Shattered Justice (A Persona Quest)

A display of power. You know what people generally expect when they ask for that. Pure destructive force, fire and lightning and all that stuff that's visually impressive.

And, honestly, you do kind of get the appeal of that. Those effects are stunning whenever they appear on screen. But you don't really think that's going to help your situation right now. Everything around you looks like it's... kind of breakable. And you don't want to break Mitsuru-san's things, why would you do something like that?

"Is anyone here hurt?" You find yourself asking. Mitsuru-san's eyes flash in a way you're almost starting to get used to, and she gestures at one of the nearby scientists.

"He dropped some heavy equipment on his foot earlier. He says he's fine, but..."

"You can't prove anything!" Said scientist protests, only to shift his weight to his right, wince, and shift back to the left again. "...Okay, maybe a little..." Well. It's not all that serious, but it's almost certainly something you can fix.

"Dia." The magic moves differently, this time, from when you do it normally. There's less of it, to start with, and that's a pretty big difference, but even more noticeable is the path it takes. You issue the command, your Persona carries it out, the power flowing directly to the scientist from Nemi. There's the soft glow that you've come to associate with your healing powers, and then it's gone.

At least that part hasn't changed. Everything feels so strange right now, and you don't know if it's due to having a Persona out or something else, and you're sort of scared to ask because Mitsuru-san is the only other person who even has a Persona in this room and that makes it hard to determine if something is normal or not.

The scientists are apparently observing something, and you can't really make heads or tails of it, but eventually Mitsuru-san speaks to you, and you can use that to ground yourself, at least.

"Amada. Dismiss your Persona. We're done for now." Really? That's it? But you do as you're told, releasing your grasp on Nemesis and letting him fade back into the confines of your mind.

Immediately, everything starts to become a lot clearer. It also comes with a splitting headache. Ow. Kirijo-san seems concerned, but she doesn't say anything, so you just try and make your way downstairs. Maybe fresh air will help? Or food? Time, at least, fixes everything. At least, that's what they tell you. You'll reserve judgement on that for a while.

Also, apparently what you were doing took longer than you'd thought, because Sanada-san and Shinjiro-san are there now, pretending not to notice the leaving scientists.

Once the last person wearing white is out the door, Kirijo-san turns to you. "Amada-kun, I wasn't about to ask this with all of... those people... there, but how are you feeling? Calling a Persona, particularly outside of the Dark Hour, can be rather straining..."


[ ] Say that you're fine.

[ ] Tell Kirijo-san about your headache.

[ ] Tell Kirijo-san how you feel when you summon your Persona. Ask if that's normal.

[ ] Dodge the subject entirely.

Kirijo-san seems to be concerned for your well-being. You're glad for that, she's one of the only people who is, and you don't want to lie to her. Really, of all the people who were in the room when you called out Nemi earlier, she's the one you trust the most.

Which, in this case, means that you hold any level of trust for her at all, but... she means well, and she's only trying to help you. So you should try and make it easier for her. Somewhat.

"My head hurts a bit..." You admit, rubbing at your forehead in an attempt to chase it away. "Is that normal?"

"The first few times? Yeah," Sanada-san answers. "Don't worry, it'll get easier."

"Says you..." Shinjiro-san mutters. You're not sure if Sanada-san hears it or not, because he doesn't react.

"I see... well, that should pass given enough time. If you need to sit down, you're welcome to stay for a while."

"That... that would be nice. Thank you," You nod, and make your way over to the couch you woke up on on Sunday, where you collapse. It doesn't make the headache go away, but it does mean that you don't have to worry about tripping over anything while you're disoriented, so it all balances out.

This... this feels nice. Sure, there's something missing, you can feel it, but this place... it's like nothing can harm you here.

You can't remember the last time you felt like this. Yes, the people who just left were sort of... well, it didn't feel right, having them around here. But somehow, it feels right for you to be here. Logically, it should be the other way around.

And yet, here you are. And they're gone. And it's safer, now that they're not around you.

You won't be hurt here. And certain of that security, you let your eyes drift shut. A nap should help you, right?

---

This is not your bed. That's the first thing you think when you open your eyes, because you vividly remember going to sleep on a couch. Nobody bothered to move you last time you slept there, they shouldn't do so this time, either.

You then glance out the window, to see a patchwork of darkness and fog. Photos, spear, dog bed... you know where you are now.

Nemi's room.

Oddly enough, the Persona in question is nowhere to be seen. You assume he'll show up eventually, but right now... you're curious.


[ ] Inspect the pictures on the desk.

[ ] See if you can't make out something from the notebook.

[ ] Check the closet. Future you has to wear something besides the school uniform, right?

[ ] ...Right. There's a spear. That's actually pretty cool.

[ ] ...What happens if you go out the door?