dycroft | 013 ☀ Phantom Thieves, Magilou

[tact isn't Magilou's strong point. she doesn't always have the patience to put things delicately, after all. but she does have a tendency to tell people what they need to hear. and when her words help do the trick, she lets out a relieved breath]

[she pulls her fingers from Akira's, and curls both hands around her coffee cup]

Go, go. I'll be fine all by my lonesome. Actually-- do I need to talk a walk while you two have a moment?

[she doesn't mind giving them a bit of family time, if they need it!]

Guhhhh.

[She just rolls her eyes at that, expression irritated and flustered in many ways, and then she just hops out of her seat to skitters over to Akira's side and just kind of.

Shoves her way onto the seat neat to him.

Sorry, Magilou, you'll probably have to squish over.

And then, leaning against Akira, she mutters into her arms on the table:]

You're both dumb.

[sorry magilou. it looks like you're not allowed to leave? which is fine, akira didn't really want her to anyway.]

Yeah. I'm pretty dumb, I guess.

[he says quietly, taking his hand and placing it gently atop futaba's head.]

I'm sorry, Futaba.

for which part? who the hell knows. all of it, probably.

but still—he's glad she's here next to him, not turning her back on him despite that story.]

[oh]

[and now she's stuck, one of three people squished in a booth seat meant for only two]

Hey, I actually consider myself to be fairly intelligent.

[:/!! RUDE FUTABA]

You gotta be pretty dumb if that was your first solution.

[Muttered off to the side!!! Of her mouth!! At Magilou!!]

Obviously Akira needs you to stay there, so stay there. Jeeze.

[Jeeze.

But she just...squeezes herself a little closer to Akira's side.]

Don't...be sorry. I'm sorry too. That... you're sad. And that you were stuck in a stupid situation like that. And that we weren't there except to be used against you.

[he almost wants to laugh. for all that futaba can be bad at dealing with other people, she seems to see clearly how important magilou's presence is for him right now.

though honestly, futaba's is helping too. he leans a bit against futaba in turn, keeping his hand atop her head and. maybe giving magilou just a little bit of room here.]

I'm glad you weren't there. I'm glad you didn't have to see the things I saw, or... the terrible things I did. Or anything related to it.

[and boy, did a lot happen, which is obviously the implication here.]

If it meant keeping you and the others as safe as I could manage, I had to. Even though...

[it caused him a lot of pain.]

I hurt a lot of people along the way. [your big bro is a moron, futaba.]

[that]

[that isn't]

[Futaba's verbal reminder practically petrifies Magilou in the spot. her thoughts are already racing-- she isn't!! needed!! she is just. here. because she wants to be here. she's never needed!! she's just a remora who attaches herself to people and hangs out with them for the ride and the experiences. nobody would ever miss her if she decided to cut herself off and bolt. that's just how things have always been!]

[and. . . yet. . .]

[there's too much going on here, too much she feels like she's intruding into when it comes to their relationship, too many feelings that she is no good at dealing with, even if she's gotten better and she still wants to try. so she is just gonna]

[melt into a Magilou puddle]

[slide out of her seat]

[and plop on the ground underneath the table]

[. . .]

[i'm sorry. she's still here. she isn't leaving. she just needs a moment]

[... That's a.

Thing.

They're trying to have a serious talk here, Magilou...

Futaba is taking Akira completely and utterly seriously here, but it's kind of hard when Magilou just oozes.

Futaba's brow furrows a little, but in the end--]

It was Mafia though, right? Or...Sirens, or whatever, whatever stupid name they gave it. So...lots of people hurt people. That's the point.

[... It's not like it was just Akira.]

Akira... you guys won, right? You won the game, and everyone came back and... that's what matters. Sometimes winning really is the most important thing.

[... Okay but also:]

The person you brought home is super weird. [And that's coming from Futaba, so that's saying something.]

[he lets magilou be because he understands this is tough.

instead, akira lets out a bit of a mirthless laugh.]

You'd think. The people in the game didn't agree though—even though a lot of people were just as bad, or worse, I think a lot of people felt exceptionally betrayed by me.

[even if he's not sure why. he still doesn't get why he took more flak than just about anyone. he's still not sure why he was treated like some of the worst of the lot, even after the game had ended and they had a chance to make amends.

maybe that weighs on him more than his actions, because some of the people he wanted to make amends with truly never let him have the chance and kept knocking him down until he hit his limits.]

Except for this weird one. She... was the one person who stuck by me. Even after knowing, she never turned her back on me.

[okay. so some people came around and eventually apologized for their harsh behavior, and a couple of others never truly held it against him.

but magilou was the one who tried to keep him from dying. she tried to keep the attention off him, she didn't even vote for him even though she should have.

he's fond of her, okay.]

[from her spot underneath the table]

. . . hmph. Don't say embarrassing things, Trickster.

[but her tone is soft and fond in that really tsundere kind of way. and then, directed to Futaba--]

He takes on a lot, you know? Carries the world until it crushes him underneath its weight. Someone had to hold him up for a change.

[There's a long, long pause, Futaba squinting at Akira and then at the floor where Magilou presumably is, as if she had x-ray vision, and then--]

Ewwwww.

[GROSS?? GROSS.]

You two are like that?

[What??? That's gross!! Akira's love life is gross.

(Sorry, they can get back to important things in a moment.)]

[okay, that makes him laugh.]

I have to get the Sakura family seal of approval, don't I?

[which is to say that regardless of the fact that magilou actually showed up on her own terms, his family matters.

...not that it would stop him or his feelings, but he still wants his family, and the phantom thieves, to accept her—he wouldn't have gotten through that experience without magilou, and that akira is sure of.]

[every serious moment needs a bit of comedic relief!!]

Oh my! I didn't know there was going to be a test.

[love her, Futaba]

And also, you'll have to get the details from Newt here, because witches are strictly prohibited from talking about matters of the heart.

[Futaba makes a face, and then she shifts until she can peer under the table between her legs, which she pulls up to her chest like some sort of mutant gremlin, because she's Futaba.

And she points at Magilou.]

That's not how it works, you know. She's the one who has to get the Sakura family seal of approval.

[Not Akira, Akira's already got it, Magilou's the one who has to impress her here.]

I'm only the midboss anyway, Sojiro is the final boss.

[akira's just nodding here.]

There's a reason we all call him Boss, you know.

[...that's not why they call him boss at all, don't listen to akira.]

[

]

[PUTS UP HER DUKES]

You don't know how many midbosses and bosses I've defeated in my day, but this might be the hardest challenge yet! I don't know if my heart can take it!

[please make her talk about her feelings, Futaba. p l e a s e]

[Akira's helping.

But Futaba is not backing down!! Because obviously not.]

Quirky Side Witch uses Plaintive Diversion! It's not very effective!

[Shut up, Futaba.]

Here's your test! I want you to tell meeeee--

Why you like Akira! [Ah.

Of course.]

[honestly, akira is just going to hum this.

it's fine.]

[aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAH. literally the one question she never answered for anyone except Akira himself?? god. no. she's not ready for this]

[she's wearing a hoodie, she's totally pulling the hood up over her head and drawing it shut around her face, so only her nose is visible. her words are muffled]

. . . hey, no fair. Aren't midbosses supposed to use their weakest attacks before their strongest ones?

[SHE'S]

[STALLING]

[Akira's the best, and Futaba leans against him contentedly and affectionately as he indulges in her everything.

With Magilou, though, she shows no quarter.]

Ha ha! That's assuming that this is my strongest attack! I have techniques the likes of which you've never seen!

[Doomed.]

Magilou used Stall! It doesn't affect the opposing Futaba....

[he's commentating this like a pokemon battle. softly. it's fine. he can't help himself, he needs futaba to know he'll be okay somehow and...

it's kind of funny to fluster magilou, anyway.]

[yells??? yells!! he is literally the only one who has ever been able to fluster her like this]

[also SHOVES AT AKIRA'S KNEE FOR THAT COMMENTARY]

I'm under leveled! I didn't dungeon grind enough for this! Throw me a support spell, please!

[still stalling]

Absolutely not! I save my support spells for people who have passed my test!

[So like.

The Phantom Thieves.

That's it.]

Time's up! [A point.] Your answer! [Well, Magilou?]

No buffs this time, Magilao.

[... nickname and all, huh.]

Talking to Futaba's like talking to me, anyway. Family's just an extension, you know.

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