personavelvetroomdr | [EVENT] Memory Tapes

Entry tags:

[EVENT] Memory Tapes

On the morning of November 21st, denizens in the Velvet Room will awake to a message on their phones or by their bedsides in an envelope. Perhaps even on their computer screens.

Greetings! If you've received this message, then you've been selected as a participant in a new activity to strengthen bonds within this community. In order to facilitate connections with your fellow residents, we advise you to watch this video. Watch it and return the tape to its rightful owner. If you lacked the means to watch VHS tapes before, we have provided you with the necessary equipment. Failure to do so may put your own memories at risk. Do not be selfish, lest you find yourself struggling to recall crucial moments of your life. You have no way of knowing which memories have been shared, so ask yourself if it is worth the risk to selfishly hoard another's secrets.

They will soon find a VHS tape, with a case that gives off a soft, blue glow to symbolize its importance. If they lack a TV or VCR, they will find one in their living space.

What they do is up to them, but they should heed the warning, if they value their own memories.

[For links to characters' memories, please see this post in the OOC comm. Have fun!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

thanks

And indeed, when she arrives, she can find Kou sitting in the diner in Shibuya, nestled away in the corner of a booth. In sight of the entrance, of course, but still clearly trying to cut himself off from the rest of the world. He's idly stirring a coffee, but not paying attention to... much of anything. He seems like he's lost in thought. He certainly hasn't noticed her.

Edited 2024-11-23 17:10 (UTC)

And there he is! Hannei did make quick work to arrive. She’s got the tape under one arm and a reply already in her head.
Because oh boy she has uh, some words about what memory she saw.
But first things first. She approaches the table Kou is sitting at, making it a point to make her presence known by her footsteps.
But just to be sure she’s noticed, as to not startle him, she waves.
“Corvus-san, hi!” She greets. She doesn’t feel like the excitable pep is needed right now, so she’s a bit more restrained.
Or maybe she’s just a bit nervous.

The footsteps make him look up, and he quickly notices Hannei. He looks a little apprehensive, but mostly sounds tired as he greets het in return.

"Kugutsu-san," he says, nodding, before his eyes fall to the tape. "Thank you for bringing my tape."

“It’s no problem!” She smiles before setting the tape on the table.
Welp. Here we go. She looks a little nervous before she bows.
“I’m really sorry! I had to watch it to find out who it belonged to and- well, it was private and I feel really bad invading your privacy!” You’d think she wouldn’t be this upset considering she makes it practically her job to scout out information and snoop for Akechi.
But this is different!! She can’t explain how but it is!!

He takes the tape, sliding it closer to himself, before he looks up, and sighs.

"What did you see?"

Please don't be bad. Please don't be bad.

Oh boy ok. Hannei fidgets with the hem of her sweater vest before she answers.
“Well, your name, and um it was you and who im assuming is Ren” she fidgets again, yeah this really feels like an invasion of privacy.
“He uh, kissed you… and you got really angry and uh…” she trails off, but figures that might be enough for Kou to figure out the rest.
So instead she straightens up a little and says. “Honestly? Ren was kind of a dick. I want to punch him”
Which is true! She wants to punch him, can she punch him? If he shows up she might punch him.

She doesn't even need to finish before Kou knows what she's talking about, and he leans back, his hands in his face. He lets out a groan of a noise, irritated and exhausted and just. Done with this already.

God fucking dammit.

"Honestly- I wish I would've," he says, because he doesn't know what else to say. "It was such- I don't know what he was thinking."

Still doesn't- this happened days before he was brought here, so he hasn't had the chance to talk to Ren. Not that he fucking wants to, he's still pissed about it.

Honestly, she has no idea what to say to even try to help. So she doesn’t say anything like that, instead she says,

“…well from the way I saw it he was being a jerk. If he shows up i might punch him.” She grumbles.
Ugh. She doesn’t understand why this feels different than scouting information. Maybe it’s the lack of akechi asking her to do it? She has no strong opinions on Igor, and this was seemingly his idea?
Ugh, confusions.
But she feels like she needs to offer something in compensation. She knows deals, she knows exchanges, she saw one of his memories, so she…
“I know you haven’t given anyone your name, and I don’t like that I know it now without your permission.” She wanted to earn that trust! And now she can’t. “Also… it doesn’t feel fair that know a memory of yours now but you don’t have one of mine” she knows exchanges, she doesn’t think Kou trusts her enough to just go off of good will.
“So, I can tell you one of my memories, so we’re on even ground?” She offers. She had thought about it a lot on the way over. She wants to make the offer. Even if Fenrir was growling about how it was a bad idea to just offer up a weakness to others you’re unsure you can trust yet.
But It felt fair.

"You have my full permission to do so," Kou grumbles. It could be funny, even, to watch the surprise on Ren's face as a random girl punches him.

The more pressing issue, though...

He sighs. "Please don't go spreading it," he mutters, "I'd rather just... not have people know it." He doesn't know if he could stand it if all these fake Goro's started calling him by name- when only Goro had the permission before. And Ren, briefly, but- well, fuck Ren.

He hates having to trust someone he doesn't know. Hates having this weakness exposed- hates this whole bullshit. Why couldn't they just leave him alone.

He doesn't even understand why she's offering that. He certainly wouldn't, were he in her place- but who knows.

"I don't understand you at all," he sighs, leaning back and crossing his arms. "How can I even trust you're telling me something real? That you aren't holding me for a fool?"

She’s going to remember that.
But right more importantly…

She nods, she might not know his reasons for it, but she knows how to keep her word.
“My lips are sealed, I’ll keep calling you Corvus-san too until you tell me otherwise” she knows names are important. That much is clear to her.

Hannei smiles, apparently not too upset about not being understood. “I have been told I’m a bit weird” you don’t have to be so casual about that. But she looks more thoughtful a moment later.
“That’s… a good point. Just asking you to trust I wouldn’t lie feels a bit weak” so something that can be confirmed by an outside source?
“… well I suppose you could ask my Akechi-Kun to confirm my memory, though if you don’t want to do that…” she’d get if he’s trying to avoid other Akechi for his own reasons…. “…maybe you could ask Fenrir?” …ok maybe getting confirmation from someone’s persona is a bit of a stretch.
But she made this offer seriously, she wants to take his concern seriously too.

Edited 2024-11-25 15:10 (UTC)

"Thanks," he says, even if he's not sure how much he can trust her. She seems bright and chipper, but looks can be deceiving. She... is weird, yeah, he really can't put his finger on what kind of person she is at all.

Hm. he takes a sip of his coffee, and grimaces- it's lukewarm.

"And Fenrir is...?" he asks, stirring his coffee. Hmm, considering she is apparently the partner of her world's Akechi. Perhaps...? "Your Persona?"

Fuck, what does it matter? Kou really, really doesn't have the energy to wonder and worry and figure all this out, so he sighs.

"You know what- just go ahead. Let's assume you're telling the truth."

“Yep! Fenrir’s been with me as almost as long as I can remember.” She smiles, like that isn’t a little concerning.

But she got the go ahead! She smiles and nods at that, then put a hand to her chin to think.
Hm, what memory could she recount that would feel like an equal trade?
…hm… how about?

“Oh! Ok here’s one, so there was this one time Akechi-kun took me clothes shopping, because I didn’t really have anything you know? Found me in mementos, didn’t have any memories either, this was before Fenrir started talking to me I believe” she does not elaborate on any of that and instead continues her recollection. “So he drags me to a clothing store, not anything super fancy since he’s trying not to get attention, and he helps me pick out a few outfits. Like this one!” She gestures to the sweater vest she’s wearing now. “…I couldn’t remember owning anything before. So it was really nice. I’d have been hopeless without him.” She looks to the side, fidgeting with her sleeve.
She doesn’t remember the first thing about fashion, or what it was like to own something.
That was the first time akechi said she had something of her own. Even if it’s an ordinary memory by others standers it’s special to her.
“…so, uh, yeah.” She looks back at Kou with an expression like ‘any questions?’ Like girl there was so much you just glossed over HANNEI-

As long as she remembers?

That's a little strange, to say the least. Just how young was she when she obtained her Persona that it wouldn't be a clear, vivid memory? Awakening to Wilhelm and Thor is one of the most clear memories he can recall, so why...?

Though his question is answered soon enough by her story- which only brings up more questions.

"He found you in Mementos? With amnesia?"

It's unbelievable, honestly, but somehow- it doesn't feel like a lie either. He's heard this exact story before, after all. And the outfit...

Yeah, Goro would pick something like that. A smile twitches onto Kou's face, followed by a heavy feeling of melancholy.

"... I believe you," he murmurs. "That's... yeah, that's his kind of fashion." Grandpa fashion, Kou had called it once, teasingly, only for Goro to scoff at him that it was professional and clean. Which, true, and Kou did wear it without complaints- adults like a nice, cleaned up young man, but that didn't mean it wasn't grandpa fashion.

It hurts a little to think of it like that now, and suddenly Kou feels... like a slob. Sloppy in his fashion sense, geared towards comfort rather than presenting nice, but-

"You really have no memory of anything before he found you?" he pivots away from the thoughts.

“Yeppers” Hannei taps her head a few times. “Couldn’t remember a thing. He found me in mementos about… two years ago now?” She tilts her head as she thinks, then nods when she recalls the number.
“I’d be really lost without him, but he’s helping me figure out what happened in exchange for me helping him. Which sounded like a good deal to me” she bounces on her heels a moment, before tilting her head.
“It’s… well I wouldn’t say I’m not worried about why I forgot and how I ended up there, but with everything going on we just, haven’t been thinking about it? I have Fenrir, and I know how to help, so…” she shrugs. As long as she can help akechi she’s okay if their little Investigation is on hold.

"I... see," Kou says, idly stirring his coffee. He should really just have them bring a new one but he's a little distracted, to say the least.

Two years... then, Ren wouldn't be in the picture yet- and without Ren, no Morgana either. Still... Kou puts his hand on his chin, thinking.

"That sounds familiar," he murmurs, "the name 'Morgana' wouldn't happen to mean anything to you?"

“Morgana?” She repeats the name, tilts her head, and thinks. Really thinks! But draws a blank.
Hannei shakes her head.
“Nope, doesn’t ring any bells sorry. Should I know a Morgana?” Having a lead to follow when they get back home wouldn’t be a bad thing to keep in mind!

"I don't know," Kou says, looking like he's thinking, "Morgana was also found in the Metaverse with no memories, from what I've heard. Just turned up in a Palace, and went with Re- Amamiya."

He pauses, briefly, thinking a little more.

"He's a cat, though, despite his protests," he says, "a talking cat, but a cat nonetheless. He turned out to be some sort of Metaverse creature in the end... made by Igor, actually."

He gauges her reaction to that.

Edited 2024-11-27 19:31 (UTC)

“A talking… cat?… found in the metaverse… with no memories?…” Hannei tilts her head again, frowning in confusion, a talking cat, who’s a metaverse creature… made by Igor?
“That… feels……” familiar? No… maybe? She isn’t sure. But if this morgana is like her, and was made by someone.
Then does that
Does that
Does that
Does that
Hannei looks to the side, trying to think, her expression scrunching up in concentration. there’s something there, a dot she can connect. An answer she can reach. If she could just
Just
Just-
And then it’s gone. And her expression blanks for a moment before she blinks and looks up, suddenly looking curiously excited.
“Wait, so if this morgana is akiren’s partner… and Akiren is akechi-kun’s rival… does that mean the cat is my rival???”
W-wait. How’d she jump to this? It’s like she didn’t even process that last comment. What? What just happened?

"... Huh?"

That was... weird, to say the least. For a moment, it looked like she was making some connections in her mind, remembering some things, only for it all to slip away in less than a second. Clearly, it's not like she's forgotten about what he's said- but still.

How odd.

"Well- I suppose if you want to think of the cat as your rival... your Persona is Fenrir, no?" The dog and cat theme would certainly make sense. "But it is kind of hard to call someone your rival if you've never had any sort of interaction before, even by proxy. It's one thing for a detective and anonymous thieves to have a rivalry, but Morgana hasn't even shown up in your world, if I'm understanding correctly."

A shadowy corner of his mind stirred. Maruki could feel Azathoth siphoning information like smoke curling around a flame. Though distant, his fragmented consciousness processed the scene through the omnipotent eyes of his twisted benefactor. Ever-present.

"A twin," he thought, his mind snapping to attention the moment the word Akechi reached him.

He leaned closer in the mental fog, metaphorically peering through Azathoth’s view. The young man, Kou—he carried himself differently, more grounded than Goro had been. Yet the resemblance was uncanny. The sharp, calculating gaze, the slight downturn of his mouth when he was lost in thought… It was like staring at an echo of Akechi.

Now...he's seen his post but how is he supposed to talk to him? If he isn't careful- he will lose even more memories and having Azathoth looming over that...

It's scary to think about.

Hannei blinks, then grins she continues on her current line of thought.
“Yeah! Morgana must be my rival then! … weird how I’m not a dog though? I mean I guess I did have fun during Halloween, but being a dog all the time would probably be weird” she crosses her arms and thinks aloud, it’s like she has completely forgotten Kou’s comment about Morgana’s origins.
That’s… weird.
“And I guess it’s too soon to make a rival call, akechi-kun has some multiverse fate thing going on, I guess I don’t?” She pouts like she’s upset by this.
Then she blinks again, “I’m sorry I think I got off track, what were we talking about?”

Kou blinks, a bit taken aback. She's... competely forgotten about the topic at hand- and somehow, he doesn't feel like it's her usual weirdness. Or, at least, not just her being absentminded. Somehow, he doesn't get the impression she doesn't know what's going on around her, or is that much of an airhead, despite what she portrays.

This... may be something to keep an eye on. It's not like he cares that much, but the sudden 'reset'- it feels wrong. It feels like Sumire.

"..."

His skin prickles- for a moment, he feels like he and Hannei are being watched, but it's gone just as quickly. A quick look around only reveals the cognitions- no sign of a real person. Hm.

... What a goddamn pain. He's way too tired for this shit.

"Nevermind," he sighs, leaning back. "I'm grateful that you returned my tape, in any case."

Hannei is unaware of any internal sleuthing or unwanted presences lingering. Instead, she smiles.

“I’m happy to help!” She lightly taps her her toe against her other heel. “And um, thanks for talking, I’m sure this whole situation with the tapes is… weird” she doesn’t know what was on the tape Akechi got but he looked frazzled when she saw him. So she can’t help but wonder what else could be seen on these tapes.
She wonders if anyone got one of hers.
She isn’t sure if she wants that to happen or not.
“But I like talking with you! You’re cool” Kou is pretty cool. And maybe it’s her curiosity but she does want to get to know him more.
He’s the only Kou it seems, like she’s the only hannei.

"Yeah. This whole tape thing has been... uncomfortable, to say the least."

At least Hannei was nice enough about the whole thing- she's being respectful of his wishes, without being pitying, and he can appreciate that. The whole Mementos thing is... weird, and he can't deny he's curious about it, about the whole sudden forgetting thing- but it's not as if he's in a position to help her with that, right now.

Somehow, he has a feeling that divulging more information is just going to go down the forgetting path as well. Perhaps it's something he ought to investigate.

... Later. Maybe.

"It wasn't unpleasant to speak with you," Kou replies, humming. "You're an interesting girl, Kugutsu-san."

Edited 2024-12-01 15:43 (UTC)

(no subject)

mirrorgirl - 2024-12-01 20:55 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

lostgemini - 2024-12-02 16:09 (UTC) - Expand

Azathoth's presence lingered like a heavy mist, its formless, writhing tentacles coiling unseen around the café's dim interior. To ordinary eyes, the space seemed calm—two people casually talking over lukewarm coffee. But to Azathoth, the air shimmered with tension, potential, and vulnerability. Its ever-watchful tendrils of cognition reached toward the conversation, probing, listening.

His focus zeroed in on the girl. The one with slighty wavy hair and hazel eyes that flickered almost gold.

His deduction was right. She was an anomaly- or part of the strange multiverse that didn't replicate EVERY thing from his world in different mirrors.

So the Akechi with her...

He's hit a jackpot.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only