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PSL (closed)
[The shop had finally settled again. It was a bit of a relief, because it hadn't anchored to a world in nearly two weeks, and Watanuki's food stores had started to run low. A shopping trip would be in order, mostly to replenish his nonperishable before the shop set out looking for another world in need of his help.
Usually Watanuki could guess when a move was about to happen, but sometimes it happened out of the blue. Like this last move, which had come so soon after arriving in the previous world. That usually meant that his services were in dire need and that people's souls were calling out to him, even if they didn't quite know it themselves yet. Watanuki would just have to wait for them to come to him.
His first visitor, at least, wouldn't take too long to get there. Watanuki always had a sense of when someone was to arrive, and as soon as the shop's gates had opened and revealed itself to the busy streets of Yokohama he had felt the impending arrival of a customer. It was enough to pique his interest, because he didn't usually get a visitor on the same day after a shop move. Someone was very perceptive, it seemed.
By the time his guest would arrive, Watanuki had already set up some tea in one of the sitting rooms. The summer was at its end, and the cool breeze felt nice enough that Watanuki had decided to open the movable doors to reveal the backyard, which was still bathed in the greens of summer. They could stay cool without the need of an air conditioner that way.
From there, he waited. He had a feeling that his guest was a particularly clever one, so he felt sure that they would find their way to the sitting room on their own.]
Usually Watanuki could guess when a move was about to happen, but sometimes it happened out of the blue. Like this last move, which had come so soon after arriving in the previous world. That usually meant that his services were in dire need and that people's souls were calling out to him, even if they didn't quite know it themselves yet. Watanuki would just have to wait for them to come to him.
His first visitor, at least, wouldn't take too long to get there. Watanuki always had a sense of when someone was to arrive, and as soon as the shop's gates had opened and revealed itself to the busy streets of Yokohama he had felt the impending arrival of a customer. It was enough to pique his interest, because he didn't usually get a visitor on the same day after a shop move. Someone was very perceptive, it seemed.
By the time his guest would arrive, Watanuki had already set up some tea in one of the sitting rooms. The summer was at its end, and the cool breeze felt nice enough that Watanuki had decided to open the movable doors to reveal the backyard, which was still bathed in the greens of summer. They could stay cool without the need of an air conditioner that way.
From there, he waited. He had a feeling that his guest was a particularly clever one, so he felt sure that they would find their way to the sitting room on their own.]
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Also, he caught that eyebrow twitch. The shop looked nice and squeaky clean all the time, Watanuki; surely a dresser could take a few paw prints?
Smithy's assessment that the guns were in good condition and agreeable pleased Dazai, as did the news that Oda seemed okay with the transfer. That his soul was heavy was far from surprising when Dazai very well knew how his own actions (or inaction in some cases) had strongly affected certain events and people.
Being asked for a price, though? His soul as collateral?
A chill lanced through his chest. That was unexpected, and an interesting sign that Dazai probably had trusted Watanuki before he realized it if he hadn't fished out more information on today's events.
Ahh. He wondered if he was losing his touch.
Dazai had one question, if he managed to get it out before Watanuki:] If I may ask first before any proposals - does asking for my soul specifically have to do with the formation of a tsukumogami?
[It was a guess. Possibly a soul for a soul kind of deal, when tsukumogami supposedly took decades, if not centuries, to develop on their own.
This was also possibly a bid for time, while he worked out a proper response to that challenge]
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[It was then that Watanuki finally cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself.]
I will be the one paying the fee, if you will.
Izzat so? In that case, make me some of that catnip tea and seaweed biscuits you're so good at. That should take you about as long as this will.
[Then, with a chuckle, he moved to collect up the guns.]
You're a lucky one, you know. Most Witches wouldn't pay such a steep price for someone like you. I guess he sees something in you I don't.
[The cat's tone was a friendly one, like he wasn't trying to be offensive on purpose. However, his words were still a bit on the callous side, and they just provided more questions for Watanuki to answer later.
Speaking of Watanuki, once Smithy moved to the study to work on the guns, he started pulling out ingredients to cook up the price that had been named. Dazai was free to watch him cook or to go watch the guns as they were worked on.]
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[Two things were becoming apparent to Dazai: one, this particular supernatural creature had the same kind of bluntness he appreciated Odasaku having, free of any hidden intent most people tended to have.
Second: Watanuki had hid this aspect from him.
Given both, he couldn't have stayed to watch the Smithy, as he ordinarily would've done. Instead, he followed Watanuki to the kitchen, leaning on the wall and crossing his arms as he watched. After a while, Dazai spoke.]
The initial collateral seems more costly than whatever clean-up you might send me to.
[A seemingly neutral statement to point out the perceived imbalance.
What, precisely, were the stakes, Shopkeeper? Moreover, why offer this to someone like him?]
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[Watanuki was very methodical in his cooking. It came with the ease that only decades of practice could give it, where measurements of ingredients could be done by sight alone and Watanuki could mix them together while also having a conversation. he made the work seem simple, though anyone who knew anything about cooking could tell it was anything but.
Similarly, his answer seemed simple, but it was also hiding its true nature.]
'Cost' is relative anyway. My abilities as a chef make my food carry value in the spirit world, and it is easy for me to make. Trading labor for labor has been a way of cutting costs for eons. Besides that Smithy was teasing. He wouldn't eat a human child.
[Dreams, on the other hand, were more complicated. And many spirits did like them.]
Besides, I can't expect you to work for me if you don't have the tools, right?
[Watanuki was definitely hiding a lot, though. Asking him those burning questions was probably a good idea.]
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...well. To put it mildly, he did have years of practice on him.
Those responses also didn't address the implied question. Fair enough, and Dazai knew how to spot evasion tactics.]
The equity of cost is also tied to perceived value. [That's how barter usually functioned, and likely why the Smithy didn't ask for cash: why ask for an empty IOU when getting the product of labor was more sensible?] It's no surprise that my soul is 'heavy.' However, from his perspective, the price he's asking for is steep, regardless of how easy cooking is for you. In the same way, the number of brush strokes in a single kanji of calligraphy is not what determines its value, but the mastery of the one who wrote it.
So, let me ask this: why are you going this far? And don't say it's my ability. I'm hardly the first exorcist you've worked with, and you seem to have an established network of individuals. Rumors of good talent will reach your ears, one way or the other.
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But on the other hand, that did encourage Watanuki to disclose the truth. Or, at least, part of the truth. And as he spoke, his hands stilled in their preparation.]
The day you visited, just prior to your arrival, my ability gave me a vision of your future. A future where you committed the ultimate taboo in the name of saving a friend, and the fallout of that decision affected not only your world, but thousands of others.
But my visions of the future aren't inevitable. Those futures can be changed. And I want to prevent the future I saw.
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Ah. Watanuki had mentioned something about a taboo during their first meeting, when he had more or less disclosed the ethics he followed in his trade.]
Is that why you advised me against using the Book? Or did I attempt to resurrect someone?
[A pause. Dazai's lips curled a little in self-depreciation, and he sighed. No harm in admitting he agreed with Watanuki's assessment on how Dazai might be tempted to change reality, however late. In a way, his desire to interact with Odasaku was a shade of that.]
No need to give me specific details if it's those two. As loathe as I am to admit it, I can be rather effective in tempting myself under the right circumstances.
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[There was no use in denying it, Dazai was smart enough to figure it out on his own. He wouldn't have known the questions to ask otherwise. ]
All that waits for you on that path is guilt, misery, and eternal suffering. So I wanted to give you another option. The choice is still yours in the end, but I wanted you to at least have that choice to make.
[His words sounded heavy, and his eyes were on his cooking instead of on Dazai. But he was speaking from his heart right there. He honestly saw some good in Dazai and wanted him to find peace. ]
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Were it easy to just sit on the floor and curl up right now for this to pass, he would've done so.]
Your... concern is appreciated. [His tone sounded as hollow as the shape he was returning to. What did it matter if he was twenty-two, twenty, or eighteen, if he kept retracing old paths and remained at a standstill?] How do suppose your plan will help? For all my circumstances have changed, I don't see how I myself have.
[True, he did not necessarily exercise cruelty as he had done before. However, Dazai was all too aware that his old habits were still there, just lurking beneath the surface.
(He hated it.
But it was also what he knew.)]
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Humans have a bad habit of sticking to what they know. They are capable of change, but precious few people can look at their actions and reflect on them by themselves. They need an outside force to nudge them to reflect on their actions.
[He set sown the knife he had been holding, and he held it out towards Dazai. ]
There's no shame in needing outside help sometimes. Even I need guidance from time to time. It doesn't mean you're not growing or changing. But maybe hearing those words from someone else will mean more?
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Shame wasn't the issue here. Not really. Rather, he for all the advice he gave to Atsushi and Kyouka on the matter, there was a part of him that he believed irredeemable. Let sleeping dogs lie and all that.]
Hearing that would nullify the second part of my other wish, wouldn't it?
[Not a "yes."
But Dazai hadn't turned down the offer, either.
This... really was confusing. On the one hand, he was being diverted from a path where he might make the ultimate selfish choice of just breaking a natural law that musn't be changed. On the other, he was, in a sense, being lured to cave into this one thing he desired.
Dazai did genuinely want to know what Oda was saying.
(He was also afraid.)
However, he did push through with that deal out of the necessity of the situation.
(Odasaku reacted badly yesterday. Even if he agreed to let his guns be used, that didn't necessarily signify content.)
What a conundrum.
(For years, he'd latched on to Oda's last wish and his very memory, held on tight to the meaning of those words in the darkest of days. If Odasaku told him to forget and move on or something of the like, it would be like experiencing his death all over again.)
How... stupidly fragile this was.]
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But that's not the issue, is it? You're not afraid of the wish terms being violated. You're afraid of hearing his words and how they may be different from what you want to hear.
[He kept his hand raised as he spoke, the invitation still open. But his words, ones that were almost haunting in a way, still hung in the air. ]
It's your choice to hear him if you want. But I am telling you something important here: you're stubborn, and you won't be able to break the cycle on your own. Take his words, or take my words, whichever is palatable. But this is not something you can handle alone.
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[That response was every bit petty and churlish.
Being called out like this was rather discomfiting - was he that easy to read?
Watanuki had not pulled away his hand, either. Dazai bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted copper.]
Let's say I accept either of those messages. [His stomach rolled. In retrospect, it was a good thing he hadn't left the wall.] How would this be any different from what I'm doing at the Agency, beyond the actual work involved?
[How would their help change him, in other words.
He was no stranger to working with people; it was, indeed, necessary for bigger plans.
(This was not the issue Watanuki was referring to.)]
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For the time being though, Watanuki sighed and withdrew his hand. He had cooking to do, after all, and he couldn't wait for Dazai to get over his cold feet. So he picked the knife up again and went back to sectioning off portions of the dough to place on a tray. ]
You're looking for a catch to it all, aren't you? Some moment where you think I'm going to reveal that I'm screwing you over. "Aha! You've fallen into my trap!" Or something.
Well let me tell you something: if I was actually that clever, I wouldn't be having Witch troubles in the first place.
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(Wonder what might have happened if he chose to take either that message or that hand, though that was not a happy thing to map out: he had, in a sense, cornered himself.)
This shift of topic was a welcome change, moreso when it sounded like the beginning of a personal story. Dazai unwound his arms and slipped his hands into his pockets, making himself relaxed.]
What, your predecessor tricked you into inheriting her Ability?
[It was unlikely it was a customer, when Watanuki's second Ability did the work for him.
That was also a strange way to put it, when it would sound close to "woman troubles" for those who weren't aware of Watanuki being a Witch.
(The guarantee Dazai had been looking for wasn't necessarily a catch-all, but it'd be nice if he got one.)]
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She did like pranking me though, which was very annoying.
[His words rang true too, as he spoke about Yuuko with a somewhat nostalgic tone.]
I was referring to the witch from your world. Everyone from your world is so sneaky and dangerous! And don't get me started on the man with the lemons.
[And now he was complaining for the sake of complaining. The true Watanuki aesthetic. At least he was able to complete his biscuits without any trouble though, and speaking of which he ended up putting one of them on a plate and sliding it over to Dazai, with a cup of the tea following shortly after. Be his taste tester, Dazai.]
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[The brisk assessment further helped shed the mood Dazai had been in. He cocked his head Focusing on external threats was helpful that way.]
If the person I have in mind is the same one you're referring to, I wouldn't be surprised.
Guile and cunning are necessary to survive here, you know? Ability users and those involved with them tend to get pulled in to conflict, one way or another. I'm not sure what kind of Japan you're used to, but the Yokohama here became overrun with rather unsavory elements after the war.
[And yep, don't mind if he partook.
Dazai picked up a biscuit, examining both sides curiously, before nibbling.
Paused.
Took a larger bite and looked at the plate contemplatively.
Watanuki might have to guard against a hand sneaking closer to his precious biscuits.]
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[And sorry Dazai, but more of the biscuits were going into a little box for the Smithy to take with him. The tea, similarly, went into a to-go thermos that would keep it warm for hours. But there was some left over if Dazai wanted to steal another one, even if the action got Watanuki to smirk.]
You like them?
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So you're saying you never had to deal with the shadier side of government, but you had to handle problems most people wouldn't have to bother with. Got it.
[That second part probably could've been worded better, and not verbalized with a full mouth.
He swallowed.]
They're impossibly good. [He peered at the counter. Dazai was no expert in cooking, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary there. Was there something more to the Smithy putting value on these, outside of just wanting a really well-made snack?] What's the secret ingredient? Or does it have to do with those knife slices, like how people roll lemons before cutting and squeezing the juice out?
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[He'll admit his home world's faults, but it wasn't as bad as Dazai's world. He would stand by that assessment of it too.
But the praise for his cooking and the subsequent questions about it did stroke Watanuki's ego. Yes, he was a master chef, praise him.]
No secret ingredient, but you may be right about the method influencing the taste. Cooking is an extremely personal act, one that showcases the kind of person you are. Even without realizing it, little bits of yourself slip into your cooking. That's what makes it so personal, you're bearing your soul for someone else to see when you cook for them.
[Watanuki had not sampled any of the biscuits, though. All of them had either been put into a box or left on a plate for others to eat. He didn't drink any of the tea either.]
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Watanuki saying that cooking was, in effect, shaped by personality was not quite what Dazai expected. Sure, there were chefs who customized dishes and those who tended to be by-the-book, but that wasn't anything new.
...then again, the devil might be in the details. How Watanuki interacted with the world was quite unique.]
By that logic, any tofu I'd make for Odasaku and probably you would taste terrible.
[Just, you know, a casual observation. Never mind that Watanuki already did say food for spirits needed special preparation, and Dazai could actually chalk that up to the ability the Shopkeeper had been born with.
"Bearing your soul," indeed.
There was something Watanuki had mentioned about, oh, being sought after, and why he couldn't leave the shop easily. Dazai considered the biscuit in front of him and hummed.
If that could actually be given a literal interpretation, his next guess might be sensible.]
You'd also be a tasty snack for those so inclined.
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[Something something 'cook from the heart' or whatever. Look, Watanuki was trying to be encouraging.
Though any sense of trying to help was gone as soon as Dazai made that last quip. In its place was a look of irritation, complete with a twitching eyebrow. He heard that double entendre, Dazai, he's not that stupid. And he ended up using a long wooden spoon to point at Dazai accusingly too.]
I know what you meant, and you can get your mind out of the gutter. But surprisingly, you're not wrong either. Some spirits do try to eat me, in the literal sense of the word.
[But with the food and drink ready, it was time for cleaning! Luckily there were only a few dishes, so the conversation could continue while he cleaned.]
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[Hey, at least he hadn't joked about a more literal interpretation of putting bits of yourself in cooking. That was just unsanitary, whether Watanuki went with white or red.
(But really. He might consider making that long overdue block of tofu, just this once. Maybe he could avoid accidentally making it taste salty.)]
Sure it isn't only literal? [Dazai flirting so soon after a downer conversation was probably a good sign, even if it came at Watanuki's expense.] It's not everyday one can encounter such a cute, capable and nubile young man who occasionally shows off by lounging on a sofa while wearing stripperific kimono.
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But then Dazai's words turned lewd, and Watanuki ended up gritting his teeth. ]
Do you ever listen to the words that come out of your mouth? I'm a witch, not some... temptress or whatever! And I don't make a habit of selling my body in wish-granting either.
[Even though he was technically selling his body to Dazai with their wish. ]
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So, too, was the chance to soothe ruffled feathers by getting close and, if Watanuki allowed it, kissing the back of his hand like some guy stepping out of a period piece. Any soap suds would be summarily ignored.]
Now, now, I didn't mean to imply you were a professional companion. Even if you were, there's no shame in it. [He sincerely meant that, too. Dazai gave him a sunny smile.] I perfectly understand why this cage is necessary, for all that it puts a damper on your movement. More to the point: why can't I openly compliment your beauty? Do you have something against receiving attention?
[Look, Dazai wasn't blind. He did appreciate good-looking people regardless of whether or not he was sexually attracted to them.]
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[2/2] also: dem yu yu hakusho rules. I like it
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