October 22, 2015 - Thursday, Early Morning - Sunny
As Lydia was getting ready to go to school, she texted Nori to ask when her sister was going to her friend's house. She had said shortly after her school let out, which was before Nori herself would get home from her rehearsal. When Lydia got to school and walked in through her usual entrance, she saw the rest of the group waiting there near Morgan and her homecoming stuff.
"Hey." She greeted them, looking towards Nori.
"Yo, what's up?" Damien responded.
"Nori and I are going to hang out after school today." Lydia responded.
"Cool. Yeah, Allie and I are having a gaming session at my house later. What about you guys? What are your plans for today?" Damien asked the group.
"Uh, probably catching up on homework I've been putting off. Watch TV. Maybe work out a bit. I've got a few weights in the garage at my house." Nathan answered.
"Um, I've been kind of working on some art. It's... helped me with the breakup. I'm probably not going to do it today, but that's what I've been up to besides my usual stuff." Jacob said, looking in a direction that no one was standing in.
"I already have my Halloween cosplay ready to go. Let's see here... um, I got a lot of good comments on my FantasyFlare albums. It's basically me just chilling until next week." Morgan said, putting her hands together and leaning back slightly in her chair.
"What's your costume?" Nori asked.
"Michelle from Burning Sigil: Luminous Sunrise. I don't expect to win the prize at the costume contest at the party I'm going to, though. This is more of a 'just for fun' thing for me. The winner's gonna be someone who's put way more effort into their costume than mine." Morgan replied, pointing upwards with her index fingers.
"What kind of costumes win? You make it sound like it's a regular thing." Nori said.
"Oh, like a really good monster costume, the kind with extensive makeup, custom-made outfits and props and everything. That's not to say I'm not gonna make a good show. It's just that I wasn't going for the prize, especially just coming off of FantasyFlare where I'd spent a lot more putting that ensemble together." Morgan explained.
"I didn't know we had such talented people here in town. Who's throwing this party?" Damien asked.
"Guy's name is Xavier Grace. The only reason I know his last name is because that's how he introduces himself when he starts the party. His parents are filthy rich, apparently old money or something. They're hardly ever around, so he uses their mansion of a house to throw this huge Halloween party every year. Now before you start imagining crazy frat boy hijinks, you gotta remember he's been doing this ever since he was 18. He's 24 or something now, so that's six years. If it was really that bad cosplayers wouldn't go to it." Morgan said, leaning forward and resting her chin on her folded hands.
"Have you been to them before?" Lydia asked, imagining that this party was likely the sort of thing the average parent wouldn't be too keen on letting their under-18 kids go to.
"A couple of times, yeah. And being richer than pretty much anybody his age in town means he can hire security to make sure everything's on the up and up. I know it sounds like something that can get out of hand really easily, but trust me. It's really not that bad." Morgan said, pulling her hands apart and resting her arms on the table. She continued, saying,
"I know it's literally the day before homecoming, but if any of you guys want to come, it's a pretty sweet party. You don't have to wear a Halloween costume or anything, either. That's just for the people interested in the contest. I mean, everyone except Nori went to two raves on back to back days, right? Just last week?"
"I'll think about it." Damien said, his tone indicating a finality to the conversation. The rest of the group sans Nori agreed with his sentiment, feeling for one reason or another that this wasn't exactly the same thing as FantasyFlare.
"Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I'll be going to that. I want to be freshly rested for homecoming." Nori said to Morgan, who shrugged.
"That's fine. I'm not saying anybody has to come. I'm just letting you guys know it's there. But yeah, time to talk about something else. Like..." She trailed off, expecting to say something but coming up with nothing.
"The school lunch? It's actually been really good this week." Jacob stated tentatively, which ended up kicking off a conversation about the food at Fulton and its fluctuating quality, which seemed to hover mostly around passable, with occasional dips into good and bad depending on absolutely no discernible criteria whatsoever. The group talked until it was time for class, at which point they split up.
Thursday, Evening - Clear
It was some time after dinner when Lydia's phone lit up with a particular sound that told her she'd received a text message. Nori's sister was well and gone from the house, and the other two siblings were thoroughly occupied watching a movie complete with popcorn and drinks, so any disturbances were unlikely. She had asked Lydia if there was anything she needed to know before going in.
"Shadows still roam in the abandoned dungeons, so don't get too close. We're not going to be fighting, but bring your mirror anyway. You can practice summoning your Persona that way."
"Ok. So I just stand in front of the mirror and focus on going there, right?"
"Yes. It's totally silent and doesn't make a big flash of light or anything."
"Ok. Well, here I go. See you there."
Lydia took that as the signal to go in. She took her mirror and went into the valley, appearing a few seconds before Nori did. When she did, she looked around to make sure that sure was indeed in the valley. Her eyes came to rest on the movie theater that had been erected for her.
"It's still there. Just like the others." She remarked, her gaze shifting from the dungeon to her mirror. It was certainly pretty, made with a precision that would certainly come off as professional even to the untrained eye. Its purple and crimson colors were distinct at the corners of the diamond-shaped mirror, blending together along the edges. There was the symbol of Frigg's staff at the top where the two colors met, carved into the material that felt distinctly like wood but not quite exactly like it.
"Yeah. They all stand as testaments to the people that have been saved. You see, if the Idols are successful, the dungeon just pops out of existence with no trace of it ever having been there. I was in one when it happened. So were Allie, Damien, and Nathan." Lydia explained.
"Mm. So... does that mean they joined Sycophanta? Was it one of the two men that you fought?"
"Yes to the first question, no to the second. Her name is Valerie. According to what she herself told us when we were fighting her while going through Jacob's dungeon, even if we had gotten to her in time she would've refused us. She said she didn't need anyone to try and sway her either way."
Nori remained silent for a moment, feeling Frigg's presence well up within her. She didn't say anything, but Nori could sense a desire to manifest from her, a warm but firm urging that felt far more familiar than she would've expected.
"I see. Hmm..."
Nori raised her mirror in front of her face. She could see her reflection change into Frigg's, and saw blue flames beginning to form on the edges of the mirror. A rush came over her as she allowed the self within to come forth, the flames bursting into a plume and consuming the mirror. She looked at her hands and saw that they were completely fine, and that the mirror had been consumed. She then looked at up at Frigg, who was looking down at her with a smile. Like the Personas that the rest of QIB summoned, she had a soft blue tinge to her that was the same color as the flames that heralded their arrival.
"This is... like going on stage on opening night. It's that same combination of confidence and nervousness. I know I have what it takes, but at the same time I don't know for sure how the audience is going to react. It's like that." Nori spoke, her eyes not leaving Frigg. Lydia approached her and called on Ophelia, who floated in the air next to Frigg and waved to her.
"That's a good way of putting it. You see, everyone else on QIB got their Persona like you did, after reconciling with their Idol. But I was selected as the Beholder, which meant that I didn't have to do that. Instead, my Persona awakened when I was in life-threatening danger, which was when Shadows attacked me when I tried to go after Allie when she was pulled in here. So for me it was sort of like that, being both scared and courageous at the same time."
Nori could feel her energy flowing out from her steadily as it was being used to maintain Frigg's presence. She remembered that while they were fighting, QIB's Personas were repeatedly summoned rather than being out continuously. Frigg had not actually taken any actions, and yet Nori felt her strength being slowly sapped away.
"My, it's... now I understand why your Personas aren't constantly present. This could get taxing very quickly if I had to sustain Frigg constantly for a long time." She spoke, and decided to let Frigg dissipate. Her mirror then reformed in her left hand, looking none the worse for wear.
"I don't think it's something we've ever thought about too much. It just feels natural to have them come and go like that." Lydia said, recalling Ophelia.
"I see. Yes, it'd make sense that our Personas, our other selves that we use as masks to deal with evil, aren't constantly up all the time. I don't even have to imagine how tiring that would be either." Nori said as a wind blew through her hair. She perked up and noticed that the gust of wind left as quickly as it came, and wasn't surprised to see F.Z. immediately appear beside her.
"You're... both of you! What are you two doing here? You didn't call for me or anything!" She said, puzzled.
"Lydia and I wanted to talk inside here so that we'd have more time to do it. I hope that's not a problem." Nori said, turning to face her. F.Z. ran her fingers through her hair, trying to straighten it out.
"Uh, no. It's just... damn, I almost thought you were Sycophanta for a moment. I didn't pick up Lydia and I don't know you well enough to figure out it's you just from touching you in the winds, so I thought they'd come in here to do something. Much better to see you two instead of them." She formed a quartz rock in her right hand and began to toss it between her hands, continuing with,
"But that's really all you came to do? Just... talk? You said you wanted more time to do it, but there's literally nothing to do here except gawk at the stupid quartz and beat the crap out of Shadows! And talk to me, I guess, but clearly you guys weren't here to do that!"
"It's something we'd never done before. Or thought to do, really." Lydia began, approaching F.Z.
"I mean, you're right about there being more to do in the real world. But as far as talking is concerned, don't you think it's better to do it in person if you can?" She said, gesturing to Nori.
"I guess. I guess that also means that I interrupted your conversation. If you wanted to talk to me, you would've said so. So that means I gotta scram, right?" F.Z. asked, crumbling the quartz she had made into dust.
"Well, I wouldn't put it that way, but-" Lydia started, but was stopped by F.Z. putting up a hand in front of her.
"No, no. You ain't gotta say any more. I'll leave you two alone. Give me a shout when you're ready to leave the valley." Before either girl could say anything, F.Z. disappeared into the winds. Nori walked to where she had stood last and said,
"I was going to ask her about the weather here. It's completely overcast now. I remember she said that it changes after someone faces their Idol. I also remember she said that she thought something bad would happen if it ever started raining here."
Lydia looked up and saw that Nori's observation was true; the sun that had blanketed the valley ever since they started coming in here was no longer directly visible. A mixture of white and gray clouds covered the sky, remaining stationary as there was no wind except wherever F.Z. chose to be. F.Z. had a closer connection to the valley than any of them, so if she felt something bad would happen if the weather got worse, it was probably not without merit.
"She understands more about this place than any of us. We'll have to watch out for rain in the future." She spoke, turning her attention back to Nori, who nodded in agreement. Nori continued to look at the sky as she sat down on the grass. When next she spoke, her voice took on a serious, solemn tone.
"Lydia. I want to ask you something. And I want you to be completely honest with me. Please don't sugarcoat your words or try to dodge the question."
Lydia went and sat down next to her.
"Okay. What did you want to ask?"
Upon noticing that she had sat next to her, Nori locked eyes with her. Lydia could sense a power in them that briefly surprised her; it was as if a switch had flicked on within Nori that made her appear deadly serious. The words that came out of her mouth next were delivered in a tone that almost sounded like it was coming from an entirely different person.
"If someone dies under your watch, what will you do?"
She said nothing more to follow it. Instead, her gaze remained firmly fixed on Lydia, awaiting her response. She looked away from Nori's piercing eyes and looked down at the grass in front of her. She had placed her mirror on the ground and felt the need to turn it over so that the reflective surface wasn't facing her.
"That's... that's a lot to think about out of nowhere, you know. Y-You're really putting me on the spot here." She was afraid to look back at her, although she knew that Nori was still staring at her.
"I know. But you are the leader of this group. Everyone's counting on you to keep it together no matter what happens. And while we all hope we all make it through to see the end of this, there's the possibility someone might not. That's why I... ah. Actually... you know what?" Nori said, her voice softening at the end as she asked her question.
"I made too many assumptions. I... I thought you already had an answer for that question, or that you'd thought about it some. But you haven't. It's not fair to expect you to come up with an answer so quickly like that." She looked at Lydia deliberately trying not to look at her as she ran her fingers through the grass beside her.
"Please look at me. I promise I won't hurt you anymore."
Lydia gripped the grass with the hand she'd been using to run her fingers through it. She turned her head to face Nori, who looked earnestly sorry for having overstepped her boundaries. She had even raised her mirror to her face, covering her nose and mouth with it as she spoke.
"I'm sorry for doing that to you. I just... I'm worried. I'm scared about that happening. And I know you are too, but I... I guess I had the wrong impression of you. You never asked to be a part of this any more than anyone else. You're just trying to figure it out as you go along. Ah! I should stop talking before I say any more dumb, stupid things!"
Lydia sighed, finding it difficult to remain upset with her. One moment she was scarily focused and serious, and then in the next she went back to her cute mannerisms and tentative attitude. Lydia let go of the grass she was holding and put her hands in her lap.
"It's okay. It's... well, I've been aware of that ever since the beginning. But... that's not something anyone really wants to think about actually having to do. I mean, it's terrifying to consider. So many things would unravel if that happened that I've never made a plan for it. Still. I know it's a question that needs an answer, even if that answer is never needed in the end. And you're not at fault for wanting to know."
But I wish everyone would stop expecting me to give them all the answers. Nori, you're new to all this, so I can't blame you too much for wanting to know. That doesn't mean it's not still piling more on top of me, though! Doesn't anyone ever stop to consider that?
"Are you okay? You looked like you were in pain just now." Nori said, her hands and her mirror having come down from her face and making her words clear again. Lydia felt heat rush into her cheeks, feeling exposed after what she had just said to her. She must have visibly cringed and not realized it, which caused Nori to see what she was feeling.
"It's... people ask so much of me sometimes. They don't think about how much weight they put on me. They assume I'll take care of it because I'm the leader, because I'm supposed to be special." Lydia mumbled, closing her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I, um... I'm sorry. I didn't know." Nori said, trying to figure out what to say to her.
"It's fine. I'm not going to be mad at you for it. Just... try to remember that I don't have all the answers. I'm not going to be able to magically solve every problem just because I'm the Beholder. There is only so much I'm going to be able to deal with before it breaks me." Lydia spoke, her eyes still closed.
"Okay." Nori replied. She scooted closer to Lydia, and hesitated for a moment before putting a hand on her shoulder. Lydia was briefly surprised by this, opening her eyes to look over at her.
"If you want, you can share your problems with me. I'll help carry them for you. It's the least I can do for you considering what you've done for me." Nori said, smiling at her. It was enough to make her crack a smile, and she nodded in acknowledgment.
"Thank you."
And at that moment, time came to a standstill, and the ever-familiar sound of shattering glass was heard by Lydia once more. Between her and Nori yet another new tarot card appeared, this one depicting a woman wearing a bishop's robes and mitre set to a red and black background, with the letter 'B' inscribed on the mitre and a crescent moon above her forehead. This card had the roman numeral for two at the bottom.
Thou art I... and I am thou...
Thou hast established a new bond...
In thee, the Beholder's sight grows ever clearer...
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Priestess Arcana...
So that's what she is. It's been a while since I've looked up the meanings of the Arcana, so I don't quite remember too much what this one means. But I bet it has to do with insight and caring for people. I also wouldn't be surprised if there was something in there about secretly being very strong on the inside.
Once the card disappeared, there was a moment of silence between the two before Lydia decided to stand up, feeling that the conversation had ended. Nori stood up with her, and Lydia turned to face her, saying,
"Well, I certainly got more out of this than I was expecting! Did you... plan on asking me that question before you came in here, or was that sort of a spur of the moment kind of thing?" In response, Nori tilted her head side to side as if to consider one of two answers to give before saying something.
"Sorta... both? It was on my mind, and I did want to ask you at some point, but... when I summoned Frigg, it gave me this rush of energy that drove me to act that way. I'll try not to let it affect me so much in the future. It's just, I didn't expect that to happen to me."
"Okay. Yeah, everyone reacts differently to it. Allie was more surprised hers was Medusa rather than being surprised she had a Persona at all, Damien just sorta took his in stride because he knew about it beforehand, Nathan was pretty surprised at everything, and then Jacob seemed to accept his pretty easily. And as for me, well... I think I told you about how I felt the first time already."
"And you have the ability to switch between so many different ones. I guess that makes you a girl of many different faces, doesn't it?" Nori said, folding her hands together again. Lydia could see the interest in her eyes, and felt that this wasn't going to be the only time they would talk together like this.
"I guess it does. Before I call F.Z. to let us out, I just want to say again... thanks. It really helps to know that I have friends like you caring about me. I had hoped that when I left Crystal Rapids that things would go better for me than they did over there, and so far it's been better than I ever thought possible. Thanks for being a part of that, Nori."
The two of them hugged each other before Lydia called F.Z. to them. When she opened the portal, Nori looked back at Lydia and said,
"I wonder how much time that was. I guess we'll find out!"
"Yeah. Talk to you later, okay?"
"Of course. See you later."
Nori disappeared through the portal. F.Z. asked Lydia,
"So, how was it? You look really happy." Lydia couldn't help but grin as she answered,
"Yeah. It was really good." F.Z. raised an eyebrow and said,
"Man, now you're making me want to know what happened. The only time I've seen you smile like that is when you're acting all cheery after helping me out of a rough spot or when you get a ton of money from the Velvet Room. Guess it was a good talk, huh?"
"It helped me see a couple things more clearly. I'm glad to have Nori not just on the team, but as a friend." Lydia answered.
"Hey, that's good. We still haven't seen her fight yet, though. Hopefully she's just as good in battle as she is at being a friend. I'd hate for her to be shit at fighting. She seems like a pretty decent person, although she's nosy in that 'I'm your sister-mom' kind of way." F.Z. said, making Lydia giggle.
"Yeah, I see what you mean. Sister-mom. I should tell her you said that."
"Go for it. I'll say it straight to her face if she wants me to."
"Alright. Well, we'll see you in a couple days, F.Z."
"Yep. See you then."
Original upload date: July 14, 2017
A/N: Well, if it isn't a second update in one month! When's the last time I actually did that, huh? A long time ago, I bet!
ptl - I don't see why a Plume-powered device couldn't run inside the valley, but I doubt QIB will ever get their hands on something like that. Also, I haven't given too much thought to a sequel or spinoff for this story (aside from The Fragile Veil, as you noted) because... I'd like to just finish this one first. When that'll happen, I can't tell you, but I want to see this finished as much as anyone else does.
RosyMiranto18 - First of all, I did not know this story was listed on TVTropes. Wow, that's really something. I guess I've finally gotten enough attention that someone bothered to write a page on TVTropes about this fic, which is pretty cool. Is it odd that I feel like I can't directly contribute to it myself? It makes me feel kinda... I dunno, like I'm being narcissistic or something if I make changes to the page myself since I'm the one who writes the fic the page is about. Oh, but to address some of your other points: I wouldn't expect anything more than passing references to any other Persona titles. This story is largely standalone. I went and updated the note at the bottom of Chapter 45AF to explain the meaning of the name, but in a nutshell 45AF is a joke chapter that you can safely ignore as far as canon goes.
Ruby rod - I assume you're the guest that left three reviews as you were reading through the story. Thanks for the reviews, and thanks for letting me know how long it took you to get to that point. It's one of those things I'm just curious about.
