towerofanimus | Infighting Week Two

[Jun felt sick, he hadn't eaten, he was tired and his head was still spinning being in an area of proper spatial orientation and construction. To be honest, he had hardly listened to what was going on with the announcement, only that the pod that he was in was apparently doing really badly with the challenges-- and Jason's pod had gotten more points.

Compared to the situation at hand, his own condition was negligible; he glanced around at the others, people he was unable to help while he was sitting uselessly in Riki's pod because he felt too sick to do anything.

He had noticed Yu in passing before; saw his reaction to Arthur's death, and had noted passively before of other Personas. But now, in the part of his soul where there should have been company, there was none-- a sensation Jun was all too familiar with, even if it had only been for a short amount of time.

He had no idea what to do, admittedly. He hardly knew this guy but... maybe it was because of Maya, but he felt like he wanted to at least do something. So once he was firmly oriented and minimally dizzy, he slowly approached.]

Please... don't.... [Honestly though, he had no idea what to say.] Don't do this to yourself...

[He wasn't the only one who felt sick, but in Jun's case... at least it wasn't because of being forced to have some sort of surgical waste in the food and water supply. If there was anything left in his system, he more than likely would have been physically ill at those words.

But he didn't, and yet their pod still earned points in this week's "challenges." If anything, the fear that this could very well become more of a constant for the others, even if it wasn't as severe, made it all worse.

He didn't have that sort of Persona sensing ability like some of the others, or maybe he was just ignorant and his own Personae trolls. Had no clue about the other Persona user aside from maybe a brief mention by Eikichi in passing or Tatsuya in the meeting, so when he hears a voice that doesn't belong to them or murderous Personae, he blinks in surprise.

Truth be told, he was always the one to internalize his pain. Who didn't let anyone see even a glimpse of it, but this was a bit much. So to have someone call him out on what he did surprised him a little, even as he knelt there.]

Why shouldn't I? [Yu. Yu, no. Don't think like that--] It's partly my fault... [And now Yosuke was in danger, not to mention so many others who were far better off than those in the same pod he was--as disgusting as that thought may be. However, he seems to realize himself soon after and stops himself from continuing that train of thought.]

...Gomen. I'm not... usually like this. [He looks up, and sees that look...] Are you alright?

[What is putting your own well being over others'?]

...It's not your fault.

[You could try to put his well-being above your own, Yu, but as far as Jun knew, you two were simply strangers. Yu didn't have any reason to worry about him, and that was that. Nevertheless, he avoided eye contact and stared at the ground to try and keep his head from whirling, and he did his best to keep his voice calm while completely ignoring Yu's question.]

You didn't mean any ill will... your only desire was to help, no matter how twisted anyone else thinks you are. [He'd been in a similar situation on his own, though it had never gotten this bad.]

So please don't blame yourself for this. It's what they want you to do.

[That may be... but that never stopped him before. Noting the ignoring of his own question--something that almost always negated his own pain--he at least begins to straighten slightly. If anything, that skimming over the question was far more than telling... as were the words used.

'Desire'... That earned a vaguely distraught chuckle.]

If you knew the truth of what one single desire did in my world... [There was a reason there had been three of them, and why Emptiness was the strongest on his own. How it took all of them to lift the veil... Whether his intentions were good, it doesn't excuse murder. And now more were going to die because he'd succeeded in a twisted sense.] All it takes is one little push.

[None of this is right. He was supposed to keep others from dying... not seal their fates. Yet if he gave in now... that would just spit in everyone's faces now, wouldn't it?]

I know I can't blame myself, but this... [Yu sighs, then gazes toward the platform. ... He should probably stop that train of thought, before he ends up losing all sense of self because of it coming to fruition.] This is the first time I've never known what to do.

A single desire can lead the way to prosperity or destruction. Desire in itself... isn't bad. It's only through desire that people can hope to bring change.

[He looked up slightly, enough so that Yu could at least see his face, though the movement was slow so he didn't make himself dizzy.]

There were a lot of times when I didn't know what to do-- and made the wrong decision. I still don't know if anything I chose was right, but.... [His frown deepened. Augh, this wasn't helping at all was it--] But... my friends never gave up. I know it's hard to keep fighting...

-sometimes that's all we can ever do.

[It's admitted under his breath, but he understood what Jun was trying to say. After all, hadn't he once tried to give up before under a Curse only to hear their voices call out for him? True, he wasn't face down yet (he'd be damned if he ever was again), and he still had two good legs...]

... You're right.

[That was more than what his friends could say. If nothing else, he had to stand tall for them. Powerless, weakened, and alive. Shakily, he begins to place more weight on his feet, getting up. AS he did so, he couldn't help but ask:]

You're one of Michel's friends, right? [He chuckles weakly.] If you see him before I do, tell him he could use a few vocal lessons.

[He's partly kidding, partly serious, and overall just trying to distract from the hell they're both feeling.]

[After a moment of hesitation, he gave an ever so slight nod. In the end, that's all they had kept doing until the very end. Just kept fighting, even when everything was gone or forgotten.

He watched Yu stand up and half thought to hold his hand out to help him up. He stopped midway however, his hand hovering for a moment before he returned it to his side.]

Yeah. [He said with a nod, and half a chuckle.] We'd try to tell him, but he'd never listen to us.

[Yu nods back, allowing a faint smirk to cross his lips; however weak it was. He's tired, and until they sealed their powers on the way here, he couldn't get much rest with their voices assaulting him. Yet he stood still, worried for this stranger now. After all...

Wasn't he in one of the "teams" that had to vote people off this week?]

Think he'll listen to a trumpeter? [Yes, he made a pun... somewhere.] Because he's pretty good with drums, too.

[Luckily for Yu, Jun was actually pretty nerdy enough to understand that pun, and gave another small laugh. Goddamn. At least it's distracting him from how sick he felt.]

You can try, but I don't think he'd like being a drummer much anyway. He's always talking about how he needs to be center stage. He's... kind of an attention hog.

[But he's smiling about it, so he surprisingly doesn't find it that annoying. When you were vaguely paranoid about a city of people judging you, it was pretty nice having someone that was loud enough to make them all look at him instead.]

[Aw yeah, he's on a roll~]

I figured as much. He's just that kind of a guy.

[Yu doesn't seem to mind either, but that's mainly because he would rather see everyone be themselves and live their lives to their fullest. Whether they were narcissistic or otherwise.]

He's plenty nice, once you get used to him. Our school had a bad reputation as a school for delinquents, but you wouldn't find a hint of graffiti or even trash there thanks to him.

[Hm, funny. The last time he really thought about that, there was much more annoyance behind the actions of Captain Death.]

As long as you're not an actual herald of doom, we should be fine. [Neeeerd aleeeeeert]

It's almost funny how appearances can be so deceiving at times... Good to know, though.

[Oh, he knows. The reactions he saw before he heard the voices mentioning the new Social Link had been enough of a hint.]

I'm not. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm actually a 'representative of hope.' [You do not want to know how much he's chuckling at that neeeeeeeeeerd moment.]

[He would welcome the chuckling, because there's no way Eikichi or Tatsuya would understand these jokes.]

Trust me, I'm not disappointed. Hope is something that people everywhere need, especially around here. [Said with a surprisingly warm smile given the conversation up to this point. If he wasn't able to do it, he was glad someone out there might be able to.]

Never lose hold of your own.

[What a shame, man. They have no idea what they're missing.]

Then maybe that's why... [There seems to be a faint light in his cold grey eyes, almost dead otherwise. Izanagi isn't there anymore, but it's almost like he can hear his voice... He'll probably be calling him an idiot in his own way by the time his powers return, but the knowledge that he has to keep standing and fight in whatever way he can...]

Even if I do, it'll just come back for what was stolen. [The movie was probably after Jun's time, so he wouldn't get the reference... but that kind of lesson was obvious.]

You don't lose sight of yours either, alright? [He smirks] Or I'll have to remind you, too.

Why what...?

[He got kind of sidetracked by Yu's own run-off sentence there, but even if he didn't understand it, the sentiment was loud and clear.]

I... I won't. [Or at least, he would try as hard as he could. After all that work, he owed the others that much, right?] And I'll remind you if you lose yours. Alright?

[Yu shakes his head.] Nothing, just thinking. [Which is... a lot more than he was doing for a few days. Kudos, man.]

Alright. [He smirks, just a little bit.] Yu Narukami. ...When we both get out of here, let's try to meet back in the tower.

[Because it's a whole lot better than this crap...]

Jun Kurosu. Pleasure to meet you, despite the circumstances.

[>It seems Jun still feels a bit ill...
>But despite that he's smiling broadly...
>You feel a faint bond forming between you and Jun...

Thou art I... And I am thou...
Thou hast established a new bond...

It brings thee closer to the truth...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fortune Arcana...

>You have established the Jun Kurosu social link of the Fortune Arcana!

>You may earn an EXP bonus when fusing Personas of the Fortune Arcana!
>............
>Or at least you would if you could fuse Personas here...]

I'll see you there, OK?

It's a promise, Kurosu-san.

[> You begin to miss Igor and his... eccentric behavior even more.]

Infighting Week Two

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i can't do fake screenshots, but i can at least be super hammy

hey, it still wins, either way. :3