| An Unexpected Ally; Sayako Morinaga's Introduction [Closed] | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 20 2016, 08:12 PM (875 Views) | |
| The One True Nobody | Feb 3 2016, 07:23 AM Post #31 |
|
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
|
Sayako's eyes were on the boy in the trendy-clothes store as Yuki made first contact with the security guard. To her relief, though, as the boy noticed his phone was missing, swearing like a sailor at such a volume that even they outside the store could hear him, he didn't even glance in the direction of his victims: the possibility that someone might have noticed and taken his phone away hadn't yet entered his mind. Sayako supposed she understood why; it wasn't something just any passerby could have done, taking this phone without being noticed. He turned on the spot, looking around on the floor, under the clothing rack, then he drifted down the nearest aisle, looking swiftly around on the floor... Sayako looked up at this point, to see the security guard approaching with Yuki. The timing was perfect; she could show him the phone without a problem here. Stepping out toward him, she reached into her pocket, and withdrew the phone, holding it out to him. "Before we point any fingers, sir, I found evidence," she said. "Although our clumsy prankster seems to have dropped it. I was going to return it, but it seems to have been left unlocked. A quick look at the video it was recording is all that is needed." She passed the phone off to the guard as soon as he moved to accept it, but first she unlocked it for him. The video that he would see clearly showed herself at the edge of the frame with her bags, speaking with someone just out of sight, as another young woman--Momoko--walked into the trap, attracting the attention of those off-screen, though she landed at the edge of the frame herself and the people who moved to her aid did not immediately become identifiable. Sayako turned toward the clothes shop. "Our perpetrator was recording from over there," she said. "The video does also show how the phone left his possession. But before we speak about that, the boy whose phone this is... I expect he'll be asking the shop clerk about it in a minute, if you would like to catch him and ask him what this video is doing on his phone." There were several things that the security guard would know that Sayako, being a first-timer at the shopping center, wouldn't. For one thing, the security cameras in that store were quite numerous, as the place was prone to shoplifting--it had a lot of small, easy-to-conceal items that couldn't fit any sort of magnetic sensor device. There were no real blind spots in the store, and if anyone wanted to corroborate a claim or accusation, they needed only to review the recordings at the appropriate time. This meant that both the boy making sure his phone-camera was recording the scene, and Sayako pickpocketing the phone, could clearly be seen--but it also meant something Sayako hadn't expected: the security camera at the far wall had just barely caught, through the shop window, the faint figure setting up the sign-trap, and this faint figure moved synchronized perfectly with the boy who'd entered the shop and begun recording on his phone shortly after. In short, as it turned out, Sayako's theft hadn't been needed for any reason other than, perhaps, to convince the security guard to hold the boy back before he had a chance to leave. There was also, as it happened, quite a lot of other personal information on this phone, some of it of a dubious nature. Sayako hadn't seen it--Sayako hadn't looked--but the thumbnail of the third video on the video-list, if the security guard happened to hit the "back" button and look it over, showed what looked like the phone's owner with a syringe in his hand, offering it out to some friend or acquaintance in a first-person view. That video, in turn, would show what seemed to be a small hangout or party, the phone's owner offering drugs and taking great pains to record whoever accepted them. This video was an hour long: the phone's owner could be heard laughing to himself, and occasionally muttering sarcastic farewells under his breath to those who'd accepted what he gave, as if he were honoring them at their funerals. Evidently the sign-trap had been quite a tame trap for him: this video, dated from just the day before, was only waiting for some light editing and strategic audio-editing, and then it would serve just fine as an anonymous tip for the police that might just have ruined several years of a few unfortunate delinquents' lives. In its naked state the video also implicated the boy, though, who even now wore the same jacket as the boy behind the camera in the video (which seemed to have been concealed in a jacket pocket somehow). Upon finding this, it would be clear that Sayako's theft, while unneeded in proving the current crime, had been serendipitous anyway--and that it was probably a matter outside the authority of mall security. For the time being, the security guard would not notice this other video, but it would probably jump straight out at him if he pressed the "back" button even once: the eyes of Sayako, who didn't know enough about illicit drugs to connect them with the image of a syringe, had simply slid right over that thumbnail without a second glance. |
![]() |
|
| Supnitle | Feb 5 2016, 02:30 AM Post #32 |
![]()
Monika Apologist
![]()
|
Although she had agreed to stay and provide support, Mai stayed dead quiet as Yuki went to go get a security guard. She wasn't one-hundred percent on her decision, but she had made it, and it wasn't as though she could leave now, after saying that she'd stay. At the very least, it didn't seem like Yuki was dead-set on starting a fight anymore, so that was one worry pushed out of the way. Her new step-brother(? or possibly cousin) came back, security guard in tow, and Sayako immediately got to work explaining the situation. As someone who wasn't much other than a witness, Mai didn't have much to say. She nodded her head a few times and watched the exchange unfold. |
![]() |
|
| Ket | Feb 8 2016, 10:36 PM Post #33 |
|
Despite her own excitement over the situation, Momoko couldn't help but notice how nervous Mai seemed, or at the very least uncomfortable. After a moment, she gave the girl a small nudge and smiled her way. "I-it's okay. We're i-in the right here." She gave her a quick reassurance. She did her own best to not get over excited as the security guards drew near with Yuki. She did fairly well, but before she could even get a word out, Sayako flawlessly explained the situation and handed the guard the phone. She couldn't help but peek just a little bit as the video was played, having to stand on her tiptoes just so she could see a little better. That little endeavor quickly stopped as she saw herself fall on screen. She ended up rocking back on her heels and hiding her quickly reddening face in her hands. The two strong emotions of embarrassment and rage bubbled up in her once more. Sadly, other than looking ten kinds of embarrassed, Momoko wasn't much help in dealing with the guard. |
![]() |
|
| Nonsequitur | Feb 10 2016, 03:26 PM Post #34 |
|
Yellow Bubblegum
|
He saw the video and he frowned, his gaze turning to the makeshift prank and then towards the suspected mastermind behind the plot to inconvenience and possibly even injure people who had the poor fortune to run into it, not unlike the young woman. On one hand, yes, of course something had to be done. But the problem lay in what he had the authority to do. "I see…" He said, and paused the video. He spoke into the radio, a request to have a review of footage in the area before he'd arrived. His serious expression softened as he smiled at Momoko. "Young miss, could you follow me?" The offending sign and stone were set aside where there would be no risk of people slipping over it and he approached the young man, phone in hand. "Sir? I'm afraid you seemed to have dropped this." He was oblivious to how the phone really came into their possession, and had no reason to contradict that narrative. He offered it back to him with a smile, but he also spoke in a more grave sort of voice. "On the other hand, it would appear that sign depicted on the video was intentionally set to trip people up. Including this young lady. Would you be so kind as to come with me and we'll have this matter cleared up." His tone of voice, while polite, made it clear it was no request. But there was nothing to back that up. He had the authority to ask him to leave, but not much else. Surely not the power to detain him if he didn't want to. But if the bluff worked, he'd stick around. Until he received word on what actually happened, it was their word against the prankster's. Actually browsing though the phone was out of the question. Even if the police would be brought in on the matter of damaged property it would be the security footage evidence that would be offered, whatever they found on the phone was out of Tanjiro security's hands. Yuki, Meanwhile, stood aside with his arms folded, and watched thigns play out from where he was before he went to get help. |
![]() |
|
| The One True Nobody | Feb 10 2016, 04:44 PM Post #35 |
|
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
|
They caught up with the boy as he was running his hands under one of the product racks, and he straightened up at their approach. Now, this boy's name was Susumu Tsukuda (no relation at all to a certain silver-haired Yakuza princess) and he was a real turd-goblin. So realistic a facsimile of what a living goblin made of feces might have been that one could almost imagine a turdish smell wafting off of him, really. He was actually nineteen, though he looked a little younger, and his hair had perhaps a little too much of some miracle-product applied to it: somehow this boy had managed to achieve the illogical duck's-ass haircut made famous around the world by such fictional characters as Sasuke Uchiha and Noctis Lucis Caelum. His eyes, now that he was looking in their direction. The security guard holding his phone caught him so off-guard that he had, for several seconds, the look of a deer caught in the headlights of a careening tractor-trailer truck. It was, in truth, unlikely that anyone present would recognize Susumu. While he never appeared in any pranking videos--the camera was always focused on someone else and he kept himself well and truly off-frame--he also ran another channel, which consisted mainly of giving young men ill-conceived tips on how to pick up women on the street, with live-action examples of how uncomfortable this ultimately made women. These were, in fact, English-language videos geared toward an audience that was mostly English-speaking, and Susumu was more likely to be recognized by an Internet-savvy immigrant from America or Europe than a Japanese native. He made quite a bit of money off these videos, and his subscriber count was the envy of many other video-makers, but in truth, he did it for the amusement factor, not the money. Sayako moved along with the security guard. The guard asking Momoko to accompany him wasn't altogether unexpected, but she also murmured: "I'm in that video too, so you'll want me along as well." It would have been true even if the phone hadn't clearly captured her approaching the boy just before the phone was lifted by an unseen hand from her pocket, and in its last moments of recording, showed identical feet and shoes to her own walking along the floor as she tried to unlock it and find the stop-recording button. Susumu, who stood slightly hunched, turned to face the guard and schooled his expression into something appropriate for a Poker table. The way he stood didn't look necessary in the slightest--it was as if he thought, but forcing his back and head into such a painful-looking posture, he cut a more intimidating, impressive figure. Somehow. Sayako wasn't sure how that thought could have entered into any sane human being's mind, though! "Dropped it ten feet from where I was standing? Sure," he said suspiciously. His voice was low, and Sayako thought it might have been the boy trying to do with his voice what he did with his posture. The voice sounded a little less artificial than his stance looked, but only a little. "...I suppose I could have dropped it on the way in, and then picked it up, accidentally hit the record button, and then dropped it again. I'm kinda clumsy. I drop my phone all the time. You don't want to know how much money I blow replacing those things." This was actually true! Sort of. Multiple times during his illustrious career, Susumu had "dropped" a phone in the river because someone was onto him, and been forced to buy a new one, transfer his service over, and eat the cost. It usually only took about a tenth of his month's earnings if ad revenue was good, so it was no skin off his nose. Yet the boy's eyes, which were a startling share of silvery-gray, flitted from the security guard to Momoko, Sayako, and finally Mai, hovering on her as if he could smell her nervousness. Slowly, the boy extended his hand, palm upward, and began to say, "You can hand that over to me now, if you don't mind. You can't tell me to go anywhere I don't want to, sir. And if I find you've looked through my phone--" "He didn't, but I did. In fact, that phone has evidence of a pickpocketing on it, since it was recording when I picked your phone from its pocket. Wouldn't you like to go to the security office and collect that evidence? If my phone were stolen from my pocket, I'd want to do something about that, myself." Susumu's eyes snapped back to Sayako, and the color drained from his face. "You--what did you see?" he hissed. "I--no, what's it matter? Give me back my phone. You have no right to hold it." "Maybe he doesn't," Sayako said through her teeth. "But he knows enough to make sure every security guard in this shopping center keeps half an eye on you from now on, and to warn shop-owners to be wary of a boy matching your description if he seems to be hovering in their shop too long without buying anything... doesn't he?" Susumu's upper lip twitched away from the bottom for a second, but he decided his best bet was to focus on the security guard. His intention at this point was clear: to take the phone and get out. But Sayako wasn't quite done with this boy yet. What happened next might well depend on the security guard's reaction to her bald admission to picking this boy's pocket to get at the evidence, though. |
![]() |
|
| Supnitle | Feb 14 2016, 01:56 AM Post #36 |
![]()
Monika Apologist
![]()
|
Mai stayed back with Yuki, watching the situation unfold with an uncertain look on her face. The security guard seemed to understand the situation, and he was accosting the perpetrator along with Sayako and Momoko. She couldn't quite tell how things were going, but from the looks of it, things were tense. In the middle of the conversation, the ne'er-do-well looked over at Mai, and his gaze stayed for an uncomfortable amount of time. Mai's eyes widened and she took an unconscious step backwards. She bit her lip and glanced over at Yuki. "Um... think it'll be okay?" She asked. |
![]() |
|
| Ket | Feb 29 2016, 11:11 PM Post #37 |
|
"W-w-what? W-well..uh." Momoko stiffened slightly when she was addressed by the guard. It seemed she was to go with him. Momoko wasn't sure if that was such a good idea, but at the same time, she was really given no choice. In truth she was thankful when Sayako asked to come with as well. At the very least she wouldn't have to be alone with a guard and some scummy asshole. Momoko wrinkled her nose as they got near enough to the boy. He even SMELLED scummy. What did he bath in garbage and cheap cologne? HAH! You're funny when you're mad. Either way, she did her best to remain silent through it all. Both her feelings of rage and embarrassment only grew as time went on. She knew she was small, she knew she wasn't good in a fight, but assholes like him had a huge weakness she could exploit. Aleph had found that out once. HAHAHA! Seriously keep this up! She began to gnaw on her thumbnail as the exchange went on. This was frustrating to say the least. The boy was acting like a complete brat and the guard couldn't even do anything about it! The situation seemed to take a sudden twist as Sayako straight up ADMITTED to pick pocketing the boy. Momoko gave her a worried look, but it seemed like Sayako knew what she was doing here... She would like to help somehow at least, but honestly the only thing she could think of involved physical violence. Sadly her plan of glaring at him till he broke down wasn't seem to be working. She'd just have to bide her time until she could be useful or think of something non-violent... Edited by Ket, Feb 29 2016, 11:24 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| Nonsequitur | Mar 2 2016, 01:50 AM Post #38 |
|
Yellow Bubblegum
|
"Yes, I see." The guard's voice wasn't especially concerned by Susumu's words, and he made no attempt to disguise that apathy in his voice. In truth his attention was divided between the chatter on the radio in the task at hand. He was neither surprised nor perturbed when the attempt to bluff him into sticking around failed. But from the sounds of it, they had proof independent of his phone. But the good news kept coming that day when Sayako all but confessed that she'd stolen the phone. "Is that so…?" There was an ominous hint to that question. It was probably fairly obvious to the young man, but one sheltered might not have known it however. Meanwhile, as this was happening, Yuki was observing the situation. He couldn't hear what was happening either. All he had to work with was body language. Momoko was excitable. the punk seemed to be pleading for someone to beat him senseless and the guard had his back to him. There was something off about Sayako's actions. She just up and said something big. At least it seemed that way if the guard was as taken aback as he guessed. When Suzumu turned his attention to Mai, Yuki casually crossed the line of sight. He stared back towards him with an irritated and disinterested look. He wasn't trying to be intimidating or anything so childish, but he also had no plans to look away. The guard spoke. "So…we don't need to see anything on this phone to prove you are the one who left this…prank set. One which has damaged this young woman's property, yes?" he held it up, still no signs he was just going to cheerfully comply. Instead he nodded to Momoko before he kept going. "We here at Tanjiro do not take such acts lightly." He might have had his bluff seen though, but he thought he noticed something a bit off about how quick he was to get his phone back. It went a bit above and beyond how attached at the hip most teenagers were to their devices in his estimate. Even if it meant watching him squirm and ensuring no one would be bothered by it in their establishment again, he applied pressure. "Given how…overzealous this other young lady has been and combined with the previous incident. I think it would have been best if we all went down to the nearest police koban and had them sort this matter out right away, hmm?" Sayako's volunteering that she stole it opened her up to some trouble too. The guard wasn't going to toss her to the wolves just yet if it meant denying Susumu getting his way, but he did need to build a good case to bring before someone with more clout than a banning of a public place. He gave the punk a plastic, disingenuous smile, service with a side of sardonic. "So, what do you say we go get this all cleared up right now, hmm? I'm sure you don't mind, you seemed in such a hurry to be done with and on your way, but it seems to have quickly gone over my head so can't be helped, you see?" |
![]() |
|
| The One True Nobody | Mar 2 2016, 04:35 AM Post #39 |
|
"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
|
It was the first thing to truly clue Sayako in that something was wrong here beyond the simplicity of a prankster posting videos of his own ill-willed shenanigans to the Internet. When the security guard mentioned going to the police, a subtle stiffening of Susumu's back put her on-guard. It was something she probably wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been trained to watch an opponent's body language during her martial arts lessons. Such subtle tells could be used to figure out if an opponent was about to go on the attack, or about to retreat, or even just being a little more careful than usual. But this was reflexive, like a jump-scare barely suppressed. This boy was afraid to go to the police, and that seemed a bit of an over-reaction considering what he'd done... the most he had to worry about here was a slap on the wrist. Unless there was something she didn't know about. Susumu's mind raced. He wanted to snatch the phone away, give the guard a snide reply, and walk away. It was clear he wouldn't be able to come back to this particular mall after this. But he didn't expect the guard would just let him take the phone, and trying to snatch it away would be akin to refusing a breathalyzer test: all but admitting his guilt. Moreover, this... bitch had maneuvered him into a position where refusing to go along with having his phone checked out by a police officer or security guard would clearly signify that he had something to hide--by making it so that he could paint himself as the victim of a crime if he didn't hide anything. But what was on that phone was far worse than--oh, jeez. "Just--just give me my phone back, man!" Susumu half-whined, falling into a put-upon act out of instinct--one which, had he been thinking about it, wasn't too dissimilar from a misbehaving child trying and failing to act indignant when a parent accused them of lying. "I don't have time for this shit." He refused to acknowledge the damage to Momoko's phone. Acknowledging it, taking blame for it? Fuck that noise... Sayako folded her arms over her chest and shrugged, looking to the security guard. "I'd like to talk to a police officer," she said with a little shrug. "I mean to say, I feel kind of guilty about picking someone's pocket. But they might think I'm wasting their time if I don't actually show them what I stole, wouldn't they? Might think I'm messing with them for a laugh. I really think it's best if you hold onto that so we can talk to one..." Susumu's jaw tightened, and Sayako noticed his frame tense up all the more: he looked like he wanted to sprint away... was he really that afraid of being caught playing dangerous pranks, or...? "It's my phone, ain't it?" he mumbled. "I don't care if you took it, I just want it back." |
![]() |
|
| Ket | Mar 8 2016, 12:50 AM Post #40 |
|
"H-hey!" Momoko finally piped up as the conversation went on. She definitely noticed that he had simply danced around the subject of her broken phone. There was no way she'd let him get out of at least paying for a new one! "Your s-stupid prank cost m-me my phone, at least t-take responsibility f-for it!" She crossed her arms and huffed, staring daggers into the boy. She couldn't help but notice how adamant he was about retrieving his phone. Sadly, she didn't think far past her angry. She only saw some weasel trying to squirm his way out of some proper punishment. I wish I could record your thoughts. She thought for one moment, wanting to help get him dragged to the police station as well. "I think w-we should take i-it to the police. I-I bet he w-was gonna post i-it online." She turned to the officer as she spoke, intentionally speaking like he wasn't even there. That kind of stuff infuriated people. Being locked in her room for a good portion of her life, she knew quite well that videos like these sprouted up on the internet all the time. "M-maybe it even sh-shows him s-s-setting it up!" Naturally he'd be smart enough not to show his face. Well...maybe not. Either way all she was trying to do at this point was corner the little bastard. |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Tanjiro Shopping Center · Next Topic » |
| Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
1:06 PM Jul 11
|









1:06 PM Jul 11