2025-07-21: The Rogue Detective
- Log: The Rogue Detective
- Cast: Umie Akabane, Katsuya Suou, Ren Amamiya
- Where: An Ordinary Station
- OOC Date: July 21, 2025
- IC Date: June 13, 2012
- Summary: Umie gives Katsuya a tour of Mementos. Unbeknownst to the two of them, a 'detective' of another sort joins in.
(|================= Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! ==================|)
-==== Round 1: Crush Hour - Challenge Level 1 =================================-
| Approach Options: Guts or Proficiency |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1 and Scary - Guts Down L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
How did you get here? Was it through a mysterious app on your smartphone? Was it
testing the Mementos Rumor in a bathroom mirror? Or perhaps you simply had the
daring to pull a trigger in a train station.
Whatever the case may be, you're here now.
A sickening nausea in the pit of your stomach, as you see sinew and ichor
festooning signs that make no sense, turnstiles that mark the way down
escalators to the station below.
There's a train pulled in right now, and as several listless looking human
shadows step inside, the door slams shut, before pulling away at blinding speed,
vanishing into the devouring darkness ahead.
Persona Users who have been here may have been forewarned as to what will happen
next, as the moment the train pulls away
... the escalators are flooded with Shadows descending down to the platform, a
whole mob of them. You only have seconds to expertly navigate the throng- before
you are trampled underfoot, or crushed against the platform walls by them.
Of course, you could always do something more daring to let them know to give
you a wide berth. They're Shadows of people
Do you field the risk of harming them?
(|============================================================= Monad 1.0 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
----EARLIER----
"Yeah, you just go into the station bathroom here, and say Mementos five times." Umie has her oversized windbreaker on as she pauses in front of said restroom, looking back towards Katsuya. "I suppose it could be any restroom, but.. I've only done this once."
And yet, Umie has seen fit to be Katsuya's guide. It's probably fine.
Unfortunately, the men's bathroom is out of order. Umie considers, and shrugs. "Well, no one comes to these bathrooms anyway. That sign's been there since last time."
Before Katsuya even has a chance to reconsider, she's strolling in, giving a quick glance around before popping her head back out. "The coast's clear." She pauses.
Surely, she's reconsidering bringing the older brother of the guy who tried to get her back out of here the first time.
"... You brought a weapon, right?" She is not.
----NOW----
The first sign that everything is off is the further Umie says each instance of the word, the reality of the unused bathroom shifting each turn. The fourth time, she has to fight to say it, remembering her close call with the Reaper. The fifth, she's just barging ahead blindly, her hand gripping a sink that's no longer there.
"... They'll be coming, any second now," she murmurs, starting ahead. "Keep by me."
It's not out of a protective trait, but because Katsuya is taller than her; it's easier for her to get lost in the throng than Katsuya. "If you have something like an... Estoma? Something like that? Use it." That's what Tatsuya used, right?
But Tatsuya has access to things she's never seen before, so...
Shadows pour out of the escalators, rising like a crushing wave towards the train. "Don't hurt them. I don't know if they're the same as those that appear during the Da-- crapcrapcrap--" A length of rope attached to a hoop is cast out, attempting to snag on something close.
Already, this may be a long trip.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Can you do this? toward Crush Hour! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Apparently, it has to be via a restroom. Why a restroom? Is it something to do with the nature of this area, or is it because of--
Actually, that takes second place to the more pressing problem of the moment. The men's room is out of order, which means that they will both need to use the...
"Er, Akabane-kun, is this really... could we not try another place?" Katsuya hazards as he takes in the obstacle before him.
This may be even more dire than anything that awaits him beyond this point...! If someone sees him entering the women's room, won't he be considered a,
The coast is clear, Umie says. Katsuya continues to hesitate, then glances around him. No one's here. There's no (obvious) cameras. Drawing his own courage to the sticking place, he ventures inside--
It takes only a few recitations of that word for everything around them to change. They're not in a bathroom at all. They're on a platform, and the shadows (lower case) mob the escalators heading downwards. There are far too many of them here! This is risking a crush...! Instinct takes over in a sense: Katsuya, keeping close to Umie as instructed, calls out, "This is police! We require access at once! Make room and proceed in an orderly fashion down the escalators!"
...does that really work on the 'shadows of the city', though?
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with You're Under Arrest! toward Crush Hour! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
There's a strange feeling in the air as Ren, by total coincidence, passes by the station bathrooms. At first, it's just a feeling; then, the smartphone in his pocket tones with a familiar robotic voice, speaking of navigation...
"Hey. Ren," Morgana hisses in his ear, popping out of the bag on his shoulder. "Duck into that bathroom, quick!"
So he does, flagrantly ignoring the out of service sign for the men's room as reality warps around him. (Fortunately, he did not directly see Katsuya entering the women's room; he's only seeing the results of Umie's invocation.) He, too, transforms, a black coat forming around him as the cat on his shoulder takes on more cartoonish proportions. Both of them are hidden in the crowd of humanoid Shadows as they come and go from the trains.
"So I was right," Morgana murmurs, frowning as the two of them watch Umie and Katsuya appear on the platform for a Mementos 'station.' A train is pulling in, which means there's about to be a lot more chaos--but that can work in their favor. More importantly-- "What's your coworker from Triple Seven doing here, and who's that with her?"
"Only one way to find out," Joker murmurs back. "Mona. Watch my back. I'm going to follow them."
"All right," Mona agrees, hopping down from his shoulder. He gives him a kitty smile from the ground. "Let's see how well you've taken in my teachings!"
Joker smiles back, then dashes into the throng, navigating it down the escalators with grace and speed as he follows Umie and Katsuya unseen like the stylish phantom thief he is.
...That's the idea, anyway. He at least has experience with Mementos on his side. He could simply approach the two directly to help them out, and the thought does cross his mind--that is, until that man in the stylish suit yells REALLY LOUDLY about being a cop and demanding train access as a result. Yup. Joker will be staying hidden in the crowd for now, thank you very much.
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Thief Talk toward Crush Hour! Diligence and Smarts!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"You know," Umie realizes, in that split second they get before the shadows descend. "Maybe we just need the mirror? I'll need to test that out next time."
She says it like 'trial and error' has been her go-to for many, many things (Hint: it has).
Umie's kyoketsu shoge, despite being used in a way it's not really intended for, manages to hook onto *something*, allowing her to keep from being swept away.
Meanwhile, Katsuya... Well, he *is* a cop, despite Umie routinely forgetting it due to her first exposures to him being just 'Tatsuya's older brother'.
The shadows, oddly enough, follow those commands, obediently making room and proceeding down the escalator, as instructed. ".... This is... way different from last time," Umie remarks dumbly, looking at Katsuya with widened eyes. "I can't believe that worked."
Ren, thankfully, is able to blend in with the orderly pacing of the shadows, allowing him to follow close behind without either Umie or Katsuya noticing.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================= Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! ==================|)
-==== Round 2: Manic Pixie Dream Horde!? - Challenge Level 1 ==================-
| Approach Options: Charm or Guts |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, and |
| Scary - Guts Down L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
A plodding bulbous behemoth bursts out of the dark, the eyeholes of various
masks glittering. And upon striking you-!
It unravels, as if so many shadows were stitched together, the masks each
forming several distinct Shadows, they're-! They're!
A horde of pixies. As the violence begins, it's not too long before-
"Hey whoa! We surrender!"
"Do you feel big, bullying poor helpless little girls?"
Poor helpless little girls with access to Zio, that is.
"Why don't you just let us go, 'kay? We pretend this didn't even happen."
Hey wait a second, they attacked you! Should you really let them off that easy?
Maybe you want information, or a reward-
But you're gonna have to negotiate for that.
(|============================================================= Monad 1.0 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"So..." Umie begins as she strides ahead, as if Katsuya was her tutee. "The shadows here are different. I'm not sure how they work, but they transform into demons. They're not quite like the ones in Sumaru City, but I'm not sure how. I'm still figuring that out."
Part of how at ease she feels here is unsettling, in a way, as Umie reflects. It's only the second time she's been here, and still...
She holds up a hand. "Something's coming up. Get ready."
A behemoth of a shadow lumbers towards them, where it suddenly surges again, straight for Katsuya and Umie, who is...
... unwisely in front. "Shootshootshoot- wait, not literally, Katsuya-san!"
Because, before long, the shadow beast becomes several pixies, who swarm around Umie and Katsuya like a swarm of bees. "Give us another! More! More!"
"U-Uh!" Umie scrambles through her pockets, bringing out...
... Some paper cranes? They're a little squished though... "This is it, right?!"
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with String Theory toward Manic Pixie Dream Horde!?! Focus and Find!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
But then, of course, there's the problem with 'where is there a mirror in easy access' -- even then there are potential issues.
The tide of shadows parts before them. "Perhaps... even they understand the weight of the law," Katsuya says with full seriousness, as Umie explains what they are (as far as she knows them).
There's a different sort of shadow following after them. Katsuya Suou, ace detective, does not show any sign of noticing its presence.
"You had mentioned 'Estoma' before," he asks of Umie afterwards, not familiar with the concept. "Is that something in particular?"
They don't get far before a malevolent presence descends upon them. He's already gone for his gun. "This is--"
A horde of Pixies. How... terrifying. No, really, it is. Katsuya ran into some in Seven Sisters High School. Pixies are not to be trifled with. But these are not on the attack... yet. They want something from them. "I... see," he says, keeping his gun aimed at the floor. With his left hand, he reaches into his pocket and produces--
A single peppermint candy, still wrapped in plastic. "Might this suffice?"
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with Charm toward Manic Pixie Dream Horde!?! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It helps that Joker's dressed all in black. It's good for blending in with Shadows. Mona's somewhere at his back, watching over the three of them from afar, so if things go badly awry, he can count on an extraction--but for right now, he remains on Umie and Katsuya's tails.
Before long, they're getting approached by a huge, lumbering Shadow... which soon breaks into a party of Pixies that proceed to bully Umie and her cop friend viciously. Joker doesn't join the fight directly, but when Umie yells to 'shootshootshoot!' he smirks to himself and pulls a gun to aim at the crowd of Pixies.
An airsoft gun, of course. But it looks very realistic, and that's what counts in the Metaverse.
Before he can try to intimidate them, though, they're demanding 'more! more!' from Umie and Katsuya, and the two of them... acquiesce? With paper cranes and a peppermint candy... It's kind of astonishing how harmless these adults her. Joker can only blink at them--but he recovers soon enough and gives the Pixies a baleful stare from behind the two of them. The kind of stare that says 'that better be enough or else.'
Only once the Pixies scatter will he put his Makanorov away. Of course, if they're too fast, Umie and Katsuya might notice this new, dark presence tailing them...
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Warning Shot toward Manic Pixie Dream Horde!?! Specialty! <Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
At first, it seems to work. However, there's always someone that has to ruin the fun. Several, in fact, composing a small percentage.
"Awww, but these are..." "Mmmmnnh, peppermint? Really?"
A glare from the dark, far beyond Umie and Katsuya, shut those particular pixies up. "It's fine! It's fine!" "Yeah, I love peppermint!"
"Yaaaaayyy," squeals the more air-headed few of the lot, which are quite a few more. "Crane ride! Crane ride! Mintmint can-dy~"
Just like Ren's airsoft gun becomes a real gun in this space, the paper cranes become something similar, albiet wholly harmless: paper cranes that can be flown. By pixies.
It's so specific that it could be called useless, if it didn't get the group out of a pixie fight/
"Things just... do things here." Umie sighs as she gets up, leveling her shoulders in a shrug as she stuffs her hands into her pockets. "I don't get it..."
She spots something out of the corner of her eye and turns, a worried, paranoid frown on her lips.
".... If you're there, you might as well come out." It's a gamble; she can't sense anything, but as Katsuya can tell, she's able to cloak her own resonance. It would make sense, then, if she can...
MONAD: Umie Akabane has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================= Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! ==================|)
-==== Round 3: OOOOOooo a Treasure Demon! ... Wait. - Challenge Level 2 =======-
| Approach Options: Academics or Proficiency |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Box - Add 1 Item/Money/Gear., Clumsy - |
| Proficiency Down L1, Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana., and Stupor - Academics |
| Down L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
A defeated Shadow melts into the floor, and ephemeral cards suddenly appear in
the air!
Oh hey! Shuffle time!
Except, as you're deciding, you see an enormous hovering gem come around the
corner - and spot you all.
and starts to flee rapidly!
Oh cruel fate, to make you choose between a Treasure Demon and SHUFFLE TIME!
Though, you could always choose both - you might risk losing the Treasure Demon
unless everyone is there to box it in! But the enticement! The rewards! Will you
GO FOR BROKE!?
The cards are already blurring and starting to fade, wait which one was which
again!? You remember one of them was the DEATH CARD which immediately ends it
with no rewards! Can you remember which one!?
Can you take down the Treasure Demon in time?
(|============================================================= Monad 1.0 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
And just as she says that, cards begin to form in the air.
And Umie's senses detect another thing: something scurrying around the corner, which then flees.
"I'm just going to let you handle this, Katsuya-san." Umie smirks as she draws the two bladed end of the Kyoketsu Shoge from one of her pockets. She jerks it upwards, making the fabric of her jacket shift to expose the length of rope up into her hand and, eventually, the hooped end.
"Be nice. They could just be shy, for all you know~"
And off she goes, sneakers gripping not-concrete as she confidently wings it down the dark corridor, winding up the rope above her head like a lasso.
The hoop is allowed to swing forward as she comes to a stop, momentum winding it along to where she thinks it will connect with the 'gem' thing, and, with luck, twist around it.
"Oop!"
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Can you do this? toward OOOOOooo a Treasure Demon! ... Wait.! Specialty! <Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
How odd. For a long moment there it seems almost as if the Pixies were about to reject their offerings of paper cranes and (a single) piece of candy. Then, quite suddenly, they accept their gifts and flit away.
Demons, Katsuya settles on, holstering his sidearm. They certainly can be tempermental. Still, he's happy to not have to use his Persona or other resources against them if he doesn't need to: if he's going to rely on his own store of ammunition from Parabellum from here on (when he can, at least), that's coming out of his own wallet...
"How interesting. I don't recall there being anything like that in Sumaru," he remarks, watching as the Pixies soar off on their paper crane crafts. He pauses. "Is... something there?" Has he sensed at last the shadow that follows behind them--?
Just as abruptly, Katsuya sneezes.
And Umie, spotting something of interest, hies off after it. "Wait, Akabane-kun--"
And he sneezes again. And again. "Is-- there a cat in here, too?" he wonders aloud, only able to watch Umie as he hastily pats himself down for a pack of tissues. It must be a cat. His allergies are acting up...
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with Academics toward OOOOOooo a Treasure Demon! ... Wait.! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Looks like Joker got spotted. That's fine. Given that he just pulled a gun on a bunch of Pixies, that was always a risk. That being said, he's not in a hurry to reveal himself to Umie, either. Cards rise up around her and Katsuya... but Umie opts to chase after treasure in the form of a Treasure Hand.
Which means Joker has to make a choice. And as little as he wants to reveal himself to Umie, he wants to reveal himself to A Cop even less. And so, he leaves Katsuya behind to fire off his grappling wire and swing towards the feeling Treasure Hand at speed! But now, is this a collaboration to take out the golden Shadow--or is it a race? Joker won't lose so easily to her if so!
Meanwhile, at his back, Katsuya sneezes. Still lurking at the edge of the area, Mona freezes when he wonders about the presence of a cat. "Wha--he sensed me from all the way over here?! Incredible!" he hisses to himself. Katsuya's allergies are mighty indeed...
...
...
"gaaaahhhhhhh," he keens as quietly as possible, falling on his little kitty paws in despair. H-he's not a cat, he swears...!!
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Thief Talk toward OOOOOooo a Treasure Demon! ... Wait.! Diligence and Smarts!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
By accident, it may be collaborative in some nature, as the Treasure Demon is suddenly being chased by two foxes. The man who cases two rabbits catches none, but what if it's two _people_?
Except, as Umie glances over, she tightens her speed, sliding in like she was coming in towards the next base, as the Treasure Demon turns into an item.
She breathes, her hand clutching the item clutching the item in her hands tightly.
And she laughs-- a good natured one, as if exhilarated by the chase. "Better luck next time," Umie says, wiping the sweat from her brow as she stands up, item in hand.
She glances at the item, turning it over with a thoughtful expression. Then, looking up, she murmurs, "Think fast." The item is lightly tossed towards Ren, as Umie pockets her kyoketsu shoge (and its length of rope).
A peace offering, perhaps. If this person wanted to attack her, he would have, right? Or earlier, even?
She walks by Ren, going back to Katsuya. "Katsuya-san, you okay down there? What's this about a cat?"
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================= Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! ==================|)
-==== Round 4: Trish Time! - Challenge Level 2 ================================-
| Approach Options: Charm or Understanding |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, Fairy - |
| Subtract 1 Fatigue on success., Hard - Understanding Down L1, and Stupor - |
| Academics Down L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
Someone in the party knocks again, upon this part of the subway, it's definitely
hollow and easily collapsed, to reveal-!
A door?!
Confused, you open it to see.
Oh it's Trish. The fairy's stethoscope bobs side to side as she floats on over
on fluttering wings, her spring notably /behind/ her.
"Hey there. I can't help but notice, you're all looking pret~ty tired. How long
have you been down here?" She crosses her arms with a grin, "In this world of
give and take, I figure you give me your spoils so far - and I'll take 'em! In
return, my generous self might let you use my spring so you can keep going."
She then raises her arms, in a shrug, "Or you could always limp back with your
tail between your legs and in the state you're in, I bet I get to loot your
bodies anyway, your call."
NEGOTIATION TIME! Trish has access to the Spring, but you're gonna have to pay.
The only question is, how much.
Maybe if you get a sense of the mood she's in, you'll stand a chance here, of
course, you could always charm her into a lower price than her exorbitant one.
Theoretically.
OOC Note: Fighting Trish to use her spring is an option! But since she'll
auto-win and boot you out, it's not reflected in the stats.
(|============================================================= Monad 1.0 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Katsuya, at first, sees none of this. He's a little busy digging around for a tissue, which with his eyes watering and another sneeze on the way, he's found himself very much in dire need thereof. Success! He thought he had some on him. Slipping off his sunglasses, he's just in time to catch a fourth wretched sneeze. It's here that Umie addresses him. Oh. Oh no, the whole world is blurry. It looks like there's more than one figure over there. "There... is a cat here. I think," Katsuya tells her, rubbing at his eyes. "My allergies are acting up. Do cats wander into Mementos? --Wait, who is that?!" Fumbling with his sunglasses, he rushes to catch up and in his half-blinded haste bumps into a nearby wall and instead of finding resistance, finds... a gap? "A door? Here?" and like any good detective, he presses on inside to discover...
...a fairy spring?
"Hm! Well, don't you look like a mess! But that's alright, for the low, low price of everything you've got, I'll fix you ri~~ght up! ...But, you're free to chance it out there, all alone." Trish pauses, pursing her lips as she assesses Katsuya (and probably the rest of them, once they join in).
"With the Shadows. And your allergy problem." She shrugs. What can you do!!
"After all... this world is 'Give and Take'!"
Katsuya, understandably, is dumbfounded.
"...Is that right?" he muses, regarding Trish as he extemporizes on the topic at hand. "One may have health in exchange for all that they are carrying. It is true that health is wealth, but is it necessary to give up all that one has in order to possess it? But more than that, under the law... through the payment of our taxes, we are assured the opportunity to receive care for ill health. With that in mind, is it necessary to hand over that much in order to be healed here as well?"
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with What is Justice? toward Trish Time!! Patra and Empathy!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Blades flash, and the Treasure Demon is no more, save for the item it leaves behind. It did turn out to be collaborative, though Umie's the one who gets her hands on the item--but then she tosses it to Joker, who catches it easily in one hand. His right hand, which no longer holds his dagger. Where did it go? Don't worry about that.
He looks it over, then gives Umie a single nod as he pockets it. She doesn't seem to recognize him. It is dark, and he's masked... Maybe it'll be fine. He turns with her towards 'Katsuya-san,' following behind her without offering an introduction or a reason for his presence.
Of course, part of this is because Katsuya's allergies are acting up quite severely, quite quickly. Joker maintains a poker face when he explains it's due to specifically cat allergies. So much for Mona having his back... Of all the cops in the world, of course they had to run into the one that's severely allergic to cats.
He doesn't offer any input on Trish or her fountain, either. He simply leans on the doorway, eyeballing her from behind his mask, though leaving room for Umie if she chooses to enter. He's sure not paying her exorbitant prices for healing, so he'll be staying right out here. For one, he's got plenty of stamina left.
...for another, he just doesn't have that much money.
For the time being, he watches and listens to Katsuya try to rules lawyer the fairy and shakes his head. He honestly doesn't know which of them he hopes wins.
Mona, meanwhile, attempts to create even more distance between him and the group... He's not going to be the reason Joker gets found out. He's not.
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Understanding toward Trish Time!! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
".. Hey, Katsuya-san?" There's a thread of concern that creeps into Umie's tone as she walks towards him, which crosses into dread in order to shake hands with panick. To be off having fun, while something happened to the person she was showing around...!
...
Wait. It's just allergies? She balks. "... so you really...?"
She looks back towards Joker (as Katsuya struggles in the background), giving him a quiet nod.
If this person shows up trying to fight her later, well, it wouldn't be the first time something like that's happened.
As Katsuya disappears into a door, Umie follows, and listens to the fairy's spiel. She frowns.
Okay, Umie needs to right this, _right now_. Umie unzips her jacket, searching in the pockets within. One, two, three... how many pockets are there?
She draws out a bracelet made of colorful braided string, with a small wooden bead at the end.
"A length of my mortal life, turned into a braid." That line's worked many times with mysterious types Umie's dealt with.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with String Theory toward Trish Time!! Focus and Find!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
There is definitely another person with Umie. However, it's become the least of Katsuya's concerns as he faces down the fairy of the spring, who is demanding in exchange for healing them (and him specifically of his allergy symptoms, for now) all of their money. Under the circumstances (and because he has his pride), Katsuya attempts to negotiate.
Her gaze shifts towards the doorway and the masked person there. Trish considers her options, even with her magical might readily at hand. Sometimes it's better to gain some than gain nothing...
"Realllly. Ugh, you people are soooo annoying," Trish grumps, puffing out her cheeks. "But fiiine. I'm a nice understanding person, you see? So I'll make you a fair trade! Half your money!" She points at Katsuya. "And! That length of her life!" She points at Umie.
"Take it, or don't! And noooo refunds! Ever!" she says, finishing her statement by crossing her arms over her chest in the sign of an 'x'.
Katsuya glances at Umie. Then he looks back at Trish. "Well, if Akabane-kun accepts then... yes. I agree." He pulls out his wallet and makes a face, handing over half the contents. As soon as Umie hands over her 'life', then they'll be able to partake of the spring freely.
("Yes," he admits to Umie, afterwards. "I'm terribly allergic to cats. There must be one in here somewhere.")
MONAD: Umie Akabane has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================= Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! ==================|)
-==== Round 5: Get Off My Cognitive Lawn! - Challenge Level 2 =================-
| Approach Options: Understanding or Proficiency |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Boss - Add 1 Fatigue on failure., |
| Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, Hard - Understanding Down L1, and Hard - |
| Understanding Down L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
Tracks twist and contort into impossible angles and then the ground suddenly
sinks beneath all of you - you fall! Fall through the floor, and fall into a
portal pulsing with crimson distortion.
Inside, there's the Shadow of a middle aged man, his feet swirling with dark
distortion, a cavern, isolated off - with veins sliding along the walls, until
they all vanish into a crack behind him.
"Looks like my setup caught some intruders. Hey punks, you think you can just
waltz in here and do what you want? A man's home is his castle. You don't step
foot here without my say so."
Stepping forward, the entire cavern begins to rumble, before his form shifts and
twists, into a tall canine like figure, wielding a long metal club.
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/f/fb/00118_Kobold.png/revi
sion/latest?cb=20220808104352
"I'll teach you kids a lesson you'll NEVER FORGET!"
You could try to deescalate the situation by being understanding of his
position, but it might be pretty difficult at this point. Or you could just
fight him.
OOC Note: This is not a target known to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and thus
would not have a calling card sent to him at this time. Killing him is possible,
if you're that persuasion of character, otherwise you'll have to subdue him. You
could also try to run!
(|============================================================= Monad 1.0 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Umie looks at Joker after asking Katsuya about his allergies. Joker only shrugs. He's not going to sell out his not-a-cat friend either. At least Morgana has retreated a ways further back, so Katsuya's allergies hopefully shouldn't get triggered further after using the fountain.
Speaking of which, Joker's not sure that offering a fairy 'a length of her mortal life' is a good idea, even if it is actually a normal string. What if Trish can make it literal with that symbol? But Trish grabs it, and half her and Katsuya's money, before Joker is done frowning about it. He gives Umie a worried glance, but what's done is done. She and Katsuya can drink from the fountain and get him some relief from his symptoms.
Experience with the Metaverse tells Joker that if they don't recognize him right away, and he doesn't give any obvious tells to who he really is, it should be fine to talk. Once they're done in there, he walks with them to wherever they go next, hands tucked in his coat pockets. "So what are you two doing down here, anyway?" he asks. "This doesn't seem like a place for 'law-abiding citizens' to--"
CRACK-ACK-ACK. That's the "floor" of Mementos giving way beneath the three of them. It's not a long fall, and Joker catches himself in midair to twist and make a three-point landing in the distortion cavern below--where a middle-aged man jeers at them.
"Looks like my setup caught some intruders. Hey punks, you think you can just waltz in here and do what you want? A man's home is his castle. You don't step foot here without my say so." Stepping forward, the entire cavern begins to rumble, before his form shifts and twists, into a tall canine like figure, wielding a long metal club. It seems like a fight is inevitable as he raises it, snarling threats--
But Joker stands up, red-gloved hands in the air. "Oh, so that trap was yours? That was some fine work. We never saw it coming," he says, thinking quickly. He dips into a theatrical bow and adds, "My deepest apologies. It looks like we ended up in the wrong part of Mementos by accident. Might we ask your name, sir? We'll be sure to warn anyone else to avoid this area if we just know who's in charge of it."
...and potentially come back with the rest of his crew once he knows just whose Shadow this is and can determine if he needs a change of heart.
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Diplomacy toward Get Off My Cognitive Lawn!! Empathy and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Indeed, if it wasn't clear earlier, there's no sign of Umie recongizing who Joker is. At best, she just seems to feel like she can trust him a little, somewhat. (Though that has more to do with his actions than any familiarity, just yet. Maybe.)
His dagger also disappeared. Maybe he has some weird setup like hers? She'll have to take notes later.
Maybe Umie's gift wasn't a great idea either. (It's fine. Maybe.)
When they exit, Umie glances back at Katsuya, frowning as she folds her arms. "Hey. You feeling better now?" (She pauses, and thinks back. That's right, Katsuya's Persona... "... Isn't your...")
And yes, as Katsuya is able to now notice, there's someone with Umie, now that they've exited. Again, it's probably fine. She's not asking questions; when Joker shrugs, she simply assumes it means 'he hasn't seen any cats'.
"I think I sense an exit," Umie murmurs, once she's satisfied with Katsuya condition, as she walks ahead. "It's... close enough, anyway."
Walking down the tracks at a steady pace, Umie stops to answer, a wry answer already on her lips. "...." But then, she stops and looks around, instead of answering the question. "I... recognize this place. This must be-- Wait!!"
Too late. The ground twists, and they all fall in. Unlike Joker, Umie's land isn't quite as graceful; her Persona's natural speed manages to allow her to right herself to prevent immediate injury, but once and lands, she stumbles down. The blonde curses, rubbing her face as she gets up on one knee. "... This landlord asshole again..." she grumbles. (No, there was no mention of that from the kobold. Umie just assumed.)
Tatsuya's advice comes to Umie, in a flash. "... Watch out, this is somebody's--!"
"You again?! Oy, where's that other gloomy faced guy you had last time? The red one that was all 'Just try to take it easy, no matter how much he pisses you off'?" the kobold rants, lowering his voice to mockingly mimic Tatsuya's own.
Joker is already on the move, assuaging the kobold.
The ground underneath Umie glows; like before, she's supplying aid, the Badb appearing over the blonde girl, ethereally floating overhead with a red grin, extending a dark red 'lace' gloved hand with a beckoning gesture.
It may not be enough to support Joker's efforts; Umie's already shaken from the fall, so she's not able to concentrate.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Proficiency toward Get Off My Cognitive Lawn!! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
It's just a length of string, right...? Is what Katsuya is thinking, even in spite of the display earlier with the Pixies. He has yet to learn the depths of what this sort of cognitive realm can offer up and, for that matter, take from a person. But surely, if it were harmful, Umie wouldn't make such an unwise decision. Katsuya, considering the shallowness of his own relationship with Umie (she tutored his brother once, and now is serving as a guide to the wider array of supernatural goings-on), is perhaps making a bit of a snap judgement.
The good news is that he's feeling better, however that 'better' has been won (he's fortunate he didn't have more money in his wallet, but...).
As it regards his Persona, all Katsuya can do is look at Umie and nod.
Stepping outside, he's joined by their more mysterious companion, whose manner of dress is, to Katsuya, curious. Perhaps even suspicious. "I might ask the same of you," he tells the masked stranger, wary but not uncourteous. "Am I to assume that you have a--"
He never gets to finish that question. The floor cracks and before Katsuya has the chance to react, splits wide open; the three of them are sent plummeting to some point below. Landing in a crouch, Katsuya rises in a hurry and dusts himself off. "Where--"
It's another statement he doesn't get to finish. He's no sooner gotten the word out of his mouth before the dark shade with the appearance of a middle-aged man taunts them. So they've intruded here, and now, it seems, its occupant appears intent on taking his pound of flesh.
But Katsuya raises both hands before the transformed shadow as if to both ask for a ceasefire and for hostilities to calm down. "Please, if I may. I am an officer of the law: let me assure you that we did not intend to infringe upon your... home here." He continues, "I must also remind you that self-defense is only warranted by the law if there is no other recourse. As we are not attacking you now and seek to leave as soon as you permit us... this does not feel like a situation where the use of force is justified. Even outside the civil code, would it be 'just' for you to attack people who in error trespassed? I do not think that is the meaning of justice."
There is a long pause as the Kobold snaps at Umie.
"...'Again'?" Katsuya echoes, looking over at her. "The... 'red one'?" And why does the voice that the Kobold is echoing sound so familiar...
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with What is Justice? toward Get Off My Cognitive Lawn!! Patra and Empathy!
(|================= Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! ==================|)
-==== Round 6: Cruel and Unusual Punishment? - Challenge Level 1 ==============-
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Revelation - The best result. |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
You passed by that wall before, now you check it again.
Knock Knock.
Knock knock.
As the hollow echo greets you, it only takes a miniscule application of force
before the wall comes down.
The room is full of chests, and no Shadows, jackpot!
>You gain 20000 yen!
>You gain a Black Kogatana!
Wait what's that? Curious Well, you'd best hold onto it.
The next time one visits the Velvet Room or the Time Castle, they indicate with
enough Tarot Cards, they can place the essence of a Persona within it.
OOC Note: You have learned of an option of what to do with Tarot Cards for
non-Wild Cards. Keep track of the Tarot Cards all of you earn throughout Monads!
Final Loot: 1 boxes of Money and 1 Pieces of Gear!
(|============================================================= Monad 1.0 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Umie recognizes the area, but too late; they fall into the trap, conveniently cutting off both Joker and Katsuya's mutual questions, and suddenly they have this asshole to deal with. An asshole that recognizes Umie, even, asking about a 'red one.' Joker shoots her a quick glance. It sounds like the two of them understand the nature of this Shadow... It's good that they don't want to resort to violence, knowing that. He looks back at the kobold--though when Badb materializes, Joker certainly keeps her and her User in the corner of his eye.
"I'm not goin' easy on you a second time!" the kobold is yelling at Umie--but then Katsuya steps in. "You're a cop?!" The kobold looks hunted for a moment as he outlines the situation. He doesn't give a damn about justice, but he does give a damn about the police not getting up in his business. Ultimately, between him and Joker, he sneers, lowers his weapon, and transforms back into a person. Or what looks like a person, anyway. "Tch... I don't want no trouble with the cops. Just take these guys and get outta here."
"And you!" He thrusts a finger at Joker. "The name's Kouki Kyuunai, and don't forget it! You better make sure that chick doesn't show up here again!"
Kouki Kyuunai... Joker will remember that. He bows again and does not actually say anything one way or another. He turns and leaves with the others.
"Sounds like you've been making trouble for yourself here already," he comments to Umie. Makes sense, if she's got a Persona. And this police officer... He was about to ask him if he has a Persona too, wasn't he? Which, between being here with another Persona User, means he probably has one of his own too.
Great. Just what the world needed: supernaturally empowered policemen. Joker will have to watch his step around him. He might talk a good game about justice, but he doesn't trust him for a second.
Fortunately for him, they're passing around an area that Joker now recognizes. He looks up at the cracked wall, the type he's busted through with Mona in bus form a number of times before. "Hmm, this is..." He raises a booted foot and smashes it right on the crack; it gives way, collapsing to reveal three treasure chests inside.
"I knew it," he says with satisfaction, slinking his way inside. He looks over his shoulder with a smirk at his companions. "We'll each take one. That's fair, isn't it?"
The chest Joker choses has an interesting piece of equipment inside: a Black Kogatana. He looks it over thoughtfully. This'll be a fine gift for Fox, even if he'll need to gather some Tarot Cards first to make full use of it... He puts it away somewhere; it promptly vanishes. Umie and Katsuya's chests, meanwhile, have ¥10,000 each. That's a pretty decent chunk of money!
As for Umie and Katsuya... If they have Personas, then they aren't here by accident and Joker doesn't need to watch over them. While the two of them claim their treasures, Joker slips back out of the hole in the wall and leaves without further fanfare. Better to do that now than before they have a chance to question him further. He can try nudging Umie at work for details if need be.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
At Katsuya's affirmation of Umie's half-question, Umie can't help but stare a moment. This man has a persona of something he's allergic to. Surely, this is indicative of some kind of weird symbolism!
It's telling, how she never thought of how the properties of this place could translate just as well to the 'length of time' she gave to Trish as it did to the paper cranes she made. She still didn't answer Katsuya's question about Estoma. Just which sort of tutor is she?
She's definitely been up to trouble down here; just what sort is only hinted at. As Katsuya and Joker both glance back at her, Umie gestures with a brushing motions with both her hands, roughly whispering, "Don't worry about it."
Meanwhile, she's more amazed by the contrasts here: law and... perhaps, another sort of law, of reaching an accord where physical laws matter little. Cop and... rogue, maybe? That amazed look is still on Umie's face, when the two of them look back towards her, though it quickly disappears beneath the surface as she assumes her own emotional 'mask' as the three of them leave.
"I thought he was supposed to be the cop," Umie quips to Joker, gesturing with her chin towards Katsuya as she pockets her hands. "I'd just rather others don't make the same mistakes I do, is all," she adds, lightly.
Trusting a masked person is a risk, especially someone dressed like Joker. In this case, it pays off (quite literally), as Joker finds three troves inside a weakened wall. Joker's offer is definitely appreciated, if the naked shock on Umie's face indicates anything at all. "... Thank you," she murmurs, in a rare, soft tone, bowing her head. She'll remember this.
10,000 inside her chosen chest may not equal one month's rent, but it may mean one less night shift she'll have to do. (Really, she should find a more affordable apartment in a different area, but the bathtub and access to the station makes it worth it.)
As Katsuya and Umie examine their chosen chests, the blonde realizes this would be the best time for someone to slip away. After all, she would, if it was that kind of situation.
So, when she doesn't see Joker when she turns, she raises her voice. "... Mask-san," she says to Joker over her shoulder, as he is nearly out of earshot, "You caught me without mine, but, I think I can trust you, just a little." She turns back, adding, in a singsong voice as she waves behind her, "You never saw me here."
For Katsuya's benefit, Umie murmurs, trying to keep him from following after 'Mask-san', "An identity can be used as a weapon. Outside of these spaces, many of us are defenseless."
(She should have been more careful with Katsuya's name, Umie realizes in hindsight.)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
It's true. Umie still hasn't explained what 'Estoma' is.
Katsuya hasn't drawn out his Persona once during this jaunt, Joker might have noticed. Yet, if he's in this space and able to function, he can't be without one, can he?
And he's together with Umie, who does have one, for whatever reason. In fact, earlier, it rather seemed that she was acting as 'mentor' for him in this space. Perhaps he's new. Perhaps that explains it. Or perhaps, just new to this.
The argument, Katsuya realizes, doesn't so much as matter for a moment for the shadow-turned-Kobold before them. In the end, what matters most is the weight of the law and the man not wanting to get in trouble with the cops. There's something... about that. If he were pressed at that moment, he wouldn't be able to explain what it is that he's feeling.
"...Very well. Then, as I said, we'll leave at once," he says, looking between Umie and their Mysterious Stranger.
It's fortunate because the tactic worked (coupled with their promise that he'll not see Umie out here again) and unfortunate that this is what it takes.
He looks over at Umie when Joker speaks of her making 'trouble', and fidgets with his sunglasses, but doesn't say a word. 'Don't worry about it'. Hmm.
"I am still the police officer here, Akabane-kun," he reminds her, shaking his head as if in mild dismay.
"What did you say your name was...?" he asks, even though Joker rather didn't, and in fact seems preoccupied with--
Ah. A hidden area. He'd be aghast in any other circumstance (property damage is illegal) but this place cannot possibly be real. ...Does that law still apply in an 'unreal' place? Within are a trio of chests, ready for the taking. One for each of them, as the masked young man says.
"Is that right...?" Katsuya muses, kneeling to open the one of the chests. "I wonder, where does money like this come from? Surely it isn't stolen." Maybe he shouldn't think about it so much.
...It's not even enough to cover all of what he spent at the fairy spring, but... perhaps he cannot complain. It's better than the alternative, he supposes. Behind that face was a truly terrifying demeanor.
Yet, as they part ways, Umie says something that gives him pause. She wasn't here? He didn't see her? ...Because an identity can be used as a weapon. "I see..." he muses as they part from the masked youth. So she has done this before.
So there is something she is hiding from him.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Joker's neutral expression turns downright stony when Umie implies he's the same as a cop. "Rude," he says flatly.
I'd just rather others don't make the same mistakes I do, is all.
"..."
Are you saying, you warn people not to kill these kinds of Shadows because that'll result in the death of a real person, because you made that mistake yourself...?
Joker turns away. "If anything, I'm like a detective," he continues, back to neutrality.
Akechi's still annoying, but he'll take that over being compared to the police (sorry Katsuya).
Speaking of whom: Katsuya directly asks him for his name, and Joker directly ignores it. It could be seen as a slight, but he did get caught up in kicking down that wall, so maybe he got distracted? (He did not. He took advantage of a distraction.)
Where does the money come from, though? It can't be stolen. This is a world of cognition. It does give Joker pause, though. He did notice that Katsuya hadn't brought out his Persona--something he must have if he's here on purpose and functioning normally--and he caught that damning remark of Umie's, but he's never considered something as basic as where the money and items of the Metaverse come from...
Maybe that's the difference between being a teenager and being an adult--thinking through even the most basic premises established. Joker glances at him, but doesn't weigh in.
Best to give the cop as little to work with as possible.
Later, when he's slinking out while the others are distracted with treasure, he pauses just past the wall, hearing Umie call out to him. He never saw her here, huh... In other words, she's not supposed to be here. And she usually has a mask of her own... He wonders what her cop companion thinks of that.
But for now, that's not Joker's problem. He takes off into the shadows to meet back up with Mona and leaves them be.