2026-08-22: A Brief Briefing
- Log: A Brief Briefing
- Cast: Katsuko Yoshinaga, Misato Fushihara
- Where: Aoyama-Itchome Station
- OOC Date: 2026-08-22
- IC Date: Sat Dec 29 2012
- Summary: Grim announces that she needs to put a hold on her treasure hunting, drawing Magus's curiousity.
(|========================== Aoyama-Itchome Station ==========================|)
-==================================================== Tokyo/Aoyama-Itchome ====-
A crowded train station leads to sunny streets and colorful businesses, but this
is an illusion of freedom. Your perspective narrows as you continue to walk, no
matter whether you turn down the main walk or cut through the alleyways. Darker
shadows line the way, past the temptation of vending machines, as the gates and
higher walls of the building come into view.
March along with your fellow students to your destination, some few of whom
understand that society forces them to consign themselves each day to
imprisonment. The kanji for 'Shujin' in local prep school Shujin Academy means
'Utmost Excellence,' but it also sounds like the word for 'Prisoner.' That
wordplay is all too apt, concealing in plain sight the fact that you are a
prisoner here for six days a week and the majority of your waking hours...
And then you go home.
(|============================================================================|)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
With one final strike, the demon faded away into nothingness, leaving behind the usual fare of items. A handful of cash, some loot that one of them would no doubt sell off given how little relevance it held to either of them, and yet another piece of the map that they had been looking for. Grim stepped forward, silent as the grave, and snatched it out of the air before it even had a chance to touch a single edge against the ground. She held it aloft, turning it over in her taloned hand, inspecting it as she had with the others.
It was, in all regards, a fairly simple-looking thing. A somewhat tattered scrap of paper with some fragments of a location etched into it, the thing was all but useless on its own. Combined with the pieces they'd already amassed, however, it helped the answer to their puzzle coalesce just that little bit more. It could have proved an integral piece that would no doubt make a good bargaining chip for Grim, should it ever be needed to ensure the two's continued cooperation... which was what made it strange when she, unprompted, handed it over to Magus.
"Take it." She said tersely, stowing her short-barrelled rifle with the other hand. "I'm taking a break from treasure hunting for a while. Don't know how long, but something important's come up. Just let me know if you find anything. Losing the treasure wouldn't hurt half as much as never knowing what it was."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Tokyo is fairly far out of Magus's field. She's been expanding her reach of late, though, realising the opportunities that await her further out. ...More than that, though, she's been looking for more and more excuses to get out of the house. These hunts with Grim have been a good opportunity for that. Tracking down this treasure proves a worthwhile distraction.
Between the two of them, the demon offers little in the way of difficulty. A masterful strategy eliminates all of its options, before one final strike eliminates the demon itself. The prizes are scattered... but Grim seizes the greatest prize of the bunch, another piece of the map that's puzzled them so far.
Magus isn't about to start a fight unnecessarily. She's willing to concede and resolve herself to being more attentive next time - but it is, indeed, a surprise, that Grim hands it over without complaint.
Magus eyes her cautiously.
"...How generous of you. But where are the strings?" Magus notes. She doesn't take it right away, and it's clear that she's trying to figure out if this is part of some scheme...
...And then Grim explains that she's taking a break, and how never knowing what the treasure was would hurt more than losing it. Cautiously, Magus accepts the fragment of the map.
"...I see. Personal business?" Magus asks.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Grim let go of the map piece without a word, and without a fight either. She barely even looked at it before she strode over to poke through what remained of the loot she could take - though that didn't take long, given the lacklustre nature of it. She spoke as she began to split it, carefully calculating how much of each could be split to give them both a take-home of equal worth, excluding the potentially massive boost in wealth or power that the treasure could provide.
"Just business." She said, finally turning to Magus.
"How much do you know about Homunculi?" Grim asked, though spoke quickly enough that there wasn't time for an immediate answer without speaking over her. "I've got it on good authority that there's one around here somewhere. Doesn't seem to be around here now, but my source is never wrong about this sort of thing. It'll probably be around during the day." Grim had long since learnt of the protection her Awakening afforded her, but even so, didn't care to lay all her cards out on the table in one go. The less people knew about or suspected of her, the better.
"I can't commit to treasure hunting until that thing's dealt with, and I don't know how long that'll take."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Magus observes as Grim divides up the loot - but even on that, she needn't be too concerned. As far as she can tell, she's splitting it up evenly. She relaxes, somewhat.
'Just business', Grim says, and Magus considers that for a moment. She explains, then. Magus doesn't blame her for keeping her cards close - information can be just as dangerous as any weapon.
A Homunculus... There's one in the area, according to her source - generally around during the day...
"...I see." Magus comments. "I've heard of the term... but I've never personally encountered one."
She may need to look it up after this.
"Is it dangerous?" Magus asks.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Grim deliberated on the question for a few seconds. Her expression was, as ever, inscrutable. Impenetrable darkness and a glinting mask made it difficult to perceive anything approaching an emotion when she kept her body still. Even when she did finally deign to speak, Grim's tone remained flat and impassive, explaining the facts as she knew them with all the passion of someone reading the instructions to assemble a piece of furniture.
"No. Not if you find it in the real world." To anyone else, it would have looked like Grim had just decided to scan the area again. However, those that knew the area well might have noted how she lingered on the direction Shujin lay in.
"It's a parasite. Possesses someone and wears their body while the real them gets locked away in a supernatural space. Unless you can get in there and free them, the Homunculus breaks them down and kills them." Grim knew it was a *very* abridged version of things, but she'd not made a point of studying them in the way the Wild Hunt did. What she was unsure of, she did not elaborate on, preferring instead to make a note to study it later. What she was certain of, however, was warning against one other thing.
"Doesn't mean you can after it in the real world, though. You do that and you agitate the Homunculus - killing whoever it's possessing in the process." She crossed her arms slowly, recalling what else she knew. "Only way to beat it's to get into the person's Atelier and fight the Homunculus there."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Grim explains the situation matter-of-factly. Magus appreciates that. For a topic like this the plain, blunt approach is best - she's not against expressions of emotion, but it's better to keep things firmly in reality when you're discussing serious topics.
And right now, this sounds pretty serious.
Magus frowns thoughtfully as Grim explains. A supernatural parasite, that takes over a person and gradually consumes them... Not dangerous in the real world - but they still can't be addressed in reality without harming the host.
"...I see. How grotesque." Magus remarks. "This 'Atelier' you mentioned - I take it it's another form of supernatural space?"
She's aware of what an atelier it, but it doesn't sound like she's just talking about a workshop...
"Do you know who the victim is?" Magus asks.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Grim nodded.
"You need two things. An object that the person was attached to, and a 'lonely' place that they were attached to. Bring one to the other, and you'll be able to access it. Just go to an internet cafe with the object, and go to this site." Again, it was an abridged version. She didn't explain why each part mattered, the details, the resonance - that much she would have to leave to more learned individuals. Perhaps, if she encountered Kazusa in a supernatural space again, she could organise a meeting between her and Magus. It certainly seemed an easier option than asking her to reveal herself as a Persona user to the Wild Hunt, and have them provide an explanation.
"I'm leaving out a lot of details we don't have the time to cover. If we meet again, I'll come back with more information." Grim said, handing over a slip of paper as she did so. On it was the address needed for Ateliers - something someone else would have to elaborate on, if she chose to hunt the Homunculus down as well. "If you still want to go after that thing, then it's possessing a Shujin student called 'Shinichi Nagisa.' I don't have anything but a name, but if you find anything out, don't go after it on your own. Took a whole team of us just to clear a path to it. Took more to finally take the thing out."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Magus's frown deepens as Grim explains how to access an Atelier. So it's not just a matter of ascertaining the foes strengths and weaknesses - you need to learn more about the person behind it, too...
That makes things difficult. Forcing one to interact with people, digging into their true self and facing stark reality... That's not something someone can do idly.
"...How complicated." Magus comments. "But I think I understand the basics. That should be enough for the time being."
She accepts the slip of paper, taking note of the address listed on it. An phone app that accesses Palaces, and a website that accesses Ateliers... Magus wonders if there's any connection, there. Those are human creations.
"'Shinichi Nagisa'..." Magus repeats, glancing around. They're not far from Shujin now, aren't they?
"So you've faced one before? ...Very well. I'll be cautious." Magus replies. "It's foolish to pick a fight you can't win."
So many people just to take down one enemy... These Homunculi must be foes of great strength.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
"...One more thing."
Grim hesitated before she left. There were scant few minutes left to the Dark Hour, but enough that she could turn back to Magus and deliver one last word of warning. "If you do see Nagisa, it's not him. However he acts, it's the parasite seizing his mind and piloting his body. Remember that for when he's free of its influence." With that, Grim said her goodbyes, and vanished into the night. She found it a pity that she could not peer behind Magus's mask. Being able to coordinate with a reliable ally like her would help to no end.