Log: Outside Interest

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

It's not always a sure bet that Eien will be at the store, these days. School occupies one half of her life, D4 the third quarter of it...but often, lately, it feels as though the split is half and half, and she's trying to wedge in hours at the store where she has no room for additional hours, at all.

That's what makes today a luxury. While the cold air whistles up and down the largely-deserted waterfront street in Ebisu -- most of the shops here close down in the winter, to save on costs -- Eien is inside of the cafe, perched on her stool behind the counter, a cup of gratis tea beside her, and a half-finished book with a broken spine splayed on the countertop in front of her. The usual jazz and blues pipe their way in over the speakers hidden throughout the corners of the shop.

Given the strength of the wind out there today, it's probably no wonder that the store is, aside from she and one brave couple in the back looking at books for young children, empty.

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

The door opens and closes, a young man reaching behind him with his free hand to close the door behind him. With the gusts like it is, always responsible thing to do to make sure that the door closes behind him. It's a good thing he did because a malicious gust catches the door, trying to pry it open. The firm hand of the newcomer remains in the door. After a couple of seconds of struggle, the door is closed with perhaps a bit more than force than intended, causing a loud thud. For any that look up, they will see the wincing face of the Seven Sisters student president, Masahiko Irie wincing, though his expression relaxes once he turns around to see that he didn't break the door after winning the latest bout of Man vs. Nature.

Currently, Masahiko is dressed not in his school attire, but rather his white suit with the black dress shirt. Some who know him might take it as a sign that he anticipates trouble, but it could easily be preparation for his nightly activities. A simple backpack is held in one hand, a rugged design seemingly made more for short hikes than school. In the same hand is held his cane, which is parallel to the ground instead of pushing off of it. The brisk winds have forced him to don a black trenchcoat, continuing with the monochromic trend.

Calm brown eyes scan the area, swiftly taking note of the target before the so-called Yakuza Prince moves toward the counter with a calm stride. If there is a stool or the like nearby, he will settle his belongings on it so he can remove and fold his trenchcoat over his arm, having the ability to seem much more mature than he appears... At least for a time. He doesn't say anything to the woman behind the counter at first, focused on getting his items in order before moving on with his agenda.

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

With so little going on, there isn't much to distract Eien from glancing up at the door as the bell on the inside jingles...and then rattles against the glass as Masahiko struggles to close the door against the wind that shoves rudely through the gap in the frame. She straightens, plucking her book from the counter and flipping it over to hold her place, then laces her hands on the top of the desk and slips from her seat on the stool. She may know Masahiko passingly from other things -- from the meeting with D4, and from her own contest -- but while she's at work she can't make any assumptions, and so behaves the way she ought to, even if the atmosphere here is more relaxed than in most Japanese retail establishments.

"Good afternoon, Irie-san!" She greets in a sing-song, then drops it in favor of a more candid tone of voice, eyes and smile subtly warm. "The wind's really picked up in the last hour. You must want a /really/ good book -- or a really strong cup of hot coffee. I've got both. What can I get for you?"

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

There is a moment where Irie is taken back, merely looking at Eien and the warm demeanor extended. It's unclear it causes him pause, but after a moment or two, he goes back to putting his stuff down, weighing the cane and bookbag in place by resting the trenchcoat over it.

"Good afternoon, Seida-san," he offers, offering a tired smile that is barely fit even for reciprocity's sake, though whatever is dragging Irie down is likely due to weather and the like. Unlike others in the city, he shows no signs of a sleepless night under his eyes. "I was hoping to get a good strong café au lait with nonfat if that's possible." He pulls out the yen needed to pay, giving a tip that's roughly half the cost of drink itself if there is a jar available. He moves to take a seat after the payment process is over, keeping his tone down for both privacy and respect for the current setting. "As for the book, well, I am looking for one, or at least a copy of it, but I have a feeling it's a one of a kind sorta thing."

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

There is, in fact, a jar, but like most tip jars it's kept for the most part empty, lest somebody come in and decide to try to walk away with it.

No sooner has he given his order than Eien turns away to deal with the espresso machine. For a little while, the room is filled with the sounds and scents of that process, air hissing, milk warming, and it's not until she's put the cup down in front of him and is sorting his currency into the cash register that her brow perks to his answer, olive gaze on the money she's counting out, but attention obviously split.

"We like difficult-to-find books here, Irie-san. I've got the beginnings of a network of book dealers to ask for those kinds of things, now, thanks to the owners, though usually I'm after very specific kinds of things. Still...if you have the money, and what you're looking for is available...I'm sure we can find it."

The drawer rattles closed, and she drifts back over to the opposite side of the counter, brow ticked upward, a pad of paper and a pen dragged over along with her. "Tell me about it."

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

As expected, any change offered is merely poured into the bowl. A brief smirk is given as the bookworm offers her sales pitch but it fades after he makes the purpose of his visit clear. "It's the book you gave out for your writing contest as a prize. I understand it was a one-of-a-kind manuscript, but I wasn't sure if you tried to transcribe a copy due to its current state."

While his words are calm, Masahiko's dark brown eyes are scanning Eien. There isn't really a look of desire behind the gaze, the young man clearly just looking for details, slight movements, or tells. He's clearly expecting some sort of reaction from the woman he speaks to.

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

One blink, and then a soft sigh as Eien leans into the counter and sets her chin on the back of her hand, the pen poised above the pad of paper laid flat and covered with her palm. "You, too? You're the second person to come to me and ask about that book, but unfortunately, I can't tell you much more than I'd already told everyone at the party. I gave out the stories from inside of the book, individually, but sure, I have typed-up versions on my computer, just so that I have the stories. I can print you copies, if you want."

The raven wings of her brows slide together, and she reaches for her teacup, waching him sidelong. "But you...weren't a winner. Why do you ask? Are strange things happening to you, too?"

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

A simple head shake is given toward lover of the literary. He gives a sip of his drink, letting it remain in his hands to warm them. After all, sometimes the chill of winter takes some time to defeat entirely. "No. I had asked my friend, Thora-san about the event. I had heard there was an issue with power in the bookstore and considering it was localized, figured it was worth checking out. She complained of certain feelings and sensations when the lights when out and they kept her up some nights."

"If you've got a copy of the stories, that'll be great. After learning what happened with Thora-san, I took the time to talk to another winner, Ran Itoh-" Masahiko pauses as he feels the side of his face. It still feels so smooth Maybe he should get a pedicure done. After all during the winter months FOCUS, IRIE, FOCUS. A brief cough is given into his fist before he goes on. "Anwyay, she likewise complained of a vision of sorts, though unlike Thora, she remembered what her story was about. I believe it's linked to what she saw, but I need to see what the stories are and talk to those involved to be sure. When I perceive a threat to my friends or other people, I am usually one to be proactive."

A soft sigh is given as his forehead begins to wrinkle somewhat. "I take it from your response, that you've already talked to someone about it, likely one of the winners."

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

More people experiencing strange things. Enda hadn't mentioned the party at the store, but he was vague about everything, despite Eien's attempts to draw him out...modest though they had been. A hands-off approach is how she prefers to deal with /that/ guy. (Literally.)

The longer she listens, the more troubled her expression becomes -- troubled, and edged with something impatiently frustrated, too, the explanation for which comes as soon as he finishes talking: "I didn't sense /anything/ strange about the book. Nothing at all, and believe me, I looked. I handled it for...months, before the contest, and never got the faintest inkling that anything was wrong with it. I don't understand how that's possible."

She purses her lips, then taps her teacup twice gently on the counter and slides backward away from it, leaving the cup and opening the door in the wall behind her, which leads to the back office. "Just a moment. I'll get the stories printed up for you."

The wedge of space visible from the main room shows a tiny, crowded office area. The computer is out of line of sight, but a blue glow splashes on the interior when she turns the monitor on, and momentarily the sound of a printer bleeds out to join it. Of course, this is when the couple finishes up what they're doing, and they wait at the counter until Eien reappears, whereupon she apologizes for her tardiness, rings them up, and then only afterward returns to Masahiko to set a stapled group of seven sheets of paper in front of him.

"Here. There wasn't a title or author connected to the book, and if you've seen the pages, you know they were hand-written and illuminated, so it was definitely also bound by hand. I don't know what good this'll do, but you're welcome to make copies if you need to."

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

The information is catalogued by Masahiko, giving a simple "<<No problem>>" in English before the woman escapes to get a copy and do her duties as a cashier. The young man doesn't really have issue with the wait, giving him some time to mull over things as he drinks the coffee.

If what Eien is saying is true, then she took every precaution expected of a Persona user, despite being much newer to this (or seeming as such) than some. If she didn't have issues with the book after reviewing it, it's clear that merely reading the words isn't the trigger. That's good, or else he would run the risk of having issues should he directly read from the book which is a good thing to the Yakuza spawn. While Irie does tend to put himself on the front lines of battle, he is by no means a masochist and seeks to avoid more attempts on his sanity than usual. But if reading the material wasn't the trigger, then it must be something else. He ponders that up until Eien returns, at this time it seems that Irie is already having a conclusion drawn up.

"This didn't happen until the book was divided and people took their copies to their homes," Masahiko states, looking over the stapled sheets with an arched brow and a slightly hunched back. It's a lot... smaller than what he was imagining for an arcane text or the like, so he looks back up toward Eien, not even looking through the material. At this point, Irie seems to be in intense concentration, flexing his rather weak investigative and deductive abilities. "Was there any talk or suggestion of splitting the book to the winners within the text, running a contest, or any sort of feelings that made you want to run the contest?"

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

Either because of her status as a spotter-telepath, or because she's just good at thinking several steps ahead, Eien seems to intuitively grasp the nature of his surprise.

"The book seemed longer because it was all hand-written, and the illumination took up a lot of room on every page. Typed up, it's...really not very long at all."

Settling back in against the counter, she cups her hands around her own mug out of habit, though the chawan's contents have long since cooled. "Ah, you must have arrived late to the party that night. I was sold the book on the condition that it be split up, yes. At the time, the reasons were sound, but hearing about strange things happening, it seems eerily intentional. Unfortunately, after I spoke with Enda-san, I tried to get back in touch with the man who sold the book to me, and I haven't gotten a reply yet. All I have is a mailing address...no telephone number. It could be a while before I hear anything."

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

"Makes sense" is all Irie has to offer on the issue of book length.

"I actually didn't arrive at the party at all. It was my hope to, but things came up as they often do," the young man offers with a regretful nod of the head. "You spoke with Enda-san," he states, though his tone suggests faint interest. He was one of the winners, according to Thora, after all.

"As for the address... If you could give me the address, I could see about looking into it if you wanted. At the least, run the records, see if I can get something from some investigation. Could also go there personally as well. If this situation is following the pattern of what I fear, I'm up for anything that nips this in the bud."

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

"Ah," Eien says, that Japanese sound of acknowledgement, along with a slightly formal dip of the head. "He..."

'Followed me to my safehouse from school and interrogated me while I held him at gunpoint,' she doesn't say.

"...had some questions. He's been feeling strangely since the party, but I couldn't get him to tell me what 'strangely' meant. I told him he ought to speak with the other winners. Understand, I couldn't really take everything he said at face value, knowing...something about what he's like...but I do think he was being sincere. He looked unsettled."

Masahiko's request earns a sharp curve at one side of her mouth, and a skeptical look, along with a shake of the head. "Sorry, I don't give out my contacts' information, it's bad business practice, and you're...well. I'm sure you understand why that's impossible," she amends, avoiding touching on his criminal background directly, but referencing it firmly enough to make her stance clear.

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

Silence is given for the details given on Kyo. While there is a trace of a frown upon the student president's face, the information given suggests a dead end or, in light of the request's response, an intentional lack of details. Either way, pushing the matter isn't something Irie has any plan of doing. Either he'll investigate Kyo Enda or he'll merely give the vain prayer that he will be the first and only fatality of whatever is at the cause of these dreams.

There is a brief narrowing of his eyes as the intern explains why she's can't give out the information. After all, when doing 'good works', the so-called Yakuza Prince is very rarely told no, even by law enforcement.

"I have worked with-" Stop. "The blood I've shed-" Stop. The frustration in his face continues before he takes in a deep breath and merely exhales, as if letting out the emotion from a hot air rage balloon. "Forget it," he concludes softly. He gives a firm stare toward his coffee, though it's unclear what emotion is powering it, only that it is intense. Despite this and perhaps due to his attempts to rein himself in, his tone is now calmer and softer than when he first came. "Most things that alter realty require power. Crystal skulls were used to power a Nazi invasion, but first they had to take out 'Ideal Energy' from many people within the town before they could be used. Rumors in Sumaru City can change the world about them, but first they have to be encouraged by those who willfully or unknowingly understand they are giving power to something beyond their control. The DVA was a device that could do that, but it required the psychic connection to a user among other things."

It is at this point that Irie lifts his eyes toward Eien, after forcing himself to calm for a short time, it is now a natural and he is back to homostasis. "If this is not stopped, it could get worse. How? I have no idea. But right now, with what little I know, I have a feeling that if this thing is causing bad dreams, it might be feeding off of them. If you don't trust me, then send some people you do trust to look into it. But don't wait." There is a long pause as he summons a word that does not come naturally in times like this.

"Please."

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

Both of Masahiko's false starts see changes to Eien's expression: the slight arch of her brow, and the slight lidding of her eyes, with each successive attempt on his part causing those movements to increase very slightly.

'Forget it,' he says, and her expression resolves itself. "I will," she nods once, lifting her cup to her lips, to take a sip of the tepid contents.

She does listen to the rest of what he has to say with the usual equanimity, in spite of the cool reception his ire received, and in the end must set her chawan down again and lift her hands, splaying them upward. "Irie-san, I may not be the right choice for this. Not only did I not sense anything untoward about the man who sold me the book, or the book itself, with Hekate...I touched it for /months/ and didn't get any impressions from the object itself. Not even when I separated the pages. I didn't experience anything that night at the party that seemed off, but you say Kobayashi-san did. Whatever is happening...whatever this is," she adds, and seems a little bit irritated now, herself -- not with Masahiko, but just in general -- "It is /completely/ beyond my ability to sense. I've never had that happen, before. I can delve into my occult library, I can contact the man in question and I can /certainly/ have D4 look into things, but it seems to elude me. There is every chance that it was deliberately intended to."

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

There is a long pause as Irie debates something, in thought once more as Eien explains herself and her issues with the book and her own abilities. At this point, his compassion comes back out, now that anger is no longer the chief emotion steering the young man.

"<<When you're a hammer, the world becomes a nail,>>" he begins, starting things off with English. Because it is cool to do English sayings. "While I'm not sure what it is meant, for me, it means you see and solve problems in the way you are designed or have dealt with issues in the past. I'm more of a direct man. You have depended on your special gift to get you where you needed to be."

Slowly Irie stands, looking at Eien. Without any fanfare, his resonance disappears entirely. If she's a spotter that reads life signs, she won't even get those. The only suggestion that something is amiss is that his eyes seem a little lighter in shade somehow, perhaps with flecks of gold, but it could easily be a trick of the light. He moves to lean over to caress Eien's cheek with his hand. If she allows it, she won't feel a thing save the warm of his skin and the cup he was once holding. If she tries to actively feel his resonances or read him like she has others or objects, she will only feel numbness, similar to intoxication, clearly his Persona's way of obscuring with a soft 'nope'. His hand is well taken care off, an awkward side effect of questioning a cosmetologist at her work place.

Regardless if he is allowed to test his anti-spotting upon the government intern or not, the young man pulls away, remaining standing but his eyes still locked on hers. His resonance returns, the gentle strength and aura of authority returning as before. "Just like I'm used to getting me places because of who I am, you're used to using your powers to tell you what you need to know about things. Sometimes, you just have to try a different approach."

That said, Irie moves to put the papers away into his book bag. "If I had to make a guess, considering you were the catalyst for this, I'd say there must have been some intentional effort to ensure you didn't stop this plan before it got off the ground. Regardless of what happens, I'll do my best to help. While I'd love any information or assistance you give me, I understand your hesitation; just means I'll have to work to earn your trust like I have with others." A brief smile is given. "Have a feeling I never will, but I'm always one for a challenge."

Slowly, Irie moves to slide on his trenchcoat, clearly preparing to charge into the rain. "Unless you want to talk about anything else... Should likely head out. I've got places to be and you don't need me around here all night."

<Pose Tracker> Eien Seida [D4] has posed.

Eien Seida does not like to be touched casually.

She has good reasons for that. When Masahiko reaches out for her face, she lifts her wrist to knock away his hand and leans away, everything in her slim frame tensing at the threat of even glancing contact, her eyes wide, and then accusing.

"Don't," she says simply, the word taut.

She doesn't need to be touched in order to sense resonance, though -- or the sudden lack thereof, as he turns the tap off that allows his to flow.

She might have had something to say about his demonstration, but it's clipped off in the compounded annoyance of a) failing to detect anything about the book in the first place and b) Masahiko's approach.

"It isn't about trust for me, Irie-san. It's just not the way things are done. It's about proper behavior and law. I'm sorry that you don't see that. If you want to pursue it further, you can speak to my superiors, and if they decide to involve you...then it's out of my hands."

Turning from the counter, she reaches to pick up a rag and begins to wipe down the counter. "As for the rest, I'll do what I can, and if I learn anything, I'll be letting everyone involved know. It's my fault if anything goes wrong. I just don't think I'm going to be much help, and it's better if I admit that now than leave people thinking I can fix it all when everything I know how to do is totally irrelevant."

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

The hand is retracted with little fanfare. "Apologizes," he states without another word on the gesture, procedure, and her apparent growing anger. The bookbag is slung over his shoulder as continues to prepare to leave. "Well, I hope for your sake that it gets resolved without it getting out of hand. Guilt is a horrible thing to carry, but seems like you don't need me to tell you that. Sorry to trouble you, but thank you for the stories and the help you've offtered. Have a good night."

That said, the young man slowly makes his way toward the door, his cane being used as he walks out, perhaps more for style and effect than actual need. With a final gust of the wind, the young man makes his way out into the beachfront, preparing to take out his stresses the best way he knows how With a little Street Justice.

Maybe a new hamster too.