2026-01-29: Festina Lente
- Log: Festina Lente
- Cast: Katsuya Suou, Ulala Serizawa
- Where: Kuzunoha Detective Agency
- OOC Date: January 29, 2026
- IC Date: September 17, 2012
- Summary: Katsuya meets with Ulala to try to talk her out of her plan to call the Joker so that Team Whoop-ass can try to deal with him more directly.
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<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
There are many mysteries about at a place even as well-trod by now as the Kuzunoha Detective Agency. For instance, how did Todoroki come to understand the power of rumors? For what purpose does the giant golden cat collect money? And, why is the bathroom always occupied?
Of these, the first two concern Katsuya Suou most immediately, insofar as he wonders about them now and again when he comes by the office to check in on the pulse of the latest rumors, or to get advice from either of the two people who work here.
But he's not here today for the usual reason. No, while his gaze might rest on the golden cat statue (he has been unsuccessful again today in leaving it a pittance), he'd asked Ulala to meet him here to discuss a certain future plan of hers.
Away from the rest of their little group, that is.
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala arrives not long after, clad in her usual spiderweb dress. The cat is given a dismissive wave of a hand as it nyaas at her, their love-hate relationship forever leaning towards the latter, as she takes a look for Katsuya.
"Katsuya-san! Do you think that cat will ever shut up?" she asks casually, moving to join him. She'll ignore the cat if it chooses to respond. Freedom of speech!!!
"How are you doing?"
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
He looks up, away from the tempter (temptress?) that is a large golden cat asking for money for... suspicious causes. "Ah, Serizawa-kun. ...I suspect it is pre-recorded. It may be based on our proximity to it?" he supposes.
But, how is he doing? "Well enough, but... work has been particularly busy, lately." There's been another non-Joker Killer death, but unlike the last one, there's plenty of witnesses... which means a lot of interviews.
Fortunately, in Sumaru, a murder or a suspicious death doesn't occur every week. It just occurs often enough -- supernatural circumstances nonwithstanding -- that there is work for a homicide detective.
"And, yourself?" he asks her, considering how he should lead into this business.
"You are not... still thinking of calling him, are you?"
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
"That, or it's an actual talking magic cat," Ulala jokes, but it's clear she doesn't actually believe it. That'sr idiculous.
Though, there's a sympathetic wince about work. "Good luck with that. Tough job, huh?"
She waves a hand, taking a comfortable seat at that. "I sell lingerie, so nothing really changes. Doing my best, I guess."
Yet, his final question gets her to quirk an eyebrow. oh. That's why he called her here.
"...what else are we supposed to do? I fought him recently and he literally disappeared through an evil hole in the ground. We're running out of options here."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
"I do not think that is likely," Katsuya says, though there is that moment where he does pause and does glance sidelong at the cat. In Sumaru, can he be completely sure? ...Well, yes, it would be extremely silly, wouldn't it...?
"Yes, though a sales position does require a lot of anticipation of a customer's needs," he remarks, on the topic of job. "Or at least, so I have been led to understand." In his line of work, he talks to a lot of people himself, though the most he needs to get from anyone is their statement or, sometimes, their confession.
But he gets to the point.
"Yes, but..." Katsuya shakes his head. "Is it... necessary to do it like this? Of course I do not want to wait around for him to target another victim, but... this is extremely risky for you, Serizawa-kun."
And he just doesn't feel good about putting a woman into danger like this. "Perhaps, if we changed the rumor we could think of another way to corner him."
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
"I work in the back with the stock, I don't actually handle customers," Ulala says with a tired sigh. She's probably not very happy with her job.
"But, the point. Is it necessary to do it like this?
"It's risky for all of us. Especially Maya... I can't let her be in danger anymore. If we have to endanger me to make sure he goes down, that's better than it risking any of you who... ugh.."
She really wishes she had a drink in her hand.
Though, Katsuya's comment... "What are you thinking of?" If they have a way to finish this, she'll take it.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
She works in back with the stock and not with... "Oh," Katsuya says, feeling foolish. "I see..."
Some silence may pass a moment before he continues.
It's risky for all of them, Ulala says, and in that, she's really not wrong. Whoever does it, however they do it, they'll all be in danger. But isn't it better them than anyone else? Right now, someone in Sumaru or beyond is surely considering giving a certain number a call. Is it just human nature? He's a homicide detective, he's seen the outcomes of someone else's 'heat of the moment', or the results of a 'long simmering hatred'. If someone thought they could settle their score with just a phonecall... he would have thought it couldn't be true months ago, that surely that rumor was just a story, but...
Because that's how the rumor works, now people can kill each other so easily. Where did that rumor start from, and what was the purpose of it?
So he shakes his head when Ulala says she's better off being the one in danger than anyone else. "...Serizawa-kun, you... shouldn't speak about yourself like that," he scolds, once the immediate shock wears off. "Your life is just as important as anyone else's. If we can find another way, there's no need for any of us to risk ourselves."
But what is he thinking of?
"I'm... not sure," he says, pausing as he tries to collect his thoughts. "I was thinking... that rumor about the Sevens emblem was changed. If there's some sort of alteration to the rumor about the Joker Killer... of course, I say that, but it's not so easily done, is it? I suppose the Sevens emblem rumor changed because it was more 'attractive' that way," he muses, furrowing his brow. "It's easier to think that a protective charm isn't 'always' protective, or that someone could still be in danger despite taking precautions. I suppose it's human nature to look for a flaw in things. ...So, we would need to think about a similar approach. But what would turn the rumor in our favor to encounter him?"
He doesn't have the experience with this that Todoroki or Tamaki have, or that Baofu has, though. Is he thinking about this right?
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala is scolded. She frowns sharply, exhaling a little bit. "So would you rather spend yourself if we had to, a homicide detective saving lives? Or Watanabe-san, a loving mother? Or *Maya*?" She picks at her hair for a moment, staring at the wall.
What other good could she be? She doesn't see her value, clearly. Why would she? She's not smart. She's not resourceful. She doesn't get leads like the others do. She's just...there.
She's still considering the theme of the rumor, though. "We'd have to make people believe it, right? And to do that, we'd probably be competing with whoever set the rumor."
A sigh. "Wish we could go to *him* instead of bringing him to us. But we don't even know if he's still at that asylum."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
He outright flinches as Ulala counters him with the alternatives. "No, that's..." he starts, only to trail out. In the end, Katsuya shakes his head. "I simply... do not want any of us to put ourselves into that kind of danger, if it can be avoided," he explains.
If anyone does it, shouldn't it be him, as a public servant? Isn't it his duty to the people, runs that thought, and he has to actively quash it. It's true, he has a duty to see this stopped for the good of the people in this city, but there's a difference between duty and recklessness. Dying in the line of duty can be admirable in the right cases, but there has to be a red line. To do it when there could be other options is ludicrous.
But then, does it mean that if he can't think of something else that his other choices are to let this continue, or to let Ulala take the brunt of it? Is it really that black and white of a problem?
That's true," he acknowledges, nodding once as she explains the problem as she sees it.
If they could go to him, instead, though...
"If... we spread a rumor about how he is able to move about, perhaps, or..." Katsuya pauses, thinking this over again. "If there were some means to suggest that the killer were in there, at least some of the time... maybe I am overthinking it, though..."
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
"...sorry. I know you mean well," Ulala apologizes, knowing she's getting heated. He's just looking out for her. But she doesn't deserve that, does she? Not with what she's done.
On the subject of spreading a rumor, though, about what he can do or how to suggest he was in there... "... we could set a trap. I mean, that's what the call is, but maybe we could use the asylum. Or... you saw that video he released with all the names, right? Maybe we can talk to some of those people..."
She does, sheepishly, admit in the end. "...I don't want to get myself killed. I just feel like we're running out of options. And... if anyone, it's best to be the fuckup, you know."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
"A trap..." he muses, mulling it over. "Maybe something like that could work. ...This might be the sort of thing that Baofu would be better at, though..." he adds, as much as he hates to admit it. Setting traps isn't in a typical officer's wheelhouse, but someone who sets 'bugs' for a living might have some inkling about how it could be done.
That, and doesn't he have a better understanding of rumors than any of them do?
"What I can do is start there, however. If we can speak to some of the people involved, some of them may know something we can use against him, or to lure him somewhere we can apprehend him safely." He pauses, thinking about what he's just said. "...So long as we don't put anyone else in harm's way, that is."
But how much can he get if he's not willing to sacrifice anything? Don't you have to give in to get anywhere in this world?
"..." Katsuya pushes his sunglasses a fraction of the way up his nose, not sure in what direction he had ought to head at all.
"Or... if there is something we can get from the asylum..." He can't get anywhere good, currently, but maybe if Amano called, except, no, she's not that sort of journalist.
But Ulala says then that she doesn't want to get herself killed. It's just better her than anyone else. Because she's the...
"Serizawa-kun, please, that is enough. There is no need to speak about yourself that way," he says, a little less sharply than before. "We will find someway through this without putting anyone in any more danger," he continues. "I swear on my honor as a police officer."
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
"It's a shame we can't just affect the asylum itself with a rumor or something, right?" Ulala sighs, thinking about traps and bait. "Maybe make it somewhere we could actually mess with, you know?"
She's considering, when Katsuya lightly scolds her again.
"...mnn. Sorry."
It seems like she might leave it there, for a long moment, before she exhales. Katsuya's a nice guy, huh?
"...I'm just not sure I'm not holding you all back. You've got police skills, the Watanabes are smart and resourceful, Maya's amazing, hell, Baofu's great at what he does too."
The unspoken question is: where does that leave her?
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
"If there were some way to affect the aslyum..." he muses aloud. "Except, can we really endanger the staff or the patients there? Even someone like him does not deserve..." he trails off, trying to puzzle this one out. If he were more like Baofu, perhaps, he wouldn't hesitate to do just that to further his goals. "..."
What's the alternative, then? To continue on like this, and hope they get lucky? To put Ulala in danger? What's the thing that's most important, right now?
Can everyone and everything be saved?
Or is he letting his own conceit stop him from doing anything?
"..."
To that alone, he doesn't have an answer.
Ulala's self-critique, however, focuses him.
As does her response.
"Don't be ridiculous," he says, shaking his head. "Everyone has their own talents. Yours is not simply 'to sacrifice yourself'!" What is it about Ulala that makes her special, though?
"I like to think that we all bring our own perspectives to things. I can only speak to what I can see, as an officer. But I do not see the sorts of things that you do. What people talk about... gossip, idle chatter... to be honest, I don't like these things. But they are essential, even so. These are the things that 'everyone' talks about, but which I don't understand. I think that is true for everyone else. Everyone knows something that everyone else doesn't understand."
...Wait, is he saying that what makes Ulala important to the team is...?
"Do not forget. Rumors come from what people talk about," he tells her, spreading his arms. "If I am being honest, it makes me ill-suited to spreading and controlling rumors."
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala is glum as Katsuya reveals that they can't endanger the staff or the patients. "That's true..."
But he confronts her about her self-critique and response. She sighs, unable to really see it... gossip? Idle chatter?
"Is that all I'm good for? Gossip and eavesdropping?"
There's another sigh. Rumors come from what people talk about... he's ill-suited to it, too.
Wait.
Ulala's eyes widen, as she turns over to Katsuya. She's got something, thinking something, as she laughs. "It's so fucking simple, Katsuya-san! You're a genius!"
She stands up, pacing off some burning energy. "If there are civilians to endanger, a serial killer who's supposed to be there, and no way in without drawing attention... we just empty the place!"
She stops, staring him in the eyes with a fervor.
"There's other sanitariums. All we do is spread a rumor that there was some sort of accident, maybe an unsafe building or something, that led to people being moved to another asylum temporarily. We know the Old Maid can leave, so all we have to do is call him out. A guy with an ego like that won't let us just fuck up his house. It's a challenge that doesn't put his power into effect. He knows it was started, sure, but not who - and therefore, he'll wait for us instead of us having to wait for him."
She flops back into the couch at that. "Goddamn."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Is that all she's good for?
"W-well," Katsuya stammers, raising both hands as if to placate her. "I... admit that I do not care for it, but that does not mean that... I am certain that--"
But he does hit upon, at last, the place where her talent well and truly shines for their purposes. Understanding the movement of rumors requires understanding the pulse of society. These little falsehoods that he doesn't care for in the slightest are the blood running in its veins, to continue the metaphor: in that sense, one ignores trend and gossip at their peril, for these are the things that now... shape reality.
And so she calls him a genius, and in this moment Katsuya looks well and truly startled. "M-me? I only meant that..."
What in the world has he done, now?
It's simple. They just empty the place, and then. Ensure that once they go in, they can call him out there.
"So you are saying that... we'll move everyone out through a rumor, and then turn the sanitarium into a place that Personas can function? Once he is called out there..."
He pauses, thinking it over.
"It is not that I doubt it is 'him'. But this will also allow us to confirm that he is #501, without room for doubt. Perhaps, it can even be evidence that we can take back." Even if he's uncertain how that might go for him. But he has to do it, doesn't he? Otherwise...
He watches her as she drops onto the couch. "Are you feeling alright, Serizawa-kun?"
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala cutting Katsuya off is rude, but she's firing up. Even if she can't see her *own* worth in this moment, being the one to come up with the idea, she can still share it.
"Exactly! If it turns out he's just a guy, we can redouble our efforts elsewhere. Embarrassing, sure, but..."
She shakes her head. "We need a new lead, and this will give it to us."
Though, then Katsuya checks in on her. "...not really, honestly. I hate this case so much. But the sooner we get to solving it, the sooner everyone can be safe. And..."
A sheepish laugh and a look away.
"...I really wanted an excuse not to endanger myself like that, but I couldn't think of one myself. There might be demons in the street, but they're also in your head, you know?"
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
It might be a little bit rude, sure, but it doesn't seem like he's terribly offended, especially as Summer Storm Ulala gets herself well and truly going, hitting upon the obvious answer with aplomb. He might had been heading in a similar direction, but she's the one who sees how to do it in a way that doesn't allow their target to escape them but spares the people who are innocents in the scheme of things. If they go to his 'space', then, whatever else happens...
...he'd have to come to them.
And at the very least, they'd be able to confirm what they already are very much convinced of.
"Yes," Katsuya agrees, nodding. "It isn't outside the realm of possibility, but..."
But the sooner this is solved, the sooner this can go back to normal. Just this slice: he's not naive, there are other things afoot and there's no turning back from what they've seen.
Or at least, he can't pretend that there aren't crimes, even in a supernatural realm.
But, Ulala was looking for an excuse...?
"I see... well, I suppose, that is true for all of us," he muses, fidgeting with his sunglasses briefly. "We become convinced there is no other option for us but to proceed a certain way..."
He's silent, thinking about his brother. It's just like the way Tatsuya is convinced there's only one thing he can do now, isn't it.
Forgive Katsuya. Sometimes he is blind to himself.
BBS: New BB message (4/40) posted to 'Scene Announcements' by Scene System: Sfumato
BBS: New BB message (4/41) posted to 'Scene Announcements' by Scene System: Cangiante
<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.
Ulala stretches out, as Katsuya agrees that it's probably who they think it is.
"...yeah." As Katsuya goes silent, she turns it on him, tilting his head. "You okay?"
She'll get back up, preparing to leave soon, but she wants to give Katsuya a chance to talk.
"...thanks, by the way. For trying to stop me."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
"No, I'm fine," he tells Ulala, shaking his head. "I was only thinking to myself." About family matters, as it were.
"But... I am glad. I had been worried." He couldn't countenance it, in fact. "Allowing someone else to put themself in danger like that is..." Katsuya shakes his head again. "In any case, we know now what we can do. Perhaps if Todoroki returns... well, no, we should talk to the others about it first."
They have time. There's no need to be hasty.