Redi Domum

[stringmods]

Who: The missing visitors and you. Open to everyone.
Where: MAGI Labs
Summary: After being violently removed from the Tower of Animus, everyone is returned 'home'.
Warnings: None

There was a tight clench behind your navel, the sensation of something dragging you through the fabric of time and space itself... it was an unpleasant sensation, almost sickening. Those of Hinoto-Ri had vanished from the tower completely when the clock struck midnight from what had just happened, removed from that reality. It had happened with such abruptness that it was downright disorienting to observe. There was no chance for a hurried goodbye, no chance of even letting out a surprised scream...

Those of Hinoto-Ri were dragged back to their own world with very little grace, and for a dizzying and wild thirty seconds, they suffered from the sensation of thick tentacles grasping and yanking their bodies this way and that through a swirling blur of matter. Where were they going? What had caused this?

After those sickening moments that seemed to last far longer, they were unceremoniously shoved out of the Shining Trapezohedron in a stream of bright lights, and into what looked like a giant room filled with computer screens. At least it didn't appear to be the Mictlan, like when the other group had returned.

Pray that you weren't on the bottom of the pile...

Now there was a quiet hum, as an alarm went off. Lights shone brightly upon you as scientists outside were running scans to determine you weren't harmful from your trip. That left you time to think.

You had finally met him...

Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos. He'd taunted some of you, shown you another world you had been sent to save...but in the end, nothing much had changed. Perhaps there was small solace that it was still standing and not completely obliterated as had been his plan. The questioned remained, however...

Where was He now? ...you could figure that out later. There were reunions to be had first.

[OOC - Anyone can start threads.]

Comments

[fools_journey]

Minato is a little shell-shocked (interdimensional travel is not fun and he has a lot to think about), and when he manages to sit up, he just... stares at nothing in particular for a few moments before the chatter gets to him, and he pulls himself together enough to properly look about. This isn't the room they left from, or if it is, man has it been remodeled. The bright lights make him squint, and he sighs to himself, as he slowly stumbles to his feet, tired and ... not really sure what to do now. Are they home? What about everyone in the tower?

He looks around, scanning for familiar faces and looking to see if anyone with a collar is mixed up with them. There isn't, and he's not sure how worried or not that should make him. He doesn't know what to think, really, after those broadcasts and -- everything.

So in the end, he just... lingers. Waiting until they're let out of this room and he can go somewhere to rest (and maybe to eat something that's not filled with conversation hearts; he doesn't think he'll be able to eat one of those again without wanting to throw up, and besides, it's easier to think about food right now than ... everything else) and to think. And maybe maybe talk it over with Shinjiro and Pharos and Miki, since they were there too. Maybe a few others whose judgement he trusts...

[greatseal]

As soon as the message appears on her COMP, Minako is out the door. That wasn't in question. But it takes some time to make her way via the transit network to the blinking dot on her map, and during the trip she has time to make some calls. One is, of course, to Minato. It's text only because she's not the only one she's trying to talk with.

Open the blinking message on your COMP with its predictable contents, big brother.

[fools_journey]

Damn straight he opens it, though it takes him a couple moments to fumble with it. And as soon as he gets his fingers working right, he replies, telling her he's okay. It's a long story, but they're back safely now.

[greatseal]

That simple message is enough to lift her spirits in a way nothing had for the past few weeks.

By the time Minako reaches the building where everyone is congregated, all traces of the worries and doubts she'd experiences are deeply locked away. The sister he gets to meet is her usual whirlwind self, sweeping in and immediately bearing down on his corner.

[fools_journey]

He's a little worse for wear, when she finds him. After all, it's not like changes of clothes are in high supply in the tower, and it had been a dangerous place. Even ignoring everything had happened with Suzaku, there had still been monsters to contend with. All in all, it had been a pretty exhausting trip, but he does his best to hide most of that (except, of coure, the obvious stuff like torn up clothes), and it certainly helps that he is very happy to see her again.

So when he looks up from the floor and sees Minako, he can't help but smile. And whether she wants it or not, he steps forward to give her a tight hug.

[greatseal]

Of course she wants the hug. She would have initiated one herself if he hadn't beaten her to it. But now that it's started, she's not going to let go easily. Looking him over, seeing the torn clothing and asking questions can wait. For now, she clings tightly enough to never let him escape again.

"Welcome home!"

he looks so unsure in that icon....

[fools_journey]

He clings just as tightly back, closing his eyes as he does so.

"I'm home," he murmurs just for her. After all, a large part of what makes this place home is her.

as he should be :)

[greatseal]

She smiles into his shoulder. "You took long enough."

Now that he's here in front of her, teasing can begin again. It's all part of going back to normal.

[fools_journey]

"I'm sorry. I hope you didn't get too bored." Teasing is necessary to proper normalcy, after all.

[greatseal]

"Of course not. I got the couch and Koro-chan all to myself. You could've stayed away longer!"

She's still going to try and monopolize these things even now that he's back.

[fools_journey]

"Oh well in that case, let me just go poke the stone again."

He'll fight her for them. He wants a nap on that couch right now, anyway, after a nice hot shower and a change of clothes and something to eat.

[greatseal]

"Nope." Too bad Minato. She pulls back from the hug, but now locks her arm around his. He couldn't leave even if he actually wanted to. "You're already back, so now you have to deal with it. Besides, the chocolate I made will taste bad if you let it sit for much longer."

[testsubject031]

Labrys couldn't keep herself from the commotion. All of the people who had mysteriously disappeared had all of a sudden ended up back home in a massive group. She wanted to make sure everyone had safely returned, especially her friends on the Investigation Team and in SEES.

Flying in the air, she scans the crowd, and discovers Minato among the masses. She then slowly lowers herself towards the crowd and lands in front of him.

"Minato-san!"

[fools_journey]

A flying robot suddenly landing in front of him is a little startling, but at least she's a familiar robot, so he's relatively quick to relax, giving her a tired smile.

"Ah - hey, Labrys. It's good to see you again."

[testsubject031]

"We all got worried when the lot of ya up and disappeared on us. Where'd that thing take you?"

Labrys subtly looks over him over as she speaks, making sure he's in good shape. His clothes look worse for wear, but she's more worried about his health.

[fools_journey]

He is overall more or less fine - he's pretty tired, though, and has a few healing injuries from monsters and Suzaku and Ferrus landing on him, but it's nothing he won't recover from given some time and rest. But as for answering her question, he's not... entirely sure how much he wants to say, so after a moment, he just goes with the really short version.

"Um... to a very strange tower in another world. I'm sorry for worrying you... What's been happening here?"

Not the most graceful of subject shifts, but it'll work for the moment.

[testsubject031]

"I'm just glad you're alright." She'll accept the short version. She's just happy that he seems to be okay.

"We've been busy around the dorm! We also celebrated a holiday called Valentine's Day and made a buncha stuff." People's rooms may or may not have had their privacy violated. "Y'wanna find the others first before we head back?"

[technomaturgist]

That stumbling to your feet might have been a little pointless, Minato. Mostly because of Ferrus's exit method from the portal - he hadn't been prepared for the tugging, the tentacles dragging him to his destination...

His arrival was more delayed then Minato's was. This set up an unfortunate happenstance - Ferrus launched out of the portal at a fairly fast pace. He couldn't exactly stop - and when he noticed he was flying at someone, there really wasn't anything for him to do. He'd wasted most of his battery in the tower - he couldn't activate his levitation now.

So, uh. Sorry Minato - Ferrus is set to head-on collide with you. When he hits, if he does, he will be markedly more heavy then expected - and, should Minato end up accidentally feeling up the general area of Ferrus's ribcage, he might be able to guess why. Ferrus did happen to have metal plates apparently bolted to his chest under his robe and shirt, it seemed.

...And yeah, sorry, Minato. Ferrus is as graceful as a half-dead chicken.

[fools_journey]

Well, Minato doesn't exactly mean to feel Ferrus up, but he does wind up getting his arm bashed a little by one of the metal plates, as he tries to brace himself or Ferrus in some instinctive attempt to cushion their fall. But even with that, Minato is absolutely not prepared for the weight or the force of being landed on like this. So he just winds up lying there for a moment, dazed and quite winded from having the breath knocked out of him.

"Ugh.... wha...?"

what is backtagging can you eat it

[technomaturgist]

It took Ferrus maybe a few seconds or so to realize exactly what just happened. He's too heavy to catch, of course, so when he pretty much tackles the other to the ground he's stunned as well. And then...

"A-are you alright?" He sounds surprised and slightly panicked, looking down at the other through his gasmask. ...He's still ontop of Minato, while he asks, not quite registering it. He's not fully on top, but... still, his chest is still on the other's. And he's still pretty heavy, Minato.

Good luck with that?

[eyewillprotect]

Aoi is there, ready to summon her Persona as needed. She has no idea where everyone had gone, but if anybody needs healing, she will be on it in an instant.

She takes a moment at first to scan the group, her eyes finally resting on a familiar face-

"Arisato! Are you alright?" There's a clear sense of worry in her words, and as she moves closer her eyes trail over him, searching for any visible wounds.

[fools_journey]

He looks up, blinking before shaking his head. "Hey, Aoi. Yes. I'm just tired."

He gives her a wan smile and shrugs. Sure, he still has some healing injuries (and new bruises, no thanks to Ferrus), but it's really up to time and his body's healing processes now. He's done the major healing work himself, with his own persona.

"Are you doing okay?"

[eyewillprotect]

"Everyone who stayed behind is doing just fine. Other than a... strange encounter on one day, nothing out of the ordinary has occurred." Well, out of the ordinary for Hinoto-Ri anyway.

"...Just what happened to all of you?"

[fools_journey]

"A strange encounter?"

Well, he supposes that can wait, if everyone is okay otherwise. So he shrugs as he thinks of where to start and how to sum up quickly. "It's... a long story. Did... everyone here have any dreams the night we disappeared?"

[eyewillprotect]

Meanwhile, Aoi would much prefer not to talk about that particular event. Don't mind her as she focuses on what she believes to be the much more important topic.

"We did. And when we had awoken, we found that you were all missing - although we had no idea where to, of course."