You don't have to change. But you know what the consequences of not changing are.
[It really is that simple when you cut it down to the bone, at least for him.
In contrast to his younger self, the older Akechi does walk with his hands at his hips - less in his pockets than with his thumbs hooked on the upper edge of his belt, but close enough.]
I'm not going to preach to you about being a 'better' person. That's not who we are. As far as I'm concerned, you could get home, go into his Palace, and shoot him in the head. Set the Thieves up to take the blame. Get off scot-free, because who would believe them when they say the real culprit for all of it is the public's beloved Goro Akechi? That'd be a change, too.
Or you could do nothing at all, and accept the consequences of that. Walk the same road with your eyes wide open.
[The scenery around them seems to pause, for a moment, at an intersection. The thing about the whole thing being a cognitive construct is that someone adept at manipulating those constructs can make use of that.
One side is the wide-open road, the main street, the road more traveled. The other is a dim alleyway, its end obscured.
For his part, the elder Akechi turns off into the alleyway. Whether or not his younger self follows, the cognitive travel speed skips into place again. The conversation and the journey will both take as long as they need to.]
i'm sorry he wouldn't shut up
[It really is that simple when you cut it down to the bone, at least for him.
In contrast to his younger self, the older Akechi does walk with his hands at his hips - less in his pockets than with his thumbs hooked on the upper edge of his belt, but close enough.]
I'm not going to preach to you about being a 'better' person. That's not who we are. As far as I'm concerned, you could get home, go into his Palace, and shoot him in the head. Set the Thieves up to take the blame. Get off scot-free, because who would believe them when they say the real culprit for all of it is the public's beloved Goro Akechi? That'd be a change, too.
Or you could do nothing at all, and accept the consequences of that. Walk the same road with your eyes wide open.
[The scenery around them seems to pause, for a moment, at an intersection. The thing about the whole thing being a cognitive construct is that someone adept at manipulating those constructs can make use of that.
One side is the wide-open road, the main street, the road more traveled. The other is a dim alleyway, its end obscured.
For his part, the elder Akechi turns off into the alleyway. Whether or not his younger self follows, the cognitive travel speed skips into place again. The conversation and the journey will both take as long as they need to.]