personavelvetroomdr | (Intro) A New Arrival

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(Intro) A New Arrival

When Sumire first opens her eyes, she's taken off guard by her new surroundings. After all, she had just been in her room, still processing the state of her world.

"I... All right, thank you! I'll do my best!"

She says that to Igor with a smile, not really getting what's going on, but she doesn't want to be rude and ask countless questions. Honestly, she's not really sure what the Velvet Room is, either, but that'll probably open a huge can of worms, and... well! It'd probably be better to just figure it out for herself.

It's pretty easy to get that she's somewhere else though... but... wait, is it under Maruki's surveillance, too? Oh, she hopes not, but maybe it's OK...

She looks around, and...

Option 1: She goes and checks the conspiracy board first thing, seeing it out of the corner of her eye. Wow, there's a lot here... Various versions of Akechi? Ren VS. Akira? Vampires and the fae?! What on Earth has she walked into?!

Option 2: She decides to step through the door to Tokyo. After all, it's familiar, and from the way it sounds, it's more like the real Tokyo than the one her world has become. She's trying not to think about that too hard as she walks through the streets, finding herself at the usual spot in Odaiba. It's... not as pleasant to be here now though, considering Maruki's Palace can be found there...

Option 3: She decides to take a leap of faith, heading for one of the subways in Tokyo. She holds her phone in her hand, staring at it intently. The Meta-Nav seems to be here, so that must mean Mementos is easily accessible... It's weird, having access to it again. She's about three seconds away from pushing the button.

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He's not sure what compelled him to go to Odaiba, but today, he finds himself wandering around there anyway. There's... something about the air here that he can't place, a static that judders imperceptively through his systems. It's not quite the same, and with the way some of the others act here, he cannot help but feel like he's missing something...

Then, he spots a familiar redhead. Yoshizawa Sumire, someone he's met in passing, but never quite took the time to get to know. He's been cordial to her (of course), but considering she's here...

Well, she does know Ren.

"Yoshizawa-san, hello!" he catches her attention, and waves at her from a distance, casually strolling over. "I didn't think I'd see you here... though, the conspiracy board did mention you, so perhaps I should have."

He pauses next to her, giving her a small, polite smile. Then, he realizes he's not sure if this version of her knows him, and figures he'll introduce himself.

"How rude of me, though- I didn't ask if we met in your timeline," he laughs a little awkwardly. "I'm sure you know my name, but please call me Falcon, as long as we're here."

He notices she looks a little... melancholy, and his smile falls a little.

"Is everything okay? You seem a little down."

Sumire seems to snap out of her thoughts when she hears Falcon, turning to him with a surprised look... and a smile?

"Oh! I wasn't expecting to see you here, Akechi-san!"

She pauses though, hearing about the conspiracy board... She was on it? What? The smile fades, replaced by a more confused look.

Why would she be on there? She hadn't gotten a good look at all of it, but she saw there were multiple Akechis, multiple Rens (Or Akiras...?), and who knows what else.

But she waits until Falcon properly introduces himself, and she gets another smile.

"It's fine! I've met a version of you before."

Yeah, she's met a version of him... Honestly? She doesn't really understand him that well. They haven't really interacted much outside of the Maruki fiasco, and now he's...

"...I guess you already know me, but my name's Sumire Yoshizawa. It's nice to meet you, Falcon-san."

She puts on another smile, but the look in her eyes betrays it. She has a lot on her mind...

"I'm just still trying to wrap my head around this place. Igor-san told me about it, but being able to just... walk through a door into Tokyo is a lot to take in. I've only just arrived, and it's already a lot, haha."

Edited 2024-03-27 19:48 (UTC)

"Oh, I definitely understand that," Falcon nods, "it is quite overwhelming at first. Haha, I've been here for a little while now, and I still struggle to wrap my head around it at times!"

Not really true, but not really a lie, either. Falcon's pretty sure he's got a grasp on how things work here by now, but there are still places he hasn't visited. He gives her a smile he doesn't feel; Sumire Yoshizawa is not someone he'd ordinarily seek out, but it's not like he dislikes her. Either way, he has to be polite, even if he'd rather not put up a front.

"If you'd like, we could look around together?"

She can't help but wonder if Falcon is really up for walking around with her, given what she remembers of the more... serious Akechi she knows from back home. Or rather how he used to be.

"Are you sure? I know you're probably busy..."

But at the same time she can't deny having anyone around that isn't just a wandering, smiling cognition would be better than being alone right now so maybe she should...

"...If you are though, then I'd be glad to!"

Well... it's not like he's against walking with her. Again, he doesn't dislike her. He just wishes he could be himself, rather than... this plastic version of himself.

"It's fine, really. Time is kind of strange here," he smiles, putting his finger up to his cheek, "and I was planning on looking around the area, anyway. It's no trouble, honestly."

He nods at her, his smile a little more genuine than before.

"Well then, if you have a place in mind, feel free to share," he says, "otherwise, how about simply wandering around and seeing where we end up?"

Well... In that case, they can go ahead then, she guesses.

"OK, but if something comes up, don't worry about leaving. I know things are probably really hectic around here."

It's just kind of a given, seeing how unusual the place's nature is. Doesn't take a genius to figure that is.

"Somewhere to go though... Hmm... This is just like the real Tokyo, isn't it? In that case, do you know where we could get a meal? All of the shock has kind of worked up an appetite... and I'll need to be in tip top shape if I'm going to be here for a while!"

There's a hint of sheepishness to her tone, but overall it's pretty jovial.

"Thank you for being so understanding, Yoshizawa-san, but it's really no trouble."

He gives her a small smile, though internally, he curses. Food? Why is it always food? He hates eating with a passion.

Still, not everyone is a robot like him, and actually does need to eat. Fine, he'll help her out.

"Food, huh? Hmm," he pretends to think for a moment, but really, he already knows where to go. "There's a popular seafood restaurant near the Odaiba Marine Park. I've heard good things about it, so perhaps it is worth checking out in this world as well? If you are in the mood for seafood, that is."

Not the easiest to clean up, but not the hardest either. There's a reason why he prefers sushi over sauce or soup-heavy dishes.

Seafood! Sumire smiles a bit brighter.

"That sounds great, thank you!"

Plus seafood is often pretty healthy, so it'll be good to eat some.

"Please lead the way, Falcon-san!"

"Then, please follow me."

He gives her a small smile, and they start walking towards the restaurant. It's a bit of a walk, but in this world, also not really at all. Before they know it, they turn the corner, and Falcon's starting to regret this outing a little already. Not that it shows at all. He's just a pleasant and polite Detective Prince on the outside, eager for some seafood.

"Well, here we are," he says, smiling at Sumire. "Shall we go in?"

The walk is a bit awkward, seeing as neither of them really said much, but at least it didn't take long.

"Wow, that was fast... I guess this place really is different from back home!"

She says that with a smile, but there's still a look in her eyes as she compares Falcon to the Akechi she knows-- knew? Still knows? It's complicated since he's not the same now, but still...

She has a smile as she finally says something, deciding to be upfront.

"By the way, you don't have to pretend around me. The Akechi-san I know back home is... he's polite sometimes, but when he shows his true thoughts... they can be very different from the smile he puts on. Plus I'd rather hear your what you're really thinking... if you're willing to, of course!"

And with that, she finally starts to turn to walk in, actually feeling a little better now that she was open about that.

... Ah. So she knows the 'real' him. Makes sense- who here doesn't?

Not that it matters to his programming, and he grumbles internally as they go in. His face is perpetually locked into a polite smile, as always.

"That's kind of you, Yoshizawa-san... but I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he says while they wait to get seated. Lie. He puts his finger to his cheek, bashful smile on his face. "I always say what I'm really thinking... unless what I'm thinking is inapropriate to say, haha!"

Cringe. Ew. Gross.

"Just joking, of course."

Of course.

Huh, he doesn't know what she's talking about...? That's a little worrying. Either he's just not comfortable sharing his thoughts around her (Which does make sense), or the more worrying possibility... he's actualized like her world's Akechi.

Or at least those are the two conclusions that immediately come to mind to her.

"Oh, well... Don't worry about it then. Just do what comes naturally to you, Falcon-san!"

She sits at her seat, trying to ignore the awkwardness of Falcon's statement, instead getting an awkward smile as she looks around the area, seeing the various cognitive, cheerful people around.

"The people here seem really happy. They kind of remind me of home..."

...Or rather what home has become.

"They're kind of like cognitions, right? Would we just order our food like we normally would?"

He looks as if he doesn't notice the awkwardness between them.

He definitely does, though.

He can tell she's trying to sound cheerful, but that she seems... Unnerved by the happiness of the cognitions. He can't blame her; he finds them sort of uncomfortable to be around as well. They're... Not the same as cognitions in a Palace, but similar enough that it sends static through his circuits.

"I believe that should be how it works," he says, watching as the cognition of a waiter saunters over to them. "Do you have an idea of what you'd like to eat, Yoshizawa-san? I've heard their sushi is to die for..."

He'd like sushi a lot more if it didn't sit in his quote unquote "stomach" and stinking the entire thing up, like a scent bomb waiting to go off the moment he cleaned it out. At the same time, at least the rice absorbs most of the nasty fluids that otherwise get into the cracks.

Either way, the Detective Prince is a sucker for sushi! Of course.

"I think I'll order a platter. Oh, would you perhaps be interested in sharing one? Larger portions have more variety." He winks, flirtingly, but he really, really doesn't mean it like that. "Unless you have something else in mind, of course."

The flirtatious wink throws her off a bit, and she blushes a tad. Wow she's not sure what to think. She knows he's probably just teasing, but it still frazzles her brain a bit.

"Huh?! Oh, thank you, but it's all right, Falcon-san! I have a specific order in mind, hahaha...!"

Oh, the awkwardness is so palpable as she starts trying to actually figure out what to order. Let's see, if she gets this and that specifically, then it should be OK...!

"So we really order like normal, and then they bring it. No money or anything? That's... amazing. Almost perfect, even...!"

Ah yes, perfect. Like the world she came from... The one she's still has conflicted feelings about, and yet she knows she needs to face reality...

After several seconds the waiter finally arrives, and appears to take their order. It takes Sumire a second to snap out of her thoughts, but she places her order pretty quickly otherwise.

"... Is everything really alright?"

It's obvious that something about the situation is bothering her. He can't quite put his finger on it, but...

He quickly orders something for himself, but continues looking at her quizzically.

"You seem a little lost in thought."

She should have expected an Akechi to read her like an open book. She sighs a little, and the smile actually does drop.

"I didn't want to bother you with it, and it's a long story..."

But she supposes it'd have to come out at some point? The nature of her world when other people are probably from ones of all kinds... including ones where Maruki didn't succeed.

"Are you sure you want to hear? It's probably going to sound really strange."

Or it's going to be uncomfortable because he knows all too well. Or he won't understand at all. It's hard to say which it'll be.

"Oh, it's really no bother at all," he says, giving her a small, encouraging smile. "We all need someone to talk to, at times."

He laughs a little at her words. This time, he would've laughed anyway, though if he had his way, the laugh would be a lot more of a sardonic bark than the light, polite chuckle that actually leaves his voicebox.

"Things have been strange ever since I arrived here. I'm pretty used to strange things by now, I'd like to think."

He has an inkling of what she's going to talk abdout- and really, he'd rather... not think about it too hard. But politeness comes first, and polite people hear out troubled acquaintances. Or something like that.

He just hopes she doesn't accidentally set something inside him off.

Well, if he's sure...

"Where to begin...?"

/small>Does she just hope he knows who Maruki is? Or does she start from the very beginning...?

"Do you know a man named Dr. Maruki? He's a therapist, and he worked at Shujin Academy for several months...?"

She just decides to ask upfront, and hopes that it'll be 'yes'.

"Hm, you mean Amamiya-kun's school counsellor? I'm familiar, yes."

Oh, great, this is going exactly where he thinks it's going. He puts his hand up to his chin, like he's deep in thought.

"I heard from others that he obtained god-like powers in some worlds... would that be relevant here?"

"You've heard about it?"

The look of surprise on her face is conflicted, shifting into some sort of quiet relief for a second... before turning into something more regretful.

"...Yeah, that's what happened in my world. The people keep reminding me of it, and it's a little awkward, I guess."

There's more to it than just that... The fact that she's still not entirely sure of whether she truly wants to be Sumire or Kasumi, how muddled she feels about herself, how it still feels so much easier to act like 'Kasumi' than it does to be 'Sumire'... but at the very least she has a common goal with her world's Akechi to work towards to help keep her focused.

She gets a bit of a sheepish look as she continues.

"...Once Akechi-san reminded me of things, the people around me just didn't feel the same anymore... It's really strange."

"... For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your situation, Yoshizawa-san," he says, sympathy on his face, "the people here are uncanny enough as is, but if they're so similar to your own world's..."

He trails off. He does actually feel bad for her; he can't imagine living somewhere like that and not being completely horrified by it at every corner. It's bad enough being forced to play the charismatic Detective Prince, fake personality and all, but to have everyone around you be like that.

Awful.

"Though I suppose it is good to hear a version of myself would stand up to such injustice."

Sumire quickly waves a hand, getting another smile.

"I appreciate it, Falcon-san, but you don't need to worry about a thing. Between Akechi-san and I, we're... well, we'll figure this out somehow. We need to remind everyone else first, but once we do we can save Ren and then we'll be able to solve things from there!"

It's not entirely a true smile, but she's doing her best to keep positive. It's easier that way, just pretending it's all right... Even if it's not entirely the true her speaking.

"And yeah, he really is trying his hardest to bring things back together. He reminded me of what happened... kind of. My memory's still a little fuzzy. He's been very kind and understanding, too..."

And yet something seems off as she looks off to the side. She quietly thinks to herself.

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(Intro) A New Arrival

Option 2

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