A strange invitation

[gorobo]

[OOC: Locked to the users tagged in the post!]

Raven's message had been... curious, to say the least.

Falcon's still not sure what to make of it; he clearly hurt Raven quite a lot, and nearly killed him- a child- over bad-mouthing Shido. Not that he could help it, but still...

Perhaps he wants to pledge his eternal loyalty to Shido-san this time! We did show what a great man Shido-san was, after all!

... Right. Not likely.

Really now, he'd rather get this over with as quickle as possible. He doesn't even know why this couldn't have been done over text, but he's already agreed to meet up in Shibuya. Not that he could really refuse; no schedule means no excuse means no reason to politely decline. Any info he gains could be useful for Shido-san!

The trains here are strange, and before he knows it, he's arrived in Shibuya station, stepping out alongside a sea of cognitions, carefully avoiding bumping into one; a habit he's gotten quite good at, since he is a little... more sturdy than the average human. He allows himself to follow them as they go out to the streets, before he finds a quieter corner to himself. His scanners don't pick up sight of Raven quite yet- maybe the boy has yet to arrive.

With his ever-polite smile painted on his face, he leans against the outer wall of the station entrance. Raven probably won't be long- or maybe he set up Falcon, and is making him wait for nothing. Not undeserved, really- but that's a rather mean-spirited reading of the situation. He knows himself, he's not the type to do that, even if Raven is... a child. He doesn't think he'd do that, didn't seem the type either.

For now, all he can do is wait, so he does. He has nothing to lose from doing so, after all.

Comments

[fogboundcrow]

This is going to be incredibly risky. Raven can't afford to make mistakes. Fortunately, he'd reached out to appropriate contacts. Crow had finally given in and given him an Evoker, which he's conveniently hidden beneath his blazer to avoid arousing too much suspicion.

All things considered, he's dressed rather sharp. Green plaid sweater vest beneath an almond blazer, dark jeans, his school shoes, and black gloves to complete the ensemble. He likes to think it's sophisticated. It doesn't hurt that the gloves came from Naoto and Nanako and Kanji helped him pick out at least some of the other garments.

When he spots Falcon, he approaches with a pleasant enough smile. "Hello, Falcon-san. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

[gorobo]

Falcon spots Raven before he speaks, and pushes himself off the wall, straightening himself with a small smile. He's... dreading where this will go, he can see the overtly pleasant smile on Raven's face. That... can't be good.

"Ah, Raven-kun, good to see you," he says anyways, pleasant as a peach, "no, not at all. I just got here."

5 minutes and 48 seconds ago, to be exact, his internal timer tells him. All in all, not a very long time to wait, but enough to make his programming buzz with discontent.

"Thank you for reaching out to me. You wanted to talk?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Yes. I believe that I was a bit too... hostile in how I conveyed my feelings at the time." He glances around for a moment. "Although, perhaps you'd like to head outside? Some fresh air might be preferable to standing around this stuffy station."

Not that the station didn't have things to do, but better to play it safe, not knowing the range for Kaneshiro's palace.

[gorobo]

"Certainly. It is a bit crowded here, isn't it?"

Crowded with cognitions, that is. Falcon doesn't think it really matters if anything happens around them; they probably wouldn't really react like normal people would. Still, he'd be more comfortable with more... eyes,to keep Shido's little bug in check. Still, his programming urges him to go along with Raven, if not to be polite, to get to a location that's more... discrete. Just in case something needs to be done about him.

'Raven's a fucking child, can you not?'

He is an enemy to Shido-san.

His smile is plastered tight into his face.

"Let us get moving, then. How do the benches at the entrance sound? We could sit and talk there, perhaps."

[fogboundcrow]

"Certainly. It'd be a far more comfortable arrangement."

With a destination set, Raven leads the way, trying to keep an eye on Falcon with a comfortable looking smile to mask his suspicion.

Once they get there, it should be close enough for one of the others to activate the MetaNav undetected. Then, he can only hope they act swiftly.

[gorobo]

... There's really something off about Raven. Falcon can't put his finger on why, but... he's trying to hard. Despite his comfortable smile, there's a tension in him that can't be denied. Just what is he up to?

He hopes this doesn't turn into something regrettable, even if, for now, his programming isn't acting up.

Still, they arrive at their destination without incident, and Falcon, turns to Raven, with a tilt of his head.

"Shall we talk? I'd like to know what was your true reason is for bringing me here," he says, face set into that damned polite smile. "I can't imagine you'd ask me to come all the way out here for some small talk, no?"

1/2

[fogboundcrow]

"I won't lie and say that I wasn't hurt during our previous meeting. However, I also believe it's far more pertinent to reach an understanding than to shout cruel accusations and arouse hostilities."

It wasn't a complete lie, at least, and he speaks with a certain degree of sincerity, albeit reservation in his tone and demeanor.

The stage is set.

"All I can truly say is, I'm sorry."

[fogbornphantom]

Crow made sure to stand out of sight and out of earshot, but he's watching. Listening. The target is in position.

Before doing anything, he messages the Group Chat, so not to draw audible attention to themselves.

Raven and Crow are seated at the bench outside the station. Preparing to activate the Nav.

It really is simple. He just has to input the keywords.

Junya Kanaeshiro. All of Shibuya. Bank.

Then reality warps, though it may seem subtle. After all, the city itself is still rather recognizable.

[herewardbound]

Viper and Phoenix, en route.

Happily, as long as he'd been doing this, he could move damn fast in the Metaverse, especially with a grappling hook and months of practice.

They would be there in seconds. Hopefully that would be fast enough.

[cybermask]

Futaba had been waiting by the entrance of the palace. Her foot tapped with nerves. She was glad Ren decided to join them. She knew she could entirely focus on the task at hand. Not that she didn't trust the others, but she knew Ren's skillset more then theirs. She knew he'd focus on protecting her more than subdoing the robot like the others. She just hoped they had enough power. The biggest team she worked on was two people. So having this many didn't help her nerves either.

[willowandoak]

Ren stands next to her, clothed in the outfit he tried for so long not to let anyone see. But it's the only one he can summon, now, and some things are more important than his own fear. So today, in full view of Futaba and Crow and everyone else, he's the wraith that's haunted the Metaverse back home for years, draped in ragged black cloth with a blank, inhuman mask over his face.

"It'll be fine," he murmurs to Futaba. "No fucking way any of Shido's guys are a match for you." He's about to say more, but his phone vibrates; he glances down and finds the message they've been waiting for. "Incoming."

[gorobo]

"I'm sorry? What are you-"

But then, the familiar swirl of the Metaverse envelops him, his sensors heightening and body stiffening. Static electricity races through his wires, at the shift, every alarm bell in his body going off at once-

Several other signals ping inside his mind with Loki's hissing voice, alerting him of the presence of other Persona users nearby. Ranging in power, some weaker than him, others equal, yet others stronger-

An ambush! Kill him now!

"Why would you-?" he stutters as his body moves on its own, every system readying itself for battle. He can't even take the time to take off his gloves as he raises his arms, ready to shoot.

"I don't know what you were hoping to achieve," his own voice says, cool yet polite still, despite it all, "but please understand that, with this power, you cannot be allowed to live as long as you oppose Shido-san."

'No nonono- this kid isn't strong enough- no-! Goddammit-'

Falcon struggles against his own body, but there's nothing he can do as his aim zeros in on Raven's head.

"Surrender and die."

[herewardbound]

They were meters away, when hostilities commenced and Falcon raised his arms. "Viper?"

Renée nodded as she charged with him, and in unison two hands rose to their owners' faces, tearing masks in glittering blue and sleek black free.

"EVA!"‎‎‎‎　　　　　　　"LILIM!"

Twin Personas manifested- one a skeletal woman, bearing an apple wrought in crystalline ice, the other a slender girl in white, with demonic wings. Their summoners split, going in separate directions, one to Falcon's left, the other to his right, turning in unison to the target-

Eva exhaled a cloud of dark green gas, a Foul Breath to lower the defenses- and Lilim a cloud of pink vapor, a Dormina to force him to sleep.

"Freeing you, Falcon. Sorry for the trickery."

[vessel_ken_amada]

Around the same time...

As soon as Falcon started getting hostile towards Raven, a cloaked figure left its hiding place. The black cloak dragged on the ground like a robe, and a hood was obscuring the figure's face, with only glints of a metallic mask's reflections visible underneath.

Spear within gloved hands, the figure ran, jumped, and with superhuman strength, struck down Falcon's shoulder, with the aim of toppling him over - or, at the very least, move his torso enough so that the arms would get off their axis and the shots would miss their target.

[fogbornphantom]

This gave Crow just enough time to swing down, grab Raven by the arm, and leap dramatically out of range. As his feet hit the ground, he cried out, "Trumpeter!"

A skeletal Persona appeared, and as it manifested, all nearby allies would feel an immense rush of power as Auto-Mataru, Auto-Masuku, and Auto-Maraku went off in quick succession.

But Crow refused to stop there. Just in case the Dormina wasn't enough, he growled out, "Debilitate."

All this, while Raven watched, utterly stunned. Even though he'd equipped Girimekhala in anticipation for this confrontation, it was still frightening to watch Falcon shift to such a threatening, aggressive state.

"...Thank you," was all he could say, still reeling from that close call.

[cybermask]

She jumped in mumbling a soft apology. "I'm sorry if this hurts." She made her persona attach to him as she disappeared inside to start working on the new code she'd written. At least the team seemed to be handling keeping him at bay well.

[gorobo]

Attacks come flying at him from all directions, and before his shots can go off, he's forced backswards by a spear, forcing them to miss his target by a large margin. His sensors pick up the disgusting miasma of a foul breath. People are yelling, [error: abilities compromised], and he feels something attach to the back of his neck- ah.

Cold dread sends his fans spinning, eyes widening for just a second- no- no, stay out of my head- no- but he doesn't have the time to retaliate, nor does his programming.

His consciousness fades as his body slumps to the ground, the Dormina taking effect despite his struggles to stay awake. His voice glitches a little when he speaks [error: unauthorized program activated], feeling the cold tendrils of something new entering his ROM.

"D-don't..."

Then, without fanfare, all his thoughts stop, and he's left with the blissful void of forced deactivation.

...
...
...

[ERROR: SECURITY BREACH DETECTED]
[ERROR: HOSTILE ACTIVITY DETECTED]
[RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC SCAN... SCANNING... SCANNING...]
[ERROR: 3% DAMAGE SUSTAINED... BODY INACTIVE]
[ACTIVATING EMERGENCY PROTOCOL]

Unit #018's eyes fly open.

Its body twitches and jerks, pulling itself upright with an unnatural stiltedness to its movement; like a puppet being lifted up by its strings.

[HOSTILES DETECTED: 6]

For a moment, it just stands there, completely still. Its eyes are wide and unseeing, the usual bright maroon replaced by a far duller, greyer color. Anything that made it lifelike in the first place seems to have disappeared, leaving an empty, robotic husk in its wake.

[ORDER RECEIVED: ELIMINATE HOSTILES]
[ACTIVATING ORGIA MODE]

Then, too fast to possibly be human, its head snaps up, taking on a battle stance while fans audibly whirr.

There's a blue glow, the sound of glass shattering, and-

"Loki," its voice, once humanlike and animated, is now flat and robotic as the Persona shatters into existence.

"Megidolaon."

[fogbornphantom]

Damn it.

The moment Falcon calls for Megidolaon, Crow pulls Raven close, acting as a human shield. He can feel his younger self shaking as the spell plows over them, but he's safe.

He has to be safe. Has to.

But what about the others?

Is he... shaking? Shit. Of all the times...

Growling, Crow rips off his mask. "Kohryu!"

A golden dragon gleams over the battleground. Before long, the healing light of Salvation rains over his allies. That should hopefully at least keep the others alive, but they need a better way to incapacitate Falcon. Had he not buffed everyone and used Debilitate in advance, would they have even survived?

He can feel Raven's fear swirling around in his mind, even without looking at him directly...

"Anyone who can't handle this, retreat now. Even if I can revive you, I don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed."

Raven knows that's at least partially directed at him. He knows.

But he refuses to just stand there and take it when he's been working so hard.

There must be at least something he can do to inhibit Falcon's movements.

Perhaps this is a chance to test one of the Personas he fused here.

"...Black Frost."

Perhaps it's ill fitting that such a goofy, giggling Persona appears beside Raven, but a Persona without elemental weaknesses and dual coverage is a blessing at a time like this.

When Raven wills it to, the Persona thrusts its hands out at Falcon, trying to freeze him in place to inhibit movement and, with luck, redirect his attention toward self-preservation.

[vessel_ken_amada]

That was way too much of a close call. Why did Ken take so long to react? Why did he have such limited options when doing so? If Raven had been hurt...

At least things seemed to otherwise be going well. The hacking was underway, and Falcon seemed to have been put to sleep. Not feeling completely reassured and still shaking, Ken summoned Ker, so that it would be ready to act in a instant if given the order.

The Persona appeared in all its glory. A really tall humanoid figure, three times the size of an adult human, with no distinguishable features, and wholly covered by a tattered, bloodstained white veil. Black feathered wings were coming out from its back.

...

And then, the Almighty explosion engulfed all.

...

His ears ringed, and everything became a blur. Where was Raven? What had happened to him? Did he fail to protect him? All of his power, just for that?

No. No no no no nononono

He fell on his knees, feeling worthless. Why was he so slow? Why was he a failure?

That is the price you have to pay for running away. Locking away all of your power to try to live a normal life, that you could never have reached no matter your efforts.

No, he couldn't, he couldn't let others know-

Are you just going to let it end here, then?

...no.

Then release it. Never once again be too weak for what has to be done. Bring forth your true power!

Ken fell on his hands, and started to be taken by convulsions. Incorporeal black tendrils left his body. His mask clattered to the ground, and he coughed and coughed what became a puddle of blood.

[herewardbound]

"Fuck-"

He'd been bowled over by the force of the explosion, wheezing in pain. He was thankful, so thankful, for the protection. Ken was- bleeding? What the fuck was he doing, actually, that looked demonic as fuck-

Phoenix stood, shakily, and across the way Viper pulled herself out of a shop window, cut up, scowling, but ultimately fine. "Goro, we should retreat, he's significantly more dangerous than we bargained for-"

"No."

Inhale. This wasn't going to be like Adam. This wasn't going to be like Adam.

All he needed to do... was accept it. Stop holding back, right?

He switched Personas. "Oumitsumu." The Chariot. A little borrowed power, a borrowed song he'd heard once before, beginning as a pulse, a low growling, like a revving engine.

He cast Limelight. His plan. His fuckup. All eyes on him. Let it fill you. Don't think. Just feel. Shido's responsible for this. His need for control. His need to dominate.

He let out the breath he'd been holding, voice rising into a snarl, and the world fell into rhythm.

♫ You're keeping in step, in the line
Got your chin held high and you feel just fine 𝅘𝅥𝅮

He stepped forward, pointing to Falcon. Challenging. Bring it.

♫ 'Cause you do, what you're told-
But inside your heart it is black, and it's hollow and it's cold! 𝅘𝅥𝅮

[willowandoak]

—The fuck is Phoenix doing?

Never mind. Futaba is attached to the robot, and the robot is still moving, still attacking, as if the sleep ailment only affected the part of him that has a soul. Whatever programming remains isn't going to like what Futaba is up to, and Futaba is vulnerable, right in reach.

So Ren darts in, dagger in hand, and aims his blade at the robot's shoulder. It's nothing like stabbing a human or even a Shadow; metal screeches on metal, and he has to change his angle and stab again before his dagger finds a seam and sinks in. He twists the knife with all his strength, feeling something unseen give way beneath it, and yanks it out. Sparks scatter off the edge of his dagger; he leaps back again, attempting to dodge retaliation.

[butterflyaffect]

The funny thing about mortal bodies was that they were fragile.

This was something she was becoming painfully aware of, unfortunately, especially after a Megidolaon had blown her clean through a plate glass window.

Her Guest was starting a Song, and there could be congratulations in order later. Now, they needed to finish the operation. Eva manifested again, lifting her apple aloft- and causing ice to blossom around their target, fractals freezing upwards into a spire intended to cage him. Bufudyne.

[cybermask]

She wasn't even far in when she noticed some systems come back online, she knew there was a strong chance of a failsafe but she didn't expect it so fast. Her whole body filled with dread as she heard the name. She was torn between letting go, but if she did there was no chance she could get back to him.

She closed her eyes as she felt it hit, it really fucking hurt. She bit back making any noise trying to focus on her screens again. She needed to shut the failsafe down first. Then disable it entirely before it can revive. So she focused on that. She had to make sure her team would withstand the rest of the battle able to keep him under control so she could work.

She knew if worse came to worse she could heal them, but it would be more effective to code. No one seemed too damaged yet. "Please relax. We are trying to help you," she whispered, very much doubting he could hear her.

[gorobo]

[ENEMY STATUS: ALIVE]
[SECURITY BREACH IMMINENT]
[ERROR: SYSTEMS COMPROMISED]
[ERROR: MOBILITY LIMITED]
[APPLYING COUNTERMEASURES]

"Robin Hood. Heat Riser," it says, the black Persona shattering into a white and golden one, power washing over Unit #018. It is, however, not quick enough to dodge the incoming knife attack, despite its aborted attempt to twist out of the way. It sends a volley of bullets after its attacker with its other arm when they flee.

[ERROR: DAMAGE SUSTAINED]
[ERROR: LEFT SERVO NONFUNCTIONAL]

Its left arm twitches, but does not move. Frost creeps up its legs, slowly freezing it into place.

[ENEMY ATTACK INCOMING]
[INITIATING EVASIVE MANOEUVRES]

With the help of the Heat Riser, it manages to avoid getting fully encased into ice, and after a click, hiss, and the sound of ice shattering, it sheds the cosmetic extensions attached to its legs, leaving them behind in favor of more freedom of movement. The foreign Persona attached to Unit #018 gets whipped around with the sudden movement as it tries to avoid getting hit again, though it is unable to completely dodge the incoming Bufudyne- not when it's attention is forcefully pulled towards another hostile.

[HOSTILE DETECTED]
[TARGET LOCKED]

It zeros in on the singing demon, attention fully drawn.

[INITIATING SUMMONING ROUTINE]

Glass shatters, its core lighting up, and Loki appears once again, sword pointed dangerously at the singing bird.

"Laevateinn."

[vessel_ken_amada]

Eventually, the twitching slowed. Black streaks started to disfigure Ken's face, and similar (but larger) streaks started to invade his Persona. Two chains appeared around it, surrounding it in a double helix shape. One of his eyes completely changed, losing its color, before its pupil became red and started to glow.

The spasms and coughing eventually completely came to a stop, and Ken slowly got up. The incorporeal black tendrils dissolved to create some formless aura around him. At the same time, anyone able to feel emotions who was near him now felt an aura of dread, danger, Death is here, Death is coming, you are going to die, run away.

"Ker," he said, in a monotonous voice. "Transcendence."

The formless, black aura around Ken became way darker and significantly extended, also engulfing his Persona. Space and time immediately around them twisted slightly.

K̷̨̋e̴͉͝n̸̬͗'s action count increased for the battle!

"Concentrate."

Ken's mind focused, his power concentrated, surged, swelled, singed, ready to be released in one great burst of glory. There was a threat in front of him. It needed to be dealt with. That was all that mattered now.