2025-09-05: Room For A Housewife
- Log: Room For A Housewife
- Cast: Ayame Watanabe, Katsuya Suou, Ulala Serizawa
- Where: Seven Sisters High School
- OOC Date: September 05, 2025
- IC Date: July 06, 2012
- Summary: Katsuya, having apprised Ulala of what happened at Sevens, brings her along to meet with Ayame and her husband. Together, they explain some of what happened, of Ayame's new power, and of the mysterious circumstances into which Ayame and her husband have been caught up in. Ayame, hearing of their activities and aims to investigate what's happening, asks to join, and is accepted into... Team Whoop-Ass.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame Watanabe is at Seven Sisters High School today! She does occasionally come to visit her husband here, or bring him things--but today, she's here because a certain nice Officer Suou wanted to talk to them. So Ikkaku's gotten out of his meetings and so forth and arranged it. They're using the Vice Principal's office for the moment. It's fine. Don't worry about that.
Ikkaku is doing some paperwork while he waits for the others to assemble, and Ayame is seated, thinking about... well, thinking about what happened.
It's afternoon! It's not raining. And everything is normal at Seven Sisters High.
The room has a few more chairs open; it's not as big as the principal's office, but it'll do.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
The rumor had said that everything is absolutely normal at Seven Sisters High. And indeed! So it is. Nothing at all is amiss here, even when out of curiosity Katsuya checks a particular hallway for damage (there isn't any). It's... unnerving, if he's being honest.
The long and short of it was, a lot had happened, in just a little over a span of a week. Between that and the aftermath of various events, between that and their various work schedules--
(Indeed, two among their number aren't here now. Maya's reason they know, but Baofu's, of course, remains mysterious and vague.)
--they'd done the best they could. And they're here now, and that's what should matter.
It's been a very long time since Katsuya was in the Assistant Principal's office at Sevens. Come to think of it, that man is retired now, having seen the end of his career just after Katsuya's own graduation.
"Thank you for your time, both of you," he tells them, making his appearance within the office as they'd arranged. He's just on time: if it had been possible, he would have arrived earlier, but his shift had ended when it ended, and there's nothing he can do about the transit schedule. Honestly, he's just happy not to be late. "My acquaintance in these matters should be along soon, I should think."
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala is running slightly late. After the meeting was arranged, she couldn't get work off, so she's been preparing lingerie for sales all day. She had to stop by a little cafe to get a bagel, and then after the fact, she realized everyone might want something to drink, so she got some basic coffees and a whole bunch of cream and sugar.
In the hallway outside the office, Ulala briefly scarfs down her bagel, checks her reflection in her phone to make sure she doesn't have crumbs, and then grabs her little coaster of coffees from where she set it, four in total.
She's putting on that usual smile, stepping inside with her green spider-web dress and boxing wraps and striking red hair. Some students there for club had commented on her passing by.
"Hello! I hope I'm not too late, I got us something on the way. It's very nice to meet you, I'm Ulala Serizawa." A pause. "Katsuya-san filled me in on some of the details."
Stay cool, Ulala. You can make a good impression with the coffee!
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame looks up and smiles when Katsuya arrives and comes in. He's on time! "Hello, Officer Suou," Ayame says first. "It's good to see you."
Ikkaku answers, "And under better circumstances, too."
Coffees! Ayame rises from her seat and goes to meet Katsuya, while Ikkaku sets down his pen. She bows in greeting. "Of course!" she says. "And thank you for yours."
Acquaintance...
"Oh, wonderful," Ikkaku says to Ulala when she brings coffee. "Hello, Serizawa-san. All of you, feel free to take a seat."
Ayame marvels for a moment. "Oh, what a lovely outfit!" Ayame says. "Ah. Sorry, we're here for business, aren't we?"
She smiles, and goes to take a seat. "Well! Could you start us off, Suou-san? We... do have some questions, even if a few of them have been answered by now."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
It's not that he's being uncharitable in suspecting that the rest of his merry band (which is to say, Ulala) are not quite going to be on time, but...
Neither is he entirely surprised that Ulala hurries in a little bit on the late side. The coffee, though! The coffee is certainly appreciated, even if he's no longer drinking it quite as much as he used to.
Law school is an ordeal, you see.
"Thank you," he says, of the coffee, though he doesn't go for it quite yet. He's still standing, you see, and he's started right in on the subject they've been gathered "As I mentioned, Serizawa-san is among our group here in Sumaru," he explains, which might accidently make the whole endeavor sound larger than the four-person band it actually is at present time. "I imagine you both have a number of questions about what happened," he says, gesturing as he talks, "and what is continuing to happen in this city." He reaches up to fidget with his sunglasses.
"I suppose... I should start at the beginning. This power you now have, Watanabe-san... This is called 'Persona'. If you haven't found the blue door to the Velvet Room yet, then we should take you sometime. I feel as if they can answer many of your questions better than I can. Yet, I will do my best, if you have any that are pressing."
He's not done talking, though.
"Which... leads me to what happened here. You're aware of the Joker Killer serial murder case. By all accounts, the police are making no headway and have no leads." If he grimaces faintly, perhaps he can be forgiven that 'crack' in his exterior. "That was the killer. He's the one who killed the principal here in May, and the same who has been involved in many other cases. Indeed, that was when we also awoke to this power..."
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Coffees are set down for anyone to take, Ulala putting a little bit of cream and sugar in her own, but not too much. She'll take a seat before Katsuya, even if she's fine standing, just to hopefully encourage him to join.
As Katsuya finishes, she turns to the Watanabes. "I can confirm what he's talking about, yeah. He uses... fire, mainly. It's his... MO, right?" She asides to her comrade, not being a cop herself clearly.
Ulala rolls her shoulders a few times. "He also attacked Kasugayama, where I fought him. They're covering it up... he was trying to kill Eikichi Mishina, the school's Death Boss." Just to spread her credibility.
A pause. "We'll help with any questions, of course."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ikkaku loves coffee, and so does Ayame. They have both relied upon it in the past. It's a friend! ...But Ayame doesn't take cream or sugar. Ikkaku takes some sugar, but not her.
"Your group," Ayame repeats thoughtfully, and Ikkaku has his pen again. He... may be taking notes. That's the kind of thing he does.
"I do," Ikkaku confirms, but does not interrupt to ask them yet. Instead, he waits.
"So that's who that is," Ayame says with a frown. Ikkaku frowns, too. "...The rumors go that our emblem protects people from the Joker Killer. But... I gave mine away," he says, with a shake of his head. "There was a boy investigating the murders who wouldn't leave it to the police, so I thought to keep him safe, if it worked."
"Ah," Ayame says. "Well, my... 'Persona', as you call it, doesn't appear to like fire very much. I'd like to go to that Velvet Room."
"Kasugayama, too," Ikkaku comments. "They said it was gang violence, but that seemed strange to me..."
"Well," Ayame says, "Do we have any idea... how, or why, a serial killer has these powers?" Ayame asks first.
Ikkaku says, "So you've had this power for a few months at this point. ...But that's not when all this began." He seems more like he's working something out than that he's asking a question, for that part. But then he realizes--"Ah. I should also thank you, Officer Suou. I'd not had the chance to do so properly, before. So thank you."
"Yes, Ayame agrees."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Their group. He doesn't give the name. Don't make him say it! (he's probably going to have to say it.)
"I see... yes. That rumor does appear to protect people," he says to Ikkaku. It should, they're the ones who spread it; he'd like to feel 'good' about one of the rumors they spread. "But a 'boy'...? If you don't mind, what was his name?"
As for the Velvet Room, he nods in assent.
"Yes," he confirms, when Ulala chimes in. "Demons, as well. You may remember those 'creatures' he had with him. It would account for the condition of some of his victims when they were found. It's fortunate that we were able to stop this latest attempt. Unfortunately," he continues, having to be the bearer of bad news in this instance, "it won't be his last. Against you, or against others in this city and beyond."
Can #501 target someone even further away? If he killed someone in another country, could they even stop him from here? Or is there some limit to even his power? Of course, with each death, doesn't the rumor about him grow stronger...?
Sit down, the Watanabes have encouraged, but he's not exactly listening to that, at least not at first--
At least not until the point when he's the only one still standing. There is a fleeting, possibly awkward moment. Recovering like a cat that's just taken a spill and has chosen to act like that never happened, Katsuya moves for the coffee.
Unlike Ulala, he's put more sugar into his. ...A lot more sugar. And cream. So he likes it sweet?
Kasagayama, he's heard about. He nods when Ulala explains. "Yes, so I had heard. ...'Death Boss'?" he asks, lifting his coffee to take a sip. Is... that the sort of thing kids call themselves these days? It is a nickname, right?
But how is it that the killer has those sorts of powers? It's not just Persona. They'd seen as much for themselves.
Katsuya is silent at first.
"What I'm about to say will sound like nonsense. Yet, I've seen the outcome for myself. 'Rumors can become reality'. ...Months ago, about seven months ago, now, there was a murder. It soon became clear that we had a serial murder case on our hands. That was before the reporting about the deaths began. After that... that's when the rumor about the 'Joker Killer' began," Katsuya explains. "Perhaps you've heard it. If you call your own cellphone, you can reach the killer, and he'll ask who you want to have killed. After that, it seemed that each killing became more brutal than the last, more complicated. More cruel," he says, shaking his head. "The first cases weren't like this at all..."
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
"Indeed. Our group voted to call ourselves 'Team Whoop-Ass'. We're investigators, of a sort," Ulala says confidently. She glances to Katsuya. Will he admit he didn't vote for it, or maintain group cohesion?!
Ulala considers what else she can share. The Velvet Room request gets a nod, and Katsuya mentions about the powers... She nods along, knowing everything he said is true.
"Death Boss. There's different 'delinquent bosses' and he's the strongest one."
And then, Ulala turns to Ikkaku about it. "That's because he had allies. Three people came with him. So whoever he is... he isn't acting alone, and they have their own Personas."
A sip of her coffee, as she tries to maintain her cool, before finally exhaling and clenching her fist. "It really sucks, how he can just get away with hurting people... crueler, and crueler, and people are willing to cover it up."
And then, a turn to Ikkaku and Ayame, and a nod and a release of her tension. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this. Please, if there's anything we can do now or in the future, let us know."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Their group! Ayame listens, and doesn't assume there's a name. Not until Ulala confidently mentions it. Ayame giggles. "...Wait, really?" she asks.
That's quite the name. But Ikkaku moves right along to the rumor. The boy? "Sure.. But don't give him trouble, please. If he thought he could leave it to the police, I'm sure he would. Unfortunately most of you don't have these powers." A pause. "Shinjiro Aragaki. He's a student at Gekkoukan High School. He was there, helping."
Demons... Hmm. It would account for that. "I'll be more prepared next time," Ayame says. "He won't have my Ikkaku."
"Ayame..."
She smiles, and then looks back to Katsuya and Ulala. Delinquent bosses, though--Ikkaku nods. "Right. They organize themselves that way because the faculty seem not to care what they do..." He sighs.
But allies! People came with him. "That's concerning," Ikkaku says.
Katsuya explains what sounds like nonsense, and Ayame opens her mouth and closes it. She looks to Ikkaku, and he looks back to her.
"Strange things becoming reality," Ayame says. Ikkaku continues, "Supernatural creatures appearing in ordinary spaces."
"Yes," Ayame says. "It's just like... 'back then'..."
A sigh. She looks back to Katsuya. "I believe you," she says. "It's crazy, but I don't believe you would lie to me."
Ikkaku nods to Ulala. "I agree. If I could help more, I would--to bring him to justice. But... it would seem that my wife is the one with that power."
Ulala offers, and Ayame smiles. "Thank you. It was stressful, of course. ...But..."
"I should be the one asking how to help you. There's no question but that I want to help, of course. Do you have room for a housewife in your group?"
"Ayame..."
"I insist, dear."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
His shoulders visibly sag as Ulala brings up their little group's actual name and Ayame giggles about it. Perhaps that will tell the tale for him, because in the interest of group cohesion, he doesn't bring up the fact that he was against calling it that. "That is so..." he says, in a transparent attempt to move the conversation along and away from their name. "We're investigating the supernatural incidents around here, particularly those surrounding the Joker Killer," he says instead.
"Aragaki...?" That's a name he now knows, thanks to a particular other incident a few nights ago. "I see," he says, a complicated expression coming to rest on his face. "Thank you, Watanabe-san. No, our paths have crossed before. I do not intend to cause any trouble." ...He's good enough at finding it for himself, he muses in private.
Ulala provides the context for how Kasugayama's delinquent hierarchy works. He looks like she's just explained how life functions on an alien planet. "I... see." Perhaps he should ask someone in Juvenile about that, if he thinks he wants to know more. Maybe Miyashiro, assuming she's not busy.
But Ulala brings up another important point. #501 isn't working with 'just' demons anymore. "That's right," he says. "There is a group that calls themselves 'Strega'," he says, thinking he might leave the Darkside discussion for another moment at this junction, lest they both get inundated, "They appear to be mixed up in their own illegal actions. For whatever reason, they have aligned themselves with the killer. I ran into them myself." ...Palaces are another thing that he thinks might want to wait for a 'later', especially since he's still wrapping his head around what happened to Kaneshiro.
He glances between the two of them, when Ayame vows she'll protect her husband, no matter what. It's... quite the tender expression isn't it...
To his surprise, they're able to grapple with the idea of 'rumors' quite quickly. This is because--
"Back... then?" he asks, clearly in the dark about 'that' incident. They're willing to believe in what he says because of that, and because they don't think he was lying.
"Yes," he chimes in after Ulala, "if there's anything we can do to help--"
He doesn't get that much further because Ayame says that she wants to help them. "You... would like to...?" he echoes, looking over at Ulala as if to get her read on this. "I see..." He nods. "You are in much the same boat as the rest of us. Amano-kun, our ally, is also being chased by him. I would like to say 'it will be dangerous', but it would be dangerous no matter what. Indeed, I think it would be better for us to work together."
He does look over at Ikkaku, though: Katsuya is a man in this sort of society, in the end. Is it okay if his wife does this with them?
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala, for Katsuya's sake, does not dwell on the name, though she smiles a little as Ayame giggles. It's a funny name!
Some teenager is mentioned, but Ulala's busy drinking her coffee. She's craving unagi...
"I understand..." she tells Ikkaku as he wishes he could help. "Being powerless..."
But then Ayame asks to join them. Ulala's expression gets curious, before getting a little distant. She wonders if... they let a woman like Ayame join, with a happy family and kids and everything she wants who has it all together, will Ulala still have a place in Team Whoop-Ass?
But even so, she sighs, letting her game face come back on. "We'd be happy to have you. I'll say for Maya in absentia as well... I'm sure she'd say yes."
For her part, she does *not* look towards Ikkaku. She locks onto Ayame, instead, still having those doubts.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ikkaku picks up on Katsuya's difficulty with the name--Ayame would, if she weren't already laughing about it. But Ikkaku understands, Katsuya!!
Ayame is listening about the 'purpose' fo the group, though. She nods thoughtfully to Katsuya. But Katsuya knows the name Ikkaku mentioned already, and that's... well, not entirely surprising. "You're welcome," Ikkaku answers Katsuya. "And I'm glad."
"Strega," Ayame repeats thoughtfully. "I wonder why they would align themselves with him?"
There's a lot that can come later, really. When Ayame makes her promise, though, Ikkaku is looking only at her.
"Ah," Ayame says, looking back to Katsuya. "Excuse me," she requests. "I don't know if you'd be familiar... but..." She has a hard time explaining, and Ikkaku helps with, "A set of incidents like these took place a few years ago--in Mikage-cho. It was referred to as 'the SEBEC incident'. And it was mostly covered up." Ayame looks at him--and nods.
But then Ayame does express her desire to help. Even as she does, Ulala seems to understand Ikkaku's feelings, too. He appreciates that.
Ulala's expression goes through a few changes; Ayame doesn't know her well, but she can see some of it on her face. There's some distance; there's some questioning.
"Thank you," Ayame says to Ulala, and looks to Katsuya--spotting his look at Ikkaku.
She looks at Ikkaku, too. "I..." Ayame starts, "I think it's important. And that I can help."
Ikkaku in turn smiles, though it's a sad kind of smile. "Of course," he answers. "I would do the same in your position. ...Maybe it's 'fate'," he says. "That you deserve a chance to step in, this time."
Ikkaku and Ayame seem to come to some kind of agreement over those moments, because they both as one look to Katsuya and Ulala. "We're in," Ayame says. Ikkaku continues, "I can help, too. I may only be able to do administrative work for your group, or other such mundane tasks... But I'd like to do what I can, all the same."
"Well," Ayame says, "In that case..."
She bows, lightly. "Please take care of me," she says, as she might if she were joining a job.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
At least someone else here understands his feelings...!
"That, I do not know," Katsuya tells them of Strega, shaking his head. There's a little more to it than what he's said. But, in the end, it's only a little bit more, and it won't give them any insight into the 'why' of Strega's alliance. It will just paint them a bolder picture of what it is that particular group is like.
It's his turn to be educated, though: Ayame mentions the SEBEC Incident to him, and Katsuya thinks back to about three years prior. "I remember reading about that in the paper. So you're saying that wasn't simply...?" He looks pensive, folding his arms over his chest as he leans back in his seat. "I see... so that was also covered up. I wonder if it has anything to do with what we're dealing with now." If nothing else, it doesn't hurt to ask around. Someone else who knows something might know something. And there's always Darkside, assuming what's there is correct.
Speaking of their absent team-members, Ulala can guess at Maya's possible thoughts on Ayame joining up, which means that their 'one more' must fall to him. Which... "I can't say for sure what 'he' would think. We would have to ask him ourselves," he says, speaking of Baofu. He shakes his head. "Nevertheless, if he feels contrary about it, he's welcome to work with someone else."Even if they'd be sorely lacking for the information he's able to source, for all that the method he uses to collect it makes him feel uneasy at least.
(He's being uncharitable about him, too, he knows, but neither can he quite stop feeling the way he does about their other ally in this fight.)
It's an uneasy thing to watch someone dear to you fight. He knows: he feels the same way about his brother, doing whatever it is that he's doing. Ayame makes her case to Ikkaku, and, what can her husband do but say 'yes'? Besides, as he's quick to point out--
"That's correct. Between ourselves, we already have more than we can handle. Having someone else we can trust will be important in what comes next." As well as, he thinks privately, someone else who can keep things organized. Surely he can't be the only one who can take notes...?
"We'll do our best together, Watanabe-san." It's not as if this isn't akin to a job, or that they're not colleagues after a fashion.
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala gets her mood back fairly quickly as she drinks her coffee. As Ikkaku also offers to help... "Thank you, both of you. It'll be really nice to have some more support."
Baofu gets a shrug from Ulala. "Who knows with him?"
In the end, though, she drains her coffee, maybe quicker than you'd expect given her hidden stress. "I'll tell Maya at home. Looking forward to working with you. I hope we can stop this monster, together."