Free Battle: Capricorn

[otakuro]

Who: Atsuro Kihara, Open
Where: Leo -> Capricorn District, night
Summary: Skill cracking, magnetite-farming, and leveling up. Atsuro's no stranger to training...
Warnings: None

[private, voice to Ludwig Beilschmidt]
Hey, ah... Ludwig. ...Do you mind if I call you that?

We're getting close to another full moon. ...That's when they said the demons came out in full force, right? I think we should try and get a handle on summoning our Personas before we have to face something else like last time. I've tried to call Enki a few more times; I don't think it's possible just to do it for fun - it might not work unless we're really in danger.

Can we meet tonight by the town hall in Leo? Let's say... about 11:30. I saw you were asking about Personas; I can fill you in on what Enki can do then before we head out.

[public text]
Hey! I'm heading out to do some training tonight. Free Battles are a free action, right? Don't wait up; I won't be getting back until after that 13th Hour.

Feel free to join me if you want.  I'll be outside Capricorn.

[action, town hall]
Half an hour to go.

Atsuro shuffles nervously in front of the hall, his fingers toying with the adjustable strap on his bag.  The text had essentially been spam; he wasn't sure why he'd felt the urge to announce his plans to the whole city.  He'd met maybe ten people here.  Probably three or four of them actually cared.  Naoya, of course, would want to keep tabs on him, but Naoya kept tabs on everything without anyone needing to check in, anyway.

The real reason, of course, was so that someone would come looking if he ended up dead or unconscious somewhere.  He wasn't afraid of the demons... Not really.  A pack of Waira were nothing in comparison to Belberith or Babel.  But he'd been shaken; the idea of being plucked from the verge of defeat by what was essentially a happy coincidence didn't sit well with him.  What if it'd been a one-time deal?  What if his Persona just... never came out again?

Thou art I and I am thou.  He'd never thought of himself as a great fighter.  All he'd ever wanted to do was survive.  No one had asked him to join a team or become a part of something greater - He, along with the rest of Tokyo, had simply been thrust into a situation where they had to pull out all stops if they wanted to live to see the next sunrise.  Of course, he'd given it his all.  But after living through those seven days of terror and panic, these three weeks of leisure had reminded him...  This was what he'd been fighting for.  So that the world would go back to normal and he could resume his normal life.  Did he really want to stay here and keep on fighting?  For some purpose he didn't even fully understand?  Yeah, it was neat and exciting and novel.  But so was the thought of playing an MMO with his forum buddies again, cramming for placement exams, and hanging out with Yuzu and Kazuya at the mall.

...He sighs slightly and shakes himself out of his thoughts.  The important thing at the moment was to gain control of this power he didn't understand.  Making a decision when he still felt lost and confused... Probably wasn't the best idea.

Atsuro finally stops fidgeting and seats himself on the steps of the building, watching the nightlife die down as the 13th Hour rapidly approaches.  Ludwig ought to show up soon.  ...Maybe some others would too.  He finds himself scanning the faces of those passing by, hoping to find someone familiar.

Comments

[otakuro]

Somehow, he'd missed the man - the boy - in the black coat, despite the thinning trickle of people on the streets. Atsuro's voice catches momentarily in his throat as he turns his head in surprise. The guy bore a strong resemblance to Naoya. Less smug than simply aloof, but both carried themselves with a certain presence that was impossible to ignore.

Of course, Naoya had the excuse of being a gazillion years old.

"Ah... Hey! I hadn't been expecting you."

...Not entirely true. Yamato was the one person he'd met besides Ludwig who was likely to be diligent about the idea of 'training'. But it was unexpected in that, well... the guy didn't seem like the kind of person who liked spending time with others. He was surprised Yamato didn't spend his nights training alone.

"But sure, of course. ...I just thought I should get a better handle on this Persona stuff before anything major happens again."

[drakenguard]

Yamato nodded at the explanation. His first impression of Atsuro was somewhat positive. He was a young man with good initiative and intelligence - perfect qualities for the world Yamato had once envisioned for the world. Oh, he still believed that meritocracy was the best way to lead the world, but he had lost, and the rules had been that those who lost were to bow out of the competition.

That and if he lost, how could Yamato continue to champion a world for the strong?

He pushed those thoughts aside. "Yes, that is a wise decision. It would be best to do it with a partner as well, in case things go sour."

The buddy-system never fails.

[otakuro]

Positive first impressions were a good thing. Long association with Naoya meant that Atsuro had learned to take a lack of criticism as a compliment. Though he couldn't be sure of Yamato's motivations, he took his attempts to be friendly at face value; the guy probably wouldn't even bother if he didn't think this association was worth his time.

...Alternatively, Atsuro was already setting himself up to be manipulated. But he wasn't cynical enough to give this possibility much thought.

"Hah, yeah. I guess that's why I sent that message out earlier. In hindsight, it was a little... desperate, huh? ...Thanks for coming."

[drakenguard]

"Hmm..." Yamato's gaze roamed the area around them. As time ticked by, less and less people were walking by - most of them wanting to return before curfew came into affect, most likely. "Are we waiting for any others?"

Personally Yamato would like to do this with only two people, three at maximum, but, if they had to do it as a larger group...

[otakuro]

"Er."

A conspicuous-sounding clock somewhere nearby ticks off the seconds as Atsuro glances around for nothing in particular. "...We can go out and prepare to fight now, if you want. I can always send another message updating our position if anyone else wants to join us."

The joys of handwaving continuity.

[drakenguard]

Yamato stood still as stone while Atsuro looked about, his expression one of cold patience before he finally got his reply. "That would be best than waiting around for people who might not even come." Yamato hated wasting time.

[otakuro]

"..."

He was starting to get that impression. With a final glance around (now glancing around for someone to save him from this overly zealous battle-fiend), Atsuro gets to his feet and adjusts his bag.

"Right. ...Let's go."

Capricorn bordered Leo to the north; Atsuro begins to head in the direction of the forested area off in the distance. He glances towards Yamato as he does.

"What demons are you planning to summon? Maybe we should adjust our teams to balance each other out... Sorry to say, I'm not any good with magic at all."

[drakenguard]

"Unfortunately, only two of my demons were able to come with me to this world, so I do not have much choice in what I can summon," Yamato replied, frowning faintly. He presumed it had something to do with the fact that his phone had been destroyed when Tsuutenkaku landed on him - of course it was whole again, but his large stock of demons had vanished, and only the ones that fought with him against Ronaldo remained.

"They are Vile Arioch and Divine Remiel."

[otakuro]

"Just two?" Atsuro looks slightly surprised. "I've been cut down to just a few, too, even though we had a stock of... ten or so. And they're not anywhere near as powerful as they should be." With a slight shrug, Atsuro brings out his COMP. "The higher level ones I've got are... Seiten Taisei and Laksmi. With a Megami and a Divine, we should have healing covered pretty -- "

He suddenly cuts himself off and whips his head around towards Yamato so quickly he feels a slight pang in his muscles.

" -- Did... Did you say 'Remiel'?"

[drakenguard]

Yamato just gave Atsuro a strange look. "...Yes, I did. Is there a problem with that?" he asked. Ah, wait, his world was being assailed by God, wasn't it? Perhaps he was just leery of angels in general. "He is under my control, so there is no need to be concerned."

[otakuro]

Atsuro continues to stare, slightly wide-eyed, as he shakes his head.

"Sorry. It's just... a little unexpected. Remiel was the angel we had the most contact with. He was sent to prepare us for the coming trials... and to report back if we couldn't succeed."

He pauses before continuing.

"It... It can't possibly the same Remiel, right? ...Still. I almost want to ask him about home."

[drakenguard]

Yamato raised an eyebrow. "Well, considering we come from alternative worlds, it is unlikely that he is your Remiel. I can summon him for you to ask, if you so wish." Mostly because Yamato's a bit curious now too - demons like Remiel are unique, but did that mean only unique in that one world? Were there other Remiel's existing in other worlds simultaneously? Possibly.

[otakuro]

"...Sure." Atsuro shifts a little uncomfortably. "Maybe sometime when you're not busy. It doesn't have to be right now." Truth be told, he was too taken aback at the moment to trust himself to engage the angel in meaningful conversation. He wasn't even sure what he would ask.

"Remiel reported to a guy called Metatron. ...Supposedly, Metatron was God's right-hand man.'

[drakenguard]

"Metatron?" Yamato suddenly looked slightly amused. Metatron was able to be used like any other demon, even if, truthfully, he was a massive windbag espousing the goodness of the Lord. Once you tuned out his religious ranting he was a very good ally to have, nevertheless.

"Interesting. Did you also meet the other well known angels?"

[otakuro]

((Sorry for the lateness; I attended a wedding this weekend. Feel free to drop if you'd prefer!))

"Well known?..." Atsuro knew about as much about esoteric Judaic mythology as he did about interpretative dance. "The only other name I remember right now is Sariel. He showed up briefly at the end to... keep an eye on something for us."

It was hard believing in the goodness of the Lord when his servants kept trying to kill you, occasionally even in the company of demons. Still, he had to admit that Remiel had been downright helpful in his own preachy way.

derp I brainfarted. Got the comments mixed up

[drakenguard]

((It's okay! I only just got back from a few day trip myself so I was ready to apologise for being slow myself!))

"No Sandalphon to join his brother? What a shame," Yamato mused. "It makes me think how many of the famous angels in mythology do truly exist."

Re: derp I brainfarted. Got the comments mixed up

[otakuro]

Atsuro briefly wonders if there were really enough angels to warrant a patron angel of open-toed footwear before deciding this was one of those observations that would sound funnier in his head than it would out loud. Similar to about 95% of his thought processes.

"I'll bet they all do. Either we've got myths because we met these things in person once upon a time, or these creatures are taking the forms they've learned from our myths. It works out to mean 'all myths are true', either way."

[drakenguard]

"Indeed," Yamato shifted slightly, tilting his head to the side in silent inquiry. "In any case we have digressed from our original task. As interesting as this discussion is, we are here for something else..." Like training.

[otakuro]

"R-Right...!"

Atsuro takes a quick glance at the time. ...The minutes had ticked by while they were busy with their tangent and according to his phone...

"A minute to g -- "

Before Atsuro finishes speaking, a sense of stillness suddenly falls over them. Not calmness or placidity, but... stagnancy. Lifelessness. Around them, the shadows seem to deepen and what remaining color could be distinguished in the pale moonlight seem to shift in hue... But perhaps that was a trick of the imagination. Atsuro takes a short breath.

"...I should probably synchronize the time on this."

[drakenguard]

Yamato didn't reply. Instead he took in the stifling surroundings, his pale eyes scrutinising the long shadows with sharp suspicion. He hadn't yet been out during the Dark Hour, preferring to collect information first before wading out into it by himself, but he was internally fascinated by the sudden change.

It was as if they had entered a different dimension within a split second. The air was prickling against his senses, and carried the faint smell of graveyard dirt - sharp and full of rot.

"What a curious phenomenon. It is interesting to see this out in the field...no matter. Let us hunt down some beasts."

[otakuro]

"...Right." Atsuro pauses for a moment before assuming a wry smile. "Here, beasty beasty..."

The boy turns back towards the direction of Capricorn, assuming a slightly slower pace than he had before, keeping his senses honed for any sign of trouble. They intended to be the hunters tonight, not the hunted. "I don't know if they have some kind of ward protecting the buildings in this district, but we'll probably run into more trouble once we get into the forest area. ...So. Right about now."

He nods as he steps over what he imagines to be an invisible line separating safety from danger. Thankfully, he isn't immediately swarmed the moment he crosses it.

[drakenguard]

Yamato huffed in amusement as Atsuro crept over some sort of invisible line, his eyes still on high alert as they searched for any monsters lurking in the stark shadows. He followed Atsuro over the 'line', tilting his head slightly as he slipped his hands into his coat pockets.

His posture screamed of casualness.

"I sense something," he said suddenly, his voice cutting through the eerie quiet. It was a press on his senses, and although Yamato did not have a sensory Persona, as others had, he had still been trained from a young age to sense and detect demonic energy.

[otakuro]

Atsuro refrains from mentioning that he had sensed something the moment the 13th Hour had fallen upon them - mainly, the sense of really wanting to go back inside under his blankets. He turns towards Yamato and nods curtly as he grips his COMP a bit more tightly.

"Right. I'm gonna summon my demons."

((Did you have something to fight in mind or would you rather I NPC? Go for it if you've got an idea!))

[drakenguard]

((I didn't have anything in mind, although I can quickly make something up if you want XD))

Yamato nodded, slipping his phone out of his coat pocket and summoning Remiel. As the angel burst to life beside him, he left Alioth unsummoned for now, his eyes scanning the deep shadows with a sharp, scrutinising stare.

There was a quiet shifting noise, like something heavy was being dragged across the ground.

"Be on your guard."

[otakuro]

((Sorry for the wait! I was on hiatus out of town for the last week. Feel free not to continue this if you'd prefer not to!

I'm going to go ahead and pick something random since I've kept you waiting so long, sorry about that.))

Atsuro doesn't need a reminder for that. After the week he had lived through, being on his guard had become his default mode of attention; relaxation had been something he'd struggled with for a few weeks. He allows the familiar tension to grip him as he scans around the area, willing his eyes to pierce through the darkness.

...After he had spent a good 5 seconds staring at Remiel, of course. There would be time to talk later, and it wasn't as if he had ever seen Remiel's physical form outside of Amane. He could freely ignore it for the moment.

There's nothing to be heard but the sound of light breathing as the seconds tick by. Atsuro begins to speak and finds himself whispering.

"Might be further up a -- "

He cuts himself off as the dragging noise is heard again... much closer.

"Hmhmhm... Human children. Such a... delighful treat."

The sound suddenly transforms into a surging rush as a creature slithers and glides rapidly out of the darkness, her expression of affected boredom contrasting with her gleaming, lustful eyes.

"Hello, boys~"