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There's a new presence in the shadows of the Velvet Room tonight.

For a while, there's no obvious sign of this... presumably a person, just the feeling that something is watching from the darkness, listening to whatever cryptic platitudes Igor's spouting about the place tonight. Eventually, though, the presence announces itself as... an Akira, looking at the conspiracy board.

Or maybe he's a Ren? (He's both. He's neither. He's pretty sure Igor is the closest to a familiar entity here. Making connections? That's not going to be a problem at all.)

"...I have no idea what most of this means," he's forced to conclude after several minutes. "Cool."

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Akira just laughs. "I'll answer to either, so I doubt I'll be of much help on that front."

But the kid's welcome to try.

"No, but you see, you'll be marked down as an anomaly. Then he'll likely try to prod you for answers about why you use both names. The significance..."

Heh. Raven is nothing if not inquisitive and ridiculously nosy. "He can be insanely persistent."

"As long as he's polite about it, I doubt it'll be a problem."

"He's generally polite, unless he's in a particularly bad mood, or you say or do something to piss him off." Which isn't difficult, but generally shouldn't be an issue. Still... hm. Crow returns his attention to the board. "Was there anything else you'd like clarification on?"

"Romantic connection? How many odd looks can I expect for saying mine isn't that?"

It's still a very strong connection, so the theory that there's some kind of intrinsic meat to it is still very much on the table, but... Crow's his brother.

"The multiverse is vast, I suppose, but with that said..." He lifts his left hand, looking at the ring on his gloved finger. "I certainly can't imagine myself with anyone but my Ren. It certainly seems common that some form of romantic connection forms, but that doesn't mean it's ironclad across all realities."

Akira shrugs. "Crow's my brother. Not by birth, and it was like pulling teeth to get him to agree to the blood oath in the first place, but... he's my brother. We're too alike to be otherwise."

"Huh. I admit, the idea of viewing him in that sort of light is likely about as disorienting to me as our more romantic feelings are to you." Then again, the multiverse is vast. Different circumstances can radically alter the course of one's life.

He cups his chin in hand, pondering this. "Then again, I'm rather an outlier myself, given that I was saved from a tragic future by way of forming meaningful connections at a young age rather than being ground into the earth by society's wickedness. There's likely room for all manner of possibilities out there, even those where I was born female or an entirely different species outright."

"Only had to save his life three separate times before he accepted I wasn't going anywhere any time soon. He's a stubborn little shit, but so am I." At least that much of the story rhymes, or this would just be unaccountably weird all around.

Akira just smiles. "Oh, we have the 'different species' part covered. It's so weird that all of you are human."

"Oh, I know the feeling. I just had that stubbornness challenged at a young enough age that I came into my teenage years somewhat well-adjusted." Somewhat, because he still had a long way to go. Still does in some respects. "It's funny, though. For a time, we actually had some vampires, though it seems both have left. There is a version of me that's a ghost, however, so it's not as though nonhumans have completely gone by the wayside."

His smile falters at the mention of the ghost, though. It's... troubling, really.

"Yeah, I think I met the ghost." He was grumpy, but Akira's used that, when it comes to Crow.

"It seems he's from one of the timelines that results in our death. His revenge plan against Shido likely did him in." Crow deflates a little at the prospect. It's far from pleasant. "It's dangerous work, getting involved with him. I've tried to aid one of my other counterparts into breaking free from such a path, though it's taken a great deal of time to get there."

"No one should be stuck dealing with the vulture alone."

"I agree. It's just that sunk cost is a nightmare to deal with for people like us. I was young enough and forced to confront my repressed feelings in the form of a Shadow that I was able to eventually accept that I wanted connections with others. But other versions of us languished in an unjust society until desperation won out."

He won't betray Magpie's trust by outing his actions and crimes, but the sentiment, at least, should speak volumes.

"As I understand it, the vulture stuck around long enough to get what he wanted, and then broke the agreement he'd made. Crow's stuck in a twisted oath, and I will get him out of it, and then we can figure out what his vengeance looks like."

That there will be some goes without saying, and it's entirely deserved.

"Ah... so when you speak of blood oaths and the like, you mean it in a truly literal sense." Hmm... That certainly paints an intriguing picture of this Ren's world, to say the least. "I suppose I should probably mention now, for the sake of clarity- the Crow mentioned on the board is me. As I understand it, it's a fairly frequent codename across various realities."

"I hadn't assumed it was my Crow, but good to know. It is his favorite of his names, though." If anything holds Crow back from changing his name, it'll be having to give that one up as well.

Akira doesn't think it'll actually stop him, though.

"Wonder how it became a theme."

"I can't speak for the others. For me, it's a matter of personal sentimentality." He digs into the pocket of his uniform, pulling out a knitted plush crow. "I received this gift when I was much younger, at a time where acts of kindness seemed like the subject of fantasy more than anything that could ever happen in my life. That night, a single person fundamentally altered the course of my life and allowed me to finally find a place of belonging."

"That's entirely fair. My Crow... it's a name his mother gave him. Not his true name, but his favorite, and one he's managed to keep away from the vulture." Not that it matters much when the vulture has the true one, but it's something, anyway.

"All this talk of true names is quite fascinating. I know that in the Metaverse, we utilize codenames to protect ourselves from potential ramifications from exploring worlds based on human cognition, but this sounds rather different." He's observing this Ren closely now, trying to get a feel for this world...

He mentioned a Realm. Fae Realm, perhaps? That would align with certain forms of fable and myth, but he shouldn't assume.

"Not dissimilar," Akira says, after thinking about it. "Just... more so."

"Hmm... So would you advise not introducing ourselves by our 'true' names? I could add a note to Raven's board, though I suppose it's somewhat moot when he's mentioned some names already..."

He'd rather not assume the worst out of this Ren, or Akira, or whichever name works best. He doesn't seem all that threatening, at least.

"I would absolutely advise that. I don't want a minion army. 'taba set up my phone to show the name I know, or someone's favorite if I know multiple, and text alone isn't enough anyway or the vulture wouldn't be such a fucking problem. I have to have it spoken directly to me by someone who knows the person." Otherwise, the human world's public figures would be in worlds of hurt.

"The power might be weird or diluted here since there are so many duplicates of people, but... better not to take the chance."

"Is there no way to control whether or not someone becomes your minion?" That's... troubling. Very, very troubling. If that's the case, then it's rather understandable to err on the side of caution. "I admit, such powers are outside my realm of expertise, but it'd be irresponsible for me to not put up a warning, especially with so many children about."

"Not one that I'm aware of." It's possible that something exists, but Akira's so old as to render that possibility very unlikely indeed. "I truly don't want to put anyone in an untenable position, but if someone else of the Realm arrives here, we have no guarantee they'd be so benevolent."