Would you call him charming? Something about the way he speaks is nice and friendly, but distant and condescending.
[ Huh. That sounds familiar. He doesn't mean to draw obvious parallels, but it's there. He knows they did not like any of Akechi's shaded talk. With every shot Akechi took at the Phantom Thieves, Ryuji took it harder than all of them and their popularity flopped on its head.
He nibbles on his pizza, thinking over the betrayal as another example. They knew... Somehow, they knew for a while and yet they saw more in Akechi than a thorn in their side. He has committed countless of crimes, but they still saw parts of themselves in him. It would be so easy to say Akechi found a place to belong, but that isn't true. He doesn't know and that may be the most haunting part. ]
He could have. [ ... ] "If only we met earlier."
[ Pity and regret engulfs him, a residue from the memories. His other self didn't condone what Akechi did—he wasn't going to help him evade justice like he did no wrong. Still, he wondered if he saw the signs earlier, if he reached out months before. Maybe, just maybe, they could have at least saved him. They could have been friends. Rivals. ]
Do you feel like you belong, Goro?
[ Waiting for an answer, he's back to having a stuffed face. It feels like a throwaway question, but it's important to him. If there's a chance that any of that can happen, where he can't find a place and history repeats itself. This time, this time for sure... He will do something. ]
no subject
[ Huh. That sounds familiar. He doesn't mean to draw obvious parallels, but it's there. He knows they did not like any of Akechi's shaded talk. With every shot Akechi took at the Phantom Thieves, Ryuji took it harder than all of them and their popularity flopped on its head.
He nibbles on his pizza, thinking over the betrayal as another example. They knew... Somehow, they knew for a while and yet they saw more in Akechi than a thorn in their side. He has committed countless of crimes, but they still saw parts of themselves in him. It would be so easy to say Akechi found a place to belong, but that isn't true. He doesn't know and that may be the most haunting part. ]
He could have. [ ... ] "If only we met earlier."
[ Pity and regret engulfs him, a residue from the memories. His other self didn't condone what Akechi did—he wasn't going to help him evade justice like he did no wrong. Still, he wondered if he saw the signs earlier, if he reached out months before. Maybe, just maybe, they could have at least saved him. They could have been friends. Rivals. ]
Do you feel like you belong, Goro?
[ Waiting for an answer, he's back to having a stuffed face. It feels like a throwaway question, but it's important to him. If there's a chance that any of that can happen, where he can't find a place and history repeats itself. This time, this time for sure... He will do something. ]