( OPEN ) leave that old record spinning.

[maskreant]

WHO: Akira Kurusu
WHERE: Everywhereee
WHEN: 3/9-3/16!!
WHAT: Akira is coping pretty badly, but he's around the city doing sometimes nothing at any time in the day or night. Morrigan, his cat, is also out and about and people can pick him up and call his number for him to show up. Also putting my other toplevels in here. so it's kind of like a catchall.
WARNINGS: Mentions of death?! Some Persona 5 spoilers, might as well.

nothing to do...

[ Of course he lost some time on the weekend to answer some questions from the police for their investigation, then also check up on Minato just to make sure, but he has been wandering around the city after classes and avoiding whatever calls or texts he gets for hours. This goes on for days. Not even home brings him the peace he's looking for, so he only visits to do some quick necessities and have a quick bite purposely when his roommates are asleep or gone.

Otherwise, he can be found lingering around:

1. sitting on the bench at the park, feeding the pigeons or just staring up at the sky
2. around pizza port
3. by the subway station
4. by the high school
5. in alleys
6. by a haunted building
7. wherever else your character hangs

In the early morning, the middle of the day, or even at night. Sometimes he's rollerblading, but at all times wherever, whenever, his eyes are downcast. Fortunately, he's smart enough to check traffic lights.

There are too many things haunting his mind, replaying over and over... He thought he could handle this since he settled with Ryoji's death easier and faster, but nothing can wipe the imagery of the blood on the floor and the scattered chip bags in the background, the dull sound of the sirens, and the cry for help.

If you catch him on the street, you may witness him fall flat on his face. Miraculously, his glasses fly out of harm's way, but he doesn't budge from the floor and merely splays there like a corpse. It's fine. ]

cat looking for human son!!

[ Morrigan is known for some pretty shady things, but he has a different agenda today. This slick tuxedo cat is skulking Recolle looking for his owner. Akira has been gone far too long in February already, so his random disappearances will not be tolerated.

He can be found investigating Akira's usual spots like the cat cafe and the park, but he will visit the movie theaters and the houses of friends. Unfortunately, whoever brings him home with them thinking they can keep him there will be disappointed. Morrigan has NO PLANS to stay anywhere until Akira is found. This little cat burglar will protest with a lot of meowing and escape somehow, but you can probably catch him again not too far from your place. It won't stop him from trying to leave, though.

However, his collar does divulge his name, an address, and the number to call if found. ]

velvet blues (locked to persona protags and elizabeth)

[ Quite often he can be found in the Velvet Room at random times of the day after classes, whether he's doing his homework or merely lying in his cell bed, staring up at the dark ceiling with a dazed look. Sometimes he's sleeping and other times he's sitting with his knees close to his chest, head in his hands to calm himself down. Thank god for all these Jack Frost dolls in his jail cell.

And everywhere else in the Velvet Room. ]

Comments

MOCHI FAM

[maskreant]

[ So... Akira screwed up and came home to both Yusuke and Elliot in the living room and kitchen, but he pretends that everything is normal as he slides over to the fridge and checks if there's any tasty leftovers to eat. Morrigan tails after him, meowing loudly as he rubs against his ankles.

Scratching the back of his head, he notices they're at the end of their food today. Probably time to go shopping. ]

Looks like it's time for a grocery run.

[ Closing it, he takes out some leftovers before heating it up in the microwave. ]

I can pick some up in a bit. If you guys have anything specific, send me a list.

[fiddlestick]

[It took a couple days for Elliot to fully notice the extent of Akira's absence. At first, it was easy to assume they were just missing each other. That's happened before. But after a few days, even that explanation didn't feel right. It started to feel like Akira and Elliot weren't just missing each other, and more like Akira was just absent. Their home life was continued on like an orchestra missing its cello. It could function, but it was clear something was missing.

Morrigan's behavior? Was the final tip-off that something was wrong, that it wasn't just in Elliot's head. That cat was more attuned to Akira's schedule than anybody- and if he noticed his absence? Something was wrong.

So, Elliot decided to investigate. Instead of spending time in his room as he often did, he spent more time in the living room and kitchen, hoping to catch sight of Akira. He wasn't sure what he'd do once he did, but he felt like he had to do at least something.

Tonight he was sitting at the kitchen table, despite the cooking being done and all the dishes cleaned. He was performing maintenance on the violin he got from Retrospec around Christmas, a task he normally did at his desk in his room. After so many nights, he was actually surprised to actually see Akira. Not just surprised, but a bit lost for what to say at first. Greet him warmly? Ask where he's been? Man- he really wasn't good at this.

And then, Akira talks about doing a grocery run. Leaving again. His heart sinks.]

Huh?

[He remembers what he saw in the fridge earlier tonight. Besides the leftovers he left for Akira (as he did every night), they were running a little low on food. But it wasn't too bad- nothing that couldn't wait until tomorrow. ]

N-No, that's okay. You don't have to. I was planning to do a shop tomorrow after class.

[Don't go.]

[fabrefactions]

[ Yusuke doesn't take as long to realise something is wrong. He's used to painting late into the night, and remaining awake while Akira gets ready for bed and falls asleep. It only take two nights of his roommate either staying up and out past Yusuke's own staying power, or just not coming home at all for him to realise something is up.

Morrigan taking up vigil at Akira's bed, and occasionally curling up with Yusuke instead, grumpy and sullen without his owner around, had been another clue. But Yusuke had waited. They'd had this talk about sharing burdens and seeking help when needed back when Yusuke had remembered the extent of his other self's past with Madarame, and this seems like the sort of thing they'd referenced in that instance. Yusuke is willing to give Akira some time and space to work through things, but he'd confident that Akira will speak to him with his worries eventually.

Only he doesn't.

He goes on avoiding them, and others. He erects a wall between himself and everyone around him and the longer it goes on the more frustrated Yusuke feels. This is exactly the sort of thing he'd meant about allowing others to reciprocate the care and support Akira gives them, and knowingly or not it's being thrown back in his face. He gets that Akira is dealing with something big, something that's deeply hurt him, but this isn't how anyone works past it. This is how people wallow, and sink and drown in it. ]

No need. If we let you go out again you'll probably just vanish again and the groceries will go off. We can do a shop.

[ Sorry Elliot, he's not in the mood for being anywhere near as delicate with the issue. ]

MOURNING TIME

[maskreant]

[ It took him a couple of days, but he finally musters enough energy and courage to travel to Shouto's place. They've exchanged addresses in case they ever want to hang out for whatever reason, though Akira has always imagined it would be to read some comics together. Instead, it's for another reason... He's sure the news has reached him by now, but he waits in front of the door.

Deep breaths. He wants to check up on Shouto since he must hurting more than he is. From the short amount of talks they had, he can tell that he loved him dearly and would do so much for him. They... planned on having a date later in the month and thinking about it makes his heart sink. It's fine. It'll keep his mind from drifting too far off. It'll also be one of the few interactions he seeks himself. Straightening up, he steels himself as he rings the doorbell, preparing to maybe see his mom? Maybe that would be better, too. It's easier to put a face around people he doesn't know. ]

[glaciers]

[Shouto's tired. It's seeped all the way into his bones, he hasn't gone to school this week. But with everything happening with his family, that's not so surprising.

Unfortunately for Akira, Shouto's the one who opens up the door. He looks like he hasn't sleep well in days, despite still being in pajamas. His hair isn't sorted into it's usual half and half- he just hasn't bothered.

He holds the door open and steps back, inviting Akira in.]

[maskreant]

[ He's quiet when he opens the door, eyes wandering elsewhere for a second until he realizes Shouto isn't exactly looking him in the eye or anything. It lets him inspect his friend a bit only to see that... He's doing so much more worse—what a mess? It makes him look like a pristine student with a spotless record.

It takes him a moment, but he enters Shouto's home and takes it upon himself to close and the lock the door for him. The poor boy looks exhausted beyond belief and the expression he puts on seems so empty. Akira merely stands before him, searching for something to stay, but every word is caught on his throat. How are you doing? You look like a wreck... Have you been sleeping this whole time? You must miss him. I'm sorry. I should have—come earlier than so late.

But he's here. What he can do is pull Shouto into a loose hug and rub his back. ]

they call it lonely digging dangit it's in my head now - on the street

[thesettingsun]

[Shuji's tripped over his own feet on the sidewalk before, so he can't really judge when Akira seems to do the same. If he gets up right afterwards, then Shuji will probably just ask 'you okay?' and let it go if the answer is yes.

However, Akira doesn't get up right afterwards, and that gets Shuji to crouch beside his prone form.]

You awake?

[First step after possible head injury: determine whether the person is conscious.]

GOOD! TASTES!!

[maskreant]

[ He's conscious and can clearly hear Shuji's voice, but he doesn't budge at all. Instead, he stays there with his eyes closed, pretending to be dead to the world. He gets some looks from people that pass by, but no one else is going to approach when someone else has already.

Don't worry, he's alive?! ]

[thesettingsun]

[He's breathing, at least. That's a good start.]

If you are conscious, respond in fifteen seconds or I'm calling an ambulance.

[Shuji is not a medical professional. He is a person with a phone, which he's already taking out.]

cat, i'm a kitty cat

[twostringsonebow]

[It isn't like Akira's blatant absence hadn't gone unnoticed by Goro, but really, he was a little thankful for the space too; showing Akira a side of himself like that still remains disgraceful in his head, even if Akira'd shown him poor sides too, and it's nice to regain his composure... even if it's still a heavy weight, even if he'd like it not to matter.

He can pretend, at least. That's good enough.

Morrigan's being out and about is, however, cause enough for him to feel like he has a reason to poke at Akira without any possible curt conversations or ignored calls, especially since the cat seems to refuse his invitations of staying with Belle and the others. Goro's taken to simply wandering with Morrigan at this point of the day, trailing after the tuxedo and resting when he does.

It's during one of these rest periods that he sends Akira a selfie of him and Morrigan sitting together in the park where they'd been just earlier, thinly veiled worry in Goro's smiling expression.]

Morri's sneaking out again. No underwear this time, thankfully, you won't be charged with any sorts of crimes as his owner... except perhaps by a jury of your peers for worrying him so much.

[Because the last time this happened Morrigan was concerned over Akira's health, and like then Goro shares this sentiment with the cat exactly.]

[maskreant]

[ Sorry, Goro. At least he does read his texts and replies when he can. Calls, however, will be ignored for some time. When this text comes, he's at least a lot more prompt. ]

i'll be there in a second.

[ More like twenty minutes. He has to figures out where he is without checking the GPS.

Morrigan continues to sit on the roundabout, scaring off all the children that may have wanted to use it. Luckily, the cold weather means a smaller group of kids, so this cat in a little sweater can nest here and wait to see if Akira shows. At times, he does look up at Goro, meowing at him like asking him questions. Minutes past and he's huddled closer to him, kneading his thigh with his little paws like he's trying to fluff a pillow. ]

velvet blues;

[complementing]

[Oh. This isn't the elevator. Minako sets a box of things marked "to donate" down on the warden's desk and then steps over to the cell she knows is Akira's, peering in.]

Oh. [A tiny smile.] Looks like we've got a sleepyhead in here. I should... [A pause as she takes in his body posture. He looks too tense.] Akira?

[maskreant]

[ He freezes when he hears her voice, fear and surprise running through his veins, but calms down when he recognizes this isn't... A big deal. Sometimes he just comes here to think which is normal.

The amount of times he comes probably not as much. ]

Minako?

[ Pretends to play the Marco Polo game. ]

caaaaaaat

[crudest]

[Baren's prone to just accepting cats in his presence - however most of those cats tend to be strays. They're the ones that he can just accept as they come and go, joining him for his brief walks before he encounters another person, and then they leave. This cat is different. This cat looks like he has somewhere to be - but doesn't quite find it?

So for once, Baren is following this cat - with even more stray cats following after him, given the fact that he has a second to himself for once.

Yet when Morrigan allows, Baren will pick him up out of curiosity - and also to help him get a higher vantage point as if it'll help him find what he's looking for?

... he's also gonna memorize the number on his collar though, and he calls it without much hesitation. His opening line is straightforward:]

Do you know where your cat is?

[maskreant]

[ Morrigan doesn't seem happy about being lifted up, but he doesn't make a scene aside from looking disgruntled until he's left alone again. He's about to bolt until he hears a familiar voice from Baren's phone, so he stays there, patiently trying his best to parse human speech. It is hard. He never thought he needed to ever do this.

Anyway, it takes a while before Akira picks up the phone, recognizing this voice though not too sure why he called in the first place. ]

I'm guessing he's wandering around outside.

[ Morrigan meows loudly before launching himself at Baren. GIVE HIM THE PHONE. He wishes to speak to his son. ]

STREETS

[reaquila]

[Nanashi just went out to do some groceries. He's carrying two bags filled with food. On his way home he nearly kicks Akira by accident. This is...unexpected. What are you doing on the floor, dude? ]

Whoa, sorry!!

[They're off to a great start. Nanashi bends over and starts poking Akira to make sure he's...alive. Akira better say something unless he wants to get hassled by a 15yold. ]

[maskreant]

[ No, he loves being hassled by high schoolers. Who doesn't? Akira doesn't budge, let alone twitch at the pokes. If he didn't even react to someone almost kicking him, why would this be any different? The crowd continues to pass by, though some kids do point over to them and tell their parents, but they are hushed up and forced to keep moving.

... Some crows start to gather, kind of like vultures of the Sahara, except in the bustling city. ]

p-p-pizza

[sharplydressed]

[Thanks to Yato, Kashuu's heard the news. Knowing doesn't really make deciding what to do next any easier though, and it's why it takes him a little while to actually approach Akira even though he's been sitting out there listlessly for a while now.

When he does finally appear, it's with a little box in his hands. A still-warm slice of pizza from the nearby shop, and a cup of hot chocolate he picked up from a cafe nearby. Both items are extended out after Kashuu approaches the bench.]

—Here. You look like you could use it.

[maskreant]

[ It takes him to realize that these gifts are offered to him, even longer to realize who this is. It's a familiar voice, a familiar face, but he's too deep into his thoughts to be as sharp as he usually is. Quiet, his gaze keeps changing between the offerings and Kashu, but...

He doesn't take them. ]

Are you sure? I can't imagine you bought all of these for me, Kiyo-chan.

[ Plus, you look like a stick. You eat. ]

by the high school

[mr_fancy_car]

[Edgeworth had just dismissed his class early, so here he is, stepping out from the school with his hands in his pockets. When he comes across Akira, he pauses, his eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise.]

Akira...? Are you...waiting for someone?

[maskreant]

[ FATE... GO? Akira has graduated, but he does have friends here. That isn't why he's here—actually, he doesn't know why, either. He gives Edgeworth a blank stare, pulling blanks instead of creative quips. ]

Yes, for you. [ ... ] My love.

[ This isn't going to work. ]

nothing but cats

[usurpers]

[ eren’s been trying to deliver morrigan back to mochi house constantly and the cat just doesn’t want to stay put, eventually coming across it in the streets again. with things a little, well, odd, akira hardly ever being around, his pet says no to locked doors. on one of these days, with titan on a leash, eren trails the cat around town, to the park, eventually coming across, during the late evening—

what seems to be an akira laying flat against the ground. morrigan picks up into a half lope with a loud mew, and eren does the same, immediately kneeling down and yanking akira up by the collar in a rush. you can’t expect him to chill out when it looked like you’re passed out in public. titan even helps, he prods the boy and probably wets the boy’s entire face with his chilly nose and flitting tongue. ]

Titan, anhalten— Akira?

[maskreant]

[ Morrigan meows and circles around Akira's corpse before Eren just yanks him up like a rag doll. Arms limp and head hanging, he doesn't react at the manhandling nor Titan's hospitality. He stays silent, though his brow kind of furrows when it's hard to breathe with a dog monopolizing your face.

The cat meows more, even louder, because he can't get as high as Titan. Instead, he paws Akira's legs. No reaction, still. ]

alley oop

[floret]

[ Even though he lives with Minato, Jamie only knows two things about what happened: 1) jack and 2) shit. (Well, specifically, he knows that Minato was away for a couple days, and when he came back he was real fucked up about something or other. Jamie's doing his best to look after him--make sure he eats, convey messages to employers, etc.--while giving him all the space he needs, and evidently that's a Lot of space.) So in addition to not knowing Akira was there, too, Jamie doesn't know where "there" was. In fact, unless Akira's come by when Jamie was home before, he doesn't even know Akira and Minato know each other.

Anyway, all this is to say that when Jamie rounds the corner into one of his favorite abandoned alleyways (it's quiet and there's no dumpster stink) with the intention of blazing one real quick, and someone's there already, and it's Akira, and Jamie starts violently (and yelps!) and then says... ]

I-is that... Akira??
Oh my gosh. I thought I was going to die.

[ ...it's with no context whatsoever. ]

[maskreant]

[ Minato isn't a great source, usually. That's fine. Akira has only told a select few and that was when they asked or showed obvious concern. Even his own roommates are in the dark for some time until later the same week. Usually, he seldom takes alleyways, but here he is... Wandering through.

It's generally secluded, though sometimes dangerous, but he finds it calming until he hears someone's voice. Hands in his pockets, he doesn't seem all too fronted by the scare. It did startle him a bit, though. ]

Hey, it's flower boy.

[ Since they don't know each other too well, he hopes that his act will work on him. The ends of his lips quirk— ]

Looking for danger?