[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Makoto]

[purrtagonist]

[truthfully, out of his two thieves present for this game, Makoto was the one Akira found himself most concerned about at the moment. he had always known that Makoto had a more heated, fiery side, something to balance out her levelheaded calmness. and part of him had been impressed with the methodical way she had handled herself at the trial-- that was the daughter of a cop, for you]

[but when everything had ended, she had seemed. . . stressed? unhappy? it was tough to put a name to the emotion, but something was off. that, coupled with her being slightly off-kilter during their first thief meeting, meant that something was up. right?]

[once the execution is over, Akira seeks Makoto out, greeting her with two fingers pressed against his temple in a mock salute]

I kind of wish they had more restaurant choices than McDonalds and Starvi-- Starbucks. Where's a cheap diner when you need it?

[he'll get to the point soon enough, but he's absolutely going to ease into it slowly]

Comments

[justfists]

Me too. There are so many better places, even in this area. [this Shibuya that wasn’t quite Shibuya. It was frustrating.] But I guess... we don’t really have a choice. At least not now.

[she’s managed to collect herself for the most part, but there is still a little tightness in her voice. She wasn’t sure how to bring up the truth, to put into words about how... she didn’t feel the way she should have. She was vindicated in the end simply because she was right.

Not because Dahlia had been a horrible person who needed to be stopped.

Would she end up like her sister? What if her sense of justice never returned, and she even began to forget what had driven her in the first place?]

[purrtagonist]

We could always try petitioning Max for a Big Bang Burger.

[he says that lightly, a lilt of amusement in his words, but his gaze is affixed on her, searching every line of tension in her body. after a moment, he hums, turns on his heel to nod his head towards the McDonalds]

Come on. I'll treat you to a burger.

We can talk.

[justfists]

[she looks a little surprised at the sudden offer, and offers belatedly.]

Thanks.

[this is it. he knows, he has to, especially with the change in tone. Or maybe he just knows "something" is wrong. That something is hard for Makoto to put into words, though. She's almost dreading admitting it]

This works for you though... Didn't you attempt the burger challenges?

[purrtagonist]

[it's definitely only a "something" for now. but he was never one to make assumptions. to McDonalds they go!!]

More than just attempted. Defeated, three times over.

[said proudly, as he adjusts his glasses, brows raised]

You could call me there absolute best customer.

[justfists]

I'm both impressed... and a little horrified, Akira-kun. I know their burgers are good, but they're still extremely unhealthy. And those challenges were meant to defeat all but the most determined customers.

[how did he hide all of that. she'd seen pictures of the burgers?!]

I could never even begin to attempt.

[she's considering whether she should lecture him about school, and studying... when she realizes it doesn't even matter anymore. And her dreams? Unless she got back her entry fee... they should be done too, for everyone's sake.]

[purrtagonist]

[MAX GUTS, MAN. MAX GUTS]

When have you ever known me not to be determined?

[for all the bad things that have happened since arriving-- their deaths, Utena's murder, the trial, the executions afterwards-- it is, perhaps, a bit comforting to see that there's still a spark of humor and life in his eyes. something like that can't be killed that easily]

[either way, once they enter McDonalds and order their food, Akira will move away from the banter and more towards the real purpose of this conversation]

Anyway. . .

. . . how are you holding up, Makoto?

[justfists]

[she smiles at that]

Never.

[but once they move into the real purpose of the conversation, Makoto hesitates, pulling her hands to her chest. She wants to be deliberate with her words here... And she also doesn't want to say them.]

... You know we all paid an entry fee for this game.

I've realized what mine was.

[purrtagonist]

[he takes a seat in a corner booth, away from the prying ears and eyes of anyone who might be listening in on them. for now, the food remains untouched, as his focus is solely on her]

What is it?

[is it related to her dogged pursuit of Dahlia during the trial? he has a feeling that it is]

[justfists]

[here goes nothing... she exhales.]

... my justice. Or rather, my sense of it. I realized during the trial, when Maya was mad at me for Sis, and I did t really care what Sis has done in the past. But... it really sunk in after the trial.

I was happy we’d caught Dahlia, not because she was a murderer and a horrible person, but because it meant I was right.

[purrtagonist]

[ah]

[it puts a lot of things into perspective, actually. how hard she had pushed her theory, making assumption after assumption along the way, with little regard for what others had to say. she had been right-- and for that, he's impressed with her deduction skills-- but the way she pursued those theories. . .]

[it all slots perfectly into place]

[he reaches for a drink, fingers curling tightly around the paper cup, gaze narrowing]

. . . I didn't realize they could take something so abstract.

[tch]

And without any damn decency to ask, first.

[justfists]

I was certain it would be more physical, something tangible. ... and, I suppose, this is. [she wants to cry but no tears are really coming. It’s hard to feel the loss properly for something like this.] I don’t know if we’ll get our entry fee back.

And if we don’t.... I can’t go through with my plans. I can’t even face what might be waiting for us in the real Shibuya. I—

I’m sorry. I can’t even grasp exactly how awful I was at the trial now. I hate it.

[purrtagonist]

Makoto. . .

[compared to his entry fee (his loss of his love for coffee, and. . . something else, that he hasn't focused on, that has only really come up once and he brushed it aside immediately), hers must be devastating. he knows how important Makoto's dreams are to her. he knows how much she values her sense of justice]

[his blood boils at the thought of someone taking something so precious from one of his most important people. he swallows it down to continue calmly, evenly]

It isn't your fault.

There has to be-- has to be-- a way to get back what they stole from you.

[justfists]

I don't know if there is. I didn't even know this was possible. How are we supposed to figure out how to get it back?

But-- I can't become the same as my sister. I just... can't.

[she takes a fry-- but her appetite is gone, and she holds it, like she wants to eat but can't. She looks miserable, and the weight of what's happened is apparent, probably for the first ime in their conversations.

She's not putting on a collected front. She's not trying to seem stronger than she is.

She's out of her league, and it was foolish to hope that she could ever exist again.]

[purrtagonist]

Hey.

[noooo he doesn't like that look on her. that look of defeat, like the very spirit of rebellion that empowered her so much has seeped from every ounce of her body]

Your sister isn't a bad person. Misguided-- [distorted because, uh. Palace] -- but not bad.

[that was something he learned during what little time they did get together in the interrogation. even if it ended in tragedy]

And even then, I believe you're strong enough to find your way back to the path you chose, even if this place took your sense of justice from you.

[that's what it comes down to, honestly. faith in his people]

[justfists]

[she isn't sure what to say to that. It's.... nice, to acknowledge that no matter how Sae had stumbled, her sister had been able to remember her own sense of justice, of what had lead her to become a prosecutor in the first place.

It was shocking that Akira could have so much faith in Sae, after his death. Sis... had let him down then, somehow.

She reaches up with her free palm to scrub at her eyes, aware of how watery they might look. She needed to not cry, not for this.]

Thank you, Akira.

[no honorific, her voice quiet and a little thick. It's nice to hear, even if she's scared.]

[purrtagonist]

[it's definitely not Sae he blames for his failure. emphasis on his, because he blames no one but himself (and Akechi) for what happened in that room]

[he watches her scrub at her eyes, before he holds out a hand, palm facing up, for her to take. if she chooses. and truthfully?]

[he totally prefers it when she just calls him "Akira"]

You're not alone. You haven't been, since the moment you joined the Phantom Thieves.

I'm here for you. Yusuke is, too. Always.

[justfists]

[she pauses, and then... eats the fry. At least she's feeling well enough to eat a fry? But her red eyes lock back onto him, studying.]

... You're right.

But it's... really concerning that we aren't here for the same reason. You made it out of the police station. I know that it didn't go as smoothly as we were hoping. Sis filled me in on some of the details but...

What happened?

[purrtagonist]

[ah. right. it was always going to come to this. don't mind as his own gaze drops from hers, towards the pile of fries sitting between them both]

. . . I didn't make it out of the police station. [he didn't even come close] It was the drugs. Too many shots, all of them messing with my memory. Sae asked about our targets, our methods, our. . . everything, and I could barely recall the details well enough to relay them to her. I know I was telling her about Futaba's Palace, but then everything just went-- blank.

I couldn't remember what else I needed to say.

So she left.

[she got fed up with his inability to remember and left. he didn't tell her about the phone. and that was all that needed to break down for their plan to fall apart around them]

[justfists]

[hearing it confirmed causes a pit to form in her stomach, and... well, so much for eating. The drugs... but he'd made it out? He'd gotten her to take the phone. How...]

I... I hadn't wanted to think about what I'd do if that plan had failed.

[she's still.]

When you came back, I was so relieved. I thought I'd never have to ever consider that possibility again, and all we had to do was figure out the truth...

[purrtagonist]

[something about what she says makes him feel like she's disappointed in him. like. . . compared to the Akira she knows, he's the one who failed. the one who let everyone down. the one, out of the three thieves here, who didn't belong]

[didn't belong?]

[no, that's not right. is it? he belongs. doesn't. . . he?]

[he shoves that thought aside]

I asked Max why my memories were different from yours and Yusuke's. He said even the slightest difference in events can create different timelines.

I guess that's what this is. In my timeline, I failed. In yours and Yusuke's, I didn't.

[justfists]

[it wasn't disappointment. It was being face to face with a thought she thought she'd put behind her, being aware of what failing there would have meant for all of them. He was too important to lose. It was fear.]

No, in our timeline, you were lucky.

given everything he was fighting against... none of them could've anticipated that drugs would be used-- or that they'd be so strong. He was lucky, and now she's more convinced of it.]

Akira, I'm sorry. I wish we had planned for more contingencies, for your sake.

[purrtagonist]

[luck. . . is that what it was? one stroke of good luck versus one stroke of bad? somehow, he can't convince himself that was the only factor]

Don't.

[but what he does know is that he doesn't want Makoto to blame herself]

We did all that we could. What happened to me-- that wasn't your fault.

[and, even more than that? he reaches for a fry himself, twisting it between his fingers, steadily meeting her gaze with his from over the table]

We'll make it right.

[they'll survive, and take their second chances, and fix what went wrong. he believes that. he has to-- because the alternative is unthinkable]

[justfists]

Right... we have a plan, even if I didn’t keep my head down the way I should have. [a brief pause] I’m hoping Dahlia is t an example of what we have to look forward to with all of the Reapers. We might have our work cut out for us.

[strategy is less heavy to talk. It’s more natural, and it reminds her of home. She could talk it all day, instead of timelines, or... well. The question that naturally invites with her and Yusuke.

She places a hand to her chin, giving up on the fries for now.]

But if they were, that would be too predictable. Junko would be a reaper for sure. [exactly how many reapers were there...?]

[purrtagonist]

[DON'T THINK YOU'RE ESCAPING MAKOTO JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE TURNING THE CONVERSATION TO STRATEGY. he's going to ask! but for now, he follows the flow of the conversation]

Max did say the reapers were "usually sadists." [quoting him on that] If anyone still alive fits that bill, it's definitely Enoshima.

But that's the thing-- "usually," not always.

[and when does "obviously" turn into "so obvious it can't be true?"]

. . . but then again, thinking like that could easily cause us to pass over a reaper who is right under our noses.

[justfists]

It's a rule of thumb, and rules can always be broken.

[she stares hard at the tabletop, thinking.]

We're going to have to speak to people and find ways to probe-- ticks. Something like that. And we should take note of the people who are sadists, as well. It wouldn't be wise to completely forget a Reaper's typical profile. And Dahlia most definitely fit that profile.