Memories are blurred... A late intro!

[trainwrecking]

Who: Yuzuru Otonashi & OPEN to everyone!
Where: Aquarius -- not that he knows where he is, gosh.
Summary: Hi, Hinoto-ri! ... Otonashi's body hurts and what is this.
Warnings: Blood, injuries... and maybe swearing? Just to be safe on that last one.
__

Waking up in a new, strange location and being fed information in the form of an figurative text wall is not new to Otonashi. The only word that really sticks with him, of course, is Persona. What that word encompasses, what it actually means is lost on him right now, and the confusion is enough to make him bristle with frustration.

The first thing you might notice about him is the torn up uniform. Then maybe the blood, from a distance, or the hobble in his steps and the near-stumbling: he's wounded. Gunshot wounds are evident. Up close, panic is visible on his face.

[ a ] If you are wandering around the Aquarius region where he finds himself, you might face a confused redheaded teenager flagging you down. He might even be more brash than usual; he doesn't handle confusion and change too well.

-or-

[ b ] Maybe he has given up on moving for the time being. Instead, he's trying to catch his breath and get by with makeshift bandages, made with love from the remainder of his uniform. At least he seems to know what he's doing..?

(ooc: I'm pretty late to the party as usual, so I hope an intro post is okay!)

Comments

[eyewillprotect]

HORUS has beeped at her, and that must mean a newcomer. It's difficult to track him down - he's on the move, and there are so many buildings in the way - and as time begins to run short she finally gives in and uses her power, if only briefly, to quickly leap ahead.

It's not hard to tell who it must be. Even if there were others around, the lost expression and injuries are enough to tell that he must be the one. Allowing her power to fade and, with it, the red marks on her skin, she quickly runs the rest of the way, her concern plain on her face.

"Excuse me! Are you alright?" She begins checking his visible injuries, not quite touching him but certainly reaching her hand out, ready to do what she can.

[trainwrecking]

Before Aoi reaches him, he stops to apply pressure to one of the bandaged wounds. His movements are slow, so thankfully it shouldn't trouble her too much to chase the redhead down. Of course he isn't fine, but the compulsion to claim that he is rises up too quickly for him to stop it.

"I... y-yeah..! But I don't know where this is! It's really―" He's panting, so everything sounds a little more strained and desperate. His vision blurs.

"―Really important that I get back..!" As far as he knows, there are a lot of people depending on him right now. Every second counts. And once he got back, this would be fine, right..?

[eyewillprotect]

"Calm down," she says firmly. "It will be alright. Philemon will let us return when we need to. But right now, we need to get those injuries healed." Her normal power might not be strong enough without activating the Bodhisattva's Eye, but...

Without pausing to wait for his reply, she closes her eyes to focus.

"Persona-!"

A blue card appears before her, only to shatter as a winged girl appears. The girl seems to understand Aoi's intent, and waves a hand nonchalantly, healing Otonashi with a Media spell.

The Persona remains hovering in the air with an almost bored expression as Aoi opens her eyes once again, giving Otonashi another look over. "Did that help? I can cast it again if you are still injured."

[trainwrecking]

Philemon. How familiar, and yet somehow not at all.

"C-calm?! I can't, they might disappear―!" Whatever else he he intends to say is immediately cut off by the sight of that... Persona? There's that word again. With no time to think about it, he pulls back, initially distrustful of this supernatural... being?

"Persona?! Wait―!" Oh god. Please don't kill him. He didn't even ask for proof that he couldn't die! No sass, no anger, nothing.

In his surprise (and partially due to his injuries), he has no time to react before the Persona casts a healing spell on him. Otonashi is no stranger to relatively fast healing, but he still checks himself over nervously.

With nothing broken and many of the major trouble spots in better shape (as in, maybe he can walk a few steps and not almost fall), he looks up.

"Y... yeah, it... it helped." Otonashi swallows. "Ah, thank you..." Politeness first. More panic might follow...

[eyewillprotect]

Helped...? But not completely. She doesn't need to focus quite as much this time now that the Persona is already present, and with a sigh Moh Shuvuu casts yet another Media on Otonashi.

Aoi for her part gives a sigh of her own, but it's relieved rather than annoyed. "You're welcome. It's lucky I had a healing Persona with me this time, or I might not have been able to heal as much." She knew better than to tap into the power of the Eye for nonlethal injuries.

Ah, but there's business to attend to, isn't there? He's definitely the newcomer; of this she has no doubt. In a calm voice, she begins to explain as much as possible, hoping to soothe his panic.

"Please don't freak out, but... You have been brought here by Philemon. You might remember him as a man in a mask. He said something about Persona - the power to summon a part of your mind as a protective power." She gives a small, reassuring smile here and looks up to Moh Shuvuu. "This isn't the Persona I came here with, but if you speak with certain people, you will be able to summon another Persona in addition to the one you arrived here with. Yours is not awakened yet, but if you ever find yourself in danger, it will come to your side to protect you."

[trainwrecking]

Usually when his wounds patched up back home, he wasn't conscious; he never felt it. As the skin mends itself a little more, he stares up at her as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Is there a catch? Is he just bound to ask the wrong question and get himself in trouble?

"Ah― Healing Persona..." Otonashi repeats. It's still unbelievable.

"I can't― I can't not freak out. I really appreciate everything, but I can't waste time here..!" Wait. Philemon. Can he appeal to this person? "If I swear to come right back, can I finish what I was doing back home..? I'll do whatever I have to! But I can't rest easy until I know everyone is safe... Or can I use this Persona to help them from here?"

He really has no preference for how everyone is saved, just as long as it happens.

a

[halberdaxe]

Noda had been wandering around the city aimlessly, unsure what to do. He had resolved everything and left the Afterlife to start a new life, so his determination to help Yuri out was now gone. And as far as he could tell, Yuri didn't seem to be in this world as well.

Without any goals, what was there to do other than to wander around? All the while, though, there seemed like there was something important still left to do; otherwise, why would he still be himself?

He walked by, his usual halberd's pole resting against his shoulder as he carried his trusted weapon. Noda didn't notice the familiar redhead: he was that spaced out.

[eyewillprotect]

It's hard not to sympathize with him. He had clearly been taken here during a critical moment, and if it had been her, she would probably be in a similar state.

"...Our actions here... probably do not affect our homes. But-! I'm sure Philemon will return us to our homes in time to do what we have to. We have to trust in him!" Otherwise... her own friends could be fighting now without her.

"...The people here, they need our help as well. Not everybody has the power of a Persona, and without it... They cannot protect themselves."

[trainwrecking]

"Trust him...? How?! There's― there's no reason he had to take me right then! If they disappear..."

He trails off. There had been a time when he could have accepted this twist of fate with relative ease: maybe even welcomed it. Once upon a time, it would not have mattered and her words would reach him. Otonashi never imagined he would want to stand with the SSS― his friends― the way he does now.

Cold dread washes over him. His chance to help them, help Naoi even― gone. He looks to her, clearly dissatisfied. But, here she is, trying to explain. He can at least learn about the world if he is indeed stuck with it. Though he keeps his voice low and vaguely distant, he speaks again.

"... Protect themselves... From what? This... looks just like a normal city."

[trainwrecking]

Isn't it entirely possible that Otonashi is still out of it? There was quite a bit of blood loss he had to contend with. He hesitates, but that purple head of hair, telltale uniform and needlessly intense halberd are all unmistakable signs: Noda. Noda, someone from home who he knew had been killed.

It didn't matter how temporary death is there: it still has a profound enough effect. Stumbling his way over, he calls out to the other teenager.

"N-Noda..!"

This is... maaaybe the only time he will ever be genuinely ecstatic to see Noda. Let us see how long that lasts.

[halberdaxe]

That horrible SSS massacre was an older memory for this Noda, and with everything resolved, he didn't think much about it.

Since he didn't expect any of the SSS members to be here, Noda didn't register the familiar voice for a moment as he walked on... But he froze midstep before turning to look over at the redhead.

"...You? Why are you here?"

[trainwrecking]

Bloodloss be damned. That sure is Noda. And Noda, are you honestly asking him to know what's going on?

"I... I probably don't know much more than you do..." It's complicated, isn't it? Another new world... "Ah― Do you remember the word Persona? And Philemon?!" He hobbles closer. "Listen― what do you remember last?! It's important..!"

Uh-oh. Frantic Otonashi is being pushy.

[eyewillprotect]

"...I'm sorry. There's only so much we know, so I can't explain everything... But I will do what I can." Her words sound painfully hollow to herself, but she does mean every single bit of it.

"...This is the last remaining city in this world. Everything outside of Hinoto-Ri was destroyed. And even in the city itself, there are demons that would attack humans during the night. But... almost worse than that..." Her eyes narrow here; it pains her to even think of it. "...There are people who believe it would be better to throw off the government, even if it means ruthlessly massacring innocents."

She takes a breath before she continues, but the compassion in her voice remains no matter how much she tries to keep her calm composure. "The people who are brought here - for some reason, all of us have the ability to summon a Persona. With this power, we might just be able to save the people here..."

[trainwrecking]

He takes everything with a grain of salt; this new world is no different. But Otonashi is nothing if not humane, and even with the poor state of affairs back home, he cannot find it in himself to brush the girl off.

"The... last remaining city?" Naturally, he wonders: what happened to the others? Aoi is gracious enough to provide more information before his imagination is allowed to wander too far. Well done.

"... Monsters. Rebellions against the government..." Surely she means an actual government and not the school hierarchy he's accustomed to. Doesn't she?

"A-ano... I have something... important I have to ask."

b!

[frequent_flyer]

Oto... [He's just as disoriented, but not quite as... bloody.]

Otonashi! [He jogs over to the redhead, relieved to see him, even if the situation is... odd.] Are you alright? What happened!?

[He's visibly a bit on edge also...]

[halberdaxe]

You were asking the wrong guy here, Otonashi. Noda gives a clearly confused look on his face as how frantic the other is... Until, that is, he hears those two words: Persona and Philemon. His dumbfounded look immediately disappears into a more serious, concerned look.

"...You have seen that dream as well?" He wasn't sure how to feel about this. Probably gay.

[eyewillprotect]

She gives a single nod."Go ahead. I might not know the answer, but I'm willing to try to answer any questions you might have."

/uses heartbreaking icons

[trainwrecking]

[ There's a wince as he ties off the wet, makeshift bandage. Otonashi looks up at the sound of his name. It sounds an awful lot like― ]

H... Hinata..!? How did you―? [ He pauses, inhaling sharply. It isn't like him to be rude and dodge questions, but this is all... hard to process. ]

W-what's the last thing you remember..?

[trainwrecking]

"Ah... yeah, that's right." He remembers the dream, but never did he encounter Noda within that dream. "What did you see in―?"

Otonashi cuts himself off: talk of the dream can come later. "Noda, do you know what happened to... to Naoi? To Yuri? To us? I can't remember if―"

Oh. Right. Noda had already been... murdered when Otonashi got to Naoi. He casts his eyes down. As much as Noda and Otonashi clashed, the redhead felt absolutely sick at the thought of Noda's suffering. A quick, painless death is one thing― and even that bothered him more than their "class"mates― but a complete massacre cut him much more deeply.

It shows in the sweat on his brow and the tightness of his lips.

[trainwrecking]

He is absolutely convinced she's going to start looking at him as if he had three heads. His hesitation is a testament to that concern.

"Ahh... Are we... dead by any chance?" Otonashi tries to make it sound like a hypothetical question. Better to approach the subject gently than plunge the poor girl right in. It's not like he took the whole "congratulations, you're dead, welcome to the afterlife, look at my huge gun and perpetually friendzoned co-leader" approach very well.

[eyewillprotect]

If she hadn't already had a conversation with somebody who was dead, she might have done just that. But as it is, there is only a flicker of confusion on her face before she puts two and two together.

"Not everyone here is dead, but I once spoke to another person who came from an afterlife. I think for the most part the people who are brought here are alive."

...If only she knew, but what she doesn't won't hurt her. At any rate, his question does cause her some concern, and she quickly poses a question of her own. "Since you are asking, does that mean you are...?"

[trainwrecking]

He looks up, eyes alight with interest.

"Someone else from an afterlife? Do you remember what they look like?" It's entirely possible ― even probable ― that this person isn't someone he knows. Still, there is no harm in asking. His expression softens, turning sheepish under the weight of her deduction.

"... Nn. I am," Otonashi chimes in, filling the gap in her thought. "Or... was, I guess."

It's a good thing he wasn't the type to think, 'oh! I should just off myself! I'll wake back up and be fine!'

[eyewillprotect]

She shakes her head. "It was an audio post, so I never saw his face. He sounded like a teenager, and his name is Neku Sakuraba. Maybe you will be able to find him with that?"

Her worry only deepens when he confirms it. "Was it... like a game for you, too? Sakuraba described it to me as one. A game to earn back your life."

[frequent_flyer]

Last thing I... [The question is weird, but so is everything else. No harm in answering.] Ah... we were fishing.

Fishing! Right! [He smacks himself in the forehead, as if he just remembered something important.] We were all fishing and Angel reeled in the Lord of the River! Do you remember?

[trainwrecking]

Neku Sakuraba..?

"I've never heard that name before, but... I'll try. Thank you." It occurs to him that he hasn't even asked for this girl's name; he opens his mouth to do so, but her question strikes him. He swallows his words for now.

"It was... a little. We used gamer terms to describe the world. Like NPC ― ah, Non-Player-Character ― for non-sentient students... In some ways it was laid out like a game. But―" He adjusts his tattered coat, still disoriented.