[Open!] The dark, and everything that comes with it

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji finished the last of his beer, and set the glass mug a little harder against the counter than he could have liked. With his bill paid and his bag up over his shoulder, he stood and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"Arright... fuck it, I'm goin'a bed." His arm up to push aside the noren, he tread out of the restaurant and began the long, quiet journey back to his apartment. With his last midterms finished for the semester- god he hoped he did well- he could finally afford himself a little free time. But with his phone devoid of messages and knowing full well there wasn't gonna be jack shit on TV, Kanji found himself devoid of any real things to DO. ...Except enjoy some of what Tokyo had to offer. And beer. Hell, it was nice to not have whispering, stupid rumor hens cluckin' around and pissing him off. Nobody knew him here. There was a solace in it.

"But it's also boring as shit," he grumbled to himself. So this was what it was like to finally have something like friends, but then have them gone just like that. He missed the Junes meetings. He missed... fuck, everybody. But he knew they had things to do. Important--

The hairs stood on the back of his neck, and his shoulders tensed. Kanji turned, teeth grit. He could have sworn, for just a moment, that he saw movement down the alley. Too big to be a cat. Too weird to be a person. But if it was a person... Though his brain buzzed from the alcohol, he bared his teeth and tread into the alley. If someone was following him looking for trouble, boy, they fuckin' found it.

"Okay, ya piece of shit, we're gonna have a-... a... ayyyyoooowhatthefuck?" It was blobby. It had grabby hands. It had a mask. He hadn't seen shit like that in about five years-

Kanji's eyes sharpened when the... the what's it called, mugu? Moro? Maran? Sank into the concrete and seemingly disappeared. He rubbed his eyes furiously. That was a Shadow, an honest-to-shit Shadow! He drank too much. Holy crap, he drank WAY too much and got to reminiscing, and-

He stopped, hands lowered when he heard a sound. Maybe it was a cry for help, or one of surprise. Whatever it was, it had him hustling and forgetting about the booze in his system!


[ooc: Shadow time! Takes place at no particular "point" in the story, but Kanji can either lend you a hand or your characters encounter something nasty and meet up with someone else. World's your oyster. Just lemme know for the former.]

Comments

[villagepup]

One shadow remains and is quickly beaten down with one of the robot wolf's energy discs, flying back to him after it cuts through the now dissipated shadow. With a moment of reprieve, the robot relaxes to explain himself.

"I do not know of anyone named Izanami. However, I understand that the string of murders in Tokyo over the past two months are similar to the murders in the Inaba case. A team of persona users was formed to combat the rising threat of shadows. I have been dispatched by Mitsuru Kirijo herself to lend my assistance."

The doggo tilts his head and blinks, seemingly confused. "Are you acting alone against the shadows?"

[topgun_textiles]

"...Wow... I guess a story like that gets around, huh?" So much for keeping it quiet. Though he didn't notice anything on the news due to his studies, he figured he'd at least hear rumors flying around like they had back home.

Naoto'd said she was gonna try to keep things on the down low. Guess she and the old man were doing a bang-up job.

"Right, the ice queen with the red hair. Met her for a bit before. Long story."

But he shook his head. "No, I just heard a noise and came to help. I didn't even know I could call my persona outside the TV world! The hell's goin' on... murders here too, for two months!?"

[villagepup]

"It has become common for shadows to appear in this world, but Tokyo has demonstrated an alarming increase in shadow activity. I am unsure of the reason, but they have a far less difficult time entering our world through this city. Perhaps that same meshing of both worlds allows you to summon your persona."

The dog visibly ponders and sends away his persona, then offers Kanji a resolute nod. "Perhaps we will both find answers by tracking down the Tokyo team. I was supposed to meet with them, but...I soon became lost. Would you like to join me?"

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji shook his head in disbelief. Here he was, chatting with a talking robot dog. Wasn't the first robot he'd talked to, but it was still something of a trip nevertheless. He nodded, and with that he felt heavier again- the armor dissipated in blue smoke and light, leaving him in his street clothes. Hmmh... he had to figure out how to get that going on and off whenever.

He needed to ask about that, really.

"Yeah, yeah... er... ya got any gum or somethin'? I was drinkin' and I probably smell like a bar..."

[villagepup]

"Regrettably, I do not. Instead, I would be glad to escort you home. You seem tired...and the smell of alcohol is very strong on you." Not implying anything by it; just that doggo nose of his picking up on it.

With another wag of his tail, the wolf politely bows. Despite lacking a mouth, one can almost feel a bright look in his face, as if smiling up at the human. "As I mentioned earlier, I am anti-shadow unit model 'Kohaku.' You may refer to me as Kohaku or Koh if you wish. It is a pleasure to meet you."

[topgun_textiles]

"Yeah... I guess goin' home to sleep this off's better than tryin'a meet people now. I got some people to call anyway about... all this." He ran his fingers through his hair. He can't believe it... another case. For a brief, childish moment, he was giddy again- he could fight shadows again- but people were dying.

He wasn't going to have a repeat of Inaba.

He hunkered down. "Well... I'm Kanji. And y'know what? You've been a damn good boy, Koh. C'mere."

Because metallic or fluffy, Kanji still wanted to pet the doggo for his hard work. He beat up a lot of shadows and was pretty friendly despite it. Though there was no fluff to ruffle, he could still stroke the head and give a pat.

[villagepup]

The topic of giving Koh actual fur is still heavily debated within the Kirijo group. Despite the completely metallic exterior, the wolf is soft and warm to the touch and leans into Kanji's hand for petting. He closes his eyes as he does so, seemingly content while his tail gives a matching wag. Even those robotic ears of his have realistic movement, subtle twitches and movements in response to Kanji's fingers.

He likes receiving pets, okay. He is a simple doggo with simple needs and servicing a group of people however necessary is worth it for pettings like this.