un: eclipse | video

[soloritur]

[ Marcos shows his face on screen for the first time in what feels like a long time. The last couple months have been hard on everyone, and he's no exception. There's a small white dragon settled beside him, trying to get into the frame, that he pushes back. He knows he shouldn't have it, but it still follows him around like a puppy. It hurts his heart to think that it doesn't know it's dead.

Not what this is about. ]

Hey there. [ He clears his throat. ] Listen, we need to talk. It's... been a rough few weeks. It was hard enough keeping track of everyone when we were separated between the two cities, but now. Now I think it might be time to take stock of survivors. Maybe make a list of who we've lost and who we need to look out for.

[ He remembers all the skeletons in the tower. They didn't seem like an illusion to him. ]

Kaneki is missing. Has been for a while. I wasn't worried until I found something he wouldn't have left behind if he had any choice in the matter. Luckily I got to it first. [ Which is why — ] I might need a hand with a beating heart in a box. I don't know if it has any other power, but the Merchant called it leverage, and I don't think I'm the right person to keep it safe. If anyone wants to take a look I'll send you my location.

[ The dragon makes a noise, and he rubs its head to keep it quiet. Sometimes he feels helpless, but it's important to remind himself of what he says next. ]

I know why most of you wanted to stay, to help these people, but be careful out there. Remember you're not alone.

Comments

[blackscales]

You speak of the theory the heart belongs on our mysterious friend the White Wanderer?

[soloritur]

[ He's not sure if he was eavesdropping or if Marcos is the last to know, but it sure seems like they should have had more people keeping watch if they knew about it. ]

Do you think it's just a theory?

[blackscales]

Based on what Moran told me, it is a theory that makes sense but we have no... definitive proof, as it were. We're only connecting dots here. The heart was buried in Taravast, that is where Kaneki found it for the Merchant. Moran was told that Bonaccorso made a deal with a 'Brother White', and asked for a guarantee from in as part of the weapons exchange. Something 'precious to him'. It is an assumption on our part that the 'White Wanderer' and the 'Brother White' are the same person -- the names certainly sound connected but we haven't anything beyond that. It's also an assumption that he could remove his own heart and burying it. Something precious to him could be someone else's heart, after all. Equally, this could be leverage over Taravast rather than over the White Wanderer. Since we took it from them, and it was their guarantee.

[soloritur]

[ So they have been talking about it. It doesn't sit right with him that they didn't do more to guard it, but he does know how Kaneki felt about others taking it from him. ]

Proof is hard to come by without risking him finding out who has it.

I went with Kaneki when we dug it up, and it wasn't protected the way you'd think it would be if it were that valuable. Then Kaneki disappears and this was all he left behind. I don't know if that's a coincidence, but the least we could have gotten is a warning of what it might be.

[blackscales]

Quite so.

Kaneki was quite protective of it when he had it, as you said he wouldn't have left it behind willingly. I was unaware you were with him when it was found. I only knew of its existence once he made his announcement of it. Moran revealed his information quite recently, too, and I had been unable to find Kaneki since the pieces came together.

[soloritur]

The Merchant didn't even tell him what he was looking for, and he'd only just gotten here when he sent him on an errand. I didn't think he should go alone so I tagged along. I didn't like the way he used him back then, and I don't like it any more now.

Lorna and I are going to reinforce the box to at least keep it from falling open, but we really need to get it out of the city.

[blackscales]

In my experience, The Merchant rarely tells us anything additional without prompting.

Let me know a good time and place and I can ward the box for you. Something to make sure it stays contained. If you are amenable, and let me handle it beforehand, I may also be able to tell if there is any connection between it and the tongue Five has.

[ No promises, but he can give it a try. ]

[soloritur]

Somehow I don't think he's trying not to cause a panic. What good is leverage if he didn't tell us what it was against until we figured it out ourselves?

[ How hard is it to give them a heads up about something he asked for as a favor? ]

You'd be able to tell? I trust you know what you're doing, but are you sure you want to handle it while he could still be here somewhere?

[blackscales]

[ An entirely good question about leverage, to which he has no immediate answer.

To the rest, however: ]

It can be elsewhere, if you're more comfortable. I cannot promise I'll be certain, but I'll be able to tell if there are any traces of magic on it that are completely different or if the rate of change is familiar. Clues, at least.

[soloritur]

You're more than welcome to try. All I know about it what I've heard, so if we can confirm anything we'd at least know what we're looking at.

Even if it does belong to someone else, they have to be powerful if they can live without it and they have eyes everywhere. I'll feel better once we've got some distance from the city.