puppycrush2 | week one

I can definitely fix the wear and tear you've built on it since it was broken just by touching you.

[ Helpfully and confidently! His power is simple like that, and painless. As for the actual problem with the bone... ]

But... I don't know if I'd be able to set the bone right without breaking it again. Since it's already "healed," if that makes sense...

[ He can't restore something that technically isn't broken. It's not a big deal, he's done things like this plenty of times throughout his life — hell, he's healed people who were injured just so he wouldn't feel bad about beating the shit out of them. He's quite self-assured in his ability to break down and build back up the human body efficiently. ]

Now this is gonna sound crazy, but it'd be painless for you. My Stand is faster than most. So long as you're close to me, it can move at 300 kilometers per hour. Your leg would be broken and healed before you even realized it.

[ Ryuji asked, so he might as well tell him the peak solution, but not without a caveat: ]

I understand if that's too freaky, though.

[ Ryuji is an athlete. He's more than aware that some bones need to be rebroken first to heal better. It's not the craziest thing in the world he's heard. The only surreal thing about this is that it would be near instantaneous through Josuke's power. That's something impressive. ]

Nah, yeah, I get it. Even the concept of something that heals isn't weird to me. The... powers that I'm familiar with, some of them have healing skills and it was helpful when we fought. So, I get it.

[ What's really the sticking point for him is that over time, his bad leg has become a part of his identity. And if he fixes it through magical means instead of his own hard work, would that feel as right to do? But then the trade offs are there: he could finish physical therapy early, he could move back in with his mom and things wouldn't be such a financial strain for them for the sake of him going to the specialist. It would mean a lot.

So, he has to think about it. ]

The idea makes sense. I like it even. I just... still gotta think about it a bit first. So, give me some time to noodle it over, yeah?

[ So there are healers among people with "those" powers, too... interesting. Akechi made it out to sound like these thieves were just vandalizing the city like hooligans, but now he's even more confused about what the reality of the situation is.

Anyway, he smiles lopsidedly, running his hand through the side of his hairstyle. ]

No problem. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.

[ Tentatively puts out his other hand for a fist bump...... he wants them to be cool and hopes he didn't freak him out. ]

[ He didn't freak him out at all and Ryuji knows an olive branch when he sees one, even though he doesn't think Josuke needed to offer one at all. So, he reaches out his hand for a fist bump in return. Hell yeah, bros. ]

Thanks, man.

[ . . . ]

And, uh, since you told me a lot about you, if you want to know more about my shit, just ask. I know I was pretty vague about my powers, but they're not as useful as yours.

I guess I am pretty curious...

[ Akechi kind of told him what his can do, but he's sure Ryuji's is different. Still, he keeps the whole Akechigate thing to his chest, wanting to know more before he says anything definitively. ]

What is it like? Do you use it a lot?

[ He considers it, how to describe Captain Kidd to someone who doesn't know anything about Personas. He figures he might as well just stick with the powers itself. ]

My Persona, which is what it's called, is kind of themed after the pirate, Captain Kidd? There's — ah — a lotta reasons for that, but I ain't the biggest history buff so I couldn't really explain why.

[ He briefly thinks of Akechi telling him about Captain Kidd's death when they were in Mementos, trying to bait him as per usual. He sighs. ]

Anyway, it controls lightning and does pretty heavy brute force damage. So, when I'm fightin' I can use it to electrify someone or crush them. It doesn't really have skills outside of that. I only used it in special circumstances, can't really access it anymore.

[ Lightning and punching powers... kewl.... and he's a pirate!

The last asshole he had to deal with that had electricity powers was annoying as shit, but insanely powerful. Ryuji must be pretty tough too, is his main takeaway. He blinks, very clearly invested. ]

So, do you use it to fight other... "Persona" users, then? Sounds painful.

[ If he doesn't have a power like Josuke's that can be used in day to day life, it must only be for fighting other people who have the same power, right? That's the only explanation his head cooks up. ]

[ There's a shake of his head here but then he pauses because he doesn't know how to explain it. ]

Well, we did fight other Persona users once in a while, me and my friends, but mostly we fought... monsters?

[ He grimaces, because he doesn't know how to explain what shadows are without explaining the metaverse without explaining everything else. ]

Uh, just. There's a type of monster attracted to Persona users and that's who we fought, most of the time! It's all specific to my world so it's hard to explain.

[ Okay... that makes sense. He nods, catching on quickly. ]

It's fine man, I get it. [ More importantly... ] So it's for fighting monsters... not normal people or anything like that.

[ That's the most important thing to clear up. Akechi made it sound like the other people with these powers were terrorizing the innocent, or something... assuming Ryuji's even involved. ]

There are other Stand users like me, but some of 'em are real assholes. They'll use their powers to take advantage of normal people, or hurt them... that's why I asked about other Persona users.

[ That — of course — makes him think of Akechi. Of Black Mask, of the assassinations and the mental shutdowns. He grimaces and it's clear on his face that he's thinking of someone in particular when Josuke says that.

He tries to explain, delicately, but Ryuji's not great at being delicate. ]

There's Persona users like that in my world too. There's one guy who is... really well known of using his powers for bad reasons. My friends and I stopped him and I thought we got him to come around on us, to be on our side instead, but now...

[ Now, Akechi's going around pretending they don't even known each other. It hurts, like a slice to his palm or something like that. He thought they were teammates, he thought they knew each other, he thought that maybe showing up here together meant he could help Akechi find his second chance. But all of that seems to be bullshit. ]

I dunno. I guess it doesn't matter.

[ His expression turns a bit more grave, nodding in understanding. It's clear something happened... maybe he turned on them again, or became a threat they couldn't ignore. Josuke feels lucky that he was able to beat most of the bad Stand users in Morioh into line. ]

I hear you. Me and my friends just stopped a guy exactly like that. Only, he was a serial killer who'd been offing women with his powers for fifteen years. [ They were never on the same side; he was a truly heinous person that was better put behind bars or down entirely. He tries to think of what he might feel like if one of the Stand users he's reconciled with turned out to be a traitor, and he doesn't like it. ] It figures that when power like this exists, people abuse it.

[ Which he says with disdain. Josuke folds his arms, looking thoughtful. ]

You did the right thing trying to put a stop to it. It's not easy, especially when you've gotta do it alone.

[ The rest of the world must not know about these powers, either, so he can only assume it's a burden Ryuji and his pals had to shoulder in silence. ]

[ Ryuji looks a bit alarmed at the description of that Stand user. He wonders briefly how it compares to Akechi and, well, he supposes he can't say that Akechi hasn't done some heinous shit as well but it was also Shido's fault, really, wasn't it?

Ryuji doesn't really know how to reconcile Akechi's actions sometimes. It makes his stomach hurt. ]

Yeah... when the wrong kind of people get power like this, it's not good for anyone involved. No matter what their motivations are.

[ He rubs at his face for a moment and sighs. ]

I'm sorry you had to fight a guy like that. I think... I think we might be pretty similar in the shit we've had to deal with 'cuz of our powers. And I know how hard it is. I hope you're not still fightin' when you go home, dude.

[ Josuke smiles lopsidedly, folding his arms close to his body. ]

No need to worry there. We resolved everything — just a few weeks ago, actually.

[ He's grateful that talking about Stand business is basically unbelievable gibberish to anyone in the crowd that might be watching; there is quite literally no way to prove or even look into what he's talking about. Besides, there's always the ol' Kamen Rider trick if they need it. ]

Now I'm just focusing on my recovery. [ He's the only one with lasting injuries, after all, since he healed everyone else up... 😔 ] It's why I feel okay coming here for a breather — I'd be too nervous to leave home with a dickwad like that running around. I'm sure you'd feel the same way.

[ If Ryuji's like him and came for a vacation, then the height of his supernatural troubles must be over now, right? He hopes so. ]

week one | overflow

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