4. Text, Action

[greatseal]

Hello, everyone! You may have already noticed from the stores, but tomorrow is a holiday called Valentine's Day. I know not everyone is from Earth so I thought that it might be good to explain it.

Valentine's Day started in the West as a religious holiday, but it's turned into a holiday for showing people you love them! In some countries, you mostly give gifts to your girlfriend or boyfriend. In Japan (and Hinoto-ri) though, it's different. On Valentine's Day, women give chocolates to the men they know, and next month, on White Day, the men give gifts in return. Giving a guy fancy chocolates means you really like them! (o⌒.⌒o)♡

[If this were voice, this is where it would turn more serious.] A lot of us are waiting for people to come home, and we don't know how we can help that to happen yet. The people you love the most might not even be in the city at all. But we can still have fun for a day. And who knows... they might even show up tomorrow in time to celebrate.

...Anyway, if there are any girls (or boys, even) who want to learn how to make Valentine chocolates, come stop by the Iwatodai Dorm today. I have some ingredients ready. [attached: directions.txt] And if you have a recipe of your own you want to try, bring what you need and we'll make it, too!

[Action, Iwatodai Dorm]

[As promised, Minako has a good amount of chocolate and related materials getting ready for use. She's got the door to the kitchen open and the stoves working melting the chocolate, but a lot of the ingredients are spread out on the large dining-room table in the lobby. She's not sure how many people will take her offer, after all.

It may seem odd to do all of this when she doesn't even know if her intended chocolate recipients will be home tomorrow. But keeping busy has always been her trademark. When she's focused on other things, or other people, she doesn't have to worry about herself. So really, this level of activity isn't strange at all.]

[Note: Feel free to threadjack in the action part! Everyone probably won't be working individually the whole time, after all.]

Comments

[action]

[verytasty]

[ Natsume looks up, a little startled that she took the time to poke her head out like this. But in a new place like this, he doesn't know whether it's okay to take her up on her invitation - some company would be really welcome, but what if more demons come along? ]

I, um... I don't want to be any trouble... if you could just point me the way?

[action]

[greatseal]

I can, but it's still going to take time. Come in!

[This isn't a suggestion, kid, come through the door :|]

[greatseal]

[Poor Chie was left out of the loop...]

Yeah. Our team is called SEES... We fought Shadows in Port Island during 2009 and early 2010. The 13th Hour here is basically what it was like for us.

I didn't know about other groups like yours before coming here either, but it makes sense, doesn't it? Persona can't be a completely new power.

[leekspins]

Thank you very much!

[She toes off her shoes at the door, not wanting to get the floor dirty. There's a sense of warmth in this place, filled with the sound of friendly voices and good smells. It's comforting.]

Is there anything you need help with? I haven't made chocolates before, but I'm pretty good at cakes!

[verytasty]

[ Well, when she puts it like that...

Still, he winds up glancing either way down the street warily before he does as she demands and crosses it to come up the steps and into the dorm. ]

I, um... thank you.

[feminine_carnivore]

[ Chie has no idea the ignorance of her statement. ]

Wow, I wish we had known there were others out there we could have talked to. [ Sadly, even if they had known other Persona users it wouldn't have saved any of the three murdered. ]

I thought that Izanami was the one who gave people the power, but I guess other Gods can too.

[greatseal]

Izanami....? Well I'm not sure Philemon is a 'god,' really... [But seriously, what is this Izanami business???]

It's kind of complicated to explain, but my friends all awoke their Personas on their own. Back then there was the Dark Hour, which is like the 13th Hour here, like I said. But the difference is that most people didn't experience it. Everyone except people with the potential to use a Persona, and people called in by the Shadows, transmogrified into a coffin.

[greatseal]

[Minako notices her shoe removal, but decides not to comment on it. The dorm is basically built in Western style so leaving shoes on isn't a problem, but it's also more comfortable to go without them. And it also feels more like a home.]

If you like making cakes, how about brownies? I actually have a recipe here for chocolate brownie petit-fours.

[greatseal]

It's actually one of my school's dorms. It came with us to the city, I suppose.

[She still doesn't understand how, but at least it's very convenient. As she speaks, she leads him towards the back of the entry foyer, where the large dining-room table and the door to the kitchen sit near a bar-like area.]

[greatseal]

Then let's get to work! We can make chocolate for all of your friends.

[And honestly, it was nice to hear that some of the people she's met here and the people she was already friends with are getting along back home, too.]

[not_that_scary]

So it's just like what happened with the Moon Tree Guild.

[And led on he shall be.] Why does a school dorm have a bar?

[greatseal]

I'm not really sure. It was a smaller co-ed dorm, so they might have just bought a building that was already there and remodeled it. [Or... the Kirijo Group built a special, fancier dorm just to house Mitsuru.

She wouldn't put that past the group, either.]

Action

[greatseal]

That's great! We can always use more things. What kind of recipe were you thinking...?

[The end of her sentence trails off a bit oddly, because right about now, Minako turns to get her good first look at Nano. The key is the first place her eyes go.]

[greatseal]

I can understand that. Some of the people I want to give chocolate to aren't here right now, either.

You're still welcome to come, though. To make it for yourself, or anyone you want.

Action

[all_wound_up]

I was thinking of using white, milk, and dark chocolate and making a variety of different things. I bought heart-shaped lollipop molds, so I thought those would be fun to use!

[Nano smiles as she starts to unpack her bag, but notices Minako staring after a few moments.]

...Oh, you must be wondering about the key, huh?

[aurathread]

... Okay.

[aurathread]

[There's another knock on the door, with another weirdly-dressed kid.]

Hello?

[greatseal]

[Minako at least looks ashamed to be caught like that...]

Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare at you.

[greatseal]

It's no problem. If you saw my entry, you know I'm expecting visitors anyway.

[Sorry Takashi, you've now entered her clutches and it's unlikely you'll escape without chocolate.]

[all_wound_up]

[Nano blushes a bit, shaking her head.]

It's okay. I know it stands out. But it's part of who I am, so I decided I'm not going to try to hide it.

Text

[greatseal]

[....that's kind of an odd reply, but....]

1. There's nothing dumb about it. Why wouldn't you celebrate love?
2. Chocolate is a sweet candy that tastes really good!
3. Well... yes, technically, but that's not really why most people do it.
4. It's called an emote! (=´∀`)人(´∀‘=) You make them using different symbols to make it look like a face.

[verytasty]

Oh... yeah.

[ But he wasn't here to make chocolates... Still, he'll follow her wherever she leads in the building, though he looks around curiously as he goes. ]

Um, your dorm is very nice.

[greatseal]

Thanks! It's kind of strange for a dorm, actually, but I like it a lot.

[She'd been in an all-girls dorm before and it wasn't as fun as this one. But still, any kind of dorm beats living by herself.

She just leads him as far as the couch and then sits down.] So you want directions, right? I can show you how to find the map on your COMP, first.

[Action]

[greatseal]

[Minako is in the middle of mixing some chocolate at the back table, so instead of turning to answer the door she shouts as loud as she can-]

It's open! Come in!

[She should have put a sign on the doors...]

[Text]

[greatseal]

That's what I'm going to do... Most of these recipes should be okay to freeze and hand out later.

[She just doesn't want to do that immediately, because she's still hoping they'll be back...]

But, of course! Just stop by whenever you have time this afternoon.