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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Orphanage director.

[ That could mean all kinds of awful things. Ren doesn't choose to clarify. ] I'm kind of surprised more of the kids there didn't carry knives. It seemed like the obvious solution to me. I think the word was he was going to be okay? I didn't, like, stab him to death. But that's when I ran away. [ He gives Akechi an easy grin, like it doesn't bother him anymore.

None of that's even a lie. He's left out the really gruesome parts that culminated in killing the guy after all in the Metaverse, and you could argue that those are important elements of the story. But the words he's said are all true. ]

...Abusive, I assume.

[That would explain so much. The comment about knives. The necessity of stabbing and running away.]

In that case, it sounds like you did what the other children were too scared to even attempt. There are times when the law will not listen, and it's necessary to take drastic measures for one's safety.

[ A shadow flits past across Ren's expression. He meets Akechi's gaze with a strange, dark glimmer in his eyes. ] You're not wrong.

[ Or maybe you imagined all that? Because there's sure no sign of it now. He tilts his head with a rueful smile. ] But my point is, I was a dumb preteen, too. Nowadays I'd skip straight to running away.

Fair. Sometimes the best strategy is an escape strategy.

[That dark look wasn't lost to him, but he won't press it for now. This was meant to be his embarrassing story time, after all.]

At any rate, my Shadow was understandably irritated. Yu at least had the foresight to call my school and claim I was too ill to attend, but Nanako-chan...

[He blows a heavy sigh, a deep frown lining his lips.]

I think Yu lied and said I had left the house early, but it wasn't fair to do what I did when it could have led to her and our dad- Dojima-san- panicking given the prior kidnappings and the ongoing serial murder case.

[ No room to judge, he reminds himself. ] Quick thinking.

He's always been good at that.

[He always did envy that about him, even if he himself was intelligent. Yu was just so... perfect.]

So, my Shadow saw me in my dungeon and decided that rather than chastise me, he'd bring the others to me safely. It's my understanding that he led them through my dungeon, providing context where needed as my memories bled into the environment.

They came all that way to find me, weren't even all that angry, but I was just so scared. I didn't know what to say or how to react...

So my Shadow decided it was time to take the kid gloves off. He engaged the others in a fight to prove to me, once and for all, that they gave a shit.

Your Shadow put up with a lot. [ It was only a few days ago that Ren met him, so the memory is fresh in his mind. Akechi's weird, friendly Shadow. He smiles a little. ] Mine would've probably lost patience way sooner.

To be honest, I'm lucky mine was so patient. I dread to think what would've happened otherwise...

[He visibly shudders. There were so many ways it could've ended, and none of them pretty.]

But I'm here, and in the end, I called off the fight myself. My Shadow was powerful, and I couldn't bear the sight of them suffering because of my stupidity.

Was that what made you accept it in the end? Seeing them get beaten up?

[ He finally remembers to eat some of his sushi. ]

...Yeah. They put up a valiant effort, but my Shadow utilized almighty skills in addition to bless and curse abilities, which made him a nuisance.

And the funniest part? As soon as I told him to stop, he just... healed everyone. They were never in any real danger.

[He rubs his forehead before taking another bite of his sushi.]

...That's nice, actually. Like, too bad about all the crazy shit that led up to it—[ Sorry, Akechi. ]—but that's almost kind of cute.

[ He does mean it, although there's a certain wistfulness in his voice. He can sometimes appreciate what closeness provides for people. It's kind of like being broke, and looking through a shop window at a pretty display, and being in a mellow enough mood to just admire it. ]

Cute, hm?

[He smirks, his tone a tad teasing.]

Ah, that's right. You'd said you were "fond" of your world's version of me. Do I detect a hint of bias?

[He doesn't mean any ill will, it's really just some light ribbing. Ah, the things he doesn't know...]

[ The thing is, Ren's forgotten to be on guard here. His Akechi isn't here to find him out, nor is anyone else from his world. No one to hide the conspiracy from, capital-C or otherwise. So Akechi's teasing little jab slips right through his defenses. You said you were "fond" of your world's version of me.

Fond, yeah. Look how fond he is. For a fraction of a second he looks stricken; then his face smooths over and he laughs. He didn't have a reaction. You're imagining it. ]

Sure, I'm biased. Have you met the teeny tiny me? Don't tell me you're not biased towards him.

[ He won't buy it. Not after he had to tolerate that lovestruck ramble about Akechi's version of Ren. Maybe Akechi's bias even matters, because Ren's obviously doesn't mean shit in the end. ]

I never denied any form of bias, nor did I suggest bias is a problem.

[He saw that reaction. He's a detective. It's in his job description to be vigilant and pay close attention to little tics and quirks.

He'll just casually plop a piece of sushi in his mouth, humming throughtfully.]

My bias was well established, anyway, even without taking into consideration Kurusu-kun.

[He pulls out a pretty, blue rock.]

We found special rocks, you know. My younger self and him.

[ The rock itself is nothing special, except for being kind of pretty. But Ren pouts anyway, more at the idea than anything. ]

Damn. I just taught him a coin trick. Wish I formed a rock bond.

[...A rock band.

P-Pffft... snrk... Hahaha... Yeah. Give him a second. That pun was bad, but...]

It was actually quite sweet. My younger self taught him how to skip rocks, then he wished to find a rock to keep. We went to Junes to acquire a bucket and a few odds and ends and then exchanged rocks with each other.

[Funny how vivid that memory is. Must be because this place unearthed it.]

It's good to hear he's had other pleasant encounters, though.

I've been worried about him. He's so tiny and, like. [ He gestures with his chopsticks. ] Quiet, you know? How's he supposed to survive? And what if he ends up in the Metaverse or something?

My younger self was taking care of him, but he's only twelve. I'm sure he'll do his best, but I do wonder if it'll be enough.

[The fingers of his free hand rap at the table, while he prods another sushi piece with his chopsticks.]

You could stop by and check on them, maybe. If that won't implode your timeline.

[ Ren doesn't volunteer to do it himself, because he doesn't know shit about taking care of a baby. He also assumes people won't want to just give out their addresses. Instead, he eats some more sushi. ]

I might. I'll just have to handle it delicately. My younger self is...

[He gestures vaguely with his hand.]

Well, you have firsthand experience. But I think the timeline may withstand it, seeing how that phone call didn't erase us from existence.

[ He gives Akechi a distracted little smile. ] I can't even tell if you're joking, dude.

[ He feels a little itchy thinking about that meeting, even though it was his own suggestion. Weird. ]

Schrodinger's joke.

[He winks.]

I think I may have to smooth things over regardless. Knowing him, he's going to go on a witch hunt to find the source of the "Akechi Alliance."

[He chuckles all the same.]

Which leaves either me, or my counterpart in the striped tie who he's already rather fond of.

[ Ren almost chokes on his sushi. He stares at Akechi with wide eyes. ]

Are you serious? He's such a fucking creep, Akechi. He makes my skin crawl.

[The severity of the reaction makes him laugh without meaning to. Holy shit. That's... extreme?]

My child self found him cool. He acknowledged the hard work he put into his notes and evidence and seemed to carry himself with an air of confidence that he found admirable...

But that's the rose-tinted glasses. I haven't encountered him like this.

[He gestures at himself.]

So who knows? Perhaps my more developed brain and greater lived experience will recontextualize some things.

[ Ren is giving Akechi a pained, pitying look all through this explanation. ]

He got you with the flattery and the smooth attitude, huh. Tale as old as time.