Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
Rattled Skull and Burning Lungs; [Ask First]
Topic Started: Feb 14 2014, 09:23 PM (494 Views)
Nonsequitur
Member Avatar
Yellow Bubblegum
"I Guess? Anyone who wants you so dead that dead you get like eight predictions is gonna make sure they do the job right. At least that's what I'd do in their position.

She shrugged when she presented her guess as to what her pursuers next course of action would have been. Wait Her family? Hmmmm, at first glance, that sounded Yakuza related if you asked Mia. Just to play it safe, she suggested to Toki: "Hey, Kimio-san? Nevermind your bar, we'll have to find a place to stow her here that won't involve her family knowing where you live or work, get what I'm saying?" She made it perfectly clear what she suspected. Hell, if they were going to get involved, best if they knew what to expect if they did right?

"Well, Jiro, what I was thinking was since this is probably like a hit, y'know? So I planned using the jacket to give them the slip. Take it down to the river, make it look like she got out of the water someplace near and lead them in the wrong way from where we really plan to take her with a trail of water dripped from it? On second though, if this is some Yakuza shit, should I really get involved…?"

It was all hearsay and speculation. but Toki was a friend, and she wasn't going to put him in undue risk without him at least knowing it. the same for JIro. It wouldn't be good to get them involved if it could end badly for them.

'Oh, good, you're all users, no more waiting.'

Maybe we should just get her to the training center inste- Without willing it to, her mask appeared on her face. "Uh…oh yeah, right, that."

The mask remained the same basic venetian mask but the decoration's design changed, mostly white with a lacy pattern and an orange fleur-de-lis. Before her, the telltale foxfire that heralded a Persona's coming. What appeared before her was shapely, partially dressed in white, and quite familiar to those that enjoy the Devil May Cry series.

Gloria was only there for a short while, however. Not even long enough to strike a pose. A real shame too, if Mia had known what Lif needed her to go to the ruins for, she'd have liked to have tried out her new Persona on some Shadows.

"Alright, well now. That was probably worth sneaking around the backstreets at this hour for." The mask was gone too.

She looked over the others. if Nishiyo had been actively scanning, she'd see Mia had switched from the Weakness-riddled Lif of Fool Arcana to a much more balanced Gloria of the Wheel of Fortune.

"Sorry 'bout that, training center, then?" Obviously, she was still interested in helping, knowing what she did.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Natscookie
Member Avatar
Shitpost Senpai

Murdering, pretending to die, scumbag family... Toki knew it was far too much for him to handle, but something in him made him want to help all the more regardless. He was entirely unaware to the predictions or who the Sadakos were, and for him, she just looked someone urgently needing all the help in the world.

Who was he to deny it?

"Trainin' center? That's nearby, ain't it?" Asked Toki. He had never personally gone to the place, having an official dojo of his own. But ultimately he decided to agree with Mia's suggestion, showing it outwardly with a nod of the head.

It was frequented by persona users, after all. Should anything go to hell, the stranger would most likely have someone there to help with the problem.

"Oi, y'need help standin' up or somethin'? We can't stay here forever." Toki decided to crouch, and offered his arms out. Optimally, he'd carry her to the place, with the others tagging along. He was the stronger of the three, and carrying a high school girl quite younger than himself should be not issue; not to mention she most likely could use the rest opportunity provided.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
The One True Nobody
Member Avatar
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
The sight of Gloria did nothing to stir a reaction from Nishiyo. She had seen videogame-based Personae before; that Spencer idiot had something from the same damn game, after all. She was mildly interested in what she sensed inside Mia at that moment, but focusing anything more than cursory attention on her Analysis power was challenging right now. It had even taken her longer than usual to determine that all three of these people were users in the first place, but apparently the girl was one of the gifted few with more than one of the damned things.

How lucky for her. It didn't matter in the slightest to Nishiyo--just gaining the sympathies and aid of these three and getting out of sight before her tail happened upon her again, that was it, that was all that mattered.

"Training center," Nishiyo breathed. On the one hand, there was a good chance of other Persona-users finding her there if she used it to lay low. On the other, Persona-users were unlikely to alert a Yakuza family based in the Kansai region. The only thing that mattered was getting out of sight and hoping her tail would presume her dead, since she had no reason to want to escape her family's notice, once she failed to return to her apartment.

After that, she needed to contact Aleksandria. It seemed she could go ahead with crafting a false identity without needing to trick her tail outside of town after all. The Sadako family had no reason to assume that elements within Nagashima wanted her dead. They would most likely default to their own Yakuza rivals, and the only family they competed with that also operated in this town was the Tsukuda family. If the Sadako clan decided to take issue with them, they were most likely to do it in Iwatodai, not Nagashima.

"Training center... is perfect," she gasped, staggering away from the wall and looking from one Persona-user to the next. "Mia, is it? ...Mia-san is right. If you take me in you'll only invite... danger. I'm tryin' t' hide from my family, not from Persona-users. So the trainin' center's perfect."

She moved toward Toki, offering the boy a strained-yet-grateful-looking smile, and let him pick her up however he wished. She really wasn't confident in her ability to walk all the way to the training center herself. "It's better t'... t' keep off the main roads like this. You'll attract attention. My family don't have that many contacts back here, though... Samurakami's bunch and the Torinozoku're too in-control. Never thought I'd be grateful for that..."

Her expression darkened.

"I took a gunshot t' the head at point-blank range just before I fell. I'm hopin' they'll assume it was fatal. They don't know about Persona-users... or Personae that have immunity t' point-blank gunshots." She put a hand to her forehead. The buzzing sensation, almost like mild drunkenness, wasn't quite gone. "...Even with that it's... not somethin' I'd recommend gettin' hit by."

Did physical immunity extend to her insides, Nishiyo wondered? If not, could a headshot still cause damage to the brain? Did the force of impact completely fall under "Physical's" category? Did it double as Force-element, maybe? Either way, she needed to get some rest, just in case. She didn't feel any swelling but there might have been some head trauma regardless. No, there almost certainly had been. And being deprived of oxygen hadn't helped.

"I really appreciate this... I dunno if I could ever pay any of ya back, but I won't forget," Nishiyo said in a tired voice, an almost-helpless yet hopeful-sounding one (almost completely artificial, though the residual shivers did a lot to disguise insincerity). "I'm glad y'all were here. Dunno if I could make it on my own."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Exodin
Member Avatar
MAHHA
Wait, what? Was Mia one of those...wild whatever? So not only did she have a persona, she had the potential to have multiple? That was intriguing to say the least. Still they had something else to deal with right now. Yakuza? No, seriously...Yakuza?

"No Mia, you really shouldn't. That said, we still need to get Sadako here to the training center in one piece. We can't just le--...."

The blonde boy trailed off. Stopping himself from saying a statement so filled with irony that it was stupid. What they couldn't just leave her there to die? Even though he was most known within the community for doing that exact thing?

"Nobody's gonna hold it against you if you back out now Mia. Well Sadako here might, but she's probably looking for just about any help she can get isn't that right? So yeah, perfectly fine if you two don't want in on this. Don't worry about me either, unsavory types can't exactly crack me over the head with a beat and i'll drop to the ground. Nah, most that'll do is piss me off."

But what, he was perfectly willing to deal with getting her to the training center by himself? Someone who very well may have the Yakuza after her? He supposed that perhaps he had some sort of apathy to...everything. There hadn't been any action taken against him for what he did. So he was frustrated, confused and upset.

"Bullet to the head huh? Null physical comes in handy doesn't it?"

He let out a grim chuckle. So, bullets definitely couldn't kill him. His expression darkened to a scowl. He was now impervious to the thing that had killed his brother. The better brother. The nice brother. The brother that everyone knew, and everyone had been friends with.

The brother that had deserved to live.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Nonsequitur
Member Avatar
Yellow Bubblegum
"Nah, you probably won't. Sadako-san. I kind of imagine once we part ways you'll forget all about us." Yeah, she was a good liar, and she would have bought it too. But when she thought about it? It was the little things that didn't add up to Mia. What stood out the most was her turn of phrase just moments before.

She didn't have to hide from Persona users.

That could have just been a mindless phrase on its own, but in that situation? And the reaction she got when she recognized her? Yeah, she'd done something to someone with a Persona that had them upset enough she had to hide.

Well, if it was a lie, it was a meaningless lie. But still she could have made it a bit more interesting for herself. She smiled sweetly. "I mean, if I were in your situation? Pissed off so many people they would want me dead, including my own family? I think the smartest thing would have been to just disappear? Assume a new identity somewhere far away? That's the smart thing, right?" Under normal circumstances she would have just been a 'good' little girl, feigned ignorance until the end and split as soon as possible.

But this was hardly normal circumstances. They were already being exposed to danger, she might as well made the most of the situation.

She just shrugged her shoulders and gave Jiro a more subdued, and eaiser smile. Something a bit more genuine. "Naw, it's okay. I'm here now. The two of us can get her to the center safely if we go right now." She turned to Toki. "It's still kind of dicey Kimio-san, we can manage if you wanna stay out of trouble, but you're right, if we're going? Let's go now."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Natscookie
Member Avatar
Shitpost Senpai

Toki stepped a little to the side, before hooking his left arm under Nishiyo's knees, and using the right one to support the middle of her back, getting up and carrying the girl properly. She was lighter than he expected, but that just made for easier pacing, he figured.

"Y'guys lead, I follow. I'unno where the center is." He informed, with an apologetic look crossing his expression. He then glanced at Jiro, and shook his head abruptly.

"Oi! Like hell I'm leavin'." Toki protested quickly, not being one to turn a blind eye to things. "I might not be much, but I'll help as much as I can."

He let out a sigh, willing himself to calm down for a change, and not throwing any input to the situation. It'd do more harm than good, he wasn't the smartest of types. The most he could do at that point was to be a meat shield, and he was content with that.

"Lead the way!"
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
The One True Nobody
Member Avatar
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Nishiyo wasn't usually on to let herself get swept off her feet and carried somewhere. In fact, as it happened, not having her own feet on the ground when she was moving made her nervous--she always felt like the person carrying her would discard her at any time. It made bridal carry an awkward boyfriend-girlfriend experience, that was for sure--and while she wasn't exactly afraid of it, it felt pretty close to what some other people might have called a "phobia..."

Nevertheless, she allowed Toki to pick her up.

"...Thankya... and yeah, useful, I guess..." she answered, rolling her head to look toward Jiro. "S'long as my family's tail didn't see it. I don't really think any of us want the Sadako clan pokin' their head around town lookin' for ways t' make their people bulletproof."

Mia's first statement actually drew a look of blank surprise from Nishiyo, and before she knew what she was doing, she'd blurted out, "I never forget the people who help me." Then, as the statement hung in the air, she actually looked a little embarrassed. Turning her eyes skyward, she said: "...Believe whatcha want. Ain't like I'm in any position t' do anything for y'all, so from your point o' view, guess it's all the same."

She paused a bit, and then slowly said, "My family don't want me dead yet. They don't know I'm breakin' away. That's why this is a bit of a lucky break. If they think I'm dead I can go on without worryin' they'll search for me... so, yeah, disappear, I guess. I dunno how I'll pull off any kind of 'identity,' though. Y'can't just pull a new school life outta your pocket, y'know?"

A slightly rueful smile worked its way onto her face.

"But, hell. Anything's gotta be better'n the way things are. Almost anything, anyway. I guess you don't really care, Mia-san. I wonder if there's anything that'd make ya care about someone like me in the first place."

Contrary to Nishiyo's words, there wasn't any hint in her tone that she really wanted Mia to care. She might have been discussing both herself and the Wild Card as if they were characters in an anime and she were constructing mental "shipping" experiments. Although when she thought about it, anime shippers probably cared a fair bit more about their ships than she or Mia did about each other at this moment.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Exodin
Member Avatar
MAHHA
At the smile from Mia, Jiro couldn't bring himself to smile back, but his scowl went soft. Leaving him with a more neutral expression. At least that was something, right?

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Let's get going already, burned enough fucking time standing around here with our thumbs up our asses. No idea if the fucking people who tried to put a bullet in her are hot on our heels."

He shrugged at Nishiyo's comment. Probably wouldn't be the first batch of criminals to get personae. He doubted it would be the last either. Vigilante's, Toru Watanabe, or whatever the fuck. The creeps just seemed to come out of the woodwork to become magic people. Though he supposed it could be argued that he was among the creeps. Whatever, let them call him a creep if they wanted to. At Nishiyo's comment to Mia, he walked over to the transfer student, and went to place a hand on her shoulder. What was he trying to signify, 'mess with her, mess with me'? Or was it another damn urge to help? Gah, he didn't have time for this!

"Come on walk buddy. Let's get going."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Nonsequitur
Member Avatar
Yellow Bubblegum
"Yeah, I'll lead the way, Kimio. Quickest, quietest path is this way."

Mia wasn't normally the judgmental type. But the more of the picture she saw, the less she liked. It was just reflexive. The more she got involved with people like Nishiyo, the harder just getting by was. Who wouldn't give her a piece of their mind in her situation?

"Well, for one, don't go dragging other people into your shit? And don't complain now, it's too late to just drop you like a bad habit and walk away as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure we probably would be better off if we didn't care about you. From what I understand on the last love report, that didn't end too well for the last person who did that, right?"

Eh, it was getting pretty grim. She was moving, and quickly, with her eyes on the lookout for any possible trouble as she just slid into the role of guide and lookout for someone she decided was on the short list of people she didn't like. She reached out to put her hand over Jiro's on her shoulder. He was accused of doing some pretty rotten things too, wasn't he?

"I don't really know what'd it take. Obviously I'm not comfortable being around a murderer, for one." Even as they moved, she offered an argument to the rather academic question of 'What it would take for her to like someone like Nishiyo.' "I'm pretty annoyed you tried to make a fool out of me. Kind of pissed we're exposed to all this kind of shit just being around you."

So without looking back. "In a way? I do care about you: I care about what you'll do to me and the people I care about. I care about the consequences of what you've done and how we'll all have to deal with it…

Oh, wait, wait! Something about the situation just clicked with her. She looked over her shoulder to say to Nishiyo. "By the way? What the fuck do you think your family, your Yakuza family is going to do when they think you died here? Shurg their shoulders, then wonder what's on TV? No, they're going to comb though the whole city to figure out who did it and why. Even if you go off be a nun or something we've just exchanged one killer with superpowers for a whole outfit of those that don't, and any one of them could get snatched up by the butterfly anyways."

But she was in a monologue. On the other hand? She had like one shot to tell her everything she wanted to before she disappeared. "Back to the original question? Like, care about your well-being and happiness? Try doing something like that for someone that doesn't benefit you in any way. See how that goes for you? Total stranger you know? Sounds like you might have plenty of chances to practice that soon." Honestly, if she didn't have to get her guard up all the time around her? She wouldn't have objected to Nishyo as a friend. But she knew she would have just gotten used, no point in getting emotionally invested in that.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Natscookie
Member Avatar
Shitpost Senpai

Toki, on the other end, didn't seem to connect the symbolism of the hold to anything of the sort - the point was so the girl could turn her head more easily in either direction, and if some sort of crap ended up happening, she'd be able to fling spells more easily, should she have the required stamina.

He quickly followed after the pair, having absolutely no time to waste, his own nagging paranoia making him check every alley and little corner as they walked. Was there someone watching them? A slight chill ran down his spine with the idea, but he decided to ignore it until said time came.

Toki's eyes widened slightly as Mia proceeded to rant, not seeing it coming at all; perhaps it was from his own exhaustion. At first, he was quite silent... Or, at least, right until a very certain key word was mentioned.

"Y-Yakuza...?" He seemed to tremble slightly once hearing the word. He had been associated with the local Yakuza so many times, wrongfully so; he hated the thing so much that he purposefully avoided any sort of information doing with them. The least he knew, the better.

"...I don't care about all 'o this." He decided on saying, once Mia finished her rant. "Instead 'o tradin' blows like that, let's just get t'safety, 'kay? I don't care who she is, I ain't gonna leave anyone to die."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Create a free forum in seconds.
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Nagashima Back Streets · Next Topic »
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2