aterat | Intro Log .//. catch all

Entry tags:

Intro Log .//. catch all

Who; Shinjiro Aragaki and YOU
What; Arrival and encounters around town
Where; The fountain square and ANYWHERE
When; End of April-May
Warnings; Possible mentions of drug use, Shinji's attitude

i. Arrival

The blossoming pain in his chest faded and he took in breaths, his hand clutched there, where it should have been filling with blood, his blood. His eyes opened slowly, almost distrusting in their perception of light. This was wrong. It was the Dark Hour, not...what, noon? He nearly jumped out of his skin when the little man approached him, too confused about his surroundings to do much more than dumbly take the sack offered to him and nod, blinking after the little man as he wandered off. He took a moment to consider his clothes, jaw clenching for a moment when he noted the blood-crusted hole in his coat over his heart.

"So that happened." Whether he was commenting on his current predicament, where he'd come from previously, or something else entirely was anyone's guess. Even he didn't know for sure. Still frowning, annoyed more than confused, he finally takes a look around, finding a bench nearby to rifle through his bag. "What is this shit?"

ii. Making my way downtown

Shinjiro found the markets equal parts annoying and useful. It seemed to him that everyone in town came through the market district, either on the way to work or to get supplies for whatever it was they were working on. It was a good place to overhear gossip, and get a feel for this weird city he'd ended up in. The message board caught his attention this particular day, though, what with the strange degree hung there, warning against some sort of monster prowling around after dark.

Monsters after dark. That sounded familiar. It also sounded like something Mitsuru would most likely want to try dealing with, which meant, "I need a weapon." It was spoken to himself, but not quiet enough not to be overheard.

iii. network :: text

[As useful as the message board was for some things, as the days turn into weeks, it becomes obvious to Shinjiro it's not the way to find a part-time job.

Seeing as there was also no internet to speak of, he supposed this was the thing to do. A way to earn coin while they figured this place out probably hadn't even occurred to Mitsuru, but living on the streets for a while, you get your priorities straight.]

Anybody hiring part-time workers? I'm not picky.

[He's wonderful at introductions, right? Such a people person.]

(OOC: If you want a different scene with Shinjiro, he can be encountered just about anywhere as he's doing his best to get oriented in the city. If you would like a prompt from me, just ping me on discord (vikael#0221) or PM this journal!)

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That was something. Shinjiro didn't have any idea what exactly, but something. So, if the Aspects were to be believed, they were pulled here to rebuild the place, and they brought more people in regularly with the same story. Did that mean they were telling the truth, that the ones they'd already brought here were failing, or something else entirely? He didn't have enough information. Honestly, figuring out this little mystery was more Mitsuru's gig than his. He was just the muscle, or at least that's how he viewed things.

"Nearly, huh? How's that?" That didn't mean he couldn't ask questions.

If Llewellyn knew what Shinjiro was thinking, he’d rather quickly point out that being smart and having muscle wasn’t necessarily something that could only exist separately. His old partner, for instance, had been mistaken for simple brawn before. Even by Llewellyn upon first impression, but the man was smarter at times than he thought and could contribute as much as anyone else to an investigation.

He shrugged slightly, though, at the question. “Every time I think I spot a particular pattern. Set length of time, the amount of individuals arriving versus leaving? It… shifts. Sometimes it’s much longer, sometimes it’s one person and other times multiple.” He rubbed the side of his neck lightly, waving the food carton around as he gestured with the other hand. “And those who disappear and their length of time here tends to fluctuate even more.”

And Shinjiro would counter that it made things easier that way, but he was also much smarter than he gave himself credit for, something his friends were constantly fighting to prove to him. At least now that wouldn't be a problem. He'd made his last bad decision. At least he should have, but he'd ended up here instead, which was weird.

"Huh." It sounded less like a pattern and more like random chance, but he might just not know enough to make a guess. "Anything in common with people who come and go?"

“Sometimes multiple people arrive from the same world at the same time… Other times it’s staggered.” He hummed lightly before taking another bite of his quickly disappearing takoyaki. “I was in another world that wasn’t my own before this, and then arrived here from that one with several others. But we’ve seen a few more from there even a year later.” Llewellyn wasn’t sure if he’d ever pinpoint a proper pattern, but he also wasn’t keen on giving up entirely. It had just become an odd… random observation he kept track of over time. “But coming from the same place is the only solid commonality I’ve noted…?”

Llewellyn finally discarded an empty tray into a nearby bin as he continued. “Well… I suppose I have noted that many people who arrive here also have special abilities or skills they can contribute to this place with. Not everyone, though, but I suppose the odd people without magic or abilities could simply be anomalies.”

Having finished his own Takoyaki, he discarded of the tray in a nearby trash bin, because Shinjiro was many things, but a litterer wasn't one of them, before returning to the conversation, because it was getting interesting and this guy was actually proving to be a good source of information. He did shove his hands into the pockets of his coat, though, and he stood with a slightly hunched demeanor, though he was, in fact, listening.

"So, when you say 'special abilities' you mean powers." He nods. That was something to keep in mind. "Okay. The people without powers, anything they're really good at?"

“Yes, precisely. I’ve seen people with magic, such as controlling elements, or abilities that allow them to move incredibly fast. It tends to vary from person to person.” He explained as he watched Shinjiro get rid of his own empty tray. It was a little hard to tell if the guy was bored with the conversation or not, but then he continued speaking and Llewellyn supposed that was a good sign.

“There are people without powers with other talents, skills that I suppose a world trying to rebuild itself might value. I know there’s someone who arrived that’s skilled in carpentry. Others skilled at sewing and growing produce to supply the market and those less fortunate.” He tapped off the list on his fingers, thinking of Jacob, Yuki and while his husband did have magic, the man didn’t have the control over it to rely on or use it so he’d taken to exploring other talents that Llewellyn felt were praiseworthy despite Rhy’s insistence that a lack of magic made him less in the eyes of others in his own world somehow. Hypocritically, Llewellyn had begun to develop a similar feeling, given that, while very smart, a polyglot, and being useful in investigations, there were plenty who could do what he could, as well as having abilities.

"Those sound more important to a place tryin' to rebuild itself." A place trying to rebuild itself. Saying it out load sounded insane, but it wasn't any weirder than an extra hour existing between midnight and 1am, than a school that transmogrified into a towering labyrinth every night, of shadows devouring the psyches of innocent people. No. Aterat really wasn't all that weird, was it?

And it didn't have terrible takoyaki, so it could be a lot worse. "Powers are great and all, but they don't cook dinner."

“You do make a good point… Though I expect the same could be said for those with abilities, especially the combative sort. Wouldn’t get very far if some of the creatures and unpleasantness overtook and ruined everything that’s been repaired, hm?” He responded with a thoughtful tone, perhaps that was it… It needed a well-rounded group to cover all bases that its locals couldn’t handle themselves.

“True enough…” He responded in agreement. Dinner was rather important, after all. Food in general, really.

But an amused huff escaped him, though, at Shinjiro’s words as he continued a moment later. “Though most would point out that I can’t do that either.” Not without ruining a pan or setting something on fire. Which was amusing since Rhy was the one with fire magic.

"Ain't that what walls are for?" Not that he was denying Watts' point. He'd heard there were monsters in this place, a fact he wouldn't mind giving a hand in helping out with. It wasn't like his Persona was good for anything else. He could take a beating and dish one out, but he couldn't do much else.

"Anybody can cook. You just gotta learn how." Okay, maybe not everyone. Fuuka couldn't, but maybe she just needed more time.

“For the things outside the city, that does seem true.” Llewellyn responded with a light smile, “The problem is a lot of things are already inside the city.” Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he considered the plant issue from the prior fall. “And… Well, things find a way of getting in, still. We found one unknown entry-point in the cemetery. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more we haven’t found yet.”

It was hard for the detective to not raise a brow at that. “I’ve heard that said, but… Well, I have yet to do so and prove it correct.” He responded with a small chuckle. He knew how that sounded. “I presume by that statement that you can cook, then?”

"Sounds like somebody ain't doin' their job." Public works or something, right? The people who hauled them all here weren't making sure they were safe, either. It was good to know there were monsters in here with them. It wasn't something new he'd never encountered before, and he couldn't say he was surprised, either.

"Sure." He shrugged. It wasn't a big deal that he could, at least not from his perspective. "How've you been going about learning?"

“I’m not sure that there are enough people ‘doing’ the job, if I’m being honest. There’s the city guard, and then there are those who’ve arrived who know how to handle such things.” Llewellyn sometimes wondered if that was partly by design… Something to get arrivals who could, to participate and find a place here. “But it seems that between the unexpected, unknowns outside the walls and the things already inside, that there is a difference in numbers at times.

Llewellyn was a little surprised by the question, most people didn’t ask that. “Mm… I’ve tried starting small? I’ve had some success with eggs, though the results vary between somewhat acceptible to on fire.” How, Llewellyn? How…? “I tried to make a pasta dish a while back by following a recipe to surprise my husband as well, but uh…” He’d had to hide that surprise, and buy a new pan.

He scoffed, shaking his head. If he new Mitsuru, she was going to try to do something about it, once she decided it was their problem. And he'd be there, because he'd be damned if he was making her face that alone. He'd done enough of that.

"Uh huh. Startin' small how? Who's teachin' you?" Cooking wasn't something that could just be picked up. There were nuances that needed to be handed down, techniques that could only be mastered when demonstrated.

Llewellyn was rather used to working on things on his own, and he had genuinely figured cooking would be no different with a few simple recipes. “I’ve been starting with smaller, easier things. Like pasta, for example.” He rubbed the back of his neck lightly. “No one’s really teaching me, just something I’ve been trying to work on myself. My husband had more luck with picking things up than I have, though.”

"Pasta ain't easy if you're doin' it right." He'd commented before he'd really realized what he was declaring, that he might know something about what he was talking about. "What kinda pasta?"

Really? Now that was an intriguing fact to have shared, considering Llewellyn had always thought it should be an easier task than other foods. The question gets a distracted hum, though. “Usually whatever we have…? Most often macaroni, sometimes penne or farfalle, I believe.” He added with a little shrug, getting the distinct feeling that even that meant more than he expected when it came to cooking.

He nodded. Three drastically different pastas with different cooking times.

"Let me guess, you put the pasta on and then walked away."

“Well... I don’t go far, but I suppose that would be accurate.” He responded with an awkward tone, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. “I sometimes get distracted for a moment or two once it gets to that stage, if I’m to be entirely honest with you.” Either because Pretzel was looking for attention, or he thought of something he needed to add to his notes, or even if he thought of something to tell Rhy.

So… Yes, Shinjiro. The detective absolutely walked away from the stove for what seemed like only seconds to him.

"If you're cookin', you're cookin'. Other stuff can wait." Because that should be the most important thing you're focused on. If it wasn't, the food was going to suck, or you were going to forget it and let it catch fire, Watts.

"Maybe try that, first."

He winced a little. He knew Shinjiro was right, but darn, it was hard to keep his mind on track sometimes if he had other things on his mind. Still, he wanted to at least be able to successfully cook something for them to eat sometimes… So he nodded. “Yes, I’ll uh- note that for next time I find myself in the kitchen and see how it works out for me.”

"Tch. Do what you want." He rolled his shoulder in a shrug. "It was...nice meetin' you. Enjoy the carnival." Shinjiro could only take people for so long before he needed space. At least he wasn't rude about it this time.

“Oh- right, of course. Thank you for your advice.” he responded as he watched Shinjiro head off, getting the distinct feeling the young man was eager to be on his way. “It was nice meeting you.” He added, before turning his attention back to the carnival and going about the rest of his evening.

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Intro Log .//. catch all

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