sumarusfinest | An Invitation [tagging Verity Willis]

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An Invitation [tagging Verity Willis]

There is no pomp and circumstance as Katsuya pulls open the glass door leading back to his world. His home. Sumaru City. No witty mechanics or magics bar the path. One moment he and Verity are standing in the Nexus forum, the next they are facing the waters outside of the Konan Police department.

The noise is the first thing Verity will notice. The distinct hum of millions of people speaking a foreign language all around her. That being said most of the signs have at least made an effort to include English subtitles on them, to varying degrees of accuracy.

What little abnormality of this world is felt, rather than seen. As soon as Katsuya's feet touch pavement, there's a ripple in his senses as Helios scans the area for signs of demon activity. So second nature to him now. Like coming home. They walk past a vending machine selling soda, juice, cigarettes and beer--NasTea! the sign gleefully reads in sloping English letters that seem ill fitting considering the brand name.

It isn't until they are off the main road that Katsuya stops and gives his guest a small smile.

"Here we are. My home. What would you like to do first?"

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"It's no trouble." Katsuya reassures her even as he begins heading back toward the stone archway. "I didn't want there to be any misunderstandings, is all. Why I hesitated to use your name." The pronunciation didn't help, but it was a trifle by comparison.

"Are you not my guest? That makes you special." Katsuya gives her an apologetic sort of smile. "I meant no offense. Age has nothing to do with it. Height, however..."

The reassurance works, and she nods again. "Okay. Just. Please tell me if I do something that makes you uncomfortable? I promise I'll knock it off."

She'll follow him down, her heels click-click-clicking, hands out to her sides a bit to keep her balance. (Railings are amazing things and she misses them right now.) "I know. I don't think you're capable of trying to offend me. I'm not sure you're capable of offending me at all," she teases. "I could get taller shoes if you want. I'm not sure I could go anywhere in them..."

"I promise I'll let you know." Katsuya chuckles as he leads the way down the stone stairs once more. "I'm certain you'd know it even if I didn't, however."

"I don't know, I've upset quite a number of people in my day." With fists and pistol whippings, no less! Katsuya so doesn't look like the vigilante bringer of justice and protector of the free world that he once was. More like an office worker trying to stay trendy in this year's fashions. He pauses once they've left the stairs and glances down at her feet. Concern spreads.

"Please don't cause yourself discomfort, Miss Verity. I should have noticed. Would you like to ride to the sushi shop rather than walk?" Ever the gentleman.

"There is this face you make," she admits, "and it's not my favorite of your expressions." Which ones are her favorites should be pretty obvious.

She knows he's a hero, she hasn't forgotten the stories he's told her, but the idea of his upsetting people still makes her laugh. "Oh, how do you do that? Forgetting to say 'please' before you arrest someone?"

She likes his suits. For all she might tease him sometimes about being stiff and formal, she likes him the way he is. (A little softening around the edges might not hurt.)

When he looks concerned she looks down at her feet as well. "Oh! No, I'm fine. Really. These are everyday walking-around shoes for me." They're hardly fetish wear; they're not even on the extreme side of fashionable. But they are an extra few inches that nature had denied her. "They don't even hurt."

"That's just my face, I'm afraid." Not only does Katsuya rarely joke, when he does he tells old man jokes. Aww. He's trying though! Marks for effort?

Katsuya probably couldn't name the last time he'd worn something as mundane as a tshirt and jeans. He wore his suit to the end of the world. (Okay a few suits, he had to replace them once or twice.) He's not changing clothes for Space Hitler/God of Chaos/Nyarlathotep. Screw that guy. He has however noticed their gap in dress, and has as such left his suit jacket and tie back at his apartment.

Contrary to popular belief, showing ankle isn't considered fetish wear for Katsuya. He's had to deal with Maya Amano's fashion sense for years. His sensibilities have coped. If she says she's fine, he'll believe her.

Gatten Sushi is a small hole in the wall shop in one of the corner stalls of the Lotus Plaza. Across the street there is what looks to be a watch repair shop and an aromatherapy store. There are only a few tables, and most of the seats by the kitchen/bar are taken by regulars.

A heavier set man looks up from his newspaper and gives Katsuya a nod in way of greeting.
[Here to trade in information today, Officer? There's plenty of rumors going around.]
[Not today. Just dinner with a friend. Nothing dangerous, I hope?] When the regular shakes his head, Katsuya seems satisfied before turning to Verity and giving her a brief translation.

Katsuya takes them to a small corner table and pulls out a chair for Verity before sitting himself. As the menu is impossible to read, Katsuya points out his favorites--they have fatty tuna here, salmon roe, and eel dishes that are all superb ~~stat boosters~~ meals.

((I'll try to use brackets anytime I need to put speech in native Japanese to make it easier to differentiate.))

She kinda likes old man jokes. "Aw, but you have a nice face. It's so..." ~~handsome~~ "symmetrical."

Everyone should dress up for the end of the world. (She's going to be caught out in fuzzy slippers when it happens, but if it were nice enough to schedule itself with her she'd totally dig out her prom dress.) It's just good manners.

She's glad her ankles aren't making him swoon. If he were that Victorian in his sensibilities they'd have some serious problems. For one thing, she's never worn a corset and has no interest in starting now. As it stands, she's keeping up just fine. She'd have to hustle a bit no matter what kind of shoes she's wearing because he's so much taller.

These little places you can only find if you already know about them are usually quite good, in Verity's experience, so she's not going to complain. Then again, she and Loki started off eating dinner on his living room floor. She's not picky about the place so long as the company is good. And having never been before, it's only natural she'll be looking around a bit while he talks with the man with the newspaper, although she quickly looks back at Katsuya when he translates.

"You come here a lot?" She figures he must, to know the regulars. There's a brief hesitation while she works out what he's doing with the chair (Americans have terrible manners, and don't get her started on Asgardians), but when she sits there's a smile and a little blush aimed at the table. She's starting to see the appeal of fancy manners.

The chance to lean close and examine the menu together is definitely worth not telling him about the translation app on her phone.

((That's a good way to handle it, thanks.))

"I..used to." Katsuya doesn't get out much now that he's not hunting down demons in every side street in Sumaru. But man, when they were fighting they ate out almost exclusively. Actually, it's a good time to pint out another of Sumaru's odd quirks. "There are several people in the city who specialize in rumors. Hardly a thing to be wary of normally, but..." There's a moment here where Katsuya tries to word what he wants to say. "Rumors become reality in Sumaru, if given enough credence. It is not as bad as it once was, but the effects never have entirely left the city. Thus, it's become rather critical for me to keep tabs on the goings on in the various districts."

That's probably good enough, for now. He doesn't need to explain about running black market arms dealings if requested. Or boutique stores developing armor plated fashions. So they used rumors to their advantage a few times. It was a necessary tactic.

"The man I was speaking to is another Persona user." Katsuya adds. "There are more than you would expect in this city, though most lead rather normal lives." Really, pulling the chair out for Verity is a practical action. She's never been in here before and he noticed her taking in the place. He'd like to allow her to do that as much as she wishes.

The owner, Kankichi, is a thin gnarled older gentleman who looks to be in a perpetual bad mood. His face splits into a wry smile when he recognizes Katsuya.

[Welcome back! Nothing stirring in Rengedai, Officer?]
[Nothing to worry about, sir.] Katsuya turns to Verity.

"Do you know what you'd like?"

The idea of rumors influencing reality isn't the strangest thing she's ever heard. It actually makes a lot of sense to her, in a weird kind of way. "We are so lucky this didn't happen in the American South, then. The church ladies would rule the world. It'd be casseroles and Bible study until the end of time." Better she makes jokes than think about how to use this to her advantage.

Armor plated fashion is just a good idea, and it's really a tragedy the 616 never developed that. She'd feel a hell of a lot safer with some armor.

Just take her good opinion and run with it, Katsuya. It doesn't happen often. "So he's got somet--someone like Helios?" Being scrupulously polite is almost as foreign to her as the Personas and the Japanese. But for the right reasons, she'll try.

"Oh. Um. The shrimp? What are you getting?" She's too used to the American custom of getting one or two pieces of lots of different kinds. Picking just one seems so weird to her.

The implications and range of their effectiveness are devastating, but the idea itself does have a certain allure to it. Katsuya couldn't believe it even when he saw it, but years of dealing with the altered reality of his home have made him used to such things by now. It's how Baofu pulled him back into the Nexus, even.

It is really quite useful, and quite impressive that clothing designers managed it while still keeping their logos signature fashions. also made fighting demons slightly less lethal.

"Indeed. He awakened his Persona years before, when I was still quite young." There's an ~~entire game~~ intricate story behind this, but it's admittedly one Katsuya only vaguely knows through his contact with two of the first generation Persona users.

"I prefer the eel, myself." Katsuya smiles before relaying the order to Kankichi and settling in.

It's been a while since he ventured out to this district, visited the shrine. Walked the streets again. Helios stirs with the Resonance of the regular's Persona, giving the officer once again a nostalgic jolt of adrenaline, despite nothing going on. It was shameful to miss those days, even if only in passing. Terrible times, world ending times. And yet, there's a part of Katsuya that wishes he could do it again. Fighting demons with his allies, uncovering the truths in Sumaru's past.

Verity's not going to complain about something that let them meet. Not ever. Not even when it's rumors and gossip and other polite words for lies.

She may have to do some shopping before she leaves.

"How long have people had Personas?" She doesn't rise to the bait of talking about him as a child. He'd probably prefer she forget about that little scene. But there's a little smile, just a hint that she's thinking about it. She hopes the question doesn't bring up any upsetting memories for him. It's so hard to tell when she might bump into those accidentally.

She'll be filing away the preference for eel. It may be useful to know this someday.

There's nothing shameful about missing old friends and the woman he loves.

How fitting for Sumaru to be a city where lies become truth. Katsuya hasn't made the connection between his home and Verity's abilities. What must it feel like for her?

'I heard Rosa Candida is selling riot gear level armor in their signature style.' 'Really? There's apparently a strange noise coming from the Smile Mall late at night. People are afraid to go near.' 'Did you know you can buy weapons at Parabellum?!' Lies. Rumors spread throughout Sumaru. But truths as well. YOu could indeed buy weapons and armor. There were strange noises in the mall at night, a place where demons congregated to feed. They weren't the truth Before. But they are now. Mixed signals for Verity's powers.

"I'm not sure." Katsuya turns thoughtful. "We knew of a handful of users from St. Hermalin high school--alumni who developed Personae while attending the school. Several of them helped us during the fight to save the city. If it goes back beyond that...we don't know of it."

It's the action he misses, most days. Feeling like he was making a difference, the sensation of calling upon Helios. investigating warped places in Sumaru's dark corners, twisted by rumor, and setting them right. As right as they could be. He doesn't miss the world ending, but he does miss the journey. Especially when he's out in places like this where they'd rest and refuel before heading out again.

It's very strange for her, but she's experienced it before. (The Bugle has such a grudge against Spider-Man, and she's realized how the paper's convinced people to trust the stories instead of their own experiences.) A fair bit can be explained away as cultural dissonance and wrong beliefs, neither of which are unusual in a city like New York. But when their drinks come, she'll be discreetly taking some aspirin.

Thoughtful seems safe. Maybe this is a way into understanding his life that doesn't end with them both upset. "Maybe someone should start a club or something, so the more experienced of you can help the people who're new to it." It might do him good to have more local friends, and maybe even a chance to go out and save the world again. Or maybe he should open that bakery like they talked about.

"I could introduce you to some of my companions." Katsuya shakes his head with a smile. "The older Persona users I'm most familiar with are quite busy..."Understatement of the year considering one is a famous model and another is the heir to the most important family in the Japanese business world, but details. "Miss Serizawa and Ma...Ms. Amano live not far from myself in Konan. I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

Baofu has been hiding out in the Nexus these days, which is easy but also hard to locate since he prefers to do his work from the shadows. That only leaves Tatsuya. And...no. He's not going to open that door right now. Not when he's having such a good time.

The idea of younger Persona users is intriguing to Katsuya. He doesn't know any that aren't his brother's friends fro the Other Side. But he supposes it wouldn't be that far-fetched. When their food arrive the officer decides to switch gears a bit.

"IS it all that different from your world?" Katsuya would be lying if he said he wasn't equally as interested in the dimension Verity hails from.

"I would like that." She has no idea who they are and just has to hope they're not exes he's trying to make jealous. Normally she wouldn't even worry about that, but since they're both women... she has to wonder.

Verity doesn't speak Japanese, but she's learned just enough of the social niceties to offer a decent "arigatō" when the food is brought over. American accent is American, but she tries. "Well I've never been to Japan before," she points out with a little lift of her eyebrows. She knows that isn't what he means, but she doesn't really want to admit to all of this. "I'm not sure how much is cultural differences, the fact I'm in the past, or the inherent differences between our dimensions. I'd be pretty lost if you weren't here to take care of me, that's for sure."

You have to date someone for them to be an ex. So no. No concerns there. The only ex Katsuya has ever had was from an alternate dimensional Raccoon City and he hasn't seen her in years now.

"The language barrier makes things complicated." He nods as he splits a pair of chopsticks and digs in to his food. Normally he dislikes eating out (too critical of how they make their food when he can cook at home) but sushi is a rare treat and one he quite enjoys. "Is this the past for you?" Katsuya tilts his head to the side slightly. "I hadn't stopped to consider that time would also be different." But of course it would. Alternate dimensions.

Oh well, the object of unrequited hopes is nothing to worry about then. Except for how it totally is.

She takes a moment to appreciate her meal before she begins to eat. Well-made food should be enjoyed with all the senses. "It's 2015 where I'm from. Or I should say 'when' I suppose." So not the distant future or anything, but enough to make certain things awkward, like if she whips out her phone in public. "So not very useful, unless you want stock tips for companies that might not exist here."

She was just teasing about the stock tips. She'd give them if he asked, but she doesn't think he'd try to take advantage like that. "It's not so different, no. The brand names, the pop culture, but not the important things."

2015. Wow. Twelve years in the future. Verity would probably still be in junior high if she was in his world somewhere. It's a thought that nearly makes Katsuya choke on his food. It makes sense though. Hell, twelve years ago he was only in high school. It's bizarre to think about.

"Time discrepancies rather complicate things." Katsuya winces as though it was making his head hurt, before giving a small smile. "If you followed Japanese baseball I'd ask who won the last few series' just to hold it over Baofu's head." His best friend is a secret fan of the sport when he's not doing illegal information gathering things.

But the important thing is that, right now, she's 27. Near enough his own age to not matter, and definitely all grown up.

"Do they?" She had figured they'd just work it out. She's so easy-going about these things. "It's not that long." Twelve years. Almost half her life. "Does it really matter?"

"I don't usually follow sports, but I can find out if you want. I'd warn you not to make bets, but I'm sure an upstanding officer of the law such as yourself would never do something like that." Her tone follows the line between earnest and sarcastic so closely she might not even know which she's aiming for.

Right now Katsuya is thirty and decidedly content with that. Being a kid sucked when he was a kid. He isn't the sort to want to go back to those years. God no.

"It's just hard to wrap my head around, is what I mean." He shakes his head. "It's not a trouble, it's just bizarre to try and think through. I feel rather old fashioned suddenly." He laughs though, clearly he's joking.

"Hm. Best not to look then. I wouldn't bet, no. But Baofu would." It would not surprise the officer in the least if that was one of the first things Baofu had done when he'd gotten to the Nexus, if the thought occurred to him at all.

He was such a cute kid. But she won't try to bring any of that up. They can enjoy being adults together.

"It's the cute kind of old-fashioned," she assures him with a smile. "I'm just not going to think about it. Time isn't fixed, the future is always changing. It's better to enjoy what we have now." Which is such an odd sentiment coming from her. She hasn't had much in life worth enjoying, and she's kind of wondering where that idea came from.

"I'd look like a real idiot if something changed after your friend started betting." It worked in Back to the Future. It's a classic get-rich-quick scheme.

"It's enough of a chore to keep him on the right side of the law when he isn't abusing time loopholes through the Nexus." That's Katsuya's serious face now, but it's the nagging sort of big brother face more than it is upset. Kudos to Verity for being able to begin telling the difference!

It isn't until after they've settled the bill that Katsuya speaks up again. He looks a little bit concerned.

"I..I hope you enjoyed yourself today? It wasn't boring?"

She'll learn them all if he gives her a chance. Or she'll keep trying. She's going to remember that he makes this face and not that face if she ever meets this mysterious friend of his.

"It's been really nice. Thank you for letting me come and visit you here." She's a little disappointed that it sounds like their day is over, but it doesn't diminish her smile much. "I hope you'll let me return the favor someday soon?"

He's becoming more open to the idea. There are several points about the day that have stuck in Katsuya's mind. Some that give him cause for concern, and others that are downright pleasant. He's not sure why this is so different from the time they've spent talking in the Nexus, but it has felt decidedly so. Not a Bad Different.

"I'm truly glad you showed an interest." There's that hard won smile of his. Not quite the one he'd been giving back at Araya shrine, but closer. "Perhaps next time we could share a baking day?" He sounds downright eager by the prospect. "I keep a tidy home and have no one else living with me at present, so you'd be more than welcome over."

The Nexus is full of stress and crisis. Being stuck, getting LOLed, they don't put people in the best mood. Of course being at home where he's comfortable is going to be different. Or maybe he just finds her easier to deal with when she's dressed more demurely.

She does love that smile. Especially when it's aimed at her. "I would like that. But only after I get to show you something of my home. New York is a beautiful city, and..." ~~there might not be much time~~ "it's only fair. Please?"

How can he say no when she's asking so nicely?

Verity herself feels different today too, though. It's an odd thing, but not one he's concerned about. It's been quite a nice day, all things considered.

Katsuya is sure to get the door for Verity before they begin the leisurely walk back toward the station."I think that would be quite a fair trade...M..Makoto-chan." His voice had gone so quiet that it might have been easy to miss. But there's no mistaking the brief flush of red before Katsuya is suddenly very interested in looking at that cicada on the sidewalk.

"What is your favorite place in New York?" Nice transition there, Katsuya. She'll never suspect a thing.

An Invitation [tagging Verity Willis]

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The howling guy in that music really makes me wonder what kind of place he's taken her to...

The nineties man, the nineties.

It was a great time to be alive. A time when men could howl in peace.

Canon takes place in 1999. Katsuya's timeline is roughly 2003 given years spent in the Nexus.

Oh dear. Verity's going to be disturbingly liberal in her worldview to him isn't she?

He'll have to do some cross dimensional current events reading.

Poor man, trying to understand American politics. And Trump's hair.

No one is prepared for that.

Least of all the poor guinea pig.

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My spirit animal is a gun (and also flame kitty)

Mine is Grumpy Cat.

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