genessia | GENESSIA PROM!

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GENESSIA PROM!

I - SETUP (12:00pm-5:00pm)

For any and all who agreed to help with the decorations, this would be the time to gather at the Hotel. A large list of assignments will be posted on the wall near the entrance, with duties including but not limited to:

1. Setting Tables, including placement of centerpieces
2. Wall and ceiling decorations, involving a lot of gossamer drapery and lights
3. Preparing the buffet table, with a mixture of hot and cold foods, as well as a separate table at the end for delectable deserts
4. Getting all necessary equipment on stage for the Live Band to perform. Sound Checks may occur throughout.
5. A side dressing room area set up exclusively for those who volunteered to take the time to get ready themselves, including special hair and makeup stations and a large rack to hang their dresses & shoes to change into later

II - HOTEL LOBBY (6:30pm onward)

Cozy and luxurious in its own right, those who arrive before Prom is scheduled to begin will be allowed to lounge in the Hotel Lobby for a spell. Meeting and greeting other early birds and partaking in a select few hors d'oeuvre made available while waiting for the doors to open

III. - PROM PHOTOS!

In the far corner of the lobby, a cute backdrop will be set up, ready for any and all couples/groups/brave souls going stag for the evening to take a memorable photograph! Selfies are welcome throughout, but for those desiring a more professional setup, Hikari Yagami will be on hand for the first and last hours of the night for "official" Prom Photos.

Smile, everyone!

IV - EATING/DRINKING

With a "bar" consisting of 90% nonalcoholic beverages--the remaining ten percent reserved for of age chaperones--and a buffet table spanning the length of the side wall, there will be no shortage of food options that night! Hot pasta dishes, cold sandwiches, fruits, vegetable platters, and a special end section devoted to some of the best sweets Genessia's bakeries have to offer!

Of course, what prom would be complete without the traditional Fruit Bowl Punch? Better get a sip in early, though...because some traditions never die, and it's not like those in charge can keep an eye on that bowl the entire night, can they?

V. - DANCE FLOOR

With a live band (Thank you, Professor!) ready to rock, you'll soon be dancing the night away, under ethereal decorations that will really make you feel like you're dancing among the stars!

In between sets, there will be a DJ spinning a mixture of slow dances, crowd favorites, and songs that'll really get the party rockin' (~~LMFAO style~~).

VI. - CHAPERONES

Because somebody's got to make sure the kids behave.

Hopefully actual adults who can behave themselves.

VII. - MINGLING/MISC.

What other shenanigans could the teens and tweens of Genessia possible get up to? The night is young, and so are they~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ akechi's face morphs from something like awe back to mildly irritable at the jacket comment, all while still eyeballing him. why would the girl (he presumes) also give up her gloves? he knows what it must look like to someone so clueless as to what happened. he's not sloppy, thank you. ]

I'm aware.

[ akechi carefully stands up, taking a sip of that tea before moving to walk beside him. he debates offering an arm, just because that'd be somewhat amusing and that's when he notices this is an open-back dress. and he's following his spine. slight curvature of it - because ren's posture is a little poor, isn't it? he has good skin, there are so few imperfections. he's looking for them. ] Are we sneaking off to forbidden places now? [ he says it with a lowered voice. shh. ]

[ technically, it's trespassing and he could give ren a ticket - if he weren't going along with it. there's a stray thought to push ren off the balcony to see if he's close enough to a cat to land on his feet even in fancier heels than usual. ]

( he's sloppy all right. a hot sloppy mess. that's just ren's type.

if you idiots stare at each any harder your eyeballs are going to fall out of your skulls. )

So am I.

( good, now that they're both aware of their respective outfit upgrades and how very enticing and exposed each other's skin is, let's attempt to move on here because ren needs to focus on being...not a clusterfuck of a human being. he doesn't like it. unlike his companion, he won't even attempt to find flaws on akechi's person - he can already see, very much knows there's nothing overtly imperfect about him. it's part what spelled ren's demise from the very beginning.

he leads them to the edge of the staircase, smoothly slipping into the shadow of a nearby curtain, draped across the wall. )

Yeah. Just like old times. ( ren reaches behind him with his hands, drawing the fabric of the curtain forward to cover both akechi and himself, listening for the passing footsteps of chaperones and fellow attendees. he smirks, lowers his voice, too. ) Or have you forgotten how to sneak around now that you're living the boring life of the law?

( once the coast is clear, he pinches the very edge of akechi's sleeve - doesn't grab, because that's too familiar, but it doesn't matter. it's still much too close, enough that he can feel the tension of muscles through the fabric and through his gloves, pressed against his knuckles. he's trying not to pay attention to that. the loosening of his grip halfway up the stairs could speak of a losing battle. )

Edited (....it was really too long LOL ...also Danger..) 2018-06-01 19:51 (UTC)

[ ren's distracting. it's a cloud over a lot of his other thoughts, which isn't always a bad thing. thinking about ren's attractiveness is a bad thing, though. he's sure of it. it's bad. very bad. and infuriating. how he should be, by all logical reasoning, a mess but he's a mess that's working somehow. there are other things to focus on, like where they're going and why. ren's mind and his thought processes.

akechi follows behind slowly, grinning all the while while he watches him. ren sneaks into a shadow, unnoticed. akechi simply walks over like he belongs, unnoticed, until the curtain is moved to hide him as well. ]

I was at this far longer than you. Sneaking comes in handy on both sides of the law, you know. [ he wags a finger at him lightly, playfully. ] I wouldn't forget.

[ ren's close again but pinching fabric almost daintily, like akechi's skin might burn him if he went for it and just grabbed his arm, even with the gloves on. he'd be offended if he wasn't sure the contact would burn them both. unless ren just went for manhandling and yanking him but that's an entirely different unwelcomed contact. akechi's obediently going along with the slightest tug this contact is providing, following him so closely. looking over his shoulder, a look out. maintain focus. the grip slacks and akechi pulls away several inches away from him before following again. ]

I can already hear the sweet silence of a space free of an unpracticed band.

That's right, you do need to reach a certain level of sneakiness to acquire the Blackmail Your Target skill.

( don't joke like that. humor is his default though, the first wall of defense when distance is breached and he can feel the sigh in his throat when akechi reclaims some after being released from the pinch of ren's fingers. thankfully, the air comes out more as a chuckling sound, softly amused - he might wish their words had been drowned out by shitty flutes and violin when this interaction is over.

the night is crisp and cools the skin over ren's back, a highly exposed area he's quick to turn from akechi's line of sight. he leans against the railing so he can look him face to face. there's some quiet before he speaks, the steadiness of his gaze bearing like a weight upon the bit of distance between them before his voice breaks through it. )

What you said about keeping your enemies close, I don't know if I wanna subscribe to that. It didn't work out too great for me last time. ( they're not friends, exactly. but neither are they enemies, exactly. not here. or so ren would like to think. )

But I'm not going to avoid you either. There are some things I just don't think I can talk to anyone else about but you. No matter what we are, that's the truth of it. I don't know why. It's just how it is.

( his hands slide in along the railing, closer to his waist before his fingers tighten their grip. when his head dips, the glare is briefly lifted from his lenses. )

Please don't make me regret accepting that truth.

( don't make me regret this curiosity. inching over distance that has every right to remain wide and uncrossed. another beat of silence, and then ren folds his arms, absently noting that the soft material of the gloves feels nice against his skin. he exhales through his nose, deep and slow, before averting his eyes. )

You have more than one Persona, like me. That's what I found out from Ryuji. ( right. but akechi knows that. he's known it all along. when ren speaks again, it isn't really accusal, so much as seeking confirmation. ) You already know what I want to ask you about, don't you?

( if they're as similar as he's assuming, then akechi saw it too, directly from his perch far-end and wholly away from the rest of them. every time. )

Not really. Sometimes people conveniently do incriminating things in front of a public building and you happen to have a camera.

[ that's right, phantom thieves. he doesn't always get blackmail material but when he does it's in broad daylight. humor is easy. an ice-breaker. ren responds well to it. he gets the feeling he won't be able to keep it up once deeper words start flowing from their mouths.

there is a slight breeze. ren's facing him and he's looking down at the slightest flow the skirt picks up from it before meeting him eye to eye. the distance becomes a little wider, when akechi chooses not to follow him to the railing.

he lingers back somewhat, standing with enough casualness placed in his posture to not be perfectly straight. hands folded in front of him. smile at the ready. untrained eyes would never pick up how very tense he becomes past this once ren ruins the silence he called sweet. ]

[ didn't work out great for whom? ] You say that like it didn't go according to your plan. [ they never tried to stop him, he still insists in his head. the guards beating and drugging him is highly unfortunate but that wasn't his fault. he wouldn't have wanted them to do that. that's disgraceful.

he says nothing at the next part, because ren is a man of few words and all of it counts. he agrees wholeheartedly. it's that connection akechi has been so sure of. if they can't share with each other then they won't share at all. ]

Denying the truth leads to the biggest regrets of all.

[ steady. it has to be faced and sought out. always always always. he'll never refuse to believe that, even if it hurts. he did it once before and where did it get him? dead. he's lacing his fingers too tightly now. holding his breath. go own then. ask away. he knows you have questions.

he still can't look at him, even while finally asking. sort of asking. he presents it for akechi to give the information himself. he knows what he wants to ask, of course. ]

Two. [ just two personas. he's putting his cards on the table. ] I'm going to ask back, if you don't mind. [ it's confirmation. validation that ren was right to ask. he knows. he saw. every time and the others remained clueless. ren didn't want to speak of it and it would give akechi away at the time to ask, even if he so desperately wanted to.

he lowers his voice, his head canting to the left. questions he's had of his own up until now bubbling to the surface and cracking that expression he put on to brace himself. ren has answers to secrets he's been locked out of. akechi would be more than happy to exchange the ones he has back. ]

Is it an open invitation for you? Is that why you have so many?

( all right, so maybe it wasn't the brightest of ideas to talk about thievery in the middle of the most crowded area in tokyo, but akechi doesn't have to drag them like this. what more could ren expect though, when he's standing over there with his very bare arms and a pose like he had to do it to 'em. )

It didn't. Not really. ( under his skirt, ren is tapping the toe of his shoe against the floor. an impatient, slightly nervous gesture he doesn't realize he's doing. ) Trying to survive a bullet with some crazy Scooby-Doo plan wasn't my first idea. It's just the one we ended up needing.

( i would have preferred everything before that to be true. the smiles, the conversations, that what we built would have meant more to you than your orders. understanding akechi was an enemy had turned his stomach in a way so many other things had, but the disappointment - the anger - it felt much heavier with the weight of everything that came before that understanding. plan a was the hope akechi really would switch sides, the impractical plan he never shared outside of his own heart.

he wishes things could have been different. they work so much better on the same side.

ren looks up from where his attention had fallen off to the side in thought, rounded with interest over this bit of wisdom akechi speaks. it sounds so certain, the type of confidence that comes with personal experience. but he loses the opportunity to seek elaboration when another secret is suddenly uncovered. )

Two... ( his eyes narrow, some mix of doubt and confusion. the former carefully dissipates, as akechi really has no reason to lie to him at this point in the conversation, but only having two...it raises more questions in his mind than answers.

he's still thinking on it, on what that means about akechi's power, his bonds, how things work in comparison to ren's own experience, but at open invitation, he's broken from his musings with a sudden sound. almost like a laugh, but too sharp and with little humor. )

That makes it sound so easy. I had to put a lot of work into getting so many, and I don't exactly get the five-star treatment from anyone in there. The atmosphere makes it seem like it's supposed to be calming, but I always feel like I'm trapped in some blue nightmare. ( his head tilts, opposite way of akechi's ) Are you implying they don't talk to you at all?

[ he knows ren's fidgeting. he can hear it. that tap-tap-tapping against a stone balcony floor in an otherwise silent space. akechi can't see his feet but it's an easy guess when the rest of him isn't budging so much. his own nervous gestures are being restrained but the grip his hands have on each other is tight enough to make knuckles white. ] What happened to plan A, I wonder?

[ when did they all find him out and make a harsh judgement call that he was the bad guy in their minds? how long were they lying to his face? knowing he was being talked about behind his back in a negative sense, while a feeling he's known his entire life, has never been so upsetting before. akechi figured out their plan - the phone, sae's involvement, the cognitive - but how long they've had that plan still eludes him. was it day one they were judging him? what's the excuse of the righteous ones who try to save everyone for not bothering with this one? bastards.

he adjusts his footing slightly, trying to stand straighter than he already is. yes. two. ren seems baffled by it somehow and he doesn't know why. what does that give away about him? akechi gets caught up trying to figure it out, looking at ren with wide questioning eyes until he's laughing. then he switches to glaring in a second. what? ]

I hardly knew they could even speak. [ he unlaces his fingers, waving a hand next to his head and a tone he's incapable of keeping his frustration out of. shaking his head. more than an implication. ] I've tried just about everything and they have always ignored me. I could scream in their face and they won't even blink. Every being, supernatural or not, having a preference for you is quite infuriating, you know. I saw you walk in like your name was listed on that clipboard as a VIP... I would honestly welcome that blue nightmare. It wasn't the prison.

( likewise, ren's gaze is drawn to akechi's hands, the tension that pulls from them all the way up into his shoulders. )

At this point, I guess it doesn't really matter.

( though that glare sends ice down his spine, ren meets it head-on. he's more careful, observant, everything from body language to individual words to their meaning as a whole. the way his brow crinkles is a wordless testament to confusion. it had always been strange to him that he was the only one, that even after the others had awakened to their power, he was still the only one - hearing now that akechi, more similar to him in ways that none of the others are, was still not as aware as him is discouraging. but more than that, ren is piqued by how aggravated he sounds. as if this is something that has been boiling, festering towards ren and only now allowed to bubble over. )

Preference...? ( what is he talking about? ren straightens from the balcony, quiet for a moment as he stares, trying to puzzle out where this sudden emotion is coming from. it's surprising to him that the velvet room attendees would ignore him, but akechi can't seriously be jealous over this? ) A prison is exactly what it is. Literally. ( he holds one hand out, the other touching his chest. ) The man inside told me that room reflected the state of my heart. I saw myself as a prisoner of society, and I needed to be "rehabilitated."

( a quick exhale, as if the word itself frustrates him. he's certainly tired of hearing it. )

To be honest, I don't know if that's really true, but cooperating has always had the better outcome, so I don't question it anymore - he never gives me answers that aren't cryptic word-salad anyway.

( ren pauses in his explanation, thinking on what akechi said about being blatantly ignored. it was the exact opposite for him, dragged there and thrown into a journey he didn't ask for. he fought it at first, but it's as he said, cooperating is really the only choice he has and he doesn't regret it. that room, the voice in his head, they guide him; they've led him to his power, his own path, and his friends.

but akechi... )

But if it is true, and you aren't allowed inside... ( his hand falls slowly to his side, fingers curling into his palm as his voice lowers, the corner of his eye watching akechi carefully. ) Even if you say you've tried to speak to them, maybe...maybe the problem is because your heart is closed. ( ren lifts his head with a little more confidence, though his tone remains quiet. )

They can't help you because you won't let them.

[ no. of course he's not going to tell him what it was. ]

You're right. Nothing really matters anymore. [ with a sigh. it doesn't. it really doesn't and yet he's still trying to get every little detail about it. just more fuel to the fire when every choice was already made. then they'll leave here and forget gaining any understanding of him. rinse. repeat. it doesn't matter. he still shot the guy in the head.

ren's the favorite. ren, drugged beyond belief and by no means trustworthy, could convince sae niijima of something he, someone she sees at work every single day, openly hinted at. someone would had a cat guide him through a place he had to traverse alone. who gained friends so easily with similar backgrounds while akechi was surrounded by people and couldn't get a single one to say hello first. he got a criminal record and gained a loving family unit out of it. and yet ren seems surprised even supernatural twins like him better. everything handed to him.

the tension is obvious and the glare remains. he ends up folding his arms again, clenching his jaw once when ren talks about the prison like it's this horrifying environment. eerie, yes. it's terrifying but it's also one of the only places in the world someone seemed to believe he was capable of accomplishing something.

apparently not. ]

That man must have lied to me if that prison is reflecting your heart. To think I was being fooled even there... [ that actually really hurts. why would it do that? he doesn't ease up on glaring, does it more actually, but further confusion is put behind it and he stops aiming it directly at ren. almost looking right past him and trying to wrap his mind around the meaning behind it. was he given up on so they grabbed someone new? just like that? or was there something else going on?

ren was pulled in and cooperates because there isn't much of a choice. while akechi desperately grasped at smoke and was refused. tried harder. and harder. and harder. driven by jealousy and anger and denied everything. he has to work for it all. he's powerful but it's this destructive force and ren keeps being handed things he never asked for so he's...not. why would- ]

Shut up! That's not it. [ a sharp snap out of his thoughts. the focus shifting back to ren completely. ren's tone remains quiet. akechi gets louder. it's an immediate defensive denial of the suggestion. that would imply it's his fault. having a closed heart. ren thinks him heartless. how dare he. ]

You can't refuse help that's never offered in the first place. What is behind that thought process? Do they tell you to welcome everything in with open arms?

( akechi's response stings more than ren expected. he almost feels guilty, like he's watched something slip through his fingers without any real effort to hold it. it bleeds through, it becomes tension, and ren is as thrown by the hairline cracks in akechi's mask as he is drawn to them. his mouth parts, he shakes his head. )

I don't know all the details - he could have been lying to both of us.

( the way akechi raises his voice is sparking memories. he'd say he's never seen him like this but he has, hasn't he? or rather, the other him, in that room. he was yelling just like this. why is he so angry? )

That's not what I'm saying. ( he takes one step away from the balcony, eyes narrowed. ) When I got pulled in there, it was because I wanted something to change. I was angry - at everything - and I wanted to change, I wanted to be someone who could make a difference. I didn't ask to be taken there, but once I stopped fighting the opportunity, I found my path.

( his hands come up - carefully. so, so carefully. for all intent and purposes, this is a creature he hasn't dealt with. akechi's voice is so raw with emotion it makes his heart pound. )

What I'm saying is...I'm not sure you know what you want. I'm not even sure you know who you are, since you want so many people to believe in different versions of you. All that confusion - that's what closes your heart.

( ren cants his head; even as he speaks, it's like he's in the process of discovering more, watching what akechi does next, what he will say. this isn't one of his tv interviews and ren isn't one of his fans, he's not going to placate or sugar-coat what he thinks - lies are what got them into this disaster in the first place. )

What happened to denying the truth leads to the biggest regrets?

[ the cracks are like when something hot tries to escape confinement. steam bubbling out in increasing volume until the entire thing finally gives in an explodes. this is so frustrating. everything lies. no exceptions. things are rotten. ]

I'd like to think at least one of us was being fed a truth or the implications behind it seem sinister. [ that's unfair. it's really unfair and knowing changes nothing now. ren takes a step away from the balcony. akechi's eyeing the railing with that sharp glare like he wants to either jump off it or throw ren over it because the only other exit are the stairs behind the door his back is to - back in a crowded room. ]

I was angry too. Everything was wrong. I wanted to change things too... But I wasn't told I could be "rehabilitated." I was told something else. I never fought it. [ he puts his eyes back to ren, watching his hands raise. watching them. the gloved hands. ren's wearing the gloves right now. akechi's hands are bare and currently pale from how balled up they've become at his sides, nails digging into his palms. entire posture tense. everything is tense. ]

Don't give me that shit. You do the same thing! You say and do what would be most acceptable for the person in front of you, don't you? You become what the person wants. It has to be the best version of you. You understand, right? [ he's pointing at himself, jabbing himself in the chest with a finger. ] They don't want you. They never have. So why is it different? Why am I the one locked out, huh? Why is everything given to you?

[ it's emotional. it's very emotional. there's no charming smile behind any of it. he doesn't think he's lying to himself about this.maybe he's projecting but he doesn't think he is. they're both rejects and yet ren gets all the acceptance and nobody put a hand out for him. ren's trying to get under his skin again, right? ]

( it isn't until akechi points it out that ren realizes how strange that really is. if it is his heart, why would akechi have seen the same thing? cooperating with igor hasn't led him astray yet, but there has always been something unsettling that kept ren from fully trusting the man regardless. even the tiny wardens who abuse the shit out of him have more of his confidence. they're blunt, but they don't lie, and sometimes it seems to ren that they throw glances towards their master filled more with fear or uncertainty than any real reverence.

sinister is an alarmingly apt word for it. )

They do, don't they...

( ren could almost feel relief at finally being able to talk about these things, could almost feel stupid for putting it off because he was afraid of knowing akechi. but shreds of gratitude or relief are burned out of mind by a gradually raging flame of misunderstanding, confusion. what the hell is akechi talking about? angry about what? wanted to change what? from the very start, akechi was on the opposite side - the side that had been winning for years until the phantom thieves threw a wrench in its system.

ren is never angry outward, at least not out of costume. but akechi's insistence that they're the same, jab after jab at who he is, ren can feel his hackles rise. his fists mirror akechi's. )

I'm always myself. I don't let other people's opinion of me feed into what I do or who I am. I don't become what anyone wants. I don't care if the world hates me for it, I'm always me.

( what is this? where is it coming from? akechi is taking it all so personally and ren doesn't understand but this accusation that everything comes easy for him is really pissing him off. )

Given to me?! ( ren doesn't get loud, but he's loud now. a dangerous flash in his eyes. ) You're the one who's full of shit! Was it easy for me when I got thrown out of my house?! When you put me in a fucking room with those assholes and got me drugged out of my mind, with my face beat in?! When you tried to shoot me in the head?! What the hell do you think I -

( abruptly, his mouth presses shut. ren folds his hands over his eyes, under his glasses, releases an exhale that's all heat through his mouth.

this isn't working. this isn't what he wanted out of this. defaulting to enemies - akechi said it was fate, but ren knows it will only be that way if he allows it to be.

it's a moment before he speaks again, without moving his hand. almost seeming more to himself, a reminder. )

I said I wasn't going to avoid you.

( none of him. that means the ugly parts, too, despite how much ren just wants to pull a ryuji and deck akechi in the face, he doesn't want to go down that path. he can't control what akechi will do, but he can control what he does.

and what he does is lower his hand and take two solid steps forward, close enough to grab akechi's wrist. )

No more yelling. ( he can't quite look up from where his hand is, but there's a steady command in the way he draws akechi back with him, slowly, step by step. he sinks down on a nearby bench. )

Sit here with me.

[ oh, how desperately he wanted someone to talk to about it all. to have someone not automatically assume he was going mad. he wonders if that's why ren kept it from the rest of them. the blue room is just too far-fetched even knowing all that they do because they can't see the door. people rarely understand what they don't see. he doesn't regret mentioning it. not at all. but it doesn't make it any less infuriating to find out it too, may have simply been toying with him.

he can practically feel his blood boiling. that gut-wrenching feeling that makes loki want to break everything in retaliation.

ren's just... fueling it further. he doesn't understand why this would bother him so much. why he, too - maybe moreso, had a right to be angry. to want things to change. ren rarely gets angry. he doesn't even think he was actually mad when he was fighting him after he snapped at them all. he doesn't think he's seen him truly mad and full of as much hate as he can be. there's a spark. ]

Why wouldn't you care!? Why would not giving a shit make people like you? [ why is it working out. why do tiny wardens look up at him while, despite being shorter, look down on goro akechi with something like pity?

ren being loud catches him off guard and he actually takes a step back, though the rest of him is standing ground. he doesn't remove his eyes. doesn't turn away. but he did take a step back out of ...fear, maybe. ren doesn't yell and he doesn't actually want to fight him again. not really. he will. but he doesn't want to, even if he might throw the first stone out of anger.

he has an argument back for one of those things. that he didn't make those cops do that. they were never supposed to go that far or even do anything. he was to dispose of them too. hell, he did. the rest of it though... nothing stopped him from shooting him in the head. having parental figures give up on you is one of the worst feelings in the world, even if it worked out for ren in the end. still, he can yell back.

but ren stopped himself before retaliation happened, probably unnecessarily harsh retaliation. he's left fuming and tightly wound and watching ren with utter confusion that he cut himself off.

he could still avoid him if he wanted. two steps forward. akechi takes another one back but wasn't far enough to not get grabbed. there's a knee-jerk reaction where he pulls back - but not enough for the grip to lose him. it's like someone slapped him across the face and he's stunned. ]

Hurt your voice without as much practice at it? [ joking again, because he has no idea what else to make of this. it's a shaky tone, made of flames slowly dying out. something in the way he's being moved tells him he shouldn't pull back again or he'll never gain his answers. he's moving along with it before he decides if he wants them.

and sits. slouched. hunched over his knees and staring distantly at the floor and taking slow breaths to calm down further. no more yelling. ]

( goddamnit, ren cracks a smile, though his free hand comes up over his mouth to smother it. he could ask the same about akechi, really. "cheery celebrity schoolboy" and "sparkly attention-seeking prince" are the only octaves he knew akechi's mouth to be capable of producing. despite quieting down, the thrill of it still has his blood pumping. it isn't that he wants to see akechi in such a state, but the honesty of it was different from anything ren had seen from him before - in some fucked up way, it's preferable to the plastic smiles. )

Maybe I should have picked louder songs at karaoke.

( softly, just responding to respond rather than any real attempt at being funny. his hand comes down to his lap, the other still wrapped around akechi's wrist, a cuff to keep him from running. distantly, he's glad for the gloves. )

Something is strange here. No matter what we assume about each other, we're not getting to the truth unless we talk about it rationally. ( tentative fingers peel from akechi's skin one by one, hovering briefly before moving to his shoulder. ren leans forward, enough that he knows he's at least in akechi's peripheral. )

I'll listen to you.

( because it seems like something akechi needs, and it's a privilege ren himself has always been denied. he squeezes akechi's shoulder encouragingly before pulling his hand back, brushing his skirt to the side. )

What did Igor say to you?

[ akechi lets out a little sound that's almost a laugh, hanging his head even further to hide any minor smile that may have drawn out. stupid humor. ren said it so softly but the imagery of him screaming into a microphone at karaoke is amusing. they're so much better at meaningless dialogue.

there's a pause and he turns his head to watch ren's fingers peel away past hair in his face. ]

You're right. Both that it's terribly unusual and that a rational approach is best. If you need to further elaboration on anything, I won't hide the truth from you. I will assume this is mutual.

[ he picks himself up, straightening his spine and trying to be more composed than he had been there. the hand on his shoulder keeps him from trying to be pristine about it though. it's casual. like sitting on one of the leblanc stools instead of straight up during an interview. that shouldn't be as comforting as he finds it. nor should the confirmation that he'll simply be listened to.

it's almost pathetic how easily that touches his core. it's probably all over his face, the way he stares again with a softened expression. confused still. surprised. he puts his head back down quickly, nodding. ]

Thank you. [ for listening? ren just wants his answers too but-

it's just polite to say thank you. he tells himself that's all. ] Is that his name? He hardly introduced himself or the location. [ such a short visit. he looks to ren, speaking thoughtfully as he recalls, but in a way that's clear his remembers every second of it even if he doesn't say it all. even if he's paraphrasing. he's mulled this over since it happened. it stuck with him. it was a motivation. ] There was little explaining. None of my questions were answered but he justified my anger, as I'm sure he did for you. I was caged from birth. The ones imprisoning others would need to be removed in order to ever be free. The world would be renewed without the corrupt and true justice could finally be reached.

( the instinct to doubt akechi is strong enough that ren has to put a conscious effort into tempering it. that soft expression helps, the way akechi nods and thanks him like ren is going out of his way somehow. it's too reminiscent of those quieter, more vulnerable moments ren has caught him in, to the point that something painful squeezes in his chest. but rather than asking more, he listens as he promised, not making assumptions about him like he did before.

his brow knits with some confusion once akechi finishes. it is, in some ways, very similar to what ren was told, but the verbiage seems harsher. more final. )

The Velvet Room. At least, that's the name I was given, along with the claim that it was a reflection of the state of my heart. ( he raises his hand, palm down, and tilts slightly to one side, then tilts it the other way - a balance. ) He said the Velvet Room is a place between dream and reality, and the ones who show up there have made some sort of "contract." ( his hands falls back to his lap with a short laugh. ) It all sounds so corny saying it out loud like that.

( none of it ever sounded real, but more than enough evidence has piled to convince him by now and it makes that word akechi used earlier - sinister - feel more weighted. )

Renewed...he left that part out of mine. ( his hand comes to his chin as he thinks back on what exactly igor told him. he's certain it had felt more...avoidable than what akechi is describing. ) He said that I was heading for destruction, and the only way to avoid it was to reform myself and fight against the world's corruption. That's how I could rehabilitate myself into freedom. I couldn't do it myself though, I was encouraged to find allies, others who felt the same way I did about the world and wanted to change it.

( ren pauses for a moment, caught in his own explanation and thinking quietly on it. then, he turns more towards akechi, a serious expression on his face. )

It sounds like we were given two different goals, doesn't it? ( one of his hands comes out to the side, as if it were half of a scale ) Change ( the other hand, equal distance ) and Rebirth.

[ the way he watches him after he finishes speaking, as he always does, is a sign of akechi checking to make sure he was listening, that he came off clear enough to be processed in his head. it's a habit at this point. ren never shut his conversation out. it's like he absorbs everything, response or not but he could never have been sure that he's he's paying attention completely. maybe he was only listening before because he was waiting for slip-ups.

but this time ren made the choice to tell him he would listen. no one does that. hell, he's talking to himself half the time. or at someone, only for them to turn around and ask what the hell he's saying because only bits and pieces of his lines got through. it's nice, having someone listen. really listen. ]

Not the most creative name. [ because it's colored blue velvet. the man's chair is probably velvet, the fabric. akechi shifts his body, so he's turned to face ren more completely, pulling one of his hands up to his chin in contemplation, mirroring ren without noticing it. ]

Corny on a surface level. But a contract we were unable to actually know every condition of in a place we are unable to control only adds to how concerning it all really is. [ the more he learns, the more it seems as if there was no choice in it for them at all.

ren was given a path he could redeem people on, redeem himself. akechi was told to start everything over with a clean slate. ] Allies were never mentioned. This was a solo mission. He was irritated when I tried to make an ally, or rather just ...a connection. He said nothing of it but it would have made the goal harder to achieve.

[ ren's serious expression is met with an echo of his own but with a frown added to it. deep. grim. his eyes are lowering momentarily at his own hands before moving back to watch ren's. he holds them equally apart. raised the same height. ]

So... This being met us both and sent us down opposite paths. [ akechi hands are mirroring ren's exactly. only momentarily, one hand higher (change) and the other hand is lowered (rebirth). he speaks clearly but angrily. ] But these goal conflict. There can be no rehabilitation if the punishment is always death and no one can truly start over if the same pieces are always on the board. One of us would have to fail for the other to succeed. [ he drops his hands, one after the other. ]

This sounds like a game. I wonder who he placed his bets on.

( when akechi stopped visiting leblanc, ren had refused to allow himself to linger on missing their conversations. akechi was a liar. a traitor. ren knew he should want nothing to do with him, and that his absence should have been taken as a blessing - finally, that plastic, nosy, fake as hell nuisance who never knew when to shut up was gone. but much like touching your tongue against the raw nerve where a tooth used to be, an absence can be more felt than a presence, and ren learned that soon enough. talking like this now, it draws out all those regretful feelings he'd tempered into quiet. )

You're right. It also makes me wonder if there are others like us, since he seemed to be implying multiple contracts had been made before ours.

( this hurts, because it's so easy. why couldn't they have discussed this before everything went to hell?

the more akechi speaks, the more sense it all makes. yet, more questions bubble inside him. if igor was truly plotting something, or working for something bigger than himself and the little wardens, then why would he have aided to make ren so strong? it hasn't been the easiest journey, but igor and the services of the velvet room have done nothing but benefit him. ren can't say he trusts igor, but he hasn't been given reason to distrust him either - not like akechi seems to have been. why? )

I hope it isn't something so frivolous as a game. People have been hurt by all of this. People have died. ( his hands turn into fists on his lap, and ren stares as if his gaze alone can set them ablaze. ) We were never supposed to talk like this, were we? Your goal contradicts mine - the Thieves' - Igor must have known from the start that cooperation wouldn't last, even if we wanted...

( he trails off, mouth parted as a thought strikes him. ren turns his head, watching akechi with some confusion. )

But...didn't you find an ally? ( he hopes he doesn't have to say the name, and he tries his best to keep the judgment from his voice. curious and cautious, but carefully neutral. ) He knew about the Metaverse, too. You were working for him.

( it's a fact. they all know it. with this new information coming to light, it would make sense, put more pieces in place. but ren doesn't want to accuse him. if akechi says he's being honest, ren will take him at his word, and if akechi wants to explain, then all the better. but he treads carefully. )

You didn't have the same goal?

[ this stings. it stings to have the source of his power be granted with what was most-likely ill intent. that a grand master had him on puppet strings, enabling ideas of revenge. a long-nosed demon pitted him against someone that could have been his friend. the path of destruction ren was warned about was the one akechi was on the entire time. ]

There were other persona users before us, which I've confirmed with some individuals I've met here. Someone like us being among them wouldn't be far-fetched.

[ he could have learned so much and figured it all out. if only they've met sooner. it'd all be so fascinating and exciting if he wasn't so royally screwed over by it. ren spoken to this being far more than he has. the mystery could still be solved. perhaps ren could do something about it.

"people have died" and akechi's gaze is averted again. off to the side somewhere. momentarily, he bites the corner of his lip in further thought. ] Probably not. Conversing would give it away and we'd either both stop or coordinate towards the same ends, right? Perhaps we could have even overth-

[ his full attention snaps back in an instant as if ren's question was a cattle-prod that suddenly shocked his entire system. there's nothing kind about his expression. the hands that dropped are balled up on his lap. he went very still. ] No. [ sharp and immediate. to shut down ren's entire line of questioning down there. ]

I didn't find an ally. You don't know anything about that. That man was never going to approve my goals.

( there's so much here to take in that ren isn't sure what to focus on. there are more persona users? potentially even like them? where are they? where were they this whole time? fifty more questions to ponder and enough to distract him from the way akechi suddenly averts his eyes, until ren asks his next question and the air between them entirely shifts with one word.

akechi's demeanor, the tone of his voice, all of it changes and ren almost jumps to his feet in some reactive form of self-preservation. almost. he manages to still himself, to keep his surprise to stiffening in the shoulders, a confused and careful stare. )

...You're right. ( his hand lowers to the bench, flattening between them as he holds akechi's eyes with his own, despite how urgently his body is trying to insist this has become a fight or flight ordeal ) The only thing I know with 100% certainty about Masayoshi Shido is that he's a shithead. ( he says it...so plainly. just a fact out there. ) I don't know what his motivations are, or how he found the Metaverse. I don't know why you were working for him.

( quiet. his voice lowers. )

Do you want to tell me?

( he knows it's a loaded question. akechi has his secrets and for ren, of all people, to ask him to spill them...he must know it will look bad if he refuses. even though offering him the choice is precisely the reason ren chooses the word want and not simply demanding to be given explanations here. no matter what the answer is, akechi loses. ren is aware of that.

so regardless of akechi's response, ren will interrupt him. )

I won't make you. You've already told me a lot.

( ren isn't smiling, but the honesty is there. there's a beat of silence where his fingers curl into his skirt, where his head tips forward a little so akechi can see he means no harm. )

I'm grateful that I could talk to you about all this.

[ he's been asking the same questions. where were they back in their own world? why didn't they interfere? it's been a theory that either all or the majority of their predecessors had perished and the ones that knew them had been too grief-stricken to attempt using their abilities ever again. something like that. perhaps igor just removes them once he's done with them, if they don't die trying to accomplish their goals. it's worth bouncing theories off of ren more at another time.

right now, every nerve of his went on high alert. one of the biggest cons of his entire operation was having to pretend to be on shido's side. ren assuming he was 100% for it is a hurtful insult, even if at the time he's from he might be justified for the thought. ]

He is, in fact, a shithead. [ yes. agreed. he agrees with a dull blunt voice.

the question ren asks is not one in his favor. stating his doesn't want to implies he'd rather keep all of his secrets, despite the contradiction of what he said moments ago that he wouldn't lie about things. telling ren is revealing far too much for probably nothing in return. it's an unfair question. "want" puts it in his hands, taking every blame and responsibility for asking it off of ren. it only makes akechi the asshole.

the only reply to it that ren was about to receive is him pointing out how unfair the question is but he's cut off before words leave his mouth again. ]

I appreciate not being forced into revealing all of my personal information in one sitting. [ dick. still, ren's being a little honest. he's genuinely appreciative he could speak about any of this and the feeling appears to be mutual. it eases the tension consuming his body. ]

Not having anyone to speak to about such things is ... difficult. I'd like to speak of this again sometime. [ he looks out behind them, the balcony again. it's not all that high up, really. ]

( adhering to a cumulative pattern, akechi's answer only fodders more confusion. he was working for a man he apparently did not care for, with a goal that differed from his own? it's no wonder ren looks at him like akechi has suddenly sprouted a second head. were they actually using each other to reach their respective means end?

...if they were using each other, were they aware of it at all?

ren's mouth parts as if to ask, but closes when akechi refuses to indulge him in that particular matter further, just barely masking his ire at ren's insinuations. there's a huff that expels from ren's chest, a sound caught between amusement and exasperation, before ren elbows him delicately in the side. )

Is that that new thing called sarcasm?

( bitch. you're the one that offered in the first place. ren isn't truly bothered by it though; as much as his reservations towards akechi continue to outline their interactions, he really does prefer this to the sticky smiles. it makes him feel like he can breathe around akechi a little easier.

actually, a lot of this has raised the weight from his shoulders, some he wasn't even aware he'd been carrying. )

Yeah... ( in response to it being difficult, to talking like this again. he's distracted when he says it, staring off between the bars of the balcony - reminiscent of that room, in a way. ren turns his head from it and reiterates with more focus, more certainty. ) I'd like that.

( he smiles, just a little, focused on the way akechi isn't focused on him. )

I do have one more question, if that's all right.

[ there could be answers, at some point. if ren pressed, maybe he'd feed a little more information. but not all of it. akechi certainly isn't ready to tread down that path of conversation. neither of them probably are. it's still something haunting him in the background of most thoughts, filling his head with doubts about his entire reason for living up until a certain point. shido, the person who cast an overbearing shadow on him from day one, still has an unfortunate hold on him because he had to go without any closure.

he knows ren wants to ask, everything about his expression to the way he's letting a breath go says he wants to ask. but he isn't and he can only appreciate him for not doing so. now isn't the time.

he elbows him back on reflex. but it's a straight jab. a clear hey, don't shove me. the collective history of being incidents of being elbowed in the side resulted in ren's version of it an anomaly by being completely harmless. it registers right after that this is one of those friendly gestures he's been neglected of experiencing properly and now he's gone and elbowed ren under the ribs. so much for breathing easier. one step forward. two steps back.

he raises his hands apologetically after retracting his arm, surprised expression and nervous laughter accompanying the gesture. ] Ah. Sorry...

[ he can salvage this. akechi starts sheepishly clearing this throat. LET'S PRETEND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. ]

It's fine. Feel free to ask away.

( what the fuck.

the immediate instinct is to retaliate, but ren staves that urge off, tempering it down to a grimace and holding his side. you see? this is exactly why he doesn't make a habit of touching people. he seems intent on shifting away until akechi apologizes, and though ren looks more put-off than actually mad, the crinkle in his brow does smooth out some at akechi's laughter. he exhales through his nose, can't quite work all of the grimace out of his smile, but he is smiling when he gestures behind them, over the balcony where faint, poorly played music drifts over. )

Do you dance?

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