Minato | Open | 088

[messianic]

a

[Look, he's a Persona protag. So maybe you're having some difficulty with something--anything from looking for something to dropping things to carrying groceries and who knows what else--and after a moment of observing, he has to come over, hands tucked into his pocket and voice quiet, to ask:]

Is there anything I can help with?

[Protags gotta protag, after all; he just wants to be useful, okay!!!]

b

[Alternatively, he also seems to always find himself in these situations and can't seem to say no.... which is a life skill that would probably benefit him to learn but one he will never quite manage. HE...TRIED....

Probably.

But it's almost Easter and that's why he was dragged into helping with an easter egg hunt, wearing a stupid-ass costume complete with bunny ears and looking very puzzled about it (if you can tell beneath the lineface).

He's also, more importantly, kind of struggling to juggle all of the eggs he's supposed to be painting while more are dumped onto him by other overworked volunteers, and with paint on his face and hands and a paintbrush in his mouth as backup while he tries to paint colorful designs on one of the many eggs in his hands, he...

... Probably has bitten off more than he can chew.

Help.]

c

[if you want to see him shoot himself in the head make up a battle prompt or just tell me and i'll come up with one, it'll be Fun.]

wildcard

[Come up with your own prompt or consider one of these OR WHATEVER MAKES YOU HAPPY.]

Comments

[purrtagonist]

It took years of study to perfect the language. Training under waterfalls, isolating myself from society to focus on my work, that sort of thing.

[BONDING THROUGH MORE DRY HUMOR. . .]

[also is it just Minato or is the cat giving Akira a very human-like flat look]

So far, the only practical use it's had is knowing this guy's favorite food.

[the cat suddenly meows in irritation as the deadpan expression on Akira's features breaks out into a grin, and he reaches out to gently scratch the creature's ears]

[messianic]

[Hmm....]

I know someone who can speak dog, but I don't think she had to train under waterfalls. Sounds like you got the raw end of the deal.

[SORRY, AKIRA.]

Isn't that a good thing to know, though?

[Whatever, Minato. The cat and protag combo are cute though, okay!! He approves.]

[purrtagonist]

It is. He's fond of sushi, by the way. Especially fatty tuna.

[there's a twinkle of mischief in his eyes as Morgana hops up onto Akira's shoulders and starts kneading his paws into his hair. IN REVENGE. Akira just laughs lightly and tilts his head to the side, fully accepting this punishment]

Speaking of food, do you want something while you're here?

[messianic]

Hm... If I end up with fatty tuna, I'm not sure I'd want to share though.

[Minato pls????

He watches them play out for a bit before he just shakes his head, faintly amused. IT'S NOT LIKE HE CAME HERE FOR THE STUNNING COMPANY OR ANYTHING.]

Sure. What would you recommend?

[purrtagonist]

The house blend special.

[he answers without hesitation as he reaches up to brush his knuckles against that cat's fur. oddly enough, he isn't trying to push him off his shoulders. HE LOVES THIS CAT, OKAY. . .]

You pay for a plate of Boss's famous curry, and get a mug of house blend coffee in return. It's worth the value.

[messianic]

Sounds like a good deal to me.

[Curry and coffee is an interesting combo, but Minato likes both of those things, so he certainly isn't going to be complaining.

Instead, he ducks his head a little to hide a smile at the cat+human shenanigans.]

When you put it like that, I don't know how I could pick anything else.

[purrtagonist]

One house blend special coming right up, then.

[and now Akira shoos the cat off of his shoulders, muttering a small you're not even supposed to be down here during business hours as the creature hops down onto the ground and disappears underneath one of the chairs. then he busies himself with making Minato a cup of the special house blend. the curry is already made, simmering in a pot in the kitchen, so at least it won't take him long to serve that up too]

Morgana-- [he says, after a few moments of silence] -- is a Persona user, too. He actually can talk.

[at this point, he trusts Minato enough to tell him a little more about his team, so. . . plus, no one else is in the shop, so they're cleared to talk about protag things]

[messianic]

[He...actually takes that in stride relatively easily. When they've got a dog on their team, why not a cat...? It seems only fitting, really.

Hm...]

So he's part of your team?

[A cute kitty cat partner!! That's pure.]

Do you mind if I ask what his Persona is?

[He's gotta know. What Persona a cat would have.........]

[purrtagonist]

Remember when I told you to keep an eye out for a cat bus?

[amusement flickers in his eyes, but fades quickly as he pours the freshly made coffee into a mug]

Zorro. His Persona is actually pretty cool. . .

[messianic]

[??? ?? okay but he's a cat and not a bus, clearly, Minato doesn't understand--

But.

First he's too busy being delighted by the fact that Morgana's Persona is Zorro.]

... Oh. That's perfect.

[How good??]

[purrtagonist]

Isn't it? Our group has a nice theme going on.

[slides the fresh mug of coffee towards Minato and then busies himself with fetching a plate of curry]

Arsene. Zorro. Captain Kidd. Carmen. Goemon. The list goes on.

[a beat, and a thought occurs to him]

Have you read any of their books?

[messianic]

[Thankfully, Minato's academics are high enough for this. He nods in thanks for the coffee with a quietly murmured:]

Thank you.

[And then, consideringly:]

I remember reading about Arsene... Arsene Lupin, right? The gentleman thief.

[Heh. Fitting.]

Zorro...the outlaw who aids the helpless. Captain Kidd was a pirate, right...? And Goemon's obvious too. [That's just basic history stuff.

His brow furrows a little as he thinks.]

Carmen...

[That one's harder for him to place.]

[purrtagonist]

Carmen. From the novella and opera of the same name.

[BUCKLE UP MINATO YOUR ACADEMICS ARE ABOUT TO INCREASE EVEN MORE]

She was a femme fetal who lived a life of freedom without regret. I still have the book, if you want to borrow it sometime.

[Akira you've got to turn it into the library??? anyway, one plate of hot curry, coming up!]

[messianic]

Oh.

[Huh! Learn something new every day, music note stat increase go!]

Maybe I'll look at the library back home... I'm not sure how often I'll be able to come here, so I'd rather not borrow yours.

[What if he gets stuck dealing with Tartarus for weeks and doesn't resurface for ages? You never know.

But!!! Oh!!!!]

It smells delicious.

[Curry.]

[purrtagonist]

[then maybe fate will throw him back in Mementos or Akira back in Tartarus so they can meet again??? THAT SEEMS TO BE A THING THAT HAPPENS A LOT]

The smell isn't the only delicious thing about it.

[trust him, he knows his curry. also, after a few moments of silence while he tidies up around the counter, he asks]

. . . now that you're here, and we're not being rushed to the exit by the Reaper, do you mind answering a couple of questions for me?

[messianic]

[It smells good so Minato is definitely not going to hesitate to take a bite. Mmm.... Mmmm.

He loves food.

So there are a few peaceful moments of quiet as he eats, until Akira speaks up. A tilt of his head.]

No, I don't mind.

[Minato will be Minato, after all.]

What is it?

[purrtagonist]

[now is a good time to compare protag notes!! these questions have been bouncing around in his mind from the moment they first met]

The gun you use, when you summon.

[a beat]

Hhhhhow does it work?

[messianic]

[You sure sound so alarmed, Akira..... not that he minds.

He takes another bite of that curry, before he puts his spoon down and reaches under his blazer for the Evoker. It's not really safe traveling without it, even if he also knows it's not really going to be fun to explain if people see it.

He'll just put it on the counter for Akira to take or look at if he wanted to.]

It isn't a real gun.

[Ob...viously...]

The way it works is... [Hm...] ...You know how Personas are a mask to face hardship with? [Loosely paraphrasing.] If you're in danger...your Persona will appear.

[Hence--shooting themselves in the head to stimulate that fear and stress.

IT'S FUN.]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . hm]

[he reaches out to pick the evoker up, turning it around in his hands to examine every nook and cranny of the weapon. his hand slides over the handle, finger twitching against the trigger, before he lifts it and presses the barrel lightly to his own temple]

[wow it'd sure be bad if a customer walked in right about now???]

[. . .]

[he doesn't fire, though. and after a moment, he lowers the evoker and places it back on the counter for Minato to reclaim. the part about danger. . . it's somewhat similar to how his Persona first awakened, when he knew he had to do something to save Ryuji's life from Kamoshida's shadow. but it isn't exactly the same, either]

You still feel a sense of danger, even knowing that the gun isn't real?

[messianic]

[it would be real bad if someone walked in, yeah, that would be hard to explain away. Minato seems placid about it, though; he might be a little desensitized by the sight of seeing someone pressing a gun to their head in a bad way.

But even so:]

You didn't try to pull the trigger.

[For obvious reasons; it'd be bad to have a Persona appear here and now. He reclaims the Evoker, tucking it away neatly, and then meets Akira's eyes.]

It's harder than it sounds.

[And the Evokers are special and plumes of dust and such bullshit, who knows, point is...having a gun to your head sure does do a Thing.]

[purrtagonist]

I can't summon outside the Metaverse.

[at least, he's never had a catalyst that would let him. the masks he wears only appears when he's in the cognitive world, after all]

And if it worked, I'd have one hell of a mess to clean up. Boss would kill me.

[PERSONAS PROBABLY CAN'T FIT IN TINY COFFEE SHOPS. . .]

What was it like? When you summoned your Persona for the first time?

[messianic]

The first time...

[IT WAS BULLSHIT AND IT SUCKED.

He blinks.]

If I say I put a gun to my head without knowing what it would do... hypothetically.

[HYPOTHETICALLY]

What would you say?

[It was kind of a bad time for everyone involved.]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . WOW]

[MINATO. . .]

[STARES AT HIM FOR LIKE, A GOOD TEN SECONDS]








I'd say that you've got some real guts.

[he finally replies, in a total deadpan]

[messianic]

[YEAH.....

...

...

Thumbs up!!]

It had to be done.

[Sure.]

The other option was to be killed by a Shadow. [A tilted head.] ...What about you?

[purrtagonist]

[WELL. . . IT ALL TURNED OUT FOR THE BEST??? AT LEAST. and he can't totally deny that he'd do the exact same thing if his options were "get killed by a Shadow" or "take a risk with a firearm." a faint hint of amusement appears on his expression]

A mask appeared on my face, and I felt this weird urge to rip it off.

. . . there was a lot of blood, if I remember correctly. . .

[and it also felt like something was trying to rip its way out of his head immediately beforehand but YOU KNOW. . .]