[OPEN] you can play but I always win

[defragment]

I. 9/15-16: in a nocturnal state of mind

[ A new arrival has come and she looks unbothered for the most part as she wanders through the forest at daytime. Maybe she already adapted to the situation at hand as she throws a pebble at a hanging kaki persimmon fruit from a tree and catches it as it falls. With a quick scrub from the sleeve of her jacket, she wipes the fruit before taking a bite. Delicious. There goes the ration for the day.

She retreats to the castle for the night, and anybody who comes by will be seeing some girl sitting at the throne and crossing her legs, posing like some dark overlord. ]

Must be how a SF scum feels when they feel like they have the power.

[ When she touches the omamori given to her, a rather tall half crow, half humanoid demon stands beside her. She points to the entrance of the castle, in which Malphas, her Persona, chucks his sickle and that gets stuck on the castle wall. That might have been a little too close for comfort, but she doesn't look sorry. ]

Ah, sorry, sorry~

[ Yeah, she really doesn't. ]


II. Odd days after 9/18: I'll be your anchor that holds you down

[ She finally found Hirajiro and she's already gotten over seeing so many humans in one place. She doesn't seem to particularly care about that and crouches next to the lake during Lockdown. She's also wearing a familiar outfit, if you've ever been to the Velvet Room--it's the blue uniform that the Attendants usually wear, complete with the hat too. Just because. ]

Despite the locals saying that people should stay away from the lake, I've seen several people dive in. Sure, that's where the mass of darkness leaks at midnight, but that's really quite something.

[ She turns to look over at you, who's nearby. ]

Don't you think so?

[ Meanwhile, Malphas casts Frei, a nuclear spell, at a stray Shadow wandering the town. The blue dome-shaped explosion makes quite the light in utter darkness with the exception of the moon. ]


III. Even days after 9/20: throwback to when everything was a mess

[ 45 seems to be holding herself well, though she's been only staying at the first floor of the school Dungeon every time she gets here. It looks like SP draining problems are real when all you have is a single offensive magic spell, a speed debuff, and a healing spell that also requires the usage of SP. At least she knows when to call it quits, but she'll occasionally sit back and watch other people kill Shadows too, which makes great entertainment.

She'll even do a golf clap after your Persona performs even the smallest thing. Wow. Very strong. Amazing. Maybe she's aiming to embarrass someone? Yeah. ]


wildcard

[ As usual, give me your own prompt if you want to! I'll take anything. For any questions/concerns, let me know by PM or celenza ! ]

Comments

ii. 9/23

[reveilation]

[ Presumably Kido hasn't gotten her omamori back yet, but she's not frightened of bring outside during Lockdown even without a Persona to protect her, because she can make it so none of them can see her, and they leave her alone.

She doesn't touch the lake because the water is gross and... she probably also got her breathing charm smashed up last time, now that I think about it. But she walks right up to the lakefront and doesn't make herself visible to 45 until she's less than two meters away, at the same time making the both of them invisible to the rest of the world around them, so the Shadows won't notice them either.

Malphas can continue wreaking havoc though. ]

Yeah, it's something. Wouldn't you know about that already?

[ Being a Velvet Room Attendant and all. ]

[defragment]

[ Malphas: ｄＥＡｔＨ

45 smiles and stands up. ]

Would I? Though it doesn't look like you're ready to dive in. Would that make you one of the smarter ones?

[reveilation]

I'm one of the smarter ones, but not for that reason.

[ She is... one of the smarter ones, yeah. With RO gone, maybe Kido is the smartest now, and that's a terrifying thought.

Kido leans back a little when 45 stands, but she doesn't step back or otherwise back off, folding her arms across her chest. Somehow, 45 doesn't give off the same vibe as Souji or Minato do, but it's not like those two are a good benchmark for anything. ]

You don't think we should go in? The other two were encouraging people to do so.

[defragment]

That's up to each and every person. It's not like I'll shove the unwilling people into the lake. Or maybe I will if it comes to it? It's a rougher approach, I'm sure. Maybe this is the part where I say "what I say are my own opinions and do not reflect my group as a whole".

[ Her gold eyes shine a little, but they readjust pretty quickly because 45 actually needs to adjust them in the darkness in an attempt to see Kido by more than just a silhouette. But in this kind of place, it probably just looks creepy in this scenario. ]

Some people want to jump in, but don't have the courage to. Maybe it would work out like that.

[reveilation]

[ This sure sounds like the vague bs the other Attendants say. Go in if you feel like it, nobody is forcing you. Putting it like that just makes Kido want to jump into the lake to prove 45 wrong, especially when she insinuates the ones who don't jump as being a coward, but she hates playing right into people's hands. She can't even say "Why don't you jump in? Are you a coward?" because the Attendants have made it clear that they don't intend to actively participate in any of this.

Man, dealing with 45 sucks just as much as it does the other two. ]

It doesn't have anything to do with courage... [ Or maybe it does. Maybe some people can't swim, and it's a valid fear. ]

This place isn't like the last one. You can't just jump in without a plan, or you'll run out of steam before you even make it past the first floor or two.

[defragment]

Then you should come up with a plan, yes? It would be foolish to go in without one, as you said.

[ Though that "you" is more of a general term and not specified at Kido alone, but she's free to take it any way she wants. ]

After all, you're one of the smarter ones.

[reveilation]

I had one, the last time I went down there, but there's no reason for me to do so right now. I'm not short on funds.

[ That dungeon is just hunting grounds. The whole ten years gap has sort of thrown off her sense of time, so she can't tell if it's been that long since this dungeon's been here. The sun isn't unbearable and the town hasn't flooded, so it seems okay to just leave the place be for the time being. It's not like she has a home to be in any rush to return to anyways. ]

You said we don't need to go down there, right?

[defragment]

If you don't want to, I'm not here to change your mind.

[ Malphas is done making nearby Shadows explode in the vicinity and is skulking around Kido and 45's vicinity as if he's trying to find 45. The feathers are a bit rustled as the wings flap and the sickles are put away. What is this trickery?! ]

Oh, he can't see us?

[reveilation]

[ "You don't have to, but you're a coward if you don't" yeah, yeah ]

Hm? No, it can't.

[ That's a new type of Shadow... She's never seen one fully formed outside of the dungeons, but it reminds her of the tengu boss back at the school, and she shifts a little closer to 45 in case she needs to grab her. ]

It won't be able to see or hear us unless one of us touches it. So let's move further away.

9/19, wildcard

[tantantaaan]

[ Whenever 45 decides to approach the lake, she will hear a loud, piercing wail. ]

Aru-tan... Aru-tan, I beg you, please wake up!! Aru-tan!!

[ Just by the lake, a young man is holding onto a figure that will be extremely familiar to 45. RO365, completely still, drenched from top to bottom. His grip on her is tight, his voice is distressed. He shakes her a couple of times, hoping there will be some signs of life, even if it's obvious that there isn't.

Even so, Leon isn't throwing away hope. He examines her, trying to see if there's a switch that he can press, carefully sitting her up. He knows that she's an android, so... there should be a way to fix her, right? If he brings her to a mechanic, they'll figure things out, won't they?

An arm supports her back, another grasps her fingers, hoping that he can transfer some of his warmth there. ]

Please, Aru-tan... It's Leon. You can hear me, can't you? Please, please hold on... Please.

[ His tears won't stop spilling, drenching the already wet face of his, down to RO's unmoving arm. ]

[defragment]

[ 45 has been continuously coming back to the lake with no intentions of ever going inside it, but tonight has been, well, a surprise. She sees someone she didn't expect to see long since Operation Arctic Warfare and moreover, there was a human crying over a Doll. She's in her blue Attendant clothes because it's entertaining to screw with people's heads.

Seeing an elite T-Doll fall here is a bit of a concerning matter for 45, but for an entirely different reason. Well, it looks like she's dead anyway, so it won't matter much.

Some parts of RO's body has corroded, revealing small mechanical bits under where her skin is supposed to be. 45 walks over to their side and looks down. A member of the AR team has been slain here with no hopes of a digimind backup. ]

You should take out her core. Then you'll be with her forever.

[ She's more or less waiting to see what Leon would do. Would he ask for details? Would he do it right away?

The wonders of the human mind. Sorry, she's not here to comfort Leon. She's an asshole. ]

[tantantaaan]

[ Leon's tears don't stop flowing as he looks up to the approaching person. His brows are furrowed, his nose is running, his voice is trembling. He just pulls RO closer to him instinctively, although he seems to be willing to listen to what 45 has to say. ]

C-Core...? What's... what's that?

[defragment]

You can think of it as her soul.

[ Though Dolls don't have souls. This is the closest thing it'll ever get. The mere idea makes her want to laugh, but she doesn't. Gotta hold that in. ]

Though, at this state, it only looks like it will rot from being in the water from too long. Maybe you can salvage it? They're all mechanical parts, after all.

[tantantaaan]

[ Now that stops Leon from crying. His face is still wet with slobber and tears, but no more extra of those flowing out. He has his eyes locked on 45 now, desperate when he calls out. ]

Really? I can save Aru-tan still? If I do that... will she move again? You're sure?

[defragment]

That all depends on your mechanical engineering efficiency and skills.

[ As usual, she doesn't outright say yes or no, but it's really interesting to see a human so desperate over a Doll's "life". She knows that he could technically stuff the core into a mechanical dog if he wanted to and RO will be inhabiting that body, but.

She somehow doubts that will happen here. ]

In any case, her body is no longer functional.

[tantantaaan]

[ Two of those that he doesn't have. If only Daiya-san's here... not that he knows if Daiya can deal with mechanics, they're both idiots after all - but it feels like he at least has the instincts for it. ]

...Even if I got someone to repair the body? Do I... do I have to get her a new body?

[ At this point, he'll do anything, everything, to bring RO back to him. ]

[defragment]

A new one might work better. You wouldn't want to put her back in a sick body, would you? You'll have to do it soon too. Who knows when the core stops being functional?

[ It's probably... already barely functional. But.

She's leading him on. ]

wc. 9/25

[reveilation]

[ Kido had gotten her omamori back, and though Nekogami wouldn't come out when she'd first touched the charm, she didn't get any sense of anger like when Vassago shows up uninvited to thrash around. So she didn't think too much of that; maybe Nekogami would rather be summoned for something important like fighting a Shadow, not just for the sake of showing up and saying hi.

She might not even need Nekogami for this, but he's always good to have as insurance when she's sneaking around the dungeons trying not to be seen. ]

Itsuki, hey.

[ Back so soon? Yeah. Like she said, she has a plan. Which isn't really a plan, more than it is simply going up to a Shadow, plucking off a scale, and getting the hell out of there before she runs out of breath. She might have maybe a minute to accomplish all that, unless— ]

Last time I was here, there was some sort of charm that let people breathe underwater. Was that from you guys? It had the same annoying music effect.

[defragment]

[ 45 gives Kido a short wave. ]

You can borrow one for a price.

[ Nothing is ever gonna be free from 45... Honestly, she probably won't need it because what's breathing when you're an android robot weapon thing? ]

Though you'll have to give it back, or I'll jack the price even higher. I want another scale.

[reveilation]

[ Honestly... that's fair. Nothing in life is free, and Kido doesn't expect the Attendants to play nice anyways. ]

One extra scale to borrow the charm for how many nights? And what would the price be to buy it off you entirely?

[ Kido's not going to let 45 increase prices after the fact, just because they didn't work out all the conditions beforehand. ]

[defragment]

Just one night, but if you want to buy it from me entirely, you'll have to offer something in exchange for its value. How important is it to you?

[ She's just gonna fish for info all night at this rate. ]

I'll think about it once you make the offer.

[reveilation]

It's not real important... but I'd like to be able to get to the bottom floor without burdening anybody else. I'm not essential to defeating whatever tengu lives down there, but if I'm able to, I want to be able to lend a hand anyways.

[ So... not really important at all. But if she did get her hands on a charm she could keep, she would use it. Like that, she can't really place an exact value on it. It's like being offered a really expensive cake: if she can't have it, she'll live with out it, but if it's offered, of course she'll eat and enjoy it. ]

Do you want more Shadow parts? Or... Souji was fine with something like a trip to the record shop; we could do something like that too.

[defragment]

Nah, I'll just keep it at rental prices for now. A scale for each night, whether you end up using it that night or not is up to you, but it'll take up the rental time.

[ She thinks that sounds reasonable. And from what she's seen from others, some people had been coming out with monster loot dropping as they walk out. ]

[reveilation]

Hm... Alright.

[ She'll just have to pluck as many scales off the thing as she can before killing it and turning it into goop. She's never tried taking something off a live Shadow, but hunting down multiple Shadows for just a chance of them dropping what she needs isn't very efficient.

Well, whatever. She has Nekogami on her side, so if she's got a breathing charm, there's nothing else to be worried about. Her hoodie gets pulled off and tied around her waste so it doesn't drag as much, and her hair gets tied up after for the same reason. ]

You'll be coming with me. I made others promise not to go into the dungeons alone, so I should probably uphold that same rule.

[ She never did, though, wandering around the dungeons by herself because if nobody can see her, they can't scold her. ]

[defragment]

[ Hm. 45 never expected to go into the lake too, and honestly, she'd rather not. ]

But you're not alone with your Persona though.