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Have you ever wondered what's up with that gas station attendant who sometimes shows up in Inaba's shopping district on rainy days? He's as cheery and smiley as most cognitions. You might even be forgiven for mistaking him as one of them. After all, he only really shows up around the gas station.

But you see, "Izaya Sagiri" has gotten kind of bored of just doing his usual schtick. So, remarkably, he's decided to move.

First, he can be found in the Velvet Room, where he's engaging in a staring contest with Igor. Just standing there, a gas station attendant, smirking as he tries to out-stare Igor and Igor has no choice but to watch him. He howls with laughter. "Man! No wonder your eyes are so bloodshot. Do you ever blink?"

But that's not all. Just for a little added fun, he's elected to visit Iwatodai during the Dark Hour, where he can be found splashing in puddles of blood and chatting it up with the coffins. Yes, really. He's so happy and content despite the eerie green moon above.

Oh, and as for Tokyo... he's going on and off the subways. Multiple times, in fact, as he tries to see if anyone 'real' notices him.

What a weird guy.

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"It's funny. One might argue that the masses on the whole would sooner live in blissful ignorance, creating their own, more comfortable truths. But there are those who'd sooner fight against that collective will, even if it brings them pain..."

There's an eerie glint in his eyes. An almost unsettling calm.

Then he waves it off like it's no big deal, back to that laid back smile. "Lucky me, there's no upper management to worry about, but that sure leaves a guy with way too much free time. Funny how removing the need to work leaves people kinda aimless."

Ren doesn't like the glint in Izaya's eyes or the subject at hand. Hits too close to home... but she can't just pretend it never happened. It... wouldn't be right of her, especially not in the face of this conversation.

"I've seen and fought it myself in my dimension. Wasn't easy, but I did it. I'd do it again."

'She'd do it again'. Of course she would, knowing what the opposite choice would do to everyone-- what it would do to Sumire and Akechi (...Akechi...). As painful as it is, she wouldn't be able to stomach the guilt if she turned them into something they're not. If she accepted the lies Maruki created.

...And yet... some part of her looks back and wonders...

There's a quiet second where she says nothing, letting the quiet and yet heavy weight of her words weigh on her shoulders before speaking again.

"...You seem pretty invested in the idea of the 'truth' though. What, are you studying philosophy on the side?"

"The thing about working in a small town is that you see a lot of the same people, and you start to pick up on patterns. The way people act, the way they react... It can tell ya a lot about the world. Especially how they behave during a crisis..."

Izaya snorts, setting a hand on his hip. He remains perfectly calm, even with Ren's admission. "We've had some crazy stuff going on in Inaba. Freaky broadcasts on rainy nights that only show up if your TV's turned off. People turning up dead in the fog, with no discernible cause of death. Kidnappings... Hoo boy. It got the whole town talking, that's for sure, but everyone just sees it as a spectacle."

"Being from the country myself, that sounds realistic."

Small towns have a sense of community, but in exchange everyone knows about everything that happens to anybody, it feels like.

Ren can imagine it. The way people probably whispered and chattered about it, the police being clueless at best, and the victims who are expected to just accept it.

"...But there was someone challenging it. Someone that saw it all for what it was, and tried to find the truth."

That's not a question or a guess. It's just what she knows... because she knows that just as people lie and pretend, there are those that seek the truth and rebel against injustice.

"Ha. You got it!" Then again, it's not too crazy to suspect. Izaya even counted on it, if anything. "There's the Narukami kid and his little group of friends who decided to take matters into their own hands, but I'd say the biggest surprise was Goro Akechi. That kid had every reason to wanna watch the world burn, but despite all the bullshit he lived through, he still wanted to find the truth and play the hero."

And you can see a clear look of surprise on her face at the mention of 'Goro Akechi', her eyes widening with a quiet shock.

"Akechi was...?"

It's obviously another reality, but it leaves Ren wondering... A world where Akechi took a different path...?

'If only we had met a few years earlier' rings through her mind...

She's not sure what emotion strikes her as she thinks of the whole thing. It's muted, distant.

She's having a hard time finding more words, just finding herself stuck on Akechi and his apparent role.

Ha. Always a surefire way to get a reaction outta those Akiren types. That's one thing Izaya's noticed since showing up here.

"Yeah, little pipsqueak's the one who made that board. Think he goes by Raven around here. You'll know him when ya see him."

Ren snaps back to reality as Izaya continues, and her expression grows more level once more.

"So Raven's the Akechi from your dimension."

Or at least it sure seems like it with the way Izaya's speaking.

Edited 2024-03-02 04:42 (UTC)

"Yep. But, boy, there sure are a lot of 'em around here. One of 'em's even walkin' around, covered in feathers. You could probably spot that one over two kilometers away."

There's a wryness to his smirk, a glint of playful amusement, as if he's poking and prodding. Trying to gauge a reaction...

Walking around covered in feathers...? She feels like she's seen him wearing feathers before... Huh. Whatever.

Unfortunately for Izaya, her response is less exciting this time as she just raises a brow.

"I've heard there's a lot of them running around. Weird I haven't seen any yet."

Maybe that's a blessing...?

"The feather-covered one though. Sounds like it'll be a challenge to avoid that one if he stands out that much."

What do you know, she does have a sense of humor! Just a hint is audible in that tone.

"Maybe ya just aren't lookin' in the right places. Or you have bad luck." Heh. They say black cats are an omen of bad luck, but black hair? Eh... That'd say something about a lot of the population. "And yeah, he's like some kinda tall bird man. Ya can't miss him."

"Wait, like a literal bird?"

Huh, she wasn't expecting that one. Oh well, not the weirdest thing, she guesses.

"Honestly? I'd place my bets on bad luck. I'm used to it."

Said with a small smile. Seems like she owns it.

"Over two meters tall, lookin' like something that crawled outta hell... or an educational kids' show on Halloween." He snorts. Either way, that one sticks out like a sore thumb. "There were vampires, though, so maybe a birdman isn't the strangest thing to pop up around here."

You know what, that's actually a really funny mental image. She actually chortles a bit, raising a hand to her face to hide her mouth as she tips her head forward slightly.

"Pffffft, you're giving me a really clear image of it."

The mention of vampires does catch her attention, but frankly, she's still too caught up in 'Halloween educational bird Akechi' to respond to it.

It takes her a few more seconds of her laughter and forcing the ridiculous mental image out of her head to be able to respond properly.

"OK, OK, I'm good. Vampires, right? So I've got to watch out for them."

"Nah. Think the vampires high tailed it outta here a while ago, so it's really just bird boy, the reaper, and a ghost floating around."

Still supernatural, but hey. Not quite as daunting. "Too bad. I kinda liked those blood packets. They were fun to mess around with."

"There's a Reaper Akechi, too?"

She can't help but sound a bit more wary of this one, being reminded of the Reaper back in Mementos... though she's sure it's probably more like the Grim Reaper in concept.

"Don't tell me he's running around in the cliche black cloak and scythe."

Another small smirk.

"Says so on the board. Probably not like the Shadow, though, but some other kinda schtick." Cue one very slow, lazy shrug. "Maybe it's the one with the alternative fashion sense. Less grandpa sweater vests, for starters."

The board... Oh yeah, Ren only got to read a bit of it.

"That reminds me, I need to finish reading it. Got distracted from it."

She shrugs a bit, but she can't help but crack a smile at the comment about the grandpa sweaters.

"He looks better in his coat and scarf, trust me."

That he does, she remembers seeing him in it like it was yesterday... Wait, no, it was less than a month ago she saw him in that outfit so perhaps it's a bit odd to say it like that.

"...There's not a version of him here that's more sour, is there? It sounds like the ones here are nicer."

...But then again, she could tell by looking at him that he was trying to distance himself from everyone. Ren's not stupid, it was clear that he was deliberately doing it.

She's still finding herself hoping that maybe, somehow, her Akechi is here though...

"Think the sour ones're the baseline. Even the little 'Raven's' got some spikes, even if he grows out of 'em when he's got the smaller corvid for his codename." Crows are, after all, smaller by comparison, even if Japanese crows still tend to be fairly large. "Poke and prod at 'em enough, and you can probably bring out the claws. Hell, if ya do, lemme know! It sounds hilarious."

Izaya... sure has priorities, doesn't he? What a guy.

"I'm not going to harass them, I just wanted to know if there was..."

Ren decides she shouldn't have asked, simply digging her hands deeper into her pockets, and looking away with a hint of frustration.

Even so though... Even so she can't just give up on him, right...? Maybe she should be more upfront.

"...I'm looking for my world's Akechi. That's all."

"Heh. Well, there's sure a lot of 'em around here, but none of 'em have said anything about their curly haired dreamboat bein' of the more feminine persuasion."

Did Izaya have to put it that way? No... but the reaction will totally be worth it.

Ren's eyes narrow slightly, but other than that, she's doing her best not to give a reaction. It's obvious that's what Izaya wants.

It's more the fact that Izaya wants a reaction out of her and tried to target this that irritates her.

"So my Akechi's not here then. Got it."

Perhaps that is in and of itself a good reaction for Izaya, seeing as the tone ended up more curt.

Against herself, something does slip out though.

"By the way, you can just say their versions of me are guys. It's not like it's a big secret."

Edited 2024-03-25 17:09 (UTC)

"Didn't wanna be rude about it." He shrugs. "But hey, I'd be one hell of a hypocrite if I made it out to be something weird. This whole look's not my 'original' style."

Ren actually looks a little surprised. Not an unpleasant surprise, either.

"Oh, nice."

She gets the sense it's not quite the same situation as Ren has, but hey, she's not judging.

"Be who you want to be. If someone has a problem with it, then that says way more about them than it does you or me."

Of course, she's sure that Izaya doesn't need to hear that sentiment, but still. She still wants to assert it.

"Heh. There's advantages to looking like this. Just being so unassuming, no one thinks twice about you."

There's an underlying implication to something there, but just that. An implication.