Goro Akechi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
truthdecided) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bottlecaplogs2025-12-10 10:28 am
truthdecided) wrote in bottlecaplogs2025-12-10 10:28 am
Entry tags:
(no subject)
WHO: Goro Akechi, various quest partners, and an OPEN prompt for Conspiracy Cracking
WHAT: December quests!
WHEN: Throughout December
WHERE: Various
WARNINGS: Persona 2 weirdness may come up.
A. Ghosts of Teatimes Past (Ren and Maya)
With Maya safe in Bottlecap Bay and among the Oran Berries, how could Akechi pass up an opportunity like this? Not only that, but it's an opportunity for Ren to mingle with another Persona user, and one from long before them. While Akechi has... misgivings with the elitism within the Lum Berries, he can't deny that the Archives present a vital resource. That they wish to document the experiences of outsiders is merely the cherry on top. Not to mention, the Archives provide a reprieve from the cold.
So, once he, Ren, and Maya are adequately positioned to tell their tales, Akechi glances between the two. "Well then. Who would like to start?" He could, of course, but he might as well give the others their opportunity. Either would make a more organic starting point.
B. Snow Place and Home (Mayaka)
Akechi... isn't particularly fond of the cold, particularly in his current form. For that reason, he's bundled up with a plaid scarf, a wool sweater, and his Safety Goggles for good measure. Does he look ridiculous? Well, yes. He's round and small. It comes with the territory. However, he has a job to do, and unlike Mayaka, lacks large claws to make the task more manageable.
So, while they step out to tackle the snow, he hovers in the air and squints.
"...I suspect I may be able to cut through the piles with well-aimed attacks. That could theoretically carve a path, or otherwise maneuver the snow into more manageable piles."
C. December, First (Shoka)
It's funny. Akechi has helped in quests regarding Noelle before, yet the two still aren't especially close. Nonetheless, he is a detective, and he's worked with Shoka enough times to readily offer his assistance. After all, it's clear the quest is important to her, just as Noelle is.
A tiny ghost of a smirk lines his beak as the two take to the town. It's chilly, so obviously he's bundled up with a scarf, sweater, and his Safety Goggles. He'd be a fool not to.
"Before we begin, is there anything you recall regarding Noelle-san's sister? Every detail counts."
D. Holiday Hotpot (Kris)
As Ren's partner and rival, Akechi couldn't simply ignore his and Firoza's quest request, but who could he trust to find the proper ingredients? Whose senses and intuition would be enough to optimize their efforts and yield the greatest haul?
...Well, one way or another, here he is with Kris, foraging through the forest. Thankfully, work with Ren on their own request made it clear that they have a distinguished palate. Not everyone would care so much for the finer varietes of moss, after all.
Though, hot pot and moss don't exactly go hand in hand, so Akechi peers through the greenery, scanning for signs of interesting fruit, nuts, or herbs.
"Your senses are undoubtedly sharp. Do any particular scents pique your interest?"
E. Conspiracy Cracking (OPEN)
It's Akechi's first quest, which means it's important that he make a good impression. That means ensuring that his and Ren's room is tidied up, organized, and spacious enough for visiting teams who wish to share their findings. Those who enter will see various odds and ends. A nicely made bed with warm, fluffy blankets, some assorted furniture, a scratching post, a sort of perch for the two of them, along with miscellaneous trinkets and personal belongings (even some Tenna swag)...
But Akechi was very deliberate in hiding and caching the food. Moreover, there are some festive little decorations. Blame Ren.
Either way, Akechi will greet thoses who bring their findings cordially, ready to jot down every little detail with his full attention.
WHAT: December quests!
WHEN: Throughout December
WHERE: Various
WARNINGS: Persona 2 weirdness may come up.
A. Ghosts of Teatimes Past (Ren and Maya)
With Maya safe in Bottlecap Bay and among the Oran Berries, how could Akechi pass up an opportunity like this? Not only that, but it's an opportunity for Ren to mingle with another Persona user, and one from long before them. While Akechi has... misgivings with the elitism within the Lum Berries, he can't deny that the Archives present a vital resource. That they wish to document the experiences of outsiders is merely the cherry on top. Not to mention, the Archives provide a reprieve from the cold.
So, once he, Ren, and Maya are adequately positioned to tell their tales, Akechi glances between the two. "Well then. Who would like to start?" He could, of course, but he might as well give the others their opportunity. Either would make a more organic starting point.
B. Snow Place and Home (Mayaka)
Akechi... isn't particularly fond of the cold, particularly in his current form. For that reason, he's bundled up with a plaid scarf, a wool sweater, and his Safety Goggles for good measure. Does he look ridiculous? Well, yes. He's round and small. It comes with the territory. However, he has a job to do, and unlike Mayaka, lacks large claws to make the task more manageable.
So, while they step out to tackle the snow, he hovers in the air and squints.
"...I suspect I may be able to cut through the piles with well-aimed attacks. That could theoretically carve a path, or otherwise maneuver the snow into more manageable piles."
C. December, First (Shoka)
It's funny. Akechi has helped in quests regarding Noelle before, yet the two still aren't especially close. Nonetheless, he is a detective, and he's worked with Shoka enough times to readily offer his assistance. After all, it's clear the quest is important to her, just as Noelle is.
A tiny ghost of a smirk lines his beak as the two take to the town. It's chilly, so obviously he's bundled up with a scarf, sweater, and his Safety Goggles. He'd be a fool not to.
"Before we begin, is there anything you recall regarding Noelle-san's sister? Every detail counts."
D. Holiday Hotpot (Kris)
As Ren's partner and rival, Akechi couldn't simply ignore his and Firoza's quest request, but who could he trust to find the proper ingredients? Whose senses and intuition would be enough to optimize their efforts and yield the greatest haul?
...Well, one way or another, here he is with Kris, foraging through the forest. Thankfully, work with Ren on their own request made it clear that they have a distinguished palate. Not everyone would care so much for the finer varietes of moss, after all.
Though, hot pot and moss don't exactly go hand in hand, so Akechi peers through the greenery, scanning for signs of interesting fruit, nuts, or herbs.
"Your senses are undoubtedly sharp. Do any particular scents pique your interest?"
E. Conspiracy Cracking (OPEN)
It's Akechi's first quest, which means it's important that he make a good impression. That means ensuring that his and Ren's room is tidied up, organized, and spacious enough for visiting teams who wish to share their findings. Those who enter will see various odds and ends. A nicely made bed with warm, fluffy blankets, some assorted furniture, a scratching post, a sort of perch for the two of them, along with miscellaneous trinkets and personal belongings (even some Tenna swag)...
But Akechi was very deliberate in hiding and caching the food. Moreover, there are some festive little decorations. Blame Ren.
Either way, Akechi will greet thoses who bring their findings cordially, ready to jot down every little detail with his full attention.
no subject
They do owe it to Noelle; naturally, Shoka doesn't plan on turning back until they've done all they can.
The Gravebone Woods are as welcoming as ever when they venture inside, which is to say not welcoming at all. The fog is as dense as the foliage, and winter has made the air deathly cold. Darkness descends on them. As she skitters over the uneven terrain, carefully weaving her way between shards of snapped Pokémon bones, Shoka can't seem to stop thinking about the story Noelle told her before about Dess—about the forest she vanished into, mysterious and impenetrably dark.
She also can't seem to shake the feeling that they're being watched.
She's used to the fog by now, ready to shake off the discomfort creeping under her disguise and doubt her senses, so when a strain of distant music—strings, guitar—meets her ear, she checks with Akechi before pursuing it.
"Goro. You hear that, too, right?"
no subject
Akechi at least has the benefit of flight and his Safety Goggles to shield himself from any surprise, spore-based attacks. He remains in the air, but hovers close to Shoka. Though it's dark, her shape is easy enough to follow, even with the dark coloration of her cloth.
More pressing is the music, haunting yet alluring. "It's possible that this is a trick of the forest, but I did bring an Escape Orb if it gets too dire."
Such resources are precious, but he knows these woods well enough to know when it's necessary. Surely Shoka would agree it's warranted.
no subject
Don't faint, is what she means to say (or maybe, Don't die).
As they move forward, the music gradually rises in volume. The melody is eerie, even discordant; the notes come unevenly, following an erratic, unpredictable tune. A single, startling pluck here, a long, wavering, several-note strum there. It wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie soundtrack, directly preceding a cheesy jumpscare. Too determined to be afraid, Shoka increases her pace (she won't lose track of it, not now)—
And there, lying on the forest floor amid young mushroom clusters and long-forgotten skeletons, lies the source.
"What the hell...?"
No sign of a musician; just the guitar—completely destroyed, lying there in pieces with only a few of its strings still remaining. Judging by the rot consuming it, it's been there for a while, too.
As if to helpfully explain itself, a breeze flows through just then, teasing those remnant strings. A collection of notes rings out through the woods. Only the wind, playing a solo piece.
Shoka hisses. "You've got to be kidding... That's it?"
no subject
And then there's nothing. Nothing but the remains of a lonely instrument, succumbing to the elements.
Akechi growls, feathers ruffling. "We came all this way for nothing?"
Or... perhaps nothing is a bit too extreme. Clearly, there is something. It's just not what they had hoped for.
cw: suicidal ideation
If nothing else, she can get a good look and describe it to Noelle later. She shuffles closer to the remains of the instrument, studying it for any details, but—at least to her eye—it's nondescript. Plain parts rendered in plain wood. Considering its broken, half-rotted condition, she supposes it's possible that any defining features have been worn off, too.
To make matters worse, the next time a breeze rolls through and plucks at the strings, the discordant tune is accompanied by equally discordant singing. Shoka looks up just in time to see shapes materialize out of the fog above her: a pair of bulging eyes followed by a wide grin, then a round, pure black body. It's a Gastly, wailing ominously along to the melody.
Shoka unsheathes her claws. "Uh, do you mi—...?"
She doesn't manage to finish that sentence. It's as if the song has burrowed in through her ears and constricted her throat. Something about it...
A shudder wracks her body as a deep, unshakable cold sinks through her disguise—and suddenly she doesn't want to fight anymore. She feels it instinctively in that moment: her moves are numbered. She's going to pass out. Maybe die (again).
Where another Pokémon may have felt panic and only fought harder against it, she feels—tired. Resigned. She's sick of fighting anyway, isn't she? Sick of failing, sick of trying. She was never cut out for this anyway. She might as well...
Her claws lay uselessly splayed out before her, unmoving but flickering like static. She's gone entirely, eerily still, her glassy eyes staring unblinkingly at nothing. It's like she's forgotten that the Gastly and Akechi are even there at all. The Gastly continues to sing its Perish Song to them both.
no subject
Still, as if locked in a trance. What should he do?
He could fight the Gastly, yes. They're frail, especially on the physical side. It wouldn't be hard in theory.
But they know dangerous moves like Confuse Ray, Curse, Mean Look, and Hypnosis. One unassuming Pokémon it may be, but with a disoriented teammate, it's far too risky.
No. He brought the Escape Orb for a reason. So, shaking off his stupor, he dives for Shoka and digs the orb out of his satchel. So long as they bring part of the guitar back, that should be proof enough.
Sometimes escape is the smarter option.
no subject
With the song cut short, however, awareness seems to return to her. She takes in a gasp, staring upward with wide eyes, apparently lucid—but stills she says nothing and makes no effort to move.
no subject
"Shoka-san."
Is she all right?
no subject
"... Yeah," she eventually manages. "Present and accounted for."
She's shaking, just a little. With effort, she drags herself upright.
"... What even was that move?"
no subject
The name speaks for itself. It might not be that move, but an ominous song does seem fitting of the name.
no subject
"... Thanks, I hate it." She unsheathes her claws to watch them trembling. She's already perished before. So why is she shaking? "So, what... the song's so bad it straight up just kills you?"
no subject
One can never be too prepared.
no subject
"Well..." she sighs. "Thanks. And sorry. I... didn't mean to shut down like that."
no subject