2026-03-16: Picking Up the Pieces
- Log: Picking Up the Pieces
- Cast: Kazusa Motojima, Kanae Fuyuki
- Where: Shujin Academy - Practice Building, Aoyama-Itchome, Tokyo
- OOC Date: March 16, 2026
- IC Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 (After Class)
- Summary: Kazusa's first day back to her life continues. She's just trying to keep her head down, but Kanae, having helped vanquish the Homunculus, isn't content to let Kazusa handle the rest on her own. She approaches Kazusa to check in on her, and the two get to talking.
(|==================== Shujin Academy - Practice Building ====================|)
-==================================================== Tokyo/Aoyama-Itchome ====-
Shujin Academy's practice building hosts rooms for the school's various clubs,
but also boxes in the school's courtyard gardens, which are lovingly kept. There
are plenty of places in the courtyard to sit for students looking to eat lunch
outdoors or just enjoy the weather, and the walkways have roofs for when it
rains. The gymnasium is large and well-equipped; thick red curtains block off a
stage and podium in the back, so setting up folding chairs can convert it into
an auditorium as necessary.
The interior is both like and unlike the classrooms building: the floors are
still wooden but in a latticed design; the walls are still white and gray, but
with only a small strip of gray at the bottom; and the sliding classroom doors
still have windows, but long, narrow rectangular ones. Vending machines dot the
premises here and there, as do well-kept bathrooms.
The first floor in particular hosts the nurse's office, a surprisingly
comfortable room with green-tiled floors, potted ferns, medicine cabinets,
hospital-style beds behind pink curtains, bookshelves, and plush couches around
a tea table. One can seek counseling here from Dr. Maruki, the kind-hearted
temporary guidance counselor, for any reason.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa has been mostly doing her best to stay out of peoples' way today. The rumor mill's been going. She seems different again, much less like the 'nicer' version but not... as antagonistic as the Demon Queen used to be.
But still plenty short-tempered and prickly, even if she's mostly trying to stay distant from people.
She's in her Winter uniform, of course, but she's ditched the headband she had before and is back to the silver bracelets and pink nail polish look. And it's no surprise to see her heading to the Pracitce Building after class, though today she's oinly going to pick up something from her locker.
She's wearing a flat, level stare that says 'Don't talk to me', but the slight slump of her shoulder says 'I am exhausted and just trying to maintain.'
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kanae is on top of a lot of rumors... but she knows the truth behind this one. She never found Kazusa quite as bad as the rumors said, but she still traditionally didn't want to go bother her. Today is... different. After all, she went through something pretty difficult.
That level stare...
It's fine.
Kanae glances to the side and sees Kazusa, and decides to go for it. She walks up to her at her locker and says quietly, "Rough time?"
"Catching up can't be that easy."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
To be fair, Kazusa's never really made herself the most approachable person anyway. She might not have found much reason to go after Kanae, but... she also wasn't the most pleasant to her, either, the few times they did interact.
'Rough time?'
There is a moment where she turns and is about to snap, "I don't--"
But then she catches sight of Kanae and recognition hits, and she bites back the rest of that sentence. "Oh."
There's a long, appraising look. Kanae was there, wasn't she? The great coat, and the big sword.
Kazusa pinches her nose. "Sorry, I'm just... a little on edge." She grabs what she needs and shuts the locker, then turns to face Kanae. Catching up... She glances to the side. "... yeah. Something like that."
She's back to her life but that Homunculus still made a lot of changes, and also it's midterms and she feels underprepared.
A quick glance around to make sure nobody else is around. "... You were there yesterday, weren't you?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kane waits for it. Then she smiles, a little mischveiously, as Kazusa bites back her sentence. She'll get it, if Kanae gives her a moment.
"For good reason," Kanae answers Kazusa with a little shrug. But when Kazusa asks the question...
"Mm-hm," Kanae says. "One of many, but I was one. And so were you--the real you, the one I'm talking to now."
"So I guess... welcome back."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
There's just a tired nod as Kanae acknowledges it's for good reason.
Kazusa crosses her arms a little, as she turns so she can lean back against her locker. "Yep. It's... me. Again. Or finally. I don't know." She looks at her nails for a moment. "I'm me but I also don't quite feel like the exact same me, if... that makes any sense?"
The hand rests again as Kanae welcomes her back. "Thanks. It sure beats being... there." She leans her head back against the locker and closes her eyes. "... I know that other me talked to you at some point and I know she made it weird and... sorry, for that."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Cool." Kanae looks over Kazusa, not too much taller than she is. She stays standing free, her schoolbag in hand. "That makes sense. You went through a big ordeal... People don't stay the same after an experience like that, I think."
She has a little experience with similar things--not the same, though. Definitely not the same.
"I bet," she says of it beating there. And then Kanae just nods. "Yes," she answers. "She wanted... pretty uncomfortable details about me and Touma-kun. I guess she was interested in romance? Told me more than I needed to know about your romantic life--no offense. Back then, we were just acquaintances."
"But it's not your fault. Right?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa's only 5'2"... but she's also pretty slender--understandable, given her (supposed) Olympics ambitions for her Rhythmic Gymnastics. She went through an ordeal, it's true, but even for that... "I think... I had to commit to changing to get out of that thing. On top of what that thing put me through."
If she hadn't Awakened, she still would have been changed by the experience. But since she did Awaken...
Kazusa covers her face with her hand as Kanae brings up the romance thing. "Ugggh, she was and it's kind of majorly embarrassing how that other me had, like, no filter. I swear that's not-- that I'm not like that."
She stiffens and looks away, not really ready to meet Kanae in the eye. "Um..." There is definitely some red in her cheeks as her voice drops to a quiet register. "Is there... any chance I could ask you not to spread what she said about me around?"
What, Kazusa, you mean the 'you haven't been on a date before' thing? No way in hell is she going to call it out by name.
"Yeah, I wasn't in control, but... I dunno. If I'm gonna start fixing my own messes I might as well fix hers while I'm at it."
After a long pause she looks to Kanae. "So... are we still 'just acquaintances' now, or...?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kanae's athletic, too--tennis! But Kazusa mentions changing, and Kanae nods along, thinking it though. "I see. Well, you do seem a little different already."
Kanae doesn't know the 'old' Kazusa that well, but she can still see a change. As to covering her face, Kanae doesn't laugh at her--but she does grin. "It's fine, it's fine," she says. "As long as you don't start asking me the same kind of personal questions."
Um? "Oh, that's not my business," Kanae assures Kazusa. "Besides, it's not that weird for a girl to be focused on things besides romance. ...But no, I won't spread it around."
Kanae knows she's more the unusual one, with a long-term relationship going even in high school.
"You pretty much have to," Kanae points out.
Then, she shakes her head. "No," Kanae says. "I know way too much about you now to really think of you as an acquaintance. I don't know if that makes us friends yet, either... but I'm willing to say we're getting there."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kanae says she seems different already. "Then I'm sure whoever controls the laws of the cosmos will be pleased to hear that."
She has no idea who she's supposed to be accountable to for changing, but... she might as well be accountable to herself.
But when Kanae mentions the possibility of Kazusa asking the same kinds of questions, Kazusa makes a quick X with her arms. "Nope. Not gonna happen. I don't know you nearly well enough for that to begin with and, no offense, I'm not interested in what you and Okazaki-san have going."
For some reason Kazusa tenses. It's not unusual, sure, but... it's not like she doesn't think about it, either. She forces herself to relax. "... thanks. I appreciate that."
She pretty much has to. "Yeah, well... some of them are going to be easier than others..." There is no way she's going to get out of a commitment to try for the Olympics without... a lot of drama.
Kazusa sighs. "Well, I still don't know that much about you, then..." She thinks of Wakana. "... and I'm not sure if I'm good friendship material."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Whoever controls...
"I guess?" %rKazusa makes the X and Kanae laughs in return. "Good!" she says. "That's more like it. Much more 'human' than what she had going."
And there... hmmm. Kanae does notice it. "You're welcome," she says.
"Yep. But it's not like you can say what really happened," she says. "And there's not much more we can do to the Homunculus anymore..."
Either way. "You don't. You'll have to learn; I don't have any kind of magic Atelier to show off my secrets, so you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way, too."
She pauses, and turns to face Kazusa square. "Everybody's friendship material," she says. "You can choose to avoid it--you can decide you don't want it--but you're not just uniquely bad. ...I believe in that."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa does at least manage a tired smile when Kanae laughs at her making the 'X'. It's fleeting, but it's still there. "Yeah, that version..." Kazusa shudders a little. "... she wnated some specific things and not much else outside of that."
Kazusa presses the palm of her hand to her forehead at the topic of mentioning what really happened. "I still haven't figured out how I'm going to explain..." She gestures vaguely with her other hand. "... just the last month in general, I guess."
She looks to Kanae. "Think anybody would buy that it was some kind of... month-long Psychotic Break or a botched Change of Heart?" She either looks hopefu or desperate for the anwer to be 'yes.'
But she's pretty sure the answer is 'no.'
Kazusa lets out a long, slow sigh. "... I'm not used to being so... known. I know people were in my studio, they saw my games, and my art... and then there's the Atelier." She's silent for a long moment. "That, uh... character you made. The 'Vessel.'" She glances at Kanae. "... kinda cool."
"The-old fashioned way, huh..."
But then she looks away. "I've been pretty bad, though... maybe not to you, but... to plenty of others." She looks down, picking an imaginary piece of lint off of the sleeve of her uniform jacket. "I don't want to avoid it," she admits, in a soft voice. "... I just... can't trust myself around other people that easily."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"I wonder why?" Kanae ventures. "I can't say I understood her. But I don't know much about her kind of monster. ...Maybe there was nothing to understand."
Explanations... Kanae glances away, some of her long, brown hair turning with her. "I don't think so," she says, and looks back. "But people will get over it. They just need to find the next, more interesting thing to talk about; as soon as you're boring, they'll drop you for something else."
Still...
"Yeah. You're pretty private. For good reasons, I guess. But then, so am I."
The character... "Ah, yeah. Zabine, the lady Chevalier. I thought she was pretty cool, too. ...Means I'm double cool that I could beat her, I guess."
"You have," Kanae answers. "But the thing is..."
"You chose that. You chose to be mean to people, back before the Homunculus took over. So all you have to do..."
"Is choose differently, now."
Kanae takes a step back, and widens her stance to encompass more of the practice building. "It's not a mystery... It's just what you do today, and tomorrow."
She looks back. "Besides. I'm pretty tough. I've probably heard most of what you could throw at me already."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Why was she like that? Kazusa stares at the ceiling for a long moment. "... I think I know why. But it's kind of messed up, so... I won't say unless you really wanna know."
"I was afraid of that." But then she looks sharply at Kanae as she says 'as soon as you're boring' She looks almost offended for a moment, and then she snorts. "Wow. Rude. But... you're right. Not that I'm one to talk about being rude, anyway."
"Yeah, well... I was private to keep my father from finding out. Fat load of good it does me now."
"Your weapon is kinda cool, too. Where did you get it?"
"I'm trying to choose different, but... there's a lot in me that wants to snap at people, so... if you can put up with me until I get this all sorted out... I'd like to try. Just... don't say I didn't warn you that I'm gonna be difficult for a while."
Kanae is tough! "Yeah, I believe you. I saw you fight. How'd you get wrapped up in all of this stuff, anyway?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"I'll hear you out," Kanae says. She does want to know.
Kanae catches the sharp look--and smiles grimly. "That's rumors for you. People only want to hear what's interesting to them. So just... try not to give them material."
"Right." Kanae has little to say about fathers, considering. But her weapon? "I got the ruby off a monster I fought, and had the weapon made for me..." She shakes her head. "Long story."
"It's not weird to want to do bad things," Kanae says. "What matters is whether you actually do them."
A beat, "Thanks. And... Well. A friend of mine got wrapped up in it, first. A monster took control of her life... I ended up in a space not too different from your Atelier, and awoke to my first Persona fighting it."
"...But I went my separate ways from the people who helped me back then. We have different ideas about what's important."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa takes a deep breath. Well, Kanae asked... There is a wince, as she says it. "I think she was trying to be the version of me my father wanted."
She doesn't offer any further clarification than that.
But rumors. "... yeah, that's true. I should know, I've..." she winces. "... I've spread enough myself." And even one particular one by accident (though to be fair, that wasn't her technically.)
Kazusa knows Kanae can't speak on parents. So she's not going to belabor the point. She remembers all too clearly how that other her reacted. Ugh. But she stares at Kanae, looking clearly disbelieving. "Wait--someone made that? that's like, a real weapon?"
Beat. "... Mine's just... a gymnastics ribbon. When it's not a whip." That still feels weird to say.
"I feel like it's a little weird to want to do bad things, though. It's definitely bad tow ant to do bad things, at least."
A monster took control of someone else's life. Kazusa winces. That one definitely feels too familiar. "Glad you were able to help them, then..." She regards Kanae for a long moment. "... so... what do you find important?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"...And 'the version of you your father wanted' is fixated on boys?" Kanae lifts an eyebrow. "Yikes."
That's all she says about it though. Instead she shakes her head. "I'm not here to make you feel bad."
"Yes," Kanae says. "You need something sturdy to hunt monsters with." Pause. "Though I guess a whip is good too."
Hmmm... Well, if that's how Kazusa feels, Kanae won't get into an argument of morality. instead she says, "It was my friend, Me-chan." Himeki Itabashi. "...She was going around behind my back, spreading rumors of her own. ...But I was able to help her, and we made up."
"Me?"
"The people the monsters are hurting. ...Stopping the monsters is good. That's important. But that's not always enough. ...That's all."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa closes her eyes again. "That was part of it, I guess. I dunno. She wnated to just... go get married, start a family..." She makes a face.
"Yeah, big yikes."
She shakes her head again, opening her eyes. "You're not." She's... kind of doing enough to make herself feel bad, so.
"So you... hunt monsters, then. I'm worried that feels like a sane thing to both say and believe now." That's not a jab at Kanae, more a commentary on the new world of the supernatural she's just stepped into. "If I ever need to hunt a vampire I guess I'll be in luck." Not to mention, she literally has a vampire fighting Persona.
Kazusa might be overcorrecting for morality right now in her attempts to not backslide. She'll find a balance... eventually. Hopefully.
"Oh." Kazusa looks subtly away for a moment as something painted grips her heart. "... I'm glad you and your friend made up." Kazusa and her friend, though...
... well, it's a work in progress. But the two haven't been hanging out as much lately, and definitely not today.
But she gives Kanae some serious consideration for a moment, as Kanae expresses... "So... if it's not enough, what else is there?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Get married, start a family... "Not that weird in and of itself," Kanae says. "But you're too young for that. I'm too young for that." Kanae looks past Kazusa for a moment. "I wonder if that person with the big scary Persona was right... that she couldn't have changed even though she wanted to."
"Well, it doesn't matter; you deserve to have your life. She couldn't steal it from you. So that's that."
"Cool."
"Yes," Kanae agrees. "Not that I've met a lot of vampires. It's mostly Shadows and demons." A beat, "But isn't your Persona a vampire hunter? From Dracula."
But Kazusa... "I hope you can with yours, too."
"Simple," Kanae says. "You."
She lets that hang on the air for a moment. "...We took out the monster. You're safe, now. But your life matters beyond that. It's important... that we pick up the pieces, after. We don't just move on to the next fight."
"Some people don't understand that."
"...Anyway," she says, "Let me give you my number, this time. We can hang out another day. I've got Touma-kun waiting on me today."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
They're both too young for that. "Tell me about it, ugh. I don't even like thinkinga bout that kind of stuff." That's an accidental slip, but maybe a smaller one. And you could maybe excuse it as a reaction to the Homunculus.
Kazusa shrugs. "I dunno," she says of the Homunculus. "... she seemed pretty set on what she wanted, so... maybe."
Kazusa nods. "Thanks."
Kazusa gives Kanae a flat look. "... Demons." She holds that for a moment and then sighs. "Sure, why not. I'm too tired to argue."
Look, there's a lot to take in with all this supernatural stuff.
"Yep," she says of Mina Harker. "She got bitten and used the link to track him down Dracula."
Draw your own parallels to Kazusa, if you want.
She's silent for a long moment before she nods at Kanae's well-wishes. "Thanks." She sounds... pretty sad as she says that, even though she's trying to keep it out of her voice.
'/You.' Kazusa blinks, and flinches back a little. "E-excuse me?" She feels that hateful, instinctive reflex--to snap back at something that just immediately makes her feel uncomfortable. But she forces herself to listen... and then it becomes clear. ".. oh. I see." She says that in a quiet, sedate tone, still processing it for a moment. "... then, thanks."
"Um, sure." Kazusa pulls her phone out to do the ritual exchanging of numbers. "HAve fun with Okazaki-san, then. I..." she tenses, then lets a slow breath go. "... I'm going to go study for midterms."
She's kind of got a lot of time to make up for.
"But... thanks. For coming to talk."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kanae moves on from the Homunculus, and the thanks. But then--well. "Demons," Kanae reiterates. "You run into them some places. They're dangerous."
There's also the Dark Hour.. but maybe she won't be awake at midnight, yet. It's possible.
"It's a cool story," Kanae says of Dracula.
"You're welcome," Kanae says. "You can tell me you're not interested... But it sounds like you could use a friend."
"Thanks," she says. "I'm sure I will."
"...Good luck."
Not just with midterms.
"We'll talk again sometime. See you around."