[open] because i can only be me

[simulatio]

Who: Goro Akechi and YOU
What: catch-all for august
Where: heavenly blanc, wall market; others tbd
When: yes
Content Warnings: threads with p5r spoilers will be tagged as such! please toss a comment on my spoiler opt-out post if you'd like me to avoid mentioning any p5/p5r spoilers in tags with your character.

Comments

🤺 behind heavenly blanc, p5 spoilers in description

[simulatio]

[His initial investigation into the market beneath Mt. Silver had revealed many things, some important, some not. Personally, the most interesting thing Akechi had found there is currently in his left hand -- a long, thin sword with a serrated blade like a saw, glowing a faint red. He's running himself through some fencing routines against an invisible enemy; his footwork is impeccable, and his strikes sure and true. It's obvious he knows what he's doing, each move strictly measured and controlled.

A careful eye might be able to tell that he's holding himself back. Instead of the strict, regimented form one might expect from watching a fencing bout, instead sometimes he fights a different kind of invisible enemy, his strikes not worried about points, but hacking and slashing before he inevitably returns to the calmer combat.

Either way, he's definitely having fun, eventually shucking his heavy winter coat and scarf and uniform jacket to just his button-up shirt and tie, his hair sticking to the back of his neck with sweat.]

[forethinking]

(Ren was just heading to the attic when he catches a glimpse of Akechi, a growing smile on his lips as he observes. One can argue personality makes a huge impact on style, and it does ring truth to Akechi - ever-changing flows of calm and collected to aggressiveness.

His own weapon was stashed on him and he barely notices the extra weight anymore. Instead of saying "hi, what are you doing", like a normal person, Ren decides to test what Akechi had said at the party regarding his knife throwing skills.

It's a precise throw that travels with force until Baselard was stuck still and secure on the tree a few feet away from Akechi, but surely within his point of view. He couldn't leave Akechi being cool with his sword without being cool himself.)

[simulatio]

[Akechi senses more than sees the knife flying through the air; he pivots, bringing the sword up in a reflexive guard in case there's some other kind of more-accurate assault coming. His pulse pounds in anticipation of a true fight, but then- ah, of course. He recognizes the knife, the hilt still vibrating from the force it had taken to drive it into the tree, and he looks behind him to lock eyes with the other boy.]

I didn't see a target on that tree.

[His lips are curved into the faintest hint of a smirk as he lowers his sword, eyes locking with Ren's.]

[forethinking]

Did there have to be one?

(He can sense the gaze, but when he moves to retrieve the knife, it's with calm steps. He yanks it from the tree, a finger carefully moving on the surface to remove any dust that collected from the trunk.

Ren doesn't put the knife in his new coat's pocket for now, instead throwing it in the hair to catch it mid flip. Show off.)

Let's test that sword?

[bridge_princess]

Someone found a new toy.

[She liked doing that. Quietly walking up from the shadows of the woods. Well, she was like a haunting spook in the area, so why not keep up the reputation that you never knew when she'd pop up? Slipping around from a corner, she looked Akechi over curiously, drawing closer but not too close.]

Fancy swordplay... Still expecting a fight, I see.

[simulatio]

[Akechi twitches violently at the unexpected voice, but doesn't react more than that. He hadn't seen or heard her coming, but he has more control over himself than to point the sword at whomever's approaching. A beat until he recognizes her, and he just laughs politely, tilting his head with a smile.]

Yes, in that underground bathhouse, of all places.

[He flourishes the blade briefly, the edges making it hum through the air with the cut.]

The more time passes without one, the more I'm convinced it's coming. It's not like me to reject the evidence, but, well... Call it my detective's intuition?

[bridge_princess]

Wait, undergrou... oh right, that wall market place. I found an old wok you could use as a hat. It didn't that good for cooking.

[She'd almost brought it back for fear of the thing coming awake. She was starting to get paranoid about all this old crap lying around coming alive on her.]

That's some cynical thinking. Not that I think you're wrong. Just saying. But I do think it's kind of obvious. We're eventually going to have something worse than a ... whatever those pink chicken things are to fight.

So, you're pretty good with that, I see. Is it actually yours, or just fancy?

[starshower]

[Spending as much time in the bar as she did, Tifa had grown used to the sounds the world made around it. When there isn't much to do to pass the time except listen and observe when there's no one around to talk to, she can sense when something is out of the ordinary. It's Akechi's footwork that she hears—the occasional step or heavier stomp on the grass is what draws her attention outside, and the back door to the bar creaks open for her to see what it is.

She's surprised to find Akechi, of all people, fencing with a sword in Heavenly Blanc's backyard.

When there's a pause in his movements, she descends the patio steps into view. She knows better than to come up on someone, whether he's already seen her or not, in the middle of a sword thrust.]

That's new. [She motions to the odd-looking sword in his hand with her eyes, a smile pulling at her lips.] Never pegged you for the fighting type, but I'd be wrong to say there aren't any surprises around here.

[simulatio]

[He does see her at first, focused intently on finishing the form he's practicing. An exhale, then he hears her speak, and lowers the blade to face her with a polite nod.]

Ren and I found it in the bathhouse underground. The one in that underground marketplace?

[He flourishes the blade briefly, much more at home with it than he was with Ren's dagger.]

I suppose it doesn't quite fit my image, but I do have some training. Would it be odd to say that I quite enjoy it? There's something about being able to focus completely on the perfection of something.

🤺 🤺 three-way thread with ren

[simulatio]

[Or, perhaps later, one might find Akechi in the throes of combat with a rather tangible opponent, instead of just an imagined one. In contrast to the sharp concentration he'd had when fighting on his own, as Akechi and Ren circle each other, Akechi's sword and Ren's knife wrapped in protective cloth to keep them from injuring each other, Akechi has a broad grin on his face, a challenging smirk and a bright light in his eyes to goad the other forward.

When Akechi fights with Ren, it's unrestrained, less an attempt to score points in a sparring match and simply an attempt to win, whatever the cost. His red blade sometimes moves so fast it can barely be seen in an attempt to overwhelm the other boy, and every now and then, Akechi laughs with a kind of demonic delight.

Look, it's probably fine. Catch them after a match with Akechi tossing Ren a towel to mop up the sweat, or pausing for a break to drink some water or just chat about the last fight. It's like flipping a switch between how Akechi fights, and how Akechi speaks later.]

[bachagain]

[ troy walking into a room on fire with pizza.gif

soooo, this is something that leo doesn't quite expect to barge into. where do you really start? the unexpected akedgy? our side character (?) keeping up with akedgy? the swordplay in general, which... mm, leo isn't entirely unfamiliar with swords, but it's more of a graceful kind of decorative piece accompanying their performances, and not the goku vs vegeta he's observing here. knives? much more novel territory.

in conclusion, this sure is a Thing! a thing that leo is approaching the aftermath of with little reservation, because certainly someone demon laughing while swinging a sword isn't at all a reason to be concerned.

yeah, really, it's not. he's waving, like this is no big deal. it's fine. ]

Hey! You guys keep showing me something different whenever I run into you both, huh! What's next? We got brain, brawns... I guess beauty's lined up?

[ ahh, here he is, ready to derail everything. ]

[forethinking]

(As if Akechi was the only one with an enormous smirk on his face. Ren's one is a little less psychopathic in nature, but a confident, smug smile of someone who would not take a loss as an possible outcome. Like that wasn't an option in the book.

Ren hasn't fought since he's been in this universe and it felt revitalizing, like it awakened something in him that has been buried under all the uncertainty. Or perhaps it was just because he was fighting Akechi. Not only was it entertaining, but there was a lot of tension that was just bubbling under the surface. Argument after argument - basically how they have been here. It certainly helped.

An spectator may have noticed Ren's taunting glares, passionate and skillful wielding and clever, quick dodges, perhaps a little over the top with the gymnastics training he had received. For now, however, it's over and Ren is trying to get the mop on his head dry. It's probably curlier now.

Also, no glasses! Ren is scanning the place with his eyes. He remembers to put it somewhere on the grass, but out of their improvised field so that neither step on it. Instead of them, he finds a Leo waving, to which he waves back... He needs the glasses.)

Hey, Leo... What do you mean?

(How could they even show beauty? Does Leo want to see Akechi's makeup bag...?)

👀

[theforgottenboy]

[It's not really a surprise to see Akechi and Ren sparring, having done so with Akechi himself. The sword is new though. He must have found one, that's good.]

[The way he fights is different though, and not just because of the change in weapon. He's much more aggressive, yet even Ren seems to let loose in a way he hasn't seen before, keeping up with his blinding movements despite being armed with a single dagger. He may not be able to hear the "fight" the way he should, but he feels like he's getting some new insight regardless.]

[He's fine lurking off to the side as they spar, but when they stop to take a break he manages to remember that it seems to bother them (or at least Akechi) when he just stares without saying anything. So he moves closer.]

Do you like fighting too, Ren?

👀👀👀👀👀

[forethinking]

(Ren was still sweating from the possible several turns they've taken into their sparring, most ending in draws and possible empty threats of murder.

This time, Ren had his back towards Cole, so the familiar voice was what prompted Ren's attention.)

Mhm?

(Does he like fighting...? Very much so. Fighting Akechi, though, was a whole different deal.)

I do.

🖌wall market

[simulatio]

[Somehow, Akechi's managed to befriend a small group of the strange creatures living in the market underneath Mt. Silver. He's no artist, but he's rigged together several paintbrush-like objects from various detritus around. Whatever kind of bodily fluid these weird creatures are "painting" with, it's interesting enough that Akechi's seemingly taking part.

There's no art to what he's doing, not really. It's almost violent, how he splatters paint against the wall, wielding the brush as if it were a can of spray paint. But it's a rare, gentler side of him as he speaks to the strange animals, pointing out places they can paint to bring the whole mess of graffiti together.]

[pinwheels]

[ If there was anyone Rinoa imagined spending time with the creatures that are-but-are-not Moombas, talking to them and decorating the walls of the cavern-encircled market... well, actually there are a few people in this place she wouldn't have guessed to be the type. Akechi comes to mind, with his not-quite-right smiles, dislike of small talk, and his apparent determination to keep the conversation on their situation. A solid conversation over drinks later and all she knows is that he's a detective from some place called Japan.

So... no. Definitely not the type.

Yet there he is, just a few short paces away, an uncharacteristic (she supposes, from what little she knows of him) gentleness in his tone as he speaks to the creatures. And so it's with a smile that Rinoa approaches, announcing herself with a call of his name as she draws near. She doesn't want to spook him and end up covered in paint. ]

[simulatio]

[The lighting might be dim, but he can hear the approaching footsteps. It keeps him from being too startled at the sound of his name being called, allowing him to turn and smile as if embarrassed to be caught.

One of the little paint-creatures slinks behind his legs to hide as the rest scatter a few paces away, warily watching.]

It's good to see you, Rinoa-san. For relative values of "see," I suppose.

[Upon closer look, he's absolutely got paint on his face, though miraculously it doesn't look like he's managed to get any on his shirt just yet.]

Did you have any trouble finding this place?

[halloflamer]

[With a bit of difficulty and tenacity, Blue had ventured down here a few times after Red's tales of the mysterious, wide marketplace in the basement of Mt. Silver; he had heard of the strange Smeargle-like Pokémon and wanted to meet and observe them. He'd in fact been doing some sketching of his own lately, inspired by the meeting with his (sort-of) grandfather.......]

[Returning on another of those trips, what he didn't expect to find with the pack of "Smeargle" on this occasion was Akechi, madly going at the canvas of a broad wall at the side of a marketstall, looking somewhere between vicious and exhilarated with the fun he was having. Blue stops and stares, watching for a few moments, and then scopes out the pack of the Smeargle, looking to spot one he recognized. You could tell Smeargle apart by their unique paint colors, amongst other things, and he spots one or two he'd met before amongst them, smiling as he now feels confident not to spook the pack if he calls out.]

Oh, Akechi-kun! [He brightly calls, waving a cheerful hand. The last time they'd met was at the party............. To Blue, all of that had been nothing but the kind of casual back-and-forth he'd forget about by the next time, nothing to hold grudges over or remain soured about, so there's no sort of apprehension in his body language that would suggest he expects Akechi to still be upset. As far as Blue is concerned, he's just greeting an acquaintance once again!] You're here, too? I didn't know you were an artsy type, hahaha!

[simulatio]

[Akechi was having such a nice time, and then some loudmouth had to go and ruin it. He pulls his brush away from the wall, takes a moment to compose a smile upon his face, and turns as if nothing at all had ever occurred between them.]

Blue-san.

[He notes with some surprise that although the pack rustles slightly at the intrusion, they don't scatter and flee. Perhaps Blue's already met some of them? Well, that's good at least, that they have some concept of memory. It would be quite annoying to have to befriend them all over again.

A beat, then he gestures behind him to indicate the splattered, chaotic mess of paint.]

I wouldn't say I'm artistically inclined, no, but there's something to be said for expressing one's thoughts in a concrete manner, don't you think?

♨bathhouse

[simulatio]

[It's still much too dim for Akechi's liking, but if one enters the bathhouse, one might find Akechi's jacket, socks, and shoes set neatly in a basket in the changing room. It doesn't feel right entering the bathhouse itself with shoes on -- or any clothes, really, but it's hard to relax when it's so difficult to see and there are so many unknowns.

Akechi can be found with his shirt sleeves and pant legs rolled up, soaking his feet in the warm water. His jagged sword is at his side within easy reach, and as he hears someone enter, he opens his eyes and turns to look, squinting in the semi-darkness to see who it is.]

[anciently]

[ There aren't really Eastern-style bathhouses in Midgar, which is why it's a woman who pokes her head in, blinking immediately in confusion when she spots a single, male figure soaking in the water. ]

Oops, sorry! [ There's a light giggle and an apologetic smile, but she doesn't quite go away. Instead, Aerith hovers with one hand and half her body visible at the door, seemingly waffling about whether or not to leave this guy to his peace, or to - ]

What're you up to? [ They haven't been introduced, but she's always happy to dive right into conversations with strangers. ] Does the water feel nice?

[simulatio]

[Well, the silence was probably too much to hope for. A beat, then Akechi tilts his head in a "come on in" gesture, smile rising to his lips.]

It does indeed. It's traditional to clean oneself before entering the bath, but I prefer not to shower in the dark. Thus- [he gestures to his feet in the water only. Way easier to just hose off his feet in the shower, and significantly less-vulnerable.]

It's... Aerith-san, isn't it? My apologies, but Ren told me a little about you. It's wonderful to finally meet you in person.

🍲 closed to ren

[simulatio]

[Akechi genuinely, truly hates how difficult it is to measure the passage of time. After he'd stormed out of the bathhouse, he'd gathered as much food out of the underground market as he could carry to store in his room. Ren didn't come to see him. After a while, he abandoned his book of philosophy and resumed his exploration, digging through the trash on the beach and retrieving bits that looked like they could be used as grates. He's able to make it off the hoarded food from Wall Market for... well, he'd say it's a few days, but really it might have only been a day or two.

He can't avoid Ren forever. He won't give him the satisfaction. Eventually, he does make his way into Heavenly Blanc, expression schooled into its usual neutrality. With any luck, maybe Ren isn't even there and Tifa will let him just raid the fridge.]

a mess

[forethinking]

(Ren didn't come.

With how enraged he'd end up in their last conversation, it would be a betrayal of himself to just go to Akechi's apartment and pretend like everything was fine. It wasn't.

Similarly, he wouldn't go there begging for Akechi to reconsider. The best scenario was to let Akechi come to him, whenever that would be, if that would be. He didn't have much hope.

Which is why when Ren sees him enter the bar, his eyes goggle a little in his surprise, his brain arguing with his heart to stand down and quit its racing already. He wasn't particularly doing anything as of now, sitting on one of the booths with a pen spinning in his hands, creating a crossword out of the disconnected, gibberish letters that came in some of the books.)

[simulatio]

[Well, Tifa isn't here, but also Ren isn't behind the counter. Akechi glances toward him, cursing the tension he feels building in his shoulders, but keeps it from his face. Instead, he just pauses, hand on his hip as he juts his chin in almost a defiant challenge.]

There's still food in the fridge here, yes?

[-To the point. Never mind that he's standing the same way he was when Ren had kissed him. He refuses to change to suit Ren's tastes.]