Intro Log + Network Post

[stealerofhearts]

Who; Ren Amamiya and YOU
What; Exploring the market alleys | Network Post
Where; Log; Market alleys, night | Network; Noble District; outside the movie theater
When; Early July
Warnings; None as of yet, will update as needed


It could be argued a 16 year old boy didn't have any business wandering the streets at night in an unfamiliar time and place. Ren would counter, how else would you expect a new arrival to get his bearings in a new place if not to explore it? So what if he was also hoping to fun into a certain talking cat, or anyone else he found familiar? After spending over a year with Morgana and all the others, losing them so suddenly was a shock. Yes, he'd been leaving town anyway, and yes he'd said his goodbyes, but there was something so much more profoundly final to this transportation, as though he'd never seen them, or anything that was familiar again.

It was overdramatic, he could recognize that (he'd had a good instructor in dramatics recently) but it was a hard fear to shake when nothing around looked familiar. He'd been hoping to shake that feeling by getting oriented with the place, but as he passed an alley, this one linking two major streets in the market district, a sound caught his attention that gave him pause. Was... That a cat?

"Morgana?" His furtive call was wishful thinking, he could recognize that, but it was worth investigating, right? The rattle of glass down there in the darkness spurred him on. Surely it's just a cat, right, or at worst a harmless drunk?


Network | Video

[The feed initializes first on familiar surroundings to some, the Noble district, with its strange mix of manicured lawns and half-fallen buildings, and then the camera is panned over what looks to be the façade of a theater, set back across a park with a small semi-circle of worn and neglected cobblestones in front marking what was likely once a busy carriage park. The building is complete with a marquee, though it is weathered and lacks any sort of billing.]

What a strange place to find a movie theater. [The voice is young but deep and masculine, and then Ren turns the camera on himself in selfie mode. It's difficult to see behind the shine on his lenses behind his unruly hair, but there's a slightly mischievous gleam to his eye for those familiar with the look.] Anyone up for an adventure?

Comments

[stealerofhearts]

"Maybe they're different terms for the same thing." It was the most logical deduction he could make. He wondered what she might know about Persona and the users of them that her group might have discovered. It also occurred to him a group like that might be very interested in the group of them, and suddenly realized the people who'd been tailing them when he was leaving Tokyo might be related. Was it some sort of Yakuza? How lucky was he to have been transported here? That might well depend on how accurate his thoughts about the Kirijo Group were.

"...they shoot themselves to call Persona? Maybe I should talk to her." At some point.

[bufubulous]

“It could be… The way she described it was a bit odd, at least compared to what we know of these things. It sounded more like its something that bleeds into our world. Apparently it’s a certain hour in which normal people are enclosed in coffins and shadows appear to roam.” at least that was how the woman had explained it to him. He was still rather unsure of what that looked like, given how hard it was to imagine.

But he nodded at the question, raising a hand to point a finger at his head. “They do. It was quite strange to see! She pointed it around here and just pulled the trigger. It seems like it was a device designed especially for the intent of summoning a persona from how she explained it.” But the teen agreed. He rather thought it might be good for Ren to meet the young woman. He had a feeling there was a lot their individual groups might learn from one another, given how their experiences differed. “I believe that would be a good idea. I believe currently there is only her and one other person from her group here. Still, it makes for an interesting conversation to meet someone who can do what we can, even if rather different.”

[stealerofhearts]

"In...coffins?" He set his spoon down, looking over to his friend in confusion. "So the metaverse bleeds into the real world for her, and people are, what, protected?" At least he assumed the coffins would offer them some sort of protection.

"Does...that mean anyone could summon one with the gun?" Maybe that was the point of it.

[bufubulous]

“That’s how she explained it, yes. Apparently, once this particular hour rolls around, most people are encased in coffins while shadows appear. It’s supposed to be the safest place for anyone who isn’t able to summon a persona.” He responded with a nod, still having a hard time imagining it himself after having spoken with Mitsuru on the subject for a while.

The next question gets a small pause from Yusuke, because he really hadn’t thought of that possibility. “That I cannot say, I’m afraid. It seems as though it would work that way? Though… Perhaps not just anyone, if most people end up in coffins. I admit, there were so many questions when I spoke to her and that one did not cross my mind.” He ended with an apologetic tone.

[stealerofhearts]

"Do you...think that happened everywhere, or was it in one place, like Mementos in Tokyo?" A lot of questions indeed. He wanted to meet this Mitsuru Kirijo, but it was also late, and he was more tired than he wanted to admit. He'd been looking around since he'd arrived, and with warm soup in his belly, he was beginning to think the best idea was calling it a night.

"Maybe I should meet her sometime."

[bufubulous]

“I suppose it could have…? I don’t know what might contain such a thing in one specific area, after all. It could very well be that they only have the people to cover one area and expand outward…” He mused thoughtfully, not sure of the real answer himself. The very idea of the metaverse leaking into the real world in such a way at all was alarming enough, but to think it might be more widespread than the area that Mitsuru lived in was a little worrying.

“I believe she lives in the red building, and most often I run into her in the historium should you decide you’d like to meet.” He added with a nod, because he really did agree. It seemed like a good idea for them all to have met, really… Even if they had different methods and goals, they were all persona users and that seemed like a connection of sorts that shouldn’t be ignored.

[stealerofhearts]

But it had in their world too, only Yusuke didn't remember it. "It could, yeah." He nodded, concerned. If it was possible there, what was stopping something similar from happening here?

"The Historium." He nodded. "I can remember that." He smiled, though there was a tiredness to his eyes he'd been hiding before. All this traveling and talking and eating was finally catching up to him. Where was Morgana to tell him to get some sleep?

[bufubulous]

No, he certainly didn’t… The things Yusuke didn’t know at the moment were rather substantial, really.

Unaware, he considered the idea thoughtfully to himself instead, as Ren agreed that it could happen before offering his friend a smile in return. “Yes, it’s not terribly far from here either. So it isn’t hard to find your way to.” He didn’t expect Ren would have much difficulties at all, but should his friend ask, he would show him around in the morning once the sun was up.

It was really unfortunate that Morgana wasn’t around to remind Ren about sleeping. It wasn’t like Yusuke was known to have a normal sleep schedule himself… However, there was at least one thing that did help. Yusuke did tend to observe his friends and some people rather closely. Ren looked more than a little tired, unsurprisingly. “Though I believe that can all wait for the light of day, shall I show you our sleeping quarters?”

[stealerofhearts]

When Yusuke mentioned it, he realized he was in fact very tired, and he nodded before collecting their dishes out of habit to return them to be cleaned, only to find that was something they would be handling themselves. It made sense, seeing as they were living in an orphanage.

"Help me clean these and we'll head to bed."

[bufubulous]

It was odd how easy it seemed to fall into habit sometimes. He’d been here for a few months at this point, and yet it was almost a natural habit to watch Ren start to gather things up like he would have at Leblanc. Offering his friend a smile, he pushed himself to his feet and reached out to take some of the dishes himself. “I would be happy to, Ren. This way, and then I’ll show you where the sleeping quarters are.”

Yusuke lead Ren to where they could take care of the dishes before they went on their way towards the sleeping area. As earlier mentioned, it wouldn’t be difficult to figure out which space Yusuke inhabited, given there was paint tracked out of the space by the feet that had run through his corner set up for painting.

fin?

[stealerofhearts]

It was a comfort, that corner, a small piece of home here in this alien world and he was glad for it. He smiled as he was led around, taking special note of where the younger children slept, where the food might be stored in the kitchen, where the dishes were washed and if there were windows nearby when they moved to the second floor.

He yawned as the mounted the stairs, blinked back a fatigue he'd been keeping at bay with sheer curiosity. It was a whole new world, and they'd left one behind, it was true, but this one would suffice to fill their days.

Sure thing!

[bufubulous]

Yusuke could see the growing fatigue on his friend’s face the longer it took them to get to the sleeping area... Really, from the time they got to washing to the time they started up the stairs, he felt some concern for it.

Which at least meant the teen wouldn’t keep Ren up that evening. Even being mindful of the noise and the time and going to bed at a decent hour for once, if only to make sure they were ready for the morning. And... Really, it had been an exciting day between his usual appointment and meeting with Ren. A good night's sleep seemed like a good idea for a change.

(Fin!)