2025-10-27: Birdmania
- Log: Birdmania
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Naganaki Shrine
- OOC Date: 2025-10-27
- IC Date: Wed Aug 01 2012
- Summary: Holy shit, Ichika, did you know a bird exists and likes Tsubasa?! Oh, and also they saw a man die and a ninja attacked them out of nowhere but that is not important. THERE WAS A BIRD!
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
> ey boss u free
> im @ naganaki
Why is Tsubasa at Naganaki Shrine at this time of night?!
(Tsubasa is at Naganaki Shrine because there's a bus stop outside.)
They're here without Lance, which is one big clue -- and they're still wearing their Kasugayama uniform, which is another. (Because Lance comes with them when they hit the town, and they like wearing actual fashion instead of a goddamn uniform when they do so.) Today's wig... is neon blue!
And they did all the usual Shrine Things before texting the Boss, obviously. They're not gonna sit in God's house and not wash their mouth out, they don't want to get cursed by a vengeful fox or some shit.
They have worked out how to Sit Wrong on those monkey bars, and so that's what they're doing as they wait for Ichika to arrive, arms lifted up behind them to lace around the metal, rocking back and forth in a blatant holding pattern.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's a few minutes before Ichika texts back; she may have been busy. But when she does:
> Can be, sec
Another couple of minutes.
> On my way
It's not so late that there's no more buses, but it's late enough that some people are already in bed. Ichika, though, was not asleep! And she shows up in a typical sort of outfit, which is perhaps suspiciously fresh. Green cargo pants, black skull tanktop, shoes, some bracelets. She is very much not still in uniform.
"Hey," Ichika says as she approaches, walking up the stairs. She waves over at Tsubasa on the monkey bars. "Lemme do shrine stuff, then I'll be right with you."
It won't take long before Ichika steps back over to the monkey bars!
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
> cool
And so... Ichika is in a nice new outfit! It's a shame to pull her away, but, like, this is world-shattering information, man.
Tsubasa isn't going to stop her from doing her shrine shit first, though. "Yeah, it's God's house, do it up," they assure her, and demonstrating in the process that they're at least not totally irreligious.
(Not that they're all that religious, either. Just, you know. The background vibe of Shinto is a pretty normal thing... even leaving aside Ichika's own feelings.)
Once she steps up, though, Tsubasa straightens up off of the monkey bars and grasps her by the shoulders.
"Boss. I met a BIRD. I met a MAGIC BIRD and the bird thought I was COOL and had the HEART OF A BIRD and we FOUGHT MONSTERS and he had THE WORLD'S MOST MAJESTIC SQUARK --"
They are all but vibrating with excitement as they actually put some emotion into their voice for once in their life, alongside grinning, which is a thing a lot of people don't even know Tsubasa can do.
... but wait a sec, why was Tsubasa fighting monsters with a magic bird?!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's fine. Ichika seems to be in a good mood regardless.
Ichika is indeed a little more religious than most teenagers, but it's not like it's weird to pay attention to the shrine if you're going to be there. After a moment's wash and a moment's prayer, Ichika returns over to Tsubasa. And then--
"!?" By the shoulders!!
"A..."
Grinning! Tsubasa can do that! Ichika knew, but even she's surprised by the sheer level of enthusiasm. "Whoa," she says. "Bird! Awesome!"
"Sounds like you had fun! But you're totally cool. Now bird-approved, even."
She then tilts her head. "Heey. He wouldn't have been a peacock, would he?"
Pause.
"...And you met him fighting monsters?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Fuck YEAH he was a peacock, dude! Pernelle! You met 'im?! Isn't he great?! He's like the world's strongest bird, man!!!" Tsubasa releases Ichika so that they might gesture out, broadly, instead.
"Oh yeah like I been goin' to Mementos at night to stop bein' such a scrawny little loser an' like yeah LAST time I met a guy there he tried to kill me or somethin' but look people are getting killed in warehouses so obviously the danger ain't just in Mementos an' anyway that don't matter man this bird had PAINTED. CLAWS. Like? Like his buddy had painted his claws? An' he was tellin' me about the world's greatest foe and dude it was HIM IN A MIRROR Boss it was SO FUCKIN' CUTE!"
Tsubasa might be slightly manic about that bird and also what the fuck has Tsubasa been doing out there when they're not doing their exams.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yeah!" Ichika brightens. "Yeah, I offered him some cards and some demon beatings for a prize, but I didn't win. Met him at Peacock Silk that night I went out there." The world's strongest bird... "That's awesome. I didn't know he could fight, I thought he was like, decorative!"
She's engaged, too, since Tsubasa is so hype. Sure, it's kind of manic, but it's easy to get caught up in the energy. ...Even if, "What? C'mon, man, you should bring me with you! We can get farther together, you know?" Pause. "...Like, you in particular?" That's concerning. But Tsubasa moves on and, "--Wait really? Huh..."
"...Heheheh." Bird in a mirror. OK, that's pretty great.
"Uhhh, though. You uh. You sound like you've been up to a lot even aside from this real cool bird..."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Dude I never knew Peacock Silk had like, a real peacock! I thought it was just some fancy name 'n shit! But he's THE Peacock!!" The Peacock at the Silk!!!!
"Man no you don't even know like, first time I went in there I took three steps an' ate shit, I'd just be embarrassin' you if I didn't catch up," Tsubasa explains why they've been going into Mementos alone. "I was kinda worried Pernelle would be down on it too, but he was super cool, y'know? He loved my sword, man!!"
Tsubasa shakes their head and insists: "The bird's way more important, dude! All that shit just blows but somethin' GOOD happened like goddamn I was thinkin' this whole magic shit was just ALWAYS a downer but there are MAGIC BIRDS!"
Okay, Tsubasa is definitely coping with some unimaginable horrors by getting way too wrapped up in bird energy here. It's gotta be unsustainable, if nothing else than due to the risk to their rep.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yeah! Peacock Silk is all like, magic and shit. Oh, I went by the other day..." She'll mention that part later, she thinks. "Totally!"
Ate shit immediately. Ichika frowns. "I mean, that's more reason to hang with me, not less. I'm not gonna be shitty about it!" Pause. But, Pernelle... "Well, that's good... I mean, swords are pretty great. I kinda wonder why I got just a shield. It's sorta weird, you know?"
But the bird--
"...OK, I can see it," she says. She's a little worried about all the bad shit, but, "Magic birds are pretty awesome. And like... Peacock Silk is pretty great. And that Atelier thing was kinda fun? Oh, and the circus..."
It's definitely unsustainable, but Ichika doesn't be the one to pop that bubble just yet.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I guess it's 'bout who you are on the inside?" Tsubasa guesses. "Like, you wanna take care a ya crew, so you got a giant fuckass shield to make sure ya do that. An' -- an' yeah, I know, jus'... I was embarrassed," they sigh, rounding back around to Ichika insisting they bring her along.
"An' man, I had no clue Peacock Silk was magic an' shit! Explains why my chest weren't burned at all..." Tsubasa marvels, as they amble over to go sit on the bench. "Man, it's a good thing ya figured out how to explain the disguise, tho', I was in hot shit for a second explainin' how I knew 'bout my binder. Then I just like -- said they were my friend, like? Easy!"
Tsubasa perks up, hearing about a magic thing that's actually fun. "Fuck's an Atelier?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I guess that makes sense," Ichika reflects. "And it's why I can heal and stuff. ...I do better with a buddy, is my point." Like Tsubasa!! She insists!! "...But I get it," she admits. "I'd feel the same."
But magic! "Yeah! I guess it does, huh? That's surprising, I thought they only worked for Persona-users, and you... weren't, back then. I guess you made an impression on Kujaku-san." A beat, "You know? They're making me a dress! Can't wait to see how it turns out."
But the cover story, "Yeah. Like, we're obviously aware of supernatural shit. But, if we don't wanna reveal ourselves, we cna just... act like we rely on our 'friends' for shit. It's worked for me."
"Atelier, like, this sort of... dungeon in somebody's heart, I guess? His was this carnival type thing. It's a problem because there's some fucked up Homo--Don't ask me, they said it wasn't an anti-gay thing--trying to take him over, but it was kinda fun to try to help. There was this weird Pig Shadow guy who wanted to play..."
"Anyway like, it was cool. It's a bad thing that it's all taken over but I get the idea that if it weren't it would be nice?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Well... maybe I can drag ya out wit' me next time?" Tsubasa ventures, still feeling a little like they're going to drag her down, as if Ichika is so much more experienced than they are.
(Well, that's technically true!)
"Dude, sweet!" Tsubasa exclaims, when Ichika says they're making her a dress. "Kujaku-hakase is seriously a master at that shit, you're gonna look great!" Because clearly Ichika also made an impression, obviously the Boss is just as cool as they are.
"Yeah," Tsubasa nods. "I been, uh, sayin' I jus' like -- I been exposed to enough supernatural shit that I remember what's goin' on. I mean, that's kinda how it worked for a bit anyway, so it's not even like the world's lyingest lie?" That's not a real word, Tsubasa. "Uh, I had to tell Hyousuke-kun who I was, but that was kinda like -- like, I were the one what dragged 'im out, an' I saw how he was so single-minded an' shit last time, so I thought he was gonna need to know he had someone on his side or whatever?"
That's probably fine. (That isn't fine.)
"Aw sweet, a carnival!" Tsubasa exclaims, still smiling. "That, like, the circus we went to, or what? Like, I don't remember no gay shit there, 'cept for how that ringleader had a killer outfit, but I'm pre' sure that's jus' me..."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Cool," Ichika says. "That'd be cool." Ichika is not that worried about Tsubasa dragging her down--or at all. Somebody she can support is kind of where Ichika's abilities shine...
But sweet! "Yeah!" she enthuses about it. "They said they wanted to make me something, so I went for it. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like. Like... Yeah!"
"Hmmm... yeah, that makes sense." It is not a word but Ichika will accept it. "Oh, whatever, he's not gonna tell anybody. He knows about me too. He barely talks unless it's about food or nature. ...He's cool, it's fine."
Pause. "Little worried about how into the fighting he gets, but you know, otherwise."
"Sort of, but with more games? The ringleader was hot there. But no, there were like, Shadows and stuff. And like I said, this cute little pig guy. I didn't know Shadows could be friendly, but he was."
"They were..." Pause. "Ok, Kujaku-san told me about this. 'Humors'. Like, old ways of talking about personality shit. I guess it's kinda like blood type theory? Except you got all of them. But the Shadows are just one."
"Oh, that was it--Homo class... Homunculus! Yeah, that's it. Bad news, takes somebody over. We gotta watch out for those."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yeah!!" Tsubasa's super enthusiastic tonight. It's fine. It's gonna be a cool dress.
Except -- they do scale down a bit when they focus on Hyousuke. "He got real beat up last night... uh, they sent us home from hospital that night sayin' we oughta jus' get some sleep, tho', so he weren't, like, hurt bad or nothin'. Still... kinda my fault. Sucks, y'know?"
And... a friendly Pig Shadow. "Man, I bet he's like, super cute," Tsubasa says. But -- blood types!! "What, like... like how A-types are friendly an' shit but never stop worryin' an' B-types are creative an' selfish?" Tsubasa, of course, has Type B blood. "But Homunculus, huh? Saw an anime 'bout shit like that once..." Of course Tsubasa's seen a cartoon about alchemy, Tsubasa is secretly way more of a nerd than they look. "Aight, I'll keep an eye out."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
But... Hyousuke. "Oh..." Ichika nods. "I better check up on him," she says. "Glad it's not too bad, but... If it's bad enough to mention, it's still pretty bad."
Kinda their fault? "Don't blame yourself," Ichika suggests. "Blame the asshole who did the beating."
But, "Super cute," she agrees. "Yeah," Ichika says of blood types, "Like that. Except these... nah, I don't remember. But some of the smart people who were there would. Point is, each type of Shadow has a purpose and a few traits."
Alchemy!! Ichika... doesn't know that one.
"Cool," Ichika says. Then she beams. "I'm happy, though. You know?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"It was, uh..." Tsubasa starts, and doesn't quite get to finishing. "I mean, it was totally my fault he was there, anyway."
But the Shadows have purposes and traits! "Huh. I always thought the purpose was jus'... like... be a jerk so we'd smash 'em. Guess not all Shadows are the same."
And Ichika is happy!! "Yeah, like, everythin' was bad an' then somethin' good happened an' it's like, maybe this whole thing ain't all garbage. Right?" Though, Tsubasa takes a breath, blowing out their cheeks. "Tho'... I guess I oughta tell ya what happened so you ain't stuck worryin' 'bout it... man, I was completely runnin' my mouth. Not sure where to start, tho'?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"...Mm." Ichika can't argue with what she doesn't know, but...
"Yeah, that's most of them," Ichika agrees, "But apparently in an Atelier they have stuff to do besides be assholes." Pause. "Some are still assholes though."
She smiles at Tsubasa. "Yeah," she says. "And you came and told me about it, so that's pretty great." But... what happened?
"It's OK," Ichika says. "You can start wherever you feel like. ...Knowing you're OK counts for a lot. So I can handle... whatever."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"That tracks," Tsubasa agrees, when Ichika says that some Atelier Shadows are still jerks.
"Like, 'course I were gonna come tell ya 'bout it," they insist, a moment later. "How the fuck am I gonna meet a magic bird an' keep that from you?! C'mon, that's huge!" Evidently, making sure Ichika knew that the world was worth living in because a magic bird exists was Tsubasa's highest priority.
They pull a leg up onto the bench as they turn to Ichika, slinging an arm around it. "Uh... aight, so, like, I figured out Mementos existed an' shit, right? But I realised I was a fuckin' punk-ass in there, so like... I started goin' in at night to get used to it or whatever. Feels a bit weird to beat up fairies, but they ain't that scary, so it worked pre' well... 'cept a couple nights back, uh, this guy found me there. Not much older'n us, wore the same kinda kicks, but like... he was talkin' 'bout how he was gatherin' names for some list or somethin'... how he had intel on me from somewhere. But like, freaky kid, he was just like, oh, I'm gonna hurt you now, don't take it personal, an' then he just busts out all this sick ninja garbage?! But like, for real, tho'!"
They tap their thigh. "Fuck stabbed me with a kunai. Like, legit, a real-ass fuckin' kunai. ... uh, got it looked at when I went to the clinic to get my dressins' changed, weren't that bad or nothin', but it still hurt like fuck, man. Man, an' all his other shit, too... he coulda killed me!"
Tsubasa shakes their head. "... anyway, he quit after a while. Said he was 'Ryouhara', an' he was gonna come after me and make me do some shit... or else. Like, asked why I oughtna jus' get the gang together an' beat his ass, an' he was just like, 'sure, do that, then them gettin' hurt's on your head' or whatever... talkin' like ninja do unpleasant shit on their own to protect people's way of life or some shit. Got the feelin' he's like, some kinda ninja boss or some shit... but the whole thing's, like..."
Their grip tightens, around their leg. "What kinda list am I on? Who the fuck's watchin' me? I ain't fuckin' no one, man... an' now this kid's out to get me, too?!"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Heheh." Bird! Magic bird... Very cool. Ichika's happy to hear about that. But, the matter of Mementos...
"That's uh?" Ichika blinks. "Some kind of... ninja?" she asks. "That's fuckin' weird. And he could've killed you, that's fucked up. You still don't know why? That's..." She frowns. That's very concerning.
But...
"Well yeah, let's beat the shit out of him if we can find him," she agrees. "He's just trying to psych you out of fighting back. ...some kind of ninja boss, though..."
She frowns. "I dunno," Ichika admits. "But if your dad's got friends in the police..."
"I dunno. I didn't think there were any real ninjas anymore. I guess there are, and they're working with the cops? That's all I can think."
"...Sorry, though. Wish I'd been there to help."
"I'm glad you're OK."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yeah, man, like a real-ass ninja." Tsubasa says that like it's remarkable, but their excitement's fled their voice. "But I dunno, man... what he was sayin'... kinda feels like maybe he's not jus' talkin' shit when he says I oughta not get no one involved. Like... if this has somethin' to do with my father... fuck, like, there was this freaky girl stalkin' me the other day, like, preachin' how she had warnins' for me an' she knew me an' she were my friend even tho' I only know her 'cuz she caught me shopliftin'... an' I don't think she's with me father, but I dunno what the fuck her deal is... like, all these people, fuck, they know all 'bout me an' I don't know shit 'bout them, dude, I'm so freaked out."
They hug their leg to their chest, frowning off to the side, only to realise they're glowering at the sacred tree and avert their eyes in the other direction instead. "I oughta fought him more 'bout it, but he started playin' this music, man... really riled me up. Made me jus' wanna smash shit, dude... so I fucked up some more a them fairies an' shit... 'cept by the time I figured out I was way overdoin' it, I was fuckin' exhausted. Like -- Auntie Taeyun had to fuckin' help me in 'cuz she saw me limpin' back from the bus stop like I was drunk, like... almost slept through all my alarms an' missed my exams. Did pretty shit that day... wasn't feelin' safe, so I was hangin' out at the Cardboard Dragon after. 'Cept... the vibes were off, y'know? Somethin' was up, but no one was tellin' me... so I figured out what was goin' on meself. Somethin' in Konan Ward... when I pinned that, I was like, it's gotta be that fuck Ishiba, right?"
Tsubasa shakes their head. "But by then, it was pre' late... didn't wanna make ya trek all th' way out here. So I called Hyousuke-kun up, since Shuyo-kun's still off with his folks. Jus'..."
They frown, trailing off.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's pretty remarkable, but it's not like the 'hey that's cool' kind of remarkable. "Maybe he means it," Ichika says. "But if you're involved, I'm involved. That's how it works, right? When you're friends like us."
She pauses. The matter of the freaky girl, though... "Ugh. Weirdo." Ichika reaches out, offers a hand to Tsubasa for a moment, though she won't make them take it. "I don't get it either."
But better not to glower at the sacred tree.
"Ah, yeah. Doing stuff in places like that... times like that. Dark Hour, everything. It makes you more tired than normal. Should've wanred you about that..."
The vibes were off.
"...Ah," she says.
"...Just?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Y...yeah," Tsubasa says, with a bit of a hitch and a pause. "You're right, Boss. He jus'... really got in my head, man..."
They look down, and shift their stance, putting their leg back down on the ground so they can scooch over and sit next to Ichika properly instead of putting their leg up between them. (The barrier was a metaphor, too.) Once they've taken care of that... they do, indeed, take her hand.
"I mean... I guess she weren't really stalkin' me... 'least she said she weren't," Tsubasa has to add, with a touch of scepticism. "But even if she jus' ran into me randomly... it's weird when someone's that invested in ya an' you ain't barely talked to 'em, right? Plus, she, like... ugh, guess I oughtna say that bit, it's her business."
But knowing that Umie's killed a man certainly twists their stomach ten times more now they viscerally understand what that looks like.
"Jus'... careful of that Akabane-san," they settle on, instead. "She's... fuckin' shifty, man."
Of course, they're avoiding the point.
"But -- but yeah, the, uh -- yesterday. Yesterday. So, uh... I dragged Hyousuke-kun out for backup, like... I dunno what I was even hopin' to do, bein' honest, I didn't have like a solid lead or nothin', but... but it didn't matter none. Like -- like I felt that fuckin' -- like -- you know when the Joker Killer attacked? Like how that felt like the sky was fuckin' cavin' in? Like -- like that. So, uh, I let Hyousuke-kun in on who I was an' ran in, an'... I thought the guy there was workin' with the Joker Killer, but turns out he was his own fuckin' monster. Like, uh -- it's this thing called a 'Mark', I guess? An' usin' it is what makes everything awful forever? An' summons demons an' shit, apparently. Uh, was jus' him and this fucked-up fencer chick, tho'. He..."
Nope, Tsubasa's stalled out again.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"...That's OK." For someone to get into Tsubasa's head... Well, it sucks. But it's not like Ichika's going to blame them for it. No, it's that guy's fault. Whatever he did...
But Ichika's hand is warm and soft, and she curls her fingers around Tsubasa's. "Mm." She said she wasn't, but...? "Yeah," Ichika says. "She didn't say how she knew you or anything? Like... Hearing someone secondhand is one thing, but..."
Her business. "OK."
"I will," Ichika says. "If I meet someone with that name, I will."
"Right. Yesterday." Pause. "Glad you thought to get backup."
Like that... "Oh," Ichika says. "Yeah, I get it. A 'Mark'..."
"Thats' fucked up. That somebody can just do that. Summon demons and all."
"..."
More gently, "So what happened?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I mean, she was there at Aoba 'cuz she wanted to fuck up the Joker Killer, an' when Ishiba pulled that gun, but before all that I jus' met her 'cuz she caught me that one time," Tsubasa says. "An' I mean, she didn't dob me in or nothin', but... I didn't even remember her name right, an' she was all invested... it was just freaky, man. Like -- like -- like if you're offbeat or whatever you can feel like you connect with someone right off the bat, right? But that ain't how most folks do it... they wouldn't remember a thievin' customer for shit once they'd done their shrinkage report or whatever. So it's like... it's weird how... she was all gettin' in my business sayin' I'd be in danger from police an' shit. It's weird."
(It's a little uncharitable, particularly given the grace they've afforded other people who were at Aoba Park that day, but Tsubasa's paranoia isn't so easily dismissed.)
"Yeah, like, I figured... you'd kill me if I ran into that shit on me own," Tsubasa says, with a bit of a huff which might have been a chuckle, once upon a time.
"Fucked up," they agree, and faintly squeeze her hand.
Their eyes are a bit misty; their voice is growing a touch ill. That fake tan effectively covers how green around the gills they've gotten, but that doesn't mean they're entirely concealed.
"He was... tryin' to kill these two... like, normal people. Sayin'... how we were chained an' shit, an'... like, this whole fuckin' thing 'bout violence, man, but... jus' a brutal fuckin' guy, y'know? Really fuckin' floored us, but I kept attackin' through it, an'..."
Their hand goes limp, as they stare out at the park. They're not really seeing it.
"Me -- me sword got stuck in the concrete, like -- it's fuckin' heavy, man? Happens... all the time? So I'm stuck a sec', an'... this guy, he... he stops in front of one a them... kicks him, but like... put... put his boot through his skull, man... like everythin', jus'... blood an'... weren't jus' his mouth, like when a fuck eats the curb, weren't like that. It was -- worse."
Their voice is a hoarse whisper, now. "He got away... couldn't do shit, man, I was fuckin' sick, didn't even figure nothin' 'til I smelled smoke an' hauled outta there... had to carry Hyousuke-kun, he ate shit. C...called an ambulance for him once I was normal again, didn't know if... but they said we was jus' bruised up when they looked at us. Couldn't... tell 'em... fuck was I gonna say? So we jus'... went home, an'... bombed exams today, too."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Ah." So she was there a couple of times, but... it was still freaky. And as for people just feel like they connect, "Hm. ...People are hard."
"That's pretty weird," Ichika agrees. "Like, duh, you'd be in danger from police? Obviously?"
It's uncharitable, but Ichika doesn't care. It's her and Tsubasa against a lot of people. But, "...Heh." Maybe not kill. But still. And very fucked up. Ichika can see that there's a lot wrong... but there--
"Normal people, huh..." Violence, brutality, and 'chains'.
Ichika squeezes Tsubasa's hand when it's limp. But ichika pales, too, at the description. "...That's..."
"Tsubasa-kun..."
"That's fucked," she says. "I'm sorry."
"...Fuckin'... monstrous people, going around doing shit like that. Glad you got Hyousuke-kun out too, but..."
"That's why we can't look away, right?"
"...it's why we have to do something with these powers. I dunno what, but..."
"But I don't want to just let people like that do whatever they want. Even if we can't stop them, we can try."
"...That's better than nothing, right?"
"Either way..."
She tugs Tsubasa lightly, towards her by the hand, but won't force the matter.
"That's a fucked up kind of thing to see. I'm sorry."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Obviously," Tsubasa agrees, because indeed it is Them Versus The World.
They might well regret their colloquialism a moment later, but they sure don't think about it in the moment. That's just what you say to express that someone would deeply disapprove of something!
And that would be normal, most of the time, in a world where people don't get murdered right in front of them.
"That fuckin' oni-masked salaryman, he was... sayin' like... it'd be worse to live a bit longer in fear than dyin' in peace, but that weren't even what happened, man, saw his face, he was hurt, he was scared..."
They blink at the tears. "I couldn't," they say, their voice a touch choked, "not look at it or nothin', buh, but I couldn't do shit, man, didn't matter I had a giant fuckass sword or nothin'. Fuck, man, thought I was pretty hard, thought I'd seen some shit..."
Ichika tugs, and Tsubasa sags into her, more akin to a bag of potatoes than a tough youth gangster, though they at least have the wherewithall to catch themself on her opposite shoulder so they don't entirely sprawl over her.
"His neck were... all bent wrong, man... fuck..."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Worse to live in fear than die in peace? Ichika frowns. "..." She doesn't think so. But she wasn't there.
"...You don't have to be that hard," Ichika says, and hugs Tsubasa. She's tall and strong enough that it's not a burden, sitting like this, but it 'sack of potatoes' is about what it feels like to get caught.
...it doesn't matter, though.
"It's awful," Ichika says. "...It's really awful."
She remembers blood. She remembers blood another time, too.
"...But you're with me now, not there. OK?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Boss...!" Tsubasa wails, as they bury their face against her shoulder and clutch themself tightly to her. They're scared, but why wouldn't they be?
There's a difference between violence and death.
"If I were harder... if I were stronger... I coulda stopped him, man! I was right there! I shoulda... f-fuck..."
Tsubasa takes a shakey breath, as they look up to Ichika, again. "I keep seein' it, man," they admit, as perhaps she's already guessed. "Like, I remember everythin'... there was this smell, even... like blood but, w-worse. Had this, awful fuckin' nightmare... kept thinkin' 'bout it... still feel sick."
No wonder they threw themself so wholeheartedly into meeting Pernelle.
They needed the distraction.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Of course it's scary. Ichika knows that much. And she hasn't seen it like that.
Ichika squeezes when Tsubasa says 'if, if, if', and Tsubasa looks up to her, so she says, "I can tell. ...It must've been really awful."
Kept thinking about it... Ichika just sort of stops for a moment, and then closes her eyes.
"...Dunno how to make it easier,' she says, "But you can stick with me, OK?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"It was -- so fuckin' awful," Tsubasa says, breath still shallow.
Ichika doesn't know how to make it easier, but the weird thing is that her honesty over not knowing does help. ... sticking with them helps, too. "C--cool," they choke out, though they do at least straighten up so they're not all but hanging off of her.
... they stay close beside her, though, leaning their weight into her side.
"... I was... havin' a real hard time. But I was so fuckin' jazzed when I met Pernelle, man... kinda selfish, innit?"
... even though they surely pushed themself back into Mementos to try and get stronger, after seeing something like that.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's what she can do. ...And Ichika doesn't mind Tsubasa hanging out. Or staying close. As long as it actually helps...
"Hey," she says, "What's selfish about that? You were hype because you got to meet a cool bird. The bird was probably pretty happy, too. I mean, I bet Pernelle likes being called awesome."
"...So don't worry about that. It's OK to like stuff."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I-- I guess... yeah, h-he was super into it... 'specially when I taught him how to glitter bomb shit." Perhaps peacocks, like geese, hold only chaos in their hearts. Or maybe that's a trait of all birds.
LIKE TSUBASA.
"It jus'... it feels like a lot, y'know? Enjoyin' somethin' after that... the guy's dead, and the girl with him, I dunno... hope she's okay."
Snif. "Like... how is it I can just... keep goin' with whatever? Like I... I'm fine, an'... y'know?"
Tsubasa doesn't really know how to describe 'survivor's guilt'. ... but they're pretty sure Ichika knows.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Hell yeah," Ichika says. "Hope he glitters some guys good." Ichika nods along, firmly. Maybe all birds do love chaos...
It's fine.
"...Tsubasa-kun," Ichika says eventually, gently. She listens for a while, but...
"You go ahead because you have to," she says. "Because... just sitting around wallowing in it doesn't do anybody any good. You get moving, or you might as well be dead, too."
"It sucks. It hurts. When you go 'why do I get to go on, and they didn't?'"
"...But it's just how it is. You did. You do."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Bet he's gonna," Tsubasa says. "He actually had some good ideas 'bout just riggin' 'em to any ol' door..."
But...
But Tsubasa hears their name, at least, while they're going on. They pause, looking up to Ichika. "Mm..."
Their hand finds hers, again. "Yeah, Boss... you're right. Sorry... I know it ain't no hypothetical, neither... I jus' gotta..."
They squeeze her hand, and at least try to smile, though it's far shakier and more fragile than it was. "Ya... wanna hear 'bout what he was sayin' 'bout that mirror? It was so fuckin' cute, dude..."