[. . . the timing was bad, yeah. and it was a heavy conversation, one that still leaves some lingering discontent in Akira's gut every time he thinks about that woman and how she had treated Luna as less than a person. but her commentary lightens his heart a bit, and he can't help but let out a breathless laugh, body shaking slightly with each chortle]
[his response is light, and he isn't yet pulling away from the hug]
[Mmm. This feels... nice. She wouldn't mind this for a little longer. But she doesn't want to keep him from what he was trying to explain, especially over something so important.]
...Could... you tell me more about what happened? About the hearts?
I... I would like to understand why you did what you did.
[he lets out a breathless noise, something that almost sounds like a laugh]
It is metaphorical. Sort of.
[SORT OF]
Where I come from, there's a world that runs parallel to our own. We call that world the "Metaverse," and it's built from the cognitions and perceptions of society at large.
[he stops there to let her absorb that information, because it's the basis for everything he is about to say next]
[Luna is better at quickly understanding strange concepts than Akira is!1]
Ah. . . yeah, that's exactly right.
[he's getting serious Makoto vibes here]
Let's say that someone in the real world had extremely distorted desires, like they believe they were the king of a castle, with the castle being the school at which they taught. They treated everyone within the school like their personal slaves and were all around an extremely shitty person.
["hypothetically speaking"]
In the Metaverse, the school building would instead appear as a castle because the entire location would be distorted by the real world person's perceptions.
I think so. Would it only be certain people whose perceptions changed an entire building like that? A school contains so many people... in that example, would the, um... "king" have been someone in notable standing in the real world?
[. . . dang, she's really good at this. but hey, she is a doctor! so that's fair]
That's right. He was a highly respected and well-known teacher at the school. And that was probably the source of his distorted desires in the first place.
[fame goes to people's heads. . . and all that jazz]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[. . . the timing was bad, yeah. and it was a heavy conversation, one that still leaves some lingering discontent in Akira's gut every time he thinks about that woman and how she had treated Luna as less than a person. but her commentary lightens his heart a bit, and he can't help but let out a breathless laugh, body shaking slightly with each chortle]
[his response is light, and he isn't yet pulling away from the hug]
No promises.
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...Could... you tell me more about what happened? About the hearts?
I... I would like to understand why you did what you did.
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[. . .]
I guess I haven't told you about that yet, have I?
[he doesn't stiffen or close himself off from her when she asks, but there is-- perhaps-- a touch of apprehension in his expression]
The "professional thief" thing on my plaque is the truth. I am a thief.
I steal the hearts of corrupt criminals to make them confess their crimes to the public.
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Could... you explain what that involves? It sounds very, um... metaphorical.
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It is metaphorical. Sort of.
[SORT OF]
Where I come from, there's a world that runs parallel to our own. We call that world the "Metaverse," and it's built from the cognitions and perceptions of society at large.
[he stops there to let her absorb that information, because it's the basis for everything he is about to say next]
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So... a world defined more by the consciousness of people, rather than their direct actions. Would that be close?
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Ah. . . yeah, that's exactly right.
[he's getting serious Makoto vibes here]
Let's say that someone in the real world had extremely distorted desires, like they believe they were the king of a castle, with the castle being the school at which they taught. They treated everyone within the school like their personal slaves and were all around an extremely shitty person.
["hypothetically speaking"]
In the Metaverse, the school building would instead appear as a castle because the entire location would be distorted by the real world person's perceptions.
Are you with me so far?
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That's right. He was a highly respected and well-known teacher at the school. And that was probably the source of his distorted desires in the first place.
[fame goes to people's heads. . . and all that jazz]
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I imagine another person wouldn't just be able to affect that unless they, in turn, had some sort of strong impact on the real-life influencer...
How would you even enter a place like that? You're... you're not an esper, are you?
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No, I'm not.
I used a phone app.
[yeah. that'st he answer. he uses a phone app]
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How... how does that work?
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Have no idea.
[I'M SORRY HE CAN'T ANSWER THAT AAAAH]
We enter a Palace's keywords and then it takes us to the Metaverse. The mechanics are something completely beyond me.
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I... I'll have to accept that for now, won't I? Anyway, um... I assume a Palace is a specific place?
And when you say "we"... who do you mean?
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[as for her second question. . .]
"We."
I mean myself and my team.
[his team of highly trained (lol) phantom thieves]
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I guess it makes sense. You're very kind and charismatic. I... I could see you leading others to a cause.
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It's true that they all voted me to be their leader, and I did my best to guide them towards victory after victory.
[his expression is a little distant now, like he's reminiscing, and the fondness and love in his eyes is unmistakable]
They stood by me when I needed people to the most. They are. . . my most important people.