Difference between revisions of "Logs: Persona 101, with Masahiko Irie"

Latest revision as of 01:29, 7 October 2012

IC Date: May 29, 2011
Who: Izo Imaizumi, Masahiko Irie
Location: Izo's Apartment
What: Masahiko starts to fill Izo in on the baffling world of the supernatural -- and the factions of Sumaru.

Imaizumi Apartment(#1000Tn)

Located in an eleventh-floor corner unit of a fifteen-story apartment building, Izo's apartment is of the kind colloquially known in Japan as wan rumu manshon -- a one-room mansion. While most units of the kind only contain a single large room, often done as a traditional, convertible washitsu room and a small, western-style bathroom, the corner location of Izo's unit has allowed for the addition of a galley kitchen as well -- not that he appears to use it; the cabinets are full of shadows and whatever mismatched flatware, cups, and cutlery the prior occupants deemed unfit to take with them when they left. The lights are always off in it, and the screen door that conceals it in the genkan is always closed.

Against the far wall is situated a low, broad, deep, dark wooden platform atop which a padded roll and numerous cushions provide seating during the day, tatami mats bundled to one side and neatly tied with a folded pile of fresh blankets atop, waiting to be switched with the cushions for evening, and sleep. A similarly dark table occupies the center of the room, arrayed with pillows for ground-seating; beneath it, a cream rug puddles on the wooden floor like spilled milk, concealing the scratches and damage caused by generations of student tenants.

There are various horizontal surfaces, most in a traditional style -- kobako chests, kaidan dansu -- on which candles have been arrayed, but stronger illumination comes from the pair of stunning Yohen Tenmoku-glazed ceramic vases, converted into lamps, which rest atop sleek, modern, milk-white glass tables in a mid-century antique style.

Amidst all of this minimalist taste in decor are signs of modernity. A flatscreen television of generous size occupies the wall near the platform for easy watching, and a corner of the room nearest the door is occupied by a shelf unit containing a computer, flanked by several shelves that contain his current (ever-changing) crop of books.

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

It's warm and humid outdoors, and pedestrian traffic is sluggish, particularly in light of the failure of electricity in the area following the festival yesterday, resulting in a lack of air conditioning and a miserable night.

Today is better. There's a breeze, for those who have yet to adopt that most modern of comforts, but Izo's windows are closed up tight, and the window AC box has been pumping cool air into his apartment since the lights turned on suddenly in the early hours of the AM with the restoration of the grid's integrity, startling him out of a dead sleep. It's therefore cool and pleasant inside despite the cheerful splash of sunlight on the floor, which sparks and glints off of another pleasant thing: the table is set with informal fare and tea, a rare effort on Izo's part to do anything whatsoever related to food other than eating it. The young man, whatever else he is, is not a cook -- which is evident in the way his 'informal fare' comes in a box tied with a bow from a nearby bakery. He can't even pretend that he was responsible.

While he waits for Masahiko to arrive, he reads, sitting on the edge of the platform across the room.

All is quiet.

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

The aloe was applied; the wound cleaned and properly cared for. As the family doctor preformed his work (without any questions), Masahiko knew that he put the talk off for long enough. Having said as much to Izo that night, it was only expected that he would call and let him know that he would be offering the full scoop soon and that it would blow his mind. He asked the guy do whatever it would take to get him at 'full understanding' since it was important stuff. As soon as the medical work was done, Masahiko got onto his motorcycle, off to pick up some supplies before heading off to DESTINY.

Not heading into battle or needing to be presentable, the young man is dressed in what is actually normal clothes when he arrives at the apartment door. A tee-shirt with the words 'Go Godzilla Go' on the top with a picture of the iconic beast breathing some fire underneath pair causally with a pair of jeans and some low cut sneakers.

A pair of knocks come from the door and when it is opened, Izo will find Irie with a rather big dry erase board under one arm, the sort that come with its own stand so that it can be set up anywhere. "Good morning, Imaizumi-san, hope you are doing well," he begins as he makes his way into the house, sliding off his shoes as soon as he enters, pushing them off to the side. He would put them into the proper place, but he has his hands full. He looks around, clearly not too impressed with what he sees. However, like the proper man that he is, he gives a small smile despite that. He understand and respects those that have had to make their way through life, possessing strength in ways that he was allowed to be weak, even if there was some trouble in relating to some of their woes. "Thank you for letting me into your home. Nice place. Very-" Small. "-Zen."

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

Once Izo has finished looking at the white board -- skeptically, though his expression is reserved enough not to reveal much of that skepticism -- he gestures for Masahiko to move further into the room, and bends down to sort the shoe situation out. There are slippers for guests, but given that the youth has his hands full, he's not about to make demands. And of his place?

"It's--" Not my home, Izo almost says, and then thinks better of it. This is the place that the family deemed appropriate for him to live in; it's not /his/ name signed on the agreement for deposit and key money. "I don't need very much."

That, at least, is true.

"Do you need help carrying anything?" The white board is, of course, a puzzle. What could Masahiko have to show him that requires a white board to demonstrate? The thought of intricacies of the supernatural -- things he thinks of by default as 'occult', mystical and intangible -- being sketched out like a court-side basketball gambit strikes him as just another absurdity in a long, growing chain of the same.

Izo Imaizumi says, "lol. Masahiko shows up to educate Izo about the supernatural with...a white board." Mathias Reinhardt says, "LOL" Yisa Taimiev says, "LOL i hope stupid doodles are involved" Izo Imaizumi says, "Me too." Izo Imaizumi says, "Bad ones that are hard to understand and make everything more confusing." Yisa Taimiev says, "ROFL" Izo Imaizumi says, "'No, that's a demon.' 'It looks like a puking baby.' 'IT'S A DEMON.'" Yisa Taimiev says, "'this is a shadow' 'it looks like a lobster' 'it's a shadow' 'are shadows lobsters' 'no -- well it's hard to say' 'can we go eat some lobster'" Izo Imaizumi dies. Yisa Taimiev says, "cut to them surrounded in a sushi buffet 'what were we talking about' unno'"

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

The dry erase board seems to already have writing on it. 'NWO' is written at the top with a diamond around it. On the western side, there is SEES written with another diamond around them. The Southern side has the word Strega with yet another diamond and in the western diamond is KDA. The center of the board is left seemingly intentionally blank. At the bottom of the board, there seems to be markers and an eraser fastened into their special holder, seemingly Masahiko thinking that more writing might be necessary. It's clear that it isn't the Persona he is using this for, but seemingly to illustrate something else that Izo might be able to figure out if he's been a good listener or just good with his hunches. Once it is set up, Masahiko moves to get the slippers on.

"Nah, I'm good," Masahiko states as he makes sure his shoes in the proper place and slippers on right before turns back toward Izo. "So, you ready to get on with this stuff? I figure we can start with history, move on with factions," he begins as he motions toward the board. "Then go on about crazy shit that doesn't really go into a neat box.... Then end with what I'm trying to do and maybe get some food and drink while talking about random shit Sound good to you?"

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

While Masahiko is busy setting up, Izo pours tea and seats himself on the edge of that platform, elbows atop knees and hands laced loosely. Here in his house he can push his sleeves up to his elbows, revealing the intricate, deeply detailed lines and colors of the tattoos on either one: the left arm appears to be primarily of a water scene, with koi traveling up toward the shoulder; the right is scarcely populated with falling, swirling sakura petals.

There is food present, and he isn't eating it. He's too interested in what he's about to hear, and too focused on paying attention. A slim notebook lies on the table beside a pen, but remains there; Izo -- as he demonstrated the previous evening, taking numbers off of cellphone screens -- has a knack for information retention.

"Sounds good."

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

After he is done setting up, Masahiko turns toward Izo, looking at the tattoos now that he has a brief lapse in conversation to observe them. As expected, he gives them an honest appreciation. "Got yourself a good artist, I see."

A deep breath is taken after the statement, having too little time to talk tats and the like. This is gunna be a lot of talking. "I guess we should start at the beginning. Which is a beginning I'm not too sure about. As you know, Persona are manifestations of the supernatural that people like you and I can use. For some reason, it seems it's mostly younger people that use it. I have a feeling certain other people, like the people in the Kijiro group and SEBEC know much more than I do, but for differing reasons, they choose not to share that information with the likes of us."

A glance is given toward Izo before Masahiko pulls out a green marker. "Then there was the Port Island accident. Not sure exactly what happened, but considering that Dark Hour started around that time, it likely was something involving Kijiro group. They have a lot of crazy tech. Even made a robot girl Aigis-san." A glance back is given toward Izo to make sure he remembers the information and the girl's name. "Dark Hour is a time when people that aren't special like us are frozen in time. During this time, that takes place right after midnight and is outside of time, it when monsters known as Shadow go around and try and eat people that seem to be aware during this time. Likely because they have potential. I presume that the Apathy Syndrome has something to do with the shadows, but I haven't figured out why yet and again, the people that likely know won't tell me."

A green checkmark is given to SEES. "Apparently in response to this Dark House, Mitsuru Kijiro, the heiress to the company and a smoking hot red head, made SEES with a guy named Shinjiro Aragaki. They've been doing it for years and the group they have formed is deicated to stopping the Dark Hour in Port Island and other places... And stopping shadows. From time to time, they help others when it endangers them or their Island, but their main goal is stopping Dark Hour." Taking out a red marker, Masahiko puts up 'Stopping Dark Hour' by SEES before looking back to Izo. "So, any questions so far?"

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

Throughout, Izo is absolutely attentive to what's being said, barely moving save to tick his eyes from Masahiko to the board behind him. When he's asked that last question, he sits for a moment in silence -- not because he has no questions, but because he barely knows where to begin. "What is SEBEC? What does SEES stand for?"

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

A small smile forms at the mention of SEBEC. "That brings us to the second group I believe was formed... The NWO. They might have worked unofficially or officially, but considering they are business men and the like, I have a feeling they have been around as long as the Kijiro group, if not longer." Masahiko frowns as he appears ready to go on, but the 'I wish I knew more' is getting repetitive. "In any case, they seem to wish for control. They have been doing experiments on those with Persona, seemingly able to create people with Persona, machines that can enhance those powers, and even make a drug called Lib. Apparently it's a drug that when normal people use it, they get stronger and faster... And when Persona users take it, it does the same effect. It comes with a cost, being as destructive as heroin health-wise and seemingly causing a 'roid-rage' effect. A berserker button if you will. I have worked to destroy many of these places, but the NWO keeps having them crop up."

As Masahiko talks, he write, answering one question with writing as another is answered verbally. SEES gets 'Special Extracurricular Extermination Squad', NWO gets 'New World Order', KDA gets 'Kunzunhoha Detective Agency', and Strega is allowed to be what it is.

"SEBEC was the business that the NWO ran out of, run by a man named Kandori until he was killed." The lack of san bares with the distain to let Izo know exactly what Masahiko thought of the man. "Before I helped end his life in his failed attempt at using the supernatural since to become a god, he was the one in charge of the Masqurade and the NWO. The Masqurade are people that wear masks, seem to be the top brass, and the guys that kill people. They have Persona and most are rather powerful. They are the ones I currently am devoting most of my attention to, and we'll get to that in a bit."

A sigh is given as he looks back toward Izo. Irie gives an awkward grin, understanding how this all must seem, being in the same situation himself a year or so ago. "I know, this shit be crazy, but it's like a protein shake. Hard going down, but things get better if you get it in ya."

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

"No, that's fine. I'm following you...so far." Izo does take the time to jot a few things down on the notepad as he listens -- chronologies, perhaps, or acronyms -- before he sits back and relaces his hands. To gauge from his silence, he's ready for the teen to continue; outside, through the window, the world surreally continues to turn in its mundane way. Children laugh. A bell on a bike rings an alert. The normalcy is, by contrast to the explanations taking place, as absurd as the whiteboard seemed.

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

"While the NWO seeks to rule, Strega seems to work to destroy." A checkmark is given to NWO and Irie points to the group in the south. "Working in Port Island, they are the emo kids who want to kill everything or are seriously messed up in the head. They apparently use the Dark Hour to preform hits, using that money to fund themselves or just for the heck of it. For obvious reasons, they clash with SEES quite often. They haven't been a threat really save some killings here and there, but they have that possibility. As you will learn, power can easily and quickly shift with the supernatural. It's a blessing for those that know how to manage the tides, a curse for those that ignore the writings on the wall."

The last couple of sentences seem to have an odd mixture of ominous reflection and hope, but Irie doesn't go on about it. Like the outside world that seems obvious to this somber explanation, the young man seems obvious to it as if both had merely agreed to exist separately for a time.

"The final group is situated in Inaba. It's in the middle of nowhere, so they aren't up in people's business for the most part. They are trying to investigate murders that have been happening there, apparently done by people being shoved into what is called the Midnight channel, a channel that works in the middle of the night around the time of Dark Hour. Instead of it being something that engulfs an area, only TVs are affected, becoming windows to a world that becomes a world based on the horrors of the victim's mind. I haven't been in the TV World, but I hear it's pretty messed up. To save these people, they go into the TV World, and help the person overcome their problems before their problems manifest into a shadow self and kill them. They don't know who's responsible, but I hear they are slowly getting leads." A small shrug is given. "I usually don't screw with them and they don't screw with me. Thora-san is part of their group, though as I said, she's more in line with me than I think she is with them. She thinks like I like to think."

Masahiko frowns as he looks straight toward Izo as if this concept was more important than anything else in the talk. As expected, English is used to emphaise it even more. "**Big Picture.**"

Turning back to the board, Masahiko begins to draw. Red lines between SEES and Strega. Red lines between KDA and a question mark that is drawn in red. NWO doesn't seem to have any lines, but smaller circles are drawn into the center of the circle, perhaps giving a clue as to how Irie-sama begins to figure into the grand scheme of things.

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

"TV world," Izo repeats. The words don't mock. They don't belittle, they don't dispute or doubt. They are bereft of much in the way of emotion, and through that very emptiness convey just how immense the scale of changes in his world has really been: from two months ago, when his most significant problems were related to a) what the Yaks wanted him to do that day and b) dealing with his overbearing father when he got home, to a world in which those problems have expanded to include things like being sucked into a television, or your mind, or some strange combination of the two. He takes a deep breath, shakes his head, and clears his throat. "Alright. That makes...sense." As much sense as one can expect of something completely nonsensical, anyway. "What's next?"

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

A simple nod is given to the TV world tone.

"The man that got me into the picture of Yosuke Hanamura. He wanted to fight Kandori, so he decided to leave Inaba, and get involved with the Yakuza. With the Sumis with the NWO, he went to a lower lieutenant, Takeshi Odori. He started to introduce to his gang the supernatural, even giving some of them Persona. My grandfather, worried irresponsible flaunts of power and the supernatural would escalate into a gang war of unknown and unwanted levels, pulled me back from my time in the states to handle it. I worked with him to make the Spring Frog Cartel. He wanted to make Persona public knowledge and profit from it and was rather reckless in how he did it. During that time, Kandori tried to kill my grandfather while he was in prison, along with a lot of other of his trusted men." There is a brief pause. "I did not choose the name of the group, but to protect the underworld and my grandfather I joined up. In any case, I worked with a lot of their people, focusing their energies against Kandori as best I could without losing control of the situation. Finally, it was too much for Yosuke and he left. Without his energy the group fell apart. One of the founders, Maki-san, and Daisuke, an investigator with ties to the Yakuza, asked me to run the group." While Izo might be getting an explaination of history, reading between the lines might give him a better idea of Masahiko as well, based on his choices and how and why he's done the things he's done.

A 'K' is written in one of the smaller circles. "The group you are a part of now is what I remade it into. I use the business model to encourage my personal goals, which allows me to have some control of the seeder people and use other outcasts to try and make a difference. I have tried to get help from SEES and other people, including a group led by jerk named Tatsuya Suou." A group labeled TS is given another circle. "But I'll explain why THAT didn't go over so well. But first-" The marker is capped as the young man looks back toward Izo. "Questions? Thoughts? A little break or clarification needed?"

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

That clears up one of the larger and more personal mysteries of Izo's new circumstances -- specifically, who the hell the people he met last night were, and what association they have to Masahiko, since it's clear there were professional bonds...that had nothing to do with Yakuza. The overlap between the crime syndicate and this smaller group with wider, less organized aims is one worthy of exploration, but perhaps not /now/; this time seems better reserved for matters strictly undiscoverable on his own time.

He can make a small margin of headway in that direction, though, with the following: "What /are/ your personal goals?"

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

There is a second where the question doesn't process, Masahiko turning toward the board as if preparing to write. The cap slides from his fingers when it comes to him, and the marker is squeezed too tightly so it pops out like a cork. Some awkawrd juggling causes Irie to get the marker again, but only after his hands are stained with red.

"That's really not something I can talk about... Not something I really know much of." The cap is taken up and put on. "For now, I suppose making a world where people can life safely and happily as the best I can do. The NWO kills people for power and control. No one fights them directly. The groups that work here, they are passive. They wait for someone to rise up in power, endanger everything and for the body count to rise before they have the courage to do something."

While his back is turned from Izo, the older man can likely see that his body is tensing with anger. As if worried about the safety of the innocent mark, it is put back into its place. "Right now, the NWO has someone that has great power, that's enough to summon demons, fight ten or twenty of our kind at a time perhaps. Not sure where he got the power or who he is. No one knows. His name is Joker and apparently is grants wishes if you call your own number on your cell phone. He seems to be gathering energy... seemingly from shadows, people with Persona, anything he can. He told SEES that if they got him a Crystal Skull, apparently something that will heighten his powers even more. He promised that he would end the Dark Hour if they helped him. And they went along with it."

A second or two of silence is given before Masahiko grabs the board with both hands, one on either side and just rams his skull straight through it. The dry erase board crumples into pieces, unable to withstand the onslaught of forehead. A sigh is given before he turns toward Izo. "They don't see **Big Picture**, which is why they don't stand against the NOW like I do. They said they couldn't fight Joker, so they went along with him for the time being. They care more about the Dark Hour, so they don't care demons attack Sumaru in Joker's name. Naomi Suzuno, a smart woman who is Suou's second in command... She is unwilling to fight with me, because her group views me as a threat and Suou refused to give me the time of day, despite the fact that I've fought with them, SEES, and countless others against demons and others. To protect Japan. It's sad that a person like me has to try and organize this, when there should be people that don't have a background like ours, hands stained with blood like us."

Another couple of seconds fill the air before Masahiko blinks and realizes what he did in his outburst. "Sorry about that... I made a mess. Let me clean that up, being a terrible guest." He doesn't seem hurt by his brief rage at all, not even a scratch at the point of impact. As he lowers himself to pick up pieces, he adds, "Hope that explains why things are so complicated with me and everyone else... And why I walk my own path. It is why I sympathize with you. I know what's it's like to be called in to clean up after someone, even though you didn't deserve it. Only this time, it's my mess."

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

For all that Izo is impulsively furious as a human being, and violent anger is his weakness...it takes a /great deal/ to push him to that boiling point. The Hermit, after all: he is a sage on the inside, and the battle he fights is one that he wins perhaps eighty percent of the time.

Sudden outbursts of violence are not unfamiliar, all the same. It was a sudden outburst of violence that resulted in his transfer to Sumaru in the first place -- albeit one that he finished, rather than one that he started -- and being party to Yakuza gatherings means occasionally bearing witness to hot-heads of low rank sorting out feuds with one another in a physical way.

Nevertheless...

It's safe to say that he didn't expect that kind of thing from Masahiko Irie. He doesn't just fail to comment on it verbally, he keeps his opinion about the moment to himself in a wholesale fashion, minding his expression and only nodding vaguely, without much concern, when the apology comes. Behind that mask, doubtless he's factoring the incident in to his building dossier on the Yakuza heir.

What he says is, "All of life is a mess. At least you're trying to clean it up."

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

"I'm usually rather chill about things."

The fact comes with another pause, as if this takes a lot more thought than the explanation of groups, supernatural, and other things. The young man moves toward the trash can, hunting it down if it's hidden so he can put the pieces away. "I just worked with SEES for a year. Not officially, you know, fighting supernatural crap and even Strega on one occasion or two. I knew it would take time, everytime people look at me, they think of my grandfather and instantly assume I want to turn their girlfriends into whores and snort up protection money through my nose. I had hoped that after a year, they wouldn't be so selfish. Then they backstab like that. They do that to innocent people because they think their island is more important." The unremarkable brown eyes stare at the trash can as if it was symbolic of something else. "Lacks honor." Normally, he doesn't share like this... but if there is a man that understand, he figures it's Izo. Just like the Hermit is reading Masahiko, the street goes both ways and the man of Strength has often been told he's a remarkable judge of character.

Settling the trash can down once more, Masahiko gives an awkward grin. "I will likely be confronting SEES on the skull matter rather soon. I figured it was important to know what was up with that. Most times, I play things cool, but I'm smart enough to know when I might need help. I need them to do the right thing. To side with us. But I won't have them siding with my enemies and I get so pissed off about it, I can't handle it straight" Afterthought. "Oh, if you have any questions, now might be a good time. If you need time to think and chew, more power to ya."

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

Rather than rush into any immediate questions, Izo slowly settles backward where he's sitting, leaning back against the wall and lacing his hands behind his head. It is a shockingly informal posture, but -- well, fuck it, really; Masahiko has just turned into the Incredible Hulk and they're talking about things the likes of which most men, women, girls and boys (and/or the occasional dog) can't even begin to fathom. It's difficult to remain formal in the face of that sort of thing.

He chews on the information. He chews on it, turns it over in his head, prods at it, looks for holes.

"I don't know how much help I'm going to be to you, dealing with these other people," he says finally, after having given his own role in what's to come particular attention. "Even if I were to deny my involvement with the family -- and I don't -- then they'd guess, anyway, by the way we're teamed up. I get along with people well enough, but they're holding a grudge against you for it even after you've put in the time and effort, and you're not..." Here he gestures vaguely, almost apologetic. "...as big as I am," he finishes, spreading his hands in indication of his own oversized build. "People find that intimidating already. If what you need is allies, and it sounds like it is..."

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

A small smirk is given in response to the first bit of Izo's response, but it fades as Izo goes on, as it is seems it is Irie's time to listen. The look in his eyes shows a clear respect for the information given. Yet again, it seems Masahiko owes a great debt to his grandfather for sending him this man, even if it was not in the way Izo's would have wanted. "If you're sane.. If you're willing to hold me account and have my back, I would be forever in your debt. Everyone needs a person to keep them on the right path."

The young man gets a small grin as he pats his right shoulder. "I might be a smaller man, but my grandfather always said I was gifted in my statue. That I would able to hold up the burdens I was meant to. If people want to assume, let them. I'm okay with that, as long as they don't screw with us. After all, if you're with me, that means I'm watching out for you too." The grin continues to grow is given as his mood seems to slowly improve. It doesn't take much to get the young man in good spirits again, it seems. At least this time around. "Allies is what I need. People who understand me. People who share my desire for helping people. To protect them. If I'm alone in that, I know I'll just go crazy. No one, no matter how cool they are, can work alone. As I think you'll see, I'm working on that. And if you're good with people, I'm sure we'll be making progress in no time!"

The mirth suddenly fades as he realizes something. A question he should likely ask back.

"So... Mind if I ask you one question: What's your goal?"

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

Izo's gaze slips from the youth in front of him, wandering through meaningless space as he considers how to answer the question. It was asked fairly and, though his rescue came with strings attached, he does /owe/ Masahiko and Iriesama for their protection -- owes them at least that much. It's only the dreadfully personal nature of his intentions that gives him pause; Izo is not the sort to bare his soul to fresh acquaintences or even long-time friends, depending upon the circumstances.

On the other hand? His life is virtually in Masahiko's hands. It would be even if he weren't involved in the family: he's too new to this, too new to everything, to make it on his own. As last night's events demonstrated, the world is a more dangerous place than he's ready for.

But how does he sum it up -- all of that ambition? Masahiko's far-reaching goals are admirable, but he can barely see beyond tomorrow, let alone make grand plans for the future. The Big Picture is a good philosophy for handling day to day decisions, but perhaps not useful without a more modest interim plan.

"Right now, I just want to get my life back under control. I want to figure out where I am, what I'm doing...make connections here. I feel turned-around, like I have no -- anchor. Beyond that?" Sitting forward again, he braces his elbows on his knees and lets his hands dangle. "I don't know. I feel as though I almost don't know enough to know which direction I should be moving in, yet."

<Pose Tracker> Masahiko Irie [K] has posed.

It is no surprise to see the things that might have limited Masahiko Irie. A man of little compromise, trying to act according to the beliefs of his heart, not necessary to what it tactically sound. There is a reason why the idealist is not fated long for this world and it is likely Masahiko's connections, the guidance of Irie-sama and others, and unique traits that have allowed him to get as far as he had.

"That sounds good. But the moment you need something from me, let me know. I can't help my allies if they never let me know what they want. In the meantime, I'll watch your back and give you people to trash. Since they'll be horrible people often times won't even have to have any guilt about doing it!" the so-called Yakuza Prince proclaims. He appears ready to say more, but the phone begins to ring. Irie pulls it out from his jeans, checking the name as he hrms to himself. He silences the call and just puts it away for the time being. "Huh... Looks like Thora-san needs to talk to me. So, I guess unless you have some other stuff you want to talk about, I should be heading out to meet her as soon as I can."

<Pose Tracker> Izo Imaizumi [K] has posed.

"That's fine. But hey--" Izo pushes himself to his feet in order to see his guest out. "--if you could point me toward people I ought to get to know -- people I might be able to make friends with, and I don't mean just for fun -- then that would probably be good, too. If you start me off doing bad things, even to bad people, it won't take long for that to become who I am to anybody who hears about it, and then I really /will/ be of no use."

That is more than Izo usually says all in one go to anybody, and having said it, he gives a little nod and accompanies -- leads, rather -- the Yakuza princeling toward the door. "Thanks for the information. Tell that Kobayashi-san girl that she's on my list of people to visit."