week two | dates

[showhost]

You worked up your courage and asked someone out on a date! Good job!





Now you have to hope the producers are kind re: where they send you.

Comments

akechi & will

[showhost]

You ever been to a rage room, Akechi?

Well, here's your chance. Both Will and Akechi are suited up with protective gear, and then deposited into a room filled with breakable items and many things with which to break the items with.

Have at it. No holding back here!

Highlights:

- pretty much any breakable item you could imagine is here
- if you get bored of just breaking things, there's also a paint version, where you just make a mess
- there will be no using implements on each other, the usual house rules apply

[willandaway]

[is this how Will dies]

So the point is. . . to break as much as we can, right?

[a bit bewildered, a bit intrigued. they don't have rage rooms in Euchronia, sssso. . .?]

[flaweddetective]

[Akechi has been forcibly removed from the house against his will. With... Will.

And as prickly as he is about the situation he is somewhat intrigued. He's never been to a rage room. Mementos has always been that for him. Destroying Shadows and whatever else crossed his path. There you could scream as loud as you want and have the security that no one would see or hear you. It was his dangerous little haven and it was all his until a year or so ago...

He can't deny that he's enjoys some good old fashion destruction. And that he hasn't broken anything in the house really should be praised.

This place has old electronics that have already been surpassed all about. Old out of style furniture that doesn't hit that antique level nor would it ever. There's he can tell was meant for this purpose alone and not an actual window or anything like that for safety reasons, he imagines. And there are plenty of tools to do as much damage as possible.]

I think so... I know there's a place like this in the city, I've just never been.

[willandaway]

I've never seen anything like it before. . .

[which is something he is slowly getting used to in this place. good thing he is adaptable!1]

[with all of the fascination of the Ye Olde Fantasy that he is, Will peruses the rage room, running his hands across various glass objects and rundown igniters (read: electronics). he stops when he reaches a rack of metal baseball bats, and while he doesn't know what a bat is. . . he has used a mace before]

[he picks one up, testing the weight in his grip by swinging it a few times]

I can understand its use, though.

[flaweddetective]

[Honestly? He's a little surprised they're going to let him just have weapons. Probably why they put him with Will. Someone who can possibly defend himself and he's not very likely to hit with this thing.

He picks up a bat himself and tests its weight. Alright. This is fine.

Before he gets to smashing Akechi does remove the protective eye wear though and tosses them aside.]

These are only going to slow me down.

[And that's the only "warning" he gives before slamming his bat through a television. Yeah... Yeah, that's pretty satisfying.]

1/2

[willandaway]

Whoa—!

[Will certainly wasn't prepared for Akechi to go so hard so quickly. to his credit, he doesn't leap back, not even when the blow to the screen sends shards of plastic flying everywhere, sparks igniting in the back of the broken screen]

[for a moment, he gawks at the destruction]

[willandaway]

[. . .]

[and with his bat secured tightly in his grasp, he lifts it high above his head before bringing it smashing down against a set of glass vases. beware of scattered glass pieces, Akechi!!]

[. . .]

[dang]

[that was pretty good]

[flaweddetective]

[It is pretty good. And once Will starts swinging at things it becomes a free-for-all. Akechi's bat finds electronic after electronic. Smashing through screens or through the delicate wired insides. He hits already broken bits until they splinter more and more into smaller plastic shards.

It's not the usual manic way he kills shadows. He maintains those shreds of dignity and without the Call of Chaos there's no need to be so manic about everything. There's a lot of anger to take things out on. Not just about events here but events that have already passed. Everything Maruki did. And Shido. All of it. Every grievance he takes out on some poor television or microwave. Whatever his bat can reach in an almost trance like state in this electronic slaughter.

In all of this he gives Will a wide berth and truly never comes close to accidentally hitting him, if that was ever a concern.]

[willandaway]

[Will doesn't have nearly as much pent-up frustration and rage as Akechi, but that certainly doesn't mean he's holding back. the glass vases were just the beginning. . . once those are reduced to smithereens, he moves on to his next victim: dishware]

[and. . . honestly?]

[it's a little satisfying, listening to the raucous crash of item after item being destroyed beyond recognition, followed by the lighter sounds of glass tinkling against the ground. he was never worried about Akechi hitting him, accidentally or otherwise (he has no reason to think his fellow competitor would want to), but he does make note of the distance. he maintains his own, more out of respect than anything else. . . but also because he doesn't want to accidentally injure anyone, either. whew!]

[and. . .]

[after most of the objects in the room are destroyed, Will finally slows down, a light sheen of sweat matting his bangs to his forehead from the exertion. he breathes quickly, shoulders heaving with every breath, as he rests the metal bat against the ground and leans his weight against same like a cane]

Whew. . .

[WHAT A WORKOUT!]

[flaweddetective]

[This was... fairly cathartic. It certainly burned some pent up anger which is all one can ask for. But as far as tiring him out... Well, this wasn't going to do the trick. This was nothing compared to a mission through Mementos. He sighs and tosses the bat aside, enjoying the clatter it makes when it hits the mess.

He lets out a sigh now that they're done and shakes out his hair. Little bits of plastic and false glass out of it.

Honestly? He feels a little less on edge.]

Lets go find a place to get a drink.

[Work outs, which is what this was, requires some hydration. And places like these are usually in the city. There's probably some place they can run in and he can harass the production to make them pay for it because that's how this works.]

Come on.

[willandaway]

[yeah, there's no point in hanging onto these bats anymore, is there? Will drops his as well, lifting his goggles to the top of his head as he swipes at his brow]

Yeah. I'm parched.

[as a fairly athletic guy himself, Will knows how important hydration is. especially when water is so hard to come by back home. the rage room probably has a nice little drink bar to capitalize on people emerging from the destruction thirsty, too]

. . . how are you feeling now?

[flaweddetective]

[There is a little bar here though not with a lot of selection considering people shouldn't be getting white girl wasted and then having bats and hammers in their hands. But there is some selection. Since they're teens and should just be getting juice or soda from the fridge there isn't anyone here which makes the bar an easily rummaged through.

In the end he sets two brownish bottles down on the counter. One for himself and one for Will and pops the tops off.]

I'm not going to go on a murderous rampage, if that's what you're worried about.

[Enjoy your beer, Will.]

[willandaway]

[oh my god]

[did Akechi just]

[give him beer]

[LISTEN, WILL PROBABLY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SODA IS, BUT. . . BEER? that's familiar, and he does a double-take]

Is this-- [wait. aren't they underaged? and also, more importantly than that--]

. . . do you really believe that I think so little of you?

[because he doesn't. despite knowing the details of Akechi's crimes thanks to Ryuji, his opinion on Akechi is not poor at all]

[flaweddetective]

[Listen. Who knows what country they're in. This could, maybe, be legal. Who can say. Not me. And not Akechi. He's going to make Kat jump off a boat with him to get lost in (redacted) so this is the least of the date crimes.]

Quite frankly... I don't know what you think of me. [Akechi takes a sip and it's gross because beer is gross. But also. Fuck it. You only live once. Or... die and come back a few times. Depending on how this goes he might never get to legally drink so. Bottoms up.] You or anyone. And I also don't care.

[willandaway]

[. . . well. all right. they may be underaged, but Will would be lying if he said he didn't have any interest in alcohol, so. . .]

[he picks up his bottle and takes a swig, allowing the drink to warm him all the way down]

[part of him instinctively wants to tell Akechi how he feels about him, but. . . at the same time? he can kind of respect that Akechi doesn't care. it can be a large burden, trying to paint yourself as someone the public would love, spending your time with your finger on the pulse of public opinion. Will knows this firsthand]

Well. . . that aside. . .

[he runs his fingers across the sides of the bottle, watching his companion curiously from the other side of the counter]

I'd like to get to know you better. If you're amenable to this.

[flaweddetective]

[He takes another sip of the beer, wrinkling his nose a bit at the request to be known. Of course. He lets out a sigh and slumps against the bar, resting his chin on his palm.]

Sure. What do you want to know?

[How truthful he'll be will be something he considers as the questions go on. For now... he's amenable.]

[willandaway]

[hm. . . thanks to their last conversation he knows quite a bit about Akechi's past, whether Akechi likes it or not. and thanks to Ryuji. . . he knows that the duo was fighting against something in some kind of alternate reality. but that's the extent of his knowledge]

[. . .]

[he could ask about that, but he suspects that question wouldn't get him much. so he starts off easily]

What's your favorite food?

[flaweddetective]

[He has to think about this before he gives a little shrug.]

I used to run a food blog because that was the popular thing to do. You order something and take a picture of it and then talk about it. I took it pretty seriously and tried to eat the latest and most popular things to stay relevant. I was famous and popular and I had to keep doing and things to maintain the public eye.

I like a lot of things. I don't know what's my favorite. I told people I liked this or that depending on the trend. I don't know the real answer.

I like sushi. I liked the soup my mom used to make. And I like a sweet piece of cake with my coffee.

[willandaway]

[THE FUCK IS A BLO-- oh thank god Akechi is explaining it. taking pictures and talking about food. . . interesting. it sounds a bit out there to Will, but only because where he comes from. . . food is treated more as a necessity than a luxury. except in certain taverns]

You were trying to be popular. . .?

[just like Will is trying to do now, by being on this show!]

Sushi. . . [that's the raw fish eaten in Brilehaven, he thinks. he doesn't know how to make that. and there's no way he could recreate a recipe from Akechi's childhood. but sweet cake. . . hm! he thinks he can bake a cake!!]

[flaweddetective]

I was popular. Maybe I still am... I don't know. I think it's been a few months.

[More sips of beer if he's going to go into this again.]

I am pretty young but I managed to get in with the police force and solve some cases. And that all spiraled into being a big deal because of my age and how prolific the cases were. I was on television a lot. I did a lot of interviews. I was talked about online all the time. In magazines... Had a very big following. Sometimes it was a little tricky to go out because people would want to talk to me or get my picture or autograph.

[willandaway]

[right. . . all of those crimes that he solved. . . were also the crimes that he committed]

[. . .]

How did you manage it? [being popular, he means. Will has gained quite a following back home, but. . . he's still an elda. people don't clamor over themselves for his time] It must have been exhausting.

[flaweddetective]

Fame just happens... Like lightning in a bottle. Sometimes it can be fabricated. But even then you have to be personal and charming and act how the people want you to. Because the masses can turn very easily.

The group of thieves I was trying to hunt down. They became very popular too and I was very vocal and against what they were doing. Hundreds of thousands of people turning against you in an instant. Sending you death threats and threats of violence... That's fun and exciting.

[He tips back the bottle to make an attempt to finish it.]

And just as quickly as they turned... they turned back. Like the tide. [Akechi can't help but scoff.] The same people that despised me went back to loving me when it turned out I was right about those thieves. It's... [He rolls his eyes.] It was exhausting. And in the end they still only loved the person I was presenting. If they'd known anything about me they'd have gone right back to hating me. Or never liked me at all.

[willandaway]

[the thieves he was chasing. . . Ryuji, right? there is so much more to that story that he doesn't know. perhaps one day. . . he can hear both sides]

[but that aside, Akechi's words about the public only loving the personality he chose to show them draws a frown to Will's lips. and thinking that the public would have hated the real him. . .]

[. . .]

Who would you say the "real" you is?

[. . .]

. . . and are you really that afraid of letting people meet him?

[flaweddetective]

The real me... [He lets out a sharp laugh.] Who even knows anymore...

I'm just some unwanted kid that was chucked from foster home to foster home that's struggling to find which mask to put on that will allow him to fit in somewhere. But no matter what I do or where I go... I'm not wanted.

And that's fine. I'll just go somewhere where I can be on my own. Where no one will care who I am or what I do. And I can just live a stupid normal life.

[It's time for more beer, actually.]

[willandaway]

That's not true.

[that reply comes so quickly. Will has taken a few swigs of his beer, but otherwise his drink remains mostly untouched, so that isn't the response of someone drawing closer to being three-sheets to the wind]

I don't hate what I've seen of you so far. The good, and the— . . . the ugly.

[and he feels like he has just barely scratched the surface of "the ugly."]

The Goro I've witnessed has been through so much. His life has been complicated, and he wears his scars on his sleeves.

[. . .]

And I'd like to be his friend.