Theatre

"Y-you were trying to fucking kill me!" I bark at her, sitting up from the floor of my car.

"...I said I wasn't a saint." She snarks, though a bit more dryly this time. "And besides, I didn't know you even were a yokai until you burst into blue flames at mama's bar, ripping your pants open as you grew a tail and fox ears. I'm surprised your vest didn't rip, either~" She giggles.

If she's telling the truth and genuinely only intended to kill me, then I have no idea what to make of my current situation. I'm loath to believe that I've always been a yokai. That wouldn't make sense at all, right? I was born to a human mom and a human dad, both me and DAWN. And I really doubt she's a yokai, either. What the hell...

Bunko holds out a hand. "Aaanyway, that'll be 14,000 yen."

"W-what?" I scoff. Of course she'd want something out of this. "I don't have that kind of money! ...And besides, you have my wallet!"

"Oh right, I do, don't I? I'll just take it out from there." She nods, getting out of the car and gesturing for me to follow. "Anyway, it'll be a few blocks off-- I didn't want anyone to try and track us down if they realized I've commandeered your car."

I grumble, getting out of the car as well. Bullshit fare costs aside, I'll at least hear her out for the time being. No sense in killing her right now, given it'll just leave me back at square one, even if I do realize I'd have access to my car again if I did. I could probably skip town, actually... Nah. I'll live a little.

As we approach the entrance of the building, I quickly realize she's led me to... a theatre? I wasn't expecting her honesty, there, though it's hard to tell with how decrepit the building looks.The door seems like it's holding on for dear life, and the signs in front look like they've not been changed or cleaned in at least a decade. I'm... reluctant to enter, especially with how I'm presently barefoot.

Bunko sees this apprehension, and holds a finger into the air as if to say 'ah, just one second.' She reaches into one pocket, then another, before finally residing on a third one, pulling out three leaves and throwing them into the air before snapping her fingers and transforming them into sandals and a skirt, which she presents to me. "Best I can do on short notice. Do keep them safe, it takes so long to make these things." She nervously laughs, rubbing a hand behind her back.

"Ah... thank you, I guess." I nod in reluctant acknowledgement, before throwing them on. It feels weird putting on clothes with a dedicated tail-hole. Having to slide my tail through feels strange... yet almost nice in a way I'm loathe to try and understand. Regardless, now that I'm at least a bit more modest, it's time for me to head in.

As you'd expect, it's an abandoned theatre. No, wait. Strip club? Strip club. Regardless, debris is littered all throughout the location; garbage, torn off parts from the worn-out roof, you name it. It's a bit of a musty smell, more than what you'd expect of a joint like this. All of the seats, barring one that's clearly not from here, are in varying states of disrepair. It's an altogether shabby joint.

But it's still better than the inside of a dumpster.

Bunko leads me to the one clean seat, and gestures for me to sit down.

"W... what are we doing here?" I ask indignantly, begrudgingly playing along and sitting down.

Instead of answering me, the tanuki scampers behind the curtain, before whispering to someone else unseen. After a few moments of silence, two figures emerge. One, the tanuki, and the other...

The short, overweight snake lady from last night. Judging by her stubby tail, she's probably a tsuchinoko.

Getting a better look at her, I've noticed she's dressed herself in some sort of samue loungewear, with a biker jacket thrown over top to presumably combat the cold winter temperatures. She's sporting several knives on a belt, meaning it would probably be suicidal for me to try and go for a quickshot. That, and the fact she's got a pretty massive fucking hammer strapped to her back. She holds her hand to her opposite cheek, cackling at me for my appearance.

"Fufufufu~ The hunter has become the hunted, no? What a tragic twist of fate, I must say."

"Yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up. What are we even doing here?"

"Ah, good that you remain intelligent enough to ask! We've heard of your plight-- how you kill in complete ignorance, and thought it best to... educate you on the truth of the matter."

"....Ten words or less, please."

She scoffs, pouting as she twirls the bangs of her long, blonde hair. Then, after seemingly trying to count the words in her head, she speaks once more. "We're here to teach you the truth about us yokai."

"Ten exactly-- color me impressed. What truth is there to teach, though? You all started showing up in the past twenty years like an invasive species, and have been doing nothing but harm to our fine nation." Said with only slight sarcasm.

"Ah, but that is where you are woefully incorrect, my dear DUSK." The tsuchinoko scoffs once more, though this time far more exaggerated. She gestures to Bunko, who shapeshifts into a... stereotypical caveman, but a tanuki. She bangs her club on the ground and scratches her butt as the tsuchinoko continues. "For we yokai have existed as long as humans have." Bunko shapeshifts into outfits representative of different eras of Japan, as if to emphasize the snake woman's point. "It's only a misconception that we've recently started sprouting up-- in reality, the truth of the matter is that we've gained visibility in this modern information age." The tanuki finally settles on an archetypical otaku, typing away at an imaginary keyboard.

"Really."

"Indeed." The two of them nod, the tsuchinoko continuing. "We've always had to endure being silenced, but now? Now, our voices are too loud to be ignored." Bunko mimes covering her ears, as if struggling to block out a loud noise.

"Yeah, sure. Great acting, both of you. What does this have to do with me, exactly?"

"We want you to join us." Bunko interjects, much to the tsuchinoko's dismay. She looks apologetically at her friend, before continuing. "Since we realized you were a yokai after, y'know, attempting to kill you, me and Rinrin wanted to try and appeal to you. To help us out."

I cock an eyebrow, perplexed.

'Rinrin' clears her throat deliberately. "We fancy ourselves freedom fighters, seeking to end the cruelty constantly inflicted upon us yokai. And, we are interested in you joining us."

"Mizuowari's finest murderer of yokai."

She huffs again. "Seeing as you've got nowhere to turn to, dear DUSK, we're willing to overlook that. Even with your track record of bloodshed, I find no reason to doubt the possibility that you may change your mind."

"Why would I change my mind, exactly? All you yokai ever do is assault, kidnap and destroy."

"Fwuh! For shame, dear DUSK! Levying such baseless accusations against your own kind, how could you?!" She pretends to get lightheaded, Bunko moving in preparation to catch her.

"What she's trying to say is that we're just trying to live our lives, DUSK-chan. Most of what people think of us is just lies spread to justify killing us."

I lean backwards into my seat, sighing. "And how am I supposed to believe you, exactly? I hardly doubt you've seen what I've seen in the field."

Bunko pulls back, taking another leaf from her pocket. She tosses it toward me, transforming it into... a kitsune half-mask. "Come to the Kikyugawa Onsen." 'Rinrin' gasps, seemingly out of genuine surprise. Bunko ignores it, continuing. "You'll see firsthand what your kinfolk are truly like."

"The hot springs on the edge of town? I thought that was abandoned years ago."

"It was-- we've taken residence since then; made it and the surrounding buildings into a small village for us yokai."

"Are you sure we should be telling her this??" 'Rinrin' whispers with a surprising level of blunt nervousness.

"We need to build trust somehow, Rin." Bunko says, not trying to be quiet about it. She transforms one last time, into a long flowing green kimono-- presumably her actual attire. "We'll never get anywhere with circular arguments alone. We need action."

Rin sighs, shooting her a look of 'if you really think so.'

"So... what do you think, DUSK-chan?"

The two of them look at me, expectantly.

They're really exposing their secrets to me, aren't they? Just blurted out their hideout location and all, even. Very risky move, though I guess they're not expecting me to have anyone to rat them out to given the current situation.

Well... I guess my answer is obvious.