Keeping Promises [For Schon]

[sumarusfinest]

True to his word, Katsuya makes his way to the more quiet ends of the Nexus once he has a semblance of a plan in place for constructing a memorial for the casualties of the demon invasion that stemmed from his home.

He takes a seat near the newly made door to his world, trying hard not to overthink what is about to transpire.

Comments

[sumarusfinest]

"...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."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"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."

[sumarusfinest]

"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."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"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?"

Thinking too hard about in-game stats is fun!

[sumarusfinest]

"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.

It really is.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Caution is often the prudent path, Mr. Suou," Schön confirms. "What does the detective agency tend to ask of you, in return for these services?"

[sumarusfinest]

"You'll find it pretty boring." Katsuya warns. "Money, mostly. They need to eat and survive as much as the rest of us. I trade in information occasionally."

Sometimes a duck is just a duck. The modern world demands people have some way of earning a living.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"There is something to be said for the reliable," he muses. "Hmm. On that note, what is a sergeant's pay like at the Sumaru P. D?"

[sumarusfinest]

"...Modest." Katsuya doesn't deny it. It doesn't help that he's still setting aside most of his paychecks for. Well. Wishful thinking, at this point.

"And funding my...extra curricular activities isn't exactly cheap. My money goes toward bills, a college fund for my brother, and keeping the city safe."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Hmm. Speaking hypothetically, if I were to make an effort to open shop in Sumaru, and if you opted not to oppose my doing so, might you be interested in an honorarium, in exchange for, oh, making a few introductions, dropping me a line if anything interesting to us both should happen across your desk, that sort of thing?"

[sumarusfinest]

"You wouldn't hypothetically need to pay me. I see no problem in getting you settled in, and keeping you in the loop should something happen."

Katsuya is the worst salesman ever. He's really far too kind for his own good. Or maybe it's just not money that interests him.

A good deed done is one returned. In theory. Doesn't matter that he's been burned before. He still lives by his own morals.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

Schön chuckles softly to himself, shaking his head a little as he regards Katsuya. "How is it that you're still only a sergeant?"

[sumarusfinest]

"Considering I've been under investigation several times and had a warrant out for my arrest twice, a better question is 'how am i still able to keep my job'?"

Katsuya runs his hand through his hair. "My entire apartment was ransacked and torn apart during the last debacle that bled over from the Nexus into Sumaru."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Mm. That does serve to balance the record the other way. What do your fellow officers know, or suspect, of the Nexus?"

[sumarusfinest]

"I've learned the hard way that doing the right thing doesn't always mean following the law to the letter. It also doesn't make you any friends on the force if it means calling them out."

He lets out a drawn out sigh.

"We've managed to keep it under wraps, somehow." As far as he knows. "Baofu put a great deal of effort into ensuring that, and to be honest with as many things that have gone wrong here already, people aren't exactly having to suspend their disbelief when a new catastrophe strikes."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Mm. The average beat cop doesn't quite have the mental flexibility to handle the Nexus, do they?"

[sumarusfinest]

"Either that or a mind for greed and self advancement. And in either case it would draw unwanted attention to the existence of the Nexus and to the oddities of our own world. I couldn't imagine if any government knew about such a place."

That's a can of worms the cop wants kept tightly sealed.

"It's better if as few people as possible are aware."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Just so," he agrees.

(And at this point, I'm running dry on ideas for questions. Would you like to handwave this interview continuing in exhaustive detail? Schön is the sort to insist upon at least the sunup-to-sundown interpretation of the agreed-upon day, if not a full twenty-four hours. He's the sort to push for the day of some slower-turning planet, if he thinks he can get away with it.)

I can take it from here

[sumarusfinest]

It's another three pots of coffee later and Katsuya's voice is beginning to grow hoarse by the time the fae has ceased his near-endless string of questions.

The betrayal his father went through, Tatsuya's story (at least as much of it as Katsuya knows), names, dates, places. How to negotiate with demons. Which demons will and won't cooperate.

The Velvet room and it's hooked nose master, assistant to all those who summon the strength hidden within the self. His past traipses into the Nexus and his companions at the time. Becky Chambers.

So many memories. So many old wounds ripped open and raw. Dawn breaks before they are finished, and the officer looks spent and more than a little drained emotionally.

"...Can I consider this a favor paid?" He finally asks quietly, massaging his temples.

That's a very nice expository segue.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"You may," Schön answers. "Thank you, Sergeant Suou, this has been quite informative." Leaning forward, he reclaims his phone, stopping the recording and putting it away. "I can see myself out, if you'd prefer. And might I suggest taking a sick day? Perhaps someone dear could nurse you back to health."

I try <3

[sumarusfinest]

"I have...one more question. If I may." Katsuya shifts to get up, ignoring the dizziness he gets from standing too quickly in his sleep deprived and over caffeinated state.

He's not worried whether Schon remembers the way back to his door or not. The fae made it, he can find it again. Or wander around the Konan ward for all Katsuya cares. It's safe enough these days.

"Would you please...give me some idea as to what I can expect from my next task? Or at least, when?" He thinks he knows better than to ask what all four of the remainders will be. Schon probably hasn't put thought into them yet.

Call it a success.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Hmm." The thin man rises as well. When did he pick up his hat? Well, he puts it on now. "I cannot promise that this will be the next favor, but I will tell you that I expect to be saving one. I have something of a rival in the Nexus at the moment, a loud, boorish, tempestuous lout of a mage who issues me a challenge." He sighs.

"The day may come when I can no longer put off his demands for a final accounting. On that day, your task shall be to aid me against him in magical combat." He flashes a brief, thin smile. "And in the meantime, I would thank you not to forewarn him--it would go much better as a surprise."

Tell Jim in advance and he'll sell tickets.

[sumarusfinest]

"...The..." What the hell was that magi even? Katsuya can't remember for the life of him. "Naugus." He says finally. He's seen him and Schon sniping at each other before.

"...I do not want to kill anyone." As long as he's clear on that. Not like he could argue if Schon wanted him to, the arrangement already being made. "But you'll find I am rather skilled in combat of several varieties." That's as good as saying he's there for you.

The officer doesn't go back on his word.

Only if Schön gets a cut of the gross.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

He nods as Katsuya correctly identifies the pest in question. "Then I shan't ask you to." Isn't he generous? Even letting Katsuya argue for further conditions to their agreement after the fact, at no additional cost. He's practically Santa.

"Rest well, Sergeant Suou. Sumaru needs her guardian." With a tip of his hat, the thin man slips out the door and strolls away.