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Like Goddamn Adults For A Change; [Kyo, Eri, Yu, Makoto, Seiji, Maki, Shin - Closed]
Topic Started: Apr 2 2017, 07:17 PM (560 Views)
The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
The meeting was on a Sunday, early afternoon. Kyo was in the grumpiest mood she'd been for a long while, exacerbated by other concerns, but mostly at the current situation. Having sent Kou Goto that final e-mail, she'd done the only responsible thing she could think of doing: she'd messaged Yu and Makoto, asking both of them to come to her office on the fourth floor of the building at the edge of uptown Nagashima. Funny how it was only now, while she was busy keeping an eye out for signs of Black Hood observation, that she'd actually started conducting some whacked-out approximation of business here.

"...I still can't believe that boy recorded the two of you... doing... that... without you knowing," Eri spoke up. Kyo glanced left. She'd informed her mother, for once, about the whole stupid situation, including all relevant background information. Which meant, among other things, everything she knew about Makoto Nakagawa and why she was so worried about this.

Eri looked understandably disgusted, but a few seconds later, she added, to Kyo's surprise: "I hope it still hurts, subconsciously. When he remembers it. So he doesn't do it again."

Kyo snorted. "What, like a trained dog?"

"Yes. The son of a bitch."

Kyo let out a sharp cackle, then went silent again.

They were sitting together in the main room of the office, which had gone mostly-unoccupied lately for reasons best not dwelled upon when there were other stressful things to take care of. The room now had a few new pieces of furniture, which had been on Kyo's shopping list for quite some time but which she'd skimped on until the day before this meeting. Two cheap sofas and a coffee table, a comfortable place for a mid-sized group to sit and talk. Kyo hoped that one day this office would serve as a base of operations for Persona-users on top of being where her neighborhood watch initiative was coordinated, but that wasn't likely to happen until they tracked down Control and put a stop to the Black Hoods, so...

...yeah, best not to dwell on that while there were other stressful things to take care of.

Kyo looked up at the clock on the wall, to the right of the office door. She would likely hear them before they arrived, since the only way in was the staircase-railing in the back lot. The situation was in danger of escalating to a new level of stupid (and dangerous), so Kyo had decided to cut the crap and get the twins in here to talk about this like goddamn adults for a change.

To that end, she'd invited not only the twins, but two police officers, Seiji (one of Yu's only other friends), and Chieko (Makoto's girlfriend, who hopefully could reign the asshole in if he got out of hand). She had no idea what order they'd show up in, but she hadn't told Makoto or Yu that they wouldn't be the only ones involved in this. Only that it was important, and best discussed in person. And that she wouldn't take no for an answer, so they had both better fucking get there.

Shin, Maki, Seiji, and Chieko had been given a vague explanation that this was vital to preventing Kou Goto's prophecied murder, but beyond that, she'd just said she'd explain when they got there. Coordinating the schedules had been a bitch, of course, but things were on track. Hopefully. And hopefully someone would restrain Kyo if she felt the need to kick the idiot in the nuts again.
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Nonsequitur
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Yellow Bubblegum
Seiji Fujiwara was nothing if not punctual. Especially when it involved helping his first real recent friend who didn't wear skirts regularly (not his first male friend since entering high school, but that was a tale for another day.)

He climbed up the stairs with a bit of reluctance. His relationship with Kyo was…yeah, could have been better. They started off on the wrong foot of her suppressed self given a mouthpiece that cut him deeper than he'd have liked to admit with a throwaway insult, then confessed to being super pals with public enemy number one.

That set up a gulf with them, and frankly both of them were too low priorities in one another's life to try and fix that. The problem was with him anyways, so that's where the onus to do something should have came from but…even still she rubbed him the wrong way. If not for all the magical powers thing and Kyo getting involved in everything with everybody they'd never have spoken two words to each other.

Maybe he was still digesting that fact on top of a difference in seeing eye to eye on most things? "Charinko, I'm coming in. Officer Yamada's pulling up." The deadpan half-assed greeting/announcement came before anyone had a chance to hear a car, but there was the sound of an approaching motor vehicle moments later. Just as he opened the door and stepped inside.

The door opened and there he was. Since Kyo'd seen him last, he'd bulked up (but only marginally), he was clad in jeans, a dark blue t-shirt and an untucked, unopened baseball Jersey. The colors and dragon logo didn't match any local or major league ball clubs, but Seiji was often seen in that outfit and similar ones like it around town. He also had a neat, clean haircut. The same as he usually did, but tidier. He frowned and glanced around with his hands in his jeans pockets.

Eri actually got a proper greeting. He dipped his head deferentially. "Charinko-san. Good evening." He could tell plain as day that Makoto, Yu or the others weren't gathered yet, so he didn't ask. He was going to ask why a college student needed an office, but you know what?

Fuck it. Someone else was gonna ask before the evening was over. He'd just spare everyone the trouble of repeating and hear it when they brought it up.
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The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Eri stood up. Kyo grinned in an uncomfortable way and made no move to return the greeting. Her mother glanced her way a moment, looking for a moment as if she wanted to ask about the tension between the two of them, but seemed to think better of it. She walked around the table and bowed to Seiji. "Hello, Fujiwara-kun. Welcome. You can leave your shoes right there. Would you like something to drink? We've a small refrigerator full of refreshments for meetings like these — "

"Not so much meetings like this one, but meetings," Kyo admitted, shrugging. "I haven't told many people about this place, but I'm settin' it up as a coordination base. For explorin' the ruins, y'know. Also for my own stuff, but with the right equipment... well, anyway, that's on hold until the Black Hood threat is taken care of."

The green-haired girl stood up, seemingly restless, and walked around the sofa to the back of the office, past her desk to look out the window. She seemed to be looking for Maki Yamada's car or any sign of the twins. Eri smiled and waited for Seiji's answer about the refreshments, adding to Kyo's explanation: "She was telling me that it would be better for everyone if we had an official headquarters of sorts, so it isn't all message boards and shady warehouses. Anyway... soda, juice, water? We have some snacks, too."
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Nonsequitur
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Yellow Bubblegum
Yeah, he bet she did say that…

"Can't say I really like the idea."


He slipped his glasses further up his nose, tapping the area connecting the lenses. It was a cliche as old as anime, and come to think of it he developed the habit of doing that when he was thinking from anime too.

Well, when he stopped and thought about where they were and filtered out a lot of the people Kyo knew and the sorts they were, one possibility stood out. "A headquarter's only useful if there's a chain of command and a clear leader to direct everyone's effort, though. I've not really been fond of going to the ruins any other way than ad hoc. Militarizing this whole affair makes me very uncomfortable."

It was a lot of things. A combination of how he was raised, just the nature of where he grew up causing him to recoil from that and the fact that he'd seen firsthand of the results just around town. When he slipped off his shoes, set them neatly aside and got some slippers he once again addressed Eri less dry than he'd answered Kyo. "No thanks, ma'am. I don't have much of a thirst. Nor appetite."

Yeah, best not to think too hard about linking what was happening before them to stories of the 'bad old days' when his mother's mother was not much older than he was and the kinds of armed posses that rode out before the war…

He sighed and noted how morbid everything turned since he'd gotten a Persona. There was a time he'd have just grinned and answered 'cool, like Featherman!' at an HQ, not start lamenting in his internal monologue like an old tired veteran.

He sighed and wandered over to a window for a moment and looked out it. Glancing down at the street, he noted that it was a great place to get line of sight with a lot of the street below. In his informed assessment, he offered. "This is like playing a game on easy difficulty for someone with Analysis trying to put faces to Personas, you know. Both ways."

Of course she did!. That was the point, wasn't it? Kyo never did anything obvious without some ulterior motive. A clever and sly way of dealing with villains and the deranged weirdos who seemed to gain powers in the city, but made her a hard person to want to get to know if you had Seiji's straightforward temperament.

"I'd liked to have shown up with Yu, but he and his brother need to get their heads together I guess…"


Maki's same car was there. She was dressed in a dark green pantsuit as she often wore and she was coming up the one staircase. Seiji was waiting besides the door and before she had an opportunity to knock opened it.

"Yamada-san. I think it's just us for now."


"I see…have you been well Fujiwara-san? Charinko-san, Eri you aren't inconvenienced by the abrupt move?"
She slipped off her shoes as she exchanged professional cordial greetings. Seiji moved aside to let her in and closed the door behind her and wandered off to find a seat.

Kyo herself seemed to be the biggest contributor to stress in Maki's life that wasn't her own fault. She actually considered Eri one of her few real friends and found her to be a delightful roommate. That they were related felt like a cosmic joke at her expense.

She stepped inside and assessed. "Quite defensible. Likely fire resistant as well. But the Black Hood's pains to adversely affect those not directly involve mean that's not likely anyways." She looked to Kyo. "Other than the stairs, the other point of exit is climbing out the window?"

She didn't have a bit of hostility in her voice, but it was impossible to describe how she addressed Kyo as anything but the barest minimum of professional courtesies.
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The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Kyo shrugged at Seiji's response and just said, "Not lookin' t' force anyone t' use it."

Kyo didn't leave the window, remaining where she was while they waited for Detective Yamada to ascend the rear stairs outside. Eri, who had nodded in acceptance when Seiji declined her offer, went to greet Maki and smiled warmly as she entered. "Not at all," she said. "And I don't know about fire resistant, but we did get the windows replaced... it would take some doing to break them, they're designed to hold against force. Expensive, though."

There was a strained look in Eri's eye as she noted this last detail. The Kirihara budget hadn't covered all of their renovations, unfortunately. At this point, Kyo finally turned from the window, and gave Maki a wan smile.

"Have ya seen any pigs flyin' outside? I'm callin' the adults for a change," said the green-haired girl. "Jokin' aside... thanks for comin', Detective. I know we ain't seen eye-to-eye on much, but I feel better havin' ya here. Same for Inspector Imoto, when he gets here, of course. Anyway, I'm gonna get a can o' soda. If you want anything before the shit hits the fan, I'll grab somethin' for ya. Seiji's already declined. We've got iced coffee, too, by the way."

Eri moved to sit back down on one of the two couches set on either side of the table at the front. As Kyo made her way to the side-room on the right, the one separated from the main office by a large, translucent window, she listened for a response from Maki. Either way, she would either return with a can of root beer just for herself or with the added cargo of whatever Maki asked for.
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Nonsequitur
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Yellow Bubblegum
"Are you even up to lead? The Archangels was Fyodor's live action Toku cosplay show and when you do things there's not big on working with others and more doing your own thing alone because no one can keep up." He answered level to Kyo's response that no one had to use it. He seemed to be losing the battle to stay civil as he responded. "We've tried banding together before. If you go beyond a trusted circle of friends, it becomes a disaster. So, I'll say it again: It doesn't matter if there's a headquarters or not, for wide reaching things like this has planned out you're going to need a leader, you're going to need a chain of command and you're going to need to drill in discipline."

He he counted off his points on his fingers and glared back at her. "In short, you're going to try and make an army, I think that's a bad fucking idea for a lot of reasons. And the only thing worse is playing this slapdash and hoping for the best. Because then the only difference between this and the pathetic shit-show Serizawa tried to get going is how much money Kirihara-san has pumped into it."

After a pause, he turned to Eri. "Pardon the language, ma'am."

Maki cleared her though. "I don't think this is the time or venue for this argument, Fujiwara-san. Would you share your objections with Charinko-san in private another time?"

Seiji nodded and waved his hand, conceding to speak of it no further.

"Charinko-san, I never doubted you would work with anyone so long as they went along with your methods regardless of their age."
To Eri's request, she smiled. "The strongest coffee available, please."

She found a seat while she waited. "I've encountered the Nakagawa brothers. The name Kou Goto didn't mean anything in particular to me before the prediction message. I'm not surprised Makoto Nakagawa is the prime suspect. I've met the twins before and their first impressions did not leave me impressed."

"He threatened to attack or kill someone in front of you, right?"
Maki didn't answer him, but he got to know the detective as well as Kyo, and usually under much friendlier circumstances. The way she declined to answer meant he was probably spot-on but she didn't want to speak more of it.
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The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
"I'm not tryin' to build an army and I'm sure as shit not suited t' be a leader," Kyo snapped, turning sharply toward Seiji as she stepped out of the side-room with a tall can of iced coffee and a root beer in hand. "I'm trying to establish a hub so that we can communicate and coordinate between multiple teams in the ruins. In case you ain't noticed, it's the size of a city down there."

Eri sighed, and shook her head. She looked back and forth between the two teenagers, and cleared her throat. "I agree with Detective Yamada, this isn't the time for argument, but to clear the air about something... officially, I'm supposed to be the one running things at the office. That extends to Persona-user matters. If you want to think of it as a mission control hub, that would be the best name for it, but Kyo and I both agree that trying to force a leader into the mix wouldn't work."

Shaking her head, she waved Kyo over to the table and added, "But it's all moot at this point. We don't have all of the equipment we'd need for this yet."

She turned back to Maki. Kyo strode over in a huff, and as she handed the Detective her coffee, there was a strange look on her face, but she seemed to be trying to angle herself away from Seiji to hide it from him. A tightness of the lips, a twitching of the eyelids, a strange glistening. As if she were trying not to cry from frustration.

"Anyway, Maki-san," Eri said. "Kou Goto is the twins' father. He was recently released from prison... and there was almost an attempt to put him back there, until someone intervened and put a stop to it. Kyo wouldn't tell me the details." She glanced up sharply at her daughter. "But she insists it wasn't her who meddled in it this time. She heard it about it secondhand."

"I can speak for myself, but yeah, I only heard about it after the fact," Kyo grumbled. It seemed this topic had distracted Kyo form the onset of an emotional breakdown: now she just looked furious. "If Seiji would like t' inform us o' that part, he can feel free. Best t' wait until everyone's here, though."
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Nonsequitur
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For all his ability to pick up on little details of the supernatural sense, Seiji could be dense as a brick for subtle, inter-personal relationships. The notion that he might have dug a bit too deep, and did more than irritate Kyo with his words floated just out of reach. Just out of sight.

He just glanced to the side and grunted. He was content to simply survey every part of the room Kyo currently wasn't occupying.

At least until she sent the less than subtle hint his way. With a faux-innocent grin he shrugged. "Well, I could… but I think it would be better if Charinko-san found out from Makoto. Y'know, the whole thing being his idea and all."

Maki was somewhat more in tune as to what was happening. She had antagonized Kyo to a point to know he crossed a line. Whether or not he meant to or not was irrelevant. Besides, it wasn't her she was trying to totally mask the reaction from.

But when the back and forth wasn't stopping, she had to put her foot down. "Fujiwara-san!" She didn't so much raise for voice as hiss. There was something in her tone that demanded respect or promised dire consequences.

Seiji sat up straight like he was shocked. "I'm sorry, I-"

"That. Is. Quite. Enough. I know you're here to provide support for Yu Nakagawa. Your privilege to do so is entirely contingent on your ability to cause no further disruptions. If that is not possible, I will throw you out myself."


Seiji was definitely one of the 'good' kids. So he clearly wasn't used to being on the bad side of an authority figure. Maki and Seiji didn't resemble two human beings in that moment so much as a lioness pinning down a gazelle with nothing more than a mean glare as it moved in for the kill.

Seiji was giving what she said serious consideration. Especially the 'throw you out myself' part. Because it was a long way down and her tone made it worryingly hard to tell if she meant literally or not.

She turned to Eri. "As Fujiwara-san has told me. Makoto Nakagawa agreed to a proposed a plan to entrap Kou Goto. A honeypot of sorts. Chika Nakadachi volunteered to attempt to get Goto-san to violate the terms of his parole. This would be done via an abuse of charm magic." She was beyond disappointed when she was told that. She did her best not to let her voice betray that as she plaintively.

"Goddamned coward tried to throw Nakadachi under the bus with his first breath after we spoke about it…"
Seiji spat, even if it risked getting him expelled from this meeting even before the main people showed up.

Didn't they fucking know the kinds of things misusing those kinds of abilities can do to people? Due process got thrown out the window the first time it was inconvenient 'cause fuck that, we all got magic powers!
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The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
"It was Chika's idea. She would have told you as much, if ya'd asked. Not that I know if Makoto'd have told the truth if it hadn't been."

Kyo's manner had shifted yet again. She'd been thrown off, visibly, when Maki spoke up to tell Seiji not to cause any further disruptions. When she turned to look at the boy, she looked, of all things, a little humbled, and also somber. Eri's hands went to her mouth to cover a gasp. Her eyes flitted back and forth between Maki and Kyo, and when the woman lowered her hands, all she could say was: "No..."

"What you have to understand about Chika," Kyo said softly, "is that she's far too used t' dirtyin' her hands in the name of 'what needs to be done.' She almost cut the rope that held her up when Toru Watanabe held her hostage... with the right motivation, she'd sacrifice anythin' of her own for any cause that seemed important enough. Her life, her honor, her dignity. It's not any kinda ill will that she made that decision with. And when her memories were taken from her in the ruins that night, the part of her that died wasn't the part that was willing t' do that kinda thing. It was the part that already did, and failed. She might be even more prone to it now than she was before she ascended; I don't know. The old Chika 'died' and a new one replaced her, that night. She's happier, no doubt. But it's not as if she was magically just 'fixed.' More like 'reshuffled.'"

Eri shook her head, apparently lost in the dust of Kyo's explanation. Her daughter looked down, bit her lip, and shook her own head.

"Never mind," Kyo said. "It'll make sense eventually, I think. But never mind. The point is, it was a thing. I wasn't aware Seiji told ya about it already, though. I found out about three days ago. Chika wouldn't tell me at first. I think she knew I'd blow a gasket, and well, I did. Least I ain't Nana; I think she'd've slapped her upside the head for that. She never did like seein' anyone but herself doin' shit like that."

Kyo snorted, and shook her head, looking to the door.

"Speaking of, I invited Makoto's girlfriend t' this little pow-wow," she said lightly. "The two things a man fears more'n death itself, the cops and his own girlfriend. Should I borrow a nuke silo from the military for added deterence, or d'ya think this is enough?"
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Nonsequitur
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Hey, cool it.

He didn't appreciate the fullness of of Kyo's look now that she could actually make eye contact with him again. He paused as he felt the notion of Amon-Ra's rich, sonorous voice rumbling though his mind again.

You've already said a few things that can't be taken back easily. Doesn't matter who's right or wrong, not as much as you think at least. You don't wanna double down.

It'd been a while since his Persona spoke to him. The more stable he felt, and the more he could feel it's quiet was more of an approving thing. 'You're staying the course, so no need for me to warn you.'

But there it was.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, intentionally waiting to answer until he had his feet under him again. A bit closer to his usual cool-headed self.

"I did speak with Chika…"
He said, calmly, slowly and deliberately. "I went and spoke to her as soon as possible right after I stepped into that mess. I didn't think she'd be the kind to just ruin someone's life."

He cut off any objections at the source, raising his finger. "And that wasn't her intention! I know that. I doubt she realizes how easily that could have gone wrong for that reason and even worse than that. How that very idea veered so far off any past gray areas it wasn't even a bad joke."

He looked back over the window again at the skyline. "How all this martyr complex bullshit hits the people that care about you a hundred times worse than any 'price' you think you're paying for the greater good. I'm as aware of what Chika's given up for the sake of others as anybody."

She was nothing but a friend now. And one he actually kept a respectful distance from, but once before Suzu was the best thing that ever happened to him…

"I can't do anything about problems I'm not informed of, Charinko-san. Fujiwara was right to let me know."


Eri was the only one there who didn't know the whole story, and this time, Maki was not going to let her know just how far Chika was willing to go for the sake of others. Rather than let her contemplate that further she made a rather transparent attempt to shift focus elsewhere.

"Other than the Nakagawa-brothers, Goto-San, Sh…Detective Imoto and the mentioned girlfriend, was anyone else invited?"

Was Sanae going to be their special guest star? At this point, she wouldn't have been surprised at all.
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