Ken's arrival (bis repetita)

[the_ken]

Okay. Well. Ken had to admit that, when he went to bed last night, he did not expect to wake up in a blue room and be welcomed by a long-nosed man. He would have thought that it was a dream, but he's been in enough of them to know it's nothing of the sort. This place had a dinstinct, strong feeling, not quite reality, but much firmer than a dream.

He wasn't certain he could trust Igor-san yet, if he was perfectly honest. But in the case that he was not lying... it was actually great news. The real world was rough, currently, with Yuki-san being...

...

Well, a pause to make new friends couldn't hurt. Especially since he was learning again, learning to be alive, learning to live for himself, like Aragaki-san had asked him to. He couldn't let him down, not in a million years.

Malicious or not, Igor-san was right. He needed bonds. And he would make them.

Someone may meet this Ken...

1) while reading the information board. Even if being here seemed to overall be a good thing, that did not mean throwing caution out of the window. He needed information, and the kind soul having put together this compilation would save him a lot of time.

2) in Iwatodai, Ken being curious to see if the dorm SEES stayed at was still a thing in this strange place.

Comments

[fogboundcrow]

"Goro Akechi. ...The one that goes by Raven." Since he'd already looked at the board, he probably already figured, but it never hurt to be specific. "But yes. I'm actually the one that maintains this board, so you could say I'm an old hand by now."

[the_ken]

"Oh, you are the one who wrote all of this? How nice of you. I'll admit that it's a lot to absorb at once, but your summary really helps."

He kept reading the board, and then...

"Oh. Well, err... I have no idea if this is true in my world? But, err. Hm."

[fogboundcrow]

"...We don't have to treat it as a universal fact. Multiversal fact? Regardless, there's a world where I'm some kind of Persona-wielding robot, so the room for variance is certainly vast."

It'd be awkward to just assume with someone he just met. Plus, the other Ken may not take kindly to him suddenly acting all brotherly to a new version of him.

[the_ken]

"So... sapient robots are real? That's pretty cool. And yes, I totally understand! Before figuring out anything else, we can start by becoming friends, right?" he added with a smile. "You seem pretty cool, too."

[fogboundcrow]

"Aragaki-san certainly confirmed that Falcon isn't the only one, at least. Crow also seems familiar with a few... Anti-Shadow Weapons, I think they were called?" His face crinkled up at the memory. It was certainly something along those lines. "Thank you, though. And I'm certainly not opposed."

He'd just have to figure out how to inform the other Ken. This wasn't a matter of replacement.

[the_ken]

"Oh, so you know about the Anti-Shadow Weapons? Sorry for having been slightly duplicitous in my previous reaction then, but they are supposed to be a secret. I hope you can understand..."

He looked a little sheepish.

"I'm personally familiar with Aigis-san. She took a while to fully behave like a human, but we all knew she could do it. I like her!"

[fogboundcrow]

"Crow seems more familiar on the whole. He's, ah... well, as I understand it, he's done some work for Mitsuru Kirijo and her associates. I, on the other hand, have yet to meet her." So Raven shrugged, but listened with interest all the same.

"It's interesting to hear that she became more human over time. It is a rather common trope in science fiction, but it must have been something else to experience it firsthand."

[the_ken]

"Crow, who is... the older version of you, right? I wonder how it's like to live with an older version of yourself. It must be weird... and, well, not always easy, right? If you become someone you wouldn't want to be, you have to wonder if it's predetermined, and if you become someone you'd like to be, you have all this additional pressure on you now... plus having to be next to who is essentially a better you."

After a beat, Ken became all flustered.

"O-oh, sorry! I didn't mean that- I mean, I just got lost in thought and- it was a pretty interesting situation, so I couldn't help but rant- that must have come as insensitive, I'm so sorry!"

These situations are so insane that it's hard to remember they are about real people, sometimes...

[fogboundcrow]

"You don't have to apologize. I didn't find it that insensitive." Raven shrugged, bringing a hand below his chin. How to put this... "Honestly, it's a mixed bag. I'm grateful for all that he does, but there's a certain... standard, I suppose, that I feel I must live up to. He and his boyfriend have this stable, health, almost ideal relationship, on top of their successes as Persona users and Phantom Thieves..."

Which probably sounded like nonsense to this Ken, come to think of it. "Well, it's equal parts fascinating and frustrating."

[the_ken]

"I see. That sounds tough. But at least that shows that you have it within yourself to get there, right?"

Oh, maybe he shouldn't put that back on the table, even if Raven-san said it was fine.

"Anyway, you should introduce me to them sometimes! I'd be glad to meet more people. Oh, and to hear about these 'Phantom Thieves' and what they do, too!"

[fogboundcrow]

"Crow would likely be able to explain in more depth, anyway, but my understanding is they traverse the cognitive world and steal the distorted desires of wicked adults to make them confess to their sins."

He flashed a little smirk at that. It did all sound rather thrilling, after all.

[the_ken]

"Wow! So like... individual people's psyches can create a whole cognitive world by themselves? And you can then traverse them and change the person's cognition by physically altering their cognitive world? That's... a little scary to think about, to be honest. But if the Phantom Thieves only used that power to make bad guys confess... they're kinda like real life superheroes! That's so cool!"

Well, if he kept learning about cool stuff like that, his time in this place certainly wouldn't be boring.

[fogboundcrow]

"It is rather alluring, yes. It seems that there are multiple forms the cognitive world takes, whether it's the TV world within Inaba, or Mementos and the Palaces in Tokyo." Grinning, he even managed a chuckle despite the painful memory. A little false bravado never hurt.

"We actually used one such Palace for a recent operation. It... mostly succeeded." His grin waned there, and for a moment, he looked distant.

[the_ken]

Ken noticed that Raven-san seemed to hide things, but... they had just met. It wasn't his place to pry, especially since Raven didn't seem to seek help.

"So you mean that these cognitive worlds exist around here too, and we can get in them?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Multiple cognitive worlds, all accessible to Persona users. It really is just a matter of being in the corresponding location, such as Inaba for the TV world or Tokyo to enter the Metaverse."

He spoke with much more confidence, his grin firmly in place once again. This was certainly a brilliant opportunity to showcase his knowledge.

[the_ken]

"Well, these are definitely things I should try when I get the chance! Not today however, I should focus on settling in. But if you're up for it, I may bug you again later. We can exchange numbers maybe?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Certainly." He reached into his pocket, digging out his cellphone and selecting the option to display his number. "I imagine you've already got a place to stay?"

He seemed better dressed, at least, and more sociable. Not that this made him better than the other Ken. Obviously, that was a tough bar to reach, let alone surpass.

[the_ken]

Ken registered Raven-san's number and showed his own.

"I should manage," he answered. "I've just arrived so I'm not sure, but since Iwatodai is here, my place from back home should be available."

He hadn't spent much time with Raven-san, but Ken already liked him. He would definitely ask to meet up again.