aterat | There’s a difference between common thieves and phantoms

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There’s a difference between common thieves and phantoms

Who; Yusuke & whoever is around
What; One closed log and one open.
Where; Noble District & Thieves Den & Harbor District
When; During the March event
Warnings; None but will update if something comes up, there will be wererat fights so violence is to be expected.
Note; If you would like something specific or have an idea, you are welcome to talk to me about it. I am also open to writing personalized starters or doing other stuff, just drop me a line over on the plotting post or send me a message on discord @ WhimsicalSpook#8219

Do you need a hand? - Harbor District - Open to All

The thievery going on around the city was only one development this month; it seemed. The other thing was certainly the influx of attacks in the form of wererats in the harbor district. Yusuke had come across them a time or two since arriving, especially since the harbor district had gained the phantoms protection as they got a little more organized. What was worrying was the frequency and the seeming… methodical nature of their attack. They seemed more planned and careful of their strikes, and thus more dangerous than usual.

Not that wererats weren’t dangerous by nature already, but the point stood that this was not a great development. It was hard to not wonder if there was something more to it, though he recognized that it could simply be the natural course over time. It wasn’t like the phantoms hadn’t also gotten a bit better at things the longer they were at something.

Still, the good people of the harbor district couldn’t really handle these things on their own. At least not all of them. And there weren’t enough guards to go around to cover the entire city on a good day without counting the way they were stretched due to the influx of thefts (that weren’t all them!). Ren had already mentioned having to step in and help out the strange fellow who they collected materials for when he’d ended up surrounded by a group. It wouldn’t be the last attack they heard of, but hopefully they could ensure that it ended as well as that one had, without casualty.

So, on top of looking into the situation in the noble district, there was a need to watch out for their own ‘neighbourhood,’ so to speak. Mask in place and sword at his side, ‘Fox’ did his own patrol of the side-streets and alleyways. The teen did drop the disguise sometimes to stop in to some businesses to see if anyone had heard of a commotion in their area or a lead on where the next sighting might be with nothing more than innocent curiosity.

Eventually, his search bears fruit, and he has a group tracked to an area not far from one of the sewer entrances. A shout alerts him to the problem, and he takes off at a dash. Goemon had developed the habit of auto-casting Sukukaja at the start of a confrontation, which meant a nice boost in speed that gets him sprinting around a corner with ease. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I can’t help but think that you may need a hand.” He alerts both the would-be victim and the wererats to his presence, drawing eyes to himself with a grand flourish and an attempt to draw the enemy's attention to him and away from the other person they were chasing.

Ruminating Over Rumors - Thieves Den to start - Closed to Ren

Yusuke entered the ‘Thieves Den’ through the obscured entrance, slipping easily around a large pile of crates stacked by the door and over a few strategically placed pallets to enter. Then it was up the ladder to the second floor and through the door with a light hum, shutting the door behind him and looking around the room. His eyes catching on a painting he’d been working on and frowning a little as he realized there was some detail that needed to be added. He almost approached, then shook his head. He was here for a reason.

So, folding his arms to keep his itching fingers from straying towards a brush, he turned his attention to seeking out Ren. He presumed their leader would either be at his work-desk, or possibly somewhere else entirely if not present. Which would, of course, mean further searching. But this had been the first place the teen thought to look beyond the House of Solace. It seemed a moment later that he had presumed correctly, as his friend was spotted at the worktable where he worked on infiltration tools.

Yusuke himself knew he had some skill cards to finish, but his brief stroll through the market on his way to the harbor district had alerted him to some new goings on around the city. There was always something going on, of course, but this something seemed a little… More pertinent to their interests and particular ‘habits’ they were engaging in since arriving in this world. It was enough to make him curious, and just a touch concerned about the complications it might present them with given the city guard was apparently being put on much higher alert and increasing patrols in the noble district.

Setting his bag next to a stack of canvases, he crossed the room and leaned on the side of the worktable. “I have news, or perhaps not news if you already know, so much as a shared curiosity.” He started, tilting his head to get a look Ren might be doing.

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"Kind of a discover it along the way thing, huh?" She gave him a smile all while carefully watching the paper gathering. Look, she couldn't help just being a tiny bit nervous about what he was seeing. He may insist they're not bad, but she's still just the slightest bit awkward about others seeing them. With his explanation she nodded as she tried to keep up. "That's super different to how things are in my world. Though," she tapped on her chin with one finger. "I guess we wouldn't know for sure. If you just stumbled into yours without knowing it was there, then maybe there's a place like it everywhere." She smiled almost as if she were just joking, though it was a bit hard to tell. "Hmm, that sounds pretty confusing. Like the rules in your world don't even really stay consistent." Sounded like that would also make it kind of difficult to even figure out what things worked and where they came from.

She winced as he looked and shifted as he looked through. Then she just laughed, a bit awkwardly but still genuine. "Youthful charm, huh? So you mean they look like a kid drew them?" She moved her hand to her hip and looked at him with a mock glare. "Kind of you to add that part!" Hmph. Well, at least he added that part about how they'd tun out good eventually. "It was! It's a real shame they did this."

They sucked for it. Completely sucked.

"Expensive enough to want some money back for it!" Maybe she was just frugal.

“Exactly!” Even Morgana didn’t seem a hundred percent sure of some things… It was an odd learning experience, that was for sure. That all aside, he had to admit… Aerith was on to something there. “I never considered it that way, but you’re right. Perhaps there is a place like that in more than just our own world. It’s just that no one’s come across them, given how difficult they are to enter?” He tapped his chin lightly under the mask, yes that was a thought. “Or perhaps there are those who do, but don’t share information about it for whatever reason. It’s not exactly well known where I’m from, after all.” If it were, perhaps he would have known more about Mitsuru and her group before arriving here?

Yusuke opened his mouth to continue, when she laughed awkwardly at his unfortunate misstep. It had been meant as a compliment!! But… Well, that would be accurate compared to his track record with these things. The mock glare gets a little bow of his head, looking like ever the scolded fox! “Well, not exactly that! You had said yourself that they… Well, I said youthful charm. Does that not indicate I find them charming?” The teen hoped he wasn’t digging himself in deeper… He hesitantly continued. “Of course I would. It is clear you put a lot of thought and work into your displays.”

Hmm… It made it sound very expensive indeed. Perhaps he could help with it, though! Either with this arena, or even… With sneakier means. “Does one of these er- designs depict it?” He asked, sorting through the papers again and neatening the stack to hand back to her. Perhaps if he could get a look at the creature in its… youthfully charming sketch glory, something could be done!

"I guess that could be fun in it's own right, but still probably has some hitches. At least there's more than just you trying to figure it all out!" Even when a situation seemed confusing and like someone might never figure it out, Aerith liked to believe it was better when you weren't alone trying to solve it. "It's possible! I'd think even likely if you ask me." It seemed very likely to her given how many things in this place seemed possible that she hadn't though could be possible before. Who knows what was possible in their own worlds that they just didn't know about? "I think there'd probably be a lot of reasons to keep something like that a secret. Safety is probably a big one." You wouldn't want just anyone trying to walk in there right?

"Hmm, I suppose it does suggest that you at least find it charming. Although some people use that patronizing. Are you some people?" She wasn't going to let up the teasing that easily, even if he did look like a fox that had been shunned.

She nodded and stopped him at one of the sketches that had a number of pots that ...attempted to look like what she'd had made. They were definitely not sophisticated and the smiles ont he creature were much more kid like than anything but it did a decent enough job of getting across what she'd wanted it to be. "That one!"

“Yes, given what we’ve all seen and experienced, there are a great many things possible.” A pity they couldn’t actually learn about it and see if it was true, or not. It was quite an interesting idea to think about, as much as the knowledge that there were other persona users in his world that he hadn’t even met or known about. Knowing of at least one group… who was to say there weren’t others in his world? Or in other worlds! “But you’re right, it’s not exactly something that you would want anyone wandering in to off the street. It is not a safe place, and awakening a persona should it occur is quite draining and taxing on top of that.” So it stood to reason that it not be something that is spread and shared among the public in any world.

The teasing question gets a little alarmed glance again, fiddling with the front of his mask lightly. “I am people, of course… But I am not the people who would use the term in a patronizing way, at least I think not!” He means it, Aerith! Really! Yusuke already feels rather confused and bad for having stuck his foot in his mouth again. Not a strange occurrence for him… But it was something he seemed to have developed a small track record with concerning Aerith.

Yusuke looked over the sketch she had stopped him at and tilted his head this way and that at the sketches of pots that looked something like the one that had been broken. He glanced at her curiously after studying the images carefully. “It has a very interesting shape, it rather reminds me of a cactus…? Is there such a creature in your world, then?”

"There was kind of something like that where I'm from. We found a portal to walk through that took us to...well, I guess kind of another reality. It was called Destiny's Crossroads." Which....pretty accurately described exactly what it was. A crossroads of destiny. If places like that existed in her world then who knew what else could be potentially there somewhere. "Exactly! Sometimes you have to keep secrets to keep people safe. This definitely seems like something that might fit that." She also knew a thing or two personally about keeping secrets to keep other people safe.

"So, you're the good kinda people then," she said with a wink, still set on teasing him. It was just a tiny bit too easy for her to not keep up with it. She knew he felt bad and definitely seemed confused, but gentle teasing wasn't too awful was it? Maybe it was a tiny bit, but she really couldn't help it. It was kind of like all the times she teased Cloud, they just were opportunities one couldn't pass by.

"Yup. They're called cactuar's. They're usually really skittish but they can also do a really powerful attack that sends thousands of needles at you." Appropriately called thousand needle.

“Destiny’s crossroads… A name like that certainly makes it sound important.” But it definitely did lend weight to the idea that there could be any number of possibilities in other worlds that were similar to the metaverse. It made one wonder just how much one might not know about their own world, even those that thought they had discovered all that there might be to discover?

“I certainly do my best to be the good kind!” Yusuke assured her, offering a hopeful smile. The teasing was at least gentle enough that he wasn’t feeling too wounded, or at least was of the mind that he had convinced her he wasn’t trying to be insulting! Some people made things a little too easy, perhaps… But he was quite earnest in his attempts to show support for a friend when he felt it was due.

“Cactaur… How aptly named, given their appearance. It must be rather difficult at times to tell the difference between this creature and a regular cactus if they’re still enough?” It seemed like a decent camouflage tactic if they were skittish… “I certainly wouldn’t want to mistake one for a regular cactus and get too close with an attack like that… But they also make an appropriate design for a planter! I bet they would look quite nice with a flower sticking out of the top, or perhaps those succulent plants would be more fitting.”

"Mmhmm, it was very important. We kinda killed fate there." More than kinda, but the entire thing was complicated. Complicated enough that she kept her tone extremely lighthearted just to make it hard to tell if she was telling the truth or not. Mostly because she wasn't entirely certain if she wanted to go into it with anyone at all. Not when she still had so many of her own questions and concerns wrapped up in it. The main thing was just that it lent credit to the idea that other worlds could hold a lot of things that were hidden and unknown to the naked eye.

"All we can usually ask for is for someone to do their best," she replied with a light giggle. It was impossible to tease him for too long or to even stay unhappy with him for long.

"They're pretty rare but they can definitely blend in. They can completely freeze with their arms like," Aerith stumbled to shove some of the papers under her arms as she simultaneously tried to raise them and bend them into the typical formation you might find two branches of a cactus in. It looked ridiculous but she didn't seem even the slightest bit bothered by trying it out. "They do this!" She broke the pose and nearly stumbled over, barely catching herself and her papers again. It was worth it to give the example. "They're kinda cute but super deadly. Like a lot of our creatures. I bet you'd get a lot of inspiration from some of them!"

There was just something about someone stating that they kinda killed fate in that very lighthearted voice that would make anyone pause and try to figure out how serious that statement might have been. “Your tone indicated a lighthearted adventure, but your words seem somewhat weighty…?” Seriously, killing fate sounded… Well, he’s sure a friend of his would use the term ‘bad ass,’ though he wouldn’t use those words himself. “Though if anything should be challenged, it’s fate itself I think.” he mused lightly himself, tilting his head slightly under the mask as he considered how cruel fate could be at times. It was only right that it was put to an end before it came to pass.

The teen watched as Aerith stumbled and attempted to balance her arms papers and take up a particular pose. It would seem she was trying to mimic the way these cactaurs froze in place for him. How very helpful!… She would regret this at a later date, surely, if he asked her to do so for him again to try to get a rough sketch down on paper himself. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t known to ask people to pose awkwardly for him, and it would be entirely earnest rather than for amusement! “I believe you are correct. They seem like they would make excellent subjects for an art piece, not unlike some of the other creatures I have seen. It’s a pity that I couldn’t see one here now… But perhaps you can show me this planter again once it’s replaced, and refresh my mind on their poses and mannerisms!”

Oh no, Aerith. Oh no…

Despite her best attempts to keep a light smile on her face she found herself frowning ever so slightly at his observation. "The weight of an entire world," she said with a tone that certainly betrayed the truth of the matter. It had been much more serious than she might lead just about anyone to believe, but that was just how she was. Everything was more serious deep down than she let on. Whether or not that was for the better or for the worse. "Our world, well, the Planet knew how things would go I guess you could say. But...we fought that. To have the chance to have a different future, maybe even a better one. But most importantly we fought it because there's someone we have to stop, no matter what the cost ends up being." The cost might be huge too, but she knew he had to be stopped. There was nothing more evil and dangerous to her home planet than Sephiroth.

She gave him a smile as she moved on to focusing on the less weighty topic of cactuar's. Truthfully, she'd probably be happy to at least try to pose for a drawing of a cactuar. Actually, she'd probably enjoy it even if it did make her arms tired. "I could! Or I could keep showing you. I have it on good authority that I do a great impression of them. I can even do their spin." The great authority was her. She was the great authority.

The shift in her expression confirms what he had been thinking. It was something much bigger than her light tone had suggested. “I see…” That sounded very serious, indeed. And a difficult choice to make if they couldn’t be quite sure of the outcome other than knowing they had to stop someone. “I’m sorry you’ve had to take on such a task, but I can understand deciding to do what’s needed to try to put things right, even if the outcome is uncertain. Especially if it means fixing things or trying to make things better.” That was what challenging fate was generally about, after all. To stop something terrible from happening, or at least to make it slightly better if one could. Even Yusuke himself had long since learned it was better to do something to stop someone from doing something terrible if you could, rather than ignore it blindly…

The teen looked quite excited by her agreement though, how wonderful! “I would gladly take you up on that offer once we have the free time. I should like to see how I might incorporate them into a piece… And it would be quite interesting to learn more about such a creature from an expert who can achieve such an accurate impression.” Because why should he think the only ‘authority’ on her impression was her? There could be other people who would say it was an excellent impression. He simply doesn’t know them!

"It's just the way things ended up. I'm just...I'm glad we have the chance. Even if there's a lot that's uncertain now. I used to know how things would go but..." she shook her head. Now everything was a blank. It was terrifying, but at the same time she knew it was probably better than the alternative. "We'll stop him. I know we will."She had to believe it at the very least.

"Mm, can you really say it's too accurate when you've never seen the real one though?" she tapped her chin with her finger and grinned as she teased. "Not that I wouldn't accept being a Cactuar expert extraordinaire."

The unknown aspect of what she and her companions were trying to do would be scary. Yusuke could imagine it was especially troubling if Aerith herself was used to knowing how things would progress. But at her attempt at confidence, he offered a smile and confident tone himself. “Having seen what you can do, I certainly don’t doubt that you will in the least.” He knew they couldn’t be certain, but… He would rather believe in his friend than not. Especially when so much was riding on their victory.

“Admittedly I could not, but you know more about them than I do… And I choose to believe that you’d be entirely honest with me about your expertise!” He responded thoughtfully, taking the question entirely seriously. A brow raising slightly with a dramatic tilt of his head, “You were being serious, were you not?” Aerith he trusts you implicitly!

"Thank you. That means a lot to hear. Sometimes it's hard being here, not knowing what's actually going to happen. But I try to just think like that, that we can achieve victory no matter what." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, though there was more sadness in it than one might expect with the sentiment. At least it was a rare moment of her being completely honest about something. Despite how hard she tried to be cheerful and bright for everyone here, she had plenty of moments where she wondered what would happen back home. What would the repercussions from the Planet be for what they'd done? As she'd left Midgar she'd felt...something. Something strange and yet familiar at the same time, something shifting, something she rarely let herself think about. There would be ripples, she felt certain of that much. Then there were worries about if they'd actually find him in time to stop him.

Or if they even could stop him at all with the power he had now. That he, that big bad that she knew could destroy everything if he was left with the chance. She worried about Cloud too, about if he'd be okay, if he'd figure things out, and what would happen when all that came crashing down. To top it all off, her heart still ached for Zack, that lost love that she'd felt glimmers of for just a second as everything came crashing down. What had that been? There were too many questions. Too many uncertainties, and too many things that kept her up when she was alone.

So, instead she just told herself that with everything she'd done here, with everything she'd seen Cloud do here, and with everything they'd done back home, they'd be able to do it. They'd make everything right. Better. They had to and she had to think that. Besides, if she let herself get bogged down by negative thoughts too much her mind might wander to other what ifs and heartaches, other confusions, things that she'd rather just brush off with a laugh or a smile.

"Partially serious at least. They do mostly look like that. But maaaybe I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a complete expert."

“I think I can understand that somewhat, the unknown of the world waiting for us when we return… But I am glad I could offer something that would bolster confidence. I have found such reassurances are helpful.” He murmured thoughtfully, “And, as I said, I do believe you and your companions will be able to. I have a hard time seeing it any other way, having gotten to know you as I do.” He offered with a tone that was serious, even as he gave her a small smile.

Knowing things weren’t happening in their own worlds while they were here was both a blessing and a curse, really. Not missing anything was good, but… It also tended to linger on the mind, knowing what was waiting for you patiently till you got back, for good or ill.

Yusuke tapped his chin lightly at the admission. At least she was being honest! “Partially serious is better than not at all, I believe. And still more of an expert than I, or anyone else I could refer to with questions about them!” And, well, that was good enough for the artist.

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There’s a difference between common thieves and phantoms

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