Floor 1, Room 3

[jokey]

AKIRA

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[impacter]

Mm. Define "better".

[He's distracted, sure, but...




Akira please. What will their parents say..............

He surprisingly looks embarrassed, just briefly, at the continued push of dramatics. But it's only a moment, only the alcohol, the older man waving it off with a crumpled attempt to regain his composure, letting a mocking look of flirtatious shock take its place.]

And what will you do when you've had your taste of me? What a scandal you intend to cause.

[jokey]

[Wh— hold on. He had Solomon going for a minute there, didn't he? Akira saw that. He totally saw that. Let him close his eyes for a moment and commit that look on Solomon's face to memory. He really is much cuter when he's being honest.

Outwardly, Akira won't make a big fuss over it, hopping back to his feet and setting the liquor down on his table. He pads over to kick the door closed and take Solomon by the hand, tugging him further into the recesses of his room and sitting him down on the couch. He's not done forcing Solomon to sit tonight, apparently.]

Why are you so worried about a scandal? I might not look it, but I'm a very private guy. I like to keep my secrets close to my chest.

[...No, he can't completely resist teasing Solomon while he has him right where he wants him. Akira boops the older man's lips with the tip of his finger.]

I'll keep yours, too.

[impacter]

[please stop manhandling grandpa he's fragile in his old age :(

Once again, he lets himself be led, letting his eyes travel the room briefly to get a good look. What sort of things do you keep, in this place of your own making, little thief?

His lips purse slightly under that fingertip, humming as a brow raises.]

Mmhmm, I'm sure that's not the first time you've said that.

[Don't mind him as he just occupies himself with making sure the bottles are actually open. Which one was his again? Eh.]

What sort of secrets do you think I'd have to keep?

[jokey]

[Akira is a keeper of trinkets and knickknacks, his room full of little articles he's picked up in town and found in the wild. A glowing flower here, a hand-sewn stuffed animal there... And across the room, his desk is full of various tools for woodworking and carving. Scattered throughout the space are books on a wide variety of subjects. This room carries traces of Akira in every inch, his hobbies and interests and personal style all but oozing from the wood-and-steel walls.

Flopping down beside him, Akira kicks his feet up and drapes his arms along the backrest. Sorry about your personal space, dude. The bottles are open and waiting to be consumed, but he'll let Solomon take a head start.]

A long life full of stories. Adventures full of drama and intrigue. Misguided ventures in the bedroom.

[Shall he go on?]

Everyone has secrets. They're a lot easier to bear when someone else is carrying their weight.

[impacter]

I wouldn't call much of that a secret. Well... most of it, maybe. But I don't think you care that much about the romantic life of a stranger.

[He tilts one of the bottles back against his lips. He's not a hard drinker, so he doesn't manage very much at all straight like this, wincing with a brisk exhale as it goes down.]

I do wonder, though, why it is you keep insisting my life is so long. What is a long life to you, anyway?

[jokey]

You just don't want me getting jealous.

[Akira can smell the alcohol on Solomon's tongue from here. Yeesh, he should've grabbed a chaser. Leaning forward, he grabs his own bottle and contemplates a sip.]

You tipped your hat in the bath. You're no ordinary human. If I had to guess... you're at least a thousand years old.

[ crusty ✨]

[impacter]

Hm. Trust me, you're not the one who I would be worried about for jealousy in this situation.

[He runs his thumb against his lips to chase some of the burn away, letting Akira's answer settle.]

Too low.

Why don't you take a drink and guess again?

[jokey]

You're turning this into a drinking game?

[You're on, old man. Akira takes a sip from his bottle and suppresses a wince. How do some people do this to themselves on a regular basis?]

Alright... Ten thousand.

[impacter]

Would you rather see me sit in my sorrows while talking about the weather?

[Come on, dude. Of course they need a game.]

Too high. Try again.

[jokey]

Of course not. That's not what we're here for.

[He's here to keep Solomon distracted, and if he can, to make him smile. Solomon deserves that much, doesn't he?

Another sip down the hatch. Akira doesn't make any effort to hide the way his face squinches up this time.]

Five thousand.

[impacter]

[He thinks about it for a moment, before shrugging.]

Closer. I'd rather not kill you narrowing it down any further, though.

[jokey]

[That's for the best, eh? Akira's a lightweight, stringbean-y as he is and unused to heavy liquor. A pleasant heat settles in his cheeks, tempting him to imbibe more, but he has an image to maintain of a responsible and mature young man here. He'll let the alcohol sit a minute before taking another slug, lest Solomon take the bottle from him.]

I'm surprised you've kept count. Everyone I've known in your age range has lost count.

[Erm. Should he have kept that to himself? No, no, it's fine. It's not like he's putting the Velvet Room residents in any harm by vaguely alluding to them. It's all good!]

[impacter]

[Hm. His demons, perhaps? Or maybe his world has had more unfortunate situations to drag life far too long.]

You're giving me too much credit.

I lost track after I turned 200. Celebrations of the millennia tend to stick a little better than a birthday, though.

[jokey]

That makes more sense.

[Another sippy, don't mind him. He's getting used to the burn, or maybe that's just the buzz settling in.]

Is that just how you've always been? Long-lived, I mean. Is your family the same way?

[impacter]

No.

[To which part? He doesn't specify.

His finger taps against the side of his own bottle.]

Is there something I should guess at in return for you, before you end up tipping over onto the floor?

[jokey]

What do you mean, tip over? I'm holding up.

[How rude! He'll have Solomon know he's perfectly fine, sitting up and... swaying a bit. It's fine, it's fine, don't you dare treat him like a kid—]

Sure. Since you're the wise and knowledgeable Solomon, I want you to guess how I know so much about the drugstore receipt full of demons on your skin.

[And in the meantime, he's going to wobble upright and light some incense.]

[impacter]

[you're holding up like a plastic bag in a hurricane, buddy, good luck]

You've already given me the answer for this one. They're your Shadows, correct?

Unless you've decided to tell this old man a very generous lie.

[jokey]

[Look? He managed to light the incense without anything else catching fire? He's doing fine! A bit less so on the wobble back over to the couch and the whump on the way down, but he's pretty far from down for the count.]

There's another word for them: Personas. They're only Shadows until they become a part of me.

[impacter]

That makes it sound like a mask you choose to wear, rather than an agreement with any kind of demon.

[He's just gonna drink anyway. Come up with better questions, kiddo, or Grandpa will outpace you.]

What do you mean by "a part of you", though?

[jokey]

Everybody wears masks, right? Some of us wear many.

[Ah, but that's a good question. Akira thinks on it, ringing the lip of his bottle with the pad of his thumb.]

How to put it... It's like forming a pact. Personas are a part of the self, so when I call on their strength, they manifest from me. Once I've made that pact, they're at my full disposal.

[Here's a question for you, Solomon:]

How many Personas do you think I have?

[impacter]

[That does indeed sound like a pact, albeit a little too self-weaved for his taste. But what a fascinating ability, to pull of that kind of power from the ego, rather than from a benefactor. So many sorcerers would kill for that kind of self-sustainability in their magic.]

Mmm.... Enough that you weren't entirely shocked at seeing me.

[Where to ballpark it, though...]

Seventy, perhaps.

[jokey]

Oooooh, so close.

[But also, not really! Akira chuckles — giggles more than anything, really — and taps Solomon's bottle with his own. Drink up!]

Aim higher.

[impacter]

[Damn, okay. Overachiever here.

He hums in consideration, closing his eyes for a much longer swig. Surely he can't already be getting fuzzy, he knows he can handle more than this...]

One hundred, then.

[jokey]

[Another laugh. Get a load of this old man underestimating him. Akira sneers, tapping the bottle anew.]

Higher.

[impacter]

[alright you cocky little bastard, hold your horses

He exhales firmly, before taking another long drink.]

Two hundred and fifty.