maze of life.

[ Hey, guys, I do apologize for not being active on here. I’ve just been busy due to tests and I forgot about this blog a lot of other IRL stuff. Anyways, I’m planning to move my Akechi from @sleuthfeign to this blog, and I’ll be tossing out a starter call later! ]

“Coffee? Are you serious?”

Akihiko was going about his day as normal. He figured the encounter with this stranger would be brief, but then the man stumbled on his own feet. The coffee thermos he’d held in his hands cluttered to the ground, but the lid remained on. Akihiko bent down, picked up the coffee, and handed it to the man. Then, he extended his hand in a gesture of help. 

   “I appreciate that.” And yes, he could relate. The position of leader wasn’t one Charlie picked for himself, but had been hoisted upon him. Made sense, of course – his affinity for Personas and combat far outstripped anyone else’s during the foundation of the Investigation Team – but it’d felt right, too. More right than anything so far in his life, being shuffled around from relative to relative. That this ally-of-circumstance would acknowledge that…was kind.

   “Nobody else can do what we can. It’s a responsibility.”

“Yeah, that’s for sure.”

When he’d first joined SEES, he’d heard that statement over and over again. It was like a monk’s mantra -- something you repeated and that you stuck to. But, it was true. Normal people couldn’t hope to fight against Shadows, or the Dark Hour; both were unknown in the world of normalcy. Ever since he’d been recruited, Akihiko had fought and bled in Tartarus. It was just reassuring to know that SEES wasn’t the only anti-Shadow squad out there. 

When  your dad  Sojiro is out there offering coffee for free to Inari   of all people  . 

Disgruntled sigh. 

Meme II Accepting!

“ ...I thought so.”

Mitsuru hadn’t asked the question out of curiosity. It was to ascertain the differences between herself and the other Persona-user. She hadn’t seen him use an Evoker for summoning his Persona, so she concluded that his knowledge of Shadows likely differed to that of hers.

“Glad to hear it. I’ve had a lot of customers, but no one’s talked about my brew like you have.”

Sojiro grins. Sure, he’d seen that kid’s friends come and go from his shop, but he hadn’t really stopped to speak with them. In truth, he’s partly relieved to hear such politeness; it showed that the kid wasn’t befriending delinquents. 

Meme II Accepting!

Despite being such a small town, Inaba was all too easy to get lost in. Kei vaguely recognizes his uncle’s associate from work, but it seemed like they were both lost. Wasn’t this guy supposed to be a cop? Oh, well. For now, he might as well stick with Adachi. There weren’t any better alternatives. 

“Adachi-san, is your cell phone working? Mine’s dead.”

Meme II Accepting!

“Sorry to have dragged you into this. I, uh, wasn’t sure who to ask …”

The two were situated near a large lake, bustling with fish. Kei’s already got his fishing rod primed and ready. He steals a glance at Naoto, but she hasn’t drawn hers yet. Well, he’ll give her all the time she needs. 

“I’m providing food for the party, and I’m low on yen.”

Margaret’s compendium prices were getting insane. That was where all the money he’d found was going to. His teammates wouldn’t understand that, so, rather than explaining why he showed up emptyhanded at their party, he’d fish for their meals instead. 

Meme II Accepting II @clckworks

Kei’s grateful for the gesture, although he hears a telling squeak from the door’s hinges. It’s a relief that Zen hasn’t torn the door off the frame. In the real world, things were far more brittle than they were in the labyrinths. Admittedly, it had been a surprise to see Zen again, but, then again, Teddie had set a precedence for this. 

“Thanks, Zen.”

The moment Kei steps into the Dojima residence, he catches the scent of something on the stove. He grinned. 

[~☪~] If Shinjiro had been glaring at him before for saying that to him, it seemed to get even worse when the other decided to explain himself.

“You’re going to tell me not to be stupid and go off on my own?” He rose his eyebrow before giving a rather dissatisfied ‘tch’ in return.

“You are the last person that should be trying to act like they are giving advice that isn’t hypocritical the moment it leaves your lips. Or do I have to bring up to the others how many times both you and Mitsuru decided to go running off on your own in the midst of Tartarus because you had some kind of suddenly born grudge against whatever Shadow decided to cross your path that night?”

“Hey, give us some credit! We beat the Shadows we chased!” 

Did that retort sound incredibly, stupidly hotheaded? Yes, but Akihiko didn’t care. This wasn’t about him or Mitsuru. Truth be told, he was getting worried about Shinji. Nowadays, his old friend just drifted through life with little drive to do anything else. Akihiko had learned to work with his team, but he wasn’t sure if Shinji would do the same. 

“ Ah, Shinjiro-senpai! “

Fuuka jumped, turning around to give him a soft. albeit embarrassed, smile, knowing that he was serious and…. yet, it still didn’t leave them with a good feeling.

“ R-Right… it was supposed to be pizza, but I somehow turned it into a …. soup? …. instead… “ they explained with a sigh. “ … I don’t think I’ve made more dough, though… “ 

“That shouldn’t be a problem. You can buy premade dough at the store, and start again.”

Normally, Shinjiro would withdraw from this line of conversation, but watching them try so hard and fail made him feel bad. He’s well aware that cooking takes awhile to master. He, too, was once a novice cook. 

“Oh, yeah. I remember you. I didn’t get a chance to thank you for the other day… Name’s Junpei Iori! What’s yours?”

It wasn’t long ago he had seen this guy before. He really owed this guy one! This guy taught some guys up to no good a lesson when they tried messing with him and some other guys. Then again, Junpei shouldn’t have been out so late either. 

“Yeah, well… I wanted to head back, but honestly it’s been so hot where I’m staying that it’s better to stay outside. The breeze is a lot cooler ya know?” 

“My name’s Shinjiro Aragaki.”

Shinjiro didn’t feel like he had to address the “thanks”. It was his glare that did all the work. The idiots in that back alley had learned not to mess with him, so it just took a good glare and strong words to deter them. It didn’t take any effort. 

he’d gesture vaguely to the side. “ he’s trying to target me too, so i’m playing him on strings since it’ll be the final piece we need to convince an authority he’s truly in the wrong. ” and then he crosses his arms. with one hand ren makes a certain gesture; one that is akin to a maybe.

“ those monsters… they are monsters with shadows. ” all his targets were human in the true world. “ cause i imagine you know by now that shadows are just one’s hidden shadow and all. ”

“What did you just say?”

Mitsuru rarely ever misheard words in a conversation. Her focus, as always, was on the task at hand. It’s just that what he said takes an extra moment to process, the implications immense. He says it so casually, like another fact of life. 

In truth, Kei wasn’t familiar with that other realm’s strange tourney. He knew that fighters from a huge array of worlds were gathered there, but this was the first time he’d encountered one of the realm’s denizens. The little mii fighter seems dressed up in imitation of him -- the wig, his exact uniform, and even a pair of glasses. It was meant to be a compliment, right? Kei laughs despite his confusion. 

“Heh. Yeah, this looks really cool! If I can’t be there with you, well ...”

He bends down on one knee, and pats the mii fighter on the head. Kei couldn’t keep from grinning. If nothing else, he appreciates the little guy’s effort.