Goro Akechi (Shadow Weapon AU) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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personavelvetroomdr2024-03-19 04:10 pm
gorobo) wrote in personavelvetroomdr2024-03-19 04:10 pm
[Open] A robot arrives in the Dressing Room
'Well, that didn't make any sense. Thanks for nothing, weird old man,' is what he thinks.
"Ah, I see," is what he says, smiling at the long-nosed, bug-eyed old man sitting in the middle of the strange blue room he's found himself in, "thank you very much for your warm welcome. I appreciate your introduction."
Despite his near perfect disguise as a human, Goro's ultimately mechanical body bows politely, as if he'd gained any valuable information from this, instead of being spoken at nonsensically. What the hell is this place? The Velvet Room? Forming bonds? Concern about the place from which he came? As far as he's concerned, this is all looking like it's going to be a huge headache.
Still, his scanners indicate that this is... not quite like the Metaverse, but something like it? The strangeness of it all certainly makes more sense when he looks at it that way. It's a place outside of his normal reality, that's for certain, though when he tries to recall the memories of how exactly he ended up here, all he gets back is some glitchy static that makes his limbs twitch. Fun! Lovely! Shido-san is going to want to know about this!
He blinks away the intrusive thought, the only indication of his upset as he looks around. Internally, he sighs, already resigning himself to figuring out how this place can be useful to Shido-san. He has better things to do, technically, but apparently, it's not like he's gone in his own world, so it's not like it'll really make a difference, either. Who knows? Maybe exploring this place will prove useful, in the long run. He's not sure what kind of 'bonds' he's expected to make, if any at all, though maybe finding someone and speaking to them may prove fruitful.
... Sure. That sounds logical enough. He's not exactly eager to hand yet another boon over to Shido, but it's not like he can refuse either. He's already here, after all. Not to mention, he is curious...
Hmm... usually, he's forbidden from leaving Tokyo. These doors lead to places outside of Tokyo, but since this is Metaverse related, perhaps he can try to...?
When he does not receive an internal error (though he's not sure if he's exactly happy about that), he opens one of the doors...
"Ah, I see," is what he says, smiling at the long-nosed, bug-eyed old man sitting in the middle of the strange blue room he's found himself in, "thank you very much for your warm welcome. I appreciate your introduction."
Despite his near perfect disguise as a human, Goro's ultimately mechanical body bows politely, as if he'd gained any valuable information from this, instead of being spoken at nonsensically. What the hell is this place? The Velvet Room? Forming bonds? Concern about the place from which he came? As far as he's concerned, this is all looking like it's going to be a huge headache.
Still, his scanners indicate that this is... not quite like the Metaverse, but something like it? The strangeness of it all certainly makes more sense when he looks at it that way. It's a place outside of his normal reality, that's for certain, though when he tries to recall the memories of how exactly he ended up here, all he gets back is some glitchy static that makes his limbs twitch. Fun! Lovely! Shido-san is going to want to know about this!
He blinks away the intrusive thought, the only indication of his upset as he looks around. Internally, he sighs, already resigning himself to figuring out how this place can be useful to Shido-san. He has better things to do, technically, but apparently, it's not like he's gone in his own world, so it's not like it'll really make a difference, either. Who knows? Maybe exploring this place will prove useful, in the long run. He's not sure what kind of 'bonds' he's expected to make, if any at all, though maybe finding someone and speaking to them may prove fruitful.
... Sure. That sounds logical enough. He's not exactly eager to hand yet another boon over to Shido, but it's not like he can refuse either. He's already here, after all. Not to mention, he is curious...
Hmm... usually, he's forbidden from leaving Tokyo. These doors lead to places outside of Tokyo, but since this is Metaverse related, perhaps he can try to...?
When he does not receive an internal error (though he's not sure if he's exactly happy about that), he opens one of the doors...
- ... and ends up in a city, which his internal GPS immediately pings as Iwatodai. From his databases, he knows the Kirijo Group has many connections here, which immediately sets him on edge. His body, however, does not react to his internal distress, nor the vague impulse to return to the Velvet Room already, and sets out to explore.
- ... and finds himself in the middle of a shopping district... filled with closed shops. He gets pinged with "Yasoinaba" for a location. It's surprisingly quiet, but he finds that he doesn't mind all too much. Eager to find out what's so special about this town in particular for it to show up here, he starts walking around.
- ... and ultimately decides that he should familiarize himself with the Tokyo of this strange place. At first glance, it seems to be mostly normal, but the 'supernatural' feeling from before lingers. Legs moving near-automatically, he finds himself strolling towards LeBlanc.
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... Yeah, as if. Mini-human-him clearly has him pegged for his fake personality- and really, why don't more people? Not that he can congratulate him for figuring out the obvious, though... especially since this is a version of him.
Not quite enough of a realization for his programming to take over, luckily. Goro's not sure how that would go.
'Stop being so perceptive, you dumb-ass kid! You're gonne get yourself killed!'
While he's smiling disarmingly at the younger, he pulls up his memory files- he must've looked at the information board, even subconsciously, right- and indeed, a few frames after arriving in this strange place, the board is in his view. A quick scan reveals nearly all the relevant information- and he finds himself relieved to have learned at least that much. Now he knows what he's in for, properly.
... Not that he can show that to this little Goro. Nobody can know what you are.
"Since you're here, though, I assume I may run into more of... well, myself, then?" he asks, posing his newfound knowledge as a question, rather than a statement. "I suppose it'll be awkward to all call each other 'Goro' or 'Akechi'. Do you perhaps have a system in place? That would certainly make any future encounters more pleasant."
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His eyes drift down, eying the bottoms of the other Akechi's legs again. There's an interesting shape beneath those pant legs. Almost as if he has prosthetics of some kind. "Honestly, I'm still astonished that the Akiras and Rens haven't organized a similar system with how many there are."
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God, can he sound any more like a pompous, self-important asshole? Gross. Not that he's wrong, but his programming is laying the fake personality on a little thick, isn't it?
"Hmm... I suppose I'll have to choose a name for myself, then," he strikes his thinking pose, "ah... since most of us have an avian theme, I suppose I'll stick with that?" He hums. Hmm... he likes Crow, but that one is taken.
His first thought is actually Robin- a clever reference to his Persona, for him alone, but if these are versions of him... that'd be a little obvious, wouldn't it? No doubt they'd call him out on it, and if that were to happen, he'd just have to eliminate them like all other scum.
He mentally swats at his programming. Shut up.
then, a thought enters his mind. Another reference, but perhaps...?
"How about... Falcon? They are quite clever birds, who hunt down prey with ease. Although, in my case, that prey would be criminals."
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First come, first serve, really. Still... hmm. "Regrettably, I'm not sure how many criminals you'll be able to apprehend here. Though the people here come from a variety of backgrounds, we are all more or less on equal footing here, whether we're Phantom Thieves, serve under Shido, or any other number of lifestyles and responsibilities."
There's a lot of venom in the way he says Shido. Rather clear he isn't a fan.
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He takes note of the way the other spits Shido's name. He approves. His programming does not, and it shows, his face pulling onto a frown.
"Oh? You are talking about Masayoshi Shido, no?" he says, faux confusion in his voice, "Not a fan? That's too bad, really. He seems like an honest man, if you were to ask me."
Honest man his ass. He'd rather overfill his food storage container than speak positively about Shido, even though Shido-san is such a great man! Such a useless tin can he is!
... Right. Whatever. While Falcon's steaming with anger at the programming's induced thoughts, his mouth rattles off some of Shido's 'accomplishments' without permission.
"He donated a large sum of yen to a struggling orphanage," in order to pay them off for kidnapping the kids for his metaverse experiments, "as well as a myriad of other good deeds," all to cover up his shady businesses, "he seems like one of the only wealthy people who is interested in looking out for the population, no?"
UGH.
"... Though, I suppose you are just a child," he grins disarmingly, pointer finger to his cheek. "I suppose politics don't interest you that much yet."
cw suicide mention, sexual abuse mention
He needs to stay calm. He needs to compose himself. Surely this other version of him knows. "Performative acts of 'kindness' don't change the fact that this is a man who crushes others under his boot, sees women as objects of pleasure rather than equals, and who doesn't give one singular flying fuck about those around him. He would make his own son murder to advance his own political career!"
...Shit. He... probably shouldn't have mentioned that. Raven promptly grimaces, heart racing as he realizes what he just let slip.
Magpie will be pissed.
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... Outwardly, however, his face pulls into stern disapproval, completely at odds with his true feelings, but alas. His body is not his own, not right now.
"... It's not nice to make up rumors about people, you know?" his mouth says, while his mind screams at himself to shut up. "I'm really sorry about your mother, but I'm certain Shido-san would never do such a reprehensible thing."
'Of fucking course he would do such a thing, you deserve to punch the guy in the face and spit on his grave.'
"Shido-san will steer our nation towards greatness. That, I honestly believe," his mouth continues against his will, making him want to pull his own plug. "You don't have to agree with that, but let's not tell lies, hmm?"
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Something is clearly wrong here. No self-respecting Akechi would actually regurgitate such drivel... unless this is an Akechi from a reality where he actually bought into Shido's bullshit for some ungodly reason.
"And it's not just me. Ren Amamiya was given a false conviction because he dared to stand up to another woman Shido tried injecting with his venom. He is the one forcing other versions of myself to carry out the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns."
It's not like he can hide it now. What's the point?
In the back of his mind, his Shadow stirs. Goro, be careful. You shouldn't be so confrontational...
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While Falcon fullheartedly agrees with what Raven is saying, and he knows, he knows it's the truth, his programming is teetering towards dangerous territory. He doesn't- he doesn't want to murder Raven for his knowledge, but it's not like he knows that Falcon has no way to disobey Shido, or drop the act.
His fingers twitch. His face is still schooled in that disapproving anger, but internally he's starting to panic a bit. He's gearing up for battle, and-
"I don't know anything about what you're saying. You're making a lot of heavy accusations, Raven-kun," he says, and this time, the voice coming from his mouth isn't just stern. It carries venom. "You shouldn't make up lies about Shido-san like that. While I've not met him myself, the idea that he could be behind the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns is nothing short of laughable. And making me do it? I don't even know what causes them, or I would've solved that case already!"
More lies. Always lies. He wants to back away from Raven, preferably before his programming decides he's past the point of no return, but the most he manages to do is readjust his stance.
'Please, please take the hint- I don't want to hurt you, Raven, but I won't be able to stop myself soon!'
"I mean it, Raven-kun. Don't speak about people like that. I really, really am sorry about what happened to you, but accusing random people won't help anything."
1/2
But that seems far too unlikely. Why the hell would he be so defensive? What does he have to gain from it? Raven's standing firm, his scowl unwavering. Something is wrong, and he needs to find out what.
2/2
"Oh dear. Is there a problem here?"
He said, you know, like a liar
His programming buzzes dangerously, systems loading his battle protocol against his will. The protective caps around his fingers slide out of place under his gloves, ready to fire bullets at a moment's notice. He's screaming on the inside, begging for Raven to run, please run, you're in danger-!
"I am not protecting him. I am simply stating facts," he replies coolly, stretched out to his full height as he looks down at Raven. His stance has changed, not so much the sweetheart Detective Prince anymore, but the weapon that he was built as. "I cannot tolerate baseless slander. It is against the law."
But just before he truly kicks into battle mode, someone else arrives, and just like that, his programming automatically switches back over to pleasant and polite. Caps slide back in place, battle protocols aborted. He's never been so relieved to see himself.
"Oh, hello there," he says, voice warm and pleasant pleasant pleasant, "ah, please don't worry. It seems our younger self had some unfortunate experiences, and was projecting that onto a politician named Masayoshi Shido. I simply cannot stand baseless slander against people who don't deserve it, so I found myself getting a little irritated."
'I am irritated, just not for the reasons I'm stating!'
"I just really hate injustice, you know," he smiles, turning up the charm, "it's a shame that even a younger version of myself is such a child that he cannot see reason when presented with it."
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He wants to protest. He wants to call more bullshit, but something about this feels... odd. The way that Falcon's demeanor and even his stance shifted... It's off.
Crow keeps a steady hand on his younger self. "Injustice comes in many forms. However, I would advise a bit more consideration to those of us whom Shido has harmed rather than taking your anger out on a child. Surely there are more deserving outlets..."
His other hand rests on the holster at his belt, where his Evoker rests. "If I didn't know better, I'd be inclined to think you intended to incite violence. Were such a thing to happen, I'm afraid I'd have to unleash my full power, which wouldn't be an enjoyable experience for any one of us."
cw: robotic self harm thoughts
Then, he laughs awkwardly, bring his hand up behind his head.
"Oh, I suppose you are right after all, Crow-san," he says with a tittering laugh, high and pleasant, "how unbecoming of me to get this upset over the words of a mere child."
He wants to pull out his own hair. He wants to mutilate his own face. He wants to pull away his mesh until there is nothing but his internal skeleton left. He hates this, he hates the way he's acting, like he didn't just almost murder a fucking kid, who was mad for very, very justifiable reasons.
He's mad, too. 'I'm going to fucking kill Shido even if it's the last thing I do..'
"My apologies, Raven-kun," he bows down a little, making eye contact. "You are free to dislike Shido-san. I can't expect for everyone to love him."
Crow's threat is blatant, and his fingers twitch. Back in prince-mode as he is, though, he simply puts his hands up disarmingly.
"While I'm not sure what kind of 'power' you are talking about, please know that I truly meant no harm," he says, then winks, "though I do hope you have a license for that gun. I'll assume you do for now, hmm? As thanks for calling me out on my unbecoming behavior."
Falcon really wouldn't want to fight a version of himself. Not like this, in any case. There's a part of him that would like to compare powers, but...
No. Not like this.
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Crow looks down at him, sighing softly. Perhaps it would be worth reconsidering, given the circumstances, though that begs the question of what Falcon intended to do here.
Crow wouldn't be a detective if he didn't pay attention. The shift in demeanor, both from pleasant to aggressive and back paints a rather clear picture that something is amiss. The ignorance regarding Personas is intriguing as well. Either he doesn't know or, more likely, is covering his own ass.
"It would be rather unfortunate if something were to happen. Death within this place is only temporary, but I'd rather Raven not endure traumatic memories. As a result, I admit I can be rather presumptuous, but when you're the caretaker for as many children as I am, it never hurts to be cautious."
And then he shrugs, playing it off nonchalantly. "Though it could simply be as you said. A misunderstanding. Don't do it again, and it should be perfectly fine."
no subject
While Falcon's somewhat relieved to hear that death isn't permanent in this space, it also worries him. His programming, already attempting to send the info to Shido, buzzes angrily inside of him, sending out error reports left and right. 'What a headache.'
He agrees with Crow, though. He doesn't want to inflict that trauma onto Raven, not if he can help it... which he can't, not really. Not when it comes down to it.
It's a good thing Crow intervened when he did.
"It- was an honest mis-understanding," he says, wording more stilted while the error reports buffer, until his programming latches onto it, and corrects. His smile widens to hide the brief glitch. "I'd really never hurt anyone without due cause, least of all a child."
What a joke. He's killed children on Shido's orders. It still sends static to his core.
"Let's put all this behind us, and start over, shall we?" he hums, putting his hand on his hip, tilting his head. Friendly and disarming and pleasant. "We got off on the wrong foot, and I'd hate for that to hang between us."
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Crow watches Falcon very, very closely. The stilted wording isn't lost on him, nor is the way his smile shifts, as if he has something to hide.
Crow and Raven both take their chins in hand, in that familiar fashion.
"Personas are beings summoned from our souls, aspects of ourselves," Raven says. "Even if you truly don't know about them, you would do well to educate yourself. Cognitive spaces are quite easy to stumble upon here, or spaces that otherwise harbor otherworldly entities like demons."
"Like Mikage-cho and Sumaru City," Crow adds. "I could offer a demonstration, though if I did, you would likely want to step back. I also warn you that it would look remarkably like shooting myself in the head."
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... Still. It's for the best. Crow's clearly noticed something's up, and it's all he can do to convince his programming that it doesn't mean anything. It's fine. He's him, of course he'd be suspicious if a version of himself showed up acting like he's doing, but what's Falcon going to do about that?
He threatened and almost killed his younger self. If it were him, he'd be a lot more hostile despite Falcon's plattitudes.
Then, Crow mentions a demonstration, and suddenly, Falcon's programming runs into a snag. Crow's human. How can a human possible summon Personas in the real world? Falcon can because he's a weapon, but-
Give Shido the power? Keep up the act? Destroy enemy? Error- error- errorerrorerror-
Conflicting orders inside his head pile up, trying to overtake one another-
Until finally, one wins out over the rest, the only indication being his placid smile twitching ever so slightly.
"Ah, while I'm sure it would be interesting, it all sounds a little too fantastical to be true," his award-winning smile is wide wide wide, "I'm not here to roleplay superheroes and villains. So, thank you for the offer, but no thank you. Especially not if it is such a... disturbing image, as you say."
Keeping up the act of ignorant skeptic, then.
no subject
"You may have to adjust yourself to matters of the supernatural here. One step through the Mikage-cho door, and it won't be long before you encounter demons. And that says nothing of the Dark Hour in Iwatodai or other metacognitive matters."
But Crow can tell this is an unsafe situation, so he gently nudges Raven along. "Now, we should give Falcon some space. It's clear to me that this was a rather fraught encounter."
"But—"
"Apologies for the inconvenience."
no subject
Right. Cool down. Falcon's just glad this ended as well as it did. If Crow had been just a little later...
Well, he'd rather not think about it, but he does anyway. His programming has flagged both Crow and Raven as a 'potential threat', which is just great. Not enough for it to act on it quite yet, not like it had moments ago, but...
A wave of static goes through his core, horribly uncomfortable.
"Well, I hope we can see each other again. It was a pleasure meeting you two," he says, as if that didn't almost escalate into lethal territory. "Have a nice day."