cetana | [OPEN] you can play but I always win

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[OPEN] you can play but I always win

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 ! ]

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[ 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. ]

[ 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?

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.

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.

[ 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.

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.

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?

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?

[ "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.

Oh, is that an ability of yours?

[ Sounds like a particle jammer. In any case, 45 doesn't look scared at all since that's her Persona and the big crow man keeps looking around and makes a noise that sounds like a caw, except distorted. She doesn't move from her spot. ]

It's lonely.

[ Okay, so the Velvet Room attendants are super powerful and not scared of anything, she gets it, but why do they all have to be so stubborn at the same time? Kido makes to grab 45's wrist so she can drag her away, if she's not going to leave on her own. ]

Yeah, it's my ability. And it is what it is... The point is to make it so I'm alone.

[ She says nothing about loneliness. ]

[ She didn't exactly mean Kido's ability, but cool. Free info. Thanks, Kido. ]

No, he's lonely.

[ She's being dragged but she makes a trail of dirt with her foot and Malphas just follows that once it's out of Kido's range. ]

So what?

[ God, this is annoying. She can imagine Minato being the same, dragging his feet if somebody tries to pull him along, to the point where he'll just give up standing and force the person to pull him along like a burlap sack. ]

Come on... There's nothing to see out here, so why don't you go back? The closest door—

[ ...is not the castle, but the lake. Kido turns to 45 like she's contemplating just shoving her into the water. ]

[ And as Kido turns to 45, she already has an iron grip on her wrist and she smiles over at her. ]

Yes...? What were you going to say?

[ Kido stops where she stands, and looks at 45 for a moment. ]

...is in the lake. If that's where you came from, you should go back. The people down there are going to need you, so you shouldn't abandon post.

But my post is up here.

[ Malphas is pretty much looming over them now, but still unaware of where they are exactly. ]

No one will need me.

[ Ugh... Kido really doesn't like being crowded like this, with their backs to the lake, especially against a Shadow with a wingspan that can easily brush into either of them. There's really nothing she can do but keep a wary eye on the thing, clenching her free hand into a fist. She's kicked and punched Shadows before, and she will do it again if necessary. ]

Don't say that. No matter what, there's somebody out there who needs you.

[ 45 notices her hand curling into a fist and she doesn't need someone causing unnecessary damage to her Persona, so with that grip still being there, she pulls Kido towards her to her side with an arm wrapped around her torso. Their faces are pretty close now from the pull.

Meanwhile, Malphas has a hand reached out towards them, and 45 extends her own to meet his, interrupting the Concealing Eyes ability with the contact. Malphas stops making those wails though. ]

Maybe you'll be the one who'll need me?

[ She says, looking at her. Malphas doesn't do anything and stands there, also staring right at Kido. ]

H-hey! I said not to--

[ Ugh. Kido can feel the exact moment her ability cancels out, and she glares at 45 because that was deliberate. ]

What? To save myself? Like I'll need you for something like that... Let me go.

[ So she can beat up this Shadow while it still isn't attacking. She has no idea what sort of... test, or whatever this is that the Attendant is giving her, but Kido's not one to back off so easily. ]

You won't call out your Persona?

[ She's gathered enough intel by now, and honestly... she only recognizes Kido from the rumors of her hair being fake or whatever, but she doesn't care much about that. There's not many people with green hair around after all. But she does let Kido go. ]

But it's fine. He means no harm to you. [ Maybe.

45 raises her hand to pet his head. ]

There, there. Were you lonely? It's okay now. You can come and pet him too.

[ ...For some reason, Kido doesn't say anything about not being able to call her Persona. She can feel Nekogami still there, so it doesn't mean Kido has been abandoned, it just means they're cut off from each other at the moment. The Attendant should know this, if they know everything about Personas and their hosts, so it just seems like 45 is continually mocking her. ]

I'm alright, thanks. Is this not a Shadow?

[ She wouldn't think Attendants would need a Persona, but apparently they have them too. Personas and Shadows are the same thing? Maybe this thing is both. ]

[ 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. ]

Isn't that pretty discriminatory?

[ Again, she doesn't answer Kido's question. Though it seems to enjoy headpats.... if you can somehow discern that from its bird skull mask thing. ]

[ 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. ]

[ Criteria for being an Attendant: 1) wear the uniform, 2) inability to answer questions. ]

After what happened with Sasuke, I think it's a legitimate question.

[ She doesn't remember a lot of the details, but she remembers the horrible feeling in her gut when facing the shadow, the way it had treated Sasuke— a completely one-sided internal conflict he'd been keeping suppressed for who knows how long, and it'd all exploded. It was the most expression she'd seen from him, and that in itself made the entire situation all that much worse. ]

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[OPEN] you can play but I always win

ii. 9/23

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9/19, wildcard

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