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No. That felt good.

[Oh, look at that. Loki's laughter only intensifies.]

But that's just it. All this power. These chaotic inclinations. The last time I really, truly used Loki, I was fighting for my life and grappling with so much pain. Now...

[Well, the office certainly is trashed.]

Well, I suppose we may want to relocate, lest the building collapse beneath us.

Wait a moment. [And he pulls out his phone, angles it carefully, selects a filter as he would for his food blog, and takes a few pictures. And some video too. You can't have too much evidence.

As he films, his wicked smirk fades back, and he murmurs.]

You have to wonder. Would one more really be so bad?

You must truly despise that man.

[He glances up at Loki, and an idea sparks within him.]

Make sure you get my good side.

[And then, just to add a little more spectacle to it all, Loki uses Laevateinn to utterly destroy what's left of the director's desk and rattle the room in the process.]

[And he gets it all on video—the thrashing purple light, the moment the desk explodes into splinters, the final rocking of the room and collapse of the windows, into the street. Very nice.

He pans back fast, to see if Loki appeared in the video, then offers the phone to his counterpart.] Huh. Look at that. You really can film Personas.

[He could make a joke like I own you now, but he doesn't. Not at this time, and not in this room—or its remnants. Not even if other-him didn't already have enough information to bury him.]

Edited 2023-09-13 22:34 (UTC)

You'll have to send me the footage as a memento.

[He hands the phone back and peers toward the remains of the window.]

I suppose the question is, what next? I suppose there's always time to fetch those motorcycles if you're so inclined...

I have a better idea. [He pockets his phone, heads back towards the door, and to the stairs, talking as they go.]

I know better than to expect you to betray your colleagues. I don't care to know more about this operation of yours than you wish to tell me—at present. [He turns onto the staircase.]

But given where we are, and the fact that we can, say, tear up a public building consequence-free, I'd very much like one of those evokers, if you know the tree they grow on.

And then I'd be in your debt. [Give-and-take, after all. But that's not something he'd offer just anyone; he despises being obligated to anyone, despises being controlled, though it's the air he breathes.]

[Hm, it's risky business, handing off an Evoker to someone who...

Well, no, that's not fair. He's come a long way. He showed great restraint at the party. If he wanted to steal it, he could. But he hasn't.

Following his counterpart to the stairs, he nods.]

We'd have to go to the Shadow Operatives Laboratory, but I may be able to scrounge one up. However, if I do, I need your word that you will not use it against any innocent people- including your Ren. That you will at least try to work with the Thieves in a way that will still allow you to crush Shido.

It's not that I have no faith in you, or that I want to control you, but I am well aware of how devastating a power like this is in reality.

Edited 2023-09-14 13:59 (UTC)

[That lab very much sounds like a place he'd like to see. But the constraint is more-or-less what he expected. Don't use it on Ren—really, what would be the point? Work with the Phantom Thieves.

He feels sick at the idea. But then, that's never stopped him in the past.]

I think you know those aren't the sort of promises I've been able to keep. [Which has never stopped him from trying. In return, I'll turn a blind eye to what you've done....]

We keep coming back to this. You'd take my word for it? That I won't take some stupid shortcut with Ren, or wipe out the Diet in full session?

Edited 2023-09-14 14:52 (UTC)

Somebody has to believe in you.

[Is it naive? Certainly. He knows that, but at the same time...]

Yes, I know. It's saccharine beyond belief, but I can only hope that it means something more than the parasocial obsession I'm sure you receive from your fans.

[He's certainly done more for a self-proclaimed murderer than most people would.]

Parasocial? Interesting you should put it that way. What else is it, do you think, when we see our own face and project onto it?—other than a peculiar form of narcissism?...

[But it does mean something. It means something even while it's fucking stupid. He gets the door, holding it for other-him, this time.]

Someone believing in me won't change a thing I do. You know that. I can see what needs to be done, even if I dislike it. So—[with a deep sigh, as they step through, back out into the night]—I'll agree to your terms.

Now the question becomes, why do you believe me? Besides the saccharine bullshit, of course.

Edited 2023-09-14 15:05 (UTC)

[He can't help but chuckle as he slips through the door, waiting outside for his counterpart to follow.]

You mean besides the fact that you saved my life, have exposed more vulnerability to me than I think you likely have to almost anyone, treated Hawk with immense care and respect, were willing to work in my kitchen and stayed for the duration of our get together? And let's not forget the way you tucked in my younger self.

[He brings a hand to his hip, watching his counterpart very, very closely.]

I think you've shown plenty of reason for me to give a shit. And in turn, I have still respected your secrecy.

[And they stand in the doorway, considering each other; rather than placing a hand on his hip, he folds his arms. The moment stretches.

None of those things mean a damn, he wants to say. It doesn't matter what I feel or think, or what I might conclude is right, or what I might prefer to do. It doesn't matter how I behave, or what I say, or who I charm. In the end, there will always be a necessary course of action, an order or a choice, and that's the one I'll take.

He says none of it.] I didn't tuck you in.

I take it we're heading for the police HQ? [Turning on his heel, he starts to walk. It would make sense, given the very little he's gleaned from Sae on this.]

[He shakes his head, following along.]

They used to work in closer proximity to the police, but due to Public Safety's distrust in Kirijo-san, it became too much of a liability. They had actually attacked one Shadow Operatives laboratory not long after a series of events unfolded involving mind control, a plane hijacking, and the sudden return of the Midnight Channel.

[It's a lot, of course. So much had happened in just a few days.]

So, where we really want to go is to one of the primary Kirijo Group facilities. Fortunately, I happen to know the way.

[So he'll go ahead and take the lead here, seeing how it's his realm of expertise.]

[Sure, he'll follow along in turn. He doesn't comment about secrecy; Kirijo Group facilities are not exactly hard to find. Plane hijackings, for that matter, are not exactly ten a yen....]

Listen to you. Nobody's ever asked me to deal with a hijacked plane.

[Or to hijack one, for that matter. Now there's a thought.]

Sho Minazuki had quite the formidable power set. It's my understanding that he brainwashed a bunch of innocent civilians to carry out the hijacking. Funny, really, when he was a boy whom I'd met a few times over the course of the prior year.

[At least the compressed distances make it easier for the very imposing and businesslike Kirijo facility to draw near. It won't be long.]

I believe there was a point early on where Sho-san was a consideration for the cognitive anomalies case, but the way he manipulated those civilians was only temporary, whereas the cognitive anomalies were more long lasting and far greater in range and scope.

More like the psychotic breakdowns. [Yeah, this isn't funny at all. The similarities area already getting under his skin.]

Did you say his father used him as a lab rat?

Shuji Ikutski. He was the advisor of SEES, which preceded the Shadow Operatives, and had a history with Kirijo-san's grandfather. He performed ghastly experiments to create artificial Persona users, including Sho-san, and his ultimate goal was to summon Death and bring about the Fall.

[They reach the front doors. Technically, they are after hours, but there is a PIN pad. Akechi inputs a code, and the doors open for them.]

[And despite the speed of it, he shoulder-surfs the PIN as it's entered, committing it to memory. Why wouldn't he? Something tells him it shouldn't be that easy, though.... he'd expect armed guards, besides anything else. If this was a normal situation.

He processes his counterpart's information as they go, in silence, leashing his scepticism. Eventually...]

It seems wherever you go, there are vile adults looking to use children as weapons. [Not that he's admitting anything.] It's a little unnerving to realise how many cataclysms I've barely avoided. And one likely coming up.

Then there are the incidents prior to Tartarus and the fall. I really ought to gather more information from Toudou-san the next time our paths cross, if only for curiosity's sake.

[The main foyer seems about what you'd expect from a wealthy business HQ. Everything is pristine. Spacious. There are chairs for waiting. There's a front desk where normally some manner of staff would greet them.

Akechi navigates past all of that, guiding his counterpart down a hall. There are some escalators leading to higher levels. Elevators as well, but eventually they reach a point with some very fortified doors and a sign that reads 'Authorized Personnel Only.'

Akechi pulls out a card, swipes it, and the doors unlock, but that's only the first phase. As they venture inside, there's an elevator door, with another pin pad, but that's not all. There seems to be a place to scan fingerprints. A retinal scanner, too.

He types in a different pin, then follows up by removing a glove just long enough to scan his fingerprint and then follows up with an eye.

Access Authorized. Welcome, Goro Akechi.

The elevator door opens, and he beckons his other self inside.]

Well, shall we?

[It's more like his celebrity trappings than anything in his secret life. The place is insanely flash; it makes the Diet look like a cheap retirement home—which, in fairness, is pretty much what it is.

And he knows well enough how little authorized personnel means; you can be as authorised as you like, and still be a poison inside, the worm in the apple. Two PINs, a swipe card, two biometrics, physical barriers....]

Any retinal surgery I should know about? [It's almost bright; he's kidding. They move inside; he sounds, believe it or not, impressed.] Look at this place.

I made a pact that swapped my eyes with the eyes of a demon so that I may see forbidden secrets mankind could never comprehend.

[It's said with a very sharp, playful edge.

There's a selection of options here. Shadow Operatives Meeting Room, Anti-Shadow Weapon Maintenance, Research and Development, Metacognitive Monitoring Facility, and more. He selects Research and Development, and the elevator hums to life.]

[And, of course, his eye fell straight on Anti-Shadow Weapon Maintenance; he's a bit disappointed that's not their destination. Oh well.]

You really need to use Call of Chaos more. [It's almost as playful, though the edge is darker.]

What's "Metacognitive Monitoring"? [For some reason, it reminds him of their talks about Maruki.]

I don't think the elevator is the best place for that.

[Very tight space, and who knows what he'd do under its influence? Ooh, ah...

But the question is a fair one.]

Essentially, it is where we monitor Shadow-related activity and other metacognitive phenomena. Tokyo has had rather high detections for quite a while, climbing steadily as the cognitive anomalies became more commonplace. The existence of the Metaverse ultimately wasn't that surprising when it came down to it.

[... he takes another look at that button, as if it's hiding some of those secrets other-him didn't give his eyes for. That's... news.]

So what was the problem? Purely that you couldn't identify Maruki? Or were you waiting for something, beyond a useful, reckless group of self-sacrificing kids?

[In other words, other-him: if there's an organisation like this monitoring Shadow activity, and use of the cognitive world, and has been all along... are they watching him? Why haven't they stopped him? Are there any more fronts he's exposed on?

His lonely island of secrets is starting to feel like an asteroid, surrounded by enemies in all three dimensions, and a few more besides.]

Edited 2023-09-14 22:46 (UTC)

Knowing there is another form of the cognitive world is not the same as knowing who is using it. That a force strong enough to replace Igor and force his attendants out of the Velvet Room already warranted caution, and the fact that Maruki is capable of rewriting cognition meant that caution was key.

[They didn't know the limits to his power, and he had already affected so many. Ergo, there was only so much the Shadow Operatives could do.

Akechi sighs, bringing a hand over his chest.]

Ergo, they enlisted me as an undercover operative. I could pass as an ordinary high school student, and my place on the roster was a very well kept secret. Margaret, Yu's former Velvet Room attendant, was placed at Shujin under the guise of an ordinary teacher, and I was slotted comfortably into her class.

The pieces were all carefully placed in such a way that would be advantageous to me without drawing too much attention.

[The elevator stops. The doors slide open. It would seem they have arrived.]

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