2025-07-28: A Subtle Operation
- Log: A Subtle Operation
- Cast: Yua Ooshiro, Miho Ijuuin
- Where: Narumi Ward - Office / Aoba Penthouse
- OOC Date: 2025-07-28
- IC Date: Saturday, June 16 2012
- Summary: Miho receives a call she can't put off, and finds herself having to ask Yua to do something terrible. Running isn't an option. They can only move forward...
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Miho was called out of her home, after work, by a phone call. 'Glory to the Chosen' must feel so utterly token, when she's being pulled away from dessert, even though Yua worked hard on those poached pears. (A dish which wouldn't be possible, notably, without Miho's wealth; saffron is expensive.)
Rokuro Nishiyama's office is in Narumi, and strangely, there's still someone available to buzz her in at this hour. There's nothing particularly suspect about the place he does business -- there's a photo of a woman on the orderly desk, several signed certificates and awards on the wall, a few chairs in front of the desk to receive visitors. They're less comfortable than his chair... if only by a little.
He looks like the kind of guy who doesn't get home to see the woman in that photo very often, in this setting where his sunglasses are folded up in his breast pocket.
"Thank you for coming," he says, another token for the pile. "I'm sure you know why I've called you, so I'll get down to business..."
He slides over a dossier -- a man in his twenties, a quintessential journalist. "Riku Rikimaru," he invokes his name, as it's written. "This man has been investigating the Tien Tao Lien. We'd like for him to be diverted from this line of enquiry before he's able to establish a sense of trust... and we want his material destroyed. Unfortunately, as his footage is kept on location in Sumaru TV, access is proving... inconvenient."
He taps his fingers on the desk. "Keycard access," he says, self-explanatory.
(Keycards don't work in the Dark Hour, and evidently, they'd like to not leave evidence they've been there.)
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho Ijuuin has seen that photograph before. She's memorized it in the past, all without needing to look firmly at it. Just in case.
But that's not why she's here today. Another token for the pile, and Miho will remember those, too.
"Of course." To all of it. She doesn't care much for the extended pleasantries some prefer; in that, at least, they are in accord.
Miho looks at the file, lifting it to read through. And the name...
Hm.
"I see," Miho answers. Keycard access. It makes perfect sense, of course. And they don't want to leave evidence that they were there, which rules out just blitzing the place with demons.
"Very well. So the direct approach is out."
A pause. "You will require Yua for this. I will handle that much."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Even evil men have families who love them.
"I'm pleased you understand," Rokuro says, though he doesn't look terribly more pleased than he was a moment prior. "Yes, Ooshiro-san's... unique gifts will be an asset for this operation." And he's careful, there, to frame her abilities as an asset, despite what he might think of Miho's faithful hound personally. When it comes to managing Miho, at least... he's polite.
"We'd like it to be excused as a simple malfunction," he lifts a hand, gesturing loosely with it. "A blackout, perhaps. Of course, Rikimaru-san will be aware he's being targeted... and since he's discussed his project with his coworkers, it's best if they're frightened, too. That's why we can't simply dispose of him," he adds, to answer the obvious question.
"An adverserial approach to any investigation, going forward, will be beneficial to us."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho is not yet willing to target someone's family to get to him. ...But that may change one day. And if it does... She already knows where to look. She's thought about whether it's necessary.
No, he doesn't look pleased, but he is polite enough that she isn't going to argue this time. Miho notes those gestures, considers the particulars of the plan. "Yes," she says. "We can do that."
"Fear is easy enough to invoke, particularly with her abilities. We won't need to reveal ourselves for that much."
A malfunction...
"Yes, I believe I have a plan. Is there anything else I should know?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
And in displaying his loved ones, perhaps Rokuro is intimating some degree of his own power, knowing the cutthroat environment he's operating in.
"We're keeping this operation small," Rokuro responds, perhaps entirely predictably. "You're not to utilise Ryuuja-san for this mission. You'll handle the destruction of materials yourself."
He remains polite, but it's not a suggestion. It's hard to see who's standing behind Rokuro, from where he's sitting, but it's not difficult to imagine a similar conversation being handed down between two other shadowed men.
(It's not difficult to imagine them being men, either.)
... for the safety of the organisation, though, Miho's discouraged from thinking too much about that. Instead, he says: "The rest of the particulars I will leave to you. I trust you'll want to brief Ooshiro-san personally, so I won't keep you... good evening, Chosen."
A title he affords to her far more often than to Yua.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"I see. Noted." Miho knows that a secretive mission is easier to keep secret with fewer members; it's a logic that makes sense to her. It wasn't a suggestion, and she doesn't fight it. Better to choose a battle she's interested in fighting.
They are of course men.
"Very well. I will do this." A pause. "...Good evening." She inclines her head--not a full bow, but an acknowledgement--and turns to go.
Her driver will see her home.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
By the time Miho arrives home, the pears are in the fridge, and Yua's draped on the couch. "My baby boy," she sighs, as she pets Tiger, trying not to worry and only succeeding in worrying more.
When the door clicks open, she -- tries to spring up, remembers a cat is on her, awkwardly has to put him off to one side, then hops up. "Mimi!" She calls out, in her casual house-clothes, those shorts and tank top she'd never wear in public. "Mimi...?"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Yua! Miho smiles to see her and Tiger both. "Hello," Miho answers Yua. "Thank you for your patience."
She is in a nice suit, of course, as is usual for her when she deals with business matters.
"I see Tiger has been keeping you company. Good."
A pause. "But I'll come to the point." She finishes walking over, and leans down towards Yua, to embrace her.
After that--
"...We have a mission."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"He's been a very good boy!" Yua reports on Tiger's activities, as he ambles over to weave around Miho's ankles. He meows, plaintively, and Yua circumvents his attempts at crime: "He's had dinner."
Regardless of how their outfits mismatch, Yua still melts effortlessly into Miho, meeting her lips to hers in their embrace. When she parts for breath, her face is still close to hers, her eye still close to hers, and Miho can see the way her loving feelings are clouded by recognition at that line.
Yua looks down, pulling back enough to grasp Miho's arm's, instead. "... come," she invites her, tugging her towards the couch, "sit with me."
By this, of course, Yua means she's sitting on Miho, planting herself on her lap once she's found a seat. She lifts a hand to Miho's cheek, stroking it as she tries -- not entirely successfully -- to keep her frowning pout from her face.
"What do they want?" She asks, and it comes out a little sour, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
CRIME CAT.
Miho does lean down to pet him first. Pet pet. Good cat.
But then, Miho does recognize that difference, that moment... And in turn, comes to sit with her. Miho sits first, naturally, and waits for Yua to settle once she has. She sees the frown despite Yua's best efforts. And....
"To scare a journalist, and destroy his work. It's at Sumaru TV, and behind a keycard, so we'll have to do it during the day. Your abilities will make it possible to confuse the matter, and accomplish the task without having to harm anyone physically."
Mentally, of course.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"During the day?" Yua asks, and that ghost of a frown comes out in full force, as her lips part and her teeth grit together. It's bad enough that she has to do so much mental harm, "... but... Sumaru TV doesn't have the kinds of rumours around it that would let me do that," because of course she's still trying to reason that it must be possible with her Persona alone.
But... that's not... what Miho meant, by abilities, and a moment later, Yua reluctantly comes to the realisation. "No!" She cries, shaking her head, her hand dropping down to grasp at Miho's shoulder. "I don't want to! It hurts!"
She's upset.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"That's correct," Miho answers. "It would require the use of your other powers."
A sigh, then. Yua realizes it, and says no. "If I were to do things my way, there would be... evidence. People would be hurt. I cannot operate as subtly as you can. Which of course is why they have turned to you."
It hurts.
"...I do not see a better plan. Ah, I would rather spare you this..."
"But we are not free of them yet."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Miho would leave evidence... it's true that demons are hungry. Yua sniffs, tears staining at the edge of her eye as she looks up to her, as she explains.
"Rrrmmmm..." She whines, laying her head down on Miho's shoulder, holding close to her. "You'll be there? With me? And we don't... have to kill anyone?" It's little enough comfort, but...
"But," her fingers curl into Miho's suit, creasing all those perfect edges, "giving normal people nightmares is... so awful..."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Demons are very, very hungry.
Miho holds Yua. "I will be there," she says. "And indeed; there is no reason to kill anyone. If I run into any difficulties, I can use nonlethal force."
A pause. But...
"I am sorry," she says. "...But in order to stay here, we must do these things."
"It is this, or running away. Until we have more 'power', that is our option."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"Okay..." Yua says, slowly, and she has to let herself be reassured by the little things Miho can do to make it easier on her, because what other choice do they have?
She sighs, sinking her weight into Miho, from where she'd been wound up far more tightly. "It's not your fault," she says, looking down to her hand pressed to her chest. "We have to..."
Her hand smooths out the creases she's made, at Miho's suit. "If we ran away... I'd die, right? I don't like the drugs... but... Gretchen gets so angry. I get so... so, too much..."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Yua in Miho's arms will be safe; she will see to that. Miho, for her part, strokes Yua's hair. "Yes," she answers. "We don't have an alternate source for the drugs..."
"And I do not know any other way to calm Gretchen," she sighs. "I will keep looking into that. So that we are not so dependent upon them..."
"Yes, I will look."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"Mimi," Yua murmurs, her eye lulling closed at the feeling of her regal fingertips. She assures her she'll look for an answer, and Yua is assured, safe at least while she's here.
"Memimi... love you..." The people behind them believe it is a trick to control her; all they see is how easy it is, for Miho, when they struggled so. And Yua has nothing but scorn for their assumptions.
Even so, "... if I'm with you, I can do it. I'll do it..."
... she just wants to stay a little longer.