Chapter Text
‘NO! Come on, please.’
‘We've reviewed it at the Order, quite thoroughly.’
‘I haven't even done anything bad!’
‘We know Soma, but the risk is far too great.’
Soma stewed in his annoyance on the other side of Arikado's desk, desperate to come up with a compromise. ‘Ok.’ He said, putting his palms together and then pointing them forwards. ‘What if I didn't do facecam?’
Arikado let out a breath as slowly as he could. ‘The decision is final, you can't... "stream video games".’
‘Y-you don't even know what it is?!’ Soma exclaimed, slapping his hands gently on the desk.
Arikado remained resolute, hands knitted together and unmoving from their spot in front of him. ‘I know enough, you would be broadcasting yourself to the online world and... gaining followers.’
Soma gestured his hands towards himself ‘What does getting followers have to do with anything?’
‘Perhaps your power of dominance?’ Arikado suggested firmly.
Soma looked absolutely dumfounded, as if what Arikado was implying was so stupid that it killed off half his braincells. ‘That- that just means their phone tells them when I'm playing.’ He squeaked.
‘Soma.’ Arikado started, putting a hand to his temple and sighing. ‘We've had this conversation every time for-’ He paused to pick up a list. ‘Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat...’
‘I just wanna post stuff for my friends.’
‘This isn't about your friends, or what you or I feel, the Order has made it clear that this is about your power of dominance. Followers? Subscribers? Whatever they're called, what if it affected them too?’
‘It won't!’ Soma said, citing his evidence of absolutely nothing.
Arikado gritted his teeth, his patience finally worn thin. ‘Please! How would Mina feel if she heard that Dracula resurfaced, not because you fell into darkness but because of a Twitter account that posts nothing bu-’
Soma turned absolutely pale then slammed his hands hard on the desk and standing up. ‘How did you find out about Cute Bats Daily!?’ He demanded angrily.
Arikado looked shocked for a small moment, but then his impassive expression returned and he stood up as well asserting his height over Soma. ‘And that is another point Soma, if someone in the Order managed to find that you held the account, who is to say the forces of evil won't?’
Soma stuttered then shot his arms wide out. ‘THEY FIND ME ANYWAY!’
‘And they would find you more easily with it, look, half the pictures posted are clearly originals, species native to Japan, there was one you took in a tree over ten meters tall, ask yourself, what kind of ordinary mortal being would be able to get up into a tree and God knows where else to take pictures of bats every single day?!’
Soma thought incredibly hard about his answer, his last chance to knock Arikado off his feet and protect his online presence.
‘Someone who really likes bats?’
Soma left the office in a huff, took the train in a huff, and got home in a huff.
‘Hey Soma.’ Mina called out from the kitchen as he walked past, she was caramelising sugar to put in a dessert. ‘How did it go?’
He didn't answer until he got to the sofa, where he flopped onto it face first and lost all the energy to move. ‘They found Cute Bats Daily, my life is over.’ He mumbled through the cushions.
Mina stopped stirring her caramel and looked towards Soma in surprise. ‘You ran Cute Bats Daily?’
‘Not anymore, Arikado's going to shut it down like he did everything else.’
The sofa dented downwards and Soma looked up to see Mina had sacrificed her caramel to sit with him, his mood lifting as she laid a reassuring hand on his hair and smiled. ‘It'll be ok Soma, maybe I'll ask them if I can own it, then you can show me the pictures you want to post and I'll do it for you, would you like that?’
He nodded, though deep down he knew that they wouldn't let him do it using Mina as a proxy, but he didn't dare say it to her face. ‘Thanks Mina.’
She giggled, then paused to think for a moment. ‘How'd they find out it was you this time?’
‘I, uh, I kind of gave it away.’ Soma answered sheepishly, cheeks dusting red. ‘I got a little too into it and started turning into a bat to get some really nice pics.’
‘Really?’ Mina took her phone out her pocket, scrolling through the pictures. ‘Wow, you're really good at photography Soma, I can't even tell the difference with the ones you took and the others!’ She complimented.
‘Wait a minute...’ Soma murmured, sitting straight up. ‘How did he know I took those pictures myself?!’
It was late in the evening, and after a long day's work Arikado drove his boring, black car to his house, the large security gate opening and closing automatically after him, he parked, then swiftly exited his car and went into his house. He didn't notice the albino bat hanging upside down from the roof, which in the blink of an eye became a Soma, hanging upside down from the roof, with one arm crossed and the other holding his chin in suspicious thought.
Arikado took of his shoes and coat, putting them away neatly, taking his phone out of his pocket he moved to his kitchen, putting the kettle on boil for a cup of tea, while (a still upside down) Soma scooted into view of the window, eyes focused on the phone in Arikado's hands, analysing all the evidence, it was a smartphone, boring, black, high end and with a big screen.
The perfect handheld device to look at pictures with.
Arikado scrolled through it for a moment, since he obviously wasn't the type of person to check it while driving, once up to speed with his notifications he placed it down on the kitchen counter, then exited the kitchen to run a bath.
‘Bingo.’
Soma dashed to the front door using his Black Panther Soul, then, using the Puppet Master Soul, Soma made a small puppet and squeezed it through the letter box, making the switch when it popped through. Step 1 of his master plan was done with, step 2 was finding the phone, he snuck into the kitchen and grabbed the phone, only to realise something important, step 4 was finding the evidence, but step 3 was ???
He had no clue what Arikado's password was.
“But I know someone who might” Soma thought, taking out his own phone, he messaged Yoko.
Yoko Oh No
Hey Yoko what's good? Lol U know Arikado's phone code? I have several questions I can pay you with a REALLY cute picture of a bat ? Ok 
Omg that is so cute Look at his tiny claw bless him 1449 I think Thx <3
Soma entered the code and gained access to the phone, and to his sheer luck (thank you, Ghost Dancer Souls) it opened immediately onto what Soma was looking for.
‘Soma!?’ Arikado barked from behind him, making him flinch. ‘What are you doing?’
Soma spun round, a wicked smile on his face. ‘I got you old man! It wasn't someone in the Order who found out, it was you!’ He held the phone out in triumph. ‘Genya Arikado, or should I say Night_Symphony28, my very first follower!’
‘And?’ He asked without so much as breaking face.
‘A-and.’ Soma parroted, little beads of sweat forming on his forehead. ‘You, uh, you were following my account from the start and liked every single thing I posted and pretended it was someone from the Order who found out and I guess that means you have a thing for bats and I was hoping to use this as blackmail material?’
‘Soma.’ Arikado said with an absolute straight face. ‘You broke into my house.’
Soma swallowed back some dread that had formed in the back of his throat, oh yeah, that was kind of illegal wasn't it?
He put his hands together. ‘Please, I just want my account back!’ He begged. ‘You know I don't have many friends, half ones I make all drift because they live far away and I don't really post anything, I just want to be able to connect you know?’
‘Soma?’
‘I thought if I just did one of those post a picture a day things it wouldn't count as dominating souls! I'll be responsible I swear!’
‘Soma.’
‘I know it's kind of red flaggish and all, I mean, Dracula and vampires and all that, but I can't help it, they're so cute with their little ear wiggles and oh my God that thing they do when they sniff!’
‘Soma.’
He fell to the floor in a full body grovel. ‘I'll do anything!’
‘Soma! I never took away your account.’
Soma stopped his grovelling instantly. ‘ᵂʰᵃᵗˀ’
‘I have not told the Order that you had a hobby of posting wildlife pictures online, if I had any intention to I would have done so the moment I found out it was you.’ Arikado explained. ‘Wouldn't I?’
It felt like he had been blessed by angels and had his soul sucked out by a demon at the same time, and all Soma could do was make the most pitiful sound in existence, how could he have been so stupid!?
Arikado went over to the kettle which just boiled and poured it into a teacup. ‘I... I lost composure earlier today by mentioning it.’ He said as he made his tea, not looking at Soma. ‘I myself saw no harm because, as you said, all you do with it is post a picture a day on it, I just wanted you to remember the danger of having an online presence, that's all.’
‘Oh.’ Soma uttered, shuffling awkwardly. ‘Well, ok, lesson learned, thanks sensei, I'll, uh, I'll go see myself out.’
He stepped towards the hallway, only to suddenly find a very fine and fancy Estoc sword flashed in front of his eyes, heart almost stopping in fright, Soma turned very slowly around to see Arikado wielding it, a dark look in his eyes and silently advising him to stay where he was.
‘You broke into my house Soma.’ He said sternly. ‘And into my personal belongings, I would have killed anyone else for doing the same.’ He lowered his sword and stepped very close, leaning to talk into Soma's ear. ‘I think some "compensation" is in order...
The Golden Fruit Bat is my favourite.’