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

[cetrary]

"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?"

[bufubulous]

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.”

[cetrary]

"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."

[bufubulous]

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?”

[cetrary]

"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!"

[bufubulous]

“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.