◎ Bout 2: The age question [action/voice]

[thunderfists]

[action]

[Akihiko's been adjusting well enough to Luceti following the crash back to reality that Luceti was a different world that was not the TV world he was supposed to have appeared in. He's back to a "civilized" level of hygiene and no longer running around in survival pants and a cape -- no, now he's back to sweatpants and T-shirts for his jogs and training. He can be found jogging on the village roads and into the forest, which he's now fairly familiar with after spending so much time out there.

Later in the day, after he's finished with his training for the day, he opens up his journal. Ever since that "experiment," he's been wondering something. But before he asks, he should probably introduce himself...]

[voice]

Hey. I'm Akihiko Sanada. I arrived here in the recent ... cycle. I guess that's what you call it. I've heard that I might have met some people here before, so I thought I'd warn you that I don't remember ever being in Luceti.

Anyway, I've got a question. How do you decide when to celebrate or acknowledge your birthdays here? There can be a lot of different kinds of calendars, even in the same world, so... I'm curious how other people handle it.

Also, if anyone knows how I can get my hands on a speed bag, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

Comments

[emp3thy]

[That and Akihiko really has no room to make fun of him here.]

Yeah.

[thunderfists]

[Akihiko? Make fun of people?]

Well, if that's the case, the color would have worked just fine.

[emp3thy]

...I guess so.

[......] I'll go and get it for you.

[almost as an afterthought] You can come in.

[thunderfists]

[Reluctant agreement is still agreement.]

Okay. Lead on, Leader.

[There might be the slightest bit of wryness in his voice as he stretches.]

[emp3thy]

[That gets a sideways glance... but then a small smile. It's been a long time since anyone called him that.

He heads into the house, heading back into the laundry room through the kitchen. Akihiko can take a seat at the table or be distracted by Koromaru sleeping off to the side.]

[thunderfists]

[Akihiko walks over to the far side where Koromaru is sleeping, giving the dog a pat on the head when he's closer. He finds himself glancing over at the door, remembering what he had seen in there.]

Now that I've seen more of this place, it makes the TV you have seem even rarer than before.

[emp3thy]

It was a... gift, I guess. [Of dubious origin.] I've been here a while so I've collected things.

[But that's right. The TV... And, if Akihiko had noticed it before...

...Well, let's just ask.] Mitsuru-senpai said you two were investigating the TV world before she came here.

[thunderfists]

She told you about that, huh? [He sighs inwardly. He had been so focused and ready for that mission, and to find out that it was postponed because of all of this was ... disappointing to say the least.] She called me back from overseas so we could look into it.

[emp3thy]

[He nods.]

I knew about the TV world from speaking with Souji-kun and his friends. But they've never mentioned meeting you.

[thunderfists]

Souji...? [He frowns at the name, taking a moment to place it.] Souji Seta? Can't say I met him before arriving here.

[emp3thy]

[He nods.]

He's a Persona-user from Inaba.

[thunderfists]

Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I was barely in Inaba for a full day before I met up with Mitsuru and Aigis. Then we entered the TV. [...] Only to end up here.

[emp3thy]

Aigis was with you?

[This he hadn't heard before. For a moment he's torn; he wants to ask more about how she's doing, but it would distract from the current story. Finally, he decides to come back to that later.] Why were you all meeting in Inaba, anyway?

[thunderfists]

A mission. Pretty important, since Mitsuru decided to call me in from overseas. There was a hijacking incident over in Kagoshima. [He wasn't carrying his cellphone, since it seemed unnecessary now that it didn't get any reception, but he had looked back on Mitsuru's message just a few days ago.] The hijacking attempt was a diversion, though; they were actually after the cargo.

Kirijo Group cargo.

[emp3thy]

So related to Persona research. [that's easy enough to figure out...] But who would want to steal cargo like that?

[It wasn't as if Personas and Shadows were widely known about... at least, that was what he'd believed.]

[thunderfists]

No clue. The hijackers were no help when they were interrogated.

[...But since Minato mentioned 'related'...] Whoever it was who masterminded that plan, they had to know what they were getting their hands on. It's not like there are that many anti-Shadow weapons running around.

[emp3thy]

[It takes him a moment to translate that from Akihiko into normal information.]

The cargo was an anti-Shadow weapon?

[And of course, 'anti-Shadow weapons' were...]

[thunderfists]

That's right -- like Aigis. One of the older generations. I don't know much it; you'd have to ask Mitsuru for the full details. There was a chance that Labrys would have been activated, so we had to be prepared for a fight.

Aigis detected Labrys when she touched a TV, so we entered expecting to search for her.

[emp3thy]

[.....]

Aigis must have been happy.

[Not about the fighting thing, of course, or that 'Labrys' was stolen at all. When he'd talked to Aigis about her past, she'd told him all her sisters had been destroyed. But if this one survived, Aigis would most certainly be overjoyed to meet her again.]

[thunderfists]

[He nods.] She was determined to bring Labrys back safely.

[His lips quirk into an ironic half-smile.] I guess it'll be awhile before we hear if the mission was successful.

[emp3thy]

I don't think you need to worry.

[After all, it's Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Aigis. Even without saying it directly, it should be obvious he thinks they're capable.]

[thunderfists]

I'm not worried. I just like the satisfaction of a job well done. [He almost shrugs, but focuses again on the topic at hand.] So what did you hear about the TV world? I went in not knowing what to expect in there.

[emp3thy]

From what I was told... Persona-users can enter the TV normally, but someone without a Persona can also be pushed inside by a Persona user. When that happens the person's 'Shadow self' is forced out. If they accept it, it becomes their Persona. If not... the Shadow goes berserk and tries to kill them.

[Sounds incredibly welcoming, doesn't it?] Apparently Personas and Shadows are closer than we thought.

[thunderfists]

I can't say it's that much of a surprise, after all we've been through. Shadows taking on different appearances, with different strengths and weaknesses... Like Personas. [He shakes his head thoughtfully.] The only thing that doesn't seem to fit is your ability to have multiple Personas. [But that was strange without bringing Shadows into the equation.]

[emp3thy]

And the way Apathy Syndrome worked. [Honestly they should have wondered more about the connection before, since defeating Shadows helped restore people who'd lost their 'soul,' so to speak... Maybe the Dark Hour was just an incomplete form of the TV world after all.

He's quiet for the last part, because he has more of a theory, after meeting Souji and the others, but he'd still never managed to explain the Velvet Room to anyone. He'd given up after it was obvious he was the only one who could see the door.] But it was helpful in the end.