2026-05-29: Ulala's Day of Joker: Team Whoop-ass
- Log: Ulala's Day of Joker: Team Whoop-ass
- Cast: Maki Sonomura, Maya Amano, Tamaki Uchida, Katsuya Suou, Eriko Kirishima
- Where: Hirasaka - Main
- OOC Date: May 29, 2026
- IC Date: November 16, 2012
- Summary: Ulala's friends and allies discover that all is not well at GOLD Gym and seek to find the person that she's going to kill before she does it. Alas, in practice, it's not that easy, is it...?
MONAD: A party led by Maki Sonomura has begun the event Ulala's Day of Joker: Find the Con Artist!.
(|=========== Monad - Ulala's Day of Joker: Find the Con Artist! ===========|)
-==== Round 1: Time of Joka - Challenge Level 3 =============================-
| Approach Options: Academics or Understanding |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Hard - Understanding Down L1, and |
| Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
There's a crisis going on at the GOLD Gym. One Ulala Serizawa, who
frequently makes use of the punching bags at the establishment has locked
herself into a room, and barricaded the door.
"Hurry..." Her voice rasps behind the door. "It's my time of Joka... before
I change... before... heehee- I need... I NEED-! HATE YOU- HATE YOU SO
MUCH!"
She doesn't answer to anyone who tries to reason with her to let her inside,
only demanding again and again, the one she hates the most. The employees
are standing around, discussing to themselves in hushed tones.
"She must have used the Joker Curse on Makimura-san."
"That scammer? Poor girl- she's definitely the type he targets."
Makimura. Even if you haven't met him, not only does it sound familiar. It
sounds correct. Yes, Ulala Serizawa must hate him for what he's done.
It doesn't take much to get a little more information. 'Youichi Makimura' -
a young man who's popular with the ladies, but only dates them to scam them
out of their money after a fake marriage proposal.
What's more difficult is trying to get more information out of them.
"Uh. We can't really give that out to our customers... even for a guy like
him. It's a violation of their privacy, you know?
That's a bit of a problem. Either you can be understanding of their position
and try to get /some/ details out of them, or you can figure out another way
to locate the guy.
OOC Note: The Party with Maya Amano in it instead gets a similar phone call
from Ulala, rather than starting at the gym. They already understand
Makimura is a hated figure in her life, and either need to deduce where he
is based on their understanding of him, or based on whatever facts they can
gather.
Deja Vu Note: Any instance of colored text is an opportunity for a Deja Vu
insight, if you feel your character was a part of the Innocent Sin events.
This is entirely opt in, and doesn't preclude you from deciding differently
later.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
Maki, a friend of Eriko's and Tamaki's, happened to be around when Maya got the call. And that call was highly disturbing indeed. "The Joker Curse," Maki repeats then. "...We have to help her." She's not Ulala's close friend, but she's met her more than once--she's as intent as any.
...Not least because saving Ulala is the clue to learning what's going on.
"So it was this man, Youichi Makimura, who she must have called about," Maki reasons, having gotten some information. "If he's still at work..."
"Then he must be somewhere he can hit on vulnerable women. Not a school or a workplace--maybe... a club? Or some other place people can meet?"
If she'd met him before she might have an easier time, but...
"Either way, we need to be calm and direct about this. We can't help her if we lose our heads. Just breathe--and stay positive, right Amano-san?"
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Counseling toward Time of Joka! Escape and Empathy!
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Maya nods with her typical Maya enthusiasm. "Right!" she agrees, pushing back the worry and concern she feels for her roommate in that moment.
Maya thinks.
Hard.
She strokes the back of her ear, straining to remember anything she can about Youichi Makimura. She had never even heard Ulala mention the name. If she were having a problem with him, surely she'd have told her, right?
Maya thinks back to an article she read a few days from another Kismet Publishing magazine -- this one aimed at women.
Y"'Hotspots for Women Wanting to Meet Men'," she says, remembering the article name. "The park." She counts off one finger. "Shopping." Another finger. "Karaoke." Another finger. "The gym." Another finger. "Work." Sure, Maki thought it wouldn't be a workplace, but the place Ulala worked at seemed to attract skeevy older guys, so it definitely needed to be on the list!
"The club." Maya has to start a new hand there. Were there any others? Maya can't remember. "Does anyone have any other ideas?"
MONAD: Maya Amano has acted with Advice toward Time of Joka! Patra and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
'The Joker never dies.'
When Maya gets the call, Tamaki's face wordlessly turns in Katsuya's direction. She knows that Ulala had a poor opinion of herself. She knows that Ulala thought that she would work best as 'bait' for a plan to take the Joker Killer by surprise. She knows the rumor that people who had used the Joker Curse before now turn into Jokers themselves.
She knows all these things separately. She would have never guessed that Ulala had called the Joker Killer at all.
As Maki and Maya contribute their thoughts, Tamaki murmurs to Katsuya, "Thanks for talking her out of the plan earlier."
More brightly, she nods in Maya's direction, recognizing the article name from her time filling out sweepstakes submissions. "Good thinking, Amano-san! Do you know of any spots that are especially popular with women lately?"
Tamaki presses her lips together in a frown and contemplates where they might find the swindler. "I think you're on the right track, Sonomura-san. Serizawa-san was a bit of a barfly herself, I remember talking to her about our favorite drinks."
There are several words just on the tip of her tongue but which elude her memory and conscious thoughts. She furrows her brow in deeper concentration ... and comes up with nothing.
So she pivots and snaps her fingers. "Let's turn it around, though, and think from the perspective of our would-be target. He's not searching for dates, he's searching for marks. What location attracts people who would be more likely to fall for his scams?"
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Piece Together toward Time of Joka! Automap!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
"It's no use... she's barricaded the door," Katsuya surmises, shaking his head after returning from his most recent attempt to call out to Ulala. "That rumor... so it's really happening? But, if that's the case, then she must have..."
"Called Joker, right?" says Baofu, leaning against the wall. Minutely, his head turns towards Katsuya. "Guess even that idiot had someone she wanted dead." He shrugs as if unbothered, his attention turning towards Maya, Maki, and Tamaki as they ponder their next steps. "Question is, who's the victim? There's been no shortage of dead bodies lately... right?" His gaze lances towards Katsuya, whose expression grows dark. Katsuya turns away from the enigmatic man then without another look.
He shakes his head as he approaches Tamaki. "Yes, but I wonder... was it before? Or..." he murmurs, furrowing his forehead.
Maya, though, has an idea.
"Her... ex-boyfriend? Who did... what?" In some mild shock, he blinks. "And... he is a con artist?! Swindling a poor woman out of her money like that... that's against the law." Troubled, he looks among the others here.
But where, oh, where, would such a man be found?
"If I were a criminal, or a ne'er-do-well..." He considers their options thoughtfully.
"Such a person... wouldn't they be found at a 'sketchy' location? Such as a bar?"
Against the wall, Baofu makes a sound that might be a barely-stifled laugh.
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with What is Justice? toward Time of Joka! Patra and Empathy!
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
It's often best not to overthink the circumstances that lead to one finding these things out- Eriko has already been investigating the connection between Joker, JOKER and Joka, and she just happened to be in the right place at the right time and now we're all gathered together, trying to hunt down something.
Still, Eriko looks more than a little concerned about this Makimura's presence. "...what a disgusting sounding man," Eriko adds, an unusual venom to her voice. "Preying on Miss Serizawa's desires like that..."
...Unfortunately, when it comes to 'places to meet men', Eriko's... drawing a total blank. This really isn't her realm of expertise in the slightest- meeting men hasn't been part of her agenda ever, really. So she'll leave the detecting to the detectives on this one.
"...We'll find him before Miss Serizawa does, Miss Maya. We can stop her doing something she'd regret."
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Soothe toward Time of Joka! Patra and Efficient!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Time of Joka - Round 1 ================================================- Tamaki Uchida Academics Success Piece Together Automap Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maki Sonomura Understanding Success Counseling Escape and Empathy Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eriko Kirishima Understanding Failure Soothe Patra and Efficient Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maya Amano Understanding Success Advice Patra and Efficient Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Katsuya Suou Understanding Success What is Justice? Patra and Empathy Fatigue: 0 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-2, Hard-2, and Mindnumbing-2 Final Conditions: -================================================= Party Result: Failure ====- -==== Reach: 0/6 | | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has drawn a new Challenge!
(|=========== Monad - Ulala's Day of Joker: Find the Con Artist! ===========|)
-==== Round 2: Hey Baby, my Spirit Animals are African Big Cats Because I'm 'Lion' to You Right Now. - Challenge Level
3 -
| Approach Options: Guts or Charm |
| Conditions: Bothersome - Charm Down L1, Box - Add 1 Item/Money/Gear., |
| Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2, and Scary - Guts Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
It might take a long time, or not very long at all, but you're led to the
Parabellum, the Bar/Weapon's shop where there's a man and woman at the bar.
That's him. Somehow you know immediately.
Portrait of a Terrible Man:
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/a/a6/Persona_2_IS_Maki
mura.png/revision/latest?cb=20140514131225
The man has frosted hair and a winning smile that lets him skate through
life on easy street, as he chats with the lady that looks only a few years
shy of forty.
"About the thing I asked about earlier... Were you able to collect enough?"
The Office Lady he's with downs a drink, as if to give her courage, before
turning to give him a hopeful look, "Yeah, I managed the three million you
asked for... I can count on you right?"
He rotates his drink in a slow circle, "Of course... with that I can keep my
research going. I'm guaranteed to become the Vice-President of the Academy
when it succeeds. And just think, you'll be the wife of the Vice-President."
She looks like she's still hesitating, at least until he adds, "I love you
so much..." And her expression melts, "I love you too... Maki-chan. I can't
wait to be your bride."
He's trying to scam his next victim! You can't let this stand right? You
have to interrupt this, but you also have to figure out a way to keep him
from getting so upset he doesn't cooperate- or worse yet, runs off.
Maybe the best way is to convince him that Ulala is going to kill him, and
you're here to help? But- it may be a tough sell.
How do you get him back to the GOLD Gym?
Luckily, fate is on your side, because Youichi Makimura is a consummate
coward, and knows just how scary Ulala can be when she's pissed.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
"Oh!" Maki answers Maya. "So, they do meet at workplaces...?" A beat, "My workplace is the kind where you really can't meet guys... ethically," she says with a smile. "But all those sound promising..."
And Tamaki considers... a drinking place? "Hmmm, yeah. A bar might be right."
Maki lifts an eyebrow at Baofu calling her an idiot, but doesn't say anything for now. Instead, she considers; a lot of bodies... that's true.
"Unfortunately," Maki says, "It's pretty common, illegal or not."
"I think that's right though, Suou-san. Not only is a bar a good place to meet women, but it's a good place to meet women who are drinking--and thus, less likely to have all their defenses up."
"Mm-hm," she agrees with Eriko about him being disgusting. But, for some reason, Maki doesn't even look at Eriko at the question of meeting men. It's like she already knows...
"That's the priority," Maki says. "We have to protect Serizawa-san--from herself, too."
They go the bar! Maki walks in, looking around, and suddenly--
"That's him," she realizes immediately, despite having never seen him before. Is that weird? It might be weird.
"...And he's got a woman with him."
Maki listens at a distance at first--until she looks to the others. "...Well, we're not getting any younger!"
As Makimura talks to the Office Lady he's with, talking about how he'll be Vice President... Maki walks right on up. "Don't mind me," she says. "I'm the other Maki-chan!"
She beams. ...She's going somewhere with this, probably, by the way she hooks her ankle just right such that if he tries to run he'll get tripped if he isn't careful.
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Jokes toward Hey Baby, my Spirit Animals are African Big Cats Because I'm 'Lion' to You Right Now.! Find and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
The ends of Maya's lips curve into a slight frown at the sight of the man. It's a face she _knows_ she's seen before, but she can't quite connect it to a memory. But like Maki, Maya knows instantly: it's him.
And just like it took her a half-second longer for Maya to make that realization, it takes her a half-second for her to step in line with Maki.
"And I'm Maki-chan's friend," Maya says, hanging an arm over Maki's shoulder. "Maya Amano. Maybe you've heard of me? I'm Ulala Serizawa's roommate."
Maya flashes him an unsettling smile. :)
MONAD: Maya Amano has acted with Interview Talk toward Hey Baby, my Spirit Animals are African Big Cats Because I'm 'Lion' to You Right Now.! Friendliness and Smarts!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
While Tamaki was firing blanks earlier when it came to remembering the specifics of the drinks they had talked about, now her eyes open wide and she points at ... Eriko, of all people. No, not for the drinks, but because of another trait of the bar in question.
Then she realizes that Katsuya is within earshot before she asks if Eriko received her order from Parabellum yet. She turns back to Katsuya and explains while she's holding up a finger, "Serizawa-san mentioned that her favorite drink was from Parabellum's menu, the 'Angel Trigger.' She said it makes her feel light on her feet." With a whisper, she adds, "(Mine's the Tilt Trigger, personally.)"
Meanwhile, at Parabellum:
While she doesn't recognize the man's face as easily as the other two have seemed to (isn't there some more legwork they should be doing?), she follows their lead. plants a hand on the counter. Firmly, she states, "Makimura-san, is it? I'm with a private detective agency. We're doing you a favor. Either you come with us and things get resolved as peacefully as they can, or you can deal with Serizawa-san on your own."
Tamaki inspects her nails and sighs. "I know what I'd do in your shoes."
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Never Burn Out toward Hey Baby, my Spirit Animals are African Big Cats Because I'm 'Lion' to You Right Now.! Escape and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
In that one moment, he looks baffled as Tamaki points at Eriko. It's only when she explains, soon after he suggests a bar might be a good place to look for a man like that, where Tamaki remembers a favorite drink of Ulala's.
"I... see," he says.
He's silent, for his part. "If you ask me, it seems... somewhat inappropriate to name drinks after firearms," he remarks.
tIn the background Baofu shrugs as if to say, 'get a load of this guy'.
AT PARABELLUM
"Amano-kun... is that him?" he whispers, once they arrive on the scene. Has he seen this man before? In the moment... he's just not sure.
What he does know is that he can tell at a glance that this man is his utter opposite. There's something about this man that sets him on edge. There's something about this man that seems absolutely...
He glances at Baofu. Baofu turns his head towards him.
The two of them don't get along, and are prone to arguing. But in this moment, they're apparently of one mind.
"Excuse me, would you happen to be Youichi Makimura?" He flashes his badge. "We are looking for him, you see," and he glances at Baofu as if to suggest that he is his partner. "Uchida-kun and the others are cooperating with this case."
"Some broad called the Joker on him... poor bastard," Baofu says, shrugging and shaking his head. "If he ain't here, we're shit outta luck..."
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with You're Under Arrest! toward Hey Baby, my Spirit Animals are African Big Cats Because I'm 'Lion' to You Right Now.! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
When Tamaki puts two and two together, and explains to Katsuya the concept, it sparks an idea in Eriko. "...Aha. Well. We can kill two birds with one stone then, can't we?"
Tamaki does not know what she has wrought.
"Is it?" Eriko asks, a little oddly toward Katsuya. "I don't really care for alcohol, but even one of the most basic drinks were called shots back in America." ...look, of course Eriko was around underage drinking- how do you think she found out she dislikes it so much?
----
"...Maki-chan?" Eriko asks her friend (not the other, evil Maki-chan currently scamming a woman), who seems to be able to detect Makimura upon entering the room. Fortunately(?) it seems Maki is right on the money with who Makimura is given his whole 'being subtle as a brick' routine.
One woman approaching ominously is one thing, two is coincidence, three is enemy action. What's four plus a cop? (Eriko is assuming Baofu will just be sniping from the sidelines as he likes to do.)
Eriko, meanwhile, strides up to the bar casually, a cheery smile on her face. "Good evening, Master! Has my order arrived yet?" She is... dangerously unsubtle- nay, she is weaponizing her lack of subtlety, leaning into her foreign looks and dropping perfect English into her speech.
"Ah, of course. It's a pleasure to receive an order from a connoisseur." He moves to the back, and Eriko turns and smiles sweetly towards Makimura. Gives him a little wave, while her friends (and Baofu) approach.
A few moments later, the master comes back, a black weapons case being slung across the bar. Eriko, without the slightest compunction she is doing this in front of Katsuya, an officer of the law, opens it, and looks it over with a smile. "I hope you don't mind if I make sure everything fits together- it's been so long and I wouldn't want Grandpa to know I'm out of practice."
It's at that point Eriko, with a little too eager smile, starts removing the field stripped 'modern hunting rifle'. She's a little out of practice- it's been three years since she's had to maintain a rifle and at some point they were less real guns and more magical facsimiles resembling weapons shooting impossible bullets.
Occasionally, in the ninety seconds or so it takes her to assemble the weapon, Eriko looks at Makimura and smiles again.
She doesn't load it, of course, and her finger never touches the trigger, but she is making sure the stock fits perfectly as per her request. "...Yes, I think this will do quite nicely," Eriko says, before field stripping the rifle again and putting the parts back into it's case. "I'll take the ammunition too. Who knows what sort of scum a girl could run into on the way home..."
"As you wish."
There's a long, worrying pause at that point, as Eriko does take the magazines and clips, placing them in the top half of her gun case.
She looks to Makimura again. She smiles again, showing teeth.
She gives him a little wave.
"...I do so hope you won't make any poor decisions right now, Mr Makimura. I'd hate to 'run into' because you decided to ignore my friends very helpful advice."
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Horrify toward Hey Baby, my Spirit Animals are African Big Cats Because I'm 'Lion' to You Right Now.! Specialty!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Hey Baby, my Spirit Animals are African Big Cats Because I'm 'Lion' to You Right Now. - Round 2 - Tamaki Uchida Guts Failure Never Burn Out Escape and Efficient Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maki Sonomura Guts Failure Jokes Find and Patra Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eriko Kirishima Guts Success Horrify Specialty Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maya Amano Charm Success Interview Talk Friendliness and Smarts Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Katsuya Suou Guts Success You're Under Arrest! Specialty Fatigue: 0 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Bothersome-2, Box-0, Mindnumbing-2, and Scary-2 Final Conditions: Mindnumbing-1 and Scary-1 -================================================= Party Result: Failure ====- -==== Reach: 0/6 | | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 1, Money: 1, Gear: 0 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
"I think it's creative!" Maki opines cheerfully of the drinks' names. "If you can't be a little inappropriate serving drinks, the vibe won't work." But shots, well, "Drinking culture's big in university in the States, isn't it?" Maki wonders. But soon...
Maki-chan's friend! And a private detective. And the duo of Katsuya and Baofu.
And a womnan ordering a gun!?
"T-the police!?" the older woman exclaims. "The Joker?? A /private detective agency? And who's this Serizawa!?"
"No no, I, ah--"
"I'm obviously in the way here," she says, eyeing Eriko and her gun, and books it right away. Scam successfully foiled!! ...Possibly for good, considering how spooked and embarrassed she is about all this.
Maki stifles a laugh, because that poor woman. ...But all the same, she gives Eriko a grin.
"Elly-chan..."
Then a beat, "So, Makimura-san. You really should come with us--you don't want her to find you when you're on you're own."
"What's with you guys!?" Makimura counters at that. "W-wait, Serizawa? And you're... her roommate?" she asks. "I uh, I don't want any trouble with the police..."
He starts to back away. Surely, they can catch him!
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has drawn a new Challenge!
(|=========== Monad - Ulala's Day of Joker: Find the Con Artist! ===========|)
-==== Round 3: You Can't Order Me not to Use the Bathroom! - Challenge Level 4 -
| Approach Options: Academics or Proficiency |
| Conditions: Ineptitude - Proficiency Down L2, Mindnumbing - Academics Down |
| L2, Reaper - Add 1 Fatigue., Scary - Guts Down L1, and Stupor - Academics |
| Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
One way or another, Makimura is in your protective custody. And he's
quickly getting on everyone's nerves by trying to chat up the guys to
convince them he's the real victim here, whereas he's trying to outright
flirt with the girls despite the situation he's in.
When you try to take him outside though.
"Ah man- nature calls! I'm not going to run away, promise. Just hold on for
a minute then I'll come with you."
Escorting him to the only tiny restroom at the bar, you wait. And wait. And
wait. Until finally someone checks and-
Yep, that window to the alley sure is open. So much for his promises.
Quick! You've gotta figure out where he went! A puddle in the back alley
gives you the advantage of a few tracks to figure out what direction he
went, or you can ask some intelligent questions of passersby about this very
distinct looking man.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
At Eriko, Katsuya just looks somewhat flustered. "W-well, that's true, but... that still..." He pauses, eyeing Eriko as something occurs to him. "Wait, when were you...? Isn't the drinking age in America twenty-one?"
Where have they been keeping a guy like him?
But in Parabellum proper, he's able to link arms with Baofu (metaphorically. metaphorically!) and help to try to drive that woman away from Makimura while also cornering the man (while also giving Eriko what passes for a somewhat alarmed glance; he can't say anything because he's also bought weapons and ammunitions here, but even so, perhaps his thoughts on the matter can be heard!). The thing is, though.
The thing is... Makimura is going to slip away unless someone does something.
"Hold it right there--!"
Katsuya's not fast enough.
"Where do you think you're going?" says Baofu who is fast enough to get the man in a hold he can't so easily slip. Makimura struggles in vain. "This is-- assault! Hey, aren't you a cop??!
Katsuya approaches the manhandled Makimura and folds his arms over his chest. He looks the man up and down. "...Makimura-san. I must remind you that your life is in danger right now. If you run, then we cannot protect you. Moreover, there was the matter of that story you were telling that woman just now..."
"L, look, about that... let me explain!"
Makimura pauses. "I just gotta... let me use the can first! I'm not going anywhere, I promise! I'll be right back!"
Baofu doesn't budge. Makimura struggles in seeming desperation.
"Let him go," Katsuya urges. "We'll be right here waiting for him."
And so they wait.
And wait...
...and wait.
"...Excuse me," Katsuya finally says, heading into the men's room. When he returns, minutes later, it's without Makimura.
"There was an open window..." he explains, shoulders sagging.
"Tch," says Baofu, shaking his head. "I could have told you..."
But there's no time for bickering. Surely, somewhere, there's a clue!
Outside the bar, Katsuya takes stock of a puddle with footprints leading from it. "Fortunately, it rained recently. Those must be his footprints." He rises to his feet, marking the runaway conartist's flight. "He can't have gotten far. He must have run somewhere he knows well if he's trying to escape."
It's Makimura's criminal mind. That must be it.
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with Academics toward You Can't Order Me not to Use the Bathroom!! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
"Follow those footprints!" Maya declares, flinging a single finger out at the ground and the prominent water-printed footprints. Despite how serious the situation is, Maya has managed to maintain her energy -- and her cheery attitude.
Let's Think Positive!
"We don't have long before these footprints disappear!" The soles of his shoes won't stay wet for long. "So let's move fast!"
And Maya does exactly that, jogging the same path as their target.
MONAD: Maya Amano has acted with Academics toward You Can't Order Me not to Use the Bathroom!! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
She really doesn't, Eriko. When she brings out the rifle to inspect it, Tamaki goes wide-eyed and takes a step away, very much glad that they're friends and that she's not in Makimura's position here.
In hindsight, Tamaki's other plan might have worked better to lure him in, but the thought of acting as if she was one of his potential marks makes her skin crawl. At least they got him in the end.
Tamaki, all too sympathetic towards someone who has to attend to their physical needs, takes the bait, hook, line, and sinker. Then waits. And waits. And waits. A sinking feeling starts to form in the pit of her stomach.
After Katsuya relays the bad news, she slaps her forehead. "Dammit. I know where the women's bathroom window goes to, but he's got the jump on us again, I think."
While Katsuya and Maya follow the footprints, Tamaki decides to take a different approach in parallel. "This is Aoba; I know a few people around here. I'm going to do the rounds and see if they've recently seen a blonde man with a bad hair dye job."
And so she goes, chatting up the locals like the familiar sight that she is in these parts. "Excuse me, sir, did someone run by here ..?"
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Piece Together toward You Can't Order Me not to Use the Bathroom!! Automap!
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Eriko does seem a little surprised by Katsuya and Tamaki's alarmed looks that she's so casual about this, but you know, she can't stop her whole intimidation bit early! It would undermine the whole thing! Still, when they're escorting, Eriko asides- "It's not that bad, really, it's just a hunting rifle. My 'Grandpa' taught me to use these things when I was growing up, and I've applied for my hunting license so I have an excuse. Besides, it's not like a little extra firepower for dealing with demons hurts, does it?"
Did Eriko acquire the taste for blood at such at young age...?
"No one should go off on their own, but maybe we should pair up? Mr Katsuya and Maya can go that way, Maki-chan, you can go with Tamaki and help her out?"
There's a long pause. ...Crap.
"And I suppose that Mr Baofu and I can hunt for Makimura together," Eriko adds, her voice clearly losing enthusiasm already. It's not her fault he's an asshole.
...On the other hand, he's also the one least likely to oppose Eriko's style of threat.
"...Shall we, Mr Baofu?" Eriko says, a little cautiously. Katsuya and Maya trust him enough... "If you would lead the way? This sort of people finding isn't my forte, and I think going to the Izakaya to put in a request is far, far too slow."
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
Baofu is pretty fast. Maki considers him for a moment. Assault?
"I don't think you should be worrying too hard about what other people are doing," she points out.
She maintains her good cheer, too. For now. Perhaps most mysteriously of all, she's not at all troubled by Eriko's gun-handling skills. "You need all you can get with demons," Maki agrees.
An open window... "Well," Maki says, "Nothing for it but to get after him!" Pause. "...have you been through that window before?" Maki wonders of Tamaki.
"Sure!" Maki chirps to Eriko when she asks her to help Tamaki. Tamaki has a different idea than just chasing--and Maki says, "One sec." Scribbling off an absurdly good sketch for the brief time it takes her to do it, Maki hands an image of Makimura to Tamaki. "This should jog their memory if they've seen his face," she suggests. ...She likewise doesn't go running after the footprints.
She believes in Eriko!! ...Besides, ERiko did just do the whole gun thing...
Don't search Maki's purse.
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Art Talk toward You Can't Order Me not to Use the Bathroom!! Automap! MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Proficiency toward You Can't Order Me not to Use the Bathroom!! Base!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== You Can't Order Me not to Use the Bathroom! - Round 3 =================- Tamaki Uchida Academics Success Piece Together Automap Fatigue: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maki Sonomura Academics Failure Art Talk Automap Fatigue: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eriko Kirishima Proficiency Failure Proficiency Base Fatigue: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maya Amano Academics Failure Academics Base Fatigue: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Katsuya Suou Academics Failure Academics Base Fatigue: 2 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Ineptitude-2, Mindnumbing-1, Reaper-0, Scary-1, and Stupor-2 Final Conditions: Ineptitude-1 and Stupor-1 -================================================= Party Result: Failure ====- -==== Reach: 0/6 | | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 1, Money: 1, Gear: 0 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
"I, I see..." says Katsuya, giving the impression of gentle bewilderment. It certainly is different in America, isn't it.
Collectively, six adults attempt to figure out which direction in which a fugitive from justice (or, well, just Ulala's wrath) has fled.
It, uh.
It doesn't go particularly well.
The trail that Maya follows soon goes cold: it leads into the street where the transitory tread vanishes into thin air (literally, due to evaporation). Katsuya, similarly, tries to think about where Makimura might have fled, only to realize after some cogitation that,
[EMPATHY] Formidable - Failure: Who knows what darkness lurks in the hearts of men? Not you, for starters. Sorry, Suou-kun. Try as you might, you just can't get into the mind of a criminal like that.
Baofu looks Eriko over. "Suits me..." he says with a shrug, digging out a cigarette and lighting it. "A guy like that... If it were me, I'd hide in plain sight before getting the hell out of here. Tch... and we're right in the middle of Aoba's crowds," he says. He takes a long drag of his cigarette. "Shouldn't have let him go off on his own..."
It's a good guess, but does that get them anywhere?
It's Tamaki who finds success, ultimately, aided by Maki's sketch and her own description.
"That guy? Yeah, I saw 'im. Went running that way," an older man says, pointing helpfully in a particular direction. It's a start!
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has drawn a new Challenge!
(|=========== Monad - Ulala's Day of Joker: Find the Con Artist! ===========|)
-==== Round 4: Your TAN is Not Our PRIORITY here! - Challenge Level 4 =======-
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Charm |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, |
| Ineptitude - Proficiency Down L2, and Stupor - Academics Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
Whether it takes a short amount of time, or much longer, you figure out
that he went to the BIKINI LINE? He went to a tanning salon at a time like
this?
A man in a Hawaiian Shirt with a Ganguro vibe greets you. "Hey, welcome to
Bikini Line. Can I interest you in our healing rays package? It's like, the
power of the sun packed into one of our state of the art machines- whoaaaa."
Now, he's unlikely to let you back to harass one of his customers, but the
door doesn't look locked. A proper distraction might be enough to get you
back there to look for Makimura.
Or you COULD express interest in a tour that'll get you back there to search
for him.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
" -- perfect, Sonomura-san. That'll help jog memories, for sure." It isn't too long before enough inquiries lead them all to the Bikini Line tanning salon. It stands to reason; his hairstyle makes him stand out, but if he can hide in a tanning bed just long enough to lose the heat, well ... she thinks it's a halfway decent move.
Inside the store, the proprietor asks them, "Hey, welcome to Bikini Line. Can I interest you in our healing rays package? It's like, the power of the sun packed into one of our state of the art machines, whoaaaa."
Tamaki's interest in the 'healing rays' package is, honestly, genuine. Part of it is out of professional curiosity, since she may have heard a rumor or two to that effect. Part of it is that she might like to try a different look sometime. It's enough to make her briefly forget that she's trying to track someone down.
So she gives the store owner her brightest smile and chirps back, "Certainly! How does it all work, if you can say? What makes it 'state of the art'? Can I see?"
It's here that she glances to her side and remembers that the others are here with her ... and that they're trying to track down Makimura. "Mmmaybe you could show us the beds and give us a bit of a tour? I'm convinced, but I know some of my friends may need a bit of persuasion." She glances back to Baofu with that last remark, then flashes a smile back to the shopkeeper.
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Demon Friends toward Your TAN is Not Our PRIORITY here!! Friendliness and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Thank god for Tamaki.
Maya nods vigorously in agreement. "I'm Maya Amano with Coolest Magazine, Japan's hottest magazine for teens!" That's not just Maya tooting her own horn -- it's the truth. "I'm sure there are plenty of readers that could use your healing rays, but I'd have to learn more about it before I can commit to an article!"
She goes through her pockets and retrieves a business card, just so he knows She's the Real Thing.
"I think a tour would be really helpful. I have a few questions you could answer for me, too!"
MONAD: Maya Amano has acted with Interview Talk toward Your TAN is Not Our PRIORITY here!! Friendliness and Smarts!
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
"Do you have a lot of experience ditching women, Mr Baofu?" Eriko asks, in a tone that sounds perfectly innocent and a manner that is not that at all, but you have to be really careful to prove it and not look like an ass. She also frowns at Baofu smoking, but that's harder to complain against in Japan without seeming like a scold. Even if most people dislike outdoor smoking. "Still, we can complain about him as much as we want when we have him in our clutches again.
Unfortunately, Baofu and Eriko find... bupkis! Zilch! Nada!
But Tamaki finds a tanning salon- surprisingly near Eriko's apartment in Yumezaki- that seems to indicate where Makimura ran off to. Eriko... doesn't seem pleased by the idea.
"Birds of a feather," she murmurs, in English, upon taking approximately one look at Bro. "He's certainly overdoing it..."
...She is even more uncomfortable with the way Tamaki and Maya approach everyone's most hated enemy, Bro of BIKINI LINE.
...especially since, even with the rumours, she's not getting into an indoor tanning machine. With the amount of work SHE puts into skin care? Are you kidding? But she sighs.
So, Eriko, flutters her eye lashes and walks up with that fashion model strut to join Tamaki and Maya at the counter. "Please, mister?" She asks in English simple enough to hopefully be understood, amping up the 'American tourist' vibe. "We'd love a tour!" She gives him a wide smile.
It looks... agonizingly fake, to those who know Eriko.
If Bro is the sort to care enough about women's interiority to recognize that, though, she'll eat her own hat.
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Fashion Show toward Your TAN is Not Our PRIORITY here!! Friendliness and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
America...
"Sure!" Maki answers warmly. "A visual aid goes a long way."
Well, they find a lead! Maki still doesn't run, but she does hustle with the others. She arrives at Bikini Line with the others and...
Looks a little nervous. "Wait, he's... here?" she asks, and glances around. She looks at a nice picture of an open tanning bed with a person next to it and frowns.
Maki has some amount of experience with machines you get put into and can't see out of for a while. ...It's definitely not remotely the same thing, but...
"Aah, you guys should take the tour," she says quickly. "I'll... stay out here! So I can tell anybody else who comes you'll be right back."
She seems satisfied with that one, even if she still looks a little 'off'.
She manages not to ruin Eriko's fake smile by pointing anything about it out, though. No hat eating probably necessary...
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Charm toward Your TAN is Not Our PRIORITY here!! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Tamaki's trail leads them to--
A tanning salon?
"Why in the world would he come here? Surely he can't be thinking..." Katsuya wonders aloud, only to frown. "Wait. Is he trying to hide in here while we look elsewhere?"
"Seems that way..." says Baofu, barely giving Katsuya more than a glance as he moves to shove the door open.
"I'd rather try to see if we can talk our way in," Katsuya whispers to the others, an eye on Baofu, "With Makimura it was one thing, but here... " He shakes his head and frowns. "No, we need to be sure he's here in the first place."
He approaches Tamaki and Eriko, as if to follow up on their requests. "Excuse me, if you are willing to grant tours of the facility, I would also be interested. It's said that the key to a sound mind is a sound body, and if what you say about the machinery here is true... perhaps this could be a good first step for those of us in need of support."
He glances at Maki, though, as she opts to not... try to convince the clerk here for a tour?
How odd.
But at least it's probably for the best, just in case their lead was incorrect...
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with Rehabilitate toward Your TAN is Not Our PRIORITY here!! Friendliness and Diligence!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Your TAN is Not Our PRIORITY here! - Round 4 ==========================- Tamaki Uchida Charm Failure Demon Friends Friendliness and Patra Fatigue: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maki Sonomura Charm Failure Charm Base Fatigue: 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eriko Kirishima Charm Success Fashion Show Friendliness and Focus Fatigue: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maya Amano Charm Failure Interview Talk Friendliness and Smarts Fatigue: 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Katsuya Suou Charm Failure Rehabilitate Friendliness and Diligence Fatigue: 3 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-2, Clumsy-2, Ineptitude-1, and Stupor-1 Final Conditions: Annoying-1 -================================================= Party Result: Failure ====- -==== Reach: 0/6 | | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 1, Money: 1, Gear: 0 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has drawn a new Challenge!
(|=========== Monad - Ulala's Day of Joker: Find the Con Artist! ===========|)
-==== Round 5: Panty Raids!? In MY Gym? - Challenge Level 4 =================-
| Approach Options: Guts or Understanding |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Boss - Add 1 Fatigue on failure., |
| Chest - Add 2 Item/Money/Gear., Scary - Guts Down L1, and Stony - |
| Understanding Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
You finally got this fraudster back to the GOLD Gym. But there's one
problem. No matter what you say to Ulala behind the door, all you hear is
laughing! This is getting really bad.
The employees mention that there's a key to the room, but they don't have
it. They think one of the female employees had it last, but she's not on
today.
To the woman's locker room you go! There's only one problem.
There's currently a panty thief digging through her locker, holding up a
pair of her unmentionables in absentia.
As he sees himself caught, he has a deer in the headlights look in his eyes,
before sputtering out. "H-Hey it's not what it looks like."
It's exactly what it looks like. The key might still be in the locker, but
do you really want to take the chance that a guy who breaks into private
places wouldn't take the opportunity to grab a key?
He's trying to make a break for it. You can already see that in his eyes.
And if he gets out of the Locker Room or manages to call for help, he can
spin it any way he wants!!
You can either deal with this by force, or you can let it slide, in exchange
for the peaceful handover of the key.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Despite Tamaki's claim that Baofu might need some more convincing, he strolls right on in, leaving her dumbfounded. "Uh -- "
The clerk raises an eyebrow at all these people asking about a tour (and at Maki not wanting one) and their interest in the machinery. "Whoaaa, no, dudes. Laying it on a little thick there. Trade secrets, sorry. You don't go back there unless you sign up in the first place."
Eriko -- and her smile -- garners a second glance from him. He fidgets briefly, then breaks out into a sleazy smile. "Buuut, maybe I can make an exception." He clicks his tongue and winks.
Eriko's hat is, indeed, safe from consumption.
Once inside, the tour begins. The details aren't of too much importance, but a good number of beds are open and unused at the moment. The closed ones, however ...
Tamaki peers over one of the closed tanning beds to look through the window and see the face of whoever's inside. Makimura. She taps on the glass and grins as she gives a wave.
Their 'tour guide' glances over at Tamaki and calls out, " -- hey, what are you doing?! Someone's in there -- " and Tamaki leaps back in (feigned) surprise. "Sorry! Oh my gosh, I didn't realize! Honest mistake!"
Several minutes later, the tour's ended and Tamaki has signed up for a package to use at a later date. "Figure I may as well give him some business in exchange for him tolerating that ..."
But at least Makimura's in tow again.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Before long, they're at their next destination: GOLD Gym.
Unfortunately... things are already Very Not Good. Ulala is barricaded behind a locked door, laughing manically. There's only one key to the room and the people working right now? They don't have it.
Their search for the key leads them to the lady's locker room. Baofu and Katsuya -- the gentleman they are -- wait outside guarding Makimura while the female contingent investigate further. And in that room, they find something that does not belong there.
A man.
Before he can make his escape, Maya slams a hand against the wall next to him. If Maya weren't clearly squared up and ready for violence (if it came to it!) and the employee weren't gripping a pair of panties for dear life, it might have looked like a kabedon scene straight from a shoujo manga.
"We're looking for the boxing room key," she says, ignoring the panties for now. "And this is the locker of the employee who last had it. You wouldn't have happened to have found it, have you?"
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
It is a little odd, isn't it? But Maki doesn't comment too much on the fact that she doesn't wnat to get near the tanning booths. Besides, tamaki finds him. It's fine!
"That's nice of you," Maki says of giving him business, more cheerful since they're leaving. And indeed, they do leave. GOLD Gym is next, and is a lot more comfortable for Maki...
Or it was.
"What the--" A man's in here! That might just be an employee matter except for--
"Oh, my God!" Maki says, eyes widening as she jumps back with a hand up to her chest. "An actual panty thief!?"
Definitely loud enough for Katsuya to hear. Definitely.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Did he come on too strong, somehow? "Oh, I... see..." Katsuya utters, taken somewhat aback by the man's response.
And then even more so by the way that Eriko's smile does work. They're able to check in the back and, in so doing--
Well, eventually, Makimura does have to come out. And when he does, he meets with a very disappointed Katsuya. "Makimura-san. Please accompany us to GOLD Gym."
Makimura is probably less pleased to find out that Ulala is at the Gym. But it's too bad for him, there's no longer anywhere he can run.
But the problem remains that Ulala no longer answers when they call out. There's only laughter from within the boxing room, which seems bad. The good news is that there's another door!
The bad news? The key's in the lady's locker room.
"Hello? Is anyone in there?" Katsuya pauses. "...Amano-kun, I think I hear something in the back. Would you mind going to check? Perhaps they have the key."
He, of course, isn't going to look himself. This is a ladies' locker room! Someone could be changing! Besides, he has enough to worry about with Makimura eyeing the door in a way that suggests that he might want to make a run for it. Baofu, too, if someone looks at him closely, is also keeping Makimura in his sights. Maybe he doesn't want a repeat performance.
Maya goes and investigates, with Maki following after. There's a dull thud. Katsuya turns towards the lockers.
Then Maki calls out in shock, uttering two very important words.
[REACTION SPEED]: What?!
Katsuya sprints away from men's huddle near the locker room entrance and rounds the lockers. Here, his gaze falls upon the culprit: a man, with a pair of panties still clutched in his hands, backed against the wall by Maya.
"Amano-kun, please stand aside!"
He rounds, then, on the panty thief.
[HALF LIGHT]: Punch him! Do it!
"You sick pervert!" he shouts, just about in the man's face. "You're under arrest!"
And then he tries to deck him.
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with You're Under Arrest! toward Panty Raids!? In MY Gym?! Specialty! MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Guts toward Panty Raids!? In MY Gym?! Base! MONAD: Maya Amano has acted with Get That Story toward Panty Raids!? In MY Gym?! Amrita!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
The apprentice private detective knocks on the door and tries to speak as soothingly as she can. "Serizawa-san? It's Uchida. We have Makimura with, so let's all just ... calm down and talk this out, okay?"
Ulala's response is invariably the same as the others: the sound of her laughter fills the air. Tamaki looks over at Maki and dejectedly slumps over. "I tried what I could, but I think this is more your forte." Tamaki takes a step back from the door with a confused look before she glances to Makimura. "You ... see what we mean, right? She called the Joker Curse on someone, so you're safer with us than her finding you on her own."
What Tamaki can't figure out is why she's staying inside even after they've arrived. "Serizawa-san? Amano-san's here, too, and Suou-san, and a couple of my own friends. You remember Elly-chan, I hope, and I don't remember if you've met Sonomura-san, but she's like the rest of us, too. I understand you might have holed up to prevent yourself from hurting anyone, but if anyone can handle you in this state, it's us. Please open up ..!"
Still nothing but laughter. Tamaki can feel a cold sweat start to form. A long time ago, she had heard laughter similar to Ulala's current mirth.
Truth be told, Tamaki can relate to Ulala in that respect, not wanting the ugly truths about one's self to resurface and come out for all to see. Maybe that's another deeper reason that she had tried to keep the supernatural world at arm's length for several years afterwards. The heart is frail, and its weaknesses are never fully vanquished, Persona or no.
If that is indeed what's going on with Ulala, then she's not alone. For a few brief moments, Tamaki believes that all she would need to do is to risk admitting her own imperfections and reach out by sharing her own potential to also become the Joker, to dissolve this distinction between Ulala and the others as they are now.
But she can't bring herself around to say that -- not here, not now, even if it might be when it matters most. Whether it would have done the trick or not is irrelevant: Tamaki will remember her own silence.
Instead, she turns around and exhales a heavy sigh before she starts walking towards one of the gym's staff to inquire about a key. "C'mon, let's figure out a way in." She addresses Makimura specifically and adds, "You're with us. Don't let her catch you alone, remember?"
In the locker room, the look of disdain on Tamaki's face is immediately apparent. "Oh, that's just ..."
A panty thief stands there, wide in the open, caught red-handed with his pilfered pantaloons. While he stammers out his brief protestation, anticipating another scuffle after an already very tiring day, Tamaki pulls out a water bottle and takes a swig, then levels her irritated gaze at the thief as her posture and running stance exude a menacing aura.
Look, if they don't get the key here, they still have to go back to the locked door and convince Ulala to come out again, and then Tamaki might have to be honest about herself! In front of others, no less! She is taking NO chances on this one. " -- hey, no no no, get back here, you're not getting away!"
Maya and Katsuya try and approach him head-on, so Tamaki takes a different tactic and attempts to hinder his escape with every dirty trick she can think of. As she bolts forward to cover more ground, she hurls her half-full water bottle to the ground in the thief's path to try and make the terrain more slippery, then grabs a towel from the still-open locker. After Katsuya decks the guy, she spreads the towel open and with a yell, she rushes directly towards the thief to pin him to floor with a look of crazed desperation in her eyes. "Give it up already!"
Afterwards, regardless of the outcome, she uses the towel to clean up the water spill. She pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head. ... then looks over at Eriko to check on how she's doing after all this.
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Never Burn Out toward Panty Raids!? In MY Gym?! Escape and Efficient! MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Horrify toward Panty Raids!? In MY Gym?! Specialty!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|)
-==== Panty Raids!? In MY Gym? - Round 5 ====================================-
Tamaki Uchida Guts Success
Never Burn Out Escape and Efficient Fatigue: 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maki Sonomura Guts Failure
Guts Base Fatigue: 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eriko Kirishima Guts Failure
Horrify Specialty Fatigue: 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maya Amano Guts Failure
Get That Story Amrita Fatigue: 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Katsuya Suou Guts Failure
You're Under Arrest! Specialty Fatigue: 4
-============================ Party Conditions: =============================-
Starting Conditions: Annoying-1, Boss-0, Chest-0, Scary-2, and Stony-2
Final Conditions: Scary-1 and Stony-1
-================================================= Party Result: Failure ====-
-==== Reach: 0/6 | | ===================================================-
-==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================-
Items: 1, Money: 2, Gear: 1
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
(|=========== Monad - Ulala's Day of Joker: Find the Con Artist! ===========|)
-==== Round 6: Is That the Mafia or is Ulala Just Happy To See Me? - Challenge Level 1 -
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Withdraw - Complication ensues. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
You get the key!
This day has been incredibly exhausting. Not only have things gone wrong at
every turn trying to keep this guy in check, but you're worried a police
report or two may have been filed against /you/. You're completely wiped
out, but you at least have the means to reach Ulala.
"H-Hey I'm not going in there." Makimura asks nervously as you get closer to
the door. "It's obvious you can't protect me from her! She's a real demon
when she's mad!"
Makimura tries to make a run for it. You're going to have to physically
restrain him and take him downstairs. "Help! Murder! MURDER! SOMEBODY CALL
THE COPS! Please- please I can't go in there! My face is my livelihood man!
Have mercy!"
There's a strange moment wherein you see four foreign men wearing changshans
walk in, spy this scene, before then standing by, milling about in the
lobby. Are they onlookers? Or something else? Odd... there's no time to look
into it.
The door opens to the gym Ulala has barricaded herself into unlocks, and
after some brute force- the barricaded objects part.
Which is when that horrible feeling arises. That tinnitus in your ears, the
pounding of a hideous heartbeat. The world flashes into a photonegative,
everything just feels wrong.
And there Ulala is, in her green dress, covered in spiderwebs, hunched in
the corner, facing away, trembling. Do her hands look... paler?
Whatever is going on- a sense of dread hits you. Something bad is about to
happen, and you're not sure you're prepared to face it.
TO BE CONTINUED
OOC Note: Receiving this card means you start the fight with the Critical
Down effect. If you'd like to investigate the men in the changshans that are
spying on you, please submit a request to staff.
Final Loot: 1 Item, 2 boxes of Money, and 1 Pieces of Gear!
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)