"The kind of beings that can cast those sort of spells" includes Naoto, going by her in-game skill list, incidentally.
Shards of a Broken Sun [Megaten/Shugo Chara/Exalted]
- Thread starter Baughn
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- Laniakea
Would likely count as a contested use of Psionics and need to win a contested roll against the opponent. Exactly what they would use to resist being Teleported, I have no idea (maybe Strength + Resistance?).
To avoid a contested roll, I imagine you would need to target the space around them and not the occupants, which would require the same skills as warping space.
Well, you could try to weave graphene in to your skin I guess, if you put in a lot your skin tone might shift a bit much and you'd need a coloring agent to offset it I guess. Of course it can stop far from everything, but certainly it would gain you a fair bit against sharp objects. And it might stop bullets instantly totally destroying you, though shock damage to the body may still occur unless you improve telekinesis enough to some what offset that to offset any shockwaves in body... unless biokinesis can help there as well?
If I were to guess Biokinesis 2, Lore 2, Medicine 1 might suffice for something like this?
The solution is of course to convince the cult leader they made a mistake and they should turn over a new leaf in their life. Maybe not possible for any particularly mystically powerful cult leader, but if one was going to ponder some level of UMI anyway, then convincing the leadership and those directly beneath would be far more effective. And certainly younger Amu was capable of such things in the past. Though she might hesitate to take such actions as quickly now, now that she understands a bit more of what she's doing.
Still to an extent at times what she's doing is mind healing as well, as being stuck to much in a single self destructive mode of thought is actually a bad thing. So it's kind of hard to know where exactly one should draw the line here, even in society we have psychiatric services to help such people after all.
At core I'd argue Occult lets you understand better what the other side is actually doing. While magic and psychic powers are different kind of, they still in the end are doing related things. As such you could use understanding in Occult to offset damage from Occult offensive spells by properly tuning your psychic response. Alternately if you have sufficient mental range and the caster is with in your range, you'd be able to recognize a spell being cast and basically just start wedging things in to the spell structure to make the spell fizzle out or explode in their face instead.
In the end it's basically a case of knowledge is power, one can apply what powers one has far more effectively if one understands what is happening and why. Thus allowing one to use far less power to offset the danger instead.
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
To a degree, their existence in and of itself increases your health pool / armor value. The trick is that it does so by putting an overgrowth-equivalent (not the same thing) in the way of incoming mental attacks, which describes basically everything you see in Persona dungeons... and also any real-world attacks from other Persona users.
This does not apply to spells like Rakukaja.
Sure. Teleportation 2 is "within line of sight (limited by mental range)"; straight up works fine. You then have to deal with gravity.
Though recall that the feat list is for the limit of what's feasible; where you on average would need to spend a point of WP to achieve it. Yes, you can teleport-dodge that way, but... not for very long.
That would be a contested roll, and most relevant targets would be able to contest it.
- Location
- Laniakea
Problem is, I'm pretty sure a lot of those cult leaders ARE mystically powerful.
Hikawa himself is a demon summoner, he definitely has occult knowledge and probably wears protective amulets too since he's been fighting JP's, likely including something that could resist mental effects - after all there are demon spells that target the mind too, not just psionics.
Meanwhile the Ring of Gaea were the original owners of the Miroku Scripture that Hikawa stole, and that's supposed to be a sacred occult artifact or kind of grimoire. Hikawa probably learnt his demon summoning techniques either from it or other people in Gaea, which means they probably have sorcerers too among their upper echelons.
Given the Order of Messiah are rivals to Gaea, that in turn means THEY likely have magic users of their own, especially since they also knew enough about Hikawa's activities and a bunch went to try and fight him before Conception.
While those are the 3 ones we know from SMT3, there was at least one more from Persona that used to be around, which was the Nyx death cult Strega started up. They may not strictly have been magic users, but they had Personas which would presumably have given them substantial resistance to any mental attack against them.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was relatively easy for anyone with Dreamland/cognitive world access to start a cult. Persona 5 may not be canon to this quest, but the concept of brainwashing people via their Shadows is likely still valid. If other quest-bespoke cults exist here apart from the ones from canon, anyone who started a cult through this way would likely be resistant to mental effects through the same means they use to survive the cognitive world and brainwash Shadows.
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Persona 5 is not canon; as mentioned, this is mostly because I haven't played it -- though also because I tried to play it and bounced off its world-view, hard. People who act like the ones in Persona 5 exist, but they're not that common.
That being said? Yes. All the mechanics (that I know of!) from Persona 5 seem to be valid. Those applications are also feasible here. No comment on whether or not anyone is doing so.
That being said? Yes. All the mechanics (that I know of!) from Persona 5 seem to be valid. Those applications are also feasible here. No comment on whether or not anyone is doing so.
Obviously I'm aware of that, as I did note that exception in the very part you quote.
Though of course there are ways one could undermine mystical defenses as well. One could have the lock and key on hand, one could increase ones Mind Control skill further, maybe even pick up some Occult to be better at getting through magic defenses. That kind of things basically.
Though of course equally obviously if you start going that course that hard, a lot of your problem will now have to be resolved via mind control. So it's a bit of a choice on where one wants to go in general with ones abilities. I guess it's good that In that sense we are spoiled for choice a bit. That quite a few options can be made to work for a variety of problems.
Chapter 2.10
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
"Ma'am, please calm down," Shirogane repeated, not for the first time. Midori had been pacing up and down the cave for five minutes now, taking short breaths and fiddling with the sleeves of her cardigan with nervous hands. She was used to stressful situations, Utau was sure, but not physical danger. Not to her. Very much not to her children.
Utau-
Utau preferred not to think this way, but she'd also been scared. Both for herself, and for Amu… 'and for aunt Midori,' she thought, the endearment slinking into her inner monologue. Utau wasn't sure she'd ever get used to having adults who cared, but for Amu's sake… she'd try and add another to the list.
Ami was still seated on Utau's lap. Amu leaned against the wall a few steps away, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes shut. Though calling it a 'wall' might have been a little inaccurate. It was almost a natural rock formation, despite the brick lines that had been—carved? Was that likely, in a dream?—that had been carved into it.
A faint luminescence had settled into the murals, though the main light source was still the green flame on the central pillar. Utau felt her skin crawl as she watched the stick figures on the murals moving slowly across the wall; her gaze was caught by a two-dimensional firefly crawling across an illustration of a night-time forest.
Her eyes moved back to Amu's mom. That was safer.
Sort of.
By mental contamination standards. Midori's glare could have melted steel.
"Shirogane-san," she growled—the name had somehow turned into a curse—before taking a deep breath. Again. "I am entirely calm," Midori lied once she had gathered herself again. "Calmer than I probably should be." She grimaced slightly. "Even though I want to scream at someone."
Utau tried to not think too hard about how true that statement was. Midori's emotions were becoming increasingly irate with every passing second, and that was putting an extra bit of strain on Utau's attempts to keep a lid on her own. If she didn't, then Amu would feel them. And-
She wasn't sure why that felt so wrong. Just that she didn't want her to notice she was scared.
Maybe she should focus on the conversation.
"Mom-" Amu began.
"I know," Midori cut her off, holding up a hand to forestall Amu's next words. "I know," she repeated. "I'm just- frustrated. That's all." She paused for a moment, thinking. "And I'd feel a lot better if Ami-chan was somewhere safe."
"I think we all would," Shirogane agreed.
Ami-chan looked up from her seat on Utau's lap, opening her mouth to speak and then hesitating—suddenly unsure.
That nearly set Midori off again, but after a moment she sighed and slumped down—only half-faking it. "I'll admit," she said wryly, "this is not how I expected today to go."
Shirogane laughed. "On the other hand, your daughter's family is real. She's spent hours talking you up, Mrs Hinamori," she said gently. "She thinks you're an amazing mother. No matter what else happens, you can take pride in that."
Midori's smile was weak but genuine—even if Utau could still feel her aggravation underneath the warmth.
"You said we have three choices?" she asked after a moment or so.
Shirogane nodded—gently extracting herself from Midori's stare and sitting down on a nearby rock, one of the many that littered the cave. She winced as her bottom touched the cold stone, but didn't otherwise react.
"That's right," she said. "Three choices that make any sort of sense. Explaining the full depth of the situation would take rather longer than I'd like—and besides, I don't understand a lot of this myself. However, there's some elements you must understand. One of them is that there's very little time pressure."
She held up a hand, forestalling Midori's questions.
"That isn't the same as there being no time pressure at all," Shirogane clarified. "Nor that this situation is pleasant, but you need—need—to understand the basics of Shadows. They are—fundamentally, and this is based on encountering half a dozen of them—they represent the parts of yourself that you reject.
"If there's any aspect of yourself that you dislike, and don't ever want others to see, then this place can draw them out. They become a form of mental entity, with distinct desires and a separate body, and those who were trapped here were eventually drawn into..." Shirogane's cheeks turned faintly red. "Debate, let's say, though that might be understating the degree of vitriol. If the 'shadow-castle' your daughter pulled you out of was that of a young girl, then she must have had an astounding number of negative feelings building up inside her."
"Like me," Utau muttered quietly, almost unconsciously—Amu's hand sneaking down to squeeze hers tight. The others didn't seem to hear, but Ami also gave her arm a gentle squeeze—even though she'd been asleep a moment earlier, or at least... 'playing' asleep? Her eyes had been closed, but her mind was buzzing.
"However," Shirogane said. "Those are still feelings and desires you don't wish to show others. If someone else walks in on that, then- I think you can imagine what would happen, if someone else saw everything you dislike about yourself. Every single time it's happened, in my understanding, it causes the person to violently reject those feelings. Which causes the shadow to go berserk, usually attempting to kill everyone there." Shirogane took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. "So it's important that we don't rush ahead, Mrs Hinamori, because it's only once we enter that the clock starts ticking."
She let that sink in for a moment before continuing.
"If we walk away now, the shadow won't chase us," Shirogane said. "Even if there's still danger to... Yui-chan, was it?"
Amu nodded.
"She's eight," Amu said, a little plaintively.
Shirogane winced. "I-"
"At most."
"-That's exactly why we can't rush in," Shirogane said. "I understand your feelings, but…" She sighed, simultaneously looking older and younger than her years. "That just makes it more important that we're careful. It won't act unless we intrude… however, that only applies in the short term. Eventually..." she paused again; marshalling her thoughts. "We were too late, once, and another child was hospitalised. We rescued her, but… badly. I'm still searching for a way to heal her. Other times being late leads to death; I don't know for sure if they were killed by the shadow in question." Shirogane paused. "Sometimes, I wonder."
There was silence after that proclamation, though Ami shifted restlessly on Utau's lap; thinking intensely, her emotions a mess of complicated emotions that Utau couldn't begin to make sense of.
"Thank you for explaining, Shirogane-san," Midori said after a moment or so; bowing politely in Shirogane's direction—clearly rattled, though she was hiding it well. "But I fail to see the options you're offering."
Shirogane smiled weakly. "Two of them are obvious," she said. "Option one: we go home, call in the cavalry. My senpai-" Shirogane blushed a little harder. "Ahem. I know someone who is more experienced than I am in such matters. But it would take a day, which would be a risk to Yui-chan. I can see you're already rejecting it."
Midori nodded grimly. She didn't look happy about it.
"The second option is that we provoke the shadow. Every time a scenario like this has had a happy ending, it came from the person in question accepting their dark side, but that acceptance only comes after a fight. In some form, at least," Shirogane added quietly, looking directly at Ami. Ami paid careful attention to her words. "A fight of words, at the least. More likely a fight of blades. Most often both."
Shirogane tilted her head at Midori and Amu, and then at Utau.
"It would be up to us to keep it from killing the girl until she can accept it," she explained. "Which is..."
"Something of a leap," Midori admitted, with a frown. "How sure are you that this will work?"
"Sure enough to be risking my life," Shirogane replied after a moment or so. "It's never failed us in the past. Except once, and that boy was-" She grimaced. "I doubt we'll see a repeat. However, we'd need to first make our way through the castle. It's a labyrinth, and as you've seen, not the type you can map."
"And you don't know what to expect inside," Utau interjected. "You've fought these things before, but you don't know if we can handle it. And you can't do it on your own."
"Naturally," said Shirogane, nodding sharply. "I don't know the girl at all. The only ones here who can bring her to her senses are the three of you."
Which meant Amu-chan, Utau mentally amended. The only one of them who'd met her. And she couldn't tell what Shirogane-san was feeling at all, Utau noted. At first she'd thought she was just that emotionally bland, but even now… nothing. She could barely feel she was there.
"And the third option?" Midori pressed.
Shirogane hesitated, tugging the brim of her cap straight.
"The third option is that we break a path directly to its core," she explained. "It would be safer for us, though perhaps not to Yui-chan. And we would need Ami-chan to do it. I can help point her at the core, but-" She took a deep breath. "It's a shot in the dark. It would most likely tire her out, so she couldn't help us escape, and she'd be trapped with the rest of us deep within the castle." Shirogane sighed. "Honestly, ma'am, if we do that there's every chance that we'll be worse off than otherwise. The only option I can recommend is the first."
She scowled.
"Not that I believe you're going to listen to me," Shirogane added grumpily. "The fire in your eyes is quite familiar."
Midori raised an eyebrow.
"I can't ask you to jump into danger with me," she told Shirogane. "But-"
"I'm in," Amu said without hesitation. Ami's grip on Utau's arm tightened once again.
"If you're going then I am too," Utau added quickly, nodding her head firmly in agreement—then poking Ami's head with her free hand. Just touching her, to show she was there. "Option two, right? We can't take Ami-chan into the castle."
Ami stuck out her tongue and peeled open an eye.
"You can't keep me out if I don't want to be kept out," she told Utau. "I'm not little anymore! Besides, I can take you there safe and sound. Is that okay Mom?"
Midori looked and felt like she'd just swallowed something sharp—a lump in her throat, an awful truth—but shook her head anyway. "Only if you want to be grounded," she informed Ami firmly. "You're going home, young lady."
Ami made a face, but didn't complain any further—she got up off Utau's lap and thought a little; and then after a moment of staring at her hands, her eyes lit up.
"Sure, Mom," she said. "Can you give me money for the bus?"
Midori sighed and patted down her pockets, digging out some spare change to hand to her daughter. Ami accepted it gratefully, giving her mom a big hug that put a brief smile on Midori's face—and then dashed over to Amu. The next few moments featured a brief, quiet conversation and an exchange of... items?
Utau wasn't sure what they were, but whatever it was made Amu's eyes light up, and she ruffled Ami's hair affectionately—which made the girl wrinkle her nose and bat at her sister's hands ineffectually.
"How do we do this?" asked Midori as Amu and Ami stepped apart; the older girl clutching... whatever it was Ami had given her closely to her chest.
"In principle it's easy," Shirogane replied. "Ami-chan can take us back to the entrance of the labyrinth. Right, Ami-chan?"
The girl nodded rapidly, and Utau felt a swell of pride and happiness from Ami-chan as she stood up tall and proud, grinning widely.
"Yup!" she agreed brightly.
"After which she'll leave, and the rest of us fight our way through the labyrinth. It should be fairly safe if I do most of the fighting, but I have to warn you might see some things you'd rather not. These places are nightmares at the best of times." Shirogane shook her head. "It should take less than an hour."
"And then what?" Midori pressed.
"Then we rescue the girl, and if everything goes well you'll have an extra guest for dinner. If not, we'll have a grave to visit."
Midori's expression didn't change.
"Now is the time to back out," Shirogane continued, her tone switching into something sterner. "I wouldn't offer to help if I didn't think it would work, but there's always risk. This isn't like playing at heroes. Someone could die." She looked at each of them in turn. "If you want to try the safe way, Mrs Hinamori and family, I won't think any less of you for it."
There was a silence after that proclamation; one which stretched on for several seconds; punctuated by Utau's heart pounding in her chest as she wondered whether Midori would fold or not. Would her friend's mom decide that getting all three of them involved was too dangerous?
And then Amu spoke up.
"Um," she said softly. "Can we eat first? I'm really hungry."
Midori blinked. Ami started giggling and Shirogane gave an amused chuckle, breaking the tension almost at once. Amu had gone faintly red.
"We didn't bring any food," Midori informed her daughter dryly. "Actually... what time is it?"
Amu checked her clock, squinting slightly as she did so—it had taken a beating at some point or other, the glass on its face was cracked—and scowled unhappily. "Six thirty?" she said, uncertainly. "It's only been fifteen minutes..? How?"
Shirogane smiled gently at that.
"Time slows down when you're stressed," she explained, pulling out a half-full packet of biscuits and offering them to Amu, which were promptly accepted with a mumbled 'thank you'. "Doubly so in dreamworlds. I think that's an effect of this place, but I've never been sure."
Amu chewed down two biscuits in rapid succession, while Utau tried to catch a thought. Something about the way this place bent around them. Ami-chan... she spent a lot of time playing in dreams, Utau knew that for sure, but she'd never been quite sure if that was real or not.
Well, apparently it was not just real, but also Ami had spent enough time here that she could wrap the place around her. How did that work, precisely? Did she just tell it what to do, or...?
Utau experimentally shoved her current sense of worry at the wall murals, watching them shift and reform as they reacted to her desires. It was a bit like shaping clay, though she'd never actually done anything like that. The stick figures grew agitated, collecting around campfires and... were those buildings? Hard to tell without any perspective to go off of.
Ami giggled slightly as Utau experimented with her powers—she seemed to like watching people messing around.
A slight sensation of hollowness drew her eyes back to Amu, who was staring down at the empty packet in dismay; looking just a little bit less hungry than before. Utau giggled a little herself at the sight, earning an indignant look.
'-Amu,' she said privately after a moment or so. 'Hey Amu?'
'-Yeah?' said Amu-chan, sounding confused at Utau's cheerful mood.
'Why don't you simply make us some food?' she said, pushing an image of Su towards Amu. 'I know you can.'
Amu paused for a second, and then her cheeks flushed as she understood what Utau meant. Ami perked up.
'I didn't think...' she said. 'I mean, it's not like...'
She didn't finish either sentence, which was good because Utau already knew what her friend's reservations were, and how utterly wrong they were.
'-You're already doing it, aren't you?'
'Well, I'm hungry!' Amu replied defensively. A moment later the shadows shifted and changed, and a bowl of ramen—including chopsticks and a lid—appeared in her hands; steaming hot and smelling delicious.
'And I didn't want to eat it here,' Amu complained after a second or so, looking down at her massive meal. 'Because then I won't be hungry for dinner!'
'That's the idea,' Utau replied, snickering a little to herself, before poking Midori in the arm and pointing at her daughter. Midori looked mildly confused at the sudden appearance of a bowl of ramen, and then her confusion melted into bemusement as Amu pulled out four more bowls.
"Food, everyone?" Amu asked brightly, looking a bit embarrassed but determined nonetheless.
"If you're offering." Midori smiled.
Ami grabbed hers with no reservations, and Utau considered her own portion thoughtfully as she reached for it—it was steaming, as though it had just been cooked, but when she took a bite the noodles were perfect; firm but not brittle, just the way she liked it. It might be for the best that Amu didn't do this too often, as otherwise she would definitely get fat. She made appreciative noises as she ate, savouring the taste and the warmth; ignoring the odd looks Midori and Shirogane were giving them both.
Then Midori and Shirogane got their own bowls—Shirogane looking bewildered, but accepting Amu's offer nonetheless—and they settled down for a meal.
It helped.
⁂
"I needed that," Midori admitted afterwards. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Mom," Amu replied. The bowls were stacked beneath the pillar, alongside Ami's sketchbook—which had appeared once she was done eating, and was now gathering dust. Her sketch of the five of them was, however, safely ensconced in Midori's breast pocket.
"Alright," Shirogane announced; shoving her bowl underneath Amu's stack and getting to her feet. "Shall we begin?"
"Mom," said Ami-chan suddenly, holding on to her cardigan. "Mom, I want to stay. Can I?"
Midori was silent for a moment, looking down at her youngest daughter. Her gaze was not angry or annoyed; it was mostly sad.
"I think you should go home with her," Utau said.
"You just want me gone!" Ami snapped back. "That's unfair! You don't want me to help!"
Utau made a face. "Did I say that?" she replied in a calm tone of voice. She leaned over and pinched Ami on the cheek. "You're not a hero, Ami-chan," she informed her. "You're just a kid."
Ami huffed, rubbing at her cheek unhappily. "I'm better than a hero!" she retorted. "I can take care of myself."
"I'm sure you can," Midori replied quietly; crouching down to speak eye to eye with her daughter. "But you shouldn't have to."
"Besides, Utau-neechan-"
"-is going to be fine. I will as well. You don't need to worry about us, Ami-chan," Amu said softly, from Ami's other side, placing a hand on her younger sister's shoulder. "Please trust us. We'll come home safe."
"And if you don't trust them, trust me," Iru added, flitting over from her seat on Utau's shoulder. "I'll take good care of Utau."
Ami frowned unhappily, still glaring up at Midori.
"Also I had an idea," Utau said. "Shirogane-san, can I ask you a question? The problem was we need to either fight our way to Yui's shadow, or break a hole to the centre of the labyrinth—right?"
Shirogane nodded.
"But if we draw it to us, that isn't a problem," Utau said. "Everything here reacts to emotions. Like the painting on the walls... Mrs. Hinamori, did you notice the murals?"
Midori blinked, but then nodded slowly.
"And the other fox thing was drawn to Amu for some reason," Utau continued. "So I have a question. What if we go to the entrance, then lure it towards us? I'll amplify Amu's... signal, I guess? I'm not sure if it'll work. But what if we could bait Yui's shadow and bring it straight to us?"
Shirogane went silent for a moment, thinking.
"That might work," she finally admitted, sounding thoughtful. "Or it might not. I take it you're thinking you can trap it once it's there? I doubt that will work; it never has in the past."
Utau shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. If it runs away then we're no worse off, right?"
Shirogane stared at Utau for a long second or so, and then laughed quietly to herself—a genuine chuckle.
"We'd at least learn something new," she agreed. "Though I have some concerns. I've been observing your power, and it seems to warp the world around you, if in a subtler manner than Ami-chan. In combination with Amu-chan's powers, and the Shadow... no. I have no confidence in keeping Mrs. Hinamori safe." She paused. "Or Ami-chan."
Midori frowned. "But Amu and Utau-chan would be fine, is that what you're saying?"
Shirogane shrugged. "Probably," she admitted. "My concern is for the worst case scenario."
Midori let out a quiet sigh and nodded slowly, closing her eyes for a moment as she thought.
"Mom." Amu spoke up; her voice uncertain. "I think you should take Ami home. I know you're scared. I... I'm scared too, Mom. But I also-" Amu paused; swallowing hard. "I've been to scarier places than this. Utau and me, we both have. If worst comes to worst..."
There was a loud crack, and then a chunk of the solid stone they'd been sitting on broke free, rising up to hover in front of Amu—its edges sharp and pointed.
"If worst comes to worst," Amu repeated, her voice thick with emotion. "I'll still come home. Please be there when I do."
Midori met her daughter's eyes for a few seconds—trying to speak without words. And then she sighed; defeated.
"Promise?" she asked softly.
Amu smiled brightly in reply, and the stone dropped back to the ground at her feet—the sound of it hitting the ground echoing faintly through the chamber. "Promise."
"I love you," Midori replied simply, pulling Amu into a hug. Amu stiffened for a second or so, then hugged her mom back tight—not caring if they were in front of Shirogane or not.
"Love you too."
They separated after a few moments more; Midori blinking rapidly to stop the tears that had formed in her eyes.
"And Ami-chan," Amu said; her younger sister's ears perking up at being addressed. "It's your job to get Mom safely home, okay?"
Ami scowled and folded her arms across her chest; sulking silently—but didn't protest, which meant she agreed, on some level at least.
"Let's go," Shirogane said. "No point in delaying the inevitable." She glanced down at Ami, who was pouting sulkily up at her older sister. "Ami-chan, are you ready?"
"No," Ami admitted after a moment, letting out a quiet sigh and hanging her head. "No. But..." She sniffed once and gave Amu a hug. "You'll be fine," she said. "That's an order, okay?"
Midori chuckled slightly at that. "I'm sure they will," she agreed, giving Ami a reassuring pat on the back. "Okay, Ami-chan."
Ami let out another sigh—then, with a twitch of her nose and a shudder of her body, the shadows grew thicker around them and the wall of the cave buckled—forcing Amu, Utau and Shirogane to back away in surprise.
And then, in less time than it took to blink, it all fell away to reveal the red door—and beyond it, the foggy labyrinth that stretched off into infinity.
Midori stumbled back in shock, catching her balance on a rock. Amu just blinked.
"Neat," she said finally. "I-"
Ami's grin was bright and mischievous. "I thought I'd try to make a path. Um... this is kinda hard, so you guys have to hurry! It won't last very long."
"We'll be quick," promised Shirogane-san. She stepped out past the door and stared at the fog, squinting slightly—her eyes were very blue in this light, though Utau was pretty sure they weren't contacts. Then she pulled a pair of glasses out of her jacket pocket—why would you have glasses in a dream? Was there a story behind that?
Amu followed Shirogane-san out without hesitation. Utau followed, and then paused—looking back at aunt Midori and Ami-chan and the cave. It was more tempting than she wanted to admit—but Utau shook her head and followed the others. She didn't want to do this any more than Ami-chan did, but-
But Amu was brave enough for all of them put together; so Utau would have to do the same. She wasn't going to let her friend do this on her own.
⁂
"You can follow the ribbon back to the entrance," Amu was saying. "It'll lead straight to the stairwell. Then you walk down it, and you'll be in Kana's home. I, um. I broke the lock when we got there, so..."
"I see," Midori replied gently; folding her arms around her daughter one last time, in a tight embrace. "Well, I'll handle that for you. Get moving, Amu-chan." She stepped back and looked her daughter in the eye. "And come home safe, both of you."
"I'll make sure they do," Shirogane added after a moment, staring at the red 'paint' on the floor. "Nikaidou-san's idea is ingenious. It might work."
"Alright," said Midori, after a moment or so—stepping aside and letting go of her daughter. "Don't keep us waiting, girls."
Amu blushed. "I won't, Mom," she promised.
They watched them go.
"They'll be fine," Iru promised Utau as they walked away, Ami skipping lightly along the ribbon. "I know they will."
She poked the chara lightly with a finger; a faint smile on her lips. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Utau replied quietly—though it did help, a little bit at least. "Do you think this will work?"
Iru shrugged. "Dunno," she admitted. "Maybe? Maybe not?"
Utau gave a short fond laugh. "Wish we'd had more time to talk," she said, running a hand through her hair. "Wish I wasn't making this up on the spot, actually. Amu? Do you think it'll work?"
Amu went very quiet at that, and stood still a few seconds before answering.
"I think," she said finally, "we need to try."
Shirogane sighed quietly at that, and bowed her head. "For what it's worth," she said after a moment or two, "I've never seen a shadow do anything like what you described. After this, if you can find the time, I'd like to sit down and interview you about... everything. There are aspects here I don't understand, and if I ever want to bring Nanako-chan back to herself, then I need to know as much about these 'Dream Worlds' as I can."
"Oh," said Amu, going a little red in the cheeks. "Um, sure? But, uh..."
"It's the first time we've been to one," Utau admitted quietly.
"Even so," Shirogane replied firmly. "Afterwards, when we've saved your friend—a favour for a favour?"
Amu nodded silently at that—her emotions twisting slightly—and looked back at the door.
Same crayon-like appearance. Same irregular thuds from the other side, muffled by whatever dream-substance the door was made of. And, now that they were watching it-
A bell sounded in the distance, ringing throughout the labyrinth like a town crier shouting out the hour. The fog churned and twisted, the entire labyrinth shaking slightly as it did so; Utau and Amu reflexively reached out to steady each other. Shirogane frowned.
"This place feels unstable," she said after a moment or so, "Not just dangerous."
The world shuddered again as she spoke, and a sound like ripping fabric echoed through the maze. Shirogane flinched, glancing around rapidly—for threats, or answers, or anything that made sense, but the only thing Utau could feel was Ami's dwindling presence in the distance. A few moments later even that had disappeared, leaving them alone in the labyrinth—the fog swirling around them and the thumps sounding louder and louder.
"Well," Utau said, swallowing uncomfortably. "We'd better try this right away. Amu, take my hand?"
"Okay," Amu replied, looking a little unsure of herself as she took Utau's hand—squeezing it tightly with nervous fingers. "Um." She hesitated for a few seconds, gathering her thoughts. "What do I do?"
"Just-" Utau's voice broke as a sensation like sandpaper rubbed at her eyes—forcing her to blink furiously in an attempt to dislodge whatever was causing it. It felt like the fog had entered her eyes. She shoved back at it. "Follow my lead?"
Utau took a deep breath, and made herself a lighthouse. One hand on the Key in her pocket, the other holding Amu's, she merely sung; feeling the song resonate in her head and throat and fingers and toes and breath and everything all at once—Iru floating around her in an erratic orbit as she opened herself up completely—to everything. Merging with Iru… with the Key, she didn't need it. They were connected, and that was enough to harmonise like this.
In her mind's eye, Utau could feel a golden thread reaching out into the labyrinth—a ribbon of song that wrapped around and through the walls, invisible to all but her; unerringly weaving its way through the fogged-up paths until it reached the darkness at its centre.
The same skill she'd used to drag a stadium of children into depression, now turned towards a rescue operation—did that mean anything? Did it have meaning? Did it make her a good person? Utau wasn't sure—the feelings inside her were indecipherable, but Amu clung on tightly to her hand, imbuing Utau with warmth and courage and determination and the belief that this was not a waste of time, not a futile gesture, not a bad idea.
Amu's mind formed a lens for her light, focusing Utau's song down to a burning light that blazed out into the darkness—tearing through the fog, inescapable and unyielding; burning through it in an instant like a flare fired into the sky. And Utau's song echoed into the fog; reaching further than any human voice ever could—but no matter how far or fast it went she could not see what Amu had described. Couldn't find a child, Shadow or otherwise.
Only the fog remained, as if it had never left
'Come on,' she pleaded mentally. 'Please. Show yourself.'
Reaching out in all directions, but for what? Utau wasn't sure where or how to push; the light simply existed in all directions; a solid pillar of music that drove away the fog and burned at the labyrinth's boundaries. And then Utau felt something give way, a kinetic crunch in her mind—and an impression of absolute joy exploded through her senses.
'-Kana?' Amu wondered. 'Kana! Here! We're here!'
The fog shuddered and vanished, as though sucked into a void. The door collapsed into dust and scattered in the sudden wind, revealing—
Revealing the darkness, and in it a child; a small girl cowering against the wall with her hands clasped over her ears and a shadow hovering over her. And beyond it, a girl Amu's age; a girl that resolved into existence like a pixelated picture, that stared at the shadow with yellow eyes filled with utter terror—and then at Amu with a desperate sort of hope; a girl with brown hair, dressed in a simple school uniform
'Kana,' Utau realised—but her realisation was quickly overwhelmed by Amu's joy at the sight before her.
There was a distinct sense of vertigo as Utau's vision flickered—as her perspective was yanked away from her. One moment she was looking at the scene before her; the next, Shirogane had done something and a pillar of lightning as thick as her waist had enveloped the shadow. Amu's hand had torn free of her own, and she was hugging Kana like she'd never let go again—trembling and crying silently into Kana's shoulder as Kana hugged her back, the girl's glowing eyes seeking out Utau's in bewilderment.
Utau was fairly sure Kana's eyes hadn't been yellow. Or glowing, for that matter.
The pillar of lightning faded away, leaving scorch marks on the ground—but nothing more; no sign of the shadow, or the girl it had been menacing. Utau hadn't been able to see, but she was fairly sure she had faded away along with the shadow. Had it been a girl? She wasn't sure.
"Hey..." Kana said tentatively; the first thing Utau had heard her say since their meeting at Amu's house. Her voice was small and hesitant, wavering like the flame of a candle. "Amu-chan? ...you shouldn't be here. She's going to get mad if you're here!"
Amu didn't reply, but rather simply hugged Kana tighter.
Shirogane coughed.
"This is not how I expected this to go," she said, rather dryly. "The plan worked perfectly. Forgive me for not being happier. I think I know the answer, but... who are you?"
Kana stared at Shirogane for a long second or so, then—quizzically, and a little uncomfortably—glanced at Utau.
"Me?" she asked in a small voice that didn't match Utau's memories from the party in the least
"Who else?" Shirogane asked flatly. "Though I'd also like to know about this person you're saying will be angry."
Kana blinked rapidly, cringing a little at Shirogane's tone of voice.
"I'm... Kana?" she said finally, looking a little lost. "Nanami Kana? I- I can't really explain! I just know! I'm so glad you came!" She paused for a second or so, shifting against Amu's hug—clutching at her friend's arm. Relieved, happy they were here—but scared. Timid, to an almost disturbing degree. "Um..."
Kana frowned slightly, ineffectively trying to pull away from the hug. A furrow grew in her brow, then she lifted her gaze back up to stare at Shirogane and Utau in turn.
"She's right behind me. And if you stay here then Kana will be angry," she continued—her voice sounding a little firmer and more confident, though only by a tiny amount. "Really angry."
= = =
The princess is in another castle, but you don't have much time to prepare for Bowser.
[ ] Leave, taking Kana with you
- Amu's instinct.
- She would successfully take Kana with her.
- There are obvious problems.
[ ] Ask Kana what is going on
- Utau would like to know many things.
- You get one question, two at most.
[ ] Defend Kana
- She obviously needs it.
- If you don't run away then this is Amu's second instinct, but…
[ ] Follow Shirogane's lead
- Into a fight? …fighting who? …her?
- By default neither Amu nor Utau will be very effective.
[ ] Write-in
Utau-
Utau preferred not to think this way, but she'd also been scared. Both for herself, and for Amu… 'and for aunt Midori,' she thought, the endearment slinking into her inner monologue. Utau wasn't sure she'd ever get used to having adults who cared, but for Amu's sake… she'd try and add another to the list.
Ami was still seated on Utau's lap. Amu leaned against the wall a few steps away, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes shut. Though calling it a 'wall' might have been a little inaccurate. It was almost a natural rock formation, despite the brick lines that had been—carved? Was that likely, in a dream?—that had been carved into it.
A faint luminescence had settled into the murals, though the main light source was still the green flame on the central pillar. Utau felt her skin crawl as she watched the stick figures on the murals moving slowly across the wall; her gaze was caught by a two-dimensional firefly crawling across an illustration of a night-time forest.
Her eyes moved back to Amu's mom. That was safer.
Sort of.
By mental contamination standards. Midori's glare could have melted steel.
"Shirogane-san," she growled—the name had somehow turned into a curse—before taking a deep breath. Again. "I am entirely calm," Midori lied once she had gathered herself again. "Calmer than I probably should be." She grimaced slightly. "Even though I want to scream at someone."
Utau tried to not think too hard about how true that statement was. Midori's emotions were becoming increasingly irate with every passing second, and that was putting an extra bit of strain on Utau's attempts to keep a lid on her own. If she didn't, then Amu would feel them. And-
She wasn't sure why that felt so wrong. Just that she didn't want her to notice she was scared.
Maybe she should focus on the conversation.
"Mom-" Amu began.
"I know," Midori cut her off, holding up a hand to forestall Amu's next words. "I know," she repeated. "I'm just- frustrated. That's all." She paused for a moment, thinking. "And I'd feel a lot better if Ami-chan was somewhere safe."
"I think we all would," Shirogane agreed.
Ami-chan looked up from her seat on Utau's lap, opening her mouth to speak and then hesitating—suddenly unsure.
That nearly set Midori off again, but after a moment she sighed and slumped down—only half-faking it. "I'll admit," she said wryly, "this is not how I expected today to go."
Shirogane laughed. "On the other hand, your daughter's family is real. She's spent hours talking you up, Mrs Hinamori," she said gently. "She thinks you're an amazing mother. No matter what else happens, you can take pride in that."
Midori's smile was weak but genuine—even if Utau could still feel her aggravation underneath the warmth.
"You said we have three choices?" she asked after a moment or so.
Shirogane nodded—gently extracting herself from Midori's stare and sitting down on a nearby rock, one of the many that littered the cave. She winced as her bottom touched the cold stone, but didn't otherwise react.
"That's right," she said. "Three choices that make any sort of sense. Explaining the full depth of the situation would take rather longer than I'd like—and besides, I don't understand a lot of this myself. However, there's some elements you must understand. One of them is that there's very little time pressure."
She held up a hand, forestalling Midori's questions.
"That isn't the same as there being no time pressure at all," Shirogane clarified. "Nor that this situation is pleasant, but you need—need—to understand the basics of Shadows. They are—fundamentally, and this is based on encountering half a dozen of them—they represent the parts of yourself that you reject.
"If there's any aspect of yourself that you dislike, and don't ever want others to see, then this place can draw them out. They become a form of mental entity, with distinct desires and a separate body, and those who were trapped here were eventually drawn into..." Shirogane's cheeks turned faintly red. "Debate, let's say, though that might be understating the degree of vitriol. If the 'shadow-castle' your daughter pulled you out of was that of a young girl, then she must have had an astounding number of negative feelings building up inside her."
"Like me," Utau muttered quietly, almost unconsciously—Amu's hand sneaking down to squeeze hers tight. The others didn't seem to hear, but Ami also gave her arm a gentle squeeze—even though she'd been asleep a moment earlier, or at least... 'playing' asleep? Her eyes had been closed, but her mind was buzzing.
"However," Shirogane said. "Those are still feelings and desires you don't wish to show others. If someone else walks in on that, then- I think you can imagine what would happen, if someone else saw everything you dislike about yourself. Every single time it's happened, in my understanding, it causes the person to violently reject those feelings. Which causes the shadow to go berserk, usually attempting to kill everyone there." Shirogane took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. "So it's important that we don't rush ahead, Mrs Hinamori, because it's only once we enter that the clock starts ticking."
She let that sink in for a moment before continuing.
"If we walk away now, the shadow won't chase us," Shirogane said. "Even if there's still danger to... Yui-chan, was it?"
Amu nodded.
"She's eight," Amu said, a little plaintively.
Shirogane winced. "I-"
"At most."
"-That's exactly why we can't rush in," Shirogane said. "I understand your feelings, but…" She sighed, simultaneously looking older and younger than her years. "That just makes it more important that we're careful. It won't act unless we intrude… however, that only applies in the short term. Eventually..." she paused again; marshalling her thoughts. "We were too late, once, and another child was hospitalised. We rescued her, but… badly. I'm still searching for a way to heal her. Other times being late leads to death; I don't know for sure if they were killed by the shadow in question." Shirogane paused. "Sometimes, I wonder."
There was silence after that proclamation, though Ami shifted restlessly on Utau's lap; thinking intensely, her emotions a mess of complicated emotions that Utau couldn't begin to make sense of.
"Thank you for explaining, Shirogane-san," Midori said after a moment or so; bowing politely in Shirogane's direction—clearly rattled, though she was hiding it well. "But I fail to see the options you're offering."
Shirogane smiled weakly. "Two of them are obvious," she said. "Option one: we go home, call in the cavalry. My senpai-" Shirogane blushed a little harder. "Ahem. I know someone who is more experienced than I am in such matters. But it would take a day, which would be a risk to Yui-chan. I can see you're already rejecting it."
Midori nodded grimly. She didn't look happy about it.
"The second option is that we provoke the shadow. Every time a scenario like this has had a happy ending, it came from the person in question accepting their dark side, but that acceptance only comes after a fight. In some form, at least," Shirogane added quietly, looking directly at Ami. Ami paid careful attention to her words. "A fight of words, at the least. More likely a fight of blades. Most often both."
Shirogane tilted her head at Midori and Amu, and then at Utau.
"It would be up to us to keep it from killing the girl until she can accept it," she explained. "Which is..."
"Something of a leap," Midori admitted, with a frown. "How sure are you that this will work?"
"Sure enough to be risking my life," Shirogane replied after a moment or so. "It's never failed us in the past. Except once, and that boy was-" She grimaced. "I doubt we'll see a repeat. However, we'd need to first make our way through the castle. It's a labyrinth, and as you've seen, not the type you can map."
"And you don't know what to expect inside," Utau interjected. "You've fought these things before, but you don't know if we can handle it. And you can't do it on your own."
"Naturally," said Shirogane, nodding sharply. "I don't know the girl at all. The only ones here who can bring her to her senses are the three of you."
Which meant Amu-chan, Utau mentally amended. The only one of them who'd met her. And she couldn't tell what Shirogane-san was feeling at all, Utau noted. At first she'd thought she was just that emotionally bland, but even now… nothing. She could barely feel she was there.
"And the third option?" Midori pressed.
Shirogane hesitated, tugging the brim of her cap straight.
"The third option is that we break a path directly to its core," she explained. "It would be safer for us, though perhaps not to Yui-chan. And we would need Ami-chan to do it. I can help point her at the core, but-" She took a deep breath. "It's a shot in the dark. It would most likely tire her out, so she couldn't help us escape, and she'd be trapped with the rest of us deep within the castle." Shirogane sighed. "Honestly, ma'am, if we do that there's every chance that we'll be worse off than otherwise. The only option I can recommend is the first."
She scowled.
"Not that I believe you're going to listen to me," Shirogane added grumpily. "The fire in your eyes is quite familiar."
Midori raised an eyebrow.
"I can't ask you to jump into danger with me," she told Shirogane. "But-"
"I'm in," Amu said without hesitation. Ami's grip on Utau's arm tightened once again.
"If you're going then I am too," Utau added quickly, nodding her head firmly in agreement—then poking Ami's head with her free hand. Just touching her, to show she was there. "Option two, right? We can't take Ami-chan into the castle."
Ami stuck out her tongue and peeled open an eye.
"You can't keep me out if I don't want to be kept out," she told Utau. "I'm not little anymore! Besides, I can take you there safe and sound. Is that okay Mom?"
Midori looked and felt like she'd just swallowed something sharp—a lump in her throat, an awful truth—but shook her head anyway. "Only if you want to be grounded," she informed Ami firmly. "You're going home, young lady."
Ami made a face, but didn't complain any further—she got up off Utau's lap and thought a little; and then after a moment of staring at her hands, her eyes lit up.
"Sure, Mom," she said. "Can you give me money for the bus?"
Midori sighed and patted down her pockets, digging out some spare change to hand to her daughter. Ami accepted it gratefully, giving her mom a big hug that put a brief smile on Midori's face—and then dashed over to Amu. The next few moments featured a brief, quiet conversation and an exchange of... items?
Utau wasn't sure what they were, but whatever it was made Amu's eyes light up, and she ruffled Ami's hair affectionately—which made the girl wrinkle her nose and bat at her sister's hands ineffectually.
"How do we do this?" asked Midori as Amu and Ami stepped apart; the older girl clutching... whatever it was Ami had given her closely to her chest.
"In principle it's easy," Shirogane replied. "Ami-chan can take us back to the entrance of the labyrinth. Right, Ami-chan?"
The girl nodded rapidly, and Utau felt a swell of pride and happiness from Ami-chan as she stood up tall and proud, grinning widely.
"Yup!" she agreed brightly.
"After which she'll leave, and the rest of us fight our way through the labyrinth. It should be fairly safe if I do most of the fighting, but I have to warn you might see some things you'd rather not. These places are nightmares at the best of times." Shirogane shook her head. "It should take less than an hour."
"And then what?" Midori pressed.
"Then we rescue the girl, and if everything goes well you'll have an extra guest for dinner. If not, we'll have a grave to visit."
Midori's expression didn't change.
"Now is the time to back out," Shirogane continued, her tone switching into something sterner. "I wouldn't offer to help if I didn't think it would work, but there's always risk. This isn't like playing at heroes. Someone could die." She looked at each of them in turn. "If you want to try the safe way, Mrs Hinamori and family, I won't think any less of you for it."
There was a silence after that proclamation; one which stretched on for several seconds; punctuated by Utau's heart pounding in her chest as she wondered whether Midori would fold or not. Would her friend's mom decide that getting all three of them involved was too dangerous?
And then Amu spoke up.
"Um," she said softly. "Can we eat first? I'm really hungry."
Midori blinked. Ami started giggling and Shirogane gave an amused chuckle, breaking the tension almost at once. Amu had gone faintly red.
"We didn't bring any food," Midori informed her daughter dryly. "Actually... what time is it?"
Amu checked her clock, squinting slightly as she did so—it had taken a beating at some point or other, the glass on its face was cracked—and scowled unhappily. "Six thirty?" she said, uncertainly. "It's only been fifteen minutes..? How?"
Shirogane smiled gently at that.
"Time slows down when you're stressed," she explained, pulling out a half-full packet of biscuits and offering them to Amu, which were promptly accepted with a mumbled 'thank you'. "Doubly so in dreamworlds. I think that's an effect of this place, but I've never been sure."
Amu chewed down two biscuits in rapid succession, while Utau tried to catch a thought. Something about the way this place bent around them. Ami-chan... she spent a lot of time playing in dreams, Utau knew that for sure, but she'd never been quite sure if that was real or not.
Well, apparently it was not just real, but also Ami had spent enough time here that she could wrap the place around her. How did that work, precisely? Did she just tell it what to do, or...?
Utau experimentally shoved her current sense of worry at the wall murals, watching them shift and reform as they reacted to her desires. It was a bit like shaping clay, though she'd never actually done anything like that. The stick figures grew agitated, collecting around campfires and... were those buildings? Hard to tell without any perspective to go off of.
Ami giggled slightly as Utau experimented with her powers—she seemed to like watching people messing around.
A slight sensation of hollowness drew her eyes back to Amu, who was staring down at the empty packet in dismay; looking just a little bit less hungry than before. Utau giggled a little herself at the sight, earning an indignant look.
'-Amu,' she said privately after a moment or so. 'Hey Amu?'
'-Yeah?' said Amu-chan, sounding confused at Utau's cheerful mood.
'Why don't you simply make us some food?' she said, pushing an image of Su towards Amu. 'I know you can.'
Amu paused for a second, and then her cheeks flushed as she understood what Utau meant. Ami perked up.
'I didn't think...' she said. 'I mean, it's not like...'
She didn't finish either sentence, which was good because Utau already knew what her friend's reservations were, and how utterly wrong they were.
'-You're already doing it, aren't you?'
'Well, I'm hungry!' Amu replied defensively. A moment later the shadows shifted and changed, and a bowl of ramen—including chopsticks and a lid—appeared in her hands; steaming hot and smelling delicious.
'And I didn't want to eat it here,' Amu complained after a second or so, looking down at her massive meal. 'Because then I won't be hungry for dinner!'
'That's the idea,' Utau replied, snickering a little to herself, before poking Midori in the arm and pointing at her daughter. Midori looked mildly confused at the sudden appearance of a bowl of ramen, and then her confusion melted into bemusement as Amu pulled out four more bowls.
"Food, everyone?" Amu asked brightly, looking a bit embarrassed but determined nonetheless.
"If you're offering." Midori smiled.
Ami grabbed hers with no reservations, and Utau considered her own portion thoughtfully as she reached for it—it was steaming, as though it had just been cooked, but when she took a bite the noodles were perfect; firm but not brittle, just the way she liked it. It might be for the best that Amu didn't do this too often, as otherwise she would definitely get fat. She made appreciative noises as she ate, savouring the taste and the warmth; ignoring the odd looks Midori and Shirogane were giving them both.
Then Midori and Shirogane got their own bowls—Shirogane looking bewildered, but accepting Amu's offer nonetheless—and they settled down for a meal.
It helped.
⁂
"I needed that," Midori admitted afterwards. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Mom," Amu replied. The bowls were stacked beneath the pillar, alongside Ami's sketchbook—which had appeared once she was done eating, and was now gathering dust. Her sketch of the five of them was, however, safely ensconced in Midori's breast pocket.
"Alright," Shirogane announced; shoving her bowl underneath Amu's stack and getting to her feet. "Shall we begin?"
"Mom," said Ami-chan suddenly, holding on to her cardigan. "Mom, I want to stay. Can I?"
Midori was silent for a moment, looking down at her youngest daughter. Her gaze was not angry or annoyed; it was mostly sad.
"I think you should go home with her," Utau said.
"You just want me gone!" Ami snapped back. "That's unfair! You don't want me to help!"
Utau made a face. "Did I say that?" she replied in a calm tone of voice. She leaned over and pinched Ami on the cheek. "You're not a hero, Ami-chan," she informed her. "You're just a kid."
Ami huffed, rubbing at her cheek unhappily. "I'm better than a hero!" she retorted. "I can take care of myself."
"I'm sure you can," Midori replied quietly; crouching down to speak eye to eye with her daughter. "But you shouldn't have to."
"Besides, Utau-neechan-"
"-is going to be fine. I will as well. You don't need to worry about us, Ami-chan," Amu said softly, from Ami's other side, placing a hand on her younger sister's shoulder. "Please trust us. We'll come home safe."
"And if you don't trust them, trust me," Iru added, flitting over from her seat on Utau's shoulder. "I'll take good care of Utau."
Ami frowned unhappily, still glaring up at Midori.
"Also I had an idea," Utau said. "Shirogane-san, can I ask you a question? The problem was we need to either fight our way to Yui's shadow, or break a hole to the centre of the labyrinth—right?"
Shirogane nodded.
"But if we draw it to us, that isn't a problem," Utau said. "Everything here reacts to emotions. Like the painting on the walls... Mrs. Hinamori, did you notice the murals?"
Midori blinked, but then nodded slowly.
"And the other fox thing was drawn to Amu for some reason," Utau continued. "So I have a question. What if we go to the entrance, then lure it towards us? I'll amplify Amu's... signal, I guess? I'm not sure if it'll work. But what if we could bait Yui's shadow and bring it straight to us?"
Shirogane went silent for a moment, thinking.
"That might work," she finally admitted, sounding thoughtful. "Or it might not. I take it you're thinking you can trap it once it's there? I doubt that will work; it never has in the past."
Utau shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. If it runs away then we're no worse off, right?"
Shirogane stared at Utau for a long second or so, and then laughed quietly to herself—a genuine chuckle.
"We'd at least learn something new," she agreed. "Though I have some concerns. I've been observing your power, and it seems to warp the world around you, if in a subtler manner than Ami-chan. In combination with Amu-chan's powers, and the Shadow... no. I have no confidence in keeping Mrs. Hinamori safe." She paused. "Or Ami-chan."
Midori frowned. "But Amu and Utau-chan would be fine, is that what you're saying?"
Shirogane shrugged. "Probably," she admitted. "My concern is for the worst case scenario."
Midori let out a quiet sigh and nodded slowly, closing her eyes for a moment as she thought.
"Mom." Amu spoke up; her voice uncertain. "I think you should take Ami home. I know you're scared. I... I'm scared too, Mom. But I also-" Amu paused; swallowing hard. "I've been to scarier places than this. Utau and me, we both have. If worst comes to worst..."
There was a loud crack, and then a chunk of the solid stone they'd been sitting on broke free, rising up to hover in front of Amu—its edges sharp and pointed.
"If worst comes to worst," Amu repeated, her voice thick with emotion. "I'll still come home. Please be there when I do."
Midori met her daughter's eyes for a few seconds—trying to speak without words. And then she sighed; defeated.
"Promise?" she asked softly.
Amu smiled brightly in reply, and the stone dropped back to the ground at her feet—the sound of it hitting the ground echoing faintly through the chamber. "Promise."
"I love you," Midori replied simply, pulling Amu into a hug. Amu stiffened for a second or so, then hugged her mom back tight—not caring if they were in front of Shirogane or not.
"Love you too."
They separated after a few moments more; Midori blinking rapidly to stop the tears that had formed in her eyes.
"And Ami-chan," Amu said; her younger sister's ears perking up at being addressed. "It's your job to get Mom safely home, okay?"
Ami scowled and folded her arms across her chest; sulking silently—but didn't protest, which meant she agreed, on some level at least.
"Let's go," Shirogane said. "No point in delaying the inevitable." She glanced down at Ami, who was pouting sulkily up at her older sister. "Ami-chan, are you ready?"
"No," Ami admitted after a moment, letting out a quiet sigh and hanging her head. "No. But..." She sniffed once and gave Amu a hug. "You'll be fine," she said. "That's an order, okay?"
Midori chuckled slightly at that. "I'm sure they will," she agreed, giving Ami a reassuring pat on the back. "Okay, Ami-chan."
Ami let out another sigh—then, with a twitch of her nose and a shudder of her body, the shadows grew thicker around them and the wall of the cave buckled—forcing Amu, Utau and Shirogane to back away in surprise.
And then, in less time than it took to blink, it all fell away to reveal the red door—and beyond it, the foggy labyrinth that stretched off into infinity.
Midori stumbled back in shock, catching her balance on a rock. Amu just blinked.
"Neat," she said finally. "I-"
Ami's grin was bright and mischievous. "I thought I'd try to make a path. Um... this is kinda hard, so you guys have to hurry! It won't last very long."
"We'll be quick," promised Shirogane-san. She stepped out past the door and stared at the fog, squinting slightly—her eyes were very blue in this light, though Utau was pretty sure they weren't contacts. Then she pulled a pair of glasses out of her jacket pocket—why would you have glasses in a dream? Was there a story behind that?
Amu followed Shirogane-san out without hesitation. Utau followed, and then paused—looking back at aunt Midori and Ami-chan and the cave. It was more tempting than she wanted to admit—but Utau shook her head and followed the others. She didn't want to do this any more than Ami-chan did, but-
But Amu was brave enough for all of them put together; so Utau would have to do the same. She wasn't going to let her friend do this on her own.
⁂
"You can follow the ribbon back to the entrance," Amu was saying. "It'll lead straight to the stairwell. Then you walk down it, and you'll be in Kana's home. I, um. I broke the lock when we got there, so..."
"I see," Midori replied gently; folding her arms around her daughter one last time, in a tight embrace. "Well, I'll handle that for you. Get moving, Amu-chan." She stepped back and looked her daughter in the eye. "And come home safe, both of you."
"I'll make sure they do," Shirogane added after a moment, staring at the red 'paint' on the floor. "Nikaidou-san's idea is ingenious. It might work."
"Alright," said Midori, after a moment or so—stepping aside and letting go of her daughter. "Don't keep us waiting, girls."
Amu blushed. "I won't, Mom," she promised.
They watched them go.
"They'll be fine," Iru promised Utau as they walked away, Ami skipping lightly along the ribbon. "I know they will."
She poked the chara lightly with a finger; a faint smile on her lips. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Utau replied quietly—though it did help, a little bit at least. "Do you think this will work?"
Iru shrugged. "Dunno," she admitted. "Maybe? Maybe not?"
Utau gave a short fond laugh. "Wish we'd had more time to talk," she said, running a hand through her hair. "Wish I wasn't making this up on the spot, actually. Amu? Do you think it'll work?"
Amu went very quiet at that, and stood still a few seconds before answering.
"I think," she said finally, "we need to try."
Shirogane sighed quietly at that, and bowed her head. "For what it's worth," she said after a moment or two, "I've never seen a shadow do anything like what you described. After this, if you can find the time, I'd like to sit down and interview you about... everything. There are aspects here I don't understand, and if I ever want to bring Nanako-chan back to herself, then I need to know as much about these 'Dream Worlds' as I can."
"Oh," said Amu, going a little red in the cheeks. "Um, sure? But, uh..."
"It's the first time we've been to one," Utau admitted quietly.
"Even so," Shirogane replied firmly. "Afterwards, when we've saved your friend—a favour for a favour?"
Amu nodded silently at that—her emotions twisting slightly—and looked back at the door.
Same crayon-like appearance. Same irregular thuds from the other side, muffled by whatever dream-substance the door was made of. And, now that they were watching it-
A bell sounded in the distance, ringing throughout the labyrinth like a town crier shouting out the hour. The fog churned and twisted, the entire labyrinth shaking slightly as it did so; Utau and Amu reflexively reached out to steady each other. Shirogane frowned.
"This place feels unstable," she said after a moment or so, "Not just dangerous."
The world shuddered again as she spoke, and a sound like ripping fabric echoed through the maze. Shirogane flinched, glancing around rapidly—for threats, or answers, or anything that made sense, but the only thing Utau could feel was Ami's dwindling presence in the distance. A few moments later even that had disappeared, leaving them alone in the labyrinth—the fog swirling around them and the thumps sounding louder and louder.
"Well," Utau said, swallowing uncomfortably. "We'd better try this right away. Amu, take my hand?"
"Okay," Amu replied, looking a little unsure of herself as she took Utau's hand—squeezing it tightly with nervous fingers. "Um." She hesitated for a few seconds, gathering her thoughts. "What do I do?"
"Just-" Utau's voice broke as a sensation like sandpaper rubbed at her eyes—forcing her to blink furiously in an attempt to dislodge whatever was causing it. It felt like the fog had entered her eyes. She shoved back at it. "Follow my lead?"
Utau took a deep breath, and made herself a lighthouse. One hand on the Key in her pocket, the other holding Amu's, she merely sung; feeling the song resonate in her head and throat and fingers and toes and breath and everything all at once—Iru floating around her in an erratic orbit as she opened herself up completely—to everything. Merging with Iru… with the Key, she didn't need it. They were connected, and that was enough to harmonise like this.
In her mind's eye, Utau could feel a golden thread reaching out into the labyrinth—a ribbon of song that wrapped around and through the walls, invisible to all but her; unerringly weaving its way through the fogged-up paths until it reached the darkness at its centre.
The same skill she'd used to drag a stadium of children into depression, now turned towards a rescue operation—did that mean anything? Did it have meaning? Did it make her a good person? Utau wasn't sure—the feelings inside her were indecipherable, but Amu clung on tightly to her hand, imbuing Utau with warmth and courage and determination and the belief that this was not a waste of time, not a futile gesture, not a bad idea.
Amu's mind formed a lens for her light, focusing Utau's song down to a burning light that blazed out into the darkness—tearing through the fog, inescapable and unyielding; burning through it in an instant like a flare fired into the sky. And Utau's song echoed into the fog; reaching further than any human voice ever could—but no matter how far or fast it went she could not see what Amu had described. Couldn't find a child, Shadow or otherwise.
Only the fog remained, as if it had never left
'Come on,' she pleaded mentally. 'Please. Show yourself.'
Reaching out in all directions, but for what? Utau wasn't sure where or how to push; the light simply existed in all directions; a solid pillar of music that drove away the fog and burned at the labyrinth's boundaries. And then Utau felt something give way, a kinetic crunch in her mind—and an impression of absolute joy exploded through her senses.
'-Kana?' Amu wondered. 'Kana! Here! We're here!'
The fog shuddered and vanished, as though sucked into a void. The door collapsed into dust and scattered in the sudden wind, revealing—
Revealing the darkness, and in it a child; a small girl cowering against the wall with her hands clasped over her ears and a shadow hovering over her. And beyond it, a girl Amu's age; a girl that resolved into existence like a pixelated picture, that stared at the shadow with yellow eyes filled with utter terror—and then at Amu with a desperate sort of hope; a girl with brown hair, dressed in a simple school uniform
'Kana,' Utau realised—but her realisation was quickly overwhelmed by Amu's joy at the sight before her.
There was a distinct sense of vertigo as Utau's vision flickered—as her perspective was yanked away from her. One moment she was looking at the scene before her; the next, Shirogane had done something and a pillar of lightning as thick as her waist had enveloped the shadow. Amu's hand had torn free of her own, and she was hugging Kana like she'd never let go again—trembling and crying silently into Kana's shoulder as Kana hugged her back, the girl's glowing eyes seeking out Utau's in bewilderment.
Utau was fairly sure Kana's eyes hadn't been yellow. Or glowing, for that matter.
The pillar of lightning faded away, leaving scorch marks on the ground—but nothing more; no sign of the shadow, or the girl it had been menacing. Utau hadn't been able to see, but she was fairly sure she had faded away along with the shadow. Had it been a girl? She wasn't sure.
"Hey..." Kana said tentatively; the first thing Utau had heard her say since their meeting at Amu's house. Her voice was small and hesitant, wavering like the flame of a candle. "Amu-chan? ...you shouldn't be here. She's going to get mad if you're here!"
Amu didn't reply, but rather simply hugged Kana tighter.
Shirogane coughed.
"This is not how I expected this to go," she said, rather dryly. "The plan worked perfectly. Forgive me for not being happier. I think I know the answer, but... who are you?"
Kana stared at Shirogane for a long second or so, then—quizzically, and a little uncomfortably—glanced at Utau.
"Me?" she asked in a small voice that didn't match Utau's memories from the party in the least
"Who else?" Shirogane asked flatly. "Though I'd also like to know about this person you're saying will be angry."
Kana blinked rapidly, cringing a little at Shirogane's tone of voice.
"I'm... Kana?" she said finally, looking a little lost. "Nanami Kana? I- I can't really explain! I just know! I'm so glad you came!" She paused for a second or so, shifting against Amu's hug—clutching at her friend's arm. Relieved, happy they were here—but scared. Timid, to an almost disturbing degree. "Um..."
Kana frowned slightly, ineffectively trying to pull away from the hug. A furrow grew in her brow, then she lifted her gaze back up to stare at Shirogane and Utau in turn.
"She's right behind me. And if you stay here then Kana will be angry," she continued—her voice sounding a little firmer and more confident, though only by a tiny amount. "Really angry."
= = =
The princess is in another castle, but you don't have much time to prepare for Bowser.
[ ] Leave, taking Kana with you
- Amu's instinct.
- She would successfully take Kana with her.
- There are obvious problems.
[ ] Ask Kana what is going on
- Utau would like to know many things.
- You get one question, two at most.
[ ] Defend Kana
- She obviously needs it.
- If you don't run away then this is Amu's second instinct, but…
[ ] Follow Shirogane's lead
- Into a fight? …fighting who? …her?
- By default neither Amu nor Utau will be very effective.
[ ] Write-in
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Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Thanks for a quick beta turnaround, despite the existence of gigantic insects attempting to eat our factories, go to @Quickshot0, @Nero200 and @ShadowAngelBeta.
I hope Ami doesn't get the wrong idea from this. She's probably not dumb enough to go home and try to have a knife fight with herself, at least.
We should take a look at Nanako some time.
A family name. Not one that's been mentioned before. Didn't find any relevant hits on the SMT or Shugo Chara wikis. And she's calling herself "Kana" instead of "Akane".
The name could be important. Maybe the shadow remembers things the conscious mind doesn't. Or maybe her full name just never happened to come up before.
Weird thing to say.
I kind of wonder if Kana had to turn her powers on herself to become the kind of person that could escape from Manticore.
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It would seem then that the best way to deal with this is to get to know, and bring more friendly Persona users on Amu Adventure Time, if that sort of spells are so common?
Looks like something that might be very relevant to the upcoming talk/fight huh.
First thing I can think of is Stealth to let them handle it themselves, but we don't have appropriate skills for that.
?????????
It's come up before actually, just that Kana and Amu never bothered with that afterwards?
[] Make some distance so Kana (main body) doesn't notice us around, and leave behind a camera or form of remote surveillance using Key-boosted Illusion so we can drop back in if something goes very wrong?
Problem: Mental Range of Kana is unknown?
Can we leave a handwritten note to Kana saying we came to fetch you, and then decided to get out of dodge to leave your secrets your own?
She's giving her full name. She's never done that before. She's also introducing herself to Naoto, a person she's never met before. When she first introduced herself to Amu, she called herself "Akane".
This would be a prime time to say "Akane" instead of "Kana", but she doesn't. That might suggest some things about how this side of Kana thinks of herself. It might also be a sign that "Nanami Kana" is her actual full name.
We don't have enough data to be confident of anything, though.
I think a question to be had is, is a fight even necessary? Can this still be talked out? Or are things going to spiral wildly out of control now.
For instance one can wonder if this is a hidden part of Akane, and the other part that might get angry might be some of the more outwards facing of her. Or maybe not... it is hard to say in the end with out more information. But certainly there is some potential for different kinds of outcomes here.
For instance one can wonder if this is a hidden part of Akane, and the other part that might get angry might be some of the more outwards facing of her. Or maybe not... it is hard to say in the end with out more information. But certainly there is some potential for different kinds of outcomes here.
So this is... the part of Kana that is a scared child, beaten down by her experiences, rather than the hardened killer she presents herself as?
I would take it to mean that going by "Kana" instead of "Akame" isn't part of her internal conflict, so her Shadow goes by the same name.
The thing that surprises me is that Kana's Shadow is independently active inside Yui's dream labrinth. And we've also seen what appears to be Yui's Shadow, but not the girl herself. I'm not sure what to make of that.
Can we ask Amu to mediate between these two parts of her friend, rather than just letting them fight? That seems like it would be for the best.
@Baughn
1) Can Amu make a means of remote communication that survives the Fog between Shirogane and us with her current Key-boosted Illusion?
2) Is Shirogane noticeable/particularly vulnerable to Mind Control? And what Persona Spells does she have access to?
[] Plan: Bowser, your Mario is in another Castle
-[] Shirogane: Leave with Shadow-Kana for her safety and for ours (you have 5 minutes to get as much information as you can, be quick), and then come back to join us in the Yui Shadow fight
-[] Utau & Amu: Stall & Redirect - use Charisma + Presence to overwhelm Kana (real)'s concerns about Kana (Shadow) by pointing towards the Yui Shadow dungeon we discovered, and then attempt to lore-dump Shadow issues and talk through what we know of Kana via previous investigation
Normally this would be a Manipulation + Socialise approach, thoughts, and help with wording? Idea is to buy us more time with a distraction, and to make the talking part easier later on by using Mind Control if necessary, and perhaps the fighting by tiring Kana out?
(The worst case fail state of this plan is likely that Kana beelines to Shadow!Kana, but in that case presumably Shirogane has gotten a few more questions off in the meantime before it degenerates into a fight?)
1) Can Amu make a means of remote communication that survives the Fog between Shirogane and us with her current Key-boosted Illusion?
2) Is Shirogane noticeable/particularly vulnerable to Mind Control? And what Persona Spells does she have access to?
[] Plan: Bowser, your Mario is in another Castle
-[] Shirogane: Leave with Shadow-Kana for her safety and for ours (you have 5 minutes to get as much information as you can, be quick), and then come back to join us in the Yui Shadow fight
-[] Utau & Amu: Stall & Redirect - use Charisma + Presence to overwhelm Kana (real)'s concerns about Kana (Shadow) by pointing towards the Yui Shadow dungeon we discovered, and then attempt to lore-dump Shadow issues and talk through what we know of Kana via previous investigation
Normally this would be a Manipulation + Socialise approach, thoughts, and help with wording? Idea is to buy us more time with a distraction, and to make the talking part easier later on by using Mind Control if necessary, and perhaps the fighting by tiring Kana out?
(The worst case fail state of this plan is likely that Kana beelines to Shadow!Kana, but in that case presumably Shirogane has gotten a few more questions off in the meantime before it degenerates into a fight?)
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It seems like a fight should be avoidable, if we play things right. We might need a lucky guess or two to hit the right path through the situation, though.
If it does come to a fight, I wonder who we'd end up fighting. It sounds like we might have to protect the shadow from the rest of Kana, instead of the other way around. If so... Kana might be swinging a real knife. I think our defenses hold up a lot better against cognitive bullshit than against an actual knife. I hope we don't have to patch up stab wounds after this.
Am I just suggesting Jungian psychotherapy here? Does the Collective Unconscious know how it works? Can we call on the spirit of Carl Jung to help us??
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
I'm not sure what you're asking. You're in the same room, and there's no fog anymore.
Utau can barely tell she's even there, so probably not.
(UMI is, in general, Dark typed. Occasionally Light.)
=
I'm not giving you her full spell list. However, it includes at a minimum: Mind Charge, Bufudyne, Ziodyne, Tetraja and Myriad Arrows. She's also entirely immune to Dark/Light. I saw no reason to edit her stat sheet, beyond some slight extrapolations from what happened at the end, in Inaba.
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In the scenario that we send Shirogane away with Shadow!Kana to delay the conflict and buy more time to talk Kana around to the idea/prepare her for it, can we maintain Comms with Shirogane to know when to come back essentially.
Good, then this plan won't automatically fall over from Kana detecting another mind in the vicinity?
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
I can't answer that; you'll need to try it.
If Mind Control is part of Dark or Light and she's completely immune to Dark/Light... Then you'd need some kind of workaround, no? And considering Utau lost sight of Ami after awhile, how would one maintain long range links in this place via psychic powers anyway?
-[] Shirogane: Leave in a random direction and bring Shadow!Kana with you. Meet back in the Abandoned Labatory in 5 minutes, and try to get as much information as you can in the meantime (don't tell us unless its really needed).
-[] Utau & Amu: Go forwards to meet Real!Kana, and attempt to redirect her towards fighting Yui's Shadow in the Abandoned Labatory through overwhelming concern. Talk about what you discovered about Kana earlier through Ragged Crossroads, and try to ease her in with the idea of accepting her Shadow while talking.
[] Plan: Timeout Corner
-[] Just wait, and do nothing in the meantime.
-[] Amu: "Kana, I brought in an expert, mind listening to her? Also, killing your Shadow is bad, there are fragments of your mind stuck in there" When this inevitably fails, hold Real!Kana and Shadow!Kana far apart from each other using Telekinesis as interdiction.
-[] Utau: Try and Empathise with both parties, using your own experiences in the past and now as a reference point to aid in mediation.
-[] Shirogane: Cast Tetraja on Shadow!Kana or Real!Kana as needed so this fight doesn't end instantly through Mind Crush.
Problem with Timeout Corner is that I have no idea how to avoid accusations of favouritism, or how to deal with Kana presumably wanting to destroy any evidence of her former weakness and that sort of thing?
Being able to say that Amu's base self is a Shadow (and so not all Shadows are bad) IC would be very helpful, but is that actually IC knowledge given Shirogane's presence?
Also, does the Abandoned Labaratory even still exist anymore?
Edit: Answer is yes but also no, so can't use that to stall sadly
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Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
It does, though Naoto smacked the shadow that was there with a bolt of lightning and it sort of evaporated, as did the little girl. Analysis pending; Rise isn't here.
That was anticlimatic, considering the amount of digital ink spilled on that subject
What does Naoto think of Telekinesis-assisted motion (indirectly if the Dark/Light immunity is a problem), to simply move faster than Kana to the center of the Labyrinth (and Tetraja to make sure Shadow!Kana doesn't get Mind Crush'd if we fail)?
[X] Defend Kana
-[X] From... herself? From both herselves?
-[X] Amu: Whatever this place has done to her, this is still your friend. And with all the time you've spend tangled up in her thoughts, you may be the worlds greatest expert on Nanami Kana. Try to help her come to terms with herself, preferably without a fight. If that fails, at least try to keep them from killing each other.
-[X] From... herself? From both herselves?
-[X] Amu: Whatever this place has done to her, this is still your friend. And with all the time you've spend tangled up in her thoughts, you may be the worlds greatest expert on Nanami Kana. Try to help her come to terms with herself, preferably without a fight. If that fails, at least try to keep them from killing each other.