「久慈川 りせ 」☆ Kujikawa Rise ☆ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
idol_support) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
towerofanimus2012-10-12 06:54 pm
idol_support) wrote in towerofanimus2012-10-12 06:54 pm
☆ 001 : DEBUT ☆ "Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today."
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 prosebecause 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' fortrouble 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 lettersand 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.
idol_support) and YOU! :DSetting: 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
Summary: Rise wakes up (in her Halloween costume, lol) and goes lookin' for
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
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He didn't know what their motivations for any of this lunacy was—not the faintest clue and their hosts had only told them so much. Knowledge was power not only in when you have it, but also when you release it. Let something or another be know would cause someone to react in a certain manner. Action. Reactions. Push this and that moves, pull this and that follows. People could be counted on to react in a particular way. It was all just a matter of knowing which button to push. The admins knew which buttons to smash. "The kind of people I neither trust nor have any desire to place my life or the lives of innocents in the hands of. Cruel people. Or madmen."
He would prefer cruelty. Meanness was understandable, it had a reason behind it. Madness had no need for motivation.
"That's true, the situation could be much bleaker—" Hidetoshi blinked in confusion at her next remark. "'Him?' Ah, one of your friends, I take it?" She was optimistic, he'd give her that, and showed no visible trace of unease or discomfort on her part at being unexpectedly kidnapped to a tower managed by a cruel, mysterious group of people and unceremoniously informed of her world's destruction. Brave. And... She already knew that her friends were in this tower? That was a surprise, but that would explain her determined conviction; having trusted friends with you did wonders for one's confidence.
"My help?" The perfect echoed uncertainly, not quite catching her 'drift' so to speak. And then the perky idol commented on the costumes. Hidetoshi suddenly realized how little attention he'd been paying to the highly fascinating empty space over the girl's right shoulder. He focused on that.
He was mentally choking, but his calm, collected air remained intact though his cheeks are tinged bright red with embarrassment. "Um, I agree that if it's better then losing all of our clothes, yes," He stubbornly forged onward with the conversation since if he pretended to not notice her teasing her, she would stop. Right?
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"Yu Narukami-senpai!" She knew she should probably be a little more careful about naming names here, just in case, but Rise never was one to hold back when it came to her Senpai. Anyways, she had yet to see Yu face anything he couldn't handle
...ohhhhh Rise..., so in her mind, there's no real reason to worry. "We all kinda work as a team, and he's our leader! We managed to solve a pretty big mystery back home." There's a clear note of satisfaction in her voice now, though she's going to sidestep the hell out of any requests for in-depth details...at least any that would require her to bring up the TV World or Persona elements. Hidetoshi-san seems pretty serious, not at all the type to take that sort of thing well. But then again, Naoto-kun was super-logical, and she'd come to accept it, so... And if he decided to join up with them right now and came with her, and she had to run another scan with Kanzeon to find everyone, he'd have to accept it, too, wouldn't he?"Yeah, your help! It's better to work together in a situation like this than to try to do things all on your own, isn't it? Besides, Senpai likes making lots of friends." So much so that sometimes Rise had wondered if there was anyone in Inaba that he hadn't made friends with. "You should join up with us, Hidetoshi-san, at least for now." It's an honest, friendly offer, and she's being serious here, so she
takes pity on him lol anddials the teasing down to 0.Well, almost. She does reach out to lightly touch his forearm, though it's purely a companionable act on her end, the simplest way to establish contact and gain rapport, not flirting in the least.
"It can't hurt to at least come meet everyone, right?"
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"... Lots of friends? Hm, I know a guy like that myself. Quite the social busybodies, aren't they?" He's smiling at the memories even if his tone of voice is stern. Even Hidetoshi hadn't failed to notice the extraordinary ease that a certain headphone-wearing boy had befriended other people all over the island, in and out of school. His own circle of friend had very small, almost non-existent before meeting Minato and coming to the realization friendship was a value worth cherishing.
It's the offer of coming to meet the rest of her 'team' that makes him pause. He had known plenty of people at school even if he had rarely socialized casually with many of them, and remained aloof most of the time. Here, Hidetoshi was only acquainted with two alternates of Minato, a small grouchy ninja, and a surly silver-haired man. Normally he had more people to talk at, or homework to go, or a goal to reach. Not here.
...
Well, it was logical to work in coordination together with other people then tackle the situation alone, she was correct about that and the girl seemed to making a genuine, well-intentioned effort to reach out to him. A group would accomplish much more than a single teenager. He wasn't sure what kind of help he could possibly offer in this Tower or how she was so certain her friends were here as well, but when she places a light hand on his forearm, he doesn't pull away out of embarrassed discomfort (Not sure if Hidetoshi's brain actually realizes it is possible for girls to flirt with him.) and agrees on the spot.
"Very well. If you don't mind me coming along for now... " He trailed off, and idly adjusted the metal helmet on his head again before looking awkwardly at the red-headed girl and adding; "I"m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I gave you my name, but I don't know yours?"
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ranking up your S-linkskeeping that person your friend. So Rise tells him the truth, briefly, with a few Persona-shaped omissions."Well, it got pretty complicated, but it started with two unsolved murder cases. The killer used a really unusual method to do in his victims, making it almost impossible to trace the crime back to him, but our team eventually figured out how he pulled it off. And...then it turned out that we were the only ones who knew where to look for him when he ran, so we chased him down, dragged him back, and turned him over to the police!" It probably sounds pretty unbelievable, a group of teenagers solving a difficult murder case and then literally hunting down the murderer, but while that note of pride is still in her voice, she's also clearly quite serious. "The killer also kidnapped several people before we stopped him, but we always managed to find them in time, so he didn't kill anyone after those first two." She hesitates, but there's no reason to tell him she was one of those kidnapping victims, not just yet. That's a pretty heavy thing to drop on someone you've just met, after all.
"Busybodies, huh?" She has to laugh a little at that, because...thinking of Yu searching for weird things in dungeons for their schoolmates, and helping the Fox grant those wishes, and feeding every cat in sight...yeah, it's totally true. "Maybe, but it's pretty cool, too! Having a lot of real friends is amazing..."
Not pulling away from her is a good sign, right? Apparently so! But she doesn't want to push it, so she lets her hand fall away from his arm as she beams up at him. "Great! Of course I don't mind--it'll be nice to have some company while I'm working on finding everyone!" And he'd only given her his first name before, so she does the same now, though even just her first name would probably be enough for him to make the connection as to where he's seen her, if he's seen her. Which she thinks he probably has--he'd looked at her once or twice like he was trying to place her and failing. "I'm Rise."
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"It's certainly impressive, if nothing else..." He chuckled a bit, too. It seemed he had happy memories of the quiet deadpan boy that was always curled kept inward on himself even when he was actively joining up with all sorts of clubs and teams, and getting perfect grades when he took naps all over the place and... the one afternoon they'd hung out outside of school. Hidetoshi had been excited about that, he could recall. "Sometimes I wondered just how he kept of all those friends he made... Always helping someone else out with their problems, big or small."
"Thank you. I'm glad you don't mind my presence then... Rise-san?" His eyes narrowed, squinting at her red hair and brown eyes, before widening a fraction, surprise passing over his stunned face as he finally pinned down just what made her seem familiar to him. Oh. He had watched a few of the ads she'd aired in though he had not attended the performance by Risette downtown. That Rise... Unless this was a different perky girl who looked exactly like the famous idol? He swallowed and tried to not tighten his jaw due to a sudden case of nerves. "Um, correct me if I'm wrong or being too blunt, Rise-san, but would you be the idol that performed during the blackout in Iwatodai last year?"
Keisuke, he thought distantly to himself, would happily die to be in his shoes right now and get a chance one-on-one to speak to his favorite teen idol. His friend had been upset her performance had been canceled halfway through due to the loss of power. Right now, Hidetoshi would happily switch places with him so he wouldn't feel a little silly for not recognizing Rise sooner.
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Always helping someone else out with their problems, big or small... She can't help but giggle at that. "Yep, that sure sounds like my Senpai, too! It's...actually kind of embarrassing to think about how much I let myself rely on him. But I was going through a lot, and just having him be there and listening to me helped me out so much. I'm pretty sure it was the same way with everyone else, too." That proud warmth, this time almost a glow, is back in her voice, though this time it's in her eyes and warming her cheeks a bit as well. "We were all so much happier after he came to Inaba. He saved us all, in more ways than just one." He'd ended up helping each of them shoulder their burdens, and yet he'd never once complained about the weight.
The look of dawning recognition on Hidetoshi's face earns him another giggle, though it's clearly a sound of amusement, not mockery. "Yeah, that was me, all right! Oh, but just 'Rise' is fine!" And seeing that nervous swallow-- "I recently took a pretty long break from show-biz, though I was planning on getting back in the game really soon! But I've been out of the public eye for a while, so no worries!"
So long as he doesn't mention Kanamin, she'll forgive him for not knowing who she was right away. But wait, he'd said...in Iwatodai last year...? No, that had been two (now almost three) years ago... Still, it had all happened just like he'd said, so Rise doesn't see any reason to split hairs about exactly when it had happened.
/this tag took so much longer than it should have, sob
[ The boy I knew (at some point, he will break himself of the habit to refer to Minato in past tense, damnit.) was like that too, he almost says, but Hidetoshi had never considered it "relying" on him, though looking back in hindsight... He had felt understood by him and Hidetoshi never realized he had craved that understanding. Everyone wants to be understood, and not not judged for it. Minato had given him that willingly.
He blinks bemusedly a little at her cheerful giggle and the warm pride in her tone of voice when the girl rambles on her leader. It's difficult to comprehend something he has never personally experienced for himself, and when he has never trusted anybody so absolutely that just the mere thought of them made the heart warm and the face nearly glow with that vivid emotion... Tch. He nodded solemnly. ] Your senpai sounds to be an admirable person. I look forward to making his acquaintance.
Erm, well. I see. It's a true pleasure to meet you, Rise-san. [ Hidetoshi had seen the idol before on the TV, flashing victory signs from the electronic screen, and on the covers of a couple magazines. In person, she was as bubbly and cheerful as her idol image initially suggested, but older then when he had assumed her to be from what he had witnessed of her on television or ads. She doesn't strike him as someone with no common sense, and Rise seems to be intelligent as well, so that's a excellent bonus if he's going to tag along with her. Yep, totally unaware of the time difference here. ] Really, you did? I was unaware... I'm sure your fans will be delighted to hear that you'll be returning to the show business soon then...
[ Trailing off just barely at the end of his sentence there, sob, what does he say. He doesn't wish to appear rude, but he's too proud to admit he has no idea what exactly Rise is talking about. Last he heard, Risette had been thriving on-stage and there had been no sighs nor news of her taking a long break from the spotlight anytime soon... Hidetoshi doesn't know the slightest thing about anything in the show business.
So he'll be changing the subject after awhiles' pause as to not seem abrupt or impatient. ] Rise-san, would you mind me asking if you know which of your friends are present in the Tower right now?
There's no rush, so no worries! <3
I know you'll like Senpai! He really is the best! [Seriously, who wouldn't like Yu-senpai? He's brave and really smart and understanding and never gives up and there was just something in his expression, in the way he looked at you, that inspired confidence...
Is her fangirlish-ness showing yet lol][She'll be flashing that familiar victory sign again, only this time he gets to see it up close, in person. :3] Same here, Hidetoshi-san! And really, just "Rise" is fine, or "Risette" if that's easier--they're both me, after all! [Her eyes drop briefly, and her face flushing ever so slightly as she gives what comes out as a rather sheepish admission.] ...And yeah, I went on hiatus almost a year ago... When I said before that I'd been going through a lot...well, a big part of that was related to my career. [And just like that, the sheepishness is gone and all the lighthearted energetic bounce is back.] But thanks to Senpai, I've got that all straightened out now! I'm ready to get back to work and give 100% in everything again! I'll have to try really hard and do my best, so my fans will forgive me for leaving them for so long! It'll be tough, but I'm really looking forward to it! [...Or...she was. Getting stuck here definitely didn't factor into her plans.]
[Rise tilts her head curiously at his question about her friends, then shakes her head slightly.] Not at all. Although...hmm, do you know if there's anywhere around here with more space? A higher ceiling, especially...
[She wanted to do a real scan already! And she had been watching him pretty closely, so she'd caught that flicker of disgust when she mentioned that Adachi had been on the police force, which had only further reassured her that Hidetoshi-san was a good person. So there's no reason to worry about finding or talking about her friends in front of him. Of course, this place itself might not be so safe, there could be cameras or listening devices pretty much anywhere...but still, she's sure her friends can handle it. She won't be saying anything that would give any listeners an edge on them, after all.]
... /(^_^)\
Yes, her fangirl is showing. Hidetoshi recognizes the symptoms, it's a very common affliction in high schoolers their age and the female gender in particular even if the males are just prone to its effects. He is thankful it was never directed at him.]... I prefer using "Rise-san" if it's all the same to you, Rise-san. [ Hidetoshi straightened up slightly, creasing to lean idly onto the sharp-edged spear. You haven't ranked up dis social link to the point where he can be, horror of all horrors, informal with you, Rise!! No, he'll stick to politeness and stiff manners right now that's what he's more at ease with, thanks. :||| He has a responsibility to represent the student council with all possible dignity, and a reputation of his own to uphold... okay, he doesn't a reputation here. Whatever. Minor details. ]
[ ... Hm. He listens, nodding and blinking at all the right moments. ]
A higher ceiling... ? [ His eyebrows crinkled together, and he pauses for a heartbeat to call back into his mind the memories of the list of safe floors and floors to avoid at all costs Minato-kun had given him, and compare the information with the levels he had already visited himself. ] Ah! There's a lounge on the fourth floor, quite spacious if that's what you're looking for.
[ The simplest (not to mention, the safest route that would allow them to bypass all the dangerous floors that had the looming threat of violent maiming hanging over them) route would be to take the elevator they're so happen to be standing in front of down to the first floor, and walk up three floors to the lounge. The floor had clean all-glass walls that granted a fairly decent view of the surrounding region for Rise to get her bearings from. Not that there was much to look at, given all the thick fog-clouds covering up everything outside the confines of the tower... ]
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HERE COMES A GUILT TRIP, but then brightens again as another thought comes to her.]Oh, that's right! I've been meaning to ask what year you're in! And I know you don't go to Yasogami High... [Had he been wearing his usual Gekkoukan High uniform, there's a (fairly decent) chance that Rise might've remembered it from their school trip; as it is, she has no clue where he goes, though she knows it's not her own school.] I was only a first year this last year, so you're probably older than I am!
[And after listening to his brief description of the lounge--] Yeah, that sounds like it'd be perfect! So, what's the best way to get there? [If he knows it's pretty big, that probably means he's been there, so he'll most likely know how to get there, too. Hidetoshi-san seems like the type of person who remembers details, after all.]
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GUILT TRIP was EVADED or IGNORED w h o o p sWhen Rise brightens up, he braces himself for the possibility of more teasing or insistence on informality, but is quietly relieved by the nest question she asks him; this is breaching ground he is much more comfortable with. Yasogami High? he mentally parroted to himself. The name of the school wasn't familiar to him, but it wasn't very surprising. There were just so many schools in Japan, and he had never paid much attention to other schools unless they were prestigious collages he was considering attending for furthering his education.Which... apprently wasn't in the cards anymore. Because the world had been snuffed out like a melted candle flame.][ Dryly, but not in a mocking manner; ] Second year myself. I have one year left at Gekkoukan High before my graduation, actually. [ As long as he graduates with good grades, top honors, and nobody dies during or by the end of the ceremony, he'll count it as an allover success. ] It's located in Port Island, Iwadotai. It's a good learning environment. [ As it should, excluding the weird-ass teachers. ]
[ He offered a small half-smile after mentioning where he attended school, and swept one arm (the arm not holding the sharp, pointy spear) to gesture directly at the elevator to the side of where the two high schoolers were standing together in the cold, clinical hallway. ] Taking the elevator would be the swiftest course of action. I imagine we will have to use the stairs for the rest of way however.
[ And if they walked over there, they could continue the conversation on the elevator ride down. ]
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Oh, Tatsumi Port Island! So that's why you asked about my show in Iwadotai. Actually, that's where we all went on our school trip last year! We got to look around Gekkoukan High just a little--it's really big and beautiful! The uniforms aren't bad either, but I think I like ours just a little bit better. Your Student Council President seems like she's pretty on top of things, too. Her name was... [She takes a half-second to recall that name, hurrah for having an Actress-Level memory.] ...Chihiro Fushimi! Some of the teachers seemed a little strange, though...but I guess some of ours aren't completely normal, either. [Some of them, like Mr. Kondo, seemed nice and perfectly normal, but others...]
All right, then! [She steps over to the elevator and pushes the button, stepping on when the doors hiss open.] Hmm, you said the fourth floor? [That...is not an option, but they could go to the first floor, and then, oh, that's what he'd meant about taking the stairs, huh?] This elevator is weird! What kind of elevator doesn't stop at every floor?
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[ He rolled his eyes subtly. ] Well, the teachers... [ are quite strange, yes ] I'd call them "eccentric." For instance, the school nurse tends to offer some bizarre concoctions as his idea of medicine, though thankfully most of the student body know better to actually try any.
Sure... [ He walked behind her, following Rise into the elevator and tugging his snowy white cape behind him so it wouldn't get caught when the elevator door hissed closed. He was watched patiently as the idol looked over the panel of buttons before noticing the problem with getting to the floors. He sneers a bit: ] The kind of elevator constructed by our kind hosts. It is quite illogical of them... and annoying.
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[She taps a finger to her chin with a deliberate sort of pensiveness, not seeming all that bothered by idea of times not matching up quite right. Time is weird, and after the strangeness of the TV World, Rise is somewhat more willing to accept weird things as being true.] You know, I did attend most of a day's worth of lectures at your school...so maybe I should call you 'senpai', too!
[She pulls a face at the mention of the school nurse's behaviour, her expression half disgusted, half incredulous.] That could be seriously dangerous though, if someone didn't know better! I can't believe he gets away with that! Although...I guess it would keep people who're only pretending to be sick out of the nurse's office...
For real! Do you think they were trying to save money or something? [The elevator continues to hum steadily downward as they discuss it, arriving just as Rise asks her second, halfway-hesitant question:] Or...could there be some sort of reason for it...?
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Minato-kun did say this place was extremely strange, that's plausible... [ More plausible than Chidori suddenly gaining the title of Student Council President, and taking enough levels in self-confidence to sufficiently impress the visiting students, plus popular idol, from Yasogami High on a school trip he hadn't heard the slightest mention of before. He nodded in deliberate certainty: the tower was already being to numb him towards weirdness, and he didn't think to question Rise's matter-of-fact willingness to easily accept it upon intermediate arrival. ] That would explain it. It's been only several months since that cancelled show of yours for myself, Rise-san. [ Blink, blink at the senpai remark. ] There's no need for that...
It baffles me as well. But... It is the school board's decision to continue his employment, no matter how neglectful of students' personal health or... how odd he is, and I don't know if any of the parents or students have lodged a formal complaint against him. [ He sighed in disgruntlement, pausing in his words before speaking. ] And there is that. Though, some of the more... [ There's a small sneer on his face. ] foolhardy students enjoyed daring each other to eat the medicine; they thought it proved their Courage or such nonsense.
Why should they bother to do that? They certainly don't attempt to conserve finical investments anywhere else, considering all the damage the monsters roaming around must regularly cause. [ He shifted his gaze thoughtfully, tapping his chin for a second or two, listening to the silence of the elevator dropping downward. ] There... could be, I suppose. But if there is an ulterior motivation behind the design of the elevator, it's not one I can claim to understand.
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Hidetoshi might've mentioned having a social busybody friend, but he'd never mentioned said friend's name. Of course, Rise hadn't asked, either.]But you act like a senpai, too! And it wouldn't be too familiar, would it? [And added almost as an afterthought, just to try it out--] Hidetoshi-senpai!
[Rise frowns as he talks about the lack of formal complaints and such, but when he mentions kids daring each to take the medicine, she gives him a semi-disbelieving stare.] ...What? 'Proving their Courage'? There's a huge difference between being brave and just being dumb, and that's just dumb! I mean, what could they possibly expect to get out of something like that? Other than maybe a stay in a hospital with REAL doctors giving them tons of REAL medicine! [It's pretty awful for an adult to get away with that kind of thing, but for some reason it really rubs her the wrong way. Maybe it's because those kinds of "dares" just feel a little too much like bullying to Rise.]
Monsters? [Okay, you're the first person to outright say anything like that
at least if thread order determines chronology of conversations. Her eyes get a little bigger, but it's clearly more out of interest than alarm.] So there are monsters here, too...what are they like? Have you seen many of them? And yeah...I don't know what the reason could be for something like this, but for some reason, I just don't like it.[Rise goes quiet as the elevator gives that slight stomach-jerking lurch as it reaches the bottom of the Tower and opens its doors to reveal the First Floor. She steps off, then waits for Hidetoshi(-senpai lol) to take the lead.]
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[ Eyebrow raise. Rise baffled him more than a little, and not just because she was an idol. But hey; if she wished to refer to him as one of her senpai and it wasn't a too familiar form of address, Hidetoshi distantly felt resistance from him would take so much more energy than he was willing to devote to a possibly futile course of action for something that didn't particularly matter in the grand scheme of things. So, he lets that comment go by unremarked upon. ]
Yeah, I agree. It is foolish of them. [ He scowled, that old idealistic edge shining in his eyes for a moment and the high schooler tapped his foot on the elevator floor. ] Being in charge of the school's Disciplinary Committee, I have attempted to crack down on such affairs but... [ Hidetoshi had not been well-liked by either the Student council or the student body since he had conditioned himself away from friendships and sincere bonds with his peers. He'd changed, yes, but back then, he had been vaguely intolerable and quick to jump to any conclusion that he reached without listening to anybody else. No one had really bothered themselves with his orders. ] You can't cure stupidity or recklessness. [ Or peer pressure, unless you had backup. ] Well, some people just have no common sense. You wouldn't believe the sort of crap that comes out of their mouths, or from their minds.
There are indeed. [ came the idle confirmation when she echoed the word, "monsters?". He dips his chin slightly at her next series of questions. The dark grey eye without the metal eyepatch closing for a moment before opening again. ] Sorry... I tend to stay away from those sections of the tower best I can, since my self-defense skills are mediocre at the best. So I cannot describe the monsters in great details, but I do know some things. Grotesque abominations, in seemingly endless supply. Destroy a couple of them, ten more creatures pop to take their places. [ Sound familiar? ]
[ When the doors slides open, Hidetoshi too halts the conversation momentarily and steps off after Rise, wordlessly taking the lead the way through the cafeteria, moving with confident, brisk strides towards the stairs to the next floor. ]
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So some of your friends got brought here, too! Or is Minato-san the only one? [There's a note of hesitancy there, since she isn't...entirely sure which would be best in this case; it's nice to be with your friends, but she's starting to get the feeling that being here isn't a good thing at all.
...She doesn't even realise that it could be possible to take her question as is Minato-san your only friend rather than what she'd meant, is Minato-san your only friend who's here. |D][HA! That's right, Hidetoshi-senpai! Once Rise's decided something like this, resistance is futile! You might as well just accept it and save yourself the trouble.]
Ooh, the Disciplinary Committee... [She sounds fairly neutral, possibly just slightly impressed by his being ~in charge~ of the committee. But YUP, that's definitely a very senpai-like thing to be involved with. GRATZ, that honorific is sticking with you forever now, Hidetoshi-senpai. |D Though she does seem a little...quieter, more reserved than usual as she agrees with him.] ...Yeah...you just can't reason with some people. No matter what you say, they'll just do what they want, regardless of who it might hurt in the end.
[It does sound familiar, yes. And she doesn't blame him one bit for avoiding the monsters if he's not really a fighter.] That's plenty of info for now. I'll get more later! Just knowing that they're out there is pretty helpful.
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... Minato-kun is the only one present in this Tower. [ he said in a very careful, very even tone. He doesn't want to really to think about dead parents, or dead associates, or dead friends, or possibly dead worlds. He doesn't want to think about how tiny the very probability of any of them surviving and arriving in the Tower is. He doesn't want to think remorseful thoughts about failing to make amendments with his estranged father. So he doesn't. Hidetoshi notices that Rise's question could be interpreted two different ways, but doesn't take offense. Such comments were not new. He had always had a pragmatic approach to friendship even before taking a new level in asshole, and his social circle had been small. ]
Thoughtless selfishness. [ He almost spat, but it turns into more of a constrained annoyed grunt. ] People such as that are tedious to deal with and, well, frankly—it's like they have selective hearing! They listen only when it benefits them to do so, and otherwise disregard what others say.
[The corner of his mouth kicks up into a small smile. He is doing a swell job of representing the student council and aiding students, even if they were from a different school district! ] I'm glad to be service. In this place, it's best to coordinate with others and pool resources for better results. [ Fucking off and doing things alone will get you killed. In other news, guess who's going to be fucking off to be aloof and die in agony after failing to meet the candy quota in a few days. ]
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In that case, I hope the rest of 'em show up soon! ...At least, I think I do...although, if this place is always doing weird stuff like this-- [she looks down at her costume, giving the front a bit of a tug, because it...really was feeling a little tighter, wasn't it...] --then maybe they're better off back home. [YEAH guess who still doesn't believe her world's been destroyed.]
[Oh, that sounds like a little bit of a rant. Must be a sensitive subject...] ...Yeah, that's pretty selfish. I think it's worse when it's not so thoughtless, though.
[Rise lengthens her stride to walk directly beside him for a few steps, just long enough to beam up at him.] Thanks again for doing this, Hidetoshi-senpai. And yeah, it's definitely best to work together when you're facing something especially tough or dangerous! [And guess who's
hopefullygoing to be surviving (for now) by swiping candy from the pumpkins of already-dead Tower inhabitants?TY Kanzeon for your ace treasure-scanning capabilities...And also sticking HELLA close to Nanako-chan and Commander Shepherd. 8|]no subject
... Yes. [ And that's all he's going to offer of his thoughts on the matter, okay? Okay. But he does notice that tugging at the front of her sorta revealing costume when she speeds up to walks right beside him and he pales slightly. Hidetoshi has seen what occurred to people who didn't collect enough sweets before the daily time limit was up, and nope, no being crushed to death on his watch! He's not even willing to run the risk. ]
And, here. [ He rifted through his plastic pumpkin bucket and grabbed a small piece of candy before offhandedly tossing it into the idol's hands. It's almost comical how serious he is about this entire thing. ] If you feel like it's getting hard to breath, eat this. It'll stop the squeezing sensation, but save it for when you truly need it. [ Because he ain't giving you anymore than that. ]
... A conscious act of malice is always more terrible, that is true. [ It was more Hidetoshi making a dig at himself than anything actually. But, yeah, he'd slipped into ranting for a couple moments here. At Rise's expression of gratitude, he nods in acknowledgement and responds in kind: ] You're welcome, Rise-san. Fending for survival in this sort of... environment is a quite new experience to me, so having back-up is incredibly helpful.
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[Rise blinks in surprise, but catches the tossed candy easily.] ...Huh? How will eating candy make my costume less tight? Won't it be the other way around? [
lol YEAH ttly doesn't know about that part of this event yet~][She doesn't have anything to say in response to that dig he took at himself, largely because...she doesn't know it was a dig, of course. To her, it's just another statement. The nod and ~teamwork~ talk, however--] It can be a little scary at first, knowing that you're surrounded by dangerous things. But you get used to it after a while, especially when you know that together, you and your friends can handle whatever comes your way.
[She knows it probably sounds...strange, that she's being so off-handed about being in dangerous situations, but, well. He's going to be seeing her Persona soon, so she might as well start 'fessing up a little to ease him into it.]
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[ He winces, please don't think he's bringing anything about her being 'fat' into this, he knows girls get sensitive about that. Hidetoshi explains in a tone of voice that matches his opinion of the tower admins that had such a twisted idea of entertainment; ] At the moment, the admins of this tower have forced a 'game' upon us; collect a certain amount of candy inside these plastic buckets issued to us, or... suffer the consequences. In this case, the consequences are... painful. The longer you go without filling your bucket with candy, the more difficult it becomes to breath without your own costume tightening on you. Eating a piece of candy relieves the pain for an amount of time. [
Lol, still having problems with the whole "fail and you will die and then come back Wrong" portion of this event. Being normal and having normal expectations of life and death aren't much preparation for this.][He's starting to notice that Rise... doesn't seem phrased at all by being surrounded by monsters, and in a horror tower ran by a bunch of madmen, or the possibility of death. It's puzzling, her composure in the face of all this and the offhanded, confident way she assures him he'll get used to it, the danger, as long as they're all together which... is true but... strange. So, he'll just agree quietly for now and keep his half-formed theories to himself.
And now, they'll walking up the last few steps of stairs and onto the fourth floor which has walls made of nothing but thick, clear glass that displayed an endless expanse of foggy smog outside the tower they were trapped within. Modern couches and sofas are scattered throughout the lounge to relax upon, but it's quite spacious and roomy. Also pretty much empty or anybody else at the moment. ]
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..Pffft, not that she would sit down and read them anyway even if they did.] That seems weird...[And yes, the computer consoles definitely catch her eye, something to come back to play around with later, to see if they were any different from the ones she'd seen in the hallways, and also just to...familiarise herself with them, maybe. She wasn't a hacker by ANY stretch of the imagination, but she was as good with electronic stuff as the next teen, so she shouldn't have any issues. She hopes.]
[...Plastic...bucket. Oh, like the one she'd left in her dorm room! ...Ohhhh. 8|;;] ...And since we can't take the costumes off, we have to play the game. Whether we want to or not. [She sounds grim, and maybe a little pissed, but not outright worried. But...if those are really the rules, she'd rather save that piece of candy he just gave her to put in her bucket, so it'll count towards the goal. For now, she can deal with a costume that's a little unpleasantly pinchy. She's definitely worn worse.] Ugh! These kidnappers are such creeps!
[...And then they're in the lounge and everything else is forgotten and it is huge and exactly what she was looking for. Possible future costume malfunctions forgotten, Rise can't help but give a happy little laugh as she spins in circles through the expansive open spaces, the sound of her unrestrained giggles echoing warmly, but definitely not loud enough to be worrisome.]
This is absolutely perfect!
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... What is it perfect for for, Rise-san?
[ He is actually extremely curious here. How does she plan on finding her team of friends and their leader by coming to a spacious room?
He is so unprepared for the upcoming revaluation.][1/3]
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