personavelvetroomdr | whisper that the past is gone eternally

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whisper that the past is gone eternally

It's the Shibuya Crossing. The big, famous one, with all the crowds and the traffic and the 109 building overlooking it all.

And that's the thing.

The 109 building.

Paying no mind to the sea of empty cognitions around him, a Goro Akechi stands in the center of the crosswalk, staring up at the number-faced building with a frown. If you were looking for any Goro Akechi in particular, however, this one almost transparently isn't him. Twenty-one years of age and dressed like the masculine line of a Victorian goth brand was thrown over his head like a bucket of cold water, this Akechi stares at one of the most familiar landmarks of Tokyo like it's a river in a desert and he hasn't quite decided if he wants to take a drink.

He's back.

(Or, at the very least, he's no longer where he was. Her Shibuya was a 109 as well. And there was that strange room...)

"If the Shibuya Game has gone down the shitter again," he says, seemingly addressing nobody, or possibly the phone he's pulled from his pocket to glare at, "I am going to go after the Composer myself."

He lifts his phone. (It's the same phone he's always had. The only thing that hasn't changed, for anyone with a keen enough eye for detail. There's a new vinyl sticker on the back, a stylized skull in red at an angle, but it's the same phone as ever.) Snaps a picture. No change in the photo. Closes that, opens a different app, snaps again. His frown intensifies.

(It is, by now, a good thing that the cognitions are just filler that will continue to idle in whatever routine they're running, because otherwise he would surely have been hit by a car, right? But the crowd continues to wander around him, heedlessly.)

Finally, he lowers his phone, sends the photo to someone on his contacts, and apparently gives up, shoving it back into his pocket. The cognitions resume the flow of normal traffic, clearing the crossing so that cars can pass through, as he goes over to Hachiko to lean up against the side of the statue.

"I didn't miss the not having any idea what's going on," he tells the dog, firmly firmly and with a hint of melancholy. "Oh, if only a real person would show up with the answers right about now. Why, I'd even consider buying them a coffee for the trouble."

Despite nominally being addressed to the bronze canine, the way he lifts the volume of his voice makes it clear that it's addressed to you, onlooker, whoever you are.

[[OOC: I don't actually care what format you use i just always write introspective-y starters in prose. tldr twewy au post-canon post-death akechi]

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[The bnad news is that nothing between them is ever uncomplicated. Which is probably why the older Akechi still seems slightly off balance - after all, it's been three years since he last talked to his world's Joker.

Three years and at least two hells of an experience. Maybe more.]

Peer pressure from my coworkers. Though I'm sorry to say that you'll be unlikely to get any other version of me to wear anything that doesn't suit his image unless you can first convince him that his image isn't something he needs anymore.

[The Detective Prince isn't something he's needed in a long time, and it's allowed him to flourish - but at the time, he needed it desperately. His survival depended on it.]

[ Ren nods thoughtfully, leaning against the low concrete wall that curves close to the statue. ] So, peer pressure him into thinking the old-fashioned goth stuff suits his image. That's doable.

[ It'd be tough, but if Ren presented it as a way to give Akechi more of a presence... He doesn't really need more of a presence, but that's not the point. Ren also doesn't have time to embark on an extended campaign to wheedle Akechi into a new wardrobe, and that is more relevant. It's funny to think about, though.

He tilts his head. ] Are you an exception? With the way you said that. Or do the clothes help your image?

My image isn't something I have to be concerned about now, in comparison to my detective days. The ideal for my current job is more 'intimidating' than 'respectable,' with perhaps a dash of 'eye-catching.'

[And he does cut an intimidating figure, at least - not the kind of person who you look at and think is going to stab you, but one who you would at least think twice about asking for directions. Someone you take note of, even in the Shibuya crowds.]

Oh, were you a Detective Prince? [ He seems amused by the idea. ] I bet you're better off. My Akechi would lose his fucking mind if he had to do all that. What'd you upgrade to?

[ He doesn't have many details, really, but the fever-dream cognitive TV has given him some knowledge of the Detective Prince Goro Akechi archetype. ]

Oh, I died.

[After a moment's pause, to let that - Maximum Charming Smile delivery and all - sink in, something more somber settles over Akechi's shoulders.]

I got the chance for a second chance, and I've been contracted to work as a particular kind of shinigami in Shibuya since then. So while it isn't as bad as you might be thinking, 'upgrade' is not the word most would use.

[ And Ren just—freezes, his face draining of color, expression fixed and rigid.

Oh, I died.

He barely hears what Akechi says after that. The words reverberate in his head, spoken in Akechi's brightest tone, which, in Ren's world, is only ever used with disliked strangers or in mockery.

That is how the real Akechi would say that, Ren thinks blankly. If he said it to Ren. If he talked to Ren after he was dead. But he won't, because he'll be fucking gone. Nothing to talk with when you've been cremated. ...Actually, Ren's never thought about that before. Akechi's cremation. He'd been working hard to stop thinking about any of this, as a matter of fact. But here he is anyway.

He hasn't moved, or spoken. He'll snap out of it soon if left to his own devices, but for the moment he's just staring at Akechi in white-faced shock. Oh, I died. Even if it's not true, just the sound of it... ]

[It's such a casual fact of life to him - death has always been his companion. He forgets often enough how it affects normal people.

Even their Players, these days, are used to being dead.

So seeing Joker freeze and go pale like this is... Well. It stings, in a place he didn't want to remember existing.]

...So at least in one world, you care for me that much.

[Too little too late, as they say.]

[ Ren's eyelids flutter as he gives himself a sharp mental poke. For fuck's sake, pull yourself together. What are you, a baby? So this Akechi's dead. Fine. Not Ren's business. He starts packing all his feelings back in their little boxes.

What Akechi says gives him pause, though. He frowns. ] ...I've never heard of one of me not caring about his Akechi. [ Privately, he can't imagine that it's even possible.

He thinks briefly and grimly about That One Akechi. That One Akechi's deeply unlucky Ren would be better off if That One Akechi leapt into a pit of fire ants, as would so many other people. But Ren's never had reason to believe that even the multiverse's most unfortunate Ren doesn't care about his Akechi. Must be rough.

This line of thought makes him feel a little more like himself. ]

I can hardly imagine my version of Joker not caring about anyone who hasn't directly harmed him. He's a bit of a bleeding heart, if you ask me.

[It's said with a certain level of exasperated fondness - the kind of personality trait that this Akechi has no way of understanding, but is all too aware of the existence of.

He just doesn't see any reason for such caring to be extended to him. Not anymore.

... But then again, this is a different Joker.]

...Forgive me - three years in the afterlife does tend to give one a bit of a cavalier attitude about it.

[Especially when there's a new batch of Players every couple weeks who need the "I'm dead, you're dead, we're all dead here" speech.]

[ There goes someone else, describing a person who's nothing like Ren but who's kind of like his Akechi. Ren wouldn't call Akechi a bleeding heart who cares about the whole world, but sometimes it still seems like he spends all his time on other people.

He's calm enough now, at least outwardly, to wave away the apology. ]

Nah, it's fine. I shouldn't have said that so casually about upgrading. Good to meet you, by the way. Don't know what your me's name is, but I'm Ren Amamiya. They didn't name me Joker, either.

[ The corners of his lips curl in faint amusement. Joker's not a bad codename, but it's very Leader of the Phantom Thieves. Like Ace. ]

[It takes all kinds apparently applies also to timelines.

In turn, Akechi shakes his head lightly.]

It was an upgrade, believe it or not, though you'd have a hard time of convincing my past self of it. I have far more freedom now than I ever did under Shido's thumb, and I certainly don't miss that.

[All my homies hate my father, etc.

Still, the changed name gets raised eyebrows, if only slightly.]

I suppose it makes sense enough that if one name failed to match, so could the other. My Joker is an Akira, I'm afraid.

[ Under Shido's thumb. Ren's had his suspicions about at least one of these Akechis, but it's the first time someone's confirmed it. His stomach sinks at the thought—at the knowledge that Akechis in other worlds have been forced to be like him. ]

...Tell me about that coffee.

[Forced is perhaps a stronger word than most of them would use. If he'd spoken it aloud, though, this Akechi at least wouldn't have gone so far as to deny it.]

Do they still have Leblanc in your world?

Because, frankly, I haven't been able to go in three years, and I find myself misting up a bit at the thought.

[The words are delivered with good cheer - anything to get off the subject of Shido, frankly, that man doesn't deserve any further page time in his life - but the emotion behind them is genuine.]

[ He's been avoiding Leblanc, actually, but that was never going to last forever. There's no airtight excuse he can give if someone mentions it this directly. ]

Yeah, we have one. You live in the attic. And there's one here, too. The trains only take like two seconds, we can get there fast.

[Now that gets some raised eyebrows.]

I do? Yours is certainly a different universe. I didn't even get the chance to see that attic until after joining the Thieves.

[Oh, he hasn't taken the trains in a long time, either. Still, he'll start in the direction of the train station, keeping half an eye on Ren to see if he follows.]

But I admit the coffee is one of the closest things I had to a home. My apartment was mostly a place to sleep and store clothes.

[ Ren follows easily enough. His hands are still tucked casually in his pockets. You'd never know the fingers of his right hand are wrapped around a switchknife. It's not due to anything about this Akechi in particular, he just does that most of the time. ]

Sounds like a skill issue, man. My Akechi let me into the attic months before I joined. [ Only a couple of times, and in retrospect he sees that he was being supervised the whole time. But still. ]

[It's fine. Even if he were holding the knife openly, he wouldn't register as a threat. Being dead, this Akechi wouldn't die even if you killed him. And it will take a lot more than a mere knife to Erase a high-level Reaper like him.]

Are congratulations in order?

[Amazing how fast you can get to the train station when you aren't paying attention here, by the way. But the speed run of time and space slows down for a moment, as though getting on the train in itself is somehow significant to this Akechi. It picks back up again after.]

[ He snorts at the question. Getting on the train is weird, but he doesn't comment, just shoots a speculative sidelong glance at Akechi. He doesn't bother actually answering until the—literally—seconds-long train ride is over and they're in the dinky little Yongen-jaya station. ]

Nah. I was just teaching him how to put on makeup. It suited him. [ He glances at Akechi again. ] I bet you'd look good in it too, with those clothes. Eye makeup, maybe some contouring.

[Wait until one of them goes to Inaba. Then they'll truly experience 'dinky.']

Oh, I'm sure - I used to have to do it for my TV appearances, though that was in a much more respectable style than I'm wearing nowadays. I even know someone who would be all too happy to assist.

[Coco would lose her petite sweet lolita mind at the chance to do him up. Which is why she doesn't get it.]

I just don't have much interest anymore. There's such a thing as too much work, I've discovered.

[It's not like anyone except a bunch of other dead people see him, most days. And most of those dead people he's known for at least six months.]

Mm, yeah. [ He nods as they climb the stairs. ] I just wear it for special occasions. It's fun, though. Like dressing up. I've found some real nice dresses here, but when the hell am I going to wear them, you know? There's no nightlife. [ He's kept them, though. They're in a box in his Mementos hideout.

His expression becomes a little less animated as they stop in front of Leblanc. ] Here we are.

[If he's expecting more of a reaction to the skirt thing, he's going to be disappointed, because this is an Akechi who has done his time in the wear a lolita dress for the stats mine. Don't worry about it.

He notices that expression, but for the moment, he's far more interested in Leblanc itself... And not just because of the coffee.]

Interesting... There seem to be multiple concurrent Leblancs here, at least to my eyes. Let's be sure to take an empty one, shall we?

[There might seem to Ren to be a slight shift as Akechi opens the door to the cafe, and holds it like the polite young man he used to play on TV.]

[ ...That distracts Ren from his Akechi-related angst somewhat. ]

What?

[ He glances between Akechi and the doorway. He noticed the little shift, and of course he heard what Akechi said; he stays where he is. ]

Hm. To simplify, it's akin to how a Palace is laid over a real-world location, except in this case, it's multiple 'real-world' Leblancs. Probably a result of the slightly differing cognitions of the various 'us' who might be expecting different things from it.

[He's still holding the door open, casually.]

I have some skill at manipulating that kind of thing, so I picked an empty one. It might not be yours or mine, but hopefully Sakura-san's coffee is universal.

[ There is... a long pause. Ren's friendly, casual mask doesn't exactly slip, but it looks weirder when he goes still like this. His eyes fix on the doorway as alarm bells clamor in his ears.

But, he thinks reluctantly, an Akechi who works as a shinigami (?) and can manipulate planes (?!) has powers Ren doesn't understand. He probably doesn't need to do all this if he wants to attack Ren, or even just trap him somewhere. They could've stayed in Shibuya for that. So odds are it's safe.

Probably. Maybe. ]

Watch us get the one Leblanc with shitty coffee. [ Confidently, as if he never stopped to calculate the danger, he steps past Akechi into the coffee shop. It's fine. He doesn't have to think about his own Akechi at all. This isn't even the same Leblanc; the Akechi he's talking to right now said that explicitly, and it would be a weird thing to lie about. ]

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1/2 and also i'm sorry

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DANG

casually walking through town inflicting suffering

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handwaving that he found out about the akira/ren universe thing at some point WHATEVER

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