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[undyingcrow]

[A message appears on the network one morning, not long after a certain Ren appears.

Not long after it goes up, some parts are edited out.]

Attention, "Crow" and "Joker."

With the arrival of my Ren, we formally challenge you over your precious codenames. Let us prove to you that we are the ones worthy of the titles, while you are mere variations from a simpler, happier world. despite the power you wield.

You may have seniority within this space, but we were forged in the fires of our hardships and have emerged on the other side of Maruki's reality.

You two have likely grown soft from your domesticity. Perhaps you'll find us worthy opponents after all this stagnation. They say the spirit of competition can bring out one's best and their worst.

[Is it bold to proclaim the challenge over the network? Yes. But he'd have it no other way, really. Everyone deserves to know how serious they are.]

As for the rest of you, I'd like to start a little bonding exercise.

Tell me something about yourself, and I'll tell you something about me in turn. Won't that be fun?

[It should be a simple way to start and prove that he's just as capable of "bonding" as Ren is.]

[ooc: Original parts of the message in strikethrough, with the edits after, if you want your character to have seen the original version.]

Comments

[undyingcrow]

You are. It showed your text messages.

And now that "Joker" has shared the link for all to see, there's little sense in denying it.

[pancakeboy]

I'm sorry, who are you, exactly? I'm sure you'll have a humiliation or two for me to interrogate, sooner or later.

In public.

[undyingcrow]

Shouldn't you blame your friends for bringing it up in the first place?

I don't appreciate "Crow" speculating on my relationship with my Ren, or encouraging others to do the same.

At any rate, I'm Karasu.

[pancakeboy]

Pleased to meet you, Karasu. I'm Magpie, formerly Crow. Your younger self, by all accounts.

Regardless, my concern isn't with my associates. I'll deal with them later.

[undyingcrow]

Yes, I suppose you would be, in some respects, though how much time you've spent here, I doubt you're the same person I was.

But feel free to air your concerns. You wouldn't be the first.

[pancakeboy]

Right now, my major concern is being contradicted about a personal matter by someone I barely know.

[undyingcrow]

Fair enough. I can acknowledge it was out of line.

If it were up to me, Crow wouldn't have brought up that movie in the first place.

[pancakeboy]

Ah. So you admit he is Crow.

[undyingcrow]

It's clear to me that the community values him a great deal and was displeased by our challenge.

But make no mistake. I still fully intend to fight him, and I fully intend to win.

Whether or not that involves reclaiming codenames is rather moot at this point. It's the principle of things.

[pancakeboy]

I suppose I can understand that.

Equally, you shouldn't underestimate your opponents. Joker is strong, and Crow is stronger yet. I think you'll find yourself surprised.

[undyingcrow]

I'm curious how they compare. The Shadows here are much too weak. Only the likes of the Fafnirs in Maruki's Palace present any meaningful challenge.

What better way to hone my potential than against a more "ideal" version of me?

It's a wonder you're so comfortable with him, given everything he represents.

locked to karasu

[pancakeboy]

What's that supposed to mean?

[He knows what it means.]

[undyingcrow]

I get the impression that you're friends. The younger one, Wagtail, certainly implied as much.

It perplexes me.

Granted, I've kept my distance. I haven't gotten to know him as you have.

[pancakeboy]

You keep saying "friends". Are you trying to annoy me?

[undyingcrow]

Am I wrong?

Or are you simply trying to avoid showing weakness or sentimentality?

1/2

[pancakeboy]

[Ugh.]

2/2

[pancakeboy]

Let's talk about your Ren, then. You were quick enough to disavow his importance, faced with a bit of a challenge.

[undyingcrow]

[Damn. The resemblance is annoyingly uncanny.]

He's an irreplaceable rival. No other version of Ren could begin to compare.

He didn't waver, when faced with Maruki's bargain, and he kept his word and thwarted Shido as I requested. Somehow, beyond my comprehension, he still sees me worth associating with, which is questionable to say the least.

[pancakeboy]

[Okay. That's a bit...]

As you requested?

[Other Okumura, years ago by now. As far as we're aware, you didn't make it out of Shido's Palace.]

[undyingcrow]

Shido's cognition of me was much too strong. I isolated myself with it behind the bulkhead door to buy the Phantom Thieves a chance to escape, begging them to change Shido's heart in my stead.

I expected to die. Somehow, I withstood the killing shot. Perhaps it was Ren's parting words. Perhaps it was simply luck.

Regardless, everything fell into place after the collapse of Maruki's reality.

[There's little sense in beating around the bush. Perhaps this will serve as a warning.]

[pancakeboy]

[It serves as something, that's for sure. It's a story he knows well, has heard variants of several times. But he's never really heard it from his own side before. He considers his answer carefully.]

The idea that Ren's parting words could be powerful enough to save either of us from the grave has a singular lack of charm to me.

[You only told us to change his heart because you were dying. His own Ren had said that. All you could do was leave it in our hands.]

[undyingcrow]

He said he'd hold on to my glove.

[He'll let that sink in.]

But I suppose how much that means to you depends on if you challenged him to a duel.

[pancakeboy]

[Again, he knows the story, had been cherishing the image himself. A way to truly rub his disdain in Amamiya's face? What wasn't to like?

He just... never got around to it, somehow.]

Are you telling me you stood there and threw your glove at him? Face to face? Really?

[It's lucky this is text, so Karasu can't hear how wistful he is. And Ren had done what, turned it about? Said he'd keep the glove? What?]

[undyingcrow]

After he beat me in pool with my right hand, I invited him to a proper match.

However, we battled in Mementos, rather than at Penguin Sniper. Annoyingly, he defeated me, though he only battled me in my princely guise.

Still, I took it as an opportunity to throw the proverbial gauntlet. I challenged him to a duel after declaring how much I hated him.

[...]

I "had" to hate him, and I "had" to sever my "weakness."

[Ha. He wheezes out a laugh at his own expense, unheard by anyone else.]

A word of advice: find another way forward that doesn't involve shooting him in an interrogation room.

[pancakeboy]

Oh? But I really want to. I dream of it every night. [Karasu can likely hear the deadpan tone.] I know I have to discuss it with him. It would be a lot easier if I'd go back there, or if he would come here.

I was going to ask him to play billiards with me, the day I left. Had a whole speech prepared. It had elegant metaphors. I was even prepared to throw the game. You probably remember.