Ken's arrival (bis repetita)

[the_ken]

Okay. Well. Ken had to admit that, when he went to bed last night, he did not expect to wake up in a blue room and be welcomed by a long-nosed man. He would have thought that it was a dream, but he's been in enough of them to know it's nothing of the sort. This place had a dinstinct, strong feeling, not quite reality, but much firmer than a dream.

He wasn't certain he could trust Igor-san yet, if he was perfectly honest. But in the case that he was not lying... it was actually great news. The real world was rough, currently, with Yuki-san being...

...

Well, a pause to make new friends couldn't hurt. Especially since he was learning again, learning to be alive, learning to live for himself, like Aragaki-san had asked him to. He couldn't let him down, not in a million years.

Malicious or not, Igor-san was right. He needed bonds. And he would make them.

Someone may meet this Ken...

1) while reading the information board. Even if being here seemed to overall be a good thing, that did not mean throwing caution out of the window. He needed information, and the kind soul having put together this compilation would save him a lot of time.

2) in Iwatodai, Ken being curious to see if the dorm SEES stayed at was still a thing in this strange place.

Comments

[tricksterviolet]

Ken's excitement is actually a bit contagious as Sumire herself smiles a tiny bit more brightly.

"I'll have to check Iwatodai out while I'm here then. It's probably not the same as the real thing, but I can at least enjoy the scenery while I have the chance."

She would go check it out at home, but with how busy she is... well, she doubts it'll work out for a good while...

"Oh, I could show you around some of Tokyo sometime, if you'd like? We might even be able to figure out just how far this version of the city goes...!"

[burnmydreadbabe]

Not sure what happened. Maybe the only person that would have the answers would be himself.

He stands up a little straighter when Ken asks if he can ask him something. "Yeah, anything."

[the_ken]

Ken takes a little time to collect himself.

"Well," he started, a little hesitant, "I'm sure you're aware that sometimes, you're not the easiest person to read. So, I'm wondering... what did you think during the time you were with SEES? What did you feel? I know you may not be the exact same person than our Yuki-san, but..."

Ken took another pause, unsure how to word his thoughts.

"Well, maybe if we have a little more insight in your thought process, it'll be easier to grieve and move on. I'm not sure if I'm making sense."

[burnmydreadbabe]

That was a deep question. Maybe he should expect that kind of thing from Ken. How does he even go about answering that? He has to try at least.

"You guys are like family to me." And given what happened to the last people he called family, he doesn't take that lightly. Iwatodai dorm was more of a home than any of his relative's homes had ever been. "I'll do anything to keep you guys safe." Including giving up his life, however it happened.

[the_ken]

"Family, huh..." answered Ken, who couldn't help but smile a little. SEES really did feel like a place where they could belong, didn't it?

"I think I'm starting to get the picture, but let me clarify a little what I was asking. Why did you fight against Shadows? How did it feel like to be the field leader and to handle that responsibility? How did it feel to risk your life? Were you ever scared? Did you ever have doubts?"

He winced a little.

"I'm sorry, that's a lot of questions. I don't want to overwhelm you."

tw- mild suicidal thoughts

[burnmydreadbabe]

"At first just cuz I was asked to." When he first awakened to Orpheus he really couldn't care less if he lived or died. "Definitely didn't scare me nearly as much as it should to start out."

"At some point though...I started wanting to protect my friends. One time before you joined Junpei ran off by himself and I was really scared to lose him." He was fine risking his life for the people he cared about and the people by his side. He's not sure if that answered everything Ken wanted to know, but he didn't want to ramble too long. "I wouldn't let anyone else sacrifice themselves if it came to it, if that's what you're asking."

[the_ken]

"I see. That was not my question, I just wanted to have an idea of your state of mind during all this time... but your answers helped. Thank you."

So Yuki-san was apathetic to it all at first, but came to care for SEES, and fought for them, and died to give them a future. Simple enough, he supposed... Sometimes things aren't complicated. This was actually a relieving answer: there was fear within the survivors that he sacrificed himself because he felt like it simply was his duty, that all the responsibilities SEES festered on him became too much pressure in the end. But it looked like it was a choice to save his friends, his family.

...Yuki-san really was so cool.

"Well, enough with the deep stuff. But... can I ask one more question? It's a selfish, personal one, and you really don't have to answer. But..."

His voice became really small and hesitant.

"...was I useful as a SEES member? If you answer, please answer honestly. Don't try to spare my feelings."

[burnmydreadbabe]

Ken asks Makoto if he was a useful member to the team. Makoto hadn't ever been one to spare feelings, so Ken didn't need to ask him not to. "You were. We wouldn't have gotten this far without you." Makoto couldn't fathom being able to have any hope through some of the stuff that happened recently without everyone there. Ken included.

[the_ken]

A big smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you. It's a relief to hear that, especially from you. I'm not as... well, insecure as I was before, but..."

He bit his lip.

"This kind of thoughts still haunt me from time to time."

Seeing the decisions Yuki-san made back in Ken's homeworld, he knew he was considered an equal to the others, but... having it said out loud still helped.

[the_ken]

"Oh, I see. And don't worry, Koromaru, of course we're not forgetting you here. I'm sure you had adventures too."

He plopped down on the couch, looking tired.

"Wew... that's a lot to take in at once. But... I'll admit it's nice to see familiar faces in this strange new land."

[the_ken]

"How about we help each other out then? I can show you around Iwatodai, and you can show me around Tokyo. Is that fine with you?"

[the_ken]

Ken noticed that Raven-san seemed to hide things, but... they had just met. It wasn't his place to pry, especially since Raven didn't seem to seek help.

"So you mean that these cognitive worlds exist around here too, and we can get in them?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Multiple cognitive worlds, all accessible to Persona users. It really is just a matter of being in the corresponding location, such as Inaba for the TV world or Tokyo to enter the Metaverse."

He spoke with much more confidence, his grin firmly in place once again. This was certainly a brilliant opportunity to showcase his knowledge.

[tricksterviolet]

Sumire actually seems a bit surprised to hear the offer.

"Huh? Are you sure?"

She appreciates the offer, but he also just arrived here! Surely she couldn't possibly expect him to show her around!

"...Only if it's not any trouble. I would love to be shown around Iwatodai."

[fruitknife]

"It is, kinda. Even if it's mostly kids your age from Tokyo who got their own round of bullshit, few years down the road from us."

That's the part that gets to Shinji the most. He's still trying to figure out where the hell Mitsuru was for the Phantom Thieves debacle. (Signs point to 'the asshole at the top of the human conspiracy had enough pull to block her out,' which is a different kind of upsetting.)

[the_ken]

"Well, these are definitely things I should try when I get the chance! Not today however, I should focus on settling in. But if you're up for it, I may bug you again later. We can exchange numbers maybe?"

[the_ken]

"Then how about we exchange phone numbers? When I'll have had some time to settle in, we can meet up again, and show each other where we live. How does that sound?"

[the_ken]

"I've only learned a little about that, but I'm far from having a complete picture yet. All I know is that, considering how harrowing our own operation was, it can't have been much better for anyone else."

That touched upon a question to which Ken didn't yet have the answer. Did he regret having gotten this power? He got to help everyone, but at a steep price, and he certainly misused it at first, focused on the wrong goal.

[tricksterviolet]

"I'd be glad to. Here, let me..."

Sumire begins pulling out her phone, and prepares to get the contact info all sorted out.

"Oh, that's right...! There's also the new Meta-Nav here. I think we're supposed to exchange contact info through it?"

Wait, has Ken even heard of the Meta-Nav? She pauses as she realizes it.

"The Meta-Nav is something I have to use a lot back home... It's, um, a kind of odd story..."

[fogboundcrow]

"Certainly." He reached into his pocket, digging out his cellphone and selecting the option to display his number. "I imagine you've already got a place to stay?"

He seemed better dressed, at least, and more sociable. Not that this made him better than the other Ken. Obviously, that was a tough bar to reach, let alone surpass.

[the_ken]

"The Meta-Nav? What is- oh!"

He just opened his flip phone, and noticed the interface was completely different.

"Well, that's creepy. But I guess that's just how this place works? I mean, you do seem familiar with it."

[the_ken]

Ken registered Raven-san's number and showed his own.

"I should manage," he answered. "I've just arrived so I'm not sure, but since Iwatodai is here, my place from back home should be available."

He hadn't spent much time with Raven-san, but Ken already liked him. He would definitely ask to meet up again.

[tricksterviolet]

It is a little creepy, isn't it...?

"I thought so at first, too. This one isn't exactly like the version I'm used to at home, but it's similar... Mine looks a little different."

...Oh, this reminds her... Does Ken know about Personas and Shadows? There's a lot of that stuff around here, so maybe she should ask... That's what the Meta-Nav does for her, anyway. Let her access the Metaverse, and by extension those things.

If he doesn't, then she'll have to do a lot of explaining to a kid though... Should she take the risk?

"Um..."

She pauses, trying to figure out the best way to learn about this...

"...You wouldn't happen to know about Personas, would you?"

She finds herself asking upfront, awkwardly trailing off a bit with uncertainty.

If he doesn't know about them, then she can play it off as, uh... a video game thing or something...? She doesn't know, but it's worth a shot!

[the_ken]

"Well, I kinda assumed everyone in this weird place knew, because the board just openly talks about them! But yes, I know about Personas. I have one, in fact."

For good or for ill. But his voice carried pride, not bitterness.

[tricksterviolet]

Oh. Right. The board she keeps getting distracted from.

A hint of pink crosses her face.

"O-Oh, really? I do, too... a few, actually, but the one I awoke to first was Cendrillon."

She frowns a little, thinking on it... Ken's not much younger than her, but hopefully he didn't have to go through anything too extreme upon awakening his Persona...

But the pride in his voice... She can't help but feel a bit relieved. It sounds like he's actually pretty happy, being a Persona user. Maybe she should try to think of it in a more positive light, as well... Being the leader of the Phantom Thieves, having this power...

And she smiles, thinking about the good things that have arisen from her time with the Phantom Thieves. With Cendrillon.