2026-06-13: Gibbous Moon
- Log: Gibbous Moon
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, Umie Akabane
- Where: Narumi Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: June 13, 2026
- IC Date: November 24, 2012
- Summary: It's been two weeks since Akechi has stopped talking to Ren, which is long enough for Ren's ever nosy work senpai, Umie Akabane, to notice and try to take charge, for better or worse. While their journey is for naught, the two find some things to bond over, despite the secrets they hold from one another, or perhaps, because of their willingness to let them stay secret.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's been two weeks since Goro Akechi stopped talking to Ren. The reason why remains baffling to them: they told him they like the real him and they hope he can come to like himself too one day, and... he got obviously, sharply upset. He's had them on Do Not Disturb ever since. They've sent a couple texts since then--one to check in, one to test the waters--and, well... even if they aren't outright blocked, Akechi has certainly not responded to either one.
It honestly really worries them. They know a fair amount about Akechi's troubled childhood and how he was rejected and treated like an unwanted nuisance by the people around him after his mother committed suicide, but... can he really hate himself so much that he would get so viscerally upset at someone expressing they care about him? Or...
...or, given that he told them ages ago he doesn't trust them, and given all that teasing she did on him earlier that day, did it feel like a cruel lie--a betrayal waiting to happen...?
It REALLY worries them.
They already poked their nose in at Seven Sisters High School and, with Maria and Saeko's help, found the address to Akechi's detective agency, which apparently doubles as his home. (Probably it would've been faster and easier to look it up online, but Ren just... wanted to go to Akechi's school themself.) It's Saturday today, so they certainly have the time to head there now, but...
Triple Seven had called them in immediately after school, citing a huge midday rush due to a local three-day con and begging them to come in for a shift. They'd agreed, partly because their manager REALLY sounded desperate, partly because of the wage bonus that'll come of such an event, and partly...
Partly because it'll help them settle their nerves by focusing on something else at first.
The rush did not really ever stop, so mission accomplished on that end, at least. However, once Ren clocks out in the afternoon/early evening and has gone to the break room to change back into their school uniform, they check their smartphone for any missed calls or texts, and--
Nothing. Still.
Ren looks momentarily, distantly forlorn as they stare at their phone. It's a long moment, though--so it would be easy for certain nosy work senpais to notice, and maybe even ask about it.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
The problem with being the focused, in-control person Umie is... is that that sharp, persistent focus is, well, focused. This is how Ren has managed to keep much of their life not related to their overlapping social bubble with Umie more or less secret. Umie doesn't know Ren has trouble in school, that they're feared as a no-good delinquent with a criminal record, and that their persona (no pun intended) as a glasses-wearing young teen who keeps his head down is intentional.
That was the case, at first. Now? Umie... still doesn't know about his home life, or his school life (aside from having some good friends). She knows Ren enough to know that he's a private, quiet person, who is just as likely to pinpoint her own. She's holding onto secrets herself, after all.
However.
Despite the rush keeping the two of them on their feet, and Umie thinking about the BOGO nikuman sale, when she comes into the breakroom to go change, she sees Ren there.
.... That's a long time, for a Ren to stare at his phone, Umie thinks, as she takes off her hat.
"Hey, Amamiya-kun? What's up?" There's a note of concern in Umie's voice, asking a question she's not willing to voice aloud for Ren's sake: 'is everything okay?'
Indeed, certain nosy work senpais *do* notice. At the end of the day, despite all their efforts, they can't help it.
..... And when she hears what Ren has to say?
There's that flash of blackbird's widening smile before she answers him, with a casual wink. ".... Well, my afternoon's free, if yours is. Want to make a trip over there?"
======NOW======
"You know, I never *did* visit his office. Part of me just assumed he just appeared out of the aether, like some spirit."
Narumi Ward is one of the more upscale wards, even moreso than Yumezaki or Aoba. Pausing to look at one of the tall apartment buildings, Umie murmurs over her shoulder. "... You wouldn't believe what this place looked like ten years ago. It's amazing how fast places change..."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Huh?" Ren blinks up at Umie when she voices her concern, tearing them from their thoughts. They rub the back of their neck. "...It's nothing, really." And it's tempting to leave it at that like they normally might, but they do consider Umie a friend, and they have been trying to be more open with their friends lately. They take a deep breath and continue, "Akechi and I are... not exactly fighting, but he's not talking to me, either. I found out the address of his agency, so I was thinking, maybe..."
They trail off, leaving the thought unfinished--to Umie, at least. There are lots of ways it could finish in their own head.
But what is Umie Akabane if not an enabler of a work senpai? Ren blinks at her again, then grins.
They're already starting to feel better.
~ * n o w * ~
"I never have either. You at least knew him in high school, though, right? He can't have been that spirit-like," Ren replies as the two of them walk through the upscale neighborhoods of Narumi Ward. It's a beautiful place, right on the ocean; Ren can't help but admire the scenery as the two of them approach Akechi's apartment building. The more they think on it, the more it's obvious to them that it's always been Akechi coming to them--they almost never go to him. Maybe that's the nature of a detective and a thief, but when they think about it like that, they suspect that their fears and concerns are right after all.
"Yeah?" Ren glances at Umie when she mentions ten years ago. She's right; as someone raised a country boy, it's hard to imagine. "What was it like?"
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
'It's nothing, really.'
"Oh?" Umie pauses as she runs dark red nails through her hair, trying to keep from seeming like she's lingering a little *too* long outside the bathroom (which is occupied, besides).
'Akechi and I are...'
And Ren's fate was sealed.
==========
"I knew Akechi-kun existed," Umie answers, her eyes on the light as they stand at the crosswalks. "But... I didn't really get to know him until recently."
And really, he was the one who came to *her*, in a roundabout, gradual way.
".... I may've asked this before, but how did you two get to know each other, anyway?"
She remembers how Akechi looked, as he turned from drawing the outline of the Mark on the chalkboard. She remembers the way the late afternoon sun filtered in through the classroom they had went to after her flashback, how his hair and eyes caught the rays of sun. The realization that Akechi was not just simply a detective star, but someone who narrowed in on her little secret. There was the taste of her anger, but then the relief, like something had finally been released.
They had met because she was a mystery. Would it have been the same for Ren?
"It was being built, for one. About ten years ago, there was a influx of capital and revenue into the area, largely due to efforts of different companies." In other words, what attracted her parents here, but that part, Umie leaves out. "There were more cranes than buildings there, but like anything, money moves things fast." She wonders what it could have been like, parkouring through the area during the Dark Hour. She was too young then, to really explore outside her neighborhood block.
"By the time I was in high school, Toki and I would sometimes watch the yachts come into the harbor, and try to guess what their ship names were."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Mm. It's hard when you're a senior and he's a freshman," Ren muses aloud. "Not a lot of reason to run into each other. Unless you're in a club together." And Ren already knows the two of them weren't--that Umie barely knew him back then. It really only makes sense that he seemed like he came out of nowhere, considering that.
"Us?" Ren considers Umie and her question. "Well... there's this prosecutor lady he works with." Sae Niijima, Makoto's older sister, not that Ren mentions that part. "She's low-key a regular at Leblanc, apparently, and she brought him with her one day. I was helping out there that day, and he chatted at me for a while. Then later we ran into each other again--my school took a field trip to a TV station, and he was being interviewed on it. We talked a little and swapped phone numbers, and it's just been... going on since."
That is of course the heavily edited version, but close enough for horseshoes, politics, and explosions.
(Naturally, there was and still is a mystery about Ren too. Ren sure as hell isn't going to volunteer that information, though.)
"Oh, so this area is brand new," Ren remarks. They look around again. "It looks like it." Lots of companies moving in and rushing construction, huh... Yeah, it does have that kind of vibe to it. This is the kind of neighborhood that rich people come to live in. Odd to think of Akechi choosing to live here--but then again, maybe not that odd. Not just living but thriving here would be proof to all his childhood haters that he made it, that he's worth something.
So why does he still hate himself so much...? How much more does he feel like he has to prove himself before he can accept affection? Or maybe it really is them... Their dark eyes flick to the sidewalk before they shake their head slightly.
"You've known Toki-san for a while, huh," they remark. They half-turn towards the yacht the two of them are passing by as they speak, then tilts their head in its direction. "What d'you think that one's name is?"
It is, for the record, the Nichirinmaru. How well can Umie guess that one--or does she not need to guess, because she already knows?
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"Could you imagine," Umie notes, with some humor, as she looks for the street. "Someone like Akechi-kun, in a club... he'd make himself miserable trying to be the best. The paranormal club at the time'd likely have to fold within a week of him joining."
Then, a moment later, she adds, with a note of sympathy, "... and that's assuming he'd be left alone." A victim of his own success, in some ways. Did he feel satisfied, knowing what he accomplished?
What about when he awoke to his Persona, a year or two later?
A lonely freedom, exploring Mementos, seeing the dark side of humanity in a way the Dark Hour did not embody in quite the same way.
A smile is directed Ren's way as they relate how the two of them met. Not one ounce of suspicion, either; Ren's story makes sense. If there were any holes, she fills them in herself with what she knows.
"He must have taken a liking to you." She places a hand to her cheek, still looking towards him. "And why not? You do have a mysterious air to you, sometimes~"
Those eyes squint, mischievously, all while Umie mentally winces at bringing up what may be a sore spot for Ren, right now. Akechi coldly cut off ties with him and left him hanging, after all.
The area is brand new, yes. As the next light turns, signaling them to cross, Umie's eyes light up. "... Yes, this is about the spot where the crepe shop is. There's a small park over here, and..."
Was. On both accounts. The highrises have swallowed the block; a small park would have been a temporary blip in the face of a building boom.
As would the rent and license fees, for any business, Umie reflects. "Toki liked their matcha crepes..."
"... It's... likely on another block..." she mumbles, quietly, with some sadness, as they move on.
Life can change.
"Yeah. Since my freshman year. Believe it or not, she's actually..." She trails off, as Ren points out a yacht.
"....."
She can hear the sound of blood in her ears. "... the Nichirinmaru," she says, dully, without a single speck of creative thought devoted to the cause.
Even here, even without a coy voice in her ears making promises, with her young co-worker here, and them, having normal life...
Something will always haunt her.
".... The street should be close by," she says, a touch quiet, as she turns away to look at her phone.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Himself and everyone else," Ren agrees amiably. Inside, though, the thought makes them sad--because of how true it is. A victim of his own success indeed... not to mention that, for all he can act smug and arrogant at times, it seems like he can't truly internalize how admirable he is.
"Hmmm." But for all the noise they make is noncommittal, there's a hint of a smile on Ren's lips when Umie says Akechi must've taken a shine to them. "And detectives never can resist a mystery." If the circumstances were different, they'd rake a hand back through their curls and, at the very least, smirk about it. Right now, it seems inappropriate.
They look towards where the crepe shop should be, and towards the would-be park. Neither of those things are here now. They glance at Umie, sensing the shadow of sadness that steals over her, and quietly nod once.
It probably isn't on another block. They pick up what she's putting down, whether she means to or not.
This is only more so when they indicate the Nichirinmaru, and she names it as such--no guesswork, no play. Just a simple statement rife with something far darker than mere shadows. "...Akabane-san?" they murmur, dark eyes flickering with concern.
She looks away. Ren hesitates, then nods again and pulls out their own phone. They can pretend they didn't notice and let it go, for her sake.
...Is that what they should do for Akechi? Are they being overbearing about this? Should they stop checking their damn texts and let him have the space he's clearly signaling he wants? But...
"Narumi Sunspot Manor, 22-1B," they read aloud, looking back up. "I think that's it right there." They point at the building the two are approaching from the left. "Wonder if he's in today... He keeps himself so constantly busy, he probably isn't." He wasn't in school the other day either. If Saeko told him Ren was sniffing around--and she explicitly said she would--he might even be avoiding the place.
The two of them approach the sleek apartment building in silence and a streak of tension.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
'A detective never can resist a mystery.' "That's it," Umie encourages, with a blackbird's grin. "Let him be all sulky in his little tower; *you're* the mystery, not him." UMIE THIS IS TERRIBLE ADVICE
But what is life, is not just a stream of bad advice and bad decisions?
It can only make you stronger, in the end.
And Ren will see that process; the 'survival strategy' of an Umie Akabane.
Umie breathes in, then out. She takes a moment to close her eyes. Her hand goes to the red bell charm bracelet at her left wrist, like a ritual.
When those eyes open, they're focused, red-brown and shape, like a knife after being returned from the whetstone.
One could mistake it for a mask, covering over something darker inside herself, and in a sense, it is. But it's also her grabbing ahold of what is in her control, what she's here to do, and what she files at the top of her priorities, right now.
Let the ship rust and rot away in the harbor, for all she cares. She will live her life, on her own terms, and walk the shadows instead of huddle in them.
"It doesn't matter if he is or isn't," she says, with a regained, nonchalant air, as she raises a red-nailed finger. "A gesture will communicate what words can't."
Like the crescent moon rising in the sky, Umie's open smile is sharp as she turns, regarding the building that sometimes holds a Goro Akechi, when he isn't haunting the aether. "We'll just linger outside. We're just enjoying this fine--" kind of cold, thank god Umie is wearing a turtleneck under her coat "-- late fall afternoon. 'He's not here? Oh no. Well, look at this impressive view from his doorstep.' Then we'll find someplace cheap to eat and go home."
They approach. "You'll have to decide how far you want to go in, of course. I'll just be your helpful enabler."
A pause. "I will say, though.... You could use a bit of risk in your life, Amamiya-kun."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It might be terrible advice, and Ren knows this, but they can't help but chuckle anyway.
Part of the thrill of being a phantom thief is the detective who relentlessly chases after you, after all.
Their eyes flick towards that charm bracelet when she grabs at it. It seems to calm her down, or at least stabilize her. That's good. Ren would feel absolutely rotten if they hurt another friend without meaning to.
"Point," they concede, that little smile returning. "Thanks for tagging along, Akabane-san." They rub the side of their neck as they tuck their phone away. "I'd feel... awkward, waiting on his doorstep all by myself. And hey--" They shrug casually. "What else do we have to do on a Saturday night?" They smile back at her. "Even if he doesn't show up, I'd love to see your local recommendations."
It's hard not to laugh at her comment about risk. If she genuinely thinks that, then that means they're carrying on their double life with excellence. ...It does remind them how so many of their friends seem way more bothered about having to lie and hide parts of themself, but... what good would it do anyone to force themself to feel bad about something they need to do anyway?
"What kind of risk do you mean?" they wonder instead. As they ask, they approach the doorstep of Akechi's agency--maybe outside, maybe inside, maybe on the ground floor, maybe much higher up; it will be left ambiguous for now--and stop a moment to take in the sign on or next to the door.
Then they knock twice, sharp and brisk, as butterflies start to flutter in their stomach.
"Hey--do me a favor and text him, ask if he's in?" they add once they tuck their hands back into their pocket. "He ought to respond if it's you." Assuming he isn't genuinely in the middle of something, but he's normally so obsessed with keeping his phone on and at hand at all times. There's only one time Ren has ever seen him turn his phone off, and that's...
...
...well, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Thankfully, no. If anything, Umie would have argued Ren played a positive role: being someone she could focus on in the present.
The boat will exist in the harbor, whether or not Ren pointed it out, but like she and Toki looking for crepes, other things are far more finite. There will be a time when Ren will graduate and likely move on, or find the prospect of working these shifts more exhausting than they're worth, as he should. Kurou will move on to his new apartment, when it is built. The Phantom Thieves may disband to pursue other goals.
That, too, is another strategy: experience the things you have in the present. That is something you have control of, as long as you don't give it up to another power outside yourself.
Ren's thank you nets them a softer smile than the one Umie gave him earlier. "I should thank you, Amamiya-kun. You were the one who opened up a little." Her gloved hands settle in the pockets of her coat, the breeze casting tendrils of bangs to the wind. "... I'd be a terrible work senpai, if I didn't notice."
Recommendations. "Probably someplace not in Narumi, that's for sure," she says, shrugging, before smiling. "Think about what you feel like eating, and we'll go from there. I know a ton of places that are definitely, absolutely open."
'What kind of risk do you mean?'
".... I see that glint in your eyes, sometimes," she says as she walks up to the door. "Like there's a devilish little idea in there, but you always decide to play it safe. Which, is good," she says, quickly. "Especially when you're in high school. But playing it safe sometimes means..."
What does it mean? Is she encouraging the right thing, in saying this to Ren? Sometimes, Umie wonders, if she's being an agent for the wrong kind of chaos.
....
".... Sometimes, you have to knock." That's what she settles on, notably after Ren does exactly that.
Ren's secret is safe, still, at the very least.
"Sure, let's see here..." She gets out her red phone, complete with a charm of its own, and flips it open. Her thumb taps out a message for Akechi. "Can't guarantee that; I'm sure he has his moments with me too."
ha ha ha she texted him in the middle of the night to go haunting Aoba Park during the Dark Hour and he made sure she knew how much she was asking for, from him
"How about I promise him something? A bit of intel, perhaps... Oh!" She grins a devilish little grin of her own. "How about something about the Phantom Thieves? We'll make something up. It's not like either of us know what they even look like, so how's he going to know?" ha ha ha nice save, Umie Akabane, Ren doesn't expect anything at *all*
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren's face warms a touch when Umie implies that of course she'd notice. It's... nice, being told by a friend you're not that close with that of course they'd notice how you feel and do something to support you. As they shrug in silence, their smile is muted, but no less sincere.
...That was a big part of why they fell for Akechi, too. They realized just how much he cares about how they feel, to the point he'd subject himself to something he doesn't really care about solely because it's something they really care about. It really made them feel... loved.
And of course, now, he's ignoring them, possibly because they've hurt him so much and so often that he still can't bring himself to trust them. A lump forms in their throat for a moment.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Ren always has a hard time crying, and it's normal for them to go silent.
Playing it safe sometimes means... having to knock. Ren looks back at Akechi's door and pulls their hand back out to rest their fingertips on it. Umie might be enjoying a moment of wicked amusement, but this time, they don't reflect it back. Instead, they're silent for a moment before they ultimately shake their head.
"No... We shouldn't lie to him. I think... part of why he's upset with me is because... the last time we spoke, I said something to him I meant, and I have a feeling he thought it was a cruel lie. I... don't want to give him cause to believe that."
For all they get that devilish glint in their eye sometimes, they're achingly serious right now. They turn and sit on the edge of Akechi's doorstop, arms folded loosely atop their legs, to stare up and out at the night sky. The gibbous moon has risen a little higher already by now. The stars are just as hidden here as in Tokyo.
"If he really is out working on a case, it's fine. I just want to make sure, if he doesn't answer the door, it's not because he..." They stare down at their knees. "...knows I'm the one knocking."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
There are so many things that have floated past Umie; so much of Ren's background that more experienced people like Akechi have sniffed out. There is no banging drum of Justice behind Umie's forward run; despite also having some experience, and having a Persona of her own, her chariot is pointed towards less high-minded goals.
The points where her understanding is the strongest is accurate, pinpointed, exact, its borders aligning with her own selfish wishes and wants.
What she felt she lacked.
"My, my," she chuckles beneath her breath, at that muted, but genuine smile, but for Ren's sake, she doesn't comment further.
To be heard, to be listened to. Ren's done a lot of that for other people, and they, in turn, care about him. How many adults have offered him that same kindness? Even if the difference in years isn't that large, it's still there.
This is safe, this distance. She can support him, and nothing inside her can infect him or any of his friends.
... right?
Her playful proposal is rejected, and Umie looks to Ren. She sees that serious look in his eyes and respects it, dipping her chin in a slow nod as she closes her phone. He's not just going along with the flow, but exerting control over what outcome he wants.
Good.
"Good idea," she says, settling in a set on the same step a casual distance away, jacket pooling on the step around her. Following his gaze, she looks up, towards the starless sky.
Is it just for lack of someplace to look that isn't metal, glass, and concrete, or is Ren looking for stars? ".... Looks like the moon's out," she says, softly.
She pauses. "Do you... want to talk about it? Or just want a good hard think on it someplace?" That much, she's learned from Ren. "I can't promise the best insight, but... a part of me... understands, a little."
There's a lot she can't reveal to Ren, of course: Akechi's Persona, his abilities, his strange relationship with the Phantom Thieves (which is a complicated mess right there).
She could stand to listen a little, rather than try to control everything.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's okay that Umie doesn't understand or notice everything, in Ren's eyes. The fact that she cares about what she does notice is what matters to them.
Of course, sometimes people notice a little more than you'd like. Ren hears that amused, oh-so-faint 'my, my' and needs to take a moment to pretend they didn't hear it but also look away so she doesn't notice the color rise in their face.
Still, the moon is out, and the night is crisp and cold. Ren's going to start having to wear their heavy coat before too much longer. As it stands, they rub one arm as they gaze back out at the moon. "Yeah. Practically the only thing you can see..." (Sounds like that's the answer to what Ren's looking for.)
They bow their head when she invites them to talk about it. There's a lot she can't tell her either, and hasn't. Normally, they'd deflect back onto her by asking her how she understands--a genuine desire to understand others, sure, but also a desire to look away from themself. How long have they been keeping up this self-fulfilling prophecy where they expect others not to care about who they really are and so don't give them the chance to see?
They lean back on Akechi's door. Maybe that's another reason why he fell for him: the two of them are so different, and at the same time, so much alike.
"I've been thinking about it a lot these past two weeks," they say quietly. "There's a lot he and I don't see eye-to-eye on, but I think we've still become good friends by now. I don't want to go too deep into it because the stuff we talked about was very personal, and I doubt he'd want me spreading it around, but... I guess... I'm worried that... I tried to be supportive to him, but ended up hurting him instead."
They pause. The moon is not yet full, but it will be soon. They wonder if Akechi's looking up at it too, wherever he is right now. "He's a hard read sometimes. Sometimes I just don't understand him."
Another pause.
"But I want to."
Not sometimes; always.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Sometimes, feelings have a way of getting out from underneath. A fancy boat crossing sunset-lit waters can inspire a moment of dread, while a gesture of care when you're in low moment can inspire another.
Such things would have been dangerous for Umie to invite, over a year ago. How many people had she left in her wake, feeling frustrated with how she closed herself off to them?
Toki had mentioned recently that something seems to have changed in Umie. (Umie had shot her a flat look, then pointed a painted nail to her hair, as if to say 'you just noticed?!')
Sometimes, the moon is all you can see.
".... The sky seems bigger, when you're smaller," she says, her lashes lowering slightly. "I still remember, growing up in Aomori. Hearing you mention stars that one time, I had to stop and think about the last time I really remember seeing them. On a cold night... it makes it easier to see them." Just not here, or near any major city.
But then, there's the Dark Hour, there for her every night: a still, beautiful world with no stars.
And plenty of time to think.
'I've been thinking about it a lot these past two weeks.'
Like Ren, Umie has her own compulsions, wanting to take a thread and ride on it, commandeering it without even thinking about it.
The personal stuff, Umie can likely guess at. Given Akechi's reactions to Sudou and what he said, that night at the art gallery attack, Umie has had her suspicions. And beyond that... Akechi may have told Ren about Personas, and his abilities.
.... the former seems more likely. Akechi would know just how dangerous it is to breech that wall, even out of need for connection to someone else.
It's not important here, anyway, aside from the fact that Umie can't share any of what she knows either, regardless.
Umie listens, nodding acknowledgement as Ren continues.
They both look up at the moon, Umie seeming to relax a little now that nighttime has officially begun.
Is it selfish, to look and see an echo of her own relationship with Shiryuu? Ren and Akechi's relationship is likely friendship, but the threat a connection poses is there, all the same.
"I think..." Umie says, "he probably needs time to digest things. He's very logical at heart, from what I've seen of him; connecting with others can be fun, even gratifying at first, but eventually, he has to take a look and see how to proceed. Him sharing those secrets with you, though..."
She remembers, how Shiryuu accepted her, when she told him her own sin. They still fought later, and they still muddle through the logistics of it all, unable to come to firm answers that make any sense.
"That likely means a lot to him, if he was willing to tell you. But it also meant he's going in directions he probably hasn't, before." She glances down from the moon towards Ren, now. "That's my take. He's just as hard to read to me too, but I like to think I understand just a little."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
The stars are easier to see on a cold night, or on a mountaintop. The air is cleaner and crisper when it's cold, and the mountains are higher up--closer to heaven. Ren looks over at Umie when she relates her own experience with the stars out in the countryside. ...Another way where she and he are closer to each other than he is to Akechi, despite how much more Ren and Akechi know about each other.
As for seeing parallels, that's just how the human mind works. It loves to see things it recognizes--a rhyme, if not necessarily a refrain. At the very least, Ren wouldn't see it as selfish--but they can't opine on that, since Umie also hides things.
That's one they ALL have in common.
"...That's what I thought too. He's upset; let him have time and space to process. But this happened the Monday before last," Ren replies quietly. Twelve days ago, basically two weeks. "He isn't usually... that quiet, for that long."
Umie raises a good point, though, that Akechi doesn't share his own secrets lightly. ...in general, anyway; sometimes it feels like it is light when it comes to Ren. Ren was so suspicious of that at first; over time, they started to feel honored. Chosen, like a stray cat who requests pets from you and only you. Still, whatever the nature of the relationship the two of them have, it probably is untread ground for him. Maybe he got scared.
"Me too," Ren replies with a touch of humor, of understanding him just a little. They breathe out a faint sigh; it comes out faintly white. They rub the side of their arm again. "...Has he responded to your text at all...? Or nah?"
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
It's a faint connection, though that part Umie leaves unsaid. Her memories of Aomori are hazy, glazed over with the simplistic fondness of early childhood and illness.
She never had to deal with the bounds of that small town tightening around her self and her identity, or even the reality her own parents had to face.
Her childhood insight hadn't expanded as much as the starry sky had.
But like so many things, it's something she hides, just as Ren hides their own.
"--Eh?" Oh. OH. Umie's eyes widen, dislodged from her persona (haha) as calm, understanding work senpai. "Wait, he's making you wait that long?!"
She winces, hearing the sudden increase in volume in her voice.
Maybe Akechi's looking into new Joker leads, or maybe there's some cases, but come *on*, man!!
"You'd think he'd be a little more understanding of someone's time," she grumbles, as Ren asks about any texts.
Alas.
Umie hadn't felt her phone vibrate. Still, just in case, she slips her phone back out and flips it open to check. "No. Guess he sees right through me, as usual."
(If Ren dares to make a glance, even accidentally, they'd see Umie's phone is much the same as it was when they checked it as Joker, nearly half a year ago.)
"Doesn't make waiting feel any better. Not knowing something can be worse than it being the worst possible outcome. Maybe this'll force things to come to a head," she says, before flatly adding, "give or take a week."
Part of her wants to charge in and get Ren off this doorstep, get out of the cold, and on with life while Akechi goes stew.
It feels rare to see Ren in a moment like this, however. She can't ask Ren what was said, nor does she want to.
Words come out, automatically, as she notices the white of Ren's breath.
"Aren't you cold?" She sighs. ".... Should've made you bring a thicker jacket..." .... he surely has one, right...?
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Umie's reaction is... not great. Now Ren's really starting to worry. It doesn't help that Akechi hasn't responded to her yet either, though at least in her case, it's only been a few minutes. Maybe Akechi will reach out to her in a few minutes more.
You'd think he'd be a little more understanding of someone's time!
Something in Ren's chest squeezes painfully tight, seeing and hearing Umie acknowledge that, actually, it's been a really long time to refuse to talk to someone you called a friend. This time, what flares up inside them isn't worry; it's a hot, hurt anger of their own. He digs his slightly-long nails into his uniform pants.
Does he really think they wanted to hurt him on purpose? Is he really assuming the worst of them without even hearing them out? Is he really cutting them off, just like that?
...It's just like Yoshio.
There's a certain deeply bitter irony there.
They take a deep breath and let it out. "...Yeah. Actually, I am." Breathe in; breathe out; in; and, finally, out. In that time, they tame their anger to a low simmer, and they rub their forehead before they tuck their hands into their pockets. "You know what? Now that I think about it, it's really creepy to show up at somebody's apartment when you know that somebody is mad at you. I wouldn't open the door for me, either."
Whatever made Akechi get this mad at them, they're not going to question it anymore. He has a right to how he feels, and... they've been 'kidding around' with him in a way that probably contributed to all this. If it turned out Akechi feels like they've been toying with him and is himself feeling angry and heartbroken about it, Ren would have a hard time denying they deserve it. Sometimes you just can't deal with someone after they've hurt you too badly, too many times.
They look back at the locked door. Can they really leave it like this? But... what can they do? This isn't a Palace, it's real life. They can't just break in. Hell, if they did, that would make it so much worse. They squeeze their eyes shut.
He'd defended them against Kasumi for not being someone who'd take other feelings lightly that same afternoon. And... now here they are. After they humiliated him in public and then stabbed him in the emotional wounds he tries so hard to keep under wraps.
God dammit.
They pull out their phone. As they type, they murmur to Umie, "Thanks for getting mad for me. It... means a lot."
@> came by your agency office just now. knocked on door. no answer so I guess you weren't there.
"Let's go get that dinner, Akabane-san. It'll be a good way of warming up."
@> not gnna come by again. sorry for being so pushy, hope you're not too creeped out, but i get it if you are.
"I'm feeling ramen or something like that. Hot and brothy and full of salt. How's that sound to you?"
@> i'll leave you alone from now on.
Whatever ends up happening between them and Akechi, the ball's in his court now.
They tuck their phone back into their pocket and gives Akechi's locked door one last look, muscles taut in their jaw. Then they put their poker face back on and lope away at the same pace Umie does, whatever that ends up being. "If you don't have a place you love around here, I know a place over in Ogikubo that Ryuji introduced me. It's really good. Depends on how hungry you are, though. We'd have to wait 'til we get all the way back to Tokyo first."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
It takes a moment, before Umie realizes the sea change in Ren's emotional state; if she hadn't been focused, it may have slipped past her.
But the Badb that is Umie Akabane can hone in on certain things with acute clarity, like the quiet that naturally happens when one is slowly releasing and taming their anger.
She quiets, realizing it, turning her eyes to the sky instead in search of stars.
It's really creepy, Ren says, when they've moved through their emotions.
....... huh.
Umie's eyes widen slightly as she takes this nugget of insight and mentally chews on it. ".... I guess it would be," she says, tapping a finger to her chin.
Not that Umie... especially knows, now that she thinks about it. There may have been one or two people she has accidentally placed in the same position Ren's in now, without realizing it.
.... Or being too wrapped in her own worries to realize that leaving a relationship early doesn't mean everything is resolved, no matter how much she's told herself it was for everyone's own good. .... Those were relationships, however. What Ren has with Akechi? Likely not the same.
She shrugs. "I'm sure a part of him will understand. If not, use me as your excuse." She gives Ren a playful wink. "I *did* say I was enabling you. It wouldn't be a lie."
That forward pursuit is tamed once again, as she thinks back to what Ren said, earlier. His voiced need to be truthful.
".... Or come as you want to be," she says, softly, feeling a swell of pride for Ren, once again, for determining how things would go. "I support you, Amamiya-kun."
In the end, anger or no, she'd see it as a good thing if Ren and Akechi made up. Akechi is aggravating, but some of their relationship is built on some mutual understandings, as well as comfort.
There was a joy she felt in the night she found out Akechi also had a Persona, as vexing as he was about it. Spending time conversing with demons to look for leads in the Aoba Park attack from Sudou... She thought she was the only one who seemed to understand the value in that, and in the labyrinthian ways a demon's mind could work.
However, she highly doubts their connection is the same as the one he has with Ren, nor would she want it to be.
"For what it's worth.... I think he'll eventually reach out." Lonely people eventually do, when they can no only find solace in shadows, she reflects with a mental grimace.
Hadn't she hurt people, like all of Tamaki and Eriko's gang, because they knew one of her secrets?
Is she just playing the role of helpful senpai without understanding what it means, to be there for someone?
Ren's thanks dislodges Umie from her thoughts. She blinks, pressing a hand against her mouth.
Then a laugh escapes, reaching up to the glint in her eyes. "You'd be the first to thank me for something as rash as that. .... But you're welcome, all the same."
To like someone she cares about feel heard. Yes... that's... what she wants, here.
"Let's do that. If it's ramen, how about I treat you?"
As she and Ren depart, there's patter of flapping wings as a a small murder of startled crows fly off.
Looking up, she thinks of red tengu masks and shirogarasu-s.
Crows exist, even in Narumi Ward.
"You know what? Let's trust him on this. Ogikubo it is."