| Another Way; [Kyo, Aleksandria - Closed] | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 11 2014, 09:43 PM (505 Views) | |
| The One True Nobody | Mar 17 2014, 06:55 PM Post #31 |
|
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
|
Don't look. Never look. Kyo nodded in silence, but bit her lip and didn't say anything. Trust wasn't an issue. It took courage to voice some things. But Aleksandria had helped in her own way. Affirmation of what she had already been thinking made it easier to keep thinking it. Maybe it would even make it easier to follow through with the action the thought pushed for. Kyo held up a warding hand when it seemed like Aleksandria was offended by the statement that financial help was unnecessary. "I didn't mean it like that," she said, as calmly as she could manage--though there was a touch of apology there. "I already have help from Kinzaki's dad on that front. He'll be backin' the thing officially... so that should help gettin' civilians and the police on board, if we've got an actual company sponsorin' us. I don't want any untraceable money comin' in, see? Don't want there t' be any question that we're on the up-and-up. I mean... ahahaha... I dunno if you've noticed but there's another girl tryin' somethin' semi-sorta-similar who gets her money from kinda shadier places." The girl lowered her hand, and looked at Aleksandria with a faint frown. "Besides, your money's kinda limited, ain't it? I mean, y'ain't got more comin' in. It's better t' hold onto it and keep it for either yourself or for somethin' that can't get money any other way. And Shin knows I know you, so I just know the first thing on his mind'll be this is Fyodor funding, isn't it? As much of a wrench as it is t'say... that'd do more harm than good." Kyo took another gulp from her bottle, and set it aside for the time being. She was feeling a little too much buzz now. Small size didn't help her tolerance much. "I'm countin' on your help figuring things out, though," she sighed in a tired way. "Whole time we were lookin' out for Black Hoods I was thinking, 'Aleks would have a better idea how t' go about this.' When ya got back, one o' the first things that hit me was how much help y'could be helpin' me get this plan together. So don't think I'm tellin' ya I don't want your help at all. Wouldn'ta brought it up in the first place if that were it." The green-haired girl closed her eyes and turned over the roles the other Archangels could play. Iemoto had some good combat ability--he would be great for covering rescue operations and a security role against rogue users. That was also a thing. They needed users who could fight people, not just monsters. If the Persona-user community was going to police itself it needed to be able to actually police itself rather than just responding willy-nilly as problems happened. The Noriko Yuuma fiasco had been proof enough of that. God, what a mess that had been. "I have help with plannin' and with finances," Kyo said slowly. "What I need now are... help from the police, which means goin' through Shin and Sanda and the others. I need t' set up something for recruiting civilians. Not just for patrols and other dangerous stuff but for pushin' reform where it's needed. For that we need inside info on the conditions in places, beyond what those outfits would want known. The police, the city government, the local schools..." Kyo opened her eyes and scratched at her chin. "Motou-san might know who t' contact for that, but he's not exactly in the best state o' mind right now and... he and I ain't on the best o' terms. Maybe I should ask Sanda instead... and Nana'd know who t' talk to if I wanna get a feel for the shady side o' town, but I might hafta convince her my stuff won't get in her way first. Which I actually got no way o' guaranteein', now that I think of it. It seems almost inevitable that it will." She muttering distractedly to herself now, almost as if she had forgotten Aleksandria was there... at least until she picked up her vodka bottle again, took a swig, and turned to Aleksandria. "Well, whaddaya think? Got any ideas?" |
![]() |
|
| Dante | Mar 18 2014, 02:43 PM Post #32 |
![]()
WHERE THE FUCK IS MARIO
|
Aleksandria paused for a moment. Then she chuckled. "You assumed I meant I wanted to help you financially..? I do not have that access anymore. I purely meant to help you as a friend." She sighed slightly and sipped at her Vodka. "You've secured funding from my Roza's father?" She smiled slightly. "Mmm. I understand. I wouldn't want to turn your plan into another Road and Building." The Russian left it there. It was a no brainer that Kyo and Nana were friends, best not to stir that hornet's nest. "My money is limited, but it is enough for now. Let us say the apartment I bought for Gabrielle Peterson did not put much of a dent into it. But this is the last of my money. There is no more to be had until my father finally passes on." She chuckled. "The Black Hood situation is something I regret leaving for. But I will not dwell in the past. I understand. You were simply assuming I wanted to help you with money. I want to help you as a friend. If I am to sit in the shadows, then I will simply do all I can from the darkness to benefit those in the light." When she went on to say she would have to avoid treading on Nana's toes the girl shook her head. "If you do that, then your plan has a flaw. Her plan is to keep down what she can. She is a safeguard, but not even Nana can safeguard those streets forever. Unless something is done, she will simply be overthrown. There is always a bigger fish. If you truly seek to better this town, then you start at the bottom and work your way up. Your plan and her own goal cannot work together in the situation. But you already knew that." The Russian swigged her own vodka. Alcohol helped her think. It did a lot of things for her, it was her comfort, her way to unwind and her way to be honest. "All I can say is you need to present yourself to Nana soon. If you do not explain what your plan will mean, she may think you're trying to take over. As for the other targets... civilian help will be hard. People are scared. They've been scared ever since Ruwashi." A pang in her heart. "...I do not truly know if you can calm them. These people want blood and that is why the Black Hoods were born." |
![]() |
|
| The One True Nobody | Mar 18 2014, 03:20 PM Post #33 |
|
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
|
"Huh? Oh, right," Kyo said, tilting her head to one side and frowning when Aleksandria cautioned her to approach Nana soon. "Ah, don't worry 'bout that. She'll understand what I'm shootin' for. I was gonna talk some stuff over with her anyways, and also, she kinda put the idea in my head t' begin with. Way back after my first ascension. She's... really good at figurin' me out before I figure m'self out." Kyo shifted in place. "I'm hopin' she'll agree t' help. I wanna set up some precautions for the... well, for the event that Road and Building ends badly. Like, 'violently' badly. But I won't be able t' do that unless she agrees." The green-haired girl grinned ruefully and tapped her left temple with one finger. "I got a good head up in here, y'know? I can see where things might go wrong. It's more the long-term I've never had a good grasp at workin' out. Spent too much time livin' in the moment, I guess. Cheap thrills and 'fuck the future' thinkin'." Kyo pulled her bottle to her lips, letting her mind transition to the subject of the black hoods. Then she set the bottle down. "...I know the Hoods, or at least, their leader... don't wanna harm 'innocents,' by which they mean non-magic people," Kyo muttered. "They barely touched Yuki Ishinomori when he got involved on their attack on Itsuki Kondo. They think they're on the moral high ground, so, if doubt can be put in their minds about that... if we can show 'em we're more'n what they think we are... maybe. Maybe, it's possible. I dunno. I can hope. But I always hope." Kyo lifted her bottle in silent toast to the flames in front of her. "Didn't do me much good when I was hopin' Toru Watanabe could still be talked down! But, he had brain damage, so he's got an excuse. Maybe this time it'll work out better! Civilian help with the neighborhood watch, though, I don't plan on lettin' 'em know a Persona-user's settin' up the organization. Nah, not right away. It's more about gettin' the people o' the city t' take responsibility for makin' their homes better than fosterin' peace anyway. That's just a bonus I'm hopin' t' shoot for. So, if it turns out bein' a mostly civilian organization, that's fine with me. Mission accomplished, I'd say." |
![]() |
|
| Dante | Mar 18 2014, 03:55 PM Post #34 |
![]()
WHERE THE FUCK IS MARIO
|
The Russian shrugged. It was not her place. It wasn't her place to interfere with the two children from Osaka. Nor was it her place in the backstreets. Her place in the Archangels had also now begun to come to a close. Aleksandria's place was in the shadows. It was time to respectfully bow out once more and return to them. "Hope is one thing Kyo-san. Realism is another. I desperately hope we can patch the rift between us, but if anyone finds out this plan is headed by a Persona User, you will lose your credibility, you understand this, right?" Of course she understood it. She wasn't some ditzy newbie, Kyo had time to think things over and adjust. Aleksandria finished the bottle and sighed. "I wish I had more help for you, but there is nothing more to say, there is only what we can do." |
![]() |
|
| The One True Nobody | Mar 18 2014, 04:15 PM Post #35 |
|
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
|
"...Yeah, and I ain't exactly been the most discreet o' Persona-users..." Kyo said, a hint of worry creeping into her voice. Her mind went to the times when she'd used her powers openly. The hospital sinkhole. Her first encounter with the lynchmobs, alongside Ayane and (though Kyo hadn't known it at the time) Aleksandria. The time she had reflexively struck a corrupt police officer with a Zionga spell in self-defense before wandering dazedly into the woods with a budding concussion and a barely-constructible memory of the half-hour preceding it. It would not be difficult for enemies of the community to identify her as a user. "Well," she said simply, forcing these thoughts away with a grin. "We can work out plans and stuff another time. Right now, we've got drinks t' drink and catchin' up t' do! I'll get back t' ya about stuff when I've talked t' Shin and the others about things. Speaking of, I've decided on a college major!" Kyo took a quick gulp of Vodka, now showing no concern at all against getting balls-to-the-wall drunk. "I'm goin' inta journalism and I'm gonna learn professional photography! Once the ruins're solved I'm gonna show people what the world's really like, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful! Gonna try'n get people thinking. Not just Japan, but everywhere. I'm gonna get people t' stand up and make a change, y'know? People needta know there's more t' worry about than their own little bubbles, and there's more t' hope for than their own happiness n' comfort. Y'get what I'm sayin'?" |
![]() |
|
| Dante | Mar 20 2014, 04:17 PM Post #36 |
![]()
WHERE THE FUCK IS MARIO
|
Aleksandria smiled to Kyo. "That's... a good major. You fit it perfectly. As for me... I am not going to go to college. I'm going to wait out the rest of my life until my father dies, then take the industry for my own and convert it into a service for providing homes to those who lost their own homes in war. I will repair the wounds done to the people of Russia." She sighed slightly. "A pipedream. But one I've never stopped following. It is pathetic. I thought I had changed when in reality, I've never wanted anything different for the men I love like my own family." A pause. "...You probably... already worked it out. But that was the card my father held above my head." Another sip of vodka. Made her honest. "I'm infertile. I cannot have a child. I will never have a child of my own. This bloodline of Fyodor. It dies with me." |
![]() |
|
| The One True Nobody | Mar 20 2014, 11:02 PM Post #37 |
|
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
|
Kyo looked to Aleksandria, and nodded. "Yeah, I... figured that part out, yeah," she admitted. "It's gotta've been tough t' live with. ...Not that I'm terribly interested in makin' any babies myself." A look of discomfort passed over Kyo's face, and shifted a bit in place. "...I'd make a horrible mom," she said. "And well, that's prolly 'cause my mom was bad at it... and she was bad 'cause she never knew her own parents. Orphaned, y'know. Dunno where her blood comes from, so Lord knows what bloodline's gonna end at me." She shrugged, and took another gulp of her drink. "...Bah, I'm doin' it again," she muttered. "Just talkin' about any old thing that's on my mind. I only found out from my grandma, or... who I thought was my grandma, a few days ago. I wanna try and figure out where my mom comes from, if I can. Maybe it'd give her closure over it. But I think I get why she had that complex about our hair. And she said somethin' along the lines of dad hatin' it." Kyo rubbed her hand over her mouth and leaned forward, squinting into the flames. "It's the one big clue about where her parents mighta come from and she's ashamed of it 'cause she wanted acceptance from her family, and then her husband, and... well, it bites, I'd wager," she went on morosely. "I usedta think she was just an old-fashioned shrew, but, she ain't so different from me when ya get down to it. Just... channeled it a different way. Opposite way, even. Tried t'be all Yamato nadeshiko and perfect and normal so people'd like her." A quick sip, gulp, and sigh. Then she added, "God, every Persona-user's got family issues, feels like. It's gettin' to a point where it's more remarkable when someone has two lovin' parents who ain't done no wrong by 'em and are still livin' and not impoverished or nothin'. Maybe we should all just stop fightin' each other over how the city should be and come together as one giant 'broken homes' support group, eh?" |
![]() |
|
| Dante | Mar 21 2014, 05:57 PM Post #38 |
![]()
WHERE THE FUCK IS MARIO
|
"Knowing that I will never have a child of my own is a deep pain. It is my..." She paused for a moment. "We have a word in Russian. Toska. It can mean simple pain, like a physical wound, or deep pain, like the wounds inside my chest. I will never be a mother. Perhaps that is a good thing. A child born from me would only become worse than I am." She listened with interest. "I see.. your mother merely wanted to be normal and threw away what made her herself. A fact I know all too well. I've had to give up everything that made me the woman I am over time. My scars, my arm, my hair... I miss every part of what made me who I was. I feel like I am forced to try and be someone else, just to stay alive." Aleksandria chuckled. "My mother is nice enough... except she is the Don of the Russian Mafia. I cannot expect anything from her either it seems. She seems nice enough likely because it is a facade. Organized crime members do not wear their heart on their sleeve. That appears to be a family trait at least. None of us can read our true intentions until we act upon them." She sipped at the bottle. "...I feel like understanding my family is impossible from the outside looking in." |
![]() |
|
| The One True Nobody | Mar 21 2014, 06:13 PM Post #39 |
|
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
|
Kyo rubbed at the back of her neck, nodding in understanding when Aleksandria talked about how much it hurt to know she couldn't be a mother. "Well, for what it's worth, I think you'd be a good mom," Kyo offered. "...And that last part's grade-A bullshit, so yeah." The talk of her mother was weirdly interesting from an academic standpoint. There were so many convoluted ways that people could understand each others' pain, regardless of circumstance, or scale, or severity. And yet people continued to insist that nobody could understand them. It was... dazzling, in a sad way. "...Well, y'ain't the first person I've met who comes from an organized crime family," Kyo said. "I've met her folks, too. I don't even know, but... well, it's hard for me t'believe there ain't genuine love there. But love's a selfish as fuck thing at the center of it, even when it's bein' selfless. I don't think it's mutually exclusive from other selfish things, or other ruthless things." Kyo looked down. She had been talking of Shiori Tsukuda's parents, but it brought to mind another person. Nishiyo Sadako. Destroyed by her own parents, and now... running around in the shadows doing god-knew-what and apparently still at least acting like a loving sister. Did she imagine Etsuko could be used as a ploy to get other users to pity her, or...? |
![]() |
|
| Dante | Mar 21 2014, 06:25 PM Post #40 |
![]()
WHERE THE FUCK IS MARIO
|
She chuckled. "What proof do you have for that one? I'm terrible with children. I always have been. I guess its because... I was never really a child myself. I was smart from a young age and I had learned how to walk from an early age. Even in my school years, I was ahead of my class." She shrugged. "I would not want to birth another Fyodor into this family." Aleksandria shook her head. "A corporation organized crime family. My father's company spread across the globe, while my mother stayed rooted in Russia. She holds the most claim over the country, but her power pales in comparison to a politician." There was love there? "...Do you think... that my Roza and I, do you think there's hope there?" The Russian shook a little. "I know that we cannot be together. Not while I am wanted by not only this police, but the police of my home country as well. Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated and the Russian news stations are baying for my blood." Aleksandria sighed. "Perhaps I and Charlotte are not destined to be together." |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Nagashima Back Streets · Next Topic » |
| Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
1:27 PM Jul 11
|








1:27 PM Jul 11