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July Intro Log

INTRO LOG

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"Persona, Persona, please come here."

→ I.

The words linger in the back of your mind, but whether it’s your own thoughts or somebody else’s, ceases to matter in light of more pressing things. For one: actual light, mid-summer daylight streaming down upon your face, dust in the air glowing almost golden. Next to your hand lies a cloth omamori, each character’s a different color but all bordered with gold thread, a little black bird stitched in one corner, and… at the bottom...

It is your preferred name, along with another word. For those familiar with tarot, they may recognize it as one of the major arcana. Regardless, it seems to be meant for you, so it might be a good idea to hang onto it.

Looking around, all around you are broken stone pillars and crumbling walls, a spiral staircase that leads to an upper floor that has partially caved in, requiring a bit of a leap to make it to the top. From the outside, the structure looks like a castle, situated in a clearing otherwise surrounded by forest. From the inside, it appears as if no person has been here for a long time. Birds have made their nests in the upper story, eggshells scattered across the floor, and sticks and straw breaking off the nests in the dry summer heat. The occasional woodland animal can be found around the castle, skittish and quick to flee upon approach, but there are also several cats who seem to have no fear for strangers, rubbing against your ankles and padding off again unless you have food to bribe them to stay.

There is also a bear in deep sleep, in the middle of the main hall all characters awake in. Please do not disturb, or you may find yourself in the middle of a bear attack, completely disconnected from any special powers or abilities you may have. Curiously, any injuries you might remember last having seem to be in the process of healing, though by varying degrees, and maybe we shouldn’t undo that! There isn’t a hospital out here in the middle of nowhere, after all. You’ll have to venture out of the castle in search for help like that.

→ II.

A field of dry grass forms the clearing around the castle, with two paths on opposite sides leading into the forest:

A stone path, though broken up and partially buried in the dirt, will lead you out of the forest and towards the town, given you don’t wander off the path to be lost in the woods. But it’s alright if you do! If you keep wandering the forest, you may eventually come across the mountains. And if mountains aren’t an obvious enough sign you should turn back, you can continue through the short mountain range to find yourself back inside the forest; keep on going and eventually you’ll arrive at the opposite side of town. It’s the long way around, but you’ll make it either way.

The road less traveled, however, is one of just dirt, a narrow path that’s been cleared away but after all this time, the weeds have started encroaching again on both sides to reclaim the space. Following this path will take you to a set of stairs, dusty and crumbling but sound enough that you can climb it to the top and find a shrine. A fox yaps at you, and ducks away into the trees behind the shrine. The place could really use some cleaning up, from having the steps swept, to the water in the basin being changed out, to fixing up the sign stating what deity is worshipped here— it’s been broken apart, the name seared off the surface of the rotting wood. Who knows what it used to say…? There doesn’t seem to be anybody around at the shrine, nor anywhere in the forest.

→ III.

Civilization can finally be found in the town, but the people here just look at you curiously, unsure of what you’re talking about if asked about how you got here, and laughing a little when you inquire about the town, though happy enough to talk about their home. ...That’s strange, though? The language spoken here is Japanese, what sounds like an older dialect, and regardless of what you’re used to speaking, you find that you can speak and understand the language here without trouble. How convenient!

While much of the townspeople are bustling around in the mid-day, there are still others more than willing to show you around, or to point you in the right direction if you’d rather wander and explore on your own. Even if you feel like you don’t need a guide, there are plenty of stray cats loitering around the town more than happy to escort you wherever you go. For those who are injured, the walk-in clinic at the hospital has its doors open to treat anybody who needs tending to, for a small fee. Don’t have money? The townspeople are more than happy to hire you on, especially with what seems to be preparation for a festival to be held at the school at the end of the month. The students in the school are also eager to receive what help they can get, building sets, figuring out menus, or creating enough decorations to cover the school twice over.

Whether it’s cooking, mending, delivering, or something else, there’s a variety of odd jobs to be done, and the extra pocket money will serve to be helpful, especially once night falls. The temperature will dip overnight, a dense field of stars covering the sky like a blanket when the sun sets and the moon takes its place, but it’s warm enough in the summer that camping outside is a viable option for those who are used to sleeping outside or want to save money. No worries keeping warm without blankets, either; there’s a good chance a stray cat will wander by and sleep on your face. The inn, rumors have it, is haunted… but it may be the cheapest option if you want a roof over your head and not a broken castle or a cat.

Mod notes:

⬥ There is no Lockdown period for the first week, and as such, Personas cannot be accessed until week 2
⬥ A new post will go up detailing the Lockdown period and Persona summoning process next week, but this post may be used for threads taking place throughout the month
⬥ The name on the character’s omamori is up to player discretion, whether it’s the character’s full name, first or last name, or nickname
⬥ Please see the locations page for visuals and more details about the setting

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's... somewhat mismatched, but seeing anybody here puts Kido's heart at ease. She'd gone off the path and had gotten lost, so she was relieved to see steps, a pain as they are to climb when her side still aches with having it been punched through... however long ago it was. Felt like less than a day for her, but the fact that she isn't bleeding out in an alley says otherwise.

However happy she is to see another person, though, she's still cautious, quiet steps as she moves around and behind Mondo until she's just behind him, and taps him on the shoulder. ]

ー!!

[ Coming up from behind Mondo might have been one of the most dangerous things you can do, with his reflexes set on combat mode most the times. He takes a step back as he spins, holding up the broom in front of the other, as if it serves as a staff. Had this been the him from sometime ago, he would've dropped his defenses the moment he saw that it's 'just' a girl. But he knows better now, and he's not letting his guards down.

He glares her down, in an attempt of intimidation-- until he sees the red on her clothing.

Slowly, he removes the broom from between them, eyeing the blood stain, and then the girl herself. It doesn't seem like she's here to look for a fight. ]

You... what d'ya want? Is that... [ He gestures. ] ...treated?

[ She's able to stand, at least. Might not be as bad as it seems. ]

[ Yikes— perhaps it's something Kido should have expected just going up to somebody like that; she probably would have done the same thing... gestures to poor Terrence up there. While she's not usually a fighter, she pulls back with a start when Mondo brandishes the broom, anger- fear, defiance- flashing across her face for the briefest of moments before she forces herself to calm down, pulling her hood a little more forward over her face and relaxing into a less threatening stance.

She puts a hand to her stomach, pressing for a moment, and shakes her head. No, it's not treated, but also no- ]

That's not important right now. Sorry for interrupting your work, but I need answers.

[ He grunts in disbelief at her reaction. ]

How's that not important?!

[ She's fucking bleeding. Or was. Either way, it doesn't seem like it got treated, by the way she responded. He clicks his tongue. ]

Fuck, I dunno what kinda question ya have that's more pressin' than that--

[ ...Maybe his mannerism and speech might be enough for her to notice that he doesn't work here.

At any rate, he needs to know how bad the wound is. ]

Look, I'll answer anythin', [ Not that he knows, you know, anything at all. ] but we gotta find a way to treat that first. Is it deep? How didja get hurt? [ He can't just ask her to lift up her shirt now, can he. ]

[ It's not important because she's not dead or dying from it!! His mannerism and speech are rough, but it's not like Kido can judge when she similarly leans towards rough language, so it doesn't put her off at all.

She crosses her arms over her chest, but it doesn't quite cover the mess of dried blood staining her jacket and splattered all over one side of her pants, but yeah, he cannot ask her to lift up her shirt and she absolutely refuses to do it. ]

I don't know what happened. I must have gotten attacked in an alleyway, but it happened too fast, I can't tell any more than that. [ She knows who it was, knows how it happened, but the way life freezes for a breath when it's the last one you'll ever take, it's also so hard to believe. ]

Which leads me to my question: what is this place?

You got what?!

[ Yeah sure ok cool that makes 100% perfect sense. Not!! Like Mondo can just nod and let that off! Now that he notices that someone's injured, he can't just leave them like that. Well, technically he can, but his principles won't let him. ]

Hell if I know! Before I knew it, I'm here. [ From that question, she's probably the sam-- OKAY MORE IMPORTANTLY... stop distracting him from your wounds, Kido!! It won't heal with idle chitchatting!! ] Tch. C'mon, we gotta get that rinsed at least! Let's find some water body, there should be one nearby.

[ The last thing they'd want to happen is infection ー shit's a bitch to deal with. He gestures at her to follow him. Though he walked here absentmindedly, he can faintly remember hearing the sound of a stream on his way. ]

We can talk as we go.

[ She got punched through the gut! Probably!! Like she said, she has no idea what happened, but she doesn't have blood and guts spewing out of her stomach wound so??? It's not that important.

She doesn't move right away, gritting her teeth and torn between following Mondo or not. He says he doesn't know the place, but he thinks he can find a river or something? She's not sure she believes in him that much, but at the same time, he is one of the very very very few people she's caught sight of, most disappearing into the thick trees out of the corner of her eye.

She really doesn't want to go with a stranger.

But a fox yips from behind the shrine and she lets out a strangled yell that she tries to pass off for a coughing fit, and hurries to shuffle behind Mondo. ]

Yeah, that's a good idea. I'd like to get cleaned off, and finding drinkable water is always important.

[ Not that she was spooked, or anything. ]

[ WHY IS KIDO LIKE THIS

Mondo notices the hesitation, which is fair. If he's not used to (or more like forced to get used to) this kind of situation, he wouldn't have extended his hand so easily either.

But look, trust him on this. He might not be the brainiest, but in situations like this, relying on your instincts sometimes fare a lot better. Maybe. There's at least a 50:50 chance and that's better than nothing, y'know? ]

This way.

[ As he led them down the stairs, he caught the strange noise-- wasn't quick enough to realise what happened behind him, but quick enough to notice the unnaturally close distance she's suddenly taking between them. ??!? That raises his wariness, Mondo being Mondo, but he's not gonna desert her just yet. ]

...Yeah, sure. You prolly wanna take it slow.

[ Stomach wounds and stairs aren't the best combo, after all. Judging from the stain on her clothes alone, her wounds probably have dried considerably, but that doesn't mean it can't reopen. Hypothetically speaking, he can bridal carry her to avoid friction that inevitably will happen with movements but... 1) he doesn't really trust her yet, 2) she probably doesn't either, 3) she doesn't look like someone who'll take that in stride.

He'll continue walking, straying off the path and stepping over the weeds. ]

[ Look... she's just on the fence about whether she's actually dead or not this time, and more than that, they're in the middle of the woods with the only structures in sight being old run-down buildings, so there's very little in terms of hospitals that she can wish for.

Half an inch before death or not, though, Kido definitely would have roundhouse kicked Mondo in the face if he so much as tried to touch her, so just the word of concern is appreciated enough. She lets a little more distance grow between them as they go down the stairs, only because she needs the extra time even if she pretends everything is fine and alright and that her stomach doesn't feel like it catches fire every time her weight drops down on the next step down. ]

You. Stay on the path. It's there for a reason, and the forest floor can get uneven.

[ She knows this because that's how she got lost, and she definitely tripped and fell several times trying to get through the forest without a path to guide her. ]

[ He’s gonna be that sensible person for once and pretend he doesn’t notice that. There’s nothing more humiliating than having someone throwing a pity party for you just because you’re not in your 100%. He doesn’t know what kind of person she is just yet, but he’s not about to pull shit that he doesn’t like others doing at him. ]

It’s faster this way— [ He was about to begin an argument, but she’s got a point. It’s probably easier for her too if they just walk on stable grounds. ] —but uh, ‘kay. We’ll just gotta go down that valley ahead.

[ It’s not that far, they probably can get there in less than half an hour — but he’s impatient. ]

Dang, if only I had my bike with me, it would’ve been a jiffy.

[ That’s meant to be a mumble, but in Mondo Volume everything is audible. ]

[ Being sensible wins points from Kido, but it takes a lot of points to get on her good side. At least she can see around where Mondo means, where the canopy of trees dip down into something like a valley and beyond that... she squints but her eyesight isn't good enough to be sure those are actually roofs or just a trick in the light, as the summer sun tends to do, and a couple steps more, she's not up high enough to see over the treetops anymore. ]

You shouldn't go riding bikes in a forest like this anyways. The paths are too narrow, so it'd be dangerous, even with a mountain bike.

[ Which she doesn't know how to ride. And would rather die than let Mondo give her a ride. So it's the slow walk down to the valley... ]

...Oh well. It's not too hot with all the trees, so taking a walk like this is nice sometimes too.

[ Mondo turns to look at her. ]

Hah! No path’s too dangerous. ‘m not the leader for nothin’! You won’t even know it when we’ve reached our stop!

[ Uh... wow ok conditioned reflex is scary. Here he thinks he’s past that, but whenever his skills in motorbikes are being challenged, he always has to assert his dominance. Awkward... he’s gonna just pretend that didn’t happen. ]

...I mean, you’ve got a point there.

[ He’s not the injured person here, anyway. He’ll let the girl decide things. For the most part. ]

[ ...a snicker escapes before Kido can clap a hand over her mouth and pretend that didn't happen, because Mondo definitely looks like the sort of person who could break her legs for laughing at him. ]

You- you're the leader, huh? Like, from some sort of gang?

[ It's only funny to her because she's also the leader of her gang, but in the end it's a make-believe gang started by a bunch of lonely children, and with Mondo's hair and everything... that's really going all out to play gang. ]

...Ou.

[ He's grown enough not to boast about the gang itself, as he's aware now that all they did were nothing but dumb shit. But he's not gonna deny the gang. After all, he's still sporting the same hair and outfit. No matter what, it was once his home. The place where he belonged. ]

'twas a biker gang. [ 'Bousouzoku'. Literally 'rampage group'. She probably had an idea from his outfit alone. ] We were the top one in Japan, so we got ourselves in over our big fuckin' heads. [ Despite the rough words, there's no contempt, nor pride in his voice. It was almost like he's an observer describing an experience that isn't his.] But I learned shit from it too.

[ A brief pause. ]

Like my riding skills.

[ He gestures as if he's twisting the throttle of a motorbike, this time with confidence dripping off his voice. ]

[ Oh, he's really into it. It's funny, how much he sticks with the story like that, though... there's something cool about it too, just the idea of being in a gang is really cool, having people to watch your back and going around having gatherings and missions and the such. Kido wants to believe she's grown out of that sort of thing, but it's still pretty cool. ]

Ha... I guess we'll just have to hope there's a bike shop somewhere, and you'll have to show me.

[ He frankly wasn't sure what kind of reaction he'll get, so the response catches him off guard. ]

Huh? Uh, yeah! [ His voice then regains its volume. It's not full-on smile he's wearing, but his expression visibly brightens up. ] Even if they only have parts, I can build one, too! [ He then turns his head her way. ] You ever ridden one?

Huh. Building one is something I'd like to see.

[ In all honesty, hearing that he can build a motorcycle is a lot more impressive than being able to ride one, which Kido just sort of assumes is like riding a regular bike, except easier because the wheels are much thicker? ]

But as for riding one, no, I haven't. I don't really go out much, and taking the bus is fine if I need to get anywhere.

[ She's also like... 16 or 17, so who knows if she'd be legally allowed to ride one anyways. ]

[ What are legal issues to Mondo... ]

Yeah? I'll be sure to call ya over when I do, then. I built one at... [ Wonderland. But that's weird to say aloud. ] ...the place I was at before I came here. [ More like sucked? Summoned? Y'know. ] 'Twas kinda challenging, but real fun. You get to customise it to your liking, and learn shit from it, too! Shame there ain't no tracks to run it freely then.

[ It's kind of obvious, but she really is the complete opposite type to him. ]

What kinda place are ya from?

[ Yeah, if he mentioned Wonderland, she would have turned around and walked right back up the stairs.

Building a motorcycle seems to be a lot more complicated than she thought, trying to imagine what could even be customized besides the color and maybe softer seats? Motorcycles are way beyond her, way too flashy and way too noisy for her to be comfortable ever using, even if she thinks it's cool watching people drive by on them. ]

Home? Hmm... It's a city pretty different from a place like this. Where I lived before that, though, there was a huge forest behind the house.

[ Her brother would play in there all the time, but she never did. Thinking of that, though, reminds her of something from before- ]

From the top of the steps, it looks like the forest doesn't continue on forever. It definitely ends at a certain point, if we keep walking the direction we're going.

[ Mondo hums in response. She doesn’t seem like the one who wants to talk much about herself, but he can’t help feeling curious. Who knows, maybe someone here actually comes from the same world that he was from. Not that it really matters either way, but it doesn’t seem like that with her. ]

Yeah? For a city girl you seem pretty chill about all these, tho’.

[ He thought normally they’ll freak out more at how dirty and gross everything is. Anyway, what she said makes him look up. ]

Birds’re flockin’ ahead. We might be gettin’ close. A good sign is when we spot bugs swarm, I heard.

[ If she knew what he was thinking, she would probably laugh, though not out of humor. Her life used to be like that, fancy dresses and huge mansions and not a speck of dust to be seen- and she hated it.

Unfortunately, what she hates even more are bugs. And a bug swarm? Haha, screw that. ]

I think I'm going to go back to the shrine and wait. Bye.

[ Good bye!!!! Kido turns around to leave so she can go somewhere indoors and not have to worry about bugs, they're so creepy and gross and scary and eww ]

[ ?!? ]

Oi, hold up hold up... what do ya mean with going back to shrine and wait? The water's not gonna come to you if you don't come to it--

[ ...Wait. Could it be... ]

--Are ya scared of bugs?

No! Shut up! I'm not scared!!

[ She stomps up the stairs as fast as her aching stomach will allow her to, shouting back at Mondo without so much as a pause. ]

[ Alright, that was totally his bad. Mondo quickly follows after her, tugging the back of her hoodie so she won't go any further. ]

Wait up... 's just an example, don't mean they're gonna be there for sure. You don't wanna die from dehydration now, do ya?

[ Urk— Kido stops, not because she doesn't want to trip backwards down the stairs, but because she doesn't want him to stretch the hoodie out, oversized as it already is, bringing her hand up to slap Mondo's away if he doesn't immediately let go of it. ]

...It's a forest in the middle of summer, so there will be bugs everywhere.

[ Gross... it's fine as long as she doesn't think about it, but now that she's thinking about it, she's just going to imagine bug swarms every time something itches. She tugs her sleeves down a little more over her hands before shoving them into her jacket pockets. Like this, with her hood up and with long sleeves and pants, she's completely covered up, the only skin showing being her eyes and, like... one pant leg rolled up to her knee, which google tells me is a fashion statement symbolizing her membership in a gang, because she thinks that's cool... That one leg is going to be covered in bug bites by the end of the week. ]

But— ugh, fine, alright! The faster we get there, the sooner we can get out of here. Go on, hurry up and lead the way.

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ I.

→ II.

→ III.

ii

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