[Oh how the turns table. Akechi drums his fingers in Ellis' hair absently.] Congratulations, then.

[He huffs softly. This is well before he spilled his murder beans to Gaku, so he isn't about to just come out with it of his own volition.] Tit for tat, I suppose... Most of my behavior is a lie, a mask I cultivated for years to appear friendly and approachable while I was in the public eye. A ruse, if you will. It's a hard habit to break, so I suppose my personality seems a bit capricious, vacillating between put-upon smiles and being a crabby old man in an eighteen year old's body. [That's "bad apple" enough, right?]