🌒 [Open]

[wipingallout]

... ... ... ... ?

What is...?

I shouldn't... be awake...


[In the Velvet Room...]

[It's courteous of whatever's going on with Igor's plan here that Hamuko is dressed. She probably shouldn't even have a body... whatever she has going on now... did her body fall comatose without her? Did it die? If it was alive, she surely should be much older. ... ... ... Maybe that all doesn't really matter, right now. She's here, gifted a chance to be around others again. The pinboard catches her attention first, of course. Signs of other people... so many little notes, talking about multiple versions of the same person running around. That's... that's charming... that's fun. ...Even if the notes about Ken Amadas make her sad...]

Hmm... I don't see any other 'me' off the bat...

[She'll take a few minutes once given a pen and some pink paper to doodle a little version of herself, signed with her name and phone number, and add it to the corner of the pinboard.]


[Inaba, Central Shopping District]

[What a fun little town! A charming place... hey, isn't this the town she went to for the volleyball camp? She loved the accommodations, but it's so nice to actually wander the streets and see the little shops. This place is SO rural, Hamuko had never really visited a place this remote, even when jumping between foster homes.] Let's see... what's the good spot for the locals? [No point being a complete tourist shmuck!!]


[Shibuya, Underground Mall]

[Well, since nothing costs anything here... might as well get some cute new clothes, right? Who knows how long she'll be around here, and 'dreaming up' new outfits didn't seem to be a thing. No lucid dreaming here - somehow, Hamuko felt a lot happier with that in mind. Still... the fashion is so different!!]

I just want one cute orange top...!! Is orange out of style? Dang it...


[Iwatodai Dorms]

[Of all of the places she's been having fun goofing off and exploring in, the dorms... she couldn't quite get the courage to open the front. Not just yet.]

Not even Koromaru is out front right now. ...I've gotta apologize...

Comments

[captainkurusu]

"Maybe so, but recognizing a problem and stepping in to help don't always go hand in hand. I appreciate the latter. That's all I meant."

He comes out still wearing one of the sweaters, carrying the others draped haphazardly over his arm. This is clearly not a man who worries about wrinkles. "How long have you been here, by the way? I forgot to ask."

[wipingallout]

"Just woke up today!" she answered with a giggle. "And with nothing costing anything, well... looks like I get to go a little ham making a whole new wardrobe!"

1/2

[unit_8910_wolf]

Akane’s eyes widened as Hamuko continued listing things out—one after another, more ridiculous and outlandish each time. “I mean, it’s not exactly a robot body,” she started, attempting to interject, but the girl just kept going. “It’s… well, maybe it is, but it’s mostly built out of cognition and code, so it’s more like—” But then— Games. Dressing up. Graffiti. Skateboarding. Tattoos. Clubbing— Her thought process derailed completely. She stared at Hamuko, mouth slightly open. What. That was an option? That was even possible? Her smile twitched, like she was genuinely holding back a grin, and before she even realized it, she had started typing into the air—quick, automatic motions, like she was noting all of this down in her digital notepad for later reference. And then she noticed. Hamuko’s voice was rising, just enough to be intentional, just enough to—

---

Zenkichi exhaled sharply, trying to keep his anger in check, his grip on his holster still taut from the conversation with Igor. “So if this place is overflowing with cognition,” he said gruffly, “then what happens when we leave? Will she exist normally in our world which is strung up by cognitive phenomenon?”

Igor was silent.

And that alone was enough to set his teeth on edge.

He hated that silence. That smug, knowing, withholding silence. The one that meant Igor was holding all the cards close to his chest, and Wolf wasn’t getting a single one unless the damn long-nosed man was hauled off his ass to follow through with his questions.

He’d been this close to punching something—maybe even that damn smug nose of his—

And then—

Go clubbing-

2/2

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi’s head snapped up, his entire focus ripped away from Igor as instinct kicked in.

“HEY, HEY, HEY—”

He bumbled forward, practically tripping over himself in his rush to rise to the bait. “What do you mean by clubbing—”

And before he even thought about it, his hands instinctively covered Akane’s ears.

Or… well. Where her human ears would be but instead they really just skwed the headphone mounted on the cognitive projections of two human ears that were really just for show.

Akane, now sitting there with Zenkichi’s gloved hands lightly cupped over the sides of her very clearly not-ears, gave him the flattest stare known to mankind.

As if she couldn’t still hear everything.

Zenkichi, finally realizing what he had just done, grit his teeth and snapped at Hamuko in sheer exasperation.

“What kind of bonding initiative are you trying to drag her into?!”

"Da-" Akane stops. "Wolf,” she said flatly, voice crystal clear, “you do realize this doesn’t actually work, right?”

Zenkichi froze.

“…Y-Yeah, well,” he sputtered, quickly removing his hands but still pointing a finger at her, as if that somehow gave him the upper hand in this ridiculous exchange, “it’s the principle of the thing!”

[wipingallout]

"Yeah? And who here was eavesdropping on two teenage girls chatting, hmm? If we wanna go on a rebellious teenage phase, what're you gonna do about it~?" Hamuko teased, absolutely playing it up by putting her hands on her hips and sneering mischievously at Wolf.

"Overprotective!! Maybe she and I wanna go bleach our hair and get cool tattoos across our backs! What's it to ya??"

The more she teased, the more her voice slipped into a caricature of a delinquent - this was fun.

[takutomaruki]

Maruki’s brain worked overtime, connecting dots he hadn’t even considered needing to connect today.

Nyx. The moon. The phases affecting how stable something like Tartarus was.

That… wasn’t a ridiculous claim, actually.

He exhaled through his nose, flipping his clipboard open and scribbling down a few notes. His handwriting was quick but precise—he was used to jotting things down in the middle of wild cognition-based conversations.

Ken Amada’s post… Him and the corrupted version of him drew power from the moon. No, from Nyx? If her presence affected cognitive structures like Tartarus, does that imply a direct influence over how space and reality stabilize within these altered states? Alien cognition? A force that overwrites will?

He paused, tapping the pen against the paper, before murmuring half to himself, half in thought, "Tartarus’ existence being so concrete and centralized… had to do with Nyx itself?" His brows furrowed slightly as he kept writing. "An external will, looming over the world, capable of imposing itself on others. A cognition so powerful it could either erase the will to live—or manifest the will to die."

Which… well. That certainly aligned with what he *did* know about Nyx. And that was still deeply unsettling to process.

He clicked the pen against the clipboard, shutting it with a sigh before giving Hamuko a long, assessing look.

"You do realize that this is still deeply concerning, right?" he asked, deadpan. "I mean, I am genuinely considering an impromptu counseling session after this. I have snacks. I don't even charge any money so honestly? You should take me up on that."

That was only half a joke. If she had actually thrown herself into all of that (which again wasn't surpising), then she probably had way more to unpack than she let on.

Still, now wasn’t the time to dwell too long on existential horror.

He straightened up, adjusting his glasses before glancing around at the different portals scattered around them. "For now, though, we should probably focus on what’s in front of us. These seem to be leading somewhere, and I’d rather not stay standing in the middle of all this fog for too long to the point that I might start missing my actual glasses."

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi barely had time to breathe before Hamuko was right there, hands on her hips, grinning like she’d just found the perfect new game.

She was really playing it up, sneering at him like a gang leader about to shake him down for lunch money.

Zenkichi leaned back, eyes narrowing as he tried to reclaim his personal space—tried being the key word. Hamuko wasn’t letting up. She was right in his face, too close for him to do anything except stiffen slightly as if that could make her back off. It didn’t.

He tried to wave her off with the most unimpressed look he could muster. “Oh, come on, it’s not like I—”

"Akane is my responsibility," he continued, standing his ground as if that somehow made him look cooler, more collected. “She’s only fourteen—”

“Depending on the day,” Akane corrected smoothly before the board, watching the whole thing unfold like she was enjoying premium entertainment.

Zenkichi’s head snapped toward her, giving her a sharp look. “Okay, no, we’re not doing the quantum physics age math thing again.”

Akane huffed, the ghost of a smirk on her face, but she didn’t push it. Instead, she let her attention drift toward the couch where Zenkichi had tossed his hat earlier.

Without a word, she stood up, walking over and idly picking it up, turning it over in her hands before speaking. “I want to make some notes.” That made Zenkichi pause. “Huh?” “By hand,” she clarified, flipping the hat once before setting it back down. “Just to see the difference from digital.” Then she turned to Hamuko, tilting her head slightly. “Can I borrow some of your pink paper?”

[wipingallout]

"I don't really want a councilor, but I'll take a friend," Hamuko gave a nod, twirling her naginata a bit before starting down the path. There were a lot of ways to go and nothing looked familiar, save for a few familiar landmarks of what she'd just passed.

"Those are going to be in short supply here, after all, since we're surrounded by the idea of people moreso than actual people."

There was also the sense that she didn't really want to automatically grant deference to someone who was older than her... she never got anywhere in her Social Links by being passive or meek. And a lot of her Last Year was fraught with information being withheld, confusion, not knowing... having someone to actually puzzle things out sounded nice.

Still, a bit of wandering around wasn't quite giving her any instinctive 'go here's... maybe next time she ought to see if anyone else around had good Navigator capabilities. If nothing else, her high level with her Persona was keeping Shadows hiding away in fear. After a bit, she hummed in thought.

"Is anything calling out to you, direction-wise?"

[wipingallout]

"You bet!" Hamuko happily turned over the little stack of pink paper she'd gotten. Follow that impulse! She'll distract Wolf-pop.

"You're responsible for her, but looks like she's starting to grow enough to stand on her own. You'll have to cut the umbilical soon, you know! Let her have those quintessential girl experiences," Hamuko scolded, though the grin on her face gave the game away - she was having a blast just making Zenkichi flabbergasted. "Why, next thing you know, maybe she'll get a boyfriend! Or a girlfriend!! Have you thought of that, mister cop?"

[unit_8910_wolf]

Akane accepted the stationery with a slight bow of thanks, smoothly gathering the stack of pink paper, a few pens, and some pinning materials—tape, push pins—before excusing herself. The moment she stepped away, Zenkichi turned on his heel, fully intending to follow her.

He was almost in the clear. Almost.

Until Hamuko’s words hit him like a brick to the back of the head.

"Why, next thing you know, maybe she'll get a boyfriend! Or a girlfriend!! Have you thought of that, mister cop?"

Zenkichi froze.

For a second, his brain just stopped working. Then, as if on autopilot, he straightened, rolling his shoulders in a lazy attempt to shake it off. Cool. Be cool.

He turned back, rubbing the back of his neck with a scoff. “First of all, used to be a cop. Was. Past tense. I know Akane’s gotta be spreading all kinds of stories, but get your facts straight. I am only a government dog.”

The correction came easy—too easy—because what he really wanted to snap at was the other part. The part clawing at his brain like an unwelcome guest.

Akane? Dating?

His first instinct was immediate denial—he didn’t care. She could do whatever she wanted. He was not the kind of guy to freak out over that.

Except.

Except that the idea of her having a boyfriend made something in his stomach twist. Not that it mattered, right? Most of the guys he’d seen around here were either too old for her, already taken, or had an overwhelming affinity for *other guys,* which—thankfully—meant she was safe from the worst.

And anyway…

He shut down that train of thought fast. It didn’t matter. Because—

[unit_8910_wolf]

Akane wasn’t human.

She died.

This version of her—her voice, her expressions, the way she looked at him and teased him—it was all artificial. A reconstruction of someone he spent five goddamn years trying to piece back together, clawing at old memories, chasing shadows, until he finally accepted the truth. Until he finally gave up.

Then he got wasted over it. Shut that trash heap of feelings into a locked box, stomped it down, and moved the hell on.

So no. There was no umbilical.

Zenkichi let out a short, humorless laugh, shaking his head. “And what was the word that you used? Umbilical? Yeah, right. That’d require me to have something that close, that intimate.” He waved a lazy hand through the air like he was brushing the thought aside. “I mean, come on, I am just flesh, an unhuman running on machine parts. What’s next? You gonna tell me to start scrapbooking our special father-daughter moments? Maybe knit us some matching sweaters?”

The smirk tugged at his lips, but it was forced, paper-thin. The kind of joke meant to deflect rather than amuse.

Then, just as quickly, the humor bled out of his face.

He met Hamuko’s gaze head-on, voice quieter, but sharper. “Look. I don’t know if you actually mean well or if you just like seeing me squirm—but if you don’t know the bitter truth, maybe it’s time you started realizing it’s none of your damn business.”

[wipingallout]

The bitter bite back was a bit surprising, but Hamuko kept her composure, settling only one hand on a hip as he seethed.

There was a lot of resentment in his words, a lot of... sadness. Reinforced self loathing. He was getting angry because the subjects were sensitive. And there was something clear to Hamuko's expression - she was peering through him, assessing him in all of the ways a human can assess someone.

With a smile, she tilted her head.

"Aigis was able to become that deeply emotionally close to others. In my time, she was supposedly the last of the anti-shadow weapons remaining, back in the 90s. So I'm afraid not being human is not a very easy 'get out of jail free' card to me - I know full well that even if you and Akane aren't human, you are still people."

1/2

[takutomaruki]

Maruki’s steps faltered for just a second.

Did she… see a friend in him?

He glanced away, something in his expression flickering between surprise and something far more forlorn. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that—wasn’t sure he could respond to that.

Friendship had always been a complicated, fraying thread in his life.

His old college friends—pushed away by his own hands, lost in the singular pursuit of his research.

And Akira-kun. From his world.

The one who had been his guiding light, who had helped him see beyond what was in front of him. Who had, in some small way, acted as the very lenses now resting on his nose—dusting off the fog, letting him see what he never could have before.

He had been Maruki’s friend.

And now? Every Akira—or Ren—he had encountered in this place had made their feelings perfectly, painfully clear.

Hatred. Disgust. Bitterness.

He had never asked.

And especially after the tapes? He hadn't needed to ask.

A middle-aged weirdo like him? No, that wasn’t a good friend for someone like her. Someone so sharp, so attuned to the world around her.

But in the end, he said nothing about it.

He kept walking, kept his gaze ahead, and instead, after a long silence, muttered, "These ideas of people… they have their own idea of life, too. Even if it’s a pretense. It’s still a life."

A certain, gnawing thought tugged at the edges of his mind. Rumi.

The one he hadn’t reached out to after the whole debacle during the Christmas Party. The one he couldn’t bring himself to find again.

But now wasn’t the time for that.

At Hamuko’s question, he stayed quiet for a little too long. Then, suddenly blinking, he offered her a sheepish grin. "Ah, my apologies! I was just admiring the… interesting studio. Certainly fits the theme." He made a sweeping gesture at their unsettling surroundings, voice dripping with obvious sarcasm.

Still, she had a point. If they were going to move forward, they needed direction.

Maruki exhaled, closing his eyes briefly as he tapped into his ability, reaching outward—trying to feel something beyond the immediate fog.

And there it was.

2/2

[takutomaruki]

Each of these places had a presence. An imprint. They carried the weight of someone’s internal reality—twisted, exaggerated, yet undeniably theirs.

Except…

The Hollow Forest.

His head throbbed, sharp and sudden, like a half-remembered nightmare clawing at the edges of his mind.

Something about that place—he could feel negativity in all the others, but this was different. It was like an endless spiral of isolation, a hollowed-out existence where something—someone—had erased themselves entirely.

He remembered clutching Rumi's hand as they were weaving through the thick forest...back in Mikage-cho. He remembered the extent of that place, stretching beyond and finding himself being too small for a world like-

He inhaled sharply, pressing a hand to his temple before shaking it off, schooling his features into something neutral.

"Every person has an internal reality separate from their external one," he started, adjusting his grip on his clipboard. "And all these different… places, these ‘TV Worlds,’ as it were, they give me an inkling of that. They’re distorted reflections of what people feel and believe."

His fingers tightened slightly. "But I suppose...we could try the Forest…?" He trailed off into a question.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to finish that thought.

Instead, he focused on her again, tilting his head slightly. "But, ah. You’re clearly the more experienced one here. If you have a preference on where to start, I’ll defer to you."

[wipingallout]

"I wasn't speaking ill of them, it's just... you can't really connect to them, not really," she hummed in initial response, a little low as she saw Maruki get lost in thought. That's fine, she'll keep an eye out for their surroundings, full aware of the danger inherent to their environment.

The focus stopped when Maruki winced, and she almost immediately and instinctively started stepping closer and reaching a hand out, as if to catch him or stabilize him. He must've sensed something... the more he spoke, the more Hamuko steadily relaxed, though she was clearly sizing him up, making sure he was okay. Some people were as stubborn as cats with how they would hide their pain, and she wasn't about to neglect someone she picked up responsibility for.

"We'll look into the Forest, then. Are you good to keep going? That was a sharp reaction," she commented carefully. "We can fall back if you need more prep time, there's no shame in it."

[fogboundcrow]

"Frankly, it's a wonder we haven't. We may have a decent number of residents, but there's only so much to do in contained spaces like this." Even so, he takes a croquette and dips it in the sauce. "But I suppose the shared company makes it more bearable."

[wipingallout]

Hamuko split her croquette in half, watching the steam billow out in the chilly winter air, cooling faster. "Well... my experience with Igor and the Velvet Room makes me think that that's probably the point. Meeting each other and getting to know one another, I mean-- there's probably something important everyone's getting from getting to know one another."

[fogboundcrow]

"Oh, certainly. Some of the people here have benefited greatly from a safe place away from their struggles back home, and the opportunity to learn their potential futures."

Hmm... That bite was a bit hot. He'll go ahead and break the other pieces in half to let them steam. Hunger got the best of him this time.

"There are quite a few people whose lives took tragic turns, entangled with corrupt authorities that have forced them to harm others."

[wipingallout]

Right!! That makes sense. "The fact that so many of you all are different worlds' versions of the same person... you guys must be having a hard time. And trust each other the most to reach out, maybe?"

Hers cooled enough, so she took a bite after dunking it in sauce, and--

"MMM??? Mmm!!!" she excitedly hummed, bouncing in her seat a little. THAT WAS SO TASTY??

[fogboundcrow]

"Well, it depends. Crow and I have fared better than many of our alternate selves. I believe those who've dealt with Shido's bullshit at the most predisposed to understand each other, and yet—"

Oh, she's excited. Raven blinks, then snorts out a little laugh. "Your seal of approval, I presume?"

[wipingallout]

"Mmm!! Yeah!! Oh, that's so good!" she giggled excitedly, fanning the steam off her face. A little hot, but it was SO crisp and smooth and tasty. "There were restaurants good at a lot of different foods where I was living, but there really wasn't a good place for croquettes. Heehee."

[unit_8910_wolf]

Zenkichi exhaled sharply through his nose. The fact that Hamuko didn’t budge, that she didn’t recoil or backpedal the way he’d been hoping, only set his teeth further on edge. That impenetrable, infuriating understanding—like she was seeing something in him he had no interest in acknowledging—only made the irritation twist deeper.

And yet, it was that one line that caught, that dug in harder than the rest.

"Even if you and Akane aren't human, you are still people."

His jaw tightened.

To Zenkichi, him being an Unhuman was both a release and a punishment. A release, because it meant he no longer had to carry the burdens of a man who had failed—who had lost his wife, who had left his daughter in the hands of a corrupt system, who had sold his soul to a cause that had chewed him up and spat him out. And a punishment, because it meant he would never again be worthy of the things that once made him human. He had been a man who couldn’t even take care of his own family. Who had broken every promise he had ever made to the people he loved. And so, he was something else now.

Not a person.

Not a man.

Just a weapon.

And Hamuko—this girl, this impossibly naïve girl—wanted to tell him otherwise?

He let out a laugh, low and sharp and humorless. Not malicious, no—but something bastardly about it nonetheless.

"You're delusional," he told her flatly, shaking his head with something that might’ve been amusement if it weren’t so bitter.

He wasn't angry anymore, not exactly. Just... tired.

"I won't speak for Akane," he continued, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. "But you're gonna be real disappointed when you realize I don't follow through with your little hopeful narrative. Really, it's just gonna be embarrassing for you at this point. Save yourself the trouble, yeah?"

His smirk was razor-thin. "Or don't. I won't stop you from setting yourself up for failure."

[takutomaruki]

Maruki blinked, straightening up almost immediately at Hamuko’s concern, his free hand lifting in a quick, almost instinctive placating gesture.

"Oh, no, no, I’m fine—really. It’s just migraines," he reassured her, waving it off with a light chuckle. "Wouldn’t be the first time, honestly. Probably all the all-nighters catching up with me."

That wasn’t even a lie. By a long shot.

Between researching cognitive science, deciphering the layers of the mind, and now learning about yet another inexplicable reality, his sleep schedule had long since stopped being a schedule at all.

Still, the way Hamuko was looking at him, that sharp, assessing gaze—she wasn’t the type to just accept a dismissive answer.

So, after a beat, he exhaled and added, "That said… I do have a little mental training exercise I use sometimes. Helps when I’m jittery. Or, well, exhausted—which, I take it, is what you think I am right now?" He gave her a small, knowing smile.

"Doesn’t always stop the headaches, but it helps me stay on my feet," he added, his tone casual but pointed. He was fine. And more than that, he wasn’t about to be the reason they had to turn back.

His gaze softened just a little, though. It had been a while since someone had actively worried about him like this. It reminded him of Morning.

Still, there were more pressing things to focus on.

With one last steadying breath, he nodded toward her. "Alright. If the Forest is where we’re heading, let’s go before I actually do start getting exhausted."

[wipingallout]

Hamuko just... smiles at him. Calm and composed, because she has faced this level of disrespect and ridicule and worse. Because she wasn't afraid of him, or of being judged.

All of her time in the Velvet Room before was circled around one thing: making connections with other people, to empower herself through the archetypes of the Tarot. To make herself stronger. To make it possible to save her friends.

I can see why Igor has brought you here.

She doesn't say it. She doesn't need to say it.

"I can already tell... Akane-chan and I will be good friends. Don't worry. I won't let anything horrible happen to her so long as she's with me," she promised sincerely, instead.

1/2

[wipingallout]

"I've worked with exhausted before - I'll remind you to take a day off after so you don't get sick tomorrow like a good Team Leader," she chuckled a bit, giving Maruki a trusting nod for now. If he knows his limits, then he knows them. "But in exchange, you better let me know when you're feeling bad enough to need to back out. No point in putting the effort to research when you're too distracted to make coherent notes."

It's all terribly reasonable. Infuriating, she's sure. But she's sure that she can lead him and make sure that he's safe throughout this trek, it's her responsibility to do so.

"Alright. Let's go see what this Forest is like," she started forward again. following the direction that Maruki was led towards.