2025-10-29: Her Husband's Homunculus
- Log: 2025-10-29 Her Husband's Homunculus
- Cast: Tamaki Uchida, Kenzo Sasaki
- Where: Central Street - Main
- OOC Date: October 29, 2025
- IC Date: August 02, 2012
- Summary: Rin Sasaki has tasked Tamaki Uchida with retrieving an object: an ultrasound photograph, the Thread safeguarded by the Homunculus taking over Kenzo Sasaki, Rin's husband. What initially appears to be a slam-dunk job during the Dark Hour goes horribly awry.
(|========================== Central Street - Main ===========================|)
-====================================================== Tokyo/Shibuya Ward ====-
Chances are, if you're a fan of a youth trend in Tokyo, it started here. Less
than a five minute walk from Shibuya Station, Central Street is lined with
businesses that cater to youth culture. Boutiques and media stores are just as
common as cafes and fast food. Arcades display the cabinets and claw games with
the latest merch, while back alley shops serve more merchandise for more niche
interests, such as military otaku looking for realistic-looking model guns at
Untouchable.
Drug stores, convenience stores, book stores, discount stores, video rental
stores? You name it, they got it. Sports gyms, karaoke bars, movie theatres,
diners? Yup. The local Big Bang Burger stands out most of all with its flashy
space-themed pneumonic entrance.
While it has a reputation as a safe neighborhood for both tourists and locals in
order to preserve its image as 'for the youth,' darker elements have started to
creep in from back alley folks that try to offer school kids opportunities for a
quick buck or job opportunities for tourists who find their passport stolen in
short order. Or so the rumor goes.
Still, rumors are just rumors, aren't they? There's no reason to hold back, so
come on in, enjoy yourselves.
GAME: Tamaki Uchida sets her stealthy desc! Tamaki Uchida(#58PenA) This woman stands at 5'5" and her desaturated blue-grayish hair falls to around her elbows, though it may be difficult to tell if she's actually trying to disguise herself or if she's simply cosplaying a thieflike character. Almost all of her clothing is a similar shade of blue to her hair, consisting of a full-length leotard, gloves, slippers, a domino mask, and a headband with a pair of cat ears. The only exception to this is the faded pastel yellow sash tied around her waist, with the tied ends trailing behind her down to her knees. She carries with her a long sports bag, no doubt where she keeps her sabre and thieves' tools, and possibly a change of clothes. ... Despite the mask, this outfit only serves to disguise her to mundane eyes. Those with Resonance will clearly be able to tell that this is Tamaki Uchida -- she is /neither/ a Will of Rebellion Persona-user /nor/ an Anti-Navigator, and gains no such benefit to concealing her presence in the manner of Resonance Interference. Those without it ... may still be able to tell it's Tamaki wearing a wig and costume. She wears the same six-coined necklace that she usually wears in broad daylight. (/kind of/ like this, but still a little different: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/d/d3/TamakiISmasked.png)
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
The road to the Sasaki house is small, far from the noise and traffic of central Shibuya. There is a concrete pad for a single vehicle, currently unused, right at the front of house, with an entryway to its right.
The house itself has no windows facing the street, a simple outside frame but newer than others on the street. Its neighbors flank it closely.
Tamaki Uchida is here to steal a Thread from Kenzo Sasaki, a currently-Homunculized individual and husband to Rin Sasaki, her client. To do so, she'll need to locate it in his room - likely with the rest of his most important stuff. It is an ultrasound picture, one of a kind most likely.
The sickly green light of the Dark Hour shines down, the moon mostly full, in its waning gibbous phase. With her house key Rin gave her, Tamaki can enter without any fear of anyone bothering her.
There is a traditional Japanese entryway at the base of the house, with a pair of shoes belonging to a man already removed. Once passed through there, dark hardwood floors and white walls covered in paintings showcase the style of the owner. An open L-shaped floorplan reveals a living and dining room, well-kept, with a kitchen to the right. The walkways are highly usable, and there's little clutter, the furniture low-profile.
There is a door leading to the right and one to the left. Based on the layout, the left may lead upstairs. The farside of the living room presents its light, green bleeding in from the open view sliding glass pane to a garden and courtyard.
There is no sign of commotion or Resonance. Tamaki is currently alone in this house.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Just in case someone's around to spot her, Tamaki came prepared in her best approximation of stealthy garb. Almost everyone's Transmogrified into a coffin at this time of night, but you never know: Almost everyone is still "almost."
Tamaki just hopes Kenzo is in the "everyone" half, not the "almost" half.
The key turns, much to her relief. She gives the entryway a cursory glance: one pair of shoes means he likely doesn't have any visitors. Just him. Good.
No Resonance either. She's feeling better about this by the second.
It takes her a moment to refrain from taking her own shoes off as she enters. Force of polite habit.
She continues through, tiptoeing to minimize any noise she makes. If there's any sight of a briefcase from the path through the living room to the stairs, she'll opt for that first, but barring that, she'd prefer to ascertain Kenzo's location and status. Odds are he was sleeping at this hour, and she figures the bedroom's upstairs, given the layout visible to her so far.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
There is no sign of a briefcase downstairs, so the only wat to go is up. Once opened, the leftmost door leads to a narrow hallway, with doors to toilets and bathing rooms, as well as the stairs up.
As Tamaki climbs upstairs, the first thing she'll notice is that it's dark. There's no windows in the landing area, so none of that piercing green light. There are three bedroom doors, and assuming Tamaki goes from left to right to figure out which is the master in the darkness, she'll find that each has a window, providing just enough light to look within.
The first is a storage room, full of filing cabinets and bookshelves, as well as spare garment racks. The filing cabinets are littered everywhere, someone having cracked them open to dig through.
The second bedroom is a nursery, full of the usual sights - a crib, toybox, changing area, dresser, the works, with brightly colored walls. It has not been touched in a while.
Finally, that can only leave the destination. In the middle of the master bedroom is a king-sized bed, with end tables on either side. A dresser and vanity also exist in the room, with the floor space cramp and limited.
A coffin lies on the bed, resting peacefully. There's something a little bit Off about it, but it's unclear what in this somewhat-dark room. Next to the bed, near the coffin, is the briefcase, lying on the floor. It seems that Kenzo came here and went straight to bed, dropping his briefcase.
Easy enough, right?
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
The first room seems strange enough to her that she goes on alert. She thinks Kenzo wouldn't have any reason to make a mess of the filing cabinets like that. From here on out, she moves with her sabre drawn and at the ready.
The second room causes her heart to sink. The remnants of an unfulfilled dream. While it may be no excuse, it is at least an explanation behind his behavior. And here she is, stealing away one of the few reminders he has of that dream.
Flawed as Kenzo may be, he's still human.
And, as luck would have it, in a coffin. That greatly simplifies matters!
Still cautious and paranoid about some potential third party, Tamaki quietly steps towards the bed and reaches ooouuut for the suitcase handle ...
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
As Tamaki approaches the briefcase, so far so good. She bends down to pick it up... there's no ambush behind her. She just has to turn for the door...
And she can hear the coffin move.
This shouldn't be possible. Coffins are stationary, possessed by ordinary human beings with no supernatural abilities. But this is most definitely not an ordinary human situation.
It all happens so fast.
The coffin slides open rapidly, as a figure - Kenzo Sasaki - lunges for her, leaping out and off the bed, like a wild animal's pounce. He has no words to share, but he is most definitely the man she is here to recover the thread from.
If Tamaki gets a good look at his face, she'll notice he *barely has one*, indents where his features should be, pronounced but otherwise featureless. He feels fundamentally Wrong to resonance, like this is clearly something to avoid, something uncanny, something *inhuman*. There is a feeling that a fight here would be dangerous, as he tries to claw, grab, and tear with superhuman brute force.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Target secured. She plans to take it downstairs and out to the light where she can open it and observe that it does, indeed, have the photograph --
Even the best-laid plans go awry. The jack-in-the-box from hell opens up!
Tamaki forgets herself and gives a high-pitched shriek in terror before trying to make a run for it! She only makes it a few steps through her sprint as pain shoots through her side, and she slumps to the wall with an arm instinctively placed over her stomach, where her bandaged wounds from several days prior are located.
This supposed to be a breather mission that she could still handle while recovering. And she's definitely in no condition to fight, let alone fight something like THIS.
Still, she's not out of options. She calls out her Persona, "Arianrhod!" and she appears in a burst of blue flame to block the hallway while Tamaki keeps trying to make a break for it. "Zan!" Something just to push him -- no, to push it back, to buy her time and create distance.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
As Tamaki barrels for the door, moving to exit into the pitch black hallway, she can hear Arianrhod's Zan knock the Homunculus into a dresser, a loud crash behind her. And then he's scrabbling again, rapid footsteps pushing to enter the hallway.
She might get the sense that he's less hindered in the dark than she is, as his footsteps approach. He's moving, slowing down a bit in order to not overshoot her, a calm pace that will speed up in a frenzy if she gets too much distance. It's like a horror movie on steroids, a situation where one wrong turn might necessitate that Tamaki's six mon are spent.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Downstairs she goes, and Arianrhod dissipates -- may as well avoid a Persona Break while she's got some distance.
Fighting's not an option in her state. Neither is a full-on sprint.
She needs more information. Is this faux Kenzo after her, or just the photograph in the briefcase?
As she's running at a pace that is best described as a 'leisurely jog' -- the best she can manage with her side still healing -- Tamaki unties the sash from her waist and fastens it to the briefcase handle. Her intent is to swing it to the side of the living room opposite of herself and see which way he breaks, then yank it back before he can grab hold of it.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
As Tamaki reaches the bottom of the stairs, the first problem hits. Kenzo leaps down from the landing, trying to clear the stairs completely and pin her to the ground. He'll miss, thankfully, but his movements are like that of an intelligent predator.
The second problem hits as she throws that sash, swinging the briefcase. While obtaining the briefcase would be Nice, that's not his clear target, as he moves to bulldoze into Tamaki, trying to smash her with as much brute force as possible and prevent her from getting to the door.
If the Homunculus possessing Kenzo Sasaki gets his way, he'll kill her *and* take the briefcase, it seems.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
He misses, but only because Tamaki had to DIVE out of desperation to evade him in wide-eyed panic. The move leaves her unbalanced and out of position, prone a few steps away from the entryway.
Good to know about his priorities, though it's cold comfort as they seem to be the option most dangerous for her.
She's no stranger to death, but she knows her next trip to the river is her final one. She can't be foolhardy here, she must give the possibility of death the respect it deserves.
She rolls further into the living room to avoid the charge and try to get back on her feet. She casts a glance outside the back living room window to determine if an escape route is possible through the garden and courtyard.
And then she begins to count the number of breaths she takes.
One ...
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
As Tamaki rolls, the charging Homunculus stops before he hits anything, but she's gained space in the process. This is the point where things get muddy.
He glares to her, energy coalescing, and suddenly, an aura of supernatural sickness washes over her, trying to weaken her enough to slow her down.
The Homunculus still has some amount of magic in this space.
As she looks to the garden, she'll see concrete fencing, with no gate, standing at about 2.5 meters, or eight-ish feet. Two small trees provide the only option she'd have for getting over that wall if she took that choice, while a small pond also sits outside that sliding glass door.
If she lingers too long, though, he'll pounce again, so time is ticking away on decisions.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Two ...
Seven breaths is the guideline, but really, it's just a reminder to take in the present moment. Let the panic subside so you can find a way out. Her nerves start to steady, and her focus returns to her. Don't take it lightly, but don't give into despair, either!
Three ...
Going out the back way is no good. She's not making it over those trees. The only way out of this situation is through.
Four ...
The sickness starts to get to her. It's happening again like it had countless times before when she was stuck in that nightmare five years ago.
Five ...
Every motion he takes leaves him vulnerable somewhere. If he gains momentum, it can be used against him.
Six ...
And like HELL is she letting down another client after the other day.
Seven!
As soon as he charges again, Tamaki plans to shout "Arianrhod!" to manifest her /behind/ not-Kenzo and have her smack his shoulders with the flat of her broadsword. Hopefully his center of gravity will take care of the rest. That's when she'll make her break for it, provided her gambit succeeds.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Tamaki waits. Waits for her moment. As Homunculus-Kenzo moves to charge again, Arianrhod is coming up, smacking him across the back of his shouldersm id-charge.
The response is fortutious. He loses his balance from the sheer force of a Persona's sword, and while it's clear he can withstand that strength, possessing the power of a Shadow, he still collapses from the gravitational pull of his body. He's immediately scrabbling to get back to his feet...
But it's not fast enough, as Tamaki can make it back to the front door and force it open.
There are currently no Shadows in the street. The path is safe, if she can get enough distance. Perhaps he won't follow?
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Keeping her shoes on was a good idea.
Arianrhod dissipates again as she makes a break for it, albeit at the best staggered trot she can manage with her injured side.
How's that magic of his treating her? Making her any more sluggish than usual, or is she (mostly) unhindered?
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Tamaki will find her body still a bit sluggish. It's sapping at her energy, fatiguing her, but there's a good thing, once she gets outside.
The Homunculus does not pursue. The threat has left his territory, and to pursue further may lead him into danger he hasn't prepared for. He knows the house - he does not know the nooks and crannies Tamaki might abuse to get the drop on him.
At the very least, a new info point has been gathered... as well as the briefcase. Unfortunately, the Homunculus will definitely now know about interference. That may not be a good tihng.
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Tamaki slows her pace down and looks back at the house in the distance, surveying the area to make sure she's in the clear.
Considering the sluggishness ... if it looks like she truly is safe, she may as well experiment. May as well put the card set she won from Miracle magazine to good use. She mutters "Energy Drop" first, and failing that, "Patra" for good measure.
If he's not following anyway, it's still good information to know if either of those works.
Provided the rest of the way home is uneventful, as the adrenaline wears off and she lets herself feel the full force of what she had narrowly avoided, she begins to compose her report to Todoroki in her head.
And maybe a sick day notice, too.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
At the least, Energy Drop clears it up quickly. It was just a Shadow-level ailment spell... interesting enough, but that Homunculus felt like no standard Shadow.
What the hell was it?
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Oh, and good news for Rin, too. She should at least inform her of the news.
...
Tamaki charges hourly for her work, but she's not counting time spent in the Dark Hour into her fee.
And it's not like she really has much of a basis of comparison for Shadows, anyway.