View source for 2025-12-27: A Failure to Communicate

*'''Log: A Failure to Communicate'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Niko Kirisaki]], [[Kurou Ryouhara]]
*'''Where:''' Ruins of Club Harai, Yumezaki Ward, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' December 27, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' September 01, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Concerned by the lack of response from Kurou after the destruction of his favorite nightclub, Niko goes to investigate. Only to find him right there, doing an investigation of his own. New similarities and differences are discovered during the ensuing conversation, yet even though their feelings on the Joker Killer differ greatly, for the time being, they manage to reach an understanding. Of sorts. It makes sense to them, anyway.''

----

 (|============================= Yumezaki - Main ==============================|)
 -=============================================== Sumaru City/Yumezaki Ward ====-
 With a name that means "Dream Peninsula," it's no wonder that the glitziest part
 of the city is Yumezaki. All kinds of fun and exciting business can be found    
 here, up to and including a game center (or is it a casino?) called Mu          
 Continent, where rumor has it one can potentially win big at slots, bingo,      
 poker, or blackjack. Pachinko Silver is right next door if one wants one's      
 gambling activities to be a little more subtle.                                 
                                                                                 
 Across from Mu Continent, there's Club Zodiac, a techno dance club where the    
 boots are always bumping--but rumor has it the back is a maze that will lead you
 to some very dangerous places... To be specific, supposedly it was bought out by
 the Taiwanese mafia and is now their hideout. It's best not to pay too much mind
 to those kinds of tales, though--or else.                                       
                                                                                 
 The ward also includes a robust multi-story music store and an impressive gym.  
 Oddly, the music store, NOT the gym, is called Giga Macho. The gym, which is    
 bright, clean, and amply furnished with all kinds of equipment, is called GOLD. 
 Nearby, the shopping street, Yumezaki Center, invites spendthrifts and window   
 shoppers alike to browse its indoor and outdoor stores.                         
                                                                                 
 BGM: Map I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0B_2vwPcxc                        

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Niko Kirisaki is not exactly the kind to stay very much on top of Current Events. It took a few days before she learned about the events at Club Harai, and even then she only heard it through the grapevine in the club scene. It's not like she'd ever been, so it ordinarily wouldn't have elicited much of a reaction from her. What's one club more or less?

Indeed, it wouldn't have mattered at all... were it not for the fact that a friend had mentioned it to her before. Niko may have a selective memory, but she absolutely remembers what interesting people have said to her. So she remembers clearly that Kurou Ryouhara mentioned that club is where he went most often.

Feeling like she should say something, she thus sent him an immediate text message.

''hey dude heard bout harai, sucks that happened. if u wanna talk, come 2 escapade & we'll hang''

No response. That's fine, other things on his mind than partying probably. Nothing to worry about.

Then Niko learned more of the details of what happened. The extent of the devastation. The involvement of the Joker Killer. A few days later, there's another message.

''hey, u ok? u were not there were u? plz reply''

That's about as much patience as Niko has. When there still isn't any reply a few days after that, she feels that it's time to take action.

''ok thats it going to harai & find out what happened. better not be dead. if you are i swear ill nevre talk to you again''

She won't be dissuaded by a message at that point. Now Niko's become Invested, so she's going over there and get to the bottom of things even if she were to get a response this time.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
Little is known about Kurou Ryouhara, and Niko already knows more than most despite how little that already seems. He is aware during the Dark Hour. He likes to stare at pieces of nature. He goes to nightclubs. He said he's a fan of Harai... the same Harai that burnt down.

Kurou is also terrible at texting.

Usually that means poor responses. Following the fire, it meant ''no responses''. Not even strange emoticon and image choices.

She invites him to hang out. Nothing.

She asks if he's okay. Silence.

Days pass. A message comes, and receives no reply.

And then... a threat.

This is the first message that gets a notification that the receiver on the other end actually ''read'' it, but it's too late.

What remains of Harai is mostly rubble. It was a long burning fire, and one with toxic fumes that made it all the more dangerous to tackle. Needless to say, no one but professional services are permitted to be anywhere near the site of the crime... but that only matters if one respects the rules of law. Cones and tape make poor obstacles at the end of the day.

Kurou kneels within one of the few pieces that still has a roof structure overhead, smeared in soot stains and staring at his phone. He stares at it with a blank blink, thumb hovering over the digital keyboard, but not a single character attempted.

For all her efforts, Niko is rewarded with the ability to physically ''see'' Kurou failing to respond in real time.

</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
There is a vast difference between hearing about a place being totalled and actually seeing it firsthand. Again, not something she'd usually care much about. There was a building here; it's gone now. Big deal, it's just a building.

It actually ''would'' matter if it turned out that Kurou had been there when the building came down. One would think that'd put him in the hospital at best, at worst... there would be one less interesting person in this world. What a waste that would be, there aren't enough of those to begin with.

From Niko's perspective, what she's learned about Kurou Ryouhara is indeed very little, and not nearly enough. What matters is: he's weird. Someone who doesn't fit in. But to what degree? And what happened to make him this way? People like that make for fascinating puzzles. She'd hate for one to go unsolved. So yes, he'd better not be dead. There wouldn't even be any point to the puzzle anymore.

When she came here, she didn't have much of a plan. She's hardly a professional investigator, she wouldn't know where to even start looking for evidence that Kurou was or was not there at the time. Her best bet would be talking to people who happen to be in the area, see if they know anything. ...Except even that meager excuse for a plan goes out the window, once she arrives on the scene, and immediately encounters a familiar-looking figure, hunched over something as usual.

"...Hey."

So Niko announces herself, letting Kurou know she's there before she approaches. So he has a moment to stand up and/or look over to her if he likes. Before a fist plants down on his head, firmly enough to hurt, even though it couldn't be called a punch. More like a particularly fierce noogie.

"Dumbass. The hell are you doing? Forget how your phone works? Or you just like worrying folks? Eh?"

It's not so much anger as it is exasperation. She just does NOT get this guy. Which is what makes him interesting, yes, but at times like this, it's also extremely frustrating.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
It's for the best Niko didn't bother asking. Kurou is often one who travels unseen and unnoticed. Has she ever noticed how little sound his footsteps make, even when they ought to? He should be more careful about when he employs that. Someone might notice, and think it implies something that Kurou himself does not know how to turn the instinct off.

Unfortunately, that doesn't do much to help solve the puzzle of Kurou, either.

"Oh," Kurou says blankly to Niko's voice. He draws his gold eyes up from his phone to blink directly at her. "Niko-chan." He looks back down at his phone, then up once more, debating for a moment whether or not responding makes sense anymore.

Slowly, he pulls up to his feet, only to find himself AMBUSHED?! Kurou flinches, going still, and his eyes only a fraction wider as he experiences Niko's wrath (''exasperation'') in physical form.

He gingerly rubs at his head as he stares back at her, and puts his phone away. The Niko of 'now' has successfully commanded Kurou's full attention away from the Niko and her words of the past few days held in his texts. For someone who looks for interesting people, perhaps she might find one looking in a mirror.

"... My apologies," he finally manages. "It was not my intent to worry you. I... was unfocused. And... things like 'okay' or 'not dead' are not... easy lies to tell."

Perhaps he could be forgiven for the first one -- if not by present company, than maybe someone in the world. But he even says the second one with a straight face, despite standing and breathing right in front of Niko right now.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Tell Niko about it, it scared her half to death when Kurou was just suddenly there behind her, that time at Escapade. Granted that had the double effect of her not having suspected he'd be able to move in the Dark Hour, but geez, why would you do that? That's a question she's realizing more and more she should just forget about asking Kurou. Better to just skip straight to telling him not to do that and hope he takes it to heart.

After she bothered to learn that much already, being dead would just be poor manners. Such a waste of effort it would've been then, totally rude to her. Can't expect him to get that though, he already doesn't seem to get basic manners like responding to texts reasonably promptly. Couldn't be Niko, if she failed to respond to a text for that long she probably ''would'' be dead. Obviously everyone else should be held to the same standard.

...She's glad he's still calling her Niko-chan, but he can't Niko-chan his way out of being noogied for this. He'd better have a good explanation!

"...What." Evidently that was not a very good explanation, if the deadpan reaction is any indication. "Okay first of all," she raises a finger, "Nobody said I was worried." Technically correct, even though she totally was, and basically admitted it. A second finger raises. "And two... what the fuck." She pauses just long enough to make it seem like that was all she was going to say, before she adds, "You're clearly alive." She won't argue the 'okay'. But that part, she's pretty sure about.

And she'll prove it. By pinching his cheeks. Hard. "How's that? Hurts, don't it? That's how you know you're alive."

That done, she crosses her arms, demanding, "Now tell me what happened. Don't think we're gonna get anywhere until I know all the deets here. You can start by telling me if you were here when this all went down. And you can end by telling me why you're here now, rooting around in the rubble."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
Kurou Ryouhara has, unfortunately, proven to be an ill mannered boy. Niko's right to be concerned he'd be impolite enough to die on her. He's claiming to already be dead as it is! See? Rude. Is that his justification for staring off into the void like he doesn't belong among the living?

But what else should he call Niko-chan but Niko-chan? That's what she said to call her. Kurou's mind is a simple place. Yet even Kurou, in all his social ineptitude, can see that his explanation was not satisfactory. A lecture is beginning, and Kurou straightens himself upright and gives Niko his full attention, nodding slightly in an attempt to show that he's listening.

"I see," Kurou says of the first point. "I misunderstood." For indeed, she only said worrying folks, not worrying Nikos...

But the ''second''...

Kurou tilts his head to one side like a confused dog hoping the sound will hit better at a new angle. What about his explanation was fucked? Oh. He's alive. Kurou regards her for a long time in silence... only to get his cheek pinched. Kurou does not flinch or pull away. He does not even wince.

"... It does hurt," he confirms, despite that.

He rubs his thumb over one of his cheeks afterward, eyes losing their focus. Pain to remind you that you're alive... That... isn't unsound logic. But... no. It's not something he can explain to her further. Or to anyone.

Slowly, his pupils find Niko again among the rubble and among the pain (in his cheek). He lowers his hand.

"I was not here. But someone... important to me was. Family." Pain crinkles in Kurou's eyes with this a way they did not when Niko gave his cheeks a fierce pinch, but they return to neutral soon enough. ''Family.'' Does he have the right to think of it that way? Yet, he does. "I wanted to see if there was any evidence of what happened. And who did this. Or... who else might be searching and lingering."

He turns to look over what's now a field of rubble. "Though... I suspect the one who did this is not the kind to leave evidence. He did not at Shujin, either."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Can't be all rude if he remembers her preferred mode of address and sticks to it, as far as Niko's concerned. It's not that cut and dry to her, it means a lot when people actually address her the way she aggressively requests, and even more when they keep that friendly mode of address going no matter the circumstances. Silly her for thinking everyone realizes the significance, she really should know better than to expect that from ''Kurou''. This might be a case of choosing to believe what she'd prefer to believe.

Still, a lecture is deserved, so a lecture is given. Does he get it, after that? Bit of a weird expression, following that cheek-pinching. She can't be entirely sure he got it.

"...Look. This world is fucked up, I know. Stuff happens that shouldn't be happening, pretty much all the time. But this is our reality, right now. As long as you can feel, either this." She briefly pinches her own cheek. "Or this." She thumps her chest with her fist. "You're alive. You're real, and you're present. Don't doubt that."

Granted, she's not sure if she read that right. That it might be something that Kurou needs to hear. But sometimes it's worth it to just say things, that you wouldn't say to 'normal' people, and judge the reaction. See if it's anything like yours would have been, if someone said that to you back when you needed to hear it.

Niko's demeanor may have started off a little harsh, but it instantly melts away, visibly, as soon as she hears the word 'family'. Her eyes widen, and a hand goes to her mouth as she listens to the rest of what he says, slowly melting back into a more neutral expression, hand dropping back down to her side.

"...Shit," she eloquently begins. "Sorry man, I didn't know. Are they alright?"

That's the easy part. Now it gets more complicated. Since she knows who did this. And she suspects it might be wise not to tell Kurou how closely she does. Not until she finds out more.

"You're talking about the Joker Killer," she begins, conversationally enough. "That's the rumor. Of who did it, I mean. I know the Joker Killer is a real thing that exists. You planning on going after him, or what?"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
Unfortunately, Kurou's dampened demeanor is not a great indication of what he does and does not end up internalizing. Yet the mind does strive to absorb everything he is told, for better or worse. 

Indeed: perhaps this is why he is drawn to Niko, Kurou is thinking. She understands the truth of this world better than most, and yet she is still so... Niko-chan in the way she chooses to navigate it. There is a wisdom in that he is not keen to turn away, and like a poorly acted ghost mirror, he repeats Niko's action as she speaks via only a touch to his own cheek, and a touch of his ring finger to his heart.

Yet the way his gaze wanders off suggests doubt.

"Perhaps... 'alive' and 'living' are different things," he muses quietly. Kurou slowly shakes his head and looks to Niko. "No. I will remember what you said."

Even Shiryuu had wanted him to not throw his own life away, even if only bones of it are left.

Are they alright, Niko asks? Kurou is quiet a few seconds too long. Even Niko, who did not know Shiryuu, is able to react with emotion where Kurou's stare remains that empty, dead thing. ... But it still hurts, right? So, Kurou himself, at least, is alive, right...?

"I hope so," he says, finally. "I... do not know what I would do without them."

That may be more literally true than the statement usually implies, given Kurou seemed to forget how to answer a god damn phone. But regardless, there are those who have already acted as if Shiryuu is dead, and Kurou must operate under that reality for now, no matter how much it gnaws at his heart -- which still beats, despite everything.

Niko already knows about the Joker Killer, and believes in his existence. That makes this easier.

"I know. The scent of his blood was real enough," Kurou says, fingers idly brushing against his own chin. There's no need to go after someone he's already encountered. 

"But further engagement would be foolish. I am not sure the Joker Killer can die."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Oh. That one hurt to hear. That perspective of 'alive' and 'living' being different things. Worse still, Niko can't think of anything to say in response to that. She wouldn't be able to hook that into the picture she just painted, in regards to one's worldview. If she were perfectly honest, she'd have to say that he might be right. But if she were forced to acknowledge that... well, she doesn't know if she could live like that. How could Kurou live like that?

She can't go into that, she just can't. It's a relief to hear that he at least will keep her words in mind. It's as much comfort as she could give, if that's the way things are for him.

Unless... he is like her. ''Exactly'' like her. But that's not something she can just ask straight out. Chances are slim, and if she's wrong, then she'll just be giving him false hope. Better to focus on collecting more pieces of the puzzle, before trying to put it together.

It's all rapidly going downhill, in terms of things Niko can easily talk about. First she has to remain silent on that, then the matter of ''family'' comes up, and she's struck silent yet again, aside from a stammered excuse. The way she looks down when Kurou says he wouldn't know what to do without them... perhaps it can be inferred that she gets it. Perhaps too well. "If... if you need help, then..."

Niko shakes her head, takes a breath, and looks Kurou back in the eye. "Well, I don't know what I can do, but you just tell me if there's anything and I'll come running, alright? Don't matter what it is."

Perhaps that's not a promise she should have made, when it would put her in a very awkward position should Kurou decide to confront the Joker Killer. She can breathe a metaphorical sigh of relief when he thinks better of that.

"Smart," is her judgement. "It wouldn't have been the Joker Killer's call anyway, that's not how it works. If you wanna do anything about it, I'd try to find out who the Joker Killer's target was, and who called him. They're the ones who are really to blame here." Far be it from her to discourage revenge, if properly targeted.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
For Kurou, it's still a musing. What it means to be alive. What it means to die. What it means to live. These things all seemed so simple and obvious once. But now it's all been put into question. Because the world is, indeed, a very fucked up place. But that means others have seen it, and have found ways through it. Niko is one who has seen it. Kurou is almost certain of that now, though he sees her much less the puzzle she sees him, despite her many mysteries.

After all, maybe that's just how it is for any given Persona user.

More to his own puzzle though is how much more comfortable he seems to get as the subject matter becomes about the Joker Killer and not about his own family. Or perhaps that's normal, with it being such a grim thing to consider, surrounded by rubble from the same fire that might've taken them from Kurou.

But... 'if he needs help.' Kurou looks back up at Niko with a clear-eyed blink. He regards her with another slight head tilt, and there is a shine of wonder in his eye, as if he does not understand why she would offer him anything in light of this. To come running...

"... You are a very kind person, Niko-chan," he observes. "I will not take that for granted."

Whether or not he ever ends up calling upon that help... that's for Niko to regret at a later date.

At least it ''probably'' won't involve the Joker Killer. Kurou's attention lights up again with Niko providing a little more of an opinion on how this all works. Actually... he had never thought of that in his focus on following Shiryuu's final wishes. He knows why Shiryuu wanted to kill the Joker Killer... who it is that's really in danger that Shiryuu wanted to protect...

"Have you ever heard of anyone targeted without a call?"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Niko is pretty sure she gets everything much better than the average Persona User. She had help, to get her eyes opened to the truth, the full truth. It's frustrating to see others not getting it, but they can't help it, they don't know any better. They'd probably be happier not knowing any better, so she generally doesn't seek to let others in on it. Kurou, though... Kurou might be the rare case who could see things the way she does. If only she could be sure...

Well, for now she can be content with the possibility. Even if she doesn't find exactly what she's looking for, they do have a bunch of things in common, that's always nice.

Concern for one's family though... she'd have to hope that's a constant, as long as one has any family they're close to. Perhaps not quite to the degree that Kurou is displaying here, but... she gets it. She gets it so well, she finds herself making an offer without thinking. And Kurou clearly sees that as something special, calling her 'kind', which... is a little embarrassing. Better downplay and deflect that one a little.

"Heh. Well at least somebody can see that." Niko manages to make it sound casual enough, shrugging exaggeratedly. "Don't hear that nearly enough, honestly. Weird, right? You try your best to be friendly and people just don't seem to consider 'hey, that's probably a nice person'. I'm telling ya, world's fucked up."

It's not as if that isn't the truth. She defaults to being friendly. If people assume she's anything but, or hold something she did in the past against her... well, she's being friendly ''now'', so who's the weird one, really?

It may be to her detriment a little that Kurou makes her feel uncommonly appreciated. It makes her want to be cooperative. Where it comes to the Joker Killer, she miiiight not want to be quite as cooperative as she could be. While not entirely unguarded, she still ends up answering his question honestly enough. And casually enough, as casual as if they were talking about the weather.

"Not for no reason. That's the thing, if someone calls him, he has to kill the person whose name they speak. That's the rule, he has to follow it. If someone becomes an obstacle to that, then yeah, he could decide they need to be removed. You know how it is."

Probably better than she realizes.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
It's only logical to not be sure when the world has so many fucked up options in it. But Kurou can't deny that Niko's curiosity proves a strange boon at time. She seems to understand the pain. She seemed to know he could hurt, even without him saying so. A curious person. But indeed, a kind person, who would offer to help provide presence in a sudden absence.

A small and simple thing. Maybe one that could have set him on a different path, had fate saw fit to let it happen sooner.

Unfortunately, Kurou is too powerful for deflections by virtue of being too dense to recognize them. "Oh," he begins, tone low with one might imagine as disappointment. "That is weird. Would it help to hear it again? You are a kind person, even when the world is unkind."

To know the Joker Killer is to know of some of its unkindness, though Niko speaks of it all casually enough. This too comes as a strange comfort, knowing that such things exist, but getting to the point instead of having to speak of fear. If only Kurou knew Niko's particular attachment. Or would it make a difference, with all the strange ways he navigates the world?

Kurou nods slowly as he digests her explanation. "An obstacle..." A broad description, but one that Kurou cannot refute might be true of Umie Akabane... The very first thing that happened once he committed to her protection was a task to interrupt the Joker Killer. She's far from the only person who does it, though...

"... I see. Thank you." It may not be in depth information, but it's still enough for Kurou to chew one. "Then... if not a caller, and if not the killer... the true culprit is the one who made the rule..."

That is who Kurou would need to target, to strike at the true heart, if his hunger becomes too great.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
It's exactly because Niko understands pain that she can be this way. So focused on taking pain away, from her own daily life, and those of others, so long as they're receptive to her way of thinking. It's a shame that most people have limits, in how far they'd be willing to commit to eliminating pain. That so few would thank her, for being as committed as she is.

...While Kurou seems bent in insisting upon it. That's its own kind of unfortunate, and Niko doesn't really know how to handle it. "That's not what I... nggh." She doesn't get any further than that in her attempted protest. Obviously it doesn't help to double down on that statement. But... she can't argue that it's still nice to hear. "Look, it's fine," she decides to abort the attempt with that, feeling like whatever she says will make it worse.

Even if she were to just speak her thoughts, 'how do you have my number like that', he'd only say 'you gave me your number yourself'. You just have to cut your losses at some point.

At least Kurou is also far less likely than most to notice the odd level of embarrassment there, and the odd lack of concern in the way she speaks of the Joker Killer. Then again, she does know the rules, by virtue of which she also knows how to avoid the issue. As for who made the rules... ...she doesn't know that, but she somehow never thought of it the way Kurou just did, as evidenced by the odd pause, followed by the admission, "That... may be so."

She shakes her head. "All I know is, now that the rules are there... they need to be followed. So... be careful not to get in the way of that. Okay, Kurou-chan?" That sudden bright tone in the end didn't match the rest of what she said at all. That was a serious warning. Out of concern for him, surely. The friendly way she's smiling at him couldn't possibly mean anything else.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
Pain.

Yes. Kurou does not meet many who understand pain.

"Not what you...?" Alas, it does not seem Kurou will get to know how that finishes.

For Niko is already earning her degree in Kurou. And if he knew she was having this conversation in her own mind, and so accurately, he would praise her for her pattern recognition and foresight, presumably. Perhaps the most dangerous parts of Kurou are the ones even he is blind to...

It's fine, she says. "Oh. I see."

Just like that! But his blank stare back at her is as same as ever. If he notices any embarrassment (he doesn't), then he doesn't show it (because there is nothing to show). His own concern for the Joker Killer, despite the circumstances, seems absent in his manner. Why should Niko have to show any more?

But in another act of her kindness -- all smiles and bright toned with friendliness and assuredly nothing else -- Niko warns him to be careful. Kurou responds with a small bow. 

"I understand, Niko-chan. You do not need to worry." He looks back over the rubble. "... I have somewhere I need to be. But... thank you, for speaking with me. I will respond from now on."

He does not linger, moving on his way with swiftness and silence. But soon enough, Niko finally gets a response to her text chain:

''alive''
''sorry''

... Well, it's an effort.

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]