[IC] Persona - The True Self

[Sen]

Sato Hashimoto
// Cosplay Café

‘Saki’ watched as Shizu wrote down Mako’s order (Bunker Buster Cake Special, which Sato had absolutely know idea what it would consist of besides cake) and excused them both with a refined response. As Shizu lead him back over to the counter area (thankfully), Sato could merely pray that Mako didn’t figure out who he was. But he probably did, based on the way he was suspiciously eyeing him. He definitely knew and all he could do is hope that Mako would just never mention it. To anyone. Ever.

He rubbed his arm awkwardly as Shizu and the manager discussed his very first performance. Shizu apparently took his interaction with Mako as playing a character, which Sato supposed was better than just being a nervous beginner. The dragged-up boy barely paid attention to what they were doing or saying until he heard a familiar name. Hoshikawa Kenji. Sato’s neck snapped to look at the manager and was shocked to realize that it was in fact Kenji Hoshikawa’s face. While he didn’t anymore, he used to watch sentai stuff all the time as a kid and the only actor he really knew from any of them was Kenji. Sato bit his lip to prevent himself from smiling like a child. ”Wow,” he muttered.

After Kenji left, Sato turned her his attention to the cake that was placed on the counter beside them. It looked… like he expected. It fit the already zany theme. Shizu instructed him to deliver the slice of decadent cake over to Mako as she greeted some new customers. He nodded firmly and whisked the cake from the counter and over to Mako’s table. As he walked over to his master, Sato stole a glance at the customers that had just entered. And to his surprise, it was Alexai Dragunov, the fellow he had met in Drama, standing beside a younger-looking girl who Sato guessed was related to Alexai in some fashion based on the similarities between their appearances. Sato whole-heartedly expected yet another person from Drama to find their way to this maid café he didn’t even know existed before a couple hours ago.

”Here’s your order, master. Please enjoy.” ‘Saki’ set the plate in front of Mako. Under his breath, he quickly muttered something. ”_{Andpleasedon’tsayanythingaboutthis.}” The maid took a short step back, glaring at Mako without trying to hide it. What he wouldn’t leave for him to just leave. At least Alexai was being served by someone else, but this guy would just be a problem until he was gone, and it would only get worse as someone called to him.

”Saki-chan was it?” Sato turned to face who owned the all too familiar voice.

Kill me.

Sato stared at Akira. Why the hell was he here? ”You look awfully familiar, now, where have we met before? And even Akira recognized him. Or at least had an idea. Mako was enough trouble, so Sato conjured up a voice as feminine as he could muster, shied his face towards the floor, and decided to fully commit to this waitress thing.

”Hello, master! I am Saki, yes. I’m afraid we haven’t met before unfortunately, however. Would like to order anything? A coffee, perhaps? My other master can testify for the quality of it.” Sato replied, a cheerful tone tacked onto his voice. He nodded his head in the direction of Mako when he mentioned his ‘other master’. Ordering coffee meant that Sato had an excuse to flee from the scene and avoid any more immediate contact with the two boys.

[Pudding]

*Kitsune Inn*

The girls were dropped off at the Kitsune Inn by Ayanos' father. The inn itself was beautiful, very rustic and traditional. The inn was only a short drive away from Warakuma and was in a very scenic hillside, on occasion a taxi would drive past, so if the girls felt like venturing into town, they could use a taxi as transport. The girls exited the car, waving goodbye to the car. Chiaki really loved the scenery the lack of noise and strange aura of the inn was a lovely change.

The girls walked in the entrence and were warmly greeted by a geisha, they exchanged a warm welcome to the girls and escorted them to the mangmemt counter. The inn had been expecting them, the girls showed them their passes and they were given some elegant keys. They wood carvings that had intricate designs carved on to them, along with their room numbers. As the girls were taken to their room, Chiaki ran her finger over the divits of the design.

Once inside the room, Chiaki and Ayano began to unload their luggage. Within the room was a complementary bathing robe for hot springs. Chiaki was excited to spend time with her cousin. It had been so long since they had been together. As Chiaki unpacked some of dresses and a Yukata, she had a quick flashback to when her and Ayano were younger.

Chibbi Ayano and Chiaki Story

It was roughly ten years ago. When things were simpiler and Chiakis' parents were still together. Her family and Ayanos' family were having a day out at a park. The two girls were playing together under a large sakura tree.
"Aya-chan! Aya-chan! Guess what song I made up about you! One day, I'll become a big superstar and you can sing it with me!" Little Chiaki pushed her glasses back closer to her face, picking up a stick using it as an impromptu microphone.

"Aya-chan Rocks!
Aya-Chan is great!
She plays games and she eats grapes!
Heart pumping magical beat! Go!"

[Amaterasu]

Shizuka Otonashi || Cosplay Cafe || April 26 SUN

Upon approaching the two customers that had entered, she directly recognized the identity of the two tall foreigners. It was the Dragunov siblings. Unfortunate for Shizu, she was introduced to them as her usual self, Shizuka, rather than her cosplay persona, Shizu-chan. But thankfully, her face was always covered by her lengthy, dark bangs when she was out of cosplay so she can rest easy on giving her identity away, appearance wise. Before approaching the two, the blond maid cleared her throat in hopes of raising her voice pitch when she spoke lively, "Good day to you, master and mistress! Please help yourselves to a table of your liking!" After weeks of practice with her Shizu-chan act, the nervous waitress was able to keep up her act as calmly as she can but contrary to her outside appearance, she terribly panicked on the inside.

Once they were seated at a table, she politely took a bow and gave her introduction while handing the menu to each of them. "My name is Shizu-chan and I shall be your waitress for the day! These are our menus for today, for you see, our cafe offers a couple of new and limited items depending on the current theme. Unfortunately, we'll be switching to a new theme starting tomorrow, so few of our plates shall be taken out." Shizu spoke informatively without stuttering nervously unlike her ordinary self, facial expressions could give away how one felt after all so she was cautious when her bangs did not conceal half her face. She stood there, internally nervous as she waited for the two to scan over their menu to dictate what they would like to order.

Her eyes shifted over to 'Saki' to take a glimpse of how she had been handling herself from afar, to notice another customer had taken notice of her. My, how she was popular on her first day on the job. That was what she predicted earlier when she first laid her eyes on him as a potential cosplayer.

[EnterTheHero]

Mako Moritomi//Cosplay Cafe

Sunday, April 26th, 2015

==~==

Mako watched as "Saki" was dragged toward the back of the cafe, mulling over the information he had just acquired as he enjoyed his coffee. Emphasis on enjoy. They really know how to brew it here. As he watched Sato shuffle about nervously as he had a talk with the apparent person-in-charge, Mako wondered what was going through his fellow actor's mind at recognizing each other. A moot point, of course, as Mako had already since decided that whatever it was Sato was doing here, it was not his business to tell. Of course, conveying that to the already-terrified boy might be problematic, not to mention likely contradictory to keeping it a secret in the first place.

I'll... find a way to talk to him during the next Drama club meeting. Privately. If there... is one. The reason he had even come into the cosplay cafe in the first place came roaring back to the fore of his mind, and he prepared to take a long drink of his coffee to distract himself from it, scorched taste buds be damned. Thankfully, "Saki" was returning with his (surprisingly massive) piece of cake.

Oh my. Am I even going to be able to finish all of this? he thought, as "Saki" set his plate down in front of him.

”Here’s your order, master. Please enjoy.” said the maid, setting his order down as gracefully as possible. Which was very graceful, surprisingly. And then, lowering his voice swiftly and suddenly ”_{Andpleasedon’tsayanythingaboutthis.}” Mako quirked an eyebrow as "Saki" backed up a step, glaring openly at him.

Hm. Apparently my reputation isn't very sterling, as far as he's concerned. Quietly, surreptitiously, he nodded so that only Sato could see the gesture, before just as surreptitiously miming locking his lips and throwing away the key. Hopefully he got the message- no one would hear anything from him. Apparently satisfied, the maid went to leave, before a voice stopped "her."

”Saki-chan was it?” Both of them turned toward the voice, and Mako noticed as Sato suddenly stiffened slightly in shock.

Fuck. Clearly Sato knew the person chatting who had addressed him and... now that he was looking, wasn't that Alexei over there with... some girl?

Since when did this become the official Warakuma after-school hangout...?

”You look awfully familiar, now, where have we met before? And that tone of voice wasn't doing either of them any favors. He didn't know the other student, but from the sound of things, he wasn't going to hesitate long before using this little debacle to his advantage in some way. This is not good. To poor Sato's credit, he recovered quickly, spinning his earlier nervousness into a convincing act. No wonder he's in Drama. He's a natural at improv.

”Hello, master! I am Saki, yes. I’m afraid we haven’t met before unfortunately, however." At least "her" voice was much more convincing than some he'd heard. "Would like to order anything? A coffee, perhaps? My other master can testify for the quality of it.”

It took a precious half-second for him to realize he was referring to him as the "other master." To his own credit, he didn't think it showed before he reacted.

"Yes, indeed. Best coffee I've had in a while. You could definitely do worse than giving it a try."

[Haru Nyan]

Ayano Wakahisa:Kitsune Inn

"Thanks for the ride, dad." Ayano said as she closed the door of the cars and her father drove off in the distance, the girl smiled lightly as she waved in his direction. Turning around from the main road, Ayano took a moment to examine the inn itself. It looked quite beautiful, to say anything less would've been an understatement. The building nestled by a hillside that looked just as beautiful as the inn, there was very little noise, it made Ayano happy.

As they ventured inside the inn, Ayano was taken over by an overwhelming sense of relaxation and tranquility. It would seem that the games she played weren't exaggerating over the features of what an inn feels like. The interior of the building definitely looked ornate and traditional, it was like she had gone back in time, and even then the inn would've probably fit in that time period, thought the girl.

As they entered the room, the girl sat down and began to take her belongings out of her bag. Grabbing the clothes she had packed and folding them neatly to a nearby pile. "Hey, do you have an extra bath robe?" Ayano asked her cousin, she had forgotten to bring one for the trip, mostly because she never bothered to think about bathing in a hot spring. The girl kept on waiting for a response but got none, eventually she found one within the room, making the girl feel relieved. As she stood up to grab it, Ayano could see her cousin staring off the in the distance, her face nothing but a blank face. As she got close, Ayano began to snap her fingers in front of Chiaki's face, hoping to snap her out of her reverie. "Hey, Chi-Chi! You there? What're you thinking about?"

[SwordfishKnight]

Noboru Yamamoto-26/4/2015 Sunday

Noboru watched the spider advance, and then watched as Rui dashed in for an attack. He laughed at such fun, and joined in. He prepared his persona and dashed in as well, diving in with a Kill Rush. the spider halted momentarily, and Noboru gave out a shout to Matthew.

Hey, hey Matthew! This spider's weak point is really... Abdomen-able Eh? Maybe you should thor-ask it a question! Eh? Eh? Oh come on I thought that one was good for sure!

Noboru dashed back out, avoiding the spider's swing and letting Matthew prepare to get a blow in.

[Pudding]

Chiaki Nettu
*Kitsune Inn*

Chiaki snapped back into reality. "Oh goodness. I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was spacing out. I was just recalling to a memory of us when we were younger. The one at the park under the great big sakura tree. Chiaki grabbed something from her bag, gleefully showing it to Ayano. It was an extra robe she had brought, just incase.
"Yes, I do have another robe, you can use it at anytime you want. Actually... How about we go for a quick dip in the spring right now?"
To tell the truth, her muscke had been aching because if the training she had been doing with Noboru.

[Haru Nyan]

Ayano Wakahisa:Kitsune Inn

Ayano sighed and pouted the moment she heard Chiaki mention that particular memory. It was so long ago, yet the memory was still fresh in her brain...Everything was happier back then, she remembered being chipper and actually communicating with people back then. That day at the park was one of her more positive memories of her childhood, Ayano's face curling up into a smile and laughing at the absurdity of Chiaki's words back then. "Grapes, really? Heart pumping magical beat? Sounds so magical girl." She sighed and asked her cousin a question, "Do you think that tree is still there? It shouldn't hurt to visit one time, right?" As Chiaki handed the extra robe to Ayano, she made the mention of dipping in the hot springs, much to the surprise of the other girl.

"Y-You mean right now?" The girl's cheeks flushed red at the prospect of it, such an alien concept was foreign to her mind..."O...Only for a little while, okay?"

[itano123]

Matt watched the other two jump into battle with the bigger spider. They where Obviously more experienced than him though experience would never help Nobo's puns.
Though even if his puns were terrible at least his actions made up for them with the opening that was made.
"...That pun... is so bad it doesn't make sense... But don't worry I got this, when faced with a bloody big spider you gotta set it alight."
Matt summoned his persona again and hoped this thing had an aim function.
"lets hit the abdomen. [AGI]"

[I-Am-X]

Akira Kirigakure // Cosplay Cafe
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Golden Week

"Oh?" he replied in a skeptical tone. 'Her' cheerful tone sounded fake to him and didn't kill his doubt, not to mention the way 'she' looked down at the floor while saying it. Hiding something after all? Well, it could be that 'she' was simply shy and nervous, but about what? It seems kind of odd to see a 'maid' act like that in establishments like these. Could be an act as well, some people do like that sort of thing. And that voice....different yet... "I'll go with the Coffee." As he continued looking at 'Saki'.

His 'hunch' was gaining steam, he had an idea of who it was but that thought itself was just too hilarious to confirm it right away. Before he gave 'her' the chance to run away, he pulled out his phone. "You know, there's quite a few people in my club with a thing for maids and they talk about this place enough but just never have the time to drop by. You won't mind if I take a few pictures, would you? Of course you wouldn't." He pushed it along, not giving 'her' a choice in the matter as he snapped off a few photos with his phone. "Oh, I'm sure they'll love these. Thanks." He smiled as he put his phone away.

[Sho Minazuki]

Enchanted Woodland
26/4/2015 Sunday

With the concentrated attack of Kill Rush, Agi and Garu, the spider was forced to back away while Kami moved in to form the front line and used Mazio to thin out the spiders again as another small stream came in. The spider seemed to be weak to the Agi though, but at the same time the fire was burning away bits of the web. The Maragi from earlier made the web floor a little more buoyant, but the area around where the Agi hit, was starting to clearly burn away. This wasn't a good thing for the spiders either, the webbing began to spread again. The larger spider was furiously working on it as the smaller ones tried to keep the team at bay.

"Your attack forced it back, but my Persona indicates that it took almost no damage... Maybe try burning away the web that supports it?", that sounds like a pain... And a tricky fight too. Their attacks did no damage, but it seems to be frantic about keeping the web intact...

"Alright... Matthew, burn the ground it stands upon. Me and everyone else cover him", Rui stated.

[itano123]

It seemed the groups attacks had been somewhat successful but wasn't enough to do any real damage. When Rui stated what they should do next Matt smirked and got ready to attack.
"I can do something simple like that. All I gotta do is burn, burn, BURN BABY [MARAGI]" Matt meant to focus on the web underneath the spider but he thought that if he used a more wide ranged attack it would be more successful in burning away the webbing.

[Sen]

Sato Hashimoto
// Cosplay Café

Mako playing along was a relief, at least. But it was also not a relief that Akira stuck around still, deciding to order the coffee (possibly) due to their recommendations. Sato nodded and pretended to write it down on a piece of note paper. He brushed past Akira to go place the order, but as he did so, Akira whipped around with his phone in hand and camera already snapping. Sato retaliated by ripping himself away from the boy, making sure to display his disgust with his behaviour obvious. Of course he minded, and it was at that moment he confirmed that Akira knew it was him. Or at least was rather confident. Still, he had pictures to prove it. Hopefully Shizu’s make-up talent would discredit the photo if Akira were to show it to anyone.

Sato returned to the two teens once the coffee was prepared, and he set the steaming cup in front of Akira. As he stepped forward to set the coffee down, Sato stomped with a subtle ferocity on Akira’s foot. ”A-ah! Sorry, master! Please enjoy your coffee!” Despite the intentional attack, Sato acted out an apologetic demeanour as well as he could before backing off.

[Sho Minazuki]

Enchanted Woodland
26/4/2015 Sunday

Matthew's flames began to spread rapidly around the spider shadow, which began to stagger trying to regain it's balance. This was their chance. Rui summoned Askr once more and initiated to cleave the web that was weakened by the fire, opening it up and causing the spider to begin falling, but it was not enough. Kami and Noboru also summoned their Personas, and pummeled the spider into the abyss below. After some moments they could hear a thud, before Megumi confirmed with them.

"That's it, it's been defeated. Good work everyone".

---

The group moved on into the forest, the shadow encounters calmed down a little as they approached a... Desolate area. No leaves, no grass, and what appeared to be homes carved out of hollows in the trees around them, it was unsettlingly quiet, as they got closer, phantoms began to appear, like a ghostly image of a great city. The party could walk through their apparitions, that would go on with their daily lives like normal.

"... This is unsettling...", he commented. A large sign did stand out however... "The Greatest Play of the Century! Midsummer Night's Dream, starring Leiko Hamada as Titania herself!". Rui wasn't surprised. That's the one who was reported missing after all.

"I'm feeling a strong signature ahead... Act with caution"

[Diabolicalrhapsody]

Alexei Dragunov

Alexei took the menu from the so-called 'Maid' that offered to be their server for the day. He went through the menu which had a lot of weird names on it. Surely the manga influence was heavy on it while Elena mischievously eyed the waitress, she was sharp that way.

"I feel that I have seen you somewhere." she suddenly said to the waitress, with a shrill note to her voice marking her excitement.

"You..you are that girl I bumped into at the shopping district the other day, right?" she said pointing out at which Alexei kept the menu aside and looked at the duo.

"Ellie! don't trouble the lady. I'm sure if she was the same girl she would have greeted us differently. I'm sorry, miss. She can be excited some times. I'd like this Nuclear Wasteland and a fruit beer along side. Here look at menu." he said passing the book at his sister.

"I'll have the same." she said without glancing at the menu before staring straight into the eyes of the server. "I'm suuuurrre. Well, anyways. You look better this way." she plopped down with a audible thump and started looking around, seemingly losing interest in the little encounter. Afterall, if the maid wanted privacy regarding her identity, Elena was the last one to blow her cover.

[SwordfishKnight]

Noboru Yamamoto-The World is a Boxing Ring

They walked through the forest exploring the trees and looking at the phantoms. Boooooooooring. When was the next bit of fun gonna happen? Noboru spoke up to the group.

Come on guys. When's the next fight? I'm really feeling it today and it's time to beat up a bunch of jokers. Let's get to it.

Megumi spoke up and warned them about the strong signature ahead. Noboru let out a hardy laugh.

Come on ya spoony bards! Let's show this 'strong' foe who really is the strongest! And can tou hear me Leiko?! Tell that damn shadow to start begging for mercy now! It won't be able to do it when my arm is around its throat! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Let's get it guys!

[Kissu]

-Sunday 26th May, 2015: Midday

Saya Ueno: Ueno Residence

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Tick...

The monotonous sound of the clock hand clicking past each number filled the barren silence that consumed the young teenage girl as she sat in front of her desk, eyes gazing vacantly out of her window. An ugly purple bruise had blossomed on her right cheek, and red bags appeared under her eyes from excessive rubbing and lack of rest.

It had been five days since Leiko had gone missing.

Saya did what she could. She really did. She was found unconscious in a back alley by a neighbour and taken straight to hospital where she had stayed for three days. The police had interviewed her, and she tried to recount the incident as best she could. She'd estimated at least ten people had surrounded them that night, and they were all wearing strange robes. She couldn't see their faces, couldn't hear their voices or understand their intentions. They attacked her, left her for dead and taken Leiko somewhere. That was all she knew.

She could tell the police were disappointed with the amount of information she had to give, but their dissatisfaction was nothing compared to how she felt. She kept reliving the moment over and over in her head, kept seeing the look of horror and fear in Leiko's eyes before everything went dark...

"Dammit!" Why couldn't she remember? Why did she have to be such a useless, worthless piece of-

"Saya? Honey?" Her mother's concerned voice sounded from behind her close door, trepidation clearly evident in her tone. Everyone had been treating Saya like she was some kind of broken vase since she was discharged from the hospital. One touch and she would shatter. Maybe they were right.

"I'm fine. Sorry." Saya's response in turn was hollowed and lifeless, so different to the usual boundless energy she carried about her. She felt utterly helpless. Her best friend, the one who had dragged her from that dark part of her life...was gone.

And more than anything...she had felt relieved.

Relieved that at least it wasn't her.

Her stomach started to churn again, reminding her that she needed to eat, but she ignored the sharp pains in her abdomen and glanced over her modest amount of 'Get Well Soon' cards with a look of guilt. Quite a few of her friends had visited her in the hospital, but she couldn't look any of them in the eye. After all...it was her fault that Leiko was gone.

She heard her mother sigh softly from the crack of her door before leaving, which prompted Saya to slink back to her bed in a half-hearted attempt to fall asleep. It wasn't like she was in the mood to go out and do anything for Golden Week anyway. What was the point, knowing that Hama-chan was still missing?

"Please...please be okay..." Her prayers were hoarse and laced with doubt, but the will in her heart was as hard as granite. Leiko was the strongest person she knew. She had to come back. She needed her. They all did.

As Saya's head flopped back against the pillow, a streak of yellow caught her eye. Blinking a bit, the girl reached over and fished her phone from the crevice in between the bed and the wall, before looking down at the strap dangling from the device. The name 'Leiko' had been embroidered into the fabric, along with the phrase 'Best Friends' adorned on the other side.

It was the last thing Saya had given her. And it was so childish. How could she even dare to call herself her best friend, when she failed to save her? What good was she, holed up in her den, watching the days pass as her friend's life hung so delicately in the balance?

Saya was never one to give up without a fight. Leiko had always made fun of that aspect of Saya's personality, calling her foolish or naive.

And she wasn't going to give up now. Not on her.

"Hang in there Hama-chan...", she whispered, thumbing the phone strap fondly before reaching for her coat and looking once more towards the window.

This time, she was going to be there for Leiko, no matter what.

---

Leiko Hamada: ????

It smelled...nice. That was the first sensation Leiko was aware of as her eyes started to flutter open, the smell of earth and pollen drifting through her nose. Her vision was still hazy from her slumber, but as her head started to lift up from the flowerbed, she became more acutely aware of the sprouting bulbs and sprawling roots at her feet. She was in...a forest? But it was too... breathtaking to be the same woods near Warakuma. Too full of life and colour and vastless beauty...

Leiko shook her head to dispel the cobwebs in her own mind and reminded herself of her situation. She had been attacked by those strange hooded figures, she had seen them strike Saya down and then-

"Saya!" Leiko cried out as she suddenly remembered her friend suffer a painful blow from one of those figures, the memory prompting her to look around wildly for any sign of her closest friend, but all she was greeted with was an endlessly dense thicket of trees from all directions.

Wherever she was, it seemed that Leiko was a long way from Warakuma.

"Hello?" Leiko called out to the unsettling silence of the woods, her voice echoing aloft amongst the trees. No response. Perfect. So she had been dumped in some strange woodlands, with no sight of her friends or any other kind of life. Well, maybe there was a small blessing in that fact. At least the perpetrators weren't in sight, and she appeared to be in one piece.

"I need to get out of here...", Leiko whispered to herself, unease creeping in at her predicament as she took a step out of the flowerbed that had cradled her. She didn't know why, but there was something unsettling about this place, beneath the tranquility and delicate beauty. Was it because she was alone? Scared?

No, of course not. She'd find her way back, and then she would report straight to the police. She would find Saya, and then she would make sure those guys paid...

First things first. Would she get reception here? Her hand slid down to her breast pocket to find her phone, but a quiet, strong voice stopped her immediately in her tracks.

"Swift as a shadow, short as any dream..."

Leiko recognised the words instantly. How could she not, when she picked the very same Shakespearean verse for auditions that year? But what really caught her attention was the voice who spoke them. The delivery of the words were strange, almost...detached and lonesome, like a lament. And that voice...was hers.

Leiko could feel her eyes widen at the recognition, her body trembling from the shock of hearing her own inflections as the voice continued to perform. Who was that? Was someone pulling a trick on her?

There was only one way to find out. Sensible plans of escape long forgotten, Leiko gave chase into the thicket, leaves and branches snapping under her heels as she listened fervently for the voice that mirrored her own. She could feel the brambles snag at her sweater and cobwebs tangle in her hair, but she didn't stop. And the voice grew ever clearer until-

"So quick bright things come to confusion..."

The smell of rot reached Leiko's nose as she stepped into a clearing, decay and barren waste laying at her feet. This place was different to the rest of the woods, so disjointed and repulsive. Leiko wanted more than anything to turn heel and return to the flowing rivers and flowers and bountiful nature. Not...this.

What changed her mind however, was the sight of a regal figure, sitting crosslegged on a throne of gnarled branches and twigs. Her hair was long , cascading in caramel rivelets down past her shoulders, and a wreath of flowers crowned her head. Her fingers were long and elegant, every curve a mark of feminine perfection. Only her pointed, elven ears and golden eyes betrayed that the woman before her was far from human.

What truly caused Leiko to balk was the most noticeable feature of all.

"Hello, Leiko. Or rather, me?" The woman laughed unsettlingly, Leiko's face frozen into a look of utter disbelief and horror. " How foolish to greet oneself so openly. Did you enjoy my soliloquy?"

Leiko's scream was loud enough to rumble through the earth, drowned only by the crackling laughter of the creature before her.

[Reaper]

Jun Himura // 26 April // Himura Residence

"Anego-sama, please try not to look so gloomy." Her driver managed to say with a pained expression as he started the car. "Not many people get to spend the weekend at the Kitsune Inn just at the drop of a hat."

Jun glanced at the reason for her dour expression, a message on her phone.

I'm sorry, but my parents found out and they're grounding me!

The girl she had been planning to bring along to the inn had canceled on her at the last minute. Her parents had somehow found out who she was going with and forbade her from meeting Jun at her place that morning. It had to be his doing. Jun wasn't going to be anywhere near Tokyo. If that man thought he could turn her straight by denying her ability to sleep with girls, he was sorely mistaken.

Jun sighed, glancing at her driver through the mirror. "Takashi-san, I've reminded you countless times that it's either Jun, Himura-san, or -sama if you're trying to be really respectful. Anego is nothing but an insult to me." She was picking a fight with the man, but she didn't care. Her driver was a nice guy, but he was paid by her father. So, he was securing his job by refusing her requests to address her as anything less than her position. A sore reminder of her cage.

"Honestly, he's only going to be there for a night to meet with his 'business partners' but for some reason I need to be there." Jun whined, seeing as how she was stuck on the hour long journey up the mountain, she might as well gripe about it to the only person who couldn't get away from her. Apparently the yakuza owned the inn and met there on occasion, so nobody would dare do anything to her on the way.

Kitsune Inn // Afternoon

The manager personally saw Jun to her room, which for some reason had a katana and full set of dogu in it. Jun figured out what she was here for immediately. "A contest of power." She sighed. Well, if she was going to be used as a pawn, at least it was in a way that allowed her to vent. She felt sorry for her opponent.

"Your father wants me to tell you he will be arriving in the evening with his guests, and to be ready by then." The manager informed Jun before leaving with a bow. Jun changed out of her suit and into a yukata, which she figured was preferable to maintain her image in front his friends.

"Which means if I want to enjoy the hot springs without worrying about sleazebags walking in on me, I should do it now. Got it." She replied, drawing a gasp from the manager about how disrespectfully she was talking about her father and his associates. She would normally have kept the comment to herself, but she was irritated.

Jun dropped her bags off and changed into a yukata, bringing the supplied bath towels with her and heading to the springs. "Hey, could you bring me something cool to drink?" She requested of one of the staff passing her in the corridor before stepping in to the changing area.

She wasn't expecting anyone to walk in, so Jun stripped down and entered the shower area to wash herself before stepping into the hot water, her back bare to the entrance and her dragon tattoo visible to anyone who came in.

[EnterTheHero]

Mako Moritomi//Cosplay Cafe

Sunday, April 26th, 2015

==~==

Mako almost thought, for a brief moment, that Sato was in the clear, thanks to their collective improvisation. Up until that asshole snapped a number of pictures. And Mako had little doubt what the bastard was going to do with those pictures. Which meant whatever reputation Sato had was quickly going up in flames.

Mako felt a spike of hot anger lance through him toward the smugly-smiling bastard as he put his phone away like nothing had happened at all, and he had to try very hard not to simply walk over to him and beat his face repeatedly. It would set a bad precedence for his return visits if he did that, after all. He watched Sato walk away to grab the jerk's order, his sympathies extending to the put-upon "maid." He took a deep, hopefully calming breath, then a sip of coffee, then cleared his throat in the other patron's direction. "Excuse me," he said, the rage he felt somehow not edging into his voice, "but there are clearly signs that clearly say, 'No Photography.' You should probably take those pictures off of your phone if you don't want to get in trouble with the establishment. Just a thought."

He glanced back as Sato returned with the other patron's order... then had to try extremely hard not to burst out laughing as Sato stomped subtly (but still very hard) on the patron's foot. As it was, his suppressed laugh was still pretty noticeable if anyone had been bothering to watch him. Still, as enjoyable as that was to watch, it was unlikely to dissuade the patron from doing whatever it was he intended to do with those photos. Mako frowned again as his short-lived enjoyment at Sato fighting back faded away, to be replaced by the slow-simmering anger.

I can't let him keep those photos. I've got to do something. But what?

[Amaterasu]

Shizuka Otonashi || Cosplay Cafe || April 26 SUN

As the Dragunov siblings each did their own thing, the older brother glancing through the menu and the younger sister... eyeing Shizu suspiciously? The waitress steadily kept her calm composure by taking in breaths and flashing a gentle, welcoming smile towards the younger one as if nothing was wrong. Yep, nothing was definitely going wrong, or so she thought, at least to her knowledge. The subtle conflict which was going on over at the other table was subtle enough that the blond maid did not notice a thing for now.

"I feel that I have seen you somewhere." The calm composure the maid had kept up to this point cracked slightly as she replied with an accidental stutter. "S-Shopping district the other day? *Coughs* I'm afraid I can't recall such memory as of the moment, I do apologize. But I was involved in an incident there another day, an embarrassing one in fact, perhaps you've seen me then?" The latter statement was indeed true, but Shizu definitely remembered her encounter with the siblings exactly a week ago. Such kindness and the unique characteristics they held stood out in her memory since this doesn't happen everyday, a pair of foreign siblings, who speak fluent Japanese, generously and skillfully assisting her in a middle of a busy crowd.

Just as the blonde had defended herself, Alexei cut in to have a little scolding for the younger sibling while justifying that she was not the same girl that she was talking about. Shizu felt a little guilty about hiding the truth from them to the lengths of a white lie but it had to be done. In response, an awkward smile was plastered on her face as she just nodded in agreement while scribbling in their orders. At this point, the cosplayer was pretty sure Elena had an idea that she was indeed, Shizuka, but her comment about how her appearance was 'better this way' made her face light up into a genuine, bright expression. "I'm unsure as to what you're speaking of, mistress, but I greatly appreciate your compliment! And as for your orders, 2 quantities of Nuclear Wasteland and 2 quantities of fruit beer. Please await for your orders and I will be back with them in a moment's time." With a swift bow, the waitress left their side and to the counter area.

As the orders were being prepared, Shizu decided to check up on the new, temporary server to hear clicks from a phone and spotted one of the customers presumably taking photos of Saki. Seeing as it was a violation of one of their rules of the cafe, she approached the customer with the toy rifle in her arms and pointed it towards the male student. "Excuse me, master! If what Moritomi-sama had just said is true, then I must inform you that we indeed do not allow photography of our waiters and waitresses unless proper permission has been granted from the said server! Even then, as common cosplay cafe standards apply here as well, each photo will come with a fee. If all of the above do not apply, I humbly ask you to rid of them, master!" Even after the short lecture, the maid lifted one of her hands from the rifle and saluted the master in a playful manner with a silly smile in hopes of cooperation from the customer.

Just after the fuss that had transpired, the bell rang to alert employees of food being at the counter, so instinctively, the blonde turned her gaze momentarily to see the chocolate brownie cake covered by a toxic green hued frosting topped with a petite, grey nuclear bomb fondant decoration. At the cakes' side were a pair of glasses filled with orange-y pink liquid signifying some sort of berry flavoring. They were the Dragunov siblings' orders! Seeing that Saki was making her way back to their current master, the waitress strapped the rifle back on her back and bowed to the two customers with an 'Excuse me.' and patted the other waitress on the shoulder as a good luck with an upward curve on lips. After fetching the orders from the counter and returning to the siblings' side, Shizu carefully settled their orders in front of them as gracefully as she could manage. "Here are your orders of Nuclear Wasteland and fruit beer, master and mistress! I hope they will suit to your tastes!"