[Prologue, Monday: Ann]

[doublecrows]

[Akechi follows wherever Ann leads, after their encounter near the tapestries. he's well-practiced in hiding his true feelings-- in shoving what he really thinks underneath a cheery, witty and charming mask-- which makes hiding the tension lining his shoulders really easy]

[thankfully]

[when they're alone, he's the first to speak]

Is everything okay, Takamaki?

Comments

[varas]

[ Her voice bursts, echoing off the walls. ]

Of course it isn't!

[ Has he not read his tapestry, and her own? As soon as they're tucked away in a private little spot, she whirls around on a heel, looking rather formidable and more than a little bit on edge. ]

... You. Have a Persona?

[doublecrows]

[the surprise that floods his expression isn't faked]

I-- of course? Didn't you know?

[he can't help but wonder what she's getting at, here. he fought next to her, stood by her and Joker's sides as they tore through Niijima's Palace. she should know, shouldn't she? . . . is this a ploy to take him off guard?]

You were all there when we infiltrated Sae-san's Palace.

1/2

[varas]

[ He looks so earnestly dumbfounded, of course Ann falls for it. She has no idea who Sae-san is, of course... But that's hardly relevant when face-to-face with a teammate she doesn't remember. Surely, Ann thinks, there's no way Akechi would be allowed in their group?

... Right?

?????

Ann places a hand against her forehead, looking momentarily aggrieved. ]

Ughhhh, this is giving me such a headache!

[ Don't jump in yet, Akechi. >:( ]

[varas]

Okay.

[ Getting her bearings, Ann fixes him with a steely look. ]

You say you're a part of the team? Prove it.

[ Makoto would be so much better at this, she thinks, but follows up with-- ]

Tell me about Morgana.

[doublecrows]

[DO NOT WORRY, HE WAITS. he isn't even offended by her doubt, because yeah, he knows how the Phantom Thieves saw him prior to him joining the group. he knows how they still see him, probably. especially if they ever learn what happened between him and Kurusu]

Morgana-- Mona, right?-- is the talking cat that is always with Joker. He took me by surprise the first time I heard him talk, actually!

[that surprise is reflected in his voice]

[varas]

[ For a second, Ann blinks a bit too rapidly, as if something is tickling the back of her mind... It may just be her trying to dredge up memories that aren't quite available to her yet by force. ]

When was that?

[doublecrows]

[PANCAKES]

At the Shujin Academy school festival, late October. Your student council asked me to be a guest speaker, and I agreed. Although. . .

[sheepishly, apologetically]

Admittedly, I only had because at that time, I had deduced that you, Joker and the others were the Phantom Thieves.

[varas]

October... [ She mutters that bit to herself, although not imperceptibly so. It's likely he can hear it. It doesn't matter, she's just getting her thoughts together because...

Because that one detail is important. It explains so much. The gap in her memories, his advanced knowledge. She hasn't forgotten anything. She simply hasn't lived it yet. It's both comforting to know and incredibly scary to focus on, because it means that Akechi has some power over her. Even if he doesn't seem the type to use it for his own personal gain, Ann mislikes being in this position.

Then again, maybe the disparity in their points in the timeline (?? she has no idea how to even phrase this, it's so weird to her) is a key to unraveling the puzzle of this war.

She has to be careful, she knows... but if Joker chose Akechi as an ally...

She could trust that. Right? ]

Look, I'm... I'm from a bit early. July. So, the stuff you're talking about, I can't possibly have any idea because I haven't lived it yet.

[ Something in her stomach jumps, unsettled by the vulnerable stance she's taking. ]

[doublecrows]

[. . . Akechi has met people from different time periods. people from the 1800's, from worlds where common things like internet and electricity hadn't been invented yet. but for some reason, he never thought he'd run into a time disparity with someone he knew from home.]

[July, though. . . somewhere around the incident with Medjed, then. long before Akechi involved himself in the Phantom Thieves' business so directly. it explains so much. her lack of knowledge of his Persona, her confusion about him being here, and her. . . lack of wariness, which he now believes is genuine, and not a ploy to take him off guard]

[interesting. he can use this to his advantage. and what's more, it means he doesn't have to worry about her outing him. he can keep her alive, and user her trust to advance his own goals in this game]

[perfect]

[but even with those thoughts in his head, he droops a bit, his smile rueful and perhaps a little hurt]

I understand. It's all right, Takamaki. Even if you don't remember, I still consider you someone very important to me.

You're my teammate, and I intend to treat you as such.

[varas]

[ And Ann falls for it. Hook, line, sinker. He so resembles a kicked puppy that she's immediately falling all over herself to console him. ]

Thanks.

[ even with the faint prickling in her stomach, the faint no - don't - ]

Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we play a game to get to know each other better?

[ me: i'll end this thread next tag
also me: does this instead ]

[doublecrows]

[what]

[despite the performance, her suggestion truly takes him off guard]

What?

[WHAT!!]

What kind of game do you have in mind?

[varas]

Oh, it's really fun! Two truths and a lie... You ever heard of it?

[ SHE'S EXCITED ]

[doublecrows]

[AWK. . . but he forces a smile and a nod]

Ah, yes. I remember playing those types of games when I was younger. It is a good way of breaking the ice, as they say.

If it'll help us get to know each other better, then I'm on board.

[varas]

Iiii'll go first!

[ Although hiding it behind an exuberant, frivolous demeanor, part of Ann wants to see how well the genius teen detective can spot a lie. ]

One: I've lived in Finland, but I wasn't born there.
Two: My favourite subject in school is math.
Three: I kick ass at Super Smash Bros.

[ Two is the lie, but will he figure that out? ]

[doublecrows]

[oh my god this feels so. . . weird?? but okay. he's going along with it]

Is it number three?

[APPARENTLY, HE WILL NOT]

[varas]

Nope! You lose. And now, it's your turn.

[ it's okay, she's super pleased regardless ]

So, tell me three facts about you, but one of them has to be a lie.

[ he knows how to play??? ]

[doublecrows]

Oh. . . and you don't tell me which one was the lie when we're done? I see.

[he nods, satisfied with this! and then comes up with three for himself]

I enjoy cycling and bouldering on my time off. My favorite foods are spicy foods. I enjoy reading German philosophy.

[what a fuckin' nerd]

[the lie is number two, of course]

[varas]

[ But, because Ann's canon point is much earlier, she doesn't really catch on to the obvious lie. It's pancakes all over again. ]

German philosophy? Uh.

It's the third one, right?