FOR MALIK

[duranduel]

Comments

[godcards]

It's going to be one or the other. [ SHRUG haha no he actually does sound kind of sad this time. ]

[duranduel]

...

[Kind of. Peering at his face.]

Well, if you're sad about it, which...I think you are, then why wouldn't you allow yourself to be remembered? Even if people die, your memory lives for a time, you know. That's better than being eaten.

[godcards]

It's... complicated.

[ turning away DON'T LOOK AT HIM. ]

This place will probably manipulate memories anyway, since it's already been doing that.

[duranduel]

[hey dude LOOK AT HIM, BINCH. Tapping him with his hot chocolate on his shoulder.]

Hey. Look at me. [Hm.] Do you have a pen on you, by any chance?

[godcards]

No... but I can get one?

[ if mandi will let him, he'll go get one from the dorm. i promise he will not bail on him.

except he's looking at mandi incredulously now. ]

[duranduel]

[Just nodding! Good!]

Write down a memory or something you want to remember on my hand or arm or neck or somethin'. If memories are manipulated, you need physical evidence then, right? Something will stay behind. So you know that I have that memory.

[godcards]

[ malik looks at mandricardo. frowns. ]

I'll need some room, so give me your arm.

[ and because we haven't driven home just how egyptian he is, malik is going to draw 3 cartouches on mandi's arm. one is blank. the other two have names in them: isis and rishid. rishid isn't even an egyptian name so idk how that'd be rendered in hieroglyphs but i didn't write yugioh don't at me. ]

...Wait, one more.

[ and the word 'moon,' also in hieroglyphs. mandi's body is going to be looking like a temple wall if he draws anything else, so that should be good enough. ]

[duranduel]

[Mandricardo just lets him do this! He just watches as Malik makes some cool tats on his skin for free, truly his true motivation for this.]

[When the other is done, he looks over at them, nodding, then back to Malik.]

They look beautiful. Your language, I guess?

[godcards]

That's right. There's a different script that we can use for... religious texts, mostly. It's not very good for names or anything.

...And I can't do yours, because it's not Egyptian, so don't ask.

[duranduel]

Oh, I don't care that much about my name. It's not a big deal.

[But he seems to be...pleased? In a vague way.]

I'll keep these memories safe for you. Mind I ask what they are, in case you need a reminder?

[In case this place is like HAHA NO MEMORIES NOW]

[godcards]

[ He looks a little uncomfortable at being asked, and he takes a moment longer to hesitate on answering. but ultimately, he taps each in turn as he explains: ]

The Pharaoh. [ the blank cartouche. ]

My family. [ Isis and Rishid. ]

...I don't want to explain the last one. Just tell me it's about the moon. Maybe I'll remember, maybe I won't.

[duranduel]

Okay. The Pharaoh. [Points.] Your family. [Points to that.] And the moon.

[And he smiles? It's an awkward smile, but it's a smile.]

We'll keep your memory alive yet, Malik.

[godcards]

[ hey what the fuck. malik kind of... smirks. it's hard to give an honest smile, but look. ]

That means you have to stay alive too, so don't disappoint me.

[duranduel]

[He thinks, before raising his hot chocolate with his pinky outstretched. His other hand is kind of useless at the moment.]

It's a pinky promise that I'll do my best to stick around. Good as anything here, really.

[godcards]

[ malik just kind of. stares. he's never done a pinky promise before wtf is this. ]

[duranduel]

[Also stares back.]

You hook your pinky with mine, and we shake.

[godcards]

...Oh.

[ awkwardly... doing that. yeah! pinky promise! ]

[duranduel]

Nice. There you go. It's a promise.

[And he lowers it with a nod.]

You know, with your thoughts about not wanting to get connected to people...I think you're not that bad.

[godcards]

Hm. I don't think the story is going to like that you said that.

[duranduel]

[A pause...and then he frowns.]

You're the worst person I've ever met in my life.

[There's no feeling behind this.]

[godcards]

[ oh come on. ]

Wow, you're really bad at lying.

[ also flat.







then he lets out one (1) little hyena giggle. ]

[duranduel]

Ah, I tried.

[......]

[And just staring at him.]

Really, what is that noise? Is that a laugh?

[godcards]

[ he has to cover his mouth to stop the giggling. also he's only the second person to ask so he's a little embarrassed by it?? ]

I don't know, it's been happening all week. I thought it was a curse, but nobody else is doing it, and unlike all the other times I was cursed, I'm aware of it...

[duranduel]

[He doesn't seem to notice the embarrassment, just letting out a snort.]

A weird curse to give you a weird laugh? Maybe your laugh has changed. You have to live with that now. Sorry for you.

[He's....joking(?)]

[godcards]

[ frowning again. ] No, that's not right. These are never permanent-- so, I just have to wait for it to... wear off...

[ god what if it IS permanent tho. he trails off as the thought overtakes him. ]