2026-08-03: Connections
- Log: 2026-08-03 Connections
- Cast: Misato Fushihara, Jun Kashihara
- Where: Mementos - Entrance
- OOC Date: August 03, 2026
- IC Date: Wed Dec 19 2012
- Summary: After exchanging contact information, Magus and Jun meet in Mementos to discuss what Jun's found out about what 'Showbiz Mask' has been after. While neither can completely trust the other, they each make efforts to fix that by sharing about themselves to the other.
(|=========================== Mementos - Entrance ============================|)
-====================================================== Tokyo/Shibuya Ward ====-
Once you enter Mementos, however you manage it, the world will transform around
you. It's subtle at first. Initially, while you remain just before the entrance
of what should be Shibuya Station's Underground Mall entrance, there's just a
soft, fractal blueness at the edge of your vision. The city itself seems normal,
but all the people are gone, and it feels like you're walking on air.
Head down the stairs and no subtlety remains. Disturbingly vein-y lines,
dark-ish and reddish, dig through the floor, walls, columns, and ceiling. A set
of turnstiles mark the bottom of the stairs at your back, and in front, there's
a set of escalators leading deeper within. Snow plays on TV screens to either
side, and past them, would-be electric maps display cracked and broken.
Those Persona Users whose outfits transform will, while they were in their
normal clothes above, find them transformed here. No Shadows lurk in the
entrance, but they can still sense your presence at this point--so this is your
last chance to turn back.
BGM: Mementos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_Jkz_ZC9Yc
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
During the last battle they fought together, Jun and Magus agreed to meet up and talk at a later point in time, and exchanged contact information. After some discussion - over text, since obfuscation is easier that way - they agreed to meet up in Mementos on Wednesday.
Magus - or, Misato, right now, of course decides that it's best to arrive early. It'd be better to be in position before Jun arrives. She approaches the train station in Sumaru City's Rengedai Ward and, after taking a moment to make sure there's nowhere else around, draws out her phone.
She opens up the Meta-Nav, where 'Mementos' has already been saved onto her list. With a press of button, she feels that subtle shift, and walks forward, until eventually arriving within Mementos herself.
Instead of her Seven Sisters uniform, Magus's cloak furls about her now, hood raised and mask concealing her face. She breathes in, and out.
It's always freeing. It feels like a weight's been taken off her shoulders every time.
Right now, though, she's waiting for someone - so she moves toward a nearby pillar, leaning back against it with her arms folded in front of her as she watches the entrance and waits for Jun to arrive.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
It isn't too long after Magus settles in that Jun arrives. He doesn't have the Meta-Nav app, but there are other ways of getting into Mementos--a Rumor about saying 'Mementos' five times in a train station bathroom mirror will do one nicely, and these days, Jun pays far closer attention to rumors than he once did. It's not too long after school for either of them, it being finals week, and so Jun is still in his school uniform, with a coat on to ward off the winter chill, when he enters.
He spots her soon after he does so--there's no mistaking that hood or that mask. He offers her a friendly smile as he approaches. "Good afternoon, Magus," he says politely. "I hope I haven't been keeping you waiting too long." If he's late, it's only by a couple of minutes, but punctuality is important.
That smile soon fades, though. "So... I should ask first, have you done any independent research on what that masked man and his cohorts were after? Just to make sure I don't tell you anything you don't already know."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Sure enough, she doesn't have to wait long. Jun soon appears and Magus pushes off of the pillar, standing up straight.
"Jun Kashihara. Good afternoon. You seem well." Magus greets in return. She shakes her head, then. "You needn't worry. It hasn't been very long at all."
He's right on time, in fact. She appreciates punctuality, too - it's important for someone like her to have time to prepare herself. If she can predict when she can expect someone to arrive, she can plan things out much more easily.
He gets right into business. The masked man and his cohorts... She shakes her head.
"No, I haven't. At least, nothing that turned up any useful information." She replies. "Did you learn something new?"
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"I see..." Jun nods once. "I'm one of the more studious students at my school," this is a grave understatement, he consistently tops the exams, "so I was able to acquire some records from the library. It seems what that man and his cohorts are after is a four-part series of playscripts--the first was at Seven Sisters, and the second at Kasugayama. Since we managed to keep him from stealing the second volume, I procured it for myself and had it hidden somewhere safe by someone I trust. Even I don't know where it is now. As long as he isn't able to collect all four volumes, we should hopefully be able to stymy his plans, whatever they are..."
He shakes his head. "But I doubt he'll give up that easily. At the very least, there's two more volumes at large, and if I were him, I'd steal them anyway and wait for my chance to hunt down and take the missing second volume." He folds his arms under his chest. "What's more... If he really is an associate of the one we fought the other day, then that means he's with the New World Order. Do you know of them, Magus?"
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Magus is aware of Kasugayama's reputation. That Jun is one of the more studious students there is no surprise to her. She listens as he explains what he uncovered - a four-part series of playscripts... but Jun was able to procure the second volume for himself, and have it hidden somewhere. Even Jun doesn't know where it is now - and it's that bit of forethought that impresses her.
"Excellent thinking. The fewer people aware of its location, the better. Is your associate someone who is likely to talk?" Magus asks.
But, as he points out, he doubts he'll give up that easily. There's two more volumes at large.
"Indeed. He was willing to kill to secure them - or at the very least, force me to choose between securing treatment for the librarian or pursuing him. He will not be deterred so easily." She says - and what he says next gives her pause.
The 'New World Order'...?
She frowns, her brow furrowing as she thinks back.
"No... that name is unfamiliar to me. That name sounds out of a conspiracy theory... But I doubt you would invoke it lightly. Who are they?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"No, they're a consummate professional," Jun replies without hesitation. "What's more, only they and I know I gave them the volume. Of course, you know now I've given it away--but not to whom." He smiles. "As you say, the fewer who are aware..."
He nods again, though. "Precisely my thinking." Someone who's willing to kill to get their hands on something won't give up without a fight--even if, thankfully, he didn't successfully kill that time. It raises Magus in his estimation too that she chose to save a life than pursue the culprit. Catching culprits is important, of course, but not at the cost of innocent lives.
Jun chuckles dryly at her comment on conspiracy theories. "You're more right than you realize. I only know a limited amount about them, but they're a shadowy organization with members in high places." He frowns. "Do you remember when the Aerospace Museum in Konan Ward went up in flames? That was the Joker Killer's doing. His name was Tatsuya Sudou--and his father, Tatsuzou Sudou, the Minister of Foreign Defense and a member of the NWO, had him killed by an assassin as many of us fought him aboard a blimp."
He shuts his eyes momentarily at the memory. He takes a deep breath; lets it out slowly. "...That... K-series robot that was after Sakurai-san... She was taking orders from someone known as the Bride, another member of the NWO. She and several other operatives showed up at the Morimoto Sanitarium to try to kill Sudou-san, though they were unsuccessful then. If they're with the masked man who attacked Sevens and Kasugayama, then that means he's with, or at least has an agreement with, the NWO." He regards Magus anew. "Either way, I fear what their involvement means about these volumes."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
A consummate professional... He didn't even hesitate to say that. To be able to say that with such confidence proves the trust he spoke of.
"And I won't inquire." Magus agrees. "Some secrets are best left in darkness."
It's much like her own situation. The fewer people aware of who she is, the safer she is. She understands the safety of secrecy all too well.
And he concurs, on how driven the masked man is. He will appear again - it's just a matter of when and where.
She's more right than she realises, he says... and Magus's frown only deepens as he explains.
"I remember seeing it on the news, but... that was the Joker Killer?" She asks. ...And what's more, he was killed on the orders of his father, the Minister of Foreign Defense...
"So when you say high places... you mean up to the top." Magus says. Who else is secretly a part of them?
She knows all too well that those in power serve only their own interests, that they aren't there to help... But the enormity of it is a lot to take in.
They can't be trusted. None of them can.
He continues. The K-series robot... She nods.
"The one calling herself Scion... I've fought her alongside another before, and heard the voice guiding her." She acknowledges. The Bride and others arrived at the Morimoto Sanitarium to assassinate Tatsuya Sudou. She'd heard something had happened there, and travelers were worded away... but the reality is so different than the story they were fed, it seems. "To think that those people are tied to an organization like that..."
She frowns and turns pensive for a moment, tapping a finger against her chin.
"...Yes. I could scarcely ignore him after what he's done even if he were acting alone, but if he's involved with an organization like that... There must be something more to them, something foul. His ambitions must be stopped, and the other parts secured." Magus agrees.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun nods acknowledgment when Magus agrees not to ask. "I appreciate your discretion, Magus," he says--but considering she wears a mask, he expected little less of her.
"Well, I don't know if the Prime Minister is a member, so it may not go to the very top... but certainly it goes very high," he says grimly. "But yes, that was him." He sighs. "He was penitent just before his death, but... unfortunately, he had too much momentum behind him. The 'Joker Killers' who exist now--like Sakurai-san, who transformed--are, I believe, being affected by the rumors that spread as a result of his legacy. He never was caught and made to face justice, after all... and now he never will be."
Jun holds his chin with one hand when Magus talks about her previous fight with Scion and how she'd been guided by the Bride back then too. "Hmm... That suggests they work together consistently... but two examples could be a coincidence rather than a pattern. We'll have to watch for that."
He nods at Magus. "I wholly agree. I don't know how broadly you travel, but I believe the other two volumes are at Gekkoukan High School, over in Tatsumi Port Island, and Shujin Academy, over in Tokyo. My associate is looking into them to confirm that. We don't know when the masked man will go after them next, so if you're based here in Sumaru... try to keep an eye out for those schools."
The reality has been very different from what's appeared on the news. Jun got his start in the supernatural being confronted with that discrepancy, long before he ever Awakened.
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Jun acknowledges her agreement, and Magus nods back.
So, the Joker Killer was penitent... She never met him - never knew what the man behind the murders was like. It's hard for her to imagine that, from her position. ...But after a certain point, it's hard to stop - and with the power of a rumor behind him, she wonders if it was even possible for him to.
What Jun says highlights quite well the power of rumor, after all.
"I see... That truth was lost - and so, another was found..." She murmurs, folding her arms in front of herself. She shakes her head, though - there's no point in getting too caught up in that.
"They seem rather close... but you're right. More information is required. With so many unknowns surrounding our opponents, we mustn't allow ourselves to be drawn in by potentially-misleading evidence." She agrees.
And he agrees with her about what they need to do.
"I go where I need to be." Magus replies. It's an evasive answer, she knows - but while it is true she's based in Sumaru, it's better for her movements to be as obscure as possible.
"Gekkoukan, and Shujin... That would make sense. If they were transferred through the school system, then it's most likely they're in other schools - and those two are the most notable ones left." Magus considers. "I'll watch out to the best of my ability. Should I hear word of anything happening at either school, I will alert you - and trust you to do the same, should you hear of it first."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
It's something that gives Jun heavily mixed feelings. He hated and feared Sudou for many very good reasons, but when someone seems willing to submit to justice at last, only to be murdered... it's hard not to feel regret.
He can tell that her answer is evasive, and he doesn't mind it. He's certainly left out information too. He's a step closer to considering her trustworthy, though. Hopefully they'll both be able to be open with one another eventually. Certainly he agrees that they both need more information.
"I certainly will. You seem like a reliable ally, Magus," Jun replies with a smile. "To be honest, it was a stroke of luck to run into you the other day. I planned on searching for you to talk after handing over the playscript to my associate, but I really had no idea of how or where I might start looking. Fortune's smiled on both of us, wouldn't you say?"
Which is all too appropriate for him.
"In the meantime... do you mind if we just chat for a bit? Get to know each other a little better?" he asks. "Obviously I don't expect you to share any incriminating personal details, but the more we know about each other, the better we'll be able to trust each other."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
"And so do you, Jun Kashihara." Magus replies with a nod. A stroke of luck... Ah, that makes sense. It's hard finding someone who often doesn't want to be found - particularly when you only have a name like 'Magus' to go off of. "Fortune, indeed. I'm curious what you would have done had we just missed each other that day."
And then... he asks a question. To chat for a bit? The suggestion takes her by surprise. She hadn't even considered that. She looks away for a moment, before looking back.
She doesn't usually like talking about herself... but his logic is sound, and it seems he already understands there are things she can't, and shouldn't, talk about. There's really no reason for her to say no...
"...Alright. I don't see why not. What would you like to know?" Magus asks.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun smiles when Magus says he seems reliable too. "I know that you've appeared at Seven Sisters and Kasugayama, so my first move would have been to post messages at the front gates of those schools requesting your attention at a certain time and location. If that didn't work..." He shrugs. "Well, just as fortunately, we'll never have to find out."
Even if Magus isn't actually a student at either of those schools, she may know people who are, and word could still get back to her. If that didn't work, he'd have taken to patrolling the Dark Hour--but that would have had to wait until after finals were done. He was so caught up in studying for second semester finals and college entrance exams that he hadn't had the chance to put his first plan in motion, but it's turned out unnecessary.
She agrees to chat. He wasn't sure if she would; he's glad she's so agreeable. "If it isn't too revealing, how did you awaken to your Persona? I understand this is no doubt quite personal, so I'll go first." He gestures gracefully at himself. "I got into the supernatural world before I ever Awoke, though it wasn't by choice. It was because Sudou-san was stalking me for a time. He was formerly a student of my father, who teaches World History at Seven Sisters--" Magus no doubt knows of Mr. Kashihara, as he's one of the better teachers at that school, "--and that was part of the reason for his obsession."
Jun's expression darkens as he lowers his gaze. "...He put me through hell. At one point, I submitted myself to him to keep him from killing someone, and he held me captive for a week, trying to make me his... accomplice. I was nearly driven to madness because of it. At the end of it all, though, several people came to my rescue, and I gained the hope and strength of heart needed not to submit. I Awakened as a result."
He looks back up at her, expression clearing as he waits for her reaction and response.
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
"I see." Magus considers thoughtfully. That's a good plan - and one that would work, though she won't tell him that. Even if she never saw it herself... Yuuki certainly would've seen it and informed her. "Yes, just as well. This way, it remains between us."
And then, he asks a question - how did she awaken to her Persona? He isn't wrong - that is quite personal.
"...You don't pull your punches, do you, Jun Kashihara." Magus comments, but she listens as he explains. It wasn't his choice - Tatsuya Sudou was stalking him.
And, indeed - she's familiar with Mr. Kashihara. She may not be much of a good student these days, but she can recognize a good teacher. It's not their fault.
The Joker Killer put Jun through hell, and he accepted it to keep him from killing someone... Magus frowns, her eyes narrowing.
"...I see. You've been through much. I didn't realise." Magus replies. "To suffer so much at his hands... I would expect you to hate him more. In your shoes... I would be grateful for his death."
As for herself... In a way, it would have been easier if she had gone first. He's already given her much - and if there's one thing she hates, it's an uneven exchange. Leaving one party feeling shorted, expecting more - providing opportunities for the debt to be repaid at a later point.
"My own story... there's a lot I can't tell you." Magus starts. "...However, are you familiar with what a Palace is? I still don't know much about them myself, what they are or what they're for, but I found myself within one."
She goes quiet for a moment as she figures out how much she can say without saying too much.
"While inside... I came face to face with myself, seen through another's eyes. It was very... eye-opening." She explains. "I realised that I was being used - and I refused to accept that anymore, and that refusal burned into my heart until I became the person you see before you."
It's a... creative interpretation of events - just enough to make it difficult to connect back to the truth, even though she acknowledges there's no way he knows enough about her to that he even could.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"This is about building trust, after all," Jun replies, of not pulling punches. He knows what he asked, and he won't apologize for it. If anything, going first is the apology. She could always choose to listen and then refuse to answer. Of course, that's not how Magus sees it--but he doesn't have a way of knowing that. He only knows that she's invested in keeping her identity a secret, and wanted to prove his willingness to deal in good faith, even if he's still keeping some cards close to his chest. ...But she doesn't have a way to know that, either.
"It's... complicated. I do hate him, but... I also pity him." Jun's lashes sink along with his gaze. "He was not well, and his father mistreated him horribly. It doesn't excuse his own horrific actions, but perhaps in another world..." He pauses at his own turn of phrase; then he shakes his head. "It doesn't matter now."
He looks back up at her as she begins her own story. "Passingly," he replies of Palaces. He's heard of them, but that's it. He falls silent with her, waiting for her to continue. When she does, his eyes widen. With herself, seen through another's eyes...? He's not sure he understands how that could happen, but it does sound like a bracing experience--and not in a good way.
"I see. I hope you're in a better place now than you were at the time," he says sympathetically. (Gaining the Will to Rebel is only the start of one's rebellion, after all.) "Do you have a particular goal, or any specific allies? For my part... I'm not part of any groups or organizations, per se, but I do work with the Kuzunoha Detective Agency, based in Aoba Ward. They're very reliable--if you go there, ask for Todoroki-san or Uchida-san, and tell them I sent you.
"As for my goals--as I said, I began all this by getting swept up in Sudou-san's current. Now that I have a metaphorical boat with which to navigate, instead of barely keeping my head about water, I want to see it through to the river's end." His expression softens, perhaps a bigger tell than anything else when he concludes, "...I made a promise."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
"I suppose that's true." Magus admits with a wry smirk. An important part of trust is exposing a weakness to another person - or at least that's how she views it.
And she hears his thoughts on Sudou - complicated, conflicting thoughts.
"I couldn't bring myself to admit even that." She replies with a shake of her head. "...But I think it does matter. Carry that understanding with you. Let it inform your future actions, even if it can do nothing for the man himself now."
She might not understand the feeling herself... but he does, and that's what matter.
He's passingly familiar with Palaces, he says. A better place...
She can't confidently say she is.
"Hm. I have direction now, at least." She replies. That's something. "My allies are few, but there is... one other person I trust. I am... unused, to working with others. Until recently, I operated entirely on my own."
Jun isn't part of any groups or organizations, but he does work with the Kuzunoha Detective Agency... Magus 'hm's to herself, consideringly.
"I'm familiar with them, but I've never met them personally... I'll consider your recommendation." She replies with a nod. They might be helpful, eventually.
She listens to Jun's goals - he wants to be able to navigate the current by his own hand to the river's end... And, a promise.
"...A promise is important. If you've made one, it's vital to keep it." She replies with a nod - and then shakes her head. "...My goal isn't nearly so noble. I just need to become stronger - to hone my skills as a Persona user. There's something I need to do - something I can't rely on anyone else for."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Trust and exposing weaknesses... She's not wrong, or so Jun would say if she'd expressed that aloud. Isn't that exactly what a 'trust fall' is?
He does chuckle at her words of encouragement. "You're not the first to tell me something like that," he remarks.
Unused to working with others, hmm... "I see." He notes that she doesn't name this one other person, but he doesn't ask after who it is. Not for now. He nods firmly when she agrees a promise is to be kept. But then...
There's something I need to do - something I can't rely on anyone else for.
Melancholy shades Jun's expression. Just like Tatsuya... Maybe she's right--from what little Jun does know of Tatsuya's circumstances, he probably really can't rely on others for some crucial things--but even he can't do, and hasn't done everything alone. More importantly, Jun has a strong idea of how lonely he is living that way... and he hates the idea of Magus treating herself likewise.
So:
"Are you sure you can't rely on anyone else, even a little?" he asks gently. "It might feel that way now, but I think you'll be your best when you can allow others to support you and support them in turn." In other words, when she has trusted friends. "Perhaps that's presumptuous of me to say, but you already know why I say it; my experiences taught me it takes a strong heart to have faith when you're at your lowest points."
He smiles slightly as he lifts the nemophila in his breast pocket to breathe in its scent. "Something to possibly consider, at least. You know your circumstances best."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Magus smirks as Jun says she isn't the first to tell him that it does matter.
"Ah, then here I am being unoriginal." Magus comments. She says it lightly enough that it's clearly a joke.
He acknowledges that she does trust someone, but she doesn't elaborate on that. Not yet.
...It's a little embarrassing to admit right now.
And when she says there's something she needs to do alone... she sees the way his expression shifts.
She can tell he's well-meaning - his advice, too, is good. But... she's too set. Too determined to see this through alone.
"I'm sure." Magus replies. "I have to. If I don't do it myself... it won't mean anything."
She pauses for a moment. It feels rude to just reject it out of pocket - she doesn't usually mind being rude, but...
"...But still, I appreciate the advice." She adds.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun chuckles at the joke. "Perhaps you can think of it instead as great minds thinking alike?" Not that she knows who else gave him that advice, but still.
She insists on being alone. Jun doesn't take it as her being rude, at least. He'd rather she be sincere than polite, as long as she isn't insulting about how she makes her refusal, and she wasn't.
"There is a difference between 'doing something yourself' and 'doing something by yourself,'" he does points out. "I won't press the matter further, though."
She has a person she trusts, and the two of them have a fairly good relationship. He can only hope that she'll come around on her own in time, rather than risk alienating her over a senseless need to be right.
Magus shows that he made the correct choice when she says she appreciates the advice. Jun smiles and nods once. "I'm glad. I wish you luck, then."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
"That does sound better. I'll take it. And I do like the implication that I have a great mind." Magus replies, that same smug smirk still squarely on her face.
A difference between doing something yourself and doing something by yourself...
"...I'm aware, it's just... personal." Magus replies - and nods, when he says he won't press the matter further.
"Thank you." She replies, when he wishes her luck. "And you as well. I believe we'll both have our work cut out for us, going forward..."
Things only seem to be getting more and more complicated.