2026-04-28: Big Bang Barking
- Log: 2026-04-28 Big Bang Barking
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, Haru Okumura
- Where: Central Street - Big Bang Burger
- OOC Date: April 28, 2026
- IC Date: November 01, 2012
- Summary: Haru catches Ren working a new part-time job at Big Bang Burger by barking for it just outside the Shibuya Central Street location. The two of them talk about her father and his Palace, and how--even if Haru isn't ready to tackle it yet--its time is coming sooner or later.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
The last three days have been wonderful breaks for Ren, for all that they were school days. Yesterday in particular was a great birthday--lots of well-wishes and gifts from their closest friends, complete with costumes and scary movies. A lot of kids whose birthdays fall on holidays end up hating that holiday, but Ren's fortunate enough to love everything about Halloween. They do have some mixed feelings about it sometimes, but when celebrated like it was yesterday, it's perfect.
However, today, it's back to work. In particular, it's their second shift at their newest part-time job at Big Bang Burger. As what is derogatorily known as a "burger flipper," they are the lowest of the low-level grunts--but they still have an employee ID and therefore still count as someone who belongs there. This is very important; that first shift meant that they could get past the authorization request door in Okumura's Palace and explore further--enough to find a good place to set up a trap to ambush the Black Mask. It took a hell of a lot of schmoozing, baiting, ambushing, and stealing ID cards from higher-ups, then crossing the geodesic dome's interior buildings from the outside, to get that far, but at least that initial ID card got them in the door--literally.
...not that anyone besides Morgana knows about that plan at present. It took all day Sunday and was only possible with Mona's support. Having the rest of the team would've made it a lot easier, and Joker doesn't like leaving them out of the loop, but if Akechi and the Black Mask really are the same, then Akechi has made it clear through his "deductions" that he'll only play along as the Black Mask if it's just him and Joker. Mona can at least skulk in the background as a failsafe back-up, but even then he can't afford to step forward unless absolutely necessary, because after that, it's game over.
But that's a problem for another time. Right now, Ren has a different problem. For a four-hour shift, they're entitled to one fifteen-minute break. However, when they indicated they wanted to go outside to take it rather than the cramped break room, their manager told them that if they're going outside, then they may as well bark at pedestrians to come in to eat. When Ren pointed out that this would mean they were still working and not on break, their manager yelled that they should feel grateful to get to go outside at all and if they want to keep their job, they'll bark and like it. Ren asked if they could take their break in the break room after all, and was subsequently told no, they asked to break outside so they will break outside, and in the future they'd better be careful what they ask for.
So, at present, Ren is hanging out of the Shibuya Central Street location in the red-and-yellow Big Bang Burger uniform, just outside and next to the steel entrance. As people pass by on the sidewalk, they bow and entreat them to come inside for an "out of this world dining experience!" and similar space-themed catchphrases. They maintain a customer service smile as people approach, but otherwise make the best of the situation by shutting their eyes and breathing in the cool fresh-ish air when they can.
Ren told Akechi once that he could never ruin their beloved outer space for them, but Okumura Foods sure is trying its damnedest. Two shifts in and BBB is easily the worst part-time job they've had--and they don't even get paid at Leblanc, and their boss Iwai at Untouchable might just be connected to the mob. That's really saying something.
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Haru, likewise, had a wonderful time last night celebrating both Halloween and the birthday of a genuine friend she's made in the past year. It made returning to her routine at school feel strange, but without a club to call her own, it's not long after the bell dismisses them that she finds herself at the streets of Shibuya to do some shopping, for herself and for the garden.
Walking by the Big Bang Burger has always given Haru a somewhat bitter feeling. She's well aware of how poorly the workers are treated, and she feels connected enough to the company to feel responsible for it, and yet powerless to do anything substantial to improve it. Nonetheless, the chain is ubiquitous. There's no ignoring the reality of its pressure on the food industry.
And something draws her attention to this particular Big Bang Burger - namely the teenaged worker advertising to pedestrians. Someone who could really use a break, Haru is certain. As she approaches closer, Haru realizes she recognizes this person and her heart sinks just a little. Why are they working here? "Ren...? Is that you?" Haru calls as she walks over. "I didn't know.. you worked here!" She laughs a little nervously. "Are you on break right now?" She follows up, before lowering her voice a bit. "...I hope they haven't been treating you too harshly." She adds, in the most diplomatic fashion she can.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
If Ren were working a shift at Rafflesia down in the Underground Mall, that'd make this a much more pleasant encounter. For one, their boss there is much nicer, and the shop itself is just inherently a better environment. It's hard not to be when you're surrounded by live flowers, even if the shop is literally a hole in the wall. Here, though...
Well, it's not great for either of them.
"Haru," Ren utters, customer service smile fading into surprise when they spot her approaching. They relax into their more customary slouch and tuck their hands into their pockets. "Just started the other day. I saw a hiring ad in one of the pamphlets at Shibuya Station and I figured..." They shrug and lean in a little. "Getting some intel now might help us down the road later," they murmur.
They lean back. "But yeah, I'm on break now. Sort of. Technically." They roll their eyes. "My boss got offended that I wanted to go outside to take it, so he told me if I'm going outside, I have to bark and get customers in."
...So, yes. Haru's hope is sadly in vain.
"It's rough," they continue, "but it'll be worth it. And it's just a part-time job; it's not like I have to work here forever." A sentiment that might well get them threatened with a firing if their boss overhears, but fortunately, he's inside, and only Haru's close right now!
"What about you? What're you up to?" they wonder. "Everything at home okay...?" A little diplomacy of their own, there.
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Ren explains that getting some intel might be helpful for later. Haru gives a momentary frown. She can't disagree with that logic, but it does feel unfair for Ren to have to bear the brunt in getting intel about her own father's business. "Mmm... intel. If you're really okay with it, but also... don't feel like you have to. We already figured out the key words, didn't we?" Haru prompts. They could infiltrate at any time, really, but Haru still hasn't mustered up what it'll take to tour her father's distorted desires, and the Thieves have had other priorities.
"That's.. unfortunate." Haru frowns, about Ren's break hardly even being a break. "Well... if they want you to bring in customers during your break, I count as one myself, no?" Haru suggests, proud to skirt the 'rules'. "Therefore, they can hardly complain about you slacking off." She smiles. Not that she was actually going to buy anything, of course.
"You can always quit if it gets too bad, right?" Haru nods, hesitantly when Ren expresses it's only part-time and low commitment. It's unfortunate that the full time workers who's living depends on the poor wages they earn here don't have the same luxury.
"Oh, I was just doing some shopping... I could use some new clothes for the winter, and we needed to stock up on some garden supplies as well." Haru explains. "I'm just waiting for my ride home now." Speaking of home... Ren tactfully asks about how the situation there is, and Haru taps her cheek a little awkwardly. "It's been okay. Well... at least, there haven't been any new issues? I think I've been managing for now."
It's a bit of an understatement, but there's been positive factors in her life pushing against that stress. "I had so much fun partying at Leblanc last night. I'm so glad I was able to make it!" She brings up, as a more positive topic. "I'm not really... used to spending Halloween with so many friends. It was wonderful." She reminisces, and then abruptly pauses. "So far away from home, I'm sure you must have felt similarly, right?" She glances towards Ren. "I'm glad we could give you a birthday party to remember."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"We did, but sometimes there's obstacles inside that we need outside info for," Ren explains, keeping their voice low and leaving out any incriminating terms. This isn't a lie; it happened with Madarame's Palace, after all. Haru's frowning concern get her a smile in return, though. "Don't worry about it. I took the initiative on my own about this. One of those times where you see a chance and take it."
Technically, a customer isn't a customer until they buy something--but Ren could always claim Haru might've been a potential customer and they were just trying extra-hard to convince her since they know her from school. They flash her a grin back. "I was trying my hardest."
They nod once about quitting. This is a part-time position at a random restaurant branch, not a corporate position or even a factory position. "Oh yeah? You must be a regular at Rafflesia. I've got a part-time job there too." If she's waiting for her ride, though, she must've already gone. A look of concern crosses their features at Haru's lukewarm response about her home situation, but they can only nod. 'Managing' and 'no new issues' is better than nothing.
Their expression softens, and a smile returns, at the talk of the party. "Me too." She muses on their own feelings, and they nod. "When I moved here last April, I never thought I'd get to enjoy my birthday this year with such a big party. I'm glad we both got to be surrounded by friends." They grin. "The murder nun costume you had was super creepy. Where'd you get the idea?"
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"That's true. And although I have insight into Father's personal life... I have very little in the way his businesses are run." Haru considers Ren's point about needing outside info to progress through the Palace. "Considering his distorted desires, to change his heart, we may need both..." She frowns. "I understand. If it's not too forward to ask, if you learn anything that might be relevant to the Palace, could you let me know?" She considers. "I think it may be best to put our heads together for this."
"Ehehe. Exactly!" Haru giggles. "Your tone was pretty convincing." Convincing enough that one could believe that the ingredients really are from another planet.
Ren brings up Rafflesia, and Haru nods enthusiastically. "Yes! It's my go to. I'm a little surprised I never ran into you while you were on your shift..." It definitely would've been a more pleasant place to meet than here, she imagines. "Actually, Rafflesia is where I picked up the seeds for those yellow roses. It would've been pretty awkward if I went during your shift, wouldn't it?" She laughs.
Haru is really glad that Ren feels the same way, about having so many friends. "Mhm! Here's to keeping it that way for a long time to come~" Haru agrees. Even if Ren may one day return home after their probation, and Haru and Makoto will sooner graduate, she's hopeful that the connection they built through the Phantom Thieves will outlast that.
"I might've gotten the murder nun idea from some movie or another." Haru chimes, when Ren compliments her costume. "I really liked the contrast between a holy woman and something so grim as an axe murderer. I just hope I didn't scare anyone too much." She's not naming any names, Makoto. "You made a pretty convincing cat, too. I'm sure Mona-chan would've been happy to trade places with you~" He is, after all, NOT a cat!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Absolutely," Ren replies without hesitation, nodding once. Considering they're doing this for their own purposes, if they do learn anything Palace-relevant, they owe it to her to let her know.
Fortunately or unfortunately, so far, the only use they've gotten out of the job so far is having an official employee ID. That's been a huge use, though, so they're not complaining.
"For right now, though, it's just in case. The team isn't actively exploring it. Hopefully, this'll make getting through easier once we do, though," Ren continues. They've gotten pretty far, but they certainly haven't gotten all the way in--the factory by itself is huge.
Speaking of tone, some more people pass by. Ren takes a moment to put their customer service smile back on and invite them to eat in and enjoy "the fastest food in the universe!" When they ignore them, Ren is frankly grateful. Haru might appreciate the quick transformation between their usual stoic self and their customer service self...
"I've got a lot of part-time jobs, so it's not too surprising to me," they tell Haru, slipping their hands back in their pockets. "The ones I work the most right now are Triple Seven, because the employee discount is good, and Bar Crossroads, because it pays really well. And Leblanc, of course." Because they live there, though that goes without saying. Their eyes fly wide at what Haru says next, though. "You grew the roses, too? I never would've guessed!" They smile anew warmly. "I'm really honored. Good thing you preserved the surprise." Now they'll have to preserve those roses too.
Everyone in the team will move on sooner or later. That's just life. With modern technology, they can continue to stay in touch for a long time. Still smiling, Ren nods in firm agreement.
Ren also won't name any names (Makoto). "Ryuji seemed pretty freaked out by Tsubasa's evil clown costume, but I don't think the murder nun was too bad for him." They grin mischievously. "Maybe because it's not too different from how you normally are." In the Metaverse, at least! ...Ren doesn't know she has an axe in the real world too yet...
"Agreed," Ren says of Morgana. "A black cat might be bog standard, but with Morgana around, I had to." Their expression turns a little wistful. Haru's clearly joking, but... "I bet he wishes he could just take his cat form off like it's a costume," they murmur. "We'll help him get his human body back one day."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"Thank you... I really appreciate it." Haru nods, bowing her head down a little further than typical, fully unaware of Ren's deal with Akechi. ...Not that she's likely to disapprove about gathering more information about his connection to the Black Mask, either.
"Yes. I'd like to get through it... as quickly as we possibly can. I'm sure there will be things in there I definitely won't want to linger on." She admits, about infiltrating Okumura's palace. There's a brief pause as some customers walk by, and poor Ren puts on the salesperson act, to no avail. Haru tries her hardest not to giggle too much. "It's genuinely really impressive how you can switch your demeanour on the fly like that." She comments, as Ren goes back to their stoic, yet casual self. "Though I suppose that goes for all of us, right?"
"Bar Crossroads?" Haru looks at Ren with some curiosity. She's sheltered enough that she's not directly familiar enough to know that it's in the Red Light District, but a bar job on its own... "I'd imagine you must meet quite the characters there... stay safe, okay?" She really can't blame them if the pay is that good.
As for the roses... "Hehe. I tried to, at least.~" She nods, a little pleasantly surprised that Ren didn't notice her own amateurish handiwork. "It was the first time I felt confident to give my own flowers as a gift, and I put a lot of thought into their meaning, so I'm really glad you liked them." She clasps her hands together, smiling.
Haru Okumura says, "I thought the clown costume was really good, too!" Haru's eyes light up. "Everyone put a lot of thought into theirs." She tilts her head at Ren's comment about how Ryuji didn't seem too afraid of her. "Not that different? Hmmm..." That same scarily innocent smile as she had last night emerges on her face again. "How very kind of you to say that." The scariest part is that she actually means that.
"Yes. I'm sure he will... though I wonder what he would look like if he were a human?" For what it's worth, Haru really did believe it when Morgana said he was once a human. "I feel like it'd be quite strange if he weren't short and scrawny. Hehe." If Morgana is here to listen, that's his cue to get offended."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren nods gravely. Considering Tsubasa doesn't want to see their father's Palace at all, they can't blame Haru for wanting to get through her own father's tout-de-suite. If Ren's father happens to have a Palace, they're not sure how they'd feel about infiltrating it...
"Probably not. Alibaba proves you don't have to be a bad person to have one, but..." They shake their head. "They've all dealt with some really heavy stuff so far. I doubt your dad will be any exception."
Haru compliments their demeanor change. "Thanks," Ren tells Haru deadpan--and then wink with the slightest of smiles. "Working so many part-time jobs has made me really good at it, honestly. There's a certain demeanor people expect from customer service; all you have to do is imitate that. Pay attention to the workers at the next store you go to, and you'll notice it too."
They nod on the topic of Bar Crossroads. "Don't worry, I will," they promise. "The 'mama' there takes good care of me and looks out for me, so it's been fine so far."
Can one really tell professional vs. amateur when it comes to flowers? They bloomed prettily, and that's enough. "The first time, huh? I hope you'll get the chance to give plenty more going forward," Ren replies. "We've got a lot of friends to give gifts to now." They pause. "...We should probably ask when everyone's birthdays are. I don't think I know anyone's, now that I think of it." Another pause. "When's yours?"
It is scary that Haru's genuinely pleased. Ren grins all the same, because that's what's fun about her. "Not kindness, just the truth."
What does Morgana look like as a human? That's a good question. Ren ponders this for a moment, until Haru's suggestion makes them snort. "Now that's just cruel. ...I get what you mean, though," they reply. (Fortunately, Morgana is out and about right now; he'll return at the end of Ren's shift.) "But if he's anything like Zorro, maybe he's actually tall and buff." A Persona is one's other self, after all!
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"Right..." Haru nods slowly, when Ren acknowledges that every Palace thus far has dealt with heavy subject matter. "That's why I want to be prepared for when the time comes... so I can face the truth of who he really is." Still, she can't say it will be a simple task to face that truth. "Even dealing with my fiance's Shadow was... unpleasant, though in a way satisfying." She leaves it at that. "In any case, thank you for listening to me about this. I'm... grateful we can all support each other like this."
"It's almost like all the different Personas you can use," Haru says, jokingly - though there's probably some truth to that. "That makes sense, though. Customer service must be hard work..." Haru always tries to treat whoever's at the counter with the utmost grace, even if they don't fall under those customer service expectations.
"The first of many, I'd hope~" Haru agrees. "Everyone in our circle means a lot to me... so I'd love nothing more than to give even a small token of that appreciation." As for birthdays... "Yes! Maybe we can put together a big calendar with everyone's birthdays in it?" Haru pauses for a moment, as if she needed a second to recall her birthday. "Oh! Mine's December the 5th. That means it's coming sooner than later..." Her expression turns distant for a moment, before perking up again. "I'll be turning eighteen. It feels a little funny becoming an adult so fast..." She admits. Still, ever since she's developed hope that she can escape her arranged marriage, she hasn't felt quite so bad about it. "If it's coming that soon, I'll have to get my license soon, too!" She says, instead of reminiscing on that point.
"It's just hard to imagine Mona-chan as anything but 'cute', you know?" Haru adds, giggling. "I hadn't thought about that, though." The thought of a tall and buff Morgana is even funnier. "Maybe that does suit him, though." Morgana's first impression was one of a gallant hero, after all. Haru thinks of him that way still, even now.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Being emotionally prepared is important. Besides, there's no need to rush it--which is nice, considering previous Palaces. Ren nods back in sympathy. They don't push on the matter of her fiancé's Shadow, but they can just imagine. With a slight smile, they reply, "You're welcome. That's what friends are for."
It is like all of Ren's different Personas, for all Haru was joking. That's what a lowercase-p persona is: a mask that one wears to deal with a specific social situation. Ren themself just smiles, though. "It can be. Fortunately, most people are pretty nice." The people who aren't, though... hoo boy.
A calendar with everyone's birthdays on it... "That's a smart idea. That way everyone can put them in or not as they want." Maybe some of them don't like or want to celebrate their birthdays. Ren didn't share theirs with anyone but Makoto--and only because it became relevant--because it feels like demanding attention or presents, and that's uncomfortable to them.
Haru's birthday is coming up soon too--just a little over a month. Ren nods thoughtfully. "At least you've got a couple more years before you're legally an adult. I bet it feels like you're basically an adult once you graduate high school, though." And that is coming up in the spring. "I'm guessing you'll be going into college after that? Good luck on your college entrance exams, by the way." Those are also coming up.
"I'm certain it's how he hopes he looks, anyway," Ren says of Tall Buff Mona. "He probably looks pretty normal, like the rest of us, though. At least, when he's in cat form, he looks normal for a cat." Except for those vividly blue eyes... Those, Ren suspects, might stay the same no matter what.
An alarm goes off on their smartphone then, and Ren pulls it out of their pocket. "That's the end of my 'break.' I'd better get back to it," they say as they turn it off. They crook a smile at Haru. "It was nice seeing you, Haru. Talk to you later."
Once they've finished exchanging good-byes, they'll hurry back inside before their manager blows his top at them for being twenty seconds late or something equally exhausting.