2025-09-20: Unfortunate
- Log: Unfortunate
- Cast: Miho Ijuuin, Tsubasa Seki
- Where: Hirasaka Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: September 20, 2025
- IC Date: Saturday, July 14, 2012
- Summary: Petty theft meets corporate espionage.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
It's Saturday, and that means a mere half-day of school. Tsubasa can't be bothered showing up for half the day, though -- it's the morning, and they're out on the side-streets of Hirasaka, in their usual style of strappy tank-top and board shorts.
(There's a BINDER visible beneath their top. They do not even bother to hide it.)
A scrawny Tosa Inu hangs out beside them, as they crouch in an alleyway, fiddling with the lock to an office building with its windows all busted up. It's quite blatant, doing something like this in the middle of the day, but no one is around; at this hour, the only people on the town are housewives, and they're all clustered at Smile Hirasaka rather than coming back into the parking lots and alleyways of these hopeless buildings.
Click, the lock accedes, and Tsubasa shoves their lockpicks back into their pocket as they push the door open. Their dog wanders in, and then so do they, at first creeping and then loosening their stance when they realise this building really isn't lived-in right now. "Check it out," Tsubasa tells Lance, as they go over to an abandoned front desk. Going around to the forbidden side, they find a phone still lying there, despite the fact that most of the apparel of the foyer has been stripped away. "Hey, they left shit here," they add, to their dog. "They still movin' out, or...?"
Tsubasa shrugs, as they move further into the office building. "Finders keepers," they remark, with a dry, gravelly tone. "Maybe they left somethin' worth grabbin'."
Bork!, Lance offers in comment, wagging her tail.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
There is... One other person out on the town today. At least one, though there could be more.
And perhaps one fewer. After all, Miho's on the move.
The office building is very busted up, but indeed: not everything has been taken. This would ordinarily be grunt work beneath Miho, except for the fact that what wasn't taken is too sensitive to risk some grunt reading it. And so...
As Tsubasa moves further into the office building, the noise draws the attention of someone within. Thus, the third room they enter--
There is a woman there. She is extremely tall, with green hair and a nice suit (no tie), and has a long, thin case of some kind on her back, as well as a briefcase at her side.
Her eyes settle on Tsubasa.
"Aren't you interesting?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa got in too late to hear anything regarding that. They're easy to hear, though; they're too young to realise that one should not brag out loud to their dog about their illicit ingress. The fact that they're here... really isn't a surprise to anyone else.
No: they're the one who gets to be surprised. Hand on the doorknob, they open up the door to find -- "What the fuck?"
They stagger a step back, taking in Miho's elegant suit, her briefcase, her... weird case on her back? Do salarywomen usually have something like that???
Lance, sensing their unease, positions herself in front of them and barks. Tsubasa reaches forward, to rub at her shoulder. "I-it's cool, Lance," though their stammer reveals that it is not, in fact, entirely cool.
They manage to recover enough to straighten up and fold their arms, electing to look tough, because they don't trust that they could get out of here with their dog before this woman could get to them. (She looks like she bench presses a fucking HOUSE. What the fuck.)
"Who the hell are you?"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
'What the fuck?'
Miho stands, statuesque, and waits for Tsubasa to get their bearings. She looks in the meantime down at Lance. Bork, bork! Miho considers this dog.
"Good dog," she reflects, and brings her gaze back to Tsubasa's face. "Your companion moves to defend you through intimidation. I'm sure that serves you both well in most circumstances."
Miho is not afraid of little dogs.
"I am the woman who was here before you in this building," Miho introduces herself. "What is it you said? Ah, yes."
"'Finders Keepers'."
"I feel the same. I will not stop you from taking what you can find... for what I look for I have already found."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
'In most circumstances', Miho says, and Tsubasa's at least sharp enough to catch that. The fake tan and concealer lathered over their face covers the way they pale, but it can't hide the fractional part of their lips as their teeth grit behind them, the way their eyes widen a little and their face tenses.
They're freaked out, man.
They scowl, though, when Miho brings up what they thought they were just saying to Lance. "S-so, what?" They ask, looking over her again. "You sayin' you're just another thief?"
Part of them knows they should really take the out and run. But when it comes to fight or flight, they're too often gripped by the former; they can't help but add, "You're overdressed, asshole."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Yes, Tsubasa does seem clever about that. Tension marks the younger of the two.
"No," Miho answers. "When you're paid enough, they call it 'corporate espionage.'"
"I am for this, aren't I? Perhaps I should dress in dark clothes and skulk about like a rat. No, that seems undignified. This job is already irritating enough."
A smile. "But less irritating I find is you. You are aggressive in the face of a superior opponent. You bring your dog to steal from the ruined carcass of an office building. And you loudly announce your presence."
A pause.
"But really, perhaps it's just that I like your binder."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Corporate... "What the hell?" Tsubasa asks, having apparently never heard that crime is fine if you're wearing a white collar at the time.
Still... she doesn't like her job. Tsubasa shoots her a sceptical expression, their mind working overtime trying to figure out her deal.
And --
They're no less freaked out hearing Miho declare herself superior -- in the same breath as declaring them fascinating. "I-I ain't..." they start, defensively --
-- before Miho thinks of something to add, and Tsubasa blinks, shocked out of their attack by the way she admires their outfit. One hand lifts from their crossed arms, to rub at their opposite shoulder, betraying the motion to be less intimidating and more defensive. "Uh... yeah?" Tsubasa asks, finally breaking their glare to look away. "Ain't the sorta thing I hear from fuckers dressed up like you... normally."
Their lip tugs, lengthwise, as those electric blue things press firmly together. "But you're a chick... right?" They ask, uncertainly. "Uh, 'less you ain't... it's cool if you ain't, I ain't either."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho is not here to give lessons in crime and punishment. Tsubasa, as it happens, has already learned a number of those.
But that defensive start gives way to something else, and the motion may be defensive, but Tsubasa does voice a response. "No, I imagine it isn't," Miho allows. "Most people who wear suits can see little else but victims and opportunities."
"But I am a woman, yes." A pause. "Though I find the trappings of femininity... confining. Extraneous. Not for me."
"But you aren't, are you?" She considers. "A young man?" She wonders. "Or... neither?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Tch," Tsubasa clicks their tongue to the back of their teeth, commenting, sourly, "yeah, like my father."
And it's not so strange, for wayward youth to have salarymen for fathers, working long hours to support them despite their refusal to behave. They still address him with respectful language, despite the scorn in their tone.
Still -- Miho confirms she's a woman, if one who feels trapped by the details. Explains the suit, they guess. "Cool," they shrug, not giving her a word of protest about that.
They let her work through guessing where they're at, though it's only when she gets to her second guess that they look back to her and nod. "Yeah. I'm an 'X'. Musei." 'Without gender', they say, which explains why they add: "Ditched the whole song and dance."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Hmmm." Their father. Isn't that interesting? A man in a suit is not an unusual father to have, but Tsubasa's circumstances and respectful language demand a little more thought than that.
Particularly their gender.
"Yes," she agrees. "I grew far more comfortable in my skin when I stopped trying to please whose who wish a pretty girl to look upon."
A pause. "'X'," she repeats. "I haven't known any as young as you. I suppose that means you have yourself more sorted than most your age, on that front."
"I will grant you a boon," Miho says.
"Ask me a question. It can be about this place, or... anything else you might happen to have in mind."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I couldna been a pretty one anyway," Tsubasa remarks, dourly, fingers clutching at their arm. (As if they could cover the scars, not entirely hidden by their artifice.) "... cool you figured somethin' out, tho'."
They nod, though, when Miho says that she's only met older Xes in her time. "... yeah. Most've the people like me I met have been adults." Does that mean they've met Myunghon?
Still... Miho grants them a boon. And Tsubasa fixes her with another of those freaked-out expressions, as they say, "Talkin' like that really makes it sound like you're the devil or some shit, man." (Projection, much???) And noticing the direness of her offer might imply that they've realised anything they ask Miho is a double-edged sword --
Except, of course, they've gotta know. They unfold their arms, just so they can point -- rude -- at the case slung over Miho's back. "I can guess about the briefcase," they say, "but what the fuck you got in there?"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Hmmm." Couldn't have been a pretty one anyway. "A burden, but a freedom too. When you cannot play the game, you are free to find your own. ...Though others will still try to force you."
Cool. "Yes. It took me some time. And fewer men appreciate me this way, but I can live with that."
A pause. "Yes. Young people don't have the freedom to present as they choose, usually. Their parents or peers or authority figures in general force them to remain in their boxes."
A laugh, then--musical, almost, as Miho smiles at Tsubasa. "I am not the Devil," Miho says, "Though I am his agent."
The question is asked. "A curiosity then. ...Not a bad sign."
Miho takes the case off her shoulder and opens it. From it, she withdraws a long, thin sword with a razor cutting tip and point.
"Is your curiosity satisfied?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"They can try," Tsubasa boasts, though there's a slight waver in the undercurrent of their words which betrays how they're just talking tough.
They shrug. "Too bad you're not lookin' for chicks," they say, casually. "They'd probably dig your look way more." Oh, sure, it's easy for them to talk tough about sexuality now they've gotten used to the idea girls are an option. It's as if they never had any trouble with it at all!
Tsubasa snorts, though, when Miho brings up authority figures. "Trust me, he tried," they say, dourly. "Like, literally... these days he's figured out I'm no good, though. I can do whatever the fuck I want," and this, too, is shaped like a boast, as if Tsubasa has no awareness of how sad it really is.
Miho's musical laughter isn't doing anything to make Tsubasa less freaked out, though. She takes off her case and draws out -- a real-ass saber, what the fuck?
"What the fuck?!" Yes, exactly that kind of thought.
Tsubasa springs back, pressing their back into the doorjam, reflexively. But Miho makes no threatening movements, and a moment later Tsubasa creeps forward, into the room, to get a closer look. "That's... a real sword?" They ask, and their gruffness can't hide their fascination. "I only ever had my bokken..."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"That's the spirit."
Talk is where it starts. Boldness is a habit. ...That's the kind of thing Miho would say.
"Heh," Miho says, and enjoys a private irony. "Yes, that's true." She doesn't explain.
Instead, "Your father?" she asks. She has opinions, on a father who would treat his child that way. They are not positive. ...Though of course, it's true that Tsubasa is not acting like a Proper Youth.
But mysteriously, Miho is sympathetic to this form of rebellion.
What the fuck?
Miho takes the sword and extends it to Tsubasa, hilt-first. "You may hold it if you wish. But try to hold it correctly; I will show you if you do not know how."
"It is real," she confirms. "I am an expert in its use. It is far quieter than a firearm."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
A smile flickers over Tsubasa's face, briefly, when Miho encourages them. Like, she's terrifying, but that doesn't mean she isn't cool?
They're nice enough not to push on the matter of girls liking that look more, at least. It's not like it would apply to her, right? She wouldn't have brought up men if it were like that. (Tragically, Tsubasa doesn't know much about internalised biphobia.)
"He's a piece of shit," Tsubasa shares, freely, when Miho asks about their father. "He cares real bad 'bout lookin' good, but when the door's closed he fucks with us all the time, man. Hurtin' me, sayin' this mad-ass shit... and since he's this hot shot executive now, no one gives a shit." They pause. "Uh, I mean, a couple people give a shit. Even a couple cops. But even my parole officer, man... Officer Shimizu can't do nothin' when he's got friends in the police force an' she's just a junior." She's of no relation to Shimazu, then, clearly. "That murder cop, Sergeant Suou, he had to mind his fuckin' manners, too."
Tsubasa doesn't know that Miho tried to murder the murder cop, of course. Though... when Miho offers them her sword, they might get something of an idea of her capacity for violence, as she explains.
"L--like this?" They accept the sword, though they hold it inelegantly, like a thug wielding a bokken as a baton. Unlike Miho, they've evidently had zero training, though they at least cope with the weight of the sword quite well. (Lance, seeing Tsubasa messing with a weapon, stays out in the hall, because she has been trained not to get in the way of their bokken.)
Far quieter than a firearm... "Y-you mean, like... you use this to... kill people?" Tsubasa asks, as they look down at the blade, their voice wavering as they do. ... they don't relinquish the sword, though.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Internalized biphobia! It's sure a thing.
But Tsubasa mentions their father again, and Miho listens. "I see," she says. "He who squanders the next generation for his own vanity is a fool." A pause. "It is good that some care. Even the police. ...But be wary of the police in Sumaru, especially. For every Sergeant Suou there are three men of corruption."
She doesn't mention the murder part. He's a good guy!
Miho shakes her head about the sword. "No," she says. She makes a motion with her hand, demonstrating the way to hold the sword in pantomime. "Like this. You must be able to control the motion of your wrist, and use your entire strength; it is an important balance."
A pause, then. "Killing is inelegant and generally more trouble than not," Miho says. "If it were to be necessary, that would be unfortunate."
That's not a no!
"Another difference from a firearm; you have far more control over the lethality of your strikes."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yeah," Tsubasa glowers, remembering Sergeant Ezoe. "My father's friends with them, apparently. Bastards even recognised me 'cuz of him... it's fuckin' freaky."
It's not like it's hard to recognise the Arsonist of City Hall if one is in the know, of course. It was quite the story. (Quite the victory.)
Still -- Miho corrects them, and Tsubasa blinks, shifting their grip as she demonstrates. "Like... this?" They ask, turning away from her so that they can try to slash into the air experimentally. (And still very much like a thug wielding a club, despite the improvements they've just made.)
It's not a no, and something does twist at the base of Tsubasa's gut, hearing Miho assure them it would be unfortunate. Still -- there's no denying this sword is fascinating. "Control...?" They ask, as they look down at the blade. "Mostly I just whale on the other guy... like, if you bring a weapon, you wanna cave someone's face in, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"I see. Unfortunate."
No, it's not hard. And Miho is in the know, as it happens, enough to put the pieces together. But she doesn't confirm it.
Instead, Miho says, "Improved, but you would need much more practice to wield it effectively."
Miho pauses. "That is an approach, and throughout history it has served many warriors well. This sword, however, is a precision weapon; if you wield it like a club, you are more likely to break it uselessly against your foe than you are to achieve your objective."
"Raw force is one way to win a battle, but strategy and understanding are one that will see you through the battle more ready for your next."
"May I?" She offers her hand back for the sword.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"It's whatever," Tsubasa shrugs, as if they're not bothered at all.
(They also have a bridge to sell her.)
Miho says they need practice, though, and Tsubasa frowns thoughtfully as they turn to listen to her. "Precision, huh... I don't think 'bout much when I'm fightin'. Dunno that I got a strategy. I just get mad."
They fall quiet, after that, wondering -- though they're too embarrassed to voice it -- whether that's why they keep getting their ass kicked. But Miho asks for her blade back, and Tsubasa offers her the hilt, just as she offered it to them before -- if a bit more clumsily. "Sure, man. It's your sword."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
It's whatever! What a phrase.
Yes, that is definitely why they keep getting their ass kicked. Well, not the only reason. But that's the look in Miho's eyes at least, calm and certain. "Anger is a shield and a sword both. It helps you ignore pain, and it helps you ignore your own instincts against harming another, inbuilt to most everyone. But it can only carry you so far; the body limits one's rage."
She takes the sword and hefts it, flipping it into a proper position--and then gestures to Tsubasa as she steps to the side and, parallel, makes a few maneuvers that end in a lunge--
Ending just short of the wall that might blunt the point.
"When your anger is honed, however, tamed... You can wield it, instead of being wielded by it."
"It's a good place to start. But it's not the end."
Miho then moves to put her sword away.
"There are some abandoned electronics further in that you could sell. The data is gone, but the remnants may be worth something."
She says this in a tone of preparing to go.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Anger... helps them hurt people, huh? Tsubasa frowns, unsettled yet thoughtful. "Feels like there's nothin' in my body but rage," they mutter, dourly.
Still, all their attention is on Miho, as she deftly demonstrates her own swordplay. "Whoa," they gasp, blue eyes widening. "Sick." And in the words of the youth, that's a compliment, apparently.
"But... how the fuck you supposed to hone anger? It's kinda, uh... super untameable," they settle on, with all the wide-eyed innocence of someone who has never been on the inside of the conspiracy.
(Surely, if they were, they would know that everything may be tamed and leashed to some purpose.)
Miho offers them some parting advice, and Tsubasa hesitates, for a moment. Good sense would tell them to let her go, and count themself lucky; but Tsubasa has never been possessed of much sense, good or otherwise.
"W--wait!" They yelp out, a touch more forcefully than they meant. "Really, who are you...? Uh -- I mean -- I'm Seki, Tsubasa Seki," they hasten to be polite enough to introduce themself, first, and confirm something in the telling. "C'mon, I gotta know!"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"And yet there is more." Miho is confident in declaring this. "...Even if it doesn't feel that way."
Still, how to hone anger? "Practice. Laborious and long work. You must forge your anger as you would a piece of metal, until you can quench it in the waters of reason. Only then can you wield it with precision."
She pauses, and Tsubasa hesitates. Miho pauses, when they yelp out that question. Who is she...?
Miho turns and smiles. "Hmmm. You already had your one question," she points out.
"...But I will indulge this one, as well."
"Ijuuin. Miho Ijuuin. If you wish to find me, look to the world of athletics. I am a fencer more than I am a corporate spy."
"...But note that if you speak of this meeting, I'll remember it."
A smile. "Take care, Tsubasa Seki-san."
She moves to leave.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
There's more...?
Weird...
Tsubasa isn't really one for hard work, these days; one might even call them academically lazy. Still... the work Miho's talking about is something else, right? "Forging it... man, it's a cool thing to say, but it don't make no sense!"
How can you forge your anger?! It's not a sword!
Tsubasa has of course heard of the Ijuuin clan, if more in their history books than the modern day, and the surprise is evident on their face. "Uh," they say, eloquently. "Y--yeah, sure," and they find that ill-at-ease feeling in their stomach, again, as Miho warns them against talking. "I, uh... never saw ya."
They take a step back, rubbing at their arm. "Later," they say to her, in farewell, as Lance sniffs at her and whines as she moves past. What kind of person is that...?