An Arrival

[bufubulous]

Who; Yusuke and you!
What; Two open logs and one network
Where; All over the city
When; Early may
Warnings; Yusuke is bad at managing his own health/eating habits but otherwise nothing. I will update if anything major comes up in a thread.

( I can also do personalized starters if you want! just let me know either on Discord: WhimsicalSpook#8219 or Plurk: whimsicalspook You are also welcome to throw a starter at me if you want, I don't bite!)



1. The Arrival - Bump into him all over the city! - OTA

“This an interesting shade…” A tall, willowy young man commented absentmindedly as Raimon made his escape from the many questions that had been thrown at him moments before he handed over the welcome-bag.

It was as though he’d wandered through the looking glass… Which, to be fair, wasn’t really that strange of an idea given the way his life had progressed of late. Still, this… Didn’t look right. It was far different from Tokyo even with just a vague glance, and it certainly wasn’t mementos… At first the teen thought perhaps he’d slipped into a palace- it had happened to him once before after all, but it didn’t have the right… energy.

There were people walking around, people of substance and life. Not shadows, not a representation of how a palace's ruler saw them… Just people going about their daily business. If it weren’t for the setting, one could easily believe there was nothing strange going on. There was, though, and it was puzzling…

But also beautiful, in a way. The aesthetic of this land was somewhere between a historic drama and a fantasy, like out of a video game he’d could imagine a friend of his playing. But it was intriguing, so much so that Yusuke wasn’t really paying attention to where he walked.

He was too caught up in picking out details and perhaps how he’d approach capturing it in a piece… Not smart, no, he should be paying more attention… Or freaking out… And maybe he would, at some point, but even then? The truth would always be stranger than fiction, and he had already accepted the idea of strange worlds other than his own that were beyond understanding.


2. Network Introduction - Audio - OTA

Good afternoon, everyone.

[ A smooth, mannerly tone is heard across the network. A new one, certainly, and this is confirmed a moment later. ]

My name is Yusuke Kitagawa, and I’ve only just arrived this morning. Forgive me for asking questions that I expect most are tired of hearing by now, but I am still trying to work some things about this place out. I have managed to learn a few things around the city, so I will try to limit my inquiries to the necessities.

I’ve heard that there are some rather unpleasant creatures and entities that reside in this city, and I should think that having a means of defense and assisting in defending others would be smart. Is there a preferred weapons dealer in the city, preferably one that would carry or willing to secure a sword of my preference?

[ He wants to get his hands on a katana rather quickly, if he can. No, the teen hadn’t yet considered what that might cost. He’ll figure that out later… as per usual. ]

I’ve also been informed that there are others here who have experience with other worlds and realities than their own, and I confess I’m rather curious to hear about such things. [ Not because he has experience with such things himself. Nope. Not at all. Not him. He’s not hoping one of these people will be someone he knows, even if he hasn’t spotted familiar names on the contact list… But still, from what he’d heard it was worth asking. Yusuke moved on rather quickly to… justify his question. ] You see, I hope that hearing such things will assist me in understanding and being prepared for what I may see or encounter here… And as an artist, I can’t help but wonder what inspiration I might draw from such stories and experiences.

With that out of the way, thank you for any answers you may be so kind as to provide me. I look forward to becoming acquainted with my fellow arrivals.


3. Feed the Artist - Few days after his arrival, the market - OTA

Yusuke was settling in as well as could be expected in this strange world. Better, perhaps, than some who were plucked out of their own lives and dropped into this one. He was at least somewhat familiar with alternate worlds and realities. Monsters and quests and magic weren’t unknown to him, given his time with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

What was probably going less well than other arrivals was he didn’t do particularly well when left to his own devices for too long. Yusuke was reasonably mature for his age, even more so than some of his teammates… But the teen did have some flaws that were a bit detrimental to his own health. The first thing the young man had done upon arriving was get carried away with new projects, inspired by the sights in this world and the unique aesthetic and beauty that could be found here. So desperate to move past his art slump, and eager to catch the beauty and the emotions that could be evoked by various sights and settings, he had quickly drained his funds on supplies.

This meant a lack of money for necessities like food and other comforts, but it hadn’t really mattered too much to him when he considered it after the fact. The orphanage provided three meals a day, so he could get food easily enough… The problem was, one had to remember they were hungry and to be mindful of the time to get said meals.

Yusuke was not known for being particularly good at remembering these things. Oftentimes his teammates had to pitch in to offer him something or ask him to stay to have some curry and coffee at Leblanc’s free of charge…

There was no one here to be pester him to take care of himself, though, and so he’d fallen rather easily into old habits. Put other things off for the sake of creating what he hoped would be a masterpiece. Art takes dedication and sacrifice, Yusuke. You want to succeed, don’t you? You want to create a masterpiece worthy of praise, so keep working.

The voice in his head insisted, a lingering mindset he hadn’t put behind him, as his stomach growled loudly from where he was sitting on a bench as he sketched out a scene before him. The scene was of the market, bustling with life and energy. He frowned every so often, brows knitting lightly and muttering about someone moving before he could finish capturing their pose. “Stop moving, please!” He uttered more audibly as he felt the piece slowly falling apart in front of him, desperate to at least finish outlining the scene he wanted to paint. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad if he hadn’t been struggling with his own focus.

Some annoyed glances were cast in the teen’s direction for speaking up, and for the odd insistence in his tone. He noticed it after the fact and winced as he heard someone call him weird. The insult stung a bit, and he cast a glare in their direction on instinct. But he was reminded of a moment with the phantom’s leader when someone asked them to not be rude and to be mindful of those around them. Right… He was being rude again… But did no one understand he was trying to capture something beautiful? The energy and simple joys of life, even in the simplest moment of picking up food for meals with your loved one or looking at gifts, supporting passionate craftsman selling their wares.


For Enis

Yusuke blinked, realizing she was trying to explain the concept to him, so he offered a smile from under his mask and shook his head lightly. “Oh, no, I do know the definition of the word quite well, but thank you. I suppose I was only amused by the idea of it.” The particular irony to the idea, he supposed, though it didn’t cross his mind to explain. He was too distracted by the whispers and the woman standing before him who seemed to have answers.

“Clearly more than I was informed of when I arrived earlier…” He murmured thoughtfully, eyes wandering for a moment to the shadows again. “You’re right, of course, teamwork would be ideal when facing an unknown in the dark…” And all of this was terribly unknown compared to the strange places he was already used to. “But I’m not exactly alone, am I?” He said, more to himself than to Enis. He meant Goemon, of course, but she could take him to mean that she was there now as well.

Still, he would be smarter to not wander until he had a weapon of sorts for the occasion that calling upon an ice spell with Goemon would be foolhardy and potentially damaging to a small space. Folding his arms, one resting under his chin as he did his best to ignore the incessant sounds in the night as he opened his mouth to continue asking her about the ‘things that went bump in the night.’

But then the light catching in her eyes distracted him. “Like illuminated jewels… Such a mysterious air. I should like to capture it on canvas.” He commented with distraction, probably without the lead up that one should to suggesting such a thing, but he was blunt and to the point as ever. Thought too much of art and never considered how his words might sound.


For Mitsuru

“No… I expect that answers aren’t about to be spread out on a table for us to pick through like at a buffet, either.” Things were never so easy, and with the way this was all turning out… Even if a buffet would be nice. Both one of information and food, now that he thought about it.

“Most people are complicated in general, I think. Hard to figure out… And never what you think they are based on first impressions.” Or they were, but they were more than their first impressions and should not be lumped into a trait alone. The amount of blunders from making such assumptions was a bit steep on his part, he supposed in hindsight. “Had it been a while since you’d seen him, even before here?” Perhaps that was why it was complicated, now that he thought about it. If it was the case, then all the better that they had the chance to meet here… right? A chance to reconnect, and some comfort in an unfamiliar world and situation where things seemed very uncertain to him after only a few hours here.

What would he ask them if he could talk to them? A great many things, Yusuke supposed, if they weren’t anyone he knew… But if he ended up knowing said person somehow, perhaps the questions would be different. Best to keep those thoughts separate, the teen realized, to avoid… complicating things. Playing oblivious and unknowledgeable. That was more fitting, and he expected most of his team would agree. “I’d want to ask them more about this other reality they’ve been to… To find out if there are any similarities between that one and this?” He placed his hand under his chin, nodding slightly as he continued. “I suppose I’d also want to ask about these creatures tied to human emotions. Sounds rather…” Familiar. “Fanciful, and hard to not ponder over what that means and what they might be like.”

Yusuke hadn’t really considered his question might be a difficult one to answer. Even when she paused and seemed to break off her sentence midway for a few moments, it left him a little puzzled. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, when she continued instead and his mouth closed again and he tilted his head thoughtfully. For someone her age, the teen guessed a few years older than him at most, being in charge of the entire Kirijo Group would be an enormous responsibility and weight… The expectations placed upon someone in her position were probably more difficult than he could understand, really… “I see… That is quite the responsibility.” So he offered her a careful nod. “I believe you make a good point, though I hadn’t thought of it. It isn’t as though we’ve brought more with us to this world than our memories, talents and a few meager belongings… Simply people with pasts that hold no bearing here.”

Comments

[bufus]

"Sometimes potential comforts are all we're given." It seemed like that had been the case far too often lately, but at least it was something. "What I meant to say is that even a potential comfort is better than nothing, is it not?" Solid evidence that confirmed the accuracy of the assumption would be preferred, but it seemed unlikely that they would be getting any of that. At least not anytime soon. "As I said, I haven't been here long myself. However, the few people I have spoken to all seem genuine." So, she'd believed most of what she'd heard.

"I do, I've passed by it a few times while trying to better my understanding of this place's layout." It was a weird place. Not an unpleasant weird though, simply a very unfamiliar one. "Ah, I wouldn't turn down company. Two eyes are certainly better than one. At the very least I'd like to familiarize myself more with this place, it's customs, and even it's history if we can."

[bufubulous]

“I understand what you’re saying, and I find myself in agreement. The potential at least settles some of my worries.” It didn’t put them to rest entirely, but it was good enough for now. The longer they were here, the chance that it could be confirmed properly grew. So he had to hope that this would work out, it wasn’t as though he had another option. They were effectively trapped in this world. It wouldn’t be like entering or leaving the metaverse with an app on a phone.

Yes… He’d at least checked.

Yusuke smiled lightly, glancing at the carnival around them with a nod. “Learning this city is truly something a challenge. I expect I’ll be doing much the same in the coming days. I’ve found myself turned around on more than one occasion today alone. Every time I think I know where I’m going, I find somewhere new.” He hadn’t even been looking for the carnival, but he’d gotten quite caught up in it all once he had happened upon it.

“Agreed. Between the two of us, we can cover more ground and perhaps locate information of use that others might overlook.” He seemed quite keen on the idea, and eager to have a research partner. Mitsuru seemed agreeable, and like she’d be a good partner to have in looking for information. “The customs of this world already seem different from what I’ve noted by watching… So learning about them properly would be a good start, especially if we’re to live among them. It would be good to understand them out of respect, since we may be asked to join them in.” And it would be interesting in its own way, to compare and see how they all differed.

[bufus]

"Enough to at least offer us some sort of relief," which was more than what she'd gotten back home in quite a few months. Perhaps even longer than that now that she fully thought about it. Ah, but there was no reason to dwell too long on such things.

"While I don't want to insult anyone, the design in general does feel rather haphazard," though she wasnt really sure who she'd be insulting by voicing that. It just seemed rude to the city designers to claim the buildings look like they were just randomly placed down.

She nodded in appreciation to his agreement at her idea. "That was my thought, though I'm rather used to researching by myself." For the most part the original other members of SEES were better suited for going out than for staying in and researching shadows and things like that. "You'll have to forgive me if I go too far with giving out assignments." A few of her comrades might think of her as harsh in terms of her dedication to research and studying, but she had good intentions with it. Knowledge was power. "That is a good point, I would hate to have a misunderstanding come up due to a lack of knowledge of their culture."

[bufubulous]

Yusuke nodded, folding his arms lightly at the description of the city. Which was a funny sight, since the Beorse now looked like it was being hugged. “It is a very odd layout… Once you’re in the area, it’s very aesthetically pleasing… But getting from one point to the next is very disorganized.” And the various areas still in heavy disrepair were unsettling to pass through, only to end up in a much more cared for location. “I was truly surprised that there was no map gifted along with all the other things they dumped in that bag.”

Then again, perhaps no one was sure how to draw an easy to follow map considering how odd the city’s layout was.

A light chuckle escaped him as she asked for forgiveness. “No need to apologize. It’s good to have direction from someone who knows how to delegate properly. It would keep us far more organized, after all. Otherwise, I might jump from one thing to another.” And he could, truly, he could… Especially if he saw something that he found intriguing enough to want to stop and sketch or draft a painting of. “Where I came from, my group found it beneficial to let specific people lead or offer instruct us.” That was to say, he didn’t mind being given assignments.

“Misunderstandings can be easy enough when you’re conversing with someone already, let alone those that cane come up if we don’t know the people and their traditions well, I think.” He agreed with another serious nod. Yusuke was a fine one to talk, after all, with the amount of times he’d been misunderstood after not considering how his words or actions might have been received. “I believe we have an agreement, then. I’ll join you at the historium once we’ve found an agreeable time. We can use to regroup as well, to share what we might have learned in the interim.”

[bufus]

Mitsuru was at least polite enough to not make a comment about the Beorse, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I'm not quite certain if I'd agree that it's aesthetically pleasing, the logistics of it ruin it for me." For her aesthetics had more to do with functionality than just if it looked pleasing or not. There were certain things she made exceptions for, but those were things she didn't let others know about too often. In fact, nobody in her current circle had any idea of her particular weakness for dolls. More often than not she just didn't have the time to indulge in such things. She made a humming noise though and scrunched her eyebrows. "That particular frustration also crossed my mind. Perhaps I could create one..." Artemisia wasn't nearly as suited for it, but if she took her time to piece it together she might be able to make it work.

"I'm quite used to dealing with individuals like that," she said with a small smile. Junpei came to mind. "Though, I've had some troubling experiences with individuals who are too focused on one specific thing." Akihiko exemplified that. "Tunnel vision can also be a problem. Sometimes, having someone that can offer a wider viewpoint can be helpful as well."

She nodded. "My group operates in much the same way." Though she did find herself wondering what he might mean precisely by a group. "What is it that your group does?" Perhaps it wasn't appropriate for her to just ask so bluntly, but social graces were not her strong suit.

"You're correct of course, and I must admit my social skills are somewhat limited already, even among my peers." Especially among her peers. Really, her social skills when among those of her own age was absolutely abysmal. She knew how to operate at cooperate functions and business meetings, but casual hangouts? Those were truly baffling. "It sounds like a good plan. I'm sure we'll find a lot to discuss by the time we can meet up again."

[bufubulous]

Yusuke, unaware of why she was smiling, continued as though everything was quite normal. If anything, her response made him a bit curious… It was an interesting subject, after all. Mitsuru preferred functionality over aesthetics, by the sound of it. He could understand it, though it seemed to him that the disorganized layout was just unfortunate rather than taking from the appeal of a place once you’d found your way to it.

Still, a map would be useful to getting around from one place to another with ease until they could get used to the layout. “I rather wonder how much ground we might need to cover to create such a thing? But it would be useful, especially until we get used to this place.” It was a rather ambitious thought, really. “At least if there is no map to be found among others who found the same issue when they arrived.” It was hard to not wonder if maybe someone else had a similar thought where their welcome bag lacked something that might help them get around more easily.

“Then, with your experience, I would gladly accept your suggestions and do my best with your requested tasks. Between the two of us, and perhaps your other friend you mentioned, we can make more progress than we would individually.” And that sounded pretty good right about now.

Now, Yusuke only realized when she asked that perhaps his words could have been thought through a little better before… How to describe his group to someone from his world who didn’t know about the metaverse? What kind of group would make sense for a bunch of teenagers to need a leader and someone who could assign and organize? He attempted to ‘think fast’ as they said. “Oh! We’re all in high school and it’s a study group to prepare for exams and homework assignments.” The teen responded in what he hoped was a timely, smooth manner.

Nodding lightly, Yusuke certainly couldn’t really judge her social skills. Not when he knew he missed the mark at times or was unable to read a situation, as well as his peers could at times. Sometimes he was aware of it, and other times only found out after the fact. He could feel like he was on the mark, only to be made aware of how he’d missed it or come off as odd… “I find myself in a similar place, I suppose… Then we shall both benefit from educating ourselves on the subject here.” And he would at least look forward to reconvening to discuss their findings before they embarked on a proper search of the Historium. “With any luck, and enough attention, I believe we shall.”

[bufus]

"The first step would be to section off locations," she mused aloud. "Then I could go from there." If she had her equipment it'd be much more efficient and she'd be able to get a lot more information. However, surely she could at least get something rough on her own if she were to concentrate long enough. Perhaps she could even figure out these dangerous areas some people had spoken about and estimate how much danger they actually posed...well, now she had a project she was certainly going to work on. Truthfully, even if someone else had made one she'd want to work on her own. Not that she found other's work inadequate, but that was the case.

"Ah, hmm...I'm uncertain if Shinjiro would agree to research work, he was always more...suited for field experience," she said with an awkward smile. "I can assure you he's quite reliable should we have need of that though." Perhaps she could convince him to join them in the Historium but she felt slightly odd having to request it of him. Why was that? Hmm, not a thing to be thought about much right now at least.


"Ah, it's good to hear you and your group of friends are so dedicated to your studies. THat will do you very well!" She smiled brightly at his response, becoming almost a little envious that he had a group so dedicated. "I'm lucky if I can get even two of my group to take their studies seriously." It was a constant source of frustration for her, trying to wrangle them up to actually concentrate. Somehow it also seemed like Iori magically had an excuse for just about everything and Akihiko seemed incapable of getting him to focus.

"It's probably a bit wrong of me to say, but it's nice to know someone else finds themselves in a similar place," she offered another small smile. Back home she often felt like a fish out of water, at least she thought that was how that saying went. It seemed like interactions came so naturally to people like Takeba that she almost found herself a bit jealous of her. "I hope you're correct."

[bufubulous]

“I suppose one could find a starting point by following the city walls?” Yusuke couldn’t help but wonder if she had some experience with map-making in the first place, or at least a better idea of how to go about it than most. It almost sounded like she already had a plan? How intriguing…

Yusuke tilted his head slightly. So this friend of hers was more fond of legwork than research? He could think of a few people in his life that were like that, so he offered an understanding nod and a small grin. “I see, well it’s important to play to one’s strengths. We’ll have to count on him should we run into such a need.” A pity, though, more people exploring the historium the better… And it would be nice to meet this friend of hers.

The teen almost felt bad for his fib. It wasn’t entirely a lie. They did all gather to study when exams approached… But it certainly wasn’t the actual point of the group. It was simply more of a convenient byproduct. Yusuke almost wanted to admit it as she seemed rather pleased with the idea, but it would mean a complicated explanation that might reveal rather worrying unknowns to her world that she didn’t need on top of all this right now.

So instead, he offered a soft chuckle. “To be honest, there are a couple people in our group who have their moments… It can be difficult to keep people on task if their interest wavers in favour of things they care more about, or they’re easily distracted.” So Mitsuru at least had his sympathy there, and he wasn’t even leading the study group.

“There is comfort, I think, in knowing one isn’t alone in an experience. Being the ‘odd one out’, as they say, isn’t a fun experience.” He responded with another small smile, knowing what she meant. Even if it would be nicer to think that others didn’t experience the same issue that they did, it was hard to not feel something about not being the only one.

He nodded, finally in agreement. “As do I, but time will tell, I suppose.” Given she seemed to be a rather capable sort, he was hopeful that they’d at least make some progress if they stuck to it. It just meant… focusing and a little work.

[bufus]

"That's a fair thought." At least for a place to start. Making a rough outline of the city walls and then working in might work quite well. She'd certainly have to consider that more carefully in the coming days.

"You're right of course, and he I'm certain he'll come in handy should we have that need." Not that she particularly intended on asking him to do anything that could potentially be risky. That was quite personal though and she wasn't about to bring that up with someone she barely knew, regardless of how nice he seemed.

"Difficult is certainly a way of putting it. Honestly, it can become quite exhausting," which was often the case with her group. Trying to keep them in line was a full time job. "Too often they simply allow their own interests to dictate how they spend their time, which only leads to neglecting the things that really mattered." Like studying for their exams. Sometimes she really felt like most of them just didn't care what they ended up.

"It feels like an odd thing to complain about, but no, it's often quite an awkward experience to be the odd one out." One that she'd become increasingly aware of in the past year. Not that she hadn't always felt a certain amount of isolation due to her position. Really, looking back it seemed a bit silly that she'd even avoided going to the movies out of a fear of being embarrassed at going alone.

"Time will indeed tell."

[bufubulous]

“Yes; there is something rather tiring, I expect, in trying to lead those who don’t have their heart in a project.” He responded sympathetically. Makoto usually threatened a canceling of exciting plans if exams were failed… A reward to look forward and hopefully motivate them with. But he also didn’t think she seemed to have the heart (or control) to do so when it came down to it. Not that he knew what Ryuji’s grades were, other than that he seemed to imply he’d done abysmally every time.

Yusuke nodded. He wasn’t sure if they were complaining so much as sharing an agreement about a mutual experience. “I suppose that means we’ll be in good company, or at least understanding company.” He added with a thoughtful expression, though he realized it was hard to say if their awkwardness would be similar or differ in ways that would make things even more awkward. He hoped not. She seemed like good company so far. Though, even if they did differ, he supposed that was only natural. People were different and… it could be a good experience to interact with those who had different views or life experience, to learn from one another.

[bufus]

“Their hearts are certainly very far from the project of getting decent grades," she said with a tiny smile. While she was somewhat disappointed in some of their performances, it was hard to stay too mad at them considering all they'd been through. She tried to remind herself that not everyone dealt with things by simply avoiding them as she did. Perhaps some of the others had let their studies slip because they were trying to come to terms with all they'd seen and faced. That was probably a very optimistic and generous thing to think when it came to Iori though.

"I will look forward to it," she said with a tone that already veered towards awkward. Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure how to respond to the similarities they seemed to be sharing. It felt like saying she looked forward to them meeting in the Historium was the appropriate thing to say. It also wasn't untrue, in a way she did look forward to it. Research like that would be familiar and even if the two of them did have quite a lot of differences, they at least could relate to feeling out of place.

[bufubulous]

“Yes, I believe we both shall.” He responded with a small smile.

The awkwardness was definitely present… He wasn’t entirely sure at the moment how to proceed, after all. It seemed like a decent time for him to take his leave so he could resume finding his way around this strange new world, and to learn more about it. After all, he couldn’t provide her with potentially new information to share when they did meet up at the Historium, if he didn’t actually go…

Adjusting his hold on the Beorse, he finally made the decision to try “Until then, Mitsuru. I must thank you again for allowing me to keep the ‘Beorse’ and for your conversation. It was quite a relief to get to know someone from the same world as myself on my first in this strange place, and I will be sure to try to learn some useful information for when we next meet.” He responded with a light bow, then straightening to brush the hair out of his eyes. “Do have a lovely evening, and I will be sure to get in touch soon.” Perhaps even with some kind of update on his idea for a painting involving the doll.