destinystrings | [Game Opening, Part 1 - What Souls Here May Bring]

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[Game Opening, Part 1 - What Souls Here May Bring]

The drawstrings cut,
my hollow ebony stained wood plomps to the floor—
THUD

Eyes open, souls recollect.
The new me, erect.

I make my own decisions, have my own priorities,
have my own thoughts.

No external force taps into me—
Freedom.
- Jana Bielecki
Who: (Everyone OPEN LOG)
Where: (City Hall)
Summary: (You've just arrived in the city. Welcome.)
Warnings: (Intro logs are pretty warnable.)
Style: (The text is in prose, but feel free to write back in action tags if you feel more comfortable.)

They always say the first day on a new job is always the hardest.

But tell me...did those tasks include being taken from your own homeworld, dumped into a city you didn't recognize, meeting a man dressed in the purest of whites with a butterfly mask, to be bestowed the power of Persona, and then having some Men in Black lead you to the city hall saying you were expected?

...

...at least your things are apparently safe in your new apartments?

...

...looks like you might be here for a while.

What a way to start the first of September...

As they usher the last of you in, you realize that they've been preparing this for quite a while. There is a small table with food on the right, mixed cuisine (although the main theme seems to be Japanese dishes). Some strange computer program appears next to you and seems to be translating what you are saying so those before you understand. Language barriers? Don't be silly!

Most of the men ignore you after that. You are expected to mingle amongst yourselves a bit before the main 'show' starts, it seems....

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"Destruction of the world..." Actually, that makes some sense. It at least explains something about why the Velvet Room had appeared to help her in the past year. If Philemon wishes humanity to succeed, he definitely would oppose the Fall. "...But what about Nyx, Theo? If I'm not there-"

If she isn't there, no matter what help she could be here, Philemon wouldn't be winning the bet.

"I assume Lord Philemon has a plan for that as well. He's a very powerful being, even if he doesn't show it off." Theodore's pretty concerned about that as well, but there's really no way to tell the result of her being here and not keeping Nyx in check. Up-most trust in his master's master too, one could call it blinding. "Perhaps we'll be able to ask if they explain everything. I don't see why we couldn't, after all."

"...Okay. If you believe that, then there's no reason to worry."

Theo had never been one to lie to her, and he was the expert here. Even if the description of Philemon she'd heard from Michel was much less charitable.

"I'm just glad I can spend more time with you."

And to be alive, in general.

~~Michel's just a meaniebutt.~~

Theodore's quiet, thinking about the time they'd already spent together and how he'd vowed not to make another request like that line again. It wasn't doing any harm, spending time with his guest, but it was imperative of him to return to the Velvet Room if he could. There, he was much more needed. There, he could actually do something instead of being a bother that was toted around as she selflessly answered his requests and humored his knowledge, even if most of the time it ended up wrong. In the Velvet Room lay his purpose, and outside of it was just a distraction from his duties.

... But right now, Master Minako needs his company and okay that single train of thought is the excuse that lets him nod and be kinda excited. Spending time with his guest again!! How wonderful! He'd missed it, he really did.

"I look forward to it as well! This area is quite new, after all, and it would be a waste of time not to familiarize ourselves with it when we have the chance to. There might even be things here that you haven't seen before, Master Minako." Theodore would explain them to her, of course, as is his duty.

Oh, Theo. She really had missed spending time with him like this, even if she'd promised herself not to tempt him to try and break his vow. Remaining professional and performing his duties to Velvet Room was a decision he'd come to himself and she had to respect that.

But the situation is different now, so the boundaries they'd made can afford to be bent a little... right? "Then we'll have to learn together... Or maybe, you can teach me." ~~Again.~~

"I... I would be happy to assist you in any way possible, as always." Theodore's a little uncertain at her wording, mostly because it inflames the sinful feelings he still holds for her close to his heart, and he's quick to continue.

"Of course, I suppose I wouldn't be against listening to your idea of what the purpose of new objects could be. I keenly remember you being much more well-versed in the outside world than even my vast knowledge could afford."

No this is not just words to cover up his future mistakes and gaps in knowledge of course not. He's just being courteous as always. And praising. Give credit where credit's due and all.

He stuttered. JustAsPlanned.jpg.

"I'll do my best. Though considering how we got here, I'm sure some things will be more in your area of expertise than mine." And she's willing to humor him regardless.

You're so mean, Minako.

"Is there anything you wish to ask right now? I'll do my best to answer it with my previous knowledge concerning Lord Philemon and the war humanity plays a part in. However, it's rather incomplete compared to what my master knows."

Theodore can't say he knows all, he's more of a secondary source than a primary one and the only one who'd really know what's going on anymore would be Master Igor himself. And that man barely gave an inch more than his nose! Margaret might know more, too, but he hasn't seen either of his sisters yet...

Well, since he's offering - and Igor is nowhere in sight to ask anyway - "You said Philemon-san made a bet with someone named Nyarlathotep... Why would they do something like that?"

Theodore shivers at the name briefly, a reflex from when Elizabeth used to tell him the Crawling Chaos would take him as his servant if he didn't do as he was told by his elders, and frowns.

"If I remember correctly, it came around as a simple curiosity of what lay in man's heart: a wish for their demise and ultimate destruction, or a desire for growth and hope. The Crawling Chaos directs the misfortunes he can do try and win against his opponent, while Lord Philemon guides humanity by the use of us in the Velvet Room. Humanity is in control of its own future, and their decisions help or hurt them. So far, my Lord Philemon has won twice and with it the growth of man continues to spread and be ever-changing." He sighs, and despite the statement he's not very comforted looking. "However, so long as the Velvet Room exists I fear the bet will never end. This only confirms it."

"Was Nyx a part of this bet?" Because it really doesn't sound that much different. In the end, it was people wishing for death and destruction that was calling Nyx down.

"Not a planned part, I'm sure. The Crawling Chaos has never played the rules, which states that they mustn't directly interfere with humanity to turn the tide in their favor, so I while I don't doubt he had a claw in the process it wasn't strictly something he had thought about for an extended period of time. It more or less happened in his favor, and thus you were called upon by Lord Philemon to cease the Crawling Chaos's development."

Humanity wishing for death and whatnot wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence either, as much as many would want to opposite. That was the reason that there was this war going on in the first place: Because humanity has two desires in its deepest heart, and only one could rule the world so to speak.

"I see..." It all sounds very complicated. And, if she'd been a different person, a little hopeless. How was Humanity supposed to defeat a being that preyed on the darkness of its own hearts?

But Minako isn't an ordinary person. She'd already made a bet of her own, in a way. The Seal would last until humans could stand on their own against despair and everything that aligned with it, and in believing that day will come she's squarely on Philemon's side.

"Do you know anything about the times Philemon-san has won so far?" She has a hunch they may have to do with the Persona-users she'd met earlier...

Theodore shakes his head with a disappointed sigh, tone matching it. "Only that both times it was due to a group much like your own, though there was something of memory loss in one incident. My apologies for not being able to give you a detailed report concerning the events that transpired."

Memory loss, huh... "Don't worry, Theo. You've shared a lot already."

And she thinks she knows who she can ask next to fill in the gaps.

"...But there's another thing I was wondering... Since you're here with the rest of us, does that mean you were given a regular Persona, too?"

"That's absurd. Why ever would a resident of the Velvet Room, the keeper of the compendium with which the guest reveals their soul, have..."

Of course, a look through the trusty compendium ever by his side will alert him to the fact that yes, there is indeed none. Well, except for one. And he looks at it with disdain. Metatron, that loud, ruthless Aeon. Why such a physical hitter? He much preferred Sandalphon, if they had to choose... This guy was Elizabeth's choice.

"... I stand corrected. It would indeed appear that I have only one Persona in my possession, and it isn't half as strong as yours had been. Its power is... split, I should say, and is quite below the level I would imagine it should be."

Man this sucks. Who thought that his soul was a giant metallic messenger of God?

She peeks at the book when he flips through it, spotting all those blank pages. "I'm having almost the same problem, actually... I have Orpheus instead of Orpheus Telos and the others I remember using last."

Although she thinks it's probably more disconcerting for him, a being of power, to have that stripped away. She could deal with having to level her Personas again. "I wonder if it's related... Do you think if I make more Social Links, your book will fill back up?"

Edited 2012-09-05 00:03 (UTC)

Ah yes, the power of her bonds. It's a topic any attendant is fond of speaking about, though they don't exactly under it themselves since they've never had to create those sort of things.

"Perhaps. However, if you lack the ones you had before and the book is as empty as it appears, I fear that not even your bonds will fill it back up. It... might just have to stay this way." And he'd have to train Metatron himself. Their first practices together are sure to be fun. "If I cannot return to the Velvet Room as well, then I might have to start my journey to find my answer earlier than I had planned."

He still looks so disheartened. She has to find some way to cheer him back up.

"Things will work out somehow, Theo. If Philemon-san brought you here, then I'm sure this is where you're most needed." The guy was indirectly his boss, after all.

Good point! It definitely cheers his spirits that he might be needed here more than even at the Velvet Room - as unlikely as it is - and would be preening himself if he were a bird.

"Yes, yes of course! Though he's not one to interfere directly with events, something of this magnitude cannot be ignored by a being such as myself. It's too much of a coincidence and, as they say, the apple falls directly onto the ground near the tree. My purpose, while unclear at the moment, will be alongside yours once more. If you would, Master Minako." Take his outstretched hand, that is. Like old times. Deals and stuff. Nice to re-meet you and let's work together again.

She can't help but giggle at his formality, even as she reaches for the gloved hand. Not quite old times... but it's more than close enough. "Let's do our best together!"

"As we have always done, of course." He holds her hand aloft a little longer than just an attendant should, and smiles fondly. It's soon replaced with business-business letting go and formality because cannot haaave these feelings. They'll interfere.

"We have been kept waiting for an extended period of time, so I think that our hosts will soon appear and explain our circumstances. If you have any manner of interrogation to attend do, please finish it up quickly so you many hear them out."

"I'll be sure to be done interrogating before the show starts."

And then instead she'll end up finding Akihiko and getting distracted by some surprising news, but who would have predicted that?

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[Game Opening, Part 1 - What Souls Here May Bring]

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