personavelvetroomdr | A Visit to Inaba

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A Visit to Inaba

Sumire can't help but find herself intrigued by the other doors in the Velvet Room, and this time finds herself stepping through into Inaba. It seems like a nice little town, so different from a large city like Tokyo.

The air just feels more fresh and easier to breathe in, it's actually quite nice.

She walks through the neighborhood with a small smile on her face, just taking in the quaint scenery and the nice atmosphere. She almost wouldn't believe that there were some murders that took place here...

"..."

She knows it must be safe since this isn't the true Inaba, but rather a cognitive (?) version. The people walking by her aren't real, the shopkeepers of the various stores aren't real...

...It's all so surreal, honestly...

Option 1: For now she just walks nearby the textile shop, eying it with a curious look. She has been meaning to try to choose some cute accessories for herself... Maybe she can figure out what she likes here.

Option 2: Sumire pauses, a bit confused as she stops by the gas station. Wait, she just passed this gas station a bit ago... Oh no, is she lost?

Option 3: And then she finds herself at Junes, looking around the store with some quiet consideration. She may need to grab groceries, and the produce here is probably different than back home... Maybe she'll find something good here? Oh, and perhaps she can check the rest of the store, too...

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Rise herself had gone to Junes to check out the TV world when she saw a girl there with long red hair in the produce section. She didn't recognize her, one of Takamaki's friends maybe? She approaches the girl with a wave.

"Lost? I can show you around the store if you want."

Sumire wasn't expecting to be approached, and she turns to look at Rise with a blink.

"Oh!"

It's then that she gets a good look at Rise, and pauses. Is that...? No, no way, that's probably not her, it's probably just a coincidence.

"Thank you, but I wouldn't want to impose..."

There's just one problem, she's already grabbed the produce she wanted, and now she has no idea where to go next in the store. Oh dear.

"..."

...Maybe she should ask for directions...? The awkwardness is palpable.

"Oh it's really no problem at all, you aren't imposing!" She can always come back to survey the Midnight Channel another time. "I know Junes is kind of a big place if you aren't sure what you're looking for, so I'm happy to help out!" And keep this girl away from the electronics section. Just in case.

"If you're certain... Thank you. I'll take you up on the kind offer."

Sumire smiles a little with a nod.

But the question is where does she want to go next...? Hmm... She has most of the groceries she's been meaning to grab, but now that she thinks on it...

"You wouldn't know which aisle to find the coffee on, would you? I have some friends that really enjoy it, and I've been meaning to get used to brewing it."

...Well, she views Ren as a friend, at least. Even if he's one of the key suspects for the mental shutdowns...

"Oh that's pretty easy, just follow me!" Rise motions for the girl to walk along with her. "By the way you wouldn't happen to know a Takamaki would you?" Probably a different one if she did but it might help point to when this girl is from.

Sumire begins following along somewhat quietly, at least until the question is asked.

"Oh, you know Takamaki-senpai?"

That's enough to get her to perk up a bit, lifting her head slightly.

"She's a friend of mine from back home. I wasn't aware there was a version of her here...!"

"She was nice enough to explain to me some of what was happening around here," Rise admits. "I'm not really sure how her timeline might be different from yours." Just because the only things she really knows about 2016 she's heard from other people. There's another Shadow threat, but it doesn't seem like Rise and her friends are involved.

"That sounds like Takamaki-san. She's always been very kind, and helps me a lot, too. At least, in my own world."

But she pauses, considering the idea of the various timelines again. Huh... She wonders what Ann is like in other worlds... After all...

"It most likely is a rather different timeline... I've heard that my circumstances are pretty unusual, so we're probably not from the same timeline."

Sumire says that a bit sheepishly, but she seems to be in a bit better of spirits.

"Is she doing well, I hope?"

She probably is, it is Ann they're talking about, but she still figures she should ask.

"I think so? She really mainly talked to me about how using Personas changes." She hopes Takamaki is doing well at least, since she was that patient and kind to Rise.

Maybe it's best that they don't dwell on the subject. "I don't think I've met a version of you yet, what's your name?" Best to be polite.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I'm sorry...! I'm Sumire Yoshizawa."

She still notes that this girl looks a lot like Rise Kujikawa, but there's no way. She wouldn't be sucked into the world of Persona users, surely...

"What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you Yoshizawa, you can call me Rise." Which if her world was anything like Takamaki's it probably wouldn't be hard then to guess that she's Rise Kujikawa. She's still kind of surprised that she's that well known when she grows up.

"...Rise? You mean..."

Oh NO, she's been talking so casually with Rise Kujikawa! Oh, the embarrassment! She should have been much more polite and proper!

"Y-You are Rise Kujikawa!"

She stops, bowing apologetically.

"I-I should have realized...! I'm so sorry...!"

What is she even apologizing for? She doesn't know, but she's apologizing for whatever she did! The nature of an over-apologizer...

"It's alright! I probably don't look the same in the future as I do right now." It also wouldn't have been shocking if she got mistaken for another idol, that happened all the time too.

"There's no need to be so formal either I promise." She's just a high school freshman like anybody else.

Sumire awkwardly raises her head back up, still looking rather mortified.

"I-If you're certain, Kujikawa-san... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten so worked up."

It's probably becoming increasingly clear that she's the formal type.

"It's alright, Takamaki seemed pretty surprised to see me too." Seriously, was it that weird to think of her being a Persona user? Or maybe it was just the fact that it was hard to think of a famous person as being wrapped up in all the danger that Personas entailed. She couldn't really tell.

There's a prominent display at the front of the textile shop - knitted stuffed animals, complete with an assortment of little handmade outfits.

They're... very elaborate. Not to mention adorable.

Oh, all of these are so cute! Whoever made them must be extremely skilled with their craft, she notes.

...Well, they might have been set up by a cognition or something considering where she is, but the detail on these...

It's what makes her decide to actually step in, and take a proper look around.

"Hello?"

There's probably no one here, but... well, she'd rather not be rude so she announces her presence.

There is, however improbably, a response. "Just a sec!"

And the person who emerges is - probably around Sumire's age, but tall and built like a truck.

"Hey. What'd you need?"

Oh wow, she wasn't actually expecting to encounter someone... Especially not someone so much taller and so muscular! It's actually kind of intimidating.

"Oh, um...! I was... I noticed the cute knitted animals in the window, and I wanted to see more of the store."

She gestures over towards them, trying to smile.

"...I've actually been trying to learn more about fashion for a while, but I haven't really had the chance, and I figured... 'Well, this store looks nice, why don't I visit'?"

She turns back to look at the person, doing her best to keep eye contact with a sheepish smile.

"I-If it's not a problem, I mean."

"Got more basic cloth than finished clothes here, but it ain't a problem. 'Specially not if you already like my work." Yes, those knitted animals are his doing. Gotta keep busy somehow, right?

"And I do know my way around clothes a little. Couldn't find shit I liked in stores so I made some myself, or got Mom to before I really had it down."

Sumire can't help but look surprised when she hears that the animals were his work. Her eyes widen, and she can't help but be a tad awestruck.

"T-They're your work...?! That's-- That's very impressive...!"

She means it, too. She can't even begin to imagine doing something like that herself, and the idea that someone around her age (?) was able to do so to the point of seeming professional astounds her.

"Truth be told I don't know much about what I'm looking for... I'm kind of new to all of this... Fashion, accessories... but I wanted to see if I could find something for myself. You wouldn't know where to start, would you?"

Even if it's just looking at fabrics or just cute little animal decorations, she wants to do something new for herself, on her own accord instead of following Kasumi's example...

"Sure are." And yeah, they're of a similar age (give or take time weirdness), but Kanji literally has a decade of practice already. Even when he didn't want to talk about his hobbies, he didn't stop.

"Honestly, your best bet might be to go to a store, try a bunch of shit on, and have someone with you or waiting on texts to tell you whether you look good or stupid."

Now that he mentions it, that probably is the best way to do it, huh...? But...

"...I don't know who I would ask to help though... I also wouldn't want to impose."

But at the same time... Maybe it would be good for her, to just go out and try it out.

"But... I think I see what you mean. I may have to try it. Thank you."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I asked you that without even introducing myself...! I'm Sumire Yoshizawa. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Wow, she apologises a lot. Really not necessary.

"Kanji. And... well, if you're not weirded out by taking tips from a guy you don't know, I could at least tell you whether something looks like shit on you or not."

Whether it looks like shit, how to find something more flattering, whether those patterns actually work together or not...

She flushes, not having expected the offer.

"O-Oh, you mean you would be willing to?"

The idea of a boy looking at her in different outfits... Eep! It's so embarrassing!

"A-Are you sure? I... I'm a little embarrassed, but if I can find something nice..."

...Then maybe she can feel better about herself, at least a little bit. Wearing something unique, and her own style.

She just needs to take the leap of faith. To get out there and do it. She's been on shopping trips with friends before, but this will be her first time really searching for herself...!

Some steel starts shining in her eyes, even in spite of the embarrassment.

Kanji shrugs. "I know how this shit works, so why not? I won't make it weird, either."

This is basically work, after all. Besides, Sumire isn't remotely Kanji's type.

"If you're too weirded out, that's fine. Your comfort comes first. But if you're up for it, ain't like there's a lot goin' on around here."

"No, I... I'll take your offer, Kanji-san!"

She says that with more energy than she expected of herself, nearly flinching a bit as she realizes it.

"If I want to learn more, then I'll need all of the help I can get. Thank you for your help."

It's taking a lot of her nerve, the nerves usually reserved for when she's acting as a leader to respond like this... but darn it, she's going to do it. She's going to find an outfit she likes that looks really good.

"Not a problem. Just let me know when you got stuff you want an opinion on, and I'll help you out."

"I will, thank you, Kanji-san."

She's actually looking a little excited now. Having someone supporting you is definitely a way to make you feel better, isn't it?

"If there's anything I can help you with as well, please let me know. It's the least I can do to return the favor."

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A Visit to Inaba

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