WANTED: A stylist

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura had written a wanted ad on a piece of paper to pin it to one of the public boards in the city center. As soon as she pinned it, however, the board fell apart, but then reassembled itself into an widescreen Internet terminal as she tried to leave. The screen read:

WANTED
STYLIST

Need help picking clothes and shopping.
Money reward.
Must like body art.

Shura
Eastern Apartment Complex
Floor 6, room 606

And, thanks to the terminal's network connection, the ad has been sent to the online board for these advertisements, so people with electronic devices can access it.

Comments

[very_elaborate]

...Ain't my usual thing, but I can help you out if nobody else bites. One of my friends would probably be a better bet, though.

Especially if whoever this is, since Kanji can't tell much from the name, needs a bra.

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura stares at the letter slipped under her door, unsure if she should marvel at the creativity of the city or be horrified that it knows where she is at all time. She finally decides to just... write back, and slip it under the door, and see if that'll work.

No one has bitten so far. I would be willing to hire you and your friend as well, honestly. I just want clothes that'll fit my stupid body.

[very_elaborate]

Well, Kanji's getting the texts just fine, so there's that.

I'll ask Rise when she has time and get back to you.

[ibideficitorbis]

Sometimes it's better not to ask.

Thank you.

She hopes they will have time soon. Maybe she should have added a photo to her ad... but that might have frightened everyone.

[very_elaborate]

No problem.

...Uh, who're we looking for? Just remembered that part's kinda important.

[ibideficitorbis]

My name's Shura. I'm the Demi-Fiend.

... I have black tattoos. On my face. And everywhere else. Can't miss me. Just come to the address in the ad and knock.

[very_elaborate]

Okay. Name's Kanji. I'll be over as soon as I can, if Rise doesn't beat me to it.

Really, even if she does. Kanji's not one to leave someone in the lurch when they need clothes. And true to that, it's not too long before there's a knock on Shura's door.

Lemme write a better tag.

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura has received Kanji's text in the form of a letter under her door again, so she hurries to, well, try and get decent by human standards. Kanji might not appreciate her hanging around in vending machine panties, to say nothing of getting service in a store when only wearing underwear.

When Kanji knocks, Shura adjusts her yukata one last time, fails to get it correctly again, then opens the door for him... and looks up with amber eyes.

"Huh."

You are so tall, Kanji! But maybe that means you know where to get clothes in sizes other than "petite". And maybe, just, maybe you can help Shura with that yukata because her obi is a mess and showing that much chest even when dressed might be illegal, to say nothing of the tattoos all over her skin.

[very_elaborate]

...O... kay. This is gonna be a tall order for even Rise, but Kanji's pretty sure he can help too. At the very least with how to tie a yukata properly.

"I think I see the problem," he says, once he's in the door - thankfully, if there's one thing Atia's good for it's raising the bar on what counts as scandalous. "Worst case, I can make you some stuff."

[ibideficitorbis]

If there is a thing Shura has learned in the Vortex, it's to not judge a book by its cover. This punk-rock looking guy says he can make clothes? Sure, why not?

"Thank you. I'll owe you." She tries to fix her yukata again, to no avail. "Do yo know how to tie this properly? I forgot..."

[very_elaborate]

You bet your ass he can make clothes. And stupid cute shit, but that's not what she needs help with right now.

"No problem - and absolutely. Here--"

A little fussing later, and Kanji has the yukata much more securely tied. "That better?"

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura smiles. Perfect. She is much more decent now, despite the facial tattoos and the horn on the back of her neck sprouting above the collar of the yukata.

"Hugely. Thank you, Kanji. I can call you Kanji, right?"

[very_elaborate]

Small details. The important thing is she's covered, and doesn't look like she has no idea what she's doing.

"Sure. So what kinda problems you been havin' other than not being able to get that thing tied right?"

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura lowers her head, scratching her cheek.

"Let's just say I've been wearing the same set of clothes for what could be years. I tried washing them here, but they fell apart. Found myself naked in the landromat with a stinky load of scraps."

[very_elaborate]

"Yeah, that's... a slight problem. If there was anything left t'salvage I'd fix it for you, but it sounds like it ain't worth the trouble. What kinda stuff are you lookin' for?"

[ibideficitorbis]

"Clothes that fit and are opaque enough to hide my markings." Nothing quite like trying a dress on and have all your body art show through to feel naked.

"I'm going to need shoes for running and gym clothes. A good sports bra. Underwear for all occasions. I like dresses and skirts, so some would be nice, and I love kimonos but I've never really learned to get into one properly. And I need help picking clothes in colours that look good with my new skin." Since stores here are surprisingly apt at converting currency, even Macca, money will not be a problem.

[very_elaborate]

"...Rise's gonna be a better bet for the underwear." He's made a few binders for Naoto, sure, but that's a completely different class of undergarment. Kanji doesn't know a damn thing about bras other than (sort of) how to unhook them.

And that's pretty much down to Naoto's enforced month in girl clothes.

"I can handle the rest, though, even if I end up havin' to make it all myself. Especially a kimono, that won't be any trouble at all."

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura nodded. Staying shirtless would be less complicated and wouldn't bother her, but apparently it bothered everyone else.

Her face lit up at the mention of a kimono being no problem. "Really? I'd love to have a kimono or two. I can pay you."

[very_elaborate]

Well, it doesn't exactly bother Kanji anymore (thank you Atia). Not as long as Shura's okay with it, anyway.

"Absolutely. Usually when we do make clothes it's stuff like that anyway. Price's gonna depend on how fancy you want, of course, but it won't be any trouble at all."

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura is more than okay with having her chest free. It's not like she has beach balls on display anyway.

"I'll probably start not too fancy, since I should learn to put it on without help... really, thank you."

[very_elaborate]

"They ain't that hard to get one once you're used to 'em. And seriously, it's no problem."

He does shit like this all the time anyway. Might as well do it for something useful, right?

Text 1/2

[loversdilemma]

hey my friend Kanji sed u were a girl who needs help shopping??? Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

if u here knocking that's me coming over .+:｡(ﾉ･ω･)ﾉﾞ

Action

[loversdilemma]

[Indeed, per the instructions Kanji relayed to her, Rise's over within a half hour or so and knocking politely on Shura's door.]

[ibideficitorbis]

[Excellent, excellent. Shura answers the door quickly after the knock, and what a sight it is: she's wearing a yukata lended by Yukiko, fortunately, but she's not very good at tying it, so it definitely shows what little cleavage she has. And tattoos. Lost and lots of tattoos, on her hands, her arms, her chest, her face, hell even her feet. See why she needs a stylist yet, Rise?]

"Welcome," she says calmly. Then, after a beat, she steps aside, revealing a glimpse of the shark fin horn on her nape. "Uh... do you want to come in, or...?"

[loversdilemma]

Well hello to all those tattoos. It was like looking at Chloe during that month. Right down to the extra cleavage display.

Rise does manage to regain eye contact after a second, then lose it to the neck horn, then regain it again. "Sure! We can talk about what you want to do."

She smiles. "I'm Rise Kujikawa. You must be Shura."

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura smiles in return, a shy smile that barely displays itself. So it might not show much, but she is glad, and relieved, that Rise didn't run away screaming about a monster. She nods, then bows in greeting. "I am indeed. Nice to meet you. Does it bother you if I call you Rise? I can also offer you tea if you want."

Shura steps away to head for the kitchen to check for canned tea in the pantry, offering Rise a good look at that horn, and the fact that her tattoos extend to the sole of her feet.

[loversdilemma]

"Rise's fine! I'm not really good at being formal. And tea would be great!" she says, waving off any concern. She does, out of habit, note Shura's odder qualities as she slips off her shoes and steps inside.

"Hey uh...is it weird if I ask where you got all the tattoos?" she asks. "I've never seen anything like them."

[ibideficitorbis]

"Good. I suck at formalities too." She quickly finds some tea in the near empty pantry and brings out two cans, one for Rise and one for herself.

"It's not weird. I'd be wondering too, in your place." She offers Rise a can. "I got them when I became a demon. They're not really tattoos, though. They're markings. Like stripes on a tiger." She takes a sip of tea. "The edges also glow. It's really obvious in the dark."

[loversdilemma]

"That's really cool...wait, became a demon?" Rise asks, not really sure which part of that question to emphasize.

On the one hand, she's seen a lot of weird shit. On the other, demons aren't supposed to be so...human-looking, right?

[ibideficitorbis]

Shura nods, as if this was a normal thing to do and not a complete abomination in the face of God.

"I was born in Tokyo, originally. Well, I was reborn in Tokyo too, but..." She frowns and squints. How to best explain this? It's quite complicated if you count that she was reborn as a demon twice.

"I was born a human in the district of Shibuya. And then I was born a demon in Shinjuku. How's that?"

[loversdilemma]

"Makes as much sense as anything. I'm from the middle of nowhere, but I've gotten to know Shibuya pretty well," she says.

She looks Shura over once again, probably a little impolitely. "So...what happened to make you into a demon? Unless that's too personal."

[ibideficitorbis]

Being given the once over repeatedly is fortunately something Shura has grown used to. Otherwise, she might have started feeling self-conscious. Instead, she just shrugs.

"The end of the world." A beat. "And Lucifer. Mostly Lucifer."

[loversdilemma]

"The end of the world? Wait, how often does that actually happen?" Rise asks, surpised. "I mean, I never met Lucifer, although Senpai did get him as a Persona after we stopped Ameno-Sagiri..."

[ibideficitorbis]

"Whenever the wrong person get their hands on the knowledge of the cycle of death and rebirth of the world, unfortunately." All too often, if you ask her.

"... as a Persona?!" She's still not clear on this Persona concept, but, that cant be good.