2025-08-18: Questions, Answers, and Saturn Fries
- Log: Questions, Answers, and Saturn Fries
- Cast: Hazuki Nakao, Tyler Gould
- Where: Big Bang Burger, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo
- OOC Date: August 18, 2025
- IC Date: June 28, 2012
- Summary: After her harrowing events in Taro Nakata's Atelier, Hazuki confides in her friend Tyler. He's very forthright, making a pact with her to contact SEES to trade information and save Taro.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
It has been two days. Two days since Hazuki Nakao sorta-stalked Taro Nakata, ended up in a haunted carnival, met a giant talking piggy bank and a bunch of weirdos from Peacock Silk, got chased by slinky jesters, and awoke to a grand power... Janus.
The night she got home, she immediately locked herself in her room and screamed into her pillow. Her grandma gave her space, assuming her efforts with her friend went poorly. But that wasn't why she was screaming.
She was terrified.
Not only was there so much more in this world than she ever expected, but her friend has some sort of monsters taking his face. That's the only option, right? Why he felt weird sometimes, why he lashed out, why that *thing* that looked like him was in there.
The next day, she went to school. She was numb all day, trying to figure out how exactly to cope. In the end... she got nothing done.
That night, she texted Tyler.
hey can you meet me at the big bang burger in shibuya tomorrow after school? sorry for short notice but its really important
Now, Hazuki Nakao sits during the appointed time, clad in her usual hat and jacket combo. She's grabbed them a table, and has a Big Bang Burger and a large order of Saturn Fries with a cola.
She looks like she's poorly slept, if one looks carefully, but she's trying to play it off, grazing at her fries first. These are... weird fries. Nothing like WcDonald's...
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
When Tyler received the message, he'd been awake; sometimes, he just stays up late to look out the window at the way the world turns during the Dark Hour. It's...
...calming.
No, he's not likely to tell anyone about it. That the sight of coffins lining the sidewalks and a sickly green sky bring him a sort of peace that he doesn't find at other times of day. Maybe it's just because, to him, reality itself is a bit more honest during that hour.
Nonetheless, the text was responded to quickly in the affirmative. A promise to head over as soon as class let out for the day.
Tyler Gould keeps his promises. He didn't bother stopping at the dorms to change, or even drop off his bag of books first. He'd said *right* after school, and he meant it. So it's a pale-skinned boy in an all-black (except the emblem!) Gekkoukan High uniform that comes walking through the doors of the Big Bang Burger like a man possessed.
He stops first at the entrance, scanning over the crowd... and when he spies Hazuki at a table? Yeah, he's going straight there. He'll worry about ordering later, because Hazuki said that whatever's going on was 'really important' and food ranked a little below that on his scale-of-importance.
"Hey," he greets her, in English. "Are you alright?"
*Looking* at her should answer that question. Tyler, however, is not the type to catch these signals easily.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
As Tyler arrives, Hazuki pushes the fries forward, noticing he didn't get any food. "I'm okay," she says in English, trying not to worry him too much, as he seems pretty worried. "I, uh, had some questions..." she says, tearing at a fry as a sort of anxious fidget.
She considers how to respond. How do you even explain this to someone? There's a reason she's telling him, though, as she starts.
"...ghosts are really real, right? And they come in all shapes and... names, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
Slipping into a chair opposite Hazuki, Tyler nods slightly when she confirms that she's okay; That, ultimately, is the most important part... or so he thinks. "Of course." he replies to her mention of questions, reaching out for a fry to munch on as well. They *do* look a little odd, but taste?
....taste is good.
"You brought my favorite kind of currency, too, which entitles you to all the answers you might want." It's a joke, of sorts, delivered in the usual monotone. He'd provide answers even if she *didn't* bribe him. But the bribe is quite tasty.
As for the actual question itself...? "Yes." he answers, tone as certain as his ever gets. "Every culture has its own... terminology for them, rules that they abide by, but they absolutely exist." They're not the only things that exist, either. "Why do you ask?" reaching for another fry, now.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
As Tyler eats a fry and jokes, Hazuki smiles very softly, but with a worn expression. "Great, I need plenty." Hopefully he knows...
As he mentions every culture has its own terminology, and they absolutely exist... she starts unwrapping her burger, before stopping mid unwrap. "Have they ever been referred to as... Shadows? Or like... Humors or a a Homunculus? Those two are alchemy terms, but I don't know if it comes from ghosts..."
Her brain is trying to rationalize this despite it being too late for that so hard, deciding that these are ghosts. That's weird rationalization anyways since it's still believing them, but still.
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
Tyler's mid-fry when she starts dropping... *names*. As people who keep secrets go, Tyler may be one of the worst; if she's lookingg for it, recognition of the words is obvious enough from the way his eyes change as she speaks them.
He doesn't answer, though, until he's swallowed the fry. Glancing around a bit in a conspirational fashion.
"Yes..." he pauses, "...and no." How to best explain this? Maybe from the beginning. "When I was in America, my parents would go around trying to find out the truth about the things that go bump in the night." Is that pride in his tone? Just a bit! "They ran into... all kinds of things. I picked up knowledge here and there, usually at dinner. Usually, it was ghosts... the lingering spirits of the deceased, and demons, infernal beings from... well, you know." A fry is used to point downwards... before that fry is likewise munched on.
"I've come to believe that those are more of the American terms for them. I started hearing about Shadows, here... not too long ago." he pauses, taking a moment to stare at the half-eaten fry in his fingers. "I was... actually attacked by them, while I was trying to contact my parents. Thankfully, there were others around that helped me vanguish them. Before then, I've never... *seen* spirits before, you know? They take various forms, but the ones they call shadows are very clearly malevolent in nature... or I simply have terrible luck. Also possible."
The Gould Curse lives on...
"Humors are a new term to me, at least as far as the paranormal go. But Homunculus..." -ses, -si, -sippi, whatever. "It's a term I only first heard a couple days ago.' he answers honestly. "Maybe strictly a Japanese apparition? At least not very well *known* in America. Possibly rooted in the demonic, but..." he pauses, considering for a moment. "...did you ever watch Invasion of the Pod People? They're... kind of like that. They impersonate real people... with the intention of consuming them, later."
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki listens to Tyler carefully. American terms... they're called Shadows here, and they're malevolent in nature... Humors are a new term, and Homunculus is one he knows even more recently. The *moment* he mentions pod people, though, her eyes light up.
"Oh my god, that's them. It was like... okay, how do I explain this..." She makes sure no one's listening, which they aren't, before pleading at him with big eyes.
"*Please* don't think I'm crazy for what I'm about to tell you."
Taking a breath, unwrapping her burger, and taking a bite, she chews and swallows before speaking in English.
"I think I killed a Shadow? Well, a dozen. No, wait, start at the beginning. I, uh... went looking for Nakata-kun. And when I reached him, I... passed out? Awoke inside this carnival. It was dilapidated, and then this *talking pig* ran up to me, crying because he was being bullied. He said he was a Humor, a type of Shadow... he was very sweet, and tried to protect me from another type of Humor..."
A pause, to take another breath.
"Are you, uh, with me so far?" She looks to Tyler, before continuing. "Well, the Humors were like, these evil slinky jester things that were rolling and oh my god they're gonna live in my nightmares. I swung my baseball bat at them, don't ask why I had that, and it didn't do anything..."
She's got a little bit of tears just thinking about the situation, but takes a breath. "Then this weird cocoon swallowed me, and there were all these constellations, and then something... happened, I got new clothes, and summoned some sort of creature."
A pause, so she doesn't overload him with more info, though she'll add one more thing.
"I think it was called Janus, like the Roman myth? Sorry, I'm talking too much..."
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
When Hazuki confirms 'that's them', she suddenly has Tyler's total attention. There's a fry that remains in his hand, but...
It does not get eaten.
He listens. In fact, at one point he sets the fry down to take a notebook out of his bag and start *writing*. Because this is... a lot of new information that he didn't have before. That SEES doesn't have yet. Which will be rectified soon enough, he decides. Either from Hazuki herself... or himself in second hand.
"You're probably the most sane you've ever been, Hazuki." he tells her bluntly. "You're... awake, now. You're in tune with the truths of the world around you like I am, like others are, but not how *everyone* is, if that makes sense."
There's a lot of pieces to the puzzle that don't fit. Waking up inside a carnival? He knows the Dark Hour. Tartarus. He's *heard* of Mementos. That's a subway, they tell him. A *carnival?*
Talking pig?
"In paranormal investigation, *most* spirits are believed to be largely harmless. Some even beneficial, like... guardian angels. So... it probably was my luck that kept me running into the bad ones."
There's a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Of course, *this* is the kind of conversation that gives him life.
"When I was first attacked, I tried fighting back with a ouija board." Didn't he say he was trying to contact his parents? Maybe now Hazuki knows how... "It didn't work against the shadows, either, but..."
Then she describes... something that does not quite make sense, until.. "Persona..." *That* makes perfect sense. "Okay, I have... good news, and I have bad news, and some of it I probably need to *show* rather than *tell*, but..." he reaches out a hand, here. "...I can tell you you're not alone in this. Not at all."
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki talks even as Tyler is writing... because it shows he's actually paying attention. When he calls her sane, she nods slowly, triyng to piece it. He mentions the paranormal investigation, and then the Persona. Persona... why does that feel... right? It shows on her face. As he reaches out a hand, Hazuki moves hers off her burger, taking a deep breath. "Okay. Show...?"
But, before she forgets, she has more. "Oh, right. After I took out the Shadows with...Janus, there were other people there. And then we got chased off by a *thing* that looked like Nakata-kun, but... wasn't. The Homunculus. His face was like... melting off? It was horrifying."
Should she tell him who the people are...? Honestly, he's being super supportive, so maybe...
"...I now know why Peacock Silk didn't let me in." she says in a way that makes it clear she's probably spoken to them since.
"...I hope Roger is okay. That's, uh, the pig. That's his name."
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
More... probable Persona users. That's Tyler's takeaway. Not that he's entirely surprised, and even less surprised when the connection to Peacock Silk is mentioned.
They know about Personas. They make *things* for people who can use Personas. It seems like a logical link that they'd also *have* Personas because he hasn't met anyone who can enter paranormal spaces without having one.
The Chairman doesn't count. He *doesn't* enter paranormal spaces.
"I think they'll let you in, now." he agrees. "And... Roger probably has a bright red target on him, if he is truly a helpful spirit... Humor... among malevolent ones." Tyler's not really good about softening thr truth. He'd rather rip the bandaid off.
"But... what you did, you're not the only one who can do it." he offers, opting to tell anyways. Waiting until the Dark Hour... might not be the best idea. Even if Hazuki's already, clearly, great in combat as it stands.
Though... what happens when the Dark Hour comes anyways? He should probably text someone. There's a note made to do *exactly* that.
"I can do it. Summon one of those... creatures. We call them Personas." 'We'?
"There's... an entire group of us, trying to protect people from the Shadows, and especially from something called the Dark Hour... literally an extra hour that occurs after midnight when... all the malevolent spirits begin to hunt." He won't directly address SEES, but... with what he's planning, he might not need to, soon.
"So... the good news is, you have backup. You have me as quick as a phone call. I know I can get others to march upon your foes, though. Save Taro," Did Hazuki ever mention his first name? "and Roger too. I'll just need some time to gather them." Because they already volunteered to investigate homunculus... atastropies, so it's just a matter of telling them.
"...did you know the Peacock talks, by the way? Sings, too?" he asks, reaching next for his phone. "You can probably hear him, now."
Beat.
"But. How did you get to the carnival? Do you know, or just... passing out?"
Mementos has the dare. Tartarus is just right place at the right time, literally. The Dark Carnival, however...
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
"Oh no..." Hazuki frowns about Roger. But, she nods as he says there's others, and explains the Personas and Dark Hour. It doesn't make much sense... unless?
"...is that why the power went out the last two nights? No one else remembered an outage..."
Though, he also explained a group... "Can... Can I meet them? If that's okay. I want... to know I'm not alone."
The peacock talks! "Yeah, apparently. I'm gonna teach him how to play fighting games for information." A pause. "Oh my god what is my life."
Tyler has an important question... "Roger called it an Atelier, the carnival. Nakata's... wait, did I call him Taro earlier? Anyways, Nakata-kun's carnival. The pig thought I 'threaded the eye of the needle' and brought the thread to the eye, whatever that means? And he told me to do it again to come back... do you think Peacock Silk knows?"
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
"And will continue to go out, every night for the rest of our lives." Beat. "Wait until you see what happens to people who are still sleeping when the Dark Hour arrives. It's so cool."
Of course he would think that. He may well miss the Dark Hour should they ever manage to defeat it...
As for meeting SEES? He holds up his phone, "I'm gonna ask them that right now. I think *they* will want to meet you, too." ...and so, a quick text is shot off. "I'll let you know as soon as I get an answer, but until then... at least you know me. Consulation prize." If he's offended, he's not showing it!
"I... do think you might want to meet my friends, before you ask questions of Peacock Silk." Is there distrust there? Maybe some. Maybe just skepticism. "I think they know the answers." Reiya all but said they did, afterall. "But information from them doesn't come free of charge, from what I've heard, so to make sure you get as much information as possible... you want to get information from the free sources, first."
Now that Hazuki's awake, they can *properly* fill her in.
'Atelier' is written down. Underlined. Equated to Carnival. "I only know, literally what threading the eye of a needle is." Because Tyler can sew. "...but it's definitely not the way I'm used to." Oh, he'll have to tell her about Evokers...
No, that's *definitely* a show.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
"...oh god." is Hazuki's reaction. She's a little scared. "...is it? Do they like, get superpowers?!" Oh, sweet child.
Though, the SEES text is allowed to be sent, and she nods. "Thanks, Tyler..."
Though, talk to his friends first... "Okay. I'll do that... but I'm meeting them eventually. I want to ask more about, uh, their cool outfits and why we have them... what's yours like?" She's sparkling a little in the eyes. Maybe he has a cool goth magical boy transformation...
She shrugs about the threading the eye and the needle, though. "We'll have to figure it out... I'm not giving up. If he needs help... I'll destroy that monster myself."
A pause.
"...thanks, Tyler. I'm... really glad I told you. I was scared..."
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
"Not... exactly." Beat. "But sort of?" Explain, Tyler. "See, people who aren't sensitive to..." he waves his hands around, "...all of this? They spend the Dark Hour protected in a *coffin*." His eyes genuinely light up a bit at that. "They're all safe. You probably had one until a couple nights ago, too."
As far as cool outfits? "I... don't actually get one." he admits. "I don't think. Maybe someday?" There's still a lot of questions he has, that don't have answers. Why some people can call Personas without Evokers. Why some Evokers look different than others. *Cartridges*. "But... as soon as I can, I'll introduce you to Houdini."
He nods to her determination. "That's a good attitude to have... sometimes, people need someone else to fight their battles for them." He inclines his head slightly. "When we first met, it was you who needed the help. Now, you're the one with the baseball bat."
...and now, he reaches for a fry again. A little colder, but still good. They're still fries! "You don't have to be scared any more. Shadows... they might look scary. They might do horrible things... but they still play by the laws of nature. They can be beaten." Chew, chew, chew, swallow. "...but you saw that first-hand already."
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
"..." Hazuki stares at Tyler like he just told her the worst thing he could have told her. "So... say it was midnight right now. All these people would be coffins?! Except you and me..." She shudders.
The cool outfits, though... "Awww. We'll have to unlock yours... maybe it's DLC," she jokes, getting her sense of humor back a little. She nods about the baseball bat, smiling.
"Yeah... we can't do this alone. We're all connected... every single one of us."
Though, as he mentions not being scared, she smiles brighter, and moves to get up. "I'm going to get a refill. You want to come get food?"
She'll go either way. But she's offering him!
<Pose Tracker> Tyler Gould has posed.
"Yeah, the fries were good, but I'd be lying if a burger isn't calling my name..."
And Tyler Gould does not lie. He does, however, stand move to stand with Hazuki. On to the next quest, for refills and food~!