personavelvetroomdr | Better late than never [Intro/Open]

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Better late than never [Intro/Open]

His first mistake was loosing sight of Hannei.
Well he’s probably at fault for that one. He did ask her to scout out one of his targets, see they can convince him to back off…

Of course, things can never be that simple. One minute he’s asking Futaba to look into a name, he only stepped away for a minute to collect his thoughts.
And suddenly everything is blue.

…

What the fuck

Okay. Sure. This is happening now. It’s not like he was busy today and doesn’t have the time to schedule in whatever this is. ‘Mandatory team building activity’? Sure, whatever you say weird guy with a big nose.
This is fine.
This is absolutely fine.
No no he can work with this. Deep breathes Akechi, you’re still in control… as much as you can be when suddenly whisked away to some sort of Velvet Room.
Ok, so, tackle this like any other problem. Find out information and then come up with the best course of action.
And would you look at that. There’s some sort of conspiracy board. How helpful. So, attaché case in hand, he’s going to do what he knows best.
Figure out the best way to play his cards.

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OK, good, seems like he at least gets what she was trying to say. She was a bit worried she botched it!

"Yes, of sorts. I don't know the full extent of it, but... well, the Velvet Room is kind of a strange place. I would be brought here-- or another version of it, in my dreams sometimes. So... it's definitely not in the normal world, at least."

As for the Metaverse being involved... Huh, that's a good question!

"You can visit a replica of Mementos here, but I'm not sure if the Metaverse itself is directly connected. Though... it would make sense, given the cognitive nature of this place..."

Yeah about that actually. “Admittedly, while I’m familiar with mementos, the Velvet Room is new to me. And it sounds like it exists beyond just whatever this circumstance is”
He isn’t sure how he feels about that information yet. But he’s going to not think about that too much… For now.
It is a bit annoying though, all of this just for making bonds? Who’s idea was that? He doesn’t let any annoyance slip on his face though.
“Well, I suppose it’s a relief then that time outside of here isn’t passing, it’d certainly be inconvenient to try and explain. I doubt an employer would believe ‘forced to make friends in another world’ as a valid explanation for missing work” he chuckles quietly, because he is silently seething at this whole situation.
This is so stupid.

Briar can't help but chuckle a little, although it's a bit sheepish.

"Yeah... If time wasn't standing still back home, I would have been a lot more panicked when I first arrived, that's for sure..."

She can't help but think about all of her responsibilities. Her gymnastics scholarship, her studies, the Phantom Thieves, her friends, her family... It's all so much...

"...But this place is actually rather nice once you get used to it. There's a lot to learn and discover here. I've been spending a lot of my time trying to broaden my horizons, and get stronger."

Hm… he’s not sure he believes that, but if he cast judgement before finding out all the facts he’d be a really terrible detective.
“Hm… I’ll reserve my judgement on that for now.” He concedes, then looks back to the board.
“… are there really about a dozen versions of me here?” Why? Why are there so many? He can practically hear Futaba cackling about crossover episodes or shitty clone plots at this.
He definitely hears Loki cackling about how much of a disaster that must be but he keeps his expression leveled.

Briar nods, looking over towards the conspiracy board with a sheepish expression.

"It's true... I don't understand it either, but there's a lot of versions of you here. Each one of them are rather different from one another, too. I'm not sure why they'd all be brought here, but..."

...Well... maybe it's because they're lonely? As she told Hannei before, Akechi does seem to be a rather lonely person, though she wouldn't say it to his face.

She looks back to Akechi, getting a bit of a smile.

"Oh, I should introduce myself properly... My name is Sumire Yoshizawa, but my codename is Briar. It's nice to meet you...!"

Hm… that is the question isn’t it? Why so many different versions of himself could be brought here to ‘make connection’
…
Well, he decides not to ponder the implications there for now- shut up Robin he is not procrastinating or refusing to admit his faults- instead he looks to Briar and gives a polite nod.
“It’s nice to meet you, I’ll call you Brair for now if that’s alright?” That’s what nicknames are for and also it’ll mean less internal confusion with his own Sumire.

“I’m Goro Akechi, though I suppose you knew that already?” … is he going to have to pick a nickname? That’s stupid. And reminds him of when Hannei thought codenames would be cool and bugged him till he agreed.
… They are in fact cool but he’d rather step on glass than admit that.

"Yes, that's fine. There's a few versions of me here, too, so it helps differentiate us..."

Briar keeps up a polite smile, trying her best to not seem too worried or nervous.

"And yes, I've met a few versions of you. It's kind of funny, I'm still getting used using the name 'Akechi'... In my world your name is Shirogane."

He blinks in surprise at the name.
“Pardon me, Shirogane? As in the first detective prince Naoto Shirogane?” He, ok maybe it’s because he was a bit curious about his predecessor and maybe spent a little too long looking into their public appearances but.
Well to say he’s curious how another world can come up with a version of himself with that family name is an understatement.

“If you don’t mind, could you tell me more about your akechi? That’s certainly caught my interest”

"Oh! Well... I haven't spoken to him personally about it, but..."

Let's see... Briar thinks back on all she's heard. She hasn't heard much from Shirogane himself, but she's heard rumors here and there on walks to and from school and around the city...

"I heard that he was taken in by the Shirogane family a couple of years ago after spending some time on his own. He apparently caught the attention of the first Detective Prince, and I guess they took him in..."

She pauses, putting a hand to her cheek and tilting her head slightly.

"...I haven't directly spoken to him about it because it feels a little personal, but he's acting as the second Detective Prince now. He doesn't like being compared to Naoto Shirogane too much, even though he respects them a lot. He's also very polite, even if he's made some enemies for being against the Phantom Thieves..."

Some sheepishness crosses her face with that last bit.

He takes in this information with a hand on his chin. How.. fortunate for that Akechi to be taken in. He’d be even more of a lier if he said he’s never humored ‘what ifs’ in the past. In the present he doesn’t have time to consider branching possibilities or linger on regrets.
He bites back any pang of jealousy that this version of himself happened to be taken in by THE Shirogane family. What reason does he have to be jealous of himself??
None!
Shut up Loki!
Though as he takes that in his thoughts pause. Hm, that’s not a name he’s familiar with.
“The Phantom Thieves? Does your world have some sort of criminal problem?” He chuckles like he told a joke, but the question still stands. It’s the phantom thieves, not a band of phantom thieves, which means capital letters. Which means this is apparently prominent enough to have fans who will cause issues to those against them.

Briar can't help but blink when Akechi asks that.

"You... don't know the Phantom Thieves? Ah, I guess I shouldn't make assumptions... Their full name is the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts', and they're a group that have been stealing the hearts of criminals, leading them to confess their crimes."

Honestly... She still can't believe she's the leader of the Phantom Thieves... It's been months, and it's still a surreal feeling knowing that she's in a position of leadership, doing such fantastic things, making a difference...

"...They've become a big deal in my world, with fans all over riled up, wanting them to steal the hearts of various big names... It's a little overwhelming at times."

He blinks. Taking in the name and information and.
They know how to steal hearts. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts can steal Hearts. And it sounds like they’re popular too which means there’s definitely an investigation and Shido definitely learns about that and-
Oh
If this is his future then things are going to get really interesting soon.
For a brief moment he forgets to school his expression, and a flash of pure panic sets on his face before he remembers himself and schools it back to something more mildly concerned.

“Aha- well, if those thieves do show up in my world then the next few months are going to be very interesting for me.” Play it as a joke, do not show weakness-

Briar can't help but pause when she sees what seems to be a flash of panic on Akechi's face... but soon enough it's gone. She can't help but wonder if she imagined it, but...

"If it's like my world, then you might get kind of busy with being on talk shows-- especially 'Good Morning, Japan'. Dad seems really eager to book you for more shows, hehe..."

There's a hint of sheepishness in her chuckle there, though she doesn't mean to insult her father.

"...But if they do show up, I hope they don't cause you too much trouble. They mean well, I'm sure..."

She should know, she leads them in her world!

Oh good she didn’t notice. Then he better not slip again because that will raise suspicions. So he lets out another soft chuckle.
“Well, that sounds about right with the man I’m acquainted with. I suppose a few more talk show bookings won’t be the worst thing to anticipate.”
Fuuuuuuck shit, ok, no, this is fine. Hearing about the possibility means he can plan ahead.
Damnit, well meaning or not those thieves risk ruining his whole plan.
Ugh!
“Well, regardless, it sounds like they’re enacting vigilante Justice, so we will likely be on opposing ends of the law. But I’ll have to wait and see what happens won’t I?” Maybe if he’s lucky he won’t encounter them back home.
But glancing at the conspiracy board he has a sinking suspicion he won’t be so lucky.

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Better late than never [Intro/Open]

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