Ren did say he wanted Akechi to fix the van with him, not for him, after all. While there’s no doubt in his mind that Akechi is fully capable of handling this - or anything else - by himself, Ren also knows Akechi is accustomed to working alone by necessity. There’s no need for him to work alone now, if he’ll allow Ren at his side.
And for the moment, it seems Akechi is willing to allow it, and for that, Ren is silently grateful. February may not be as long ago for him as it is for the other boy, but it’s long enough.
“A ritual … so that means someone did this to us.”
How many times will he need to fight against being controlled by unseen forces? A jolt of white-hot fury courses through him. Ren generally has a good handle on containing those momentary flashes of temper when they spark, so unless Akechi is paying very close attention, he may miss the split second of narrowed eyes and taut jaw before he’s back to silently mulling over the information he’s been given with a thoughtful frown.
And as much as every fiber of Ren’s entire being rebels at the idea of being kept under some unknown entity’s control all over again … he knows it’s so much worse for Akechi. After all of the manipulative puppetry he’d suffered under Yaldabaoth, his father, and then Maruki, being held in Revan against his will must be eating him alive from the inside like so much acid rain.
Whoever is responsible for all of this will end up regretting it in the end. Ren has no doubt that there is no one more clever and determined to piece together a strategy for ending this reign of subjugation than Goro Akechi, and Ren silently vows that he will stay at Akechi’s side to see it through, regardless of whether his presence is requested or even wanted. Ren hadn’t spent so much time fighting gods and monsters for the sake of free will just to turn away in discouragement because he wasn’t issued an invitation to the next battle. If Akechi doesn’t want him at the party, Ren will crash it anyway, and Akechi can deal with it.
He hopes it won’t come down to that, though. Working with Akechi is much more satisfying, and even just in the task of moving the tire, they’ve fallen back into a familiar rhythm. Ren sets the tire down in tandem and shifts to his next question.
no subject
And for the moment, it seems Akechi is willing to allow it, and for that, Ren is silently grateful. February may not be as long ago for him as it is for the other boy, but it’s long enough.
“A ritual … so that means someone did this to us.”
How many times will he need to fight against being controlled by unseen forces? A jolt of white-hot fury courses through him. Ren generally has a good handle on containing those momentary flashes of temper when they spark, so unless Akechi is paying very close attention, he may miss the split second of narrowed eyes and taut jaw before he’s back to silently mulling over the information he’s been given with a thoughtful frown.
And as much as every fiber of Ren’s entire being rebels at the idea of being kept under some unknown entity’s control all over again … he knows it’s so much worse for Akechi. After all of the manipulative puppetry he’d suffered under Yaldabaoth, his father, and then Maruki, being held in Revan against his will must be eating him alive from the inside like so much acid rain.
Whoever is responsible for all of this will end up regretting it in the end. Ren has no doubt that there is no one more clever and determined to piece together a strategy for ending this reign of subjugation than Goro Akechi, and Ren silently vows that he will stay at Akechi’s side to see it through, regardless of whether his presence is requested or even wanted. Ren hadn’t spent so much time fighting gods and monsters for the sake of free will just to turn away in discouragement because he wasn’t issued an invitation to the next battle. If Akechi doesn’t want him at the party, Ren will crash it anyway, and Akechi can deal with it.
He hopes it won’t come down to that, though. Working with Akechi is much more satisfying, and even just in the task of moving the tire, they’ve fallen back into a familiar rhythm. Ren sets the tire down in tandem and shifts to his next question.
“How long have you been here?”