips out the straw and pokes it into the box but he is not letting Drake weigh down on him again.

Edited 2025-03-09 11:46 (UTC)

...What.

"Yeah...? Why the hell wouldn't you be?"

Maybe because Ren hasn't made a secret of how much he hates Maruki, and he never thought to clarify that Maruki was included. But it didn't occur to him then, and it doesn't occur to him now, that all of that might be an issue. He's still pissed off, but less like he's ten seconds from breathing fire in Maruki's face and more simply... flummoxed.

Good, good, Hamuko's smile softened a bit as she glanced between the two of them.

"So some assumptions happened - based on bad experiences you two have had with each other or versions of you, I'm guessing. Taking for granted that someone will know what you mean to do or assuming contempt from others."

It isn't the worst that could've happened on the battlefield, but boy, what hurt that friction causes afterwards...

"Boys are always so bad at this," she teased, adding a little breath of a joke for an attempt at levity. "I think that means that next time, Maruki, you should speak up and ask to be sure. Drake was taking you into consideration both during training and during the fight. Even if there was animosity outside of this ordeal, he considered you part of the team."

Maruki for a moment really was taken aback by Drake's words. In fact, he even blinked back at him in surprise- like he seriously wasn't expecting him to say those words to his face.

...Is he even being honest?

Does it even matter.

The danger has passed, right? The doctor is known to always shift to a more positive approach on the side of things and then- for the miscommunication to be splintered off this severely from the middle. For a moment he closes his eyes and brings the juice box to himself, sucking from the straw just to feel something other than this torrent of heaviness.

"Oof- seems like I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

He chuckled easily, playing along with Hamuko's joke.

After that however....his chuckle really did die down.

"..." He looked away, a clear sign he was only staying quiet to maintain the peace.

...Okay, well, whatever Maruki's thinking is his fucking problem. In the silence, Ren takes a deep breath, looks down at the blanket in his arms, and becomes fully aware for the first time of the position they've put Hamuko in.

"Sorry, Hamuko. Didn't mean to..." He gestures vaguely with one hand. The blanket almost falls out of his arms, and he quickly reestablishes his grip, before putting it down on the couch. "I think I'm gonna head out."

Can't make the recently-dead girl mediate if he's not there to get in a fight.

"Hey, Ren..." Hamuko interjected softly, just barely brushing his arm before he turned to leave to get his attention. And she smiled at him, sincerely, gratefully.

"Thank you again for being there for me. Thank you again for your leadership during all of this. I'm proud of us - take care of yourself too, okay?"

"...Thanks," he says, almost uneasy now at the amount of encouragement she's giving him. No one but Goro talks to him like that, and Goro is a weirdo, with compromised judgment. But he doesn't... entirely hate it. "I will."

It's not exactly a lie. He just doesn't know how to take care of himself after something like this, and he's not trying that hard to figure it out, beyond 'fuck, I want to sleep'.

Thank you for your leadership during all this.

Maruki's finger digs into the juice box without him even realizing it. Just when did he start getting this bitter about someone else? It shouldn't matter after all. He was one person against a dozen or so Akechis, Akiras or Rens who may have been wronged by his hand or otherwise.

"I just...have one little piece to say," he starts as his gaze flickers from Hamuko, masking away his bitterness and frustration of the matter. "I acknowledge that me and Drake will never see eye to eye and...sometimes the only way you can combat the stress of dealing with an unpleasant presence is for the two parties to go their seperate ways." He's never working under or anywhere close to him ever again. In fact, he's never fighting in any large sorted battles like this.

He would have much preferred anyone's leadership over Drake's. Though maybe that may have ended up with him dying or...

Azathoth...he could still feel him gnawing at his nerves. Real. Warm with anger.

"My words probably don't mean anything but do seek some comfort from your support system. People have faith in you. Don't waste it."

"And...I will go ahead and apologize to anyone if I got in their way. That's all."

Edited (//final!!) 2025-03-11 01:05 (UTC)

"I'll hit you up in a few days!" She added, giving Drake the easy social grace to just-- walk out, step away from what was upsetting. Get a breather. She's here to take over!

As Drake left, Hamuko went back to the sofa to scoop up one of the blankets, a little amused at the heft. She'd never seen one of these - for anxiety, Maruki had said? She wrapped it around her shoulders and it felt snug, almost... like a hug. A pleasant weight and warmth.

"Can I keep one? I kinda love how it feels."

Maruki's gaze darkens as he looks on ahead- eyes narrowing at Drake as he sips on his trusty apple juice. It's really the only thing keeping him sane at this point.

If people need help in the future he's going to take... a far different approach. And probably start wearing actual guards so that he doesn't get stabbed at the wrong turn.

His attention only drifts back to normalcy when he hears the gentle whisper of the blankets. Blinking back at Hamuko, he carefully pulls the drink away from his lips and offers a wrinkly smile. "Feel free to. I don't think it can compensate for everything you accomplished today."

He goes to the couch and falls back, exhausted for a moment before hissing at his wounds when he moves the wrong way. He brings one hand up to tend to his hair. "I was so sure I was going to get stabbed by him."

"For a moment there, I thought so too," Hamuko agreed as she settled into the couch. She let out a long, slow breath... the blanket was shockingly comforting. "But, so long as I'm here, I won't let a fight break out. We're all tired after giving our all - some of us might be a little frayed at the edges still."

And since she wasn't (or at least wasn't in a way that made her cranky), she'd take the responsibility of looking out for people until they got their emotional footing back.

"Battles are always exhausting."

Maruki looks away from her, turning to the side of the couch. "Frayed at the edges...or just finding another excuse to humiliate me?" The corner of his smile sharpening.

"Oh well, I suppose it doesn't really matter now," he shakes his head as he straightens up and adjusts his glasses afer they become a little askew.

"How are you feeling? Outside the exhaustion? I did bring some snacks..."

"He seemed more angry and insecure than aiming for humiliation, to me," Hamuko hummed in thought, reaching back into the baggie from the corner store that Drake had run to for them. Ah hah, napkins.

"I still have a bit of... phantom pain, here," she gestured to her chest, right at her sternum - it'd been one of the harsher wounds she'd endured in the battle before deciding to sacrifice herself to stop that attack. "There were other wounds all over my arms and legs, but the chest really keeps sticking out in my brain, even though it's all gone."

Edited 2025-03-12 23:47 (UTC)

Maruki's reigns down to his expression to a neutral look, not sure to what extent was any of Drake's anger just there for the sake of funneling out his own frustration at him then. It could very well be possible- didn't mean he needed to attend to it.

"That could be more pyschological then physical," he says- turning the topic completely away from Drake because he wasn't interested in. "Your somatosensory cortex might still be registering the chest as 'damaged' or even the proximity of the attack being so close to the heart could have left a mismatch between old brain signals and your current body."

"Usually cognitive behavioural therapy goes further into reframing that pain in the right direction so that your mind catches up with the facts," he hums along. "I could suggest some aspects of encouraging mindfulness if you are interested in it."

Normally, Hamuko would've rejected all of the therapy chatter - she really wasn't interested in revisiting any of it from just how disappointing and ineffective it always was for her in the past.

But... Maruki needed to feel helpful, didn't he? It's why he came hoping to bring snacks and comfortable blankets. It was his own way of trying to do something in the wake of everything that happened.

"Sure. Got any exercises for me to try out for that?" she asked. "I'll trade you for advice on healing up when you're still wounded."

Maruki tapped his fingers on his lap, letting her consider his request as he brought the juice box to his lips and sipped on it, fidgeting as he tried to ignore the dull ache in his muscles.

Azathoth was still regenerating away the damaged body parts and Fatalis really did not like having him around so he did suffer the worst of it and it made him more annoyed then he should be.

So when Hamuko turns to address him and agree to him, well she's going to see a naturally perked up Takuto Maruki, eyes glittering with excitement at engaging her with his specialty.

"Then we have a deal," he chuckled as he set aside the box and stretched his arms- hearing his back pop which made him release an incredulous sound. "...! Er- you didn't hear that anyways- you know there are studies which talk about how breathing is known to coordinate with your hippocampal activity. Helps in memory consolation."

"I will attempt to do the exercise then you can repeat it for yourself? Or you can follow me but for that? Get comfortable."

Despite him brushing it under the rug, the pop did have Hamuko giggling at him a little bit. But she left it without comment, nodding as she scooted and sat up straight, ready to follow along and watching Maruki dutifully.

Maruki leaned forward slightly, his posture softening as he prepared for the exercise. He could feel his own body still adjusting to the dull aches, but he focused on the task ahead.

"Alright," he said, his tone calm and steady. "Let’s begin."

He straightened his back, placed his hands gently on his lap, and closed his eyes for a moment to center himself. He then took a deep breath, inhaling slowly through his nose. His chest expanded gradually as he counted silently in his head, ensuring that he wasn’t rushing the process.

"Inhale slowly for four seconds," he said, eyes still closed, trying to convey his calmness through his steady words. "Imagine your lungs filling up—slowly, but deeply. Don’t force it. Just breathe."

He held his breath at the top of the inhale for a moment, his chest rising gently. His eyes flickered open briefly.

"Hold it for four seconds," he continued, his voice gentle yet instructive. "As you hold the breath, visualize the moment before your death. Don’t be afraid of it. Acknowledge it as something that happened in the past. It is no longer who you are. You are here now."

He gave her a moment to process the thought as he demonstrated, holding the breath for just a few seconds more before continuing.

"Now," Maruki exhaled slowly, letting the air leave his body with a gentle sigh. "Exhale slowly, taking about six to eight seconds. Imagine the pain or tension in your chest floating away with that breath—like smoke, dissipating into the air. Let it go since our minds are made to cling to the true material. This is where we trick it."

He exhaled fully, his shoulders relaxing as he released the tension from his body, his expression softening with each breath.

"It’s alright to feel the memory of it, but let it be a memory, not a part of you anymore," Maruki said softly. "You are whole now. This breath is yours. Feel your body healing with every exhale."

After a few seconds of silence, Maruki opened his eyes and gave Hamuko a warm, supportive smile. "Now, you try it. I’ll walk you through it again."

She followed his instructions. She sat up straight, deeply inhaled and held it for just a moment. Visualize the moment...

Raising her hand to the sky. Pulling all of the strength she had into a single point, the faint echoes of her loved ones and their belief in her, even the hearts of those she'd only recently bonded with.

The Ken Amada before her, Fatalis, was an overwhelming presence of death. But this was for the best. She'd stake her life on stopping Nyx again and again.

In the split second that she felt her soul accumulated, flashing out from her - the blade punctured straight through her sternum like it was paper.

Exhale.

Visualize smoke, the tension uncoiling from the bottom of her lungs, flowing out with a steady breath. Inhale, feel the impact of the blade, and exhale it.

The memory could settle. She didn't mind it. The physical pain... let that slowly ebb.

Hamuko got so engrossed in concentrating on the visual, she forgot to keep listening, just focusing on her breathing and repeating through it.

Maruki doesn't mind that of course! He simply looks her way, attempting to stifle the groan that threatens to leave his lips as he merely clutches his waist a little and presses against a vague ache. There's an actual genuine bruise there...somehow he doubts that he will be able to make it wither away with his own exercises.

After a while, the man turned towards her on the sofa as he sipped down on his apple juice box- the sound of it breaking the silence as he focused on the drink. Soothing. He could only hope that Arisato was doing a little better too.

"How are you feeling? Want to run it back again?"

"That worked wonders," Hamuko sighed in relief and nodded, rubbing at her sternum a bit. The tension had definitely soothed a lot...

She stretched her arms overhead a bit, taking a deep breath now that it felt a little easier to do so, and relaxed a bit to give Maruki a look up and down. He'd been clutching his waist, a little, right?

"Let's see... did you get cut at all, is it mostly impact bruising, or some mix?"

"Did it?! I am glad to hear that," bless his soul for the way a smile just falls on his face the moment he pulls away the juicebox from his mouth and regards her. "Those exercises really depend on your prerequisite mental strength which makes sense- given your positive approach to things." Little encouragements that go a long way. As he would want for her.

When he feels her staring he eases up, removing his hand as he tries to appear relaxed. He's fine really no need to comment on-

Ah.

"Gave myself away, huh?" He chuckles. "I am afraid Fatalis wasn't happy with my little experiment, Hamuko-san. I got subjected to a lot of damage."

"It's alright. Azathoth’s regenerating my wounds as we speak. I will be fine."

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