tabularasa_rp | open | i hit the bottom but I'm on the mend

For starters, you can't get your coffee and drink it on the run.

(He calls the attention to a habit he has noticed about Damien, with his little tumbler.)

And punctuality is key, so put that into consideration when making plans.

[Damien stares at him for a moment, and then barks out a laugh. look, he came out to have a good time, but honestly, he's feeling so attacked, right now]

Duly noted.

[a beat]

Both parts of that, actually. [he may have had the occasional issue with punctuality, back home. it wasn't a habit, mind, but -- well, who doesn't get absolutely absorbed by something, once in awhile? people in Japan, apparently]

(He laughs too, a little quieter than the other before shaking his head.)

Not a drive-by. (He won't expect something like that from a foreigner!)

Reputation is everything as well.

[he sobers a little, as Ren continues, attentive, and at the idea that reputation is everything, he's silent for a moment, before:] I know there's some sort of -- for lack of better wording -- business with business cards, isn't there?

[something like you're actually supposed to pay attention, when someone hands you one of theirs?]

There is.

(Ren nods, trying to remember if he has any with him, but he doesn't, unfortunately!)

It's respectful to read and not just store away. You're aware of bowing, too, right?

(He figures. He has bowed to Damien several times as of now...)

[Damien will answer the question in a second. for a brief moment, instead, he squints at Ren before he shifts, reaching for the wallet in his back pocket. he hasn't touched it, since they arrived here, since he doesn't have to pay for anything (or pretend to, if he's just going to steal the money from someone else), but he does actually have one of his business cards]

[he holds it out to Ren, to inspect, and well, it's a simple thing, the same blue-gray as his hat, with silver writing on it. there's a seal the top, made up of a silhouette of Chicago's skyline and the words Chicago RFL, and below it, the basics -- his name, job title, phone number and extension, work email address. Damien waits for him to go through the motions of checking it out, and either putting it away somewhere safe or handing it back, before he finally answers the question]

I've noticed it. [a beat] But there's something ... [hm, how to explain what he's trying to say?] I've noticed it's different, depending on who you're talking to. [different depths to the bow, different time spent holding them, that kind of thing. what does that mean? does that mean anything, or is it just personal preference?]

(Mhm? Is Damien reaching for a demonstration?

Very politely, Ren reaches with both hands to accept the card, with the thumb and forefinger of each hand gently taking the card into his sight and performing a standard 30 degree bow before he tends to it. Of course, his eyes travel the card carefully, noting the details and the personal information in it. It's almost an extension of Damien in a way, so he takes time to appreciate it.

Instead of going into a pocket, Ren just leaves it on the table, placed with the information facing him.

Of course, there probably is much more to it, but it's not like Ren spends a lot of time in business meetings in a suit. He's only done what feels natural.)

There are many rules, but I can't say I know all of them. Akechi might be better for business related traditions. (He recommends.)

There is. Different levels of respect.

[he was, and he watches Ren with interest, before leaning back where he'd leaned forward a little. interesting]

I might ask him about them.

[he also might ask after Akechi, period, once there's a pause in the lesson. he suspects Ren wouldn't be here, if something had gone awry, if the wound was infected or something, but -- well, has he mentioned he likes Akechi?]

[but anyway]

Like the honorifics you all use.

(He has! Ren likes him too, to nobody's surprise.

Damien is absolutely right. If Akechi hadn't been in a good shape, Ren definitely wouldn't be here, just chatting.)

That's right. Everything rotates around respect, reputation and hierarchy in Japanese culture.

Edited 2020-10-08 18:03 (UTC)

[Damien hums, and -- well, he's ask another question about Japanese etiquette, maybe if it bothers Ren that he doesn't use the honorifics, too, but now he's sort of hung up, thinking about Akechi. he frowns a little, that in mind, before:]

How is he, by the way? Akechi?

(At the question, there's just a tiny smile in Ren's lips. Damien really cares about Akechi, doesn't he?)

He's getting better. Thank you for helping him. (He offers Damien a short bow, in both respect and gratitude.) He's staying with me for the time being, you're welcome to visit.

(It's only a beat later that the subject reminds him - he actually meant to talk to Damien about something really important.)

I actually have something to ask you, speaking of.

[he's the one person who sees all of him, here -- who he doesn't have to watch himself around. Tifa's a close second, for all that she saw some of him and didn't flinch, but Akechi's ... ]

[yeah, anyway]

[he frowns a little, somewhat disappointed that Akechi's not just next door, anymore, even if he can figure out the reasoning behind it. a raised eyebrow follows, at the not-quite-question] Which is?

I know what you saw from him.

(A battered, badly injured Ren, a dead officer, a silencer and a bullet right in his forehead. Nothing.)

Can I trust you'll keep it a secret?

(Ren's gray eyes fix on the other's.)

Ah.

[he shifts slightly in his seat, trying to cover a tension that came with the lead up to the question. he's not sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't something as comparatively innocuous as that]

[either way, after a beat, he hums, nods] Your secrets are safe with me. [assuming they don't give him reason to use them against them, anyway]

(He's not sure, if he's completely honest. Damien did see him getting shot in the head, it's such a serious situation that even if it weren't real and Ren is right here, the murder part of it still stands.

Complicated.

Well. Akechi hadn't told Ren what he saw from Damien, if any, and Ren kept it for himself too. Too personal to just throw out there.)

Thank you. (Right now, he has no other choice but to trust, does he?)

[isn't everything complicated?]

[but anyway]

You're welcome. [a beat] And for the record, I haven't run around screaming what I saw of yours from the rooftops, either. [and as with Akechi, he won't, unless he gives him reason to. he may not be looking to actively blackmail anyone here, yet, but he still very much operates on the principle of an eye for an eye. if anyone realizes the truth behind what they saw of his, if anyone starts passing it around -- well, he knows shit now, too]

I was running on the assumption that anything we discussed, that day, was in confidence.

Awkwardly enough, you wouldn't need to.

(Because surely a good chunk of his stolen memories was that one ins specific anyways. Still, he drops the intensity just a tad, long nails tapping on the table.)

Don't worry, it's really all I know. It is and it will continue being no matter what.(Ren wasn't told a thing about Damien's, and he surely won't tell anyone about what he saw, even with it being a strong bargain chip. He wouldn't really go through it.)

But I think you can understand why I'm asking you this.

Still.

[a beat]

And I absolutely understand. If what happened between the two of you got around -- well, it would put something of a scarlet letter on his chest, wouldn't it? [even if it wasn't real, the intent was still there. Akechi's still a murderer. he'd still read as dangerous, insane if anyone else knew]

I do have one question, though. [and there's another pause] Which me keeping my mouth shut isn't conditional on you answering. [just for the record] But well. Call me curious.

(Still for the fact his silence remains or still for the fact that Ren knows Damien knows?

He says nothing when there's no reason for it - Damien got it. There's no need to repeat what he has jut said.)

What is it?

[still for the fact that his silence remains, no matter how many people may have gotten the same glimpse of Ren]

[but anyway]

Why forgive him? Why be friends? Even if it wasn't real ... [again, the intent was there. he sure as fuck wouldn't be nice to Aiden, if and when he ever shows up here. he might aim for a truce, maybe, but it won't be a friendly thing]

(Friends... They're not exactly that at this point, are they?

Oh, boy. He has discussed this many, many times with Akechi at this point, till he's got a headache. To someone else? This is completely new, and Ren doesn't know what to say at first.)

I care about him. (For starters.) I understand it, as morbid as it sounds. It doesn't define him.

You were both being used.

[there's a note of question in his voice there, as he's not entirely sure that's the reason for it. oh, he knows that they were being used, the two of them pawns in a game being played by a godlike entity, Akechi told him as much. what he's unsure about is if that's the reason for Ren's understanding, his forgiveness]

That we were.

(No need to go around in circles if he knows that much and if Akechi told him, Ren might as well back his decision up by confirming. Still, Ren shakes his head.)

I understand him. (A slight correction that might answer Damien's question.

Sorry, feelings hard. It takes him a while to regather his thoughts, trying to make the best out of his words.)

Reaching for the past has no use for me when I can work towards a better future. (And if Damien cares to look, he might even see such resolve in Ren's eyes. They've been fine, despite of everything, here they are. Together. Trying. There's so much progress and Ren is happy, their past traumatizing relationship much less relevant in the face of change and growth.

His attitude happens to be beyond Akechi, even if he's the subject of the conversation. Damien saw some of the horrors Ren has experienced so far - Ren being arrested, Ren injured from head to toe with a target on his back, Ren... Working to make the Void at least bearable for everyone in it, working much longer shifts and lending an ear and cups of coffee to those who would need it. Why dwell when you can do something about it?)

[he does, in fact, note that, and he smiles a little for it, almost in spite of himself. that, that's where Ren and Aiden differ. Aiden wouldn't forgive him anymore than he would Aiden. setting new and foreign or otherwise, there'd be no forward movement for them]

[though ... ]

Is that a blanket statement? Or one reserved just for him?

[would Ren forgive him, if he knew what kind of person he really was? never mind the fact that he hasn't done a single thing to hurt anyone here. never mind the fact that he's never really lied, point blank, everything he's told Ren or anyone else here at least a fraction of the truth. he doesn't need any absolution here. he's more curious, then, if Ren would treat him different if he saw the whole of his truth]

[he imagines so. he's not so different from Aiden]

Applies for most.

(Ren knows there's something sketchy and it would be a lie if he said he fully trusts Damien. He doesn't, even if his action of kindness towards Akechi was welcomed and earned him some points.

Whether Ren would deal with him differently is all on Damien, though. He's willing to let the past be the past, there's not even a way to verify the story as is... But that's provided Damien doesn't pull that shit around here. Provided that he understands the gravity of his actions. Provided that he makes an effort to be a better person and does what needs to be done not to repeat his actions and fall on the same behavior pattern.

He's not scared to stand up to him otherwise.)

He's told you quite a bit, hasn't he?

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