2026-04-04: Tsubasa Destroys a Housewife
- Log: Tsubasa Destroys a Housewife
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Ayame Watanabe and her daughter Koume
- Where: Aoba Park, Aoba
- OOC Date: Sat, Apr 04 2026
- IC Date: Sat, Oct 20 2012
- Summary: Tsubasa happens across one of the most vulnerable victims of Sudou's attack, and does their best to help Koume out... but once they've given her some space to breathe, they turn around and try to help Ayame out, too. Hey, aren't they the teenager here?! Well, according to their cover story, they only heard about the events. They hear about another event, too -- Ayame's unborn child -- and so, they volunteer to help her out, too. They have good reasons to learn more about how all this works, after all, and they can't ask their own mother... does that mean that Ayame gets more opportunities to keep an eye on Tsubasa, knowing what she does about their parents? No, surely this is Tsubasa's evil scheme.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
It's a lovely day to be at the park. Unfortunately, it is also a lovely day for girls to go running off on their own, mentioning that they'll 'be right back' and 'thought they saw something.'
Ayame is not as fast as Koume, so she doesn't catch up immediately; instead, Koume Watanabe--a girl of black hair in twintails and purple eyes, standing about 4'5"--is walking through the underbrush at the park, off the path.
"Hmmm, where did it go..."
She's been jumpy, since the museum. ...For reasons. But she's tried not to let it get to her, with limited success.
Today she's dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and a light overshirt (because Ayame insisted she keep warm), with a few stars on the shirt.
"Mm..."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
'Bork!'
Off the beaten track, there is a dog. It's a dog Koume's met before, though she appears ferocious, at first glance -- Lance is a fighting dog, after all. (On paper, anyway.) She bounds up to Koume, tail wagging miles per hour, a stick grasped in her strong jowls.
"Yo, Lance!" That's a voice Koume's heard before, too -- in this very park, in fact. "Quit runnin' off! C'mon... agh!" And that's the sound of that voice getting slapped in the face with a branch.
The voice is catching up...!
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
There!! The puppy!
Koume brightens as she hears the bork. "I found you!" Koume remembers this dog. And she has a stick! The nine-year-old kneels down to pet Lance. The voice can come if they want--she is now petting the dog.
"Hiiii," Koume says, "It's nice to see you! I thought I saw a puppy out here..."
Maybe Isamu isn't the only one who'd like a dog...
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Clomp, clomp. Breaking out from the underbrush comes Tsubasa Seki: a slouching teenager with bright, bleached blonde and red hair in a mane which has acquired a few sticks and leaves inside it, a Kasugayama boy's uniform with the edges of their top tied around their waist, and a bag full of stuff for dogs (and textbooks, presumably).
"Oh, Koume-san," they recognise her, blinking, as Lance looks up from her new bliss to wag her tail and bork again. "You found Lance, huh? Thanks."
Lance's tail wags harder, shoving her face into Koume's hands. Pet her harder, human!!
"... you, uh," Tsubasa starts, leaning on a tree a conversational distance away, "jus' come out here followin' th' dog, or?"
(Where's her mom at...?)
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Tsubasa! Koume looks up with big eyes at Tsubasa. "Hi!" she says back. Bork. "Mm-hm!"
Pet pet pet. Koume laughs softly. "She's so friendly!"
But Tsubasa asks, and Koume pauses. "Oh, she's right... over..."
Pause.
"Koume-chan??" Ayame's voice comes from a little distance away. She sounds... harried.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I'm Tsubasa, you remember me? Saw ya 'round here a while back. 'Course, that's Lance," they add, with a touch of a grin. "She's lovin' that." The petting, that is.
"C'mon," they push off of their tree, reaching out a hand to her. "Let's get back on th' path, find ya mom."
They'll go back the way they came, rather than risk pushing forward. Coming to a gazebo, Tsubasa pulls out their phone, and flicks through their contacts. "I'm jus' gon' give her a ring."
Ring, ring...
"Yo, Watanabe-san?" Tsubasa says, when the phone picks up. "Ran into Koume-san in th' trees... we jus' in this gazebo out th' south end. Yeah, got this weird circle-cross thing on th' top."
Lance hops up onto the gazebo seat to try and scam more pets while Tsubasa's on the phone, though Tsubasa hands their phone over to Koume, interrupting Lance's brilliant plan. "It's ya mom," they explain.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"I remember!" Koume says. "Big bro Tsubasa, right?" Well, close enough, right? "Lance! I love Lance..."
But Koume accepts Tsubasa's hand. "OK."
Forward, to a gazebo!
"Seki-kun?" Ayame answers, distracted. Then--Koume, they ran into. "Oh, did you? Oh--all right. Yes, I see it. Thank you!"
Tsubasa hands the phone to Koume, who, "Aw, Mom," she says, "I saw a dog, and I was just--"
"I was just going on ahead... It's not like the park is dangerous..."
"OK. I'll wait here, Mom. Sorry to worry you."
She looks at Tsubasa and sighs. "...Just because that place blew up she thinks everywhere's dangerous..."
But she looks more conflicted about it, herself.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Somethin' like that," Tsubasa agrees, when Koume calls them big bro. It is close enough!
When they're on the phone to Ayame, later, though, they assure her: "Don't worry none, she's cool. Yeah, I'll stay with her."
And then -- Koume saw a dog, and --
"It's rough, huh?" Tsubasa asks, tucking their phone back into their pocket, as they sit in the gazebo. (Lance, of course, has draped her head across Koume's lap in the most dramatic of fashions.) "I had a friend up there when it blew up... heard it was real scary."
They shake their head, looking over to her. "Sometimes, when you go through somethin' like that, the way you look at stuff changes. Ya mom went through it, and reckons everythin' looks dangerous now... but how 'bout you?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame answers, "Thank you. I'll be right there."
It's rough, Tsubasa says, and Koume nods once. She pets Lance again now that she's not on the phone. A friend... "It was," Koume agrees.
But Tsubasa explains a little, and Koume scowls. "She does," Koume says. "She won't let me go further than she can see..."
Pause. Her? "I..."
"I don't want to be scared," Koume protests, lifting her chin. "Being scared sucks. So I'm gonna grow up and catch all the bad guys, and then I don't have to be."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Feelin' kinda overcrowded, huh...?" Tsubasa surmises, when Koume talks about Ayame not letting her out of her sight. "Must be frustratin'. Well... I reckon ya mom's scared, too. She's real tough, but she couldn't stop that from happenin'... she'll loosen up a bit once stuff calms down, I reckon."
They drum their fingers on their knees, leaning forward on them, a little. "Bein' scared does suck," they agree, looking forward rather than at Koume. "I reckon there's always somethin' you can do. Feelin' helpless jus' makes the whole thing like, ten times worse... takin' it into ya own hands is takin' power back from whatever was scarin' ya. Hey... that why you was runnin' inta th' woods on ya own?" They wonder, looking over to her, again. "Doin' it yaself?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"...Yeah." Koume doesn't think Tsubasa is talking down to her, at least. Instead, Koume considers about her Mom. "Yeah," the girl agrees. "...She's really scared."
"I hope so." Calm down, anyway. "But I don't blame her... Mom's really strong. I saw. But that guy... he was fast, too."
She looks to Tsubasa, and sees them looking forward. "Mm," she agrees. "Is that how it works? Power, huh...?"
She says, "Mm. Yeah..."
"I feel kinda cramped, so..."
"Koume-chan?" Ayame's voice comes, as she steps into view.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"It's okay to be scared," Tsubasa says. "I was real scared when I heard 'bout it, too."
But... Koume feels cramped. "Let her know, yeah?" Tsubasa encourages Koume, with the ghost of a smile. "It's prolly hard for her to see this stuff right now... but she don't wanna hurt you none. You wanna have room to figure this stuff out for yaself... but hey, gettin' stronger ain't a solo act either, y'know? I know a lot a folks what fight bad guys like you want to... they all got friends they callin' on to help with that."
They jerk a thumb back to Lance, still draped quite happily over Koume's lap. "Like, I got Lance, see? We a team."
(Boof!, Lance contributes, happily.)
Ayame catches up, though, and Tsubasa raises their voice and a hand to call out to her: "Yo, Watanabe-san! We out here."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"But I don't want to be scared," Koume protests quietly. "It feels bad. Feels like everything's closing in on me..."
Let her know. Koume nods. "Okay..." She does trust her mother... "Mm. A team... I could go for a team..."
"Lance is a good teammate."
But Ayame catches up. "Oh! Seki-kun! Koume-chan!"
Ayame runs up and visibly resists the urge to wrap Koume into a hug immediately. "I only looked away for a moment..."
"Sorry, Mom..."
Ayame seems--somewhat more emotional than usual. Well, a lot.
"Thank you for finding her. Koume-chan, I asked you to stay where I could see you."
"I know..." Koume bites her lip. "But I..." She glances at Tsubasa.
"I just feel all... cramped..."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Hey, it's cool," Tsubasa assures Ayame, as she runs up and bemoans only looking away for a moment. "Th' park's pre' safe." Never mind that this park is where they Awakened, that's not the point they're making right now. Because Ayame is emotional, and Koume...
"Yeah, man," Tsubasa says, looking up to Ayame, hands still grasped to their knees. "Koume-san was tellin' me 'bout it while we was waitin'. What were you sayin'?" They ask the girl, as they look to her. "How everythin' was closin' in?"
... they can at least try to give her some space to actually express herself.
Lance, of course, helps by licking at Koume's hand.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
It's cool. Ayame is emotional--and Tsubasa...
"Oh," Ayame says.
"Yeah," Koume answers. "it was, um... it feels like things are closing in... Like i'm... stuck. Like I'm not allowed to move..."
It's very like it could've been, really, back then. Ayame hesitates--"Oh. You don't mean..." Ayame nods. "...Go on, then."
"I'm scared," Koume says. "But I don't want to be..."
"..."
"But me worrying over you is reminding you of what's wrong," Ayame concludes, gently. "Is that right?"
She looks to Tsubasa, and nods. Then, Koume starts petting Lance, to soothe herself. "Mm..."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"It's real hard to feel somethin' when you don't want to," Tsubasa says, gently. "But you're tryin' to work out how you're respondin' to it, yeah?" They look up to Ayame, then. "Hey, uh... maybe Koume-san could use a litle space to figure herself out," they advance, and they're a little nervous speaking truth to mom power, but, like, Ayame's one of the good ones, it's fine.
They're quiet, for a moment, tilting their head thoughtfully. "Hey," they think, a moment later, "you ever watched Featherman, Koume-san? I loved that, stuff." don't swear around the baby don't swear around the baby -- "Whole show 'bout turfin' out bad guys. Might be you'd pick up some tricks."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Tsubasa advances the idea, and Ayame nods. "Is that what you want, Koume-chan?"
"Y-yeah," she says. "I know it's hard on you too... since you were so cool fighting like that, before... and then..." Her face drops a little.
"But I can't just stay scared..."
"Okay," Ayame answers, and manages a small smile. "Then that's what i'll give you." She considers how.
"Featherman," Koume repeats. "Isamu-kun loves it, but I thought it was for boys... You think I could like it, too?"
"Of course!" Ayame answers. "Boys don't have a monopoly on heroism, after all."
Koume nods, firmly--and then looks at Tsubasa. "...OK. Thanks."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"People like to say all that stuff is for boys," Tsubasa says, sympathetically, "but that's jus' 'cuz they don't know how cool girls are. You saw your mom bein' cool, right? That's 'cuz swords an' fightin' ain't just for boys. If you wanna be someone who sends bad guys packin', ain't no reason you can't like Featherman or nothin' else. Give it a try, yeah?"
Lance borks, wiggling, as she noses at Koume. "... hah, looks like she's real jazzed to be friends with ya," Tsubasa says. They grab a stick from their bag, and hand it over to Koume. "How 'bout you help her run off some a that energy for me? She can be, like, ya sidekick."
And Ayame can let Koume play in the park and watch her from the gazebo instead of hovering over her!
This is the best evil plan Tsubasa's ever had.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Yeah!" Koume answers. "I never knew Mom had a sword..." Ayame for her part glances to the side, a little nervously. "Ah, ha ha... it's better if we don't talk about that part. It's a secret, remember?"
"Oh, yeah!"
Koume then looks down at Lance who is wiggling. And she has... a stick? "Oh man! That'd be great!"
"Sure," Ayame answers the unspoken question. "Go on and play."
"Yaay!" Taking up the stick, Koume moves to stand up--
And goes off!!
"...Thanks," Ayame says once she's gone off, to Tsubasa. "That was clever thinking. And..."
"It seems like you understand how she feels. I appreciate it. I've been... kind of beside myself, since..."
"Oh, I guess you couldn't know," she says. "But we were there, when that museum caught fire..."
"It was a very difficult situation," she understates.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Countin' on ya," Tsubasa nods, firmly, to Koume, as they hand their stick and their dog over to her. Off she goes!!
"Lance is good," they assure Ayame, once she's scampered off. "She'll bark her head off if somethin' happens. But yeah, uh..."
They rub at the back of their neck. "Uh. Phoenix told me 'bout it," they say, a touch awkwardly. "Since that guy tried to kill me an' all. I got outta th' museum okay, but it sounds like you guys had a whole, like... thing."
They're quiet, for a moment. "Like... they said th' Black Mask took Koume-san hostage, yeah? I mean, thinkin' 'bout that... makes total sense she'd wanna grab her autonomy back. She woulda known how no one could stop th' fucker jus' 'cuz they were worried 'bout her... an' she couldn't do nothin' to stop him. But you wouldna been able to, too... so it's not like I don't get how you're clingy or nothin'."
Tsubasa sighs, sinking forward, elbows slung over their knees. "Shit just sucks."
The child isn't in earshot, and they're already swearing again!!
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Thanks," Ayame says. "...Lance is very good."
But Phoenix mentioned it. "Oh, so..." They definitely know about 'those things'. "We... did."
Have a whole thing.
"That's right," Ayame says, her shoulders slumping. "Right. It was very difficult for her. And for me, it was..."
It sucks. "Yes," Ayame agrees, implicitly giving Tsubasa's cursing her blessing.
"I'm..."
Ayame sighs. "I am," she admits. "These... supernatural matters... I'm used to being stuck with whatever happens. But lately, I've been able to try to help. And it was... difficult, to be put in that place where I couldn't do anything. Three times as hard when I couldn't protect my daughter."
Just like...
"I hope your friend Phoenix is all right. It was rough for them, too. Oh, and the fire must have been awful for you..."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"It was... a lot," Tsubasa says, their fingers lacing together, loosely, between the lacuna of their legs. "I ain't, uh, all that graceful 'bout fire... woulda jus' weighed ya down if I'd been there." They feel a little bad about lying about whether they were there to this nice housewife, but...
Look, it's fine. It's probably still true if they're talking about Tsubasa, they were totally useless until they transformed.
"But bein' made powerless ain't nothin'," they point out. "Even if you got a sword an' shit now. Look, auntie, I don't know nothin' 'bout havin' kids or whatever, but if you actually give a shit 'bout 'em, it'd prolly be, like, th' hardest shit, right? Especially with this Black Mask guy showin' up when everyone thought that Sudou-san was th' one fuckin' everythin' up. Like... ya dunno shit, an'... everythins' outta ya control."
They pause, shaking their head. "... sorry. Jus' runnin' me mouth off. I don't know shit 'bout nothin'... jus' worried 'bout ya when I heard 'bout it."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
A lot. "Mm," she says. "I'm sorry you had to go through that at all. ...Though this one girl pulled me up on the idea that I should entirely protect young people from it. I can see her point, on reflection... But at my age, you'll understand the impulse, I think."
She'd still rather protect the Youths from what she can.
But it isn't nothing. Hmmm. "...It is," Ayame admits. "I..."
No, that would be much too much to lay on Tsubasa, so she doesn't. Instead, "That's fair. You're a very thoughtful young person, you know."
A smile. "It's all right. I think one day you might do very well with kids, if you ever get the chance. You certainly did well with Koume-chan."
"...I appreciate the worry. But we'll be all right."
Then she wobbles on her feet a little. "Oh..."
She's suddenly kind of light-headed, and looks it.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Oh, yeah, I heard 'bout that... you were sayin' how th' adults oughta kill him, yeah?" Tsubasa shakes their head. "... I'm against killin'. But... I dunno. I get where ya comin' from... lotta that magic shit crops up in teens, yeah? So you'd feel weird makin' them kill him... but it sounded to me like you'd come to th' conclusion already. Guess you woulda been scared, huh? Wouldna known how else to fix it... but if you'd asked Phoenix, I reckon they woulda been with me on murder not bein' th' solution to that shit. It jus' must've been a mess at the time... if I had to guess, they woulda thought Sergeant Suou woulda booked Sudou-san an' figured out how to make that work. But maybe he didn't have no way it could work... I dunno."
They are very thoughtful, apparently. How do you stop someone who can't be locked down? Could they have Changed his Heart...? ... no, it wouldn't have been that easy. The Meta-Nav couldn't help them out when they plugged his name into it, since he already had a Persona...
They shake their head, glancing over to Ayame. "... but ya reckon I did alright?" They ask, a touch surprised to hear that they did well with Koume. "I ain't really got no experience with it or nothin'... guess it's good if I can help out kids, anyway."
Their eyes widen, though, as they reach out from where they're seated to steady her. "Hey, what? You cool, auntie?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"...Yes," Ayame says. "I had," Ayame says. "I didn't want to, but I didn't see any other solution. I was so relieved when Suou-san decided to arrest him instead. And maybe it could've worked..." Until it didn't, because of the Black Mask. She shakes her head. "I suppose I need to learn not to give up on a better option."
Still, "I do," Ayame says with another smile. "You treat them like people. That's a good start. ...My parents..." She shakes her head. "Well, nevermind."
Tsubasa steadies her, and Ayame slowly moves to sit down. "I think I overexerted myself a little," she says, consternated as a result. "It's getting harder..."
She sighs. "Well, thank you. I might've fallen, otherwise!"
"You're a very kind person, Seki-kun. That's what I think."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"You don't gotta have all th' solutions," Tsubasa points out, fanning out a hand in an open-palmed gesture. "Maybe that's how it is when you're parentin' or whatever, but those guys ya fightin' with ain't ya kids... they'd prolly be worried if you was tryin' to take on all that shit on ya own shoulders. Like, tried to tell Koume-san 'bout that, too, how people fightin' bad guys got a team together an' ain't goin' it alone... guess it makes sense if you both like that."
And that means -- they're treating her like a person! "Uh, yeah?" Tsubasa gives Ayame a quizzical look. "She is a person, man. This 'bout the Koume-san bit? Jus' figure it's respectful, I ain't her auncle or nothin'." But Ayame's parents... they frown, thinking about that. "... I did reckon Koume-san was pre' used to dealin' with conflict 'cuz a ya mom, yeah. That's, uh... that's why I was worried 'bout her, too."
But they manage to get Ayame sitting down, and they're not just worried about Koume, clearly. "Uh," Tsubasa grunts, as they lean around, digging about in their bag to pull out a bottle of marble-capped soda and thrusting it out towards her. "Here. -- ain't been opened or nothin'," they add, a breath later. "It's jus' soda. Like, strawberry?"
Once their hand has been relieved of that soda, one way or another, they rub at the back of their neck. "I ain't, like... I ain't no saint or nothin'," they mumble, glancing away. "Was jus' thinkin' 'bout it... that's all. But, uh, you sure you cool? You ain't, like, sick from th' smoke or nothin'?"
Oh no, they don't know...
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"...Well..." She doesn't have to have all the solutions. Ayame nods. "Hmm. I suppose I pass on some bad habits, too. Well, all right."
She'll keep it in mind, anyway. But, "Some people treat children differently," Ayame says. "But you obviously listened to her, and gave her space to express herself. I saw, the way you were helping." But Tsubasa... saw her mom. Yes. "Right..."
Ayame does sit down. She accepts--"Oh, thank you. I don't mean to take your soda..." But, she does need some sugar in her. So she'll accept! Pop! Glug glug.
"Oh, I don't think so either," Ayame says, and warmly notes, "But sometimes you don't need a saint. Just a person."
She pauses, and looks troubled, then. "I was afraid that might be the case," Ayame says.
"But..."
She pauses, and shakes her head. "I'm fine," she says. "I just... Well, I'm... expecting," she explains. "So I was scared that the smoke would be a problem for more than just me. If I'd known things would go that way, I..."
"But don't you worry, all right? I just have to be more careful. Thank you for the drink, Seki-kun. I'm sure I'll feel much better in a moment, and I can get us out of your hair."
Pause. "I like the colors," she comments then.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa shrugs. "Worse habits out there." They can... understand how Ayame would get to needing to solve things herself, anyway.
You know. What with her mother.
"When you're at the bottom a th' pile, gets real hard to say ya piece," they shrug, again. "She's a good kid, so she don't wanna yell or nothin', I bet... but when it's like that, if no one stops an' gives ya space to work out what ya sayin' an' say it, you end up not havin' no voice period. An' I jus'... figure it's harder for her, y'know? Like, I bet you ain't never experienced nothin' like that before neither, but you're like, forty years old, so you at least maybe felt stuff like it. Koume-san's like, nine... ain't got no frame a reference for this shit, so... feels more important to me how she oughta get to feel like what she has to say matters. Y'know, since... she's learnin' how it goes, period."
... they sound pretty casual about it all, but they actually have a pretty developed view about how to help people though trauma, huh?
They shake their head. "It's cool, man, it's jus' soda, I can grab some more." They might even pay for it! "Well... guess I am a person, anyway."
Tsubasa looks over to her, worried, when they hear that she was worried about the smoke. Their eyes widen, though, as she reveals that despite being forty years old she's having another baby. "Whoa. Uh. Fuck." IT'S FINE TO SWEAR IF THE BABY ISN'T BORN YET THEY DON'T HAVE EARS SHUT UP. Tsubasa looks forward, again, hands lacing together, still looking a touch freaked out. "So, uh... when you're magic or whatever, does that magic shit protect ya or somethin'? Y'know, bein' preggo in a brawl... uh..."
They shake their head, and even, like, reach over to put a hand on Ayame's shoulder, as if to physically ground her in her chair. "No, man, don't get all embarrassed or whatever, or -- or like -- if ya done with it, let me piss off, you sit down, yeah? You gotta take care a yaself, c'mon."
Their hand pulls back, though, to reach up and adjust their wig; luckily, their fake tan and concealer handily conceals their embarrassment. "Ya reckon?" They ask, and sound a little pleased about it, despite themself. "Got it recent-like... ain't done much with red before."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
They guess they're a person??? Well, that's teenager speak, anyway. It'll do. But at the bottom... "Mmm," Ayame answers. "That makes sense. I was the oldest, so I never quite had it like she does..." As the middle child. "I'm--" Pause. "I-I'm not forty..."
"Ah, that is, yes. She's learning everything."
She appreciates the soda, but--Tsubasa is swearing!! The fetus does have ears but it still can't hear them. ...Probably.
"To a point," Ayame says. "It seems to. But... it's not something I'd risk, given my preference. On the other hand... I couldn't just let Koume-chan stay in danger..."
She appreciates the grounding a bit. "It's fine," she says. Then, she smiles. "Yes, I do," she says. "...Red's nice. I'm fond of it."
A pause. "...But it's as you say. I need to be more careful."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Oh," Tsubasa blinks. "Uh. Sorry. What, you like... thirty?" 'Ancient', they might as well have said.
"But yeah, like... I was thinkin' how kids deal with shit and stuff like that." For some mysterious reason.
Still... magic shit doesn't entirely protect Ayame. Tsubasa frowns, hearing that. "Well... I ain't gon' tell ya your business," they settle on, after a moment's thought. "You already know how fucked up th' calculus is on that one... I ain't gon' judge ya or nothin'. Jus', uh... Big Sis was there, yeah? An' Phoenix weren't gon' let th' Black Mask fuck up some kid, neither... so... it ain't all on you."
Man, they really don't think she should be swinging a big sword with a baby on board, though. Dangerous for baby!!! ... but they're pretty sure Ichika would be upset if she got told to just stay home when something horrible was going on and she could stop it, if she got older and was having a kid. By the transitive property, Tsubasa can only assume that Ayame would be just as upset. (And let's not examine too hard the way Tsubasa is presuming that all pregnant women are a monolith.)
Shit's complicated, man. Well, she probably has more than enough demands on her already, right...?
"It's fierce," Tsubasa shrugs. "Like, don't fuck with me. But... guess that's hard for ya right now, huh? Guess sittin' back an' lettin' other people deal with shit is kinda like sayin' you're fuckwithable... or somethin' like that?" They shrug, again, and look over to Ayame. "Fuck, man, I dunno. I'm like, eighteen, I ain't never known 'bout that shit, you tell me?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Thirty-two." Pause. "...It's fine."
"Yes, that makes sense," Ayame says. "I'm glad at least that she's willing to keep things secret..."
"Right. I know what you're thinking, though. I should avoid those situations. ...And I entirely agree. If running had been an option, back there..."
"Well, my sister knows what I have to do," she says, and sets a hand on her own belly just briefly. "I couldn't lose Koume-chan... but I don't want to lose this little one, either."
"You're right, though. I can trust the others."
Fierce, though... She smiles. "Yes," she says. "It's very fierce." But...
She nods. "It's fine," she says. "Basically... I want to contribute. To make a difference. To not just... sit back and let everyone else deal with it all."
"But at the same time... I can find other ways to help. It won't be much longer before I'm a liability in a fight, anyway."
"But you tell your friend Phoenix that I'll be counting on them, will you? Just... better not to say why, yet. I haven't told everyone in my family; just the one sister, and of course my husband. I was waiting, in case..."
In case.
"But it won't be long before I don't have to say anything, either, I suppose."
"...Ah..."
"Thank you, Seki-kun. You should be relying on me, but instead you've helped me today. ...If I can do anything for you, in the future... please let me know. And if nothing else, you're always welcome to drop by to see the kids."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa is so fierce, but fierceness won't save them from this encounter, because they are not going to attack the pregnant lady. (Ichika would kick their ass.)
"Uh, I mean..." It's no good! The mom can read minds!! Tsubasa looks suitably embarrassed that she figured out that they were nervous about it, though.
"... yeah," they settle on, instead, rubbing at the back of their neck. "It's tough. Like... you can't, like, choose. I get it. You prolly got enough guys tellin' you how to do ya job, anyway..." Tsubasa, of course, groups themself with the men who think that protecting a pregnancy is easy over the women who have to carry them. Where else would they be standing?
They scratch at the back of their neck some more, with a shrug. "Guess it's a lot a stuff tuggin' at ya. Don't sound, uh, easy. But it's cool, man, like... I'm sure Phoenix'll look out for ya. Uh, I won't say nothin', tho'." Dear God, help them remember to pretend they don't know shit with a mask on. "You, uh..." Oh, right. She's worried about that. "... you'll be aight," they say, a touch embarrassed.
They're definitely not gonna point out how they think the combat situations are probably putting her at greater risk of miscarriage and that kind of is her fault, just like society says it is. Just because something is 'true' doesn't make it nice.
(Tsubasa, unfortunately, is not immune from society. ... especially not certain opinions of society.)
Tsubasa flashes a rare smile, to her. "Hey, man. It's cool. Like... I was lookin' up shit on babies an' kids an' shit since me partner wants to have some when she grows up, so... can learn some shit talkin' to ya, y'know? 'Sides, ain't like I was th' one in the burnin' zeppelin or nothin'... reckon it's cool if I could help ya." Well, that's technically a lie, but listen, they're basically an adult anyway, this isn't that weird. Well, not as far as Tsubasa can tell, anyway...
"I'm kinda a no-good punk, but, uh... if you want, I could like, drop by sometime?" They add, a touch embarrassed. "Maybe see if there's anythin' you need doin'... guess that shit's gon' get hard for ya goin' forward."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ichika wouold totally kick their ass about it. But Ayame doesn't. Instead she says, "Well, that's true. A lot of men like to tell women how to do things. Especially things they're less likely to understand..." A shake of her head. "But..."
She actually agrees with some of these ideas, which means... she has to change some things. But--
"Thanks," she says. "I appreciate it."
How can she tell which 'help' will be dangerous, and which won't? Does she have to stay away from even investigating with everyone? ...These are the things she's not willing to burden Tsubasa with.
But that smile is nice to see. And Ayame smiles back. "I'm sure you'll be a big help to her," she says. "My husband does his best, but there's things he doesn't understand, or that he's too busy to help with. ...And that's fine, I can't expect everything of him; this is my business to take care of. ...But I think your partner will appreciate the help you can give her, too."
She nods, then. "I'd like that," she says. "To be honest... The 'no-good punks' are often kinder than the upstanding students, I've found. I had some students help me out a few years ago... It was like that."
"Yes. I'm already far enough along that I'm getting dizzy for no particular reason... I could definitely use some help!"
And if she puts it like that, then maybe it's better. Since it is also true. "Only when you've taken care of your own responsibilities, of course. ...Koume-chan especially would be happy to see you, though."
"And if you happen to have any questions--for your partner's sake--I won't mind if you ask when we're in private."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I don't wanna see that shit," Tsubasa insists, shaking their head, when Ayame talks about the limitations of men. "So I better not be pullin' it meself." How are they supposed to protect Ichika from this shit if they're joining in?
They shrug a shoulder, a touch awkwardly. "It's like... I get how they say that's th' woman's job, an' money's th' man's job, or whatever, but I ain't neither a those. So... I been tryin' to learn 'bout it so I can help, an' shit. But I don't really know how it's like, neither, so... uh, guess it's a good sign if I can talk to kids alright, tho'."
Clearly they need to get the practice in.
Tsubasa laughs, though, when Ayame points out the difference in quality between students. "Ain't always! You met Jun-kun, auntie? Jun Kashihara -- he's, like, a star fuckin' student, but ain't no one can fuck with him... he's super reliable, too."
Ayame says that she gets dizzy, though, and Tsubasa frowns. "It's cool, man. I can, like, help ya up after this, too." They're not exactly big on touching, but apparently they make exceptions for cases of clear malaise. "Oi, you got a stool in th' kitchen an' bathroom an' junk? I heard gettin' chairs in the spots where ya jus' standin' a bunch helps. Uh, but don't worry none, I won't go slackin' off or nothin'... Uchida-san's relyin' on me now, too, anyway." Beat. "Since I'm helpin' her an' her boss out, y'know, at Kuzunoha's." The detective agency!
They nod, when Ayame opens herself up to questions. "... cool. I can't, uh, ask me mom about this shit, really, an' me partner's mom lives all th' way in Port Island, so..." Tsubasa is critically low on moms they can talk to, apparently.
(They have been skipping out on the dance class specifically for people who skip class out of spite, so they've completely missed Dance Mom...)
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Well, that's sensible."
But awkward... Hm. "Yes," Ayame says, "That makes sense to me. You can help with either... because you're not bound by being one or the other. Right?" Ayame can be OK at this stuff. ....Not always, though. She still doesn't know about...
Well, don't worry about it.
"It is a good sign!"
But true, there are nicer students. "Oh! Well, good," she says. "Though I do wish the various schools could all get along better..."
Tsubasa can help her up? "I'd... appreciate that. I feel bad leaning on you, but I'd feel worse if I fell." A stool, though. "That's a good idea," she says. "I haven't done that yet this time."
"Oh, you're helping the detectives? That's very interesting work. If I hadn't gone straight to being a mother, i might've thought about getting my license..."
But, cool! She's cool! Ayame is pleased with that. "Right," she says, and remembers... that trouble. "Well, you can talk to me anytime. I'll give you my contact information, so you can call or text ahead if you'd like to come over."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yeah, it's like that," Tsubasa nods. "... uh. Or it will be. Reckon she's kinda calmed down on th' whole baby thing, so we ain't talkin' 'bout it all the time no more... an' I reckon she oughta give uni a try first, y'know? Since it'd prolly be hard to study with little kids runnin' around." They rub at their neck, again, as they add: "Uh, it's up to her, tho', ultimate-like."
Tsubasa Seki is an ally, god damn it. Never mind that their partner in particular probably doesn't even think she's going to get into university. Tsubasa knows better, she's smart as hell!!!
"But it's cool, tho'," they add, still a touch awkward. "I still like kids, it ain't jus' a thing I'm puttin' on to get a girl. That'd be kinda fucked." They also don't really understand how someone doesn't like kids, because, like, the kid didn't choose to be here, the least anyone can do is be happy they're there.
They do, however, mutter: "You'd hafta get th' Sisters pullin' that stick out their ass..." ... which is probably why the schools don't get along.
(Being fair, the divide isn't impossible to cross. Tsubasa likes Maria! Tsubasa would punch a man for Maria. But Maria's legit, not like most of them!!)
"You prolly know way more tricks than me readin' shit on th' net," Tsubasa guesses, when they hear Ayame talking about this time. "So jus', like, pull 'em out. Yeah?" They brighten up, though, when Ayame recognises the detectives. "Yeah! Uchida-san reckons I got talent an' shit, it's so weird? Uh, I can't get me licence for a few years, you gotta have a clean rap sheet for like half a decade... but I'm tryin' to keep me nose clean, an' I reckon by th' time I gotta start earnin' shit I can start workin' for real."
They do pause, though, for a moment.
Then they pull out their phone.
Then they hit the button that calls Ayame, which is still up from where they called her not long ago.
"Auntie," Tsubasa says, their lips cracking into a grin, "ya brain cooked."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"University... It's a really worthwhile experience. Even if she doesn't finish, going at all is better than not. Trust me, it gets very difficult to study under those circumstances."
But it is up to her... "Well, I'm sure you'll both make the right decisions for you."
But it's a little awkward... And Tsubasa is clear. "Good!" Ayame says. "Because once they're there, things do change."
Ayame politely ignores the comment about Sevens, just like she would hearing 'Cuss High'. They can get along one day!
Maybe...
"Right," she says. "It is about time." Then talent! She smiles. "I don't think it's weird at all. That sounds wonderful. And it's a good reason to clean up your act!"
Pause. Phone. Button...
Ayame turns bright red and buries her face in her hands. "Aaaa..."