2026-05-02: Tiptoe Through the Tulips with Me

• Log: 2026-05-02: Tiptoe Through the Tulips with Me
• Cast: Takaya Sakaki, Niko Kirisaki, Noriaki Okaga, Leon Saito, Yanagi Nagisa, Umie Akabane, Hyousuke Suzuki, Ririka Kawase, Moriko Kumamoto, Minato Arisato
• Where: Aoba - Main
• OOC Date: May 02, 2026
• IC Date: November 03, 2012
• Summary: It's a beautiful fall day in the park, and this time of year, one would not be surprised to find a few zombies. Turns out Aoba Park is full of them, metaphorically speaking, and so of course the group of rebels without a cause, Strega, is heading down there to rate which zombie is the best. Of course, Strega is happy to cast judgment on all who come by, even if they aren't some fortune-teller's follower cosplaying as a zombie.

---

<Pose Tracker> Doom Penguin has posed.

What comes of despair - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWxxr4W3-hg


They don't have a name for themselves, yet their numbers are growing within Aoba Park every day. This side of the park is crowded with a horde of them within an enclosure of hedges and fencing, on what seems like a mass coordinated hunger strike.

None of them have been caught eating after all. And sleep only happens when they collapse from exhaustion.

The only ones who have left, have been carefully removed by paramedics standing by for when people inevitably take that fall, taking them to the hospital for hydration. They return soon enough.

These are the people who have gathered with a cult-like fanaticism, to listen to a Middle-Aged former Office Worker speak. Toshio Iida, who has given himself no title, has given his movement no name.

He merely speaks, and people drop everything that matters to them, to listen, and keep listening. Disheveled, still in his rumpled office suit with loosened tie.

"We spend our life in toil, and for what? Our promised reward- a career, a spouse, children- happiness. But it is a lie- there is no happiness to be found in this world that's so full of sin."

"Full of sin." Nearly two hundred people reply as one.

"No life. No salvation. No hope."

He raises his arms to the sky.

"Dragons- we await your coming judgment. Consume us for our wickedness, visit ruin upon this sinful world. Prepare us for the next- a paradise, without sin."

"Without sin." Replies his chorus of followers.

Some family members are milling about, frightened. Every so often they try to call out to someone, to see if they hear them. They do not.

Every so often, someone else tries to enter, to beg them at close range, to try to drag them away from here.

And their number then grows by one. They are seized by many, but not for long. Soon they are released - as one more of their numbers.

To those with supernatural senses to feel them. There is a buzz of resonance so muted, as to doubt whether it's actually there.

This continues, and has now for nearly two weeks. The police have let them be, for the sake of religious freedom, despite the many people who have pleaded with them to force this to disperse.

There is no end in sight, save the end they speak of.

<Pose Tracker> Takaya Sakaki has posed.

It isn't normal to catch Takaya out during normal hours. That's when the squares usually frowned at the sickly shirtless man wandering about. Not that such things bothered Takaya much...No, it was just bothersome to move when decent folk were in greater numbers.

 But this was a special occasion.

 This man had a flock of believers that made Takaya stare with envy. No, this couldn't stand.

 Takaya hangs in the shadow of a tree as he watches the proceedings with a amused smile. That's how Takaya looked: amused. Amused that someone was doing what in his bones knew he should be doing.

 Takaya takes a sip of a canned coffee, letting the bitter liquid sit on his tongue for a long moment. He swallows and raises a single hand.

 "Lets go see if that stage has room for two and which side has the better argument shall we?" Takaya begins to walk toward the center of the crowd and this so called prophet "Toshio". He doesn't seem to be armed save for a mysterious wrapped object at his hip.

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Somebody here is clearly still in the Halloween spirit, wearing a black, long-sleeved, short-skirted, hooded dress with a neon pink, glow-in-the-dark skeleton depicted on both sides. And why not? Niko got that outfit for the sake of the festivities, but even if there were any rules against it, that dang well wouldn't stop her from wearing it for longer than just the day of. Not wearing the hood, the shock of bright pink hair makes it pretty easy to tell it's her from a distance, all the same.

The vibes of this place sure make it feel as if she made the right choice in dressing like this. A skeleton doesn't seem too out of place among the zombies, right? Not even a pink one, surely. With a bag of popcorn she's stuffing her face with as she listens to the rantings of the man at the head of the pack.

It's odd, the man's got the charisma of a sack of bricks as far as she's concerned, yet he's managed to gather all this attention for some reason. At least he speaks words that aren't entirely unpleasant to her ears. Anything that denounces this crappy world sounds good to her.

Pausing her munching, she asides to her Strega fellows, "Gotta hand it to the dude, he knows what's up, sorta, close enough. No wonder people are turning into zombies though, this speech is boring as fuck. Office guys and their meetings, am I right?" She doesn't wait for or need any confirmation. She knows she's right.

She can only encourage Takaya's suggestion, and so she does. "Oh hell yeah, get his ass, Takaya-sama! You're sooo much a better speaker than he is, show him how it's done!" She's good where she is, in the peanut gallery, with popcorn. This should be good.

<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.

    Noriaki has been here for a while, gangling towards the back of the crowds where he lurks. As ever, the only thing that can be seen of his face under his hoodie are the all-too-amused curve of his mouth, his eyes shadowed by his weathered hoodie. His pants are nondescript and weathered, as are his shoes.

    The phone in his hand, though, is brand-new.

    He just refreshed it after the new model came out. Whatever clothes him suits him, but if there's one thing he wants to spend his money on, it's his favorite toy.

    He stands off the side, scrolling through something or another on his phone. Noriaki grins at whatever he's looking at, going so far as to chuckle darkly now and then. After a few minutes of this, he eyes the crowd of believers and frowns thoughtfully. Tapping at something with his phone, he holds his device out at arms-lenth and, one assumes by the motion of his thumb, takes a photo. Shifting his position, Noriaki takes another shot from a different angle.

    "Heh, smiiiile," he says to no one but himself.

    "How d'ya think this'll do?" he says to Niko, waving his smartphone vaguely in her directly. "Ain't much of a poster, though. Figure 'Jin-chan'," he punctuates that turn of name with a flash of a grin, "'ll be able to make it do the numbers?" Assuming she hasn't taken it from him, he stuffs his phone in his pocket. He turns his head towards Takaya afterwards as the man suggests he see if the stage's big enough for two.

    "Hey, Sakaki. Want a video?" he says, only to shake his head. "Actually, I got a better idea... It's gettin' pretty boring out here in the peanut gallery!" Even if these idiots here are a riot, the act's getting pretty old.

    With that, he shoulders his way through the crowd, following after Takaya.

<Pose Tracker> Leon Saito has posed.

    Standing off to the distant of the crowd is a lone teenager, wearing a Gekkoukan uniform that seems to be about a half size too big for him. This kid simply watches the group and as they chant 'Full of sin' he winces and wraps his right arm around his left.

     Leon had came here without telling his mother, she was under that he was at school at the moment studying. Instead he had spent most of the morning and then some to get here to at least see this for his own eyes. Were all these people possessed by Joka, or whatever the term was. Could they really be cleansed of their sin? Leon looks at the ground in contemplation as he continues to listen to the chanting.

     Something startles Leon, reacting as one would as if a parent shouted ones full name. Looking around for a moment startled, that is when he spots the shirtless man, the scruffy looking guy, and the person dressed as a skeleton approaching the center of the crowd. "What ?" That is all Leon can manage to form in terms of words.

     Still curiosity was piqued and Leon begins to move into the crowd as best as he can to see what is going on. Once he finds a new place, people who he had shoulder bumped into to get to this spot slowly begin to move away from the kid. It's not that he smells or anything, just well it got chilly in that spot, best to move to a warmer spot. Sometimes that fall weather really does seem to just pick and choose where it appears.

<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.

    Aoba Park is a lovely part of Sumaru. It's especially lovely after you've had a nice, relaxing trip to the chiropractor with the Golden Finger that can stimulate your muscular dystrophy-addled body. Yanagi Nagisa is not cured of her affliction, but it has done wonders to help her go back to using a cane most of the time as opposed to the wheelchair she used to primarily and still occasionally uses.
    
    Right now, she has hobbled her way into said park with a bag of fruit snacks and seated herself upon a park bench near where Iida and his friends (or so Yanagi thinks of them) are doing a call and response. She's currently dressed in a long, flowy, pale green dress with ruffled skirts and a lacy off-white bolero jacket with silver slip-on flats and matching earrings and bracelets. Her wavy, pale gray hair is pinned in place with a pair of silver hair pins set with jade.
    
    As she munches on fruit snacks that are too rubbery to easily chew and has extremely hit-or-miss flavors--there's rambutan, durian, passionfruit and mangosteen in this bag--she considers their chant about happiness, sin, and paradise.
    
    When Takaya and the rest of Strega emerge from under their tree to prowl towards the unnamed cult, her attention goes to them, and she brightens. "Oh! An ideological clash! How exciting!" she says to no one in particular.
    
    To Niko in specific, she waves enthusiastically. "I like your dress!!" she calls, then holds up and shakes her bag of fruit snacks. "Would you like to trade?" Fruit snacks for popcorn, she means. The more experiences, the better!

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

    It's alarming, watching from afar, and seeing how people are being sucked in.

    Akechi had given Umie some basic details, just enough to get Umie herself sucked in by the mystery of it all. While Umie's own past had her brush up against what is easily considered a cult in itself, she has limited experience understanding how one gets absorbed into one as an adult.

    Surely it can't be this _literal_. You just walk in, and what, this happens?

    Ah, but Umie Akabane is different.

    For one, she's in disguise.

    A wig of long dark brown hair falls over her shoulders, her makeup clean and subtle, with a dab of concealer for the beauty mark underneath her right eye. A cardigan, pink blouse, and long skirt complete the transformation, though one tell may be in how the young woman's cardigan sleeves are long enough to cover well past her wrists over the pads of her hands, which reveal another another tell: the light lavender nail polish, which Umie has worn before.

    (Umie had to cover her original nail color, yes, but god damn it she wasn't buying another nail polish color!!)

    Besides that, there's the glasses, the subtle jewelry, all things that, oddly, could be easily found at a second hand store for cheap enough. There is no Umie Akabane here, not even resonance-wise; there is just a nondescript mousy looking young woman, a perfect mark for a cult like this, or so Umie would suspect.

    The crowd's too big to recognize whether Akechi is here as well; Umie keeps her expression neutral. Will her Persona status keep her from being sucked in?

    Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?

    Adjusting her glasses, she steps forward, playing the part of the perfect mark.

    .... No pun intended.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke was not unfamiliar with the stranger goings-on in Sumaru. The place was a hotspot for supernatural activity, after all, and to see rumours twist one thing or Shadows clamour around another was not out of the question. It hadn't been that long ago that someone had tried to - he supposed - warp the minds of all in attendance at an art exhibition, hijacking the name and skills of a well-known painter in order to do so. Even so, the presence of nigh-on two-hundred people clamouring for the end of the world and the cessation of all life upon it stood out to him. Enough that it warranted an investigation, at the very least.

Dense though he may have been, Hyousuke was not so stupid as to charge through the densely-packed bodies in order to directly question the apparent leader about what the hell was going on. He'd heard what had happened to someone that had tried. Part of him remained thankful of the fact that he'd not seen it happen himself - he wasn't entirely certain that he'd have been able to hold himself back from diving in after anyone caught in the clutches of the maddened horde. None of it stopped him from scouting around the edges of the park, however.

The Dark hour was a ways off yet, and as such, Hyousuke was still decked out in his Kasu High uniform. The blazer was opened, and the sleeves rolled back a little in anticipation of a fight, but his usual supernatural couture was still stashed away in his dorm room - wearing it out at such an hour would have raised a great many questions and attracted more stares than he was comfortable with, after all. He'd even kept his weaponry stashed in the same place, though a pair of worn boxing gloves remained in the gym bag he'd slung over his shoulder. Those, at least, he would not be questioned about.

The crowd - for all of their chanting - were unremarkable. Hyousuke wasn't sure what compelled them to repeat such words back or how they all did so in unison, but they appeared to have no real will of their own under whatever influenced them. The man at the front had all the charisma of a greenhorn salesman trying to pitch a dud product, but at the very least, he seemed to be doing something different. Hyousuke focussed his eyes on them, and began to circle around the edge of the crowd, searching for a point through which he could move.

All the while, something buzzed at him. It was like a gnat in the middle distance, or the faint hum of machinery beyond the walls and flooring of some aged building. It was there if he strained his senses, but it faded into the background just as easily as any other white noise. Hyousuke was sure it was Resonance - there was little else that felt like it. But he couldn't place whose it was, or where it was from. Was it that weak? Was it well-disguised? Were his senses not as sharp as he wished?

He shook his head as he made the approach. Questions for later, or for smarter people than he.

As he looked back towards the front, and began to inch close to the crowd, Hyousuke noted another making their way forward, and quite brazenly too. No shirt upon them, and sickly air to their appearance... Not someone he recognised, but not someone he cared to let out of his sight either. Either they'd need saving before long, or they'd cause a stir he'd be remiss to ignore.

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka is trying to keep abreast of Sumaru rumors. The return(s?) of the (multiple) Joker Killers is worrying enough, as well as knowing that Demons are, apparently, a thing, and that her sister Ichika also has to deal with this stuff, too.

And so she is here with her fellow SEES members, Minato and Moriko, to investigate the 'zombie' phenomenon that's been happening in Aoba. She is... nowhere near thr crowds, of course. She is standing well out of the way, dressed in cargo pants nd a light jacket, fingers drumming on her thigh as she just... Listens.

She can't help but frown, though, as she hears people pleading, tensing. Should they step in? Could they step in without getting ensnared? Would it upset the crowd?

"I think I sense some Resonance," she murmurs, to her two fellow SEES members. "But... it's faint. I'm not really sure..." She's frowning, trying to see if there's anything she can piece together. "... doesn't it make you think of how Moriyama-san was drawn to Tartarus, though?"

She might not recognize Takaya on sight--she was outside facing Sudou when the Joker Killer attacked the dorm--but she recognizes Niko--first by voice, her head snapping in that direction, and then by sight. "Wait why is she here? And that other guy... And-- wait, why is that guy going on stage?" She looks worriedly to her fellow sEES members. "Should we stop him? Is he just going to make things worse?"

She clocks Leon--the uniform is kind of easy to recognize, considering. He's a bit far from Iwatodai, but... well, so are they, so what right does she have to say anything on that grounds?

She doesn't recognize Umie ~in disguise~ but she does recognize someone else. She doesn't want to shout in this palce, though, so she pulls out her phone to text Hyousuke.

> Suzuki-san, look over to your right.

Ririka will give her friend a wave if he looks.

<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.

Moriko has been a bit out of the loop on the rumors, but she's trying her best to catch up. That there might be a return of copycats? That's what she's rolling with is a concern. As are the demons and just general strangeness. Things have gotten weird.
 
 She has teamed up with Ririka though! Which is easier than the alternative of finding time to do things and not make a mess of it.
 
 "Yeah?" At the mention of things afoot. "Faint and ambient or faint and directional?" She doesn't really understand how the reads work, but it seems a useful question to her.
 
 There are a few familiar faces in the crowd. Hyousuke gets a hesitant wave. Almost entirely out of concern that she might draw unwanted attention making a bigger deal of it.
 
 She leans over closer to Ririka at the texting though. "That is.. a better idea." She mutters. Starting to reach for her own phone.

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

    Minato heard about it from Fuuka; rumours on the Dark Side of Sumaru are buzzing about this new cult, gathered in Aoba Park.

    What the members of SEES understand by now is this: Apathy Syndrome escalates before a Full Moon Shadow, those special, keystone Shadows which appear when the moon in the Dark Hour grows full. (It operates on a different pattern to the moon out here, but it has, indeed, been growing larger, more of its face illuminated by some sick light...)

    And so, when Minato hears about 'zombies' in Aoba...

    "This is a SEES problem," he decides, just like that.

    That's why he's brought his team here, today -- two of the members more likely to know Sumaru well. (And what of Hitomi? Oh, Hitomi has another mission.) Moriko and her motorcycle have seen more of these streets than most of them could imagine; Ririka has family here to motivate her visitations.

    He asked for both of them specifically.

    And now --

    "Resonance..." Minato frowns, his hands thrust in the pockets of his casual jeans, a dark jacket over his shoulders. "Don't get too close. Yamagishi-san said that anyone who gets too close is dragged in and made one of them."

    Strega, though... "Takaya Sakaki," Minato notes, looking up to him, and perhaps, somehow, locking eyes with him in the crowd regardless of the distance.

    "What will you say...?"

<Pose Tracker> Doom Penguin has posed.

The Last Thing You'll See - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRz0vPrV59k

Takaya moves through the crowd. They do not halt his advance. They do not even look at him. The only person who does-

Is the man speaking before them. He turns to face the pallid youth, but does not smile. "Have you come to join us, as we await the new world?" There is a tug, on the corner of Takaya's senses, a pull.

A call to embrace hopelessness.

Hypnos provides protection from it, but it does not mean it isn't there. He extends a hand. "We can do so... together."

There is nothing to this man, he is empty, hollow. What is this that's behind him though? Just out of sight- out of hearing- barely felt...

Perhaps that is enough to intrigue him.

Noriaki approaches as well, just behind him. Just like Takaya, Efnysien protects him. But that doesn't mean it isn't there.

It feels like by all rights Umie Akabane should go unnoticed as well, but as she passes by into the crowd. A single head turns. It stares at her.

Then another, and another.

Then a hand of a hunched over older woman reaches out, snatching her wrist, and seizing it tight. "You are full of sin, child." She croaks, Umie knows which arm she is holding. "Join us."

"Join us." Those immediately surrounding her repeat. She does not let her go, her nails are already digging painfully into her clothing.

The end is near

She knows not what is staring at her, beyond the people. Only that something is. And she can only know that, because it has grasped hold of her.

Others are turning, and it's like they're all beginning to sedately close ranks around her.

<Pose Tracker> Takaya Sakaki has posed.

Takaya is driven to get to the stage, following Noriaki's lead with a pleasant smile on his face. However, one thing does get Takaya's attention briefly.

 Like two ships passing in the night. Takaya meets eyes with Minato, feeling his smile grow ever so slightly. So that interesting one was here. He had better put on a good show.

 And then Takaya arrives at the front, staring Toshio in the face. Something was off...even someone from indecent society could see the darkness radiating off this guy. The bad vibes...

 Takaya smiles and tilts his head. "My brother, I have come to tell you two things."

 Takaya holds up one finger. "First of all, rejoice as your message of despair is completely true. This society is an apple with a worm at it's core. Look at the outside and it looks pleasant enough but underneath it festers under that rotten insects silva." He smiles and hopes there are some who hear -him-. "Rejoice for this is correct and your cause is just."

 He then frowns and holds up his second finger. "However, I must be frank when I say there is no salvation...The world is coming to a blissful oblivion and we are but spectators to an ending that will bring sweet nothingness to our tired souls."

 Takaya opens his arms, presenting himself as a christ on a cross. "Your new world is a lie...Open your eyes and see that there is no rainbow where dreams come true. There is only the sweet embrace of the end."

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Niko doesn't bat an eye at Noriaki's 'Jin-chan'. That is, after all, his actual proper name, especially when he's not around to object to it. She glances at the presented phone, shrugging with some measure of exaggeration. "Askin' the wrong gal, don't care about those kinda numbers." High scores and stats in video games are more her speed. "I'll trust the photo buff's judgement on that one," she adds with a one-handed fingergun in Noriaki's direction.

She narrows her eyes a little when he starts to follow after Takaya, wondering what sort of 'better idea' he has in mind. As long as it makes for a good show, she supposes... but she'd better tag along in case of trouble. Wouldn't be so bad to get a better view of things, anyway.

However, not all of the crowd is just standing about without much in the way of animation. One of them is a bit more energetic, and... complimenting her dress? That's one simple trick to get all of Niko's attention and make her entirely fail to notice any others she should be perhaps be paying more attention to, easily getting her to wave back as if the enthusiasm involved were a contest. "Thanks, lady! You're pretty fashionable yourself!"

...Snack trade? Sure, why not, snack trade. Niko makes her way over to Yanagi in short order, her stake in sticking with the group small to begin with. Snacks are far more immediately satisfying than words could ever be. "It's honey-flavored," she adds the most important context while presenting the bag. "Whatcha got over there?"

She fails to even pay attention as Takaya starts speaking. However, when the crowd starts to stir, that gets her attention to return to where it probably should have been the whole time. Her fellows don't seem to bein direct danger though, so she doesn't think too much of it what's going on. After all, she clearly doesn't know that brown-haired person with glasses, plus she's seen this happen before.

"Whoops, there goes another one. They never learn." She doesn't even consider helping, instead inviting Yanagi, pointing ahead, "Here, watch what happens. It's pretty spooky, even to Skeleton-chan."

That's her name right now, obviously.

<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.

    'Jin-chan' is just fine if the man in question isn't around to hear it. That grin of his pulls wider at Niko's comment. "Heh. Maybe it just needs the right caption..."
    And maybe the right eyes to push it into the limelight, but the engineering of that's best left to their web-wards wizard, Jin.

    For now, Noriaki's happy to just capture the moment.

    Some of those SEES kids are here, Noriaki notes, turning his head ever so slightly as if to regard Ririka and Minato in passing. For now, the disguised Umie skates under his radar: he still owes the little crow a thing or two from the last couple of attempts. Suffice to say, even if he did recognize her...

    They're not just here to mess around. However Noriaki might act.

    There's that feeling. That sense of hopelessness.

    "Eh?" murmurs Noriaki, that grin of his dipping immediately into a frown. "Mm. That ain't good," he muses aloud, quietly. It might be so much water off Efnysien's back, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't get a little damp in the process. Still, he presses on, taking point as if to back up Takaya.

    "Hopeless, eh?" he rubs at his bearded chin, thoughtfully. "...So what? What good's hope, anyhow? What is hope, but some kinda," he gestures vaguely with his left hand, "thing to keep you goin', eh? Who needs that? That's some, ehh... far off business, a place you'll never reach." He shrugs broadly, before reaching into his hoodie's pocket and withdrawing his phone.

    "So c'mon. Live a little, would ya? Listen to what he's saying." He jerks his head towards Takaya. "You bastards're dragging down the mood, 'n all. So what, there's no hope! Smile already!"

    He lifts his phone then, grinning insouciantly as he steps in front of the larger cluster of believers and takes a selfie.

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

    One head turns. then another. Then another.

    Then another.

    Come on guys, her wig was where the majority of the budget went! She can't be *that* obvious, right?

    The young, mousy, defenseless woman should surely just be another example of how this slow infestation has spread. A normal person, without a Persona, soon to become another victim of an infection that has come to prey upon a system that has become weakened from social decay.

    Watch what happens, to the unwary.

    A wizened hand, skin thin and stretched with the gentleness of old age, somehow clasps onto the fabric-hidden wrist of Umie's right hand, drawing a tight wince from the anonymous woman.

    Umie, don't forget your part.

    "Ah, so sorry," not!Umie says, her voice pitched an octave up from her usual tone. "I'm here to find my brother. Have yo..." The act is harder to hold up as the grip tightens; it's never enough that Umie couldn't easily break free of it, but it's the owner of that grip that keeps Umie from daring to go any further with using force.

    'Join us.' 'Join us.'

    Oh no.

    "Oh no."

    All the while, a man lacking a shirt, looking like he stepped from a triptych at an altar (that is, with jeans) engages in a debate with the leader.

    All this talk of oblivion and ends...

    "... Please let go of me," the young woman asks, as the crowd begins to close in around her.

    She keeps calm, at first. Then, as a force Perceives her from beyond, unknowable and unidentifiable, her resonance backs out, giving a clear clarion bell of alarm before dissipating into the evening light.

     
    "... I will not ask twice," she then says, red-brown eyes widening.

    Her left fingers clamp over the old woman's right, attempting to pry them off.

<Pose Tracker> Leon Saito has posed.

    Leon watches the happening from the center of the crowd, he feels a sense of hopelessness as the man talks to Takaya as if the words are dipped in the emotion and simply hearing them, Leon takes them in. Still wasn't this group meant to provide a way of cleansing one of their sins, that didn't sound as hopeless as it felt. Leon has only managed to inflict confusion on himself as he watches the happening.

     The talk of smiling even when things are hopeless,the words of the shirtless man's back up speaker helps him not give in to that hopeless feeling. He is about to speak up when he hears a chanting about joining, turning to look towards where some mousey looking girl was grabbed. Leon isn't ignorant that such a mousey girl could be replaced with a boy who is nothing then bones easily.

     Some part of him says that he should step in though, speak up, help her. This is perhaps the hero moment where he could change his life, if he just takes one step forward. With a deep breath Leon steps...

     Away from the conflict, having rationalized that there are police here, that they would help if it became dangerous. Also there are so many other people, best to have someone who is able to help actually be helpful. Still it takes effort for Leon to move his eyes off Umie and back to Takaya and those in the center, even more so for his mind to stop thinking about it.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke started at the sudden buzz in his pocket, and for a moment, tensed his muscles in anticipation of a fight or a chase. However, once he realised the notification had been far too quiet for anyone to hear without just pressing their ear against his leg, he fished the device out and checked it. It didn't take him long to read it, and even less to glance around to his side, noting Ririka and Moriko waving at him from another spot in the crowd. Hesitant though he was to wave back at him, he gave a quick one to acknowledge their presence, and returned the text with one of his own.

> you guys feel that
> think there's resonance here

Hyousuke couldn't be certain. But Ririka was a Navigator, and likely a great deal smarter too. If anyone was able to figure out whether it was just his senses playing tricks on him, it was her. Having Moriko there to confirm as well certainly wouldn't hurt, and he knew he could rely on both of them in a fight. The one with blue hair that stood with them, however... that was someone he didn't recognise. He didn't pay them much mind, given that they seemed to be with Ririka and Moriko, but he filed the memory away for later. Another question to ask at another time.

His eyes came off his phone when Takaya began to speak. They seemed to have more personality than a damp cloth, but the fact that they were more charismatic was concerning rather than interesting. Their message went even further than the last man's, claiming only restful oblivion once the end was upon the world. An apocalypse that would smother all in its endless dark, and grant every living being the solace of death... Hyousuke blinked suddenly, realising he'd been looking at Takaya with a concerning degree of attention, shook his head, and brought himself back to his senses. It was wrong, of that there was no doubt. They needed to be stopped.

Halfway through another text to the Gekkoukan group, Hyousuke noted some of the crowd stirring. A portion near to him, in relative terms. He watched with undisguised anger as another person fell into their clutches, the tide of bodies beginning to lap at their feet and drag them down into the murky depths below. Whatever he'd thought to ask was erased in a heartbeat, and replaced by a simple statement
> we have to do something
Followed by:
> im going in
It didn't occur to him that it was Umie. The disguise meant that the figure was a stranger in every way that mattered. But that didn't matter. They were in danger, and he was close enough to help.

He at first appeared to just be someone shunting their way through the crowd. Inconspicuous enough, he hoped - enough that he could get where he was going at least. Where he couldn't slip through, he brute forced in, quietly apologising to those he might have left with a sore arm in the morning, until he was close enough to latch his hand onto Umie's arm. Doing his best impression of one of the mindless drones, Hyousuke drew in close - enough that he could murmur to her, at least - and spoke.
"Follow me." He said, softly, but dangerously. "Don't look back until we're clear, or we're both fucked."

<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.

    Niko joins her on the bench. Yanagi turns a warm smile over at her, wave and counter-compliment at all. "Thank you! Do you like my accessories?" She turns her head this way and that to show off the hair clips. "I made them!"
    
    Niko offers the popcorn. "Oooh, honey," she says, leaning over. Before she takes any, she holds out the bag of fruit snacks. "They're tropical flavors, I think! I'd never seen them before, so I simply had to try them!"
    
    Yanagi takes a fistful of popcorn; her hands, while deft and nimble, are small, so it's a fairly small fist. Niko is welcome to take as many gummies as she likes, as long as it's not all of them.
    
    Yanagi's attention then goes to Umie as Niko points her out--the older woman who snatches up her wrist, and the crowd that begins to close ranks around her. It's not just them; it's their leader, and that presence just behind him, itching on her senses as it begins to stir.
    
    Toshio then challenges Takaya. Takaya challenges him right back, claiming there is no salvation, that what awaits them all is only oblivion. Noriaki underscores this, sneering at the idea of hope and encouraging them all to listen, but it's Toshio and Takaya who have Yanagi's attention now.
    
    "..."
    
    Nom. This next gummy is mangosteen, the Queen of Fruits. She begins the long, laborious task of chewing it into a swallowable state.
    
    "You're right. It is spooky," she comments to Niko, matter-of-fact.
    
    SEES is here too, led by Person Of Interest Minato Arisato, but for now, Yanagi keeps her focus on the main spectacle.

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka shakes her head at Moriko. "I'm not sure... it might be something, or I might just be sensing the rest of us..." She glances over Yanagi's way. She's a more experienced Navigator, right? Maybe she's got a perspective on it...

Moriko compliments her on the texting, and Ririka has just the barest hint of a blush. "Yeah, well... somebody else had to give me the idea," she admits.

Look, whatever arguments she and Yukari might've had, that was, honestly, a decent solution that Ririka had kicked herself or not thinking of in the arcade.

She does have family here, and she is concerned for Ichika, and she's made some friends here, too, to also show concern for. Lots of reasons to investigate.

She nods to Minato, at the warning not to get too close. "Right, Arisato-san. I'm... trying not to listen too closely, either, just... just in case." Beat, and then in a low, concerned, voice, she adds, "... if I start walking into the crowd somebody grab me quick, please."

But Takaya speaks, and Ririka frowns. Sure, things could be better, but... come on, there was still some good too, right? To hear him talk... it's like one worm has spoiled the whole bushel, or something. "Geeze, should we stop him from saying the world is coming to an end? If people start repeating that..."

But she scowls as Noriaki talks of hope--and the uselessness of it. "Those two..." she grumbles. Someone should say something to counteract them. She doesn't think they're under the same influence as the others. If only because their message is different. But her attention is ultimately drawn by something else happening.

Ririka's reply to Hyousuke is brief.

> Yes.

But whatever else she might reply with is cut off when that clarion call goes out, and Ririka's head snaps up. "Wait--I know her. We have to help her." Didn't she have some questions for her? Yes, but now probably isn't the best time. She's moving forward, trying to move through the outer edges of the crowd with a minimum amount of disruption.

Though she has no idea how to get Umie free without hurting the people around her, which she really doesn't want to do. Still, she tries to send her own pulse of intent to Umie. Along with Hyousuke, she's on her way to help.

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

    What will he say? That their despair is true.

    That they ought to smile, Noriaki adds, in their despair.

    Minato will think on it, more, later, in the dark.

    Now --

    Now, he is occupied by something else entirely.

    "She's in trouble."

    Burst of Resonance or no, Minato shifts his amble towards Umie and the crowd surging around her, an intense expression flickering over his blue eyes. He passes Leon, as he walks with purpose; he recognises him, from the halls of Gekkoukan.

    "Stay back," he advises him, as he looks behind him, to the boy backing away.

    Looking back...

    It's always been what doomed him.

    (He does not realise he has an audience, on the park bench; he is determined, focused, singular.)

    Hyousuke shoulders his way in -- and will shortly find that he is not the only one to do so. Minato grasps Umie's opposite arm, his other hand holding firmly to Ririka's, so that she can help to pull them out. He trusts that Moriko will anchor Hyousuke, in much the same way.

<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.

Moriko herself has shown up in slightly more mundane clothes. Denim, riding boots, t-shirt and her biker jacket which isn't quite as standout as the whole getup at least.
 
 "You think it's-" She pauses, trying to think of the word. Frowning after some time when Minato notes that getting too close drags you in. "It's not a spinning tower and yuri is it?" Yuri, the manga type. Not another thing.
 
 There is a curious look sent Hyousuke's way, beckoning him on the sly, though if he's already grouped up, she turns her focus to the SEES members, "There's a few people moving about." In an undertone.
 
 "To text?" She sounds confused when Ririka suggests she needed a prompting for it. She looks down at herself. Checks her jacket, then looks back to her in genuine confusion at first. Then she shrugs it off for now.
 
 Between Minato and her though, "Maybe you're sensing the field? The" She wobbles her hand, "Brain drain?"
 
 She follows along though, what with her being pulled along before she can fully get her thoughts organized. She's pulled along, then holds her hand out for Hyousuke, catching on quickly enough. Brain catching up to Ririka's comment on saving someone. "Let's go" She prompts! With that tone of confidence couched in 'roll with it.'

<Pose Tracker> Doom Penguin has posed.

Takaya is correct, in the sense of pointing out a contradiction in their own ideology. How can you await a world without sin, while proclaiming there is no hope, and no salvation awaiting them? Toshio stares blankly at him, as Takaya speaks.

Then, when it's over- he continues to stare for some time, before he turns to Noriaki too in turn.

"The dragons have sent this one, to instruct us."

"To instruct us." The crowd echoes.

"For he has seen the truth. Oblivion awaits us. That is their judgment."

"Embrace us." They all say, even though Toshio never said that. Instead it is more an echo of Takaya. "Let us know the end."

Did they just- adapt to his words in real time? What do these people truly believe in? Or does it not matter what they believe in? Are they mirror to reality, a window to some predator beyond?

Or both.

"Smile. We celebrate our coming end."

And asynchronously, they all begin to smile. Some wide, some thin. The muscles in their faces act to obey the command.

Noriaki steps forward to take a Selfie. A smiling Toshio leans in to be in the camera, and holds up two fingers in a V, with a numb stiffness.

What comes of despair (Encore) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWxxr4W3-hg

What's perhaps disturbing to those watching Umie, is the front of the crowd doesn't even seem to notice what the circle around her is doing. The old woman who has her wrist is smiling at her, with several missing teeth.

"Smile, child."

Her grip remains, vice-like.

"Your end is coming."

It's like she does not even register what Umie says. Umie says she won't ask twice, grabs over her with her opposite hand. Trying to pry them off. There is not a supernatural strength to them. But she is trying to hold on.

Umie will have to yank her arm away, and that's the moment the older woman lurches at her and falls, face-first onto the ground.

The impact is jarring, but she pushes herself up without hesitation, with bloodied nose, and swelling knot to her forehead, looking at Umie with that eerily wide smile.

"It's coming."

The other people are closing in, but Hyousuke brute forces his way in, shoulder checking a man, he loses balance, knocking into another middle aged woman behind her.

But others are reaching for both of them.

"Smile."

They say, as they try to seize them from several different directions. Which is when Minato grabs the other arm, and yanks Umie away before they can gain purchase, whereas Moriko manages to bat away several from grabbing Hyousuke in the act of grasping him.

As Minato is trying to force himself out, he finds himself blocked by a gaunt middle school girl, who has to look up to look him in the eye.

"Death has come."

"The end. The end." They all echo now asynchronously, that susurrus going up among them like a chattering tiding of magpies. Now... the entire crowd is paying attention, as they all begin to turn towards him, a smiling horde.

All seeking his salvation.

Like draws to like. A part to the greater whole.

Run.

<Pose Tracker> Takaya Sakaki has posed.

Takaya appreciates the backup from Noriaki, smiling flatly as he waits for whatever 'Toshio' had up his sleeves.

 The adoption of his words doesn't alarm Takaya. He is smart enough to know that something weird is happening here. He is also smart enough to use it to his advantage.

 "Interesting...Yes, we have come from the Dragons." He parrots Toshio's words back at him, watching as the crowd starts to get handsy with some who aren't with the program. Well well, it would seem there are unbelievers in the audience.

"Brothers, sisters!" Takaya takes out a butterfly knife from his pocket and cuts along his arm. "The blood is our lifeforce. Our lives flow through it. Give back to this world to show you are ready for the end. AND IF you don't, CAST THEM OUT OF OUR MIDST." He quickly wipes off the blade and hands it, handle first, to Noriaki. Takaya then nods to Niko from where she is. "Show everyone your devotion and find those who are not ready to ascend into the empty bliss of nothingness!"

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Having traded one peanut gallery for another, Niko's eyes widen a little as Yanagi draws attention to the hair clips. They widen a bit further with the added context of having made them herself. "Oh shit, really? Got some talent then."

Though Niko doesn't draw particular attention to them in turn, Yanagi's eye for accessories will undoubtedly not fail to notice her own: a series of five silver-colored pointed ear clips on each side that roughly form a claw pattern, a gold necklace featuring the astrological sign Pisces, and a matching gold bracelet with the name 'Niko' engraved, in Romaji. The latter two of which don't match her general style at all, suggesting there's a Story there.

But, for the moment, Niko is focused on the snack trade, raising an eyebrow at the lack of clear description of what Yanagi has with her. "'You think'? Adventurous eater, I take it?" She too will try anything once, she supposes. Starting with a single gummy, she doesn't even look at what she grabbed before she casually pops it into her mouth like it's no big deal.

It quickly turns out to be a big deal. The way her expression twists in what's more confusion than outright disgust must be a pretty funny sight. It's... certainly unique, in how it takes forever to chew through, and has a taste she couldn't describe to save her life. "...The hell?" she finally comments after a while, still not having managed to swallow. "Are you sure this is candy?"

It at least allows her a moment to listen to the words of the speaker, now speakers, at the head of the crowd. Whatever commentary she might have had is stopped short, by the following developments. "Uhhh," is the start and end of her judgement. She never would have thought the crowd would respond at all, let alone like that. Things are getting way spookier than she imagined, now. NOW she starts to realize who else is there, and once Takaya prompts her... well, she has to do her part now, one way or another.

"...Excuse me a moment," she says, leaving her popcorn bag with Yanagi as she rises, calmly starting toward the group trying to help Umie with wide opened arms, collectively addressing them as, "Well well, if it isn't SEES! Let me guess, you saw people who don't think the way you do and just had to get involved. Didn't think for a second that maybe they know something you don't, glimpsed a truth you don't care to acknowledge." Her cheery demeanor fades as she adds, "...As you can see, your misplaced pity isn't welcome here."

She's not exactly in any hurry to actively start trouble, but, well, it's Niko. She's probably gonna be trouble. And there's a lot of that already as it is.

<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.

    Even if Ririka didn't recognize the man as he lopes his way into the spotlight, she'd probably notice his resonance. This is a man who is like a bad penny: he keeps on turning up. At least there's not much he can do in the light of day, even in Sumaru, even in a place like this. Not unless his goal is to bring his own ride through life to a sudden stop, that is. And while he's a man who professes little affection for any kind of 'hope' or even 'future'...

    Even a true believer can be a hypocrite.

    He notices the tussle over there. It doesn't collect his attention in the same way the believers do, particularly when they turn to him.

    Smile.

    They await their end.

    He sees it in the photo moments after he takes that shot, there on his screen. He sees it too when he turns to face the crowd that had been grouped behind him. They're smiling.

    "...The hell's this about? You lost your mind?" he asks of Toshio, and all of them, gesturing at them with his free left hand. He's not smiling himself, anymore, his own pleasure in it stolen when they mirror him so... blankly. He glances down at the photo he's taken and with one slip of the thumb, deletes it.

    It's uncanny, that smile. Like a corpse. Like they're not really alive.

    "Tch," he hisses, put off his game and annoyed because of it. He glances at Takaya, then back at the crowd with their zombie-like smiles. "Well, alright then... Smile, you bastards! Lemme see those pearly whites!" He spreads both arms wide, as if to exhort them onwards. "Smile, as you leap straight into oblivion!" he shouts.

    There's the sound of an altercation nearby. Turning his head, Noriaki watches it play itself out. He watches as the old woman falls. As she, rising with a bloodied face...

    "They're really far gone, ain't they," he mutters to himself, for once neither a smile or a scowl on his lips. Surely, though, this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black?

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

    'Smile. Your end is coming.'

    "Tell me something I don't know," Umie grumbles with a tone that would be very Umie-like, now certain the lady or anyone within the cult(?)'s grasp is listening or registering what she's saying. No need to continue the ruse, even if she sees Strega nearby.

    WIth a final tug Umie thought would be gentle enough, she betrays a sharp note of concern as the old woman falls face-first into the ground. "... damn it...!" She barely manages to still that impulse to reach down towards the elderly woman to help her up, her right hand twitching back as she seems to coldly withdraw back from the defenseless senior.

    But look, the grandmotherly woman seems to take it well-- why else would she be smiling so widely as she gets up, despite how callously that young woman let her fall down?

    Is anyone still fooled, aside from the crowd that is willing to listen to two prophets proclaim the end?

    When another hand clamps down on Umie's, she nearly

    "Suzuki-kun..." Umie's eyes widen, afraid for a moment he, too, has been indoctrinated like the rest of the crowd here, up until he whispers for her to follow him. "I'm afraid they've taken a real liking to me," she murmurs back, dryly. "Can't keep their hands off me."

    Hyousuke likely doesn't know who she is, but Ririka does, able to recongize who's underneath that brown wig in that small snippet of time Umie's own abilities failed her. Minato grips her other hand.

    Then, Niko speaks. Umie spares a moment to glare at the young woman who kindly took Kurou to a movie. "Oh, will you shove it?!" She'd point, but that hand is being held by Minato. "Don't pretend like your leader over there didn't just encourage what he just did. Stop acting so noble; you're here for the chaos, and nothing else."

    The end. The End. Attention's now focused on Minato, who cast his safety on the line trying to help someone-- that someone being Umie, unknowingly, again.

    "Arisato-kun. Get back. We can't do anything here; this is an uneven playing field."

    There's a temptation to let Strega take the cult's attention, but seeing what Takaya has just encouraged, Umie's not sure she's liking what may happen next. "Quick, someone say some shit about the world ending!"

    Good idea, Umie, why don't *you*?!

     Because there's no time.

<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.

    "Thank you! I do!" Yanagi says cheerily to Niko. She is a professional jeweler, after all. What's the point in false modesty?
    
    In turn, now that Niko's closer, she takes a better look at her accessories too. She does note the difference in style between the ear clips and the necklace and bracelet, but in the moment, she's more interested in the immediate information they offer, which is to say--
    
    "Oooh, I'm a Pisces too," she chirps. "February 18! What about you, Niko?" (Yes, immediate yobisute. Yanagi is Like That.)
    
    Is she an adventurous eater? "Yup!"
    Is she sure this is candy? "Nope!"
    
    The crowd is getting spookier. There is a heavy influence in the atmosphere. Yanagi only nods when Niko leaves her popcorn bag with her, and munches on the honey-flavored bits as she goes off to confront SEES. Now she's able to focus on them, and how Minato and Hyousuke each go in to save Umie from the consuming crowd, and Ririka and Moriko attempt to anchor each of them so they can pull everyone out.
    
    There continues to be an ideological clash. Yanagi crunches as she watches closely.

<Pose Tracker> Leon Saito has posed.

    Leon welcomes the words from Minato, as if reaffirming that he was making the right choice by not playing the hero. Instead he simply finds himself pulled back to what is gong on with those that decided to play hero and the mousey girl. Judging by the reaction of the people this girl carries a lot of sin. If one joins is it possible to sense the kegare?

     Toshio's words, and acknowledgement of who the shirtless one is draws him back, and his eyes grow wide in surprise as they are noted as being sent by the dragons. He had rewatched Chizuru's interview probably twenty times and the Guardian dragons were suppose to help by reabsorbing Kegare. If the dragons had sent these people, maybe they were a path to being free of kegare. As others smile so does Leon, a genuine smile of hope. That is until the knife and the proof of dedication, it's hard to watch. The smile fades and Leon is filled with doubts and questions, wondering if he could be as devoted as they all are.

     Looking back towards the crowd with the girl, it looks like it might turn violent, as the skeleton speaks up. SEES? What is that? Are they cops? Where were the cops? "Just what is going on?" Leon's thoughts escape his mouth as he continues to witness the events. A glance back to Umie, she does have a point, there is a whole lot of talk for the world ending that the teenager wasn't quite ready for. Was that really a part of all this? Did the believers all have to believe in that part?

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke had expected to be on his own. Whether that was because others were less impulsive than him and needed a plan, or they intended to keep more from reaching him while he extracted someone with a *remarkably* familiar resonance, he couldn't say. But he'd thought that actually dragging them out would be something he'd have to do with his strength, and his alone. Not to mention the fight that would no doubt ensue once those around him realised that he was not one of them, in spite of the (worryingly realistic) look of hopelessness he wore as a mask. Umie recognising him was enough to shake it for a moment, and that earnt her an open-mouthed stare that hinted at him wanting to ask how she knew him, but there would be time for it later. The cavalry had arrived.

Ririka moved through the crowd with her ally, working in tandem to pull Umie from the crowd. Moriko came to him as well, providing her aid to make sure he himself did not succumb to the churning press of bodies. His own strength, brutish and wild as a hound's, repelled a few of them by itself, but it was everyone else that kept him from being overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the brainwashed horde. He hated to admit it, but perhaps his initial plan - to dart in and barge out - was a little shortsighted.

He tried to blend in, even as the moaning horde bore down upon them. He was loathe to strike innocents (putting aside the fact that he'd barrelled through some like a rhino with a grudge) and hoped that donning his best look of ennui and despair would allow them to at least make it to the outer edges of the crowd before things got bad. But then he heard a speech. It was the same, charismatic, man that had spoken earlier - though this time, he seemed far more impassioned than before. The knife alone - something that made him wince a little as he saw it carve through Takaya's arm - was proof enough of that.

"Damn it, so much for subtle." Hyousuke spat, teeth grit and the mask shed. Frustration took its place in a heartbeat, and he dared to cast a look back, despite his own advice. The horse had bolted, after all - there wasn't much use in pretending after they'd all been singled out anyway. "Come on, let's move! We don't get out of here soon, they'll-" Hyousuke never finished the thought. He heard someone familiar call out, after all, and he didn't care for their presence in the slightest. With clenched teeth, he levelled a tired, angry, look at Niko.

"Oh, for the love of..." He said, his tone far more tired than angry. He'd stopped trying to wear the mask by that point, and his unending irritation with Niko was bared for all to see. "Can't you just leave us alone for once? Every goddamn time one of these assholes pipes up, you're right there behind them..." He didn't know Niko. He was fairly certain he didn't know her name. She had a rather distinct air and appearance to her, however, and that alone had cemented her in his mind as a nuisance. A dangerous one, admittedly, but a nuisance nonetheless.

Umie had a plan. Hyousuke wasn't sure if it was a good plan, and he wasn't sure why she knew how to resolve things, but it was *a* plan - and it might have even saved some little old ladies from getting knocked to the floor by him charging through the swelling ranks like a wrecking ball. He breathed in, suppressed his frustration, and turned to the crowd with a rapturous smile. He was no orator, but he'd be damned if he had a better idea.

"I... I see it now!" He said, with such a shift of tone he almost gave himself whiplash. "The... dragons! They're coming for all of us! It doesn't matter how much I fight or scream or shout or train or ANYTHING! There's only one way this ends! And I... I should have the honour of showing these ones the things I've seen..." He turned to the group, still baring that smile, but gave them all an insistent look. One that, he hoped, sent a single and silent message that Moriko might well have been familiar with.

Roll with it.

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

    Death has come... but it's Minato, who looks across the congregation, no expression to his face at all.

    It's Minato... who meets their eyes.

    And he is calm as ever.

    "Sure," he says, going along with it as easily as he breathes.

    He looks Hyousuke in the eyes -- and then Umie.

    "Get back."

    The same thing Umie said, a moment later.

    Because as Takaya invites them to cut and leave the body...

    ... Minato takes the implement the woman closest to him grasps, and wrenches it from her.

    "I'll tell you," he says, and his voice remains calm, quiet -- yet somehow entirely audible.

    "Death can't come to the bloodless."

    He throws that implement down, grinding it into the dirt of the park with his shoe.

    "Bleed yourselves now, and you will never know death."

    Distantly, he is aware of his panic; or a panic which must surely have belonged to him, once upon a time.

    But his face is calm.

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka gives Moriko an odd look. "Spinning tower? What? Let's talk about that later." She did need a prompting. "Don't worry about it," she says quickly. As for the 'field', "I'm not sure. It's too faint, and I can only do so much without Amphion here."

Ririka will make sure to get a firm grasp on Minato's hand. "I got you, Arisato-san," she says firmly.

But old habits die hard and even without Amphion she is still trying to listen to the crowd--and an uneasy feeling runs down her spine as she realizes the call and response has changed--and the response is to a different caller. "What the... guys," she hisses urgently under her breath to her fellow SEES members. "They're changing the script. I don't know what this means but I don't think it's good."

They get Umie free, but the old woman trips, and it's a bit upsetting to see, even if the injury was wholly unintentional. "Sorry, obaasan, I know you can't help it right now..." But then, they're surrounded.

'Death has come.'

And there are more changes to the 'script' coming. "Shit-- is that a knife!?"

'Well, well, if it isn't SEES!'

Ririka groans. "We only stepped in to help someone!" she retorts. "You're the ones taking advantage of these people!"

She won't fail to notice Noriaki's Resonance--but it's getting harder to keep track of what's going on on the stage as the situation in their immediate vicinity grows more dangerous.

But Umie says that someone should talk about the world ending. "Great idea--give them more reasons to use that knife," she hisses.

Leon asks what's going on, though, and Ririka looks to him. "You should get out of here while you still can." If he's questioning what's going on, maybe he hasn't been taken in yet. (She doesn't have enough bandwidth to question how that's possible, though, given everything else happening right now.) "Follow us."

Hyousuke starts to talk about dragons and gives them all a smile trying to urge them to roll with it. Ririka stares. She's pretty sure he's just playing along.

... She reall hopes he is.

Could it help? Maybe, but Strega is right there to call them out, and Ririka is already a bit overloaded trying to keep track of the crowd. "Good work," she hisses, "but keep moving."

Minato, however, engages too. And Ririka stops to stare at him. How can he be so calm ... Maybe that's part of why he got made Combat Leader.

Is that a gap in the crowd? "Guys, this way--" Tug.

<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.

A bunch of people chanting over and over about the end and death is coming gets a frustrated, "Shut it." From Moriko. Even as she tries to get an angle to check on the people falling over, as well as any other sorts of problems like encroaching, creepy chanting and other things. She's hesitant to use the extra padding nad plates attached to her jacket.. for obvious reasons, but that may be the sort of option that gets taken away from her soon enough.
 
 "If you've got a plan, we should consider it sooner rather than later." She warns Minato and by proxy, the others, "Or we can play by ear." She glances to the others. Mostly towards Hyousuke, so far he hasn't seemed afraid to just plow things under right?
 
 Not quite that blunt, but in this kind of situation maybe?
 
 Niko's reactions to it all earn a menacing glare from Moriko, an intentional one even. No words though. She's a bit split focused on everything going on around.
 
 Hyousuke's signal is received, but is that the right call? She isn't shooting her mouth off starting a fight yet at least. Too many people that aren't her could get hurt...
 
 She does offer a quick nod to Ririka's question about a tower, "Yep." Without explaining, that is in fact, a later problem.
 
 Others join in and she adopts a wry smile that doesn't reach her eyes, though anyone close enough to her mumbling might find she's talking about dragons, but it's not quite the same dragons. Or is it?
 
 She's probably misremembering anime lyrics.

<Pose Tracker> Doom Penguin has posed.

Takaya decides to further edit the church's way of showing devotion.

Toshio gives him a serious look, then replies, calling out to his flock, "We wait a while longer yet. This man has asked we show our conviction. Let us show him we are ready for our coming end."

He begins to loosen his belt. Others grab hairpins or other implements as they walk- some lacking creativity or implement, begin to clench their jaw.

But at the moment- all of the eyes of that horde are on one boy, and one girl. They don't run, they walk- reaching.

Have they lost their minds? Noriaki asks. They smile - as they reach for oblivion. Even Toshio reaches, but he does not move.

Only he turns back to Noriaki before long, weighing his words. "We're all mad here." He pronounces, eerily. In a way that might make Noriaki conclude that he's including both him and Takaya.

"There is no sanity to be found in striving to eke out a meager existence in this world."

Umie yells for someone to say something- Hyousuke tries, but it's not that they do not listen. "One way this ends." It's that his commands do nothing to halt the crowd's advance towards Minato.

Toshio turns to Takaya, and slowly undoes his belt, holding up the prong. He's about to drive it into his forearm.

When Minato speaks, and a man who is stabbing a shard of his metal into his arm caught, as it is wrestled away before it cuts too deeply. Crimson stains the ground, but the wound is not as deep as it could have been.

Toshio freezes mid-act. He looks up to him. There is conflict in whatever mirroring this man is doing.

The entire crowd halts, as if it knows not how to react to this circumstance, with Umie now out of its range. And Minato- speaking to them.

Then.

Toshio's fingers loosen, and the belt falls to the ground, with a tink. En masse, so many more implements strike the ground, one by one by one.

"Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey." He says to the crowd, "One is always aware that it lies in wait. It comes not for the bloodied or the bloodless... yet still it comes."

His eyes stare at Minato, with a yearning that might be painful to behold.

"We will embrace its arrival with open arms."

While it's possible to make them mirror your words, from now on- perhaps frustratingly to some. It's impossible to convince them to harm themselves, much less kill themselves. The contradiction that Minato has implanted within them is too strong.

But why? Why do they retain it?

Perhaps Takaya Sakaki... because this boy is special in ways that not even your unmatched charisma nor your mastery of your abilities can truly equal.

<Pose Tracker> Takaya Sakaki has posed.

Takaya watches the proceedings with a pleasant smile. He wasn't looking to make these people kill themselves...not yet. This was just a simple devotion test.

 That they all fail.

 Takaya hears the words from Minato and is a mixture of things. Sure he is not happy that his simple command was being halted. No that much is wrong and had it be anyone else, Takaya might've drew his pistol to get the job done.

 But it wasn't anyone else.

 It was -him-. A boy so interesting that Takaya almost felt something in the void where his heart should be. He meets eyes with Minato and mouths 'well done' to the blue haired boy. Whether he gets the message is up to him but somehow Takaya is sure that this one would be paying just as much attention to him as vice versa.

 "Very well, no blood shall be spilt on the ground. It will run in our veins until the blackness takes out eyesight."

 "However, I believe the Dragons will allow me one more message before we depart. Let this message live in your heart and fester there for as long as it beats...We are certain that nothing is in the end and harming ourselves. But there is an unbeliever in our midst!" Takaya opens a hand and gestures to Hyousuke in the distance. "That boy there means to spread lies that will test us. Do not allow him and others near..." Takaya gestures to Toshio and smiles. "This man...For they will try to taint him with earthly desires."

 Takaya gives Noriaki and Nico a look, nodding his head in the direction of leaving. They were done here. Takaya looks to Toshio one last time. "I invite you and all like you to come find me should you wish more enlightenment." Takaya begins to turn to leave the scene, not really worrying about SEES' sudden presence.

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Niko does take a moment to address the important matter of, "Oooh, fellow Pisces, nice. Nine days apart then, 27th here!" Absolutely zero reaction to yubisute address from Yanagi, this is pretty standard fare for Niko. Maybe they have more in common than just an astrological sign.

...It will be a while before Niko realizes that wait a second, she didn't actually introduce herself, and she didn't get around to asking Yanagi's name either. The situation changed a bit too rapidly, and she missed the opportunity to circle around to that. Instead, she finds herself approaching the people who are undoubtedly here to ruin the fun, because that's all they ever seem to be interested in doing.

Even so, she is definitely keeping one eye open for members of the crowd. Whatever their deal is, they're more unpredictable than she is, she does NOT want any of them getting close to her.

At least she manages to sound less concerned than she is, confronting others tends to make that easier. "Still acting like you know anything, huh, Cheater-san?" That seems to just be Umie's name, where Niko's concerned. "Making a lot of assumptions, I never said anything about why we're here. Could it be you're trying to distract attention away from how calm the crowd was until you got them all riled up?"

His fighting style may be all Niko knows about Hyousuke, but it told her enough to prompt a non-plussed look, and a finger-gun pointed at him. "Right back atcha there, dude. Have you seen the way you fight? You go totally apeshit, you're probably more dangerous than I am."

Ririka, she knows more about, a smile instantly appearing at the accusation. "Ah, always so quick with the blame, Rika-chan. So if it wasn't for us being here... exactly what would you have done? You think you could've done anything to 'help' these people? By all means, tell me about your big plan." She turns that seeming pleasant smile on Moriko. "How about you? Any plans, at all?"

However, while she busies herself with addressing all of them... a boy addresses the crowd. And changes the course of everything, with shockingly few words. It's the first time Niko looks at him, really looks at him... and that look lingers long. She's not often rendered speechless, but Minato has managed just that. She cannot see what the crowd sees, but... there is something there. Something... She can only surmise that Takaya must have seen something too, given the implicit call to withdraw, with one last curveball for SEES to deal with.

Niko's silence is broken by means of abruptly spitting out Yanagi's candy. It was still in her mouth this whole time, just impossible to swallow, what the heck even was that thing?! But, rather than acknowledge that at all... she shrugs.

"Alright, I'll say it. I'm impressed. But!" With a finger pointed at Ririka. "Ain't no way you planned it like that, don't even pretend."

Then she turns, walking away, seeming unconcerned with the rest of the proceedings... totally forgetting about her popcorn, if not reminded about it. It's okay, small price to pay for that bit of quality entertainment.

<Pose Tracker> Noriaki Okaga has posed.

    To be fair, there is quite a lot going on here beyond the presence of a man who is merely noxious to be around. There is comparatively much less he can do here and now compared to... what the crowd is quickly angling itself towards.

    He's just another boat on this sea. The crowd flows around him, flows towards the young man and woman upon which they've fixated. He watches as they pull weapons.

    "Mad... heh, you got that right," he says, shaking his head. Even he thinks it's unsettling and odd, but that doesn't also mean that he doesn't want to see how this plays out. In fact, doesn't that make it all the more interesting? "Tch... Wonder how far they're gonna go. Sakaki, think they'll do it?"

    What else will they do, he wonders, if this is how it works? What could they make them do? The more he thinks about it, the less it looks like an unsettling occurance and more like an... opportunity.

    Death can't come to the bloodless.

    Noriaki's lips split in a toothless, mirthless grin. "Hahaha... if only," he remarks, turning his head to watch as Minato disarms the woman handily.

    "Clever," he grunts out, almost as if he appreciates Minato's thinking. Considering how these people now act and how they respond... he thinks he gets it. Nor is he disappointed in his prediction of how the situation plays itself out, once the effect is underway. Even Takaya's commands aren't affecting them now, in comparison to what that boy's able to do.

    "Disappointin', though," Noriaki amends, shaking his head. Still, that one last statement from Takaya just might...

    His mouth splits in a grin.

    ...cause problems.

    "And if he does get close, you already know what to do," he adds, looking back at Takay. "...Don't have to tell me twice," he tells Takaya, shaking his head as he strolls off, leaving the unsettling cultists in his wake. "I got places to be."

    He doesn't, actually. Not until midnight.

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

    The attention of the crowd focuses on only a scant number of the Persona Users gathered.

    The united perception of so many people, and here Umie is, without Badb to let her slip away. Would it even work if she could, however, given how everyone's attentions are so focused on her?

    To be the apple of one's eye is the way Umie loses the battle.

    Hyousuke tries to capture everyone's attention; it doesn't work. Sharp utensils are prepared with the calm efficiency of a devout pilgrim.

    Umie's throat goes dry.

    And then, the quiet Minato speaks. "...." Glancing towards him out of the corner of her eye, she's quietly surprised by the teen's calm, like he had a bit of a prophet in him, already.

    And everyone stops. Listens. Yearns, even, in the case of Toshio.

    "It worked..." That, or she was too cowardly to realize the stage was fully safe for her to step onto, if she hadn't made two teenagers take on the heavy role. "Well, look at that. You're a real natural at being a leader, aren't you, Arisato-kun?"

    Is that... some dark humor there? It is. That sideways grim twist of her lips has no place in someone who dresses the way Umie does now.

    "I won't deny it," Umie finally says to Niko, as she itches unceremoniously underneath her wig. "But nothing good is going to come out of letting these still waters go stagnant." Her eyes stray briefly to Noriaki, finally noticing him for tonight. (Don't stare too long. He'll notice something's off, if he hasn't already.)

    Still, there's the matter of them gathering like this, snagging others in a steadily increasing web.

    So, the young woman who is most certainly *not* Umie Akabane closes her eyes...

    ... and lies, her half-covered hands spread out wide in front of her.
    
    "The Sinless World requires devotion. Continue your mundane lives, partake in the fruits of this world, and sleep gently, knowing your time shall come. Cede to the world of the living your dues, and..." She pauses, her lips twitching.

    It's shameless, how easy it comes to her.

    She half expects her lips to start speaking words she didn't intend.

    "... beware false prophets."

<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.

    Yanagi watches. She thus sees Takaya let his blood and urge the others to do the same. She sees Toshio and the crowd begin to remove belts, hairpins, more, to do precisely that. She sees Minato wrest the implement from the woman closest to him away from her and throw it to the ground with a passion unreflected on his face.
    
    She sees the entire crowd freeze, save for that uncertainty that flickers through them. And she sees Toshio look Minato dead in the eye and tell him something he and she know very well indeed.
    
    Her dark-painted eyelashes flutter partway down, like a butterfly to a half-withered flower. "...."
    
    One of these days, she and Niko will encounter each other again and can introduce themselves to each other properly. One of these days, she will approach Minato and ask him many pointed and perhaps uncomfortable questions. One of these days soon, she will follow these threads to their natural end.
    
    For today, remembering this encounter between SEES and Strega (and Umie and Hyousuke) well, she picks up the polished walking cane that had been resting on the bench next to her, leans forward to stand, and collects her gummies and the abandoned popcorn to take home with her.
    
    Pernelle will eat anything presented to him, it's fine.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

The horde advanced. Despite his efforts, despite his acting (which, admittedly, was not great), despite him desperately hoping they could make it out of there without having to hurt innocents, they advanced. They wielded whatever implements they could find, pressing the pieces to themselves like knives and needles to appease their new leader. they were enthralled, they were single-minded, and there was nothing he could do to keep them back. But the stranger? They managed it. They remained calm in the face of danger, and spoke in a way that swayed the minds of even those left in the thrall of some unknown force.

In so few words, they'd achieved what he'd floundered and flailed for.

He might have been a little crestfallen about it, were it not for the fact that he'd been singled out by the would-be usurper. He didn't know what kind of effect that would have on the crowd, or on him, but Hyousuke was not keen on finding out. The mask was once more shed, this time with a frustrated sigh, and the popping of bones as he flexed his neck.
"Test you? Only thing getting tested here's my patience! Get back here you son of a-" Hyousuke never got the chance to finish, his focus instead moving towards Niko, and her exit.

"Oh, eat shit!" Hyousuke called out after Niko, unaware that his mounting frustration likely proved her point more than it salvaged his ego. "How're you gonna tell me I'm dangerous when you're working with assholes like *that?!*" He motioned in the vague direction of Takaya, and trusted she could at least intuit that he meant Sudou hadn't been good company to keep. But she was gone before long,a and all that was left was to do the same before he joined the individuals brainwashed and bid to do as their puppetmaster commanded.

With no mask to hide behind, Hyousuke's consternation was clear to see as he turned to move with Ririka.

<Pose Tracker> Leon Saito has posed.

    Leon blinks at the tall woman who tells him to follow her and he steps forward to do just that, it's not like he had a plan or anything after all. As long as he was home by curfew then it would be...oh damn what are they all doing now.

     The objects of pain appear and the process begins and then stops all at the same time. It feels like it all happened in a blink an eye but really it is just the whiplash of this situation changing shapes constantly and Leon is frozen in place.

     The dragon's chosen one announces that they are leaving, Leon looks around totally confused on what to do but then the dragon's chosen ones give one final word advice, seek them out for more enlightenment. Leon knows exactly what he is going to do.

     Turning back he looks at Hyousuke's direction and then back to the chosen one, and then back towards the SEES group as he slowly tries to understand, but it's like putting a puzzle together with only a handful of the pieces.

     For now Leon decides that he should take the advice he has been given to get out of here. He slowly backs away from the group as he is not sure what exactly is happening here. He had came to the park not expecting to find answers, but now has at least directions to follow. Perhaps he really will be able to obtain enlightenment.

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

"Pretty sure the plan was to pull everyone out without getting surrounded," Ririka asides to Moriko. "So we should, you know, keep doing that."

Makeshift implements are being brought to bear, and Ririka feels a grisly horror rising up in her throat. "Oh no no no..." There is blood--Ririka looks sharply away--but then she can see that the rest of them have dropped everything.

"A-Arisato-san... you did it," Ririka says with a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness..."

But Takaya still has more instructions to give--including to protect the leader, and to keep the non-believers out. "Grr... that guy..."

She shoots a dirty look at Niko. "I don't know if we can do anything for these people, Kirisaki." Well, not directly. But once that full moon hits, surely she'll be back here. "... but I stepped in to help her--" She inclines her head towards Umie.

She can only meet Niko's final admonishment with a glare. Okay, so that wasn't planned, but... she doesn't have to give her the satisfaction of admitting to it!

Umie, meanwhile... starts giving more sensible directions to the gthered crowd, and Ririka gives her a concerned look. The intent seems good, but... she's not sure that using the cult's willingness to follow orders even for their own benefit is a good idea. "Do you know what you're doing?" she asks quietly.

Hyousuke seems somewhat understandably ticked off, and it's not like Ririka hasn't fired back. "Come on, Suzuki-san. They're leaving, we should too."

Leon is backing away from the group, and Ririka isn't going to press on her offer to lead him out. But she does say quietly to Minato and Moriko, "I think we should check up on that guy... I'm kind of concerned about him."

With Strega making their own exit she is going to try to finally get her own group to slip out of the crowd before anything else happens.

The sooner they're away from all of that the sooner she can start letting the uneasiness fade.

<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.

The idea of having a plan is met with that same harrowing look from Moriko. Which is, she didn't have one, this was show up and help out time. Besides, sometimes you have to see a situation to stop a situation to plan for a situation. Or something.
 
 Herh ead turns as a guy tries to stab himself with a bit of metal. Met with the words from the looking glass, right? "Hunter?" She mutters, "Inevitability." Showing something of a darker thought process to her. Turns her head away with a grimace though.
 
 "A lot of words." She replies to Niko, "Fishing for something?" Was she reading too much into it?
 
 There's a crowd, there's a problem. She adjusts her jacket and works her fingers open and closed. Then rolls her neck. If it has to come down to it. She might lean into it and-
 
 She's not nearly as concerned about it as Hyousuke. Well, she is, but there's a part of her that would lead to her justifying it.
 
 She'd compartmentalize that fallout later, she's better at that than she'd want to admit. Hyousuke does earn a quick, hiss of an, "Easy" trying to get a grasp on things. Watching everything boil up, then fizzle.
 
 "Yeah. I get that." She mutters in reply to Ririka, "But you know what I mean." She nods. She knows what she means at least.
 
 "Yeah. Yeah." She agrees finally with Ririka, still watching that crowd. She opens her pack, pulling a little hard plastic case, shaking it. "This probably isn't enough, but it's a start." Suggesting a minor medkit! Which is mostly just bandaids, butterfly bandages and the like. "Slap'em and bail?"

<Pose Tracker> Doom Penguin has posed.

Many directions come to them at once.

"An unbeliever." Toshio echoes Takaya. "He will know his folly in the end."

"We cast you out."

"He will find peace all the same." Toshio pronounces.

"Oblivion awaits."

Which commands they follow. Which commands they disregard. It will be left up to the whims of whatever force drives them to shirk their self-preservation instincts.

"Ware those who would mislead us."

"False Prophets." They echo.

Umie might swear she feels eyes upon her, including Toshio's. "She might yet be saved."

"Oblivion awaits."

Still it would be very very wise if Hyousuke, Umie, and Minato maybe avoided coming too close to them going forward.

More people collapse within the hour. Just like before, the medics remove them from the crowd. They're hydrated, discharged...

... then they immediately start walking back.

The cycle continues.

When will it end?
 
Can they end it?
 
These questions remain unanswered.