ᴅᴀʀᴇᴅᴇᴠɪʟ, ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ʜɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʟʟ.

[chemex]

Who: Akira Kurusu, Goro Akechi, Nikolai Gogol, and anyone interested in some shenanigans!
Where: A handful of locations around Aldrip
What: Akira and Goro have decided to do some people-watching to determine the identity of Gogol's farce to fake his death.
Warnings: There's a closed prompt that's gonna result in half a centimeter from death, but otherwise the only real warnings are that Goro and Gogol are involved in this log. ...probably a lot of innuendo and stupid teenager bullshittery, also.



[Picture this; it's a normal Wednesday in Aldrip, the weather is reasonable, you're going about your daily life. There's been some craziness lately, hasn't there? Some clown stole some organs, some people got messed up getting those organs back, and then some more people got messed up killing the clown. Yikes!]

[What you may not realize, is during the Killing of the Clown™️, some more things were stolen. Goro took it upon himself to steal Gogol's cloak and tablet, and... Well. As it turned out, Gogol's death was merely temporary, try as he might to convince others he was gone for good. He'd like his things back, but he's currently under the guise of an unassuming Salaryman...,]

[Cut back to this perfectly pleasant, normal Wednesday! Goro Akechi has opted to attempt to sniff out Gogol's trickery, once and for all. With the help of his partner (in crime and everything else), they have stationed themselves in separate areas of the city, connected by a seemlingly innocuous phone call, enjoying the weather and doing some good old-fashioned detective work by way of people watching. What could possibly go wrong?]

//ooc; please do not reply to this main post! comments will go up shortly for both goro and akira, as well as a third closed prompt. pick who you'd like to interact with, or hassle them both! reply to their comments for any and all sort of shenanigans, centering on your character's basic daily life in aldrip. :>

Comments

akira;

[chemex]

i; Arcade

[Akira has set himself up on a shaded bench across from Game Parade, a travel tumbler of coffee in one hand and a thick stack of papers in a folder in his other. There's a pen behind his ear, and his device sits just to the side of his hip, laying face-down so it isn't obvious he's wearing a wire to communicate with Akechi. The papers are all recipes, of food and drink and cocktails, hand-written with crude little doodles in the margins of ingredients, the dishes/drinks themselves, or entirely unrelated things like a black and white cat and a bunch of what look like different masquerade masks. He seems pretty focused on his task! But don't be fooled, the clear-lens glasses he's donned once again help to make his covert watching of anyone and everyone who happens through the area seem entirely innocuous.]

ii; Flower Shop

[You can also find him outside of Silco's Flower Shop. Here, he stands, his papers shuffled now to a stapled stack featuring-- as one might expect, given his location --flowers. These, like the others, are accompanied by doodles of flowers alongside names, scent profiles, and the flower's meaning in hanakotoba. Once again he seems far more focused on his papers than he truly is, taking note in a different colored pen on another sheet of paper under his flower notes of anyone who passes by. He is, also, still wearing the wire.]

flower shop

[heartstopping]

[Midday, Rolo stops by the flower shop. He's no longer on crutches by this point with people with healing magic around to speed up the recovery process, but there's still stiffness in one leg and a bit of a limp as he favors it.

He doesn't come as a customer. His brother is working the counter and Rolo comes bearing lunch. It's more just an excuse to visit, as is evident by just how long he lingers, slowly eating his own lunch and talking and then idly poking around the shop even after they're done. Rolo's kind of a sullen-looking kid most of the time, but here he looks pretty happy – when Lelouch is indulging him with any attention, at least. It gives the impression of a puppy trailing after its owner, eager for any little scrap of affection.

He only finally leaves once enough customers come in that he feels like he's just getting in the way.]

[chemex]

[Akira recognizes Rolo, and the relief he feels at seeing him upright and walking on his own is strangely detached. He hadn't ever had the balls-- or the mental strength, really, to go meet Rolo in the hospital, but he'd wandered past his room a time or two to get visual updates on his status. When the first time you see a kid is when they're unconscious and battered and your boyfriend probably had a hand in the battery, it's a little uncomfortable. He focuses on his papers for a moment to stem the anxious bubble that swells in his gut at seeing him walk toward the shop, and exhales when he just goes inside.]

[A minute or so later, curiosity gets the better of him and he looks into the shop, noticing the visible brightness to his person when he's around, and specifically when he's interacting with the severe-looking counter attendant. He mentions him to Goro-- the little brunet kid that was hospitalized the same time as him went to the Flower Shop. Nothing seemed amiss.]

[He taps the wire off for a second and moves toward the entrance of the shop as Rolo exits.]

Um-- [He stops, not quite shrinking away from him but taking a half-step backward from where he'd been moving forward.] ...hi, I don't think we've met.

[heartstopping]

[While Rolo's mood had noticeably dimmed back to normal levels upon leaving the shop, the look that crosses his face as he looks up and recognizes the person addressing him is...definitely sour. Through no fault of Akira's own, at least (unless one counts his terrible taste in men). But he maintains some basic civility at least.]

I saw you in the hospital.

["Visiting that one asshole" goes unsaid.]

[chemex]

[He can't say he's surprised. He's seen this specific sort of not-quite-scowl directed at Goro as a conversational topic many times before. He ducks his head, scolded despite himself.]

...yeah. It may not mean much, but-- I'm sorry. For Goro's behavior.

i;

[opheliac]

[ strutting and strolling along the sidewalk is a familiar twin braided blueberry-haired girl. she seems to be casually approaching the game parade, but armed with her trusty pistol hooked on her hip, and possessing a bat over her shoulder. maybe it's not so alarming that she is equipped with her gun (that weapon goes wherever she goes), but is the bat necessary? why have an additional weapon when a firearm is way more efficient than a wooden stick any day? the answer that lies behind that is her own little secret to keep (for now), and her pace shrinks the closer she makes it to the arcade.

jinx's been inside the establishment before, in fact, it's one of her go-to spots when she needs to blow off some steam when shooting monsters, or terrorizing the locals aren't doing it for her. she'd go back to demolishing buildings or arson if it weren't for the fact jerry and/or the council would immediately be on her tail over her misdemeanors. it's an infuriating thing to be caged, chained to the ankle, and can fly only a few inches off the ground — but even a firecracker like her knows that rocking the boat too much will have her tossed over. and that's why "work smarter, not harder" becomes beneficial. ]

[ but when she checks the perimeter, and she notices akira perch on the bench across the way, jinx wanted to swear underneath her breath. she hadn't anticipated someone would be sitting outside the place — especially with the pollen being so potent. crap, should she text the person she was meeting up with to abort? jinx might have worked with the guy in their other realm life, but what does she know about him besides he's more of the silent type who likes cats? would he be the kind to rat her out for all the concealed crimes she's been doing for the last month? well, the one thing the loose cannon is very good at (...not really) is improvising, and besides, akira does seem to be preoccupied with his scribbles. .... maybe he won't notice a thing, and she is just overthinking. nevertheless, it'll be about ten minutes or so until said person turns up, so why not play a game or two while she waits? continuing to look uninterested, the teenager heads on inside. ]

jinx pls

[chemex]

[Her hair catches Akira's attention far down the road and he glances up, mentioning to Goro that she was making her way down the road. Like Rolo, nothing strange, though as he took note of her gun and her bat he shifted to where he could more easily watch her from his periphery. Ma'am, what are you up to?]

[Luckily for Jinx, he is nonethewiser to her concealed crime, and-- likely, wouldn't say anything about it even if he were. When she doesn't acknowledge him he doesn't acknowledge her either, though the subtle way she hesitates when she notices him isn't lost on him, either. He mentions it, but doesn't seem to pressed, and watches her bright braids disappear inside the arcade.]

[opheliac]

[ some time passes with a lot of nothing, jinx still inside playing whatever game the arcade has in store, and on the outside — locals of aldrip travel up and down the sidewalk with no suspicion in their steps. just another normal every day, it seems like. until a boy materializes his way to the game parade, his outerwear looking rather similar to those who loiter at the docks (aka the thieves) if akira had a chance to tour there. the body language he presents is caution and shifty, and he has a slouch posture with his hands jammed in his wide pockets. the teenage boy halts in front of the establishment, peeking inwardly through the windows, then down to his feet — waiting. ]

[ strange? maybe not so much, but after a minute or two, jinx exits out of the building (bat still in hand) and approaches the stranger. he looks up from his feet and closes the gap between them -- the duo chat amongst themselves as the blueberry haired girl lowers the bat to dangle to her side (conveniently blocking akira's viewing to their hip-thigh region). whether akira spots this maneuver or not is entirely up to the player, but swiftly, the boy slips something in jinx's pocket and jinx tucks it down as quickly as possible in hope no onlookers would notice. is this something worth noting? ]

[chemex]

[Akira hasn't toured the docks, no, but he did swim back from the Ruins when he got kidnapped back in November, and wind up at them. He wouldn't go as far as to say he knows for sure, since he was half-drowned and hypothermic at the time, but the boy's attire does strike him as familiar.]

[It's more his behavior that causes Akira to keep periodic tabs on him, angled in a way that he doesn't have to move to look at him, but also doesn't look like he's looking at him. The sunlight around creates a glare on his glasses at this particular angle, so no one can really see where he's looking unless they're right on him, anyway. He mentions the boy to Goro over the wire, but without any specific note of suspicion or distrust.]

[His eyes narrow slightly when Jinx exits the arcade and immediately engages the boy, though he can't be sure if he should be more or less suspicious of that development than he is. He doesn't exactly see the exchange, but he does note that the positioning of her bat seems intentional. This time he looks the boy over with more scrutiny, aiming to remember his face.]

flower shop;

[laserguy]

[Akira gets one guess on why Scott is out here at the flower shop.

The mutant seems to be in a... pretty decent mood, which is mostly his standard. Sometimes he's grumpy as hell, sometimes he's pretty excited, and right now he has a stupid smile on him that seems just a little bit lovestruck. No matter how long he's been with Kotone and despite the whole mess with the organs and stuff, he still loves her. And wants to get her flowers, just because.

Although, it seems a little dumb to keep getting her roses, so he's picking out a new flower this time. Which, is a little difficult, because it's kind of hard picking flowers and their vibrant colors when you have ruby shades on you. Some of that ease disappears from his face, but Scott isn't deterred.

It helps that a worker comes out to help him, especially since he's almost a regular at this point. He seems to take their suggestion of red camellias this time, and Scott waits for the worker to get them ready for him to purchase.]

not the straights

[chemex]

[Akira has a bit of a giggle over Scott. He's so fucking smitten, and-- well, Akira can understand why, Kotone's pretty daggone great. He's particular about lifting his papers high enough that his face and hair aren't especially visible when Scott passes nearby, and then lowers them to watch him mill about the store. He's about to get up and offer advice when he gets assistance from the clerk, and settles back on his bench.]

[Whenever Scott emerges, Akira doesn't have his papers covering his presence.]

Red camellias, mmn? Got a romantic date?

[laserguy]

[Scott almost drops said flowers when Akira calls him out. The mutant visibly jolts, his free hand moving to his chest as he turns sharply to face the shit eating Akira. Dude, how long has he been sitting over there?! Just hiding away like some spy or whatever.

It has nothing to do with the fact that Scott's mind was totally focused on Kotone and wasn't paying attention to his surroundings that much. Of course not.]

Holy fuck dude!

[As he slowly recovers, Scott lets out a small huff. Let's pretend that none of that happened, okay? Okay.] What are you doing just sitting there??

[Not answering Akira just yet.]

[chemex]

[Akira is so charmed by Scott's absolute obliviousness he cracks up laughing. It's hardly a mean-spirited sound, as so little he does is, and short-lived, but for a moment he folds forward at the waist with his papers on his knees and laughs for a little while.]

C'mere, I'll tell you, but you gotta tell me about the date.

i

[izanagis]

[Yu has always kept himself busy; on a surface level, that much has not changed about his behavior recently. But there's something tense in his demeanor, and the pace at which he goes from one part-time job to the next is busier than usual. Bookstore, delivery errands, stopping in at a few other places -- he's busy enough that, if he notices Akira at all, he doesn't acknowledge him.

He disappears for a while in the afternoon. Maybe to another job? Hard to say. Whether he'll be back is also in question--]

What're you up to?

[--oh, wait, there he is. He's approached the bench from behind and he's curiously taking a look at the papers Akira seems to be working on.]

[chemex]

[Akira is actually affords a bit more scrutiny to the people he knows. If their behavior is aligned with what he's used to, he relaxes, but given they aren't sure who to look for, or if Gogol would be posing as someone else who already exists in Aldrip, he's careful to make sure nothing seems off.]

[He reports that as usual, Yu seems to have every possible iron in the fire, and doesn't think much of losing sight of him. He's actually rereading a recipe when Yu fucking materializes behind him, and his spine jolts straight, arm swinging around. He thwaps Yu with his sheaf of papers.] What! The hell, don't sneak up on me, damn! [His tone is good-natured once he realizes it's just Yu behind him, and he affords a little laugh, scooting over to allow Yu space on the bench.] You're a ninja.

[izanagis]

[He doesn't even try to avoid being whacked by the papers; bonk, right on the forehead. A small ghost of a smile pulls at his expression -- it's not all the way there, but he's working on it, at least.]

Don't tell anyone my secret. [See, that's a joke, because he's not actually a ninja? Anyway, he takes the offered seat and kind of. subtly glances at the papers. Listen, he's a curious guy. Akira can probably relate. Just protag things, being unable to stay in your own business, amirite]

Recipes?

[chemex]

[He lays a hand over his clavicle.] I'm sworn to secrecy.

[A wordless hum, and he passes the folder over.] Went on a road trip with my team just before I got here and made a bunch of new things with local ingredients from the places we went.

I - Arcade

[totheno1]

[It's only been a short while since his arrival, so Nanjo is still in exploration mode before attempting to properly settle down. While this world has given him a near limitless amount of actual, genuine freedom compared to back home, it also means he has to take care of himself, which is much easier said then done when you had a literal army people doing menial jobs. However, he's taking this like a challenge instead of dwelling far too long on the fact. For all he knows, he'll like doing it! Like when he decided to start riding a bike!

He does miss being able to just get his clothing perfectly cleaned and ironed out however...

Lost in his own thoughts, he doesn't even pay attention to the young man sitting on a bench, his eyes having fallen on the arcade's bright sign which makes him cough up in surprise.]

Jack Frost?!

[Why does an arcade in another world have the demon displayed up, front and center? Moreover, why is there a crane game with little dolls of the figure, taunting him with the possibility of taking home (or as far as home is right now) a plush as a prize?

Let's be honest; Kei isn't the sentimental type. But this could be a clue. A clue, he realizes, that has very low odds of giving him anything back and additionally, probably hard to win. Granted, despite a crane's game usual schematics of being rigged are also a game of logistics and making sure the UFO catcher's claw is aligned correctly to push one into the tube. And it just HAPPENS that one of them could be (possibly) easy to win. Considering his pocketbook is woefully low right now, it's a gamble to even try. "Naoya would do it" that little voice in his head taunts him.

He stands there in silence for what seems like an eternity, continuing to study the catcher.]

[chemex]

[Nanjo gets a particular stare from Akira, not because he seems suspicious, but because he's got a strange new variety of the Persona Senses Tingling situation. Kotone and Yu and Minato all had their own specific vibe, and something about Nanjo... It's not quite the same, but it's almost similar. Akira would liken it to Arsène ruffling his wings a little at the base of his skull where he typically resides.]

[He mentions this, idly, to Goro.]

[But then, when the first thing he hears the man say is Jack Frost, in an incredulous tone at the featured claw machine at the front of Game Parade, he has to chuckle. He affirms to Goro by the wire, yeah I think this guy might be all right, shuffling his papers into a neater stack to close them into his folder. From across the street, he calls to the man, but keeps his voice low to not attract overmuch attention. ] You know that guy?

[totheno1]

[It's a brief comedic moment, as the voice seems to finally pierce into Kei's ears and takes a step away from the claw machine like he'd been caught. Akira's words turn in his head in quick succession. Who is "That Guy?", until he realizes he probably means Jack Frost, since that's the only thing he has said upon arriving to the arcade. It's hard to tell that Kei has an eyebrow raised, considering part of it is hidden behind his glasses, but crosses his arms and nods.]

Personally, I would not call it a 'guy', but perhaps more akin to a demon.

[There's something about the young man and his papers now that he actually looks at him - Kei's always prided himself at being able to judge a character on how they presented themselves. Yet Akira seems to be more than that - a feeling of familiarity, somehow. Well, that and if he is familiar with "that guy" to ask him that it might imply exactly what he thinks it may be.]

i want to apologize for him being a shitpost but i'm not actually sorry

[chemex]

[Looking him over, Akira has one singular thought: God he hopes his glasses don't look as silly on him as Kei's do on him.]

[Spoilers: they do.]

[But anyway-- he grins, shifting how he sits to cross one leg over the other and cross his arms over his chest.] Yeah? Hee-ho.

i. i lied we tag on the clock

[memori3s]

[ It's been five days since Sha-Ming went missing. Unable to sit still any longer, Minato begins searching for the man at his usual haunts. He returns to Bar Lupin, the spot where Sha-Ming was apparently last sighted, City Center, spots at the Entertainment District, and now, at the arcade. The outskirts need to be checked too, but Toph said she had that covered. He'll leave that in her capable hands.

Koromaru accompanies Minato, glancing up at his human companion. While the teen isn't particularly expressive, the dog knows he's distressed based on the way his hands clench into fists, and the vaguely frantic look in his eyes. It's why Koromaru isn't surprised that Minato walks straight past Akira, not noticing him at all in favor of heading straight into Game Parade to ask if anyone's seen Sha-Ming recently.

The dog sets to work, circling the perimeter of the arcade while sniffing furiously at the floor. Koromaru paces about, making one lap around the building, and then a second just for good measure. There's nothing. Not even a hint of the man's scent. So he sits at the entrance of Game Parade, awaiting Minato's return.

It's just as Koromaru anticipated, Minato leaving the building with a dejected expression and shaking his head at the dog. ]

No one's seen him here, either...

[ The teen crouches off to the side of the arcade's doors and strokes at the back of Koromaru's neck.

Koromaru whines, tilting his head up to offer Minato's cheek a quick reassuring lick before glancing in Akira's direction. The dog barks sharply, as if to call Akira over. ]

boss makes a dollar i make a dime, that's why i tag on company time

[chemex]

[Akira does, as expected, take special note of the people he knows in Aldrip if they pass by. He hides a bit, keeps tabs, makes sure they're not acting particularly out of the ordinary.]

[Minato..., Well. The kid's a touch melancholic on a normal day, maybe just naturally a despondent sort of person, but the slump to his shoulders and the crease to his brow is definitely more than Akira's used to seeing wear on him. He can gather well enough that he's looking for something-- someone, but he hasn't quite sussed that much out yet --from the deliberate way he walks and looks at everything, but he struggles to figure out the specifics.]

[Koromaru barking is all the invitation he needs, and he mumbles to Goro that he's turning off his wire a minute to talk to Minato, and then does just that. He gets up, shuffles his papers into a stack, into their folder and then into his bag, and jogs across the street to them.] You lose something?

[memori3s]

[ The familiar voice has Minato glancing up quickly, almost startled by the sound of the newcomer. He'd been so absorbed in going over where to look next, who to ask, that he hadn't noticed Akira jogging over. ]

Oh. Akira --

[ He's already got others lending a hand. May as well disclose what's up to Akira too. ]

...kind of. I haven't seen or heard from Sha-Ming in a few days.

[ Minato rises to his feet, willing away any concern on his face to the best of his abilities. Koromaru sits at his side and gazes up at his companion. The dog's tail swishes anxiously to and fro. ]

Have you seen him? ...black hair, glasses, goggles on his head. You might have seen him at the clinic?

[ Practically glued to Minato's bedside while he was comatose for that week, not that Minato knows about that. He only remembers the man being there when he first woke up, feverish and groggy. ]

[chemex]

[He slouches, as always, but compresses his spine just a bit further still to be closer to level with Minato. He wants to make sure his funky little blue buddy knows he's listening.]

[And he is-- he process the question, the description, and immediately remembers Sha-Ming pretty constantly at Minato's bedside. They hadn't exchanged names, Akira worn a bit too thin himself to try forming a new bond and figuring maybe since this guy hadn't gotten up nearly the entire time Minato was out, he was similarly overtaxed. He meets Minato's eyes, and shakes his head slowly.] I've not formally met him, but I've seen him around..., Not recently, though. [And certainly not today, while he was specifically aiming to watch what everyone and their mother in Aldrip was up to.]