Difference between revisions of "Logs: A Chat with Dojima"

Latest revision as of 01:22, 7 October 2012

Apparently, it takes a teenage girl being hospitalized for the police to start to take claims of Yakuza presence seriously. Earlier today, a call was placed to Enoha Koinoise by some schmuck stuck working the phones at the station, requesting she come down to the station at her earliest convenience, to discuss the earlier 'insurance' incident.

Presumably, she has! Upon her arrival, she was escorted through the station, to the office of one Detective Ryotaro Dojima, and shown inside, with the assurance that the Detective would be along shortly. For once, shortly actually is shortly; it takes only two or three minutes for the door to the ofice to open and Dojima to step inside, suit jacket slung over his shoulder as usual.

Somehow, he doesn't even notice Enoha for several seconds; he turns to shut the door behind him, and only when he turns back to walk to his desk does he notice his guest. He looks surprised... for about a third of a second. And then his usual neutral mask surfaces. "Koinose-san," he offers, after a few beats. "Thanks for finding the time to come down." It's not just the police that are guilty of this; the Yomenaido bookstore saw it fit to simply ignore things as they were until it became clear that the threat wasn't going to go away. Here, it just took some evidence that someone was going to follow through with their threats. Threats are a dime a dozen, especially lately, but actual violence...? That's something the police can't ignore.

And so, here's Enoha, sitting in the indicated chair. The wait wasn't all that bad; the quiet of the office was something she needed after a long day. Recovering from blood loss on top of taking care of a parent isn't... exactly fun. "Oh, it wasn't any trouble. I was getting off my shift anyway." A small scarf covers her neck, including the angry-looking stitches that still sit on her neck. They're angry-looking and itchy only because they're healing quite well.

She adjusts her glasses. "What happened? There hasn't been any visits to the Yomenaido book store that I know of."

Exactly! Unless that violence is perpetrated against foreigners or burakumin.

Dojima feels a pang of guilt when the purpose of Enoha's scarf clicks in his brain; he had, in fact, almost entirely forgotten that she'd been attacked. It's just been so damn busy lately...

"So there haven't been any more visits?" Dojima muses, his face and voice showing no sign of his guilt. He tosses his jacket onto a peg on the door, and steps over to his desk; rather than circling around and sitting behind it, he brushes a few loose papers aside and takes a seat on the edge. "That's good."

"Now... I'm sure you've done this before, but could you describe the man who visited you?" Dojima asks, folding his arms across his chest.

"No." Enoha shakes her head. "Not that I'm aware of." She hesitates. "Though, admittedly, I've been out of town for half a week or so. I am going back to working the late shift from time to time when there's inventory that needs to be looked over." Her dark eyes look downward. "I'd feel bad if one of them came around when Mr. or Mrs. Ishizaka were around." A strange thing to say, even considering that the couple are elderly. She *has* been the victim of a serial killer, after all...

Then again, they don't know how that man spoke to her. She... believed him when he said he wouldn't hurt her. If he was going to ruin the store, wouldn't it be better if she was there to witness it and not someone who built that business from the ground up?

"No, it's no problem." Enoha squints her eyes as she looks up, a thumb and index finger coming around to slide her glasses up her nose. ".... A very large man. Unusually so. But, his face when he took the glasses off was very boyish- he didn't seem to be the sort to... hurt people. His suit was tailor-made- I can't remember what color it was, though. Either way, the lighting was weird so it'd probably be wrong. He spoke very nicely; seemed a little.... slow." She frowns. "... Slow as in.... not *dumb*, but..." She gestures vaguely with one hand. ".... Slow."

"I know what you mean," Dojima assures Enoha with a nod. And, in fact, he does; he had to get used to the idea that slow didn't mean dumb after he moved to Inaba. People are perfectly happy to take their sweet time in everything out here, it seems. It bugged the hell out of him, at first... but now he can't imagine going back.

"He was bald, right? Did you see if he had any tattoos?" the detective asks. "When you spoke to him, did he give you his name?" Even if he did, of course, it probably wasn't his, but an alias can be just as good as a name, if it's used enough.

Despite his attempts to maintain his usual laser-like focus, his mind keeps drifting to the attack on Enoha; so, so many things, just from what he's heard, leap out at him. But it's not his case... he has to stay focused. He can do that.

Maybe.

Granted, this man didn't seem to be from Inaba at all, so... "Maybe there was a reason he was sent instead of someone more.... violent." She hesitates. ".... Not that I deny the idea that he couldn't do damage. He was a large man- he could've probably burst open that door if he wanted to." But he didn't. Unneccessary force. He just had to show himself, say his script, and leave.

"...." Enoha blinks, thinking back. "Y-.... yes, he was! He introduced himself as Kanmori.... Now that I think about it, he was very polite." Adjusting her glasses, she continues, "The reason I said he was slow was, when I told him about the other man who came in, he was confused. It was like I derailed him from what he expected, and he didn't know what to do but to go away."

As Enoha speaks, Dojima produces a pencil from amidst the mess on his desk and scribbles a few things on a piece of paper selected apparently at random. "Alright," he says, when she finishes. "Thank you. I'm sorry to make you go over all that again, but I needed to make sure we had everything straight.

"There was... an incident involving this 'Kanmori' over at Daidara Metalworks. Apparently he attacked a girl who told him to get lost when he was making one of his pitches. She's in the hospital, now," Dojima explains. It's probably more than he should be telling her, but... he doesn't figure her for much of a gossip. Besides, the media'll be all over it any day now.

Fucking... /media/.

"So - and I want you to explain this to your employers, too - if he comes back, I want you to cooperate with him. I /can't emphasize this enough/," the detective explains, although he certainly emphasizes it very, very hard. If the guy messed the Oni of Osaka up that hard, he'd snap Enoha like a twig.

"If you can, call the police first, but... don't try to resist him or threaten him, or anything like that. Do you understand?"

"No, it's alright." Though, it does seem a little strange. Did a new lead come up? Did they catch whoever was in charge?

Then, Dojima does the big reveal. Kanmori.... did what? Enoha stares in silence for a while, then... slowly, looks down, eyes wide. .... She's surprised. But... should she really be all that surprised? He's part of the yakuza. He'll say whatever he wants in order to get inside. There's no points lost for lying through your teeth. Maybe everything was an act. How could she judge someone she only saw once?

What's more, Dojima wants them to pay. The woman's shoulders slump. "... I... see. I.... will." What will her boss do? Sweet as he may be, he's also stubborn, and his wife is very much the same. Enoha remembers what they said to her. 'If those big city folk want to come and push us around, then let's see em' try. We'll show them what Inaba is about!'

It's not like she can blow him away with her persona- that'd just defeat the purpose of protecting them and the store. ".... I can't... guarantee my employers'll listen, even if I told them everything. But... I'll try." Slowly, she takes out her cell phone. "Maybe if I have the station on speed dial...?" She weakly smiles. "If... I'm able to."

Dojima tilts his head, sitting for a few beats in silent contemplation. Then he turns to his desk again, fishing through the assorted papers and styrofoam coffee cups. After a moment, he comes out with... a business card! "This has my cell phone number," he explains, leaning forward and offering it to Enoha. "If he comes back, just use it and call me directly.

"I don't want you to worry, or anything," he continues. "We're going to get this guy before he hurts anyone else. This is just for your own safety... just in case. Okay?"

Dojima slides forwards off his desk, and declares. "That's all we needed to talk about. You can go. Thank you, for..." He trails off, all of a sudden, face shifting into a brief scowl. Okay... just one. It can't hurt, right? He's just curious, is all.

"... actually," he begins again, "There was one more thing I wanted to ask you, if it's alright."

Taking the business card, Enoha adjusts her glasses with her free hand and looks down at it. Then, with a relieved smile, she puts it in her purse. "Thank you. I promise you I won't abuse it." The worst will probably happen anyway, but... at least, with this, maybe things will turn out alright.

Maybe she should visit that person who was attacked. That shop... that's just next door, isn't it...? Maybe if she had been there that night... Then again, when exactly did this happen? "Alright." Enoha nods. "When you see Adachi-san... could you tell him I said hi?" She stands up, then, reflecting on her last meeting with Dojima, continues, "Adachi-san's very lucky to have you as a partner." She grins lopsidedly. "Don't tell him that, though... I don't want him to take that the wrong way."

She turns to go leave, but then stops, turning around when Dojima begins to speak. "... No, please. Go ahead, Dojima-san."

Another woman asking him to say hi to Adachi for her. How come women never tell people to say hi to him anymore, Dojima wonders. Or maybe they do, and he just never hears about it. That'd be... typical.

Fucking... /Adachi/.

"Here, let me get that for you," Dojima offers, stepping forwards past Enoha and over to the door. He takes ahold of the handle, and turns it... but, pointedly, doesn't open the door yet. "And I'm sorry if I'm overstepping my bounds, but...

"How did you escape from the serial killer, when you were attacked?" Dojima asks. The BGM instantly becomes that 'creepy time' track. All 'do-do-doo doo doo doon, do-do-doo doo doo doon o/`'.

You know the one.

Clearly, Dojima hasn't figured out that the best place to pick up ladies is during the Dark Hour.

But enough of that. Enoha smiles pleasantly as Dojima opens the door for her. "Than-" Only, he doesn't, stopping the woman in her tracks. Then, when he askes the question? Enoha doesn't seem... annoyed. Or even nervous. Instead, she quietly says, looking down, "No, it's alright. You of all people have the right to know. Adachi-san was probably sick over it, right...? And you have to deal with the serial killer cases here."

This, she has an answer for. One that doesn't involve Personas. One that doesn't involve lying. Enoha gives Dojima a sad smile. "... The answer is pretty much 'barely'."

It's an easy answer because it's the truth. "... I was going to the train station coming home from visiting my dad when I was attacked. When the train came, the serial killer ran away." A hand comes up to feel at her neck, self-consciously. "At least, that's what I think happened. If the timing wasn't right... I probably would've been dead." A guilty look crosses her face. "My dad blamed everything on himself... He still does." She hesitates. "... But yeah. I'm very lucky, to be alive."

Well, that was... easy. Dojima listens carefully to Enoha's explanation, nodding occasionally. His mask falters enough for him to actually look worried... at least partly. The part that isn't worry is almost predatory, as if he were a prospector who had just ben informed of the gold in them thar hills.

"He was very worried," Dojima explains, when Enoha's said her piece in its entirety. "He..." The detective hesitates. He what, cares about you? Is it even fair of him to say something like that? Maybe he should just be honest, and say he's like a lovesick teenager. What a pain in the-

Ahem.

Clearing his throat physically as well as mentally, Dojima shifts his weight to open the door. He asked his question, and she told him everything he could possibly need to know. It was more than he was expecting. So now he should just open the door and let her go.

Except he doesn't.

"Did you get a good look at them? Sex, height, build, age... any details like that are very important to the investigation." Which is why she would have told the detectives working the case when they questioned her. Sumaru isn't your problem anymore, he scolds himself.

Truth is, Enoha likes Dojima. Well, as a person, and not in the same way she *likes* Adachi. Dependable, strong, values hard work. Loyal to his job. Then again, she hasn't seen the downside to the last quality. That, and she feels guilty. What if her name gets reported in the newspaper as a survivor? That might add a whole new level of complicated to their already growing work load.

... In other words, Dojima has the advantage, in this case. He's also asking someone who has trouble lying, mostly due to lack of trying. Just omit the fact that she has a persona, and it still works, doesn't it? She got her ass handed to her, and barely survived.

".... Yeah. I know." Enoha vaguely nods at Dojima trails off. "I know. I would be too, if the tables were switched." But would she be *exactly* like Adachi? Probably not. Her issues aren't the same as Adachi's- she's willing to readily admit she cares for him. There's nothing wrong with caring for someone.

She doesn't prompt him when he doesn't readily move. "... I told everything to the police, but... she looked to be a young teenager. Dressed in Harajuku type clothing. She had a mask over the bottom of her face. Very striking." She hesitates. "Please, promise me you don't go after her if you can help it. She's... not normal."

'She?'

'Young teenager?!'

What the fuck is Japan coming to, Dojima wonders, that there is such a sudden rise in violence perpetrated by teenage fucking girls. The next thing he knows, the prime suspect of their fucking serial murder case is going to be a teena--

/FUCK!/

Thankfully, Dojima manages to keep (most of) his sudden agitation off of his face. "No, no," he assures Enoha. "Nothing like that. It's just... call it professional curiosity." He stands there for a moment in awkward silence, looking vaguely like he's about to continue speaking.

He does, eventually... if likely not in the manner he was thinking of. "Well. Sorry for keeping you so long," he apologizes, bowing slightly. He opens the door and steps out of the way, gesturing Enoha out of his office. "Thank you again for coming down, Koinose-san. I'll tell Adachi you said hello."

See, that's the downside to admitting a good chunk of the truth- someone like Dojima's gonna go get himself in trouble. Maybe. Or maybe he'll sit tight here and let the police in Sumaru take care of it. For now, Enoha suspects nothing. Surely, a detective won't go after someone in another district, right? ...... Right?

"Alright." She gives Dojima a small smile. "And no, it's okay. I'm glad I came as soon as I could." Namely, now, she has a number to call when things get bad. Dojima may or may not have a persona, but a detective can handle a yakuza member better than she ever could. "Thank you. I think... things will be okay, now."

She'll protect her two bosses as best she can. But hopefully, with this number, she won't have to worry about being forced to use her persona. ..... Maybe. "And.... Thank you for driving me home, that day when the blizzard hit. I probably would have worried myself sick about my mother otherwise. You're a good person, Dojima-san."

Bowing her head slightly, she leaves.