◎ Bout 1: Impromptu walkabout [action]

[thunderfists]

[arrival]

[...The TV world was very strange.

Akihiko found himself waking up on the forest floor, stripped of his normal clothes and garbed in ... white pants. Fortunately, his pants, red cape, and boots were nearby, and he found himself a bush to discreetly change in -- just in case Mitsuru or Aigis showed up somewhere close. Calling out for them was out of the question; they were on a mission after all, and he didn't want to cause a ruckus if he didn't have to.

There was a book beside him when he woke up, and he blearily looked it over before snapping it shut and concentrating on the odd feeling of pain and strange sounds around him. No time to read.

The fully-functional wings were a surprise. The talking animals were even more of a surprise. But they were easy enough to dismiss as parts of the TV world, and he pushed them to the back of his mind as he started to explore. Forest, forest, forest... Were those mountains in the distance?

It was like globetrotting all over again. Before heading out, he ripped up the white pants he had woken up in, using the shredded parts to bind the book to his side; unfortunately, his pockets weren't big enough for a book. He also wrapped up his knuckles, since his gloves were missing.

And off he went in search of Mitsuru, Aigis, and Labrys. Never mind that he had no idea what the latter looked like.]

[/arrival]


[For the entire week of September 9 through 15, a young man in odd clothes can be found traveling out in the forests and as far as the foothills due east of the village. He gets his water from the rivers and carries whatever food he comes across (such as apples and mikans) in a shredded white sack that once was a pair of pants. When he's not traveling, he does some shadowboxing in the occasional clearing while it's light out.

Nothing serious, though; he wasn't getting enough protein to repair his muscles if he did any serious training.

The most rigorous of his training he'll allow of himself happens late at night in the forest behind house 21. While he tries to avoid the TV world village and its inhabitants, he can't resist the temptation of an outdoor training space complete with training dummies. He uses his Persona to charge his punches with electricity, leaving marks on the some of the dummies before he heads off again.

He may even be caught napping in a tree once in awhile. Or listening to talking bears from a distance.]

Comments

[emp3thy]

[...hmm.]

He has gotten a little spoiled.

[Oh wait... the beef bowl is done.

a couple of the ingredients may have been prepackaged but it should taste good regardless!! Maybe even as good as back in Port Island... he's been trying, anyway?]

[thunderfists]

[Hope you made enough for an extra large beef bowl helping, Minato, because Akihiko is practically salivating as the smells permeate throughout the kitchen.

He eyes the packages left on the counter, noting that it isn't an authentic beef bowl. But that would be too much to ask on such notice, wouldn't it?]

Thanks for your hard work.

[emp3thy]

[Call before you come next time, Senpai, and he'll get all-natural ingredients and make his own noodles from scratch.]

You're welcome.

[He'll just have a small portion for himself, because it looks like Akihiko has about five stomachs worth of hunger...]

[thunderfists]

[At this point, there's no conversation whatsoever. Because Akihiko is a little preoccupied practically inhaling his food.

Considering how long it's been since he's had a beef bowl, it's not a pretty picture.]

[emp3thy]

[...Yeah, he's just going to eat his and... wait...]

...What have you been eating all week?

[thunderfists]

[He sets down the empty sports drink bottle firmly, sighing as he resumes a more normal breathing pace. At least he heard Minato this time.]

Fruits. Edible plants. I've been missing out on the important stuff.

[That is, protein. As if it wasn't obvious.]

[emp3thy]

[...........]

There's a grocery store here in town. Everything's free.

[thunderfists]

[He pauses at that. He figured there'd be a grocery store in a place like this, but...]

Free? Really?

[emp3thy]

[...guess it's time to explain the heavy things. Or at least see how much Akihiko already knows.] The goods are shipped in by our captors.

[thunderfists]

[Captors. In a TV world.

...]

So that explains why this place is so small. I was wondering about that.

[emp3thy]

Did you find the barrier?

[thunderfists]

[A barrier? Of course there'd have to be one, if they were captives. Was it invisible?]

No, not yet. Is it beyond the forest?

[emp3thy]

[He nods.]

It can take a few days to reach, but it's there.

[thunderfists]

I'll go take a look at it sometime.

[A few days? It wouldn't be bad to have something to investigate while he looked for Mitsuru and Aigis.

Speaking of which... He would have to tread lightly on the next topic.]

Have you seen any of the others at all?

[That should be broad enough.]

[emp3thy]

Not recently... [He looks a little... melancholy at that?] But they still might come soon. People arrive in groups.

[thunderfists]

[He briefly wonders if that means he can run into a TV version of himself or the other operatives, but dismisses it; he'll deal with that if the situation arises.

So Aigis and Mitsuru were keeping low profiles, too. At least they all had the same idea there.]

That's funny. I woke up alone.

[emp3thy]

I meant in general. People come in 'cycles.' They last two or three weeks, every other month.

[not that this will make much sense to him, off in his TV version of reality, but...]

[thunderfists]

[Cycles. He wasn't familiar with how television studios worked, or how the TV world apparently processed that information, but he did know a few things about computers. Maybe these cycles were like periodic data uploading times.]

That's a long time for people to trickle in. Do a lot of people arrive at once?

[emp3thy]

[He shrugs.] Anywhere from fifty to a hundred total.

[thunderfists]

[That ... suitably surprises him. From what he'd seen, the village didn't look big enough for those those kinds of 'cycles.']

Are people removed from captivity? This place isn't large enough for cycles like that.

[emp3thy]

[...yeah.]

Sometimes people go home, but we can't control when that happens.

[and this is getting to be complicated, so...] Did you bring your journal with you?

[thunderfists]

...Journal? [That rings a bell. Probably because said journal is still strapped to his side.]

[emp3thy]

[He nods.]

There's a guide inside.

[thunderfists]

[A guide for this world. A TV guide. That made sense.]

I'll give it a look over later. Good to know it'll be helpful for more than kindling.

[emp3thy]

[.....]

Please don't burn it. It also works like a phone.