{白鐘 直斗} // Shirogane Naoto (
pishirogane) wrote in
melodiesofeternity2018-06-20 01:34 am
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[Closed] Another Persona Redux
Who: Kanji Tatsumi, Naoto Shirogane, Futaba Sakura, Ren Amamiya, Makoto Niijima, and Morgana
When: June 20th
Where: B-02
What: Past and Future are present and have been summoned together
Warnings/Notes: Might be spoilers depending on how conversations go
Refreshments? Served.
Seating? Prepared.
Bodies present? Six.
Discussion? Yet to be underway as looks were exchanged between those present, mental considerations on what should be said first, and the details that would follow. Things would probably not happen in any exact order, but it was time to get this all aired out.
"... We should begin with proper introductions I believe... considering we were attempting to keep things under wraps before." Naoto doesn't think anyone was completely out of the loop by now save Morgana or Mona - which ever name the cat wanted to use right now - but it would be an icebreaker before delving into the more important facts.
When: June 20th
Where: B-02
What: Past and Future are present and have been summoned together
Warnings/Notes: Might be spoilers depending on how conversations go
Refreshments? Served.
Seating? Prepared.
Bodies present? Six.
Discussion? Yet to be underway as looks were exchanged between those present, mental considerations on what should be said first, and the details that would follow. Things would probably not happen in any exact order, but it was time to get this all aired out.
"... We should begin with proper introductions I believe... considering we were attempting to keep things under wraps before." Naoto doesn't think anyone was completely out of the loop by now save Morgana or Mona - which ever name the cat wanted to use right now - but it would be an icebreaker before delving into the more important facts.
no subject
"Morgana is not a shadow. Perhaps the best way way to think of him would be an adviser. Or a guardian." Her glance turns to Morgana for a moment, giving a small nod whether he turned to see her or not. "But to us, he is our friend. Anything more than that is for him to discuss at his own discretion."
Instead, there was more to discuss with the topic of the metaverse. There was a lot going on, but there did seem to be some commonalities. Instead of keeping them to herself she decided to voice her thoughts audibly. "Hearing your account, it sounds as though your Midnight Channel has something similar to the mental landscape of everyone. The dungeons, as you describe them, sounds like personal mental representations of the person who are within them."
Arms folded and eyes lowering, there was one thing that stood out to her. "But you said that it was the acceptance of those inner qualities that you did not like that allowed you to summon your Persona? It would seem that your experiences are similar to ours." With... two exceptions.
no subject
But, Futaba had said he wanted to be human - Morgana thought he used to be human. It was a peculiar situation, but there were things that were similar, but obviously different between the two parties. Just like their situation when compared to Kirijo's group of Persona users, things had been similar, but different with only a singular dungeon and the Dark Hour.
"That is correct. The Midnight Channel was a collective of human thought. When the rumors began of the Midnight Channel, the individual would appear long before they were thrown in. It's only once the person was introduced to the other side did their dungeon truly manifest and further expand it. There was a point where it couldn't be contained however..."
Looking over at Makoto, Naoto considers. "... Yes, it sounds like these Palaces are not your individual constructs. However, I'm sure each of you had to play a critical part in clearing them in order to gain your Personas... and possibly had exceptions to those rules."
Her eyes flitted over to Ren and she stared at him.
no subject
He listened intently as Kanji recounted his tale, but when the whole "Collective thought...?" descriptor came up, he couldn't help but glance at each member of his team again, knowing they were probably thinking the same thing he was. "That almost sounds more like... Mementos."
Maybe he should be more clear. Shifting just a little beside Futaba, he dipped his head just slightly to the side. "If the Midnight Channel is the collective landscape, then Dungeons are where the Shadows rule."
He can feel those cool eyes on him though, and he looks over the rims of his glasses to meet Naoto's gaze. "For us, that is largely how Mementos and the Palaces correlate." In the simplest terms, at least.
no subject
Not right now, though. Palaces, Mementos, that was Greek to him as far as he was concerned, even if Ren said they correlated (wha-what does that word mean? God damn it. He wasn't gonna graduate high school, was he?).
Kanji set his jaw and nodded, eyes steely. He'll ask for a translation later.
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"I guess... I kinda was one. Or... maybe not?" she pause for a moment, glancing over at Makoto hesitantly. The older girl's words had kind of put something in perspective for her just now. That overall, just because her case was external and the others' had been internal, didn't mean it hadn't ultimately been the same process. Though it was... kind of hard to think about and explain all this on the fly. Not impossible though.
"I... actually had a Palace. You guys both saw my memory." Specifically, the part with the hallucinations "You saw... what was happening to me. I'm pretty sure I was being affected by the Metaverse by that point. It only got worse from there."
Deep breath. "By the time I got to meet the others, I could barely leave my room. I knew I needed help, and I found out what they could do from eavesdropping on The Leblanc. So I asked them for help."
Which brings her to her point: more information to be shared. She's swimming in dangerous waters here, but if she can play this as a one-time thing that they did, just with her, they could hold off talking about their general activities as the Phantom Thieves for now? At least until they felt they were ready. And she had an idea how, too. She closed her eyes. The next words she says are ones that Ren, Makoto, and Morgana should all know fairly well.
"'The cognitive world can become distorted through desires. If it becomes distorted, a person begins exhibiting problematic behavior in reality. That cognitive world disappears when you remove its core, and further problematic actions stop.'" She pauses, using her free hand to shove her glasses into a more steady position on her face. "They were in my mom's notes about cognitive psience. I'd realized by then that that was what was happening to me, and if I could get them to steal the core of my cognitive world then maybe..."
Maybe they'd be able to help her.
no subject
She continued to hold her hand as she returns to the conversation at hand. "That is what we mean when we describe the palaces we entered. A person's altered and destructive world-view creates their own understanding of a place that is close to them. A school becomes a castle with a king. A city becomes a bank with a mobster. A bedroom becomes..." She couldn't help herself, she looks over to Futaba. "...a tomb with a pharaoh."
"Now imagine if the root of that distorted world had a way to manifest. A... singular object that represents the source of that worldview. A lodestone. A pillar. Remove it and the thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that are created and justified can no longer be maintained."
Her attention returned back to Futaba. "...and life will change."
no subject
There was something he was curious about though no one had mentioned. He wasn't planning on divulging too much or outing Ren, but he really was curious about other Wild Cards.
"Naoto, Kanji... How many Persona's could you use?" He gives them a determined look.
no subject
"Hm, I see... Certainly more trouble to dismantle since you're not exactly seeking out an individual alone in the center of a maze... in most cases." But there were other issues that arose with that especially when to came to strangers. She'd only look around for a moment, but her attention was still somewhere else. "Still, explains why you called yourselves 'Phantom Thieves' now..."
Even if that name just made her think of her Grampa.
"Neither of us wield multiple Persona. We weren't the one 'challenged', but we were awakened as a result." She blinked. "What about you, Amamiya-san?"
no subject
And an appreciative glance Makoto's way as well, knowing that her support likely helped their Navi, too.
As the conversation turned another corner, Ren didn't flinch. Not when Morgana brought up the potential of multiple personas, and not when Naoto questioned him directly. That was an interesting choice of words that she used, however— 'challenged.' There's a brief silence as he chooses his words carefully, leaning his head just slightly downwards to look over his glasses again.
"You're right," there was no sense in being dishonest, especially with potential allies. "I was the one. And— it sounds as though you knew someone capable of the same..." And even he had to admit, his curiosity was piqued.
no subject
Like Ren, she isn't too surprised at Naoto's question, though perhaps for different reasons. "You said that there's always someone like me in each group. Is it the same with Ren? Is there always somebody who can use multiple Personas?"
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But he blinked, snapped his fingers. "Wait, the Iwatodai group didn't! Right, Naoto? They all had their one but nobody was doin' weird switch-up shit! Their leader was that scary chick with the fur coats n' leather. I think. She looked the part."
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"You've mentioned this before, did you not, Shirogane-san? Would you mind telling us more about that?"
no subject
Arms crossing, Naoto considers, silent. Even if she said nothing, someone might eventually show up and tell them. However, it wasn't like she knew all the details as closely as she worked with Mitsuru sometimes after everything.
"I can tell you what she's told me... Should anyone arrive from Iwatodai or Tatsumi Port Island though, remember to give them time before informing them I've made you aware since they might not be from any present time themselves." She feels like a great deal of details were too personal for her to be repeating anyway.
"... Over ten years ago our time in Inaba, the Kirijo Group took part in experimenting on Shadows. Before any of you become concerned about Kirijo-san's role in these experiments, she was only a child at the time with no influence whatsoever. It was her late-grandfather leading the project until the explosion occurred, consequentially allowing fragments of their subject to escape. What they did during that time following... well, Shadows and humans aren't normally supposed to interact."
Glancing over at Futaba, perhaps she had found some records on the incident during her own internet scouring. "It was also because of that incident the Dark Hour began for them. The explosion and release of Shadows resulted in a temporal distortion where a thirteenth hour would only be experienced by those with Persona or those drawn in by Shadows themselves at midnight. It also transformed the focal point into a labyrinth for Shadows to congregate...
"Anyway, under the guise of a High School club, Kirijo-san and her group gathered all the Shadow fragments, but that triggered an event she referred to as "The Fall". In order to stop it, their leader - the one who also bore the ability of the Wild Card... gave up their life."
no subject
The logical part of her is fairly certain. Makoto didn't treat Ren like he was someone who only existed here in Vaikuntha. Who disappeared. But there are many ways in which Futaba is not her mother; logic is not the ruling party in her mind, and the person with the knowledge to confirm the truth is right there.
"M-Makoto-" her voice is stiff with anxiety. Please just. Just confirm this for her. Confirm that Ren isn't dead. Doesn't die.
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Her eyes softened and a warm smile came to her face. "Futaba..." A second hand reached out and held hers. "...its okay. He's fine. He... will be fine." Sure there was more to that. What happened aboard Shido's ark. What happened at the bottom of mementos. Both ends of The Game. Sure, there was some points of uncertainty, and she still wasn't sure how much she should share. But on this there is one thing that she could at least reassure.
"Everything works out. Didn't I tell you that when you asked me last time?" Whether she needed it or not, Makoto was going to reach over to a warm and protective embrace.
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But Futaba's reaction added to the goosebumps he had on his arms. He'd discussed this with Naoto before. Hell, he had to wonder what would have happened if he never came back.
"So we've pushed back everything that meta-thingy throws at us so far. I'd like to see that glow-eyed shithead try somethin' here." He stood and dusted off. Right, he needed to grab the finished project. Makoto was an MVP, but maybe this might help cheer up Futaba, too.
"Be back in a sec." He slipped off to his room.
no subject
There's a ringing in his ears, and he doesn't quite hear what the others say. He can feel a tightening grip on his hand as the ringing comes in louder... His hand that had disappeared right in front of him. Faded from existence just like the wailing cries of the Phantom Thieves, whose screams become a roaring static in the back of his mind...
Back in a sec.
"Ah—" it was as if he remembered he was in the room again, surrounded by people. "That was a lot of information..." He shifts in his seat, relinquishing his hand from Futaba's slowly as Makoto embraces her, and uses it to adjust his glasses, the glare shining away.
"Thank you, Shirogane-san," and when he returns— "and you too, Kanji-kun— for sharing it with us. It seems as though even if our circumstances were different... we both had similar goals in mind when it came down to it," making the world a slightly less terrible place, he meant.
"But after hearing all of that I wonder... if maybe we shouldn't be calling you both senpai." Deflecting with humour and a max charm smile, that's Amamiya Ren.
no subject
His face burned when he stepped back out. "Senpai...? Wh-whaddayoumean, I-I'm only second year, what the hell! I-I'm the youngest in my group, I ain't got shit to teach anybody..."
Yet he still looked pretty pleased. But he plopped the box onto the coffee table and ruffled his hair, smoothed it back.
"M-man, you're too much. Uhm... Futaba! This is a present from me n' Naoto. I figure since we're all here, now's a good time to roll out this bad boy."
no subject
"You're welcome."
She had to blink at Ren's suggestion.
"While that would be accurate if we were both from your points in time, you don't need to refer to either of us as 'Senpai' here." That would be far too strange. Also, she didn't know if she was ready to be referred to as 'Senpai'. Looking from the box to Kanji, and then to Futaba, Naoto nodded. "Yes. Also, take it as a small token of apology from myself. I could probably do with being less... uptight."
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It'd be a lie to say that Futaba was able to immediately do so without reservations. She'd had far too long a period of her life where she felt like she couldn't trust anybody but Sojiro. Still. Still. After all the things Makoto herself had done to help, both back home and here in Vaikuntha... Futaba nods, slowly.
The reassurance is admittedly tempered a bit as Ren pulls his hand out of hers. Given how tightly she'd been clinging, that wasn't exactly a simple task, and impossible to ignore. It sounds a warning note in the back of her mind. Why was her key item de-equipping himself? Why was he putting himself back in her inventory? Why wasn't he saying anything to all that? Just... glossing over what Naoto had said, to completely disregarding what she and Makoto had been talking about. She'd been worried before, but she's certain now.
Something's wrong with Ren. What she isn't certain about is what to do about it. What to say.
And before she can try to figure it out, Kanji's back and they're talking about- things? Something about titles and honorifics, stuff she doesn't normally bother with anyway except for Kana, and- oh.
Oh.
"For... for me?" her voice sounds... confused and distant to her own ears. She'd normally be feeling a lot more things about this. A lot different things too. But now she's just feeling almost kind of... numb? Like a computer that's running so many programs it just freezes up.
Still, she glances back over towards Makoto for a moment before easing herself out of the hug to tug the present over. Her fingers are a bit jittery, so it takes a bit of time and fumbling, but she does get the paper off. And the box open. And she just... stares at the box's contents. Despite the overwhelming maelstrom of emotions she's having trouble being able to process at the moment, her face does flush a bit.
She's. Never had anybody do something quite like this for her before. Certainly nobody that wasn't Sojiro or her mom, at least.
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But in his need to try and change the channel on his mind's eye— he'd failed to catch some of the signals that Futaba was giving off. Shit. There's a quiet, "Ah..." as he shifts, then lifts himself up from where he'd been sitting.
It really was a lot to take in, wasn't it? And that gift that the two of them had given her... well, it's hard not for him to look down at the sight of it even just a little fondly. Futaba... look at the friends you've made. She really had come so far...
But— just in case that was more than a little overwhelming, "Why don't we take a break? Anyone for a cup of coffee?"
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"B-bathroom."
She knows where it was though, and immediately stumbles her way out from between chairs to flee to it. Then, halfway there, she stops, turns right around and goes back to the table. She very deliberately lifts the Carbuncle puppet from the box, hugging it to her like a stuffed animal.
And then she bolts properly this time. Give her a minute. Or five.
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"Huh? Oh- coffee sounds good. Thanks." Oh thank fuck. Okay, so they didn't screw it up somehow.
...And Futaba needed to go to the bathroom. And needed the carbuncle to go with her. That's fine, a puppet could be a bathroom buddy too if you needed the company. Usually you'd need a book or something.
"So I'm- I'm gonna guess she doesn't hate it! Right?"
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"... Yes, coffee would be appreciated."
Her voice cut somewhat near the end when Futaba stood to go to the bathroom... but then returned and took the carbuncle doll with her. To say she was confused was a bit of an understatement. Blinking, she looked back at Ren, Morgana, and Makoto.
no subject
"I think it's safe to say she's added a new key item to her inventory," and yes, he seems to be perfectly serious when he says it, though he's smiling. Adjusting his glasses, they start to take on some of the steam as the water he's keeping an eye on comes to a boil.
"She may just need a few minutes but, as you saw..." Bathroom buddy, indeed. Heh.