「 きしかん。」

[akahoku]

independent portrayal of tatsuya suou, from persona 2: innocent sin and eternal punishment. primarily written after the events of p2, during and surrounding the events of modern persona stories. written by brynn. ✌️

[akahoku]

i'm sure i'm far from the only one, but activity will be minimal for a little while once metaphor drops this evening.

[akahoku]

game done! it's probably the best thing atlus has put out in a decade and i will happily drop p5 and smtv in the trash in favor of it.

[akahoku]

i'm sure i'm far from the only one, but activity will be minimal for a little while once metaphor drops this evening.

[akahoku]

as promised — short starter call. 1-3 paragraphs.

[akahoku]

With few exceptions, Sumaru City was not a place for tourists. Foreigners did not come from far and wide to visit the city — Japanese people themselves hardly did either. Much like its nearby sister cities in Yokohama and Kawasaki, it was largely a home for those commuting to Tokyo, or native Tokyoites looking for a day away from home. So when someone that didn't fit in one of those two categories visited, they stuck out like a sore thumb as distinctly not of Sumaru City.

As such, the recent young adult who had taken up residence in a local hotel had been the subject of much murmuring. For a respectably sized city, Sumaru was not safe from the chattering and gossip of housewives and students like — if anything, it seemed to spread like wildfire here. Rumors ran through the very veins of Sumaru, it seemed.

That blue cap... Aren't they a detective? I heard they were investigating a murder. My sister-in-law said they're tailing a cheating husband!

It was incessant, and if they were indeed a detective, they'd have clued in within a day or two ago that they were under a spotlight of sorts.

Tatsuya, for his part, was no stranger to this kind of treatment, even as ostensibly a resident of Sumaru — even if he was often away. If not for his choice in an equally bold shade of red, the tattoo ensnaring his right arm was quick to catch attention as well. Tattoos remained taboo after all, especially to those very same chattering housewives.

That same treatment was partially why he often found refuge in the secluded corners of the city, when he didn't leave altogether. The hum of his motorcycle was distinctive as it pushed up the winding mountain road of Mt. Iwato. Despite being in the central district of Sumaru, most locals tended to leave it be out of superstition. The burned out shell of a Shinto shrine still rested near its summit, untouched by time beyond the slow reclamation of nature.

In truth, Tatsuya as well often left the shrine be. It was a source of many painful memories; the nearby parking lot with its accompanying overlook facing south over Tokyo Bay and towards the Pacific was good enough for his purposes.

So, imagine his surprise when he finds a rare soul already in his usual haven. That same detective, it seemed, judging by the navy blue cap.

As he would've wanted to be left alone in their position, he parked at the opposite end of the parking lot from them. Resting his helmet on the passenger seat, before leaning against the driver's seat, perpendicular as to face out towards the sea. A silver lighter is in one hand, thumb running over the cap but not flicking it open and shut.

... Still, it was odd to see another person up here. Locals avoided it, and it wasn't exactly a sightseeing locale regardless of the view provided. That supposed detective wasn't waiting here for him, were they? @sleuthprince

[akahoku]

Today's trek had proven to be more... arduous than Tatsuya had expected. Though it was no secret that a typhoon was bearing down on Japan, the forecast had expected it to not make landfall for a few more days. He had, unfortunately, learned this to be inaccurate while driving on the highway eastbound, leaving Kyushu and heading back towards Kansai. While a proficient motorcyclist, Tatsuya was eventually forced to concede — he had ultimately made it to Iwatodai, hours behind schedule. At least the drive the rest of the way to Osaka was brief, weather permitting.

For the time being though, he sought cover from the storm the first chance he could. Fortunately, a mall was open not far away from his exit — judging by the amount of people inside seeking shelter and buying up every last umbrella, Tatsuya hadn't been the first one to seek refuge here.

Opting to avoid the somewhat panicked throng of people however, Tatsuya was relieved to see a cafe still open. Judging by the business hours posted outside, they'd only be open for another hour; he could only hope that that would be enough for the locals to collect and calm themselves under the early, sudden onset of the typhoon. It had been then, pushing the doors open, that he had noticed that his hands were numb, likely frozen through his gloves by the whipping winds.

"One hot coffee." A pause for a beat, considering his options before— "large is fine. Thank you."

With people's attention elsewhere, Tatsuya was thankful that the cafe was largely deserted. Taking a relatively secluded seat, he hung his still wet jacket over the opposite seat, gloves at the corner of the table. He had gone out of his way to find some napkins to wipe up any dripping rainwater before his coffee was served.

Table service was always nice, if a little extra. The staff did seem a bit bored, if restless about the looming trek home. @enshijou

[akahoku]

[300% delusional] surely there's SOMEONE i wrote with here a decade ago that's still around

[akahoku]

In truth, Tatsuya was not all too sure how he had allowed himself to be roped into this by his brother, Katsuya. Detective work was a far cry from what the younger sibling had found in life, having left behind his ambitions for being a police officer, and yet... here he was. Effectively playing half chaperone half security for his older brother, the relatively renowned detective. Katsuya was beside himself though, having been blindsided and not informed by the producers that he wasn't the only detective guest on the program today. As it had turned out, it was actually a panel of discussion on the ongoing Phantom Thieves case.

Katsuya had ultimately taken more offence over the fact that he wasn't part of the assigned unit investigating. He was from Sumaru, after all, and not Tokyo. Considerate as he was though, he was ultimately talked down from leaving the show.

"There's only a couple hours until we go on air! How would we fill your spot?" "We already advertised with your likeness!" "We would have to send some of the staff home early!"

Fortunately, the panel had largely gone off without a hitch. Katsuya wasn't the only renowned detective from another city, it turned out — a young private detective from rural Yamanashi, as well as a pair from Kyoto and Osaka. Ultimately though, the intended star of the show was Tokyo's own, Akechi Goro. The hosts of the panel did their best to steer the questions to their darling celebrity, the cameras entirely on him.

With time though, the panel became much more a discussion between Katsuya and Akechi. The Kansai duo, local celebrities in their own right, had checked out knowing their chance for the spotlight had been usurped. The Yamanashi detective found it all to be a farce from the beginning.

The hosts all but sidelined as well, Katsuya and Akechi were all too happy to steer the conversation. Though Katsuya didn't have the insight of being an assigned investigator, he did have his own history and plenty of his own insights. The audience had been glued to their seats, the usually humming and hawing gone silent, not even the usual fangirl squealing over Akechi every other sentence. The producers, while annoyed that the program had gotten away from their original intentions, couldn't deny that it had been a success ratings wise.

Much to Tatsuya's chagrin though, their conversation hadn't ended there. For whatever reason, Akechi had invited Katsuya along for coffee afterwards, and in turn Tatsuya had been pulled along. A small coffee shop in an otherwise unremarkable neighborhood of Tokyo — at least the coffee was good.

Sitting at the bar-top while the two detectives went on and on behind Tatsuya in a booth, it seemed Akechi was a friend of the owner as well, not minding to let them stay past closing. It wasn't as if any other customers had come to pass, aside from a shaggy headed student who had quickly holed himself up somewhere in the back.

The two detectives had, it seemed, lost track of time. Checking his watch, the last train had already come and gone. The owner of the shop had closed up as well, only asking the student upstairs to lock up after their guests had finally departed. Katsuya had seemingly become aware of it now as well, panicking and apologetic to the younger detective.

"I really am sorry. I've kept you far too late. You're a student as well, no? I really ought to be more considerate." Each apology from Katsuya was disarmed and deflected by Akechi in turn, but the elder detectived remained insistent. After a few moments of this though, it seemed an idea had come to cross his mind. "Ah! Tatsuya! Could you give our friend here a ride home? I can take a cab back and bill it to the TV station if need be." Before Tatsuya could refuse, his elder brother was already slipping on his blazer, sliding a business card across the table to Akechi. A gesture of camaraderie, as well as saying his door was open in case the younger detective ever wanted an off the record second opinion.

And like that, he was out the door, the bell jingling behind him. With it being past midnight and in a residential neighborhood, Katsuya would've likely had to walk all the way to Shibuya before he found a cab.

Exhaling to release his irritation, Tatsuya was soon enough reaching for his own jacket, thrown over the barstool next to his own. It would've been easier to get this over with sooner rather than later — the sooner he could get Akechi back home as well, the better his odds of finding a business hotel or a capsule for him to rest. He didn't intend to stay in Tokyo any longer than he needed to.

"... Well," slipping his jacket over his shoulders, he turned to Akechi, "let's get going." Both hands in his pockets, one gripped the keys to the ignition of his motorcycle, the other thumbing over the cap of an old, sentimental zippo lighter. @chaoskalo

[akahoku]

Though not at all being from Iwatodai, or even elsewhere in Kansai, there remained a certain magnetism to the modern, eclectic city. It made sense, a city firmly in the Kirijo Group's palm — a far cry from Sumaru and Yokohama, their own native Nanjo Group preferring to operate in the background these days. Though the two conglomerates remained close in terms of business, the philosophy could not have been more apparent through anything else but their own hub cities.

Tatsuya, unsurprisingly, felt practically alien here. The pristine city — almost too clean — overlooking the pale waters of Osaka Bay. His trademark shade of red felt almost garish in such a cosmopolitan place. Fortunately with the local private high school out of session, he was able to find himself a semblance of quietude, away from prying eyes; aside from Kirijo Group security, but Tatsuya was more used to those types breathing down his neck.

Giving a low hum, he contemplated quietly as he looked over the water. As clean as Iwatodai could be, there was a certain thrumming under the surface as well. A heightened pulse, as if its soul itself was on edge. Not entirely unlike Sumaru's own; whether tragedy had already occurred here though, or had yet to come to pass, he was too much a stranger to say.

The moment of contemplation wasn't to last though, it seemed. A tightness in his chest, a pang behind his eyes — Apollo was cautious, providing forewarning. A gaze was burning into Tatsuya's spine, though not at all the same as those otherwise faceless, nameless security guards. He doesn't turn from the seat of his motorcycle, but his right hand thumbs over the keys to the ignition in his jacket pocket. Direct confrontation had long ago stopped being his modus operandi.

For now he pauses, waiting for his observer to take their next step. @foolshoujo

[akahoku]

personally hc persona users as being somewhat naturally drawn to each other, either by fate or strong wills basically pulling on each other with a kinda gravitational pull. i think this is also alluded to by takaya in p3 and again in arena/ultimax? but it's not like. an outright confirmed thing either (like most in universe mechanics of persona), so.

[akahoku]

as promised — short starter call. 1-3 paragraphs.

[akahoku]

— truly grasping at straws following old writing partners that haven't been active in 2-5+ years. 👵