Author's Note: Hoo boy. Finally back.
The last third of 2022 was where I got consumed by Xenoblade 3, as you can tell by the 100K+ drabble/short story collection on my profile. But it's good to finally be back.
(If you've forgotten some of the recent details...well, you'll have to reread those chapters like I had to. :V )
xxxx
Sokila had warmed up to Hell Biker. Somehow.
Probably because Hell Biker had somehow manifested a sidecar to his vehicle, allowing Sokila to ride along.
"WHEE!"
It was strange, how she was able to enjoy that for what seemed like hours.
"This is so much fun!"
As Hell Biker rode through the air, Sokila's delighted laughter echoed through the Velvet Room; so much so that the return of the Attendants went unnoticed.
"It is complete," calmly remarked Margaret.
Sokila leaned over the sidecar's edge. "Really?"
Elizabeth smiled, looking towards him with a tired yet ecstatic grin. "I wonder who will be testing it first~"
What did she mean by that?
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Friday: September 4, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari awoke just shortly after 6 AM.
Tiredly filling a backpack with textbooks and notebooks, he quietly slipped out to find breakfast. As had become habit, he drifted towards LeNoir Café; the overall atmosphere just seemed so conducive to studying and relaxing; even in spite of the Friday morning hustle and bustle.
With a cup of coffee and a small breakfast sandwich before him, Shinji set about working on his summer school assignments. Hopefully I can finish them today...
xxxx
/Room 1, 2nd Floor, Izanami Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Asuka Langley-Sohryu stared at the ceiling with a pensive expression. "...guess the First must have slummed it outdoors," she murmured.
Yesterday, Asuka had elected to get ahead of the game and check out her 'new room' at the female dormitory. It had made for a rather quiet night, all things considered. I wish I still had my own space, she inwardly griped, doing some calisthenics to get the blood flowing. Still can't believe I have to go through school. This sucks.
(Just the prior night, Asuka had checked in with Sister Mary at a local sushi shop, if only to put the nun's mind at ease. At the end of her recollections, Makinami had calmly asked, "Have you had a chance to work alongside your peers, yet?" The answer had been in the negative, to the young woman's dismay. "You'll have to work alongside them eventually.")
Not my fault there's so much ground to cover, she pondered, putting on some shorts and a tank top for a brisk morning jog. Missions take me all over the place...and it's only reasonable to cover the ground not taken by either the First or the Third. In the early dawn light, Asuka's red hair bobbed up and down behind her, shimmering a pleasant shade underneath the morning sun. At least this Academy doesn't spare anything with regards to landscaping, she mused, smiling in spite of herself.
Having worked up an appetite, Asuka gazed around the outskirts of the Academy's grounds for anything that looked appetizing; the sight of French-inspired decor was eye-catching enough. "LeNoir, huh?" She briefly gazed down at her phone — the time was 7:14 AM — and pulled up the Mission Board; she could at least get a head start on reviewing the current slate of available missions.
The door opened ahead of her; seamlessly, she stepped out of the way, avoiding someone whose face was stuck in a book. "Oi, watch it," she said.
"Sorry," murmured the boy.
Her Other looked up with surprise. "Oh?"
Whatever, she mentally griped, not even looking up from her phone as she stepped inside. The scent of coffee and European cuisine immediately improved her mood. "Ah..." As the curtained door closed behind her, she remarked, "Now this is more like it." All thought of the rude Japanese boy left her mind.
Her Other sighed. "Oh well..."
xx
Shinji, alas, had been unable to finish his summer homework...though not through any fault of his own, per se.
He wished that he had known about the cafe's time limitations for breakfast hours; otherwise, he might not have brought along so many books to LeNoir. How was he supposed to have known that LeNoir was so much busier during morning hours that they had a strict time limit for customers?
(You spent over two hours here with your friends when telling Horaki-san about your summer vacation...but that had been around lunch time, hadn't it? Plus, a party of six can't be compared to a single student who's obviously sitting down to do lots of schoolwork at once...)
Guess there are some things you can only learn by experience, he thought to himself, paying his bill before pulling out his copy of the The Tragedy of Hamlet. At least he could read on his way back to the Izanagi Dorms. I wonder if they're more lenient when the Academy is back in session? I'm sure I'm not the only one who chose to use this place for morning studies...
As he opened the door to leave LeNoir, he saw something stepping towards him, just out of his peripheral vision; blocked as his vision was by the pages of Hamlet, he was just quick enough to sidestep her (unknowing of the fact that she had done the same).
"Oi, watch it," griped the girl.
"Sorry," he impulsively responded.
His Other looked up with alarm. "That voice...?"
Frowning, Shinji replayed the encounter in his mind. Did I see red hair? He looked behind him, only to see that the door had already closed; the soft curtains affixed to the interior of the entryway blocked his vision. "...huh," he murmured, impulsively turning back to his play. "Now where was I...?"
His Other shook his head. "So close..."
Shinji tried to get as much reading in as he could, before missions reared their ugly head once more.
xxxx
/Misato's Apartment, Tokyo-3/
Misato Katsuragi looked around Mayumi's room with a nod. "Well...can I still say you've got too many books?"
Mayumi Yamagishi frowned, blinking confusedly. "Um..."
"Just speaking aloud, Mayumi-chan," said Misato, at the shelves which literally encircled the room from floor to ceiling; the only gaps were for the window, her clothing wardrobe, the sliding door, and the sliding closet doors. Even then, the closet itself didn't possess any clothes, but had instead been filled with more shelves for Mayumi to try and cram the rest of her collection. It was to the point where a third of the room actually had a separate line of shelves extending outward to form an aisle only wide enough for one person to fit through. As such, the overall amount of walking space in the bedroom was...severely limited. Man, if I ever move, transporting all of these books is going to be a pain...I wonder if Shinji would be willing to shift this entire room into the Metaverse so our Personas could do all of the moving? A thought experiment for another time.
(The thought of Mayumi sticking around long enough for that to actually happen went unnoticed.)
Mana Kirishima, munching on an onigiri for breakfast, remarked, "Well, Yamagishi's finally moved in. Is there anything else we have to do? Like, with Niijima, I mean?"
Ah, and there's the whole thing with Mana-chan and Mayumi-chan's custodian. I should probably call her while I'm on my way to Osaka. "I'll have to get back with you on that...which brings me up to today's itinerary." Looking at the two girls, she said, "I've already asked Sakamoto-san to be your escort for missions today. He was going to take Suzuhara-kun and Aida-kun on some Acolyte missions today anyway, so you'll both have a chance to get more practice with those new abilities of yours."
"...and what'll you be doing?" asked Mayumi.
Misato held up a familiar bag. "Unfortunately, all of our hustle and bustle at Himmel's facility caused some damage to these drives; the locals recommended a shop in Osaka for some expertise, so I'll be heading out there. Hopefully, it shouldn't take me any longer than a day or two."
"And what do you want us to do in the meantime?" asked Mana.
"Sakamoto-san is willing to chaperone, but the school term is about to begin soon, right?" Misato looked over towards Mayumi with an inquisitive eye. "You'll at least have a dorm room close to the school to use."
Mayumi frowned. "I...never really used the dorms, before. I never felt comfortable, there. Because..."
"You don't need to say anything else," interrupted Misato. "I get it. But that's not an issue anymore, is it?"
"...I suppose not. And my new roommates would be...people I know, for once." Misato's arched eyebrow prompted Mayumi to add, "I've been assigned to a dorm room with Rei Ayanami, Hikari Horaki, and someone named Asuka Langley-Sohryu."
...huh. "That's actually pretty convenient." And so serendipitous that it's kind of scary.
(Elsewhere in Tokyo-3, Ren Amamiya suddenly pumped his fist for no reason at all.)
"Being roommates with Ayanami I can get," remarked Mana. "Horaki's just a civilian, but at least you're on speaking terms with her. But who's this Sohryu girl?"
"...right, neither of you would have actually met her," mused Misato. "I'm sure you've at least heard about the Evangelion-user that was being reassigned from Europe to Japan? That's her." Both girls looked a bit surprised by this. "With the First and Second Children, that dorm room is probably going to be the safest place in all of Tokyo-3. It'd probably be a good idea to at least have your living situation set up there...especially with my upcoming change in employment situation." Being a ward for two orphans was why my mission load got reduced to begin with...but now being the Chief Warden will keep me at the CPC for most of the day. All on top of cutting into my investigation into Mister P and Kaji...URGH. She could only thank the gods that Mana and Mayumi weren't the rebellious sort like she had been growing up, because otherwise she would have torn her hair out to the point it matched the short spot on her crown. I wonder if this is the kind of stress my mom and dad ever felt? "Anyhow, we'll just have to take everything one day at a time."
"I suppose," admitted Mayumi, whilst Mana just shrugged.
"...so, anything else you two want to talk about?" offered Misato with a bit of awkwardness. I wish being a guardian came with an instruction manual. (And not those pamphlets that Sae Niijima had provided her way back in early July, because they outright sucked! Why couldn't government material be worth a crap?!) "Like, anything?"
Mana tilted her head. "Is this like that bike ride we had in Nishiawakura on the day before the Olympic Massacre?"
"...kind of?" admitted Misato.
"...I think I'm fine," admitted Mana with some tension. "I'll...let you know if I'm not."
I'll take what I can get. Turning towards Mayumi, she asked, "And you? You don't have to say anything; it's not an interrogation."
"...I'm okay, Katsuragi-san," said Mayumi, with a tone that said plenty. It was somewhere between 'please don't push for more answers' and 'I'm not comfortable'.
"I'll take your word for it," murmured Misato, inwardly grimacing at the odd disquiet that had descended over the trio. (It was the uneasiness of a grouping that was a family in legal terms, but had not yet figured out how to be one in fact.) "Well..."
CRUNCH.
The loud sound of a cracker being bitten into jolted them all from their bout of suspensefulness. Turning on her heel, Misato looked down; Pen-Pen was idly eating from a bag of prawn crackers, slowly and awkwardly snapping the deep-fried snack into tinier pieces with his beak. "Hey buddy, you're not supposed to eat those!"
"Wark."
"Come on, give them back-"
"Wark!" he retorted, waddling away with defiance.
"Oh no you don't, get back here!" she yelled, falling into a familiar routine that — little did she know — elicited a small smile from Mayumi and an amused snort from Mana.
(Just as planned, inwardly thought Pen-Pen as Misato swiped the prawn crackers from his clawed flippers.)
xxxx
Shinji had been working on various Ghost subjugation missions in quick succession (doing so many in a row...it filled him with determination...) when his phone suddenly buzzed.
Taking a seat beneath a tree in the western forests of Yamagata Prefecture, Shinji gazed at the screen with a confused blink. The message was from...someone. He couldn't quite make out the sender.
#&!?: Hello kid.
S. Ikari: who is this?
#&!?: the shade of a man with a ponytail that you recently met
Given the inherent oddity, only one person came to mind. Kaji's...Shadow...? He was just knowledgeable enough to not text his guess as to the sender's identity. More importantly, how was a Shadow texting him?
S. Ikari: how are you texting me?
#&!?: The same way your burly bird friend does.
#&!?: You know quite well just how malleable this world is.
#&!?: Besides, I had to have a way to send you warnings when you aren't in the Metaverse, neh? ;D
S. Ikari: I guess
Recent words from Ryoji Kaji himself came to mind.
(September the 1st: At Sakura-sensei's cafe, Kaji had appeared abruptly. Among other things, he had made an offer: "My Shadow is trying to get some intel on where the less 'savory' types are headed; after that big jailbreak from that Metaverse prison in the far north of Russia...well, there are certain kinds of people who would just love to wreak havoc. And because of the confidentiality of that old prison, the exact records of whose Shadows were kept there may be hard to come by, especially since the facility was destroyed. But their presence can be...'felt', if you know what to look for. My Shadow has...a specialty, in snooping around. So every so often, you might find my Other Self sending you warnings about where dangerous Shadows might be. Sound good?")
Is this what he was talking about...?
S. Ikari: what do you want?
Texting can sound so rude, he thought with a wince.
S. Ikari: sorry, I dont mean to sound rude
#&!?: It's all good.
#&!?: Anyhow
#&!?: One of the people who escaped the Metaverse prison is a guy by the name of Kiyotada Sumaru. A former politician of some reknown
#&!?: He actually tried to launch a coup in Post-Impact Japan, but was less than successful. It was quite a scandal.
#&!?: Alas, his Shadow was dangerous enough that the early CPC variants were deemed insufficient
#&!?: He was one of the first to be sent packing to Siberia; his real body is currently kept under lock and key at a mental hospital in Hokkaido
#&!?: Personally, I think he should have been executed, but that's not my place to judge.
S. Ikari: I never heard of Sumaru
#&!?: there's a reason for that
#&!?: but the public notoriety of an execution would have been unseemly, and would have alienated his supporters
#&!?: of course, by now, it's all water under the bridge due to extenuating circumstances
#&!?: a pity his Shadow doesn't seem to agree, neh? :)
S. Ikari: I guess
#&!?: you like to guess a lot
#&!?: Are you truly guessing, or are you simply trying to be polite?
Shinji flushed with embarrassment. How did he know?
S. Ikari: um
#&!?: Anyhow, would you like to know where his Shadow's heading?
#&!?: here's where it is
xxxx
/Meanwhile, within the Metaverse in Shizuoka Prefecture/
BOOM.
A section of the cognitive forest west of Kawanehon — a rugged and mountainous place, bereft of much in the way of human life — erupted with a brilliant white explosion.
Out of this bright flash emerged three Personas: a seafarer running for all his worth, an ancient king charging at high speed, and a simian flying on a cloud.
"KEEP RUNNING!" roared Ryuji Sakamoto, hanging onto Seiten Taisei's leg as the flying monkey flung Ziodyne after Ziodyne at their pursuer.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'VE BEEN DOING?!" retorted Toji, hanging for dear life onto Gilgamesh's shoulder; the bronzed Persona's hands were wrapped tightly around both Mana and Mayumi.
"LESS SHOUTING, MORE NOT DYING!" yelled Kensuke, his Persona Sinbad holding him in a bridal carry; this allowed the boy to shoot his energy crossbow over his Other Self's shoulder...for all the good it did.
With a furious snarl, a four-legged monster — its long and serpentine neck ending in a shogun's head — burst from the charred forest behind them.
xxxx
"Near Kawanehon, near Shizuoka Prefecture," murmured Shinji, repeating the directions.
#&!?: Oh, and you might want to hurry
S. Ikari: why?
#&!?: because Sakamoto and some of your peers ran into Sumaru's Shadow
#&!?: they might have some trouble
S. Ikari: what?
#&!?: we'll talk afterwards. ta ta!
Shinji, eyes wide with disbelief, hurryingly typed a response back.
ERROR: INVALID NUMBER
Not this again! he thought with a scowl, mind swirling with impulsive panic. His hands almost moved of their own volition, pulling up a particular number as he tried get his thoughts settled.
"Ikari-kun."
The cool voice of Rei Ayanami was a balm for his nerves; strange, how her detached mannerisms — a matter of concern at other terms — could be so soothing in times of distress. "Ayanami-san; you were doing missions in Aichi Prefecture today, right?"
"Yes; I am on my way to take care of a Ghost sighting near Shitara."
"You're closer to Kawanehon in Shizuoka then; can you get there as quickly as possible?"
"What's wrong?" she calmly asked.
"Sakamoto-san and my friends are apparently facing a dangerous Shadow. It belongs to a man named Kiyotada Sumaru." Knowing that his words must have seemed suspicious, he quickly added, "Um...Kaji's Shadow reached out to me to tell me about him, because he was apparently one of the Shadows that escaped from that Metaverse prison...um..." The sudden silence was unnerving. "...Ayanami-san?"
"...you are sure the name was Kiyotada Sumaru?"
"Well, it's what Kaji-san's Shadow texted me...not sure how he pulled that off-"
"I will be there soon. I suggest you move with all haste to reinforce them." Without another word, Ayanami hung up.
Shinji stared at his phone with a confused expression. What was that about? That brief call, fortunately, had been enough to calm him down. My friends and Sakamoto-san aren't weak, he told himself, trying to synchronize his mind and spirit. They'll be fine until we get there...they will be.
(Nonetheless, he resolved to get there with all due haste.)
(And you just so happen to have a new Persona to get the job done...)
xxxx
/Aichi Prefecture/
In an equally mountainous forest, Rei Ayanami put her phone away with a stern frown. That name...
Her Other looked upon an old notebook with a dismayed grimace.
"How long has it been, since that name was uttered by someone's lips? A mere pawn...yet one who is unnervingly familiar..."
...to hear it now...
xxxx
It was during the last timeline of the War in Heaven.
With the Masked Circle defeated, an unknown Rumor — laced far back in the very history of Sumaru City itself! — had resulted in a curse bringing a corpse to life.
Joker, his white uniform stained with blood, laughed uproariously as the decapitated head of Kiyotada Sumaru took to the air, manifesting into a bestial form.
Still...they had come this far. If they were going to stop the Angels, they had to make it to the Other Side.
She gazed at Naoya Toudou, Tatsuya Suou, Maya Amano, Tamaki Uchida, and their compatriots. They all looked back with a resolve that equaled hers. Or, perhaps, outpaced hers, if only due to youthful vigor that not been tempered by fatigue.
Satisfied by their conviction, she stepped into battle with them, unleashing her A.T. Field against the abomination.
xxxx
...but it would not be the same, she corrected herself. This is now. That was then.
Nonetheless, she moved with alacrity, diving into the Metaverse without hesitation.
xxxx
/Outskirts of Kawanehon, Shizuoka Prefecture, the Metaverse/
As far as Ryuji Sakamoto was concerned, the day had started rather normally: be the escort for Aida and Suzuhara on missions, then take on both of Katsuragi's wards while she was off doing something else (what else was new), and overall just serve as the protective chaperone for a quartet of teenagers while they proverbially wetted their combat whistles. Man, I need to work on my idioms...
BOOM.
...and why am I thinking about junk like that when we've got a monster to fight?! Scowling, Ryuji willed Seiten Taisei to re-orient themselves in the air, getting a better vantage point over their pursuer.
(Right after subduing an Acolyte's Shadow, another Shadow had stumbled out of the cognitive forest: one of an aged man, with limp facial hair. "I keep looking for my castle," he murmured, looking disoriented. "I should have one...you will tell me!" Snarling, the Shadow transformed before their very eyes into a monster.)
The four-legged monster's appearance was akin to a turtle covered in the black armor of an ancient samurai, or perhaps a shogun; however, the double-jointed legs were far longer than a tortoise's, stretching high into the air and capped with gold on the knees. His serpentine head towered over Gilgamesh as it was; all told, the monstrous Shadow looked about as big as two or three Acolyte's Shadows smushed together.
"Megidolaon!"
And it keeps spamming! Snarling, Seiten Taisei fired off a Ziodyne, the lightning bolt smashing into the monster's face from the side. It was just enough to knock the attack off kilter. A white dome erupted off in the distance, causing native Archetypes to flee with terror. At that range, we're not going to have enough time to flee. The moment Mana Kirishima even tried to tear a hole from the Metaverse into reality, they'd just get blown up. "Okay kids, new plan! Flank and disorient!"
"Gotcha sensei!" yelled Toji, willing his Persona to set Mana and Mayumi down besides a small copse before rushing the monster's left flank. "Eiga!"
Kensuke, hanging onto Sinbad, had already gotten onto the opposite side. "Toxic Sting!" The Persona's scimitar seamlessly transformed into a bow-and-arrow; with a pull of the string, a venomous bolt went flying.
The dark energy splashed harmlessly over the side of the monster; the arrow embedded into the Shadow's side, yet the poison did not take effect.
'Look out, it's about to body slam the ground! Splash damage incoming!'
Mayumi's mental warning prompted Gilgamesh and Sinbad to back away; Seiten Taisei descended towards the ground, holding his staff forward to provide additional protection to Mana and Mayumi, who had ducked behind the former's shield. Sure enough, the Shadow's four arms tensed; it leapt several meters into the air, raising its thick paws enough so that its hardy, chelonian body crashed into the ground. A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact, blowing away cognitive trees into trace fragments of thought. Gilgamesh's feet dug trenches in the ground, but he remained standing; the lighter Sinbad went tumbling, using his arms to protect Kensuke as they skidded alongst the ground. Seiten Taisei managed to ward off most of the force, with AEGIS absorbing the remnants that trickled past.
Ryuji, ignoring the weary feeling in his limbs, ran a mental tally of this thing's capabilities. Powerful AOE attacks, incredibly durable...not too agile, but his size means he's pretty fast once he gets going. With intentionality, he mentally shouted, Did you get all of that, Yamagishi?!
'Oh! Um, yes!'
Then communicate this gameplan to the others and have them follow my lead!
'Yes sir!'
As Ryuji's plan was communicated to the other teens, the hulking beast's maw leaked noxious fumes. "Trial of Dark-" A Ziodyne crashed into his head, interrupting him. "Trial of-" Sinbad fired another Toxic Sting, striking the monster's cheek. "Trial-" An energy blade unleashed from Mana's axe — now standing atop Gilgamesh's shoulders, giving the burly speedster another long-range option — smashed against the side of his long neck. Seiten Taisei, Sinbad, and Gilgamesh continuously circled the beast, trying to keep him from launching another attack.
Needless to say, the monstrous Shadow was having none of it. "Megidolaon!" The creature's eyes flashed quickly, unleashing a wave of Almighty energy that forced everyone to retreat. With just a bit of breathing room, the beast finally spoke. "Trial of-"
Ryuji scowled. Damn it!
"-of Dark-"
The beast was interrupted by an interloper. "Mabufudyne." Icy clusters spawned over his head, sealing him tightly. The monster shook his neck wildly, impulsive roaring muffled by the icy seal.
Ryuji blinked as none other than the First Child descend from the sky, held within the arms of her Persona, Lilith. "Thanks for the backup!"
"This is a ferocious Shadow," Rei Ayanami murmured, her red eyes focusing intently upon the monster.
Frowning, he asked, "You got an idea of who it belongs to?!"
"That is the Shadow of Kiyotada Sumaru."
Ryuji grimaced, recalling the name with some disdain. "Ah. The old politician." And someone whose Shadow was once an inmate at the Great Northern Tower. (The curse of being a former A.T. Agent with deep connections.) At least it explains why this monster is so damn tough. "Destroying him is out of the question, then."
Rei seemed rather irritated about the reminder of political realities. "Do you believe that that the new government will care for his survival? He once launched a coup against the old government."
"I've already dealt with enough political wrangling to last a lifetime, and I'd rather not find out the hard way that he still has supporters over a decade later."
"...very well," relented Rei, her attention turning entirely upon Sumaru's Shadow as he finally broke the ice entrapping his head. "I will distract him."
xx
Rei Ayanami couldn't help but marvel, at least inwardly, at how mankind's mind could manifest in various ways.
Normally, a Shadow could not transform into a monster — a distorted self-image, or perhaps a corrupted Other Self — without being within its own Realm, the locus of a person's most potent thoughts and intentions. It had been one of the benefits of the 'Cognitive Protection Center' model of Shadow governance: constraining a Shadow's Realm to a specific mental space, where its influence on the general cognition of humanity could be minimized and regulated.
For Kiyotada Sumaru's Shadow to be so bestial in the open, it implied that his Realm was entirely mobile (a not uncommon occurrence for unregistered Shadows), or that his personal distortions weren't focused on a specific location...which, given his prior imprisonment in Siberia alongside a bunch of other dangerous Shadows, was also likely.
Either way...it was remarkably irritating in a way she was surprised by.
Her Other sighed.
"Why is your frustration a surprise?"
The Beast stoically gazed at a row of broken mirrors.
"He reminds you...of just how unfair it all is..."
As Rei and her Persona worked in tandem, a part of her mind pondered the irony of Kiyotada Sumaru — of all people — showing up once more.
Her Other gingerly read through an old scroll.
"A poor soul. A plaything of a falsified history. A man turned into a monster by a Rumor."
The Beast took the scroll back, placing it into an ancient chest. Solemnly, she locked it tight.
"And yet, a wretched existence for merely a time...he has survived, where others did not."
It was almost perverse. Lilith harried Sumaru's Shadow from above with a Vorpal Blade, whilst Rei ran on the ground in a direction contrary to Gilgamesh and Sinbad; Seiten Taisei flew above them all, with Ryuji and Mayumi hanging onto the simian's legs. Rei's red eyes focused on the serpentine neck and monstrous maw, wondering how much damage the monster could take before it finally went down. It's not his fault, she tried to tell herself, lashing out with one of her cross-tipped iron chains at exposed flesh. He is a mere victim, just like everyone else. He is not to be blamed for the role he played, however much a malcontent he tends to be.
Her Other quietly traced the scars on her knuckles.
"And yet that doesn't stop you from feeling bitter."
It was a testament to Rei's self-discipline that she didn't scowl in response to the trio of Megidolaons that forced them all back, clearing away vast tracts of forestry and scarring the land. "Rotten Flesh," hissed the Shadow, stomping the ground with glowing paws; a cancerous aura erupted like a wave, appearing as a literal tide of...well, rotting flesh.
'Jump!' echoed Mayumi's voice within her mind.
Lilith dove down, yanking Rei off of the ground and into the air; Sinbad and Gilgamesh both tensed their legs, leaping high above the tide, with Toji, Mana, and Kensuke hanging on for dear life. Their startled shouts (and expressions of disgust at how the ground now bore a coating of decaying viscera) did not distract Rei from the dark fumes around the Shadow's mouth. Yamagishi-san, we need to get away-
"Trial of Darkness!" howled Sumaru's Shadow, spewing forth a stream of blackened gas and tar that paradoxically bounced into the sky, swirling like an excitable mist.
"GET BACK!" roared Ryuji, even as Seiten Taisei fired a God's Hand into the tide.
Toji instantly obeyed, willing Gilgamesh to charge away with a Speed Riser...but not before grabbing Sinbad by the hand, all but yanking the lighter Persona along. Mana managed to awkwardly balance herself on Gilgamesh's shoulders, flinging more energy blades from LABRYS at the approaching tide.
Rei narrowed her eyes, reaching for the core of her strength. Time for my ultimate technique, then. As the dark wave approached, Lilith inhaled deeply. "Eden's..." Before she said another word, an unexpected sound reached her ears from afar...and it was growing closer. Is that...a motorcycle's engine...? Her eyes darted towards the sky.
Sure enough, a two-wheeled motorcycle was soaring downward from the clouds above, blazing a trail of azure flames; however, instead of Hell Biker's usual skeleton form, he was overshadowed by none other than Evangelion Unit-01...which lent an unnerving image of Shogoki clad in black leather, with its distinctive horned helmet burning with blue fire. The almost paradoxical inclusion of a sidecar — because Hell Biker did not normally have a sidecar! — was almost enough to detract from the Eva's terrible visage.
Shinji Ikari, for all his cares and worries about he came across to others in day-to-day life, was fortunately one who often lost track of how he appeared in the midst of battle. Hence why, without hesitation, he yelled out, "AIM FOR THE HEAD!"
That he was essentially ordering himself didn't matter; if that's what it took to give his cognition an extra boost, then so be it.
Hence why Sumaru's Shadow could only blink confusedly as an 'Evangelionized' Hell Biker smashed into the side of his head, burning wheel first.
xx
After Shinji Ikari's arrival...the battle took a rather anticlimactic turn. Such was the versatility of the Wild Card.
Sumaru's Shadow had tried for another Trial of Darkness; by that time, Shinji had already switched Hell Biker out for Sobek...who reflected Dark Skills.
It was a jarring sight, to see the stream of cancerous black bounce back in such a direct fashion, akin to a river being redirected into a surging fist. The impact had nearly knocked the Shadow off of his feet; delirious from the blow, he was unable to stop everyone else — Seiten Taisei, Gilgamesh, Sinbad, Lilith, and Mana Kirishima — from taking advantage of his weakness.
Hence how Ryuji Sakamoto found himself less than a half hour later, handing off his incapacitated Shadow to a trio of A.T. Agents that had responded to their call of assistance. With the Shadow having been beaten down, Sumaru was no longer in a 'monsterized' state; now, he appeared the part of an elderly politician, with his one idiosyncrasy being the shogun-esque samurai helm atop his head.
The relative simplicity with which the handover was happening honestly vexed Toji and Mana something fierce, judging by their cross expressions. "Um...are you two okay?" asked Shinji.
"It's nothing," grumbled Toji.
"Yeah," agreed Mana, looking more flummoxed than irritated. "It just feels...irritating, that it went down so quickly after you arrived."
"It is to be expected," calmly assuaged Rei, watching intently as the Anti-Terror Agents prepared Sumaru's Shadow for transport, locking him down with chains and wards designed to pacify his own cognition. "Ikari-san's ability to wield multiple Personas makes him versatile."
"Plus, he had a really cool entrance," joked Kensuke, adjusting his glasses in a dramatic fashion. "A dynamic entry, if you will."
"Useful in comedic or dramatic circumstances, depending on the genre," remarked Mayumi, adjusting her glasses in an equally dramatic fashion (only to blink at how she had inadvertently mimicked Kensuke). "Um...but it's not like it's new to us...?"
Toji snorted. "I mean, I get that. But it's still irritating. It's no fun being the weak one of the group."
"Then that would make all of us weak, Toji," griped Kensuke, nudging his friend in the side of the head. "Different skill sets for different roles. We just got caught flat-footed by an unexpected Shadow."
"...but why do we feel irritated, then? If we know that we shouldn't, and if we understand the reason why, then how come I still feel..." She made a complicated motion with her hands, trying to communicate the emotions spelled out on her face. "...like this?"
"Like you're lagging behind no matter how hard you run?" asked Toji.
"Like you're weighed down by something you can't get rid of no matter how often you throw it away?" observed Mayumi.
"Like you've got a stray hair that won't stay down no matter how much hairspray you use?" said Kensuke with a raised hand, a single index finger extended for emphasis.
Mana blinked confusedly. "...the other two fit more, but I guess that kinda works...?"
"Was going for a more lighthearted example," said Kensuke with a casual shrug.
Shinji squirmed awkwardly at the commentary about how his own abilities had introduced such tension.
"Struggling with your own faults and vices is...to be expected," remarked Rei, still staring intently at Sumaru's Shadow as he was quietly lifted upon the Persona — a flying carpet of sorts — of one of the visiting Agents. "It is a trial that no one is exempt from. Even if you improve...they will still linger, hanging onto your back."
"Preachin' to the choir there," muttered Kensuke.
There was a strange distance to Ayanami's words; did it have something to do with Kiyotada Sumaru himself? "Ayanami-san...did you know that man?" Did she fight him before his Shadow was imprisoned the first time around?
At this, Rei seemed to break out of her brief reverie with a slow blink. "...in a manner of speaking. From a long time ago..."
(Quietly, Kensuke whispered, "I smell a mystery.")
(Toji and Mayumi stared back. "Are you going to ask her?" asked the latter.)
("...no.")
("Thought so," smugly said Toji.)
"...thank you for coming to help them, Ayanami-san," Shinji said, with a slight bow. "I appreciate it."
"I was simply doing what was asked of me," she answered, watching stoically as the three A.T. Agents departed northward with their subdued quarry. "...I will continue on with my duties. Until we next meet." Without another word, she willed Lilith to pick her up by the shoulders, carrying her skyward to the west.
It was to this scene that Ryuji finally returned, watching Rei leave with a grimace. "Not even gonna hang around for the aftermath, eh?" Sakamoto turned his measured gaze back to Shinji. "Was nice to get backup from two Evangelion-users."
"Ah. I told Ayanami-san to come help since she was closer."
"And you knew we were in trouble because...?"
It was at this moment that Shinji noticed he was being stared at from everyone else. (He had enough determination to speak...but not enough to keep from sounding sheepish.) "Em...I got a text message from Ryoji Kaji's Shadow warning me about Sumaru's Shadow...?"
Ryuji stared flatly, whilst everyone else blinked.
Kensuke, naturally, asked the most sensible question. "How in the world did a Shadow text you?!"
"I was honestly wondering the same thing," admitted Shinji.
"...maybe let's break for lunch in the real world before trying to figure out how the Shadow of Katsuragi's ex is capable of texting people from the Metaverse," said Ryuji with a put-upon sigh, perfectly communicating his own exasperation without saying another word.
The five teenagers didn't protest the idea of lunch.
xxxx
/As the sun slowly sets upon Japan.../
Misato Katsuragi could have taken the train from Tokyo-3 to Osaka; if she had splurged for the Shinkansen bullet train, she likely would have made it there a couple of hours ago at least. Yet...the feeling of being behind the wheel had always been a pull she couldn't ignore. Going by vehicle also guaranteed at least two other things:
One — her 'luggage' wouldn't be subject to a more intrusive search (which, as far as she knew, had become much more strict on the railways following the destruction of Tokyo-2). Even with military checkpoints being a constant whether by road or by rail, those who staffed the highway checkpoints tended to just wave her on through once she showed both her A.T. Agent badge and her official identification card signifying her as a liaison with NERV.
Two — she had sufficient time to catch up with one particular custodian.
All in all, Sae Niijima had been put through the ringer, these past two weeks since the Fog of Desolation. "So in summary," Misato said into her phone, capping off a rather long discussion, "You are now the senior ranking member of the Special Custodial Service, and one of the highest-ranking survivors of the Equal Employment, Child, and Families Bureau. Because of the actual records you managed to save from the Special Custodial Service's database, you've been 'asked' to coordinate the development and growth of the equivalent departments at the prefectural level." Because the damage done during the Fog of Desolation — both by the event itself, and the shadowy masked Remnants that had been spawned by it — had not only killed almost all members of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, but had damaged much of the available physical and electronic records. Coalescing and harmonizing the saved data with records kept on the prefectural level would have to be bridged by the work of local custodians to fill in the gaps; it would be an immense work project. If not a monumental work, then certainly a time-consuming one. "Which all means your ability to check in on your wards is pretty much bupkis. That about sum it up?"
"Basically," dryly admitted Sae. "And to summarize your new developments, you're about to become the new Warden of Tokyo-3's Cognitive Protection Center, effective September the 14th." The day after the next new moon, it went unsaid. "Which means you'll essentially be local for the foreseeable future, which can only be a good thing from my perspective."
"I think you're vastly underestimating how much my workload's going to increase," griped Misato.
"A fair point. Fortunately, your status as the legal guardian for Mana-san and Yamagishi-san has bureaucratic inertia. So long as you maintain your position as the Task Force's liaison to NERV Headquarters, the legal protections they offer to those two girls will still hold up."
"...fair enough," she grumbled, thankful to not be more involved in the arcane minutiae of child welfare laws than she already was. (That said laws intersected far too often with laws dealing with cognitive powers was something she had long resigned herself to.) "What about the Suzuharas?"
"So long as Sakura Suzuhara is bedridden and de facto comatose, it's only a matter of ensuring her continued tenure at the Kobayakawa Memorial Hospital. As for Toji Suzuhara, I'm pleased to say that Ryuji Sakamoto has taken to certain aspects of being a guardian on an informal basis."
"Yeah," admitted Misato with a somewhat fond expression. Glad there's someone I can entrust all those brats to without worrying my head off. (That said brats tended to find their way into trouble — regardless of the efforts of any adults in their vicinity — went without saying.) "...but if you're going to be swamped for the foreseeable future, who am I going to be speaking to for custodial matters? Given the provisional government, is there someone in Kanagawa Prefecture I'll need to speak to?"
"I may be able to get two assigned to you. One for the Suzuharas, and one for the two girls under your care."
"What, one can't pull your old workload?" snarked Misato.
"I've been in this game for a long time. And with experience came seniority, and trust that I could handle it," snarked Sae right back. "The two I'm thinking of haven't been in the game for half as long as I have, so their workload is naturally going to be smaller."
"Fair enough. Can I at least have some names?"
"I'll be emailing you their custodial brochures, but it'll be Yuko Nishiwaki for Mana-san and Yamagishi-san; Kazushi Miyamoto for the Suzuharas. I think their personality profiles will mesh rather well with the children's needs."
"That so? Any other reason you're thinking of them?"
"...honestly? Given how often the Suzuharas and your wards interact due to Metaverse-related reasons, the fact that Nishiwaki and Miyamoto are dating honestly makes things less difficult," admitted Sae. "Better to have custodians who are on relatively good terms with each other if they end up having to work more closely given circumstances."
Misato couldn't help but frown. "And if things go south and their relationship goes sour?"
"Those two are a living romcom anime," huffed Sae. "I don't think you'll have anything to worry about on that front."
"We should all be so lucky," muttered Misato under her breath. "...what kind of romcom, though?"
"Judging by how some of my coworkers have described it...Nishiwaki is 'ultra tsundere', and Miyamoto is 'the dense protagonist'. If that makes any sense to you."
"More than you might realize," admitted Misato with a wry smile and the rolling of her eyes.
As night finally settled over Japan, Misato found herself pulling up in front of a rather large warehouse outlet on the outskirts of the Osaka metropolitan area; the storefront was sufficiently modern, but the warehouse it was connected to hinted at a huge supply chain. Hope this trip was worth it, she thought to herself, adjusting the straps of her backpack. She entered the store, beelining it to the nearest associate. "Excuse me," she said, pulling out the business card that had been given to her in Tokyo-3, "Is Fuuka Konoe available for an repair job? She was specifically recommended."
In short order, Misato was escorted through through aisles of modern electronics, with the materials becoming older the further she went; it eventually reached the point where there were enough parts hanging off of the walls that one could rebuild a PC that would have been old during her childhood. She was finally brought to an office near the back, where she was told to wait by the associate. Misato quietly tapped her elbow, hoping this would be quicker than going through the normal repair request queue at the front of the store. I REALLY hope so. Finally, the door opened, and the bespectacled associate gestured for her to enter the backrooms of the store. Misato let herself be guided to a large office, filled with bins, a microwave humming at low power, soldering equipment, and more server towers and monitors than she knew what to do with. Typing away at a keyboard was a woman — around Misato's age, possibly a bit younger — with teal-blue hair, clad in a shawl that looked fit for a grandmother. Huh. Really old-fashioned for someone my age. "Konoe-san?"
The woman's brownish-gray eyes flickered over to her. "...ah. You match the description from Kanomura-san. Misato Katsuragi from the Anti-Terror Task Force?"
The name rung a brief bell. "The manager from your Tokyo-3 location told you about me?"
"He was under the impression that your request was urgent, and decided to call ahead." How thoughtful, Misato thought with a pleased huff. Fuuka continued, "Is equipment repair what you're focusing on, or is it the data you're more concerned with?"
"Data, absolutely. But I still need the physical drives returned."
"Is there anything else I need to know about them?" she inquired, briefly turning back to her main monitor; several sequences of keys pressed coincided with lines of code being written on whatever program she was working on. "Is it part of an investigation?"
Misato arched an eyebrow. "Who wants to know?"
Fuuka, suddenly blinking out of realization, nervously fiddled with the long braid of hair going down her shoulder. "Ah. Well...as far as Anti-Terror Agents go, your name keeps popping up in news releases related to the Evangelion-users...so you're a little notorious...?"
Misato could barely resist the urge to snort. Figures. "What, you a fan? Or a critic?"
"Not at all; but sometimes I overhear my coworkers talk and speculate. It is a very eventful time; people like to gossip. Even when there's work that needs to be done..."
"...the stuff on these drives is needed for an investigation," she relented, hoisting her backpack off of her shoulders. "Real confidential."
Fuuka nodded. "I understand. We try to respect our customers' privacy as much as possible. Just know that I will have to view some files in order to ensure they're not corrupted. I will defer to your authority, but depending on the contents, I may be obligated to report them."
Standard boilerplate stuff; nothing to worry about. "Eh, this stuff is from a private research institute. I doubt you'll find anything icky on there that'll require you to contact the cops." At least, I HOPE not. "Here."
Fuuka frowned at the sight of the backpack, even as the associate which had escorted Misato audibly cringed at the sight. "This...isn't exactly a secure way of handling electronics..."
"Part of the reason I came all the way here to get them repaired," she admitted, intentionally ignoring the employee's incensed whisper of 'Uncultured barbarian' from behind her. "Can you fix them?"
As the microwave further down the desk went 'ding', Fuuka remarked, "I'll have to check first." Sliding along the floor in her chair, she opened up the microwave, revealing two bowls of what looked like spicy homemade noodle soup. "Slow and steady makes for the best meal..."
It was at that point that Misato's stomach decided to growl. "...don't mind me," she muttered with an embarrassed flush. "I've had a long drive."
Fuuka smiled slightly. "Understandable: you get in a long stretch of work, and things can just slip by. I know the feeling..."
"Two bowls?" observed Misato, wondering whether a petite lady like Konoe was going to eat it all.
"I need two when I have to pull an all-nighter," Fuuka admitted, briefly sipping from a can of green tea. "My special 'Onward to Dawn' recipe, with enough kick to keep me going!" Her brief bout of good cheer was quickly diminished. "Though none of my coworkers seem to like it..."
Misato's traitorous stomach grumbled once more. "Hell, it smells good enough that I'd be willing to take a bite." To her surprise, Konoe actually slid the second bowl over, complete with chopsticks. "Seriously?"
"If anyone wants to try my food, I'll never turn them down!" exclaimed Fuuka with an odd cheer.
(Misato, as a result of intentionally ignoring the snooty associate that had escorted her to Fuuka Konoe's office, missed his sudden expression of panic and dread.)
"...well, I'm sure not going to turn down free food," said Misato, snapping the chopsticks and digging in. If there was a certain violet aura emanating from the bowl, she didn't register its existence.
("We're going to get sued so bad," quietly hissed the associate, waiting for Misato's inevitable doom.)
As Misato audibly slurped from the noodles, she loosed a hoarse yet hearty gasp. "Woo! This stuff has some kick to it!" As she went to take another bite, she saw Fuuka looking at her strangely. "Eh?"
"...you like it?" asked Fuuka with a blink.
"I mean, if I didn't like it, I'd tell you," bluntly said Misato.
(The associate's expression of dread had transformed into one of utter bewilderment and disbelief.)
In response to this, Fuuka suddenly smiled beatifically. "You know, I think I'll prioritize your request. I'll even make it a rush order. But first," she said, turning to her own bowl. "Time to refuel."
Misato grinned, unsure of what she had done to get the woman to focus on her repair order first, but certainly unwilling to complain about it. "Sweet!" Looks like coming down here was worth the trip after all.
("Just gonna back away slowly," murmured the associate, watching with dumbfounded eyes as the customer imbibed his boss's deadly concoction. "Just gonna ignore what I witnessed..." Truly, ignorance was bliss, for no one would ever believe him.)
xxxx
/Misato's Apartment, Tokyo-3/
Whether it be due to happenstance or not, Ryuji Sakamoto ended up watching over Mana, Mayumi, Toji, Kensuke, and Shinji within Katsuragi's apartment. It made more sense once she texted that she would be staying overnight at a hotel in Osaka, so it only felt natural to be their chaperone. Though, once school starts back up, it'll essentially only be Kirishima who doesn't have a spot to go to...wonder if Katsuragi's thought about that. Fortunately, the kids had managed to distract themselves with a game of mahjong that had been lying around; it was a version with, amusingly enough, Archetypes instead of traditional symbols.
("I'm surprised there are nine variants of Jack Frost," admitted Shinji with a blink.)
("Nine? As if it was reduced to just that!" said Kensuke as he shuffled the tiles. "Jack Frost, Pyro Jack, Jack Ripper, Black Frost, King Frost, Frost Ace, Lucifer Frost, Petit Frost, the Frost Five-")
("Some of those sound like a bit of a stretch," bluntly interrupted Toji.)
With the exception of that day's battle against Kiyotada Sumaru's Shadow (which, again, felt like it had come out of nowhere), the missions the rest of the evening had been relatively...simple. Probably because Ikari was eager to move past the awkwardness of how he found out about Sumaru's Shadow. He hadn't grilled the kid too harshly during their late lunch (because that would have involved their fresh soba getting cold), but he somehow doubted that Katsuragi would have reacted well to Kaji's Shadow texting Shinji Ikari...which, again, was somehow a thing. How does a Shadow text someone?
("So are we yelling 'sik wu' or 'mahjong' when we get a winning hand?" asked Mayumi.)
(Kensuke audibly hummed. "Hmm...you know, given that they're Archetypes, maybe we can shout 'Persona'!")
(Shinji blinked. "...but I'm sitting out for the first game, and I'm the only one of us who can actually use other Archetypes as Personas...")
("Irrelevant!")
I'll have to talk with Katsuragi about it. I don't know how to feel about such a flaky guy reaching out to an Evangelion-user...much less his rogue Shadow. Even IF his decision to point Ikari our way ended up saving our bacon. The overall motives were elusive; what reason did Ryoji Kaji have to stay away? Hmm...
("...did everyone finish their summer homework?" asked Mayumi out of the blue.)
("We'll finish it tomorrow," impulsively answered Shinji, Toji and Kensuke simultaneously.)
(Mayumi frowned. "Procrastinating isn't good...")
("But it's so dull," groaned Toji.)
("How bad could homework be compared to fighting an Angel? Or the Reaper?" asked Mana.)
("...well, if you put it that way..." Toji shook his head. "No, never mind, just shut up and play!")
It was odd, how deeply he'd gotten involved with this little motley crew of teenage brats. Maybe not odd...I've always had a nose for troublemakers. Yet, there was an undeniable tension that seemed to linger in the atmosphere, one that lent an air of subtle oppression to day-to-day life. The Fog of Desolation, Tohru Adachi, Strega, the formulation of the new government, criminal Shadows on the loose, and the Angels above all else...hard to know what to focus on. But that was life: they had no choice but to deal with it one step at a time.
Before his thoughts could continue, a beer slid across the kitchen table towards him. Impulsively catching it, Ryuji arched an eyebrow at the sight of Pen-Pen popping open his own can of Yebisu. "Heh. You sure the boss lady won't mind you sharing the booze?"
"Wark."
"...fair enough," he admitted, somehow understanding the bird's intent. I'd probably end up paying her back anyhow. He gazed over to the living room, where the first hand appeared to end in a draw. "You know, you're a troublesome little fowl." This declaration elicited a confused head tilt from Pen-Pen. "You heard me. That elusive Mister P, who looks so much like you...he's giving your owner fits."
"Wark," he dryly quacked, the sound of shuffling tiles filling the air.
"...probably not your fault. Would be pretty unlikely, for you to actually be Mister P...just my opinion. Know why?" Taking a contemplative sip of his beer, Ryuji calmly said, "Because that means you're being an awful dick to Katsuragi for no reason. Can't imagine why you'd do that."
"Wark."
...not sure what response I was expecting. Then again, he was talking to a penguin...
"PERSONA!"
Ryuji and Pen-Pen looked back at the five teens in the living room, where the winner of the second hand had excitedly declared her victory.
Mayumi Yamagishi, cognizant of her sudden outburst, immediately sat down. "Um. Yes. Persona," she said, gesturing at her winning hand of fourteen tiles. "...I didn't mean to shout."
"It's all part of the game," Ryuji called out, making sure a warm smile was affixed to his face. "Enjoy your youth. You'll be back at school soon enough as is..."
"Don't remind us, Sakamoto-sensei!" groused Toji.
"I won't," said Mana. "Is it that big of a deal?"
At that comment, the others went quiet. "...you know, I'm not sure if you'd be classified as lucky or not..." said Kensuke. In response to her incredulous stare, he quickly amended his comment. "I mean, every dark cloud has a silver lining, right...?"
"Ken."
"Yes Toji?"
"Shut up."
"I'll take that advice."
Ryuji audibly snorted, finding a strange joy in how the quintet veered back and forth between awkwardness with nary a pause, acknowledging it while not letting it bog them down for too long. One of the benefits of being comrades in battles of life and death...
Sakamoto ruminated on his melancholy thoughts, as the children played onward, until it was finally time to turn in.
(All told, 'Persona-style' mahjong with friends...was an invigorating activity for Shinji Ikari, all things considered...)
xxxx
/Izanami Dorms, Hakone Academy/
As Rei Ayanami phased into the stairwell leading to the second floor, her senses sparkled (for lack of a better term) at the weight of the souls present within the building. Ah. The new term starts on Monday. A majority of the students had already returned from their summer break. Time to resume old routines, she mused, preparing to fall into old habits and worn methods. If nothing else, the repetition could serve as a mental balm.
The presence of Kiyotada Sumaru's Shadow had been...unexpected. Yet, who could she blame? Ryoji Kaji's Shadow was simply following his own purpose — however misguided she may have believed him to be — to the best of his ability, and it's not like she could fault him for warning Shinji Ikari; had he not, she would not have arrived in time to aid Sakamoto and the others. And yet none of those truths do anything for my irritation.
Could she blame Sumaru for surviving to the present age? Not justly, no...yet the the unfairness of it all was galling. But right do I have, to complain of fairness?
None of this turmoil made itself known on her face; resolutely moving towards Room 1 on the second floor, she suddenly frowned for an entirely different reason. Even from outside her dorm room, she could tell that someone was within. Well...I suppose it's not unexpected. She was assigned to Room 2-1. Without qualm, she swiped her room card, unlocking the door to her dorm. Stepping inside, her red eyes fell upon a redhead. "Sohryu-san."
Asuka Langley-Sohryu, fiddling with her phone — playing a game? — didn't even bother to look up from her bed; to no surprise, the Second Child had claimed the top bunk — the 'high ground', as she would have phrased it — on the other side of the room. "Hey, First."
"I hope you have adapted well to your new quarters," she quietly said, nonchalantly disrobing to put on cleaner clothes. I have to remember that I have roommates now. Again. Her preferences for clothing (or rather, the lack thereof) would have to accommodate her fellows.
Asuka, pointedly not looking in her direction, griped, "Adapting is putting it mildly. I'm just destressing after a busy day. Also trying to ignore the fact I'm going to have to go to school after the weekend."
"I am sure you will be fine," she quietly replied, pulling a plain white shirt over her head. I should be welcoming of her. I should help her adjust to life at Hakone Academy. It would be the efficient thing to do. And yet, the energy to do so felt...absent. She would have time to do something about it...if someone as lively as the Second Child even needed her help for such things. "Good night, Sohryu-san."
"'Night."
Rei Ayanami quietly slid under blankets, turning on her side to face the wall. Hopefully, by the morning, the memories stirred up by her encounter with Sumaru's Shadow would have settled...
Her Other shook her head sadly.
"You know better than that by now."
xx
Asuka couldn't keep the grimace off of her face as the First Child turned in. Well. Not exactly the warmest of welcomes. Then again, she herself wasn't any friendlier after a day full of missions. I mean, I wouldn't be receptive of someone intruding on my space, even if it was a coworker. After all, it hadn't taken a lot of digging around to find out that Rei was the only one who lived in this room; notwithstanding the utter lack of presence of anyone other than Ayanami, it hadn't taken long for her to hear rumors from those in the common rooms. And I bet word will spread by tomorrow through the rest of the dormitory that Ayanami actually has a roommate. Lovely. Gossip and rumormongers were present everywhere, it seemed.
Her Other huffed.
"Are you the type to let this bring you down? It'll get better."
...I REALLY hope this isn't a waste of time. I could be doing better things, Asuka thought, petulantly tapping at her phone screen. Eh, I'll feel better once I clear this level...
A small creature comfort, in the grand scheme of things...but a comfort nonetheless.
xxxx
Elsewhere within Tokyo-3, a young man slept away in his own apartment...
...and when he awoke, he was in a place that hadn't visited since he had officially 'awoken' into this new time. "...the Velvet Room," murmured Goro Akechi, looking down at himself with uncertainty. His clothes were surprisingly in flux; it was as though he wore the garb of the second Detective Prince, the Black Mask, and the Warden of Tokyo-3's CPC, all at once. The shifting made him grimace. "I suppose I still don't know who I truly am..."
"And is that so bad? Finding out who you are...discovering your purpose...are they not hallmarks of life?"
Akechi grimaced, looking at the face of the quiet stranger. "Why am I here? I was under the impression this wasn't supposed to happen until much later."
"We're still playing it safe. But I wanted to provide you insight into the...'proposition', that I mentioned previously."
A half-remembered dream filtered through Akechi, from the last night of August, as one month gave way to another. "Why does it involve coming here?"
"And where, exactly, is 'here'?" challenged the stranger. "You may lie between mind and matter...but you have not fully crossed over into the gap between dream and reality."
"Explain," demanded Akechi, looking around with sudden alarm. True, he seemed to be standing on a platform of blue tiles and cobalt fencing, floating amidst a starry abyss...and true, the piano's song was vaguely muffled...yet the door at the edge of the expanse was undoubtedly that of the Velvet Room. "If I am not in the Velvet Room, then where are we?"
"Though you have not established a contract with the Velvet Room yourself...you are allowed to partake of it to some extent, by virtue of my contract. And that comes with certain allowances."
"...like what?" asked Akechi with suspicion.
"To put it simply: you are merely dreaming. Anything that happens within a dream, is simply that...and nothing so fundamental as summoning a Persona, or establishing a 'Social Link', as Igor is so fond of calling them. Such would draw attention we can't afford, yes?"
"I don't need you to remind me of the stakes. Get to the point," snarled Akechi.
The quiet stranger chuckled. "To put it simply...holding back is an exercise of patience and temperance for you, simply because you can remember. Yet as with all things, powers and abilities which are not practiced will eventually fade away...and that could be dangerous, no?"
Akechi read between the lines immediately. To be honest, he couldn't disagree with the prospect. "A place where I can finally shed these accursed shackles?" He jostled the manacles on his wrists for added effect. "A place where I can least feel free, even if only for a little while?!"
"You know I disagree with your perceptions regarding your supposed lack of freedom...but yes. As but a mere dream, it would normally accomplish nothing, and would be scoured away by the light of morning...yet here, on the threshold of the Velvet Room, we can be afforded some degree of permanence." At his words, the blue door suddenly opened up. "Ah, good timing Elizabeth."
Akechi's eyes shifted towards the woman in a bellhop's uniform, a strange expression on her face: an uncertain smile, mixed with savage glee. "...you are Arisato's Attendant," cautiously said Akechi.
"Oh? I imagine my dear Guest has spoken volumes about me." The woman held a thick, hardback book in one hand. "I hope he wasn't too flattering. I'm not sure how I would be able to make it up to him otherwise~"
"You of all people should know that he doesn't talk about his past unless he absolutely has to," said Akechi, eyeing the book — a Persona Compendium, no doubt — with intrigue. "...I doubt this little 'proposition' was all just for me," he said, speaking to the quiet stranger. "You want me to test this out for the other Wild Cards," he deduced, as a statement of fact.
"Indeed. A place where they can keep themselves sharpened to whatever degree is necessary. A place that, so long as it remains within the boundary of a dream, never crossing beyond its borders...should remain beyond the sight of our true enemy, at least for a time."
"And you are to be our illustrious guinea pig!" exclaimed Elizabeth, summoning a statuesque man with purple skin, wave blond hair, and white underwear that covered entirely too little. "I believe you have a Loki of your own, no?"
Akechi, in all honesty, was too skeptical...and yet, for all his cynicism, he could not fault the Velvet Room's residents as being anything but straightforward, in his experience. (If he had ever possessed an Attendant of his own, he would heartily disagree with that notion.) The word of the unfailingly polite voice in his head, alas, was the final straw. "You are sure?" asked Akechi. The quiet stranger simply wove his hand, a gesture communicating all too clearly that he was free to act. "Well...in that case..." His voice seemed to take on a husky quality, fit for the sheer frustration and anger that seemed to crawl on his back like weights, even now. "...I'll certainly oblige! Come...LOKI!" At that instance, the garb of the Black Mask — a perverted mockery of a Featherman costume, a hero lost to darkness — overshadowed him in a burst of red; meanwhile the black-and-white abstract humanoid that was Goro Akechi's Loki manifested, perched atop the hilt of a crimson sword. "If you want a test, then I'll gladly oblige!" he snarled, even as he smiled.
Elizabeth giggled at the youthful burst of rage. "Just know that I don't grade on a curve. I have too many as it is!"
Lo, within a distant dream, Loki clashed with Loki, and black clashed with blue.
And all the while, the quiet stranger observed in silence.
xxxx
END OF 9/4/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: One day, Shinji and Asuka will actually meet each other face-to-face. One day!
Anyhow, it's been awhile; let's have a recap of Persona moves for the non-Shinji characters.
Rei: Persona is Lilith *Resist Ice, Weak Fire*
LILITH: Megido, Mabufudyne, Mamudoon, Megidola, Spirit Drain, Life Drain, Vorpal Blade, Eden's Fall (Unique: Move not yet shown)
Kensuke: Persona is Sinbad *No Resistances or Weaknesses*
SINBAD: Toxic Sting (causes Poison), Madness Needle (causes Confusion), Mist Rush (causes Blind), Headbutt (causes Fear), Lovetap (causes Charm), Dormin Rush (causes Sleep to all), Lucky Punch, Concealment
Pen-Pen (Mister P): Persona is Gryphon *Resist Wind/Bless, Weak Elec/Dark*; also possesses unique Force Skills and Diamrita
GRYPHON: Miracle Punch, Wings of Fury (Unique: Heavy Physical + Wind damage, makes gale force fists), Heavenly Flex (Unique: Heavy Almighty+Light damage with a chance of causing either Fear, Dizzy, Confuse, Despair, or Brainwash), Mediarama, Recarm, Amrita Drop, Regenerate 2, Invigorate 2
Toji: Persona is Gilgamesh *Resist Dark/Phys, Weak Wind/Gun*
GILGAMESH: Maeiga, Eiga, Speed Buster (Unique: Random Taru/Raku/Sukunda + Single Heavy Physical running attack), Speed Riser (Unique: Random Taru/Raku/Sukukaja + AOE Light Physical running attack), Diarama, Speed Smasher (Unique:Random Taru/Raku/Sukunda + Random Taru/Raku/Sukukaja + Single Medium Physical running attack, with 5% Recoil)
Mana: Only uses her axe and shield.
LABRYS: Absorbs the essence of enemies defeated, and can convert them into long-range strikes. Converts spiritual energy absorbed from Ghosts to empower Mana. Capable of operating independently once Mana's synchronization reaches a certain threshold.
AIGIS: Absorbs attacks, and can reflect them back at enemies. Converts spiritual energy absorbed from Ghosts to empower Mana. Capable of operating independently once Mana's synchronization reaches a certain threshold.
Mayumi: Persona is Armisael
ARMISAEL: No specific movesets yet as the Navigator Persona. Currently working on developing a new skill where Archetypes can be summoned for single-use attacks. (Think along the lines of the Blue Mage or Dark Knight class.)
Asuka: Persona is Matilda *Resist Fire, Weak Ice*
MATILDA: Brain Slapper (Unique: multi-target Light Physical Damage all foes from 1 to 4 times, with random chance of causing either Confuse or Fear or Rage), Agilao, Zionga, Sukukaja, Masukunda, Freila, Endure, Mind Cutter (Unique: Move not yet shown)
Misato: Persona is Tokoyo *Null Ice/Wind, Resist Phys/Gun/Fire/Elec, Weak Nuke/Psy*
TOKOYO: Rampage, Rising Slash, Myriad Slashes, Garudyne, Magarula, Heat Riser, Wage War, High Counter
Keita: Scion of Leliel, Persona is Phobos *Unknown Resistance/Affinity*
PHOBOS: Ziodyne, Maziodyne, Freidyne, Mafreidyne, Death Scythe (Severe Phy + Fear), Dekunda, Spirit Drain, Fear's Panic (Unique: Move not yet shown)
Musashi: Scion of Iruel, Persona is Deimos *Unknown Resistance/Affinity*
DEIMOS: Makajama, Negative Pile (Heavy Phys + Despair), Bad Beat (Medium Phys All + Despair), Debilitate, Dekaja, Life Drain, Terror's Dread (Unique: Move not yet shown)