2026-03-17: An Autumnal Exchange
- Log: An Autumnal Exchange
- Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki, Shinobu Shimizu
- Where: Hirasaka Ward
- OOC Date: 2026-03-17
- IC Date: Thu Oct 11
- Summary: In the aftermath of the fight at the sanitarium, Hyousuke calls Shinobu to the park to make good on a promise he made to her - that he'd let her know if he undertook any woodworking projects. When the topic of the Joker Killer arises, both lament that they may be in over their heads, but neither one is willing to back down now.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
All it took was a simple breeze to remind Hyousuke that autumn had well and truly set in. Even with his jacket on, the stiff gust sent a slight quiver through whatever skin was exposed. Despite the sudden - if slight - chill, autumn's onset did not make for an unpleasant scene. The lush hues of everygreens stood as a stark contrast to the fiery gradients of the shedding trees, themselves ranging from bold reds to golden yellows, and every warm tone of orange that fell between. Their rustling drifted through the air with every breeze, standing as a quiet accompaniment to the sounds of citizens making their way through the park.
To some, it was a cacophony. To others, it was the beautiful symphony of life. Whatever people thought of it, it did not change the fact that it was a hodgepodge of half-heard conversations, children screaming and laughing as they barrelled through the mid-autumn landscape, and dogs losing themselves in a scene they had no doubt seen already, and would doubtlessly forget before the turn of the year. Hyousuke was not there for any of those, however. He was there to meet someone, and as such, waited peacefully for them on the park bench, turning some small, wooden, thing over in his hand.
It hadn't been long since he'd spoken to Tae, but whatever she'd done had worked wonders. That, or he was a quicker healer than he thought. The bruises from his fight with Kurou had begun to recede, and though still visible across his neck, face, and wrists, they were easily ignored and did not ache particularly much. He needed less and less bandages by the day, to the point where his jacket fully hid the ones he still needed. And the gash across his chest - the one that had threatened to scar - knitted itself slowly closed, day by day.
For once, Hyousuke felt something akin to peace.
GAME: Save complete.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu is fond of the change of seasons. It makes for a wonderful sight, the sudden infusion of color into the cityscape... Hirasaka might not have many beautiful places, but the ones they do have left to it are worth cherishing. This park is one of them - it's a miracle it remains open. Shinobu frequents it, often going there for a jog or a stroll as she works her way through whatever problem happens to be on her mind.
She's here to meet someone today, however, so there's no room for detours. She makes her way toward the bench he'd arranged to meet her at - and sure enough, there he is. She raises a hand in an easy wave.
"Hey, Suzuki." Shinobu greets casually, approaching the bench. She unslings her duffel bag from her shoulder, leaning it against the bench as she takes a seat on the other side. "How've you been holding up since the other day?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke blinked a little, and his expression shifted from absent-minded neutrality to a pleasant, polite, warmth. He shuffled over on the bench to make room for Shinobu, and just to make sure the message got across, he gestured vaguely towards it before beginning to rummage around in his bag for something in particular.
"Shimizu-san!" He said, a little excitedly - as if he'd not been there explicitly to just while away a few minutes with her. "I'm doing alright. Still healing up, and I'm still a little sore, but I've had worse."
He hoped she wasn't the sort to look too deeply into remarks like that. Or remember just how sorry a state he'd been in after the fight. Even he was amazed at how he'd managed remain conscious after such a thorough beating - he'd have to remember to thank Moriko's friend for that one.
"How about you?" Hyousuke asked, eager to change the subject away from something that could make others worry about him. "Sorry I couldn't help you out with your fight, I had my hands full with someone else, and then I had to get out of there before the cops came." He blinked, then remembered just who exactly Katsuya was. "...The other cops."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
It is nice to see someone so excited to see her. She takes the seat he indicates, glancing toward the bag as he rummages through it before looking up toward Hyousuke himself as he recounts how he's doing. She considers him for a moment. Maybe she is the sort to look into that... but she doesn't seem about to pry, at least.
She knows what it's like. She's been there.
"Good." She replies with a nod. "Just keep takin' it easy and rest up. Don't wanna overdo it."
He asks about her, and she shrugs.
"I'm hangin' in there. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's getting back on my feet." She assures. He apologises, and she shakes her head - smirking just slightly as he makes his correction. "Hey, don't worry about it. I needed to go another round with that one, anyway. We've all got things we need to handle ourselves, right?"
She smiles.
"Anyway, important thing is we were all able to get out of there in one piece, more or less. And we didn't leave empty-handed, either." She concludes. They learned a lot in the process... not all of it makes sense, but they're still pieces to the puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
A knowing smile crossed Hyousuke's lips. He didn't say as much, but he figured he was built of the same kind of stuff that she was - the kind that could take a beating, and bounce back from it before too long. He even seemed to relax a little more when she assured him that it was alright he'd taken care of a different opponent - though he still felt a small twinge of guilt that he'd not been able to back her up on that matter. No need to bring it up though, when she was willing to drop it.
"Yeah, that's true. But I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to think about it..." He agreed, still rummaging around, until his fingers seemed to brush against something good. Hyousuke focussed in a little, diverting his gaze towards his bag rather than Shinobu, though it was clear his attention was on her enough to continue the conversation. "Tatsuya Sudou... This shit goes higher than I thought. I thought it was just some weirdo with a paper bag and a knife, but if his dad's that high up *and* covering for him..." He frowned a little. "...The hell have we gotten ourselves into?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"...Yeah. It's a lot to think about." Shinobu agrees with a nod, a slight frown crossing her face. She looks up to the sky for a moment. Tatsuya Sudou, and his father...
"Yeah... Those people in the masks and the government, never would've thought they were all mixed up in this, too." Shinobu agrees. He mentions his dad... "Guess he and daddy dearest must have had a falling out, to throw so much at trying to get rid of him. And then there was that creepy-ass poem..."
Shehe taps her foot on the ground in frustration for a moment, before shaking her head.
"...No idea. It's all over my head." She admits, as he asks what they've gotten themselves into. "But it's not over. He said somethin' about an aerospace museum there at the end... Guess that's his next target."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Should've figured that the government'd be mixed up in all this supernatural crap, but helping the Joker Killer get away with everything he's done... The hell would they even get out of something like that?" Hyousuke couldn't stop an unabashed display of consternation from etching itself into his features, but at least managed to keep his voice down enough that only the two of them were likely to hear it. Sure, some passing jogger or dog-walker might have been able to catch fragments of what they spoke of, but they left as quickly as they came. Joggers had a route to stick to, and dogs tended to be too interested in chasing stray leaves to sit and listen to speculation on murders and other associated persons.
"I don't know what any of this means. When I started doing all this, I thought I'd just be punching ghosts and finally getting a steady paycheque, not getting wrapped up in some Illuminati crap... Can't stop now though. Whatever's going on, it's getting too big to ignore. If Sudou's gonna turn up at the museum, then I'm going there too. I got no idea what he's planning on doing there, and I'm not planning on finding out the hard way." His consternation was interrupted when his hand brushed against something, and his expression was replaced with a flash of excitement. "Found it! You said you wanted me to show you if I've been working on anything, so I brought one of the practice runs with me..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"No clue. Maybe they just wanted to keep his connection a secret." Shinobu replies with a shrug and a shake of her head. "To the public at large he's just a rumor, and it's in their best interest to keep it that way."
She laughs sympathetically, shaking her head.
"...Yeah. I'm in the same boat. I'm built for doing things, not theorycrafting." Shinobu agrees. She's been working on her own more often than not lately, which means she's had to do a lot more of that these days. "...But, you're right. I feel the same way. If I can throw a wrench into his plans, that's good enough for me."
Hyousuke finds something, though, and Shinobu looks on in interest.
"Yeah, definitely. Let me see it." She replies, curious to see what he's made.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
With a little bit of dramatic flourish, Hyousuke produced a single item from his bag. In his hand, between him and Shinobu, he held a small, wooden, fox. From tip to tail, the carving was about the length of his palm, and very clearly the work of an amateur. Edges had been smoothed down, but not properly. Angles had been cut in and caved out, but its surface was still lumpy and asymmetrical. Even the fact that it was a fox was a little difficult to discern at first - only the fact that it came with a bushy tail and pointy ears distinguished it as one, and even then, the length of the nose called to mind a shiba inu more than it did a fox.
"I know, I know, it's not great. But you should've seen the ones I started out making." Despite the disparaging remark directed at himself, Hyousuke spoke with some small degree of pride. It felt strange on his tongue, but not unpleasant - like a new flavour, or a novel sensation from a strange foodstuff. "Doc said I should see her every few days while I heal up, and she'd probably get mad at me if I ruined all her work by opening up any of my wounds again, so I've been passing the time between studying doing this instead. A friend wanted me to make her a mask too, but that's gonna be a while."
The reason, he hoped, was made obvious by the skill he displayed in carving the fox.
Or, rather, the lack thereof.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Hyousuke produces an item, and Shinobu peers in closely. In his palm is a wooden fox. She studies it carefully, and then offers him an approving smile. She can hear that pride in his tone, too. It's good - it's important to encourage that.
"Hey, for how long you've been at this? This is pretty good. Trust me, I've been there - couldn't tell you how long it took for me to make anything recognizable." She comments. "It's not easy to get those small details in there, you know? I can see where you're working on the sanding, too. Good work, Suzuki. Just keep at it, yeah?"
She listens thoughtfully as he mentions a 'Doc', and nods in agreement.
"Yeah, I'd say she probably has the right of it. That won't do you any good, either." She agrees. Studying... Oh yeah, those girls from her shift at the Giga Macho mentioned midterms... She doesn't envy any of them.
But, mercifully, she doesn't mention them.
"Good way to pass the time, I'd say." She comments. A mask, though... She 'hm's to herself, and nods. "Yeah... Something like that is tougher. Since it's not enough for it to look good, it also has to be able to rest comfortably."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Autumn was a cold time of year. It did not quite have the chill that winter's depths held, but spring's warm rains and summer's blazing heat made the October breeze seem positively arctic. So it was, then, that the smile he wore seemed all the warmer. He tried to keep it from breaking out into a full-on grin at the realisation that his work had paid off, and for the most part, he succeeded. But there was no hiding the fact that he seemed quite pleased with having built something with his own two hands.
Even the thought of midterms didn't seem to dampen his mood. The sticking points of the mask shifted his expression, but not in a way that seemed negative. Rather, he looked thoughtful, turning the problem over in his mind and wondering how best to attack it.
"Finding the right wood for that's gonna be a problem. I don't know where to get the good stuff - all I've got are the scraps that one of the teachers was gonna throw out. Gives me time to figure out how to carve foxes, I guess. Figure I'll make it a fox mask - she likes 'em. My friend, I mean."
He paused, and his expression tightened.
"Maybe I should ask Uchida-san if there's any bounties on tree demons..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
That grin... Shinobu can't help but smile, herself. It's a familiar sensation - that sense of pride that comes from having made something with your own two hands that you think looks good. It's a good feeling.
"Yeah, that's a question, too..." She considers with a thoughtful nod. A fox mask... She wonders if what was the reason behind the one he'd made, too. She nods. "I think she'd like that."
A bounty on tree demons, huh...
"Hey, who knows? As always, just let me know if you need an extra pair of hands with that." Shinobu offers. And with that, she stands up, picking up her duffel bag from where she left it and slinging it over her shoulder once more.
"Well... it's starting to get late. Want to go grab a bite before we head our separate ways?" She asks.