2025-08-25: Sisters In Secrecy
- Log: Sisters In Secrecy
- Cast: Shinobu Shimizu, Ayame Watanabe
- Where: Watanabe Residence, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: August 25, 2025
- IC Date: July 01, 2012
- Summary: Shinobu comes by Ayame's apartment to check on her and Ikkaku; she meets just Ayame, and they have a talk about things that have happened and things that will happen.
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Nothing's wrong at Sevens...
That's what the Rumor says - but Shinobu still remembers everything that happened. Ayame and Ikkaku have been fresh in her mind, even through her exploits in Kaneshiro's Palace. She had stayed with them for as long as she could until she was sure they were alright physically, but she had to leave to get ready before long.
But now that that mess is all settled, she reaches out again to find out when a good time would be to come over and talk. ...There's probably a lot to talk about. And, just a few minutes after the scheduled time since Shinobu isn't quite as punctual as their younger sister, there's a knock on the door of the Watanabe residence.
"Hey, it's Shinobu." She announces herself. "...Is now still a good time?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
The rumor may say that everything is fine, but one mercy is given: Ikkaku at least remembers what happened. But he wasn't hurt enough to miss work, though he did come home on time yesterday. Now, though... A good time, and a lot of things to talk about. Shinobu's a few minutes later--but the door opens.
Ayame smiles. "I always have time for my sister," she assures Shinobu. "Please, come in!"
Opening the door the rest of the way and allowing Shinobu some space, Ayame gestures to the living area of their apartment--where she already has a pot of tea waiting with two cups. "I had Ikkaku take the kids to the park," she explains. "...I thought..."
"Well, we have a lot to talk about."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
It's probably a relief, that he remembers. Shinobu can go back and forth on whether or not it's a good thing... but at least it means neither of them will be alone in dealing with it.
"I appreciate it." Shinobu replies with a small, awkward smile, as Ayame assures her she always has time for her. She follows her inside to the living area, moving to take a seat on the couch.
"Oh yeah? That's good." She replies, as she mentions she had Ikkaku take the kids to the park.
A lot to talk about...
"...Yeah." Shinobu agrees. ...There's a lot that she's been keeping from her - from both of her sisters. But first...
"...How're you two holding up? Everything okay here? Not just physically, I mean, just... you know." Shinobu starts awkwardly, massaging the back of her neck. "...You notice anything... strange, since then?"
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
For Ayame it would be, if she expected him not to. As it stands, it just is how it is.
But Ayame smiles, and retreats to the couch. She pours one of the teacups for Shinobu and sets it beside the seat she had cleared for her, and then pours one for herself. "Please, make yourself comfortable," she says.
"And..."
Then she can answer the question. "We're all right, but I'd like to have more time with him to process what happened... and to apologize for jumping to conclusions. Still, we're all right physically--he took a fall in the... fight, but is otherwise all right. And strangely enough, the doctors didn't find anything wrong with me."
Strange?
"Not really. Yeo-san told me that there's an extra hour in the day, but I haven't stayed up late enough yet to notice..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Thanks." Shinobu replies, gratefully accepting a teacup - and listens as Ayame explains. She nods, with a thoughtful frown.
"...Yeah. Makes sense. I guess you guys are going to have a lot to talk about... But, I'm sure you'll get through it." She replies. With time, anyway. She nods, though. "Glad he's alright, at least. ...As for you... that doesn't surprise me. Your Persona... it protects you, kind of, from powers like that. So, you heal quicker, after a fight."
She hasn't noticed anything strange... Shinobu nods, after a moment of thought.
"You talked with 'em? But, yeah, they're right. When the clock hits midnight, everything turns green and just... Stops. Normal people appear as coffins, and liquids turn red like blood..." She shakes her head. "I'd say you get used to it, but... it's more like you just kind of start accepting it."
She sighs.
"...It's kind of a pain, honestly, in warm summers like this. Electronics stop too, so there's no fans or anything..." Shinobu complains, leaning back with a sip of her tea. She's always been the kind of person who needs something going when she sleeps.
She's quiet for a moment longer.
"...I guess I should come clean, but the incident the other day, the one Ikkaku told you about... That wasn't really a drunk driver. It was another fight - just like the one before." She admits.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Of course," Ayame answers. Then she nods, too. "We do," she admits. "...But I appreciate your faith." A smile. "i think we'll be OK, too."
"I did," she says. "I had to thank them," she says, and makes a point of saying 'them' as if she has to remember it harder than usual, "For helping. And I thought... they might understand some things that I don't. They gave me some of these Skill Cards... I can show them to you later. I have them put away so the kids don't get into them."
Everything turns green... "That's very strange," Ayame reflects. "Has that always happened, and we just never knew...?"
But a pain. "Aaah, yes. That would be a problem."
Ayame sips her tea. Then, "...Oh," Ayame says. "So you must get involved in these things often," she says. "That worries me," Ayame admits. "But I know you're strong and sensible. I'm sure you only involve yourself in things that you think are important."
Come clean...
"Then you should know," Ayame says, "That this isn't the first time I've seen things like this."
"...it's only the first time I've been able to defend myself."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Glad to hear it." Shinobu replies, as Ayame says she thinks they'll be okay, too. She listens, then, as Ayame explains.
"Yeah, they know a thing or too... Part of their job, actually." Shinobu replies with a nod. She looks on with interest as she mentions the Skill Cards. "Oh yeah? Those are pretty handy. I can tell you how to use 'em later, if you didn't get the run-down already. It's probably safe, they just look like normal cards, usually... but I guess that's part of the problem."
Ayame wonders on the Dark Hour - and Shinobu shrugs.
"...I dunno. I get the feeling no one does. It's just... one of the things we have to deal with." She replies with a shrug, and then a brief smirk. "Right?"
Ayame's response... is about what she expected. She smirks just a little, though, when she says she's 'sensible'.
"...You'd probably be the first person to say that." She says, just a bit self-deprecatingly. "...But. Yeah. I knew it would, which is why I was kind of hoping you'd never find out. I figured - if I deal with it, I'd at least be keeping you, and Reiko-chan, and everyone else safe... Guess I should've expected I couldn't keep it up forever."
She frowns just a little uncertainly as she says that, though. ...Is it really only for such a selfless reason...? She takes another sip to clear her head - but Ayame has something to explain of her own, and she nearly sputters on her tea as she admits this isn't the first time she's seen something like this.
"Shit, really?" Shinobu asks, surprised - so surprised she doesn't notice that she cursed in front of her older sister. "...Glad you got out alright, but... what happened?"
...So Ayame had faced something like this already. Was it pointless, then, trying to keep her in the dark...? Maybe it was just selfish to think that way.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Hmm. They did have that air about them," Ayame muses. That it was part of Myunghon's jobs. "Could you?" Ayame asks. "Yeo-san showed me a few things, but I don't feel entirely confident yet..."
Hmm. "Well, if it is how it is, then I suppose I can learn more if we go."
Sensible! "I mean it," Ayame says. "You couldn't have gotten as far as you have on your own without a bit of sense." On her own... Well, Ayame wants to help, but Shinobu has long needed her independence. However...
"That's very kind," she says. "...I appreciate it. I do." She wonders, though--that frown, that uncertainty. "It's all right, if it was a little more complicated than that," Ayame says gently. "Either way, thank you for trying to protect us. I know... I need a lot of protecting, as a rule."
Shit!! Ayame lifts an eyebrow, because she did notice, but then gives a sad smile. "...I didn't," she admits. "Not really. But I'm all right now."
"...Do you remember when I lived in Mikage-cho?" Ayame asks. "When everything happened there. They called it... the SEBEC incident."
"Strange things happened, the school... froze over. And I got very sick."
"...It's when I lost..." She bites her lip. "Ah, that is..."
"You visited me back then," she says. "After. That's what really happened. It wasn't just... strange exhaust, or swamp gas, or whatever explanation they gave most recently."
"I didn't see much, but I know there are things that happen that people want to cover up."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Yeah, don't worry." Shinobu assures. She might not make use of them much herself, but it's become second nature at this point. It'll be easy enough for her to explain. She nods, though.
"Yeah, that's about the way to do it..." She replies.
Ayame means it that she's sensible, though, and she looks a little sheepish, at that.
"...Guess so." She admits. It feels a little more like she makes it through on dumb luck, sometimes, but... she'll trust her sister's judgment.
She nods, though, as Ayame says she appreciates it - and that it's alright, if it's a little more complicated than that. She's hesitant to go into that, but... she's glad that Ayame doesn't press her further. She does shake her head, though.
"Everyone needs protecting every now and then. Don't worry about it." She assures.
...She didn't make it out alright. And Shinobu listens as Ayame explains - and one can practically see the gears turn in her head as she puts the pieces together.
"That was - ...I'm sorry. I didn't realise. But... yeah. I remember." Shinobu murmurs sympathetically. She remembers that time, just after the incident. She dropped everything to be with her, in her time of need... though at that time, she didn't know what she knows now.
"...Just like Sevens." She murmurs. Another cover up. Strange things happening, and the school freezing over... How much did she not realise was connected? Even she has things to learn, she supposes.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame will worry... but maybe not about that.
Ayame smiles when Shinobu admits it, and that smile goes a little smaller when Shinobu assures her; she's still conscious of that need. She knows that in many ways she's occupied the back line of their lives, while Shinobu is out and proving herself every day. Still...
Still, she explains. "It's all right," Ayame says gently, though talking about it still distresses her to this day. "I really relied on you. Thank you again."
But, just like Sevens. "Yes... though perhaps greater in scale. I didn't get to see most of it," she admits, "Because I was sick. But Ikkaku told me there were creatures--demons--that the students protected us from. I don't talk about it because I don't want to draw attention to those students' lives--to make things harder for them."
"...Regardless, it's different to see it for myself like this. Much as I appreciate you trying to protect me... I both appreciate that you're not alone in this and that I'm not alone in this."
Pause.
"...Reiko-chan doesn't know about these things, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Don't mention it. I was glad to be there." Shinobu replies with a shake of her head, as Ayame thanks her. She knows she could count on Ayame and Reiko to be there for her if she was going through something difficult.
Greater in scale... Shinobu frowns, at that thought, but listens as Ayame explains. She was sick, then... but Ikkaku saw it, and saw students protecting them from demons.
"...No wonder he still remembers, then. That sounds... hard." Shinobu comments. "...That's probably the right call, though. Must've been hard enough for 'em as it is..."
She nods, though. It would be different. But, they're not alone... Shinobu nods at that, too.
"Yeah. It's too much for one person to handle on their own, so... we stick together, when we can. Makes it a little easier." She replies. "So you don't have to worry about being alone in this, either."
Reiko... Shinobu frowns thoughtfully for a moment.
"I don't... think so. I've never told her, and this kind of stuff doesn't happen as often outside of Sumaru City." She replies.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
Ayame watches Shinobu for a moment--but then looks down to her tea, and takes a sip. She is grateful. But she won't belabor it, either. ...Besides; it's true that she would do her best for Shinobu, too.
"It was," Ayame says. "The children don't remember, I think. Or at least, what they remember is how hard it was on me, rather than what all happened."
She nods. "I'm grateful to those students. But glad that I can help now. ...And I will help."
They stick together. "I had some trouble, but I think I can learn. ...You won't have to be hurt so much if I can carry my own weight, after all." It's clear that Ayame has a narrative as regards what happened that day--and it's unlikely that she's willing to change it. "So I'm going to do my best from here on. ...Besides; I hear that that Joker Killer doesn't give up easily."
Reiko, though... "All right. I haven't, either. I think... it's best, for now, if we keep it from her. She has a dangerous job already; alerting her to more danger that she can't act on... It would be unkind, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"That makes sense." Shinobu replies with a nod. They would've been pretty young, then - it would be a lot for them to fully understand. "You're their primary point of reference, after all."
Shinobu watches Ayame for a moment, then. ...She can tell that what happened is still eating at her. She'd say she more than carried her weight, but... she can understand how it would weigh on her, too. She knows the feeling all too well.
"...Yeah. If I was responsible, I'd probably tell you that you shouldn't get involved. That you didn't need to fight, or something like that..." She shakes her head. "...I'm not particularly responsible, though, and you're right - this is only the beginning. Probably better that you learn how to defend yourself for next time. So... we can do it together."
She nods, though.
"...Yeah. I know it doesn't feel great, but... you're right. I think telling her about it now would only hurt her." She agrees. "We'll just... have to make up for it by dealing with the things she can't."
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"Yes," Ayame agrees.
It is, though; Ayame has... difficulty, even remembering it. She had fallen into a very deep depression for some time after. But maybe now, she can have a better way of moving forward.
"Ha," Ayame answers. "Then I'm glad you're not too responsible. ...No, I feel that I should involve myself. Not just because I can, but because... Mm. It's hard to explain," Ayame admits, her eyes tracking down to the tea again. She takes another sip. "Yes," she says. "That will do. We'll do it together, and that'll be enough for now."
"So I'll need a new sword!" she comments brightly.
"...Yes," Ayame answers on Reiko. "On the other hand, there's plenty of things she handles that we can't; I wouldn't want to try to handle ordinary crime..."
"But we'll look after her together, in this way. It's settled."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu smirks, as Ayame remarks that she's glad she's not too responsible. It's hard to explain - and Shinobu nods, in understanding.
"You don't have to force it." She replies. She didn't press her on her reasons, after all - she can extend her the same courtesy. And then, she smiles. "Yeah. ...Looking forward to it, nee-san."
She still feels a little bad about hiding so much from both of them... but it feels a little better, too, to have some of that off her chest.
But, Ayame needs a new sword, and Shinobu smirks.
"Well, when you have some free time, I can show you around some of the better places for getting yourself equipped. I can give you some tips on hiding them, too." Shinobu offers.
Just normal sibling conversation topics.
She nods, though.
"Yeah, I mean... I've got an awesome Persona and everything, but I see a guy with a real-ass gun, I'm still going to be heading the other way. And I'd tell everyone to do the same." Shinobu replies, shaking her head. It says a lot, with how combative she can often be. "...Bit of an extreme example, but you get the point."
She hopes Reiko isn't dealing with that kind of thing every day, anyway.
"Great." Shinobu replies with a nod. That much they can do for Reiko, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Ayame Watanabe has posed.
"All right. Thank you."
Ayame perhaps should be more upset that Shinobu had a secret like this--a dangerous secret, one that led her into trouble. ...Maybe that's true. But it's hard for her to want to push back at something that they're sharing, now. Or to come down too hard on a sister who's stayed with her despite everything.
The sword is easier. "I'd appreciate both!" Ayame says. "I'm thinking something smaller than that man's..."
An awesome Persona. "You do," Ayame agrees. "...Yes. And apparently we can't use these powers just anywhere, either. So all the moreso."
It does say a lot. "I'm glad that's true, though. Both of those things."
A smile back. "Good. Now..."
"Why don't I make you something to eat? We have a bit before everyone comes back..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu nods.
"Not a bad idea. Big is good, but you have to find the right size for you. You're gonna be off-balance if you try to use something you're not suited for." Shinobu replies. "You'll find something that's right for you, though."
Ayame comments that they can't use Personas just anywhere.
"You heard about that? But, yeah. That's something to keep in mind, too..." She confirms.
And then, Ayame offers to make her something to eat.
"That'd be great. Thanks, nee-san." She replies. She could definitely use it - and it'd be nice to eat with her again, too.