Damn it, Ren. Of course he'd react with that insufferably appealing defiance, a mirrored image of Akechi's own defiance, untainted by the same bitterness that drove him down such a treacherous path.

He should have expected this, yet a strange burst of shock, tension, and nerves radiate from his form, his posture completely stuff, from his stance to his feathers.

That new tail of his twitches. A tiny puff of smoke escapes from his nostrils.

"...I've tried to change. Not entirely, but in ways I can control. I have the luxury to rebuild myself, rather than merely conceal the cracked foundation behind vapid smiles."

He's not sure where he's going with this. Not quite deflection, but... something. Honesty?