FEBRUARY EVENT PT 1

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ 2/2 Infodump

Three weeks have passed in the outside world since everybody had first entered the dungeons, and they exit to find themselves back in Hirajiro. It's quiet, late at night, streets dry around both the house and the clubhouse as they all trudge on home. For the rest of the night, everybody is encouraged to sleep, waking up to breakfast and in the late afternoon on the 2nd, an official team meeting is called. This time, there is no enforcement for people to come or stay, and food will be served after the bulk of the discussion is dealt with. Those who care will take things seriously, and those who don't are free to walk away.

To start, each team shares what went on in each respective dungeon.

(click to expand details) From the castle dungeon:

⬥ Room 1: The team finds Rio's, Yamato's, and Kido's omamoris that had been returned to the shrine back on New Years, and allows them to burn.

⬥ Room 2: In a war between Hirajiro and a neighboring town, Terry kills a hundred of the other town's soldiers with a single arrow and saves Hirajiro.

⬥ Room 3: In the aftermath of the war, the townspeople praise the Kotengu for saving them. They say he came to power half a year ago and can strengthen people and bring them back from the dead. In the offertory box in the forest shrine, Cyrus, Sasuke, and Jiro find a scrap of paper.

⬥ Room 4: In the aftermath of the war, Terry, Rei, and Yamato fight through a horde of zombies: the townspeople that Terry killed with his arrows who have been brought back to life- but wrong.

⬥ Room 5: In the aftermath of the war, Minato, Nero, and Red help out the remains of the town that attacked Hirajiro. These townspeople blame themselves for attacking and underestimating the Kotengu's strength. Red falls into ego death.

⬥ Room 6: In a war between the Kotengu and Daitengu, Hirajiro has been destroyed by active earthquakes and rockslides triggered by the Daitengu after the townspeople decide to side with the Kotengu. The team gathers up the remaining townspeople and bring them to safety at the shrine, where the Kotengu spirits everybody away to safety. Cyrus falls into ego death. Sasuke receives a second scrap of paper.

⬥ Final Room: In the boss' chamber, the team is met with the ghosts of all their old teammates lost to ego death and permadeath. Minato fully remembers and explains his contract: he and Souji became Attendants to help their Guests defeat the Daitengu and free to Kotengu, after which the Kotengu will use his powers to bring their team back from death. The Kotengu has the ability to bring people back from the dead and has been doing so for the Persona users. The Daitengu have the ability to shatter people's souls, which is the reason why there are Persona users who permadied and did not revive, and will not reincarnate. To restore these souls, the Attendants planned to use the Kotengu's power to access the Sea of Souls. Sasuke receives a third scrap of paper.

(click to expand details) From the shrine dungeon:

⬥ Room 1: In the main hub, the team meets the ghost of a young human boy who runs away and seals half the doors. In the first room, everybody meets doppelgangers of each person in the team, but defeat them and find a fourth scrap of paper in Souji's doppelganger's bag.

⬥ Room 2: In modern-day Hirajiro, the townspeople turn against the Persona users and burn down the clubhouse. Jiro and Ala fight through the crowd of townspeople who attack them with torches and farming tools and chase the two until they escape into the forest.

⬥ Room 3: During the Kotengu's rise in power, the lake is polluted and turned into a dumping ground for scrap metal and other trash, and only a small handful of people remain who argue against industrialization and the destruction of nature. The townspeople attack and drive away 45, Kido, and the few people who dare to disagree with the Kotengu.

⬥ Room 4: During the Kotengu's rise in power, students learn about weaponsmithing and war tactics instead of the usual subjects like math and science. Souji and Iris meet the boy from the hub. He introduces himself as Hiroto, and agrees to lower the barrier in the main hub.

⬥ Room 5: During the Kotengu's rise in power, the forest around Hirajiro is being cut down to light iron furnaces for smithing weapons. The forest animals are displaced from their homes, and take refuge in the beginnings of the Kotengu's castle, where Akira, Rio, and Wei Wuxian find a fifth scrap of paper.

⬥ Room 6: In modern-day Hirajiro, the team lives out their daily lives believing they are natives to the town, until they pick up on the discrepancies such as the isolation of the town. With brainwashing from the Daitengu, this is the idyllic life they could have, if they choose it over reality.

⬥ Final Room: The team meets Miyamoto-no-Yamazaki, who reveals he was originally human and went by the name Hiroto. Daitengu can be born as a Daitengu, as in the case of the previous three Daitengu, or they can be born as a human and turn into one, as in Hiroto's case. In the middle of the discussion, Jiro goes into anaphylactic shock and Hiroto sends everybody out of the dungeon, saying that every time one of them dies and is revived, their soul becomes more and more corrupted. He will reopen the dungeon on the 3rd for the whole team to come back. Jiro falls into ego death.

For the sake of refreshing everybody's memories, Akira and Kido then go over everything they have learned about this world and how it's time to make a decision for how to bring everything to an end.

The Kotengu and Daitengu vied for power in the past, with the Daitengu being guardians of nature and peace and the Kotengu bringing war and advancement. The Kotengu was sealed away but has the power to bring in people from other worlds and make them Persona users. The last group include Minato and Souji, whose entire team was killed except for Minato: he was saved by the Kotengu, and signed a contract promising to lead the new Persona users to kill the Daitengu and free the Kotengu. In return, he and Souji were made into Attendants, and upon completion of the contract, the Kotengu will restore their team's shattered souls and bring them back to life.

Supported by multiple sources, the ofuda door in the castle is their way home. Both teams have been gathering up torn parts of the same ofuda, with five pieces out of six in their possession, and one more piece will complete the last ofuda needed to go home. All the ofudas, complete and incomplete, are given to Akira for safekeeping. As the Kotengu controls the passage, they may be able to open the door and leave without fighting, while the Kotengu is busy fighting the last Daitengu. If they stay and fight the Kotengu as originally planned, however, they must be aware that 1) the Kotengu may be able to seal the omamori he created, and 2) each time somebody is brought back to life by the Kotengu, he corrupts their souls. In the past, Souji and the rest of his team were able to summon their Personas without a medium like Minato's team required, and Souji promises to help figure out the mechanics so they no longer require the omamori. As for the second point... there's already been too many casualties, and it's unclear what corruption means, only that it terrified Hiroto.

Along with whether to kill the Kotengu (somehow) or forge a deal with him, they must decide on what to do with the last Daitengu. If they kill Hiroto, it's hinted that the Daitengu will never truly disappear from the world because humans with high spiritual energy may turn into Daitengu. Souta, the grandson of the occult shop owners, is a prime candidate for this, and the town may never be free of a Daitengu's influence. For those who want to stay in Hirajiro when everything is over, the world may retain its prison system and constantly try to boot any remaining Persona users out unless Hiroto or another Daitengu can rework the system.

And then there's the Sea of Souls, the possibility of bringing everybody back to life— Mondo and Hibiki and Naoya and all the dozens upon dozens of people who were dragged into this war against their will. Shattered souls, corrupted souls, they could all be saved. All this time, ever since they arrived here in the summer, the team battled for their lives and their freedom against the Daitengu and the Kotengu, pledging to kill the fucking birds and forge their own paths. But they need the Kotengu to go home. They need the Daitengu to stay in Hirajiro. It isn't so easy to drop the convictions they've poured so much into already. What shall they do?

Tomorrow, they speak with Hiroto, and make their first decision of whether to work together, or make a stand and fight.

→ 2/3 - 2/29 Around Town

Outside of the hidden hour, life goes on... Bundled up in coats and scarves, the townspeople flock outside for much of the month, catching up with each other and going shopping together, turning to the Persona users with warm smiles and exclamations that they're glad to see everybody recovered from their illnesses too— they've all been gone for weeks, after all, presumably stuck at home with the sniffles. The patients in the clinic have all started to recover over the past few weeks, with a little garden of medicinal plants started beside the community center now that there is no danger of frost, and construction is already underway to rebuild the hospital building.

For Setsubun on the 3rd, little bags of roasted soybeans and samples of ginger sake for the adults are given out in the marketplace, and at the mountain shrine, priests pass out sweets and small toys and envelopes of money to those who make the trek to the peak. Young men wearing nothing but loincloths parade around the lake before plunging into the freezing water for "purification." Tiny daruma with blank eyes are sold to grant wishes— daruma are so weird: you give the doll the gift of sight by painting in just one eye, write your wish down on its back, and then withhold filling in the other eye until the doll grants your wish through some mystical power. The townspeople believe in this sort of stuff, okay. But none of the townspeople seem to be able to see summoned Personas anymore, and when asked or shown anything out of the ordinary, the townspeople laugh and say you're silly, turning their attention back to the festivities. In the evening, a bonfire is raised by the lakefront with a stage set up next to it for musical performances, historical reenactments and dramas, and dancing all through the night until morning comes with the arrival of spring.

And sure enough, by morning, the snow has all melted, the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky, though the air is crisp and the nights still get cold. Several townspeople have been hard at work building rowboats, which can be rented to paddle out into the lake, the water so clear one can see several meters into the depths where schools of freshwater fish now swim about, and birds can be seen floating on the surface until a boat comes too close and scares them away. At the community center, a soup kitchen has been set up by a group of volunteers, with hot stews and freshly baked bread served in a large room filled wall to wall with tables and benches, the townspeople enjoying lunches and dinners together with donations going towards the hospital and covering the costs of patients so no one needs to worry about affording treatment. The illness has abated and winter has ended, hope alight on each person's face.

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ A lot of the information detailed in the infodump has been repeated ad nauseam over the course of the game, but is presented here for summary and completion, and so all characters will fully understand the situation and can make an informed decision about the ending. The team meeting does not have to the played out unless people are interested or have something they want to discuss.
⬥ The encounter with Hiroto on 2/3 will be threaded out in the toplevel below. Whether Hiroto lives or dies will be determined by the characters volunteering to talk to him, and they will receive the last ofuda piece from him regardless of their decision.
⬥ The townspeople have reverted back to their previously oblivious state regarding Personas or anything supernatural.
⬥ This month, the full moon occurs on 2/8 - 2/10, when Personas are stronger but more difficult to control. This is an optional mechanic.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She nods her head at his first question. It figures that he wouldn't know that his eye colour has changed, if he hasn't looked in a mirror since regaining his sight. She'll have to grab one for him and show him. Oh! Show him! She has so many things that she wants him to see. She'll have to do that later. ]

Ummm, I don't really know, but I do know that it's yours. What information are you missing and what don't you understand?

It's mine.

[It's not quite a question, because he knows somewhere in the back of his mind that it's his. He considered it as such when he used it to bring Terry sandwiches.]

Things like... why I have that. I remember it showing up one day, I remember that I felt... frightened and disturbed by it. I remember it made me sad to look at and it... hurt inside, but I can't... I don't know why I felt those things.

[Looking at the leash now, he feels nothing. It's a cute cat.]

It's like this with other things too. Freaking out in the dungeon, with that boy... I knew his voice then and there were so many emotions attached, but I couldn't tell you who he was now. Kano, but that name doesn't mean anything. He was here in Hirajiro and I know he was somehow important to me, but he isn't now. I can't figure it out, the connection.

I know I went blind from brain surgery, but I don't know why I wanted it in the first place. Why did I let a snake cut open my brain!? I don't know what could have possibly been so bad that made me do that. I know I wanted to, desperately, but... why?

[ Is this one of those effects from this world? Those random ones that seemingly come out of nowhere and cause people to act strangely, forget things, etc? Toki has always been a little absent-minded, but he should at least know these answers. Unfortunately, Rei doesn't know some of them. ]

I don't know about the backpack or Kano... but you had the surgery because it would help you with your thinking. It also made it easier for you to remember things.

[ She's starting to get concerned and she reaches out with one of her hands to place over his. ]

Maybe we should talk to Snake-chan to find out what's wrong...

Help with my thinking...

[Remembering things that happened in Hirajiro, that would make sense. Toki, right now, can't relate some of his choices or actions here. His thought processes are weird, he knows this and people have told him, but... it being so intrusive as to cause that much distress?]

I guess that makes sense. I did... used to forget a lot of things.

[But this Toki did that intentionally. He considered it the process of deleting people and experiences to make room for new ones, because very little had mattered to him, or had significance. Toki lifts Rei's hand to his mouth to kiss. Even his feelings for her have confusing emotions behind them. The love is real, though the path to that is foggy and distant.]

Yeah, he might know.

[It could be a brain thing, a delayed reaction to the surgery. Or the Kotengu. Or any number of things.]

[ She smiles faintly. She's glad that, at the very least, he remembers her and their relationship. She would have been quite distressed about the previous day when he forgot everything. Will that be something to thread? Who knows. ]

We can talk to him together. He would know more about the procedure.

[ It sounded a very different type of operation than the one she received so she can't offer any clues. ]

But I'm glad that you can see again. There were so many things that I wanted to show you, but couldn't. Now I can share everything with you.

[Who knows?]

Okay, we'll talk to Orien.

[Toki is more calm than he could have been, and this is just one more weird experience in a chain of them. Both the snake doctor, and the memory shenanigans.]

I am too. I didn't... think I would.

[He had tried to accept it, though he'd cried in private and once in front of Kido over it. He'd accepted blindness as a trade off, he remembers. But... it hadn't gone so well in the end? Recalling that panic is almost a foreign feeling; he's panicked, sure, and overreacts to things, but that was... hysteria and dread so deep. Something had to have happened to him, or who he used to be? No, he's done thinking about that.]

I want to see everything I missed, Rei.

[ Orien is always somewhere around the house so it shouldn't be hard to grab him for a quick conversation on what happened. Toki has his moments when he can remain calm and speak just fine, so she doesn't see anything wrong with this interaction. ]

We can get dressed and I'll take you out. Also, you can finally see what I look like in my maid outfit!

[ She thinks that he'd be excited over that. He really liked it the first time that she wore it for him, even when he was blind. ]

Okay!

[He's excited to go out, and explore Hirajiro in all the new sharpness and colour.]

The maid outfit! It's very cute and you look adorable~!

[He runs his hand along the bodice, just to feel the material and the lace. To try and... figure out why he liked it so much. It brings memories of breakfast in bed, and his connection with the maid outfit is based on touch, the feel of it. Based on its place in those memories of their shared moment, and not on any particular attraction to the idea of maids or the outfit itself.]

[ She moves closer to him, allowing him to feel the material. Perhaps she put this on last night in an attempt to help Toki regain his memory, so that's why she has the completely outfit on, from the headpiece to the tights. ]

Ehehe, thank you! I'm always happy to wear it for you whenever you like.

[ It will be a little embarrassing to think that Toki can now actually see her in it, but she'd do it for him because she wants him to be happy. ]

But I'll get changed into something else while we go outside.

[That would certainly be a way to try and get his memory back.]

You're so beautiful, Rei.

[He pulls his hand back so they can get dressed.]

Not just because you're pretty or wear cute things. Even if I've forgotten why I did some things, I know you were always there for me. You're a special person and I'm glad I have you.

[ She gives him a smile that covers her entire face, beaming at him. He's so sweet. She reaches out to take the hand that he just pulled away, using it to pull him a bit closer to her. ]

I'm glad to have you too. I'm really lucky that you're my husband.

[ She leans forward to give him a quick kiss. ]

[He wants to cry upon seeing that smile, good tears, but they're held in. The kiss is at once familiar, and nostalgic as if it's been a long time. All of the confusion and strangeness of the morning doesn't matter, because Rei is an anchor, and this is Toki's current reality; the only one he should think about.]

Where do you want to go first?

[ A very good question. She thinks as she continues to hold onto his hand, rubbing her thumb against him. ]

Hmm, I want to see the stars with you, but that'll be for tonight, so maybe we can walk around the town together for now and I'll show you what changed and then we can go to the forest-- oh, we can have our picnic out there, but for real this time! And we should also go to the mountains to find a nice spot for our new home and you can help me choose an area with a good view of everything and then we can build our house and Zhn can help with that and speaking of Zhn, you also need to see him, if that's okay with you, because he's just as pretty as I told you he was! And you can also see Teddiursa, but he's sleeping right now so maybe later today!

[ She rambles, progressively getting louder as she goes on. She is so glad that Toki has his sight back. ]

We can go up to the roof again!

[Toki doesn't have as much connection to looking at the stars as his Daybreak self did, so his memories of the most significant stargazing is on the school roof with Rei. When he... thought he was dying for some reason. He'd seen it, in some prophetic vision he doesn't remember.]

Yeah, let's just walk around and look at things in town first and then go on a picnic!

[Toki's excited as well, and now the mountain house seems something more than a dream, something achievable.]

We'll pick the best spot for the house and I'd like to see Zhn! I... don't know why I was afraid of him.

[He had no hang-ups with wolves and dogs, and in fact was in love with a girl who housed an inugami. A much different canine experience.]

I can knit Teddiursa gloves~!

[A hobby to go back to with enthusiasm. Though, it doesn't occur to him that knit gloves will just absorb the honey partially, let some leak through, and be really gross.]

[ There are so many things to talk about and so many things to do and see. Rei is filled with so much exciting energy that she's practically bouncing on the spot. ]

I'm sure Teddiursa would love that! He needs gloves to help him stop from getting honey everywhere.

[ They can try the knit gloves first before realizing how bad of an idea it is... ]

But mmhm, let's look around town first! C'mon, c'mon, let's get dressed!

[ She tugs on Toki's hand as she starts to move off the bed. She'll get changed out of her outfit and look for something both cute and warm to wear. She no longer has any problems undressing in front of Toki. ]

[Toki can't help but smile almost continuously. To see Rei so full of energy is something he missed; it can heard in her voice, but it's not the same. She's so vibrant.

It takes him longer than usual to get dressed, because he goes through all of the his clothes in the closet, distracted by colours. He'd forgotten things he'd bought with Terry, as he'd only seen some of them once before the surgery. He eventually decides on a warm-looking purple sweater.

Shoes! Toki finds himself weirdly excited by them. He likely wore them yesterday, but some part of him feels like he's gone barefoot for months.]

Okay~! Are you ready?

[He runs his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it. He still hasn't looked in the mirror, out of habit.]

[ Rei's go-to outfit for the winter has always been a sweater dress with leggings. They're comfortable and warm while also looking nice, so she has quite a collection of them. She quickly gets changed into one. Today is mustard yellow ("yum!") and black licorice ("double yum!") leggings. ]

Almost! I have to brush my hair. I'll do yours too!

[ Since Toki seems allergic to combing. She probably has to sit him down and brush his hair for him every day. ]

Hair is really important. You have to make sure to take really good care of it and not damage it! That means that you should be gentle with it and not always put your hand through it. It might get caught on knots and you don't want to force them to come undone!

[Toki certainly won't brush it on his own, which may be partially due to the fact Rei will fix it.]

But... you can just cut out the knots.

[He tries to hide a smile.]

[ He is successful at hiding it because gasp, Rei is so scandalized right now. ]

No, don't cut out the knots! That's how you get your hair to look all uneven and funny!

[ She will seat him back on the bed and make extra sure that Toki's hands are put onto his lap so he won't do something as terrible as cutting his own hair. God. ]

[He can't help but laugh while Rei brushes his hair.]

I promise~! No cutting knots!

[When she's finished, he'll make sure he has some money with him now that he can see the denominations. He's determined to be the one paying for anything today, even though it's communal money.]

Where do you want to go first?

[Probably food.]

Let's get breakfast first! We can go to the maid cafe and eat their omelettes!

[ Probably food is the correct answer. ]

Now that everyone is nice to us again, maybe I can work there again. And maybe I can serve the customers this time!

[ Instead of just handing out flyers. She can probably get good tips for just being the way she is. ]

Omelettes~! I want really cute ones! Oh! And then I want to like buy a cookbook so I can make cute things myself! And get some more yarn!

[They don't have as many cats anymore, but maybe Toki can start knitting human sweaters, that don't all end up like the flower one he made for Rei.]

I'm glad everyone doesn't hate us anymore, and I'm sure they'll let you do actual maid things this time! You'll be the cutest maid!

[Maids aren't immediately connotated with perversion now, and Toki doesn't have any misconceptions about what they actually do in the cafe.]

[ Even though she definitely doesn't need to earn any money, not when Kido and Toki are rich after the sale of their mansions, it's just nice to have a job and feel independent. She doesn't ever want to be a burden. ]

Ehehe, I'll do my best. Let's go to the market after we finish eating. I want to learn how to cook as well! I want to make all of your favourites and surprise you with meals and be a good wife!

[ By the front door, Rei puts on her boots, jacket, and scarf. She has to bundle up so she doesn't fall sicker than she already is. Winter is nice, but it's a little too much for her frail body. ]

[Toki feels the same way about being a burden, yet he has a lazy streak. He'll likely never get a job unless it's absolutely necessary.

You're the best wife, already!

[He smiles as he gets his jacket and boots. Toki also takes a hat, which will just mess up Rei's hard work on his hair, but he doesn't want to get sick again either, yesterday was bad enough. He opens the door and takes Rei's hand.

Outside, the snow on the ground is bright and sparkling. Toki wants to cry, it's so beautiful.]

It's a nice day.

[ She smiles brightly at him and tightly holds onto his hand as they step outside. To her, this is just another day, but she can imagine what it's like for him. It's been a while since he could see. ]

Mmhm, it's sunny today. The sky looks so clear.

[ There's not a cloud in sight. That's nice. It's been snowing heavily last month so the change in weather is a welcomed change. As they walk, all the townspeople smile at them and wave. One in particular tells them that they should visit the lake. They're hard at work, making rowboats for everyone. Since the water is clean once again, you could easily see through it and look at the new fish living in it. Come by later. Today's the perfect day to sit in a boat and just admire nature. ]

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ 2/2 Infodump

→ 2/3 - 2/29 Around Town

→ MOD NOTES

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject