Reverse Tarot - tohru_adachi

Mornings were never Adachi’s thing. Sure, he’d gotten used to the random calls from headquarters at all times of the day, but he was never happy about being forced out of bed before noon. Especially not for some obnoxious corporate meeting, which he’d been forcing him to attend more and more often as one of their longest serving and most active members. Not that he ever said much—He preferred to just sit in the background, leaning in his chair and playing some game mindlessly on his phone while the others went on and on about police politics and threats he’d already been made aware of as someone who was constantly on the field, only chiming in when he was practically forced to. Seriously, this shit was boring as hell, and totally not worth the effort to attend… Just for being forced to get up way before his usual alarm, he hadn’t even made an attempt to make himself presentable, hair messy as ever and stubble on full display. Not that the look was too much different from how he usually presented himself—Neither was the hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes combo that practically made up his entire closet. Compared to a lot of the other Shadow Operatives roaming around, he looked like some homeless guy off the street. The occasional glances that people sent towards him definitely gave the impression that they thought he’d walked into the wrong building, waiting for someone to quickly escort him out before he potentially saw or heard anything he shouldn’t. The shock that came to the faces of judgmental idiots like those whenever they found out he was a high-ranking member of their organization was always a hell of a riot, at least, but it was still a little obnoxious to always be treated like he was out of place when people who dressed like Kirijo-san roamed around so casually.

12:05 AM

“Keep walking,” he barked at a couple that had stopped to give him a not-so-subtle look of disgust before going to gossip amongst themselves while he loitered near the conference room, waiting for the last couple of minutes before making his way inside to avoid being in that stuffy room longer than he had to. “Or do you want me to report this to the higher-ups? I’m sure they wouldn’t like hearing about you slacking off.” That seemed to be enough to shut them up and send them on their way. There had been some muttering as they stepped further into the distance, Adachi catching a swear or two directed at him, but he was quick to shrug it off, returning to his previous position of leaning on the wall and scrolling on his phone. Those brats could say whatever they wanted about him, as long as they left him the hell alone. @Kite

Naoya wasn't always a morning person himself, more.. scattered. His sleeping habits went all over the place based on when he worked (or played) and where. Today he looked kinda tired, black dress shirt wrinkled, haphazardly buttoned, and tucked into jeans. His hair was a bit messy too, but he always rocked that messy look. A lot of people around here may not recognized him, as he tended to work on the field or lab, often in a completely different branch. Besides, political talk and the like were usually Kei's thing... but they wanted everyone they could here today. So he'll draggg himself over only to pause and watch curiously at the even more casually dressed man. Attitude... not bad. he likes people that don't take shit! Sometimes. "Morning." He'll approach Adachi and offer a signature, charming, grin. "Not too keen on being here either, huh?" He hushes his tone a bit as he casually shoves hands into his own pockets.

Was someone… Greeting him? Adachi’s eyes flickered away from the illuminated screen, landing on a complete and utter stranger. A quick glance over the man told him he certainly wasn’t a newbie—someone that old and dressed so sloppily had to have some sort of seniority like him—but it wasn’t anyone he knew. Working here for so long, he probably should have had everyone memorized by now, but the guy completely slipped him. That was obnoxious. Whoever he was, Adachi wished he’d stop grinning at him. It was super damn creepy… Almost reminded him of a couple other kids he’d been forced to deal with. Always smiling, and always being goddamn annoying. “Please tell me you aren’t a cop.” It was a pretty decent worry, all things considered; those assholes liked to barge in like they owned the place, telling them all what they could and couldn’t do, trying to control how they were running their operations. That type of bullshit only made Adachi hate police more, and put him way more on guard with strangers like this walking around out of nowhere. Especially when they were so comfortable with approaching him like that. Anyone who wasn’t an idiot typically stayed away once they learned about who he was, and the type of shit he’d done. Those who didn’t were batshit insane. Even before exchanging identities, though, Adachi could already tell this guy probably landed in that latter category. “The conference room’s that way.” He lazily jutted his arm over to a nearby door, focus returning to his feed. Maybe showing disinterest would get the guy to leave him the hell alone. A man could dream, at least.

"A cop? Heaven's no!" Naoya shakes his head. Can you imagine? Him?? An officer? He breaks minor laws far too often. Such a job is restricting! With that out of the way, he'll scan the man over more closely now. Do I know him...? maybe he was in a file he read? There's so many files though... "I know~ But thanks for pointing it out, man." He gives a dorky wink with that. The man backs off a little now, easing into a more relaxed posture. "Shit's not started yet though. Anyway, what's your name? I'm Naoya, Toudou Naoya."

Bleh… What was this dude’s problem? He must have completely mentally lost it, especially if he was trying to wink at him. Gross. And now he was trying to introduce himself…? What the hell was his deal? …Ugh. He knew exactly who this guy reminded him of, on second thought, and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. “Adachi.” The man didn’t need to be on a first name basis with him. No one needed to be. The family name should have been enough for the man to leave him alone if he really was some sort of corporate hotshot. Those who were ranked high enough all knew about Kirijo’s dog. Enough of them were already keeping eyes on him, waiting for the moment they could finally off him for stepping out of line. Wasn’t like this guy was probably any different—they all wanted a criminal like him dead and out of Kirijo-san’s hands. Not that he blamed them, but it sure got goddamn annoying after a decade. “I’m sure you aren’t here just to talk to me.” As if on a flip of a switch, Adachi had lightened his tone, a goofy smile appearing on his face in the blink of an eye. “You could make better use of your time with some of our other members. I don’t want to take away from the value you could get on this visit.” There was that suck-up, people-pleasing façade he had learned over the years. He was aware of how jarring the change in emotions was—And he hoped that Toudou-san could catch on too, and just cut his losses. If it wasn’t, though, Adachi had a Plan B that usually worked pretty well with people getting too into his business. “I’m going for a smoke.” A blatant lie—He had never been into that sort of stuff, even with a chainsmoker like Dojima-san as his detective partner in Inaba. Still, it was an excuse to get away from this weirdo, pushing himself off the wall and getting ready to turn away and head towards the nearest exit.

Ahh. That guy. Well he got the memo a few years back but it wasn't something he'd really been involved in. He barely even knows Mitsuru, honestly. These things happen when you work far apart though, he supposed. Still... surprising such an ordinary looking fella is that killer from back then. Though, despite that knowledge Naoya isn't planning to change his tune. Everyone deserves another chance, right? "Hm?" He blinks a few times and tilts his head. The change in demeanor was interesting. Putting on a mask...? "You'd not be taking away a thing, Adachi. Your company is just as valuable as anyone else's." Even if he can guess Adachi here is trying to shake him off, it doesn't deter him from speaking kindly. Sincere in his words rather than trying to match the ass kissing attitude. "Oh? You might miss the meeting though...." actually. Wait. perfect. "On second thought, I think I'll join you." He's trying to get out of being bored to death.

Words about his ‘valuable company’ made him want to vomit. What was with these types of idiots that couldn’t figure out when he wanted to be left alone…? Sheesh, he really was like that brat. Dealing with one was more than enough—He really didn’t need another one getting on his ass for God knows why. And he especially didn’t need this idiot following him out. Why couldn’t he get the hint? "Awe, you don't have to do that." He really didn't. After all, Adachi really only meant to slip out for a moment and enter through the back entrance to get this guy off his tail. Wasn’t like there was much of excitement he’d be doing in the first place. "Come on, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble. Kirijo-san can be pretty scary if you get on her bad side." Wasn’t like he'd actually skip. Sure, he wanted to, but there'd be a shitload of consequences for missing one of those things. Questions about where he'd been and what he was doing that was so much more important than a boring ass business meeting—and, with that, a tighter leash. He’d enjoyed the relative freedom he’d gotten over the past few years; there was no way in hell he was letting this guy potentially ruin it. Really, he had no clue who this dude even was. Then again, wasn’t like he paid much attention to shit outside of his division—Even if he’d get some insights, poking around about stuff outside of his department also added suspicion. Really, anything did. Guess that’s what he got, but it was still obnoxious.

7:00 AM

"Besides, getting caught alone with me could be bad for your rep.” It was a last ditch effort, Adachi not even bothering to face his elder as he spoke. His voice still had the fake preppiness, but his body language hardly matched that, shoulders loose, one arm hanging lazily at his side and the other shoved into his hoodie pocket. “It would be better to just go to the meeting already, wouldn’t it, sir?” Would that work? God knew—He sure hoped it would, but if this guy was half as head-strong as Yu-kun, then it was already a hopeless pursuit. A man could try, at least.

Open!

hey. i think i have an idea. whether or not it's mind-blowingly stupid is up to you

shoot

i'm going to use the fact that we're understaffed to our advantage, and send yosuke with yu. despite the fact that he's currently under kagutsuchi's thumb, i doubt that he'll interfere directly. not if it gives him a chance to see the state he's put yu in through yosuke. it's a risky move, but at the same time, it's our best bet for making sure yu's recovery period goes smoothly.

missin one vital thing- i dont think kagu can see anythin outside of tokyo

10:46 PM

ive seen how hanamura-kun acts in and out of tokyo. its like two entirely different people, and im guessing the latter is because he knows he doesnt have a god over his shoulder

10:47 PM

itd prolly take a miracle for that kid to convince kagu to let him out of his sight, and out of his control

mainly said that to account for the possibility, but that's probably for the best that he isn't capable... and if it would take nothing less than a miracle, i don't know if you'd have seen yosuke out of tokyo at all.

difference is ive only seen him out of tokyo for a week tops

10:55 PM

you seem to be askin for a hell of a lot more than that if ya want yu-kun to recover decently (edited)

it is a gamble, but with any luck, kagutsuchi won't really see a need to keep yosuke-san around right now. outside of what happened with nanako-san, there hasn't been a ton of activity on his end since the last expedition into phlegethon. pretty much everything's going in his favor, and yu charging into phlegethon on his own no doubt just gave him more of what he wanted. he might grant this as a concession to the both of them, after that. give them a few moments of peace, give them hope, so he can crush them even further when they return.

what a damn depressin way to look at it

i'm pretty much banking on the fact that he likes to play with his food. as long as we can't attack him directly, he'll just keep toying with us for as long as possible and in as many ways as possible. in his mind, it won't matter what momentary peace any of us gets, because it'll all just amount to more suffering he can inflict.

11:16 PM

...so, taking all that into account, there's no real harm to him if one of his pawns goes away for a while.

youre bettin on a fuckin lot... but, guess it really is our best option rn

most of it is conjecture, yeah. but yosuke is who we'll ask first, at least. if it doesn't work out, then our next best option is just sending someone close enough who can at least make sure yu doesn't do anything too rash.

already asked sho, and he said no. tatsumi-kun gave a maybe. after that... no clue on who else wed try to convince to go

we'll figure something out. but right now, our more in-depth planning should be geared towards rescuing those two and nanako-san.

gotcha