𝓵𝓪𝓫𝔂𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓱𝓾𝓶 ❀ 𝓲𝓷𝓫𝓸𝔁

[girlybruiser]

ＩＮＢＯＸ 𝕥𝕖𝕩𝕥 💬 ✦ 𝕒𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕠 📞 ✦ 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 📹 ✦ 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 🎬 𝕔𝕠𝕕𝕖 𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕥

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[petsthedog]

[He sighs. These types never do shit the easy way. Shinjiro catches the fist flung at him, stretching his arm up to gain an opening for a headbutt, before slamming an elbow into his gut for good measure.

He rounds on the other one, then, cracking his knuckles as he approaches.]

You want a piece too? Or are you gonna be smarter than the other guy?

[girlybruiser]

[ The threat is effective; the other dragonkin picks up his friend from off the ground, a dull groan escaping him.

Haru grimaces at all of it. That looks mighty painful, but she is grateful someone stepped in before it had gotten out of hand. ]

We don't want to see you poking around again, you hear?

[ The conscious one says to Haru, who bristles a bit.

They turn and head off, leaving Haru and Shinjiro alone finally. Haru presses up against the wall, hand to her chest to let out a sigh. ]

... they've finally left. My heart feels like it might jump out of my chest...

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro watches them go, not turning around until they're out of his line of sight. He rubs at the back of his neck tiredly.]

Those types are a pain in the ass. Talk a big game when they think they're tougher than someone, but they're really just cowards.

[He's met more than his share of them, in his days hanging around that sketchy alley. He rolls a shoulder in a casual shrug before he shifts his attention to her properly, looking her over.]

You ain't hurt, are you?

[girlybruiser]

I'm fine, thank you.

[ When she peels herself off the wall, she gives Shinjiro another look over.

Oh, yes. She's met him before at Maruki's dinner.

And the last Sleepr revealed much worrisome information between him, Akihiko, and most importantly, Ken. ]

Thank you... truly. I am not sure what I would have done if you hadn't stepped in.

[ Perhaps One Shot Kill them if she had to, but it feels unnecessarily cruel. ]

[petsthedog]

[The second thanks flusters him a little; he rubs at his neck, looking at some very interesting point on the wall behind her rather than her face.]

Don't mention it. No big deal, really; those punks were pissing me off.

[I-it's not like he wanted to help because he's a nice person or anything...!! baka.]

Why were they gettin' in your face, anyway? Wandered onto their turf by mistake or somethin'?

[She doesn't seem like someone who goes out of her way to stick her nose into trouble, but they've only really spoken a couple times.]

[girlybruiser]

Ah, that's...

[ Her hands lace behind her back, fingers twiddling idly before she looks up at Shinjiro. ]

I believe they may have been associated with the criminal gang that was involved in a trial I sat on jury duty for recently. Someone followed me last time, too.

[ She doesn't seem scared, in all honesty, just more annoyed than anything else. ]

I hope they have not been harassing the other jurors involved.

[ Should she be worried about Akechi?

Flashes of red stained hand prints and a knife cross her mind's eye.

... no, he should be fine. He's a detective, among other things; he can take care of himself. ]

[petsthedog]

Oh yeah, saw the flyer for that on the quest board.

[It had felt so strange and jarring to see in a world where everything went mad every couple months, where there barely seem to be laws in the first place.]

So they're bullyin' people who didn't decide in their favor, huh? How pathetic can you get, really.

[Maybe he should've hit that guy harder `_` Ah well.]

Where're you headed now?

[He's not quite offering to walk her home, but, well. If he gets asked ... it's not something he minds doing. And if she's not going home ... he may or may not coincidentally be heading the same way. Super convenient.]

[girlybruiser]

[ Haru can't help a nod. If there's anything that makes her stomach churn with disgust, it's the abuse of power, including literal abuse that they seemed so openly willing to commit against her.

And it's not as if the trial ended in a way that didn't benefit them either, if they are who she thinks they are. ]

It's unforgivable, I know. I think they also threatened the victim who testified against them during that trial.

[ Shinjiro's question catches her by surprise. ]

Oh! I was headed to my store as I had some business to attend to there. [ Is he offering...? ] ... you're Akihiko-kun's friend, aren't you?

[ And Ken's... something. ]

[petsthedog]

[…Unforgivable, is it. That’s a stronger word than Shinjiro had intended, and paints something of a picture. He finds himself wondering, suddenly, what she’d think of him. It might be refreshing for someone to think he’s unforgivable, for a change.

He’s not about to bring it up, though, and at any rate, he’s handily distracted by the second part of what she says, eyebrows shooting up a bit, semi-disappearing into the beanie.]

Damn, didn’t know you guys were that close already. Yeah, that’s me.

[He shakes his head, as though to wave off the thought.]

The cafe, right? Saw Arisato signin’ up to work there … he’s a reliable guy. Can’t go wrong with ‘im.

[He’s really bad at offering outright. But he doesn’t seem to be making any move to leave or disengage from the conversation, either.]

I’ll have to check it out when it’s open.

[girlybruiser]

Oh, does it come across that way?

[ Haru slips into affectionate honourifics so often with people she likes, she doesn't realize the implications of doing so. ]

You know Arisato Minato?

[ Wait, are they all from the same world, then?

She'll get back to the cafe in a bit, but there's a lot of new information connecting here. So Ken, Akihiko, Shinjiro and Minato all know one another?

It doesn't occur to her Minato might be a Persona user, if only because Chihaya is from her world and has zero idea (as far as she knows) about their Personas and escapades in the Metaverse. ]

[petsthedog]

I’ve only known one other person who calls him by his first name, is all.

[He shrugs, having shaken off the surprise pretty quickly.]

S’good for him to have more friends, though. That guy gets tunnel vision about his goals real bad sometimes, doesn’t pay enough attention to himself in all that.

[King Hypocrite over here but listen. He’s gotta look out for bestie, especially now.

Anyway. He’s not sure how much Arisato’s said, and he’s about the only one of them that didn’t get outed on Sleepr, so he keeps it vague.]

Yeah. He’s a second-year at our school. We happened to live at the same dorm for awhile, too.

[girlybruiser]

It's good that you all have each other here.

[ And then there's Ken.

She's been concerned about him, the pain he's been dealt, even if on accident by Shinjiro.

Ken seems to understand that, and it's not the capacity for vengeance that concerns her as much as Ken being the youngest she's met here who seems to have been dealt an unfortunate hand in life. Haru knows the pain of parental loss and one that was met with a violent end.

Based on what Akihiko had said, it sounds as if they all had been dealt something unlucky.

After all, she remembers Shinjiro's first profile she had encountered on Sleepr. A dead boy walking. What does she even say to that? ]

... um, if it is not too much trouble, would you perhaps walk with me to the cafe? I am unsure if those two will begin tailing me again.

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro makes some vaguely acknowledging noise at the first sentiment; he's not sure how much it counts as "having" him when he hasn't talked much to Arisato or Amada, save for some uncomfortable run-ins and awkward check-ins, but he doesn't dislike having them around -- despite not really knowing how to act or what to say around them.

Luckily, Okumura throws him a lifeline by way of making that request instead of waiting for him to offer, and he nods promptly.]

Sure, I don't mind. Lead the way.

[girlybruiser]

Thank you.

[ She adjusts her purse strap on her shoulders, smoothing out her dress as she now gets her wits about her.

Even with Shinjiro, who strikes an imposing figure, it's good for her to be alert in a world where magic seems to go awry. Thankfully, she's regained Milady and can be ready this time.

They head straight down the street for now, Haru allowing silence to settle between them for a few minutes before she speaks up: ]

How have you been, Aragaki-san?

[petsthedog]

[He's perfectly comfortable in the silence, never one who's needed to fill them with empty words, though he does blink when she speaks to him again. He wasn't expecting her to ask after him, honestly.]

Huh? Been alright, I guess. 'Bout as much as you can be around here, anyway.

[Based on his experience, the other shoe is going to drop on whatever bullshit will happen next ... very soon, but for now: he's solidly Alright, which is as good as it gets with him, really.]

[girlybruiser]

What do you mean?

[ As far as Haru has learned in this world, that saying and its meaning varies between many people. ]

[petsthedog]

[He rolls a shoulder, casual.]

Y'know how it is by now, yeah? It's one of those months between shit hittin' the fan and splatterin' all over the ceiling. Calm before the storm or whatever, and you can't do shit other than just wait. S'obnoxious.

[girlybruiser]

[ He's not wrong about that... at times, there's a foreboding sense when things are too quiet, waiting for the other shoe to drop, etc.

Haru turns left down a street, moving to a corner and waiting to cross, looking both ways before venturing forward. ]

You have been here somewhat longer than myself, haven't you? When was it you arrived again?

[petsthedog]

[He continues to follow along, hands tucked into his coat pockets as usual. He checks behind him from time to time as well, to be sure the dragonkin aren't following with the intent to come at her again as soon as he leaves.]

Yeah, by a couple months, anyway. Showed up in January.

[girlybruiser]

Was it just you at first? Or did you have some friends here with you?

[ She's trying not to ask so directly; instead, taking her time, just as she does when they cross the street and begin heading down the block ]

[petsthedog]

[He's pretty sure this question's leading somewhere, but honestly, Shinjiro has very little to hide anymore, so he's content with just answering and letting her take the conversation where she wants.]

Just me until March, yeah. Amada and Arisato showed up about the same time. Aki was last.

[If she had any lingering question as to how close those two are, the nickname in contrast with how he addresses literally everyone else is probably a big hint.]

[girlybruiser]

[ It definitely draws her attention, but Akihiko had already explained they were close childhood friends.

In spite of how gruff Shinjiro appears, and how formal Akihiko seems to be, she feels a bit envious that they've nurtured a friendship as long as their lives. Haru is glad for the friends she has, but she spent most of her life alone until last year. ]

I do not mean to be rude, but you and Amada-san...

[ She adjusts her grip on her purse, fiddling with it a tad nervously. ]

Um, that last Sleepr...

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro stops walking. He faces her properly, as though trying to ascertain what she wanted to ask when she trailed off. Rather than prompting her to say more, he states, bluntly:]

Yeah, it's true. I killed his mom.

[...]

[Normally, he'd leave it at that, without a word of defense for himself. But since she's asked him to walk with her ostensibly for protection against unsavory elements, he'll offer one thing for her peace of mind.]

It wasn't something I meant to do, but it's still my fault she's dead. You got questions about it?

cw: violence mention

[girlybruiser]

I don't believe you did it purposely. After all, Amada-san said it was an accident as well.

[ She doesn't know Shinjiro all that well, but if there's one thing she can make out, it's that there's no malice or rage that coils around his heart.

There's no thirst for the kind of violence that begets violence.

She knows it, because she faced it once more not too long ago and stared it in the eye. Blood for blood, with raucous laughter and cruelty behind every hit. ]

I know it is not my place, but... it's difficult to put aside. Perhaps it's my own selfish feelings, as I've experienced something similar, but mine was no accident.

[ She pauses, glancing at Shinjiro from the corner of her eye. ]

I think he wishes to have a proper dialogue with you, Aragaki-san.

cw reference to death

[petsthedog]

[He's always hated calling it an accident. It's only ever felt like an excuse. But he doesn't argue or debate the word or whether it matters, because what she says next makes it all too clear she understands. Dead is dead, no matter what. That's still a life that will never be the same as it was, a hole torn into it by someone else's hands.

He's silent a long moment, before he closes his eyes. It isn't her business, no, but he doesn't get defensive about it, because -- well, it's about Amada. Shinjiro has long considered his life as belonging to the younger boy; even if Sleepr hadn't outed the matter to all and sundry, he would've never considered himself as having a right to his privacy in that regard. He never talked about it publicly in consideration of Amada's, and even the few private conversations he's had were largely under duress.]

...I don't have anything to say for myself about it.

[What little he had, he already said through a mouth full of blood in an alley, six months ago. It was supposed to have been closure for the kid, but then some cosmic force tore him from his grave. Pried the wound open by force. It frustrates him, honestly. The cruelty of this world is exhausting.]

Already told him if he needs anything, I'll come. Beyond that...it's like you said. That shit ain't easy to deal with. I don't ... wanna be underfoot and make it harder.

[Another beat. He rubs at his neck, a little uncomfortable.]

Glad he's got more people lookin' out for him, though. He's been on his own a long time, 'cause of me.