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Open Log

WHO: Adachi and YOU!
WHERE: All Porter cities
WHEN: Through the month of September
WHAT: Adachi's (desperately) trying to promote himself as a private detective. How good or bad this goes depends on who decides to ~~harass~~ ask him about it.
WARNINGS: tbd
NOTE: Please put the date and the city your running into Adachi at in the comment subject.

[ Throughout the month, signs start appearing just about... everywhere, in every porter city. At first there's just a few: on telephone poles, on community bulletin boards, in stores -- places you would expect to see notices. They're rather... crude, however, and that is a kind way of putting it. ]

[ ...in Adachi's defense, the most he's ever used a word processing program for was reports in school. ]

[ As the month wears on, it's clear he's getting more and more desperate, hoping to get some kind of notice, that the notices keep appearing... and appearing... and appearing in progressively weirder places. And there is a lot of them just about everywhere. If you're lucky, you might even get to see Adachi in the act, though he's definitely not in a very happy mood (especially when the noticeably prettier than normal people start popping up around the cities), and it only gets worse as the month goes on. ]

[ What's the worse that could happen if you talk to him? ]

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[Count Dooku considers himself to possess a particularly refined and discerning taste in matters of art. It has never been a particular interest of his, but cultural appreciation and patronage are expected of an aristocrat. When he sees Adachi's... attempted advertising plastered around town, it sets off something of an aesthetic gag reflex within him. This simply will not do.

Yet aside from the questionable nature of the flyers themselves, the number and location of them soon becomes encouraging. Adachi must be desperate, and Dooku can use desperation. It doesn't take the Count long to track Adachi down in Maurtia Falls. He approaches the would-be private eye as he's putting up his notices on a tree in a park (why, Adachi).]

Hello, Adachi. I couldn't help but notice your... marketing efforts.

[He holds up one of the flyers with a disapproving look on his face.]

I have some concerns.

[ Adachi had to fight to hold back a bit of a reflex of his own, involving a few choice swear words. Sure, he told Dooku to give him a call whenever -- the whole investigation into RISE had left a sour enough taste in his mouth for him to be okay with that. That calling wasn't supposed to involve Count Creepy sneaking up on him like that... and it totally was Dooku's fault, and not Adachi being absorbed into what he was doing. Nope; detectives like him are always observant of their surroundings! ]

[ He gave himself a moment to school his expression so he didn't look like he was going to snap the moment he opened his mouth, before turning around and leaning against the tree. ]

Hey, Dooku-san.

[ He paused, glancing back. ]

Er... what's wrong with them? H-heh...

[ ...other than everything. Look, he knows he's bad at this okay?! ]

[The Count turns the flyer to face him, raises an eyebrow as though seeing it for the first time, then stretches out his arm to hold it closer to Adachi's face like it was an arrest warrant.]

The purpose of advertising is to attract customers to your enterprise. Not to repel them.

[Dooku relishes what he has with Adachi, not least because he can be more openly nasty with him than the flattering courtesy he is forced to lavish on others who are less aware of his nature.]

I have been seeing these notices around the Porter cities for weeks, now. Tell me this: how many clients have you actually attracted?

[ Weirdly enough, if asked, Adachi would probably have said he appreciated how Dooku treated him, if only because the false niceties he had to endure spouting out of his mouth at first had gotten on his nerves. ]

[ He puffed up indignantly, looking like he was going to brag about how many customers his advertising efforts had gotten him. Instead he deflated, much like hot air balloon that had the air let out, his shoulders slumping defeatedly. ]

...does the old woman that asked for help getting her cat out of a tree count?

[ He sounded absolutely miserable, if only because he was. That was his first assignment in Inaba too: helping a woman get a cat out of a tree. Maybe he should just change his profession to cat wrangler. ]

[Dooku can certainly appreciate the value of a brutal truth. But he can also appreciate the value of sardonic mockery, of the kind he displays as he shows Adachi a half-smile:]

Well. All great detectives have to start somewhere, I suppose.

[He lowers his arm and drops the pitiful flyer. He doesn't give it a second glance as he lets the wind blow it away.]

I wish you had spoken to me about this intention of yours. I could have helped you. I have contacts with artistic gifts, and I know a thing or two about swaying an audience to a more agreeable point of view.

Yeah, and I saw how well that worked for you.

[ Look, threat of choking or no, if Dooku was going to be an ass, Adachi was going to be an ass right back. ]

[ The snarky sarcasm doesn't last for very long, and a despondent look crosses his face as he glances down at the flyers he still has rolled up in his hand. It's a pretty impressive stack, especially since it's about half of what he had when he started that morning. He's had it beaten into his head that relying on people was a necessary evil, and therapy was at least helping him feel a little more like a person, but why was it still so damn hard? ]

[ ...probably because stupid things like being an idiot and thinking he had made enough of an effort to date a girl only to find out no, that's not how the real world works was still enough to set him off. He let out an irritable noise at the memory, planting a hand over his face. ]

Fine... I guess we can talk about it...

[ For such a decently sized city, there was plenty of things for Aigis to explore. From the shops, down to the residential district. Many things caught her eye, especially those that were uncommon back at home, and certainly uncommon to her as well. Though it wasn't the unfamiliarity of just about everything that caught her eye at this very moment. Instead it was the copious amounts of fliers posted about.

Maybe it was out of a mere curiosity, but she follows the fliers til she reaches a part of town that seemed... Well, less than pleasant. Not that it worried her much in the first place. It was just peculiar to her. Pausing, she inspects one of them 'til she both hears and senses something. Glancing over, she spots Adachi in the act. Yet again the girl found herself rather curious, and thus approaches the man. ]

I have noticed you have placed many of these fliers about. Even in a section of the city like this.

It seems highly unlikely many would notice them in peculiar spots such as this.

[ She doesn't mean to sound rude, just... puzzled by why he would place them in such odd places. ]

Walk with me. We will talk.

[Dooku's not going to choke him, but he's not going to say 'please' either. Reminders of the election are not a fond topic. Dooku makes a beckoning gesture, then turns on his bootheel and strides off through the park without looking back, fully expecting Adachi to trot alongside him.]

Firstly, your advertisement does not identify you as an imPort. That alone would have generated interest in you among our 'fans.'

[ Adachi complied without complaint, pausing only to chuck the remaining fliers in a garbage bin as they passed. He stuck his hands in his pockets, almost like a sullen child, though the expression wasn't quite there for it. ]

Thought that was kinda obvious from the mention of only being available in 'porter cities.

[ Well, that and the name. There weren't that many Japanese natives around, right? ]

Guess I'm giving people too much credit.

[ Adachi didn't turn around right away, if only so whoever the hell it was that spoke didn't seem him make a face. He managed to keep himself from grumbling under his breath, before waving a dismissive hand. ]

Yeah, but there's always that cha--

[ He cut himself off as he turned, eyes widening in surprise. Oh shit; another person from that tower! But... well, she was the robot chick, right? She didn't exactly look older or anything... crap, how was he supposed to know what point in time she was from if she didn't age?! ]

Your name was... Aigis, right?

[ That was a pretty hard name to forget, even for him. ]

[Dooku flashes a sardonic smile over his shoulder.]

Indeed. If you make your marketing inaccessible to fools, then you will cut yourself off from many millions of potential clients.

[One thing the Count has in common with his downcast pupil: a rock-bottom appreciation for the intelligence of the common people.]

[ Adachi let out a rude sounding snort. ]

And yet, these are the people with money. Who let that happen?

[ He let out a breath; okay, fine. So far, so good advice; he shrugged his shoulders as best he could with his hands still in his pockets. ]

What else you got?

[ A brief puzzled expression flickers across her features the instant the man looked at her with surprise, and said her name. Another person that knew of her? She could only assume someone had spoken to him about her previously, but there was something that left her feeling doubtful at that. Unless she had been described to him, there would have been no way for him to know who she was, right?

Blinking, she nods her head as she goes to respond to the peculiar man. ]

You are correct, I am Aigis. I apologize, I do not believe I have met you before.

...eh? Oh... heh...

[ No big deal, he only stuck around a red headed psychopath while she was dangling from a cross. He probably shouldn't... actually tell her that; her fingers were apparently guns. ]

[ ...geeze, was he really the only one that came from after that tower? What a pain. ]

Ah, timelines are a little screwy around here. I'm a Persona user from Inaba; I end up seeing you Iwatodai guys some time in early twenty-twelve.

Who, indeed? In all my years, I have yet to encounter a society where stupidity is treated as it deserves. This 'America' is no exception.

[If the Count has his way, the new Galactic Empire will be a society run by the most qualified. Which is to say, the most wise and the most powerful- himself not least among them.]

You would also do well to include mention of your powers and talents within your advertising. Hinting that you have 'special skills' as an imPort detective will immediately elevate you above your competition.

[The truth of such claims being an irrelevant consideration. There's no crime in exaggerating some advertising, is there?]

[ Adachi snickered at Dooku's response. See, the guy wasn't half bad when he wasn't pulling the high and mighty card; he might even be someone he'd share a drink or two with. Maybe that could happen some time. He missed the nights drinking with Dojima... ]

[ The suggestion that he mention his powers made him stop dead, however, shifting uneasily on his feet. ]

Uh... all my powers?

[The Count waves aside the idea, not breaking stride, ignoring Adachi's sudden dawdling.]

Certainly not. Only those abilities of yours which might interest a client. Sharing too much would be rather unwise.

[Power known to the public is power known to one's enemies: a possible weakness. The Count has made a point out of concealing the full extent of his Dark Side abilities as an imPort, and would erase that information from his file if he had the opportunity.]

[ Adachi let out a breath, before hurrying to catch up. ]

I know I'm bad at it, but I'm trying to keep a lid on my Persona.

[ He was pretty sure things on the sub had been too chaotic for people to realize that Magatsu Izanagi was from him. And so far, only the bull guy had been the only one to really see him outside of the other Persona users. ~~Shame it doesn't stay that way.~~ ]

[ He paused a moment once he caught up to him, letting out a breath. ]

...dunno if being a graduate of Todai would mean much to Americans here.

[ It took him a moment, but he let out an embarrassed noise; right, Dooku wasn't exactly from Earth, was he? At least, that's what he'd inferred. ]

Ah... Tokyo University's a pretty tough college to get into in Japan.

[ Another persona user...? It certainly wasn't unlikely, but it was a surprise-- And her round eyes only indicate that she thought so. She found herself curious about the man, especially upon hearing more of his words. ]

I have been informed of such. It is nice to see another Persona user around, regardless of where you are from.

[ A finger taps against her cheek. ]

Is that so? No one has mentioned you before. Then again, I am not aware of what everyone remembers or not.

[ Adachi sighed at that. ]

No... it seems like I'm the only one this far on our timeline.

[ Which was good for him in some ways, really freaking annoying in others. At least none of them knew him by reputation yet! Or... knew him at all. That didn't bother him. Really. ]

I've talked to Iori-kun about this stuff, and apparently Kirijo-san is around, though I haven't seen her in awhile.

[Dooku smiles a little to himself when Adachi corrects himself. The boy can correct his mistakes- a silver lining within the cloud of self-criticism and doubt that hangs over him.]

A sensible precaution. That fire within you is your great strength, and will be all the stronger if your enemies don't realize you have it.

Your education may mean little to the people of this nation, but you can make them understand its true value. Explain that you are a top scholar from a revered institution in your universe. Let the imaginations of our 'fans' fill in the rest.

Eh, well, it wouldn't be a lie...

[ He shrugged to himself, lacing his fingers together behind his head. Not that graduating Todai had done him much favors. It had exercised his brain to near collapse, while the police academy did the same for his body. And he exceeded and excelled at both, been told he'd be doing great things and... nothing. He wasn't talented enough compared to the other, more social people. He didn't see how any of that was supposed to help him here if it was just going to be the same shit. ]

What else?

[Dooku's voice is a deep, insinuating purr:]

Of course it wouldn't. And even if it was, it is advertising. The people of this nation tolerate an extraordinary amount of falsehood in marketing.

I can also offer you a little work. Something to establish the credentials of your new business.

[ ...he really needed to stop talking like that. Adachi didn't know what it was, but some part of himself wanted to detach and run for the hills. ]

[ Mention of work had him perking up with interest really quickly, despite that. ]

Really? What do you need?

[Nonsense the way Dooku talks is perfectly normal and not at all perpetually laden with sinister implications.]

An investigation into the manager of my musical band: Alex Tode. I have reason to believe he has been skimming from our earnings. There are numbers which are not adding up. I trust you will be able to find the truth of the matter.

[Dooku already knew the truth, of course. He read the guilt in Tode's mind through the Dark Side weeks ago. It was unsurprising: he had specifically hired Tode to manage Countdown because he sensed a certain moral flexibility that might be useful to Dooku's aims. Ordinarily this embezzlement would have resulted in choking and a new manager, but that would have been shortsighted. Better to make an opportunity out of this: a way to test Adachi, and bind him more closely to the Count's agenda.]

[ Bullshit. ]

That's all?

[ Considering everything that Dooku had shown himself to be so far, something so simple as embezzlement seemed so... normal. It was almost disappointing, but... well, beggars couldn't be choosers. Looked like he was going to have to look into how within the law private investigators needed to play in America sooner than he thought. ]

[ Although... he cast a sidelong glance at Dooku that time. ]

You know, I expect to actually get paid this time.

Ah, yes. Which reminds me of one more piece of advice.

[The Count's smile is not a nice smile right now.]

Your advertising makes no mention at all of the cost for your services. Without a set price, your customers will not know what to expect, and you will have to haggle out the fee for each case that comes your way.

[He holds out a hand, palm up, his face full of concern.]

With such a situation, you could easily find yourself receiving a very modest fee indeed. Especially for an early, minor case, which provides you with the exposure you so desperately need.

[Count Dooku must be stopped.]

[ Adachi fucking hated that smile. It was the smile that made him wonder if Dooku was reading his damn mind, seeing how uncertain he was about all this and twisting it around his gnarled old fingers. Private detective work as Shirogane's thing, and as much as it made him bitter as hell, he knew he wasn't going to come even close to that brat in terms of independent skill. It made his fear of the whole situation coming apart at the seams and leaving him stranded and alone all over again. ]

[ ...and he just couldn't be alone again. ]

[ Still, he managed to pull himself together before that fear and uncertainty reached his face, focusing a sour look at the count. ]

Sheesh; it's called negotiation. You settle for something that makes everyone walk away unhappy until the results are in, and eventually you build up the reputation that leads to people not minding the two hundred bucks just for the consultation.

[ Adachi waved a hand, like Dooku being a creepy bastard hadn't bothered him in the slightest. ]

Geeze, Dooku-san, I would've thought you'd know that.

Edited (Skyla stop editing your comments.) 2016-09-28 02:47 (UTC)

[Dooku's smile shrinks down to a smirk, but the sentiment remains, pooled like ice water behind his eyes.]

Negotiation depends on your position, my young friend. And considering how little you have to show for all your hard work so far, I would say your position is terribly weak indeed. Or do you have no greater ambitions than getting cats out of trees?

[He knows Adachi does. It's part of why he keeps coming back to him.]

[ Adachi's eye twitched in annoyance. ]

Look, I did well enough in the police department here. Only reason I left is because I realized I wasn't happy with where I was working. You came to me once before for help, and I had to have done a good enough job that you're bothering with me now.

[ He folded his arms over his chest. ]

It may not put me in the best position, but it's a better position than you think.

Is that so?

[Dooku sounds amused because he is. It's always interesting to him to see which way Adachi will twitch when he's poked: when he will collapse and when he will bite. The Count decides that this little show of spirit deserves to be reinforced. It wouldn't do to have the boy sink too deeply into despair and impotence, after all.]

Perhaps you are right. Name your price, detective. I am sure we can reach a fair set of terms together, after a reasonable discussion.

[ Adachi had to pause a moment, admittedly a little surprised. Wow, he thought for sure he was going to be a cheapskate old man and fight him tooth and nail on that. He didn't expect him to yield, let alone tell him he was right. ]

[ ...what did he really want? No one told him he was right and meant it. ]

Well... for you, and considering how weird the economy is here, two hundred for the whole package; consultation and investigation. If there are any unexpected difficulties, we can talk after the fact.

[ He doubted Dooku of all people would have accidentally hired someone with mob ties (was there even a mob? Did he want to find out? Not really), but if he ended up getting shot at over this simple of an investigation, there was going to be a fee to go with it. Per bullet. ]

[Dooku is many things, but a cheapskate is not one of them. Especially now that he has established himself and his cash flow a little better in this world, through investment, marketing and consulting deals.]

Agreed, on one condition. You will receive the first hundred now, and the second hundred upon the successful completion of the investigation. I do not pay for failure, detective.

[There is absolutely a mob in Maurtia Falls- multiple mobs, in fact- but at least Alex Tode isn't tied to them.]

[ ...well, he expected to be paid after he finished the job, but if he was going to give him a down payment now, Adachi sure as hell wasn't going to argue with him. Instead, he let out a put upon sigh, folding his arms over his chest. ]

Fine, I won't argue. But it's not like I'm going to fail.

[ Sheesh, he was acting like he was a train wreck or something. ]

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