inspiration; imagination; illustration | OPEN

[lempereur]

WHO: Yusuke + OPEN
WHERE: various places around Heropa and Nonah
WHEN: All over June!
WHAT: Yusuke has been and always will be open to suggestion, when it comes to people, places, and things worth drawing. It's time to actually put those suggestions to good use! + angst involving ice boys and rotten adults, and whatever else comes up
WARNINGS: descriptions of grisly supernatural murders?



1. don't let our hearts freeze - Heropa ice rink

[ Shortly after Yusuke had first arrived (a month now, hard to believe, so much had happened so fast) Adachi had told him he might be able to find inspiration at the ice rink.

So he did. It was nice and cool, a refreshing change from the building summer heat, and full of all sorts of people. Passionate professionals, nervous beginners, classes of children, and everything in between. An impressive sample of various emotions, all in one place where he wouldn't have to be distracted by the sweat dripping down his back.

It nearly pained him to say it, but Adachi was right.

He sticks out like a sore thumb here. Not content just to bring a sketchbook, Yusuke has set up his own stool and easel at the edge of the seating area, where there is walking space between the chairs and the dividing wall. Or, there was walking space, before Yusuke set up shop there.

Other spectators can go around. He's working on something that is sure to be a masterpiece here! ]





2. watching freaky people - Heropa government housing

[ It's starting to get hot in Heropa.

It's even hotter if, like Yusuke, you're on the roof, wearing a hoodie.

He sunburns easily, okay?

As uncomfortable as it is up here on top of Heropa unit #15, it provides Yusuke with an excellent vantage point from which to watch his neighbors as they come and go. He used to do this at the subway station, but Heropa isn't nearly as busy as Shibuya was. There's nothing creepy about it, at least not intentionally, but sitting on a rooftop with an easel and full paint and brush setup hardly makes him blend in as well as he did in his Tokyo underground people watching days.

There's no ladder leaned against the side of the house, only an open bedroom window with an unfortunate splatter of orange paint underneath it from the first failed attempt to make it onto the roof. Hopefully his roommates don't mind? ]





3. your love is better than ice cream - Nonah city park

[ While he's following other people's suggestions, he might as well take all of them. Cinders' suggestion was the park in Nonah, scenic, but allegedly prone to imPorts testing out their powers. Nonah is a little further from home, so Yusuke doesn't go all out, but he does have a couple sketchbooks in his bag, a regular one, and the heartier, thicker one that he uses to copy various powers onto cards, to use...eventually. If the situation ever arose.

There's a charming ice cream stand that miraculously has a green tea flavor, so the young artist grabs two scoops of that (bowl, not cone) and wanders, idly searching out for a spot where inspiration might strike. His eyes are focused on a pair of songbirds flying above him, and so he doesn't notice that he's about to run into someone until he's already done so. ]

Ah! I am deeply sorry, here, let me help you...

[ Hope you dodged the flying bowl of ice cream. ]





4. your heart is too strong anyway - Heropa outskirts (closed to Yuri)

[ On the outskirts of Heropa, past a rusted up path of train tracks decades out of use, is a large, open area. Or, open enough, despite it being littered with both tree stumps and entire trees uprooted by Florida's storms. It was Adachi's secret training spot, where he had brought Yusuke, and now he was bringing Yuri. It was not his intention to give away any secrets, at this point, Yuri already knew everything there was to know. About his life in Heropa, at least.

They were here, in Adachi's spot of all places, because it was isolated. They should be the only ones there, so there was no danger of stabbing any natives with pointed icicles, destroying any property, or killing any flora or fauna that wasn't on its last legs anyway.

Yusuke leaps onto the trunk of a tree turned sideways, web of roots that once gave it life exposed for all to examine. He shouldn't be able to jump that high, but the enhancements in agility and precision given to him by this world make the unlikely entirely ordinary. Still in plain clothes, he looks down at Yuri, blue-grey eyes warm, but that didn't mean he wasn't taking this seriously. Especially now that he knew way too much, learning to utilize his powers was of utmost importance. ]

Are you ready, Yuri?

5. any way you want it - wild card.

[ Go crazy! Add what you want! Or hit me up at dorsquee and we can work something out! ]

Comments

1

[sleight_of_hand]

[ If Yusuke stayed late enough, he'd get to notice someone acting... shifty; it was the best way to describe it. They were wearing a shabby, old hoodie, looking around as patrons gradually started to leave for the day before the rink closed, this shifty person lingering behind, looking like he was keeping an eye out for someone... ]

[ Particularly a certain grey-haired hottie that would kick him off the ice if he was caught. ]

[ Adachi let out a satisfied noise when he was certain there were no skaters around, finally pulling his hoodie down. He immediately went to get his usual rental skates, not noticing Yusuke was there as he grabbed them and started to carefully pull them on, mindful of his fake hand. ]

[lempereur]

[ At first, he doesn't notice. Even though the lights are dimming, and the windows are letting in mostly dark, the canvas in front of him is bright, covered in delicate, deliberate strokes of orange and yellow and green. It's only when he peels his eyes off to grab a different brush that he catches something moving in the corner of his eye.

A thief?

No...whoever it was, his movements weren't slick enough for something like that.

Yusuke isn't exactly inconspicuous, sitting there with his entire setup, but somehow he wasn't noticed, so he didn't say anything, he just watched the figure venture down to where the skates are, and take his hood down. ]

Adachi.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi squeaked at that, clutching protectively at his rental skates, like he was waiting for someone to come by and snatch them out of his hands any second. It took him a moment for his eyes to fall onto Yusuke, staring dumbly at how he managed to miss him sitting there with that big easel. He stood there, holding his skates and blinking dumbly for a long moment... before he let out a sheepish laugh. ]

K-Kitagawa-kun, you startled me...

Heropa Outskirts

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri had been almost excited to get started on some actual training. He was still a little unsure about the idea of it, of course. Real violence, the kind that might leave people broken and bloodied, was always going to be something he'd rather take no part in, but he'd learned by now that this world was not going to give him the luxury of pacifism. He may as well embrace learning to defend himself and the people close to him, right?

However, that excitement begins to fade as he really looks at the area Yusuke is leading him to. He's never been here before, but it's familiar anyway. Viktor had talked about the trees that Adachi flung around in a fit once, and Yuri had seen the splinters and woodchips that had been left in his clothes and hair when he came home that night. It's incredibly sobering to realize this must be the place where it happened. It solidifies the reality of it and leaves it sitting like an aching weight in his chest.

He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders, forcing his mind off of the memory and looking up to meet Yusuke's gaze. Any warmth that might have been in his eyes has been replaced with a fierce determination and resolve, almost like he's flipped a mental switch. This training isn't something he's going to take lightly for even a second.]

I'm ready.

[lempereur]

[ He's glad to see the intensity coming from Yuri, and he straightens out himself. Truthfully, Yusuke is new at this, he'd never had anyone to teach or mentor before. It was always him to had to be taught, in the ways of the Metaverse, in the ways of art, and everything else. The things that he had learned, though, he was very good at, and felt more than capable of passing on. ]

Good. Your powers, it appears, are broader in scope than my own. First, you will have to learn to weaponize it.

[ Briefly, Yusuke disappears from his higher ground behind a burst of blue fire, and when he emerges, he's wearing the same Phantom Theif getup that Yuri saw him in during the Cactus War. Goemon is back, too, his platform-shoed feet planted firmly on the ground. Even without the taller vantage point, he's quite the presence - eight feet tall, at least, flipping back and forth between a smirk and a scowl depending on the mood. Today, it's a smirk. ]

You have options. Blunt force, piercing, encasing in ice. There are situations for each.

[ Wordlessly, being linked in both the mind and the heart, Goemon carries out a demonstration of the first example, as Yusuke intends. He summons a block of ice as large as he is, and sends it flying across the clearing at an upturned tree. ]

[beautiful_monster]

[Ugh, he actually turns a little green in response to the idea of weaponizing his powers, but he nods firmly anyway. Better to feel uncomfortable for a little while than deal with the consequences of being defenseless again.

He watches intently while Yusuke summons Goemon to demonstrate with, every inch the picture of an attentive student. It might be his first time learning, but Yurio's practically a professional pupil at this point. He's determined to wring every bit of knowledge from this that he can.]

Aim is the most important part of mastering those first two types, right? I've never had to practice that before.

2

[crimeboy]

[It's absolutely creepy, sitting up on a roof alone to watch people, but if Akira knew Yusuke was even there, he wouldn't exactly be surprised. After all, it was an activity they took part in together a few times.

Still, the whole, watching people and kind of painting them thing was a little strange.

Akira found himself wanting for some semblance of normalcy in this strange world, in a new country, and so he'd began a routine of training, much like he had done with Ryuji. He didn't have any place to do it though, so he'd begun running through the neighborhoods. Not jogging, straight running which sometimes broke into a jog because it was hot.

He paused once he felt like he was being watched, though it felt silly to do so. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight, Akira looked up, almost as if he'd sensed those eyes from the roof??? Surely, no one was watching him specifically?]

[lempereur]

[ Joggers, honestly, are not that interesting, for the most part.

There are a lot of them. Yusuke's attention is more focused on domestic tasks, disturbances, young lovers walking one another home. He almost doesn't look twice at the wavy haired boy his own age as he runs by, and if not for the glare of his glasses gleaming against the sun, he might not have.

But that's not just any jogger, is it?

No. He can't be. The artist assumed that he would be alone in this world, at least in the sense that nobody from his own world would follow him here. There was no mistaking it though, no room for denial. He would know Joker anywhere. ]

Akira!

[ With a voice both panicked and hopeful, he calls out his friend's name as loud as he can, jolting up from his stool, set up without much stability against the shingles. It was unstable enough to topple over, tripping Yusuke in the process and sending him and his stool tumbling down to the ground. He was in too much shock to make use of his usual dexterity.

This is fine. He's fine. ]

[crimeboy]

[Well, you know that explained a lot. He could hear Yusuke's voice pretty much immediately, and then he fell off of the damn roof.]

Yusuke! Oh god...!

[This is why we don't sit on a rooftop you silly artist! He would have to be incredulous at him for his ill-advised artistic setup in a minute, because he really had to be injured, right?

Adrenaline that was from a mix of relief at seeing a good friend of his and panic at seeing the same guy fall from a roof made it easy to forgo the exhaustion as he dashed over to see where he fell, just hoping he was alright.]

Of all the places to meet you...

1

[fourlevels]

[ Yusuke might notice an uptick of spectators around him one day he decides to go in, the gathering crowd probably encroaching in on his space as more and more people try to pile into the space. Why, he might ask himself?

Because a couple minutes after an announcement over the PA system that the public skating time is coming to an end, there's Viktor gliding out onto the rink for his booked session of solo rink time, "private" only in name given the horde of fans who came to watch him and start to squeal as he gets on the ice. He's pulling on some dark gloves to keep his hand warm, but otherwise he's just wearing a thin three-quarter sleeve t-shirt and some sweatpants. The v-neck of the shirt also shows that he's now wearing some sort of metal-looking choker? collar? around his neck that he hadn't worn before in the hospital.

He takes a few laps around the rink to warm up, doing squats and arm circles as he skates effortlessly over the ice, a few triple jumps as he gains some speed, before he comes back over to an area where he set up a cart right by the barrier with what looks like a small music player with speakers. He glances up before he starts any music though, catching sight of Yusuke with his very obvious easel, smiling as he skates over. ]

Hi~

[lempereur]

[ These fans that had suddenly swarmed were the worst. Suddenly the entire venue had shifted from cool and peaceful to squealing and obnoxious, and some of them seemed to recognize him? Yusuke hardly felt like answering a barrage of questions about his halfway conceptualized art piece, trying to instead explain to them that he needed space to work, which they, of course, completely ignored.

He had never been so thankful for the Phantom Thieves' anonymity. Still, despite the noise around him, he smiles at the friendly face. ]

Hello, Viktor. You're looking livelier today.

[fourlevels]

[ He skids to an elegant stop right before him. Suddenly the area around Yusuke feels just a little bit more crowded as the fans press in closer. Viktor almost seems unaware of them, only looking at Yusuke; it's not like he's being deliberately rude though, just incredibly accustomed to their presence. ]

Good sleep will do that to you! And it always feels good to be on the ice. You looks considerably better too.

[ He shifts slightly to look what's on the easel. ]

Ah, so you really are an artist? I'd wondered when you brought that pad of paper back into the hospital room.

3

[codeoracle]

[The inhuman shriek that followed the initial run in was hardly from contact with a bowl of green tea ice cream (Futaba had miraculously avoided that). No, it was from the loss of her own cone, stacked high with multiple flavors, now melting into a sad pool at their feet. Run-ins had their number of innocent victims in seemed.]

I didn't even get one good taste out of that...[Ah the sound of disappointment, and an accompanying pout scowl of annoyance. A look that turns even sourer when she catches sight of just who caused her to lose such a prized treat.]

Inari...

[lempereur]

[ Yeah, there was no helping this. The game was lost. The sweet satisfaction sacrificed to the cruel heat. The ending was final.

In his despair, he wouldn't have even noticed the other party, if not for that nickname. That was all hers, nobody else had ever called him that, not even among the Phantom Thieves. ]

Futaba!

[ Yusuke shouts her name so much louder than he could possibly need to, given that she was standing directly in front of him. Don't be mad! He's happy to see her, really. ]

You're here! And you're outside!

[codeoracle]

I've been outside before! [Once or twice. With Akira. For like fifteen minutes.

Still! She's been outside, so his surprise is definitely annoying. She's glad people she knows are here, especially someone capable like Yusuke, but he already caused her to lose her valued ice cream.

And with that thought, the pout is back in full force.]

Penalty! You owe me a new ice cream cone.

3

[glassfall]

[Cinders, of course, had narrowly avoided having her head in the clouds, and so only just dodged the bowl of the strangely-colored Weird Dessert Thing.]

Oh, no, I'm alright. Hello, Yusuke. How are you?

[She was quickly getting used to the fact that Yusuke is... well, Yusuke, and prone to various amounts of endearing oddness.]

[lempereur]

[ Oddness? Him? Of course not! ]

I am...[ screaming internally at an almost constant rate and volume? ] well, thank you. I was actually hoping I might catch you here, it was you that recommended that I come.

1

[andtherevolution]

[And here's a confident amateur. She whizzes down the ice, skating with speed and grace, though she attempts no fancy tricks. Well, avoiding slower skaters without anyone falling on their face counts as a trick, perhaps, but she's content just to skate a few laps around the rink. It's enough to gain some onlookers, though, and she comes to a stop to give them a wave... when she notices the guy with a sketchpad. Huh. Curious, she skates on over, and leans against the wall dividing her and the artiste over here]

Hey, I don't think I've seen you around before. Do you come here often?

[lempereur]

[ It's hard not to notice a big head of pink hair. And with such grace! It's a testament to her that he is distracted from his work for more than a second, at least until she approaches him. ]

This is my first visit, in the daytime, at least. And yourself?

Nonah city park

[bypasser]

[Otabek hasn't had this much free time in years. When he's not competing he's training and when he's not training he is wrapped up in his music. The career he'd carved out for himself doesn't exist here and he's too new to be comfortable with picking a place to dj. He was assigned the job of delivery courier but he doesn't start until the following week.

There isn't much to do so he walks, explores, and misses his bike. What he doesn't expect is to be covered in cold dessert when he'd stepped to the side to avoid one person and crashed into another.]

Oh. [Flecks of ice cream dot his face and glasses. He pulls them off to clean them, waving his hand at the stranger.] It is nothing.

These things happen.

[It'd be different if the man had launched his bowl of ice cream at him, but that wasn't the case.]

[lempereur]

No, I insist.

[ Yusuke is already committing a clear violation of personal space and using his sleeve to wipe creamy green speckles off of his face. If he's not having it...well, Yusuke is skinny and easily shoveable. ]

Yuri; Monday 6/12, evening

[lempereur]

[ It's a few hours after Akira leaves before Yusuke talks to anyone else. He needs to clear his head. He needs to take care of himself, which he never prioritizes as highly as taking care of others or taking care of his art. There is no other choice, today, there are more people at stake than just himself, so he has to be the best that he can be.

He finishes his meal, even though it's gotten cold, and makes enough changes to the ode to self-loathing propped on his easel to transform it into something else entirely. He isn't sure what yet, and likely won't until this is over.

He takes time to sit, calmly and quietly with his thoughts, keeping a cool head as per his promise to Futaba. It was something he said before the news (allegations, really, but so gruesome and specific that the safest course of action was to treat them as news, for now) about Adachi had been delivered. That changed things, but it also didn't, his word was more important than ever now that his immediate mission was to sort through more lies from more adults dead set on underestimating him.

Phase one, make sure everyone is in the know. Akira would talk to Futaba. Yuri, who was not a Phantom Thief, and not prepared for a fight, would be harder, but he was closer to the issue than his own friends from home. He deserved to know, he deserved a say, and, well. Yusuke wanted to see him first, so he picks up his government-issued device off the table and gives him a call. ]

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri, on the other hand, had opted to vent his stress and frustration in a long stretch of practice. He'd lost track of how long he'd been going over the same routine—looping around a makeshift course he'd set up for himself out in the outskirts of the city to work on target practice on his own. Stationary targets aren't nearly as good as training with Yusuke had been, but at least he feels like he's making some kind of progress this way.

The phone rings several times before he manages to dash over and pick it up, answering in a breathless voice after a quick glance at the caller ID.]

Yusuke? What's up?

Brendan; 6/22, night time.

[lempereur]

[ Sorry, Common Grounds, but if you didn't want weird, artsy, teen vigilantes breaking in all the time, you should try being less cozy and having more security. Honestly, it's been over a week and they still don't have their cameras back up, and replaced their lock with the same kind as they had before. Come on.

He shows up to let himself in wearing his Phantom Thief attire, but changes back in a flash of blue flame before Brendan shows up. Last time, Yusuke and his companions had left the place just as they found it, but with a few extra drops of blood on the floor. This time would be fewer people and infinitely less drama, so hopefully he could leave it looking relatively untouched again.

But he promised coffee. Yusuke isn't great at this, but he'd spent more than enough time watching Akira do it back home to get the general idea. He'll be ready when Brendan gets here.

Door's open. ]

[pale_blue_arrow]

[Brendan brought pie, true to his word. Blueberry pie in a Tupperware container, in his backpack so he doesn't have to explain why he's carrying pie around, but it's a worthy price of admission to meet up with Yusuke again. He wants to know what Yusuke's actually up to - because he doesn't buy that this is an art project thing, it's set up like a date and it's blatant information fishing. But he's got no leads on what it might be, so for now he's just going to play it cool.

He slips through the door soundlessly, a habit of back home he never managed to break, and smiles briefly at the coffee.] Good. Now I have a reason to live. Unless that's decaf you're holding, Doll, then this friendship is over.