towerofanimus | 1st Investigation

Entry tags:

1st Investigation

Characters: Naoto Shirogane and you
Setting: Room 2-03 & various floors of the tower. Please specify which floor in your tag!
Format: Starting with action tags, but I'll be happy to prose it up with you if you if that's what you prefer!
Summary: Naoto is back in the tower and has feels. Most of them are on the unpleasant side.
Warnings: None.

> Room 2-03

[Naoto never thought that she would find sleep paralysis comforting, but that seems to have changed. After spending time in a wasteland, surrounded by dilapidated ruins that she once called home, never knowing what to expect it was... nice knowing exactly where she was and what was happening. She knew it was foolish to feel as such -- she would not consider the tower to be a "better situation" -- but seeing Inaba like that, being so completely and utterly alone was something she never wanted to experience again.

Once the paralysis wore off she wasted no time checking the trunk by her bed, rifling through her possessions to see what was there, finding her clothes and getting dressed. Time to see what's been going on in the tower in her absence.]

> Exploring the tower.

[Interesting. The tower seems to have expanded considerably while she was gone. TIME TO INVESTIGATE.

Approach?]

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[A lot of Rose's time here so far had been spent pondering over the books and libraries here. It was quite frustrating, trying to find answers and being stopped every step of the way. She was beginning to suspect everything in the libraries here had been censored heavily and that she would find no such things about the tower here. If so then she supposed there was nothing she could do about that... except keep learning about what was provided.

Which wasn't much but it was something. And so Rose is seated in a comfortable chair, flipping through a very large and very old looking book, frowning.]

[Finally she was getting to floors she recognized. She spent a good deal of time on this floor scouring the shelves and pouring through books in her search for answers. The book Rose had was one she had not come across yet and well, Naoto was nothing if not curious.]

I take it your research is not going quite as well as you've hoped? [If the frown was any indication, anyway.]

[Patrolling has become more of a chore the last few days, especially after meeting Chie again. It has left Kanji confused about how everything works around here. Does it mean he himself was here before? Why didn't Chie remember her stay in the tower? The whole place was already a gigantic mystery but this just made it worse....

He didn't want to admit it but at first, he almost missed Naoto walking in a corridor the opposite where she was from. It was only when he realized something moving at the corner of his eye did he spot her walk in the opposite direction. For a second, he froze up, unsure what he should do, but instincts quickly took over.]

NAOTO!

[Kanji wasn't really thinking clearly at this point and with his emotional stability tethering on the path of depression, his first reaction upon seeing her, is to run full speed towards her to grab the smaller detective in a hug just to make sure she's really real.

...just give him a few seconds to realize he's hugging her and he's never really done that before.]

[Rose glances up from her reading, both grateful for the distraction and annoyed by it.] Yes, though I can't say this comes as any surprise. I seem to be suffering from nothing but unsuccessful attempts since my arrival a few days ago.

[It was almost funny how certain days he found himself simply going between the cafeteria, the workshop, or one of the libraries in a search to both arm himself once more so he wouldn't have to reveal his power until absolutely necessary while he searched for the truth behind this tower. The routine provided little comfort of course, though it doesn't bother him nearly as much as it probably should. At least, he doesn't show it.

This time he decided to linger in the eighteenth floor, pouring over notes he'd copied down from a file he'd once been sent, along with what he's already witnessed with a not-as-crude-as-the-last-attempt sword beside him. How strange it was, to ignore the silent knockings or the footsteps coming from almost every direction in the low light. Though, he couldn't quite shake off the feeling of being watched as he copied down words like one would think as a report.

Because there had been another reason he'd chosen this floor instead of the usual. Another recent arrival from back home didn't even recall what happened to Nanako, so he was writing down what he remembered from all those months ago. He had to help Chie catch up to them, after all. This floor seemed like the one he'd have less of a likelihood of (actual) people he didn't know running into him as he did so. ...Aside from his dorm, but the same place gets old after a while.

> Dare to notice him, since he's sitting so close to the exit?]

I can certainly understand the frustration. There is a rather distressing lack of information about the tower to be found anywhere and I've been here for... quite some time.

[Kanji was far enough away from her to slip past her notice as she passed him in the hall, but it certainly didn't last long.

She turned around when she heard her name being called, but that was the only thing she had time to do. Before she could so much as say his name he had already dashed towards her and scooped her up in a tight hug.

To say she was taken aback was a bit of an understatement and for a moment she just sort of hung there (because Kanji you are way too tall and when you grab a tiny detective for a hug there's a good chance you're going to literally sweep her off her feet), her brows furrowed tight.

Her breath caught painfully in her chest and she could feel her stomach twisting itself into knots. Kanji was still here. Kanji was still here and he was her friend and thank god he was still alive and it was so... so very comforting to feel the touch of another human being. Naoto could honestly say for the first time in a long time that in this moment she felt safe.

And... and it hurt.

She reacts in kind, wrapping her arms around him as she tries to keep the shake out of her voice.]

It's... it's good to see you again, Kanji-kun.

[Very few people other than the two of them were on this floor and considering that he was seated so close to the exit, well... it was hard not to notice him.

She swallows hard, taken aback by how happy she is to see him. To really see him right there in front of her. To see the face of someone she thought she would never see again.

Naoto approaches him quietly. Carefully. Hesitantly.]

Senpai?

[-the first warning letter arrived. Upon reading it to the team, it was decided that we would not involve the police because it wound hinder our actions fur-

His pen stopped, as he heard footfalls that sounded familiar. Was it merely a trick by the room, or-? No. Atropos would not have suddenly come to the forefront of his mind if that were the case, Izanagi would not have given way so easily. What convinced him even more that he wasn't alone on this floor anymore was her calling out to him. Yu looks up, turning his head to where he heard it.]

Eh?

[...She's there. One of the team members he'd nearly begun to wonder if he'd ever see again, one of his closest friends that he didn't have to withhold information from. There is relief, yes, and a spark of happiness in his eyes as he sees her.

Yu closes his notebook, leaving the pen capped within it before he stands. Helping Chie catch up to the rest of them could wait- something told him that their newest member needed him far more right now.]

Naoto-kun... thank the gods you're alright.

[Because he could not get away with saying only the singular, now after what all they've gone through. They may not be as close as he recalls, but he doesn't mind. Instead he'll just rest a hand on her shoulder. He's there, Naoto- and it is true he is present. It isn't an illusion.]

[It was her.

Not an illusion, not a trick or someone in the tower doing that to him. At once he's both relieved, fearful and angry - he's extremely close to his friends, Naoto especially, and the short time he's been here, he knows all too well how dangerous this place can be...he can get hurt all he damn cares, but he'd willingly give his life for others.

But...even that starts to melt away. Kanji knew Naoto can take care of herself just as well as anyone who's part of the team. He just doesn't want her to...

Finally realizing that he's holding her a little too hard, Kanji gives her some breathing room by releasing his grip around her while still holding on. His heart is beating a mile a minute, as his head continues to spin with a million thoughts crashing at once.

Can he tell her that she's a large reason why been patrolling all the recent nights in the hopes she'd be there? That he was half afraid she wouldn't remember she had been here before? That her tone of voice is making his own shake almost as much?]

I uh...shit.

[He swallowed, hard, and then realized he might have had the sniffles, but both his arms were currently occupied. In a least professional manner he twisted his head just enough to be able to use his elbow before he spoke again.]

...It's good to see you too, Naoto.

[He's here. He's right here in front of her and it takes her breath away. There's so much she wants to say to him. She wants to tell him how much she missed him. She wants to tell him how terrifying it was to walk the broken, empty streets of what was once their home alone and feeling so horrifyingly alone.

But she can't. She cant bring herself to say anything. It's almost like she's afraid that... that he's not real. That she'd start talking and suddenly he'd disappear -- the tower would crumble around her, she'd watch him slowly fade from existence and find herself stumbling through ruins once again. Alone.

Then she feels his hand on her shoulder and something in her breaks. The hesitation in her eyes is replaced by a near desperate sort of pleading as she forces something akin to a smile.Please let this be real. Please don't leave her alone, Senpai. She purses her lips into a thin line, momentarily ducking her head down in an attempt to regain some semblance of composure.

Her head lifts and she raises her eyes to meet his as she fights to keep her voice steady.]

I'm alright now, yes. I'm glad to see you again.

[If he was holding her a bit too tight she didn't notice. Right now all she cares about is Kanji. She was so scared, so completely terrified that she was never going to see him again. That he and the rest of the team -- no, not just a team, her friends -- were dead. That everyone she knew and cared for and loved was gone and left her alone, but here he was.

He was warm and solid and she could smell him. It was almost like she was home again, back before any of this happened. He was familiar, he was someone she knew, he was a friend and he was real.

She wasn't sure what to tell him, if she'd be able to tell him anything at all, but she could figure that out later. It was difficult to think when breathing seemed to be so difficult.

Her heart nearly stops when she feels his grip loosening. All it does is make her hold on to him tighter. She panics, terrified that she was wrong. That his wasn't real. That this feeling was going to fade and she'd find herself grasping at air.]

Please, I --

[Please don't leave her alone. Please tell her that you're real. Please, please, please don't let go.]

[Whenever she wants to say it, he will be here to listen. Maybe not on this floor, maybe not in the areas that are peaceful, but he is not, and never will, leave his team behind if he has any sort of say in the matter.

Because he's seen it all; he has seen what they have hidden. Their fears, the lies they've told one another, the self-deception and doubt, how much suffering they've gone through alone... all of it. Every single time he watched them face themselves, it had been like facing a part of himself as well.

The fear of being alone, of what one hides from yourself, the wish to break from from being 'trapped' in a cycle they've led their entire lives but being too scared to act. To love something and have hobbies that many would look down upon and cover it up, then not knowing who your true self really is- or if there really is one behind the many masks he wore. The want to be accepted for who he is, and only having done so when he first came to town- being seen by others after Igor put the cards on the table before him...

The fear of losing them all over again.

He won't leave her alone, not after what happened back home- but especially after seeing the look in her eyes. It tugs at his heart- something that would have been so easy if it hadn't been for what had happened to him that first day in such a quiet, rural town. If he hadn't been reached out to first...

Screw you, Izanagi, and screw you making up with your zombie wife. You can stop implanting these thoughts in his head at any time, now.

There's a slight hesitation as he considers what to do, because this floor definitely wouldn't help Naoto's mental state at all... If he'd known he'd bump into her, he would have chosen a more kind floor to visit.]

It's good to see you, too.

[...Okay, more than good. Because with the reassurance of another bond still existing, of her still being here... No, he certainly would not lose faith in the others still being where they are supposed to be even if he goes through hell with those present. He nods slightly, smiling even though his eyes shown with empathy. He doesn't know what happened for sure, but from what he heard from Arisato-san and what he saw in her eyes before she glanced down, he can tell. Something was really, truly, hurting her.]

Come on. Let's go to a more visitor-friendly floor.

[His brain still hadn't caught up that he's actually hugging her. Physical contact is still strange to him, and it flares up his feelings about her and (more importantly right now) her emotional state when she doesn't pull back as he expected, but tries to pull in closer. It worries him, but he doesn't protest, and exhales loudly in the hopes of calming his aching heart, and own emotional impact before he just brings her in closer again. The usual triggers he might experience when he's close to her seem to be on standby; there's no nose bleeding, little blushing or awkward stutter...it's all been replaced by a worried mind and a need to protect her at all costs.

Why is she...he wants to ask Naoto if she's alright, but just looking at her like this, it's too obvious she is not, and he doesn't want to make things worse. Even when she admitted she had been scared during the investigation, it merely promoted a small blushing reaction from her as she continued to describe the rest of the kidnapping in perfect detail with a keen mind. This...this reaction was something else entirely.

And deep inside, it promoted a strange change in him. If he'd have to, he'd be her knight in shining armor at this moment. Every moment if need be.

Taking care of others. He could do that. He knew his ma would be proud.

Once, he'd asked the team to stand back and let Naoto face her demons. Now, he knew that Naoto needed him, and he'd be there for her. Later she would return the favor, he was sure of it. The tower might be the last place he wanted both of them to be, but with his friends around, Kanji feels, at least, a little better despite the horror of it all.

And right now, he feels strangely at peace and contempt.]

--It's okay.

[Don't worry. He's not letting go anytime soon.]

[And now there is a blue haired guy who looks like he's dressed in a cross between a school outfit with a skirt-like fabric hanging out, and a visual kei makeup. He is also somehow taller than Kanji.]

Yo! Good to see you around, Minato! Interesting outfit, you could pass off as a detective!

[GDIT Eikichi.]

[Izanami is rarely in this room. It brings up too many uncomfortable feelings, but today is a peaceful and quiet and she is in a good mood. So it's surprising to see Naoto here.]

I had thought you had vanished.

[If this was anyone else she might have been able to keep herself composed, but this was Yu. She didn't know how or why, but being around him made that difficult. She was able to smile with him. Laugh with him. He pushed her to do things she would have otherwise considered meaningless.

The sheer amount of concern in his eyes made her feel pathetic. He was worried, but even now she wasn't quite sure how she should feel about it. She still wasn't used to people worrying about her. At least... she wasn't used to people showing it. With most others it wouldn't matter. She wouldn't have cared, wouldn't have expected anyone else to care, but Yu? He cared. He cared about her -- about what she was thinking, about what happened to her, about her feelings.

The time she had spent away from the tower had made her far more appreciative of that fact, but... it scared her, too. Because what if this wasn't real? What if he wasn't here? What if he stopped caring? What if she was left alone again?

Naoto steels herself and nods. She would never admit to it, but right now she really did need him. She needed a friend. She needed someone to stay with her. Needed someone to simply be there.]

Yes, let's. This library is rather unsettling.

[He's still here. He didn't leave her. He didn't disappear. She's not alone.

Kanji brings her in close and the sharp tension in her shoulders seems to melt away. Her breathing evens out, her heart resumes a steady beat and the tight grip she had on him loosens ever so slightly. Under any other circumstances this would have never happened. Physical contact of nearly any kind was still as strange to her as it was to him, but right now she needed this.

Trust was a difficult thing for her -- it wasn't something she gave out freely. She knew she could depend on the rest of the team -- the rest of her friends -- for just about anything. All she had to do was say the word and they'd be there if she needed them, but this was different. They had all watched her face her demons, but not all of them really understood.

After facing her shadow everyone started treating her a bit differently. The way they spoke, they way the acted around her, the way they looked at her had changed because they knew she was a girl. Yu had difficulties for a little while as well, but she knew now that he didn't worry about her simply because she was a girl. It was because he cared.

The only person who never changed, who never treated her differently for even a second was Kanji. He didn't care what she was. To him she was just Naoto. Not a boy or a girl, just Naoto. If there was anyone here she could trust, if there was anyone here who would understand her whether or not she said anything it was him.]

... Thank you. You have my gratitude.

[Though he may have been less vocal and overt about it than some members of the Investigation Team, Yosuke's certainly been missing Naoto in his own way. As the two that had been there the longest, there was a certain bond he thought they'd begun to form between them - and she'd certainly been a source of strength in his weaker moments]

[So when he sees her once more, he's not sure how to react. Is it her? Is it her doppleganger, Shmaoto Shmirogane? Only one way to find out as he approaches her hesitantly]

Naoto?

[omg wtf who are you

I MEAN.]

I apologize, but I believe you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm detective Naoto Shirogane.

[Why yes, she did include detective for a reason. BECAUSE SHE KIND OF IS ONE.]

[And she's equally surprised to see Izanami here.]

... You assumed correctly. I certainly didn't leave of my own volition.

[this is no Shmaoto Shmirogane, Yosuke. THIS IS THE REAL DEAL.

The relief on her face is palpable as she turns to face Yosuke. She's truly glad to see him and it shows. She can only hope that this is the same Yosuke she was here with.]

Hello again, Senpai.

[The relief on his face is palpable as he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, approaching her much more eagerly now]

Man, you had me worried! Not to mention the others.

No more disappearing acts, alright? My heart can't take it.

[Something in her heart twists at that and the look in her eyes softens a bit. I if she hadn't already run into Kanji and Yu she probably would not have handle this very well. ~~You totes owe them a thank you, Yosuke. Just saying.~~]

I apologize. It certainly was not my intent.

[She hesitates for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. Did she... did she really want to ask him...?]

... How long has it been since you saw me last?

[Man, straight to the shitty questions? Yep, it really must be Naoto. He thinks for a moment, wincing as he realizes the answer. Has it really been that long?]

... close to a month, I think. A few weeks at least. I'm not kidding when I said you really had us worried.

[As long as Kanji would be here, no, she'd never have to be alone. At least that was the promise he made to himself that day.

Even if it was sometimes just standing behind her, congratulating her on a good shot during their numerous battles in the TV World or simply giving her a pat on the shoulder to boost her confidence...it also went for him, really. Seeing Naoto fight for what she believed in and wanted to do, undeterred by the handicaps thrown at her had always made Kanji want to try harder himself, to improve despite his own difficulties. In a way, he realized, her determination was his as well. This was merely giving back all she had given him, even if was probably not realized by either of them. It simply was.

Besides, if he could be of help out once in a while like that, they could at least make it so the tower wasn't completely that bad, right?]

D-don't mention it.

[And now, finally, once the adrenalin rush subsides and he actually realizes he had been touching her for more than a minute, did he quietly start to panic. He felt his face flushing and it was suddenly getting really hot ~~and I didn't mean it that way.~~ Shit shit, what should he do now? Let her go? Keep holding on? Was there a guide to this?

HOW DO I DO THESE THINGS his brain cried out in a quiet panic. All Naoto could see was his lip twitching, if that. Or maybe his reddening face as well.]

[If it had been a few short months ago, he would wonder out of curiosity as well but, oddly enough, he feels as though he understands himself even better with all that's happened since that time. Learning what Izanami did to him, how that little 'push' prompted his soul to open up and reach out to others easier... Some things about how he'd changed in leading them made sense.]

That it is.

[Yu blinks, and the concern dwindled slightly as he turned around to quickly put his things in his bag and nod to her before walking out with his friend. For all he cared, they could just wander the tower aimlessly so long as his company helped her with whatever pain she was feeling. It hurt, seeing her like this- seeing any of his friends like this. And lately, that's all he feels like he's been seeing. In this place, he's felt his faith being tested, and he hasn't given up that spark he'd been given.

Before they leave, however, he gives her an option.

Yu holds out his free hand to her, still wrapped in a bandage from a small burn on his palm, real as ever. Whether she took it or not,he didn't mind. Because he promised himself and his team silently as they said their farewells at the train station: if anything happened, he would come running. Now, he amended that vow to this.]

Where would you like to go? [He would not leave them, no matter how murky the road ahead becomes.]

[HE IS A BEAUTIFUL CREATURE THAT IS MANLY BEYOND COMPARE also he can sense other Persona users isn't that fun.]

Really? Huh. Could've passed off as his twin.

[Speaking of which, he tilts his head at her slightly. One of Eikichi's talents is detecting when people are lying, but this guy seems to be telling the truth.]

That mean you're new then, Naoto baby? [Don't mind Eikichi...he calls everyone. Baby.] And you're one of us too...

I might have known it to be the case. [She closes the book and rests it on her knees.] That would be much too easy if it weren't the case, after all.

Though I suppose it is still possible that there is information here somewhere that's hidden very well, but I'm not going to bet on it.

[Oh. Oh she noticed.

She noticed, but even in this state she was still rather dense when it came to emotions and feelings. Ones that were being directed at her, anyway. If she was observing this, if the person in Kanji's arms was not her, she'd be able to tell, but that was not the case.

He was just acting strange again. He had always been a little odd. Not that she minded.

She pulls away enough to look up at him in concern.]

... Are you alright?

Please refrain from addressing me by foolish terms of endearments such as that.

[Don't mind Naoto, she's just a stick in the mud. :|]

I beg your pardon? "One of us"? What do you mean by that, exactly?

[A month? She was in that wasteland for an entire -- ]

I... I'm sorry, truly. I did not leave of my own volition.

[ >Yu is offering you his hand. Will you take it?

> Yes
> No

> Yes

Part of her isn't quite sure why she's doing this, why she's just agreed to walk hand in hand with him. The rest of her doesn't question, only accepts, because she needs this. Physical contact was still so foreign to her, but after what she had been through it was a comfort to have this assurance. To know that she was with another human being.]

The media room, perhaps?

[It was definitely one of the more cheerful floors and if anything it would provide mindless distraction.]

[He sighs, unable to come up with much else to do]

It's alright. It's not like we ever thought it was. Vanishing for a month and ditching her friends in a hellish tower doesn't exactly sound like something you'd do.

Sounds good. [She could probably use the distraction right now, and even though his eye twitches slightly when Naoto takes his hand... Yu doesn't mind. He doesn't mind because it's a real reaction that she can see and feel; feel the warmth of his hands, the cloth of the wrapping around where the burn is even if it's slightly painful to him. He's had worse injuries from being inside the TV, after all.

The bottom line was he was indeed here. This was real and she didn't have to worry about him disappearing in a whirl of smoke. Because her senpai and friend was here, gently leading her along to the staircase again while holding her hand, trying to assure her in his usual silence that he is present and sound of mind. It's what she needs, and he's here to listen if she wants to talk.

Yu spared a kind, very small smile. Wherever she was for this amount of time... she'd been alone, right? ... He knew what that pain was like, even though he learned it by different means.]

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1st Investigation

first block; floor 19

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Somewhere inside the tower. IT IS A MYSTERY.

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first block; floor 18

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NAOTO'S ON THE CASE!!

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A CASE OF ALL THE FEELS AND ALL THE ICONS

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Meadow!

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Floor... idk we'll name it later

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:|b

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