idol_support: and broken mirrors, that was all fine. Egging that hearse was where we went wrong. (☆ Black cats and ladders)
「久慈川 りせ 」☆ Kujikawa Rise ☆ ([personal profile] idol_support) wrote in [community profile] towerofanimus2012-10-12 06:54 pm

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

Characters: Rise ([personal profile] 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.
altitonant_emperor: is that a cigarette butt on the floor (♔ i might lose a friend as a consequence)

... /(^_^)\

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-20 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Rise's delighted extolling of her senpai's many virtues earned her an almost skeptical but more politely bemused then anything look out of the corners of his eye (stupid eyepatch it's very off-throwing for him to see out of only one eyeball)... 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... ]
Edited 2012-10-20 21:06 (UTC)
altitonant_emperor: yes i'm a douche but i'm a handsome douche (♔ those aren't just empty words)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-21 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
We've only just met. [ He stands firm on this, eyebrows sharp and arched. Rise needs to earn his respect before he'll consider dropping honorifics when addressing her, and respect is an odd subject when it comes to Hidetoshi. GUILT TRIP was EVADED or IGNORED w h o o p s When 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. ]
altitonant_emperor: if i could get people like him to change their ways (♔ i rambled on about rules and fairness)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-22 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ He blinked. School trip? From Yasogami High? He hadn't heard a single thing about that. How strange, he usually paid much more attention to details like that and the ever-reliable gossip vine would have included students from another high school hanging around surely. And the school uniforms were perfectly fine and tasteful! But Rise is allowed her school spirit. It's her last remark that honestly confuses him. ] ... Chihiro? I'm afraid you must be mistaken, Rise-san, until recently the President of the Student Council was a third year named Mitsuru Kirijo. [ And then she graduated at the end of the year. The new president of the Student council hasn't even been elected yet. It was strange to consider a bookish girl like Chihiro being on top of things. Hidetoshi added; ] While being a upstanding member of the Student Council, Chihiro Fushimi is a first year student and has never expressed any interest in running for the duty of president. [ Of course, not everybody is as upfront about their ambitions as Hidetoshi is. ]

[ 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.
altitonant_emperor: is that a cigarette butt on the floor (♔ i might lose a friend as a consequence)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-23 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ The floor of the elevator under their feet jolts slightly and began to drop smoothly downward to the first floor of the tower. Hidetoshi adjusts the horned helmet perched on his head, shoving it back upright and silently considers this new information. He had already been aware that some level of time distortion was at work here: one of the Minatos was, by his own admittance, from a different time period than Hidetoshi himself hailed from. From before his death, to be precise. So by that logic, him and Rise-san being from differing times was entirely possible. ]

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.
Edited 2012-10-23 02:54 (UTC)
altitonant_emperor: i am 672% done with these fucktards (♔ can't survive on sincerity alone)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-25 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
A good friend of mine. [ Did Rise want him to be more specific, really. Cuz' he isn't gonna be until she asks for some elaboration on his part. ]

[ 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. ]
altitonant_emperor: /long-suffering facial expression goes here (♔ they mistake selfishness for freedom)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-26 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ The cafeteria is modern in design, more or less a high-tech version of any other cafeteria, and after they clear the stairs, the pair will be passing through the infirmary which is just as sharply built and housing a small sea of hospital bed and a check-up area. Hidetoshi makes decent time but he's not in a true rush. ]

... 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. ]
Edited (s'okay /pat pat) 2012-10-26 05:12 (UTC)
altitonant_emperor: i am 672% done with these fucktards (♔ can't survive on sincerity alone)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-27 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ After moving through the sea of hospital beds, and walking up the next set of stairs, the third floor will be opening up into a vast library, bookshelf after bookshelf after bookshelf of books and novels and documentaries and so on lining each and every section of flat surface. Feel free to notice the stationary computer terminals placed throughout the library. ]

... 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.
altitonant_emperor: i hate people with no common sense (♔ cannot compute the sheer stupid)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-27 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
Who knows. [ He shrugs, his single visible eye narrowing momentarily. ] I'm more disappointed that none of the books contain information about this world, or this tower.

[ 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.
]
altitonant_emperor: is that a cigarette butt on the floor (♔ i might lose a friend as a consequence)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-27 07:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Y'know, Hidetoshi is just going to stand there next to one of the leather couches, arms crossed over his bare chest, pure white cape wrapped around him, and watch her giggle happily as she spun around and around in delighted circles but make no comment on her quick antics. And he decides to ask a perfectly sensible question; ]

... 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. ]
altitonant_emperor: is that a giant penis monster on a chariot fml (♔ what the fuck is that DO NOT WANT)

[1/?]

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-30 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ He stiffly allows Rise to drag him over to the couch and push him down to sit on it, almost expecting her to sit down as well and begin what seemingly promised to be a riveting conversation. When she instead remains standing, taking several steps backward to put space behind them before cautioning him to trust her and then continuing to step back, that earns her Hidetoshi's confused lift of a single sharp eyebrow, but no comment. Her request seems straightforward enough to not warrant anything but silence.

(
There's certainly a small part of him that's holding its breath just a little. Mysteries were interesting, especially when answers were promised.)

And then then Hidetoshi's face is bathed in the sudden blue glow of her summoning, and he is mute with when the card appears in front of her out of flipping' nowhere, which could be explained by special effects as with the stirred of Rise's hair as if by an invisible wind, and-

"Persona!"

And...

And...

What.
]
altitonant_emperor: was not expecting that in the slightest (♔ there is torturous electricity in here)

[2/?]

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-30 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ inwardly: what.

what.

what.

WHAT. ]
altitonant_emperor: it was he who taught me the meaning of sincerity (♔ love does not make you blind or stupid)

[3/3]

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor 2012-10-30 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ What is—

What is that?

What did Rise just summon?

How, why, what is it? You see, he's been able to accept the entire 'magic thing', the whole supernatural angle to the Tower they've been locked inside by logicing' it out with the theory of alternate universes. Okay, so what if some other world can ignore the laws of basic gravity and life and use the kind of magic normally found only in science fiction novels or mythology, that can occur in different worlds. His world isn't supernatural nor abnormal. But Rise is from his dimension if from a few years down the line. And she just did something very much supernatural.

What.

He racks his brain to find a rationale, something tangible he can stubbornly believe in, and something he can apply logic to, but finds nothing. Damnit.
]

[Don't worry, he's forgotten about speaking while he stares at her in shock. ]

(no subject)

[personal profile] altitonant_emperor - 2012-11-03 07:15 (UTC) - Expand