[TIMEY WIMEY WIBBLY WOBBLY. . . but thank god Akechi has a bit of a heart, because it is him grabbing Akira's shirt that prevents Akira from going overboard or the boat capsizing]
[Akira hisses in frustration as he yanks against his leg again. and then, quick as lightning. . . he draws a rather familiar looking knife from his belt and lashes out at the creature, severing the tentacle in two with one blow. at last, his leg is free!!! the offended creature swiftly withdraws the injured limb back into the water]
[but when Akira pulls his leg into the boat he totally brings a limp, severed bit of tentacle with him]
[He takes notice of the knife, but stores that detail away for later. For now... he keeps an eye on the water after Akira severs the tentacle, paranoid that whatever that was will return to take its revenge on them — but nothing happens. The boat wobbles as it stabilizes on the water. They're fine.
[holds up his leg as he just. . . carefully nudges away the severed tentacle with his knife (allowing it to drop back into the murky water with a plop). it's dripping, and there are large circular suction-cup markings around his ankle and lower calf, but!]
[one piece]
Seems to be. Whatever that was, it didn't take a bite out of me.
[no arguments with the "we" part of this. Akira nods and rotates his newly attached ankle, wincing as the movement activates some soreness that is definitely gonna bruise]
We should probably hurry, too.
[he doesn't want the leeches to drain Akechi's arm dry. . .]
[His arm will probably(?) rehydrate once it's reattached.
Smash cut to the aftermath of the kitchen fiasco, though... The kitchen is clean and Akechi's arm is back where it belongs. Yay! He can't help but to wince every time he moves the arm, for obvious reasons, but — it's fine. He can deal with it.
He glances over to Akira, letting his arm rest by his side for now.]
By the way, that knife... [Assuming Akira knows what he means. There is only One Knife and it's very distinctive.] Did you find it in your bedroom after yesterday's execution?
[AKIRA DEFINITELY CALLED PLUM FOR HELP CLEANING, and also received bandages and antiseptic from her maybe (items pending), but!! anyway, post cleaning, in whatever area of the mansion they are regrouping, Akira's hand automatically drifts to his waist when Akechi asks that question]
Ah— [the knife is resting in his belt, but it’s covered by the hem of his shirt. STEALTH KNIFE]
... So you received that patronizing note as well.
[Hey, Master Blue. Hey. Fuck you. Even if that wasn't their intention, Akechi sure is going to interpret it as condescending. It's just how it is... Either way, he pats his pocket with his right arm, before pulling out a red smartphone that Akira may or may not find familiar. Akechi will take a moment to hit the power button and enter his passcode, before turning the phone around so Akira can see the home screen.]
I found this inside a box yesterday. I assume the others may have received something from home in a similar manner.
[... All of his apps from when he blackmailed the Phantom Thieves are there, but so is the Metaverse navigator.]
[He sure does seem bewildered! And Akechi will assume it's purely because of the possibility of the Metaverse existing here, and not something else entirely. The metaverse still exists as far as he's concerned, after all.
He shakes his head, frowning.]
I tried it myself last night, but...
[Well. Maybe a demonstration is more effective.
Still making sure Akira can see the home screen, Akechi taps the MetaNav, and... Watches his phone promptly freak out. Nothing else happens, and he flips the phone around so he press the power button and force it to shut down.]
[damn it Akira forgot to tell Akechi it ceased to exist after they took down Yaldabaoth, oops]
[but any hopes he might've had at using the MetaNav and peering into Master Blue's heart are dashed when the entire app bugs out Akechi's poor phone. he lets out a disappointed exhale, fingers dipping into his pockets as a frown creases his features]
Even if it had worked, we still would have needed Master Blue's true name and their keywords.
[Because, well. He had the same thought as Akira, and can guess at what he's thinking of right now. Things would have been easier if they could just find Master Blue's shadow and beat the shit out of it, even if that meant having to extract information from the furries... But. Alas.
He tucks his phone back in his pocket.]
If nothing else, this at least confirms the Metaverse can't be accessed from here.
[The Metaverse, which totally exists at this point of time. Haha.]
Yeah. But I'm sure we would've gotten that eventually.
[leans his back against the wall, watching as Akechi puts his phone away. an exhale]
I'm surprised you still even have the app at all. [a pause, and he looks up to study Akechi's expression carefully] The Metaverse was supposed to cease to exist after we defeated Yaldabaoth.
His expression remains neutral, but. He stills for a moment, blinking as he processes that new piece of information.]
I see.
[...]
Is it really a surprise? This is my smartphone, after all. Regardless of what Master Blue did to retrieve it, it seems it was preserved in the same state it was prior to my death.
[Casually! Like referencing is own death is the equivalent of talking about a routine trip to the grocery store.]
[at least, he doesn't think it is a one-to-one comparison]
But think about how our senses have been betrayed since coming here. When we lost them last last week. When we couldn't see the evidence of Haruka-san's death, or the rats sleeping in the same room as us.
And when I asked Peach-san about the story she and her sisters told before Haruka-san died, she asked me a strange question.
"Akira, have you always believed everything you've seen and heard?"
[The dopplegangers, the invisible barriers, the numerous oddities they've observed during their time here... Akechi listens carefully, his expression darkening as Akira goes on.]
We already knew we couldn't trust our senses. And now, our very bodies are betraying us.
[He lifts his hand up, clenching and unclenching his fist while staring at the leech bites. Or, uh, the doggy bandaids in any case.]
Do you think any of this is real? Once you start questioning what you see and hear, it's easy enough to wonder if your entire perception of events is incorrect.
[And boy, isn't that one hell of a slippery slope? It doesn't sound like he believes one thing or the other, though. Maybe he's just thinking out loud.]
He lifts his left hand hand to his chin, supporting the arm it at the elbow with his other hand.]
... I don't know if that's quite right. If this place is being affected by our own cognition, then that would mean we have some sort of knowledge or understanding about it. But because our senses have been tampered with, and because we're unfamiliar with it, our perception of it is distorted. Wouldn't that imply we're trapped in a feedback loop?
[they don't think there are rats so they don't see the rats but then they find fur nobody can touch so they suddenly see the rats but maybe they wouldn't have seen the rats if they didn't know there were rats but they didn't know there were rats so they didn't see the rats and nobody could touch the fur at first so was it really there at all so etc etc etc]
I don't think that's exactly right. In fact, I think it's our lack of understanding that makes things appear as they are appearing right now.
[does that even make sense??? Akira pauses and tries to think of a different way to phrase it]
Right now, we all understand the mansion to be a creepy, possibly haunted prison where we're being held against our will. [. . .] We understand that there supposedly will be a death every single week, with mysterious forces pushing us to commit these crimes whether we actively want to or not.
And because that's what we believe, that's what is.
[DOES. . . THAT MAKE SENSE. a hum and Akira opens his eyes, brows still furrowed]
Because we are still operating under those assumptions, we don't know what's really happening, here. We're unable to see the truth, because we have already created a truth for ourselves.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Akira hisses in frustration as he yanks against his leg again. and then, quick as lightning. . . he draws a rather familiar looking knife from his belt and lashes out at the creature, severing the tentacle in two with one blow. at last, his leg is free!!! the offended creature swiftly withdraws the injured limb back into the water]
[but when Akira pulls his leg into the boat he totally brings a limp, severed bit of tentacle with him]
Charming. . .
no subject
Probably.
Glancing over to Akira:]
Is your leg in one piece?
no subject
[one piece]
Seems to be. Whatever that was, it didn't take a bite out of me.
[time to sit down and reattach his leg tyvm]
no subject
He nods, though, just watching him reattach his leg while his left arm keeps twitching around. This has been A Morning.]
Let's head back to the shore. We need to make a stop by the kitchen.
[Emphasis on "we." Carry his arm for him, Akira...]
no subject
We should probably hurry, too.
[he doesn't want the leeches to drain Akechi's arm dry. . .]
[BACK TO SHORE HE ROWS THEM]
no subject
Smash cut to the aftermath of the kitchen fiasco, though... The kitchen is clean and Akechi's arm is back where it belongs. Yay! He can't help but to wince every time he moves the arm, for obvious reasons, but — it's fine. He can deal with it.
He glances over to Akira, letting his arm rest by his side for now.]
By the way, that knife... [Assuming Akira knows what he means. There is only One Knife and it's very distinctive.] Did you find it in your bedroom after yesterday's execution?
no subject
[AKIRA DEFINITELY CALLED PLUM FOR HELP CLEANING, and also received bandages and antiseptic from her maybe (items pending), but!! anyway, post cleaning, in whatever area of the mansion they are regrouping, Akira's hand automatically drifts to his waist when Akechi asks that question]
Ah— [the knife is resting in his belt, but it’s covered by the hem of his shirt. STEALTH KNIFE]
I did. "Because I'm really smart."
[thanks Master Blue???]
no subject
... So you received that patronizing note as well.
[Hey, Master Blue. Hey. Fuck you. Even if that wasn't their intention, Akechi sure is going to interpret it as condescending. It's just how it is... Either way, he pats his pocket with his right arm, before pulling out a red smartphone that Akira may or may not find familiar. Akechi will take a moment to hit the power button and enter his passcode, before turning the phone around so Akira can see the home screen.]
I found this inside a box yesterday. I assume the others may have received something from home in a similar manner.
[... All of his apps from when he blackmailed the Phantom Thieves are there, but so is the Metaverse navigator.]
no subject
[the cell phone itself is not surprising, but something about it sure is]
You still have the MetaNav.
[he seems bewildered!! for many reasons]
Does it work?
no subject
He shakes his head, frowning.]
I tried it myself last night, but...
[Well. Maybe a demonstration is more effective.
Still making sure Akira can see the home screen, Akechi taps the MetaNav, and... Watches his phone promptly freak out. Nothing else happens, and he flips the phone around so he press the power button and force it to shut down.]
As you can see, it doesn't work.
no subject
[but any hopes he might've had at using the MetaNav and peering into Master Blue's heart are dashed when the entire app bugs out Akechi's poor phone. he lets out a disappointed exhale, fingers dipping into his pockets as a frown creases his features]
Of course. . . that'd be too easy.
no subject
[Because, well. He had the same thought as Akira, and can guess at what he's thinking of right now. Things would have been easier if they could just find Master Blue's shadow and beat the shit out of it, even if that meant having to extract information from the furries... But. Alas.
He tucks his phone back in his pocket.]
If nothing else, this at least confirms the Metaverse can't be accessed from here.
[The Metaverse, which totally exists at this point of time. Haha.]
no subject
[leans his back against the wall, watching as Akechi puts his phone away. an exhale]
I'm surprised you still even have the app at all. [a pause, and he looks up to study Akechi's expression carefully] The Metaverse was supposed to cease to exist after we defeated Yaldabaoth.
We all lost access to it entirely.
no subject
His expression remains neutral, but. He stills for a moment, blinking as he processes that new piece of information.]
I see.
[...]
Is it really a surprise? This is my smartphone, after all. Regardless of what Master Blue did to retrieve it, it seems it was preserved in the same state it was prior to my death.
[Casually! Like referencing is own death is the equivalent of talking about a routine trip to the grocery store.]
no subject
[. . .]
There might be another reason we can't access the Metaverse here.
And I think it has something to do with the nature of this mansion.
no subject
Raising an eyebrow at him.]
Were you able to learn something new?
no subject
[his eyes slip shut as he tries to think of a way to phrase this]
Palaces appear the way that they do due to the distorted desires of their rulers, right?
no subject
[It's Metaverse 101. The fact that he's bringing this up now sure is... something. And he furrows his eyebrows, frowning.]
You're not saying this mansion is a palace of sorts, are you?
no subject
[at least, he doesn't think it is a one-to-one comparison]
But think about how our senses have been betrayed since coming here. When we lost them last last week. When we couldn't see the evidence of Haruka-san's death, or the rats sleeping in the same room as us.
And when I asked Peach-san about the story she and her sisters told before Haruka-san died, she asked me a strange question.
"Akira, have you always believed everything you've seen and heard?"
no subject
We already knew we couldn't trust our senses. And now, our very bodies are betraying us.
[He lifts his hand up, clenching and unclenching his fist while staring at the leech bites. Or, uh, the doggy bandaids in any case.]
Do you think any of this is real? Once you start questioning what you see and hear, it's easy enough to wonder if your entire perception of events is incorrect.
[And boy, isn't that one hell of a slippery slope? It doesn't sound like he believes one thing or the other, though. Maybe he's just thinking out loud.]
no subject
It feels real. It seems real. I don't yet know if I'd say it isn't real.
[. . . but?]
But maybe something about this place is affected by our own perceptions. Our own cognitions, so to speak.
no subject
He lifts his left hand hand to his chin, supporting the arm it at the elbow with his other hand.]
... I don't know if that's quite right. If this place is being affected by our own cognition, then that would mean we have some sort of knowledge or understanding about it. But because our senses have been tampered with, and because we're unfamiliar with it, our perception of it is distorted. Wouldn't that imply we're trapped in a feedback loop?
[they don't think there are rats so they don't see the rats but then they find fur nobody can touch so they suddenly see the rats but maybe they wouldn't have seen the rats if they didn't know there were rats but they didn't know there were rats so they didn't see the rats and nobody could touch the fur at first so was it really there at all so etc etc etc]
no subject
I don't think that's exactly right. In fact, I think it's our lack of understanding that makes things appear as they are appearing right now.
[does that even make sense??? Akira pauses and tries to think of a different way to phrase it]
Right now, we all understand the mansion to be a creepy, possibly haunted prison where we're being held against our will. [. . .] We understand that there supposedly will be a death every single week, with mysterious forces pushing us to commit these crimes whether we actively want to or not.
And because that's what we believe, that's what is.
[DOES. . . THAT MAKE SENSE. a hum and Akira opens his eyes, brows still furrowed]
Because we are still operating under those assumptions, we don't know what's really happening, here. We're unable to see the truth, because we have already created a truth for ourselves.
[without love it cannot be seen etc etc]