Marik Ishtar ☥ مِريك إشتار (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
vroomkeeper) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
digipara2021-08-26 05:17 pm
vroomkeeper) wrote in digipara2021-08-26 05:17 pm
endless romantic stories
source
This is, admittedly, a strange occurrence, given the nature of their first meeting. They'd been awkward with each other when Ryou arrived in Egypt for the duel, Marik trying too hard to smile but also focusing far more on Yugi and the Pharaoh, who had saved his life and possibly his soul. He desperately wants to be friends with them, and he supposes, by extension, their friends.
He also desperately wants, it turns out, to not think about what they're all there for, despite having to face it. He puts his head together with everyone, imparts upon them what they need to know to send the Pharaoh to the next life - he's thought it all out, he has a plan, and they agree with the plan, because of course they do. But sleep doesn't come, that night. The enormity is hitting him, and though the darkness doesn't suffocate like it once did, it bears down until he has to get out for some fresh air.
His shirt is sticky from sweat, his palms slick as he grips the boat railing, and as he gulps in river air - the life-giving Nile! a ship!! human ingenuity! - he realizes something about himself. This is rare for Marik. It hits him like a truck.
He's scared.
He's never known anything but oppression and he is about to be fully free. He cannot wait, like a child on Christmas morning, but he also - what then? The Pharaoh, hating him or serving him, has been the axis around which his entire existence has always turned. To the point that he still can't conceive of considering himself "free" unless the Pharaoh no longer exists. For years he'd wished for it.
Now he realizes this is the unknown, this is a world without a plan, without a scheme, and he's terrified.
He shucks the shirt, grips the railing, ashamed of himself. This is the POINT! He is going to fulfill the destiny of his people, and what's more, he's going to receive final proof his family is permitted to live out of the dark. This is everything he's ever wanted, and it's not fair that he should have to breathe through his mouth, that his heart should have to thump like this! It's NOT FAIR, and in this brave new world, he doesn't even have his long-standing comfort, of thinking AND THEREFORE, SOMEONE WILL PAY.
It's then that he realizes someone's watching, and he turns to see who before he realizes tears have spilled over onto his cheeks, mussing his kohl. The intruder leaves quickly, but not before Marik catches a flash of white. Oh.
....Oh.
Doesn't matter. Not as bad as being found like this by Jounouchi, or, gods forbid, his Pharaoh Himself. Marik puts his shirt back on anyway, wanders back into the boat, debates joining Rishid but lies down next to his sister instead. She's so sure of their path, and when he wakes up - later than she does - he's been tucked in, his hair smoothed and his cheek cleaned.
Then she scolds him and they return to the normal bickering. But he remembers. And he remembers Ryou, who does nothing about it, says nothing about it. What a pathetic, passive person.
Yet it sticks with him.
And one day, idly, he emails Yugi, asking for Ryou's email address.
And one day, on a whim, he messages the boy. Shows him photos of arcane secrets now on display for tourists at countries around the world. He vaguely remembers Ryou supposedly likes things like this, and figures if he starts off by acting the part of a friend, perhaps the part where he was a foe can just...disappear.
Ryou replies.
Months pass. Messages are exchanged.
And today, Marik opens the laptop again. ]
WHAT
THE HELL
gonna keep this short i'm @ the airport, which is not where i WANTED to be but apparently my sister is COMPLETELY INCAPABLE of doing her job! you saw that, right? seto kaiba? the puzzle AND the ring? according to yugi the Pharaoh showed up too, which, way to not move on after all we did for him!!!! after ALL we have been through the man has the gall to return
but he saved the world so i will cut him a break. he is good at saving the world and the world is p cool. whats the furthest from japan youve been? i have now been to egypt (ofc), america (land of the free and HOME OF THE ROADTRIP), canada (eh and not just because they say that), mexico (foooddddd!!!), japan (you knew that), the phillippines (everyone could learn from their use of color), georgia (country not the state), france (bread), germany (too much meat but trees!!! ryou the TREES), a bunch of those other little countries in europe (nice to drive through), china (air quality terrible dear gods), india
india was SO COOL the architecture. amazing. my ancestors dreamed big but there is no flair to a pyramid right
but i SUPPOSE i am no longer allowed to go EXPERIENCE COOL THINGS because my sister insists on sucking at keeping people from digging up things that aren't supposed to be dug up, which i was under the impression was the whole point of her position, certainly of her position as occupied by a tombkeeper
they really broke the mold when they made me, i am the last tombkeeper and i am the best tombkeeper, look at what i do for family
anyway youve gotta do something about your possession and kidnapping problem that is no way to live!! i have thought a lot about this and i have devised seven easy steps to keep yourself from becoming a supernatural punching bag, drawing on myself as an example. i would send them to you but i think they're calling for my
yeah its my flight
i'm having the bike shipped on my sister's expense. this will likely tip her off i have access to her credit acct but, worth it, her own fault
anyway i have to go wait in line. looks like a good crop of people to fly with this time, should get some a+ peoplewatching in. people are just. wow, ryou. everywhere i go. people. so interesting
tell everyone i say hi. also tell jou that rishid says hi
Hello.
that was rishid
g2g
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There was no more spirit of the Ring to fear. He had no reason to hold onto it, no duty, no voice convincing him that he needed to keep the Ring nearby.
But then he saw Marik on the boat.
He saw the body language of an uncertain teenager, so far removed from the duty-bound Tombkeeper that was only doing what he had to in order to serve his Pharaoh. He saw the glint of tears, as if the smear of makeup hadn't given it away...and then he'd hidden himself away.
Because Ryou didn't know how to process that. And hey, he didn't have to process it after the ceremonial duel. That vulnerability wasn't something that Marik wanted to express, and after Atem passed on...there wasn't really a reason for Ryou to think about it.
Not until the first email, which definitely confused him. He'd asked Yugi, of course, and although he probably should have been frustrated with his friend for giving out his email to Marik...he couldn't bring himself to be angry at Yugi. Not really. Yugi couldn't understand...his spirit partner had been a friend.
Ryou's spirit partner had been...well. To put it more bluntly, Ryou Bakura was just a vessel. That's all. His express purpose to the Ring was to be its avatar for unleashing ultimate darkness. Maybe...sometimes there was a connection there, but Ryou could admit by this point that he'd been manipulated pretty thoroughly.
At any rate...although it had been weird at first, Ryou had decided that Marik was deserving of someone to talk to. He'd gone through things too. He'd...brainwashed Ryou, yes, but Marik had also been possessed. That had to count for some kind of similarity-point.
And so it went. They'd speak from time to time. Ryou found himself half-interested at first, but then...Marik started shifting from acquaintance to friend. He wasn't sure when...but he started looking forward to replying to the emails. Ryou's life was starting to settle into something more comfortable, more routine! He had nothing to worry about except school things!
And then Aigami and the Prana children had thrown everything sideways. Aigami had forced him to relive the truth of a horrid, suppressed memory, and then the vestiges of the demon inside the Ring had sent him into the ultimate darkness.
...He hadn't spoken about that to anyone. He'd just stored it away, something not to think about. Everyone had enough to worry about, they were graduating! Anzu was leaving! Ryou had been rescued, and that was enough!
But...he hadn't messaged Marik for a while after that. It surprises him to see the email he does now, because the cycle was on him at this point. Marik was...messaging him again.
...he can't just put him off, can he? He's already been rude.]
Hello Marik.
Yes, I was there. It was pretty terrible.
As usual Atem comes to save us from our problems, and then he's gone in a flash. Hopefully this time it's for good, for his own sake. He deserves to rest. Even if Kaiba refuses to subscribe to that immutable--until recently--fact. You should have seen how intent he was on bringing the Pharaoh back.
It's kind of sad. Just a little, I think.
I don't think I want to talk about what happened if that's okay. Sorry.
Anyway I've been to lots of different places, I don't remember them all. Definitely Egypt, America, Britain, India, and China...it was all when I was very young though. Those memories aren't so easy for me to access, evidently.
Don't be too hard on your sister, Marik. She's doing her best, and we all make mistakes. Besides which, Kaiba's kind of offensively rich, he probably would have gotten his way eventually with digging up the Items. At least now we don't have to worry about that anymore, right? :) The Puzzle and the Ring are gone.
Let me know when you land. And also tell Rishid I said hi. I will definitely tell Jounouchi he says hello as well.
I will attempt to get back to you sooner than I have been by the way. Sorry. Been busy.
I'm expecting a readout of the people on the plane. It's not like I could stop you anyway, could I? Hahaha.
Sincerely,
Ryou
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-- Family taking child going through an Ancient Egypt phase on a vacation the kid won't remember years later. If I have to hear "pyramid" be pronounced "peewamed" one more time I shall scream. Sister would have sat next to them and bored the kid silly
-- Businessmen, 3, various widths, pretending to be Old Hands at travel but clearly just jetlagged
-- Couple (all definitions) of college kids on vacation from reality. I struck up a conversation with one just to watch the other squirm
-- Egyptians returning home. All completely Over everybody else on the plane
-- KaibaCorp employee????? Did you know KaibaCorp-issued work laptops have Blue-Eyes White Dragons wearing little ties on them? Or that if you get your password wrong they insult you in Seto Kaiba's voice? Someone needs a life, and someone else needs a new job
-- Someone who thought pink hot pants went with orange leggings
-- Someone who had slept in their PermaPress
-- Someone who sounded like a hiccuping donkey when they laughed. And then put on a comedy movie. I want credit for remaining homicide-free. I want so much credit, Ryou.
I also want credit for not committing - there has to be a word for "strangling your older sister for being a fatalistic moron", this is your native language I'm writing in, help me out here. Because she was TOTALLY CALM when I busted in accusing her of, you know, all of the things she has done! Something about how she believed in everyone involved. I hate it when Sister starts Believing in people. She only faltered when I pointed out you had a real bad time and was THAT part of Believing, so I think she's sorry but couldn't admit it, so thanks for going through something sucky, whatever in full it ended up being. We really stuck it to her!
It doesn't surprise me you've been to Britain, somehow. I'll get there eventually but I'm not a fan of rain (incessant rain - intermittent is fun) or food that tastes like paste. London sounds like an exciting city, though, so probably worth it. I think Rishid is secretly hoping we do London next because he wants fish and chips. Rishid loves fish. Am I shadowed by a cat?
Desperately wishing I had been there to see Seto Kaiba pining away. Do you suppose this stunt is related to the space elevator? I tried to convince him to let me into the space station once, pointing out how I was second in Battle City, and he accused me of ruining his tournament and kicked me out! And then on the way out he said second place is no different than last, because it isn't first! I called to follow up and state that far from RUINING his tournament I SAVED it because it ended in far fewer murders than had I not been involved in the finals, and murders are bad for public relations. I don't think he believed me. Remember, Ryou: if you're going to kill someone, do it in a way where no one will either never find out, or never learn it was you.
I don't kill people now. There isn't really a point, and it...it feels weird. After. You know.
In any case you said that you didn't want to talk about what happened, but I'm sure you'll wake up one night burning with curiosity about what I could possibly have to say on the topic of "not being yanked around by the forces of darkness". So in case you regret your decision for that or any other reasons I attached the tips in a separate document. Please change your mind before touching anything haunted. Exorcising people is a pain. There was this one intern at a dig
oh SHOOT Sister has like. Something To Talk About, capital letters audible. If I don't see what she's going to just continue to stare at me. Maybe I'll stare back. See how she likes it.
You're welcome for the attachment.
[Attached file: tips.pdf
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1. Sounds like the adults just wanted an excuse for a vacation. It's a waste to bring a child to a place they won't remember once they're older. Don't blame the kid, blame the parents.
2. Various widths is...quite the descriptor. Also no one escapes jetlag. It has to be about the worst thing I've ever experienced. :(
3. Marik no. Stop it.
4. That's fair. I think I'd be over it as well.
5. You and I both know that this comes as no surprise. Seto Kaiba is two things: an obsessive dragon lover and a terrible boss. I would never want to work for him.
6. That...no. I could have gone my whole life without that mental image.
7. What's PermaPress
8. I suppose I'll give you a bit of credit for not letting your homicidal tendencies get the better of you. We all know how terrible that is!
Anyway.
Marik you really shouldn't have brought me into it. I don't want to be the reason you guilt your sister for what she's done, you know. I don't really need to be used to guilt anyone, or further any agendas. I've had quite enough of that.
I'm not mad, I'm just asking you. As a friend. But that being said...you're not entirely incorrect about some things. I don't blame Ishizu, not really. I just wish the Items could have stayed where they belonged. Now though, it doesn't matter. They don't exist. And they never will again.
On another note, not all of the food in Britain is terrible. I suppose it depends where you visit. It's not just London you know. There's various cultures with different types of culinary profiles! Don't get too deep into Scotland though. There's, uh. There's some interesting choices in there. But if Rishid wants to go, I couldn't fault him, it is nice. Even if it is rainy there, I think you two should go. :)
...You know, I don't think I have time to unpack all of Battle City right now. Let's agree to disagree. Also Kaiba will never let you on his space elevator. I'm pretty sure he's too rich and important to consider guests on the station.
And Marik?
I am pointedly not reading that attachment right now. Because that would be rewarding you for bad behavior. No means no!
Sincerely,
Ryou
P.S., I've been doing work around Domino Museum. Maybe if I'm good I can put together a travel trip and we can say hello in person sometime. :) I think speaking in person might be less...long-winded
Not for some time, however. Trips cost money, after all. But just food for thought. Until then, here's a slightly less offensive attachment to combat those tips I have definitely not read.
[Attached file: hello.jpg]
no subject
I will get aboard that space station yet. If I must, I'll compliment the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Will he know I'm lying? Probably. Will it work anyway? No doubt.
[ The selfie, though....Ryou Bakura has cut his hair, a little. It looks....it looks more grown-up. Even with that baby face, smiling that dippy innocent smile, he's....It's a good look. Jarring at first, but....nice.
Fits what Marik's been getting of Ryou from the letters. Everything he'd expected the boy to be, but also - the person who can tell Marik when things weren't appreciated, no matter how COMPLETELY BIZARRE that is. (Why shouldn't Marik have brought Ryou up? It was a very convincing argument!) Ryou's psychology is so completely unlike all of the criminals Marik's worked with. He's an easy mark, yeah, but now Marik doesn't have the luxury of a front-row seat via the Millennium Rod.
It's interesting. It's even kind of fun!
But yes...the picture. ]
The picture's nice. Hair's not bad but your posing needs some work. If we manage to meet up I'll give you a lesson.(Preview tip: Spread your elbows! The photo is YOUR canvas. Take up space!)
What's the museum have you doing? It's funny you mention that because I've decided to lend the Supreme Council of Antiquities a hand since Sister has proven herself so inadequate. Currently lobbying for a world tour. I'll put Britain on the list, go cuisine-hunting. And potentially convince them to give back some of the things people walked off with about a hundred years ago. Not all tombs rated Tombkeepers, alas.
At least consider having my attachment on hand if you're working with the museum. For you and your colleagues. Sister found these possessed shabti dolls in a tomb a few months back. Some noble had retainers so loyal they offered to have their ba sealed in clay representations of themselves so they could keep looking after him. But they forgot to ask to be endowed with more heka than they naturally possessed, so when after thousands of years they finally got to defend the tomb they mostly hopped around yelling in ancient Egyptian.
Sister spoke to them and they insulted her accent, which, rude. But they listened to her and now we've got them in the back until Sister decides what to do with them. She's inclined to help them move on to the next life but they feel they can't show their faces to their noble unless they have successfully prevented at least one desecration of his tomb.
...I wonder if they'd want to go on tour and speak about the importance of respecting the dead. I wonder if Sister would permit it. She is not exactly keen on the world knowing how real magic is. Spoilsport. Everything ABOUT the world is fun! Why not?!
[ Ryou working for the museum, though. An opportunity to see Ryou, to...
Hm.
Marik Ishtar begins forming An Idea. He will not let on that he has done so, however, because it is more fun when the recipient never knows it's coming!
He twists his head and hollers at Rishid to add...a certain destination....to the tour itinerary before finishing his email. ]
Anyway that's my life right now. The shabti have taught me some good swears Father would have never let me learn in the tomb, though, and confirmed others that I'd picked up in books. Anybody bothers you at that museum, call them a "spouter of water"! They will be too impressed you know that to stay angry.
Give me full museum details. I am a Professional. For now.
no subject
[Kaiba and his space station and Marik with his advice on proper selfie poses are shelved conversation pieces for now. Marik's brought up some more interesting topics.]
Father is allowing me to do some curation work for him. It sounds important, but mostly it involves doing research. And organizing/cataloguing new purchases. There's a learning curve, but it was high time I started working for my stipend anyway. And I think Father may almost like having me around.
He did ask about the Ring though, so...you know. That was awkward.
I'm actually at the museum right now. We just received some pottery from North America, so I'm working on where it fits in, how best to display it, cataloguing, etc. It's pretty interesting. I don't know if this is what I want my career to be, but for now it's not terrible!
But hold on!
You found haunted dolls??? That's amazing! I can't believe that they're able to actually, provably speak! Oh, I would very much love to see them if you take them around for show, I don't even care if they insult me, the fact that they can do so is absolutely amazing. :) :) :) What a true find! I do feel bad for them though, to have unfinished business like that. I hope that they can move on in peace eventually.
Tell me more, but I have to go, Father's calling for me and I've spent longer than I probably should have writing this out. Talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
Ryou
i invented these lil guys to excite ryou and they're getting away from me
When next we meet [ keh keh, he is subtle, and so clever ] you'll have to tell Rishid about the pots. I'm interested too - I'm interested in everything - but if you put us on a spectrum from "most excited about the past" to "most excited about the future", I'd be on that end, Rishid would be in the middle, and Sister would be so far in the opposite direction she might as well be in the past herself.
Which, I mean, it's not not interesting, but so many other things have been invented SINCE! Do you ever just look at lightbulbs, or toilet paper, or fire hydrants, and think: a human devised this, and other humans learned to implement it? Do you ever stand in a high-rise and think: even two hundred years ago - which is SO short, Ryou, it's SO short, all considered - this view would have been unreachable? If we do take the dolls on tour I want to show them all my favorite modern things. I don't expect them to appreciate it but I do expect entertainment from their reactions.
What's your favorite modern thing? You're expecting me to say motorcycles but honestly it's all forms of transportation. The
[ he's about to write "ship to the Valley of the Kings", to share how neat an experience that was, and how thorough a tour he got because he was the boss's little brother, but remembers everything that happened onboard that wasn't him geeking out about the ship, and amends his plan, because he still doesn't know what this feeling is that being watched but not called out by Ryou made him feel ]
perfect blend of nature and man's ingenuity, because they enable travel. Temperature-controlled water in your house is pretty amazing too.
[ Okay, at this point even Marik Ishtar realizing he's just going on. Weird. Better not consider why that's happening. ]
Anyway, it'd be really great if you got to meet the shabti before we figured out how to help them rest - that is the plan, I understand, Sister feels bad enough that we moved them and broke into their tomb. They somewhat get it? They understand the logic behind "if these records of your master's deeds remain forever hidden, no one will know how cool he is" (she did not say "cool")(she is decidedly the opposite). I would love for that to be possible. Wouldn't you?
[ THIS IS GONNA BE SO GREAT
RISHID, WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE TICKETS ]
ryou is definitely activated lol
Oh, that must have been a mess to translate. Of course I imagine it depends on how divergent the dialect is, right? Like I suppose...whether it's just full of colloquialisms that translate if you're familiar with the polished language, or if it's closer to a pidgin language. I can't imagine it is, but there's always that.
[Ryou's not...actually stupid? He's no linguist, but unbeknownst to most people he is doing courses in some supplemental materials that might help with this. History and language are...sometimes interesting!]
Anyway I'd be happy to talk about the pots sometime, but definitely not today. :( I'm exhausted of them at this point. I really would love to hear about the dolls as often as you want to tell me about them though! But there's no pressure there either!
Hmm.
What modern thing do I like? That's a really good question, and I'm not sure, actually! Well...I suppose if I had to pick something utilitarian, then I think that I like the simple things. Modern amusements, such as the internet and all associated things. It really is so much bigger than one could ever imagine. Connectivity is getting better and better every day, which allows for the access to and sharing of information. Reference materials, public record...but also entertainment and shared spaces for like-minded individuals.
Without the web, we wouldn't have e-mail. We couldn't correspond, and I think that would make me sad. I like talking with you. :)
[...Ryou thinks about deleting that line...but decides to keep it in. It's just a friendly thing to say! His feelings on Marik can stray towards exasperation, but he has enjoyed their conversations, for the most part. It has...healed some of his wounds to see a side of Marik that isn't just conniving, uncaring when he has his mind set to a purpose.
This Marik, the one who can talk to Ryou about his "favorite modern things", and that knew Ryou would find interest in haunted shabti...that's the Marik he's grown fond of.]
I would like to meet the dolls, absolutely. I wouldn't want you to go out of your way to show them to me though, helping them move on is definitely much more of a priority. Lingering spirits...unfinished tasks...it's all pretty sad, isn't it?
and accidentally stroking marik's rod
Something about that sentence makes Marik stop and want to reread it, gives him a little thrill, brings a smile to his own lips. The power of mirroring? Seeing a smile, even as symbols on a screen, makes the other person want to smile back? He can even picture what it would look like if Ryou were smiling, dippy and innocent and...sweet and...
Is Ryou going to be this precious in person? This delightfully easy to excite? Marik loves being able to affect people, and Ryou's reactions never fail to entertain. Just look how much Marik is grinning at having gotten a cute moment out of the other boy! Clearly this is proof that Marik Ishtar is a MASTER PUPPETEER, OBTAINING PRECISELY THE DESIRED REACTION, EVEN IF HE DID NOT REALIZE HOW DEEPLY HE HAD DESIRED IT!
Anyway, he has an, uh. Email. To write. ]
When you put it that way, I guess the shabti are kind of sad. That noble had better have been worth all this, right? We get first-person depictions of ancient history and they're incredibly biased sources. Figures.
The internet's a good choice. I like going and seeing things in person but it's also neat to have just so much KNOWLEDGE right there, ready to answer anything you could ever want to know. Plus you don't know how much you don't know until you're exposed to it. I've added some countries to my must-see list from hearing about things I could experience or do there via the Internet, so you do have a point. I approve! Be pleased.
You can't just do internet things all the time, though. But with your hobbies I'm not sure you should go experience anything until you read that document I gave you.
Rishid just came in and said we got the go-ahead to ship you a special present in the next few days. I won't tell you what it is only that you are going to absolutely ADORE it. It is the most incredible gift anyone could ever be given. Sister's letting me ship it with government funds so I'll have it delivered to the museum.
No need to thank me. This is me thanking you since I like talking to you too.
[ Hmm. ]
>;)