Prologue II
The Smoking Lady
In the spring of 2014, Kai Kyozo had just returned back to Japan. He had spent most of his high-school years in America where he had been attending a public High School In Brooklyn. Labeled as Mr. Attractive in his senior year. Kai, as a person, was rather charismatic and intelligent when comes to street smarts and wit. However, despite the fact he gained a basketball scholar ship, his reason why he declined was itself an enigma. He said that he needed to get back to his Japanese roots, so he had applied for a technical university in Naniwa city.
After cross-continental flight, a transfer of planes and an international flight later. Kai arrived at the Tokyo International airport. The next train leaving to Naniwa hadn't given him enough time to refresh himself and lounge around for a bit. The reason why is that it was the last train that was leaving the station, and it was the least packed as well. So he took advantage of the situation he was in and chose the emptiest carriage he could find.
However, halfway through the journey, he dozed off for a bit. He was trying to get some sleep due to jet lag, but the strong scent of spices had woken him up. Especially when he saw that there was twirls of spoke vapors being made in the carriage.
"Weird." He thought as he woke up. "Where did this come from?" he asked.
This had reminded him of a manga he read at one point of time. The one about the witch who owns a shop that can grant wishes. He remembered vividly the pictures of twirling smoke.
"Long journey?" a voice asked. It sounded distinctly classy.
Kai remembered that the carriage was supposed to be empty, and the train didn't make any stops if he last remembered. He looked around the smoke hazed carriage and saw a tall, slender woman wearing a black pants suit and grey fur-coat.
"Good evening." She spoke. She brought up cigarette held by a gloved hand. "I see your finally awake; considering the distance you have traveled from New York."
"I presume you're not the air hostess I flirted with." Kai spoke. A wry smile had formed on his lips.
"If I were. I'll be a lot shorter than you." She remarked.
"True…" Kai shrugged. He asked if she had been here for the whole time.
"I just arrived…" she cryptically spoke. "However, not through conventional means if you wondering."
"So your not from the other carriages…"
"You catch quick." She smiled.
"Well I'm half asleep. So anything could happen." He replied.
"What's an illusion could be a reality; it depends how wide your eyes are open."
"Another cryptic remark?" He asked. "You some kind of philosopher or something?"
"Somewhat if you asked me. I dabble a few things here and there in my life."
"Then I would pry on how you lived, but I'm not a YOLO guy if you asked me."
"So reincarnation I presume?"
"Somewhat." He shrugged. "Anyways, are you just gonna stand there or are you going to sit."
"Where are my manners if I'm going to talk." She giggled. The way she walked, sat and cross her legs were inhumanly elegant and fluent for a woman her height. "My name is Yodo-Dono."
"As in the historical figure?" Kai asked.
"It's an alias Kyozo-san. Only fools give out their 'real' names."
"You just called everyone on this planet and idiot then?" He deadpanned. "However, it's somewhat weird that you know my name. A stalker by any chance?"
"How nonchalant to a very serious matter." She spoke with mirth.
"It's a curse." He shrugs. "So what you wanna talk about?" He asked.
"An intervention of sorts." She replied.
"Intervention? I'm no junkie you know."
"I'm not referring to that kind of intervention." Yodo spoke. "However, I do recommend when you do drugs. It would be waste on good men like you."
"That I could agree. It's so sad I'm a unconscious narcissist…"
"Is it really unconscious or simply an act?" She questioned. The smell of spices was intoxicating as she took another blow of her cigarette.
"Anyways, going back on track. I simply a represent a party that wants to postpone the inevitable."
"The inevitable. Sounds bad…"
"On A grandeur scale if one was to ask. However, everything is designated on a destine path. Humanity, as a whole, tends to be self-destructive. However, in some-aspect, it contradicts its self by rebuilding."
"Just like the consumerist society." Kai commented with wit.
"Just like the consumerist society they live in. However, I believe the concept of recycling. I believe everything deserve a second-chance; useless or otherwise."
"Okay. We're going off track, no pun intended. Can you explain about this party you represent?" Kai tried to politely ask.
Yodo took another swift of her smoke and explained on who she represents.
"As I sat earlier on. Intervention is the party I represent. Usually we have a long nosed man to do it. Unfortunately he's busy redecorating the velvet room. So I'm here to take his place temporarily and explain to you about what's going to happen…"
Yodo, to her word, explained what was going happen. However, they were all spoken cryptically for Kai to decipher. She explained that there are going to be three other parties that are going to clash with each other. One wants to regain power 'it' had lost; the other is leading a lost lamb. The third party wants to bring back the mention inevitable and the fourth one is him.
"So in basic terms. Two-baddies and one-antihero, but I'm not pointing at fingers who is what. Don't let the titles deceive you. There are more complex matters than it had appeared to be."
"Uh-huh. You're crazy you know that…"
"I figured you gonna say that." Lady Yodo shrugged. "However, fiction is more real than fact. At most often times, people simply deny the existence of what they do not understand, and anyone who tells them otherwise is a liar. What they don't know stays 'unexplained' and they are happy with that."
"Uh-huh. Still strong with my opinion." Kai replied.
"Well I can't change you perception with words. It's matter of action that speaks the loudest to get ones attention." Lady Yodo spoke.
She stood up and walked away from her seat. Her last words, "I would see you soon." Before the smoke thickens around her. It left a shadowy silhouette of her body that simply vanished before the smoke lessons once more.
"Weird…" he spoke once more. Soon he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
A/N: What you think. Interesting eh? Now I'm accepting OCs. Please PM if you interested and I would send you the app sheet.
PS: Can you spot the references I used? The hint it was a manga
Persona's take however are:
Main Party
Fool- Kai Kyozo
Jester- Keiji Okada
Strength- Miho Miyazaki
Lovers- Yuriko Ishihara
Social Links
Tower- Masato Ishihara
Justice- Erika Narumi