#But I Won't Cave In | P5!AU Hamuko

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@wildxcardrebel | X

"Y-yeah, I guess it was obvious, huh?" She let out a small, nervous chuckle as she saw him rub his aching forehead. Luckily, it wasn't his glasses that took the fall or even worse. This was her first time walking or even doing anything in years, so of course, her reflexes weren't the best either.

"Sorry, I'll be more careful next time!" As shameful as it was for a first meeting, she got back into position and lined up the next shot, closing one eye to focus better. Her arm was still shaking, however, and she looked up at the young man. "Um... sorry, but do you happen to have any tips on how to do this properly? I'm afraid I'll hit someone again..."

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scarlxtleaves​:

There was a ping not too long after he sent the message and the little tone excited his feline companion. “Oh that’s probably her, quick what does it say?” Morgana asks as Akira then picks up his phone after removing himself from the shower with a towel wrapped around him. There was really no reason for him to believe Hamuko-chan would be so quick to reply, but there her messages were. It took akira a little over nine minutes but he managed to read her message. “She’s..meeting us in 20 minutes.” Said Akira.

“But that was a little over  minutes ago, you’ve got to hurry so we can make up for lost time. Come on hustle.” Morgana spoke up as Akira quickly dried his skin and had gotten dressed. “I’ll be there, probably late though. But I’ll definitely be there, I promise.” He hits send and also gives her a winky face as he then leaves for the station.

As he predicted, it had already passed the 20 minute mark, but he wasn’t that late. Possibly five at the most and the place she mentioned was right ahead. Morgana was kept snugged in his bag in secret as Akira made his way towards the vicinity and began looking around, there she was. He’d recognize that cute smile anywhere. “Hamuko-chan.” Akira spoke softly with a friendly wave and a smile as he strolls forward sitting right in front of her. “Morning again.”

Upon reading Akira’s reply, she sent him a thumbs-up emoji and left her phone to get dressed. It was probably cold out, so she wore an old yellow scarf along with a beige shirt and some black pants for once. All her life, she only wore skirts to appear more feminine, and this was... quite a nice change. Wearing leggings would only make her complain, and she wanted to look her best for him. Her kouhai, in a sense.

Once she prepared, the Fool took the train to the mall, which she oh so missed, and entered the café. The scent of freshly brewed coffee, cakes and other sweets made her feel at home. She greeted the owner who looked shocked to see her again and took her seat, patiently waiting for Akira to arrive. The 20 minutes were up, and she was beginning to worry. Yet as soon as she picked up her phone to text him, his voice was calling out to her. “Oh! There you are. Morning!” She smiled brightly, placing it on the table.

“Slept well, did we? What will you have?”

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“noooo, don’t die, ur so sexy, haha” -aka the Death sinner (with an actual canon name I love this time)

[fatexbound]

I’ll make a banner later maybe-

P5!AU Headcanons for mainly Ham, but it applies for both.

- How old are they? They appear to be 20 or so, but they’re older than that. In their late twenties at best.

- Do they join the PT? Yes, if Joker allows them to. It’s why they were awakened again- to help them out.

- Mask design: one half is white, the other is black. Two Arcanas summoned only: Fool and Death. Not to say they have forgotten their bonds with their friends or anything like that. It’s symbolic.

Personas:

Fool:

1) Orpheus Telos (or just plain Orpheus if you don’t wanna be too OP)

2) Loki

3) Black Frost

Death:

1) Thanatos

2) Alice

3) Mot/Loa

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@kxllingjoke​ asked: 💔 for Ham-chan

A fucked up kissing meme | Accepting

8. a  kiss  on  an  injury  my  muse  gave  to  yours.

“Joker...!” The female ran up to him after snapping out the confusion spell she was hit with and sliced the shadow into nothing but smoke. She should’ve seen it coming, however, her agility wasn’t quite what it used to be. She was still adjusting to fighting with a new way to summon her Personas. He seemed to be fine, minus the large scratch on his leg by her naginata whilst she was in her previous state. “Sorry! I’m so sorry...” She quickly apologized and leaned down to kiss it before getting out some medicine she was carrying. “Can you walk?” Crimson eyes gazed at him full of concern.

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@wildxcardrebel

"Thank you." She bowed, pleased with herself, although normally, she'd feel a little bad for gloating. When he pointed out how late it was, she tilted her head. It's funny how she wasn't tired in the slightest. It's an effect of being present here unless she were to use her powers. Which, in this case, was a bust.

"Oh, alright then! Please don't let me keep you. Take care and I'll let you know if I need something!" Gaining what she could call a new friend after such a long time was refreshing, and she hoped they'd reunite soon.

"Good night, Amamiya-kun!"

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Once he put the mallet down, he turned to face her, eyes having returned to their natural state. "Nowhere near as good as you were, though. Your reaction time is crazy." It was almost unreal, in fact. And that started pricking the back of his mind. She's not normal, that much he had figured out. The strange aura that radiated from her, her skill, some of her comments...they all pointed to something was different about her.

"More, huh? Sure, it's only..." He finished out his phone again and looked at the time. "Ah crap, it's this late already? Sorry, but I have to head home. But hey, if you wanna meet up again, just message me. It doesn't even have to be to hang out here. I'm fine with meeting up wherever."

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@wildxcardrebel

Hands behind her back, the brunette observed his actions. He moved incredibly fast, even more than she expected. He must've had insane skills or something else up his sleeve that she couldn't see, but feel.

Nothing could escape her, however, she wasn't quite sure what he had used here to achieve his goal. She considered it a win nonetheless.

"Not bad for a beginner!" She clapped for him to congratulate him, grin as wide as it could get. "We could try some other games if you want to beat me so badly!" She teased him, tossing him a little wink. "It comes with experience, as they say. Jealous, huh?"

@fatexbound

Last time he saw one of these must've been...six years ago? At some kid's birthday party. He had been invited just because it was a friend of his only friend and so they were tangentially friends by proxy. Sorta like that six degrees of Kevin Bacon game. He always preferred the racing games, honestly.

"Just being honest, Arisato-san." After a moment, he took the small mallet from the red eyed woman. "Well then, here goes nothing." Plunking in a few yen, the machine came to life again as the phantom thief prepared himself.

Inhaling deeply, he opened his eyes, his irises becoming red as he activated his third eye. His face was just out of view of Hamuko's vision, so he didn't have to worry about her catching a glimpse of them. As the mechanical rodents popped up from their holes, they moved in slow motion for him, allowing him to react faster than a normal person would. Batting them on the head time and again, the game eventually ended.

Hamuko had scored higher than him, by a decent margin, at that. Damn, even with the gift of Third Eye wasn't enough to keep up with her performance. "First time I've played in years. Surprised I did this well. But you're something special, Arisato-san. Looks like I'm gonna have to practice to beat you." Just like a certain detective he had visited here with.

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@wildxcardrebel

It was a very old game for her now and him. It brought back good memories of skipping her curfew to play at the arcade until it was midnight. She missed those times, but it was also nice to find a new youthful spirit.

"Aw, thank you!" She giggled at the compliment. "Never hurts to try, in my opinion. Go ahead." She moved to the side and took out some yen to get the machine to reset. She looked at him expectantly, leaning in a little forward. "Whenever you're ready, Amamiya-kun."

@fatexbound

He had once heard Ann mention an English saying: "Curiosity killed the cat." While she had been using it to refer to Morgana falling for the Treasure Demon's trap back in Madarame's Palace, it could apply to himself in this very moment. He could just leave Hamuko be, but he felt compelled to learn more about her before they parted ways. "It's been a long, long time since I've seen one of these games. Even longer since I've seen anyone play it so...efficiently, I guess?" In spite of being quite skilled himself, the young man always took note of people with ability, especially when it was something he hadn't done before. Seeking tutelage under them was important, because he always wanted to better himself. However, this was not him looking for mentorship, but rather intrigued by her talent.

He was so lost in his thoughts for a moment that he didn't even realize that she was holding out the small hammer to him. But as soon as he heard her asking him to try, he left the deeper thought process and focused on what was happening in front of him. "Hmm? I mean, I guess I could."

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@wildxcardrebel

She figured he'd be curious enough to watch her play. "Impressed, hmm? I know, I have some experience with this game and plenty of others. I used to go to the arcade and play every other night." Beaming with pride and self-confidence, she tapped the mallet on her shoulder while she spoke and reminiscing on the wonderful nights she had in Iwatodai. "I won this round pretty easily." She didn't need a boost from her powers for something so simple.

She then turned to Ren and handed it over. "Want to give it a shot?"

@fatexbound

"Arisato Hamuko..." He muttered as his fingers quickly glided over the virtual keyboard of his phone. Why did she seem so familiar to him, though? He was wracking his brain trying to put this all together. He was going to have to get to know her better to figure out just why her presence felt this way to him.

Ren was taken aback by seeing this kind of arcade machine here. It wasn't like there were any prizes to be won or anything. Maybe the owner was just a fan of Mole Whacker? But what threw the thief off even more was how hard Hamuko was hitting the mechanical pests. She was stronger than she looked. "That was...wow."

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@wildxcardrebel

Hearing his suggestion about exchanging contact information, she turned her attention to her phone. "Oh, sure! Sorry about that." Once he was ready, she let their phones touch to transfer the details with a soft 'beep', and she quickly punched in his full name. A polite young man who had an interesting vibe to him wasn't a common opportunity for a former wild card like herself.

The game she chose was called Mole Whackers, holding a red mallet in her hand, her goal was to hit each mole that popped up out of five holes and gather as many points as possible before her time ran out. It might have taken a few tries to get used to it, but her strength wasn't to be underestimated. "Got you! 2,000 points! How about that?!"

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"You can say that again. And it's only been a few months since they first showed up." About five months, to be precise. It didn't feel like five months for him, though. It somehow felt like it was shorter and longer than that simultaneously. His arrival felt like it was only yesterday, but with everything that had happened, it was like he had already spent a year in Tokyo. "Ah, speaking of phones, I know we've just met, but I can give you my contact info, if you'd like.

He looked down at the table, nodding his head. "Pretty good for someone who just learned to play." He complimented. He didn't say anything else as he followed her after a moment. Eyes swept over the arcade cabinets, having forgotten they were here. The selection was smaller than the arcade in Shibuya, and was dwarfed in comparison to Akihabara's. Onyx spheres eventually found Hamuko before tilting his head, surprised at the game she had chosen.

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@wildxcardrebel

"Wow, sounds like I missed a lot..." She expected some things to change over the course of the years, naturally. It's only been six years since her absence and technology had advanced so fast, it's hard to believe. The Phantom Thieves were a lot more popular too, given how much people talked about them on the streets. "I guess I'll check those rumors out sometime. I'm still not used to my new phone and its features." Smartphones were so complicated compared to her old flip phone.

A few shots later and she had won this round all by herself. "Alright, I'm all done!" Feeling accomplished, she placed it down and stepped back to give the table a good look. "I'll be at the arcade games if you want to come join me, Amamiya-kun." She was having a blast, and it'd be a shame to leave so soon, so she headed off to find them in the club, and settled on an old game that brought back some good memories.

@fatexbound

The second year stroked his chin, still contemplating what she could've meant by that. Seems like she wasn't going to be telling him anytime soon, however. Looks like this was something he was going to have to keep in mind if he ran into her again. "Alright, then."

"I mean, it's not just the news. They were everywhere over the summer. People were selling all sorts of merchandise, social media was going crazy about them... it was like, a national sensation." Then again, Sojiro wasn't really aware of them at the time either. "Beats me. There's all sorts of rumors online, but nobody knows for sure. Whatever the case, it works." Ren explained, watching as his new acquaintance sunk another pair into the pockets.

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@wildxcardrebel

"Yeah. It's... a long story. I'm relieved things have changed for the better around here." She didn't want to bore him with all the details of her encounters just yet. They weren't any of his business and she preferred to keep it private regardless, for her own safety. Albeit her name not ringing any bells was a good sign.

She made a mental note of that number. She wasn't a detective or anything, but it was her mission to find out who they were and if supernatural abilities were involved in their schemes or heists. "Well, honestly, I've been... too busy to pay any real attention to the news, so sorry!" She chuckled, scratching behind her head. "I wonder how they do it. It seems interesting how a person's heart can change so quickly." Another set of balls went in as she spoke.

@fatexbound

"Still kind people?"

Such a specific way of phrasing it. Maybe she had issues with people in the past and had lost faith? No, that can't be it. The look in her eyes told him differently. They were vibrant and kind, but yet, somewhat sorrowful. Not the eyes of someone who felt the world was shit. So what did she mean by that? The more and more they spoke, the more his curiosity piqued.

"About...three, I think." Well, it was four, but only three were public knowledge. While they were attributed to stopping Medjed, they had never done anything against them in the public eye, no calling card or anything of the sort. There were also numerous others that they had changed through Mementos, but nobody really kept count of those. Well, nobody except Mishima. "I'm surprised you're asking, though. It's been all over the news these past few months."

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@wildxcardrebel

"It's good to know there are still kind people in the world, and thank you! I am." She took that with a lot of pride as she continued, as concentrated as she could be without thinking of her past in Gekkoukan, all her friends and what could've been. Theo and Ryoji told her to set her eyes on the future and investigate those Thieves if she could gather any useful info.

In this case, the boy, from whom he sensed an incredible power similar to her own, could prove to be the key.

Next to go into their holes were the 5 and 7 balls respectively. However, she realized she had to switch her position to aim at the others, so she did, glancing at the young man. "So, if you don't mind my asking, what can you tell me about those Phantom Thieves? How many hearts have they... changed so far?"

@fatexbound

The look on her face saddened him. It was clear that she knew about what he was referring to, but he wasn't going to press her about it. Maybe it involved family or a friend, but it was none of his business. He could make it his business, however...

Damn his bleeding heart.

"Yeah. It just sucks that there were victims. Thankfully, the Phantom Thieves made sure there won't be anymore." He still resented himself for not stopping Kamoshida sooner. If they had, Suzui never would've...

A smile appeared on his face once she sunk in the 3 and 6 balls into the nearest pockets. "Nice job. You're a fast learner, huh?" He commented as she kept up the pace, clearly impressed. However, he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity coming from her. Not in the sense that he believed he should know her, but there was a certain aura about her that he couldn't quite place yet.

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@wildxcardrebel

The more he talked about her old school, her frown was beginning to show. "...I see." The word 'losses' cut her deeper than any wound that was inflicted upon her all those years ago by the Shadows. She knew exactly what he meant, and she wondered if her friends ever got over it. She watched over them, as she promised, but beyond that and her duty, there wasn't much she could that would impact their lives. "It's a good thing he was caught then." She cracked a small smile.

Surprised at first when she suddenly moved her body, she let him guide her until she got into the right position, listening to his instructions with her left hand as the last one just like he said. "Okay... let me give it a shot!" With determination in her crimson eyes, her first attempt was successful as the white ball hit two-- a green and red-colored one -- that fell in their holes. "Wow, I did it! Not bad, hm?" Proud of herself, she kept going at a steady pace while doing her best to avoid the black one.

@fatexbound

"Tatsumi Port Island? I think my parents talked to a school there to send me to, but the school hasn't accepted transfer students for a while now. Apparently, they had some losses years ago and it's just never been the same because of it." Then there was that school in...Inaba, if he remembered correctly? Unfortunately, they declined as well. "Oh right. I'm a transfer student myself." He won't get into specifics for now. "Pervy is being polite. He was a pig. And that's not getting into the abusive stuff he did to the boys' team."

Noticing the way she held the cue, he walked over to her and gently bent her forward so she was leaning more over the table. "You need to be at more of an angle first." His hand moved and pushed her right arm back, her hand near her hip and elbow bent 90◦. "Then your left hand should be three quarters of the way up the stick."

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@wildxcardrebel

"Hah, nope! I'm from Iwatodai, Tatsumi Port Island, although I was born here in Tokyo. I'm sorry to hear about your school, though. It must be rough being a student there right now... with a pervy teacher and all." She was lucky back then, but no one liked rumors circulating about them, no matter who it was. She could investigate it in her own time once she got some proper rest.

"Ah, okay." Nodding, she moved to hold her cue again. Her right hand being the dominant one was close to her chest and her left was in the middle of the cue, not close to how it was supposed to be, judging by what the other patrons were doing. "...Should my hand be lower or should my elbow be more bent?" She was genuinely excited to find out with such a friendly guy by her side.

@fatexbound

Yep, she hit the nail right on the head with that one. "I'm guessing you're not from Tokyo, then. If you were, you would know that it's Shujin Academy. It's been on the news so much, you'd think it was a documentary." Honestly, he was surprised it hasn't been yet. It had been long enough since Kamoshida's confession at this point.

The second year nodded. "Well, first things first, show me how you were holding your cue." Pool was far more complex than it seemed at first glance. Something as simple as your grip was crucial to your performance. Not only that, but he wanted to lessen the likelihood of the stick flying out of her hands and hurting somebody like what had happened with him and the ball moments ago.

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A quick nod was given. She tilted her head to the side curiously, wondering what he wanted to say. "Your school? I've heard about one in particular that doesn't have the best reputation right now. Could be that." It was none of her business, but she couldn't help her curiosity. Shujin was all the rage ever since she arrived, and some group called the Phantom Thieves. Things sure changed for the worse over the years.

"Well... you can tell me about yourself if you don't want to talk about it while you help me out here. I'd appreciate it." Her face lit right up to show that she meant it. She knew well enough to not push someone's boundaries.

He might've forgiven her, but the pain still left him little desire to be facetious about her billiards ability.

"Arisato-san, huh?" The young man repeated, stroking his chin. There was something about her that was so familiar, but he'd never seen or even heard of her before. Yet, it felt like he knew her, and that was incredibly rare, given how he barely had any friends growing up. "Yeah, it's a lot to deal with, but I manage. I've got good friends to help me with that." Ren told her. "Doesn't help that our school has been... eh, forget about it. I don't wanna bother you with all that stuff."