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Fool's World: The Moon (ch. 15)
🕑 Added 2022-02-05 16:05:05 +0000 UTC"Hnngh...ahhh…" I groaned, clenching my already closed eyes in discomfort. My last memories slammed into me like a brick to the face. Which made it so startling that I was resting on a soft bed instead of the hard stairs that I had passed out on. Forcing myself into a sitting position, my eyes only opened when my forehead collided with someone else's.
"Ah!" I heard Rin cry out in pain, clutching her head as I looked around. "Why is your head so hard?"
"What happened? Where's Shirou?" I demanded to know, getting out of the bed prepared for me, but when I went to stand, my legs gave out from underneath me. I landed in a kneeling position on the floor, looking up to Rin for answers because I didn't know where we were.
Rin rubbed her forehead, but her expression was serious, "We're at your house," she informed me. "Shirou is fine. That girl and her monstrous servant backed off when Saber hit him with her Noble Phantasm. It didn't kill him, by the way. Or, rather, it did but Berserker's Noble Phantasm is the Twelve Labors, so we have to kill him about nine more times according to his master."
I took a brief moment to process that, "And Lancer? What happened to Caster?"
To that question, Rin offered a small shrug. "Caster vanished with her Master. Lancer was quick to retreat since he accomplished his goal. After you and her Master fought, I'm guessing that there won't be an alliance," she noted, sounding disappointed. That was disappointing, but it also wasn't much of a shock when they had gone on the offensive at the first sign of weakness. We had pushed too hard for leverage, and Caster fought back.
Settling in a sitting position, a small sigh escaped me, "So, we're all good?" I asked, and it was only now that I started to rest my body that I found that I didn't feel any pain from the destruction that I had wrought on myself. My limbs were back in their sockets and my bones were no longer shattered to pieces. I was all in one piece. Was Avalon back inside of me?
"For nothing going as it should have, it went as well as it could have -- you were the worst off out of everyone. Do I even want to know?" Rin asked me, and despite her prickly demeanor, I saw her giving me a concerned look. Her gaze searched over me, trying to find any sign of lingering injuries on my body, but there were no traces to be found.
It was the opposite, really. My body felt stronger. There was a power in my muscles that hadn't been there before. I couldn't put some kind of number to it, but it felt like I was easily twice as strong as I had been. Not only that, my total number of magic circuits had skyrocketed. I had somewhere in the ballpark of low thirties to high twenties before, but after that fight, I had a grand total of eighty magic circuits, each of them pumping twenty-five units of mana. Meaning my maximum output just jumped to two-thousand units of mana.
I kinda kicked my own ass fighting Kuzuki, but it had been absolutely worth it.
"I figured out how to do that reinforcement stuff you talked about. But, I'm not that good at it yet," I told her, and a myriad of expressions passed over Rin's face when I told her that. She went from shocked to looking like she wanted to throttle me, to depressed, to confused, then looping back around until she settled on wanting to throttle me.
But, she didn't. Instead, she let out a harsh, drawn-out sigh, "I want an apology. Apologize to all the Magi that spend generations figuring out even the simplest of magecraft just for you to figure out how to use reinforcement in less than an hour after a single conversation." she demanded, rubbing her temples as if I was causing her a headache. I leaned back, propping myself up on my arms as I let out a silent sigh of relief.
If Rin was being like this, then things really were fine. Shirou was okay. Nobara was okay. Rider and Saber were okay. Things had worked out, even if it wasn't how we wanted them to.
"The rest of the Magi can kiss my ass," I told her unrepentantly. "But I'll apologize for worrying you -- so, sorry, Rin."
Rin looked away sharply, a blush burning at her ears. "I wasn't worried about you. Idiot. You're an enemy Master, remember? The alliance is temporary. Tem-po-ra-ry," she reminded me, her expression not at all reflecting her words as she jabbed a finger in my face, still not looking at me. But, Rin's actions gave her away. They really were way more honest.
Rin was looking after me as I slept. Either she was planning to smother me in my sleep, or she was worried. And given that she had already passed up one chance to kill me in my sleep once already, I knew which it was. I appreciated it. I had been taught that all Magi were scum, but Rin was doing a great job of dashing those notions.
Still, as much as I would like to kick back and chat, there were pressing matters to attend to. "Is everyone here?" I asked, pushing myself to my feet, and this time I remained standing. Rin offered a nod, as she stood up as well.
"They're all downstairs. You weren't out for long. Just a few hours," she informed me as I headed for the door. Just a few hours? I figured it would have taken longer to undo the damage I did to myself. Reinforcement was definitely something I had to get a better hang of. It was one hell of an equalizer. It was too early to say if I was capable of fighting a Servant yet, but it was a possibility now.
Hopefully, with my stronger body, it wouldn't shatter so easily next time.
Heading down into the kitchen, I saw everyone seated at a kitchen table. Shirou looked up, going from crestfallen to concerned. "Majima, you're alright," he observed, alerting the others to my presence. I opened my mouth to greet him, but I was cut off by Saber appearing before me, giving me a piercing stare.
"Master -- first, allow me to ask for your forgiveness for utilizing my Noble Phantasm without your permission. In doing so, I have in practice revealed my true identity to the enemy while failing to eliminate them," Saber began, sounding like she was giving herself a tongue lashing. And, I suspected, I was in for one too based on that look she was giving me.
I shook my head, "Don't worry about that. We found out what Berserker's Noble Phantasm was, so it was worth the trade-off," I reassured her while bracing myself.
"I am relieved to hear you say that. On another matter, you have behaved most recklessly, Master!" she snapped at me, her tone growing harsh and a cold anger fueling her words. "I witnessed parts of your fight! I am from a bygone era, but it is not lost on me that you dropped live grenades at your feet!"
I took in a deep breath, idly noting that Saber was being the spokesperson for the discontent over my approach to that fight. Nobara was giving me a rather sharp look, Rider was indifferent, while Shirou was concerned. Yet, I had nothing to say that could reassure them. "I'm not going to apologize," I told Saber, making her eyes narrow. "There wouldn't be a point because I wouldn't mean it. I did it because it was the best card I had to play, so I played it. Simple as that."
"There is nothing simple about your flagrant disregard for your own person!" Saber retorted, and I think this was the first time I had seen her actually angry. She seemed rather… distant as a person. If Rider was aloof, them Saber was cold. I didn't expect her to care this much.
"I'd argue the opposite. Kuzuki had me completely outclassed, and we were short on options. So, I did what I did because I knew it would pay off," I shot back, making her lips thin. "The only way it'll happen again is if I end up in a similar position. It's not like I want to die."
Saber offered a very curt nod in response to my words, "Then, as your Servant, I ask that you rescind your order to not interfere in any of your fights. To ensure that you are not forced into that situation again." Ah. She got me there. For a brief moment, I tried to think of a way around it, but Saber had me in a bind. I couldn't think of a logical reason to refuse.
So, I nodded, conceding the point, "Fine. I revoke the order," I told her, and she tensed briefly before an unseen tension seemed to leave her. I guess that's all I had to do. "Happy?"
"Yes," Saber responded, and it was only then that I was free to look to Shirou.
"Are you okay? What happened?" I asked him, making Shirou's lips thin. His expression could best be described as severe -- there was anger in his expression, but overshadowing it all was frustration.
He offered a small nod to my question, "I'm fine. I don't really know what happened. I was making tea for a Sakura when I was alerted by the bounded field that Illyasviel, or Illya, and her Servant were there. I tried to fight back, but against that thing…" he shook his head, his brow furrowing deeply. "I couldn't do anything. Illya told me that we were siblings? That we shared a father… and because Kiritsugu failed her somehow, that I had to suffer in his place."
Shit. His gaze rose to meet mine, "She said she was going to kill you in front of me. So I would understand her loss," Shirou informed me, and what a little psychopath. "But… she didn't seem malicious? She spoke like a little girl. I don't think she understands what she's doing." And he was defending the psychopath?
Nobara gave Shirou an odd look, "Does it matter? She shattered your limbs and she was going to kill Majima. She doesn’t need to be malicious to do harm."
However, Shirou seemed to disagree, "She's doing this because of Kiritsugu. I think if I can talk to her then maybe I can figure out how Kiritsugu failed and make it right? I don't really care that she broke my arms and legs. I don't think we should treat her like an enemy yet. She's a little girl," Shirou said, looking to me because he knew I had the final say.
Rin seemed to disagree. "I swear, idiocy has to run in your family. You don't care that she nearly killed you?"
Shirou shook his head, "Not really. I'm fine now," he said, waving an arm to prove as much. "I just don't think we should make any decisions without at least trying to reason with her."
Rin looked to me, and I shrugged, "Alright," I decided, which was apparently the wrong answer based on the way her eyes narrowed at me. "Shirou's the injured party here-"
"She tried to murder you," Rin felt compelled to point out, earning another dismissive shrug, this time from me.
"But she didn't and almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," I responded with a bit of a grin, making Rin glare at me. Saber joined in. As did Nobara.
"That's not funny," Nobara remarked.
"It's a little funny." To me, at least. I was the one that nearly got blown up. A dozen times. You'd figure that I would be the one person allowed to joke about it, but apparently not.
Rin made a disgusted noise and dragged a hand down her face, "Fine. Fine! We'll reach out to Berserker and Einzbern," she voiced her agreement with all the same enjoyment of someone pulling out their own teeth. I think she was starting to regret our alliance. If only because of the number of headaches she had to suffer because of me. It was probably a good thing for me that she already made enemies of Caster and Lancer.
Shirou perked up, giving Rin a soft smile, "Thank you," he said and that just seemed to annoy her more. "I'll go over right now," Shirou decided, standing up. He hid his wince well, but not well enough to go unnoticed.
"With your permission, Master, I will accompany him to ensure that he does not come to harm," Saber offered immediately. Rin crossed her arms, her lips thinning, and before I could answer, she spoke up.
"Archer!" Rin called, and Archer appeared in a flurry of golden motes. The man crossed his arms over his broad chest, not bothering to hide the contempt in his expression for what he clearly suspected was coming next. "I want you to go with Shirou and protect him."
Archer's lips thinned as he looked at Shirou, who narrowed his eyes at Archer. "Such a task you have given me, Master. To protect a fool with no regard for his life," Archer remarked. Rin looked a bit put off by his tone, while Shirou bristled at the snide remark.
"But you'll do it, right?" Rin asked, tone brooking no argument, earning a curt nod from Archer. "And you better not make me look bad! I won't forgive you if Shirou comes back with a single scratch!" she declared, earning a small, somewhat frustrated exhale from Archer as he continued to regard Shirou cooly.
"Then he shall be in safe hands. The only harm that will come to him shall be self-inflicted," Archer said, fading away with that pointed remark. Rin seemed to wince ever so slightly in response, but recovered quickly by clearing her throat.
"Thank you, Saber. And Rin," Shirou said, looking to me for a moment. He offered a small nod that I returned. Nothing really needed to be said between us. We were on the same page, after all.
With that, the three left, leaving Rin, Nobara, and Rider alone with me. They should be fine. Saber had been a match for Berserker, and with Archer's support, I think they stood a good chance of beating Berserker if it came to a fight. But, Shirou seemed pretty certain that it wouldn't come to that so I decided to trust his gut.
No sooner than they left, though, Rider spoke up.
"Master, we have a guest," Rider informed me, perking up from her seat at the low dining table. The difference was slight, as the statuesque woman never really held herself with anything but perfect poise. I looked at her, then I heard the front door open without so much as a knock a moment later. I tensed, wondering who it could be…
Only for the tension to leave me when I saw it was Touko. She looked the same as ever, complete with a lit cigarette clutched between her lips. When she saw us, she tilted her head to the side. "You all don't seem to be grieving my untimely death," Touko pointed out, earning a very slow blink from me.
Untimely death?
"You died? My condolences?" I tried, wondering if this was some kind of joke or a riddle. Rin looked at Touko, crossing her arms over her chest.
"And who are you? Please don't tell me you're another illegal Magus in my territory," Rin asked, a warning in her voice that clearly said there was a correct answer to that question.
Touko offered a mystifying smile, "No. I'm an illegal magus in another territory," she answered, and earned a frustrated sigh from Rin. "As for your lack of mourning, that should be rectified soon enough. Follow me," Touko ordered, walking across my house as if she knew the place like the back of her hand. Which, she apparently did because she easily found the false wall that hid my workshop and opened it up.
My brow furrowed when I saw that the bulkhead door had been left open. Something I had made sure to close when I left. Following Touko down the stairs, I was uncertain of what I was about to see, but my uncertainty didn't last long. I reached the bottom of the stairs to see the complete picture.
Another Touko lay dead in the summoning circle. Blood soaked her white dress shirt and coat, three puncture wounds in the fabric carrying through into her stomach, and copious amounts of blood having spilled out from her where she laid, leaving her in a puddle of her own blood. Some of which had been used to paint a message just outside the summoning circle, 'Basement of the Church.'
Touko looked down at her own corpse with a dispassionate gaze, her red eyes flickering to me. "Kirei Kotomine murdered me," Touko accused, making my hands curl into fists. "He's known about the Holy Grail being broken for some time. He's chosen not to do anything about it," she continued.
That was… damn.
"I knew Kirei was a rotten priest, but…" Rin started, her face paling as she gazed at the corpse of Touko. "How is this possible? You don't strike me as a ghost," she said, almost as if she were trying to discredit what Touko had revealed to us.
"Me? I just have a couple of spare bodies laying around," Touko dismissed with a wave of her hand. "It’s my own special brand of magecraft. It even earned me a Sealing Designation," Touko said, making Rin flinch back.
I looked between them, curious what that was, but this really wasn't the time. "Kirei murdered you? Here? Wait, what were you doing here?" I asked her, making Touko turn her gaze to me. She rolled her cigarette between her fingers as if she were trying to consider the right way to answer that question. Meaning that I was pretty sure she was planning to steal-
"I was investigating your body," Touko explained, catching me off guard. "You were pretty quick to dismiss your family’s magecraft, but if you did a little more reading, then you'd know that what's happening to you is exactly what your family has been trying to achieve for centuries -- the perfect body. One that uses external pressure and exposure for purely beneficial adaptations," Touko said, bringing her cigarette to her lips and breathing deeply.
My magic circuits. My increased strength. My healing factor… because I didn't have the sheath of Avalon within me.
My hands curled into fists, digesting that information. So, I had achieved what my fucked up family had sought? Who had experimented on countless men, women, and children to gain? I don't know what was more of a slap in the face -- that Kirei had murdered Touko and taunted me with clues that would lead to me meeting him at his church or the fact that I had somehow achieved what my disgusting family desired.
The latter, I decided. At least with Kirei, I had prepared myself for his probable betrayal.
"How?" I was compelled to ask, not understanding it. I had been a dog shit tier magus. How could I have achieved what my family failed to for generations? That just didn't make any sense. Nobara reached out and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, making me realize how tense I was. I felt an answer I probably wouldn't like incoming, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know it.
"By making a deal with a higher power. Specifically, one connected to the Holy Grail," Touko started, but Rin was already shaking her head.
But, suddenly, she stopped, probably for the same reason I did. A remark from Gilgamesh. That I had the stench of the gods on me. How he accused me of going to them for a handout.
He had been absolutely correct, it seemed. Mikoto Majima had gone to the gods to achieve what he couldn't on his own.
"But… there's no god in the Holy Grail. It's just the Holy Grail," Rin protested whereas the others were silent. I could feel the eyes of Saber and Rider on me. I could only imagine what was going through their heads. I didn't know how to react to the news. I didn't know what to think of it either.
How was it possible for Mikoto Majima and I to be the same person? How could we be so fundamentally different from each other?
"Not according to Kirei. Angra Mainyu resides in the Holy Grail, and the Holy Grail has decided to grant him his wish. All that's needed is for the Servants to die and the ritual to be completed. Kirei has been helping by covering up the tracks and setting the stage," Touko gave me a piercing look, knowing I had no clue who that was. "You made a deal with the Devil, Majima. Quite literally. The source of All the World's Evil."
Damn it. God fucking damn it.
Slowly, I reached into my jacket and pulled out a piece of parchment that was covered in the ancient Persian script. I couldn't read a single word of it. But, I knew that on it were the details of the deal that I had made. Part of me wanted to tear it up. To spit on it. Another part wanted to fear it because of what I had paid for the body that I had. Another part was… just so disappointed.
Touko held out a hand and I passed it over to her, feeling like I was having my final rites read out. I watched Touko carefully, something heavy resting in my chest. Her eyes moved along the script, nodding to herself. And then… her gaze snapped to me and the intensity of the look that she gave me was one that I couldn't describe. It only lasted for a second before she handed the paper back to me, "Seems I was wrong about the cause of your loss of memories. I thought it would be part of the deal that was made, but that isn’t the case. My second theory is that it's caused by the alteration of your body."
So, even my loss of memories was caused by myself? An unforeseen side effect that caused everything to go to hell, because I couldn't remember to forestall the spiteful last laugh that caused the Yakuza to implode.
"What aren't you telling me?" I asked her, knowing that she had seen something in the contract. She was brushing over it, but that look… there was no pretending that it hadn't happened.
Touko shook her head, "Can't say," she told me, confirming that something was on there. "It's part of the contract and sealed with a Geas. You'll learn soon enough. It's not something that can remain a secret forever, but…" Touko paused as if searching for a way around the geas. "I can say that you should not be the one that receives the wish from the Grail."
I looked down at the parchment again. That clue… was a stipulation that I had to give a specific wish if I won the Holy Grail? It made the most sense. With a geas, I would just speak the words that I was told to say. It was a good thing that I learned that now. Though, I wondered what it would mean for me if I failed to pay up.
I swallowed a lump in my throat as I gave a slow nod, "Okay. I understand," I told her, looking over to Nobara. I expected to see her crestfallen, but Nobara simply frowned. It wasn’t the reaction I expected. I thought she would be sad. Or furious. This situation we were in was all because of my past self fucking us in the worst way possible. I had made a deal with All the World's Evil. What the actual fuck had been wrong with me?
How could anyone be that desperate? That foolish? That…
I hated him. I hated myself from Before in a way that words failed to encapsulate.
"We need to focus on Kirei," Nobara spoke up, crossing her arms. "It's pretty clear that he's our biggest enemy." Was she just going to ignore the issue?
Rin nodded, agreeing, "I didn't think he was capable of something like this, but you're right. He's meant to moderate the Grail War, but instead, he's taken an active role. It won't come down on us if we attack him." I looked to the body of Touko for a moment, and the message painted with her blood. It was clear that he wanted me to find this message, though I doubted that he expected Touko to survive being killed.
I didn't see what he had to gain from this. I just didn't get it.
"Kirei Kotomine is insane," Touko spoke up, sensing our confusion about his motivation. What could possibly make a man ally with Angra Mainyu? A priest, at that? "He wants to help the dark god be reborn into the world because he wants to see what he becomes. Nothing more, nothing less. As a Magus, I almost have to admire his dedication to his experiment."
"Don't," I interjected with a slow shake of my head. "Just don't, Touko," I told her. I didn't want to hear it. I decided that I didn't want to know what twisted logic could explain how Kirei could just brush off whatever catastrophe he would bring forth by releasing an evil god into the world simply because he was curious about what would happen. "What are we going to do about him? He sent me an invitation, so he's going to expect us to arrive with Servants."
Rin nodded, "It's a trap, but that just means we can prepare for it. You," she continued, pointing at me, "Need to rest and recover. There's no point in going right now. Let's feel things out with Berserker because, even if the best we can get is a temporary alliance, then that shifts things in our favor. Kotomine won't expect that."
She had a point. Berserker would be incredibly useful against Kirei, regardless of whatever safety measure he had set up that let him think he could handle upwards of three Servants. As for myself, I would be spending that time figuring out how to better use Reinforcement.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Nobara spoke up, making the decision before I could argue against it even if I wanted to. "What should we do about your corpse? It won't be long before it starts to stink up the place."
"Just bury me under a bush or something. The body is of no use to me anymore," Touko dismissed. "If you don't mind, I'll be helping myself to your workshop. I promise that I won't burn this one down," Touko remarked, making Rin go still as she shot a bewildered glance at me. I just offered a curt nod and turned on my heel to head upstairs. Reaching the top floor, I dragged a hand over my face, feeling utterly exhausted by the beat down of revelations I had just received.
Without a word, I headed up to my bedroom and fell face-first into the unmade futon, burying myself into the pillow. I had barely woken up a couple hours ago, but I was already utterly exhausted. It was just so utterly draining. Kirei turning out to be a sack of shit was something I had prepared myself for, but the sheer level of depth in that sack of shit caught me completely by surprise. The guy was trying to bring the manifestation of All the World's Evils into the world. I didn't know what exactly would happen if he succeeded, but my guess was nothing good.
More than that, I had made a deal with that same evil. A deal so that I could cut corners and to achieve the body that I now used. It seemed like I did owe the Magi population an apology after all, because I doubt me being able to feel out how Reinforcement worked was because of my merits. I did exactly as Gilgamesh had accused me of, and the god I had gone wagging my tail to was a god of evil.
What the fuck had been wrong with me? How was it possible for me to be such an absolute fucking… spiteful, entitled, short-sighted shit?
"How are we so different?" I muttered into my pillow, completely unable to reconcile who I had been with who I was. Mikoto had been my opposite in every way I could imagine. I just didn't understand how we could be the same person. I laid still for hours, trying to come to terms with the fact of who I had been. Trying to imagine what could explain just how different he was from me. And it was hours more when my lamenting was interrupted.
"Now's not the time to mope," Nobara remarked to me, entering my room and sliding the door shut behind her.
I swallowed a sigh, knowing that she was right. "Feels like the best time," I refuted, that empowering strength in my body fleeing me and replaced with a boneless weakness. My past self had been my opposite in every way. I just couldn't accept it. Worse, he had actively fucked us from beyond the grave.
"It usually does, but you have to get up. Shirou's making a deal with Berserker, and you have to get ready for Kirei. And Gilgamesh. And that Zouken guy, too" She told me, kneeling by my bed and rolling me over.
She was right. I looked up at her for a moment, remembering what we'd learned, "You alright?" I asked her directly, making Nobara's lips thin. "The plan didn't work out. I can't be the one that wishes you home."
Nobara opened her mouth, her lips parting, but she closed them a second later as if she were swallowing her initial response. "We have more important things to worry about. We can worry about the Wish when the finish line is in sight." Nobara told me, and it felt like she was hiding something. What, I didn't know. But, if I had to guess, she was trying to spare my feeling about something. Had she given up hope of going home so easily?
For the briefest of moments, I felt incredibly pathetic. Hiding in my room, burying my face in my pillow, and sulking over things I couldn't control. It felt like something Mikoto would have done, and because of that, I rejected that pitiful feeling with all of my might. Forcing myself to sit up, I let out a final sigh to expel my lingering doubts as I forced myself to find my resolve.
I couldn't do anything about what had already happened. I couldn't change the past. But lamenting about what had happened wouldn't change anything. I just had to deal with the hand that I was dealt.
"Alright, I'm good," I decided, the words tasting like a lie, but one I would turn into truth.
"Good, because I was going to drag you out by your ear if you insisted on whinging," Nobara informed. "We know what's up with your body now, so we know how to exploit it to our benefit. You don't just grow in response to trauma, like a bone breaking to heal back stronger, but also in response to stimuli."
My brow furrowed, "Yeah?" I questioned, and the door to my room slid open to reveal Rin, who had a rosy red tinge to her cheeks and a much darker blush burning at her ears.
"Since Caster didn't work out, we need a plan B to ensure that the Grail gets fixed. Based on what Touko told us, Angra Mainyu is stuck on the rim of the Grail. Like a stain. Our current working theory is that he can be washed off with enough mana," Rin explained. "It's a brute force method, but it's based on sound logic. Angra Mainyu is subsisting off of the mana in the Holy Grail, so, in theory, by overflowing the Holy Grail, he'll be forced out."
I nodded, following along. "Makes sense, I guess. But won't that take an insane amount of mana to pull off?"
Nobara nodded, "Yeah, it will. But that's where you come in. Your body can keep producing mana at a theoretically infinite rate depending on the demands and exposure."
"But, considering that you are essentially providing for a Servant entirely by yourself, finding ways to stress your magic circuits will be difficult. However, forcing them to accept more mana than you're capable of holding is… relatively simple," Rin said, and despite her confident tone, her blush slowly intensified. "It's a magic transferring ritual. It's fairly common among Magi."
I'm glad someone was being productive while I moped. "Okay," I agreed, "how do we perform -- oh."
"Oh."
Comments
Hrathen
Oh... Time for some dragon and dolphins?
TheCynicalOne
If Archer was so inclined he could kill Shirou and claim the damage WAS self inflicted because he's an alternate version of Shirou. Its a clever bit of word-play...assuming its intended and not just a coincidence.
