2026-09-22: Seeking Justice
- Log: Seeking Justice
- Cast: Hana Fukami, Ren Amamiya
- Where: Red Light District - Main
- OOC Date: September 22, 2026
- IC Date: January 13, 2013
- Summary: Joker comes to check on Hana, but rather than the silent look they intended, it becomes a conversation. They discuss rebellion--and what it means to both of them.
(|======================== 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.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
It's nighttime at Studio 4, and the whole world--kingdom--is humming with anticipation. Night is new for this place; time hasn't passed here quite like it has in the real world. It's only been a few days, to hear the Cognitions tell it, rather than the time that has passed for everyone else.
Hana is currently sitting in 'her' booth in the corner of the cafe, having just finished a meal. She still has coffee! She's writing in some kind of notebook...
But the Cognitions are abuzz; something is going to happen soon.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
The time dilation in this Kingdom has been interesting, as is the new onset of night. Joker didn't notice this in the Dollhouse Corporation, but they were also in and out for business. They'll have to be careful not to overstay their welcome here...
For now, they're just poking their head into the cafe where the rebel base is. Hana had been surrounded by quite a crowd last time, and she'd gained a fighting spirit, but they'd like to see how she's doing while she's alone. ...They're alike, after all. Joker feels a bit protective of her.
They don't intend to linger. When they enter, they move to get another cup of mediocre coffee and hang out to discreetly watch what's going on, the tails of their coat billowing as they stride across the room. Once they're done, they'll leave. That's the plan, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
While Joker is a thief, and very sneaky--the woman at the bar is not. "Hi there, hon. What can I get you?" she asks of Joker, and that commotion prompts Hana to look up...
By the time Joker has their coffee, Hana chimes in, "Hey, Joker. Why don't you come and sit with me for a little while?"
"I have a few things I'm curious about."
The plan may be altered. Or not. Either way, Hana looks a little tired, but definitely in better spirits than before; she's in pink, which is always a good sign for her, and she's set down her pencil.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Joker considers Hana for a second before nodding once. "Very well."
If they want to see how she's doing, they'll do that even better with a conversation. The fact that she's wearing pink is a good sign too. They cross the room again and seat themself opposite her with legs crossed, taking a sip of their coffee and setting it down.
"What is it you're curious about, Hana Fukami?" they ask, meeting her eyes with their intense, masked gaze.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Great."
Hana's notebook, if Joker looks, has a sketch of the Producer's office floor--the layout gotten through the hard work of one of the teams here--and some ideas for assaulting it. But Hana herself might be enough to focus on, because she focuses on Joker.
"Your clothes," she says simply. Then she explains, "First: they have an old-fashioned, rakish masculinity to them, but without the macho approach tht would often go with it in the modern times. They're stylish, but not just stylish; they specifically seem suited to a thief and a gentleman... But maybe not just a man? There's a little bit of androgyny to your attire and features, too, especially with the mask."
Pause.
"But it's not just fashion; i'm curious why you wear them. Why you wear the mask, when so many of these others just... show their faces plainly."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Joker's expression remains poker-still at first. Their clothes, though? As she explains, they understand more--until she notes they have a certain androgyny to them. That gets a smile out of the phantom thief as they shut their eyes.
"That detective, Goro Akechi, could tell you much about it. You'll note he did away with his mask the last time we were all here," they reply. "In short, it's because of something called the Will of Rebellion." They meet Hana's gaze again, now serious. "When a certain type of Persona User awakens, we don't acquire just a Persona; we also gain a mask and a costume that symbolizes the form our rebellion takes."
They quirk a slight half-smile. "On top of being stylish, they also protect our identities. Without me telling you--or without you knowing me intimately--you'd never guess who I truly am. It suits a phantom thief like me well, no?"
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Ahh. He tells me he's been on my show," Hana says warmly. "I've appreciated his forthrightness--even if, yes, he has a mask he isn't using..."
But they meet Hana's eyes, and Hana looks right back. "Rebellion," she says. "...There's a lot to rebel against in this world, I think."
"That does make sense. It would be very helpful--there are people and things out there you wouldn't want knowing who you are." Pause. "...I'm not sure why I know that; I can't remember what those things are. But I'm sure it's true. I'm just as sure that I want to oppose them."
Her memory, it would seem, is not perfectly restored.
"...Akechi-kun made me think of my 'justice'," she explains. "And it's an interesting turn of phrase... But I think I've found it. Of course, who knows?" She gives a wan smile. "I might fail when I'm tested. I hope not."
"...So your rebellion is like this," she muses. "...A gentleman thief can't be one in a vacuum; they," and she does use 'they', after that smile, "must have not only things to steal, but people to be good to."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Joker of course knows that Akechi has been on Flower Talk. They don't say this. It wouldn't suit the leader of the Phantom Thieves to be that familiar with Goro's comings and doings. Thus, maintaining that poker face, they reply, "Is that so?"
There is a lot to rebel against. They nod once. They calmly take in her comment on wanting to keep an identity hidden. Given what she was saying the other day, it has felt clear that her recall is imperfect at best. Still, it's progress.
"He's good at making people think," they reply. "I pray you don't fail either, though. You seem a stronger soul than that."
It could simply be a general 'they.' Knowing Hana, though... "Indeed. We, The Phantoms, respond to the cries of those oppressed by ones the law cannot or will not condemn. That is our Justice."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Indeed. Of course, he's apparently quite popular... I believe it. He has an obvious charisma. I hope I get my memories back, when this is all over. It's... awkward, knowing that many of you have met me but I don't know you."
"Thank you. I appreciate that. I just have to remember what's at stake. ...I want to be able to keep my head up high, and know that I did my best."
It could! But it isn't. "I see..." The Phantoms sound familiar, too. "I'm glad. That's a necessary role. ...There are so many the alw cannot or will not reach. I have such a story myself, though... it's my own fault that the law couldn't step in, in this case. ...Would they have helped me? I don't know. But I didn't give them the chance."
"...Regardless, I admire that. I'll cheer you on. For me..."
"I want to strike back," she says. "At those who would force others into the boxes they demand."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"They call him the Detective Prince. Quite a title for someone not yet out of high school, hmm?"
Joker doesn't remark on whether they know Hana already or not. They simply nod in response to her gratitude.
They raise their head a bit when she talks about how she didn't give the law a chance to help her. "Oh?" This they don't know about, genuinely--though they think they have a few of the pieces based on the other day's group discussion.
"Thank you," they respond in kind--and then grin when she says she wants to strike back. "You've a will to rebel yourself, it seems," they quip. "Hold fast to it, Hana Fukami."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Hmm. A Prince... his outfit is like that. I wonder... if these outfits reflect your 'will', is he a Prince because he gives off that air? Or does he look like a prince because that's what's expected of him?"
Hmm.
"Yes. ...It's a long story, but I was attacked for being gay--as a man, back then. Because it was my fiancee's brother, they asked me not to press charges... and because none of us wanted the story getting out, I agreed."
"I'm not so naive as to think that the police would always support someone like me. ...But I'll never know. Neither the police nor anyone else saw 'justice' done."
But a will herself... Hana smiles. "I will," she says. "I'll do my best."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Who can say?" Joker says cryptically, lifting their coffee cup.
At the very least, they've got a much better idea of why than most.
Hana explains what happened. They listen with intent seriousness. So that's it. She had indeed mentioned her fiancé's brother the other day, and how he hated her for believing she'd led his sister on. That must be part of why. They nod once.
Personally, Joker has their doubts that the police would have taken Hana's side. However, this case seems a lot more cut-and-dry than theirs was, if he committed assault against her and his family asked her not to press charges. Don't press charges is another way of saying We think you could win.
...Of course, there's also the fact that in the Japanese legal system, whoever attacks first is usually the winner. Something else their time in court taught them.
"Then I'll support you with all I've got," they reply decisively, rather than get into all that. "So shall we all."