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[After their impromptu brawl, Akechi is leading Akira to the *throws dart* Lounge. The soft music should, at least, mask their voices to some degree. Once they're there, he's going to nyoom towards the back of the room and then turn around to stare at him expectantly.]
You're certain you're not dead. [Said like he still fucking doubts it, but. Well. He crosses his arms. Doesn't take a seat in any of the several comfy couches.] Explain yourself. What's the last thing you recall?
You're certain you're not dead. [Said like he still fucking doubts it, but. Well. He crosses his arms. Doesn't take a seat in any of the several comfy couches.] Explain yourself. What's the last thing you recall?
[the lounge is a pretty good place to have this conversation, all things considered. Akechi nyooms to the back of the room, but Akira remains near the doorway to close said door and lean against it so nobody accidentally interrupts them]
[thanks to their brawl, Akira has lost both his hat and his monocle and his suit is super disheveled. his face is a bit red from where Akechi hit him, but the most i'll be is a mild bruise, so. he isn't too worried]
I'm positive I'm not dead.
[. . . a beat]
Hold on, before I answer that, did you try to beat me up because you thought I was dead?
[thanks to their brawl, Akira has lost both his hat and his monocle and his suit is super disheveled. his face is a bit red from where Akechi hit him, but the most i'll be is a mild bruise, so. he isn't too worried]
I'm positive I'm not dead.
[. . . a beat]
Hold on, before I answer that, did you try to beat me up because you thought I was dead?
[...]
Of course.
[SHAMELESSLY. If Akira was hoping he would be at least the tiniest bit apologetic after this, he was sadly mistaken. Death won't keep Akechi from being a piece of shit, even if he is also currently a disheveled mess. Sometimes you just sacrifice your face and your gut for the sake of Big Mad.]
You're not allowed to die until you've upheld your end of our deal.
[Don't make his sacrifice be all for nothing, or else.]
Of course.
[SHAMELESSLY. If Akira was hoping he would be at least the tiniest bit apologetic after this, he was sadly mistaken. Death won't keep Akechi from being a piece of shit, even if he is also currently a disheveled mess. Sometimes you just sacrifice your face and your gut for the sake of Big Mad.]
You're not allowed to die until you've upheld your end of our deal.
[Don't make his sacrifice be all for nothing, or else.]
[that. . . actually gets Akira's expression to soften just a little bit as he lets out a deep exhale. of course. . . of course. it makes sense, and when he thinks about it. . . he can't blame Akechi for being upset]
[. . .]
I'm not the kind of person who breaks promises, Akechi.
[he managed to avoid being killed in that underground interrogation room, he has absolutely no problems with continuously giving death the middle finger]
I upheld my end of the deal. I saw it through to the very end.
[for your sake, is what he doesn't say aloud]
[. . .]
I'm not the kind of person who breaks promises, Akechi.
[he managed to avoid being killed in that underground interrogation room, he has absolutely no problems with continuously giving death the middle finger]
I upheld my end of the deal. I saw it through to the very end.
[for your sake, is what he doesn't say aloud]
Edited (whoops typos) 2020-02-15 20:30 (UTC)
[
Ah.]
... I see. So it's done.
[...
He doesn't know how to feel about this. He doesn't know what he should do now that it's over. Heck, he doesn't even know why he's still here if Akira did his job already. For a moment, he just looks... lost. His gaze drifts, avoiding Akira's face — and then he composes himself. His expression smooths out. He digs his fingers into his own upper arm. It's fine. Everything's fine. Let's maybe have an iota of chill for now.]
You have my thanks. [... He could leave it at that, but. Haha! No. The bitterness doth come out.] It seems you have once again succeeded where I failed.
[He won't say he's sorry for throttling him, though.]
Ah.]
... I see. So it's done.
[...
He doesn't know how to feel about this. He doesn't know what he should do now that it's over. Heck, he doesn't even know why he's still here if Akira did his job already. For a moment, he just looks... lost. His gaze drifts, avoiding Akira's face — and then he composes himself. His expression smooths out. He digs his fingers into his own upper arm. It's fine. Everything's fine. Let's maybe have an iota of chill for now.]
You have my thanks. [... He could leave it at that, but. Haha! No. The bitterness doth come out.] It seems you have once again succeeded where I failed.
[He won't say he's sorry for throttling him, though.]
[honestly? Akira doesn't expect an apology. he isn't sure he really needs one. he doesn't think of himself as a punching bag on which Akechi can release all of his pent up frustrations, but. . . he understands that Akechi is still harboring those tumultuous and violent feelings deep in his heart]
[it's sad, he thinks. and not for the first time since the events in the hull of Shido's ship. . . Akira wishes he could have done something]
[anything
[. . .]
It wasn't easy. [finally, the tension Akira was holding in his shoulders relaxes as he folds his warms and leans against the door] We changed Shido's heart to make him confess to his crimes. Then we had to change the hearts of the public to make them hold him accountable.
[. . .]
But we did it.
[. . .]
. . . it didn't feel right that you weren't there to do it with us, though.
[it's sad, he thinks. and not for the first time since the events in the hull of Shido's ship. . . Akira wishes he could have done something]
[anything
[. . .]
It wasn't easy. [finally, the tension Akira was holding in his shoulders relaxes as he folds his warms and leans against the door] We changed Shido's heart to make him confess to his crimes. Then we had to change the hearts of the public to make them hold him accountable.
[. . .]
But we did it.
[. . .]
. . . it didn't feel right that you weren't there to do it with us, though.
["It wasn't easy." "It didn't feel right." Oh, please. This absolute idiot. He narrows his eyes at him, leveling him a look.]
Don't delude yourself. [Sharply.] Or have you already forgotten what I said to your teammate? I would've only kept getting in your way. Leaving me there was the best choice.
[Whatever!! He's ready to move on from this particular line of conversation.]
More importantly, what's this about changing the hearts of the public? Tell me everything that's happened since our last meeting.
Don't delude yourself. [Sharply.] Or have you already forgotten what I said to your teammate? I would've only kept getting in your way. Leaving me there was the best choice.
[Whatever!! He's ready to move on from this particular line of conversation.]
More importantly, what's this about changing the hearts of the public? Tell me everything that's happened since our last meeting.
[please Akechi!! Akira affixes him with a flat expression, but not before giving a very visible, very showy roll of his eyes]
. . . on that, we'll have to agree to disagree. The last thing any of us wanted to do was leave you there.
[and if Akechi tries to argue he'll push it more if he has to!! the events in that stupid ship still haunt him to this day, though. . . there isn't much to be done about it now. and this isn't about the niggling pang of guilt that worms its way into his brain in the depths of the night, either. this is about Akechi, and him, and all of the things that were never resolved between the two of them, and how they're supposed to go forward now that they're stuck in this stupid mansion]
[and Akechi changes the subject rather quickly, so with another exhale, Akira continues]
Shido won the election. But because we had changed his heart beforehand, he confessed to his crimes in his victory speech.
Despite this, the general public still wanted him to be prime minister. Their support of him in the wake of his confession was completely unnatural.
[a pause]
You remember Mementos, don't you? The public's Palace? We traveled into the Depths of Mementos in order to steal the public's treasure.
. . . on that, we'll have to agree to disagree. The last thing any of us wanted to do was leave you there.
[and if Akechi tries to argue he'll push it more if he has to!! the events in that stupid ship still haunt him to this day, though. . . there isn't much to be done about it now. and this isn't about the niggling pang of guilt that worms its way into his brain in the depths of the night, either. this is about Akechi, and him, and all of the things that were never resolved between the two of them, and how they're supposed to go forward now that they're stuck in this stupid mansion]
[and Akechi changes the subject rather quickly, so with another exhale, Akira continues]
Shido won the election. But because we had changed his heart beforehand, he confessed to his crimes in his victory speech.
Despite this, the general public still wanted him to be prime minister. Their support of him in the wake of his confession was completely unnatural.
[a pause]
You remember Mementos, don't you? The public's Palace? We traveled into the Depths of Mementos in order to steal the public's treasure.
[Yeah, well... Akira can say whatever he wants, but it won't do anything to change Akechi's opinion of what transpired that day. Akira and his friends are still trash. Akechi is still dead. The two of them are still in this shitty, impossible mansion and Akechi is still glaring at him like he's nothing more than a idiot.
Once Akira begins to talk about Shido, however? That gets an immediate reaction out of him. It's not the fact his father won the elections, or even the change of heart. It's the fact that he confessed to his crimes, and nobody gave a damn. He tenses up, sucking in a sharp breath. When he exhales, it sounds more like an aborted attempt at a laugh than anything else.]
So even if I won, I still would have lost. That's— [So funny. Ha. Haha. He could have dragged his father's name to hell and back and society would have still accepted all of Shido's bullshit without batting an eye. How hilarious!
What a joke.]
... Go on. Get to the point. If you successfully stole the public's treasure as you claim, then you must already know what warped their cognition.
Once Akira begins to talk about Shido, however? That gets an immediate reaction out of him. It's not the fact his father won the elections, or even the change of heart. It's the fact that he confessed to his crimes, and nobody gave a damn. He tenses up, sucking in a sharp breath. When he exhales, it sounds more like an aborted attempt at a laugh than anything else.]
So even if I won, I still would have lost. That's— [So funny. Ha. Haha. He could have dragged his father's name to hell and back and society would have still accepted all of Shido's bullshit without batting an eye. How hilarious!
What a joke.]
... Go on. Get to the point. If you successfully stole the public's treasure as you claim, then you must already know what warped their cognition.
[Akechi. . .]
[a pause as Akira chooses his words carefully. debates on addressing the comment about losing even when winning. in the end, he lets it go. he really does need to get to the point]
The Holy Grail. That was their treasure.
And the Holy Grail was so powerful it became a god. A false god that imprisoned people's Shadows and controlled them into following popular opinion like sheep. A manifestation of their indolence.
[. . .]
Yaldabaoth was its name.
[a pause as Akira chooses his words carefully. debates on addressing the comment about losing even when winning. in the end, he lets it go. he really does need to get to the point]
The Holy Grail. That was their treasure.
And the Holy Grail was so powerful it became a god. A false god that imprisoned people's Shadows and controlled them into following popular opinion like sheep. A manifestation of their indolence.
[. . .]
Yaldabaoth was its name.
[Despite being a hitman that crawls through a world of cognition to assassinate others, this is something that strikes him as just a little bit too unbelievable.
But, Akira has no reason to lie to him. Or, at least... There's no reason Akechi can come up with now, even as he spends a long moment staring at him, searching for something in his expression.]
... Is that so?
[Hm. Feels a little bit like rubbing salt in the wound, huh.]
Allow me to guess how the rest of your story goes, then. [Though there's not much left to tell.] You and your teammates fought this false god, and you won. This is why you're so certain you're alive.
But, Akira has no reason to lie to him. Or, at least... There's no reason Akechi can come up with now, even as he spends a long moment staring at him, searching for something in his expression.]
... Is that so?
[Hm. Feels a little bit like rubbing salt in the wound, huh.]
Allow me to guess how the rest of your story goes, then. [Though there's not much left to tell.] You and your teammates fought this false god, and you won. This is why you're so certain you're alive.
[. . . well. that is the gist of it, isn't it? with some additions]
You asked me about the last thing I remember. The battle against Yaldabaoth occurred on December 24.
The last date I remember is March 20-- three months later. [AFTER LIKE TWO MONTHS IN JAIL but who is counting] My probation was over, so the rest of the thieves were taking me home.
[well]
[not straight home]
[they were totally going on a road trip :T]
You asked me about the last thing I remember. The battle against Yaldabaoth occurred on December 24.
The last date I remember is March 20-- three months later. [AFTER LIKE TWO MONTHS IN JAIL but who is counting] My probation was over, so the rest of the thieves were taking me home.
[well]
[not straight home]
[they were totally going on a road trip :T]
[presses f for p5r akira's roadtrip 😞
... This is pretty saccharin, though, isn't it? A happy ending, all for Akira. He succeeded where Akechi failed. He defeated a god. He got to the end of his probation without any further incident as far as he's aware... And now? He gets to go home, surrounded by his dear, precious friends who cling to him like remora. How sweet!
He hates him so fucking much.
Whatever.]
I anticipated there would be discrepancies in our timelines, but to think it's been three months already... [He expected a week at most... Oh, well. At least he doesn't have to think about his corpse rotting in Shido's palace if the palace just straight up doesn't exist anymore.
But more importantly—
A beat.]
I've been dead for three months from your perspective and the first thing you thought to say was that ridiculous pun?
[RUDE AS FUCK?]
... This is pretty saccharin, though, isn't it? A happy ending, all for Akira. He succeeded where Akechi failed. He defeated a god. He got to the end of his probation without any further incident as far as he's aware... And now? He gets to go home, surrounded by his dear, precious friends who cling to him like remora. How sweet!
He hates him so fucking much.
Whatever.]
I anticipated there would be discrepancies in our timelines, but to think it's been three months already... [He expected a week at most... Oh, well. At least he doesn't have to think about his corpse rotting in Shido's palace if the palace just straight up doesn't exist anymore.
But more importantly—
A beat.]
I've been dead for three months from your perspective and the first thing you thought to say was that ridiculous pun?
[RUDE AS FUCK?]
[WHAT'S P5R I DON'T KNOW HER B(]
[Akira can't read minds, but he can imagine what's going through Akechi's head at the moment. he sets his jaw tightly, stomach once again curling with the guilt he doesn't verbalize. you should have been there]
[not for the road trip. for that he should've been in jail. but for taking down Shido, for fighting Yaldabaoth, for stealing the hearts of the public-- Akechi should've been there]
[. . .]
[anyway, Akira's response to Akechi's next comment is a bit wry]
There's no such thing as a manual on "how to greet someone you thought was super dead," you know.
[HE JUST SAID THE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MIND HE'S SORRY]
[Akira can't read minds, but he can imagine what's going through Akechi's head at the moment. he sets his jaw tightly, stomach once again curling with the guilt he doesn't verbalize. you should have been there]
[not for the road trip. for that he should've been in jail. but for taking down Shido, for fighting Yaldabaoth, for stealing the hearts of the public-- Akechi should've been there]
[. . .]
[anyway, Akira's response to Akechi's next comment is a bit wry]
There's no such thing as a manual on "how to greet someone you thought was super dead," you know.
[HE JUST SAID THE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MIND HE'S SORRY]
[Meeting that wryness with a dry look. Erudite his ass.]
Anyone with common sense would have known not to resort to that. I should be offended.
[No, he's totally offended.]
... But, I'll let it go so we may focus on the real problem at hand. It goes without saying, but there's nothing ordinary about our current situation.
Anyone with common sense would have known not to resort to that. I should be offended.
[No, he's totally offended.]
... But, I'll let it go so we may focus on the real problem at hand. It goes without saying, but there's nothing ordinary about our current situation.
You are offended.
[CALLED OUT]
And it was a damn good pun, too.
[GIVE HIM CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE]
[CALLED OUT]
And it was a damn good pun, too.
[GIVE HIM CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE]
[but okay, Akira. focus]
[an exhale]
. . . and yeah; there isn't. [the strangeness surrounding Akechi's circumstances aside] It's so weird that it could barely even be called a "normal" kidnapping.
[an exhale]
. . . and yeah; there isn't. [the strangeness surrounding Akechi's circumstances aside] It's so weird that it could barely even be called a "normal" kidnapping.
[Wow!! He scoffs at him.]
Barely? [More like, at all.] At first, I thought it was a poor attempt at a joke. A dinner to die for.
[Since, you know, he's dead. A dinner you literally have to die before participating in.]
Thanks to you, that's no longer plausible. Operating under the assumption that it isn't just hyperbole, however... I can only think of a new, even worse possibility.
[Well.
Your friendly neighborhood hitman is obviously going to think of murder right away.]
Barely? [More like, at all.] At first, I thought it was a poor attempt at a joke. A dinner to die for.
[Since, you know, he's dead. A dinner you literally have to die before participating in.]
Thanks to you, that's no longer plausible. Operating under the assumption that it isn't just hyperbole, however... I can only think of a new, even worse possibility.
[Well.
Your friendly neighborhood hitman is obviously going to think of murder right away.]
[OH BOY guess who didn't think of murder because he's not a hitman]
[Akira opens his mouth]
[closes it again]
[his expression grows slack]
You think we were all brought here to be killed?
[Akira opens his mouth]
[closes it again]
[his expression grows slack]
You think we were all brought here to be killed?
[a bit incredulously]
I hadn't. . . [thought about it. but he trails off, because now that he does think about it. . .]
[he curses, hands balling into fists]
Fuck that.
[sharp and defiant and determined all in one]
If this Master Blue thinks I'm just going to sit around and let them hurt people, then they've got another thing coming.
[typical Akira response, tbh]
I hadn't. . . [thought about it. but he trails off, because now that he does think about it. . .]
[he curses, hands balling into fists]
Fuck that.
[sharp and defiant and determined all in one]
If this Master Blue thinks I'm just going to sit around and let them hurt people, then they've got another thing coming.
[typical Akira response, tbh]
[after the VERY DISTRESSING realization that Akira can't taste his morning coffee (DEPRESSING) he makes his way from the kitchen, mug in hand, back to his room]
[except when he reaches the stairwell he stops, eyes flickering to the side, before he pivots on his heel to face-- nothing?? there's nothing there???]
[. . .]
[his gaze narrows, but he says or does nothing. hm. someone is easily spooked this morning]
[are are u doing Akechi]
[except when he reaches the stairwell he stops, eyes flickering to the side, before he pivots on his heel to face-- nothing?? there's nothing there???]
[. . .]
[his gaze narrows, but he says or does nothing. hm. someone is easily spooked this morning]
[are are u doing Akechi]
[Very typical Akira response... Akechi seems pleased, though.]
... Haha, you never fail to surprise me. Even after facing the wishes of the masses you tried so hard to save, you continue to cling to your sense of "justice."
[You can almost hear the quotation marks...]
Let's make another deal, then. You won't say no, will you?
... Haha, you never fail to surprise me. Even after facing the wishes of the masses you tried so hard to save, you continue to cling to your sense of "justice."
[You can almost hear the quotation marks...]
Let's make another deal, then. You won't say no, will you?
As if I'd ever let it go when it's gotten me this far.
[that same justice got him arrested on false charges of assault, but hey, whatever, right???]
[. . .]
[he also affixes Akechi with a scrutinizing look, but-- despite the history between them, his answer comes without hesitation]
No. I won't.
[HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE DEAL IS??]
[that same justice got him arrested on false charges of assault, but hey, whatever, right???]
[. . .]
[he also affixes Akechi with a scrutinizing look, but-- despite the history between them, his answer comes without hesitation]
No. I won't.
[HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE DEAL IS??]
[It's fine? It's fine. This week is off to a good start. Akechi can't feel a hecking thing, so he's descending the stairs with a look of utmost concentration up until he spots Akira. He may or may not be gripping the hand rail with more strength than is absolutely necessary, though it doesn't look like he's noticed.]
Good morning. [What is he doing...? Stopping just so he can stare at him, shooting him a questioning look.] You seem rattled.
Good morning. [What is he doing...? Stopping just so he can stare at him, shooting him a questioning look.] You seem rattled.
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