CLOSED » it makes no difference

[uragiru]

» WHO? the phantom thieves (hearttheft, ryuji, boazjachin, mapsio) and akechi (uragiru)
» WHEN? about a week after arrival
» WHERE? crew quarters 4.28, ren & ryuji's room
» WHAT? akechi stops avoiding everyone for 5 minutes so they can discuss what the fuck is going on around here and nothing else no matter how much ren wants to talk about feelings
» WARNINGS? occasional mild suicidal ideation on akechi's part. intense passive aggressiveness, probably.

[ he's already regretting that he agreed to this before he even makes it to Ren's door. this isn't going to be at all like November, when everyone had an unspoken agreement to grit their teeth and make it through — or... maybe it is, now that he knows they had him figured out all along. they won't be lying this time, and they'll know when he is. but he refuses to sit around with no plan at all; the Thieves don't need to like him to work with him, and he doesn't need to trust or believe in them to rely on them.

if there's one thing he can rely on, it's that those idiots will do whatever is necessary to look out for each other. so all Akechi has to do is make himself useful to them again, convince them that it's a mutual benefit, that they can use him and he'll use them. (because it's worked out so well for him, hasn't it, being useful. he's certainly never failed at that lofty goal.)

he sends Ren a text ahead of time, just a simple: I'll come by now, if you have the time. Get everyone together if you'd like. doesn't look at the messages they exchanged last. he's going to make it absolutely clear that this is a relationship of convenience, and that Ren should stop getting the wrong idea about him, and that he's— he died. whether or not he's walking around alive and well here, the fact is that Akechi's life is over. it was over the moment Shido went down. if he looks too closely at himself then it feels like a pit he might not be able to claw his way out of: what the point is of going on day-to-day, if he would bother going back home given the chance, whether he even wants to live—

he raps neatly on Ren's door with his knuckles. ]

It's Akechi.

Comments

[uragiru]

[ the mechanical personality (or lack thereof) is working, at least, because Akechi doesn't scoff at Ryuji's suggestion or react at all to being expected to retrieve the piece of wire he threw. he stands up, collects the wire from where it landed halfway across the room, and goes to sit back down in complete silence. Shido, he reminds himself. bites his tongue and thinks about what it was like when he was Shido's dog. the way that cognitive thing Shido made looked at him, how it spoke and moved and felt nothing at all.

it doesn't bother him to do this any more than his Detective Prince act does. this is just the easiest way. ]

We know more than that. [ he's starting to wish that he had a notebook as usual so that he could have made a list — not because he can't remember everything, but just to make it more concise. he'll think of a replacement for it eventually; for now, he finds himself fidgeting a little, having a pen to tap against his leg such a familiar habit that it feels off to be without. ] Not a great deal, mind you, but there's been a few interesting things that have come up.

[ he crosses one leg over the other and places his hands together on his thigh, still holding the wires. a stiff, TV interview pose. and he's finally looking up at them, but he isn't quite making eye contact — his gaze is always just slightly off to the side of someone, as if it'll ruin the distance he's creating just by meeting their eye. ]

I'll go through everything I know, if the rest of you don't mind?

[boazjachin]

[Makoto, who'd nodded carefully at Akechi's question, carefully noted his unwillingness to look at any of them directly, been mildly impressed at his lack of (or muted) disdain for Ryuji's suggestion, cannot in the end quite help herself.]

Would you like for us to find you a podium?

[It's not that she minds hearing his thoughts, it's just--she doesn't trust this. She doesn't like this. Whether he means to or not, even though he could be doing much worse, it still feels like he's talking down to all of them.]

[She smooths down the pants of her suit, an automatic, obsolete motion from days of uniform skirts.]

Be straightforward and concise, please. [No grandstanding. No speeches. He's muted, different from all the other sides of him she's seen. But still unpleasant, somehow. Maybe because she's seen behind this and is so wary, now, of what hides behind this mask.]

[intrusivethot]

[ He wishes Morgana were here.

Taking on the mantle of leadership felt natural to Ren from the start but as the Metaverse expert on deck Morgana was the one who ran meetings. This had its own problems; hard truths or fair criticisms usually took a meaner edge when Morgana addressed, for example, Ryuji directly and things would often devolve from there until someone got them back on track. But Ren had the luxury of weighing in, remaining a voice of reason and clarity, or spitballing when he felt like it.

Maybe Makoto doesn't think he's taking this seriously if he's joking around, glancing in question at the clear tension in the set of her shoulders. In reality finding a five inch wire wriggling around in your cheek is a pretty bad time and Ren is coping as well he can in the nightmare hellscape they find themselves in, but it's not worth bringing up unless things get worse.

That said, her demands of Akechi are fair, though his theatricality has been nowhere to be seen as of yet. He wouldn't accuse anyone of being too harsh on the detective so much as Ren is... very likely too soft.

Still he tries to temper it a bit, gesturing with an open palm and eye contact that he's sure won't be returned. ]

Tell us what you've gathered, Akechi-kun.

[mapsio]

[Haru doesn't take Akechi's tone as condescending, and frankly she's more surprised that he wasn't. Haru takes a silent deep breath to herself as she feels the tension in the room rising. She can do this still, she can take part in this meeting just like everyone else.

Makoto says what she can't find the strength to right now, and Ren keeps a level head like always.]

Go on, because I would like to hear what you have to say for myself.

[Her shoulders are set firm, and as much as Akechi doesn't want to make eye contact with her or the rest of the Thieves— she is maintaining her gaze on him.] I have the same requests as Makoto-chan. Be as concise and straightforward as you can, please. We don't really have the time to spare for theatrics right now.

[uragiru]

[ if their cold regard bothers him, then he doesn't show it; if it bothers him, it's happening somewhere in the back of his mind, haphazardly shut away until it comes crashing down on him later. his anger and frustration here, every time he thinks why am I even bothering with this, all of it precariously stacked and then the door slammed shut on it, so that the moment he opens it again, it'll fall.

right now, he grits his teeth so hard his jaw clicks, and then nods. ]

Of course.

[ he knows they can sit and absorb information before they discuss it, at least. Morgana always spoke for so long at those meetings before anyone else did. ]

First of all, the previous crew. From recordings that people have picked up, we know four things about them: they were trying to "save the world"; they made multiple attempts at whatever their solution was; there was a traitor on-board; and they failed catastrophically.

Then there's the station. Someone has already gone outside of it to confirm the situation, so we know for certain that we are stranded here. The lower decks are inaccessible, and no one has had any success with locked doors. However, despite the damage and the condition of this place as if it's long since been abandoned, everything was set up for us when we arrived.

Think about it — two jumpsuits to each person, a smartwatch, every room unassigned until we enter it. But at the same time, there's evidence of people having been here before us. [ he brought a book in with him that he hasn't called their attention to yet, but he places it on the table now, cover facing up so they can see the title: L'Arrestation d'Arsène Lupin. ] I found this in my room, just for example.

Lastly, the incidents on the station since we woke up. Other than what the four of you spoke of, there was that replicator malfunction earlier in the week that caused hallucinations and illness, and there have been screams and cries for help heard from inside the walls; any attempt to breach the walls has resulted in nausea and fatigue. Basically, whatever is going on here has proven itself capable of affecting us on all levels, physical and mental, with no avatar or direct involvement.

[ this is all delivered with a detached professionalism that the Thieves have never seen from Akechi, no change in his expression or tone of voice throughout. he barely even moves, with none of his usual flourishes and gestures that he used to make his deductions with as a fake detective. finally done, he sits back and spreads his hands. ]

I don't have a notebook on me to check my information, but I believe that's everything I've picked up so far.

[boazjachin]

Can you elaborate on the mental part of your assertion?

[Not that she doubts it, exactly, so much as that she wants to eliminate any possibility of inconsistency. A building with a shoddy foundation will end up unstable. They've touched on it before, but even still, something about it just isn't clicking for her.]

I can't contest the physical effects this station has had, but the nausea and fatigue from attempting to breach the walls could also have a physical source. A chemical, for example. The replicator malfunction similarly was a case of something physical, in this case the food, causing psychological effects. Would you agree?

[ryuji]

[As the conversation veers in the direction of debate and discovery of the evidence at hand, Ryuji tries his best to follow along with the readout of events that Akechi's gathered. Some of it stuff that he already knows, intrinsically, just because of what he had seen and felt or observed himself. But it doesn't feel like this is going in the direction of a conclusion, and ever the results kind of guy, he finds himself leaning his chin against the edge of the back-turned chair.

It made sense, obviously, that people were here before- the coffee cup in his hand, his only link to the world that was left behind by the previous crew dangles freely, as the book Akechi had found sits plainly on the table.

And if none of this is clicking for Makoto, it's probably three football fields away for Ryuji. He doesn't jump in and ask for a repeat of the facts, just so that he can get his bearings straight- he's been through enough of the Metaverse himself to just go with the flow and let things unravel themselves until he kind-of, sort-of gets it.]

What if it's all mental? [He adds in, not sure if that suggestion is something even worth mentioning, but he's trying.] Like the cognitive world, or something. Someone could be controlling what we feel or think.

[Oh. Right. He touches the bandaid at his cheek. That doesn't... really make with the physical proof of the wires.]

Oh... uh... nevermind, that was stupid.

[uragiru]

[ they don't dismiss him the way adults always did in the SIU. that's what's strange about this situation: to put forth suggestions and have them come back at him like a sounding board, instead of being dismissed out of hand. a little bit of spark comes back into his movements, his eyes; he leans forward in his seat to answer. ]

No, Sakamoto — that's not impossible. If someone is controlling what you feel and think, why wouldn't they be able to control what others see when they look at you? In a cognitive world, everything could be fake.

[ it hurts his head to think about the scope of what this could be. there isn't much he'd dismiss, given what he's experienced of the world. Yaldabaoth existed in a world that he had otherwise thought ordinary, and if that's the case, then nothing is really unrealistic. still— ]

But that's a very broad hypothetical to get into. [ if they go down that rabbit hole, they'll get absolutely nothing done in this conversation. ] For now, we should focus on something that we can at least try to find evidence for. [ and he turns to Makoto, now that Ryuji's point has been addressed: ] As for the mental effects — yes, it could be a physical cause. Everything could. The noises in the walls, the nausea, those could easily be hallucinogens or even speakers. There are too many possible answers, and the problem is that we don't have enough to work with.

When it comes to a theory about this place, the first fork in the road is whether someone is deliberately screwing with us, or whether it's something bigger than that.

[ he's put everything he has forward. there are no aces up his sleeve here, nothing he knows that they don't; firstly because there isn't anything to find in this godforsaken death trap of a space station, and also because what would be the point? and since that's everything he has, he shifts back in his chair, straight-backed, and waits for them to discuss. ]

Niijima already knows that I've been favouring the possibility that the catastrophe the previous crew caused has resulted in reality being distorted here, and the station having some amount of its own will as a part of that.

[boazjachin]

[The trouble with Akechi, at least for Makoto, is that even knowing what he's done, even given her own personal distaste for him in moments past before she knew what he'd done to Futaba's mother and Haru's father . . . there are still times when it's hard to remember to hate him. His innate curiosity is a point of frustration. It isn't faked, or at least a part of it is real. What does she do with that? She's a curious person herself. It's so difficult not to relate.]

[Her brows draw together in a faint frown. She looks down at her hands, then back up, and nods.]

Yes. And I'd be the first to admit that dismissing any theory as nonsense would be nonsense in turn, considering what we've all seen.

[If there's one thing that all of them can certainly agree on, it's that "impossible" may simply not be a relevant word, in their or any other reality. Rules were made to be broken and all of that.]

Still, this seems like an even bigger question mark to tackle than the cause of the effects we're seeing. It's all conjecture, isn't it? You say fork in the road. If we go the wrong way at this first fork, we could get very lost.

[mapsio]

[Sitting quietly in her place, Haru has been taking in all of the facts. Watching her teammates, watching Akechi. She glances over to Ren every so often, wondering what kind of theories that their leader had in mind.]

I don't disagree with your theory, Akechi-san. I am just having a little trouble wrapping my head around how large a catastrophe would have needed to be to cause such a severe distortion.

[She puzzles in her own head for a moment more before speaking up again, but this time her voice is a little softer. Almost like she isn't sure if she is speaking nonsense or not.]

My own thoughts regarding the earthquake that I experienced was that perhaps myself and the others who saw the same event were being shown something that happened in the past to the previous crew. If you think about it, a good amount of this station is in disrepair. I wouldn't find it too far off of the mark if the station had been in danger of collapsing during that big catastrophe.

[ryuji]

[Not being shot down for the kneejerk thought that he had is kind of weird- if Morgana were here, he'd find the holes in Ryuji's argument quickly and it probably would've been torn to shreds through the lens of a rational argument. Even if he was right, it was kind of expected, honestly... which, in a really, really weird and roundabout way, made him miss Morgana's presence at the table. It's weird holding a Phantom Thieves meeting without Yusuke, Futaba and the cat here.

Sheesh.

Letting go of his focus on the missing members, he turns his attention to Haru's conclusion.]

So you mean like... a giant hamster wheel of a time loop or something? So the earthquakes you were feelin' might've been strong feelings left behind of what happened to the crew... I mean, sounds kinda crazy but... shit, look at where we all came from back in our own times. My last memory is Christmas Eve.

[Is that even possible?]

So let's say that these are all giant distortions, yeah? If the corruption was that bad, why can't we summon our personas?

[Because to him, the Metaverse hasn't been closed off for good yet.]

[intrusivethot]

[ There. With the flow of theories comes a reprieve in the atmosphere, something Ren had been hoping for but knew better than to expect. He allows himself a short, private inhale/exhale, a knot in his chest loosening after the better part of the newest exchange passes.

One problem at a time.

Absorbing most of the conversation passively, once he's relatively certain no one is going to bite another's head off Ren can then afford to put his energy into the situation at hand, the gears visibly turning as his finger is drawn underneath his bottom lip in thought.

They're out of their depth. Away from home, cut off from their Personas, their usual method of operation. This meeting could be all that they can salvage from How They Do Things, and if so they have to really put their heads together and make the best of it. ]

Because we can't access the Metanav. In theory the Metaverse should exist anywhere where there could be cognitive distortions, but that isn't to say that Palaces and Mementos can't be warped realities like what may have happened here.

The problem is we don't have an "in", so we can't confirm whether this distortion shares enough similarities with the Metaverse that allows us to move within it as Phantom Thieves.

[ So perhaps if there were a way to get the app back, that would be one thing. But they're making a lot of assumptions thinking this has anything to do with Palaces as well. If the answer is somewhere in between then really only time can tell.

The glare off his glasses blocks insight from enough angles, Ren's face tilting away. ]

My last memory of home is sometime after the end of my probation. And aside from the wire I spent a few hours chasing after voices screaming, ones that I swear I could recognize. It's not just cognitive distortions as we know it; time is also in flux, like Ryuji said.

[ Which reminds him... ]

Wait, what about the theory you floated to me over comms, Ryuji? The one about the usernames.

[ryuji]

[He didn't think it was really a revelation or a deeply impacting insight by any stretch of the means, but as Ren calls on him for it, he feels his cheeks get a little warmer. It was definitely one of the more out-there kind of what-ifs.

The metaverse question seems to be hinging on the inability for them to get their phones to navigate them into it, that much makes sense... but it did bother him that more than any weird displacements that seemed to occur... that it didn't seem like it was occurring in the right order. Shouldn't he have been taken out at the same time Ren was?]

Did you guys try to register a name on the network? My first instinct was to just take my name. But Ryuji turned back an already in use message. [The more he explains or tries to lay out his thoughts, the more flustered he feels, so he looks to Ren for a little bit of guidance here, or at least validation to continue and contribute this crack pot idea.]

So I guess what I'm gonna ask is like... how many Ryuji's are out there in the universe? Japan has a ton of em, but the only one I know of on this base is me. What if we were the ones who put our own names in 'em, but now we can't remember? Or it was some sorta time loop and we're back at the beginning again.

They said they messed up. What if we were the ones who messed up?

[uragiru]

[ that's a possibility he hadn't considered, actually. when he first registered a name on the network, it had been when they had no confirmation about whether this truly was a space station or not, and the name availability had struck his paranoia as a reason to suspect they were being played by someone. that's fallen on his list since then, but he hadn't revisited the naming issue.

he drums his fingers quietly on the table and watches the movement. ]

A little convoluted, but still not impossible. [ and he's surprised Ryuji put that theory forward without immediately accusing him of being the aforementioned traitor, which he won't point out because he is being someone empty and useful. ] We haven't seen any visuals of the previous crew, and it's unlikely that anyone would recognise the heavily processed voice of someone they consider a stranger.

[ it's another good idea to add to the pile, even if it doesn't quite click with Akechi's assessment of the situation. there's nothing inherently wrong with it; considering the time distortion they've already seen, both on the station and regarding their separation on the timeline back home, a time loop is something to keep in mind. but he can't shake the feeling that something malicious is happening here. and the time loop theory is a little open-ended, because— ]

However — in that case, something still has to have brought us here, deliberately or otherwise. Because I have a bullet wound to prove it.

[ for a brief moment, he looks at Ren and seems like he's going to say something. Yaldabaoth, on the tip of his tongue. not necessarily him, maybe, but they've been fucked by a god once before. they know it's a possibility now, and Akechi wouldn't expect not to get cosmically screwed over more than once, so something like that—? but he drops his gaze back to the table, where he's digging at it with one of his nails. ]

[mapsio]

[Haru continues to listen to these theories with intent, making sure to thoroughly go through them in her own mind to draw her own conclusions.

Ryuji's theory makes her think, "Haru" was taken. She ended up typing in "BeautyThief" in frustration, and then changed it once more to "Noir". But that thought sticks in her mind. How many people could be named "Haru" that would have been on this station.]

That would imply that we have been here much longer than we remember. That wouldn't make sense, would it?

[Haru has to step out of the box for a moment, nothing here is normal.]

We would need evidence to support that theory, but I don't think it would be completely impossible.