Urgent Matters (Tomomi/Cecil)

He'd barely gotten a moment of sleep. That run through the streets at night... So many revelations had come that caused him much to think about. Now that he knew the identities of others, seeing them in pain hurt him. He got more and more concerned about seeing them like it. His friends... With their lives on the line. But he wasn't strong enough to protect them. He had to watch as a bystander, and pray that they were strong enough to survive while he did his best to sustain them from behind.

I'm too weak.

But beyond that realisation of his own failures, the identity revealed that he almost wished he never found out. He'd found out Nadia was Nightingale... That had happened in order to protect Isabella, and so their identities couldn't be helped from being shared. But now... Tomomi wasn't dumb enough to miss what 2 + 2 made. The reason Nadia was out at night with Revenant... Cecil and Nadia dating... Nadia's terrorist flirting with Cecil...

He tried to contact Nadia, to no avail, regarding it. He wanted so desperately to warn her. To protect Nadia and Cecil from being discovered. Was he just... Not someone that could properly protect people, no matter how much he tried? He pulled at his hair. No, he couldn't think about that.

He pulled out his phone, sitting on his couch as he flipped it open and stared at his contacts, gazing intensely on one name: Cecil. He hovered his finger over the name for a moment. Would Cecil not want to visit him, like last time, even if he asked and said it was urgent? Was Tomomi's worry something that the others felt were miniscule? Was Cecil not Revenant, in which case, Nadia was cheating on Cecil?

Thoughts whirled in his mind for a few minutes, Tomomi tearing at his hair in desperation to clear his head, before finally deciding to just do it.

Tomomi: we need to talk. its important. please visit me when you can. tomomi

Message sent, Tomomi collapsed backwards on his sofa bed, gasping and letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and preparing himself mentally for Cecil to decline.

He hadn't been working long, relatively speaking. He probably shouldn't have been at all - after last night, he should be taking some time to himself. But he hadn't actually done all that much, and he still felt compelled to do as he always had...drive himself into the ground in the pursuit of more.
When he felt his phone go off though, he glanced over at the screen, and to the books he'd started to amass. Then, he sighed, and started putting things away.
He hoped this wasn't anything too bad.

CECIL: On my way.


A while later, Cecil finds himself knocking on Tomomi's door, a concerned look on his face. As the door opens, he seems to be paying careful attention to Tomomi. "What's wrong?"

At the reply, Tomomi sighed a second time, seemingly hugging his phone as if it were Cecil himself. Then, it was time to get ready for him to show up.

First, Tomomi made sure he had his jacket on. Not on his shoulder, but actually on, worn, like it should, hood behind his head and keeping his hair from reaching the bottom of his neck. He brushed at his hair to hide where he'd ripped at it, and he splashed water in his face to seem to wake himself up. With that, he made sure the lemonade he kept in stock now was chilled, and prepared himself. In addition, he shoved his gun into the pocket of his hoodie, loading it with a single bullet.

After time passed and Cecil arrived, Tomomi sighed, and tried his best to smile as he opened the door. Instead, it seemed an exhausted expression. "Ah, um... Hey... Come in, come in..." Voice low and quiet, Tomomi looked around, continuing to gesture Cecil in. Assuming Cecil stepped inside, Tomomi would close the door behind them, leading Cecil to the seating before seating himself down, and, with a heavy sigh, taking his gun out of his pocket, and placing it on the coffee table.

"If I'm mistaken... You... You're welcome to hand me over to the cadets. But, if I'm not mistaken... You are Revenant, right, Cecil?"

Seeing the state that Tomomi was in, a frown developed on Cecil's features. He seemed...exhausted, in a way that was very familiar to him. Not only that, but also altogether too subdued for what he knew of Tomomi. Sure, he wasn't the most outgoing...but he was far more lively than this. Tomomi practically seemed to be trying to enclose himself from the world within his own jacket.
It made him worry. It made him feel uncomfortable.

And then, he put a gun on the table.
Blank and bleary worry turned into sharp focus, and a harsh scowl.
"Like hell I'd do that."

After a second's pause, he takes a deep breath, and the edge fades from his expression. A small, wry smile, comes to his lips. "You tell me, Ribbon." He shrugs. "That was...a shock to find out, let me tell you...what about you?"

As Cecil was silent at first, Tomomi half wondered if it meant Cecil was just going to take the gun and try to shoot Tomomi with it. In truth, that was another thing he'd expected potentially. It was why he left a bullet in it, in case Cecil wanted to take him out.

So, when Cecil instead replied with a small smile, and Tomomi's terrorist name, Tomomi's shoulders seemed to dramatically detense, and his hands shook in front of him, elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forwards.

"It... It made me lose sleep, I'll be honest... I... Don't think I need to ask how you found out... It was that night at the construction site right? I... I didn't know back then that it was you. I... I only found out last night who you were. I know I'm not the smartest person, but... I kind of put stuff together... I... Found out you and Nadia are dating, and, found out Nadia's terrorist identity... Then, from how she treated you specifically during the expedition last night... I'm sorry, I just... It's selfish, but I had to confirm it... And, since it's true, please, please try make sure Nadia's more careful about it... If I can figure out, then I don't think I'm the only one that can... And, I don't want either of you two to be in danger..."

He let out a heavy sigh, picking his gun back up and flipping the bullet chamber open, taking the bullet out, and setting them both aside before standing up. "So, yeah... I'm sorry to have... Called you out... While you're here, want some lemonade? I've started keeping them as a constant supply now."

Cecil nods as Tomomi refers to the night where the horde came for them in the streets. He'd had little on his mind at the time but cutting down the creatures that would DARE attack his friend.
His friend that was apparently a terrorist. Which meant he'd been attacked by demons at some point while he WASN'T there to cut them down furiously.
...not something that helped soothed the emotions he was taking out on the ravenous ghouls, he had to admit.
"I'll do my best...hopefully she doesn't plan on jumping into fights undisguised again." He shakes his head. "Give yourself a little more credit though, Tomomi. Nobody who's dumb goes into any medical field."

For a brief moment, Cecil seems concerned once more, but he covers it up and lets out a small snicker. "From terrorism to lemonade. Seems consistent." Keeping up the front, he smiles warmly. "Don't apologise, Tomomi. You don't need to. And...yeah, lemonade would be nice."

As Cecil spoke about Nadia jumping in undisguised, Tomomi shook his head more. "I don't just mean that... If anyone finds out that Nadia's a terrorist now, they will know that you're Revenant... But, never mind that... That's something I think should be talked about with her in person, so, that's none of my business..."

At Cecil's little snicker and acceptance of the lemonade, Tomomi nodded, walking over to where he'd kept the lemonade in the mini-fridge, pouring out a glass of it, and opening a can of Dr Salt NEO, handing Cecil the lemonade before sitting back down.

Still, after taking a sip of his drink, Tomomi sighed heavily. "You said before that you have a voice that speaks to you... I... I'm guessing that was your persona? I had only recently awakened to my power when you said that, and my persona has generally been quiet, but, if that's what you meant, then, I can understand why you couldn't talk about it." He declared with a sigh, leaning forward once more. "I... I know you said not to apologise, but, seriously... I'm sorry I hid this from you... And that you finding out was shocking... I just..." For a moment, it was as if Tomomi were about to sigh again, yet instead, a light yawn escaped his lips. "I'm sorry. I... Can't think straight right now... A-anyways, um... Are you feeling any better?"

Cecil nods. "I know, I know...I'm pointing that out as the way you found out. Maybe she thought it was fine because it was you there...but yeah. That's something to talk about with her."

As takes and sips at the lemonade, Cecil seems to get a little more tense as Tomomi mentions his persona. "Ah...yeah. That's...that's Ankou, alright. Hard to forget your problems when they like to talk to you in the form of a corpse in your head. There's...something really wrong with me that that's what I am."
He shakes his head clear, and moves on. "I'm alright for the moment, Tomomi. I'm not so sure about you though." Setting the glass down, he looks worriedly to his best friend. "This...isn't your fault, Tomomi. Not at all. I'm not sure what you're thinking, but...this is dangerous to tell someone. Anyone that knows this is can easily hold it over your head if they don't just turn you in. And if they do keep it quiet...that puts a target on their back as well. It's the sort of secret that's dangerous just to keep. I'm not going to blame you for keeping it...and I hope you understand that I didn't keep it secret myself because I don't trust you, because that definitely isn't true."

After a pause, Cecil glances away and starts on the lemonade again. "...I...don't get me wrong, but I hate that you're like me. It means you can be there, it means you can defend yourself...but it also means you got attacked and I didn't protect you. It means if you weren't lucky...you'd be dead right now. Gone. And I'd have been utterly powerless to stop you going."

Tomomi listened intently as Cecil spoke. His persona's name, Ankou, and that his personification of his will to survive was... Was something dead. Tomomi felt a chill down his spine, a still chill that didn't cause a shiver, but a moment of even more discomfort. No wonder Cecil was struggling so much with it... Did that mean he saw himself as someone dead? Bah, no, don't think on that Tomomi.

Still, hearing Cecil say it wasn't Tomomi's fault caused a light gulp out of instinct. It made sense, and Tomomi felt his nerves arise once more, taking a sip of his can to try keep them down by focusing on the bubbles and the fizz of the drink. At the point regarding the danger the secret posed though, Tomomi nodded his head. "I... I know it's dangerous... And I know... Only you, Nadia, and that other person on that night know who I am... And I really hope to keep it that way... But, I found out your identity without you intending for me to know... And that... I don't even know what that means. I tried to think on it, and ignore the thoughts about it during last nights events, but I just... I just couldn't. I'm sorry, but... I just, wanted to confirm, even though it's such a dangerous thing. If I was wrong, then, I was ready to accept being wrong, but, at the same time, I needed to make sure I had the facts to make sure I didn't make any mistakes... I didn't want to put you, or Nadia, at risk because of my own ignorance and I just couldn't turn a blind eye. But, there was also the risk... If I told you, would it put you at risk? I... I don't know... I'm sorry..."

At Cecil declaring that he hates how Tomomi had been forced into awakening, and that he wasn't there to save him. At this, Tomomi shook his head. "Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with it... But, if I survived only because I'm lucky... What about everyone else? How... How many people disappear silently in an alley, with nobody to help?..."

He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Never mind. You don't have to answer that... Is it true though, that, no matter who you are or what you do, because of having... Well, our persona... No matter what we do, even if it's just protecting others, they'll take us away? Even if this power wasn't something was asked for... If those nights aren't something we asked for... Why? And... What happens to those they take away? I... It's scary. And I just can't find the answer."

As Tomomi expresses his worries, Cecil smiles sympathetically. He really couldn't blame Tomomi for the thoughts that ran through his head. This really wasn't something simple, no matter how much he wished it could be. How much he wished it could be something that he didn't have to worry about the way he did. That they did. "...no, I get it. It would have been bad to ignore this too at this point. But a little advice for if this happens again?" He sighs, smiling tiredly. "Don't stick a gun on the table. Just...ask them, if they are what you suspect. Take steps to find out if it's something you need to know, just...don't do anything, say anything, that'd give yourself away. You've got to keep yourself safe too."

At the acknowledgement of other people gone missing, people gone without a chance to be saved, without the hope of defending themselves Cecil falls silent. He stills, thinking back. An unknown figure chased by zombies masquerading as police. Self-righteous 'angels' bearing down on someone they disapproved of.
A hulking creature with a club, messily devouring a corpse in an alleyway.
He didn't even know who it was. Who it...could, have been...
Briefly, Cecil's breath shakes.

Then, as Tomomi asks away further, he pulls himself from his reflection. "Tomomi...you were preparing for me to take a gun and shoot you for being a terrorist if I came here. Just the words 'Psyche Terrorist' are synonymous with fear and loathing, and each and every one of us are made out like the actual demons. I...think that's pretty telling." He falls silent, taking a long swig of lemonade. "When I first found that place, they told me of demons used as enforcers. Of people being outright brainwashed into what the government wants. And now...I can say I know of someone that not just had that done to them, but was broken and made into something violent and ruthless even when they escaped it. They were far, far stronger than any of us, and they still didn't come out of it the same...what chance have any of us got if we suffer the same?"

His grip tightens on the glass in his hand as the revulsion threatens to bubble over again. "...I can't wait til we start helping people. Making people see us as someone you can go to for help, instead of threats that need locking away. Maybe then people will start having second thoughts about whether we should be condemned like this."

As Cecil talked about what he knew about what had happened, what the cadets and government were doing... He'd heard about the use of demons; he'd seen the broadcast. But, what he didn't hear of, or expect? Brainwashing. A part of him wondered how they even did that, morbid curiosity, but the majority of him was absolutely terrified. The mere mention of how terrible it was, and how Cecil had known someone that had been brainwashed caused the boy to tighten his grip on his can, before taking a slow sip.

Still, what came next caused Tomomi to nod, feeling a fire of agreement rising within him and nodding as Cecil spoke. Conviction to save those who need it... "I agree... We've got powers... And, I know it's not that simple, but, growing up I remember the animations with heroes that would use their powers to protect those that couldn't... I want to be like that. I don't need or even want recognition for it... I just want to save people's lives, and keep as many people safe... Safe from the demons... And safe from those who would employ them..."

He sighed, before forcing a smile. "And don't worry. I would only reveal myself like that to you. Because, well... If I was wrong about my deduction, I wanted you to feel like it was safe to turn me over. But, that thought process is in the past..."

Tomomi fell silent for a moment, taking another sip of his can. "It's scary. Which, I guess is ironic in a way... I mean, we're treated as villains, and we're feared, but, here we are, drinking fizzy drinks, and hiding for our lives in fear... From what I heard that night at the Playhouse though... That Gambler guy and that Skelter guy are... Not making it easier. Maybe that's me being too naive though."

He shook his head at this, taking another drink in, before gesturing to Cecil. "Mine's Goole by the way. Although he doesn't really talk much. Or, I guess, I don't really talk much? I don't know... It's weird. And confusing. Although, also confusing is that..." He pointed to where he put the gun. "While I was fighting for my life, the person that directly told me about the Playhouse gave it to me... No, it was as soon as I had the power to fight for my life that I was given it. I don't even know who gave it to me, or why. How they knew where I was, that I was in danger, that I couldn't defend myself quite perfectly... That someone knew so much about the situation, and provided a weapon, but didn't help, or show themselves again until after... Did something like that happen to you as well? Because... I've still not figured out what that was about..."

Cecil snickers at a passing thought as Tomomi talks about cartoons past. "Imagine if the broadcast turned out like something out of Featherman. Just a bunch of supposed terrorists suddenly showing up on everyone's screens and doing cheesy ranger routines. Not the best way to be taken seriously, but it would definitely give people so many questions."

He sighs, and shakes his head. "But...I guess things are how they are." He pauses, taking a drink. "I don't know who that guy is. I only heard  him tell me where to go after the fight when it was my turn, but when I've come to help people - people who always seem to end up like us - he always seems to call out from somewhere he can't be seen and toss weapons at people, or show up after everything's over and offer them up like grand prizes. I'm not impressed with him. I'm almost convinced he sees the whole affair as gladiatorial entertainment. But I still have no idea who they are or what they're doing."

He pauses. "Shotaro and Skelter aren't always doing us favours either, no. I don't know what he was like before, but...I can't say I'm impressed with how he made that broadcast happen. As it is, everyone was way too quick to just jump into a potential trap we encountered on the way there...maybe that's just me being new then though." He shakes his head after taking another sip of lemonade. It's nearly gone. "And Skelter...he's the one that got his head messed with. Strange to think once upon a time he didn't want to kill people and exploit demons as a weapon. I'm not sure what the future looks like...but I don't want it to be his."

...no, that wasn't something to focus on. It needed talking about eventually, but now wasn't the right time.
"Did you ever do any reading on Goole?" He scratches at the back of his head. "I found a few books myself at one point. I mean...take the opportunity to learn a little about myself, you know?" He smiles thinly. "What I found out was...interesting."

At the idea of the terrorists appearing like they were from Featherman, the serious expressions on Tomomi's face momentarily passed as he let out a gleeful and innocent giggle. For some reason, he could imagine himself, Cecil, and Nadia doing an announcement like that - full of vibrancy, personality, and hope.

Still, when the conversation got serious again, Tomomi just listened, returning to his serious expression and taking everything Cecil said to heart. The things about that mysterious stranger and what Cecil knew about him, Gambler Shotaro and Skelter... Hearing that Skelter, the one wanting to cause murder, was once against it and was the one brainwashed... He shivered physically, drinking the rest of his can as if it were a fear impulse.

And then Cecil got to the final part. Looking up Goole? He waited for Cecil to finish, hearing that supposedly, reading up on Ankou was interesting. Whether that was a good interesting or not, Tomomi couldn't tell for sure until he looked into it himself. But, Cecil asked a question, so, it was Tomomi's turn to answer. "No, sorry... I didn't really think about it to be honest... I can't say I recognise it though... It sounds like Ghoul, but, well, I just... I have a feeling that's not right. I don't know why I feel that, but, I do... But, yeah, it's a good idea. Um... Any suggestions on where to start looking? Like, um, how you started? Because, I doubt there was an entire book dedicated to Ankou, unless I'm just, um, really out of touch with things like that."

"No, nothing like that." He takes a moment to finish off his lemonade before turning his attention back to Tomomi. "There's some books on mythology I found. I figured if it had any basis in anything, it'd be there. I had to dig through a few of them to find anything, though." He shrugs. "I'm not sure if or where you'd find Goole in something like that, but it's somewhere to start at least. Take a look where it feels like you might find them from what you know."

At this, Tomomi nodded, scratching his head a bit in thought. "Well... Guess I'm going to have to uh... Become a library addict and pretend I'm just doing study out of interest, trying to find something that takes my interest? I uh... I don't know... Still, I'll let you know if I find anything, since, well, you're helping me by giving me advice like that, so, it's only fair."

With a sigh, Tomomi lightened his expression, before shrugging. "Would you like some more lemonade by the way? I've got most of a 2 litre bottle left, so, you won't need to worry about it running out unless you plan on moving in and drinking it all!" He declared with a cheerful giggle, shaking his head. "And um... I know it's out of nowhere, but, I'm sorry my messages the other day distressed you. And the way I had messaged you earlier was also pretty bad I guess, so, um... S-sorry about that as well. To make up for it... Want a cookie?"