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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Is her Metaverse mask black, by any chance?

[ He can say this, because the Thieves have talked about the Black Mask to him. ]

...Yes. I suspect that's why she coined the name "Midnight" for herself. A black mask. Black attire. Kitagawa-kun was enchanted by her movements, even if she did drop him outside a safe room for us to babysit in the end.

[There's a small eye roll there. That girl truly is something else. Ditzy, cheerful, and... a Metaverse spy? What even?]

We haven't confronted her about it, but I'm not sure if I'd consider her an enemy just yet. There have been times, however fleeting, where sudden bursts of Bless magic would aid us from afar. Nonetheless, there is something strange about her aptitude for the Metaverse that begs the question of why and how. I'm cautious, but waiting to see what her objective is.

Edited 2023-08-25 00:38 (UTC)

[ Unbelievable, that that's his equivalent in another universe. Or at least one of his equivalents? Unless she's also doing all the brainwashing, which... she might be. Ren doesn't know.

But he does know himself. Casual, friendly Ren. Sure, he's kind of a low-grade criminal, but he wouldn't do anything really bad. Sure, he blackmailed his way onto the team, but his motives aren't evil. That's what people think. ]

...I haven't been in that situation with you, so I don't know anything. But I just wanna say, don't forget what happened last time someone acted like an idiot and you didn't take them seriously.

...I know. Ever since Adachi, I try not to completely lower my guard. But... hm.

[Thump, thump. His fingers rap at the table again. It's a delicate balance, reading and predicting others.]

I think we can eliminate her as the source behind the anomalies, especially if she herself is a victim. And...

[Hey, wait a second.]

I think her father is the director of Good Morning Japan.

[Hm. So does that make her prolific enough?]

[ Hm! ]

...I don't know. If I was your brainwasher, I'd just brainwash her dad to run useful programs. Unless it's some kind of weird revenge scheme. The daytime TV show offended someone powerful.

It's strange, though. Her cognitive change strictly involves her believing she is her dead sister and hearing her own name as her sister's name whenever anyone refers to her by it. It's such an oddly personal adjustment that doesn't benefit anyone outside of perhaps herself, and I wouldn't call running from grief by pretending to be your dead sibling beneficial.

[It's... worrisome. That sort of delusion. If it's survivor's guilt, he can somewhat understand where it all started, but to live a lie like this means to never face the truth and never heal.]

She might call it that. A lot of people try to run from their grief. So does the brainwasher, like... care about that stuff? How do you know she's the only person like that out there?

[ He is truly glad that this one is someone else's problem, because yikes. He eats some more sushi. ]

It's difficult to say. Futaba-chan seems convinced that her condition can be traced to our school therapist, but I can't help but wonder if that's simply out of a desire to pin a face to the one who caused her mother's amnesia and made her best friend effectively become someone else.

[He droops a little, head shaking. It's been rough, he won't deny that.]

Yoshizawa-san had seen Dr. Maruki before he came to our school, but the last time I latched onto an "easy" suspect, it nearly cost us everything. I don't want to make the same mistake twice. Plus, if it were him, would it not make sense to wipe the minds of everyone who showed even an inkling of suspicion?

Yet Futaba-chan remains untouched, as do I.

[ ...Wait. ]

Hang on. Did you say Maruki?

...Yes? Dr. Takuto Maruki. Respected therapist, known for allegedly bringing happiness to his clients and aspiring cognitive psientist.

[There's something about this that... hmmm. A grim look steadily overtakes his face.]

...Aspiring? Back home, he was researching it years ago. Is he telling people he's new to it?

[ Also, "bringing happiness to his clients"? Given everything else they've talked about... yikes. ]

He claims he's interested in the field out of a genuine desire to understand and undo the damage wrought by our mystery perpetrator. His words, his expressions, everything is either perfectly performed or sincere.

[The weight of Akechi's words suggests he believes equally in either possibility.]

He's quite a fan of the Phantom Thieves, too. I've known enough liars in my lifetime to deduce that at least some of his feelings are genuine. Every meeting with him, I'm constantly observing the minutiae of his words, his body language, everything.

[ Ren likes the Phantom Thieves' work, too. That doesn't mean he's not a murderer, or a mole taking them down from the inside. ] It doesn't matter how people feel. It just matters what they do.

[ ...It's possible he sounds a little too bleak when he says that. He collects himself a little before he continues. ] But that's something you could have Futaba look into. How long he's been doing cognitive psience work, and whether it actually started before the incidents. But if he's involved in your brainwashings, it might take her some effort.

That's the thing. Futaba-chan has traced his records, and all she has found is his therapy practice in Odaiba. There are some records from his college years- an interest in psychology, for instance, but she was never able to find tangible proof that he ever succeeded as a cognitive psientist.

[Hmmm... There are a few pieces of sushi left besides the ones he's set aside for Morgana. He might as well enjoy them.]

Quite curious that you know these things. I take it you've a fair bit of resources at your disposal?

[ This is the problem with getting invested in people. You start to forget what you yourself need. Not to out yourself as a longtime Metaverse user or a Shido conspirator, for example. Ren's decided to play the same role he does at home, and that is not it.

He smiles wryly. ] Kind of? I'm an information broker back home, that's all. The clients I have these days, I must be pretty good at it. If you do that long enough, you do pretty much know everything that happens in your city.

Oh?

[Well, that's interesting information to file away for later. It even earns a curious eyebrow raise.]

You must lead a truly interesting life, if that's your career path. Not that I'm complaining. If I had a resource like you as an ally, I can only imagine how much easier my investigation would be.

I don't know about "interesting." But I could give you some names, if you want to find someone good who won't fuck you over. Although I guess they might be different people in your world.

[ Successful deflection? Hopefully... ]

I suppose it could be useful in the event our memories carry over. I'm still not sure what the verdict on that is, since my memories from my younger self only stretch up to this precise moment.

[It's still surreal. Every passing second adds a second of memory from that exact moment in time, but nothing past it.]

[ Successful deflection! ]

That's useful, though. Like a baby monitor or something. What's he up to now?

He is... currently debating whether or not to text the other me. He doesn't want to come off as too needy or desperate, but he also values him and seeks stimulating, intelligent conversation.

[Ah, yes, more interest in that "creepy" Akechi. Sorry, Ren.]

He's also debating what to do about dinner, since he has a little boy to consider and he doesn't know how to cook.

[ Ren frowns, but he's already given his opinion about that Akechi, so he lets it pass. ]

There are probably cookbooks. Simple easy recipes for babies, or something.

He doesn't trust himself in the kitchen, so he's mostly opted for carryout. Not that that's an issue, but this is his first time caring for such a young child without the same independence as our sister.

[He pauses.]

Well, not that Kurusu-kun isn't a remarkable young boy. I just think my younger self is holding himself to high standards because Kurusu-kun thinks the world of him.

[ An emotion slips into his mind. He refuses to look at it, and it leaves again. A good tactic that's served him well many times. ]

Now that you mention it, my Akechi did say he used to suck at cooking... But he got better once he had a teacher.

I wonder if I'm the only Akechi here that's any good in the kitchen. Took a lot of growing pains to get to that point, but Yu always had the patience of a saint. Still does, if I'm being honest.

[There's that air of wistfulness to his words again. There are so many people he wishes were here. Even before all this, so many of his friends and family were simply unavailable, save for long distance contact.

Now the distance has only grown.]

[ Head slightly tilted, he listens to the sad little note in Akechi's voice. ]

Homesick?