Bacon

Persona: Black Crown

Osamu had noticed how relatively quiet the Scramble was, and the lack of Chimeratic goons running around, so as he and Ayo decided on whether or not to join what was now a group of three, Osamu decided to do a bit of digging. He opened his phone to the encrypted chat rooms used by a certain organization, scrolling through logs to try and see what was happening. And while there were some rumblings of big plans in the works that he made a note to dig into a bit later, what really caught his eye were the frantic messages. Someone was hitting them hard somewhere, and while he questioned who else might be in the metaverse gunning for them, that question was answered soon after.

“Huh. Wonder what’s got Chimeratic in such a pani…” He trailed off as the train whistle blew, followed by cracks in the sky. He backed away from the edge of the building, moments before the rift burst open, with a whole train out of some Spaghetti Western crashing through the sky and into the center of the scramble. Wasting no time, Osamu tapped his phone as crimson flame engulfed his form, not yet knowing who or what caused that. As the flames washed over him, his attire changed into his black regalia, that dark european-style plate that made him appear as some dark knight or medieval tyrant, and what appeared to be an M249 SAW in his free hand. Then, he rushed to the edge of the building, just in time to witness Seiji’s quickdraw.

It didn’t take Osamu long to realize whose graffiti was painted on the side of the train, or what was left of it, which made him burst out laughing. It took him a good couple of minutes to get a grip on himself after realizing that, not only had they somehow gotten a train, but Chimeratic just had said train stolen. By one man. “Well, that’s one way to make an entrance!” He managed between laughs and gasps, before finally getting a grip on himself, and making his way back toward the fire escape to meet Seiji, and anyone else who cared to join, at street level.

Persona: Black Crown

Upon reaching the alley with the fire escape, though the ladder was up, Osamu didn’t find that as a problem, especially not in the metaverse. He instead leapt on top of a nearby dumpster with that supernatural athleticism this world tended to provide, before pivoting and leaping atop the fire escape. From there, a swift kick to the latch holding the ladder in place caused it to drop with a clang.

As the burst of dark fire made itself evident, Osamu paused in his climbing for a moment to observe, before continuing. “Most people aren’t dumb enough to walk straight into something obvious like that. I’m more worried about the shadows rushing in like someone rang the dinner bell.” He commented, as he made his way up to the roof of the building.

Once there, Osamu took a moment to pull his kukri out of his bag. It was mostly a decorative piece, made out of cheap steel and wasn’t even sharp in the real world, but here it was just as dangerous a weapon as anything else. He kept the blade in it’s sheath, clipping it onto his belt for easy access. In hindsight, he figured he should’ve done that sooner, but what’s done is done. That accomplished, he walked over to the edge of the building, and looked over at where the black flames came from, and the person standing there. “You think they’re one of Seiji’s too, or someone unrelated?” He asked off-handedly.

---

@Digmata@TruthHurts

Kingdom Hearts: Heroes of Hope

While on the topic of other worlds, Daxam and I are thinking about where to go after Traverse Town, and both Atlantis (Lost Empire) and Treasure Planet came to mind. Did anyone else have their heart set on either of those?

Persona: Black Crown

Osamu glanced back over when the other lady broke the silence. He felt as though he’d heard that last name somewhere before, but she brushed past that before he could ask any questions about it. And like it or not, she did have a point; they were supposed to be on a team once Seiji showed up. He considered remaining silent for about a second, before deciding against it. Between the shadows and the other black crown users that were… less than friendly… he decided against spite. At the moment. There’d be time for that later.

“Ayo-san. Alright, I'll try to remember that." Osamu remarked casually, before turning back to face her. "Don’t really know who you are outside of here, and I don't really give a shit, either. As for me, the name’s Osamu Ichikawa.” He said, introducing himself before looking around for a brief moment, taking a moment to remember the area as best he could. She was right about that, getting a better vantage wouldn't hurt. “And that’s not the worst idea.” He said, walking over towards a nearby alley. “There’s a fire escape back here. Trust me or don’t, but it’ll be faster than going inside to a locked door on the roof.” He said, before ducking into the side alley in question.

---

@TruthHurts @Digmata

Kingdom Hearts: Heroes of Hope

As Lucian came forward with his new information, Levi smirked slightly at Hoshi for her comment, before setting his face back to a more serious expression. “Just because you’re the one with this fancy flashlight of a heart doesn’t mean you’re the only one protecting it. We’ve all got each other’s backs, and don’t you forget it.” Regardless of that, it was amazing to hear Alias was alive, and an idea on where he was. Still, it was better to wait on celebrating that until after everyone had a few hours’ rest and maybe a hot meal.

When Hoshi attempted to move forward, only for her leg to seize up on her, Levi placed a supporting hand on her shoulder to make sure she didn’t topple over. When Hoshi moved behind him, he stepped forward to better help her to hide herself. If something about any of these newcomers made her want to fall back, it was enough to set him on edge.

Despite the situation seeming to have petered out, Levi was still relatively on alert. Even though they weren’t in any shape to reject the kindness being presented, it still worried him, how little he knew about what could be described as a small army of capable individuals who seemed keenly invested in the capabilities of Levi and his friends. Until he discovered what their motives were, he was going to be keeping an eye on them.

After a few moments of thought, Levi gave a silent nod as he started moving to follow Zac, and made a small gesture for his fellow islanders to follow. “One last stop.” He emphasized to Zac, before falling into lockstep behind him, still supporting Hoshi, and prepared for anyone else who asked for it. They were all tired in some form or another, though he was probably in the best shape out of the islanders, despite being clobbered by a Large Body early.

Besides, Zac was the one person of the newcomers who Levi had some reason to trust, even if that was just because he was willing to help them learn with these new keyblades. He dismissed True Light’s Flight for the moment, but still kept his bat held loosely in his off hand.

Persona: Black Crown

Osamu wasn’t perturbed by how she just stared him down as he approached, though it did diminish the impact he was going for. He remained unperturbed though, as he figured the worst she’d say is ‘no’ to his offer and attempt at breaking the ice.

It wasn’t.

The young man froze in pure shock as she spoke, proceeding to dismantle his entire approach in seconds. What’s more, he must’ve misheard Seiji when he first introduced himself properly, or something. He couldn’t do much other than stand there, nearly letting the pack fall out of his hand before he was able to gather himself.

“And people call me an asshole. Bet you're real fun at parties.” He muttered, turning away slightly in what was undeniably a huff as he pulled a cigarette out of the pack, putting the pack away and pulling out a plastic lighter. He didn’t even especially want one at the moment, but he felt he needed to or else he’d manage to make himself look even more like an idiot. A part of him was sorely tempted towards violence, but he abstained for two reasons. The first being that Seiji probably wouldn’t appreciate him getting into it with someone else he’d recruited in under five minutes.

The other reason being that he’d be proving her right.

So, he distracted himself by attempting to casually go into his contacts, confirm that yes, he was wrong, and corrected how he'd spelled Seiji's name in his phone.

---

@TruthHurts

Persona: Black Crown

@TruthHurts

If I had a nickel for every time a character of mine's been smacked directly in their metaphorical weak spot within the first three sentences of meeting another PC...

Persona: Black Crown

20/4/20XX

---

As Osamu got out of his final class of the day, he pulled out his phone to check his messages. He’d recalled it buzzing earlier, but he was in the middle of class at the time and had opted to wait. When he saw who’d sent it, and what it said, the gears in Osamu’s head started turning. He’d heard Seniji talk about putting together that team of his, but hadn’t actually met any of them yet. Maybe he’d finally found something worth calling everyone together for, maybe he just wanted to talk. Regardless of which, the young man needed to make a stop along the way. After all, if he was going to be meeting people he’d be fighting side-by-side with, a first impression was important.

Not far from the station, Osamu ducked into a side alley, and made his way down to a pair of trash cans that weren’t quite flush with the wall. Reaching past them, Osamu pulled out a small duffle bag he used to store just about anything he didn’t want his folks to take from between the cans and the wall. Like that cheap Kukri he’d bought. Or his smokes. Or his spray paint. Or the occasional beer. Or his jacket.

He tossed the Hane High uniform jacket into his bag, before producing something a little more… him. Osamu’s leather jacket was probably his favorite article of clothing, comfortable, suitable for most weather, and in his opinion, it just plain looked good. He sniffed it briefly, not finding anything more offensive than a whiff of cigarette smoke, and put it on before shouldering his bag and continuing on towards the station. He took a second to adjust his bag so a certain symbol was visible; a black crown, painted the light grey duffle with spray paint, complete with what looked like a thin black box around it from the stencil he used. It wasn’t the most subtle thing, but unless someone knew what it really meant, they'd likely think it was from a band or something. Then, without another word to anyone, he slipped into the Metaverse.

Ever since he found out about it, he figured it was the best way to travel. Or at least, to get around some of the more inconvenient things about commuting. Like worrying about ticket gates. Or lines. So long as he kept his distance from the shadows, and shifted back once he boarded the train, he didn’t mind using it as a little shortcut between dimensions.

With that, he was able to reach the Shibuya rather quickly, given that save a single train ride, he was on foot. When cars and other people appeared as shades that one could just pass through, congestion and traffic were a joke. As he made his way into the Scamble, he didn’t have to look very hard to find someone, at least, someone who wasn’t functionally intangible here. Seeing they weren’t dressed in any way that marked them as a threat, Osamu reached into his bag as he approached her, and pulled out a pack of cheap cigarettes.

“You here for Seniji, or are you just some poor sap who got lost?” He asked, as he offered her the pack.

---

@TruthHurts

Kingdom Hearts: Heroes of Hope

@IAmTheIsland

As the Guard Armor fell, Levi let out a sigh of relief as he scanned over the assembled group. Levi stared at the bipedal animals for a moment, he realized that he was likely less surprised that he should have been, but there was a talking dog earlier, so anything was possible he supposed. Eventually, he locked onto two of the three he’d been looking for; Hoshi and Morgan.

As Morgan was already being seen to, he opted against joining the group crowding her. Instead, he walked over to Hoshi, who’d seemed exhausted even before the fight got started, and had taken a hit from the Guard Armor. Morgan’s magic seemed to help with that, though. Something he figured he’d make a note of. It was better if he could keep track of who could do what, it’d help with strategizing down the line.

“You still in one piece?” He asked, reaching into his makeshift rucksack and offering Hoshi a potion. “You brother would kill me if you got hurt on my watch.” He commented with a smirk, before his expression dropped back into a serious one as he made note of their missing friend. “I take it you didn’t find Alias either.” He assumed, with a small part of him hoping that he was wrong. But knowing how readily Alias would throw himself into a fight, he figured if he was here, he would’ve arrived to help.

After a few moments, Levi allowed himself to really look at Hoshi, looking to see if she was more hurt or tired than she was making herself out to be, when he realized the obvious; the brand new black coat she was wearing. One she definitely hadn’t been the last time he’d seen her. “So, where’d the coat come from?” Levi asked her bluntly, gesturing over her with a finger.

In the moment of calm the group had, Levi let himself remember the bet he’d made, and lost, with Tsu. “... Here, before I forget.” Levi said, as he reached into his pocket, and handed some munny to Hoshi. “Lost a bet. This is yours.” He said with a shrug, refusing to elaborate further. He’d rather not let her know he’d accidentally caught sight of her and Alias’ private moment if he could help it.

Ban the User Above You

Banned for being lonely