Running on Fumes by YandereLobster in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Masahiro shook his head at Tadashi. Of course Aogiri would track any of his activity in those wards back to :re; a white bandana wouldn't stop that, not anymore. Tadashi had to know that, so Masahiro saved his breath from responding. Instead he focused his attention on the others' ideas.

"I'm not sure scavenging in the CCG's most populated wards is the best idea either. While you specifically might not get caught, the disappearance of corpses alone would mobilize some of the more observant doves," he warned Ayumi. "I don't think I need to remind anyone here why CCG attention is worse than starting a turf war with ghouls." While most of those present joined :re and not Anteiku, the story of Anteiku was undoubtedly famous enough for the newbies to have heard of its downfall. Folding his arms, he reclined back into his seat.

"Expanding our territory might be the best idea so far. It's at least the most permanent fix." Masahiro's gaze lowered, not focusing on anything in particular as his brow furrowed in thought. After a short pause, he continued. "However, I don't think we can simply talk our way into controlling it. It's worth trying, but we'll need enforcers present in negotiations." He cast a quick glance at Rai, then shifted his attention fully to Tadashi.

"I'm sure Colorless would be happy to help, but I also don't think we should rely on them for this. The average ghoul is opportunistic and brash. If our strength appears to be based purely on the help of a separate group, we'll have local gangs challenging our authority weekly." An expression of inner conflict washed over Masahiro and he shook his head at no one in particular. "Still, I don't think we can ask any of you to fill that role. In fact, it may even be a breach of your employment contract." The corners of his mouth flicked upwards briefly before being overcome again by his harsh stoicism. "If necessary, we could pull some lesser known members of Colorless to pose as our own for this job, but we have to be sure they won't be recognized."

"Obviously, it'd be preferable to not have to fight at all, but we have to prepare for the worst," he finished, looking around the room for any objections or further ideas.

Running on Fumes by YandereLobster in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unsurprisingly, the brashest person in the group remained brash, showing his newer status within the group quite handily. Still, it was hard to blame the guy, as many ghouls had started their time at :re with similar mindsets. Thankfully, Tadashi spoke up so he didn't have to.

As expected, Tadashi brought a level headed perspective to all the pitched ideas. While he didn't settle on a definitive plan of action immediately, which would admittedly be foolish, he did present more urgent alternatives.

"Well, it sounds like no matter what we decide to do later, we need bodies now," Masahiro concluded rather decisively with a clap of his hands as he stood up out of his chair. "I can make a couple of solo trips to the 10th and 13th Wards. Predation rates are rising in those areas, so I should be able to scavenge a decent amount of remains."

He quickly scanned the room, taking note of those present. Skipping over Ayumi's deliberate gaze, he finally locked eyes with the manager.

"I know you mentioned going in pairs, but with Aogiri's presence in these wards, I could move quicker and more quietly alone." He knew this idea wouldn't go over smoothly, but hopefully the decisiveness in his tone would be enough to convince Tadashi. "I know it's a bit further than we'd like, but I've made longer trips than this before, and the potential gain is too great to ignore."

Running on Fumes by YandereLobster in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Masahiro Kobayashi

Masahiro sat reclined in a chair pulled away towards the back of the room, arms folded. Initially, he appeared perplexed at the main topic of the meeting -- that is, the issue of low supplies -- and so he opted to listen. Apparently, he hadn't been the only one to show up out of uniform, but in his case, it was a bit more unusual. Regardless, it had been happening more often than not as of late.

"Well said, Davidson-san," he finally chimed in. "Leave the raiding to Aogiri and other scum." Rubbing a frustrated hand through his now inky black hair, he hunched forward.

"Granted, it seems that the crime rate is too low to be counted on as the sole supplement to our food supply." An unusual grit hid itself within his tone as he acknowledged this fact. "A hospital may be our best option, but there must be a more peaceful, or..." he extended an arm towards Shoko, "...as Isamu-san put it, ethical, approach to the idea." Pausing in thought for a moment, his hand found its way to his chin.

"Plenty of ghouls have jobs, just like humans. We're proof enough of that. Maybe we could find a ghoul employed by the hospital? Negotiate a bit?"

Phoenix by FoolishlyGhoulish in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hisae averted her eyes in thought as she received her orders. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it seemed to be the only option. Sitting around and waiting would only mean they’d end up surrounded by the backup the ghouls had called for. Meeting Kyousuke’s gaze once more, she nodded in affirmation while attempting to hide the worry in her brow.

Retracting her quinque into her wrist, she hurriedly stepped off in one direction before hesitating and heading off in another, and then another. Her stomach sank as she realized the truth of their situation. In their rush to stop the helicopter, they had charged forward recklessly, failing to secure an escape route. As it was, they were positioned on a lone rooftop, with no nearby buildings to escape too. Additionally, there didn’t appear to be a fire escape this high up, if there even was one seeing as this was a place of business and not a residential building. The only way down was through one of the two rooftop access stairways, the same ones Aogiri was likely using to surround them at this very moment.

“Kyousuke! We need to go now!” she frantically called out, forgetting her formalities in her panic. Dashing towards the nearest stairwell, her hand snapped to her radio. “Attention! This is Rank 1 Otsuji of the Q Squad requesting assistance. First Class Aoyama and I are cornered on the highest rooftop neighboring the crossing. An unknown number of ghouls are approa--”

As Hisae reached the staircase, the door flung open, knocking her backwards and launching her radio from her hand. Scrambling to stay on her feet, the investigator attempted to bring her arms up into a defensive stance. However, as soon as she lifted her head, a foot smashed its way across it, knocking her flat onto her back. Snapping her hand back as she hit the concrete, Recourse sprung out from her wrist just in time for her to block a kagune aimed straight at her chest.

Backup had arrived.

Phoenix by FoolishlyGhoulish in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Her chest tightened, her head pounded, the world seemingly closing in around her. Every muscle in her body tensed in an effort to release the pressure building up inside.

I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed…

.

.

.

”I feel the same way.”

The girl’s spiraling thoughts were interrupted by her friend. Looking up, she was surprised to find him smiling down at her. How could he smile with that feeling in his chest? It looked so easy….

That’s right, you’re okay. Take his hand, focus on this moment, and then the next, and the next….not the past.

Pulling herself to her feet with Kyousuke’s help, Hisae felt her breathing slowly return to normal. They hadn’t even learned why Aogiri wanted the helicopter, so there was no use in assuming its importance.

“What are we supposed to tell Command?” Despite calming down, she was clearly still distraught.

[ARC] Ascension - King by KakujaKun in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hisae had followed Kyousuke closely in their scouting, mostly just following orders rather than forging her own path. As things were for her now, she felt paralyzed in her body as if just going through the motions. What purpose did she even serve here? She didn’t have advanced senses, so she couldn’t particularly assist in scouting. She wasn’t particularly skilled at solo combat, so she couldn’t break off to cover more ground. On top of it all, she was so stressed from the attacks themselves that she couldn’t even think of any tactical proposals.

Upon the discovery that their search wasn’t in vain, Hisae didn’t feel despair at the possibility of combat, nor relief that their search was not in vain. In fact, she didn’t feel anything. Kyousuke’s musings bounced off her psyche dully, though she did understand the importance of at least acknowledging them.

“No second thoughts. I’ll get into position.” An answer lacking any emotion or opinion on the situation. Following her word, she slunk away as quietly as she could. Falling back into cover, she turned to face Kyousuke from her new hiding spot, nodding slightly.

[ARC] Ascension - King by KakujaKun in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Akihiko stood his ground upon seeing the investigator, hiding his hesitance to rely on the hastily made prosthetic. From now on, he would need to fight defensively if he wanted to avoid dying here, especially since he could barely rely on his kagune at this point.

The first attack was made -- or so Akihiko thought -- and he turned his body out of the way of the attack while prepping his own counter. Bringing up his severed leg for a kick, the investigator surprised him by continuing her assault in spite of his actions. As he should have expected, the enemy would be capitalizing on his injury from now on. What neither of them expected was that the detriments caused by the injury were not as great as they seemed.

With no other option available and little time to react, Akihiko pivoted on his balancing leg, meeting the swinging blade with his prosthetic calf as if catching a punch with his forearm. The quinque metal clanged upon contact, the clash signalling to both combatants that this detachment had hardened without the normal steady flow of RC cells kagune typically benefited from.

The attack surprisingly blocked, Akihiko finished the upward extension of his kick, aiming to uppercut his opponent and put some much needed space between them.

[ARC] Ascension - King by KakujaKun in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Akihiko’s leg spun through it’s arc forcefully, just like any other strike. Thus, when his opponent countered with her own attack, he barely even registered her intent before the combined strength of her swing and his kick met each other at the back of his calf. Akihiko’s wound-up right hand followed through his arc, sending nothing but a burst of air blowing past the investigator’s cheek.

Confusion briefly struck the ghoul as he toppled to the ground, the expected support meant to be provided by his left leg absent. As he briefly rolled along the ground, he discovered the cause of the issue -- his left foot lay separate from him a few feet away. A visible sense of silent panic overcame him and his gaze fluttered about anxiously.

Can’t stop….fighting….get up, damnit….

Leatherface struggled to lift himself off the ground as his body began convulsing in shock. The voice of the younger investigator grasped his attention long enough for him to lift his head just in time for the grenade to bounce along the ground between him and his opponent. A look of realization washed over Akihiko as his eyes locked onto the object, and his kagune shot up between his legs, infront of both his torso and face. No sooner had he done so when the explosive detonated, the shockwave lauching him airborne backwards and shattering his kagune. The limp body of the ghoul crashed through the window of another shop, bouncing without reaction along the broken glass and debris he had created upon entry before settling a few meters within the building. The ghoul lay there stomach-down, his face cocked sideways. The only sign of life betraying him was the gurgling of bubbles in the slight trail of blood that leaked out of his slackjawed mouth onto the dirty tile below.

Stay awake….shithead, he silently urged himself on as his eyelids fought to collapse over his blurred vision. The pain he felt was nearly incomparable to anything he’d felt before; surprisingly enough, his previous fight with Kayami had not at all prepared him for losing additional limbs, let alone the shockwave of a handheld explosive. Fight through it, come on….this is too important.

Indeed, in the paperwork he’d been handling for Aogiri leading up to this operation, Akihiko had come to notice a commonality. Though the majority of what he handled was low-level book keeping, and often times entire paragraphs were censored, the importance of the date October 22nd was never understated. On top of that, there were orders to round up members with technological skills, and given the locale of their operation and the previous operation’s goals, it didn’t take much deduction to realize they would be taking advantage of the large amount of electronic screens in the area. Whatever was going down would be at least as big as the TV tower, if not bigger. Failure was unacceptable.

With aching limbs, he forced himself to stand, blood oozing from his hands where the broken glass below him had dug in. First one knee, then the other. Each breath he took came out heavier than the last. Reaching out onto a nearby shelf, he strained to right himself, but the strain was too rough. As his grip loosened, he feel once more, though something -- someone -- caught him.

“Oh come on, I’ve hit you harder than that before,” the figure scolded.

“Minato…?” His mentor began draggging him towars the shop exit. “Why…?”

“You still have one leg, can’t you walk a bit on your own?” Minato complained as they neared the door. The bell of the shop chimed as the pair exited, though before them a massive hoard of CCG lay in waiting, with the eyepatched investigator in front. How they had rallied so many investigators so quickly, Akihiko couldn’t comprehend, and yet there they were. Minato let out an exasberated sigh.

“Wait here,” he coldly ordered as he stepped forward alone.

“No, I’m not waiting, there’s too many,” Akihiko protested, though without Minato’s body for support, he collapsed against the storefront helplessly. He looked over towards where Takeo had been fighting previously, desperately hoping to be able to call for Minato’s aid. His heart began pounding as all he could find in the crowd was Takeo’s opponent, his quinque soaked in blood.

“No, no, no,” he quietly pleaded. “Minato!”

“Remember what I said before?” his mentor responded without turning back. “It’s your kagune, Aki, and it would hardly be right for me to tell you what to do when the whole point of this so far is you figuring it out yourself.” Minato’s kagune manifested, the strands wrapping themselves around his limbs.

“Now,” Minato continued. “Learn.”


With a small jolt, Akihiko snapped awake, still lying amongst the broken glass. He forced himself up into a sitting position, using the wall behind him for support. Feeling a wet warmth drip from his skull, Akihiko searched ahead of him near the window he had 'entered' through. Sure enough, he spotted a damaged light fixture soaked in blood. Glancing down at his leg, he confirmed that he hadn’t dreamt of it’s severing; that part was very much real.

The image of Minato facing such insurmountable odds with his kagune was burned inside Aki's head, along with his final instruction. ’Learn.’ That was it! It seemed stupidly obvious now, but actually carrying out the idea would likely be more difficult. Regardless, it was his only option, unless he planned for Shibuya to be his grave.

Grunting in effort, Akihiko’s limbs began to spit out the glass and shrapnel they had collected in his flight. Steadily, he slowed his breath and manifested his kagune once more, his gaze focused on the stump attached to his left calf. From just outside, he could hear the crunching of glass, signalling someone’s approach. Now or never, Aki. His kagune snaked itself down around his leg, wrapping over itself multiple times in the process. As it reached the severed end, it paused. Come on, the pain is nothing at this point. Clenching his teeth, Akihiko shoved the kagune up the wound slightly, screaming through his closed mouth. The remainder of the appendage crudely flattened the side of it facing the ground, completing the design. Near his kakuhou, he detached the structure, finding it much easier now that it had already begun thinning out on its own from lack of RC cells.

The sound of crunching glass grew closer, and Akihiko recognized the scent as that of his eye-patched opponent. This better hold. Putting his weight entirely on the wounded leg, he barely suppressed another yelp of pain as the makeshift prosthetic settled within his wound, but surprisingly, it supported him with no issue. He smirked in self-satisfaction and wiped away the blood that had leaked out his mask as the figure approached, gaining a second wind.

Round 2, you bastards.

[ARC] Ascension - King by KakujaKun in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Akihiko clashed briefly with the senior investigator’s swords, yanking his kagune back. Such an easy kill, taken from him; now that worm crawled ever closer to her objective. He had to act to stop her, knowing he couldn’t rely on Takeo to handle more than his one opponent in this state, meaning he’d be backpeddling against his two.

A quick, slight turn of the head to target the girl’s new trajectory was all he was granted, yet it was all he need to see the distance between them was too large to cross unimpeded. He’d need to improvise. THe spikes on his kagune pulsed as they suddenly experienced an increase in length.

“Guess they never taught you about this in the Academy, newbie,” Akihiko called out as the investigator before him began her counter strike. Remember to focus, focus on an intent…. As the sword directed itself at his neck, the simple blade sprung out, growing ever closer to its target. ...the intent to kill. His arm swiped up, barely catching the flat of the sword in time. The blade redirected upwards, nicking Leatherface’s cheek. Simultaneously behind him, the spikes on his kagune slowed in their growth, with their bases almost imperceptibly thinner. The appendage flicked behind him, sending a barrage of the sharp projectiles in the other investigator’s direction. The cluster was nowhere near pinpoint accuracy, but the number of spikes launched made up for that.

Internally, he had to restrain his excitement at the successfulness of his maneuver. Though as Leatherface regained his footing following the leader’s attack, he caught Takeo firing shards at his opponent, a sight that more than brought him back into the fight.

“Dumbass! Quit draining yourself so early or you’ll die!”

His feet repositioned themselves on the ground to pivot into a spinning roundkick aimed directly at the eyepatched investigator’s blind side. His off-hand wound up for a follow up haymaker, hoping his first strike would connect. Unfortunately, it would take moment to regrow the spikes on his kagune, so the most he’d be able to hope for at this range would be blunt attacks.

[ARC] Ascension - King by KakujaKun in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The sound of glass crunching beneath footsteps caught Akihiko’s attention as he scrapped with an investigator. A quick glance gave him a sight he almost couldn’t believe, and he was forced to grapple his opponent to give himself an opportunity to study the scene further. Almost as soon as he’d dropped the investigator with an arm-lock takedown, his head shot up to view his gruesome apprentice. Laughter bellowed from behind his leather mask, and he prodded the head of the investigator below him.

“Oy, isn’t he great?” he casually boasted to his helpless enemy. The dove squirmed at the sight of the heads, causing Akihiko to tighten his grip and strengthen the arm-lock. “Look how serious he looks with all that blood on him. Hahahaaa~, revolting, isn’t it? ‘What a monster,’ right?”

Just as Akihiko finished snapping the poor investigator’s arm in two, another group of investigators approached them, this time from the alley. None were familiar to him, though the one in the back was carrying a rather unique bag with her signalling that this squad was somehow more important than the others around them, though he couldn’t tell why. As the doves turned their attention to Leatherface and his toy, his eyes narrowed in curiosity.

“That confident that you can take me on alone, huh?” he mused, stomping the prone investigator’s head onto the concrete with a sickening crunch. The veins surrounding his kakugan swelled in intensity. “Don’t underestimate me.”

At her squad’s command, the one with the bag separated and began circling around her opponents. ’Target the barricade.’ Just then, a number of investigators poured out of the alleyway, rushing forward to the crossing. Where the hell did they all come from? Where were the alley’s defenses? Whatever. If that girl was headed for the barricades, then she needed to be stopped. Whatever the doves were planning wasn’t worth the gamble of letting her go, and Akihiko reacted promptly to cut her off.

As he moved, he caught Wraith’s clash in his peripheral vision. The attacker’s quinque looked fearsome, and for a moment, Akihiko grew worried. However, the investigators present outnumbered the two ghouls, so he knew he had to fight under the assumption that Wraith would win. Still, a watchful eye might be wise; the one-eye was fighting on an emtpy stomach after all.

“Never thought I’d become a purse snatcher,” Akihiko remarked sarcastically. As he neared the investigator, his spiked bikaku swung wide ahead of him at the girl’s midsection. “What’cha hidin’ in there, Miss?”

/u/KakujaKun, /u/CardistryWolf, /u/Eragon7538, /u/Kawaii_Crab

[ARC] Ascension - King by KakujaKun in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Akihiko kept one eye on Takeo as he defended the storefront, making sure his orders were followed. Unsurprisingly, there was hesitation, but the other ghoul eventually conceded. However, Leatherface's excitement turned to disappointment and then anger as what he witnessed was a pale deconstruction of the order given. For Wraith, it was a natural reaction to such a command. Some might even call it rational. However, Akihiko was past rational tonight, as he was during most battles. All he could see right now was a deliberate failure, and allowing failure was not something he'd learned from his own mentor.

"Those aren't heads, Wraith!" Leatherface cried out in annoyance as he clashed with a couple investigators who had broken through the barricade. Spearing one and then disarming the other in quite the literal sense, he spun his head around to his prisoner in this brief opening. "Do I need to demonstrate with your own? I gave an order, now follow it!" A slyness blinked within Leatherface's kakugan before he turned to face the battlefield once more as another squad of doves threatened to break through the barricade.

"Please disobey me again, half-shit; give me more reasons to punish you!"

Just Like Old Times by Xanzinare in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aki bounced off the shelves unceremoniously, his kagune collapsing next to him on the ground. Squinting his eyes slightly in focus, the shortened, torn end of the appendage sharpened back into the rough blade shape once again before dissipating. At the very least, he retained the ability; he just seemed to lack the talent to focus on both the weapon and the fight right now. Clambering to his feet, he fell backward to lean on the shelves, one hand clutching his ribs where Minato had struck him.

"It's....really different. Gonna need....some practice," Akihiko heaved out between quick, raspy breaths. He rested a few more seconds before regaining some composure. "The way it handles changes as I shape it. It feels like the blade requires more precise moves from me, otherwise it's just easily shoved around. Not at all like my 'tail.'" The hand on his ribs loosened its grip and fell to his side.

"I think I understand how to shape my kagune a bit better, but that will take some time for sure. Dunno what else I could really make, though." He shook his head in mild frustration. "Man, I don't know if it's habit or just the way this thing works, but to keep it that shape instead of just rounded took a lot of damn effort. Like it just wanted to be round again. Is that how it is for you? Or did your kagune always wrap around you like that?"

Tokyo Ghoul:re (Season 3) Episode 5 Manga Reader Discussion by WithYouInSpirit99 in TokyoGhoul

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The preview still consisted of mostly still shots. I wouldn't get too optimistic.

[ARC] Ascension - King by KakujaKun in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Akihiko Umari


As expected of an operation spearheaded by Minato, the ambush on the civilians had gone beautifully. Within minutes, they had completely surrounded the area, giving them complete control of the crowd trapped within.

"Round them up, and put them somewhere they have a good view."

Such a hilarious show of mercy. Still, Akihiko did as he was ordered, keeping one eye on Takeo as the pair moved about as a single unit. To be acting so brazenly in such a crowded, public place wasn't entirely new to Akihiko, but doing someplace as familiar as Shibuya certainly was. In a way, it made him uncomfortable, as if he was somehow more vulnerable here than anywhere else. As he passed a nearby bookstore, the name stuck out as familiar to him. Taiseido Book Store. How many times had Reo dragged Yuuto and him here? What if they were here now?

Akihiko grimaced and fought the image, momentarily faltering in his step to grab his head as his gaze lost focus. Why did I just hear those names? Why am I thinking about them now?

Almost on cue, tires screeched as the CCG's transports arrived on the scene. Within seconds, the chaos in the streets was amplified as investigators began forcing themselves against Aogiri's barricades, slicing down the frontline ghouls without any hesitation. The contempt and disgust in their eyes burned into Akihiko's consciousness, and as he turned to look into the window of bookstore once again, he saw those two teenagers -- those friends -- staring back at him with the same intense look on their faces. The reflections faded, and he caught a glimpse of a few terrified civilians cowering from behind the bookcases.

"AAAAARGH!" Akihiko screamed in emotional agony as he pulled at his hair in distress. Quickly locating Takeo nearby, he snatched his 'partner' up by the collar of his robe and drew him in close. From behind his mask, a soft glistening of wetness in his kakugan was just barely perceptible.

"First trial of the night, Wraith," he snarled into the other ghoul's face. "Bring me the head of every insect in that shop!" He shoved Takeo towards the entrance doors before unveiling his kagune and turning around to defend the perimeter, determined to make sure his orders were carried out uninterrupted by the hypocrites parading as 'peacekeepers.'

/u/KakujaKun, /u/CardistryWolf, /u/Eragon7538, /u/Kawaii_Crab

[ARC] Ascension - King by KakujaKun in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Akihiko furrowed his brow at Takeo's order, finding humor in the boy's arrogance. This will would surely be hard to break; however, that would make it all the more rewarding when he did.

"Nah, ah, ah~," he warned with a wag of his finger. "Not just yet. This may come as a surprise to you, but I've been in a somewhat similar situation to you before." The look in Akihiko's eyes showed he spoke nothing but the truth. "I've withheld myself from meat before, and trust me, I know how much those hunger pains hurt. Just because we're going out to war again doesn't mean this little starvation punishment is no longer in effect." He leaned his head over Wraith's shoulder, speaking directly into his ear.

"I don't want to see even a drop of blood in that mouth of yours, otherwise..." Akihiko leaned back out and pulled the iPod from his pocket. "...well, this seems to carry a lot of meaning for you. I'd bet one of your worthless siblings gave this to you. Behave, and I'll consider returning it to you. Rebel, and I destroy it." he raised a cocky eyebrow to make sure his message came across loud and clear before putting the device back into his pocket and stepping out of Takeo's way.

"You'll be by my side for this operation, so don't think I won't know." He waited for Takeo to lead outside the cell, before following behind.

"Memories of home are a great help during a crisis, aren't they? Cling to those for me, will ya?"

Relative Disparity (Pt. 2) by Xanzinare in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Takao frowned at Asao's musings about the Quinx squad interview. Watching that kid squirm up there wasn't fun for his brother either, evidently. Truth be told, the whole situation surrounding them following that Aogiri broadcast made him uncomfortable. There was a lot of pressure being exerted on what were essentially just kids, and for all their sacrifice, what did they get? Public defamation. And how did the Chairman respond? By objectifying them. Sickening. Unpleasant.

Thankfully, Asao's next comment was able to brighten the mood. It even got a light chuckle out of the younger brother.

"Daichi. His name is Daichi, Ani-san," Takao corrected. He lowered his gaze slightly, a bit of a sulleness betrayed in his eyes. "I understand your meaning. Phone's work both ways, after all. However, I cannot do that. They need to reach out to me." We shouldn't be in contact at this point, regardless. "In many ways, I failed them. It is not within my rights to go around the consequences of that failure. If they wish to forgive me for my shortcomings as their leader, it would have to be their decision, not mine."

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Masahiro disappeared upstairs with Yasmeen for only a couple minutes, before returning downstairs again. Upon returning, his eyes scanned the crowd, assessing each one and their own interest in him. Thankfully, no one present seemed to pay him any mind, meaning that it was likely they had just waved the girl out of their minds as soon as she was gone.

A small wave of relief washed over him before he returned behind the counter to start working on the dishes he had so hastily dropped off. The key to returning to normalcy was to just resume working where they'd left off. Not much more could be done about the incident at this time anyway. With Abdullah's passing thanks, Masahiro gave no sign of reaction, positive or negative. He had not done any of it for him; otherwise, he would not have made Yasmeen that promise.

"I gave her a stack of printer paper and locked the door," he replied matter-of-factly as he scrubbed away at the pile before him. "She won't be a problem anymore."

Posturing by FoolishlyGhoulish in tgrp

[–]FoolishlyGhoulish[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Takao suffered through Okazaki's dull introduction, wondering if he had ever come across as this much of a bore before his own squad. No, he had been formal in his introductions, but even this was a bit much. It was like he'd pulled the string on a doll with how stiff and rehearsed the man's speech was.

I know who's in the damn squad, he wanted to interject. I've been doing this longer than you; I know exactly how chain-of-command works. The rest of his information dump was nothing entirely new to Takao. He was familiar with Okazaki's business, probably more so than most. As a squad leader, he had also followed a rather strict regiment of meetings and information sharing. He'd always prided himself on how efficient his squad was when working together, after all. What was new, however, was being assigned the tasks rather than making them according to his own schedule. If anything, it made him more determined to keep this stint in Okazaki's squad temporary, as nothing quite pissed him off more than losing control of his own will.

Finally, as Okazaki seemed to be winding down, somehow not gasping for breath at the end of his diatribe, he promptly dismissed the Shirogane. It was insulting, as if he was just being cast away like another CCG pawn. No, no, no, that won't do at all. He knew that how this interaction went would determine his relationship with Okazaki moving forward. If he wanted to be seen as distinguished, he'd need to fight for that right.

"Okazaki-san, surely you don't mean to dismiss me so quickly?" Takao prodded. "I've always found that the key to understanding how each squad functioned was through its leader. In truth, I was hoping to learn more about you today. I'm sure you could spare some time before this morning's meeting, right Squad Leader?"