Naturally. We've got to discover the important things by narrative significance, right?
[well. they may not have to wander too much, because Tama-chan is slinking towards the exit now, stopping there and meowing at the three boys insistently. follow the cat!1]
I, for one, am not complaining about plot convenience.
[following the cat it is! once all three wild cards file in behind her, Tama-chan darts out of the velvet room and into the station again. which looks. . . exactly the same as it did before, but-for one difference]
[a train has pulled up to the platform just outside the velvet room, the engine rumbling as it stalls on the tracks. it's an old-timey passenger train, although the windows are all fogged up with mysteriously blue and swirling clouds, so it's impossible to see what's inside. Tama parks herself right outside the entrance, tail flickering]
[ And instead of stopping to stare at the windows or try to see if there's anything to be investigated about the outer appearance, Souji is giving Tama-chan a quick pat of gratitude and just striding on in. ]
[a soft snort, and Akira also crouches down to give Tama-chan a scratch behind her ears (she darts away from him before he can, like a JERK), before he sighs and follows his senpais into the train entrance. ONWARDS. . . !]
[entering the car feels much like entering a dungeon, or the Metaverse, or the Dark Hour. the world seems to pulse and shift around them, the station surroundings fading into nothing, only to be replaced by. . . . . . the interior of an old fashioned, extremely fancy dining car. wao!!]
[EXCEPT THE WHOLE THING IS A MESS]
[tables are upended, chairs are splintered in two, glass is broken and shattered on the velvet-carpeted ground. . . it looks like this place was ransacked, or something?? everything is silent, except for the sound of the rattling tracks outside. the car is on the move, and at a brisk, quick pace]
[the exit behind them is open, but swirling with white mist to obscure the station that must lie beyond. huh!!]
Sooo. . . we're not riding first class?
[says the guy in a leather jacket and white mask who was not standing there mere seconds earlier. but hey, he sounds an awful lot like Kurusu]
[Yeah, this entire place is trippy. Minato's left looking around, hands tucked into his pockets as he does. This place definitely feels like the Dark Hour, and while he seems as chill as ever... he's definitely on high alert now.
... ... ...]
Nice coat. The mask too...
[Akira's costume is awesome. Minato's peering at it, expression very curious.]
Can we start figuring out what we're here for? [The last time he was on a moving train and Shadows were around, he was on a Strict Time Limit. This is not how he wants to die (again).]
[Akira opens his mouth to respond, but. . . before he can say a single word, they're oh-so rudely interrupted by a Shadow-y looking figure dressed in a train conductor's outfit suddenly appearing in the train car next to their entrance. it explodes into being in a series of splattering black Shadow goop (probably familiar to all of them), and immediately whirls to face the three teens with shoulders hunched menacingly. it's no ordinary conductor, either; their face is obscured by a silver, metallic mask, underneath which red eyes glow. it's also carrying a flashlight! and a ticket puncher!!]
[and it's yelling at them in a distorted, gurgling voice]
[Stop, thieves!]
[welp]
-- we can figure that out as we go! Time to bolt!
[there's another door on the opposite end of the car to which they can escape, since their original entrance is blocked, soooo. Joker is going to grasp at both Souji and Minato's shirt sleeves and yank them in that direction. they could probably all fight, but. . . maybe they should avoid fights until they figure out what the fuck is going on here, first]
[ That's... a Shadow? A very bizarre-looking Shadow, nothing like Souji's ever seen. Even when he'd encountered the more human-looking Shadows, the only real difference had been the glowing golden eyes. This is more like the police-like Shadows but just unfamiliar enough that he's not sure what to expect from it.
Even as Akira reaches out to grab him by the sleeve and he's hauled towards another door, Souji automatically reaches into himself, to see what options he can quickly sift through, just in case the Shadow attacks.
Only to pause in outright shock, because there's only one voice there now, and it's a cherished voice to be sure, but there were eleven other voices before and...
Shit. ]
Please tell me one of you has all your Personas with you!
Minato's never seen a Shadow quite like that one either, and he doesn't protest when Akira drags him along; instead, he follows, running on instinct as the Shadow gives chase.
Souji's statement, though...
Minato pauses, reaching back, and no--
No, not even Thanatos, and while Messiah is a comforting voice in his mind, what's--
[Akira lets go as soon as the other two fall into step behind him, and they pass easily into the next train car with the conductor Shadow close on their heels. this car looks like a normal passenger car, with ripped up seats and scattered luggage in the aisle. spilling from the luggage are various items: old watches and broken jewelry, ripped clothing, shattered picture frames and other personal effects. and maybe the occasional locked treasure box that would light up bright yellow if Akira was using his Third Eye right now.]
[but his focus is currently on the series of voices that echo, the constant and comforting presences in the back of his mind. well. . . presence singular, because the moment he realizes that only one presence is answering his call is the moment he understands why Souji asked if they had all of their Personas]
. . . only one! But it’ll do!
[Akira doesn’t stop running as he answers that question, but he’s eventually forced to skid to a halt as a second Shadowy conductor slams into the floor in front of them. so now they’re surrounded on both sides, and shit, at this point they have no choice but to fight]
[ It's an oddly terse answer for someone who so far has really only been stricken by the news that his favorite station cat is dead-- but Souji spins back around to face the Shadow Conductor that had been chasing them and holds up one hand, palm up. Blue light sparks and crackles in his palm, revealing what looks like a tarot card. ]
Izanagi-no-Okami!
[ As he closes his hand over the card, it shatters with the sound of breaking glass, and a figure takes form in front of him, spinning its blade to launch a Ziodyne at the Conductor he's facing. ]
[... Huh. He doesn't know that Persona--which makes Minato think that that must be Souji's original Persona. So they're Wild Cards without their Wild Card ability, huh...?
... A neat little pickle.
Either way, Minato won't hesitate either; he spins to face another of the Shadows, yanking his Evoker out from beneath his blazer, and...
(Don't mind him, guys.)
He flicks it to his temple, and he pulls the trigger. The Persona is just as extra as the summoning method, but the Megidolaon is more than enough to knock some of those Shadows back.]
[truthfully, Akira would have a lot to say about Souji's card-style and Minato's evoker-style summoning if they weren't. . . you know. . . attacking the unmasked, still extremely distorted Shadows. both the Zionga and the Megidolaon are powerful attacks, but like. with the armor of the Palace (this is a Palace right??) distortion still firmly in place?]
[although both spells knock the Shadows back, it doesn't seem to really dent their armor or their HP bars. the two conductors loom above them, ready to charge--]
[-- and Akira rockets past Minato, towards the conductor that looks like it's juuuust a bit closer to striking than the other one. he ducks underneath a swipe of the flashlight meant to knock him aside, kicks at the ground and leaps at the nearby train wall, using it as leverage to launch himself high into the air above the Shadow. when he lands, it's with his knees hooked around the faux conductor's neck and red fingers digging underneath the chrome mask. which he then rips away with strings of black Shadow goop dangling from the edges, before he casts it aside]
[the conductor lurches forward as Akira leaps off of its shoulders, its form bubbling and distorting until one large possibly familiar Shadow stands in its place. the other conductor, still over by Souji, takes a step back]
[Akira lands in a tucked roll and pops back onto his feet seconds later. he stands, points at his white mask, then the other two wild cards]
... Is what Souji thinks but does not actually say because he has spent too much time in the presence of a six-year-old. But more importantly, what?? He's used to creeping up on Shadows and smacking them to provoke them, but they'd never had such... thematic forms. And what was this about ripping off masks??
But it's simple enough to guess what additional steps have to be taken, and while he doesn't have a sword or any other kind of weapon, he'll just have to improvise.
As the remaining conductor takes a step back, Souji pursues it. Some of the mangled chairs (or bits of them) from the previous car are still strewn all over, and as the conductor swings the flashlight at him - since he is not quite as acrobatic as Akira in this moment - he seizes one of the chair legs and blocks it. Parries, rather, and as the conductor stumbles back--
Souji pursues, pivoting to slam that chair leg into its gut, enough for it to double over so he can seize that mask on its face and rip it off.
As he leaps back, the conductor's form ripples and surges, and lo and behold.
[Whoops!! Minato's not all too pleased about that (what nonsense is this...?) but when in Rome...
Adaptability has always been his strongest suit, and so he doesn't really hesitate to follow suit. Can't let his fellow Wild Cards show him up, right...?
He flings himself forward, ducking around the Shadow nimbly (though not quite so much as their new pal in the Phantom Thief outfit...) and reaching out to yank its mask off as well.
So.
Now they've got three Abaddons. Nice! That sucks, because neither of them have psy skills!!]
[three Abaddons! ah ha ha! and three is just enough to surround them in a tight circle. Akira finds himself backpedaling back towards Minato and Souji, standing against them with his back almost pressed against theirs as he stares down the Abaddon he released earlier. none of them have Psy skills, but. . .]
[his mouth curves upward, wicked and sharp, eyes flashing. his own hand flies to his mask, fingers pressed against the edges]
Drains curse, physical and gun skills. [Futaba isn't here, but Akira has Abaddon's weaknesses and resistances memorized] Weak to Psy and Nuke. Act accordingly.
[d-don't mind the way his voice takes on a leadery, slightly authoritative edge]
In other words-- hell yes we can beat them.
[and with that?]
[he tears the white mask from his face, allows it to burn into nothing between his fingers. blue fire swirls around his form, dances across his legs and shoulders as his inner self-- Satanael-- rises into being]
Satanael!
[that neon blue explosion that rockets the train car and slams into the nearest Abaddon? that's a Cosmic Flare attack. none of them have Psy skills, but Akira has a single Nuke skill under his belt. and right now, that's all he needs]
Souji, on the other hand, has no idea what the hell Psy and Nuke are, and since it doesn't seem to involve actual nukes, he... is still very much at a loss. But if physical attacks won't work, then he's just going to follow Minato's example and unleash a Megidolaon. It's not an effective skill, but it's still going to hurt. ]
Minato understands nothing, but he's not going to question it right now.
It's very irritating that they drain physical (is that right...?) but he's not going to argue it. Instead, he also is going to fling a megidolaon out there; he lifts the Evoker to his temple, and--
Well.
Megidolaon is always intense, honestly, so it does a very good job of knocking down the ones Akira hasn't targeted.]
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messianic) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
realpolitik2018-09-25 10:30 pm
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Kind of silently sighs.
Okay. So that's how it's going to be.]
... No, but I get the feeling if we go looking, we'll find something now.
[Clearly they had to get introduced to the Velvet Rooms first? That's how these things work.]
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[yeah sorry Minato, this is how it's gonna be]
Naturally. We've got to discover the important things by narrative significance, right?
[well. they may not have to wander too much, because Tama-chan is slinking towards the exit now, stopping there and meowing at the three boys insistently. follow the cat!1]
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[ Well, how could he avoid the cat!! He's coming! ]
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Ah... plot convenience wins again. [Dryly.]
Let's go, Tama-chan.
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[following the cat it is! once all three wild cards file in behind her, Tama-chan darts out of the velvet room and into the station again. which looks. . . exactly the same as it did before, but-for one difference]
[a train has pulled up to the platform just outside the velvet room, the engine rumbling as it stalls on the tracks. it's an old-timey passenger train, although the windows are all fogged up with mysteriously blue and swirling clouds, so it's impossible to see what's inside. Tama parks herself right outside the entrance, tail flickering]
[it's clear what she wants them to do]
Oh. Are we going on a trip?
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[ And instead of stopping to stare at the windows or try to see if there's anything to be investigated about the outer appearance, Souji is giving Tama-chan a quick pat of gratitude and just striding on in. ]
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... Yeah, I think we are. I was just starting to get used to this place, too. [That is A Joke.
ANYWAY!! Onto the train, he supposes, hands still tucked into his pockets.]
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[entering the car feels much like entering a dungeon, or the Metaverse, or the Dark Hour. the world seems to pulse and shift around them, the station surroundings fading into nothing, only to be replaced by. . . . . . the interior of an old fashioned, extremely fancy dining car. wao!!]
[EXCEPT THE WHOLE THING IS A MESS]
[tables are upended, chairs are splintered in two, glass is broken and shattered on the velvet-carpeted ground. . . it looks like this place was ransacked, or something?? everything is silent, except for the sound of the rattling tracks outside. the car is on the move, and at a brisk, quick pace]
[the exit behind them is open, but swirling with white mist to obscure the station that must lie beyond. huh!!]
Sooo. . . we're not riding first class?
[says the guy in a leather jacket and white mask who was not standing there mere seconds earlier. but hey, he sounds an awful lot like Kurusu]
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Why is everything such a disaster zone? Was the train robbed? Did someone get in a bar fight in this particular section?
And-- ]
... Kurusu-san? Did you seriously change outfits in under three seconds?
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... ... ...]
Nice coat. The mask too...
[Akira's costume is awesome. Minato's peering at it, expression very curious.]
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Oh. Thanks.
[that’s directed at Minato, to whom he gives a cheeky fingerguns. and then, to Souji—]
It’s for the aesthetic.
[that does not explain how he changed in like five seconds]
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[ He's giving Minato a slightly confused look now, because maybe Minato will understand it slightly better?? ]
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He has no idea, Souji, sorry.]
... So.
We're on a moving train.
Can we start figuring out what we're here for? [The last time he was on a moving train and Shadows were around, he was on a Strict Time Limit. This is not how he wants to die (again).]
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[and it's yelling at them in a distorted, gurgling voice]
[Stop, thieves!]
[welp]
-- we can figure that out as we go! Time to bolt!
[there's another door on the opposite end of the car to which they can escape, since their original entrance is blocked, soooo. Joker is going to grasp at both Souji and Minato's shirt sleeves and yank them in that direction. they could probably all fight, but. . . maybe they should avoid fights until they figure out what the fuck is going on here, first]
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Even as Akira reaches out to grab him by the sleeve and he's hauled towards another door, Souji automatically reaches into himself, to see what options he can quickly sift through, just in case the Shadow attacks.
Only to pause in outright shock, because there's only one voice there now, and it's a cherished voice to be sure, but there were eleven other voices before and...
Shit. ]
Please tell me one of you has all your Personas with you!
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Minato's never seen a Shadow quite like that one either, and he doesn't protest when Akira drags him along; instead, he follows, running on instinct as the Shadow gives chase.
Souji's statement, though...
Minato pauses, reaching back, and no--
No, not even Thanatos, and while Messiah is a comforting voice in his mind, what's--
... He shakes his head shortly, brow furrowing.]
Come on, we have to go...!
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[but his focus is currently on the series of voices that echo, the constant and comforting presences in the back of his mind. well. . . presence singular, because the moment he realizes that only one presence is answering his call is the moment he understands why Souji asked if they had all of their Personas]
. . . only one! But it’ll do!
[Akira doesn’t stop running as he answers that question, but he’s eventually forced to skid to a halt as a second Shadowy conductor slams into the floor in front of them. so now they’re surrounded on both sides, and shit, at this point they have no choice but to fight]
Damn it. . . hey! Are you two ready?!
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[ It's an oddly terse answer for someone who so far has really only been stricken by the news that his favorite station cat is dead-- but Souji spins back around to face the Shadow Conductor that had been chasing them and holds up one hand, palm up. Blue light sparks and crackles in his palm, revealing what looks like a tarot card. ]
Izanagi-no-Okami!
[ As he closes his hand over the card, it shatters with the sound of breaking glass, and a figure takes form in front of him, spinning its blade to launch a Ziodyne at the Conductor he's facing. ]
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... A neat little pickle.
Either way, Minato won't hesitate either; he spins to face another of the Shadows, yanking his Evoker out from beneath his blazer, and...
(Don't mind him, guys.)
He flicks it to his temple, and he pulls the trigger. The Persona is just as extra as the summoning method, but the Megidolaon is more than enough to knock some of those Shadows back.]
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Wait, what the hell?! You can't just--!
[truthfully, Akira would have a lot to say about Souji's card-style and Minato's evoker-style summoning if they weren't. . . you know. . . attacking the unmasked, still extremely distorted Shadows. both the Zionga and the Megidolaon are powerful attacks, but like. with the armor of the Palace (this is a Palace right??) distortion still firmly in place?]
[although both spells knock the Shadows back, it doesn't seem to really dent their armor or their HP bars. the two conductors loom above them, ready to charge--]
[-- and Akira rockets past Minato, towards the conductor that looks like it's juuuust a bit closer to striking than the other one. he ducks underneath a swipe of the flashlight meant to knock him aside, kicks at the ground and leaps at the nearby train wall, using it as leverage to launch himself high into the air above the Shadow. when he lands, it's with his knees hooked around the faux conductor's neck and red fingers digging underneath the chrome mask. which he then rips away with strings of black Shadow goop dangling from the edges, before he casts it aside]
[the conductor lurches forward as Akira leaps off of its shoulders, its form bubbling and distorting until one large possibly familiar Shadow stands in its place. the other conductor, still over by Souji, takes a step back]
[Akira lands in a tucked roll and pops back onto his feet seconds later. he stands, points at his white mask, then the other two wild cards]
Mask first! Now!
[you're free to go for it, senpais]
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... Is what Souji thinks but does not actually say because he has spent too much time in the presence of a six-year-old. But more importantly, what?? He's used to creeping up on Shadows and smacking them to provoke them, but they'd never had such... thematic forms. And what was this about ripping off masks??
But it's simple enough to guess what additional steps have to be taken, and while he doesn't have a sword or any other kind of weapon, he'll just have to improvise.
As the remaining conductor takes a step back, Souji pursues it. Some of the mangled chairs (or bits of them) from the previous car are still strewn all over, and as the conductor swings the flashlight at him - since he is not quite as acrobatic as Akira in this moment - he seizes one of the chair legs and blocks it. Parries, rather, and as the conductor stumbles back--
Souji pursues, pivoting to slam that chair leg into its gut, enough for it to double over so he can seize that mask on its face and rip it off.
As he leaps back, the conductor's form ripples and surges, and lo and behold.
Another Abaddon! ]
Great, they've learned new tricks...
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Adaptability has always been his strongest suit, and so he doesn't really hesitate to follow suit. Can't let his fellow Wild Cards show him up, right...?
He flings himself forward, ducking around the Shadow nimbly (though not quite so much as their new pal in the Phantom Thief outfit...) and reaching out to yank its mask off as well.
So.
Now they've got three Abaddons. Nice! That sucks, because neither of them have psy skills!!]
Can we beat them now?
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[his mouth curves upward, wicked and sharp, eyes flashing. his own hand flies to his mask, fingers pressed against the edges]
Drains curse, physical and gun skills. [Futaba isn't here, but Akira has Abaddon's weaknesses and resistances memorized] Weak to Psy and Nuke. Act accordingly.
[d-don't mind the way his voice takes on a leadery, slightly authoritative edge]
In other words-- hell yes we can beat them.
[and with that?]
[he tears the white mask from his face, allows it to burn into nothing between his fingers. blue fire swirls around his form, dances across his legs and shoulders as his inner self-- Satanael-- rises into being]
Satanael!
[that neon blue explosion that rockets the train car and slams into the nearest Abaddon? that's a Cosmic Flare attack. none of them have Psy skills, but Akira has a single Nuke skill under his belt. and right now, that's all he needs]
no subject
[ Well, great job for Akira!
Souji, on the other hand, has no idea what the hell Psy and Nuke are, and since it doesn't seem to involve actual nukes, he... is still very much at a loss. But if physical attacks won't work, then he's just going to follow Minato's example and unleash a Megidolaon. It's not an effective skill, but it's still going to hurt. ]
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[????
Minato understands nothing, but he's not going to question it right now.
It's very irritating that they drain physical (is that right...?) but he's not going to argue it. Instead, he also is going to fling a megidolaon out there; he lifts the Evoker to his temple, and--
Well.
Megidolaon is always intense, honestly, so it does a very good job of knocking down the ones Akira hasn't targeted.]
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