well roll the dice, pay the price

[lempereur]

WHO: Perskates. It's one cast now. Yusuke Kitagawa, Yuri Plisetsky, Tohru Adachi, Viktor Nikiforov, Futaba Sakura, Akira Kurusu, Yosuke Hanamura.
WHERE: Common Grounds coffee shop in Heropa
WHEN: June 13th/14th, around midnight. Breaking and entering is involved.
WHAT: The Protagonist Duty baton has been passed to Yusuke for Persona Drama, Round 2! Ice Boys v. Rotten Lying Adults, a support team, and...Yosuke? Nobody's happy.
WARNINGS: Mentions + descriptions of previous murders, likely some violence but nothing too extreme.



[ What's worse, invading people's minds and stealing from them, or literally breaking and entering into actual places of business to hold secret and potentially dangerous meetings?

The real question is: as long as nobody gets hurt, and nothing gets stolen, does it matter?

Yusuke is a crime boy too, you know. Just more artsy than nasty.

And it is that quality that brings him here, as illegal as it is. He had scoped out the coffee shop that afternoon, and found it both relaxing and open. A cozy atmosphere with enough space for a handful of people to air their grievances, peacefully or otherwise. He was hoping desperately for peacefully, but it was looking more and more unlikely the longer they waited. Maybe it was just Yusuke, but he felt like everyone was just getting more anxious as time went on.

He sits in a leather chair not far from the door, leaning to one side in full Phantom Thief getup, but with his mask pushed up over his head while he let Adachi know they were waiting for him. And...making aggravated noises at his phone. ]

I think they are on their way. And Yosuke Hanamura is coming? Does anyone know him? I met him at the beach the other day, but it wasn't exactly...insightful. Adachi says he killed his girlfriend.

[ He puts the phone back down on the table, with more roughness than necessary. Carrying the protag card is so hard, how does Akira do it? ]

Comments

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri's dragged another chair up to the other side of the door, sprawling comfortably in it while he taps away at some kind of mobile game on his communicator. He glances up with a sharp frown when when Yusuke finally speaks, but his expression quickly turns to a dull sort of horror.]

What the fuck. Does he know or—or does that idiot want to confess to him right here?

[codeoracle]

[Futaba was immediately typing at a furious pace on her communicator from her position sprawled on top of the counter. She had a name, finding some information shouldn't be that hard.]

Yosuke Hanamura. New arrival settled in DeChima. Our age, so high schooler.

He hasn't posted to the network from what I can see so far, and there isn't much more I can get to without trying to access secure government files so...Not attempting that right now, it'd take too long.

[She really needed a tech upgrade, she missed her hub.]

It's pretty safe to say he probably has similar abilities to ours, considering where he's from. Meaning if Adachi is confessing here, it could be...Well let's just call it interesting!

He give you anymore specifics, Fox?

[lempereur]

[ Fox gets up from his own chair, and heads over to sit on the arm of Yuri's so he can show him the chat log. The only one as long as his log with Yuri, but ignore that fun fact, and just look at this! ]

That is exactly what he wants to do. So much for nobody getting hurt.

[ He turns to Oracle, while Yuri reads over it...he's going to need a code name if he ends up involved in too many more of these. ]

He says Hanamura is taken from a point in time before him. The Inaba team did find out eventually, but he has no recollection of that. According to Adachi, so take it as you will.

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri reads over the log while Futaba is helpfully relaying information about Yosuke, expression darkening the further he gets.]

What the fuck. Doesn't he ever think through anything?

[He passes the phone back to Yusuke and shoots a concerned frown at the door.]

Do you think he's going to show up before Adachi? Maybe we can talk to him before that moron gets here.

[crimeboy]

[Akira was antsy, staying back behind the counter the whole time. He too was decked out in his dark Phantom Thief getup, but with his mask secured on his face, even as he perused the coffee beans for a short moment. Nice selection...]

Whatever happens, minimize the risk of hostages being taken, if at all possible.

[That was his main concern here, considering they had a ragtag group of tag-alongs. He wasn't sure of their capabilities, but since he couldn't know, he'd rather be safe than sorry.

Akira pulled his phone out and looked down at it.]

I'm still leaving this up to you, Fox, so if you want you can choose a code word to use if you think Oracle or I should take action. I want to try to get a surprise on him if combat is unavoidable.

[lempereur]

If he had any forethought whatsoever, none of us would be here now.

[ Hostages? Who would be taken hostage? Maybe this other guy from Inaba wasn't coming of his own will? If Adachi was really so stupid as to force someone into listening to his pitiful confession like that...this would be a mess. ]

I doubt we will have to deal with a hostage situation, unless we need to take one ourselves. A code word is a good idea, though. Something inconspicuous. 'Latte'?

[ No longer getting replies from Adachi, he fastens his mask back in front of his face and leans back, one leg hanging off the arm of the chair. ]

Oracle, are you getting a reading yet?

[codeoracle]

Nothing yet...good call making the meeting this late though--it means there aren't too many signatures so weed through--

[She's interrupted by a very loud beeping from her device, one that has her sitting up from her lounging posture and pushing her goggles atop her head. She taps out a few commands before sliding off the counter to stand behind it, more than prepared to get into cover.]

Okay, correction, there's at least one incoming signature. It's still a little ways off, so now would be a good time to get into position.

Use code 'latte' if you need us. I'll be trying to maintain readings from back here.

[She gives a quick salute before ducking fully behind the bar, sliding into a dark corner to keep as hidden as possible.]

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri's beginning to wonder just what kind of situation he's managed to wind up in. It feels like every time he looks again there's some new and alarming problem added into the mix—first Adachi's threats, then learning about the extent of the damage he could inflict, the lives he had taken, and now the possibility of hostages?! For what?! Did they think Adachi might try something with Viktor? It seemed like a ridiculous idea, but he'd thought the same thing about a lot of ideas that turned out to be true recently.

There's not a lot of time to dwell on it. Futaba's announcement cuts through his thoughts, and he vaguely registers the code word as he stands and makes sure his (very cool) mask is in place. It's another thing he doesn't quite understand, but he's grateful for something to hide his face. He isn't sure he'd be able to hide the hurt lingering in his expression otherwise.]

Got it. [He doesn't sound half as ready as he'd like, too shaken by talk of hostages and fighting and fuck Viktor was going to have that awful miserable look on his face, wasn't he? That thought, at least, sparks a jolt of anger that tightens his jaw.]

I'll try to leave the talking to Fox, but no promises. [There's no way he can keep his mouth shut if turns out to be Viktor walking through that door, after all.]

[lempereur]

[ It felt good to have his old codename back. 'Prometheus', inspirational as it was, wasn't him, he had been assigned to it by someone (or someones) who meant to use him as a puppet, control his actions and emotions and try to tell him who he was. Like most adults. It wasn't given to him by friends, who knew him and cared about him.

It's Fox, and hearing Yuri say it only strengthens that conviction, even as his face fills with guilt, and excitement, both of which he is thankful he has the mask to hide. Yusuke pushes all of that aside, and gets up from the arm of the chair to stand by the door, focused on the task at hand and framing the various sections of the coffee shop with his fingers. No trace of the other Phantom Thieves from this vantage point, which was good. ]

We should sit at a booth. It forces them to look us in the eye while they try to explain their lies.

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri watches him quietly, a little impressed at how good Yusuke and the others seem to be at this. At least they know what they're doing even if Yuri feels at a loss himself.]

Are there any booths where we can put their backs to Oracle and Joker? To help them keep their advantage.

Phantom Thieves [+1] Text thread

[codeoracle]

[It's not long after Yosuke's arrival that the first text rolls in.]

Fox, Leopard! Heads up, two incoming. The target is en route and should be on site soon.

hidden thieves

[codeoracle]

[Finally, the "adults" in question were here. Even with her scans running, Oracle cocks her head towards the room that lay beyond the counter at the sound of voices. Of course, they would recognize Leopard...They'd have to do something about that costume if they adopted him fully as a part of their group.

She turns to Joker, the nervous energy she has all too evident in the way she rolls forward on the balls of her feet to inch closer to him, her words coming out barely above a whisper.]

It's starting. Time to stay sharp.

[crimeboy]

[Joker nodded in return, up on the balls of his feet as well, crouched in a ready position. If anything went down, he was going to be as ready as he could possibly be.]

If you can, buff me first. If it's too dangerous, protect the boys out there.

[At that, he pulled his knife free from his jacket, tightening his fingers around the hilt to keep his own nerve.]

[codeoracle]

[Futaba had fallen back into silence once the talking started. The more she could hear, the better idea she would have on their need to intervene or not.

At any rate, from the sounds of it, things were starting to get heated.]

Well, now Hanamura knows...He's obviously not happy. He's an unknown variable too....

[She just hoped someone could bring this situation back under control. She'd rather not have a showdown of personas, even if she was prepared for the possibility.

[crimeboy]

[The less they spoke, the better. But still, it was hard not to communicate when things began to escalate. Akira's jaw clenched as his grip in his knife tightened further, his body leaning just the slightest bit forward.]

Hanamura has every right to be angry, but we can't afford to get violent here.

[Mostly in that he didn't want to bust out to PREVENT a fight, but rather to stop one before damages occur. This place isn't theirs to trash.]

I just hope that we can take any battle outside...

After Drama

[beautiful_monster]

[It's been a long night to finish off an equally long week, and Yuri is eager to Get The Fuck Out before Adachi can reveal anything else that's going to leave him feeling sickened and even less able to sleep than he already is. He's making a beeline for the door, hopefully before Viktor can gather his wits enough to make a thousandth attempt at begging forgiveness from him.]

[fourlevels]

[ Except Viktor had his eyes on Yuri for most of the meet, his blue eyes sadly focused on Yuri like a laser, so he catches Yuri retreating before he can actually leave. ]

Yura, wait—

[beautiful_monster]

[His entire posture stiffens, but he stops in the doorway long enough to snap over his shoulder.]

You don't get to call me that anymore!

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor flinches at the shout, coming to a stop several feet away from him. ]

Yu—

[ But he can't bring himself to say Yuri's name properly. It's giving up too much for him. He takes a breath instead, the sound of it shuddering. ]

... Why didn't Yuuri come with you? You didn't sneak out while he was sleeping or something, did you?

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri's already turning to tear into him again when he freezes suddenly, the anger in his face giving way to something softer. It's difficult to tell behind the mask, but he sounds confused when he speaks.]

What the hell are you talking about?

[fourlevels]

Did you tell him you were coming here in the middle of the night then? You must have, otherwise he'd be worried.

[ A beat. ]

Well, he'd be worried either way, but still.

[beautiful_monster]

[There's a long, hesitant pause, and Yuri finally lifts the mask. His eyes are red and bloodshot, still a little wet, in fact. And if Viktor hadn't been able to see how sloppy his hair was before, he certainly can now. It may be pulled back in a braid, but it's roughly done and there are stray hairs sticking out everywhere.]

Viktor, what are you saying? I haven't seen Katsuki since I left. Hasn't he been with you?

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor winces at the sight of him; he knew he looked less put together than he normally does, the hair being the most obvious since the rest was partially hidden by the mask. It's like Viktor was looking in a mirror, and even if he was sad Yuri was angry with him, he didn't want Yuri to be hurting like he was either.

He almost missed what Yuri was saying he was so concerned with how bad off Yuri looks, but he goes still when he finally processes it. ]

... What? Isn't he with you? He wasn't home when I came back from the rink—I thought he went with you?

[beautiful_monster]

[As if Yuri doesn't already have enough reasons to feel sick.]

No. No, I wasn't able to reach him, and then I turned my phone off... I thought... [that he'd sided with Viktor. They were fiances after all.]

He's really not at the house?

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor shakes his head, half in answering Yuri, half in disbelief and denial. His hand starts to shake while he takes out his phone, pulling up his contacts to call Yuuri. ]

He's ... he's not listed ...