[monster mash reference here]

[beguiledcard]

Who: Akira Kurusu and you
When: Throughout the month of Aereuer
Where: Monster House (his new home), etc . . .
What: MemSwap stuff can be done here + house party (also, I'll be prioritizing intro threads over this for a bit)
Warnings: N/A currently; will do my best to mark subject lines/edit this as they come up

Moving In/House Prompt
{{CLOSED TO HOUSEMATES (Bailey, Sylvia, Saori, and Jongdae) + CR}}

[ The first thing Akira will be looking into is coffee, and if they happen to have the means? He'll be making that as soon as he can. Sadly, it isn't going to be pour-over; that takes some very specific equipment. Some very specific equipment that'll be the very first thing he looks into buying, probably-- okay, maybe not the very first thing, but close enough.

Anyway, if looking for Akira, he can be found sitting with a cup of coffee in his hands, staring hard at the floor, clearly deep in thought. Or maybe they can spot him hanging out in his room, lying... facedown on his bed, hardly moving. What even...

Otherwise, enjoy some coffee and chat among yourselves. ]


Exploration Catchall

[ There are so many sights to take in, and Akira can be found practically anywhere throughout the month. Maybe the person is spotting him at a random shop, curiously frowning at some of the products, or maybe he's being found staring up at the large wall (Bright Wall), eyebrows lifted in awe.

Sometimes, he will find himself caught up in staring at the sights - it really does feel like he traveled back in time, in a way, rather than winding up in a new world. His expression is often softened as he lets his mind wander a bit. Otherwise, he is simply... sitting down somewhere, resting, looking pretty tired or simply as though he's lacking in energy. While it's clear there's a part of him that's excited over all the sights, there's an air of frustration towards how often he's needing to rest... ]

Maybe I'm getting sick...?

[ That's muttered at some point, mainly to himself, but perhaps it was overheard. ]


Memory Catchall

((Feel free to have a character approaching him after witnessing one of these! Otherwise, you're free to just use this post to play out them seeing it. I'm fine with whatever! Lastly, you guys are free to hit up skiesonfire for plotting, as always.))

Comments

Exploring

[inlikethebrume]

[It's during one of her trips back from the library that she overhears someone mentioning a potential sickness and turns around. He looks pretty lost but Mira can't help but speak up afterwards.]

That depends on what happened prior to feeling like that.

[Did you want an answer? Too bad.]

[beguiledcard]

[ He wasn't expecting anyone to respond - much less with an actual answer. But he looks over to her, giving a small, wry smile. ]

Nothing that I can think of that would make me sick?

[ But that doesn't mean much, probably. He doesn't know how illnesses work on this world. For all he knows it could be connected to the whole vampire thing (heh). ]

Do people often get sick after they first arrive?

[inlikethebrume]

Not often to my knowledge.

[But the lady with the big ass sword sets down her books and taps her chin in thought. Nothing about being tired probably so it's not the sleeping sickness she's been looking into.]

I'm no chirurgeon but mayhap if you want, to describe how you're feeling? I can at least try to look into it.

[Did she offer a random kid help? It's more likely than you think.]

[beguiledcard]

Chirurgeon?

[ He does his best to say it back the way she said it . . . and he comes super close!

It looks like he isn't super eager to spell out how he's feeling. It's not every day he talks about this kind of thing, so... yeah. Definite hesitance before he finally speaks. ]

Exhausted, for one. I'm having to rest a lot more often. And... even when I eat, I feel like- [ he can't really put a finger on this one ] ... Like it doesn't do as much.

[ Yeah, no, he does have a guess what that last part is about, but he really doesn't like that guess. He sighs and scrubs a hand through his hair. His voice is edging towards quieter with the next part. ]

The rest just amounts to feeling similar to the flu, in some ways. Just without a fever and a cough.

[inlikethebrume]

Another name for doctor, I suppose.

[Not too bad with the pronunciation there. Mira hums as he lists off his symptoms, finding them very familiar but only because someone close to her felt those before becoming what she is.]

I see. But there is one more thing I must ask: did the Coven tell you if you were going to experience any kind of changes?

[That's also a big tell of what he has.]

housewarming party (open to housemates + any of their cr)

[stardustish]

[ there's...not much at this housewarming party, honestly. sylvia planned it but also didn't really have money to buy things like food or refreshments. instead, she's trying to figure out an ice breaker to play. she's done several during her time as a student, and there's one game that comes to mind that sounds pretty fun. ]

Alright guys, who's played Neve Have I Ever before?

[polterguide]

I-

[Have realized they've only played this game once before, and they weren't even close to sober when it happened.

...

They don't want to ruin anyone's impression of them...]

I'm a little familiar with it, as a concept...

[beguiledcard]

[ Gesturing at Bailey. ]

That.

[needsteaplz]

[Saori laughs.]

I sure do! Though we should pick a drink of choice first since we do still have minors here.

[beguiledcard]

[ Thank you so much, Saori... He shifts a bit, rubbing at the back of his neck. He won't come out and say he'll prefer No Alcohol At All, but . . . ]

[stardustish]

[ well guess who didn't have time to buy a whole lot.. ]

I...I have a carton of juice! Or water!

SOMETIME LATER . . . Truth or Dare under here!

[beguiledcard]

Hmm... Never Have I Ever played... Truth or Dare.

[ Tiny smirk. ]

So how about a game of that next?

[polterguide]

Wait, seriously?

[A beat.]

Even I've played Truth or Dare...

[beguiledcard]

[ He snorts. ]

I didn't exactly start going to parties until a few months ago.

[ He, uh. Didn't exactly have friends until Tokyo Happened, but he won't come out with that part. Though there is something awkward about how he glances to the side, rubbing at the back of his neck. ]

[polterguide]

Well... In that case, do you want to go first?

[Seems fair to them! That's how it works, right?]

[plasticasshole]

Oh, I’ve never played this either.

[This is all very new to him, so he’s having a good time.]

How exactly do you play?

[He can make an educated guess, but he wants to be absolutely sure.]

[beguiledcard]

You pick a random person in the room, ask them to choose between Truth and Dare. If they pick truth, you ask them a question.

The name of the game is for them to answer it honestly.

[ But... no guarantee they will, he thinks. ]

If they pick dare, you dare them to do whatever you feel like - usually something they'd actually be able to do. It's more fun if you manage to pick a dare that they might not necessarily want to do - like . . .

[ He hums, thinking... ]

... kissing a person you know they find cute, but maybe haven't had the nerve to confess to.

[fabrications]

[ So that has been... interesting. Dreamwalking and the idea of sharing memories isn't one that's totally foreign to Akechi, but he'd assumed it was only possible between a Bonded pair. To simply stumble into one of Akira's memories seemingly apropos of nothing is...

Something. It's something, alright. Interesting, first and foremost, that Persona awakenings seem to take similar forms, and to see a complete novice's encounter with an entity as powerful as a Palace ruler.

No wonder Akira and Ryuji seemed so close.

But that's something Akechi forces himself to set aside. As entertaining it might be to sit inside and mull things over all day, there's more important things he needs to take care of. Spotting Akechi in a general store isn't too strange, but the situation he's in might be. He's not expecting to run into anyone when he steps around the corner to move on to the next aisle, which might be why he almost literally runs into a certain someone. ]

A-- Kurusu-kun?

[ This... isn't where he was hoping to meet Akira again, especially not when one hand is occupied by a bag of mixed nuts and seeds and the other is occupied by a bird. A crow, to be exact, one that's perched on Akechi's wrist and determinedly attacking the bracelet he wears. Given the fact that the bracelet is nothing more than a simple chain with a bell attached, it looks like it might be there for the sole purposes of entertaining the bird in question. ]

... I didn't think you lived nearby.

[ He hopes he won't have to start timing his shopping trips more carefully. ]

[beguiledcard]

[ Hahaha... ha...

Boy, it had been interesting, all right. Akira had taken a long moment to clear his head; he'd seen something he'd known would be coming, but seeing it from one (1) Goro Akechi's perspective hadn't been on the table during the planning.

Learning about the vampires (regardless of not being 100% sure that's what he's turning into) and the fact that they die - seeing what he'll look like while dead (sure, it'd be a different situation, but still) is absolutely unnerving. Some part of his mind can't help questioning if maybe that's what really happened. Some part of him can't help wondering if Akechi lied - if that's how it actually went down.

But... no, he can't focus on that. His gut still insists that Akechi had been telling the truth with that one. It had been a cognition. It hadn't been real. ]

Akechi-san.

[ He rubs at the back of his neck, managing a grim smile. ]

... I could say the same for you, if this wasn't out of your way. [ holding a blink for a few seconds ] Well, as you once suggested, maybe it's just fate.

[ That grim smile isn't going anywhere, it would seem. At least not while he's looking at Akechi. When he glances at the bird, he can't help the touch of amusement in his gaze. Though it fades as he looks back to the witch. ]

A crow, huh?

[fabrications]

[ When Akira is normally hard to predict and get a read on, such a grim smile is fairly telling. It's not like Akira's awakening was the only memory Akechi saw last night, so the fact that Akira may have seen one of his as well occurs to him.

It's a pretty unsettling thought. Akechi has already been quite candid with Akira about the unpleasant parts of his life, but there's still a handful of moments he's deliberately chosen to not discuss, and among those a few that he's absolutely certain he doesn't Akira to see.

But apparently that's not a subject they're bringing up for now, though it's hard to not look a little amused when Akira brings up fate again. He doesn't hesitate to follow course once Akira changes subjects, though. ]

Mm. My familiar.

[ Which is probably obvious. Why else would he have a bird? ]

I was given a few options when I asked about finding one. A crow seemed like the most appropriate choice.

[beguiledcard]

[ He tilts his head, studying the creature with quiet curiosity. ]

What does having a familiar help with?

[ Yes, let them just continue not talking about the weird memory-sharing thing that happened. Maybe they should, though. Akira can't help wondering if Akechi got to see something. And, if so, what did he get to see? He can think of a number of things he'd be less-than-thrilled with having been seen...

Hell, he's not thrilled with almost all of the things he got to witness . . .

Unhappily, he forces himself to casually say the words. ]

... We should talk.

Full Moon Shit

[beguiledcard]

[ WELL, HE CAN'T SAY HE'S HAPPY ABOUT ANYTHING...

Sure, he hasn't taken on some monstrous form, but he's definitely noticing a lot of... uncomfortable changes. For one, his mouth went from simply aching to having some annoying sharp fangs inside. And that urge to bite people is definitely back.

Akira spends a decent amount of time in his room, but it doesn't take long for him to grow too anxious and just... leave for a decent portion of the evening/night. He can be found out and about, walking so quickly it might be easy to assume he has somewhere important to be.

It's a little late in the night before he does find himself back home. How he's acting by that point depends entirely on whether or not he wound up drinking someone's blood, which... might have been a big possibility. ]

[fabrications]

[ 'Out and about' seems to be a popular destination tonight, because that's where Akechi's found himself as well. Granted, he has a more specific purpose behind being here. Without any psychotic breakdown cases to bolster his popularity he's having to build his reputation the old fashioned way. He hasn't quite been reduced to the level of tracking down lost cats, but spouses suspected of infidelity isn't much better, especially in a world with such a strange view of emotional intimacy.

He's not unaware of the danger of being out on a full moon, of course, but experience has taught him that these nights are less of chaotic free for all and more of a busy night with a bit of added chaos on top. He's not incautious, but still far removed from the impulse to hide away or avoid other people.

Especially not people he happens to recognize and even maybe has a decent relationship with, and especially not when those people are walking like they've got somewhere to be. And yeah, Akira is a Monster, but his presence has always done interesting things to Akechi's priorities. So when Akechi spots Akira speeding past the narrow side street he's currently lurking in, it doesn't occur to him to do anything but call out. ]

Kurusu-kun?

[beguiledcard]

[ A voice he hadn't expected to hear?

That one. Definitely that one.

But the big problem here is that, as soon as he hears it, he comes to a pretty abrupt stop. There's a part of him that is screaming to keep going; if he doesn't, he might regret it.

... Will definitely regret it, if the way he feels when his eyes lock onto that familiar form is anything to go by. He clenches his teeth and shakes his head. ]

Akechi, why...

[ Why is all he can think to ask, really. But it's not even a real question - it's almost like an outright demand as he narrows his eyes at the guy. Put simply, this is probably the most wild-eyed and unpredictable he's ever looked without an actual status ailment coming into play. He's very clearly putting everything into not closing the space. ]

Don't-

[ He shudders and closes his eyes, outright growling out all his mind has on repeat, really: ]

Idiot.

[fabrications]

Ah--

[ Oh. He made a mistake.

He made such a bad mistake he can't even be that upset about being called an idiot. It's definitely not the smartest thing he's ever done, which he can fully acknowledge even though the prospect of any sort of competition with Akira usually excites him like little else can.

As, indeed, it does right now; the instinctual tension and fear of being startled by a dangerous enemy is certainly present, and just as certainly isn't the main reason his pulse is suddenly racing. But this isn't some verbal back and forth or an assassination in an interrogation room or a fight in the Metaverse where they stand on even ground. Akechi's magic isn't nearly advanced enough for him to handle even a half-turned Monster, and he knows that all too well. If Akira decide to attack, Akechi is going to get his ass kicked.

Akechi doesn't say anything else. He knows that reasoning with him probably won't work, and running from a predator (what a weird way to think of Akira) is never a good idea. So he takes a slow, deliberate step backwards, his gaze never once leaving Akira's form. ]