2025-07-23: You Gotta Take That Step
- Log: You Gotta Take That Step
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Shinobu Shimizu, Shizuko Kato, Lance (ran away at the first sign of trouble...)
- Where: Hirasaka - Kameya Alley
- OOC Date: 2025-07-23
- IC Date: Thursday, June 14 2012
- Summary: Tsubasa's skulking at an agreed asskicking spot, only for the girl who threatened the gang's Princess to not even show up! An act of frustration to spite the konbini owner they were terrorising attracts Shinobu's attention, though -- and after a tense beginning, Tsubasa eventually opens up to her after learning of her own delinquent past. Shinobu helps them to think about how they've been defeating themself in their efforts to seek help... and convinces them to open up to the 'family' that still cares about them.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
A couple of punks and a scary-looking dog are hanging out in front of a konbini, late at night. One is dressed in a girl's uniform, the other a boy's uniform, though they're both unmistakably wearing them wrong. Tsubasa Seki taps a bokken on their shoulder, sleeves rolled up, the bottom half of their shirt unbuttoned and knotted over their bare belly; Shizuko Kato's skirt is too long, and her socks are too loose, over the ankle-high sneakers they're both wearing. She's applying mascara from a pocket mirror, perching on some crates, as Tsubasa squats by the ground to scratch at Lance's chest.
The konbini owner pokes his head out, in a futile effort to yell at them: "Get out of here! You're scarin' my customers!"
"Beat it, ya geezer!" Tsubasa yells back, as they straighten up, spitting into the gutter of the alleyway. "... but, shit, she ain't comin'," they carry on, to Shizuko, now. "Already like nine o'clock... reckon you're good, Princess."
"Eeeh?" Shizuko asks, snapping her compact shut. "You're not going to walk me home? Be a gentleman!"
"I ain't," Tsubasa shrugs, despite the fact they came around here just to make sure their most delicate member didn't get her shit kicked in.
"Moooouuuuu..." Shizuko pouts, flipping her black hime cut over her shoulder. (She has colourful hair extensions on the bangs framing her face, obviously.) "Mean! Fine, fine, I'm gooooing..."
Shizuko leaves one way, as Tsubasa and their dog start ambling the other way.
"And stay out!!" The konbini owner yells, after them, only for Tsubasa's brow to twitch at the reminder they're not wanted. They take their bokken in both hands and SLAM it into the water drainage pipe running down the alley, the BONNNNNNNGGGGGHHHHHHH ringing out loud and clear as that pipe is thoroughly dented by their anger. The delinquents go from ambling to running, after that, to avoid the owner ringing the cops on them for their vandalism.
Tsubasa, of course, runs deeper into Kameya Alley; they know the area, they know how to get the slip on a cop.
But you don't send a cop to catch a delinquent!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
It's late. Shinobu's gotten off work, at this point. It's been a long day. By this point, a part of her just wants to pick up a quick bite, head home, and laze around on the couch. It's not so far that she can't walk - so, she strolls down the streets, hands in the pockets of her jackets as she makes her way toward the nearest konbini.
The sound of yelling up ahead makes it obvious that it isn't going to be that simple. The owner's poking his head out the door, yelling at two teenagers and a dog... Shinobu makes a mental note about this place for next time.
Eventually, the teenager's split up - but not without one final yell from the owner, prompting a dented drainage pipe.
...She really shouldn't get involved. This really isn't any of her business, after all.
...And yet, Shinobu's steps still pick up, trailing after Tsubasa. She might not know the area better than a local, but Shinobu still knows her way around.
"Do you always take your anger out on innocent water fixtures? ...Not that that guy wasn't out of line. I get it." Shinobu starts - and frowns at herself. No, too combatative. That's the wrong foot to start out on. She scratches the back of her neck. ...She's bad at this. Try again. "...Hey, kid. Are you alright?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa slows, huffing a little as they look behind them to find --
Oh, they are being followed, but not by a cop. Great. Tsubasa turns to her, their free hand planting on their hip. "Fuck's your problem, Auntie?" They ask, with a gravelly voice which makes it clear they've been well-acquainted with smoke in some fashion. "You want a piece of this?!"
Man, though, why does this woman look kind of familiar? Tsubasa coulda sworn they saw her face somewhere, even though they're pretty sure they've never met her...
Shinobu walks it back, though, and Tsubasa scowls, folding their arms and tapping their bokken against one of them from the crook of their arm. (Is that habit how their arm ended up bruised? ... doesn't explain the bruises on their belly.) "Fine," they growl, and they at least don't sound like they're about to give Shinobu even more problems, any more.
They stare at her, for a moment, though, trying to put it together. No, never run into her, so... what, a photo? But where the fuck...
Oh. Ohhhhhh. Fuck.
Tsubasa shifts their weight from one foot to the other, frowning. "You, uh, you know Reiko Shimizu?" They venture, hedging their bets on the idea that maybe they're just misidentifying her in the dark. What the fuck kind of luck would it be to run into both of her sisters on back to back days?!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu starts argumentative - and she gets argumentative back. That's... not too surprising. She doesn't flinch, though she takes note of their voice. Do they smoke, or...? But then again, there's that rumor about Kasugayama... Not that that prevents it entirely.
"Not really." Shinobu replies casually with a shrug. She doesn't sound concerned, which might make it worse... at least until she gets a better look at them. She takes a step closer, frowning just slightly.
"You don't look fine." She notes, nodding toward the bruises. Stepping closer might help them get a better look, though, as they stare and -
Shinobu raises an eyebrow. This is the last place she expected her sister to come up. It's easy to see the shift in her demeanor - just a bit more cautious, a bit more watchful, though not for herself.
"...Yeah. That's my sis. You do?" Shinobu asks.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Getting closer, it's clear that all that fake tan and concealer is hiding something. Their skin is textured differently, on one side of their body, in patches and blotches.
... no, those are... burn scars. The kind someone doesn't get unless they were set on fire.
"That ain't from that," Tsubasa insists, seeing where she's looking. "Ain't from nothin'." They're not quite sharp enough not to realise they've just made themself sound way more suspicious.
But Shinobu confirms who she is, and Tsubasa takes a step back and to the side, arms unlacing, rubbing at their neck with their free hand. "... sorry," they mumble, looking away. "Didn't know it was like that."
Man, Reiko would've been so disappointed if they'd kicked her sister's ass. Crushing.
"... uh, she's... the cop on my case," Tsubasa explains, their tone a touch more hapless. "Not that -- uh -- she's cool. Even let me, uh, crash at her place this one time... saw your photo on the walls and shit, that's how it is."
And with that piece of insight, Shinobu might be able to connect Tsubasa with the wayward youth Reiko's been trying her best to help, despite their father's best efforts. There they are! In the flesh!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"'Ain't from nothin', huh." Shinobu repeats, looking back up to their face. "Alright. We can pretend I buy that."
Shinobu is definitely suspicious of that - it's not the first time she's heard that kind of thing before.
But Shinobu explains that Reiko's her sister and Tsubasa... apologises? She watches, a little taken back - she can see the change in their demeanor, that awkward look...
"...Nah. I should be the one saying that." She replies, shaking her head at the apology. She's the one who followed them, after all. She listens as they explain how they know her - she's the cop on their case... Shinobu nods. The pieces fit into place - she puts the pieces together.
"...Oh, yeah. Okay. So that was you, huh?" She asks, massaging the back of her neck awkwardly. She can't help but smile just a little when they say she let them stay at her place. "...Yeah, that's Reiko, alright. She's always been a good kid. Glad she was there for you."
She doesn't think the police deserve her, but she'd never say that to Reiko's face... especially when there's an example of the good she's doing through them right in front of her.
She watches them awkwardly for a moment. She continues to be bad at this. Uh, what next, what next...
"...Shinobu." She eventually says. It might be hard to tell she's introducing herself before she adds, "You got a name?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Ain't sellin' anyway," Tsubasa whines, the whole thing evidently a sore spot. And sure, they could avoid it by just covering up, but that means he wins, and...
Luckily, Reiko is here to save the day! Metaphorically. Literally, she isn't here. Thank God for that, she'd have to take them in for vandalism and probably also possessing a weapon in the street even though it's a wooden sword, c'mon. Tsubasa tries their best to make sure Reiko doesn't hear shit about their various illegal activities. It's just more paperwork for her anyway, right?
"Mm," they hum, nodding, when Shinobu confirms who they are. A 'good kid'... so Shinobu's older, too. Reiko's the baby of the family, huh...?
... just like them.
Luckily for Shinobu, Tsubasa's just as awkward, shifting their weight from foot to foot. She finally thinks to ask for their name, though, and it's a good thing they've got all that tan on so she can't see their cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Uh -- it's Seki. Tsubasa Seki. Nice, uh, nice to meet you, Shimizu-san."
Awkward...
"You, uh... gonna tell Officer Shimizu I was gonna smash your face in?" Tsubasa asks, nervously, in exactly the way someone shouldn't when telling another person something is going to make their life ten times harder.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Sure, sure." Shinobu replies. She can tell it's a sore spot. She'll drop it, for now... but she isn't forgetting it. She notes the way they acknowledge how she describes Reiko...
...And for a moment, it's just the two of them standing there awkwardly.
"Tsubasa Seki. Got it." Shinobu repeats with a nod. "Nice to meet you, too. And, uh..."
She hesitates for a second - before reaching into her coat. She draws out a card and a pen, scribbling out what's on the back before offering it to them.
"...You can't get ahold of Reiko for some reason, here's my number. I live here, so, I can be around." She says, offering them the card. It's her business card... though she's blacked out the availabilities on the back, hoping not to give the wrong impression.
...She smirks, though, as they mention smashing her face in.
"...Not to knock your toughness or anything, but you'd have to catch me on a real bad day. I've been around the block once or twice." Shinobu replies, then shakes her head. "...But nah. I won't tell her. I'll just tell her I ran into you."
...And while she's at it, she'll probably mention the bruises.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Oh? Sure," Tsubasa says, reaching over to take the card. "... you do everythin', huh?"
They lean their bokken against the wall so that they can take their wallet out of their pocket, stashing the card inside. "Cool. I'm around here, too. Uh, more like in that dive five blocks down, but, y'know." Oh, the bad part of Hirasaka. Of course Tsubasa's father rented them the shittiest apartment he could find on short notice.
Once they tuck their wallet back into their pocket, though, they give Shinobu a scrutinising look. She's been around the block?! "Eh? You? Wouldna figured that... what, that why Officer Shimizu actually gives a shit or somethin'? Uh, not to talk shit on her, just -- most cops don't. Had this one guy, this Officer Suou, he heard what was goin' on and couldn't wait to let me go so he could get on with his important shit..." Well, that's how it looked to Tsubasa, anyway. Poor Katsuya might have said something entirely differently about that encounter.
They at least look relieved that she's not going to snitch on them. Thank God they've avoided all awkward conversations going forward into the future. Every single one!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Just about." Shinobu confirms with a nod and a shrug. "Can't be too picky these days."
She nods as they stash the card away and explain they're from around, too. That dive five blocks away... Shinobu searches her mind, but it doesn't take long. She looks in that direction briefly.
"Oh, yeah, I know the place." She replies with a nod. There's no judgment in her tone.
And then, they give her a scrutinising look. Shinobu laughs, just slightly, massaging the back of her neck.
"...I wouldn't say it's all me. That's just how she is, I think. But... I was kind of a pain in the ass." She admits with a wry smirk. "Still am a bit, I guess. But I guess I was a good bad example, and somehow she still likes me."
"...But, nah, no offense taken." Shinobu adds, shaking her head. She knows how Reiko's people are treating her right now. She doesn't have the highest opinion of most of them, either, because of that. Except for - "Huh, you've met him? ...Sorry, that sounds like it must've sucked."
...That doesn't sound like him - but then again, she's only run into him a couple of times. She doesn't know what he's like on the job.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Cool," Tsubasa says, and there's no trace of mockery in their gruff tone. Apparently, they actually think being an everything-for-hire is cool.
... it's nice that she's not gonna judge their dive, just the same.
"Somehow, huh..." Tsubasa echoes, as they balance it in their head. They'd told that guidance counsellor that there wasn't any kind of future for them, but if Shinobu's managing to eke something out despite being a punk... well, they're interested, anyway.
... if they were gonna do that, though, they'd probably need a face that didn't scare small children. That realisation leaves their frightening visage dour, closing the door as it opens.
"Uh, yeah," they add, rubbing at a shoulder. "He was out here investigatin' a murder or somethin', I guess... to be honest, I was shit scared he was gonna blame me for it. I mean, yeah, I'm no good, but I ain't killed no one? Don't need to go that far..." Well, they can think of one exception, but Ichika would probably be upset if they went to jail on account of him. Besides, Akechi's working on making him pay for it. They look away, with a shrug and a grimace, as they finish explaining. "... he kept pushin', so I told him what was goin' on with me, and he was just like -- like, 'sorry for the misunderstanding', you know, the shit adults say when they're done with you? Just told me to call him if I heard shit about the dead guy or whatever. As if!" Tsubasa talks tough, but they definitely told Katsuya more than most of the locals that day. Teenagers are bad at resisting interrogation. "Guess I'm lucky he was done with me so he didn't tackle me on the way out," they grumble.
"But I can't really blame him," they suppose, taking a breath. "No one wants to hear that shit. Not even that fuckin' counsellor at school." They kick at the ground, shoving their hands in their pockets, before they heave a deep sigh. "... eh, guess I'm being a prick," they grumble, correcting their judgement on one of those encounters, anyway. "Sure, he clammed up when I told him shit, but I did kinda run outta there before he could get somethin' out..." ... which might mean they ran out on Katsuya before he could formulate a better response, too. This kid is apparently pretty good at pulling a runner, even if they're not athletic enough to do sport or anything.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
They say 'cool', and Shinobu nods. She definitely appreciates that. And she watches them, as they go over her words... and then, as they explain with happened with Katsuya.
"...Yeah, I can see how you'd be worried." She admits. She knows what that's like. At their age, she'd be on edge if a cop she didn't know - or even if a cop she did know - came up to her asking about a murder.
She can put pieces together, read between the lines - she's sure there's a bit more that happened than they're saying, whether intentionally or not. She lets them talk through their encounter with Katsuya, listening the whole time - and as they continue, bringing up their counselor.
...She does get that sense. Not that they can blame them. It sounds like they've got a lot on their shoulders, if it brings even a cop like Katsuya and a counsellor grinding to a halt. Sometimes, it must feel like the safest option. Shinobu massages the back of her neck.
"...Maybe a little hasty, yeah." Shinobu suggests. "I'm not saying you gotta stick around all the time if an adult's giving you trouble, of course. Good to know when to bail. Just... y'know."
She shrugs.
"For all we act like we know what's what, we don't always know what the best thing to do is, either."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Shinobu gets it! Just because Tsubasa didn't do a murder doesn't mean they can't get done for a murder. They know all about profiling, unfortunately.
(Does it count if they get stopped for crimes they definitely committed before but not right then?)
Tsubasa certainly isn't giving the whole unvarnished account, though they're giving away more than they think they are, given how standoffish and suspicious they were at the start of all this. It's not hard to imagine a situation with them escalating, only for the truth to be something way out of left field.
But... Shinobu suggests they were hasty, and Tsubasa shrugs, leaning a shoulder against the wall, filing themself beside their bokken. (It's, like, the opposite of running off.) "Maybe," they say, taking a keen interest in that alley wall.
Like... what are they trying to get at, anyway? If they're asking for help, why would they just drop it and bolt?
Tsubasa thinks about that, and frowns.
"Yeah...?" They ask, gnawing at their painted-blue lips. "Ch... guess most folks ain't like my father, so..." ... what, so he does always know the best thing to do?
They reach over, to rub at their arm. "... guess I'm scared," they admit, quietly. "What if I say this stuff, and... it don't even matter? It's easier if I'm just some no-hope punk... if I ask someone to give a shit, and they don't, that's worse than if I never asked. You know...? It's like, like they're all... shit, I don't even know why I'm tellin' you this," they shake their head, still very much addressing the wall. "Sorry..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu watches them lean against a wall near their bokken. They look away from her, but she doesn't take offense to that.
"Yeah." She confirms with a nod. Their father, huh...? There's a lot that could mean. She frowns, just slightly.
And she listens as they admit that they're scared. ...She can imagine that it isn't easy to say. It's a lot to admit - and a lot of weight to be carrying around.
"...Nah. You don't gotta apologise. Kid like you shouldn't have to be worrying about stuff like this." Shinobu replies with a shake of her head. She massages the back of her neck again, finding her own wall to lean against."...It is scary, putting yourself out there - and hard, too. I'm not going to tell you it's not. But sometimes, you gotta take that step."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Yeah, it's pretty heavy. Tsubasa's the kind of person who struggles to trust anyone, which must be why they have a dog.
... of course, Lance ran for home as soon as trouble started. That's what she was trained to do! She's a very well-trained dog.
"When I did somethin' awful, no one listened to me," they admit, and they've got to be talking about that fire, because it's way too awful to imagine other awful things they'd blame themself for. "Even though it didn't make sense... even my own father testified against me. In court, y'know. And he always says how no one's gonna believe me anyway... even if I said somethin', I'd just be wastin' everyone's time."
Their head thonks gently against the wall, as they sag more heavily into it. "The Boss said I should tell," they say, "and I wanna listen to her, y'know...? But, I keep tryin', and... I keep messin' it up. I just think, they're not even sayin' shit, or they don't get it, or... or whatever, doesn't matter, I just don't wanna hear 'em say it! Stupid, coward shit... I act so tough, but I ain't shit..."
Tsubasa was really hoping Shizuko's newest rival was going to show up today. They really wanted to smash her face in. That would have made them feel, like, ten times better about their life.
"Fuck, man," they huff out another sigh, looking down at their bokken. "How did you do it? How do you, fuckin', like, survive when you been like this? All respectable and shit?" Dear God, Tsubasa thinks Shinobu is respectable. "All I can do is scare people and smash 'em up... how's there any point tellin' when he's right?"
... it's probably not hard to guess who 'he' is.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Tsubasa says that when they did something awful, no one listened to them. That gets Shinobu's attention immediately - she focuses, listening. ...Their own father testified against them...?
"...Tch. Asshole." Shinobu mutters darkly. No wonder they have a hard time putting themself out there, when they have their own father in their ear telling them no one will believe them.
She listens as they continue, bringing up their Boss, who said they could tell... And then they're looking to her (metaphorically), and Shinobu feels a little out of her depth - no, more than a little. What can she even say in a situation like this, to someone who's been done so wrong...?
...She massages the back of her neck again. If this was one of her sisters here, they'd probably do a lot better. ...But they aren't here right now, she is.
"I think you're the first person besides my sisters who'd call me that." Shinobu comments with a smirk - and then her expression falls.
"...Wish I could tell you there was some step-by-step guide, but there's not." Shinobu admits with a shrug, looking down. She doesn't know where she is now, even. She's still just coasting along without direction. "You ask me how I did it... but I leaned on my sisters and tripped over every rake along the way."
When she said that adults don't always know what the best thing to do is, she certainly meant herself, too.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Man... whenever Tsubasa talks about their father, the people hearing about him think he's a jerk. That's got to mean something, but...
But, of course, there's a 'but'.
"Looks like it where I'm standin'," Tsubasa shrugs, completely ready to play it off. It would be way easier to play it off, right?
Except Shinobu does take her best stab at an answer, and Tsubasa looks over to her, without quite bothering to un-slouch from the wall. "Trippin' on rakes, huh... shit, tell me about it."
It might not be the best thing to say, but she still said something, and Tsubasa turns it over in their head. "Don't reckon my big brother's likely to look at me any time soon," they shrug, lightly, a touch 'what can you do when it's raining?' about something as dire as excommunication from their family. (What else would it be, if their brother's not talking to them, and their father's turned against them?) "But... mm..."
They look in the other direction of the alley, where Shizuko ran off.
"... maybe I oughta tell the rest of the gang," they suppose, trying to fit the advice into their life. Sure, their family might not want them any more, but... "... at least, y'know... they give a shit."
They chew on their lip, for a moment.
"... yeah," they decide, pushing off the wall. "I'm gonna do that." They hike their pants-leg up, revealing a velcro strap on their shin which they use to stow their bokken in a way which is at least less conspicuous than carrying it. "Thanks, Shimizu-san. I'll see ya when I see ya, yeah?"
With that, they straighten, thump their chest in salute, and turn to lope off in the direction Shizuko went.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Tsubasa actually looks her way which Shinobu thinks means, that at least she didn't quite trip over another one of those rakes this time. She nods - she doesn't doubt they already know what that's like. She doesn't know anything about their big brother - and it's definitely worrying how casually they can say it - but she nods when they mention the rest of their gang.
"Having at least one person you know's in your corner makes a big difference." Shinobu comments, as they decide to go through with it.
They thank her, and she nods, offering them a casual wave.
"Yeah, see you around. Take care out there." She replies with a nod. "Something happens, you've got my number."
And with that, she starts to head off in her own direction.