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

[stringmods]

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....

Comments

[fools_journey]

"Ah -- there's... no need," Minato replied, ducking his head a little and shaking it. "I just... did what needed to be done. But..." And here he peeked up again a bit between his bangs. "It's good to see you again, too."

He was quiet again for a long while, and the he spoke again, curious: "How long has it been?"

[risetocaesar]

He shook his head as well, almost mirroring Minato's actions. "That's kind of a tricky question. The short answer is that when I came here, it was just after graduation. After your memorial service, we were all going to turn in our Evokers to Mitsuru and officially disband SEES, but life had other plans for us."

[fools_journey]

"Other plans?"

That sounded a little ominous, especially in context of Evokers and the were going to disband SEES...

[risetocaesar]

The boxer nodded, his expression having become somber. It had only been a matter of hours since they had finished clearing the latest series of hoops.

"We found ourselves trapped in the dorm. Not only could we not leave, but time seemed to have frozen, too. March 31st. No matter how many hours went by, it didn't change. The only place we could go was something like Tartarus, but... different. It showed us the past. That's where we realized what had happened to you."

[fools_journey]

"I see..." Minato shakes his head, frowning a little. "That's... very strange." He's quiet for a few moments as he thinks about that. "Did you all... make it through all right?"

[risetocaesar]

He nodded yet again, opting to omit, for the time being, at how the search for the truth of what had happened after the fall of Nyx had nearly cost all of them their lives, and pit friend against friend. "We made it through just fine. It wasn't easy, but... it was worth it, to learn the truth."

[fools_journey]

"... I'm glad you learned it, in the end. And that you all made it through."

And he is, even if his smile is very small and there's something sad about it. But the sadness doesn't come from the results so much as that it sounds like his friends went through a lot of trouble to find the truth. They've all been through a lot, and to then go through more...

And now being here, too - though at the very least Minato is glad for the chance to see at least one of his friends again.

[risetocaesar]

"Some people had a harder time accepting it than others." Yukari, for one. She'd been so stubborn about taking the opportunity to go back and try to save Minato, whereas Akihiko himself, along with Ken, had wanted to stress the importance of his sacrifice. As much as he would have wanted his friend back, it didn't seem right, to undermine the choice Minato had made. He'd made it for a reason.

"Aigis led us in your place. It wasn't quite the same without you," he remarked with a reserved but apologetic smile. "But if coming here means that we'll get to see old friends again -- I have my suspicions, but I won't complain about that part."

There were other people he would have liked to see, too... but really. It was too much to hope for, wasn't it?

[fools_journey]

He nodded slowly as he thought about their other friends and how he'd anticipate them dealing with his loss, and he could understand the differences in acceptance and grieving. He hadn't wanted to make them sad, but... well, that was in the past, now, and unavoidable anyway.

He was, however, interested to hear that Aigis took charge, and he smiled a little at the thought - and at that which followed. Getting to see old friends was a definite benefit here, and he nodded.

"I'm glad for the opportunity to see you again - and anyone else who shows up here, too. Besides, it's nice to show up someplace new and actually know someone."

It's a pretty rare occurrence, as far as he was concerned, so he intended to enjoy that aspect of being here, at least, too.

[risetocaesar]

"I'm guessing we're luckier than most, in that respect," Akihiko agreed with a nod, briefly glancing out towards the crowd. "I'm sure not everyone here has that luxury. We also have previous experience with Personas. ... if we're all meant to fight, it would probably be in our best interest to help people adjust."

[fools_journey]

Minato nodded again. "Mm. Ours have been changed, though..." A faintly troubled look crossed his eyes. "Most of mine are missing, and the one left..." He shook his head. "Not that we shouldn't help, of course. But... things may be different here."

His head felt strangely silent, here. And when he tried to reach for his persona, things felt almost -- fuzzy, in a way. Like the static he'd felt just before the first time he'd called Orpheus. A blurry unclear feeling that he had no doubt would be easily resolved with an Evoker. As he speaks, though, he does wonder if Akihiko feels the same with his persona. If its changed on him too...

[risetocaesar]

"Mine has definitely changed," Akihiko confirmed, frowning. "I don't feel Caesar anymore. It's like he's gone entirely. I feel Polydeuces, though. It feels strange... I didn't think it was possible for personas to regress. Maybe it's nothing, I could just be disoriented from the trip here, but... I know what my persona's presence should feel like. Yeah, this isn't right."

[fools_journey]

"No, it isn't... it's strange. Maybe Philemon did something..."

[risetocaesar]

"You think he was able to cause them to devolve? Or vanish, I guess, in your case."

[fools_journey]

"Maybe... If he can give people Personas, who knows what else he can do."

[risetocaesar]

"Good point. His power can't just he limited to handing them out."

He winced, shaking his head.

"Well. It could be worse. At least with Polydeuces, it's like seeing an old friend."

[fools_journey]

"Mm. That's good, at least. Mine, too, is one I know... but I guess we will have to wait and see - both what happens and if we can find out more about him."

[risetocaesar]

"I definitely plan to find out more. The waiting part isn't exactly easy, though," Akihiko remarked, offering a wry smile. "But I'd like to think we can't be left in the dark for too much longer."

[fools_journey]

Minato nodded, smiling just a little back. "Think of it as endurance training."