Fox through the looking glass!

[bufubulous]

Who; Yusuke and people!
What; The Dark Hour Event
Where; The other side of the mirror
When; Backdated to the 10th!
Warnings; I will update if there are any major ones!



The arrival - OTA

One would think that after his first excursion through the mirror that Yusuke might have been a little cautious about heading back in again, especially when the sight that met his eyes upon looking at the mirror was decidedly different from it had been last time… But it hadn’t gone poorly the first time, on the contrary it had been a thrilling experience for him and Haru despite the uncertainties around the excursion. So curiosity had won out and through the looking glass, the phantom thief had gone.

What he found on the other side, though, was rather unexpected… Not only because it was such a strange and shocking sight, but because it reminded him of a very specific conversation that he’d had with Mitsuru a few months back… When they had been comparing their experiences with persona and the like, she had explained something called the ‘Dark Hour’ in which people ended up in coffins while shadows roamed the area… And as he stared at the coffins lining the streets? It was hard to not consider the similarities.

“What in the world…” He murmured, eyes wide, instinctively calling the disguise that went along with his persona in place as he realized this might very well be something both strange and familiar… And Goemon might be quite necessary before long.

In his element - OTA

Troubling as the sight of this other aterat might have been, there was something terribly thrilling about falling into the rhythm of battle again. Of cutting down shadows with deadly grace, of calling upon Goemon to join the fray when needed and trusting his other self with the task of sending a beautiful barrage of ice or an attack with a little extra weight to it and watching their enemies fall to clear the path forward… Even after the last few months, it was like second nature, and the only thing missing was the rest of the team. Even as he focused on dodging the strange shadows in this place or clearing a path, his eyes constantly kept a lookout for the familiar sight of the two of his friends who very well could show up in this place.

It didn’t take long for Yusuke to take to higher ground, finding his way to the top of a building in what was the market district in Aterat proper. Hand resting on his chin under his mask as he scanned the area below. He could see the odd form here and there, decidedly wandering shadows looking for something to attack and feed on… The artist couldn’t help but wish he had a sketchpad on him, really. The sight calling to mind a project he’d been meaning to start, something to surprise his friend Haru with…

But the thought gets set aside for now as his eyes narrowed slightly, head tilting to the side as he spotted what decidedly was not a shadow near the base of the building… “Hm…?” He blinked and crouched slightly to get a better look, to make sure it truly was a person and not a shadow.

Comments

In his element

[cetrary]

Aerith wasn't completely unfamiliar with taking care of herself. She'd done it back home but...well...that was kind of a different story wasn't it? That was avoiding Shinra, avoiding the Whispers, and fighting with Cloud and the others. There was no denying that fighting with the others was pretty different than fighting completely on her own. The biggest problem was that she kinda needed quite a lot of time to use her offensive magic. That was the positive aspect of fighting with a duo or a group: she got people to distract things while she worked on a cast.

Unfortunately there was nobody here. So far all she'd found were these creatures slithering around like living shadows. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she had to admit (at least to herself) that it was very creepy. Hojo would like them and anything Hojo would like was automatically awful in her opinion. She had her hand gripped tightly around the staff she carried as she tried to evade the creatures. For a while it'd been going pretty well, until she'd found one that was particularly big and crafty. Or maybe it wasn't crafty, maybe it was just determined. It wasn't stopping in it's pursuit of her and she could practically feel the malice coming off it. That thing was hunting her and that was another layer of creepy to this entire situation.

She turned a sharp corner around a large building only to stumble over a coffin. One hand released from the staff as she reached out to try to brace her fall. Pain shot through her as she also felt the oppressing emotions of this place start to collapse in on her. Her eyes widened as the large shadow creature started to close in. It wasn't alone either, there was a chittering in the back as smaller shadows started to crawl out of the shadows as if they were drawn to her fear and her own panic.

"S-stay away! I can defend myself!" Kind of. A few of the small ones lunged forward and she threw her staff up creating a bright flower in front of her that blocked their attacks. Her eyes were closed in concentration as she tried to maintain the shield. That was all she could do and it wasn't going to last for too long. Especially as the large thing started to close in.

[bufubulous]

As he realized who was at the base of his building, his narrowed eyes widen considerably. “Aerith…!” He uttered in shock to see the woman here, and in a particularly dangerous situation. The shadows were far too close for comfort and quite clearly intent upon breaking past the barrier she had thrown up, impressive as it was to be held against the closest shadows.

If he weren’t so concerned, it would be hard for the teen to not get caught up in how lovely the bright flower looked, and how interesting it might be to capture such a sight on paper.

But for all he could be impractical in the light of inspiration, a friend in danger took priority and anything else was far from his mind. Yusuke took little time to descend from the building, a few quick leaps from the ledge to the fire-escape and then the ground below, landing a few paces away before he hurried forward. “Begone, foul fiends. You shall not feast this day!” He commented with a tone of disgust as he came at the shadows from the side with a flash of his blade, slicing through one of the smaller ones and lashing out to drive the remaining ones back. Wanting enough space to step between them and her so he could call upon Goemon without putting Aerith in danger of being caught in the crossfire.

[cetrary]

Aerith was used to running back after a man with a sword appeared. Actually, it really seemed like it was just a natural part of her life at this point. Man in sword shows up out of nowhere and makes some sort of heroic statement, and she gets up to put some space between them and whatever was attacking so she could help. From afar. That was exactly what she was doing now as she watched him slice some of the smaller ones up. The barrier had fully disappeared but she was still gripping staff. She stumbled some as she moved, clearly having hurt her ankle in her run from the things but she pushed on to close the distance.

Once she'd gotten far enough away she shouted to him.

"Be careful! The big one seems smart. I need a second to fix myself some." Hopefully he could give her that second or more. She closed her eyes and started to concentrate on a cure spell to patch herself up while still trying to keep an eye on what he was doing.

[bufubulous]

Glad that she had the chance to move back a few paces, he cast a reassuring smile and a brief nod over his shoulder. “Duly noted, I’ll keep my eye upon it!” He responded, glad for the eventual backup but prepared to keep the shadows at bay while she took time to put herself to rights after the chaos of the attack she’d been caught up in before now. “But I can hold them off. Do take care!” He ended, turning back to the shadows to focus on taking out a few more and holding them off.

Oddly, the young man sheathed his sword and had instead reached a hand to his mask. Not that Aerith had put some distance between herself and the shadows. Now behind him instead of in front? He could count on his other self aid in the fight and see how these shadows fared against ice. “Goemon, go forth!” He tore the mask from his face and the tall, colourful, imposing figure of his persona appeared. Goemon soon casting mabufu as directed to throw a barrage of ice at all the opposing shadows before them, testing their resistance to ice while he kept a watchful eye on the one that seemed to be the leader of the opposition.

[cetrary]

It took a few seconds for the healing energy to wrap itself around her like a warm blanket healing her wounds up. Green and yellow lights seemed to dance around her for a few seconds even after she'd finished the spell and she stood up to test her footing. "All better!" For now at least. She was still keeping something of a distance between her and the creatures. Even more so now that she saw the thing that Yusuke had summoned seemed to be fighting for him. With him? That was a good question, one she'd have to ask about later. It kind of seemed like a summon, almost like Shiva but male and more...well eccentric and bold were the only words that came to her mind to describe him. Fitting for Yusuke.

The ice seemed to do the trick, freezing the little shadows in place stopping their advance upon the two. "Wow...soooo...Do..we shatter them now?" Maybe he had a way to do that. Or maybe they'd just shatter themselves. She wasn't really sure what his abilities did but they sure were interesting to watch. It was similar to something she'd seen before and yet completely different at the same time.

"Oh no, it's not there anymore." The big one that had been up ahead was suddenly nowhere to be seen. Whether or not that meant it was preparing to attack itself or it'd run away was yet to be seen. Which ever it was, they probably needed to handle things quickly. Or as quickly as they could.

[bufubulous]

Yusuke kept a close eye on the shadows as the attack hit, though he did keep a small watch over his shoulder to make sure there wasn’t an impending sneak attack that might have caught Aerith off guard while she tried to heal up. The realization that she could cast some kind of healing magic was actually good to see, considering his persona didn’t possess any such skills, and he was sorely lacking in those kinds of supplies for this particular excursion… Something the teen absently noted he should have thought of both back in Aterat and before embarking on this little adventure… But that was an unfortunate thing to think about later at this point.

Her confirmation that she was all better, and the followup question as the shadows seemed to have frozen solid, gets a brighter tone. “Wonderful. One shouldn’t face such beings in poor condition. They are as keen to take advantage of such things as we are concerning their own weaknesses, I’m sure.” And that would not do. “And indeed! It seems they’re susceptible to ice. A good strong hit should be enough to take these out, but the larger one may need more-” The teen paused at her observation. Oh dear…

It wasn’t unheard of for a shadow to negotiate its escape if it saw the odds were stacked against it, but… It was rare, especially for one of the strength that had been leading the others. “Oh dear, it seems that it’s not. Be alert. We may have a surprise attack if we’re not wary of it. They can be rather cunning at times.” He frowned before he moved forward to shatter the nearest shadow.

[cetrary]

"True! Let me know if you end up needing anything." Now that she was better herself she could be more prepared to heal him of anything that might happen. As long as she stayed at least somewhat in the back. Though she did keep a lookout behind them every now and then for the big one. Where had it gone? That was definitely just a tiny bit worrisome. Only a tiny bit though! Definitely...only a tiny bit... She wasn't nervous. Nope not at all.

She watched him shatter the shadow in front of them and then jumped up as a thought hit her. "Maybe I can help some!" With that said she gripped her staff and began to concentrate on a cast. Aero was a pretty quick spell to come out, probably the quickest she had and it came out in a circular burst of swirling green energy, kind of like if a breeze had color you could see.

"You'll be blown away!" She pushed the spell out and it collided with one of the frozen shadows, lifting it above the ground slightly and then dropping it so that it shattered. The spell was single target but it was better than not offering anything...right?

As they made their way through the great shattering the big Shadow did exactly what Yusuke had warned. It came up from behind them and sent out an attack of some sort of strange black energy. Aerith screamed as she tried to scramble to dodge the attack. If only she was just a tiny bit better at casing a quick shield.

[bufubulous]

“I shall, thank you!” He responded, glad for the offer. Realistically, it would be foolish to think he might not need such help. One never knew how the battle would truly go. The unpredictability of their enemy was already apparent as the lead had disappeared for the tome being. All he could do was keep an eye out for it as Aerith stepped forward to assist with taking out the smaller ones. “Oh! How stunning, and it does just the trick.” He offered with an excited tone, watching as another one of the frozen shadows shattered into pieces before their very eyes. Even if it only hit one, it was indeed evening with the numbers of shadows before them.

Raising a hand to his mask again, intending to take the remaining ones out with one of Goemon’s physical attacks that would span several at once, he heard a scream from his companion. Hands lowering from the mask, his legs moved on instinct and he was darting back to intercept the attack. Glad for the added agility that Goemon’s presence automatically gave him through his speed master skill. “I think not, shadow!”

Gritting his teeth, he braced himself, arms up to endure the hit. Grateful for the fact that it wasn’t a fire based attack at least, but still letting out a yelp at the force of it before his fingers scrabbled at his mask to tear it off and send Goemon forth with a Rising Slash attack in an attempt to retaliate and failing at the weight that entered his mind upon being struck.

[cetrary]

"Yusuke!" Seeing someone take a blow meant for her never got any easier. There was always a bit of guilt at seeing someone rush to her rescue mixed in with the relief. Sometimes she wished she actually had been a SOLDIER trained for nothing but battle. Then maybe she wouldn't have to rely on others in battles like these quite as much as she did. Again she found herself scrambling to get up and thankfully she was getting quite a lot of time to do just that.

Goemon's Rising Slash connected with the large Shadow causing some sort of strange black blood to squirt out of it. It lurched back, still alive but definitely pretty badly wounded. Aerith stayed on the ground and put her hands together like she was praying. Little specs of green energy began to swirl around her and then she raised her hands into the air. The green and yellow energy swirled around her like a breeze and then rushed at Yusuke.

"Let the winds caress you," she whispered as the healing winds enveloped him bring with them a refreshing energy to heal both mental and physical wounds. The Shadow took the opportunity to come at them again and she closed her eyes and forced out the Lustrous Shield again, this time placing it in front of Yusuke. As the Shadow shaped it's oozing arm into something that looked almost like a blade the flower appeared to take the blow for him.

"Now's your chance!" Maybe one more blow would be enough to take it down. Actually, Aerith wasn't entirely sure about that but she was hopeful.

Arrival

[stealerofhearts]

Ren hadn't attempted a journey through the mirror the last time, deciding exploring such a place alone was decidedly a bad idea, but this time something about the landscape through the looking glass caught his attention. He'd been up late reading when it had happened and he couldn't divert his attention.

When he arrived through the mirror, instinct took over for him as well, and the phantom thief persona of Joker took over, from his head to his toes. He slipped into the third sight for a moment as he weighed his new dagger in his hand. There didn't seem to be any enemies nearby, but there was a familiar presence. A smirk teased his lips as he moved in Yusuke's direction, tugging the red gloves of his costume into tighter place.

"Fox." It was a greeting as much as a confirmation as he approached.

[bufubulous]

Yusuke was still contemplating the coffins when Ren approached. It had been one thing to hear about the Dark Hour… Another thing to see the strange sight in person, if this truly was what they had ended up in somehow. Whatever it was, it seemed near enough to Mitsuru’s discussion with him to feel confident in the comparison. Not that it explained how it was possible here, but it did at least make him feel slightly more prepared for what one might expect from the place. It meant something familiar to the metaverse, but also decidedly different.

Were there people actually in these coffins? The residents of Aterat protected from shadows?

The thought was cut off, though, as a familiar voice spoke and he turned on his heel to meet the familiar sight of their leader. A smile gracing his face and the tail attached to his belt swishing lightly with the motion. “Joker!” He responded, greeting the other with a pleased tone. “It is good to see you, the new strangeness of our current situation aside.”

[stealerofhearts]

The coffins were a point of curiosity for Ren as well. He remembered what Yusuke had told him, which wasn't much, of the Dark Hour that Mitsuru Kirijo had mentioned to his friend, but they mentioned the boxes as being people who transformed during the Dark Hour.

"You too." He smiled confidently. There were few places Ren felt as confident as he did in his Joke attire. "Do you think the mirror took us somewhere else, or that Aterat changed? these are people, right?"

[bufubulous]

The question gets a small shake of his head, “That I can’t say… It does seem more like Aterat than the last time I went through the mirror. Minus the coffins and blood in the streets, of course. It’s rather curious to think, though we did have to pass through the mirrors again to get here.” Or perhaps it was less going through the mirror so much as touching them triggered a change…?

Though on the subject of the coffins… He frowned slightly. “If this is the same as what Mitsuru described to me? I believe so… She did say it was the safest place for normal people to be during the Dark Hour, though it is rather grim to look upon.” That said, if this were the dark hour? “And if it is the Dark Hour, or something close to it, I wonder if that means there may be shadows about? I haven’t seen anything yet… But the atmosphere does have an odd…” Yusuke waved a hand vaguely, “Feel, doesn’t it?”

[stealerofhearts]

"True." Ren hadn't traveled the last time, or any subsequent time he'd passed their communal mirror in the orphanage, but he could understand the process. It was much more physical than, say, traveling to the Metaverse. It was something he could understand, and they had passed through to get here, that was true.

"But the mirror disappeared. Did it for you, too?" He nodded, following Yusuke's line of thinking. He hadn't heard much about the Dark Hour, but it felt similar to the Metaverse, like a place influenced by emotion, and that meant it would be deceptive.

"It feels like the Metaverse, kind of. I don't sense any enemies nearby, but if we want to get back to Aterat, I think we're going to have to find the way out, so I doubt it'll stay that way."

[bufubulous]

“It did, both the last time and this time.” He confirmed with a nod. It was rather curious that there wasn’t a mirror in the same place as the one they’d entered this place from. Especially considering that it seemed to mirror Aterat far more than the maze-like city that he’d been in before… Well, aesthetics aside, of course. The blood and coffins were certainly not reminiscent of the place they’d been…

“It does, doesn’t it?” He tilted his head slightly, eyes scanning the surrounding buildings. Again, it made him wonder how alike the dark hour Mitsuru spoke of and the metaverse they were used to was… “I haven’t seen any as yet, but… I feel as though a shadow could be around any corner already.” It was an interesting thought. It was a pity, really, that they didn’t have the skills Futaba did when it came to monitoring and getting a read on the metaverse and its enemies. It wasn’t the first time that it would have been nice to have her around, and it wouldn’t be the last.

He nodded, though, in agreement. “So I believe you’re right… We’ll undoubtedly find something before too long, but we must risk that if we’re to find an exit.” And perhaps think of a way to mark them, should those less capable enter this place and need a quick exit rather than embarking on a long search. “Shall we?” He added with a sidelong glance, and perhaps a hint of excitement at the prospect of seeing what else there was to this place…

Yes, he was going to take this all seriously, but it was also a rather interesting and familiar situation to be caught up in.

[stealerofhearts]

"So, this must be a cognitive world, too." It would make sense, given that other Persona users were familiar with it, or at least a place very much like it. He nodded at his friend's concern, though, and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, looking around with his sixth sense. "Wait." There was something out there, a few blocks to the west. It was moving slowly, and he couldn't make out much about it other than an amorphous blob, and it hadn't noticed them yet.

But it was coming this way. "Shadows. A few blocks west." He motioned upward, pulling from his pocket his zipline gun, and taking aim at one of the balconies on the upper floor. "Let's get the jump on it." He grinned wickedly and fired, zipping deftly to the balcony and using the leverage afforded him by his ascent to vault onto the roof, confident Fox would follow.

[bufubulous]

Yusuke waited when asked, patient and knowing full well that Ren could sense more than he could. If he asked to wait, then there was likely a good reason for it. So instead, the teen stood by quietly and kept an eye on the streets while their leader checked out the area with this sixth sense. The results were worth the wait, after all, as Ren found them a target.

A delighted chuckle escaped at the expression; it was so very Joker as he pulled out his zipline. Yes, this was definitely going to be a little more like old times…! “Agreed. Let us see what kind of challenge awaits!” He watched as the other took off, and while he didn’t have such a device himself? He keeps up well enough, finding his own way with graceful jumps from crates to fire-escapes and up to ledges or lower rooftops as he followed the other towards their target. Spotting the odd-looking shadows as they neared, he grinned and gestured below with a flourish. “Shall you do the honor, Joker?” The leader went first, after all.

in his element

[castoredux]

Truth be told, Shinjiro was wary of the mirror ever since he'd gotten trapped over there, but then midnight had rolled around and the vision there wasn't one of the dreary world he'd seen, but a rather more familiar one, filled with green light, bloody walls, and coffins. "Holy shit." No one was had been around to react, and against his better judgement, he decided to investigate rather than contact Mitsuru.

In fact, as he made his cautious way through the streets of the Dark Hour come to Aterat, he couldn't help but acknowledge how stupid he'd been. What Yusuke will see in a man in a thigh length pea-coat, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other holding what is very clearly a street sign on his shoulder. The end is broken as though snapped off, but he doesn't seem to mind.

His beanie is pulled low as he looks over in Fox's direction, eyes narrowing, as he moves the sign from his shoulder. Though it likely weighs upwards to 100 lbs, it doesn't seem to weigh much of anything in his hand as he holds it in only the one.

"Hey, you." Most shadows didn't speak. There were exceptions, but he was going to rely on the law of averages. "You gonna talk or do I need to kick your ass?"

[bufubulous]

Yusuke had found reason to pause at the odd sight, for that was exactly what it was… Odd. The man casually balancing a street sign on one shoulder, a big and impossibly heavy looking one at that, was certainly not the norm. At first he hadn’t recognized Shinjiro, of course. It had been months since he met the guy, all the way back when Yusuke had arrived in Aterat in the first place.

So it isn’t until Shinjiro speaks that the phantom thief recognizes him, the familiar voice calling to mind the memory of a sandwich offered and a brief conversation on a bench in the market.

Mitsuru had said that he was like her, and so perhaps the sight wasn’t all that surprising… The masked figure tilts his head to one side, hands rising to form a frame that he looked through with one eye closed and the other focused on Shinjiro. The sight and the setting alone would make for an interesting composition, although now was probably not the time to focus on that. Still, Yusuke takes a moment to commit the sight to memory before he responds. “While the threat of violence is a surefire way of intimidating one into responding, it hardly seems polite as greetings go, Shinjiro.” Not compared to an offered sandwich, anyway.

Maybe he should be more worried about someone talking about kicking his ass, but Goemon did give him a boost in agility that at least made him a little comfortable with the idea of dodging something coming if necessary… Plus, he at least knew Shinjiro a little. Between the conversations with Mitsuru and the one time he met the man himself.

[castoredux]

"I ain't polite." No one had ever, not in his memory, accused him of propriety or even conforming. His entire life, Shinjiro had simply gone his own way. It was all he knew how to do, and the young man never had any reason to pretend otherwise. The voice from the masked teen sounded familiar, though, and he narrowed his eyes as the guy spoke.

"Do I know you?"

[bufubulous]

Yusuke couldn’t deny that much, really. Though while being a bit impolite and short, he also had displayed a particular kindness that made him less off-putting, gruff and a bit rude at the moment, but not a jerk. So the teen sat on the edge of the building and folded his arms, tilting his head at the question. It was honestly probably for the best that Shinjiro did not remember him, given the disguise at the moment, but given Mitsuru did know about the costume it wasn’t like those of them who had personas were going to remain entirely anonymous forever.

Slipping off the low overhang of the building and landing on the ground in a crouch, he straightened to his full height and offered a wide, animated shrug. “Perhaps not well enough to have made a lasting impression, but that isn’t a problem, is it? I’m not a shadow as I expect you may have presumed, and we’re both not from this side of the mirror… Which should at least put us on the same side, I would think? Or at least I hope… that’s a rather impressive weapon you’ve gotten your hands on.”

[castoredux]

Sure, Shinjiro could be kind and he was almost more than slightly concerned with the wellbeing of those around him, but that didn't mean he was going to be vocal about it. He'd never grown the social skills necessary, or the patience to deal with small talk or other bullshit.

He mulled the sound of the voice around in head for a few moments before actually responding, keeping one ear turned toward a side street in the event they were jumped with they talked. It connected with a memory after a moment and his eyes narrowed.

"Sandwich in the park, right? You forgot to eat." He looked the younger man over for another moment before adding, "what's with the costume?"

[bufubulous]

Yusuke smiled from under his mask, even as he kept his eyes on their surroundings as much as he did Shinjiro, while the man seemed to be trying to think of how they knew one another. If he hadn’t thought of it, Yusuke wouldn’t have minded one way or the other as long as it didn’t come down to fighting. In a situation like this, his identity wasn’t that important. Not compared to the situation and the potential threats around them.

That said, the realization was a pleasant surprise. “Ah, you do remember! Wonderful, that saves reintroductions and all that.” He started, finally moving forward with a more relaxed grace to know he wouldn’t be presumed an enemy any further.

The question does get a slight pause. Hm… It would seem Mitsuru hadn’t shared that particular detail beyond their show and tell at the historium. In light of the situation… He supposed it was important to share something to maintain a level of understanding and, hopefully, trust. “It’s a disguise tied to my persona. Where your team has something called an evoker, as described by Mitsuru, I have a mask manifested during the awakening of my own. It continues to do so even now and allows me to call upon it.” He added, tapping the kitsune mask resting on his face.

Yusuke still didn’t know what Shinjiro’s persona was like, of course. Mitsuru had kept that much to herself, rather than share things that were more Shinjiro’s business to speak of.

[castoredux]

"Yeah. Hope you remembered to eat dinner. If this place is anything like back home, it'll eat at you, make you weak, tired, and you wanna be on top of your game."

He frowned at the younger man's explanation. "Your Persona does this to you?" He pauses for a moment, wondering what it would mean of Castor manifested that way. Would he get a weird horse? Full armor? You know, the armor wouldn't be half bad.

"What, so, you touch your mask and think real hard about it?"

[bufubulous]

“Yes, it’s not entirely unlike what I and my team were used to traversing before arriving in Aterat.” He responded with a small frown. It was still so strange to think that there were other variations on the cognitive world that they had never seen or known about before. It went to show how very little they knew about everything, really. But the concern is met with a light flap of his hand. “I assure you I won’t be such a burden. I was prepared when I entered and I’ve eaten recently.” He thinks… He was pretty sure he recalled someone prying him away from his latest project to have supper in the cafeteria.

Yusuke wasn’t sure that he would describe the method he summoned on his persona that way. It was a little more… dramatic really, though perhaps less so than shooting one’s self in the head. But it came quite naturally to them, rather than having to think really hard. “Not exactly, no. Perhaps a demonstration is in order? Although… I believe we should save that for if we run into shadows, no?” A show and tell, but a practical one rather than expending energy they might need later.

“In the meantime, would you be agreeable to something of a team up where we’ve run into one another?” He asked, if only because Mitsuru had warned him that Shinjiro wasn’t always the most agreeable sort. He might not wish to team up with someone he hardly knew, after all.

Not that they were going to have to go far. Their conversation seemed to have drawn some attention as dark, blobbish creatures were creeping around shadowed corners.