2025-11-03: Only (In)Human
- Log: 2025-11-03 Only (In)Human
- Cast: Yanagi Nagisa, Hazuki Nakao, Myunghon Yeo
- Where: Peacock Silk, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
- OOC Date: November 03, 2025
- IC Date: August 05, 2012
- Summary: Hazuki and Myunghon, independently of each other, come to Peacock Silk to sell some cognitive goods, and end up talking to Yanagi about what Homunculi actually are. Yanagi explains in a forgivingly unforgiving way, and takes Hazuki's order for a new defensive accessory.
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Taro Nakata's Atelier has been purged of the Homunculus that usurped it. Another fine night has passed since. Now, Yanagi Nagisa works at her jewelry station at trendy atelier Peacock Silk, fashioning the supernaturally-charged pyrite pieces that Myunghon gave her into a series of studded buttons mounted on brass. There's already a considerable heap of them. She's collecting a decent pile of pyrite dust in her wake.
Fortunately, on top of her ruffled ivory blouse with detachable sleeves and long pearlescent pink skirt, Yanagi has on both a surgical mask to protect her lungs and goggles to protect her eyes. Carving jewelry is serious business. The earth will bury you...
Classical music plays on the radio nearby. Yanagi hums along with it, content with her work--though soon she stills her nimble hands to yawn and lean back in her seat with a crick in her neck. It might be time to take a break... A snack might be a good idea, too...
Alas, there's no leaving the shop empty right now, and the others are attending to other things at the moment. There's likely to be customers bringing in filum regium soon, and although that's not Yanagi's specialty, she can at least process the sale and put in an order should someone come by with some. Maybe she can get a quick snack?
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
After defeating Taro Nakata's Homunculus, Hazuki Nakao nearly passed out then and there. She managed to get home, where she slept for Basically The Whole Day on and off.
There's a lot to wonder about what happened, though... and a lot to talk about. So Hazuki has gathered the filum regium Roger shared with her, and is walking through Peacock Silk's double doors. Yanagi may or may not still be able to get that snack.
"Hello...?" she starts, walking in and straightening her black hat. She hears noise from the jewelry station, and steps over, marveling the store's adorable pieces. "Oh my gosh, this place is so chic! I mean, it was chic last time, too, but now I'm not being run out, so... chic-er!" She's mostly talking to herself, but it's audible.
She'll wait for a call back or someone to approach before doing anything else. There's a bag over her shoulder, probably containing her spoils of war.
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Good thing it's summer vacation, eh? Hopefully the next Atelier won't be so wearying for Hazuki.
Yanagi is still leaning back on her chair, eyes closed behind her goggles, when she hears the double doors open. She may or may not be able to get that snack, but she sits upright and pushes up those goggles to get a better look at their guest. Her eyes crinkle at the sight of--
"Hazuki! I was just thinking about you!" More or less. "You look to be in better shape than before. How are you feeling?" She scoots to the side of her seat, grabs her walking cane from where it hangs on the side of her station, and slipping her hand through the cloth loop, eases herself up to her feet. The mask goes down as she breathes out a sigh.
"And did you bring anything to sell?" she adds, noting that bag on her shoulder.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
It's a wild Yanagi! Hazuki looks over as Yanagi mentions her name. Yobisute... the teenager's got a much gloomier countenance than inside that Atelier, as she considers how to respond. "Oh, hello. My first name..." People in Japan are weird about that, but Hazuki doesn't mind at all.
"I hope it was good thoughts... I'm doing alright. Slept all day yesterday, don't want to be doing that again anytime soon..." A weak smile.
When asked if she brought anything to sell, she opens up the bag, presenting it visually. "I got that cocoon stuff. I was wondering if it'd be possible to use or trade it for a commission? I've also got some cash..."
A beat. "And... I wanted to ask some questions."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon Yeo's mind could be said to starve and die an intellectual death if it wasn't constantly fed with questions, theorems, hypotheses, assertions. They haven't stopped thinking the moment they returned to the internet cafe and back to the physical world last night, and they felt the need to rush to the Peacock Silk the day following, rather distracted and absent-minded.
They're not dressed in their usual funerary suit, with Tsumugi's cloak today; no, they've chosen the white coat, made by one Mei Arisugawa, departed, with a pale gold sweater and black ruffle shirt with a ribbon tie underneath, not unlike the one Hazuki's seem them in several times -- there's a black A-line inverted pleat skirt and leggings underneath, and black Mary Janes. They have their messenger bag with them.
By the time they enter the threshold of the Peacock Silk, Hazuki and Yanagi are in the midst of their conversation. "Oh, good day-- er..." Myunghon pauses, as they look towards the two. "Hazuki. Yanagi," they greet them both, on separate accounts already accustomed to yobisute to either women. "I can return if you're in the midst of a conversation...?"
They also have one final thing: a bag of tater tots, speaking of a quick snack. But it doesn't seem like Pernelle is here...
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
"Yes, Hazuki is your first name!" Yanagi chirps. She is a Japanese native, so she's perfectly aware that instant yobisute is seen as rude by most. She just doesn't care! It's at least not meant to be hurtful; she just no longer sees the point in standing on ceremony. So it's good when people like Hazuki decide, actually, ceremony is a load of bunk after all!
(It helps that Hazuki was raised in a country where the equivalent of yobisute is just how people normally address each other.)
"You're still very new to this, aren't you? Don't worry; as you gain experience, you also gain stamina, and you won't pass out for so long afterwards," Yanagi reassures her. "I'm a bit sleepy myself, to be honest, but that's not unusual for me..."
She looks into Hazuki's bag and nods in confirmation. That's filum regium, all right. She looks up to answer when there's someone else walking in, dressed in white and gold and black. Yanagi tilts her head and smiles when she recognizes--
"Myunghon! No, come in, come in," she encourages them, waving her hand towards her in the Japanese gesture for 'come closer.' "Hazuki's here for business and for questions! And I imagine you're probably about the same?"
After all, they were all there to battle Nanghaithya. Chances are good they have very similar questions and very similar business.
"As for you," Yanagi continues, looking back at Hazuki, "Tsumugi is out on business right now, but I can buy the filum regium for you and, if you want to commission some armor made from it, I'll take down the details of your request and have them get back to you. How does that sound?"
Her tummy growls then. Those tater tots smell delicious. Yanagi sighs a little, but no doubt those are for Pernelle... even if he isn't here right now.
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki tilts her head at Yanagi, before going. "...should I be calling you Yanagi or Nagisa-san?" She doesn't know what would be more polite here!
"I am, yeah... it's been less than a month."
And then, Myunghon comes in! "Oh, hello..." Wait, what does she call them, again? WHAT'S PROPER HERE uhhhhh "Myunghon-san?? Myunghon? I forget which one you prefer..."
It's adorable, the way she pouts after that.
But then, she's waving her hand. "Oh, no, it's nothing private. I trust you." Myunghon would be aware that Hazuki would place her trust in a rock. The girl turns back towards Yanagi. "I'd appreciate that! Does it need to be a full... suit of armor type thing? Or could it be an accessory... like a choker?"
Her finger moves to her own she's currently wearing, with the flower clasp, as she can tell Yanagi's hungry. "Ah... had I come in at a bad time? If you need to take a break..."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon has that soft, gentle expression as they wave their hand to say, "Myunghon is fine." Yanagi reassures them that it's fine too, however -- Hazuki's here for business and questions, anddd... they definitely feel like Yanagi can already read their face and understand that they're also here for business and questions.
Tsumugi being out does prompt a mild reaction from them, though they're trying to keep it under wraps. Hazuki's question on whether it needs to be armor has them interested, as Myunghon points out the Koala Pin currently fixed on their coat. "I myself requested this pin from Yanagi, and it has been both beautiful and durable in supernatural spaces. Protective charms do not necessarily need to obey physical laws in order to protect you -- their cognitive power, I have found, does a lot of the work."
"And I myself have a share of that filum regium..." Myunghon doesn't seem firm with the term still. "Though I suppose I am not particularly in great need of more accessories... but perhaps more of a wardrobe...?" Then they realise their attempts at an excuse to keep coming here are really nakedly obvious, and they let out an embarrassed little cough.
They compensate by gesture with their bag of food as they offer, "I brought Pernelle some snacks, but it seems that he is out too...? I do not mind if you want to share this, Yanagi."
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
"You can address me as you please," Yanagi replies. "What feels right to you?" She giggles when Hazuki frets over the proper address for Myunghon--it is indeed adorable, the way she pouts!
It has been less than a month, hasn't it? Yanagi was there when she first awoke, after all. "Just in the nick of time, really. Much longer and you wouldn't have been able to save your friend," she remarks conversationally. She pauses in consideration, head tilting, and adds, "Is he your friend?"
She smiles and shakes her head. "No, we're quite fluid in what we can make for you. We will need to take your measurements, but if you want an accessory, that's a simple enough matter." She nods to Myunghon when they weigh in, unbothered by their (however slight) expression of disappointment in Tsumugi's absence. They'd protested that they were happy to see Yanagi and the others too the other day, but Yanagi understands well the concept of loving someone the most. "Clothes are Tsumugi's specialty, but we can use the filum regium in other things, too." Her lead gray eyes track the motion of Hazuki's finger to the choker she's currently wearing. It is cute! "I specialize in our accessories, so I could make something similar for you."
Her smile grows at Myunghon, though. "I'm glad to hear you've been satisfied with your Koala Pin, on that note! But I imagine if you want a proper outfit, you want to see Tsumugi directly, don't you?" She gives them a knowing nod, which turns into a knocking giggle when they cough.
She considers Hazuki's question. "Not a bad time. But I had been thinking of taking a break," she admits, looking down at the pyrite buttons. (Myunghon will recognize the pyrite chunks still left over as the ones they'd given her.) "We can chat in the meantime, though! I'd wanted to ask you some questions, too."
Tater tots are a Pernelle snack, but they can be an everyone snack too! They can be a Yanagi snack. She brightens at Myunghon's offer. "Yes, I'm the only one in right now! Tater tots are best when they're still hot, so it would be a shame to let them cool down! Not that Pernelle minds them cold, but this way we can just sit right here and talk."
She *fwhumps* back on her station seat and reaches for the tater tot bag. She'll munch away on those happily, though she'll just as happily share with Myunghon and Hazuki. (Mostly Hazuki, no doubt.)
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Both Myunghon and Yanagi are okay with yobisute... Hazuki nods once, sheepishly. "Uh... then Myunghon and Yanagi! I still don't get all this honorific stuff..." she admits, before blinking about Taro. "I don't know. I haven't spoken to him since... that'd be up to him, I think." She doesn't seem confident, but does she ever outside a supernatural space?
But the koala pin... "Oh, that's so cute! I'm very thankful to be a customer now... if I had gotten something back when I wasn't awakened, I would have exploded." Has she been talking to Pernelle...?
But Yanagi explains that they can make something similar. "Oh, yay! I'm always wearing it, to uh, cover something, so... it's the best thing to replace." One could suspect a scar or such, but Myunghon may have a better idea, knowing Hazuki's situation.
Mutual questions! "I'm okay with that, though I don't know how much I know. I heard some stuff about Homunculi in the Dark Hour, and it's just making me realize how much I don't know about them. If I'm going to keep destroying them when they come up..."A beat.
"Yanagi, how much do you know about homunculi?"
[OOC] Hazuki Nakao blu-ray add at end of pose: Hazuki will take a tater tot! She hasn't eaten much today, either, though she's not as hungry as Yanagi.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Yanagi has that piercing question for Hazuki -- is he her friend? It really was in the nick of time. ... they really don't feel like asking their questions about the Homunculi with Hazuki around, curt and rude as it is as they still acknowledge that the priority was to save a life. They're a little distracted as Yanagi teases them again, as they say that if they want a proper outfit, it should be Tsumugi they should be seeing, hmm?
"I--I do mean that, last time..." Myunghon can't help but grow cuter at Yanagi's teasing. The pyrite buttons do catch their attention, though. "Ah, this is that pyrite that I retrieved the last time, was it not? I was very curious what shape they would take... how beautiful."
Yanagi has questions of her own, but first -- yes! Tater tots are indeed best when hot, so Myunghon is happy enough to set them down on the counter for idle pickings while people talk. They don't reach for one, though, for reasons that aren't obvious to Yanagi and Hazuki yet.
Hazuki speaks of how items to the unawakened explode... i-is that how it works? ... no, Tsubasa is fine, right? Their binder didn't explode. But the expression that she wears to cover something does have Myunghon sympathetically smiling for a moment. The way Hazuki speaks of how her task is to destroy them does give Myunghon some pause... but the question is salient.
How much does she know about Homunculi?
"... I had much the same questions. You seemed to be quite a bit more familiar with them than the rest of us," Myunghon admits, trying to keep their expression gentle and steady and not conflicted.
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Yanagi nods firmly when Hazuki asserts she'd have gotten blown up or something. "Yes! It would have done you no good at all, and us no good at all. It's good for everyone that you've awakened now!" Including Taro, whether he wants to still be her friend or not. That gets a more understanding nod and a drop of the topic. Since it is up to Taro, there's not much more to discuss there anyway.
So she wants a choker after all. Yanagi tilts her head and looks at Hazuki's neck, but only for a moment. "Do you want the new one to have a flower on it too, or are you looking for something different?"
She giggles at Myunghon growing flustered. "Yes! They're going to go onto some outfits we're working on," she tells them. "That's why there's so many. I want to make more than we need--it's always good to have spares when it comes to buttons."
Yanagi gives Hazuki a thoughtful look. 'If I'm going to keep destroying them...' "I probably don't know everything, but we of Peacock Silk have been dealing with Homunculi for a while now. I was hired half a year ago, but Tsumugi and Pernelle started working together about two years ago, and Saika started up the official business with Tsumugi some time after that."
Her gaze turns towards Myunghon. They have their expression under control now, but she does remember how they behaved the other night. She pops in another tater tot--chews, chews, chews, swallows--and wonders, "What do you two want to know?"
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Yanagi gets a glance about the choker. "Hmm... maybe a star? Since... I keep having these visions of stars, so I kinda claimed it as my metaphor..." She trusts Yanagi! Maybe she shouldn't, but she does.
Myunghon's fluster gets Hazuki quirking her head. She has no idea about Tsumugi! They've never even met! Instead, though, she looks as both of them pause about her destroying Homunculi. Part of her wants to be sheepish and apologize, that's not what she meant.
But it is.
"...if they're trying to replace people, they need to die, right?" she asks, now slightly uncertain, before turning to Yanagi. "...what *are* they? Where are they coming from...?"
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
So Hazuki's metaphor is one of stars, is it? They can relate to that. "A star choker? That's a rather cute image," Myunghon does remark, imagining how it might look. Yanagi allows them to topic-switch onto the buttons, though, and there's a hum and a pleased thought. "You truly can never have too many buttons, even with the spare ones each shirt grants you... they have a bad tendency to rip at the worst times."
Yanagi explains how she's been hired for half a year, but -- it goes back as far as two years aog. So, that was the order in which the Peacock Silk was formed... it started with Tsumugi and Pernelle. Pernelle was quite cagey as to his origins. But what do they want to know, however?
Hazuki's doubt has them feeling bad as they glance slightly away.
"I've... never dealt with anything like them," Myunghon admits. "Tartarus Shadows are instinctual creatures, and I am used to considering the Demons of Sumaru as fellow denizens of the city. Palace Rulers and Mementos Shadows are the shade of those that exist in the physical world, with consequences I understand if harm were to befell them. And certainly, what the Homunculi are doing must be stopped, yet..."
They flinch for a moment, glancing side further.
"... they seem so... realised. Aware. Sentinent. 'Who is this?' I kept wondering, over and over."
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
"Ah! I see--so that's why you cognitive outfit looks the way it does. In that case, how about a comet? The tail can be the length of the choker!" Yanagi suggests brightly. "I'll work on sketching up a design and text concepts to you until you see something you like, and then I'll work on making it."
A sage nod goes to Myunghon on the matter of buttons. They know what's up.
Hazuki wants to confirm that Homunculi need to die--but also wants to know what they are and where they come from. Myunghon, meanwhile, compares them to Shadows and Demons of other sorts, and wants to know who Nanghaithya, specifically, was. Yanagi considers both of them thoughtfully as she pops another tater tot into her mouth.
When she's finished chewing and swallowing that one, she says, "A Homunculus is a type of Shadow. Where exactly they come from, I don't know--where does any Shadow come from, really? But they're a bit like the Shadows we see in the Dark Hour in that they don't have a 'self,' at least not to start. Wherever they originate from, they latch on to humans whose self of sense is broken, unstable, or in flux, and wrap themselves in a possibility of who that person could have been in an attempt to take that human's life for their own, and they do this through a person's Atelier. We all have one, after all."
Another tot; another pop, though this time it's a two-bite situation. "It seems like the original Taro is a loser who is targeted by bullies, so in Taro Nakata's Atelier, we saw that take form as a version of Taro Nakata who is a winner who bullies others--a reversal of his situation, if only he were strong enough and cruel enough to reverse it." The second bite goes in. "This is fairly common with Homunculi. They tend to be nasty like that. Mine was."
Chew, chew, swallow. She looks at Myunghon. "So they aren't really anyone. But they want to be someone. They want to exist... to be and to live as a real person. That's why Nanghaithya the Discontent was so desperate, I think. It really was just one step away from succeeding, and we snatched that away from it just before it could've reached the finish line." Her gaze softens. "There's room to feel sorry for them. They are very pitiful creatures." She looks back at Hazuki. "But leaving them be means allowing them to destroy the host they've parasitized. For them to live, someone else must die."
She shrugs and picks up another tater tot--but waggles it at her companions first. "But all life feeds on other life. These potatoes were alive, once, and now I'm going to take their life and use it to extend my own. Homunculi are parasites, but parasites exist in nature, too. It really all depends on which life you feel is more important." Pop, goes the tot. Around it, Yanagi says with one hand raised, "As for us, though, we've chosen to kill any Homunculi we can."
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Yanagi suggests a comet, and Hazuki's eyes sparkle. "Oh, that'd be so cute!" She's all for it, nodding to the idea of designs.
Myunghon's never dealt with anything like this... who is this? Hazuki's even more unsure, up until Yanagi starts talking about them.
"Nakata-kun..." He wasn't a loser, though she gets what Yanagi is saying. "I couldn't pity the Homunculus, in the moment. I just knew... I had to stop him. Everything was leading up to that moment, the stars in the sky I saw, that desire to connect..." What *was* up with all that? "Maybe it's sad. But I think it's happy, too. My friend is alive. So... bittersweet?"
Yanagi says she's taken to killing any she can. Hazuki considers this long and hard, looking to Myunghon briefly. "...To save a life... I will kill any Homunculus that hurts someone. That's my role. If I can learn what's up with those Ateliers in the process..."
Then that's for the better.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
A star choker... but a comet one too. This has Myunghon thinking about chokers now, though they arguably always wear one in the form of their bandages. That's a kind of choker, isn't it? Then there's Miho--
Yanagi is in thought for a while of how to respond, but she starts with the basics. Unfortunately, the all-important 'where' is what Myunghon burns to know, but they're not surprised that that information is also not privy to Yanagi. It is an unfathomably hard thing to try to *prove*, after all. The realm of the supernatural is so poorly understood that they think of Hempel's Raven: if all ravens are black, then anything non-black is not a raven. It's supposed to be a contradiction between inductive and deductive logic, but they find it applicable to how they think about Shadows too... that they call them all 'Shadows' might also speak to the way in which they have no better insight into it, much like how classic physics ruled the roost until quantum physics became a breakthrough.
...
But Yanagi explains further how Taro's Atelier reversed his situation. It's a 'what-if' situation. But there's something that's not lost on Myunghon -- 'Mine was.' So Yanagi was affected by a Homunculus... that does explain her colder judgement towards them. And they do still struggle with how they are determined to act to save someone.
"... Roger," Myunghon speaks, almost non-sequitur, like they haven't been listening. "Roger was also a Shadow, one of the Humours in Taro Nakata's Atelier," they whisper, quietly. "But through no small amount of struggle, he achieved actualisation, did he not? He, too, is a Shadow that 'desired' to be 'somebody'."
Perhaps that's part of the deep, deep discomfort. That perhaps the only difference between Roger and Nanghaithya is that Roger found a better way. But Yanagi does allow that there is room for pity, to feel sorry --
But leaving them be means allowing them to destroy someone. And Yanagi expresses how life feed on other life. These potatoes were alive once, after all, these beautiful earth-apples...
"... even a one-inch insect has a half-inch soul," Myunghon whispers quietly, citing a Buddhist proverb that resonates with them. They quietly reach to their pocket and there's a soft jangle of metal -- coins? As they brace them against their palm quietly, becoming a bit contemplative.
"No, I apologise for bringing this up. It is very true that saving Nakata-kun was the priority. I did not want to diminish the importance of that," Myunghon murmurs, sounding contrite to Hazuki, even as she expresses her... mission... to kill any Homunculus. That's her role. Her role... according to who?
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
"Wonderful! Then let's trade contact information later so we can stay in touch," Yanagi enthuses at Hazuki. "We can work out the prices later--the filum regium by itself will cover your costs, most likely, since I probably won't need to use that much of it to make an accessory."
She tilts her head when Hazuki talks about how she 'knows,' that it's her 'role.' Combined with that mention of her visions and the strange way she acted after the Homunculus had been exterminated... "What role do you mean?"
...Fortunate for Myunghon that Yanagi will just come out and ask.
Does anyone know where Shadows come from? Maybe someone could ask Igor about that... but Igor is a mere guide, so who knows if he'd give out answers as easily as that? Homunculi are at least not Demons--Yanagi's Navigatorial senses can confirm the difference there, at least. But it really is something hard to understand. Myunghon's thoughts on how they might develop a better understanding and thus better terminology over time might well turn out correct.
Yanagi at least knows how Homunculi function--the way their parasitization works. Myunghon instantly cottons on to why.
"That's true," she says of Roger. "He's very unusual, isn't he? But he wasn't trying to take over someone else's life and identity. He has his own identity and his own desires. Maybe that's the difference." She tilts her head, tapping a finger on her cheek. "Someone who gets parasitized by a Homunculus, if saved, can end up awakening to a Persona. I did. And Roger is one of the Shadows from Taro's Atelier, isn't he? That's what he said, I think. So maybe encountering Persona Users and committing himself to saving his 'person' allowed him to awaken to a Persona in Taro's stead. It didn't seem to me like Taro himself did, after all..."
She lifts her head and looks back at Myunghon as they whisper. It's clear that this matter affects them deeply, between this and what they were saying to Nanghaithya the other time. She glances at their pocket, then back up at them. "You don't need to apologize, Myunghon. It's good to think these things through for yourself. That way, you know you're being true to yourself. Just because killing Homunculi is our choice and Hazuki's choice doesn't mean it has to be your choice, too--and if it is your choice, then it should be your choice. If you agreed just to go along with what I say... I would lose all respect for you."
[OOC] Yanagi Nagisa says, "blu-ray Yanagi's Navigatorial senses combined with her experience"
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki nods about the price and contact information, but then she considers the question that follows up. What role does she mean?
"I feel like... there's something bigger meant for me. Igor told me... the dissolution of humanity is at stake should I fail in my destiny. I can't allow that to happen. When I found that symbol, deep inside the Atelier, I felt something... unlock? Unseal? Like the Atelier became stronger for my efforts. Like it won't simply leave the chain." A pause. "This might be silly... but I think I awoke for a reason. To unseal these Ateliers. Why else would everything be so different for me than every other Persona User besides a small handful?"
She doesn't mention the part she's thinking. If she can connect these Ateliers... maybe she can connect humans, too.
Roger, though... "It was weird, wasn't it? None of the other Humors listened to him... maybe because he was awakening to a Persona?"
The thing Yanagi says about not going along with what others say causes anxiety to rise and a grit of her teeth. That's all she's been doing in the real world... but, she agrees. "Don't apologize... I'm sorry if I upset you..."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
It is fortunate indeed that Yanagi just out and asks it. Hazuki's answer is eye-opening, though -- that Igor told her that the dissolution of humanity is at stake, should she fail in her destiny. How she felt that when she found the symbol within the Atelier, something unlocked. She's convinced she awoke for a reason. To unseal them.
"... I understand what you mean, Hazuki, but," Myunghon pauses. "Do take prudence with that. There are many things about the supernatural that 'feel' like destiny -- take, say, the way only some of us have been 'gifted' with the invasive Meta-Nav app that allows us to search out Palaces -- that may very well be the machinations of someone we do not even have the capability to perceive yet. There are enemies out there that know even more than we do."
They used to think they're more paranoid, but ever since Umie revealed her Mark to them, they haven't ruled anything out. They probably do still think they're paranoid, but...
But Yanagi ruminates on Roger. He wasn't trying to take over another's life -- he has his own identity and desires. Or at least... he chose to identify, in the end. Myunghon hurt at the way he seemed to be at threat of drowning in the other Shadows' whims and braying. That, too, was... very human. But Yanagi does point out that being true to oneself is important -- if they just agreed to go along to what she said...
She'd lose all respect for them.
There's a quiet chill that runs down their spine. That timidity in them, that does fear that there are such things as a 'wrong choice' that will instantly turn a friend against them. The one that found contentment and felt seen with Yozo in No Longer Human, when he felt that fulfilling what his father thought he wanted was the only way to fulfill a social contract.
"No, no, you are all right, Hazuki. I do think asking has made me feel better about it -- I will act to save a life, after all. I just..." The contrary to that is not enough action that will lose you a life. How's Akira doing?
A pause.
"I suppose the way Nanghaithya desperately clung to this zero-sum view of life, of the dichotomy of winners and losers... it was so very... familiar to me. I've seen so many coworkers be ground down to that manner of thinking, so much so they don't even have opinions of their own, in the corporate rat race."
There's a softer frown.
"It's a very human way of thinking."
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Yanagi hums thoughtfully as Hazuki explains what she means. "That Kappa symbol," she muses. So that's what she was doing... And Igor's told her that she has a very high-stakes destiny. To unlock or unseal the Ateliers, to prevent the dissolution of humanity... She tilts her head the other way, eyebrows furrowed. And when Hazuki cites how different she is from most other Persona Users--
"Are you talking about your ability to summon multiple Personas?" she wonders aloud. "Hmmm... I think you should talk to Tsumugi. They have the most experience with Ateliers; I think they'd have some interesting insight for you." Myunghon weighs in, and Yanagi nods. "Yes. I'm very interested in these symbols and what it means to 'unlock' an Atelier, myself--I've never seen or heard of that before." She looks back at Hazuki. "We should keep an eye on Taro to see what happens to him from now on. It's important to know what the consequences of your actions will be. Anything you do should be done with knowledge and intent."
In other words: know what you want and how far you're willing to go to make it happen. And for Yanagi, that means... "Did Igor explain what he meant by the dissolution of humanity, by the way?"
The topic of Roger continues! "Yes... Honestly, I've been in a lot of Ateliers, but I've never seen a Humor Shadow like Roger before. I was very surprised," Yanagi muses, fingers splayed on her chin. "I'm really only speculating. It's hard to know for sure. Roger left the Atelier with the rest of you too, didn't he? We should keep an eye on him, too."
Hazuki and Myunghon come to terms. Yanagi smiles at them both and nods. "Then if you're confident in your choice, all is well!" she chirps. Her cheer fades some as Myunghon ruminates more on the Homunculus, comparing its viewpoint with what they've seen in real life. Yanagi doesn't have that same experience, but she did hear them saying as much during the battle, and nods slowly.
"That makes sense. As I said, it was only one step away from taking over Taro's body when we came in. You remember how their clown make-up was nearly gone?" she points out. "If there's any point at which a Homunculus would have a human way of thinking, it's when they're on the precipice of taking over one." She shrugs. "But I admit, I've never talked to a Homunculus before it started taking over an Atelier. I don't really know what they're like before then."
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
"...I'll be careful, but I think it's okay," Hazuki reassures Myunghon. But then, she nods to Yanagi about her multiple Personas. "I'd like to meet them, yeah...!"
Though, to keep an eye on Taro... "I will. I'm going to make sure he's okay, even if he doesn't want anything to do with me." But about Igor... "No... just that I have a contract now with the Velvet Room, and that they'll guide me... it's not even like the Velvet Room everyone else visits."
Roger is the discussion now, though, and Hazuki nods about speculating. "He's okay! We'll figure things out soon."
Myunghon says that it felt very human, and Hazuki considers that. "Maybe it only felt that way because it was stealing the idea from Nakata-kun, though... after all, if all it knew was Taro Nakata... it'd steal from his possible thoughts on the matter, wouldn't it? More of a mimic than a person...."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
The ability to summon multiple Personas. That Phantom Thief was also capable of doing so, as evidenced with their fight with Kaneshiro... the ability does exist, and with it comes implications of another. That Yanagi points Hazuki to Tsumugi is particularly interesting. What is it that Tsumugi knows about Ateliers that they don't? Two years is a long time.
But it's Yanagi's expression of how anything should be done with knowledge and intent that they affirm most. "There might be one other that I have seen briefly you could say is 'Shadow-like', however... it does seem quite true that it isn't just a 'human' that can awaken to a Persona. Rather, that it is a desire to actualise one's will, no matter who it is...? Perhaps you are correct that it is that Nanghaithya was fixated on taking another's."
But sometimes, all they feel capable of is imitating someone, because they've self-internalised far too much that the only thing their 'core' can do is negative.
The way they beg Merry for help is indicative of that.
Yanagi and Hazuki both also have an intriguing point -- that the Homunculus may seem most human because the transmutation was nearly complete. "True..." Myunghon whispers. "At the cusp of their success, they most resemble what they desire to be. Hmm." They tap their chin, and then admits, "But it is exceptionally difficult to monitor supernatural spaces -- that is one of the greatest challenges. To be able to find a Homunculus while it is freely wandering is... you'd either need tools we do not have, or an exceptional stroke of luck."
That Hazuki says her Velvet Room is not 'like the one everyone else visits' does quietly alarm them. Again, they think of this in paranoid terms -- that they're being pulled aside by a supernatural force for... what? They don't voice this quite yet, though.
"Yanagi, I'd like to leave my filum regium here for now, if that is all right," Myunghon topic-switches. "Perhaps I should see what Saika can do, though leather does not tend to be my style..."
So-young calling them 'soft librarian' is kinda echoing in their head.
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
Yanagi hums softly again about Hazuki's contract with Igor and her different VelvetRoom. "What's it like instead?" she wonders. She smiles, though, at Hazuki's enthusiasm about meeting Tsumugi. "I'll let them know, then! They're going to think you're so interesting!"
When it comes to Tsumugi, that's high praise.
It's good that Hazuki's on top of the matter of both Roger and Taro, and Yanagi nods to that as well. However, Myunghon mentions there's someone else non-human that they may know of with a Persona. "Really? Where did you see them?" she wonders, blinking curiously.
"Yes, I think that's very likely," she adds of the Homunculus having stolen Taro's thoughts on the matter. To Myunghon, she adds, "If a Homunculus could be their own selves, they wouldn't need to steal someone else's." A nod as they ruminate. "Yes... I honestly don't know how you would even find a Homunculus before it latches on to someone's Atelier." She touches her chin in thought. "The only ones who could possibly know that would be... a Homunculus itself. Do you think we could ask...?" She perks. "Maybe we could try that next time!"
It won't actually change what Yanagi and the rest of Peacock Silk do to and about a Homunculus. But it could be very valuable information--if they can find a Homunculus that's willing to tell them about it.
The topic turns back to the filum regium, and Yanagi nods. "Yes, it certainly is. I'll set it aside for you and let Saika know you're interested in commissioning something from her this time." She smiles. "I'm sure she'll be able to make something that suits you! And even if not, it's good to be adventurous and try new things!"
She claps her hands once and turns to Hazuki. "Then I'll take yours too for now too, and we'll consider that payment up front. If there's a balance once we settle on a design, I'll let you know!"
<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.
Hazuki is asked about her Velvet Room... "It's an airport terminal... but very velvet blue. Reminds me of many I've seen before while traveling..."
She blushes at the praise of interesting. "Ah, really...?" But then Myunghon is still talking about Nanghaithya... "I think it's sometimes best to go with the flow... worrying about everything will just lock us in place."
Slightly hypocritical, but also the Fool way...!
"We could ask... maybe there ARE good homunculi. And if they already succeeded... does that mean we still kill them?" It's philosophical questions for later, though, as Yanagi goes to take her filum regium, and she also draws her phone to exchange numbers.
"Thank you so much!" she smiles brightly, the first time today. She's excited!
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Hazuki describes her Velvet Room as being an aiport terminal. Myunghon does have the slightest of frowns at this -- their brain is already going tachyonic once more as they ruminate on the implications -- and then Hazuki calls them out directly, indirectly, by pointing out that worrying about everything will just lock them in place.
A pause, as they look empty and fish-eyed for a moment.
"Ahaha... no, you have me there, Hazuki. If I am not feeding my brain a thousand thoughts a second, I fear it may starve and die," Myunghon admits, a little self-deprecating.
Where did Myunghon see the other non-Shadow creature? An eel cart passes by outside as they answer: "When I was at Kaneshiro's Palace. There was a very cartoonish creature there, not unlike Roger." Perhaps Yanagi will never find the elusive, mystical Mona Car... it might very well be her own Mona Lisa. What Yanagi says is true enough -- if Homunculus is capable of being their own selves, they wouldn't need to steal. ... but what does that mean? It's true that such Shadows that don't have anything close to sentience and self-actualisation exist. ... but that that exists in the first place is even more questions to them.
"Ah, my thanks, Yanagi. I was thinking it'd be nice to spend time with you for other purposes than business. Didn't we say a stage play, once? I might start looking into tickets," Myunghon is reminded, as the jewelcrafter speaks of their interest in Saika's work.
They don't dwell on whether there are 'good' or 'bad' homunculi, since... they'd rather not divide their thinking that way. They check their watch on their wrist, and then says, "I'd best be on my way before I miss my train back. It was nice to see you two again. Do give my regards to the others, hmm?"
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
A velvet blue airport terminal... How interesting. Yanagi mulls on that, hand on her chin. Why an airport terminal? That, she doesn't ask. She does look from Hazuki to Myunghon at the talk of worrying too much. That also seems to hit Myunghon in a bad way... but they speak for themself, and Yanagi leaves that be too.
Myunghon answers about this other strange creature with a Persona just as an eel cart passes by. It smells so good...! Grilled eel is great in the summer, as it really helps increase your stamina. Yanagi just had a snack of tater tots--and she'll pass on what remains to Pernelle--but maybe she could have eel bowl for dinner...!
Oh right, a creature in one of those Palaces. "Hmmm, I see," Yanagi says distractedly. She will forget about this in favor of eel bowls later, just like she forgot to ask about the Meta-Nav app earlier.
This is only moreso when Myunghon brings up the stage play. "Yes!! I would love that," she gushes. She, too, doesn't comment on 'good' vs. 'bad' Homunculi. To her, it doesn't really make a meaningful difference. Morality gives way to business.
"You're welcome!" she tells Hazuki instead once they've changed numbers, then wave to Myunghon. "I will! It was lovely to see you both while we weren't struggling for our lives!"
...Well, that's how it is, after all.