2026-09-18: Support Network
- Log: 2026-09-18 Support Network
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Hyousuke Suzuki, Jun Kashihara
- Where: Hirasaka - Main
- OOC Date: September 18, 2026
- IC Date: January 11, 2013
- Summary: The fate of Tsubasa's mother is only partially known. Hyousuke drops by Tsubasa's place to offer support, and Jun, hearing about what happened, comes along to do the same. Delicious meats are had as the guys offer support to one another.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
It's time to pile in on Tsubasa!! Will multiple people end up ringing their door at once through the strange hand of fate??? READ ON TO FIND OUT --
Tsubasa is at least expecting company. They're dressed! In a binder and everything!! (And their voice has been changing over the past few months; they've gotten squeakier more often, but it's also dropping. They don't have those stupid hips any more, they've got more makeup covering up spots... it's getting to five months on their illicit chop-shop doctor T, now.) The clothes on top, of course, are Tsubasa's usual winter fare: grey and pink hoodie and cargo pants. (Magenta and cyan wig, today.) They're cautious about bringing Hyousuke's dog to Lance's home, given Lance's fear of other dogs, but... they can try.
Also, they have grilled up some sausages in hot dog buns, because this apartment might be up flights of stairs on the third floor but it's at least big and nice and has a proper kitchen. And they've been practicing making food!! Look at them go!!!
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke hadn't seen as much of Tsubasa as he would have liked. He'd kept them in the loop about the various goings-on in his life, of course - mainly news about Pudding, and assorted pictures of the dog getting used to its new life with its new owner. But this was the first time he'd actually been able to sit and talk with Tsubasa for quite a while, he reckoned. He should've been happier that the opportunity arose - he knew that. He was getting to spend time with a friend. But even so, the events of the other day weighed heavy on his mind.
Dressed in his usual winter attire of a thin jacket, aged jeans, and a longsleeve shirt that was as plain as it was cheap, Hyousuke - despite some striking physical features - was a far cry from Tsubasa's more vibrant hues. Not that he seemed to be focussed on it much. Instead, his focus was on trying to keep himself from appearing *too* dour when he walked in, his hand raised slightly by way of greeting.
"Tsubasa-san, hey, you doing alright?" He greeted, his efforts falling flat on their face at the first hurdle. While he wasn't quite downtrodden, his usual chipper, boisterous, demeanour was absent in lieu of something vaguely sombre.
"Sorry I couldn't bring Pudding with me. He gets huffy if I wake him up, and well..." He glanced over to where Lance - or one of her possessions - might possibly have been, hoping the message was clear before he glanced back towards Tsubasa. "Man, those sausages smell good though.. Where'd you get 'em? The ones I get from Yin and Yang never smell that good." There was a brief pause, and a sheepish look down. "...Maybe I'm just doing it wrong."
Despite his best attempts at making casual conversation, even he could feel his smile weakening a little, and decided that it was perhaps best if he just stopped trying to beat around the bush altogether. "You doing alright? After... everything, I guess."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
It's been a while since Jun's had a proper hang-out with Tsubasa too. Things have been very busy for all of them as third-years aiming for college. Now that entrance exams are over and they can all breathe, he'd like to check in on his friends.
That's when he heard from Hyousuke about how Tsubasa's mother had turned into a Joker Killer and gotten kidnapped by the NWO. Horrified is an understatement. Naturally he had to come along to check in on them too.
He's in a winter coat of his own, blue and patterned with winter flowers. He's still in his school uniform underneath, though. "Tsubasa-kun, hello," he greets his friend, coming in after Hyousuke. "Suzuki-kun told me about your mother... I'm so sorry--you must be incredibly stressed."
The sausages do smell good, though Jun doesn't presume to ask for one; he's a rather more last-second guest here. Instead, he's brought a gift: dog treats for Lance! Normally he'd bring a bouquet of some kind, but considering Etsuko worked at Rafflesia... Jun isn't sure Tsubasa wants flowers right now.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yeah, man, I'm aight," Tsubasa says, as they greet their friends at the door, though of course aight sometimes means just can't do it today boss, which explains why they didn't manage to get out for the second shrine visit in central Tokyo. (Poor Morgana...) They've at least not been cutting class since it started up again! Though, it's only been going for a week...
"It's cool, Hyousuke-kun," they add, when he reveals that he did not risk bringing Pudding over for a home visit. (Lance is here, as it happens! She rushed to the door first thing to greet her friend people!!) "Lance did okay meetin' Puddin' in th' park, but... 'unno, man, we reckon she was a fightin' dog what got dumped, she always been more scared a dogs." They do, however, take Jun's dog treats! "Sick," they say, of them. "Lance loves this brand." Jun knew that, of course. They might not have been able to have deep conversations with him while they were both under the pump for entrance exams, but that doesn't mean they haven't spoken at all. There were assuredly many casual, briefer chats as their paths crossed!
They shrug, as they add, for Hyousuke: "Uh, those're 777, Ichika brought 'em back for me when she was in Tokyo." Because of course Ichika has been looking out for them much more often than the camera has captured.
But are they doing alright after everything? They shrug, as they lead them inside, jerking their chin back to Jun. "... teebach," did they just say 'tbh' out loud, "it's like that, yeah. Uh. Stressful, or whatever. Here, grab somethin' --"
They throw some hotdogs on buns onto plates and distribute them to the lads with some cans of soda they yanked from the fridge, taking Jun's dog treats with them as they walk out to the loungeroom, situated at the 'back' of the apartment with some nice sunny windows leading out to the typical narrow balcony, with a big TV and a dog bed and bowls beside a comfy couch and a couple of chairs facing it. They pop some dog treats into the dog bowl, where Lance borks, happily. "There ya go, girl," they say, as she snuffles into the bowl with intensity and purpose, and they sling themself down on the couch. ... it's fair to say flowers aren't high on Tsubasa's list of wants right now, though, like, if it was Jun they'd understand, Jun's the flower guy.
(Lance does not get soda with her snacks. Sorry, Lance. Your sugar high would make your tail helicopter you into the atmosphere and you'd become space dog.)
"So, uh... you heard, huh?" Tsubasa asks, looking to Jun, when they're flopped down. "Yeah, uh... Hyousuke-kun tried to explain it to me, like... I don't get all th' details, sounds like rumours 'round Sumaru shit... like how there's that music shop run by a Siren, y'know? That kinda... weird shit Sumaru's 'bout. I guess she kinda went berserk an' turned into a monster or some shit, this 'Joker Monster' kinda thing... since she rang th' Old Maid back then, y'know? Uh, that Phoenix guy showed up to deal with her again, so I got out okay, it's cool. Had this weird... cat kinda fella helpin' me outta there, said his name was... Mona? Hey, if you see a guy what kinda looks like a cat stuffed toy with a bandana an' shit, you tell him he's cool, yeah?"
THEY'RE STILL SO WORRIED ABOUT MORGANA MAN.
They're also using Hyousuke as a cover story to explain how they know about the stuff they weren't there for, with a significant glance to Hyousuke as if to say 'thanks bro just roll with it'.
"This, uh, evil conspiracy chick showed up to grab her... Miyu, y'know? Th' Groom? Weird thing is, she blew up me mom before she could try to claw me guts out... kinda got th' vibe she hated seein' a mom do that kinda shit, it was weird. Then, I guess... Akabane-san used some kinda power...? An' all these demons started runnin' amok, so that Miyu grabbed me mom an' bounced."
They shake their head, taking a bite out of their hot dog. (There's sauce on the hot dog. They put sauce on the hot dogs. They're not a criminal -- okay not that kind of criminal.) "... me father rang me th' day after, uh... said he'd put her in a mental ward an' she was gettin' inpatient care, so... I guess she's still alive, but... he said I couldn't speak to her or nothin'."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Just hope those two can meet up more. She's a good girl... deserves better than whatever happened to her." Hyousuke smiled warmly - if a little weakly - down at Lance, before lavishing her with no end of pets, rubs, and other such things. The goodest dogs got as much attention as they could handle, after all, even if his hands no doubt smelled vaguely of another dog that constantly demanded his attention. He didn't respond to the answer about the other kinds of 'dogs when it was given, but made a mental note to pick some up next time he was in Tokyo.
Maybe another visit to Leblanc was in order. Or not. Things remained to be seen.
His hand left Lance before she'd made her way to the treats, and Hyousuke stumbled in after Tsubasa, mostly just following along and listening to them explain. He didn't even need the glance by that point - he was friends with two members of the Phantom Thieves, and had his own 'extracurriculars' to take care of as well. Opsec was something that even someone like him, with a skull as thick as a dam, knew to figure out the basics of. What was a little harder to deal with was everything else Tsubasa was dealing with, and Hyousuke was quiet while he figured out a response.
"Sorry if it weren't clear or anything. It's just... there was a lot going down back there. Everything kinda blurred together..." In other words, Tsubasa could say just about anything they wanted, and Hyousuke could pass off any discrepancies as having been in the middle of what had effectively been rendered a supernatural warzone. The cat, though... that much he couldn't hide his consternation at, and thus, did not even try. Hyousuke shook his head slowly before responding. "Haven't seen anyone that looks like that since the fight, but I'll let 'em know if I see 'em."
He didn't think it was an especially likely thing to happen, but filed it away just in case.
The mention of Tsubasa's father drew a different kind of expression onto Hyousuke's face altogether, though he didn't try to hide that either. He'd not had the (dis)pleasure of a personal meeting with the man, but he'd heard enough to get a good idea of his character, and his disgust was strong enough that any attempts at downplaying it would've been futile at best.
"Damn it... And who knows where that's gonna be..." He knew he didn't need to explain what all of this implied. He was sure anything that Tsubasa hadn't already thought of, Ichika had. Best not to compound Tsubasa's worries - even if the clenched teeth and paling knuckles were not-so-subtle signs that Hyousuke needed to fihght the urge to say something vitriolic.
Even the knowledge that there was sauce on the dog, and that Tsubasa was not some uncultured swine, could not salve his anger.
Hyousuke struggled for a little while What exactly was he supposed to say there? Meaningless platitudes that would've rung hollow? Threats of violence against those responsible? A pledge to retrieve their mother, though he hadn't the faintest idea of how to start? It galled him that he was so powerless in the face of it all, and couldn't even offer comfort to a good friend.
"...Is there anything you need us to do?" He asked, hoping Jun didn't mind getting roped into the only thing he could think of saying. "This shit ain't easy, and I... I don't want you trying to tough it out."
Bold words, coming from him.
Or perhaps that just meant he knew what he was talking about.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Ichika, Ryuji, Ren, and Hibari went to Morgana's aid on Ann's behalf at least. (Well, Ryuji was probably there more because he was with Ichika already. Still.) Of course, given how that 'aid' turned out... 'poor Morgana' still applies.
Jun, knowing nothing of that, offers a hand for Lance to sniff and/or lick, smiling at her usual excitement to see PEOPLE. That smile broadens when Tsubasa seems heartened by the gift of /treats/ too. The two are classmates, after all; even if they haven't had a chance for many deep conversations, a lot of friendship is just in chatting about little things day by day.
Tsubasa confirms it's stressful. Jun can only nod in sympathetic understanding. If it were his mother... Sure, his relationship with his mom is very different from Tsubasa's with theirs, but it's still your mom. Jun thinks it would be hard to think nothing at all of her.
Maybe in another reality, he'd feel differently.
"It would be nice if they got to have more dog play-dates, wouldn't it?" he remarks to Hyousuke of Lance and Pudding. "Of course, only if the two of them get along with each other."
Tsubasa's place really is nice, though. Jun accepts hot dog and soda with a gracious, "Thank you," and follows their lead on where to sit. (His coat gets hung up at some point in the appropriate place.) Lance also gets to snack with her people, good for her! But... less good for what Tsubasa's been through. It's even worse when you're unawakened. Jun and Tsubasa might both help part-time at Kuzunoha Detective Agency, but that doesn't mean they've got a Persona.
"It does sound like the stuff of rumors," he agrees. "That's how all this started. Unfortunately, I'm very sorry to say it's quite real."
He has a thoughtful look. "Phoenix did? I'm not surprised to hear it." He smiles. "They came to my aid too when I needed it." They weren't the only one, but they're the one everyone's talking about right now! ...He can't say anything about that bandana cat toy person, though.
He frowns at the news that it was the Groom specifically who made off with Etsuko. "I see... I'm familiar with her." Umie too, of course, though Jun doesn't realize what Tsubasa means by 'power.' He breathes out a little sigh of relief hearing that she's at least alive... but considering she's undertaking 'inpatient care,' it's very little. "Did he happen to mention where?" he wonders just in case, though Hyousuke clearly doesn't think so. God, please not Morimoto Sanitarium...
He absolutely doesn't mind getting roped in on offering help to a friend, though. Friends are the greatest treasure of all, in Jun's opinion. "Yes. You don't need to bear up under this news alone," he says firmly. "Even if all you need is someone to listen, we're here." A firm nod to Hyousuke to convey to him they are indeed in this together.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
%r "She's doin' good now," Tsubasa assures Hyousuke. "Kinda wonder if she's so nice 'cuz she knows shit sucks or whatever..."
Lance loves ALL THE RUBS, as it happens. "Reckon she'll chill out as time's goin' on," they add, to Jun, on his hopes for doggy play dates.
"No fuckin' clue," Tsubasa scowls, when Hyousuke realises that finding that 'ward' would be a needle in a haystack, and Jun asks directly where it might be. "Tried callin' a couple likely suspects," they mean they did some social engineering, "but none a 'em fessed up... gon' keep an eye out."
They didn't get any bites, of course, because she wasn't sent to any kind of hospital they'd recognise.
(This is a nice place, as it happens. Shuyo's dad is a lawyer, and sprung for a nice joint for him, though Shuyo's out right now. What are they going to do going forward...? Good question, still workin' on it.)
Chomp, chomp. Hot dog! Hot dog good. "... I dunno, man," they sigh, their shoulders sinking a little. "It's like... me mom blamed me for what was goin' on, you know, at home, uh, how it wasn't, great... but I didn't want nothin' like that to happen to her. Went to th' exams, but I fucked 'em up... uh, mighta still got some shit right, tho'. Guess I can't say for sure I ain't gettin' in. But it's like... life's goin' on like nothin' happened, an'... it's a lot?"
They shrug, as they put their empty plate aside on the couch cushion (so messy!!) and grab their can to crack it open. "... cool you guys came over, tho'," they settle on, after that moment. "Like... appreciate seein' ya. I did wanna tell you 'bout it, Jun-kun," they add, looking to him. "I know you were gettin' targeted by that Old Maid creep back then, yeah? So now we got our friends usin' that fucko's powers, all these other people turnin' into, I dunno, fanclub versions or whatever... you oughta know."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke was fairly certain he knew what Tsubasa meant when they said they'd called up a few places, but decided not to push the matter. He wasn't sure how much Jun could or could not infer, and if Tsubasa wanted to elucidate, that was on them.
"Not much I can do to help figure out that part of it, but I'll let you know if I find any leads. There's gotta be something we can do about it..." He said, half sighing, half grumbling. Frustration was writ clear on his face, no matter how natural he attempted to appear.
"Yeah. Life's just gonna keep coming at you whether you're ready for it or not." Hyousuke leaned a little more towards lamenting than commiserating when it came to that, but there was still notes of both present in his response. It even inched towards something resembling determination when he continued on. "So we've just, I dunno, gotta do *something.* Anything. If we don't, life's just gonna leave us in the dirt." He was fairly certain he'd stolen that line from a manga somewhere, but if he could pas it off as his own, all the better.
"If coming over's all you need, all you gotta do is call." Hyousuke said with a vague smirk, his shoulders shifting as he let out a short, sharp, breath in place of a laugh. "You know I'll swing y whenever. Not like I'm getting into uni anyway." Had he told Tsubasa he'd not bothered taking the entrance exam? Had he told Jun? He didn't remember, but if he hadn't, the cat had more or less been let out of the bag then. "Hell, I'll bring Pudding and hotdogs with me if you like. The good ones. With chopped pickles too."
He was fairly certain he'd seen Americans put those on their 'dogs. And who knew hotdogs better than them?
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"Animals can be sensitive to the moods of the people around them, or so I hear," says Jun, who's never had a pet of his own. "It wouldn't surprise me if that were exactly the case." He chuckles at the concept of Lance chilling out. "Once she gets more comfortable, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to make even more new friends."
That smile fades into a sigh when Tsubasa confirms they have no idea where their mom is. Normally, it'd be a matter of client confidentiality; here, he's not so optimistic to think that's it. It must be especially painful for Tsubasa that life's just moving on like normal after what happened with their mother. "That's the unfortunate reality of personal tragedies," he murmurs. He nods to Hyousuke when he weighs in--he's exactly right, in Jun's opinion--then adds, "It doesn't feel real while you're living it, though."
He pauses to take a bite or two of his hot dog, chewing slowly and delicately before washing it down with soda. That's time enough for Tsubasa to weigh in on how the original Joker Killer had been stalking him for a while. Jun shuts his eyes briefly. "...Yes. It was... a stressful time. None of those 'fanclub members' have come after me," not counting Niko, who is something and someone entirely different, "but it's terrible to see that legacy continue."
Going to university isn't for everyone. There are lots of people who choose to go straight into the work force or otherwise pursue training for a skill. Knowing Hyousuke, Jun isn't surprised to hear he opted not to do college. Tsubasa, though... "There's always next year," he says bracingly. "Nothing stops you from trying again." It might mean starting college a year later than their peers, but sadly, failing college entrance exams and having to try again a year later is also something that happens. "I do hope you manage to pass, though."
Chopped pickles on hot dogs... They'd add a fine acidity to the fatty sausages, Jun reflects. "A fine idea," he says to Hyousuke, then, following that train of thought, says to Tsubasa, "I can cook something more complex for you to go with it sometime too, if you like. I enjoy cooking, so it's no trouble at all."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Both weigh in on the weight, and Tsubasa sighs, shaking their head. "... yeah. Totally unreal, man. Like, I'm used to it, but it's still... fuck."
Siiiip. Does it count as staying hydrated if it's soda? Probably.
"Glad they ain't come for your ass, tho'," they frown, looking to Jun, as they think about the target which was on his back. "Was worryin' 'bout that... freaky-ass shit goin' 'round." They'd even describe it that way if they weren't pretending to be normal! Well, Sumaru normal, anyway.
"Y'ain't gotta do uni to get a life," Tsubasa shakes their head, having indeed heard that Hyousuke wasn't sitting the exams when they'd messaged people and urged them to focus on them in the wake of Etsuko's kidnapping. "Don't reckon Big Sis Shimizu ever went nowhere, an' she's golden," they might be assuming, there, but c'mon, "you got trades 'n shit. As fer me... yeah, guess I can try again if I gotta. Jus'... don't wanna fall into me brother's trap. He's been tryin' to hundo-percent th' medical intake exam for ages now, man..." Because, of course, there's another test which medical students have to take to qualify to commence their studies.
They lean forward, gesturing to Jun. "Uh, actually, I was thinkin' 'bout that -- I'm tryin' to figure out lasagne, y'know, th' Western pasta thing? Shit's weirder than I thought it'd be, uh... maybe you know where I'm fuckin' up..."
And so, the boys are drawn into a deep conversation about how to prepare their own food, as led by the one boy with his life halfway together. Perhaps they can both learn something...!