aterat | Fox through the looking glass!

Entry tags:

Fox through the looking glass!

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.

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“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.

"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.

The teen was too focused on the creature in front of him to answer at first, gritting his teeth at the pain and the unpleasant sensation caused by the black energy that had slammed into him. The fact that he’d managed to call up Goemon and successfully land a blow was a miracle and a slight relief as he tried to steady himself and recover his proper stance to guard against a retaliation.

It was only when Aerith sent the wind of a healing spell over him that he managed to do so. It called to mind the spells some of his teammates used, while being something entirely new to him. Breathing more easily as the pain and shock from the blow faded away as the spell did its work, he finally spoke up. “I’m fine now, Aerith. You have my gratitude!” He doesn’t look back, though, not about to take his eyes off the shadow before them. Weighing his options out in hopes of taking the thing out with one hit.

“Agreed! Let us be done with this foulness.” He finally responded, calling up Goemon for a well-aimed bufula to hopefully freeze the damn thing and either take it out, or give him an opportunity to freeze it and strike the thing down with his sword. The sooner they finished with it, the sooner they could regroup and recover properly to formulate a plan going forward.

"You're welcome!" Teamwork makes the dreamwork! The bufula from Goemon did the trick to freeze the big shadow and this time it burst into ice crystals all on it's own. Aerith's eyes widened as she watched it shatter to the ground finally defeated. She let out a deep sigh and wiped her brow.

"Finally. It's been a while since I've had that many enemies after me!" Guess she must have looked pretty tasty. "I'm lucky you came along when you did."

As the creature shattered and didn’t reform to rise again, Yusuke’s stance finally dropped and Goemon disappeared from sight. Sheathing the sword and turning back to his friend to check on her. “I was glad to have been able to help. I’d hate to think of you left to defend against shadows on your own. They can be quite formidable, even without there being a large group as you had been cornered by.” He responded with a small glance around to ensure there weren’t any more to be seen at a distance.

Satisfied, finally relaxed as much as one could in a place like this. “Though I’m rather sorry to hear you’re used to such things already, you held your own quite well! And your abilities; I was quite awed by the sight. They’re both beautiful and effective.”

Aerith stood fully now and started to brush off her dress as best she could. There was dirt, a bit of blood, and maybe some goop from some the creatures. She looked at her hands that now had a bit of something gross on it and scrunched her face up in complete disgust. "Ew...I don't want to know what this is." Not now and not ever. She tried to wipe it off the best she could, considering the dress a complete loss at this point. When they got back she'd just have put on a new one and never think of it again.

"I don't think I'd have had much luck alone." It was hard to cast when there were a bunch of things rushing her. "So I'm really glad you came along!" She gave him a smile and shook her head. "Don't be sorry. It means I'm pretty good at running." She put a finger up and winked at him. Now that they could finally relax she figured she could throw out a joke or two. The adrenaline would start to wear off soon, might as well make the best of it while she could.

"Thank you. They're not much compared to what you summoned! That was very impressive! What was that?"

“Probably best that you don’t, I admit.” He murmured with a sympathetic frown, swiping a little something off the side of his mask with a gloved finger before focusing on the topic at hand. “I suppose that is a positive light to take from your experiences, especially considering the world we’ve found ourselves in now.” He felt a little relaxed to see Aerith acting a little more like her usual self, even if he was a little worried about her pushing herself. She wasn’t a normal person by any means, but places like the metaverse could take their toll on even a persona user if you were there too long. This wasn’t that exactly, but… The shadows and Mitsuru’s information from their talk at the historium had him a little concerned for those who had arrived that weren’t persona users.

“Oh! That’s right, I haven’t had an occasion to have shared that with you, have I?” The teen blinked in surprise, before he supposed he should probably explain a little. “That was my persona, it’s hmm… To explain it in simple terms, it is a representation of myself and my decision to rebel from deep within made manifest. His name is Goemon, and he is able to aid me and my team in battle against shadows like the ones we just faced. All I need is to tear the mask from my face and he is called forth.”

"That's me, I always try to find the positive." She gives him a little smile and a wink. That honestly wasn't entirely untrue, she did usually try to be positive for everyone else around her. Though, it wasn't always done for an entirely selfless reason. Somewhere along the way she'd realized that the only way to keep herself together under the weight of all she knew was just to be positive. Sometimes it was all someone could do. This seemed like a particularly good situation to try to look for a positive.

"Nope. No occasion until now." Which really was pretty understandable given everything she'd seen just now. There wasn't much call for summoning something like that for the most part back in Aterat. At least not that they'd both run into together. "Oh I get it! You rip the mask off, like you're ripping your persona off to reveal your true self." She tapped her chin. "That's pretty interesting. So he's not really real just something you kinda summoned from your own mind?"

“It’s a good way to keep spirits high, even if perhaps it can be a bit difficult depending on the day… But I can appreciate that, I believe.” He responded with a small smile, getting too down in the middle of a place like this could be dangerous. Shadows would take advantage of a weakness, both visual or mental, he expected. “And having people to share in the positivity with and face the situation together helps. I’m glad that I ran into you, Aerith.” For more than just the fact that his timing he probably saved his friend, but also for the company to share the investigation of this strange world with, at least only for as long as it took to find a mirror to get her out. This was all rather exciting, but he was more accustomed to having company and teamwork in the metaverse rather than working alone.

Yes, the biggest hesitation to call upon Goemon for a demonstration in the proper Aterat was the concern about damaging things. Showing the persona was one thing, showing what it could do was another… And could be rather careless. The teen smiled brightly as she described Goemon quite perfectly, “That is it exactly Aerith! He’s, essentially, another me that assists in combat against shadows like the ones we just faced. Which I must admit, I didn’t expect to see them here.” It was a rather curious thing to wonder, how had this particular side of the mirror come about?

"Maybe...those are just the days you have to try the hardest!" That was how she saw it at least. Or tried to see it. Maybe that meant pretending sometimes, but sometimes you had to pretend. "I'm glad you ran into me too. So I guess we're even there," she smiled at him. Not only had he saved her but now she wasn't entirely alone. Which...had been an issue for her before. Aerith had never really liked the idea of being completely alone, it frightened her and brought back a lot of pretty bad memories. The attack had almost been a nice reprieve, running had kept the fear of her being the only one stuck here from mounting up in here. "I kinda thought I'd be on my own." Her voice was a bit quiet with that admission.

"He's very impressive. Kind of like a summon from my world! But a lot more ...well, just a lot more!" She laughed a little. "You're familiar with what the creatures are?"

“I admit, I wasn’t sure who I’d find on this side of the mirror this time… But I was a bit drawn to see what might be on this side this time, and the first time ended well enough.” And it seemed important for those who had the ability to deal with places like this to keep an eye out for those who might have ended up here who could not. Aterat seemed to have drawn all sorts of people in, some suited for combat and others who weren’t. “But working alongside someone is far preferable to working alone. At least I’m more accustomed to it myself.”

Yusuke smiled at the compliments for Goemon. He was rather fond of the colourful being, after all. Though perhaps it would be odd if he didn’t have some attachment to his other self, it hardly seemed like it would work if he didn’t. “Thank you for saying so, Aerith! But you have summons in your own world, then? Something that isn’t attached to one’s psyche, I presume?” Yes, the teen was going to be rather curious about what such things might be like!

Though his mood settles towards something more serious at the question. “Indeed, in my world, there’s another reality we call the metaverse, where creatures like this roam. We call them shadows. They’re born of strong human, often negative human emotions. The ones here, and the overall setting though… Seems more like something I’ve heard about from another group from my world that is similar and yet different.” So he had a feeling these shadows might operate somewhat differently as well… Though he couldn’t help wonder if there was something with more authority about that they answered to. It was hard to say, given this wasn’t quite the world he knew.

"I've been told that curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Guess that fits you, huh?" Since he'd decided to go back through the mirrors despite what had come of the mirrors last time. "I think it's probably always better to have someone. It wasn't until recently back home that I had a..." she moved a hand around, "I guess you'd say a kinda team. But it was pretty great." Different, but very nice. Having friends to fight and run and rely on was a new but really great feeling.

"I wasn't just saying y'know." She felt the need to clarify that just so he knew she actually meant it. She nodded at his question. "Mmhmm, definitely not attached to one's psyche. Summons are the embodiment of...hmm" how to explain exactly? "the knowledge of the ancients that was then condensed down into materia. They're usually giant legendary beings that use unique attacks, like Shiva uses ice!" Like Goemon seemed to.

"The metaverse? What a weird name." One that she didn't get at all but the name really didn't matter, did it? "So this might be connected to your world? Or something brought through from there maybe?" That was really interesting to think about. There probably wasn't any way to confirm or deny that but it was very interesting. "What originally created shadows? Or do they just always exist in your world?"

“Hmm… I think I like that, yes. I believe that rather describes things quite well!” He smiled a little at the notion. He rather wondered how Morgana might feel about such a comparison, being a cat and all… Or whatever Morgana was, considering the feline shaped creature insisted they were not. “Having the support of others is a great gift, I think… I admit, it was fairly recent for myself as well, so I can understand the feeling.” He sometimes wondered what the whole group being here would be like, and what each of the thieves beyond the three of them here would have thought of the situation. “But I believe this means it would be best if we teamed up, does it not? We would make progress in finding another mirror more quickly together than apart.”

And that was now his priority, finding a mirror to help Aerith get out. She clearly could hold her own for a time, but it was still troubling to wonder what might have happened if he hadn’t stumbled upon her.

Yusuke had to admit, the subject of other kinds of summons was rather intriguing. “So one must have a materia like you showed me at the potluck in order to summon one of these legendary beings? I presume that someone in your group did, rather than yourself?” He would have loved to see it, after all!

Nodding, he frowned lightly. “It could be, though it’s an aspect of my world that I am less familiar with than a couple of the other arrivals. The way they manifested for me and my group was different, and did not involve coffins…? There’s a lot I’m afraid that I don’t know as yet, but the other people I mentioned… I think one of them could say more on the subject, there seems to have been people that studied them more thoroughly.”

"Do we need to come up with a cool team name then?" She was just kidding of course. Mostly. I mean she wouldn't be completely adverse to a team name. It made things fun and took the edge off a very unpleasant situation. The entire atmosphere of this place was oppressive and gloomy, not something she was really finding herself enjoying. It put her more on edge than she'd like to admit to, which meant more jokes needed to be shared among them. Nervous jokes were still jokes, right?

"Which way do you think we should head?" She looked around the city which looked like Aterat if something really awful happened to it. Like super awful. She nodded at his question. "Yup, have to have the materia with you to make use. I had one back home for Leviathan, but I didn't have it on me when I got brought here. Cloud and I got them from fighting their constructs in VR." Which definitely made more sense before she said it aloud. Oh well. "I've thought about trying to get one. Maybe when we go back I can see about that one shop..." Having one might be more useful than relying on her long cast-times.

"Studied?" Aerith's face twisted into the briefest flash of a frown before she righted things with a smile again. No matter what that word seemed to always leave a bad taste in her mouth. There were too many memories of Hojo, her mother, and other scientists at the lab for her comfort there. "I guess it doesn't really matter where they came from. They're kinda here now. Or we're there. Or both?"

Team names might seem silly, but Yusuke, there was something about keeping the atmosphere light till they could find their way out that made it seem rather inviting. Plus, well, his team had a name, so why not their team?? “Oh! Perhaps we should? What kind of name do you think we could use for our team?” He asked with a curious tilt of his head, sparing her a smile before his eyes turned back to the road ahead. He didn’t have the senses that one of his friend did when it came to shadows, so he hoped that keeping a sharp eye out would at least keep them from being surprised again.

“Well…” He started, considering their options. “When I was scouting from above, I believe there’s a greater concentration of buildings that looked like they might have been residences at one point to our left? They may contain mirrors that might be a portal out.” At least that was the best that he could guess, really he wished they had the ability to see more from here. It was too bad she didn’t have any summon materia though. Yusuke would have loved to see it… But he perked up at the mention of that particular shop. “I have heard that Raimon can get his hands on nearly anything asked of him. If anyone could acquire them for you, I expect it’s him!” So perhaps she could at least have that much to add to her own abilities for some extra protection should this happen again.

And… Yusuke had to admit, this was the second time that something had occurred with the mirrors. They clearly weren’t going anywhere, and it was a curious thing to think these adventures might become more regular.

“Yes, although I know less about that. My group was entirely unaware of theirs. I’m not even sure what time ours was from compared to theirs.” So he couldn’t say much on the subject, and the brief frown on his friend’s face was enough to decide that perhaps it wasn’t the best line of conversation to follow if he did know more, anyway. Humming lightly, he started walking. “I believe both would be accurate. They weren’t here before, and neither were we.”

"What about..." she tapped her chin thoughtfully as she followed his gaze around. She knew better than to risk relaxing in a dangerous situation, but a little fun sounded good. "Blooming Icicles?" She thought it was a pretty decent name, even if she wasn't the absolute best at naming things.

"Then I guess we should go that way! Maybe you should lead the way?" She was pretty good at following behind someone leading. Truthfully, she was a bit nervous about this place, more so than she'd like to show. Luckily she'd had plenty of practice at hiding her emotions! Which means she just had a bright smile on her face as they looked around. "Then I'll look into talking to Raimon sometime. Maybe I'd end up getting one and then I can show you. But we'd have to go somewhere big. They're all very very big! Especially Leviathan." Leviathan was impressive but also enormous. Too big to use in most areas actually.

"Different times too huh? That sounds confusing." But not unheard of, even she came from a slightly different time than one other from her world that was here. She trotted along beside him, still smiling, and nodded. "True. It's both."

Given Yusuke wasn’t the best at naming things, and inclined to make puns on occasion, he actually took to the team name rather easily. “Hmmm… Blooming Icicles… I like it!” He grinned despite the atmosphere, gesturing lightly. “We shall be known as the Blooming Icicles, then! The shadows will learn of our dangerous elegance!” Or something like that… If these shadows were sentient enough to learn things, though they didn’t seem inclined to speak as the ones in his world had, so there was that difference.

“Then we’ll head in that direction and hope for the best.” He responded with a confident smile. There had to be some mirrors there… Right? It only seemed logical that houses and apartment buildings should have something like mirrors inside them, at least if they still mimicked the Aterat in their own world. “I’d be happy to take point, of course.” He added, starting off ahead of her. He was, after all, more combat ready and lacked support skills. So it just made sense for him to go ahead in case they ran into something hostile again, rather than put Aerith at risk. “Hmm, a good point. That was why I was hesitant to bring out Goemon in the city. Perhaps somewhere on the outskirts would be best should you manage to secure a summon.” He agreed readily. It wouldn’t be good to risk damaging the city they lived in.

“It is quite, although I think that seems a bit normal for those of us who arrive here? Different times or slightly different worlds, gives one much to think about and wonder over.” He responded with a small shake of his head, but looking ahead, he smiled lightly. “Then we are in agreement! Hm… Perhaps we should try this building first,” He commented as they passed a few darkened buildings and he slowed as they approached one that looked like an old home. “We can search the inside and work our way down the street?”

"Dangerous elegance! I like that!" Nobody had ever used that to describe her but she was definitely going to keep it. "The shadows here will learn to fear our very name! They'll tremble!" She gave him a little grin as they continued on. She followed behind him as closely as she could while still keeping up pace with him.

"We just have to find the mirrors then cross back over. Shouldn't be too hard, right?" Easier said than done, Aerith, easier said than done. Still, she was the one that kept talking about keeping a brave face while up against a bad situation. She nodded at his suggestion (not that he could really see with her behind him but she didn't really think of that). "If I get a summon I'm sure we can find somewhere to try it out on the outskirts!" At least she assumed they could.

"Mmhmm, that's true. You know there's someone here that knows a completely different version of myself. That's super weird." Not only was it weird but she also felt strangely bad for the entire situation, like she was somehow making someone sad just by not really recognizing them. Granted she knew that wasn't really her fault, but it still was an awkward position to be in. "The building first sounds like a good idea. Maybe we'll get lucky!"

“Indeed! They’ll learn well that it would be best to not hinder us in our search for an exit.” He responded in a bright tone. It was good to keep their spirits up, and they had made a good team. As long as they didn’t end up ambushed and outnumbered too much, Yusuke thought they stood a chance at finding a way out without too much risk.

After all, Aerith seemed used to dangerous situations, and he was at least familiar enough with shadows to know how to handle them… So he nodded to the question, still keeping his eyes trained on their surroundings and moving along quietly before he responded. “I believe so, yes. As long as the rules from the last time I entered the mirror realm hold true this time, there should be other mirrors that would make exits for escape.” If not… Well, they would have to find another way. There must be a way back. After all, if there were entrances, then logically there should be exits.

“I shall look forward to a demonstration, then!” He responded, tone returning to something excited and confident, looking forward to the future demonstration.

Yusuke tilted his head slightly at that. “Really? That must be quite weird indeed… It’s strange to think of just how many alternate worlds and versions of the people in them there might be.” He mused, knowing there was at least one other version of himself given the last trip through the mirror had involved a switch between himself and his reflection.

“Then let’s see what this place has in store for us!” He opened the door, holding it for Aerith as they entered. The building seemed quiet, though the… overall aesthetic seemed just as macabre and gruesome as the last building he’d been inside.

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Fox through the looking glass!

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