[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

[jundere]

I got told my persona would be one, that's all. I was kinda worried about it being something weird that would put people off of talking to me.

[Damn you Narukami. Damn you to hell!!!

Even if he didn't say that, he just said it was possible. Same thing, right?]

I also left my list of weird stuff to say at home, so I've been winging it since I got here.

[otakuro]

...Well. Yours is a little... unusual, but I don't think anyone will be too put off by it. The way it was explained to me is that it's more like a... facet. Just one part of you.

I don't really even know anything about mine.

Don't worry about the list; I think you're doing pretty well with the ad-lib.

[jundere]

Hey; doesn't that make me seem like some kind of weirdo freak-job?

[You can't see it but she's fake!pouting]

Okay; I'm in the lobby now... but I guess you can see that, huh?

[otakuro]

...From more than one perspective.

[There is a ding across the hall as the elevator doors slide open and Atsuro steps out.]

Hey! ...Think we can put these things away now.

[The glasses retract.]

[jundere]

[Why did he get out of the elevator what is he doing

oh well she runs over to him and points to the elevator door anyway.

Which is now closing.]

Why didn't you just hold the door and we could have gone straight to your place?

[otakuro]

...

Uh.

Be...cause I thought we should spend some time outside in fresh air! And... sunlight! Yeah.

[Atsuro never spends time in fresh air and sunlight if he can help it.]

I've got everything I need with me; don't worry.

[jundere]

Alright, then let's see the dirty depraved material on your computer!

[She might have lost sight of her original goal. Yeah.]

Unless you were removing it all before you got here and that's why you took so long.

[But since she was watching on video... that was clearly not the case.]

[otakuro]

...There would be too much glare on the laptop for that, anyway.

I thought we were talking about demons here.

[jundere]

...Glare? I thought the only machines that would glare at me around here would be Brainstorm.

[rimshot.mp3

really though she doesn't know that term. Ninja swordfighter 5eva.]

Sure we are! Show me something cool!

[otakuro]

Wha -- Whoa, calm down. It's just going to be a list and some pictures.

[Atsuro digs around in his pockets and brings out the COMP - the one from his world.]

...Since it doesn't sounds like you use electronics much, I'll hold onto it. Tell me when you want to scroll.

[The last thing he wants is her accidentally summoning his demons or fusing them into something useless.]

[jundere]

[She leans over and looks at the screen. It's not exactly untrue that she doesn't use electronics much, but it's partly because computers are for otaku losers amiright guys.

Yeah she should probably not mention that.]

Was that a joke about scrolls and ninjas? Like the ones in cartoons that use scrolls to summon things?

[A beat while she studies the screen some more]

I don't need a scroll to do ninja arts or summon things, though.

[A second beat]

Is any of this screen supposed to make much sense to me?

[otakuro]

It's... It's just names and pictures...

Wait, you mean the stats? ...No, you can ignore that stuff. Those are... a general gauge of how strong the demon is. The strengths and weaknesses... Well, you've probably figured that out, right? Our Personas have these, too.

[jundere]

I see...

[This isn't as interesting as she thought, man.

What kind of social link even are you?]

Do you have any cute girls in there?

[Demons, actual girls, cartoon girls, she doesn't mind.]

[otakuro]

I thought you wanted to know what we'd be fighting! ...Augh, man, don't tell me you're seriously interested in inter-species romance. You'd probably go straight to hell.

[Atsuro sighs.]

Whatever.

[He taps a filter so that only Megami class demons are displayed.]

Tell me when you get bored of your demon ogling.

[jundere]

A fine curvaceous body is a fine curvaceous body no matter who it's attached too, Atsuro-chan.

[Even if that body belongs to, say, her half sister princess lady]

So, let's see here...

[Scroll scroll scrolling all by herself. It's like her perverse nature has granted her brief knowledge of computators.

Also she was watching Atsuro scroll and copied that. Shh.]

I don't see why I'd go to hell for tapping some of this fine material. Or even warming one of them through the night.

[otakuro]

...These are goddesses. Megami? You're definitely going to the underworld.

[He'll stop her finger when she reaches Laksmi.]

I've got her with me. Most of the Megami family class are strong healers and strong magicians, so Laksmi's my main recovery demon right now.