IC CONTACT | TEXT / VOICE / VIDEO / ACTION | box_network

[pitythefool]

"Hey there! You've reached Tohru Adachi of the Inaba Pol - ahaha, sorry. Old habit. I'm unfortunately unavailable to take your call right now, but if you leave a message, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. If it's an emergency, well... hopefully it's nothing too major. Thanks! Seeya."

Comments

audio;

[bladeisme]

Adachi-san! Hey, um....if you're not too busy, do you want to come to a party?

[Audio]

[pitythefool]

A party, huh...?

[There's a bit of a smile creeping into Adachi's voice. After a month this shitty, they could probably use a party for sure.]

Sure! I think I can swing by. What's the occasion?

Re: [Audio]

[bladeisme]

Well...It was my birthday on the 15th-my 20th. And a friend of mine managed to get some stuff to celebrate with, so he told me to invite my friends.

[A pause, and then-]

He managed to get Alcohol, too.

[THERE'S BOOZE ADACHI PLZ COME]

[pitythefool]

Seriously?!

[Calm down, Adachi. Though it's difficult for him not to - he probably hasn't had a drink since Inaba, so...]

I - I didn't even realize. In that case, happy birthday, Kurosaki-kun!

[Yes. That's what got him so excited.]

[bladeisme]

[Smooth catch, Adachi. Luckily, Ichigo doesn't suspect that you only want the drinks.]

Heh, thanks. I think we'll be throwing it for a few hours...

[Or whenever they either get dead drunk or run out of booze.]

So whenever you can, come down to my house. Alright?

Audio;

[bladeisme]

[When Ichigo calls, it's in a voice that's deeply upset. Someone who's unsure, barely keeping water above all his doubt and hurt.]

Adachi-san? I...I need to talk to you.

[pitythefool]

Huh?

[Oh geez...]

S-Sure thing, Kurosaki-kun. What's up?

[bladeisme]

[Ichigo takes a deep breath, tries to gather his thoughts.]

...I talked to Yosuke.

[He hesitates, not really wanting to continue, but...

He has to know.

He just hopes it won't end as badly.]

He told me...you killed that girl you told me about before. ...and another woman, too.

[1 / 2]

[pitythefool]

You -

[You did what?! He can't even get the rest of that question out there - ]

[2 / 2]

[pitythefool]

[ - Ichigo's just dropped another bombshell on him.]

W-Wait a second. He actually said that...? Why would he - ?

[Adachi may have come dangerously close to breaking his part of the bargain, but Yosuke? Oooh, he just steamrolled right through it, didn't he? That little shit. What the hell was he thinking?!

More importantly, why did Ichigo have to go sniffing around? Adachi may have thrown him a couple of crumbs, but he wasn't expecting results this quickly. Certainly not results this disastrous, either.]

That's... That's just messed up...

[bladeisme]

I know.

[He's not in person, so he can't see the huge spike of emotion that would have been in adachi's soul, capable of breaking through the thick fog blanketing it.

But Ichigo can't-so instead, he's reaching out like this, desperate to hear that it wasn't true, that Yosuke was lying, that Adachi couldn't really murder anyone...and it comes through loud and clear when he next speaks.]

I...It's not true, is it? You couldn't...You couldn't kill those women, could you?

[And yet....even hearing this...

He still wants to trust Adachi over Yosuke.]

10/2

[bladeisme]

[When Ichigo calls today, it's...with a dull hoplessness that Adachi has probably never heard from him before.

He's finally hit bottom. There was only one time that he felt worse than this...and that ended with him jumping off a building.

He won't do that. But...even if he is reigned to his fate here, he desperately reaches out to the one person who's had his back this entire time.]

...Adachi. I....

[He pauses, and then...]

....Call me back. please.

[pitythefool]

[Oh. Well, shit, that sounds pretty serious. Once he's had some time to get his composure in check and quit playing whatever game he was playing when Ichigo tried calling earlier, Ichigo will be getting a call right back.]

Hey, uh... Got your message. ...Everything okay?

[bladeisme]

[Ichigo doesn't mind the wait. It's somewhat early in the morning anyway, so he figures that adachi was just sleeping, or...something.

He almost hesitates at answering back, because he doesn't want to burden Adachi with his problems, but....

he was a burden anyway. A helpless person who wanted to be a protector, but...just couldn't be.

When he finally calls back, his voice is still that empty, hopeless tone he heard before.]

....No.

...I....I can't do it anymore, Adachi.

[It's a mirror of what Yosuke said before, on the network-but instead of reaching out publicly, he reaches out to the one person he believes can understand. Not kon, or Tsukishima, or Ishida-adachi, the person who's been here with him and seen what he has.

Someone he hopes won't judge him for finally giving up.]

[pitythefool]

You can't - H-Hey, hold on a second...

[He's not hearing things, is he? To think that Ichigo Kurosaki would finally hit his breaking point...]

What are you saying here? You're not just...

[Giving up. Are you?]

( 12/08 ) text

[prayed]

Having fun?

TEXT

[pitythefool]

I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about.

[Wow Adachi, did it take you all of five minutes to come up with that one?]

TEXT

[prayed]

[...

She has a lot of questions, but first thing's first.]

That so. Figured you'd be having a blast with this one.

There some other police officer that I can ask about the bodies that got left hanging around?

TEXT

[pitythefool]

Not at this department. Just me. So sorry but I might not be able to help you out with this one.

I'm a little busy at the moment.

December 14th; late night | Here comes the fall

[bladeisme]

[It had to be a lie.

That's all he could think, as he listened to the network post coming from someone's nearby phone. It couldn't be Adachi, could it? It...it had to be someone else, or his shadow or something. The detective he knew...the older man who'd only ever helped him, tried to give him advice and was always there when he needed him...

There was just...no way. It was...it was all a big mistake, right?

Unlike most of the people trapped in the fog, Ichigo could track his way through due to his soul sight - and that's exactly what he did as he began to desperately search for Adachi, trying to find any hint of dark, muted red in his vision. After a bit of running around, he found what he was searching for - and quickly honed in on it, noting that it had none of the pale, not-quite-right feeling that the shadow selves had. That meant this Adachi was the real one, at the very least.]

Adachi!

[When he got close enough, he cried the detective's name out - loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to attract anyone else to where they were.]

Adachi, wait!

[Desperately calling the older man's name, in order for him to stop. Hoping beyond hope that he was wrong, that the post was just something the techs or the shadows did in order to get everyone to dogpile on someone who wasn't responsible. The concern, worry, and fear was obvious on his face - but, strangely, there wasn't even a hint of doubt there.

There was only a desperate hope that his friend - his last, closest friend - was merely the patsy for something that was out of his control.]

[pitythefool]

[The detective comes to a leisurely halt, letting go of a sharp - ]

Yeah, what is it?

[ - before turning to face Ichigo. That's the one drawback to all this, he supposes; now everyone will know the truth about him. But if all goes according to plan, then it won't matter who does and doesn't know. Not those brats. Not Dojima-san. Not even Ichigo.

There's nothing anyone can do to stop him.]

[bladeisme]

It-

[For a moment, that's all he can get out. There are too many things he wants to say, wants to ask. Wants to demand, in order to hopefully get the answers he's hoping for, and not the ones he's dreading.

After a second, however, he's able to clear his mind enough to speak again.]

It's not true, is it? That post that was on the network -

[Ichigo comes closer, trying to bridge the gap between them.]

That wasn't really you, was it? You didn't really cause all of this to happen!

[Please. Please say yes. Please let his faith in the detective not be misguided. Please, for the love of god, don't let him be wrong about the one human he still sees as his equal, as someone he can trust above all else.

Please don't let his friendship be nothing but a lie.]

[1 / 2]

[pitythefool]

Oh, no. Ichigo, I... [He hesitates.] I didn't... You thought...?

[For a moment, Adachi almost looks horrified. Hit all at once by panic, grief, guilt as he tries to stammer out a hasty explanation.]

N-No, you've got it all wrong! That wasn't me at all! It was... [He swallows heavily as he tries to go on...] It was...

[2 / 2]

[pitythefool]

[Tries being the opposite word here. Because he can't go on with this any longer without feeling the need to laugh. To laugh, and laugh, and laugh as he clutches at his sides.]

What, are you kidding?! Of course it was me! Who else could it be?! Ahahaha, wow! Would you really have believed me if I'd told you it wasn't?

[His posture loosens up and he fixes Ichigo with a look that's half disbelieving, half amused all the same.]

You almost did, didn't you?

The 20th | A neatly wrapped package outside your door...

[electedofficial]

[Wrapped in shining paper with iridescent ribbons, the package is both unassuming and suspiciously neat considering the wear and tear creeping in around the edges of Verdance Bluffs. Folded inside a small gold envelope is a type written note:]

SLEEP WOULD BE MERCIFUL
MY EYES ARE SEALED SHUT
BUT YET MY MIND IS RUNNING IN CIRCLES

[Inside, Adachi will find a gun. Seemingly normal at first glance, the longer he holds it the more of his old bitterness will grow inside him... and a sense of great power along with it. While he can set it down at any time, the feelings will return to him with increasing returns as the days stretch on.

Below the gun are scraps of tattered clothing: a white dress shirt and a black and gray houndstooth skirt.]