2025-08-12: Playing With Death
- Log: Playing With Death
- Cast: Shinjiro Aragaki, Tyler Gould
- Where: Port Island Station back alleys, Tatsumi Port Island
- OOC Date: August 12, 2025
- IC Date: June 24, 2012
- Summary: Tyler comes to recruit Shinjiro. Tension quickly forms, the two's beliefs like oil and water.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
After his 'friendly encounter' with Niko Kirisaki, Shinjiro has returned to his own den in the alleys. A medium-sized metal crate sits next to a staircase up to a metal shuttered garage, and the whole place is dingy, dusty, and graffiti'd.
Shinjiro Aragaki, resident homeless truant, is hanging out here. He's looking at his phone, zooming through Dark Side of Sumaru for any news on what happened at Kasugayama. He's turned up mostly speculation, though.
His clothes are *warm*. He's wearing a red winter coat and a warm beanie, as usual, even in this heat. He has not hydrated more. He looks gaunt, like he's not the healthiest person in the world. Overall... who is this guy?
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
There's a lot of people who wouldn't wander the dirty alleyways of a city. A lot of people who would rather ignore those parts of the city and the people who reside in them, whether temporarily or permanently. Some out of disgust, others out of fear, or a million other reasons that people concoct. Sometimes, even the most collectivist societies are just willing to turn a blind eye to those in need.
Is Tyler Gould a good samaritan? Not... exactly. While he might be willing to stand up for the downtrodden against oppression that he percieves, that's where his proactive charity ends.
What he *is*, however, is both insatiably curious and unreasonably fearless. A combination of factors that lead him to look for answers in the places that others might not, which leads him here today. Tyler, too, dresses warmly. The jacket of his Gekkoukan uniform replaced by the ankle-length trenchcoat that most would say is too warm... but maybe it falls to his favored element in combat leaning towards the cold that allows him to wear it comfortably.
Or perhaps *discomfort* is true fashion in his eyes, combined with the ability to better blend in with the darkness he prefers.
Either way, it's not long before the silence is broken. "Aragaki." One word, spoken a little louder than his normal monotone but with the same lacking of emotion. Announcing his presence, perhaps suddenly, as much as he is greeting the other teen.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
It's that word that breaks the silence, but it's not what alerts Shinjiro to Tyler. He's *always* alert back here. He only raises his head as Tyler gets into danger range, appraising him with those dark eyes... trenchcoat in this heat? After what he talked to Niko about earlier, he wonders if it's another suppressants thing.
"Tch. At least you're not calling me Benny. What do you want?" It's quick and to the point. Shinjiro has no time to think about dirty alleyways, or the poor who live there, or the sins even collectivist societies possess.
After all, ever since all these new people kept joining SEES... he's gotten awfully busy.
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
"Life and death situations allow for more... flexibility with names than one might normally enjoy." Tyler replies, head lolling lazily to the side as he takes Shinjiro in. Studying. Staring. Then nodding to himself as he makes the decision.
"To the point, I approve." he remarks. "You're a friend of Akihiko's. A capable fighter who has come to our aid at least twice, to my knowledge unbeckoned." Stating the obvious, but truths as he knows them.
"If that was your audition, you earned my vote. Should we expect you at the dorms soon?" Direct goes two ways, it seems!
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Sure," Shinjiro replies about names. Tyler creeps him out a bit, so he's a little tense. But, Tyler approves...
"Did Aki or Kirijo send you? No, couldn't have. You're too green around the ears, and you clearly know jack shit about me."
He considers scaring him off... but the kid's clearly trying, so he'll throw him a bone. "I go way back with them. I'm retired, a one-time thing... they've had trouble getting me to come *back* to SEES. What makes you think you can change my mind?"
There's points there to needle... just a question if Tyler can pull it off on someone he barely knows.
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
Tyler has that effect on people! Whether or not he's aware or cares if he does, though... is up for debate.
The question of Aki or Kirijo sending him is met with a wordless shake of his head, hair swaying lightly with the movement. "Other than what I've stated, you're correct. I *don't* know your story." This is the point when most might continue on speaking, but Tyler instead stares a little longer. Blue eyes unblinking. When *does* he blink?
"Way back relatively speaking, I presume, unless you're including past lives." Because they're both still young! "Change your mind? No, no. I'm here to accept your application." Because to Tyler, that's exactly what those performances were! "...and wouldn't the very nature of your appearance in combat not once but twice dispute your claims of retirement *and* being a 'one-time thing'?" Beat. "I'd rather you be honest. As I said, you already have my vote, and apparently theirs too."
DO they vote? Tyler hasn't a clue. That conversation hasn't happened yet, either.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As Tyler stares, saying he doesn't know Shinjiro's story, Shinjiro shifts only slightly. He doesn't flinch or let it show on his face, keeping a returning stare, though he does blink.
"Listen. You don't need me. There's like, forty of you now. Just recruiting some guy you barely know seems like a bad maneuver, especially when the scariest people in SEES couldn't do it." He's softening a bit, actually, because Tyler's determination is a little bit charming. He can't argue back about one time thing or retirement, though, literally *everyone* calls him on that.
"Honest? Why should I? Look, you barely-"
The stress from earlier and from now comes back to Shinjiro. He reflexively grabs his handkerchief in his pocket, bringing it up to his mouth as he begins coughing. It doesn't seem *that* bad right now, but Tyler might remember that Shinjiro was the one who coughed blood on the floor of Tartarus. Injury from the Shadow-fighting, maybe? Or something else?
"I'm fine," he says on instinct.
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
As Shinjiro refuses, that should be it, right? Anyone in their right mind would leave and let Shinjiro rest in peace...
...Tyler, perhaps excited by the idea of resting in peace, moves to sit down on the ground of the alleyway, instead. "SEES has frightening people?" Tyler echoes, a hint of surprise in his voice. Granted, he hasn't spent extended time with Mitsuru or Akihiko, but he's been punched by Yukari and threatened by others!
This hasn't inspired fear, however.
"...and I didn't say we *needed* you, although given the likelihood that some-or-all of us will eventually perish, numbers might be prudent. It's a simple fact when dealing with the paranormal, the number of those capable of interacting with the unknown is small enough, why purposefully exclude anyone from the pool?" Tyler's pragmatic about it.
He's about to say more when Shinjiro coughs -- unfortunately, he does not recall the blood being coughed up, but the instant reaction to said coughing is a tell of its own. "...is exactly what someone perfectly healthy would say, I'm sure." Blunt as a sledgehammer, this one. "Do you have anything to gain by being dishonest?" he asks, letting his hands move to support his weight as he leans back a bit. "You said it before, I barely know you. You have very little reputation with me to dirty, and I'm not here on the orders of those you have one with." Beat. "I'm here because your actions spoke -- and continue to speak -- louder than your words, Aragaki."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro squints at Tyler. Okay, this kid isn't just charmingly determined... he's a little crazy, too. "It's dirty down there," he says with a sigh.
"I *want* to be excluded," he says, his coughing ceasing for now. "Listen. This isn't fun and games, as you seem to know. People die. Innocent people, not just us with the Potential. There's people who don't belong out there fighting with you." And I'm one of them, he implies.
Though, as he wipes blood off his mouth... Tyler's right he's not healthy. It's clear as day, even when he's not coughing up. "You want me to be honest? That's what you're telling me plainly?" He waits for an affirmative, before...
"This world is dog eat dog. Demons in Sumaru, Shadows in the subway, mystical towers of death. I've seen good people get killed by bad people. I've seen children be orphaned." A pause.
"At a certain point? Too many cooks spoils the pot."
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
"I know how to do laundry and take showers. This kind of dirt is temporary." Tyler replies. What kind of dirt isn't...?
"Then next time you should take up arms against us like those two at the television station. That might make you some enemies and discourage recruitment efforts from some." Not from him; anyone with the talent is fair game for him. Morals are rarely set in concrete, and circumstances can make allies of the staunchest enemies. The advice comes anyways.
"I do. A truth coated in arsenic is far sweeter than a candy coated lie." He looked up another word recently!
He listens, though. Listens and stares; there's little doubt Shinjiro has Tyler's full attention, here. "Demons span the globe, Aragaki, not just Sumaru. If you open the door for them, they'll come through and rarely on their own." Personal experience there.
'I've seen children be orphaned'. "I don't doubt it. I've been the children in question. Gould is spelled G-O-U-L-D. Look it up sometime. I'm sure there's been at least one documentary by now."
Here, emotion creeps into his voice. Disdain. Annoyance. *This* bothers him.
"Cooks maybe, but people in our business?" Yup, he's brushing past 'retired'. "We're either hunter or hunted. I'd rather spend the time I have trying to stop more vengeful spirits from entering the void than sit and wait for my inevitable demise."
Here, however, he rises to his feet once more, turning around, this time.
"But I can't deny the appeal of enjoying the anticipation." Beat. "I'll see you soon, Aragaki."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As Tyler replies about the dirt, Shinjiro's already moved on. But the part about taking up arms gets Shinjiro to 'tch' once more, clearly frustrated by the notion of that. "I want to *stay out of it*." He says, but Tyler's already getting frustrated... arsenic truths, orphaned children... Tyler, too?
How many kids will this bullshit supernatural world crush?
Tyler gets disdain in his voice, and Shinjiro... looks guilty, as Tyler turns. Waiting for his inevitable demise, huh...?
"Don't bother," Shinjiro says. But it won't mean anything. "You're not playing with magic or arsenic, Gould. You're playing with death, plain and simple."
Once Tyler leaves... he'll leave too, to crash at Myunghon's safehouse. He doesn't want to be bothered again tonight.