2025-08-06: Similarities
- Log: Similarities
- Cast: Shinjiro Aragaki, Suzume Fukura
- Where: Port Island Station alleys, Tatsumi Port Island
- OOC Date: August 06, 2025
- IC Date: June 21, 2012
- Summary: Suzume comes to thank Shinjiro for helping out. He sees the similarities between them and realizes his recent hypocrisy, and eventually offers to help her learn to fight better.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro slept better last night, but that doesn't mean he didn't visit his alleyway 'nest' to get some intel drops from his street network. It does mean he has more pep in his step, sitting on a crate in his alleyway next to the staircase, drinking a canned coffee and even eating a wrapped ham sandwich (it smells delicious, because he made it).
Since the talk with Mitsuru, though, he's been doing bad emotionally, and it reads in his frown. His guilt's eating him up... does she really believe this is all her fault? He's the one who proverbially pulled the trigger... regardless of any leadership.
The alleyway is a little clear right now, even if there's people down the various snaking corridors. It's clear enough for a conversation, for sure. He has no reason to be expecting anybody... doesn't mean he's not alert for it.
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume has not seen Shinjiro in a few days - not since her trip to the TV station that turned brutal.
Which wasn't her fault, she had to tell herself afterwards. She hadn't brought the violence there, even though she'd fought. But it was the first time she'd fought a *person*, at least with more than shoves and maybe a fist. Why was it so much harder than fighting a Shadow...?
But that was a few days ago. Her tough act is back in place, her bravado safely intact, which is probably why she felt confident enough to make her way down into the back alleys. She does try to walk quietly and be easy to overlook, but not so much that someone alert wouldn't notice her anyway. At least Suzume knows not to come down here in a school uniform.
Eventually, when she's closer, she speaks. "Beanie-san," she says, despite *clearly* knowing his name by now. "How's the coffee?" She knows that can. She's *drunk* that can. ...well, not that particular can, that one's Shinjiro's.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro wouldn't say so, but that was also his first time fighting a person with a Persona. It must just click differently when you're used to fist fights...
"Fukura." Shinjiro looks up as she approaches, taking a drink of his coffee as he considers what he had to do to be named 'Beanie-san' forever. "Cold. I don't know if it actually has flavor or if it's just the caffeine, but either way, it's fine."
A long pause.
"You didn't come here to ask about mediocre canned coffee. What's up?" At the least, he doesn't sound too gruff or hostile, despite his bad mood - guilt puts him in a different place than anger.
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume has gotten into fights before. With fellow schoolkids. Pushing, shoving, striking - sure. (She will not usually *admit* to the fist, but it's happened.)
It's different when you pull a gun, even if the gun is an Evoker and you point it at yourself. It's not the same when they have a sword and are trying very hard to run you through.
Suzume has been down in the alleys before, but never all the way down to Shinjiro's spot. She looks around as if taking it in for a few moments before focusing on him. The scowl probably isn't actually meant for him, but just for... well, everything around.
"I wasn't expecting to see you in Tartarus," she says, after she'd made sure that it's at least mostly clear. "And I wasn't expecting to see you in Sumaru. I guess I should have expected Tartarus; it's right here, anyway. But the TV Studio? You following one of us around? Or did you know someone was going to ... attack?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro's spot is horrible, but it's his. No one else will camp there long-term as long as he's around. If he was ever to disappear or even die, it'd become a bloodbath to see who gets this prime choice of street rat territory...
"Yeah, it's a dump," he says, calmly.
As Suzume questions if he's following them, he cracks his neck. "No," he says about following. "I was at the internet cafe with the woman you probably saw me with. Power goes out down the street, she gets a bad vibe, we come investigating." It's highly coincidental, way too simple, and in all honesty, the truth.
Shinjiro takes another drink of coffee. "Tartarus was a different situation. Your teammates traded some information. I acted on it." He does not reveal he *also* leaked everything he knew to a Rumormonger. Nope. "Why?"
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume snorts, despite herself. "It's only a little bit of a dump," she says. "Could be worse. You could not have the coffee and sandwich.
And then he answers her question. Suzume takes this answer in and, a moment later, gives her response:
"Uh huh."
Suzume doesn't seem... well, she doesn't entirely NOT believe Shinjiro. But she doesn't entirely believe him either. Still, as long as what he's doing is helping them out, it's probably not a problem, precisely. But she's nosy.
"I thought you'd quit," Suzume continues, a few moments later. "If you wanted to not get noticed by Kirijo-san, that's not the way to do it. At least you kept your Evoker." Where else would he get one? Either that's a very clever ploy to find out, or... well, she actually thinks he kept his Evoker.
(It's the second.)
"But you did help us out, so. I figured someone ought to say thanks. And it's not like Yamagishi-chan or Kawase-chan knows where you hang out." Probably not, anyway. Suzume can't imagine either of them visiting back here.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro shrugs as she responds to both the dump and to his answer, but sighs as she does something a little painful: mention his quitting, and mention Mitsuru.
"A little late for that. She ambushed me," he says in the sense of 'she's the Predator' more than 'she snuck up on me', "I'm not active, it was a one-time thing." Twice, as Mitsuru tried to drill into him.
A pause. If Suzume thinks he kept the Evoker... do people in SEES not communicate? "Aki and Kirijo would tell you this isn't my old one." No reason to lie. "There's other people with them. Most aren't your friends."
Though the thank-you... "Sure. No big deal." It was a huge deal, and he's still not sure how to grapple with that or admit it to himself that it wasn't just him punching delinquents, but twisting his life again in order to solve his sacrifice complex.
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
"She does that," Suzume says. "Or so I've heard. I try to stay out of her way." Sometimes, it even works - but Suzume has no idea what she'd talk to Mitsuru about outside of SEES business, so generally, she doesn't. Besides that, as far as she knows, they have nothing in common at all.
And Suzume communicates!
...with some people. And the topic of Shinjiro's Evoker simply hadn't come up the last time she did. It doesn't hurt that she doesn't know anywhere else to *get* an Evoker - unlike some people in this conversation, she doesn't exactly have Strega contacts.
In fact, the only time she's seen someone who isn't in SEES use one, besides Shinjiro, is...
Her eyes narrow slightly. "One of the people at the TV studio had an Evoker," Suzume says, working her way through it in real time. "A big one, that didn't look the same as ours." Yumi's looked more like a revolver, though Suzume didn't get a very good look at it because she was a little busy at the time.
"You get it from someone like them?" Of course, by 'get it' Suzume is still thinking 'stole it from'. That might explain why he was so willing to just jump in... beyond the obvious, anyway. "Not that it's really my business."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"She's not as bad as she looks," Shinjiro admits with a sigh.
But on the topic of the Evoker and her business... "It's not. But Aki already knows, so who gives a shit? There's people who will sell them if you have the right connections, though they don't have a lot of supply. They're not people that good folk want to be around, though." What does that make him? He grimaces, as he realizes Suzume might now want to poke.
"I'm gonna give you a warning, like before. It's yours to choose what to do with. If you want to jump headfirst into danger, be my guest. But you remember the ones who attacked us at the TV studio? There's quite a few people like them. And they've all been doing this far longer than most of SEES has. Pretty much all of them are willing to take a life."
He doesn't say it, but the tone is less 'and that's why you shouldn't do it' and more 'be careful'. He's not going to stop someone if they're willing to take responsibility for their actions.
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume, who is a second-year who is underperforming in some of her classes because (as far as anyone guesses) she doesn't have the motivation to actually put in the work, just *looks* at Shinjiro when he says 'she's not as bad as she looks'. Suzume has a bit of a 'really??' expression on her face.
As for poking, Suzume is well known for doing just that. "Really," she says. "And here you are getting one from them." He could have come to SEES - she's sure that Mitsuru or the Chairman would have been receptive, given the first thing he used it for (as far as she knows) was to help rescue Fuuka.
And the rest of it's even more likely to get her to needle a little. "It's not like Kawase chose to get attacked by them. Sure, the rest of us jumped in, but she was just *there*! Off in that side room, where it was fight or get killed, and until then I didn't even know she could summon a Persona. That was her first time. So it's not like just deciding that oh, I'm not going to fight - like that would make a difference! What was I supposed to do, let her get killed because she was in the wrong place when they decided to do... I don't even know. Kill someone? I know it could've been me, but..."
Suzume puffs out some air in irritation after she trails off, and changes lane. "Plus, you can't STOP seeing the Dark Hour. I'm going to be looking at Tartarus every night until it's gone, unless I try real hard to sleep through it and don't ever look out the window while the moon's all green and freaky."
If not her, then who? is part of the undertone. Though it goes a little further than that, for her, *that's* not something she's willing to get into. It's something she's barely consciously thought about.
"That's why I was going to thank you," she finishes, a little grudgingly because she is not always very good at explaining herself and she's already said it. "For, you know. Doing that. I saw you with the sign and all."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro nods once. Really! Mitsuru... means well, after all. He still considers her a friend.
"I'm not a good person, Fukura." Shinjiro lies to himself more than he's lying to Suzume, as it seems he really believes it despite the fact all clues point to 'this is not the case'. "Someone like me isn't good for SEES, or hell, any of this supernatural shit."
He pauses, listening to the needling. "...a decision you feel you have to make is still a decision you made. So, I guess you've already chosen to jump in, if that's the case. Embrace it, tell anyone who tries to stop you to fuck off. If you gotta fight, make sure you know why you're doing it." It's a little hypocritical, but he's still grappling with WHY he chose to help Fuuka, help Kawase, why he pursues the Joker Killer, why he's going after Kaneshiro. It's not that he's active... is it?
A pause.
"Where'd you learn to fight with tonfa, anyways?" This isn't a deflection. It's actually pretty cool.
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
"Uh huh," is Suzume's response to Shinjiro declaring he's not a good person, in *exactly* the same 'I sort of believe you and sort of don't' tone she used before.
But, the real answer: "I would stick with it anyway," Suzume says. She doesn't owe Shinjiro a better explanation than that - she's not *that* close to him - but he gets a little bit of one anyway: "I'm not the kind of person to walk away. And, more..." She trails off. "Never mind. I got reasons. Even if some people around here think I don't belong," she finishes, a little bitter and not trying to hide it.
"Whatever," she huffs again, because...
...
"...uh," Suzume says, taken aback by the final question. She almost doesn't answer at all, but decides - impulsively - to be entirely honest about it. "I don't, really. I found them in Mementos... it's where I first ran into SEES, where I first summoned my Persona," and never mind what the reason behind that was. "I kept them because it's not like there's one I'm better at. I'm not in any of the combat sport clubs."
A bit more bitterness: "I tried. They didn't want me. But I tried to learn some. I need more practice, though."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro lets the 'uh huh' brush over, but she's right. She doesn't owe him any explanations, and he doesn't want them. "Then use those reasons to prove them wrong. That's all I'm saying."
Though, he's *realizing* his hypocrisy in real time... and his expressions soften slightly, as he feels bad about it. Damnit, is he really becoming this kind of guy? He needs to make a decision...
Though as Suzume explains, he nods. Shinjiro considers... should he just leave it there? Tell her to leave? No. He may have said he's an awful person, but once again...
He'll be a hypocrite.
"Well, your Persona's going to make you more powerful than the average person, that's a plus. Consider throwing in some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I know some people, if you want a referral. Hell, I could teach you to throw a better punch, though Aki's probably better at that." This is absolutely shady... why is he offering this?
Because she reminds him of himself. When he thought he was a better person. She has ever since he met her, basically. And if she's going to fight... it'd be better if she wins it.
"Of course, if you don't trust me, that's no skin off my back. Just thought it'd be better for me than watching paint dry all day. But if you're working with Aki, it's better to be able to keep up with him... or at least, pretend to. He's a freak of nature."
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Suzume considers Shinjiro for several long moments. She doesn't say anything at all, but she looks a little thoughtful; Suzume's ability to keep a poker face isn't always that great, she's too straightforward for it. Clearly she's never thought of some of this. And she, too, feels a little bit of... kinship isn't the right word, but she's not sure what the right word would be.
"You've helped a few times without getting anything out of it," she says. "I trust you that much. Plus, I'm pretty sure I can outrun you if something comes up." She rolls her shoulders, pushing herself off the wall she's been lounging against. "Plus, I want to see Sanada's face if I ever can challenge him. One of my friends is on the boxing team, a year back. I know he's good. But Daiki-k - I mean, Kimura-kun - won't fight me anymore."
Suzume steps forward - and sticks her hand out. "Deal. I'll let you teach me how to throw a punch." Was that really the offer? Well, it was *part* of it... "And in exchange... there anything you need down here?" A pause. "Just don't ask for cash, I don't exactly get paid much."
(she gets paid??) ((yes, when she subs in at Chagall))
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Probably," Shinjiro laughs briefly about outrunning him. He's not very fast. He laughs harder at the Sanada comment, but says nothing. It seems good-natured, at least, he's not laughing *at* her. He takes the deal handshake, nodding.
"Information might be the cheapest thing. I don't need any SEES secrets or anything, just keep your ear out, you hear anything you think is safe for you to share, let me know." Pause. "...I'm fine, otherwise. I've got access to a kitchen sometimes."
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
Well that doesn't sound like a problem to Suzume.
"That's fine. Nothing secret. But I do hear things sometimes," she agrees, before she repeats, "Deal," shaking his hand before letting it go. She has a firm grip without trying to overpower Shinjiro (she probably can't, anyway) or squeeze his fingers uncomfortably. She grins, suddenly; it brightens up her face, it's a big difference from her usual sullen look. "I'll love to see their reactions once I get better."
Her look gets more serious: "A kitchen *sometimes*?" She pauses. Does he live out here? She thought he was just avoiding school and home... the way she does, sometimes. Well, it's not like she has a kitchen she can let him in; there's just the one at the dorm and she's pretty sure that would not go over well.
Well. Awkward. She'll have to see what she can do. It's not like she can just cook something and bring it, though; she never learned how. "Long as you're doing all right."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"I'm fine," Shinjiro lies. It's become believable, because he says it so many times. He basically brushes aside the kitchen sometimes fully. A conversation for another time, maybe.
Another deal made, though. For a dying man who tries to eschew connection... he's sure become bad at it. The other shoe will have to drop sooner than later.