purrtagonist | [acatalepsy ic contact]

Mmm.

[that's a noise of affirmation, though he's making it a bit difficult for her to look at him, what with his chin on her shoulder. but he does pull back and lean to the side to make it easier.]

Were you worried I was still wearing them to blend in?

A little. I know you said your name was cleared, but...

[ Well. Society can be judgmental, and Rion frowns as she reaches up to pull the glasses off, balancing them on one palm. ]

[heh. nuzzling up against her cheek again as he lets out a huffed laugh, short as it is]

My name was cleared, but even if it hadn't been, I like to think I shrugged off the expectations of society a long time ago.

[another thought occurs to him: is it kosher to talk about his Velvet Room-slash-prison on a first date???]

[ You kissed her before the first date, what is kosher-- ]

... Fair enough. Phantom thief.

[ In a rueful tone, like "Ah, yes, how could I have forgotten?"

But she likes the nuzzling, so don't mind if she leans into that a little more. ]

Phantom thief. Delinquent. Damn brat. Inmate. Trickster.

[all things he has been called throughout the course of his arrest and probation. some names were meant to be insulting, and others. . . just were]

Did I ever tell you about the Velvet Room?

[ A very faint hand flap with the hand not holding the glasses. ]

Idol. Slut. Stepping Stone. Flirt. Wielder. Dumbass. [ Kou was a loving friend. She goes through all of these without any real sense of vitriol, though. ]

-- But no, you didn't. It sounds like a nightclub.

[. . . squeezes her waist gently]

I had a dream like that once.

[uh]

But no, it wasn't a nightclub. It was the place I'd go to make my Personas stronger.

[ She's fine! He'll get another nuzzle for his trouble, just to show him. ]

To make them stronger? Like-- not just leveling them up in fights?

Mmm. That’s right.

[he settles back down again after that nuzzle]

Most people can only wield one Persona. That’s because most people only have one personality, you know?

But those with the power of the wild card can wield many. The people with that potential, I guess, are invited into the Velvet Room by its master as a “guest.”

[a beat]

Though for me, it was less “invited” and more “imprisoned.”

[ She's clearly doing her best to follow along here-- and for the most part, she's doing pretty well. Okay, so he has more than one Persona. Okay, so he probably has options made available to him by this room. But--]

Imprisoned??

[his gaze flickers up again, tracing the lines of the stars in the sky. none of these constellations are familiar to him. . . if they're constellations at all]

The Velvet Room takes on the shape of someone's heart. It's some kind of extended bullshit metaphor.

[or whatever!!]

When I first got there, my Velvet Room was a prison. A single, solitary jail cell.

Akira...

[ this is not any less concerning, and Rion sets his glasses down on the grass in order to cover his hands with hers again. ]

So even in your heart... you were a prisoner.

. . . yeah. Guess so.

[she isn't wrong, but truthfully, Akira didn't really like dwelling on the symbolism of his Velvet Room's appearance. it, perhaps, spoke far too much about the stock he used to put into his place in society as a whole. it was only thanks to the Phantom Thieves that he was able to find a cozy spot right outside of it. right where he belonged. right where he felt comfortable]

It isn't like that anymore, though.

Good.

[ And she says so firmly, even a little fierce. Because it's weird to think that Akira, outside of what society thought of him, perceived himself as trapped and alone.

He deserves better. ]

[huffs a laugh, breath washing warm against the side of her neck since his face is tucked so close]

I told you, I was in a pretty bad spot when I first moved to Tokyo.

But I grew up a lot while I was there.

I can tell. It's really hard to imagine you in any other way than how you are now. It's almost like you're talking about a completely different person.

[ He sure is tucked against her though, so he'll probably feel her shiver a little. Breath against her neck is an interesting sensation.]

Maybe not entirely different.

[the core ideals he's held since he was a kid never changed. the foundation of who Akira is was never altered. he just. . . finally had a chance to slide more comfortably into the person he had always wanted to be, unrestrained by anyone else's expectations]

Just one year older and a little wiser.

Geez, listen to you.

[ and there's a hint of fond laughter in her voice. ]

I'm dating a pretty cool guy, huh?

[oh my god]

Are you?

You should introduce me to him sometime.

[AKIRA]

Nah. You might fall for him, too.

[damn]

Is he really that powerful?

Yep. You think he's just a dork and then he ends up surprising you by how good a listener he is, and how fierce he is about what he believes in and who he cares about.

And before you realize it, you're in trouble.

[. . . hell. . .]

He's probably not nearly as cool as you're painting him out to be. . .

... I mean, I'm probably biased. But I'd fight you on that.

[HE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO START A FIGHT HE CAN'T WIN. . . so instead, he turns the tides]

I personally think his girlfriend is way cooler, anyway. She's in the top five for "coolest people he knows."

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