31 December 2009

Minatodai Dorm, 3rd Floor

Afternoon

The dorm was pretty much empty, Chidori checked one last time to be sure. Even Koromaru was out with the boy. Leaving her alone was what they were comfortable doing - despite her assistance in Tartarus, she was still essentially a prisoner in the building.

She wanted to break into Midori's room to get at that card, to examine it for herself. She wasn't sure why she wanted to do it beyond curiosity, but there was also a sense of wrongness about the whole thing that she just couldn't shake.

But in the end, there were two reasons that stopped her. First was that Midori was very careful, if not outright paranoid about keeping the card on her at all times, especially after it slipped from her dress last night. Secondly, breaking into the room of someone else was enough to get her thrown into a proper jail cell, and not this gilded cage.

Oh, how she wished Junpei was here to do these things, or to simply offer his ear to her needs. He would make things so much easier.

Instead, she had decided to talk to Minato about this, given his leadership position. But this was also the day that Death was return, and they would have to deal with the repercussions of their actions. There was a certain enormity to their situation was had rapidly grown on them this day as the knowledge that they were out of time was made manifest.

She had chosen to ignore it. So long as she focused on the warmth in her heart, and for every day she lived past her death, she could ignore Death and all his ramblings. She wouldn't die. She couldn't. What would Junpei think if he did?

1st Floor Lounge

Evening

One moment he was there, then the next he was. Ryoji sat at the head chair and looked at the assembled faces. He was spotted, and a sudden tenseness rippled through the room. "Hello" he said to reintroduce himself. "Are you ready?"

Minato stood. "Yes. Would you mind giving us a moment?"

"Of course. I'll be on the roof.' Ryoji vanished as quickly and as completely as he arrived.

Taking a deep breath that came out ragged, Minato looked around the table, meeting the eyes of each member of SEES. From the eager joy of Midori to the calm and collected determination of Mitsuru, he found what he was looking for. "I think I know what we're all going to say, but please, say it now. For the record."

First to his left was Yukari, sitting so close to him for support and warmth. She nodded, clearly afraid that they were dooming themselves to their fate. "Do it."

Ken. "I refuse to back down."

Koromaru simply barked, Aigis translating his agreement. "He does not wish to forget. Nor do I."

Midori. "FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Mitsuru. "I see no alternative."

Fuuka shook her head. "You're my friends. I won't forget you."

Akihiko. "Who am I to argue?" A smirk crossed his lips.

Finally, Chidori. She looked down into her lap, where Junpei's cap rested. "I would not forget him for anything. Damn the world; this is mine. And if I must fight to give it another day so that I can remember him for another day, so be it."

They were in agreement. Time to kick start the end of the world.

4th Floor, Roof

Minato made sure the door was unlocked behind him. Trapped on the roof once was once too many in his view.

"Hello, Ryoji-san" he said to the back of the Eldritch aspect. He walked over to where he was standing on the edge of the roof, looking up at the cloudy sky. "No moon tonight."

"No. I know what you intend to do, but I have to ask you; please kill me." There was a note of pleading in his voice, all to human.

"You know we can't."

"But you must!" Ryoji didn't look at his former host. "There is so much wrong with the world, and the peace of Nyx will alleviate that. How can you let the suffering of people last? Even though you know you cannot win?"

"We have to win." Minato looked down at the gap between this building and the next. "No, we have to fight. We have to prove to ourselves that not everyone will give into apathy and despair."

"I... don't think I understand."

"It's because we are human. We look at the challenges in front of us, and some buckle, some maintain themselves, while a few select overcome. We have to overcome to protect those who cannot. We have to fight Nyx with the weapons that others do not have. We have to, because no one else can."

"Ah." Ryoji sighed, looking up into the clouds. "That's it then?"

"Yes."

"Very well. You have a month. On the last day of January, Nyx will descend upon Tartarus. That is where you must face her, before the Dark Hour ends and she is made real upon the world."

1st Floor Lounge

A couple minutes later, Minato came back down. "It's done. Ryoji's gone, and the clock is ticking. Nyx descends to the top of Tartarus at the end of the month. Sunday, the 31st of January. We get there on that day, we get to meet with Ryoji – no, the Appraiser, one last time. We defeat him we can prevent Nyx from having a warm welcome.

"To that end, I am doing what should have been done two months ago. Hell, it almost happened anyways. As of this night, SEES no longer exists. I am formally dissolving it." He ignored the gasps from around him. "SEES' purpose was the extermination of Shadows. That, we've done. That chapter in our lives is over. We can't live like that, thinking of the wrong things. We have a certain goal, and SEES can't do that for us anymore. In its place, I am founding the NYX Annihilation Team.

"A simple name for a simple goal. Ascend Tartarus, and prevent The Fall by any means necessary."

He collapsed into the chair that Death had just recently occupied. "Get some rest. Our first stopping point is to deal with the Reaper."

01 January 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's Dolly, with her bestest camera-girl in the whole world, Fuuka!

Today, I have some great news for you all. You know how one of my roomies, someone who was also in the lockdown, had a relapse from all that icky chemicals put into the water and stuff? Well, she's finally better and back at the dorm!

Today, I can't tell you how much energy I have!

Oh? Do you like my kimono? I made it special! Me and the rest of the girls in the Dorm are going up to the shrine today! Aigis needs some fresh air after all that time in the hospital. And to make our New Years Wish!

Which shrine?

I'm – not – tell ~ ing!

All you boys will just have to look!

Bye-bye for now!

Naganaki Shrine

Daytime

Blue, Red, Pink, Purple, Black, White. Those were the colours that walked as a group through the small festivities in the Shrine. Chidori shifted uncomfortably in her kimono, causing Mitsuru to issue an impromptu reminder about how to walk around in one. "I don't see the purpose in this." the red-haired girl glared.

"It's because we're friends!" Midori spoke up as she hopped from one foot to the other to keep the blood flowing. "And friends do this sort of thing."

"We're not friends! Just.. acquaintances."

"I do not believe that to be true." Aigis said as she examined her own dress, kicking her foot out from under the hem. She had feet now! Feet for actual walking in! Toes! It was amazing! And with a bit of preparation, or at least a good pair of leggings, she could start to participate in gym activities! "If you were not our friend, you would not have come."

"I almost didn't."

"But you did!" Midori said, pulling the resisting Chidori a bit closer. "And we're so happy for you! You need to get out a bit more! Get some sun!"

"But it's January..." Fuuka tried to point out, only for Yukari to shake her head.

"Midori's in her little place now. Where normal people can't go." She looked around, and happened to spot some new arrivals. "And there's Minato! I've got to get his opinion on my kimono!"

Fuuka watched Yukari rush over to the new arrivals, waving all the while. "Sure. Midori is the one where normal people can't go." Maybe she should do that fish-catching game while waiting for everyone else to sort things out.

She was startled when a tug came on the hem of her kimono. She turned to see Ken looking up at her, Koromaru by his side. Kneeling, she asked Ken what he wanted.

"Those guys over there", a gesture to a trio of Gekkoukan students, all of whom looked like they were in their first or second year, "told me that girls don't wear anything under their kimonos. Is that true?" The line was delivered with perfect innocence, and for a moment, Fuuka forgot that this boy went into the Dark Hour to fight Shadows with the rest of them.

Then her face turned crimson at the implications. "Mitsuru-senpai? Can you come over here for a moment."

A few minutes later, three very chastised and "EXECUTION!" 'd high school boys left the Shrine grounds, rushing past Akihiko, who could only wince in sympathy.

Chidori actually enjoyed herself. Well, as much as she could considering she could just [i]feel[/i] his absence. She had spent her time between stalls plotting out her next couple days as best she could. First, she would have to separate Midori from her false-Persona, then prove it to Minato.

But why?

She grappled hard with that question. Yes, Minato wanted to know if there was something wrong with Midori, but was this wrong? It was... different, but then again, so was she. No one else showed any capacity to use their Persona outside the Dark Hour save her, and if Midori had a card instead of... whatever it was Personas were made of.

Maybe she needed to come at this from a different angle. Not treat Midori like she was hostile. Like she was... a friend?

Tartarus, Lobby

The Dark Hour

They had changed into their working clothes, Midori apologizing profusely for not having new armbands for everyone prepared. Minato forgave her, and asked her to take her time to do them properly. They had thirty days to go. No need to rush out a bad product.

Minato had given out everyone's assignments. They were to rotate around to train up as much as they can as they went through the newly opened Block of Tartarus. For fairness sake, they drew lots for teams, and Chidori was pleased when she didn't wind up with Midori. That would have made things very awkward.

Once it was her turn with Minato (and Akihiko and Ken), she took the moment to explain to him in whispered tones what she had figured out.

"And you didn't tell me this earlier, why?" He asked back, accusingly.

"Death was coming the next night, and you needed to focus on that."

"Well then, what do you propose we do about it?"

"I've thought about that. The best way, I think, would be to talk to her."

"She'll just lie. She's done that a lot whenever someone talks to her about certain things."

"Then there is another plan. But I will need your permission."

02 January 2010

Minatodai Dorm, 3rd Floor, Akihiko's Room

Afternoon

Chidori knocked on the open door. Inside, Akihiko was running Midori through her exercises. The patient teacher learning the ropes on a barely-willing student.

"I'm supposed to collect the laundry today," she said as a Persona-less Midori went up and down on some exotic equipment that was supposed to increase her stamina and staying power. "Can I go into your room?"

Midori, unsuspecting, paused in her efforts. "Sure. Door's unlocked."

4th Floor, Control Room

Mitsuru was surprised when it was Chidori who was the third member of this meeting that Minato called. "Is this about Strega?"

"No." Minato said flatly, and began to explain all the things that had occurred to cause people to think Midori was weird. He talked about how, when taken point by point, they could all be rationalized away, except when taken together...

"This." Chidori said, putting the Black Frost card on the table between the three of them. "I picked it up, and I knew I could summon forth her Persona."

"You stole from her?" Mitsuru still wasn't able to grasp such a fundamental shift in the way she knew Persona's worked, so instead she focused on the more immediate concern.

"Of course not!" Chidori bristled at the expected accusation. "I got permission to collect dirty laundry, and this was in it. It was an innocent mistake. Honest."

Minato picked up the card, and focused on it for a moment before slamming it down. "That's no persona." His face started to be covered in sweat. "There's something else in there."

"Let me see. We should get Fuuka to look at this. Juno is better than Helios or I at sensing things." Mitsuru picked up the Card and...

Something fundamentally inhuman, something she could only describe as demonic assaulted her senses. She threw the card onto the table as though stung.

"WHAT? What was that?" Mitsuru looked with wide eyes at the other two humans. "We need Midori in here. Now. Get Aigis and Akihiko too. And Fuuka. It's about time we got some answers from her."