dropkicks him right into the velvet room

[pyrrhicjustice]

[The Velvet Room is now host and occupant to a Goro Akechi who is lying flat on his back. It certainly seems he arrived that way, and he shows no sign of moving yet. His school blazer seems to have been rained on, although in the blue lighting of the Velvet Room it only seems darker than usual.

Maybe once he's been encouraged to move into better lighting, it'll be noticeable that the rain was of a distinctly red nature, but that's for then, and this is now.

Oh, and there's also a blue butterfly flittering nervously at Igor, who seems sad at its presence.

Poke the (not exactly) sleeping Akechi?]

Comments

[pyrrhicjustice]

[He'll be there, unconscious, for a fair while longer, then.

But eventually he's going to go from unconscious to asleep and then to a vague sense of waking up.

The first thing he really has go through his head is that he shouldn't have fallen asleep on the floor, and the next is why was I asleep on the floor? and after that, his eyes start to open.]

[youngestdawn]

Akira-kun startles when the person moves to wake up. He looks over the New Akechi anxiously.

[pyrrhicjustice]

[He sees Lavenza first, even as muted as she is, which is confusing because he'd been half convinced she'd burn herself up doing... whatever it was she needed to do to send him back.

And then he realises she's not in flight, and he looks down, and... makes a small noise of distress.

You told me I just had to not kill him, he thinks in the butterfly's direction. This is too much.]

[youngestdawn]

Oh no! New person is sad! Akira-kun takes out his notebook, already flipping it to his introduction page in hopes of settling the issue.

"Hi! My name is Kurusu Akira. I'm five years old. I have selective mutism, which means I can't talk sometimes, but I can do sign language. Thank you for your understanding."

[pyrrhicjustice]

[He works himself up to propping himself onto one elbow, and reads the words on the notebook.

If anything, it makes him more quiet. Shoving down all of those things that have him wanting to rail at whoever thought this was a good idea.]

Hello, Akira-kun. [Oh, that... hurt to say. He hasn't said that name since- maybe it's best not to think about that.] I'm sorry I don't know sign language, but it's good to meet you.

[Lavenza is still sat on top of the kid's head, too.]

I see you've met my... [Ugh, what even is she to him? The only thing that feels like it would make sense for a child Akira's age here leaves a sour taste on his mouth.] blue friend, here.

[youngestdawn]

Akira-kun nods, trying not to disturb the butterfly. Blue!

Hmm…he can tell that this Akechi is sad. Maybe this Akechi is like the other one…he flips his notebook to a new page.

“We’re in a new, weird place where time and space are weird. I’m probably not the Akira you’re thinking of. Sorry…”

[pyrrhicjustice]

[If anything, those words make him wince. No, that's a good thing. You don't want to be him. You don't want to grow up to be him..]

Her name is Lavenza, and she's used to somewhere a lot like this. [He doesn't need to tell the kid that he mostly knows because she's excitedly - for a weak cognitive butterfly - babbling about the Velvet Room.] And it's- okay. You don't need to apologise for that.

[youngestdawn]

A small pause.

“Sometimes new people here get sad when they see me” he writes, showing it to Akechi after a moment. “I don’t mean to cause such an inconvenience.”

[pyrrhicjustice]

If people are sad when they see you, that's not your fault.

[In his case, it was his fault. He knows that damn well, and he'll own it... to anyone who's not as young as this.]

And you aren't.

[For all that he'd called Akira exactly that in the past, or... close enough. Why can't you just get out of my way, more than once. The frustration at - so much of what made him Akira.

But Akira had just stood there and took it whenever he'd vocalised any of that, and then he'd been gone, and this Akira was just a kid. "Not the Akira you're thinking of" was a relief in so many ways, but still... even so.

He gets himself sat upright, properly, and holds out a hand. Lavenza flutters off the kid's head and over onto his shoulder, and he awkwardly pats small Akira's head, pointedly ignoring the heartsickness that gives him.]

[youngestdawn]

Akira-kun watches the butterfly go with slightly-sad eyes, but accepts the headpat. Pretty blue friend...deserves to be with whoever they want to be with.

He tugs the blanket around Wet-Akechi's shoulders. "Do you need help?"

[pyrrhicjustice]

[Seeing the little Akira trying so hard to help him doesn't help him feel less conflicted, but... it's not as though he can explain that.]

I was knocked down quite badly before I got here, but I'm sure I'll be okay. [He's gone through- well, no, that was the worst he's gone through up to now. But still.] Maybe you can tell me about these doors I can see?

[He has to assume they all lead somewhere, and maybe it'll make the kid feel better, being useful. Although, the blanket isn't exactly unwelcome.] Ah... thank you.

[youngestdawn]

"They all lead to different places! Tokyo, Inaba, uh...Tatsumi Port Island, Sumaru City, and Mikage-cho!"