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FergardStratoavis A Fluff Ringer from Bellveins (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
A Fluff Ringer
#26: Apr 26th 2014 at 5:50:18 PM

Max's attention was piqued as he looked at the newcomer, curious. Yes, he did seem familiar. He was alongside Tsuruga in that strange dream sequence.

Or was it really a dream after all?

"Oh, good day." He responded, nodding. "I guess I'm hanging on. Hopefully if it came to blows, the inner me didn't rough the two of you up too badly." A small coffee sip. "So... I don't think I've got your name earlier back there."

Bluesunnyday Big Scientist from The Blue Lagoon Since: Apr, 2011
Big Scientist
#27: Apr 26th 2014 at 5:51:57 PM

"Uh, Daniel. Daniel Rodgers. I uh, I run the Campus Radio Station in the morning. Not sure how often you listen to the radio at all, so... But yeah, I'm fine. That thing went down like a bitch the moment I used wind on it." He smiles. "No need to feel bad or anything."

Blue Pacific, signing off...
amporiusrex Bark Bark Man from Dunkland, USA Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
Bark Bark Man
#28: Apr 26th 2014 at 6:06:27 PM

Liam frowned for a bit at the prospect of having to serve another customer this close to the end of his shift. However, a friendly hand on his shoulder surprised him, and knocked the frown from his face.

"You're free to go buddy." greeted the voice of James, the man who worked the counter after him, which meant his shift was over. With a friendly wave, Liam strolled out from behind the counter and walked into a door close by.

Tim Horton's Employee Break Room

He picked up his paycheck and changed into his normal clothes. He stretched his legs a little bit, they were sore from standing still for so long, and jogged in place for a short time. The charm around his neck jingled slightly, and the reminder brought a smile to his face. He'd see her again soon.


Bleumont Street

Shouldering his bag, Remy shivered. The cold here was astounding. The University wasn't too far from his house, but every winter day he rued the fact that he didn't own a car or a bike. This jacket was probably enough for someone who was accustomed to the cold, but Remy was definitely not that person.

He swore under his breath, several times.

edited 26th Apr '14 6:34:09 PM by amporiusrex

"Gimme your pants.. and now your other pants"
FergardStratoavis A Fluff Ringer from Bellveins (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
A Fluff Ringer
#29: Apr 26th 2014 at 6:16:37 PM

"...I see." Max wasn't sure what to make of it. He did remember that Daniel swore an awful lot back then. "Max Hindenburg, good to meet you. Can't say I listen to the radio back on campus all that often though I guess I probably should."

"I take you know a bit more than I about these... how did you call it, denial regions?" The name hit way too close to home. Max wasn't sure if he's going to stand yet another round of his inner self rambling about this, about him having a "problem". Sure, Tsuruga and the man in front of him had managed to defeat the other him - as strange as it sounded - but what if it comes back?

edited 26th Apr '14 6:17:40 PM by FergardStratoavis

Bluesunnyday Big Scientist from The Blue Lagoon Since: Apr, 2011
Big Scientist
#30: Apr 26th 2014 at 6:21:15 PM

"Uh, I don't know much either, really. I just got dragged along. Really, I don't even know what was going on for the most part. But, hey, you're safe and that's what matters. Hey, uh, if you ever wanna, like, talk about anything you can stop in at the radio station in the mornings. I'm not available in the afternoon though. I have classes then..." Daniel said, smiling.

Blue Pacific, signing off...
FergardStratoavis A Fluff Ringer from Bellveins (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
A Fluff Ringer
#31: Apr 27th 2014 at 1:58:13 AM

"Oh. Sure, no problem. I will keep that in mind." Daniel's proposition seemed a little out of the blue, but Max supposed they're floating the same boat now, dealing with things like these.

"Actually... say, are you in need of a meeting place? I guess I owe you that much for booting me out of that nightmare earlier."

Bluesunnyday Big Scientist from The Blue Lagoon Since: Apr, 2011
Big Scientist
#32: Apr 27th 2014 at 8:41:29 AM

"Uh, I'd have to talk to the others, really. I don't wanna make any agreements that the others wouldn't be ok with, yknow?" Daniel seemed somewhat apologetic about this.

Blue Pacific, signing off...
FergardStratoavis A Fluff Ringer from Bellveins (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
A Fluff Ringer
#33: Apr 27th 2014 at 9:39:32 AM

"Fair enough." Max nodded in acknowledgement, fishing a cellphone out of his longcoat's pocket. "Honestly though, I remember only you and Tsuruga from there. Anyway, we can exchange numbers so you can dial me up once you've made up your mind about this."

Bluesunnyday Big Scientist from The Blue Lagoon Since: Apr, 2011
Big Scientist
#34: Apr 27th 2014 at 10:11:36 AM

"Right, sure thing." Daniel shared his number with Max. "Hope you don't mind if I give this to the others? Just to make things easier?"

Blue Pacific, signing off...
RagnatheSaviour Since: Oct, 2011
#35: Apr 27th 2014 at 10:38:30 AM

THE HORROR (of the house)

The parents all left except for Jesse's own sister Jazz who always helped Yuval out during these little sessions. That and who else was going to reign in that little sister of hers? "It's fine with me." Jazz nodded then everything moved on out to the hillside. After Mr.Goldenberg's announce of being allowed to draw/paint anything, Jesse immediately started painting a radical caricature of their art teacher. He was given a gigantic red pompadour and exaggerated muscles. Did I mention he was doing a crude version of a signature flamboyant pose?

Jazz complimented her younger sibling on the work while falling down to her rear on the grass. "Ahhhh, it feels nice to relax every once and a while."

FergardStratoavis A Fluff Ringer from Bellveins (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
A Fluff Ringer
#36: Apr 27th 2014 at 10:47:46 AM

"Be my guest." Finishing his coffee, Max pocketed the cellphone. "I guess in that case we're settled. See you around." Giving Daniel a small nod, the white-haired man stashed his remaining donut in the pocket before cycling away.

Perhaps... perhaps something could have been done after all.

Bluesunnyday Big Scientist from The Blue Lagoon Since: Apr, 2011
Big Scientist
#37: Apr 27th 2014 at 10:54:05 AM

Daniel headed inside and grabbed a coffee before stepping back outside and deciding to dial up Naomi on his cell phone.

Blue Pacific, signing off...
LiorVal Since: May, 2013
#38: Apr 27th 2014 at 12:35:20 PM

Artsy Hill

As Yuval examined Jesse's drawings, he felt his body tempatures rise, his face turn red. He chuckled as an embarrassed grin snuck to his face, he spoke in his baritone voice, "Uh… Wow, that's impressive. You're learning really fast Jesse, you'll get better than me in no time! "He patted the young girl on the head.

After he inspected her drawing he was done with a full circling of all the children, he padded towards Jazz and sat beside her, in a good location to watch them. His cheeks still slightly flushed.

"Your sister never fails to surprise me." He remarked.

edited 27th Apr '14 12:41:28 PM by LiorVal

RagnatheSaviour Since: Oct, 2011
#39: Apr 27th 2014 at 1:41:22 PM

Artsy Hill

"She's always had a nack for being creative. Unlike me," Jazz deprecates herself while smiling, "It's just the world is too complex for someone like me. Everything just moves on too fast and eventually you're the one that's left behind. My former classmates, my friends, everyone's just pushing themselves forward while I'm just a stick in the mud." she pushed a black hair out of her face with her left hand while her right starts pulling up at the green grass. "Frustrating, really." afterward Jazz buckled her legs up then wrapped her arms around them. "What about you, Yuval? What's going on in your life? Is there anything that you want to talk about?" she asked this because the children don't really seem to need his help at the moment.


Naomi

Ring. Ring. Ring.

"Hello?" Naomi said with a chipper tone. "Wait, this is Daniel, isn't it?" The sound of struggle was prominent on Naomi's end of the conversation. "No no, Grandpa, don't—"

CLANG.

There was a clatter.

"Noooo, now we have to pick it all up..."

"HOHO, don't worry about it!" said an older gent.

"Riiiight... um, Daniel, sorry, can't talk long. What is it?"

edited 27th Apr '14 2:26:05 PM by RagnatheSaviour

Bluesunnyday Big Scientist from The Blue Lagoon Since: Apr, 2011
Big Scientist
#40: Apr 27th 2014 at 1:43:35 PM

Daniel was rather confused. "Uh, hey, just wanted to ask if you remember when that reporter chick wanted us to meet her again? Also, uh, you know that Max guy we saved yesterday? He's offering us a place to meet up. Figured I should run that by you and Jacque Strahp before I made any agreements."

Blue Pacific, signing off...
LiorVal Since: May, 2013
#41: Apr 27th 2014 at 3:43:39 PM

Hill

Yuval fidgeted, his breath got heavier as the atmposphere tensed, stretched a few times, moving his feet and hands around constantly, he cleared his throat, one hand crossing his stomach and holding the other arm.

"Well. I just got off my 3 military service years in the IDF. So nothing really could happen, but... I have been stagnant, stuck in the past since..." Yuval's grimaced, as the memories of his friend's bloody body flashed in his mind, the sirens and the cops surrounding the scene of the crime and stopping his own hand from delivering another punch to the culprit's gut.

"I'd... Rather not talk about it, but... Don't worry about me. I'm fine, really." He let out a nervous laugh, stretched again, swallowed and examined the grass to get the thoughts out of his head. A despondant and regretful look has been plastered to his face.

edited 27th Apr '14 3:45:28 PM by LiorVal

RagnatheSaviour Since: Oct, 2011
#42: Apr 27th 2014 at 4:22:40 PM

Hill

"O-oh." Jazz realized her mistake, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have started rambling on about my problems to you. I should've asked, first of all..." she fidgets. "... But, um." Now the conversation really got awkward all of a sudden. The words escaped her. What exactly did she want to say? She started complaining, she should be able to finish the conversation that she had started. "Mmmmm." Instead of continuing on, the woman sealed herl ips.


Naomi

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

CLANG.

"GRANDPA, I SWEAR TO... I have to go, Daniel, after I leave her, I'm heading straight to meet Megan at Laurier Hall. Okay? Okay? Bye!"

CLICK... beep.

edited 27th Apr '14 4:26:40 PM by RagnatheSaviour

LiorVal Since: May, 2013
#43: Apr 27th 2014 at 4:47:33 PM

Yuval scratched his head, grabbed some grass from the ground and glanced in other directions.

after thinking back on what Jazz said, he realized that he hasn't really payed attention to her, he never really asked her about her life any time at all, despite her helping them for quite a while now, she doesn't really... Seem to have a lot to her life, besides her sister, she doesn't have much to it.

edited 27th Apr '14 4:48:04 PM by LiorVal

RagnatheSaviour Since: Oct, 2011
#44: Apr 27th 2014 at 9:21:42 PM

ART HILL

Jazz didn't say much of anything after that due to the awkward silence. Time marched on for the kid's in the class. Eventually it had ended. Jesse and Jazz had said their good-byes.

And the day marched on.

  • Yuval forged a Social Link of the Magician Arcana with Jazz!
    • RANK 1


'''Naomi and Co. —- University of Rêver The little job of putting the weapons in a box from the shed into, well, the box proved to take more time than needed. After loading it up on the back of Naomi’s Vespa, she started on her ride to the University to meet Megan and exchange information on the goings-on of the city.

Where fantasy meshed with reality. Where ‘dark’ impeded on the light. Lies, untruths ran the world. Where was she going to get answers to this and to the past? These thoughts swamped Naomi on her journey through town.

Eventually she pulled up to Laurier Hall after finding a suitable parking place. She threw her helmet it off and made her way to the ‘HQ’ of the School Newspaper.

Students walked by Naomi without a clue as to what in the world had been happening. They were ignorant, blissfully so since they didn’t have to suffer the otherworldly nightmares of the Shadows. “Mmmm.” Was there going to be any recognition by the end of this? Any compensation? Naomi likes to think of herself as selfless but a part of her-... no, she shouldn’t think about it.

“Pistol girl!” she opened up the door while forgetting to say Megan’s name. “Are you here?”

Daniel walked up to Laurier Hall, his coffee still in hand and his headphones pumping some sort of techno directly to his brain. The bitter smell wafting from his drink had managed to clear a small area around himself. It was more like he had piping hot medicine in the cup rather than a regular beverage. Entering the hall, he noticed Naomi. “Oh, hey.”

The person standing beyond the door wasn’t Megan. Instead, he had on a pair of glasses and was carrying a stack of papers, having just come out of the printing room. He looked at the duo quizzically. “Uh, who are you?”

“Naomi Tsuruga. A girl who worked with the newspaper sent for us.” she did her best not to actually say ‘pistol girl’ that time. Not everyone knows her by that name, first of all. Actually - NAOMI is the only one who even called her that.

“Oh, are you the ones Miss Newkirk was talking about? You guys are kind of late.” The boy adjusted his glasses before hoisting the stack of papers higher to chest. “Well, I was just about to head to her office anyway, so you can follow me.”

“Alright, alright, lead the way.” the dark-haired girl smiled. All of a sudden Naomi realized she didn’t even see Daniel, “Oh, sorry, how’ve you been?~”

“Oh, good, good, can’t complain. Got some rest, went to a class on Freudian Basics or whatever, got my usual coffee bitter enough to raise the dead…” Daniel seemed rather calm at the moment, all things considered.

The group ascended a flight of stairs and arrived at the second floor. The boy leading them smiled. “Yeah, her office is right around that corner.” When they arrived at the door, the boy pushed his papers against the wall and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Tsuruga and Rodgers. You wanted to see them, right?”

“Yeah, send them in.”

The boy opened the door and led the two inside, where they were greeted by an annoyed Megan sitting at her desk. The windows to their left were open, offering a very pleasant view of the campus, and behind Megan was a pulled-down screen for the overhead projector in the middle of the ceiling.

The boy stepped in and dropped the stack of papers on her desk. “These are some new articles, Miss Newkirk.”

Megan nodded. “Thank you, now please excuse us.”

The boy nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Megan gestured toward the three chairs on the other side of the room across from her, indicating for them to sit down.

Daniel sat down in one of the chairs, casually taking one headphone off his ear.

Naomi walked on over to a chair next to Daniel, “This is all pretty fancy stuff.”

“I take care of my office. I do spend most of my time here.” Megan said, tapping her finger against her arm. “More importantly, did you get lost on campus or something? Why are you late?”

Daniel shrugs. “I didn’t even know where we were supposed to meet you until about half an hour ago.”

“I got us better equipment to help fight. Had a little debating match with my Grandpa. It’s a pretty long story.” Naomi waved her hand, “Anyway, let’s get down to business, okay?”

“Yes, I agree.” Megan said as she put her elbows on her desk. She crossed the fingers of her hands and covered her mouth and nose, leaving only her eyes to stare into the eyes of the two sitting across from her. “First of all, what are your relationships with Astrid Delacroix?”

“...” she Japanese girl went silent. “Um.. she was… an old friend of mine.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “Who now?”

“The girl we fought yesterday, Daniel.”

“Oh. Well, I have literally never met her except for yesterday.”

“Oh?” Megan raised an eyebrow at Naomi. “Then perhaps you could tell me a little about her since I can’t seem to find anything.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a folder, throwing it onto the desk. Attached to the folder was a picture of Astrid, but there were so little papers inside that they could not have possibly meant anything.

“I can’t.” her voice was adamant, “I don’t want to relive it.”

Megan’s eyes narrowed. “Then maybe we’ll leave that for later. On another subject, I have noticed that several Regions of Denial have been disappearing lately. I suppose that’s your doing?”

“It was me first, then I met Daniel, then Darrel. So yeah, that would be us.” Naomi stated cleanly.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Daniel said, sipping his coffee.

“Well, then I suppose I should thank you. Speaking of Ansel, however, where is he?”

“No idea.” she put a hand to her chin, “I only talked to Daniel before I prepped to come over here so I wouldn’t know.”

Daniel shrugged. “I didn’t see him on my way over.”

“I see.” Megan said thoughtfully. “Perhaps one of you should text him to get here. I have questions for him as well.”

“Ah, alright.” Naomi pulls out her phone to send Darrel a text saying ‘We’re already with Megan, what’s taking your butt so long to get moving?’ “Done and…” she hit send, “Done.”

“Now, while we wait for him, I have a question for you, Rodgers.” Megan said, shifting her gaze to the boy. “How did you get your Persona?”

Daniel shrugged. “Uh, not entirely sure of the specifics. I went to this weird room, signed a contract, and then I got trapped in a Realm of Denial and suddenly I discover I can summon a weird baby head. Naomi showed up a little bit afterwards and basically that’s what happened.”

“I see.” Megan said, and then turned to Naomi. “How about you, Tsuruga? You didn’t give me a lot of information last time. How did you get your Persona?” “... I went to the Velvet Room. I met a man with a banana nose that called himself Igor. He told me that Personas were manifestations of the psyche that people use to protect themselves. They come out in times of great duress. That’s around the time I got my Persona.” she leaned back in the chair, “It’s all still confusing to me even now, but I’ve taken the job of protecting the city. That’s what’s lead me here.”

Megan raised an eyebrow. “No Region of Denial for you, huh?”

“None. I can also… apparently use multiple Persona. Haven’t had a chance to test that out yet.” talking about this obviously made Naomi pretty uncomfortable.

Megan’s eyes widened in astonishment when she heard multiple Persona, but she immediately calmed herself, hoping that the others didn’t catch her in a moment of surprise. She made a mental note to investigate further. “Very well. Rodgers, you’re free to go, but I have a few more questions for Tsuruga. If you happen to see Ansel as you leave, please kindly tell him to pick up the pace.”

“More questions?” Megan actually seemed competent at her job. Prying into the past. Digging down deeper and deeper. Yeah, pistol girl was certainly cut out for journalism.

Daniel left the room while stealing a glance back at Naomi. After that he was gone. The girl just waved her friend off while going to face Megan, “So your, uh, questions?”

Megan stood up from her desk, and began to pace around the room. Rodgers had given her just about all she expected out of him, but it seems this one would be a little harder to crack.

“I’m going to ask you the first question I asked you when you arrived, Tsuruga.” Megan said slowly, walking behind Naomi now. “What is your relationship with Delacroix?”

“She’s an old friend. From my childhood. That’s it.” her eyes dart in the direction that Megan took to walk behind her.

“Then let’s move on to the second question.” Megan said, moving into Naomi’s blind spot. “What can you tell me about her that’s not already included in that pathetic excuse for a profile lying on my desk?” The question was rhetoric as any information at all would tell more, but Megan was sure that Naomi would get that. After all, she was a smart girl. Now let’s see if she was smart enough to answer her question.

“I said ‘old friend’. I don’t know what she’s been up to since then.”

“Then tell me about the childhood memories you shared together. If you two were so chummy, you had to have some memories locked away in that head of yours. Other than the time she beat you half to death, that is.” “I don’t have to tell you anything.” Naomi snapped back, “They’re my memories, not yours.”

Daniel leaned against the wall, listening to his music and playing some dumb game, waiting for Naomi to finish her conversation with the crazy reporter lady.

“Oh, I get it.” Megan mused as she walked over to her desk and leaned on it with her arms crossed. “Painful memories, huh? I’m right, aren’t I?”

“You have no idea.” she mumbled.

“I am right, aren’t I? Let me guess, problems in America? No wait, Japan! Hell, maybe even both! You little snake, sweeping all of that under the rug. Tell me this then, did it hurt keeping all of that in? Ever want to just walk into an empty room and shout it out? Maybe cry about it afterwards?” Megan was just being abrasive now, but she was done playing good cop. If the girl wasn’t going to cooperate, then she’ll force it out of her.

“... Ever been treated like an object, pistol girl?” Naomi stood up from the chair and walked straight over to Megan. Her fists were balled up. Her gaze was fixated on the girl in front of her.

If Naomi still had the sense to observe close details, she might have noticed Megan’s lips curl into a smile for half a second, but it was only for a flash. In the blink of an eye, Megan was all poker face. “I can’t say I have, Tsuruga, but if you want to cry about it, my shoulder is right here.”

“I’ve dealt with people like you before.” Naomi’s hand continued to curl. Her nails were breaking into her skin. “That fake face, saying things they don’t mean… all just to get someone else to do something. Those people in white coats never knew when to stop.”

Gotcha, Megan thought in her head. The light at the end of the tunnel was in sight. Now all she had to do was keep pressing and-

Something ‘hurt’ all of a sudden. Like Naomi’s head started burning from the inside out. Sweat formed on her brow as she lost stability. “Ah-” she used a chair nearby to steady herself.

“Tsuruga?” Megan asked, reaching out a hand to help. “Tsuruga, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing.” she took Megan’s hand so that she could stand back up. “Nothing, I’m perfectly fine.” now she put a stupid, smiling face back on.

Daniel knocked briefly on the door. "Uh, is everything alright in there? I thought I heard something..." How he heard ANYTHING over the blaring wubs is a scientific question for another day.

“For the love of…” Megan muttered as she walked over and opened the door, poking her head out of it. “Everything’s fine here, Rodgers. I thought I told you to leave, so please leave.” She didn’t even wait for a reply before slamming the door closed and locking it.

"I'm waiting for Nao-" Daniel was cut off as the door slammed in his face.

Megan walked over to Naomi and got right in her face. “Okay, now let’s make this quick because your friend out there is waiting. Who are these people in coats? Were they scientists? Something to do with that ability to summon multiple Persona perhaps?”

Naomi seemed like she’d rather not have another painful flashback, “They’re … all connected, yeah. Ever heard of the Kirijo Group?” That was a stupid question since pretty much everyone knows about the multinational monster conglomerate.

“The Kirijo Group…” Megan muttered, taking a step back to process all the information backed into those three words. “You’re saying they know about Persona?”

“Know about them?” Naomi finally steadied herself. “They’ve done experiments on Shadows. I was a…” she mumbled, “Remember what I said about being treated as an object? I also remember hearing something about the creation of artificial-Persona users for their own selfish goals. If that was the previous Nanjo Group or Kirijo Group, I'm... not sure, but that’s part of the reason I came here, to North America. My parents were sick of how I was being treated so we turned tail." she said while looking away, “We had to.”

“...” Megan remained silent for a moment as she observed Naomi, taking in the information that she had given her. She didn’t want to believe what was being told to her, but the fact that she didn’t was how she knew that it was truth. She gave a deep sigh, and patted Naomi’s shoulder as she walked over to the window, looking over the students rushing to their classes to learn about what seemed to Megan as anything but important right now. “I’m… sorry to hear that.”

“You can choose to believe me or not, that doesn’t matter. What matters right now is stopping these ‘Regions of Denial’ from taking any more lives than they have already.” Naomi tightened her grip on the friendship bracelet. “And we have Personas- that’s the only way that anything will actually get done. I don’t care if I end up failing this semester or end up losing my life…” she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her hands were already shaking like leaves. “I want to put an end to this. That’s one of the major reasons I came here. I wanted to ask for your help.”

Megan stuffed her hands in her pockets, her right hand fidgeting with the pen that she had kept with her ever since she could remember. “Thank you, Tsuruga. However, I still want to ask you one last question.” Megan turned to face Naomi, looking her straight in the eyes. “How long have you lived in this city?”

“I’ve been living with my Grandfather for these past two years. Started at the University just this last semester.” the clean answer should suffice Megan’s curiosity, thought Naomi.

Daniel checked his watch. Hopefully this would be over soon.

Megan nodded as she turned to look out the window again, hiding her distant eyes lost in a sea of nostalgia. “I was born and raised in this city. The friends and family I have here, they’re all I have. This city is all I know. It’s my life. Right now, this is not the city I grew up in. If anything or anyone intends to cause harm to this city, I will stop them by any means possible.” Her fists clenched in her pockets. “I’m grateful for everything you’re doing for this city, Naomi, but I can’t trust you yet,” She turned around and gave Naomi a smile. “but if you need anything, let me know. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Well…” Naomi was really happy that she might have had someone else to fight alongside. Seeing as that wasn’t going to happen, at least at present, she resigned herself with a sigh. “I’ll continue to protect this city from itself.” Naomi walked over to put her hands on Megan’s shoulders. Now she stared straight into her eyes just to show her the full extent of her indomitable resolve. “You can count on me, okay~?”

“I will, thank you.” Megan said with a smile, before looking over at the door. “You can go home now, Naomi. You wouldn’t want to keep your friend waiting. Oh, and tell Ansel he’s off the hook as well. I believe I have had enough for one day.”

“Alright. Oh, I need your phone number.” said Naomi before she actually forgot something that crucial.

“Okay. Let’s exchange each other’s over infrared.” Megan said as she pulled out her phone from her left pocket.

Naomi pulled out her own phone in response and exchanged her number. After confirming that she actually got it, she put it away. “I’m sorry I got a little mad there… the past is something I just avoid talking about.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I said all those things too.” Megan said, looking down. “I didn’t know what you had to go through. I went too far.”

“Oh, yeah, we-... OH! OH! OH! OH!” Naomi clapped her hands together. “I forgot, I forgot, I talked to my Grandpa about getting better weapons.” She could have sworn she mentioned that. Oh well. Immediately the girl unlocked the door and opened it up, “Daniel, I have something to show you. You too, Megan.”

Daniel looked up from his seat on the floor. "Hm?"

“Come on, follow me. You come too, Megan!” Naomi said while walking toward the building’s entrance.

Daniel stood up and followed Naomi.

Megan looked back at her office one more time. Adjusting a pen that had fallen a little lopsided, she hurried out of her office and locked her door, following after Naomi and Daniel.


The group walked on out to Naomi’s Vespa. There was a buckled box strapped to the back. She opened it up to reveal even more wooden boxes inside! “See?”

“A bunch of boxes?” The question was sarcastic. What Megan really wanted was for Naomi to open them up.

“Well, here you go Megan.” Naomi pulled out one of the boxes that looked small enough for a compact firearm to be carried it. If the girl would open it up - well, that’s exactly what it was. Naomi gave it to Megan with a smile on her face.

“Whoa…” Megan trailed off in surprise as she held up the gun in her hands. “This stuff is expensive. How did your grandfather get this?”

It was then a faint shouting could be heard in the distance. It was quickly approaching the three of them, though it definitely didn’t sound like the person was distressed.

“My Grandpa has a history with dealing weapons. I’ll just say that.” she laughed nervously.

Megan examined the pistol closely before hearing something off in the distance. “I think I know who that is.”

It became more clear that whoever was shouting was definitely an apology… If one looked carefully, and, well, listened carefully, it was definitely Darrel, barreling down the way shouting off “Sorry!” at them.

“Oh, well, we already talked with pistol girl.” Naomi can’t really make up her mind what to call Megan, can she?

Darrel came to an abrupt stop in front of them. Judging from the sweat on his face and the shortness of breath, it seemed as though he had been sprinting the whole way there. It also seemed as though he didn’t hear Naomi, as he was raggedly trying to explain his lateness in between his short breaths. Something about his classes running later than expected, a dog, a cat, a lot of dogs and cats…

“Well, I’m glad you weren’t sick or dead.” Megan joked with a smile, but suddenly seemed to remember something. “Oh! I just remembered that I have articles to approve. I should get started on those.” She stepped back to address everyone. “Thank you all for what you’re doing, I really can’t express my gratitude in words. I wish you all good luck.” With those parting words, she tucked her new gun in her pocket, and walked back towards her office.

Darrel watched Megan leave with a puzzled look on his face. He turned his attention to Naomi and asked her, “What’d I just miss?”

“I see~” Naomi didn’t get a lick of what Darrel said. She handed him a pair of black boxing gloves that had spikes protruding from the knuckles. “Not a lot.” she answered his question.

Still catching his breath, he looked the gloves over curiously. “Whoa now… you sure? Because this… this looks like a lot.”

“We’re fighting Shadows. Is there really any meaning to the word ‘a lot’ in this context?” she narrowed her eyes.

Darrel sighed, he wasn’t his normal energy brimming self right now and didn’t feel like debating it. “What I mean is, where’d this stuff come from? And what’d you two talk about with the Wonder Investigator?”

“She asked us about if we were the ones that were saving the city with the Regions of Denial and what not.” she said, “And my Grandpa used to deal in weapons. He’s also a blacksmith, so there’s that too.”

“So what,” he started, “Now we got an open pipeline to better weaponry then?”

“Exactly!” Naomi said as she turned around to look for Daniel. Huh, he was already gone. Guess she’d have to give him his ‘present’ next they met. “Better equipment means better fights. Better fights means more victories.” she said while turning back to Darrel.

“And more victories means getting closer to whatever’s been causing all this weird stuff to happen lately.” He clenched his fists excitedly, “I like the sound of this already! How come you never told us about your grandpa before?”

“Well because he’s been… ‘tied’ up, recently.” Naomi nervously laughed, “Now he’s free and ready to help us.”

“Uh-huh… well, give him my thanks then! Speaking of helping us…” He looked back over at the building Megan went back into, “She on our side now?”

“She said she’ll help us and if we need anything to call her. I have her number for when that time comes.” she looked into the pocket of her pants where her phone was. “So there’s nothing else to worry about. At least until the next Region of Denial shows up.” Naomi closed up the chest on the Vespa and got on. “Do you need a ride home?”

Confidently, he set his fists on his sides and said, “I think I’ll be able to—” He was cut off by the painful reminder his legs gave him. Gathering himself up again he told her, “...yeah, I’d appreciate a ride.”

“Then get on, I’ll get you home in a jiff.” she put her helmet while giving Darrel the spare that was under the seat.

He tied the gloves around his belt, put the helmet on, and hopped on. He looked a little uneasy about riding it for a moment, though it seemed to pass quickly.

The two college kids got onto the Vespa and away Naomi went to take Darrel back home since his legs would have killed him otherwise.


Megan arrived at the door to her office and took out her keys when the boy who had escorted the group earlier appeared.

“Have your guests left, Miss Newkirk?”

“Yeah.” Megan said with a faint smile. “Actually, could you do me a favor?”

Megan quickly unlocked the door and rushed in to grab the stack of articles on her desk. Running back out she handed them back to the boy.

“Take these to the Editor and have him read them instead. Whatever he says, I agree with.”

The boy looked confused. “But Miss Newkirk, you never-”

“I know, but I have something important to do. Thanks, I appreciate it.” She said as she slipped back into her room and locked the door, leaving the confused helper behind.

Now all alone, Megan walked over to her bag in the corner of the room and took out her laptop, setting it on her desk. She opened it up and turned it on. While her computer was booting up, she walked over to the projector screen and pulled it up and reveal a whiteboard. Plastered over it were numerous photos and all sorts of marks from sharpies, connecting photo to photo. Taking a red one, she circled a picture of Naomi, and drew a line connecting her picture to Astrid.

When the computer finally booted up, she reached across her desk and took out a pen from her mug, the same one she had adjusted earlier. She took off the cap to reveal a USB, and plugged it into her computer. She remembered back to when she first asked for a voice recorder pen for Christmas when she was twelve, and smiled to herself as she saved the mp3 into Media Player. She turned her chair to face the whiteboard and took out a pencil and notepad. Leaning back, she played the voice recordings on her computer as she scribbled notes in her office.

END OF DAY 2

  • Naomi forged a Social Link of the Judgement Arcana with Megan!
    • RANK 1

  • Megan forged a Social Link of the Fool Arcana with Naomi!
    • RANK 1

edited 27th Apr '14 9:41:42 PM by RagnatheSaviour

bluesunnyday Big Scientist from The Blue Lagoon Since: Apr, 2011
Big Scientist
#45: Apr 28th 2014 at 10:55:36 AM

It was the morning, Daniel's favorite time of day. Sitting down in the booth, he waited patiently for the "On The Air" signal to light up. Soon, it did, and Daniel launched into his act.

"Gooooood morning, U of R! This is DJ Danny Boy here to bring you the tunes you need to get goin' in the morning! Now, listeners, I've been asked time and time again what in the world a DJ actually DOES in this age of digital playlists and MP 3 players... Well, the answer, dear listeners, is we Make Groove. This is Rip Slyme's Fa-a-ar."

With that, Daniel fired up the song and sat back in his chair.

Blue Pacific, signing off...
amporiusrex Bark Bark Man from Dunkland, USA Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
Bark Bark Man
#46: Apr 29th 2014 at 4:33:19 AM

Day 3

"This guy again? Damnit." Remy muttered, listening begrudgingly to the music blaring from the PA system. He shifted the weight of his bag, and walked into the school for his lecture. Thankfully for him, he only had one class scheduled for today. He treated this day as his 'creative day' , the one day a week he was able to (mostly) concentrate on his other side.

VINDLER

"Gimme your pants.. and now your other pants"
RagnatheSaviour Since: Oct, 2011
#47: Apr 29th 2014 at 3:19:05 PM

Morning...

It was the early morning in Pays de Rêver. Students were going to the University of Rêver for their morning classes. Civilians were getting up to go to work at their jobs. However, one distinct man was at a cafe. He wore a derby hat, white trench coat and he had a pair of thick-rimmed glasses sitting on his nose. His hair was disheveled, like he had a long day at work and he was just tired. Wanted to go home, get some rest.

He hadn’t had the chance in a good while. “Hmm.” he couldn’t move. He was waiting for someone - or rather, something to show up.

That something did show up. It appeared in the form of a woman with green hair, wearing a concealing yet tight sweater. She or it sat down in front of him. To everyone else at Common Grounds Coffee House, the two might seem to just be having a chat, unaware of the sinister purpose behind it.

“Doctor.” it said in a monotone, as if it utterly lacked emotion, or maybe simply turned it off in order to speak to him. It was as much stating what he was as greeting him.

“Hm?” the man pulled away, his eyes narrowing, “How’d it go?”

“Well, Tsuruga's strength could become formidable in the future.” her face didn’t seem to move more than necessary, leaving out the movements of most of the upper face, producing a doll like visage.

“Could? Isn’t she supposed to…” the man mumbled. After fumbling through his thoughts for a bit, he sighed, “So she isn’t producing the best results now, is she? How’d she perform in that sparring match?”

“She doesn’t seem to use her skills to full effect, just yet. With more time and experience, perhaps, for now she’s no different from the others.” Astrid stated clearly. “But may I ask a question of you?”

“Yeah, go ahead.” the man primed a lighter to light a cigarette.

“That is hazardous to both yours and the health of others, but on to my question. What is your purpose here Doctor? What do you wish to do with Tsuruga?”

“The power to summon multiple Persona.” he took a smoke from the cigarette, breathing it all in before dispelling it into the air with another blow. “Or whatever that ability is called… to summon multiple Persona from one soul. That’s just remarkable.” as he said that, a smile adorned his face.

“A rather vague answer” Astrid said unable to match the smile, though one could see her shoulders tense slightly.

“You know more than anyone else how strong that girl is if you push her.” the man chuckled through his smoke-filled maw. “Ahem.” he cleared his throat so he could speak clearly, “Now imagine if we could give that power to any single Persona user. Imagine how that could benefit the organization and the world.”

“A lofty goal to be sure. But logic dictates such a power will not be used so selflessly when handled by one person.” she stated what she was certain of trying to see the doctor’s reaction.

“First thing wrong with that statement is that contradicts what you think of Tsuruga, doesn’t it?” another expelling of smoke from the man’s crusty mouth. “That girl isn’t selfless at all, right?” the sarcasm was obvious in his tone.

Astrid took a moment to process this. It was not that her “brain” wasn’t working at top condition, she instantly knew what he meant. However finding an appropriate response proved difficult as her emotions began to return.

She narrowed her eyes at the Doctor. “Naomi is...an exception. She is not normal.” she said feeling compelled to defend her friend.

“Not normal? Course she isn’t. Summoning multiple Persona is definitely NOT normal.” he mused, “Though that cult… isn’t. Definitely isn’t.”

“Why do you mention them Doctor?”

“Because they’re becoming active again. Well, at least in these parts. We’re doing our best to silence them but it’s getting a tad difficult.” the waitress came by to give the Doctor what he ordered. A simple hot coffee. After that she walked away, “Thanks,” he said as she left. He felt the cup to make sure it was at an adequate. “Hmm, but yeah, they’re getting a bit harder to handle, even for us.”

“Will you require assistance?” she asked her lips turning up slightly for the first time in the entire conversation. “They are just as much a nuisance for us as they are for you.”

“Maybe sometime in the future.” he started tapping his fingers on the table, “So what do you think’s going to happen in the future? With all this ‘region of denial’ business going on.”

“I’m just a weapon. Why would I have thoughts like that?” she said deflecting his question with another.

“That’d work if you didn’t have a friend.” the Doctor took a drink of his coffee. “Ahhh, yeah, good stuff…” he started to mumble, “But yeah, don’t try to act all ‘superficially robotic’ about all this. You failed back then, you’re failing now.” “Hmph.” she turned her head and looked back at the Doctor flashing a grin, the full range of motion returning to her face. “Guess I underestimated you Doc. You gotta give credit to my programmers when I can't even act like what I am.” she then frowned and took on a tone like she was berating a child. “Especially when she’s brought up, you jerk.”

“Program? No, it’s nothing as simple as that.” the Doctor pointed to where the ‘core’ of Astrid should lie, her ‘heart’. “It’s the Plume of Dusk that lets you feel, speak and move like one of us. It’s your ‘soul’. Take care of it.”

“You mean those things actually exist?”

“Yeah, they do, how are you alive if you don’t have one?” he laughed, “Man, didn’t think the Kirijo Group was that ignorant not to tell you that.”

“I didn’t need to know.”

“I suppose you didn’t.” the Doctor finished his hearty laugh, “So what exactly did you want to discuss with me, other than Tsuruga?”

“Well now you’ve brought up a few more questions I’d like answered.” she took a more serious tone this time as thoughts began to race in her head. “I’m assuming Plumes can’t be replicated right?”

“Replicated? Hm,"I wouldn't think so." he said, "Since the last line of models, talking 20s and below, used partial sized Plumes of Dusk… you have the whole enchilada. That's what lets you use a Persona." he stroked his nonexistent beard, “If they could be so easily replicated then we- or rather, THEY wouldn’t have bothered to conserve them as a resource.”

“Where do they come from?”

“Hm, now you’re like a kid asking how baby’s are born.” he took a drink of his coffee then continued, “They say they exist in a realm beyond ours. How they’re created or sustained, I don’t know. That’s a mystery even to me.” he took another huff from his cigarette.

“I see...I definitely didn’t need to know.” it looked almost like she was regretting this line of questioning. She was perfectly happy following the Kirijo Groups orders, but now she had a goal of her own brewing in her head. And she knew pain only lied down that path.

“You look like you’re hard at work thinking,” the man leaned forward, “What’s on your mind?”

“It doesn’t matter” deflecting his question again she leaned back in her chair and tried to relax despite her mind racing at mach speed. “I never got a straight answer. What exactly are you planning for Naomi’s abilities?” “Me? Nothing in particular. My colleagues, though…” he whistled, “Who the hell knows. They’re all demented in some fashion.”

“I see...thanks Doctor. I’d better get to class.” she stood up to leave the cafe.

“Call me Yuuji.” he reprimanded, “Everyone else does.”

“Alright Yuuji. Astrid, is what I go by.”

“Hm, Astrid, then.” he smiled, “We should meet on less ‘professional’ circumstances next time. You seem like a good girl… and-” he stopped talking. He sighed instead, “Never mind. It’s… nothing, nice talking to you, Astrid.”

“Heh...I’ll think about it.”she walked away and out the door her scarf fluttering behind her.

After that the Doctor - or rather Yuuji - was left alone to ponder what he wanted to do next. “Now I don’t feel like coffee… huh.” he looked out the window to the blue sky. “Wonder if it’s only going to get worse from here.”

  • Astrid forged a Social Link of the Tower Arcana with Doctor Yuuji!
    • RANK 1

edited 29th Apr '14 3:19:25 PM by RagnatheSaviour

Rivux same old me from [a jump to the sky turns to a rider kick] Since: Aug, 2010
same old me
#48: Apr 29th 2014 at 8:34:09 PM

Makin' grooooove— faaar!

It was loud. Deafening, even. A volume that exceeded the amount necessary to rouse a person from the comforting embrace of slumber. Any sensible person would have surely shut the offending noise off, or at the very least turned it down.

Darrel Ansel was not in a position to do so.

On any other day, Darrel may have just quickly or sluggishly worked his way out of bed and turned down his newly set alarm.

Today was not one of those days.

He was presently engaged in a battle with himself. It was a spirited match to get his legs moving and out of bed. His eyes were fiercely locked with the ceiling, his nostrils flared, his teeth clenched, and his fists roughly clenching his blanket. "I can do this!" He thought. "I will move!" He thought. "I...!"

Faaar!

With a sudden burst of energy, he yelled with enthusiasm, threw his blanket off and hopped out of bed. He cringed and folded inward for a moment as he settled onto the floor, but his resolve shined through. With his fists clenched, he shot up, held his arms at his side and roared out, "I AM A MAAAAAAAAN!!!"

He stayed like that for a few seconds longer before turning down the source of the music and getting ready for the rest of his day. "God, my legs are sore," he mused, "Looks like I can't do my morning jog today..." Still, he figured he could at least make the walk to school today, and proceeded to do so after getting ready.

mario is red, i am green, i try my best, but everyone's mean
RagnatheSaviour Since: Oct, 2011
#49: May 5th 2014 at 3:54:36 PM

Megan's Fateful Meeting

The campus during morning wasn’t exactly a hub of activity. In the frigid morning air in the middle of a Canadian winter, the last thing students wished to do on their way to morning classes was socialize. The only sound in the morning were the silent steps of students rushing to this building and that, eager to get out of the cold and into the warmth of their classes.

However, one person had no wish to go to class this morning. She had on her jacket and a scarf. A pair of sunglasses also covered her eyes as she walked through the snow toward a building. As she neared a wall, she took a look behind her, and seeing that there was nobody there to notice her, disappeared behind a corner.

A blue door there that no one could see. People, if they should pass by, would see nothing but a plain wall. To Megan it was a door with a strange color. Where did it lead? Where did it go? There was only one way to find out.

Megan opened the door, making an opening just small enough for her to fit through. She took one last look to make sure nobody was there, and disappeared from sight, entering into a world known only by a few.

The lighting changed. The world inverted.

Megan stood at the entrance which gave her a plain view of everything in front of her.

A man with an elongated nose sat at a desk. There were books as far as the eye could see. The room was the same color as the door. A deep blue to go with its true name… “Welcome to the Velvet Room,” the strange man said, “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter."

A woman with glasses sat at Igor’s side, eying a book in her hands. She had a cloak over her head but the figure was definitely feminine.

“Thank you, Igor. Justine.” Megan said as she gave a slight bow of her head in greeting. She took off her sunglasses and tucked them in her pocket. She also loosened the hold of the scarf around her neck, letting out a breath of warm air as she did so.

She then turned to Igor. “I’m afraid I didn’t come for idle chatter. I have some questions for you, Igor. Regarding Persona.”

“Yes?” the man said, “Ask me anything you like. I will do my best to answer.” his voice was as calm as always.

“...” Justine continued to read her book in silence as if Megan wasn’t even there.

Megan pulled out her pen from her pocket, the same pen that she had kept with her since as long as she can remember. She twirled it around in her fingers before addressing Igor. “What makes us require a catalyst to summon a Persona?”

“The ‘catalysts’ that you speak of invoke a fear of loss, something that each individual wants to protect.” Igor formed up a Tarot Card. “It calls to the inner self and manifests the Persona. It is a sense of terror, the fear of loss, that reacts well with the soul.”

“A fear of loss…” Megan muttered under her breath, taking in the information while staring at her pen. “Is it possible for someone to not have that fear? If so, what then?”

“Extreme stress can also cause a Persona to manifest in the mortal realm.” the Tarot Card vanished into thin air, “Invoking a similar effect will give the same results.”

Megan tucked her pen back into her pocket, only to pull out a different pen along with a notepad. She scribbled something down, then looked back to Igor again. “Is it possible to summon without a catalyst?”

“... Yes.” Justine answered this time with her gruff voice. “... Sufficient… focus. Can… manifest a … Persona.”

“Focus? How much focus?” Megan asked, now turning her attention to Justine. “Is it something that comes with experience?”

“Conditioning… extreme focus… experience.” the girl continued while looking at Megan. The hood fell down. This revealed her stitched up face. Her pale left eyeball. The assorted patches of conflicting skin tones on her face. “The want… to fight. The...fear of loss.” she continued to mumble while looking down to her book.

Megan took a moment to look at Justine before tentatively writing down her words in her notepad. Conditioning and experience. Her mind traced back to Naomi Tsuruga, the girl who had admitted just the other day to being experimented on by the Kirijo Group. Megan shook her head. She had witnessed Naomi in battle, and it was clear that she had a catalyst of her own. She flipped through her notepad when something caught her eye. Immediately, she opened to a new page and looked back to Igor.

“Let’s move on. I have recently heard about a peculiar ability that allows a single person to call forth multiple Persona. Can you tell me anything about that?”

“The… Wild Card.” Justine gruffed on, “That power… is the … Wild Card.”

“The Wild Card…” Megan said to herself as she wrote down the name in her notepad. “Can you tell me a little more?”

“What more..is...there to know?” Justine was getting better at forming coherent sentences as the conversation went on.

“Like how this is possible?” Megan lowered her arms to her sides. “If a Persona is a manifestation of the inner self, how is it that a person can have multiples of them?”

“... The… blessing… of our Master.” the attendant answered simply then returned to reading her book.

“Your Master?” Megan asked, looking at Justine with curiosity in her eyes. Her questions seemed to lead only to more questions, but Megan was determined to inspect every nook and cranny. “Who would that be?”

“Philemon.” Justine didn’t take her eyes off her book.

“So this… Philemon…” Megan felt a slight trepidation at the name. “...He decides the carriers of the Wild Card. Is there any rhyme or reason to it? Does he just… decide?”

“Potential…” said Justine, “Someone… who can… change… the world.”

Megan raised her pen to her paper, only to put them down again. She closed her eyes and thought to the girl fighting for the sake of her city, a city that she had only recently moved to. Megan took a deep breath, and opened her eyes again.

“The strange happenings in this city. The Regions of Denial, the Shadows. Why here? Why now? What’s causing them?”

“We...guide… because… we don’t … know.” it was obvious who said that. “I see. Thank you for your time.” Megan said as she tucked her notepad and pen back into her pockets. She tightened the scarf around her neck and turned to walk out the door, but stopped at the last minute before her hand touched the knob.

“Before I go, let me ask you one last question.” Megan said, not turning around. “Is it possible for humans to artificially harness the power of Persona?”

“It… may be possible… no… it is… possible… if… humans are behind it.”

“I see…” Megan took her sunglasses out of her pocket and put them back on her face as she turned back toward the denizens of the Velvet Room. She could hardly see them in the dim lighting, but she smiled all the same. “Thanks Justine. It’s always nice talking to you.” She said as she walked out, closing the door behind her.

“Y-you… too.” she said while trying to hide her blushing face.

RagnatheSaviour Since: Oct, 2011
#50: May 6th 2014 at 5:44:08 PM

Meeting With Max

For an ordinary man Castle Hindenburg, the menacing tall structure situated about an hour of walking away from town, would seem almost alien in its appearance. Partially based on medieval strongholds of old, partially on some gothic-influenced fantasy works it glared at anyone who dared to be nearby it, an immobile but vigilant giant.

Thanks to living in this little shop of horrors for twenty one years now, Max was kind of used to it. True, the sheer size of the castle meant he honestly didn’t know a good half of its insides, but once you see it every day, every month… it loses a bit of its charm and its specific atmosphere.

The white-haired man received a call earlier today from Naomi, mentioning that the team would stop by. To be honest he was kind of anticipating it. Anything to get him out of the boring gray of your average day.

Sitting by the main entrance with his golden retriever Himmel he was currently sketching. Finding a surge of inspiration he was in the middle of portraying a rather curious machine: a floating castle with two figures of knights acting like its wings, acting on their own, two protectors of the ones settled within. He waited.

This was it. It was time to talk to Max about the ‘regions of denial’ and the Persona. Maybe it was possible that she could recruit him to the team? The more the merrier. It’d help since her attempt to get Megan to directly help had failed. Putting these thoughts away, Naomi made her way up to the Hindenburg residence which was coincidentally a large castle. “Hello?” she knocked on the door, “HELLO, is anyone home?” The girl didn’t know how to show manners to anyone of a higher living standard. “Hmmm.” a third blow to the door to see if anyone answered.

Knocking. That must be them, Max thought, putting away the sketchbook and the pen and getting up to open the door. Spotting Naomi, he bowed slightly. “Good day, Miss Tsuruga. Please, come in.”

“Hello, hello!” she greeted Max with a friendly wave, “And thank you.” she stepped inside the monstrous manor.

“Yo, pretty boy!” Darrel piped up from behind Naomi and followed her inside. “Thanks for having us.”

“G’day, Mister… I don’t think I’ve had your name before.” Max closed the door behind Naomi and Darrel. “It’s big enough for a small army, so I don’t think two more people will be a problem. A meeting room is the first room on the left.” He instructed, taking his sketchbook and gesturing to Himmel to follow him.

“Name’s Darrel, Max dude! Nice to meet you properly this time.” He nodded at him with a warm smile and started heading towards the room, after Max of course.

“I was going to introduce you but… guess you did it yourself.” Naomi mused as she followed after the heir to the manor.

Said meeting room was rather modestly decorated, consisting of six chairs, one table and a number of decorations, ranging from copies of famous pictures to particularly ornate tapestries. “Hopefully you don’t mind the tackiness of this place.” Max said, taking one chair. “Have a seat.”

Darrel looked quizzically about the room and pulled out a chair to sit in. “This is tacky? Huh. Guess I don’t have a sense of interior design,” he noted.

“It’s fine. As long as there’s a plate for my butt and a cushion, s’all good.” she had a seat on one of the chairs while folding one leg over the other, “So what are we talking about?~”

“You get used to it after five years. After seven it becomes annoying.” Max gave a small shrug before focusing his attention to Naomi. “Well, a friend of yours - Daniel, I believe - mentioned that perhaps you can shed some light on those… regions of denial. Where is he, by the way?”

“I wouldn’t know - he didn’t say anything to me about where he was going to be. Just said he couldn’t make it.” she looked down to the surface of the table, “But I’m sure he’s fine… OH.” she remembered where he had to be, “He has evening and afternoon classes so that’s why he couldn’t come.”

“In any case…” Max tented his fingers together. “This rescuing business of yours. What is this about? How does it work? What are the places those you rescue end up in?”

“I’ll tell you everything that I know.” Naomi nodded to affirm Max, “What you were in is what we call a ‘region of denial’. We’re not sure what the cause is but we know that monsters called Shadows manifest in there. That ‘monster’ that the others and I fought was your Shadow, Max. It kept taunting you, right? Pushing your buttons to make you angry?” she asked while leaning forward on the table.

“Yes, it did.” Max nodded affirmatively in response. “Speaking about… problems. Bloating them way out of proportion. Why do they do that? What is their goal in this? In all honesty however, I don’t really remember any monster. After your arrival, I just… passed out all of a sudden.”

“I don’t know the answers to the ‘why’ or the ‘how’, we just go to the ‘when’ and stop the person inside from being consumed. That’s what I’ve been doing all this time, anyway.” she sighs, “But I’d like some direction sometime.” she looked over to Darrel, “What do you think?”

Darrel crossed his arms and grunted in thought. “Hmm… I’ve got nothing. I don’t think we have any leads in this right now to try and draw any sort of conclusion, really. Maybe in that lady we sparred with the other day, but otherwise…” He shrugged.

“Astrid probably…” she mumbled, “I’ll talk to her the next time we see her.” her eyes gravitate toward the friendship bracelet then back to Max. “But yeah, I was going to ask if you’d like to help us, Max.”

Max’s stare at Naomi intensified a little for a brief while. “Help you?” In his voice, a badly-masked surprise. “I, uh…I suppose so though I don’t really know how.”

Darrel stared blankly ahead at one of the pictures hanging up on the wall, considering what Max just said. “...hey, yeah, how ‘’is’’ he supposed to help us? Can you even summon a Persona like us?”

“...I don’t think so. For that matter, I don’t think I’m familiar with the term.”

“Alright!” Naomi got up from the ground. Her eyes traced around the room to see if there were any prying eyes. “None. Okay, watch closely.” the girl clenched the friendship bracelet. “NURE-ONNA!” then out of nowhere, a gray skinned girl with a blindfold appeared behind her. She then vanished into thin air right after the summoning. “There you go, that’s a Persona.”

Well… this was something he didn’t expect. Although his face kept straight, the glint in the eyes clearly showed what was… curiosity. “Huh. I… honestly don’t know what to say about this.” He had finally spoken, shifting his glance at Darrel. “I assume you and Daniel are capable of the same feat as Miss Tsuruga?” “You bet!” He pulled down his sleeve to show him the yellow wristband he had on.“I summon mine through this little thing right here. His name’s Phoenix! He’s… well, a phoenix.”

“I see.” Max’s eyes briefly traced to his pendant, a gift from his parents given to him on his 18th birthday. Shining blue, it seemed to mirror his relationship with them quite well: seemingly everything was alright and shiny and yet the cold blue didn’t seem to offer any kind of comfort. “Well, I suppose I can try…” Giving the pendant a small squeeze the white-haired man focused on summoning this inner thing inside him. What would it be? He never really thought about his inner self. Apart from the other him constantly hammering into him about his “problems”, he just thought of it as silly.

Not a reaction. The blue pendant did not respond.

“That’s strange… but I guess it’s because you haven’t tamed your other self.” Naomi put a hand to her chin.

“Or it’s ‘cause that isn’t what he summons it through,” Darrel suggested.

“My other self. You must mean…” Max let out a sigh that was of all things… tired. “Well then, let him come, I guess. How do I tame him? Do I just have to try hard enough?” With those words spoken, he clenched his blue pendant once more, again to no avail. “The damn thing won’t work…” He mumbled, trying once again, yet again not seeing success. “And to make matters worse it’s… so unnaturally cold…” Max rubbed his temple before sitting back down with a noticeable wince. Just a moment later, a barely audible chuckle filled the room before the world around them became distorted. The walls stretched upward. The ground below them tore itself to pieces. The room began to stretch out in all directions. This had become the realm of Max’s Shadow.

“...well, I guess there we have it.” He said, irritated as he slowly rose from his seat, still rubbing his sore temple. The very moment he got up his inner self was already in the chair, smirking as it stared down both Naomi and Darrel.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Darrel shot up and out of his chair in alarm as the Region of Denial formed around them. He returned the shadow’s stare, put on his new gloves, and put up his dukes. “We don’t gotta go through a Round Two now, do we?’

“Looks like it.” Naomi pulled out her new katana. “Get ready because this is going to be a big one.”

“...I remember you.” It spoke, slowly rising from its seat before moving behind the chair in question. “Seemed like eternity. Why, welcome back in this humble abo-”

“Cut to the chase.” Max interrupted his inner self, slowly folding arms, trying to appear confident. “Well then.” He turned his stare to Naomi. “How do I do it?”

“Accept him as part of yourself. Accept that the shadow is part of you and… well, that should do it, I think.” the girl searched through her muddled memories only to find that answer.

“Can he do it, however?” The shadow responded, beginning to pace around the freshly formed Region of Denial. “Can he accept who he is? Can he live with the fact that he’s a failure of a living being that lives dead dreams, always on ropes of those who claim to be his benefactors, friends… family.” It must have struck the nerve for Max frowned considerably. “Forever a doll thrown away in the dumpster by his own parents.”

“That will be enough.” The calmness in Max’s voice was rather remarkably eerie as he glared daggers at his inner self.

“What I’m saying is merely a truth, no matter how bitter. Will you accept truth? Will you accept that, paraphrasing our previous meeting, you have a problem?”

“...” The white-haired man hesitated for a brief moment, unsure what to answer, but then his eyes took on a steel glint. “No. I will not accept the slander that you spout, the nonsense that you try to hammer into my head with every meeting. You are mistaken. We’re not one.” Just a moment later he was on the floor with all semblances of consciousness lost. The shadow chuckled.

“Again with this. Well then, I suppose I can quite literally hammer it into your head instead if you’re so eager!” It began to change just like it did back then, gathering darkness inside itself and twisting into its monstrous form, that of a half-machine, half-castle. In a moment it was ready to go, staring down the party, issuing a challenge.

“Max!” Naomi ran over to check if he was alright. The boy’s heart was still beating, the pulse was stable… but for how long? “Tch, alright, that’s it you stupid… Shadow!” Naomi searched briefly for a word to conceptualize her fury. That was all she could come up with. With her blade now brandished, she pointed it straight at the monster. “You’re going down!”

Darrel ran in beside her, ready for a fight. “Don’t think you’ll get off without a smack or two from me this time!”

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

“Not making the same mistake.” Naomi focused for a moment. A green ‘aura’ flashed from her body all the way to Darrel’s.

  • >Naomi linked with Darrel…

“Whoa-ho! We doing this now? Gotcha!” Darrel grasped his right wrist, ready to proceed.

“Let’s make this count.” Naomi summoned Nure-onna up into the air. Phoenix appeared above the air at the same time. “HELP US!” she embraced the friendship bracelet. A violent whirlwind absorbs into both Darrel and Naomi.

  • >Naomi linked with Darrel to use Swirling Gale!
  • >Party’s Agility and Defense rose for three turns!
  • >Naomi’s SP: 28/48
  • >Darrel’s SP: 12/30

Darrel roared out with strength, “YEAAAAAAAH! I’m all FIRED UP NOW! Phoenix!” Calling upon his Persona again, Phoenix appeared and brought the blunt side of its lance’s blade down on Max’s Shadow.

  • >Darrel used Bash!
  • >Darrel’s HP: 173/184

  • >... Max’s Shadow edged to the side to avoid Phoenix’s blow! (MISS)

“Aw, come on! Again?!” Darrel exclaimed.

“Hmph. Is that the best you can do?” The structure spoke, its deep voice shaking the foundations of the Region itself. “Still, better safe than sorry.” With those words said, it spinned the spear over its head, enveloping itself in some sort of a green barrier.

  • >Max’s Shadow used Green Wall!
  • >Max’s Shadow is now partially protected from Wind Elemental spells for three turns!

  • >2nd Turn Order: Naomi, Darrel, Max’s Shadow
  • >Swirling Gale: 2 Turns Remain
  • >Green Wall: 3 Turns Remain

“Not taking this lying down.” once again Nure-onna appeared overhead. The dragon girl brandished her hand and slid it across the Shadow’s face for a powerful slap.

  • >Naomi used Hysterical Slap!
  • >The hand smashed the Shadow in the face, dealing a total of 35 damage!
  • >Naomi’s HP: 124/136

“I’ll get you for sure this time! Go, Phoenix, go!” Phoenix appeared once more and brought the sharp end of its lance down onto the Shadow.

  • >Darrel used Skull Cracker!
  • >Darrel’s HP: 157/183
  • >The blade dipped into the stone flesh of Max’s Shadow for a total of 64 points of damage!

“Very well. If you wish to engage in a battle of physical prowess, be my guests.” With those words spoken, the Shadow made a wide motion with its sword, swinging it at both Naomi and Darrel at the same time.

  • >Max’s Shadow used Gale Slash!
  • >The attack hit nothing but air due to the gathering gale allowing for quicker movement. (MISS > ALL)

  • >3rd Turn Order: Naomi, Darrel, Max’s Shadow
  • >Swirling Gale: 1 Turn Remains
  • >Green Wall: 2 Turns Remain

“RAIN ICE!” Nure-onna appeared once more, throwing its arms out. A pillar of ice rose up from below Max’s Shadow to impale it form below.

  • >Naomi used Bufu!
  • >Naomi’s SP: 24/48
  • >The ice pillar stabbed Max’s Shadow from below, only dealing a measly 13 damage.

“This is getting bad. Very bad.” Naomi sighed as she got back into a battling position.

“Don’t let it get you down, just keep ‘’PUSHING OOOOOON!’’” Darrel let out a battle cry as he charged forward to give Max’s Shadow a piece of his mind.

And by peace of mind, I mean his fists.

  • >Darrel attacked!
  • >The fists connect, but only deal 27 points of damage.

“Coming to such primitive blows? You disappoint me.” The shadow returned the favor by dropping its sword right on Darrel’s presence.

  • >Max’s Shadow used Arm Chopper!
  • >Darrel held the sword up into the air then shoved it down to the ground next to him. No damage dealt. (BLOCKED)

“Heh!” Darrel retreated back with a smirk on his face, “As if your mere ‘’disappointment’’ could shatter my resolve!”

“Mere luck is what this is.” The creature responded, hardly annoyed or irritated.

  • >4th Turn Order: Naomi, Darrel, Max’s Shadow
  • >The whirling gale around Naomi and Darrel fades into nothing.
  • >Green Wall: 1 Turn Remains

“We’re going again. Come on, Nure-onna!” A veil of energy appeared around Darrel, completely energizing his body’s endurance capability.

  • >Naomi used Rakukaja on Darrel!
  • >Naomi’s SP: 12/46
  • >Darrel’s defense increased!

“Naomi! Allow me to return the favor!” A veil of energy appeared around Naomi as well, limbering her up and increasing her agility.

  • >Darrel used Sukukaja on Naomi!
  • >Darrel’s SP: 0/30
  • >Naomi’s speed increased!

“Enough of this nonsense. I shall gut you like a fish.” With a swift move of its spear, the creature brought a sharp tip right in Naomi’s direction, attempting to run her through with the polearm in question.

  • >Max’s Shadow used Skewer!
  • >The blade gashed right through Naomi’s shoulder, causing her to slump over in pain. A massive 91 points of damage.
  • >Naomi’s HP: 45/136

G Gghhh.” blood fell to the ground. She managed to push herself back up onto her feet but the pain was agonizing.

  • >5th Turn Order: Naomi, Darrel, Max’s Shadow
  • >The protective green energy around Max’s Shadow dissipated into thin air.
  • >Naomi’s Sukukaja: 3 Turns Remain
  • >Darrel’s Rakukaja: 3 Turns Remain

“A-alright, need to patch myself up.” Naomi took some Medicine for herself.

  • >Naomi used Medicine!
  • >Naomi’s HP: 95/136
  • >Medicine 4x
“Naomi! I’d give you some more support… but something’s telling me I gotta rush this guy like there’s no tomorrow. Sorry!” Darrel rushed in again to throttle the Shadow.

  • >Darrel attacked!
  • >Max’s Shadow blocked the attack with the lance, throwing Darrel back onto his butt. (BLOCKED)

“Let me show you how it’s done.” With a swift move of his sword the shadow went in to repay the favor for Darrel, slashing at him diagonally.

  • >Max’s Shadow attacked!
  • >Darrel, a second time, parried the blow into the ground. (BLOCKED)

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you over how much of a failure that was!” He smirked at the shadow.

  • >6th Turn Order: Naomi, Darrel, Max’s Shadow
  • >Naomi’s Sukukaja: 2 Turns Remain
  • >Darrel’s Rakukaja: 2 Turns Remain

“Darrel, keep at it. I need to work on.. surviving.” Naomi summoned up Nure-onna to act as a shield for the next attack.

  • >Naomi defended!

Darrel lept to his feet and crouched down. “Understood… TAKE THIS!” He jumped up and went for an uppercut on the Shadow.

  • >Darrel attacked!
  • >Darrel’s fist dug into the bottom of the shadow’s rock hard chin. The damage is a minimal 13 points.

“Barely felt that.” The shadow taunted before setting his sight on Naomi. “How about you? Let’s see you withstanding this.” With those words spoken, the giant construct brought the sword down at the girl.

  • >Max’s Shadow used Cleave!
  • >Naomi quickly dodged out of the way of the attack. (MISS)

“How about no?~” Naomi taunted with a sly smile.

  • >7th Turn Order: Naomi, Darrel, Max’s Shadow
  • >Naomi’s Sukukaja: 1 Turn Remains
  • >Darrel’s Rakukaja: 1 Turn Remains

“Not going to take this lying down.” Naomi leaped forward with her sword out. The clean silver sword ripped through the air straight to Max’s Shadow.

  • >The blade dug deep into the Shadow’s body, causing thick black fog to spray out like blood. The lethal attack dealt a total of 53 damage. (CRITICAL! KNOCK DOWN!)
  • >ONE MORE!

“Let’s beat him down, Darrel!” Naomi called for an All-Out Attack.

“Sounds good to me!” Darrel yelled at the top of his lungs.

  • >The group storms in for a wailing!
  • >SMASH. SMASH. SMASH.
  • >Whoa, 125 damage!

“He’s still standing?! Tch, not for long! Take this, my ‘’FINISHING MOVE!’’ YAAAAAAH!” Darrel rushed into the Shadow again for one final punch!

  • >Darrel attacked!
  • >The ‘final’ punch was blocked by Max’s Shadow with a last bit of strength. (BLOCKED)

“What?! It can’t be!!”

“I will not be defeated just yet.” The giant structure rose from the ground. “Not. Like. This.” With those words spoken it brought its sword on Naomi.

  • >Max’s Shadow attacked!
  • >Naomi nimbly dodged out of the way. (MISS)

“Try again next time~!” she smiled, taunting the devil monster.

  • >8th Turn Order: Naomi, Darrel, Max’s Shadow

“See you later! NURE-ONNA!” Naomi called upon the power of her Persona one last time.

  • >Naomi used Bufu on Max’s Shadow!
  • >Naomi’s SP: 8/46
  • >The ice blasted up, invading the open wound she created before, entering through the body. The chilling attack exploded, dealing 17 total damage.
  • >...
  • >CONFLICT END<

"You know, I can see two tiny pictures of myself, and HOLY SHIT!" Daniel suddenly walked into the room, the song playing on his iPod apparently forgotten in the wake of a giant fuck off Shadow. "What the hell happened here?!?"

“...if this keeps up, I might as well stab myself.” With a rather dry and forced chuckle, Max Hindenburg came back to life, slowly rising from the ground. “And I’m honestly…” A small pause during which he gathered himself, massaging his temple. “Sick of this.” The white-haired man’s stare focused on the last figure in the room: his inner self, golden eyes flashing with visible exhaustion similar to one that Max himself had shown and perhaps some sort of hope as well.

“You want truth. Fine, I will give you that.” A sharp inhale. “I hate to admit it. I really do, but… I guess I really do have some problems. Being lonely when those that had abandoned you keep pretending that in fact you’re not is something I don’t wish upon anyone, friend or foe. Piece by piece, I kept dying inside with every day and I kept denying the fact altogether. Living under pretense, thinking you have a purpose, thinking you can fulfill your dreams of using all of these riches properly, to help others… I suppose it made me a little bitter.” Max looked at his inner self, folding arms. “That being said, I cannot run away from who I am. I must accept it, no matter how much it hurts, because if I do…” He gave a brief glance towards Naomi before focusing back to his shadow. “Chances are something can be changed for better. You might be something I hate… but you’re still a part of me. We are one.” With a final sigh Max slowly extended his hand towards his inner self. The shadow returned the favor, giving him a brief, content nod.

>Max obtained the Persona Don Quixote!

“...it feels strangely refreshing.” Hindenburg smiled briefly at his thoughts before falling back on his chair, massaging his temple. “I guess I need to thank you. Once again, in fact.” He chuckled a little, giving a nod to both Naomi and Darrel.

“It’s… nothing.” fatigue from the fight had finally sat in. After the Region of Denial corrected itself and vanished, the youthful girl fell ass first into her chair. “Oiii.”

Daniel wasn't entirely sure what the hell had just happened, but he figured it was good... For the most part. "Uh, sorry I'm late, guys... I... Brought donuts?" As if to punctuate this, he held up a small box.

Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Darrel leaned against a chair to rest, nodding back at Max as he expressed his gratitude. His attention shifted over to Daniel after a few seconds, somewhat bothered that he hadn’t showed up sooner. It was then his gaze fixed itself onto the box of donuts he was carrying. “...donuts, you say?” The glint in his eye indicated that it must have been a ‘’very’’ long time since he had one.

“Oh, good day, Daniel.” Still tending to his sore head Max gave a brief nod to the one guy too late to the party. Donuts sounded quite interesting to have, but there were, in his opinion, bigger concerns to take care of. He shifted his attention to Naomi. “Are you okay, Miss Tsuruga?” He asked, his brow furrowing.

“I’m fineeee.” she let out an elongated sigh. Yeah, the girl was okay after taking the Medicine. She was just exhausted now.

“I see. You had me worried for a moment there.” Max managed to slowly rise from his seat, sighing. “Well, at least you won’t have to deal with him any longer. Hopefully he wasn’t much of a trouble.”

“Not…” she heaved, “At all!”

Daniel looked up from the box of donuts, a glazed sticking out of his mouth. "Enuh... *gulp* anyone?"

Darrel looked at the box of donuts, then over at Naomi, “Hey, you should help yourself to one. I’d say you were the one that led that charge there, you deserve it.”

“If I eat while… exhausted… I’ll just get… phew, sick.” Naomi said while taking in a deep breath.

“That drained, huh? Well, can’t blame you then.” Darrel exhaled again and rested his head against the chair, “Think we’ll all need a breather first…”

With another fight done, the group could find solace in the fact that they had another ally in Max Hindenburg.

END OF DAY 3


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