petitejournalism: (RmPqotG)
[personal profile] petitejournalism

DUONET ID: meryl.stryfe
"This is Meryl Stryfe. Sorry I missed you! If this is about a scoop, let me know a time and place and I'll meet you in person!

If not, then just leave me a message, I guess, and I'll get back to you!"

✉️ ☎️ 📷

Date: 2023-05-05 10:25 pm (UTC)
janescayre: (086)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
How c-could you introduce yourself when I wasn't even here yet?

[Worlds may vary and cultures may differ, but teenage petulance is universal.

Fukawa skulks inward. And it is skulking: her hunch and scuttle are better suited to slinking along lines of shadows than crossing open floor. She sets her books on a counter, tugging the hardcover tomes out and refolding the shopping bag for later use. She tucks it into a kitchen cabinet, tossing glares over at her new roommate.

"Meryl", was it? Or should she use "Stryfe"? What a foul thing to call yourself. Was it some edgy online persona was trying to slip into the waking world? If so, it's pathetic. This woman was way too old to be pulling that shit.]


F-Fukawa. [Said curtly. No honorifics used or given.] Not that you'll remember it. What mess are you making over there? S-some kind of grocery list?

Date: 2023-05-06 01:57 pm (UTC)
janescayre: (070)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
[There's no "likewise". Just a dismissive grunt before she collects her books again, pressing them tight to her chest as she takes a cautionary step closer.]

Notes? [Her nose wrinkles.] Oh. Y-you're not a detective, are you?

[It's not that she despises her old classmate Kirigiri. It just that she was such a fucking show off. All those brains and not a lick of tact, always shoving herself into the spotlight, stealing her beloved Byakuya-sama's thunder.

Still...if there was someone who might prove useful in this situation...

She steps even closer.]


What do you have so far?

Date: 2023-05-08 12:47 am (UTC)
janescayre: (176)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
A journalist? [Not quite so handy as a sleuth, but definitely not without use. She could have been stuck with another idiot clairvoyant or big-breasted swim jock.

At least she recognizes the invitation for what it is. Fukawa edges closer and peers at the meticulous scrawl. She's careful to keep a measured distance just the same, even if it means she has to squint. From here the spine of her books peek over the folds of her sleeve: No Longer Human, Osamu Dazai, The House of Spirits, Isabelle Allende, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough, and two slimmer paperbacks about Crane City itself.]


Hmm... [Her lips begin to twitch, mouthing the words Meryl's committed to paper. Her brow furrows suddenly.]

Water? Worms? [She looks at her curiously.] Th-there was all kinds of worms on the sidewalk after it rained last month. What kind of half-baked observation is that?

Date: 2023-05-08 12:07 pm (UTC)
janescayre: (011)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
Eh?! [She juts her head back and stares agog at the mad ramblings.] F-flying — worms don't fly! And there's a plant right there!

[On the left end table, as a matter of fact. It's a juicy jade plant too, one that looks better cared for than any of the house residents might bother with. More magic no doubt, which is absolutely galling to a girl who grew up without any.

Of course her impatience breaks as she remembers where she is: another world. Same as Meryl.

Fukawa draws a deep breath in through her nose, eyes closed. Then she sets her books on the bare end of the table and claims a seat of her own.]


All right, wherever you come from is some kind of despicable hell hole. "Flying worms." [Said more to herself, and with no small revulsion.] Magical horseshit aside, this place is p-pretty close to my home. So...

[Her brow furrows. Where to start?]

There's tons of water. Probably three q-quarters of the planet's surface. And it's in the atmosphere too, which is why it rains.

Date: 2023-05-09 04:28 am (UTC)
janescayre: (096)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
You don't say. [Funny, that.] Some other guy said the same th-thing to me last week. I can't imagine living in a dry, crusty desert. This must l-look like a total paradise to you.

[Some cultures made paradises in deserts of course, several of her favourite novels were set in there. But Fukawa can only imagine wastelands and heat, and the grit of dirt and sand wedging into every inch of your body.

No thanks.

Her face contorts as the woman goes on. Carnivorous, winged worms that feasted on human flesh. Okay. Wow.]


Eugh, disgusting. Just keep that to yourself! Obviously that doesn't exist here either. [She pauses, pursing her lips.] Well...not in this part. That crappy virtual world, they had giant sp-sp-spiders.

[A shudder quakes her from head to toe, and she grips at her elbow to quell it. A new sight to frequent her nightmares! What a fun fucking video game! Great for the whole family!]

So, maybe there'll be something similar there. But it's all f-fabricated anyway, so you can't take any creatures they make up too seriously. The real problem lies in the effects it has on your brain. [Here she leans in, tone lowered.] There was some kind of giant disaster in that game world, and they insisted this hackneyed ritual was the only way to fix it. And one of the guys who volunteered for it lost his m-memories completely.

Date: 2023-05-09 08:18 pm (UTC)
janescayre: (091)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
[Good. She should be scared.]

They just might. [Fukawa tuts, a touch haughtily. After all, it's Roland's own damn fault he's in that mess.] This time it was something you volunteered for, and they p-preyed on the self-righteous instincts of the players. If you're told you're going to save lives, even if the people there aren't real, it's easy to forget the risks.

Next time they m-might not be so subtle. [She sets her elbows on her knees and threads her fingers over her mouth. Her sharp stare hits some middle point in the air between them, brow cinching into a pensive knot.] There's p-plenty of ways to motivate people into destroying themselves. Or falling under the sway of s-some psychotic bitch.

[Whoops.]

Mastermind. [She wets her lips and hurries along.] They might start threatening your l-loved ones, or offer money, or use blackmail. Already this place has used some kind of crappy magic to force our hands. This isn't a normal house.

Surely you've noticed that by now. You'd be a pretty shitty reporter if you hadn't.

Date: 2023-05-11 11:24 am (UTC)
janescayre: (103)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
[Her brows pop up, aligning near perfectly with the rims of her broad glasses.]

Well, good. At least there's someone around with more than festering m-mold inside their skull. [And she means it. For the moment, at least. She can respect the diligence of a fellow writer, a rare thing to find among her usual peers — even rarer in a world gone horrifically awry. Though she finds journalism to be a limited field, one where too much creativity is a dangerous drawback, it does imply a sharp eye.

Let's see how this woman makes out in a few weeks. Virtual realm excepted, this may be the least obviously life-threatening place she's had to live in so far.

That hardly means it's without risks.]


I suppose it's w-worth asking if you've got any hackneyed "superpowers" or crap like that. [Fukawa rolls her eyes.] Seems to be a running theme around here.

Date: 2023-05-12 08:32 pm (UTC)
janescayre: (202)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
So you say. [Wasn't Superman a journalist? She has no patience for half-baked shitpiles like comic books, but a job like that is the perfect cover to nose around anywhere.] P-people can say any old thing to your face, but the truth doesn't have to be one of them. You're n-not stupid enough to take everything at face value, are you?

[Spare her the protagonist energy, please. She's had enough. She's done with genki do-gooders.]

Think about it. If you were r-running some kind of psycho mindgame and could pull people from all across the universe to play in it, are you going to settle for some completely average twat? Th-that's going to make for a boring story.

If I've learned anything, it's to expect the worst. They only p-pick people who can do exceptional things or who have survived in exceptional circumstances. [Herself being in the pitiful latter category. Never by choice, and never happy about it either. Why should she be stuck in the company of ninjas and witches and shonen anime sprung to life, just because she has the world's shittiest luck?

It's infuriating.]


So watch out. Be c-careful who you piss off here, unless you want to end up as a s-smoking corpse in the gutter.

Date: 2023-05-14 05:24 pm (UTC)
janescayre: (083)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
[Meryl you're breaking my damn heart over here.

Too bad Fukawa sucks and rather than empathize with the somber shift, she feels a prickle of glee. Good. Someone was listening to her. Taking her warnings seriously for once, instead of dismissing them or calling her ugly or stupid or bopping along with a pitchy whistle and a spring in their step.

Finally, someone with a lick of common sense.]


Th-that's good. I don't either, before you get any weird ideas. [Which she should be able to sus out logically: if she were trying to hide something she wouldn't have brought it up in the first place. What secrets she does have, while wild and dangerous, never sprung from a supernatural well of might. So technically, she's not lying! If Syo makes herself a problem later she'll deal with it.]

I guess... [It's probably the only reason Naegi's still alive. Luck and luck alone.] What do you p-plan do with yourself now? Have you found any leads?

Date: 2023-05-16 01:46 pm (UTC)
janescayre: (168)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
[Fukawa grunts, casting her gaze to the side.]

I d-doubt I'll be much use to you. I'm a novelist. My p-primary research is on the h-human heart itself. [Though admittedly, she has to pour over tons of information about setting and society and career specifics, psychological causes and effects. But she holds fast in her assumption.] We m-may both be writers, but conflating the two fields is a huge mistake. I'm not arrogant enough to think I can do your job, and you b-better not think you could do mine!

[Then there's the second asterisks under her name: being forced to solve insane mysteries to survive. Not something she's going to confess out the gate, the specifics aren't important here and they certainly could paint her in a bad light. Or worse, get her sappy looks of pity, maybe get mistaken for heart-felt bonding.

Absolutely not. She's here to tell people not to trip into a plot hole and die.]


But...if s-something important comes up... [She looks visibly pained. This is killing her.] I guess I'll tell you...

Date: 2023-05-18 01:41 pm (UTC)
janescayre: (011)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
[Though wary as always, Fukawa's getting the feeling this girl is game to keep the peace. Meryl hasn't fired back in a major way, and she's easily flustered. That's annoying in its own right, but it's manageable. She could be dealing with a more choleric personality, or a stupider person altogether.]

Fine. I'll let you know if anything r-really important pops up.

[Please bask in her infinite generosity.]

As l-long as you don't hold out on me, either.

Date: 2023-05-19 05:00 am (UTC)
janescayre: (219)
From: [personal profile] janescayre
[Fukawa watches the smile spread wider over Meryl's sweet face, the easy stance of elbows on the other girl's knees. Suddenly her own haughtiness vanishes. She curls her spindly fingers around her books and draws them back into her middle, like a dragon sequestering its hoard.]

Okay.

[Silence. Her glare narrows.]

Bye then.

[She swoops out of her seat and scuttles away, thrusting her phone against the e-lock and slithering through the bedroom door before it's even popped open in full.

One pale hand slides it back into the frame, and then the foul air dissipates. Fukawa is gone.]