013 ☀ Phantom Thieves, Magilou

[jokered]

Comments

[spinatalltale]

[there's been a weird girl (hair down, not in pigtails, though) hanging around Cafe Leblanc for the past few weeks now. what's up with that? she comes and goes as she pleases, and Leblanc's usual patrons (read: the Phantom Thieves) may only catch glimpses of her every so often. weird!!]

[but today]

[TODAY. . .]

[. . . today, said usual patrons are treated to an unfamiliar yet distressed cry of a Bienfu coming from inside their favorite establishment--]

BIIIIIIIIIEEEN!

[hey, that's weird! you guys should probably check it out. is someone being tortured within Leblanc's sacred walls???]

[bufudyne]

[Wow that sure is weird???

That's not a sound that's supposed to come from Leblanc? Yusuke frowns hard at the door where he was about to enter, sketchbook under one arm... okay let's do this, he wanted quiet sketching BUT HE'LL TAKE THE RISK.

Gangly artist has got this handled, doesn't he just scream intimidation.

IN HE BOLDLY GOES, WHAT EVILDOER LURKS IN HERE HE JUST WANTS TO DRAW AND EAT AND DRINK]

[spinatalltale]

[OH YUSUKE. . . YOU NAIVE, INNOCENT SOUL. THERE IS NO QUIET SKETCHING TO BE HAD HERE TODAY]

[what he finds when he enters the cafe is said strange girl with one foot planted on a booth table. she is currently bent over a strange creature, on whose cheeks she is yanking. ferociously. when she speaks, her voice is eerily similar to Futaba's, though with different intonation and speech patterns]

Bienfuuuuuuu. . .! I don't remember giving you express permission to eat the last bite of my lunch.

[. . . the strange creature can talk]

Biiiiiien, I'm sorry Miss Magilou! I didn't think you were watching me!

Stealing food behind your mistress's back? Unforgivable! Why, I should--

[but then the sound of the door opening gets her attention, and she stops yanking long enough to look up]

[and stare at Yusuke]

[and say--]

Do you mind coming back later? I'm in the middle of punishing my minion right now.

[yeah okay]

[bufudyne]

[what is this

is Futaba in cosplay because it sounds so similar... but like... it's obviously not Futaba, right...

He narrows his eyes like it'll make more sense if he squints.]

Your foot is on the table.

[#priorities

Like what does he focus on first, isn't this fine as a start. He'll build on it from here.]

[spinatalltale]

[bless Yusuke]

Duh, of course it is. It helps the intimidation factor! Don't you know?

[said so matter-of-factly]

[bufudyne]

[all he wanted was to hang out in his fav place]

...Intimidation factor.

[Looks to the... thing... she's pulling on. Points at it. What is that can he sketch it, is it alive, is it a toy, it honestly isn't really an issue at the moment apart from the noises it's making being very loud.]

Do you need to intimidate it?

[IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S HAVING A BAD TIME AS IS]

[jokered]

[it's fine, akira will step in eventually.

even if he's probably not entirely ready to deal with yusuke after. you know, everything? but he walks over from behind the counter where he'd been doing dishes to lightly bop magilou on the head.]

That's enough. [let bienfu rest! and also.] Foot off the table, and Yusuke doesn't have to leave.

[phantom thieves are always welcome in this sacred place!]

[intothefrei]

[ It sure sounds like it?? And even more bizarrely, the troubled soul is apparently French??

Makoto is too well-mannered to kick down the door when she's not in Phantom Thief mode, and certainly not while wearing a school uniform, so she simply opens the door and squares her shoulders. ]

Is everyone all right??

[spinatalltale]

[Kia I can't believe you]

[same sight as above, honestly: Magilou, hunched over a table, yanking on Biefnu's cheeks like a jerk while the poor normin wails. but hey! at least she stops when Makoto enters? and looks up to stare at her for a second like, ?????]

Oho, please feel free to go about your business. Don't mind us! We won't get in your way.

[. . . the poor normin lets out a sad biiiien. his life is so hard]

[jokered]

[the level of dread that exists pretty much immediately upon seeing makoto entering leblanc and... magilou's reaction is very real.

there's already a lot to unpack, but this is probably not a great first impression. though.

makoto is going to be the hardest to talk to and explain. all of this. and magilou. it's fine?

BREATHE, AKIRA.]

Magilou... [s i g h] Cool it for a bit. She's not a regular customer.

[intothefrei]

[ Ah. The foreigner is... tiny and fluffy and Makoto honestly looks like she has no idea what's even happening for about three seconds before she clears her throat and attempts to compose herself. The girl's a vaguely familiar face, and Akira looks as though he's somehow accustomed to this (how), so she'll refrain from immediately blurting out about ten different questions. ]

Akira-kun. [ calmly enough. ] May I ask for an introduction?

[spinatalltale]

Oho? Then is she one of. . .?

[Magilou releases Bienfu, much to the normin's delight, and he quickly hops up and disappears into a flash of light some few seconds later. and as for his magnificent mistress?]

[her mouth curls into a devious grin, hands propped on her hips, chin lifted and chest puffed out to make her look bigger]

Allow me! There's no way he'll do it justice. For it is I, the ferocious witch before whom all prostrate themselves, before whom dragons shiver in fear, the scourge of every universe and a villain worth remembering across dimensions!

[DRAMATICALLY, she presses a hand against her heart, the other extended above her head]

You may call me the great--

[stop her Akira. save Makoto]

[neyouze]

[ yeah, he's noticed this girl. He's also noticed that she smells like Akira, and Akira smells like her, and he's just been waiting for the eventual explanation of this whole thing, because Akira's been weird for a few weeks, and -- well, quite frankly, it's sort of getting on his nerves. Mostly because he's worried that something bad happened. The two of them are alike in that neither of them like to talk about things that are bothering them very much; Morgana's realizing that being on the receiving end of it, for once, is actually really annoying. And stressful.

So he's already on edge when he hears a weird noise coming from downstairs. Immediately, he assumes that whatever bad thing has been stewing for weeks has finally boiled over, and he bolts down the stairs. All nine pounds of him, meowing at the top of his lungs to chase off whatever intruder is down here. ]

Oi!! What the hell are you doing down here?! We're closed right now!!

[ he assumes she won't be able to understand him, but... ]

[spinatalltale]

[but. . .]

[his shout is enough to get Magilou's attention, at least! which is good because she was in the process of yanking on Bienfu's cheeks. who, Morgana will now see, is the source of the distressed cry. you have saved this normin's life, Morgana. be proud]

[everything freezes for a good five seconds. Magilou takes one look at Morgana, and--]

Aha! The mascot character!

[she lets go of Bienfu (who goes floating in the air above her with a relieved biiiien. . .) and immediately goes to scoop Morgana up without answering his question]

[hi kitty]

[neyouze]

[ oh shit what the fuck is that

one of the things that he always comes back to is how he looks like nothing else in the world, how his "true self" is bizarre and doesn't fit in with the rest of the world, but -- that thing floating up next to the bar sure looks like him?! It's enough to make him freeze in his tracks. ]

Woah! W-what is tha-- hey!! Let go!

[ and freezing is enough to give Magilou a chance to grab him. Naturally, he's immediately struggling, pushing his paws against her face with all his might. (It's not a lot of might, because he's a cat.) ]

[jokered]

It's okay, Morga—

[he was going to condone it, because magilou is definitely welcome even if she is a troublemaker.

but then magilou is scooping him up and just.

(aaaaaaa.)]

Magilou!

[spinatalltale]

[AAAAAAAAAAH]

Hey--! Those are paws in my face! Watch your claws, bucko!

[she holds Morgana out from her body and just]

[plops him onto the counter, right next to Bienfu]

[rude mascot character!!]

[virtuale]

[The door opens.

And then it closes.

If someone came in there's...SURE NOBODY IN THE DOORWAY NOW.

That's because there's someone huddled behind the counter under Sayuri, it's fine.

Sorry, Magilou--but Akira sure is getting a very aggressive text.]

Who. Is. THAT?

[A pause, and then for added emphasis, another text:]

｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡ ??????

[But yeah she's literally stuck now so thanks for NOTHING.]

[spinatalltale]

[glances up from where she is pulling on Bienfu's face to stare. . . at the door]

[. . .]

. . . uho! I think we're being visited by a wandering spirit.

[well, at least Bienfu isn't crying anymore, mostly because she is. no longer pulling on his face. way to save the normin Futaba!!]

[jokered]

[of course, he knows it futaba because nobody else would do that.

and you know. the immediate text message.]

You, just. Be a little more calm for a second.

[he can't have futaba getting totally freaked out so he'll make his way to the counter.]

She's loud, but she's okay, Futaba. She's a friend of mine. ["""friend"""

listen, they can get to the details in a second.]

[virtuale]

[She should've totally checked the cameras today she was a fool. Letting her guard down--!! A fool!!!

Magilou has a lot of energy and is a very weird person and Futaba is definitely just. Slowly. Sloooowly lifting her head to peer over the counter a little. Akira's there and that helps, but he's on the other side of the counter, so she can't hide behind him, and that kind of sucks.

But getting to him would require getting around... that lady.

His "friend".

Hm.]

... Hm. [Yes, Futaba. "Hm."] Since when? [That's rude.] It's not like you've ever texted anyone with no sense of color and a crying mascot character. [Oh.]

[jokered]

[well, if nothing else, akira doesn't hesitate to come stand behind the counter with her because akira knows she's uncomfortable.

despite literally everything that's happened, he hasn't lost his sense of care for his team, even if he's not really sure at all how to approach... explaining this.]

Savage.

[he responds quietly, amused. good little sis, good.]

Texting's not really her thing, even if she's just as savage to her mascot character.

[oh.]

It's a long story, but... we can explain it to you. [he's going to need magilou's help on that part, anyway. but he offers futaba an encouraging look. it's okay, magilou won't bite or he'll give her a nice (gentle) bop on the head.]

[bestbrew]

[ what is that racket? it doesn't sound like morgana, but it sounds definitively cat-like. well, not a normal cat. but not human either. more human than cat, anyway. honestly, he should be used to the strange and extraordinary by now, but the fact of the matter is. he's not?

and he's sighing loudly, glancing up from the dish he's drying.

today is certainly strange.

this has to be one of the kid's friends. why else would she just keep showing up? it's unusual. so unusual. he shouldn't ask - he's not a prying dad, thank you! - but curiosity killed the cat. ]

You're scaring off the costumers.

[ said to wherever that loud screeching is coming from. ugh. stop. ]

[spinatalltale]

[it's. . .!]

[a plushed animal-looking creature? only it's moving and. . . talking. . . as Magilou pinches its cheeks and stretches it face in ways a face should not be stretche]

Biiiiiiiien! I didn't ask for thiiiiiiiiis. . .!

Oh, quiet, Bienfu! You're fine.

[and then, in a cheerful voice, to Boss, without looking up from her poor abused mascot character]

Oh, don't worry. This will ooooonly take a second. ☆

[Magilou plz. Akira collar her quickly]

[jokered]

Enough, both of you.

[akira takes a little more of a hardline as he hears the ruckus on his way downstairs. it seems like sojiro's tough love also means he's earned plenty of respect from akira, too.

and that absolutely means that if sojiro is bothered by what magilou and bienfu are up to during cafe hours, he'll speak up.]

What Boss says goes here. [end of story. there aren't many adults in the world that akira has that much respect for, but sojiro has done a lot for him; he's family and as much as he cares for magilou—he doesn't want to strain things with his own guardian in the process.

especially after everything that's happened, both here in tokyo and in murdertown.]