Meanwhile, in one of the infinite hallways...

"Come in, DIGGS, come in... this is Lapine, I need a location solution, stat... damnet..." a voice could be heard muttering under their breath. The voice belonged to Lapine, at present a small, cloaked, fully-armoured figure - minus a well-hidden tail - cautiously inching her way down the hall, sidling along the wall in case she needed to hide in a cubbyhole. Or just climb the wall. You never know.

There was a good reason for her current level of caution. No less than ten minutes ago, she was aboard the El-Ahrairah, about to converge on her current quarry's last known location, when suddenly this... tear in space just manifested in front of her and pulled her in. She saw... things beyond the veil. What looked like... giant metallic paper airplanes. Planets with faces on them. A... slot machine floating in the void? That was weird. She was certain there was going to be a combat situation, getting boarded by eldritch beings from beyond the pale, or some sort of star-eating space worm, or... fakkit, at this stage a clown taking a casual stroll wouldn't be out of place. She immediately got suited up for combat, which turned out to be a wise decision, since moments later she was overcome by some sudden drowsiness, and then... nothing. At least this meant when she woke up in the middle of an unfamiliar vessel, she wouldn't be caught with her pants down. That just left the question of what the hekk happened to her ship...

She was about to make another fruitless attempt at contacting DIGGS - her shipboard A.I. - but she could see a room up ahead, and there was some worrying sounds... murmuring, yelling, a bloodcurdling scream... some sort of torture chamber, maybe? There were creatures in there, too, but... wait, no... these weren't any animals she was familiar with. She could only vaguely make them out from this distance, but...

She paused in her movement to access some of her data logs from her visor. She flipped through her mission materials - her client had given her a visual reference, thank science. ...Yep, much taller than most mammals, mostly without fur, or scales, or any sort of protective hide... lacking in claws... but there were several of these species in there, that she was sure of. Obviously the human was an animal itself, and she must have arrived in a human-controlled dimension... or had she? She was making a lot of assumptions right now, and it didn't help that she couldn't be sure if this species was a friendly one. For all she knew, her quarry was scoping out the Anthroverse for an extradimensional invasion or something. This was gonna be tricky.

All she could do for now is stay where she was, continuing to hug the wall in an attempt to minimize her presence, and listen in on what they were saying. She wasn't even sure if they spoke Mammalian Common - or Ektofermo, for that matter. Probably not, but she'd need to rule out every possibility right now.

"If you think like a child, you will do a child's work."

Carmaria

Nobody was exactly forthcoming on how they'd all gotten here, most likely because the vast majority of them seemed to know about as much as Carmaria herself. Which was... frustrating. Especially as more people woke up and the room as a whole just got more confused. She hoped somebody came along to give them some answers soon, before somebody did something dumb or a fight broke out or something.

And then one of them woke up screaming his lungs out, which would annoy Carmaria more if it wasn't so damn relatable. She'd woken up screaming a lot over the past few months.

"Either you're alive or I died in my sleep. Given how nobody else here is talking about how they died, I'm gonna assume the former." A painless death would be too good for her anyway. "So that's the good news. The bad news is that we're apparently outside spacetime and nobody seems sure how they got here or why."

Setsuna

...seriously?

By Hachiman's blade, was he really pulling that shit?

"Uh, yeah, no. Don't pull that crap. Don't know what the hell you went through, but it can't be worse than..."

Than getting slapped six ways to Sunday?

"Look. All I'm saying is, don't go using that shit as an excuse. You wanna be mopey, be mopey. But don't go blaming it on whatever crap you went through. Cause chances are, half of us have been through worse."

Like that guy screaming his head off. Anyone screaming that much really had to go through some shit.

...

Oh, right.

Someone was screaming their head off.

She shoved her hands against her ear, gritting her teeth until the SOB calmed the hell down.

...by Izanagi was she a hypocrite.

Makoto has no reactions to the screaming, other than morbid curiosity. He looks around the room for the source, finding nothing.

I can't say goodbye to yesterday…

The last few moments echo in Tibalt's mind.

He shouldn't of come here.
It was too much of a risk.
But he wanted to experience the City of Guilds.

He wasn't the only one with his name in that place, but thankfully his twisted sort of inspiration was off playing with the circus horrors while Tibalt had gotten himself too embroiled into the 'story' as it were. He could see the dragon on his citadel downright cackling, he could see the necromancer's resolve take hold as she makes the zombies dance upon her strings, she reaches up to control dead gods...

And this is where it diverges.

The dragon notices too early and in a single word the two zombie gods at his side unravel like linen. The necromancer burns to ash under the breaking of her contract. Tibalt tries to flee, but his facsimile is too close to the real thing and some unseen Sun holds him fast. The zombies swarm and he is almost thankful that their rending of his flesh is an escape...

A Marvelous Box

This was... Different. Tibalt wasn't going to look a gift respawn in the mouth but usually this happened in a navy-blue void or simply on a hill overlooking the lands he was supposed to eventually rule. White futurist science mach- hold up.

For a few seconds he couldn't accept this was true, it couldn't be. Why would his twisted sense of respawning put him in this of all places, especially when it's full of a startling array of other people. Aside from the first time, Tibalt almost always isekai'd alone.

"Okay. So I know we haven't seen the outside and I don't expect anyone here other than me to understand but this is the only chance I get to say it."

He coughed, clearing his throat and preparing to enunciate.

"It's bigger on the inside."

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Kyle

Kyle held his hands over his ears for as long as it took for that guy to calm the fuck down. Though not like Kyle had been much mroe graceful when he got thrown into that alternate world. As soon as the screaming stopped, Kyle put his hands down and regarded the new guys. So there was a furry, a...sciencey looking guy...the girl he'd been talking to came from a world even weirder than his own, and it seemed there was a mopey guy around now too.

"To be totally honest I'm not sure how I got here. Well, I mean, my ally Solas cut open a temporary hole in the world... I and my dragon partner pushed the goddess Rineia through it. I'm not sure what happened to Rineia, but I ended up here." Kyle clarified though he did seem a little uncomfortable in such a space.

He contemplated who might have the necessary power to bring everyone here like this. Must be someone with some serious magical ability.

Edited by NickTheSwing on Oct 2nd 2020 at 3:23:14 AM

Nancy Weaver—Saving Private Mason

"Hey, hey, you're alright..." Nancy said, dropping down onto the floor so as to better cradle Mason's head. "It's okay. You're alive. You're alive, see? Nobody's going to come and hurt you. I won't let them." She wiped at Mason's forehead in what was hopefully a calming motion while her Stand gestured at people to stay away and give him space with vague shooing motions.

That was when she noticed the belt on his waist and—

A man with a special book, his face shadowed

A Nexus between worlds, glowing portals dotting the space between the spaces

Being locked in mortal combat with a giant, humanoid crow

Uncleuncleuncleuncleuncleuncleuncle

—Nancy's head spun a little.

"Excuse me for asking, but..." Nancy began. "That's one odd-looking belt. Where did you get it from? It feels...familiar to me, somehow."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Oct 2nd 2020 at 8:19:50 AM

I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.

"You have some weird friends" Makoto snarks at Kyle. He pulls a gun out of his jacket, and examines it, making sure it works. He removes the magazine, puts it to his head, takes a humongous gulp, and pulls the trigger...

*CLICK!*

Nothing came out. Makoto has a massive sigh of relief.

Edited by Risdio51 on Oct 2nd 2020 at 6:26:20 AM

I can't say goodbye to yesterday…

Yuan

???

Sometimes Yuan had to ask herself certain questions. Like... why did seemingly every major corporation have its own private army? How did she find herself in a scenario where a company that made gacha games was sending men to kill her? Surely things weren't always like this...

But that was enough navel gazing. Right now, she was trapped in her underground bunker, moments away from being accosted from corporate security on the other side. Maybe she'd be able to negotiate some sort of deal or something, but... things didn't look good. Her whistleblowing made them take a pretty decent hit in their stock prices, and that was that was real "offense" she was guilty of. It looked like she was going to have to prepare for some time in the slammer at the very least. Hopefully the food in prison was-

-WOOOOOOOOOOSH-

Quantum Axis

What the hell just happened? A moment ago she was facing down some hired guns, and now she was in... whatever this was. Portals weren't unheard of in her world, but this didn't look like cyberspace or any of the weird artificial dimensions she was familiar. This seemed like another world entirely. The tall dragon walked through the halls, heading towards whatever people were willing to listen.

"Yo!" she called out. "Anyone know what the hell's goin' on? Cause I don't."

Kyle

"...you have no idea..." Weird was certainly one word for the kind of people he worked with.

Kyle remarked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He hoped that Lathlia was doing alright. She seemed to have been injured badly before their trip here. It really made him feel ill at ease. Lathlia was one of the few people he felt he could really trust from that world. At least when she was harsh with him and scolded him, he got the feeling he wanted something better for him.

Then he saw Yuan and quietly remarked, "...A dragon..." He contemplated and then responded, "It seems we've been gathered here."

Roon

Roon seeing the blue haired boy pull out a gun and pulling the trigger while holding it to his head leaps towards him hoping to stop the apparent suicide attempt but stops with relief when it goes click.

"Why on Earth would you do that?!" Roon shouts with a mixture of relief and anger at the boy while reaching slowly for the gun to take it from him and prevent another attempt.

Makoto is confused as to why he would freak out. It was just an Evoker, it wouldn't kill him-if he used it during the Dark Hour. Then he realizes: nobody else here is a Persona user. Or a member of S.E.E.S. for that matter. So he's the only one who knows what the Evoker does. He puts it back in his jacket and tries to explain.

"I-it's not what it looks like! Really!"

I can't say goodbye to yesterday…

Tibalt

The gun click caused Tibalt to flinch and turn around to regard the source.

"Listen buddy, I've seen desperate folks before but I think this is a little hasty!"

And then he realized who he was talking to, now this was interesting. He tried to keep himself from looking too intrigued as he wandered over to the blue-haired boy and the lady with him.

"Unless. Unless. That's not a regular gun?"

He wanted to punch himself for how obvious his first question was.

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Makoto looks over at Tibalt. He hesitantly pulls his Evoker out, displaying it to Tibalt.

"It's an Evoker. I can use my powers if I shoot myself with it."

He then quickly puts the gun back in his jacket, certain that Tibalt has gotten a good enough look at it.

"But I can't use it unless I'm absolutely sure of the time."

I can't say goodbye to yesterday…

Tibalt hummed and appreciated the craftwork of the gun. It was nice to see it up close.

"Oh neat. Items of power always intrigue me a little. But 'sure of the time'?"

He popped a little smile.

"What, does it only work after midnight or something?"

He wanted to punch himself again. He was far too snarky for his own good.

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Wolfgang

Little Wolf clutches his ears as the screaming man wakes up. His hearing is sharper than most, so although he wants to comfort someone who's obviously in pain, he doesn't want to get near him at the moment.

A young girl beats him to the punch. The girl with the weird shadow thing. Some kind of familiar, maybe? It was definitely something magical. Or maybe psychic. Not that there was really a difference, at least as far as he knew.

In any case, it was fortunate that someone else was tending to the screaming guy, because a new scent had just hit Wolfgang's nose. A familiar one, which made his ears perk up, and his tail begin to wag.

Lowering his body to the floor, he sprang towards the doors, opening one and peering out into the hallway while on all floors.

There he spotted the armored figure. The very small armored figure, with that familiar smell. Little Wolf sniffed again, stepping closer. "Hi there!" He greeted happily, tail still wagging. "You smell like bunnies."

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

Makoto smiles a little.

"Something like that."

He then perks up a little, realizing that he still has his watch. He examines it...

But it just says 00:00.

"Huh..."

I can't say goodbye to yesterday…

Jo

”Nice job, mate,” Jo half-smiles upon hearing Tibalt's reference, deciding it best to focus on one person in this clusterf$&% and thus moving more towards him. “I was actually waiting for someone to drop that. My name's Jo—what's yours?”

There was a certain oddness about her that Tibalt might be able to identify. Her eyes seemed strangely piercing and aged, and her overall demeanour suggested someone who was far more old and tired than her youthful appearance would suggest. It was almost uncanny how mismatched she looked with herself; despite objectively appearing normal.

bork

"Hah, looking forward to it."

He shot a thumbs-up and realized that if he stuck around more he'd give the game away, so thankfully there was someone else here who got his reference and had the ancient eyes and tired stance to justify it.

"Oh uh. Tibalt. Yes it's a weird name, not my real one, better safe than sorry in the circles I roam. Guessing here, but is this your... Travelling capsule or..?"

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Makoto overhears Tibalt. He's...put off by the way he's saying things...and what he's saying for that matter. He can't help but be cautious. Against his own judgement, he blurts out to Tibalt

"What parts? And...why?"

Edited by Risdio51 on Oct 2nd 2020 at 7:23:51 AM

I can't say goodbye to yesterday…

It figured that things weren't going to be as simple as she thought. Just as the lagomorphic bounty hunter inched her way towards the partially-open door where she could see the unknown species, it swung open, and... a wolf appeared.

Now, Lapine didn't like to stereotype. After all, she did quit the Furines over concerns including - but not limited to - unwarranted stereotyping. And really, she'd be a hypocrite otherwise, given her line of work. If this wolf was just a wolf, no big deal. But in these circumstances, a wolf only wearing a pair of shorts, crawling on all fours, wagging his tail, sniffing her out, and topping it all off with that line. It's hard not to jump to conclusions. The last time this happened she almost lost her good eye; she wasn't falling for this again.

In a flash, she unhooked a metal box from her back, hidden behind her cape, which proceeded to, with the push of a button, de-collapse into her Shock Rifle. In less than two seconds, she was standing in the middle of the hall, in a combat-ready stance, aiming the rifle square at the wolf's face.

"Don't step any closer, or I'll put a lightning bolt right between your eyes! And trust me, neither of us want that right now!" she said as firmly - and honestly - as she could. Ally or enemy, seeing a familiar species - and one who could speak Mammalian Common, at that - was a lifesaver. Meant maybe she could squeeze some information out of him.

"Now... I have a lot of questions. Let's start from the top. First of all, where are we? Secondly, why are you here? Third, who are those... lifeforms back there with you?"

"If you think like a child, you will do a child's work."

"W-well yaknow, people have powers and seeing what powers people have is hecking cool! Like uh..."

Tibalt gestures vaguely at where Nancy is.

"Like weird thing hanging about around that girl? That's probably a power and it's probably cool. I don't really have any big flashy powers myself so I tend to like seeing people who do. Maybe it's weird but it's benign!"

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Makoto looks at Nancy and her Stand briefly. He then darts his eyes back to Tibalt, the blank expression on his face staying the same.

"...nah, that's pretty normal to me. Well, I'm still gonna keep it on a back burner in my mind."

He then tries to walk away, before remembering Lapine and how she was going a bit psycho.

"...Oh...right...her..."

Edited by Risdio51 on Oct 2nd 2020 at 7:50:48 AM

I can't say goodbye to yesterday…

Jo

“Nah, mate. This ain't mine. Pretty to see it in person, though. Not so suddenly, mind you...” Jo commented, flicking her gaze over to the console a moment before frowning at the sudden animosity directed towards the werewolf. With a raise of her eyebrow, she cleared her throat and raised her voice—aiming to catch the threatening woman's attention ASAP.

“Oy, love—nobody's looking for a fight here. You flashing them weapons around aren't helping at all. Simmer down and settle down, you hear me? Nobody wants to talk down the wrong end of a gun barrel. Trust me, I know.”

Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 2nd 2020 at 12:54:45 PM

bork

Wolfgang

Little Wolf jumped to his feet, raising his hands placatingly. "Hey now, I'm not gonna hurt you. I like playing with bunnies, not eating them."

At least, he assumed she was a bunny, from her scent and height. Humans didn't get that short. Or was she a werebunny? Did those exist? He'd met werefoxes, and werebears, and he knew there were merfolk and dragonfolk as well, so there probably were bunny-people.

Focusing back on the person who was pointing a gun at him, he tilted his head. "We're in a place called the Quantum Axis, which is like another universe, but outside of space and time, or whatever. I don't really understand the science stuff behind it. I'm here because apparently there's this 'darkness' that's eating worlds, and there's a resistance group here fighting against it. As for the others..."

He shrugged. "None of them seem to know about the Axis either. I don't know why the Axis people brought us all here. I mean, I was willing to sign up, but I never actually, you know, signed anything." Wolfgang scratched his chin. "Maybe that's why they brought us here. Either way, I'm sure they'll send someone to explain, soon. Please don't shoot anyone, ok?"

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?