( OPEN ) EVERYTHING BLACK

[maskreant]

WHO: Akira Kurusu, local nasty crime boy, and YOU!
WHERE: Everywhere in Recolle
WHEN: All of June
WHAT: breaking blocks by moonlight, egging Minato's house by daylight. A catchall for all of Akira's doings and some open prompts for anyone else who wants to join in! Here's a link of the tasks I'm interested in (don't mind doubling up either), but Akira is game to do whatever. Contact me on discord (hei#2323) or aftertaste if you want to discuss some more.
WARNINGS: Akira's mere existence

chata: upsetti spaghetti

[ For the sake of this prompt working, we're going to pretend either Junes or Freshens has a small food court area since a handful of big grocery stores do. Akira is merely enjoying his meal at one of the tables, checking through his phone at the tasks at hand. Overall, nondescript. Unassuming. Harmless. Look at him? He looks like a nerd?

Shifting his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a bright glint shines across the lenses... As if he has an idea. If you even a blink, you'll find a plate of spaghetti flying straight at your face. This is the first move—it's a call for war. ]

tribunal terrace:

[ !! Willing to play off any mystery created by others or create random ones. Just mention it in your comment if you want an RNG mystery.

Guess what mystery it is today? Akira is investigating this abandoned place of worship. While all the establishments in this section of Tribunal Terrace is pristine and taken care of well, they've left this relic somewhere in the corner. It's hard to discern what background this building has and records say it was used for a number of religions, hence the odd array of decor inside. There are warning signs in the front (KEEP OUT), some mention that it'll be restored or torn down, but it waits there...

With some of the sky painted, it's actually dark, blanketing the are in pitch black. Even when Akira raises his flashlight, what they find are outlines of the worn down building. ]

I heard that people died here, some possibly related cult activity. [ He scrolls through his phone, picking up the rumor and mystery here. ] This forum says that sometimes you can hear cries here at night, something between man and beast.

[ Yes. They're going to unveil this mystery and figure what the hell this is or die. Whichever comes first. ]

wildcard

[ Hit me with anything!! Even gen things. It's important to note that Akira is shaken by the disappearances of NPCs, but he's doing his best to keep it together and be reliable. On some days he'll naturally withdraw and keep to himself. ]

Comments

[sketchythief]

[ It hasn't been so long, so Daisuke rushes over to where he saw Akira last and immediately opens fire, releasing a barrage of paintballs. He doesn't think that the building is too small to have time to make his way around, so he keeps running in as he shoots. ]

[maskreant]

[ Oi, oi, why are you coming in so fast and furious. With eyes wide, Akira unleashes his own shots as Daisuke comes in. Unfortunately, they're going to be both in lines of fire...

Covered in paint.

Akira can only run backwards as much as he can, so he has to stop. He tries to get his gun to shoot more, but he's out. The click without waits seeps an emptiness in his heart. ]

[sketchythief]

[ The rush of adrenaline fades out when they both run out of ammo. Luckily nobody had been shot in the face, so it takes a moment before Daisuke realizes that he's covered in paint. Well, that, as in... he doesn't realize it at all yet. He gets out a small container that's supposedly full of paintball pellets, but it's empty.

...

That's when it finally hits Daisuke that they're pretty much at a standstill after he pulls the trigger several times. A weak laugh comes out as he sees that Akira is out too. ]

So is this... a draw?

[maskreant]

... I guess so. Was that Climactic? Anticlimactic?

[ He's still trying to shoot his gun and it spurts out small splatters, but nothing more. Out of ammo, Akira ponders on what can be done here for him to win. The empty clacking won't help him, unfortunately. This is really the end.

Resting the giant gun, he scratches his cheek. ]

We should probably return these.

[ Even though... No one else is going to see it except for a selective ~200. Akira is keeping up good habits with being accountable. ]

[sketchythief]

[ Daisue can appreciate that. He, too, likes being responsible when it comes to things like that. He smiles at first and nods, but looks down and fully comes to the realization that they're both a mess of paint. Whew. ]

It doesn't hurt anywhere, right...?

[ Just in case. He doesn't feel hurt anywhere himself, but you never know for the other person. ]

[maskreant]

[ Akira, trying his best, is patting off excess paint from the gun but to no avail. He tries. Iwai will just have to accept these rentals as they are... But knowing the man, he would probably make him wash them down.

Perking back up, he's lost with that question. Don't worry. He'll get it. ]

No. It wasn't that bad and I could always switch to a Persona that nulls physical damage.

[ Is that an ominous thing to say... ]

[sketchythief]

[ Daisuke stands there, a bit shocked at first. ]

I don't think I would hit you that hard to warrant something like that...

[ though he's a small boy running around with a paintball machine gun so... welp. at least it's over. ]

These guns got really dirtied up though. Is it really okay to return them like this?

[maskreant]

I am a fragile, soft boy.

[ A joke, but still to show that you never know when someone is hurting? People have different paint tolerances. Rather chipper, he looks at their guns again before it goes straight to shit.

He smiles wryly.............................. ]

Probably not. I might be forced to clean them.

[sketchythief]

[ Daisuke's expression also turns a little grim as he looks down at the paint ball machine guns. He lets out a small laugh. ]

I can help you clean them... Just tell me what to do!

[maskreant]

[ Eyes bright, he's glad to have a friend like Daisuke who's willing to help him out with cleaning these. He doesn't mind doing it himself... In a way, it's calming and he can use a break, but this is good.

Having company is good. Maybe they can catch up and everything. Rubbing his neck, he naturally gauges whether Daisuke really, REALLY is okay with helping him: ]

It's a lot of dissembling if you don't mind that?

[sketchythief]

I don't mind. Guns are a lot different than picking apart general technology, but they should be at least a little similar, right?

[ He's hoping that Akira won't ask him about his weird tech proficiency, because he has honestly never done it in person but he just knows. Retrospec has been making everything weird as always. ]

[maskreant]

... In a way, I guess. They're like puzzles.

[ Lucky for Daisuke, Akira doesn't ask because he also tears laptops down and pieces them together. You just have to in this day and age unless you want to spend money on repair shops. ]

Unfortunately, I don't know any water magic, but we can wash these off at my place.

[ He gestures Daisuke to follow him!! This way. ]

[sketchythief]

[ Daisuke finally lowers the machine gun and nods, following Akira easily and not letting the weapon swing as he runs. As he walks along the path, he looks around at what was once a battlefield for them both. ]

It got... even more colorful.

[maskreant]

Colorful chaos is actually quite beautiful, isn't it?

[ Akira places a hand on his hip as he admires it, too, but then goes back to leading Daisuke home. It doesn't take long now that they can go on a bus without being judged. Ta-da. Akira's place. Leaving his gun in the driveway, he opens the garage to get a bucket so he can fill it with water. Good thing there's a hose in the front yard. ]

Can you get the sponges? They're over there.

[ On the other side of the garage. ]

[sketchythief]

Sure thing! [ Daisuke puts the gun on the floor and goes to get the sponges that Akira asked for. ]

Should we use soap too? This is a different paint than what I'm used to so I'm not sure if the same thing will help get it off...

[maskreant]

A bit of rubbing alcohol to the mix should do the trick.

[ Only because the paint hasn't dried yet. He turns on the hose and fills the bucket. There we go. ]

There should be a bottle there, too.

[sketchythief]

[ It doesn't take long for Daisuke to find the rubbing alcohol and he grabs that and goes to where Akira is. ]

Here it is.

[ He gives Akira the sponge and rubbing alcohol while keeping a sponge to himself so that he can help with the cleaning. ]

Do we clean the surface before disassembling it?

[maskreant]

Yeah. It'll only take a swipe or two before it comes off, but we should work quickly before it dries up.

[ Taking the bottle, he adds some into the bucket before drenching the sponge. Let him show you, Daisuke. Swipe one, swipe two, clean and new. ]

We can dissemble piece by piece together.

[ And in the corner, Daisuke might notice a very dark purple blob watching them. ]

[sketchythief]

[ Daisuke does the same, swiping the surface quickly with his sponge. He looks up at Akira when he's done, but spots something... weird. ]

Hey, Akira... What is that? Something... It looks purple.

[maskreant]

[ Watch him, Daisuke?! He's taking off this piece right now. Hey. Hey?

Raising his eyebrows, he tries to follow Daisuke's gaze and. Oh. ]

It's Morrigan.

[ Kitty continues to watch from the door...

That he somehow opened on his own. ]

[sketchythief]

[ Daisuke squints because he definitely thought it was something else other than a cat. Oops. With his curiosity sated, he looks at Akira and takes the same piece out. ]

He didn't look like a cat for some reason... guess that's just me.

[maskreant]

It's probably because of his new color.

[ With a sigh, Akira turns back to his cat and clicks his tongues a couple of times to call him out. Morrigan briskly trots over, as if happy to see Akira, but stares at Daisuke.

Oh, it's you.

When that piece is done being clean, Akira clicks off the long muzzle... They might need to just run water through it, though. ]

There was only blue and red paint in our house, so he's like this.

[sketchythief]

And this was the closest you can get to it being black... I can understand that then.

[ Poor Morrigan. Forever purple now. Daisuke would pet him but he's busy cleaning this gatling gun. He disassembles it more and oddly finds it therapeutic as he washes each part. He looks like he's enjoying himself. ]

[maskreant]

He didn't seem to like it at first and kept trying to clean himself, but I think he gave up on going back to black.

[ Morrigan meows as he lingers around Daisuke, giving him a couple of sniffs before checking out the gun, too.

What the hell is this is what the cat looks like he wants to say. ]

How are things with you lately?

[sketchythief]

[ Sorry, Morrigan... Daisuke doesn't speak cat. He would have brought Wiz along if, you know, they weren't doing this whole paintball thing. Daisuke looks back up at Akira when he asks the question. ]

It's been... weird? The city feeling like a ghost town, for one. It made shopping really... awkward.