[ It's a stupid idea, and that's exactly what Ren excels at.
Maybe the place has finally gotten to him; maybe months on months of slowly ratcheting stress and, oh you know, the fate of the world balancing on his knife's edge has got Ren feeling reckless in a time that he can afford to be anything but. Maybe the dream has gotten to him. Ren certainly doesn't sleep as well as he used to, fractured and tattered as it was by visions of velvet blue, or manic, bizarre pseudo nightmares featuring a giant Makoto crushing him and the rest of the thieves under her fist for flunking midterms.
If weird dreams were all Ren had to worry about, he'd be better off for it, that's for sure. Instead he's spending the last month of his sixteenth year on this planet trying to psyche himself up to fight another person he'd considered a good friend. He's two for two on that front.
As might be expected, Akechi never strays far from his thoughts, prickly as the former detective prince makes himself. A constant burr in the thieves' socks, a harsh reality check that cuts at the temptation toward the softer options for dealing with Maruki, and truthfully? Ren is grateful. The path has never been so fraught with misgivings, and... well, everyone can say that they are of a mind, that they're on the same page, but even inside the Palace Ren feels the tremulous strings of doubt sing on the air. Sometimes they're his own.
And sometimes... sometimes, it finds him boarding a late train, heedless of the service times, bouncing his knee, elbow balanced upon it, phone in hand, a great red eye blinking up at him in digital flicker.
It's a stupid idea. He still needs to be told so.
He opens the message history with Akechi. ]
I know you apparently don't do social calls now that you aren't priming the honey pot, but I'm heading off to Mementos. If you feel like cutting loose in an environment without judgey fashion senses, ig.
[Goro Akechi is bored. While not having to do the whole song and dance of the social elite is very liberating, he has found himself with much more spare time in this world created by that fool. This has, of course, made him think more, and brought up questions of his own. The fact he can't remember much between that fight on Shido's palace and when he awoke near Christmas leaves him with one conclusion...and he wants out if it's what he thinks it is. He will never be someone's puppet again.
And if his theory is right, he hates him. He'd be more than ready to kill Maruki if it comes down to it. Fate made it (sadly) not his choice. In the end, the spotline seems to be square on Ren and Ren alone, and wither he knows it not, the fact he's around at all does seem to be eating up his rival inside. To Akechi's greatest annoyance. He had made him promise, but Ren's softness could easily be used against him. All the more to keep watch outside of the Cafe when both Maruki and Ren are supposed to meet.]
[But now, a distraction, it seems. Akechi isn't the only one with wandering thoughts.]
[The fact that it was a private message to him and not to the Phantom Thief groups speaks a lot more than the invitation itself. Maybe that's why he's willing to go along with such an idea even if he thinks it is careless and stupid.]
You would be the type to foolishly do this at this time of the day and this close to the calling card. Well, one could say it is a good time as any to be prepared. Granted, I am not one of those. However, I could use the carnage...
[ Ren watches the chat bubble animate with a wry tilt to his mouth. Don’t have anything better to do? Might’ve surmised as much but if it isn’t for a trip to the Metaverse or Penguin Sniper, Akechi rarely seems to have the time or interest. Or, he projects the impression. Ren isn’t one to judge on the merits of avoidance tactics when he wears one on his face.
He pushes the bridge of his glasses up and stuffs the phone back into his coat, satisfied with the quick response. Knowing that Akechi doesn’t like excessive chatter. The Detective Prince sure did, and Ren wouldn’t push those buttons without good reason. Or boredom, one of the two.
A different boredom than what this trip to Mementos is meant to address, for the record. Laying on his uncomfortable bed and poking the bear via text wouldn’t quiet the jittery discomfort buzzing in his veins, filling his head with static. Combat is a different kind of static, one reliant on instinct and the security of experience. Repetition - leap, slash, cast, fire, dodge. All direct. Uncomplicated. The very antithesis of their ultimate mission.
Dutifully winding his way up the maze-like connecting platforms, Ren finishes climbing the stairs that spill out into the station square and leans against the wall, just around the corner from Akechi’s waiting spot. Close enough to speak, the slight fatigue catching up with Ren in the piercing winter air stinging his lungs and eyes. ]
All good to go? We can stop by Iwai’s if you need anything.
[Be it best for Ren to THINK he's a busy man. Akechi likes the illusion of it anyway, far better than him simply walking the city of Tokyo in disappointed boredom, forgotten by most of society.
Again.
He arrives with the winter coat he's been wearing, a few bits of fresh snowflakes from the cold nightfall still clinging to the fabric. Unlike the last few days he has his briefcase again, a sort of nostalgic moment, in a strange way. In reality the reason is a lot more simple.]
No need.
[He clicks it open and removes two small bottles of miracle energy , before handing one to Ren.]
Here. They kept throwing samples to me whenever we went in business meetings. At this rate you might end up falling from exhaustion if you don't drink this.
[It's not the smartest decision to have a caffeinated energy drink so close to bedtime, but then again nothing about this trip spelled 'safety first'. Akechi was merely making sure that Ren stayed alive because if anyone was going to kill him, it was going to be him. Never mind that he had already failed once. Pointless details.]
Did you need something there? Otherwise, we're wasting precious time.
[Akechi needs to hit things like Ren. The faster they can get to mindlessly fighting demons, the better.]
[ The line of Ren's mouth quirks. As far as he knows, Akechi wouldn't be caught dead (no pun intended) openly caring for Ren's wellbeing. Even if it's real, the artifice is endemic to Akechi as a person, so it's presented to Ren under lock and key, inside a vault, secure in a sealed room, hidden in a deep underground bunker set to self-destruct if Ren so much as tries to make eye contact with it. ]
Lucky me.
[ And he wastes no time in cracking the neck open and downing the drink in one go, not unlike the protein shakes when he works out with Ryuji. Maybe not the best idea to do a straight shot of over-the-counter adrenaline thanks to the state of his nerves, but by now Ren has a well-established symbiosis with caffeine that will probably end with him being reincarnated as a coffee bean. Should he be worried about Akechi having had these for several months already? Eh, if the preservatives don't get him the Shadows might.
Shrugging, Ren thumbs open the Metaverse navigation. ]
If you were really worried about a deadline you wouldn't have indulged me, you know.
[ He knows you just want to kill stuff, Akechi. Well, he'll get the chance, Ren casting one more wary look around to ensure no one is pulled into the other world with them before activating the Nav and watching the colors bleed and spill into one another.
Since Maruki's cognition expanded the known boundaries of Mementos Ren couldn't help but notice the tinge sterility searing the air itself that, ironically, only serves to make Ren's skin crawl. Still, Ren sinks back into the comfortable Joker persona and physically feels his heart steady, turning toward Akechi with a slight smile, tugging at the end of one glove. ]
[There's a small, tiny piece of Akechi that smiles inwardly when Ren drinks the bottle, if only to leave himself a note that if he wanted to poison him, it would be far too easy. Which is why he's not doing it right now. Clearly. Don't worry Ren, these things are meant to last years anyway. The power of sugar and caffine and Japanese ingenuity. Akechi takes one of his own. He'll only need to be up later that day anyway. It's fine if he sleeps in...or not at all. It's not like he'll still be around in a few days, if he has anything to say about it.]
Far be it for me to miss out on an opportunity to humiliate you.
[Yes, that's the excuse he's going with. When the swirls subside and he's back into his familiar dark mask outfit. He stretched outwards, the reddish knife-like sword in hand, before taking a swing with it to test its weight. He doesn't really think about how different the place it, more than it simply presents a new challenge.]
[ As if Ren could get any more cosmically humiliated than he already is, trapped in a happy snow globe world and exposed for his dearest wish being the presence of a dead guy that hates his guts. Really rubbing in his weird tastes.
But Ren seems to earnestly consider the parameters of the game, for what it’s worth. One gloved knuckle taps his chin, an honest evaluation jumping to the fore. ]
Hmm. I’d be a little worried for you magic reserves if we go for most; you’re super strong, but those spells are taxing. Maybe largest is the most fair, since we’re both pretty good at single target.
[ This also has the benefit of curtailing Ren’s natural advantage when it comes to flexibility. Loki has raw power in his favor, but Ren’s ability to switch Personas at will could compound its merits exponentially. But at least Ren is offering the option to Akechi - honor among thieves? ]
Once again, you seem to forget that I've been doing this for years compared to you. I know how to fight without using too much of my magic.
[A half-truth in part to hide the fact that Joker sometimes knows him a little TOO well. If anything he would pretend he wasn't tired and fall flat to his face than admit defeat, and they both knew it.]
However, considering tomorrow, the largest does seem to be the most prudent.
[Because clearly this is so Joker keeps his reserves and energy, and certainly not because Crow can't completely keep up.]
Considering we neither have Oracle's guidance, nor Morgana's movement, I'll act as navigator until we reach our targets. Best we don't separate, considering how agressive this place has come as of late. Who knows what we'll run into...
[Very dangerous, but oh-so-thrilling. He spins his blade idly again and stretches out before waiting for Joker to take the lead.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Maybe the place has finally gotten to him; maybe months on months of slowly ratcheting stress and, oh you know, the fate of the world balancing on his knife's edge has got Ren feeling reckless in a time that he can afford to be anything but. Maybe the dream has gotten to him. Ren certainly doesn't sleep as well as he used to, fractured and tattered as it was by visions of velvet blue, or manic, bizarre pseudo nightmares featuring a giant Makoto crushing him and the rest of the thieves under her fist for flunking midterms.
If weird dreams were all Ren had to worry about, he'd be better off for it, that's for sure. Instead he's spending the last month of his sixteenth year on this planet trying to psyche himself up to fight another person he'd considered a good friend. He's two for two on that front.
As might be expected, Akechi never strays far from his thoughts, prickly as the former detective prince makes himself. A constant burr in the thieves' socks, a harsh reality check that cuts at the temptation toward the softer options for dealing with Maruki, and truthfully? Ren is grateful. The path has never been so fraught with misgivings, and... well, everyone can say that they are of a mind, that they're on the same page, but even inside the Palace Ren feels the tremulous strings of doubt sing on the air. Sometimes they're his own.
And sometimes... sometimes, it finds him boarding a late train, heedless of the service times, bouncing his knee, elbow balanced upon it, phone in hand, a great red eye blinking up at him in digital flicker.
It's a stupid idea. He still needs to be told so.
He opens the message history with Akechi. ]
I know you apparently don't do social calls now that you aren't priming the honey pot, but I'm heading off to Mementos. If you feel like cutting loose in an environment without judgey fashion senses, ig.
no subject
And if his theory is right, he hates him. He'd be more than ready to kill Maruki if it comes down to it. Fate made it (sadly) not his choice. In the end, the spotline seems to be square on Ren and Ren alone, and wither he knows it not, the fact he's around at all does seem to be eating up his rival inside. To Akechi's greatest annoyance. He had made him promise, but Ren's softness could easily be used against him. All the more to keep watch outside of the Cafe when both Maruki and Ren are supposed to meet.]
[But now, a distraction, it seems. Akechi isn't the only one with wandering thoughts.]
[The fact that it was a private message to him and not to the Phantom Thief groups speaks a lot more than the invitation itself. Maybe that's why he's willing to go along with such an idea even if he thinks it is careless and stupid.]
You would be the type to foolishly do this at this time of the day and this close to the calling card. Well, one could say it is a good time as any to be prepared. Granted, I am not one of those. However, I could use the carnage...
[That's certainly choice of words.]
I'll meet you at the entrance.
no subject
He pushes the bridge of his glasses up and stuffs the phone back into his coat, satisfied with the quick response. Knowing that Akechi doesn’t like excessive chatter. The Detective Prince sure did, and Ren wouldn’t push those buttons without good reason. Or boredom, one of the two.
A different boredom than what this trip to Mementos is meant to address, for the record. Laying on his uncomfortable bed and poking the bear via text wouldn’t quiet the jittery discomfort buzzing in his veins, filling his head with static. Combat is a different kind of static, one reliant on instinct and the security of experience. Repetition - leap, slash, cast, fire, dodge. All direct. Uncomplicated. The very antithesis of their ultimate mission.
Dutifully winding his way up the maze-like connecting platforms, Ren finishes climbing the stairs that spill out into the station square and leans against the wall, just around the corner from Akechi’s waiting spot. Close enough to speak, the slight fatigue catching up with Ren in the piercing winter air stinging his lungs and eyes. ]
All good to go? We can stop by Iwai’s if you need anything.
no subject
Again.
He arrives with the winter coat he's been wearing, a few bits of fresh snowflakes from the cold nightfall still clinging to the fabric. Unlike the last few days he has his briefcase again, a sort of nostalgic moment, in a strange way. In reality the reason is a lot more simple.]
No need.
[He clicks it open and removes two small bottles of miracle energy , before handing one to Ren.]
Here. They kept throwing samples to me whenever we went in business meetings. At this rate you might end up falling from exhaustion if you don't drink this.
[It's not the smartest decision to have a caffeinated energy drink so close to bedtime, but then again nothing about this trip spelled 'safety first'. Akechi was merely making sure that Ren stayed alive because if anyone was going to kill him, it was going to be him. Never mind that he had already failed once. Pointless details.]
Did you need something there? Otherwise, we're wasting precious time.
[Akechi needs to hit things
like Ren. The faster they can get to mindlessly fighting demons, the better.]no subject
Lucky me.
[ And he wastes no time in cracking the neck open and downing the drink in one go, not unlike the protein shakes when he works out with Ryuji. Maybe not the best idea to do a straight shot of over-the-counter adrenaline thanks to the state of his nerves, but by now Ren has a well-established symbiosis with caffeine that will probably end with him being reincarnated as a coffee bean. Should he be worried about Akechi having had these for several months already? Eh, if the preservatives don't get him the Shadows might.
Shrugging, Ren thumbs open the Metaverse navigation. ]
If you were really worried about a deadline you wouldn't have indulged me, you know.
[ He knows you just want to kill stuff, Akechi. Well, he'll get the chance, Ren casting one more wary look around to ensure no one is pulled into the other world with them before activating the Nav and watching the colors bleed and spill into one another.
Since Maruki's cognition expanded the known boundaries of Mementos Ren couldn't help but notice the tinge sterility searing the air itself that, ironically, only serves to make Ren's skin crawl. Still, Ren sinks back into the comfortable Joker persona and physically feels his heart steady, turning toward Akechi with a slight smile, tugging at the end of one glove. ]
A little competition for the evening?
no subject
Far be it for me to miss out on an opportunity to humiliate you.
[Yes, that's the excuse he's going with. When the swirls subside and he's back into his familiar dark mask outfit. He stretched outwards, the reddish knife-like sword in hand, before taking a swing with it to test its weight. He doesn't really think about how different the place it, more than it simply presents a new challenge.]
Were you expecting something different?
[A question with a question. How typical.]
What shall it be? Largest? The most kills?
no subject
[ As if Ren could get any more cosmically humiliated than he already is, trapped in a happy snow globe world and exposed for his dearest wish being the presence of a dead guy that hates his guts. Really rubbing in his weird tastes.
But Ren seems to earnestly consider the parameters of the game, for what it’s worth. One gloved knuckle taps his chin, an honest evaluation jumping to the fore. ]
Hmm. I’d be a little worried for you magic reserves if we go for most; you’re super strong, but those spells are taxing. Maybe largest is the most fair, since we’re both pretty good at single target.
[ This also has the benefit of curtailing Ren’s natural advantage when it comes to flexibility. Loki has raw power in his favor, but Ren’s ability to switch Personas at will could compound its merits exponentially. But at least Ren is offering the option to Akechi - honor among thieves? ]
no subject
[A half-truth in part to hide the fact that Joker sometimes knows him a little TOO well. If anything he would pretend he wasn't tired and fall flat to his face than admit defeat, and they both knew it.]
However, considering tomorrow, the largest does seem to be the most prudent.
[Because clearly this is so Joker keeps his reserves and energy, and certainly not because Crow can't completely keep up.]
Considering we neither have Oracle's guidance, nor Morgana's movement, I'll act as navigator until we reach our targets. Best we don't separate, considering how agressive this place has come as of late. Who knows what we'll run into...
[Very dangerous, but oh-so-thrilling. He spins his blade idly again and stretches out before waiting for Joker to take the lead.]