2026-10-26: Welcome Back
- Log: Welcome Back
- Cast: Lisa Silverman, Minako Arisato
- Where: Yumezaki - Practice Studio
- OOC Date: October 26, 2026
- IC Date: January 30, 2013
- Summary: Minako comes to visit Lisa on her way back from her trip out to Sapporo. She and Lisa discover the resonance of Persona between one another--and catch up a little in more ways than one.
(|============================= Yumezaki - Main ==============================|)
-=============================================== Sumaru City/Yumezaki Ward ====-
With a name that means "Dream Peninsula," it's no wonder that the glitziest part
of the city is Yumezaki. All kinds of fun and exciting business can be found
here, up to and including a game center (or is it a casino?) called Mu
Continent, where rumor has it one can potentially win big at slots, bingo,
poker, or blackjack. Pachinko Silver is right next door if one wants one's
gambling activities to be a little more subtle.
Across from Mu Continent, there's Club Zodiac, a techno dance club where the
boots are always bumping--but rumor has it the back is a maze that will lead you
to some very dangerous places... To be specific, supposedly it was bought out by
the Taiwanese mafia and is now their hideout. It's best not to pay too much mind
to those kinds of tales, though--or else.
The ward also includes a robust multi-story music store and an impressive gym.
Oddly, the music store, NOT the gym, is called Giga Macho. The gym, which is
bright, clean, and amply furnished with all kinds of equipment, is called GOLD.
Nearby, the shopping street, Yumezaki Center, invites spendthrifts and window
shoppers alike to browse its indoor and outdoor stores.
BGM: Map I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0B_2vwPcxc
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
The studio where Lisa and the Muses practice in is Yumezaki. Practice has ended recently, with Sheba going off with Ginji again for her private lessons and Meeho now getting some workshopping of her own of her lyrics. Their new album is out soon, and it'll have more of Meeho's songs in it.
Lisa, on the other hand, is just back in her dressing room; she's doing great, but dosn't have a lot of 'extra' work to be doing compared to the others. How she feels about that is complicated...
But her dressing room is a small room set up with a mirror and lights, and of course, a door--and a very small list of people who are allowed to go into the studio to go bother her at it, complete with someone at the door ensuring that list is followed.
There was an incident with another idol group a while back...
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako Arisato, fortunately, is on the list.
Two weeks ago, she went to Sapporo. It was a trip that was approved by Gekkoukan's administration; allegedly, it was over a family matter, to visit a relative who needed help. It was actually to investigate a mysterious Shadow sighted up there, on behalf of SEES.
She is on her way back to the dorm. In fact, literally on her way back. There is the rattle of her suitcase's wheels on the floor as she walks. She stops in front of the dressing room.
Minako knocks once. Then, she opens the door and peeks in.
"Heyyyyyy, Lisa-chan!" she says. "Guess who's back! I--"
She looks at Lisa and blinks.
Then blinks again.
Something is different.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
She sure is!
But Lisa heard the cover story for Minako's trip, and will be happy when she sees her back--which is now!
"Minako-chan!" Lisa answers, turning and brightening. She's in white today, still in her workout outfit of a thin-strapped tanktop and soft pants, her hair still up. "It's great to--"
WoooOOooooOOOo...
"See... you?"
"Aiyah!" Lisa says. "What was that???"
The resonance... of Persona.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako's foot catches the door -- and she closes it. Clearly, this is a situation that requires privacy. She blinks her eyes once, before she shakes her head.
"Uh--"
What was that? She knows.
"...did... something happen recently?" she asks. "Like--um. Maybe you... had a personal awakening, and..."
Minako wrinkles her nose. This is the sort of thing that Kirijo-senpai or Ikutsuki explain to the newcomers. Minako understands, of course, how Personas work. But explaining it is a different matter.
"...made a ghost appear?"
She grins and shrugs. It's a slightly apologetic shrug.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa is still new to Persona business; there's things she just doesn't know by virtue of people not thinking to explain them to her yet, or because she hasn't seen them.
"...?" Lisa tilts her head. A personal awakening? "I mean, Minako-chan, we're already--" Not that kind of personal awakening, Lisa!!
"OH!"
"Yeah!!" Lisa answers then. "Persona, right?" she confirms. "I have one. I guess you do, too??"
"It was... a while ago," Lisa says, don't worry about the actual timeline, "My friend Maria-chan turned into a Joker, and..."
She gestures. "But yeah! That's so crazy!"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako blinks, guilelessly, at the mention of them already--
Then, she grins sheepishly. Minako's eyes turn to the side for a second as she considers it. "Y-Yeah, I do, too. Um, that sense, that's... when you're close by to another person with a Persona. It's not everyone, all the time."
She tilts her head.
"Wow," she says. "I... uh. I'm kinda surprised. I'd had to keep that part of me secret from you, and..."
She shakes her head. "...Now, I don't?"
She says it like a question.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
It's one type of personal awakening!
"Ohhh," Lisa says. "I haven't experienced it before," she admits. "I guess my Persona didn't want to come out for people until now. But I don't get the impression the 'other me' is very shy, either..."
But Minako is surprised and, "Me too! ...is what what you were worried about keeping from me?"
She shakes her head. "You don't. At least, I don't know any reason you should have to. I have some friends who helped explain the basics to me, and..."
"You wouldn't happen to know people in that 'SEES', would you?" she wonders.
Then she blinks. "Aiyah! I'm making you stand when you just got in from a trip! Come on, sit down, sit down!" Lisa insists, reaching for Minako's hand to pull her toward the couch.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Probably not," Minako admits. "It's a bit hard to imagine you being shy, in any form."
She hesitates, then, as Lisa both identifies Minako's worry and demolishes it in a single blow. Sometimes, it's astounding what this girl can do. Of course, given how they started their friendly-but-more arrangement, perhaps she shouldn't be surprised.
"I--um--yeah," she says. "But, I'm glad I don't have to. I--oh! SEES! Yeah, actually, I'm--whah!"
Her hand is taken -- and she stumbles, then she sits down on the couch next to Lisa. That makes a laugh bubble up from Minako. "I'm... actually one of the co-leaders of SEES's combat teams, so~o~o..."
A beat.
"I'd say I know people in SEES!"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Haha... I guess not, huh?" Lisa answers.
But she does not wait for answers. Instead, she tugs Minako over and sits down right next to her--very close. "Haime!?" Really? "Waoh, you're a leader!? That's so cool! ...Hmmmm, I could see it, too!"
Combat teams. "I just know Yukari-chan for sure, though I've got guesses about a couple others. That's great! I'm working on gathering some people up here in Sumaru myself--it's better not to do this stuff alone, right? A lot of people tell me I should be upset about all this, but..."
"It feels right, somehow. Almost familiar."
"...But, welcome back!! While I totally want to see your Persona and stuff--and how you fight--I also want to ask how it went! Did everything go OK? Are you happy to be back?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako tilts her head to the side. A lock of red hair, next to her face, sways with her when she does -- and those crimson eyes of hers blink. "Really?" she asks. "You can?"
Some days, she wonders if she is all that good at being a leader. But, she doesn't let those doubts show all that often.
She considers that for a moment -- before she smiles and nods her head. "Yeah. You don't want to be working alone," she says. "It's not safe. And... people are stronger together. So--um--getting a crew together sounds good."
A blink, then. "Familiar, huh...?"
She trails off -- but Lisa has a lot more questions, and Minako grins. "Y-Yeah! Everything was good. I, uh, I got you some caramels--" She unzips the top compartment of her rolling bag, and pulls out a little round package. "And I was actually on a mission for SEES, but... y'know..."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Mm!" Lisa answers in that surprise. "You're charismatic," she explains. "The sort of girl people would listen to. ...Maybe I'm biased, but I think it's true!"
But Minako agrees with her plan. "Right! Besides, my Persona's really good at defending other people... i can't do that if I don't have anybody to rely on me." She's proud of that much.
And, "It's weird, right? I've obviously never done stuff like this before. It's more like... deja-vu? ...This weird lady at the TV station was trying to get me to 'remember' something else, but I didn't know what she was talking about. ...Familiar or not, I want to protect this life, not... someone else's idea of what I should be."
A lot more!!
"Oh!!" Lisa beams. "Thank you!! I love those!" She accepts them with both hands. "Candy, candy, candy o/~"
Then, "Waoh, a secret mission... SEES is pretty cool, huh?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"You do have a known soft spot for me, Silverman-san," Minako says with a wink.
But she smiles, still. The compliment is a nice one -- that she's charismatic and seems like a leader. She looks at her, and her head tilts to the side. "That's strange -- I've never had that. But... I think you're right. You should live your life."
She grins when Lisa clearly likes the gift -- and Minako sits up, a little straighter. "Mm-hm. We are. But... um."
She looks ahead. For a second, Minako is quiet.
"...I'm glad I can tell you about SEES and all, now, Lisa-chan," she says. "I felt guilty. Keeping that from you. Like... I'd make the same mistake I did with Ren-kun." She hesitates. "I mean--not saying we're as serious, just--"
A beat, and then she laughs. "...You know what I mean?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Haha," Lisa laughs, "I do, I do..."
"I'm glad you agree," she says. "I feel like... that matters, for everybody. To live the life you have, not some other life you imagined." A little Lisa philosophy sees her looking down, subdued. But then--
For a second...
"Oh..." She nods. "That would've been hard. You knew all these dangerous things you couldn't tell me--and it's obviously a big part of your life."
"Right, we can't be..." She looks to hr mirror for a moment, thoughtfully. "I kind of wish I could be serious about somebody," she admits. "...Not that I'm saying we have to change how we are. I like how we are right now, too. ...But it makes me wonder sometimes, what it'd be like if things were..."
"There I go, doing the same thing I said we shouldn't do." She sets a hand on Minako's arm. "Things are how they are right now. I totally know what you mean. So you can share whatever you want with me. ...And maybe we can get in some 'quality time' soon, now that you're back, too..."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako quiets down and listens. It could be easy to dismiss Lisa as a ditz -- but that would be wrong. The life you have, rather than some life you imagined, is important. She is quiet, but she reaches out and puts a hand over Lisa's.
"Yeah," she says. "I... I mean. I wished I could. But I didn't want to pull you into it, I didn't want to make you get into a dangerous situation. So..."
She looks at the mirror, too. "I'm glad."
There is a moment's hesitation. Lisa wishes she could be serious about someone. And Minako -- Minako isn't sure if she could do that. Even if...
She smiles, then. It's a smile that comes easily, as ever. "It's okay, Lisa-chan. I... yeah. They are how they are right now." She puts a hand atop the hand Lisa put on her arm. Then, she grins. "I will. And... you know."
She does that easy smile of hers. "...I do have a little free time~."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa gives that impression fairly easily. But Minako doesn't think of her that way. She knows that.
"Right," Lisa answers. "That makes sense to me, too. ...But now, you don't have to! We can just be on the same page." A beat, "I use kung fu, myself. The skills I've practiced are just as good against demons, wha-pow!"
But, Lisa doesn't catch the hesitation right now; she just... wishes it. She smiles back. "Thanks," she says. "And that's cool."
Then she grins--and leans in to kiss Minako, more of a peck than anything.
She pulls back. "Let me lock the door. We can... catch up!"