2026-09-18: The Seed of Rebellion
- Log: The Seed of Rebellion
- Cast: Hana Fukami, Goro Akechi, Umie Akabane, Isabeau Fontaine, Kazusa Motojima, Ren Amamiya, Misato Fushihara, Katsuko Yoshinaga
- Where: Red Light District - Main
- OOC Date: September 18, 2026
- IC Date: January 11, 2013
- Summary: Studio 4 in Shinjuku has taken a few attempts to secure routes to the Producer's Office by now, and Kato is consolidating the information and best efforts to coordinate more. However, Hana Fukami, the mysterious woman who was found in the Studio missing many of her memories, is still unsure what she can or even should do to help the effort.
(|======================== Red Light District - Main =========================|)
-===================================================== Tokyo/Shinjuku Ward ====-
It's said if you go out the wrong side of Shinjuku Station, you lose a whole
day. Go out the correct side though, and you still might find yourself on the
wrong side of town. Even walking into Shinjuku's Red Light District subjects you
to endless barkers and touts, looking for opportunities to pull tourists and
young women alike into places where they might get scammed and exploited by the
predators of this place.
Neon signs glare offering disorienting guidance to businesses stacked upon one
another. All the vices of the city are available in smoky bars where one might
forget their dreams at the bottom of a glass, or take offers of companionship in
shady host or hostesses clubs.
Be careful. As smart as you are, wiser people than you have lost everything
here.
AS: Ren Amamiya has readied for combat as Arsène! He is now fully healed!
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
There's a cafe that the Rebels have been using as a place to rest and refresh between missions, right by their main base of operations. Kato was just here coordinating another run at the Producer's men outside the Complex, and indeed, is still here! But he's not the only one; a number of the Rebels are here at booths and tables, and there's Hana Fukami, too, dressed in pink instead of that awful suit, looking out the window with a sigh.
There is coffee free for everyone and light meals to keep up strength; the place meanwhile is largely off-white, with greenery in the corners and on tables. There's a bar in the corner, behind which a Rebel with an apron and hat stands ready to direct the servers--waitresses, in particular.
But Captain Kato, where he was just talking with other Rebels, is now eyeing Hana. Now, Kato's a big guy; he's not too tall, but he is broad, and he's been the leader here for some time. His warmth and support continue to push the Rebels to new heights. As a matter of fact, he resembles Hana a little, albeit distantly and dressed very differently--in shirtsleeves and suspenders and slacks, sleeves rolled up so that he can do the Work. But now...
Since isabeau is already here, Kato approaches her. "Miss Fontaine," he says, noting that she prefers that kind of address as far as he knows. "I'd like to ask you a favor, as someone who seems to understand her." Kato asks, and glances over to Hana and back. "Fukami-san's seemed really restless lately--she's been watching our Rebels go, but has just been cooped up around here. Can you see what's wrong?"
Others might be able to hear this; if they walk in, he'll wordlessly accept the rest of them going over, too. And Hana herself? She has a coffee and isn't looking, making it the perfect time to sneak* up on her.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi is here at this cafe, Mask currently off so that everyone can see his expressions. No he certainly doesn't expect everyone else to do the same. "Well, it's not the best I've ever had, but it's more than serviceable."
He's talking about the mug of coffee, which he's holding currently in a gloved hand. Yet despite the light socializing going on here, he does notice Captain Kato because- he's been tracking everything the 'man' does.
What he really is- well, there's no need to say that. There's no fast track towards the outcome he desires, not really.
He can guess why she's restless... and so, he walks up behind Hana with an easy cadence but light footsteps and waits for her to raise her coffee before-
"Ah, Fukami-san. What do you think of the refreshments? Is this place to your liking?"
He's being a jerk- surprising her at that exact moment, but it's also him preemptively inserting himself in the conversation. And perhaps giving Isabeau a response from Hana to walk up on.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
In the moment, when Umie, Akechi, and Kurou came across those files, it didn't fully set just why the files seemingly talked about a separate person. That was until she did a search on a name she wrote down: 'Naho Enomoto'.
That's when she found a 2010 wedding announcement, between Enomoto and a Touri Fukami. And upon googling Touri Fukami's name...
'On track to be a productive member of society'... 'his habits'.... 'the scare that beating gave him could keep him on the straight and narrow'...
'After all, we can't allow him to start rebelling...'
Those statements definitely stuck in Umie's mind, echoing Akechi's earlier comments about the Producer being seen as a 'warning', or a threat, against stepping out of line.
The lock on this mystery has been jammed open, but what lay on the other side was something that should be Hana's choice to reveal. However, if this is about encouraging someone to rebel, then....
.... what better than a Badb, to ignite the heart?
When the blonde in the white oversized jacket, black leggings, red half-mask, and red sneakers comes in, there's something in one of her hands: a plastic bag, with the flowing label of 'Kaori' on the side.
See, there is a new year's sale going on at Kaori's, and Umie had to make a visit.
She'll make a nod towards Kato, though she pauses briefly, considering, before giving a cordial wave and walking to Hana.
"Fukami-san--" She hesitates, seeing Akechi. "You mind a bit of company? I brought some things."
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
Isabeau would prefer to be out there, thank you very much. Her tolerance for hanging around this group of monsters is allayed only by the fact that this Kato guy seems real. (Or, at least, does not scan as 'a monster, who does not belong in this world'; the distinction doesn't seem important to her.) Arms folded, she leans on the wall, fingers rapping against the fat-softened muscles of her arm as the big girl waits for them to get on with it.
(She's dressed in her Hunter's garb, a longcoat draped over one arm, bronze vest revealed on her other side to expose her shoulder to the world, Ra-eyed targe which she must have stolen from Futaba's Palace strapped to that arm, ribbon-bearing moon knife at her belt alongside all those pouches and vials.)
But then -- the one guy here she doesn't want to stab just as much as the Shadows! "Bah," she shakes her head, straightening up. "Very well."
But before she can get there -- there's THIS asshole. "She probably is tired of this weak coffee," Isabeau observes, chillily, her tone having to carry the feeling far more than her stilted Japanese as she steps up. It's strange for her to say, "Fukami-san," but she goes on without explaining, "you are stuck, no?"
She does not acknowledge the things Umie has brought.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Hana had some other visitors earlier, from SEES, with a warning about something they'd found in the Producers files. But they've left already.
Now, it is Kazusa who is steoping in in her Transmutation guise, a long, black starry cloak pulled around her, with long light blue hair, white wolf ears, and silver eyes.
She scans the cafe with a small frown, as if assessing everything in it.
She'd had to do some online searching of her own. It didn't take too much searching online to realize the photo she thought was of Hana's brother... was of Hana herself.
... She still has no idea what the nonsense regarding a 'Bride' was about, though.
But even so, her online searching had given her a lot to think about.
Things she's still thinking about as she looks around that cafe with a light frown. She's eventually directed over Hana's way, of course, but even as she heads over she keeps her distance for a moment, just watching the others interacting with Hana.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Joker arrives separately from the others, entering the cafe with their masked face neutral. (Oracle may or may not be with them.) They too have some things for Hana after exploring Studio 4 with their compatriots, and has come to share them--
But they pause at the sight of those already here, in particular Isabeau and an unmasked Akechi. They maintain their poker face, then stride over to where the refreshments are to fetch themself a cup of coffee, then lean on the wall near where Kato is, arms crossed. They take a slow sip and do not remark upon the flavor.
Not unlike Kazusa, they keep their distance at first. They don't want to crowd Hana, who already does not seem in great spirits. They do give Umie a bit of a nod, at least, if she happens to glance their way.
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
This Kingdom is a mystery - and Misato has never been one to pass up a good mystery. Maybe she's just distracting herself, but... she just wants to pick it apart. What is this place for? Is it pure coincidence that Hana Fukami is wrapped up so thoroughly into it?
And so it is that she decides to continue her investigation where she left off. She, Yuuki, and Kanae had infiltrated the Producer's facility the other day and found some information... and so today, Magus returns to the Kingdom.
She enters the cafe first, her form shrouded in her hooded purple-with-gold-trim cloak as ever, the hood pulled up and the top half of her face hidden by a plain porcelain half-mask.
"...Well now." Magus observes. There's a lot of people here already, as it happens - and some of them are already approaching Hana. Looks like she picked a good time.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
The meals and the coffee, while basic, at least looked appetising enough that Grim would have been able to stomach them. And, knowing just how much strength was needed to get through supernatural spaces cleanly, Grim would have taken any amount of vaguely appetising foods and drinks if it kept her fighting fit. However, there was a problem. She wore a mask over her mouth, and while she wasn't sure whether or not removing it constituted dispelling the Will of Rebellion's protection, she didn't want to find out the hard way in the company of strangers.
Thus, rather than eat, Grim observed. Posted in the shadows like a black-clad sentinel, she observed the comings and goings of the rebels, offering short and sharp answers to those that questioned her, until her gaze finally fell upon the star of the hour. Though she'd perhaps not gained quite as much usable information as Umie had, the files she, Belle, and Kazusa had recovered were more than enough for her to piece together enough of a picture to infer what challenges Hana faced in her line of work... and from the people she worked with.
Grim regarded Akechi with a quizzical expression (a hidden one, no less) as she passed by, her steps so silent and smooth that it almost appeared as though she glided across the floor. He had the costume of someone like her, but he'd forgone the protection of it... Did he perhaps have a different Awakening method, and just like cosplay? She didn't know, but resolved to think about it later. There were more important matters to take care of at present, and while she didn't particularly trust anyone there, she trusted they were all at least interested in seeing the matter of the Kingdom resolved.
The wraith of a woman eventually came to a slow, quiet, halt, but kept her distance from Hana. Best not to crowd her, she supposed. That, and her appearance was not exactly one made to inspire hope or courage. Better to ride the coattails of people that had a better handle on that sort of thing, she reckoned.
"Fukami-san's looking troubled." Grim said, seemignly suddenly fade into existence next to Magus. Her gaze was firmly towards Hana and the other assorted speakers, but her focus was split between them and Magus. "I don't blame her. The things we read in this Kingdom's files... They're concerning."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Herskechi sneaks up on Hana!! She blinks when she raises her coffee and he's suddenly answering. "Oh!" She turns his way, and on the way there, spots the 'owner' of this little cafe... "Oh, they've lovely," she insists, because saying otherwise with the owner right there who's letting her stay here during all this would be terribly rude. "There's a pie she makes very well..."
She had a slice earlier.
But Umie is there, too. "Oh, I..."
But Isabeau asks a more direct question, and comments, "The coffee is fine, really." Pause. "..."
"Yes," she admits with a sigh. "I'm stuck." She shakes her head. "Please, everyone, sit down. i think I wanted to talk to people anyway."
She sees Kazusa and Ren keeping their distance, and rises to her feet. "Over here," she suggests. Instead of her booth, she sits down at a round table where there's room for more people--and more seating nearby, besides. She keeps her coffee, though admittedly--
If one looks closely, the sugar packets at her booth might answer why she finds it tolerable when the others barely may.
She looks curiously at Magus, and waits a moment for her to sit or not. ...Grim is also there, but she sees to creep Hana out a little, given by the way she looks at her.
"Ah, regardless..."
"...Yes, i feel stuck. I see all of you going out and risking yourselves for the Rebels, and I'm just... here."
"...So maybe you can tell me what you've found. The Rebels are bustling around about it..." She glances at Umie's bag a moment, hmm. "And you all seem to have come out safe. ...Have you?"
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"I seem to have time," Isabeau sighs, frustrated, as she draws out a chair at that round table. She'd rather be solving this problem though violence, clearly.
"Viv and I climbed through the building well," she reports. "There were some strange characters there with us, looking to investigate story about the 'Bride' that note was talking about... Miyu-san and Tsurugi-san, they said?" SHE JUST CASUALLY WENT THROUGH THE KINGDOM WITH PEOPLE THAT DANGEROUS--?!
"But oh, yes, the note... here," she hands it over. "Something about the talent Producer Matsumoto nurtured, and how you returned without his... euh... permission?" She doesn't know how to pronounce 'patronage' offhand. "It goes on about how unforgivable that is, how... doing wrong led that Bride to curse them with Shadows and Demons... ah, and it all seems to have been made before you came out. You are referred to as a man."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi is carefully studying her expression as she says that, looking for any hint of discontent, like a Detective getting ready to question a suspect. However- right on cue, Isabeau comes in like a wrecking ball.
And now he looks positively reasonable and pleasant in comparison. :)
"The miracle of coffee is that even average coffee is still worth having, when you're looking for a pick me up." He remarks to Isabeau, pleasant smile and all, "Though I do prefer stronger myself. I've become accustomed to a certain quality in my own."
He's only kinda looking at Joker, out of his periphery, not saying anything more to poke at them making great coffee.
And so too does Umie walk up, with Akechi looking at her face, reading the information they found all over it.
Bid to sit down, he does so, holding his coffee all the same. Not sitting at the round table, but at a booth that's adjacent to the table, faced sideways. He lets the others speak, then glances towards Umie a moment.
"What we found is that you've been manipulated, and- well, outright abused in order to ensure you don't step out of the so-called 'role' you've been given."
A beat.
"But I suspect despite your memory problems- this isn't exactly news to you."
He leaves it off there, not because he doesn't want to press deeper, but because he wants to witness her reaction first.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Isabeau's words are concerning; Umie makes a face. "The Groom and...!" She stops, glancing to Akechi. ..... yeah well she *was* there with a NWO operative herself, but that was *Kurou*, and strictly speaking the Groom and Tsurugi are very able to make truces with others, and it's not like _Umie Akabane_ came in with people, and alsooo.....
ahem.
She catches Joker's nod giving a (somewhat relieved) pne in response, while taking a moment to tuck a stray strand of blonde hair back before she focus in on Akechi.
He'd definitely know, unless he hadn't had a chance to simply google things. But this is *Akechi* we're talking about.
"Yes." She glances about the others, catching snippets of conversation. "Kingdoms really are terrible... but at least we're not in the dark about what's going on."
But first. She sets the bag down, the shiny plastic quietly crinkling as she digs in,
"It's natural, for someone at a crossroads," Umie says, quietly, taking out the first small vial: chamomile, "to want to pause and assess things. On one hand, you have the easy option: be the 'productive member of society' people want to you be. And, it's not like you'll have a bad life. A future spouse, a life, a house, maybe a family. But."
She sets down the lavender. "You already have found that, in the path you were taking before. Just, for some reason, the powers that be have deemed it to not be a legitimate path."
Out comes the third vial: dianthus. "Eventually, you have to decide. Both will be hard. One path is stable. You'll be doing what people expect you to do, and expect you to be. The other... will be rocky, but you'll be answering the self inside you, as well as the people waiting for you on the other side."
She trails off, looking Hana directly.
"Hana Fukami-san," she says, Out pops the final vial: a small vial of the perfume 'Kokoro', in its own small heart shaped bottle.
"What's inside your heart?"
If a Palace is a showcase of a heart's delusional desires, then... what is a Kingdom?
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa does not have a mask (as much as she might wish to, but she doesn't get to hide her True Self like this), but she does have a moonstone circlet.
She stiffens a little when Hana takes notice of her, but slowly nods. "... if you insist." Before she heads to the table she looks to the refreshments on offer. "... is that really just plain coffee...?" she mutters to herself. With a sigh she takes a mug and moves to the round table.
She slides her cloak off, revealing princessly garb underneath. Well, it's a sleeveless tunic paired with... a pleated miniskirt. Look, she doesn't have to explain herself to you. The cloak is draped over the back of her chair, and Kazusa sits, legs crossed at the knee, and takes a sip of her coffee.
Kazusa doesn't know who Miyu and Tsurugi are. (Lucky her.) She crosses her arms. It's weird hearing Isabeau use honorifics like that. "I found the same thing Fontaine-san did. But..." She's frowning a little. "... are they really from before she... came out, or whatever?" She says that like she's not used to using that expression.
She also looks a little uncomfortable saying it, though she's trying not to let it show.
"... they talked about things happening in this place right now. I just assumed they were all contemporaneous with each other." After a beat she quickly adds, "... that they all happened at the same time."
She listens as more people speak. Her expression grows sharper at 'abuse' and 'memory issues.' "Memory issues? Was that from the...?"
She listens to Umie as she speaks. She doesn't comment, but the talk about being what people want you to be leaves her looking displeased.
AFter a long moment she looks to Hana. "... you said you're feeling stuck. You... can't leave, can you?" She's got an inkling of an idea, but it's still developing.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Hana invites Joker to join the round table with her and the others. While Kazusa may take her up on it, Joker raises their free hand in a 'thanks but no thanks' gesture and takes another sip of their coffee.
Doing so conveniently hides a slight smile when they catch Akechi just barely looking their way. If they shut one eye in response, surely it means nothing in particular.
They glance at Isabeau when she mentions she'd explored the Kingdom with 'Miyu' and 'Tsurugi,' along with her fellow Wild Hunter, Vivienne. Joker had also found a note essentially cursing the Bride, and wasn't she in a sub-group in the NWO with those two...? Umie as much as confirms it when she yells about the Groom. Hmm. To paraphrase Grim, concerning all around.
(They're inwardly surprised to hear Isabeau talk about Hana's transition with such stride, though.)
Magus gets a glance too, though just to take note of her at present. Umie has an entire perfume-themed presentation going on, and far be it for Joker to interrupt. For their part, they simply dip a hand into a longcoat pocket and flicks a note and three photos with a sharp gesture that sends them all spinning across the room to land just so onto the table before Hana.
The note reads: 'We were just fine until that Bride ruined the studio... I pity any man who has to marry such an evil creature. But the show must go on, even with all these interruptions. It's all the more important we finish things up quickly, I think...'
The photos are of Teruo Shinoda, Emisa Higa, and Miyako Akimoto. Their faces are circled, and someone has scrawled on them, 'Can we use them against Fukami?'
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Magus glances toward Grim. 'Troubled', hm... Yes, she would be.
"...Quite." Magus agrees. She's seen some some of the intel the Rebels were able to gather, too.
Hana looks curiously at Magus - and Magus steps forward to take a seat at the table she indicates. She looks at the others as they speak to her in turn... and then back at Hana, as she admits to feeling stuck.
...Well. She can understand that, a little. Their situations are different, but she knows what that's like.
It seems they've all learned a lot. ...And she finds herself quietly impressed at Umie's use of props. She has a fine respect for theatrics, what can she say.
She meets Joker's glance, too. They get a brief nod - but it's what they produce that draws her attention. Photos of people...
The weatherman, the secretary, and the stuntwoman... those were the people that the note she had found had referred to had mentioned.
It lines up with the photos Joker throws onto the table. She produces a note of her own, introducing it alongside it - a note stating how they believe Hana wouldn't risk the life she has by rebelling, because it would take them down with her too.
"...You believe you can do nothing because the people closest to you are being threatened. Am I close?" Magus asks.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Grim sat at Hana's invitation, striding over to it in moments and placing herself quietly in. She sat a respectable distance away - close enough that she could clearly see Hana's expressions and hear her without interruption, but far away enough that she didn't seem like she was presuming to be anything more than allies. That aside, she'd noted how Hana had regarded her, and didn't intend to unsettle her further. Not at this critical juncture. Quietly, she sat and listened to all that went on, patiently awaiting a lull in the conversation so that she might speak,
Akechi's explanation came in before her own could, and Grim looked to him with an expression that was largely inscrutable. Not because it was blank, but because the silvered half-mask over her mouth, and the impenetrable darkness covering her eyes, made it outright impossible to tell what her expression was in the first place.
"Blunt, but accurate." She said, her assessment delivered half to Akechi, and half to Hana. Umie's explanation came in before she could expound on anything Akechi said, and Katsuko fell silent during it, unwilling to interrupt what had clearly been planned. She wondered if it was something Umie had spent time reciting in a mirror.
Then again, given the timing of all this, maybe she hadn't.
Whatever the case was, Kazusa and Ren filled Hana in on more of the facts, and the evidence was presented forthwith. Sound conclusions all around meant that there wasn't much to add, and Grim found herself doing little more than waiting and brooding, even as Magus said her piece. What she finished with, however, seemed to stir something in Grim, and she cast her eyes slowly from Misato to Hana.
"But scum can't be trusted. They'll keep pushing until you break, or you push back. You have to make a choice, Fukami-san, and see it through. For your sake, and for everyone else being controlled."
She was loathe to blunt the effectiveness of Umie's display, even a little, but Grim saw only one choice as correct.
And she'd not gain the Will of Rebellion through complacency.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Akechi sees the truth: Hana does not love the coffee. But Isabeau explains things. "The 'Bride'... I remember hearing about how much trouble she was, when I was in the building," Hana reflects. "Wait--that must be the woman I saw! The one all the Security men were so angry with..."
The note! Hana reads the note--and frowns. "I see..."
And Isabeau explains, and Hana's expression sours. "Of course he does. No, it wasn't made before, if it was the Producer. He just doesn't accept it."
She looks to Akechi then. "I do like strong coffee..." But that's not the point; she's dithering. She sighs, after a moment. "That's true. A few years ago... My fiancee's brother. He thought I was using his sister as a 'beard', though--I didn't ever cheat on her, I'd just been with men before. But he wasn't interested in that. So no, it isn't news to me."
"I don't know who this Groom is," Hana admits to Umie. "I've only seen a Bride."
"And no, I can't leave. However you got those other people out, I don't see this 'door' at all." Pause. "And I don't know where my issues with memory came from."
But Umie... Umie speaks of crossroads, and pausing. She pulls out a vial. Hana stares at her, and then at the bottle, and then at her again. "...?"
"Have I...?"
But dianthus. She's long like that scent. And scent, they say, is tied strongly to memory. So when Umie says something, it doesn't immeditely pay off. "The people waiting..."
"I don't know," she starts at Umie--but then Joker chimes in with style. She blinks--but looks at the note and photographs. "...No, I do know," she says. "These people..."
"I remember," Hana says, and bites her lip. "...This is the man I'm seeing. And these two... They're important to me, too."
She narrows her eyes. "And they're looking to use them against me?"
"...Yes," she says to Magus. "I remember now. The Producer--Matsumoto-san--he was threatening me, because he was angry that I was coming back at a new studio... And I was worried that he'd use me against..."
She nods. "You see, I used to work for him," she explains. "...When that happened, with... Enomoto-san... He found out why, and fired me while I was in the hospital."
She then looks to Grim. Grim is still pretty creepy to her--but--
...Sometimes, the creepy lady has a point, especially when it's such a dour one. "...a choice, huh?" she asks.
5r"You're not wrong," Hana murmurs. She looks down. "But..."
She keeps looking down. "..."
"If they're saying all these things about me, that means I'm important to his plans, somehow. That means... There might be something..."
"There might be something even I can do."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi nods at Hana's response, before raising a brow at 'Grim's' evaluation. "Well it is my job as a Detective to uncover such things. And the lady did ask." He points out.
Hana notes she can't walk through the door, or even see it, which he files away as just more evidence of what these realms are.
Little personal hells, that try to sap away one's rebellious tendencies. And yet the presence of Kato indicates it's more than just that.
He has his theories, rooted in cognitive psience, but says nothing on that part.
He waits. He lets her work through it, then...
"I believe you're correct." He says, in agreement. "That you're more important to what's going on here- than you can currently understand."
How, why? He won't say. Not right now. It's still mostly theories.
His chin dips, his face becoming a touch sorrowful. "You've suffered a great deal to exist as a version of you that's truer to yourself. And yet, all the same, you must still wear a mask to be accepted at all."
A beat.
"In order to live even truer to yourself- you'll face even greater suffering. That is what you risk- and that is what you already know you risk, doing anything to oppose those who have wronged you."
He raises his chin now, to look her right in the eyes, "Knowing this- are you willing to risk the safety of yourself, and those who you care about in order to fight back? What are you willing to stake on the matter of pursuing 'your justice'?"
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"I have heard their reputation," Isabeau answers Umie, smoothly, "but their ambitions were not incompatible with ours. They were there to investigate their 'Bride'. They succeeded this, and gave us no trouble."
She is, indeed, quite open to Hana's transidentité, as she would say it in her native tongue... she might have a cisidentité, but it's hard not to get comfortable with the T when the B's right beside it.
(Does that stand for bisexual or bitch??? Vote now on your phones!)
"So have you returned to the wardrobe," closet, Isabeau means closet, but her brain fumbled the word. "It does not surprise me... this world was created to assault you." Above and beyond the assaults she's already endured, it seems.
"I do not wish to see you sacrifice your normal life to this transgression," Isabeau scowls. "You fall, though, and it will succeed. I do not know that this will lead to peace."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
It's a good question, Grim. Did Umie plan this all out? Did she recite what she was going to say?
..... Umie'd be lying if she didn't at least think about what to say on the train ride over, from Sumaru City.
But the rest only hinges on everyone else, especially Hana, on buying in.
Hana mentions a Bride. "... Huh... Between the two of them, perhaps..." Unfortunately, Umie hasn't realized that the Bride cannot summon demons, just supernatural spaces. "That must be why there's demons here." Isabeau, at least, seems to be fine. "... Yeah," she says, nodding, with a hint of reluctance. "They'll... at least do that..." But... why would the Groom be investigating? Wouldn't she already know what the Bride was up to?
Three photos slide onto the table. Umie blinks, looking up to see Joker's red hand. She flashes Joker with a cheeky grin before focusing back on Hana.
A 'Will of Rebellion' or, of 'Justice', in some ways, was something Akechi theorized, even if he didn't have much beyond that. Grim, Kazusa, and Magus both angle in as well, holding their own experience as proof as what Hana may need to do.
Umie frowns, looking at the vials on the table. So it's not just a choice of Hana remaining Hana, but... something more crucial.
"You will put people in danger, Fukami-san," she murmurs, softly. "I'm just... telling you, right now, no matter what you do. To exist outside of those rules is an act of rebellion. To persist even further... means it wasn't just a fluke."
'There might be something even I can do.'
"There is." There's a thread of excitement in her voice. She *knows* that feeling.
"How about... you take back what they are trying to take from you? They're not going to ask nicely."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa blinks as a note comes flying onto the table, glancing back over at Joker with a look that says 'was that really necessary?' But that only lasts a moment before she leans over to read the note on the table. Using other people to get to her... three people? Who are they...?
And Magus has one to slide next to it. The mention of rebelling... and how they're trying to stop it. Hrm.
So she had a fiance... but she'd also been with men... Kazusa frowns in contemplation but doesn't comment. Her eyes do look over at the Regbels for a moment, though. And, in a moment, more disconcerting details...
She can't leave. "... then you're trapped. And it wouldn't surprise me if this place was responsible for the memory loss, too..."
But if she's at the center of all these plans, then maybe there's something she can do. Kazusa might not have a background in cognitive psience like Akechi does, but she has her own experience to draw upon.
And Isabeau is of a similar ind to her--at least on the purpose of this place. Though they probably got here by very different means.
Existing outside of the rules... Kazusa doesn't have the Will of Rebellion, but she did have to take a long look at who she was, and who she wnated to be.
She picks up her mug and sips at it. "... I was trapped in a place like this once," she murmurs. It's hard to get the words out--she's doing better, but that was still a month of her life gone.
And she's still feeling the repercussions of what that Homunculus did, to boot.
"... there was something that wanted to replace me. It trapped me, tried to make me give in, to just... give up. To go away quietly." Kazusa's focused on her mug, not looking at anyone else. "So I could be replaced by a version of myself that would make my father happy."
"This place isn't the same type of place, but... if you want to play it safe, it might mean just... giving up on who you want to be." At this she looks up at Hana for a moment. "... it should be up to you to change who you are, not anybody else."
There are a lot of things about Hana that Kazusa doesn't really understand. There are parts of herself she doesn't really understand yet.
... but she's trying.
She'll go back to nursing her coffee after that, not making eye contact with anybody else for a while.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Flipping cards in a cool way is always necessary, Kazusa.
Joker sets aside their mediocre coffee to fold their arms and rub a lock of their bangs in thought as Hana explains her side of things. So she already knew--or rather, remembered much of this... Some of it she's remembering right now. It sounds like there's been a lot of drama in her past. These aren't the real versions of these people in this Kingdom, but they'd still very much reflect the relationship Hana had with them. When it was Maria, she was terrorized by a version of her grandmother. If she's at the center of these things like Maria was at the Doll Corporation, it's no wonder Studio 4's obsessed with Hana.
Why does this happen to people, though? Joker rests that hand on their chin now. That's the real question. If Jerri shows up again, they might be able to make some conclusions on her involvement, but they know they haven't seen beak nor feather of her. No one else mentions anything like that either, and if they'd encountered a parrot Karen, they'd definitely say something. Maybe it was just about Maria for whatever reason when it came to her.
They lower their arm and consider Akechi as he asks Hana about her justice, about what she's willing to risk--about the mask she still wears while living true to herself. That's something Joker knows keenly well, too. Grim offers her own blunt opinion, and Hana seems to take hope in that there's something she can do here.
This world was created to assault you... It does feel like it. The Dollhouse Corporation was like that too. But it's not just about assaulting someone, is it? There were resistance forces there and here too. Joker looks sidelong at Kato. He does bear a certain resemblance to Hana--just as Izumi had resembled Maria. When Isabeau continues to support Hana, they scrutinize her anew, face still a mask. Maybe it's because they're not actively opposing each other this time, but it does feel like she means it, however brusque she continues to be. Certainly they know Kazusa well enough by now to know she means it.
At least they can give Umie a crooked smile in return for her cheeky grin. They're with her on the matter of the Bride and Groom, but that's not a problem any of them can address right now. They'll definitely have to keep an eye out for if they poke their heads back in, though.
Many of the others are encouraging Hana to rebel, to fight back, to take back what's hers. Akechi asks her what she wants while Magus asks about her hesitations. Joker doesn't interrupt for now. Hana's already on a good rhythm.
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Magus looks to Grim as she speaks. Hana has to make a choice and see it through. That's something she can resonate with. She looks back toward Hana, as she processes everything in turn - everything the others present to her. A slight frown crosses her face as she recounts her story. It's a cruel one.
Hana confirms what she says. She starts to wonder if there might be something even she can do...
Magus looks toward Akechi as he presents a question to Hana. Isabeau says she does not wish to see her sacrifice her normal life... but if she falls, it will succeed. Umie says that she'll put people in danger, no matter what she does, for existing outside of the rules. Kazusa speaks of a time when she was trapped in a place like this, where there was something that wanted to replace her. ...Magus considers her for a moment. She didn't know that about her.
As for Magus herself...
"Life is fragile. In an instant, everything you thought you were so secure in could be gone," She raises a hand out of her cloak snaps her fingers. "Just like that."
She leans back, drawing her arm back in and folding them both in front of her.
"Even should you choose to do nothing, what you have now could be shattered at any moment - and while it is held in the hands of another who looks down upon you, the likelihood begins to approach certainty." She shuts her eyes for a moment. "...He will grow tired of his puppet eventually and discard it, once it ceases to amuse him. Are you okay with this?"
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Katsuko remained quiet at Akechi's response, save for a nod of acknowledgement before moving on. She'd not meant it as a slight - merely an observation of fact - but to clear it up then and there seemed unnecessary. Besides, they all had far more important things to attend to. Important things like Umie's and Isabeau's responses. Beneath the mask, Grim couldn't help but frown, the silver shifting ever so slightly as the muscles tugged at the corner of her mouth. Quick-witted as she was, Grim had no immediate answer for everything that went on. Even when she spoke, it was a little slower than usual, with a marked note of caution to her voice.
"You won't be safe if you submit." Grim eventually said. "Neither you nor your friends. Submission doesn't mean peace, it just means you're placating him until the man with his heel on your neck decides he wants to take something else from you." To most, Grim's tone was a flat - if very slightly insistent - one. To any that knew her well, a streak of anger would have been found threading itself through her every word. It was thin, but it stood against the otherwise neutral tone she took, like a narrow streak of red cutting across a white canvas.
Grim turned fully towards Hana. The focus was on her, and her alone. Even with Grim's eyes shrouded in shadow, one might have been able to feel the cold of them piercing to the quick.
"If you give up ground now, you'll keep giving it up again and again, until they've taken everything from you. I won't stop you if you can tolerate that. But you have to push back if you want yourself, and everyone else, to be free. Whatever you can do, do it, and take back control over your life."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
More important than she can know? Akechi seems to have ideas about something of what's going on here, but Hana still can't be sure what they are. ...More to the point is wht he says then. A version...
"Right," Hana agrees. "...A woman like me is 'funny', or supposed to be. So I can be taken seriously as a man... or taken humorously as a woman." But greater suffering, he says. 'Put people in danger', Umie says. But is she willing to risk it...?
"I know," she says quietly before turning to Isabeau. They're talking about people she doesn't know--dangerous people?
"...They told me it was my only option. But I'm not so sure now that that's true."
"No, it's not the kind of 'peace' I want... I just couldn't remember why it was so important, before."
Kazusa opines on the memory loss. '...That might be," Hana admits. " I have no other explanation."
As Kazusa explains, Hana looks sympathetic, if surprised. "Something trying to take over your life... Well, at least I don't have one of those." She says it hoping to make Kazusa feel better. But then Kazusa gives an opinion on what it is that it would be to play it safe.
"I..."
"I don't want to," she admits.
'Her justice'... 'Take back what they're trying to take'. They're all questions and options.
Magus, too, has something to say--about the fragility of life. "You're right," Hana says, as if realizing something. "That's it..."
Even if she does nothing...
"...That was why," she murmurs. "That reason. ...If I'm going to be hurt even when i'm trying to 'conform'... then there's no reason not to live as I choose." She remembers that as she speaks it, recalling that exact feeling.
"...You know," Hana says eventually to Grim, "You're spooky, but you're not so bad. You really do care about people, don't you? That's why you act so grim." She doesn't know the nickname. "It's why you're so intent."
"...Well, Akechi-kun..."
"My 'justice'... is to see Matsumoto-san go down, wishing he'd picked an easier target, cursing the day he heard my name--either of them." Hana or the 'Touri' they mentioned.
Hana looks up sharply. "All right. If you're all going to fight, then I will, too. If I'm that important, then maybe I can do something when I get there."
"..." She pauses, at that, though there's a little fire in her now--that only briefly stops. "...But I'll need your help. I can't fight like you all do."
She considers. "...But I'm not so bad at strategy... Maybe that's where I can help. I can help the Captain come up with a plan."
"If I can count on all of you to see it through..."
"Then we'll see what happens!"
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Quite so. You have to be a 'punchline', to be considered a woman by society." He agrees, rephrasing it in a way to purposefully sting without looking like he's the bee trying to sting her.
He listens, at times glancing towards Joker, but never directly- as if he knows that this is going to be difficult for them. Which is why he does not blame them for their silence.
It's a shared experience for both them and Hana, with the world constantly making you feel as if you were under attack.
The stoic facade is one Akechi knows is not truly, underneath.
As for Isabeau, there's something of a smirk at her statement, "No. Never to peace." He agrees. The Will of Rebellion is after here in this realm, a call to Revolution.
And even elsewhere, it is a call to resist society's chains.
"Nor to safety." He adds, of Katsuko's.
But, it is Hana's response that he puts down his coffee, while hearing it.
"Well then. If that is your 'Justice'. Then I'll do everything in my power to give you the chance to pursue it."
Not to peace. Nor to safety. But for a Rebellion that is her Justice.
He can live with that.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
No matter what, you'll put people in danger.
Umie knows, she'll regret those words. She's played a strange little game of not acknowledging her parents, her past, and so many other things because it seemed like a more powerful move.
She's still a coward. The moment her parents are mentioned by an agent, her bluff will be called.
'If I'm going to be hurt even when i'm trying to 'conform'.' But even if Umie does nothing...
"There's a possibility you may have it easier if you do," Umie states. "... But that doesn't mean you won't get hurt. It just won't be in a way people have to acknowledge."
"But, I think you already know that."
She briefly looks back towards Joker, tilting her head to quietly gesture towards Hana, as an offer. While she trusts his advice and takes, but she doesn't want to directly call on him to say something. Perhaps, this is planned...
If these things are what pushes a 'Will of Rebellion', then perhaps, Joker was pushed as well, much like they're doing here, if artificially.
"Well, you'll have me and the Badb's help." She shrugs. "But does anybody really need to ask, at this point? I'm involving myself."
After all, she's already sunk money into this. Isn't that what they call a sunk-cost fallacy? .... Or maybe not that, but. She *did* make sure to take the receipt out of the bag, for several reasons.
If Hana remembers later about a 'Kokoro Akechi', well. All the better, as long as that name is never uttered anywhere near Akechi. Or anyone else, for that matter.
"To persist, in spite of what's in front of you... Maybe, that's what it takes," she comments idly, adopting a more lackadaisical manner as she shrugs. "A prick like Matsumoto-san's not going to find that attitude all that funny, ehh~"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Says you, Joker.
Magis might not have known in particular, but it's not exactly a secret to the broader Persona community. Kazusa just... doesn't bring it up unless she has a good reason to.
Taken seriously as a man, or humorously as a woman... something about rubs Kazusa the wrong way.
"You don't," Kazusa agrees. Have something trying to take over her life. "... we'd all sense it if it were."
'I don't want to.'
Kazusa nods, and looks up. "... Good. I was only able to escape by deciding to change. I don't know if it's the same for you, but... there must still be a way."
If she can count on all of them... "I'll see what I can do. There's..." Her expression darkens. "... something else I'm also trying to take care of, too." She sets her coffee mug down. "But while I'm here, I can help heal the Rebel forces. That should at least help your efforts."
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"Your society," Isabeau issues Akechi, acidic, when he issues that barb. "I do not accept it as requirement." She doesn't view the country she's living in kindly, but... she saw that barb, and where it came from.
"... be careful," Isabeau counsels Hana. "In a place like this, resolving to face it has consequences you cannot understand as you are. You will not be able to go back, if you cross over. You will forever hold a burden you cannot speak it."
She shakes her head, arms folded as she sits. "... even so, if you wish to give strategy, I cannot tell you it is better for you to sit here hollow."
She clicks her tongue to her teeth. "I will continue with my assault to ensure you do not carry such a burden for your life."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Grim had faced down monstrosities from beyond the veil, parasites wearing people like skinsuits, and rumours twisted into a tangible form. Yet it was Hana so brazenly stating that Grim *cared* that had her visibly flinch, even if only slightly.
"I just want to see justice done." She said, her tone making it unclear as to whether her response was a rebuttal or a deflection. "The things he's done - the things he'll do if he isn't stopped - are awful. I won't stand for it. Not while I've got the power to put an end to what he's doing."
Umie gave voice to thoughts she'd not put to words, but was glad to hear all the same.
"Damned if you do..." She remarked quietly - and grimly - to herself, before returning her focus to the rest of the assembled group. Everyone had begun openly throwing their support in, and thus, Grim decided it was time for her to do the same.
"If this is your conviction, then you have my support. All of you. We'll show that prick what happens to people that dare abuse their power like this."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Only too true. Joker--Ren--is comfortable with their body and doesn't care what other people think of them, but they also only share their true self with people they trust. Will they ever get to be a woman in 'society,' or will they spend the rest of their life letting it think they're always a 'man'?
Their eyes flick downward for a second when Akechi weighs in on the matter. It does sting. They don't fault him for stating the truth, though. Hana just said as much herself, and she knows better than any of them. They raise their eyes back to her and the others.
Hana expresses her inner fire, expressed in her voice and her eyes as she decides she's going to fight back in her own way too. She may not be able to fight like the rest of them--but if she can count on them to take to the battlefield while she handles strategy...
Joker smiles, seeking her eyes. When they catch them, they give her a single decisive nod.
They're in.
Umie glances back at and gestures towards them as if to invite them to speak. However, their gaze goes to Akechi again. He'll do everything in his power to give her the chance to pursue her Justice, huh... Though their lips don't move, their gaze softens. Goro may not think of himself as a good person, and certainly he can stab people on purpose, so to speak--but having support like that is so often the most important thing.
Umie calling Matsumoto a prick does get a low chuckle out of Joker, at least. When Isabeau snaps at Akechi, they return their expression to poker neutral; 'your' society, huh... But what catches their attention about her even more is how she talks to Hana about being a part of the supernatural world and shielding her from having to fully join it.
Is having a Persona a burden to you...? they wonder. That's definitely not something they would've expected from her.
Maybe they really have misjudged her all this time.
...which doesn't mean they have to like her any better, but still.
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Hana explains how it is. A woman like her is supposed to be 'funny'... Magus listens to the choices before her, and a dissatisfied frown crosses her face. She listens as Hana processes everything, as she acknowledges what she says... and comes to a decision.
Hana will fight, too - though she can't find like they do. She is good at strategy, though - and at that, Magus smirks.
"Very well. If that's your resolve... then let's see what comes of it. Grasp what you want for yourself and take it - and if something breaks, at least you can pick up the pieces yourself." She says. "If you can't fight directly, then let us be your blade. Plunge us into the heart of your enemy."
She pauses to add something -
"I am at my best doing subtle work. If you need any subtle work done behind the scenes, allow me to volunteer." She adds. "Let the others have the glory of the direct confrontation."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Akechi says it--but while it stings, it's the sort of sting that spurs onward. Hana nods. "That's right. ...But I don't accept that. I won't. ...Teruo's never treated me as a punchline. I can't face him if I let myself be dismissed like that."
"My society too," Hana says to Isabeau. "...But this is one of those places where 'society' gets it wrong. I've seen so many people like me hide... but if 'they' won't leave me in peace, then I won't leave them in peace, either."
Umie cautions her, of course. Still, what she says... "I do," Hana answers.
"...Haha. So you're getting involved either way, is that how it is?" She will remember later. Umie may regret it. ...For now, scents!
Instead though, Kazusa makes clear what Hana was pretty sure of, and then she mentions... "If you have other priorities, that's fine," Hana says. "But this--the Rebels--are mine. If you can help, I'll take it. ...We'll take it, assuming Captain Kato will let me help."
Kato, where he's talking to some rebels, gives a quiet V-sign to the ones of the group who glance over. He's listening.
Isabeau cautions her, too, but in a different way. "...If I regret standing up, so be it. But that's what I've decided. ...Thanks."
A burden? She still doesn't quite get it, but, "By all means."
Grim flinches, and Hana laughs softly. "I'm sure," she says. "Well, justice or compassion, I'll take it."
"But he is a prick," Hana agrees. She looks to Magus, next, who offers to be her blade... "I will," she assures them. "And in that case... Let's see where our intelligence is weakest, and strike there."
She looks over at Joker again, too. With that nod, that smile, she smiles back.
"Well! I'll..." Pause. "I'll have to go talk to the Captain! It's been an eventful few days, hasn't it?" she asks, warmly.
Wait, what?
"Well, all of you come back when you can--we'll have a plan cooked up. ...Thanks again."