2026-06-15: Our Merry Band
- Log: Our Merry Band
- Cast: Umie Akabane, Yoko Hirano, Katsuya Suou
- Where: Kasugayama High, Hirasaka Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: June 15, 2026
- IC Date: November 25, 2012
- Summary: A police officer and a half-masked konbini worker walk into a haunted high school for delinquents at night. They are joined by someone who shouldn't be there, at all. Usually, this is the setup for someone Awakening, but the only awakening here is Umie, realizing just how capable Katsuya truly is in an unpredictable situation.
(|=================== Monad - Clean Out Kasugayama High! ===================|)
-==== Round 1: Ora Ora Ora - Challenge Level 2 ==============================-
| Approach Options: Guts or Charm |
| Conditions: Bothersome - Charm Down L1 and Scary - Guts Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
The first things your party may notice upon coming up to the front doors of
Kasugaya High are the oni expertly squatting in front, donning magnificent
pomadours and ill-fitting Kasugayama uniforms. One would hope these uniforms
were pilfered from some gym locker or another, and that those stains are
just sauce.
"Lookit what we got ourselves 'ere!" shouts one, his stately pomadour
bobbing with his words.
"'Ey, I was thinkin' I was hungry. Maybe they got some lunch money?" yells
another, rolling their shoulders and making a button fly off their uniform.
"... Or maybe, they could suffice themselves," says a skinnier one, tapping
a spiked bat to her shoulder.
These oni do look rather scary... what will you do?
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
".... so apparently Kasugayama High's had another surge in demon activity," Umie greets, as she meets Katsuya. "Seems like the rumors are true, too, from what I've been about to scout."
Just how far can that 'sight' of hers go?
...... well, it went as far as the three oni posturing right outside the school, giving the two(?) of them dirty looks. Taking out a red half mask patterned in diamond shapes, Umie adjusts the loops over her ears.
... and then, takes another second as one of the bands catches on an earring. ".... tch... owowowow..... okay!"
She slips the hood of her jacket, white lined inside with red, over her head. "If I forgot to mention it before, Katsuya-san... Thanks. I know you've been busy, so..."
The last admittance is delivered bereft of the confidence she displayed coming here; she is, genuinely, grateful for the help.
It should have all ended with Sudou's death, but here they are, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"We'll just get in and out before the Dark Hour hits." That mask of self-assurance back on, Umie walks up a few paces, before gesturing with her half gloved fingers, red nails standing out against the white of her jacket. "You've probably already noticed, but the area's thick with the supernatural. As for these guys..."
A Badb's widening grin is her greeting to them.
"I can handle this, very easily~"
Step, step, step, step.
"_Move it_," Umie commands, hands on her hips, with all the bluster and purpose of a Chihuahua standing up to a pack of hyenas.
The skinniest one in the back of the three gives a whinnied laugh. "Nice mask! Did you make that in art class, little girl?"
The others join in with obnoxiously loud laughter.
<Pose Tracker> Yoko Hirano has posed.
%R
"I made this in art class," comes a voice from a darker spot in the corner of the courtyard. It's soft, a little flat in places, and it belongs to Yoko Hirano, who steps out of the shadows with her sketchbook in hand. Her Gekkoukan uniform is speckled with red along the hem again.
Her loafers are quiet on the pavement, shff-shff-shff.
Far out of grabbing or batting or anything reach, Yoko holds up her sketchbook to show them a classical styled portrait sketch. Isn't that the same pose and expression as 'Girl With a Pearl Earring'? It's just that the titular girl has been replaced with a Yaksini...!
She's holding her hands remarkably steady for how nervous she is. But Officer Suou and his friend will certainly not let anything bad happen to her...!
MONAD: Yoko Hirano has acted with Wax Poetic toward Ora Ora Ora! Friendliness and Focus! MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Bird's Eye View toward Ora Ora Ora! Automap!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Normally, between his job and everything else, things like this fall a touch beyond Katsuya's particular remit. There are other people around who are able to take point on such things: he just has to trust in the abilities of his fellows. That being said, though...
...what else is a police officer for but to investigate trouble and put it to rights?
"It's quite alright," he tells her, shaking his head. "I would have asked the others along, but..." He knows enough of their schedules that they're not going to be available (other than Baofu, who he doesn't want to hang around with unless he has to). If it can be handled with a few people, is that any reason to interrupt their schedules?
She's not the only one who's been wondering when the proverbial shoe is going to drop, though. It should have ended with Sudou's death, or at least, something should have happened to close out the case.
...but...
In the here and now, his gaze falls upon the Oni trio. "Are those... student uniforms? Surely, they only stole... those?" he wonders, his gaze resting with some mild distress upon those sauce stains. There haven't been any missing persons reports for students from Kasugayama lately (just for Jun, and that was solved already), so he'd hope that's just...?
Umie declares she can solve this in a jiffy and walks on over. The Oni Gang seems somewhat less enthused.
"...Akabane-kun..."
But she's not here alone.
"H-Hirano-kun, that's not... please, stand aside!"
This is Katsuya physically intervenes.
"Please, think about the direction of your lives. Even if you're demons, surely there are better things to be doing than harrassing high-schoolers?" congratulations, umie, you're an honorary high-schooler now
"Even at your age, you should be thinking about your future!"
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with Rehabilitate toward Ora Ora Ora! Friendliness and Diligence!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Ora Ora Ora - Round 1 =================================================- Katsuya Suou Charm Failure Rehabilitate Friendliness and Diligence Fatigue: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umie Akabane Guts Success Bird's Eye View Automap Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yoko Hirano Charm Failure Wax Poetic Friendliness and Focus Fatigue: 1 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Bothersome-2 and Scary-2 Final Conditions: Bothersome-1 and Scary-1 -================================================= Party Result: Failure ====- -==== Reach: 0/6 | | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"We 'borrowed' 'em," says the loudest of the three oni, his lips splitting wide to show yellowed, sharp fangs. "Turns out these Kasugayama kids run real fast when they ain't got no uniforms on. Don't worry, 'officer', we let them keep everything else!"
The tall, skinny one cackles. "Only 'cuz they got scared s--" Thankfully, she's cut off by a new party member.
'I made this in art class.'
The third voice causes Umie's eyes to dart back towards the source, her fingers pressing down the edge of her paper maiche mask. Oh no. Oh no. It's Yoko. Does she have a Persona?! Umie can't *sense* one, but surely if she's here, she must have a Persona, right??
.... But Yoko doesn't have any resonance to easily confirm that. "... Hirano... san..." Wait, is that a Yaksini, in her drawing?!
The night is already full of surprises, but has room for one more, in the form of the third oni, who has kept quiet, up to this point.
"I believe the composition is promising, but you should focus in on the lighting and contrast. The horns and hair are very well-done, though; you got the textures of both down real nice," comes a quiet reply from the oni on the step. He clears his throat, assuming a more 'tough guy' demeanor. "....... Jus' sayin'," the quieter oni adds, as his companions look back at him incredulously.
Meanwhile, Umie looks at Katsuya with the same look of disbelief, if for a different reason. Unlike with Akechi, Umie cannot abide with *Katsuya* suspending her hallowed title of 'tutor-senpai'. "_I tutored your little b-"
"You know what, you all can go through," says the 'leader'. "I know a dumpster fire when I sees one."
The three oni move back on command, as Umie rubs her lower face. "... Hirano-san... just... keep close, okay? It's too dangerous to be here by yourself. Katsuya-san and I can keep you safe."
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has drawn a new Challenge!
(|=================== Monad - Clean Out Kasugayama High! ===================|)
-==== Round 2: Math Can Be Scary For Some - Challenge Level 2 ===============-
| Approach Options: Guts or Academics |
| Conditions: Bothersome - Charm Down L1, Bothersome - Charm Down L1, |
| Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2, Scary - Guts Down L1, and Shuffle - Draw |
| 1 Minor Arcana. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
In doing a sweep of the classrooms, your party comes across a rather
impressive complex math problem on the boards at the front of the room,
taking up most of the board's horizontal space. All that's missing is an
answer. Maybe, someone was just that excited to leave the finale for
tomorrow?
Suddenly, the doors on either end of the classroom *slam* closed. Trying to
pry the doors or windows open will reward you with the child-like giggle of
poltergeists.
A piece of chalk floats to the board to draw a very shaky question mark,
then drops to the ground, snapping in twain.
Looks like you'll need to answer the equation if you want to get out, unless
you want to wait until sunrise instead...
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Oh, he realizes too late that his gambit might not have gone over so well.
"Now, please listen, Akabane-kun--"
But Katsuya might not get too much chance to explain himself as the gang lets them pass and he has to hurry to keep up with the two younger ladies. If he hangs back here, the Oni Gang might change their minds, after all.
If he's learned one thing since his awakening, it's that demons are fickle...
"So, er, that disturbance you mentioned?" he asks Umie after a period of silence as they collectively walk the halls of the school.
"Actually, now that I think of it, this isn't your school, is it, Hirano-kun?"
Wasn't it, oh, Gekkoukan? Or something?
"Whatever brought you out here? It's after hours for Kasugayama, besides..."
He has trailed in after the two of them into an empty classroom. On one blackboard, someone has scrawled an unfinished equation. It's quite complex.
No sooner has Katsuya's gaze fallen upon it than the door slams shut with a bang behind him. He immediately goes for the door only to find that the door is...
"...Locked," he announces, echoed by a giggle. One of the lingering phantoms scrawls a question mark on the board by animating the chalk alone before letting it fall to the floor in two pieces.
"Holding someone against their will is against the law!" he shouts to the invisible presence of Poltergeists. "Open the door, at once!"
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with You're Under Arrest! toward Math Can Be Scary For Some! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Yoko Hirano has posed.
Part of being a student is learning to accept criticism with grace and humility. "I see," Yoko nods, turning the sketchbook so that she can mull over the parts that could use work. She'll do it over again. "Thank you for your advice. I'm glad the hair and horns came out..."
She's not too caught up in earnest contemplation to step past the Oni Gang the minute entry is offered, though. Tucking her sketchbook back into her satchel, Yoko almost goes towards the shoe lockers out of sheer rote habit. She's not going to wear someone else's school shoes just to be tidy.
"Thanks for coming in with me," as though Umie and Katsuya are accompanying her and not the other way around, somehow...?? "I came over right after school to catch some of the students here coming out of their clubs and things. I wanted to see their styles for myself. Kasugayama is really famous for the amount of self-expression its students are allowed. So it's become an alt fashion hub."
She may only care about fashion when it suits her whimsy, but it was fun...!
She startles a little bit when the doors slam shut, fingers going tight on the strap of her bag. While Officer Suou demands that they be released, Yoko watches the chalk move. "..." And frowns when it's dropped, breaking into two pieces. She goes to the board and picks it up, still frowning, but now at the board.
Tap, tap tap tap. Methodically, she starts breaking it down into smaller functions...
MONAD: Yoko Hirano has acted with Satisfaction Brought It Back toward Math Can Be Scary For Some! Smarts and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Thankfully (or unfortunately) for Katsuya, Umie's nature can be equally as fickle, when someone hits just the right button at the right time.
However, as a proper adult, Umie should have the humility to understand the time and place for certain things, and that Katsuya was trying to build a narrative for the demons to latch onto.
..... SO ANYWAY it worked out at least
"Keep close, Hirano-san." Umie checks around the corner, then looks back, as Katsuya asks questions that would, in retrospect, be good ones to answer. ".... Ah, yes, that's right, isn't it..." she murmurs, quietly. He's always looked out for people younger than him. Perhaps, that's what being a big brother is about.
Walking into a classroom that seems to be empty, Umie heaves a breath. "I think the coast is clear, but I'll need to summon my..." Red-brown eyes glance at Yoko from behind Umie's mask. "...... phone." This will be difficult. "Soooo, you may see some... strange things tonight, Hirano-san. But you can trust us," she says, apparently forgetting the veil of anonymity her abilities (and mask) give her.
She is, again, no Phantom Thief, nor is her ability as resilient. In fact, given how Katsuya's called her by her surname... Ah well. It works better this way, regardless of whether or not Umie is being appropriately aware.
As images of Kasuagyama alt fashion file through her mind, Umie hears the tap of chalk on the chalkboard, followed by the slam of the door.
Well. They can handle this. See? Yoko's going up there already! What a trooper.
"Shh." Umie puts a finger to her lips, one eye closed, as Yoko begins breaking down the equation. "Class is in session, Katsuya-san." As she does this, the hooded blonde bows slightly, almost like a quiet apology for her earlier outburst. "It would be wrong of us to *not* solve this math equation, right?"
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuFEcKuIeew)
She picks up another piece of chalk. "Ah, good, good. I'll handle this part, then..."
Calm, quiet. The scribble of numbers. This is the Umie Katsuya would find matches the one in his memory of her in the past.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Academics toward Math Can Be Scary For Some! Base! (|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Math Can Be Scary For Some - Round 2 ==================================- Katsuya Suou Guts Success You're Under Arrest! Specialty Fatigue: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umie Akabane Academics Success Academics Base Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yoko Hirano Academics Success Satisfaction Brought Smarts and Patra Fatigue: 1 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Bothersome-1, Bothersome-2, Mindnumbing-2, Scary-1, and Shuffle: Coin-0 Final Conditions: Mindnumbing-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 1/6 |= | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 0, Money: 1, Gear: 1 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Yoko explains what it was that she was doing there. To this, Katsuya can only reply, with some bewilderment, "An... alt fashion hub?"
He's familiar with fashion. It's important to look good in a world where you can be judged on first appearances. But alt fashion...? If someone asked him, the students here are...
...
...maybe it's better that no one asks him what he thinks about 'alt fashion'.
"I... see," he says at last, following up that statement with a thoughtful frown of his own.
But that's right. She's going to possible see or hear or something strange things going on in and around here. "It isn't anything to worry about," Katsuya reassures her. "I'm here, and as your local police officer, I won't let anything happen."
So he says, but the doors slam shut, and while he does informs the demons that this is against the law, Yoko first sets about breaking the problem into smaller problems.
Umie, shushing him as she approaches the board, remarks that 'class is in session'.
"It... is?" Katsuya remarks, turning back towards the board as the two younger ladies set about solving the math problem. "Well, if it were a class, that is," he says, trying to get his bearings.
But collectively, they solve the problem, and Katsuya is again reminded of the way she'd tutor Tatsuya.
"oh, yay, you solved it!" cheers a tiny childlike voice from one corner of the room. The Poltergeist is still invisible.
Then the door swings open. A distinct, tiny, childlike voice echoes from there, "oopsie, was locking the door bad?"
"Well, yes. You shouldn't do something like that again, or else you might..." Katsuya starts, then trails off. "Perhaps we shouldn't linger," he says to Umie and Yoko.
MONAD: Yoko Hirano has drawn a new Challenge!
(|=================== Monad - Clean Out Kasugayama High! ===================|)
-==== Round 3: Math Can Be Scary For Some - Challenge Level 2 ===============-
| Approach Options: Guts or Academics |
| Conditions: Bothersome - Charm Down L1, Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2, |
| Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2, and Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
In doing a sweep of the classrooms, your party comes across a rather
impressive complex math problem on the boards at the front of the room,
taking up most of the board's horizontal space. All that's missing is an
answer. Maybe, someone was just that excited to leave the finale for
tomorrow?
Suddenly, the doors on either end of the classroom *slam* closed. Trying to
pry the doors or windows open will reward you with the child-like giggle of
poltergeists.
A piece of chalk floats to the board to draw a very shaky question mark,
then drops to the ground, snapping in twain.
Looks like you'll need to answer the equation if you want to get out, unless
you want to wait until sunrise instead...
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
(|=================== Monad - Clean Out Kasugayama High! ===================|)
-==== Round 3: A Midsummer's Night's Disaster - Challenge Level 2 ===========-
| Approach Options: Academics or Understanding |
| Conditions: Bothersome - Charm Down L1, Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2, |
| Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2, and Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
After hearing a voice coming from a classroom nearby, your party opens the
door, revealing a mischievous-looking fairy sitting on the podium, in the
middle of exchanging lines to another.
"Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand;
And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee.
Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
Puck looks up from his reading with Robin Goodfellow with a raised eyebrow,
and stage whispers, "Your line, say your line!"
Do you oblige these merry wanderers of the night?
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Yoko Hirano has posed.
Strange things, the masked woman says. "Do you mean things like demons and Personas?" Yoko asks, because she is young but burdened by glorious visions. And because Yanagi Nagisa had explained some things to her. What an amazing, secret world...! They solve the math problem and get the hell out of there, but the next classroom is somehow just as bad. What with the Shakespeare and all. Yoko doesn't care for it. It translates strangely but not in a fun way!
She tries to remember the next line anyway, even though it's been a few months since her English class tried dissecting any plays. "Um... wait, isn't the next line supposed to be his?" she frowns, hooking a finger underneath her chin and staring at 'Oberon'. *jiiiii*
And all the while, the sense of a cat practically twines itself between the ankles of anybody sensitive enough to feel it.
MONAD: Yoko Hirano has acted with Satisfaction Brought It Back toward A Midsummer's Night's Disaster! Smarts and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Strange things.
Like Personas and demons.
"How do you--" Katsuya gets out, before he realizes that even if she didn't already know, he's gone and confirmed it anyway. Someone must have told her, likely because she already had encounters. Unfortunately, not having a Persona doesn't mean that you can't experience such things, and even more unfortunately, if you don't have a Persona and experience such things...
"Well..." he says, because what else can be done for it now, "...Yes, actually. Please be very careful, Hirano-kun, and stay close to both of us."
Because he and Umie do have Personas.
At least the demons here appear to be in a whimiscal mood today. Still, he remarks, as they head into another classroom in their search for the cause of the disturbance that Umie noticed, "Perhaps it would be safer if we left?"
Assuming that Oni Gang isn't still out there. Maybe it's better to wait that one out, if one of them doesn't have a Persona. Just in case.
Inside the room is... a familiar scene.
"They were practicing this last time," he asides to Umie, glancing at Yoko as she takes in the sight. "Perhaps if we slip back out again..."
No such luck. These demons are in a bit of a fix again, as one of them can't seem to remember his lines.
"The next line starts with, 'Stand aside,' he prompts Robin Goodfellow.
Then, without ceremony, Katsuya sneezes.
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with Academics toward A Midsummer's Night's Disaster! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
'Do you mean things like demons and Personas?' H-how can Yoko just ask something like that?!
"... y-yes. Kind of... like that." Katsuya will *feel* Umie's eyes on him, trying to plead for some semblance of something comforting and authoritative with a simple side glance.
Whether he does it because of her silent plea or not, Katsuya, ever dependable, does so. "... Yeah," Umie says, her eyelids lowering. Katsuya's right. "That'll make some things easier to explain, but it doesn't change the fact that we'll protect you, Hirano-san."
Though.
"Hirano-san... do you....?" 'Do you have a Persona', is what Umie wants to ask.
Whatever she would have managed to ask is instead taken up by the two Thespians present, instead.
Sure, Umie could *try* to humor the two demons, but she instead goes back to looking towards Katsuya in silence, pleading at him with her eyes alone.
And again, Katsuya answers, though with a response Umie wasn't expecting. ".... eh?" Blinkblink.
Then, a slow, spreading smile that's just a little too sharp, if still well-meaning. "You've always been like that. I'm glad that's never changed."
There would have been few chances for that nature to fully show itself, years back, but here, it's very clear, she thinks to herself. He'd look out for others, even if it meant playing his role off the clock, and with no pay to make up for it.
....
"To answer your earlier question, Katsuya-san, I think it's a matter of her being safer if we know where she is, than if we didn't. We can't guess what'll happen outside the school."
The Badb in her ruffles her feathers, not appreciating the trace presence of something feline tapping along on little beaned claws.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Understanding toward A Midsummer's Night's Disaster! Base! (|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== A Midsummer's Night's Disaster - Round 3 ==============================- Katsuya Suou Academics Success Academics Base Fatigue: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umie Akabane Understanding Failure Understanding Base Fatigue: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yoko Hirano Academics Success Satisfaction Brought Smarts and Patra Fatigue: 1 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Bothersome-2, Mindnumbing-1, Mindnumbing-2, and Shuffle: Cup-0 Final Conditions: -================================================= Party Result: Failure ====- -==== Reach: 1/6 |= | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 0, Money: 1, Gear: 1 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
MONAD: Umie Akabane has drawn a new Challenge!
(|=================== Monad - Clean Out Kasugayama High! ===================|)
-==== Round 4: P.retty T.roubling - Challenge Level 2 =======================-
| Approach Options: Academics or Guts |
| Conditions: Bothersome - Charm Down L1, Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2, |
| and Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
Like all good investigations, a decent amount of walking is involved.
Certainly, there's other schools that are 'blessed' by phenomena like the
Dark Hour to be much more arduous to get through, but Kasugayama High is
supposed to be laid out like any other Japanese school.
Each classroom that is investigated seems to be nondescript and boring,
almost scarily so.
Also, haven't you been here before? Surely, you've gone by that same that
classroom number. Maybe the party was turned around?
Alas, the hallway just continues ever onwards, backwards and forwards.
Something is holding you back from continuing on. You'll need to find out
what, or what you need to do, if you want any chance of getting anywhere.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Yoko Hirano has posed.
"Of course it's his line," 'Robin' says. Quietly, Yoko breathes a sigh of relief. Good. She didn't want to get caught up in a stageplay. Even one being put on by demons. "I'm all right. ...Thank you for being concerned." Even if it's a bit chafing to be handled with kid gloves, this is a situation that is honestly dangerous. And scary!
Katsuya suggests they leave. Yoko hates the thought, but if it's truly the best option...
...No, actually. Because she doesn't want to. Katsuya's friend begins to ask an aborted question. 'Do you...?'
"...I saw an amazing thing," Yoko admits, feline-green eyes watching the rehearsal. "And kept seeing them, and seeing them." Yoko wonders just how many of the things she's noticed have been the things Yangai called 'Persona'....
Mwanwhile, the demonds begin to argue. 'It's their line!' 'No, I'm pretty sure it's theirs?!'
Yoko finally starts leafing through a photocopied handout. "'Oh! It says that it's Puck's turned next, " she reasons.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
It's clear enough to Umie: the safest place for Yoko Hirano, a person who may or may not have a Persona but either way is in a dangerous place, is next to the officer and the strangely anonymous friend of his wearing a jacket and a paper maiche half-mask. The last part of this sentence is likely not needed; an officer should be enough.
Umie has her own advantages, however, bought and bled for with many lonely Dark Hours under her belt.
Katsuya and Yoko may notice it too: with the similarities between the general layouts of both Kasugayama and Sevens, this hallway is going on for far, far too long. A detective's and artist's eye would notice the eerie repetition, like a song that refuses to move onto the next stanza.
The sometimes chaotic, forward-moving energy of Umie Akabane stills as her footsteps do the same. "With demons nearby, I should be able to get a sense of where we are. But to do that..."
She'll need to use Badb. "I guess, if you already know about Personas," Umie starts, looking past her shoulder at Yoko. "What's another?"
There's a certain trace of enthusiasm in her voice as blue light begins to pool underneath her. Raising her fingers up, with a smug grin, Umie breaks the silence with a snap.
"Badb."
The crow goddess manifests in her greys and whites, a smiling, red-mouthed thing that seems to delight in the demon-infested space they're in.
It's all a bit of bluster and vibes, Umie holding onto the manifestation for just a little longer for Yoko's possible delight alone, before letting the detity go.
Umie clears her throat. "So. Bad news: I can't sense a damn thing that's going to be useful, but I don't need a Persona to be able to tell that we're in some kind of loop. Demons tend to thrive on mischief, so I think the best course of action is to play their game and find a way to break the loop, somehow."
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Bird's Eye View toward P.retty T.roubling! Automap!
<Pose Tracker> Yoko Hirano has posed.
She watches as Umie admits that this may be the best time of all for surprise assistance from things that might not be entirely real. "Are you sure...?" Yoko is only a little sure that either Officer Suou or his friend can actually save the day (for this, with their companions). Especially as the corridor keeps on going, and going, and...
None of the classrooms are anything special. Not even the nameplates or counting their steps seems to help. Of course, Yoko has her sketchbook and a pencil...
And the grownups have their Personas. She watches intently while Umie calls for the Badb, pencil trembling over the page...
MONAD: Yoko Hirano has acted with Academics toward P.retty T.roubling! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
Surely, there can't be a cat in here, too?
"Ah," he says, sniffing as he recovers from what at least isn't turning into an outright allergy attack. "So you are able to see things like that? How..."
[EMPATHY]: Don't say odd. If you say that this is odd or strange, she'll remember that for a very long time.
"...interesting," Katsuya finishes, glancing over at Umie. "Perhaps it's a good thing? If you are able to see such things, you should be able to stay away from them.
The demons are still arguing, even if Yoko comes to a conclusion one way or another.
"But," Katsuya hazards, thinking it over, "it should be Oberon's lines next..."
Perhaps even he's realized the pointlessness of hammering this approach, though, because he trails off and shakes his head. "Never mind," Katsuya says at last. "I think... we have solved their problem."
Sometimes you have to settle for 'good enough', is what he's been learning with demons.
"Let's go. I don't think this was the disturbance you were looking into, Akabane-kun. Come to think of it, can you tell me more about it?"
Between her terse texts and the demons out front, it's been a collision of events since he arrived on the scene. Though, speaking of events:
"We've passed this classroom before," Katsuya says, coming to a stop. "In fact, it might be more than twice now, or more..." he says, trailing off as he considers the matter. Hasn't he seen a movie where something like this happened? "Surely, this doesn't happen when classes are in session...?"
He turns, glancing at Umie as she summons her Persona to get a better look at the situation. "That's a good idea. I don't know for certain what the game here is, but..."
He pulls something out of one of his pockets and places it on the floor. It's a single cellophane-wrapped candy.
"I was thinking, perhaps if we disrupted the appearance of this place somehow, or if we tried to lure out whatever was causing the distortion..." he tries to explain to the other two.
He's thinking about Pixies. Pixies really like candy for some reason.
Or maybe, Yoko will uncover something in her sketch that doesn't quite fit here. Anything they can gather helps.
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with Academics toward P.retty T.roubling! Base!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== P.retty T.roubling - Round 4 ==========================================- Katsuya Suou Academics Success Academics Base Fatigue: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umie Akabane Guts Success Bird's Eye View Automap Fatigue: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yoko Hirano Academics Success Academics Base Fatigue: 1 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Bothersome-2, Mindnumbing-2, and Shuffle: Wand-0 Final Conditions: Bothersome-1 and Mindnumbing-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 2/6 |== | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 0, Money: 1, Gear: 1 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"The disturbance is..." Well, as far as Umie's concerned, they're in the thick of it.
As for Yoko... Is Umie sure?
"I'm sure," Umie says, with all the confidence of someone who's sure.
Very sure.
Katsuya is also sure... that they've passed this classroom several times. ".... Pretty sure of that, too," Umie confirms, with a sharp nod.
"Oho. Good idea," Umie says, as she digs into her jacket. "... Just... give me a second..." Her jacket bulges as her hand quests around, looking for a specific pocket, until...
".... There." She draws out a small bag containing a few hard candies, which she tosses out onto the hallway in front of them.
Katsuya's cop instinct seems to have struck gold, as a High Pixie, a Brownie, and a normal Pixie are distracted, coming to examine the colorful goodies.
"Let's go, before they ask for more."
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has drawn a new Challenge!
(|=================== Monad - Clean Out Kasugayama High! ===================|)
-==== Round 5: Objection! - Challenge Level 2 ===============================-
| Approach Options: Academics or Charm |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Boss - Add 1 Fatigue on failure., |
| Bothersome - Charm Down L1, Box - Add 1 Item/Money/Gear., Mindnumbing - |
| Academics Down L2, and Mindnumbing - Academics Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
As your group enters the room, there's the sound of something hammering
against wood. "Order, Order! Order in the court!"
An Erinyes stands at a podium, gavel in hand. On either side are two other
podiums, each with its own Erinyes, which seem to be arguing with one
another. Though, who's on trial, exactly?
... Ah, it's your group. Whoops.
"OBJECTION! There's a contradiction here! My clients are clearly innocent of
this crime!"
The other Erinyes shakes her head smugly, her arms held outwards. "The
evidence states otherwise. Or did you not know about the updated forensics
report released just this morning?"
What say you? They're not playing by any rule of law you're familiar with,
but maybe if you humor one or the other, something may be in it for your
group...
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
If it's not Pixies, then it's a way to check their passage, or perhaps distort the illusion by adding a new element to it. If it is Pixies...
Umie, pulling away from her review of the area nearby through her Persona, joins him in on that baiting practice. It doesn't take long before a few Pixies (and similiar demons) make their appearance.
"I had thought it might be Pixies," Katsuya says, shaking his head. Glancing at Yoko's sketch, he points towards one room in particular. "Let's try this one. It doesn't seem like it's the same from the last time," he says.
Indeed, they're able to pass into that classroom, which is now a...
...courtroom? Oh, and look at who among them is being put on trial. It's all of them. For unknown reasons.
The prosecutor, with a certain smug demeanor, declares that an updated forensics report was just entered into evidence this morning.
"...But, for what crime...?" Katsuya says, in this moment rather flabbergasted by the situation in which they've found themselves. "...Furthermore..."
[IUSTITIA]: No. This is not true justice. This is a mockery of it.
[AUTHORITY]: They would address you like that? An officer of the law?
[RHETORIC]: They may be demons, but surely, they're not immune to being persuaded.
Katsuya fidgets with his sunglasses, pushing them up his nose. "...According to Article 94, a summons to appear for a court date must be issued to the people connected to the case. Furthermore, if the summons to appear are not delivered as described in the article... then the parties involved may not be sanctioned for any failure to keep the court date. That is to say, I did not receive a summons to court, and I do not think they have filed a writ of summons either, but..."
...
He glances between their defense attorney and the prosecutor, including the judge in his sweep of the room.
He addresses their defense attorney thus: "Article 180 states in part, 'a person must specify the fact that the evidence is meant to prove'. What is the meaning of this forensic report, and to what does it pertain?"
Maybe it will give their attorney an angle with which to attack these... charges. Whatever they are.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
If it's not Pixies, then it's a way to check their passage, or perhaps distort the illusion by adding a new element to it. If it is Pixies...
Umie, pulling away from her review of the area nearby through her Persona, joins him in on that baiting practice. It doesn't take long before a few Pixies (and similiar demons) make their appearance.
"I had thought it might be Pixies," Katsuya says, shaking his head. Glancing at Yoko's sketch, he points towards one room in particular. "Let's try this one. It doesn't seem like it's the same from the last time," he says.
Indeed, they're able to pass into that classroom, which is now a...
...courtroom? Oh, and look at who among them is being put on trial. It's all of them. For unknown reasons.
The prosecutor, with a certain smug demeanor, declares that an updated forensics report was just entered into evidence this morning.
"...But, for what crime...?" Katsuya says, in this moment rather flabbergasted by the situation in which they've found themselves. "...Furthermore..."
[IUSTITIA]: No. This is not true justice. This is a mockery of it.
[AUTHORITY]: They would address you like that? An officer of the law?
[RHETORIC]: They may be demons, but surely, they're not immune to being persuaded.
Katsuya fidgets with his sunglasses, pushing them up his nose. "...According to Article 94, a summons to appear for a court date must be issued to the people connected to the case. Furthermore, if the summons to appear are not delivered as described in the article... then the parties involved may not be sanctioned for any failure to keep the court date. That is to say, I did not receive a summons to court, and I do not think they have filed a writ of summons either, but..."
...
He glances between their defense attorney and the prosecutor, including the judge in his sweep of the room.
He addresses their defense attorney thus: "Article 180 states in part, 'a person must specify the fact that the evidence is meant to prove'. What is the meaning of this forensic report, and to what does it pertain?"
Maybe it will give their attorney an angle with which to attack these... charges. Whatever they are.
MONAD: Katsuya Suou has acted with Rehabilitate toward Objection!! Friendliness and Diligence!
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
With Katsuya's previous intuition proving to be correct, Umie is more than glad to follow his next proposition to another classroom.
Perhaps, it was very appropriate, but for reasons not quite what Katsuya had in mind.
"... This is... really outside my wheelhouse," Umie admits under her breath. "Katsuya-san, maybe you could... pull up on your background here? Maybe if we play along, or, even better, bore them to tears, they'll let us go."
oh thank god Katsuya is here, he's stepping up to the plate and everything, it's amazing
Seeing him confidently command the court, despite it being a mockery of the system he deals with, leaves Umie's cheeks just a tad pink. More than that, it's very clear...
.... Katsuya and Tatsuya... really are brothers!!
(_umie you literally have been at their family home, of course they're brothers_)
Ahem.
"I certainly didn't receive any proper summons. Furthermore, we have a minor here. Why is she being tried like an adult, when we haven't even been properly charged? Seems the prosecutor may have mixed up some paperwork, and decided we should all pay for it with our time." She folds her arms, shaking her head. "I believe the judgment is clear, here."
WHile Umie failed to carry Katsuya's bid to fool the Oni, she's evidently trying to make up for it here.
MONAD: Umie Akabane has acted with Charm toward Objection!! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Yoko Hirano has posed.
If it is Pixies there's probably no saving them. They'll be stuck wandering and exploring the many rooms forever!!
Katsuya points out a specific room on her rudimentary map, however, and she marks it down in pencil. "How different is--"
She barely gets a chance to say anything before the lawyer demon is speaking up - and not in their favor at all. "But we didn't even...!" A cloud of grey funk settles afound her head and shoulders. They're going to get arrested and be sent to Demon Jail which is waaaaay worse than People Jail. Yoko can just tell.
"Um. Um, Miss Mask is right. I'm only fifteen and I don't think it's legal to try me as an adult. And on top of that, nobody has even told us what the charges are! And..."
Yes. She is going to get a good grade in being tried. This is both normal to want and possible to achieve. If she just keeps talking Yoko can defeat anything, even the judiciary system!*
*no
MONAD: Yoko Hirano has acted with Wax Poetic toward Objection!! Friendliness and Focus!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|)
-==== Objection! - Round 5 ==================================================-
Katsuya Suou Charm Success
Rehabilitate Friendliness and Diligence Fatigue: 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Umie Akabane Charm Success
Charm Base Fatigue: 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yoko Hirano Charm Failure
Wax Poetic Friendliness and Focus Fatigue: 3
-============================ Party Conditions: =============================-
Starting Conditions: Annoying-2, Boss-0, Bothersome-1, Box-0, Mindnumbing-1,
and Mindnumbing-2
Final Conditions: Annoying-1 and Mindnumbing-1
-====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====-
-==== Reach: 4/6 |==== | ===================================================-
-==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================-
Items: 1, Money: 2, Gear: 1
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
(|=================== Monad - Clean Out Kasugayama High! ===================|)
-==== Round 6: It's an Entrance! - Challenge Level 1 ========================-
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Revelation - The best result. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
There were rumors about it being in the basement of Kasugayama High, and,
as it turns out, those rumors were right.
Located down some stairs and through a maze of stacked desks and chairs is a
door to an underground bunker type room, with concrete-enforced walls and
metal beams reinforcing the ceiling. On the opposite end are a pair of heavy
metal doors, leading to what is most likely the haunted Air Raid Shelter.
Once someone goes in, they can never get out, so the rumors say
Unfortunately for those that decide that they want to spend even more of
their time in Kasugayama High, the metal doors are locked tight and refuse
to open.
Maybe someone can start a rumor about how to open them, or, at a later
point, something may change. For now, all you can do is go back.
Final Loot: 1 Item, 2 boxes of Money, and 1 Pieces of Gear!
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.
It looks kind of different to him, anyway: is the illusion frayed there? Is he just seeing things?
Yoko may never know which one of these things are actually happening, because right now they're in Demon Court, and the penalty for guilt in Demon Court is probably... not anything particularly good for humans.
Will human law even play out in a demon court? It's all relative after all to demons, and there's absolutely no reason why attempting to apply human law, let alone Japanese law, should work here.
This has never stopped Katsuya from trying with demons, however, and it certainly doesn't stop him now. He argues his case as best as he can, citing sections of the legal code from memory.
"Indeed, Hirano-kun cannot be tried as an adult," he adds, glancing at Umie when she pitches in that fragment of the law. "There's no question about it. This case must be dismissed until the appropriate paperwork is filed, and it must go to the correct court. We can't all be tried together," he tells the defense attorney.
The Erinyes in charge of their case studies them, then nods as Yoko continues to talk to explain why she can't be charged.
"Let me see that forensics report," says the Erinyes. There's a moment of silence before the report is finally brought over to the defense attorney's side of the court.
"..."
"... ..."
The defense attorney demon holds up the 'report'. "This is just chickenscratch," they say. Indeed, it's just a set of nonsense marks on the page...
"Order, order!" shouts the judge, banging their gavel. "I call for order! In light of the points raised by the defense and the defendants, court is adjourned!"
And just like that, they're free to go.
"That isn't how it's meant to go," Katsuya muses, once they make their exit. "A case can't simply... well," he settles for, shaking his head, "I suppose I shouldn't complain..."
What were the charges? ...We just don't know.
As they make their departure from the courtroom of demons, they make their way downstairs.
"Is this where the disturbance originated from?" Katsuya wonders, trying the door again to no avail. "It's no use, we would need the key." He glances back at Umie and Yoko. "Is there anything else you were hoping to look at here, Akabane-kun? Otherwise, we can see if it's now possible to leave here safely."