All resistance wearing thin...

[megatechbody]

WHO: Mariko Aramaki and YOU
WHERE: All Around Recolle
WHEN: October
WHAT: Mariko is one of the Source Hosts. Hilarity ensues
WARNINGS: Mild body-horror and creepiness after the first two prompts.

I-A - Creepy Karaoke

Usually Halloween is something reserved for very special people. As a kid, she always felt like it cut in on her birthday and as she got older she tended towards more solitary behavior. However, she has always liked music and when one of the stalls is running a little karaoke game, she can’t help but be interested.

There are prizes for creepiest song and best singing and crowd favorite, the performances will be put online for people to vote on blah, blah, blah. None of that is important to Mariko.

Instead, she’s entranced by how MANY songs this place has. They have just about every song that she can think of and a few that she stumbles upon looking for some of the more obscure tracks that she knows. Finally, after listening to a few other participants - it’s her turn.

Mariko's voice is strong, though no one who's ever heard her sing has hear her sing like this. Now she seems to be a proper performer, serenading walkers by and just far too engrossed in the song for her usual temperament. Her voice seems almost magnetic and more perceptive members of the audience will notice that, she’s a little paler than the last time they’ve seen her. She sells the song well, the emotion is strong… but since when was she this much of a singer?


I-B - Pumpkin shenanigans

'Tis the season. A few month's early for the expression, but the creepy vibe in the air feels good this year. At least Recolle's broken bullshit goes with the month. A permanent full moon for autumn is...actually pretty cool in Mariko's book. The pumpkin patch is just too enticing and it doesn't take long for her to start working on her own design.

Borrowing tools from a nearby pumpkin carver, Mariko works on her own design: a toothy, mischievious looking thing. She’s almost satified with the looks of the face, before remembering that she needs to place a candle to make sure it glows correctly. It’s not her first time doing this, and for a moment, her brows furrow at such a rookie mistake. Whatever, easily fixed as she cuts into the top of the pumpkin.

She’s in the middle of preparing for the the feeling of pumpkin guts on her fingers- gross - when suddenly the thing erupts with a shriek that would put most banshees to shame. Dazed for a moment, she glares at the offending pumpkin sculpture and honest to god, hisses at the thing before remembering herself.

Nothing to see here, folks. Unless you count the fact that her Honey-Brown locks have bleached up to a ghastly white.


II - A Ningyo (Mermaid)
The daytime hours are easier to deal with, even if things have gotten complicated. She woke up with an overbearing thirst and when she looked in the mirror, she was greeted with eyes far more black and with far more pupil than she remembered. So sunglasses it was until nighttime came. It made sense that the Retrospec bullshit wasn’t done firing - the moon being out all the time was too easy after the last two bullshit months. She had to focus on the case.

At night, she holds no such compunction. Everyone is too unobservant, too concerned with whatever meaningless thoughts to notice her hiding in one of the tanks, or the space where she’s stashed her clothing. She texts them one by one: Matt, Derek, Lucille, Togusa and waits.


She bides her time by singing - her voice even stronger and ringing off of the glass and water eerily.


A fish swims by in Mari’s peripheral and interrupts her song as she subconsciously she grinds her teeth. Her eyes track to the little thing as it swims away ignorant of how much she wants to devour it. She wants to bite down and feel it thrash in panic, feel the blood slick over her tongue and swallow it’s flesh.

God, she’s so hungry.

She sings again, notes that she could never reach before coming as easily as breathing.

II - B Hunting in Enprise (Mermaid/Harpy)
Some would say the infection is getting worse, but Mariko knows the truth. This virus seems to be changing her into something more fitting to her nature. It’s not like she wasn’t a maneater before this - it’s almost poetic that it’s become literal.

She almost looks like she’s been body painted, her skin smooth and shiny to the eye - white and mottled with darker grey patches. Her fingers webbed slightly and the tips of her fingers end in short, dark talons. Her feet are more fin than the last time she was seen and as her toes end in those same awful talons, shoes have long since been abandoned. Not longer having hair, Mariko seems to be crested with a ridge of fins that give way to short dark feathers that follow the curve of her skull.

Her movement is surprisingly quiet as she prowls the streets. Enprise is her territory now and it’s so easy to say out of sight of those she does not want to see. Mariko tilts her head, scenting the air. Prey? Or challenger?


II-C Nesting (Later in the Month)
Her office, now closed to anyone who wasn’t part of Tatsuo’s pack, had become her home away from her apartment. Enprise was good grounds, after all and she was loathe to leave it to some other creature. So she stayed within her grounds and made sure that those who she’d become responsible for were taken care of.

Still Mariko was by her very nature, solitary and all the monstrous viruses in the would could not change that. So her office became a sanctuary - a place for herself and Tatsuo alone, away from his pack and away from how loud everything seemed to be lately.

Here she napped in a pile of blankets and cushions and pillows, hungry for warmth now that Tatsuo had not been here to give it. She hoped his hunting was going well and that he would leave her good enough game when it was her turn to hunt.

Are you hunting her? Or is this a simple interruption of her private time?

Wildcard

Mariko has the zombie/mermaid/harpy virus and is manifesting traits of the latter two. I’d love for her to catch two of the other strains! If you’re looking for anything specific or want to do something cool. Inbox me here or hit me on wingedbeastie

Comments

October 2: Talking to Tatsuo

[megatechbody]

Mariko waited at the door, trying not to laugh at Yujiro’s excited barking. More than that, she was trying to keep her nerves to a bare minimum. No coffee, no drinks - just a conversation that was probably a few years overdue - at the end of the workday, because that was the only time either of them could get away from their respective investigations.

She was dressed in nothing fancy and tried not to fidget too badly.

Re: October 2: Talking to Tatsuo

[thisloveisjustice]

Tatsuo looks up from the photocopies spread across his desk when his goofball of a dog suddenly leaps from the couch to start barking at the door. One would think that from the frantic wagging of his tail and the excited circle he spins in that the person on the other side is one he knows.

Except Yujirou does that for every person who approaches Tatsuo's door, so all it really indicates is that there's someone on the other side.

"You'd be a terrible guard dog, you know that right?" Tatsuo tells the golden retriever as he gets up to open the door. A glance through the peephole shows him Mariko is on the other side. "Though I think you'll like her."

He nudges Yujirou back slightly with one leg as he pulls the door open.

"Hey Mari, come in quick before Yuji decides to tackle you in the middle of the hall."

No guarantee she won't get tackled the moment she sets foot inside though.

[megatechbody]

Mariko can hear the excited barking and what has to be Tatsuo chastising his terrible guard dog before the door opens.

"Hey Tsu," She slips in as instructed, taking an extra hop back to keep Yujirou from getting both paws on her."Hey old man."

She pets the silly golden, scritching behind both ears before shooing him back to the sofa.

"He's excitable today..."

[thisloveisjustice]

Tatsuo chuckles as he closes the door, while Yujirou gives Mariko's hands a quick washing before padding back to the couch. The canine flops down right in the middle, taking up most of the couch.

"He's always a bit excitable, when he has the energy for it," Tatsuo says, his voice fond. "So, what's up?"

[megatechbody]

Mariko grimaces faintly; as a cat person, she frequently forgets how gross dogs can be. Sticky hand, blech. As Yujirou settles on the couch, she goes to wash her hands off properly and takes the moment to ponder Tatsuo's question.

"One sec." This was it. Either she really did crack after the last two months, or there was lost time to make up for.

"So," Mariko begins, brushing her hands over her jeans despite having just washed them. "I think we have a couple of things to talk about. I just don't really know where to start."

Of the three things, she knows that the dream is easiest to parse and easiest to play off. The memories are a little harder, but both of them could salvage their pride if necessary. Telling Tsu the truth, after all this - with such awful timing. Mariko tries to keep from trying to read his body language and lead the conversation.

"Okay, please tell me you had that dream too. I just-" Have a little faith, she tells herself. "I have to know that it wasn't just me."

[thisloveisjustice]

"I think we have a couple of things to talk about. I just don't really know where to start."

Ah. It's finally time to have that conversation. To say he wasn't feeling a little nervous would be a lie. It shows in the way one corner of his mouth pinches slightly and how he weaves the fingers of his hands together as he leans one elbow on the raised counter. But he's been wanting to have this conversation as well. So it's time to bite the bullet.

Thankfully, she starts with the dream. In a way, it's the easiest thing to start with and will naturally lead into everything else.

"It wasn't just you," he replies. "I had that dream too. That we were living together, married." He pauses for a moment, and then the corner of his mouth that had been pinched... curls up slightly. "It was... nice. That was... what I meant to ask you about, which I accidentally talked with your body snatcher. Whether you'd had that dream, too."

[megatechbody]

For a moment, Mariko looks relieved - until Tatsuo mentions that he'd spoken of this with whoever had been riding in her body those few days. With a sigh, she half-commits to talking to Barnes. Maybe it wasn't so bad - it wasn't like she and Tsu were good at talking about this stuff so hopefully he didn't know much of their business.

"I thought it was nice, too." She offers quietly, casting him a slightly shy look.

"Honestly it got me thinking and that's I guess where I'm getting a little turned around."

October 4: Meeting the Tachikoma

[megatechbody]

Togusa had called her, something about a promise , so Mariko heads to the police department in a bit of a hurry. Of all the things this could be, she likes the idea of exactly none of them and with the Zee case putting gruesome ideas in her head, she's all to happy to be wrong. Decked out in sweatpants a long sleeved t-shirt and a hoodie, she waits for her friend.

Re: October 4: Meeting the Tachikoma

[standalonehuman]

When he gets her text, Togusa actually comes outside the Department to meet her. Her fears might get put at ease because the look on his face is one of mischievous child rather than concerned officer. He gestures with a hand for her to follow him.

"Hey. We're going around back to the parking lot. Promise is a promise, after all." He smirks again, and leads the way.

As soon as he rounds the corner, a high-pitched voice calls out. "Oh! Mister Togusa! Isn't it too early for you to be finished with work?"

"Not yet," Togusa laughs. "Just bringing you a friend."

It weaves between the cars, and then rolls up towards them, and there it is. Giant and blue, and spider-shaped, and talking, the Tachikoma waves a claw hand as it approaches. "Hello! I am a Tachikoma!"

"...Ta-da?" Togusa grins again.

[megatechbody]

Togusa wears mischief surprisingly well, but Mariko can't quite shake her worry entirely. Instead she just quietly grumbles as she follows him.

She's still frowning when the Tachikoma rolls up and all she manages to do is a slow blink. She blinks again, before bursting out laughing - doubling over, tears in her eyes and everything.

"Did you seriously? Togusa--" His name breaks on a laugh, before finally she goes to address the tank before. "Hello, there."

She straightens up, smiling wide.

"I can't believe you remembered that."

[standalonehuman]

The Tachikoma's head swivels a little to the side, as much of a questioning look as it can give. But it waits until Mariko is done laughing. Togusa, on the other hand, is grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Isn't it amazing?"

"This is Mariko Aramaki," Togusa gestures to Mariko. "She is a very good friend of mine."

"Oh! She's an important user?"

"If..that's how you understand it?" Togusa shrugs. "I'm keeping it here for now because it can recharge on the same ports as the electric cruisers," he explains to Mariko.

[megatechbody]

"It is."

Mariko's lips thin slightly as she considers the Tachikoma's question. It makes sense that the thing...that the tachikoma would regard her that way and suddenly she finds herself unsettled. She makes a noise of understanding at Togusa's explanation of the charge.

"Was there a name anywhere? Are we just going with Tachikoma?"

[standalonehuman]

The Tachikoma seems to tilt a little to the side, the best way to approximate tilting its head. "Why would I need a name? Names are useful to differentiate one from others. Necessary to tell the difference between users and what levels of access they should have! But I am the only one of my kind here. So I suppose the point of a name is lost on me!"

Togusa scratches the back of his head, that little nervous gesture. "I hadn't thought about it?" But that's oddly a lot of thought put into the idea of a name. He hadn't realized they were so philosophical.

i-a

[hauntedsavior]

Anna has never heard Mariko sing. Before the dream a couple months ago, she hadn't even heard Mariko speak. But the song she's singing is... certainly not karaoke standard, is it? Not that Anna does much of that anyway anymore; maybe back when she was younger, but too much has changed since college. The lyrics are much more poignant than she was expecting for spooky Halloween music, and it's hearing some of them that actually gets her to stop in the first place.

She applauds with the crowd, though she's a little more subdued than the others, then approaches Mariko once she's not under the metaphorical spotlight.

"You sounded like this the whole time?" she asks. Though she doesn't look identical to A2 (the leather jacket is a dead giveaway), the resemblance should be pretty striking.

Re: i-a

[megatechbody]

"A-"

Cutting off the outburst, Mariko blinks for a moment before recognition fires, smiling at Anna once her mind puts two and two together.

"Anna, right?"

She nods at the question, smiling.

"Yeah, more or less. Here I was thinking I was out of practice, but it's like riding a bike."

[hauntedsavior]

"And you're Mariko Aramaki," Anna replies, though the way she says it is actually pleasant. Basically completely the reverse of the way she'd processed Mariko's name last time.

"Nice to run into you outside of a weird dream." Not that she's super happy about having to bring that up, but at least this one she can blame on herself. "So that's a hell of a song to pick given all of... this stuff, huh? Feels like it was almost written for people in this shitshow of a situation."

[megatechbody]

"Yeah, I really prefer meeting people this way."

It's nice to talk to her (comparatively) normal person to (comparatively) normal person. Still, Mariko can't shake this needling feeling in the back of her mind, her eyes flicking in a down-up appraisal before she realizes she's staring. Not that she's checking her out, exactly, she's just hungry after all that singing.

...What?...

"It is," Mariko manages after clearing her throat. "Weird enough it's from some creepy game I used to play in college. What brings you out and about?"

[hauntedsavior]

Anna doesn't really think twice about it. Of course Mariko's gonna stare; it's probably weird seeing her like this when the last time they met, Anna was a robot. So it's totally normal to her and definitely doesn't strike her as the sign of any kind of, like, infectant or whatever.

"Nice," she says, kind of wishing she'd had the time and/or money for video games now so she could actually hold a conversation like a (comparatively) normal person might. "Just trying to get used to having things be like this again. Feels like me and the city are finally back how we're supposed to be."

Maybe she's letting her love for the place she lives shine a little too much, but, like, whatever. Hopefully it's the same way with her. She's a cop, right? Cops are supposed to love where they live, or whatever.

"Never been much for singing myself, but you're killing it, dude. Bet you could bring in all kinds of people with a voice like that."

[megatechbody]

"You're lucky. I think I'm still a little rattled from last month."

Not a cop, but still full of city pride just the same. When you work to keep the people in your town safe, it's hard not to get attached. And once you've been inside someone's head, it's hard to ignore the warmth of familiarity.

"Ah, just a lucky choice. Honestly the singing's been the only thing keeping my mind off of this crazy app."

II-B

[dulynoted]

It's been one hello of a month so far. Akira has found himself irritable in new ways, unable to put in the work he needs to at school or at his job. It's at night that there is some reprieve of his responsibilities, but in many ways, he feels more hollow than ever. Perhaps that's in no small part due to the fact that he keeps fading in and out of existence entirely, like some sort of semi-transparent reflection of himself.

He's preoccupied by it. And doesn't seem to realize that he's suddenly re-materializing right in front of another would be unhuman. He doesn't have a scent, not like this--no, his presence is more of a chill in the air and he seems to look right past her, which is a feat ind and of itself.

Re: II-B

[megatechbody]

Mariko's vision clocks to this stranger, this living chill on the wind and she can't help but bare her teeth lightly. It's not aggressive, not yet.

"Who are you?"

[dulynoted]

Perhaps it's her own inhuman nature that actually gets his attention, though it takes a moment. He's had too many bouts of simply existing in the same moment over and over for hours on end. But her voice breaks through that, if quietly.

"Hm?" He frowns, gaze refocusing on her. "--Where did you come from?"

Wait, she had asked him a question.

"Akira. What are you?"

[megatechbody]

"I walked."

Her voice is smooth and pleasing and the suggestion in it might raises his hackles. Or make him even more curious. She looks smooth with dark, wide pupils. However, there's a crest of feathers that seems to take the place of hair.

"Siren," she answers before considering. "Harpy. Or something more. And you are in my territory."

[dulynoted]

She is captivating in an otherworldly way. Granted even though Akira has rarely (if ever) been swayed by the appearances of others, even he notices in his state. But then she explains--

--ah. He doesn't have a choice in that case, does he?

"Is that so?" He probably should be a little more concerned. He rubs the back of his neck and some of his essence--ghostly white--falls off him like paint chips and collects on the ground, suddenly more so solid. "Well, unfortunately I'll probably be here for a while. I've been getting...stuck."

[megatechbody]

Her head tilts, thinking broadcasted by the way her eyelids lower slightly. The honesty does seem to ease her ire. The transformation must be new and with her next breath, she registers his scent on the air. Faint, unnaturally so, but still with that human rawness in it.

"How long?" She gestures to his...everything with a short, sharp talon.