🌒 [Open]

[wipingallout]

... ... ... ... ?

What is...?

I shouldn't... be awake...


[In the Velvet Room...]

[It's courteous of whatever's going on with Igor's plan here that Hamuko is dressed. She probably shouldn't even have a body... whatever she has going on now... did her body fall comatose without her? Did it die? If it was alive, she surely should be much older. ... ... ... Maybe that all doesn't really matter, right now. She's here, gifted a chance to be around others again. The pinboard catches her attention first, of course. Signs of other people... so many little notes, talking about multiple versions of the same person running around. That's... that's charming... that's fun. ...Even if the notes about Ken Amadas make her sad...]

Hmm... I don't see any other 'me' off the bat...

[She'll take a few minutes once given a pen and some pink paper to doodle a little version of herself, signed with her name and phone number, and add it to the corner of the pinboard.]


[Inaba, Central Shopping District]

[What a fun little town! A charming place... hey, isn't this the town she went to for the volleyball camp? She loved the accommodations, but it's so nice to actually wander the streets and see the little shops. This place is SO rural, Hamuko had never really visited a place this remote, even when jumping between foster homes.] Let's see... what's the good spot for the locals? [No point being a complete tourist shmuck!!]


[Shibuya, Underground Mall]

[Well, since nothing costs anything here... might as well get some cute new clothes, right? Who knows how long she'll be around here, and 'dreaming up' new outfits didn't seem to be a thing. No lucid dreaming here - somehow, Hamuko felt a lot happier with that in mind. Still... the fashion is so different!!]

I just want one cute orange top...!! Is orange out of style? Dang it...


[Iwatodai Dorms]

[Of all of the places she's been having fun goofing off and exploring in, the dorms... she couldn't quite get the courage to open the front. Not just yet.]

Not even Koromaru is out front right now. ...I've gotta apologize...

Comments

dorm!

[fruitknife]

Is that a friendly bark in the distance?

Closing in?

Lots and lots of barking, in fact?

(Koromaru knows this probably isn't Minako as he and Shinji know her, but he doesn't care. She's still Friend.)

[wipingallout]

...!

[That sound, that bark...!! Who knew you could immediately recognize a specific bark the way you recognize a voice?]

Koromaru!! I missed you!!

[Hamuko lowered to her knees, holding her arms out for a doggy hug. She missed her lil guy...!!!]

Shibuya

[seekerofjustice]

Dove finds himself visiting the underground mall today. There isn't a particular reason for it, he simply wanted to stretch his legs and see if anything spoke to him today. After all, they sometimes have some useful things at the sports shop, and the flower shop always has a lovely selection.

He nearly passes one of the clothing shops that Ann often frequents back home, but pauses when he hears an unfamiliar voice. He looks over his shoulder, spotting Hamuko having a difficult time with the selection.

"Hmm, orange, you say? I wouldn't say it faded out of style, but I seem to encounter it more as an accent color as of late."

If Hamuko were to turn, she would encounter a Goro Akechi... if she even knows what that entails at this point. He has a pleasant smile on his face, perhaps a bit too much like an actor with a camera pointed at him. And yet...

[wipingallout]

[She knows there's probably someone that exists a LOT around here... but congrats, 'Dove', you're her first Goro Akechi!

...Her smile wibbles a little with a restrained giggle. Oh, she's seen her fair share of acting smiles from the likes of Mitsuru and Saori, feigning cheerfulness.]

Accent works for me! It's just such a cute, cheerful color. There's at least a lot of cute cream white shirts that could do with some orange accessories...!

velvet room

[willowandoak]

[ And that's about the time a Ren walks in through the Tokyo door. Upon seeing someone he doesn't recognize, he blinks, his hands sliding into his pockets. ]

Oh. Hi.

[ He takes a couple steps closer, curious. ] Cute idea, with the drawing. Kinda makes me wish I could do that.

[ He actually probably could, since he has the earrings. Theoretically. In practice, he could never draw a recognizable human face. ]

[wipingallout]

[Oooh, who's this? ...He's cute! Hamuko wonders if he's one of the two people that there's apparently a LOT of.]

Hi! Honestly, it's not super hard, you just gotta draw a U shape, then some lines for your hairstyle... I included my barrettes.

[Still! She turned to properly face him, holding her hands behind her back lazily.]

Nice to meet you! I'm Arisato Hamuko.

Dorms

[the_ken]

Shortly after her arrival in the dorms, a certain Ken Amada enters through the front door, grocery bags in his hands.

"Aragaki-san! I got all that you asked for!"

But at this exact moment, it wasn't Shinji who was in the lounge...

[wipingallout]

Hamuko had been relaxing in the lounge, reading some magazines she'd picked up while out - but she perked up seeing a face. Familiar!!

...But like Shinji warned, he probably didn't know her.

"Hi, Amada-kun!" she greeted, friendly and waving. "Shinji's in the kitchen."

dorm again

[shakenit]

At some point after Hamuko's had a chance to catch up with her - well, her friend-adjacent people at the very least, Sumire comes downstairs, intending to see what's what for dinner. Aragaki-san is an excellent cook, but she wouldn't dream of imposing upon him all the time, especially not with her high metabolism.

She is not expecting an unfamiliar face in the lounge. "Oh! I'm sorry, I - I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

[wipingallout]

Perhaps this stranger's reaction was flying in the face of expectation - Hamuko beamed excitedly, turning around on the sofa and leaning against the back of it.

"Hi! Not at all, I've been settling in. I'm Hamuko!" she greeted, wiggling her fingers at Sumire in greeting. "You must be the person Shinji was talking about moving in here. Nice to meet you!"

Velvet Room

[youngestdawn]

Aki-chan startles when he hears someone come into the Velvet Room...!!! So many new people lately!

Once the red pigtailed girl(?) starts looking around, Akira-kun comes out of his hiding spot, journal popped open to a new page and held out to read.

You are such a girl. Are you an angel?

[wipingallout]

Aah, a younger kid! Hamuko beamed, crouching down to better match Aki-chan's height and reading the note written for her. Mute, maybe? Gosh... she ought to learn sign language then.

"Nope! Just a regular friendly girl. My name's Hamuko," she greeted, waiting to see if she needed to write to help communicate. She'd never really met someone that was either mute or deaf, but she wanted to try her best either way.

Inaba

[rookandhound]

Marukyu Tofu was a fixture of Inaba's Market District, having stood for generations.

What hadn't been a fixture, most likely, was the small figure currently navigating the difficulties of a Junes shopping cart whilst being three feet tall.

It was, at present, alone, though possibly the large, expressive eyes lent its appearance a certain friendliness which suggested it was not, in fact, a very lost Shadow.

Also most Shadows didn't very politely thank shopkeeps for their time, while leveraging a package of firm tofu in with assorted vegetables, seafood, and coffee. Nor did they quietly hum to themselves as they did so.

[wipingallout]

GASP... who is this?? WHO IS THIS?? Hamuko stood, shocked, watching in awe. Was that a costume? A little mascot??? But it looked so life-like!! And was politely getting lunch!!

"Hello?" Hamuko chimed in, already approaching before she expected, interlacing her fingers so she didn't give in to the urge to PET... "You're so cute....!"

Shibuya

[captainkurusu]

[Nearby, a deep voice laughs. A moment later, the source--a Joker in his early twenties, dressed as if he'd just stepped off the set of some swashbuckler film--emerges from the men's clothing racks to grin at her.]

I'm afraid I wouldn't know. If anything, I'm more lost than you are.

[He plucks at his gray vest for emphasis, hoping to make her laugh.]

[wipingallout]

[???? Is that-- is that a pirate? And he looks like one of the 'aki-rens', just... a bit older.

And a pirate.

???????]

Wow. It looks so authentic...

Inaba, Central Shopping Street

[takutomaruki]

Maruki adjusted the pink heart-shaped sunglasses perched on his nose, his grip tightening slightly around the two street food snacks in his hands as he strolled through the shopping district.

Inaba, huh? Rural towns weren’t exactly his usual scene, but the rumors about the Midnight Channel as Raven had mentioned in their chats were intriguing enough to warrant a visit. If there was truth to the idea of people disappearing into TVs, well... that had some interesting implications for cognitive research.

Thus, here he was, dressed in what he was sure was a completely inconspicuous outfit—a white hoodie with little cat ears, oversized sunglasses, and a clipboard tucked securely in the crook of his elbow. Nothing strange about this at all. He totally isn't Dr Takuto Maruki or anything.

He had already scoped out a few electronics shops, eyeing the televisions on display, but he hadn’t tried jumping into one yet. Not only would that look ridiculous if it didn’t work, but—well, he was also kind of hungry.

Hence, the street food.

He had just taken another bite of takoyaki when—

Thud!

Something—someone—knocked into his shoulder, and in a completely graceless display, his clipboard slipped free and clattered to the pavement. Worse yet, the last half of his takoyaki ball tumbled from his skewer, rolling tragically across the ground.

Maruki made a rather undignified squawking noise.

“Oh—ah! Sorry, I—” He turned, adjusting his sunglasses hastily, only to find himself face to face with a young woman with vibrant red hair. Definitely not someone he recognized.

Not someone he thinks would recognize him either, unless there was the usual multiversal factor involved.

His gaze flickered between her and his fallen clipboard, then back to her again. “I, uh—" He coughed. "I wasn’t watching where I was going. My apologies!”

He crouched down quickly, reaching for his clipboard before pausing, glancing back at his poor, fallen snack with a look of absolute betrayal.

“…A moment of silence for my takoyaki.”

[wipingallout]

Okay, getting accidentally walked over was a new one by her! Hamuko had a tendency to be a little spacey, sure, but she wasn't THAT spacey - even so, she'd been scrambling not to eat asphalt, dropping her shopping bags in all the fuss too, the pretty textiles she'd gotten from the store falling out of the bag and unraveling from the spool in perfect trajectory to--

Yep, damn it!! Right in the mayo and sauce from the takoyaki...!!

A moment of silence indeed. Quietly, Hamuko clapped her hands together in prayer. "Rest in pieces..."

Inaba

[gorobo]

While wandering around the central shopping district, the nearby Velvet Room door slams open- and out walks a distinct looking Anti-Shzdow Suppression Weapon. His expression is closed off, so it's hard to tell what he's actually thinking...

Falcon, having just spent all his charge on yet more training, requires another charge. It's not urgent, but the lower his energy, the lower his performance, so it's in his best interests to charge up fully once more. He barely acknowledges Hamuko with a glance- he likely doesn't even know (or care) that she's new.

[wipingallout]

Wait a minute, that 'headband' look... it catches Hamuko's eye first, and the rest of the robot body...!

Hamuko immediately changed course, going to walk alongside this new robot. Let's see... there was a robot 'he' listed, one of the many 'Goro Akechi's, that must be him. Which one was it...

"Oh! It's... Falcon, right?" Hamuko asked, giving him a brief smile. "If I'm remembering right - I should've taken a picture of the list, honestly."

[unit_8910_wolf]

His silver-accented outfit was a far cry from his usual getup—sleek, refined, but still undeniably his style. The double bandolier belts sat snugly across his torso, and the holster at his waist rested where his firearm was secured, ready for whatever trouble they might run into.

Floating just above his wrist, Akane’s holographic form flickered, her pink Argus mask tilted playfully as she spoke.

“I’m just saying,” Akane insisted, crossing her arms in midair, “we haven’t introduced ourselves on the conspiracy board yet. And I think that’s a missed opportunity!”

Zenkichi exhaled through his nose, half amused. “And your big idea is a QR code?”

“Uh, yeah?” Akane’s eye lights blinked with mock exasperation. “People could just scan it and boom! Direct access to my server! Makes networking way easier than just scribbling our names.”

Zenkichi shook his head but didn’t argue. Akane had been getting more and more excited about connecting with people here, and really, who was he to discourage that? “Alright, alright. We’ll see what we can do.” He adjusted his vest, feeling slightly at unease for walking around without his coat or his hat, too utterly exposed for his own good but he figured this would just be a bare five minute trek.

Akane beamed, her projection flickering slightly as she spun in the air. “Great! I also think we should be more social! There’s a lot of interesting people here, and I wanna learn more about them.”

Zenkichi smirked then added sarcastically, “You? Socializing? Never would’ve guessed.”

Akane giggled. "Hey, atleast I am not introducing myself as an ex-cop in a global hub full of cop haters."

"Hey-!" The words hung between them for a moment—Akane seemed to realize what she’d said and quickly averted her gaze, but Zenkichi didn’t comment. Instead, he just gave her a knowing look before turning towards the door that would lead them into the Velvet Room.

At the threshold, Akane hesitated.

Zenkichi, already knowing why, turned back to her and extended his hand. “C’mon, kid. I got you.”

Akane lingered for a beat longer, then—reluctantly—reached out. The moment she crossed the threshold, her form glitched, flickering between light and solid matter before suddenly dropping into a real, human body.

Zenkichi caught her easily, steadying her as she wobbled. “Alright, deep breaths,” he coached, his grip firm but reassuring.

Akane squeezed her eyes shut, taking a moment to feel. She wasn’t used to this—existing outside of a digital or cognitive space, moving in ways that weren’t dictated by lines of code.

Zenkichi gave her hands a light squeeze. “You good?”

Akane took another breath, nodding. “Yeah. I think so.”

Zenkichi stepped back slightly, still holding onto her hands as she adjusted the mask and the red headphones over her head. Akane let out a small hum, her scanning senses kicking in—but not nearly as smoothly as she was used to. She’d been spending so much of her processing power adapting to this human body that even basic scans felt sluggish. Still, she caught something.

“There’s someone here,” she murmured, eyes flickering to the side.

Zenkichi followed her gaze—and sure enough, there was a red-haired girl at the conspiracy board, doodling something onto a piece of pink paper.

He didn’t recognize her. No matches in his database.

New, then.

Akane hesitated again. She wasn’t sure what to call Zenkichi now...maybe Wolf will still stick?

Instead, she simply let go of his hand.

Zenkichi glanced down at her, silent but questioning.

Akane nodded. I got this.

Zenkichi gave a small grunt of acknowledgment, stepping back as Akane walked forward, adjusting the Featherman mask still perched on her face. She stopped a short distance away, her gaze shifting to the pink paper the newcomer had just pinned to the board.

Her eye optics (which were just a normal pair of eyes) whirred slightly behind the mask as she magnified the image. “Oh. That’s really cute,” she commented, tilting her head at the doodle. Drawing...she could draw too, couldn't she?

Zenkichi, meanwhile, huffed lightly, crossing his arms which revealed cybernetic greys in a way that was equal parts protective and casual.

"Lot to take in, huh?" he finally asks- careful as the suspicion in his eyes is concealed with a solid mask. "We just made it in the last few weeks of the previous year and it was sheer chaos that time. Still is to be honest."

[wipingallout]

Voices tipped Hamuko off first - her mind was still a bit foggy, and somehow, the footsteps didn't tick any warning. With the Aria playing, really, she'd somehow assumed it might be Theo.

The younger lady's voice did snap her out of her focus, and she blinked in surprise, looking at her - and she beamed. "Oh! Featherman," Hamuko laughed lightly, pointing at the mask, "I love Featherman too..."

And an older accompanying voice, too. Hamuko looked over to... wow. Okay, there was a lot to really look at here... the guy had a really severe facial scar. The outfit was a lot. Are the arms like that for the outfit, or... and then there's the hat, and the way it all looked so... so.........

...Dramatic!

"Wow. W-well... you look like you're ready to handle anything."

Inaba

[fogboundcrow]

[Oh. It's... what was her name again? Kotone? He recognizes her face, at any rate, though judging from the way she's looking around, this must be a new one.

Raven can't pass up the opportunity to investigate, so he saunters over.]

That depends on what you're looking for.

[Several of the shops are shuttered and closed, but that's not to say there aren't any options.]

[wipingallout]

Weeeell... I think food, right now! I haven't had lunch yet. Or a place to hang out.

[A teen! Hamuko shifted her little shopping bag to wave at him in greeting - so far all she'd snagged was a few textiles.]

Seeking 'Doom Amada'

[wipingallout]

This was probably a very, very stupid idea, especially with how dangerous this 'Doom' Ken Amada was described to be in the network. Malicious, power-hungry... and then of course there was that Amada's post boasting about it.

She was probably being naive, stupid, to have any hope of trying to connect to this person. But this time, she wasn't going to wait or hesitate. If this is why Igor brought her here, or fate gave him the whim to do so, then she had to see firsthand.

Hello. I'd like to meet up with you. I'll wait at Naganaki Shrine tonight - come hungry.

She made sure to show up after sundown, herself. An evoker on her hip, sure, but otherwise she was just in a sweater and tights, waiting with a bag on her lap that held a couple of tuppers with omurice she made for the two of them to eat. ...Was that a stupid peace offering? Would it be read as condescending, offering it? Was this Amada far gone enough to just attack her? ...Well. She was here now, bracing and uncertain for where this night might go.

[warped_ken_amada]

"Well hello there," came from a voice behind her, as Ken had just teleported in. "I hope you brought sweets."