2025-08-05: That Boy
- Log: That Boy
- Cast: Julian Marlowe, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Kasugayama High School, Hirasaka Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: August 05, 2025
- IC Date: June 21, 2012
- Summary: Ichika is called in for another counseling session, this one to satisfy the administrators that the Incident with 'gang violence' is kept under wraps. ...But Ichika saw more than they knew, and it made her think of something else. Julian shows how to support someone in need.
- Content Warning: Heavy references to intimate partner violence, abuse.
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Julian has suddenly found himself extremely busy with the counseling side of his job. That's what he wished for, and this is the monkey's paw curling - he certainly didn't mean to imply he wanted there to be a potentially traumatic event happening at school! He picked a fine day to go home early, still kicking himself for not being around when the students needed help the most. The least he could do is try to be there for everyone who needs to get things off their chest after the fact.
That was his plan. The faculty's plan was to offload the fallout of this whole mess on him, telling him what to say and what not to say. They want this whole thing under wraps, and to get the narrative out of control. 'You know how to be convincing, convince them they saw nothing problematic.'
If they thought Julian was about to do that, they're dead wrong. But it does mean he's forced to walk a fine tightrope, balancing the students' needs with the extra scrutiny he's under. Luckily the majority of the students he's spoken to fall into the category of 'didn't really see what happened and don't appear majorly affected', which makes his job a formality.
...He can't help but think that's not coincidence either. Certainly, those who got injured in the events need to recover first, but at the moment, they're not even on his list. Hopefully that doesn't imply events are being further manipulated behind his back.
Ichika Kawase, however, is on the list, as a student who was at school during the incident but didn't have any direct involvement (as far as anyone knows). When she steps into Julian's office, it looks a little different from usual. Julian's already seated at the table, pen and notebook in front of him, and a stack of papers on the desk behind him. A single scone is placed on the far side of the table - he must not be able to afford everyone taking as many as they like under the present circumstances.
And he looks a bit haggard, undoubtedly fatigued from the overtime he's been forced to put in. He fixes his expression to his usual serene smile just a second too late for it to not be caught, though he doesn't sound different from usual when he starts to speak.
"Ah, <Miss> Kawase, welcome back, please have a seat." Indicating the chair before her, he continues. "I apologize for the, ah, lack of facilities this time. We'll make up for it next time, I have my eye on a premium blend that I think you might enjoy."
The sessions before this featured floral teas that Julian thought might suit Ichika's tastes. Those were about casual matters only, he didn't press her at all on the issues with her sense of self-worth that she'd ended up displaying before. He doesn't believe in forcing confrontations, calling out problems. First, the student must believe there is a problem, enough so to bring up the matter on their own. Sure, he might steer the conversation a bit if it seems to be going in a certain direction, but if not... he's appeared to be perfectly content just talking to Ichika about whichever subjects she happened to bring up, mundane or otherwise.
Today, however... Julian doesn't look entirely comfortable with the way he needs to start this off. "As a matter of formality, I'm required to ask every student this question before anything else. In your own words, can you describe the events of the incident at this school on the 19th, as they related to you personally?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika has had a bad few days. Not all bad; yesterday ended nicely, though she had to go all the way to Iwatodai for that to be the case. She made it back a little into first period this time, late for school of course. ...But that's not that important today. What's important is that Ichika is on the list for this office, and it's not the first or even second time she's been here.
Mostly she's talked about--well, not illegal things, so not her crew. Subjects are mostly mundane, though Julian can see the way they're tied to other things; about what it was like to grow up in Iwatodai instead, how it feels to live in the dorms, her enjoyment of sometimes cooking for the other girls... Last time, she even mentioned a boyfriend.
Normal things. But today?
Today she walks in, in her usual modified uniform, and she sees the fatigue for just a moment. And he welcomes her back.
"It's fine," she says. "They're probably hammering you with what happened." A pause. "...I'd like that."
She moves to take a seat, smoothing her skirt out and waiting for him to start. Formality...
"A psycho bitch tried to gut a kid. I saw him bleeding." She says it bluntly, flat-out, but the way her eyes go a little distant can belie how comfortable she really is with that. "There was an explosion outside. Inside, a bunch of people fighting."
She could be honest. She could mention the Joker Killer. ...But she'd have to reveal something else, for that. But...
"They were after the Boss," she says. "The Death Boss. One of them had a bag on his head. That's about it. My best friend ended up a little burned, had to go to the hospital. ...But they're OK, I think. As OK as they can be."
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Julian takes pen in paper in hand, ready to just make a small note and move on from the subject. So far he hasn't spoken to anyone who saw anything of note, and as such needed at most just a few words of reassurance. The investigation is ongoing, the perpetrators will be found, this will not happen again, etcetera, the kind of trite, meaningless statements that he normally hates to leave things on. But for this situation, it's the best compromise, in hopes of not causing additional worry, as well as not irk the higher-ups.
...It's actually helpful that Kasu High is the way is it, in these situations. The predominant response is anger, rather than fear, or other more traumatic responses. Nothing wrong with being angry when injustice is done.
Ichika, however... beyond the pleasantries, she quickly veers off into territory that no others have spoken of. Julian's eyes widen to the point that his monocle falls out. It might be comical, in other situations. Thankfully it's attached by a chain to the inside of his breast pocket, left to dangle until he puts his writing tools down, and acts to put it back where it belongs, fumbling a little.
"...Excuse me, you say you actually saw this happen, with your own eyes?"
There is some incredulity in there, but it's not because he doesn't believe what Ichika's saying. More like he can't believe someone who personally saw the events slipped through the cracks enough to be on the initial list he received. At this point he was convinced it had to be perfectly curated. Which... probably means that she hadn't told this to any other person of authority, nor was seen by others who'd speak of her presence.
As expected from the Thorn Boss, he thinks to himself, recomposing.
"...Well. That's quite the tale. I must say, you're the first I've gotten to speak to who was actually there to witness these terrible events firsthand. I was not even aware myself that it was the Death Boss who was targeted." And so soon after the concert, too... hm. And Ichika's best friend, that could only be Tsubasa Seki. In which case, all circumstances considered, ending up being even little burned could be... yes, 'as OK as they can be' would be the best one could hope for, probably.
He'd like to believe that this means Ichika considers him worthy of trust, choosing to be so open with him about this. That being the case... he's done following the script, folding his hands on the table.
"First off, I offer you my best wishes in regards to your best friend. I hope <Mister> Mishina is doing well too, under the circumstances. It appears that those who could likely use my help the most are... unavailable to me, at present." That's plausible deniability phrasing. He suspects Ichika to be capable of reading between the lines.
"However, you're the one here, at this table right now. I'm sure that, as the Thorn Boss, you have seen your share of violence. But this appears to have been beyond the pale, to the point where - if you forgive my saying so - even you appear to be shaken."
And they would have him downplay this with platitudes. That's not going to happen.
"...Kawase-san," he states, for once using a proper honorific with her. "How about you? Are you alright?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika has anger about it, to be sure. ...But also some fear. What she saw...
Well, she shares it. Her darkly made-up eyes stay on Julian when he confirms her statement. "Yes," she says. "I did. I'm not talking rumors or happenstance. This is what I saw."
Not that she's going to reveal how she saw it--that she was fighting the Joker Killer directly. She has a lot of trust in Julian... but there are things here she won't even tell her best friend. Certainly not anyone in authority.
"Really?" she asks. "I guess that's not surprising." A shake of her head.
"...Thanks," she says about his best wishes. "Yeah." Beyond his reach. Still--
"I have," she confirms. "But... you're right." Even she's shaken. As he puts it that way, she looks down, her fingers on her right hand curling. She pays attention to each one for a moment, focused on physicality.
Then, "I am." She looks back up at Julian. "It was bad. It was... really bad. But it's not the first time I've seen the kind of violence that puts someone deep in the hospital. Keeps them there for a while."
She weighs it. She thinks about it. "I hope he lives," she says first. "I didn't see it happen, just the aftermath. But that girl... She was so cold about it. Like it didn't mean anything."
"...It reminds me of..."
Ichika falters. "...'He' was cold too. Back then."
"...Fights around here, they're just shows for dominance, mostly. You get it, I'm sure. It's more about who can be on top. Nobody really wants to kill each other, even when we get mad."
"She did. And it was nothing. It's..."
A shake of her head. "Like I said. I've seen it before. But I didn't want to see it again."
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
If it was just anger, they would have been done talking very quickly. Julian couldn't actively encourage it without damaging his credibility, but he won't discourage it either. If you want to make life take the lemons back, that's perfectly fine.
He's also fine with leaving the matter of exactly how Ichika saw this undisclosed. That would just seem ungrateful, after already being freely told this much. Besides, you won't get anywhere by prying too much, in his experience. Either way, hopefully he's given enough context clues to make it clear that none of what she's told him is going to go into his report.
...And that this doesn't mean he's not taking her seriously. Quite the contrary. It's the world itself that is not taking matters seriously enough. He won't have this suppressed like so many other things are.
"Take your time," is all he actually says, once again hating it when he's right about what he thinks to perceive. He knows that, beneath the mantle of the Thorn Boss, there is a girl who had to endure a great suffering. But he hadn't suspected that the reasons for feeling shaken about these events might tie into that.
'He'. That's all she needs to say to make it obvious. She witnessed an attempted murder, but going by her train of thought, that ultimately was not a new source of trauma... so much as it was a reminder of the trauma that had been there for so long already.
"...Callousness is a terrible thing. To be so uncaring of another's feelings that you can cause harm without feeling a thing. Such people..."
He was about to say something unprofessional there. Regardless of the calm with which he speaks, it's not impossible to tell exactly why he doesn't have qualms with anger. He's very angry right now. He typically reigns it in before it gets out of hand, keeps it under wraps.
This has put him in a mood where this has become very difficult indeed.
"Let me be perfectly frank with you, Kawase-san," he speaks, a subtle forcefulness sneaking into his tone. "Were I to follow my instructions, I would have had to tell you that this girl belonged to a street gang seeking to war with the gangs of Kasugayama. To put you at ease by saying security measures will be taken to ensure nothing like that can happen again, that there's no need for further concern. To say 'you're alright now'."
With a casual flick of his hand, he lifts his notepad off the table and tosses it over his shoulder. "I don't believe any of that. There's much more going on here - with that girl, but that's not my primary concern here. You're hurt. You never stopped being hurt, all because of 'him'. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you. But... since 'he' won't say it, I will instead."
His tone softening, he sounds more like his usual self when he adds, "I am deeply, profoundly sorry for what happened, Ichika-san. You were not treated with the kindness you deserved, and you are not to blame for any of that. I regret that I can't make it so that the pain never happened, but with time, it is my hope that you'll be able to heal." He bows his head. "If my words have any power towards that end, then consider them ever at your disposal."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika doesn't entirely get what Julian is putting down, but she trusts him enough to have said what she has. If it happens to not go into the report, then that's all the better. She shared what she could, without giving herself away. That's about all she's willing to share on that. But...
Take your time, he says, and Ichika does. She gets out her feelings eventually, and when he mentions callousness, she looks up at him. She wonders what he was going to say. "...Sensei," she starts. But she doesn't ask. Instead--
His 'instructions'. Ichika listens, her arms crossing. "...Heh," she answers. Reassurance. But she doesn't expect what comes next. She expects him to subvert what he said a little, given the implicit 'but', but--
'He' won't say it. Ichika stares at Julian a long few moments with wide eyes. ...She isn't sure, exactly, when the first tear falls, but before she can say anything else her vision swims through them. "I--"
Ichika holds onto herself more tightly, shoulders sinking. "W-we were supposed to get married," she confides. "And he--and... and he--"
"I'm not allowed to talk about it," she says, though she is crying in earnest now. "I'm not supposed to. But it hurts so much!"
"He won't say it. He won't. He wants me to be 'normal' about it. But how can I be normal!?"
"And so when I saw that boy, and all that blood, I... I-I--"
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Julian simply looks Ichika in her tearful eyes, his blurry image quietly nodding as if to say 'it's all right'. Nobody's going to judge her here. Nobody's going to know about what happens in his office. There is no need to worry about the Thorn Boss's image.
That's when the dam truly bursts. At times like this, he can't help but feel bad that words are all he can offer. Any sort of physical reassurance wouldn't be proper, and could be misinterpreted besides. And he can't afford to lose composure at a time like this. He has little choice but to simply sit there while she attempts to work through this - having failed to have tea ready beforehand, he doesn't even have a sink in here to offer her some water. All he can do is to once again employ his words, once Ichika's start to falter.
"You don't have to worry about what you're 'allowed' or 'supposed' to. Not in this office."
Additional reassurance, first. He's probably made it obvious that he's not the kind to care about the rules so much - certainly not in regards to what can and cannot be talked about. No one is going to know.
"Your reaction is completely natural and understandable. No one has the right to demand that you not be honest to yourself."
Validation, next. It's okay to feel how to feel. So painfully easily forgotten when controlling individuals keep demanding otherwise.
"Easy now. Take a breath, take it slow. We can talk about this as much as you like, whenever you like."
Offering guarantees is important, they need to know they can count on you, that you're on their side.
...He hates how he can boil down everything he says to technique, analysis, means to an end. If what he says truly comes from the heart, why does it feel so mechanical when he thinks about it?
He'll just have to do his best not to think about that. Focus on others, rather than himself. That is what he's good at... isn't it?
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's a make-or-break moment for Ichika and Julian's professional relationship, but she seems to appreciate his reassurance. She seems to be able to continue, when he encourages her. And as to words, when he says that she doesn't have to worry about that--
"...As long as you don't tell anyone," she says softly. "That's... that's... okay."
She does know about his attachment to the rules. But it's something she doesn't get to talk about much--something that she needs to talk about. And so, as she ruins her makeup crying, Ichika nods shallowly.
"Okay..." Understandable. Natural. She doesn't even notice the idea that he can just talk about technique, the idea that it's mechanical; for her, it's just what she needs to hear.
"All right..." Her rough speech fades; it's an affectation in many ways, the mantle of the Thorn Boss, but the 'nice girl' who went to Sevens is still in there. "...I thought... we knew each other better than anyone. It was so wonderful, seeing the things no one else saw..."
She bites her lip.
"...We were supposed to get married," she repeats. "We were always together, it felt like. Our friends treated us as... 'us'."
"But it wasn't just... that I loved him." Which she did; no, from the mixed feelings and misery in her expression, part of her still does.
"I..."
"I was pregnant," Ichika explains, wipes her eyes. Her shadow and liner partly come away on her hand. "We'd... we'd been sleeping together for a while. I thought... I thought it was what you did, when you loved someone. That it meant that we knew each other better than anyone else could."
"But..."
"...I-i'm sorry. That's..."
She blinks away more tears. "I can't say it. I'm sorry."
"But you see? I... I can't be 'normal' about it. It feels a little better, when I... spend time, with someone else. But it reminded me... what it felt like. When i was in the hospital."
"...And because I ran into him the other day," she explains. "Tsubasa-kun helped us get away. But I was so scared."
"I was so scared because I wanted to go back. That's horrible, isn't it? He did that to me, and part of me still..."
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Japanese speech patterns don't exactly come natural to Julian (his attempts to be as polite as possible commonly have him sounding oddly old-fashioned), but he is well-versed enough in the language to tell when there's a shift, and the significance of that. Ichika is trusting him to see another side of her. Whatever he's about to be told, he can sure that the level of sincerity could not possibly be any higher.
He quietly pushes down the self-congratulatory part of himself for managing this. This isn't about your accomplishments Julian, this is about a student's most serious trauma. And besides, he's pretty sure that Ichika wouldn't be telling him about this unless it was something that deep down, she always wished she could openly talk about. Whatever it is that's kept her quiet, it's clearly both a powerful deterrent and completely against her will.
Julian appears to remain his usual, calm and quietly encouraging self, even when told about terrible things. He's certainly not going to say anything about what was in the files, and he was thus already aware of. That does help, to lessen the shock. It would have taken a considerably greater amount of effort to stay professional now if he hadn't already had his 'I can't believe this' moment about this earlier.
That doesn't mean it's easy to hear it from Ichika herself, having it be visible and audible just how much this affected her and continues to affect her. This is a pain that he could never experience the same way, never fully understand. But the degree he can empathize is strong enough. A deep intake of breath is the only evidence that he needed to actively push that down. Hopefully his lowering his hands below the table was subtle enough to not give away that he felt the need to ball his fists, hearing that she ran into that guy recently. No wonder that's where her mind is now. Every encounter sends her back in time.
"...Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing," he concludes, bringing his hands back together on top of the table. "When the good things felt profoundly good, they can overshadow the bad things in your mind. But if he can act so coldly towards you now, then I assure you - those bad things were always present, hidden beneath the surface. True, people can change. But they don't change that drastically."
Well. Maybe there is a way that could happen. He's still investigating that matter.
He can't help but look sheepish, scratching his cheek as he admits, "I'm afraid matters of love aren't my strongest subject. But what I can say is... you can't help how you feel. Your feelings aren't invalid, perish the thought. Now, when the need exists to move past them, that can be...... challenging." The odd extended pause implies that maybe he does know a thing or two about that.
"I'll be perfectly honest... it becomes only marginally less challenging with the help of others. Yet what you say highlights that it's still of the utmost importance. All this time, you've only been able to focus on how horrible the way you feel is. What's important to get to the bottom of is exactly why you feel the way you do. To dig deeper, rather than stopping at the notion of simply 'missing him'. When you uncover the full truth beneath the surface, you may find the true source of your pain. And with it, realize the way to overcome it."
With an awkward chuckle, he adds, "Do forgive me if I'm 'making it sound easy', that's not my intention of course. It's... a time-consuming process. But one that I'm willing to see through if you are, <Miss> Kawase."
Looks like we're back to the usual address. That's just what happens when he's not thinking about it, it seems.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
There are many reasons she can't talk about it with most people. The injunction against her (not legal, but no less binding) is only one. ...Talking with an authority figure who isn't her parents is something else entirely. But she does want to talk about it. Ichika doesn't seem to notice the anger he seems to have; she's too lost in her own feelings for that at the moment.
For all his worries, Ichika at least is getting what she needs out of this conversation at the moment. And then, when he answers her... Well. She does go back in time, often.
Dangerous, he calls nostalgia. "...Yes," Ichika answers. "I... I know. I look back, and I see it. The way he pushed me sometimes. The way he got so mad when I 'made him look bad'. ...I see it. But I didn't, back then."
Maybe there is.
"That's okay," Ichika says of matters of love, and almost manages a smile. "I think... I mostly have a handle on that." She does not. But she thinks she does. "...But you really think so? It's not..."
"It's not disloyal to... to my..." Another wave of tears for a moment, as she can't quite voice what she's worried about.
The honesty, what it is, is better than platitudes would've been. "Why..."
"I see." She thinks about it. She thinks about traveling to that place, again--like she thinks she needs to. Maybe she can find more than just 'evidence'. Maybe...
"It's fine," she says then, of making it sound easy. "You aren't. ...I think you've had some trouble with feelings too, huh...?"
"I, um."
"...Thank you," she says quietly. "I really miss her..." Not 'him', this time.
"But I think... I think I'm tired."
"I don't know if I can say any more today. Is that OK?"
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Julian lets Ichika work through things herself from what he said, not adding any more. Saying too little is harmful, but saying too much isn't exactly helpful either. He can help guide her, but it's ultimately up to Ichika to find the answer that's right for her. ...He has some choice answers himself, but it's probably not a great idea to become known as the violence-advocating counselor. Though he notably has never been a violence-denouncing counselor, either.
He thus doesn't press her on the half-finished sentence, a curious one though it may have been. That could be something to keep in mind.
He's quick to wave a hand when the matter is turned around on him. "Now now, this isn't about me. Suffice it to say that... feelings aren't a science." Nope, that's it, he's not explaining further. And, of course, when Ichika says she's tired and wants to call it there for today, he's quick to stand up.
"Of course! In that case, let's keep it at that for today. You're free to go whenever you wish." He figures she might need a moment to recompose before she heads out there.
As for him, he'll move back to sit at his desk, picking up his notepad along the way. Time to fudge this report with something completely generic.