( cmo ) murdergames

[wristbands]

y'all know who i played in murder, so let's do murderverse things

if you wanna get a hold of me anywhere to plot stuff beforehand: rainfell, xion#7051 @ discord!

Comments

binch u know what

[vipmix]

[post-game post-tiki and idk why you were like "hey tag it first" because post-game joshua is absolutely not showing up to neku first u know this but he can sure be in the ug on the hachiko statue regardless, like a Douchebag. just close enough that he can see neku and neku can't see him

:3c

[soloremix]

[ok fine fair enough

adjusting back to life in shibuya after everything that happened in the ug is... weird. neku is still getting re-used to other people being able to see him again, not having to keep an eye out for taboo noise, just being alive and able to appreciate it.

today he's heading toward the statue of hachiko, because of course he is. hachiko waited for his master, not knowing they'd never be able to see each other again. it's poetic or some shit. as he nears the statue, he wonders aloud,]

Maybe I'll drop by WildKat and say hi to Mr. H later... haven't seen him since the game ended.

[vipmix]

[It is poetic or some shit, which is probably why Joshua ended up waiting here to do his usual-- watching. Not pining in his lonesome, or whatever Hanekoma wants to call it. He's been busy dealing with the fallout of the game, as has Neku's beloved CAT, so hearing him talk about it is amusing enough. WildKat is, once again, closed, so Neku's quest would be fruitless.

... But speaking of fruitless quests.

Joshua has been thinking about the dream ever since the game ended-- rather, he's been thinking about how Neku had decided to keep that memory, and Joshua... well, Joshua really hadn't needed the complication in the timeline. He hadn't given it back alongside the memory of him killing Neku, seeing as it hadn't even crossed his mind, but after he'd won the very last game...

Would he have shot him, with those memories? Neku's Shibuya after that ... it sure would've been interesting. Not that Joshua would've been around to see it.

And maybe it's that curiosity that drives him to do it-- he changes his frequency back to his RG form, still perfectly perched on top of Hachiko like that's a normal thing to do.

...

but he doesn't greet Neku just yet, simply watching from his weird-ass perch like a creep]

[soloremix]

[neku doesn't notice the shift itself; he's too busy listening to the ambient chatter of the scramble crossing. some of it is still annoying, yeah, but he'd promised to open his world up to others. letting some of the noise filter through is part of that.

but once he gets closer to hachiko, he sure does. it's not even the strange sight of somebody having the nerve to climb onto the revered statue that stops him... it's who that somebody is that does, because it's been a while, but neku sure knows that kid. he's got a lot to say to that kid.]

Wh— what the hell? What are you doing up there?

[he stalling on purpose to give himself some time to process things, clearly.]

(What are you doing here at all?)

[vipmix]

[just seeing Neku react to him is almost enough to get Joshua to blink right back out of existence-- but it's already done, so Joshua just smiles and raises a hand in greeting, acting like nothing out of the ordinary.

(If he wanted to, he could scan him so easily. He lets that thought pass.)]

It's my city. [like that's an explanation-- but Josh continues without giving Neku time to parse it:] Tying up loose ends. Here, catch.

[he takes something out of his pocket and throws it lazily in Neku's direction. He won't notice until he catches it, but it's ... mini-Neku.

Now dressed in a cat kigurumi.

Explaining why he needed to commission that to Hanekoma was not great.]

[soloremix]

[he's still stuck staring slack-jawed at josh—who had the nerve to disappear without a word after that final game like nothing had happened—that he fumbles the doll as it's thrown to him. he manages to keep it in his hands, though, and looks down at it. he blinks a couple of times, and something akin to a chill runs up his spine. there's something weirdly familiar about it... and something tells him it's not just because it makes him look like shiki's mr. mew.]

Is...this supposed to be me?

[yoshiya "joshua" kiryu, the all-powerful composer in charge of shibuya who'd simultaneously ruined and saved his life all at once, made a voodoo doll of him in cosplay. that is the only conclusion neku can come to. it makes about as much sense as any other explanation he could possibly think of.]

You've got a lot of explaining to do. (Even though I know you're not going to. Ass.)

[vipmix]

[he leans forward, resting his chin on his hand like he's sitting on a throne instead of a statue of a dog who Really Doesn't Deserve This, the smile still on his face.]

You figured it out, even with the outfit. Good job, Neku.

[it's condescending, as usual, and he also uses it as a trigger (ha) phrase-- the two conditions he'd put on neku's memory of his dream achieved. He'd held onto it by putting it in the doll; it'd seemed appropriate.

Neku had wanted an explanation-- for everything-- but all Josh is going to end up giving him is more questions. Maybe that's funny.

It's weird. He doesn't feel like laughing.]

1/2

[soloremix]

["good job, neku."

as soon as joshua says those words, neku feels a sharp pain go through his head. gritting his teeth, he slides his headphones down so that they rest around his neck, and doubles over at he brings his hands to his temples. it's sensory overload in every sense of the phrase, to the point where his head starts to spin and he forgets he is in shibuya at all.

what registers in his mind are momentary flashes rather than a complete and coherent narrative: a sunny island, a silver-haired girl, a boy with a scar on his face, a bloodied sundress, joshua himself (?), a gun in his hands, a bright white room.]

knock knock someone get the door it's still a piece of garbage

[completelycrazy]

[It's been a while.

Much like the first time he showed up in Dahlia's game, he doesn't know what he's doing here. He doesn't know why he's bothered to come back after their last... whatever that was, especially when enough time has passed that he's sure he's slipped out from under her radar. Let sleeping dogs lie, and all. It'd be safer.

Maybe that's why he shows up again. His game is getting boring. It's cute, sure. The job is moderately entertaining, he's surrounded by friends, he gets to teach science and study Noise... It's a good gig.

But Mary goes easy on him. It's a kid's Game. It's not challenging, not really, and maybe that's a good thing when there's actual lives at stake. Maybe it's good that they've rewritten the system and things are different than they were when we played and blah blah, he's bored.

So here he is, knocking on Dahlia's door, not sure what the hell he even wants.]

b r e a t h e s

[venomosity]

[ how odd, dahlia thinks as she hears the rapping on her door, that someone would want to visit her. she's never known anyone to ever hold interest in her, especially when they've seen her true nature. even all those years ago, when phoenix wright believed himself to be her boyfriend... he never actually loved dahlia. he just loved what he thought she was.

so in this world, where she holds power far greater than anything she ever knew in life, where she helps judge the fate of souls expired before their time... where everything is "just a game"? she should be reviled. feared. perhaps even revered.

despite all that waxing poetic, though, she knows what's waiting for her on the other side of that door isn't worried about the game, her role in it, or any of that bullshit.

she leaves him hanging for a moment or two—enough to make him briefly wonder if she's home or not, but not enough for him to have a chance to turn around leave. ]

Couldn't get enough of me, could you, Newt-newt? ♥

[ her tone is saccharine as she leans against the doorframe when she opens the door, her smile wide. it's an expression she's practiced well over the years. well enough that it really could fool someone who didn't know any better. ]

hey whats up

[unromanceable]

2B? Are you sure I won't be a burden?

[ They're together, because of course they are -- of course they couldn't be apart, after everything. It felt like an open wound to be too far from 2B, and Monika, well ... like she'd said, with a bit of a laugh, it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go.

So they're here, wherever here is, Monika with her hand on 2B's arm as she glances around. She's unafraid, but curious, and at least slightly nervous, which shows in the quirk of her smile. ]

Not that I mind when you carry me, [ she teases, sweet. ]

give me majima let's get this inevitably cursed au content

[ritualization]

[i'm going to be nice and not drop another fight thread on you andie please appreciate me.

i'm also going to be perfectly real: i do not remember when they fought but it's probably earlier now because time is fake!

time is fake but their sparring match is absolutely not, and after ishi's insisted on being allowed to patch both of them up-- well. that was definitely interesting enough for him to want to spend more time with majima, honestly, so where he could easily finish his work and move on to whatever else he intended to do today... instead he finishes wrapping the last bandage and puts the first aid supplies away, turning to majima with a slight smile.]

If you have not had quite enough of my company, after that-- might I trouble you for a bit more of yours?

closes eyes

[haw]

[ time is irrelevant in this den of sin we are about to travel into.

fewer things have made majima feel some sense of normalcy in this game than this honest mock battle between two men on equal footing. getting his ass kicked by an opponent he can respect will always make more sense to him than killing someone—what's to gain from murdering someone, especially an innocent person who was nothing more than an easy target?

it's why he appreciates ishikirimaru, and why he's glad the sword was spared from his untimely demise. nothing else has really gotten his blood pumping like the ferocity ishi had come at him with, like the flirting with danger every time ishi's blade had sliced at his skin.

it's a feeling he's missed sorely, and though he knows he really shouldn't be pushing it when murderers could be lurking around any corner, he doesn't want to let this flame go out so soon.

which is why ishi's request comes as a pleasant surprise. turning around as the final bandage is applied to his back, he meets the sword's smirk with one of his own. ]

Haw? To what do I owe the honor, Ishikiri-han?

both of us, eyes closed, typing nonsense cause we can't see shit

[ritualization]

[it's something similar for ishi, something that's grounding in a way he always tries not to think too hard about. that's natural for a sword, probably-- further proof that he isn't only something made for healing, that he's always been just as sharp as any of the others even though his blade wasn't used for war until recently.

some days, it's less welcome. days like this, he minds it less, finds he likes the adrenaline and the way that, oddly enough, it makes him feel both more like what he is and more human. it reminds him of everything he'd never have been able to feel, if he'd remained only metal.]

You could call it curiosity, I suppose...

[there's a thoughtful little hum, there. ishi's all too good at setting everything aside and forcing his breathing to even out, despite all the exertion-- almost like nothing happened at all.]

I would simply like to get to know you a bit better.

[he has ishi's attention, now. majima is a type of human he doesn't often meet.]

you did it. you broke rp down to its bare essentials

[haw]

[ ishi's vague reply has majima tilting his head. he supposes the interest in learning more about him isn't too surprising... he knows he's quite the extraordinary human, despite coming from a completely ordinary world. still, usually the people who find themselves wanting to learn more about him do so in order to exploit and take advantage of him.

it hasn't been long that they've been here, he admits, but he doesn't really get that sense from ishi. so he calmly answers, ]

Curiosity, huh... what, ya want a Q&A session with me or somethin'?

[ritualization]

Ah, nothing that formal, really.

[i think that week had the houses right. ishi probably brought them back to his now-empty one to use the supplies there, so he's just heading to the kitchen now to get them both water.]

I just wanted to speak more, but if you'd like-- I am willing enough to give an answer for an answer. You've earned that much of me.

[though he adds, as he takes a seat on the couch and passes a glass over--]

But of course there's no need to force honesty. I wouldn't ask you to answer anything you don't wish to, and I will say so if there is anything I would prefer not to say.

[haw]

Uh... sure, I guess.

[ he sounds more confused than apprehensive, honestly.

already seated in a recliner, he graciously accepts the cup handed to him, though he sets it down on the table without taking a drink. then, he leans forward in the chair, arms resting atop his spread legs. someone's really taking the "make yourself at home" thing to heart. ]

Since you're the one who apparently finds me oh-so-fascinatin', why don't ya go first?

[ritualization]

[he smiles slightly at how easily majima settles in; ishi's composed as always, though, hands folded in his lap.]

Well, first... I suppose I'm curious as to where you learned how to fight like that. You almost remind me more of one of us, honestly.

what up BINCH

[digestif]

[ So. Time travel.

Unsurprisingly, the world was drastically different 160 years ago - even more so when you're going from the technological hub of Tokyo to a red-light district in Osaka. They'd known (or, rather, they'd made an educated guess) that Majima's stomping grounds probably weren't the nicest area, but it's still surprising for them to see Sotenbori the way it was in 1988: litter, cabaret clubs, shady deals and scantily-clad women as far as the eye can see. Mizuki takes it all in with a raised eyebrow and a wary-but-interested mien. They're not scared, but they're not stupid, either; they make sure to stick close to Majima as the two of them wander down the street, presumably towards his house. Or maybe he's taking them somewhere else, considering how reluctant he was to bring them home at all. ]

So this is the Japan of 160 years ago, huh... Hm. Hmm. You fit right in, somehow.

[haw]

[ it's strange being back in sotenbori after everything that had happened over the past month and a half. the district appears to be the same as ever, but for someone who spent the better part of a year trapped here? majima can tell that it's different as a result of the wish he'd made at the end of the gods' game.

thanks to that, makimura makoto has been given back the life that had been so violently taken from her all those years ago. majima's wish had taken the form of freeing makoto from the matters of the empty lot dispute and the iron fist of the dojima family. sera had still ended up with the deed to the land in the end, left her enough money to afford her hospital bills, and ensured that she would be safe no matter where she ended up.

as for what this all meant for majima himself? for one, it meant he was no longer beholden to sagawa's "ownership," having both helped resolve the empty lot matter and directly pledged his loyalty once again to shimano. he will one day return to the tojo clan, he knows for sure—but for his sheer fucking show of audacity in refusing to kill his former patriarch, shimano had granted him a grace period to enjoy a real civilian life before descending back into the shadows of the yakuza world. "i'm really pullin' all the stops out for ya here. so don't blow it, all right, majima-chan?"

so, to make a long story short, he's... free. sure, the streets are still packed with grandparents and street urchins and everything in between, the gaudy neon lights affixed to every storefront from cabarets to mom-and-pop shops still illuminate the streets, and the constant haze of cigarette smoke hangs over the city like a blanket... but sotenbori is no longer his cage, and with mizuki sticking by his side, he isn't as alone in this world as he thought he was anymore, either.

wack.

he's doing his best to keep a low profile now that he's back in town, so he doesn't take mizuki's hand like he's become so accustomed to doing as he leads them to his shabby apartment along the river. even though he's sure talk will eventually circulate once people finally take notice of a mysterious beauty who's begun accompanying sotenbori's famous lord of the night. it's not that he's shy about it—quite the contrary, really, because he'd bend over backwards to rave about them and how much he loves them... he just hasn't come up with a cover story or anything yet! he doesn't want to fuck things up even though they're both basically ride or die for each other at this point!!

case in point: when they make that comment, he wrinkles his nose at them and gives them A Look out of the corner of his eye. ]

An' what's that supposed to mean, huh?

[digestif]

[ they're not offended by the fact he's not holding their hand. There's the matter of whether this sort of relationship would be tolerated, for one thing - but their androgynous appearance probably helps ward off the worst of that, or so they hope. Majima's circumstances are the more pressing matter. He'd been pretty clear about how just being around him would be dangerous; they'd brushed it off at the time, and while they're about as far from regretful as possible, actually being in Sotenbori makes the reality of the danger a little more obvious. Mizuki still doesn't know the details of his story, but it's easy to imagine any number of unwanted eyes watching them from dark alleys and dirty windows.

Still. It's hard to worry too much with Majima next to them - Majima, who Mizuki fully believes would give up his other eye and then some to keep them safe. That's why they're here, after all, isn't it? They'd given up all the comforts of modern life and familiarity for safety -- and, of course, for love. And maybe a bit of adventure, too. They smile back at him, devious as usual. ]

It's a little grimy and smells like tobacco, but it has charm. [ they're being mean ] You live by the river?

[haw]

[ it's true that he's in full defense mode; even with the eyes of the omi alliance off him now, old habits die hard, and the instinct to protect himself is kicked into overdrive with mizuki by his side. they've reassured him more than enough times for him to get that they're not a damsel in distress, but... hey. that's the power of love at work.

he knows they will, but still, he hopes they understand. ]

C'mon, I'm takin' ya home with me, an' ya still gotta be like that? [ he rolls his eye, but he gives them a crooked smile as he nods to the side and ducks into the alley leading to his apartment. ] But yeah. Don't get your hopes up, though—ain't a great view or anythin'.

[ before they start to climb the stairs, he holds out his arm to stop them. then, he points to a small piece of wood jutting out of the bottom step. ]

Careful—s'hard to see this thing unless ya already know it's there. Had me eatin' shit a bunch when I first holed up here.

[digestif]

[ the reality of everything they've given up is sinking in a bit here - not just obvious things like wireless internet and the like, but things they took for granted, like not living in a dirty back alley next to a riverbank full of homeless people. Mizuki's a good sport, brave; they'll get used to it, but it'd be a lie to say they're not feeling a little apprehensive as he warns them not to trip over random debris on the stairs up. ]

Ha ha ha. That's a terrible way to start your day. [ Majima's the bright spot in all of this, though. If they could endure living in a literal murder mansion with him around, they're sure they can handle this. (The image of him falling on his face into and/or off of the stairs is pretty funny.) They step around, brushing their hair over one shoulder idly as they follow him up. ] You could always just move it, you know.

[haw]

Ya think I haven't tried that? Fucker's wedged in there tighter than your death grip on my hair that one time.

[ he smirks and aims a playful nudge at their side before they trail behind him, knowing full well they're appreciating the idea of him being defeated by a shitty piece of plywood. as they climb higher, though, that jovial mood of his starts to fade. sure, they'd made this choice of their own accord, despite all of majima's warnings, but... he still doesn't want them to think they'd make a mistake?

once they reach his front door, he slips his hand into his pocket to pull out his key, then hesitates at he sticks it into the doorknob. ]

. . . Please don't say anythin', all right? I'm already feelin' self-conscious, even though I told ya what to expect.

[digestif]

[ let them have their wild fantasies about majima (him tumbling down the stairs like sweet bro and hella jeff)

his hesitation gives them pause, too, as does the obvious anxiety written in his face and voice; he'd gone on and one enough about his poor apartment before. And, yeah, they believe it, seeing where he lives. It definitely isn't much like where they lived before this - clean, white, modern, closet-sized, but a bigger closet than this, at least. The biggest difference, though, once again, is that he's here and not there. Hearing him ask please when he's usually so boisterous and confident draws a more delicate smile out of them, can't help but make them feel a little soft inside, and they gently reach out to take his arm, drawing in closer until they're almost hugging it against themself. ]

Goro-kun. You don't have to worry so much. I wanted to come here, remember? [ a beat. It's a little embarrassing to say, but... ] My home's with you. Where it is doesn't matter. That was the choice I made, and I don't regret it.