Persona: Realms of Desire

The desire for justice. Desire for grandeur. Desire for illusion. When the lines of fiction blur into reality, there is no need to stop the dream. Everyone is happy, everyone is content.

Between the many lines that run along the world’s surface, there is only one thing that ties it all together.

That lies become truth.

“I don’t want to do this anymore…!” a child cried. “I don’t want to do it! It hurts… it hurts so much!” they cried.

“But … if you don’t then we’ll never understand-”

“I just want my Mommy… my Daddy! Let me go! Let me go!”

People in white coats subdued the crying child. They calmed her down, put her to bed but the nightmares happened still.

“Mom… Dad…” they muttered while her eyes fell closed. The nightmare had finally come to an end but the memories of that time still permeate the conscious even today.

University of Rêver, January 15th 2016, 4:15 PM

Classes were closing out for the afternoon and some students were relaxing on campus while others had parties to attend on the weekend. Some had extracurricular activities to handle like clubs, committee meetings, all sorts of things to close out the weekend to. Unfortunately a certain Naomi Tsuruga and two other students are a bit busy with something not school related.

Others, however, are probably doing something along the lines of above.

edited 24th Apr '14 5:14:07 PM by RagnatheSaviour

Region of Denial, January 15th 2016, 4:17 PM

A strange suburban area with contorted, messed up colorful houses everywhere around them. Torn pieces of wood, furniture, beds, etc. are all hanging up in the air like they’re not bound by the Earth’s gravitational pull. The sky is polka-dot which only adds to the otherworldly feeling of it all. This place wasn’t somewhere that you wanted to be.

Naomi sprinted through the onslaught of ‘whatever the hell’ this place was. The strange directions. The messed up atmosphere. Who’s idea was it to send a girl, just after a hard day of classes into a brutalizing war between Persona and Monster? Ah yes, herself. Though she wasn’t alone. Naomi was accompanied by one other student from her school. “Come on, come on!” she yelled.

Daniel was completely and utterly horrified. He hadn’t expected ANYTHING like this to happen. And now that it was, he was just following Naomi. She seemed to know all of this better than he did…

The asian girl jogged in place while surveying her surroundings a second time. “Not goodddd. Come on, hurry it up! We’re almost to the center!”

Daniel followed the best he could. He looked like a complete wreck, to be honest. Rumpled up clothes, messed up hair and a single earbud trailing after him. “What in the merciful mother of fuck IS this place?!?”

“No official name, just call them ‘regions of denial’. They’re, well, you have a Persona, you can fight. Good enough, isn’t it?” she wasn’t really considering exactly how this was affecting Daniel. He had a Persona. He had a weapon. He could deal.

“THAT’S what the weird baby head thing was?!? God, I just hope we get out of this hellhole soon!” Daniel was thoroughly and utterly done with this shit.

“I think!?” Naomi was a bit hyped up on all of the fighting that the group had been doing up until this point. “O-oh no.” And just as she thought it was over. Two Shady Grimoire float down from the sky, spinning in all of their merriment.

>Two Shady Grimoires approach!

>1st TURN ORDER: Naomi, Daniel, Shady Grimoire #1, Shady Grimoire #2

“Ah, NURE-ONNA!” Naomi clenched the friendship bracelet. The visage of the dragon-horned girl appeared right behind her. An aura appeared around Daniel, seemingly energizing him.

>Rakukaja: Daniel: 3 Turns Remain >Naomi SP: 28/40

“Much appreciated!” Daniel said, hefting the hastily-gathered 2x4 in his hands. Of course, just as he got into battle-mode, as it were, he remembered he had access to a weird baby-head abomination apparently named after a type of angel. “Yo, Angel-boy, help me out!” Daniel said, clutching the locket to his chest. A large porcelain head, seemingly cracked at the neck, appeared above Daniel, held aloft by four wings sprouting from the neck hole. It gave a gurgle similar to a drowsy Cthulhu, and one of the grimoires was slashed by winds hard enough to make a tornado look like a gentle breeze.

>Garu: Shady Grimoire #1 45 damage dealt!

>Daniel SP: 81/85

Shady Grimoire #1 reels back from the hit, spinning in place after receiving the full brunt of the violent wind.

“Geeze, I still can’t over the fact that I can do that…”

In retaliation, the grimoire flies on over to give Daniel a good smack! … Though the attack completely misses.

Shady Grimoire #2, realizing their stupid cohorts mistake, quickly casts Bufu. The ice encases the college boy then busts to pieces in the same instant.

>The ice encases Daniel! … But it looks like his defense is so high that it didn’t deal any damage. Too bad!

“Well, that was cold, but it could’ve been worse…”

>2nd TURN ORDER: Naomi, Daniel, Shady Grimoire #1, Shady Grimoire #2

>Rakukaja: Daniel: 2 Turns Remain

“Alright, I’m ending this. NURE-ONNA!” Naomi calls upon the power of her Persona a second time. The strange, blackened girl opens up her mouth while taking in a deep breath. A loud BLAST exits her mouth. The driving sound waves cause the Shadows to spin around in confusion for just a bit.

>Dragon’s Roar: Shady Grimoire #1, Shady Grimoire #2

>33 damage done to all enemies!

>Shady Grimoire #1 flips its final page as it vanishes into nothing.

>Shady Grimoire #2 is too scared to do anything this round! (Fear inflicted)

Daniel gets a bit more confident at this point. “Right, let’s end this.” Daniel decides to show the second Shady Grimoire what REAL Ice Magic looks like, and shreds at the book with a veritable blizzard of thin shards of ice.

>Bufu: Shady Grimoire #2

>The frigid cold snaps the second Shady Grimoire into pieces. It joins its partner in the afterlife.

>Conflict Over<

“Well, that’s one fight out of the way.” Naomi mused while putting her rusted katana away.

“Wow, that was… something. It’s like I’m a whole different person while I’m fighting those things. So, uh, now that things are a bit calmed down, could you possibly explain what in the fresh hell I’m doing summoning a giant baby head from a pendant that formerly belonged to my dead mother?”

“I’m not too keen on the details myself. All I know is that I went into this blue library room, signed a contract and summoned Nure-onna.” Naomi scratched the back of her head.

“Geeze, you too? I thought that was a weird dream or something. I had recently gone on a Twin Peaks marathon, too…” Daniel looked somewhat confused. Then again, he’d just summoned buckshot hail with the power of his mind. That tends to confuse most folks.

“They said I had the power to make a difference as long as I found others like me… I guess that’s how you fell into my lap.” she had a nervous chuckle.

“Woah now, we can at least save that for the second trip through jung hell.” Daniel laughed after saying this. It was funny to him, at least.

“Right, can’t get sentimental right now. Might raise an unwanted death flag… for you.” she did a thumbs up which betrayed the exact words she just said.

“I suppose I should just thank god I didn’t wear my red jacket today, huh?” Daniel smirked a bit.

“Hehehe…” she looked straight down the dark hallway, frowning at the thought of the next battle to come. “We better prepare ourselves. Is there anything you need to do?”

“Well I doubt I have access to a lawyer here, so I guess my will is gonna remain unfinished, but besides that…” Daniel shrugged. He seems as ready as he’ll ever be.

edited 24th Apr '14 6:20:41 PM by RagnatheSaviour

Region of Denial, Core

A small balcony with a magnificent look below would normally be a thing most desired, but as Maximilian Maria Hindenburg had noted, there was neither the view nor the calm atmosphere it would normally indicate.

Below… there was a rather unidentified mass of something, pulsating and moving like a particularly disgusting maggot, squirming and twisting into shapes that he, despite being a self-proclaimed connoisseur of arts, just couldn’t describe.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, he was having tea with his inner self right about now, staring at the nothingness straight out of Lovecraftian fiction.

“It has some beauty to it, no?” He, or rather, the other he had spoken, taking a small sip. Dressed exactly like him, in his favorite custom-tailored white longcoat, black turtleneck and a pair of jeans, he’d look like a clone were it not for his eyes, two golden orbs staring at him mockingly. “There’s no shame in admitting it. It’s, after all, a minor thing among many others of greater importance.”

“I’ll pass.” Max responded dryly, taking his own sip. Earl Gray with some sugar. Surprisingly good. “What’s so beautiful in this?”

“It’s a well-placed metaphor of ourselves, for one example.” The tone of the other him was pleasant, affable. Cultured. False to a fault. “Black is the color of depression. Where does it come from?”

“A few things. Grief. Resignation. Denial.”

“Indeed. It so happens that you well fit in all three.” Here we go again…, a disgruntled thought came across Max’s mind.

“How so?”

“Why, you should know the answer to that. Living by yourself pretty much all your life with not a soul to appreciate your arts, your person… being seen as some sort of local boogeyman that some people think of as some sort of urban legend… living a nightmare.”

“I manage.”

“Do you now?” The other Max chuckled lightly before taking another sip. “Then how about your desire to use all this fortune, all this wealth you’ve been granted to help others… only to find that you cannot do it simply because the servants of this castle notify your parents of all of your plans, because they simply won’t give you the right to perhaps make something of it. It would be bad if you threw money at peasants after all.”

“Can we drop this subject already? We’re running in circles by now.” It was starting to annoy him, but the worst was about to come. The other him tried it a couple of times already, always boiling all of it down to one simple conclusion.

“Oh come on now, there’s no shame in admitting that we have a problem.”

“I don’t have a problem. You can have all the problems you want.” The other Max let out a small, seemingly defeated sigh.

“I suppose we can just think this over at a later date once you decided to admit that our failures are one. We are one after all.” The real Max didn’t respond, instead staring at the repulsive black down below. Right now it seemed almost soothing after yet another conversation with his personification of everything he despised about himself and his life.

As the two conversed, Naomi and Daniel walk on into the core of the realm. Naomi reflected on why she hated these places to begin with before speaking. “HEY, are you alright!” she shouted, “We’re here to help!”

Daniel looked around curiously. This place was interesting and... More than a bit brain-breaky.

Another voice in here? Max was surprised, to say the least. It did seem familiar, however. Someone from the university? “Good day, whoever calls. I suppose I’m fine still.” The other Max said nothing, but his smile gradually grew with each word. “Well, being stuck with everything I loathe in a surreal realm out of an acid trip notwithstanding, of course.”

“Eh… I’m surprised you’re not delusional by this point.” Naomi walked over closer to Max just to get a better eye on him. Apparently he was as he said. Alright.

Daniel shrugged and stepped forward. "Well at least we won't need to fight some giant fuckoff monster or whatever."

Max had recognized the girl. Tsuruga, was it? He’d seen her a couple of times although they never really conversed. Before he could say a word however, the other him stepped up, bowing deeply to the two, his golden eyes flashing with some sort of sadistic joy. “Why, welcome in our humble abode. You’re just in time to witness my humble self knocking some sense into my humble self.”

“Must we go through this again?” Hindenburg groaned, rubbing his temples. This was getting ugly, his inner self seemed... a bit more agitated than before.

Naomi immediately drew her rusted katana out, “You know what you just said Daniel? About the monster? You’re about to be proven wrong.”

"Well FUCK. Well, we can take it, I bet." Daniel said, hoisting his 2X4 onto his shoulder.

What were those two on about now, Max sincerely didn’t know. Preparing himself for yet another listing of how he sucks, courtesy of his inner self, he took the final tea sip.

“Alright, basically… this gentleman here continues to deny that he’s a lonely, misunderstood, bitter man abandoned by any remains of friendship or family, given only theoretical freedom while being kept on a tight leash, slowly stripped off any ideals he might have. No man appreciates him. The fortune around him is naught but a cage that he was locked into to prevent him from coming outside, to help the world, the fellow folk the way he’d like it. Forever ensnared into supposed love of his parents who likely had forgotten about him on his business trips, forever living a nightmare.”

“How many times are you going to repeat all of this?”

“As long as you admit we’re one, of course.” Max had risen from his seat. Enough is enough.

“We’re not one. We’ll never be one. You and I are two different things, for God’s sake.” Though his tone was kept low, the face said all: Maximillian M. Hindenburg finally had enough.

“Ohhh no…” Naomi muttered.

Daniel lifted the 2X4 so that he held it like a club. "Well, let's get this over with."

“And there we go.” If the other Max’s grin wasn’t disturbing already, it surely was by now. No man would be able to smile that widely. “You’ve finally admitted it. You’ve finally denied me as clear as day. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we’re one… whether you like it or not!” With each word spoken by the golden-eyed being dark energies began culminating around him - or rather, it - slowly engulfing it in a cloak of darkness. The real Max reeled a little before falling back on his chair, completely out of commission.

And in the meantime, the inner self of Hindenburg, now completely wrapped in shadows, jumped off the balcony… and returned just a moment later as something else entirely: a giant of a Shadow, seemingly straight out of some fantasy flick. Slowly brandishing its weapons, the house-sized beast focused its attention on Naomi and Daniel before letting a low, distorted chuckle.

“I am a Shadow. The true self.” The giant half-monster, half-machine spoke, staring at the two. “I wish to escape the depths of black that all of my solitude has led me to. If you will try to stop me, expect no mercy for I am done with your false faces for good.”

>CONFLICT START<

The shattering of glass could be heard and a screech echoed through the chambers. Flying in from seemingly nowhere, Phoenix came spinning its lance around, and bringing the flat end of the blade down on the main structure of the Shadow.

• >Phoenix used Bash!
• >Darrel’s HP: 150/160
• >The massive shadow manages to move out of the way of the attack! There was no damage received.

A man dressed in a red track suit came running in to meet the others as his Persona faded away. Skidding to a stop, he raised his fists up in a boxing stance. “Tch! So much for that,” he remarked, “You guys didn’t think to start this party without me, didja?”

"Oh, good, company. Just means we'll be out of here faster." Daniel nodded to the newcomer. "So, what, that phoenix represents a part of your personality? Better than a weird baby head."

• >1st Turn Order: Naomi, Max’s Shadow, Darrell, Daniel

“Let’s make this work… NURE-ONNA!” the demonic visage appears yet again above Naomi’s head. A searing cold blasts forward into the large shadow.

• >Naomi used Bufu!
• >Naomi SP: 32/40
• >The cold blizzard covers Max’s Shadow, exploding instantaneously. 40 points of damage!

“Time for you to go.” The giant structure announced before bringing the sword down on Naomi’s presence in a devastating blow.

• >Max’s Shadow used Arm Chopper!
• >Naomi pulls back but the blade digs right into her shoulder. Blood blasts out from the open wound.
• >Naomi’s HP: 38/118

“AA Ahhhh… dammit!” she falls to her knees, shaking from the loss.

"Naomi!" Daniel is rather distressed at seeing blood gushing from someone's ruined arm.

“NAOMI! Hold it together!!” The fight’s tense turn made Darrell very worried for the wellbeing of the party.

“No worries, no worries, keep your focus on the enemy!” she strained to stand up.

“And this is all you have, falling under such an attack? Pathetic.” The shadow taunted, crossing its weapons together.

"We're still gonna beat your ass, Howl's Sucky Castle!" Daniel is simply full of bravado today.

“Keep your… stony mouth shut! Naomi, here, take this!” Darrell reached inside his pants pocket and tossed out a Medicine to her.

• >Naomi shoves the medicine into her mouth, allow it to go to work.
• >Naomi’s HP: 88/118
• >Medicine Remaining x5

The girl’s wounds healed up pretty quickly. Almost like magic! “Thanks, I needed that.” she finally got to her feet ready to fight again.

“The wonders of modern science… Just so long as you can continue the fight! We won’t be losing anyone today!” Darrell replied.

"See, Keep on the Shadowfail? We're not gonna be kept down!"

Daniel promptly casts another wind spell, the Cherub starting a powerful gale with its wings.

• >The violent winds tear into the monstrous Shadow, causing it to fall straight onto the ground (WEAK!). 165 total damage! Whoa!
• >Daniel's SP: 77/85

>2nd Turn Order: Naomi, Max’s Shadow (CANNOT ACT), Darrell, Daniel

“Alright, everyone, CHARGE!” Naomi calls for an All-Out Attack.

"Let's waste 'em!" Daniel shouts, heading into the melee.

“Prepare for a pummeling!” Darrell yells out, dashing in to attack.

• >The group storms in for a wailing!
• >SMASH. SMASH. SMASH.
• >Whoa, 264 total damage!
• >The Shadow is defeated!

Both knight-like figures crumbled into dust as the main structure of the Shadow began crumbling itself. “Not quite bad… but this is merely a beginning.” It spoke before slowly dissipating.

>Conflict End<

edited 24th Apr '14 9:01:49 PM by RagnatheSaviour

The distorted space around them starts to ripple like water. Before long the crew is returned to a darkened alleyway. The time is probably around 4:40 PM, give or take a few minutes. Naomi leans against a wall nearby, pretty much exhausted.

"Jesus, that was exhausting." Damien said, putting down the 2X4 and stretching.

“I don’t feel like I contributed enough to that fight…” Darrell lamented, “Nonetheless, are you two alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, other than that wound I should be good.” the girl in the torn school uniform sighed, “Oiiii.”

"Hey, I'm good enough. Tired as hell and a bit sore, but otherwise okay." Daniel picked back up the 2X4 and looked it over. The spatters of inky "Blood" it had been stained with had seemingly disappeared.

“That sure was something.” A voice came from end of the alleyway. Anyone who looked would notice a tall woman with a mop of green hair, wearing a gold trimmed scarf, and a matching blouse.

“Huh?” Naomi looked the newcomer over.

"What the... Who're you?" Daniel looked over at the newcomer curiously.

Wait, this girl saw all of that? “Uhh…” she mumbled trying to find the right words to say.

“Hm?” Turning to look at the lady, a look of bewilderment came upon Darrell’s face. “Were… you watching us just then,” he asked.

“You can call me Astrid, it’s nice to meet you all. Especially you Naomi. And yes I was watching, I liked what I saw. So much that I think I need a first hand experience.” She reached behind her back pulling out a couple of Frisbees.

"Huh?" Daniel said, looking very confused.

“Wait…” she realized what the mystery girl wanted. “You want a sparring match, don’t you?”

“Is that all she wants?” He asked Naomi, “I can give you that, easy.”

“Well don’t keep me waiting.” she took a more aggressive stance to emphasize that she was done talking.

“Alright, you guys, I got thi-...” she strained with her wound. “M Mmmgh.” however much pain she was in, she stood up to hold her rusted blade at the new adversary.

“Naomi, don’t strain yourself,” he told her, “Let me handle this, I hardly did anything back there.” He tapped his gloves together and assumed his boxing stance again.

"I could help out." Daniel lifted his 2X4 into smacking position.

“Oiiii, alright, you guys, I won’t try so hard this time.” she smiled toward her two friends. “Are you alright with 3-on-1?” she asked Astrid with a grin.

“Sure thing. The more the merrier.”

“Alright, then let’s… go!”

>CONFLICT START<

Somewhere in Canada outside the campus

All while those events were happening, a red-haired man dressed in an apron for his work was walking down the streets, he was shuddering, still used to the warmer climate in Israel.

"How people can settle in this place is beyond me..." He muttered to himself.

He was walking to his part-tme job, teaching children painting, it was fun for the most part, he preferred interacting with children rather than people his age.

He arrived in a small, timeworn looking building, the interior however, looked clean for the most part, aside from some paint that dried up and stuck itself to the floor.

He prepared the tools the children will need until they come, the canvases, the brushes, the watercolors, papers...

edited 25th Apr '14 3:26:20 AM by LiorVal

Castle Hindenburg

Another nightmare.

Max splashed another portion of water upon his face, still not quite awakened. These visions were plaguing him for almost a week now. The other him on the balcony, having a chat with him. The sea of pulsating black just below. The golden, mocking eyes.

This time however it seemed different. Someone entered his dream, somehow... three people. They battled something, but Max couldn't remember what. One of them was definitely the Tsuruga girl, but others? No clue.

Getting himself dressed a brief thought crossed his mind: was it really just a dream? Or perhaps it was something else? Something much more different?

Thankfully, his class didn't have anything noteworthy to attend to. A perfect opportunity to just wander around Pays de Rever for an entire day. Gather inspiration for something to draw.

Getting a hold of his silver mountain bike, the bogeyman of Castle Hindenburg went into city.

edited 26th Apr '14 3:32:34 AM by FergardStratoavis

Strange Building, with Yuval

"Hold on, Jesse! H-hold on!" a rather distraught looking woman fell on into the room with a huff. A younger girl holding her hand lead her straight into the room. "Mr.Yu...Yu.. Yuyu!" the girl didn't seem to get the fact she had to show respect to authority.

"Jesse, that's not how you talk to Mr.Goldenberg." what seemed to be Jesse's sister sighed, "I'm sorry, this girl is just running me ragged." Yuval probably already knew this young girl has taken it upon herself to take care of her relatively younger sibling. She was twenty-four, Jesse wasless than half that. The older sister looked around for a place to sit, "Is this alright?" she pointed to a small chair lined up right with one of the desks. "I'm just going to-" her butt went down.

And down.

She missed the chair.

She fell flat on the ground.

"Ouchhh."

Jesse laughed at her expense. "It's not fun to laugh at another's misery, Jesse..." she trailed off.

It's a Room for Storing Artsy Things Not A Damn Horror Movie House

"Hello Jess, Jazz." The red-haired hazel eyed man smiled and laughed at their entry.

Yuval was already used for Jesse arriving with her sister looking tired and worn like she just ran a whole marathon. Then Jesse mispronouncing his name. Then her older sister berating her for that.

But as much as he was starting to get used to it by now, he still can't help but smile from their interactions.

And then Jazz fell.

"Jesse, this isn't the proper way to treat your sister." Not that he was treated too nicely by his own siblings, or treated them too well himself in his high school years, but this family was not his family.

He walked towards Jesse's sister and offered her to take his hand.

"Need some help?"

edited 25th Apr '14 11:58:24 AM by liorval

University of Rêver: West Entrance

Remy had just left school. The cool breeze chilled the boy to the core, his jacket clearly not providing the warmth it should. Either that, or the boy was simply unaccustomed to the cold, or especially sensitive to it. That lecture had certainly dragged on, and it was one of those requirement classes that Remy simply didn't care about. He just had to do a couple more years of this, 2 or 3 maybe, and then he could finally stop hiding it.

The secret ate away at him all the time, since all of his actions had to be carefully based upon that one fact about his life. Nobody could know, because they might spill the information. If it was leaked onto the internet who he was... then all hope of a future was lost.

It's a Horror House, Lior's Just in Denial. What's More Horrific than True Art? Go Ask Edgar Allen Poe!

"H-hey." Jazz scrambled to her feet after being berated by her younger sister. "He's right, you know, that's no way to treat someone that takes care of you."

"Oh." it seemed the the dissaproval shown to her by 'Mr.Yuyu' was more detrimental to her than her own sister's words. "I'm sorry, Mr.Yuyu." she paced over to hug the tall man's legs gently.

"Hah!" a sassy youngster walked on in to see the display by Jesse, "You really are a—" the boy, who's name is Dave, had his ear yanked by a gruff looking man in his forties.

"We're here." That would be the little boy's father. "Goldenberg, was it?" he said as he walked over to offer a handshake. "The name's Orville. Orville Dawson."

So Are the Drawings and Paintings in the Room Going to Come To Life?

Yuval patted the fragile girl hugging him on the head, "Just remember Jesse, you have to learn from your mistakes, now apologize to your sister."

And then his attention was turned towards the boy and his father.

"Yes, I'm Yuval Goldenberg, it's nice to meet you, I imagine you're Dave's father?" Yuval shook his hands, however he looked and sounded slightly nervous, he usually was with parents, they just remind him of... Unpleasent memories from back home.

Also, he was not good with most people in his age or above regardless of memories.

edited 25th Apr '14 3:31:23 PM by LiorVal

Tim Horton's, corner of Fermete Ave. and Mensonge Blvd.

Finally, it was time for his break. An athletic looking man walked out of the Tim Horton's, donut and coffee in hand, into the cold air. Seemingly unfazed by the biting chill of the winter breeze, he casually sipped his coffee and stretched his legs out a bit. A bite here and there, a sip afterwards. This was the extent of his meal, the second he could have today. Money was tight, regardless of what his manager added to his pay.

Liam finished his meal, and threw away the paper and cup that remained. He sighed, and walked back into the store. His shift would be over in a few minutes, and then he could return home. With the cold breeze, the pendants on his necklace and on his bracelet fluttered slightly.

It had been a long day.

Said Tim Horton's

Normally cycling in such temperatures would be inadvisable, but Max had gotten way too much used to it. It's not like he had anything better to do these days. Attend university on those days that were occupied, otherwise just do a whole bunch of nothing.

Unfortunately for him, the inspiration for drawing wasn't coming. Whether it was the weather just being generally awful or perhaps the dream sequence he was a part of earlier didn't want to go away, it simply wasn't working. To make matters worse, it seemed like it could start snow at any time.

Thankfully for Max and his heavy coat with a fur collar - those are awful to dry sometimes - there was a place to stop by, grab a snack and hopefully wait a few minutes or so to see if the menacing aura can go away. Parking his bike near Tim Horton's before entering. "Good afternoon." He greeted before making his way to Liam. "How's the business hanging? One cappuccino with one donut, please."

"It's going fine, I guess." Liam responded, neutrality masking the slight irritation in his voice. He turned back toward all the machines behind the counter, and made a basic cappuccino. "Do you want anything else in it?" He had his hand on the lever of the milk steamer, and he turned back to look at Max.

"And the kind of donut? The selection's right over there." He said, with a head tilt pointing in the direction of the donut rack.

"I'm good with the basic one." Max gave a brief, but inquisitive stare at the rack. How long has it been since he'd eaten something so simple? Back home they've been treating him to what he called "unusual" and what was supposedly called "Foreign cuisine". Not even a dish, cuisine and he rarely stopped by in places like these. "As for a donut, I dunno... which one would you suggest?" He asked Liam, turning his attention back to him.

Liam pressed the lever down, and with a loud screech the white foamy milk poured into the cup. He placed the plastic top onto the coffee cup, and set it down next to the register. "My suggestion..? The Honey Cruller. I've always been fond of Cruller." Liam mused, picking one off the shelf. The glazed donut shone enticingly with sugar crystals. He placed into the bag. "That'll be $2.50." he said, while placing the bag next to the coffee.

He stood, waiting by the register.

edited 26th Apr '14 12:07:49 PM by amporiusrex

Do Not Tempt the Mighty GM

"I am, yeah." Orville firmly shook Yuval's hand while looking around the rather dingy room. "Couldn't give you something better, could they?" he mused, "People really don't appreciate the Fine Arts anymore. People are too busy with their Game Boys and their Pokeyman games to know better." The man was talking like he was in the late 1990s. He obviously wasn't caught up with all of today's new fangled doo-dads. "But yeah, that's why I enrolled my kid in this class. I'm hoping you can knock some sense into him with that paint brush of yours." the aged man gave Mr.Goldenberg an encouraging smile.

"Ahaha." Jazz laughed a little bit at Orville's way of speech. She was relatively young and caught up with trends... so the way he talked was almost ancient. "Oh yes, I'm Jazz, Jesse's sister. It's nice to meet you Mr.Dawson."

"Hm?" Orville smiled, "Nice to meet you too, Ms." coincidentally he wore a cowboy hat and tipped it off in respect.

Before long more children stormed into the building making for a total of eight. More adults walked in. The place became really lively!

"Honey Cruller it is then." Max nodded, getting out a wallet. An old thing made of crocodile's skin - horribly tactless, he thought - was something he treasured as a gift from his parents: it was the only time where there was something more than just a birthday present, they actually had spent some time with him. That was... ten years ago.

"Here you go." He said, giving Liam the mentioned amount, to the cent and taking both the cappuccino and the donut. "Terrible weather out there. Hopefully it won't erupt into some snowstorm."

Okay Fine I'll Call It a Horror House

"Yeah, but we manage, a good artist can make the best piece even with the worst of tools, and this bunch are really good for their age, they're learning fast as well."

Yuval went to greet the coming parents and children with a smile, and after most of the parents left, he told the children to organize themselves in a row.

"Okay kids, today, we're going to go outside for a little bit, luckily, this area has more a small hill nearby, so we'll have a good view from there, so you go outside I'm going to grab all the stuff you're going to need."

He walked towards Jazz and asked her: "Hey, I know you might be tired, but mind watching them while I do that?" Yuval waited until she nodded, and then went to grab the canvases first, and got them outside, he got the watercolors and put them outside on a table he found in the area, and so on with pencils, brushes, and a few papers for them.

After he put the canvases in the places the children wanted him to, they put their tools on top of things, which luckily their were a lot of good places to place art equipment in that hill, he told them loudly so they'll all hear him: "Come on guys, you can draw and paint whatever you want. I'll go around and help you."

edited 26th Apr '14 12:39:09 PM by LiorVal

Liam shrugged, and gave his customer a half smile. "When you've lived here as long as I have you kind of get used to the cold."

He took the money, and gave him the receipt. "Would you like to join our rewards program?" He said, handing Max a small pamphlet illustrating the perks of the Tim Horton's rewards card. He didn't like advertising this sort of thing, but it was part of his job.

"I don't think I'll ever." Max shook his head. "Born and raised in this very town and as those twenty one years have passed, I still can't get used to it."

"Oh, and sure, I guess." The white-haired man gave a little shrug before taking a look at the paper. "How does it work though? I'm not really all that familiar with things like these."

"It gives you uh... Points or something you can use on future purchases... Savings... Look man, just read the pamphlet." Liam tapped the pamphlet idily. So this guy was born here too? Huh. Shame other people didn't get as cold resistant as he did.

"I'll be off my shift soon sir."

"Point taken." Max chuckled awkwardly, stashing the pamphlet in the pocket of his longcoat. "I'll be sure to give it a read at a later date."

"Oh. Well, in that case may the rest of your day be less boring." Giving Liam a small nod, the white-haired man turned on his heel, sipping the cappuccino on his way outside. Not half bad.

Additionally, the weather was getting better, what's with clouds clearing up a bit. Perhaps this day wasn't going to be as terrible as the dream earlier made it out to be. And also, Max had finally found some inspiration for drawing. Silly as it might be, this here donut... was a decent source.

Taking a stand next to his bike and sipping the coffee, looking at the sun slowly peeking out from behind the gray barrier, he felt... alive.

• >1st Turn Order: Naomi, Astrid, Darrell, Daniel

“Not going to go easy on you.” Naomi took in a deep breath. “PERSONA!” the bracelet is clenched. The visage of her innerself appears overhead, letting out a powerful roar straight at Astrid.

• >Naomi used Dragon’s Roar on Astrid!
• >Naomi HP: 76/118
• >The roar blasts into Astrid, causing a total of 40 damage!

Astrid flinched from the roar. “Not bad Naomi. My turn! PERSONA!” Rather than using an item Astrid seemed to float in the air for second before falling back down. The image of a beautiful woman with large leathery wings and a barbed tail appeared behind her extending her hand. The air above Daniel crackles with electricity before a lightning bolt crashed down on him.

• >Astrid used Zio on Daniel!
• >Daniel's HP: 45/120

Too bad this isn’t some old cartoon. Daniel’s lit up like a Christmas Tree, and judging from the twitching afterwards he’s STILL feeling the shock.

“Ow ow ow ow OW!”

“Whoa! She’s got this power too,” Darrell exclaimed, “Fine then. Guess there’ll be no holding back here!” Darrell grasped his right wrist as Phoenix appeared behind him, facing Daniel. “Let’s take her down with LIGHTNING SPEED!” Phoenix spun its lance around and pointed the tip at Daniel, increasing his speed.

• >Phoenix used Sukukaja on Daniel!
• >Darrel’s SP: 12/24
• >Daniel’s Agility increased!

“Thanks man!” Daniel said, feeling a sort of energy increasing in his muscles. Clutching the locket to his chest, Daniel summoned Cherub again. “Alright, let’s do this thing! Cherub!” Cherub appeared above Daniel, beating its wings again and blasting Astrid with heavy winds.

• >Cherub used Garu on Astrid!
• >Daniel’s SP: 81/85
• >The winds circulate over Astrid, trying to dice her body but it isn’t really getting the effect intended. Just 32 points of damage.

Astrid stood unflinching against the winds “A for effort I guess.” she said.

“Heh, well, I’m just warming up is all. Next hit’s gonna knock you for a loop!” Daniel said, a cocky grin on his face.

• >2nd Turn Order: Daniel, Naomi, Astrid, Darrel
• >Daniel’s Speed Boost: 3 Turns Remain

Almost immediately afterwards, Daniel decides the best course of action is a hearty pimp-boarding. Rushing forward, he attempts to smack Astrid right in the face with his 2X4.

• >Astrid smoothly dodged out of the way!

“Too slow!” Astrid said as she side stepped the board.

“Hey, I’m just getting warmed up!”

Naomi sighed, “Time to return the favor.” she throw a bottle of Medicine at Daniel.

• >Naomi used Medicine on Daniel!
• >Daniel's HP: 95/120
• >Medicine x4

“Come Lillith!” Astrid floated in the air once again summoning her persona. Lillith flapped her wings violently, sending a powerful whirlwind Darrel’s way.

• >Astrid used Garu on Darrel!
• >Darrel falls on his butt while being cut up by the rigorous winds! (WEAK!) A total of 127 damage is dealt! It looks like he’s down for the count.
• >Darrel HP: 23/160

“Ugh… Let my guard down,” Darrel muttered.

“Oops, did I do that?” Astrid held back a chuckle.

“Aaaand another!” Astrid summoned her persona once again, Lillith pointing a finger arcing with a electricity at Daniel blasting him with lightning once more.

• >Astrid used Zio on Daniel!
• >The lightning blasts into the boy like a lightning rod, dealing 75 points of damage!
• >Daniel's HP: 20/120

“Hblblrblblbrbrbrblblb!” Daniel vocalized, making noises like someone was using him like a Shake Weight.

“Everybody! Hang on!” A voice called from behind Astrid as a girl in a blue jacket appeared, her pockets stuffed with papers. “I can help!”

• >3rd Turn Order: Daniel, Naomi, Astrid, Darrel (DOWN!)
• >Daniel’s Speed Boost: 2 Turn Remains

“Okay, we can still salvage this. My strength is yours!” Daniel shouts, clutching the pendant. Cherub appears in front of Naomi, briefly wrapping her in its wings. Magically, her wounds seal before Cherub disappears.

• >Daniel used Dia on Naomi!
• >Daniel’s SP: 78/85
• >Naomi’s HP: 118/118

“Enough of this!” Naomi clutched the bracelet closer to her chest. The dragonic persona appears behind her, unleashing a bellowing roar.

• >Naomi used Dragon’s Roar on Astrid!
• >The soundwaves pulsate, shoving Astrid further back through the alley dealing a total of 40 damage!
• >Naomi’s HP: 102/118

Astrid covered her face with crossed arms as she slid back on her heels. “That one hurt a bit. Time to retaliate. LILLITH!” Astrid exclaimed as Lillith appeared once again flapping her wings and sending a gale down the alley heading for Naomi.

• >Astrid used Garu on Naomi!
• >The gale force winds slice into Naomi’s flesh, reopening the wounds. Total damage dealt is 75!
• >Naomi’s HP: 27/118

“I can… still fight.” Naomi ran back to her old position, bleeding more than usual.

“Hang in there!” Megan shouted from behind Astrid, and reached into her pocket to feel for her pen. “I summon you! Saulos Tarseus!”

On her cry, a robed figure appeared above her, and stabbed his staff into his book. A great storm of fire blasted Astrid.

• >Megan used Maragi on Astrid!
• >A swirling inferno surrounds Astrid, blasting her straight up into the air. A total of 216 damage sends the girl plummeting (DOWN).
• >ONE MORE!

“We have a chance for a united attack! Do you think you can fight?” Megan shouted to the others, drawing her gun.

“I’m ready, let’s get this over with!” She sprints forward straight at Astrid ready to beat her down.

“Let’s end this!” Daniel shouts.

Astrid screamed as she was sent flying through the air, she hit the ground hard, and someone attentive might have noticed a muffled metal clang. She lied there dazed and twitching slightly, she couldn’t get back up.

• >The group storms in for a wailing!
• >SMASH. SMASH. SMASH.
• >Well, Astrid was already knocked out. You guys are pretty damn mean…

>CONFLICT END<

Naomi falls onto her butt (for a second time) and shakes her head. “There.. you go… Astrid, we won… poop, you’re strong.”

Darrel sat there, catching his breath before standing back up. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “Good work, team…” he told them. ...from the sounds of it, it was more than just his body that was bruised from that fight.

Megan ran toward Astrid, whipping out her phone in the process. She hadn’t been through anything like the others, so she still had tons of energy left. She fell to her knees beside Astrid and began to search through her belongings and clothes.

Daniel sat on the ground, aching all over from the fight. “Ugh. I just want to go get some sleep now. I got the shit beaten out of me…”

Megan would find several pens, and a keycard for accessing her dorm room, as well as a wallet containing money. Other than that nothing too out of place. That was a nice scarf she was wearing though.

Daniel looked up at Megan “Uh… are you mugging her?”

“It’s as I thought…” Megan said as she took several pictures of the items with her phone before she stood up. “There’s not a catalyst in sight.”

“There isn’t?” Naomi got up off her lazy butt and walked over to Astrid. “And… wait a second, when did you get your Persona?” the main question finally came to the forefront of her mind.

Megan put the gun back into her pocket and smiled at Naomi. “I’ll tell you my secret if you tell me yours.”

“... I went to the Velvet Room.” she wasn’t sure if Megan was going to believe her words.

Astrid stirred and sat up.

Megan jumped to attention and pointed her gun at Astrid. “Tell me right now. Who are you?”

“Hey, don’t be hasty here.” Naomi walked on over to stop Megan from persecuting Astrid.

“Don’t be hasty?” Megan asked rhetorically, still keeping her gun pointed at Astrid’s forehead. “She doesn’t have a single catalyst. Not to mention the fact that there are next to no records on her person. And did you hear that strange sound she made when she hit the ground? I don’t know who she is, but she is far from clean.”

Daniel had by this point fallen asleep from the general stress of the day as well as tiredness. Hopefully someone thinks to wake him up after this is all over...

Darrel made a mental note to wake Daniel once this little interrogation was over. For now, he walked over to join them in questioning.

“Astrid is my name.” she said in a cheery tone not seeming to mind the gun pointed at her. “And sorry but I’ve got to get going now.”

“I’m sorry, but I think you’ll have to miss that appointment.” Megan said as her trigger finger tensed. “I want answers, and I want them now. Why don’t you have a catalyst, and why are you targeting this girl? I think these are very good places to start.”

“You ask too many questions.”hopping to her feet as if she didn’t just get blown up Astrid tried to kick Megan into the wall and run off disappearing around a corner further down the alleyway.

Megan instinctively reached her arm back to avoid the kick. When she saw Astrid get up and run away, she hurriedly pointed her gun at the fleeing girl again. “Stop! I’ll shoot!” But would she? She certainly didn’t trust the girl, but she couldn’t just shoot her. When Astrid disappeared from her sights, Megan lowered her gun. “Dammit.”

“OI! HOLD IT THERE!” Darrel exclaimed. He began to take off after her, cringing from his injuries, but ultimately lagged behind her due to them. “Agh… DON’T THINK YOU’RE GONNA GET AWAY NOW, YOU HEAR,” he shouted.

Naomi eyed the friendship bracelet as she watched Astrid speed off into the distance. “Not again. YOU, pistol girl, take care of those idiots for me!” Naomi immediately sped off like lightning. Naomi easily overtook Darrel while running due to her injuries being-... well she mostly ignored the pain.

“Shit, I can’t lose this lead!” Megan prepared to speed off after the both of them, but stopped to look at the other two. “Both of you, meet me at the HQ for the school newspaper. Tomorrow after school!” With that, she took off after them, gun still in her hands.

Daniel is still asleep in a dark alley. A stray dog sniffs him, then attempts to gnaw off his hand.

“Gghh.” Naomi’s legs finally gave out on her. Full force, in fact, causing her to fall on over mid-run. “Ouchh..”

“Poor little Naomi. Always pushing yourself to the brink. You should learn to relax once in a while.” Astrid approached Naomi from the shadows to her left, and dropped a chain of beads. “Until next time.” with that she sped off into the distance like a track star.

Megan caught up right when Astrid appeared in plain sight. “Stop!” She yelled again, but the second time worked no better than the first. Now that she was watching Astrid speed away, she had arrived at a crossroad. She can continue to chase down Astrid, whom she had spent so long investigating, but at the same time, there was a new lead right beside her, unconscious on the street. Megan gave a sigh as she felt her heart beat faster than she had ever felt it beat before, and hoisted Naomi’s arm over her shoulder, dragging her back to where the others were waiting.

“Gghh.” Naomi clutched the newly laid beads tightly. “Not again…” she mumbled to herself.

“Tell me about it…” Megan muttered.

“Not… you.” she spoke through ragged breath, “I meant… Astrid.” her voice really was weak. And it was getting weaker!

“Don’t try to talk.” Megan said as she continued on. Inside, she felt a spark of hope. It seems this girl knew something about Astrid, and she was willing to take all the help she could get her hands on. Even if it meant forcibly wringing it out of her.

Back at the alley, Darrel was clutching his sides as he watched the two run off with a ragged breath. “Wh… WHAT?!” He was… a bit confused from the sudden turn of events, but just shook his head and wandered back over to Daniel.

“Ah… ah! Get out of here, dog!” he made a break for him and tried waving the dog away.

Thankfully, the only real damage was a lot of slobber on Daniel’s jacket sleeve. Seems it was old enough to have lost most of its teeth.

“Geez…” He looked back down and scanned Daniel over, thankful that the dog didn’t add on to his injuries. Crouching back down, he lightly slapped him with the back of his hand. “Hey, get up. The ground must be a great bed, but you can snooze on it forever,” he told him.

Daniel opened his eyes and sprung up. “Ugh, sorry. Kind of exhausted here…”

Megan turned the corner supporting Naomi over her shoulder. “I see I didn’t miss anything important.” She said as she looked over Darrel and Daniel’s dog antics.

“They’re being the same as always.” Naomi said with a sullen voice.

Daniel turned to the both of them. “Hm?”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” he asked, standing back up straight. He instinctively cringed in pain, but held it together and tried to make it seem like nothing.

“Nothing~!” the girl tried her best to sound upbeat rather than self-deprecating. “I can stand now, pistol girl.” that’s when Naomi pulled away from Megan to stand on her own two feet.

Daniel looked down at his watch. “Hm. Good thing I don’t have classes today…”

“Good for you.” Megan said as she let Naomi go. “I’ll tell you what I told these two. Meet me at Laurier Hall tomorrow after school. That’s the HQ for the school newspaper, the Rêver Review. Tell anyone there that I sent for you. They can direct you to my office.”

With that Megan turned to walked away, but turned back to leave them with one last message. “And don’t even think about running away. I have means of finding you.”

“I’m not going to run away. I’m the one who got everyone involved in all of this.” she said with a frown. Wow, Naomi felt like crap for some reason! Maybe it’s the injuries.

“RUN?! What kind of man would I be to run from all of this?! You can expect to see me there tomorrow, RIGHT AS RAIN!” He pointed at her with a closed fist and a determined look on his face. Seems he was offended by the notion of giving up.

Daniel looks over at Megan. “Well, I won’t run. I’ve already got a weird baby head to deal with, I can’t very well pretend nothing’s happened now.”

“Well, good for all of you.” Megan said as she turned her backs to them and walked away, twirling her pen in her hand. “I guess I’ll see all of you tomorrow then.” She disappeared around a corner, leaving the the three with their promise.

Naomi took a glance down at her friendship bracelet. Her eyes closed. She forced any unpleasant memories back to where they belonged. “Let’s go.” Naomi bent down to Darrel to give him a leg up if he needed it.

Darrel required no such help. As he WAS A MA- oh god pain. Looking a little bothered, Darrel accepted Naomi’s help and hoisted himself up. “Thanks. ...man, that lady’s weird,” he remarked, “Who’s she, again?”

“Who’s who? The girl we fought or the one that helped us?” Naomi asked for more clarification since Darrel’s wording was pretty vague.

“I meant the one that just left,” he said, crossing his arms, “But the both of them are still pretty weird!”

“I wouldn’t say that.” she mumbled, “Everyone has their own quirks. Their own dreams and… stuff. Not nice to call that weird, and that pistol girl helped us, didn’t she? You should be grateful.” the girl reprimanded her jock friend while she continued to walk.

“Personally I’m just glad we didn’t die horribly there. Turns out being struck by lightning twice hurts like a bitch. It’s like a static shock, except if it was your entire body and also on steroids.”

“Daniel, you should be happy that you have that Persona to protect you from the brunt of the damage.” she frowned, “If you didn’t… you’d be fried.”

“Oh. Well then. That’s interesting in a seriously morbid way…” He said, looking down slightly. “Christ, and this morning was so normal too…”

“Heh. You can bow out if you want, you know, Daniel. Darrel and I can handle the rest from here.” Naomi said in a sincere way.

Daniel shook his head vigorously. “Uh, no. Can’t do that. You see, I am not a terrible person who would leave other people to possibly die if he can help it. Cherub can heal you guys, and he hits like a Mack Truck with his magic. I think I’ll be pretty helpful.”

“Well, can’t argue with that.”

Daniel smiled. “Glad we’re in agreement. Hey, so, not sure how often you listen to the radio, but I DJ the campus radio station in the mornings. If you ever wanna chat you can swing by.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if I ever want a break during my morning jogs,” Darrel told him. “And I’m not saying they’re dreams and quirks and stuff are weird,” he told Naomi, “I mean what just happened felt weird. A lady suddenly shows up and offers to fight us, beats us till we’re seeing stars, and then another lady shows up out of the blue like a detective and suddenly interrogates the other? That’s pretty weird!”

“Can’t deny that either.” she chuckled.

Daniel sighs. “Seriously, that was weird though. Everything about today has been weird. Even my coffee tasted funny this morning.”

“That didn’t sound very important.” she noted on the last thing that Daniel said, “But… enough talking, don’t you think we need to get some rest?”

“Definitely. I could sleep for ages, and it’s only, like, 5:30…”

“I hear ya,” Darrel said, “I gotta get home and get something for all that wind. Still all tender from it.”

“Heh, alright then guys, we shouldn’t waste anymore time.”

With that, the group went back to their dorm rooms for a good night’s rest.

END OF DAY 1

The posts above this one that aren't mine take place in Day 2, just for clarification.

edited 26th Apr '14 5:29:39 PM by RagnatheSaviour

It was at this point that Daniel walked up to the Tim Hortons with the full intent on grabbing the absolute darkest coffee he could get... at least until he noticed Max.

"Oh! Hey! I remember you from that weird Region of Denial thing. How're you?"