1st

[lilies_jail]

Characters: Eriko and open.
Setting: Mess hall.
Format: Whichever, as long as it's in English.
Summary: A new arrival, Eriko makes her way to her first meal.
Warnings: Copious use of ENGLISH. Other than that, will update if things get weird.


[Eriko had to admit, it was a shock to awaken to sleep paralysis. Were the rumors true that when you awoke to sleep paralysis, it was an omen? Apparently do - while she may have no necessarily been possessed, awakening to the strange tower was certainly an experience not quite unlike when Mikage-cho was overrun with demonic entities. The only difference was that nothing in this tower seemed familiar.]

Michael, thank you for calming me down.

[If one could see closely enough, across the table where Eriko sat was the Persona she evoked, watching over her, whispering condolences to her. It was one of the reasons Eriko wasn't too worried when she couldn't move. Plus, the note she found shortly after didn't help matters. Why now, after she promised to become a woman among women who he wouldn't recognize?]

The least they could do was spice this up with some Godiva chocolate.

[Still, now that the calm had settled in, Eriko had to admit to herself - this was also somehow exciting]

Comments

[imperialsun]

[After he had left the pimp room 4th floor after his less-than-remarkable exit Naoya had wandered in the lower halls first in the library for a few minutes, thinking about the possibilities of if HE met his own female self. That, and how much Brown would be dead in that universe, considering how he was.

Poor Brown.

It was halfway into opening yet another book on programming that Amon-Ra's voice became urgent and insistent that he go to the cafeteria, and he closed it, before walking to the lower levels, expecting to find (yet again) another new Persona user.

He just didn't expect...his eyes grew wide once he had a clear view of her. Even from behind, Eriko's hair was easy to distinguish and if it had not been, Michel sitting from the other side looking at him was.]

...

[For one of those rare times in his life, Naoya was speechless.]

[lilies_jail]

[Though Elly didn't have eyes on the back of her head, Michael was very well aware of the advent of Naoya and Amon-Ra. Turning its head, Elly's gaze followed as her face brightened ever so slightly that he was present]

Well, this is a pleasant surprise.

[It was a sigh of relief - on the other hand, Elly wished that she was a bit more presentable. If she was going to be a woman he didn't recognize, she had hoped because she'd become even more magnificent - not wearing this standard-issue thing. Getting up, Elly made her way to Naoya before politely bowing, cordially.]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who made it - however, I'm certain that nothing would ever be able to bring you of all people down.

[imperialsun]

[He idly scratch the back of his neck before doing a proper bow back as well, grinning. First Mark and now Elly...despite the horrors that the tower presented here, there was a part of him that was growing stronger by the presence of his friends.]

I've been here for two months, actually. But I'm sure we'll all end up here one day.

[Spoken like usual - with a tone that seems to imply that he knows they will.]

I have a feeling you'll like it here...but it's very dangerous. And there's a lot to tell...

[lilies_jail]

Months? I just saw you earlier today?

[contemplating this, Eriko comes to a conclusion shortly after]

Perhaps what brought us here has a twisted sense of time? Tell me, Naoya, what was your last memory before you came here?

[of course, that's not the most important part. Eriko knows this, and also nods in response to the idea that this tower was dangerous. If Naoya had been here longer, he would know the dangers. Just like before, Eriko would defer to his leadership]

[imperialsun]

Time does indeed flow differently here.

[You're always pretty good to catch on fast, Eriko.]

It was three months after I left abroad for the United States to study after graduation. What about you?

[lilies_jail]

Really? Graduation had just occurred before I had arrived here. So you're basically from my future!

America's a lovely place - I'm sorry your trip was cut short by such a spectacle.

[it is indeed a shame - if anything, Eriko would go out of her way to try to teach Naoya more English. Not that he needed much help, probably, but Eriko was just happy to see him again. Perhaps he remembered the promise she made. She'd have to work twice and hard to fulfill it now.]

Anyway, about the dangers of this tower - I assume they're not at all like the three towers we scaled earlier on in our adventure?

[imperialsun]

It was enjoyable from what I saw, yes. They gave me the nickname Neo...

[He laughs, saying the name with a very very obvious accent, although now it's time to get a bit more serious. He finally takes a seat, on a side of the table between her and Michael]

It's run like a science experiment. Take your favorite horror novel and make it much worse and that's a good idea of what you can expect.

However...we aren't alone. Far from it. There are many powerful warriors here, but also a lot of Persona users. We're actually the oldest group. There's Tatsuya's which comes from 1999...they traveled around with Yukino for a while too...Minato and Minako's groups which are from 2009, and Yu's group from 2012. The last two didn't get their Persona from playing the Persona game, but use different methods of summoning.

[lilies_jail]

Goodness, Philemon must have been busy! It makes me wonder if there were any Persona users prior to us at some point. It's amazing to think that the gift of Persona will be used over and over again in the future for mankind to use in their battles.

[it's a bit of an odd, nostalgic feeling. Backwards nostalgia? Something like that. Eriko sits down and well, taking in this information]

So, "Neo", this science experiment - I assume it has to do with these collars?

[Eriko was made aware of the blue collar around her neck. Talk about fashion-don'ts.]

[imperialsun]

Philemon is in the tower actually. As is Nyarlathotep.

[Look he's not even flinching at the fact he's there.]

However, Philemon is not directly involved in the later groups. Moreover, I learned from Tatsuya that the both had entered a bet together to see how humanity would evolve. It would...certainly explain a lot of things. [Kandori for one.] And yes, it does actually, although we aren't sure why. We think there's a key to their meaning, based on the colors.

[He spares a small thought to Yu at that second - at this rate he wouldn't return in thirty minutes as he had thought...hopefully that wouldn't be a problem.]

Removing them leads to death...although even that is not permanent here. You are revived in your room. I haven't experienced this yet, but I have heard it is quite surreal.

[Don't try it. :|]

[lilies_jail]

Nyarlathotep - Kandori's Persona. I had no idea that such a sinister presence, the Crawling Chaos, had such a major deal going on.

[back then, Eriko assumed it was simply a Reverse Persona like the others - apparently, this was not so. Moreover, the notion that their fight was over a bet was... something that was a bit difficult to wrap her mind around. She wasn't certain whether to punch Philemon in the face or thank him - both had their merits]

Goodness, immortality seems to be such a bother - Revival Beads weren't the most convenient thing, but it was a nice pick-me-up when it was necessary.

[No, she wasn't thinking about dying to try it out :| ... though, now you got me thinking...]

I'm sorry, were you in the middle of something, Naoya?

[she can tell that something else seems to be on his mind]

I hope I'm not inconveniencing you.

[she's not saying it to be passive-aggressive. she's saying it because she's genuinely concerned if he has something else to take care of]

[imperialsun]

[Believe him when Naoya had the same thoughts regarding the butterfly spirit...and then later learned Tatsuya had gone with the first option. He then shakes his head.]

Oh no, nothing of the sort. I was in the middle of a conversation with another Persona team leader - Yu before coming here. He's uh...another of himself showed up in the tower. Imagine if another Eriko appeared and she was male...I left for them to talk with each other.

[He was really bad at exists and lying about it too.]

Then I wondered how it would be to meet another of myself but female...and how dead the Brown of that universe must be.

[He's smiling a little because...well...Brown...]

[lilies_jail]

Goodness, I never met a Doppelganger of my own before! I think it'd be exciting!

[Eriko claps her hands together excitingly]

Yes, a woman version of Brown is a bit of a mind twister, though a female version of you? I don't think she'd be entirely unlike Yukino - you're both very reliable and tend to draw people to you.

[imperialsun]

[He smiles at that. Trust Eriko to make the most out of any situation. It was a welcome change from some of the guy's, truthfully.]

...which means that Brown of that world would never stand a chance. The minute he'd try anything he'd probably end up with a lump on his head.

[lilies_jail]

... you make a very good point.

[Eriko wonders how she may have had a different relationship with a different Naoya, a female one. Well, deliberating on that would be a waste of time, given that it could have ended up any which way. Eriko would like to believe that she would have still gotten along with her, though.]

Though he does talk big game, Brown isn't a bad person - I mean, even during our adventure, he never made any horridly distasteful advances on me.

On another subject, though - we appear to have the same collar color. I assume that we may be seeing a lot of each other, then?

[She knows that they would, anyway, but hearing a vocal confirmation would set her heart seccretly aflutter.]

I'd definitely love a guided tour of the tower from you once I've settled down.