personavelvetroomdr

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[The thing about being somewhere new is that usually, you were supposed to be able to use it as a fresh start. This... is not that. This is a place full of faces he knows - his own face, and Akechi's - and especially with the way the Mona who'd seemed like he was from his other life had reacted to him... it's giving him flashbacks of his record being leaked in Shujin. He keeps almost saying the wrong thing to people, too, used to everyone already knowing.

It's a while after all of that, and he hasn't risked going anywhere near Leblanc. He's scouted around a few places, though, and now he's wound up here at the arcade, playing a vicious game of Gun About. What can he say? It's good for getting rid of all that stress, without risking anyone walking in on him slaughtering shadows in a non-Joker-like way.

That said, even this isn't quite... right. He's too focused, for one thing. A bit too accurate. Nowhere near showy enough, either.

Poke him anyway?]

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[He bites back on "You would think that, wouldn't you" but then- it doesn't seem like this Akechi has the same feelings about the TV set.]

Now that's something I could imagine Yusuke doing. He'd disagree with 'deranged,' though.

[He doesn't even think that Akechi might not know Yusuke. He's in the uniform, of course he should know Yusuke.]

Kitagawa-kun would be more inclined to bring out the "beauty," I think. I can already picture him trying to redecorate the Velvet Room with some added flourish, much to Igor-san's chagrin.

[Honestly, he'd love to see that. It'd bring some liveliness to an otherwise eerie room.]

He could try.

[Akira would like to see him try. It'd be nice to see Yusuke again regardless.]

I don't think any of us would be able to do anything to the Velvet Room itself, though. At least it's already better to look at than its usual.

[Anything is better than the jail cells, chains, and methods of execution he'd become used to. That Akechi had needed to get used to. Comparatively, the blue room with the doors is kind of peaceful.]

I don't know. I rather liked my Velvet Room. The film noir aesthetic was rather fitting for a young, wannabe detective.

[Blue rather than black and white, of course, but it was about the atmosphere. The aesthetic.]

Alas, I've no clue if it would even take on that form for me now. Comes with being "locked out" by an impostor Igor.

Film noir...? Lucky you. [He shakes his head. There's a smile in there, too.] You're right, it does suit you.

[Sighs. He's sure this Akechi's going to learn sooner or later- huh. That's a lot to unpack, actually.]

If you're locked out, who's he keeping in? And how do you know Igor's an imposter?

[He's used to the idea of it being one or the other, so... if Akechi's at Shujin, shouldn't he be- wherever he is? Not that he wants it, but... that's just the way it goes.]

Ren, unfortunately. But he's aware now, which means we can plan accordingly, and he can help the rest of us assess what is truly going on.

[It's a risky gambit, of course. Concealing answers from his 'attendants' and the mastermind assuming Igor's form. It requires them to leave their phones behind more often than not, lest prying eyes uncover their schemes...]

As for how I know, I figured there was something amiss with the Velvet Room years ago. Margaret-san and her brother were abruptly thrust into the "real world," while their little sister Lavenza went missing. My own attendant, Marie-san, was also unable to reach the Velvet Room, though she'd since left her duties behind to watch over Inaba as a local goddess.

[He pauses upon realizing this all probably sounds confusing. The majority of Akiras and Rens alike are less versed in the matters of Inaba.]

...In other words, I've been a guest of the Velvet Room for years, know some of the other attendants, and through them we learned something was off.

Edited 2023-08-18 00:24 (UTC)

[Yeah, a lot of that goes over his head. Mostly everything about goddesses and attendants. What he did catch, though, was-]

Wait, Ren? You mean, your version of me? [Hands in pockets. Leaning back against the machine.] You're... working together. It must be nice.

[Maybe he sounds wistful, but there's also a fair bit of anger and bitterness coming back up that he'd thought he'd worked through already, because why couldn't they have had that? If he'd only been able to remember from the start... but that's in the past.]

Mm. You'd be right about there being something wrong. Though with the two of you, I'm sure you'll get through just fine.

My partner in crime.

[He pauses.]

...Literally, if we're discussing the matters of Phantom Thievery and the legal implications therein.

[Still, there's something odd about that response. Akechi quiets a moment, bringing a hand to his chin.]

Am I to assume that isn't the case in your reality?

[The multiverse is vast, he supposes, but that's... hm.]

[The wistful-fond-bitter-angry doesn't ease up. If anything, it's familiar at this point, when thinking of the Phantom Thieves, and working with them.]

No. No, it's... not. There's the Phantom Thieves and their leader, and then there's the Detective Prince who chases after them. It's... a bit more complicated than that, but you get the idea.

[No names. Who's in what role shifts. He knows better than most- and with that thought, he shifts in place.]

You already know Igor's a fake. In at least my world, he sets us up. Opposite sides of the chessboard kind of thing.

Naoto-san chases them, or...?

[Hm. That other version of him did mention working within the justice system, didn't he? Those memories are still a bit hazy, but that sounds right.]

I have a feeling that may be why I'm barred from accessing the Velvet Room. I've seen the real Igor. I know how fusions work, and there is nothing about 'executions'. This new 'Igor' seems far crueler than the genuine article.

The question is, what to do. If he has the power to seize control of the Velvet Room, oust its prior attendants, and still provide the services of the room under a twisted guise, then this is not an enemy we can take lightly...

But we already have our hands full with a foe that can alter cognition, never mind whoever hired them to do so.

Not Naoto Shirogane. More precisely, I should have said the Second Coming of the Detective Prince.

[For a brief moment, there's a sharp smile. It's brief, though - as much as Akira enjoyed the thrill of it, those are hardly good memories.]

You have? [Oh, interesting.] I've met the real one a couple of times, under different circumstances. Never seen the Velvet Room any different, though. I will say you're right to be wary. You don't want to try going up against him unprepared.

[He can still remember trying the first time, not having any idea what was going to happen, and being erased from existence in a painful way, not knowing if his team were still alive afterwards when he woke up in the Velvet Room... at least the second time, he'd had a small idea of what to expect.]

"A foe than can..." [He's just echoing Akechi at first, and then he looks up.] Not mental shutdowns, or- no, if you're both... it wouldn't be... [can't be rampages without call of chaos, no Loki, no Satanael] then who...

[He has an idea, but he doesn't like it.]

Ah, so that would be... me? Hm.

[He is technically the successor of the Detective Prince, but he's yet to make a more public debut, with Naoto fearing that the publicity might be too much for him and with the urgency of his undercover op.

Still, a frown tugs at his lips. This is a lot to consider, and... "mental shutdown."]

I've already heard from the Ren here that in other worlds, someone uses an assassin in the Metaverse. But there have been no Metaverse-related fatalities. Only sudden changes in behavior, allegiances, and in some cases identity. Wakaba Isshiki suffered severe memory loss and entered a depressive state, but she was the earliest known victim, which suggests that whoever used such abilities was less refined.

We also know there's a "nice Mister" who pays visits to Mementos and gives Jose snacks. It's... troubling.

If your Ren is the leader of the Phantom Thieves, I'd say that normally would have been your role.

[He would feel bad about telling Akechi about that, but they're in a place with different versions of himself. He's bound to find out sooner or later.]

Someone does, yeah. [He's not telling who. Or who that is.] But, no fatalities? They- [He freezes. He hates when he's right.] Maruki.

[Where he's from he's tentatively on... not the worst of terms with the man. They have an understanding, similar as they are in moving forward, and in knowing that if Maruki tried anything again, Akira wouldn't hesitate to mobilise. But hearing about this- Akira's voice drops in pure anger as he puts the pieces together.]

Fuck.

[He doesn't mean to swear, but it comes out rather abruptly. A deep, contorted glare takes form.]

That fucking counselor... We had our suspicions, of course. It wasn't hard for Futaba-chan to trace Yoshizawa-san's medical history, and the timing of her visits to Takuto Maruki's practice aligned well with the gap between the accident and her attending Shujin.

Suzui-san was only the icing on the proverbial cake. An 'accident'? Quitting the volleyball team of her own volition? A likely story.

[The swearing is something Akira's used to from his Akechi, so it doesn't bother hm. He does listen as the complaints pile on.]

I've experienced him using his abilities on a much larger scale, but what you're talking about sounds a lot different from- any of that. [He shakes his head.] I'm not familiar enough with your timeline, your world, to theorise clearly on the details when they might differ from mine, but... those things hardly sound like coincidences.

I can say this: if it is Takuto Maruki, then he has been at this for roughly two years. Isshiki-san was the first recorded case, as she was transferred to a specialized research facility under the Kirijo Group, who have long since dealt with matters of a cognitive nature.

But there were others, beginning soon after. Politicians suddenly favoring certain parties they had never associated with before. Sudden business dealings benefiting wealthy conglomerates such as Okumura Foods. Defendants in trials who'd once insisted on innocence suddenly declaring their own guilt...

[He folds his arms, eyes sliding shut for a moment as he reflects with clear disdain in his words.]

It makes Yoshizawa-san such an anomaly. The most prolific cases were so high profile that she was not even remotely on my radar until Futaba-chan informed me that she was, in fact, Sumire Yoshizwa. And she has no palace, so we can't "save" her the way we did with Isshiki-san.

[He knows that Akechi's talking about Maruki- everything is pointing toward that man.

But- at the same time. Roughly two years. Wakaba. Politicians. Okumura. And these people weren't - going based on only what he'd heard just now - even dead.

It's all close enough, and differences or not, he looks like Akechi, sounds like him, and he...

...on the outside, it might look like he's saddened and upset by what he's hearing, fist clenched on the machine's gun holsters while the other machines make their bright noises in the background.

On the inside, this is just a fear - previously irrational - of Akechi looking at him with the same self-righteous justice as any of the others.]

[This is clearly a lot to absorb. Akechi can tell there's something going on in this Akira's head. The clench of the fist, the look on his face...

Hm. Perhaps this was a bit heavy to discuss in an acrade of all places.]

Apologies. I imagine you didn't come here to get bombarded with baggage from a whole other reality.

[He breathes. Looks up, and smiles. Or, he tries to. It doesn't reach his eyes.]

Don't worry about me. I'm fine. My reality's dealt with all of this already, after all.

Perhaps, but I know other realities are... different. I can be off putting learning about those differences.

[He's a detective. It's partially his job to notice the little tells in how people react, though obviously it's not his place to pry. He's off duty.]

Just as off putting to be around so many familiar faces, but they aren't the ones you "know."

I can imagine it's the same for others... and the other way around, too.

[If anyone found out anything more than surface-level about what he'd done-]

I'm sure to some, the differences aren't what's off-putting. Like you say, familiar faces.

[He's no longer looking directly at Akechi as he says it, instead looking at the Gun About screen, hand on the wired-in gun he'd put down.

The irony is that it isn't that it's Akechi that's bothering him; it's that this Akechi is so... well adjusted. He can't help but worry that the main point of connection isn't there. And yet, he's still Akechi.]

It's certainly weird how it's almost all us. I think Morgana may be the only exception so far.

[Hmmm, he steps closer to the arcade cabinet.]

Perhaps a little competition could help blow off some steam?

[He looks like he could use it.]

Knowing the Velvet Room, it almost makes sense, actually.

[Even Morgana isn't excluded in that. A bunch of Wildcards from different timelines and universes, and Hope in the form of a cat.]

Thought you'd never ask.

[He twirls the arcade gun in his grip, body language relaxing significantly, and turns his focus back at the screen.]

Really now? Is there something about Morgana I'm missing?

[Though he can suspect something or other, with how Morgana seemed to stalk him for a while before taking him into the Metaverse.

Well, for now, he'll grab the opposing gun and shift into a comfortable position. This should be interesting.]

It's easy to overlook him.

[Game is starting. Set. Go. And he's in focus mode. His voice goes a little detached as he's zeroing in on targets rather than engaging in civil conversation.]

That's actually kinda the point.

[Morgana is a small moving target, hard to hit and easy to hide. That really is the point. He actually told Igor he approved this time around - and got a few odd looks for it.]

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