2026-01-26: Mall Mishap
- Log: Mall Mishap
- Cast: Moriko Kumamoto, Kazusa Motojima
- Where: Paulownia Mall, Tatsumi Port Island, Iwatodai City
- OOC Date: January 26, 2026
- IC Date: Sunday, September 16, 2012
- Summary: Moriko is having a lovely day browsing at Paulownia Mall, and it only gets better when he runs into the horrible monster wearing Kazusa's skin. Things get more unnerving from there.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko is still recovering. She'll be fine. She's in biker gear though, in that she's got her jacket wrapped around her waist, a plain black t-shirt and the biker leather pants. She's at least swapped in workboots rather than the biker leathers there too. It would be truly miserable in the heat otherwise. She was browsing the antiques store. Mostly because she's found some.. challenges in her day to day shadow hunting antics to warrant considering something new.
As she stands at the window, looking in. She has a cup of tea in her hand and she's currently sort of zoned out. Letting the past day play through her memory. AT least the conversations had been nice.
With an idle sip of her drink, she turns to leave. Maybe she'll talk to some SEES members about training instead.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Shadows are a frightening thing to deal with, aren't they? Isn't it nice to know that the dangerous things are limited to times likt ehdDark Hour, or supernatural spaces like Memento?
There's definitely nothing that could be a threat here, is there?
Some distance away, a girl Moriko has seen once before is passing by. Last time, at Akihabara, she seemed pretty stern, but today she seems... much more bright and cheerful. She stands about 5'2", with a slender gymnast's frame, her long black hair tied into two low twintails secured with pink bows. A lilac purple sweater is tired around her neck, and she's wearing a white sleeveless blouse, a dark pink pleated skirt, and sandals with a subtle floral design to them. Her right hand has a drink she's sipping at, and her left hand holds a small tote bag.
And as she gets closer and then passes by on her way to her next stop, if Moriko looks at her she can tell... there is something definitely off about her.
Whatever she is now, it definitely isn't human.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko would think that if it hadn't been for some art events and other things. Had that been a memento? She hadn't been sure.
Still, hazy or not, she does catch the familiar face. And at first, she had it in her mind that she should make her way over to offer an apology for last time. The girl had seemed hurt and Moriko had been antagonized, but she'd thought it had gone too far.
Which is why she's hesitating when she gets closer. The smile and everything else is new, but she doesn't know the girl too well. The other vibe though. She frowns and picks up her pace. Boots thudding as she doesn't even try for subtlety. "Hey." She calls out. Offering a smile, "Been a bit."
Maybe she's got the wrong person. This might work?
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
No, Mementos is a very specific thing... but it's true the supernatural lurks in more places than one might like.
The bright cheerful smile, to say nothing of the way she's just lightly humming like she hasn't a care in the world, are definitely new. And the other vibe, that of her being some kind of monster wearing a teenage girl's skin... also new.
And not at all matching the wide-eyed blink she has as she turns to face Moriko. "Mmmm...?"
She tilts her head a little. "Have... we met...?" She frowns hard in concentration, as if trying to place Moriko's face.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko takes a few halting steps, walking backwards briefly to look for cameras or something else. There's a very confused look on her face.
Why should she feel so put off by someone she met.. you know. Once. This isn't some kind of weird prank right?
That wouldn't make her skin crawl either though. "We have met briefly, yeah. You don't remember me?" She's putting on a cheerful tone to her voice. Not that it shows on her face too well. That's just Moriko though. "Ran into you in Akihabara where you were shopping." She's taking a stretch. Maybe even lying. She's working on fishing her phone out. Trying to think of... who?
Who would be best to report 'Hey the really angry girl is weird' to, without sounding like you're just antagonizing someone?
"Kumamoto" She adds, trying to be helpful. Sort of.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa just tilts her head a little as Moriko takes that step back but doesn't comment. She's not doing... much of anything except, it seems, trying to place Kazusa's face.
That, and continuing to just scream tht she is inhuman to supernatural senses, while seemingly utterly present. There's no cameras (except for the normal mall security cameras, of course.)
She taps her chin a little. "Akihabara... Akihabara..." She leans in, studying Moriko's face, then she brightens. "Oh! I remember now." She snaps her fingers. "Bucket hat, cozy jacket, aaaand, loose cargo pants, right? It's such a shame you have to hide your figure like that."
"I'm Kazusa Motojima! Yes, that Motojima," she says with a mock theatrical sigh, as if she's tired of being recognized for that name.
In fairness, it is the family name of the Motojima Corporation, which makes all manner of consumer electronics, video games and consoles, and, of course, arcade cabinets. ""Is there something I can help you with?"
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko just... shakes her head and clears her thoughts. This isn't some bizarre prank. This probably isn't some other faction yanking SEES chain again. She's so low down the ladder she'd be amazed if most knew she was SEES.
"I don't have to hide?" Tugging lightly at her t-shirt even! "Wait what do you mean hide?" She looks completely thrown off for a moment. She had definitely not at all been expecting whatever this was.
"Nice-" she starts. Offering a polite nod, "To meet you?" There's uneasiness in her voice. "Wanted to make sure you were okay. I was worried about it for a few days." Which takes some effort to force out. She might have felt she went too far, but the other girl had been rather mean too.
"Thought I'd offer to make up?" Which, at least that is true.
That it went weird is just, weird.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
So far the most menacing thing Kazusa has done is offer some 'helpful' fashion advaice, which is pretty mild, all things considered. For an inhuman monster wearing a girl's skin.
"Oh, Kumamoto-chan, of course you don't have to hide," Kazusa says consolingly. "You'll figure it out eventually."
But she's all bright smiles as she says, "Nice to meet you too! And I'm doing great, but thanks for asking!"
"Of course! I'd love to!" With a giggle, she adds, "Those are two of my favorite words, you know." She means 'make up', of which she is wearing some right now, naturally. Not a lot--she's going for a more subtle look.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko was wearing trendy fashionable clothes though! She'll die on that hill.
"I wasn't hiding?" She still seems utterly confused about this. There's a moment of morbid curiosity sneaking out though. "What should I be wearing then?" With a tone that suggests that curiosity is mixed with annoyance at herself for falling for that.
She offers a nod and a hint of a smile. "Let's.. get a picture if you're up for it?" She's fishing a bit, but it will definitely help. And maybe this is a ghost thing and the photo will reveal it. That's a story right? She avoids a scowl just barely.
She holds her phone up, "If you want?"
The makeup joke goes entirely past Moriko's head. Even if she's also gone for a fairly subtle with it.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
The worst part of 'falling for it' might be that Kazusa seems utterly guileless right now. She lights up when Moriko asks for advice , though. "Oh! Let's see..." She starts to circle Moriko a little, humming to herself. "Well, first of all, aren't you really warm? My first piece of advice would be to get something much lighter on until the Fall weather settles in."
"A picture...?" Kazusa tilts her head, staring at Moriko for a moment. "Well... if you want, sure!" Moriko has the phone out, and Moriko may regret this play in a moment, as Kazusa gets right up next to Moriko to huddle in for the photo.
That eerie sense of her being plainly unhuman isn't helped at all by bring so much closer, that's for sure. "Cheese!"
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko watches, twisting just enough as Kazusa spins around her. She tugs at the leather, "I rode a bike here today. Didn't want to try and wrangle a package on the trains." She points, "Which means leather, or denim minimum." She puts her foot down, metaphorically on that.
Moriko had a hunch it would come to this! It's why she had to steel herself. It probably wouldn't have been so bad with- Well someone else. Kazusa would probably try to claw at her normally or something, but the inhuman nature causes her to just briefly click her teeth as she tightens her jaw. Then she puts on a smile, holds her phone out and says, "Cheese." With a touch less enthusiasm, but that's just Moriko.
Then she snaps the photo. "Thanks!" She says with.. some actual earnestness. Because it makes the next step easier.
"And.. what are you doing around here?" She asks as she checks the photo closely. For anything weird. And while Kazusa is talking, she begins to send a message off to SEES. There's a few other photos in her phone too, which she checks briefly, just for comparison before the phone gets stuffed into a zip up pocket on the jacket which requires a bit of effort to uncover.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"But if you're exerting yourself in all that leather riding a bike, won't you get all sweaty and gross?" Kazusa makes a face. "No thank you." It's possible she heard 'bike' and thought 'bicycle' and not 'motorcycle.'
"You're so tense, Kumamoto-san," Kazusa says cheerfully after the picture is taken. "You should really relax, stress is terrible for your complexion. If you'd like, I can recommend some really good spa places."
The photo is... utterly banal. Except, of course, for the cheerful looking Kazusa. But there's no ghosts or other supernatural oddities readily evident. "Shopping!" she says chipperly, holding up her bag. She also waggles her drink a little. "Plus there's a reall good bubble tea place here. What are you here for?"
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko says surprisingly bluntly, "That's why we shot holes in the leathers. You get going fast enough on a road with the motor revving and it's a lot cooler." Which means, yes. It's leather in hot weather. It's miserable if you're not going or ventilated.
The biker in question glances over and says lightly, "I.. appreciate it?" Though she's mostly thinking she'd be happier riding again. Or working. Either or. "It's not that bad is it?" She's got a few pokeable bits sadly.
"Browsing." She says, mostly a lie. Telling the strange one she's weapon shopping would probably raise more eyebrows than she wants to mess with.
"It's nice just getting out from time to time and stretching your legs." Code for 'I also wanted to go for a ride.'
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa makes a confused face. "... You shot holes in it...?" She tilts her head. "What kind of style is that...?" She... might not be getting it.
"Oh, no, not at all, you still have time to fix it," Kazusa says reassuringly (for her.)
"Well, it's nice to get out, isn't it? Shopping always makes me feel better!" She... does not get the code one bit. She pulls her phone out of her pocket--it is a brand new smartphone--Motojima-branded, maybe even a prototype. "Oh, but I should be going. Don't want to be late!"
She puts her phone away and looks to Moriko. "It was nice chatting with you, Kumamoto-san!" The thing that is definitely not human gives Moriko one last smile before she starts to walk away.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko holds the arm of the jacket up, "Yep. It's not about style." She waggles it, "It's to make it less miserable to wear." She doesn't go into details.
The biker once again shakes her head, "I. Thanks." She'll just bypass that. It was a momentary weakness! For now. It'll be back.
"It is nice to get out of the dorms." She admits. Though there's a distracted tone to her voice. It's fine. "Good luck." She says, somewhat distracted, grabbing her own phone in a battered case. It's not flashy, but it works.
Then she fires off the email to SEES, "Ran into something weird. Will explain in person."
Close enough. She gives one last look in the antique shop. Grabs her gloves from her jacket's pocket. Begins to slip the jacket back on and heads for her parking spot.
Sooner rather than later.