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[ ic // demi voicetesting ]

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?

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"It's real. I'm real. You can stop worrying about that, honey. I know how much you like to," he soothes, nuzzling him back.

"Mmm...don't get too ahead of yourself." He can tell this little guy has a lot in common with his boyfriend, but like. His head already hurts enough from the infodump, he feels like he just pulled an all-nighter with no coffee, he has a boyfriend to comfort... "You can get me caught up on the time paradoxes later."

Right now, he's having a nice moment with his boyfriend who's nearly crying in his arms. Not a lot can reduce an Akechi (or, well, his Akechi, he guesses) to tears, and for as long as two months is, some part of him's surprised that was able to do it. The hand wrapped around Goro's waist comes up to wipe his tears away. No mascara or anything wipes off when he does, which is definitely something considering how preened Goro likes to keep his appearance. His undereyes feel sore and tender to Ren.

Nuzzle, nuzzle. "Are you staying somewhere? We can cuddle up and go back to watching the Featherman reruns you wanted to show me."

"Ren. Darling. My Joker..." He nuzzles back, just basking in the affection. It's been so long. "My love..."

Ren asked a question, didn't he? Right. A place to stay. Featherman. Hm. It sounds nice. Comfortable. A viable option, but...

"There is a place, yes, but I'm not alone there. He is under my care, and, well..." In comes the sheepish laughter. "How do you feel about kids?" It's said half-jokingly, but it's best they address this soon rather than later. It'll help them prepare for whatever comes next.

"Goro. My Crow, my tuft of feathers, my sweet songbird," he coos, laying it on thick and genuine for the tired, craving creature in his arms. "It hasn't been that long for me, but I'm sorry you had to go through that."

A moment for Goro to respond, then Ren takes a moment to process what Goro says. "Not leaving anyone in need behind? That's my Akechi," He grins, placing a peck on his nose. "I was expecting a ring first, but if I said I was surprised, I'd be lying." Pat, pat, pat. Nuzzle, nuzzle, peck. "The hill? You can tell me more there."

This Velvet Room might be nice, but he still doesn't like Velvet Rooms. Like, on principle.

Oh, the way his heart flips at those soothing words. It melts into a little puddle. Two months without Ren. Two months without all this love...

He reaches up to gently brush his thumb over Ren's cheek, and then he quickly plants a soft kiss on his lips. "Yes. We should give them time to prepare." He sends Raven a quick glance, a quiet 'thank you,' and sends a text to the group chat. Once that's done, he reluctantly pulls back, but in exchange, he'll take one of Ren's hands in his, intertwining their fingers. "It shouldn't be long. All I have to do is think of the location, and it'll take us there."

So, when Ren is ready, he'll lead him to the Inaba door. Just as promised, they should arrive on the hill overlooking Inaba.

The kiss is almost enough to distract him from what his boyfriend said.

...Prepare? For what? He's curious. It's also a little ominous, but unlike "Igor", Goro being ominous is less "hehehe I'm trying to screw you over" and more "I solved the murder mystery three chapters into the book and I forget not everyone can do that".

"Reminds me of a magic carpet ride," Ren grins, taking the lead and stepping out into Inaba. "Gonna whisk me off into the sunset, o genie?"

"If that is what you wish." Hey, look at that. It's a little smirk. His voice still sounds a bit wistful, though. Like reality hasn't fully set in. "Ah... where would you like to sit? There's the table, the bench..."

It's Ren's choice. He'll go with whatever makes him happy. That's important.

"Hmm..." Ren weighs their options on the small hill. "Don't think I have anything needing a table for..." He walks his boyfriend over to the bench. "You, on the other hand, look like you need a nap."

Oh, okay. He'll plop on the bench, giving their joined hands a squeeze before resting his head on Ren's shoulder. "...I've been busy." He pauses. "That is, I've become the sole caretaker for four children. I do get assistance from another version of myself at times, but you know me. Always trying to keep myself occupied with one task or another..."

"No offense, honey," he pokes Goro's undereyes lightly, "but I can tell you've been busy. Never expected anything less when I started dating you." A snort. "Two months and you picked up four kids? That must be some kind of record."

He runs his fingers through Goro's hair. "I'm here now," he asserts. "And we're leaders together, right? Let me in on what I've missed and I'll be right by your side."

Ah... He leans into the touch, humming softly. "Where do I even begin?" Heh. There's so much to cover. So much has happened. "My child self arrived first. I came a short while later. We're directly linked, so everything he experiences feeds into me in real time, though it's less noticeable if I have something to occupy my attention." Oh, the look he gives Ren, playful, if a bit tired.

"There are many different versions of us who have lived drastically different lives. Most of the other 'yous' are named Akira Kurusu. One of them is a vampire. The only other Ren here lived a very different life and recently blew up fake Shinjuku. One of the children in my custody also happens to be a young Akira, but we'll need to be careful, as he has a rather... unfortunate relationship with notions of love, likely brought about by childhood trauma and shitty parents."

He'll let that sink in first. It's already a lot.

Ren lets out a little sigh. Okay, still a lot, but apparently Akechi gets better with infodumping as he gets older. He shoots another playful look back when he gets one, but doesn't go any further; he can think with the head between his shoulders instead of the one in his pants sometimes.

"So. We're in a big crossover episode and we don't know when it'll end," Ren sums up. "Many of us from different shows. Vampires are real, time paradoxes aren't, Shinjuku might be gone but it wasn't real in the first place. Gotcha." He's got like 80% of it, at least. Probably. Much better.

Then the last bit...hmm. Ren mulls it over in his head. "Do I need to know anything before dealing with him? I'm not making out in front of a little kid anyway, but..."

Edited 2023-10-11 05:16 (UTC)

Heh... That earns some genuine laughter, if a bit hushed. The laughter dies down soon, though, as the subject changes to Akira-kun. "We'll just have to watch our wording, I think. Evidently, he doesn't understand that 'love' in a romantic context can be such a wonderful, warm thing. Perhaps his parents have a rather fraught relationship that has formed his idea of what love is."

It breaks his heart. You can see it on his face. He blows a small sigh before continuing. "Ah, I suppose I should also mention that he is selectively mute. He also seemed to react rather strongly when I said I would 'take care of him,' so that may be another trigger to be mindful of. He does really love dinosaurs, however, so that's one point of interest to work with."

"Yeesh," he says in response, lacking any other words. "Hard life for the kid..." He was selectively mute himself when he was younger...sorta, maybe. He definitely remembers needing to work on being able to talk to people he didn't know, at least.

Ren thinks for a few moments, absently running his fingers through Goro's hair. "Bet he's doing much better with Papa Wolf Akechi looking after him, though." A beat. "Where are you living with the kids? Maybe I can find somewhere nearby, if you wanna take it slow on introducing me."

"...I think I'd be happier if you were there beside me." Is it a bit selfish? Perhaps, but it's important. He needs this. "I think my younger self and my counterpart will prepare the children. The kids trust them both."

Ah, wait. Names. Codenames. That's important. "...We all have codenames. The little spectator you just met is Raven. Then there's Magpie, a version of me who is a bit rougher around the edges, but I've spent enough time with him to know that there is a good heart buried beneath layers upon layers of spikes."

He'll refrain from mentioning the murders. That's Magpie's decision, should he choose to reveal it. "There's also Hawk, a six year old version of me. He hasn't lost his mother yet, and we're still debating on whether to prepare him or not. ...He also is very aware of our relationship and once asked me how we 'make babies.'" That gets him to snicker a little, at least. Perhaps Ren will find humor in it. "Akira-kun is also aware. It doesn't have to be some grand secret."

Akira snorts at the "making babies" bit, trying to nail down the codenames in his head. Crow is still Crow, young Crow is Raven, the spiked one is Magpie, there's a baby Featherman fan... "Little kids are so funny, sometimes. And hey, about Magpie, I'll never back down from a challenge!" He grins. He tends to see red flags as guideposts, anyway.

"I'm not saying I'd leave you, or something; that's the last thing your workaholic ass needs," he boops Goro's nose. "We could just crash next door for a little while before full-on cohabbing. But if you think it's okay."

"Just go easy on him. Magpie may not be prepared for your brand of menace." He knows Ren. He knows how brazen he can be at times, spurred into moments of flirtatious tomfoolery. "I think it'll be all right once I properly introduce you. There's one other little version of me who's a vampire, but you can rest assured that he won't bite you when he has perfectly good blood packets he can drink in the fridge."

...Wait.

"Please don't try to drink them. They do not taste good."

"Well, now that you say it..." he trails off into a grin, but they both know he won't, probably. He can't imagine it tastes better than regular blood, anyway.

Then. Proper introduction. "Oh." He winces. "I don't think I gave them the best first impression, huh? Raven as much of a gossip as you are?"

He grins right back, even giving a little peck on the cheek. "Raven has already informed Magpie and the other resident Ren about your petnames. I think it may have broken Magpie a little, but I'm sure it'll be fine." And back to resting his head on Ren's shoulder. It's comfy. He's missed this, although...

Shit.

Something else rears its head, wiping the smile from his face. "I should probably warn you. There is an extremely dangerous Shadow in Mementos, and it has a seething hatred for you. So please, don't go there alone. I can't afford for anything to happen to you."

There we go, his boyfriend is smiling again-- and now he's not.

"There's a Mementos here -- wait, younger you already said that. Don't happen to know what I could've done to piss it off, do you?"

"...Its Ren struck a deal with an alternate version of Dr. Maruki to create a 'perfect' world, ignoring the wishes of his own Akechi, who was likely to die if they defeated Maruki, because he couldn't bear the thought of losing him. In their world, Maruki used cognitive psience to effectively become a god, and in the end, it resulted in a 'happier' world, but one that fundamentally changed that Akechi and scrubbed away all pain and conflict."

It's... a lot. He could mention how it's possible that their world's Maruki seeks a similar goal, but he won't. He know Ren is fond of the counselor, and besides all that, it is a different world. It's a worry for another time.

Still, there's a distinct sorrow carved into Akechi's features. "The Shadow is every piece of that Akechi's pain, his negativity, and the sting of betrayal distilled into one entity. The person he left behind is... pleasant, but he has a habit of blanking out if you directly mention things such as Personas and the Metaverse. His codename is Sparrow."

...What.

"...Don't go into Mementos alone," he says aloud after several seconds of silence. "Gotcha."

"...We can go together, of course. Form parties, if need be. There are ways to pacify the Shadow, but I worry for how it may respond to you. Raven lucked out when he encountered it, but we can't guarantee you would be so lucky, even with all your tricks."

Of which Ren has many, flawlessly embodying his role as a Trickster. There's no doubting that. "But I digress. There are others here, such as two versions of Haru Okumura, though neither is from 'our' world, a Morgana from a world where I was not a proper member of the Phantom Thieves, and a few others, such as Kanji and Naoto, though they aren't our Kanji and Naoto."

Kanji is too young, for starters, and he doubts that Naoto remembers things the way that they do. "It can be a bit overwhelming, but I will do my best to help you acclimate." He pauses. "...Dr. Maruki may also be around, though he's made himself scarce of late. That's at least one other familiar face from our world."

Ren nods and digs out his phone to take notes. "Lots of new-old faces to get used to." He'll probably slip up every once in a while. New places are daunting, but he has his boyfriend by his side, so nothing's unconquerable -- not even his songbird's workaholism. "Man...you've already had two months on me!" Ren pokes his boyfriend's side. "Anything funny happen? Find any more weird copies of us?"

"The day I arrived here, I prank called my younger self to see if he was still here about starting an 'Akechi Alliance,' and then Magpie made that a reality. I also got a very awkward phone call from the other Ren here, who sought to give me sex advice."

His cheeks are slightly pink when he says that, but to his credit, he didn't stammer or anything. "...For the record, I didn't cheat on you, although Magpie had far too much fun engaging in texting games of gay chicken."

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