2025-07-06: Message Recieved
- Log: Message Recieved
- Cast: Tatsuya Suou, Umie Akabane
- Where: Yumezaki Center, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: July 06, 2025
- IC Date: June 05, 2012
- Summary: Umie's investigation turns up many reasons for concern over Tatsuya. So, when she *coincidentally* happens to be where Tatsuya emerges, she's not willing to let him go without getting a meal in him.
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Suou has posed.
Damnit.
Sudou's gotten away from him... twice. Tatsuya's chances of nipping this entirely in the bud before it blossomed into something much worse are likely gone -- if that was even a possibility in the first place. No, it's naive to think that it would just end with Sudou -- if he'd started to hear whispers of what could've been, what's to say the others aren't, in some manner or another?
A wrenching, cold sensation passes over him as the youth pulls up from out, of all things, a manhole. He glances around, before sliding it shut with seemingly little effort regardless of how heavy a manhole should be.
He has a shinai bag slung over his shoulder. Chief Todoroki's gift.
Yumezaki's busy at this hour. It should let him blend in until he gets to where he needs to be. He needs to stay off the CCTV grids as much as possible. He's not sure how invested his brother will be in tracking him down, though -- after the encounter at Sevens, he might have a lot of other issues. He knew he awakened to a Persona, sometime before that fight.
Damnit... damnit! Why couldn't they all just stay away? Everyone's picking away at the frayed threads of this rip that he's caused...
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Some people are just unlucky.
"I told you, he's not answering his phone. .... No, I'm *not stalking him*. It's not like that." Umie sighs as the other end of the phone call. "That's the thing. If someone decides to stop answering his phone, not come back home, not go to school, that's a problem. Especially with... everything happening in Sevens right now." She pauses her debate, taking a drink from her soda. "... Yes, that was me. No, I didn't reject him because he was too good for me. Seriously, who goes to a high school graduation like that? And--" Her fries are going to go cold at this rate. "And secondly, that's got nothing to do with Suou-san. ... No, I don't think he did it. I'm pretty sure his brother wouldn't have-- yes, I know his brother is a-- just listen to me, okay?"
Tatsuya's may be one of them, given the manhole he's coming out of.
Umie, meanwhile, is definitely not having a great day. Every person she's idly called to get some grasp of Tatsuya's situation as left her more and more concerned. A rebellious teen will rebel, that's to be expected. They don't, however, disappear from the lives of their friends.
Tracking people down is difficult in the city as it is. It's too easy for someone to disappear. But if they have a resonance...
"... Look, just..." The familiar young man emerges from the manhole like some teen.... ninja... reptile, which is enough for Umie to notice him just to begin with. The resonance, which she wasn't expecting, makes it even clearer.
"Heeeey, I'll call you back. Something just came up."
Umie disconnects the conversation. He may not recognize her, with her dyed hair, but there's one way he'd *know* it was her.
"... _Takkun_."
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Suou has posed.
Takkun.
Tatsuya's eyes bulge at that point, pupils shrinking as he comes to a dead stop. What the hell? He picked that route just to avoid eyes on the ground. How did someone spot him on the very moment of his exit? Was someone watching after all?
There's a deep-set frown as the youth turns towards the source of the voice.
... ...
Who is this?
Unfortunately for Tatsuya, he doesn't guess that Umie's tracking him by resonance, and he reflexively exerts a bit of Apollo's power -- which causes time to subtly slow down around him. He'd become very, very used to doing this, largely only to give himself more time to think and make sure that he's got a game plan. His eyes are flitting, without moving his head, to various points of exit -- the wave of the crowds slowly passing by, ways he could become scarce and disappear.
His brain is also racking through identities, but he's never seen Umie before -- this wasn't a person he knew from the Other Side Takkun, she said. That implies some familiarity. This woman is older, which doesn't make her a peer in the way Yoshizaka was, to the him of 'This Side'. A family friend? Her brother's peer? A contact of Miyashiro's??
The power settles, and Tatsuya opts to just stare at Umie, having no response. He's not storming off just yet, but he can't hide the intense, haunted stare that dwells deep inside of his eyes. He can't mimic the jovial, taunting smirk of the him of 'This Side'. That's not him... he can't convincingly act like that.
Panic makes him want to reach for the lighter in his pocket -- but then he remembers that he doesn't have one. That's gone, Tatsuya... that's only a ghost's memory. It doesn't exist any longer.
It shouldn't.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
There's nothing. No recognition. Just a haunted look.
It wasn't as if they were two tightly bonded childhood friends. Umie helped him out because another friend asked.
'... Maybe you're not as memorable as you think you are.'
"... I was your tutor." These are dry, useless words, meant for a world where she was the one with her own little secret, playing the part of good student who rebelled just enough, but was too scared to go further. ... That's right, that's why Umie liked Tatsuya, wasn't it? The smirk.
Tatsuya and Katsuya were just two brothers, standing at opposite ends. Two normal brothers, in a normal world.
It's why Katsuya having a Persona surprised her. He didn't have one before, and now... Tatsuya has one.
Katsuya didn't seem to have the Mark. Though, why did she check his wrist, back then? And it wasn't like she could confirm it, with his clothing.
'... Because you didn't want to be alone.' No, that wasn't it, was it?
But Umie's eyes are traveling to Tatsuya's right hand, and his glove. Damn it.
She... didn't think about what she'd do if she *came* across Tatsuya.
Umie sighs, and waves him to come over. "... You're not going to find anything down there to eat." It takes her a moment to think about it, but soon enough, her resonance begins to appear. "... I'm not going to eat you," she adds, with a smirk. "Peace Diner okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Suou has posed.
A portion of a person's identity is in their body language, like it or not, and Tatsuya can't convincingly pass as the one on 'This Side'. Perhaps if he had all the time in the world and could watch videos of what his mannerisms were, but... he doesn't have the luxury of time -- not even with what Apollo can do. This person's body language is... paranoid, alert. Fight or flight on full attention. Even standing there, he's got a grip on that shinai bag, like he could deftly pull out whatever it is he's got in there and become a living weapon in the blink of an eye.
A tutor. He knew that the him of 'This Side' was a delinquent, but he didn't think that he'd readily agree to having a tutor. He imagined him just brushing it off even further, not even caring if he had to repeat a grade or even get expelled... he didn't know to what level his delinquency was airs, and how much he'd committed to it.
What then, ghost pretending he's Tatsuya Suou? Play the act, or just run away again and become more suspicious? This woman doesn't seem like she's on truly familiar grounds -- he assumed that the nicknaming was an idiosyncratic habit she had, not something the him of 'This Side' just said, "Just call me Takkun." He couldn't imagine him doing that.
... he's prone to imagining things wrong.
Tatsuya is about to turn and silently rebuff her, but a passing wave of faintness suddenly spills over him. Damnit... now that Umie's mentioned food, he's feeling a wave of nausea and low blood sugar crash over him.
He hasn't properly eaten since he took over his body. Adrenaline was too powerful a motivator, but now that he doesn't have any solid leads left...
"... okay," he acquiesces, in the end.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
The eyes. The posture. The body language. This is... not the Tatsuya that Umie knows.
'Maybe he isn't.'
Maybe this is just some doppelganger that Umie is imagining is the Tatsuya she's looking for out of desperation.
She can't say the resonance she feels is *Tatsuya Suou* because *Tatsuya Suou* didn't have a Persona. But is the feeling she has that it is, somehow, him, just an assumption?
But it's too late.
'... okay.' .... Why does she feel like she's luring a stray cat with some cat food?
'If you want to treat some strange teenager who emerged from a manhole to a meal, then, suit yourself.'
She does some quick numbers in her head. Okay, assuming the fare back is this, and she just has her fries, so she'll just eat that as her dinner.
It'll be fine.
======AFTER ORDERING=====
Umie's loaded fries don't taste as good, having settled into their paper cup in the time she's been trying to debate eating them.
This has to be Tatsuya. It has to. _Otherwise, Umie just invited a strange kid to eat dinner with her_.
Has she lost it?
"... So." She looks about, then to a table. "Your brother is looking for you. I know you don't care for him, but just... call him or something, okay? A text. With everything that's going on." She casts a glance around, to see if anyone's looking in their direction. "Does this have to do with your Persona? You know he has one now too, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Suou has posed.
This Peace Diner hasn't changed dramatically from the Other Side. The waitress who'd become victim of rumours to become ninja-like... and Chikarin, who would be intensely awkward to be spotted by. Fortunately, Tatsuya is somehow able to divert attention away from himself. By the time they've ordered and picked up their meal, Tatsuya is seated with a single burger that sits unopened in front of him.
It's a single Peace Burger. It's kind of sad-looking, begging to be lavished with attention...
But Umie cruelly robs the attention away by saying such perilous words like 'Persona'! That, at least, gets a rise out of him, because his glare gets twice as sharp and attentive as he bores daggers into her.
"I do. ... he should stay away," Tatsuya answers.
This woman isn't just a simple tutor. He'd made a mistake, being lured under the pretense that she was just a tutor. What else does she know? Who does she work for? Who's watching right now?
Even the Peace Burger could be treacherous, Tatsuya.
"It's better... to not get involved."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Aha. Confirmation. This *is* Tatsuya. Umie's gambit worked, and it worked a little *too* well.
As his eyes bore into her, for a moment... Umie feels...
Was he always able to glare like that, or did she just not notice it because she played the part of the cool senpai?
"I'll tell him," she says, diplomatically, putting a cold fry in her mouth. "You're alive. With what's happened, I think he'd be okay with that much."
_But why did he come out of a manhole_.
'It's better... to not get involved.'
What happened?!
Is this what it's like, to be on the other end? All the times she's spent hiding from other Persona Users, to the point she didn't even know what a 'Persona' even is?!
and show him how it's done.'
"... Takkun," she begins, carefully threading the needle of her reply. "Whatever trouble you're in--"
--'don't do it alone'? What is she, some kind of hypocrite?
And what if he's involved with the NWO? Maybe he's trying to protect her. She never mentioned her background beyond some casual mentions. She never mentioned the NWO.
Someone in the NWO wouldn't *need* that, though.
She folds, looking down. She *can't* look up at his gaze right now. "... Just be careful, okay? Don't get mixed in things over your head." Hypocrite. Hypocrite. Hypocrite.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Aha. Confirmation. This *is* Tatsuya. Umie's gambit worked, and it worked a little *too* well.
As his eyes bore into her, for a moment... Umie feels...
Was he always able to glare like that, or did she just not notice it because she played the part of the cool senpai?
"I'll tell him," she says, diplomatically, putting a cold fry in her mouth. "You're alive. With what's happened, I think he'd be okay with that much."
_But why did he come out of a manhole_.
'It's better... to not get involved.'
What happened?!
Is this what it's like, to be on the other end? All the times she's spent hiding from other Persona Users, to the point she didn't even know what a 'Persona' even is?!
'Only one way to find out: tell him what you've done. Then you can be a good senpai, and show him how it's done.'
"... Takkun," she begins, carefully threading the needle of her reply. "Whatever trouble you're in--"
--'don't do it alone'? What is she, some kind of hypocrite?
And what if he's involved with the NWO? Maybe he's trying to protect her. She never mentioned her background beyond some casual mentions. She never mentioned the NWO.
Someone in the NWO wouldn't *need* that, though.
She folds, looking down. She *can't* look up at his gaze right now. "... Just be careful, okay? Don't get mixed in things over your head." Hypocrite. Hypocrite. Hypocrite.
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Suou has posed.
For a moment, it was as if the food was going to be left completely untouched, awkward and tense as this conversation is. Tatsuya's blood runs a bit cold when Umie says she'll tell Katsuya, though -- is that going to just worry him further? He's not sure if Katsuya spotted him at the Sevens Clock Tower when he got the jump on Sudou. He supposes he's owed that much. So this tutor is someone who his brother can confide in enough...
It might be a way to relay a message to him without having to actually talk to him, Tatsuya acknowledges. Then he freezes further. No, that's meddling too much. Remember, you killed his real brother! You ripped his life away in the blink of an eye! If he finds out the truth, you'll never forget the look on his face.
Umie starts to give him advice, but he realises that he's being harsh for no reason in particular. Perhaps there's a warranted reason that he doesn't fully understand, but he's being unfair here too. Then again...
"... I will. And..."
A pause, as he rises. That Peace Burger remains untouched.
"... don't listen to 'them'. Personas are just going to lead you to ruin."
Then, Umie feels another surge of resonance--
Then Tatsuya's gone, along with the Peace Burger. If she's keenly looking, he's already downstairs, moving swiftly out the front door of the diner.
That's more than he should've said, but he was projecting. Tatsuya can hear 'his' taunting, even if he doesn't have to speak directly to him. That was one of his doings, wasn't it? Placing that woman right in front of him at a time when he couldn't refuse. As he disappears into the crowd, he sinks his teeth into overly sugary fast food bun and cold meat patty.
It tastes like cheese, pickles and a conspiracy.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"That's all I can ask." Umie pokes at her fries.
'... don't listen to 'them'. Personas are just going to...'
"What do you...?"
A surge of resonance, and Umie's hand grabs the back of her chair, ready to stand up.
.... He's... gone.
Her own keen senses inform her that no, he's further away than should be possible. He's already downstairs, in fact, despite there not being enough time for that to even happen.
How is that even possible?
Seeing him slip out the door, Umie sighs, and sits back in her chair, looking at the empty seat across from her, as well as small clues left behind by the burger that no longer sits there.
".... Give it a rest, Umie," she murmurs to herself. "You said it'd be out of your hands if he refused, right...?"
That wasn't her that said that first a few days ago; it was Mai-chan.
Maybe she'll reflect on how much of a coincidence it was as well; to be there at the right place at the right time, even if it left her with more questions than answers.
With how twisted This Side is, and all the coincidences that only Tatsuya can see...
It could very well be true.