July Bonding

[sleight_of_hand]

WHO: Adachi, Akechi, Yusuke, Dooku (and open eventually)
WHERE: All porter cities.
WHEN: The month of July.
WHAT: Adachi's trying to make up for the dismal events of last month and do the right thing, but that quickly comes back to bite him.
WARNINGS: Probably torture; will be updated as needed.

[ A Meeting of the Murderers | De Chima | Akechi ]
[ It was Adachi's first time at De Chima's University, and he was already a little lost. Just being on the campus grounds was bringing back old memories, memories of studying endlessly, absorbing facts that ended up meaning very little in his real life. It didn't help that the building kind of resembled Todai, or the fact that he could see people trying to pass out fliers for different social events. He couldn't properly socially interact, but he could ramble about the Aoyama-kai and Mitani-kumi gang war for hours, and looking at this place only reminded him how much he failed in life. ]

[ He let out a breath after a moment, setting out to try and find the student cafe. It was definitely after one by the time he finally located it, spotting Akechi's stupid fluffy hair and sliding into a seat at the table he was at. ]

Sorry about the wait; wasn't expecting how big this place was.

[ At least it wasn't a lie. ]

[ Consequences of Failure | Heropa | Yusuke and Dooku ]
[ Adachi had taken his time after meeting up with Octavius, enjoying a few of the restaurants he had been meaning to and meeting up with a few former clients to check up on them. It was late by the time he stepped out of the Heropa porter, later than when he usually left the rink for skating, so he started home, hands in his pockets like he didn't have a worry in the world. ]

[ Never mind the feeling of being watched prickling at the back of his neck. ]

[ His eyes darted around as he walked, keeping up his casual air of just another late work night, but on high alert, slipping his right hand out of his pocket, ready to summon at a moments notice. ]

[ Why did he have a bad feeling about this...? ]


[ Other prompts will be available as these are resolved. ]

Comments

failure.

[lempereur]

[ Yusuke has been in a state of barely concealed panic for hours. He came straight home from work without telling anyone, and holed up by himself, thinking, biting his nails, weighing his options. He could tell nearly everyone in this world that he knew and cared about that it was time to find somewhere to hide out, but he doesn't know that for sure, and doesn't know if he was being watched or bugged himself, and if so, how closely.

He could run. He could tell Adachi to run. He could deliver Adachi to Dooku and call it over and done with. He could come forward as an accomplice and turn the attention onto himself. But none of that would keep the people Adachi dragged into this safe. That was the priority, over anything else. So Yusuke will do what he must.

Powers acquired by Constellation members for Constellation purposes were proving to be useful. Disguised, he watches Adachi through the reflection of his sword, until the detective is alone, at which point it is well past dark, enough for him to make his way around the edges of the city unseen.

Adachi is right, he is being tailed, from rooftops and tree branches, anything that would keep them from being on equal footing. When the darts come, with their unnatural glow dripping with a Metaverse sleep cocktail, they come from above, and they come in abundance. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi felt, more than saw, the impending doom coming toward him, and his card appeared on instinct, his hand already closing around it. Izanagi-no-Yomi appeared immediately, and Adachi ducked down, covering his head as a precaution as he heard his Persona swing his sword in a wide arc, the sound of lots of metal hitting the blade, pinging loudly as it was smacked away. ]

[ Something felt wrong, though; a dizzy feeling overwhelmed him, like something was trying to drag him into sleep. He glanced back, just in time to see his Persona smacking a needle out of his leg, dimly registering the pain from it in his own leg a second later. Adachi struggled to get back to his feet, vision wavering as much as Izanagi-no-Yomi was; he couldn't fall asleep like this! What the hell could even do that other than-- ]

[ ...other than another Persona user? ]

[ Panic registered in his mind, his immediate thought going to maybe those kids decided on what to do with him, and that was revenge for keeping his past a secret. It made him fight against the pull of sleep even harder, but no matter how hard he struggled, his body just got heavier. ]

[ Izanagi-no-Yomi fizzled out as Adachi hit the pavement, eyes fluttering as he still struggled to fight, before they finally closed. ]

[lempereur]

[ When Adachi wakes up, he should know where he is. Cold, mostly dead earth, clear but for the blown over trees exposing their roots, vulnerable to the whims of the rare passerby.

As he is sleeping soundly, Yusuke ties his arms behind him and around a tree, as far as they can reach, rope secured tightly around his wrists. It won't be comfortable in any way, he wonders if it would hurt the still growing limb more than the normal one...and tightens it further, in case it's easier to slip out of.

For a moment too long, he just watches Adachi, a sort of fine grit guilt tickling at the back of his throat as he wonders, again, if there is any way out of this. He knows, like he knows the charred remains of what he hoped his relationship with this man could be, that even a second is too long to wait.

Let your anger guide you, he tells himself, it will be the only way to go through with even this much, with the roars of protest starting to vibrate through his head. Somehow, half-voluntary, the hilt of his sword slams violently into his face. Didn't Hanamura break his nose, before? ]

Wake up, Adachi. You've been caught.

[ ...he can let himself feel some  satisfaction at the first one, right? ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ It was probably a good thing that his hand was more or less fully grown back by now -- at least to the point where the growing pains were few and far between -- otherwise that would have been another thing for Adachi to be pissed off about this whole situation. He groaned as he came awake, pulling himself together enough to shoot a glare up at Yusuke. ]

I-if this is... your idea of revenge, it's really lame.

[ Because of course the smart response to this kind of thing is to snark at the person holding him hostage. ]

[lempereur]

This was not my idea. It was Dooku's.

[ A gloved hand reaches up to double check that his mask is secure. His identity is no secret, not to Adachi, but his emotions can be. The cold ceramic feels secure. Fear and anger are not visible from the other side of it, just a cool, controlled exterior. ]

Somebody has been watching you. Or listening to you. Either way, they know that you have been talking. I have been assigned to deal with you.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi paused at that, staring at him like he wanted to call him a liar. At the same time, his mind was racing, and Yusuke could see that clearly in his eyes. He finds a weird fleshy thing, and all of a sudden Dooku knows what he was doing? Yeah, didn't take much to figure out what the "bug" was, and that was seriously gross. ]

[ He dipped his head, gritting his teeth. His lips barely moved as he growled out softly in Japanese: ]

Check your ears.

[ Let them think he was swearing at Yusuke; he doubted any of them actually knew their language. ]

De Chima

[cognitivism]

[ He hadn't been there long, lucky for Adachi. He should really be thanking him despite their contention for getting him out of his government issued apartment. After the encounter with the Phantom Thieves at the cafe he was loath to leave too much. The party was one thing, sushi is another -- but now he was meeting with someone on his level.

He folds the paper he had picked up, looking up at Adachi, trying to hide his contempt. He was still a little frustrated over their meeting at the beach.

He hated how he was out of his depth. ]

It's okay. The campus is rather large.

So. Where would you like to start?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi took a deep breath... but despite how much he was trying to remain calm, a bitterness was creeping up his spine. He forced that breath out, tapping his fingers on the table. ]

...guess I should start with thanking you for giving them spoilers. They totally took it so well, and didn't pay much attention to how much can change in two years.

[ Yeah, the bitterness was practically dripping in his voice. ]

[cognitivism]

You're welcome.

[ His words were clipped, frowning at his response. Could he really blame him for what happened? He was backed into a corner by Yusuke and of all the people he trusted to give the information to them was Akira. ]

I admit that I could have been more tactful but if you are to know about my history, they should equally be allowed to know yours.

I needed a level playing field somewhere.

[sleight_of_hand]

What history I got.

[ Yeah, he's still bitter about that. He tried to get as much information out of Yusuke as he could, but he still didn't know that much about this kid. Like motive. Or what the heck he did other than MURDER; there was still a lot he didn't know, but what he did know made him concerned enough to do what he did. ]

This is still hardly level. You know more about me than I know about you.

[cognitivism]

Only because I have read your file.

[ He waves it off, before he takes a deep breath. He wasn't wrong in that regard that he knew more. Adachi was not from their time line, and who knows what anyone else said. He drums his fingers on the table.

He wouldn't give him all the details, but enough to satisfy his curiosity. They both were detectives, after all. He could understand the need to know. ]

It's a... long and involved story. I hope you have time.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi's expression calmed slightly, and he studied his face a moment, as if trying to decide he was being honest. Finally, he sat back in his seat, waving a hand in invitation to continue. ]

Aftermath of Failure

[sleight_of_hand]

[ It was kind of weird, watching yourself "leaking" as you were dragged off. ]

[ Adachi was awake, if this kind of clinging to consciousness could be considered awake. He didn't really have the energy to lift his head, or help whatever that grunting noise was next to his ear -- probably Yusuke, trying to drag him to who the hell knew where. The only thing he could really do was stare down at the sidewalk as his blood dripped onto it. The kid had over done it, just a little bit; maybe it was dumb of him to trust the kid to make it believable, without actually doing his worst. ]

[ Where the heck were they even going? He couldn't lift his head to see, and there was a massive dark circle around his vision. Well, that was certainly from the fact that he was bleeding all over the place. Funny how they describe the things that could happen to you when you're suffering from blood loss at the academy, but actually going through it? Nah; it was nothing like what was described. It was numbing and made him just want to close his eyes and sleep. Sheer stubbornness was keeping him awake though, but he knew that wouldn't last long. ]

[ They stopped suddenly, there was frantic pounding, and... then he heard a familiar voice practically scream. It got him to lift his head then, managing a weak smile; well, this was a surprise! ]

O...open says me.

[ And that was about all he could manage before he slumped forward on poor Yusuke, passing out. ]

[codeoracle]

[One really couldn't blame Futaba for practically shrieking. No one ever expects to answer their door at some odd early hour in the morning to see a close friend supporting a half-dead body that was still dripping blood. She was entitled to scream. At least she had half a mind to slap her hands over her mouth to avoid waking anyone else that might be inside the apartment--honestly, she never knew when her roommates came or went.]

What the hell, Inari? What happened? [She hisses after taking a moment to calm herself down. But she knows why they're here. Yusuke knows her abilities, and Adachi clearly needed help--she just isn't sure she's better than a hospital.]

My room is to the back of the apartment, put him in there...I can summon Necronomicon out the window and that...should work. [Panic and questions aside, she can at least be relied on to get to the business at hand. She wasn't going to let someone die on her watch.]

[lempereur]

[ He went too far and let it go on too long. He knew that. He was told by Adachi himself to be unimaginably cruel and he was, even as every bone in his body and thought in his head fought him on it. But it was too much, too far, and Yusuke knew it long before it was over. By the time Dooku left, he didn't recognize himself, and he will hate himself for it for a long time. He already does, but there is no time to crumble, he's racing against the clock with a half dead man on his back, and after what seems like ages of screaming and pounding at the door, it swings open. The artist turned thief turned possibly murderer has never been so relieved to see anyone, ever.

There's no time to talk about it. Yusuke nods, brushing past her and towards her room, where he carefully drops Adachi onto the bed, staining the sheets almost immediately, but it's nothing compared to the state the detective is in, or even the familiar Fox getup, gloves missing and smeared in blood from mask to boots. ]

He needs your help. I need--

[ He sinks to the floor, panting. Or hyperventilating. Some mysterious ratio of physical exertion and full-blown terror has done a number on him. A blood-stained hand tears the mask from his face and throws it to the floor, where it shatters into jagged bits of ceramic. It's easier to breathe that way, with only a layer of cold sweat separating him from the warm summer air. But only barely. ]

I need to call Akira. And... [ Viktor? He has to know as soon as possible, and if he knows, Yuri knows, and god damn it he doesn't know what he has to do to keep it together long enough to make good on his promises, only that he has to. ]

[codeoracle]

[She trails after him, worry growing as he gives no answers for what has led to all of this. If it wasn't for the fact that she was hyper focused on what she needed to do now, she would be shaking at the sight of blood dripping to her floor, staining her sheets. If it wasn't for the fact that Yusuke was the one panicking in front of her, breathing uneven and his usual calm shattered, she wouldn't have the mind to hold it all together.

The green light, usually so calming as she settles into the suit of the Oracle, seems almost sickly now, colored by her own dread and terror as she watches someone who was usually a rock crumble in front of her as a man lay near death in her bed. She glances toward Adachi--a few seconds. She needed a few seconds and then Necronomicon would be called and he would be fine.

She crouches near Yusuke, laying a hand on his shoulder to try and bring his attention to her.]

He'll be fine...I can stabilize him and help him heal. I've got you covered like always...Call whoever you need to.

[She steps back then, moving to throw her window open. The green light is back, and she is sure there will be talk from anyone awake to see the UFO descending on her home. There will especially be talk of the tentacles that snake through the window as she starts running every health buff she can think of to make sure Adachi would pull through.]

[lempereur]

[ Yusuke tenses at her touch, blood running cold for just a moment, until he realizes that it's Futaba. His support, his guidance, his shield. He meets her eyes and nods, taking one great deep breath, a relative calm that should last long enough to make sure Viktor gets here, and long enough to burden Akira with the tasks he cannot handle.

She leaves, to do what needs to be done, and he reaches for his communicator, hands shaking enough to drop it once before gripping it strongly enough to use it. He's barking orders, which is unlike him, but there's no time to do otherwise. ]

[a little while later: SKATERS]

[fourlevels]

[ Once Adachi is more stable, conscious, and the others have had time to cleanup and breathe, there is a sudden, frantic sound coming from the front door. It sounds like ... clacking? Of something being scraped against the door over and over, soon following by the most pitiful animal whine ever.

Hope the silver poodle pawing LOUDLY at the front door doesn't wake the neighbors at the late hour. ]

[beautiful_monster]

[Along with the pawing at the door, there are a few firm knocks. It'd taken Yuri a little while to get himself together and then to explain to Viktor (and to convince him that no, he didn't know why they had to come over right now in the middle of the night, but they had to!).

Now that he's here he can barely wait to be let in. It's hard to keep from thinking of all the worst case scenarios that could be waiting on the other side of that door.]

[lempereur]

[ Yusuke's barely been convinced to wash his hands and throw some cold water over his face by the time he hears the rapping against the door. Which is fine. He deserves this. The stench of blood soaked through to his bones, the grime and the sweat that made his clothes stick to him, reminding him of the vow he broke, the ugliness he's unleashed - he deserves it all. There's no point in hiding it from them.

He opens the door, in disarray from top to bottom, standing aside to let them through. ]

Come in. Hurry.

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor's already trying to squeeze through the door before it even opens all the way—only to stop dead in the middle of the doorway at the new smell flooding into his nose. He was a dog the last time he smelled blood this thick too, and it was what lead to nightmares for months. ]

[fourlevels]

[ When the kids head to the shower and there's nothing useful Viktor can do in his current form, he noses into the room where Adachi is laying down, trying to be as quiet as possible. The smell of blood is overwhelming in here, at first making Viktor shy away as it floods his nose, but he shakes his head and approaches the edge of the bed.

Adachi might then wake up to a faint whining sound, a wet, cold nose touching against the arm closest to the side of the bed. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ The blood is definitely strong in this room; there's a trail leading to the bed, not to mention how completely soaked through the bed sheets and Adachi's clothes are. But Adachi is resting peacefully on the bed and not bleeding any more, though that may have something to do with the faint green glow and the tentacles coming in through the window. ]

[ A faint noise came from him at the feel of something wet and cold on his arm, and Adachi stirred after a moment, blinking his eyes open. He stared up at the ceiling, before his head fell to the side, a weak smile on his face as he caught sight of Viktor. ]

[ He lifted his hand, gently resting it on his head. ]

Hey, Vikkun. Don't look so sad, hunh?

[ Adachi's voice is just as weak sounding as he looks. ]

[fourlevels]

[ The tentacles are alarming, but they seem to be helping?? Viktor's not asking about that for now (not that he could like this, but that's besides the point).

Adachi did sound weak though. Didn't Futuba say she was healing him? Maybe she can only do so much with injuries like what he has; there's several point of blood on him ... Viktor licks the inside of Adachi's wrist, not wanting to tilt his head so much that Adachi's hand slides off his head. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi smiled, looking like he was in pain, probably a lot more main than he was letting on. He scritched behind his ears thoughtfully. ]

Are you checking up on me? Though you probably shouldn't...