2025-11-12: An Intention Takes Shape
- Log: An Intention Takes Shape
- Cast: Katsuya Suou, Masao Inaba, Ayame Watanabe, Maya Amano, Ulala Serizawa
- Where: Parabellum, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: November 12, 2025
- IC Date: August 09, 2012
- Summary: After a disastrous encounter with Sojiro at Leblanc, Ayame calls together members of Team Whoop-ass (and a friend!) to debate their next steps.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame Watanabe didn't put the group up at her house this time; instead she asked to meet Out, at Parabellum. Her husband is at home watching the kids this evening, while she's already taken a table by the corner. She mentioned that she had followed up on a lead Tamaki Uchida gave her--and that it went... poorly. She wanted to discuss it, and their next steps, with the group.
Today she's in a red belted dress and jacket, looking thoughtfully into her drink, which is /probably/ not alcoholic because she drove here today. It's evening; it's cloudy out, but not actively rainy.
It feels like a rainy kind of day, though.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Maya, on the other hand, is dressed in her usual outfit: a tan-and-brown two-piece with two hearts emblazoned over her chest and a long, purple tie. It's the outfit most people associate with Maya, and it also happens to be her favorite outfit.
She's accompanied by her roommate, Ulala; she'd stopped at the apartment after work to pick her up before the pair headed over to Parabellum.
"Ayame-san!" Maya says in greeting as she plops down at the table across from Ayame. "Sounds like you had big news today!" There were certain things they didn't discuss over email, text, or phone. And this was one of them, so it had to be important. Right?
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala Serizawa never passes up a trip to the bar! Even if it's business.
She's ditching Maya briefly to grab a drink (do not talk on an empty stomach), before moving to join the table with Maya, an Angel Trigger cocktail in hand, taking a seat with her roommate.
"Hey, Ayame-san. You alright?" She nods to Maya, repeating her address. They're a team, right?
"Feels kinda gloomy today, huh?"
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Katsuya had arrived promptly once the agreed on date and time had come about. The idea that there is some other way in which he could have arrived may be as alien to the mind as green blood.
It's summer. Therefore, it's hot, and therefore, it's humid. Katsuya still arrives, because he was working today, dressed in a suit and tie. If the weather bothers him any, he gives no sign of it.
"It may rain again," he says, already at the table when the others make their way in. "Officially, the rainy season is over but nature knows no calendar, as they say."
Something about Ayame's body language has been bothering him, though. Though he can't quite put his finger on it--
"Is everything alright, Watanabe-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
Masao "Mark" Inaba is also in just his usual gray hoodie, yellow T-shirt, and matching bright yellow cap. He's got yellow-lens sunglasses like this were the environment to try and pull it off. (Dude likes his sunglasses, and has been searching for more and more excuses to put them on. Artist thing, or... well. Guys in Sumaru seem to really be into sunglasses these days, huh.)
"This is the place, huh... the place with the gun-themed menus?" He's rubbing the back of his head. "Yo," he calls to the gathering group, moving to the table. He's yet to order a drink. "Somethin' happen, huh?"
He's looking a bit haggard today, like it's the kind of day someone stops and asks, 'oh, what now!' But you know, acquaintances and friends, he can put on that goofy wide smile he's still got from his youth.
"You're tellin' me," he says to Ulala as he looks to Ayame. He takes in a whiff of the faint scent of cigarette smoke that lingers, and the ashtrays... nah, he can stay cool on that front now--
"Somethin' up?" He says to Ayame. Something has to be, if a police detective's involved.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Maya-san! Ulala-san!" Ayame greets them warmly, gesturing them to the table.
Katsuya is right about her body language though. She nods to him, and then she smiles at Mark when he arrives, too. "True," she says of the weather.
"Thank you all for coming. This is Masao Inaba--he's a friend who I think can help with this matter. He's very reliable!"
"And... I am..." She considers. "A little rattled," she admits, "But otherwise fine."
"I inquired on that lead Uchida-san found us--the term 'cognitive psience', with Mr. Sakura at Leblanc."
"However..."
"He reacted poorly. Very poorly--he grew quite angry, and interrogated me about where I'd heard it."
"...Then Uchida-san tells me someone came to her about the matter, too."
"I think we've stumbled on something bigger than I'd realized in this term."
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
"Hi!" Maya says with her typical Maya-type cheeriness to Mark. Despite the atmosphere, Maya retains her usual positive outlook. "Maya Amano, Coolest reporter and editor!" She's always got to bring up her employment when introducing herself, but she's really proud of it.
"I wonder if someone went to him too," Maya asks, stroking the rim of her ear. "It would put some people in a mood to be asked about something they don't want to talk about by multiple people."
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala takes a sip of her drink, nodding to Mark. "We've met. It's nice to meet you again, Inaba-san."
She nods to Katsuya about the rain, before turning over to Ayame. "Cognitive psience... so, studying this magic stuff?" She still calls it magic.
A pause, as she says he interrogated her. "Oh, shit. What an asshole... you think there's people trying to keep this suppressed?"
Another pause and a sip of the drink. "Well, of course there is, but you get me. Nothing's ever easy..."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
"Yes, actually, we have met before. It is good to see you again, Inaba-kun." ...They are effectively colleagues in this, right?
Masao Inaba. It was a familiar name, attached to a familar face. The last time Ulala and he had met with Mark, it had been... well, 'tense' would be the wrong word. So would 'strained' or 'fraught'. Perhaps 'uncomfortable' would be best in describing the mood in the room after Katsuya had asked after the incident of three years prior.
Uncomfortable is also a good way to describe the expression on Katsuya's face when Masao mentions the bar's menu. Surely, the rumor about this place isn't true, though...
Ayame isn't the only one who looks a little strained. Katsuya's attention lingers on Masao for just a moment before it returns to her-- she had given them a brief overview about what had happened. And...
Threats, perhaps? That's the first thing that comes to mind, with Ayame's vague description of the incident. "I see... I am sorry that you had to endure that, Watanabe-san."
Ayame, based on age alone, is his senior. It's just how it is.
Maya wonders if they weren't the first. "Hmm..." Katsuya muses, fidgeting with his sunglasses. "Perhaps. It would explain his behavior. However you look at it, it isn't the action of someone innocent, but..." But what, then, is Sojiro Sakura guilty of? Some sins are not necessarily crimes.
"If he were with 'them', I am... not certain that would be his reaction. Yet, what does he know about this 'cognitive psience', and why does he know it? ...Did Uchida-kun say?"
<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
There's a mutual look across the proverbial aisle to Katsuya, with the tension of a recent discussion already well-outlined.
"Yeah, we're acquainted, too, turns out," he says to Ayame, playing it off as a funny coincidence, but they all know what they (tried to) talk/talked about. A hand's back behind his head as they discuss a guy who reacted poorly to some kind of - on the surface - nonsensical psuedoscientific terminology.
"Not everyone likes bein' poked and prodded about a bunch of stuff, yeah?" Masao adds to all of that. He's quiet again as Ulala drifts towards 'people trying to keep this suppressed.'
"I've never met the guy, so I couldn't tell you 'bout him," the street artist shakes his head. "Might just be the sorta guy who doesn't wanna talk 'bout much other than what he does with his life, yeah?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Oh..." Ayame looks between Mark and Katsuya. "I didn't realize," she says. She considers Maya's thought, and nods. "Maybe. He seemed like it wasn't the first time someone had mentioned it--but he was... frightening. He was able to go from his usual friendly self to entirely cold in just the flash of a moment..."
Threats are right. To say the least. "Thank you," she says to Katsuya. But then she nods. "Right, I think that's what it is," she says to Ulala.
"...There must be people trying to keep it down--but then, we knew that. The way the police keep focusing on Hirassaka gangs instead of on the Joker Killer, for instance."
Not innocent, but...
"I do get the idea he knows something," Ayame says, "But he seemed like such a kind man before. I don't believe he's wrapped up in something too terrible. ...As you say; I don't think he's with 'them.'"
"No, Uchida-san didn't say."
"She nods to Mark. "It could be. But then, if he is aware of things like Personas..."
"Well, he didn't recognize most of the terms I used, I think. Either way, if he is involved in these things, it's not unreasonable to be wary of a strange woman showing up and asking about it."
"But he seems to have disappeared after that..."
"I think we should consider our next move carefully. I worry that I've brought trouble on us..."
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
"He disappeared?" Maya repeats, eyes widened. "So he's not there anymore? Maybe he's the one in trouble." Maya is far less concerned about getting into trouble herself; trouble is her middle name, after all!
"We should go looking for him! If it turns out that he is in trouble, once we rescue him, he'll know that we're the good guys. There's no way he won't cooperate with us then!"
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Katsuya mentions that Sojiro Sakura probably isn't innocent, while Mark seems to think it might indeed be more of an innocent thing. Ayame agrees with Ulala's assertion...
"Sure, he doesn't have to like it. But it feels like Ayame-san got treated worse than just a 'no', right?" She asides to Ayame with a look. "We need all the information we get, so we definitely can't leave this alone. If there's trouble, well, we're the ones diving into encounters with hthe Old Maid. It's fine."
And then Maya comes in with the steel chair about their next move. "Ma-ya... that's too easy. I doubt we can just 'rescue him' and get everything we want. Hmm..."
She wracks her brain. "What all do we know, besides the word cognitive psience? Do we need to pursue other avenues before approaching him, or is he the only option? Because if we had more information, we could use that as leverage, right?" She glances to Katsuya. "What do you think? You're the actual detective."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
He shakes his head. "It's quite alright. We have only recently met, ourselves. It is good to have the acquaintance of a more experienced Persona-user." He's not blowing smoke: he means it -- even if Masao professes there's not all that 'much' he knows that they don't. Practical experience counts, and it still feels like Katsuya himself is only getting himself oriented, yet.
Not everyone likes being poked and prodded about a bunch of stuff. There's no outward change in Katsuya's expression, but...
'Fair enough', he supposes to himself in private.
He nods, though, at what Ulala says. "Yes. If he were to tell her 'no', or ask her to leave, that would be one thing. Yet it seems more... forceful than that, from her telling. There's something suspicious about that sort of behavior." But what does it suggest? Someone with skeletons in his closet, or someone who is in far too deep?
"...Yes," he says, on the subject of the police redirecting attention after the Joker attacks. There's no questioning it, even for him: that's an unhappy expression on Katsuya's face as he regards his untouched drink.
Ayama, though, still professes her doubts that he's in that deep. "Perhaps, but... unfortunately, it is not impossible for someone to have 'two faces'. The question is, which one reflects his true nature?"
Uchida didn't say. "I see... then, I suppose we will have to find out ourselves." He didn't even recognize much of the terminology that Ayame used, at that.
But, he disappeared? "Was a report filed? Or, is he 'not at home'?" Katsuya begins to ask, glancing over at Ulala. "That's a good suggestion, Serizawa-kun. We should see what we can find, first. If we all rush in at once, if he is involved in something, he could vanish for good." If he hasn't already.
Maya, though, makes a suggestion. "Amano-kun... I don't think..."
Even if it was that easy, they couldn't just 'get lucky' and rescue him from a dire situation, could they? ...Would that even work?
<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
Masao puckers his lips for a moment at the talk about the way police keep shifting focus from the Joker Killer. Man, is what he'd say if words were escaping his lips in the moment.
Then, the mention that he disappeared after that. He sits up some, with an also unspoken 'okay yeah now this sounds like a serious thing.' Not even the grumpiest neighbors he knew growing up where the type to just up and leave at the slightest provocation of hearing stuff they didn't want to hear.
"Go lookin' for him? Where the hey would we even look?" Incredulous, he just shakes his head along at Ulala's assertion about how much they know about the word 'cognitive psience.'
"...So, 'Leblanc,' yeah?" He looks to Ayame. "So, like... where is that? I don't remember hearin' of a place like that in Sumaru." Almost sounds like an upscale Narumi Ward place. "Wherever that is... if this is an actual thing for him, then, there's gotta be other people nearby who might know about it, right?"
A moment passes. "Unless, uh, they set up shop there because it's as far away from it as they afford to get." ...That might be a little too on the nose for the Mikage-cho Incident survivors.
"...Look," he turns to Ayame, and a little smile, "how much trouble did Brown kinda yank me into over the years growin' up," oh yeah, those two go way back in terms of mischief, "I mean... if this guy's in serious trouble, and you're all thinkin' it's the kinda stuff we deal with, well, I'm not gonna feel good about turnin' my back on that."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Disappeared! "Well," Ayame says, looking between Maya and Katsuya, "He's 'out of town'. That's what I heard. I obviously wasn't eager to go back and check for myself..."
But Maya has a point! Though the idea of rescuing him seems unpopular, Ayame is thoughtfully looking at her a few more moments. Ulala mentions her treatment, and Ayame grimaces lightly. "It was frightening," she admits. "Sure, I have my Persona, but not right at that moment..."
She looks to Mark. "Well," she says, "I actually..."
A nod to Katsuya, first. "Right. It's certainly suspicious, but I think he might be in trouble, too."
"I think you're right though. We have to find out for ourselves."
"Leblanc is in Yongen-Jaya, in Tokyo. It's a lovely place... though I don't think I'll be welcome there anymore."
"I think we need to find him, or at least look around--maybe at Leblanc."
"We'll be able to reassure him that we don't mean any harm, and if he does mean harm... there's safety in numbers."
"I don't know what other avenues we can pursue; even if this doesn't lead to a solution to the Joker Killer, I'm with Mark. I can't let it go."
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Maya abruptly slams her hands down on the table. "I know Leblanc," she says suddenly. "Amamiya-kun works there. I can email him to see if he knows anything!"
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
As the others worry about Sojiro, Ulala considers. "I'll help. We created this team for a reason, right? If we can help this guy, it'd be better than leaving him to suffer." A pause, and an aside. "Though, we'll want to figure out timing. We also have our other plan to enact, too." That phone call!
MAya, though, knows an employee! The slam of the hands causes Ulala to flinch only slightly. "Ma-ya, we're in public..." A sigh, but it's good-natured. "Please do. If I can do anything, let me know too."
Suddenly, she feels very useless. They have a detective, two cool veterans, and Maya Amano, Coolest Coolest Reporter. Can she even contribute anything besides a warm body?
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
"I see..." he says, when Ayame clarifies that he is 'out of town', officially. "No, I understand. Perhaps... no, but if one of us were to go, that might put him on edge if he is still around," Katsuya decides, shaking his head. "We might ask someone in his neighborhood instead."
Which, speaking of asking around--
"Well... we will have to see what we can learn about him," he more or less answers Masao, gesturing with his right hand. "His history, his routine, if we can learn it. He must speak to other people, especially his neighbors. We could even look into any public records that are available. There will have to be something on file, somewhere. Even a single trip should tell us something about him and his past." Though it may well be a very little bit indeed. "If it comes down to it, we might..."
He glances at Maya and Ulala. There is someone else they can ask, but even their purported ally might want something in exchange, if he doesn't think it serves his ends, whatever they are. Or at least, that's the way Katsuya thinks of their highly-suspicious 'colleague'.
But he doesn't speak what's on his mind aloud here.
"Hmm... so you think he was frightened? Then, if we can learn more, we might know best how to approach him at least. Perhaps we can even learn where he's gone, if he isn't back in Yongen-Jaya." And if he is in danger...
Come to think of it, what does 'cognitive psience' even mean? Cognitive science would be one thing; that's basically neurology and psychology, isn't it? But this has the feeling of the sort of thing he would have eschewed months ago as fringe nonsense, and even now, he maintains his doubts.
Yet, that's what they have to work with, and... so be it.
But Maya is the one who has an answer...! Katsuya's attention is right on Maya.
"Amamiya-kun?" Has he heard that name before? It seems familiar, but he can't place it. "Then, let's see what he has to say. That sounds like the best place to start."
<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
Masao has been quiet about the prospect of Ayame now having her own Persona, and the experience that awakened it. It's the same for almost anyone, isn't it? Some manner of mortal danger... maybe it's worth talking more about later.
He startles when Maya slaps her hands down on the table.
"Y-You know someone out there? At some random out-of-town place? Like... for real, seriously?" Incredulous! "...When the hell did Japan get so small? Hey. Did, like, everyone just network with everyone else, all at once, while I was in America? Hey?"
"...Psh." He rolls his head back. "Man. Next thing you're all gonna tell me this place actually sells real firearms--"
"Why yes, we do, thank you for your inquiry." There he is, the barman, right by the table, opening up a large case with a very small assortment of firearms. He says this with a straight face, right next to an actual, factual police officer in a nation that is stringent about whose hands can handle them. "Perhaps this Randall Custom, sir, might be to your liking?"
Masao's eyes say all behind his sunglasses. What?
...
There's Demons on the streets of Sumaru City, and well...
...
Here we go again.