2026-11-07: Spirited Away
- Log: Spirited Away
- Cast: Pachinko Silver, Lisa Silverman, Jun Kashihara, Maria Sakurai, Shinobu Shimizu
- Where: The Inscrutable Region: Mizunagi
- OOC Date: November 07, 2026
- IC Date: February 05, 2013
- Summary: On the Dark Side forums, an anonymous member claims their little brother has gone missing. Sure, it could a lie, on the internet (just imagine!) but do you really want to test that?
(|================ Monad - The Inscrutable Region: Mizunagi ================|)
-==== Round 1 - Challenge Level 1 ===========================================-
| Card: side.SOL .. intro 0 .. TURNTABLE SATURN: "the gate" |
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Academics |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1 and Stupor - Academics Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
Tumbling through the void, you fell through at least ten gates, all stacked
at physically impossible angles. It felt like forever before you landed
here, in the center of a vast, flooded cavern cut into the abominable stone.
The vagarious iridescence of reflections from the water seethes across the
cavern walls, glittering like waterborne gems that may or may not actually
be present in the dancing floodwaters. Though the water is deep enough that
you can't see the bottom, you may still stand easily on its surface, as
solid as glass, only the lightest ripple indicating your passing.
A torii gate stands on the water behind you, a dark, impossible mirror to
the space above, crimson red with pitch-black ofuda hanging forlornly from
its posts. Ahead lay a crippled, sunken ship, lopsided and run aground,
buried in a rocky shore that looks like the outer facade of a building,
tilted to a bizarre, mad slant.
The ship is silent, bitter and lonesome. All rotting steel and overgrown
with green vines, it's lit solely from a single consecrate beam of bright
light from far above. The dilapidated ship lists dangerously, hull sitting
at almost a forty five degree angle above the floodline, the fore and bridge
decks of the vessel unreachably high towards the top of the cavern, with the
aft section melding into the rock face.
A small, shattered helicopter is crumpled like paper, rotors snapped off
and bent around it. It's all but wrapped around a shattered helipad that
used to be attached to the ship, itself now forming a loose bridge that
cants towards the cargo area, allowing entry to the ship. But one method of
entering the ship itself is a keypad outside of the aft cargo hold,
flickering with barely-functional illumination.
Instead of a numerical code, the door is secured by a password system, and
the door to the hold is secured with what appears to be ancient clockwork
gears instead of any actual modern latching system. The password doesn't
seem to be anything basic, and changes on the day and the whim of the
blasphemous world. Only a passing knowledge of the ship itself -- or a
willingness to get physical with the interlock -- will gain entry to the
ship's interior spaces.
(OOC NOTE: Passages in red text will appear in some rooms. These represent
omnipresent thoughts or feelings that can be detected by those open to it.)
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Pachinko Silver has posed.
It took some searching, but there's many ways a person can be here, at this moment.
* Rumormongers are a powerful force in Sumaru City, and the rumor of there being suddenly being a red torii gate in an alleyway next to a train stop that only certain people could see made it easier to narrow down, especially since, as a Persona User, the torii gate would be visible, displaying an unknown field beyond.
* A rumormonger would also tell of another method: taking a kifuda from a shrine, and offering 'a prayer to the oni' (this process is left vague), painting it black, and going to a real torii gate with the kifuda in hand. Walk around it three times, and go through.
* A few have dealt with the phenomenon of the red thread before, or may be dealing with it as of now, leading them to their own torii gate. All you need is a question deep in your heart (who doesn't have that?).
* Of course, the simplest option is just being at the right place at the right time. You're just there. Don't worry about it.
It all leads to the same place: here, right now, in the expansive cavern, lit by light coming in through a hole high up in the rock. It's all a stage for a thing that is being more than one thing at once; the only difference is what 'side' that torii gate has placed you; like glancing through a camera lens, the nature of it changes. There is a mechanical tinking to the place; those that can sense demons and/or shadows will find there's barely any sign in the immediate area. The area is large, expansive enough that people could have come at different times, grouping up once they realize the ship(?) in the center is not allowing easy access. But something has changed; that, or someone has figured out a potential way in. Maybe, you group up, realizing there's strength in numbers.
On this side, it's an overgrown ship, presumably the same one that disappeared from the harbor a month or so ago. However, some might also know that that same ship was supposedly deposited into the side of Narumi Memorial Hospital, so....
Well, it's not like it's going to get you past that keypad.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
A place people can just stumble into--a place of weirdness. A place... of interest! Lisa Silverman, having recently assembled some friends to handle matters in Sumaru, is obviously interested in this, so she's dragged out (for varying degrees of having to actually drag) Jun and Maria to go looking. Indeed--
"I think this is it?" Lisa had said, before stepping inside and--
"Waugh!"
Fall, fall, fall....
"Oof!" Lisa dusts herself off. She's out of uniform by now, in jeans and a fur-lined jacket, but she just fell right on her butt. "Ow..." Dragging herself to her feet she complains, "Kehhei! Ground should be ground!"
Then, though, she looks around the cavern; a light high above. A 'stage'...
Lisa starts walking. "Is that a ship?" she wonders. Maybe others will join her soon. But there's also...
"..."
"So," Lisa says, "I guess we have to figure out the password...?"
Or pick the lock. That could be an option. But she's not going to think of it first.
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has acted with Proficiency toward side.SOL .. intro 0 .. TURNTABLE SATURN: "the gate"! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun is of course interested in this, now that there's a lead on it, so he readily agrees to accompany Lisa and Maria to the torii. (He was very surprised to learn that Maria is none other than Persona Superheroine Cherry. He never would have guessed!) He looks up at it with a slight frown just as Lisa's stepping through, and--
"Lisa-san? Lisa-san!!"
--he hurries after her, only to end up falling too.
When he lands, he likewise lands with an 'oof!' He winces as he picks himself up and looks back up. "I'll just be grateful the landing was as soft as it was," he comments before turning around to look around the cavern with the ship, helicopter, and door with its code. He pointedly does not look down at the glass-like water. He's also in casual clothes--a plum blossom-patterned coat, sweater, and slacks with loafers. He's not the athletic type, despite dance lessons with Yua-sensei; he doesn't usually wear sneakers.
"Hmmm..." He cautiously approaches the door, eyebrows furrowed as he inspects the keypad. "I feel like I saw this in a dream recently..." Surely it couldn't be the same thing... but what if it is? Jun's willing to believe a lot more than he used to. "Allow me." He nods to Lisa and the others, and attempts to input some numbers based on those hazy visions he had.
MONAD: Jun Kashihara has acted with Dream Talk toward side.SOL .. intro 0 .. TURNTABLE SATURN: "the gate"! Smarts and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
"Oh, Lisa-chan!"
Lisa is not alone for very long, for here is-- well, Cherry, as Maria had told her about previously. Clad in a brightly-colored cognitive uniform, she has arrived into this space herself as well, following quickly on Lisa's heels. "Wait up!"
She descends into this place that shouldn't exist but obviously very much does without much sign of a care in the world. One may get the (correct) impression that she would love skydiving.
"Remember," she says to Lisa once they've landed, "I've been here before. It has really good apples! I wonder if I can get some more?" she wonders, one finger pressing against her cheek as she mulls this one over. Given the current appearance of this place, are there really apples in here? ...Are they safe to eat??
But she nods, enthusiastically. "Yeah! In there, in there!" Glancing over at Jun, she nods as if to encourage him onwards. "Race you!"
Which, after a series of warm-up stretches, she does.
...Aren't they here to rescue a kid, though, not have a footrace and go hunting for apples?
MONAD: Maria Sakurai has acted with Warm-Up Stretches toward side.SOL .. intro 0 .. TURNTABLE SATURN: "the gate"! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu takes missing person reports seriously - especially when they concern incidents that seem supernatural in origin. These days, you have to pay attention to such things. Even the most out-there story could become real if enough people spread it around.
So, with the thought of a missing child who might be in danger in mind, Shinobu set to investigating. She reached out to some of the rumormongers she's on good terms with to see what they know and following their guidance, arrives now at a torii gate with a pitch black kifuda in hand.
She didn't know what kind of prayer would work for the oni. It was probably something along the lines of threatening to kick their asses if they didn't help her out with this.
"...Well... Here goes nothing, I guess." Shinobu says, breathing in and exhaling. She loops around the torii gate three times before stepping inside...
...and finds herself tumbling down into the void, landing with a grunt onto solid stone.
"Shit. They could've warned me about that." Shinobu hisses to herself, getting to her feet as she massages her tailbone. ...Maybe that's just the kind of greeting one gets when one threatens the oni.
Oh well. She's already here. Shinobu rolls her neck and glances around. There's one obvious landmark that she reaches in short order... and when she gets there, she sees that she isn't the only one here. They're familiar faces - or in one case, a familiar mask.
"Hey, you guys looking for the missing kid too?" Shinobu asks, offering a casual wave of greeting. She hesitates for a moment before adding, "...You guys are real, right? Just checking. Never can tell with this kinda place."
...Just in case.
She turns her attention to the problem at hand. Actually getting inside... She frowns thoughtfully, and decides after a moment...
"...Hey, let me show you a cool trick." She offers, approaching the door.
They seem like good kids. It's probably fine teaching them how to do something that might enable them to do crime.
MONAD: Shinobu Shimizu has acted with Esoteric Skillset toward side.SOL .. intro 0 .. TURNTABLE SATURN: "the gate"! Patra and Focus!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== side.SOL .. intro 0 .. TURNTABLE SATURN: "the gate" - Round 1 =========- Lisa Silverman Proficiency Success Proficiency Base Fatigue: 0 Morale: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jun Kashihara Academics Success Dream Talk Smarts and Efficient Fatigue: 0 Morale: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shinobu Shimizu Proficiency Success Esoteric Skillset Patra and Focus Fatigue: 0 Morale: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maria Sakurai Proficiency Success Warm-Up Stretches Specialty Fatigue: 0 Morale: 2 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Clumsy-2 and Stupor-2 Final Conditions: Clumsy-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 1/6 |= | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================ Monad - The Inscrutable Region: Mizunagi ================|)
-==== Round 2 - Challenge Level 3 ===========================================-
| Card: side::LUNA > The Hierophant; Taurus > BARRIER |
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Academics |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, |
| Educational - Academics Up L1, and Ineptitude - Proficiency Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
(BGM: https://youtu.be/puLnIQ-plR8 Toshio Masuda - "Shinen")
The corridor is plain: dark wood flooring and steeple ceiling contrasting
with white plaster walls. It's lit with natural indirect light, cast in from
narrow openings between the wall and roofing. The air feels crisp and chill,
like late fall.
A red thread spools on ahead of you towards a far off exit, but the moment
you step on the horizontally-laid floor boards, you hear an oddly melodic
creak. A wooden door suddenly slams down, sealed with a simple lock. Simple,
right?
A lock is just a barrier with a cheat called a key.
Alas, when the door is opened, there's another door a few meters away,
made of thicker wood and a more complex lock. After that, there will be a
metal door, with similarly tougher lock.
The pattern will continue to escalate, with one added complication: fall
has turned to winter, and the air is now frigid with the touch of snow. As
fingers become numb and exhaustion threatens to set in, you'll hear a young,
bell-like giggle, as if someone finds your effort hilarious. Nonethless, you
must persevere to get to the end, no matter what.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Pachinko Silver has posed.
Apples, at this time of year? Clearly Maria must be joking. Also, crime? Not something to joke about, Shinobu! You're clearly encouraging Lisa!
(Surely this won't lead to anything similar after this...)
There is only one way to get in, and it's through Jun's visions, and Maria's race, providing the necessary 'umph' to dialing in those numbers. Or maybe it was the lockpicking after all?
Who's to say? It seems to be something different each time you go through here, in more ways than one.
Take what happens after you go through the doors: the ship was obviously modern, but the doors at your back slide with a distinctive 'clak' of an old Japanese manor. Going back through them will be not that easy, though; you can only move forward.
It's a breezy day in this old walkway; despite the white of the walls, you can smell the air outside, cool and fresh like fall. It's a clear shot to the end, even: until you make that first step.
With a melodic squeak, a switch is thrown, and a door slams down a few feet in front. However, the craftier among you will likely see a lock that could be easily picked, or a door that could just be 'convinced' to open through other means.
The door after that? Less so.
And the one after that?
After that?
It's like there's someone giggling at you out of view, childish and high. Mischievous. Are you being watched?
The crisp apple breeze of autumn gives way to winter; Japanese manors are not known for being effective against the cold, especially when there's direct contact with the air outside.
Also, weren't you in a cave before? It was definitely not this light out, before.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
It's true though--it's not just curiousity. That missing kid...
Well. Lisa looks to Jun when he says he's grateful and gives a lopsided smile. "I guess that's fair!"
But Maria, "Oh yeah! You have! Then you'll be our guide, Cherry-chan!" She uses the code name, but... as a name. It's cute! "Did you really eat apples you got from a place like this?" she wonders. "...Nice."
Lisa races, too! Right up until--
"We're real!" Lisa confirms. "Shimazu-san! Nice to see you here. That should make things a little easier."
Then--a cool trick! "Oooh..."
>Lisa will remember that.
"You really had dreams about it?" Lisa wonders of Jun, since... the codes did help. But now--
An old Japanese manor. Lisa blinks; it's familiar to her, of course. SHe lives in a manor like this. It's breezy, but... Suddenly, there's a door. Lisa frowns. There's many doors happening, but only the first is particularly obvious. It gets... cold... as they progress...
"Breathing techniques," Lisa suggests. "If you can steady yourself, you can avoid wasting your energy on shivering. It's something I learned from my new teacher..."
Also, one of those doors is getting kicked down. That's going to happen.
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has acted with Kung Fu toward side::LUNA > The Hierophant; Taurus > BARRIER! Focus and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Missing persons reports are serious--especially if it's a child who might be missing due to a supernatural phenomenon. That's the entire reason they're all out here. Isn't it, Lisa? Maria??
Still, Jun turns to Maria, or rather Cherry, in surprise. "You... ate apples from here?" There is a markedly different tone to the question compared to Lisa. This absolutely does not look like a place that would have apples, but why would Maria lie about that?
But she does seem familiar, and when she challenges him to a race, he chuckles. "I'll do my best," he says, with zero intention of racing. It'll all be down to if he can solve the code faster than she can finish her warm-up stretches.
Of course, then Shinobu arrives. "Ah! You too?" he utters, his one visible eye widening in surprise. "...We are definitely real, though we could ask the same of you... I'm going to assume that question means you are, though."
When she offers to show them all a trick, he makes a "?" noise and moves aside from her. What she shows them all has blue lines running down his face. "Er..."
What do you even say to that...? If Tatsuya's brother were here, he'd probably make a ruckus about how that's a crime...
They have the same goal: saving a lost child from a dangerous space. For now, Jun decides to overlook it. Flexible thinking is key in a place like this. And, speaking of keys--
"Ah!" he utters when that wooden door slams down. That startled him! Though, the air smells... truly strange for indoors. It feels like he ought to be biting into an apple right now.
...Wait, is this what Cherry meant?!
Still... while Shinobu will no doubt make short work of this lock (but what about the next ones?), there's a mysterious giggle sounding around them. Jun focuses on that. It's a good thing they've got coats on as the air chills further. "I've had a lot of odd dreams since last spring," he remarks to Lisa. "Not all of them come to anything, but I took up dream interpretation afterwards."
The reminder of the breathing techniques is a good one. He'll use that too.
But who is that giggling at them...?
MONAD: Jun Kashihara has acted with Dream Talk toward side::LUNA > The Hierophant; Taurus > BARRIER! Smarts and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
She nods, emphatically. "Uh huh! They were really nice apples. I felt really good after I ate them?" At least it's better than feeling 'really bad' after eating apples. "Don't worry, you can count on me!"
Her head turns towards Shinobu. She's seen Shinobu before. But does Shinobu know who she is in real life? ...Probably not, not yet.
Cherry, who might well appear the most outlandish of the lot of them, reaches up and pinches herself when Shinobu asks if they're real. "Yep!" she cheers in agreement, after wincing. "But good question! Hey, uh, there's some weird people in here? I think they might be robots or something?" she explains, to her companions of the moment. "Oh yeah! And, call me Cherry! I'm here to save that kid!" And get apples, and have a footrace...
Shinobu says she'll show them a cool trick.
"Oh yeah?" Maria says, following after her like a duckling. "Oh! So that's how you break in!" she exclaims, moments later. "Can you show me that again? I've been learning how to pick locks, you know!"
Maybe it's better for a certain officer to not be here right now...
The door to the ship opens and they clamber inside to something that's decidedly... different than before. Maria walks along gamely enough, glancing here and there and everywhere until--
Squeak~
THUD.
"Ehhh?" she utters, once the door slams shut. "Wait, wait, wait... wait! That's right! I've been here before, too! Um, it's gonna get cold, so--" She starts to jog in place, the better to warm herself up. "--Gotta stay warm! And, picks the locks!" She pauses. "Otherwise, we'll die in here."
So, you know. No pressure.
MONAD: Maria Sakurai has acted with Warm-Up Stretches toward side::LUNA > The Hierophant; Taurus > BARRIER! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Lisa says they're real - and that's good enough for her.
"Cool." Shinobu replies. Sure, if there's suspicions maybe it isn't the best thing to take that at face value... and Jun has the right idea, turning that question right back around to her. "Sure am."
Lisa greets her and Shinobu offers her a nod and a smile back. Cherry, too, gets a nod. She's seen her before... but right now, she only knows her as Cherry.
"Yeah, good seein' all of you, too. ...Makes things easier on my end, too. I woulda done it by myself if I had to, but I feel a lot better knowin' someone's got my back." She replies. There's only so much one can succeed at alone, after all.
She cracks a smirk at Cherry's matter-of-fact observation of her skills. She'd call that suspicious, but here she is showing them all how it works, so she can't really say anything...
"You have, huh? Sure. I'll try to do it a little slower next time." Shinobu replies.
It's perfectly fine. It's a useful skill for anyone to have!
They manage to make it through with teamwork... and the door slides closed behind them with a 'clak'. The sound gets her attention. She looks back.
"...The hell?" She wonders. They were in a cave before, she knows that much - but as they proceed further, it becomes breezy and the air becomes fresh.
"More doors, huh..." Shinobu considers. Her techniques work to a point, and she strangely knows a pretty wide array of them... But after a certain point her technique is gradually reduced to guesswork rather than any solid theory.
She finds herself grateful she wore her winter coat today, too. She glances back toward Jun as he makes a comment toward Lisa.
"...Used to be I would've discounted that kind of thing... These days, though, I say get whatever you can out of 'em." She comments.
Lisa suggests breathing techniques - so Shinobu elects to take things slow and steady. She cracks another grin as Cherry states they have to pick the locks or they'll die in here.
Yup. No pressure.
MONAD: Shinobu Shimizu has acted with Proficiency toward side::LUNA > The Hierophant; Taurus > BARRIER! Base!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== side::LUNA > The Hierophant; Taurus > BARRIER - Round 2 ===============- Lisa Silverman Proficiency Failure Kung Fu Focus and Efficient Fatigue: 2 Morale: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jun Kashihara Academics Success Dream Talk Smarts and Efficient Fatigue: 0 Morale: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shinobu Shimizu Proficiency Failure Proficiency Base Fatigue: 2 Morale: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maria Sakurai Proficiency Failure Warm-Up Stretches Specialty Fatigue: 2 Morale: 3 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-2, Clumsy-1, Educational-2, and Ineptitude-2 Final Conditions: Annoying-1, Educational-1, and Ineptitude-1 -================================================= Party Result: Failure ====- -==== Reach: 1/6 |= | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================ Monad - The Inscrutable Region: Mizunagi ================|)
-==== Round 3 - Challenge Level 1 ===========================================-
| Card: side::LUNA > Sun; Sol > REFLECTION |
| Approach Options: Charm or Understanding |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Checkpoint - Cleanse all negative |
| conditions., Educational - Academics Up L1, Ineptitude - Proficiency Down |
| L2, Lunchbox - Subtract 1 Fatigue., and Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
(https://youtu.be/tO_hiNdFabM Toshio Masuda - "Yumeji")
You have come across someplace very private, almost sacred.
Damp rock walls echo the cavern your party first arrived in, albeit
smaller. Stepping stones make an artful path around the center, while off
the path, white gravel crunches pleasantly underfoot. In the center of the
rock ceiling is a hole, allowing a view of a dark starry sky high above.
What light there is doesn't come from the stars, but from the white
flowers around you, each with long green leaves that transition to delicate
white petals surrounding a black stamen. Someone may recognize these as
'snow lotuses': a rare plant located in the Himalayan mountains. However,
those don't grow in caves under watch of starlight, or emit pleasant light.
The light draws out the glitter of druse crystals on the cavern walls. If
you try to mine a chunk or two, be sure not to disturb the pairs of nesting
blackbirds huddling in the walls.
A harsh wind occasionally whistles above, a reminder that the world is not
just the comforting mask of night, but something that can be as uncaring and
malicious as it is distant and expansive. You can't stay here forever, but
for the moment, you are sheltered, able to ponder the mediative path of red
thread that loops around the stones.
I will be your bond.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Pachinko Silver has posed.
No pressure. And who indeed, Jun? The area's been bare since you've gotten here.
Don't get distracted; it'll only get harder from here. Take a deep breath, deep breath, deep breath...
The first door is a simple one, almost insultingly so, but the second is a little worse. The third, even moreso.
The party might've lost track after that one. Or was it the one Lisa put a hole through?
The logic is ascending into levels that fail to make sense: the blue enamel spot here needs to be aligned with the bear symbol, and then this needs to be twisted until the arrow points to the crane? It's too cold to think.
But Jun, with his dream logic, is the one that manages to deal the decisive blow on the puzzle logic of the last one, before Lisa has to possibly bruise her knuckles, or Maria letting everyone know about the inevitability of death (should you give up), or Shinobu loses a lockpick.
There's an open door. Quick! Before someone(?) notices!
-----
At least it's warmer here, if only in the way a cave can be, when it's comparably colder outside. It also feels safe in a way the hallway wasn't, the ceiling showing a clear sight of stars above, sparkling like druze crystals.
It feels safe. It feels assured.
It feels like you can be here, for a while, but not with the threat of feeling like you can't move on.
Flowers grow and wilt, blackbirds eventually fly. Crystals will break or be worn down.
But they'll all come back again.
And you are able to see them, because you were here at this one spot at the right time.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Unfortunately for Lisa, she's a martial artist and not a firebender. The breath trick only helps so much.
Lisa doesn't seem to notice Jun's trouble with CRIME. Instead, she focuses on the dreams. "I see," she says. It's thoughtful. "Well, I guess that's cool? Everybody dreams..."
Can your dreams be taken? No, what a strange thought.
The giggling is strange. "Robots?" Lisa wonders of Maria. "That would be weird. But I guess it might as well be something that happens."
Lisa laughs a little at Maria. "I guess a cool superhero needs to be able to get through locks..."
They'll die! "No way!"
"...Huh, you weren't into dreams?" she wonders of Shinobu. But soon--
She rushes through the open door. "Thanks," she says to Jun. "...You really came through for us!"
Safety... Hm. Lisa looks around. "..." She doesn't recognize the planet. She does sees that they're lit up. "These are pretty crystals... I wonder if we could have something made out of them?"
Lia's inclined to try. But then...
"We gift pretty things to tbe ones we love. ...Bu t it's strange, isn't it?" Lisa wonders. "When you give them something to look at, but you really want them to look at you..."
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has acted with Love Talk toward side::LUNA > Sun; Sol > REFLECTION! Amrita!
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
If anything, Lisa's an earthbender. Alas, the firebender of her and Jun's heart is somewhere that isn't here.
Jun purses his lips at Cherry. "Hmmm..." Depending on what she means by 'really good,' that could still be cause for a lot of concern. She's still alive, though, so clearly they weren't poison, at least? "All right," he concedes. He's still going to worry, but until they actually find more apples, not too much.
There will be more worrying at both Lisa and Cherry's fascination with Shinobu's break-in skills. Her comment on getting whatever you can out of dreams, though... "Precisely my position. I used to be much more of a skeptic, once upon a time."
It feels like so long ago now. He smiles to Lisa when she thanks him, though. "Oh, no, it was only luck," he says modestly.
Also long: the interior of this place. It's so... inconsistent. From a ship to a Japanese manor and now, past the door, to a cavern set with stepping stones and opening up to a starry night sky. As much as Jun loves the stars, though, his attention goes towards something else: the snow lotuses. "Oh my!" he utters, hurrying over with delicate footfalls. "I don't believe it! They're snow lotuses!" he utters, voice hushed and awed. "They're incredibly rare--" His smile fades as he once again furrows his brows. "--though they certainly shouldn't glow like this... let alone grow in caves. They're indigenous to the Tianshan and Himalayan mountain ranges."
He huffs a little sigh. "I suppose anything is possible in a supernatural space, though." Including warming up after the freezing cold. He glances at Cherry; how's she doing after all that?
Still, in a way, it's reassuring. It's not just awful or terrifying things; there's also beauty like this here. He settles down next to the flowers to admire them; he'll attempt to pick a few before they leave, rather than mine any of the crystals on the wall.
As Lisa waxes wistful, though, his gaze goes towards the red thread path. "...Yes," he murmurs, eyelashes sinking. "We want them to keep us in their hearts, and so give them a reminder of us."
He wonders if Tatsuya ever thinks of him when he rides on his new motorcycle...
MONAD: Jun Kashihara has acted with Say It With Flowers toward side::LUNA > Sun; Sol > REFLECTION! Empathy and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
"Great! I'm going to hold you to that, okay?" she says, to Shinobu. She flashes a grin at Lisa. "Right? How am I supposed to get into places? It's not nice to kick down doors!" Pause. "All the time!"
Of course, then they press on into the walls of an ancient Japanese house, which then attempts to try to catch them in a terrible trap.
"It's mostly kind of old and wooden down below?" Cherry offers, starting to jog in place. "But there's an apple tree down there, too. And there was a grave? I wonder if they're based on real places," she muses, huffing as she tries to keep her temperature up. It's getting pretty cold in here in spite of her efforts, though, and... as she'd warned, if they can't break through the locks that hold them, they are going to freeze to death. Or possibly suffocate, considering.
But--
--but--
there's eventually an open door, as foreseen in slumber's embrace, and be what it may, Cherry's not so out to lunch that she doesn't notice that and its relevance to their current plight.
"Whew! I'm glad we didn't die," she remarks.
"Huuuuh," Cherry breathes out slowly in wonderment, gazing here and there from behind her visor as she takes in the tableau. "I didn't see anything like this last time..."
Crystals glitter on the wall; she reaches out to touch and drag her fingers across them. "Pretty~" she remarks, lingering for a moment to admire the way the druse glitters in the light. "Look, they sparkle so much! I wonder what kind of stones they are? Not diamonds, right? I heard diamonds are super rare, and, it'd be weird to find so many?"
Speaking of rare things, Jun remarks on the flowers in here, in the curve of the cave, in the dark.
"Really? Ah, look, they're so pretty!" she gushes, kneeling down to get a better look at them alongside him. "My mom is a florist, you know?" She turns to him. "Should I take one home for her? Oh, but, then it'd die, right? --Really? Ah, wow!" she chatters on in response to Jun's own statements about the proper provenance of the lotuses. She's certainly in good enough spirits, even after almost freezing to death in a house.
"...gifts, huh...?"
That is, until Lisa makes that remark.
"It's almost Valentine's Day, you know... there's not going to be anyone this year. It's kind of, lonely, isn't it? When you have a gift but no one to give it to? It's like... love has nowhere to go."
MONAD: Maria Sakurai has acted with Girls' Talk toward side::LUNA > Sun; Sol > REFLECTION! Patra and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Robots - Shinobu backtracks to that for a moment. Maybe asking if they were real was a good thing to do, if there's things like that here too...
She chuckles as Cherry says she'll hold her to showing her again. She's really eager, huh? Maybe she should be concerned about that... But if she's the type to look into it anyway, maybe it's better if she has some guidance.
"Sure thing." Shinobu replies with a nod, and means it. She listens as Cherry explains what she encountered here before. Based on real places... "...Good question. If they are... Wonder why those places, specifically?"
She looks toward Lisa, then, as she asks her question. She 'hm's to herself for a moment.
"Less 'not into 'em', and more... if you asked me if I thought there was anything more to 'em than what was on the surface, I would've said no." Shinobu explains. "I would've said they're nice, but that's it."
She looks toward Jun, then.
"You too, huh?" She considers. In a way, they've all been made to accept things that they wouldn't have before... and it pays off, when Jun's dreams are what helps them through. Shinobu nods. "Yeah, good work."
Finally, they make it through and open door into a place where it's warmer. Shinobu breathes a sigh of relief - and then smirks at Cherry's remark.
"Me too." She agrees - but then is suddenly taken aback by the sight of the place before them. She exhales. "...Whoa."
This place is... beautiful. Calm and serene in a way that feels like it should be impossible... and there certainly are some impossibilities here, as Jun observes a flower that wouldn't normally be in a place like this.
"...No kidding, they're really that rare? Wonder why they're here, then..." She questions, then frowns. "...Maybe I'm trying to put to much reason to this."
She looks toward Lisa, then, as she considers the crystals.
"Yeah, maybe. You'd need to find the right jeweler, but... I bet you could do something." She considers. Lisa talks gifts - and Jun voices his agreement. Shinobu goes quiet, sliding her hands into her pockets.
A reminder, huh...
"...We all need somethin' to hold on to, I guess." Shinobu considers. "Whether that's someone else, or a symbol of them."
Valentine's Day... She's kind of been putting off thinking about it, but Cherry brings it up. She remarks on the loneliness, and Shinobu massages the back of her neck.
She's been there. ...Hell, she's there now, but she's not going to put that on their shoulders. She's alone this year, too.
"...Yeah. Kind of feels like you've got a weight on your heart, huh?" She offers sympathetically.
MONAD: Shinobu Shimizu has acted with Understanding toward side::LUNA > Sun; Sol > REFLECTION! Base!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== side::LUNA > Sun; Sol > REFLECTION - Round 3 ==========================- Lisa Silverman Understanding Success Love Talk Amrita Fatigue: 0 Morale: 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jun Kashihara Understanding Success Say It With Flowers Empathy and Focus Fatigue: 0 Morale: 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shinobu Shimizu Understanding Success Understanding Base Fatigue: 0 Morale: 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maria Sakurai Charm Success Girls' Talk Patra and Efficient Fatigue: 0 Morale: 5 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-1, Checkpoint-0, Educational-1, Ineptitude-1, Lunchbox-0, and Shuffle: Cup-0 Final Conditions: -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 2/6 |== | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================ Monad - The Inscrutable Region: Mizunagi ================|)
-==== Round 4 - Challenge Level 3 ===========================================-
| Card: side::LUNA > Death; Scorpio > FACE YOUR DOUBT |
| Approach Options: Understanding or Guts |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, Scary - Guts Down L1, and Soft - |
| Understanding Up L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
(https://youtu.be/UR5dp_AIQMI Riei Saito - "The Dead")
Don't leave me here.
I don't want to be alone.
Where are you? Why won't you say anything?
Without warning, long dark hair spills every crack, wrapping and tangling
you. Wet and cold, they're harder to break or slip out of than human hair,
and carry with it dark whispers that are colder still.
Maybe it's someone you failed, a love that wasn't meant to be, a failed
dream, or an action you regret. Those moments call for you, grabbing at
those threads of doubt and forcing you to face what binds you when you're at
your weakest. The calls are unique to you; only you hear them.
No matter how sharp your weapon is, it will take reason to overcome these
invasive feelings. Cut the black strands away, or be immobilized by past
dread and regrets.
Maybe, if someone is able to get free, they can help, but do you really
want to risk them hearing what binds you? Or are you more scared they'll
hear nothing at all?
All you can do is move forward.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Pachinko Silver has posed.
Who knows what sort of things will be here? It'll be different each time. But why? Why the manor, the ship in two places, the cave? The rare flowers, the blackbirds, the crystals?
Maybe Shinobu's right; there may be no logic to any of this. Anything is possible in these places, as strange and otherworldly as they seem.
If Lisa decides to clip off a crystal, there's an accessible part that's jutting out from one side close by, far enough away from the roosting, sleeping blackbirds. Though, if she's a little too forceful, two pairs of corvid eyes will blink at her in irritation, before cutely settling back in. It *would* be bad to be stuck in a place like this if all these birds started flying out like bats, but that's not happening.
One flower is a nice size, ripe for picking; it continues to glow, even after being picked. There's a few others to harvest; while they'll lose their glow in coming to the real world, they'll be lookalikes of the same thing, and fade much the same. But why these flowers, specifically?
And, in the world beyond this, it's even less certain, when it comes to matters of red thread and hearts. Does Tatsuya think about Jun?
It's one thing to have feelings and someplace to put them towards, but another to not know whether or not those feelings are recieved.
What of feelings that have nowhere to be? A red thread needs to go somewhere, or else it's just a red thread, with no meaning.
And, to give feelings, what is it like, when they look at what you give, and not you yourself?
These are the sorts of thoughts that can cloud a mind, as you walk on. The stone walls muddle and grey, and going back quickly becomes impossible as the clockwork ticks in the background, like a intricate automaton of a large house. Watch where you step.
Watch what you think, as well.
Hair bursts from solid rock, cold and slimy. It wraps and twists over on itself, making a mess that is hard to get untangled from. Then, there's the thoughts, whether it's about love, loneliness, or something else, speaking in words only you can hear.
However, failure isn't an option here; while the hair may be content to hold you forever, trapping you in a loop of thoughts, you do not have the luxuary of forever.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Ohh," Lisa says, looking between Jun and Shinobu. "...I guess I always thought they might be special, but I didn't know what to think of how. Sort of average, you know?"
Jun's modesty still gets a smile--Lisa oesn't think it was just luck!! ...But the flowers! "Oh! You know them!" Lisa looks at the flowers in another light, tilts her head. "...They're pretty..."
There is beauty. So when Jun picks the flowers, Lisa focuses on the crystals near where they were, so as to avoid disturbing the other flowers. Or the blackbirds, for that matter; Lisa knows how to be careful.
"I didn't know," Lisa says of Maria's mom. "You might as well! ...Though yeah, you probably can't keep one alive..."
Why are they here? "There's probably a reason," Lisa says to Shinobu. "I just don't know what it would be." A reason that the rare flowers are here. As to love, well...
"A weight on your heart... Yes." Something to hold onto. "Love is there, whether it has somewhere to go or not. ...I guess that is lonely."
A reminder... Lisa has someone she's thinking of, too. ...But that person might not want a gift like that...
But soon... those thoughts...
'Lisa-chan...'
A love never meant to be. She's never heard that voice say her name in that way, and yet, she hears it now. That boy...
It's wet and cold, and Lisa feels stuck. Feels so, so chilled.
'You forgot. You gave up. A love that was only yours...'
"Shut up!" Lisa calls. "I--I don't want to--"
She tries to yank at the coils, but it doesn't work. But the thoughts...
No, there is more she can do. "...The sort of love I want," Lisa murmurs. "...It doesn't drag me down like this. It doesn't force itself. ..It's gentler. It's..."
That person, in her heart right now, who may never feel the same way. And yet...
"They're my feelings," she murmurs. "No one else's."
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has acted with Love Talk toward side::LUNA > Death; Scorpio > FACE YOUR DOUBT! Amrita!
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Why these places specifically? That is a good question. When Shinobu proposes it, Jun has to take a moment to consider it. There's really no conclusions to draw, though--not yet. "I imagine it's a fairly common experience," he remarks to her instead of losing one's skepticism. "It doesn't come up often, but at this point, it wouldn't, would it?"
He gives Lisa a considering look when she remarks on her dreams being average. "Dreams are unique to every dreamer, but we all live in the same world, so there are many recurring motifs within them. It might simply be that you don't know how to recognize them," he suggests. "I can lend you one of my dream interpretation books sometime if you like, Lisa-san."
"Ah, is she? What a wonderful profession. Does she happen to work at Rafflesia, by any chance? That's one of my favorite florist chains," Jun asks Cherry with a smile. His smile fades as he considers her question. "Hmm... You probably shouldn't. Not because it would die, as there are ways to preserve them, but because you'd have to field awkward questions on where you got such a rare flower." To say nothing of if there's anything secretly untoward about these flowers... Jun is willing to chance it, but he can't in good chance it recommend Cherry do that for her presumably unAwakened mother.
He's not nearly so interested in the crystals by comparison, but they are pretty, especially with the snow lotus's light reflecting off them. He shakes his head at Shinobu, though. "I agree," he says, nodding to Lisa. "I'm sure they have some kind of meaning. We simply don't yet know enough to puzzle out what it might be."
Jun makes a small noise about the approach of Valentine's Day. That's also his birthday, though he doesn't say so out loud. Love has nowhere to go... It remains only as a weight on one's heart. He nods once to Cherry and Shinobu both. It sounds like they all understand how that feels.
For now, he tucks those plucked flowers carefully away in a jacket pocket and moves on with everyone. However, he lingers on those thoughts as the four of them get up and keep walking along that red trail. He cries out in shock when hair BURSTS from the cavern walls and envelopes him and the others.
It whispers to him.
That sad, pining love... Yet are those feelings really yours? Aren't they really Jun Kurosu's, resonating into you from a reality you can't remember?
If Tatsuya's ever been kind to you, isn't that because he looks at your face and sees him? Have you ever truly been 'Jun Kashihara' to him?
Would he love you back if you WERE Jun Kurosu?
Wouldn't it be better if the worlds merged...?
"No!" he calls sharply, jerking at the coils. He discovers the same as Lisa, though: struggling won't help. He collects himself and murmurs, "That isn't what Tatsuya wants. I've already made up my mind. I'll trust him... to the very end."
That's the meaning of the white lace flower he gave Tatsuya, then and now. That's how he can show his gratitude--and affection.
MONAD: Jun Kashihara has acted with Say It With Flowers toward side::LUNA > Death; Scorpio > FACE YOUR DOUBT! Empathy and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
Given that Cherry (or Maria, specifically) has already started the process of learning and somehow has avoided getting into bigger trouble in spite of her 'practice in the field'... perhaps it's better that she have instruction instead of going it alone?
Besides, it probably helped her not die the last time she was in here.
"Right?" she reiterates, when Shinobu herself wonders on the mystery of the locations within this space. "It's really weird!"
But no less fascinating for it, it would seem.
It's paradoxically warmer in the cave, at least.
"Maybe because it's not a real place?" wonders Cherry, of why there can be such impossibilities in a place like this. "I mean, that would explain it, right? Like, we're here, but it's not real-real?" Because places like this can reject total logic outright.
"There's so many birds in here, too," she remarks, glancing hither and thither at the walls and the nesting pairs. "I wonder why..."
"Uh-uh," she says, shaking her head when Jun asks her if it's Raffelesia. "They're pretty cool, though, right? No, mom works at one near where I... um," she hazards, glancing briefly at Shinobu. It's not that she doesn't trust her, more that... "I'll tell you later, okay?" She pauses, glancing down at the flower. "But it's fine, you know? I can keep this flower inside my heart, too. I think you're right, Jun-kun."
At least there's comfort to be had in company, when it comes to misery. "Yeah," says Cherry, forcing a bit of a smile in spite of herself.
"That kid... was talking about a red thread." The posting had said something like that, now that she thinks about it. "It's the same thread I saw here last time. Did it grab him?"
Last time, they had wound through the odd space carved by wooden construction until it had parted to allow them into a place that shouldn't have been physically possible given how they entered the space. This time, the side passage through the door Jun found has taken them into a cave complex. It feels like it's winding inwards, Cherry almost thinks. Like at some point they're going to hit a wall and be able to go no farther--
Or maybe just get snared by wet, cold hair.
'Another girl. He was with another girl! He's going to keep on hurting them, just like me, unless I do something.'
She screams, fighting against that which tries to hold her fast.
'You can't take that back. You wanted him to die. You can't take that back.'
She struggles, furiously.
"I know-- I know I can't take it back! That's why I'm--" she gasps, her gaze hardening. "I--I've had enough of this! I can't just get stuck-- I gotta save that kid!!" Squirming, she manages to free one hand. She takes one deep breath against the binds that tie her, and belts out as she pulls her mask free, "Persona!"
Her face comes off with her mask, as Artemisia, blade in hand, surges into the world to slice at the tangling locks.
MONAD: Maria Sakurai has acted with Go Loud toward side::LUNA > Death; Scorpio > FACE YOUR DOUBT! Bravery and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu looks toward Jun at his remark.
"Yeah, you might be right." She agrees, then looks toward Lisa.
"That makes sense." Shinobu considers, as Lisa offers her own view on dreams. "I guess they all mean somethin' different to everyone... Funny how that works, huh?"
Dreams are like that - but Jun puts it more elegantly.
They're all in agreement, though - there's something significant about this place, but they don't know enough yet... Shinobu laughs as Cherry says, excitingly, that it's really weird.
"We'll just have to keep at it... if we can figure that out, maybe it'll put us closer to figuring out where the kid is." Shinobu considers. Birds, huh...? That's something to keep in mind.
She catches that brief glance her way from Cherry. She doesn't hold it against her - if anything, it's good that she's being careful.
She hears the noise Jun makes, and looks at him sympathetically for a moment, too. And from what Lisa says, she also understands...
...These kids have been through a lot, huh. These hectic, heart-rending days... At least Cherry can force a smile.
A red thread...
"Maybe... Wasn't there a story about something like that?" Shinobu considers.
All this talk of love, though, causes her to think back to her own youth, as they continue further in. She remembers...
...Someone's face...
She can't tell if it's that thought that summons the strands, or the strands that summon the thoughts.
"The hell...? Get off!" Shinobu grimaces, struggling against the hair that binds her as surely as her own memories do.
'We... can't keep doing this. The school's starting to catch onto us. I don't want my parents to find out...'
Shinobu shuts her eyes tight, exhaling. The words sting, even now, digging into her heart just as surely as the restrictive hair. This was so long ago, but it's like they're being dragging out her...
'I'm sorry, Shin- Shimizu-chan. This was... just a phase. We have to keep telling ourselves that...'
"'Just a phase'... Yeah right. I know what I am... and I already came to terms with that a long time ago." Shinobu mutters. "You can't... use that against me. I'm moving on... I've been moving on..."
Shinobu grits her teeth - and she pulls against her binds, no matter how much it hurts, to bull forward through the pair through sheer force of personality.
"And I'm not going to let anything hold me back... when someone's counting on us." She'll keep going - even if it means the chance of getting hurt again.
MONAD: Shinobu Shimizu has acted with Former Delinquent toward side::LUNA > Death; Scorpio > FACE YOUR DOUBT! Efficient and Bravery!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== side::LUNA > Death; Scorpio > FACE YOUR DOUBT - Round 4 ===============- Lisa Silverman Understanding Failure Love Talk Amrita Fatigue: 2 Morale: 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jun Kashihara Understanding Success Say It With Flowers Empathy and Focus Fatigue: 0 Morale: 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shinobu Shimizu Guts Failure Former Delinquent Efficient and Bravery Fatigue: 2 Morale: 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maria Sakurai Guts Success Go Loud Bravery and Focus Fatigue: 0 Morale: 5 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Clumsy-2, Scary-2, and Soft-2 Final Conditions: Clumsy-1, Scary-1, and Soft-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 3/6 |=== | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================ Monad - The Inscrutable Region: Mizunagi ================|)
-==== Round 5 - Challenge Level 2 ===========================================-
| Card: side.SOL .. track VIII .. LIBRA RECORD: "Samurai" |
| Approach Options: Charm or Academics |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, Scary |
| - Guts Down L1, Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana., Soft - Understanding Up |
| L1, Stony - Understanding Down L2, and Sublime - Proficiency Up L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
(BGM: https://youtu.be/PaRxSyz719A - SNK Sound Team, "Aftermath")
Broken guns and heaps of ravaged machines lay scattered all over the damp
ground. It's not the impersonal touch of the steel deck below that meets you
you but the giving softness of a dark soil just after a hard rain.
The bulkhead door broke open not into a chamber or a tight, confined
passage crawl, but a vast, open battlefield, at high noon with a grey, wet
sky. The air is scented harshly, sharp and acrid with the distant curls of
smoke from powder arms and cannon fire, whose gutted steel corpses and
broken barrels lay strewn like felled trees beneath the drizzling heavens.
Swords are planted in the earth, some crossed over one another, others
alone, others bearing the helmets, standards, or jinbaori of their owners.
There are no bodies here, and only dragonflies skirt over the battlefield,
searching for pools of water from the rain, and the nearby streams and
rivers. Then he is seen.
A blade is stuck in the ground, its hilt broken, revealing the tang and the
signature inscribed on it: 'SHIRO.'
The machine champion holds a grim countenance, his face hidden behind the
fearsome visage of an oni mask, only revealing bright yellow eyes in the
darkness beneath the helmet. Looking out over the felled machines, he
polishes a katana. The sword is massive, but in his hand it seems almost
normal. With a harsh sound, the warrior grunts at your arrival, a heavy
machine groan churning from inside his full armor and vast cloak.
He stares evenly at you, clearly not intending to fight, despite the cannon
slung over his shoulder and at least one more sword tucked into the chains
at his waist. Instead, the polished curve of his daito flashes in the grey
light as he gestures across the battlefield around you. Following his sword,
the dragonflies begin to glow. Many alight on the pommels and guards of the
swords scattered about in the field. Some of these dragonflies are red, some
blue, some are gold and some are violet.
He is silent. The machine bids you choose the blade that carries the will
and soul of battle into the new world beyond this space. Read the souls of
the dragonflies and the make of the weapons to choose well, and he will
allow you to pass. Choose poorly, and he will cut the earth from under your
feet.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Pachinko Silver has posed.
It may be a cruel coincidence that there's a single person between two hearts that are trapped here. Does he hold feelings for either of them? Even if he did...
.... would it even be the love you'd want?
.... would it be for the you you are on this side? What not claim the other you as your own?
What of your sins? Do you think anyone has truly forgiven you for what you'd done, especially since that person is still out there?
What about the things you regret? Just because time has passed, does it make the cling of those memories any easier to escape?
You can reject them, or accept them. There's no correct answer to what finally makes you break from your bindings, or who manages to break out first. Jun breaks free, remembering his promise, as well as Maria, using her Persona to execute what binds her to those endless regrets. Whether they get to help their other two groupmates free may be dependent on whether they get a chance to.
Sometimes all you need is a little more time. Shinobu finds a bead of light to focus on, knowing that someone out there needs her, as does Lisa, proclaiming what love she wants, as well as owning her feelings.
The hair falls away, loose, limp, meaningless as cuttings on a salon floor. In the background, the mechanisms click, and record.
One thing that may be very evident now is that there hasn't been a single shadow or demon since you've come here, aside from the giggling in that hallway. It may be something that compounds on those feelings of loneliness, but alternatively, it may be a sign that the boy may still be okay, if he found someplace to hide.
As you emerge from the cave into a grey, wet battlefield of dated machinery and war, you finally find someone: an automata of a warrior, dressed in garb from the early 1700s. Buzzing dragonflies flit to and fro across the field, one stopping atop a declarative broken sword inscribed with a single word: 'SHIRO'.
The automaton glances towards you and gestures to the field, towards the many swords of many makes, colors, and lengths, each with a glowing dragonfly.
Choose well, and you may be able to pass without wasting more energy than you already have.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Dreams are unique, but... "OK," Lisa answers Jun, and smiles. "Might as well have a look!" If Jun thinks it's worthwhile, it might be! Besides... she is kind of curious.
"Oh, that's a good point," about the flowers and Cherry.
"Not 'real'..." Lisa nods. "That makes sense. It follows its own rules, instead of ours."
It's hard, though. Those feelings....
Lisa looks up at everyone once they're free, by Persona or otherwise. She does not consider the ultimate sin, because it never happened for her. Not in this world.
Eventually, though, they make their way to the next area--and the great warrior and his butterflies and swords loom ahead. Lisa blinks, and stares around. "...There's... not any obvious way of deciding..."
"...Dragonflies?" she muases. "Hey. Little guys..."
"Come here. Tell me if it's the 'right' one... Shine a little brighter."
MONAD: Lisa Silverman has acted with Charm toward side.SOL .. track VIII .. LIBRA RECORD: "Samurai"! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"Well, yes," Jun says to Cherry, "but surely there's more to it than not being real. There must be some sort of internal logic to it."
Otherwise, dealing with the supernatural would be that much harder. He follows her gaze to all the birds, too. She's right--but once again, he doesn't know the significance.
Keeping a flower inside her heart... Jun smiles at that. "All right," he says, seeing her glance at Shinobu.
As they move on, Cherry also brings up how the missing child was posting about a red thread, and Shinobu remarks on a story about it. "Is that so? Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser..."
The hair emerges, though, and makes itself a much more immediate concern. The four of them are able to break free with effort, though, and after they collect themselves-- there is a click. Jun straightens and half-turns to look around warily. "Did any of you hear that?"
There's nothing to do about it even if they do, though. They have to move on. Move on they do, to a battlefield with an automata and so many scattered weapons and dragonflies. Jun tenses, but the machine champion makes no hostile motions, only gestures towards the weapons as he stares at them all. The insects in flight glow...
"Shiro," he murmurs, touching his chin with one hand as he reads the inscribed signature. "Perhaps..."
When Lisa tries to invite the dragonflies to tell her, though, he smiles over at her. "How like an idol. You're a Taurus, aren't you, Lisa-san? Tauruses are known, among other things, for their sensuality. Perhaps you really could charm these dragonflies into telling you."
As for him, he'll look for if there's any with a white light.
MONAD: Jun Kashihara has acted with Astrology toward side.SOL .. track VIII .. LIBRA RECORD: "Samurai"! Amrita!
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
"Hmm. Maybe!" Cherry allows Jun, tilting her head in thought.
It's especially good that she's started to be more careful considering that she very typically is not.
They really have been through a lot, haven't they? And it's all sort of interlinked. Jun, at the hands of the Joker Killer. Maria, who invoked the same and got cursed herself for her troubles. Lisa, who she had awoken by succumbing briefly to her curse. They're not even out of high school yet.
And that's not even getting into those echoes of deja vu.
But Cherry breaks free because she had promised herself she wasn't just going to stop here.
If necessary, she'll cut the others free from what binds them, too.
Did she hear a click? "Uh huh. But, I don't see anything different."
It may be Cherry who speaks of the matter first once they emerge from the cave:
"...There weren't any Shadows or demons that I ran into here last time, either. Don't they exist in most places like this?"
It's just occured to her that last time, they had fought against an automaton alone. But she hasn't seen any of those this time.
Until now, that is. "Ah-- that's, it's a machine person! Like a robot," she continues, "except, it can't think?" She pauses, watching as the automaton indicates towards the field of swords, then tilts her head like a somewhat confused dog. "Does it want us to...?" she hazards, only to trail off and glance at the others in some confusion. What are they looking for here? A matching sword? Or...
Maybe just a 'good' sword?
"Well... I guess I'll give it a shot!" she says, pumping one arm. "I kind of want a sword of my own, you know," she remarks to the others as she wanders the field of blades. "And, a lot of these look really cool? But, it's not just looks that matters, it has to be cool, you know? It has to have the right feeling? Oh, oh, and..." she natters on, "and, it's got to cut too, right? If it just feels right and looks right, isn't that kind of useless? So, I guess, if I had to pick, it'd be something like..."
MONAD: Maria Sakurai has acted with Girls' Talk toward side.SOL .. track VIII .. LIBRA RECORD: "Samurai"! Patra and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
It's a struggle. She might end up hurting herself by fighting against it than she would if she had relaxed - but Shinobu will do things her way. If she does receive help, though, she's grateful.
"...Damn. That was something. ...Everyone alright after that?" Shinobu asks. She doesn't know what they all went through, but... she probably isn't the only one who got faced with memories of the past. More than that... There's a click.
"Yeah, I heard it... Didn't sound organic - something solid, like moving parts..." Shinobu nods toward Jun.
Cherry makes an observations - no Shadows or demons...
"Yeah, there's usually... something. It's kind of strange that it's so empty." Shinobu considers. But they proceed... and find themselves stepping onto a battlefield. They haven't encountered any enemies so far, but they do find that they aren't alone here.
An automaton dressed like a warrior... this must be one of the robots Cherry mentioned. The automaton gestures to a field of swords.
"...Yeah." Shinobu agrees, glancing toward Lisa. No obvious way, huh... She massages the back of her neck, studying the swords. Lisa tries to charm the dragonflies into giving her an answer. She looks toward Jun as he comments on that.
"...I know a sword guy. Really into their history and everything, has a whole big collection. Maybe there's a 'correct' answer... but he'd probably say the right answer is whichever sword speaks to you the most." Shinobu comments. She looks toward Cherry. "Hey, go for it. I mean... you gotta be careful carrying them around, but other than that..."
She studies the swords planted into the ground. Each of them probably have their own stories tied to them... but for her part, she looks for the ones that appeal to her tastes the most. She doesn't know what the correct sword is... So why not have fun with it? And eventually, she reaches for one.
"I like this one." She says, drawing it from the earth.
MONAD: Shinobu Shimizu has acted with I Know A Guy toward side.SOL .. track VIII .. LIBRA RECORD: "Samurai"! Specialty!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|)
-==== side.SOL .. track VIII .. LIBRA RECORD: "Samurai" - Round 5 ===========-
Lisa Silverman Charm Success
Charm Base Fatigue: 2 Morale: 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jun Kashihara Charm Success
Astrology Amrita Fatigue: 0 Morale: 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shinobu Shimizu Charm Success
I Know A Guy Specialty Fatigue: 2 Morale: 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maria Sakurai Charm Success
Girls' Talk Patra and Efficient Fatigue: 0 Morale: 5
-============================ Party Conditions: =============================-
Starting Conditions: Annoying-2, Clumsy-1, Scary-1, Shuffle: Coin-0, Soft-1,
Stony-2, and Sublime-2
Final Conditions: Stony-1 and Sublime-1
-====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====-
-==== Reach: 5/6 |=====| ===================================================-
-==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================-
Items: 1, Money: 1, Gear: 0
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
(|================ Monad - The Inscrutable Region: Mizunagi ================|)
-==== Round 6 - Challenge Level 1 ===========================================-
| Card: side::LUNA > World; Earth > THE ORACLE SPEAKS |
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Chest - Add 2 Item/Money/Gear. and Revelation - The best |
| result. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
(BGM: https://youtu.be/m3ewe2uF6O4 Toshio Masuda - "Kotowari")
This machine is not one to give its secrets in one visit, but this visit
has proven fortuitous. In the distance, you can see and hear the click-clack
of many rooms moving around, blithely working to protect a 'treasure' that
has been already found.
In watery fields lie a steep hill with a stone stairway, crossed other
with red torii gates. At the top is a gnarled old apple tree, covered in a
lush carpet of pink blossoms. Rain falls from a distant hole far up,
sparkling against vibrant beams of moonlight.
Stepping stones allow you to access the foot of the stairs, but even if
you did step into the water, it is clean, cool, and clear. You can see many
red threads lazily undulating in the waters before running up the hill's
sides.
At the top of the hill you see where all the red threads end. At the base
of the apple tree is a slumped doll the size of a young woman, her eyes
open, her expression blank. The layered, heavy silks she wears are faded,
covered in old petals. From carefully modelled hands tumble five origami
shapes, settling on the petal-littered stone below.
Each origami shape will hold some kind of significance; you'll know which
one is meant for you. Unwrapping it reveals a fortune that will strike close
to home, like it was made for you and you alone.
(OOC: Your fortune is up to you. You can derive it from the major
tarot/planet/elements in the title of the rooms you passed through, or make
up your own! The only rules are that it is something that will be 'truthful'
in some way. In addition, send a @mail to Shiryuu if you need help deciding
what random loot you get!)
Final Loot: 3 Items and 1 boxes of Money! That could be... Item: Mysterious
Consumable, Item: Mysterious Key, Item: Mysterious Material, or Money: Cash!
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.2 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Pachinko Silver has posed.
It's been in the background, as subtle and low as a heartbeat, or the ticking of an old, reliable watch. Things are moving in the 'background', like the mechanical clicks of an ancient play, taking the parts unneeded to another part of the theatre, out of sight.
Fool, Hierophant, Sun, Death, Strength.
Saturn, Sol.
Taurus, Scorpio, Libra...
SOL, LUNA.
The parts are not visible at this part of the machine, but they are gears interacting in the background, calculating out a path of fate.
Lisa looks to the dragonflies to tell her, using that Taurus charm. Jun looks for the a white dragonfly, deriving meaning from the name on the blade.
Maria looks for a sword that speaks to her, and she'd be correct: all of these swords, broken or no, look finely made.
Shinobu follows her example.
'Shiro' nods his(?) approval of their choices, and sits, the weather joints of his intricately made body creaking as he does so. He does not move when you pass.
The grey skies and muddy grounds melt into the sacred space of the center, where all the parts of the mechanism are laid out, far in the distance.
The play is over; you are worthy of the prize deep within. Just go up these steps and...
You find the answer to the red threads: a life-sized doll, finely made, laid out for a purpose that has long faded into history. In a certain light, if you looked closely, the doll's face may look familiar... but that isn't really important.
On the bed of aged silk beneath her is a preteen boy, exhausted, muddy, and fast asleep, but still alive, clutching an origami heart.
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
After they pass 'Shiro', there a familiar tableau opens up before Cherry:
"Look! It's where the apples came from!" she says, pointing.
Then she squints.
"Oh! I think that's the kid!"
If it's not the kid, they're about to have a problem and a lot more questions.