19 September 2009
Minatodai Dorm, 3rd Floor Women's Bath
Morning
Less than twelve hours into being rained on, and the cabin fever as a result of the constant patter of rain on the windows and walls, the howling gusts of wind, the rising humidity and the inability to simply go outside left Midori short tempered.
"Why don't you take a hot bath?" Mitsuru finally suggested in a tone that was no suggestion at all. Privately Midori agreed with her senior's suggestion, and figured at the very least it would get the others out of her hair for a while.
In the privacy of the bath, she had decided that the first thing to do after tying up her hair was to scrub. One of the subjects she did feel comfortable in talking with her shrink about was the desire to be clean. He had replied that it was completely normal as she was feeling that by divesting herself of the physical grime she had accumulated over the week, she could also divest herself of the mental anxieties. He pointed out many cultures with such purification rituals, but Midori didn't heed his words.
He knew nothing. She wasn't washing away the dirt.
Sitting on the wooden stool in front of the shower head, she took the scrub brush in her right hand and began to furiously work at her left arm. The soap and friction peeled off not just the sweat and grime, but as she worked up from her hands to her shoulders, began to remove the layer of makeup that she hid under her clothes.
Wrist. Forearm, elbow. Upper arm, shoulder. Neck. She switched to a softer brush as she scrubbed the makeup off her face. Then she began to work on her body, carefully removing every inch of the disguise she kept on even when she slept.
Rinsing the last of it down the drain, Midori breathed deeply. She had to admit that it was an effective means of relaxing her body. Of course, she would be even more relaxed once she took a nice long soak in the tub. Stretching, she examined herself in the mirror, satisfied with the progression of her recovery.
Making sure the pins holding her hair were still in place, Midori slipped into the steaming bath, enjoying the sensations as her muscles began to loosen. She would have to thank Mitsuru for her suggestion as she floated gently in the water, her eyes beginning to drop, and her body soon following her mind to sleep.
Yukari knocked on the door to the bath, shifting the towels in her other arm. The suggestion to Midori had taken up a chord with the other girls in the dorm, and she had won out over Fuuka in the last to take the next private bath.
Aigis and Koromaru stood guard at the bottom of the stairs, making absolutely sure that no male even dreamed of looking up into heaven. Junpei had been repulsed once, having claimed that he simply wanted to go to the roof to check things out there, but Aigis had firmly rebuffed him. No one else had been foolish enough, which sent a shiver of disappointment and thrill through her.
"Midori? You done in there?" She knocked again, receiving no answer. Now certain that the youngest of the 3rd floor residents had simply fallen asleep, she carefully opened the door and slipped inside. Quickly divesting herself of everything she didn't need in the inner section of the bath, Yukari knocked again for the expected non-answer. Sighing at the necessity of waking Midori up, she opened the last door and waved away the drifting steam from the heated bath.
She was right. She could hear Midori's soft snoring from the tub, her head held above water by the short length of the washtub and the bundled hair acting as an impromptu catch on the wooden lip. It was enough that she almost wished she could let Midori sleep for as long as she wanted. But such was not to be as she wanted to enjoy a hot bath herself and there wasn't enough room for two people at once.
Kneeling down, she moved to gently touch Midori when her hand stopped the barest fraction from her skin. Instead of the smooth surface she had expected, her hands had stopped over the scar tissue that ran up along her arm to her shoulder.
Frightened curiosity compelled her to pull back and take a real good look at the sleeping girl in her moment of weakness. What she saw curdled her stomach. A web of scars and pockmarks ran up along the left side of Midori's body. The backs of her arms – crossed over her – held many thin white lines. Her inventory stopped as she fell back, a look of horror on her face.
As quietly as she could, she fled the room, stopping to wrap herself in a towel first. Once out in the hall, she turned the corner and forced herself to not bang hard on Mitsuru's door. Instead she knocked quite insistently until Mitsuru, herself getting ready to enjoy her own personal soak, opened the door.
Quickly Yukari explained what she had seen and Mitsuru's brow furrowed. "I was aware that she had lingering injuries and some of the effects from that, but what you describe is not what I envisioned."
The two returned to the bathroom and it was Mitsuru's turn to have her knocks ignored in favour of the sleeping girl's dreams. "Wait here" the older said to the younger as she entered the inner room. "KOMAKI! How long do you plan to sleeping? Others would like their turn!"
Yukari heard a surprised squawk, then the sounds of Midori loudly apologizing and gathering up her things before rushing past Yukari, towel hastily wrapped around her. Mitsuru followed behind slowly. "I saw what you saw. I agree that it seemed excessive. I'll check in with her physician to see if its something we should be worried about."
"Yeah. Thanks." Yukari was left alone in the bath as it slowly drained away. "Not exactly what I wanted," she added, muttering. "Oh well, bath first. Midori's latest mystery later."
Yukari walked up to Fuuka's door and knocked. "Your turn!" She waited for the teal haired girl to round the corner to the bath before crossing the hallway. She knocked on Midori's door quietly. "Midori?"
"I'm not decent!" The reply was quick and emphatic.
"Not decent-decent? Or not 'I haven't covered my arm' decent?"
Silence descended. "None of your business." Midori finally replied through her closed door.
Yukari rolled her eyes. It could never be this easy. "Midori. I'm not... I just want to help."
"It'll heal on its own!"
"Not that!"
"Just go away! This doesn't concern you! I can handle it just fine by myself!"
"I'm not letting go of this, Midori! Now I can go in there and help, or you can come to my room!" She shuddered, remembering the horror stories that Fuuka had passed along to her in private. Better that they do this in her room, not Midori's.
The door opened, and the focus of her current attention peeked around the edge. "What do you mean, 'help'?"
"Now that I think about it, you're putting too much on. I can help with that." The words shot out of her mouth before she could stop them but it seemed like Midori was taking the offer seriously. She closed the door with a hasty "wait here!" and Yukari hoped it was a good sign.
It was. Midori opened the door again, this time dressed in a simple purple sundress that bared her entire arm to the first legitimate scrutiny Yukari could give it. In her other hand was obviously her personal makeup kit.
"Come on." Yukari led the two of them to her own room where she sat Midori down on the chair in front of her dresser. "Let me see." Partly annoyed, and partly wondering how the older girl could help, Midori raised up her scarred arm for closer inspection. "How did you get this?"
Midori suppressed the truth. "I got my arm covered in angry wasps on the last day. It looked a lot worse then."
Yukari's imagination kicked into overdrive imagining the young girl in front of her covered in a swarm of angry insects. The image was one of revulsion, but she had to give her credit for taking it in stride. "Yeesh. Alright, we obviously don't need to cover up everything. Let's try something here. What are you normally using?"
1st Floor, Dining Room
Evening
Midori was a lot calmer at supper than she was earlier. She had shrugged a long sleeved shirt over her dress and not one of the three who knew made mention of her condition. Humming happily, she scooped large portions of salad onto her plate.
Junpei came down, shaking his head. "I think his fever has broken. Just need to let him sleep for now."
Akihiko nodded in understanding. "I take it Aigis is still watching over him then?"
"Like a puppy."
The rest had their meal in silence, the pattering rain all the sound they needed.
20 September 2009
1st Floor, Lounge
Morning
Midori, Ken and Koromaru all sat side by side in rapt attention as the latest episode of Featherman R came on. Behind them, Shinjiro tried impatiently to wait for the show to end so he could watch his program, but as he learned so painfully last week, getting in the way of these three was a painful experience.
Afternoon
Midori tuned out Tanaka's show as she sketched on her pad. The coloured pencils scratched against the paper, leaving behind lines of colour that in her mind were fabrics, complete with folds and stitching. Ken had gone off to take Koromaru for a walk, and Junpei had gone to visit his not-girlfriend.
In all, that left her, Shinji, Aigis and Minato in the Dorm.
She was so focused on her design work that she didn't notice that Shinjiro had vanished from the couch they shared. She did, however, notice when he dropped a kitchen apron on her head. "Get it on. Time for another lesson. And try not to burn anything this time, please?"
Her internal debate between sketching designs and cooking practice was settled by a grumble from her stomach. "Did I miss lunch?"
Shinjiro smirked. "Yep. Time to earn your food."
21 September 2009
2nd Floor, Minato's Room
Early Morning
He woke up refreshed and full of vitality. Then he looked at the clock.
"ALL WEEKEND?!" In his panic, he threw on something to wear and dashed out the door, only to run into Aigis. "Why didn't you wake me! I've go things to do!"
Aigis spun around to keep up with the manic moving Minato. "Wait. I must take your temperature."
"No time!" Minato cried out as he rounded the corner to go downstairs. "I've got friendships to keep up!"
Aigis tried to understand just why Minato was so fervent in developing and advancing all his personal relationships.
Then he dashed back up the stairs. "Hey! Tell Fuuka we're going to Tartarus tonight!"
And then he was gone again.
Aigis walked back to the stairs as she heard a commotion from below. Apparently Minato's attempt at a quick exit had been thwarted and Junpei was now marching him back up to the second floor.
"I don't care how much you want to pay your respects to the old folks today, even I think you stink." A whine from Koromaru gave agreement to the sentiment. "Now, clean up. Then I can let you out without someone else killing me for it."
Aigis watched all of this in silence. Then satisfied that Minato was well, she went back to her normal routine.
Tartarus
The Dark Hour
Midori didn't like sitting around and she paced around the edge of the circular room a dozen times, keeping pace with the clock that struck the beginning and the end of the Dark Hour. So far she had managed to keep one full counter-clockwise lap to every apparent 56 seconds.
Ken, Koromaru and Yukari joined Minato upstairs, and while the intellectual part of her understood rotating teammates around so everyone got practice (she remembered sitting out early on the last day so Gin, Mari, Frosty and Izuma all got their turn), the dominant part of her mind demanded that they all ascend as a group.
As she made her umpteenth pass by the front door, a solution presented itself in the form of Mitsuru and Fuuka. At the moment she stopped orbiting the room, Fuuka evoked Lucia to support the team upstairs and so Midori tossed talking to her out of her mind and went for Mitsuru instead. "I have a couple questions" she said as soon as she had her attention.
"Of course. Ask." Mitsuru openly invited Midori to ask her questions so that she could answer them.
"Thank you. First. Why only four people at once? Why not five, or even more?"
"It has been determined that four is the optimal number of people to ascend at once without getting in each others way." Her answer was short and direct.
"Actually, I think there's a bit more to it than that." Akihiko offered from where he was shadow boxing. "When we first started seriously exploring Tartarus earlier in the year, it was just Minato, Yukari, Junpei, Mitsuru and myself. Mitsuru stayed down here to provide scanning and support while the other four of us went up. Even after more people joined, we just kept sending four people up at a time due to tradition."
Midori expressed her surprise. "Hold on. You can do that scan and telepathy thing too?"
"Yes." Mitsuru tilted her head at Fuuka, still ensconced in Lucia. "However, Yamagishi and Lucia is far more powerful at it than I and Penthesilea, and so I gave those responsibilities to Yamagishi, moving to the climbing team."
"Huh." Midori thought about that before coming up with no answers at all, nor any pertinent followups. "Second question, then; why not multiple teams?"
Fuuka answered from within Lucia. "I can only focus on one group at a time. Especially at this distance. At the height the team is at, Mitsuru-senpai cannot use her Persona to support a second team."
Her response was immediate. "So, why don't we re-base closer to the top? I know the fixed floors where the elevator stops stay clear after we take out the Floor Guardian, so that way we're closer to helping Minato and the others."
"Death." Mitsuru said. "There is an entity that roams the halls of Tartarus, one that can't come down to the lobby. We call it that based on our impressions of it, scanning it from this distance. It is something we avoid fighting as it is far more powerful than us." She sighed. "If we did as you suggest, then staying in one place for so long would risk it finding us. We can't take that risk.
"Oh. Sorry." Midori's disappointment was obvious and Mitsuru moved to offer comforting words.
"It's a good thing you're taking a positive interest in SEES. Unlike some other people I could name." Mitsuru sent a glare right at Junpei, whom despite facing the wrong way, cringed at the action. "If you have further questions for helping SEES in the future, or for improvements, please do not hesitate to raise them."
Midori gleamed in joy, and Mitsuru wondered if she had made a mistake.
Minatodai Dorm, 4th Floor Control Room
Ikutsuki had long since taken to using the Dark Hour as the proverbial '25th hour in a day' to do paperwork. He had often joked about it to people not in the know, and those who were aware often did the same thing.
He was glad that SEES was at Tartarus, for he had finally gotten a package from the Tokyo branch of the Kirijo group, one that he had been waiting for over a month for. Opening the brown paper package, he slid out a large stack of papers as well as the most surprising thing he could have expected. A COMP came with everything else, and he set it aside to look at the cover letter.
It was poorly written, obviously hand written on some rough surface in pencil. The symbols were sometimes hard to make out, but in the end he could decipher them.
Honda, the man he sent into the Tokyo Lockdown to investigate the Shomankai and the reports of 'demons' had died on the sixth day while attempting to escape the SDF lockdown, leaving behind a dead son and a doubly grieving wife.
On the table was all that he had compiled as part of his report, a safe drop in case his attempt to escape failed.
Picking up the first sheet, Ikutsuki began to read.
22 September 2009
Minatodai Dorm, 1st Floor Lounge
Early Morning
"This is unexpected." Mitsuru commented dryly as Ikutsuki pulled on his jacket. "Usually, you have more warning before being called away."
Shuji shrugged. "We can't all choose the time of our timing." He grimaced. The joke was bad, even by his standards. "There are some things I need to address directly in Tokyo. So I'm leaving you in charge until I return."
23 September 2009
Tokyo, Yamanote Circle, Eiji Bar
Afternoon
They had all agreed to meet here and now, it was simple enough to arrange. Gin's place was chosen both for its location and that he owned the place. It was, due to the venue, an adults only meeting.
Gin raised the glass he was cleaning in greeting to Mari Mochizuki, the first arrival. The doctor smiled and waved back, finding an offered seat along the bar proper. She looked around at the empty place and took the offered tonic water. "First one, I see."
Nodding, Gin went back to his cleaning. "Most of the salarymen have gone already, and it's too soon for the after-work crowd."
"How's business?"
"Actually pretty good. I didn't get trashed by any rioters, so that allowed me to open right back up one we got permission." He looked up at the next arrival, his face darkening. "Hello."
Kaido, shoulders slouched glanced back and forth as he entered the bar, his gaze looking for signs of hostility and threat. "Yo." When he saw Mari, his countenance brightened a bit. She turned to look at him, then back away, hiding her disgust. At this, he stopped. "Hey, you want me to leave, I will. I know I'm not in your good graces."
The doctor shook her head. "No, no. I was the one that made sure you were invited, Have a seat. But no alcohol." The leader of the Tokyo Demons cautiously sat in the indicated seat and didn't flinch when Gin slammed a glass of milk in front of him.
They drank in silence until the third arrived, the last one who promised to make it to the meeting. "I'm sorry I'm late," Lieutenant Izuna said as she hung her jacket on the coat rack by the door. "There were some complications I had to work through before getting here."
"No worries." Gin said as the SDF officer took a seat beside Mari, and on the other side of the gang leader. "We were just enjoying our drinks. What's your poison?"
"I'm headed back to work after this, so water please."
Gin tsk'd at the request. "Oh, poor me! A bar whose patrons don't order alcohol!" He smiled. "So, what's the word from on high?"
Izuna looked around the bar. "I'm sorry Harusawa isn't here. Anyways, the cover-up is proceeding within predictions. The Shomankai, or what's left of them, aren't contesting our version of events. Cleanup is still going to take years to finish, and the politicians are dithering over money."
There was a round of angry murmurs from the assembled adults.
"The hospital is still at 115% official capacity." Mari said after finishing off her glass. "Too many long-term care patients, and too many doctors leaving after the Circle was opened."
"I thought the SDF were contributing?" Izuna made a note to look into this with her Captain afterwards.
"Oh! They are!" Mari was quick to placate the military woman. "It's just that they're beast for dealing with trauma cases. When we had the surge of patients once the power went on, they pulled their weight and more. But it's the patient care and those without major physical injuries that they are less helpful in."
Izuna nodded in understanding. "I'll see what I can do. See if other hospitals can lend you doctors and nurses."
"Actually, what you can do is expedite the passport applications from the over-seas medical professionals who want to help." Mari said quickly. "South Korea, America, Canada, Australia, even China – all have plenty of spare capacity to help out, but they keep getting delays from the government."
"I'll do that then."
"How about the children?" Gin asked politely. Though he spoke about all of them, they all knew that only one was really important.
"Amane is still being held in protective custody. The story is that she is being de-toxed from the brainwashing her father put her through, though to be honest, we could release her at any time assuming we could be certain of her safety."
"I hear you." Kaido asked for a refill of his milk. "Word on the street, people remember the Tamers that weren't helpful. And the Shomankai ain't got a lot of friends left when the blame started to come down on them."
"We were aware of the sentiments. Thank you for the confirmation."
"No prob."
"Komaki Midori, because her school was inside the Circle, and is still closed, was transferred to... Tatami Port Island, I think. We talked to her before she left and she's aware of what is required of her."
"I'm surprised you let her out." Mari said, shivering at the memory. "After what happened to her at the foot of the Hills..."
"She is still getting bloodwork done each week to check for lingering toxins. But we couldn't hold her without cause, and in order to keep the truth down..." Izuna let her explanation drift off. "I don't like it any more than you, but we're keeping an eye on it."
"And the others?" Gin prodded the officer.
"They've gone back to their school life. They've also signed the non-disclosure agreements."
"That wasn't the question."
Izuna took a deep breath. "He's still King. He's promised to work with us to put down any problems in the future, but for as long as possible, he wants to live a normal life. Given what he's theoretically capable of, the government has agreed."
Gin sighed. "Look, they're still just kids. Give them a break."
Izuna couldn't help it. "It's above my paygrade. I've told my superiors what is best, and it is up to them to not try anything stupid."
Kaido snorted at the implications. A round of glares was sent his way.
"If that's it then, I've got to get back to work." Mari pushed herself back off her stool and Izuna joined her.
"I can drive you back if you'd like. SDF transport pass and all that." The officer offered to her fellow former Demon Tamer, and after a moments though, Mari agreed. The two women quickly stepped out.
After they were gone, Kaido put down his glass. "I talked to his parents."
Gin looked up, every inch of his expression told Kaido to get out of his bar.
"Keisuke's." The Tokyo Demon took a deep breath to steady himself. "I was going to the folks of all my guys, letting them have the bad news. Had to. It was my responsibility. They were my guys. But him? He... I respected him. I had to tell his folks something. So I found out where they lived and I knocked on the door.
"They were crying. I told them who I was, and that I was there when he died. Didn't tell the the whole truth. That would have killed them. No. I said he was killed while doing the right thing, and that they should be proud of him. They thanked me, and I left. I killed him for killing my guys, and I still said sorry to his parents."
A clunk, and Kaido looked up. Gin had set down a glass of something more potent than milk. "Good. You kept your word to me. There's hope for you yet."
Outside, the two women walked towards the SDF marked car. A nondescript Private held the door for them, then got in to drive once he was told the destination.
"I was thinking." Mari wasn't sure how to phrase her request, but thankfully Izuna could read the situation.
"You have a request?"
"Well, yes. I was thinking about what you said about Amane. You see, there's a program for city doctors to be transferred out into rural or small town hospitals. I was thinking of applying before the Lockdown, and now it seems that maybe the best thing I could do is wait until things have quieted down in the hospital and then take her with me somewhere rural and quiet."
Izuma thought this over. "You? By yourself?"
Mari nodded. "I saw her face when her father was killed. She has no one in this world, and I can't just let that be."
"Let me pass that idea along to the Captain. He may approve on the grounds that you already know everything there is to know."
"Thank you for considering my request."
Evening
Shuji Ikutsuki casually strolled into the bar. He had spent the last day or so going over every last bit of information he could wring out of his contacts about the events inside the Lockdown. He even pulled some strings to interview one of the members of the Cult that were responsible. It wasn't a good lead, but he did get two pieces of important information.
First was that a man named Naoya had been instrumental in assisting the Shomankai, a name that tugged at the memories of Ikutsuki from his days as a scientist.
The other was the name of an owner of a bar inside the Yamanote circle who had earned the ire of the cultists and had apparently had made contact with the SDF to lead a small group against the Cultists.
The reasons for this apparent hatred were not readily apparent, but it was a lead in determining just what the relationship between the Shomankai Cult, the Kirijo Group's research and technology, Persona, and possibly how Komaki fit into all this.
Recognizing the bar owner as the man behind the bar itself, Shuji walked up to one end and put down a bill on the counter-top. The owner came over and slipped the money under the counter. "What'll you have?" he asked.
"Whatever that'll pay for." Ikutsuki replied with a glib smile. A drink was poured, and the former scientist examined his drink with a critical eye. The only thing he could tell about it was that it was... green. He sent it down in a single gulp and gasped at the burning that roared up his throat in retaliation. "... w... wow."
Gin smiled. "I don't get to fire that one up very often. Want another?"
Shuji shook his head in the negative. "Actually, I came here for another reason." He slid a 5000 yen bill onto the counter and it vanished just as quickly as the previous bill. "Looking for a person."
"Name?"
"Naoya."