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[unfoggedlotus]

[IC inbox for Ren Amamiya (unfoggedlotus) in personavelvetroomdr. Open to texting and phone calls and assorted silly meme and macros that may or may not amuse him.]

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[fogbornphantom]

"I had hoped for something more flattering, but this..." Ugh. He digs his fingers into his hair again. "I can see why Drake reacted so poorly, putting it all into context. The message was already atrocious on its own, and yet..."

Shit. Okay. Breathing. He needs to breathe. He needs to stay calm.

"So. How do you intend to proceed?" Best to gauge where Ren stands.

[unfoggedlotus]

"I wouldn't be any better than him if I actually lashed out at him for hurting you," Ren says, flat. "So...I'm gonna spend a few minutes dismembering him in my mind until I calm down."

[fogbornphantom]

"...I understand." He hardly sounds happy about it, and his Shadow avoids eye contact, soaking in the tension radiating from them both.

He doesn't speak up, though. It's not his place.

Goro needs to ground himself. Needs to keep his head on straight. "We aren't kicking him out. That does not mean he's off the hook, but even at his worst, Magpie needs someone. I can't give up on him, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore the hurt he caused back then."

[unfoggedlotus]

"I'm not kicking him out either, promise." He stabs his ramen again and pretends it's Magpie's stomach. "It's been a long day and I need a moment to clear my head."

[fogbornphantom]

"Of course. We shouldn't approach him until we're ready." It's just a question of when that will be. What they'll say. "Magpie knows that we're aware of the message in the Palace. He... isn't aware of the rest yet. He knows we need him for the Palace, and we do even... no, especially in light of all of this."

His Shadow fidgets, adjusting one of his sleeves. His eyes dart at Ren and Goro, then away. Why can't this be simple? Why does it have to be so hard?

[unfoggedlotus]

Ugh. Ren stands up, climbs up on top of the table, and -- with a giant sigh befitting only the hammiest of actors -- lays face-down in a pile of napkins.

"This sucks," he announces to the world through his impromptu pillow. "Today sucks. Everything sucks. Life is awful and stupid and annoying and stupid and awful. All the smart people are stupid and Aki-chan has more braincells than every version of Magpie combined."

Dramatic monologue done, Ren turns over and looks at Boyfriend The Second. "Hey, Kou. Wanna...Kou-mment?"

[fogbornphantom]

Goro... places a hand on Ren's hair, trying to stroke his curls and calm him down. He remains quiet so his Shadow can speak.

...after staring for a few seconds.

"Oh. We're testing names. I see." Okay. So... that's one to start with, he supposes. "Ah, but... well. I really do not want this to blow up in our faces. That would not be ideal."

[unfoggedlotus]

"Me neither." Ren pushes his head into the pats, carefully avoiding dunking his hair into Goro's soup. He looks a lot happier now that he's got the dramatics out of his system. "We're not tackling this on an empty stomach. Do you like eating ramen?"

[fogbornphantom]

"Satisfaction, I suppose? And I suppose it can energize me to some extent, but it's less necessary as long as Goro takes care of himself." Even so, he takes some more ramen in his own chopsticks. "I suppose it's more human. ...Even if I'm not human."

Goro gives him a Look. "You really need to stop dehumanizing yourself."

[unfoggedlotus]

"You're different than a human, sure, but you're from humanity," Ren pokes him. "You're human in every way that matters, Mr. Keio."

[fogbornphantom]

"Another name already?" Ha... Ren is trying. If nothing else, Goro's Shadow appreciates that much. "Falcon suggested Hiro, Aki-chan made so many suggestions... I truly wish I knew what I wanted, but I barely know how to define 'myself' beyond what I represent to Goro."

[unfoggedlotus]

"You guys need to spend some time apart." And...it hurts Ren to make this suggestion, really, but. "And you should probably spend some of that away from me."

[fogbornphantom]

"But I don't want a break from the relationship!" That's... that's what he means, doesn't it? Isn't that what it typically means?

Goro steps in before his Shadow can spiral. "I believe he's referring to getting out of the house."

[unfoggedlotus]

"Yeah," Ren laughs, and boops Hiro. "I still love you. No breaks. You just need to explore the world more by yourself. Get out of the house. Find your own way!"

[fogbornphantom]

"Well, I've done a little of that already. It was how I ran into Falcon..." But... but! This is getting off topic. Huff. "Shouldn't we save this discussion for another time? There are much more pressing matters to attend to."

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren lets out a sigh. "Yeah..." he looks at Goro The First. "So. You have any ideas?"

[fogbornphantom]

Goro takes a moment to reply. "We should sit him down, see where he's at after speaking with Raven, and then... be honest. Tell him that we've seen the entire conversation, so we know that he was the aggressor here. We aren't happy about it, but we don't hate him. However, because he did such profound damage to Drake, we must insist that he join us at the Palace to make things right."

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren nods, taking a breath. "Sounds like a plan." A kiss for Goro and a kiss for Kou, then he stands up and jumps off the table with a little hop.

"Do we wanna bring him some ramen?"

[fogbornphantom]

"He may be too proud to eat it, but he's also stubborn about taking care of himself. I suppose it depends on how daring you feel..."

Goro's Shadow... Kou? Hiro? Keio? He still doesn't know, but he actually manages a weak smile. "It can be his punishment. All things considered, a cheap ramen meal is rather lenient."

[unfoggedlotus]

"He'll eat it when we're not looking, most likely. If not, the kids'll enjoy it," Ren decides, gathering up his bowl. "C'mon, Goro, Hiro. Let's Kou."

[fogbornphantom]

"Oh, I'll bring mine as well." Goro's Shadow of indeterminate name scoops his up as well.

Goro rises, perhaps a tad reluctantly. "Perhaps we should pick up a pizza on the way back, or something large enough to satisfy. I still don't feel like cooking tonight."

[unfoggedlotus]

"Yeah...we can get Cauchemar-chan's favorite on the way home."

[fogbornphantom]

"Ha... By the time we're through, I suspect we'll all go out like a light." Goro's tired enough as it is, but they still have so much to do. "I'll be happy when this is over. At least then, we'll know it's been worth it..."

So he takes Ren's hand, eyeing the elevator. Best to prepare themselves.

[unfoggedlotus]

"Yeah." He takes both his boyfriends' hands. He frowns a little when he remembers that ShadowKechi doesn't have a ring. "Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Here goes."