2025-12-19: The Worst Possible Luck

• Log: Aigis - 2025-12-19
• Cast: Ken Amada, Shinjiro Aragaki, Minako Arisato, Minato Arisato, Reiya Aomori, Hitomi Mandai, Yukari Takeba, Ririka Kawase, Suzume Fukura, Fuuka Yamagishi, Aigis
• Where: Iwatodai Dormitory
• OOC Date: December 19, 2025
• IC Date: August 28, 2012
• Summary: The day after SEES rescues Ken Amada and Koromaru from a Shadow attacking Naganaki Shrine, they gather together to discuss events and what to do in the aftermath. Both Koromaru and Ken express their desires to join SEES.
• Content Warnings: Child endangerment, animal harm

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(|============================ Iwatodai Dormitory ============================|)
-================================================== Iwatodai City/Iwatodai ====-
A large four-story dormitory used by the Specialized Extracurricular Execution  
Squad, only five minutes from Iwatodai Station. Upon entering, one passes a desk
with a sign-in book for guests to find a large carpeted common room that's well 
appointed for co-ed gatherings.                                                 
                                                                                
A TV is usually on with the local news or a movie that's been loaded into the   
DVD player for a student to enjoy. A table for shared dinners, or more often    
study sessions, takes up the other half of the dorm, as well as a kitchen should
one dare to show off their skills to their fellow students.                     
                                                                                
There are two winding staircases on either side. The one on the left simply says
'Boys' while the other on the right states 'No Boys Except By Invitation.' The  
implicit threat of execution need not be written down for those who violate     
these rules. The second and third stories are living spaces divided by gender   
with common spaces that have study areas and bookshelves available.             
                                                                                
The fourth story is the command center with surveillance capabilities for not   
just different parts of the city but each room within the dorms. The Chairman   
has assured all who live here that this capability is strictly necessary.       
                                                                                
BGM - Dormitory Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-FrFI0qnM             

<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.

    Iwatodai Dorm generally bustles with activity, thanks to the sheer number of people staying within it. It's been especially busy today after Ken Amada wandered out into the Dark Hour last night and encountered a horde of Shadows attacking Naganaki Shrine. Koromaru had been injured fending them off until SEES arrived to protect both of them--until Shinjiro Aragaki had defended Ken from the fist of death--but with everyone's help, the Shadows had been defeated...
    
    Ken had, in fact, Awakened to help defeat them.
    
    They'd all returned afterwards, including Ken and Koromaru. People have had a chance to sleep, and other members of SEES who weren't present have been informed of the situation. A meeting was called on the ground floor common area--again, not everyone present, given the last-minute nature of it--to discuss the matter of the two new Persona Users.
    
    Koromaru is doing well; Yukari healed most of his wounds last night with a Mediarama, and he's bounced back from his exhaustion with a bit of rest. He's technically not a new Persona User, but he's new as far as SEES is concerned. His tongue lolls as he pants and wags his curly tail.
    
    Ken has been quiet. He's seated by himself on the seat at the end of the coffee table, eyes down, hands curled on his knees. He's been lost in thought a lot since last night... It's hardly surprising. But it might still be concerning. After all, he's an eleven-year-old boy who just awoke to a Persona.
    
    The one actually describing what happened last night might be surprising, given that it's Shinjiro "Grumpy Ol'" Aragaki... but he was the first one on site last night.

<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.

Shinjiro was the first one there last night. He's still reeling from it all. One might be forgiven to think it's just the shock of an elementary schooler awakening to their hell of a life.

But, someone needs to give an explanation, so he's volunteered, positioning himself close to the dining table, where Ken sits. He's leaning against the wall instead of sitting, and when people arrive...

"Last night, Amada must have woken up in the middle of the Dark Hour. I heard him making noise in the bathroom and saw him leave before I could reach him, so I grabbed a fire axe and chased after."

Shinjiro gets straight to 'why he was there first'. He's not in a good mood.

"Found him cornered by one of those giant ones, with the bad hairdo, followed by a swarm of smaller ones. Arisato arrived soon after, followed by Yamagishi bringing everyone else she could. We were able to stop it, but couldn't have taken it out without..."

He glances between Ken and Koromaru, sighing.

"...their help. Koromaru is apparently a Persona User, and a strong one. Amada... he Awakened. I don't know what was going through his head, but..."

That's a lie. He's meditated on what was going through Ken's head and his words all day. Shinjiro hasn't told anyone about the panic attack he had... they wouldn't understand even if he did.

"He's alive. That's what's important."

There's a glance to Ken at that. If Ken wants to talk, he will. Shinjiro's not third-personing him because he doesn't have a say, but because it's the easiest way to explain... and also allows him some distance in the moment.

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

Minako hadn't been there for the fight -- but she heard about it after, that Shadows had attacked Ken and Koromaru. Hearing that Koromaru-chan was hurt gave her quite a fright. She hurries in, now, and she comes into the room.

She sits on one of the sofas -- and she glances at Shinjiro. She listens as he explains. Then, she nods; she just accepts a dog having a Persona.

"That is important," she agrees with Shinjiro. "I'm glad you could stop it. And... I'm sorry I wasn't there."

She looks at Ken, then. "Amada-kun. How do you feel? After all of this?"

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

    Minato stands, hands in the pockets of his jeans -- yes, it's dark jeans and a white shirt again today, no, he's never heard of fashion, that's for girls to worry about -- as he looks over the new (and old) Persona-Users.

    He might be the Leader... but he isn't much of a talker. Which explains why he's listening to Shinjiro explain it, instead.

    "A dog..." He muses, mostly to himself, as he slouches off to the side. ... it's entirely unlike the way Minako immediately involves herself in asking about Ken's welfare, huh?

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

Reiya wasn't there last night; he had an outing of his own to take care of. He heard what had happened, of course, faster than most. He's like that. But now, he's in the common area, dressed in his usual nice csaual clothes, thoughtful as he regards Koromaru and Ken.

"Another non-human Persona-user," Reiya reflects. "...I knew Koromaru-san was dutiful, but I did not know the depths of his courage."

Reiya turns towards Ken, then. Minako asks how he feels...

"There is much in the dark that is hard to un-see. For all that the circumstances are unfortunate... you did well."

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Hitomi looks somewhat disheveled as she sits, wearing that self-same sundress she'd either gotten or unearthed for the celebration of Summer. Even though there's damn little sun here!

Hitomi is not the most immaculately-poised girl at the best of times, even if there's a certain energetic charm, but her hair is kind of a mess. She has changed styles to the 'giant ponytail clasped near the back of the head' which she had adopted on Yakushima, perhaps in deference to the fact that it is Hot and Sunny and you can't get away from that on an island. What it's doing now is accenting the frizz.

She got some leftover croquettes out of the fridge and didn't heat them up, in favor of a squirt of hot mustard sauce on the side of the plate.

One of the croquettes is in her hand, having been toyed with idly. She watches Shinjiro; she accepts, perhaps, what he says. Her attention is resting on Ken but she's being low-key about it. It can hurt, to stare.

"It's pretty scary stuff, huh?" she comments, after Minako breaks the ice. Her attention rests on Minato as he speaks what they're all thinking: 'A dog.' Sauce is swept up and the croquette is munched.

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

Suzume and Yukari came back a litttleee later than the rest after their patrol for 'Mayas' which was definitely not anything else.
 
Still, it's the day after, and everyone's hale and hearty - which is good news since her healing can't exactly do anything unless it's the Dark Hour.
 
What would they even do if Koromaru was badly injured!? Take him to a vet?
 
Yukari however mostly has her eyes on Ken, who's quiet- and she's just as quiet. She at least tries not to let him catch her looking.
 
She didn't want him to get involved all this, but it was kinda inevitable, wasn't it?
 
Shinjiro explains, and Yukari looks his way from her seat upon the couch, listening to the recounting.

"... Yeah." She says to what's important. However, she looks at Minako reaching out to him, then- doesn't say anything for a time.
 
She's not gonna stop anyone from trying to reach out to him, she just worries that- well... when you're coming to terms with the death of the parent...
 
... she knows it's hard to open up. At least it was for her...
 
'A dog...' is Minato's musing on the subject, and Yukari only speaks up then, "Yeah... what's up with that? I've seen a lot of Persona Users but - never a dog running around while we're fighting?"
 
A beat, she rethinks that.
 
"Then again... Koro-chan is a pretty special dog." Is it weird that she relates to his loyalty? To a dog!? She hopes it's not weird, so she's not repeating that again.
 
"Could be he's the only dog that can use a Persona in all of Japan... honestly that'd be kind of fitting."
 
After all, he's a Shiba Inu. There are few dogs more Japanese than that.

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Last night was... certainly a shock. Certainly, finding out that Koromaru had a Persona, and even more that Ken had Awakened, into a life that no eleven-year-old should have to reckon with. (Not that... any of the rest of them really 'should' be dealing with it either...)

But Ririka's mind keeps going back to one line:

'YOU killed my mom?!'

That harrowing scream that followed soon after.

She doesn't know Ken's situation, but the bit that she does know... makes her heart ache in sympathy.

She's seated, quiet, listening as the others talk... and absently tapping at her thigh in tune to some melody nobody else can hear.

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Suzume *was* here last night. She'd taken a detour back with Yukari for scouting purposes, and since no Mayas bothered Ken and Koromaru and the others on the way back from the temple, it must have been successful!

...yeah.

Unfortunately she is not here today, because of the hastiness of the meeting being called. That's life!

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.

Last night was a lot. Fuuka is just glad everyone was able to get there in time, and that Shinjiro and Minato noticed what was happening soon enough to give them time to even get there. She's definitely been fussing over Koromaru, but thanks to Yukari, it seems like he's okay right now.

Which just leaves... Ken. There are some things a Mediarama can't heal. She looks to him, concern in her eyes. Minako asks how he's feeling, and Fuuka doesn't crowd him by asking again, but the question is in her eyes.

Reiya speaks of how dutiful Koromaru is, and a small smile crosses her face.

"Yes... Doing his best to protect his shrine... Koro-chan must be a super dog." Fuuka agrees brightly. "Still, I'm impressed... I didn't expect that, either. I wonder how long he's had his Persona...?"

<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.

    Aigis squats in front of Koromaru to see if he has anything to say, then stands and turns to the rest of those gathered.

    This might be the first calm moment that Ken's really gotten a chance to look at her, at least not without her slipping away out of sight. She's clearly mechanical in nature, demonstrated by her visible shoulder and hip joints. ... Then again, he does have more pressing concerns.

    As usual, she watches the Arisato siblings. She can't help but play back Ken's words from last night in her own mind as she does so.

    Her gaze turns to Reiya when he mentions another 'non-human' Persona-user. As true as that may be of her own case, that ... no, wait, it is true. Why did she feel the kneejerk urge to protest so?

    "I find both Koromaru-san and Ken courageous in what they have had to face thus far. That being said ... what next?"

<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.

    To Ken, it's very kind of the gruff Shinjiro to say that what matters is that he's alive. It's a kindness that follows naturally from the way he'd jumped to his rescue, physically shielding him from a blow that could've been lethal
    
    (could've reduced him to a red puddle
    
        (just like his mom))
    
    but wasn't, because he was there. Minato too... If Shinjiro hadn't been there, he would've been, for all that he's been contributing little to the conversation itself. Still, when Minako asks him about how he feels, he blinks up at her.
    
    "It's... hard to say," he admits. "Everything happened all at once... I'm calmer than I was last night, but I'm still sorting through everything. I... already knew about SEES and Personas and the Dark Hour," he glances at Minato, even though it was not Minato who first told him about all that, "but it was very different to see it all for myself."
    
    Much less awaken to his own Persona... much less encounter the thing that killed his mother. He avenged his mom, so why does he still feel so... unsatisfied...? Like there's something inside him still restless, still searching for justice... He clutches his shirt over his chest, expression haunted. ...Ririka, in her own silence, can no doubt guess his thoughts; it's been echoing in her mind since last night, after all.
    
    Hitomi calls it scary stuff. "Yeah... I was pretty overwhelmed at first." His cheeks color when Reiya praises him, though. "Th-thank you. A-and I'm sorry for worrying you all."
    
    "Arf," Koromaru barks, tail wagging when Minato acknowledges him. 'I am a dog,' Aigis might translate. Reiya too acknowledges his courage, and Yukari his specialness, and his fluffy ears perk. Super dog! Fuuka is absolutely correct.
    
    What next, though? Aigis' question is well-timed, for she's the one who'll have to pass it on to the others: "Bark! Bark bark!" 'You all helped me protect my old home. Allow me to return the favor and fight with you all!'

<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.

Everyone takes it in stride... Shinjiro's still having a hard time. When Ken says he already knew...

"...tch," he says, glancing around. Did one of them tell him? Or was it...?

But Ken continues, he waves a hand. "You did worry us... but it's okay. We'll have to figure out what to do from here. Take it one step at a time," he says, surprisingly soft on the kid. He glances over to Koromaru when he barks to Aigis.

The dog wants to join them... "I'm alright with it," he says. "Koromaru's strong, and the alternative is leaving him in the Dark Hour on his own."

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

"...Yeah," Minako says, with a glance at Reiya. Then, she nods; there is a lot that's hard to unsee. She can't just look away, as she has said before.

Then, she glances sideways at Yukari -- and she flashes her a grin. "He really is a special dog," she says. "We just didn't know how special."

She looks at Ken, then. She hesitates for a second, before she nods. "I understand, Amada-kun," she says. "It is a lot. I'm... glad you're doing better, though. And if you need anything, let us know, okay?"

She looks at Aigis. A mysterious one, her -- and someone Minako hasn't had a chance to get to know yet. The redhead hesitates. Then, she says: "Well... that's their choice, Aigis-san. We won't insist they fight with us, and..."

She hesitates. Ken is just a kid.

But he should get a choice, too, as long as it's an informed one. And besides--

She looks at Aigis and grins. "Thanks, Koro-chan. We're counting on you, okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

    'Another'? No, Reiya, Aigis is a girl. Look at her. Totally girl-shaped.

    Minato glances back to Ken, when he says he already knew; there's a light upwards quirk of his brow, before he nods.

    And perhaps it looks, to the crowd, as if he had told them.

    "Take your time," he advises Ken, mildly. Somehow, Joker doesn't burst through the window of the dormitories to steal back the loading screen catchphrase he just BRUTALLY STOLE from his fellow MC, which is really like double thievery because stealing is Joker's bit!! (Sorry, Joker. It's a pretty standard phrase. Good advice, though.)

    And to Koromaru, he says: "That's right." You ARE a dog.

    There is the beat of a pause.

    Another beat.

    Minato turns to Aigis, as actual surprise registers on his face and his tone. "Aigis-san, you can speak dog?"

    Congratulations, Aigis, on actually shaking Minato out of his cool slouched lurking position.

    Looking from Aigis, to Koromaru, and back again, Minato tries to reclaim his cool disaffected expression. "Then let's rely on Koromaru-chan from now on."

    ...

    dog...

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

Reiya doesn't understand Aigis's glance at him. For him, nonhuman is value-neutral, and he doesn't understand that it very much hasn't been for many.

"Oh," Reiya says, "So you were aware. That makes certain things simpler." He pauses, and considers the matter. Ken lost his mother to Shadows... How can he address that? What can he say to that?

It is easier, for the moment, to talk to Koromaru. "I'll be honored to fight with you," Reiya says with a nod.

Ken is just a kid, but... Reiya would've felt the need to fight, at his age. It'll be improtant not to try to influecne him...

"A 'super dog'..."

He trades on Fuuka's words for a little longer for more time to think.

Then he stares a moment because he's not very good at the talking part.

He doesn't remember to say something... He just stoically looks on.

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

Yukari follows Ken's sight line to Minato. Did Minato tell him already? ... Actually she can't get mad at that. She'd much rather know than not know if this were going to happen.
 
It's just, he's eleven.
 
"I can imagine. It must have been really shocking."
 
She says back to Ken, before- "Don't worry about that." To his apology, "We'd do what we did for anyone who lives here with us. And well- we all had a night, like that... kinda?" Before she decides upon, "Mostly!"
 
It is true that the majority of them had a very dramatic and dangerous awakening to their powers as a Persona User.
 
There's a small chuckle at Minako's statement, "Yeah - I knew he was special before just- this is really something else!" And super dog!? "Right?" She says to Fuuka, "I mean he'd have to be right?"
 
Koromaru barks and Yukari manages a smile, "Good boy!" But then Aigis - starts to translate. "Huh-? Wait..." Minato voices it first, before her, asking if she can speak dog?! "How does - how does that even work?"
 
Now she's utterly flabbergasted. She's encountered talking animals before, but Koromaru isn't talking, right?
 
RIGHT!?
 
No he definitely isn't otherwise why would Aigis need to translate him...? Think Takeba think!
 
"Uhhhh, well- sure! We were happy to help, and he's right about you being reliable."
 
You know at this point she's learned she has no choice but to embrace the madness some.

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
The topic of the moment turns to Koromaru, which Hitomi is kind of glad to hear, because Koromaru is a dog and not a human. Hitomi contemplates Aigis's crouched consideration of their canine comrade. This is not something she wants to dig deep in on. Maybe she wants to pet him, Hitomi thinks. That's normal.

"Mm," Hitomi concurs about the observation, sweeping up more sauce and munching the cold cruncy potato. Her eyes rest on Ken as he speaks. She smiles, a little, but her eyes stay half-lidded. She's slouching in her chair.

"That dog has guts," Hitomi comments when the translation reaches her.

A second passes.

When Minato speaks, Hitomi frowns.

By the time it reaches Yukari, she's looking thunderstruck.

Rather than allow this shocking reveal to go further, she eats another croquette. NOW she's looking at Koromaru (and also Aigis, for related but not identical reasons)

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.

Fuuka listens as Ken explains. Surprise crosses her face when he reveals he already knew, though. When did that happen...?

"I'm... sorry you had to see it that way." Fuuka murmurs in apology. Just like her, he got thrown right into the deep end... "I'm glad you're okay, Amada-kun..."

She nods, as Minako tells him to let them know if he needs anything.

"Yes, please." She agrees.

Yukari agrees that he must be a super dog and Fuuka nods seriously. Aigis asks an important question, though. What's next? Fuuka looks up to her - and then to Koromaru, as he barks his answer.

...And then to Aigis again, as she translates. ...She's still incredibly impressed that she speaks dog. She looks back to Koromaru.

"Are you sure, Koro-chan? Well... I agree with everyone else. I'd be glad to have you with us." Fuuka agrees. How can she say no to that face?

<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.

    At Koromaru's response, Aigis turns to Minato and relays: "Koromaru-san confirms that your assessment is correct in that he is, in fact, a dog." Just in case any doubt had remained, Hitomi.

    She pleasantly smiles at Minato. "It is more accurate to say that I am able 'understand' several kinds of animals and they can 'understand' me. This includes dogs. The channels involved are not limited only to vocal communication." Like so many other things about herself, however, "I am afraid I do not know how to further explain how this functions."

    Aigis shakes her head at Ken. "I do not feel that there is any need for you to apologize, Amada-san."

    Even when referring to an eleven-year-old, Aigis will unfailingly default to the -san honorific. Even when referring to a dog!

    To Minako, she firmly nods. "We are in agreement, then." Like she had spoken to Reiya about earlier, if she had been reactivated sooner, perhaps the youth of SEES could been spared from being ... encouraged, gently or otherwise, to fight against Shadows. She already has her reservations about the fact that teenagers took to the front lines, but now someone even younger ...

    She inclines her head to Koromaru again when he answers her, then turns her head back to those assembled to translate. "Koromaru-san wishes to express his gratitude for protecting his 'old' home by joining us."

    Confusion grows on her face as she ponders if she holds the same reservations towards a dog joining their cause, but in this case, those concerns fade as soon as they came. No, Koromaru more closely resembles herself than Ken: they are both loyal and dutiful.

    Now that she no longer takes umbrage to Reiya's 'non-human' comment -- wait, she never did -- her mind turns to the greater questions about that, which is a topic that Yukari had also wondered aloud about (and one that Minako had simply accepted). "Both Koromaru's abilities and my own cause me to wonder about precisely what is required in order to wield a Persona."

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka looks to Ken with concern when he admits he already knew about the Dark Hour--and SEES. That's... concerning. But she's a little more concerned with how he's handling everything.

"Amada-kun... it's okay if it takes a while to sort through your feelings," she offers softly. (She should probably take her own advice, but that's neither here nor there.) "... I'll listen if you want someone to talk to."

She looks to Koromaru. She's been visiting that shrine a lot recently--well, as of 'starting two years ago' recent. "I knew ou were really dedicated, Koro-chan... but I didn't realize how much." But when Koromaru asks to join, she blinks. "Are you sure you're okay with that...?" He was so dedicated to the shrine, after all.

Then she stops and blinks, looking to Aigis. "Wait, Aigis-chan, you can understand Koro-chan?" Is Aigis some kind of... Navigator for Dogs??

Aigis wonders about what's required. "Well... Peacock Silk has a Peacock that can use a Persona... and I think the Phantom Thieves have a cat, too...? So he's not the first animal using a Persona we've seen..."

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"Prettttty sure they're not animals..." Yukari replies with a drawling note of skepticism, "... I mean have you seen that cat? Much less what the Peacock looks like when they're in an Atelier..."

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

Koromaru is satisfied with this.

But Ken listens to each person in turn. He doesn't seem to notice Shinjiro's reaction for the moment; instead, he nods. "Thank you," he says of the matter of worrying people being OK. If he needs anything, let them know. 'Take his time'. There are so many things that they all want to say to him, even as Reiya kind of just... stares, which unsettles him a bit. But what Yukari says--"You did," he repats, have a night like that.

Fuuka is glad he's okay, but apologizes, too. "Then..."

"Would you tell me?" Ken wonders, nodding to Aigis next. "Thank you, Aigis-san. But will you all tell me? How it is that you joined. What happened to each of you."

"Because..."

He rises from his seat, and bows. "I'm asking that you allow me to join you as well!"

Reiya is one of the first to speak up. "I was wondering," he says, "If you would ask that."

"...I lost my father to Shadows," he says. "To Apathy Syndrome."

He doesn't say what that means... But he doesn't tell Ken 'no', either.

He looks to the others, to gauge opinions, as Ken remains bowed at the waist waiting for his answer.

<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.

Shinjiro listens. Everyone approves of the good boy Koromaru, and agrees that Ken needs time. Good.

Ken then asks them to tell him why they joined. Shinjiro starts to formulate what he'll say, when-

I'm asking that you allow me to join as well!

His heart shatters in many pieces at the sound of it, his face falling in a near instant. He looks between the others, before immediately turning to Ken after Reiya.

"...what?"

It comes strong, fast, and very, very worried, perhaps a little too worried.

"...This isn't a game... you can't just throw your life away, Amada! I... back me up, yeah?" He looks to the others, from person to person. This is deeply serious to him, even if he hasn't explicitly said no - his opinion can probably be inferred.

"I can't..." he trails off, moments later. Hm.

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

Minako shoots a glance at Fuuka -- and she smiles for a second. They now have a dog companion. She suspects that Fuuka is as excited about this as she is. Then, she looks back at Yukari, and she nods.

"Mm-hm!" she murmurs, emphatically. Then, there's a glance at Aigis. On the subject of Aigis's ability to speak dog, Minako determines:

"Well, why not?"

Then, she does a glance to Aigis.

"It does seem like there's more to it than we thought, doesn't there?" Minako says with a look at Aigis. "But, Aigis-san... maybe it also means we all have a lot more in common than we thought, too."

Ken makes up his mind, then. She looks at him -- and she hesitates. Her eyes turn to her brother, nervous, before she looks back at Ken. She exhales, and she hesitates for a moment. There is a nervous glance at Shinjiro.

"Amada-kun... it's your decision," she says. "But--you have to understand how dangerous this is."

She frowns.

"For me..." She shakes her head. "...Once I knew about this, I couldn't just look away. I couldn't stand by and do nothing."

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

    Aigis explains her mythical capacities -- understanding of dog -- Minato listens, carefully, and his initial surprise is supplanted by a nod of his own understanding.

    Aigis... sure is talented.

    And so, given her translation, Minato confirms to Koromaru: "Super dog."

    Okay, at this point, it's probably a joke. It's just impossible to tell with that guy!

    (Minato and Reiya share the foible of lacking words, apparently.)

    But Ken's asking them for their perspectives, and Shinjiro...

    Minato looks him in the eye. "It's difficult to stand aside and let other people handle things... once you have the power of Persona."

    He doesn't need to tell Shinjiro that he's talking about him; he's talking to Shinjiro. He'll know.

    He looks to his sister, then. "... I think he knows." How dangerous this all is, that is. If Shadows killed his mother...

    No, Minato thinks.

    Ken must have been preparing for this... long before he came to the dorms.

    "When I came here," he explains, turning to Ken, "there was a weird atmosphere... when I had someone to protect, I couldn't treat it carelessly. For a while, I fought because I was asked to... it wasn't until we rescued Yamagishi-san that I realised I wanted to."

    (A brief nod, to Fuuka. An apology, perhaps, for putting her on the spot.)

    "I'll practice with you," he says, "while you're getting up to speed."

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

Aigis notes that she's able to understand several kinds of animals and they can 'understand' her. "Whoa... Aigis... what can't you do?" She asks, sounding genuinely impressed, before correcting herself, "Oh sorry! Aigis-san. That was a little too familiar of me, huh?" She scratches a single finger against her chin awkwardly.
 
But Aigis muses on what is required to wield a Persona, "I'm... not sure actually. It feels like some of us have a connection to the events that created the Dark Hour though... and I guess we're all... pretty young?" A beat, "Then again, I know a lot of adults who use them too... just, not like we do."
 
Minato however repeats 'Super Dog.' and Yukari lets out a small laugh, "Hey... you don't have to keep saying it."
 
Ken however, asks them to tell them about those nights they had which she brought up-! And Yukari seems startled, "H-Huh!? I mean, sure I guess..."
 
But he wants to join? Yukari looks to Shinjiro as he gets upset about it, "If it were before he gained a Persona... I would have agreed with you. But, now what do we do? Tell him to look away? Pretend this all isn't happening?" It's similar to what Minako said there too, "... He can't escape reality either, just like us."
 
It's clear that she's hesitant too, but at the same time, there's no practical solution. And she knows that. So many have joined who she at the time thought didn't belong there...
 
... but she realizes how absurd it is to tell people to go on with their lives anyway, once they're aware of all this. She listens to Minato and 'when I had someone to protect' causes her to feel... embarrassed? But also touched? Yeesh feelings are complicated about that!
 
She turns to Ken, "As for me... I guess Ikutsuki-san had an inkling that I had 'the Potential' because he made some weird pun to me the day before? Anyhow... I woke up that night, in a daze at the girl's dorm. At first it was like sleepwalking I guess, then? I was suddenly wide awake, and saw everything... the pools of blood, the coffins."
 
She looks sheepish, "I was pretty freaked actually. Then Kirijo-senpai was there... and she brought me here to explain everything."
 
There's more context. The letter - her literally running into Shuji's office to demand answers. She's not about to mention that part though.
 
"Anyhow... I lost my Dad, too." She says coming off of Reiya's comment, "The Kirijo Group... it was doing an experiment ten years ago on Shadows to make a time manipulation device, and it got out of hand apparently... the whole world was threatened."
 
She takes a deep breath, her expression looking sullen, this is still difficult for her.
 
"My Dad, he shut it down... but... to do that he also created a big disaster which resulted in the Dark Hour. It killed a lot of people. The Shadows we're fighting all came from that, I guess...?"
 
It's pretty heavy, but she doesn't hold back the truth from Ken Amada. If he's going to be here... he deserves to know.

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Aigis is encouraging to Ken - which is good. Hitomi is dealing with the dawning existential horror of dogs being capable of sharing intelligible speech with their precious li'l mouths that are definitely often JUST eating the most horrible thing imaginable before they want to come and give you kisses.

(Hitomi is a cat person, even if she's not opposed to dogs.)

But there is something else that Ken Amada has to say.

He wants to join them.

Hitomi doesn't answer him right away. She shifts her plate out of the way and rests her elbows on the table; her fingers lace together, and as she leans forwards, her thumbs come up, pressing in a bit to her cheeks, just beneath her cheekbones.

Shinjiro speaks. Hitomi's eyes turn to look at him. Her mouth is veiled by the posture of her hands but her eyes seem to crinkle as if she's smiling. She shifts - she'd had her legs crossed while she was sitting, but now she's kind of bouncing the house-slipper she has on on the upraised foot.

Minato makes his offer. Yukari tells the truth; the story she herself had to take on, so recently. Hitomi's eyes turn back towards Yukari and there isn't a smile in them. Sympathy, perhaps, or sorrow.

Then she looks back at Ken.

"Amada-kun," Hitomi says, her voice neutral.

"You've got as much right to all of this as any of us, I think. But, first, I want to say - if you back up from this, or if you change your mind in a few days, I'm not going to think any less of you. Everyone has to build their strategy, and even the wisest only know how little they do know."

"So if you stay in... we're going to be relying on you. Are you OK with that? It's alright if you need to think. But if you're in..."

"We're team-mates," Hitomi concludes, "and I take that seriously."

(after this she looks back at Shinjiro for some reason)

<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.

    When it comes to be Aigis' turn to answer, she extends a hand forward, palm-up. She keeps her tone matter-of-fact and clinical. "I am a machine. I was manufactured with the express intent to eliminate Shadows. I knew nothing else. I was not operational for very long before I was present for a battle with a powerful Shadow approximately ten years ago. I was greatly damaged in that battle and rendered inoperational until only several weeks ago."

    Having ended that portion of her explanation, she folds her hands in front of her, fingers laced together. "Beyond the extent of my original mission parameters, I do feel as if I bear some responsibility for collateral damage that the city had incurred. Additionally, had I been reactivated sooner, perhaps I could have mitigated any need for the other SEES members to join or become involved. I had failed at my sole function, but now, I wish to make up for lost time and truly fulfill my mission, as it were."

    Minako surmises that Aigis has something in common with the rest of them. At first, this puzzles even herself, but Yukari comments on an apparent common connection to the events which created the Dark Hour. Aigis had pointedly neglected to mention just which battle that was, exactly, even as Yukari describes. that. very. same. one.

    "I comprehend." That's all that Aigis contributes to Minako and Yukari on that subject, in her usual stiff and formal manner of speaking.

    Aigis blankly stares at Shinjiro. While her face is devoid of expression, she is usually much quicker to form her responses, but this moment is different: she is silent for several long moments.

    "... I believe that I feel the same way that you do, Aragaki-san. I feel the same way about all of everyone else's involvement, in fact, but ..."

    She turns to Yukari and nods. "They each have compelling arguments of their own to which I can not help but relent."

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka looks to Yukari. "I mean, that's true, but... if Pernelle isn't a peacock then what is he?"

But KEn asks that, and Ririka tenses for a moment. "... I got caught out in the Dark Hour without knowing what it was, but some of tghe people here saved me. I joined because of that, but..."

She's been turning it over in her mind. What she heard from Shadow Eiji in the palace, how Reiya and Yukari have both, in their own ways, asked her what her goal was.

She stares down at her lap, her voice growing firm for a moment. "... now there's some answers I'm looking for."

She hasn't had a chance to tell most of her fellow SEES members what she's looking for, but Fuuka and Hitomi know.

Shinjiro has concerns, and frankly Ririka does too. "Aragaki-senapi, I get what you're saying, and I'm worried too, but... isn't it better if we can watch his back, rather than let him get involved on his own?"

It's not a good option, just... maybe the less bad one.

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.

Fuuka meets Minako's glance, smiling back. Minako's suspicions are right on the money. It's more than a little exciting to have Koromaru with them - and she, too, assumes that Minako is also happy about this turn of events.

And he wants to express his gratitude... it's no wonder. But Aigis asks an important quesstion - what is required to wield a Persona?

"...I don't know." Fuuka admits. "They say we had the 'Potential'... but then there's other Persona users, too, who don't need Evokers, who do things differently than us. It feels like there's as many different methods as there are people..."

It's hard to trace, to find one uniting source, because of that.

But, Ken has a question. How did they join? What happened to each of them?

He wants to join...

Fuuka looks uncertain, for a moment. He's so young... She looks toward Shinjiro, as he tells him not to throw his life away. Minako stresses how dangerous this is - and how she couldn't just look away. Minato recounts his own story - and then Yukari does hers, and Aigis, her own. And Hitomi... offers him reassurance. She's surprised, briefly - but she nods, too, to agree with her point.

Ririka says she's looking for answers and Fuuka glances briefly her way - but she doesn't comment on it. She's aware of what she means.

Fuuka is quiet for a moment.

She nods back to Minato - and that feels as much as a good point for her own story as any.

"When you were outside... Did you see that tower, Tartarus, standing over the city?" Fuuka asks. "...That's our school - what it turns into during the Dark Hour. And I was... locked inside the gym, just as it was about to turn midnight."

She swallows.

"Because of that... I was trapped inside, with the Shadows, for ten hours - but on the outside, it was ten full days. I only survived because I was able to sense the presence of Shadows and avoid them, and because everyone came to rescue me." Fuuka explains. She hesitates for a moment. "I still feel... behind everyone, sometimes. I'll never get those days back..."

It's a feeling she's never really expressed. It's the sort of thing that feels difficult for anyone else to understand. She closes her eyes for a moment.

"If you want to join us... that's the sort of thing you'll have to face. There's no telling what we'll encounter in the future... That's why I'm here - to help anyone else who might find themselves in the position I was in."

It might be... more frank than she's comfortable with. But he wanted to hear her story. She has to be level with him - especially since he's already experienced loss due to the Dark Hour.

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

"My mother might know more," Reiya says of the nature of Personas and who can use them. "...But I'm not sure."

But Ken. Ken, here, and now, stays bowed. When Shinjiro speaks up--

"Please!" Ken says.

But Shinjiro asks them to back him up. Reiya waits for the others to say what they have to say. And Ken? Ken listens to each one. Yukari tells her story, and wonders what other choice he has. Minato... says he'll practice with him, after telling his own story. And Minako says it's his decision.

Hitomi says he can bow out...

Tha they're teammates, now.

Reiya looks to Yukari as she tells her story. He says nothing, but he doesn't look as angry as he did, the first time he heard it. He seems to have little xpression at all.

Ken though... Ken's expression is tight, though few can see it. He listens to Aigis. "You've been fighting since ten years ago..."

Reiya says, "I believe you have the right to pursue this," Reiya says. "You were granted that right, as one who was hurt by the Shadows, and as one who has the power of Persona." He nods to Yukari, and to Hitomi. "...I'm sorry, Aragaki-senpai. But I can't oppose him. However... We will have to ask the Chairman." A look to Aigis. "I know how you feel. I admit, part of me feels the same way; I have combat training outside that of Personas, and so I feel better-equipped to take on our missions..."

But Aigis is right, he doesn't have to say. The arguments are persuasive, and admittedly--he didn't need much persuading, in this case. If Ken's mother died to Shadows...

But Ken has more to say. "...It's why I was brought to this dorm in the first place, isn't it?" Ken wonders as he rises from his deep bow. "...Because I had this 'Potential'."

He looks to Fuuka. "So you were trapped for that long..." And Yukari, "And your father..."

He doesn't inquire about Ririka's brother; he doesn't know. But Aigis at least is persuaded.

"I'll talk to the Chairman too," he says. "But Mandai-san..."

"i want to be your teammate. I'll work hard."

He looks over the group. "To keep up with all of you." He looks at all of them. Shinjiro, too.

"...I know it's not a game. And I won't treat it that way."

<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.

Shinjiro doesn't get the support he needs. He frowns apologetically to Hitomi as he realizes why she's looking at him like that, taking a breath from his place near the wall. He's trying to prevent himself from having another panic attack as subtly as he can. Yukari has a point in that he's Awakened, and he doesn't know how to counter.

"...I'm an orphan. I've never had parents. Never had adults to support me. Just me and Aki... you know, Sanada... I've lost nearly everything in my life, and I've never had much, all thanks to this power. It's the worst possible luck you can have to awaken to a Persona."

Shinjiro sighs. There's not much he can do. And to continue to protest...

"If you're so sure, I'll help watch over you. But you can quit at any time. ...remember you still have things to look forward to, to live for."

Another shaky breath.

"Alright?"

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

Minako is also very excited to team up with a dog. But, with Ken talking to them, her attention is fully on him. She glances at Fuuka and nods, before she looks back at him. Everyone explains their stories -- the tragedies that brought them here and the dangers they face.

And, much as she said that Koromaru and Aigis are like them, so is Ken -- they're all united in this.

Aigis says she has been fighting for ten years, now. And Minako looks forward, and--

...

She looks at Ken, and then -- finally -- she nods after what Aragaki says. "In that case, Amada-kun," she says. "As one of the combat leaders, I'll be relying on you."

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

    Minato watches Aigis, with a distant expression, and says nothing. The others, too, of course; though he looks a little less far-away, regarding people like Ririka and Hitomi and Yukari.

    And Shinjiro.

    The worst possible luck...

    Minato finds he disagrees, though he's an orphan, too. He rotates that feeling around, in his mind, considering it thoughtfully.

    It's... the same feeling he had when they said there were only so many of those Full Moon Shadows left, before the Dark Hour would disappear forever.

    Of course, it's better for these things to not exist.

    But... is that how he feels?

    "Yeah," Minato nods, when Minako speaks up. "Same for me."

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Hitomi's eyes crinkle up and there's a smile in her voice as she answers Ken: "Then let's do our best, alright?"

Rather minor. Rather modest. After this, her hands unfold and she leans back into her seat, slouching and smiling again - this time with her face visible. As she pushes her glasses up her nose, "I guess you've been here a while already, so it won't be totally different."

except for the dark hour part

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"A... Monster Peacock? I don't even know." Yukari answers Ririka, uncertain. "He sure looks like a monster when he's fighting..."

Aigis' words... surprise Yukari. It's not that she's not cognizant of the fact that Aigis is a robot girl, it's just she seems so much like a person - asserts herself like a person, that it's weird to hear her put it like...
 
... like...
 
... she'd keep fighting even if the rest of them weren't there. Her mission... what was her mission? Why is now the Arisatos?
 
"And well... it becomes safer the more of us there are... for all of us. Aigis-san too." She then looks at Shinjiro, "And Amada-kun."
 
Fuuka explains more, about Tartarus - how she was trapped inside, and Yukari feels self-conscious. She argued against... going to save her.
 
And yet now she couldn't imagine life here without her.
 
Ken at least treats it seriously and well...
 
"I'm the last person that can say anything against someone choosing to fight for a reason like yours, Amada-kun."
 
If she were eleven, she'd be saying the same thing. She'd fight - for the same reason she joined SEES in the first place, to find out the truth.
 
Eventually though, Shinjiro relents and Yukari finally says after him, to Ken, "We'll all look after each other. That's what... being teammates means." She agrees to that. "And I guess you're a part of this team now. And... Koro-chan too. Though, how is he gonna use an Evoker?" As she then remembers he summoned Cerberus anyway, "Does he even need one?"

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.

Even after all that, hearing everything they've been through and the dangers they'll face... Ken still wants to join. Fuuka has her concerns and misgivings... but at this point, she can't tell him no. Would it even deter him if she did? Or would it just encourage him to do things more dangerously on his own?

...Maybe it's better this way. Fuuka nods quietly.

"Then... We'll welcome you. I'll do everything in my power to support you, just as I would for everyone here." Fuuka replies with a nod. At this point, looking out for him may be the best thing she can do for him - and she nods, when Yukari says that they'll all look after each other.

...She pauses, though, when she brings up the question she hadn't considered yet.

"...I'm not sure. Maybe we should ask the Chairman about that, too..." She considers.

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Sorry, Shinjiro. But they can't change what happened with Ken and his Awakening.

She looks to Yukari and considers it. "I guess that's true..." She says of Pernelle. "But he still looks normal outside an Atelier... One more mystery about Personas, I guess?" And Fuuka already brought up that others summon them in different ways, too.

Ririka looks up and nods to Ken as he says he wants to work with them, to keep up. "Then... I'll make sure to support you as best I can."

<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.

    Aigis may have jinxed herself several hours earlier this same day when she had told Reiya that she hadn't yet encountered a situation that had caused her to become unsettled which didn't have a pragmatic solution that she could immediately work towards. This is one of the first times she has to simply stew in an emotion.

    Truth be told, her own mental state somewhat mirrors Shinjiro's, but she lacks the human biology for her feelings to bubble up as semiautonomous physiological responses. She's simply better at hiding it.

    What's more, her attempt was intended to provide Shinjiro with support, but that may have backfired. She's on his side, but she may have erred in pre-emptively revealing that she, too, has no counter to Yukari's argument. Ken's Awakening is no happy occasion -- if anything, it's bittersweet, heavy on the 'bitter'.

    She does at least correct Ken on one small matter: "I have been continuously fighting for a duration of several months, at most. As I said, I was rendered entirely nonfunctional for a little under ten years."

    Shinjiro's sentiment that Awakening to a Persona is the worst luck someone can experience. She doesn't press the point further right now, but she may bring it up again later.

    Finally, she gives Ken a bow of her own. "I, too, will do assist in all ways in which I am able to do so. All that I ask is that you strive to have no need to apologize for causing us worry again."

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

Ken adopts a determined expression. "Thank you, everyone! I promise I won't let you down!"

He doesn't answer Shinjiro directly, except to bow to him as well. "I'll make sure not to trouble the group."

"...But I don't plan to quit."