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[pheasantboy]

[God, he sounds so... pleasant.]

Hello, you've reached Goro Akechi. Please leave a message and I'll get right back to you.

[ooc: inbox for personavelvetroomdr]

contacts

Akira Kurusu. thedevilinyourdetails
Goro Akechi. fogbornphantom
Ren Amamiya. willowandoak

Comments

[pheasantboy]

[... that's a good question, actually. Very good. Why did he work for Shido?

He just stares at his counterpart for some moments, like a dead fish. Then, of course, he blinks.]

... It was somewhere to go. I didn't have anyone else. [What? It's true.]

[fogbornphantom]

But isn't it odd? He abandoned you and your mother. Why would he change his mind?

[And moreover...]

What did you do for him? Shido is a man who makes alliances when they benefit him in some tangible form.

[pheasantboy]

[But he just laughs that horrible, tinkling little laugh.] You say the strangest things. Relationships don't last forever. Not business relationships, not romantic ones. It's natural for people to go their separate ways when their time comes.

[It flows from his mouth with no conflict at all. He'd have said the same before—in different words, with a burden of emotion that's been taken from him. Everyone will discard you.]

Honestly, I think he just wanted me around. He needed me. Probably to do with why he's in prison now, but—as I said, he's happier there.

[fogbornphantom]

[So many red flags, where to begin? The things he says- they're feelings he once used to shield himself from the world. Now he sees that it's more complex.

His finger taps on the table, slowly, frustratedly.]

But what did he need you for? And what about your mother?

[pheasantboy]

[He blinks up.] What about her? Why are you asking so many questions?

[He might once, at this point, have asked what about your mother? But he isn't interested in such things any more.]

[fogbornphantom]

Because, to be frank, something feels very off. The way you seem to space out when I discuss certain topics. The way your statements seem to contradict each other in certain ways... It reads very much like there is a mental block. Something to shield you from one thing or another.

[He sighs loudly, rubbing his brow.]

I say this not out of disrespect, but concern. I have heard that a man named Dr. Maruki obtains a great power, and I can't help but wonder if he made you his little guinea pig.

[pheasantboy]

[... and it rocks him. You can see him rock as he flinches back, as if the information catches him bodily and shakes him out, as his face goes slack—]

I've never heard of a Dr. Maruki. [Smiling, soft and gentle, almost pitying this strange other-self. As if Maruki hasn't already come up in the conversation several times.]

Are you sure you don't have a problem? Is there anything I can do? I can't make coffee, but there's more than one coffee shop in Yongen.

[fogbornphantom]

I believe I mentioned him before. ...Are you sure you're all right? It seems like you may have a slight issue with retention.

[Hm, that came across as rather harsh. He's quick to correct-]

Not that this is a problem. Mental health is vast and diverse, and for some it is very easy to get caught up in the moment and miss certain details. And we have discussed a lot, haven't we?

[pheasantboy]

I don't remember forgetting anything. [Was that a joke? He just smiles, and gets up from the table. He honestly doesn't remember much of what they've said.]

It's been very good of you to discuss this with me. I suppose I should see if my apartment is still there, or if I can check into a hotel, or something of that kind.

[Yeah, he's just gonna... leave. Must be endemic to the species.]

[fogbornphantom]

[Hm... It's frustrating. Every little push seems to be met with resistance. He could keep trying...

But there's only so much pushing you can do before you push someone away.

So he sighs, nodding.]

Take care, then. Apologies for burdening you with so much on your first day.

[pheasantboy]

Oh, it's no burden at all. [He really doesn't think so.] It was fascinating to hear about your world, if a little sad.

Thank you for explaining so much to me. I think I understand much better now.

[He does not. And then he heads out of the door, hoping for the subway to Shibuya. As he goes, he offers smiles to the several people who pass him—who seem, to him, perfectly and unutterably normal.]