romance and murder go so well together

[capyper]

[ If the colorful posters from Tuesday weren't enough, Yato has redoubled his efforts for today and slapped these up all over the place:



We are admittedly not entirely sure what the heck the catgirl is there for, but she's there. Anyway, in the dining hall this evening, Aqua and Yato have set things up for a group dinner!! All the food is being put on one table; the rest of the room is for mingling and is colorfully decorated in a way that suggests that Yato went wild in the art room at some point and decided what we all really need in our lives is more color and more glitter!!

There's also this piece of paper with everybody's names on it in pairs, and sets of questions (red tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet). That's right, your mystery game is speed-dating and Yato is here to be your cupid for the evening!! ]

Comments

[garudynamic]

[He nods, trying to smile but not able to quite manage it. Instead his looks oddly raw compared to his normal cheerful and flighty self. He pauses, then tucks his hand into his jacket and pulls out on of the photos for Black to see]

That's him. My home isn't as exciting now but... I wouldn't mind showing you around after all this.

[penduli]

[ He's got a good-looking set of friends. Attractive people attract attractive people, he supposes.

(Black is starting to understand, looking at Yu, that that's not really someone he could compete with. He manages to make a bowlcut look really good.) ]

I wouldn't mind some ordinary boredom--Hellsalem's Lot City, where I'm staying now, is a bit too exciting. [ Even if he's gotten really, really used to it. Too much quiet would probably make him antsy. This place has just enough going on to keep him from getting too worried. ] Besides, you're from Japan, right? I've never been before; that'll be exciting enough.

[garudynamic]

I guess. But Inaba's a quiet little country town.

[His smile is a big more honest, this time]

There's only one bus, no shops or even a movie theater. It's like something out of a shitty greeting card.

[penduli]

[ That's right, Yosuke. Cheer up a little. ]

Really? I grew up in the beautifully rural Scottish Highlands, and the closest town still had more than that. [ Hard to believe, tbh. ] What do you do for fun?

[garudynamic]

Hang out, I guess? Some people have clubs. My year is only like... 35 people? This Hellsalem place sounds way more intense.

[penduli]

[ 35 people, Jesus. ]

It's... an experience. The otherworldly and the normal collide--really, it reminds me a lot of that scene in the Cantina in the fourth Star Wars movie. A lot of alien-looking people, fights if you look at someone funny, and life going on normally after any shoot-outs.

[garudynamic]

[he laughs in shock.]

Holy shit. Guess it really is worlds apart. Even more so now that everything with the TV iss over...

[is that longing in his voice?]

[penduli]

[ ...right, the world that can only be accessed via television. What a weird thing to think (says the guy from sci-fi new new york). ]

What was that all about anyway? [ Because--look, it sounds super far-fetched. ]

[garudynamic]

...it's a LONG story. You sure you've got the time?

[penduli]

[ ...it'll be over their four minutes, but they're pretty much past that at this point, aren't they. ]

I'm not really fond of speed-dating, so I have as much time as you can spare me.

[garudynamic]

Heh, if it saves me from any more of those awful questions you can have me for as long as you want.

[Yosuke plz< i>]

[penduli]

[ ...as someone who suffers from the misfortune of fucking up html i just want to say you make me feel so much better, buddy ]

Then I'll keep you all night. [ Yosuke's just friendly, Black's just friendly, that's all, that's all. ] Start whenever you want.

[garudynamic]

You're gonna make all the girls sad, Black.

[he laughs, taking a seat. His head tilts back as he ponders where to start... there's just so MUCH]

I've never actually told the whole thing before...

[penduli]

[ According to his sister, he already does. He takes a seat too, grinning softly. ]

I guess you wouldn't have to--all your friends were right there with you. [ But Black wasn't, and Black's interested in hearing him out, even if it is on the excuse of getting out of speed dates. ] The best books always start out by jumping right into the action, so why not start there too?

[garudynamic]

That works. And hilariously it kinda started the way the best murder mysteries do. On a dark foggy night.

[He's got a shit eating grin on his face as he starts, but it quickly fades as he goes on. Talking about the night Yu rolls into town and changed his life. Yamano-san's death, the Midnight Channel, Teddie. Saki...

He's there for quite some time, having to get up and go get a drink to collect himself- but once he continues the story picks up quickly. He glosses over what exactly happens between him and his Shadow (and what the other Shadows said too- those aren't his stories to tell) and how he got his Persona, saving Yukiko- all the dungeons and battles and deadends. Mitsuo and Moroka and Naoto.

Nanako too. And everything he almost did. Quietly, and not looking at Black at all during it.

And of course Adachi. Catching Yu crawling out of the tv looking like someone just died. Saving Marie. And in the end, finding the real culprit. The cold touch of those black hands on his legs.

The whole mess is complicated, almost ludicrous with it's scale. But Yosuke tells it with utter earnestness. If he's lying he's the world's greatest actor.]

And that's the last thing I remember. Him going home. I dunno if there's more after that. I'm kinda scared to find out.

[penduli]

[ Black listens with rapt attention, forehead creasing bit by bit as Yosuke continues on. It all sounds complicated, ludicrous, incredulous--the thoughts might be a bit easy to read on his face, as Black's never been good at hiding his surprise--but Yosuke is earnest.

He's very genuine, very sincere, and the way he recounts his experiences makes him think that it isn't just a tall-tale. It's not like Black can think it is for too long anyway: sure, they might not have TV powers, but there are beings who can create their own dimensional space, and there's flying centipede-monsters, and really, Hellsalem's Lot City is a myriad of tall-tales, to be honest.

He shifts his gaze away from Yosuke, stomach turning a little at the thought of his own unbelievable story, and smiles a little. Tries to. It barely passes as convincing. ]

I would be too, after everything you've gone through. I'm sure it can't be as anything bad as what's happened the past year though. [ Black chances a look up, the smile a little less forced. ] After all, you've already weathered the worst. There's nowhere to go but up.

[garudynamic]

...

Kinda hard to top that, huh?

[He hopes Black is right. But the sad look Black is hiding makes his own belly flip around in a way he's not sure how to explain. He wants to ask about Hellsalem's Lot and where Black grew up and all kinds of things in return... but.]

Thanks... for listening, either way.

[penduli]

[ It's not like it's something he'd tell Yosuke, anyway.

...if it helps, he wouldn't readily tell anyone. ]

I asked, didn't I? It'd be rude of me not to. [ And he wanted to know, but he wouldn't have asked if he didn't want to know. ] ...next time, I'll tell you a few stories from good old Hellsalem's Lot City. I don't have a ton that aren't confidential Caster business, but... I'll try to think of some good ones.

[garudynamic]

Caster, huh... I saw that on your profile.

[And how it's his dislike as well as job]

[penduli]

[ ah, yes.... ]

It's a family thing. We've been involved with Casters and the League of High Order Spirituals for generations now, or something. I didn't really have any plans for anything else after school, so... I decided to become one too.

[ .... ]

It'd feel wrong not to, too.

[garudynamic]

But you don't like it?

[No judgement, just careful curiosity]

[penduli]

[ ...mmmm ]

I don't like being one, no. There's a lot of risk involved, to put it lightly. [ for him more than others ]

[garudynamic]

[He makes a small sympathetic noise- though he doesn't argue it. After all, growing up to take on your parents' duties is a pretty common thing where he's from.

He remembers what Saki told him- that you're not your parents. But he just doesn't know enough about Black's situation to try and give him any real advice]

What IS a Caster anyways?

[penduli]

A psi who works for the League of High Order Spirituals, and a psi is someone who's born with psychic abilities. [ Psi. Psychic. Yep. ] ...and before you ask, I can't read minds or anything like that.

[garudynamic]

I'd guess it'd be blocked just like my Persona anyways. So if you're not Professor X... Jean Grey?