[Video | Public]

[otakuro]

Hey.  Looks like I've got this working.

[Atsuro's face appears on the network under somewhat inadequate lighting.  An astute guess would place him in his room illuminated only by the backlight of his laptop.] 

Everyone get out of that first mission OK?  I can't speak for anyone else, but geez, I think I slept for a few days straight there.  If they, uh, wanted a report or anything, the research labs are fine.  ...Probably.

[He stifles a yawn before continuing on, the camera zooming out slightly to reveal a lot of bedhead and a conspicuously absent trademark floppy hat.]

Hnn...  Sorry.

So!  Anyway.  I've been thinking a lot.  About what they've told us and about... what they haven't.  Hah, I'm still surprised this place isn't some weird hallucination.  It's a little unreal, right?  Like they're asking us to act out a game or a fantasy novel.  But... even if it seems like it might be fun to stick around, I think we need to find out what it is we're really getting into.  ...There's something I want to say about all this.

You've all run into the monsters by now, right?  They talk, they cast magic, they do tricks.  Not all of them are bad, but they're things we've heard of in myths and stories from different cultures all across the globe - Cerberus, the hound of Hades.  British pixies and kobolds.  Nekomata and other youkai from Japan.  So... what gives?  What're they doing here?

...I'm not gonna get into details, but I should say that these guys - the exact same identical demons - have popped up in at least two other worlds that I know of.  And both times.... they showed up because the world was about to end.

I'm not saying this place is the same way, but... maybe that's why they need our help badly.

[addendum a few minutes later]

Ah, someone reminded me - if you guys want to see a database of all the demons I've ever met, you can drop by my room.  Libra 5-07.

Comments

[blitzkriegzwei]

Sleeping too much is bad for you, you know. Your body becomes confused, and so you're tired all the time... but I suppose you'll recover. I must say your tenacity is remarkable. You were good in that fight.

[otakuro]

[He wonders if mentioning that he's barely slept in a week would get some slack. Atsuro will retain a cheerful countenance, though.]

Thanks. ...It's just because I've had some experience with them before. You were a good guy to fight beside, too.

[blitzkriegzwei]

Hah... thanks. My Persona had good timing, though. I'm afraid I'm not trained to handle to supernatural. So, naturally, I suppose it's good that we have supernatural means to fight back with.

[otakuro]

I might ease back on the demon taming now if we've got access to a different source of power. It always felt a little... unclean.

[blitzkriegzwei]

Unclean? How so? I found your demons to be quite helpful. You ought to keep them around, unless your Persona is capable of healing. I don't think mine is.

[otakuro]

...They are demons. Presumably from a... not very wholesome place. I mean, the goddesses and angels and stuff are great, sure. And they've all saved my butt plenty of times. I just... think it's probably best to keep Agares and Lilim sightings to a minimum.

...The other thing is that I've got to learn to rely on myself if my COMP gets disabled, too.

[blitzkriegzwei]

That's quite true. Now that you have a skill that comes from yourself, you need to hone it. [Beat.] Would you like to train with me sometime?

[otakuro]

You mean... fist-fighting?

[Most people would probably take that as weight-training, but Atsuro played too many video games. Exercise wasn't really up his alley, either way.]

Er. Sure, if you want. I mean, I don't actually know how to fight, except to... do the things that seem to hurt the demons most.

[blitzkriegzwei]

It doesn't have to be fist-fighting. I was thinking more like practicing our Persona usage against the demons. Does that sound more reasonable? [It probably doesn't, but Ludwig wants to practice using his Persona anyway.]

[otakuro]

Oh! ...Oh, yeah, sure! I could ask my demons to help us practice first if you'd rather not go hunting them down or something.

...

Actually, I tried summoning mine again a while ago and it didn't seem to work. I'm not sure I've got the hang of it yet.

[blitzkriegzwei]

Your demons, or at least a particular one, will be needed for healing and emergencies. Let's not use them as training fodder. It sounds like there's enough demons around in certain places, anyway... it's even mentioned in Capricorn's description that demons come out at night. And if you're having trouble summoning your Persona, then it's that much more important that we practice.

[otakuro]

Hah... I'll let Laksmi know her work is appreciated.

Alright. Capricorn's the unpopulated district, right? I'm going to look around later during the daytime; I'll scope it out.

[blitzkriegzwei]

I'll admit... since it's nothing like I've ever experienced before, I'm a bit fascinated by it.

Yes, that's right. I don't know how active it will be during the day, though...

[otakuro]

I'm hoping it won't be active at all. But I'd rather not fight on terrain I'm not familiar with, you know?

[blitzkriegzwei]

Ah, yes. That's true. Since we plan to fight there, we should both scout out the territory, even if not necessarily at the same time.

[otakuro]

I think I'll take the afternoon to check out the rest of the city.

Did you want to start tonight or should we set a later date?

[blitzkriegzwei]

Hmm... not tonight. We ought to take more time to explore the territory and get used to things first. But soon enough.

[otakuro]

Sure thing. Just let me know whenever you'd like to go.

[He'd never been terribly fond of all the Free Battles his friends had insisted on training themselves in, but it would be worth trying to figure out more about this new power they had.]

[blitzkriegzwei]

That I will. See you around soon.