17 April 2011
Shadow Hunters HQ, Kirijo Group
Afternoon

Atsuro whistled as he appreciated the technology in front of him. He was very familiar with a lot of it, thanks to his work in decoding and deconstructing the works of his mentor, Naoya.

"I see you understand the gravity of the situation," Mitsuru Kirijo said from behind him, flanked by the other two young women that he knew. Fuuka Yamagishi was a person that he had lots of experience cooperating with over the past few years, while the ever-exotic Aigis (whose family name he still didn't know) watched him with wary eyes.

There was a lot of paperwork involved to bring him to this location, and quite a few discussions with his contacts in the SDF to make sure that he didn't say things he shouldn't have. "I get it. The stuff the Shomankai stole came from your labs. You've cleaned house, but want someone you can trust with experience to watch over it."

"That is correct. Your control over the Babel Server was instrumental in our approaching you." Kirijo-san said, watching him with a wary eye. He wasn't a persona user by any test they could administer remotely, and they were willing to keep up the impression that he didn't know. "Your personal references were also made of good assurances." She was saying nothing they both hadn't already discussed in the months leading up to this moment.

"Yeah." Atsuro knew that a lot was riding on him, even if his career for the rest of his life was assured. "I suppose so. I suppose you'll want email access through the Server established?"

"That is something I would like for important positions in the Hunters," Mitsuru agreed. "However, I understand that we are simply formalizing your status as administrator of the server and as such its security should be your highest priority."

Atsuro wondered how much she actually knew, and if that was why she never made direct references to the Demon Summoning Program and its apps. He had talked to Abel, and his friend had this huge smirk the entire time and refused to explain what he found so funny. But for the sake of working conditions, he was willing to play along. "I'm told I'm getting a workshop. Can I see it now?"

"Of course," Mitsuru said. She nodded at the two beside her. "Yamagishi and Aigis will accompany you. I have other matters to attend to." She bowed politely and took her leave, leaving Atsuro alone with the two of them.

"Cool," he said as he approached Fuuka and Aigis. "It's nice working with you. Please take care of me," he bowed formally, recognizing them as his superiors in his new job. "Shall we go?"

"Yes," Aigis said, watching him with a wary eye. "We shall."

"Aigis, you can relax. He's not going to do anything," Fuuka said as the three of them left the room that held the core of the Shadow Hunters servers.

"I choose to worry," Aigis responded. She directed the next comment at Atsuro directly. "I have been in contact with Midori, and she informs me that if you do anything inappropriate, to contact her first."

"AIGIS!" Fuuka complained loudly. "No!"

Aigis faced Fuuka, a serious expression on her face. "She was quite worried for you in his presence. I am merely acting on her behalf."

Atsuro laughed. "Don't worry. I can be very professional." He too had messages from Dolly – no, she had quit that now – Midori on his COMP which informed him in detail what would happen if he did anything 'inappropriate' to her friends and his co-workers. "She's told me the same thing."

Fuuka's face was flush with embarrassment. "I'm not living in a daytime drama. I'm not living in a daytime drama." She repeated the mantra over and over again, wondering where and how things turned out this way. Oh, she recognized the hand of her younger friend in it all, but watching Aigis take a hyperbolic threat seriously was just awkward.

After a few minutes walking, an elevator ride, and two security checkpoints, the three of them reached Atsuro's new workshop.

Entering first, he was stunned by the amount of money spent on equipping this place. "There's everything here!" he gushed. "You guys are really serious about this."

"That is correct," Aigis said. "And now that you have signed the appropriate NDAs, we can reveal more of your duties for the Shadow Hunters."

"You've had me interested in these secret objectives ever since you guys let me know that I would be signing up for secret stuff." Atsuro ignored the two behind him to examine the tech in front. "I mean, what could be so outlandish that you talk about the Server but not this?"

Fuuka knew this was coming, and every discussion planning this ended with the acceptance that it would have to happen on Aigis' terms. She watched as her friend rolled up the sleeve of her jacket, revealing the robotic creation underneath. Holding her breath, she watched as Aigis walked up to Atsuro and from behind and put her hand on his shoulder.

He turned to look at her, and for the first time saw what she was. "What...?"

"I am a gynoid constructed over a decade ago by your teacher, Naoya." Aigis said firmly. "Part of your duties will involve the technology behind my existence."

Suddenly, Midori's comments about 'inappropriate' took on a whole new meaning.

Tatsuhime Shrine, Central Shopping District

Dan hopped over the threshold to the shrine, looking around for the Miko. He knew that she should still be here, having confirmed that with the various store owners across the street first. "Amane-Miko-San?" He felt a little guilty at using her first name like this, but she had given him permission while he helped her catch up to her secular education. "Are you still here?"

She emerged from the little storehouse behind the shrine, a broom in hand. "Yes," she asked, apparently not recognizing him in the moment. "Can I help you?"

Dan ignored that. "The police are still looking into Midori and Saki's whereabouts for the day they were out of touch," he didn't explain how he knew this. He had his own methods. "I am concerned that they may be coming to the wrong conclusions."

Amane's eyes narrowed as she considered that. "I spoke with them on Friday, why would they be looking?"

"There was physical evidence of an altercation," he really didn't want to explain how he knew that, but the priestess took it in stride. "I know she was with you," he said while filling in the gaps off his own knowledge with educated conclusions. "But they are still investigating."

For Amane, there was no further decision to be made. "Thank you. Do you happen to have a vehicle?"

Yasoinaba Police Station

Amane strode into the front lobby of the professional building, leaving her associate to pay the taxi driver and get a receipt. She hadn't bothered to change out of her religious clothing – not for a lack of time, but because it would reinforce her position and authority to the people she would be talking too.

Arriving at the front desk, she gave her best 'I am disappointment' glare at the undeserving officer who sat there. He immediately wilted under it. "The detective, or whomever it is who is in charge of the investigation regarding the unfortunate events earlier this week, please." She didn't bow as she chose her words carefully to maintain the aura of superiority. With plenty of experience in dealing with true believers, she had no problems with cowing him into doing her bidding.

"Y... yes, ma'am!" The officer picked up a phone and dialed a number. He talked quietly and quickly enough that Amane couldn't hear what was said, but the result was to her liking. "Please have a seat, Miko-sama." He rose and bowed to her, gesturing to the line of plastic chairs against one wall. "The Assistant Commissioner will be with you shortly."

Amane bowed in thanks, then walked over the row of chairs. Identifying them as those cheap seats that were not meant to be sat in for long periods of time, she instead stood and turned to face the hallway that led further into the station. As she settled in to wait, she resolved to apologize to the front officer at a future point in time. She had been unnecessarily antagonistic to him, and she did feel a little guilty about that.

It took only a few minutes, but a man she did not recognize, in an ornate uniform came into the lobby. He looked around until their eyes met and he approached her. He offered a formal bow, and she replied in kind. "Amane-miko-sama?" he asked.

"I am, Assistant Commissioner," she said back. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but I have something to say regarding your investigation."

"I understand. My name is Takaya." He offered one hand in guidance. "If you would come with me, we can speak privately."

Amane followed him, and was led deeper into the police station and into an interview room. The walls were bare, a small television in one corner with a tape player under it, built into the frame. The Assistant Commissioner offered her a seat, which she took before he sat down opposite her. "What is this regarding?" He asked calmly.

"It has come to my attention that your investigation has turned its direction to Komaki Midori and Koinishi Saki," Amane stated, watching him carefully for any reaction.

He didn't. He was too professional for that. "I cannot confirm any details of an active..."

She cut him off, not caring about his rank. "I wish to vouch for their whereabouts from Wednesday evening until Friday morning." Amane did not glare at him, but did maintain a certain intensity about herself to keep the notion that she was not to be trifled with.

Takaya worked for the Prefecture, and was assigned to this case as a necessary action considering that it was a local officer who was found dead. That this young priestess (he was certain she looked familiar) knew about the current state of the investigation meant that the locals were talking to each other.

It was only natural. Even when forensics were saying that the deceased officer had been in a fight before his death by gunshot to the stomach, there was too many irregularities to move on with the investigation in a normal manner. He didn't want to deal with the local shrine maiden interfering, but even her actions can help the investigation in one manner or another. "I will ask that you make a written statement to that effect."

"Of course. However, I cannot tell you exactly what was going on while they were under my purview," she elaborated, leaving silence as her defense while lying to cover for her friend. "I will invoke my rights from my position in that regard should you press the matter."

Takaya, however, saw through this. Her sudden appearance meant that the two named girls did have more information that might be relevant to the investigation, but unless he was willing to move against a pillar of the community – and in a small town, the religious leadership was always a pillar – he would have to move on to other lines of inquiry. "Of course. I will bring some documentation for you to fill out." He stood and went to the door to talk to an officer outside. One he was satisfied, he returned to the table. "We may still have to talk to them about events that transpired before they came under your protection," he noted carefully, wanting to see what the priestess would give away.

"I understand that, and I hope your investigation goes well."

Komaki Residence

Mamoru was working in his office on a presentation he would have to make next week when the house phone began to ring. Mindful of his responsibilities, he waited for the caller ID to work its mysterious technological magic. Once it displayed the name and number of Ryotaro, he quickly saved his work and picked the phone out of its cradle. "Ryo!" He greeted his neighbor and friend with cheer in his voice. "Please tell me you're coming home soon! Your daughter misses you."

"Ugh," Dojima grunted foully on the other end of the line. He ignored the shortening of his name by Mamoru as well. "I'll do that as soon as I can," he grumbled to himself. "Mamoru, can I beg a favor from you?"

"Sure, anything!"

"Can you or Midori come over to the station with your car?"

"You need a pick up?" Mamoru asked, confused and worried.

"No, nothing like that." Ryotaro sighed on his end of the call. "It's just that Yu and a couple of his friends from school were caught at the mall with some weapons they claimed were for self-defense." Dojima shook his head. "I gave them a stern lecture, but I could use someone I trust to collect them."

Mamoru was already standing. "I can do that for you. I can be there in, oh, about twenty or twenty-five minutes." He picked up his jacket from where he threw it yesterday and left his office, locking it behind him with Nanako in the house. She was at that age where she would wander in with purely innocent reasons, but he didn't want to take the chance. "You want me to do anything with the kids? I may be out of practice with the groundings and other punishments, but I can think of something."

"No," Ryotaro responded. "That won't be needed. Just bring them home, phone the other kids' parents to pick them up. And tell Nanako that I will be home for supper."

Mamoru saw some flaws in the logic and requests, but rejected voicing them out of concern for his friend. "I'll do that then." Reaching the front door, he slipped on his shoes and grabbed his keys. "I'm leaving now. See you soon." With that, he hung up, and raised his voice. "Midori?"

"Daddy?" Midori responded form the living room. "What's up?"

"Yu and some of his buddies got themselves into trouble," he told his daughter who was studying at the living room table while Nanako read a picture book of some sort for her own classes. The television was on, turned to the weather channel for the white noise. Fog, rain, rain and more rain. "Ryo asked me to pick them up."

"Alright," Midori nodded in understanding. "What did they do?"

Mamoru shrugged. "You can ask them when they get here," he watched as Midori considered that and a change came over her. It was a subtle shift in her body language, but she matured in a moment, readying herself for dealing with the unknown. It was something he didn't feel she knew she did, and thought nothing more of it. "Oh," he said as he tossed the phone at her, "could you put that back in my office? I locked the door, so use the spare key."

"Of course, daddy."

Later

Yu, Yosuke and Chie all sat around the table in the living room while Midori focused a glower on each of them from the head of it. She was trying to figure out what to do in this situation, and so far all of her potential responses were either too stern, or not strict enough. Adding to that, Nanako's presence at the table forced her to moderate herself for the little girl's sake.

Daddy was in the kitchen, making iced tea for everyone. And yet, she had to say something before he got back to establish a dominance before the two people from outside her extended family left. "Be glad this isn't a school day," she stated flatly. "Imagine what Morooka-sensei would do to you if that were the case."

"I ain't afraid of King Moron," Chie stated, though Midori felt it was a bluff - she was chafing at being confined to Midori's home, even though it was far nicer than what it seemed she was expecting, and it showed in the way she moved.

"This was a stupid idea," Yosuke huffed. "Why did I agree to this?" Midori saw that putting pressure on him would get the best immediate results. "Why don't we tell her? The Vice-President will have to believe us!"

Midori was quietly proud that he recognized her authority. "The cops didn't," Chie objected.

"Bro!" Yosuke turned to Yu, who had been silent throughout all this so far. "We gotta tell someone!"

The power dynamics between those three were interesting to to observe, as Midori did. Yu had somehow taken a form of leadership, Yosuke seeking approval from him – or was it appealing to mediation in his dealings with the overbearing Chie? It was fun to watch, even as she armored her own psyche against getting caught in it. She had to be above them.

"Calm down," Yu said. "Arguing won't get us anywhere." He matched eyes with Midori, a challenge she accepted.

Their contest of wills was broken when Mamoru came into the living room with a platter full of glasses and two jugs of ice-topped tea. "Drinks for everyone while we're waiting," he announced into the conversation at the table. Setting down his load, he passed around the cups to everyone then began to pour.

"Thank you!" Nanako chirped as the small plastic cup was topped up before Mamoru turned to fill Midori's glass. "I want a big one too!"

Recognizing what was really being asked thanks to his own experience in raising a daughter, Mamoru lied through his teeth. "All the other ones are dirty, so I can do that next time, after they've been washed."

Nanako pouted, and turned to her big sister for support, ignoring everyone else in the process. "Please?"

Midori shook her head. "Sorry Nana-chi," she leaned over and patted her on the head. "How about if you're done your glass before me, I'll let you drink from mine?"

Nanako looked between the two containers of drink. "Promise?"

"Always!" Midori replied cheerfully. She could see that Nanako was still unused to dealing with so many strangers in the house, so she moved to relax her.

With that out of the way and handled, Mamoru put the remaining drink in the middle of the table. "I'm going back to work. But when your parents come to pick you up, I'll be there." He let that settle over Chie and Yosuke, the ones most affected by the implied threat. "Whether you tell them what happened, or the police do shall be your choice." With the 'implication' removed from the threat, he nodded to Midori, then headed upstairs to his office, a tall glass of his own in hand.

Once he was gone, Midori exploited the threat on the weak point in front of her. "Hanamura," she focused on him with all the intensity she could muster short of invoking Frosty. She wanted to intimidate him into submission, not scare him out of it, especially with Nanako there.

"We didn't mean to!" He promptly folded, earning him the ire of Chie. "But we had to! Yu was about to jump in!"

"Jump into what?" Midori wasn't aware of any rumors of anything which would involve weapons.

"Shut up!" Chie hissed at him, but Midori ignored the interjection. Instead she focused for a moment on Nanako burrowing into her side as these strangers started to argue.

She clamped a hand over her open ear, then leveled a lethal look at Chie. "You will keep your tone civil in the presence of a child," she warned with no room for miscommunication.

Seeing the young girl's actions and pose, Chie stopped herself short. "I'm sorry," she bowed to Nanako. "I didn't mean to be loud."

"Nana-chi?" Midori pulled Nanako away from her for a moment. "Why don't you go read in my room for a while?" She indicated the open picture book on the table, then leaned in to whisper, "you don't have to worry about the strangers then."

"Alright," Nanako said as she picked up her book and drink. Once she climbed up the stairs, Midori listened carefully to the door to her room opening and closing before throwing her angry voice at Chie.

"Listen to me very carefully," she growled out. "I don't care that you and I have our differences, but you upset her again, what I do to you will go down in town legend, am I understood?"

"Dude," Yosuke warned Chie, "just apologize."

"I agree," Yu said, even as Chie seemed to balk at the idea. "She's not telling you to apologize to her, she wants you on your best behavior where Nanako-chan is concerned."

"Fine," Chie said. "I promise." She added that to the list of reasons to not like the Vice-President.

"Now, what is this you were talking about? Jumping into what?" Midori brought the conversation back on track.

Yu thought about it for a moment while under the expectant gazes of his two classmates. "I'll show you," he said as he stood up. Midori watched him as he walked over to the television that was still tuned into the weather channel. He reached out and turned it off, then placed his hand against the LCD screen. Slowly, he pushed into it until his hand and wrist vanished, leaving his lower arm both in and out of the television.

If he expected some sort of reaction from Midori, she didn't give him one. Her mind exploded and one part of her instantly moved to cover up any agitation she felt. Sipping her tea, she looked again at Yu. If Adachi had that power, and it was related to his Persona, what did that say about Yu? She needed more information, and being calm would allow her to extract it.

"You can remove your arm," she said as she put down her drink. "And start explaining what happened."

So they started talking, over and through each other. They told her about Yu's discovery while watching the Midnight Channel (something that Midori knew about, but dismissed as a silly rumor), about the 'show' that displayed the two people whom she recognized as herself and Saki. Then about how they had gone into the television in Junes and how they stepped in, Yu first, then Chie and Yosuke.

She listened with a stony face as they described the same location that 'Teddie' had used to allow her and Saki to exit. Although she noted that they missed some of the things she observed in her time there as well.

They talked about how they wandered around, and Midori refused to show her fear as they described arriving at the stage that was the Central Shopping District. They found the open Liquor store, and she listened as she tried to figure out how close she and Saki really were to the exit that they went in the wrong direction.

Then they described an encounter with a fake Yosuke. How it accosted them in the place where she fought Adachi and left him. But they didn't say anything about that. Instead, they elaborated how they confronted the shadowy figure where she and Saki had run.

Yu finally said the word that Midori didn't know she was fearing. "I heard a voice in my head, demanding to be let out," he said as the others shut up. "It wanted me to invoke my Persona. And I did." He described Izanagi and how it fought the monster that Yosuke's shadow had become. Midori saw that Yosuke was cringing in on himself, ashamed of what had happened.

"I don't get it," Chie complained after the tale of their fight was done. "Why do those guys get superpowers and I don't?"

Midori couldn't answer the question. She didn't want to know either, except that this was a major problem now. "And how did you get out?"

"Some thing named Teddie came to us," Chie said with a dismissive wave. "He was dressed in a teddy bear costume like you'd see in a park. He got all 'Grr! You're not supposed to be here!'" Midori mentally filled in the correct voice as Chie impersonated him. "He said we shouldn't be here, and needed to leave. Yu agreed, especially with that thing that attacked us, and he took us back to Junes."

Once they were done, Midori saw that her glass of tea was empty, so she poured herself a new one as she thought. "I cannot say I've seen such things," she calmly lied. "However, given the evidence in front of me," she glanced at the still-off television, "I cannot reject your story outright either."

"You want to go yourself!" Chie jumped to a conclusion Midori was seriously considering. "You want powers too!"

"No," Midori said. "However, this 'Teddie' did ask that you leave him alone and in peace." She took a sip and found that the ice had melted, watering down the taste. "Perhaps we should be polite and not intrude without good reason?"

The invocation of politeness did wonders to get everyone thinking. "What if he has something to do with the bodies?" Chie asked. "I mean, he is that weird bear-thing, we don't know what he can do!"

Midori doubted that from her own encounter. Yet it was Yosuke who provided a counter-point. "Hey! Remember when we were waiting in the station? There were those out of town cops who were discussing that it was looking like a Murder-Suicide, just like people were thinking." He looked at Midori, realizing her relation to the most recently deceased. "Err, sorry."

"Do any of you have any reason to enter the television world, aside from a social call, or to satisfy your curiosity?" Midori asked. When no response came, she laid down the law. "Very well. None of you are to enter that place without good cause, and you will take me with you that I may see this for myself."

Yu thought about that, "I think I understand your position." He nodded, "I agree."

"What?" Yosuke and Chie exclaimed at once. They shared a look, then Yosuke gestured for Chie to speak first.

"We don't need her!"

"No, but she is taking responsibility," Yu pointed out. "And having someone in her position to vouch for what happened could help."

Chie allowed Yosuke to speak. "Eh, that was pretty much my concern. But man, I mean, what do we do about it?"

"We accept that it exists," Midori said. "Then you ignore it as we have nothing to do with it."

"You're way too calm about being told there's a world inside the television." Chie looked at her weirdly – for a moment Midori thought her cover was blown. "But I wouldn't expect anything less from a Queen."

"Are you in agreement then?" Midori ignored the insult, instead focusing on getting everyone's promise to not enter without reason or herself. "Yes, I will take responsibility."

"I agree," Yu said, bowing slightly as he did so, accepting her power over him. After a moment, Yosuke said the same and Chie followed, though she obviously thought this was a bad idea.

"Now that is out of the way," Midori moved past the unpleasant business, "I have homework to work on." She indicated the pile of books that was ignored at her side. "I would like to study in peace."

Midori's Room
Evening

The phone buzzed, and Midori reached over to pick it up. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hello Midori!" Aigis greeted her friend. "You didn't call me earlier?"

Midori wanted to slap her hand to her forehead, but both of them were occupied. She settled by hitting the back of her head against the futon under her. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized as best she could. "It's just things got a little out of hand today."

"Oh?" Aigis replied with a curious tone. "Does it have anything to do with that event?" She didn't specify which, knowing her friend's reactions already. It helped to talk to the others in person when she could.

"A bit," Midori groaned. She gave Aigis a quick rundown on the fact that Yu and Yosuke had improvised weapons on them while at the shopping center, and got arrested for it because the police were not playing games.

"I mean, seriously? A golf club?" Midori shook her head. "It would break after, what, two? Three good swings? And wrenches don't have good grip on them when swinging. He wasn't wearing gloves!"

"Why does it not surprise me that you are more concerned that their choice of weapon is deficient than they actually carried them?"

"Aigis, Tokyo." Midori reminded the robot of her own weapon-carrying policy which carried forward into their dorm. "But enough about that! How are you doing?"

"Very well," Aigis replied. "Atsuro began work for us today."

"Oooh!" Midori cooed. "And how did that go?"

"He was understanding of our desire for secrecy when we revealed the connection between Kirijo and the Shomankai."

"I can see that," Midori agreed. "How much are you keeping him out of?"

"We are not revealing the existence of Personas outside the Lockdown to him, if that is what you are concerned about." Aigis moved to allay Midori's concerns. "And I have made it clear to Fuuka and Mitsuru that your name is not to come up in any official capacity. As far as he should be concerned, our relationship is purely social and from school."

"That's good," Midori trusted her friend to keep problems down. "Does this mean he's staying at the Dorm?"

"That hasn't been decided yet," Aigis said. "There is also one thing that I should tell you regarding Atsuro-san."

"Oh?"

"I revealed to him my mechanical nature, so he can understand more about his responsibilities."

Midori's eyes flew open in fear. "Aigis!" she hissed into the phone, "The only reason I am not yelling at you right now is because Nanako is curled up against me and I don't want to wake her." She ground her teeth, then focused on not moving to disturb the sleeping child that embraced her. "Why?"

"Because it was a choice I made, and given that you trust him with some of your secrets, I felt that I could do the same," Aigis replied, pulling on Midori's social strings to enforce her position. "We discussed things, and he has agreed to assist in the secret keeping."

"Aigis," Midori spoke flatly. "Atsuro is smart. Smarter than me. Probably smarter than you. I guarantee you that he's already figured out that I know you're a gynoid." She sighed. "I hope this is worth it."

"After we talked," Aigis announced, "I formed another Social Link."

Midori froze. "Another one? With Atsuro?"

"Yes," the robot confirmed. "He is, to me, the Hanged Man."

And Midori knew she was the Moon. "Um... alright then. Forget what I said about this being a bad idea." Then she realized something important. "Wait. Haven't you formed a bond with Fuuka or Mitsuru, or anyone else yet?"

"No," Aigis stated. "I believe that it is harder to form Social Link connections with people I already know than it is with new people. It took me months to advance with you, whereas it took hours with him."

"Huh. Well, why don't you go make new friends outside of work?"s

"Because I do not wish to exploit a person's feelings for personal gain," Aigis explained some of her ethics. "Nor do I wish to force these things to come."

Midori furrowed her brow, squeezing her eyes shut. "Aigis, I love you dearly. But at this point, I'm going to lay down some instructions here, and I expect them to be followed. You're going into the school Tennis program right? Or at least practicing when the courts are open?"

"Yes," Aigis said. "I haven't decided if I want to join the team formally yet. I have already received one invitation."

"Do it then," Midori said. "Get the chance to meet new people and form new links. You're a Wild Card now. You need that."

"I will."

"Oh, Aigis. Before I go, I have a question for you."

"What would that be?"

"Has Igor or Elizabeth or Theodore contacted you recently?"

"No, why?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Please."

"Very well," Aigis said. "I will delete it from memory."

"No, you won't." Midori responded with a smile. "You trust me too much to leave any of my words alone. But I want to sleep now, so goodnight Aigis."

"Good night, Midori."