002 [Video/Public]

[otakuro]

[The screen flickers on to a boy wearing an amused grin.]

Everyone!

I've got good news!  You're forgiven!  The angel I summoned said so himself; God would definitely forgive you in a heartbeat because man's heart is weak, as is his mind, and we're all, uh, susceptible to the workings of the Evil One, and even as we wallow in our filth and sin, we -- You know what, forget God; I forgive you.

Seriously, no one could possibly blame you for what happened last week even if some of us were lucky enough to be scorpion magnets.  Misery has it right - the important thing is to make sure that it doesn't happen again.  If you all missed the announcements from the higher-ups, the people who were affected most severely were Scorpios.  ...If you don't know what that means, in modern times on Earth - that's the 2000s - they were born when the Sun was in the sector of the sky dominated by the constellation Scorpio.  This makes no sense if you were born outside Earth or in a time when we didn't go in for ridiculous things like pretending arbitrary sky-pictures meant anything about our lives, but the important thing is that the sun transitions into Scorpio beginning on October 23rd.

Guess what last week was.

The next sign is Sagittarius.  The sun will shift into its sector on November 22nd.

So let's clear a few things out of the way - Everyone who was afraid, can you report in with your sign?  Same thing if you were a scorpion magnet, though maybe that's more of a subjective thing.  And everyone who's a Sagittarius, do you mind if we tie you to your beds from November, oh, 18th-ish to the 23rd?  Your choices are (Yes/Of course/Definitely).  If your name is Jun, (That's kinda kinky) works, too.  If you don't know your sign, Sagittarius goes from late November into late December - so the end of a harvest season into winter in the Northern hemisphere, and the end of spring into summer in the South.

I'll keep track of the data.  It's kinda my thing.

Oh -- this has nothing to do with anything, but I'm working in the computer labs of the university now.  Drop by if you ever need anything fixed or if you just want to say hi.

Comments

[otakuro]

Hm... Our definition of 'demon' is so fluid that you could stuff a lot of Personas under it. But that's definitely not the case for all of them - I've... unlocked one that's a little... unusual.

I guess it doesn't matter so much why it's happening as long as we can find a way to prevent it. Do you know any... counter-summoning rituals or something like that?

[drakenguard]

I do know some sealing and shielding magic. However it is a bit difficult to utilise as it does rely on certain elements to work - and certain resources I do not possess right now.

[otakuro]

I guess we should figure out what ritual is being used in the first place - if we're on the right track at all.

Anything I can help you with, resource-wise?

[drakenguard]

Yes, rituals are very particular about what they're being cast for. It is a bit restrictive at times, but it means they're more potent when aligned with its correct function.

However, rituals of this nature do require a great amount of spiritual energy, magnetite, and organic resources - such as blood. Large quantities of it. We can possibly cast it with perhaps a pint or two, but its full effect won't be unlocked with such a meagre offering. If you know where we may get some, that would be helpful.

[Since they would be using the oldest of the oldest rituals, where human sacrifices had been no small thing. Not to say Yamato is expecting a human sacrifice - they had blood banks in their world after all, but he isn't sure if there is one in here]

[otakuro]

[Only Yamato could casually use the term 'organic resources' in reference to blood sacrifices. Atsuro's response doesn't come quite as quickly.]

The angels can all use a technique called Blood Wine - it's something similar, isn't it? I don't think I have liters of blood lying around, but maybe they'd have some idea.

[drakenguard]

Blood wine can be used, although the magic surrounding it can sometimes clash with the ritual, depending on what it is. If we are in desperate need of it,however, we can't be picky.

I will discuss it with Remiel.

[Even if Remiel has the fully evolved form of the technique, Angel's Stigma works on the same method]

[otakuro]

[Woe for being in the first game of a series when mechanics weren't fully worked out yet. Still, the concept of spilt blood as sacrifice ran deep within the tenets of mysticism - within Christianity, even. If anyone fully understood the requirements, it would be an angel of the highest order.]

Good luck, then. I'll let you know if I find out anything else about this attack.

...I'll try to question some of the Scorpios about it.

[drakenguard]

[This was true - if anything, Yamato could see himself being pulled into a long conversation with Remiel about blood sacrifices in general if he had enough time to. It had been a while since he flexed his brain on such a fascinating subject...]

Good. I, too, will keep you informed on any information I unearth. Hopefully we will get to the bottom of this before it occurs again.

[Aaaaaaaand then the conversation is over as far as Yamato's concerned. He still needs to learn how to say goodbye]