[Open Intro] a pirate's life for me

[captainkurusu]

I. In the Velvet Room

The sight of an Akira in a long black coat and a high-necked gray vest is no rarity around these parts, but the one currently studying the conspiracy board is different. He has gold earrings, for one thing, and his clothes have a different style: hand-sewn wool and linen, not the slick, modern leather of Metaverse garb. His casual, hands-in-pockets slouch as he studies the conspiracy board, however, should look familiar to almost anyone.

Well. Anyone who knows an Akiren, anyway.

At the sound of anyone approaching him, Captain Akira turns sharply, his right hand flying to the hilt of the cutlass hanging from his belt. Depending on who he sees, he’ll say one of the following things:

If the character approaching him is an Akiren, his eyes widen briefly in surprise. Then he puts his hands on his hips, studying his double with interest. “You look oddly familiar, somehow,” he quips. “I’m afraid I can’t place you, though.”

If the character approaching him is an Akechi, the choked syllable “Go–” escapes him before he can stop it. Then he cuts himself off, smiling in apology. “Excuse me. I mistook you for someone else.”

If the character approaching him is anyone else, he nods a polite greeting and points at the conspiracy board. “Did you write this?” he asks cheerfully. “ ‘For mine own part, it is Greek to me.’ ”

Whether the character he addresses recognizes the quote or not, Akira’s puzzled expression translates its meaning clearly: Hey. What the hell is this?

II. In Tokyo

Tokyo is the last place Akira ought to set foot in--so of course, it’s the first place he does. To his disappointment, the city beyond the door is all but unrecognizable, full of bright lights and strange buildings and marvels Akira can’t begin to puzzle out. Even so, a vague familiarity remains, an instinct leading him deeper and deeper into the urban sprawl.

Any character passing through Shibuya can find Akira just off of Center Street, standing outside the door to Untouchable with a bemused expression on his face. He runs a hand through his messy hair and sighs, turning to smile at whoever is watching him.

“This place has changed a great deal since I saw it last,” he jokes. “Then again, I was a bit preoccupied the last time I was here.”

Comments

[captainkurusu]

"The subject matter, I suppose. It's...a lot to take in, to say the least." She looks familiar, but I can't place her. Stranger and stranger. "But I suppose I'll adapt. May I ask your name?"

[lifeinit]

"Kitagawa Yaeko. Pleased to meet you." With that said, the resemblance will probably click into place - she's still tall and skinny, and there's paint splattered on her clothes (no matter what she tries, she can't avoid it, and has long since given up).

"It's unusual for someone to end up here without at least a little knowledge of the subject matter, though outliers aren't unheard of. Was anything in particular tripping you up?"

[captainkurusu]

Ah, of course. The moment she gives her name, Akira kicks himself for not seeing the resemblance sooner. It figures that he would look striking as any sex. I wonder what Yusuke would make of her? Besides a painting, of course; he'd insist on that...

Setting that thought aside, he gives Yaeko a respectful bow.

"Captain Akira Kurusu. The pleasure is mine." He tucks his hands into his pockets. "I can wrap my head around having doppelgangers well enough, and I've certainly heard of demons. It's all the talk of 'cognitions' and 'wielding personas' that I can't parse. Is it some form of code?"

[lifeinit]

As though Yaeko wouldn't insist on a painting herself - she may yet, once Fox has found his bearings with a little more certainty. Being the subject for a change would be an interesting novelty, though.

(Speaking of paintings, if Akira is still familiar with a certain stolen painting... Yaeko looks a great deal like her mother.)

"Captain? I suppose that goes some way toward explaining your coat. And your confusion, if your travels haven't taken you into much contact with the supernatural. It's no code at all, simply a facet of life that most of us have had to deal with at one time or another." And one that most of them only talk about so freely because it's shared context.

"The cognitions may be the simpler explanation, at least regarding how they'll impact your wanderings around here. Because we all expect these locations to have a great deal many more people than just those of us who have appeared here, there are... facsimiles of people here. They don't really have any substance to them, they won't complain if you don't pay for something - money is truly no object - and they wander through their set routines without thinking much of even major disruptions."

[captainkurusu]

"No contact at all would qualify as 'not much,' yes. I've heard tales of magic and miracles, of course, but this room is the first real evidence I've seen."

He listens quietly to her explanation, his forehead furrowed in thought. It's unclear to him why anyone's expectations should make a difference, but he decides not to ask. He'd rather not risk looking foolish. Knowing the what without the why is probably enough.

"Like ghosts, then--visible, but not fully part of the world. Do I have the gist?"

[lifeinit]

He could ask - it's not as though Yaeko's going to judge someone for being weird.

"They're a bit more solid than ghosts are purported to be, but essentially, yes. When I say they lack substance, it's like..." Hmm. This Akira is unlikely to know from video games.

Fortunately, Yaeko has other comparisons to draw from. "Like background characters in a play, or unfocused details in a painting. They aren't there to do anything, really, but take up space and go about their business, because our minds expect those details to be at least somewhat filled in."

[captainkurusu]

"I see." He doesn't, entirely. But for now, knowing the random strangers wandering around are neither real nor harmful is enough. "And that's normal where you come from, I take it? In some form?"

[lifeinit]

"Not in everyday life." Rose would say otherwise, but Rose is aware that her Real People radar is... supremely broken, to put it mildly. Yaeko can certainly acknowledge that the average Persona user seems to be grappling with bigger problems than those without, but that's not always the case.

"In the sorts of places where Personas become a factor, they can be relevant. But that's getting deeper into the supernatural side of things."

[captainkurusu]

Personas. Right. Another term Akira has no frame of reference for. "I'd love to hear more about the supernatural side of things. By all means, go as deep as you like."

Hm. Not his best phrasing, that.

[lifeinit]

Yaeko doesn't miss the innuendo by any means, but she does choose not to comment on it.

"Perhaps it might be better demonstrated than explained. The very shortest version is that Personas provided most of us with the means to push back against unjust authority."

[captainkurusu]

That's probably wise. "Some form of personal supernatural powers, then? Going from context?"

[lifeinit]

"More or less. Do you want to see a demonstration?"

If that's a step too far for the moment, it can always wait for another time, but Yaeko doesn't mind either way.

[captainkurusu]

Nonsense. If there's one thing Akira loves, it's seeing something cool and potentially dangerous up close.

"I'd love to."

[lifeinit]

"Very well. We'll have to head into the city for that."

And she moves to the door into Tokyo.