sumarusfinest | Keeping Promises [For Schon]

"We outfitted ourselves by passing rumors that local establishment proprietors were involved in the black market and spy rings, giving them access to illegal weapons and tactical gear." Katsuya looks dead serious here. "I still buy my ammunition from a nearby ramen shop, and my reinforced clothing at a local department store in the Aoba shopping district."

That was how so many problems began developing. It wasn't just the demons and Nayrlathotep they had to stop, but every other crazy thing becoming reality by the terrified citizens.

"I fought Hitler in a mech suit, Schon. Yes, Anything."

"Consensual reality run amok," the thin man murmurs, half to himself. "Still, it offers you a way to strike at the enemy with his own weapon, should wit and nerve suffice."

Back to the idea at hand, though. "I ask again, was there some sort of tipping point? Did a rumor need to circulate for a certain span of time, or have been heard and believed by a certain number of people before it manifested?"

That part was always pretty hazy.

"Well...hm. We had a contact. A private investigator who would circulate rumors on our behalf. Then again, they were Devil Summoners. So they could have used their demons to facilitate the rumor spreading." Katsuya looks thoughtful.

"We passed the rumor that the Parabellum bar sold weapons the same night we were able to purchase them, so I would assume it was quantity of spread rather than duration."

Schön nods thoughtfully, thumb and forefinger stroking his chin for a moment. His next question may throw Katsuya another curve: "how distressed would you be if I professed an interest in securing office space in Sumaru?"

"Why, that would depend almost entirely on what professional reason you had interest in my home."

Officer Suou has this funny way of sounding serious but mostly nonthreatening....until he is concerned something under his protection is on the line.

There is fire in the officer's eyes yet. BUt it is a warning, not a threat.

"I'm no more fond of one of the players in this game than you, and it's not the one who gave you that new time-share on life," Schön answers. "I'm hardly one to move overtly, but if an opportunity should arise, well, I'd prefer to be in a position to act on it. Besides," he adds, with a hint of a smirk, "I find the atmosphere... homey."

An enemy of an enemy...Well, Katsuya's heard worse reasons. But it certainly doesn't make Schön automatically an ally. Then again, Schön did at great cost close up the portal to his world. It seemed to take a lot out of him. Whatever he was.

"I don't suspect I could do very much in the way to stop you." Having him close by would make the paranormal gentleman easier to keep track of. And he certainly wouldn't be the first overtly dangerous thing in Sumaru.

"...And I will concede that a great many of my information sources and business acquaintances are individuals you would have great interest in."

"You could stop me quite easily," Schön replies, leaning back in his chair and gesturing lazily with his free hand. "You could smite me with that brilliant weapon of your soul, or your trusty service revolver, or you could even go so far as to say 'no.'"

Sitting forward again, he concludes, "but all of that, of course, is up to you. Up to me is a question: who are these sources and acquaintances at whom you've hinted? Names and specialties will suffice."

"I do not resort to violence unless necessary." Truth, though Katsuya is a bit less trusting to non humans. He's trying to get better about it, but they have this horrible habit of trying to destroy his world or eat people.

It's made the officer a tad bit biased.

"I'm loathe to acquiesce to any request that might gain my world Nyarlathotep's attention once more." That is probably the summation of his opinion on the matter. If Schön being here would cause Sumaru trouble, then he is against it. If not? He doesn't see much of a reason to put up a fuss.

"Baofu is perhaps my biggest ally. He is a rumor monger and very well connected to the underbelly of Sumaru. His network is far far more extensive than mine." Katsuya folds his hands in his lap once more.

"The proprietor of Parabellum and the Manager of Candida Rosa are my primary sources for weapons and armored clothing, respectively. I go to an aromatherapy woman to help me when I've overused my Persona's abilities. Professional rumor spreading is left to the professionals at Kuzunoha Detective Agency. Detective Todoroki and Ms. Tamaki are quite skilled at it."

Who else? Katsuya furrows his brow in thought.

"We were assisted by first generation Persona users. Nanjo-san, of the Nanjo zaibatsu. One of the most powerful men in Japan and heir to the company. A Persona user with a strong sense of morals and duty. His old classmates from St Hermelin, all persona users, helped evacuate the city during the struggle with the god himself. "

Schön sighs quietly, resting an elbow on the arm of the chair. His thumb tucks under his cheekbone as he massages his temple with fore- and middle fingers. "Mr. Suou, I wonder that you can stand, laboring under two such grand misconceptions. That you may speak his name with impunity, and that this world does not already have his attention."

"Baofu... is a name I've heard spoken in the Nexus." His brow rises, a question implied.

Because Katsuya needs something else to worry about. He grows rather somber for several minutes.

They'd driven him back. Weakened him if nothing else, driven his influence from Sumaru. Averted the crisis he had posed.

Granted, not everything had gone back to normal. Rumors still affected Sumaru, though not as severely as they once did. Demons were still the occasional problem.

Was the God just biding his time? The officer seems quite shaken by the mere thought.

"Baofu called me back to the Nexus. He had taken up shop there." Katsuya nods.

Edited 2015-09-22 14:41 (UTC)

The Crawling Chaos is always biding its time. Or acting. "How did he call you?"

"Knowing Baofu? He spread a rumor that the doorway to the Nexus had opened again. It had been closed for some time since our last venture there. We made certain of it."

Katsuya gives a wry smile.

"He's the sort where the ends often justify the means."

"I know the sort," Schön replies, with an answering smile of similar wryness. "Why did he summon you?"

"...For my own good, probably. I haven't been overly social or involved for the last few years. Not since...not since Tatsuya and Jun left. Even with the freedom to do so, I didn't get back in touch with Maya, didn't even see much of Baofu."

"I worked and slept and that...has been about it." Hard to believe it had already been years since the incident now.

"Or he just wanted to see if he could. I wish I could tell you how that man thinks, but it's usually beyond me. He operates on 'why not?' a lot more than I understand."

"I see. Well, it is good to see you beginning to live again, Mr. Suou. What are your goals in life, at present? Your ambitions?"

"I have people I wish to protect again. Not...not just in Sumaru." Certain people. Person. Of significant importance.

"I think...for the time being, helping them do what they need to to be happy is enough for me. As well as keeping my home safe as it can be, of course."

Schön can't quite keep a knowing smile from his lips--he has his guesses about the whom, but he sees no need to give Katsuya difficulty over those speculations.

"Noble and generous sentiments. Those in your care are quite fortunate."

That's for the best. He doesn't need to know how obvious he is. It's bad enough he can't talk about it without going a bit red in the face.

"I wish I could do more." He gives a tired sort of sigh. "I have no intentions of leaving the Nexus anytime soon, this time. There's a lot...I could do there."

He's not sure he can give up his life here, but the appeal of opportunity in the Nexus is rather tempting.

"But I do need to be certain nothing like what happened before can happen again. I can't keep a doorway to the Nexus if the troubles form my world are allowed to spill over."

"What, more, would you wish to do?"

"...I wish I could stop terrible things from happening." In the Nexus? In someone else's world? In his own? "I wish...I could bring my family back."

The officer shrugs weakly.

"I can't find my family, and I can't stop worlds from ending. All I can do is try to be supportive to those who survive. And...try to keep my own world from meeting a similar fate."

"Be careful with that word, Katsuya," the thin man warns, his tone oddly solicitous. "In this game, those four letters are power, and such power carelessly wielded is a consequence you've already seen."

"Both words, you mean." Wish. Can't. Self fulfilling prophecies in this world, if handled incorrectly.

"Do you know...I considered once. Spreading a rumor about my brother. Seeing if it would make him come back." Katsuya's smile is sad now, as if Schon isn't even there anymore. he's staring at the photos on his shelf.

"I never did. I was...afraid of what might show up. Whether it would indeed be my brother or...someone else. I didn't want to tempt fate."

"That's a wise decision. It's been my experience that the magic which supplants someone's choices, rewrites their destiny... it's not for you. Hmm."

He sets down his cup, now empty. "What other rumors have you started?"

"I've tried to cancel out rumors that were spreading that would cause harm. Crime rings being taken down, yakuza infighting being a hoax. Anytime I suspected that rumors were creating trouble, I'd work with the detective agency to try and bring things back under control."

It's tricky business, manipulating rumors. And bad news spreads faster than good.

"I try not to though. I always feel...as though I'm playing with fire. Though not literally as well.." He's pretty much fire and bullet resistant now. Having a Persona has its advantages. He tries not to think about how much faster he would die if he were caught in a blizzard though.

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Thinking too hard about in-game stats is fun!