"A mirror?"
The coffee hissed in the machine, boiling and angry. The sound was a comfort to Dojima, reminding him of the days when he wasn't so aware of the quagmires and red tape, or when he knew that there was things in the world that didn't answer to the laws he'd vowed to uphold. For most, coffee was a stimulant, putting them on edge. For him, it was a safe haven; a little piece of zen that he managed to hold onto despite the world falling around him. He savored the aroma for another moment before answering Shirogane.
"Yeah, a cheap 1,000 yen house mirror that you'd find in any Junes store. I first worried it was just me, but the angle of the shot had to have come from it. It was just like what happened when you brought me through, to go after Adachi." The older detective gathered his thoughts as he poured the coffee into a few mugs.
Teddie, who'd they'd finally explained was not just a terribly naive kid with a bear fetish but an actual resident of the tv world, crinkled his nose in thought. "That is beary strange. There's been nothing like mirrors showing up in my world, like before with the tvs. Did you try any other mirrors afterwards, Pops?"
Dojima reminded himself punching the kid would not help matters, no matter how grating that nickname was. "Yeah, as best I could without anyone seeing me. They were all solid. Whatever made the mirror…'open' was temporary, it seems. Even the original one stopped reacting after about an hour. I had considered securing it somehow, so Seitou couldn't sneak back out, but I doubt he'd plan that if he'd known the police were swarming the house. Even if he did come back out that way, there's still half a dozen uniformed officers going over the place."
"Rise and Teddie did a full sweep inside the tv as soon as Yu let us know about it, but neither one could sense anything out of the ordinary." Shirogane tapped her chin thoughtfully. "What concerns me is that, while this bears resemblance to our confrontation last year with Adachi and Izanami… it also deviates enough that we may be dealing with a whole new adversary altogether, like what occurred at the Love Meets Bond Festival. The thought of someone like Seitou Noburo having access to such power… could be incredibly dangerous."
Dojima grimaced. "Somehow I suspect this isn't going to be a dance off contest. If it is, I'll leave that to you kids."
"Aw, c'mon Pops! If Nanako got any of her dancing ability from you, you'd be-" Whatever else Teddie was going say was stopped by Hanamura wisely slapping a hand over his mouth.
"Teddie, did you miss the memo that Dojima-san could probably kick your ass from here to Junes if you tick him off enough? I told you to drop the nicknames!" The failed attempt at a whisper tugged a smirk at the edge of the elder detective's mouth.
"I don't want any of you getting too involved with this." A hand went up to silence the noises of objection. "Seitou is a convicted murderer. While Adachi was too, he never got his hands dirty enough to break the rules of the sick little game he was playing. Seitou doesn't have any of those qualms. We're talking about a man who'd sell his own mother to the North Koreans if he could get something out of it. Keeping an eye out for things going on in the TV World's fine, but I'd feel better if you kept the real world sleuthing to those of us who are authorized to carry a deadly weapon. Understood?"
The teens, save Shirogane, nodded reluctantly.
They spent the next while filling in Dojima a little more about what had happened over the last two years, and trying to think up ways that they might be able to keep an eye out for Seitou without dealing with him directly. It was only as they excused themselves did Teddie seem to remember something.
"Sensei! I almost forgot, I'm so beary sorry! Marie said she'd like to meet you tomorrow, up on the hill. Sensei, if you score, will you teach Teddie how to-"
Hanamura shoved the blonde shadow through the front door before he could finish. "And that's our cue to leave! Damnit, you stupid bear, for once can you remember the important stuff without being an embarrassment to all of mankind?"
Dojima shook his head. "Where the hell does he come up with stuff like that? I'm suddenly regretting ever letting him around Nanako..."
His nephew shrugged. "We're pretty sure he doesn't actually understand what it means. He does know not to say it around Nanako at least, so I think it's safe. The worst he'll probably do is teach her more bear puns."
Dojima groaned at that, but smiled. His nephew could have done a lot worse for friends here.
The former Velvet Room attendant known as Marie now sat next to him under the little gazebo looking over Inaba. One moment the space had been empty, then suddenly she was, as if she convalesced out of the mist.
Knowing what her origins were, Yu suspected she probably had done just that. She wore the suit he'd seen her often wear during her weather 'reports', so different from her outfit from her Velvet Room days, which had spoken of her teenage-like angst and confusion. Now she seemed much older and sure of herself. Or would, if her shoulders weren't slumped and her blue cap wasn't almost pulled over her eyes.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I'm still new to this whole 'goddess' thing." Rather than look at him, Marie seemed to be engaged in a staring contest with a pebble on the ground.
"It's nice to see you too."
A sigh released from her, almost like a laugh, and the fog swirled a bit thicker. "I keep forgetting how weird you are. It is nice to see you again. Sorry it's not on better circumstances."
Yu leaned back against the picnic table. "Did...Izanami come back? Is that what is going on?"
Marie let out a very unladylike snort. "Hardly. I've got her under lock and key in here,' she put a hand to her heart, "No worries. No, someone else is pulling the strings right now.
She rolled her eyes, a grimace tugging at her lips. "I should have known something was up when I couldn't take back Magatsu Izanagi from Adachi. Couldn't even slip mist in there to see what was going on in his cell." Confusion must have played across his face, because Marie paused to explain. "After he went to prison, I realized he still had that shard of Izanami in him. I figured I'd visit him, give him a little zap, and presto, no more tv powers. But every time I tried to show up at the detention center, I always ended up in the wrong place. Couldn't even walk there. I figured I was still just scared of him, or it was that little piece of me trying to stay free. Then three weeks ago, I suddenly could sense him again! I noticed there was a riot going on, and he was right next to a suitable portal...so I may have given him a tiny push. I didn't realize he was going to bring your uncle in there with him!"
Her gaze returned to the ground. "Everything went wrong then. Something else was controlling the prisoners and it was affecting the TV world too. I'd...I'd… heard through the mist that something else was curious about Izanami's plan, and I could feel them, locking me out of my own control of the TV world. For a moment, even as I felt the group with your uncle and Adachi fall in, there was something else on the edge, escaping out of that horrible place, through the shadows. Generally, gods don't get up in each other's business, so I tried to push them out. It was...ugh, it was horrible whatever it was, and it shrugged me off like a fly. I did get a feel of the people travelling within its power… and they were just, ugh, horrible! Like Mara on steroids."
Marie's fists clenched on her dress pants as the tremor in her voice grew. "When I was reeling from that…. Whatever it was locked me out of the dungeon that contained Adachi. It must have been the same force from the prison. I was back at square one….worse than that, really. Man, I am such a fool... Your uncle's shadow showed up not long after that." A small laugh escaped Marie as she wiped away a tear. "It's funny, your uncle's shadow seemed to be perfectly accepting to call me a goddess and ask for my help to 'bring out the true potential' of his host. It seems one of the things that he had denied was that some things are too strange to have a rational answer. He knew who I was, both before and after I came back."
A blue strip of paper floated into her hand. The handwriting was blurred and faded, but the scrawl had become familiar to Yu over the two years. "Everything just...crystallized, then. I could feel his wishes slip from his hands, and the natural protector within him. Give him a little push, and he'd naturally be attracted towards the guardian role for Inaba. Just as you were drawn towards the position of the Wild Card, when Izanami first chose you. It was a small dose of ambrosia, to keep him fighting…I wasn't even sure it'd be enough to allow him to face his other self, to gain a persona…."
The mist swirled in eddies in front of them, as Yu processed everything the minor goddess was telling him. "So what is happening to my uncle?"
Marie's knees drew close to her as a sigh escaped her. "I...even I don't know. Normally, the effects of ambrosia are temporary in such tiny doses- turn back the clock, give you a boost for a few days at most. Your uncle… well, it's not just wearing off. He's acting like a battery, building up and storing energy way past human levels. Sure, even he can drain himself if he pushes himself hard enough, but somehow he's still able to generate that energy beyond what he should be. Honestly, the last time I or Izanami dealt with this sort of potential was Izanagi. The original, I mean, the one your persona is based on, before he ascended. Even if your uncle was full blooded descendant, a quarter dose wouldn't push him so far into the legends class."
"A quarter dose?"
"I...was worried it'd be too much for him. He's so rooted in reality, he was at risk of rejecting it and then it'd be like a poison to him, making him worse than he already was. So, I cut the amount to even less than the standard blessing. I'd hate to think what would he'd been like if I gave him any more."
"Um, would this be a bad time to mention he hasn't drank all of the bottle yet?" Yu winced at the look of sheer horror on Marie's face.
"WHAT?! Nononono, not possible. No way your uncle can be that susceptible to magic. I mean, if that was the case you'd think he was some reincarnation locked away in reality so he wouldn't cause any trouble….oh." Pieces seemed to fall into place with a soft gasp. She looked at Yu.
"Oh, man...this is so not fair. I thought for *sure* I was done being someone's puppet. Rrgh!" She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, sending the blue hat askew. "If I ever catch Philemon…" Pushing herself off the picnic bench, Marie balled her fists with anger and stomped the ground. "Look, Narukami, I need to get going, but keep an eye on your uncle. I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but I'll bet there's something bigger going on here. I may not be able to interfere directly, but I will do what I can, ok?"
"What about the bottle? If it's that dangerous, shouldn't you take it back?" Gears spun in Yu's head, trying to process everything Marie had told him.
Marie shook her head, brushing aside the mist with a wave. "Gods can't just take back what they've given to someone, just because it works too well. That's the rules. Love you!"
With that, the former Velvet Room resident turned goddess vanished into the mist as it dissipated into the late afternoon sunlight.