Persona X [LazyKitsune]

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Re: Persona X [LazyKitsune]

Postby Ze Blitzkrieg » Sat May 18, 2024 8:44 pm

"Well, that's a good way to look at it."

It's almost heartbreaking how Makoto tries her best to validate your decisions. Maybe even a little disconcerting. Your folk were never very... approving of your ways, even before all the shit with your teacher began. What family could be all that happy to have a glorified yanki wearing their family name? But perhaps the level of distance between the two of you, as aunt and niece, affords her a certain wiggle room. Either that, or she just feels bad enough that she's liable to approve of most all of your choices, whether it's to take school head-on or other, less savory things in the weeks to come. It would be something of a game, figuring out where your aunt's lines in the sand were, without exhausting the hospitality she seems intent on offering you.

It's a stark difference from the hospitality Akiko offers you, anyway. He seems content to lose himself in his bowl of soup rather than engage in the conversation at dinner, although your comment about being shown the cooler places to hang out earns an almost dismissive scoff from his direction. Whether it's because he has no intention of showing you around such casual places, or simply because he has none to offer, it's hard to say. The guy is something of a wall in that regard, difficult to read anything beyond the notion of general gloom from.

"Well, I'm sure it won't take you too long to make some friends. You were such an outgoing little girl, when we still lived in Tokyo, and there's plenty of kids who live around the neighborhood."

A very optimistic view of things, but something that might be forgiven for a woman in her late thirties. You were sure that in her mind, all of your classmates were kids, and there were few obstacles to just making friends like everyone was still on the playground. Trying to jam yourself into existing social structures was liable to be a real pain in the ass, though if some classmates lived in the immediate area, you'd probably warm up to them by sheer virtue of proximity: you imagined most students walked themselves home with the relative size of Shimamoto compared to more urban metropolises.
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Re: Persona X [LazyKitsune]

Postby Lazy Kitsune » Sat May 18, 2024 9:38 pm

I chose my response to Makoto's suggestion for Akiko to show me around carefully. Give him an excuse to not have to show me around while still leaving the door open for it - or at least let him know I'm open to hanging out. I didn't expect much in the way of a response. In fact, I expected no response at all. What I got was definitely worse. A derisive scoff that may not necessarily have been directed at the prospect of spending time with me, but clearly conveyed he had no interest in this conversation or any others like this. But I guess that's fine, in a bittersweet sort of way. I get where he's coming from. I'm not in too eager a mood to play nice myself, and I'm the one benefiting from the kindness of his mother. And while I would prefer to at least get along with someone I was sharing a roof with, if he wanted his boundaries to stay put then I can work with that. Technically speaking, of all the things I need to worry about, being his friend isn't one of them at all. We can get by in complete silence, never talking to each other and that leaves my situation exactly the same. I'm sure he has his reasons to have his walls up. I don't hold that against him. But right now its just a little difficult for me to be putting in the extra effort in getting to know someone this way. Especially if I should already know him... sort of.

Makoto on the other hand was almost the complete opposite problem. Her overly welcoming and supportive attitude made her seem more fragile than anything else. Like she needed things to work out for me or that might... break her too somehow. Maybe she's too focused on making a good first impression. And whatever my mother's told her about the situation might make her feel like she needs to walk on eggshells around me. Hopefully that'll pass in time. For now... I'll try to bite back on any snide comments. Even if that talk about making friends soon summoned several to the front of my mind at once.

"Mhmm." I murmur in agreement, though I managed more of a head tilt than a nod. "I'm sure. This dinner is lovely, by the way." Not the most subtle conversation change ever, but hopefully a compliment or two will help it work.
~Yawn
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Re: Persona X [LazyKitsune]

Postby Ze Blitzkrieg » Mon May 20, 2024 4:03 pm

"I'm glad you like it."

The response is genuine enough, but you get the idea that Makoto, for all her idealism, must understand that she struck a nerve on some level. Perhaps that's why she seems to settle into the same silence that her son was so very content in. Better not to say anything at all, than to say the wrong thing, you imagine. Of course, that in and of itself is almost as bad. Maybe that was just how things were meant to be. You'd all have to walk on eggshells for a while until some kind of new normal could be established. It wasn't like there was all that much to talk about, to begin with.

Much of dinner passes by the same way, with the occasional bits of small talk here or there. And once everyone has finished, Makoto offers to take care of the dishes so that you and Akiko can get an early night. It's certainly something Akiko does not reject; predictably, the sooner he can get away from the oppressively bleak air, he takes his chance, regardless of how much of that very bleakness he is responsible for. Given you spent much of the day either traveling or stressing about the circumstances that led you to travel in the first place, an early night sounds like a blessing. Your room greets you much the same as you left it, somewhat impersonal but comfortable all the same, and you eventually find solace in freshly washed sheets and the quiet of suburbia. The last blessing of the day comes in the form of silence from your phone, which you scroll through until sleep takes you. No messages from home, either from your parents or more pressingly, your tormentor.

_

It feels like you've been wandering for hours on end, and yet you're no closer to any kind of exit. You can't remember how you even found yourself in the endless maze of dank, depressing tunnels. You can't even remember just where those tunnels are. But the longer you wander, through near pitch-blackness, the more you begin to understand that there may be no escape from your dismal fate. You're lost to the darkness of the tunnels, forced to wander in a fugue state of your misery, solitude your only companion. Or... perhaps not. Every so often, whenever you turn another corner or find yourself at another crossroads between two identical stony columns, you can hear it. An occasional skittering. The odd vocalization, albeit muffled and inhuman.

The dread of endlessly wandering through the depths of the underground all by your lonesome in the darkness can only be matched by the knowledge that you aren't alone, and whatever keeps your company... isn't something liable to welcome you. Your only hope is that whatever it is, it is more oblivious to your presence than you are to it.

Time seems to blend as you continue exploring the darkness, your feet carrying you one in front of the other. Eventually, a break. A light. Far, far off in the distance. You find yourself hurrying toward it out of instinct, desperate for the safety of the light. Whatever lurks in the dark won't be able to follow you into it. If you just get there, if you just get to the light, then, you can finally be free of the darkness. Of the misery. Of everything—

_

Your eyes seem to snap over just as you reach out for the light in your bizarre dream, and in its place, the sun. A stream of particularly mischievous light beams through your curtains, right into your face, and your instinct to block it out causes your hand to mirror the very one that had so hopefully reached out in the dream. It's morning, and you're... well, not home, but at the closest thing to it. The clock on your phone reads just after seven in the morning, giving you enough time to shake off the daze left by your nightmare and get ready with time to spare.

Breakfast with Makoto and Akiko goes about as well as dinner the night prior. Nothing particularly offensive, but still a least a little awkward, as Makoto struggles to find things to talk to you about, and Akiko keeps to himself for the majority of the meal. At least it's a more filling fare than you're used to: your aunt went through the trouble of grilling some fish to go with your rice and eggs, and a bowl of miso soup goes well in washing it all down. It's hard to say how much of a gourmand she is, but having homecooked food is a hell of a lot better than being at the mercy of whoever worked the graveyard shift at the local konbini.

"I wish I had had time to put you together something for lunch today, Fumi-chan," Your aunt offers as she clears the table, her brows furrowed in apology, "But Aki-chan doesn't like it when I make him lunch, so I don't bother stocking the fridge for it. It completely skipped my mind that you might like to bring something from home."

You certainly hadn't had something as decadent as a homemade lunch for many, many years, living in Tokyo though you had. It almost sounds nice... but then again, how comfortable were you in taking more of your aunt's hospitality? At least she made an effort without being asked: that much was worthy of acknowledging. If nothing else, she offers you some pocket money to buy a meal at the school, and you could always sort those affairs once you were a little more settled in.

It's a little after eight o'clock by the time Makoto sees you and your cousin off, and Akiko takes the head, albeit with his hands crammed in his pockets and his eyes off to the side, as if not wanting to acknowledge you. It's hard to say with him, given his... apparent difficulties, socially, but he probably isn't the sort to like attention, and you? Well, you tend to draw a lot of attention as a rule. Something all the more proven by the sound of a sharp whistling not too long after the two of you set off toward the school, just out of sight from your home.

"Wow, Adachi-san! I kinda figured you were cutting class for something, but who'da guessed it was because you got yourself a girlfriend?"

The source of the voice comes from a conjoining street, and when you peak over at it, you're met with quite an attention-grabbing sight of your own. He's of pretty middling height, but the boy who seems to grab your cousin's ire seems to make up for it with a boisterous presence and a shock of messy, auburn-colored hair. He grins wide at the two of you, something which grows especially wide once he gives you a good once over.

"And she's a real looker, too. How'd a gloomy guy like you score such a babe? You hiding your true personality? Or are the brooding, sensitive types in right now?"

"She isn't my girlfriend. She... ugh... Just go away, Fujiwara, I'm not in the mood."

If Akiko was a sulking shadow of a boy, then the beam of sunshine who hurries along to catch up to the two of you must be his natural enemy. Something proven by the way he seems ready to slink away the moment you take an eye off him. Not that it stops 'Fujiwara'.

"She isn't? Don't suppose that means she's available then, is she? Name's Fujiwara Hirofumi! Nice to meet ya."

_

Fujiwara Hirofumi
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Re: Persona X [LazyKitsune]

Postby Lazy Kitsune » Sun May 26, 2024 7:12 pm

I sit upright in the bed, my hand turning to cradle my head as I blink out the last remnants of sleep and the strange fog that that dream had carried over my mind. I takes me a few moments to recall where I am, not helped by the feeling that my mind was still tumbling through that dark labyrinth. I spy the time, relaxing a little. A few moments longer to pull myself together. I'm usually in no hurry to get ready in the mornings, but not wanting to stew in my own thoughts for too long I get up and start getting ready for the day. On such short notice, there's not much I can do with my uniform to match my usual self imposed standards, but I can at least try my best to wear it in as much my own style as I could. Accessorizing in more detail can come later.

I spy that train ticket sitting beside my bed. Did I leave it there when I got undressed last night? I guess so. Not really sure what to do with it, I reach out and snatch it up once more, slipping it into the tiny slip my blazer claimed was a pocket.

"Oh, no worries at all." I say, when Makoto brings up the lack of a pack lunch. I hadn't expected one, though the thought did seem quite nice. It might be a nice change of pace to have one. Not really something I ever fussed about too much before, but the option was definitely appealing.

I didn't expect much in the form of conversation with Akiko on the way to the school, and honestly I probably wouldn't have been too great at it if he was feeling chatty. The sluggishness and foggy state that the dream had left me in only lifted to reveal my even gloomier state of dreading my first day at a new school. Were they going to make me do that thing where I get up in front of the class and introduce myself. Fuck. This sucks.

Pulling out one of my lollipops, I start sucking to keep my mind busy on anything other than the wide array of things I didn't want to think about. Fortunately life decided to take pity on me for once and throw a serviceable distraction my way.

This Fujiwara-san didn't seem overly remarkable, but certainly lively and not not cute. Boisterous personalities that are quick to make comments about the women around them were hardly new for me, but as long as he kept it to comments I didn't really mind too much. Besides, guys like this were usually at least a little fun to tease.

Akiko didn't seem all too fond of him. Which wasn't that surprising. This new guy was loud and vibrant. Even if they did get along, just being near Akiko would drag a spotlight over him and with it the eyes of people likely even more difficult to get along with.

I speak up in the midst of their conversation when Akiko seems to give up on describing just exactly who I am to him. "Oh me? I'm just some girl off the street who moved in with Akiko and showed him my panties. If you're real nice to him, maybe he'll tell you what colour they are."

I smirk wryly, tapping my lollipop against my lips as I give Fujiwara a quick look up and down. "Shoji Fumiko. Right back atcha."

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~Yawn
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Re: Persona X [LazyKitsune]

Postby Ze Blitzkrieg » Fri Jul 12, 2024 5:43 am

Your reply seems to strike both Fujiwara and Akiko like a bolt from the blue. Though they share a moment of shock, however, their reactions veer in wildly different directions. While Fujiwara is swift to recover his jovial cool, your cousin's face flashes between a multitude of emotions—surprise, mortification, even anger—before he clenches his fists at his sides and stomps his foot in the direction of both you and the chipper redhead.

"That is NOT true! I... We're just... Ugh. Forget it. You're both nightmares to deal with."

The brief little flare of indignation is about the brightest you've seen your cousin's emotional state flare in the time you've become reacquainted with him. Gloomy as he is, however, he seems quick to retreat into himself. Or, perhaps, more accurately, retreat into the comfort of the suburban streets of your new home. Though he isn't a particularly tall or athletic young man, Akiko proves himself surprisingly swift when he wants to be, speed-walking in the opposite direction before a meaningful retort to his accusation can be levied. And in his wake, you find yourself left with a stranger. Not that the boisterous Hirofumi is anymore a stranger to you than your own flesh and blood, given the circumstances.

It might even be that the total stranger proves himself more open to you, as the creeping grin on the young man's face indicates. At the very least, more willing to entertain you.

"So... They're black, right?" Fujiwara's grin grows just a little cheeky as he continues, "You strike me as the type to like black. Just not lacy black."
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Re: Persona X [LazyKitsune]

Postby Lazy Kitsune » Fri Jul 12, 2024 1:28 pm

I expected to get a reaction from Akiko with that - but more along the lines of a scoff or quick retort. Such a significant reaction was definitely a surprise to me. Shit, well, I definitely misjudged the situation. I thought if anyone I would be getting Fujiwara more worked up. "Huh-Hey! Akiko, wait, I was just-" I let out a sigh as he runs off. Well, good fucking job Fumi, day one of school and you've already pissed off the only person here that you knew. My shoulders sag a little as I feel deflated him, seeing him separate off from the two of us. I wanted to go apologise right away, but he probably needed some space right now. Besides, I'd probably put my foot in my mouth again. Akiko was definitely someone I had absolutely no idea how to talk to right.

Fujiwara, however, was not only unphased by my teasing, but in fact encouraged - to the point that he barely takes a moment to bounce back to the conversation after Akiko's outburst. I rub my temple lightly, shaking my head. "Sheesh, you don't give up, do you? I think we can safely say all panty talk is shelved for the time being."

I plop my lollipop back in my mouth to keep myself shut up for a bit as we walk, letting the moment pass before I speak up again. "So, this school an absolute hellhole, or does it have at least some redeeming qualities?" I wasn't expecting much, but Fujiwara might be a bit more involved in the social comings and goings of the school that Akiko. He didn't strike me as the type to be overly involved either, mind you, but not necessarily due to a lack of trying. Which isn't a dig, just an observation.
~Yawn
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