June ADA Meeting/Open Mingle/Rumor Discussion

[bluemackerel]

June had been an active month for everyone in Starsand. The fake tradition at the Shrine of Love, the three ghost stories, and still no way home. Knowing this, Osamu Dazai decided the only thing to do was to organize a meeting for the Fallen Stars and citizens alike...🗈

[Dazai had set up a gathering at the park with a small podium. This would do until they'd gotten an official meeting hall. Atsushi, Fauna, and Akutagawa had probably all been tasked with putting up flyers earlier advertising the meeting. He approached the podium, clearing his throat.]

Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, Fallen Stars and citizens of all shapes, sizes, and gender persuasions. This is the first meeting held by the Armed Detective Agency to discuss recent events and to set up plans for the future ahead. Let's go ahead and go over what we already know, shall we?

[He shuffled his cards at the podium, flicking one aside. Tellingly, if anyone picked it up...it was blank. Showoff.]

First off. The 'protection charm' so-called tradition. This, as some of you may know, is not an official tradition sanctioned by the Kami of Love. We're not certain who started it, but my guess is that it's for nebulous purposes. If you've tried to 'protect' someone, you had better let them know. And if you've been 'protected', prepare for whatever may come. We'll be doing what we can to decipher the intent behind this and the perpetrator.

[Fwip. Another cue card to the side. This one, if picked up, has 'Chuuya Nakahara has a stinky butt' written on it in red crayon with a chibi drawing of Dazai's face winking with his tongue out next to it.]

Now, let's get into the meatier situations. I believe we've had three curious spirits haunting our dear city as of late, and I'd like to go over each. If anyone has any relevant information pertaining to any of them - encounters, confrontations, simply details you've overheard - please do feel free to contribute to the discussion after the overview is finished.

The first of these is Bloody Mary. The Armed Detective Agency - meaning, my team - Atsushi, Fauna, Akutagawa, raise your hands. These three and myself have looked into this incident in particular. We intend to look into all of them, but this one was our first priority. We regret to inform you that she is quite real. Do not attempt this ritual. She will chase down whoever summoned her, and attempt to attack. She left us with the warnings that she 'learned so much' and that she'd be 'stronger next time' before melting into a puddle of blood. I repeat, do NOT summon Bloody Mary. We will not be discussing how to summon her in the interest of less people doing it...but you've been warned.

[Fwip. Another cue card to the side. This one, if picked up, has 'YOU CAN REACH BLOODY MARY BY SPELLING OUT ICUP AND PRAYING IN FRONT OF YOUR TOILET' written on it in blue crayon. Off to the side, it has the word 'spooky! do not attempt!' written on it. And a little drawing of a bedsheet ghost seemingly dripping blood.]


The second is the Footsteps Behind You ghost. Much like Bloody Mary, I've looked into this one on my own. It attempted much the same. An assault, a promise that it had learned, and a declaration that it'd be stronger next time. It, too, melted into blood. Do NOT summon the Footsteps Behind You ghost, either. Once more, no discussion as to how to do so will be taking place for your personal safety.

[Fwip. Another cue card to the side. This one, if picked up, has 'DON'T TELL THEM THE FOOTSTEPS BEHIND THEM IS ACTUALLY A LARGE HAMSTER WITH SELF-ESTEEM ISSUES. THEY CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.' written on it in green crayon. The giant hamster is drawn on it looking sad.]

The third and final spirit that has been spoken of is regretfully the one I have the least amount of information on. The girl in the reflection. I made an attempt to summon her as well to no success, but the important thing about her is she made no attempt to attack. Unlike the other two spirits, the potential harm of this one is undetected. Still, you should not make an attempt to reach out until further information is given.

[Fwip. Another cue card to the side. This one, if picked up, has 'Potential Reminder: have ADA attempt another summoning. Certain issues may have gotten in my way.' Unlike the other cards, this one was written in pen in fairly elegant handwriting.]

With that, I open the floor to you, meeting participants. If you have any further information, feel free to share with the rest of us and talk amongst yourselves. The purpose of this meeting is to gather information and perhaps get to know your colleagues a bit better.

[And then, suddenly, he brightens.] Of course, after that, if anyone has any way to brighten the mood, we may all need it! So feel free to contribute that, too!

We at the Armed Detective Agency thank you for attending. We'll appreciate your cooperation in the future and know that we are looking into each and every incident with precision and care. Good night, tri-state area~

[And then he just. Drops the rest of the blank cue cards on the podium, folds his arms behind his head, and walks back.

The floor is yours, other participants.]

Comments

[dereban]

Don't push it, or I'll deck you.

You better. My friendship doesn't come easy, or cheap. Something like that is precious to me. And it's something that doesn't belong to anyone else here at the moment, so it's an even bigger deal.

[spacialeyes]

[That sobers Yuuto right up. If he wasn't using his power to hang the charm then he might have dropped it. He needs a few seconds to organize a response.]

R, really? You're sure..? That's a really big honor..! Uh.

[His 'tail' begins to flick anxiously, averting his gaze shyly when he admits:] You're my first friend in a while. Thank you, Inaba-san.

[dereban]

Of course I'm sure.

[ In fact, she's insistent on it. ]

Anyway, are they up?

[spacialeyes]

Ah- Yes! [And he steps back to show off the charms, hidden among some other pastel coloured ones.] What do you think? Did I do a decent job? Are they hard to see?

[dereban]

[ She throws a thumbs up. ]

Looks great.

[spacialeyes]

Wonderful! Thank you for your help.

[Yuuto beams proudly at his handiwork, then returns his focus to Inaba.]

You must be tired. Shall I take you back to the library?

[dereban]

I still have things to do, but I can take a bit of a break before then at least, so library wouuld be nice. Although teleporting there is banned from here on out.

[spacialeyes]

Banned? How come?

[He can teleport where he wants!! Or so he thought?]

[dereban]

Well, you can teleport without me, sure--but if I'm keeping my nullification on, then it's banned. Besides, you should take a nice walk every once in a while.

[spacialeyes]

THAT'S RIGHT! I can't bring you places anymore..!

[Yuuto seems disappointed, even if they had never formed a habit of it to begin with. Now he's overthinking it and looks moderately distressed.]

I should use it for something cooler than taking you home... Do you like heights? Should I take you somewhere fun? Or- [wait-] ... Walking? Me?

[dereban]

That's right. Walking. You.

[spacialeyes]

Oh. Um…

[Yuuto looks down at his feet, which aren’t technically touching the ground. He’s still floating a tiny bit.]

… I’m. Uh. Really… Really clumsy, Inaba-san. It’s better for everyone if I keep using my power.

[dereban]

[ She's not going to scruff him, but she's going to put her hand on his shoulder to pull him down a bit. ]

It'll be good practice, so deal with it a bit.

[spacialeyes]

[Insert a light “AU!” as his feet formally touch the ground. Yuuto is still using his power to maintain his balance, so he doesn’t show any proof of being clumsy yet. Just a bit stupid.]

Well, you want teleport home now, right? Walking would be so tiring for you? [He sounds hopeful.] You’ve done so much today already.

[dereban]

It's not tiring at all. Besides, it's nice to be able to spend more time with friends this way, take in the fresh air, things like that.

[spacialeyes]

[Yuuto is once again excited but scared to hear that word. He doesn’t necessarily have a good comeback either. Even if he’d left her at the library, he’d have been regretting it.

But he’s very clumsy. Yuuto frowns shyly, then turns off his power. The pink shade of his eyes fades away and his belt goes limp, losing its tail-like sway.

Also he tilts noticeably to one side.

Then mumbles in an uncharacteristically sarcastic tone:]

If I fall, then please leave me and my pride to die on our own.

[dereban]

--geez, you're not going to fall. Hold on.

[ Suddenly, she grabs him by the arm with both of her own to pull him closer to him, trying to give him a little more balance. ]

[spacialeyes]

[Of course, Yuuto is flustered by this gesture. It shakes the sarcasm out of him.]

Inaba-san, doesn't this just mean that I'll take you with me? [He grumbles a bit,] Now I really can't fall over...

[dereban]

I think I might be able to handle your weight if you start to tip over. It's why I'm grabbing you by the arm like this.

[spacialeyes]

As long as you’re sure you won’t regret it… I’m sorry- Thank you!

[This is still pretty embarrassing, if only because Yuuto knows that he needs the extra help.]

Things like gravity and the spin change between worlds, so I normally just use my power… I-It’s not like I can’t walk at all. But it’s also super inconvenient if I get this body hurt.

[dereban]

I'm not going to, okay? Just like how I'm not going to regret if something goes wrong when we did that, or anything in the future. I won't live my life like that.

[...]

'This' body? Is the body you're in also not your original, or...?

[spacialeyes]

I might regret it if you get hurt... [But he understands her point. It's an enviable way to live. One that someone like him can't truly grasp anymore.]

Ah, sorry. Not in the way that you are, Inaba-san. I don't experience time like a human anymore, so that means I can't do things like aging or healing. [He points to his oddly chopped bangs,] My hair doesn't grow normally either. I'm stuck looking like this basically forever.

[Without missing a beat, he lets his mind wander back to what she said.]

The way that you think is really beautiful, you know that?

[dereban]

If I get hurt, that's on me and the pavement. Or the stupid idiot who made the decision to actually hurt me.

[ The proverbial pavement, that is. She hums a bit in understanding, although she chews on her lower lip to make sure she doesn't speak some of the thoughts that she surely is thinking.

But then she finds her eyes widening, looking a little shocked. ]

Ah... don't say that.

[ Don't say that sort of thing to her. ]

My thoughts aren't like that at all. I just pretty up my words to make it sound... a certain way.

[spacialeyes]

[He smiles, shaking his head lightly to dismiss her.]

Than you're an artist. I find your art to be beautiful, Inaba-san. I could listen to it all day! Is that okay?

[It's an offered compromise, anyway. If she's going to say that, then he'll treat her words like he treats Tau's paintings or Dimitri's writing: As artwork.]

I don't think that I could live like that. I've always had the power to run away from my regrets, after all. Even if it's just a prettier way to say something else, I find the intent of it very lovely? [He tilts his head towards her, checking for approval.]

[dereban]

I'm just drawing on a black canvas.

[ Does she mean blank? No, she absolutely means that word, in every sense of it. ]

You can't get too greedy. There are other people who would want to listen to me... ah, unless you want me to make one of those audio dramas? I wouldn't know what to throw on there, though. Maybe some of the stories that I tell the other spirits?

[ She says it as such an afterthought. ]

Well. You just need to learn how to face it head on. You'll become more powerful that way. If you let yourself get consumed by your regrets, then are you really living? There's a lot of awful things that happen. Not just in this world. But in other worlds, too.

[ There's... something wistful in her eyes, melancholy touching her voice. ]

But it's not all bad. Ahaha, saying something like that isn't usually like me. Then again, I've changed over the years thanks to those guys at The Foundation.