2026-01-03: All The World's a Stage
- Log: All The World's a Stage
- Cast: Noriaki Okaga, Niko Kirisaki
- Where: Strega Warehouse Hideout - Tatsumi Port Island
- OOC Date: January 03, 2026
- IC Date: September 04, 2012
- Summary: Niko prepares to remove an interloper crashing on Strega's turf, only to learn it's Noriaki Okaga, a long-time member she hadn't met yet. While the casual observer might not see much in common between the two, they manage to see eye-to-eye well enough, on certain matters. Such as getting up in SEES's business, which sees Noriaki accepting Niko's offer to join the attack on their dorm.
<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.
Perhaps someday, someone will decide to purchase the land under the abandoned warehouse and knock the whole thing down.
If that should come to pass, of course, there will be a reckoning-- for the people who would theoretically buy the land and demolish the warehouse, that is.
Yet, fortunately for the sake of the theoretical buyers' wellbeing and continued breathing, the economy remains in a slump, and the warehouse remains standing, and so the itinerants who use it as shelter continue to be able to do so. Which is to say--
In a corner of the warehouse there is a particular pile of blankets and other assorted 'comfortable' scraps. It's a makeshift bed, though one that usually goes unoccupied. Today, though, this is not so. A young man, tall enough that his limbs sprawl a little bit past the confines of his 'nest', lies in it. He's in an ungainly position, more or less on his back, and he's snoring softly.
Draped across his face is an opened celebrity gossip magazine.
Maybe Niko's heard of him. Noriaki Okaga. He's a member of Strega, too, though one who often attends to his own business around Port Island (and sometimes a littler further afield) when he's not doing 'work' for Jin. As if to testify for that work... a chipped and beat-up machete lies just to the outside of the makeshift bedding, just within reach.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Niko has not thought about the warehouse suddenly no longer being there as a concern in the slightest. Members of Strega have set up makeshift furniture all over the place according to need or taste, and Jin's even got a whole setup of Computer Stuff installed. Obviously that's all it takes to make it belong to them. If someone ever has a problem with that...
Well, Niko will certainly be at the front of the line if it's time to change the minds of some fools, the hard way. As long as it doesn't go beyond breaking limbs and such, anyway. She leaves the actual killing to those who enjoy that more, having stated that she's 'not into that'.
Other than that, Strega's junior member has been eager enough to provide extra muscle where it's needed, mostly off doing her own thing otherwise. Sometimes she makes use of a sleeping bag at the warehouse, but today, Niko arrives from outside, silently opening the side door, pausing to listen...
...No computer fan or typing noises. Doesn't sound like Jin is here, then. That being the case, there's nobody she cares about spooking by sneaking up on them, so stops being particularly stealthy about her entry.
She's always wondered about that pile in the corner. Seemed just organized enough to not be just junk that was randomly left there. She had also not guessed it was supposed to be a bed, and still isn't entirely convinced when she finds someone sleeping there. Now who could that be?
Honestly, it doesn't matter much to Niko. It's Something New, so it naturally draws her attention. Casually loafing over to that corner, there's no immediate recognition, and so her first words are, "Who do we have here? Wakey wakey~"
That's the first attempt. If there needs to be a second, it will come in the form of a kick to the 'bed'. No regard for a man's rest, nor the nearby weapon at all. That's Niko in a nutshell, if she wants something, she'll just keep getting more insistent about it until she gets what she wants. No one has yet found an effective strategy to ignoring her.
<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.
If someone has a problem with the warehouse being here, it'll be a simple matter to make them change their minds, or otherwise regret having anything to do with the warehouse whatsoever. But, suffice to say--
The rather casual nature of their squatting does mean that it's possible to be in and out of the space without the other necessarily noticing. Technically speaking, Noriaki's aware that they picked up someone else in their merry little band, some girl of some stripe or another. But have they ever met?
No, they have not.
The occupant stirs when she calls out to them, grumbling in some semi-awake state to tug the magazine more firmly over their face. This attempt at continuing to slumber is shortlived.
Because Niko kicks the 'bed', and in a flash, Noriaki tumbles up out of the nest of bedding, discarding the magazine as he moves. He snatches up the machete as he closes on Niko, brandishing its chipped edge her way. "Who the hell are you?" he asks moments later, the weapon still jabbed generally into her personal space (but still well short of her body).
With his hoodie down, Noriaki's face is on display. He has messy black hair, to match his equally messy short beard. Irritation shines in his grey eyes. He is also quite unhealthily pale, with dark circles under his eyes in spite of his recently-interrupted slumber.
"...You the kid, then?" He jabs the machete vaguely towards her, as if to make a point rather than actually cut her. "Ain't anyone ever told you, leave sleepin' dogs lie?" He drops the weapon back again after that, rolling his shoulders with a crack that's echoed by a chorus from his upper back as he straightens out of his slouch. "And I was havin' a nice dream for a change, too..."
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Likewise, Niko is vaguely aware that Strega has more members than just the ones she commonly sees around. Jin's been the most frequent target of her attention, simply by virtue of being in the same place most often. Not that Niko is a nuisance, of course, she's just showing him other ways to have fun! She's doing him a favor, really. But, this Noriaki character...
Well, she has no idea what to expect from him. Or that it is him, really. She just likes to do things and see what happens. Case in point, let's kick the bed of this sleeping dude and see what happens!
And what happens is, she gets a machete pointed at her. The fact that Niko didn't react to this at all, and in fact keeps smiling the entire time as she watches the reaction she's prompted... she must be particularly fearless. Either that, or she's just too stupid to know when to be afraid. Whatever the case may be, she is far too cheerful for this situation, all too happy to answer that question.
"I am the great Niko-chan, ruler of this domain!"
...Right. Maybe edging a little more towards the 'stupid' side of that equation. Though maybe the frankly insane physique she has going on helps to give her the confidence of being able to handle anything that comes her way.
It's not until Noriaki addresses her as 'the kid' that she scrunches up her face in thought. "Huuuh... you saying you're a member, not just some random hobo man? Cool knife by the way. Bigger than mine, but mine's shinier."
Putting it away only makes her adopt an even more casual stance, arms folded behind her head. "Sure, people have told me that. You're not one of those though. And sometimes it's funny to wake dogs up, too." She shrugs in an extremely exaggerated motion before lowering her arms back down. "How was I supposed to know, anyway? Haven't seen you around here at all, ever. Really, you should praise me! Look at me, all alert and ready to kick out the armed intruder, no fear. Impressive, right? Aren't you impressed?"
<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.
It's the sort of approach that Noriaki, himself, would approve of--
--when it's not him being the one poked and prodded.
Even half-asleep, he's able to note well how much she doesn't react. That tells him all he needs to know, which is to say, she's definitely the kid they picked up back in May. The others would reacted much the same way she had, if without the smiling. Hell, Niko's positively a barrel of sunshine by comparison!
It's just the kind of 'happy family' they all are.
"Eh? Ruler? I don't see a crown," he tells her, shaking his head as if to shuck off what remnants of sleep cling to him. He gestures with his free hand, as if to encompass all of her. "What're you talking about?"
So he's a member, not some random hobo looking for a place to crash? "Ha! No!" he tells her, his mouth twisting into an expression that's about one part grimace and two parts amusement. "Anyone comin' in here who don't belong? They're as good as dead," he says, swinging his machete around casually to his right. "But yeah. I'm a member. Been around, hell... far too long, now." He closes his eyes a moment. His mouth twitches. Then, reopening his eyes, he outright grins. "So... they show you the ropes yet, newbie? Guess you'd hafta been, if you've worked any."
He rubs his chin with his left hand as she goes on, as if appraising her. "Seems like it ain't sunk in any," he tells her, shrugging. "Well, whatever. You want me up, you got me up, for all that's worth." That grin of his widens as she says she wants some praise! Look at her all ready to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and she's all out of bubblegum. "By kickin' 'em right outta bed, eh? You owe me one for that missed nap, kiddo. And that dream." But what form would that take?
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
This is what Niko brings to the table, some much needed cheer! You'd think Jin and Chidori were incapable of smiling sometimes, but she knows better. It's all in the approach. And the persistence. And setting the right example, of course. She smiles a whole lot more often than not, even in wholly inappropriate situations like this.
A 'happy family', indeed. That's exactly what she wants this to be.
Prompted for a crown, she looks dubious. "What, are you blind? It's right there!" Her hands go to her head, eyes widening as she feels around, then proclaiming with a shocked expression, "Oh no, it's gone!" She lets out a giggle before stating the obvious. "Just kidding~"
That bit of fun doesn't matter anymore once she's learned she's dealing with a member. She's only a ruler of this place as far as outsiders go. She might even also go so far as to say 'they're as good as dead', though she wouldn't mean it literally. They'd get off easy if it was Niko, she'd hurt them, but at least she wouldn't kill them.
Has she been shown the ropes? "Yeah, I know what's up," is her simple response to that, leaving the exact meaning open to interpretation. She at least knows what's up where it comes to grinning, she can do that as well as Noriaki can. Probably a bit more pleasantly, most of the time.
But he still hasn't told her who he is, exactly! She could ask, but she decides to search her memory first, instead. She's heard a name that goes with this guy's looks, she's pretty sure. She takes a moment to massage her temples, making what she'd describe as 'thinking noises', before... "Ah!" A single finger is raised. "Then you must be... Nori-chan!" And straight she goes to what's usual for her, did not bother saying his full name even once.
She looks so proud of herself for remembering. Almost as proud as she looks about having kicked him out of bed. Did she somehow interpret his words as the praise she was after, or what? "Weeeell, how about I offer you some payback, then? Kick a whole bunch of people outta bed? If you can't sleep, nobody can, that sorta thing? That sound interesting?"
<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.
Noriaki, himself, often smiles in inappropriate situations. Like when he's trying to kill someone. Or when he's digging into a particularly juicy bit of nasty gossip on social media, but you didn't hear that from him and if you saw him do it, no you didn't.
Is he blind? Her crown's right there? "Must've lost it," he suggests, only for her shocked 'realization' that she 'lost' her crown to follow.
He actually chuckles at that. "Heh, not bad, kiddo," he tells her, spreading his arms wide, as if to indicate the whole space around him. "Keep it up, and you'll be a top-line actor in no time...!"
All the world's a stage, and all the people in it, merely actors.
"Right, right. Well, keep on it," he tells her, only to shrug. "Or don't. I ain't your boss." As long as she's having fun. Or earning her keep. Either way, if she's in with them, she won't be getting around with clean hands, and that's the only part that matters to Noriaki.
He hasn't told her his name yet, in much the same way that he thinks he knows her name. Miko? Kiko? But alas, this lapse costs him more than he realizes. When she calls him 'Nori-chan', that grin of his falters. "Hey, hey, none of this -chan shit," he says, waving his hand through the air as if to 'X' it out. "Name's Noriaki Okaga, if they ain't told you. We can be buddies and shit, but you gotta play nice with me. Got it, girly?"
There's a long pause.
"What's your name again? Riko?"
How about some payback directed someone else's way, Niko suggests. Like kicking a whole bunch of people out of bed, maybe? "I'm listenin'," he tells her, tilting his head. His grey eyes narrow, but there's something pleasantly grim about the smile he's wearing, like he's already thinking about a few choice subjects to suffer thus already.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Smiling is just the best policy all around! Niko isn't going to judge anyone for that, no matter what it is they're smiling at. It means they're happy, after all. That's all she wants, for everyone to be happy and get along. Don't question her methods in making that happen, they make perfect sense. To her. And that's what matters.
One good tactic for making people smile, she just demonstrated. Put on an act, make a little joke, bam, instead appreciation. Works every time. Okay not every time, but it worked well enough this time. She takes a bow as appropriate. Okay, way more elaborate a bow than appropriate. "Thank you, thank you. I try my best!"
Indeed... she's well aware of the world's nature. Everyone has their part to play. It's only when people fail to play their part that there has to be... trouble.
Regardless, she does appear to be having fun pretty much all the time, manages to make ends meet well enough with her contributions, and enjoys the freedom she has to do as she likes. "You sure ain't," she thus pleasantly agrees with Noriaki's assessment that he's not her boss. She's perfectly happy to volunteer for the jobs that interest her, and leave what isn't her cup of tea to the others.
But is also seems easy to make her unhappy, given the way her expression falls when the -chan address is denied. "Awww, c'mon. It's how you show you're friends! Don't you want to be friends?" Evidently he's alright with being 'buddies and shit'. Well, in that case... "...just 'Nori' then? How about Nori-kun?" Yeah, she got it, totally.
Of course, she is more than happy to be paid back in kind. In fact insisting, "I saaaaid, I am the great Niko-chan! Ni. Ko. Chan~ Go on, go on, say it." As a complete afterthought, she adds, "Last name Kirisaki, but don't call me that, that's not what friends are supposed to do."
Now though, they're getting to the interesting part. Niko grins as she catches the interest in Noriaki's expression. "You know SEES, right, the meddlers, messing with all the shit they don't understand? A week from now, we're gonna give them a real big wake-up call, kick down their door and show 'em what Strega's all about. You want in on that?"
<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.
If there's one thing that Noriaki appreciates, it's a little semi-malicious people-watching. Schadenfreude? Why, thank you kindly.
He'd have even mock-clapped if he weren't still holding his machete in his right hand. Alas, the sacrifices he makes sometimes.
He's sure not her boss. He laughs at that, almost sepulchral, especially when it's punctuated by the brief coughing fit. "Eh," he says, as he recovers his breath, waving a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it."
He's just dying, is all.
How about Nori-kun?
With his face no longer half in shadow, Niko's able to see the way he's thinking this one over carefully.
Ultimately, he shrugs.
"Ehhh, knock yourself out, kiddo," he says. 'Chan' is over the line, but 'kun', despite the fact that he's (probably?) the elder of the two, isn't. Who can say why. Maybe he's just seeing what he's willing to tolerate and this is it.
Besides, she might try something worse than this.
"Niko. Right, right," he says, offering for her consideration the most insouciant shrug imaginable. "Kirisaki, eh? Nice. Well, Niko-kun," he's giving her shit now, isn't he, "good gettin' your name proper and all that! Heh heh, like a smile that cuts ya apart..."
Well, that's certainly a way to interpret her name.
"SEES?"
That's got his attention. "Yeah, I know 'em. Messed up some personal business 'bout a week ago." He wobbles his free hand as if to say it's no matter at all. "Got a robot with 'em, too! Some piece of, eh, Kirijo tech, by the looks of her." That smile twists into a scowl. "Pain in the ass. Well, if you're goin' to knock down their door some... count me in." He swings that machete up, resting it against his shoulder. "I gotta bone to pick with 'em after that business, and I got the free time to do it in!"
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
That was some cough, one can see Niko think, so the 'don't worry about it' was justified. Niko indeed seems to not worry about it, when so prompted.
The thing about Niko is, she's more perceptive than she looks, and acts, most of the time. She may not be worrying about it now, but she highly suspects that there is in fact is something to worry about. Niko will remember that.
For the time being though... Niko seems wholly mollified by the -kun agreement, smiling brightly when told to knock herself out with that one. Yes, Noriaki is absolutely older than her - it would be hard to believe that face of hers doesn't belong to a teenager, even if teenagers don't generally have a body like that. They all have their, likely similar, stories. Perhaps hers also goes some way to explain why she acts the way she does, not caring about the age or seniority factors here in the slightest.
"Nice, compromise, I can dig it. Glad you're not as much of a sourpuss as Jin-chan used to be."
That 'used to' may be a chilling prospect. Make no mistake, Jin is absolutely still a sourpuss... most of the time. But Niko's managed to grow on him, to the point where though he may deny it, she can clearly see he's nicer to her than before. He's already stopped correcting her 'Jin-chan's, and even called her Niko-chan one time! It was to make a point to someone, but still, it counts.
What matters is that Niko is very persistent, where it comes to getting her way. There is no way that Noriaki has escaped his fate this easily. One day, when he least expects it, the -chan shall return.
Perhaps sooner than he thinks, if he insists on messing with her like that. "Ha! Ha ha! Oh, I see what you're doing, you're being funny! Well, do remember that I can be very funny myself, Nori-kun~" Oh, she laughs, and her demeanor is perfectly pleasant. But that was a warning. Better not try to -kun her in public, if he doesn't want to be -channed in response.
But she keeps it at that. They're all friends here, after all. Even if she failed to understand the quip about her name, interpreting it as some kind of poetry. Which is actually a point in his favor, she likes poetry herself.
Noriaki then provides some very interesting information of his own. "A robot? Kirijo tech you say..." Well, all in all, it shouldn't be surprising that the name 'Kirijo' alone would be of interest to her. But, that's for later worry. For now, once Noriaki confirms his interest...
"'kay, then by the authority given to me by Takaya-sama, I now pronounce you part of the team!" She looks real proud now, rubbing a finger under her nose. "That's right, I'm making the calls for this one, Takaya-sama let me decide how we're doing this." Oh sure, he gets a -sama. She rubs her hands together. "Things're getting exciting now! Got a big team going, they won't know what hit 'em!"
<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.
It's the same with all of them, more or less. --Well, possibly not Niko. But it's just that at the ripe old age of 23, Noriaki's got one foot in the grave.
He says not to worry about it, just because there's not anything as far as he's aware that can be done. He's dying, he'll die sooner than he'll like, just like all of them experiments. The best he can do is see how many people he can take down with him.
Despite the character in his last name, this is not a 'hill' he'd care to die on. 'Chan' is right out, but -kun, hell, he'll take -kun. It's not like society's rules really apply to the ones it chewed up and cast away. ...He's just got his own limits, is all.
"He's got a stick up his ass," Noriaki says, of Jin, "but he's there when it counts. Better'n most people." He shrugs. "Everyone's got their issues. Except me. I'm a delight!" And the fact that he punctuates that with a cackle suggests he doesn't think that's true, either. "But, wait, he lets you call him 'Jin-chan?'" That laugh of his comes back for a second round.
Meanwhile, he's learning that his little ha-ha at her expense won't be so tolerated so well at all. "Yeah? Makes two of us, don't it?" he says in rejoinder, his lips splitting into a nasty grin. "Treat me right and I'll treat you right, or somethin' like that." He shrugs. "Or don't, and we can keep on playin'!"
But in one thing in particular, they're both friends. Better friends than enemies, when they've got enemies enough at the gate.
If anyone has a connection to Kirijo, they're definitely Noriaki's enemies.
"Yeah, a fuckin' robot," he says, with a nod for emphasis. "Metal, up on two legs, armed to the teeth, and all of that shit. Like somethin' outta a comic book," he adds, gesturing vaguely with his left hand. "Even has a Persona, if you can believe it! Makes you wonder what else they've got hidden out back. A tank? ...A nuclear warhead, even?"
Now that he's expressed his interest, though--
"Heh, just like that? Well, well." He grins at Niko. "Look at Sakaki go! Guess with all that shit turnin' up lately, we've gotta stop messin' around... So, what, we getting the whole team out, or close to it?" He knows the core trio and Niko, and then there's that other mysterious guy out there...
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
If Niko is concerned about death, whether her own or other people's, she's given little indication of it. But then, being so preoccupied with having fun, you can't expect her to just bring that up out of nowhere.
Honorifics, now, those she could keep arguing about forever, if things don't go her way on that. It's clearly very important to be as friendly as possible, or as friendly as people let you be, anyway. She's had worse collisions than the one she had with Noriaki, so this went alright, in her view. And he's a delight without any issues, even! "That's great, happy to hear it!" That sounded so sincere, did she actually buy it?
She only has one objection. "Hey, c'mon, no picking on Jin-ch... Jin. He's nice once you get to know him." Just single-handedly ruining his entire image here, and she doesn't even realize it. Only that she slipped up a bit addressing him like that in casual conversation, she does know he doesn't actually like it when she calls him that. Doesn't stop her from doing it, but she isn't actually out to upset him. It's complicated! It shouldn't be, but it is.
Best to just move on from that. "I do like playin'," she adds, with a weirdly serious edge to her voice, "But the game's got to be fun. That's the whole point! So, let's be sure to have fun, alright?" Last thing she wants is end up not being friends over something dumb. She seems to have simple worries, but she does worry about things.
"Aw man... a Persona robot? I want one." And now, another thing has caught her interest. Robots are real. Obviously she has to know how that works. And hey, stealing one from Kirijo would be like two birds with one stone, wouldn't it?
As for the team, she scratches her head. "Eh... not sure I can get Chidori to care about it. But I'm sure Ojisan'll be up for it." There's an awkward pause, before Niko realizes she's talking to someone who's never heard her of speak of the guy like that before. "...y'know, the Joker Killer? He's cool." Obviously he is, if that's what she calls him.
<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.
Did she buy it? He looks a little bemused, if just for the moment. Then, being himself, he shrugs. Not worth getting all that much into it, perhaps he's thinking.
He waves his free hand dismissively. "Eh, nah, I ain't bugging that guy. He's got all that," he mimes tapping on a keyboard, "you know? Besides, he's guy runnin' regular work. You know. He points, I take 'em out! I ain't messin' with what works!" Jin gives him money, which means he gets to eat and have a phone, and he's got a place to sleep, assuming he feels like coming back around this place to do that. It's practically paradise compared to how things used to be for him.
It's not as cold in here as it is out there in the winter, though it's a bit stifling in the summer. But so it goes.
"Yeah, yeah," he says, closing his eyes and shrugging. "It ain't like we've got time to waste messing about with stuff that ain't worth it... So, sure, I getcha." He has half-cracked one eye, though, to eye Niko a moment. Hmm.
"Ha, I bet you do," he says, his smile widening. "A thing like that, though... don't forget, it's the enemy. Even if we dragged her back here, I don't think we can make her do what we want." He shrugs. "Kirijo shit's always like that. Got backup plans in backup plans. Just when you think you've got 'em cornered, no you ain't."
And that's when they get you.
"Yoshino? Knowing her, she might be watchin' from here or," he wiggles his fingers, "whatever she does. Ojisan?" There's a pause. "Oh. That guy. Yeah. Ain't met him like, but I know who he is. You think he'll show up with us? Heard he can drag out demons and the like. I got a little trick like that, kinda, but..." He shrugs. "I'll save it for if we gotta make a quick exit, maybe."
It's not like he can control the Shadows he 'calls'.
"Anyway," he says, swinging his machete off his shoulder and tossing it to the floor, "If we're doin' that soon..." He drops back down onto his makeshift bed. "I'm gonna get some shuteye in while I still can." Like what, the entire week? "Gotta prepare, right? Don't wanna go at Kirijo half-assed."
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Niko nods along as Noriaki extols the virtues of Jin. No arguments from her there. "Totally, totally. Lucky we've got him around, he actually likes doing all the boring stuff." Not... exactly all she appreciates him for, but she does have a habit of only mentioning what she sees as immediately relevant. Doesn't make it any less true, makes it easy for her to get jobs when all she has to do is raise her hand when he brings something interesting to her attention. Besides. She too likes to make the most of her time.
The additional details Noriaki adds about the Kirijo robot though, that visibly bums her out a little bit. "Oh, it's like that, like, with a personality? You said it was a robot, should've said 'android' then. There's a difference, y'know." Now she's some kind of robo-expert?! (no) "Oh well. If all it's good for is fighting, then I guess I'll settle for that."
She gets more animated when talking about the Joker Killer. "Yeah dude, totally! It's one of them two-way deals - we just kinda ask each other when we're about to do something big, and if we're free and feel like it, we get involved in the other guy's thing. And when he does his thing, we can use our Personas whenever we want, super convenient. You might not get what he's talking about at first, but trust me, he legit knows his stuff." There's almost certainly a reason for her being so enthusiastic about him. She's not volunteering what's going on there.
She just kind of stares blankly when Noriaki drops back down to bed. Didn't he just finish sleeping? Oh wait--
"Ah shit, that's right, woke you up early. Sorry, sorry, I'll get outta your hair." Wow, she actually apologized for that! Better late than never. With a fingergun gesture, she gives the only sensible parting greeting, before turning on a heel and making her way back out.
"Good luck getting back to full-assed!"