2025-10-28: Life Is So Fragile
- Log: Life Is So Fragile
- Cast: Umie Akabane, Shinjiro Aragaki
- Where: A Safehouse in Hirasaka Ward
- OOC Date: October 28, 2025
- IC Date: August 02, 2012
- Summary: Hiding out in a safehouse after after the events of A Coin for the Ferryman, Umie is visited by Shinjiro, who accidentally discovers Umie's Mark. Umie takes the middle path: not shutting Shinjiro out, but not letting him shoulder something he shouldn't, either. Still, as Shinjiro relates recent news of his condition, Umie can't help but wonder: how much her reactions are really more about her projecting her own fears onto Shinjiro's problems.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
===EARLIER===
Umie murmured a prophecy of something that had already happened, as one does, just before she launched a massive attack on a man who just killed another man. Would someone call that killing in cold blood? It's such a useless phrase.
Instead of returning with the rest of the Cardboard Dragon members, Umie had split off with the intention of laying low. With everyone likewise in low spirits, it was easy enough to grab access to one of Myunghon's safehouses. Grabbing some ill-fitting generic clothes from the closet and laying out the still wet black hoodie and leggings in the bathtub, the blonde woman managed to find her way to the bed, where she collapsed into a tired, weary, dreamless sleep.
===NOW===
How does one define someone who kills because it's their job, nothing less, nothing more? Cold implies a certain professional air, like they take their job seriously.
Such are the things a person thinks about in a saferoom in an old, but well-kept property in Hirasaka Ward.
The purpose of the saferoom wasn't strictly to hide away from allies; if Shinjiro asked where Umie was, he'd be able to find out. It was to hide away from further attacks from the NWO while she was still recuperating and trying to get her bearings.
The t-shirt hangs on the short petite young woman; likewise, the sweatpants had to be drawn in and rolled up.
She's still sleeping in the bed in the bedroom, while she has since taken a shower and eaten some rations, all there was was a quick check of her phone before she just headed back to bed again.
Time will help, but so will rest. When she leaves, she'll need to act like nothing happened; that'll take some energy reserves she'll need to build back up.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro wasn't there. But he heard from Myunghon about the situation, and after checking in with them, has headed to Umie's temporary safehouse.
He's approaching the door with a grocery bag under his arm (that has a smaller bag of takeout in it), knocking. "It's me, Shinjiro, I've got supplies. I'm coming in," he calls out. If Umie isn't fast enough, he might as well look under the mat or in the planters for a spare key, worried enough about her to check on her.
Either way, he's going to try and enter, though he's planning to stick in the entrance area, and just look for a table to unload the supplies onto. If Umie's asleep in the bedroom, he's not going to completely destroy her privacy.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
With the knock, Umie's head rises from the pillow, where she offers a noncommittal 'harummahph' that could be a signal for him to... come in? Stay out? A general acknowledgment of intent? A sign that she is in a state of existing inside the saferoom?
It is a mystery that Shinjiro will likely soon find out.
After all, she's getting up and walking to the door.
.... Hm, she thinks. She's forgetting something, isn't she? No, she's wearing clothing; she'd never forget that. It's like she's not wearing her purse, or something that's necessary.
As Shinjiro is likely trying to find a key, the door lock clicks, revealing Umie's sleepy face, her hair a mess and unstyled, but otherwise clean. "... Aragaki-kun," she says, a yawn developing in her throat, from the sounds of it.
Her right hand out of view against the wall, she opens the door with her left, letting him come in.
".... Didn't have t'do that," she mumurs, stifling a yawn behind her hand behind Shinjiro, whenever he enters.
Something smells good. "... You got take-out?" She's instantly beginning to awake, her stomach grumbling in protest of not having anything decent in a day or so.
.... There's something she's missing, still, but she can't remember what it is. Surely, the feel of being naked, in some way, may be the clothes that aren't hers.
What Shinjiro may quickly realize, however, is that her left wrist is uncovered.
.... And so is her right, exposing the cursed black mark if Umie doesn't realize it first.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As Shinjiro is looking for the key, Umie opens the door. He comes in with the supplies, setting them down. There's medicine and drinks and all sorts of useful things. He pulls out two bowls of takeout gyudon, setting them and the utensils on the table. "It's not a problem. I was hungry too," he says.
He turns back to her. He's not looking at much, out of decency, but he catches her wrists. ...he catches that black mark, as well. That's...
He looks up to her, pausing. She might realize it before he says anything, but at the least, he doesn't freak out. He's internally like 'what the fuck' but he doesn't freak out externally.
"...you might want to get something with sleeves on before anyone else comes to check on you."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Thankfully, Umie is decent; sloppily dressed, but still, decent. However, it'd be natural for Shinjiro to look anywhere but the faint bruising around the lower half of her face, or the bruising on her exposed arms.
Which would naturally proceed to the wrists and hands, providing a comparison point between something normal (if due to violence) and something.... too perfect, even for a simple 'tattoo'. The way that it's formed seems possessive as well, being a simplified hand grasping around a wrist, with a negative line detailing half of a silhouette, with three dots for a 'face', if those dots were arranged in the expected way.
These do not.
Another line radiates out from the 'head' like an echo, leading to the wrapped 'fingers' of the Mark.
Even at a glance, there's no way around it: there's something intrinsically wrong with it there, like finding a rock formation that feels too perfect to be natural or manmade, or a dark room that seems too pitch black to feel normal.
It's something that's Not Supposed to Be There.
Shinjiro may not freak out, but his pausing causes Umie to finally realize.
Her reaction isn't natural either; she hides the offending hand behind a wall, shrinking back with a fearful expression.
".... yes," Umie says, eyes drifting down.
".... You saw nothing," she adds, a moment later, as she disappears completely into the other room.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As Umie steps into the other room, Shinjiro takes a breath. But he's not going to let it end at that. It'd be too awkward, too tense for both of them. Instead, he moves to start preparing his gyudon with the packaged topping, placing them out on opposite sides of the table.
That Mark was... so unnatural. So possessive. It's scary. Scary to think about. What goes on inside Umie Akabane's head? He doesn't know, only what she's presented. He thinks that's enough, but...
Does she? Can he reassure her, being only 17, almost 18 years old?
He moves to get beverages ready. It's busywork. Distracting the brain. Giving Umie time to cover herself. That sort of thing.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
The door closes, now for privacy reasons, as Umie goes to change into the sweatshirt she had found earlier. Sure, it'll be out of season, but until she gets back to her apartment or finds something to cover her arms--
--Aha.
Shinjiro isn't the only one thinking that, now that Umie has had a moment to gather her wits.
It's not something she wants to introduce to anyone, especially someone who's going through a load of issues on his own, and a teenager on top of it.
Looking at the bandages in the mirror, Umie gives a quiet nod as she turns and twists her wrist around. It will get some attention, but it'll give her a cover until she gets to her apartment.
.... As for Shinjiro.
Part of being an adult, she realizes, is knowing when and where to hold back. Not that she doesn't trust Shinjiro to be able to handle it, but because she doesn't *want* him to. Not like this. She won't act like it never happened, however.
Especially when she knows he has some secrets of his own he is likewise trying to hold to protect others. If he's been in contact with Strega, like his earlier Evoker may suggest...
"I'm coming back in," she says, giving Shinjiro a moment before she comes back in.
The bandages are enough to make that feeling go away; when she appears next to Shinjiro to help put things away, she's quiet, but gives him a quiet nod, as if to offer confirmation: yes, he saw what he saw.
"... Let's sit down to eat." She'll table any questions she has for him for right now; between what happened with Hiroto, and what happened just now, she'll deal with the more pressing matters.
"If you have questions, I will answer them."
"Within reason."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro is finishing up with the drinks when Umie calls out again. She returns, and he takes another breath, before allowing his bad feelings to try and rock away, nodding. He takes a seat, grabbing his chopsticks, and then gives a lopsided smile as Umie mentions questions.
"...are you okay?" is the first question out of his mouth, before he even thinks about it. He has a feeling on what that is - it's whatever she asked him to roll up his sleeves about, that one time. Which means others have it too. He saw it on Tatsuya's hand, after all... are they both cursed by something?
He can't let it be. He won't let her push him out on this.
"-I mean, just... I know you were trying to keep that private. Are you going to be okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Of course that would be Shinjiro's first question. "I'm still alive, aren't I?" she says, with a wry grin. "It's nothing new."
She breaks apart her chopsticks and begins eating. Even if her answer isn't much, it's still one, while giving Shinjiro time to think.
.... Whether or not she intended it to be this way may be unclear.
Her expression, when Shinjiro asks further, lends itself to no answers as well; she's neither annoyed, or cagey about it. Out of sight, out of mind.
"It's simply the way that it is. I have that thing, and I keep it hidden. It's not something people should deal with. Just like we don't go around telling people that Personas exist."
There's more, of course; Mai-chan's silence is disquieting, like the voice expects her to mess up in some way.
Umie's beaten that expectation before.
"And again, I say: I'm still alive." She takes in a morsel of beef into her mouth, glad to have something oily and great-tasting to eat. "I've had it for nearly a decade. It's another reason why I've kept myself separate from other Persona Users, until recently."
Some more information. Her expression tightens, as she looks down.
Hiroto's another person with it now, and he's doing the NWO's bidding.
"If you see it, though, it's bad news. Don't be fooled by me."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro sighs a bit at Umie's response. It feels like deflection to him, as does the followup...
It's the mention of other people with it that gets him to sigh again. "I've seen another with it. I trust them, though, like I still trust you." He's not going to give up their name or even gender. Even so...
He finally breaks his chopsticks, trying his own beef. It's fine. He could make better, but he didn't want better. He's thinking on what to ask.
He doesn't know *what* to ask.
"...does it hurt?" is what he eventually settles on. "Is it, you know, cursed?"
A pause. "We don't have to talk about this, actually. We can talk about something else, if you'd prefer, I just... want you to know it doesn't change who you are. You're still my friend."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Shinjiro's seen other people with it. Umie stops, looking him over critically, before she connects the dots. ".... If it's who I think it is, yeah. You should be able to trust them." She doesn't make him give up a possible name, or even indicate who it is, just in case.
Though really, it seems like that's the only possibility Umie can think of, especially given Tatsuya's connection to Shinjiro. Shinjiro wouldn't just trust anybody, after all.
"I know. If it was as simple as you accepting me, you'd probably know about it already," Umie says, with a small grin. "It's not about what I think of you, or whether or not I trust you, Aragaki-kun."
It's about not making someone else have to be an adult when you're supposed to be that adult yourself, she thinks.
Does it hurt?
"It's easy to forget that it's there, if I'm not careful." Is that an answer? Maybe.
It is cursed?
Oh boy. That's... a more difficult question for Umie to answer.
So she does the best thing she can think of: tell the truth. "I don't know. But I'm not particularly big in believing in curses." She scoops up another bit of rice.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro nods about the trust. They both know Tatsuya, so he assumes she also pieced it together. He exhales, before thinking about Umie's reply with a grin.
"...you can call me by my first name, if you'd prefer," he offers. They've shared a lot of their secrets so far, whether on purpose or otherwise. She knows about his condition. He's okay with that.
It doesn't seem to hurt, at least much. She doesn't know if it's cursed. But she doesn't believe in curses...
"I guess that's fair." Another exhale. He kinda wants to change the subject - not because of Umie, but because he has nothing else to ask.
"...I've shared my condition with a few other people. Shinobu, Kazama, Myunghon... they all know, and I don't care if you ever decide to talk to them about it, if it'll help you. Myunghon suggested I start a bucket list, and I've been working on it. I..."
He smiles, a bit softly. "I'm considering going back to school."
And then he takes a bite of beef bowl!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Some of this is by design. Umie's not going to reveal the full depths of the Mark on Shinjiro, and if Tatsuya was the other one who confided to him, Shinjiro may already know what he needs to, anyway.
All he needs to know is what he needs, in order to survive. For all Umie knows, she and Tatsuya are the only ones.
And the rest? Well, no one, including Tatsuya, need to know what Akechi's told her. After all, the person Akechi was investigating ended up dead, but that's not a sign of everyone dying from the Mark. Just...
".... Alright," Umie says, when Shinjiro makes that offer. "Shinjiro-kun it is, then!"
It really is that easy. You can't take it back, Shinjiro, you're now Shinjiro-kun! Pray she doesn't shorten it further. (She will. Give her time.) "You can call me the same, but don't be surprised if I revert to your surname in serious situations," she says, waving a finger.
She's relaxed now, despite having not explained a single thing, be it what happened the other night, why she's in hiding, the attack that occurred before that, or anything else.
.... She prefers it this way. Shinjiro's helped already. And besides--
His condition. "It's not about if it helps me," she says, shaking her head. "It's about--"
Bucket list. Bucket list. But that implies...
"-a bucket list--?" Umie looks confused, then, allows herself to be swept away to the next statement, which implies the opposite of what the first statement does, and even what he said during that dark carnival.
".... Good," Umie says, taking in another bite. "I can tutor you, if you need extra help." She gives a small, impish grin, continuing on, "That's how Takkun and I knew each other, after all, before all this mess." Pause. "Did I already tell you that?" She might've.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro doesn't need to ask all of these questions of Umie. All he cares is that she's going to be okay. That's really it - if she wanted to tell him everything, she would have.
"Great, Umie." wait no you're getting YOBISUTED you should have realized this he never uses honorifics!! "That's fine," he reassures.
But, as she's relaxed, and says it's not about if it helps her... "Yeah, but..."
The bucket list.
"Yeah. The doctors think I might make it to graduation at best. So if that's the case... I have things I still want to achieve before I go. I promised a friend we'd graduated together, so..."
Another soft smile. "I guess I should try... I need to talk to her about it."
But, Umie offers to tutor him. "I don't remember right now if you did, but... I'd appreciate that." he eats some more. "I... have not been attending school much since first year, so. I, uh, am probably going to die from that before anything else gets me." A morbid joke, but one in good humor.
Shinjiro's relaxed too.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
'Great, Umie.' Not even a single title!!
Well, it could be worse, being hit out of the blue with a -kun, ha ha ha. Only Katsuya gets away with that for obvious reasons!!! (And Joker, because, uuuhhhhhhhhh he must be older too??? Mask-sans are confusing!)
'Yeah, but.' Bucket list. 'The doctors think I might make it to graduation at best.'
"... They're just being realistic," Umie says, looking down. "This is all Persona stuff, right? I doubt anyone really has any data on what any of this means."
Hard-headed to the last, perhaps. But Shinjiro may see the parallels that Umie is drawing her emotions from, if he looks closely enough. .... And if he disregards everything she's said about her Mark.
But is it really on him to do that, when it's Umie that's doing it?
Or when it's her that's making the connection to what happened not too long ago, when that life was snuffed out so quickly in front of her and everyone else...
Life is... so fragile.
And seeing Shinjiro's soft smile makes it harder for Umie to barge in and drag it all down with her own emotions.
'It's alright. You'll be able to announce his death. That's what the Badb does, after all... or is it the Morrigan? So confusing~'
It's only a matter of time
"We'll get you up to speed," she says, instead, keeping her voice level. "Maybe you could... convince me to get Takkun to do the same."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"...the damage is pretty bad," is all Shinjiro says. He doesn't want to dwell on it. Instead...
He's still smiling soon after. "Thank you. ...I don't know if it'll be as easy for him, with what I know, but... I'd like to help him, too."
Oh no, Tatsuya's gonna be BETRAYED. the horror!!!
"Now, let's eat." He says, going back to his gyudon. They've had enough heavy stuff for right now!