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(VRDR) Surely I must be dreaming
Sep. 10th, 2024 06:50 pmIt's been a long day, but satisfying day, Dove finds. He can't help but feel a bit exhausted, wanting nothing more than to spend his evening relaxing after attending Raven's party. So where else to go but to one of his favorite places, Jazz Jin? The calm air, the singer present, the nice drinks...
It's peaceful.
...
...But yet... He finds something missing. Again, as he sits at the usual table, he finds that he can almost see someone across from him. Black hair, glasses, a drink of his own, a small, but strong-willed grin...
...Ren Amamiya... The one from his world, the one he's been trying to awaken. He's been spending all of this time trying to awaken him, and yet he can't do a thing while he's in the Velvet Room. It's frustrating, infuriating even. He hangs his head slightly as he takes a sip of his drink, looking away from the empty seat across from him, and instead looking towards the cognitive singer.
People come and they go... Some people may stay with you though... I am all alone tonight... And I kept on asking myself questions...
...Ah, this song again. One of his favorites. Though... he must admit it's grown a bit painful to think too deeply about the lyrics as of late. He just quietly sighs to himself...
Suddenly he sees movement out the corner out of his eye, and he quickly snaps to attention. He turns his head, only to see a version of Ren wearing... pajamas? Familiar-looking pajamas. He looks tired as well, his gaze set on Dove with a quiet, tired smile on his face.
"...This seat taken?"
There's a small amount of humor in his voice as he stares straight into Dove's eyes, and Dove can only stare back. He goes to open his mouth, but stops as something within him stirs.
Ren Amamiya, The ???????? Arcana, Rank ??
His eyes widen as a rush of familiarity flows through him, and his mind catches up to the reality in front of him. He stands in a rush, meeting Ren's eyes at a closer level, and he can't help but speak up.
"Amamiya-san! You're... You're here? You're awake...?"
He can't explain it, but a rush of excitement tries to overwhelm him. He's practically trembling, and he can't explain why. And yet, he feels... He feels... impatient? He wants to say something, but he doesn't know what it is...
Ren blinks a bit slowly before going to rub his neck, somewhat awkwardly looking away. He looks a bit more downcast.
"...Got it in one, huh...? Yeah. I'm. I'm the one from your world... Surprise, I guess."
Ren sits down quietly, resting his arms on the table as he looks slightly downward. He's having a hard time looking at Dove now, and the awkwardness has only grown more palpable...
Dove, for his part, also sits back down, looking across the table at Ren with small smile. Something seems off about this whole thing, but at the same time it's just good to see him. Hear him.
"It's quite a relief to see you, you know. I've been searching high and low for a way to wake you up, but I was brought here before I had the chance... but... How did..."
Dove trails off as Ren slightly raises his gaze to look at Akechi, trying to take in what he's seeing. A genuine smile. A positive, upbeat tone. Sincere pleasantries. It's strange. Wrong. But at the same time, Ren finds himself unable to speak up about it.
Dove simply continues as Ren thinks to himself.
"...Ah, Igor brought you while you were asleep, didn't he? He did the same with me, as well. That said, I'm glad you're here. Now I have the chance to speak with you, to get to know you better. I've been eager to do so for quite some time...!"
As Dove says that, Ren frowns a bit. 'Get to know him better'... Perhaps Dove should know him better than anyone, he thinks to himself. Or perhaps... Perhaps Dove never knew him at all. It's hard to say, really. He's honestly wondering if it's better that he doesn't know.
And what does it say if Dove doesn't know him anymore? What about the rest of the Phantom Thieves? All his friends? Did they forget him, too?
He was told that Sumire was also continuing the Phantom Thief work, but...
Ren finally speaks up. He sounds tired, so, so tired.
"...Akechi... Why are you throwing all of this away?"
Dove stops in his tracks, his smile fading from his face.
"What-- I'm not throwing anything away."
He lifts his head up a bit higher, shooting a serious look at Ren.
"...You believe I'm throwing my life away? I don't understand, why are you...?"
He actually looks... hurt? That only causes Ren to flinch and look away.
"It's... Look, Maruki's... He's already won, Akechi. There's no way of stopping him. When February 3rd came around, everything changed. Permanently. Lavenza said that would happen. So... there's no point in trying to wake me up. Or stop Maruki. It's over."
As Ren says this, Dove looks at Ren's face, pausing a bit as compares the Ren in his memory to the Ren now. This Ren seems so devoid of the energy, the life, the willpower, everything he remembers. What on Earth happened...?
"Don't give up on it. Lavenza said she was mistaken. That there was, in fact, a way. Granted, I haven't found it yet, but... I believe in her."
Ren turns to face Dove again, seeming somewhat disbelieving.
"She said that-- Wait, you're..."
Dove smiles again, nodding.
"I am, in fact, the next guest of the Velvet Room in your absence. It's in somewhat rough conditions at the moment, given humanity's state, but the fact it hasn't disappeared is proof that there is still hope, Ren."
Dove looks downward slightly, his eyes somewhat obscured by his bangs.
"...Please. Believe in me. I don't know what happened to you since you fell into that slumber, but trust in me. I wouldn't lead you astray."
And Ren just stares. And stares. This Akechi really isn't anything like the one he knows... The irony of those last words is disgustingly palpable to everyone but Dove, and Ren's own feelings are all a mess. Dove shouldn't be throwing it all away, he shouldn't... and yet... he's trying so hard to give Ren just a little bit of hope to hold onto.
...Maybe...
There's a long, long pause before Ren finally speaks up.
"...All right. I'll. I'll try. I'll even help with your memory, just... be careful."
It feels weird, actually relying on someone else for something. And yet... he just can't take the lead anymore. He doesn't have the heart for it, for some reason. It's like everything that made him himself just... vanished.
But Dove lifts his head again, though there's still a hint of pain in his eyes. Not that he can explain the feeling well...
"Thank you. And... Welcome back, Ren."
And yet, despite that sentiment, Ren can't find it in himself to smile... Not when his failure got them in this mess in the first place.
But even so, Dove led them into conversation through the night, questioning Ren on different aspects of their relationship, things they had done together, how they met, and more.
It's peaceful.
...
...But yet... He finds something missing. Again, as he sits at the usual table, he finds that he can almost see someone across from him. Black hair, glasses, a drink of his own, a small, but strong-willed grin...
...Ren Amamiya... The one from his world, the one he's been trying to awaken. He's been spending all of this time trying to awaken him, and yet he can't do a thing while he's in the Velvet Room. It's frustrating, infuriating even. He hangs his head slightly as he takes a sip of his drink, looking away from the empty seat across from him, and instead looking towards the cognitive singer.
People come and they go... Some people may stay with you though... I am all alone tonight... And I kept on asking myself questions...
...Ah, this song again. One of his favorites. Though... he must admit it's grown a bit painful to think too deeply about the lyrics as of late. He just quietly sighs to himself...
Suddenly he sees movement out the corner out of his eye, and he quickly snaps to attention. He turns his head, only to see a version of Ren wearing... pajamas? Familiar-looking pajamas. He looks tired as well, his gaze set on Dove with a quiet, tired smile on his face.
"...This seat taken?"
There's a small amount of humor in his voice as he stares straight into Dove's eyes, and Dove can only stare back. He goes to open his mouth, but stops as something within him stirs.
Ren Amamiya, The ???????? Arcana, Rank ??
His eyes widen as a rush of familiarity flows through him, and his mind catches up to the reality in front of him. He stands in a rush, meeting Ren's eyes at a closer level, and he can't help but speak up.
"Amamiya-san! You're... You're here? You're awake...?"
He can't explain it, but a rush of excitement tries to overwhelm him. He's practically trembling, and he can't explain why. And yet, he feels... He feels... impatient? He wants to say something, but he doesn't know what it is...
Ren blinks a bit slowly before going to rub his neck, somewhat awkwardly looking away. He looks a bit more downcast.
"...Got it in one, huh...? Yeah. I'm. I'm the one from your world... Surprise, I guess."
Ren sits down quietly, resting his arms on the table as he looks slightly downward. He's having a hard time looking at Dove now, and the awkwardness has only grown more palpable...
Dove, for his part, also sits back down, looking across the table at Ren with small smile. Something seems off about this whole thing, but at the same time it's just good to see him. Hear him.
"It's quite a relief to see you, you know. I've been searching high and low for a way to wake you up, but I was brought here before I had the chance... but... How did..."
Dove trails off as Ren slightly raises his gaze to look at Akechi, trying to take in what he's seeing. A genuine smile. A positive, upbeat tone. Sincere pleasantries. It's strange. Wrong. But at the same time, Ren finds himself unable to speak up about it.
Dove simply continues as Ren thinks to himself.
"...Ah, Igor brought you while you were asleep, didn't he? He did the same with me, as well. That said, I'm glad you're here. Now I have the chance to speak with you, to get to know you better. I've been eager to do so for quite some time...!"
As Dove says that, Ren frowns a bit. 'Get to know him better'... Perhaps Dove should know him better than anyone, he thinks to himself. Or perhaps... Perhaps Dove never knew him at all. It's hard to say, really. He's honestly wondering if it's better that he doesn't know.
And what does it say if Dove doesn't know him anymore? What about the rest of the Phantom Thieves? All his friends? Did they forget him, too?
He was told that Sumire was also continuing the Phantom Thief work, but...
Ren finally speaks up. He sounds tired, so, so tired.
"...Akechi... Why are you throwing all of this away?"
Dove stops in his tracks, his smile fading from his face.
"What-- I'm not throwing anything away."
He lifts his head up a bit higher, shooting a serious look at Ren.
"...You believe I'm throwing my life away? I don't understand, why are you...?"
He actually looks... hurt? That only causes Ren to flinch and look away.
"It's... Look, Maruki's... He's already won, Akechi. There's no way of stopping him. When February 3rd came around, everything changed. Permanently. Lavenza said that would happen. So... there's no point in trying to wake me up. Or stop Maruki. It's over."
As Ren says this, Dove looks at Ren's face, pausing a bit as compares the Ren in his memory to the Ren now. This Ren seems so devoid of the energy, the life, the willpower, everything he remembers. What on Earth happened...?
"Don't give up on it. Lavenza said she was mistaken. That there was, in fact, a way. Granted, I haven't found it yet, but... I believe in her."
Ren turns to face Dove again, seeming somewhat disbelieving.
"She said that-- Wait, you're..."
Dove smiles again, nodding.
"I am, in fact, the next guest of the Velvet Room in your absence. It's in somewhat rough conditions at the moment, given humanity's state, but the fact it hasn't disappeared is proof that there is still hope, Ren."
Dove looks downward slightly, his eyes somewhat obscured by his bangs.
"...Please. Believe in me. I don't know what happened to you since you fell into that slumber, but trust in me. I wouldn't lead you astray."
And Ren just stares. And stares. This Akechi really isn't anything like the one he knows... The irony of those last words is disgustingly palpable to everyone but Dove, and Ren's own feelings are all a mess. Dove shouldn't be throwing it all away, he shouldn't... and yet... he's trying so hard to give Ren just a little bit of hope to hold onto.
...Maybe...
There's a long, long pause before Ren finally speaks up.
"...All right. I'll. I'll try. I'll even help with your memory, just... be careful."
It feels weird, actually relying on someone else for something. And yet... he just can't take the lead anymore. He doesn't have the heart for it, for some reason. It's like everything that made him himself just... vanished.
But Dove lifts his head again, though there's still a hint of pain in his eyes. Not that he can explain the feeling well...
"Thank you. And... Welcome back, Ren."
And yet, despite that sentiment, Ren can't find it in himself to smile... Not when his failure got them in this mess in the first place.
But even so, Dove led them into conversation through the night, questioning Ren on different aspects of their relationship, things they had done together, how they met, and more.
