Bringing Light to the Shadows (Alisa)

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira was in a fairly good mood, all things considered. The last major battle had ended without any large incident, despite all the circumstances floating around it, for one. He had some awesome new scissors, for two. Three? Well, he was meeting someone important that day. Dressed to impress, the crossdresser looked like a librarian. Let's step back and reword that. Dressed to amuse himself, the crossdresser looked like a librarian. The glasses were there, naturally, and his hair was left undone, as was the case when in drag, but his clothing had a certain “modest” charm to them on that occasion. The lowest layer of his top was a simple white blouse. Over it was a black waistcoat. Finishing off his top was a lightweight cardigan, left open. Below was an honest-to-God skirt that went all the way down, almost to his ankles. It was pleated, though, so there was little doubt as to his abilities of movement like that. And, to finish off any librarian look, the librarian required a book, or folders, or something to clutch their chest. And what did he have? Folders containing the information he had gathered on some Shadows. Librarian look, check!

”Tea, please.” The boy in drag requested from the waiter in the cafe. He was waiting for Ayakura Alisa. They had reached a certain level of familiarity and, in recent times, worked together towards a properly-common goal. He had information she could utilize. Likewise, she had abilities he could utilize to maximize and clarify what information he did have. Together, they could wage a war in the shadows on the Shadows, as well as spread information. He was pleased with the changes as of late. Sitting back, he relaxed and waited.

The cafe itself was fairly easy on the eyes. Subdued colors and whatnot. The patrons were almost entirely girls and couples, but there were some lone guys hanging around as well. There were waiters, obviously, but also a few waitresses. The palate the facility offered included mostly teas and sweets, but there were some light sandwiches the place offered as well. While not as iconic as the maid cafe he visited fairly often, the cafe was certainly good enough. It served its purpose. Admirably, even.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I got an appointment today. Well, it was fitting that after that victory I would eventually have to talk business with Ran this moment. I decided I'd dress more appropriately this time. Of course, Ran would recognize the outfit - she picked it out for me, after all. I wonder how she'd react. I decided I'd go with the modest set - the ankle-length, pleated skirt. A floral vine and blossom pattern adorned the bottom rim. And to go with it was a light blue blouse and I wore over it a thin, white sweater. All things considered, I thought it looked very nice. So today, I was supposed to meet Ran at a cafe. It was one around Mimoza Corner, which was conspicuously close to some areas that specialized in anime and manga products. Hmm, I wonder what does that say about Ran. Anyway, that was unimportant. I entered the establishment where I would meet Ran and went over to her once I spotted her... ...She was dressed as a librarian. Glasses, conservative clothing, folder containing... What I assume would be information I'd be interested in... Damn; she knew her fashion alright.

I sat across Ran as I greeted her with a wave and a playful salute. "Hello, sorry, if I was a bit late," I said. This cafe seemed alright. Mostly couples and women and girls around but I did see the occasional guy here and there. "I do suppose we're here to discuss business, right? What can I do for you?"

[Akira Nakajima]

Whether it was an attempt to placate any potential teasing or a sign of the woman genuinely enjoying her new clothes, Alisa had, in fact, come to the meeting with one of the sets that the crossdresser had picked out for her. While he was pleased, he wasn't going to allow himself to be buttered up by such a display. He waved his hand dismissively at the apology, though the salute and all raised a few questions. It seemed that he would still have plenty to poke and prod about once their nitty gritty business was over and done with. Which was fine. He had plenty of time set aside for the event. Slowly, the boy in drag nodded before producing the first of the folders, sliding it to the woman as his tea came.

”Thank you for that.” He casually noted to the waiter, who bowed and stepped away after nodding to the new patron across the table. With that, he looked over to Alisa, gesturing towards the folder. ”It might take a while, so it'd be best to get done with as much as we can in as short a period of time as possible. This is the first subject I know of, and one that you'll at least be familiar with after our battle.” The boy in drag noted before sitting back. ”Takemoto Gin. Male. Student at the school. Part of the reason you now have a uniform. I have contacts with access to files on him, as a student, so you'll find copies of that in there. Shadow form is an overly large cat. Proficiency towards Darkness, likely immune to it, but uncertain. Resists Slash. Has a weakness to Strike.” The boy closed his eyes for a moment.

”He's not very smart. He's also something of a flirt. During our first engagement, he was the one that initiated hostilities. While he had some okay abilities- a powerful dark attack being the main one- he wasn't anything a group with a healer or a buffer couldn't deal with. Unfortunately, he quickly retreated after realizing I would be there for the long run, so I couldn't get much more on his offensive capabilities at the time. Other than that, he's noteworthy because he showed his form and gave his name. Whether that was sheer stupidity or ego is beyond me.” The boy in drag waved his hand dismissively. ”Due to his unpredictable nature, he could be dangerous. If fought on even terms with just a few capable people, though, he'd go down easily, I believe.”

The boy shifted in his seat, watching her. He was going to wait until questions came, or she seemed ready to proced.

[Ayakura Alisa]

One of the folders was passed to me as I started to look through it. I turned my attentions to Ran though as she spoke while pointing out that folder. She mentioned the name of the person... or rather, Shadow, detailed in the folder - a certain Takemoto Gin. It appears that the male Shadow at that fight was indeed a student at the school. Rubbing my chin I immediately hearkened back to Phoebe. She definitely had something going on with him. I would need to investigate this detail more. It seems that I would be disguising myself as a student and getting direct access to his files too. That would be useful somewhat. Soon, Ran spoke briefly about his fighting capabilities before moving onto his demeanor. Looks like the scholarly young lady before me found out because she had encountered him before, and he had given her his name. That seemed to me like a spur of the moment thing.

"Interesting," I said. "Right, he was present at the last fight under the full moon. I'm sure you saw. And you might have said things about that. But that's irrelevant. There's someone I need to talk more about regarding this Takemoto Gin," I continued, humming for a moment. "So I believe it shouldn't be very difficult for me to gather more detailed information about him. If there's anything specific you want me to find out about Gin, I'll do my best to prioritize those facts first. You're right about one thing though, he doesn't seem to be the sharpest knife on the rack, so to speak..." I need to confirm some things about Gin myself, for my own personal interest too. This would be a good opportunity for me to get some dirt.

I needed to find out if my theory actually held some weight.

[Akira Nakajima]

”Quick on the uptake.” The boy in drag smiled, pushing his glasses up. In truth, though, there was nothing specific he needed, he just wanted more eyes on him. ”Truthfully, though, I just want a more. . . professional touch in the eyes I have on him. Students can only do so much, after all, and even that's limited to a school setting. If I had to say anything specific, I'd like to know where he hangs around, and if there's any substance whatsoever to him actually being an ally. Doubtful, but I want evidence to back me if it ever comes to an argument or split interests.” With that, the boy in drag twisted his neck around. For some reason, it had gotten stiff.

”It also ties in to other leads I have, but I'll cover that when we get to them. Second case is here, if you're ready.” He noted before putting the folder forward. It had noticeably less content, and pictures were shoddy at best. ”This one is an Isaac Strazos. I'm not completely certain on him, as in not one hundred percent, but I'm damn close to certain that he's a Shadow. If he's not, then he's tied to one. You may have heard of him. He's a lender of sorts. Collateral and interest-free loans, and whatnot. However, when I went in disguised, his 'test' for my loan included heading into the Shadowlands. Specifically, he wanted something that I acquired from a sentient Shadow there.” The boy sat back again, setting the remaining folder onto his edge of the table.

”Their speech habits overlap on a few levels. The Shadow claimed to be an observer and scientist of sorts, but he also attacked me without warning or even words at first. Overall, he's not a threat for a team of magic-users, but he completely nullifies physical attacks. He also may have a knack for adaptability. He seemed fairly confident that my flames and buffing would not prove viable on him a second time. Offensively, he's weak- or was when I fought him. Weaker than Gin, even. However, defensively, he's formidable. By nulling physical attacks, he forces you to use magic, and yet he can drain you of your magical energy. To be entirely honest, I'm not certain if I could have defeated him if he wasn't discouraged and ran off. I might have run out of energy to use magic.” He had no issues disclosing that. If he was honest about it, then he could at least make the threat apparent. He took a moment to sip his tea.

”Shadow form is mostly humanoid in shape. Horns, whitish hair, pocket watch, bare chest, strange pants, the works. He's not a threat for someone so long as they have enough resilience to not go down in two shots. He relies on status attacks a bit, as well. All in all, though, he didn't seem directly interested in killing me. Engaging with him would be a moderate threat, but I doubt he'd chase down a fleeing target. For him, I'd like any evidence that would definitely tie him to that Shadow. Preferably you seeing him change, if possible. If you think it's too dangerous, that's also fine.” He concluded, taking another sip. Again, he waited for opinions or questions.

He got the easiest out first. Then the slightly questionable one. The “best” he saved for last. Best, in this case, being the biggest pain-in-the-ass Shadow he personally had the displeasure of dealing with.

[Ayakura Alisa]

Okay, I guess I got it. She just wants to be sure about things. I could do that. That didn't seem incredibly difficult to me. I did notice he seemed to want to align himself with our side of the fight. But I needed to confirm that and make sure it was not a two-faced act. I could relay any information I got here to Pyxis too. Maybe I could talk about it with Layla as well. Well, I have connections, I'll make use of them as they come up. "Okay, I will let you know when I find out as soon as I can... I will probably need to make arrangements to get free access to the school first..." I mused as soon Ran put another folder forward. Less detailed than the first one. Okay. 'Isaac Strazos,' huh... Money lender. Dude was freakin' loaded or something. I never thought much of that kind of folk. But if Ran thinks he's a Shadow, then this must be something I should confirm.

Ran described what I could only assume would be the things she weaned off her encounter with him. He seemed to be the resilient kind of person, but was not capable of doing too much damage. Seemed to be more focused on whittling you down. One thing that did capture my interest though was the fact Ran pointed out he was not directly interested in killing her. Okay, well, I will look into it. "I see... Sounds like the kind of person who likes to set up strange social experiments. Anyway, I will look into it. I will check things out if I get the opportunity to find him. I've heard the name in passing but never saw him, so it might be difficult. But not impossible. Anyway."

It looked like there was another case study to look at...

[Akira Nakajima]

”Don't worry about it too much. There should be a photocopy of his business card in there- has the location and all that. If you plan to visit him in person, I do advise some caution. Anyway, just don't take too many risks on him. He's a trickster of sorts, and his skillset shows it like a fisherman with the 'one that got away'.” The boy concluded that point and waved his hand dismissively. Then, he pushed the third folder forward. It had much less, but the contents were also very concise and to the point. Another photocopied business card was within. Unless is slid out somewhere.

”Third case is the golden turtle man. Yes, cat, snake, turtle. All I need is a bird and I'll have a collection of the sacred beasts. Anyway, this guy is exceedingly dangerous. Do not, by any means, take any risks with him. He's ridiculously powerful and volatile. Takemoto? At least he spoke first before turning bipolar. Second guy? He at least wasn't. . . directly offensive. This asswipe was on the ground and threw a vehicle at me. In his human form. Other weapons included a telephone pole and a bus. So, was nasty. On a number of levels. Blonde guy. Looks like a waiter. Didn't get his name, but the card for his workplace is there.” The boy sighed and pushed his glasses up.

”Extremely powerful Strike-based attack. Vulnerable to Slash. That's really all I can say about him in terms of combat abilities. He's durable enough to take a few good shots, buffed, to his vitals. And I think you have an idea of his offensive capabilities already. Don't approach him unnecessarily. In fact, if you see him outside, in the ruins, just stay away. It's not worth it. What I do want you to look into with this guy, though, is that 'Anteiku' place. Takemoto is a student. Isaac Strazos has his own private business running. This guy, this ball of fuck-all anger that called me all sorts of things and threw vehicles at me for no reason? He somehow works at a teashop. That's suspicious as all hell. He has to have friends of some sort. If you see Takemoto going in there, that'll be a flag in and of itself.” The crossdresser was visibly annoyed. Sure, Gin was stupid. Sure, both Isaac and that Shadow were troublesome. Neither one of them ruined his clothes.

”I won't tell you not to enter the shop, since that'd likely limit what you could find out, but do be careful. Gut feeling and Murphy's Law both tell me that that'll be the most dangerous of my submissions.” With that, he consumed the full contents of his cup, sitting back and watching her. There was that one Luka met, but the info was shaky at best. Maybe just give her a warning and call it good?

[Ayakura Alisa]

I snapped a picture of the photocopy of the business card with my phone. Isaac Strazos, and a location of his office. I'll think about visiting and dropping by sometime. Not now, though. I'll focus on Gin first. Anyway, Ran began to talk about 'golden turtle man.' The next folder was even more bare than the last one. There was another business card that was on the verge of sliding out. I also snapped a picture of that with my phone. 'Golden turtle man?' What's with the animal representation? Haha. Anyway, she talked about his strength and his volatility. Tendency to become mad, I guess. Anger issues. Doesn't seem like he'd be willing to have that checked out. 'Anteiku.' Okay, I'll remember it.

"He works at a teashop? The only way a guy as volatile as you describe could work as a teashop is either if he did have friends, or if he actually owned the place. Very well, I'll look into that. I think I'll start with Gin first, though. I have a direct link to him that may help me get a headstart. I suppose that everything will fall into place once that begins." I continued.

"On that note, I've committed your information to memory at this point. There's one thing that doesn't add up, though..." I scratched my head. "There was another Shadow at the fight last time. A crazy snake woman who seemed to be in a close relationship with another User. They quickly left the premises after the old man pulled a flipping shotgun on her. What do you think about her? It doesn't look like you have any conclusive data on her like you have on the other Shadows..."

[Akira Nakajima]

"Owning the place is out of the question. Someone like him could never handle finances. But it is suspicious. I just don't want to think that there's a place where they all come together and party." The crossdresser sighed and sat back. Either way, Alisa got the information in her head. That was fine. The folders were for her, though. Then the woman presented a question. Yeah, that other one would have been the one Luka informed him of. Oh well. Warning or not, he'd share what he had. If she managed to find something out, then, hey, all the better.

"You can keep the folders. I prepared them specifically for you. Anyway, snake-woman. I never encountered her personally- excluding her presence at the battle, but I was stuck with Takemoto when the wall rose. Anyway, all I know is what I heard from Ruka- in this case, she's the one that fought it. Takes a female shape, obviously. Aligned with darkness, has access to a blade, and thereby slash moves. No name to pin on her, sadly. Seemed to be a huge flirt, worked as a hitman, and hated men. I was going to inform you, but there's nothing for me to ask from you in regards to her. Everything I 'know' about her is by-ear." He then snapped his finger.

"About the User, the girl. I will have my contacts check the school roster. Haven't really had time yet, given the small gap between the fight and now. Never know, might be lucky. Find a Shadow and a User tied to a Shadow in the same location. Could be fortuitous. Don't count on good fortune, though. Always assume the worst and most annoying outcome is coming out." The waiter returned with a second cup. Good man, good man. The boy sipped the next, smiling at the woman.

"Now, in regards to becoming an insurgent in the school, I'm pretty sure you can fabricate the papers to actually get in- credentials and all that- if needed. The question here is this- do you intend to just slip in for some quick observations, or do you plan on formally 'enrolling'? The security there is lax enough that you could just sneak in during breaks or lunch to get information. On the other hand, you might not be able to get too much by just wading through the chaos at set times. If you decide to formally enroll, you'll likely need my contact to help you get by without teachers bothering you."

[Ayakura Alisa]

Somehow, I have a bad feeling about that guy. Well, I'll investigate him at a later time. Anyway... Ran pointed out I could keep the folders anyway, which would help I guess, so I piled the folders up in front of me so I could take them when we were done. Soon Ran talked about that snake-woman. Apparently, Luka had battled her before or something? Hated men... That's sad. I wonder why... Looks like she's an unknown to us for the meantime. I'll put that on the backburner for now. Becoming an insurgent in the school was the next point of discussion on the agenda. Hmm... I was probably short enough that I could get away with formally enrolling into the school. Eh, academics... It shouldn't take too long for me to reacquaint myself with the nitty-gritty. I wouldn't want to deal with irrelevant questions anyway.

"The best option for me would be to formally 'enroll.' I'd need to be in their element to get the full benefit of investigating that kind of environment. It'd require fitting in and being a normal sight there as opposed to a strange one-off," I said. "I don't think I would get too much just by popping in undetected during breaks. I think I may be able to talk to someone in the school as well for information regarding Gin. So... I think that's how I want to run things."

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira just nodded at the response he received. That was basically everything he could ask for from her, as it did ensure the quality of her investigation. Plus, it put him, “Nakajima Akira”, in the position to “forward” information to “Ran”. It just sped up the process, even if only by bits and pieces. The crossdresser smiled. It was a pleasant enough expression. It was in stark contrast to his feelings, though. The smile was pure and honest. His thoughts and desires, at that point, included the more mischievous and entertaining schemes he had with the woman enrolling in school. There was oh so much he could do now.

”I agree with that line of reasoning.” He opened up before playing the wild card. ”I'll let my contact know what you're planning, then. He should be able to help with the processing. Plus, he can probably assist you with his powers there. He's in the 'know', as well, so don't be afraid to use terms like Shadows around him. His name is Nakajima Akira. He's the student council president.” Someone with an omniscient view of the scene might have considered him insane, or even downright retarded, to put his real self on in the spotlight like that, and to a private investigator to boot! However, that was the fun of it. Higher risk meant higher rewards. And the reward of entertainment far exceeded the risk of being discovered. After all, what would the woman do? Call him a pervert? His pulse was kicking in. He felt damn good.

”That said, that should be everything. Tea is good when you have to talk too much.” He calmly noted before taking a quiet sip. ”Did anything interesting happen during the aftermath of the battle? All I did was pawn off my old scissors and eat at a family dinner. Got some interesting stares, but that's always fun. A smile and a wave combined with a gothic attire and giant, weaponized scissors can cause some mixed reactions. It's really hilarious.”

[Ayakura Alisa]

I nodded at Ran. "Okay, thank you," I simply said. So, it looks like I'll need to interface with a character named Nakajima Akira. I will remember that. Student council president, though. Takes me back to my days at school. Was the secretary for my high school student council. What a pain that was. Anyway. "I'll be sure to cooperate and commit to the best of my abilities." After that, Ran took a sip of her tea and asked me if anything interesting happened after the battle. I do remember her leaving immediately. I had run off with Phoebe and some others for some food and chat.

"Nothing particularly interesting happened aside from just trying to talk about what happened during the battle. I may have already gotten a headstart lead on Gin during the conversation, but I would need to follow it up with a visit to the school proper to verify some things I have heard. I am however glad to see you managed to successfully probably weird out your folks." I ended that on a playful, joking note. "Some good ol' mischief never did anyone any harm, huh." I said, stretching and yawning, slumping my head on the pile of folders.

"Come to think of it, I'm glad we've come to more favourable terms since our... initial encounters."

[Akira Nakajima]

And just when the boy in drag had thought, on some level, that everything would go well and that his fun would be maximized by teasing this woman with a two-pronged assault, something unexpected happened. The woman gave some pretty normal comments. Then a slightly silly bit regarding his family. Okay, everything was fine up to that bit. She even slumped over the table. That was, almost, kinda-sorta cute in its own special way. He'd admit that. But then she addressed the elephant in the room. The big, burly elephant that nobody was supposed to point out for the sake of all social niceties. The fact that this woman, so casually, mentioned their earlier encounters was a sign that she was either absolutely retarded- impossible, given that she survived this long- or on the same level of social-ineptitude that Luka had been prior to her lessons. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Was he going to have to give another person lessons? As fun as they might have been with Luka, he could also get away with plenty more in regards to her. This woman might have tried to cut him if he got too playful.

Annoying. Irritating. He wanted to teach her, but it was just way too dangerous. Then again, wasn't the risk part of the fun? He was getting a little excited. Well shit. That was bad.

"As time passes, situations, and people, change accordingly." Pointing out that she no longer needed to be watched over would either anger her regarding her previous weakness or give her some sense of haughtiness. Well, it might have just made her agree, but he didn't want to risk it. He played the safe "wise" route, that suggested enlightenment had been attained. "As the situation progresses, we have to work together, using our selective skills to piece together a jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle is victory and freedom. Our skills? They vary dependent on the scene in question, but they slowly deliver us to that end." He sipped his tea. Again, he emptied the cup.

"That's how life works. We work, we grow, we mature. If we can't handle the entirety of a situation, we come together. And then we triumph." He had absolutely zero intentions of losing this war. His smile was pleasant enough, but behind it was the mind that considered every negative outcome he could imagine, finding ways to avert those courses altogether. Leader or not, that was the role he decided on.

"But it is nice that we're comfortable with each other, yes. It's also nice that you're not stuck in the same outfit anymore." His lips curled into a mischievous smile.

[Ayakura Alisa]

"I guess you're right. I apologize for saying such a stupid thing with such an obvious response," I yawned and fidgeted. "Nowadays, we have to do everything in our power to resolve the situation. That's all. Whether it be destroying Shadows or simply gathering information..." I looked up at the lights of the cafe, idly wondering about these things. I wondered deep down inside when this would actually come to a conclusion, if it would ever. In my short reverie I heard Ran take a jab at the fact I was wearing one of the outfits she had picked out for me. I softly laughed in response. "Yes, I suppose it is also nice I've got something resembling an actual wardrobe now. I need to take better care of myself nowadays. Been getting rough and rowdy with the Shadowkind recently." I heaved, recalling back to my experience in the mission of rescuing that strange blonde woman's cat. Not sure if I want to repeat that experience again, though I learned a couple of things from it.

[Akira Nakajima]

”We don't know what controls our enemies. We don't know just how many locations have been 'added' to the ruins. We don't even know if Shadows multiply in any way, or if we can just keep killing until they all run out. When you get right down to it, we've been walking, and will continue walking, into long, dark corridors with absolutely zero information. This isn't some situation that a couple of people can solve on their own.” The boy's words weren't him telling the woman anything- he knew she knew that stuff already. ”Sitting down and considering it all, you kinda have to wonder when the end to it will come through. Oh well.” He looked to the side as the waiter returned. He shook his head and his collection of tableware was taken away. He had no need for it now. He would linger so long as his toy and partner did. After that, he would make like a book and split.

”I suppose all we can do, for the time being, is keep blindly flailing in the darkness until we find a torch. Ours is a morbidly fun chore, isn't it?” The boy sat back and closed his eyes. ”Do you have something you're aiming for yet? A reason to see all this through to the end?” It was a question delivered purely on a whim. She probably did. It'd surprise him if she came that far out of blind fury or drive to nothing.