2026-09-24: Away From The Crowd
- Log: Away From The Crowd
- Cast: Hana Fukami, Hibari Aoki, Tamaki Uchida
- Where: Red Light District - Main
- OOC Date: September 24, 2026
- IC Date: January 14, 2013
- Summary: Apart from the Rebels inside, Hana is out getting some quiet time. Hibari and Tamaki come looking for her--and they talk resolve.
(|======================== 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.
Studio 4 hums with tension. From the painted sets of trees at the edges to the support buildings in the middle to the main building at the very center, there's a certainty that something is going to happen soon. Accordingly, it's nighttime here--time's passage is a little nebulous in the Kingdom, though there's been no strange effects on visitors, at least. The lovely cafe is full of Rebels and coffee and food, and is bustling. But anyone looking for Hana is directed out back, which faces away from the Studio's eyes and cameras.
Hana's there, in a pink dress that's a little old-fashioned, looking up to a nighttime sky. The stars are orderly, in neat constellations... a little less bright than the real world's sky.
She's in a chair at an outdoor table. And thinking.
<Pose Tracker> Hibari Aoki has posed.
While Hibari - or, say, Mujina, as she'd been wearing her mask at the time - entered Hana's Kingdom with some of the other Phantom Thieves, she hasn't actually yet spoken to Hana.
With things coming to a head, she's decided to do that. What she's heard has been enough to go on, but there's nothing like getting a look for yourself. And maybe a question or two. Accordingly, Mujina has once again made herself present.
She stands out; she has a mask, for one, in red and white. It's a broader shape than the fox mask that is more common, with stripes that go up from the cheeks and over the eyes in a wide arc, and wider, more triangular ears with red along the outside; it's a (very) stylized animal that is either a tanuki-ish badger or a badger-ish tanuki. And there's the outfit; her long coat resembles a trench coat belted around her waist, open below that and accompanied by black leggings and high boots.
And she's been getting the lay of the land from the Rebels. Unlike some people, Mujina is not a silent watcher; she likes to talk, and she has been talking. She thinks she has a bit better of a grasp... but not enough.
So eventually she works her way out back, as directed. "Fukami-san?" she says, as she approaches the table. "I'm Mujina. I hope I'm not interrupting *too* too much." She smiles, just visible under her mask.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Tamaki is, as usual, here for the food.
Well, the food's secondary; she's also here to check in on Hana after having helped the Rebels earlier. When she asks about where Hana is, she feels a sense of recognition. Tamaki sees herself as an extra, a stagehand, at best a supporting actress, but never, ever, the face that anyone pays attention to. Wanting to get out of the way of the cameras seems relatable.
Given that Hana's show is included in the block of television programming that she most frequently consumes, Tamaki wonders how much of a hand she had in adding to that pressure. She arrives after Hibari does. What does she say in this situation? 'Big fan'? Keep it strictly professional?
She settles for a bow as she introduces herself. "Tamaki Uchida. Excuse me, I'm not too great with big crowds, either," which is an utter and blatant lie, "so I wanted to hole up out here for a bit. How are you two doing?"
She shoots Hibari a furtive glance. If she's one of the Phantom Thieves, she can't have seen her in that guise more than once or twice, if ever. "Good to see you, also, give ... give Phoenix my regards?"
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Hana is not startled by the approach of a THIEF, but she is intrigued; she takes a moment to openly look over Hibari's outfit and mask, noting the animal pattern, the long coat...
And then Tamaki, too. She recognizes neither, of course; Hana doesn't remember any of her experiences with the Persona-users outside this world.
But she remembers a bit more than she did before, now.
"That's me," she answers, and then smiles at Tamaki too. "You aren't," she says, and she inclines her head back, giving the equivalent of a bow that you can manage while sitting down. "It's nice to met you both."
"Is that so?" Hana says to Tamaki. "It's hard to get away from the crowds, for sure. I like people... but sometimes you do want a little privacy."
A beat, and to Mujina, "Are you one of the Phantoms? I had an interesting conversation with your leader earlier."
"But I'm..."
"Calm," Hana goes with. "I've been worried. ...I resolved what I need to do, but I don't know if I'll be able to do it, and I won't know until it's done. So I'm sort of... trying to be at peace with that."
"Does it look like it's working?"
"Oh, and please--join me." She gestures to the chairs.
<Pose Tracker> Hibari Aoki has posed.
"Crowds don't really bother me, usually," Mujina says, "but I understand the desire to clear out once in a while."
Mujina has only rarely been seen with the Phantom Thieves, as opposed to doing her own thing - but she was involved with Eiji's Palace, at least, so she hasn't been completely out of sight. It's just that she didn't join the Phantom Thieves very long ago at all, so the only time she's been seen working *with* them, as opposed to just in the same place as them, was here, in the Kingdom. Maybe she's freelancing...?
(She is not. But she used to, sort of - since she worked with Ogre and Phoenix, at least, well before she knew any of the others.)
While Mujina's mask hides the upper part of her face, it doesn't hide her smile, and Mujina gives one. "Phoenix is a friend of mine," she says. "So I certainly will."
This is made slightly more complex by the fact that she knows perfectly well who Tamaki is, and Tamaki in turn may actually know her alter ego... because as Hibari, Kasugayama student and rumourmonger, she checks in with the Detective Agency (and their lucky cat) now and again. But that's not Mujina. Hibari is to all appearances one of the people aware of the supernatural without being involved in it directly, like Chikarin; there's no resonance on her, but she's spread and received supernaturally-relevant rumours before, and she does pay the cat when she's not broke. But this is something Mujina's dealt with before and she can do it again.
She gives Hana a slight nod. "That's right," she agrees. "I am. I was wondering how you were holding up, given everything; it sounds like better than I might have expected."
When invited, Mujina does take a seat, though she ends up perching more than really settling down. "Thank you," she says, looking from Hana to Tamaki and back, thoughtfully. Though the slightly furrowed brow *is* hidden by her mask. "It looks like it's working a little bit," she says, after a moment.
"Do you mind if I ask what you've resolved? Or is it too personal?" Though, given Hibari has seen the Kingdom... she's already kind of stepped all over 'too personal'.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
And likewise, Tamaki of course knows Hibari, rumormonger Chikarin, as does the lucky cat statue. She's completely oblivious to any relationship between any other Phantom Thieves and their mundane identities. No, really, Tsubasa and Phoenix just being close contacts of each other is a story that she buys hook, line, and sinker. Some detective she is!
She had inferred from the mask and getup that Mujina could be one of the Phantom Thieves, but it was definitely an inference. Other people wear masks to the supernatural worlds, too, Tamaki, even yourself!
'I like people... but sometimes you do want a little privacy.' Blending in. It isn't the crowds that get to Tamaki, it's the scrutiny, it's being the focus.
She listens intently as Hana continues, then takes a seat when offered. She looks her up and down to evaluate if it is, in fact, working, then winces apologetically. "Hmm ... it was up until you asked."
Tamaki tries to blunt the sting with a soft smile. "But it's understandable. I've had my fair share of being in situations like that, myself. I've heard that a good technique is to give yourself the span of seven breaths to decide something, though ..." She tilts her head. "It's from a fairly old book."
"Take all the time you need. It doesn't get easier the more times you have to do it."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Same," Hana agrees with Hibari. "But I haven't gotten much alone time since I came to the Rebels; they aren't exactly operating a hotel here."
"I was doing very poorly for a while there. I even wore that stupid suit the Producer's employees gave me." She gestures, "They got me something more appropriate from wardrobe, but it's not quite the style I prefer. It's a little old-fashioned."
She laughs softly at the way they respond to her question. "A little bit... and not anymore," she surmises. "Thanks." She smiles back. "Have you? ...Hmmm. ...Seven breaths... That's an interestingly specific piece of advice. I think I'll try it."
She does appreciate it, at least; it's the scrutiny for her, too. Being on stage is nice... but you can't be there all the time.
"No, it's not too personal," she says. "Though I gather the Producer has been pretty free with my business," she says. "...It's..."
She nods to Tamaki, and does take a moment to consider what to say.
"I'm going to stand up to him," she says. "I've come up with some strategies for the Rebels to use, and I'm going to tell him to his face what I think of his approach. ...Hopefully, I'll get my life back as a result."
"I gather that he's not the 'real' Matsumoto? Any more than... Well, than his enforcers are real humans. So I guess I'll have to find a way to stand up to that one, too."
"But I won't really know if all this is just bluster until I'm tested. There's a lot of things he had to use against me... And, if I'm being honest, I'm afraid."
<Pose Tracker> Hibari Aoki has posed.
"Seven breaths, huh?" It's not quite what Hibari's learned, but there's probably as many ways to handle it as there are things to handle. "And I'm glad you got the dress. I don't think I could bring something in from outside for you," Mujina says, though then she seems a little thoughtful. COULD she? Nothing supernaturally significant, but spare clothes... Maybe she should experiment with that. Not here and now, though.
Hibari understands not wanting to be the focus of attention, at least; this makes total sense to her. So Mujina nods along with that, even if she doesn't immediately open her mouth again.
Mujina is a good listener, too, and so for a few moments that's what she does; listens, lets Tamaki lead a little bit after her question.
She chooses her words carefully. "In a place like a Kingdom," she says, "which this is, you can't help but see a little bit of what makes up a person. Or at least part of it." Mujina looks a little apologetic, but it's not the kind of trespassing she can *actually* apologize for, given it's to help someone. "So I'm afraid the Producer is part of it."
"But you're right. It's not the 'real' Matsumoto." Mujina isn't prepared to get into the fine details (and, indeed, she's not sure she has them all correct; this is the first Kingdom she has been in) but it's probably not the kind of thing Hana is equipped to handle anyway, right now. "The way he thinks, though - that will be the same. Even if he's probably more likely to do something about it here." Something drastic, anyway. "Those things you think he might use against you - he might. Even if the 'real' one might not want to go that far."
She tilts her head slightly. "You're afraid of standing up to him?" This, Hibari understands better than she'd like, but she's coming at it from the other direction, sort of. "You might not believe me, but I understand that. I can't say it gets easier, precisely, but knowing you *can* do it... helps."
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
The advice is at least a century old, the stuff of old crusty generals speaking on what makes for successful warfare. She sheepishly clears her throat, then shrugs. "Admittedly, I first heard it at a ramen place somewhere, either at Port Island or near it on the mainland ... it's cheesy, but it's worked for me."
"You know, there's a place over in Shimokitazawa that does some top-notch custom work." Tamaki tilts her head as she looks at Hana after having heard about the trouble over wardrobe choices. "Maybe an option once you give your producer what-for."
As for questions about how closely this world influences the real one, Tamaki ...
... well, she has a better inkling for other phenomena which she has more familiarity with, but when it comes to Kingdoms, she has absolutely no idea, even though this is her second. She's mostly breadth. It's her turn to mostly listen to Mujina as she explains here, jotting things down in her notepad.
When Hana finishes what she said, Tamaki taps the side of her cheek with her pencil while Mujina responds, then chimes in with, "The way I see it, the people who win engagements like this win because they don't have a fallback option. They fight like hell because losing's unthinkable to them, in the sense that it's life-or-death for them."
She pauses for a beat, then flicks her eyes to stare pointedly at Hana. "Is it life-or-death for you here, or close enough to it?"
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Hana laughs a little harder than she should at Tamaki's admission. "Here I was thinking it was some ancient text or something. But it still sounds good; having any system is better than just going at it without any ideas."
"Thanks for thinking of me," Hana says to Mujina next. "Hmmm... Well, hopefully it won't be a problem much longer. I have a great wardrobe... at home, where I'm not." But she likes fashion enough that she shows interest in Tamaki mentioning the place in Shimokitzawa. "Oh? I'll definitely check it out."
A Kingdom, they call it... Mujina explains, and Hana listens thoughtfully, though she indeed has very little supernatural background before this. "I see... Well, it's a good thing I don't mind people knowing things about me," she comments.
Not the real one... hmm. "I see... So it's like him, except more likely to take extreme actions." Pause. "Also, i think he's green? There were some photographs in the office."
But Hibari questions it. "Mm-hm. That I'll get all these nice Rebels killed, that I'll get you all hurt, and that I won't be able to stand up to him after all when it comes down to it."
Then she settles her gaze on Tamaki. "...So it's going all-out," she reflects.
"..."
"Yes," Hana says. "If i back down here... I can't look at myself in the mirror. I might as well not have started on this life path at all."
"...And I lose the career I wnated. Not only all of that..."
"But I don't think I could face Teruo, after all the ways he's told me how great I am, if I can't show this much self-respect. ...Emisa and Miyako, too." But rather than elaborate on how those two would feel too, she stops, a little embarrassed to speak her feelings openly to people who don't know her partners.
"Ah, they're... some people who are important to me," she explains belatedly.
"I'd forgotten, you see. I... Someone hurt me very badly, a long time ago. And I resolved then that if hiding wasn't going to keep me safe anyway, that I'd live the way I chose."
<Pose Tracker> Hibari Aoki has posed.
Mujina has no comment as to whether she visits Port Island on a regular basis or not. Maybe she's been to that ramen shop! Maybe she hasn't.
Instead, she looks at Tamaki a little thoughtfully. Shimokitazawa... that means Peacock Silk, probably. She's not sure she would have sent Hana there - she has nothing against them, but they might not even take her as a customer. They're awfully picky, from what she's heard. "Well, that's a thought for later," is what she settles on.
As for the green: "That can happen," she agrees, though she's never actually seen anyone who looked the same except for being green. Maybe he's an ogre? Mujina thinks to herself. Not an oni, but the European sort. They're green, aren't they?
She might be thinking of a movie she watched when she was about eight...
Tamaki asks a reasonable question - and has a reasonable line of thought. It's not one Mujina personally agrees with, entirely, but that's a different point - and she does agree with enough of it that when Hana responds in the affirmative, she does smile just a little bit.
"You might not believe me," Mujina says, "but I had trouble standing up for myself, too. I didn't have your troubles," because she absolutely does not mean to take away from Hana's struggle there. "But - well, you might understand. There's a lot of things it's 'not appropriate' for girls to do. And there's a lot of people who will treat you worse because of what you look like or how you seem to be, superficially."
Mujina's expression softens. "I don't usually tell people that." And she glances at Tamaki: "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't go sharing it, either. It ruins the mystique," she says, with a slight bit of amusement to her voice.
"But, Hana-san I thought you might like to hear this: It does get easier. I still don't actually like fighting very much, but it's important to stand up for yourself, and what you believe in - especially when people try to take it away from you. I'm glad you could come to find that strength."
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Technically, it's both!
Tamaki flashes Hana a grin. "Yeah. It's going all-out. Want it more than the other side does. That's the way to do it." Look, there are reasons Tamaki feels the way she does, why she gives this kind of advice; it worked for her. Doesn't mean she's right, it's just what she had learned.
Mujina spills the beans on her earlier self. Tamaki nods and replies, "I hear that. I'm into sports and exercise, and people in school called me 'Muscle Freak' because I have a bit more definition than most girls do. -- and now we've both got something to hold each other to." Most of Tamaki's outfits these days are long-sleeved.
Her grin slightly fades when she hears what Hana had resolved to long ago. That isn't something she can claim, herself; she thinks Hana's in better shape than she is, even if she's much newer at this. "Stick with that."
... if it gets easier, why doesn't Tamaki feel that way, herself?
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Hooray, both!
"Want it more... Hey, if it works for you, it might work for me. I do want it more than him. ...He's just trying to maintain his ego and his reputation. I have people on the line."
"I believe you!" Hana says to Mujina. "I've known a lot of girls like that. And, well... When I was younger, I did a lot of things that weren't appropriate for a 'boy'--culminating in, well." She gestures at herself. "You see."
"So I get it." A look to Tamaki, "...I had a friend like that. It stung her pretty hard..."
She smiles at Mujina. "I won't share either," she assures Mujina.
Then, she considers. Easier... "I hope so," Hana says. "Because it's very difficult right now. Half of the reason I think I can do it is..." She bites her lip. "This won't give you a better impression of me," she asys.
"But it's spite. It's a desire to see him pay for how he's treated me and who knows how many other people. ...if I'm being charitable, it's 'justice'. But I'm not sure it's anything so high-minded as that."
Tamaki suggests she stick with it, and Hana nods. "Thanks."
"...I'm used to hiding behind the others. Teruo's really gallant, for instance; he protected not just me. ...And Emisa's so bright that nobody can really stand up to her when she gets going." She misses them, and also...
"Well, tomorrow's the day, right? If you're there... I'll be counting on you both."
<Pose Tracker> Hibari Aoki has posed.
"I do see," Mujina agrees with Hana. "It suits you," is all she says about it.
Mujina gives a sketchy sort of sweeping gesture that suggests a bow without actually standing up. "Your secret is safe with me," she promises Tamaki.
Mujina's coat goes a long way toward obscuring her build when she's standing, given it's both sweepy and billowy in different ways, but sitting down it's clear she's not slim. (Hibari is actually pretty chubby; certainly in Japan, she's heavy enough to be remembered as 'the fat kid'. Which has its own suite of prejudices in Japan. Ask about how she knows!)
"I don't mean it ever gets easy," Mujina says. "But knowing you *can* do it, knowing that there *is* a place where you can say, and mean it, 'This is where I take a stand' - that's what helps. If wanting to prove him wrong is your breaking point and where you find your resolve, if you don't want to hide anymore - well, there it is."
Mujina leans forward. "But there *are* people out there who deserve to pay for what they've done and do, and it's only justice to work toward what they deserve. It's not wrong to feel that, I think. Even if you get some satisfaction out of it, too. It doesn't make you less brave for it."
She glances toward Tamaki. "Being backed into a corner might help in this case, but it's a hard way to live. You just need to bring the resolve with you..."
"...and look at me, now I'm doing philosophy and I wasn't going to do that!" Mujina grins, perhaps somewhat incongruously given she's one of the Phantom Thieves. "Sorry. I'll stop, I promise."
Tomorrow's the day... "I'll be there," Mujina says. "I don't like leaving a thing half-finished, you know?"