2025-10-31: Understanding Through Revenge
- Log: Understanding Through Revenge
- Cast: Niko Kirisaki, Shinobu Shimizu
- Where: Hirasaka - Main
- OOC Date: October 31, 2025
- IC Date: August 03, 2012
- Summary: Shinobu responds to sounds of distress during a Dark Hour patrol, only to have the misfortune of running into Niko. Still sore over their last meeting, Niko vents her frustrations by attacking Shinobu, while demanding to figure out exactly why she's upset. Somehow, this settles their differences, at least where Niko's concerned.
(|============================= Hirasaka - Main ==============================|)
-=============================================== Sumaru City/Hirasaka Ward ====-
The westernmost ward of the city, and also the one furthest inland, Hirasaka is
considered one of the least desirable places to live in Sumaru. This is in part
due to the bad reputation of local Kasugayama High School, nicknamed "Kasu High"
by its students and "Cuss High" by its detractors. A school of overwhelmingly
boys but some errant girls, it's said to be for delinquents, poors, and other
"problem" children. Just down the street is Sumaru Prison, which is not a prison
but an underground club with a live stage, and either way the parents of Sevens
students hate it.
It's not all bad in Hirasaka, though. The shopping is second to none, with a
huge five-story mall called Smile Hirasaka that offers a wide variety of
businesses and conference meeting rooms; just be sure to go on a day when the
stores aren't closed. For those who want a more homey atmosphere for their
purchases, there's Kameya Alley. Plenty of office buildings populate the area,
too.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Sound carries in the Dark Hour. It's an understated property of the supernatural phenomenon, simply because of all the other things that are more notably Off about it. It's only after you get used it that it starts to stand out just how quiet the world becomes, once just about all of the expected sounds are no longer present. It simply cannot compare even to the more natural quiet of normal late-night hours. Which is just as well... it helps one notice less natural sounds all the easier for it.
However, the sound that rings out through the streets of Hirasaka deep into this night's Dark Hour is one that sounds wholly natural, if alarming in its own way. There's a scream coming from somewhere within the alleyways twisting between the nearby buildings. Not so much the kind of scream that speaks of panic and distress, but more on the side of surprise and annoyance, even anger. Even so, the same conclusion can be reached from it. Somebody ran into an unexpected bit of trouble.
Even hurrying, it will take some time to trace the sound to its source, which becomes easier when sounds of combat start to filter in. A trained ear may be able to determine a single person - the distinctive sound of Evoker use marking them as a Persona User - up against what sounds like multiple types of Shadows. There are reasons to be worried of the sounds of chains... but the Reaper is not involved, thankfully.
Once sighted, it is evident that the only chain on the scene is in the hands of the Persona User in question... and that all that remains of the Shadows at this point is but a single one. One might struggle to still recognize it as a Laughing Table - it certainly has nothing to laugh about right now, crumpled on the ground as it is, a pink-haired and very angry teenager bearing down on it. Even viewed from behind, it's not much of a struggle to recognize Niko of Strega, underdressed in all black as she usually is.
It's time for an all-out solo attack... which in Niko's case, takes the form of her stomping on the downed enemy, again and again, as she vents her frustrations aloud. "How. Dare. You. You. Piece. Of. Shit!" What remains of the Shadow after that dissolves into black smoke, leaving only a heavily breathing Niko standing there. "...That's what you get for messing with me. Asshole."
She doesn't appear to have sensed anyone else's presence in the area, yet. Which begs the question... what's the play here?
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Dark Hour patrols have become a normal part of life for Shinobu. She doesn't do them every night, there are some nights she needs rest - but tonight, she's active. She pedals down the street on her bike. Manual, of course. At one point she wanted to get a motorcycle, but she's thankful now for having something that works even in the Dark Hour. It lets her cover more ground... and in the eerie silence of this time, that can be all she needs to find trouble - or for trouble to find her.
And as she pedals, she begin to hear sounds. Screams of surprise and anger... and the sounds of battle, as she gets closer. Of course she gets closer. The alleyways of Hirasaka Ward can be dangerous - just ask her how she Awakened - but she knows her way around them.
The sound of chains, and the sound of Shadows... The reverberating fire of an Evoker. One of those SEES kids, maybe...? Shinobu dismounts from her bike, drawing closer. She reaches for the duffel bag over one shoulder, drawing her staff...
...But it seems she won't need it for the Shadows, as when she arrives, the last remaining Shadow is being stomped into the pavement by an angry, pink-haired teenager. One she recognizes - Niko is hard to miss, once you've met her. She doesn't put her staff away just yet. Instead, she rests it against her shoulder as she assesses Niko.
She doesn't seem to have been noticed yet - she could take this opportunity to get out of here while the getting's good. She could. But instead -
"...Looks like you handled it well enough. Guess I didn't need to check in after all." Shinobu observes.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Niko doesn't do patrols so much as she looks for ways to relieve boredom, if she has nothing better to do. This sort of thing might have actually been welcome to her... providing that's what she was after, and it went the way she wanted. Considering her mood, it's safe to say that something about this wasn't entirely to her liking, to put it mildly.
Following the altercation, she, too, has a choice. She could have made herself scarce, avoid any additional trouble that the noise might have attracted. She got worked up, but she's not worn out, she could have managed to beat a quick retreat. Instead, she waited. Almost daring life to throw her another curveball. And when it inevitably does...
It's a surprise that it comes in the form of a person. One that she knows, even. She remembers Shinobu's voice, not needing to turn first to see who it is. But turn she does, after a moment. Her expression is even, which may be surprising given her emotional state a moment ago. The other standout detail is that she's visibly injured. Blood trickles down her right leg from a fresh cut near her knee. She doesn't appear to be bothered by it.
"Oh. It's you. Well isn't that convenient?"
There's no need to question what she means, as Niko proceeds to raise up her right arm, then moves it down sharply, causing the chain she holds to slam into the pavement, cracking it on impact.
"I didn't even want your help. I don't like you. And I'm still pissed off!"
With that, she rushes Shinobu, that leg wound not appearing to hold her back from running full speed. Lashing out directly this time, it's Shinobu's weapon that Niko aims for, trying to constrict and restrain that staff using her own weapon. She feels a little better already, enough so for a grin to appear.
"How about it, wanna play a game? Tell you what... if you can figure out exactly why I don't like you, I'll stop attacking you."
AS: Weapon! Niko Kirisaki has used the Strike skill Ensnaring Embrace on Shinobu Shimizu! AS: Ruin: Niko Kirisaki gains 1 Limit! AS: Avoid Worst! Shinobu Shimizu takes 84 Strike damage from Niko Kirisaki's Ensnaring Embrace. AS: Bind and Paralyze added! <Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
'Convenient', she says. A frown crosses Shinobu's face, and she tenses. She held back because she was wounded - but it looks like she still has enough energy to put on a threat display - and to attack. Niko lunges in and Shinobu backpedals, trying to get away - but it's hard to judge the length of that chain. It catches onto her staff, and Shinobu lets out an annoyed 'tsk'.
Serves her right, she supposes, for not turning tail when she had the chance - or moving to attack first. She knows Niko's dangerous.
"...That's gonna be hard." Shinobu replies, teeth clenched. "We didn't exactly leave a good first impression on each other. Mind narrowing it down for me!?"
She yanks her staff back, in time with her words as she tries to pull Niko off balance. It's hard to move the weapon - but as long as Niko's holding onto the other end of her weapon, she can exert some control, too. She doesn't waste any time - the other end of the staff comes around, jabbing toward Niko.
AS: Weapon! Shinobu Shimizu has used the Strike skill Jab Flurry on Niko Kirisaki! 3 Hits! AS: Aggression: Shinobu Shimizu gains 1 Limit! AS: Counter Best! Niko Kirisaki takes 44 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Jab Flurry. Critical Hit! AS: COUNTER! Shinobu Shimizu takes 40 Strike damage in return for her attack! AS: Block Neutral! Niko Kirisaki takes 44 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Jab Flurry. Critical Hit! AS: Avoid Best! Niko Kirisaki takes 33 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Jab Flurry. Critical Hit! <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
It's a good move, in the sense that Niko's surprised expression gives away that she wasn't expecting an attempt to take her on in a contest of physical force. It's a bad move, in the sense that Niko is well-versed in contests of physical force. Her physique would suggest as much, and she puts it on display immediately upon being pulled forward, lashing out with her left fist with far more force than a great majority of girls her age could manage.
That's as far as her advantage goes - once Shinobu gets a solid hold of her weapon, she has the advantage of reach, forcing Niko to go on the defensive, blocking one hit with crossed arms, then rolling aside to avoid the next. She quickly gets back to her feet, hopping from one foot to another. The smile has gotten more genuine already. She's already having more fun than she was a moment ago.
"Alright, alright, not bad. Since you're taking this seriously, sure, I'll throw you a bone. How about this: it was something you said. Think carefully now~"
She's not about to make it easy to focus on thinking though. As soon as she stops talking, she swings her chain forward again, but focusing on pure brute force this time. Which, as the pavement can attest, has has a considerable amount of.
AS: Weapon! Niko Kirisaki has used the Strike skill Steel Snap on Shinobu Shimizu! AS: Avoid Best! Shinobu Shimizu takes 74 Strike damage from Niko Kirisaki's Steel Snap. <Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu pulls Niko forward - and she gets a punch for her efforts. She staggers back with a wheeze as it hits home, but keeps a tight hold on her weapon. She knows how to take a punch, at least - she's no stranger to contests of physical force, either.
Niko is forced onto the defensive - but she seems to actually be enjoying herself. Shinobu watches her carefully, her brow furrowing as she continues.
"Somethin' I said...? You expect me to remember something I said a couple of weeks ago?" Shinobu asks. She tries to think back - but doesn't get any time to do so. Niko's chain swings forward and Shinobu dodges to the side, staff sweeping out to divert its course. It slams instead into her side, where her concealed armor is thickest - she exhales a hiss of pain, but it's not as severe as if she took it head-on. In turn, Shinobu races in.
"What, is this 'cause I didn't buy into your 'nothing matters' shit?" She asks - and her staff is spun forward, carving vicious circles through the air. But still, she frowns - she's not fully convinced that's it...
AS: Weapon! Shinobu Shimizu has used the Strike skill Spinning Staff on Niko Kirisaki! 3 Hits! AS: Aggression: Shinobu Shimizu gains 1 Limit! AS: Shinobu Shimizu: Bind and Paralyze removed! AS: Niko Kirisaki spends Limit on Brace! AS: Block Worst! Niko Kirisaki takes 49 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Spinning Staff. Critical Hit! AS: Block Neutral! Niko Kirisaki takes 20 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Spinning Staff. AS: Block Neutral! Niko Kirisaki takes 20 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Spinning Staff. <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Niko's frown in response to Shinobu's words says it all. Yes, she very much DID expect Shinobu to remember something she said weeks ago. She's still mad about it, obviously to her those words very much mattered. To be so dismissive about it now... Niko clicks her tongue.
"So that's how it is with you? You just talk shit and don't care enough to remember what you said to who? Disappointing."
Dampening Niko's mood does no one any favors. When Shinobu rushes her, the change in her demeanor is immediately obvious. After the first hit, carrying enough momentum to send her reeling back, the others are deflected away from her with instinctive parries, following Niko's sudden full focus on defense. The way she backs off after has all the sense of her choosing to abandon her assault. Did Shinobu guess right? Well...
"Honestly, good for you, as long as you can manage to keep living like that. I don't care what you believe about that." With that, she draws her Evoker, pointing it at Shinobu. It wouldn't do anything if she fired it like that of course, but still, there's an implied threat in pointing a gun-like object at someone.
"Think it over again. Remember what you accused me of. And then... take it back."
Turning about her hand, she fires the Evoker at her own head, summoning the giant statue-like head that is Ate. Without any further words from Niko, the Persona simply charges straight ahead, seeking to collide with Shinobu, keep going, turn about, and do it again from the other side before returning to float behind Niko, who makes a shrugging motion. "Well? Did that jog your memory?"
AS: Persona! Niko Kirisaki has used the Strike skill Assault Dive on Shinobu Shimizu! 2 Hits! AS: Ruin: Niko Kirisaki gains 1 Limit! AS: Shinobu Shimizu spends Limit on Brace! AS: Avoid Best! Shinobu Shimizu takes 35 Strike damage from Niko Kirisaki's Assault Dive. Critical Hit! AS: Blast added! AS: Avoid Neutral! Shinobu Shimizu takes 42 Strike damage from Niko Kirisaki's Assault Dive. AS: Blast added! <Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
...Looks like that upset her. If Shinobu was the kind of person who was more mindful about that, they probably wouldn't be fighting right now.
...Well, maybe not over this exact situation.
"Hey, there was a lot going on. You try pulling something up from a tense situation on short notice after the fact, we see how well you do with it." Shinobu retorts.
Niko is knocked back, focusing on defense... Shinobu is suspicious, rather than treating it as an opportunity. She keeps her staff ready - and Niko continues. Her Evoker is drawn, pointing at her. Shinobu tenses.
She doubts it'll do anything to her - but what it means matters more. The Evoker is fired - at Niko, rather than her. The statue-like head emerged. Cursing silently, Shinobu leaps to the side - but a moment too late. She brings her staff up. Ate slams into it, knocking her off-balance - and when it comes around for another pass, Shinobu is sent crashing to the ground.
What did she say? What did she accuse her of...?
...Oh.
Oh yeah.
She remembers what happened, now. And she remembers that look.
With a groan, Shinobu hauls herself back to her feet, rolling her neck.
"...Yeah. Yeah, I think you mighta knocked a few memories loose there." She says. "...But I'm not gonna disrespect either of us by apologizing or taking it back. Did it hurt? Tell me why that is. Tell me why you think I should."
She's not about to back down either, though.
"Lachesis!" Shinobu calls out. The hooded figure appears behind her, bearing her staff. Lachesis looks between the both of them. Her fingers travel down her staff - and then come to a stop.
An aura of protection surrounds Shinobu, to mitigate harm - and then she rushes forward, Lachesis following behind her. Shinobu dodges to the side, moving to catch Niko and Ate in a pincer attack.
AS: Shinobu Shimizu spends Limit on Exploit! Shinobu Shimizu can use another Weak skill this round! AS: Persona! Shinobu Shimizu has used the Almighty skill Protected Fate on Shinobu Shimizu! AS: Take! Shinobu Shimizu takes 0 Almighty damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Protected Fate. AS: Def_Up and Spd_Up added! AS: Tandem! Shinobu Shimizu has used the Strike skill Split Decision on Niko Kirisaki! 2 Hits! AS: Aggression: Shinobu Shimizu gains 1 Limit! AS: Avoid Neutral! Niko Kirisaki takes 64 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Split Decision. Critical Hit! AS: Avoid Best! Niko Kirisaki takes 17 Strike damage from Shinobu Shimizu's Split Decision. <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Niko retorts to the retort the only way she knows how. "I'd do better than you!" Like a teenager.
But, after all's said and done... it looks like that managed to do it. Niko listens attentively, at first... but then rapidly gets upset again. "Why you...! Don't turn this around, I don't owe you anything, you owe me!" That's how she figures it, anyway. She waves a hand, commanding, "Ate!" right after Shinobu summons her own Persona. The hard way it is then, it seems.
Thanks to that, the way things end up going isn't so much a pincer attack as it is Niko's Persona blocking Lachesis - and shattering from the impact, while Niko can focus on avoiding Shinobu's assault. The headache from that Persona break is by far the worst part of the exchange for her. Even so, she could have struck back, emphasizing the point by lashing out with her chain following that dodge... but, purposely, only striking the poor abused pavement once again.
"Ok, ok, enough!" With a practiced motion, she very quickly wraps the chain around her waist, looped in such a way that it remains in place, after which she raises her hand. "Unlike YOU, I remember what I said. You just had to figure out the reason for me to stop, apologizing for it wasn't part of the deal. See? I'm fair." She crosses her arms. "Even if you never actually SAID what it is, I'm willing to take your word for it. That's just how fair I am."
She looks down, actually wincing a bit when she looks down at her leg. It's not nearly as bad as all the blood makes it look, but it's just a mess at this point. "Could you have figured it out any slower? I gotta get this bandaged, you know." She does care about that injury, as much as it looked like it didn't bother her while she was fighting.
She is silent a moment, considering whether to say anything more. But, in the end... she looks off to the side, leaving it at, "...Just remember. Not everybody does everything they do because they want to. You keep assuming that, you're gonna have problems with a lot more people than just me."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Really?" Shinobu replies rhetorically, with a shake of her head. ...Guess that's what happens when she argues with a teenager. That was on her.
Niko declares that she's the one who owes her, and Shinobu shakes her head.
"Yeah? How do you figure that?" She asks. The hard way, indeed. But in the end, Ate breaks, but Niko escapes her attack. Her chain lashes out and Shinobu starts a dodge - but instead of going for her, it only strikes pavement. Shinobu steps back as Niko declares enough - but the chain is wrapped around her waist, lodged into place.
...She's stopping the fight? Shinobu watches her suspiciously for a moment... but she takes a step back and elects to take her at her word, returning her staff to the duffel bag.
"'Fair', huh." Shinobu repeats, studying her for a moment - and then admits, "...Guess you never said I had to."
Her attention is turned back toward Niko's leg - and then, she exhales a sigh.
"...You're the one who picked a fight with me." She replies, shaking her head. She reaches into her duffel bag again. But not for her staff. She draws out a roll of bandages, tossing them Niko's way. "...Got some cleaning solution too, if you need it. If you still don't want my help then, whatever. You can throw it in the trash."
...Not everybody does everything they do because they want to, huh. Shinobu frowns, at that thought. She thinks back. ...She isn't the first one she's met, who seems to be bound to something bigger than she is. Shinobu sighs.
"...Yeah. I'm starting to figure that out." She admits, massaging the back of her neck.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Yes, really. The fact that Niko is a teenager is perhaps easy to forget, given that teenagers don't generally look like they've been lifting weights since they were six years old. But it's important to remember all the same. She will absolutely act her age at times like this. She doesn't owe anybody any explanations, but everybody else owes her whatever it is she wants at the current point in time. Everyone's been there, right?
Yet even so, Niko thinks she's being extremely reasonable here, allowing for this much leeway in the 'deal' that she'd decided was a thing and started a fight over completely on her own accord. "You get way too hung up on the details," is her very reasonable response when Shinobu points out that very thing.
She freezes a moment, when she sees Shinobu going for the bag again, but when the bandages come out... she snatches them out of the air. Inspecting them as if looking for reasons to find that suspicious, she shrugs after a moment, deciding, "Eh. Saves me some time." She wags a finger. "Not gonna let my guard down here though. This is where we leave to go take care of our own problems."
The finger moves to tap her lips. "Hmmm... seems like I don't think of you as a problem anymore. So I guess that means I've forgiven you? Must be." She lets out a brief giggle. "Jin-chan was right, revenge does make everything better."
Shinobu's words certainly don't do anything to convince her otherwise, prompting a firm nod. "As long as you understand now. Then, we're good! Thank goodness. You lose so much energy over grudges, nobody needs that shit. We should all be friends! Right?" Is she for r-- "Right!" She's totally for real, and will brook no argument.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"...I do, huh." Shinobu replies, as Niko says she gets way too hung up on the details. She shakes her head. She thinks she's focusing on them just exactly the right amount, but... Well, she's already learned her lesson about arguing.
She doesn't blame Niko for being suspicious, though - they did just fight each other.
"Fair enough. Can't exactly blame you there." Shinobu replies with a shrug. The fact that she's willing to at least take it is good enough for her - she might not like her, but she's also not the type of person who can let a kid just run off with a wounded leg without doing something.
Shinobu raises an eyebrow, though, as Niko decides she doesn't think of her as a problem anymore. She's forgiven her? Just like that?
"'Jin-chan' said that, huh." Shinobu replies. ...She keeps some dangerous rolemodels. But it's not like she isn't aware of who she's working with.
They're 'good', Niko declares - they should all be friends. Shinobu stares taken aback by this sudden declaration.
"Uh... Friends. Right." She says - more out of dumbfoundedness than anything. This was... not how she expected this encounter to end.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
You see Niko's point? If only everyone would just agree with everything she says and let her do whatever she wants, there wouldn't be any problems! It's plain to see how much her mood's improved now that there isn't anything to argue over anymore. With just a little bit of understanding, even forgiveness is easy, from Niko's point of view.
...To be fair, even Niko doesn't expect or even truly want anyone to fully understand her. If anyone could, that might be a lot more worrisome than... whatever the dynamic is that does manages to somehow get going with people. But she does so appreciate that dynamic, and sees nothing wrong with trying to get one going with Shinobu. After all, they worked out their differences just now, right? Seemed close enough. Indeed, all it took was a little revenge.
"Yeah! You remember Jin-chan. The cranky dude with glasses and grenades? He's great," she says of the one who reminded her of that. Seems accurate from her point of view! Shinobu's might differ a little, given their last meeting. Even Niko gets that much, adding, "You'll see once you get to know him." That's something Shinobu would actually want, right? She's not objecting to being friends with Niko, so clearly they're on the same page here.
"Alright! Well it's been fun," has it??? "But I better be off now. You go out the other way, okay~?" With that, Niko heads down the alleys in the direction that takes her further away from Shinobu, not seeming in any particular hurry... and with her mood much improved, humming a happy tune to herself. She couldn't exactly claim to have expected this outcome herself, but who would complain about it?
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Yeah, I remember him. I'll take your word for that. We didn't exactly get off on the right foot." Shinobu replies with a shrug. That was purely her own fault by design, though. She called him four-eyes, of all things. Who even does that anymore??
Niko says it's been fun - and Shinobu has enough sense to not second guess that, because that's not an argument anyone will win.
"Sure." Shinobu decides. "...Yeah. Take care out there."
She turns to leave the other way - she needs to get her bike again, anyway. She certainly isn't going to complain that this didn't turn out worse than it did...
...even if she's definitely going to be sore in the morning.