2025-07-03: The Taste of Freedom
- Log: 2025-07-03: The Taste of Freedom
- Cast: Haru Okumura, Morgana, Hisayoshi Sugimura
- Where: Shibuya Station
- OOC Date: July 3, 2025
- IC Date: Monday, Jun 04, 2012
- Summary: Haru stumbles upon the Dark Hour after trying to help a mysterious, lovable cat. To that cat's surprise, she emerges from her coffin at the call of a Shadow that wears the face of her fiance - only to successfully muster the power of Persona against him.
<Pose Tracker> Hisayoshi Sugimura has posed.
"Can you believe this traffic?" Hisayoshi Sugimura complains.
It isn't the first time he has complained today, nor the first time he has complained about traffic. He isn't even expecting Haru Okumura to respond, really. No, her fiancee is complaining because he can -- because it establishes his control over a situation, in that subtle way.
If he doesn't like it, neither should she.
They are being chauffered in a car, hired by his father. A nice, four door sedan. It is presently stuck in traffic at Shinjuku crossing. The driver, dutifully, is quiet. A middle-aged man, with a black suit on. His sunglasses are off, now; it's creeping close to midnight.
"You know, Haru-chan, maybe..." And she knows what sort of thing he is about to suggest, to be certain.
But, as it happens, something crosses her field of vision, by the station. A flash of black.
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
Given the late hour, a flash of black might have been all there was to it. But it pauses, limping a step before looking around Shibuya Station, having just emerged from the underground entrance.
It's a cat. A sweet, adorable thing--mostly black, with a white muzzle, paw pads, tail tip. There looks to be an injury on one of its back legs--a little patch of red. The poor thing is bleeding... It looks exhausted too, based on the way it's carrying itself. Once it confirms there's no one nearby--clearly it's not counting traffic--it circles halfway around and slumps next to the underground entrance, where it starts licking its wounds.
It's got a yellow collar on, so it's not a stray, either. Could this be someone's lost pet cat?
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"Yes, the traffic is quite bad at this hour..." Haru replies, absent-mindedly. No, it isn't because she actually cares about the traffic. These inconveniences are simply a part of life, and there is a privilege in being escorted by car instead of having to take public transport like almost everyone else. She doesn't dare point that out to her fiance, because she knows it's the last thing he wants to hear from her. So it is that the traffic is worth complaining about, then.
Silence returns to the car after that, as Haru simply refuses to initiate anything beyond small talk with the man she is to marry. It's him, who breaks it, as he's about to make a suggestion. "...It is getting to be quite late, and tomorrow is a school day." Haru reminds him, not giving him 'no' for an answer, but remaining non-committal on what he's implying. But before the conservation can turn into a (likely one-sided) argument, Haru notices that black flash.
"Oh-- did you see that? It looks like a small cat..." Haru glances out the window, seeing more clearly a dark-furred cat in the middle of the station. "He's hurt, the poor thing... shouldn't we look for his owner or at least take him in for the night?" It's a temporary escape, perhaps, from her current situation. But Haru also isn't the type of person who would want to leave a poor, injured cat to die in the cold night.
<Pose Tracker> Hisayoshi Sugimura has posed.
Sugimura frowns a little at the mention of it being a school day tomorrow. But then, before he can argue, there is mention of a cat. He hadn't even seen the cat, of course. He turns his head to look out the window. "A cat? There's a ton of cats around here."
He sounds dismissive. Bored, almost. He is the type of person who would leave a poor, injured cat to die in the cold night.
But there are three people in the car. The driver -- who has stayed silent, as expected by Sugimura -- chooses that moment to hit the brakes. Right in front of the station, right where that cat went inside.
"Ugh," Sugimura groans, as he looks out the windshield. "We didn't make the light. We're gonna be here for another ten minutes!"
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
The light turns green; traffic crawls; the light turns red; the escort vehicle does not make it past. It's a wonder why traffic is this bad this late at night. Is there some kind of event going on in the city?
...Well, that's not this cat's concern. Being June, the night isn't *that* cold, but this is the rainy season, and the skies are overcast; it might well rain later, and that's a miserable time to be lost and hurt. There's plenty of places to find refuge in this area, but an injured cat could be an easy target for some of the nastier types that might willfully stay out this late. The trains have already stopped for the night, but that doesn't stop some folks...
The cat looks up abruptly, right towards where Haru is. It gets up to its feet, and for some reason looks up at the sky. Maybe a drop of rain fell already? It starts to limp away. If Haru's going to catch it to take it in, especially with no carrier or anything like that, she'll need to move now.
The clock ticks closer and closer to midnight...
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Sugimura doesn't care. Of course doesn't. "Yes, but this one-- it's-" How can he be so heartless, she wants to ask. In the condition the cat's in, it could easily be hit by a car and succumb to its injuries. At the same time, the traffic's tight enough that if they slow down, they might not make it past the next light...
The timing is as such that they don't make it anyways. When Haru sees the red light, she sees her chance - especially as Sugimura complains they'll be here for ten more minutes. It's more than enough time. "I'm going to check on the cat... I'll be right back!" Haru calls back, swinging the passenger door open and climbing out - abruptly making a break for the station.
Haru's pace slows as she gets closer to Morgana, quickly checking behind her shoulder to see if Hisayoshi decided to follow her. Once close enough, she gets on a knee and reaches her arm out... he may not be a stray, but she doesn't know if he'll be good with strangers, especially if his owner is nowhere to be found. "Hey, kitty.. you're hurt, aren't you? Don't you have someone looking for you?" She speaks gently, only for the cat to walk away - as if it somehow has somewhere it needs to be.
It must be looking for its owner, she thinks. She follows Morgana closer and closer, until the view of the station's clock catches her eye - which Haru pays attention to, because she'll need to be back in the car within those ten minutes. Tick, tick, tick...
The clock strikes midnight.
<Pose Tracker> Hisayoshi Sugimura has posed.
"Eh? Haru-chan--wait, what are you doing?"
Haru swings out of the passenger door. And Sugimura is many things, but he is not particularly agile or coordinated. He is fumbling with his seatbelt while Haru is already out of the car, and rushing towards Morgana. He isn't doing a very good job of following her.
The station's clock strikes midnight. And everything changes.
It's a pale, sickly green light that spreads over the station's exterior. And at first, it's as if Haru has fallen asleep. No, something deeper than sleep. But then there is a voice -- and it calls to her.
He calls to her. It's Sugimura's voice, but it's distorted. Strange.
"Haru-chan... Haru-chan!"
And sensation comes back for Haru. It's dark because she is inside something. It has a velvet-like, plush lining -- and one movement, and there is a CREAK. The door opens--
And she spills out of a coffin. There are other coffins around. Two in the car that she was in; ones dotting the ground here and there. And from the station, there is a light, slightly red glow.
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
The cat looks up sharply when Haru suddenly gets out of a nearby car and hurries over to him. His body tenses as cats are wont to do when startled, but he doesn't run away. Up close, its eyes are startlingly blue in a way a cat's eyes arguably should never be. But he doesn't flee, and when Haru slows and kneels, it--meows a bunch. Way more than you would expect a cat to do! It's too bad that cats can't talk for real, because it sure would be nice to understand what it's saying, huh?
The cat's gaze shoots to Sugimura behind her, chasing after her. Tick, tick, tick--
Reality changes.
Morgana heaves a sigh, wobbling up on his back feet. One of them is injured--the result of a tangle with a Shadow on his way out of Mementos--and he was too worn out to heal it directly. "That's why I told you you should get back in your car..." he grumbles at the young woman who's now a coffin. "Oh, well. It's not like you can come to any harm anyway--"
There is a subtle shift in the air. The coffin begins to creak open. Morgana's already comically large eyes bug open as he flails. "Woah!!" And then... he scampers around a corner, legs zooming cartoonishly (even with the injury) until he's looped around and can cautiously watch what's going on with this girl.
"She just emerged during the Dark Hour... What on earth is she?" he murmurs sotto voce to himself.
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"You really are a chatty little kitty, aren't you?" Haru giggles, though she's sure he has a lot to complain about, considering his leg is injured. "Don't worry, everything will be just..." She trails off, as the hand of the clock strikes midnight, and everything suddenly changes. Everything goes dark -- and not just because it's midnight. It's the absence of sensation, entirely, until a voice calls.
That voice seems to immediately throw her out of her slumber. But where is she? Did someone attack her while she was... what was she even doing again? How long has it been since they were in the car? Other than that, it's dark, and she feels confined. Oh god, did someone kidnap her? That panic begins to set in, and just as quickly... it fades, because...
It's that voice that seems to draw her out further. At first it sounds subtly muffled, as if hearing someone wake you up from a deep sleep - but the first thing Haru registers that the voice must belong to her finace. He must have come looking for her. That's all it takes for the coffin to enter, and for her to take a careful step out to see a sickly green sky... and that red light.
Seeing that cat reminds her of what she came here for, but somehow, it doesn't quite register that he's changed with the night, too. And the cat's almost-human like vocalized yelp isn't even the strangest part of this situation. In any case, he's gone... and for some reason, it's the off-red light that's the most important thing to follow right now.
"Sugimura-san? Sugimura-san, where are you? What is happening...?" She follows his voice, single-mindedly - somehow knowing even in this strange situation, if she doesn't listen to him, it will mean nothing but more trouble for her.
<Pose Tracker> Hisayoshi Sugimura has posed.
"Haru-chan! You better get over here!"
The voice seems almost disembodied, at first. If Haru knew the rules of the Dark Hour, she might get a warning sign. Sugimura's voice does not come from the car, where his coffin is. Instead, it comes from inside the station.
It comes from within that red glow, from the escalators leading downward.
"Haru-chan!"
The voice is distorted. But it's coming from the elevator. When Haru goes down it, though, the station is all wrong. The walls and platform are dirtied; the shadows extend out much too far. There are ridged, metallic like growths that look like something organic here and there. And the tunnel ahead is far too dark.
But two golden eyes peer out of the darkness, straight towards Haru.
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
For all that Morgana's injured, overextended after a long period of scouting Mementos (how else can he guide The Phantoms if he isn't a couple of steps ahead?), there's no question in his mind that this girl--this sweet girl whom he's known all of thirty seconds, who walked up to him with a smile and reassurances--is in danger after all. That voice that's calling her down into Mementos can't be anything other than a Shadow. And if she's in danger, he can't just leave her be!
But he does grimace about it. "Damn it! Of all the rotten timing...!"
If he's going to rush to a maiden's aid, he really wants to look cooler about it!!
So as Haru descends, Morgana follows, slipping from shadow to shadow, skulking behind corners to keep hidden. It's not very gallant, but he won't be able to rescue this girl if he gets knocked out. It's also important to gather intelligence here. Why would this Shadow call this girl out of her coffin to come into Mementos? It's a phenomenon he's never seen before. If this might happen again... he needs to have an idea of what's going on. Rushing in here will spell disaster for all of them.
If that girl's smart, she'll turn around and run for it, and then Morgana can pounce if that Shadow goes after her. But he's not sure if she can be smart right now. What if she's been hypnotized? ...He watches very closely to make sure.
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
It seems strange, that Sugimura was able to get ahead of her already into the station. At the same time, she has no idea how much time she's lost after being trapped inside that strange coffin-like contraption. She passes by a few other of those coffins, here and there... but at this hour, there aren't many. Are there people trapped in them? Still, as much as she dislikes him, her fiance's voice is the only reason she knows she isn't alone here.
"I'm sorry! It's so late, I must have just gotten... disoriented," She answers, following slowly down those escalators. Is this really what it's like down in Shibuya Station? Or perhaps she's hallucinating? It's all so strange...
"We... really shouldn't be down here," Haru says, as she finally catches up to Hisayoshi. "Let's head back to the car, shall we?" Every part of her that's still conscious is desperately telling her that this is wrong - that she needs to get away. Unfortunately, it's those who retain this consciousness during the Dark Hour that Shadows so easily prey on. To Haru, this Shadow is still her fiance - and that means leaving him will have consequences.
<Pose Tracker> Hisayoshi Sugimura has posed.
"Sorry, sorry... always saying you're sorry, Haru-chan."
His voice is still lightly distorted. Maybe it's this place -- maybe it's his nature. And when he steps out of the darkness, it is Sugimura. The same brown hair; the same suit that he was wearing. He reaches up, adjusting his tie.
But there is one thing different. His eyes are a pale, almost golden yellow. She wouldn't know what a Shadow is, but he looks at her. "But you're never doing what you should." He smiles, but it's cold. "You're always saying you're sorry, and you're always ducking me -- always running off, doing your own damn thing. You're not sorry."
He looks at her with that eerie"It's bullshit, Haru-chan." He smiles, and it's hungry -- and not in the more metaphorical way that Hisayoshi Sugimura is hungry. There is no metaphor in that hunger. There is something inhuman to that smile.
"You're mine, and I'm never letting you leave."
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
Morgana frowns as he watches Haru. She doesn't seem hypnotized, but she doesn't seem fully cognizant of what's going on either. Enough to tell that something is wrong, but foggy enough that she's still trying to treat what's going on as more or less normal. Looking closer at that Shadow as it emerges from the darkness, it looks like it matched that man who was with her--not that Morgana got a great look with him in the car, but the girl is talking to him like she knows him. If that's his Shadow, that'd explain why he's calling out to her.
Except if he's got a Shadow in Mementos, that likely says some nasty things about him. And sure enough, he claps back at her, telling her she shouldn't be sorry, she should be obedient. Telling her that he's taking possession of her.
Is his because that girl ran out of the car to try to tend to him? Not like Morgana planned on letting this girl come to harm, but if this is his fault, then he really can't sit back and do nothing. Gritting his teeth, Morgana steels his nerve. He's got a few items left--no healing items, either for his health or his spirit--but...
FWHOOSH. A small ball, flung from behind a corner, hits the floor between Haru and Shadow Sugimura, throwing up a literal smokescreen. "That's no way to talk to a lady!" Morgana calls, puffing himself up so he can project confidence and gallantry. "Young lady! That's not the 'Sugimura' you know! Turn around and run away!"
Hopefully before that smokescreen clears!!
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Sugimura rebukes Haru, just as he always does - he rags on her for saying she's too much, while making her feel like she should be ashamed anyways. This is always how it is. Haru has to resist the urge to say she's sorry again, looking up to the Shadow version of her fiance with genuine fear in her eyes. He's always been dismissive of her feelings, and quick to accuse her of disloyalty - but this is even further beyond how he usually is. "I... no, that's not what I meant at all... I was just trying to help!" Haru pleads. "Please, let's just--"
Haru falls silent. He's so calm. Why is he so calm? Usually, when she upsets him in some manner, he's frothing with anger. And that smile, the way he claims her like that... it's all so disturbing, even for him. "Sugimura-san..." Haru starts, looking into those golden eyes. Fortunately, Morgana comes in at the perfect time. Haru's eyes widen as the smokescreen fills her vision - enough that she can make a break away from Sugimura. "I-it's not him? What do you mean?" Haru asks her gallant savior, while using the opportunity to make a break for the escalator stairs. "And just who are you?"
By the time the smokescreen clears, Haru is up the escalator, facing down the (false?) golden-eyed Sugimura from above. A vague silhouette emerges from above her, a simple outline of a Will of Rebellion. Somehow, Haru can feel there's 'someone' powerful protecting her heart from that monster wearing Sugimura's face. And on her own face - a mask. She instinctively rips it off, but noticeably to Morgana, there's no blood surrounding it this time, even if it has all the trappings of a Persona. All the same, a sudden burst of psychokinetic energy blasts down the escalator stairs, pushing back the Shadow, and maybe even catching him off-guard - but not defeating him.
She can see her benefactor more clearly now - he almost looks like the same cat from before, just with subtly different proportions, more like a cartoon mascot than a real animal. Everything's strange enough that Haru takes it in stride and focuses on what really matters. And indeed, he does strike the gallant image, for a cat. "Thank you very much... you saved me," There's a long sigh. "But I have so many questions... everything happened all at once. I came to check on the cat - no, you... and then he called for me." Haru explains, still feeling disoriented - but now adapting better to the situation. "But I don't understand.. why did he look like my fiance? And how could I... manage to fight back against him?"
<Pose Tracker> Hisayoshi Sugimura has posed.
"Haru-chan! Don't you--" The Shadow takes a step forward, angrily, but then stops in his tracks. When Shadow Sugimura sees the way that she grips her mask -- the silhouette that takes form behind her, the hint of something more, he pauses. And he feels a stab of fear.
It shows in his face. It stays there as the wave of psychokinetic force slams into him. He cries out, falling back down the elevator and into the darkness. His gold eyes stare up at her, angry and betrayed.
But they, too, vanish into the darkness. The last thing that can be heard is his voice, crying out.
"Haru-chan...!"
Sugimura's Shadow is gone, at least for the moment -- leaving Haru and Morgana a chance to flee and to talk.
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
Morgana's fully prepared to get in between Haru and the Shadow of her fiancé, injured as he is, so she can get away to...
...hm. You can't really call it 'safety,' can you? An unawakened person, awake during the Dark Hour.
Well, so she can get away, at least.
But when the smokescreen clears, Haru hasn't quite run all the way away. Instead--is it knowing that this isn't really her fiancé? Is it the dawning understanding that this isn't normal? Whatever the reason, she's clad in a costume, transformed in the way one with the Will of Rebellion would be. "Woah!!" Morgana utters when he sees her rip off her mask--but bloodlessly.
That doesn't seem right, but there's no arguing with results when she unleashes a Psi spell to shove Shadow Sugimura away. At least long enough for them to emerge from Mementos, that creepy man's voice echoing at their backs.
Morgana hops up onto the stone railing next to the station entrance, peering back down the stairs. "Whew. That was a close one," he said. He looks back at Haru, respect in his huge blue eyes. "I didn't expect you to have a Persona! Though..."
He pauses, not sure how to finish that thought. He shakes his head and decides to leave it unfinished. She's got plenty of questions. "So you could tell it was me, huh... I couldn't tell how much you could understand of what was going on." He frowns. "That guy down there--he's something called a Shadow. He isn't that Sugimura guy, but he is a part of him. The power that you just awoke to is called 'Persona.' It's complicated, but in a nutshell, it's another you that protects you from the injustices of the world. If you awoke to something like that while confronting him... Then combined with what he was saying to you, I'm guessing you two have a nasty relationship."
It doesn't exactly take Sherlock Holmes to figure something like that out, but Morgana at least makes it sound impressive.
"You're welcome, by the way," he adds, mouth curling up into a kitty smile. "Obviously a gentleman like me couldn't let an innocent girl wander into danger like that."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Haru noticed that Sugimura - no, the Shadow almost looked scared. Of her? She saw the way she sent him flying back as if gravity was only a suggestion. How did she...? Haru looks down to her hands, only to see that they are gloved now. In fact, her entire attire has changed. She's no longer wearing her regular dress, but rather a full-on musketeer-looking outfit, like some kind of ridiculous superhero - it's actually a little charming...
Haru hears the false Sugimura's voice wailing out for her, and she reminds herself once again that it must be an illusion of some sort, preparing herself for Morgana's explanation. "A Persona... so that's what protected me, isn't it?" Haru tilts her head. "That must mean there are others, right?" And if that follows, maybe Morgana belongs to a group of them... "To be honest, I couldn't understand much at first." She answers, with a shake of her head. "I could tell something wasn't right, but Sugimura-san was calling for me." Haru frowns. "It's not like I could just ignore him." From what she understands of Morgana's explanation, that Shadow - the 'other side' of him, took advantage of the power dynamic of their relationship to draw her in.
But she was able to fight back against him with her own 'other self'... a Persona? "It's not pleasant," Haru explains, about the relationship between her and Sugimura. "But Sugimura-san is the man I am to marry. It was never my decision, and there is nothing I can do to change that fact." At first, her resigned tone of voice sounds very unlike the Will of Rebellion she summoned against that very Shadow - but something shifts. "But being able to fight back against him, being able to show him how I really feel... and even seeing that look in his face...?" There's an almost sadistic smile, but also one of just catharsis more than anything. "It was thrilling."
"I came to save you, and it turns out you ended up saving me!" Haru replies, reaching over to scratch one of Morgana's ears. "But my... how's your injury? Were you hurt fighting one of those Shadows?" Haru asks, with some concern. "And um... how come you can talk?" The most important question of all, which everyone must ask eventually. Either way, she has no idea where things go from here... but she can't deny how wielding that power of Persona felt, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
"That's right," Morgana says of Haru's Persona. Does that mean there are others, though? "Hmmmm, well, maybe one or two," he says in a teasing way that implies there's many, many more.
His light demeanor sobers as Haru goes on to explain the nature of her relationship with Sugimura. She does seem meek at first... but when she smiles as she talks about fighting back, he smiles back in return. "Good for you! It's obvious he doesn't deserve someone as kind and beautiful as you," he replies firmly. (Ah, but not more beautiful than Lady Ann! To even think otherwise would be rude to his one true love! But he couldn't not acknowledge Haru's beauty either; that would be equally rude! ...Probably!)
He grimaces as he folds his paws though. "To think you have to marry a creep like that... Are you really sure you can't do anything about it? Maybe not by yourself, but if I can help you..." His mouth forms a :3 again. "You might not've gotten a chance to help me, but I know your heart was in it, and I want to respond to that." His eyes narrow. He doesn't outright offer the help of The Phantoms just yet--but if her fiancé has a Shadow in Mementos, there's likely something they can do for her.
For now, though, he startles as she scratches his ear. "Hey, I didn't say you could--! ...Oh, that feels nice..." He purrs, eyes closing blissfully, for a moment... until Haru asks about his injury. "H-huh?! Oh! This!" He waves a dismissive paw. "This is nothing! I just got a little careless down there--" he waves a paw towards the stairs, "--but a good night's sleep and it'll be as good as new."
That isn't even a front. Once he's regained enough of his mental reserves, he can literally just heal himself.
He considers her with a thoughtful look when she asks how he can talk. She doesn't freak out about him being a monster cat or anything like that, so that's another point in her favor. "Hmmm... That must be surprising, considering how I look in the real world, huh?" He heaves a sigh. "That's also complicated, but basically, I'm a human who was cursed into the form of a cat. I'm not a cat, though!" he rallies, turning fierce. "I just look like one! And I'm trying to find a way to turn myself back!"
But for now... "Ah, but I've gone too long without introducing myself, haven't I? I'm Morgana. And you're Haru, right?" He turns serious. "You can probably guess, but all of this is a secret world. Down there--" He points again to the subway stairs. "--is the entrance to a realm called Mementos, and all around us--" He waves a paw expansively at the sickly green night air. "--is a hidden time of day called the Dark Hour. There are those who know about it, but... I'd say at least 99.99% of people don't." He points at a nearby coffin--the coffin of Sugimura, in fact. "During the Dark Hour, that's what people turn into. You were in one of those too, until that Shadow of your fiancé's called you out of it. That sure gave me a surprise!"
He looks back at her. "When the Dark Hour ends, you'll go back to a normal person, and so will that rotten fiancé of yours. Don't be shocked about it, though. They don't notice, and they don't get harmed. It's only a problem when people wake up and leave their coffins like you did... but now that you have a Persona, you can protect yourself!"
It's more than Haru asked for, but it's pretty important information, all considered. Hopefully she isn't getting overwhelmed by it all.
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"One or two, hmm?" Haru smiles, catching Morgana's drift. She supposes this is a whole new side of the world she couldn't ever see... until now, at least.
"Oh, you're too kind!" Haru accepts Morgana's compliment, feeling that unlike what she's used to, it actually came from the heart for once - even if it is coming from a strange anthropomorphic cat. "You would be surprised, though... most people can't seem to get enough of telling me how lucky I am to be with him." She sighs just slightly, but quickly perks up when Morgana offers to help her.
"You mean by... fighting his Shadow?" Haru tries to wrap her head around the offer. "If it's a part of him, that must mean it would have some effect on him in the real world, wouldn't it?" She doesn't want to kill Sugimura or seriously harm him, even if there was some catharsis to using her Persona on his shadow self. But if they could kill the 'part' of him that hurts her... "Maybe we can do something about it if we just work together... at least I'd like to think so." She smiles. She wonders about her father, though... if he was able to see this, there's no way he wouldn't call off the marriage, right?
Haru giggles as Morgana falls victim to the ever-powerful ear scritch technique. As for his injury... well, she looks skeptical. He seems like a prideful little cat, after all. But then again, even she feels like she's capable of a lot more physically right now...
And while she could freak out about the monster cat, she's seen a lot worse tonight. The fact that the 'monster cat' was the only part of this not actively out to get her counts for something. "Oh my, a curse? That's terrible!" Haru gasps, maybe being the first person to actually believe his story, or at least take it in good faith. "If you're going to help me... I'd like to help you find a way to become yourself again, too." She offers - and she gets a name too!
"Either way, it's nice to meet you, Morgana-chan. And yes... I'm Haru. I almost feel like I should come up with some kind of alter ego with this outfit, though~" At least, she feels a lot cooler than just 'Haru' right now. She listens to Morgana's explnation about Mementos, and the Dark Hour. A lot of it does fly past her head, and it's a lot to take in - though it's going to be key to surviving as a Persona user. She almost wonders if this is some kind of dream, and she'll wake up any moment now.
...Of course, it never comes, but the Dark Hour is going to end soon. "... It's just so hard to believe this was happening all this time and I had no idea." She looks over to the coffin, with Sugimura inside. "My Persona- I think her name is Milady. And if she is going to be by my side... I want to be able to do something." Protecting herself is one thing, but if Sugimura has a Shadow, she can't imagine how many more people must have one, too. "But for now... I suppose I really must be getting home if the Dark Hour is nearly over." She'd rather it not be a surprise when Sugimura's own coffin disappears. "Thank you so much Morgana-chan... we'll meet again, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
"Lucky? Are they blind? I could go nine lives without that kind of luck!" Morgana declares, offended on Haru's behalf. He pauses (pawses). "Er... Not that I have... more than one, normal, human life... Y-you get what I mean!!"
Fortunately for both of them, Haru believes him on that count. It isn't a lie! Even if Morgana... can't actually remember his one, normal, human life! That's probably just the trauma of having been forcibly transformed into a cat! But Haru is so generous of spirit that she believes him without making fun of him... Truly she's worthy of a Persona, unlike some blond monkeys he could name! ...Even if the way she Awoke to it is awfully strange... He doesn't quite remember how he Awoke, but Ren, Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke--all of them poured blood from their faces when they pulled their masks off. Why was just Haru bloodless? ...Maybe because she's just that pure? Hmm...
Well, whatever the reason, he smiles at her. "That's very kind of you, Haru! Then we've got a deal--you help me with my curse, and I'll help you learn more about these other worlds." And never mind that he was telling her all about them already. That's just the basics, to help her survive. To help her thrive... That'll take a lot more!
"It's nice meeting you too, Haru. But speaking of alter egos and these other worlds--you should think one up. Even I've got one! I go by Morgana in the real world, but in spaces like these, call me Mona instead." He pauses. "As for fighting people's Shadows... you're right. Killing a person's Shadow will do massive harm to them in the real world, so always be careful of that. Of course, there's also Mindless Shadows that run around, and you can take those out no problem... But let's go over that in detail another time. You shouldn't be fighting so soon after you Awoke anyway--you must be exhausted."
And if she isn't... that's another strange point compared to the others. For now, he nods, arms folded as he kitty-smiles. "Of course! We've got a deal, after all!" They'll need to exchange ways of contacting each other, or at least where they can go to find each other--Morgana will be admittedly more cagey about that--but once they do that, it's smooth sailing.
Probably.