2026-01-01: Dreams And Obstacles
- Log: Dreams And Obstacles
- Cast: Haru Okumura, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Shibuya Underground Mall, Shibuya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: January 01, 2026
- IC Date: September 03, 2012
- Summary: Back at school again! Well, after school. Haru and Ichika find a chance to talk again after everything that's happened with Eiji's Palace, and pick up where they left off--and then some. Dreams are more complicated than just having them...
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
The aftermath of Eiji's Palace a now not-so-distant memory, the Phantom Thieves have been laying lower for the past little while, as they recover their strength, decide on their next target, and attend classes like the good students they're supposed to be.
The movement of the Thieves never truly ends, however - it almost becomes more important than ever to maintain trust within the group when they don't have a major shared target at the moment. Not to mention, Haru was surprised to see a familiar face in the centre of their heist of Eiji's Palace - so catching up was more than in order.
Since Haru isn't in any clubs, and doesn't have any after-school 'obligations' except gardening on the rooftop, it's not hard to plan out a meeting somewhere in Shibuya. Having exchanged numbers as a group, Haru and Ichika arrange a meeting at Shibuya's underground mall after school.
As planned, at the meeting time, Haru is waiting outside the flower shop with a shopping bag with some seeds and fertilizer inside - dressed for the brisk autumn weather. After braving Eiji's Palace as Noir, Haru feels a little anxious to be meeting Ichika as just herself... but ultimately, she wants to support her not just as a fellow accomplice, but also as a friend.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika's been busy, since then. Busy dealing with the aftermath; busy turning Sevens down, when they reached out to offer her her place back. Even with Hannya gone, that's a no-go. But today, she finally gets a chance to meet up with someone she was pretty curious to see among the Phantom Thieves: Haru, the girl she talked dreams with at the cafe at Paulownia Mall.
Ichika's also lacking in too many after-school obligations, absent the occasional head that needs bashing. Today, that's not a thing, and she can go out to Shibuya! Parking is a different matter than taking the trains, but means if she buys anything she doesn't have to carry it all the way back on the train...
Ichika, when she shows up, is still in uniform, and that means she stands out around here. White blouse with short sleeves and bare midriff, sailor collar with black ribbon, and ankle-length skirt--along with her bleached hair, it's the sort of look that stands out. With her makeup, it means most people leave her alone.
Despite the dour attire, though, she smiles once she turns and sees Haru. "Hey, Haru-san," Ichika says, and glances to the shopping bag and back to Haru. "See you haven't been wasting time. That's cool."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Ichika certainly does stand out - but not in a bad way to Haru. It helps that the look makes her easier tospot in the decently large crowd of people shopping around in the Underground Mall, And so, Haru approaches her just as fearlessly as she did at Paulownia Mall.
"Hello, Ichika-san!" Haru waves. She's still in her Shujin Academy uniform herself, having come straight from after classes ended. "I hope you're doing well, and thanks for making time for me... I'm sure it must be quite busy for you recently. ...And not just because of school." She slightly bows, with all that practiced politeness of a businessman's daughter, but it doesn't take long for that stiffness to go away.
"But for one... I'd like to hope you've at least had time to start thinking about having dreams again." She smiles, picking up their conversation exactly where they'd left off last time. She knows that a change of heart won't fix everything in a person's life, at least not instantly.
"Do you want to get coffee again, or should we just walk around and talk?" She asks, glancing around the underground mall. If they're going to be talking about sensitive information, perhaps it's better not to stay in one place... but the coffee shop is also a little more out of the way.
Ichika Kawase(#456PenA)
Ichika Kawase is...
-171cm (5'7") tall
-About 18 years old
And she has...
-Long bleached-blonde hair, loose past her waist, with dark brown roots
-Deep red eyes
-Dramatic, dark red eyeshadow and black liner
-Black lipstick
-Pale skin
-Pierced ears without earrings
And she's wearing...
-A black, sleeveless top that exposes her midriff, sporting a skull
-Cargo pants in dark green, snug at the hips and baggy in the leg with...
-A studded black leather belt
-Soft black-and-white sneakers, laced
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika's also very tall, though not as tall as she could be in theory. (Don't worry about the implication she was taller before.) 5'7", or 171cm. it makes her pretty intimidating... which makes it cool that Haru doesn't seem to miss a beat. Ichika smiles, her dark-painted lips parting in a pleased expression to see her--though she lifts an eyebrow at the bow. "Thanks," she says, "And you're welcome. You don't have to be all formal," she assures the other girl. ...And it seems Haru gets that already.
"I have," she confirms. "Talking to you helped, too. It got me thinking about it at all. And then... Well, a lot happened, plus the stuff you know about." She smiles back. "Maybe I'll tell you about them."
Hmmm, though. "Coffee sounds nice," she says, "But let's walk around a bit first, if you don't mind."
Sensitive information... There's definitely going to be some of that.
"But before I talk me... How about you? Do you feel any closer to yours?" Dreams, that is.
She'll fall in next to Haru, and they can walk for a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Haru, in comparison, is not particularly tall, standing at only 5'2" - though for a young Japanese woman, it's not noticeably short, either. It just means she has to look up a bit to make eye contact with Ichika.
"It's a difficult habit to break, I suppose." Haru admits, with a laugh, when Ichika tells her she doesn't need to be formal. Would you like me to call you Ichika-chan, then? That helped break the ice with Mako-chan, if you'd believe it.~" Of course, if it's Ishika's preference, she's happy to stick to -san, as well.
"I'm glad to hear that," Haru nods, both that she's been thinking about dreams again, and that talking with her helped. "Yes, a lot happened... and that Palace was just horrible, too. But... I thought you were really brave in there. I know it wasn't easy for you to confront." But now that she has... "I'd love to hear about all the things you have to look forward to now.~"
"I don't mind that at all." Haru nods, when Ichika suggests walking around, taking the lead and letting her companion walk beside her. "Dreams, hmm? I'm not sure I feel any closer than I did before, but I think I have a better understanding of what stands in the way of them." She admits. "That's its own progress, right?" If Ichika prompts her, she'll elaborate on what she means by that. For now, she turns her attention back to Ichika as they continue to walk.
"Speaking of things to look forward to, how have things been with Sakamoto-kun? I have to say... the two of you seemed to be quite sweet together." Even Haru isn't above relationship gossip, evidently... even if she was a little surprised to learn that Ryuji had a girlfriend, at first. "And Seki-san, too...?" Haru remembers Phoenix's words to Shadow Eiji well, about messing with their partner.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"..." Ichika thinsk about it, and then nods. "Sure," she says. "Ichika-chan's fine. Haru-chan, then?" She may dress initimdatingly and grump around a lot, but Ichika's a little softer around the edges than she seems in some ways. Besides, "Heh. If it worked for her, then it'll probably work for me too."
The horrible Palace... "It was," Ichika agrees. "I hope it's not too awkward... Knowing all that stuff about my past." Ichika puts on a small smile at that. "Thanks," she says. "It was... hard. But it got easier, after... Well, after I realized what I needed to do. What I'd been doing."
But Ichika may just have to share her own! First, though, "Hmm... I guess if you know what's in the way, that's like taking a step closer?" she wonders. "Is that how it is?"
Talking about Ryuji brightens Ichika, too--and Tsubasa, too. "It's because he's pretty sweet himself," Ichika says. "...Well, under the rough edges. But if I didn't like rough edges, I'd be dressed wrong, right?" She has her own. "Things are really good with him. I'm actually going to meet his family soon... I'm a little nervous. His mother, I mean. It's a little soon," she admits, "But given all that's happened... it feels like it'd be strange to take some things totally slow."
Pause. "But some things you still don't want to rush, right? It's sort of like that."
But Seki-san, too--Ichika nods. "Mm-hm. I'm kind of surprised it's working out, being with both of them... But like, Tsubasa's not a boy, so it's different. That's how I think of it, anyway; they're not competing, they're just... in different places."
"Speaking of dremas, that's part of what I'm hoping. It's a little too soon to pin a whole future together... But it's nice to think ahead. To actually feel like there's a reason to think ahead, I guess, is more like it. Before I was just kind of dreading it. The stuff I thought I'd end up in... It wasn't good. I mean, you saw how I was."
A beat, "...But I shouldn't just talk about me. That 'what stands in the way'... is it something you can tell me?"
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"Haru-chan is perfect!~" Haru chimes. As someone who mostly keeps her distance at school, it's actually pretty rare she's ever called something like that. Part of her really likes it. "I was almost surprised we got along so well, so fast." Haru nods, about Makoto. "She might seem tough, but she's very kind when you get to know her better." She doesn't get into more than that... Makoto's secret from the movie theatre is safe with her.
"No, not at all," Haru shakes her head, when Ichika hopes it's not too awkward. "It was certainly not easy to watch... but it would never make me think any less of you. I think the others would all agree with that, too." Especially since many of the other Phantom Thieves had their own baggage exposed through Palaces. "And you know... I hink it takes a lot of strength to find the courage to do what you did." Just as much mental strength as physical strength, but that's what Persona is all about, isn't it?
"He made an interesting first impression," Haru laughs, thinking back to her first encounter with Ryuji. "But I think so, too. I really do think his heart's in the right place... so I'm glad the two of you are happy together." She giggles at Ishika's joke about rough edges. And nods, about the anxiety of taking things too fast or too slow. "It won't be long before we're out of high school, right? I think there's nothing wrong with enjoying that stage while you can." In any case, she's sure Ichika and Ryuji will be able to figure out the pace that works for them.
And fortunately, things also seem to be working out with Tsubasa. Haru doesn't actually know much about polyamorous relationships, or non-binary identities alike. But she sees no reason to judge for it, either. "I see... different, but equal. I don't think there's anything strange about it if you're all happy." She agrees. Unfortunately, she knows all too well what Ichika means about dreading the future. "To have a reason..." Haru repeats, trailing off. "I'm glad you found yours, Ichika-san."
"As for mine... to put it simply, when I saw what you were going through, I could empathize." Haru says, pacing up as she walks. "I don't want to get married, but my father has other plans. My fiance is... definitely not a man I can see myself as happy with." She explains. "But I don't think it's just him, or my father standing in my way." She adds. "It's also myself, I suppose. I know my father has a Palace... but it's not easy to see the distortions in the heart of the man I loved as my father." A beat. "That's why I joined the Phantom Thieves. So I could find the strength to take that step closer."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Hmm, yeah?" Ichika smiles about Haru-chan being good--but about Makoto, "That's cool. I do want to get to know her, too." But she can do that by getting to know her directly, not asking all her secrets secondhand!!
"Oh, good." Not easy to watch... but didn't make her think less. Ichika keeps a hand on the strap of her purse at her shoulder for the moment, just for something to do with her fingers. And she considers it. "I appreciate that. ...Not thinking less of me. I mean, I guess it's fair... I was kind of naive, but that's not bad enough to deserve the things he did." She doesn't blame herself for most of it, at this point--not most days, anyway. "...I'd like to show other people they're not alone, with stuff like that. It's part of why I'm into some of the things I am now. Like journalism."
But Ryuji! "It is," she agrees. "He gets down on himself a lot, but he has a lot more good qualities than he thinks he does. And..." She laughs softly, "Actually, when I met him, I was looking around for you. I heard that there was this big criminal at Shujin and I thought maybe a tough girl like me could make sure everything was OK. But... Turns out, that's not how it was at all. And I guess I did run into you again after all." But she nods along about their age. "Yeah... I realize thanks to him that I am still in high school. It's a little hard not to rush ahead, given where I've been, but... It's good, to slow down and be 'young', I guess. Instead of rushing straight into everything adult."
Ichika doesn't even know the word 'polyamarous'; she just sort of fell into it. "That's exactly it. There's things i can do with Ryuji that I can't do with Tsubasa--and Tsubasa understands some things Ryuji-kun can't. It's... different."
Ichika smiles back. "Yeah. I'm not gonna let my past hold me back, either."
Hers, though... Empathize? "...Ah."
"Arranged marriages in this day and age," Ichika says, shaking her head. "I guess it does happen, but... It's not OK, to force you into something like that."
But it's not just him, or even her father. Ichika considers that thoughtfully.
"It's hard," Ichika says. "It's really hard to face what someone you love--or loved--can do. ...But if you can get that strength anywhere, it's with this crew, I think. All of you gave me a little piece of hope that I didn't have before."
"And then when I found out the details... Well, I appreciate that I can be one of you."
She shakes her head. "Rough, though. Your own father having one. But I think it's wise to think about 'you', instead of just 'events', stuff outside you. ...And after what you all did for me, you know I'm with you all the way."
She looks forward, turning as they round a corner in the underground mall.
"...Nobody should have to get married this young. I was OK with it, until he did what he did--because... I've always dreamed of having a family, doing like my mom does. But not only to expect it of you, but to force it on you when you don't think you can even be happy with him..."
Ichika shakes her head. "It's not cool. But it's hard too, going against your family. ...So I think even thinking of pushing back like you are--it's pretty brave, too."
"So if I can help, let me know, OK? Not just as an ally, either. But like this. I want to be friends, too."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"I don't think anyone deserves to be treated like that. He saw you as nothing more than 'his', when you're so much more than that." Haru shakes her head, thinking bitterly of Eiji and the cognitive version of Ichika from his Palace. All she wanted was a happy relationship with that man, and he took advantage of her for it. "That's why I'm glad we were able to change his heart together, and make sure it never happens again." But even if they did it as a group, and with help from other Persona users, they couldn't have done it without Ichika herself.
"I think... that's a great goal to follow." She agrees, about making sure no one else suffers alone. "Having the power to change people's hearts is one thing..." She starts, but then thinks back to how she felt when she didn't even have a Persona of her own. "But not everyone has that power. And they shouldn't have to be alone, either, right?" Journalism is one way - making the resources for change available to anyone.
As for Ryuji... "He has a strong sense of justice. And he can back it up when it counts," Haru nods, bringing up just a few of Ryuji's good qualities. And then she can't help but laugh when she hears how Ichika and Ryuji met. "Hehe. Oh my, you didn't hear the rumours about Amamiya-kun, did you?" Poor Ren, it's going to be a while yet before that reputation fades. "...I appreciate you trying to look out for me like that, though." She smiles.
Part of her does envy Ichika, Tsubasa, and Ryuji having that opportunity to slow down and just be silly teenagers for a while longer, but more than that she's happy for the relationships they're building. And Ichika being so supportive helps Haru face the topic she had been fearing this whole time - about her own future.
"Unfortunately, it's completely legal in Japan." Haru frowns, about arranged marriages happening in this day and age. "I wish I could say it's because my father is an old-fashioned man, but he isn't. I believe he sees it as a business transaction, no more and no less." There's some bitterness in her usually sweet and cheery disposition, there.
Ichika's words about hope do resonate with Haru, though. "I feel the same way... awakening to my power and joining this group made me feel like I had the power to do something about my situation for the first time. So... it just makes me happy to hear that we were able to give you hope, in turn. And... that you can move forward with us." The advice about focusing on how it affects her is also helpful, as she knows the arranged marriage is likely not the only reason Mr. Okumura has a Palace.
"I think I could have accepted it, too, if my fiance treated me as better than an object of his desire. I can only hope that perhaps my father is not aware of his behaviour, or that I can convince him. But if not..." She agrees, seriously, about it being wrong to force someone to get married. To go further than that would be a betrayal, but perhaps Haru has been mentally preparing herself for that betrayal for a while now.
"If it comes to that, then I'm really happy to have you by my side, Ichika-chan." She nods, with the gloom in her expression fading. "And I'd... like that, too. To be friends." Haru doesn't have many, so she treasures the opportunity more than anything. "Thank you. Let me know if I can help with anything too, okay? Even if it's just to listen or talk like this... it's nice."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Right," Ichika agrees. "Nobody." She remembers, of course. "It was... awful, to see what he really thought of me. Of us. But I'm glad now that I know. It means I can move forward... without him." She smiles. "Yeah. I'm happy about that, too. He won't be hurting anyone anymore."
"Right. Before I knew it could be done, really... Before I knew what the Phantoms were like--I didn't see any way forward. And there are so many people who feel that way. ...That's just right. They shouldn't have to be."
He can back it up! Ichika smiles at that. "I sure did," she says, more grimly. "I took one of my crew--Tsubasa--out there and prepared to make trouble... I figured, Shujin had been through enough, it didn't need that kind of trouble. But it turns out I was totally wrong about him. And now we're friends, too." She pauses, and looks a little relieved. "Good. I was worried it'd feel weird, since we only met the once... You did make a big impression on me, though."
But happiness aside--Ichika frowns. Arranged marriages... "That's worse," Ichika says of it being just business. "Your child isn't some asset you can assign on paper!"
She... tries to rein it in, though. "Thanks," Ichika says. "I won't forget that."
But... Hm. "Yeah. We can accept a lot, if it comes from someone we love... maybe more than we should. But you don't have to accept treatment like that." A hope... Ichika hopes that's true. But somehow, if he has a Palace... she doubts it. But it seems Haru's reached that possibility in her heart, too. Even if she can't just say it yet.
"Great," Ichika says. "...And hey, if it doesn't, if all you need is a 'regular' friend, that's cool too."
But let her know... "Sure," Ichika says. "I'm sure there'll be something. There always is. ...If nothing else, are you any good at school?" She laughs softly, but it's a little worried, too. "I'm... not."
She smiles back, though. "But cool. Hey... We're a little closer to that coffee place. You want to have a seat, talk something a little less weighty?"
"Maybe you can tell me about plant stuff. I'm used to the outdoors, but the last plant i got was this cute little cactus..."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"Mhm... I think that's a healthy way of looking at it." Haru agrees. "There's always room to move forward, and it seems like you're surrounded with people far better than him now." Between Ryuji and Tsubasa, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, at least. As for her words about what the Phantom Thieves do... perhaps changing hearts is only the first step. What comes next is changing the society that built up those distorted desires.
"He's way more laid back than you'd think, right?" Haru laughs, about Ren. "I actually managed to recruit him to help out with the gardens a bit, even before I got involved with everything else." Recruit is one way to put it, at least. "And I have to say you made just as big of an impression on me, even if I didn't expect all of this is how we'd run into each other again." She's just glad it worked out.
Ichika's words are still just as reassuring, just in reminding Haru that there's nothing 'normal' about her situation, that she shouldn't have to be happy with it just because it's what her father decided. "I don't think it's right, either. I understand wanting to make the business successful... but I'm sure my grandfather wouldn't approve of his practices, either." She nods, resolutely. But whether that possibility comes to pass, Ichika offering her friendship helps ease that burden, even now.
"Not terribly bad," She nods, about academics. She might not be top of her class, like Makoto, but she studies and makes it count on the exams, at least. "Hehe. I'd be happy to help you out. We tend to do group study sessions near exam time too, but it'll be good having more people to review the senior material with." Between herself and Makoto, Ichika should be in good hands.
"I'd love that, honestly.... Now that we've gotten everything on our mind off our chest, so to speak." She paces up a bit as they approach the coffee shop. "Gardening is a relaxing hobby. I help maintain the one on the school roof. If you ever need something, I can always grow it for you! But my main interest is in coffee beans." That was her dream, after all.