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[foolishjustice]

Moshi moshi!

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[makejapangreat]

[Shido lets out a breath when the large one is finally charged, and...

Just turns into lion form and immediately flops on the ground.]

[foolishjustice]

[Maybe it's because he was braced for it, maybe it's because he saw Shido transform, or maybe it's just because he's getting better at fighting off the fear, but he manages to push back the jolt of panic at the change. After a moment of hesitation, he takes a few careful steps forward...only to freeze in his tracks as the terror breaks through. It's not enough to send him running, but it does bring a look of fear to his face.]

[makejapangreat]

[Shido isn't looking at him, so he can't see his expression. All he can do is wonder what might be going through his son's mind as he takes steps and stops. He lies still, patient as ever for the boy who's working so hard to overcome his trauma.]

[foolishjustice]

[This time, it was just a momentary jolt of fear. He pushes it back with a huff...but hesitates on moving. For a moment, he just stands there as the fear builds back up. Then he takes a few hasty steps back, before letting out a choked off gasp and stopping cold as panic overwhelms him. For a brief moment, his back is against a hard wall rather than empty air, and the lounging lion in front of him is a tiger Noise, watching him hungrily.

It's only a moment, though, before he manages to ground himself back in the present. He's not trapped, there are no Noise here, and he's safe. He doesn't feel safe, though. His hands are shaking, he can feel the sweat on his face, and his instincts are screaming at him to move. He takes a few more steps back, putting his back right up against the station wall.]

Shit fucking dammit...

[Are things...moving in the shadows, past the range of the lamps? His head snaps around, but he can't. Be sure. It's too dark out there, and there's a frantic look to his expression as he searches around for what he thought he saw.]

[makejapangreat]

[O-oh, he can definitely hear that, and this time? He's changing back from a lion before he looks over, just in case. That... escalated so quickly? Did they wait too long to do this again?]

Akechi.

[He's coming over quickly. He's not sure where the oglop's hopped off to, though that's not his primary concern at the moment. Instead, he approaches his son.]

It's alright. There's no danger out here.

[foolishjustice]

[Shido changing back...helps. All at once, his legs go out from under him and he drops down to sit on the ground. He's still shaking, but the phantoms of movement in the shadows have faded.]

[makejapangreat]

[He gently kneels in front of him.]

Perhaps doing this at night was too ambitious.

[foolishjustice]

[As soon as Shido kneels in front of him, he leans forward and wraps his arms around him. Maybe he's still worried about the older man's physical condition, because he's incredibly careful not to squeeze. He's still a little too shaken up to speak properly, but he slowly nods his head. It's too much, when he can't see his surroundings.]

[makejapangreat]

[He draws in a breath when Akechi clings to him; somehow this is starting to feel less strange and surreal, and... he can't say he's complaining.

But it still is surprising for his son to cling to him like this, specifically out of a desire of safety and security. . . He gently embraces his son back, waiting patiently for him to settle.]

[foolishjustice]

[The tangible presence helps to a massive degree. He takes a breath, and just manages to keep his voice from wavering.]

When I can't see what's around me, I...every little movement makes me think they're there.

[makejapangreat]

[He gives a hum of understanding, taking a moment to think...]

The mask you wore last time. That helped, right?

[foolishjustice]

It did...I can see better in the dark when I'm wearing one of my Persona masks. Not perfectly, even with the black one, but well enough to be able to navigate dark areas of the Metaverse.

[makejapangreat]

[He gently claps his shoulder.]

Then how about we do that, and see how it goes?

[foolishjustice]

It won't make you too uncomfortable, will it? I...remember how you jumped the last time I tried it.

[makejapangreat]

Well, it certainly helps when I know it's coming.

[He gets back to a stand, and offers a hand to help Goro up.]

[foolishjustice]

Alright.

[He takes the hand to pull himself to his feet, then brings his fingers up to his forehead as blue flame washes over the top half of his face and solidifies into his tengu mask. Standing close, Shido might notice that his eyes have turned a pure brown, over their usual muddy red.]

I should be able to at least be sure whether or not something's moving out there now.

[makejapangreat]

[By taking a deep breath, he's able to keep himself from tensing from the sound and sight of the mask appearing. And he does see the slight change in eye color— curious...]

Right. If it's still too much for you, just let me know.

[He heads back to his spot, then transforms again before laying down.]

[foolishjustice]

[He nods, taking a steadying breath as Shido changes form. He tenses a bit, but it doesn't stop him from taking a few steps forward. After a moment, he stops, and a brief surge of nervousness has him take a step back...before he shakes his head. He's fine, there's nothing here that can hurt him. He pushes his mask up onto his forehead, nervousness swelling up again as it briefly obscures his vision, but it's not enough to break his self-control. For the moment, however, he seems to be taking time to make sure he's steady before he tries to get closer again.]

[makejapangreat]

[Based on what he hears, this seems closer to how he would react before, so he supposes the mask must help a great deal.

He feels slightly drowsy, though, due to sleep issues continuing to plague him. Humorously enough, he slept a lot better when he was ill, and now that he was healthy again, well...

He really probably should reach out to that woman and see about help with those nightmares...]

[foolishjustice]

[He stays put for a while longer, steeling his nerves against the fear. Then he walks forward with a firm confidence, covering twice the ground he normally manages. For a moment, it might seem like he's going to just keep going, but he pauses at the last second. He shouldn't push too far at once...he'll take a moment to see how clear his head stays before considering getting closer again.]

[makejapangreat]

[Oh? He moved quite a bit this time. Is it the closest he's been to Shido? It's difficult to tell when he isn't looking at him. Either way, it's perked him right up, and he waits to see if Goro will be able to cover even more distance.]

[foolishjustice]

[He's still for a moment longer, before a surge of panic startles him into backing up. This time, however, he refuses to give up all of his gained ground, planting one foot firmly behind him.

In the moment, the motion had fed his anxiety. Once he's stopped, though, his stubbornness helps him shake off the fear. He gives a huff, then pushes forward, back to where he'd stopped before.]

[makejapangreat]

[Well, he's still struggling, but... seems to be keeping his progress, at least? It's a bit difficult to tell, but Shido refuses to look at him after having startled him a couple of times with it.

... what insanity this is, and yet... Shido feels grateful for this chance to help undo some of the harm caused to Goro. He feels at this point that there is nothing he wouldn't do to help his son.]

[foolishjustice]

[After another moment of hesitation, he takes a few more steps forward...and then balks. It's not bad enough to make him go from moving forward to backing away, but it does have him stopping in his tracks as his anxiety surges.

A shake of his head manages to calm him slightly for a moment, before a wave of panic follows it up and causes his entire body to tense for a moment. It's only a moment, though, before his stubborn resolve pushes the fear aside and he strides forward, again covering twice his usual ground. At this point, he's definitely made it closer than he has before.]

[makejapangreat]

[Shido can hear that, as well. Well... it's okay if he does a little stretch on the ground, right? He's a living thing, after all, not a statue... and he does want to keep up some illusion of being a Real Lion. So that's what he does, arching his back and stretching his legs out in front of him briefly.]