A Living Person
Installing BB.exe
- Location
- Chaldea
Can't say I disagree, I would sh*t my pants if I saw a walking death person, regardless of how many times I've seen similar things before.
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For all readers and writers
After much ado, our new tagging system is here and being rolled out to the userbase. Read more here!
Ones and Zeroes (Fate Extra/Persona 3)
- Thread starter Shape of Fire
- Start date
meganeshounen
*tips glasses*
- Location
- Far East Asia
And from my experience playing both Persona 3/4 and Fate/Extra...?
Fighting the Reaper/Ryougi Shiki after taking them down once still puts me on edge.
They're just that deadly.
A Living Person
Installing BB.exe
- Location
- Chaldea
Smells like From Software games, or Time-Constrained/HP Depletion Missions....uegggh.
Spellsmith
First Nagato-type Armored Aircraft Carrier, Nagato
...aren't you getting too used to your new gender, Hakuno? Granted, it's probably not actually a 'normal high school girl's shopping trip', but still...
So am I, senpai. So am I.
Gender? Hakuno was female even in the Moon Cell.
Spellsmith
First Nagato-type Armored Aircraft Carrier, Nagato
Wait, really? Could've sworn she was male... Ah well, nvm then.
meganeshounen
*tips glasses*
- Location
- Far East Asia
Hakuno Kishinami is the most-often used name for the F/E protagonist, from what fan media has done.
Though, I think "Kishinami" is the male while "Hakuno" is the female?
Though, I think "Kishinami" is the male while "Hakuno" is the female?
Shape of Fire
Burns
According to wiki, Hakuno Kishinami is the protagonists name but nickname varies. Male is just Kishinami, but female is Hakunon.
Chapter 3 Ruminations
Shape of Fire
Burns
Salutations! It's been a while, though I assure you its not because I haven't been writing. More like I haven't been satisfied with what I wrote. Still aren't, but I shouldn't procrastinate forever.
Many thanks to nitewind for beta work!
Chapter 3 Ruminations
Thebel Block, Hakuno's POV
"I still have about 28% charge left," I inform Mitsuru while scanning the bloody stairway before us. We had sped up our exploration after the first fight (mainly because I had finally gotten permission to keep Saber summoned) and had actually cleared the first floor of Tartarus in what Akihiko had called a record time. Bolstered by our success, he had then managed to convince Mitsuru to take this expedition further.
All the way to the third floor.
It had gone very smoothly, the Shadows were nothing compared to even the Enemy Programs at the final levels of the Chimeric Lunar Sea, let alone Servants. And Saber was the strongest Servant.
The Shadows hadn't even scratched us –any of us- yet.
I had really worried too much about this.
"Almost down to a fourth huh…" Akihiko mutters with exasperated awe. Exasperated because Saber had annihilated nine out of every ten Shadows we had run into, and that was only because they weren't always grouped. Awe, because of the aforementioned slaughter.
"For essentially soloing three floors and keeping a Persona constantly manifested for that long, it's quite the bargain." Mitsuru muses, "Still, its about time we bring this excursion to an end and look for an Access Point."
Access Points were a confusing feature of Tartarus' floors. They were spread around Tartarus at random, sometimes multiple ones on a single floor, sometimes none and they worked as one-way portals to a larger Point at the entrance. According to Mitsuru they were unknown technology and they had no idea why or how they existed. And they were apparently indestructible, as they hadn't had any luck taking apart or even analyzing the one at the entrance. It didn't help that even if people were made able to function during the Dark Hour, they were still easy prey for Shadows.
"Wasn't there one on the second floor? Do we backtrack or go forward?" I ask and let out a sonar pulse, checking the stairway for Shadows. How would a Maya even move on those? Would they just flow down like liquid or would they hold together? Their bodies were pretty malleable, or maybe that was just Saber's strength.
"I vote we go forward," Akihiko declares instantly, to the surprise of no-one.
"That is a bit risky…" Mitsuru shoots him down and I appreciate her sentiment, as we are not in a hurry here. We can continue exploring some other day, we're not on a schedule here. Then she continues:
"But I believe we could do that this time. There is still good twenty minutes left, and we are both fresh enough to take over if Kishinami overexerts herself."
…And it seems I underestimated how much she wants to do this. Well, I guess we go forward then.
"But Kishinami, you should preserve your power unless it seems we are running out of time," Mitsuru adds as we begin climbing, with Saber leading the way.
This again? What does she have against me keeping Saber at my side?
"But that would slow us down again. What if there is no Access Point in the next floor?"
"We don't slow down. As I said, Akihiko and I are still fresh. If it's just one floor, we can cut loose with impunity with your support. Besides, it will be a useful to see what you can do without your Persona."
Why would she need to see that?
"Why? Personas are the main weapon against Shadows. I could be a battle tank and I wouldn't be as useful against them as Saber." For a moment I think about mentioning that I'm not confident enough on my footing to fight in a battle myself. It was even true, while I had no trouble walking or even running, my fast movement was limited to going straight or else I would take a tumble from trying to balance on a body part I didn't have. In the end, however, I leave it unsaid, because with a gun as my weapon there really is no need for me to be able to be very nimble. Especially if I have two melee fighters protecting me.
"But its costly. Clearly, Saber is ridiculously strong Persona, but that doesn't mean you should waste your energy. These Shadows are weak but there are many of them. If you tire yourself on them, you'll be in trouble with the bigger ones." This is starting to get irritating. Of course I know the importance of saving your energy for the real battles, I've done that before. With Saber. We're a team.
But there is a hardline for Saber now. I focus on the charge icon on my HUD. If this drags on, it… is possible I won't be able to summon Saber when I need her.
Mitsuru has a point.
I'll… just call Saber when I need her. To fight I mean. Its just a slight delay, these Shadows can do nothing in that timeframe. It's no real danger. They are not Servants.
"Understood", I tell Mitsuru through clenched teeth and focus on the vanishing form of Saber. She gives me a comforting smile and a nod as she disappears.
Right. I can do this.
3rd person POV
It didn't take long for S.E.E.S. to run into a pack of Shadows on the new floor. They oozed into a large room with a curious stone arch in the middle at about the same time Akihiko entered from the other end. He reacted quickly, running towards them with a shouted warning to the others. Mitsuru reacted immediately, drawing out her Evoker with one hand and dashing after Akihiko at more sedate pace. Hakuno followed suit, her handgun ready to shoot but pointed towards the ground for now.
As Akihiko neared the Shadows – six Mayas, four of them with blue masks and the rest wearing red ones, he smoothly pulled his Evoker from its holster, aiming the silver barrel into his eye. A pragmatic sort would probably chew him out for obscuring his own vision when attacking an enemy, but to Akihiko it was necessary, as he just couldn't pull off the mindset required to summon a Persona if it didn't get in his face.
Glass cracked and the towering form of Polydeuces manifested behind Akihiko, its arm spike crackling with lightning from a Zio spell and already pointed at Akihiko's chosen target, a red masked Maya furthest away from him. As the bolt of lightning stuck forth eliciting a pained roar from the puddle like Shadow, Akihiko himself nudged his rush so that he ran past the first Shadows, evading their grasping claws by a hair and drawing them after him, leaving their backs open for Mitsuru.
It was one of the tried and true tactics the two had refined during their years of operations, this one being reserved for when they could give it their all.
A flash of pink light informed Akihiko that Mitsuru had joined the battle, prompting him to go for his Evoker again to keep the Shadows focused on him. Polydeuces appeared again, this time hammering a Maya into the ground and swiping at the others with its armspike, then disappearing before they could strike back, taking advantage of how the Shadows didn't differentiate between a Persona and its user to get them to focus on him again.
Well with the exception of the two that started to fight each other as Mitsuru's magic messed with one's mind, causing it to attack its kind. Akihiko always found himself smiling at that. The ability to make Shadows fight each other had saved them countless times before.
Still, the deciding factor had always been physical prowess, and that was Akihiko's specialty, be it punching one in the face or just keeping away from them. Like he was doing now. He didn't like it, but it was the best he could do against multiple Mayas, considering his fighting style.
Boxing wasn't really that useful against something that barely came up to his kneecaps, not counting the grasping arms, the direction of the punch was awkward and while it was easier to put his body weight behind the blows, his return was slow. And slowing down was out of the question for him.
So for now, he had to just 'enjoy' the sensation of summoning Polydeuces to do the fighting for him.
"Finish them off, Kishinami!" Mitsuru ordered Hakuno and moved to assist Akihiko, trusting that the ASW could defeat two wounded Shadows with just her gun –or if situation got really bad, just use her Persona to maim every Shadow in the room- while she and Akihiko killed the remaining four.
That suited Hakuno fine, seeing how this was her first hands-on fight, the first fight where she really held the weapon and not just given the command. Much to her shame, she had entertained the thought a few times during the Grail War, after all that was what Julius had done with great success. In the end, she hadn't had the heart for it then, and she didn't think she had it now.
So it was a good thing her opponents weren't anything close to human.
The moment the Cowardly Mayas seemed to stop tearing into each other, Hakuno struck hard.
Two green gems were flung from her hand, aimed between the two wounded Shadows trying to catch their bearings. The Garu gems burst violently, releasing an explosive burst of visible green tinted wind that splattered the Mayas all over the area, leaving Hakuno blinking at the aftermath. I… even if that was a weakness, I seem to have underestimated the gem's power, she thought as she looked over the slowly disintegrating mess, before focusing back on the fight.
Mitsuru and Akihiko were doing well, Mayas that were not attacking their fellows were noticeably crispy and sluggish. It seemed that after setting the remaining Mayas on each other, the two Persona users had decided to just bombard them with impunity.
After one last flash of Zio, the armored form of Penthesilea darted forward, spearing the remaining red masked Merciless Maya on its blade. Mitsuru didn't pay it any attention, instead focusing on checking the team's condition and nodding approvingly at Hakuno's pristine form before commanding them to continue. Hakuno quickly took her place next to Mitsuru while Akihiko took a moment to check the quickly disappearing enemy remains before continuing down the hallway the Mayas had entered.
It took Hakuno another moment to realize what Akihiko had actually been doing, as while she was used to 'dungeon diving' she was also used to the spoils automatically uploading on her portable terminal at the end of a battle. Just one more change she had to remember.
The next group of Shadows they ran into consisted merely of two Muttering Tiaras in a cramped hallway. The disembodied heads were promptly crushed, Akihiko's sudden charge taking them by surprise after which the boxer kept slamming them around, not letting them recover. Hakuno was almost impressed by how he grabbed a Tiara by its crown (revealing that the headdress was a solid part of the Shadow's body) and repeatedly applied his knee to its face, if the other one hadn't used the time to get off an Agi spell in his general direction, however Mitsuru encased the offending Tiara in a block of ice with a Bufu in retaliation. Luckily Akihiko's wounds weren't bad and Mitsuru could treat them with a simple application of Dia, even if the healing spell wasn't her specialty.
Soon after they ran into the activated Access Point, the small golden machine giving off a slightly lighter shade of green light compared to the Block's normal lighting. After Hakuno checked that there were no Shadows lying in wait nearby, they walked into the teleporter one-by-one, leaving Hakuno for last as she was the most likely to survive a sudden attack even if she were alone.
15.3.2009
Iwatodai Dorm, Hakuno's POV
As I lay down on my 'bed,' I feel myself fill with a certain nostalgia. Exploring Tartarus felt really similar to exploring the Chimeric Lunar Sea in the Moon Cell, what with the endless corridors and empty rooms with the occasional monster here and there. Of course, the Enemy Programs didn't crowd nearly as much as the Shadows seemed to do. And the programs were much stronger than the Shadows, at least what we faced today. Even I could kill one easily with a spell gem, though did that speak of the gems power or the Shadows' weakness? According to my internal database Cowardly Mayas were practically the weakest Shadows recorded, only showing a little power with… magic?
I actually stopped for a little while to review my memories of the fight. I don't think the Mayas used magic even once today, not even during the relatively lengthy battle against Mitsuru and Akihiko. They seemed to prefer swarming the target and then slashing at it with their claws. Should I add my analysis on the Cowardly Maya Information Matrix?
Probably not. Mitsuru made these entries with Penthesilea's sensory ability and she and Akihiko have done this for years, maybe today was the exception, not the norm? But there still isn't any real combat data here… And those two were clearly aware that the Cowardly Mayas would focus on anything that attacked them first, that was their whole battle plan. Why is there no mention of that?
Really, this whole thing was starting to feel… amateurish. I mean maybe they would tell all this to the new recruits at training so that's why they don't put it in the files, but then there was the whole fighting thing too.
Its just… the Shadows were weak. That's a fact, but I don't really think Akihiko and Mitsuru were that much stronger. Polydeuces and Penthesilea too. Polydeuces needed a few shots with Zio to kill anything and Penthesilea didn't really create that much ice with Bufu. And her Marin Karin only hit a single target and didn't last all that long. Although to be fair, just a second's lowered guard was enough to destroy an enemy.
I should know, I've almost died too many times because of it: Dan's Archer, Robin Hood, had especially specialized on it, although Julius's Assassin Li Shuwen had done a good job of it too with his one hit kill Noble Phantasm. Then there was that time Rin and Lancer wrecked the Arena entrance with their trap. Oh, and let's not forget the mad chase for the Alices in their Reality Marble.
But that was because they had the power to do that. Clearly, Polydeuces and Penthesilea lack that power. As do their Masters, which is really troubling, considering how they actually fought the Shadows by themselves.
And wasn't that just a ridiculous notion? I mean in hindsight I should've realized, there are so many hints everywhere, but I just rationalized them away.
Personas are not "weapons" like Servants. They are supposed to be more like Noble Phantasms, trump cards to be called upon when your own power is not enough. That was the big deal with me trying to keep Saber manifested, what I was doing was like if Shinji had had Rider ferry him around Tsukumihara on the Golden Hind! This really is different from the Grail War. I'm really glad about that.
So now, in the name of saving my batteries, Mitsuru is having me learn how to fight by myself. Not really a daunting task, thanks to ASW combat programming. Using my gun is literally just point-and-shoot and although I have to aim myself, the process is laughably easy with my HUD calculating the trajectories. The rest is just trying to not get killed, which I already have excessive experience with.
Well, excessive when compared to Akihiko and Mitsuru at least. Or maybe not, those two have years of experience compared to my month. Except that my experience is with legendary her- Oh. Oh!
Maybe that's why everything seems so weak and unimpressive to me? I've been spoilt by the high level of the Grail War. Of course Akihiko would seem slow and clumsy when I'm comparing him to someone whose transcendent skill made a second strike needless. Of course Mitsuru's swordsmanship seemed lacking when compared to a Knight of the Round Table. Only the Masters were normal humans and they too were usually geniuses of some sort or other masters of their craft.
Thinking it like that, as a facsimile of an average human being I would have stood out a lot even if I wasn't an amnesiac back then.
Suddenly an annoyed presence makes itself known, originating from somewhere in my mind. Ah, I think I annoyed Saber with that last thought. However, the feeling fades quickly and is replaced by enveloping warmth. I think she's telling me to go to sleep already. Well, it's not like I'm in a hurry anyway, and if I close my eyes, it's a bit like Saber is here with me.
Many thanks to nitewind for beta work!
Chapter 3 Ruminations
Thebel Block, Hakuno's POV
"I still have about 28% charge left," I inform Mitsuru while scanning the bloody stairway before us. We had sped up our exploration after the first fight (mainly because I had finally gotten permission to keep Saber summoned) and had actually cleared the first floor of Tartarus in what Akihiko had called a record time. Bolstered by our success, he had then managed to convince Mitsuru to take this expedition further.
All the way to the third floor.
It had gone very smoothly, the Shadows were nothing compared to even the Enemy Programs at the final levels of the Chimeric Lunar Sea, let alone Servants. And Saber was the strongest Servant.
The Shadows hadn't even scratched us –any of us- yet.
I had really worried too much about this.
"Almost down to a fourth huh…" Akihiko mutters with exasperated awe. Exasperated because Saber had annihilated nine out of every ten Shadows we had run into, and that was only because they weren't always grouped. Awe, because of the aforementioned slaughter.
"For essentially soloing three floors and keeping a Persona constantly manifested for that long, it's quite the bargain." Mitsuru muses, "Still, its about time we bring this excursion to an end and look for an Access Point."
Access Points were a confusing feature of Tartarus' floors. They were spread around Tartarus at random, sometimes multiple ones on a single floor, sometimes none and they worked as one-way portals to a larger Point at the entrance. According to Mitsuru they were unknown technology and they had no idea why or how they existed. And they were apparently indestructible, as they hadn't had any luck taking apart or even analyzing the one at the entrance. It didn't help that even if people were made able to function during the Dark Hour, they were still easy prey for Shadows.
"Wasn't there one on the second floor? Do we backtrack or go forward?" I ask and let out a sonar pulse, checking the stairway for Shadows. How would a Maya even move on those? Would they just flow down like liquid or would they hold together? Their bodies were pretty malleable, or maybe that was just Saber's strength.
"I vote we go forward," Akihiko declares instantly, to the surprise of no-one.
"That is a bit risky…" Mitsuru shoots him down and I appreciate her sentiment, as we are not in a hurry here. We can continue exploring some other day, we're not on a schedule here. Then she continues:
"But I believe we could do that this time. There is still good twenty minutes left, and we are both fresh enough to take over if Kishinami overexerts herself."
…And it seems I underestimated how much she wants to do this. Well, I guess we go forward then.
"But Kishinami, you should preserve your power unless it seems we are running out of time," Mitsuru adds as we begin climbing, with Saber leading the way.
This again? What does she have against me keeping Saber at my side?
"But that would slow us down again. What if there is no Access Point in the next floor?"
"We don't slow down. As I said, Akihiko and I are still fresh. If it's just one floor, we can cut loose with impunity with your support. Besides, it will be a useful to see what you can do without your Persona."
Why would she need to see that?
"Why? Personas are the main weapon against Shadows. I could be a battle tank and I wouldn't be as useful against them as Saber." For a moment I think about mentioning that I'm not confident enough on my footing to fight in a battle myself. It was even true, while I had no trouble walking or even running, my fast movement was limited to going straight or else I would take a tumble from trying to balance on a body part I didn't have. In the end, however, I leave it unsaid, because with a gun as my weapon there really is no need for me to be able to be very nimble. Especially if I have two melee fighters protecting me.
"But its costly. Clearly, Saber is ridiculously strong Persona, but that doesn't mean you should waste your energy. These Shadows are weak but there are many of them. If you tire yourself on them, you'll be in trouble with the bigger ones." This is starting to get irritating. Of course I know the importance of saving your energy for the real battles, I've done that before. With Saber. We're a team.
But there is a hardline for Saber now. I focus on the charge icon on my HUD. If this drags on, it… is possible I won't be able to summon Saber when I need her.
Mitsuru has a point.
I'll… just call Saber when I need her. To fight I mean. Its just a slight delay, these Shadows can do nothing in that timeframe. It's no real danger. They are not Servants.
"Understood", I tell Mitsuru through clenched teeth and focus on the vanishing form of Saber. She gives me a comforting smile and a nod as she disappears.
Right. I can do this.
3rd person POV
It didn't take long for S.E.E.S. to run into a pack of Shadows on the new floor. They oozed into a large room with a curious stone arch in the middle at about the same time Akihiko entered from the other end. He reacted quickly, running towards them with a shouted warning to the others. Mitsuru reacted immediately, drawing out her Evoker with one hand and dashing after Akihiko at more sedate pace. Hakuno followed suit, her handgun ready to shoot but pointed towards the ground for now.
As Akihiko neared the Shadows – six Mayas, four of them with blue masks and the rest wearing red ones, he smoothly pulled his Evoker from its holster, aiming the silver barrel into his eye. A pragmatic sort would probably chew him out for obscuring his own vision when attacking an enemy, but to Akihiko it was necessary, as he just couldn't pull off the mindset required to summon a Persona if it didn't get in his face.
Glass cracked and the towering form of Polydeuces manifested behind Akihiko, its arm spike crackling with lightning from a Zio spell and already pointed at Akihiko's chosen target, a red masked Maya furthest away from him. As the bolt of lightning stuck forth eliciting a pained roar from the puddle like Shadow, Akihiko himself nudged his rush so that he ran past the first Shadows, evading their grasping claws by a hair and drawing them after him, leaving their backs open for Mitsuru.
It was one of the tried and true tactics the two had refined during their years of operations, this one being reserved for when they could give it their all.
A flash of pink light informed Akihiko that Mitsuru had joined the battle, prompting him to go for his Evoker again to keep the Shadows focused on him. Polydeuces appeared again, this time hammering a Maya into the ground and swiping at the others with its armspike, then disappearing before they could strike back, taking advantage of how the Shadows didn't differentiate between a Persona and its user to get them to focus on him again.
Well with the exception of the two that started to fight each other as Mitsuru's magic messed with one's mind, causing it to attack its kind. Akihiko always found himself smiling at that. The ability to make Shadows fight each other had saved them countless times before.
Still, the deciding factor had always been physical prowess, and that was Akihiko's specialty, be it punching one in the face or just keeping away from them. Like he was doing now. He didn't like it, but it was the best he could do against multiple Mayas, considering his fighting style.
Boxing wasn't really that useful against something that barely came up to his kneecaps, not counting the grasping arms, the direction of the punch was awkward and while it was easier to put his body weight behind the blows, his return was slow. And slowing down was out of the question for him.
So for now, he had to just 'enjoy' the sensation of summoning Polydeuces to do the fighting for him.
"Finish them off, Kishinami!" Mitsuru ordered Hakuno and moved to assist Akihiko, trusting that the ASW could defeat two wounded Shadows with just her gun –or if situation got really bad, just use her Persona to maim every Shadow in the room- while she and Akihiko killed the remaining four.
That suited Hakuno fine, seeing how this was her first hands-on fight, the first fight where she really held the weapon and not just given the command. Much to her shame, she had entertained the thought a few times during the Grail War, after all that was what Julius had done with great success. In the end, she hadn't had the heart for it then, and she didn't think she had it now.
So it was a good thing her opponents weren't anything close to human.
The moment the Cowardly Mayas seemed to stop tearing into each other, Hakuno struck hard.
Two green gems were flung from her hand, aimed between the two wounded Shadows trying to catch their bearings. The Garu gems burst violently, releasing an explosive burst of visible green tinted wind that splattered the Mayas all over the area, leaving Hakuno blinking at the aftermath. I… even if that was a weakness, I seem to have underestimated the gem's power, she thought as she looked over the slowly disintegrating mess, before focusing back on the fight.
Mitsuru and Akihiko were doing well, Mayas that were not attacking their fellows were noticeably crispy and sluggish. It seemed that after setting the remaining Mayas on each other, the two Persona users had decided to just bombard them with impunity.
After one last flash of Zio, the armored form of Penthesilea darted forward, spearing the remaining red masked Merciless Maya on its blade. Mitsuru didn't pay it any attention, instead focusing on checking the team's condition and nodding approvingly at Hakuno's pristine form before commanding them to continue. Hakuno quickly took her place next to Mitsuru while Akihiko took a moment to check the quickly disappearing enemy remains before continuing down the hallway the Mayas had entered.
It took Hakuno another moment to realize what Akihiko had actually been doing, as while she was used to 'dungeon diving' she was also used to the spoils automatically uploading on her portable terminal at the end of a battle. Just one more change she had to remember.
The next group of Shadows they ran into consisted merely of two Muttering Tiaras in a cramped hallway. The disembodied heads were promptly crushed, Akihiko's sudden charge taking them by surprise after which the boxer kept slamming them around, not letting them recover. Hakuno was almost impressed by how he grabbed a Tiara by its crown (revealing that the headdress was a solid part of the Shadow's body) and repeatedly applied his knee to its face, if the other one hadn't used the time to get off an Agi spell in his general direction, however Mitsuru encased the offending Tiara in a block of ice with a Bufu in retaliation. Luckily Akihiko's wounds weren't bad and Mitsuru could treat them with a simple application of Dia, even if the healing spell wasn't her specialty.
Soon after they ran into the activated Access Point, the small golden machine giving off a slightly lighter shade of green light compared to the Block's normal lighting. After Hakuno checked that there were no Shadows lying in wait nearby, they walked into the teleporter one-by-one, leaving Hakuno for last as she was the most likely to survive a sudden attack even if she were alone.
15.3.2009
Iwatodai Dorm, Hakuno's POV
As I lay down on my 'bed,' I feel myself fill with a certain nostalgia. Exploring Tartarus felt really similar to exploring the Chimeric Lunar Sea in the Moon Cell, what with the endless corridors and empty rooms with the occasional monster here and there. Of course, the Enemy Programs didn't crowd nearly as much as the Shadows seemed to do. And the programs were much stronger than the Shadows, at least what we faced today. Even I could kill one easily with a spell gem, though did that speak of the gems power or the Shadows' weakness? According to my internal database Cowardly Mayas were practically the weakest Shadows recorded, only showing a little power with… magic?
I actually stopped for a little while to review my memories of the fight. I don't think the Mayas used magic even once today, not even during the relatively lengthy battle against Mitsuru and Akihiko. They seemed to prefer swarming the target and then slashing at it with their claws. Should I add my analysis on the Cowardly Maya Information Matrix?
Probably not. Mitsuru made these entries with Penthesilea's sensory ability and she and Akihiko have done this for years, maybe today was the exception, not the norm? But there still isn't any real combat data here… And those two were clearly aware that the Cowardly Mayas would focus on anything that attacked them first, that was their whole battle plan. Why is there no mention of that?
Really, this whole thing was starting to feel… amateurish. I mean maybe they would tell all this to the new recruits at training so that's why they don't put it in the files, but then there was the whole fighting thing too.
Its just… the Shadows were weak. That's a fact, but I don't really think Akihiko and Mitsuru were that much stronger. Polydeuces and Penthesilea too. Polydeuces needed a few shots with Zio to kill anything and Penthesilea didn't really create that much ice with Bufu. And her Marin Karin only hit a single target and didn't last all that long. Although to be fair, just a second's lowered guard was enough to destroy an enemy.
I should know, I've almost died too many times because of it: Dan's Archer, Robin Hood, had especially specialized on it, although Julius's Assassin Li Shuwen had done a good job of it too with his one hit kill Noble Phantasm. Then there was that time Rin and Lancer wrecked the Arena entrance with their trap. Oh, and let's not forget the mad chase for the Alices in their Reality Marble.
But that was because they had the power to do that. Clearly, Polydeuces and Penthesilea lack that power. As do their Masters, which is really troubling, considering how they actually fought the Shadows by themselves.
And wasn't that just a ridiculous notion? I mean in hindsight I should've realized, there are so many hints everywhere, but I just rationalized them away.
Personas are not "weapons" like Servants. They are supposed to be more like Noble Phantasms, trump cards to be called upon when your own power is not enough. That was the big deal with me trying to keep Saber manifested, what I was doing was like if Shinji had had Rider ferry him around Tsukumihara on the Golden Hind! This really is different from the Grail War. I'm really glad about that.
So now, in the name of saving my batteries, Mitsuru is having me learn how to fight by myself. Not really a daunting task, thanks to ASW combat programming. Using my gun is literally just point-and-shoot and although I have to aim myself, the process is laughably easy with my HUD calculating the trajectories. The rest is just trying to not get killed, which I already have excessive experience with.
Well, excessive when compared to Akihiko and Mitsuru at least. Or maybe not, those two have years of experience compared to my month. Except that my experience is with legendary her- Oh. Oh!
Maybe that's why everything seems so weak and unimpressive to me? I've been spoilt by the high level of the Grail War. Of course Akihiko would seem slow and clumsy when I'm comparing him to someone whose transcendent skill made a second strike needless. Of course Mitsuru's swordsmanship seemed lacking when compared to a Knight of the Round Table. Only the Masters were normal humans and they too were usually geniuses of some sort or other masters of their craft.
Thinking it like that, as a facsimile of an average human being I would have stood out a lot even if I wasn't an amnesiac back then.
Suddenly an annoyed presence makes itself known, originating from somewhere in my mind. Ah, I think I annoyed Saber with that last thought. However, the feeling fades quickly and is replaced by enveloping warmth. I think she's telling me to go to sleep already. Well, it's not like I'm in a hurry anyway, and if I close my eyes, it's a bit like Saber is here with me.
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Good to know this story is still going, I was starting to worry.
It's interesting that Saber is so much stronger than the other personas and shadows right now, I wonder if this means SEES will start exploring Tartarus and climbing the floors sooner than in canon, expecially since Yukari in slated to enter the group shortly and that will mean a tree person team with scanning support earlier (I'm assuming Mitsuru will keep the support role she did in the early game).
It's interesting that Saber is so much stronger than the other personas and shadows right now, I wonder if this means SEES will start exploring Tartarus and climbing the floors sooner than in canon, expecially since Yukari in slated to enter the group shortly and that will mean a tree person team with scanning support earlier (I'm assuming Mitsuru will keep the support role she did in the early game).
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Shape of Fire
Burns
Yeah, sorry about the wait again. I'll try to get the next one out in a month, but ultimately it depends on how fast I can write something I'm satisfied with. I sat on this for a few weeks since I wasn't satisfied with a lot of things. Still aren't but it seems I'm the only one who cares.
As for the future, well Yukari will be returning to the Port Island in a week, after which there is about two weeks until canon starts rolling. Plenty of time to recruit her, but getting her to properly use her Evoker will take some time. So probably no Tartarus exploration, but the Magician might get a surprise. Might.
Chapter 4 I Spy
Shape of Fire
Burns
Well, it was about a month. And its a chapter that's longer (just a 100 words though) than its predecessor, so yay me?
Many thanks to nitewind for betaing!
Chapter 4 I Spy
19.3.2009
Iwatodai Sports Center, 3rd POV
Hakuno screamed mentally while throwing herself backwards to avoid a hit to her stomach. However, as she tried to balance the wild motion by bringing her other leg behind her, the lack of feet caused her leg to keep going and dropped Hakuno to the ground in what would have been a painful split to a human, but was just an uncomfortable move to an ASSW. Her opponent wasn't surprised for long by the unplanned move, however, and turned the punch into a tackle, prompting the flailing gynoid to roll to safety.
Mitsuru, who was observing the spar from afar, found the ensuing chase scene giggle worthy, though she kept that thought private. Hmph, maybe now she'll think twice before wasting Garu gems on half-dead Mayas, she thought with a very slight smile as Kishinami narrowly avoided getting her hair stuck under Akihiko's stomping leg.
Hakuno then finally caught her wits and aimed her paintball gun, a real gun as nobody wanted to change her parts just for a short training bout, at Akihiko and pulled the trigger without actually aiming, causing the boxer to weave out of the way and stop his charge.
Besides the loss of resources caused by Kishinami's liberal use of spell gems, the excursion to Tartarus a few days ago had turned into a quite headache to the young Kirijo heiress. While S.E.E.S. had managed to make clear headway into Tartarus back then, the precise mission objective was left at the wayside as nobody had actually seen Kishinami herself fight. Sure, they had observed clearly how utterly overpowering her Saber was against the Shadows, but the ASW herself had stayed behind her Persona the whole time and quickly resorted to spell gems when her main weapon wasn't available. It irked Mitsuru to think that she had let her own enthusiasm get to her, forgetting the mission objective in favor of what was basically just quick romp to crush Shadows. It didn't even mean anything in the larger scale, as Tartarus changed shape every night, rendering all distance made inside basically worthless. They didn't even have new types of Shadows to be added to the records to show for the night. Mitsuru expected more from herself.
Akihiko found himself in a bit of a pickle. He had vowed to himself that he would get through this whole training session without getting tagged by Hakuno's paintball gun, and while it had begun well, with Akihiko winning the first few bouts, the ASSW had then started to show which one of them was the true fighting machine.
Sure, the gynoid had clumsily fallen on the ground again, and the first few shots were just sprayed in his direction with the solitary goal of slowing him down, but the change was becoming more apparent by the second.
The gynoid was reading him. That in itself wasn't a new experience, as a famous figure in the boxing rings he had run into more than his fair share of opponents who had studied his strategies and favored maneuvers. A few of those were even good enough to last against him for a while in the ring. But none of them had ever come to really read him for the simple fact that he didn't really plan that far ahead. Sure he played to his strengths, speed and power, and varied his approach to suit the current enemy, but he mainly went with his instincts and those were really hard to read as there wasn't necessarily anything intelligent behind them.
But somehow Hakuno was reading his actions a few steps ahead. She wasn't always correct, but more often than not she managed to send a bullet in just the right direction to throw Akihiko off his game. Probably one of her combat protocols. Heh, its like straight out of a manga, I wonder if she's analyzing my muscle movements or just calculating from previous records, Akihiko humored an errant thought as he evaded yet another paintball aimed where he was going to dodge.
Hakuno herself was racking her brain trying to think of a way to defeat Akihiko, as she was painfully aware that her gun was running out of ammunition and that robotic strength or no, Akihiko would take her apart in a fistfight, especially since she was already on the ground. At least she now had a good grasp on how Akihiko fought, allowing her to predict his most likely reactions, in battle at least.
Thanks to that, Hakuno noticed when Akihiko made up his mind. He won't wait, too aggressive, trusts his reflexes to evade the shot, ready to take a hit in exchange for winning, Hakuno realized and adjusted her aim just in time to catch the moment when Akihiko's circling movement turned into a straight rush.
The first shot clipped his shoulder, but Akihiko didn't stop and just used the impact of the hit to cock his arm back in preparation for his next strike. Hakuno hesitated for a fraction of a second, her instincts screaming at her to aim at Akihiko's face, before shooting into the boxers chest. However, Akihiko had gotten too close, and after the first shot he slapped the gun barrel away with his offhand before delivering a strong left straight into Hakuno's face, knocking the sitting gynoid flat on her back.
"That's enough for today, team!" Mitsuru chose that moment to interrupt the spar. It would motivate Akihiko to prepare for the next sparring session if this ended with his loss and Kishinami, well Mitsuru still wasn't sure if it was necessary to let her feel good about her progress. With a human Mitsuru would have done it in a heartbeat, morale was important, but she still wasn't sure if it was an issue with the robot. While she acted very humanlike most of the time, like how she got embarrassed when Mitsuru had told her to lose the school uniform for the duration of the spar, but then she became a completely different person when it was time to fight. Mitsuru was sure she had some sort of specifically tailored combat programming that actively changed her personality when it was activated. She certainly hadn't shown the efficiency she had had in Tartarus in daily life, though from what Akihiko had told her, the frivolous use of resources had stayed. Apparently, Hakuno had spent her first whole salary on curtains of all things. Mitsuru admitted they looked nice, were of great quality, and that she wasn't an expert, but spending over 80 000 yen on curtains felt a bit extravagant to her (No, she didn't know how much her own room's furnishings had cost).
Meanwhile, Hakuno was worriedly eying Akihiko's hand. After all, regardless of how he had thrown her about with his punch, Hakuno's body was metal under the synthetic skin. Even with the padded gloves he wore, he might have hurt himself while throwing such a huge punch. However, Akihiko didn't seem to care and offered Hakuno his good hand. Not wanting to seem rude, Hakuno took the offered appendage and while Akihiko was pulling her up, she activated her medical scan and checked his condition. The scanning took a few seconds, which Hakuno spent wobbling on her leg stumps, it always took her a little while to catch her balance after falling like that, but soon she had the results on her HUD that told her that Akihiko's hand was fine.
"Good job you two," Mitsuru began before addressing Akihiko, "I know this training is mainly aimed to help Kishinami, but I hope you are also learning something from this."
"I am. She's visibly improving with each bout," Akihiko confirmed, "It would be a blow against my pride if I just watched her shoot past me." Both Hakuno and Mitsuru noticed that he didn't specify how he was going to accomplish that. Mitsuru suspected it would involve copious amounts of protein.
"As long as that is clear. And Hakuno? I may have a few sessions with you too at some point," Mitsuru added, "But, now the Sports center's private meeting room is prepared for us for the next few hours. We will need to discuss and prepare for next week's operations. Akihiko, take a shower and meet us in there." Akihiko nodded in understanding before heading to the dressing rooms. Hakuno too, excused herself so she could pick up her school uniform. And double check from a mirror her HUD's report that she was fine, as Akihiko had punched her with all his weight behind it and she didn't completely trust the HUD to inform her of cosmetic damages.
Iwatodai Sports Center
Hakuno's POV
"As you all know," Mitsuru directs a short glare at Akihiko, but judging from his confident expression he has read the files this time and Mitsuru seems to realize it too, so she continues, "Yukari Takeba will return from her class's skiing trip this Sunday. While normally we would arrange a meeting with her which just happens to coincide with the Dark Hour to reveal her Potential, the chairman has come to me with an alternative plan enabled by Kishinami's joining." Mitsuru then uses the video projector, a far cry from the old film reel version that Julius used to spy people in Tsukumihara, to show us a building blueprint. The numerous identical rooms next to each other with communal bathrooms and a kitchen reveal it to be a dorm, although much larger than the Iwatodai Dorm S.E.E.S. uses. One room on the second floor is highlighted in red.
"This is Takeba's room at the Gekkoukan Female Dormitory. Since Takeba herself is away, the chairman proposed we simply smuggle a spy camera into her room during the Dark Hour tonight and use that to make certain whether she Transmogrifies or not." Wait, what?
"That simple? Remind me why haven't we done this before?" Akihiko asks with a smile on his face. Am I the only one bothered by this?
"A normal camera wouldn't work during the Dark Hour. But now we can just hook the camera into Kishinami and she can power it from her Plume. The plan is to transfer Kishinami to the Dormitory for this weekend with the cover story that as a new student, she is checking out the Dormitories. There is an empty room above Takeba's where she can pretend to 'spend the night' while she uses the camera." Out of the corner of my eye, I register another room now highlighted in blue, but I ignore it and focus on the essentials everybody else seems to ignore.
"Just wait a second!" I stand up from my seat, "You want me to spy her in her room? That… That's just wrong. And illegal." Well, that last bit didn't actually bother me that much. Spying on someone was probably the least lawbreaking thing I've done, and the real world was a lot laxer about this kind of thing compared to the Moon Cell.
But spying her in her Room, just… felt hundred, no, million kinds of wrong. I mean your Room is your sanctuary. The one place where you don't have to keep your guard up, where only you and your Servant can enter. Where you are safe, where you can talk freely without fearing you accidentally drop a name that reveals all your weaknesses to people who want to kill you. And they want me to just violate that sacred place?! I knew they were already violating that trust with the cameras in my room, but I knew that and they too must have known that. And they still let me cover the cameras with curtains and the mics with duct tape.
"I admit it is a bit… underhanded and a violation of privacy. A few years ago I too wouldn't have thought of doing something like this," Mitsuru confesses while looking me resolutely in the eyes, "But looking at the growing amount of Apathy Syndrome cases, I also see that something has to be done about the Shadows. That's why I believe that doing this is necessary. We need more Persona users and according to the chairman, Takeba has a lot of promise."
"I get that, its why I'm here after all. But going so far as breaking into her room to spy on her is too much to just ascertain her potential. Is there no other way? Like scanning her with either a regular scanner or with Penthesilea."
"We do have equipment to detect people with Potential, but the mobile equipment is far too imprecise to determine anything beyond if the target has Potential or not. The bigger machine that can detect dormant Personas on the other hand, cannot be moved. We would have to bring her to the lab and making a cover story for that is too complicated to be feasible," Mitsuru responds in a practiced manner, maybe this is an old argument? but then she stops to consider for a moment, "Using Penthesilea's scans on the other hand… It might work, as Personas are a part of their users so if the Persona has a special quirk like elemental resistance, then its influence can be detected in the user too. Although the effect will be considerably lesser if the Persona hasn't manifested before, but don't you have some sort of built-in amplifier for Penthesilea's sensory ability?"
"Yes I do. During my initial tests it activated without problems, but we couldn't actually test its functionality as it is completely useless by itself," I confirm and take a seat again. This is starting to look good, but I'm not out of the woods yet. It's a smaller evil, to just briefly touch Yukari with Penthesilea's mind while she was in her room, but it was still an affront to me.
But what can I say here…? They want to know if Yukari has a Persona and to find that, she must be scanned during the Dark Hour, which means at midnight so she is most likely going to be in her room at that time. Except that she is now on a skiing trip with her class. We could intercept her there, but how could I convince Mitsuru to do it? Being in an unfamiliar environment affects mood so might it affect Potential too? No, while mood might affect one's Potential, it isn't that drastic of an effect. And people tend to be more on guard in foreign environment so I can't say that the chance we're caught is less, not to mention that getting caught is almost impossible if we use Penthesilea.
There is no other option, she has to be scanned within the Dormitory. Maybe I can lure her out of her room just before the Dark Hour begins.
"We'll test that amplifier tonight then. If it works, we'll return the spy camera back to the Chairman and transfer you to the Dormitory for the weekend," Mitsuru takes my silence as acceptance. That's fine, today's a Thursday so I'll have a few days to plan how to do this.
"Guess I won't be needed then?" Akihiko asks, though he doesn't look disappointed.
"No, you need stay ready nearby. While it would be suspicious for you to enter the Female Dormitory during the day, we might need you during the operation itself," Mitsuru instructs him. Akihiko frowns uncharacteristically in response, but clearly accepts the order.
"In the worst case scenario, Takeba might be awake during the Dark Hour and try to exit the building before we can scan her. Roaming Shadows might also be a threat," Mitsuru elaborates, it seems she too noticed Akihiko's odd reluctance. Surprisingly, the possibility of action doesn't seem to placate him. Did I misjudge him?
"Is something wrong Akihiko?" I question him in turn. Akihiko seems to catch himself then and blushes in embarrassment.
"Not really no…" he scratches the back of his neck, "Its just that me and the female students don't really get along." That's kind of surprising. He's no Leo Harway, then again, who is, but after knowing him a few days, I thought he would be more popular than Shinji at least. He is a little aloof so maybe people think he is arrogant or something? But it can't be so bad that he would refuse to go near the Female Dormitory…
"Ah, you mean the Club? I understand," Mitsuru seems to get it, "yes, they might cause a ruckus if they see you near the female dormitory in the evening. We'll think of something." Club? Might cause a ruckus?
"What exactly are we talking about here?" I have to ask, I don't understand at all.
"Oh!" both Akihiko and Mitsuru exclaim before staring at each other intently. Both seem to be confused and… uncertain…?
"T-this… Uh, how to say this?" Akihiko stammers and gives Mitsuru a pleading look. What is this about? Has Akihiko done something bad to them?
"Its-" Mitsuru coughs and looks away, "It is a human thing. Hard to explain to a- I mean what I'm trying to say is that its hard to explain as we don't really understand it either." I feel like she almost said something really rude there.
"The point is, that I'd like to avoid running into those girls as much as possible. The reasons don't really matter," Akihiko, red faced, declares with finality. I frown at them both, but they seem to be adamant about dropping the subject.
"If you say so," I tell them, but I'm already planning on asking the girls at the Dormitory about it.
"Good," Mitsuru composes herself, "in that case, our meeting is done. Kishinami, I will meet you at the Command Room for the test tonight. I'll also try and get some Kirijo employees as test subjects for the scans, but it is likely we'll have to make a do with the Chairman and Akihiko." That's not exactly what I would call a good group for testing, a veteran Persona user and man with artificial Potential, but it would be hard to gather people on short notice like this. Especially since the city is dangerous for people with Potential but no Persona.
With our meeting done, we all headed our own ways. Mitsuru was intercepted by a chauffer at the Sports Center Entrance and Akihiko told me he was headed to a specialist store for some supplements. Normally I would have either gone with him out of the sheer novelty of it or gone window shopping, but in light of today's events I headed straight back to my room to scheme how to catch Yukari outside of her room this weekend. Also, I have to update Akihiko's Information Matrix as I'm clearly missing something about him.
Many thanks to nitewind for betaing!
Chapter 4 I Spy
19.3.2009
Iwatodai Sports Center, 3rd POV
Hakuno screamed mentally while throwing herself backwards to avoid a hit to her stomach. However, as she tried to balance the wild motion by bringing her other leg behind her, the lack of feet caused her leg to keep going and dropped Hakuno to the ground in what would have been a painful split to a human, but was just an uncomfortable move to an ASSW. Her opponent wasn't surprised for long by the unplanned move, however, and turned the punch into a tackle, prompting the flailing gynoid to roll to safety.
Mitsuru, who was observing the spar from afar, found the ensuing chase scene giggle worthy, though she kept that thought private. Hmph, maybe now she'll think twice before wasting Garu gems on half-dead Mayas, she thought with a very slight smile as Kishinami narrowly avoided getting her hair stuck under Akihiko's stomping leg.
Hakuno then finally caught her wits and aimed her paintball gun, a real gun as nobody wanted to change her parts just for a short training bout, at Akihiko and pulled the trigger without actually aiming, causing the boxer to weave out of the way and stop his charge.
Besides the loss of resources caused by Kishinami's liberal use of spell gems, the excursion to Tartarus a few days ago had turned into a quite headache to the young Kirijo heiress. While S.E.E.S. had managed to make clear headway into Tartarus back then, the precise mission objective was left at the wayside as nobody had actually seen Kishinami herself fight. Sure, they had observed clearly how utterly overpowering her Saber was against the Shadows, but the ASW herself had stayed behind her Persona the whole time and quickly resorted to spell gems when her main weapon wasn't available. It irked Mitsuru to think that she had let her own enthusiasm get to her, forgetting the mission objective in favor of what was basically just quick romp to crush Shadows. It didn't even mean anything in the larger scale, as Tartarus changed shape every night, rendering all distance made inside basically worthless. They didn't even have new types of Shadows to be added to the records to show for the night. Mitsuru expected more from herself.
Akihiko found himself in a bit of a pickle. He had vowed to himself that he would get through this whole training session without getting tagged by Hakuno's paintball gun, and while it had begun well, with Akihiko winning the first few bouts, the ASSW had then started to show which one of them was the true fighting machine.
Sure, the gynoid had clumsily fallen on the ground again, and the first few shots were just sprayed in his direction with the solitary goal of slowing him down, but the change was becoming more apparent by the second.
The gynoid was reading him. That in itself wasn't a new experience, as a famous figure in the boxing rings he had run into more than his fair share of opponents who had studied his strategies and favored maneuvers. A few of those were even good enough to last against him for a while in the ring. But none of them had ever come to really read him for the simple fact that he didn't really plan that far ahead. Sure he played to his strengths, speed and power, and varied his approach to suit the current enemy, but he mainly went with his instincts and those were really hard to read as there wasn't necessarily anything intelligent behind them.
But somehow Hakuno was reading his actions a few steps ahead. She wasn't always correct, but more often than not she managed to send a bullet in just the right direction to throw Akihiko off his game. Probably one of her combat protocols. Heh, its like straight out of a manga, I wonder if she's analyzing my muscle movements or just calculating from previous records, Akihiko humored an errant thought as he evaded yet another paintball aimed where he was going to dodge.
Hakuno herself was racking her brain trying to think of a way to defeat Akihiko, as she was painfully aware that her gun was running out of ammunition and that robotic strength or no, Akihiko would take her apart in a fistfight, especially since she was already on the ground. At least she now had a good grasp on how Akihiko fought, allowing her to predict his most likely reactions, in battle at least.
Thanks to that, Hakuno noticed when Akihiko made up his mind. He won't wait, too aggressive, trusts his reflexes to evade the shot, ready to take a hit in exchange for winning, Hakuno realized and adjusted her aim just in time to catch the moment when Akihiko's circling movement turned into a straight rush.
The first shot clipped his shoulder, but Akihiko didn't stop and just used the impact of the hit to cock his arm back in preparation for his next strike. Hakuno hesitated for a fraction of a second, her instincts screaming at her to aim at Akihiko's face, before shooting into the boxers chest. However, Akihiko had gotten too close, and after the first shot he slapped the gun barrel away with his offhand before delivering a strong left straight into Hakuno's face, knocking the sitting gynoid flat on her back.
"That's enough for today, team!" Mitsuru chose that moment to interrupt the spar. It would motivate Akihiko to prepare for the next sparring session if this ended with his loss and Kishinami, well Mitsuru still wasn't sure if it was necessary to let her feel good about her progress. With a human Mitsuru would have done it in a heartbeat, morale was important, but she still wasn't sure if it was an issue with the robot. While she acted very humanlike most of the time, like how she got embarrassed when Mitsuru had told her to lose the school uniform for the duration of the spar, but then she became a completely different person when it was time to fight. Mitsuru was sure she had some sort of specifically tailored combat programming that actively changed her personality when it was activated. She certainly hadn't shown the efficiency she had had in Tartarus in daily life, though from what Akihiko had told her, the frivolous use of resources had stayed. Apparently, Hakuno had spent her first whole salary on curtains of all things. Mitsuru admitted they looked nice, were of great quality, and that she wasn't an expert, but spending over 80 000 yen on curtains felt a bit extravagant to her (No, she didn't know how much her own room's furnishings had cost).
Meanwhile, Hakuno was worriedly eying Akihiko's hand. After all, regardless of how he had thrown her about with his punch, Hakuno's body was metal under the synthetic skin. Even with the padded gloves he wore, he might have hurt himself while throwing such a huge punch. However, Akihiko didn't seem to care and offered Hakuno his good hand. Not wanting to seem rude, Hakuno took the offered appendage and while Akihiko was pulling her up, she activated her medical scan and checked his condition. The scanning took a few seconds, which Hakuno spent wobbling on her leg stumps, it always took her a little while to catch her balance after falling like that, but soon she had the results on her HUD that told her that Akihiko's hand was fine.
"Good job you two," Mitsuru began before addressing Akihiko, "I know this training is mainly aimed to help Kishinami, but I hope you are also learning something from this."
"I am. She's visibly improving with each bout," Akihiko confirmed, "It would be a blow against my pride if I just watched her shoot past me." Both Hakuno and Mitsuru noticed that he didn't specify how he was going to accomplish that. Mitsuru suspected it would involve copious amounts of protein.
"As long as that is clear. And Hakuno? I may have a few sessions with you too at some point," Mitsuru added, "But, now the Sports center's private meeting room is prepared for us for the next few hours. We will need to discuss and prepare for next week's operations. Akihiko, take a shower and meet us in there." Akihiko nodded in understanding before heading to the dressing rooms. Hakuno too, excused herself so she could pick up her school uniform. And double check from a mirror her HUD's report that she was fine, as Akihiko had punched her with all his weight behind it and she didn't completely trust the HUD to inform her of cosmetic damages.
Iwatodai Sports Center
Hakuno's POV
"As you all know," Mitsuru directs a short glare at Akihiko, but judging from his confident expression he has read the files this time and Mitsuru seems to realize it too, so she continues, "Yukari Takeba will return from her class's skiing trip this Sunday. While normally we would arrange a meeting with her which just happens to coincide with the Dark Hour to reveal her Potential, the chairman has come to me with an alternative plan enabled by Kishinami's joining." Mitsuru then uses the video projector, a far cry from the old film reel version that Julius used to spy people in Tsukumihara, to show us a building blueprint. The numerous identical rooms next to each other with communal bathrooms and a kitchen reveal it to be a dorm, although much larger than the Iwatodai Dorm S.E.E.S. uses. One room on the second floor is highlighted in red.
"This is Takeba's room at the Gekkoukan Female Dormitory. Since Takeba herself is away, the chairman proposed we simply smuggle a spy camera into her room during the Dark Hour tonight and use that to make certain whether she Transmogrifies or not." Wait, what?
"That simple? Remind me why haven't we done this before?" Akihiko asks with a smile on his face. Am I the only one bothered by this?
"A normal camera wouldn't work during the Dark Hour. But now we can just hook the camera into Kishinami and she can power it from her Plume. The plan is to transfer Kishinami to the Dormitory for this weekend with the cover story that as a new student, she is checking out the Dormitories. There is an empty room above Takeba's where she can pretend to 'spend the night' while she uses the camera." Out of the corner of my eye, I register another room now highlighted in blue, but I ignore it and focus on the essentials everybody else seems to ignore.
"Just wait a second!" I stand up from my seat, "You want me to spy her in her room? That… That's just wrong. And illegal." Well, that last bit didn't actually bother me that much. Spying on someone was probably the least lawbreaking thing I've done, and the real world was a lot laxer about this kind of thing compared to the Moon Cell.
But spying her in her Room, just… felt hundred, no, million kinds of wrong. I mean your Room is your sanctuary. The one place where you don't have to keep your guard up, where only you and your Servant can enter. Where you are safe, where you can talk freely without fearing you accidentally drop a name that reveals all your weaknesses to people who want to kill you. And they want me to just violate that sacred place?! I knew they were already violating that trust with the cameras in my room, but I knew that and they too must have known that. And they still let me cover the cameras with curtains and the mics with duct tape.
"I admit it is a bit… underhanded and a violation of privacy. A few years ago I too wouldn't have thought of doing something like this," Mitsuru confesses while looking me resolutely in the eyes, "But looking at the growing amount of Apathy Syndrome cases, I also see that something has to be done about the Shadows. That's why I believe that doing this is necessary. We need more Persona users and according to the chairman, Takeba has a lot of promise."
"I get that, its why I'm here after all. But going so far as breaking into her room to spy on her is too much to just ascertain her potential. Is there no other way? Like scanning her with either a regular scanner or with Penthesilea."
"We do have equipment to detect people with Potential, but the mobile equipment is far too imprecise to determine anything beyond if the target has Potential or not. The bigger machine that can detect dormant Personas on the other hand, cannot be moved. We would have to bring her to the lab and making a cover story for that is too complicated to be feasible," Mitsuru responds in a practiced manner, maybe this is an old argument? but then she stops to consider for a moment, "Using Penthesilea's scans on the other hand… It might work, as Personas are a part of their users so if the Persona has a special quirk like elemental resistance, then its influence can be detected in the user too. Although the effect will be considerably lesser if the Persona hasn't manifested before, but don't you have some sort of built-in amplifier for Penthesilea's sensory ability?"
"Yes I do. During my initial tests it activated without problems, but we couldn't actually test its functionality as it is completely useless by itself," I confirm and take a seat again. This is starting to look good, but I'm not out of the woods yet. It's a smaller evil, to just briefly touch Yukari with Penthesilea's mind while she was in her room, but it was still an affront to me.
But what can I say here…? They want to know if Yukari has a Persona and to find that, she must be scanned during the Dark Hour, which means at midnight so she is most likely going to be in her room at that time. Except that she is now on a skiing trip with her class. We could intercept her there, but how could I convince Mitsuru to do it? Being in an unfamiliar environment affects mood so might it affect Potential too? No, while mood might affect one's Potential, it isn't that drastic of an effect. And people tend to be more on guard in foreign environment so I can't say that the chance we're caught is less, not to mention that getting caught is almost impossible if we use Penthesilea.
There is no other option, she has to be scanned within the Dormitory. Maybe I can lure her out of her room just before the Dark Hour begins.
"We'll test that amplifier tonight then. If it works, we'll return the spy camera back to the Chairman and transfer you to the Dormitory for the weekend," Mitsuru takes my silence as acceptance. That's fine, today's a Thursday so I'll have a few days to plan how to do this.
"Guess I won't be needed then?" Akihiko asks, though he doesn't look disappointed.
"No, you need stay ready nearby. While it would be suspicious for you to enter the Female Dormitory during the day, we might need you during the operation itself," Mitsuru instructs him. Akihiko frowns uncharacteristically in response, but clearly accepts the order.
"In the worst case scenario, Takeba might be awake during the Dark Hour and try to exit the building before we can scan her. Roaming Shadows might also be a threat," Mitsuru elaborates, it seems she too noticed Akihiko's odd reluctance. Surprisingly, the possibility of action doesn't seem to placate him. Did I misjudge him?
"Is something wrong Akihiko?" I question him in turn. Akihiko seems to catch himself then and blushes in embarrassment.
"Not really no…" he scratches the back of his neck, "Its just that me and the female students don't really get along." That's kind of surprising. He's no Leo Harway, then again, who is, but after knowing him a few days, I thought he would be more popular than Shinji at least. He is a little aloof so maybe people think he is arrogant or something? But it can't be so bad that he would refuse to go near the Female Dormitory…
"Ah, you mean the Club? I understand," Mitsuru seems to get it, "yes, they might cause a ruckus if they see you near the female dormitory in the evening. We'll think of something." Club? Might cause a ruckus?
"What exactly are we talking about here?" I have to ask, I don't understand at all.
"Oh!" both Akihiko and Mitsuru exclaim before staring at each other intently. Both seem to be confused and… uncertain…?
"T-this… Uh, how to say this?" Akihiko stammers and gives Mitsuru a pleading look. What is this about? Has Akihiko done something bad to them?
"Its-" Mitsuru coughs and looks away, "It is a human thing. Hard to explain to a- I mean what I'm trying to say is that its hard to explain as we don't really understand it either." I feel like she almost said something really rude there.
"The point is, that I'd like to avoid running into those girls as much as possible. The reasons don't really matter," Akihiko, red faced, declares with finality. I frown at them both, but they seem to be adamant about dropping the subject.
"If you say so," I tell them, but I'm already planning on asking the girls at the Dormitory about it.
"Good," Mitsuru composes herself, "in that case, our meeting is done. Kishinami, I will meet you at the Command Room for the test tonight. I'll also try and get some Kirijo employees as test subjects for the scans, but it is likely we'll have to make a do with the Chairman and Akihiko." That's not exactly what I would call a good group for testing, a veteran Persona user and man with artificial Potential, but it would be hard to gather people on short notice like this. Especially since the city is dangerous for people with Potential but no Persona.
With our meeting done, we all headed our own ways. Mitsuru was intercepted by a chauffer at the Sports Center Entrance and Akihiko told me he was headed to a specialist store for some supplements. Normally I would have either gone with him out of the sheer novelty of it or gone window shopping, but in light of today's events I headed straight back to my room to scheme how to catch Yukari outside of her room this weekend. Also, I have to update Akihiko's Information Matrix as I'm clearly missing something about him.
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- Location
- Earth
It's kind of funny how the team both humanizes and de-humanize Hakuno. They've come to expect her to have emotions and irrational compulsions but also think she wouldn't understand "human" things.
Shape of Fire
Burns
Sometimes its easier to think she is a robot (like when she completely outclasses them when fighting Shadows), sometimes its easier to think she's just another human (what kind of humanoid weapon goes window shopping for art?) and admittedly sometimes its just a convenient excuse (explain hormonal fangirls to a robot? It wouldn't understand human emotions like that so we should change topic now).
Chapter 5 Making Friends
Shape of Fire
Burns
Hi! It's been a while in this thread huh? Sorry about that, was having some troubles and then started running a quest (having some trouble with that in turn now). Anyway, some credit for getting me to write this chapter goes to @The Oldman who started writing his own Persona 3/Fate Extra fic called Persona 3: Photonic Mirror and then tagged me as a part of the discussion there. Go read it, its up to a great start!
Also, this chapter hasn't gone through a beta reading as nitewind is busy (probably didn't help that I sprang this chapter on him out of nowhere after a long silence), so expect some typos. In fact, if you are knowledgeable of the world of Persona and Fate Extra and also have some time to burn in checking my writing as well as help with the story, consider volunteering to be my beta reader.
But for now, just enjoy the chapter.
Friday, 20.3.2009
Gekkoukan Female Dormitory, Hakuno's POV
"…and now, as the final piece of the tour of our fine Dormitory, is the room you would be getting, miss Kishinami. It is the same size as everyone else's rooms with a door that can be locked from the inside for privacy, though I do have a master key in my office in case of emergencies," the dorm mother explains patiently as we approach the empty room. It was kind of a drag to go over the orientation for the whole dorm just for this weekend, especially since I had already memorized the blueprints, but I had managed to get some interesting information out of the dorm mother regarding the Dormitory security.
I was worried she might grow suspicious at my questions regarding the dorm security, but I guess she just chalked them up for nervousness at moving to a new environment. Combined with my 'disease', I think she might have gotten a wrong impression of me but since this takes only one weekend I don't think there is any harm in it.
"I'm afraid we have only communal showers at the moment, but if you decide to stay here, I'm sure we can work out a system for reserving a shower room for your use in advance," thanks but I'm going to abstain or at least limit it to Dark Hour in order to minimize the chances of getting caught out of costume. Of course I won't say that aloud, but just thank her for the assistance before saying goodbye. She just smiles and reminds me that the evening meal is in an hour before leaving me to "get comfortable" in my new surroundings. Not that I need to eat but I am equipped to fake it.
After double checking that the door was locked, I fell down on my temporary bed. The feeling was surprisingly comfortable, muted though it was through my artificial skin.
Still, it was my first real bed, as in Tsukumihara I had to make a do with just a blanket and the Kirijo Group seemed to be under the impression that all I needed was my charging station. Really, for all they seemed to be surprised how 'humanlike' I am, they really default to thinking of me as a machine as soon as I leave the room. Especially the ones I was in infrequent contact with, like professor Friedemann. He actually sent me an e-mail yesterday. Apparently the creation of my new feet has been put in the backburner for now, as the higher ups (who exactly are those? Takeharu? Shuji?) straight up ordered him to drop my feet and go over all their other scrapped ASW in case they can be revived.
It was unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do about it. Since Shuji was here in Iwatodai, I think they only have professor and his two assistants there. Although they might get some new personnel if they manage to get more ASSW's up and running.
The thought alone makes me sombre. More ASSW's… I… Could they also be from Moon Cell? Would they have been the previous models? But then, did the Moon Cell even really exist? Was that all just a convenient simulation to prepare me for this?
I should go outside. Try to get some information for Sunday. I quickly get up from the bed and after a quick check that mechanical bits are covered, head out of the door.
The hallway in which my temporary room is located on is deserted, much like the whole building had been during my little tour. The dorm mother had explained that it was because of the holidays; most of the tenants were either visiting their families or on School Club sponsored trips like Yukari. That suits me just fine, no distractions; just empty hallways.
Tastefully decorated hallways. Lower quality than what the Iwatodai Dorm has, Saber would probably call this peasant, with its own homely charm. To me it is a pleasant change to the usual professional settings of school buildings and laboratories. Still, I think Saber's rubbed off on me a little as I do think that the Iwatodai Dorm's slight posh is more my style.
Suddenly I hear a door opening behind me. Well, the dorm mother did say that only most of the students were away, so this must be someone who either stayed over the vacation or arrived early. Maybe I could ask?
The girl that exits neighbouring flat is clearly some sort of athlete; she's dressed in light grey sweatsuit and her hair is done in a sporty ponytail. She seems surprised to see me.
"Hello" I greet her politely.
"Hi?" she asks before collecting herself, "Sorry, I wasn't expecting to run into anyone. Much less a stranger."
"Its nothing. And I am a new student at Gekkoukan High, here to scout out the dormitory before possibly moving in," I bow in greeting, "My name is Hakuno Kishinami."
"Rio Iwasaki" she greets back, "pleasure to meet you."
"You too. Are you heading out for training?" I inquire while motioning Rio to walk with me.
"Yes. I was just elected as the captain of the school's Tennis Club and I would do a disservice to my club mates if I started to slack off just because its vacation," Rio explains with a slightly defensive tone as she walks beside me.
"You sound very dedicated," I feel the need to comment.
"I am very dedicated," Rio declares with confidence, "How could I succeed if I wasn't? Tennis is a sport that…" I listen intently as Rio launches on a speech about the merits of tennis. Its endearing really, to see her being so passionate about it. Saber approves too. Eventually Rio runs out of steam, but she then asks me to join the tennis club when the school begins.
"I would love to, but I have a… medical condition that prevents me from activities like that," I sigh and then remember the usual reaction I've had when telling people I have a 'medical condition': "Nothing contagious! Just, prevents me from some activities and needs some more privacy. That's why I'm here, actually. To see how it would work out here."
"Oh, that sounds like a hassle," Rio emphasizes, "and sad. I love sports, especially tennis and the thought that some disease can take it away is just horrible." I'm glad Rio doesn't make a scene about this and we continue chatting until we reach the dorm doors.
"Well, I have to go now, but it was fun talking to you Hakuno," Rio smiles, "I'll see you tomorrow? You're new in town so I could show you around a little."
"That would be great! My room is 307. I'm probably going to be busy in the morning, but I should be free around midday."
"See you then!" Rio waves me goodbye and slink out the door.
She seemed very earnest person, I hope I can make friends with her.
From there, I ended up wandering around the dorm's communal areas for a while, before going outside and sitting down on a bench within eye view of the dorm. After sitting there for a while, my gaze automatically wandered towards the second-floor windows and what I was pretty sure was Yukari's room. Naturally, the next thought in my mind was how to keep Yukari out of the room come Sunday.
How to do this…? The best way would probably be a delay of some sort. Could I frame a break-in? The Dark Hour would make it easy to stage one, except that would be way too early. And police investigation would probably focus on people who were at the dorm for the weekend, like me. Unless I focused the attempt on Yukari's room, but that would be almost as bad as breaking in, especially as it would single her out. Multiple rooms then? No, that's worse.
I sigh loudly and lean back on the wooden bench. It is a bit frustrating that all the ideas I seem to get are so extreme. Doable, but I don't want to cross certain lines when it's not life and death situation. Its just a habit from the war. It'll mellow out with normal life, I reassure myself and let my gaze wander, noticing two boys flick their smokes into the bus stop's ashtray before boarding the bus.
Oh right. Sometimes simple is best, I get up and walk to the bus stop, plucking the recently discarded smoke from the ashtray, a fire alarm at the right time should clear the building easily, without being anything more serious than a scare and not drawing attention at any specific people. I slip the smoke into my Gekkoukan uniform pocket and head back to the dorm with lighter steps.
Saturday, 21.3.2009
Naganaki Shrine, Hakuno's POV
Much to my surprise, Rio Iwasaki had come knocking at my door precisely at 12 o'clock. It had been a pleasant surprise, as the morning had been kind of dull with the few students present for the dorm's breakfast keeping to themselves despite my attempts to break the ice. Afterwards the dorm mother had pulled me over to do some planning for future schedules regarding my stay. I didn't hadn't had the heart to tell her that I wouldn't stay past the weekend.
Anyway, I was all too happy to accept Rio's offer to properly show me around the city as the only places I had so far really explored were the Dorm, Paulownia Mall and Tartarus. Of course, I didn't mention the latter to Rio.
The first stop on the tour was a place called Naganaki Shrine. It was a small shrine located on a small hill in the northern part of the city, not very far from Gekkoukan Dormitories. It seemed to be well cared, though certainly old, but the wear and tear from use seemed to just give it a more dignified atmosphere. The place also had a more modern children's playground taking up roughly a fourth of its courtyard.
"This place is pretty famous among the students, mainly because of the rumour that praying at the shrine gives you better grades. I don't know if its true but has never hurt me to stop by and leaving an offering before exams," Rio explains before pulling me to the side to what seems to be a weathered fortune box, "since we are here, might as well take one?" She then proceeds to pull a fortune from the wooden box, after which she closes her eyes in concentration, probably offering a prayer or something, before looking at what she got. I too take a fortune, though as I'm not sure what it should be about, I decide to just ask for good luck with my endeavours in the future.
The fortune declares that my luck will be fair for the time being and money will be involved. Money would be very much appreciated, I smile at the result before turning to Rio, who seems to have had little less luck, judging by the scowl on her face.
"What's the other reason then?" I ask to distract her from the presumably ill fortune, "you said the shrine is the main reason, but what's the other reason then?"
"Oh," Rio takes a second to focus back to the matter at hand before smiling, "yes, the other reason is that the place is a favoured stop for athletes of all kind during their runs. The playground may be meant for kids, but it's also a good place to do some simple stretches and muscle training before turning around and heading back to the dorm or other training places." She then gives an example by pulling a few chin ups at the jungle gym. Mood restored, we continued the tour by visiting few local parks and their public football fields and basketball courts, not that they were in use this time of the year. Rio's clear preference for physical activities clearly showed.
Our next big stop was the Iwatodai Strip Mall and its next-door neighbour, the Iwatodai Train Station. The shops had seemed to be mainly fast food places or other restaurants, though I had managed to spot a dedicated sweet shop as well as a book store at the front, and Rio had assured me that there were some other real shops on the other side, though nothing as dedicated as what could be found at the Paulownia Mall. Since Rio hadn't been hungry, we had then boarded train to the Port Island.
The Port Island Station was vaguely familiar to me from my previous visits, but Rio expanded my knowledge of the area by warning me off the back alleys and then focusing on the 'Screen Shot' movie theater.
"It's the largest movie theatre in the city and pretty popular because of it. They are also willing to hire students to do part time jobs, like selling tickets and showing customers to their seats so keep that in mind if you need extra cash," Rio explains dutifully while you walk around checking the place, "they also host a sizeable film festival at the end of the summer here. Its really popular, with some people traveling from quite far to take part in so last years it has become a chore to try and procure tickets to the films. As a veteran of the event, I recommend checking the offerings long beforehand and preordering tickets."
From there, we headed over to the Gekkoukan High School and then to the Paulownia Mall though we didn't take time to explore them as the school was closed and I already knew the mall, so Rio instead focused on showing me the shortcuts that made traveling easier, though she made it clear that some places weren't really safe once it got dark. Especially if I had a weak constitution, so I had to promise to her that I wouldn't be running around by myself after it got dark. I also managed to find a 1000-yen bill on the ground, fulfilling the fortune I had gotten back at the shrine.
Iwatodai Sports Center, Hakuno's POV
Rio's tour of Iwatodai came to an end at the Iwatodai Sports center. She apparently still had her evening training regimen to look forward to.
"I really owe you for this tour Rio," I admit as Rio digs her membership card from her wallet.
"Think nothing of it Hakuno," she reassures me, "I had the time and had fun too."
"Me too. Its been a while since I've had the opportunity to spend time with a friend like this," I confess, thinking back to… the final days of the Grail War? It really has been a while. And even then, the mood at the end there wasn't nearly as free from stress as this. I mean, even when I didn't know that there was an extra Master waiting for us at the core of the Moon Cell, those last days were busy with worrying about fighting Leo and trying to come up with a way to help Rani escape the Moon Cell.
And besides those, just walking around the empty Tsukumihara academy had been depressing, with each empty corner reminding me of dead people.
"Hey, cheer up. We'll have plenty of time to walk around later on during the year. I'll introduce you to a few friends too, not that you'll need help with making those or anything," Rio suddenly says and places her hand on my shoulder. I think I let my bad memories show on my face for a while there.
"I will. Thanks Rio", I tell her back, "you have fun with your training." I wave her goodbye and start walking away, however because I try to keep Rio in my field of view I manage to somehow trip over my lack of feet and fall on the ground with a loud thud, electing a worried cry from Rio.
"I'm all right!" I embarrassedly wave her off as I rise to a crouch on the floor. Hell, consireding what my body is made of I wouldn't be surprised if the floor was damaged more but of course I can't tell that to Rio. She still insists on helping me up and apologises for making me walk so much even though I'm supposedly damaged by illness and everything, managing to make me feel a little bad for lying to her about my condition.
"No its not your fault Rio. I'm all right, I'll take the bus back to the dorm and everything," I reassure her and swipe some imaginary dirt from the fall off my clothes.
"You should also eat something. We have been on the move for several hours now and while I am used to it, you clearly aren't. Buy a sandwich form the cafeteria or something, it'll take the edge off," she starts to fuss, but eventually I manage to get her to stop, though she still escorts me to the cafeteria and only leaves for the locker rooms after I had wasted the money I found earlier on some food and drink.
Still, I couldn't be mad at her for that just as I couldn't help the happy smile I had on my face when I returned to the dorm later.
Also, this chapter hasn't gone through a beta reading as nitewind is busy (probably didn't help that I sprang this chapter on him out of nowhere after a long silence), so expect some typos. In fact, if you are knowledgeable of the world of Persona and Fate Extra and also have some time to burn in checking my writing as well as help with the story, consider volunteering to be my beta reader.
But for now, just enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 5 Making Friends
Friday, 20.3.2009
Gekkoukan Female Dormitory, Hakuno's POV
"…and now, as the final piece of the tour of our fine Dormitory, is the room you would be getting, miss Kishinami. It is the same size as everyone else's rooms with a door that can be locked from the inside for privacy, though I do have a master key in my office in case of emergencies," the dorm mother explains patiently as we approach the empty room. It was kind of a drag to go over the orientation for the whole dorm just for this weekend, especially since I had already memorized the blueprints, but I had managed to get some interesting information out of the dorm mother regarding the Dormitory security.
I was worried she might grow suspicious at my questions regarding the dorm security, but I guess she just chalked them up for nervousness at moving to a new environment. Combined with my 'disease', I think she might have gotten a wrong impression of me but since this takes only one weekend I don't think there is any harm in it.
"I'm afraid we have only communal showers at the moment, but if you decide to stay here, I'm sure we can work out a system for reserving a shower room for your use in advance," thanks but I'm going to abstain or at least limit it to Dark Hour in order to minimize the chances of getting caught out of costume. Of course I won't say that aloud, but just thank her for the assistance before saying goodbye. She just smiles and reminds me that the evening meal is in an hour before leaving me to "get comfortable" in my new surroundings. Not that I need to eat but I am equipped to fake it.
After double checking that the door was locked, I fell down on my temporary bed. The feeling was surprisingly comfortable, muted though it was through my artificial skin.
Still, it was my first real bed, as in Tsukumihara I had to make a do with just a blanket and the Kirijo Group seemed to be under the impression that all I needed was my charging station. Really, for all they seemed to be surprised how 'humanlike' I am, they really default to thinking of me as a machine as soon as I leave the room. Especially the ones I was in infrequent contact with, like professor Friedemann. He actually sent me an e-mail yesterday. Apparently the creation of my new feet has been put in the backburner for now, as the higher ups (who exactly are those? Takeharu? Shuji?) straight up ordered him to drop my feet and go over all their other scrapped ASW in case they can be revived.
It was unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do about it. Since Shuji was here in Iwatodai, I think they only have professor and his two assistants there. Although they might get some new personnel if they manage to get more ASSW's up and running.
The thought alone makes me sombre. More ASSW's… I… Could they also be from Moon Cell? Would they have been the previous models? But then, did the Moon Cell even really exist? Was that all just a convenient simulation to prepare me for this?
I should go outside. Try to get some information for Sunday. I quickly get up from the bed and after a quick check that mechanical bits are covered, head out of the door.
The hallway in which my temporary room is located on is deserted, much like the whole building had been during my little tour. The dorm mother had explained that it was because of the holidays; most of the tenants were either visiting their families or on School Club sponsored trips like Yukari. That suits me just fine, no distractions; just empty hallways.
Tastefully decorated hallways. Lower quality than what the Iwatodai Dorm has, Saber would probably call this peasant, with its own homely charm. To me it is a pleasant change to the usual professional settings of school buildings and laboratories. Still, I think Saber's rubbed off on me a little as I do think that the Iwatodai Dorm's slight posh is more my style.
Suddenly I hear a door opening behind me. Well, the dorm mother did say that only most of the students were away, so this must be someone who either stayed over the vacation or arrived early. Maybe I could ask?
The girl that exits neighbouring flat is clearly some sort of athlete; she's dressed in light grey sweatsuit and her hair is done in a sporty ponytail. She seems surprised to see me.
"Hello" I greet her politely.
"Hi?" she asks before collecting herself, "Sorry, I wasn't expecting to run into anyone. Much less a stranger."
"Its nothing. And I am a new student at Gekkoukan High, here to scout out the dormitory before possibly moving in," I bow in greeting, "My name is Hakuno Kishinami."
"Rio Iwasaki" she greets back, "pleasure to meet you."
"You too. Are you heading out for training?" I inquire while motioning Rio to walk with me.
"Yes. I was just elected as the captain of the school's Tennis Club and I would do a disservice to my club mates if I started to slack off just because its vacation," Rio explains with a slightly defensive tone as she walks beside me.
"You sound very dedicated," I feel the need to comment.
"I am very dedicated," Rio declares with confidence, "How could I succeed if I wasn't? Tennis is a sport that…" I listen intently as Rio launches on a speech about the merits of tennis. Its endearing really, to see her being so passionate about it. Saber approves too. Eventually Rio runs out of steam, but she then asks me to join the tennis club when the school begins.
"I would love to, but I have a… medical condition that prevents me from activities like that," I sigh and then remember the usual reaction I've had when telling people I have a 'medical condition': "Nothing contagious! Just, prevents me from some activities and needs some more privacy. That's why I'm here, actually. To see how it would work out here."
"Oh, that sounds like a hassle," Rio emphasizes, "and sad. I love sports, especially tennis and the thought that some disease can take it away is just horrible." I'm glad Rio doesn't make a scene about this and we continue chatting until we reach the dorm doors.
"Well, I have to go now, but it was fun talking to you Hakuno," Rio smiles, "I'll see you tomorrow? You're new in town so I could show you around a little."
"That would be great! My room is 307. I'm probably going to be busy in the morning, but I should be free around midday."
"See you then!" Rio waves me goodbye and slink out the door.
She seemed very earnest person, I hope I can make friends with her.
From there, I ended up wandering around the dorm's communal areas for a while, before going outside and sitting down on a bench within eye view of the dorm. After sitting there for a while, my gaze automatically wandered towards the second-floor windows and what I was pretty sure was Yukari's room. Naturally, the next thought in my mind was how to keep Yukari out of the room come Sunday.
How to do this…? The best way would probably be a delay of some sort. Could I frame a break-in? The Dark Hour would make it easy to stage one, except that would be way too early. And police investigation would probably focus on people who were at the dorm for the weekend, like me. Unless I focused the attempt on Yukari's room, but that would be almost as bad as breaking in, especially as it would single her out. Multiple rooms then? No, that's worse.
I sigh loudly and lean back on the wooden bench. It is a bit frustrating that all the ideas I seem to get are so extreme. Doable, but I don't want to cross certain lines when it's not life and death situation. Its just a habit from the war. It'll mellow out with normal life, I reassure myself and let my gaze wander, noticing two boys flick their smokes into the bus stop's ashtray before boarding the bus.
Oh right. Sometimes simple is best, I get up and walk to the bus stop, plucking the recently discarded smoke from the ashtray, a fire alarm at the right time should clear the building easily, without being anything more serious than a scare and not drawing attention at any specific people. I slip the smoke into my Gekkoukan uniform pocket and head back to the dorm with lighter steps.
Saturday, 21.3.2009
Naganaki Shrine, Hakuno's POV
Much to my surprise, Rio Iwasaki had come knocking at my door precisely at 12 o'clock. It had been a pleasant surprise, as the morning had been kind of dull with the few students present for the dorm's breakfast keeping to themselves despite my attempts to break the ice. Afterwards the dorm mother had pulled me over to do some planning for future schedules regarding my stay. I didn't hadn't had the heart to tell her that I wouldn't stay past the weekend.
Anyway, I was all too happy to accept Rio's offer to properly show me around the city as the only places I had so far really explored were the Dorm, Paulownia Mall and Tartarus. Of course, I didn't mention the latter to Rio.
The first stop on the tour was a place called Naganaki Shrine. It was a small shrine located on a small hill in the northern part of the city, not very far from Gekkoukan Dormitories. It seemed to be well cared, though certainly old, but the wear and tear from use seemed to just give it a more dignified atmosphere. The place also had a more modern children's playground taking up roughly a fourth of its courtyard.
"This place is pretty famous among the students, mainly because of the rumour that praying at the shrine gives you better grades. I don't know if its true but has never hurt me to stop by and leaving an offering before exams," Rio explains before pulling me to the side to what seems to be a weathered fortune box, "since we are here, might as well take one?" She then proceeds to pull a fortune from the wooden box, after which she closes her eyes in concentration, probably offering a prayer or something, before looking at what she got. I too take a fortune, though as I'm not sure what it should be about, I decide to just ask for good luck with my endeavours in the future.
The fortune declares that my luck will be fair for the time being and money will be involved. Money would be very much appreciated, I smile at the result before turning to Rio, who seems to have had little less luck, judging by the scowl on her face.
"What's the other reason then?" I ask to distract her from the presumably ill fortune, "you said the shrine is the main reason, but what's the other reason then?"
"Oh," Rio takes a second to focus back to the matter at hand before smiling, "yes, the other reason is that the place is a favoured stop for athletes of all kind during their runs. The playground may be meant for kids, but it's also a good place to do some simple stretches and muscle training before turning around and heading back to the dorm or other training places." She then gives an example by pulling a few chin ups at the jungle gym. Mood restored, we continued the tour by visiting few local parks and their public football fields and basketball courts, not that they were in use this time of the year. Rio's clear preference for physical activities clearly showed.
Our next big stop was the Iwatodai Strip Mall and its next-door neighbour, the Iwatodai Train Station. The shops had seemed to be mainly fast food places or other restaurants, though I had managed to spot a dedicated sweet shop as well as a book store at the front, and Rio had assured me that there were some other real shops on the other side, though nothing as dedicated as what could be found at the Paulownia Mall. Since Rio hadn't been hungry, we had then boarded train to the Port Island.
The Port Island Station was vaguely familiar to me from my previous visits, but Rio expanded my knowledge of the area by warning me off the back alleys and then focusing on the 'Screen Shot' movie theater.
"It's the largest movie theatre in the city and pretty popular because of it. They are also willing to hire students to do part time jobs, like selling tickets and showing customers to their seats so keep that in mind if you need extra cash," Rio explains dutifully while you walk around checking the place, "they also host a sizeable film festival at the end of the summer here. Its really popular, with some people traveling from quite far to take part in so last years it has become a chore to try and procure tickets to the films. As a veteran of the event, I recommend checking the offerings long beforehand and preordering tickets."
From there, we headed over to the Gekkoukan High School and then to the Paulownia Mall though we didn't take time to explore them as the school was closed and I already knew the mall, so Rio instead focused on showing me the shortcuts that made traveling easier, though she made it clear that some places weren't really safe once it got dark. Especially if I had a weak constitution, so I had to promise to her that I wouldn't be running around by myself after it got dark. I also managed to find a 1000-yen bill on the ground, fulfilling the fortune I had gotten back at the shrine.
Iwatodai Sports Center, Hakuno's POV
Rio's tour of Iwatodai came to an end at the Iwatodai Sports center. She apparently still had her evening training regimen to look forward to.
"I really owe you for this tour Rio," I admit as Rio digs her membership card from her wallet.
"Think nothing of it Hakuno," she reassures me, "I had the time and had fun too."
"Me too. Its been a while since I've had the opportunity to spend time with a friend like this," I confess, thinking back to… the final days of the Grail War? It really has been a while. And even then, the mood at the end there wasn't nearly as free from stress as this. I mean, even when I didn't know that there was an extra Master waiting for us at the core of the Moon Cell, those last days were busy with worrying about fighting Leo and trying to come up with a way to help Rani escape the Moon Cell.
And besides those, just walking around the empty Tsukumihara academy had been depressing, with each empty corner reminding me of dead people.
"Hey, cheer up. We'll have plenty of time to walk around later on during the year. I'll introduce you to a few friends too, not that you'll need help with making those or anything," Rio suddenly says and places her hand on my shoulder. I think I let my bad memories show on my face for a while there.
"I will. Thanks Rio", I tell her back, "you have fun with your training." I wave her goodbye and start walking away, however because I try to keep Rio in my field of view I manage to somehow trip over my lack of feet and fall on the ground with a loud thud, electing a worried cry from Rio.
"I'm all right!" I embarrassedly wave her off as I rise to a crouch on the floor. Hell, consireding what my body is made of I wouldn't be surprised if the floor was damaged more but of course I can't tell that to Rio. She still insists on helping me up and apologises for making me walk so much even though I'm supposedly damaged by illness and everything, managing to make me feel a little bad for lying to her about my condition.
"No its not your fault Rio. I'm all right, I'll take the bus back to the dorm and everything," I reassure her and swipe some imaginary dirt from the fall off my clothes.
"You should also eat something. We have been on the move for several hours now and while I am used to it, you clearly aren't. Buy a sandwich form the cafeteria or something, it'll take the edge off," she starts to fuss, but eventually I manage to get her to stop, though she still escorts me to the cafeteria and only leaves for the locker rooms after I had wasted the money I found earlier on some food and drink.
Still, I couldn't be mad at her for that just as I couldn't help the happy smile I had on my face when I returned to the dorm later.
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Aw sweet, new chapter, and on my birthday to boot! Been missing this story.
A Living Person
Installing BB.exe
- Location
- Chaldea
I've been waiting for this to return! And I see Haku is getting used to the normal school life. Lol, like it would stay normal for long.
So if your story is Saber, and Oldman is Tamamo...who's going to be Altera?
So if your story is Saber, and Oldman is Tamamo...who's going to be Altera?
- Location
- Elsewhere
You called?
Great to see you hard at work Shape. Knowing that I am partly responsible for your return makes me feel like I've done some good in this world.
Anyways...some typos I found:
There's a missing "to" there. To fake it.
"Dree" is a word but I don't think you meant that.
Lastly the "Toasters" are called ASSWs, Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons.
As for the chapter itself, It's great. Seeing Hakuno befriend people is good, and doing so without any ulterior motives such as powering the Wild Card (since she doesn't have it*) is even better.
Your wordcount really makes me jealous. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get as many words out per update!
*As far as we've seen.
Sadly, these Waifu fics come up based on the order in which they are presented. Saber was the first option, then it was Archer (which doesn't count due to being so GAR that everyone is legally bound to call him Husbando), then it was Caster.
So next is the golden nudist, then the crazy-dragon-loli-idol then the Good Civilization.
Great to see you hard at work Shape. Knowing that I am partly responsible for your return makes me feel like I've done some good in this world.
Anyways...some typos I found:
There's a missing "to" there. To fake it.
"Dree" is a word but I don't think you meant that.
Lastly the "Toasters" are called ASSWs, Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons.
As for the chapter itself, It's great. Seeing Hakuno befriend people is good, and doing so without any ulterior motives such as powering the Wild Card (since she doesn't have it*) is even better.
Your wordcount really makes me jealous. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get as many words out per update!
*As far as we've seen.
Sadly, these Waifu fics come up based on the order in which they are presented. Saber was the first option, then it was Archer (which doesn't count due to being so GAR that everyone is legally bound to call him Husbando), then it was Caster.
So next is the golden nudist, then the crazy-dragon-loli-idol then the Good Civilization.
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Shape of Fire
Burns
Thanks for catching those typos, they should be now fixed.
And hey, content is more important than length! I'm still of the opinion that your characters feel more real than mine. And even besides that, half of my chapters are just over 3k words, same as yours.
FoolsandTools
Post-Depression Panic
- Location
- Spiritually Lost
Hey this is back! A new character entering the the main cast is an opportunity for so many things. Like will Yukari think of Hakuno as human? And if so, how would she react to the occasional "she's a robot" remarks? Yukari is more of a softie than the other two, and she won't neccessarily be introduced as a weapon, first impressions are important after all.
Fate/Extella probably changed a fair bit of your plans huh? Like the persona's ultimate form, for example. At any rate, love your work, keep it up. The world needs more fem Hakuno
Fate/Extella probably changed a fair bit of your plans huh? Like the persona's ultimate form, for example. At any rate, love your work, keep it up. The world needs more fem Hakuno
- Location
- Elsewhere
The world needs more Fate Extra.
And Extella is...ehh.
Shape of Fire
Burns
I haven't planned on adding anything from Extella, on account of not knowing anything about it and not being interested enough to research it as I did CCC and Arena.
FoolsandTools
Post-Depression Panic
- Location
- Spiritually Lost
Fair enough, though it's not like this Hakuno would be a part of Extella or CCC for that matter. I was just wondering, what with the new "super forms" that game has.
Chapter 6 Recruitment
Shape of Fire
Burns
Surprise! Took me far too long again, but hey, I decided to finish this chapter in honor of me finding employment. Its a bit rough on account of account of me just deciding to finish the chapter, and I haven't had it checked over by anyone. Feedback would be appreciated.
Also, started a new quest few weeks back, check it out from my sig.
Chapter 6 Recruitment
Sunday, 22.3.2009
Gekkoukan Female Dormitory, Hakuno's POV
Today had gone slowly. The atmosphere was actually reminiscent of the fighting days of Grail War, with everything I did being overshadowed by the anticipation of the evenings events. I saw Rio before midday and we chatted a bit about the new training regime she was planning for the tennis club, but besides that I just found myself either pacing around my room or wandering the dorm and its vicinity. I tried going for a walk, but every time I took any reasonable distance from the dorm, I found myself getting agitated over getting back in time. Even if I had literally hours and hours before Mitsuru would show up.
Waiting had been so much easier when you were physically confined to the schoolgrounds.
Still, I eventually found myself casually strolling through the dorm lobby, trying to casually eye up Yukari Takeba. She is wearing a pink sweater with a large red ribbon around her neck and a black miniskirt, knee socks and boots. Her pink winter coat and other gear from the trip lie next to her as she seems to have all but collapsed on the lobby's couch, though it doesn't seem to be because she is tired.
I'm tempted to stop and talk to her actually. Maybe its because of all the other parallels I've been noting in my mind, but it feels a bit alien that I haven't talked to her even with all the information I have about her.
But somehow, I also feel like I shouldn't interrupt her now. Introspection, if that is what she is doing, is a very personal experience, so a stranger like myself shouldn't butt in when she is in the middle of it. Back in Moon Cell I spent many late evening wondering about myself, especially after the revelation that the person known as Hakuno Kishinami was "dead".
So, I keep walking past her and do a small trip down the street while rehashing some of the happier memories about my first weeks of existence, before returning back to my room in anticipation of Mitsuru's arrival later in the evening.
Yukari Takeba was still in deep thought.
The meeting with the dorm mother was, simply put, boring. Mainly because of the knowledge that I wouldn't be staying here, no matter what she offered. It had made me feel a bit bad, as she seemed to be very genuine in her efforts to make the dorm a good place for me to live.
Mitsuru had not had that problem, causing her to come off a bit blunt during the discussion. Still, the dorm mother didn't seem to hold it against her and was very amiable to the very end, even expressing her concern over Mitsuru leaving for the Iwatodai Dorm this late at night without escort. It too, of course, had been unneeded as Mitsuru hadn't left for Iwatodai Dorm but for my temporary residence in the third floor, where I had then joined her a little later after thanking the dorm mother for her consideration during the last few days.
Once secure in my room, we set up for a long evening waiting for the Dark Hour to come up: I take up a lounging position on the bed while Mitsuru settles down on the chair in front of the work desk. She then proceeds to pull up a notebook of some sort from her purse and huddle over it. In a more professional setting, like an office or something, it might have made me uncomfortable, with me just lying here and her working on something in silence.
But we weren't in an office now. We were in my (temporary) room, on my home field. In a similar place I have discussed anything, bared my heart about killing my friends and glanced around uncomfortably when Saber talked about wrestling lions while naked!
In short, I was confident in my ability to pull out a decent conversation out of the young Kirijo heiress so that I could begin to understand her more as a person. And maybe get her to understand me too.
"What are you working on?" I opened neutrally. Mitsuru seems surprised that I initiated conversation, but answers quickly:
"Just organizing some timetables for the future in case Takeba does have the Potential."
"You do not sound very sure about that," I note.
"I have been doing this literally for years and have only met two Persona users," she gives me a look and I nod in confirmation that I know of Shinjiro Aragaki, "well, you know the rest. Still, better to have plans ready and not need them than not have them while in need."
"Indeed," I nod in confirmation, "and that must be frustrating too. Doing all those plans and then not needing most of them."
"Yes, does feel a bit wasted effort but when it pays off it makes things so much easier."
"Still, don't let it get to you," I smiled encouragingly, "so what kind of training? She was a member of the school's Archery Club, right?"
"Yes, I suspect her skills can, with a little training, translate to destroying Shadows too. With me and Akihiko taking the front line and you the medium range, we'll be prepared for all ranges."
"Indeed, from medium range I can move to support others freely," I nod in understanding, "still, it is a very much different thing to shoot moving targets that try to kill you back."
"I know. But according to our analysists she should be able adapt without too much difficulty."
"Some people are like that" Was I one of them? I can't help but think of my first week in the Grail War. How much of it was just letting myself be led by Saber. Until Shinji, my first real kill. Luckily the S.E.E.S. shouldn't be running into anything like that, the Shadows were more like Enemy Programs; bestial creatures of instinct. Killing them was easier.
"Akihiko is one," Mitsuru agreed, and I gave her a look.
"And you?"
"I have to be." She answers without hesitation.
"Because you are the Kirijo heiress?" I guess based on the other heir I know, though Leo was a high standard to hold anyone into.
"Yes." It was minimal, but I'm sure she hesitated a little there. I don't think now's the good time to pester her about it, but I noted it down for the future.
"Hmm. And I am not given much of a choice." I add my two cents. It was also a truth, no matter where I would end up on the scale if given the chance to choose.
"You are an ASSW," Mitsuru commented.
"But I am also my own Person. True, fighting is something I can do well, but I would rather let it not define me." I wasn't sure that articulated my meaning completely, but it seemed to spark some thoughts in the young woman.
I then excused myself, explaining to Mitsuru that a new friend of mine that lived across the hallway had sent me the text message and wanted to talk to me face-to-face about it. I shouldn't use Rio like this, but it's the only option, not like I can say I have to go to the bathroom. I then slip into the bathroom and pull out the half-finished smoke I had looted from the bus stop as well as a lighter I had picked up on one of my walks outside. The bathroom is surprisingly small for something that's meant to be used by at least eight people several times a day. Good thing it doesn't also house the showers for this floor, or it would cause an ungodly jam every morning! Still, the room had certain used feeling to it that came with age. Quite different from the brand new high-quality stuff in the Iwatodai Dorm. Kirijo Group really sunk money into that place, even when discarding the secret base fortifications.
Moving quickly, I lit the smoke and strategically set in onto the toilet seat, so that the ashes and hopefully eventually the stump itself fall into the toilet bowl and not on the flammable carpet. I considered taking a whiff from the smoke myself to create more cigarette smoke for the smoke detectors but decided not to, as Mitsuru might notice the smell once I return to the room.
Then, with my timer completed, I return to my room to certify my alibi.
Mitsuru doesn't seem to have gotten bored in my absence, though the timetable she's working on doesn't seem close completion for a while yet. I think I succeeded in giving her something new to think about. With a faint smile on my face, I again settle on the bed with my hands behind my head. Now I just have to wait.
It doesn't take long for the smoke alarm to start blaring, startling us both from our respective fugues. I pretend being a little confused at the alarm, before we exited the room and Mitsuru started knocking on the doors to make sure people were leaving. I couldn't help but throw a guilty glance in the direction of the restroom, but then I joined her in knocking on the doors and making sure people got out in good order and to the dorm's evacuation point at the other side of the street. Eventually, Mitsuru and I joined them there amongst the last residents.
I kept it off my face, but as I looked at the people, some in just their pyjamas with winter jackets thrown over them, the guilty feeling from before grew stronger.
Then the feeling took backseat as Mitsuru checked her watch and then grabbed my wrist to pull me clear of the crowd before the Dark Hour started. I let her steer me while I scanned the crowd for Yukari: her pink winter coat, clearly chosen more over fashion than functionality, made her stand out in the crowd. And then the world seemed to freeze, as if time had stopped and to many it had as the Dark Hour emerged.
My brief talks with the few functional people during the Dark Hour, as well as the few reports I had gotten my hands on, all mentioned that upon entering the Dark Hour people tended to feel this pressure against them. Like being underwater and that being active, especially using ones Persona tended to tire them out quickly. A flaw that could be mitigated through experience.
I never really felt this. Maybe it was the robotic nature of my body, after all I had already established that its normal senses weren't on par with the real thing. Or maybe I had just gotten used to the feeling of pressure at the Lunar Seas of Moon Cell. Especially during those last moments. To me, the Dark Hour was just a hostile reality marble, although that also raised the question of what caused it? Was there an equivalent of Moon Cell's SE.RA.PH, or some sort of super Shadow that just flared its reality marble once a day? There really was no way for me to know.
Anyway to me and Mitsuru the emergence of Dark Hour was nothing special, even with the obvious changes. Same could not be said for the apparent first timer Yukari, judging by the scream that soon rose from between the upturned coffins. I sprint out immediately, finding to my slight surprise that Mitsuru too had had the same reaction.
"Calm down! You are not in danger!" Mitsuru yells as we reach the crowd. The coffins are packed so tight, forming a solid wall between us and Takeba. I shove one experimentally and feel shift a little.
"Its hard to get a hold from the smooth surface but I should be able move these," I inform Mitsuru, who raises her hand in a stopping motion.
"Lets not scare her further," she whispers before raising her voice, "Take deep breaths! Everything's fine!" She's probably right. If we started to suddenly make our way through she might panic and start knocking down coffins. What would that even be like for the people in the coffins? They're supposed to be quite sturdy so they probably wouldn't break but once the Hour is over, but the people who were standing at the start of the Hour would be confused to be suddenly lying down.
Mitsuru keeps up the reassuring words for a while, before announcing that we will begin moving the coffins. And in a true leader fashion by saying we, she meant me and Akihiko who had made his way to us from his lookout nearby while Mitsuru was talking. I could feel Saber, her presence in my mind stronger at this time of night, disapprove but it only made sense that we "buff" members of the team did the heavy lifting.
We fumble a bit at first, fingers trying to find purchase on the smooth red surfaces before we just decide to grab the diagonally opposed corners of the coffins and use those as grips. If my hands were flesh and blood, I'm sure it would have been very unpleasant to push my hands against the almost sharp edges of the coffins, but since I wasn't and Akihiko was wearing gloves, we managed without too much discomfort.
We had to move several coffins until Yukari made her own exit by somehow knocking down the last coffin between us and her. I don't think she is taking this well, whether it's the Dark Hour's effects or having everyone around her suddenly turn into coffins, but her face is pale and her is breathing is rapid.
"Ssshh. Everything's fine Takeba; we are here to help. Take deep breaths," Mitsuru keeps up the calming monologue. As I no longer have anything to do, I'm starting to feel self-conscious about my lack of helping and more than a little guilty from basically being the reason for this scene. However, since Mitsuru apparently knows what she is doing I just slink to the side with Akihiko, while Mitsuru starts to slowly talk Yukari through some sort of breathing exercise.
"She's prepared for everything, huh?" I try to set a little small talk with Akihiko while we wait.
"She has that habit," Akihiko nods with a small smile, "besides, we've had time to come up with different scenarios, panic attacks among them, though surprises do happen. Speaking of which…?" he then adds with a questioning look.
"The fire alarm started ringing. We helped with the evacuation of the building, though we didn't spot any smoke", I don't exactly lie to his face and then add: "how will the Dark Hour affect fire though? I know water and electricity are different."
"It shouldn't be a problem. I think the flame keeps burning but it doesn't consume or spread during the Dark Hour," Akihiko tries to reassure me, though the new information is appreciated and quickly added to the Information Matrix. I wonder why it wasn't included in the original files I got?
From there, an awkward silence ensues. Akihiko fidgets, the energetic boy would probably have preferred something more active. Not that I was in position to call him out on it, as I am feeling fidgety myself, though from a different reason. For a second I consider summoning Saber so I could take comfort from the familiar presence, but obviously that wouldn't be a very good idea now. Still, the thought was enough to bring Saber's comforting presence to the forefront of my mind.
Luckily, Yukari seems to be recovering fast and is soon on her feet with us, though still throwing nervous glances at the congregation of coffins at the evacuation area. Ah, she must be worried about her friends, I realize just as Mitsuru voices the same thought:
"Do not worry, the transmogrification is only temporary. In fact, judging by your reaction you too were in that state just 25 hours ago."
"I… thanks. How do you know this? You are Mitsuru Kirijo, right? I've seen you at school," Yukari answers and then looks at Akihiko and me, "and you are Akihiko Sanada, the ace of the school's boxing club. But you I don't remember."
"That's because she is only starting at Gekkoukan High next semester. Also, she is not actually human but a combat gynoid built by Kirijo Group," Mitsuru explains and at her urging I grudgingly remove my right fingertip to reveal the barrel and then roll up a sleeve to remove the magazine. This seems to trigger a suspicious reaction from her.
"A combat what? Why?"
"A gynoid. An artificial human," the admission still stung a little, "in this case, designed to fight monsters that roam the Dark Hour," Mitsuru clarifies.
"Dark Hour being this what we are experiencing right now," Akihiko quips, "basically, an extra hour only certain people can experience. And for a good reason."
What proceeded was a beginners guide to the Dark Hour, with a good excuse for me to summon Saber as an example of a Persona. Yukari herself seemed a bit overwhelmed for a while during the explanations but seemed to get her resolve under control by the time when Mitsuru explained to her the unfortunate fate of the other ASSW's nearly ten years ago.
"So this Tartarus is the source of these Shadow things, which in turn spread the Apathy Syndrome that has been on the news lately?" Yukari asked while looking at the tower looming over the artificial island.
"Yes. We also suspect it to have relation to the Dark Hour itself, though it is impossible to tell for sure without more information," Mitsuru admitted.
"And you need more people with this Potential to join you for expeditions into it, because you lost the special resources you need to build more gynoids," Yukari said to herself and nodded resolutely, "this really seems important so count me in."
"We were hoping you'd say that," Mitsuru smiles at her and Akihiko cheers, "welcome to the S.E.E.S. We'll start organizing your transfer to the Iwatodai Dorm immediately after this Hour ends. You should also join the training sessions with Akihiko and Kishinami. We won't be going into Tartarus for a while though, so you have time to get used to everything." From there, we continued the conversation about the coming weeks agenda and other preparations towards it. Yukari didn't seem too happy about the idea of getting an Evoker, but the idea of a new bow made of secret Kirijo Group materials seemed to intrigue her.
Eventually the Dark Hour ended and, with some confusion from the people we had moved out of the way, the eventful day came to an end.
Also, started a new quest few weeks back, check it out from my sig.
Chapter 6 Recruitment
Sunday, 22.3.2009
Gekkoukan Female Dormitory, Hakuno's POV
Today had gone slowly. The atmosphere was actually reminiscent of the fighting days of Grail War, with everything I did being overshadowed by the anticipation of the evenings events. I saw Rio before midday and we chatted a bit about the new training regime she was planning for the tennis club, but besides that I just found myself either pacing around my room or wandering the dorm and its vicinity. I tried going for a walk, but every time I took any reasonable distance from the dorm, I found myself getting agitated over getting back in time. Even if I had literally hours and hours before Mitsuru would show up.
Waiting had been so much easier when you were physically confined to the schoolgrounds.
Still, I eventually found myself casually strolling through the dorm lobby, trying to casually eye up Yukari Takeba. She is wearing a pink sweater with a large red ribbon around her neck and a black miniskirt, knee socks and boots. Her pink winter coat and other gear from the trip lie next to her as she seems to have all but collapsed on the lobby's couch, though it doesn't seem to be because she is tired.
I'm tempted to stop and talk to her actually. Maybe its because of all the other parallels I've been noting in my mind, but it feels a bit alien that I haven't talked to her even with all the information I have about her.
But somehow, I also feel like I shouldn't interrupt her now. Introspection, if that is what she is doing, is a very personal experience, so a stranger like myself shouldn't butt in when she is in the middle of it. Back in Moon Cell I spent many late evening wondering about myself, especially after the revelation that the person known as Hakuno Kishinami was "dead".
So, I keep walking past her and do a small trip down the street while rehashing some of the happier memories about my first weeks of existence, before returning back to my room in anticipation of Mitsuru's arrival later in the evening.
Yukari Takeba was still in deep thought.
The meeting with the dorm mother was, simply put, boring. Mainly because of the knowledge that I wouldn't be staying here, no matter what she offered. It had made me feel a bit bad, as she seemed to be very genuine in her efforts to make the dorm a good place for me to live.
Mitsuru had not had that problem, causing her to come off a bit blunt during the discussion. Still, the dorm mother didn't seem to hold it against her and was very amiable to the very end, even expressing her concern over Mitsuru leaving for the Iwatodai Dorm this late at night without escort. It too, of course, had been unneeded as Mitsuru hadn't left for Iwatodai Dorm but for my temporary residence in the third floor, where I had then joined her a little later after thanking the dorm mother for her consideration during the last few days.
Once secure in my room, we set up for a long evening waiting for the Dark Hour to come up: I take up a lounging position on the bed while Mitsuru settles down on the chair in front of the work desk. She then proceeds to pull up a notebook of some sort from her purse and huddle over it. In a more professional setting, like an office or something, it might have made me uncomfortable, with me just lying here and her working on something in silence.
But we weren't in an office now. We were in my (temporary) room, on my home field. In a similar place I have discussed anything, bared my heart about killing my friends and glanced around uncomfortably when Saber talked about wrestling lions while naked!
In short, I was confident in my ability to pull out a decent conversation out of the young Kirijo heiress so that I could begin to understand her more as a person. And maybe get her to understand me too.
"What are you working on?" I opened neutrally. Mitsuru seems surprised that I initiated conversation, but answers quickly:
"Just organizing some timetables for the future in case Takeba does have the Potential."
"You do not sound very sure about that," I note.
"I have been doing this literally for years and have only met two Persona users," she gives me a look and I nod in confirmation that I know of Shinjiro Aragaki, "well, you know the rest. Still, better to have plans ready and not need them than not have them while in need."
"Indeed," I nod in confirmation, "and that must be frustrating too. Doing all those plans and then not needing most of them."
"Yes, does feel a bit wasted effort but when it pays off it makes things so much easier."
"Still, don't let it get to you," I smiled encouragingly, "so what kind of training? She was a member of the school's Archery Club, right?"
"Yes, I suspect her skills can, with a little training, translate to destroying Shadows too. With me and Akihiko taking the front line and you the medium range, we'll be prepared for all ranges."
"Indeed, from medium range I can move to support others freely," I nod in understanding, "still, it is a very much different thing to shoot moving targets that try to kill you back."
"I know. But according to our analysists she should be able adapt without too much difficulty."
"Some people are like that" Was I one of them? I can't help but think of my first week in the Grail War. How much of it was just letting myself be led by Saber. Until Shinji, my first real kill. Luckily the S.E.E.S. shouldn't be running into anything like that, the Shadows were more like Enemy Programs; bestial creatures of instinct. Killing them was easier.
"Akihiko is one," Mitsuru agreed, and I gave her a look.
"And you?"
"I have to be." She answers without hesitation.
"Because you are the Kirijo heiress?" I guess based on the other heir I know, though Leo was a high standard to hold anyone into.
"Yes." It was minimal, but I'm sure she hesitated a little there. I don't think now's the good time to pester her about it, but I noted it down for the future.
"Hmm. And I am not given much of a choice." I add my two cents. It was also a truth, no matter where I would end up on the scale if given the chance to choose.
"You are an ASSW," Mitsuru commented.
"But I am also my own Person. True, fighting is something I can do well, but I would rather let it not define me." I wasn't sure that articulated my meaning completely, but it seemed to spark some thoughts in the young woman.
I then excused myself, explaining to Mitsuru that a new friend of mine that lived across the hallway had sent me the text message and wanted to talk to me face-to-face about it. I shouldn't use Rio like this, but it's the only option, not like I can say I have to go to the bathroom. I then slip into the bathroom and pull out the half-finished smoke I had looted from the bus stop as well as a lighter I had picked up on one of my walks outside. The bathroom is surprisingly small for something that's meant to be used by at least eight people several times a day. Good thing it doesn't also house the showers for this floor, or it would cause an ungodly jam every morning! Still, the room had certain used feeling to it that came with age. Quite different from the brand new high-quality stuff in the Iwatodai Dorm. Kirijo Group really sunk money into that place, even when discarding the secret base fortifications.
Moving quickly, I lit the smoke and strategically set in onto the toilet seat, so that the ashes and hopefully eventually the stump itself fall into the toilet bowl and not on the flammable carpet. I considered taking a whiff from the smoke myself to create more cigarette smoke for the smoke detectors but decided not to, as Mitsuru might notice the smell once I return to the room.
Then, with my timer completed, I return to my room to certify my alibi.
Mitsuru doesn't seem to have gotten bored in my absence, though the timetable she's working on doesn't seem close completion for a while yet. I think I succeeded in giving her something new to think about. With a faint smile on my face, I again settle on the bed with my hands behind my head. Now I just have to wait.
It doesn't take long for the smoke alarm to start blaring, startling us both from our respective fugues. I pretend being a little confused at the alarm, before we exited the room and Mitsuru started knocking on the doors to make sure people were leaving. I couldn't help but throw a guilty glance in the direction of the restroom, but then I joined her in knocking on the doors and making sure people got out in good order and to the dorm's evacuation point at the other side of the street. Eventually, Mitsuru and I joined them there amongst the last residents.
I kept it off my face, but as I looked at the people, some in just their pyjamas with winter jackets thrown over them, the guilty feeling from before grew stronger.
Then the feeling took backseat as Mitsuru checked her watch and then grabbed my wrist to pull me clear of the crowd before the Dark Hour started. I let her steer me while I scanned the crowd for Yukari: her pink winter coat, clearly chosen more over fashion than functionality, made her stand out in the crowd. And then the world seemed to freeze, as if time had stopped and to many it had as the Dark Hour emerged.
My brief talks with the few functional people during the Dark Hour, as well as the few reports I had gotten my hands on, all mentioned that upon entering the Dark Hour people tended to feel this pressure against them. Like being underwater and that being active, especially using ones Persona tended to tire them out quickly. A flaw that could be mitigated through experience.
I never really felt this. Maybe it was the robotic nature of my body, after all I had already established that its normal senses weren't on par with the real thing. Or maybe I had just gotten used to the feeling of pressure at the Lunar Seas of Moon Cell. Especially during those last moments. To me, the Dark Hour was just a hostile reality marble, although that also raised the question of what caused it? Was there an equivalent of Moon Cell's SE.RA.PH, or some sort of super Shadow that just flared its reality marble once a day? There really was no way for me to know.
Anyway to me and Mitsuru the emergence of Dark Hour was nothing special, even with the obvious changes. Same could not be said for the apparent first timer Yukari, judging by the scream that soon rose from between the upturned coffins. I sprint out immediately, finding to my slight surprise that Mitsuru too had had the same reaction.
"Calm down! You are not in danger!" Mitsuru yells as we reach the crowd. The coffins are packed so tight, forming a solid wall between us and Takeba. I shove one experimentally and feel shift a little.
"Its hard to get a hold from the smooth surface but I should be able move these," I inform Mitsuru, who raises her hand in a stopping motion.
"Lets not scare her further," she whispers before raising her voice, "Take deep breaths! Everything's fine!" She's probably right. If we started to suddenly make our way through she might panic and start knocking down coffins. What would that even be like for the people in the coffins? They're supposed to be quite sturdy so they probably wouldn't break but once the Hour is over, but the people who were standing at the start of the Hour would be confused to be suddenly lying down.
Mitsuru keeps up the reassuring words for a while, before announcing that we will begin moving the coffins. And in a true leader fashion by saying we, she meant me and Akihiko who had made his way to us from his lookout nearby while Mitsuru was talking. I could feel Saber, her presence in my mind stronger at this time of night, disapprove but it only made sense that we "buff" members of the team did the heavy lifting.
We fumble a bit at first, fingers trying to find purchase on the smooth red surfaces before we just decide to grab the diagonally opposed corners of the coffins and use those as grips. If my hands were flesh and blood, I'm sure it would have been very unpleasant to push my hands against the almost sharp edges of the coffins, but since I wasn't and Akihiko was wearing gloves, we managed without too much discomfort.
We had to move several coffins until Yukari made her own exit by somehow knocking down the last coffin between us and her. I don't think she is taking this well, whether it's the Dark Hour's effects or having everyone around her suddenly turn into coffins, but her face is pale and her is breathing is rapid.
"Ssshh. Everything's fine Takeba; we are here to help. Take deep breaths," Mitsuru keeps up the calming monologue. As I no longer have anything to do, I'm starting to feel self-conscious about my lack of helping and more than a little guilty from basically being the reason for this scene. However, since Mitsuru apparently knows what she is doing I just slink to the side with Akihiko, while Mitsuru starts to slowly talk Yukari through some sort of breathing exercise.
"She's prepared for everything, huh?" I try to set a little small talk with Akihiko while we wait.
"She has that habit," Akihiko nods with a small smile, "besides, we've had time to come up with different scenarios, panic attacks among them, though surprises do happen. Speaking of which…?" he then adds with a questioning look.
"The fire alarm started ringing. We helped with the evacuation of the building, though we didn't spot any smoke", I don't exactly lie to his face and then add: "how will the Dark Hour affect fire though? I know water and electricity are different."
"It shouldn't be a problem. I think the flame keeps burning but it doesn't consume or spread during the Dark Hour," Akihiko tries to reassure me, though the new information is appreciated and quickly added to the Information Matrix. I wonder why it wasn't included in the original files I got?
From there, an awkward silence ensues. Akihiko fidgets, the energetic boy would probably have preferred something more active. Not that I was in position to call him out on it, as I am feeling fidgety myself, though from a different reason. For a second I consider summoning Saber so I could take comfort from the familiar presence, but obviously that wouldn't be a very good idea now. Still, the thought was enough to bring Saber's comforting presence to the forefront of my mind.
Luckily, Yukari seems to be recovering fast and is soon on her feet with us, though still throwing nervous glances at the congregation of coffins at the evacuation area. Ah, she must be worried about her friends, I realize just as Mitsuru voices the same thought:
"Do not worry, the transmogrification is only temporary. In fact, judging by your reaction you too were in that state just 25 hours ago."
"I… thanks. How do you know this? You are Mitsuru Kirijo, right? I've seen you at school," Yukari answers and then looks at Akihiko and me, "and you are Akihiko Sanada, the ace of the school's boxing club. But you I don't remember."
"That's because she is only starting at Gekkoukan High next semester. Also, she is not actually human but a combat gynoid built by Kirijo Group," Mitsuru explains and at her urging I grudgingly remove my right fingertip to reveal the barrel and then roll up a sleeve to remove the magazine. This seems to trigger a suspicious reaction from her.
"A combat what? Why?"
"A gynoid. An artificial human," the admission still stung a little, "in this case, designed to fight monsters that roam the Dark Hour," Mitsuru clarifies.
"Dark Hour being this what we are experiencing right now," Akihiko quips, "basically, an extra hour only certain people can experience. And for a good reason."
What proceeded was a beginners guide to the Dark Hour, with a good excuse for me to summon Saber as an example of a Persona. Yukari herself seemed a bit overwhelmed for a while during the explanations but seemed to get her resolve under control by the time when Mitsuru explained to her the unfortunate fate of the other ASSW's nearly ten years ago.
"So this Tartarus is the source of these Shadow things, which in turn spread the Apathy Syndrome that has been on the news lately?" Yukari asked while looking at the tower looming over the artificial island.
"Yes. We also suspect it to have relation to the Dark Hour itself, though it is impossible to tell for sure without more information," Mitsuru admitted.
"And you need more people with this Potential to join you for expeditions into it, because you lost the special resources you need to build more gynoids," Yukari said to herself and nodded resolutely, "this really seems important so count me in."
"We were hoping you'd say that," Mitsuru smiles at her and Akihiko cheers, "welcome to the S.E.E.S. We'll start organizing your transfer to the Iwatodai Dorm immediately after this Hour ends. You should also join the training sessions with Akihiko and Kishinami. We won't be going into Tartarus for a while though, so you have time to get used to everything." From there, we continued the conversation about the coming weeks agenda and other preparations towards it. Yukari didn't seem too happy about the idea of getting an Evoker, but the idea of a new bow made of secret Kirijo Group materials seemed to intrigue her.
Eventually the Dark Hour ended and, with some confusion from the people we had moved out of the way, the eventful day came to an end.