Text: This is a public service announcement

[lighter_flick]

[After he wakes up from that weird dream, it takes him a few more hours to realize that Eikichi is, somehow, missing. And...that was it! That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back! Because by mid-morning, there is an angry-looking text post from Tatsuya on the network, with only these words of warning.]

ATTN: HINOTO-RI

PHILEMON WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE

[That's....it. Maybe he should elaborate.]

Comments

[text]

[lighter_flick]

[Hysterical is his middle name, to be honest.

It's awhile before he replies but when he does, it looks like he's trying to calm himself, despite still typing in all caps.]

I KNOW. I'M SORRY. I KNOW. I WANT TO THINK THINGS WILL BE OKAY. YOU'RE RIGHT I MEAN THEY'RE PERSONA USERS

[The problem for him is that being a Persona user can't protect you from some things, but at least he gets that she's trying to help.]

[text]

[greatseal]

[She knows that, too. All too well, really... The problem is that thinking about bullets and accidents won't stop them from happening. Neither will being there, all the time. Some things aren't controllable, and once you start down that path of fearing the future and dwelling on the mistakes of the past, your thinking just becomes darker and darker until the despair swallows you whole.

That's an outcome she utterly rejects.]

Hey, what's your name?

[text]

[lighter_flick]

[See, that's probably why Nyarlathotep enjoys fucking with him...]

TATSUYA SUOU.

[text]

[greatseal]

Tatsuya-kun. I'm Minako Arisato.

My brother and [...well, she doesn't want to spread too much sappy information over the network but may as well] my boyfriend and some other close friends left with Eikichi-kun.

You're right, though. We don't need to just wait for them. Let's work together and make sure they come home safely... But stay calm while we do.

[text]

[lighter_flick]

ALRIGHT.

DO YOU THINK THERE'S A WAY TO FIND OUT WHERE THEY WENT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

[text]

[greatseal]

The Seven and the Three Wise Men might know something. When that group of them vanished the other day it was because the Trapezohedron called them to another world, so they're probably still researching it.

Besides that... if the Velvet Room opens up, we could ask Igor.

[text]

[lighter_flick]

[She knows Igor oh my god that's perfect.]

IGOR'S HERE?

THAT'S PERFECT, HE'LL PROBABLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND THEN WE CAN ASK THOSE GUYS ABOUT THE TRAPEWHATEVERIT'SCALLED.

[text]

[greatseal]

[so his hatred of otherworldly beings doesn't extend to Igor at least.]

He is! But the Velvet Room isn't around all the time here, so it can be a little hard to get ahold of him.

So you used to visit the Velvet Room too...? That makes sense though because Eikichi-kun mentioned it.

[text]

[lighter_flick]

[Are you kidding Igor is totally great.]

THAT'S KIND OF WEIRD BUT AT LEAST THE VELVET ROOM'S HERE.

AND YEAH, WE ALL DID. I GUESS I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED HE'S HERE, IF PHILEMON IS TOO.

SO ARE NAMELESS AND BELLADONNA HERE TOO?

[text]

[greatseal]

[Belladonna and Nameless...? Well, at least she recognizes the names (or lack of them) although she didn't speak to them.]

They were once, but usually it's Igor and two attendants named Caroline and William.

[text]

[lighter_flick]

[...what?]

THAT'S KIND OF WEIRD BUT WHATEVER THE VELVET ROOM IS A GOOD PLACE TO START.

[text]

[greatseal]

Igor said the shape of the room and number of attendants changes depending on the guests... And there are a lot of us, so I guess it makes sense.

But anyway, now we just have to keep an eye out for it.

[text]

[lighter_flick]

YEAH, I GUESS. DO YOU KNOW WHY THE DOOR ISN'T AROUND ALL THE TIME NOW OR IS THAT JUST A MYSTERY?

[text]

[greatseal]

I really don't know. Maybe there's just too many of us for Igor to handle going in and out whenever we want?

[text]

[lighter_flick]

PROBABLY.

I THOUGHT MOST PERSONA USERS COULD SEE THE VELVET ROOM ANYWAY BUT THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT MORE HERE THAN BACK HOME, SO THAT MAKES SENSE.

[text]

[greatseal]

[...]

That's not how it was for me. None of my teammates could even see the door.

[uh...wait. maybe she'd just written herself into a corner there.] Well, my brother could, but he and I were guests. Everyone else thought I was staring into space.

[text]

[lighter_flick]

[...Um.]

BUT EVERY PERSONA USER'S A GUEST, THOUGH.

[Er, wait a minute, was he thinking too generally? Because...Sudou and them could use Personas too, but he couldn't really see them being invited into the Velvet Room...so...]

ACTUALLY WAIT, I GUESS IT'S MORE LIKE "GUESTS OF PHILEMON"??? THE ENTIRE POINT OF GOING THERE IS TO GAIN MORE PERSONAS, AND YOU SAID ONLY YOU AND YOUR BROTHER WERE GUESTS?

[Ask Tatsuya Suou about using multiple Personas when you don't have the Fool Arcana!]

[text]

[greatseal]

Well, none of the rest of the team could gain more Personas. Only we could.