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[foolishjustice]

Moshi moshi!

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[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.]

[foolishjustice]

[At first, it seems like the movement only put him on edge...but then he backs up slightly as his nerves win out briefly against his determination. With a little more distance back, though, he huffs and shakes his head. It's just a little movement, he's not going to let that scare him off at this point. Not when he's made so much progress!

After taking a little while to steel himself, he tentatively inches back to where he'd been standing before. Back to the closest he's ever been, the fear swells up again and immobilizes him for several seconds, before he clenches his fists and pushes it aside. He's not going to give into this...not when he has proof he's improving.]

[makejapangreat]

[He's made a remarkable amount of progress in a short time, no doubt owing to his fierce stubbornness. Shido feels a ridiculous swell of pride within him... He ought to find some way to reward his son when they're done. His tail gives a gentle flick on the ground as he stills again.]

[foolishjustice]

[He's already closer than he's gotten before. As he manages to get his nerves further under control, he decides to try taking another few steps forward.

It's a mistake.

At first, he just edges back as the proximity ramps his anxiety up. But after only a moment of standing still, the anxiety turns to panic and he scrambles backwards again before coming to a shaking stop. He doesn't...he doesn't want to give up here. Not when he's made progress, not when he's doing so well! But the fear isn't going down, his mind is already supplying him with memories of pain and helplessness.

In a desperate attempt to calm himself, he lets a flash of blue fire wash over his mask as he switches Personas to Robin Hood. But even with Fortify Spirit bolstering his mental resilience, it's not enough. He can't get it out of his mind, can't separate out the reasons he couldn't protect himself from what's happening here.

After a few seconds, that feel far longer in his panicked state, he manages to stammer out a single word.]

E-enough...

[makejapangreat]

[He's listening carefully the entire time, and when he hears that word, he immediately changes back to his human form and gets up. Instinctively, he moves towards Goro, and reaches out with a hand to grab his shoulder to ground him.]

It's alright.

[foolishjustice]

[With Shido back in human form, and Robin Hood still helping to steady him, the hand on his shoulder is more enough to draw his attention away from thoughts of his death. It may be telling how detached from the present he was, though, that he starts heavily at the touch.]

Right...

[There's a hint of a waver to his voice, which he steadies by clearing his voice.]

I guess...that's it for today.

[makejapangreat]

[Ah, that jump... For a brief moment, Shido looks a little startled himself, a flash of worry coming over his expression... but he lets his hand remain there.

Despite that, he offers a smile to Goro.]

You've made an incredible amount of progress. I'm very proud of you, G...

[Ah. He sure did almost just say that, huh.

Awkward. Pause...

Awkward cough.]

So, um, how about those drinks?

[foolishjustice]

[He raises an eyebrow at the cut off word, then shakes his head as he holds out a cup full of cold coffee.]

You don't have to be bedridden to call me that, you know.

[makejapangreat]

[He blinks for a moment, looking at him quietly, before he raises his hand to take the cup.]

... right.

[He regards Goro quietly for a moment, then starts to raise his unoccupied hand above Goro's head, hesitates, and withdraws it. But...]

... I really couldn't ask for a better son than you, Goro.

[foolishjustice]

[Oh. That. That's not something he expected to hear? Ever? His whole face turns a shade of red that leaves his mask looking pale in comparison...which is only highlighted when he pulls it down to try to cover his blush.

The first few sounds that make their way out of his mouth can only be described as a verbal keysmash, before he clamps his mouth shut. Somehow, his face manages to turn even redder, with the blush now creeping down his neck and under the collar of his shirt. Maybe...maybe if he stares at the ground, Shido won't be able to see how red he's turning?]

I-I, well...um...I mean...

[...He may need a moment to reboot.]

[makejapangreat]

[Oh.

Well.

Goodness. He... wasn't anticipating this strong of a response??? Hm.

He just smiles gently, and now? That hand is coming up to gently pet Akechi's head. He knows he's said he doesn't want to be treated like a little kid, but...

... well, maybe that's exactly why he should be treated like one? He grew up far too quickly, after all...]

[foolishjustice]

[All he manages in response is flustered sputtering, as he raises a hand to weakly wave at the offending head pat. It's pretty clear his heart isn't in it, though.]

[makejapangreat]

[He gives a gentle chuckle, and sips his drink, clearly pleased.]

[foolishjustice]

[You know what? He's going to just. Rub his hands over his face. Maybe that'll make the blush go down?]

You're finding this much too entertaining, aren't you, father?

[makejapangreat]

[He gently ruffles his hair before pulling away. There's that word again— a word he never expected to hear...]

I was simply telling you the truth.

["Maybe."]

[foolishjustice]

[He quickly reaches up to fix his bangs, face still the same spectacular red. It seems he's still too flustered to speak reliably, since the only sound he makes is a flustered groan.]