(Open/Intro) Sis Puella Magica

[detectivemagica]

A young girl has found herself here, in the Velvet Room. She eyes Igor with a sharpness to her eyes, one that betrays the polite smile on her face.

"...The Velvet Room..."

She's never heard of such a place, and truth be told, she almost believes she's dreaming as she looks about the room, taking in the vivid blue surroundings.

...But she's seen things that are hard to believe for the normal person, and as such she raises a hand with a jeweled ring to her chin.

So it seems she was brought here to... what, make bonds? How ridiculous, she thinks to herself. It's not as though it'll do her any good. Making friends is the last thing on her mind, she has other things to consider, like her duties... and her boiling desire for revenge.

But betraying her dark thoughts, her smile grows slightly, looking oh so kind and pleasant in the face of this odd situation. She hums a bit quietly, tilting her head a bit, all with that smile.

"I see. Thank you. I'll be sure to do just that.

But she has other concerns as well. She needs to be able to fight Witches and gather Grief Seeds. Are there any here? Hell, is Kyubey even here? Not that she trusts him a single bit, but something familiar, something she can work with would be good.

But now... Now what? She's left to consider her options.

Option 1: Akechi finds herself drawn to the conspiracy board first thing, eyeing it with a small frown. Well, it seems that someone has gathered up plenty of information... A blessing, really, considering she can use all of the info she can get. Let's see... She gets to reading it, carefully trying to take in the information in front of her. Needless to say though, she's actually rather perplexed by... well. All of it.

Who is Ren Amamiya? Akira Kurusu? Souji Seta? Yu Narukami? It's all a but baffling, this information presented as though it's common knowledge. Clearly it isn't, given her own unfamiliarity with them.

But something catches her eyes... A note about Rens or Akiras and Akechis being soulmates.

Her expression is blank as she stares at it, her eyes becoming obscured as her bangs shift slightly inf front of them.

And what right does anyone have to make such bold, blatantly false claims? She's never met any such person in her life, and they certainly wouldn't be her soulmate if she had. She has no soulmate.

Option 2: She steps through one of the doors, and finds herself in Kichijoji... a familiar sight. For a second, she almost believes she's home... but she knows better than that, especially since the door back to the Velvet Room is right behind her.

Her eyes narrow as she watches the various cognitions passing by, each of them seeming... off. Those uncanny smiles, the blank look in their eyes... Each of them reminding her a little too much of someone affected by a Witch's Kiss. There seem to be no signs of anyone actually being affected by one though, so... what is this?

She could try to sense for magic in the air, but... well, she's surrounded by people, and it would be foolish to let her secret slip so easily.

Her hand with the blue-jeweled ring is clenched slightly, and she considers ducking into an alleyway in order to conjure up her Soul Gem.

Option 3: As Akechi wanders about Tokyo, she finds herself near Shibuya, another familiar sight. She doesn't visit Shibuya incredibly often, but she's been there enough to at least feel vaguely comforted by the familiarity.

She steps into one of the many stores, frowning a bit as she considers the fact that her finances are limited. She didn't bring a ton of money with her when she was leaving home. That said though... Her eyes shift towards the various cognitions going too and from the counter. She gets the strange sense that the cognitions aren't particularly attentive... Hmm.

But theft would be unbecoming of the Detective Princess.

Comments

[rookandhound]

His finger hovered over the button, ready to send them both in- when a voice distracted him.

Goro turned, coming face to face with- what

That was... his face. Softer, definitely, but- his, nonetheless. "What gave you your first clue? I'm guessing your name isn't 'Goro'."

[detectivemagica]

She also blinks, not expecting to see someone that looks so much like her. This is... one of the Akechis she read about then, isn't it? Of course, it must be. Though she hadn't quite prepared herself mentally for it yet.

Also that was such a rude response from him, but it's not like she's going to acknowledge that it's rude aloud. She silently curses... but in reality she smiles, tilting her head with a hint of amusement.

"Oh, you know. The fact you were simply standing in the middle of the path. You're very lucky no one barreled over you."

She muses on the name he mentions. 'Goro', huh...

"Not quite. I would be inclined to tell you, but you could be the faerie I read about on the board..."

She doesn't actually believe that, of course. He's definitely not one of the fae... though she's not so sure about the bird-like fellow.

Speaking of which, her eyes shift to Rookmon, a gleam of curiosity appearing in her eyes.

"...And who are you, exactly? You're certainly different from the others here."

[rookandhound]

"Ah... well, to begin with, I am Rookmon, and this of course is-"

"Wolf, since we're supposed to be using codenames, I guess. Which is stupid, but when there's seventeen people, now, all using the same name, not a lot of options."

[detectivemagica]

Rookmon, huh...? It sounds like something out of some kind of video game or something, not an actual name.

"Ah, I see. It's a pleasure to meet you both. I... well, I haven't chosen a codename for myself. Really, I was hoping to return home before that was a necessity."

...She is going to return home. It's just a matter of figuring out how. She needs to, she... She has to return home to get more Grief Seeds. She has a stash on her, but those will only last for so long.

But the concern doesn't cross her face, and instead she raises a finger to her chin.

"...But perhaps I should decide on a codename for my stay here. Especially if I'll be running into more of us. Seveneteen... That's certainly a number of people sharing our name."

Honestly? She's not even sure what the deal is. Is he another version of her from another timeline? Another world? Is he like a long lost cousin? Just what is he?

[rookandhound]

"Yeah, good luck with that. Some people have been here nearly a year, apparently, and Igor doesn't answer questions."

Fucking asshole.

"Not that people aren't trying to get out. I figure there's got to be something. Some way out, at least. Maybe if I get to one of the really deep ends of one of these cognitive bullshit nightmare realms I'll find a hole, or something. It's a long shot, but currently my leads are... nothing the fuck else."

[detectivemagica]

Her eyes actually widen at that, her smile fading a bit.

Nearly a year? That's. That's bad. She can't last a year, not with the stash of Grief Seeds she has... Though, again, that's probably not a guarantee that she'll be stuck here that long. It's just... an upper limit, she'll think of it that way.

"...I see. Well, I suppose we're both going to be seeking a way out of here, then."

She quickly regains her composure, raising that hand with the jeweled ring on it to her heart.

"If you would like some assistance, I would certainly be glad to help. As a detective, it's my duty to find the truth."

Not that she's doing this out of good will, of course. She needs to learn more. She needs to know what's going on, and if it gets her out of here sooner, then that's that.

[rookandhound]

He considered that, for a moment.

"I don't really have a reason to turn you down, I suppose. Do you have that Persona bullshit, too, or am I the only person here without brain ghost superpowers?"

[detectivemagica]

"'Persona'? I can't say I have such a power, no."

At least, that seems to be a supernatural power of sorts. She has different powers, but... well. She's not about to reveal them quite yet, especially not to someone she's just met.

Judging by the name, it's most likely connected to a person's self? Hmm, how odd...

"From the way it sounds, powers like that are common, then?"

[rookandhound]

"Apparently. I haven't met anyone over the age of ten who doesn't have them."

Not that it was the only constant. There were too many commonalities for comfort, too many events that had just so happened to occur in similar ways.

"Common, though by no means universal. We hadn't even heard of any such thing before we arrived here, but I suppose that's not that much more shocking than the possibility of divergent timelines to begin with."

[detectivemagica]

So it does seem to be a rather common thread, then...

"I can confirm I don't have a Persona. Though I will admit I'm quite curious of the specifics now."

She hums a bit, considering it. Well... She's not the only one with powers, then... but that's still no reason to divulge her own powers carelessly.

"What about you? Do the two of you have any powers?"

[rookandhound]

Goro's eyes narrowed, slightly.

"Rookmon's a competent fighter. Am I to take that to mean you don't?"

[detectivemagica]

And so she has to make a decision... How much will she have to divulge? Judging by the way this place is, with the people here, powers are a widespread thing. Wolf and Rookmon are also prepared to battle...

Will fighting be a necessity? Hmm... If it is, then she will, in fact, have to fight alongside Wolf here. She already offered.

"...I have ways of defending myself. They may not be a Persona, but I can fight."

She doesn't elaborate further, her smile getting a more confident-- almost competitive edge.

[rookandhound]

"Fair enough. We were planning an excursion into one of those places today anyway, and more bodies to throw at whatever's in the way is a positive."

She was being cagey, and that was making him nervous. She certainly smelled human, but still... something about that smile rang false. "You never did answer the question of what I'm supposed to call you. I could just roll with 'seventeen', but people tend not to like being numbered."

[detectivemagica]

...Right, she has to be called something. Until she figures out a codename, she'll have to use her real name, she supposes.

"Oh, apologies! My name is Kiri. Until I decide on a moniker, please feel free to call me that."

That smile just isn't going away...

"Very well, then. If you were intending on it to begin with, I would be glad to join you."

[rookandhound]

"Kiri, then." he tapped the button on his phone- and the world bled at the edges, like a watercolor in rain.

It was a different sensation than he was used to, like taking a step in an unexpected direction, rather than the discomfort of willing a body made of matter to become one made of energy.

But the crimson sky and the looming darkness of the subway tunnel entrance promised that he was in the right place.

"So that's Mementos." He inhaled slightly- and his nose wrinkled. "It stinks like blood and rotting meat. Definitely not looking forward to this."

[detectivemagica]

Kiri watches as the world shifts, seeming... unperturbed. It reminds her of a Witch's Labyrinth, honestly, and while the scenery isn't the same, it still has a similar feel to it.

"...What do you know about Mementos, exactly? From the way you were speaking, it made it sound as though there are enemies inside. Do you know anything about them?"

There's no way a place like this isn't crawling with a Witch and Familiars or some other sort of equivalent. She's just wanting to get information before they wander in blind.

[rookandhound]

"Based on data gathered, I've worked out that it's an underground structure that superficially resembles the Tokyo subway system. It's populated by Shadows, which are unintelligent but hostile creatures born from humanity's subconscious beliefs. The deeper you go, the stronger they get and the more inhospitable the atmosphere becomes. Trying to map the tunnels is unfortunately pointless, since every time you enter they have a different configuration."

He cracked his neck. "Apart from that, I haven't been in here yet, so I'm not certain what to expect."