A Rough Talk (Takumi Yoru)
| A Rough Talk (Takumi Yoru) | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 21 October 2023 |
| Location: | Alleyway Outside The Blue Note Tokyo |
| Synopsis: | Takumi has a much needed conversation with a messenger from her father.
TRIGGER WARNING: Smoking, Violence, very brief transphobia |
| Cast of Characters: | Takumi Yoru |
It was far after the Academy's curfew for a school night, but Takumi didn't really care. She'd probably get written up, but that was the least of her worries right now. The wheels of her skateboard rattled across the pavement as she weaved between the crowded streets of Shinjuku. A cigarette dangled from her lips as she turned a corner, passing the gates from Shinjuku proper into the ritzy Minamiaoyama neighborhood of the district.
A pair of knee-torn jeans were worn with skater shoes and a Black Flag shirt manually cut into a crop top. A jean jacket with a bunch of buttons and patches was worn over that. The buttons and patches spouted slogans like 'DEATH BEFORE DETRANSITION', 'FITE ME', and similar. A little button with the trans flag was worn on the collar of her jacket.
The girl was far too young to smoke, of course, but that kind of thing didn't stop her. She was smart enough not to do it on school grounds, of course. Cancer was the least of her risks these days, after all. Especially after she got that letter from her father two days previous. He was sending someone to 'check up on her'. A babysitter. The kid seethed at the idea.
She slowed her wheels and came to a stop on a street corner as she found the place she was looking for. The Blue Note Yokyo was a fancy club that regularly hosted jazz nights, and the line down the block of finely dressed, trendy folks made her smirk a bit. She watches as a group of inked up, suited thugs bypassed the line and headed inside. Yes, this was the place she was looking for.
Takumi took the board under her arm and headed across the street, making her way towards the bouncer.
"I'm supposed to be in there," she offered simply enough, nodding past the man to the entrance hall, where people paid their overpriced entrance fees. The bouncer eyed her and laughed. She felt the hackles raise on the back of her neck and something dark and seething bubble up inside her a bit.
"Get out of here, kid. No minors. Hit up one of the cafes down the street or something."
She wanted to lash out and hurt the man, but she knew better. So she growled and stepped aside, instead moving to head into the alleyway that was sandwiched between the club and the Hotel next door. She hopped up onto the edge of a closed dumpster, sitting down as she fished out her phone.
'outside in the alley. hurry up.'
Her thumbs rapidly fired off the text, and she took another drag from her cigarette before flicking it into a puddle of...whatever it was...nearby.
Soon enough, two people made their way out into the alleyway from the street, clearly having left the club to come see her. She knew one face, but not the other. The woman flanking the 'babysitter' was Cho Shimizu, a soldier in the family she grew up in. Loyal and simple. She was more attack dog then person. Short-cropped hair and cold eyes, with a scar along the side of her neck from Takumi's sister's failed coup some time before. Her suit was sleek enough, but the sleeves were rolled up to show-off her heavily tattooed arms. Subconciously, Takumi found herself brushing her thumb over the twin kanji tattooed between her right thumb and forefinger.
The man leading the way, however, was new. Shorter, but built like a fireplug. His hair was long and he had a stupid smile, she thought, and little beady eyes. Takumi hated him immediatly. Absently, she lit another cigarette and took a drag.
"Aaaaaaah, Takumi-chan. I was worried you wouldn't show." Chan. She was a child to him. He was throwing his weight around and purposefully trying to make her feel smaller. She stared at him from her perch and offers a lopsided grin.
"You know I'm not gonna turn down the chance to make a new friend. Hey, Shizumi." She offered a bit of a salute to the woman, who offered her a small bow in return. The new guy didn't bow.
"I am Daisuke Sato. I specialize in managing people like you. I'm hoping we'll get along swimmingly. Honestly, I'm damn happy to be in Tokyo instead of Toyama. What a miserable town."
She cocked her head to the side a bit, taking that in as she stared down at the man from her perch. She didn't respond immediatly, taking another drag instead. "Careful, friend. That's home for me. And your employer."
He waved it off and reached out to pluck the cigarette from between her fingers. She was too shocked to pull her hand away. He dropped it and stamped it out, tsking like a disappointment father. "No smoking, kid. I'm not going to spoil you like daddy did. So, fill me in on your job out here. Your father told me you were infiltrating an opposing organization? He wouldn't go into details."
Oh. OH. He doesn't -know-. That made Takumi grin wider, looking a bit like a cheshire cat. "Oooooh, friendo. You're clueless, aren't you?"
He blinked at that, readying a response as she dropped from the dumpster and took a step towards him. Even though the man was short, she was shorter. Cho, meanwhile, was taking several steps back. She knew. She'd witnessed what Takumi was. There was actually a look of satisfaction in her normally cold eyes. She wanted this man put in his place, and Takumi knew it.
Alright then.
"I GET it now. Daddy didn't send you to control me. He sent me a minion. Someone to run errands for me and talk to people that would spoil my cover. -Awesome-."
The man slapped her, then. Hard. She looked shocked and raised a hand to her cheek, tasting a hint of blood in her mouth.
"Shut up, kid. You will NOT talk to me that way! I am your superior! You're just some dumb, spoiled Yakuza prince."
When Cho heard the misgendering, purposeful or not, she outright turned and walked out of the alleyway. Neither the man or Takumi noticed.
Takumi started with a swift kick, ruining the man's right knee. She'd noticed him favoring it a hint on the walk down the alleyway. He crumpled, falling to a knee before she brought her knee up into his nose. It broke, as she expected.
"Lemme make things simple for you," the girl snarled. He cradled his nose with one hand, and his knee with the other, sprawled on the dirty alleyway floor. Takumi kicked him again, this time in the stomach. He let out that sound you make when all the breath in your body is knocked out of you, and his eyes bugged a bit, staring up at her.
"Less important thing first: You work for me. Period. You do what I say, when I say it. Ignot, I won't even get my hands dirty. I'll let Cho send you back to Daddy all broken and crying."
She paused to light another cigarette, replacing the one he snatched from her. She took a deep pull and let the smoke drift from her nostrils like a dragon.
"More importantly, though? Never, ever misgender me again. I KNOW you knew. I KNOW that was on purpose, in some idiot attempt to show dominance over a poor little kid. If you do? There's gonna be nothin' for Cho to send back. Nod your head if you understand."
The man nodded quickly, lost in his pain. She kicked him in the stomach again before taking one more drag. The kid then flicked the cigarette down at the fallen man.
"Good talk. Happy to have you on the team."
She turned to pick her skateboard back up and dropped it to the asphalt. She hopped on and kicked off, cruising out of the alleyway. She offered Cho a nod in passing,. Cho was smirking.
That darkness in her was at it's peak hunger now. The Dark Heart was nothing but negative, terrifying emotions, and her anger had swelled it and riled it. She wasn't ready to feed it yet, though. No, not tonight.
Takumi Yoru skated past the crowded sidewalks as she made her way back into Shibuya proper. She should stop by the Obisidian HQ on the way to the school. She hadn't really started making connections their yet, and she really needed to.
She was a busy, busy girl.
