「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
no subject
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?
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
[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...?
no subject
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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
... 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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
[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.]
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
..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!
no subject
... 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]
...You might wanna sit down, Hidetoshi-senpai.
[Supposing he lets her, the former idol pulls him over to the couch and not ungently pushes him down onto it, while she herself remains on her feet; then she slowly moves back, putting some space between them--not enough to make conversation difficult, but.]
This is probably gonna be a little weird for you to see, but...just trust me, okay? Just watch, and I'll do my best to answer all your questions once I'm finished. I promise.
[2/3]
[Plus, she likes the feeling of taking center stage, standing alone in the spotlight, just waiting for her cue or else the perfect moment, with a rapt audience (albeit a small one this time) holding its breath in anticipation... This is a little different, of course, but there's a tiny part of it that's faintly similar.]
[She feels the rush of the summoning start, the familiar blue glow enveloping her, stirring her long red-brown hair; seemingly from out of nowhere, a card spins into existence in front of her, then shatters like glass as she brings her hands up, folding them in front of her as if in prayer.]
Persona!
[3/3]
[
...Sorry, Hidetoshi-senpai, she's temporarily forgotten about you. |D][1/?]
(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. ]
[2/?]
what.
what.
WHAT. ]
[3/3]
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.][1/2]
[2/2]
She stays where she is for now, not wanting to alarm him any further.]
Like I said, a little weird, huh? But there's nothing to be afraid of. So...can I come over there and sit down?
no subject
So, it takes him several seconds to respond to her light remark and following request to sit down. Hidetoshi blinks and jerks his chin up. ]
Even if I had the slightest clue what you just did, Rise-san, I would certainly classify that as a 'little weird', yes. [ Beat of quiet. He folds his hand together in his lap. ] Yeah, you can sit down over here if you want to.
no subject
[Tucking her hands behind her back, Rise heads over to Hidetoshi's couch and settles in, leaving a good 3/4 of a cushion space between him and herself. She doesn't want to crowd him (especially right now), but she doesn't want him to think she doesn't want to sit with him either.
She's quiet for a second or two, then starts off on her explanation.]
I promised to answer all your questions, and I will. But...I think I already know what your first one will be, so I'll start there. It...can be a little confusing, but I'll try my best to explain, okay?
What I just did is what we call 'summoning a Persona'. In our case--mine and most of my friends, I mean--our Personas started out as Shadows. And at first, that Shadow-self just looked like slightly-twisted version of ourselves, and it would say all the terrible things that we'd secretly thought and felt deep down. And it knew all of that...because it was you, really. It was all those awful things separating itself from you and materializing in a physical form.
And...if you denied it, and said it wasn't you...it would turn into a monster and attack you. That happened to me, but luckily my friends were there to stop it from killing me. Apparently that's what those Shadow-selves do if you just keep denying them...
[There's a brief lapse of silence for a second or two, as Rise thinks of Mayumi Yamano and Yosuke's senpai, Saki Konishi-san, and how lucky she herself had been that the others were there to save her.]
...But once you accepted it, and acknowledged that there was at least a little bit of truth to what that Shadow-self was saying, even if it was being way too over-the-top with the way it was saying it...then it would rejoin you as a Persona. Which is what that thing you just saw me summon was--my Persona, Kanzeon! Most of my friends can fight with their Personas, buuuut Kanzeon's kinda a special case. We're the support structure for the team! We can locate monsters, and treasure chests, and scan monsters to figure out their weaknesses, stuff like that! Pretty cool, huh?
[
...Give the boy a chance to breathe/think/process all that, Rise...]