destinystrings | Reconnaissance!

Entry tags:

Reconnaissance!

Who: Aigis. TOTALLY open!
Where: Leo Ward, dangerously close to the 13th Hour
Summary: Dark Hour whut. Aigis is performing a bit of recon after having gotten teleported into the city. As such she's still kinda clueless about everything going on.
Warnings: Nothing really! First post, first Journal RP. Let's do it!

It'd been a while since she'd done this, yet her instincts remained honed as a razor's edge.

Despite the minutes ticking down to the Dark Hour, Aigis found herself reminiscing over her past and the dangers that occurred with exploring Tartarus each night. Somehow, some way, she and her friends would find a way to rise the floors within mere weeks, taking shifts throughout navigating the labyrinthine corridors and twisted stairwells - and even though those times were charged with danger and sometimes even apprehension, Aigis found herself smiling as she surveyed the ward.

The stillness in the air moments before the earth's transformation still had a habit of making her anxious, evidenced only by the heart hammering away in her chest, though her concentration wouldn't fall - it couldn't; the search for her allies had yielded nothing for days by this point, yet still something urged her to continue onwards. Besides, even if her search proved to be fruitless, there had to be some reason for her arrival here, and the reappearance of the 13th hour, as well as the Shadows evidenced that.

Still, it's not like she didn't get anything out of arriving here.

Given the mysterious watch-like device that came into her possession upon her arrival, she gleamed that she wasn't the only person who'd blipped into existence in this strange new world - and not only that, she'd been given an apartment. With her things. This wouldn't be a quick operation by any means, but with friends like hers, you learn to make the best out of a challenge awful quick.

With a flick of the arms, she adjusted her business coat and proceeded further down the street, blue eyes cast upon the darkness for signs of danger or change.

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13th Hour. Heh. He still hadn't done much in the city, but a part of Eikichi wanted to experience this for himself without the safety net. They were here to help, right? Maybe a little bit of cleanup with demons would be right up his alley. It wasn't too dangerous around this night, with the moon not even entered it's first quarter yet.

His guitar case in tow, he almost didn't notice the figure a while farther and gave her a small wave. She didn't look half-bad either...

"Yo! You sure you'll be okay hanging out at this time? It's almost the 13th hour!" Gotta make sure they knew what time it was, after all. Not everyone had Personas to fall back on.

The ring of a voice broke the silence she had already grown so accustomed to. She could already tell by analyzing the pitch - male, young, perhaps in his teens, a fact that was confirmed once she actually turned to lay eyes on him.

"Oh, Hello. Thank you for your concern, but I'm just fine."

Okay? She'd be more than ok, what with having guns for fingers, but what about this one? Armed with ... what looked like a guitar case? Well, if he knew about the Dark Hour, chances are he'd be fine himself - after all, not too long ago she was fighting someone armed with a folding chair. But guitars must get pretty expensive ---

... Wait.

Clearly, the case is in the shape of a guitar, but further scans leave something unexplained. The weight is off, furthermore, so is the internal structure.

Being so, well, we'll say familiar with weapons herself, Aigis can't help but stare briefly at the case Eikichi has in tow, though she makes a point not to draw attention to such an action.

"I trust you'll be fine yourself, given you know the dangers of the Dark Hour. It's been some time since I've met another like myself. My name is Aigis."

[she bows politely before gesturing to the "guitar"]

"If you'll pardon my intrusion, I'd like to ask a question... What caliber of bullet does that use? I've never seen such a weapon before."

Edited 2012-10-04 07:28 (UTC)

"Aigis...that is quite a lovely name. Name's Eikichi Mishina, but you can call me Michel, chica." Eikichi might have gone on to say more things, had she not started to talk about his case. While he could have taken this as another way to brag, the fact Aigis had guessed correctly what it was made him suspicious.

"How'd you figure that out exactly?" It wasn't like his guitar case screamed Warning! May be actually a hidden machine gun.!

Oh darnit.

Not again.

She'd told herself not to make a big deal out of the whole "I might actually have x-ray vision" thing, but it's hard to remember when it's literally built into your system. Not a problem, it's not as if she'd sworn her true identify as an android to secrecy.

Still, problems arise when you suddenly eject boosters from your back, or whip out a gatling gun, but things were different here. If this were an actual universal hub as she had guessed, then certainly there couldn't be any problem nor a concern to keep her abilities so hush-hush. Still, enemies could be anywhere, and it doesn't hurt to keep a low profile.

On top of that, what the heck does 'chica' mean?

chica
"young girl," U.S. slang, c.2002, from Amer.Sp. chica "girl," fem. of chico "boy." Often an affectionate term of address. As an adj., "small."

Slang. She wasn't too good with that yet.

"Ah- I'm sorry. I've forgotten how daunting some of my abilities can be. I am an anti-shadow weapon, an android. Further inspection of your guitar-case led me to believe that you were, in fact, armed. Furthermore Michel-san, do you prefer your normal name or should I refer to you as 'chico-san'? Or is that too affectionate for our first meeting?"

Yup! That sounds about right!

Maybe this slang thing ain't as bad as she made it out to be!

"...call me Michel." Well, that was one way to make Eikichi stop using pet names on you. Using them right back and making him realize how idiotic they sounded.

Edited 2012-10-04 08:33 (UTC)

"So let me get this straight..." You know, he would have been amazed at the idea of Androids if he hadn't fought some nazi ones a while ago. He was very appreciative that you looked humanoid and not like what would happen if an airplane and a robot were thrown int o a blender together ~~also that you weren't a nazi~~. "...they made you into a weapon. For Shadows? Our Shadow Selves?"

You'll have to excuse him, Eikichi had fought demons and nothing Shadow-related apart from himself inside the Scorpio Shrine. The idea that androids were being built for that was somewhat baffling. He also should have been listening more to what was being said in regards to the shadows in the city. But...Eikichi.

"I guess you have a scan function." He held up the guitar case with one hand. "It's a machine gun. Not sure what bullets are used actually. I never run out."

The gun guitar case should technically not even work. It just...does.

'Shadow selves?' - ah, she remembered. Just like in the TV... In fact, she'd almost fallen prey to one herself if it weren't for Elizabeth's sudden, and somewhat comical intrusion.

Actually, now that she's thought about it - would it be possible Elizabeth may be here as well? The Velvet Room is a plane of human thought after all, so as long as humans existed in an area, wouldn't it have to follow suit? She'd have to investigate this curiosity further once she'd finished mopping up recon here.

...

And given Eikichi's reaction, 'chico-san' is NOT proper usage of the term. Fascinating! She'd make a mental note to try it once more later for field study. Perhaps she just said it the wrong way, though now that she thinks about it, tacking honorifics at the end DOES seem a bit weird.

Ah well. More practice never hurt anyone, just look at Akihiko! She'd be punching bears in no time! At least in the proverbial "human-interaction" sense. Literally would be weird. Just like all these human memes.

"I think you misunderstand Michel-san. Though I am quite capable of other combat functions besides shadow-elimination, my creation was solely for destroying normal shadows. The creatures that make up larger, more dangerous foes."

She hoped she was 'spelling this out' properly, after all, even if Eikichi had the same powers as hers, it doesn't mean he'd been through the same ordeal. She COULD have gone into length regarding the phases of the moon and Nyx, but that would've been a bit much for a first meeting.

"However, that's no longer my entire purpose. At the moment I'm actually in search of my friends, we were split up following an investigation in an area named Inaba. Perhaps you know of it?"

Although her ultimate priority was to piece together information and find her comrades, the prospect of Unlimited Ammo was more than intriguing, and despite her greatest efforts she simply couldn't bite back the urge to inquire further; Just think of the possibilities! No more ammunition canisters, non-existent reload times, more full auto burst capabilities- She simply had to know more.

"Moreover, Michel-san, you absolutely don't require ammunition?

... Or reloading?

If so, please tell me how you obtained this weapon. The technology is unlike anything I've ever witnessed, I must know how to acquire it for myself."

The gleam in her eyes was dangerous, Eikichi could tell even despite Aigis' greatest attempts to mask the emotion.

It's excitement

Edited 2012-10-04 10:08 (UTC)

"Inuba? Heard OF the place, sure, but I never been there myself. You got names for me?"

He'd seen that gleam in her eyes before from Lisa, and frankly, it gave him a cold sensation down his spine. How does he even BEGIN to explain this...

"Hey hey! Stop in the name of love! I got my weapon from --uh you know, this ain't gonna make sense, but let's just say that where I come from, rumors came real. We spread one that a ramen shop sold weapons if you asked for a strawberry ramen dish. She gave me this when we did." Hopefully that made a bit of sense for the crazy excited android lady.

An armored ghost, definitely dangerous in grey war-plate, looms in a nearby alley, seemingly watching the city for... something. Red eyes gleam from the pugnacious-looking helm, as it stares at Aigis.

Aigis pressed onwards down the dimly lit street, seemingly unaware of her crimson-eyed stalker. Machine or not, a few years back her senses wouldn't have nearly been as keen as they were now, but years of dealing with the paranormal had taught her a thing or two in regards to listening to your gut instinct when it was incessant in telling you something was amiss.

That said, even despite being aware that someone or something was watching her didn't mean she automatically had an edge. For one, she didn't know what it was capable of, nor its intent. Regardless, she was willing to bet that it didn't know she had guns for fingers either. For now, she figures the best thing to do is simply keep moving and wait for an opening - that or perhaps she's just got a curious friend?

Gonna keep those guns handy just in case though.

The Silent wolf seems almost to be watching over her, even as he watches her, following in a silence that is eerie for his 8 foot tall bulk, and heavy armor. From street to street, he seems to just watch over Aigis, and the other newcomers. Never saying a word.

How peculiar. Though she can't seem to sense any ill intent in her follower's motives, the whole thing still troubles her, and while she's less concerned her friend wishes to do her harm, the fact that he's been tailing for so long without saying nary a word is odd.

More curious than threatened, Aigis decides to part the silence first.

"Do you require something of me? By my approximations we've been walking along in silence for 377 feet now. Perhaps if you are willing, we could talk?"

"389, I believe. Apparently you had not detected me initially. I am simply watching you, to decide to what you are. Friend, foe, something to be protected, or something to be concerned about."

His stance is neutral, at least for the moment.

She had thought she had sensed another of her guests arriving, and she's glad she had decided to step around the city to see if she could find her. Elizabeth watches Aigis move down the street, thinking of when she faced her in the Grand Prix, and raises her hand to wave it with utmost liveliness.

"Helloooooo there!"

That should be enough to get her attention, right?

She swore she could hear herself blink. Just moments ago she'd been thinking how spontaneously Elizabeth had skipped into - and subsequently right back out of her life when lo and behold, as if summoned by her very thoughts, there she was. Excited to finally catch sight of a familiar face, Aigis whipped around to greet her mysterious friend.

"E-Elizabeth-san? Is that you?"

Face immediately brightened with a smile, Aigis stepped over to meet the blue-clad elevator attendant before bowing reflexively.

"It's so great to see you again! I had been wondering when I'd be able to meet with a friend."

She didn't even think to ask if Elizabeth had also been pulled into this situation - afterall, she paid absolutely no attention to the rules of the Grand Prix beforehand, and Aigis had known of the sheer power she had at her fingertips.

"What brings you here? I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

Not that she hadn't seen Aigis in quite a while, but it was good to know she hadn't changed. She gave a small bow as well, nothing too flahy and without much thought; it just suited the occasion. The question made her pause a moment, to collect her words and arrange them in a way that wouldn't be too much to explain, and was the most straightforward way she could possibly muster.

Only for her guests, of course.

"I was pulled here with the utmost spontaneity nearly a month ago, and have since decided to regard this place as a suitable one for my journey."

Her smile grew a little wider.

"You may be interested to know that many of your friends are here, as are my siblings."

"Nearly a month?"

She mused aloud, her brow momentarily furrowing with thought as she pondered the situation further. More than that, she was actually surprised Elizabeth had been pulled here as she did. Whatever caused this to be was certainly powerful indeed.

"I see, so this situation is no different to you than it is to myself. Regardless of it all, I'm very glad that you're safe."

Not that 'Liz even needed to hear that! Aigis was sure she'd be fine, but she's finding just about anything is possible in this world.

"I have so many questions, but knowing my friends are safe is refreshing. Still, I'm not sure if they're entirely the same. Time and people people alike seem distorted in this world. I'm unsure if the others from my period in the world have made it here yet."

Aigis cast her gaze to the moon, already estimating the Dark Hour's approach at mere minutes away. She began to question the safety of conversing in the street before remembering just who she was talking to.

"Elizabeth-san, you mentioned your Journey beforehand, is there any way I could help you? You've always been there for me in the past, and yet I know so little about you... If there were any way possible, I'd like to assist you, especially considering the state we've both been left in."

The Dark Hour -- an hour first brought on by Nyx, one called 'the maternal being' by those who served her, and later made nonexistent by a boy who decided to seal away his enemy with his soul. It had been happening for all of her stay, but she hadn't thought much of it; it was hard to, when nothing seemed to challenge her on the streets. Theo had mentioned a certain section of the city turning into a tower, however --

Elizabeth drew her Compendium from seemingly nowhere - a slip in time, really - and smiled. Aigis, as a guest, had always been one she could... relate to, more easily than others. They were both beings who were not human, and yet found a human precious to them, and had been inspired by his resolve to find their own path. Aside from that, it was always nice to have the company of another Fool.

"I would like it very much if you would allow me to attempt and form a bond with you, as he once did, and as Margaret's guest Narukami has done with his companions. I believe this is what will give me the power to perform the miracle I seek. I also believe you would be interested in my cause as well."

...Although, Elizabeth has decided against sharing the particulars of it with anyone who isn't involved. Telling Minato had been a moment of weakness, but that was fine; it was him she was trying to save, after all.

Edited 2012-10-06 19:08 (UTC)

Shortly before the 13th hour, Aigis will likely hear, and see a blue and grey aircraft fly by over the tops of the buildings. Once it gets a few blocks away, it pulls up, then unfolds into a large mechanical humanoid - large enough that Aigis likely only comes up to his mid-shin.

He's carrying a pistol sized to fit his hand, which oddly has two barrels, one on top of the other. Should Aigis come to investigate, she'll see that Brainstorm seems impatient.

Ok what.

She's no stranger to giant monsters.

Or abstract, possibly symbolic monsters for that matter.

She's fought tables before. And hands. And Death. A few different forms of Death.

But she's never even seen a giant robot outside of human fiction until now. And you know what?

She's alright with this, albeit a little... daunted at first. Despite her almost mechanical focus, she actually looks surprised for a moment -- until she starts eying over that gun for possible specs. Of course, her database comes up dry - and being shut off from any sort of reliable Internet connection cuts her from any additional searches, but given this thing is a gigantic robot, it's not like she'd come up with anything anyhow.

Her first instinct is to fight, but this thing feels nothing like a shadow, nor has it shown any signs of hostility, leaving her to calmly, but cautiously proceed forward towards it. Who knows, maybe it'd be willing to help her out in understanding just what the heck's going on? And if its friendly, all the better!

Junpei would love this thing! She'll have to get pictures. ♥

Brainstorm doesn't notice her approach, but he does notice her upon turning around. He seems mildly surprised to see someone out and about - and initial scans of Aigis show that she's definitely not human. However, given the way she's looking up at him, she's likely not hostile. That, and she's got a watch.

"...guess I'm not the only one out and about tonight," he comments, albeit awkwardly. Small talk isn't his forte. "If you need something, I'm a bit busy." He's not hostile, but he is rude.

It's late, and Minato ~~has been spending too long raising his social stats with arcade games~~ is sort of on patrol. Sort of, because it's not yet the 13th hour, and really he's just on his way to meet his sister to then do a bit of patrolling and fighting. Gotta keep fit and ready for action after all! This city has already shown to be potentially dangerous and unpredictable, and with their changed Personas, it definitely behooves them to practice - and plus it benefits the city to keep the demons busy with fighting instead of attacking anything...

But on his way, as he turns onto a main street, he catches sight of luminescent blue eyes and a blonde young woman by the light of a street lamp... and then he stops and does a double take. It can't be...!

Except he's already well past any sort of disbelief about friends showing up here, after his sister, Elizabeth and his senpai, so he doesn't waste much time before turning to hurry towards her.

"Aigis...?" he calls out with happy caution. (No way of knowing, after all, if this is his Aigis or from Minako's world - or even the one Miki comes from!)

It had to have been a dream, or perhaps some cruel trick of the mind leading her to believe what she heard was actually true. It'd been so long since she heard his voice - even when he was still around, he wasn't much for words, and it had been so long since she heard him that in the back of her mind she'd wondered if she'd begun to forget his voice.

Yet there he stood.

It had to be some sort of trick, she thought, already forgetting the nature of the world she'd been sucked into - but she could tell he was really there; not in the calculating, mechanical sense of actually sensing his heartbeat, but in feeling his presence. Somehow, by some strange miracle, he lived.

Aigis stood there silently underneath the glow of the lamplight, her eyes growing warm and glossy. The tears just seemed to come of their own volition, she couldn't even begin to identify any one emotion as her mind overloaded.

Without a word, she began walking, then running towards him, positive that this time she wasn't dreaming.

As she started to run towards him, he slowed just a little - not out of any hesitation on seeing her but more so that he could open his arms to embrace her. Perhaps it was a little strange to consider hugging a robot, but Aigis was never, ever an ordinary robot, and she meant a great deal to him. Thus, at the reunion with a very dear friend of his, Minato couldn't help but smile.

"It's wonderful to see you again," he murmured, hugging her tight (if she let him).

It wasn't uncommon for Shinjiro to venture out at night.

Tonight was hardly an exception. He goes out often enough, slipping out of his apartment door and into the darkness, wandering around the streets with no clear destination in mind, merely mapping out the city's territory in his head. Perhaps he's drawn to it, in a way. He had spent the last couple years of his life living out his isolated existence on the streets, so returning to them was almost second nature. Even during the Dark Hour. The time had never made much difference. He had been out then, too, listening to the streets suddenly hush themselves into silence like an abruptly extinguished candle, watching the transmogrified coffins rise along with the sickly green hue that was the Dark Hour's calling card.

The 13th hour here was hardly any different—and Shinjiro refuses to call it by its new name. It's the Dark Hour to him, and always will be. It's the same damn thing, and no one here can possibly convince him that there's any difference between the two. It wasn't the Dark Hour yet, but the minutes were ticking down towards it. He could feel it approaching like clockwork. Demons were still out, and he's run into a few all ready, some more savage and belligerent than others. It also wasn't going to be long before Shinjiro would be able to spot the Tartarus-like city in Gemini rise in the distance, just across the water. He would never admit its appearance unnerved him, but it did. After what Minako had told him, noticing the similarities between the situation here and the situation back home, it was hard not to be.

It didn't take long for Shinjiro to find himself in the Leo ward, wandering the alleyways and weaving through the spaces between buildings without a word. If Aigis was watching as intently as she usually did, she might catch a glimpse of him coming out from behind one of the Leo ward's buildings before disappearing down the street into wide space between two building structures.

Not long afterward, with her superior senses, Aigis might be able to catch a hoarse yell of surprise, followed by a sound akin breaking glass—a sound she might recognize as a noise tied to the Persona summoning process. But if nothing else, she'll hear a piercing equine screech cut through the air.

Movement.

Within the stillness of the dark she could only barely detect it with how fast it occurred, but she was sure of what she saw. Not only that, but a familiar sensation followed suit -- that all too familiar sound of shattering glass and the dull ache of mental stress required to summon a persona. It meant whomever summoned it had an evoker, that and it could've been someone she knew.

Without hesitation she disengaged her movement limiters and crouched into a low stance, energy building up into her legs before she was off like a rocket, dashing and weaving throughout narrow alleyways, leaping clear across fences with mechanical perfection, but before she even arrived on the same street as her target she could hear the sudden screech echoing throughout the alleyways...

"That sound-" she muttered as she turned into the area where she'd initially sensed the trouble, her eyes shining amidst the darkness of the alleyway as she crossed the threshold into what she assumed was an ongoing battle. Little did she know, Shinjiro probably already had his little scuffle wrapped up.

Mostly.

Most demons had the sense to haul their asses away when a human with a Persona fought back. The gang of three demons Shinjiro had stumbled upon were no exception. These ones were pawns, if anything—scraggly, rain-thin little things with red, leathered skin and wings and a surly, if cowardly, disposition. The scuffle was by Castor's relentless offensive, the other two demons seemed to have the sense to back off and split. The first fled east, further into the outer edges of the Leo ward, and the second took to the air and bolted. The third—the one Castor had charged at first—ducked out from under the horseman's skeletal mount and took wing.

Shinjiro had little to no inclination to pursue, dismissing Castor with a thought, though Shinjiro turned around to follow the demon's retreat, only to spot familiar figure in the near distance.

What? "Aigis?"

The mere concept of the Dark Hour was still rather difficult to grasp -- a hidden hour, an extra hour that brought shadows into the world at the stroke of midnight. Back home the only place Naoto had faced shadows was in the tv world. She had no idea that it was possible for shadows to manifest outside of its confines. Her time here had shown that it was very, very possible. It happened. It had been happening right under her nose.

The 13th hour was drawing near and people were starting to ready themselves for it. The streets were bare save for a few others, including the girl in the business coat who was approaching. Naoto was certain she had never seen this girl before. Though the city was large, seeing people wander the streets at this hour was a rare enough occurrence to warrant concern.

"The 13th hour is nearly here. Will you be alright...?"

Aigis beamed as she hastened her approach towards the familiar face

"Ah, Naoto-san, you're safe! I'm glad, I'd wondered what happened to the others after being pulled into this unfamiliar world."

It's then that she hesitated - The thirteenth hour? Well of course she'd be safe, but wouldn't Naoto already know that? And why did she approach so curiously? They'd met in the arena beforehand, then reconvened after the events. She'd have to get used to the notion of this world sharing not only inhabitants of her own, but possible duplicates of others, or perhaps even varying timelines, but still, she had to make certain her theory was correct.

"Pardon me, but I think some explanations are in order. Naoto-san, do you remember me at all? My name is Aigis, I've met you in the past, but I'm not quite sure the same can be said for you."

Edited 2012-10-06 10:42 (UTC)

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Reconnaissance!

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1/2

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eee, Aigis! c:

Re: eee, Aigis! c:

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