25 April 2011
Samegawa Floodplain
Before School

Midori caught up to Yu as he was walking toward the bridge over the river. Holding her umbrella over both of them, she took a moment to catch her breath. "Morning," she said over the patter of the rain.

"Good Morning, Sensei."

"You can drop that when it's not related to that place," Midori said. "At school, it's Senpai or Vice-President to you."

"Of course."

"So, there are things about the Wild Card I want to talk to you about."

Yu thought about that. "But you're not one."

"No, but I know others," she said. "I can fill you in on some of the gaps."

"I would like that," Yu agreed. "But not right now."

"Of course."

Yasogami High School
Hallways
Lunchtime

Midori made her way down the hallways to the gymnasium, where she needed to check on some things regarding her club when she spotted a familiar head above rest of the students.

"Tatsumi-san," she greeted Kanji as she stepped up behind him.

"GYAA!" The large young man jumped in the air and spun around arms raised to defend himself when he saw who it was. "Oh. Midori-senpai." He used the more formal address given they were at school and not working. "I didn't see you there."

"Nervous?" she asked before frowning. "And what is that?" She pointed at the shirt that was under his uniform jacket, which itself was stretching on his massive frame.

"Uh... you see, none of the shirts for the uniform fit me, and so I had to get permission to wear one of my own as long as the color matches and none of the images on it pokes through." He looked to one side in embarrassment at that fact, unable to withstand Midori's look.

"Alright," she said, accepting the truth of the matter. Kanji was huge when you got down to it, and it wasn't right to expect the school to have a proper uniform in his size. He was lucky the jacket was barely big enough as it was. "If this continues to be a problem, let me know, and I will sort things out with your mother and the school."

"You don't have to do that!" Kanji objected, "I mean, I can sort things out myself. A man can do that, right?"

"There is no shame in getting help," Midori stated as she started to move past him. "I also haven't seen your application for which clubs you are joining yet. Get those to me by the end of the week."

"But the deadline isn't until next month!" Kanji objected.

"And I know that every last club wants you on their team," Midori noted. She has seen how the male team captains had looked at him, knowing full well what advantage he could give them for the next three years. "They will keep pressuring you to make a decision sooner, rather than later."

Kanji sighed. "I understand."

"Good," Midori said, satisfied that this conversation was over. "And don't forget your Cultural Club application by the normal deadline."

"Yes, sempai." Kanji stood there, defeated as Midori left his sight.

Student Council Room
After School

Dan didn't look up as Midori entered the room, closing the door behind her. "How did your meeting go yesterday?" he asked politely, even though he already knew the answer.

"Not bad," Midori replied as she took a sheaf of paper from him. "Got it cleared with Morooka-sensei about the team division. He was concerned – in his own way – that the casual team would slack off. I promised to keep an eye on that. How about you? Any luck in finding more people to help us out this year?"

"Not really," he shook his head. "First years are still adapting to the new school, second years trust we can handle it, and the other third years have their own concerns."

"Tell me about it," Midori groused. "I've got exams to start working toward, there's no second year that I can pass off leadership responsibilities to, and everything else..."

Dan had nothing to say to that. "This means that you are looking to go into University?"

Midori looked up, a blank look on her face. "What?"

"You are aware that there are other options. What do you plan on studying over the next few years?"

Midori didn't have an answer to that. She hadn't even thought about it. And it showed on her face. She had just grown up accepting that she would do that.

Dan saw this confusion, and knew better than to prod. Forcing her into a mental corner was not how she solved problems. But he did know someone who could help.

Central Shopping District
Evening

Deciding to swing though on her way home, Midori browsed some of the shops. A lot of them were closed, shuttered over the past year as Junes took its toll on the smaller places. After checking in with the Konishi store with a social call, she walked down the hill at a gentle pace, breathing in the damp spring air. It had stopped raining for the day and the fog was dissipating. It should be a beautiful night, that she was sure of.

Coming down past Aya's, she spotted a splash of color where there was none the last time she was here. It was purple, and her confusion over something new was cut short when she remembered that Margaret had mentioned the Velvet Room setting up shop over here with the other stores.

And it was across from the Shrine, so Amane could keep an eye out if she was so inclined. Assuming she could even see it.

She would have to ask, later, but first she would head home and get supper ready. It was just herself this evening, so she would try a bit of experimental cooking, as long as only she had to deal with the mistakes she made.

But her feet had other ideas, and they refused to do anything other then head for the entrance to the Velvet Room and then stop. Glaring at her treacherous appendages, she accepted her fate and entered.

The Velvet Room

Midori blinked in the transition from standing outside to sitting in the moving vehicle. "Hello," Margaret greeted her. "Welcome back."

"Thank you," Midori replied. "Where is Igor?"

"The Master is not present," Margaret smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Midori's mind spun for a second before reasons came to her. "I wanted to know if I could get your phone number," she said. "You have mine, and the caller ID only says 'Velvet Room'. I mean, I know I'm not a Wild Card, but I know you gave me an invitation for a reason."

"Of course." Margaret held out her hand expectantly, and Midori fumbled for a moment with her pocket before handing over her phone. "This will take a moment."

"Hey, is that the Nose?" Midori's attention was brought back to the side of the car where Marie was arranging her skirt as she sat down. The two locked eyes for a moment before the younger person shifted away. "You," she said dismissively.

"Here you go," Margaret handed Midori her phone back. She checked the listing of contacts, and found a new one, labeled Margaret/VR there. Satisfied, she put it away. "Was there anything else you needed while you are here?"

"What is that place on the other side of the television?" Midori asked before she thought about it. "I mean, I know a bit about what it is, but that tells me nothing about it."

"Ah," Margaret seemed pleased, even as her poise and smile remained unchanged. "A seeker of the truth, are you?"

Midori found the phrasing odd, but wrote it off as a mannerism of the Velvet Room. "Yes," she agreed. "Because I can't help Yu and the others if I don't know what's going on, and I have to improvise."

"A wise decision on your part," Margaret said, causing Marie to roll her eyes – a gesture Midori and Margaret caught, but ignored. "However, there is much I cannot say in that regard."

"Can't, or won't?" Midori sought a more firm definition of where the white-haired woman could or could not go.

"A bit of both, I suppose," Margaret sighed just a little. "I myself do not fully understand that place you explore, but I can tell you that the answers you seek lay with it."

"That's..." Midori knew exactly what she wanted to say. That Margaret's response was precisely the kind given when the answer was 'Go figure it out yourself'. But saying that would be rude. "Probably true," she acceded. "Then I suppose there's only one thing left to do."

"And what would that be?" Margaret asked, curious.

"Would the two of you like to come over for supper tonight? Daddy's not home, and I'm not expecting any visitors." Midori indicated Marie. "And you wanted me to help her get used to my world, so I figure that's a nice start."

Margaret considered the offer, even as Marie shook her head. "The Nose might object."

"The Master is not here," Margaret pointed out the obvious. "And in his absence, I am mature enough to make rational decisions."

Midori did not point out that Margaret was definitely different than Elizabeth, especially in terms of being able to pay attention and not going on wild tangents if her few encounters with the younger Velvet Room attendant was anything to go by.

"I think we shall," Margaret said, standing up. "Come, Marie, we are invited guests and it would be impolite to be tardy."

Midori rose as well, then looked between the two other females. "Um, Marie-chan?" she asked. "Do you have anything else to wear that's like a jacket or something? It might rain again this evening, and your clothes would just leave you soaked through."

She considered loaning one of her own jackets to her if the case arose, but wanted to see what she had available first. Marie looked at Margaret. "No, she didn't give me anything else."

Plan B it was then, "That's alright, you can borrow one of mine then." She shrugged off her jacket, depending on the thickness of her uniform to keep the worst of the cool air out on their way back to her place.

"One moment," Margaret said as she kneeled down behind the table that sat in the middle of the vehicle's compartment. A moment later, the soft music that permeated the background ceased. "I do not wish to leave that unattended."

"It does get on my nerves after a while," Marie groused.

"You do not get to pick the music," Margaret chided her gently. "That has been the theme of this room for many years now."

"Whatever," Marie said as she slumped her shoulders. "Let's just get this over with."

Komaki Residence
Evening

Midori was waiting on the fish to finish cooking, checking to make sure they weren't burning while Margaret poked at the place settings. Marie reclined in one of the chairs, trying her best to disguise the fact that she was avidly looking at everything that was new to her.

"Almost done," Midori announced as she turned down the heat, letting the pan's residual energy finish off the cooking. She quickly filled three plates with the rest of the food, then scooped the hot fish on top. "And done!"

She carried all three plates to the table, setting them down in front of her guests before removing her cooking apron. One thanks for the food later, the three started to eat.

Well, Midori did. Margaret and Marie kind of looked at their own food in some confusion. "You have had food before, right?" She wondered if her assumption about how much they knew about the human world was overstated.

"That'snotit!" Marie yelled quickly, blurring her words together. "I mean," she slowed under Margaret's withering gaze, "thankyouforthefood." She carefully picked up the chopsticks and poked at the fish before peeling off a strip and eating it.

Satisfied, Midori turned back to her own food. "Don't get much home cooking?"

"We have our own means to satisfy ourselves," Margaret replied.

"We order in," Marie explained.

While she really wanted to ask how that was possible, Midori decided against it. Some things, she decided, were just too normal to find weird.

After a couple more minutes, Midori addressed Marie. "So," she fought to find a way to open a conversation with this obvious introvert. "How do you like Inaba so far?"

"Foggy," the younger appearing girl replied. "I don't like the fog."

"I can see that," Midori concluded that Marie liked the sun instead. "But thankfully the weather forecast for the next week or so is clear."

"It'll come back," Marie said as she ate some more. Whatever problems she may have had, a poor appetite was not among them.

"True," Midori agreed. "But not for a few days. Plenty of time to get some sunlight."

Marie muttered something as her desire to eat overrode her desire to talk, so Margaret stepped in.

"Thank you for your assistance in this incident," she offered politely.

"You are welcome," Midori replied, accepting that this was just a repeat of earlier words. "Is there anything you can tell me at all?"

Margaret elegantly tasted the fish, though without much in the way to compare it too, had to assume that it was good. "Only that it is the Wild Card who has chosen to take responsibility for the events that are to come."

"Then why not Aigis?"

"Who?" Marie looked up from her plate, earning her a stern glare from Margaret. "I mean, um.. more please?"

Midori scooped out more rice, and fetched another fish for the young girl, then turned back to Margaret, awaiting an answer.

"There are..." Margaret searched for the right words. "Certain conditions and requirements that the Master has to deal with. It was more prudent in the short and long term to recruit your cousin than to bring in your friend."

Thinking that over, Midori considered the why of that statement. It wasn't because of strength, Yu was just starting out while Aigis had years of experience. And it wasn't like Aigis didn't have a support network either. And then it clicked. "You want more," she said, feeling out her illumination carefully. "More Persona users, not just stronger ones."

"That is one way of looking at it," Margaret neither confirmed nor denied Midori's accusation.

Midori knew that she wouldn't be able to get a better answer than that out of the Velvet Room attendant. They guarded their secrets well.

Dojima Household

Ryotaro looked out the front window of his home, letting his hands wash dishes without the supervision of his eyes. Behind him, his daughter and nephew were working on their homework in the living room.

It would be time to send Nanako to bed soon, he mused even as he saw Midori and two strangers walking down the road from her house. One was a tall, elegant woman in what looked like a business dress, while the other was a shorter girl who looked to be about Midori and Yu's age and was wearing something out of a fashion book.

Curious as to who they would be that Midori would host them without letting him know in case something came up, he quickly wiped down his hands and slid on his shoes. "Be right back," he called out. "Just seeing someone."

"Alright!" Nanako called out as she saw that her father was leaving his jacket behind, which meant he really wasn't leaving.

Ryotaro stepped out and closed the door behind him. "Evening," he said, and saw his niece jump at his unexpected presence, but ignored that in favour of the woman who turned to face them. "Midori, you didn't tell me you were having guests over," he said without accusation, the skills of a Detective getting answers without hostility coming to the fore.

"Oh! Um!" He watched as she scrambled to say something, it wasn't often he got the drop on her like this. "Uncle Dojima," she indicated him with a hand, then pointed to the other two, "This is Margaret and Marie. They are... from out of town," she said, though he recognized the hesitation where she realized she had to explain how she knew them.

"Ah, hello." Margaret said as she turned to come closer to him. Ryotaro stood straighter, reacting to the presence she put off, like that of one who was used to getting her way not through tyranny, but though charisma and diplomacy.

He could see where Midori got some of her tricks, he thought as he went to straighten the tie he wasn't wearing. "Hello, Margaret-san," he bowed to her slightly. "I trust Midori was a generous host?"

"Of course," she responded with a smile. "She offered supper, and we agreed." Ryotaro looked past the middle-aged woman to her.. daughter? Relative? Hard to tell given the differences in hair colour. They had to be from Tokyo then. It was the only explanation.

"That's good," he said with a proud nod. "In town for long?"

"Perhaps," Margaret replied. "It was a visit of opportunity."

Ryotaro nodded in understanding. "I suppose I shouldn't keep you then," he apologized. "But if you're ever in town again, and Midori isn't available, my place is available." He indicated the house behind him. "Least I could do for friends of the family."

Smiling, Margaret bowed in thanks. "Truly, your offer is a generous one," she said formally. "Although I would have to say that it would be Marie more than I who would take advantage of your hospitality."

"Don't worry about that," Ryotaro replied. "Headed back?"

"Yes," the blue-dressed woman said. "We have been out too late, and Marie needs her rest."

"Then have a good evening, all of you." Ryotaro nodded at Midori. He would get an explanation later, he was sure. She would volunteer it.

26 April 2011
Yasogami High School, Class 3-2
Lunchtime

Midori stared into nothingness, her hands on automatic as she fed herself. Of course, her meditations, such as they were, were interrupted by a hand waving in front of her face. Kanako escalated her distraction by grabbing the seat in front of Midori and sitting down in it backwards. "Hey captain?"

"Mm?" Midori focused on her, picking her glasses off the table to actually focus on her. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. You just look like you're completely out of it."

She knew better than to lie. "I am, a bit."

"Yeah," Kanako helped herself to one of the fruit slices in Midori's lunch. "When was the last time you had a break?"

"Break?" Midori feigned ignorance. "What is that?"

Kanako held back a laugh. "It's what you do when you don't have to rush to the next thing."

"Oh!" Midori put a surprised look on her face. "That!" She instantly went back to confused. "No, never heard of it."

This time Kanako failed to hold in the giggle, instead turning to one side as she shook. "You really should get into acting."

Midori considered reminding her friend about the web show she used to host before deciding against it. That was in her past. "I don't think I could get into acting," she said as she drew herself up and thrust out her chest for a moment. "I don't have the talent for it," she then relaxed a bit. "Besides, who would hire someone from a small farming town like me?"

"Isn't there that one girl who got a job in the industry a couple years back?"

Midori didn't know a thing about that. So she made a production of eating the last of her lunch before Kanako could steal any more. "Whatever. It's not like it would be a career thing. You barely last two years."

"Done your research, I see."

"I know people," Midori admitted. She had hung around her aunts long enough to know that getting into acting as a youth wasn't good for her, so she had long since decided to go her own way. "Never saw the appeal of show business."

"Ah well, television's loss then."

The Foggy Stage
After School

Yu slipped in through the television, mission on his mind. While he had planned on doing this yesterday, things had gotten in the way, and he figured a break from the weirdness of the television was in order.

"Teddie?" He called out, looking for the strange being that inhabited this place. "Are you here?"

"Yes, I am!" the Bear appeared from 'back stage' and waddled out to meet him. "Why are you here?" Teddie put on an angry face. "No one else has been thrown in!"

"We know," Yu said. "But if there's the chance that happens again, we want to be prepared." He bowed. "Because of that, we would like your permission to come back and practice with our Personas and to beat up the Shadows."

Teddie thought about that. "There are a lot of Shadows out there..." he muttered out loud. "You would be getting rid of them?"

"That's correct," Yu agreed. "But we wanted your permission first."

"Oh! You have it!" Teddie was pleased. "I have heard of something called a 'picnic basket'. Can you bring me one?"

Yu was taken aback by this. He had expected the more reclusive and isolationist Teddie, and prepared for more objections. He did not expect this nice and inviting Teddie. "Alright, I think we can do that. We just need to make arrangements on our end," he pointed behind him to where the televisions would be. "Are you feeling well?"

"I'm un-bear-ably perfect!" Teddie pronounced, puffing out his chest. "I... just missed having people to talk to. It gets lonely here, you know?"

That, Yu could understand. He knelt in front of the bear, "Don't worry," he said. "We'll be around."