06 September 2009
Minatodai Dormitory, 4th Floor Control Room
Afternoon
Midori awoke relaxed and on her side. She stretched out and found herself on a leather couch of some sort. "Ah! You're awake! Pardon the surroundings, but we were already doing stuff with your room when we moved you."
The friendly, cheery voice caused her to roll over, startled. Whereupon she promptly fell onto the floor. "Ow..."
"Are you alright?" She turned her head to see a middle-aged man leaning over a large desk, looking at her with worried eyes. "Ah, forgive me. My name is Chairman Shuji Ikutsuki. I am the head of the Minatodai Dormitory."
It was Midori's turn to ask forgiveness. She took advantage of already being on the floor, and quickly arranged herself into a bow. "I am Midori Komaki! Thank you for taking care of me!"
Ikutsuki laughed. "There's no need for that level of formality Ms. Komaki. One of my residents brought you home last night, and it was decided to let you stay until you were ready to head back to your place."
Standing Midori bowed again. "Thank you again! That was most kind of you."
"Think nothing of it!" Ikutsuki sat down, and Midori did the same. "However, I must point out that is it getting quite late in the day. You slept in quite a bit after your little adventure last night." His tone of voice was that of a teasing uncle, humorous in the face of childish exploits. Midori felt a flush come to her cheeks.
"Sorry, sir!"
"As I said, not a concern. The vitality and energy of youth is not something to be squandered." He waved about him in a fashion that appealed to the dramatic flair in Midori. "I've taken the opportunity of contacting your Dorm manager, and explaining to her that you came here last night with a friend, and that we would be taking care of you. As such, I insist that you stay for supper before you head home."
Midori blinked, surprised at the offer and the actions. "Um, I don't know what to say Chairman Ikutsuki. I don't wish to impose..."
"No! No! You're not imposing at all." His countenance hardened. "Although there is something I'd like to address to you personally in my capacity as Chairman of Gekkoukan High School's Board of Directors." Midori froze in place, wondering if she was about to get in serious trouble for going into Club Escapade while still a Junior – she wasn't even 16 yet! She was too young and pretty to get kicked out of high school!
Ikutsuki sighed as he reached into a draw and produced the police-issue baton that Midori had kept on her. Reflexively, she slapped where the comforting weight should have been, only to find it missing. "Ah, I can explain..." Her mind kicked into overdrive to try to come up with some viable explanation as to why she had it when Ikutsuki resumed talking.
"I can understand a girl like you requiring a stick to beat off your admirers, but this is not acceptable in that regard." His smile was a curl of his mouth, causing Midori to pause in her frantic thoughts. "While Aramaki-san and I are the only ones who know about this," he waved her trusty demon-smashing baton back and forth to emphasize his point, "I must warn you that Gekkoukan High has serious rules against carrying this sort of things, as does the Tatsumi Port Island Police department."
Midori nodded, eyes wide.
"Now, I am sure you were going to try to explain it's presence as a lingering decision after your ordeal in Tokyo, am I right?"
She nodded again.
"As I thought. Well, Miss Komaki, I will have to confiscate it as part of my responsibilities." Her face fell as she watched an old and loyal friend disappear back into his desk. "If circumstances allow, I may be able to return this to you in the future."
Midori nodded, again. This was a hard blow to her, and she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She had hit Bel's over the head with that, and to see it lost because of some old fogey and his stupid rules... "Thank you, sir."
"I cannot say I understand your position on an emotional level, but you are no longer trapped inside the Lockdown. There is no need to arm yourself against aggression." He tried to be understanding and reasonable, but he had to admit to himself that he had no frame of reference to work with a girl who had lived through was was generously thought of as a small scale urban war. Her file was incomplete in that regard.
"I am also required to inform your counsellor of this." He watched her shoulders drop. It was almost like kicking a puppy now, her impossibly deep and clear blue eyes pleading with him for mercy, but he had to be strong. "I'm sorry, but you have to move on." He couldn't say any more. "Please head downstairs to the first floor. You are still invited to supper, and you can thank Yukari for bringing you safely here last night then."
Not able to refuse the invitation from the man who practically ran her new school, Midori bowed and walked out of the office.
Once she left, Ikutsuki realized he hadn't made a single bad pun the entire time. "Must be slipping," he chastised himself. "Have to do better at supper."
Midroi left, closing the door behind her. She took a deep breath to steady herself. In a way, the Chairman was right. She was out of the Lockdown, and didn't need to go around ready to fight off demons at the drop of a hat.
"Yikes!" She yelped and jumped back as she almost walked into another person in her distracted state. "Sorry!" Again, she bowed. "I didn't see you there."
"That's alright. I'm Yukari by the way. You talked to the Chairman, I see." Midori took in the pretty (and she had to admit that she was) brunette, and made the connection that this was the girl that had brought here here last night. Something about her seemed familiar, and in the moment after being addressed, she realized what it was.
"I remember you!" Midori snapped her fingers. "You're... you're..." She paused, trying to pin down the memory. She remembered seeing Yukari last night, but the memory wasn't connected to anything. She was... On the floor? Why? Oh! Her face lit up as she made the connection. "You fell! Tripped, I think, and I helped you! Right?"
Yukari hid her surprise poorly. "Something like that. Mitsuru-senpai told me to wait here for you, to take you downstairs, that sort of thing." She frowned as she looked down at the blue-haired girl. She must spend a fortune on dye, especially with how long her hair is, she thought as she realized what it was she was about to offer. "Although I suppose you should wash up first. Come on, I'll show you where the girl's room is first."
A few minutes later, Midori felt extremely refreshed. A good washing of one's face (though careful not to disturb her makeup too much) and hands made her feel like she was human again. She emerged, feeling like a brand new person into the Dorm proper and Yukari's waiting presence. "Come on, supper's getting started."
"Oh, I should thank you for bringing me here last night."
Yukari stopped on one of the stairs. "Oh, don't worry. Shinji-san was the one who did all the work of carrying you home." She smiled at the memory of the big tough man and the little girl who clung to him like a giant teddy bear.
1st Floor, Dining Area
She was introduced to the rest of the Dormitory. Junpei, Shinjiro, Koromaru, Yukari and the Chairman she had already met and she gracefully accepted the names of Minato, Akihiko, Mitsuru, Fuuka, Ken and Aigis. She would try to remember them for this evening, then forget them after she got home.
Mitsuru she recognized as being on the Student Council. Akihiko was some sort of Sports star. They both had fan clubs. Ken explained he was here due to family issues, and Midori, her own mother dead, didn't press the issue. Aigis was introduced by name, but there was no indication of where the foreigner was from, or why she was here. She remembered seeing her last week as part of the people who moved to Tatsumi from Tokyo, so perhaps she was another Lockdown survivor?
She was glad she didn't have her COMP on her. Who knows how she would have reacted then? Not everyone got to be the heroes of that week, she had been forced to realize.
Supper was mostly quiet. She could feel the strain her presence was putting on those around her, so she resolved to get out as soon as politely possible. Thankfully it wasn't a big meal, and she was able to finish it while avoiding any offers of dessert.
Afterwards, she thanked Yukari again, as well as Shinjiro. The girl was polite, while the man seemed to be quite uncomfortable with the attention she directed at him.
Minato approached her. "Hello. Mitsuru told me to walk you back to your place to make sure you arrive safely." It was a simple statement, but his tone of voice told her that he was just doing his job.
"So, you're like, what? The Assistant Dorm-manager?"
He laughed a moment. "Something like that. She seems to enjoy telling me to do things, and I've found it's just better for all concerned if I helped out."
Midori nodded, knowing the type. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm not afraid of getting lost."
"That's alright." He put on his own shoes and jacket to go outside. "Would you mind if we swung by Paulowina Mall first? There's something I have to do there, and it's on the way."
Paulowina Mall, Main Concourse
Evening
She stood in front of the Crane game by the arcade. A small pile of 100 yen coins had already been wasted as she manoeuvred the claw to grab at that Jack Frost plush that was just sitting there, taunting her with it's obviousness and position.
A part of her wondered, as she pressed herself against the glass to try and get a better view of where the claw would drop, how someone managed to escape the Lockdown and create a plush toy of the Jack Frost's that had appeared.
She dismissed the thought as irrelevant, the speed of business was something she couldn't begin to understand. "Come on...! Come on! Come to Dolly!" The claw began to descend. "Come to Dolly! I'll teach you about love and justice and I can paint you black..."
She saw Minato in the reflection of the glass, his hands full of stuff from the pharmacy as well as something from that jewelry store beside the Mandagora. "Hey, can we grab a seat for a moment?" He indicated the ring of benches around the central fountain.
While normally this would have set off her 'stalker' alarms, there was something in the way he said it that compelled her to agree. It was the eyes, she decided as the claw missed its target and retracted to the roof of the cabinet. Something in them seemed familiar.
They sat down and he got right to the point. "What do you remember from last night?"
She recognized a question to which the answer wasn't obvious, and that there was something about the question that made her think long and hard about what she did remember.
"I remember Yukari getting hurt." A single still frame in her mind flashed. "But..."
Minato looked expectant. "What happened? I remember..." Frosty
She took a leap of intuition. Something happened, Yukari got hurt, and every time she tried to remember what happened during the concert, something that every time she tried to pin it down, all she got was a sense of the dull pain from this morning and the growing certainty that her dream about Frosty... wasn't.
Minato saw her stiffen, her eyes going wide. The obvious signs that she was starting to piece together her memories from the night previous. "Did he.. hurt anyone?" The question was asked quietly as though to not attract the attention of any passers-by.
He shook his head. "No." Midori let out a sigh. "It's hard, the first couple days. I spent a week completely out of it when I first saw the Dark Hour."
"The what?"
"The Dark Hour. It's... It's a moment in time at Midnight, an hour where the world changes. People, normal people, they can't see it. And there are monsters in it we call the Shadows. SEES, the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad, well, we fight the Sha...do...w...s." His explanation was cut short as Midori was just staring at him, eyes glistening with tears and a joyful smile on her face. "Uh... Midori-san?"
She was lost in own little world. For someone else, the information that was being dropped in her lap would be cause for concern, if not outright denial. For her? It was a dream come true. The chance to be a hero again, to save people from demons and what not?
"I'm IN!" she proclaimed, a loud exclamation that drew unwanted attention from the crowd.
"I don't think you understand what's going on here." At least, that's what Minato tried to say, but he only got the "I..." out before she snatched his hands into hers and was right up in his face. Her earnest eyes bored holes into him from well within his personal space. "Midori..."
"You're a hero! I'm a hero! We're going to bring Love and Justice to the world!"
He pulled himself away. "I get it! I get it! You're willing to help!"
Midori began to celebrate the end of her peaceful days. "Yes! YES!" She lunged at Minato again, this time embracing the older boy in a hug. She was no stranger to life or death battles, what was there to worry about?
Extricating himself again from the excited glasses-girl's grip, he decided that standing was probably safer. Or would at least give him time to run if she jumped at him again. "In that case, there's a couple people in the Mall here I need to introduce you to. After we've done that, you'll head back to your place tonight. Tomorrow, after school, you'll come back to the Minatodai Dorm, and we'll get all the details sorted out."
"So does that mean we're going hunting tomorrow night?"
Realizing he hadn't even mentioned Tartarus, Minato shook his head. "No, with you joining, we'll want to warm you up first, get some practice in before the real thing."
Midori pouted, eager to... do what exactly? She didn't do much of anything last night. Her memories were still fuzzy, but it seemed like it was Black Frost that did all the work. Oh well, if she summoned him once, she can do it again, no sweat! "Oh, fine," she made it sound like nothing was wrong, no doubts in her heart. "So, where first? Secret underground base? Don't tell me we have to go into some back-room in the Club?"
No, nothing like that." Minato wondered how Igor would handle letting Midori into the Velvet Room. Normal people and even other Persona users didn't see it normally, so the question still lingered. "First stop is the Police station there."
Police Station
Officer Kurosawa was surprised when Minato came in with a younger girl. His first thought was that he had shown her here because she needed his professional assistance. "Hello young lady, how may I help you?" He put on his best public face as he gave a polite bow and she returned it in full.
"Actually, Midori's with us." Minato had confirmed that they were alone in the police station before telling Kurosawa. "Komaki-san will be joining tomorrow, officially. However, we were already at the Mall, so I decided to take care of things now."
Kurosawa was all business, dropping the public face. "I have heard nothing about this from Ikutsuki."
"Other things have come up. If you want to hold off until you get confirmation from him, that's alright." Minato offered as he saw Midori's clear eyes demand to know what was going on. He decided to explain things to her next. "Because SEES needs certain things that may or may not be considered legal..."
"You mean weapons." Midori jumped to a conclusion.
"Yes. Officer Kurosawa keeps us in supply with those and armour." He gestured to the police man who stood impassive. "However, we do have to pay for things, even if he does give us a discount and bills the rest to Mitsuru directly."
"So... you're corrupt?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, flashes of policemen (except for that one) with COMPs and Demons abandoning their duties to become thugs. "I've had enough of you in Tokyo."
Her expression was clear enough, and Kurosawa hastened to correct her. "I am not. You said you are from Tokyo? Ah, one of those caught inside the Lockdown. You have my sincerest apologies for the actions of those members of my profession. They betrayed their oaths and their uniforms when they refused to maintain order."
Midori's complaints died on her lips. There was a sincerity to the apology that she hadn't heard from the head of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on the TV. Here was a man who radiated disgust that anyone could betray their fellows like that. It was something she could almost respect in a man. "But..."
"Understand this, Miss Komaki. The services I provide for your group are very specific. If you step outside these boundaries, you will find that I will have the full force of the law behind me." his visage grew cold and dark, causing Midori to feel like she should be shrinking backwards in fear. But she stood her ground, having seen far worse things. And it wasn't like he was trying to scare her, just trying to impress upon her the severity of what was going on.
Whatever.
"Apology accepted." She bowed again. "Forgive me for doubting you."
"I accept your apology as well." Kurosawa said, returning to his former face. "While Minato is vouching for you, I can't let you have anything yet."
"That's alright!" Midori said, smiling. "You said Chairman Ikutsuki needed to give permission?"
"Yes."
"Well then, when he calls, tell him to give me my weapon back from his drawer!"
Main Concourse
Minato processed this new information. Not only was was Midori armed already, she, by association, knew how to fight properly. It was something that he needed to pass along to his seniors back at the Dorm.
"So, where next?" He looked over at Midori, who still acted like her revelations weren't.
"Ah, yes. Come on, we'll have to go to the back hall." He pointed to the access hallway under the entrance to the Mandagora that led towards the washrooms. "It's called The Velvet Room".
The Velvet Room
Igor felt the presence of The Fool, and willed the Velvet Room's door into existence. Sitting in his sofa, Elizabeth at his side, he waited as the young man who would save the world from Nyx, or not, entered into his private domain, bringing the woman who was the focus of this meeting in as well. "Thank you for arriving so promptly, my good man. I must dismiss you now, for there are things this young lady and I must speak of privately. We shan't be long."
He waited as Minato made sure Midori was seated, then returned to the door that led back into the human world. "I'll be waiting just on the other side." Then he was gone.
His attention turned back to the human before him, and when he opened his mouth to speak, she spoke her own words with a hardness that hid carefully under the happy-go-lucky demeanour she showed. "You're not human. You're not a demon, or an angel either." These weren't questions, just statements of fact.
"Very astute. I am called Igor. This is my assistant, Elizabeth." At this, Elizabeth bowed. "And your name, my dear?"
"I am the Magical Warrior Girl of Love and Justice, Dolly!" She jumped to her feet and posed, one foot on the table, a cute wink on her face. Then just as suddenly as it appeared, the mask came off, and Midori sat back down. "Or you can call me Komaki. Midori Komaki, sir."
Taken aback by the abrupt forcefulness of her introduction, Igor found himself at a momentary loss for words. "Very well then. Shall it be Midori, or Dolly then?"
"Either works for me! So, what do you do? Because you kinda look like that mysterious old man who helps out the hero from behind the scenes, and keeps his secrets, but turns out to the audience to have known the whole plot the entire time, and didn't bother telling anyone because the Journey is more important than the Answer?" Midori leaned forward, eager for his response.
For his part, Igor kept his face perfectly impassive in the face on a very accurate guess as to his true purpose. "I am something of a broker. In information for the most part." That she had struck so close to his motives on what seemed like a wild guess could indicate a great many things, but none that he was willing to gamble on without more information.
"I also provide services in the realm of Personas. Now, while I feel that our mutual friend has already explained things to you, I should re-iterate some things, to impress some facts upon you." Midori nodded, awaiting these lessons. "Imagine if you will, a thin cloth. The world of Humans on one side, and the world of Angels and Demons on the other. You've seen this yourself, have you not?"
Midori agreed. The place that existed above the Hills where they fought Babel seemed like it fit the bill.
"Well, the Dark Hour exists in the fabric of that cloth, and the Shadows are just that, shadows of the real creatures that exist on one side of the seal or another. When this seal is broken, well, I don't need to tell you what comes."
"Demons are summoned. The War for the Throne of Bel."
"Correct." It was a refreshing change, talking to a person who knew more about the structure of the multiverse than most people did. "Now, you can imagine the power of the Persona to be a means by which a person may call forth the power of demons and angels whilst in the Dark Hour, but without fully summoning them into reality."
Her face scrunched up, hard in thought. "The Dark Hour exists as part of the Seals between here and there. People can call up shadows of demons in the Dark Hour, called Personas, to do their bidding. SEES are people with Personas, or rather, have the power to...channel?... the demons closest to them." She looked up at Igor with a burning intensity. "Frosty? I mean, Frost and I?"
"Indeed. When the Seal over Tokyo was repaired – a marvellous job by the way, you and your Black Frost held a connection to each other that the others in your party did not have with any other demon. Your similar goals, outlooks, and the influences you had on each other created a thread that attached the two of you through the thin barrier between worlds."
Midori's face lit up in happiness where this was going. She could see it now! The two of them, running around the world! Kicking ass in the name of Love and Justice, beating up everyone who would do wrong in the world! It would be perfect!
Igor slammed his hands on the table, breaking her daydream. His face was contorted with rage, the sharp nose looking nothing so much as a predator's beak, his ageless eyes pinning her to the chair as surely as a mile of metal chains. "AND LAST NIGHT, YOUR CARELESS ACTIONS THREATENED TO UNDO ALL THAT!"
Then Igor composed himself, brushing up his clothes, even as Elizabeth slowly inched her way back into her usual position, having jumped back at the side of her employer she had rarely had a chance to see.
"Now, dear Midori. When you called forth your 'Frosty', he at least had the sense to return to the Demon World once he was finished protecting you. But in calling him forth like that, you damaged the seal. You endangered the world and came very, very, very close to invoking the wrath of Metatron and the Council of Angels. There would have been no 'Ordeal', they would have simply taken over!
"HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?"
Midoi, throat dry, nodded. This, this wasn't what she was expecting! She was supposed to be one of the good guys!
Igor continued. "Now, thankfully, there are options available to you. You can simply walk away from all this – though given your admitted preferences, I don't think that likely."
"And another one?" Midori absolutely refused to give up the chance at seeing Frosty again. She locked eyes with Igor, trying to force her will upon his, only for the stone impassivity to come to the fore again.
"As I said, I am something of a Persona... connoisseur. It is within my power to create something that you can use to substitute for your beloved Black Frost. Something which will allow you to continue helping your new friends, but also will preserve the integrity of that thin divide between your world and that of the Demons."
"THAT! I'll do that!" She didn't bother to want to listen to any other choices, her mind was already made up. Any any chance to not break what was fixed, well, that was in her job description, right? Well, one of them, at least.
"Very well. I was prepared for this. Elizabeth. The card, please."
As commanded, Elizabeth pulled out a single blue-hued card from one of her pockets. She handed it to Igor gently, who in turned put it down on the table between him and Midori. An elegant geometric pattern seemed to circle around it, drawing in the eye.
Looking up, her question was obvious, but unasked. Igor's reply was all business. "You do not have the same power as the others you will be working with over the coming months. What I shall do, however, is use an older power. There will be costs, of course. Older styles of Persona-users didn't use the same equipment that your equals do, so I have had to make some...changes."
Midori didn't know the first thing about what he was talking about, so she let the mysterious entity keep talking.
"While I craft this Persona for you, I will draw upon your connection to the real Black Frost. This connection will be channelled into this card, instead of you directly. Now, because of the alteration of this connection..."
Midori tuned out the details, only paying attention to the broad strokes. It was almost hypnotizing, really, hearing that person talk about his work. She could almost detect a hint of pride as he did something like this. Although she did feel like falling asleep. It was like listening to one of those boring teachers drone on and on.
"And it's done." She snapped out of her reverie, suddenly aware that she had lost all track of time.
"Done?" Her voice not only echoed Igor, but her confusion as well.
"Yes. Now, as I mentioned earlier, your new Black Frost will be limited in comparison to your friend. Less... developed. Certainly not as powerful. And more dependent on your perceptions of him. The Persona will grow and develop in line with your expectations, and not necessarily as a reflection of the real Black Frost. This is for your protection as well, as utilizing a persona like this does have it's own risks. You will need to experiment to determine the facts." Igor slid the card over to Midori, who picked it up and turned it over.
A happy, smiling Black Frost looked back at her, and as she held it in her hands, she felt the cold and warmth she associated with Frosty coming from the card. "How do I use it?"
"You must, metaphorically, destroy it. Do not worry, the card itself will remain undamaged, but the act of destruction is part of the invoking procedure. You must find a way to hide this act from your fellows, as it will only raise more questions than it will answer."
Midori looked at the aspect of Frosty before her. "I can try it here? Now?"
Igor smiled and nodded. "You may wish to step back though. I have no wish to lose my table to an accident. They can be so hard to replace."
Midori bounced out of her chair and hopped back a few paces. This, she knew exactly how to do. She raised the card over her head, matching eyes with her imaginary foe, another Demon Tamer who was doing evil. "I! Magical Warrior Girl Dolly, do hereby invoke the power of Love and Magical Justice! BLACK FROST!"
She gripped the card tightly, her hands and ears feeling the sound of something breaking, and before her a swirl of light emerged. From it, she could clearly make out the form of her beloved Frosty, summoned as a shadow of himself into this world so that they could help each other.
Except he was small. Really, really small. Midori dropped to her knees, and looked down as her Black Frost turned around to look happily at her. "HEE-Ho!" He waved as he greeted her, only to be scooped up and embraced in a hug.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! You're so cute! And hug sized now! I love you, Frosty!" The two-foot tall Persona tried to struggle against the grip that surrounded it, but failed. It was released when the power that went into it collapsed, and Midori found herself with empty arms, and Black Frost's card floating back into her grasp.
"Now, for the cost." Igor reminded her, and Midori looked up in worry. She worried about what he was going to be asked of her, and opened her mouth to say she had no Macca, and she didn't have her COMP on her at all.
"Silence!" Igor barked before she could speak.
"Uh...!" She clamped a hand over her mouth before more than the peep got out.
"No, no, not like that." Igor waved away what seemed to be a misunderstanding. "What I require from you is your silence. You must speak to no one of what transpired here today, nor must you tell your new friends of the Throne of Bel, nor must you tell your old friends of the existence of Persona. Simplicity itself. Do you agree to these terms?"
Keeping quiet vs giving up Frosty. Not a choice at all. Midori pantomimed zipping her mouth shut, and Igor nodded. "Then we are in agreement. Go, now. You have much ahead of you, and many trials to attend. You are late to this particular party, and have much in the way of catching up to do."
So dismissed, Midori made sure to have a firm grip on her Frosty's card, and rushed out the door, back into the real world.
A moment's silence, then where Midori sat, a mask made of butterflies began to coalesce. Igor waited quietly before he was certain that his latest ... guest was comfortable.
"?"
"No," Igor replied. "She won't be a problem."
The mask of Philemon, satisfied, left the Velvet Room.