Wrong Stop [Hisui]

[Shizuka Konaya]

Shizuka still wasn't supposed to leave the house, but today was an exception.  Her father had an important company dinner that the whole family was invited to coming up, and even though everyone had nice clothes already, her mother insisted on getting new stuff so that they could be more fashionable in the city.  Or something like that, she didn't really understand her mother most of the time.  Regardless, the dinner was next week, and their outfits were ready to pick up today.  Her mother tasked her with picking them up, much to the annoyance of her siblings.  Normally, such chores would be annoying to most children, but to her family, this was basically the only time they got out of the house.  Her mother declared that her younger brothers were too young, irresponsible and immature (nevermind that they were 12 and Shizuka had been doing this since she was about 6), so Shizuka got to head out even though she was technically grounded still.

Shizuka listened to her mother's directions carefully.  They hadn't lived in Tokyo long, and it's not like she was allowed to just wander the city, so she honestly wasn't that familiar with the layout yet.  The block structure of the city at least made it easy to navigate, and the train would take her pretty close to the department store in Ikebukuro that she needed to get to.  It was easy enough to remember, but just to make sure, she continued to repeat the directions in her head even after she left and made sure not to get distracted.  She was on a time limit because her mother felt that this trip should only take so long, and if it took longer she was clearly roaming about and doing things she wasn't supposed to.

The train ride was quiet and uneventful, though the crowd made her a little uncomfortable due to the sheer amount of people on it.  Soon, her stop came up and she started exiting the train.  A few people looked at her a little funny as she did.  Was she doing something wrong?  Was there some weird city train etiquette that she didn't know?  Shizuka slunk down a bit because of all the looks, but made sure she didn't get too distracted by it.  She continued repeating the directions in her head, as she couldn't afford to get lost now.

Even though it was night time, the city was still just as bright as it would be if it were day time.  Honestly, it made her a little sad since all the lights obscured the stars.  Though, this area was a bit darker than she remembered Ikebukuro being when she went there to get fitted for her outfit.  The area didn't look that familiar either.  She could see that there were some restaurants, but they looked a lot smaller and more run down than she remembered.  Confused, she continued on still repeating the directions in her head.

As she went deeper into the area, she continued to notice several odd things.  The smell of alcohol washed over the place.  A lot of the people here were dirty and drunk, and there seemed to be some kind of fight happening every block or two.  Furthermore, everyone was significantly older than she was.  Something was definitely not right, and once she saw a busty woman taking off her clothes in what looked like a store display she immediately knew that she was not in the right place.  Her eyes went wide, and her face immediately turned a bright red.  For a moment, all she could do was stare like a deer in headlights, but after the initial shock, she shook her head and started staring at the ground.  The wide eyes or red face didn't disappear, and likely wouldn't for some time.

Shizuka knew she had to get out of here.  This was not a good place to be!  With her eyes focused firmly on the pavement, she hurried back to the station, walking as quickly as she could without running.  This was a problem though because she only brought enough money to get to this stop and then back home.  What was she supposed to do now?

[Hisui Inagawa]

The rowdy atmosphere was oppressive. Hisui had plenty of experience in seedy locales like this, but she had never enjoyed them. A place designed to lure the more lecherous specimens of man and inflame their desires to the point that they'll ruin themselves chasing momentary pleasure. It was an irritating reminder of humanity's base nature.

Hisui was here purely for business, of course. When she had volunteered to come here to locate a certain debtor that had fled Minato, the oyabun had been surprised, but not unpleasantly so. Hisui wouldn't be recognized as a Yakuza woman in these parts, and as a teenage girl in unassuming clothes, she would be especially unlikely to spook the target. Once the debtor was located, her mission was to shadow him to his current home, note the location, return to the hideout, and see that some encouragement was sent to convince him to repay what was owed plus some reasonable interest.

Her true purpose, however, was unrelated to the debtor. Lucretia's notes had been clear on how to gain entrance to the Dark World, and a list of known locations where it was possible to cross over had been included as well. However, there were several areas of the city where no portals had been located. Hisui's true purpose for volunteering to come out here was to explore a part of the city that had apparently been only lightly traveled by Persona users as yet.

Zarathustra flew overhead, casting a brilliant beam around like a searchlight. So far, the search had been fruitless. It had been a simple thing to locate the debtor's home, but no portals to the Dark World were evident. Hisui was just considering returning to Roppongi when she spotted someone very out of place in the crowd.

Another girl, perhaps younger than Hisui, was wandering along the street with a very flustered demeanor. She was clearly out of place here, unused to these surroundings. She seemed to be looking to escape, and while she was walking in the general direction of the station, it would be surprising indeed for her to successfully navigate there with her eyes so firmly fixed on the ground.

Hisui couldn't deny that the image was amusing, but this wasn't something she could just stand by and watch. After all, it was no mistake that the Yakuza were properly known as 'the chivalrous organizations.' Hisui fell into step with the other girl and spoke in a kindly tone.

"You look to be lost. Do you need some help?"

[Shizuka Konaya]

Shizuka nearly jumped out of her skin when someone actually talked to her.  She hadn't even noticed that she was being followed due to her current circumstances.  Given the nature of the area, that was incredibly dangerous.  She already felt lucky that the person didn't seem interested in hurting her in any way.  She took a deep breath, and even with that, it took a few moments for her heart to slow back down into a normal rhythm and her breathing to return to normal.

It was at that point, she felt like she could actually look at the person.  The voice registered as female, but even so Shizuka was still surprised.  She looked about her age.  What was she doing in a place like this?  Just thinking about it made her face flush a little more, so it was probably better not to think about it at all.  It didn't take long for her to see some things she shouldn't in the background, so her gaze returned to the ground.  It was weird to talk like this, but this place was horrible.  Even just letting her eyes remain at building level would make her see all kinds of terrible, ungodly things.

"I-I-I'm alright!  Don't worry, I-I think I ju-just got off at the wrong stop.  I have no idea how it happned," she spoke very quickly and laughed awkwardly at the end.

Unfortunately, she really wasn't fine.  Shizuka could handle her current circumstances to a degree, but she still had no way to get to Ikebukuro, pick up the clothes and get home.  Her mother only gave her enough money to get there, down to the cent, and she didn't have any money of her own.  It's not like she had an allowance or anything.  This detour was also taking up a lot of time, so she would probably get home late too.  She would be in so much trouble.

"U-Um...I um, I-I um only brought enough money to get here though...Um...i-if it's not too much trouble, um...can I borrow 500 yen?  U-Um, j-just tell me where to meet you later and I promise I'll pay you back when I can!"

Shizuka wrung her hands as she spoke.  She absolutely hated asking people for favors, but what choice did she have in this situation?  She had no idea where she was going to get the money to pay her back either.  She was going to have to get creative.

[Hisui Inagawa]

As the other girl talked, Zarathustra's beam swept across her. Hisui was very surprised to notice the presence of another Persona. It seemed that this chance encounter was another lucky break.

She didn't seem to be much of a born warrior, though, even compared to the likes of Lucretia and Tristan. Hisui examined her more closely in light of her increased significance. Rural accent, probably either a visitor to Tokyo or a recent resident. Simple, modest clothes worn with no intent to stand out. Stout frame, perhaps acquainted with physical labor. Nervous posture, but completely without guile.

It was very hard to take the other girl seriously, but Hisui decided that she might as well keep her knowledge of their shared power secret for now. This one didn't seem the type to hold it against her later anyway. Zarathustra abandoned his overwatch and faded away into the air.

"I was just heading home myself. Perhaps we can ride together for a ways." Hisui wore a small smile. My name is Inagawa Hisui. I have a room in Roppongi. I'll tell you on the train how to get there."

[Shizuka Konaya]

"Th-thank you very much!"  Shizuka clasped her hands and bowed slightly.  "I just need to pick something up in Ikebukuro for my mother, and then I need to get back to Shibuya.  Um..." her shoulders slumped a little bit, "S-sorry, but I need to get there fast.  She won't be very happy if I get home late..."

Shizuka knew that Hisui wasn't exactly suggesting that they talk for a long time, or even that she go to Ropponogi herself, but it still felt weird to her to potentially make this person's trip longer just because she had somewhere to be.  It also seemed a little rude to just use a person for their money when they were offering to spend time with her.  She wasn't quite sure how to handle it yet, but hopefully she'd be able to make up for it later.

"I-I'm Shizuka Konaya.  It's nice to meet you.  Um..." she furrowed her brow and searched her pockets for a moment.  "I don't have anything to write it down on, but if I write down the address and how to get there right when I get home I should remember it...but um, just in case I don't and you need to find me, I'm a first year at Toshima Gakuin, so you should be able to find me on the first floor during school hours, or in the cafeteria at lunch."

[Hisui Inagawa]

It was fortunate that this was happening in the middle of the day. The exodus of inebriated patrons of the red light district returning home wouldn't be for a few hours yet. The train was only sparsely packed, relatively speaking. Hisui took a seat across from Shizuka and watched her over steepled fingers.

"I was very surprised indeed to see a girl like you in those parts. You must be new to the city to mistake Kabukicho for Ikebukuro. What errand of your mother's is so important to send you out this way?"

Hisui had never been one to enjoy small talk for its own sake. In part, her intent here was to feel out the personality of a potential ally or enemy. But more than that, after the disappointment of her lack of findings about the dark world, Hisui simply wanted to wind down before planning her next move.  If ever there were a safe time to leave her guard down, then chatting with a girl as utterly nonthreatening as Shizuka would be it.

[Shizuka Konaya]

Shizuka quietly followed Hisui back to the station, her body relaxing significantly once they got there.  It wasn't quite as crowded as it was when she got here, but she was still pretty sure that the number of people here would still amount to like half the population of the village she was from.  She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to it.  When she got on the train, she still couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with the person collecting the tickets or with Hisui.  It just felt so wrong for someone else to be covering her ticket.

Overall, she was glad she had someone to talk to after that experience.  It was a little awkward given the circumstances, but it was making her feel better.  Shizuka wasn't sure if Hisui wanted to talk though, so she remained quiet until Hisui spoke up herself.  That just made it all better.  Hopefully she would be able to put all this out of her mind now.

"Ah, y-yeah, I just moved here a month ago from a small village in the middle of nowhere.  I haven't really gotten the chance to look around yet sadly.  Um...I was just following some directions my mother gave me, but um...Well, I thought it was taking longer than I remembered it taking the last time I went there..." she frowned and rubbed the back of her head.  "Oh, I was just um, picking up some clothes.  Um...the reason we moved is because my father got promoted, so we're all going to be going to a company dinner soon, and they wanted to make sure all of us look nice for it."  She paused for a moment.  "W-What about you?"

Shizuka wasn't trying to pry, and was actually a little nervous about asking such a question.  Part of her was genuinely curious, but mostly, she just wanted to keep the conversation going.  It seemed unfair to make Hisui do all the work in that regard.  One of the easier ways to do so was just to ask the other person the same question they asked you if it was applicable, and it seemed weird to completely change the conversation as much as she would have liked to.  Hopefully she wouldn't mind the question.

[Hisui Inagawa]

"Hm, just helping out with the family business," Hisui replied lightly. "I was paying one of our clients a visit." Probably best to leave it there. Shizuka didn't seem to be the sort to respond well to finding out what exactly the family business entailed.

Hisui weighed the other girl's words carefully. Shizuka had been here for a month, but hadn't yet had much experience traveling around the city. Perhaps kept busy by some family duty. She had been to Ikebukuro before, but trusted her mother's instructions over her own intuitions. An indicator of her own lack of self-assurance, as if that were necessary at this point. The clue about Shizuka's family background would also have to be kept in mind.

Hisui decided to change the subject. It would be best to feel her out a little more before making the leap of seeking her out during the dark hour or inside the dark world.

"If you end up needing more clothes on another occasion, I do know of a good tailor that lives not too far from my place. Tell him that Hisui sent you, he'll give you a little discount." Well, taking advantage of that discount might get Shizuka known as a Yakuza-connected individual, but that was fine. The timid girl could use every bit of social leverage she could get.

[Shizuka Konaya]

Shizuka waited for a moment, expecting her to elaborate on what her family did.  When she didn't, Shizuka was a little surprised until she thought about it a little.  It's not like she even said what her own father did, just because she didn't think Hisui would find it that interesting.  Maybe she was the same?  Shizuka was pretty curious though, and wasn't even sure what else to talk about.  The last thing she wanted was to cause an awkward silence.  Especially not after she was continuing to be so nice.  With all the fights she's been getting into lately it would definitely be useful.  The trick would be figuring out how to pay with it, even with the discount, without her parents finding out that she was destroying her clothes somehow.

"Oh, thank you very much.  I'll definitely keep that in mind.  What does your family do?  My father does something in telecommunications, but he doesn't talk about it much, so I don't know the details."

[Hisui Inagawa]

Hisui thought for a moment before responding. Revealing her true occupation was out of the question, of course. And while there was nothing wrong with telling a blatant lie, it would be simpler to think up something that approached the truth if only for the sake of making it easy to stick to the same story later on.

"My uncle does private security work," Hisui replied. "The rest of us help out however we can."

Hisui glanced out the window. Her stop was coming up soon. She looked back to Shizuka.

"I'm schooled privately, so I'm afraid we won't see each other at Toshima. Feel free to call or visit anytime, though. I'd welcome the chance to be social."

In truth, Hisui had never had any use for friends outside her professional associates. It was only the need for Persona-user allies that motivated her to make the offer. She had been dreading the prospect of having to tolerate the likes of Lucretia on a casual basis, but at least Shizuka's meek personality was relatively inoffensive.

Hisui pulled a paper from her jacket and began scribbling down her own contact information. It briefly occurred to her that she might have put the other girl more at ease by letting her know immediately that writing implements were at hand, but she dismissed the thought as soon as it came. Accommodating for others' neuroses was not her responsibility.

[Shizuka Konaya]

"Oh, interesting."

It seemed a little strange to her that someone so young would be able to help out in that kind of business, but it seemed like she knew what she was doing so it was probably working for all of them.  Unfortunately, it felt like the train was slowing down, and Hisui's words confirmed that it was time for her to go.  Shizuka just smiled, trying not to look too disappointed.

"Alright," she nodded.  "It's too bad we won't see each other at school, so I'll try to drop by when I can.  Sadly, that may not be anytime soon.  My parents have been wanting me at home most of the time recently, and I um...kind of got in trouble because of an accident," she looked down.  "Um...I'll make sure to pay you back when I can.  Um...hopefully I'll see you soon!"

With that, she was alone again.  There were still several people on the train, but some of them looked a little scary, and most of them were much older than she was.  It would be weird just going up to adults to strike up a conversation when she didn't really have anything to say.  Thus, Shizuka opted to take her seat once again, alone, and tried not to squirm in it too much.