He turns his head to look at Ren, with a bit of difficulty, and a bit of calculation too. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
It's like seeing the Palace built in front of him, brick by brick. Or assembled from preformed parts that were just waiting in line. And so many of them have his name on them. He knew that already, but....
"Am I that off?" He resettles, eyes on the, frankly, giant spatula Haru got him in Asakusa. "It was just... sad, I suppose. Not pitiful. It reminded me why we're doing the Palace."
...Ren doesn't even know how to respond to that. He tries to think of something, but his mind is blank; all that comes to him is, "Text him back." Shadowy forms shift at the edges of his vision.
For a moment, he struggles with the urge to pull Ren close and kiss him on the cheek. What the hell is wrong with you, Akechi? Squeezing his shoulder instead, he looks down and finally texts Crow back.
[And he's not sure how to feel about it other than bleak. He can hear the anguish of every text in Ren's own voice, in the weight of him against Goro's shoulder. It renews his determination.]
For what it's worth, I don't think you handled it badly. It was obviously a difficult situation, one with no way to win. No matter what you said.
Does Magpie fully understand what may be required of him? [That is, that he may have to try to make amends with Drake.]
But I know that by telling Magpie about what happened, it... well.
I was in terrible shape, he was there, and I desperately needed someone to talk to in the moment. He had invited me out to coffee to help me decompress, and he chose to take action because I was in such shitty shape.
Obviously, that doesn't change what he said or the damage it dealt. He had his reasons for why he approached it that way, but they are deeply personal, and I don't want to betray his trust.
But to answer your question, he understands.
I just wonder what will happen next. There's still lingering tension, and I truly doubt Glitch gives a shit about how I feel or what I have to say, so we'll have to find a way to work around that. If we break into smaller teams, that will likely help, but I can't flip a switch and simply be happy about where things stand with us.
And then there's Drake. I know he wants little do with me as it presently stands.
It is what it is. Let's just hope tomorrow goes more smoothly than today. Though I wouldn't count on it.
[No, not with Ren and Magpie coming face to face, to unleash whatever unholy alchemy they might possess. And the team itself split both ways on protecting the two of them.]
[If it's ever over. Certainly for Frog it isn't going to be—at least, so he thinks.]
I imagine something bigger and badder is waiting for us. That's how it usually works, right?
I won't say you haven't learned harsh lessons today. But try to put them into practice. Two of you living in the past right now is more than I can handle. (^‿^)
There's always something bigger, yes. But this has been far more emotionally draining than facing gods. That's impersonal.
This is entirely personal.
I'll do what I can, but if Glitch tries anything, I will stand my ground. I will try to at least not be the aggressor, but I refuse to be a punching bag.
If Drake and Magpie are both on board, then I see no reason not to resume tomorrow. Same time, and obviously the same place.
Speaking of which, I know there have been problems between you and Drake. You only have to look at the Palace, it turns out. But he's chosen to count on you. Try to remember that.
If I go downstairs to find a lucky cat, I'll leave it to Morgana to deal with.
And I'm glad to hear that. I value your judgement, you know, as much as I did when I arrived. We're the only two here in our respective roles. Akechis, I mean.
True, but the differences between us are rather clear as well.
It's astonishing how you were able to keep a cool head throughout all of that. I like to think I'm typically better than that, but I suppose everything added together pushed me too far.
Then again, perhaps you haven't spent so long repressing anger.
[What Drake said about his mother was bad, but he's heard far, far worse.]
The whole problem is that half of us are defending some part of the team *from* the team. And I didn't keep control. Not really. I just kept quiet, which isn't the same.
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Panicking. Maybe Goro should do more of that.
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It's like seeing the Palace built in front of him, brick by brick. Or assembled from preformed parts that were just waiting in line. And so many of them have his name on them. He knew that already, but....
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Sorry for the delay. That's a lot to take in.
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The reply comes all the same.]
No, that's all right. It was a heavy conversation, after all, and you were mentioned several times.
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[And he's not sure how to feel about it other than bleak. He can hear the anguish of every text in Ren's own voice, in the weight of him against Goro's shoulder. It renews his determination.]
For what it's worth, I don't think you handled it badly. It was obviously a difficult situation, one with no way to win. No matter what you said.
Does Magpie fully understand what may be required of him? [That is, that he may have to try to make amends with Drake.]
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I was in terrible shape, he was there, and I desperately needed someone to talk to in the moment. He had invited me out to coffee to help me decompress, and he chose to take action because I was in such shitty shape.
Obviously, that doesn't change what he said or the damage it dealt. He had his reasons for why he approached it that way, but they are deeply personal, and I don't want to betray his trust.
But to answer your question, he understands.
I just wonder what will happen next. There's still lingering tension, and I truly doubt Glitch gives a shit about how I feel or what I have to say, so we'll have to find a way to work around that. If we break into smaller teams, that will likely help, but I can't flip a switch and simply be happy about where things stand with us.
And then there's Drake. I know he wants little do with me as it presently stands.
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[No, not with Ren and Magpie coming face to face, to unleash whatever unholy alchemy they might possess. And the team itself split both ways on protecting the two of them.]
Can I offer a word of advice?
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Very well.
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Try not to take all of this on yourself. It does no good. There's plenty of blame to go around.
[Including in his direction. But he doesn't elaborate.]
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But it's hard not to feel that way after today. Multiple chiming in to scold me. My own boyfriend wasn't thrilled.
Ren and I talked about it after the fact. We came to an understanding.
I'll just be happy when this is over.
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I imagine something bigger and badder is waiting for us. That's how it usually works, right?
I won't say you haven't learned harsh lessons today. But try to put them into practice. Two of you living in the past right now is more than I can handle. (^‿^)
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This is entirely personal.
I'll do what I can, but if Glitch tries anything, I will stand my ground. I will try to at least not be the aggressor, but I refuse to be a punching bag.
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I'm going to do my best to keep her in line. And everyone else. But if you all start fighting with each other, we may as well stay home.
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I certainly don't intend to let it reach that point.
I suppose the question is how soon we're resuming. I assume tomorrow, and I can imagine we'll want to give ourselves most of the day.
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Speaking of which, I know there have been problems between you and Drake. You only have to look at the Palace, it turns out. But he's chosen to count on you. Try to remember that.
[In other words, don't blow it.]
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To that end, I'll give it everything that I can. It's all I really can do.
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[And, hopefully, that really is it for the lectures.]
When this is done, we should do something together. Coffee, perhaps. Maybe not at the home of the Lucky Cat.
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Leblanc? Suddenly there's a lucky cat statue intruding on Morgana's territory.
But I'm not opposed. To the coffee, that is.
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And I'm glad to hear that. I value your judgement, you know, as much as I did when I arrived. We're the only two here in our respective roles. Akechis, I mean.
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It's astonishing how you were able to keep a cool head throughout all of that. I like to think I'm typically better than that, but I suppose everything added together pushed me too far.
Then again, perhaps you haven't spent so long repressing anger.
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[What Drake said about his mother was bad, but he's heard far, far worse.]
The whole problem is that half of us are defending some part of the team *from* the team. And I didn't keep control. Not really. I just kept quiet, which isn't the same.
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