2025-07-17: Cards on the Table
- Log: 2025-07-17 Cards on the Table
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, Maya Amano
- Where: Cafe Leblanc, Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: July 17, 2025
- IC Date: June 11, 2012
- Summary: Ren asks Maya to come by Leblanc to see if she can give him any new information on either the Joker Killer or the mafia boss plaguing Shibuya.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's a hazy afternoon in Yongen-jaya, Tokyo. June is the rainy season, and when it isn't raining, it's muggy. Today is one such day, and one would think that wouldn't be a good day for hot food and drinks like coffee and curry--but that's exactly what Ren has invited one Maya Amano to come enjoy. For free, even.
And in exchange, he wants to ask her a few more questions about worrying current events for teenagers both regular and supernatural.
Right now, he's behind the counter of Leblanc, wearing an apron over his summer school uniform. The main proprietor isn't in right now, but that's okay when you have a part-timer to watch the store for you. Ren's still learning how to make a good cup of coffee, but the curry was pre-made, so there's no going wrong ordering that... even if Leblanc is supposed to be mainly a coffee shop.
Ren watches the door all the same. There is no sign of a cat on the premises, but that's because he's just around the corner, lurking on the stairs just past the public bathroom. The sign on the door reads OPEN, but thanks to the weather, the place is dead.
Which suits Ren and his business today just fine.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
"Sorry, I got here as quick as I could!"
Maya's voice rings out in time with Leblanc's door chime. She shuts her still-soaked umbrella and sticks it in the umbrella stand near the door. There aren't any others there, Maya notes; either the place was fully empty or people were unlucky enough to be trapped here during the torrential rainstorm. When she looks around the cafe, she quickly confirms the facts. Sure enough, no one else appears to be there.
Maya turns and shoots Ren a smile. Her attitude wasn't dampened in the least by the dismal weather. If anything, she was just as cheerful as ever. Before Ren can even get a word in, she's already speaking again. "Do you work here, Amamiya-kun?" she asks, taking a seat at the counter.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Since Ren has been watching the door, he sees when Maya hurries in before he hears the bell over the door jangle or Maya offer an apology. He offers an affable nod back, an implicit 'don't worry about it.'
Maybe for some, getting soaked is a good reason for curry and coffee? Even if it's a warm rain. At least Maya was protected by her umbrella.
"Yeah," he replies as Maya seats herself at the counter. "Sorry to make you come all this way. I couldn't get off." He tilts his head towards the open kitchen. "The Boss had some business, so it's just me." A beat. "Curry or coffee?"
There's a menu on the board overhead, but it's pretty straightforward. There's chicken and vegetarian curry on offer, and a variety of different types and brands of coffee. When they spoke on the phone earlier, Ren offered to treat her to a cup or a plate--her choice--if she came all this way, as compensation.
Not both. He's a student; he's not exactly made of money, all his part-timing notwithstanding. He has his own expenses to worry about. (What kind of expenses? Don't worry about it.)
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
"Mmmm," Maya hums as she studies the menu overhead. "How about a coffee?" Maybe she'll grab some curry to-go for her and Ulala on the way out -- that'd be a nice surprise. Especially since she usually ends up relying on Ulala for meals, even when it's just takeout. "Can I get it with milk and sugar?" she asks. No way she's going to drink it black.
While she waits, her gaze shifts around the shop's interior. It's charming, but not in the way that Double Slash or Johnny Roger's is; the atmosphere doesn't quite fit the wave of Chagall Cafes that seemingly sprouted up everywhere overnight, either. It isn't modern or trendy, but there's something strangely comforting -- even _homey_ -- about the place. Like returning home after a long time away.
It would probably be a good place to relax and study, Maya decides, and she starts to compose her next article in her head.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren nods once and moves towards the glass jars at his back. "Coming right up. Any preference on the beans? If you don't, the house blend is always good." Another nod to milk and sugar. "Sure."
Once Maya states a bean preference, he'll fetch an appropriate amount and start grinding them. It's clear he's a novice at it--that is, if Maya knows her coffee, which she might well not--and sometimes has trouble with the grinder when it catches on big chunks, but he does focus hard on it for the moment that he's grinding. It's a nice background noise while Maya enjoys the ambiance of the cafe. There's a TV on to her left; it's set to the news, but it's muted right now. (Ren enjoys the sound of the rain and also aggressively doesn't care about politics, which is the topic right now.)
When he's done... he once again realizes he forgot to start boiling the water. He frowns at himself, but gets that started in the carafe. Then he looks over at Maya.
"So, about what we were talking about before... Like I mentioned, I talked to my friends about the Joker Killer rumor, and what you said about how you actually met him, and now it's got them freaked out." He rubs the back of his neck with one hand; the other is tucked in an apron pocket. "I don't suppose you know anything more by now? Like who he actually is...?"
It's not the most subtle of questioning, but Ren feels like he's got a pretty solid excuse for the questions, at least. It's true, after all... more or less.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Maya is snapped back to reality by Ren's question. "Not yet," she says. In fact, Team Whoop-Ass's last unofficial meeting had been more dedicated to deciding on a team name than it had been on discussing the Joker murders. "But we have a friend who's looking into it."
That probably wouldn't be a very comforting answer to a worried teenager, though. "As long as you don't dial your own number, your friends shouldn't have anything to worry about. But call me if you run into any trouble!" Ren had her number.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
That figures. It wouldn't be so easy to find out the name of a potentially supernaturally-empowered serial killer. It's just as well that Ren's been pushed into finding... a nearly equally elusive criminal. But at least whoever the boss of this mafia is, they probably don't have superpowers.
"Good to know," he says, apparently not so worried that he isn't willing to accept this answer. But Then: "Who's 'we'? Your coworkers?"
'Call me if you run into any trouble...' Ren gives her a thoughtful look. He'd wondered this before, but now that he feels more reassured after Ann's assessment of her articles that Maya wasn't fishing for info about him being the leader of the Phantom Thieves... "We're kind of unpopular at school, so we're more worried about someone calling it on us," he replies, rubbing the back of his neck again. "Thanks, though. Do you know some trick for fighting him off? After that Déjà Vu Boy you mentioned..."
He leaves the thought incomplete, for Maya to finish as she will.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
"They're friends of mine helping with my investigation!" she says with a wink. "Editor-in-Chief Mizuno has me working the beat solo so I've got no help from any of my co-workers." Maya's sure that Yukki would want to help if she could, but Mizuno was the one who called the shots. If she caught Yukino helping Maya after she'd explicitly told her not to, Yukino would almost certainly be fired -- and there was no way that Maya was going to let that happen!
"The Joker has supernatural powers, so I'd recommend you can avoid him at all costs. He was able to use his powers to knock all of us out so he could get away." Maya wasn't sure if this was going to act as much of a deterrent, but she had to try. She didn't want her investigation hurting anyone -- not Yukki and certainly not interested teenagers without powers that might put themselves in harm's way for their own curiosity.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Oh. That sucks. I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with that," Ren says, blinking once at Maya. Having to do any kind of job with no support from your co-workers is hard enough, but Maya's literally investigating a murderer. It's like her boss wants her dead. (Well.......)
But if he was startled by that, he outright drops his jaw when Maya straight-up tells him, yep, the Joker does indeed have supernatural powers. It's not the news itself that shocks him--he'd already figured that--but the fact that Maya tells him so matter-of-factly with no beating around the bush. He's honestly impressed. Even Ryuji isn't quite that direct. (No, he just yells it out loud where people can hear, rather than telling people directly to their faces.)
"...Does that mean you and your friends have supernatural powers too, or...?" It's an absurd question, and Ren knows it, but--well, if she's that honest... "Uh, assuming you aren't pulling my leg," he adds, just for plausible deniability. Either way, the water has heated up, so he sets up the grinds with the heated water to percolate. He's not advanced enough to do a personal pour, but... This'll still work.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Maya mentally deliberates what to do, but before she can give it more than a moment's thought, decides that honesty is the best policy. If Ren and friends knew that she struggled with the Joker even _with_ powers, they might not be too hasty to get themselves involved in something so dangerous.
"Yes," she answers. "Joker and I both have the ability to summon Personas." How can she explain this? "You've played Final Fantasy, right?" Hadn't most kids? "They're like Summons that do all your magic for you."
She intentionally neglects to mention that her friends are Persona-users, too. If they wanted to come out to Ren, they could -- but she wasn't going to do it without their say-so.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren really is impressed all over again with how forthright Maya is with him. He would've expected an adult to be more... circumspect? To assume that since he's a kid, he can't handle the truth, and sugarcoat it for him. She really just does tell him, yes, she has those powers too, and by the way, they're called Persona.
"Oh. That's, uh... that's cool," he replies, still weirded out. He doesn't try to hide it. To Maya, it probably just looks like he's not sure if she's messing with him or not.
He does note that she says 'Joker and I' and doesn't say anything about her friends. Maybe she's the only one in her group? ...Or is she just hiding it for her friends, but not herself?
"I'll definitely remember that. The Joker Killer," because he's definitely not calling him just Joker, "sounds like someone ordinary folks shouldn't mess with."
He pauses. "If you and your friends find out more about him... please let me know. It's extra freaky, knowing that now--but I don't want to be ignorant, either."
The coffee maker clicks. Ren retrieves the carafe and carefully pours a cup of fresh, fragrant coffee. It smells great--not heavenly, but very nice. He sets it on a saucer and slides it forward towards Maya. "By comparison, the criminals we've got running around Tokyo right now seem downright tame," he adds. Will Maya take the bait?
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Wow, he really accepted that easily! Maya kind of expected he'd want to proof. It was probably easy enough to believe that the Joker Killer would have supernatural powers considering all he was rumored to be capable of. But your average, everyday reporter-slash-editor? That would probably give more people pause.
But, Maya supposes, with everything weird going on in the world these days, maybe it was easier for the youth to accept the reality that things weren't all that normal anymore.
Maya takes the drink and adds milk and sugar to her coffee. "That depends on the criminal," she answers, stirring her drink. "I think the Phantom Thieves are pretty interesting, too -- and not as scary, either. At least not to people who don't have it coming to them!"
Maya is clearly pumped. The Phantom Thieves were masked defenders of justice, just like the TV shows Maya liked to watch when she was younger. Just like...
...masked defenders. Why did that feel so familiar? Maya quickly pushes the thought aside. "Don't you think so, too?" Maya grins as she takes a sip of her coffee.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
There are a lot of weird things going on these days. On its face, taken by itself, Ren's relatively easy acceptance is surely not suspicious.
Ren lets Maya add the milk and sugar to her taste, having brought the former out from the fridge and the latter from the cupboards along with the coffee. He smiles as she talks glowingly about the Phantom Thieves. Since she's way too honest to be trying to con info from him, he can just straightforwardly feel good about it.
"Yeah, they're great," he replies. His smile fades. "But that's actually not who I was talking about. I don't know if you'd have heard, but there's some kind of mafia gang working in Shibuya right now... Supposedly they go after high schoolers--extort and blackmail them. I hear some of the kids at my school have been targeted, even. Have you heard about that?"
If she doesn't... back to the drawing board. Ren, Ann and Ryuji questioned the kids at school; Ren's left it to Ann and Ryuji to follow up in Shibuya to try to follow up on that, since Morgana isn't able to investigate something like that, and Yusuke's... well, he's doing his best. Ren, for his part, is hoping that Maya might know something--and if not her, he has another reporter contact he can try to ask.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Maya shakes her head. "I've heard rumors about it, but nothing that I don't think most people wouldn't know already." Maybe that was something that she should look into, though... There were probably readers of Coolest that were interested in that, too. "I have a contact with the police department. Let me ask around and I'll let you know what I find!"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren's not confident that a police officer would be able to help, if this mafia's been giving even them the runaround, but he's not a in a position to turn Maya's kind offer down. "Thank you, Amano-san. That'd be a big help," he replies. "The Joker Killer is freaky, but this mafia's probably a way bigger problem for the average person. You can't just not call your own number to avoid them."
That sounds so dumb, Ren thinks of what he just said, but he manages to keep a straight face.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Maya is visibly warmed by Ren's caring words -- but she's not about to let him worry about her!
"Don't worry about it! Part of being an ace reporter is knowing exactly when you're too in over your head!" She gives him a thumbs up. "I have strong allies I can rely on if it comes to it!"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Strong allies, huh... Ren smiles back. "Glad to hear it."
Maya seems like a good person. If her boss is going to make her cover that story alone, then he really is glad she's got reliable allies to help her out--especially if the Joker Killer is a threat a Persona User can't expect to take on solo.
"While you're here, do you want to try the curry, too? It's excellent," Ren adds. "I can't treat you to that too, but if you don't mind, it's worth a try." He gives her a slight but wry smile. "And I'm not just saying that because I work here."
Considering it's his breakfast every day, he'd have to mean it to not be thoroughly sick of it by now. No need to mention that part, though.
<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
Maya clapped her hands together and bowed her head apologetically; she wasn't sure she could stay for a whole meal -- and besides, there was Ulala to think about!
"Think I can get two orders to go? Don't worry, I'll pay for them!"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren looks around the kitchen. Did they have to-go boxes?
"I'll do my best," he says.
Don't worry, Maya, you'll get your two portions to go--one way or another.