2025-12-12: This Awfulness Is Real
- Log: This Awfulness Is Real
- Cast: Maki Sonomura, Masao Inaba, Tamaki Uchida, Eriko Kirishima
- Where: Eiji Kamiya's Palace
- OOC Date: December 12, 2025
- IC Date: August 24, 2012
- Summary: The St. Hermelin alumni of Maki, Eriko, Masao, and Tamaki attempt to infiltrate Eiji Kamiya's Palace through the front entrance. Masao puts his art skills to good use by noting just how incompetently gaudy the venue's decor is and makes a stencil reminiscent of Tsubasa's to signal to Ichika's Cognition that they're friends of a friend. Maki likens what they see to the stories of abuse that she and her boss see at the psychotherapy clinic. Eriko shrinks back at seeing real-life issues so starkly reflected in the Palace, but shines when she can put her knowledge of mythology to use. Tamaki does what she can to make it easier on the other three, but falters when she's reminded of her own shortcomings. They all collectively make an early exit before they get too mentally overwhelmed.
- Content Warnings: Domestic abuse, human trafficking
(OOC note: something got messed up in Tamaki's raw log and it's missing the first few Monad cards, we're working on getting those filled in from someone else's!)
MONAD: A party led by Maki Sonomura has begun the event Eiji's Palace. <Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
Finding an unlocked car is not exactly Maki Sonomura's usual idea of a Friday afternoon, but that's what the rumor requires. But Masao Inaba can have them covered there, because mysteriously resonance just tells her there's something here, something wrong.
When eventually they have to do the Shakespeare lines, Maki looks right to Eriko, who is the best one at theatrical English here to be sure. But eventually, they do make it into the Palace....
"Creepy," Maki declares first, as she looks around to the steady stream of well-dressed, faceless people. The building is normal enough, ,except for that sign...
"Isn't Kawase-san a third-year at Kasugayama?" Maki wonders, because she did her research about this place as best she could with the others. "...Little early to get married..."
That's what she takes away??
"So," Maki says, "We heard he's up to some really bad stuff, but... I guess we just go in? Maybe we can get some information that way."
She takes a breath. Her black-and-white dress suits the place well enough. And she'll take point on this, looking to the Doorman Shadow.
"Oh," she says, "This place is so lovely, isn't it? I can't believe this whole venue is for just one wedding! And such intimidating-looking doormen..."
She glances to the others. Hopefully this works.
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Flattery toward The Front Door! Find and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
Masao 'Mark' Inaba is not going to let what he's seen and heard go unanswered. Especially... not when the very concept of a Palace has some very uncomfortable, familiar overtones to, shall we say, previous events.
"Yeah, shit's creepy," he confirms with Maki. He can kinda-sorta hang with the theatrical English - he is capable of having full English conversations with Eriko sometimes, even - but he knows not to upstage the expert there.
"Guys like this asshole, they think everyone's just gonna roll over and lick their boots," he's got a mischievous smile, "we oughtta act like we own this place, if I get the gist of what this kinda place is about."
Isn't Kawase-san a third-year at Kasugayama? He looks away for a moment. "I'm not gonna lie, I don't think shit's ever been more real than this... but whatever happens, I got everyone's back."
(Of course he does, he's always been ten to fifteen levels behind.)
Still, the time to act is now. This isn't just for a young high school girl that entrusted him with what she has - this is also for a budding young artist he's not gonna stand by and let be hurt by anyone without a fight, and he's going to have to trust whatever the plan is, it'll work.
Just gotta clear the way, with Ogun, as always.
"This venue! This freakin' venue! Check it!" He signals someone else closer, if needed. He turns around to any burly-looking Cognition that isn't actually in his way yet. "The hell are you doin'? Guests of honor here, man, sorry excuses of chaperones just standin' 'round, Kamiya-sama is gonna kill everybody you love when he hears ya gave us the cold fuckin' shoulder, pff, sorry sacks of shit, c'mon~"
Anything to make sure they don't have time to double-guess the fake wedding photographer he claimed to be, if they retain any kind of object permanence here.
Saying 'Kamiya-sama' has earned him an entire beer to wash the awful taste of that out of his mouth, wow, even he's got limits for how far he's willing to bluff and lie in that kind of smack talking.
MONAD: Masao Inaba has acted with Smack Talk toward The Front Door! Bravery and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Prior to this, Tamaki had informed Maki, Eriko, and Masao of what one Kasugayama student, Tsubasa Seki, had told her: There might be some more evidence on where some victims are planned to be shipped off to. Anything that relates Palaces and the SEBEC scandal eludes her, at least for now. For her? There's someone in trouble, and that's reason enough.
Getting more information about the NWO conspiracy would be a nice bonus, too.
Tamaki flips through a notebook and reviews the notes she's taken so far on things. She blithely remarks to Maki, "I mean, I was thinking for marriage for a time at that age. Things didn't turn out that way, buuut." She glances up at the sign and the venue. "This situation carries some far darker connotations than my own engagement did." She taps the clicker side of a pen on her chin, then shakes her head. "I don't think they're comparable."
Sometimes things just don't work out and sometimes people separate. Tamaki furrows her brow. This, though. Something's rotten to the core about this. "I've ... heard from Seki-kun about what we might see in here, they heard from a contact of theirs. Best brace yourselves."
As someone who commonly treads the line between the worlds of the respectable and the downtrodden, Tamaki's one to play nice up-front when decorum demands it while she (metaphorically) keeps a dagger behind her back. You can't ever, ever, let them see you sweat -- sometimes the 'them' is just regular old people, sometimes it's Demons, but this time it's the doormen Cognitions.
With a well-practiced smile, she strides forward and shouts, "Heeeeey, I think that's Kaori-chan in there! I haven't seen you in forever, c'meeere, girl!"
There's no 'Kaori-chan.' She just acts like she belongs here, keeping the party vibes up.
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Demon Friends toward The Front Door! Patra and Friendliness!
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Eriko Kirishima is hardly a woman who will pass up an opportunity to be a little extra, and given the chance to quote Shakespeare- Shakespeare about Greek Mythology, no less- she'll take it with both hands! Once everyone is seated inside the car, Eriko clears her throats and leads in, deepening her voice to try and convey the voice of Theseus.
"Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword
And won thy love doing thee injuries,
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling. "
So when reality warps around them, shifting black and red until they are where they intended to arrive. What a massive wedding venue, and the vibes of a very western wedding. "Really, shouldn't it be a church for a wedding like this? I'll bet there isn't even a proper minister."
That particular part of Eriko's upbringing aside, she is looking around, musing quietly on the chosen passage. "There's quite a few versions of Hippolyta and Theseus' mythology, you know. Some say she came willingly, but so many others say she was abducted by Theseus, or even Heracles who gave her to Theseus as a trophy. Hardly romantic circumstances. In the end, Theseus discarded her for Phaedra, and Hippolyta was killed attacking the wedding ceremony. If that was even Hippolyta at all, some myths say Heracles killed her and handed Theseus another Amazon." Eriko lets out a long sigh.
"Either way, I can rather imagine this Eiji Kamiya has no interest in giving Ms Kawase a choice in the matter. And won thy love doing thee injuries, indeed." Eriko wraps her arms around herself as she talks about the possessiveness of Theseus, and lets out a long slow breath, a little shaky.
But then they have to get in, with a rather intimidating doorman shadow. "Hm." Eriko starts, looking at the shadow with it's mask. "You know, it's really not what I expected..." Eriko says, quietly. "I didn't expect them all to be so... undetailed."
Masao might be able to intimate what she's getting at: the people in the Ideal Maki's world were people, not... faceless charicatures.
Still, that's not what they're here for. They're here to be saving trafficiking victims, Eriko getting the chance to explore a Palace is an added bonus.
Masao and Maki go for loudness and flattery, while Tamaki goes for a friend. Eriko, on the other hand...
Chin: up, back: straight, chest: out. She starts walking toward the entrance like it's a runway, strutting like she owns the place. Maki and Masao, then, are her staff and she is the VIP, in terms of the act. As she walks past, she winks at the doorman, and throws a brief smile his way.
That smile looks... so empty and fake.
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Fashion Show toward The Front Door! Friendliness and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
It's 'real'. Maki grimaces. "...Right," she says to Tamaki and Masao both. "Right.. It does happen, but I don't loike these circumstances." She nods to Elly. "That's what I think, too. ...But I guess we'll see for ourselves."
"But isn't it strange?" she asks. "...A whole world, based on this one person's ideals..." She looks to Eriko, "I think it means he doesn't care about them. He doesn't see them as 'people'. ...And to be fair, I guess these aren't--but the real people they're based on are."
She doesn't just stay back thinking, though. She goes in. They all make it in easily, of course.. No one can challenge Eriko's smile, empty as it may be. Kaori-chan must be inside. And while Maki charms the doorman, Masao makes clear how important they are.
Soon, they're inside...
"You were right," Maki says to Mark. "Acting like we own the place was the right call." A sigh. "But this place... It creeps me out."
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has drawn a new Challenge! <Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
It's surprisingly easy to just walk past the guard if one knows how to act. And the way to act is important, and not give anyone the chance to argue. If one of them had a clipboard, they'd be unstoppable.
"That would line up, Maki-chan. It's just..." Eriko shakes her head. "...How can someone create their own world that's so empty?"
'Empty' is how Eriko thinks of of a world without real people. "What an beautiful facade," Eriko murmurs, looking around vast, conference center. It's definitely arranged for a wedding, and full of guests-
"Oh, are you on the groom's side, or the bride's?" Asks a faceless man of them, approaching the women and showing... little to no interest in Mark, initially. "Kamiya-sama has such a wonderful taste in guests, he's going to be at the top of society soon, an able businessman such as him! Now's the time to endear yourselves, ladies."
Despite the lack of expression, there's something.... menacing about the way the cognition says it, and Eriko gets another chill down her spine. "...Thank you for your concern, sir." Eriko's voice is polite but a little shaky. "But we have somewhere important to be, and we wouldn't want to keep Mr Kamiya waiting!"
The man seems unbothered the second Eriko drops her name. "Of course, of course. I wouldn't want to stop Kamiya-sama meeting up with a foreign beauty like yourself. Maybe I can arrange for him to make some time with you for me later."
Eriko blanches a bit, but the man wanders off. It's... not pleasant.
"Tamaki, this feels like your realm of expertise? I think... we need to get up those elevators." Those locked elevators. "...I'd really rather someone else take the lead," Eriko says, quietly, once again seeming to hug herself. "I'll just... try and help smooth things over if anything happens.
"...I'd really rather be dealing with demons." She mutters, quietly. "At least when demons treat you like a piece of meat, it's because they want to eat you." ...It's possible that most of that soothing might be self directed.
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Soothe toward Gather Intel! Patra and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
Masao over there is making a gagging face on the other side of having said 'Kamiya-sama.'
"I dunno... some people just don't have that much of their soul they gotta get out there," is the best way he can put it to Eriko. If the man had anything to create or give, he wouldn't be destroying so many lives.
He rubs the back of his head as Eriko gets interred by one of the faceless Cognitions about.
"Tch. Look at all this," he says as he breaks off briefly while Eriko defers to Tamaki about her strategy for getting about the lobby. "Marble, gold, arranged like this... if you ask me, it's like he was only ever told what 'beautiful' or 'luxurious' is 'cause he's never been able to think of it himself."
"If I drew a lobby like this over in New York, professor'd kick my ass. Like, he's got a sense for lighting, I'm gonna give the guy that, it kinda guides your eyes goin'," he gestures along dense lines of gossiping Cognitions, "that way. Watch 'em talk about it, I'd bet another fast food dinner on that," oh no.
He might be able to narrow down where others may just vapidly talk about the aesthetics and the opulence as opposed to anything else...
MONAD: Masao Inaba has acted with Art Studies toward Gather Intel! Smarts and Empathy!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Tamaki shudders at Eriko's recounting of the myth referenced by Shakespeare. "Unpleasant, but it seems apt for this." At seeing Eriko's shaky exhalation afterwards, she narrows her eyes and glances away, but quietly offers her hand in some form of support.
She then offers Masao an outstretched closed hand and a grin. "Good performance out there. Breath mint? Bottle of water? Or I can get you a round of something at a bar later." Goodness knows she has a similar routine of her own for expelling the foul taste that comes with ingratiating herself to some sleazy 'superior.'
At the topic of the undetailed Cognitions, though, Tamaki raises an eyebrow. "Huhhh. Right, you three would know more directly." Peering at one of the attendees' lack-of-a-face, she comments, "It's possible that he simply has a case of face blindness, but I'm more willing to bet on this -- " she waves a hand over her own face " -- being what you said already, yeah. A reflection of how little he pays any real attention to these people, they're ... props. Part of the decor." She nods at Masao. "The way things are ... 'supposed' to be, or at least the way he's heard it, yes."
Tamaki bristles at the thought of 'endearing' herself to Kamiya, but she's not the sort to take that sitting down. A dangerous glint flashes in her eyes before she offers another one of her sunny smiles at the approaching man and says, "We're with the bride! We'll circle back after we do some rounds, how about? Hey, I think I see uncle Tanaka over there --" She then gestures as if she were a tour guide directing Eriko and the others away from that guy. And we're walking, we're walking ...
Out of the man's sight, her eyes are wide and her teeth are grit. "... This isn't what I had promised, Eriko-san. I'm sorry. We'll go on our frustration-venting Demon hunt later, this -- this doesn't count. There's been a few more Rumor Demons that the Agency's caught wind of ..."
Tamaki gives Eriko a firm nod and a thumbs-up, wholly empathetic to how she feels. "Got it. I've got no problem taking the lead."
The apprentice investigator gives the locked elevators a look. "Good looking out. Sonomura, building on what Inaba's offered, how much are you willing to bet that these locks are also just for show? You know, more 'security theatre' than security, about as hollow and devoid of detail as the faces of most of the guests here? So there's a halfway decent chance that we don't need the key, just something key-like."
She fishes through her purse for her keychain, then grabs one at random to keep her own mind of which one she's really grabbed. It could be her apartment key, the office keys, her mail key, whatever -- she is blind to it, and all she knows is that it is key-like.
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Investigate toward Gather Intel! Focus and Smarts!
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
A world so empty.... Maki says, quite seriously: "A lack of imagination." She nods to Mark. There's a reason Kandori picked her. But, "There's no way it can be like that, though--what kind of power source could he have, to create something like this? What is a Palace?" Shehe shakes her head, and looks to Tamaki. "Props. Right...r
A facade is right. "It's ugly," Maki says. "Soulless."
But groom's side, or bride's? Maki looks to the Cognition--and immediately picks up what it's putting down. 'Endear themselves.' She makes a face. "Right," Maki says, and goes off with Elly immediately. It is indeed not pleasant. At least Tamaki doesn't just take it sitting down; Maki for her part just puts on an awkward smile,. "Right! Uncle Tanaka!"
But it isn't what was promised? "It might be important, though. This is... really weird."
She looks to Mark. "i think you're right about that..."
"I think I wouldn't take that bet," Maki says to Tamaki. "Quite the opposite--I think, if we can just..."
Keys!
It's key like. "I think that'll be enough," she says. "Hopefully. I'm done being with these things."
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Academics toward Gather Intel! Base! <Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Masao's mention of designs like getting his ass kicked seems kind of grounding for Eriko. "Ah, I'm glad to know they still have taste back there." Eriko gives him a weak smile- New York is as much her home as Japan is, and little reminders like that. "I certainly saw places this gaudy, but they were usually gold plated and went out of business quickly. I remember seeing a TFC with marble pillars because they rent was cheap." Talking about a mutual nice place is calming and helpful to help with that soothing.
"It's fine, Tamaki... I wasn't expecting a cheerful trip here." But she's still... far less comfortable than she expected. Usually, the wonder of everything overwrites the danger but this danger is so mundane. It's not monsters, and magic, and demons. It's just. Humans. Shitty, awful men. She hates it here. When Tamaki guides them away, however, the man lets out one parting shot. "The bride's side, huh? I hope you're good influences. Kamiya-san is already pissed about that girl who nearly ruined his bride. You better keep yourselves in line- and keep her in line too."
"Thanks, Tamaki..." She's definitely shaky- especially as Tamaki makes an assumption about needing something key like. Maybe it is that easy... "Worth a try." More than worth a try, as Tamaki's idea works, her keys combined with Maki supporting the idea, the elevators unlock.
Thankfully, Maki too helps with the grounding, and pushing them forward. "...I agree. Let's get moving. Hopefully there will be something we can fight. Or at least something.... strange." She ducks rapidly into the elevators to get away from this awful place and it's awful mundane evils.
MONAD: Masao Inaba has drawn a new Challenge! <Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
Masao actually gets a little good-spirited laugh as Eriko points it out. "See? You get it." Far as he cares, New York would be home sweet home, the time of his life, had fate not intervened.
The levity leaves him as he sees the emotional toll it's starting to take on the others. "We're not gonna let this shit stand for long," he says as they go up the elevator.
ONE AGONIZINGLY SLOW ELEVATOR RIDE TO THE TENTH FLOOR
...They have to put up with self-aggrandizing views clear and easy to be seen from the see-through elevator shaft for too long, and disturbing photos and images and the like. They do this while 'enjoying' the company of three otherwise harmless Cognitions. It's a little too real, that part, but luckily this is as far as the elevator goes before they can crave the release of sweet, open elevator car doors.
It's soul-crushing, to have to digest all they see and know so far.
Generally, higher floors should read as 'more important,' and... the Cognitions here are better-dressed? More opulent. Eriko could recognize more recent fashions among the female 'guests' here, at least. Tamaki could recognize some of the male suits as potentially being attributed to, shall one say, rougher organizations - but not to particularly fine detail to narrow it down. Kamiya probably doesn't care to remember those details all that much.
Maki might be aware of the presence of many Shadows surrounding them in nearby rooms, but only a few here.
"We're going to have the best seats in the whole wedding! Why, to see the bride's wedding dress that Kamiya-sama picked out..." Swoons a female Cognition.
"Heh! Look at this lot. Could hardly believe they'd be invited," they sneer, "if they actually had more to pay for the privilege than we did, my dear, I'd give them the invitation to the higher floor in a heartbeat! They'd all been sold out! Ha ha ha!"
Masao kind of freezes with widened eyes. "Uhhhh... shit. So, is there a limit of how many people you're bringin' per invitation, or..."
If they can't schmooze their way through, Masao's best offer is 'why don't we just all go together' and that's not going to win them over.
MONAD: Masao Inaba has acted with Charm toward Calculate That Bribe!! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Click. Tamaki pulls her hand away from the lock and tries to act like she's not too surprised. " -- well, I'll be damned. As it is with the power that Rumors have in Sumaru, so it seems to be here."
As the man calls after them, Tamaki rolls her eyes back, places her hands together as if in prayer, and inhales deeply while she summons the strength for what she does next:
Fighting every urge that she has to bite his head off, instead, she turns back around and radiantly beams at him and chirps, "Oh, let me reassure you, we're great influences, so you have nothing to worry about! We'll be on our way." Any mention of keeping anyone in line, however, is a deliberate omission on Tamaki's part. In its place is a menacing aura behind her sickly-sweet facade, a quiet dare for him to be the first one to break decorum and pursue this matter any further.
And with that, she slips into the elevator. In the ride up, she leans against the wall and has an irritation-fueled iron grip on her folded arms. The photographs definitely don't help her to stop fuming, either.
As they exit the elevator, Tamaki narrows her eyes as she scans the crowd. "Hold that thought, Inaba-san," she says as she steps forward to converse with some of the partygoers.
Information is valuable -- it's part and parcel of Tamaki's trade. She leans in towards the sneering group, jerks a thumb at the men likely to be part of organized crime, and conspiratorially whispers, "Hey, I heard what you said about an invitation. If you want in good with those folks over there -- can't hurt to get on their good side, right? -- I've got some news they'd be interested in. How about a trade? You go tell them that the Masuya-kai are planning to make a move to take over part of the gambling district, see how they react, then if all goes well, well ..." She gestures wide with her hands. "I wouldn't mind getting upstairs."
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Investigate toward Calculate That Bribe!! Focus and Smarts!
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
"Wow," Maki answer sElly about the TFC. It is nice and grounding to talk about that 'nice' place. "I guess sometimes you want your chicken fancy..."
Once htey're in the elevator: "I think any influence that makes that guy mad is a good influence." Maki shakes her head. "...You see the stories like this; I see them in Reiko-san's work..." Stories of abuse.
It's not easy to see.
The pictures; Ichika Kawase, over and over. Mostly pregnant. It's how Eiji sees her, by now.
"I wish this were stranger," Maki agrees with Eriko.
But as they reach out, the Cognitions are there--and suddenly, Maki's eyes widen.
"There's powerful Shadows ahead," she says. "...I know we'd rather fight than deal with these guys, but I don't think it's a good idea in this case."
But money...
Tch.
"Maybe it's like with the keys," she sugests quietly to Tamaki. "It just needs to be something that seems valuable."
Tamaki's got info. Maybe that's enough. Maki...
She doesn't have it in her to flatter these people. She just makes an uncomfortable look.
"Elly-chan," she says. "You OK...?"
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Academics toward Calculate That Bribe!! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Those pictures of a young woman, heavily pregnant don't help Eriko's mood so far, and she's eager to get into the elevator. Unfortunately, the elevator ride too is deeply uncomfortable. There's the three other cognitions, with their small talk, as Eriko has too much time to think. The men here seem so entitled, so... entitled to women. To claim them. It reminds her too much of that man.
Does it... make her think of herself...?
And then they are spat out, face first with Kamiya's most valuable guests, and she cringes. She can recognize the fashions, and she recognizes the people who can afford those fashions. Even if they don't have faces, she knows the type. The sort of people her mom worked for. People who think themselves above everyone else.
She's glad Tamaki has the strength to wave the man off, because Eriko's really not doing great. She's equally glad that Tamaki takes the lead with the bribe. "...I wish I could say that favours would be more valuable than money, here, but I think money is the only value they see." Eriko frowns- but Maki counters that assertion. Maybe there's something...
And then Maki asks if she's okay, and Eriko's first instinct is to claim that she is- and with any other group, she would. But not this one. She shakes her head, quietly. "...Even the Black Market wasn't this bad. The Harem Queen saw people as property, but not like this. For her, she wanted adoration, this Kamiya... he wants... power? Wealth? Everything has a monetary value to him... especially people..."
And a horrible thought comes to Eriko. A horrible thought that matches up with some rumours she's heard about the industry. Even within her own agency, distantly...
"...I think I have an idea what they might value. I just... I don't want to say it."
But the connection to a model agency, with a bunch of young, desperate women looking for an in. Eriko feels sick for even thinking about. She's really not okay.
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Academics toward Calculate That Bribe!! Base! <Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
They might not have an option but to go through the tougher collection of Shadows, by Maki's estimate. Surely, everyone has good reason to let loose and tear things up, but there's a risk going deep into a supernatural space they don't fully know the ins and outs of (even if a few things feel uncomfortably close to be one-for-one).
Where Masao, Maki, and Eriko all seem to struggle for some way forward...
Tamaki gives a little tip. It is also a little fib. It may just be a little too big of a hope--
"Hah! You would think we'd worry about that!" The male Cognition all but laughs in Tamaki's face. Uncomfortable moments pass as the female Cognition laughs along with him. A smooth move hitting the hard rocky road of reality?!
...One uncomfortable silence passes.
"...Ah, even one as great as that man would be in my debt if I gave him that information," the male Cognition hands over the invitation to Tamaki. That worked? That's a question worth asking... while on the move, hurriedly, ahead.
"Shit," Masao says, "that's a private investigator for you, huh... hey," he looks to his former high school classmates, "we'll get through this, one way or another."
A little smile. "We're not the only ones standin' up to this asshole... but the rest're countin' on us, too." It's kind of nice to have more friends against bullshit like this, but...
That doesn't mean this place wouldn't be harrowing if they had a thousand Persona-users to swarm this place, either...
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has drawn a new Challenge! <Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Tamaki's more tight-lipped about her own feelings on the matter of the strange world of Personas, Demons, and Shadows versus contexts closer to the banality of evil. Given her line of work, she often has to deal with the mundane sort. Even at Karukozaka, there was always that undercurrent of the social dynamics that led to that incident that permeated everything there. People are often shitty, and that's been clear to her since around when she had Awakened.
Often, but not always.
At the very least, Tamaki's maybe a little bit more inured to what they're witnessing.
She knows how she feels, but now hardly strikes her as the time or place to dive further into that topic. Not while she's agitated like this, not while she had to see those photos of Ichika through the horrid lens of Eiji's psyche. Maki's good at communicating, at handling discussion of these topics with the soft touch that's needed.
No, instead, Tamaki's a doer, expressing care in deeds moreso than words. Elly asked Tamaki to take point, so Tamaki takes point.
Tamaki endures those uncomfortable moments, entirely confident in her sales pitch. Even as they laugh, she only gives them a steely-eyed stare. They'll crack first.
Moments later, Tamaki gives the couple a gracious bow and accepts the invitation to the higher floor. "Thank you very much!" She turns back to her group and holds it up for them to see.
"You're right, Inaba-san. We'll get through this."
The sight that meets the group at the top of their next elevator ride is a ballroom. Cognitions of the visibly-pregnant bride herself and other women, including the mother and sister of the bride, are conversing.
The bride-to-be says, "He's... he's really good to me. He's had to discipline me a little now and then, but that just proves how kind he is!" and the others reply with assent, "Of course, of course," and variants thereof. There's more to this call-and-response, but ...
The bride's Cognition has a necklace with a key on it. That's their next way up.
Tamaki's own head is already swimming from that first exchange in the conversation she overhears as it hits a little too close to home -- not with trauma, but instead with guilt. Compelled to keep pushing forward, she points at the Ichika cognition and calls out:
"Cut the shit. Discipline isn't care. If he really was kind, he'd figure out a better way to express his feelings and desires."
After all, it's what she'd failed to do, herself.
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Indefatiguable toward Here Comes The Bride! Amrita!
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
"Impressive," Maki says to Tamaki, and it's not just being nice--it's a reminder that they're trying in here, that it's not just something they're experiencing but something they're actively pursuing. And besides...
They will oget through it.
"Right," Maki says. "...That won't have to deal with him forever."
Tamaki is taking point. She is doing, enduring, and Maki sees it. She sees the way she does it. ...And that next sight...
Maki looks to that girl's Cognition. To the sight of Ichika through Eiji's lens. ...Of...
"She's not real," Maki says, but it's not the calming thing it could be--it's not a reassurance. It's said with a sigh, because Maki is sad that it's true.
"...All this horror..."
"It comes from him."
Maki then approaches Cognitive Ichika. The key is there. That's what it is. And Maki has it in mind... but, "...But the way it affects everyone around him..."
"That's real," she says. "The way it's affecting us now."
"This awfulness is real," she says, clearly, "And because of that, we can touch it. We can see it. And we can do something about it."
Maki then approaches the Cognition and says, gently, "I'm sorry."
She looks to Tamaki. "You're right," she tells her.
She takes a long, slow breath. "Kawase-san," she says. "...Even though you're not 'real'.."
"You deserve better than this."
"Whether or not you can believe it, it's true. And though all we can do is seek out the 'real' you and help her..."
"I'll remember you," Maki assures her. "I'll remember this pain."
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Counseling toward Here Comes The Bride! Escape and Empathy!
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Eriko is rather glad that Tamaki's method worked, and she doesn't have to lean on where she thinks the value is. Despite that, she feels drained, fatigued, awful, vulnerable. This place isn't what she had come to expect from the supernatural realm. Maki's inner world was... strange, and wonderful, and dangerous. This place seems like it exists to crush them under the weight. The way the people here have been.
Tamaki is the one to roar defiance at Ichika, at Eiji's 'so-called' discipline, having taken point. What Eriko sees it's... it's foul. To imagine this girl's family wanting her to go through a marriage with a man like this. A man who not only doesn't respect what she wants, or even know her. He just sees a vessel for a child. A child just like him.
...Isn't such an obsession disgusting?
Maki's reassurance isn't that reassuring to Eriko. Is that really true...?
Though, those girls in the other Mikage-cho were part of Maki, not her imagination of others...
It's... awful to watch. And Eriko can't help herself approaching her, after Maki does.
"Your family, the people who love you... they wouldn't want this for you, Miss Kawase. You don't want this for yourself, do you?" She remembers the girl she met ever so briefly at that sudden demonic carnival. "This isn't who you are, or want to be?. You're more than that, aren't you?"
Even if she's not real, Eriko can treat her as close enough. "Even if you do want to be your mother, do you want your child to be in the hands of someone who considers cruelty to be 'discipline'? You owe yourself more than that, even in here."
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Soothe toward Here Comes The Bride! Patra and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
Coming out to what they all see next, it says a lot when Masao 'Mark' Inaba - still an occasional loudmouth even having grown into more than a few adult realities of what you just cannot get away with - is just dead silent watching all this happen.
He watches as Tamaki lays down fierce, unrelenting words... and further watches Maki, in action, have the strength of character and insight to approach someone who is not 'real' with reassurance about what she deserves.
He exhales sharply, looking to see the view of this troubled girl's family seeming to cheer this on. This is someone who may have been failed by... everyone. It reminds him of...
Oh. His eyes widen for a second.
A WHILE AGO - AT A SHRINE
Masao is catchin gup with one Tsubasa Seki, who sure looks like they're doing a lot better. Looks, being operative. Somewhere in this sepia tone-colored memory...
'Uh. Me parents don't give a shit, but I got like, guys threatenin' to grab me off th' street an'... whatever.' 'Been... gettin' a list together so Ichika can call around if I disappear. Y'know. It's shit like... Joker killer shit.'
NOW
He cracks a smile, seemingly inappropriately for the situation, as he slinks along the periphery. (He gives a 'shhh' to Eriko, like he's got an idea.)
"So, this asshole might know her friends," he says to himself as he gets his bag off his back. "I dunno how much he remembers or cares, but if he's got guys watchin' Seki-kun, then..."
He's not sure words can reach a troubled Cognition, but he sees she has a key, so for whatever reason, this guy believes she must have some kind of power, some kind of advantage...
"Shit, did I have that-- aw, sweet," he looks over his shoulder as Eriko starts talking. And then...
There is a stencil of a flower with petals. It's not exactly a rose, but pretty close. He sets that up against where he's sure Cognitive Ichika might be looking, and...
One by one, he layers together a flower shape with an excellent facsimile of Tsubasa Seki's stenciling technique. Trying to show with action, rather than words, if Kamiya's understanding of Ichika and her friends go that far...
'We're friends of your friend,' is what he tries to communicate as he defaces the ballroom wall like he was under 20 years old again, giving a warm, mischievous smile Cognitive Ichika's way.
MONAD: Masao Inaba has acted with Art Studies toward Here Comes The Bride! Smarts and Empathy!
(|============================= Monad - Results ==============================|) -==== Here Comes The Bride - Round 4 ==========================================- Tamaki Uchida Guts Success Indefatiguable Amrita Fatigue: 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maki Sonomura Understanding Success Counseling Escape and Empathy Fatigue: 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Masao Inaba Understanding Failure Art Studies Smarts and Empathy Fatigue: 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eriko Kirishima Understanding Success Soothe Patra and Efficient Fatigue: 3 -============================= Party Conditions: ==============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-1, Kind-2, and Reaper-0 Final Conditions: Kind-1 -======================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 4/6 |==== | =====================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ============================================================- Items: 2, Money: 1, Gear: 1 (|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Tamaki's interjection shatters the positive vibes in the ballroom. The facade that Ichika's Cognition had been trying to maintain breaks, and she buries her face in her hands to hide and muffle her sobs.
The sobs start to quiet down as Maki promises her that they'll find and help her 'real' self out there. They abate further at Eriko's consideration of what kind of environment her child would grow up in.
All at once, the other Cognitions swivel their heads in the direction of the St. Hermelin alumni. The cacophony of replies in protest is indistinct at first, but one of them motions for silence from the others and curtly requests of the group, "You are upsetting the bride. Please leave at once."
Ichika's Cognition manages to regain her composure herself and stands up. She moves to inspect the stencilled flower that Masao had put together, and understanding dawns for her.
She places a hand on the shoulder of the one who spoke and shakes her head. "No, no -- they're right." She looks at each in turn -- Maki, Tamaki, Eriko, Masao -- and repeats to them, "You're ... entirely right." She removes the necklace with the key from her neck, then offers it to Masao in particular. "I'm trusting you all with this."
Tamaki nods curtly. "We won't let you down." She rubs the back of her neck with a hand and looks at the rest of the group who had managed to be more articulate or expressive than herself. "Thanks, also."
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has drawn a new Challenge!
(|========================== Monad - Eiji's Palace ===========================|)
-==== Round 5: Weakness Shifter - Challenge Level 3 ===========================-
| Approach Options: Guts or Academics |
| Conditions: Heartening - Guts Up L1, Kind - Understanding Up L2, and |
| Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
The back rooms loom again, as the group finds their way into the upper floors of
the horror show. Where outside has been lovely white walls and red carpeting,
now it's dingy gray on black and brown, with screams echoing from below. You
don't see the workers or those in torment this time, though. There are bones in
places, but surely, they came here in a good way! Instead, a Shadow awaits
before the stairway out of this awful place.
The good news is that there's finally something the party can /hit/ in this
terrible place.
The bad news is that it changes its weakness every round, requiring a little
more strategy than a normal fight.
Good luck!
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
Eriko's kind words prompt Maki to look toward her, and nod. That's all right, too. And then Mark...
She doesn't get it at first; she doesn't know Seki-kun. But she does understand after a few moments what he has in mind, knowing her friends, and...
They were able to get through to her, somehow. Maki smiles, seeing that. Tamaki says what needs saying, though. ANd so...
They move on. They use the key, and they come into the back rooms, finally. They didn't get to see these before--so now, they will have the chance to experience the fact that there are screams coming from far below. Dingy gray on black and brown dominates the areas--and--
"Bones," Maki realizes. "Wait--"
The Shadow is here. It bursts into the form of a demon, Mithras, on its strange stone rising up to the sky. And it starts raining down nuclear attacks on the party.
Maki's part is to realize that the Shadow is changing its weakness after her first attempt--and then, "...I can help you through this."
"Everyone. Let's go!"
MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Guts toward Weakness Shifter! Base! MONAD: Maki Sonomura has cancelled her action. MONAD: Maki Sonomura has acted with Art Talk toward Weakness Shifter! Automap!
<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.
He's got to do a quick job under duress, and it's messy - but he does the imitation of Seki's stencil technique justice, by his measure. When the Cognition of the bride-to-be hands the key to a proven friend of a friend... He takes it in hand, nods the once, gives a thumb up, and probably has to take off running from some very angry Shadows who are aware the key should not be where it is.
(Nothing they can't handle in the span of a screen transition.)
Masao catches his breath, hands on his knees as they get through to the back rooms. This... quickly proves to not be a place to catch one's breath.
"Bones?" He looks up as Maki speaks up. "Bones." He echoes. The screaming, the colors, the dinginess... so this guy wasn't being that self-aggrandizing about his reach and what he was doing with people, was he?
Mithras is there to ensure that no one has much time to ruminate on the grittiest parts of the picture, as the time has come for those who attended St. Hermelin through the fated incident to bring their experience(s, plural, in the case of Tamaki) to bear.
"You bet," he grins as a self-actualized Maki leverages her own extension of her self, as a blue column of light forms around him as Ogun forms. "Let's get funky!"
THE DOWNSIDE - Masao still misses a lot.
THE UPSIDE - He won't be setting off any accidental reflected damage if he's missing, if Mithras' protections go that far.
THE FLIPSIDE - He is also trash talking regardless of how wide his axe swings, discharging shotgun, or a Gryva go. It's still Masao Inaba.
"Gonna crack that face like that rock!" "You gonna hide your face behind that raised knife and cry?" "Go kick rocks, man!" Etc, etc.
MONAD: Masao Inaba has acted with Smack Talk toward Weakness Shifter! Bravery and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
They seem to get through to this cognition of Ichika, and that's good- But Eriko is definitely feeling it right now. This is the sort of obsession, the twisted desires that cause someone to form a palace? An obsession with a person, and obsession with control, with wealth...
It seems few humans have hearts like Maki's. She should have prepared better for entering the world in the heart of a monster.
Maki mentions bones, and Eriko spies them- and then, the Shadow, warping into something demon shaped, but not a demon itself. As it attacks, Eriko dives out of the way, and draws her epee. "My, my. A disposal chamber, is it?" Eriko's eyes alight. This, this is something unreal enough that she finally feels comfortable. "This is the monster Eiji Kamiya keeps here to scare everyone into complicity, feeding unruly problems to it? And what a fascinating choice of monstrosity, too."
This is something she can fight, she can identify, that she knows what to do with.
"Mithras, a sun god from the Roman Empire, whose cult was a rival to the burgeoning Christianity. A rather sexist one, too, as his mystery cult never allowed women- indeed, Mithras was never pictured in the company of women, excepting Luna herself in the distance. A god born from a rock, slayer of bulls, who could return from death."
Eriko smirks, her look slightly frenzied as Maki and Mark summon their personas, so too does Eriko. "Nike! Come forth!" She grins, a blast of wind being sent forth viciously.
"Did you know that no written word of the Mithraic cult survives, and all that is left is iconography. Mithras is all but forgotten, crushed under the aggressive force of Christianity and outlawed by emperor Theodosius." She's moving, the goddess of victory's winds at her back, her many spell cards and Nike's own twin elements giving her plenty to hurt such a shadow.
"So, shall we find out how many deaths it takes for you to be even less of a memory than your cults, little sun? I want to hear how excruciating each one is. My repertoire of Ghost Stories can always use new entries!"
MONAD: Eriko Kirishima has acted with Horrify toward Weakness Shifter! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Tamaki Uchida has posed.
Tamaki's just glad to be out of the ballroom, no longer faced with reminders of the worst aspects of herself that she still hadn't entirely sanded down. There's always something to work on, some way to improve, you're never entirely done.
Something in what Mark said earlier slowly works its way through Tamaki's fatigue-addled brain. " -- oh, you also know Seki-kun, too? They're assisting us with some data collation at the Agency. In exchange, I'm here to see if we can find anything else particularly damning on their ... pursuers."
One screen transition later:
The bones give Tamaki pause. She files a mental note to inspect those more closely -- you know, once there's not the Shadow of Mithras haranguing them.
It's a marathon, not a sprint. That's the attitude that's helped Tamaki out before, and it'll serve her again here. If the sight of the finish line is enough for her to summon a second wind, hearing Eriko back to her usual self certainly is! She clutches the coins on her necklace and amidst the sound of shattering glass and blue flames, she calls forth Arianrhod, giver of trials. The imperious wing-armored goddess levels her blade towards Mithras, issuing her challenge.
Tamaki's own initial approach is to have either Arianrhod or herself be on the front lines and strike with precision, not necessarily to damage, but to limit its movement and box it in. If it zigs one way when Mark goes wide, she zags to land a hit. Conversely, she feints, and while she may not land a solid blow herself, she cuts off any retreat from Mark or Ogun's heavier strikes or spells.
Doubling down on Eriko's insistence at hearing about each one of Mithras' demises, Tamaki rolls her neck and smirks viciously. "Please. I think I've got him beat in terms of deathcount, and I'm not reduced to mere memory yet. -- lemme contribute to those ghost stories sometime, Eriko-chan, yeah?"
But that isn't enough ... not on its own.
Once Maki reveals the true trick to this fight, Tamaki nods firmly at her, then to Eriko and Masao. "Got it. Between the three of us, I'm sure we can cover the full gamut." As she says this, she whips out her own trio of spell cards, further complementing her and Arianrhod's already-wide array of slashing, piercing, light, wind, and electricity attacks. "Just say when. I can keep this up all day."
MONAD: Tamaki Uchida has acted with Indefatiguable toward Weakness Shifter! Amrita!
(|============================= Monad - Results ==============================|)
-==== Weakness Shifter - Round 5 ==============================================-
Tamaki Uchida Guts Success
Indefatiguable Amrita Fatigue: 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maki Sonomura Academics Success
Art Talk Automap Fatigue: 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Masao Inaba Guts Success
Smack Talk Bravery and Focus Fatigue: 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eriko Kirishima Guts Success
Horrify Specialty Fatigue: 3
-============================= Party Conditions: ==============================-
Starting Conditions: Heartening-2, Kind-1, and Mindnumbing-2
Final Conditions: Heartening-1 and Mindnumbing-1
-======================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====-
-==== Reach: 6/6 |=====| =====================================================-
-==== Loot So Far: ============================================================-
Items: 2, Money: 1, Gear: 1
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
(|========================== Monad - Eiji's Palace ===========================|)
-==== Round 6: A Suspicious Company - Challenge Level 1 =======================-
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Withdraw - Complication ensues. |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
Your group has been forced out of the Palace. Either the Security Level rose too
high to tolerate, or resources were stretched too thin to keep going. On the way
out, though, you hear some juicy gossip about which companies are trying to
curry Eiji's favor--a 'Tsukamoto' corporation, for one. It might be nothing...
but it might be a place to start looking.
Additionally, you manage to pact with a demon on the way out!
Final Loot: 2 Items, 1 boxes of Money, and 1 Pieces of Gear!
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
'Bones' is correct. There are definitely bones.
Eriko's approach to the battle is a rousing one--she brings everyone's spirits up by... thoroughly trashing the morale of the enemy. Mithras has no good answers for her identified facts, forced backward as much by her fierce will as by her attacks.
Mark does miss a lot, but that doesn't stop him helping; he doesn't set off accidental damage, and more importantly... His trash talk follows up on Eriko's horrifying statements!
This means that by the time Maki has indicated what's going on--that the weaknesses are shifting--Tamaki's right. They do have enough Skill Cards to gcover all they need. Tamaki's able to box the enemy in, and of their marathon one thing becomes clear, over time:
They've won the battle, but they're not going to win the war today. They know themselves well enough to know that their resources won't hold them past the next threshold, where even stronger Shadows await according to Maki's analysis.
However...
They've come far enough that they'll be able to make it in on their next trip up--which will be important.
...And on the way out, they hear a few more gossiping Cognitions who say something less horrible:
They mention the Tsukamoto company is trying to curry Eiji's favor..
There sadly wasn't a real demon. ...This time.-