2025-07-21: Devil's Deal
- Log: Devil's Deal
- Cast: Takaya Sakaki, Jin Shirato, Shinjiro Aragaki
- Where: Red Light District, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo
- OOC Date: July 21, 2025
- IC Date: June 15, 2012
- Summary: To save a girl and assist his newfound allies, Shinjiro makes a deal with devils.
<Pose Tracker> Takaya Sakaki has posed.
Its afternoon in the Red Light District and business is booming. For a undercover deal, one might assume this is the worst place to do business. Too many eyes on everything. But one would be wrong. This is the perfect place as most people would be too focused on getting their own jollies to worry about what someone else was doing.
Mutually Assured Destruction.
Still, Strega isn't stupid.
Away from the bustling main street and down back alleys, Takaya waits for his customer, leaning against a wall. This is the part of the Red Light District was a little more unsavory. The place where one could deal in truly illegal activities.
Takaya thrives in such locations. He looks over to a homeless man, who cowers behind his blanket. He smiles slowly, placing a hand on his gun to let the other man know exactly the kind of person he was. Walking around with an openly carried weapon takes a lot of guts.
"Jin, what do you suppose his urgency is?" Takaya says to the other man who is standing in waiting.
<Pose Tracker> Jin Shirato has posed.
"I don't know." Jin was somewhat irritated to be called out here so last-minute. Especially because it was still daylight. Most of his deals and meetings happened after dark. He felt way more exposed like this. It made him feel uncomfortable. And Jin didn't like feeling uncomfortable.
"I can tap some of the Rumormongers to see if anyone knows," he offered. "We could ask him directly, but I don't know if we'll get an honest answer."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro Aragaki made the appointment in the morning, for the afternoon, via Strega's usual channels. A veritable rush order, and he was half surprised they agreed. He's in his usual super warm clothes even in the summer (which, at least, Strega knows the reason for). He's got a bundle of cash in his coat, and is unarmed. He needs something from them.
An Evoker... the one thing he didn't have, and didn't want. But the rules have changed, and people are getting hurt. He's gotten attached to a few, and it's dangerous to let them go alone. He could have just led them into the school, be a bystander... but is this a world where that's still possible?
He approaches Takaya and Jin slowly, eyes scanning for watchers. Takaya has a gun, but it doesn't scare him, as Takaya has no reason to kill a customer who he has cordial relations with, right?
"Hey." He says, not ever sure how to handle what is basically an illegal arms deal but. It's okay! He knows how to handle *illegal drug deals* instead.
"Do you have it? I've got whatever you need."
Shinjiro has his entire savings in his pocket, but also, he knows they may not just want cash. Either way, he's gonna need a job. Maybe poke at the Cardboard Dragon tonight, ask Myunghon to run info or clean her floors or something. Maybe hit up Hagakure Ramen again, but he'd rather not.
<Pose Tracker> Takaya Sakaki has posed.
"In a way, a lie is the most honest answer." Takaya says with a smirk as he continues to wait. "We shall see when he gets here, I suppose."
"Welcome weary traveler," Takaya says sarcasticly as Shinjiro appears and coldly starts the deal. Where is the comradery? The young adult raises his hand to calm Shinjiro, scanning him for a second. "We do have what you require but a few things as our stock on these is not guaranteed. First off, the price will not be a simple transaction but more on that in second." Takaya takes a step forward, hands falling to his sides as he looks Shinjiro in the eyes. "Is this your graduation? Are you going back to those who would shun you? Or is this a personal matter?"
He scans Shinjiro for any little tick his analytical mind can pick up. He isn't going to deny Shinjiro but would like to know why this is occurring and if it was going to bite Strega in the ass.
<Pose Tracker> Jin Shirato has posed.
Jin lets Takaya handle the exchange. He seems to be taking point here and Jin's not about to step in and interrupt things unless the situation calls for it.
Instead, he shoves his hands in his pockets (he's cold, too) and regards Shinjiro with a critical eye. If Shinjiro lets anything drop that he shouldn't, Jin plans on catching it.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro grunts as Takaya sarcastically responds. Comraderie? They're killers. They're people who do a transaction with him, not... friends. They only share their power in common, after all.
"That's fine," he says regarding the price, eying Takaya and then Jin. He knows Jin is the type of guy who likes Information, so he has to be careful with his words. But...
He can be honest, at least. "I'm not going back. If I did, they have their own supply, I wouldn't have to ask you. ...yeah, this is a personal matter... surprised you hadn't heard about the girl in the tower." It's not a secret, since half the Persona user community knows about the missing girl inside Tartarus. In a way, he's checking if they *had* heard. How robust is their information network? (He has no idea Jin is a rumormonger.)
<Pose Tracker> Takaya Sakaki has posed.
Takaya smiles as Shinjiro explains himself, laughing ever so slightly. "Oh is that why? Such heroics are something I did not expect of you. We don't mind being accessory to such sentiments. Do we?" He looks over at Jin for a moment.
"But I suppose you're right. They would be supplying you directly. How privileged they are." Takaya turns to Jin once again. "Jin, show him the item."
"If it is to your satisfaction, our fee will be a favor to be redeemed later. I will take your usual terms for what that favor can and can't be but it will be to be determined on the nature." Takaya smiles in a vaguely sinister manner, closing an eye as he finally adds. "I assume these terms are acceptable?"
<Pose Tracker> Jin Shirato has posed.
Jin raises a brow at Shinjiro's answer.
"You never struck me as the big hero type." Jin lifts the metal attache case at his side; it's not all too dissimilar from the one he uses to hold his grenades.
"Here." He nimbly pops the clasps open and the attache case opens on its own. Cushioned in a foam insert cut to its specifications is a silver evoker. It looks virtually identical to the ones the members of SEES use.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"I'm not," Shinjiro responds to Jin's statement, which also responds to Takaya's own thing. "But there's others who are going in after her, too. It's a death trap in there." Ah. Personal responsibility. He's dying, what should he care?
He folds his hands together, eying the Evoker. That's a real one, that's for sure. He can feel it. He nods, before turning to Takaya.
A favor to be redeemed later... fuck. He hates holding onto favors. Even so... it's clear this is important, and the other option is to burden Aki and SEES. He just can't do that yet.
"Fine. Usual terms, yeah. Do we have a deal?" Shinjiro asks, looking over the Evoker. Is he sure about this...?
He can't be anything else.
<Pose Tracker> Takaya Sakaki has posed.
"Then it is a deal." Takaya gestures to Jin to hand over the case. He finds his back back to the wall to lean, satisfied for how easy this turned out. "May your endevors take you to your desired end." The long haired man grins at his expression, letting his gaze drift as he considers what actions he should take this evening. So so much to do.
<Pose Tracker> Jin Shirato has posed.
Jin shuts the case. The clasps automatically re-engage themselves with a satisfying sharp sound. He offers the case to Shinjiro to take.
"You good on your pills or are we done here?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As Shinjiro takes the case, he grunts once, reaching into his pocket to pull out the cash, as if to signal 'yeah I need pills'. It's Enough, including to cover short-notice fees.
"I'm just about out. If you don't have them right here, that's whatever."
Eventually, Shinjiro will get his pills, and separate from Strega. A deal with the devil... hopefully it doesn't burn those around him.