☆ 001 : DEBUT ☆ "Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today."

[idol_support]

Characters: Rise (idol_support) and YOU! :D
Setting: Starting in Room 2-01, then WHEREVER SHE HAS TO GO TO FIND HER FRIENDS, K (i.e. feel free to choose if you'd like!); morning of the 12th
Format: Posting with prose because I can't help it, sob; no preference for the comments, I will happily follow your lead!
Summary: Rise wakes up (in her Halloween costume, lol) and goes lookin' for trouble her peeps!
Warnings: Uh...the usual Intro Post Semi-Ramble, and possible spoilers for the True End of Persona 4 (...does that even count any more...), but otherwise nothing so far!



It could have been worse. Waking up in a strange place and then experiencing a short period of sleep paralysis were far from Rise's idea of fun, but while it had been a little scary, she wasn't the type to let something like that get her down or frighten her into inaction; not any more. After all, she'd experienced things tons scarier than that since she'd moved to Inaba and gotten her Persona--it wasn't like it was the end of the world or anything!

...The end of the world...a terrible concept, and one that was vividly real to her now, but also less terrifying at the same time, all things considered. She'd read that your world has been destroyed letter, yeah, sure, but it wasn't the first totally B.S. letter left by some huge creep that Rise had seen this year. Plus she'd received enough iffy fanmail during her career as an idol to know that people could write whatever the heck they wanted, but that didn't make any of it true. She would have to see for herself that the world was destroyed before she'd even begin to believe it! There was really just no way it could be destroyed--she and Senpai and all their friends (but especially Senpai) had just saved it.

More than likely this was the TV World, and some jerk had kidnapped her (ugh, again! That was twice in one year! Twice!) and dumped her here. At least, that's what she'd thought at first...but this place just didn't feel right somehow. Not that the TV World had, but that had been a different sort of Not Right. This was...this was...augh, she didn't even know what this was! It had to be somewhere kinda like the TV World, though, another place that existed outside (or was it more like inside?) of the Real World, because she could summon Kanzeon here with no problem. That had been the first thing she'd done, in fact; the ceiling had looked a little low to try it here, but she had no idea where she was or what to expect when she went through the room's solitary door, and "kinda cramped quarters" was still better than "totally dangerous open area". Anyways, she could always do a more intensive scan later on, when she had a better idea of where she was and what was going on.

What she'd found on doing that initial scan had both reassured and confused her, because ooh, some of her friends were close by! ...But wait, there were a looot of people here, and it looked like there were more--way more--Persona users than just the Investigation Team, whatever that meant... She didn't know anything about them, so Rise couldn't get a solid feel on how many, or exactly where they were, but there were definitely others like them here.

Still, that wasn't the most pressing thing on her mind just now, because in addition to this being a super-weird place...there was also the costume.

Rise hadn't wanted to stay here in this room any longer than it took Kanzeon to run a quick scan of the place and give her a general heads up, but she'd still stopped long enough to change...or she'd tried to, anyway. The outfit she'd found herself wearing on waking up had to go.

It wasn't that she didn't look good in it, and she'd worn a lot less than that on national television, so it could've been way worse, but still! Whoever had kidnapped her this time was a real weirdo (and the idea that someone had changed her clothes while she was unconscious was creepy on a whole new level that Rise decided was best not to think about for now). Fortunately, among other things, she'd found some of her normal clothes in the storage trunk at the end of the bed (which, she'd been interested to note, Kanzeon's scan had designated a Treasure Chest). She'd felt a little unsure about changing when she didn't know whether or not there were any hidden cameras--an idol couldn't be too careful after all, even a former-but-hopefully-returning-to-showbiz-soon one--but she pushed that concern aside as well. Their school uniforms were essentially Full Battle Dress for the Investigation Team, and this place felt strange enough that Rise wanted that extra jolt of confidence from the familiar. That had led to a brief (and utterly hopeless) struggle with the weird collar around her neck (it fit snugly enough that she wasn't sure if she'd still be able to wear her usual white turtleneck), but no amount of tugging, pulling, or twisting could get it off, so she'd conceded defeat for now, and just left off wearing the turtleneck this time.

She'd had to concede defeat again just a few seconds later, when she found that the devil costume wouldn't come off, and then a third and final time when she tried wearing her uniform on top of the costume. It had been a little tricky, what with those wings and all, but she'd managed...only to find that somehow, when she'd briefly turned her attention back to the second (much longer) of those two letters she'd found on waking up, the devil costume had somehow ended up on top of her uniform. Which didn't make ANY sense, and looked a whole lot worse than just wearing the costume on its own had. Ugh! If that was how things were gonna be, then fine! She'd just wear the stupid costume already! She had more important things to worry about anyways--namely, finding her friends and figuring out what was going on here!

Getting the uniform off again was more of a struggle than getting it on had been, but she managed it eventually; by then, she was more than ready to get out of here.

"All right!" she said to herself--hearing the cheery sound of her own voice in her ears was oddly comforting. "Time to find everyone and figure this place out!"

Snatching up the two letters and totally ignoring the plastic pumpkin and the attached note that had been sitting on her trunk, Rise headed out to face the Tower and (hopefully) find her friends.

Comments

[culbutiri]

Nesir nodded, that was pretty much the conclusion she had come to as well. It was easier to confine people if they had no where else to do. "Well it do no be working, I have been meeting no one who do be believing them."

[idol_support]

Rise had to smile at that, the expression both satisfied and determined. "Good! If there's a lot of people seriously trying to escape, it'll probably keep whoever kidnapped us pretty busy! They're gonna regret that they ever even thought of bringing us here!"

She half-turned towards the door again, glancing at it before looking back at Nesir. "Have you looked around yet? There are some people here who I really need to find..."

[culbutiri]

"Yes, I do no be knowing how many of them there do be, but there do be a lot of us." A lot of frightened, disconected people. A large group of people with new people arriving so often that any attempt at togetherness was forever interupted.

It was the perfect kidnap senario. Not that that would stop Nesir trying to get out, because she was not becomming some victim. She was better than this. "This do be my fourth day, there do be a lot of floors."

She thought for a moment; she hadn't made a very good start with her other roommate and she needed allies. She knew that much. She might have messed everything up at the temple but here no one new her, and the rules were different.

Very different, and Nesir was older. "I can be showing you round if you like."

[idol_support]

"A lot of us, huh...?" She'd gotten that feeling from her scan before, though most of the people she'd sensed felt pretty indistinct and would be hard to find, if she tried; she didn't know anything about them, after all.

If this was Nesir's fourth day here, she probably did have a pretty good idea of this place's layout. And while Kanzeon could locate enemies and treasure (but only on the floor she was currently on), there were still some pretty big gaps there so far as the basic floor plan of places were concerned. If there really were a lot of floors (and Rise had also been able to sense that much before, simply because the people she'd sensed were so spread out, so she knew there were), having someone who knew her way around already would be a big help, especially if this place turned out to be as dangerous as the TV World was.

"Really? That would be great! Thank you!"

[culbutiri]

Nesir nodded, she didn't know how many exactly yet, though she planned to find out. Counting the names on the doors seemed like a way to do that, though they would change often if people kept arriving.

She blinked at the thanks, at how enthusiastic it was. Nesir wasn't used to people being so appreciative of things she had done... She smiled back, "You do be very welcome, come on there do be a lot of floors."

[idol_support]

"All right then, let's go!" Rise crossed the room, heading for the door, though she turned an eager look back over her shoulder at the other girl as she went. "Any idea where the best place to find people is? Would it be the cafeteria, or somewhere else?"

As she reached the door, Rise suddenly gave a self-conscious giggle, moving one hand as if to wave away her previous words. "Actually...nevermind all that! Since you're the one showing me around, I'll let you decide where we should go, sorry!"

[culbutiri]

Nesir jumped off the bed and followed her to the door the cafeteria did have the most livelihood of meeting others here, as everyone needed to eat and so it was the floor everyone was most likely to go to at least once a day.

She blinked when Rise stopped to let her chose, not that Nesir liked being bossed around but actually being put in the lead... that was new. She grinned, "Well the cafeteria do be a good idea, but it do be all the way at the bottom. So we could just go down and I can be showing you the other floors on the way."

[idol_support]

"Sounds good!" Rise said as she stepped out into the hallway. Already she wasn't quite sure which way to go--a fact probably made fairly obvious by the way she glanced in both directions down the hallway, but made no move either to the right or the left. Instead she just turned in place, still smiling cheerfully as she looked to Nesir for guidance. "I'll follow your lead!"

[culbutiri]

"This way," Nesir led the way to the stair case, "I hope you do be prepared for weirdness."

She gestured to the rooms around them, "These do all be bedrooms there do be five floors of them." She led the way down the stairs, "And this do be some kind of powerful jail... I do no be knowing what it is for..."

[idol_support]

"Well, probably as ready as I'll ever be..." Thank goodness(?) for the TV World and its weird-ass ways making Weird Stuff In General 90% easier to accept.

A super-strong jail right below their dorm rooms...that was just about the same level of creepy as waking up in a strange place, and finding yourself wearing something other than what you'd been wearing when you fell asleep.

Rise gave a tiny shiver. "Let's hope we don't ever find out."

[culbutiri]

"I do no be thinking it do be used for good." Nesir continued down the spiral stair case, "I do no be even knowing what this floor do be."

A room of interlocking bars, "Maybe it do be for practicing balance." And continuing she shuddered in the next dark room.

"It do be a good job we do no be having a light..."

[idol_support]

Rise stared, first at the bards, then downward. "Looks dangerous...who even makes a room like that?"

The former idol couldn't help shuddering a little herself, just out of reflex. "What...what would we see if we had a light?"

[culbutiri]

"The people who did be making this place. It do be getting worse." Nesir said with a shrug, "Insects, the whole room do be made of them." And she exited that room quite quickly. She didn't mind insects but a room squirming with them was a little too much. She led the way to the storeroom. "I be checking, there do be nothing in any of these boxes."

[idol_support]

"Well, yeah, but why? It doesn't make any sense!" She stops talking, period, on hearing that there is a whole room made of insects, because while she's not scared of bugs on the same level as Chie-senpai (she'd caught a few rhinoceros beetles as a kid), that is just...no she can't even think about it.

She doesn't say another word until they're nearly out of the storeroom. "You've checked in all of these? There must be hundreds of 'em!"

[culbutiri]

"Well not all of them, I do no be having enough time to be looking in them all. But I do be kicking most of them, they do be sounding empty." She shrugged, one day she might get round to checking them all.

[idol_support]

The gym and the lounge on the two floors that followed seemed nice enough, and mostly safe.

The floor after those two, however (Floor Thirty-Seven, Rise took care to note) was decidedly unsettling. As if being totally dark wasn't enough, there were eerie noises: some unknown liquid slowly drip...drip...dripping, the ragged husk and snuffle of breath being drawn, the click of claws on tile.

Rise stayed close to Nesir, and was careful to stay on the stairs as well, waiting to hear the other girl's comment about this floor. On impulse, she put on her Teddie glasses (ty hammerspace~), just to test if they could make any sort of dent in the darkness...and nope, nothing. Just as utterly, inky black as before.

[culbutiri]

"I do no be knowing what is in here," Nesir's pace had quickened through this room, "And I do no be thinking that I do no be wanting to know..."

She led the girl quickly to the next empty room where the spiral staircase stopped and led her to the door in the wall. "It do just be getting weirder from here."

[idol_support]

"Weirder than that? Ugh!"

But...Nesir was right, she soon found out. For starters, the stairs were less than safe, with gaps to jump over and uneven bumps that could cause someone to twist their ankle if they weren't paying attention.

Thankfully, though, there was only an empty floor when the stairs led them back inside. Still...totally empty was kinda weird in and of itself, wasn't it... And as for the next floor--

"Whoa! It's an indoor lake!"

[culbutiri]

"I do be thinking we do be outdoors." Nesir said pointing to the tower at their side. Though this far up it was hard to believe they actually were outside, high in the air. "Do no be asking how this lake do be floating, I would no be swimming in it is all I do be saying."

[idol_support]

"...Yeah, it doesn't look all that tempting, to be honest." Anyway, who would want to go swimming here, at at time like this? It would just be like giving their kidnappers a show! Gross!

The next level, the island, isn't tempting to Rise either, though the level after that, the farmland, is curious.

"...Does anyone actually grow stuff here? And is it...safe? As much as anything here can be safe, I mean..."

[culbutiri]

Nesir nodded, "I do be seeing a few people so I do be guessing it do be safe. You would have to be asking someone who knew though. I do no be knowing much about farming."

[idol_support]

"Me neither," Rise said with a shake of her head, followed by a sheepish little laugh. "I probably wouldn't be very good at it. I had trouble just keeping my morning glory alive for my summer homework." She'd fussed over it too much, over-watering it and such instead of just letting it grow...but she'd wanted so much to really take care of it, for her project to be the best...

All that's forgotten as they reach the next floor: the forest.

"...W-wow..." A place like that is definitely full of monsters. Rise decides to steer clear of this floor, too, unless she's got some serious backup, just in case.

[culbutiri]

She had had to keep a plant alive for homework? It actually sounded a bit like the temple lessons for magic users, the sort of thing they would be given to do.

Nesir nodded, "Everywhere do be full of monsters, this one do be having animals as well." She led the way down to the next cobble stoned floor and paused before they continued down. "I would be running through here if I did be you. I do be hearing that the stairs sometimes do be falling apart."

[idol_support]

"You mean like normal animals? Like deer and birds and stuff?"

Rise shot a quick look at Nesir as the other girl paused, as if trying to make sure she was serious about the stairs collapsing. But then again, the rest of this place was so crazy, why wouldn't she be serious about that?

The former idol gave a determined nod. "All right then, let's go!"

[culbutiri]

Nesir nodded, "Yes, mostly rabbits from what I did be seeing." She nodded and then ran, being as careful as she could be not to slip and fall whilst being as quick as she could. She paused as she got out of danger to the next floor. "This do be a hedge maze, I did be getting lost here and do not be sure what do be beyond it."