[ ic // demi voicetesting ]

[unfoggedlotus]

Man, whatever happened to a good night's sleep? Is the first thought that crosses Ren's mind. One moment he's tossing and turning in bed, trying to get to sleep, and the next he's staring up to the ceiling of the Velvet Room. He closes his eyes after he processes the bare minimum to get his location down. Can't a guy go a week without getting dream-DM'd by the fake-powers-that-be?

It's not entirely fair, he knows. He's just feeling blergh because Goro hasn't texted him back for a few hours and he was starting to get worried when Morgana batted the phone out of his hand and said he'd come home when he wanted to. But. Well. If he really had to do something in the realm of the subconscious involving chains tonight, he'd really rather be in Goro's dreams.

Maybe the chains would even be fun for once.

He lets himself stew for a few moments before shaking himself out of it. Might as well see what the "wardens" and "Igor" have in store for him this time. Ren grumbles to himself only a little bit as he opens his eyes again, and...

...What?

Ren blinks, taking in his surroundings with wide eyes. This is definitely the Velvet Room. There's the desk, the structure is vaguely similar, and he. Well. He just sort of knows it. The vibes are incredibly Velvet Room. 100% blue, 100% weird music, 100% cognitive prison.

Except.

There's no prison decor. He isn't even in a cell. There are a few doors scattered around. Peeling himself off the floor, he realizes he isn't in a prison uniform (he's in his daytime clothes) and there aren't shackles wrapped around him either. And the weird music isn't grating in his chest like the world's worst rendition of Prison Hallway Salsa silently beamed into his soul, it's just kinda...smooth. Jazzy. Soothing. A bop.

The Velvet Room actually feels...

...Nice?

...He doesn't buy it. (Something in him wants to, though.)

Ren turns around a few times, trying to find answers. What's going on here?

Comments

[unfoggedlotus]

"I'm definitely not saying for our first time. It was mostly a joke." Shrug. "And...is that what they are? Cognitions? Are we in a Palace?"

[fogbornphantom]

"I figured. Though I do wonder how Magpie would even take such a proposition..." It might be funny. In fact, it most likely would be. Hmm... well, he'll lead Ren past the tables and over to the various food stalls. "And they're effectively the same as Palace cognitions. I wouldn't call it a Palace so much as an extension of the Velvet Room, however. Everything is free as well, so you can have your fill if you so choose."

[unfoggedlotus]

Everything smells pretty good..."Well, what does my Inaba connoisseur recommend?"

[fogbornphantom]

"If you want something light, you can never go wrong with their takoyaki. If you crave something more fulfilling, their grilled steak is respectable for a food court. Or perhaps you wish to buck nutrition outright and go for soft served ice cream." He motions to the ice cream stall. "The choice is yours."

[unfoggedlotus]

"I guess takoyaki, since it sounds like the other-yous have a feast waiting at home. Assuming the hungry kids don't eat everything..."

He's not entirely sold on a cognition making good food for them, but...doesn't hurt to try, hopefully?

[fogbornphantom]

"Takoyaki it is, then." Akechi steps up to the food cart offering the takoyaki and other assorted Japanese takeout. "Two orders of takoyaki, please."

The cognition smiles, giving a very generic response for a food worker, and steps back to prepare the meal. It's almost robotic. Like an NPC in a video game.

"While we wait, I got permission to share the other Ren's number with you." In fact, he'll text Ren the contact info for his own convenience.

[unfoggedlotus]

"Oh, thank you." He blinks, realizing something. "Wait, cellphones work here? Why couldn't I get in touch with you?" Is there a risk of that happening again?

[fogbornphantom]

"Likely a result of this place being so far removed from reality. I was able to call you once you arrived, but I got cut off in the middle of a phone call with Dojima-san on the way to a meeting with Kirijo-san."

The food comes up relatively quick, so Akechi takes it, leading Ren over to one of the tables. "I wonder if, perhaps, the five hours that passed were simply due to the nature of our most recent mission requiring a longer meeting than usual. Sometimes outside phone signals are disabled as an added security measure in HQ, and given that Isshiki-san was where the cognitive anomalies began, it made our most recent victory a highly sensitive one."

But that's just a guess, really. All that matters is that Ren is here now.

[unfoggedlotus]

"That was Mona's theory, that you guys were just running late," Ren sits down next to his boyfriend. "I wonder if it more has to do with, like...maybe it was just easier to grab me while I was sleeping? Since I visit the Velvet Room like that." Ren says thanks over his food and takes a bite. Not bad. "But you've gone through TVs and stuff before. So it could grab you on the call."

[fogbornphantom]

"That... actually would make sense. Though I am sorry all the same." He reaches across the table, placing a hand over Ren's, though obviously not the one with his chopsticks. "Five hours of worrying you is still five hours too many. I'll absolutely have to cook you something later. ...Perhaps in a few days, once I've passed your rest test."

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren strokes his boyfriend's hand with his thumb. "I mean, five hours for me was two months for you. And that was definitely too much unprepared with no way to contact us. If your meeting ran late...that's one thing."

[fogbornphantom]

"It was agony at points. So many people who look like you, but they lived different lives. They weren't you." He heaves another big sigh, popping a piece of takoyaki into his mouth. "But that's all changed. Now that you're here, I do think I'll be able to rest easier. ...Though Raven wasn't wrong when he said I was 'hopeless.'"

Ah, there's some self-deprecating laughter. "I've been struggling with insomnia. It's been a while since that last happened."

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren moves over to give his boyfriend a comforting hug. “I’m here now. We’ll get you caught up on your Zzzs in no time.” Nuzzle, peck. “Do the kids need people to sleep with them, too?” Ren won’t lie — he’s not the most familiar with babysitting.

[fogbornphantom]

"Well, Akira-kun generally doesn't require it, though he does enjoy a story before bedtime and will occasionally cuddle with Hawk. Moth, the little vampire, seems fine in his own room, and Raven just turned thirteen." Ah, but the hug is welcome, and he gladly returns it. "I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that they are very curious children. Hawk and Akira-kun also have a budding rivalry..."

[unfoggedlotus]

"That's adorable," Ren grins, taking another piece of takoyaki. "Are other versions of us rivals, too?"

[fogbornphantom]

"I suspect Magpie's relationship with his Ren may be of similar substance, though he'll fervently deny his attachment." Ah, another nibble of his own takoyaki. Warm food can do wonders, and he had been rather hasty in his own lack of eating before meeting with Ren. "Magpie is in a similar state as I was when I was younger. Friendship to him is like cooties to small children."

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren snorts. "That gives me a better picture of him, at least." Then, with his chopsticks, he picks up the nibbled piece of takoyaki from Goro's side and pokes it into his mouth. "Eat."

[fogbornphantom]

...Ren. Ren, you absolute menace. Akechi feigns annoyance with a little groan, but accepts the offering all the same. "What am I, a baby bird?" He knows this will likely result in some other weird remark.

Try him, Ren.

[unfoggedlotus]

"You're a baby bird when you don't eat without me feeding you," Ren asserts, less weird than anticipated. "But you're my baby birdie."

[fogbornphantom]

"Times like these make me glad the memory link only goes one way." He pops another piece of takoyaki in his mouth, like a big bird. Tsk. "Raven's already spilled the beans about your petnames to at least two people. I suspect we'll be hearing a lot about 'tuft of feathers' in the near future."

[unfoggedlotus]

"Like you're still hearing about snake below the belt?" Ren smirks, feeding his boyfriend another piece of takoyaki. "At least we're on even footing now."

[fogbornphantom]

You know what? Just for that, he's going to pop one in Ren's mouth, too. "Even footing does raise certain questions for what would happen in a love nest." Quite the thing to bring up while... feeding each other...

Fuck.

Takoyaki. Balls. Damn it. Why must his teenage brain do this to him?

[unfoggedlotus]

"Sex, probably," Ren cuts through the awkward stumbling around like butter. He delicately takes the takoyaki ball in his mouth, then swallows it whole in one gulp. "We're about to introduce me to your kids. Don't think any snakes below the belt would do anything for their perception of me." It's lighthearted, but the meaning is there.

[fogbornphantom]

"I know." The banter is fun, but he understands Ren's concerns, nodding. "All quips aside, I think the biggest thing we'll need to convey is that I'm not abandoning them. You aren't taking me away. You're an addition to the family, not a subtraction."

But that may be easier said than done, depending on the child.

[unfoggedlotus]

Hmm...he can see where the concern's coming from; knowing what he knows about Akechi's mom, it's not hard to picture other, younger versions of him struggling with abandonment issues.

The problem makes his thoughts whir into leader mode again, and it's not long before he's got a few suggestions lined up. "Is there anywhere else we can sleep, aside from your bedroom? Living room, kids' room? Maybe sleeping somewhere easier for the kids to get to could help reassure them that you're still here. I'm open to any little kids who need snuggles...I'll help you send them to bed?"