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[fogbornphantom]

[It's a perfectly ordinary day in Tokyo, if you ignore the fact that Akechi just got done enduring a horrific, white palace with crumbling architecture, creepy tentacles everywhere, and scraps of memory locked away and scattered like puzzle pieces, culminating in battling a tentacled abomination to free Wakaba Isshiki's Shadow from the prison of her mind, and... well. A mother-daughter reunion is always nice, he supposes.

He's on the phone when he stumbles in, deep in the midst of a conversation.]

Isshiki-san's condition is stable, but we'll have to relocate her before he notices anything amiss. ...Yes, Dad, I'm all right. Not that I don't appreciate the concern, but-

[The signal cuts out, and... ah. The Velvet Room. And not the Velvet Room of his childhood, but... this one.

At first he bristles, eyes narrowed into a razor-sharp glare. He has half a mind to complain to Igor about locking him out, but all signs point to Ren's "Igor" being impostor, and... no. Wait.

Recollection flashes before him. With that recollection, he grimaces.]

...Of course I'd end up back here.

[He shuts his eyes, brings a hand to his face, and breathes in deeply. He was such a stupid tween, and if people connect him to said tween... Who even knows how much time has passed here?]

[ooc: Older version of fogboundcrow for the funny. Some info on his profile. Yes, he's wearing a Shujin uniform.]

Comments

[willowandoak]

[ Ren is on his way back from the Inaba floodplain to Shibuya, where he's living for now. Minding his own damn business. Thinking about what he wants to eat, actually, if you want to know. He's learned fast that most fancy food isn't worth the money you pay for it in reality. Maybe something simple, like gyudon... Except then he gets back to the Velvet Room and Akechi's fucking there.

He comes to a stunned halt, staring wide-eyed from across the room as fondness clashes with guilt clashes with bleak determination, louder than ever before, he's pretty sure, or maybe it's just that he's had a break from it all. But before he can get too carried away, he catches sight of Akechi's hands, clothed in black gloves, and his eyes narrow.

Akechi doesn't wear gloves. He looks like some kind of secret agent, actually, in the Shujin uniform with the black turtleneck and the gloves. Not unattractive, but definitely not a look Ren has seen before. But more importantly, the weird, creepy Akechi in the other uniform wore gloves that were very similar. So they're, like... something some Akechis wear, maybe. Which means this isn't his Akechi at all.

All the warring emotions bleed out as abruptly as they appeared. That was embarrassing. Anyway! He lifts a hand and waves with a little smile. ]

[fogbornphantom]

[Ah.

That's Ren, but not his Ren. No glasses that cutely frame his curly-haired face. No Shujin uniform to speak of. He's fairly certain his Ren wouldn't stop and stare. He'd probably be more inclined to waltz right up, perhaps casually plop a hand on Akechi's shoulder and make some ridiculous but equally endearing remark that'd make Akechi's heart skip a beat.

Then something hits him with the force of a freight train. To Akechi's credit, he doesn't fumble his phone. He cleanly tucks it into his pocket, but...

By the way, Goro thinks your eyes are quite captivating.

Shit.

He feels a spark of heat in his cheeks.

God damn it.

Shutting his eyes, Akechi clears his throat, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity as he responds.]

Not about to call me a cognition, I hope?

[There. That should suffice.]

[willowandoak]

[ It takes a second for Ren to connect the dots. Baby Akechi was... like that... and this Akechi almost looks like his own. But then he gets it, and his face lights up in a grin. ]

You grew up. [ He heads over. ] Maybe I should think about it again. Real people don't grow up that fast.

[ His eyes sparkle with mischief. ]

[fogbornphantom]

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter."

[Though this does raise some questions... He quiets briefly, cupping his chin in hand.]

There are, what? Four or five of you here? For all I know, that younger version of me is still among us, just waiting to cause a time paradox.

[Heh. What a funny thought. What would happen if their paths crossed? At the very least, he takes Ren's quip with far less protest than his child self would.]

[willowandoak]

Damn, you're right. [ That does seem like it could go wrong. ] We need some kind of tracker to put on you two. Keep you from being in the same area. [ He's joking, mostly. ]

Or maybe you want to find him and give him advice. Like all those questions people ask. What would you tell your younger self.

[fogbornphantom]

[He chuckles. Oh, now that's a funny thought.]

Oh, but it's one thing to give advice to another person. When it's yourself, you have to consider if it's worth meddling. I made a lot of poor choices as a kid, but those mistakes did still lead me to where I am today.

[So he shrugs. On one hand, saving his younger self from embarrassment has its appeal, but on the other hand, he'd like to think he's grown since his days as an irritatingly stubborn tween.]

[willowandoak]

I don't know. There's some stuff I could say to my kid self. [ He rocks back on his heels, grinning, hands in his pockets. ] Eat your limited-edition KitKats before you get back to the home. Go ahead and kick Mizoguchi in the nuts, his friends won't care. Make sure to head to a different level of Mementos every few minutes.

[ He actually doesn't know if this older baby Akechi (new nickname needed...) has firsthand knowledge of Mementos. Maybe his cognitive shit was all in Inaba. ]

[fogbornphantom]

Get more flowers to appease Jose to make your Mementos exploration less of a nuisance?

[That ought to answer that question, at least. It would appear he is at least familiar enough to have run into a certain puppet boy, and there's a comfortable smile on his face that feels more earnest than a certain other teenage Akechi.]

My team's quite fortunate that I'm a veteran Persona user. It makes tending to the Reaper less of a nuisance, even if I'd sooner avoid it.

[willowandoak]

[ Ren has only met Jose recently, in the company of the Phantom Thieves. Good thing he did. Now he can just laugh, instead of having to ask who the hell Akechi is talking about. ]

You got everything sorted out with your Shadow, huh? [ His eyes glint with amusement. He has not forgotten Akechi's Shadow's comment, actually. But the question is still genuine. ]

[fogbornphantom]

Yes, but it was incredibly stupid.

[He runs a hand through his hair, sighing at the memory.]

If you're curious, I'd be happy to regale you with the legend of Goro Akechi's prepubescent idiocy, but I suspect a more comfortable location would be more ideal.

[He's casually turning toward one of the doors leading into Tokyo. Something tells him the Junes food court is a bit too low class. Then again, perhaps it wouldn't matter.

It's not like his Ren is particularly picky.]

[willowandoak]

[ This is the first really recognizable Akechi he's found. It's not the Shujin uniform, although that helps. It's the stressed vibes, the snark. The tone of voice, which still isn't right but isn't profoundly weird, either. Ren is glad the real deal isn't around, he's pretty sure. It's not as much fun to hang out with him as it was before he got his latest assignment. But he still misses him.

No point in thinking about that. ] I would love to hear the legend of Goro Akechi's prepubescent idiocy. I was just thinking about food, if you wanna get something.

[fogbornphantom]

How forward of you.

[The little smirk, the playful tone... Is this his way of recapturing his lost dignity from his Shadow's remarks all that time ago? ...Which was probably painfully recent for this Ren. Damn timelines.

Well, he has nothing but time, and they do seem to be on the same page.]

Still, infiltration does work up an appetite, so who am I to refuse?

[willowandoak]

Hey, I'll take you anywhere you want to go. Since everything's free. [ It's not unlike the flirtation that he directs at his own Akechi, but it's emptier, kind of. Habitual. He heads for the door Akechi was looking at. ] You just got back from a Palace? Who were you infiltrating?

[youngestdawn]

[ There isn't one single way baby Akira makes it to the Velvet Room -- he was simply somewhere else, and then he was here. The end result of a small baby Akira in the Velvet Room is all the same, so he doesn't think it matters too much. ]

[ The small boy wanders over to the newest boy -- a bigger one that looks like other boys he's seen here that are usually called Akechi, but he's pretty sure this one is the oldest. He approaches the boy, eyes wide and face with the faintest traces of interest on it. His special rock is with him. ]

[fogbornphantom]

Oh!

[It's the small... no, his name was Akira, wasn't it? That's right. That sweet little boy who was a little 'different,' but not in a bad way.

Akechi approaches carefully. He can't expect the little guy to recognize him, but when he's close enough, he'll crouch down closer to his level.]

Hello, Kurusu-kun.

[There's a warm fondness to his words, accompanied by a chuckle.]

Still have that rock, I see.

[And here's the wild part. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a rock as well.]

[youngestdawn]

[ Akira's eyes go comically wide. He takes out his own rock and looks over the one in this boy's hands. How did this one have Akechi's rock? Akechi is in Inaba, and certainly isn't his big!! What's happening? ]

[ He can't figure it out. Time travel, like an episode of Featherman? This place has all sorts of weird stuff going on... ]

"issat you?" he asks this familiar stranger, in a whisper.

[fogbornphantom]

[Aww... He'd pat him on the head, but first he should establish some familiarity. Still, he gets a warm chuckle for his trouble.]

Yes, from the future. The other "me" is fine, so don't worry. You still have your friend.

[Technically, he has two friends now? Now that's an amusing thought.]

[youngestdawn]

"Big," is the only thing Akira can think to say in response. He looks so big, he's grown so much...!

[fogbornphantom]

Yes, I am. But one day, you'll be big, too.

[Oh, what the hell? He reaches out to ruffle Akira's hair.]

I met someone a lot like you, and he's almost as tall as I am!

[youngestdawn]

[ Akira's eyes are wide as the big Akechi ruffles his hair. He'll get almost as big as Akechi someday? ]

[fogbornphantom]

I think so. There are other Akiras here who are tall, and I know at least one Ren here and back home who matches their height.

[Hmmm... He pauses.]

Actually, I heard one of them taught you a magic trick.

[youngestdawn]

[ Right. Magic trick. He nods and takes out his coin with a faint flush on his face...before realizing that big Akechi is so big that he can probably see the sleight-of-hand from where he is. He takes a small step backwards to perform the trick. ]

"Dah," he says when he's finished, making the coin disappear, openly shy at this point.

[ Will he ever get "his own" Akechi? He's never had a friend before, and the Akechi here is the closest thing he has to one...he hopes this "Ren" knows how good Akechi is. ]

[fogbornphantom]

[Aww. The trick earns a rousing applause from Akechi! No sign that he saw through the trick.]

Great job, Kurusu-kun! You're already a master, I see.

[It's important to give him positive reinforcement. To let him know how special he is. And it is really sweet that he's picked up on it so fast, so it's not like he's being insincere.]

[youngestdawn]

[ When did Akechi get- wait, when did Akechi-san get so mature? He's using so many big words...he's so big...and cool...and Kurusu-kun is just a little kid... ]

[ Kurusu-kun nods, doing a shy little bow to end his performance. ]

"Lernin'."

[fogbornphantom]

And that's good! We all start somewhere.

[Hmmmm... There are a few things he could ask, but he should be careful. This is probably a lot to take in.]

It's so good to see you're doing well. Hopefully my younger self hasn't been too much of a handful.