2026-03-19: Ryouhara-kisama
- Log: Ryouhara-kisama
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Umie Akabane
- Where: Buchiko Station - Dark Hour
- OOC Date: 2026-03-19
- IC Date: Fri Oct 12 2012
- Summary: Umie asks Phoenix about Shiryuu's kidnapping... only to hear just what happened. She insists that she hasn't been stockholmed, like Phoenix feels they were doing to them, but Phoenix isn't so sure... and it's because they suspect she's a victim too that they're able to tolerate her engaging both sides. Umie resolves to find out more about their doom locket, but Phoenix isn't going to wait around when the clock's ticking...
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Umie wants to talk, huh...
A message was passed, to Phoenix, inviting them out tonight. And was it received? This much is unclear; one must wait, by the statue of Buchiko which Umie indicated, for an answer. Here, at a time close to midnight...
The Dark Hour spreads black, green, and red; a puddle of the latter reflects the green moon above. There is a flash, caught by it, as something dark flits down...
... and Phoenix, in their feather-cape hood and ninja robes, leans against the lamp post, arms folded.
They will wait, if they must.
Their first question spares no preamble: "Heard you was workin' with the Ryouharas."
Tone level; mouth neutral, though it's hard to gauge their expression, with that witch's hat mask over their eyes. It's not expressly accusatory, though the sound has been dragged through gravel, like Phoenix smokes in more way than one.
And yet it is a question which must be answered.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Joker told Umie to seek Phoenix out on details about the kidnapping. It's sat in the back of Umie's mind, since then.
In that time, things had gotten even more muddled with Shiryuu.
Umie waits by the statue of Buchiko, her pale jacket and black leggings making a striking outline as the Dark Night falls, turning all around them to coffins. Quietly, she unzips her purse, and slips on a simple, black half mask. Then, and only then, does she breathe out a sigh of relief. Phoenix, if they were watching, may notice that the act of seeing it doesn't obscure Umie's identity; it's just the same person, with a half mask on.
Something dark flits down and Umie tenses, a hand in her oversized jacket's pocket, prepared for it to be a shadow.
She attunes to Phoenix's presence immediately, and slips her hand out. "Glad you got my message."
To the point. That'll make things easier.
Umie shakes her head. "Then you heard wrong." Dancing in the details would only lead to disaster; and besides, it's the truth.
"Joker-san told me you'd have more details about the kidnapping, and that I should seek you out. If the NWO is kidnapping people, I need to figure out why, and for what."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Did I," Phoenix says, their tone dry, that edge of suspicion leaking in.
"Then that makes two of us."
Their gloved fingers drum, against their arm. Their gaze shifts forward. "Ain't the NWO. I'm talkin' 'bout the Ryouharas. You got that? The Ryouharas. Fuckin' Kurou, and that piece a shit 'Shihaisha' you were fightin' alongside up in Tartarus." A beat passes. "Yeah. I heard 'bout that."
The pronoun they use for the both of them is kisama; it can only really be translated with an accompanying swear. They are not just angry with Kurou and Shiryuu: they are RIP-ROARING PISSED, despite the fact that their vocal tone still hasn't raised much.
"That second one, the boss. He grabbed me after a fight... where he woulda killed me girl an' me friend. Drugged me, put this fuckin' sense-dep helmet on me head, took me to some kinda safehouse. Locked me down in a chair... only let me up for the obvious, an' I never got no shot at escapin' then, tell ya that. Always had someone watchin' me... lot a times, it was that Kurou. Me muscles were screamin', agonisin'... I begged that son of a bitch to even tell me what they wanted, an' he wouldn't say shit. An' before you say fuck 'bout how he always seemed like a nice guy," they add, glaring at her, "he weren't bein' forced. Fuckin' Kurou was real clear about how this was his clear-eyed decision. Bet he'd tell you he was great at it, bindin' me wounds up an' feedin' me... if he really gave a shit, he woulda at least let me up."
They look back forward, still glowering. "That Shihaisha ain't bein' forced into shit, neither. You reckon the NWO sent him to do that?" They spit, on the ground, audibly, and reach into their hood...
... to pull out a ticking jade locket, turning to show it to Umie.
"This shit winds up, plays a song, an' when it stops doin' that he's gonna kill me an' then the people I love most in the world, in that specific order, just so I won't be able to say goodbye. An' you know what that's motivatin'? Fuckin' up the NWO. He's forcin' me to wreck their shit, even though I fuckin' know they're workin' with them. They never admitted it, but I'm not fuckin' stupid," they add, venomous, as they tuck the locket back under their outfit.
"So there ya go. Why? Because they're the worst people alive, an' I wouldn't piss on them if they was on fire. For what? To fuck up their gang. That ain't weird, by the way," they add, arms folding again. "Most of 'em workin' NWO hate their jobs. But they're still unforgivable."
Hard line.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Phoenix's tone is to be expected, after what happened at the sanitarium, and especially if they were close to the person that was kidnapped.
Umie can't expect them to take on these facts like she did with Joker, but she won't hide from them, either.
"Whoever told you left out the full context," she says, picking up an opened can of tea from a nearby bench. "We were all there because of Dimitri Tachovsky, the artist who got his psyche scrambled by the Old Maid. SEES were there, I was there because I could sense it, Suzuki-kun was there likely for similar reasons, and NWO agents were there as well. That included our 'shihaisha'." She drinks, then sets the can down, sitting down alongside it. "While we had an understanding at the time, that was before I found out what happened."
'He grabbed me after a fight...'
".... Wait, wait, hold on." Umie leans forward. "You're the one who was kidnapped?!" Well, that was rather nice of Joker, to make sure Phoenix's part was left anonymous. She thinks about it, regaining her calm. "If you want to tell me, go ahead. Joker-san never promised me you'd say anything; it'd be your choice." Her expression is serious, despite the mask there.
And, much like with Joker, Umie listens, quiet from then on, taking on Phoenix's glare. ".... I see..." So that's how he kept a Phantom Thief, of all people, from getting away.
At Phoenix's comment of Umie defending him, Umie shakes her head. "He's an idiot, is what he is, especially if he did this on his own. He had to have known kidnapping a Phantom Thief would be tantamount to kicking a wasp's nest. I can't see why he'd go out of his way to do it without *some* reason."
So why? Shiryuu was so vague about his reasons, when she asked, even after she wore him down.
Umie quiets, as Phoenix takes out the ticking jade locket, and explains. She grimaces at the description. "The NWO...?" Umie's eyes widen. "He kidnapped-- and then...."
And she groans. "Oh, for fuck's sake...." _She told him she'd help him escape_!!
"It's not weird at all, when you look at them. And let me guess... he refused to tell you his name?" She folds her arms. "I've already told Joker-san, but in case he hasn't yet... Your kidnapper's name is Shiryuu Ryouhara." She crosses her legs. "It took me forever to get it out of him."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"He ain't my fuckin' boss," Phoenix cuts in, when Umie calls him 'our' shihaisha.
And, "ch," they shrug a shoulder, vaguely affirmatively, when Umie's so surprised they were kidnapped.
... but she sure speaks as if she's familiar with him. How does she know him so well that she knows what he'd have to have known? ... and it 'took her forever' to get his name out of him.
"Aight," Phoenix nods.
"I told you what happened," they go on, "since Joker seems to trust you. But you're gonna tell me -- right now -- how you're involved with 'em. Why hearin' 'bout torture an' kidnappin' an' death threats gets you groanin' like your favourite dog shit on th' rug."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
When Phoenix cuts in, Umie blinks. "... Huh, so that's what that means..." No wonder he'd get so pissed.
Joker's trust...
The can lay forgotten as soon as Umie realized how close Phoenix was to the kidnapping themselves, being the victim, but Umie's calm overlays just how dry her throat feels. Just... why? Why the Phantom Thieves?
"I don't mind telling you," Umie lies, in the face if realizing that, somehow Joker does still trust her. She *does* mind-- Phoenix is a powder keg right now, by her estimation.
However.
Whether she trusts Phoenix, Phoenix is a part of the Phantom Thieves. She needs to place her trust in Joker's judgment here; he wouldn't have sent her to Phoenix if he didn't want her to know the truth, as well as *be* truthful.
"I've already told Joker-san the basics of the whole mess, but you should know as well." Umie uncrosses her legs and leans forward, her expression neutral. "First off: the groan wasn't over what he did, but the fact he *chose* to do this when I specifically told him that, if he needed help out of the NWO, I'd do my best to help him. Instead." She motions to Phoenix. "He went and did this."
"So." She settles back, her expression neutral once more. "The way I got to know him was simple: he was the first person I ever fought. I was helping out Katsuya Suou protect a witness on Ebisu Beach, and Ryouhara-san was the one we fended off, along with other agents of the NWO. Afterwards, he sought me out, and told me he wanted me to find out all the police in Sumaru City who were similarly gifted. If I didn't, I'd become his enemy. He gave me one month."
She tilts her hand. "..... After a month, he kept finding reasons *why* he didn't want to fight me. I always 'ruined things' for him."
Her tone continues, pressing back that grimace of guilt. "Then, he found out that the Old Maid came after me, and, foolishly, tried to deal with him himself."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Fuck if I know," they shrug. "But he keeps insistin' he's me Boss now. Piece a shit."
And Phoenix is, indeed, evaluating whether they need to tell Joker they misjudged this whole thing as they speak.
She says she offered to help him escape, though. "Tch." ... but they don't interrupt.
"... so you're his victim too, huh," they settle on, at length. "Sounds like he's cooked you way longer... yeah, they both tried to do that to me, too. Real Stockholm Syndrome shit. Make it seem like you mean somethin'. Lemme guess. He couldn't kill the Old Maid, but ever since he put himself out there for you, you knew that he really did care?"
Phoenix snorts, derisively.
"Old Maid's an NWO asset too. He weren't doin' it for you. He was doin' it 'cuz he had plausible cover to fuck up somethin' in his organisation. Sorry 'bout that."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
'... so you're his victim too, huh.'
Finally, Umie seems to bristle. "Wh... stop it with that victim crap. You didn't have to hear him crow about how he was doing it to reserve the right to fight me, or whatever flowery language he had thought up."
They may be right. You can't trust anyone, especially someone who threatened you, Umie thinks. All that crap about 'bonds'? It was just sweet talk. And you fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.
It would be easy to think that, looking at the basics of what's happened so far. Deeper than that, however...
'Old Maid's an NWO asset too.' "Yeah, he's that bastard Tatsuzou Sudou's son. The idiot likely thought it was just a matter of taking him on himself."
'That young X... is the future,' Shiryuu had said.
"Did he even tell you any specifics on what he wanted?" Umie asks. "Or just... in general?"
Umie warned Shiryuu that her bond would be a complicated one.
"I ask, because I have my own thoughts as to what's going on, but I need to confirm it myself. Whether the NWO is still involved or not, the Ryouharas did this." She interlaces her fingers in front of her, thoughtfully. "They'd bristle at the idea that the NWO controls them, but the fact is, the NWO has power over them as much as anyone else. Getting the Phantom Thieves to attack the NWO directly... it'd be a good way to add justification to attack back, especially if there's anyone in there that may have some affinity for them."
She tilts her head. "That, or I'm going to have to duel him, again, in order to force him to tell me all the details on how he's fucked up."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Sucks to hear," Phoenix shrugs. "I get it. But sayin' how you 'ruined it' when he specifically sought you out... that's shitty guy shit. It's called neggin'. Findin' fault in everythin' you do, puttin' you in th' mind you gotta do better to shape up... or that you don't deserve no one better. Possessiveness's another blatant marker, man... you're 'his', right? Bet you cop it way worse than me, since I ain't a chick..."
"Mm." Phoenix was there; they know who the Old Maid is. "He was prolly operatin' in the good graces a ignorance on that one. If he says his woman got hit, so that's why he lost his cool... that's how it is with him an' you, ain't it?"
They snort, their lip curling up, exposing the upper row of their teeth. "Bunch a bullshit philosophy. Askin' 'bout me an' shit. Fuckin'... fuckin' with my head, man. Talkin' like it was the best deal he could give me, tell you what, he fuckin' ain't human..."
Phoenix scowls. "You scheme all you want. I got five songs before everyone I love and me are all fuckin' dead. I ain't waitin' for ya."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"I 'ruined it' by not giving him the proper stage for that epic duel to the death he wanted, yes." Umie tilts her head, tucking a bang behind one ear. "I suppose that's 'negging'."
Umie's not here to defend Shiryuu's character against the very person he kidnapped, thankfully. That's the last thing Phoenix needs.
However. Something else about those words hits hard, in a way she can't...
quite...
put her finger on.
But ah, it's a similar sound, those words.
'.... fuckin' ain't human...'
"Phoenix-san. It's off-topic, but I have an important question to ask. In room #303, at the sanitarium, did you see or feel anything?" There's something exceedingly serious about the way she asks this.
Umie pauses. "Excluding the photos. I don't even want to know how that bastard got that old one of me."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"He never intended to kill you," Phoenix points out, their voice flat. "Not since he decided he wanted to fuck you. He'll make a huge deal out of how he wants to, but it's jus' more controllin' shit. ... it's cool if you ain't ready to hear that, though. When I was in your shoes, I pre' much had to get ordered to quit coppin' it..."
They're not being gentle about it, but they are genuinely concerned for her, and that last line might inform just why.
Umie's not the only one who's 'heard it all before'.
... and she's shifting the topic off of him. Protecting him. But of course she would, Phoenix thinks; they suppose it must be a psychic hazard, engaging with what they're saying.
So instead of calling her out for that, they shrug. "Joint was creepy as shit?" They ask, vaguely. "Like... had that whole vibe the Old Maid always does. Rancid as shit. But it weren't nothin' outta the ordinary." They lift a hand, from where their arms are folded, to gesture vaguely. "Prolly woulda got them photos through social media, by the way. That's how he got..." mine, they almost say, except of course the photo on the wall wasn't of Phoenix. "Tsubasa-kun's."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"..." Umie winces at the frank language, but says nothing.
This is the person Shiryuu kidnapped, who saw a side of him closer to the one Umie first encountered, who inspired her to comb and train in Mementos, all for a clever way to get away from him.
"Whatever he and I are to each other... is a complicated mess, but it's not one I'm going to display in front of the person that was hurt by his actions. I'll stand by my creed; it's the only way I've survived this long, on my own."
But she was never truly on her own, was she? Someone was always there.
.....
....... no, it's not the time to even begin to unpack this, if Phoenix didn't feel anything beyond what was expected, in that room. Even Joker looked like he was about to have an heart attack, when he focused in on Umie's Mark.
"Probably for the best. In the end, the Old Maid's just a serial killer enabled by rumors."
She breathes out a sigh. "Anyway. So, what matters is... the idiot's told you all this stuff and how he's going to kill people precious to you, and then didn't even tell you what you were supposed to do. However, you've got the proper attitude here."
Getting up, she turns, picking her can up. "I'll see what I can dig up from my end. It doesn't matter what you think of it; I'm doing it." She finally chugs the rest of the tea down, smearing the trace bits of red from her lips.
"And finally.... thank you for telling me about what happened to you. You could've said it happened to a friend of yours, and I'd be nonethewiser."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Phoenix sighs, hearing Umie guard herself, even though they're quite sure she's being hurt too. "Guess you think you're pretty tough, too... it's cool. Don't worry about it."
... they'd be the worst kind of asshole, they think, if they abandoned her when she was in such a vulnerable position. Sure, they were pissed at her, at first... but that's exactly what that asshole Ryouhara would want, they think.
"Like I said, he wants me to, 'aggress against the New World Order,'" Phoenix puts on their very best pretentious wanker voice, only to make it explicit, as they spit, "pretentious wanker. But sure, do what you like. Let me know."
They shake their head, glancing back to her, sidelong. "You wouldn't have believed me if I said it was secondhand," they say. "You'd say, 'I have to confirm this for myself', or 'maybe you just weren't told everything'... you're not someone who trusts shit or fuck."
Phoenix pushes themself off the lamp post, finally.
"It's cool. I get it. But look, you all right?"
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"Of course I am," Umie says, with a slow shrug. "I've been at this for a lot longer than a lot of people."
... It was the ice pack of the green frog that broke Shiryuu. Is it really that sad?
If it weren't for the Dark Hour...
'Aggress against the New World Order,' Phoenix says.
"..... yeaaahh, that's how he'd say that." Umie grimaces. "No doubt about that."
As for secondhand... "Maybe," Umie concedes. "But I trust Joker-san to not lie to me on a topic like this. And neither would what I had found out, so far. You guys saved my life, after all. I take that seriously."
Tossing the can into a recycling bin, Umie turns to Phoenix.
"Like I said," Umie murmurs quietly. "I've been at this longer than most. But I appreciate it, all the same. Just keep being the Phantom Thieves. That's all I'd dare to ask, at this point."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Phoenix hears Umie say it, and wonders how much of a shield it really is.
... but she's in trouble, they think.
They can let her project the image of the cool, done-it-all independent woman, if it means they might be able to get through to her a little more later.
"If you're in trouble," they say, instead, "we'll save you again. You're not facin' all this shit alone." She's not facing Shiryuu alone, they mean.
They take a step away, and look back, to nod to her. "Count on it," they assure her, when she asks them to keep being the Phantom Thieves...
... and as if to underscore that, Phoenix bends down, fingertips touching the ground, and leap atop the roof of the station, slipping into the shadows as they spring away.