towerofanimus | ❝friendship affirmation party❞

❝friendship affirmation party❞

Characters: LOTS OF PEOPLE just look at the tags, gosh. Start your own threads, hop into others, and generally be free with your tagging decisions.
Setting: Floor 4, the one with the big glass windows and lots of couches.
Format: Action tags!
Summary: Clearly what the tower needs right now is a party, and Willow and Aradia have thrown one.
Warnings: Nada. Good clean fun.

[It's never exactly a clear day around this floor of the tower, but the billowing clouds outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows are maybe a bit lighter and fluffier. There's a positive atmosphere spread across the whole level, mostly from the colorful lights sprinkled here and there, magical in nature and of all different colors. They glow like small fairies.

But the biggest pieces in the room are the couches and armchairs, strategically laid out in different circles, with tables in the center. Snacks and drinks stolen from the kitchen are on the tables, so nothing too spectacular-- but there are several batches of baked goods that Willow's made, cookies and brownies and so on. There's also some board games and decks of cards placed here and there, the obvious Earth ones included and some not so obvious other ones that she hadn't recognized.

Anyone who wants to is welcome to show up, whether invited or not, whether they know Willow or Aradia or not. Fun is going to be had, darn it. However, everyone on the floor, just for today, is privy to an anti-violence ward that will prevent any motions toward violence from completing. A punch won't land, psychic powers mysteriously won't do anything if they try to cause harm, and so on. As the tower is not fond of being affected in any way, this is an effect the characters have put on them from crossing the threshold from the stairwell, and it will be automatically removed when they leave. It is not noticeable unless they try something or are particularly sensitive to magic.

It also won't last forever, so if you really want to get into a fight, do it while the party's winding down. Willow's wards are good but they aren't up to altering-the-tower-without-major-consequences level, and she's made them mild enough to wear off on their own after several hours.

You're really here to have fun, though, right? You knew where to go because of the network post.]

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[ ... Oh, Yu. You don't understand what he means when he says that. ]

... No, I don't think that... you understand what I mean when I say that. When I say natural, I mean yours wasn't cultivated in a lab. You weren't a lab rat. You're all lucky. Every last one of you.

[ His face is exceptionally grim right now, his tone somewhat hurt, but slow and deadened, almost, as he says the next bit. ]

... The Kirijo Corporation, I wonder how much you know about them...? Well, they sponsor SEES. The "Specialized Extra-curricular Execution Squad". They spend their time cleaning up the mess that they caused. There's a reason we hate them. I know the Dark Hour, the Shadows appearing... all of that is the Kirijo group's fault, but it's ours to take advantage of. We HAVE to live this way, even if it means taking the lives of others for us to survive.

[ In other words? Murdering. They have no choice. He looks away, this time, reliving the awful memories of all of that. It's painful, and there's a very haunted, pained tone to his voice right now. ]

Kids like us were rounded up when we were younger--I was about seven or so when I was taken in by their scientists. The others, except for Ken and Koromaru, are the same.

They were performing twisted experiments, taking Shadows and shoving them into kids like us, then forcing us to manifest them as Personas... trying to pull out Personas from us that didn't exist. Chidori, Jin, Takaya, and I were the only kids that didn't either die or turn into shadows ourselves.

[ Yes, it's as horrifying as it sounds, Yu. ]

... I would give anything for them to have never gone through that. Even if it meant being a lab rat all over again.

[Silence. Dead. silence. That is the only thing that occurs in response to the information he was just given. Truth be told, he didn't know much about Kirijo Corporation or their actions. He'd been with his cousins at the time, burying their grandparents.

His fists tighten at the mention of killing, even if it were necessary in their minds. After all, he doesn't know the full truth, and he will be seeking it out. That had been his goal all along, along with saving the victims who'd been thrown into the TV world. He could remember the scenes for each of them, every time he'd failed. It's almost ironic that the alternate reality of his predecessor and he were complete opposites in this as well. He had to kill, and Yu had to save.

The Kirijo Corp.... their scientists... He would never understand the criminal mind, even after almost a year of tracking down Adachi-san and trying to learn the truth behind the events unfolding around them. Now he's sure he never wants to.]

... I'm sorry. I had no idea.

[He looks up, a silent understanding (and slight justified anger) burning in his eyes. Even if Minato had been a bit on the jerk side before, he can understand why with seeing the pain in his face now. He really was protecting his own the other night- the ones he has left.]

You're right. We were lucky. All of my friends survived their own Shadows to become what they are today. No one ever mentioned what it had been like for the previous generations of Persona users. Chosen by gods or not.

[Had Izanami and Ameno-sagiri really gone that easy on them? It makes him wonder just what else he didn't know about the power he was chosen to wield.]

We didn't have it easy, but I'm not discounting what happened with you and your team, either.

[ ... His expression becomes slightly wry. He's used to pain, so used to it, and he can't help but just sort of silently snort at Yu's apology. Not because he doesn't... believe it, per se; no, it's because he's just bad at this sort of thing and he... honestly doesn't think any amount of 'sorry' in the world would ever fix it. ]

Somehow? I'm not surprised you weren't told about it. We didn't go broadcasting the existence of all of this, after all.

[ He falls to silence for about thirty seconds or so before he just--sort of sighs, placing his hands in his pockets. ]

... I won't sugarcoat it. You probably don't understand people like us. You've been fairly well-off, right? No one should have to take the lives of others is your viewpoint, after all. If only it was that simple...

[ He glances away. The atmosphere might be cheery, but he has to be honest with Yu, somehow. It's... only fair, right? ]

We... can't hate the Shadows. They're hurting people, but are we any different? They're just doing that to survive. ... Like us. Besides, how could we... when they're... basically part of us?

[ He brushes the back of the collar around his neck, knowing about the cross-shaped scar there, reliving the memories out of habit. ]

I don't have any problem killing people, when it comes to doing what I need to do for them. I don't have any problem dying. Maybe that's because of Thanatos, or something. Funny thing is, he's always been that way. Murderous as hell. More like some sort of rampaging, thoughtless monster than a Persona. I don't think I can count the number of times our Personas have tried to kill us all. We just accept death.

[Maybe it won't, but he can at least apologize for jumping the gun before. He isn't the type to be swayed by hollow rumors much, especially after finding the truth of how and why he received this power to begin with.]

No, I don't understand. Especially the part of needing to murder others to survive.

[His voice remains calm, though there is confusion lying deep underneath his tone. Unless it was part of the experiments, though he would probably never understand either way. Especially when he can recall the words of the foolish goddess who didn't trust her lover...]

The hidden, sometimes darker side of the human mind... [He knows that much from seeing it firsthand what his friends had hidden, what society thought of them, and what Igor explained.]

You know the myth of the two gods who created Japan, right?

[ ... Maybe it's hard to understand. But that's just what they had to do. Some people were better off not being in this world, anyway.

People who'd hurt others. ]

... Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, right?

[ Yeah, he knows it. ]

I'm guessing your Persona is based off the former.

[He could probably understand that, probably, if it wouldn't have made them any better than the stupid biker gangs and thugs that hung out around both Inaba and Tokyo at times. They only led the police right to them instead like good citizens.

He nods.]

Life and death. We're as different as night and day. Where you took- [he doesn't fully buy it, sorry.] -I had to save.

[Their deaths - over and over - until he got it right. Until he found the right pattern, found their way through the dense fog. Over and over, and no one else remembers the few times he failed.]

If you have no problems killing, then wouldn't it be logical to assume mine is because of Izanagi?

[ Pfff, that is only showing how different and skewed Minato's morals are in comparison. ]

... Oh, that's funny. An hilariously apt analogy. Death is important, though... frankly, we find it strange you people don't embrace it, but I guess that explains why.

[ He can't help it--there's something of a rather twisted smile here. Nothing like Adachi's smile of reasonless murder, of course, but still twisted nonetheless in that it's... almost similar. Almost. The difference here is the gray eyes that... seem to almost be a light blue. ]

One's viewpoint on being saved is relative, isn't it? Sometimes, death can be a release from suffering, or it can save others more pain.

... Besides, everyone dies, like I've said. We're just speeding the process up. And people ask us to get rid of these people. You should have seen the site... you wouldn't believe how many people would try to get others killed. Highschool students, like you or me, no less. Scary, how people are so disconnected from what their actions do... isn't it?

[ It's odd, how skewed his morals are. Honestly, you can almost see that hint of weirdness behind his expression. It's funny how taken they are with death. ]

... Not that I'm excusing it. I know I'm not the nicest person. But business is business. You might be able to work, but we can't.

[He shakes his head, keeping a straight face. Really, Tsunato? Really? Do we have to start back at square one?]

I never said it wasn't. Though, when the dead are found suspended upside down... people tend to go crazy from the sight.

[Logic. He sometimes has it. His steel-grey eyes never leave Minato's, trying not to focus on the twisted look of his smile. The eyes were the windows to the soul, after all.]

Unfortunately, yes. I do know. ['It's the world that really kills them, isn't it?'] Most of what happened to my team happened because of one person disconnecting from reality. What my team- my friends faced was death for entertainment, and that's something I can't get behind no matter what.

[He has the strangest feeling that he should never let them and Adachi be in the same room. Ever.]

Life and death go hand-in-hand; it doesn't frighten me.

[Being absolutely helpless does.]

[ He scoffs lightly, though the sort of odd look in his own gray eyes does not leave in its entirety.

... You can see death itself peering out of his own eyes back at yours, Yu. Gray to slate blue. (It's no wonder his arcana is most certainly DEATH.)

He cannot help but be amused, in the worst way. ]

Those people... don't know how to embrace that, then.

[ It's an odd thing to say. "Embrace your death." But it's what they did to live, and literally do not know any other way TO live. ]

... But it does sound to me like whoever did that needs better hobbies. I don't know, if you're killing people for entertainment, something tells me you don't value life much.

[ Which, for all his talk... he DOES. ]

Sounds like someone I know.

[He doesn't glance away from death, sensing it but just as 'fearful' as he was of Izanami's true self. Maybe it was because of that, of seeing the goddess of death herself and being touched by her that he's able to stand it. Or, maybe it has something to do with the Death arcana he has access to.

The amusement does not go unnoticed, either. He knows it may be because he's faced it many times, seen much worse, but for those who are not familiar with death and loss, it is something that can freak them out.]

They never had to. [He admits with a sigh, doing his best to keep his patience.] For all their complaining, they never had to see the darker sides to themselves.

[...Until December, when everyone began to lost it as they prepared to face the murderer.]

They most likely won't get the chance. By the time I arrived here, he was waiting his sentencing.

[For all his talk in cherishing life, there seems to be a dead note in his voice- one of broken trust and of disappointment in this unnamed murderer's actions. Though, maybe that's because he could have ended up the same way.]

I'm almost afraid to ask.

[ Minato just... is so amused.

The amusement does not leave. ]

... So what, you just turned the person in? We would have gotten revenge, but I guess that's just... how we do things. Eye for an eye, a life for a life. But no, you don't really want to know in full, he's a creep.

[ He is quiet for a moment, though. Takaya. ]

You've met Ken. Have you spoken with him...? Because he was nearly killed by a... 'friend' of mine. No--a former friend. He... helped me a long time ago. Used to be part of our group... brought us out of the darkness we couldn't escape, and helped us literally get the hell out of that facility, when we couldn't take it anymore. I think... he was never quite the same after that.

His eyes were gold... it was creepy. He had eyes that could read your soul... well. They remind me of him. Was he a manipulative asshole, too? Because there really just aren't ENOUGH of those in the world...

[ He's being sarcastic, and highly so. ]

Yes. [He doesn't hesitate in that answer, shaking his head. True, he probably wouldn't have minded at the time, but now? It's obvious by his expression that he's glad they hadn't finished him off.] My uncle's a detective. If we had wanted revenge - gone through with it - we would have been found out quickly.

[Kiiind of explains some of his black-and-white with a thin piece of grey viewpoint, doesn't it? He listens though, nodding in response. He has spoken with Ken. The news that he was nearly killed causes him to pause, however.]

...Gold eyes, huh. [heh] Sounds like every single Shadow self I've ever seen. And yes, he was. Though, he did steer us in the right direction after all was said and done.

[He owes Adachi that much, even if after that point it was only confirmation of what they'd guessed as a group.] In the end, we found out the hard way that he was manipulated just as much as the rest of those "invited" to take part.

[The sarcasm bug is contagious.]

Truthfully, I've... always actually felt, though, that lives shouldn't be toyed with. Innocents getting hurt, too. But--

[ Pause. Here, he waves a hand. ]

--You know, sometimes it's inevitable. I'm just saying, if he messed with my team, he wouldn't keep breathing. ... That, or I'd beat the ever-loving shit out of him.

[ Vulgar? Yes. But true. ] ... ESPECIALLY if they were hurt.

You say Shadow Selves... what do you mean, anyway? I mean, technically our Personas are Shadows... it's why we have to take Suppressors for them.

Well, we certainly did the latter.

[Even after... learning who his Persona was. Yeah, that is one fact that he won't be mentioning ~~until their Social Link is higher~~ just yet.]

Where we fought Shadows, part of the victims who were 'thrown in' would manifest themselves into copies of the others - their own inner Shadows. My 'chosen role' was to help them tame it and awaken their Persona ability.

[Screw you, Persona's zombie-wife. Screw you.

Edited 2012-04-06 09:44 (UTC)

...

[ He looks quiet and thoughtful, for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, he says this out of the blue: ]

You know... seems to me like you're really black and white, Narukami. If it's one thing Jin and the others have taught me, it's that you ought to take advantage of things. Live a little! Breaking the law isn't always bad, you know. With such black and white morals like that, you'll never find anything FUN to do.

[ Like, say... sneaking into concerts and stealing free swag. Here, he settles on a smile. ]

[...Okay, that earns a raised eyebrow. Really, dude?]

Yet I broke it every time we went to enter the other world... [Because carrying a two-handed sword concealed in your uniform is PERFECTLY LEGAL IN JAPAN.] You should meet Ai. She always was trying to get me to break the rules, too.

[Only worked once. He smirks a bit. Also, what is sneaking into concerts when your friend and possible girlfriend can get you a backstage pass for free?]

... I think you're being too literal again. You know, I mean something fun.

[ He waves a hand slightly, like, "that's small-time." ]

Haven't you ever... just taken what you wanted, or been wherever you wanted to go without anyone supervising you? I mean, your uncle can't be there ALL the time, can he?

[ He pauses to consider. ... Yes, Jin is an AWFUL influence on him. ]

... Guess we're lucky like that. We don't have parents or family, but that means no one can hold us back.

...There was the club that one time-

[They don't even have to be there in person for him to imagine the chorus of "NO" in his head. Way to make an impression, Team.]

I had a younger cousin to take care of. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have exposed her to the rare, seedy side of life.

["Big bro" is clearly the best influence. He even smiles at the memories of just spending time with his friends and extended family.]

Sounds a little lonely to me, not having relatives to lean on.

[Says the one who was shipped off to all his relatives ever.]

...

[ He won't let up the tough guy act, but the look in his eyes says it's horribly lonely. ]

We have each other, so it isn't as though we're totally alone. ... But I guess I know what you mean. I have to take care of Ken and Koromaru and the others, but we do things together, and I don't think they really... care what we do.

[ Their life is 'seedy' enough- ]

Chidori and I end up being the responsible ones, actually, since I don't think Jin would eat if we didn't... pull him away.

[ Pause. ] ... And I guess sometimes I might forget to sleep, but we don't really have curfews or anything. We don't go to school, either... it sounds boring.

Ken does, though.

[And because of his incredibly high Understanding, he sees that before glancing away to seeing his own friend chatting away in the crowd. Now that most of them were here, they were in a similar situation. Similar, but not quite. It's odd how changing locations against your own will can also change your perspective.

The lack of sleep and their group's issues, however, bring his attention back full circle. heh. It's kind of interesting, at least to him.]

It can be at times, but there are other instances where it isn't so bad. Like when you go on trips, and sometimes a few small things like making friends or just a few moments make it worthwhile.

Could forget about the camping trip, though.

[Yes, yes that was a barely-repressed shudder.]

[ A small noise of amusement. ]

That bad...? We're more city people, always have been, though I've been to plenty of places. I mean, we've traveled a lot, but rural areas aren't... very good to stay in for... business.

[ Especially when jobs generally took them to cities... or to politicians, even. ]

So what's the deal with the TV world? Doesn't sound anything like the Dark Hour.

I couldn't take my team anywhere without something happening when it wasn't solving the murder cases. Even class trips.

[Not that it was anything bad; it was just hilarity. Especially since he was... admittedly just as bad at times. He smirks faintly, then shakes his head. Oh boy... How does he even begin?]

...It's the sea of the unconscious thoughts of man, only open to those who can "open the door" for themselves and others. Those who were thrown in would subconsciously create their own realities based on what they were hiding or what society thought of them, and because of it, we'd see their other selves go haywire on the TV screens on rainy nights- otherwise known as the Midnight Channel.

Not that anyone actually believed us if we tried telling them what was really going on. [Uncle... >:]

[ ... Mmm, he's not surprised somehow. ]

... So what, you guys became Junior Detectives?

[ ALL the vague amusement. ]

The Dark Hour's kind of like that too. People stay shut up in their little coffins, nice and safe, blissfully unaware the entire time that their world has turned into blood-filled streets. It then it wipes all evidence of its own existence away unless you have a Persona or are prey for the Shadows until the next day.

[ ... Said like a true criminal oops-- ]

Not exactly conductive to figuring things out. Probably for the better you guys were dealing with something different--I imagine if it had been otherwise, you wouldn't have had a lot of luck.

Though I can't say I've ever heard of people dealing with copies of themselves or anything on our end. I admit I'm surprised you guys don't need Evokers, though. I mean, I know someone who didn't, but...

More like "we had one join our ranks and the police were in over their heads."

[So yes, in reality they were just another gang... that actually did good instead of disrupt the peace unless you count the fact that their actions actually made it worse at the same time. By the way? He caught the way that was worded, but only because of who the true culprit had been. ... His gaze hardens briefly. This kind of information exchange reminded him a lot of the Reverse of his own Arcana.]

Circumstances change in time, even when history repeats.

[Which is what he'd learned from others, or it was at least hinted to him by another...]

They were a "little" over the deep end?

... There's very few things the law is equipped to handle when it comes to Shadows and Personas, unfortunately. I think even if they knew, they're just normal people. They don't have the ability to fight Shadows, you know? It's probably better that way, keeping normal people... uninvolved. I mean, I can't imagine the chaos if the Dark Hour was found out about.

[ Oh, he spots it--that hardened gaze. He takes an almost macabre pride in it. If only to keep from looking as fragile and concerned over the things as he truly is. ]

... More than a little. ... Ever heard of the phrase "honor among thieves"?

welp, late but needed to be said.

pitiedthefool - 2012-05-04 21:21 (UTC) - Expand

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❝friendship affirmation party❞

story tl;dr incoming : |b

oh dear. :|b

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welp, late but needed to be said.