genessia | voice/action

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voice/action

[Voice]

Hello?

[The voice is that of a teenage girl, cautious but at least trying to show willing in this strange new place. There's a pause, then, as though she hasn't fully figured out what she really wants to say - does she mention where she was supposed to be? Does she mention the Shadows?

Eventually, she finds her voice again.]

Um...this is kind of new to me so I'm not really sure where to start. I got the welcome message and the map and all but...is there anything else I should know?

[That should be broad enough to get something helpful, she hopes.]

[Action - Genessia City]

[Considering she'd been gearing up to head into the deepest depths of Mementos last she remembers, Ann's really not sure what to make of all this. She's in her regular clothes, so wherever she is she's not considered a threat right now at least, but she's not sure whether that should be comforting or worrying.

Still, she's not going to figure anything out by staying in one place so she figures she should at least go to check out where she's supposed to be staying right now. She's aware it could also be a trap, but so long as she goes into it expecting that, maybe it'll lead to some useful information.

At least, that was the plan. It's not that she doesn't know how to follow a map but when a girl stumbles across a mall, she can't be blamed for wanting to take a look around, right? Even if she can't really buy much, just the act of looking should be enough to help calm her down. And once she's done with the mall, she has to see what else is around, right?

And so she can be found looking in various store windows, lingering longer when she spots a cute outfit she can't help but want. The real danger, though, is when she reaches a bakery with a range of desserts that's just begging to be sampled.]

I shouldn't...but just one couldn't hurt, right?

[She's not addressing anyone in particular but that's not to say she goes unheard, either...]

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You can tell me off anyway, I was starting to worry I'd never hear it again.

( insert leader-charm smile here. )

Did you just get here?

Really, that's the thing you've missed?

[She's not sure what that says, about him or about her. So she's just not going to think about it too hard.]

Yeah, just today. I thought I'd take a look around before I go and find where I'm supposed to be staying...and then I got sidetracked...

[Surprising nobody.]

( ren laughs, soft and polite, as he fishes for his wallet. he tells the baker he wants a full size of the sweet bread samples they have on display and talks to ann again while it's fetched for him. )

You don't want me to go off about everything I missed, right? Ann's cheerfulness. Ann's kindness. Ann's excellent fashion taste. ( he pays and takes the bread offered to him, splitting it in half.) The way she keeps Ryuji in line so I don't have to.

( here you go ann, half a pastry for u )

I'm guessing you're at the Commons. I'd offer to stay with me until you found a place, but... ( he bites into his own half, wondering how to explain he went from living in a cafe to...living in a cafe ) well, let's just say my situation isn't all that different from home. There are cats.

( there are always cats. )

All right, all right, you've made your point!

[She can her cheeks go a little red as he speaks, even as she has to laugh at the idea that she or anyone can really keep Ryuji in line.

Still, Ren knows her well enough to know how to keep her happy; she happily accepts the pastry half, just about managing to thank him before she bites into it.

That's good pastry. She's going to need a moment before she can address the rest.]

Cats, multiple? I mean, I figure you'd miss living with Morgana but that seems like an extreme way of making up for that.

( ren doesn't miss a beat. )

How long do you think I can get away with it until people notice I'm just trying to become a cat myself?

( he says it with such a straight expression that anyone who doesn't know him probably couldn't tell if he was joking or if they were talking to an actual furry. there's a break when he chuckles though, biting into his own pastry. )

Nothing could replace Morgana, though. I wonder if he's here somewhere... ( he looks off to the side, distracted by the thought, as if wondering this aloud could summon their little cat guide to the middle of the mall. this doesn't happen though, to his disappointment, and he turns his attention back. ) Did you know Ryuji and Futaba are here, too?

( not that he's been able to catch them long enough to talk properly like this yet. )

[Honestly, even knowing him as she does, Ann still needs a moment to process that first comment because she's not sure she would actually put it past him to try something like that.]

You know, I'm starting to think Morgana was a bad influence on you. I'm not sure you'd fit in a bag, though...but if you do try, I'm nominating Ryuji to carry you.

[Hey, it makes sense, he's the muscle of the group, right? Far more so than Ann is, at least.

And speaking of...]

Yeah, I've spoken to them already. And to...um...Someone else. Someone else we both know.

[Who is not an actual Phantom Thief. She's curious if he's aware of Akechi being here too, though she knows he has good reason not to mention him.]

I can't believe I bought you a pastry and you're just going to subject cat-me to a stinky gym sock bag without batting an eye.

( his playful, feigned shock is usurped by concern when the expression on her face shifts to something more uncertain. ren already knows, but her hesitance solidifies his assumption, and he answers more casually than she probably expects. )

Akechi. Yeah.

( uh, yeah. another bite as he shrugs, playing off the nerves he can feel sparking in his gut because he doesn't want to worry her. he does step a little closer though, lowers his voice, his shoulder barely brushing hers as he tips his head down so the light glares off his lenses. )

He didn't seem all that surprised to see me alive. I'm not sure what to think about it. ( it's not that he's pissed akechi is here or anything, but he wasn't exactly. nice. to him either. a bullet as good as drilled in his head should make his stance on goro akechi firm and decisive, but his feelings on the matter are as complicated as ever.

when he lifts his head to look at her, his eyes are visible again. )

What did you talk about?

Well unless you're planning on shrinking, you wouldn't fit in any of my bags.

[Even a gym bag would be a push. Either way, it feels natural to joke around with him, something normal even in a place like this.

As is, much as she would prefer otherwise, hushed discussion about Akechi. She's not sure what to make of his tone, much of the surprise she might have felt dampened by the conversation she'd had with Akechi and the information that had surfaced as a result.

She's still not sure she's the person for this conversation. But it may well be that she doesn't have a choice.]

Well. He explained a few things about how this place works. Like about the fact that the last thing I remember isn't the same as the last thing you remember. Which...kind of explains why seeing you alive isn't such a surprise to him as you think it should be.

[Because as far as she's aware, Ren is the furthest behind any of them.]

Not to say I completely trust him. But...we found out a little more, between what you remember and what I do. At least, if he was honest about what the last thing you remember is.

( ren listens with interest, the uncertainty etched into his features gradually shifting into confusion, and then concern. he had planned to talk to akechi, because if nothing else he had always been a wealth of information, but now he's thinking he should have done it a lot sooner. at first he's looking at ann like she's just sprung a second head, but comprehension seeps in eventually. )

You mean...we were taken from different points in time?

( that's insane, actually. he knows akechi is full of shit but it's a crazy scenario to make up, and if he chooses to believe it, more things click into place. even if just as many start to form hairline cracks. )

It takes a lot to really surprise me these days, but that's...wow, haha. ( he grins a little wryly, rubbing the heel of his palm against his forehead, like he's trying to work this information to fit into his head ) The others kept talking about how I've been here before, but I don't remember. Now I'm wondering if that was even me at all.

( because, if he takes it a step further: what if they're not only from different points in time, but different timelines entirely? that's a fucking boatload of worms he doesn't really want to get into, because then he has to worry about two anns to get back to, and not just the one beside him right now.

anyway, if seeing him alive isn't a surprise, that still doesn't really tell him where akechi is in all this. there's a best case scenario, and a worst one, with pretty much no middle ground. )

The last thing you remember... ( ren exhales, goes quiet for a moment, as if debating whether he really wants to ask. then, a small smile as he raises his pastry, taps it gently against hers. ) I'll share if you do.

( only if she wants to, he means. )

[She's not surprised by the look she gets for what she says. She imagines it's not so dissimilar to the expression on her face when Akechi had shared that snippet of information with her. True, it could still have been a lie but it seemed like a stretch that even Akechi would have made something up about that.

She can only nod at his question, letting him work through the thoughts he has to try to make sense of it all. As far as any sense could be made, at any rate.]

I know, it's kind of a lot to think about. From what he told me, almost all of us are from different times, except possibly me and Ryuji.

[She hasn't thought to confirm it with Ryuji so far, honestly. As for the rest, it confirms her suspicions that perhaps it hadn't been wise of Akechi to leave it to her to fill Ren in on what he'd missed.

But she'll try, for Ren's sake if nothing else.]

It was December 24th, for me. I'd say more but if Akechi wasn't lying, it wouldn't mean much to you and it's not really a conversation for out here.

[It's something she'd want to sit down and talk about properly, away from possible eavesdroppers.]

( surprise flickers through his eyes and he's quick to respond with his own date. )

December fourth. What a birthday present, huh?

( happy seventeenth kid, hope you like waking up in a metal cocoon. he laughs softly to make light of it, the best he can do when it's clear this is a heavy subject and it's weighing on her. )

So we're not actually that far apart after all, but considering what we were in the middle of...I'm guessing a lot more happened than I realize. You're right though, it's not something to get into right now.

( even though he has a hundred questions - did they succeed in beating the clock? with shido? with ryuji and ann on possibly the same page - even akechi - he's feeling markedly out of the loop, but if they're all alive then? maybe things haven't gone as badly as they could have. if they are indeed from the same timeline.

regardless: changing the subject. the last thing he wants to do right now is grill her with funky time-questions, not when he's still riding the high of ann takamaki even being here. )

Because, more importantly, you've only got a month before they boot you out of the Commons. You kind of have to hit the ground running here. Have you gotten a job yet?

Oh huh. So you're more caught up than I thought, at least.

[She's not sure why she expected differently and not that it really matters, in the grander scheme of things. He's still missed a lot surrounding Shido and his Palace, which means eventually they'll need to talk- but not right now.

Right now, there are more immediate concerns.]

Not yet. I know I need to find something but I haven't figured out where to start, yet. What do you do?

[Not that it'll help her but it does mean she'll know where to pester him at work.]

( the last of his pastry is popped into his mouth as he listens to her. )

You can follow my example and just stick to what you're good at - aka I'm at Jardin Verdoyant in Attleton and the Cat's Eye Cafe here in Genessia. Flower shop and a cat cafe. ( a glance away as he messes with his fringe. ) That's where I'm staying, at the moment.

( ren amamiya: finally gets the funds to purchase a decent apartment. chooses to live in another cafe instead. )

Well, I guess that's familiar for you, though? Only instead of Sakura-san you've got more cats.

[She's not sure how that trade-off works, really, but she can't say she's surprised.]

Honestly, modelling was my first thought. I'm just a bit worried that I won't be able to do so well without my parents' names meaning something.

[It's not something she's been unaware of, and she knows she hasn't had to work as hard because of it. Even her more recent efforts she knows aren't completely unaffected by her parents' influence.]

I kind of miss him breathing down my neck when I make coffee though.

( ren chuckles. he hopes sojiro is doing all right back in there world, and that he's not going to be in...too much trouble. for not closing up the shop for like, a month now. maybe he shouldn't be in such a rush to go back and face that wrath.

at ann's modeling suggestion, he smiles, nodding in agreement, but her doubt pulls a soft snort out of him. )

C'mon, what kind of example are you setting with an attitude like that? Isn't this the same Ann who promised Shiho and Mika she was going to be the number one model around?

( he nudges her shoulder with his, just a little. )

You'll be great.

I'm sure someone would be happy to take over that role.

[Though she knows it wouldn't be the same. Sojiro was someone they'd all grown fond of over the time they'd gotten to know one another, when he'd proved himself willing to protect a bunch of kids wanting to do the right thing - not to mention all he'd done for Futaba.

Her smile turns a little sheepish at his reminder of what she'd sworn back home, something that she'd forgotten for how overwhelming this new place was right now.]

I mean, that's true, I did. I guess it's just a little daunting having to start over again.

Hopefully it won't be for too long... ( his shoulders hunch in a little, not so much a shrug as it is that hunched over look he has when he walks sometimes, to make himself smaller ) not gonna lie, I was pretty unsure of myself too when I got here ( it takes him a moment to allow a genuine little smile, a soft look of relief ) but then I found out you guys were here too, and when we're all together--

( we can do anything might be the terribly cheesy thing that's about to spill from his mouth, but he catches himself at the last moment, as if a thought just struck him. ren laughs quietly at himself and cages his forehead in his hand. )

Together. Right. ( duh. of course. he lower his arm and looks to ann again. ) Hey, I just came up with something. Are you interested in a potentially stupid idea?

( i mean, when have any of their ideas not fallen squarely into that category... )

Huh. I would never have thought that. I guess you always have been pretty good at playing it cool.

[Whereas she has made no secret of the fact that the only reason she's not freaking out about all of this is because most of her friends are here and she knows she can depend on them.

Akechi, not so much. But she'll take him over potential threats she doesn't know.

She cocks her head to the side as he mentions coming up with something interesting, and she can't help but tease in response.]

That depends. Are we talking Ryuji stupid, Yusuke stupid or you and Makoto stupid?

[Which usually means not stupid at all, at least in comparison.]

It's an entirely new brand of stupid.

( he stops walking, and it ann stops with him, he'll take a little breath before he tells her: )

What if, when you get the modeling up and going, we got a place together? ( pause. he hopes she doesn't think he's like. uh. ) Not like...ah, you know...it just might be easier to figure this place out, if we try to stick together.

( his gaze flicks away. HE'S SURE ANN KNOWS HE DOESN'T MEAN IT. IN SOME ULTERIOR WAY. but it doesn't strike him how awkward it'd feel to bring it up until it's actually out of his mouth - he'snever lived with anyone but his parents and then he upgraded to a cat. but he does think it's a good idea. )

Um, so ( fiddling with his fringe ) is it stupid?

[Ann does stop, if only because she's almost intrigued at to what this brand of stupid is all about. Even if she hadn't, she'd have stopped at the rest because that is a question with many layers attached.

That said, it's Ren. Someone else and she might have questioned their motives but she's comfortable around him enough that she can trust he doesn't mean anything strange by it - heck, if she could trust spending the night in the same room as him, Ryuji and Mishima in Hawaii, is this really such a big step from there?

And besides. She's not used to living entirely alone, even if she is used to being away from parents. This is a little different, but it may also serve another purpose down the line if the Phantom Thieves need a base again.

And so she shakes her head, smiling softly.]

Not at all. I mean, if you're okay with it and assuming we can afford somewhere big enough.

[No sharing-same-bedroom this time around.]

( ren isn't exactly a coloring book of emotions, but relief is easy enough to read when his guard down. that, and, smiles - which ann is a more-frequently-than-most recipient of when it comes to him. )

I'm okay if you're okay.

( living together! it's. terrifying. but also a little exciting and definitely the - despite his earlier comment - smart thing to do. he wants them to stick together, as much as possible, and with her agreement lightening his demeanor, ren finds it in himself to joke again. )

I don't think space will be an issue. Put me in the closet.

You're not living in a closet.

[Joke or not, Ann's not going to stand for that one. If they're doing this then they need to be fair with it, and especially given that she's aware he'll probably be contributing more towards rent.]

If we're doing this, we do it properly. Even if it means we have to wait.

[In the meantime she can probably figure out something else to tide her over. Not like she doesn't still have most of the month left to save up at least a little.]

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