Minato | Souji | Akira | 097

[messianic]

Comments

1.

[messianic]

[It's...a train station.

That's the last thing Minato was expecting to open his eyes to (in all honesty, he wasn't expecting to ever open his eyes to anything ever again). He blinks as he walks, hands tucked into his pockets as if nothing had ever changed, as if he'd never--

...Well.

The train station is dimly lit, and what he can see from the lights is that it's surprisingly ornate, but not in a style he's familiar with. Not the trains he's used to, then... a bit more archaic? And the trim of most everything here is gold and blue. Huh... that'd ring warning bells in his head, but he's just assuming that his brain is tossing in whatever weird details it remembers from life.

His stroll is leisurely (he's not convinced this isn't some sort of weird dream), and he hasn't run into anything to convince him otherwise yet. No people. No Shadows. Nothing but the quiet tread of his feet on the ground as he walks by the tracks, head tilting. There are a few doors--they don't budge, not yet, and he wonders what that means. He only tries a few of them before he gives up, returning back to his wandering, with a soft sigh.

What a weird dream...

And until he sees some sort of evidence of life? It's going to remain just a weird dream to him.]

[purrtagonist]

[IT SURE IS A TRAIN STATION]

[Akira hadn't dreamed of the Velvet Room since. . . hm. well before his final confrontation with Yaldabaoth, considering his last actual visit hadn't been a dream at all. so when he lays his head on the ratty pillow provided to him by the juvenile detention wardens, back stiff against his wooden plank of a cot, the last thing he expects is for his eyes to fly open and be greeted with nothing but blue]

[he's pretty sure this is the Velvet Room. he thinks? maybe. it sure has the feel of that ethereal place, somewhere stuck between dream and reality, even if it looks far different now than it did before. but the Velvet Room's appearance was dictated by the state of the guest's heart, right? so maybe that's why it had changed. from a locked prison cell, to. . . a train station]

[. . .]

[yeah, no. that didn't make sense]

[well. it's a good thing Akira is excellent at rolling with the punches. he strolls through the station with a neutral expression, hands in his pockets and shoulders slumped as he walks. he's dressed in his usual blue jeans and blazer (good, because it's way better than the jumpsuit he's forced to wear every day when he's awake), gray eyes masked by his usual pair of glasses. for a moment, he's silent]

[and then he cups his mouth with his palms and yells]

-- Lavenza!

[loud enough for his voice to echo through the otherwise empty station. how is that for a wake up call, door-senpai?]

[sworders]

[ He had been on a train. He'd been going home-- well. "Home". Even if he'd thought that home belonged to Inaba, where his friends were, where Nanako and Dojima were, where everything had started and where he'd found the biggest change in himself as a person.

So it could very well be a dream, because Igor absolutely delighted in dragging him into dreams where he could be informed of his progress or given mild orders from Margaret as to what he was supposed to be doing. The color scheme matches the Velvet Room well enough, he notes, running a quick hand through his hair. But there's no Igor. No Margaret. Just that same ethereal air that the space carried with it.

... And a voice yelling out... something?

It's only a quick pause of a few seconds before Souji cups his hands around his mouth and yells back: ]

Polo!

[messianic]

[There sure is a lot of yelling going on all of a sudden...!! It gives Minato a lot of pause; he hesitates for a moment, because... even if it's a dream, could he really dream up some random voices he's never heard before...?

... Hm.

Either way, quietly, strolling with his hands in his pockets still, he makes his way towards the yelling.

Who knows who's going to stumble on who first; Minato's just rolling with it all at this point, because he's the one without any real expectations at all anymore.]

1/2

[purrtagonist]

[. . . . . . . . what the fuck that's not Lavenza]

[. . .]

[purrtagonist]

Marco!

[when in doubt? roll with it]

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LABEL THESE

[purrtagonist]

[well. they have the basic hammered out, at the very least. there are still so many unanswered questions, but Akira is genre-savvy enough to know that they'll get those as time goes on. and so, for now?]

[for now, he wants to understand a little more about the other two wild cards with whom he is trapped]

[annnnd so, at some point Akira is going to corner Souji in one of the station bathrooms by hanging out near the entrance with his arms folded and his shoulder resting against the doorframe. he isn't sure where Minato went-- napping, last he checked-- but hey. . . at least that gives him a chance to be a creeper, right??]

[right!!]

Seta.

[a pause]

. . . Souji? Is that okay?

[sworders]

[ Oh. Well, better to be cornered out of the bathroom than inside of it, probably, and Souji doesn't look all that surprised that this is happening.

Granted, he'd met his best friend rolling around shrieking in a trash can, so he's used to all sorts of encounters by now. ]

It's fine. [ He's also very chill. ] Did you need me for something, Akira?

[purrtagonist]

[present: canned coffee!! at least he's decent enough to remember to bring a gift]

I found a drink and food vending machine a few platforms down. Want to take a walk with me?

[sworders]

Well, now that you've bought my company--

[ Hello, canned coffee. ]

Sure, I'd like that.

[purrtagonist]

Bribe successful.

[Akira says blandly beofre he does a little fist pump]

It doesn't really matter where we go; there isn't much to see in any direction.

SO I'M JUST NOT GOING TO

[purrtagonist]

[in his search for the equipment bearing vending machine, Akira had stumbled across one full of snacks and sodas. victory!! and Akira, with his awful diet being as it is, doesn't even consider that living off of vending machine food and sugary drinks is going to be awfully bad on all three of them]

[he tracks Minato down while he's napping on a random bench, an unopened box of jagariko in one hand and a can of iced Starvicks coffee in the other. it wasn't Boss's blend-- it never would be-- but Starvicks coffee would do in a pinch]

[without waking Minato, Akira plops onto the bench near his feet]






[and then he leans over and presses the cold drink can against the poor sleeping Minato's forehead]

[messianic]

[... That's rude.

For Minato's part.... he doesn't actually jolt awake.

He does, however, lift a hand, grabbing Akira's wrist and moving it away from his face with a fair amount of force.

He pries open an eye, frowning at Akira.]

.... Don't be rude.

[purrtagonist]

[. . . impressive. . .]

[Akira stares blandly right back at him, seemingly unfazed by the vice grip on his wrist]

I'm rude.

[that's a great first impression to make]

Are you hungry? I found some food and drinks.

[messianic]

[Not a great first impression, but it's fine. Reluctantly, Minato squints at Akira a moment longer...and then sits up, yawning and rubbing at an eye, finally letting go of his wrist.]

... Alright. I guess I could eat something.

[(He will eat a lot of somethings.)]

Did you need something?

[purrtagonist]

[he'll make up for it later!1 or now, with jagariko. which he offers to Minato without further hesitation]

Mmm. I wanted to talk.

[you couldn't wait until he woke up, Kurusu. . .]

Do you mind?

newfangled psywhatsits

[sworders]

[ Souji is just going to let Minato nap for as long as he needs, while spending some time rubbing Tama-chan's ears and being her new best friend. But when Protag #1 finally stumbles out of his Nap Coma, he'll be there, ditched by the cat and working methodically on a bag of chips because there's at least one normal vending machine here. ]

Arisato-san, do you have a minute? I wanted to compare notes while we can.

[messianic]

[Minato is definitely going to be looking a little rumpled, and a little sleepy still, but after being rudely awakened from his nap coma by another wild card who will not be named (Akira), Minato found it hard to get back to sleep.

So.

Here he is, rubbing an eye tiredly.]

Hm...? [... Why is he still here? That's the weirdest part of all of this. This can't possibly be a dream, but how is he here?]

Oh, yeah. Sure. Did you want to talk about our Shadow experiences?

[sworders]

Yeah.

[ Poor Minato. ]

What Akira said-- it wasn't familiar to you, either. So I wanted to see if our Shadows were similar, or if they were different in another way. We might be dealing with more than just his.

[messianic]

... Yeah, you're right. Come sit with me on one of the benches?

[It'll be more comfortable than standing around chatting.]

[sworders]

I'll make sure to keep you awake.

[ To the bench!

A bench.

Bench! ]

2.

[messianic]

[So!!

Eventually, they stop bumming around and chatting and Minato stops napping, and it's about time for Akira to gather them all up for another foray into the... mysterious train!!

Minato's got his sword at his side, hand shoved into his pocket otherwise, and he tilts his head as they stand right on the verge of getting on the train.]

... So... this is a heist, right? A train heist, like in the movies?

[purrtagonist]

[Akira stands next to Minato, one hand in his pocket while the other adjusts his glasses on his features. he isn't in Joker's garb just yet, but that's because they haven't entered the dungeon. but he does have his dagger strapped at his waist, tucked neatly in its sheath for safekeeping]

Seems that way.

[pppppause]

At the end of every Palace is something called a "Treasure." It's the core of the dungeon, the cornerstone that makes up the entire distortion. My team and I would steal that Treasure, which would in turn bring the Palace crumbling down around us.

The concept might be the same here.

[otherwise. . . why else train heist??]

[sworders]

... So are we meant to steal the Treasure and hope we can get off the train before it crumbles into pieces all around us?

[ Well. Okay, then. Souji has no glasses to adjust this time, but he's still testing the weight of the sword in his hand. ]

Well, I'm sure it's not like any of us haven't run for our lives before.

[messianic]

[That sounds incredibly exhausting.

But... Minato nods quietly, frowning a little to himself.]

... You're going to have to walk me through being a thief, Akira... I've never done anything like this before.