purrtagonist | [Week 0, Tuesday: Yusuke, Makoto]

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reapsody

[Week 0, Tuesday: Yusuke, Makoto]

[it's been about four days now, which has given them all enough time to become acquainted with their partners and the differences between this Shibuya and their own. it's allowed time for the fact that they're dead (really dead, holy shit) to sink in with Akira, too. . . and time for him to contemplate their next steps forward in conjugation with the game rules laid out before them on Monday]

[come Tuesday, he draws Makoto and Yusuke aside and tells them to meet up with him at the Buchiko-- uh, sorry Hachicko(?) statue near the central station. he admits that it feels weird to hold what is in essence a hideout meeting with only three thieves present, but. they'll have to make do, right?]

[both Makoto and Yusuke will find that Akira has beaten them to their meeting place (which is a little weird; isn't he usually late?), and is standing next to the statue with his hands in his pockets and his hip resting against the stone. when they approach, he glances up, pressing his thumb against the bridge of his glasses to adjust them on his features]

Yo.

[and then he gives them a wave, and the tiniest of smiles]

How are you two holding up?

[first thing's are first]

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As well as can be expected... But you're here early. I expected I'd be the first.

[she tilts her head, and then realizes that... it's that tension. The same one she saw earlier. Maybe she can't see it outright, but he's worried in a way he wasn't back home.]

[she's right; he totally is. but they weren't engaged in what was essentially a battle for their very souls back home, either. not like this, anyway]

I thought I'd shake things up a bit. Keep you two on your toes.

[at least he's trying to cut the tension with his trademark sass]

The only way you could really keep me on my toes is if you somehow put that determination to use to make Ryuji study.

But... I appreciate the thought.

[how is that for reassuring...]

[it is reassuring! just a little bit, and that tiny smile widens ever-so-slightly]

You'd be surprised what I've managed to make him do when we're both under pressure.

[aka study sessions at the diner with Ryuji were totally a thing]

You make it sound so simple, but if we make it, I'm going to put you to the test.

[if they make it. But, gallows humor when you're in the gallows... that's fine. That's at least not part of the execution.]

[FORTUNATELY FOR HER HE IS ALSO INTO GALLOWS HUMOR. . . he's been cracking dead jokes since he woke up, har har. but this time?]

"If?"

[that gets him to raise both brows. and, as such, his next response is a little less teasing. but it's also not without his usual fire and determination]

We'll make it, Makoto.

We have to.

[she pauses at that response, and slowly nods, crossing her arms over her chest as she considers that.]

... Right.

[She'd agreed to live, but there was a part of her that still wasn't sure what would happen if she did.]

Well... We'll have to think carefully about how we proceed. I know there are people who have said they don't intend to play the game. But there are certainly people who will.

Our key is either finding them... or living long enough to escape notice.

This means... a certain level of playing dumb.

[Akira's got the benefit here, for sure. he doesn't have any uncertainties about what might happen if they live, because he won't be returning to a world that denied the thieves their very existence. not yet, anyway]

Survival should be our number one goal, no matter what.

[for their own sakes, and the sakes of their partners. on that, they can agree]

If that means keeping our heads down, then so be it.

But there's the issue of the Reapers, too. And whether keeping our heads down will be enough to deter them from targeting us or our partners.

... Then we need to understand our interests accordingly.

[she looks up at him, and says with complete sincerity and trust:]

I'm not a reaper. But I don't know if my partner is one.

[shows up late and without either Starbucks or Starvicks, so what good is he, really]

My apologies. I hope I didn't keep you both waiting long.

[Akira doesn't even like coffee anymore it's fine? it's fine!!]

[there's a flash of something on his expression when Makoto says what she says, something akin to relief. before he can respond, however, Yusuke arrives, and he automatically tilts his head up to greet him]

No, not at all. We're just getting started.

[they've barely scratched the surface of what Akira wanted to talk about]

I'm not a reaper, either. [he finally says, echoing Makoto's firmness earlier] And while I'm not completely certain if Kurosaki is one or not, I. . .

I really don't think he is.

[she offers a small wave to Yusuke, though she lets Akira finish speaking before she responds. She's a little relieved to hear him answer that way, though she still isn't sure about Yusuke and his partner, or her own partner. They can't go after reapers if even one of them is one.]

That's a relief, though... It might be best to ask, just in case. We will make it out of here, one way or another. I would rather we make the hard decisions early.

Nor am I a Reaper.

[Yusuke's answer is firm, without hesitation. As for his partner...]

Kaiba-san's behaviour indicates to me he is not a Reaper. He has been... rather volatile since we arrived.

[That's putting it mildly.] I intend to continue observing him closely, but I have no reason to believe such irrational behaviour is an act.

Could be the caffeine withdrawal headache that's starting to set in.

[Akira comments to Yusuke idly, lightly, the ghost of a smile threatening to blossom on his features. but he moves on quickly, returning to the more serious tone of the conversation, arms folded and attention back on Makoto]

"Hard" decisions. . . which hard decisions do you mean?

[he thinks he knows, but he's clarifying first]

[she smiles softly, almost like she's unsure if she should really say what she's thinking out loud, and feeling like there's something missing that's making it harder for her to feel "right" playing in the game.]

If we're going to sincerely try to find the reapers, for one. If any of us are connected to one, doing such would be to our disadvantage. I'm still reserving judgment on Chiyo, for instance.

[that's one. The other...]

And with that, the acknowledgement of what playing the game entails. It's purposefully set up to make sure that there will be mass casualties... [and they're already dead... she places a hand to her chin.] It's... disturbing.

Then, there's the p... Actually, nevermind. For now, those are the two things we have to consider.

[. . . she cuts herself off too soon for Akira's liking. this is, perhaps, the first time he's gotten the slightest inkling that something is wrong]

[but he isn't sure how to approach it just yet. not until he knows what it is. so for now? he frowns, expression chiseled deep into his features]

I don't intend to erase anyone. Reaper, or not.

[he says that firmly, with every ounce of conviction his thieves should know he has by now. it probably isn't surprising that he feels this way]

[Yusuke is also curious about her reasons for cutting herself off, but Akira is perhaps in a better position to probe her on that one than he is, so he'll leave it aside for now. He has nowhere near as good a read on her thoughts.]

Nor do I. We may have... failed, in life, but I do not intend to become like our foes in death.

[He says that softly, looking away from them both.] Whatever my fate here, I would rather face it with dignity.

[it wasn't a pleasant thought, she's fine. it's irrelevant. she hopes.]

But finding the Reapers means their erasure. Do we have any ideas on how to avoid that?

[they will talk about it soon enough!!]

Finding the reapers means their erasure only if we play by the rules laid out before us.

Who is to say we can't find a way to make our own?

[it's brazen, Akira knows. and he doesn't have nearly enough information to know how they could go about circumventing the unjust system before them. but, hey. since when has Akira not been brazen?]

That's easier said than done, without access to our normal powers. And we'd need to act swiftly, before the mass casualties Makoto described can take place...

[He's not trying to put a damper on Akira's idea on purpose, but he doesn't sound very hopeful, either.]

Correct. Finding a way around the rules should be... difficult, but not impossible. [she at least sounds open to considering it. If maybe not as adamant as she might have once been that they find a way around it.

But it's a subtle change. Who knows.]

Have you observed anything so far that might help us? I've only noticed that this place is... off. [a glance at the statue] Which I'm sure hasn't escaped either of your attentions.

Easier said than done, but not out of reach. Difficult, but not impossible. We've done the impossible before, haven't we?

[stubborn!! he shoots Yusuke a particularly encouraging look]

I don't have any answers or particular plans of action right now. And I haven't seen anything that might help us, either.

[he pauses, a but hanging in the air before he continues]

But maybe if we find one of these reapers, we can see what they know, and get them to answer our questions.

[he says, before finding out that Dahlia, the crazy person, is a reaper]

[Yusuke catches that encouraging look, but he just frowns over at Makoto, his mouth a tight line. Certainly they tried to accomplish the impossible, but their leader doesn't know what Yusuke and Makoto know, that in the end... they failed and made things worse. He sighs and looks back at Akira.]

Assuming we're given a chance to interrogate a Reaper, and they aren't immediately erased upon discovery... perhaps it is worth a try.

We also have to consider what it would take to get a reaper to answer questions honestly.

[she seems doubtful about what that might look like. it would certainly require bribery-- and potentially put a lot of others at risk... depending on the reactions.]

They almost certainly know who the other reapers are, and they would have coordinated for this.

[a nod at Makoto]

. . . you're right.

[it wasn't that he hadn't thought of that angle. Akira's life was lived through making deals and contracts with other people, after all. he just thought they could take the need for deals and persuasion as it came.]

It probably depends on the reaper, and what kind of information they have. If they have anything.

[mmmm. he's making a lot of assumptions about what the reapers may or may not know, here. perhaps out of a stubborn hope that they can somehow survive this without resorting to Erasure-- murder]

Regardless. . . that's my preferred approach to this game for the time being. Keep our heads down, stay safe, look for the reapers, and then try to see what they know.

Is that okay with you two?

[the phantom thieves operated on a rule of unanimity, after all]

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[Week 0, Tuesday: Yusuke, Makoto]

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