Realistic or Modern &nbsp; ◞⇣NIGHT.OWL 「ic」

22:55

gradually i become more awake like a night owl

夜行性

As the hour comes closer to the designated time, two figures wait, illuminated by yellowish light of an incandescent bulb. There's a fresh pot of coffee brewing, though the

witch

wouldn't take her chances on the black sludge being served at Tasogare. It's quiet, but far from peaceful. Even the books that should've been a comfort felt like a looming entity trying to suffocate them.

In mid-yawn,

prime

asked

witch

something in the midst of all the waiting, "—so how sure are you that any one of them will even show up?"

"Pretty sure they will," she answered. It sounds glib, even to her own ears. "Unless they're stupid."

"Pretty sure?" he scoffed at her half-hearted answer and crossed his arms, "C'mon, what did you even tell them?"

Rather than reply, she gave him a copy of the message she'd sent all the rest.

CLOSER

orbit

prime

folie

dawn

Come visit 「Tasogare Bookstore & Cafe」at 23:00, April 02! If you tell anyone else about this, I'll sell your personal data. ♡

"Are you trying to get us arrested!?" he said exasperated.

prime

let out a groan and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm pretty sure a cop might greet us instead, thanks to that direct address."

"It'll be fine—" she hoped "—they won't call the cops. I did some things where if they come near a police station, there's a follow up message." She didn't tell him that she hadn't tested that particular trick. "Anyway, it's too late. If a cop does come, they can't trace it to either of us as long as we keep our mouths shut."

And so they waited, sword hanging over their heads as the meeting drew ever nearer.

行之LV

night owl

A Murder Of Corviknight · May 23, 2023

As the bus rumbled along its route, pale blue-grey eyes flicked from the passing scenery down to her phone for what felt like the hundredth time since she decided to leave the cozy safety of her apartment. On a normal night, especially when the meeting time was this late into the night, Yua wouldn’t have given the text the time of her day other than to delete it off her phone. But against her better judgment the words of her coach from the other day–and admittedly her own curiosity–pushed her to at least take a peek into Tasogare Bookstore & Cafe. It was a public place so there could only be so much danger.

Bing bong! This stop is 「Yamashita Train Station」. This stop is 「Yamashita Train Station」. Bing bong!

…Probably. But she already came so far to turn back now.

Yua held onto the railing a little tighter as the bus slid to a stop before exiting said bus once the doors popped open with a hiss. As she walked from the bus stop to the cafe, the distance between her and her destination seemed a little too short as she started to second-guess her decision.

When she did arrive in front of Tasogare’s doors, five minutes early to the meeting time, she hesitated with a nervous shuffle and hand brushing through her lone braid. Maybe she should wait until the exact meeting time?

She shook her head and finally entered the cafe after a minute or so of deliberation. No, then wouldn’t she end up looking like the suspicious person? Waiting in front of the meeting place like that…

The bell above the door gave an out of place, cheery jingle in contrast to the squeaky creak of the door.

“Hello?”

She called out to the only two other people in Tasogare Bookstore & Cafe with a calm smile that she wasn’t really feeling, “Personal Data Sellers?”

------------------

NAME. Mochizuki Yua
NOTES. Yua: Coach is this really good idea? Coach: No because this is not what I meant when I said “go out of your comfort zone and do new things”. (Coach meant find new friends and new NORMAL things to do.)
TAGGED. n/a

riddle . · May 30, 2023

sakai ryuuji

CLOSER

I can't break the cycle, am I just a fool?

R

yuuji's eyes have remained fixated on the twinkling of the city lights from where he half-leans over his apartment's balcony for a while now, a cigarette carefully perched between his fingers. His thoughts are jumbled, and he can't even enjoy each drag he takes, too wound up to appreciate it. The hour is late already, but the city is still moving while his complex of society rejects and silver jinzai hanging onto usefulness has long gone silent. The quiet does nothing to ease the buzzing in his head - a cascade of worries and fright that has his jaw tense and face pinched in the secular feeling of helplessness. Ryuuji takes another drag from his cigarette, almost mechanical at this point, to do something to shut himself away from any feeling, readying himself to face the asshole who had made him remember the uncomfortable position of being without control.

He turns when the telltale sound of the apartment door's lock clicking open, signaling his father's return from who knows where (probably from some bar if experience could be relied on). Ryuuji snuffs out his cigarette in the dish kept specifically out on the balcony for his late-night deep thinking/pity party sessions to meet his father from a healthy distance from across the entire living room, eyes remaining hardened at the slight sway his father has as he fully enters the space.

Truthfully, he's been waiting for his father to come home so he wouldn't have to add 'find dad' to his ever-growing list of shit he has to worry about. Ryuuji could do this little blackmail meet and greet without the image of his father passed out in some back alley in his head the whole time. His father finally notices him and gives him a lopsided smile.

"Hey there, Ryuu." He greets, stumbling in to end up at the chabudai, setting his arms on top to rest his head on them, seemingly content to remain there.

At least he's in a good mood, Ryuuji mused as he went to the kitchen to bring out the leftover gyoza, miso, rice, and edamame salad Ryuuji made himself when it was dinner time, though he had only nibbled at it with how wound up his stomach already was about tonight. He warmed the miso, rice, and gyoza and placed them with the rest in front of his father, who blearily blinked at it before a pleased grin overtook his face. He never said thank you in this state, but Ryuuji had learned long ago to take it as a blessing as it meant he wouldn't be bothered with an intensely hung-over father in a foul mood from a lack of eating later when he returned.

With that taken care of, Ryuuji gathers his phone, wallet, and smokes as he moves to the genkan to tie on his cognac oxfords which he had paid quite the amount of yen for. He'd always stood with the belief that while clothes were important, shoes tied things together in the end, and having that one good pair that goes with everything hasn't failed him yet. His father has enough awareness left to notice his more formal attire.

"Where are you off to?"

Ryuuji's instinctual reaction is to turn and yell that it's none of his damn business, followed by a bitter remark of why he suddenly started giving a shit while half in the bag, but he reels it back in. "Just gonna meet up with some friends."

"You don't have friends?"

Now that has Ryuuji turning, his lips curled to spit out venom because that was a low blow even if it sounded questioning, but his father has an awed expression that stopped Ryuuji dead. He looks honest to god happy and it's by far the most alarming thing to happen to Ryuuji all day, even with the whole anonymous asshole thing. He's honestly so baffled by it that he fails to find words, but his father continues with eagerness.

"Ah, what great news! You have no idea how much money I just won with this, son! I knew you'd pull through for me eventually." He hums, nodding. "All that's left is to get yourself a girlfriend, then we'd really be rolling in some extra yen from the betting pool with Natsu and the others."

The cold that sweeps through him has him exhaling shakily as he stares at his father, content as he chews on the gyoza, oblivious to Ryuuji's darkening eyes and clenched fists. He's about to take a step forward, a metallic taste overtaking his mouth until his eye catches the time displayed on the stove. You sure are one lucky bastard tonight, Dad.

Ryuuji collects his things and puts them into his jacket roughly, pulling open the door. He stops again as his father calls out once more.

"Have fun with your friends, Ryuu!"

Ryuuji angles his head to glance back at him while putting on his signature hat, sighing when he sees his father waving him off with a wide grin. "Eat the vegetables too, Dad. And get some sleep."

❦

He supposes he should be concerned that the meeting place is the bookstore that he frequents often and is on the same fucking street as his Red Panda, but Ryuuji is beyond the point of giving a shit at the moment. He's exhausted from his walk there and the conversation with his father from before hanging over him playing on constant repeat. The switchblade he keeps on the inside of his vest, skillfully sewn into a hidden pocket he keeps on him at all times is his only current comfort. He'd hate to use it, but with the way the night is going, he thinks he could live with it.

What do they have on him anyway? Is it the laundromat? Do they know about the truth behind it or is it his father's business that is the dirt? Could it be how he got the laundromat in the first place? There's nothing there - just some old man's sob story of how he was duped by a young kid who came in and flipped the tables on a deal where the man thought he was playing some inexperienced kid. Sure, the old man had cried and whined with a red face, vowing revenge, but that was tame compared to all the other things Ryuuji had done before that. Getting the laundromat was surprisingly clean if one wasn't bothered by practically robbing an elderly person of what was their livelihood.

Ryuuji halts in front of the bookstore, the familiarity of it contrasts with the reason for being here so late. He wishes it was for something different. He thinks of the man usually manning the store and cafe, Yu- something or other. A scowl embeds itself on his features as he thinks of him, suspicion rising as he thinks back to each look or brief conversation shared while checking out. Could it be?

Shaking his head to ruffle his long hair before situating his hat back straight, Ryuuji entered the store, breathing in the smell of books and coffee beans. He blinked in slight surprise to see another person in front near the door, a woman he'd never seen before. She most definitely heard him come in, but he leaned over to look beyond her, eyes widening when he saw a very familiar face with another woman he didn't recall ever meeting. She's with the guy he always sees in the store behind the coffee bar. Ryuuji schooled his expression into one of neutrality while his thoughts whirled.

God, Ryuuji whined to himself, I really wanna smoke right now.

location:

ryuuji's apartment ➩ tasogare bookstore & cafe

interaction:

everyone at tasogare

feeling:

super super SUPER pissed (but in a cool, chill way ya know)

thinking:

maybe if I pretend everything is fine, it will be???

sugar coded ♡

Nano · Jun 2, 2023

Post #001

Reine

Folie

Location

Tasogare Bookstore & Cafe

Mentions

Everyone in Tasogare

It all started with what she thought was another one of the many spam texts she received throughout the week. Was it strange that this one in particular stated a physical location that happened to be close by? Sure, but she was a busy woman with things to do and places to be. This wasn’t the first time someone had threatened to release her private details to the public, and if she paid attention to every single empty threat, she wouldn’t have enough hours in the day to dedicate to her schoolwork and self-care routine.

The issue? It wasn’t an empty threat.

Reine had never been much of a pessimist, but the phrase “no good deed goes unpunished” was starting to grow ever convincing. It had been a rare day in which she’d opted to take public transportation instead of a car: Her usual chauffeur had rushed to the hospital upon learning his daughter had been sent to the emergency room. She’d assured him that she wasn’t upset and to take care of himself and his family. If she were being completely honest, it was an inconvenience to squish herself into the sardine can of a train at rush hour but not one where she’d get unreasonably upset at a worried father.

The problems only began when she spotted a lone wallet hidden under the shadow of a bench as she alighted from the train. When a quick scan of the wallet’s contents failed to bring up any materials clueing into the owner’s identity, the woman was quick to march to the nearest police box in front of the station to leave the lost article in their hands. With the wallet off her hands, things should have ended there. However, unbeknownst to the young and naive Ninomiya, the end of that chain of coincidences was only the beginning of her contact with someone she’d forever regret meeting.

IP: ████████████
N: █████████
W: █████████
IN: ████████████

Reine blinked once, then twice. Finally, her eyes widened in surprise, nearly allowing her phone to plummet to its untimely death in her confusion. The first three lines in the text following-up the initial threat meant little to her. However, upon rereading and subsequently zeroing in on the final string of numbers in the text, she realized why it felt so familiar.

How the hell did this person get their hands on her Individual Number?

And that was how she ended up at a cafe well past its closing time, grumpy but very much determined to find the cheeky blackmailer. Taking a deep breath before yanking the door to the cafe open, Reine was prepared to give the stalker a piece of her mind. However, not a single one of the sarcastic phrases she’d rehearsed in her head would make themselves known when she finally stepped into the establishment.

It appeared that Sir Stalks-a-lot had quite the number of victims.

---

Notes: Reine’s IP address and Individual Number have been censored to respect her privacy and totally not because I was too lazy to come up with something (。・ω・。)

arly · Jun 3, 2023

Dawn

mood.

:] ?

location.

tasogare

tags.

#

Hato was just glad he didn’t already have plans for the night. If there was some real obligation in his life, he might’ve been slightly more beholden to it than an ominous text message, even a threatening one. Honestly, the threat didn’t bother him—Hato had always been a firm believer that if he had nothing to hide, nothing could hurt him, and he was sure that part would work itself out in his favor if he had ignored it.

The mystery of the whole thing, though, was more than enough to get Hato interested. Especially considering life in Tokyo had started getting painfully mundane. Not that you’d ever catch him complaining about being in the city, but he’d come here for more than just a typical art school experience—he’d come here to make stories, and he couldn’t think of a better start to one than this.

So when the only other option was staying in for the night, he was more than willing to walk into whatever lion’s den was waiting for him. Hato had seen enough action movies that he was at least 90% sure he could fight off an attacker, if the people behind this text were really something dangerous. Daydreams of an impromptu fight at the cafe went through his head for the whole train ride, and it wasn’t until he actually stepped out onto the street that he realized he might’ve wanted to take something like this more seriously.

The thought only stayed on his mind for a moment, though, before he quickly dismissed it. He’d have time to regret this when it was over, he told himself, already opening the door to the cafe and stepping inside.

He quickly scanned the already gathered group. “Woah, am I late?” He hadn’t realized this was going to be a party—he would’ve brought something if he knew. He lit up at the sight of a familiar face in the group. “Ryuu, I didn’t know you’d be here! We’re like, blackmail buddies.”

松井鳩

♡coded by uxie♡

San · Jun 6, 2023

p r i m e | mokuto yumeji.

Drip wax and let it burn. When will I ever learn?

The sun seeped through the blinds like honey, illuminating a room tucked away on the second floor in golden light. Spots of warm hues rested on the black hair that adorned a young man sprawled across a bed—eyes closed, breathing deep but not sleeping. His chest rose with slow rhythm and the mattress dipped under his slight weight. After a while, the man shifted and rolled onto his back, hands clasped behind his head. His eyes fluttered open. Hazel orbs stared up at nothing in specific, though there was a ceiling fan rotating above, its blades turning lazily back and forth. Outside, cars honked in the street as if to tell him to get up. A faint breeze could be heard patting against the window.

Then there was a faint buzzing sound, low and soft.

With a deep sigh, he turned his attention away from the fan and his empty thoughts, reaching over to check his phone. It lay beside him, screen open, showing a few missed calls and unread text messages. He squinted at the screen, willing the letters and numbers into focus; it was blurry at first; then they came clear enough so he could read them.

4 unread messages

[WARNING !! YOUR PHONE IS HACKED ! SEND YOUR CREDIT CARD INFO TO STOP THE HACKING !!]

[Hey Yumeji, don't forget I need you to pick up—]

[We have selected your phone as a winner. Obtain your prize here within one hour—]

﹀

He stopped scrolling at the sight of one particular message. From Sayuri. That wasn't the displayed name, however, instead it was a single emoji: '

'

...Ugh. I forgot about today.

Yumeji pulled himself out of bed. The sheets crinkled under his body as he climbed out. With languid steps, he shuffled across the room to turn on the lights. It was time to open up shop. As he changed into his work clothes—or more accurately something that weren’t pajamas—he caught sight of himself in the mirror hanging on the room’s closet door. Shooting himself a wink, he immediately crumpled from embarrassment on the inside.

...What the hell was he doing.

It’s been years since anyone fed his ego anyway; and while he liked his appearance, he couldn’t deny that he constantly appeared sullen and tired nowadays. Well, staying up past midnight binging a webtoon after a busy shift at work the day before probably didn’t help, huh?

Dark strands of hair fell into his eyes as he walked towards the second-floor's private bathroom. Once all was taken care of, he made his way downstairs to the entrance and flipped over the sign—officially rendering the bookstore vulnerable to being invaded by all sorts of people. He braced himself for the day, but if he had to be honest, here's to hoping it would be a long one since tonight was what concerned him the most.

≈≈≈✈

“I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. This instant. But thank you for visiting—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, the door was slammed shut with such force that he could feel the reverberation all the way from the counter.

"...Tasogare—fucker!”

A sigh of both relief and of latent pain escaped his lips. He had never been so uncomfortable in all his life. The last customer was pretty shameless to say the least. With as much indecency packed into one single person, they kept asking him if their bookstore carried a very specific BL work. They claimed they've been trying to look for this "elusive" piece all over Tokyo. Yumeji realized he was probably their last hope and could’ve been a bit more sympathetic, until he was hit with a barrage of strange questions when he business-ly regretted to inform them they didn’t have anything like that.

Not satisfied with coming home empty-handed, they switched to very intrusive small talk as he retreated into his mind to escape this form of torture.

“'So what’s your ideal type when it comes to men?' 'You look like you could be the…y-you know! —in a relationship!~~' 'Big spoon or little spoon?'”

Sayuri. I swear you better have a good excuse for why you're running behind—

Shivering at what he had to endure with the best of his abilities, the sole bookstore employee left the counter and ended the workday. Then his old friend finally showed up, a grimace written on his face as the immediate greeting.

“Thanks for taking your sweet time,” he huffed, words dripping with obvious sarcasm. What happened he hoped he'd forget, letting Sayuri know would be arming her with a tactical nuke to remind him of it constantly.

≈≈≈✈

That’s how the two of them started what would be a long night ahead. The door’s jingle finally broke the silence. One by one, mostly strangers, and surprisingly a guy his brain recognized as familiar all stood in front of the establishment’s entryway. Eyes lighting up with hope for a moment that this was actually going to go somewhere, it was quickly extinguished with just one short comment from one of them.

…Personal data sellers?

Then as if anvil upon anvil, more comments of the like made themselves at home on top of his head, stacking and weighing him down— scraping down his expectations to near-nothing. Blackmail buddies? He hadn’t even gotten a word in yet, and Yumeji already wanted to leave this hopeless situation, glancing at the stairs that led to the story above. Sayuri’s less than tact approach earned her a dirty look from him as if to convey his desire to mold her into a baseball that would earn him multiple home runs during Kōshien.

Shaking his head, a lopsided smile was all he could muster as he neared the group of people, “Please. Do we look like we’re some shady underworld— you know what, don’t answer that,” fingers massaging his temples, he resumed, “How about this? I know this is a weird meet-up you've all found yourselves in, but I promise we'll clear things up. Have a seat wherever. I'll...go make some more coffee.”

That should be a start…of something that could go wrong at any minute if they didn’t stop feeling threatened and somehow retaliated. They looked like an interesting sort. With eyes scanning the room, Yumeji counted each head that was present. There was Grumpy. Blue Eyes. Movie Star. And a tiny little dog...sort of like a sassy, lost chihuahua.

feeling: slightly apprehensive | at: tasogare bookstore & cafe | wearing: pajamas ➜ "work" clothes | interaction(s): everyone currently in the store

coded by weldherwings.

fluticasone · Jun 8, 2023

witch

hino sayuri

tasegaro

about to head into hysterics

everyone

If Sayuri hadn't set an alarm, she doubted she would've remembered how important today was. She'd actually planned on streaming that night; she usually alternated her online days, shuffling things around if she had plans. Rare, but it happened - usually in the form of doctor visits.

Today would be different though. As she was sitting on the toilet, scrolling SNS (as one does first thing in the morning), an alert popped up.

hang out @ for meeting

Right. That was today. Which meant she couldn't stream unless she moved up her time, which then meant she had less time to edit her videos. Not to mention she still had to submit that homework that was due... she navigated to her online courses app. Tonight. Right. Maybe she should get started on her day instead of hiding in the bathroom.

"I'll change up my schedule more,"

Sayuri's facial muscles were hurting as she powered through the last five minutes of her stream.

"Didn't realize there was such a high demand for that. I thought chat was all kids who'd still be in school right now. Nice to know there are NEET too~!"

Not that she had any room to talk until recently. Despite that, she made an exaggerated wink at her camera, playing the part of Kiki with practiced ease.

"Well, that's all for today. I've got work to do - someone asked me to perform miracles tonight,"

she rolled her eyes at the memory of Yumeji's request.

"Wish me luck! Bye, guys~"

Taking off the Kiki mask was as simple as putting on glasses. It took her a few minutes to close up shop and switch her brain back to focusing. A quick glance at the time said she had an hour to do some video editing. A short work session wouldn't do her any harm.

... Or at least, that's what she thought. She forgot to set a timer and wound up getting so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice when she completely missed the meet-up time with Yumeji. By the time she realized, she was half an hour behind. As an apology, she grabbed dinner and snacks for them both from the convenience store. Even if she did think Yumeji should cut her some slack considering she didn't charge him for getting everyone's data together. That shit cost a lot on the dark web.

Sayuri would've reminded him as she came in, but her friend seemed to have a bug up his butt when she walked into his store. She paid him no mind, playing games on her phone and leeching off the store's electricity until the people finally arrived.

Only then did the reality of the situation hit her. She would have to talk to these people. A terrified smile froze on her face. It had all seemed so intriguing and kinda fun when it was all still vague. Now that strangers were invading Tasogare, she was at a loss for what to do. Nothing of what was being said even registered with Sayuri, not even Yumeji's venomous look.

It was only when Yumeji stood up that she finally snapped out of it. She gripped the hem of his shirt like a lifeline, not letting him leave her side. The shadows cast by the dim light of the bookstore made everyone's faces starker - menacing to her eyes. But Yumeji had relied on her... she needed to see it through.

"Um... you guys can pretend this all never happened once you hear us out."

She said, her voice lacking all the bravado from earlier.

"But we called you here because of these names."

Sayuri quickly looked at her phone, sending everyone present a message. The short text contained a name - one that held no weight to some, the burden of a lifetime to others.

"You're related to them, yes?"

It was easier, it turned out, to stare at her phone. Just see them as names like a chatbox instead of faces in real life. She kept her head bowed with her mouth barely visible through the curtain of hair.

"This bookstore used to be the Nightless City's atelier. We want to find their paintings — because his grandfather wanted us to."

Sayuri's grip tightened on Yumeji's shirt as she nodded in his direction.

"We found out that he was researching what happened to the other paintings; he didn't get very far, but it was enough to lead us to you."

Her words came hard and fast.

"The paintings are very valuable, and what we're gonna be doing to acquire them may not be 100% legal... but aren't you guys the proper owners in the first place?"

San · Jul 2, 2023

p r i m e | mokuto yumeji.

Drip wax and let it burn. When will I ever learn?

Black hair strands bristled as Yumeji glanced behind his back, his partner in crime seemed to have shriveled at the sight of the others, a sudden realization. Lack of amusement was the first to enter his mind, then when he caught the fact that she had a very tight grip on his shirt, he could only afford to sigh. A gentle expression replacing anything he felt at the moment, even the crumbs of apprehension and anxiety from earlier when he voiced his little introduction of sorts had waned. It wouldn’t do for both of them to look like crumbling pieces of mess in front of these strangers. So while he brushed her hand away, he briefly gave Sayuri a reassuring look; well at least he hoped she got that connotation from his tired face and proceeded to go bat their case again.

“What this little imp said, I’ll have you know that when I was cleaning this junk of a place, I came across a book. Well, it wasn’t really a book, but it had a story alright,” he paused, unsure whether to keep it short and just get straight to the point, “—The thing is, this is legit, and…I can see it in your faces that you recognize what some of these names are to you. Can’t really go back on that now.”

With a wink that seemed to say: checkmate, he wagged his pointer finger as he leaned against the coffee bar. Espresso recently served, right next to him for whoever wanted some, steam flowing, and a strong smell emanating throughout the dreary bookstore. Seeming to have caught everybody’s attention, Yumeji left the main room briefly, only to come back with a debilitated journal, ready to fall apart at any given moment. Laden with bookmarks of all kinds, he wasn’t exactly feeling enthusiastic at explaining this almost-ancient artifact.

His hand gingerly placed it on top of a taller table at a much larger seating area, the bookstore employee gestured for them to come closer and encircle the place, well if they were comfortable enough, he supposed. He assumed they probably felt unsure where to go and would’ve continued awkwardly standing in place if he didn’t say anything. Now, Yumeji wasn’t exactly sure where to begin, but he flipped towards the family trees as he thought.

Maybe here? Wait…wouldn’t that creep them out a bit right away? … still it’s worth a shot.

“Here,” he said, pushing it just a teensy bit towards the center of the surface it was on, yet keeping his firm grip on it—in case any one of them decided to try any funny ideas. Yumeji gave each stranger the necessary time to look at their respective family trees as he called the surnames one by one, turning the page himself after each exchange.

The young man thought back on when he looked through it all on his own. Seven painters, seven paintings. All of them lost to time. Like dominoes, it started when the first of them was sold off, the next was supposedly passed on yet has never been seen since. Then two more were thought to have been fought over within those families. It was scarily meticulous how his grandfather was able to keep track of all these things in the big picture of things. Yet it always struck him as odd that it ended off at just four. What happened to the other three? He guessed it couldn’t have been helped that the rest were stolen during that raid.

It didn’t matter, Yumeji was sure that if just any one of these people decided to collaborate with the two of them, it would help them a lot in the long run. That said, it would just as likely be detrimental if any one of them decided to oppose their efforts, or more importantly, the others’ own families.

After the little reading tour of the journal—hoping that it confirmed the validity of everything so far—Yumeji swiped it back into his own hands. He wanted to get started right away, “So, is everyone satisfied? You can put down your stones now, or your daggers of eyes, anyway.”

He cleared his throat, and wondered who he should begin with, as he glazed over the contents once more, Yumeji’s lax expression turned very solemn as he landed on the spot in the journal where the top part merely spelt out: “Sakai”. The black-haired man looked straight into the eyes of Grumpy, the owner of the laundromat not a long ways away at all from this place.

“Sakai-san, is it?” Yumeji addressed slightly unsure and quite awkwardly; he quietly winced knowing this was out of character for him, but he guessed honorifics was the way to go if he were to form a business relationship in terms of this wild goose chase for the paintings.

“The geezer was pretty keen on your family’s situation. In fact, he had a whole list of people your family were in debt to. Right alongside it are names of black-market individuals that claim to know what happened to your specific painting. Interesting, isn’t it? It doesn’t take much to put the two and two together why that happened in the first place.”

He wasn't picking trying to pick a fight, but if disinterest began to kick in for a lot of them, that'd be, without even saying—the worse possible outcome from their meeting.

feeling: self-assured, and serious | at: tasogare bookstore & cafe | wearing: "work" clothes | interaction(s): everyone currently in the store

coded by weldherwings.

Nano · Jul 16, 2023

Post #001

Reine

Folie

Location

Tasogare Bookstore & Cafe

Mentions

Everyone in Tasogare

Blackmailing, digging up private information through more than likely illegal means, dealing with the black-market—the list went on. Reine had given in to the demands of their resident scammers after the less-than-subtle threat of doxxing her, but she hadn’t thought that her already poor opinion of the face (or rather faces) behind the screen would only continue to fall further into the abyss. As the young woman with the under dye and young man with a shady smile explained their situation and what they knew about the Nightless City, their titles were eventually promoted from “Stalkers” to a more general “Creeps”.

“Let’s say you’re telling the truth and are serious about this whole… art thing,”

Reine said in a tone that trailed with a hearty dose of skepticism,

“No one here even looks like they're in their mid-twenties. What makes you so confident that the people you called here can help pull off whatever art heist you're planning?”

Though Reine had expected the con-artist to answer her question given that Miss Oreo was busy gluing her eyes to the floor, the latter was the first to speak.

“We aren’t sure if it’s possible - but by right, you own the paintings. Shouldn’t you put in the effort to claim what’s rightfully yours? I’m not interested in justice and all that bullshit, but if something belongs to me, I’d want to take it back.”

A rather plain answer, if Reine had to judge. Those words might have been inspiring to those who cared about the paintings, but the sole significance they had was the fact that it was yet another facet of her grandfather he’d kept from her. If it weren’t for her family tree as well as Yua’s strange involvement in this strange affair, she likely would have left before asking a single question.

Yet she remained, listening to two strangers encouraging four others to help them commit crimes. Was it curiosity, or was it the faint hope that this could bring her one step closer to cracking the mystery behind her grandfather’s bloody legacy? Would any good come out of knowing?

"How easily can you dig up an incident that a wealthy family's been keeping under wraps for decades?"

Reine finally asked hesitantly, as if they were words she’d struggled to get out for a long time.

“Money’s paper, and where there’s paper there’s a trail.”

Sayuri shrugs.

“If that’s what you want, I can look into it.”

“Then…”

Reine paused to nervously swipe her tongue across her bottom lip,

“I guess it couldn’t hurt to cooperate.”

She just hoped no one from her family would trace the leak back to her before she could figure out the identity of the man named “Yutaka”. Fortunately, they were too busy to be overly nosy with what their youngest daughter was up to these days.

riddle . · Jul 19, 2023

sakai ryuuji

CLOSER

I can't break the cycle, am I just a fool?

R

yuuji tenses as the all too familiar voice reaches him. Everything about the situation seems incredulous, near impossible, to be occurring to him at that moment. He turns slowly, half-hoping his ears are deceiving him. It's been a long day, turning into a longer night, and he is ready to blame his tiredness for the sight in front of him. Hato appears as he always has to Ryuuji, smiley and painfully bright among the low lights of the bookstore. So, when Ryuuji blinks and Hato remains, his neutral expression shudders with concern because now Hato is involved in whatever weird shit happens next, adding to the already uneasy atmosphere surrounding him and these strangers.

He huffs a short laugh at Hato's words, unable to contain it. He sobers quickly to level the other with a stoic look. "You almost make it sound like something fun."

Ryuuji moves closer to Hato despite his seriousness, seeking comfort in the only steady thing around him. He dislikes Hato being here for several reasons, mainly because he doesn't see how he fits into the picture. Ryuuji glances at the two other people called here and sees how they might be involved but for Hato...Ryuuji hates the worry it brings out of him. He hopes this is all simply a case of mistaken identity.

Refocusing, he returns to gaze at the two responsible for all the torrential downpour of chaos within him, the sneer he's been containing dying to break out as he looks between them. Sharply, his pale hues regard them, narrowing as he watches their closeness. Friends, then. They had an air of nervousness, but it was the girl that seemed to reek of it. He could see it in her eyes, looking at them without making contact. Comparatively, her companion appeared unfazed. Then, the girl started talking.

Ryuuji listened intently and checked the buzzing from his phone when she sent them all something. The name had him frowning, memories of a faded and jagged smile he often had to crane his head up to look at brought to the surface. He returned his attention to her, unsurprised to see her practically hiding behind the bookstore employee, amusedly thinking that she resembled a child clinging to their parent.

Her next words left him more confused than before. All the agonizing he'd had was over some paintings his grandfather may or may not have been involved with? Ryuuji couldn't wrap his head around it. His grandfather, a notorious piece of shit, had been an artist and a very good one at that?

Ryuuji dug as far back as he could through memory, pulling up the few he had of his grandfather. They all had someone yelling in them as he sat somewhere away, kicking rocks and playing with bugs. The faint sensation of a hand giving his shoulder a familial pat came over him, and the smell of cigars as he watched the inevitable leaving of his grandfather as another falling out occurred between father and son. Never in any of those times had he seen his grandfather with a brush nor any mention of these paintings from either him or his father.

Most prominently, however, was the word valuable. Valuable, valuable, valuable. How valuable? He'd heard of the Nightless City before in passing though it sounded more like some old legend than anything real. If this girl was to be believed then - his vision turned into a mix of blue, purple, and brown as the paper on yen, the colors getting brighter with every increase in zeros he pictured racking up.

The other blackmailer (an annoying pretty boy type ugh, how had he not noticed before) decided to finally make his pitch as well, interrupting Ryuuji's spiraling. Ryuuji resisted rolling his eyes at the wink but inched closer when the other returned with a truly pathetic-looking journal. The contents made up for its appearance, even if it was unsettling to see the extensive notes on all these people's families. He gave a side-way glance toward Hato as his family information was revealed, feeling awkward and pitying.

This is some serious obsession...

Ryuuji's eyes widened when his family popped up, the names littering the pages ringing a few uncomfortable bells. He stared back at the dark-eyed man, fists clenched as he was addressed. The honorific made him preen slightly but was replaced with dread by the words that followed. Ryuuji's first reaction was to rage, maybe even bust up the other's nice face, but he forced a wave of calm. Instead, he took off his hat, making an effort to appear shocked rather than affronted as he ran a hand through his hair, bangs falling haphazardly over his eyes as he took the moment to gather himself. Getting upset would gain him nothing at present, not if there was merit in this endeavor.

"Well, your gramps sure was thorough, huh?" Ryuuji struggled out with a grin, forcing his body to look unfazed. He shifted slightly to look over at the others, but couldn't bring himself to see Hato's reaction to the more unfortunate bits about his history being revealed that night. He cast a mean glare at the bookstore employee, not trusting his temper with him to regard the girl he was in cahoots with instead, expression turning into something more pleasant.

"These paintings are special, right?" Ryuuji began, "How sure are you that some haven't been taken out of the country or are even in one piece after all this time? What if it turns out to be a giant waste of time? You can't honestly say no harm, no foul when putting us through your creepy blackmail thing and book with all our family history weirdness."

"So what if it ends up nowhere? Are any of you doing anything better with your time?"

Ryuuji blinked, not expecting that kind of answer. What a little shit!

"Yeah, sure, whatever," He gritted out, regretting his decision to ask her rather than her partner. What, just because she dug around, suddenly she knows the in-and-outs of his life? He might as well get the main concern out there and be done with it since she thinks she knows every damn thing. "How can we trust that you two won't take off with the paintings once we find them or that you won't turn us into the authorities after everything is said and done? You guys could just be using us to do the work for you."

"You do realize we didn't have to reach out to you guys. We could've just done it between ourselves and never involved you - like you said, I managed to get your family histories and personal info without even trying very hard. If I wanted money, there's much easier ways than art heists, starting with selling off your info."

Ryuuji has to hand it to her, for someone who looks like an absolute wimp, she's a fucking menace.

"Alright, alright, you made your point."

Ryuuji sighs, takes a deep breath, and thinks. The two are annoying but capable and aren't interested in the typical route of this kind of move. The lack of interest in any monetary gain has him stumped, but if personal justice is their thing, then there's more for him to gain. It's still suspicious, and the others besides Hato are still strangers, meaning he has to watch for them and whatever angle they have if they join. Even if the two who invited them here are safe, that doesn't guarantee that the rest of these losers are. But if it all works out and they find those paintings, he'd have something special. Something that he hadn't had before: a chance. And if he has to step on a few toes to get it in the process, so be it.

He can't take much more of this monotonous life anyway. Can't keep going home to drag his father through bottles, cheat for every coin he owns, and deny himself the things he's always wanted - what he's always deserved.

Ryuuji places his hat back on with a smirk, blue eyes meeting his new partners in crime with an intensity he hasn't felt in a long time.

"You guys are awful salesmen, but fuck it. Count me in."

location:

tasogare bookstore & cafe

interaction:

everyone at tasogare

fluticasone

feeling:

threatened, cornered, and greedy

thinking:

pro of joining: I could get rich
con: I have to deal with....them (side-eyes sayuri and yumeji)

sugar coded ♡

arly · Jul 26, 2023

Dawn

mood.

>:]

location.

tasogare

tags.

#

Hato’s grin only grew when Ryuuji stepped closer. “Y’never know,” he said, laughing with ease. It was even harder for him to be worried now that he knew a familiar face was present.

Though, that probably just meant the reality of the situation hadn’t sunk in just yet.

That changed with the shock of a bubblegum pop, the moment he fished his phone from his pocket and checked the message. His grin faded as he looked back up at the two behind the counter. Sure, Hato had his fantasies about what this meeting would entail on the train ride, but they’d been vague; Mostly repurposed movie plots, all entirely impersonal. The idea that it would concern him so directly hadn’t really crossed his mind. But the words from the girl behind the counter made his head spin. The paintings? Those paintings?

There was no effort to hide his eagerness at the sight of the journal—the wear and age it carried only made it more appealing in a moment like this one. He leaned over the side of the table and eyed his own family tree with an uncharacteristic focus, bangs falling forward to curtain his face from the rest of the spectators.

His eyes shifted from the journal as the page turned, but only to refocus on the grain of the table it lay on; He listened passively as the others lodged their complaints. Their questions didn’t concern him much, anyway. Hato’s mind wouldn’t have been swayed by the answers, and he didn't mind whether or not they agreed.

By his side, Hato’s hand started to tense, a familiar dull pain spiking through his wrist and into his palm. It was his own fault for getting so focused on his last piece and forgetting to stretch; He could practically hear his grandma chastising him to take better care of himself. He didn’t know if he could call it good timing or bad, but the physical reminder was more than enough.

He looked back up at the people behind the counter while rolling his wrist, before using that hand to tuck the hair in his face back behind his ear.

“Sounds fun after all,” he said, bright as ever. His grin was back in full force, all his focus swept away in an instant. Hato had been told he was simple-minded enough times not to try and change it now; He wouldn’t bother to give a second thought to his answer, and he certainly wouldn’t try to buy himself time with unnecessary questions. This much was all he needed to agree.

“Coffee's free, right? Perks of being blackmail buddies, and all." He stepped over to grab a drink without actually waiting for an answer, preparing for the conversation with caffeine without any pretense.

松井鳩

♡coded by uxie♡

A Murder Of Corviknight · Jul 27, 2023

The longer the "meeting" went on, the more uneasy and wary emotions started to tingle up and down Yua's spine. Especially so when her cousin unexpectedly agreed to the........"art thing". It made her want to childishly grip onto Reine as the only familiar person in the room, like the girl with black and white hair.

But like the crack of a thin bamboo stick on the palms of tiny hands, she is reminded of what her mother would say--how it would be disgraceful shameful behavior of a Mochizuki.

She still grips the strap of her small bag anxiously and closes her eyes but soon opens her eyes and release a slow flat breath. Almost a sigh.

"...But in the end you did reach out to us. Why specifically choose this set of people? Why not people with more....experience?"

Her question was frustratingly met with: "Simple: you all have a personal stake in this."

Yua was unsure if the other party was referring to their personal data or actual figurative dirt she doesn't know about the Mochizuki and Ninomiya. Her older family members would be more knowledgeable than she most likely ever would.

The quick and easy (and frankly most logical) answer would be to refuse and leave. Any curious she might have had was gone. Maybe tell one of her brothers to get police and lawyers involved.

But, as she glanced at her cousin...

She frowned with trepidation, "I'll cooperate but I would like to note that I have very little access, if any, to my family's finances. I don't know what else you would need from me."

Maybe if her mother saw this she would be questioning her sanity. That they don't need family like the Ninomiya that "give low efforts yet gain high rewards".

But Yua was not her bitter mother. Unfortunately, maybe she was still foolish but at the end of the day Reine was her family and someone she played with often before they grew up. She did not know what kind of person her cousin was now but she is sure she would be unable to stomach anymore regret or guilt. Especially over her own mother's bitter feelings.

A/N: I will make this post more visually appealing later. For now please take my post away from me.

SavannahSmiles · Aug 4, 2023

mood

Oops, didn't mean to do that. Hey guys, what's going on?

location

Tasogare

mentions

Everyone present

Hanako

Morte

Hanako sighed, lifting the plastic cup held within her grasp upwards to take a sip of the iced caramel macchiato she had just managed to buy before the cafe closed down for the night. Normally she didn't drink anything with caffeine in it this late at night as it tended to make it difficult for her to sleep, but she had a full night of studying to do and she would need all the help she could get to stay awake.

Her gaze wandered as she walked down the familiar street, mind preoccupied with deciding which assignment she wanted to tackle first when she arrived back at her dorm. She went to take another sip before something caught her attention and made her pause mid-step. She squinted, peering through the darkness to make sure what she was seeing was actually correct.

Breaking from her momentary daze, she padded across the street, a closer inspection confirming her initial suspicions: the lights were on in the bookstore. She was confused, why was the bookstore open past the time it normally closed?

She stepped closer, cautiously peering inside the illuminated bookstore. She blinked in bewilderment at the figures grouped inside, recognizing a few of them. 'Did Ryuu and Hato join a book club or something? I wonder if I could join too, that sounds fun.' She idly wondered as she shuffled closer to see if she could hear what it is they were discussing, ears straining to catch the muffled voices. Was it really eavesdropping if they were all talking in a public place?

It was difficult, trying to listen in while at the same time trying not to be seen by anyone inside, but she did manage to hear some of what had been said, two words that caused instant excitement to flair within her. 'Nightless City! They're talking about Nightless City!' She nearly bounced on her toes at the thought of others sharing the same interest in that particular topic that she did. She was so caught up on that thought that when she eventually tuned back into the world around her, she had missed much of the conversation that had followed.

She hurriedly moved closer to see if she could hear anything else, but in her eagerness, she missed a raised piece of concrete sticking up near the entrance. A gasp hitched in her throat as the toe of her shoe caught on the edge and sent her stumbling forward, iced coffee slipping from her grasp to spill across the ground.

But that was the least of her concerns.

In her stumble, what she caught herself on wasn't a sturdy wall able to support her weight, but the door to the cafe, a door that swung inwards as her small form fell into it. A surprised yelp echoed through the space as she tumbled to the floor just inside the entry way. She was momentarily distracted by pain stinging through her elbows and knees from the fall but she was quickly reminded of the situation she now found herself in.

Hesitantly, she raised her head from it's lowered position when she had fallen, one slender hand reaching up to shove her curtain of brunette tresses back from her face as she shot everyone in the bookstore a sheepish smile. Um...Nice night, huh?"

nine lives

fluticasone · Aug 8, 2023

witch

hino sayuri

tasegaro

actually in hysterics

embarrassed

everyone

As each person deliberated, discussed, Sayuri kept her eyes glued to the ground. She knew things could go south with just one wrong statement - yet she couldn't help herself, answering with the attitude better suited to Kiki rather than Sayuri. It was easier to put on her mask when cornered the way she was now, even if her face didn't quite match her words. She knew she had the upperhand, but logic did nothing to assauge her anxieties.

With some convincing, each person agreed. There were accusations, insults, even additional deals made; but one by one, they counted themselves in. It seemed that she and Yumeji had chosen well. Whether or not they would renege on the contract further down the line was a different matter, but for now, Sayuri could breathe. It looked like they would be able to sleep in their beds tonight.

"Since we're all in, we can discuss the rest in messa-"

Her sentence ended with an ear-piercing shriek as the door to Tasogare opened with such force, going off like a gunshot. She ducked under the counter in alarm, hands over her ears, and eyes squeezed shut. When it remained silent, she finally found the resolve to peek over the wooden surface.

And found someone she's never seen before.

"Y-you weren't invited!"

Sayuri's accusation had a note of barely held back hysteria.

"Who are you? Did one of you tell!?"

After moments of silence and confusion, embarrassment at her outburst crept in, coloring her cheeks red. She hadn't realized she'd basically been shouting.

"I don't know who you are, but... you're in it now. I'll contact you all later."

Without meeting anyone's eyes, she ducked under the counter, hopped over the fallen figure, and left. It was only when she was in the safety of her room that she realized she didn't even have a name for the stranger.

yume-tan
get the weirdo door crasher's name

SavannahSmiles

fluticasone · Oct 6, 2023

april 03

BLACKMAIL BUDDIES

]

CHAT

i know i won't be able to sleep today

夜行性

WITCH HAS ADDED CLOSER, ORBIT, PRIME, FOLIE, MORTE, AND DAWN TO THE GROUP

witch

that should be everyone who was there the other night.

witch

if you guys keep leaving me on read i'm going to start posting pics from your phones

folie

just for that
im changing the chat name

folie has changed the group name to 'Blackmail Buddies'

folie

yw

orbit

i am sorry I only have pictures of my homework, animals, flowers...it is not very interesting

closer

the hell are you apologizing for when it's the creep looking at our shit who should be saying sorry

Folie

^
wait why do you have pictures of your hw

orbit

i felt like it would be polite to notify her before she put too much effort into it
once my homework got erased on the university server and i had to prove that I put effort into it prior to the IT department's mistake

Folie

how does that even happen lol
also who's who in this chat? actually, should we even be using our real names

witch

probably not. i made this secure but nothing’s infallible

dawn

do we get secret agent names, then? just like in a movie ୧⍢⃝୨

prime

sounds great, you'll be 'lost chihuahua' (¬_¬ )b
im muting this chat btw, you guys talk too much for being strangers

morte

Why 'chihuahua'?
Also I'm really sorry about your door, I didn't mean to fall into it!

prime

well...he reminds me of a tiny little dog that wandered inside when we all met

witch

try fucking muting me yume-chan

prime

눈_눈 you're not really helping yourself
also ... you're sorry huh? well we'll have to arrange some things and talk one on one

morte

I promise to pay you back for any damage I may have caused, again I'm really sorry!

prime

... fine fine. i'll see what you can go do since you keep pushing it (-_-||||)

dawn

heyy don’t go bullying hanako for cash, yume-chan ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

morte

It's okay Hato, it's only right that I pay for anything I may have damaged ^^

witch

if we called him chihuahua that's basically a dead giveaway instead of a codename

prime

i'm not bullying anyone, she's the one who's insisting (¬_¬ ╬)
... well if i went with my first idea for his secret agent name, then i'd really be "bullying" someone here

witch

then maybe we should name you bully

dawn

chihuahua and the bully: crime fighting duo!
nah, neither really sounds right, do they?

closer

as much as i'm loving this very gripping back and forth banter, can we get to the point? just choose your own stupid code names or whatever so we can get this over with

dawn

code names are a lot of responsibility!
do you have one in mind, ryuuji? you could be our pomeranian! or toy poodle, maybe?

witch

then maybe you can be named buzzkill then zzz
in all seriousness, dreamie can be uno because he’s the first one to find out??

closer

do you have one in mind, ryuuji? you could be our pomeranian! or toy poodle, maybe?

ಠ_ಠ I'm now in full support of everyone bullying Hato. The meaner the better.

folie

uno feels more like a dog name than a code name imo
maybe something like origin or prime
though bully no.1 totally works too

closer

I vote for miss illegal data collector to be called brat. Or witch. Seems the most appropriate to me

morte

Oooo what should my codename be?

witch

I vote for miss illegal data collector to be called brat. Or witch. Seems the most appropriate to me

witch is fine with me~~ what i do is

black magic

anyway

Oooo what should my codename be?

jehovah's witness

closer

witch is fine with me~~ what i do is black magic anyway

you're

insufferable

morte

jehovah's witness

why that for my codename?

prime

yeah, why not just go with something simple, like doorgirl?

dawn

if that’s our pattern, wouldn’t you just be bookboy?

Folie

how about a name that won't hint at your identity too much

open a dictionary and pick a random word idk

witch

i went to a random word gen and it gave me death which is not her vibe. how about morte so that i can also keep a mortgage joke going?

Folie

idk why the random word gen gave me folie but ig I'm going with that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
it'd explain why I said yes to this whole thing smh

morte

i went to a random word gen and it gave me death which is not her vibe. how about morte so that i can also keep a mortgage joke going?

I mean, it could be a bit of a stretch but I did seem to cause the death of the secret meeting, so I would say it fits.

orbit

The random word generator gave me "orbit". I'm unsure if it suits me...
But it would still probably serve the function of hiding an identity.

dawn

going through the dictionary like this is fun o(^▽^)o i'm almost through the A's!
hey, what are we doing with these codenames, anyway? i mean, you blackmailers have a plan for our first kaito kid heist, right?

morte

going through the dictionary like this is fun o(^▽^)o i'm almost through the A's!

I got Dawn from the random word generator, I think that really fits your personality!

witch

The random word generator gave me "orbit". I'm unsure if it suits me...

for most of the chat you were out of orbit

anyway codenames aside, the paintings. i think in terms of chances, our best is with the closest, mr. pomeranian’s. we have a pretty solid lead, a vague timeline and a trail to follow. u good with that pompom?

closer

do not call me pompom. My codename will be closer so use that. As for my painting, let's get it over with. Sooner the better, right?

dawn

I got Dawn from the random word generator, I think that really fits your personality!

oo, i like it! i’ll work hard to fulfill the name!
this is getting fun! we’ll follow you into battle, closer (`_´)ゞ

folie

so you're fine with mr. pomeranian? lol
anyway, if we're committing a crime, we might as well do it in style
so lmk if you need anything in particular ig
not like I have any skills to offer ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

prime

great, glad we all got this fun nn thing down like we're all back in hs. what now "witch"?

witch

fine, closer. what do you know about your grandparent?

closer

not much. just that he was a shitty person who was shitty with money and died a shitty death. we don't talk about him much, obviously.

witch

thanks for the help

how about the dudes your family "owes" frankly speaking? know anything about them?

closer

You asked (`ー´) anyway, think of the most brutish assholes you know and multiply that by 10 and that's the type of guys I deal with. They're dangerous depending on what you owe them. Got their hands in all sorts of pockets, god knows who.

orbit

This doesn't sound very safe...

folie

eau em gee
definitely didn't realize that before

prime

well if they're dangerous, maybe they can finally put me out of my misery ^-^

dawn

don’t be scared, guys! i’ve seen enough action movies, i can fight them off if things turn south ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

closer

oh great. We got a scaredy cat, an airhead, a loony and...dawn. I rate this team a solid 1/10, which is very generous

folie

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

witch

safe or not, it’s our first hurdle. when are you next meeting them, closer? we need to get a proper gauge of what we’re dealing with

closer

i have a meetup with them in three days in the back of the laundromat. all the major guys will be there for their annoying monthly check-in with me and my old man and whatever he has for them so we're in luck there i guess.

witch

then all of us can gather in the bookstore while you keep us in the loop via a phone call. meet up after then. see you all~ we can make it a pizza party or something

とくすエマ/楠なわて

night owl

riddle . · Oct 16, 2023

sakai ryuuji

CLOSER

I can't break the cycle, am I just a fool?

"G

et it together."

Ryuuji is glaring down at a particularly pathetic-looking sugi, holding a watering can as he stands outside the laundromat. It's a watering day for his amass of plants that litter the inside and outside. He's fond of them, truly. Gardening and species collecting has become a hobby, and he enjoys tending to them. However, while his hydrangeas, ferns, peace lilies, and others remain bright and blossoming, the sugi before him has become resistant to staying healthy.

Ryuuji is annoyed beyond belief at the sight of it.

There's been steady foot traffic inside the laundromat. He had few regulars, as always, and new faces of travelers or new locals in the area. Ryuuji's sure his expression must be off-putting to the newcomers as it's been a tense one since he arrived, and it's an unusual face for him to put on when he's in public like this, but there's a lot on his plate right now so he couldn't care less. He hasn't been sleeping well since that meeting in the bookstore, and more unfortunately, Ryuuji's been avoiding the place. He hates that part the most as it used to be a welcome retreat from everything else, but now it feels...awkward. He doesn't know how he's supposed to react if Ryuuji went in alone and how he'd do facing the guy from that night - Prime.

Codenames. Stupid but necessary, Ryuuji reminds himself. The conversations from the group chat linger in the back of his mind. He'd tried to examine each response of the members to gauge them more than what he had time to back during that first meeting. It was enlightening, to say the least. Each new message had him either rolling his eyes or smacking a hand to his face at the absurdity of it (thanks Hato). The whole thing has been a giant pain in the ass and it's making him moody. Well, moodier than usual if he's to believe his father. The failure of a plant in front of him is just another thing to add to the list of Things Currently Pissing Off Ryuuji.

He sighs, tilting the watering can to let the water he's treated with liquid-soluble fertilizer and powdered charcoal flow out into the soil because he believes in using only the best for his ~~babies~~ plants. He's intent on keeping the green charm of this place as many foreigners and locals alike have complimented in the past. He'll deal with the plant thing later. For now, he takes the watering can with him as he heads deeper into the laundromat and past the door labeled 'Staff Only'.

His father is already in the back, no doubt getting ready for their guests to arrive. He sets the can down near the cabinet where he keeps most of his supplies for the laundromat. Moving further back, he finds his father sitting at his desk with a strained expression as he flips through documents. There are a few envelopes around him, and Ryuuji knows they're filled with varying amounts of yen. Some will be just for them, others to put into the laundromat, but most are going to be placed in accounts under names with no resemblance to their own. His father looks up when Ryuuji's steps approach, a wobbly smile replacing the frown.

"Ah, Ryuu, there you are. I'm happy you decided to come today," His father tilted his head, glasses glinting under the overhead fluorescent. "You normally dislike being a part of these things."

Ryuuji shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Yeah, well, figured I'd start paying attention since someone's getting to be an old man."

"Hey now, I'm not that old yet!" His father is grinning and Ryuuji's chest feels both very heavy and light at the sight, though there's an edge to it as he scans over his son and Ryuuji hopes he gives nothing away.

The scrutiny makes him self-conscious and he glances down at himself, taking in his appearance. He's wearing his grandfather's hat, per usual, but he's dressed down a bit. Well, if one considers a white button-up tucked into black jeans with an equally dark leather jacket dressed down, it certainly isn't as big as he could go. There are some of his bracelets that jingle together and the belted choker around his neck. He and his father have never outright talked about his fashion sense, but he has a feeling his father knew to hold his tongue considering half of what he wore was probably in need of a wash and several years old and could end in the worst outcome of all - having Ryuuji withhold his allowance of drinking money. Ryuuji's studying his boots when his father's phone buzzes, both sharing a look before his father checks it.

"They're 5 minutes away." He says, and Ryuuji nods, turning away to head back out. He stuffs his hands into his jacket, feeling where his phone rested in the left pocket. Once he's back in the front of the laundromat, he takes it out and opens the group chat to call Witch and the others. Once the call connects, he quickly speaks, albeit quietly as he eyes a black SUV pulling into a parking spot across the street out front.

"Hey," Ryuuji starts, "They're here. I'll try to get as much information as I can, so you guys better be listening."

He places his phone back into his pocket and watches as five men exit the vehicle and approach the laundromat. One of the men in front with bleached blond hair spots Ryuuji waiting and waves and Ryuuji grits his teeth. Sato Arata. Annoying fishy bastard. Overly friendly and touchy with him like Ryuuji hadn't seen what the man was capable of. It was the man to his left that had Ryuuji tense as he walked in, though. It was an imposing figure in all black being flanked on all sides by the others. The biggest fish - a shark. Kiyotaka Masato. Ryuuji hated that he felt admiration toward the man at the sight. The patrons in the laundromat had their attention on the group so Ryuuji plastered a wide grin on his face as he walked to them.

Kiyotaka already had his sharp smile in place, though it looked more authentic as his hand met with Ryuuji's shoulder and Ryuuji immediately felt an oppressive air fall over the laundromat as Kiyotaka towered over him. "Little Ryuu-kun! So good to see you again."

Ryuuji looked quickly around the laundromat, seeing how everyone appeared to return to their laundry. "Ah, yeah, good to see you too Kiyotaka-san. Please, follow me."

He waited for Kiyotaka to remove his hand and gestured for Ryuuji to walk. Ryuuji led them into the backroom to his father and after he let them all pass inside, he turned to shut and lock the door behind him. He hurried to his father's desk to find his father giving Kiyotaka a deep bow in greeting and offering him a seat in front of the desk. Once the man took his seat and his gaggle of idiots took their places around him they began to speak.

"Sakai-san," Kiyotaka begins, eyes fixed on Ryuuji's father. "How goes business? No trouble, I hope?"

"No, no, none!" The elder Sakai rushed to say, shaking his head enough that Ryuuji feared his father's glasses would fly off.

"Wonderful! I assume then that there are no unmet quotas this time around?"

Ryuuji jerks to face his father in surprise. His father pales, avoiding meeting Ryuuji's eyes. Kiyotaka looks pleased with himself, eyes near slits as he watches the two Sakai men recover.

What the fuck?

There shouldn't be anything wrong with their quotas. Ryuuji goes through all of it himself each month, sitting back here until early morning, hashing out numbers and dividing assets. It used to be as close as he wanted to be with any of this, but his father's continuous downward spiral as Ryuuji grew older had him taking on a more active role. How the hell did his father mess it up? Why was he taking what he shouldn't? Why wouldn't tell his own son?

"N-No, Kiyotaka-san." Ryuuji's father promises, bowing his head as Ryuuji's blood warms with hot anger.

"Good, good. I would hate to lose my most promising business partner." Kiyotaka says, gaze fixed on Ryuuji as he speaks.

The elder Sakai blanches at the blatant disregard for him in favor of his son. Sato snickers, fishy eyes glancing back and forth between the scene with amusement. They wanted to see Ryuuji's reaction, that's why they'd bring past mistakes up. Shit, he thinks. It's a test.

A test that he and his father failed. They knew now who was responsible for the missing amount owed. The delicate balance Ryuuji had maintained of remaining a shadow on the wall, appearing full of disregard towards anything his father dealt with was ruined. He knew it would happen eventually, either when his father couldn't handle it anymore or Ryuuji decided for himself to officially take over, but not so soon, not now with everything else hitting the fan.
Kiyotaka turns his head to glance up at Sato, who meets his gaze. Wordlessly, they communicate something and Sato looks away to smile brightly at his father, faux friendliness dripping from every part of him.

"Say, Sakai-san, let's discuss better things over some drinks, hmm? On me, of course." Sato suggests, earning his father's wide, hopeful expression.

"Wai-" Ryuuji goes to object, but finds himself pinned by Kiyotaka's intense stare as the rest of his men urge his father out from behind the desk and toward the door, throwing arms around him with fox-teeth grins.

Ryuuji breaks away from Kiyotaka with a glare, turning to face his father. Their eyes meet, blue against inherited blue, but his father simply leaves him with a strained smile of apology as Ryuuji's face pinches with betrayal until he's gone. Ryuuji stands there bereft until he feels a presence near him. He jolts, whirling around when he's crowded against the wall, eyes wide as he stares up at Kiyotaka's eerily blank appearance. Ryuuji can't speak, too stunned by the action as the other leans in.

"He's going to bury you with him, Ryuuji. Your father," He spits out, like venom, like how Ryuuji does in his thoughts, "can't keep up with all this anymore, and I think you know that. You're resourceful, Ryuu-kun. You got this sham of a laundromat by swindling an old man for it and helped your father make a little extra for yourselves because you know how this life works."

"That's not- I'm not-" He tries to defend himself, but the words won't come out right.

"You'd be better off without him, doing what you do best: cheating your way up. I've known you a long time, kid, and I know you can aim higher than this place. I could even help you get to where you want to be."

Ryuuji takes it in, staying quiet. He reads between the lines, the dark cracks of it. He'd trade a shackle for a new, shinier one. But, he'd be freer for it. Ryuuji eyes the sharp tailoring of Kiyotaka's suit and the shine of his shoes, imagining having the kind of influence he does. He's right about everything. What Ryuuji has now isn't sustainable - it never was. He'll be left behind again. Maybe, it's better to be the one to leave first this time.

Ryuuji sucks in a breath and roughly pushes past Kiyotaka, sneering at him. "Thanks for the great advice, much appreciated, but I'm good. No offense, but tossing one geezer for ten more sounds like a nightmare."

Kiyotaka merely smirks at him, shrugging. "Alright, but the offer still stands if you ever change your mind."

"Uh-huh, for sure." Ryuuji bats his words away with a flippant wave of his hand, grabbing one of the envelopes marked for Kiyotaka to hold out to him, signaling a bold dismissal, earning a chuckle from the older man as he bids him farewell with a wave of his own as he pockets the envelope to join the rest of his crew outside.

There's a long moment of silence where Ryuuji waits until he's sure they're all gone, deflating to press his hands on his father's desk, bending over it to stop the nausea rising in his stomach. He's overwhelmed, and can't rationalize for once after everything, a mixture of lack of sleep, proper meals, and stress. He reacts poorly, moving to the back of the desk to pull out the bottom drawer where he knows his father stashes his liquor. He grabs the first bottle he sees, Honjozo-shu, opening it with a pop and bringing it to his lips when he freezes, remembering his phone still in his pocket and the people listening on the other side.

Slowly, Ryuuji sets the bottle down and takes out his phone, clearing his throat of any shakiness before speaking. "I'm on my way over."

With that, he hangs up. He stares down at the bottle of sake, caught in an internal battle. He curses, pushing away from the desk and heading out the staff door, locking it behind him. He briskly walks out of the laundromat and down the street, fixing any imperfection he sees as he passes by shop windows. Once he finds himself before Tasogare, he forces a calm over himself, folding his hair over one shoulder, and enters the used bookstore. He quickly locates the others to stand in front of them, arms crossed.

"You guys' better have that pizza party ready cus I'm fucking starving."

location:

red panda coin laundry ➩ tasogare bookstore & cafe

interaction:

everyone in tasogare

feeling:

like shit

thinking:

the percentage of me becoming a raging alcoholic is going up exponentially rn

sugar coded ♡

fluticasone · Oct 22, 2023

witch

hino sayuri

tasogare

relieved

everyone

Sayuri's day started at an ungodly hour, doing a sponsored stream she'd agreed to months ago. Two social obligations in one day - double her usual. Even if she'd wanted to reschedule, she had a contract to uphold.

By her stream ended, she was willing to make do with the shitty coffee at Tasogare. A quick glance at the time said the meeting would begin in a couple of hours - just enough time to shower and establish herself over at Yumeji's place. She thought about getting food, but just as quickly shoved the job over to someone else. Reine had offered to get whatever they needed after all.

folie
hey get food later, your pick. less sus if it looks like just a bunch of friends hanging out together

When she arrived at Tasogare's doorstep later, she flipped the sign to 'Closed' before entering. The shower had revived her somewhat, but she still made a beeline for the sludge served in the bookstore. Only after one disgusted swallow did she finally greet the bookstore proprietor. One by one, the rest arrived, with rich girl coming in last, carrying a pizza box. The scent that wafted over was distinctly sour.

"Did the food somehow go bad-"

When she flipped open the lid, she fought back a gag.

"I don't know what cuisine you have in the upper tax bracket, but whatever it is, it's repulsive."

Sayuri had grown out of her picky eater phase, but seeing what was essentially hot pickles and cheese on toast really pushed the boundary on what was acceptable for her.

The coming argument was cut short, however, when everyone's phones went off, signalling an incoming call. Closer. Sayuri hit record on her phone right before setting it on the counter on loudspeaker. She took a seat behind the counter, flipping open her laptop as she prepared to take notes and look into the people who had no idea there were five strangers listening in on them.

The were no real threats in their words, but even through the static, their voices made Sayuri's skin crawl. She wasn't even on the receiving end; the ordeal must've been much rougher on Closer himself. In a weird sort of way, the rank smell of hot pickles and cheese fit the situation. These people were scum in every sense of the word.

"Kiyotaka..."

she mumbled. She'd ask Sakai if he knew their full names and their kanji later. The next few words stop her in her tracks, her finger hovering over the enter key.

"You'd be better off without him, doing what you do best: cheating your way up. I've known you a long time, kid, and I know you can aim higher than this place. I could even help you get to where you want to be."

It catches them all offguard - Sayuri hadn't accounted for this. An invitation to join the bad guys, be part of the racket instead of just a victim of it. Between the uncertainty of the paintings and a system he knew like the back of his hand, it would be an easy choice to make. She couldn't even blame him if he did.

Yet he didn't. The room expelled a collective breath, relief almost palpable. Maybe Dawn and Morte believed in him, but the rest of them didn't. The pickle pizza was just cruel and unusual punishment for a good deed. Disgusted, Sayuri reached over and closed the pizza box,mouthing at Reine to order something else.

There's nothing but staticky silence, then the sound of a drawer opening. Maybe he was just cleaning up? Then Closer's voice came through saying he'd be over soon.

"Well... that was rough."

Understatement of the century, but Sayuri had nothing better to say. She moved on, hitting enter on the name she'd typed into the police database. Several hits, but she also didn't know if she'd spelled it correctly.

"I think first thing's first, we should find out more about who we're dealing with. We could probably put a small tracker on their car pretty easily. Maybe an airtag?"

The door opens, and everyone turns towards Ryuuji as he enters. "You guys' better have that pizza party ready cus I'm fucking starving."

"The shop messed up,"

Sayuri lies easily,

"Some freak must've ordered pickle pizza and that crap got delivered it to us. We got in a rush order for proper food this time, right Folie?"

"Right now we're trying to decide what to do before you meet them next. Does anyone else have any ideas?"

She got him up to speed, turning her laptop to face him.

"Do you have the full name of the people you were talking to? I only caught a Kiyotaka."

SavannahSmiles

Nano · Nov 9, 2023

Post #001

Reine

Folie

Location

Tasogare Bookstore & Cafe

Mentions

Everyone in Tasogare

Before Ninomiya Reine could regret agreeing to meet with strangers to discuss what was potentially the most dangerous and illegal thing she’d ever do in her entire life, the sun’s rays beat down mercilessly upon sleep deprived eyelids. Brushing her teeth and looking up into the bathroom mirror revealed a dreary sight. Her hair was a mess from tossing and turning all night, while she could see the horrifying beginnings of dark circles forming under her eyes. For a brief moment, she considered ditching the meeting with some lame excuse explaining why she couldn’t make it. However, upon recalling the contents of the secondary text Witch had sent her after she’d ignored the first, she just as quickly decided that it was best not to test her bottom line for the time being. At least, that was her original intention.

While in the midst of setting her hair back into its usual loose waves, Reine’s eyes wandered towards the phone display which had just lit up with the ID “Witch”. Carefully setting the heated curling iron to the side, the woman curiously unlocked her phone and opened the messenger app. She immediately frowned.

Not even a please or thank you. Just a mere hey ordering her to be the one responsible for making a decision without so much as a hint to any preferences or potential allergens to avoid. She did say that she’d pay for any future expenses so long as said expenses didn’t attract the attention of her family, but that didn’t mean she appreciated being treated like a gopher!

Though a small part of her reasoned that she was simply looking for something to pick and take out her irritations on, her pettiness drowned out her voice of reason. Thus, roughly an hour later, the box of pizza Reine carted did little to impress, even eliciting an attack on her palate by the Witch herself (no surprises there).

Before Reine could make up some random garbage explaining the existence of the extra fermented pizza, she’d be forced to shut her mouth and lower the box of pizza onto a table in favor of listening in on the upcoming conversation between Closer and whatever ill-mannered folk he’d gotten himself mixed up with. However, her smug and indignant attitude wouldn’t last long into the call given the contents of the exchange they were eavesdropping on. That is, the phrase “ill-mannered folk” didn’t do the ginger’s situation any justice. Though her lack of experience in the matter and their relatively friendly phrasing revealed few details, their tones and manner of speech alone revealed all she needed to know regarding how the men viewed Closer and his family. They were mere insects in their eyes, weren’t they? These men never intended on letting the two pay off whatever debts they had and go free. Ever.

With an intensely uncomfortable look upon her face, Reine picked up her phone and began to scroll through the app, this time looking for a far less offensive option. Though she paused when she overheard the man named Kiyotaka offer to take Closer under his wing (if you could even call it that), the latter’s firm declaration that he wouldn’t be joining them let her release her breath. For a brief moment, her heart rate had spiked, fretting over the potential consequences had Closer decided to sell them out in favor of an easier way out.

Witch didn’t need to prompt her twice to continue into checkout, confirming an order for a typical Margherita pizza for those who wanted something a bit more normal and another seafood pizza for those who preferred that. She doubted they needed two pies, but it was better to be safe than sorry. If her father asked why she spontaneously spent a total of ¥15,450 on pizza… Well, actually, she doubted he’d care. In all likeliness, he wouldn’t even notice.

Closer’s entrance and immediate commentary on having “that pizza party ready” made Reine jump. Though she wasn’t sure if Closer had bought Witch’s cover up, she nodded along with the lie.

“Y…eaaaaah. Who even orders pickles and camembert on pizza. Talk about bad taste, tsk tsk,”

she said while repeatedly tapping her thumb on the refresh button of the food order app as if her life depended on it.

“It says they’ll be here in five minutes, so get yourself comfortable.”

“A-anyway. It’s best to figure out where their office is or who they’re affiliated with, so the tracker is a good idea. I wouldn’t suggest an AirTag though. That’s just asking to be found out, unless Witch can disable the function that allows any iOS device to detect when an unknown AirTag’s been traveling with them.”

San · Nov 17, 2023

p r i m e | mokuto yumeji.

Drip wax and let it burn. When will I ever learn?

He couldn’t help but yawn throughout the early morning and have such a blank expression on his face at what had transpired a few days ago. Aside from the brat he grew up with, what would these strangers and him be to each other now? Some tight-knit buddies on a mission? Ideally, he supposed if these people were more than cooperative, it would spare all of them the hardships (not to mention the awkwardness) of dragging out the hunt for the paintings that all connected them. He still had to talk to ‘Morte’ about what could be done about the damage when she made her grand entrance that night, but for now he made the necessary patches until then.

Keeping all of that in mind, the whole chase for these pieces of art would start off with that gloomy ‘Closer’ guy.

Well he had to admit, Yumeji and him were somewhat alike in that aspect. Sardonic to a fault, though the other guy he surmised took himself rather too seriously. All in all though, he had no strong feeling towards Closer—considering as they had just formally met each other. Yet when the black-haired man opened up shop as usual and swept the front of the bookstore, he caught a glimpse of his weary-eyed acquaintance just a distance away.

A lopsided smile was all he could offer despite the latter not having ever looked in his way. He hasn’t come around since, not that Prime took offense, he couldn’t really be bothered anyway with people and their complicated feelings when it came to the little details. He sighed, and as if on cue, the bright ray of light subsided, replaced by something that obscured it.

Oh boy…

It had been sunny when he got up, but a herd of fluffy white cotton candy started rolling into sight—it was as if the mood was being comically set up. Which the young man knew was going to be solemn, not that he was one to follow through with the current atmosphere. Had he done so, it would’ve been even more difficult to bear the hurt that life put down on him, merely opting to stick his tongue out at the change of weather, promptly heading back inside.

"One green tea, anything else?"

The wall clock ticked slowly, and the work day started off less hectic than usual (well, with the usual bother) as he was pouring a customer—an older woman with greying hair—a cup, though it was green tea, and not coffee; he thought this because Tasogare's sole employee knew it was the weather for coffee. But expectedly, the peace was short-lived when just a half hour into opening, look who was storming right inside.

“Oh and you see here, this is my other granddaughter, I think she’d be your type—”

Before Yumeji could admonish her just flipping the sign and walking right in, the witch herself ignored there was someone else in the establishment and grabbed the pot that held the trademark sludge and served herself.

“-Why I never!”

A silent scowl was shot at her direction, courtesy of him, as he scratched the back of his neck and told the only customer so far that the place would be undergoing unexpected maintenance or whatever bullshit excuse that he hoped would appease the other party.

“Young men these days! You could’ve saved the both of us trouble by telling me you were with a young lady already,” the woman fumed loudly, clutching a luxury bag as she headed out the door, not having drank what she ordered at all. Not bothering to hear what he had to say to that ridiculous comment.

...What? Yumeji's brows furrowed, then immediately turned towards the imp; giving her a nauseated gesture, complete with his tongue out and finger pointing, as if to say: Gross.

Fortunately, things picked up as the rest of them arrived. He was glad that he didn’t have to pay for the group’s meal, it would’ve been one more thing to worry about. Unsure on how to give his thanks, when he and the wealthy girl made eye contact, he just simply gave a curt smile. Although it probably came out creepy, he brushed it off, that was the best he could give. A for Effort?

But his gratitude disappeared when he and the others realized what was a ‘pizza party’ was more like a ‘pizza funeral.’

“Every day, I mourn for the future of humanity,” he said in a faux forlorn tone as his nose wrinkled at the beautiful aroma. Then he took out his phone and tapped on a notepad app of some sort, “you rich people got any more downright horrible cuisine? I’ll add them to my list of perfectly acceptable food gifts.”

Before he could get an answer from Folie, a ringing reverberated in the place. It was time. Yumeji straightened his back at the dining table they all congregated around and listened intently at who they knew was Closer on the other line, accompanied by well, some nice friendly preschool teachers who needed to get their laundry done—not.

The bookstore employee could tell Sayuri and some others were perturbed at the voices of these individuals, but if Yumeji had to be completely honest? All he could think of, to ease whatever fear-exuding aura these people had, was that he imagined them in his head to be gnomes that were confronting Ryuuji. Silly little garden gnomes that pretended they were tough loan sharks.

He clamped one of his palms tightly on his mouth in fear that he’d ruin and distract from the moment by breaking into mad laughter, it was quite possibly one of the hardest moments of his life. It was only until the offer towards the ginger that he go join them that his lips straightened into an unamused line. He almost wanted to goad him.

Go do it. See if I care.

Luckily for the whole group, things didn’t go down that route. He felt a tinge of regret for having thought that, but just a tiny bit. The guy was still practically a stranger to him after all. As the call reached its end, and Closer entered, Yumeji lowered his arm. Yet he still couldn’t help but grin like an idiot at the image of Ryuuji being recruited into an underworld gang of gnomes. It was too good to keep this to himself, even if he ended up looking crazy as all get out. But he decided against the urge...for now.

Ignoring the little pickle pizza fiasco between Witch and Folie, he went to the front of the store and stood as lookout for their incoming food delivery, and tilted his neck sideways to get rid of any stiffness.

“What’s important right now is to know exactly who we’re dealing with. Once we have all that, I’m sure Witch can easily track them down-“ He paused, trying to analyze his long-time friend’s expression at that, as annoying as she was, he forgot he shouldn’t press any expectations on her considering how expectations had been her very bane, “…but she can answer for herself. And I did hear another person, some right-hand man of that other guy. He sounded like he had a punchable face.”

A sleek, red motorcycle came into view and the delivery guy was about to head inside when Yumeji met him halfway down the few steps of that led into the establishment. It seemed like the man was curious of what was happening inside considering it said ‘CLOSED’, but the black-haired man stared him down. He held out his hand to receive their pizzas. Bashfully, the former remembered what he was here for and relinquished the goods. A vrooming sound could be heard for a brief moment and then it was gone as he carried their food in. He'll let everyone get their slices since he wasn't exactly hungry yet.

Placing them flat on the table, not stacked, he finished mulling about what he wanted to say to the ginger, “Say, you weren’t seriously considering their offer, were you? Not that it matters, but… are you a good actor by chance? You could pretend to play right into what they want. Which is getting you. And have them take you to their office. Or have any one of us who they don’t know of yet, tag along with you. Y’know, pretend to be interested in what they do.”

Yumeji grabbed the tea cup from a while ago, the contents inside now having gone cold.

Might as well...

He grabbed a couple ice cubes from a cooler and delicately dropped them in to not make a mess.

“Just some suggestions, granted they're ones that make things more dangerous than it already is,” he shrugged as he took a long sip, looking outside, "I wouldn't mind being the one to help infiltrate."

feeling: being a bit goofy, introspective | at: tasogare bookstore & cafe | wearing: "work" clothes | interaction(s): everyone currently in the store

coded by weldherwings.

arly · Nov 17, 2023

Dawn

mood.

`-`!

location.

tasogare

tags.

#

Maybe it was too easy for Hato to forget the real stakes of just what they had all signed up for. If you took away the codenames, wasn’t what they were doing indistinguishable from meeting up for a group project? That was how it felt, anyway, especially when the first major topic of discussion was the quality of the food.

So yeah, Hato didn’t have any trouble settling into the situation with the same easy familiarity that he might’ve held when talking to his classmates, in much more mundane circumstances. “C’mon,” he said as he eyed the pizza, “it can’t be that bad.” He only took a moment or two to deliberate on it before sneaking a slice, despite the complaints that the rest of the group gave. He hadn’t ever been afforded the option to be a picky eater, and he’d lost track of time too much to eat before the train ride over.

A put-off assignment had to be hastily finished before he could come goof off here, and it had taken up much more time than he realized it would. It wasn’t like Hato was the best at time management at the best of times, but ever since their first meeting, he’d had his head in the clouds more than usual. He hadn’t even thought to look at himself in the mirror before getting on the train: If he had, he would’ve seen an embarrassing stripe of charcoal across his cheek from the morning’s events.

(He’d been chastised for that new tendency to being absentminded after his last figure drawing class, in which he had apparently paid too little attention when rendering the nude model. Though the admonishment had come with typical Tokyoite politeness, Hato had answered without mincing any words that there were plenty of opportunities outside of class where he could practice rendering another man’s physique, if it was so important. He’d thought it was funny; The professor didn’t see the humor, and his assignment from the morning was his atonement for wasting her time.)

The pizza was passable, and no bitter taste could ruin his good mood. Though, it only took the hush over the room as the phonecall began for the other shoe to drop.

Hato had never been very good at sitting still—at least, not without a paintbrush in hand. The call with Ryuuji, however, quickly subdued any urge to fidget. He didn’t realize until it was over that his jaw was set, the tension starting to ache. Of course, the rest of them weren’t only here to goof off. And he shouldn’t be, either. The harsh reality on just the other side of the call made his skin crawl, and all at once, he was starkly aware of just how little he knew about Ryuuji, even after everything.

As conversation started back up in the group, their words only swam foggily through his head, while he still tried to readjust to the change in tone. Well, he was smart enough to know that he wasn’t called here to be the brains of the operation. He was the funny man of every manzai duo, and there were times when even he knew to keep his mouth shut. It wasn’t until bookstore boy started to offer his thoughts that the room sharpened back into focus.

“No,” he said, and the word startled even himself with how grim it sounded. He hadn’t meant to say anything at all. But the idea of sending Ryuuji right into the lion’s den made him sick. What, did he think he could somehow protect him from the life he’d already been living? Not to mention that they’d all signed up for this, willingly. The impulse to call things at the first sign of trouble was laughable.

So he laughed, just to snap himself out of it, before looking back up at the group. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, as the usual grin eased its way back onto his face. “... Just sounds risky. Not a bad idea, though. Before that, the Witch should work her magic, right? Do all that research, and all. Figure out what we’re gettin’ into.”

He was struggling to look Ryuuji in the eye, so he looked around at the rest of them, instead. His eyes settled on the pizza boxes, while he tried to settle his own stomach. “There are less dangerous ways of getting in somewhere, right? I’d rather send in a pizza delivery boy to scope things out than… Y’know. They’d pay less attention to some faceless employee than Ryu- Closer.”

The idea made him snort as he considered it: He could imagine Hanako in some food delivery uniform, as they set her on the nebulous doorstep of doom. “But I dunno how you’d set that up,” he continued, and he waved a hand in front of his face as if dismissing everything he'd said on his own.

The half-eaten slice of pizza in his hand had started to taste like ash, but he still forced himself to take another bite.

松井鳩

♡coded by uxie♡

A Murder Of Corviknight · Nov 23, 2023

Before heading out to Tasogare Bookstore & Cafe, Yua’s day was a fairly normal one. She woke up and got ready for the day without any incident. Ate. Got some homework and studying done. Did her daily workout routine but skipped her pre-practice warm-ups since she was taking a break. Took a shower. Watered her relatively small houseplants.

…And then started to tidy her already clean apartment anxiously until it was time to leave and meet the others at Tasogare. (Ignoring the inner voice that sounds suspiciously like her mother that said it was unfitting of a Mochizuki of course.)

It was going to be fine.

—

At least, that was what she told herself on the way to Tasogare. Yua was slowly starting to be less and less sure about the words of self-encouragement as the meeting went on.

First, she took a cup of coffee because it only seemed polite at a cafe. Only for her to immediately stiffen with regret the moment the…beverage touched her tongue. Thankfully, she managed to not spit the drink out and just…slid the cup back onto the table they were sitting at.

But to make matters worse, Reine bought pizza that made her genuinely wonder if her cousin was holding a grudge against her. Or maybe against Sayuri? But due to their history it was likely against her. Though Yua was unsure about what exactly caused the grudge.

Again, to be polite, Yua took a bite of the pizza to be polite before immediately regretting her decision. Still, she silently finished off up to half of the one slice with a calm but solemn expression while listening in on the call with the others.

As the call went on, she started to feel more than a little nauseous from both the pizza and the subject matter of the call they were eavesdropping on. With an uncomfortable expression on her face, Yua placed her half-eaten slice back on her plate. …Because she was fairly sure throwing up was more impolite than leaving the offered food unfinished.

She only felt a little better about the situation once the phone call and check-in ended with at least Mr. Pompom unharmed…physically. And when Sayuri closed the pickle pizza and asked Reine to order a more…normal order of pizza.

She might not know Mr. Pompom well, but he was still someone she knew and the thought of someone she knew getting hurt was an unpleasant one.

Thankfully, the general ideas being thrown in seem to learn more towards being careful than reckless.

“I think, ah-…Dawn is right. Food delivery or even amazon delivery would be safer. …But we should be careful. It should be someone they won’t recognize from anywhere…” Yua trailed off as she realized she might have come off a bit strong.

“…Just a suggestion…”

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NAME. Mochizuki Yua
NOTES. Covid ate my brain and spat it back out and this is the result. Thank you for reading and I apologize for how late it is. And how much of a mess this post is. < w >;;;;;
TAGGED. n/a

fluticasone · Jan 12, 2024

april 06

overcast

tasogare bookstore & cafe

fluticasone