Embrace Your Isekai Fantasies // Locked to mountainfoggedlotus

[fogboundcrow]

This is it! Raven's chance to help the younger Ren experience his powers as a Persona user. They can fight together. Explore together. It's going to be great.

But the Metaverse is too unpredictable, and the Dark Hour fairly dangerous. So, naturally, the TV world is the best bet.

Thus, Raven leads his young compatriot to the Junes Electronics Department. How convenient that there's a little rack of glasses near the flatscreen TVs with a cute Teddie cutout nearby.

Raven glances at the selection. "You'll want to take one of these before we step inside. It'll help you see through the fog."

Comments

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"I'm feeling--"

He's about to say "better", but that would mean that he won't be hugged any more.

"--uh." Ren moves closer into Raven. "Cold. Still."

[fogboundcrow]

Oh. Well, okay. Apparently Ren wants more.

So... Raven accepts it with a slightly sheepish pat on the back.

"Then I suppose we can take a little more time. We do want you in top form."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"And uh..." Ren snuggles moves just a little closer. "What if I told you. That I get cold randomly. All the time."

[fogboundcrow]

"Oh. Then... I wouldn't complain. I'd be happy to help?" Heh, goodness. Snuggling in a dungeon, of all places...

But it's nice. Warm and fuzzy, even.

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"I can just invest in heat packs...if you're uncomfortable..."

[fogboundcrow]

"I'm not uncomfortable!" He pauses again. "...This is nice. So it really isn't a problem."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Ren perks up! "That'd be great!"

[fogboundcrow]

"So... do we want to stay here, or would you rather proceed?" He doesn't sound particularly adamant to leave, at least, nor is he moving.

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"I guess we're here for a reason." Ren doesn't move either.

[fogboundcrow]

"The reason being mutual comfort?" He chuckles, but it's light, airy, and reserved. "At least we don't have to worry about the Reaper here."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"The reason being..." Ren cuts himself off. Something was on the tip of his tongue, but...too early. Too soon. Too...vulnerable. Right now. "...Personal improvement," he settles on. Not wrong!

[fogboundcrow]

"Well, you've made great strides with Wormwood, at least. We don't have to clear the entire dungeon in one sitting." Granted, they haven't made it especially far, but Ren just got frozen. If he wants to call it, that's fine too.

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"I don't wanna get frozen like that again," Ren shivers. "So...I do kinda wanna get a Persona that isn't weak to Ice. If that'll stop me from being weak to Ice."

[fogboundcrow]

"If we go to the Steamy Bathhouse, we could probably get you a Jack Frost from Shuffle Time. You'd have more diverse results with fusion, but if you're looking for a quick and simple solution, it may be the more efficient route to take."

Although that would mean taking Ren to... a bathhouse dungeon. Would he truly be comfortable with that?

[mountainfoggedlotus]

"Bathhouse sounds much warmer than here; I'm down."

[fogboundcrow]

"Then allow me to escort us there." First, he digs out a Goho-M and crushes it in his palm. A burst of light deposits them outside the castle, and Raven waits for Ren to process the abrupt change in scenery before leading him along. "We'll have to head back and take a different catwalk, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get there."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Oof. Ren stumbles out of the smoke, but manages to catch himself. "Gotcha!" He shakes himself off.

[fogboundcrow]

A quick backtrack and a trek across another catwalk bring them to a rather muggy locker room. It certainly lives up to the name steamy bathhouse.

"I don't believe we'll have to go particularly deep to get you a Jack Frost. Just keep in mind that the Shadows here are stronger."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Ren looks around, taking in the new place. It smells kinda...musty. Hot and steamy. Like a bathhouse. "We don't have to take off our clothes, do we?"

[fogboundcrow]

Raven blushes at the mere suggestion, shaking his head. "Of course not! The only other beings here are Shadows, and they hardly care how we dress."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Ren chuckles. "Trying to fight without clothes on would be awkward..."

Still, he feels kinda weird, walking into a bathhouse with his clothes on...as a compromise, he takes his school blazer off and tucks it into his magically-infinite pockets (thanks, alternate reality). Too hot in here for that anyway.

[fogboundcrow]

Raven, meanwhile, sticks to his standard clothing and brandishes his blaster. "Well then, let's proceed."

The winding interiors are just as labyrinthine as the castle, but with a decidedly different look. Wooden floors, scattered towels, baths and benches strewn about...

And just down the hall, around the corner, a Shadow shuffles about.

[mountainfoggedlotus]

Ren jumps a little bit when he hears the wooden floors creak from the Shadow, but he recovers quickly. "How strong are these guys?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Stronger than the ones in Yukiko-san's dungeon, but not unbeatable. The Fuzz are weak to fire and curse, so they shouldn't be much of a challenge for Wormwood. The others may prove a bit more cumbersome, but I should be able to down them without too much trouble."

He'll wait against the wall, aiming his blaster. "If you want, I can ambush, or you're welcome to make the first strike."

[mountainfoggedlotus]

That piques Ren's interest. "Show me how you ambush."