[semi-open!] I believe in you and I can do anything; we can change the world!

[slightlyoblivious]

Characters: Yukiko Amagi, the entirety of the Persona cast and Stregaverse, and trusted friends. Please tag yourselves in! New Purse Owners, you're welcome here!

(Xion, OU!Riku, AU!John Egbert, Saber of White, Diarmuid, Zelda, Shepard - if you have close positive CR with a Persona cast member, it's fine.

If you have any kind of negative CR, or your CR is only casual, I ask that you please not tag this.)

Setting: July 8th, 2 PM, Floor 28.
Format: Written in prose, either in comments.
Summary: Yukiko requested a meeting.
Warnings: Persona 4 Arena spoilers, talk about past Tower events, probably some language - not from Yukiko, but from other people.



Before the Meeting:

To say Yukiko was nervous was an understatement. She picked a few notes at the piano she'd chosen to call the meeting together on - she could play a loud middle C, but that was it - now and then, but she was still pacing a little and definitely nervous. Anyone wanting to approach her to calm her down would be most appreciated.

Comments

Meeting: Called to Order

[slightlyoblivious]

Yukiko cleared her throat, playing a loud middle C on the piano, then clapping her hands a few times. Now or never, right?

"Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Yukiko Amagi. I know some of you may have known other versions of me, but I...well, there's one more person as far along on our shared timelines as we are.

And I say 'shared timelines' because...we all know about Personas. We all know about Shadows. Some of us have our own Shadows that became our Personas. Some of us can change Personas at will. Some of ours have evolved. But we all know that power.

I called everyone together here today for a few reasons. The major one was what I saw at the barricade on the night of June 19th. So many Persona-users in one place, Ryoji, who saved me using a Shadow form, all across the timelines, fighting together - boosting magic, healing, all of that. I believe we should be continuing that.

I know there are some of us who can't summon. I think we should help them, too - teaching them to fight, if we can. Making sure they're okay. Healing if we can.

Because...because back home, I've been through a lot. I've seen a lot of people awaken to their own power. And I...the last thing I remember before coming to this Tower was an incident that brought together those of us from Gekkoukan High and the town of Inaba. Labrys-san can explain a lot of the details herself, but we were made to fight each other inside the world of the Shadows. The mastermind was a voice I hadn't heard before - something that sounded like pure chaos itself. Like Ruana sounds when she growled, the night the Glamour system failed.

We're going to be tasked to beat it. I know that we can.

Just like we can beat Ruana. We can do it, working together. Even if she changes us, even if she brings our Shadows out. We can do it. No matter what experiments - and I know some of you went through those at home - she does. No matter the monsters.

We can do this. We will do it.

Thank you for your time. That's the gist of what I had to say today. Let's see what we can work out, together."

[fuhgeddaboudit]

Labrys raised her hand slightly, glancing around as though waiting for someone to speak first--she didn't want to interrupt.

"If anybody wants me t' explain all a' that--it's kinda a long story but I'll try t' make it as short as I can. But aside from that, uh...I ain't really used t' usin' my own Persona yet. I've been doin' a little trainin' on my own and I've been careful t' listen to her, but if there's anybody that can help me get a little better with that I'd kinda appreciate it."

[slightlyoblivious]

"You've got it. We're furthest along the timeline; I'll always have your back, Labrys-san."

Yukiko walked over, with a warm smile, offering her hand.

[imperialsun]

That was interesting information to take in. Naoya stayed mostly quiet as he listened, but frowned when she mentioned a mastermind. He had three guesses as to who this entity might be and the first two didn't count.

When she was done he stood up upright arms on his sides like he always did, before placing one on his chin, thinking.

"What do you know about Philemon and Nyarlathotep?"

One think you would quickly find out more as you knew him; he was very very blunt.

[altitonant_emperor]

The information was indeed fascinating. Gekkoukan High, Inaba, this mastermind...

Hidetoshi, who had also largely kept himself silent through the speech since he wasn't someone who could summon a Persona or volunteer new information himself, looks over at Naoya when he stands up at the end of it and thoughtfully opens up with a question of his own. Nyarlathotep. He knew about that creature, from the incident in the Tower weeks ago.

The teenager stayed seated, but his chin tips up as he looks away from Naoya to whomever else is answering.

He'd like to know more too, after all.

[attheclocktower]

Xion was very quiet as she listened to most of the meeting. In fact, she's probably one of the last ones to finally speak up.

"I'm not from your worlds, and I only know a little about... shadows and Personas, and things like that. But I've been in the Tower since January of last year. And I've never been sent home, not even for a little while, so I remember almost everything," she hesitated nervously, before continuing, "There are probably people who've been here longer but if you want to know anything, ask me, or one of them, if they're okay with that."

"I think what's most important right now is we figure out something to do. Something to try that we all agree on. I've seen other times where people team up fall apart because they were all fighting about the best way to try to figure things out. And that was nearly a year ago."

Everyone who had been at the Council meeting - the group she had helped found - remembers the fiasco it had been - all of the disagreements, particularly involving teaming up with the more morally questionable people of the Tower. And after that, the group had slowly fallen apart. Working together was good, but working together with no direction... she'd seen it happen before, but she didn't want it to happen here, or with Pandora either.

[justabignobody]

"...Xion is right. There are a lot of people in this tower, from a lot of different worlds and universes and with very different powers. I think our advantage lies in that diversity."

Because beating Ruana cannot be done by one person or one single group alone. The victories they had, the information they had discovered... it's always been the effort of many people.

"The efforts to organize as a large organization before were... less than successful, that much we can agree on. So maybe we just need to start smaller."

There is after all a number of people that Riku would like to think he and Xion can speak on behalf of. He can't be the only one. And maybe if they find a way to tie these small clusters together...

Discussion/Meeting End

[slightlyoblivious]

Yukiko looks tired, as she finds a place to sit down. But she also looks happy. Approach?

[imperialsun]

HE DARES TO APPROACH.

Actually he's smiling as well and gives her a nod in greeting.

"That was a nice speech."

[slightlyoblivious]

"Thank you. And I didn't get to thank you for the healing spell from before, so I'd like to do that now," Yukiko answers, with a bow. "I really appreciate that, Naoya-san. I couldn't do a lot about the magic drain - that still took about 5 days at the strength I took it - but that definitely helped with the broken leg."

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid moves from where he has been listening quietly through the whole meeting to stand closer to where Yukiko is sitting. He hasn't said anything during the meeting because he hadn't come to discuss things with them. He doesn't know enough about their worlds and timelines to do so. In fact, that is why he is there. After learning just how much he doesn't know about Ryoji and how that had cost them during the fight against Sephiroth's mind control, he is doing all he can to try and fill in some of those gaps in his knowledge so that something like that won't happen again. After all, he is friends with several people in this room. For him to have let himself remain in the dark about so much is a serous mistake on his part.

At the moment, he is still processing all he has learned. He will probably have questions later, but for now still trying to sort the information out including how it all connected to the events that had happened in February.

"It seems as though things went well," Diarmuid smiles gently at her. "I don't know how much I can do to help, but if you think of anything you know you can ask, right? I don't know if training against non-Persona users is something that will aid in the development of your powers, but as you saw, I am no ordinary fighter. I will be glad to help with that if I can."

[slightlyoblivious]

"I was so nervous beforehand that I'm still amazed I got all of the words out." Yukiko laughed, a little bit of those nerves coming out with them. "But I'm glad things went as well as they did. And I'm glad you were able to make it here, Diarmuid-san. I hope knowing a little more about our world - and it is one world, even if we got pulled from different points on the timeline - is helpful, too."

She tilts her head a little, humming as she thinks. "Well, you know I'm all about distance-fighting - I can get close if I have to, but I prefer at least an arms' length between myself and my opponent. But I also know that not everyone in this room has that specific ability, and not everyone here is a Persona-user. Can I send people to you if they want practice fighting, just as a rule?"

[evokingfool]

Minato's mostly quiet throughout the meeting, but he is there and attending.

After the meeting ended, he approaches Yukiko with a small smile. All things considered, it went well compared to the mass meeting he watched last year.

"That went well, Yukiko-san."

[slightlyoblivious]

"Thanks, Minato-kun. I'm still a little nervous, though. I didn't mean to lose my temper. I never do that, not normally. I just hope something good comes out of it."

Yukiko manages a smile, but she's clearly tired.

General Interactions

[slightlyoblivious]

Anything else? Before meeting, one-on-ones, go here.

Whoever wants to meet with one(1) Persona Protag | Prose or Action is fine, I will match!

[imperialsun]

Before the meeting you could find Naoya Toudou arriving early and mostly keeping to himself, thinking about a great deal of many things, if his rubbing his earring nearly constantly was any indication.

Naoya, your girl's on the brain phone

[floreatnoctem]

"Anything of interest yet?"

Chidori, sitting floors away in the sewing room, pauses in mending a seam to prod Naoya's mind, a mild displeasure palpable through the connection.

"Or is it simply pointless grandstanding about the power of teamwork?"

[fuhgeddaboudit]

"Naoya?"

Labrys tilted her head slightly as she approached, scarlet eyes concerned.

"Hey, you feelin' alright?"

Before/After

[attheclocktower]

Xion, to anybody observing probably looked... exceptionally awkward and nervous to be there, and very out of her element. Without her coat though, she didn't stand out quite as much. Instead, she's wearing a white shirt she made (a little bit rough but not too bad) and a skirt she made as well (also her own creation, a bit rougher and less practiced than the shirt).

Before the meeting in particular, she held herself in an almost closed-in manner, looking around for familiar faces. Occasionally she would stop and observe some of the features of the room itself, since she's never really been on this floor before for any stretch of time. She'll talk if approached but the only people she'll actually seek out are familiar faces.

Afterwards though, she's a bit more open. She'll try to smile a little at anyone who catches her eye, though she still doesn't go out of her way to approach most people.

before and after, both prose and action i'm cool with whatever you want!

[ghostytrainer]

Though John wasn't entirely sure what this was all about, he wasn't about to refuse Yu's invitation. Obviously whatever this meeting was about was important, and if Yu felt that he should go, who was John to argue? It's not until he arrives, about ten minutes early, that John begins to have second thoughts. Maybe he should have asked Yu if it would have been alright for him to bring Rose or Dave along with him. Because he's suddenly found himself in a group of people that he largely doesn't know and wow this is kind of awkward.

He hovers somewhat on the outskirts, looking for anybody he might recognize or at least somebody who looks just as out of place as he feels to sit through the meeting with. Not that he won't offer a smile to anybody who happens to look his way or deny conversation to anybody who approaches.

~~~

After the meeting itself, John seems somewhat more relaxed (albiet confused because what the actual fuck was half of that conversation) and willing to mingle. He just needed a little time to settle in apparently. And finding out that there were obviously other people who weren't Persona users here certainly helped. Approach?

Before/After

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia had been invited by Yu, something that had surprised her, but that she had accepted. The two did not talk often, but there are some things people can't go through together without coming out with a stronger bond. Yu was one of three people who showed her she still had value down in the Admin levels. Of course she would come when Yu asked.

Before the meeting, she silently finds a seat to herself in the back not far from Zelda and John. Afterward, she finds herself slightly confused. Not as bad as some others would be, but the meeting did leave her with questions.

She approached one of the people she believed to be a persona user.

"Excuse me? Do you mind clarifying something for me?"

[miseris_socios]

Ken's just zoning out a little bit when she asks.

"Huh? What is it?"

[fuhgeddaboudit]

"Course I can," Labrys replied with a nod. "Whaddya need help with?"

After

[morituramfides]

Well. Leave it to Strega to start something during the meeting, of course. It was amazing Jin had stuck around for so long, but he was undoubtedly sour. As soon as the discussion was over he'd practically trudged away from the rest of the group to cool off-- or more likely, to get away from the people he had been talking to.

He wasn't doing anything in particular besides steaming, but he was probably on his way out some time soon. If anyone wanted to catch him, it'd probably be now or never.

before and after

[notsogrimreaper]

Before:

Ryoji arrives at the meeting place far too early, as his nerves convinced him he was already late and shouldn't spend so much time thinking about what he was going to do and say and just focus on getting there. When he arrived, though, he ended up with plenty of time to think.

He's now sitting in a chair, playing with the end of his scarf and trying to piece together his story bit by bit in an order that's actually coherent. He could honestly use an interruption.

After:

He does appear to have calmed down since the meeting, though he is a little wary of approaching people himself, after admitting to what he is. To make up for that, he tries to look welcoming and willing to talk to whoever comes to him, smiling softly at people walking by and generally trying not to look like a world-ending Shadow manifestation of death.

...Is it working?