View source for 2026-01-16: Fighting in the Halls

*'''Log: ''' Fighting in the Halls
*'''Cast:''' [[Tsubasa Seki]], [[Ichika Kawase]], Kyoko Yokota (the Foundry Boss) and her lackey Haruna Tachibana
*'''Where:''' Kasugayama - Halls / Hirasaka - Developing Lot
*'''OOC Date:''' 2026-01-16
*'''IC Date:''' Tue, Sep 11 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Tsubasa takes on their once-gangmate Haruna Tachibana when she insults Ichika, but Haruna beats them to the ground -- and even less fairly, they get detention for it! When they and Ichika get out into a construction site, though, Ichika's able to ask them why they're on such a hair trigger... and dig down into the paranoia they've been gripped by, the past few days. Tsubasa still trusts Ichika, so she's able to reassure them, even though Ichika doesn't know exactly what to do about it all... especially when Tsubasa insists that Hanzou wasn't so bad before the arson.''
*'''Content warning:''' References to child abuse

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

 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        When Tsubasa had called Ichika through an unknown number, yesterday, she found that they were getting in contact through a ''payphone...''

        ... luckily, she was able to convince them to go ''home,'' because Shuyo had some talent in restoring phones to factory settings, so even if they were worried about their phone they'd be able to ''fix it.'' (It's very hard to sell on a stolen phone if one ''can't'' restore it to default, as it happens.) It took a lot of work to manually copy down and re-add all the numbers in their address book, but it at least made them feel better.

        The next morning, they were even able to offer an ''update'' to their panicked message in the group chat.

        Shuyo also happened to get up early and walk Lance with them... because he was worried about them bolting again. That meant that he was also able to convince them to go to ''school,'' after skipping yesterday.

        And that's gone... fine. Today's wig is cyan and purple, it's new! But Tsubasa's been on a hair-trigger all day; they even snapped at a ''teacher'' when the history teacher berated them for not being able to answer when called on. Of course, that got them pressed into class-cleaning duty afterwards; the Princess and Ichika stuck around with them to beat up the chalk erasers and handle the chairs.

        Now, of course, the Princess ''wants a drink,'' so she's stepping up to the vending machine --

        -- only for a girl who was stepping up behind her to ''grab her by the hime cut bangs.'' "Wh-- ow! Ow, what?! Hey!" Shizuko Kato yelps, as she flails in Kyoko Yokota's grasp...

        ... that is to say, in the grip of the Foundry Boss.

        "What do you think you're doing, cutting in line?" Kyoko scowls, yanking her back by her hair before she releases her.

        "You weren't even ''here'' yet!" The Princess, Shizuko, pouts as she scurries back behind Ichika and Tsubasa.

        "I was walking up," Kyoko sniffs. "Use your peripheral vision, it's not ''totally'' clouded by those extensions."

        (The Princess is re-clipping those colourful extensions to her bangs as she speaks.)

        Haruna Tachibana, a fat girl with dyed blonde hair more on the honey side than bleached, steps up in front of Kyoko and folds her arms as her Boss is taunting them.

        Of course, Tsubasa steps forward, just as stony-silent.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

Ichika is pretty worried about Tsubasa. She knows that they tend to worry about things; sometimes 'worry' is not a sufficient word. ...But Shuyo's looking out for them, and that helps. They can do it all together, like the crew they are. But... 

Ichika does notice that they're still on edge. Ichika is willing to deal with the consequences of messing with the teacher, too. She hangs out for a while, helping clean, but--

The drink... That's what leads to the trouble. 

Ichika scowls at Kyoko as the whole matter comes into view. 

"Hey, Yokota." 

"I see you're asking for an ass-kicking." 

Tsubasa's already stepped up; Ichika rolls her shoulders. 

"You can apologize now, or you can apologize after we rough you up."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        "Ch," Kyoko sneers, a hand to her hip, when Ichika suggests what she's gunning for. "If you've got any sense in that air-head of yours, you'll get ''your'' girl to apologise. What have you even ''done'' worth a lick of respect, lately?"

        Haruna grunts, glancing back to Kyoko. "Don't bother, Boss," she growls. "We all heard the rumours. She's really just one of ''Eiji Kamiya's'' whor--"

        The girl who hates being called an orange doesn't even manage to get her full sentence out, before Tsubasa swings their fist back and straight into the side of her face... without a single word of permit from Ichika.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

"Hmph," Ichika starts, and resigns herself to what's going to be a fight--

Until Haruna says ''that''. Ichika is struck by it, eyes wideing--until Tsubasa suddenly rears back and ''punches''. 

Well, shit. 

Ichika steps up behind Tsubasa. 

"You want to try that again?" Ichika offers Kyoko, but she's already stepping forward, to intercept Kyoko if she tries to interfere between Haruna and Tsubasa. If not.. 

Well. She might have to do something else.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        "Hah," Kyoko gestures, hand still to her hip. "I think we'll see who's right on ''this'' one." No, she's not going to help Haruna.

        But neither is she going to stop her -- as Haruna balls her fist up and slams it up into Tsubasa's solar plexus, sending them staggering back.

        "Guh--t -- a lot a lip," Tsubasa hisses out, "talkin' that shit when you was datin' fuckin' Hajime. You know those two were --" They take another swing, and Haruna eats it to her shoulder; but being larger makes her ''sturdier,'' too, and she doesn't stagger like they did. "-- tight as fuck?"

        "Doesn't fucking surprise me he was in on it," Haruna snaps back, as she grabs Tsubasa by the shoulders to drive her knee up into them. "Why do you think I ''dumped'' him?"

        "He fuckin' WASN'-- AH, FUCK! What the hell, man?!" That's Tsubasa, yelping, as she follows the whole thing up with a headbutt. They stagger back, again, but -- well, they're having a ''conversation,'' now.

        That might be why they jump right back in, throwing another punch. Well... it might be. "He was gettin' groomed by that fuck Eiji -- he jus' weren't ''ready'' to ''know shit!'' So you got a big fuckin' attitude talkin' like th' Boss got somethin' wrong when you fell for GUPPY SHIT!"

        "Cute," Haruna snaps, stepping to the side and twisting, her ''elbow'' slamming up into the centre of Tsubasa's chest. "But if I remember right," here both her hands lace together, as she brings them ''both'' down on their shoulder, like some kind of thundering hammer of God. "''You'' fell harder."

        They do, as it happens: after taking a beating like that, they finally crash down onto the tile, and Haruna steps on their hand as they're trying to push themself ''up.''

        "Don't forget who ''taught'' you everything," Haruna issues, acerbic.

        It's looking pretty bad, but it can always get worse. For instance, like this: "Shit!" Kyoko snaps, looking down the hall. "Teacher's coming! Scatter!"

        ... the way Haruna, who took a few nasty hits and is still ''standing,'' can get out of dodge with Kyoko ''way'' faster than Ichika's gang.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

"Tch," Ichika starts, but she can't step in directly, either; it'll make Tsubasa look worse. Especially since she started the fight. She listens to their 'conversation', still scowling. 

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about," Ichika assures Kyoko and Haruna both. 

But there's nnot a lot else to say. The teacher's coming. "Go!" Ichika directs the Princess, and for her part, moves to help Tsubasa up, getting under their shoulder and still ''trying'' to get out, but... 

Probably not in time. 

Bad and worse.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        Kyoko assuredly thinks she ''won;'' her ''girl'' won the fight, after all. But the teacher's storming down the hall, and Shizuko yelps, "Y--yeah, Boss!", with a moment's hesitation as she looks to Tsubasa before she turns tail and runs, too.

        But, of course, Ichika is the Captain; it naturally follows that she has to go down with her ship. "Ugh," Tsubasa coughs, grasping onto Ichika as they try to get their feet under them, even though they're not ''entirely'' sure what direction the ground's in.

        They're most of the way up by the time the history teacher catches up to them. "SEKI-KUN!" She bellows, quite furious. "You were fighting in the halls ''again?!'' And ''you,'' Kawase-kun! Don't think I don't know about your little -- ugh!" She throws a hand up, and presses her fingers to her forehead, as if fighting off the world's most ferocious headache. "Both of you! Detention! ''Now!''"

        She marches them both off to detention and drops them off without an ''ounce'' of sympathy for the beating Tsubasa just got; Tsubasa, for their part, follows along silently, their displeasure carried entirely in their scowl.

        They spend detention just as silently, arms folded, foot pressed to the leg of their desk, glowering at the teacher who drew the short straw this afternoon. ... fortunately, they're ''absolutely'' not the only one doing that.

        That monotony stretches on for way too long; it's kind of entertaining, really, taking inventory of their bruises while they're waiting around. Nothing broken, they're pretty sure. (They're eighteen; they bounce when they hit the ground instead of shattering.) Shoulder hurts like a bitch, though. Her fucking hammer...

        Tsubasa never could figure out that move the way she pulled it off. Maybe their arms have always been too scrawny. Being fair, ''all'' of them is too scrawny, next to Haruna. About the only advantage they have is ''height.''

        But eventually, the sun does sink lower in the sky, and the teacher can't ''legally'' detain them any longer, if only because he has a home to get back to.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

Well, she did win, in the eyes of most. Ichika's mad about it. Especially given what she ''said''. ...and it's not like Ichika hasn't thought the same thing before. That's why it stings. 

Shizuko makes it out, at least. And Ichika's glad of that much. but the history teacher... "Fine." 

Detention, of course, is boring as well. Ichika just kind of deals with it, worrying over Tsubasa but unable to actually ''say'' or do anything about it at the moment because there's No Talking and all that. 

Ichika has a chance to scowl, too. And linger on it; she's causing the gang trouble, now. Now that they know what it is that was going on. 

Thoughts like that dominate her time until the sun sinks lower, and... 

"Ok, we're out of here," Ichika says, and turns to Tsubasa. "Let's go."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        Tsubasa grunts affirmation, straightening up and nodding to Ichika. They follow her out, silently, and taking ''specific'' care not to limp in the eyes of all the other delinquents.

        ... it will be trouble for Ichika if one of her main enforcers is seen to be weak, in a school like this.

        They follow her out through the streets, to a lot-in-development behind an office block; the bones of another building are stretching up behind the tarp and fences of the construction crew, but any sensible Cuss kid knows where the gaps in those fences are to sneak in. By now, work has stopped for the day, which means that the cinderblocks are free to become seats.

        Tsubasa collapses down onto one of them, sloughing their bag off to land on the dirt beside them, their hands pressing heavily to their thighs to keep themself ''upright.''

        "... sorry," they say, finally. "Really let ya down..."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

It would be trouble. But there's already trouble. 

Off to the other building... Yep. Work's done, so they might as well hang out here, where it's private. It's better than being somewhere they're likely to be bothered. So when Tsubasa shifts down... 

"It's fine," Ichika says. "She got to you, and you couldn't fight straight. ...Got to me, too." 

"That's not what I'm worried about. We'll just get her next time." 

"...I'm more worried about you."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        "Oughta have a little more sympathy," Tsubasa spits, of Haruna; and it's hypocritical, because they've been more pissed off at Kotoha Shiranui's bullshit than anyone, but they couldn't ''know'' what she's been eating.

        Still, they nod, sternly. "Sure. Your lead, Boss." And that's something of an apology, too; Tsubasa jumped the gun, back there, and one could very well accuse them of undermining Ichika's authority getting so hot-headed.

        But... they lean down a little more, forearms draped over their legs to prop themself up.

        "Jus'... gettin' to me," they insist, quietly, with the same language she used. "Temper's a bit... yeah."

        But Ichika may well know that anger is a fine way to cover up ''fear.''


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

It is a bit of an apology, and Ichika will take it as such. The matter of sympathy, well, "Yeah." But as Tsubasa mentions it's getting to them... 

"You want to talk about it?" Ichika offers. "I do," she clarifies, in case it seems like it's just an offer with no stakes. "I know it's more than just today."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        "Nh..." Tsubasa grunts, looking aside, a touch evasively. They don't, really; it isn't safe. But Ichika ''does'' want to talk about it, so they look over, to her, where she's sitting on her own cinderblock.

        "... I... talked to Akechi-san th' other mornin'," they start, at length. "He wanted to apologise... but he was talkin' 'bout th' Black Mask, an'... when I pointed out how it didn't sound like he was workin' alone, he said how that guy were prolly workin' fer,"

        Tsubasa pauses, there, mid-sentence, to look around the developing lot for any lurkers listening in. It's only once they've checked their surroundings that they finish, voice lowering, "... fer th' Order. Talkin' 'bout how they was using Shujin to, fuckin', cultivate Palaces, gettin' people in on it, controllin' 'em by interrogatin' th' Rulers... how it ain't jus' Shujin, it's all them institutions. An'... an' he said how Sergeant Suou an' Akabane-san mighta seen, fuckin', how that Eiji saw me, in th'... down there... an'... an' I had a Shadow in Mementos, man, he was, doin' tests to see who he could pull up, an' I was twisted an' fucked up enough to show up there, an' th' only reason they could use me to get to Nakajima-san was 'cuz I was already there even before me life fucked up, an'... he said coppin' shit could get ya there, but it's fuckin' rapist monster pigs what end up in those places, man... that's th' 'Palace of Everyone's Hearts', fuckin', only distorted fuckers go there, an' you know what I think? That's where people build their own fuckin' Palaces, man, Akechi-san said that me folks might have Palaces 'cuz they were ''particularly'' distorted..."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

Ichika does. And Tsubasa... was talking to Akechi. Ichika's been paying attention to the group chat, of course; she knows things are a little more complicated still with Akechi than they were at one point. "Apologize, huh..." 

Well, that's good, but--the Order. Ichika bliks. Shuji, like that? ...And.. institutions? 

But Ichika seizes on what she thinks is the most important part when Tsubasa says they were fucked up. 

"..." 

"I mean, obviously not," Ichika says. "Since, you're not a rapist monster pig, and you had a Shadow. And there's lots of requests the Phantoms get that are for people who aren't that bad, too." 

"Like, he didn't say 'you're a big monster, that's why', you just said he said that you could get there by having shit happen to you, right?" 

"So no, I don't buy it."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        "It had to be somethin'," Tsubasa insists. "I thought -- like -- it had to be somethin' -- they were doin' somethin'... even back when I was in middle school, y'know? Doin' somethin' to make me... easy to use. To -- to cover it up. Like, th' Black Mask had only been around for like, three months, maybe, back then? He was clearin' out small fish to prove himself, or somethin'... that's why a local pollie copped it... an' I jus', I was... collateral. Fuckin'... convenient."

        It's hard for them to admit that the life they were living, under Hanzou, was more than enough to twist ''anyone'' up. They always insist... it was good, before the fire.

        They straighten up, a little, but it's just so they can fold their arms; or, Ichika might note, so they can hold their arms ''around'' themself. (With a bit of a wince, given the punches they've taken.)

        "Everyone could see me, man," they say, their voice thinning out. "The Sergeant an' that woman... an' Akechi-san, too... fuck, man, talkin' to me Shadow, that's all th' shit ya don't say... he said their memory were real fucked up, too. Like, fuckin' scrambled... that what I am inside? Jus' -- all mixed up an' -- he ''knew?''"

        ... it's not just about being a monster, or even about the conspiracy being everywhere, is it?

        Tsubasa's paranoia was stoked so badly... because people saw 'them' in ways they never wanted to be seen.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

There's a lot here that Ichika doesn't know or doesn't have information on; at first, Tsubasa's insistence just ''confuses'' her. They? Who is they, the Order? Doing... something? "So they've been around a while," Ichika says, cautiously. "I mean, isn't giving you the breakdown the 'something'?" she wonders. 

It wasn't good. It was ''bad''. And Ichika knows it's hard for Tsubasa to admit it, but... 

Oh. See them. 

"I don't know," Ichika admits. "But wouldn't your Shadow be fucked up after somebody fucked it up? ...Like. Sorry, I'm not sure that makes sense. But this guy did something to you--wouldn't that have, like... an effect? So it's not 'natural' that your Shadow's like that." 

"...I dunno how much he knew," she says. "Or why." 

"But it sucks, for sure. That being just out there..."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        Tsubasa shakes their head. "They couldn't ''give'' me that breakdown if I weren't there ''already.'' Somethin' -- somethin' already happened -- before th' fire, man."

        And something ''did'' happen, before the fire. Hanzou! Hanzou happened.

        It's another thing to admit that, though.

        "Yeah..." Tsubasa grunts, rubbing at their arm, looking down rather than across to Ichika. "But... it means that's what I was like... ever since that happened. I ain't never not been twisted up... mixed up... fuckin'..." crazy, but they're not about to say ''that,'' either. "... he said he was askin' what they knew 'bout th' Black Mask... guess they jus' remembered someone comin' to 'em, but didn't got no details."

        They worry at their cyan lip, scowling. "But like... anyone coulda found me down there, 'fore I got me Persona. Anyone... can know anythin' about me. Can know I'm -- real fucked up -- an' hearin' all th' worst bits an' shit. Shit, man, I can't trust no one... like, I knew I was a bad guy, but I didn't reckon I was bad enough to get tracked down in Mementos?"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

"..." Ichika hesitates to say it--but will. She's got to. Before she gets the chance though, Tsubasa keeps going. So, "Mm. Guess he could hide his tracks, huh?" 

"..." 

"Tsubasa," Ichika says, and says it more gently. "You're not a bad guy." 

"You've had a lot of shit happen to you, maybe you're kinda fucked up by it. Like... all that with your dad." 

Maybe. Kind of. Well, whatever. 

"...And it's not like that's ''easy'' to do, either, finding somebody down there."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        Ichika says they're ''not'' a bad guy, and Tsubasa's shoulders shudder, though they're looking down, and it's hard to say what's going on with their face. Still, with their breath hitching like that...

        (Of course they're a bad guy.)

        "He -- he wasn't that bad before I set those fires, tho'," Tsubasa insists, their voice tight, forced to cram itself past the lump in their throat. "An' it can't jus' be me gender what did it, fuckin', fucked up sayin' ya twisted jus' 'cuz you ain't born right..." ... was that another of Akechi's theories?

        Still... "Nn... guess not," Tsubasa frowns, trying to justify security through obscurity. But -- "But I don't ''know,'' man," they insist. "They coulda -- they coulda, man. An' like -- in th' Palace -- dunno who saw that woman, neither. Anyone might be lookin' at me an'... what I supposed to do if they seen all that?"

        Tsubasa's someone who cares a lot about the image they present; they wouldn't have tried so hard not to limp, if they didn't.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

"...Yeah," Ichika says. "He was." 

She just lets that sit for a moment. "He was always that bad, from what you told me." 

But, "...Yeah, some people could've," she says. "I can't..." 

She sighs. "Not much you can do," she says. "Other than beat the ass of anybody who decides to use it against you." 

"That's all I can think of. Like... I know that sergeant, Suou-san, he's not gonna be shitty about it or he would've been already. Dunno this other woman..." 

"And I guess Akechi-san's just gonna do what he does."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        "Nn..." Tsubasa hums, in vague negation, shaking their head. Ichika insists he ''was'' always that bad, and they protest: "C'mon, that jus' means I was talkin' shit..."

        Why is it so hard to believe now, when they've told her such awful stories before...? ... maybe it has something to do with confronting the idea it was bad ''enough'' to distort their Shadow.

        To make it ''public.''

        You're supposed to keep the blinds drawn. Don't you know that? Someone might see.

        "Guess so..." Tsubasa rumbles, still looking down. "... can't even beat Tachibana-san's ass, tho'."

        Well, that's not fair. Haruna's one of the sturdiest brick houses the girl gangs have to offer; even the ''boys'' have trouble beating her in a straight fight. But it's got to be a blow to their confidence, particularly when they wanted to beat the asses of people trying to use ''Ichika's'' trauma against her.

        But how are they supposed to beat an adult's ass? Or Akechi's, for that matter? They heard how easily he trounced the people jumping him, even if they didn't ''see'' it...

        ... how can they trust them to do right by them?


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

"No, it doesn't," Ichika insists. 

Someone might see; someone ''did'' see. Ichika saw. And she's not going to un-see it. But... Maybe ass-kicking wasn't the right approach to go; Ichika's not sure what ''is'' though. 

"You had a bad day," Ichika says. "But fine, like... not that, then. But..." 

"There's nothing you can do about people knowing shit you don't want them to know. You can't make them un-know it. You just gotta put your head up and keep going." 

"...Everybody knows my shit, too." 

"Lean on me, OK?"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        Tsubasa tightens up, a little more, when Ichika insists that's not what it means.

        But if they have anything else to say, they've already realised how stupid it ''sounds,'' and in company like this, no less; they say nothing, instead.

        It has been... a bad couple of days. Why is it always like that, they wonder? They're on top of the world one day -- crashing through the roof of Hell the next. No middle sliders; they've never known when to ''stop.''

        And the first thing they want to say, hearing her offer, is that it isn't ''fair'' to her -- that they can ''handle'' it -- that they are an island, and she's already bled ''enough,'' on this altar. Perhaps she sees that, too: the way their fingers tighten, around their arms, their pained shoulders curling forward against their chest.

        Except -- except, they promised -- and it's her business, too.

        "S--sorry," they choke out, instead, looking back up to her, slowly; the tears on their face aren't all that ''surprising.'' "I'm so... fuckin' weak, man... makin' a lot a trouble for ya, huh...?"

        Tsubasa draws in a breath; it rattles, in their wrecked lungs. "I -- I need -- you, I -- I'm s-so fuckin' scared, man. They're everywhere. They're in my fuckin' ''head,'' man, I..."

        But it's a sentence with no ending.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

It does sound bad. But Ichika's not going to rub it in more than she has to. It has been a bad couple of days for Tsubasa. She doesn't really know how to account for that, either... 

But they promised, so they do answer. Ichika sees it, all right--but more to the point, she hears what they say about it. 

"...It's okay," Ichika says. "We all end up weak sometimes. And I don't think you're making trouble. ...I think you're stronger than you think." 

Ichika reaches out with her hand. "Can I give you a hug?" 

"...I'm here," she says. "For you."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        "F--feels like way more'n ''sometimes''..." Tsubasa says, their voice hitching again, losing what grip they had on their image now they're really ''looking'' at her. (Letting her look ''them'' in the eyes.)

        They don't feel strong. They feel --

        "... yeh," Tsubasa grunts, reaching up to take Ichika's hand. They rise up slowly, like the creaking of ancient machinery; and she can see their wince, the hiss of air through their teeth. (The way they try not to ''complain.'')

        They wrap their arms tightly around her, hiding their face by her shoulder; theirs tremble, as their breath hitches, for a quiet moment. "Jus' feel... so small," they verbalise their thoughts, and not without ''effort.'' "I coulda been anyone... I didn't even... matter. Whole life went up in smoke, jus' 'cuz I was a means to that guy's end... even that fuckin' assassin didn't know shit 'bout me, jus' followed Lance, guess there's enough a th' Order's goons there's people what don't know what me father knows at all... they can jus'... ruin people's lives an' not even think about it, like, like fuckin' clockwork, man... the gears keep turnin'..."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

Ichika looks Tsubasa in the eyes, and lets that be her answer for now. But--

She accepts it, when they come to her, and hugs onto them closely. "Tsubasa..." 

Small, they say. With effort, but small. 

"...yeah," she says. 

"But we'll do something about it," she says. "What's the point of all these powers if we can't use them to stop people doing stuff like that?" 

"...So don't give up, OK? Yeah. They got you. ...But we're not done. We'll do it." 

She strokes Tsubasa's back. "...Together."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        Tsubasa sighs, their weight sinking in against Ichika as they focus on her gentle voice and the feeling of her hand.

        "Mm," they hum, nodding against her. "You got me back, Ichika... yeah?"

        They take another breath, the edges of it a touch jagged. "It's... it's funny," they say, though there's not much humour to their voice. "Me Persona's fuckin' massive, but I still feel like this... how's that track, huh?" And they kind of huff something out, and it might have been a laugh, except it's more like the flayed bones of what laughter's ''built'' out of.

        "Wish I were really that big... ain't no one would fuck with us, then." Which might just explain the joke, really.

        But that assassin... didn't want to take the easy option of killing them because they might have a shot at bloodying the Order's nose, they think.

        "Part a me still thinks it's futile," and that must mean there's no point, in context, though Tsubasa's using ten-dollar words without thinking about it again, "but it's th' foreign affairs minister runnin' th' show... ain't that kinda guy positioned to be managin' a worldwide network? So... even if we bolted, maybe there ain't nowhere we could ''go...'' God, but it's crazy, man. I couldn't even bring down bribes comin' through City Hall... how can I step to all these pricks in suits? If we didn't have this power Ren-kun's got, we wouldn't have a chance in Hell..."

        Tsubasa breathes out, turning their face against Ichika, thoughtfully. "... but that's the trick, huh," they go on, thoughtfully. "'Pparently grabbin' Palace Rulers together to control 'em started out as an accident, but now it's their whole strategy... an' we got th' power to take down a Palace for good. Means... maybe... our odds have still gotta be like, thousand to one, but don't that mean there's a ''chance?'' Even takin' on th' whole fuckin' Government, an' th' police, an' businessmen, an' all them institutions... if it's thousand to one, that's still a straight shot for nine-hundred ninety-nine misses."

        Tsubasa really isn't very good at optimism, but give them some credit: they're ''trying.''


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

"I do," Ichika says. "I got you." 

But it isn't funny ha ha, maybe. It's a different kind of funny. "Maybe it's what you wanna be," Ichika suggests. "Like how mine heals people because I want to make everybody OK." 

Futile, in context, probably means that. Ichika ventures that it must, anyway. "...We do have it, yeah," Ichika says. The power Ren has, and... 

"Right. Maybe it's not gonna be easy, but we didn't expect it to be easy. We can do it, though." 

"...And we know it's not the ''whole'' thing of any of 'em, right? Like, there's... a couple good cops, might be a couple others, and..." 

Well. 

"Anyway. We'll do what we can. And I think that'll be more than you might think."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
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        Ichika's got them, and that ''does'' seem to be calming them down; the tension's leaking out of their muscles, where they were wound tighter than the Order's clockwork, and their breathing's leveling out, too.

        "Makin' me okay," they murmur, against her. "... thanks."

        And... they ''didn't'' expect it to be easy. And there are good cops. "Mm. Yeah, a couple..." And maybe Sergeant Suou didn't notice their body double down there, anyway!

        (But right now, can Tsubasa really believe that...? Well, even if they shoot the possibility down, they can at least think about it for a second.)

        "Yeah... easy for me to resign myself to shit," Tsubasa supposes, with another sigh. "Hard... to believe in nothin', y'know? But... I trust you," and that's neither simple or trivial, for someone like Tsubasa. "If you think we can do it... we jus' gon do it. Work it out... somehow."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

Ichika does want to make Tsubasa OK, too. If she can... 

Well. She can't account for what Suou does or doesn't know, but she doesn't pretend to be able to. And resignation is easy. "Right. We're not nothing," Ichika says. "Not you and me... not us and the others." Those are separate things. They're a 'them', together. "We will. ...So just stick with me. I love you."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        Well, there's things which only Tsubasa can do for Tsubasa... but there are evidently a lot of things ''Ichika'' can do for Tsubasa, too.

        They're not nothing... even if the world wants to insist they are.

        "Love you," Tsubasa echoes, squeezing her a little tighter. "Ah, fuck, shoulda called you when I got that jumpy... jus' didn't feel like nothin' were safe... but maybe I don't always got good scope on that," they admit, with a touch of shame. They'd told Tamaki their paranoia wasn't always the right tool for the job, but they weren't talking about ''themself,'' when they said that -- they were talking like they were ''Phoenix.'' Saying it so straight-up...

        It would be pretty hard to admit it to anyone ''but'' Ichika.

        They sigh, as they realise, "... you woulda helped me out..."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

Ichika nods at that. "Yeah," she agrees. "But I get you. You didn't feel safe, so..." They didn't call. But when Tsubasa sighs, Ichika gets a lopsided kind of smile on her face. 

"Always," Ichika says, and squeezes her partner. "I'll do whatever I can, you know?"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        Tsubasa nods, against her, and -- the weird thing is, even with a thousand enemies out there who'll kill them if they catch them, Tsubasa ''does'' feel secure when Ichika squeezes them like that.

        "... feel a lot safer right now," they say, their tone softening. "Sometimes I get... real wound up, but... I gotta remember how this is like when I'm in it. Know I can count on you... we're partners." They still can't read Ichika's thoughts; it's just on ''theirs,'' too.

        "So... sorry I didn't reach out before I did," they settle on, a touch downcast. "Like, I figured somethin' out eventually... but... if shit went different, mighta been I'd been real fucked without no one knowin' shit... sucks."

        The conspiracy assassin letting them live is definitely the best way that encounter could have gone, after all. She might have just killed them to keep them quiet! Or they could have gotten picked up by the cops, or there could have been a savage dog in the yard, or they might have gotten black-bagged by one of those black cars which they're ''still'' pretty sure were evil...


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>

"I'm glad," Ichika answers. "...Yeah. I'll be there for you." They're partners--and it was on Ichika's mind, too. So she smiles. 

"...Thanks," Ichika says. "But you remembered eventually. ...What could've been... isn't." Pause. "Ugh, that sounds weird." The word she is looking for might be 'pretentious', but she doesn't know that word. "Well, whatever. The point is... I'm glad you figured it out." 

"...How about we get out of here, go somewhere with food or something?"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>

        They remembered eventually... and maybe that's good enough, as much as Tsubasa's feeling as negative about themself as they are about the ''world.'' "Yeah," they nod, with the ghost of a smile. "It's cool, Ichika. Appreciate it... really."

        She suggests food, and Tsubasa straightens up, finally, to look at her properly. And... their expression's still softened, at least. "Sure. Sounds good... jus' gimme a sec."

        Their makeup's a mess after all that, and even if they're fine with ''Ichika'' seeing them like this... Ichika's special, man.

        Luckily, Tsubasa always carries a compact with them, so it's not long before they're able to rate themself as able to face the world.

        ... and they're gonna, just, fucking devour a hotdog or whatever, when they get out there. They're ''famished.'' Lunch was ''hours'' ago. And... ''unlike'' lunch, they're not way too picky because they feel like the cafeteria might have poisoned their food.

        Ichika wouldn't be bringing them to a place that serves ''poisoned food,'' and anyway, maybe that's one of those jumping-at-shadows things...

</poem>