>>@ENTERTHEDRAGON | @ALL

[ryuji]

Looks like Sergeant Gramps is gettin' a little finicky that some stuff hasn't gone down. I got an idea on how to introduce the king to the guillotine. Anyone wanna start a riot with me to kick it off?

Basically, I got this list of VIPs who frequent the bar I work at, right? Turns out, a few of these boneheads are some serious players. All we gotta do is get into a fight of king supporters vs revolutionaries and inspire 'em to start writing some charges up. Who's in?

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[ryuji]

[Well... all that grinding in Mementos helped.]

Yeah. [Guiding the skull mask off his forehead, he holds it gingerly in his hand and hands it over to Achilles. Ryuji's pretty ignorant to the energy signals it gives off, but it's practically drenched in residual mana.]

We were in some deep trouble in our first heist... the guy who broke my leg was our first target. I just remember... bein' so effin' angry that the world could be like this. Then I heard a voice in my head. [Recalling the past events of his persona summoning, he looks up across the way and not directly at Achilles.] "I am thou, thou art I! Prepare yourself! From now on the skull of rebellion is your flag!"

[Sounds tangentially familiar, huh, Achilles?]

This thing appeared on my face- the mask. I ripped it off and for the first time in like... years, I didn't feel angry or just... plain old powerless. I made a contract with my persona and it's been like this ever since.

[chariotry]

[ He listens intently. Ryuji's not exactly a boy shrouded in mystery, given his loud and vibrant nature, but that's probably his appeal. That openness, however, is something he can recognize as a weakness. He can't help but find it refreshing anyway, as it mirrors something he's always had, himself.

Rebellion, huh? He grins to himself. He took power for himself, had awoken it inside of him, which ironically parallels to the situation of Paris right now. ]

A contract... [ Now that sounds familiar. So he has some experience summoning. Could he have command spells hidden on him somewhere? ]

Your familiar; who he is?

[ryuji]

[Command spells? Not that he knows of. Then again there are spots that he never really gets a chance to see on himself. For all he knows, it could be the world's most edgy looking tramp stamp.

(And sure, maybe it is an utter weakness to wear his heart on his sleeve like that, but restraint isn't something that he's ever held close enough to him to keep in arm's reach. Achilles can judge him for it, it's not going to change much about him.)

But more importantly, he wonders whether or not Achilles can see Seiten Taisei in all his monkey glory. He holds his hand out to collect his mask back and places it back up against his features. Ryuji looks far more menacing than he really is when he has it on, but he can feel every circuit of energy pulsating through him like this.]

Seiten Taisei. He's a mythological trickster. At first, my persona was Captain Kidd, but as I got closer to our leader and worked through all the shit I was going through... it just kinda... changed. I dunno how to explain it.

Anyway, lemme know if you can see 'em.

Matarukaja!

[chariotry]

[ Seiten Taisei? Achilles is quiet as he tries to recollect the name, having been materialized with most knowledge of the heroes that shared their place with him in the Holy Grail.

But it doesn't sound familiar. He cocks his head in confusion, wondering if these familiars were summoned from somewhere completely different. It's possible and it frustrates him that he lacks that necessary knowledge.

He doesn't see anything. But he does feel a surge of power suddenly flow into him, stimulating dormant circuits and opening the flow of mana. His eyes widen, but he doesn't show much of a reaction otherwise. He's trying to suppress his growing excitement. ]

Was that a spell? [ What did he do? Did he just transfer mana? Though, he doesn't feel like he has more than he already had before coming here.

He opens and clenches a fist, making a show of how invigorated he feels now. ] Well, damn. You're a bonafide mage!

Where's your familiar?

[ryuji]

[The source of the summoning... well, yeah. Ryuji could never get the details right and if pressed by Achilles to dig deeper, he'd probably fumble through a shitty explanation of personas, how they manifest inside people, and how they're born out of the cognition of human's collective minds. And oh, yeah. There's a holy grail somehow involved with all of this too.

Weird shit. Totally unrelatable to a Heroic Spirit though.

Ryuji flashes an impish grin when the spell takes hold. He's used it enough times to know exactly what the sensation is that's flowing through Achilles' body right now. Like if he wanted to slam his hand on the ground, he could punch right through it. (He could already, which is terrifying enough, but this buff is particularly good for those beefy types who excel at contests of strength.)

Bonafide mage, eh? He's not sure he'd exactly call himself that. Almost everyone on his team was better at wielding magic than he was- the stuff that Ryuji concentrated on was almost always with an eye to making him physically stronger against shadows, or stun them into place.]

Yeah, man! Wasn't it cool? You should feel all revved up and shit. It's pretty damn awesome.

So like... you're familiar with magic, but you've never seen that before? [His SP's already taken a considerate hit from his casting this evening. Oh well, it felt good to have Achilles' attention on him like this. He felt valuable in some way.]

Uh... Yeah, I dunno. I can see 'em when I summon him, but I guess you can't. Might be 'cause you never went into the Metaverse.

[chariotry]

[ He gets up to his feet, stretching tall and holding his arms out like he's trying to gauge the intensity of the spell. His magic fluctuates, showing signs that this buff won't last long.

Maybe he needs actual formal training. He's got potential, that's for sure. ]

The Metaverse? Is this where Seiten Taisei is summoned from?

[ Trying to understand it in the context of his own understanding may be easier than... having to listen to Ryuji go off about cognition. ]

And you use his power to steal hearts and change people's twisted desires, is that right?

[ryuji]

[There's something nice about watching him get up and test out the flow of magical energies in his body. It's, of course, erratically ephemeral, but that doesn't stop a small sense of accomplishment emanating from it. His role has always been the tank of the group- and when compared in sheer strength or speed to Rider... well, that's so one-sided it's not even funny. He remembers that race. He also remembers how much pain he was in the next day all throughout work. Things he wouldn't tell anyone else.]

Yeah. The Metaverse is just a giant warehouse for humanity's inner desires and shit. I dunno. Geez, where the hell is that cat when you need 'em.

[For once in his life he wishes Morgana were here to be a little know-it-all about all things metaphysical.]

Kinda. It's more like the weaponry that we got going into that place to steal hearts. When people are seriously effed up, then they go and build these huge things called palaces and it keeps their hearts locked up safely. We just go in and snatch it up.

[To emphasize his point, he waves his hand in the air like a swiping motion. Not necessary, but Ryuji likes talking with his hands sometimes.]

[chariotry]

[ He'll cross his arms and actually consider what he says seriously. ]

So you steal hearts in the metaverse. You weren't being literal before. [ He's quietly mulling over the logic of it all, curious as to what the metaverse might look like. An alternate world where people's inner-selves and their twisted desires reside sounds odd. What would be the purpose of that? ]

And does stealing their "heart" actually change anything in them in the material world?

[ryuji]

[Is it right to do what he's about to do? That's entirely questionable and he knows he shouldn't, but it kind of just... happens anyway.]

Nah, I've been known to steal hearts outside of the Metaverse too.

[He realizes this was a mistake. He rubs the back of his head and laughs. Okay, Ryuji. Okay.]

B-but. Anyway. Right! So, you steal their heart in there, and their palace comes crumbling down. The dirtbag then has a change of heart and becomes crushed by the guilt of what they've done and comes clean.

[He's anxiously moving against the balls of his feet, hoping that he's at least explaining this right and that his previous pick up line goes unnoticed.]

Like in the case of a murderer who's hidden from the police. Steal his heart and he'll tell the world what he's done and then he's locked up. It's like kicking justice a little ol' kickstart to the face.

[chariotry]

[ ... Wow. He should be taken aback by that line, but he isn't. It's practically expected.

His expression alters minutely, a wide smile spreading his lips. ]

How many hearts could a virgin boy have actually stolen? [ Wow, just calling him out at point blank range. ]

Well, regardless your magic is pretty potent. If you weren't already bound to another, I might have taken you for myself at some point.

[ryuji]

[If anything he's learned from Akira over the last year, it's the value of a good deadpan. He just stares at Achilles. For a good, long, few moments. What the actual fuck.]

I was waiting for marriage.

[Any...way...

All sorts of new questions pop up in his head. He has to tend to those or else they'll literally be gone while he dwells on the fact that he was just called out for still having his v-card at 17. Life expectancy and populations are larger these days. That's just rude.]

Taken me? [What does he mean?]

Well... Joker had the ability to control a bunch of personas at once. He had some special conditions, though. Not sayin' that it's impossible, but---







Wait a second. Is a Heroic Spirit a persona? Are you a persona, Rider?

[chariotry]

[ Sorry, Ryuji, but he had to take that jab. You're being all cocky and it makes him want to take you down a peg because he's a giant hypocrite. ]

A persona? I don't even know what that is. But if a persona is what you summon, then I guess I am in a way.

Do you have command seals?

[ryuji]

Command what?

[chariotry]

Command seals, or spells.

Mages use can use up to three to force their Servant to obey an order. [ He holds up three fingers for visuals. ] After they're used up, the contract between Master and Servant is broken.

The contract you have with your persona doesn't function the same way?

[ryuji]

[Thanks, he always has a little bit of trouble going higher than 2 when he has to count.]

Oh... Nah, it doesn't work like that with this stuff. Summoning a persona just drains your life force. It's like... uh.

[How to put this?]

Shit, if you've ever played a video game, this would make, like. So much more goddamn sense. Physical attacks hurt your body to use and magical attacks hurt your mental state. But if you practice enough with it, it gets easier.

[chariotry]

[ Well, Ryuji isn't the brightest crayon.

That sounds familiar... ]

That's similar to how things work between a Master and a Servant, then. [ As he's explained before. ]

It's too bad you can't bring him out. I would've liked to meet him and see how strong he actually is.

[ryuji]

[Sure, joust it out for dominance over Ryuji's affection, Achilles. No big deal.]

... You wanna have a match?

[This is a bad idea.

Someone stop him.

Achilles, be the adult here.]

[chariotry]

[ ... Oh hell yeah. He barks out a laugh, throwing an arm around Ryuji. ]

That all depends. What would happen if I actually killed him?

[ Teasing... But of course he's being serious beneath the jovial and light tone he's taken on. ]

Would you be back on the market?

[ryuji]

[He leers over at the arm so casually draped over his shoulder. But pushing him away would also be a testament to subtly admitting that he absolutely remembers the kiss they'd shared, in its completeness, the night that they did it. So he just allows it.

They're just two bros, right?

Doin' bro things.]

He doesn't have a form or a body. He's just a part of my heart, so, we'd be facing each other like this, y'know? And if you killed 'em, you'd have to kill me.

[Annnd.... Achilles is being greasy again. He's the type of guy who wants to have sex in the hall of mirrors just so he can get the best angles.]

Can't really be on any market if I'm dead.

[He'll just... raise an eyebrow at him suspiciously.]

[chariotry]

You're serious? [ It's not a question that's meant to be answered. He can wrap his head around such a concept, it's just not something he was expecting.

Also what the fuck... He isn't being greasy. He's just being friendly. ]

Then you should probably reconsider challenging me. I won't hold back just because I've decided I like you.

[ryuji]

[This is definitely culture shock.

Achilles walking up to him, putting his arm around him freely, and then saying that he likes him has a very different effect on him than it would to other Europeans that they're surrounded by.

He side-eyes Achilles for a few moments. What is he trying to do? What signals is he trying to send off? Ryuji honestly can't figure this guy out to save his life.]

Dude, telling me to do something is almost as bad as telling me not to do something.

[And besides...

Ryuji just doesn't... get it. When you've been rejected this many times, it's hard to think that there are a ton of qualities about yourself that are worth liking to begin with. Why did this have to be so goddamn confusing?]

You're uh. You're pretty cool too.

[chariotry]

You think so? [ All that air of laughter has left him, his countenance taking a shift as flirtation edges into something more deliberate and fervent. ]

Then, would you rather fight me or fight beside me? [ He leans on Ryuji slightly, matching his eye level by sinking to his lesser height. He's close, having definitely entered his personal bubble, but he's keeping a purposeful distance.

He wants Ryuji to look him in the eye and answer him. ]

[ryuji]

[If Achilles thinks he's being slightly flirtatious, it's partially working. The part that isn't... is the part that sticks out to Ryuji the worst. He looks at Rider as he directs that question at him, and suddenly he's thrown back a year in time, remembering the first time he came into his persona. He wanted to do something, anything, to be able to stand up for himself.

To fight alongside someone that wasn't even here with him anymore.

There's an empty hole in Ryuji's heart that's left hollowed out by his friends not being here. Truth be told, once he's learned how to work with others, it's so damning to go back and try it all over from the beginning without them. So Ryuji doesn't look at Achilles like he's entering his personal space, just that... he's there. He doesn't seem like a bad guy.

Is this what Joker thought of him when they first met, and Ryuji had teamed up with him even if he had his hesitations toward it? His answer would've been the same, either way.

He smiles at Achilles.]

Together.

[chariotry]

[ That's answer he wanted. As much as he enjoys a good fight, he's more inclined to protect someone he considers a friend than to beat them down and prove his strength. Ryuji is someone he considers to be a good person, and a boy with a pure heart. He's a mage on top of that, making him the perfect candidate for a Master.

Of course he'd love to fight beside him.

Responding to his smile, he mirrors that soft expression and leans forward to kiss him.

You know. For mana.

Ryuji, love yourself. ]

[ryuji]

[The second time it happens, it doesn't feel as... unexpected as it does the first time. Ryuji leans a little into it, which surprises him, but he accepts Achilles' lips against his own. Flustered, just like he was the first time, but not so much as a mess as he was before. His mask still on, he's keenly aware of that mana that slowly draws itself out of him and into the other.

Ryuji's the first to pull away, as he brings his hands up to his lips, as if checking they're still there. His heart stirs, and even though this is all one hell of a confusing moment, he scratches the back of his head and looks away.]

Dude.

[And then it hits him- he smirks, looking ever menacing when he's still in his Phantom Thieves mode.]

I can't believe you just stole my first kiss like that.

[Achilles, love yourself.]