2026-02-24: Reiya's Working Hypothesis
- Log: 2026-02-24 Reiya's Working Hypothesis
- Cast: Yanagi Nagisa, Reiya Aomori
- Where: Paulownia Mall
- OOC Date: February 24, 2026
- IC Date: Sunday, September 30, 2012
- Summary: Yanagi and Reiya meet up at Mayoido Antiques to update each other on their respective supernatural situations. When Reiya mentions a hypothesis he has about how Shadows affect and are affected by people's bonds with each other, Yanagi takes a keen interest in it.
(|============================== Paulownia Mall ==============================|)
-======================================= Iwatodai City/Tatsumi Port Island ====-
A great glass dome surrounds Paulownia Mall, its name displayed in great letters
on its rim. Within this circular structure, made beautiful with water features,
the mall bustles. A central fountain pours out, eternally, surrounded by benches
for weary shoppers; two more pools stand by the entrance, decorated by
well-trimmed hedges behind them. The brown patterning on the floor emphasises
the circular nature of this place, all carved to equal segments; pillars
surrounding the sides provide structure and guidance, separating each store from
the other.
And the shops one can find here are many. Game Parade is a popular arcade,
particularly amongst nearby Gekkoukan students, and its crane game has foiled
many a hopeful date. Kenneth Arnold offers music albums, while Mandragora
Karaoke Bar, up a flight of stairs nearby, offers live music experiences for
those who prefer active participation. Club Escapade is another great option for
music-lovers, alongside those seeking Fortune-Telling services or looking for
shady informants -- but it's only open at night, and technically, it's only for
people who are over 18. Practically speaking, teenagers sometimes sneak in,
anyway... but curious teens ought to be careful, because a few shops over, one
can find the Tatsumi East Police Station. Chagall Cafe, at least, is both open
during the day and open to all ages! Aohige Pharmacy offers pharmaceuticals to
cure any ailment, while Be Blue V offers an eclectic variety of items and
treatments to improve one's health and wellbeing. Finally, Mayoido Antiques
offers unique weapons and armour for those who bring in supernatural
materials... and the proprietor seems to know more than she really ought to
about that world.
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Mayoido Antiques is another shop in the same sort of business as Peacock Silk--no, not fashion; the trading of unusual goods--and so, after hearing that it opened up at Paulownia Mall, Yanagi simply had to come by to check out its goods.
But travel is tough on her. She can do it, and will, because she has no intention of letting her condition box her in anymore, but accomplishing something else at the same time makes it psychologically easier. Thus, Mayoido Antiques isn't just a place for Yanagi to window-shop and chat with the owner; it's also a meeting place for a certain young SEES ninja.
Today's outfit is a shimmering seafoam dress with a long, billowing skirt and lacy petticoats underneath. An off-white shawl drapes around her shoulders and arms, matching her Mary Jane-esque shoes (lined on the inside to protect her feet) and keeping her warm in the growing September cool. A semi-circlet of pearls adorns the sides and back of her head, pinning her cascading waves of ashen hair in place. A cameo choker adorns her neck, matching the onyx and ivory beads that decorate her left wrist. Her nails and lips are painted pale teal, and blush and eyeshadow are applied with a delicate hand. Her polished ebony walking stick supports her, as it so often does.
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Reiya Aomori has had a lot on his mind in the last while, and perhaps that's part of why he welcomes the chance to talk with Yanagi. Whether or not she's an ally, she's interesting, gives him an excuse to polish his skills at spycraft... And, well.
There are many reasons.
Right now though, Reiya approaches the meeting place in silence, and indeed, when Yanagi arrives, he is abrubtly there.
"Nagisa-san," Reiya greets with a nod. He regards her pearly outfit, tilting his head for a moment. She has a very unique style...
Well, he rights himself without comment, and says, "How was the trip?"
Polite conversation: initiated!
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Nagisa does mean 'shore.' Yanagi leans into that imagery quite a bit.
Reiya is suddenly there. She turns to him with an easygoing smile. Even if he didn't physically make any noise, he still has his Resonance, and she is a Navigator. The question makes her tilt her head, though.
"Hmm? What trip?"
(She thinks he means something like a trip to the beach--which she did have this year! A first!!--as opposed to a train ride or three from Tokyo to Port Island.)
She nods to the shop owner, then turns to Reiya, feet shuffling carefully as her cane goes tup-tup-tup. "I suppose I did have a trip since I've seen you last, though I didn't realize you knew about it," she concedes with the above in mind. Flowers all but bloom over her head. "It was so much fun! I'd never been to the beach before! Can you imagine that? Nagisa was at the 'nagisa'!"
Yanagi giggles at her own joke, then smiles brightly at Reiya. "Did you know there are two Homunculi running amok right now? You don't need to worry about it too terribly, since we're on top of them both, but I thought you might be interested." A beat. "Do you have anything interesting to tell me?"
It would of course be wiser to wait to share such information until after they've agreed to share at all, but Yanagi is considering this a token of good will for someone she's had good dealings with so far.
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Indeed; he wasn't trying to sneak up on her anyway, he's just... like that.
His anti-navigator abilities do require focus to use.
Reiya nods to the shop owner, too, but with a sense of familiarity; it's the acknowledgement of someone known, not just a random greeting. "I didn't," he says. "I only meant your trip to Port Island. But that's fun. I enjoy tbe beach, also." He actually smiles. "That's clever," he says of the joke. "I can imagine it."
Two Homunculi running amok... Hmmm. "I knew of one," he says. "SEES has begun preparations to deal with it. But I didn't know about the second."
He considers. "I'm not sure whether or not you would find it intersting," he admits, "But SEES rescued a girl from Tartarus a couple of weeks ago. However, that isn't the part I think may interest you."
"...She remembered part of her outing. That's the factor that's unusual."
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Indeed. Now, if he'd been trying to sneak up on her, it might be a different story... but he hadn't!
"Oh! I see," Yanagi says, righting her head. "I don't really think of that as a 'trip,' but I understand why you would. It does take a while and it does take it out of you, doesn't it?" It's kind of nice to think that even an able-bodied person struggles with just going somewhere. When he smiles and praises her joke, that just endears him to her further. Yanagi sparkles.
"Hmmm--which one do you know about?" she wonders, unsurprised to hear that SEES has at least heard of one of them. If she had to guess, she suspects it's probably Kazusa Motojima's Homunculus--she seems much more brazen about her dealings than Kenzo Sasaki's is--but best to ask directly and be sure.
Reiya is correct, though, in that Yanagi is much more fascinated by the effects on the rescued girl than the fact that there was a rescue in and of itself. Her lead-gray eyes widen as she leans forward, rising on the tips of her toes as her cane supports her. "Oh my! That is interesting! Do you think she might Awaken soon? Or do you suspect there's something else going on?"
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Instead, it's this story. "It does," Reiya agrees. "I don't mind the waiting on the train, but many people find it troublesome. ...Unless you're actually interacting with your environment, I think being in one place is similar to being in another."
Sparkle!! Reiya is quietly pleased. He enjoys good interactions. He doesn't always get them.
"Kazusa Motojima's Homunculus," Reiya reports easily. "Because some in SEES are familiar with her, it was easier to find information about her."
He isn't particularly; he's not part of that mission.
"That... I don't know," he admits. "I have mixed feelings on the possibility of her Awakening, because she's someone that I know. But I don't know another reason that she would remember. ...She doesn't have a context for most of it; there were 'monsters', and we 'saved her'."
"But we have very little data on ordinary people dealing with Shadows and surviving intact..."
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
"It's fun to see the scenery pass by, but you're right, it's also sort of troublesome. A necessary evil to get where you want to go," Yanagi reflects. However, he asserts being in one place is similar to being in another... She blinks at him with curiosity. "Does that mean it doesn't matter to you where you are?"
He confirms it's Kazusa's Homunculus. "I see. I thought so," Yanagi says with a little nod. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the other one, at least for right now, for privacy reasons, and we have a good number of people working on it besides just us." ...this is not followed up by something like 'but if we need help, we'll let you know!' Yanagi is confident they have it handled, with or without SEES. Still, sharing the information is a good way to build good relations, isn't it?
She taps a finger on her cheek and hums thoughtfully. "How curious... And she remembers it as something that really happened? Not as a dream or a hallucination or something like that?"
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
"It matters if I'm doing something in the environment," he says. "Going to the beach is good because you enjoy the sand or the water. ...But if you're not going to do anything, then I suppose it doesn't. Wherever I go, I am myself."
But she thought so... "I see. Thank you for telling me that it exists and is handled. SEES can't be everywhere, after all." He wants to protect people... but he doesn't have to do all of the work himself, either.
Then he nods. "Yes," Reiya answers. "She doesn't remember all the details, but she's sure it happened. My concern is that it may be because I was there that she remembers; we have... a pre-existing relationship."
"From the research I've seen, 'personal connections' can make a difference in how people deal with Shadows and the supernatural. ...It's related to a hypothesis I'm considering, at least, but I'm no researcher; I'll have to present my data to someone who can do more with it."
he is thoughtful about that one. "Of course, we haven't discussed it much in the intervening days; she wanted time to 'process' what happened."
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Yanagi nods slowly as she considers Reiya's clarification. "Wherever you go, you are yourself... I don't think one place is the same as another, even if you aren't doing anything or even intending on doing anything, but I see the truth in what you're saying." She smiles ruefully. "I couldn't even give a concrete rebuttal. It's just a feeling I have."
That smile brightens at his words of gratitude. "You're welcome! If you ever hear of any future Homunculi, I hope you'll let us know about them, too. We may already know about it by the time you do, but it's better to say something and be certain, isn't it?"
Reiya explains more about the rescued girl and what he thinks caused her to keep her memories. Yanagi listens closely. 'Personal connections'... A pre-existing relationship... And because of that, she remembers what is usually hidden from the minds of ordinary people. "Tell me more about this hypothesis of yours," she says, now completely serious. Then she shakes her head. "No, actually--do you have it written down somewhere? This is very important. I don't want to miss or forget a single word."
Of course, he already says that it's functionally incomplete, especially since he hasn't talked things over with this rescuee yet. Nonetheless, Yanagi is adamant.
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
"Yes," Reiya says. "I think there's merit to remembering places are different... But this is the way that makes more sense to me." It's not something he'd argue, but it is something he finds true. It's hard to say. But--
"They seem to be your area of expertise," he says. "It's logical to solicit your involvement." He nods along. it's not the same as a 'yes definitely'... but given how Reiya works, it's pretty close.
Still... Yanagi is very interested. Quite serious. "Hmm. I'm still working it up as a serious proposal," he says. "But my working hypothesis is..."
"'Connections' between people are relevant to how they respond to and recover from matters of Shadows, Personas, and Shadow predation. Furthermore, while a 'connection' will not protect you from the Shadows' predations, it can assist in recovery."
"Moreover..."
"Shadows fundamentally erode the connections between ordinary people via their intrusion."
"...if you're interested, when I work up a proper proposal for it I'll share it with you. As I said, I'm no researcher, but I have access to data that few researchers do, as a front-line member of a supernatural defense organization."
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Logic is a perfectly good reason to agree to do something! At the very least, Yanagi's not offended by it or anything. (More to the point, it does sound like a 'yes we will do that' to her ears.) She smiles warmly and nods once in acknowledgement.
But then the talk of Reiya's hypothesis comes up, and Yanagi is laser focused. She nods twice as he describes it. It's not much more than what he's already said, but even so... She settles back on her feet and touches a hand to her chin in thought. She doesn't speak, though--not until he's had his say.
"Please do," she says, still deadly serious. "In the meantime, I'll tell my friends about it. I think they'll be extremely interested, too." She meets his eyes anew. "It makes sense, after all. Homunculi are a form of Shadow, and when they take over a person, they gradually erode their connections to others so they can take them over for themself." And then she smiles, as bright as ever. "If there's anything Peacock Silk can do to help you with this hypothesis, don't hesitate to let us know! We'll give you whatever data you need to help your researcher friends work through it!"
...This is a pretty big promise for Yanagi to make without checking in with the others first, but she feels confident that they won't have a problem with it. She doesn't know what they'll do about it--but as far as Yanagi's concerned, that's up to Tsumugi to decide.
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Laser focused indeed--while Reiya doesn't know why, he is not so dense as to miss that. ...But neither does that scan to him as particularly strange; it's notable, but...
"Hmm," Reiya reflects. Part of him is a bit flattered to have his idea taken so seriously; for the most part, he thinks more minds on the idea might lead to breakthroughs. So, "I see... Then, I will. Thank you for your proposed assistance."
"...More data would indeed be very useful."
He pauses. "But that's about all the information I have for the moment; I would prefer not to say more about the girl, because I don't want her to be involved if she doesn't Awaken to a Persona."
"But talking to you has helped me refine my hypothesis, I think. I'm not sure how to test it safely... But I imagine I'll get plenty of data just by going on with my duties."
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
It's notable, but it makes sense, doesn't it? Peacock Silk is known to be anti-Homunculus, and Yanagi just compared what Homunculi do to the hypothesis Reiya just posited. Surely they--and she--would have only the most noble, altruistic reasons for being interested and offering to help.
...You know, as noble and altruistic as business owners get.
More sparkles. "You're very welcome! I'm glad you told me about this. It would be very useful for us too!" For better defeating Homunculi, surely. She settles and nods when Reiya says that's as much as he's got for now on this matter. "I understand. She is someone you're 'bound' to, after all. We can leave her out unless and until she Awakens," she replies. On the matter of 'safe' testing, she doesn't remark, but if he's going to get data no matter what just doing what he's doing, there's no need to remark anyway.
"Then I expect we'll see each other again when we each move to destroy Kazusa's Homunculus," she continues. "That won't be long now, I believe."
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Reiya's fine with business!!! It's totally fine.
"That's good," Reiya says. "I think if we know more, we can develop countermeasures." Which obviously is what you want. But 'bound'... "Yes," he says. "It's like that."
"I appreciate it. If she does... Well, then it will be her decision what to do. I can't protect her from her own wishes."
But he will get data either way; it's not like he's going to go exposing people to Shadows intentionally, but so long as the Dark Hour exists... it's going to happen.
"Yes," Reiya agrees. "Indeed."
That's a good cue to end a conversation... but before he starts to go his own way he says, "I hope you get another interesting 'trip' soon. I will try to pay attention to where I am, as well."