personavelvetroomdr | (no subject)

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[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.]

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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. ]

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.

[ 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. ]

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.]

Edited 2023-08-15 04:03 (UTC)

[ 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.

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?

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?

I could go for some sushi, though not the conveyor belt kind.

[If he's going to take advantage of the opportunity, a proper experience is pivotal. No cheap dining experience here.

So, through the door they go? Along the way, he elaborates.]

We just completed rescuing Wakaba Isshiki from her own warped cognition. I'd honestly go so far as to say it was our most difficult mission to date, given the external tampering to her heart and mind.

[ Ren's steps falter. ]

—Oh.

[ Nonono, act fucking normal, for fuck's sake. It's just a name. Ren can hear people talk about her, he's not a baby. It's just. It's just. ]

Good. I'm glad she's okay.

[The reaction is impossible to overlook. Akechi stops, pivoting partway and watching Ren closely.]

As am I, especially for Futaba-chan's sake.

[But, hm. Something's amiss.]

...Are you all right?

[There's a story behind that reaction, but what it is, he can't be sure.]

Oh—yeah. Sorry. [ He smiles reassuringly. It even looks convincing. Or it would to most people, anyway.

...But then he undermines it when he follows it up with: ] You saved Wakaba Isshiki, and she's—fine now?

She will be, anyway. There are a lot of memories to sift through. Memories she had locked away, or rather, memories that were forcibly locked away, leaving her a prisoner in her own mind.

[He heaves a heavy sigh, shaking his head as he moves forward.]

We still need to tread lightly. If what Isshiki-san said is correct, then it's entirely possible she has made powerful enemies who would eagerly silence her now that she's 'herself' again.

[ Yeah, Akechi keeps talking about stuff like that. Warping Wakaba's cognition. She was a prisoner in her own mind. That's all weird as shit, and pretty alarming, actually. He wants to ask about it, but there's something more important. He meets Akechi's eyes with a gravity he hasn't shown to him before. ]

Your instincts are right. Be really, really careful. Going into hiding won't be good enough, they need to not even know you fixed her.

We have plans to fake a transferal. I discussed it with Kirijo-san, and between Futaba-chan's and Yamagishi-san's hacking prowess, it should be simple enough to access the hospital database and, if need be, pay off the employees to prevent complications.

[Still, there's an air of unease in his voice as he speaks. The familiar sights of Shibuya do little to ease his mind, considering it's so similar to the genuine article.]

The real problem is that our adversary has the ability to alter cognition. Isshiki-san was the first known victim, but there have been countless others over the past two years.

Yeah, what the fuck is up with that? Nothing like that happens back home. They just kill people.

[That's... give him a moment. He stops in his tracks, more than a little taken aback.]

"They" being presumably the same party? Because what I do know is whoever is directing this Metaverse user has a vested interest in the country's politics and has rubbed elbows with the likes of Kunikazu Okumura, if Okumura himself isn't the one pulling the strings.

[It was in the case file, after all. Far too many incidents with connections to Okumura Foods and its competitors.]

[ Yep. Definitely the same dude. ]

I'm guessing it's the same person, since—uh. Wakaba. [ His face clouds over. Not really a delicate way to put that. ] It's not Okumura, though. He got got, too.

[ As far as he figures, lying about stuff that's common knowledge doesn't serve him. If his own Akechi shows up, or something, there's a good chance he could learn what Ren's said. And if Ren's known to have spread misinformation... ]

...I see.

[That's concerning, to say the least. If the case file is correct, then Okumura is hardly what Akechi would consider a noble actor. However, Haru is a genuinely sweet girl. To know that in some other reality, her father was taken from her...]

From what I can tell, Okumura remains unscathed. There have been reports of employees eagerly working themselves straight into hospital beds and begging to be released so they could resume their work. Competitors suddenly merging with Okumura Foods... suffice it to say, our enemy has a terrifying amount of control over people's minds.

If Okumura isn't the ringleader, he still benefits all the same.

[ Ren just kind of. Stares at Akechi. He opens his mouth, searching for words, and what finally emerges is: ]

What the fuck, man?

[ What an absolute clusterfuck. What a nightmare. That can't be Akechi's Ren doing that, can it? If Ren could do anything close to that stuff, he'd never get any rest. Shido would have him mindfucking people round the clock.

It's like changes of heart, but instead of just making people not be dicks, you can make them do anything. Ren's skin crawls, which is not easy to accomplish. ]

[Akechi chuckles at the response, but it's a dry, bitter chuckle, devoid of any genuine amusement.]

That's what I'm trying to figure out. I came to Tokyo specifically to investigate the cognitive anomalies and wound up entangled with Phantom Thievery purely by happenstance.

[He blows a small, almost wistful sigh.]

At least I share the burden of leadership with Ren. ...The Ren from my world, that is.

[This one was a Ren, wasn't he? Or was he an Akira...]

[ It's just bombshell after bombshell, huh? And this is the worst one yet. It sets his nerves alight, like a giant hand raking clawed fingernails down the chalkboard of his spine. ]

He leads the Phantom Thieves? Your Ren?

Technically, it's joint leadership. Me, the wise mentor well attuned to Personas and metacognitive worlds and Ren, my fellow Wildcard whose sharp wit and adaptability made him the ideal choice for a partner.

[A more earnest, gentle laugh slips from his lips. There's an undeniable fondness to the way he speaks.]

It also helps that he's so damn personable. I like to think I've a certain poise and charm, but I won't deny his ability to simply... connect to those around him, be they fellow underdog students or alcoholic journalists.

[Ah, but that might all be a bit much to dump on this other Ren.]

...Ah, but I mean no disrespect, of course. I suppose I got a little carried away.

[It seemed like this Ren found it all quite a bit to take in, but it's difficult not to gush about his own Joker after all they've been through together.]

[ Nothing Akechi says is rude, or offensive, but a stone settles in Ren's stomach anyway, heavier and heavier with each word. Despite the different intonation, despite the gloves, sometimes it almost seems like it could be Ren's own Akechi standing next to him. Staring fondly into space, talking about a different Ren who clearly has whatever Ren himself lacks. It's not brains or adaptability or even friendliness. Ren has all that. It's something else that Ren was just... born without. But he already knew that.

He shakes his head with a smile when Akechi apologizes. ] No worries. It sounds like you two are close...?

[ Why did he ask that. He doesn't want to know that. ]

Edited 2023-08-16 03:40 (UTC)

[Ah... Akechi's cheeks redden ever so slightly, and airy, uneasy laughter sneaks out of him. It's all smiles, a bit tight, and perhaps a smidge sheepish.]

That's... one way of putting it.

[In the back of his mind, he thinks about some of their recent escapades. How Ren was "admiring the view" when they last played billiards together, nearly thwarting Akechi's shot. Or the way Ren offered his bed to Akechi the last time he stayed over, pointing out how awful that couch must have been for his back.

All the times he's wanted to simply pull him aside, bare all his feelings, steal a kiss, and finally breathe...

But that all goes unsaid. It would be rather embarrassing to voice such thoughts to the same boy whom his Shadow made a very direct comment about his younger self finding him attractive.]

But I digress. This seems like a conversation better suited for more a more comfortable environment. We were going to grab sushi, weren't we?

[How fortunate that there's a restaurant nearby.]

[ ...Okay, it is kind of funny to see Akechi blushing like that, despite everything. ]

Yep. [ He sounds cheerful again. Fake it till you make it. ] You were gonna tell me the embarrassing story of how you got your Persona.