⏩ E v e r y O p e n E y e ⏪

indie rp // mika shimotsuki

[frommemetoyou]

send a symbol - get the following from my muse ;

[hellspxwn]

send ✆ for a morning text send ♔ for an angry text send  ♠ for a drunk text send ☏ for a vague text send ⁇ for a worried text send ♣ for a text not meant for you send ✺for a sassy text send √ for a long-winded confession text send ☠ for a misguided advice text send ☢ for a desperate text send ☼ for a congratulatory text send ✘ for a text that should never have been sent

[clearlyunclouded-blog]

     “I’m sorry. I don’t know anything about retaining happiness.” She wasn’t sure what else to say; that she wasn’t looking for it anymore? That she had lost it? Maybe both. It didn’t feel right to pull her junior inspector down with her, but she didn’t want to give her false advice, either, now that she was asking for it–or at least expressing an interest in her coping mechanisms.

“Truthfully, Shimotsuki-san, I don’t consider Sibyl. I consider ethics and morals and psychology as unrelated to Sibyl. Sometimes good moral decisions are also good decisions by Sibyl; sometimes they’re not. I only do what I feel is right. But if someone is hurt because of a decision I’ve made, then I consider it a wrong decision whether or not the effect is lasting or the damage done is permanent. I am always looking for better ways to deal with situations that we face in this job.”

She wasn’t sure if that was a satisfactory answer or not. Probably not. “When I defend a decision I’ve made to Sibyl I put it before them in a manner I think they will understand. They fear, more than anything, pre-exposure to the public, but they also fear inaccuracies within their system and being less than perfect. However, they are less than perfect, or we would not have criminally asymptomatic people at all, and they would have been able to judge their own crime coefficient from the start, as well as Kamui’s. Any decision I make that is still within the parameters of the law isn’t one they can be against, or they would be admitting to their own imperfection.”

That was why she had started reading so many books on law; many of them were loaned to her from Ginoza-san, who had followed in his father’s footsteps and had studied it. This gave Akane two very different approaches to the law to take, and she adopted both in equal measure.

“I don’t know if this makes me a ‘good person with good intentions.’ I do have good intentions, but it is hard, sometimes, to feel like a good person when you have let so many people down in such a short amount of time.” She paused. “I’m only doing my best. Sometimes it isn’t enough. My happiness doesn’t get to factor in anymore. I think I accepted that fact long ago.”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      Goosebumps rose up across her skin and the girl had to rub her arms a little to get the feeling to die down. If someone is hurt because of a decision I’ve made.... No, she brushed it away. Akane didn’t think correctly. That didn’t put the decision maker to blame-- right?

      “That doesn’t make sense to me... You can’t consider those things a separate entity-- Sibyl is supposed to govern those things. Right? Sibyl is how we understand those things. You’re thinking in a really primitive way.” Mika was trying hard to justify her own mentality. Of course what she was saying made sense to her. “What happens the day you help Sibyl develop into something perfect, and it turns out what you’re presenting is wrong?”

       How pretentious of her, to think she was smarter than the collective.

      “I can understand that personal happiness doesn’t factor into a job like this. But I do think you have a hesitant approach to decision making in that case. Sometimes people get hurt because of good decisions. What’s worth more; the one person or the whole?”

[lin--ito-deactivated20160906]

      Lin didn’t mind the strange looks, to be honest, she didn’t even notice that she was being stared at. She stuck close to Mika so she wouldn’t get lost in this building, even if she did enjoy the potential of exploring the building without being held back.

      “Oh… I won’t push it.” Surely this girl had fond memories in school? Or maybe she was bullied too? Lin couldn’t identify anything that might have said so, but then again… She might have been someone who hid them just as well as her.

      She peered down the hall. “If I get lost I’ll ask for directions… Though it would be strange for the navigator to get lost, so I’ll be sure to not forget.” She chimed with a smile. Following close to Mika’s heel, Lin looked at the rooms they passed. “Right. I look forward to seeing it.”

      There was relief that the woman could still practice her physical skills without having to be on the field or having to go up against another colleague. While it was fun practicing on them in the training, sometime people were a bit put off having to fight the woman or even she was put off having to hurt someone. “That’s good to hear, I’ll no doubt be using these facilities extensively… Especially if I am going to be called out to provide back-up.” Lin made a note to herself to check the facilities out when on her down time. She also reminded herself to check to see if they had updated the facilities for those who were trialing the navigation role. “Thank you.” She smiled to the young inspector.

      The office was… Empty. Lin looked confused for a moment but figured they were probably out working or on a break. She stepped into the office and looked around, peering over to the computers. “These are very similar to the ones we had at my old job. They lock up all the time.” Lin spoke while inspecting the computers closely before straightening up. “A part from that, they’re very reliable. An easy fix.” She turned her attention back to Mika as she spoke about the office. “Tsunemori… Oh yes, you work in pairs.”

      She seemed thoughtful on the matter, if this is what inspectors were like normally, what was this other inspector like? “Ah. Yes. I’ll keep this place in mind. It shouldn’t be too hard to get to. I was told that I would be helping the analyst out when I had time to spare, as well as while on the field since we’ll both be doing communications.” Lin retraced what was told to her while they were explaining her job.

      Lin moved back over to Mika after having examined the office. “Right. So the office isn’t too far from the lift. I think I could probably find my way here after a few tries. Where to next? Are there any safety briefs I need to know?”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      Mika let the subject of school drop with a bad taste in the back of her throat. Lin has no way of knowing how she felt about it, but pressing the topic even mildly with a stranger made her skin crawl. Not something Mika had been looking to bring up today.

      Once they were in the office, the yong inspector let her look around a moment, glancing disdainfully at a few desks. It was probably due time for a cleanup in hee.. Everyone’s personal items had bad habits of spreading themselves around and making everything look cluttered. She’d have to bring up the topic of a sort of spring cleaning soon.

      “The computers you work with will be top notch; that’s for sure. The computers our analyst uses are higher quality. As far as these go they’re top of the line but they can always be better..” The tablets always seemed to lock themselves up at inconvenient times. Lucky Yayoi was good at troubleshooting, thanks to her girlfriend.

      “I’ll show you to the Analyst’s lab... We won’t bother her, but it’ll be good to know where you need to be.” Mika wasn’t interested in talking to Shion when she was alreay in a foul mood. “There are safety briefs that we need to go over, but we’ll do that once we get to your dorm and sit down. I don’t like to walk and explain.”

      The young girl pushed through back to the door and the hallway, mostly expecting Lin to follow rather than wait for her.

      “If you have any other questions, just let me know.” All of this dragging her around was tiring. Maybe she should have let Tsunemori do it.

[shion--karanomori-blog]

@idealcitizen​

      It hadn’t been long since Mika and Shion had their… Discussion. A few days at most. She hadn’t forgotten what Mika had done, demanding a file and then not telling anyone about it… She kept the secret at least. Last thing she wanted was Mika barging into her office and trying to act like authority over not keeping the secret as promised.

      Since then, Shion had put in paperwork to have a day off. Not just a day off though, a day outside of the lab. Not only did she have to twist a few arms and ask very nicely, she had to get someone to stand in for her. God bless Sho… He was okay with standing in for her until she got back. She owed him one.

      Due to it being unacceptable to be wearing her ‘uniform’ outside of work, Shion had chose to done a red strap top, a dark grey skirt which had a red belt, a pair of red heels, and to top the outfit off was a red blaser. This was as casual as she could get while remaining presentable to the public.

      Shion adjusted her thigh-highs while waiting at the front room, a drone standing close by her to make sure she doesn’t run off. She had made multiple requests for the inspector to acompany her was to be Tsunemori, she had always wanted to take the girl out and get her a few new clothes and maybe find out another fact or two about her in lingerie. It was going to be a fun day, shopping and even stopping for something to eat with the young, friendly inspector. They both deserved some time off together, it was a pitty that Yayoi couldn’t have the time off at the same time otherwise the three of them could have had a great outing.

      Though they hadn’t pointed out to her who would be taking her, as far as she was aware it was Tsunemori. She hadn’t recieved messages saying otherwise or people declining that she was going to get who she wanted.

      Of course nothing could prepare her for who it was who had - reluctantly - been given the task of babysitting her while she shopped. Shepherd 2. Mika Shimotsuki.

[idealcitizen-blog]

      Mika had literally never been given a more asinine task before in her life. She spent a little while trying to refute it; why couldn’t Tsunemori take Karanomori out, if she needed to leave so badly? The young girl hated escorting the enforcers in general, but having to do so with Shion was beyond mere disdain. She could think of a million other things that could be better done with her time.

      In the end, Tsunemori was unavailable due to a few other factors, and this seemed to be the only convenient time for Shion to have that day off she had been requesting. As a result, Mika was stuck with it.

      With no other choice, the inspector dressed herself down in casual clothes (nothing fancy; just a dark sweater layered over a button down shirt and paired with a dusty orange colored shorts and dark tights, all muted colors. She was better in earthy tones, and going anywhere with Shion meant she was at least a bit concerned about her appearance) and went out to meet her, prepared for Shion to be less than enthused about her escort.

      She came out, adjusting her purse strap around her shoulder, trying to look nonchalant. Even as someone that knew how everyone felt about her, the little look of disappointment anyone had when anything ended up being here instead of Tsunemori was at least a little hurtful.

      “...Are you ready to go, Karanomori?” Mika paused a few feet away from Shion, voice and expression flat. “I don’t want to have to be out all day...” Not that she had much choice.

[immloveanime]

source

[lin--ito-deactivated20160906]

      Compliments were something Lin had plenty of, as far as she was concerned, all of these people were higher up than her. Thus it never hurt to compliment them, even those who might be lower down than her would be complimented for their hard work. One would easily believe that this woman was offered a position as a teacher as well on her list of suitable jobs.

      “School is rather fun, though I can’t remember much of my school days…” A minor lie, she wasn’t treated with the most kindness a human can give. “Hmm? I guess we just learn mostly on the job, you can learn about everything you need in a classroom but at the end of the day, if you can’t apply those skills then it’s wasted.” Lin pointed out softly.

      When it came down to the physical work, Lin wasn’t the best of the bunch. She could run rather far but her speed wasn’t the best, her fighting was average but her accuracy with a Dominator, as well as her skills out of the field with her navigation showed off brightly what she could do. She was praised for her planning skills and co-ordination of group members. Her strengths rested in her knowledge as opposed to her physical capabilities.

      “True, in an age where you can live for a very long time, thirty-two is only a spring flower. Though I don’t know the average age of an inspector or enforcer… Going off what you just said it must be around late twenties.” Lin moved after the woman, staying close to her heel while smiling. She cast a wave to anyone… Or thing for that matter… That went past them. Be it machine or another inspector.

      “Oh? Well it’ll probably change over time, I mean places get redecorated all the time. Neutral colours are always pleasing on the eyes. I’d be quite happy seeing them for most of my life.” Lin continued to look around in awe…

      This was clearly a woman who was easy to please and amaze…

[idealcitizen-blog]

      Lin was most definitely getting some looks, waving at people whom had never seen her before. It was easy to guess that she was an enforcer, following mika and not dressed in the same way. Not a rare sight in and of itself, but definitely behavior that confused anyone who had been here longer than a few minutes.

      Mika tried to ignore it. No matter what she said to this woman, she didn’t seem phased. It was getting really tough to play the authority figure.

      “School wasn’t that fun.” She answered flatly, stepping out of a passerby’s way, waving to a hallway. “The office is over there. You better be remembering the way. I’ll show you to your dorm after I point out the office to you..” As she turned down a hallway.

      “As for learning on the field; we have facilities here for training so you can kep working on that in the meantime. The worst thing you can do to yourself is go in totally cold.” Disaster to leave their team in the care of this newbie and her new dynamic, and have her not know a damn thing about how to act. Mika would be sure to watch her. “There’s the gym and a pool, and droids for combat practice. There’s a target range as well, and a few other things. If you need to use them just go for it.”

      She paused in front of the door to the office. At least no one was around. As the doors slid open, she stepped in and stopped just beside the,

      “This is our office. Those terminals are for the enforcers; those two up there are mine and my partner’s; Inspector Akane Tsunemori. You have other places you’ll be doing more work, probably with our analyst, but you’ll spend time in here too. Don’t get lost finding it.”

[clearlyunclouded-blog]

    “Yes… At least in part. I think there is another component to it, though. First, you have to accept that you have done something and acknowledge whether it was right or wrong or an in-between. But after that, you have to consider the why. Once you know that, it’s easier to move on confidently, as you say; it’s possible to be confident about moving forward even if the past comes with you, so long as you know what you can do to improve yourself in the future.”

At least, that was how she dealt with it.

“I think it happens to everyone at the MWPSB,” she admitted. “Some of us have seen some unique cases, but even with the regular cases…we can’t save everyone. Sometimes our failures are hard to swallow. I don’t believe in fate, of course, but I do think that if we learn from our mistakes rather than wallow in the fact that we have made them…which keeps us from progressing beyond them, then we can help more people in the future that perhaps, otherwise, we would not have had the knowledge to help.”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      Funny. It was exactly the sort of explanation she was expecting Akane to give-- though something about it made her skin crawl. She had already evaluated her feelings about these things-- so why was she still feeling this  burning guilt in her gut?

      “So then, on that note, how do you decide if what you did is wrong or right? How can you justify a ‘wrong’ action that has positive outcomes? How can you justify a ‘good’ decision that harbors negative results?” As much as this was making her feel sick to thing about, there was something freeing about letting the words out.

      “How can you cause so many awful things, and then still call yourself a good person with good intentions...? What does ‘good intentions’ mean to Sibyl, if your good intentions still result in disaster? Objectively speaking.” She paused. “How can you retain your happiness if you’re working so hard against it in the name of good and bad..?”

[shion--karanomori-blog]

      “There are many things you don’t see behind closed doors. I have more to me than you know.” Shion said with a smile, it was almost as if the girl was trying to show off that she knew more about Yayoi than her own girlfriend. “Of course. We’ve been through a lot together over the years, things you haven’t seen due to your recent addition to the team.” Shion pointed out calmly and rubbed the side of her head.

      The two were cheese and chalk. Chances would be that they would never get along with one another, and any relationship they did have would result in just being strictly professional. It was probably better that way anyway.

      “Alright, well you’ve just cut down my workload for the day at least.” Shion began to work again since she knew she wouldn’t be allowed to go home until the files were finished, with Mika distracting her it was going to take longer. “Shame. But alright. I thought you two would be friends when I first saw you but even I can be wrong sometimes. Just make sure it stays professional.” She said quietly.

      “It’s been a pleasure to have you visiting the lab for once, just wish it was for something less grim. Though now I have to catch up on paperwork because of your distraction…” Shion waved and looked back at Mika. “Unless there’s something else you wish to discuss, inspector?”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      The inspector stood there a few long moments, letting all of her words sink in. This whole endeavor had been a bust, and her opinion on Shion had definitely formed itself into something much more solid and disdainful than it had originally been. She made a mental note to keep track of her; just in case.

       After her thought was done, pausing a little longer than she probably shoul have, she took a little breath and let it out, squaring out her shoulders and lifting her chin like a woman in a place of power.

      “....No. That’s all for today. I’ll remember all of this, though..” She narrowed her gaze, then tilted her head a little before turning around to head back for the door, speaking more as she went.

       “Next time maybe I’ll bring Kunizuka and you’ll be a little more cooperative. If you keep up this kind of behavior there’s sure to be repurcussions in your future..” A vauge, repeated threat, but it wasn’t an empty threat. “Have a good night, Karanomori.”

      It was beyond a relief to get away from her.

[clearlyunclouded-blog]

     All of Shimotsuki-san’s questions were uncomfortably weighty. “Oh,” she said. “Uh…”

It wasn’t something easily answered. She could probably write a dissertation on the subject of her happiness and satisfaction and still not come up with a concrete answer.

“It’s complicated,” she said at last. “But I guess everything is. I’d be lying if I said I regretted nothing, but what goes does it to anyone to regret anything? It’s not like we can go back and change it. But if I could–”

It was dangerous territory–or would be, if she wasn’t blessed with a clear psycho-pass. What would she do if she could go back in time just once? What would she change? Would she save her grandmother’s life or Yuki’s? Would she save them all by not joining the MWPSB? Would she save Kagari-kun or Masaoka-san? Would she prevent Ginoza-san’s trauam? Thinking about it gave her a headache.

“This job, this life; it’s all I know. I regret many things from the past but I know better than to wish for a do-over like a child who made a wrong move at a board game.” She frowned, skin creasing slightly at the corners of her mouth. “I failed to save Yuki and Kagari-kun and Masaoka-san. I failed to protect Ginoza-san, too, from the trauma of losing his arm and his father, and because someone wanted to get to me my grandmother died. I failed to reach Kogami-san, and to predict Togane-san’s plans for me. Yet…”

She closed her eyes, briefly–a short reprieve.

“Yet I would like to think that their sacrifices weren’t wasted. I wish they had never happened, but they did. And they hurt. Every day. Maybe to remind me of it–maybe to keep me from forgetting. So I have to keep trying. If I don’t, they all died or were hurt or suffered for nothing. And I can’t let that happen. So I guess, Shimotsuki-san, that I must be satisfied with the life I have…” She took a deep breath and let it out again slowly, then opened her eyes. “Because I am fortunate enough to have it.”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      Whatever Mika had been expecting-- some sorty of relief from her own emotions maybe?-- this wasn’t it. The girl swallowed, jaw clenching, fingers curled together tightly in her lap. Here it was again, the sick feeling in her stomach.. And yet she couldn’t take her eyes from the other woman, trying not to react. Akane would notice if she reacted.

      She forced her mouth to move eventually, but it was stiff and she was tense. Her voice was soft; it could be mistaken for sympathy, but in truth it was all she could muster.

      “...That must be why your psycho-pass is so stable.. Thinking like that...” Mika thought maybe it was something she could admire, if it was anyone else. “..There’s always... A lot of things that could have been done differently in everyone’s past... The strength to accept what you’ve done and move on confidently... That’s next to unheard of, don’t you think.. Senpai?”

[huebright-gone-deactivated20180]

“You aren’t wrong…”Akane didn’t want to argue, she was never the type to enjoy confrontation. She’d always been a peacemaker, and besides, Mika seemed like someone she could come to respect. She hoped they could put this behind them someday.

“But I promise, I’ll do my best to remain impartial and do what’s best for the good of our team. For our division.”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      “That’s what a good leader would do.” The answer was satisfying, and Mika smiled, adjustig the fabric at the cuff of her sleeve. Akane seemed to be a little.. Different than what Mika had been expecting to meet when she came to the MWPSB, but maybe with thoughts like that she might get by just fine.

      “You clearly have to have good judgement to be where you are now... I can’t say I heard much about you before I came here, but what I did hear didn’t seem overtly negative. You haven’t let me down too much in that regard.... You’re a pretty respectable investigator.”

      At least she thought so, so far. It was all still new though.

[clearlyunclouded-blog]

     Akane wasn’t sure what kind of question she expected Shimotsuki-san to ask, but that was not it. It was a surprisingly personal question.

“Ah–” She opened her mouth to answer, but found she didn’t have a ready response. “What a question, Inspector Shimotsuki,” she said after a moment; her words were tinged with something akin to humor, but she did not laugh. They almost sounded weak, even to her own ears.

“Do I regret knowing so much?” she asked, buying time. “Am I happy to know what I do? Or do you mean the question to be broader: do I regret joining the MWPSB? Am I happy in general?”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      It was awkward, asking Akane such a personal thing, but the question was pressing uncomfortably in her mind. If there was something positive for Akane now, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, this guilt in her head. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad that she had lost something that had made her life brighter.

      Strange, how obsessively she was thinking about it now that they’d had this conversation.

      “...All of it. In general.. Your life. The PSB, your every day situation.. You said before that you didn’t expect it to have such a strain on your social life...” Mika took a small breath. “...So are you unhappy with your life now? Or are you satisfied with what you have? If you could go back in time and choose a different path-- what would you do?”

[lin--ito-deactivated20160906]

     Lin hoped the girl hadn’t noticed such a change in her personality. She didn’t like to show her nervousness off as often people would use it to their advantage to get her to do thing for them once they saw her weakness. She may have been a latent criminal, but she sure as hell wasn’t immune to human interacion nervousness.

     The best choice was to just nod and agree with the girl, a choice that Lin nominated to take. She didn’t mind this girl, she had seen far more nasty people. Cruel to be kind. Lin rubbed her arms with a small smile.

     “Oh.. Sorry. I don’t mean it to be patronising or to be insulting over the matter. I am genuinely proud, but… I’m picking up you don’t wish to discuss it so I’ll not bring it up again, age means nothing here.” She pointed out and looked over to the girl quietly. She was rather cute now that she took the time to observe, very deceiving with her looks as she had a fire that burned brightly.

     “Mmhmm, I don’t doubt you at all, inspector. It’s clear you have the tools and the mental strength to handle it. It’s admirable and puts me at ease that you’re all trained so well.” Lin couldn’t help but give a smile to the girl, while she did have her bubbly, smiley personality, she wouldn’t let that mislead her when it came to judgement.

     The woman raised an eyebrow at that final statement, stepping out of the lift as she tried to think of a way to respond. “Well as a woman who’s thirty-two, I can only try as hard as I can. I’ll try to not let you down with your expetations of the team.” Lin lightly saluted and looked down the halls.

     “It’s so modern… Very cold but it has its own charm.” She spoke in quiet awe before looking back at Mika. “Lead the way, I’ll try to keep up!”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      To be honest, it felt nice to have someone throwing compliments at her. It wasn’t like she got to hear things like this every day. The benefit of talking to someone who wasn’t familiar with her. That would surely all change once this woman got close to the others.

      “It’s just a school. There’s nothing about it to discuss.” Nothing she was willing to discuss. The less she had to think about that place the better. “Good mental stability and good training are just part of the job. You’ll find out that once you’re on the field, you don’t get a lot of wiggle room for learning... You have to be quick on your own.”

      Admittedly, it was a problem Mika still had. It seemed that every time she was on the field, her own required quick-decision-making-skills was replaced with blind obedience. She worked a lot better when someone was telling her what to do.

      Mika followed her off of the elevator, watching her carefully. She seemed a little better now.. It had to be the elevator.

      “Thirty-two isn’t that old.. Of course most of your partners will be quite a bit younger than you. Come this way.” She motioned for her to follow, heading down the hallway.

      “It’s a good thing you like it.. These are going to be the sights you see most for the rest of your time here... Possibly the rest of your life.”

[shion--karanomori-blog]

     Shion shifted in her chair, frowning slightly at the girl. “Regardless of what I say, you’ll probably not change your mind.” Shion waved a hand tiredly, just wanting the girl to drop the topic. “And why would I threaten you? I have nothing to gain out of it. I’ve had a brief read of your file in the past, if only to get a brief outlook on you. I haven’t read it recently and don’t intend to, I don’t need to know.”

     She did pause, having read a few things from the file, she knew that was probably a bluff. “Uh-huh.” She made an unconvinced sound before shrugging. “I wouldn’t want to poke at you, I’m not foolish.” Shion pointed out while Mika mentioned Yayoi who had obviously sung praises about her not being a two faced stabber. “She’s judged correctly. I have nothing to gain in picking out details in your file, after all, you’re the boss. And you could ask for my file and pick out things too. So there is little reason for me to abuse my own power.” Shion smiled internally, Yayoi was always good to her and the others… Even this little ball of envy in front of her.

     Most complaints she heard was not spending time with her lover, that was a valid complaint. They couldn’t see each other very much, each mission was a worry sentence of someone getting killed or hurt, and even when they did have time to spend together they’d be under the threat of someone walking in on them and stealing that precious time.

     The folder was placed back on the pile, it was clear Mika wasn’t going to finish reading it for now, if ever. But she could see the way the girl looked. ‘Unwell’ so to speak. Could it be guilt?

     “I see. For that you’d probably have to read all of her past reports and then her file. You get a good feel for people when you read some of their reports when they first got here. They change.” Shion turned back to her computer and hummed to herself. “Look. If you want to understand her more, I can grab some of her old reports and just say you’re looking over past cases.” Shion placed her hands together and smiled. “If you don’t take it, then that’s your choice. I don’t have to go searching through the database for them all if you choose not to.” She turned back around so her back was facing Mika.

     “I do want you two to get along…”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      “I don’t know what Kunizuka sees in you based on your persojnality, but if you were a dishonest person I know she wouldn’t give you the time of day. That’s the kind of person she is.” The longer she spoke to Shion, the less she understood Yayoi’s reasons for liking her. Loving her? Ugh, that was awful to think about.

      It was quite obvious that there was no common ground between Shion and Mika. If she thought she and Akane were a world apart, Shion was a universe away. Some of it must have been the age gap; the rest just personality.

      The feeling of guilt was still reeling inside of her and she was glad it seemed to not come out. The next line of conversation got under her skin, and suddenly the young girl was uncomfortable again.

      “I’ve read enough of her personal records. I’ve read over her past cases and files from her time as a rookie. I know all of that stuff about her.” She paused. “I can try to understand Akane Tsunemori all I want; but we aren’t ever going to get along.” The girl basically spat out the words. It may have seemed cruel but it was true... Mika had no attention of trying to be friends at this point.

[huebright-gone-deactivated20180]

“Of course, they’ll do what you ask of them, but that doesn’t mean that you can expect they’ll do it gratefully.” The Enforcers were usually calm, at least when Akane was there, and she had personally yet to really get into any disagreements with them. But then again, she was different than Mika. 

“Perhaps. I’ve worked with several of them for months, almost a year.” She was familiar, at least.

[idealcitizen-blog]

      “Then you already have the advantage in the situation. They have a predisposition to listening to you over me.” She sounded a little gruff, shifting, tugging at the cuff of her sleeve as if it was more interesting than the point she was defending. It didn’t really look good to argue with her new boss right off the bat.

      “But I guess I guet what you’re saying.. I’ll try to remember.” At the very least, she knew that Yayoi might. Seeing her had been exciting in an of itself after so long. “And if I do have any trouble with them, I’m sure you wouln’t hesitate to back me up, right?”

[lin--ito-deactivated20160906]

      Lin rubbed her arm while looking down as she was being lectured on her position. “Yes Ma'am. I understand, Ma'am.” Lin said quietly and continued to rub her arms. “I’ll try my best to work the best I can, even I have no one to compare to, I’ll try and set a good bench-mark for future potentials.” She tried to remain positive.

      The last thing Lin wanted to be was a burden on her colleagues, if they had to protect her all the time it would become a joke. She’d try her hardest to be independant, she’d not hold them back… She’d do her best. At least that’s what she hoped she could do.

      “Right… I’ll get used to it, I promise. You won’t need to enforce me…” Lin said softly before looking over the girl, she wasn’t armed anyway, so the chances were minimal of enforcement at the current time. So she was safe for now.

      The girl’s age stunned Lin. Under twenty? Wow! So young… Lin looked shocked by this and couldn’t hide that she was checking over the girl before parting her own lips. “Wow… How youthful.” Lin said with a smile and began to chuckle, her worries melting away, the girl was very young compared to herself. “Oh I’d never pin you as a push-over. Age means nothing, it’s down to technique and determination.” She pointed out and then rubbed her neck.

      Her bubbly attitude returned, realising how old the girl was did put her at ease. Almost reminded her of her daughter. “You have already shown you’re completely capable, you’ve taught me many things within the… Short time I’ve known you. That alone shows a bright future for you as an inspector.” She added and linked her fingers together, resting her chin on top of them.

      “It is actually a relief that there are some youthful members. A breeze of fresh air.” Lin removed her glasses to clean them as she spoke. “You must have done really well at school to get this position at such a young age.”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      She was flipping back and forth between happy go lucky and nervous, and Mika wondered to herself, watching her with a frown, if it was just a coping mechanism. It must have been. Of course Ito was a latent criminal, and mika reminded herself that she never entirely could understand their trouble minds.

      “Just make sure you get over it quick..” The young woman warned. Of course, once Akane was involved there wouldn’t be much issue for Ito. Tsunemori would love to baby someone like this...

      There it was. All of the awe over her age, and while she wasn’t doubting her Mika felt a sting of annoyance in her gut. Everyone always looked at her differently when they found out her age. Bringing up her school idn’t help the situation in her stomach, and she huffed at it, shrugging and keeping up her head like it meant nothing.

      “I went to an all-girl’s school with a criteria from the stone age. Don’t get me started.” If she sounded flippant, Mika was positive that would be dropped. “I have the aptitude, and a strong Psycho-Pass. My age doesn’t matter. I’m here because I belong her; I know how to do the right thing and I know how to do it well. I uphold the laws of our society just as well as anyone twice my age.”

      The doors opened finally and Mika waited for Ito to go first.

      “The fact that I am young and capable should make you try harder. I’m not easy to impress.” She felt that maybe the others would laugh at her if they heard her say something like that.

[clearlyunclouded-blog]

     “That’s fair,” she said immediately. She had no intention of becoming close friends with Shimotsuki Mika; they had almost nothing in common. At most they would probably only ever be tentative allies, but Akane would take that over their usual fanfare any day of the week.

“I’m sure everything will work out–and better if we can improve our ability to work together.” Sibyl wouldn’t even be able to complain about it, because what mattered the most was protecting society. “I don’t think I need to tell you anything else,” she added after a moment. “Did you want to know anything in particular?”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      The young inspector hesitated over the question, mulling over it a moment. There was a lot she wanted to ask; a lot she still wanted to say. A lot of time of built up animosity was spilling out here slowly, and so far she had done a good job of keeping it in check. For her.

      She chewed her lip a moment, glancing around a little at the kitchen for the first time, before settling her eyes on Akane’s hands.

      “Yeah.. Alright.. I have a question…” She paused a moment more and looked up at her partner's face. “…All of this.. Now.. Now that you’ve done all this, learned all this, and you know what you’re up against and how you need to be–… Do you regret it? Are you happy?” Maybe it was the thoughts of Aoi Tsunemori that made her ask, or maybe she was just feeling emotional. Whatever it was, she felt the urge to know.

[shion--karanomori-blog]

      Shion closed her eyes for a moment, leaning bck and sighing out as if she was about to nap for her break. It wasn’t the best time to take a break, especially with Mika hanging around… But she trusted the girl not to steal files or mess with some files.

      She opened one eye and saw Mika was still sat on the sofa, wasn’t she done? There’s a small sigh produced by Shion and she sat up straight, expecting the girl to scold her for something. Not like it mattered, she was hard to replace to say the least. It was hard to get someone who had a medical degree and was sane enough to agree to be an analyst as well.

      An eyebrow raised. ‘You did all of that on purpose, didn’t you?’ It did pass through her mind, she was trying to put the girl off reading the folder, if for Akane’s good rather than Mika’s. But it seemed like it had worked. “Why would you think that?” Shion asked, dodging the question carefully as she crossed one leg over the other. “I gave you the file, even said I’d stop talking but you insisted… As far as I can see, you distracted me.” Shion raised her hands innocently.

      “I might have brought those subjects up, but they’re general ones. If I wanted to deliberately dig at something… I would have looked through your file… But I wouldn’t do that to you.” She shrugged, she had read Mika’s file in the past, if only because of what happened in the school all those years ago. She didn’t take everything down to memory. She’d never maliciously use her past to twist the girl.

      “If it gets me in trouble then so be it. We’re told to put our morals in some place special… I could probably turn this on its head and say you’re breaking the rules by telling me not to report something.” Shion said and then held out the folder to the girl. “But… I understand.” She looked down at the folder sadly, though she had the wrong end of the stick. “It was horrible what happened, reading the file doesn’t help get closure, it only makes you feel worse.”

      She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “If you want a second attempt at reading it, then by all means, take it.” There’s sympathy in the woman’s voice. “I’ll even shut up and work. No distractions. If you have questions, I’ll give you short, closed answers.”

[idealcitizen-blog]

      “I think that because even if I was responding to you, you were driving the conversation on.. Weren’t you?” She refused to take the blame onto herself. That would be just asking for trouble. “That sounds a little like a threat... You can look through my file, you know; its public to people like you.” She stood up, feleing uncomfortable sitting on the couch any longer, and straightened her clothes.

      “You won’t find anything in there that matters to you. And if you used any of that to dog at me it would just get you in trouble in the end, even though you say that doesn’t bug you. Regardless of anything you think, I still have superiority over you; I’m still your boss.” Mika gave her a very careful look. “...But you’re not that type of person. I know that because if you were, there’s no way Ya-- Kunizuka would waste her time.”

     It was true that Mika had never heard Yayoi say a bad thing about Shion. Well, not one that was an honest to God complaint.

     She stared at the file in her hand a moment, then waved her hand and looked away. There was the guilt again, bubbling up in her stomach and stinging her throat.

      “I wasn’t getting closure... I was trying to understand my partner. That’s all.” A decent lie.