An Invitation [tagging Verity Willis]
Aug. 31st, 2015 01:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sumarusfinestThere is no pomp and circumstance as Katsuya pulls open the glass door leading back to his world. His home. Sumaru City. No witty mechanics or magics bar the path. One moment he and Verity are standing in the Nexus forum, the next they are facing the waters outside of the Konan Police department.
The noise is the first thing Verity will notice. The distinct hum of millions of people speaking a foreign language all around her. That being said most of the signs have at least made an effort to include English subtitles on them, to varying degrees of accuracy.
What little abnormality of this world is felt, rather than seen. As soon as Katsuya's feet touch pavement, there's a ripple in his senses as Helios scans the area for signs of demon activity. So second nature to him now. Like coming home. They walk past a vending machine selling soda, juice, cigarettes and beer--NasTea! the sign gleefully reads in sloping English letters that seem ill fitting considering the brand name.
It isn't until they are off the main road that Katsuya stops and gives his guest a small smile.
"Here we are. My home. What would you like to do first?"
The noise is the first thing Verity will notice. The distinct hum of millions of people speaking a foreign language all around her. That being said most of the signs have at least made an effort to include English subtitles on them, to varying degrees of accuracy.
What little abnormality of this world is felt, rather than seen. As soon as Katsuya's feet touch pavement, there's a ripple in his senses as Helios scans the area for signs of demon activity. So second nature to him now. Like coming home. They walk past a vending machine selling soda, juice, cigarettes and beer--NasTea! the sign gleefully reads in sloping English letters that seem ill fitting considering the brand name.
It isn't until they are off the main road that Katsuya stops and gives his guest a small smile.
"Here we are. My home. What would you like to do first?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-31 07:39 am (UTC)Being surrounded by a foreign language doesn't bother her much. Growing up in New York she's experienced it before. Granted it's more than a cab ride to get someplace where people speak English but she's got Katsuya to translate. This is good because some of those subtitles are going to make her giggle.
Verity is happy to walk in silence at his side until he's ready to talk. There's a lot to see, so much to take in. "Oh, I don't know really. So long as there's some really good sushi at some point I'll be happy." Because you can't go to Japan and not have sushi, that's just wrong.
"Take me to the prettiest place in town. Whatever you think that is." The bossy words are belied by her smile.
(*That time Samus took her for medical treatment doesn't count.)
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-31 02:06 pm (UTC)"I do know a particularly good place for that." Katsuya gives her a nod and a conspiratory smile as he leads her to the bus station. It's a bit of a trek to the 'prettiest' place in all of Sumaru, though Katsuya will admit he's at least a little biased in this regard.
When they get off they're at one of the outer districts of the city, more parks and schools than tall buildings. Off the beaten path is a small winding stone staircase that leads up to a small shrine. The stone archway they pass under will give Verity a sense of tranquility once they step into the grounds. A few golden butterflies dance among the flowers. Katsuya's gaze turns distant was he stares across the shrine, but only for a moment. He turns back to Verity and points. The shrine overlooks the city as a whole, showcasing the winding river that slices through the center.
"I hope this is pretty enough." Katsuya made a tease!
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-31 06:58 pm (UTC)She's going to have a lot of questions during the bus ride. More accurately, one question repeatedly: "What's that?". She's such a curious girl. But she doesn't mind a trek, it means she gets to see more of his home, and that's a good thing.
She doesn't even mind all those stairs, although if she'd known about them in advance she would have worn different shoes. The shrine is pretty, and it gets an appreciative smile. The flowers, the butterflies, all of it is the sort of effortless-looking picturesque that Americans can't often manage. She's downright grinning when she turns to take in the view.
"Well. It's not bad for a first try." She's going to tease right back. "It's a beautiful city." And now a demonstration of how well she was paying attention: she can point out and name some of those buildings she'd been pestering him about on the way here. "...and I think we entered down there?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 03:20 am (UTC)Really, Katsuya seems beyond pleased that Verity shows so much interest in everything. He doesn't quite understand why some of the billboards and brands are funny to her until she explains them (and then he just seems embarrassed). He's happy to explain and translate anything she wants to know.
It isn't until Verity is looking out over Sumaru at his side that it sinks in to him at all how strange this is. Having a friend over in his world again. Interacting with people other than his coworkers at all. Being Just Katsuya, instead of Officer Suou. There's an idle whisper on the wind, one that makes Katsuya sigh.
This was where everything began. So long ago now. It was in this district even. At his brother's school over at Seven Sisters. The warrant out for JOKER, and the rumor he'd been spotted at the school. Running into her...into Maya...and Ms. Serizawa. Awakening Helios. Everything. It all led back to this spot all those years ago. For the smallest moment, as Verity turns around, the sunlight catches her hair and Katsuya sees someone else. A playful smile, her eye catching outfits...It makes him smile. Really smile.
And then he snaps out of it. How unbelievably rude of him. Here he was with a guest and he was daydreaming about the past. Katsuya reaches to adjust his tie and finds it missing. He's dressed down to only his red button up and slacks for this outing.
"Yes. We came in over in Konan, by the beach. Very good." Katsuya does his best to recover quickly. "There's an airspace museum back that way, you should be able to see the..the uh.." We'll be fine Big Suou! I spread a rumor that it FLIES. Woooo piloting a blimp! He laughs and shakes his head. "The model blimp." He points out toward where they'd come from.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 03:43 am (UTC)It's so nice to have a friend for these things again. Someone to laugh with, to talk to, to just be with. Nobody on fire. Nobody fighting. She doesn't quite wish Loki were there, but she wishes she could talk to him after, tell him about the amazing day she had. Maybe when he comes back. If he comes back. It's easy to dismiss her sudden quiet moments as her general awkwardness.
The really heartbreaking thing is that she thinks that smile is meant for her.
"Pity it doesn't fly," she remarks after she spots the museum. "That would be fun. Where did you grow up?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 03:53 am (UTC)immune to gunpretty tough.Why had he been thinking about Maya just then? It's shocking to Katsuya because he hadn't. Not for a long time. It was a precious memory buried away deep where he couldn't tarnish it with bitter feelings of regret and remorse. She was still working as a journalist, and Tatsuya had long since disappeared...but. The moment was gone. She had moved on. And he...it's a thought Katsuya tucks away to address later.
"You wouldn't' enjoy the ride." Katsuya shakes his head. "It's better like this." To be fair, Katsuya's only ever ridden in a blimp once, and it was a model blimp that by all reason and logic shouldn't have flown but did thanks to rumors. Piloted by a woman who can't drive down the block without committing ten traffic violations. His opinion is quite biased.
"We used to have a home near the shrine here." Katsuya gestures around them vaguely. "Every year they'd have a festival here in the summer. I'd take my younger brother..." When his mother was still alive. When his brother was still approachable. Katsuya's chest constricts painfully. He smiles despite that. "When everything changed, I got an apartment in Konan so I could take care of my brother."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 04:21 am (UTC)She wishes he'd tell her those parts, painful as they might be. Let her help him, just a little. Just that little bit of the burden a friend can shoulder. But she knows if she told him that he'd clam up even more. So unfair. "That sounds nice. I never had any siblings to do things with, or cousins. Or aunts of uncles. Or grandparents. That. Doesn't sound really good when I saw it out loud, does it?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 04:31 am (UTC)Katsuya doesn't know how to unearth those painful memories. To allow anyone else to shoulder even part of his burden. He's never had anyone else to rely on before. He's always been the one people leaned on.
"My family as well is rather...limited." Katsuya takes a breath. "My parents are deceased. My brother...I don't know where he is or if he's alright. And we don't have much in the way of extended family. I understand." It hurts. To even say that much. To be reminded that the thing most precious to him is gone. Taken away. All he'd ever cared about was his family, and he had none. Pretty hard to have a brother complex when you don't even have a brother, for all intents and purposes.
"It can be...lonely. Sometimes." All the time. Every day. Right now.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 05:04 am (UTC)She knows loneliness. Her losses are different, but pain is pain. But she doesn't know how to comfort him. There's a sick sort of irony in being so lonely you don't know how to fix it.
"You aren't alone, Katsuya. I'm here." That's all she's got.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 05:15 am (UTC)"I would say the same to you, Miss Verity." A thought occurs. Katsuya pulls out a rather dated looking cell phone (one that looks like it's been through the wringer and possibly set on fire before). He hands it over to Verity. There's a new contact open. Amidst all the foreign letters is the word 'Makoto' typed out in English characters. "It's a phone I had specially made...the last time I was in the Nexus." He explains. "I can communicate via text to anyone despite dimensional barriers. It also works with calls, though less accurately. I thought...it might be easier to get in touch with me, if we traded information."
That contact list is mighty small. Katsuya really doesn't get out much at all.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 05:27 am (UTC)The phone makes her smile, especially when she sees her nickname there. The size of the contact list won't get a comment from her. Quality over quantity and all that. She runs a thumb along the side of the phone, the way she'd touch him if he'd let her, and then types in her number. It takes a bit for her to remember the international codes; she doesn't call overseas much. What is the roaming charge in the Nexus even like? That's a scary thought. "Fancy. I'll have to get an upgrade. And then make sure none of the crazy scientists back home get a hold of it. Thank you for using my name. And. Everything."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 05:40 am (UTC)At least this phone is a flip phone. Before the Nexus he had one of those old Nokia bricks. Smartphones are a thing now, but Katsuya doesn't know if he'll ever be able to get a Nexus-capable phone again, so he's never bothered upgrading.
"Now then." Katsuya slips his phone away and leans down somewhat to better be at Verity's eye level. "I believe someone special was requesting sushi?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 05:49 am (UTC)Say what you will about the Nokia brick, those things were crazy durable. And that has its charms, especially in his line of work. But now that he can get back to the Nexus, getting an upgrade might be a good idea. StarkPhones are reliable and so stylish. They can get him a case that looks like a suit, it'll be perfect.
Verity just blinks at him a few times. She's not sure if he's joking or being patronizing. It's uncomfortably like how her mom's creepy boyfriends would treat her when she was little. "Er. Yes. Please. If you don't mind?"
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 05:58 am (UTC)"It's...rare." Katsuya admits. "To have someone use your given name. It's a private name. One used by family and loved ones. Close friends. A nickname using one's given name is nearly as intimate. I don't mind that you call me Katsuya. I've grown accustomed to American culture in that regard. But it..surprised me, is all. That you requested me to use yours." He hopes that clears up some things? He's learned the hard way that waiting to explain that causes a lot of weird lost in translation problems. People getting mad that he's 'too formal' or impersonal when he's only trying to be respectful.
"You did want sushi, right?" Katsuya pulls back again and pauses. "We don't have to if you're not hungry. But I do know a locally owned shop close by. An acquaintance's father runs it, even."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 06:18 am (UTC)She rubs the back of her head and sighs. "No, that'd be nice. It's just. The guys my mom dated when I was little used to do that. It's. Uncomfortable. You're not that much older than me."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 06:29 am (UTC)"Are you not my guest? That makes you special." Katsuya gives her an apologetic sort of smile. "I meant no offense. Age has nothing to do with it. Height, however..."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 06:35 am (UTC)She'll follow him down, her heels click-click-clicking, hands out to her sides a bit to keep her balance. (Railings are amazing things and she misses them right now.) "I know. I don't think you're capable of trying to offend me. I'm not sure you're capable of offending me at all," she teases. "I could get taller shoes if you want. I'm not sure I could go anywhere in them..."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 06:53 am (UTC)"I don't know, I've upset quite a number of people in my day." With fists and pistol whippings, no less! Katsuya so doesn't look like the vigilante bringer of justice and protector of the free world that he once was. More like an office worker trying to stay trendy in this year's fashions. He pauses once they've left the stairs and glances down at her feet. Concern spreads.
"Please don't cause yourself discomfort, Miss Verity. I should have noticed. Would you like to ride to the sushi shop rather than walk?" Ever the gentleman.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 07:13 am (UTC)She knows he's a hero, she hasn't forgotten the stories he's told her, but the idea of his upsetting people still makes her laugh. "Oh, how do you do that? Forgetting to say 'please' before you arrest someone?"
She likes his suits. For all she might tease him sometimes about being stiff and formal, she likes him the way he is. (A little softening around the edges might not hurt.)
When he looks concerned she looks down at her feet as well. "Oh! No, I'm fine. Really. These are everyday walking-around shoes for me." They're hardly fetish wear; they're not even on the extreme side of fashionable. But they are an extra few inches that nature had denied her. "They don't even hurt."
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-01 07:33 am (UTC)Katsuya probably couldn't name the last time he'd worn something as mundane as a tshirt and jeans. He wore his suit to the end of the world. (Okay a few suits, he had to replace them once or twice.) He's not changing clothes for Space Hitler/God of Chaos/Nyarlathotep. Screw that guy. He has however noticed their gap in dress, and has as such left his suit jacket and tie back at his apartment.
Contrary to popular belief, showing ankle isn't considered fetish wear for Katsuya. He's had to deal with Maya Amano's fashion sense for years. His sensibilities have coped. If she says she's fine, he'll believe her.
Gatten Sushi is a small hole in the wall shop in one of the corner stalls of the Lotus Plaza. Across the street there is what looks to be a watch repair shop and an aromatherapy store. There are only a few tables, and most of the seats by the kitchen/bar are taken by regulars.
A heavier set man looks up from his newspaper and gives Katsuya a nod in way of greeting.
[Here to trade in information today, Officer? There's plenty of rumors going around.]
[Not today. Just dinner with a friend. Nothing dangerous, I hope?] When the regular shakes his head, Katsuya seems satisfied before turning to Verity and giving her a brief translation.
Katsuya takes them to a small corner table and pulls out a chair for Verity before sitting himself. As the menu is impossible to read, Katsuya points out his favorites--they have fatty tuna here, salmon roe, and eel dishes that are all superb
stat boostersmeals.((I'll try to use brackets anytime I need to put speech in native Japanese to make it easier to differentiate.))
The howling guy in that music really makes me wonder what kind of place he's taken her to...
Date: 2015-09-01 04:18 pm (UTC)handsome"symmetrical."Everyone should dress up for the end of the world. (She's going to be caught out in fuzzy slippers when it happens, but if it were nice enough to schedule itself with her she'd totally dig out her prom dress.) It's just good manners.
She's glad her ankles aren't making him swoon. If he were that Victorian in his sensibilities they'd have some serious problems. For one thing, she's never worn a corset and has no interest in starting now. As it stands, she's keeping up just fine. She'd have to hustle a bit no matter what kind of shoes she's wearing because he's so much taller.
These little places you can only find if you already know about them are usually quite good, in Verity's experience, so she's not going to complain. Then again, she and Loki started off eating dinner on his living room floor. She's not picky about the place so long as the company is good. And having never been before, it's only natural she'll be looking around a bit while he talks with the man with the newspaper, although she quickly looks back at Katsuya when he translates.
"You come here a lot?" She figures he must, to know the regulars. There's a brief hesitation while she works out what he's doing with the chair (Americans have terrible manners, and don't get her started on Asgardians), but when she sits there's a smile and a little blush aimed at the table. She's starting to see the appeal of fancy manners.
The chance to lean close and examine the menu together is definitely worth not telling him about the translation app on her phone.
((That's a good way to handle it, thanks.))
The nineties man, the nineties.
Date: 2015-09-01 04:32 pm (UTC)That's probably good enough, for now. He doesn't need to explain about running black market arms dealings if requested. Or boutique stores developing armor plated fashions. So they used rumors to their advantage a few times. It was a necessary tactic.
"The man I was speaking to is another Persona user." Katsuya adds. "There are more than you would expect in this city, though most lead rather normal lives." Really, pulling the chair out for Verity is a practical action. She's never been in here before and he noticed her taking in the place. He'd like to allow her to do that as much as she wishes.
The owner, Kankichi, is a thin gnarled older gentleman who looks to be in a perpetual bad mood. His face splits into a wry smile when he recognizes Katsuya.
[Welcome back! Nothing stirring in Rengedai, Officer?]
[Nothing to worry about, sir.] Katsuya turns to Verity.
"Do you know what you'd like?"
It was a great time to be alive. A time when men could howl in peace.
Date: 2015-09-01 05:10 pm (UTC)Armor plated fashion is just a good idea, and it's really a tragedy the 616 never developed that. She'd feel a hell of a lot safer with some armor.
Just take her good opinion and run with it, Katsuya. It doesn't happen often. "So he's got somet--someone like Helios?" Being scrupulously polite is almost as foreign to her as the Personas and the Japanese. But for the right reasons, she'll try.
"Oh. Um. The shrimp? What are you getting?" She's too used to the American custom of getting one or two pieces of lots of different kinds. Picking just one seems so weird to her.
Canon takes place in 1999. Katsuya's timeline is roughly 2003 given years spent in the Nexus.
Date: 2015-09-01 05:26 pm (UTC)It is really quite useful, and quite impressive that clothing designers managed it while still keeping their logos signature fashions. also made fighting demons slightly less lethal.
"Indeed. He awakened his Persona years before, when I was still quite young." There's an
entire gameintricate story behind this, but it's admittedly one Katsuya only vaguely knows through his contact with two of the first generation Persona users."I prefer the eel, myself." Katsuya smiles before relaying the order to Kankichi and settling in.
It's been a while since he ventured out to this district, visited the shrine. Walked the streets again. Helios stirs with the Resonance of the regular's Persona, giving the officer once again a nostalgic jolt of adrenaline, despite nothing going on. It was shameful to miss those days, even if only in passing. Terrible times, world ending times. And yet, there's a part of Katsuya that wishes he could do it again. Fighting demons with his allies, uncovering the truths in Sumaru's past.
Oh dear. Verity's going to be disturbingly liberal in her worldview to him isn't she?
Date: 2015-09-01 05:41 pm (UTC)She may have to do some shopping before she leaves.
"How long have people had Personas?" She doesn't rise to the bait of talking about him as a child. He'd probably prefer she forget about that little scene. But there's a little smile, just a hint that she's thinking about it. She hopes the question doesn't bring up any upsetting memories for him. It's so hard to tell when she might bump into those accidentally.
She'll be filing away the preference for eel. It may be useful to know this someday.
There's nothing shameful about missing old friends and the woman he loves.
He'll have to do some cross dimensional current events reading.
From:Poor man, trying to understand American politics. And Trump's hair.
From:No one is prepared for that.
From:Least of all the poor guinea pig.
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