2026-01-28: Deconstructing Art
- Log: Deconstructing Art
- Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki, Fuuka Yamagishi
- Where: Paulownia Mall
- OOC Date: 2026-01-28
- IC Date: Mon Sep 17 2012
- Summary: A chance meeting between Hyousuke and Fuuka leads to the two attempting to figure out what the Joker Killer has planned for Tachovsky's upcoming art show. Despite coming away with more questions than answers, the two are at least able to secure each other as backup for the day, and a promise to share any information on the coming event.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke was not happy about having to travel all the way to Paulownia Mall to pick up the set of kitchenware he'd ordered. It was a fine set, that much could not be denied - reasonably-priced and from a brand that had a good reputation, he had high expectations for them. Certainly higher than the cheap utensils that were just a step above disposable when he'd first moved into the dorms, at least. What irked him was the fact that they'd not been delivered to the dorms, and through some clerical error he could not even begin to fathom the process behind, the delivery had instead gone to the mall, whereupon he was asked to pick it up or wait another week for delivery.
Given his presence in Chagall with a cup of coffee, a freshly-delivered pastry, and a parcel wrapped in brown tape, he had evidently decided that the cost of the train ticket there and back was a price he was willing to pay more than the cost in his patience from waiting a week for what amounted to some above-average utensils to arrive. He supposed, at the very least, that the coffee and the pastry were nice. Perhaps it was not as pleasing as a piping mug of tea and a pastry to accompany that, but beggars could not be choosers.
With little else to do that day, Hyousuke sat with his phone laid flat on the table, his finger idly poking and stroking at the screen, absentmindedly sipping at his coffee all the while. The taste did not really register as anything more than vaguely pleasant, and it only took a glance at the screen to see why his focus was not on it. He was looking at supernatural news pertaining to the area - or, rather, whatever 'The Dark Side of Sumaru' considered to be news. He was certainly no Detective Prince, but when a hefty payday was promised for handling a particular rumour, he had to at least make the attempt to investigate.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fuuka Yamagishi is usually the type to head straight home after school, but from time to time things do draw her out. Usually, it's a new album release at Kenneth Arnold - that's what today's trip started as.
...But after a long wait in line she's not quite feeling up to a crowded train ride just yet, so she takes the opportunity to duck into Chagall Cafe, her school bag slung over on shoulder with her prize tucked safely into it. It's taken long enough that the initial rush has subsided, which suits her just fine - it's easier to get in and out.
...And, to identify individual patrons. She's not the type to spy - usually, she prefers to keep to herself. But she rarely forgets a face, especially one that has helped out in a fight. She watches for a moment.
...Her first instinct is to leave him alone. He looks busy, and approaching someone she's only acquainted with is always so awkward...
...But, she might not get this chance again, so cautiously, Fuuka approaches Hyousuke's table.
"Suzuki-san?" Fuuka ventures. "It's nice to see you again. You look well..."
She pauses for a moment.
"Um, I hope I'm not interrupting, but I wanted to thank you again, for your help the other day..." She offers.
Fuuka Yamagishi has reconnected.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hearing his name spoken was enough to draw his gaze upwards in search of who'd spoken it, and seeing that it was someone he recognised was enough to have him briefly cock his brow. Hyousuke remained quiet while she addressed him, his expression calm and neutral, though perhaps leaning a little towards curious for anyone that cared to look hard enough. He'd even tilted his head a little, the mannerism reminiscent of a hound confronted with something that had piqued its interest. He knew he recognised her - her face and her voice were both familiar to him - but her name seemed to elude him.
Whether he remembered her name or not, it did not change the fact that he knew her to be someone that had helped in Tartarus that night. As such, he happily gestured towards the seat opposite him, his polite smile shifting into something warmer while he did so.
"Not at all! Take a seat if you like, I'm just looking for some work." It wasn't technically a lie - just an omission of parts of the truth. Brazenly talking about his punching of demons and the payment that resulted would likely have drawn some odd glances, after all.
"You're Kit-san's friend, aren't you?" Hyousuke paused for a moment as his brain rummaged through its archives, before finally pulling something out before the pause at the end of his question grew long enough to be awkward. "Yamagishi-san, isn't it? I couldn't have done it without you. That night was pretty rough." He grinned a little, though given the context, it might have been something of a grimace too. "Speaking of... How're you doing after that?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Thank you." Fuuka replies with a grateful nod. She takes the offered seat, setting her school bag down next to her chair. "I see... I hope you find something that suits you."
Demon-punching isn't where her mind initially goes - though she's certainly aware that there is a niche there, with how often she frequents the Dark Side of Sumaru herself.
"'Kit-san'?" Fuuka repeats quizzically - she's not aware of that name. It takes a moment for her to think back to the memories of the fight - and then it clicks. "Oh, you mean... Yes."
She does nod, though, when he mentions her name. "Yes, that's right. And... I was just doing what I could to help. It was difficult, yes - I certainly didn't anticipate an encounter like that."
He asks how she's doing, and she considers how to answer.
"I'm doing well. Lucia protects me from harm, so I only have to worry about the mental strain... I was more worried about you and the others." Fuuka replies. "And... about what it portends."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke signalled his thanks with a short nod and a flashed smile when Fuuka wished him luck with the search. What little attention he still spared for it was taken away when the topic shifted back to the fight in Tartarus, however, and he slipped his phone over unceremoniously to make certain she had his full attention. He was a little glad he didn't have to explain the nickname - he could at least skip straight to the important matters at hand. Her closing statement drew a slower and more thoughtful nod, as well as his expression hardening a little at the thought of what was to come.
"*Are* the others doing alright? The painter too." Hyousuke had seen Moriko the other day, and knew she was recovering, but thought it best to ask regardless. No harm in checking up on a friend, after all, and he'd neither heard nor seen anything of Aigis after they'd all gone their separate ways. Not to mention the man himself. The thought of his condition was enough to cause Hyousuke to go silent for a moment as he considered how best to broach his next thought, though the only conclusion he could reach was to lower his voice in case someone was listening in. "...I heard he bailed on attending his own show. Do you think it's got anything to do with the other night?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Yes, they're doing fine." Fuuka assures with a nod. "I can't speak for Tachovsky-san, but we did everything we could for him..."
They rescued him from Tartarus, so he's certainly in a better position than he was... or at least, that's her hope. Hyousuke mentions the art show, then. Fuuka frowns thoughtfully, looking away for a moment.
"I... believe there's a very good possibility." Fuuka replies, looking back at him. "He spoke of an art show that night, too. It may have just been a preview of what was to come. Even if we've rescued him from himself, it's possible there may yet be other works he completed in that state."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
A visible look of relief crossed Hyousuke's face upon being told that Tachovsky was alright - or, at least, not doing as badly as he had been before. Even getting out of there in one piece was an improvement. The look only lasted briefly, however, turning instead to concentration when she mentioned the art show.
"Other works... he mentioned something like that when the painting got destroyed. The one that kept putting out that weird... feeling. Like the Joker Killer was there." He knew not what a Mark was, but he sure as hell knew what one felt like. Even the memory was enough for him to tighten his lips a little in consternation. "Said that one was just a 'practice,' now that I think about it."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Yes. It felt so much like the real thing. That even being just an image in paints and oils, it emanated that uncanny feeling. That if I were to stare too deeply into it, I would risk losing myself... Just as much as the man himself." Fuuka replies. "I had heard that he had a talent for depicting the essence of his subjects, but that goes beyond anything I had anticipated."
'Practice'... She frowns thoughtfully for a moment, thinking back to the fight. "He spoke of his 'real' client, too. The one truly responsible for all of this... I don't think we've seen the end of things yet."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Risk losing yourself..."
Hyousuke echoed the thought, looking away as he considered the implications. Fuuka was a Persona user, and a Navigator besides. He'd seen her in action, and had no doubts about her abilities. So when she confessed that it affected her in such a way, he couldn't stop his expression from tightening, nor could he keep his fingers from tensing, even if only for a moment. "If that as just a practice, and it did that to *us...* What's gonna happen at the show? It's not just gonna be people like us there. If it's another picture of the Joker Killer, and stronger than that one, who knows what it's gonna do to people?"
The thought that had been teasing at him crept in a little closer. He was no Detective Prince, but even he had his suspicions.
"That client... You don't think it's...?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Hyousuke voices the important question. If that was practice, what's going to happen at the show? In a place where there are bound to be normal people - not just those with Personas.
"...I don't know." Fuuka admits. "I don't know what his client has planned, but... I know it can't be anything good."
The client... She frowns down at the table for a moment. He doesn't voice his thoughts... but he likely doesn't need to.
"I think there's a real possibility. I don't know why... But he's the only one that makes sense with what we know and what we've heard." Fuuka agrees.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
She hadn't any idea either. He couldn't hide his consternation at that revelation either, even letting out a quiet grunt when it became clear neither of them could tell quite what was going on. At the very least, both of them agreed that it couldn't be anything good - and that there was a very real danger of it being their mutual enemy. He remained quiet for a moment or two more, thinking on how best to phrase what else he had to say, but eventually relented when he realised he didn't have quite the way with words some of his other friends did. The best thing to do, he supposed, was to just come out with it.
"I'm going to the show. I know I'm walking into a trap, but if people are gonna be in danger, I can't just sit around and wait to see what happens."
That wasn't all of it. There was the need for revenge too - the need to punish the man for what he'd done to his friends, and the people he'd killed. But such things did not sound quite so noble or acceptable.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Hyousuke intends to go - and Fuuka nods.
"That's what I was planning to do, too. Now that I know about it, I can't pretend it's not happening... And..." She pauses for a moment, with a slight frown, looking down at the table for a moment. "It's supposed to happen in Iwatodai. I can't ignore danger so close to home."
She looks back up at him.
"At the very least, if something does happen, we won't have to deal with it alone." She says.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
There was a palpable sense of relief as Hyousuke heard Fuuka assure him that she was going. It was easy to assume that it was because he'd have backup, and he hoped that she did. Otherwise, she might have realised that he was relieved because she'd validated his decision, and implied that what he was doing wasn't a stupid and reckless thing.
"Good. The more people we have on this, the better. I'm bringing backup, but we have to make sure about this." A serious, hardened, tone crept into his speech the closer he drew to finishing, and it was only in that brief pause afterwards that the tension left him. "If you're going too, we should probably swap numbers. I'll pass on anything I learn - the I don't want any of us going in blind, so any information we can get's gonna help.
There was a momentary pause, and a slight cocking of his head to the side. "...And it'd be nice to have a Navigator on this too." That remark, at least, was accompanied by a wry smile.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fortunately for Hyousuke, as far as Fuuka's aware, it's the former. She nods.
"I intend to ask people, too. It's... important, to go in as prepared as possible." Fuuka agrees. He suggests swapping numbers, then. "Oh, yes. Information is important."
He makes a good point - so she draws out her phone to give him her number.
She smiles, as he comments that it'd be nice to have a Navigator on it.
"Well... I'm glad to help however I can. I think... I'll be more prepared this time." She replies.
She remembers Yumi's advice well. She just hopes it'll help.