This wasn't good. The Ren she knew was never one for biting cynicism. He was a caring individual who stepped between the serious and the ability to crack a joke to break the tension. It was a more innocent time, it seems, even with the threat of people's minds on the line, because as the boy became a man, something had changed. Perhaps he felt it was all entirely futile to try and change the world through people's hearts. Ryoko never believed so. She had met him when the Phantom Thieves only numbered in five. She had called Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, and Yusuke Kitegawa the first night, learning more about them along with Morgana later on. Indeed, as the hunt began, she eventually learned about them all, though...it didn't take a psychoanalysis to tell that something was up with Goro Akechi. Right now, the boy's enthusiasm was gone and the man before her was not interested in the call to action. The flinch of pain he'd had there wasn't helping, either. He believed her, but he wasn't interested in helping her. It...was disheartening to hear him talking like this. Clearly, there'd been a falling out of some kind, owing to a disagreement perhaps on their actions as the Phantom Thieves. Ryoko could see that, clear as day, even without Morgana's obvious disapproval. She wanted to ask the not-a-cat directly on this, but didn't want to double-team Ren on this without knowing how it would turn out. When he asked her what she expected out of him, it almost sounded like an attack, like he wanted her to give up, as well. She couldn't do that, no matter what. That man created the Dreamer, and he had much more than simply that. He had to be stopped. "My [i]worst[/i] fears had been of me finding you, but learning that your powers had faded completely. That, at least, was mercifully untrue. Even still, I'd hoped that you would be on board for the same reason none of you quit halfway. I wasn't there for your worst foes, but I saw reality change, just as everybody else did, and I retained cognizance, after the fact, though everybody else had seemingly forgot. I knew, just as we had overcome the Dream, that you defeated something greater and more threatening." She gave the cafe a look now. "Changing hearts one person at a time may feel like an uphill battle, but you have to admit that if you didn't, someone or some[i]thing[/i] would've killed us all. I believe you fought to keep the world turning instead of spiraling out of control. A hard task, but necessary." Ryoko's eyes gave off the sign that she was reviewing it in her mind: The good, the bad, saddeness, and the joy. It was easier for Morgana to see at this angle that she was kind of hurt by this, not because of what Ren had [i]said[/i], but because of the state he was [i]in[/i]. She returned her gaze to the man across her and followed up her statement. "For me, it was always about keeping people alive, and you know that I didn't have enough power alone to take down the Dreamer. That's why I asked for your help [i]then[/i]. My Persona can't do everything, no matter how versatile it might be. Your abilities were stronger, and the bond you had with your friends allowed us to recruit their subconscious selves at will. If we didn't do the task in front of us, the creature would've glutted itself on countless many and left braindead husks in its path. I would rather not have had to put my life, my soul, and my mind on the line, but sometimes there's no alternative." She sighed now, worried that this was exactly the reception she would get from the others, or worse. She didn't know them consciously like she did Ren. They would've thought they were dreaming, the whole time. Except maybe Futaba. Her skills might've given her more retention of mind, in this case. This situation wasn't as bad as it could get, but it wasn't in a good place, clearly. "Listen, I guess I understand if you aren't up for it, but will you at least let me have a look at whatever's causing that pain? That...didn't seem right, to me."