🌒 [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

[takutomaruki]

Maruki blinked at her reasoning, then let out a soft snort. "You know, that... might explain why I get clumsy."

It was an absentminded comment, but it was a little funny when he thought about it. He rarely even traveled on foot in cognitive spaces—Azathoth’s massive, writhing tentacles made for a strangely effective (if unsettling) means of flight. Maybe he’d just gotten too used to floating everywhere to worry about his footing.

Still, Hamuko had a point. Flip-flops weren’t exactly great for stability, especially if he had to make a sudden break for it.

“…Alright, fine. I’ll invest in some proper shoes.” He smiled, though there was a lighthearted resignation in his voice. “Perhaps not immediately, but… maybe I should at least keep a small bag on me. For storage. Just in case.”

That was future Maruki’s problem.

[wipingallout]

"I've got your back, don't worry," Hamuko assured with a confident nod. "Well, if you've got an idea where 'the big TV in Junes' is, I'm ready whenever you are."

She pulled out from the bottom of her bag her old S.E.E.S. belt, clipping it on and making sure the evoker was ready. And then, of course, pulling out a few... metal rods? And something in a leather bag? She screwed the rods together snugly, making a long pole-arm.

[takutomaruki]

Maruki straightened up, giving a firm nod in return. “Alright, then.”

He turned slightly, pulling his clipboard back up to double-check his notes. The big TV in Junes… should be in Junes. Obviously. That part was simple enough. He had been there once before to return a tape—surely that was the right place to investigate.

With a sigh, he turned back to Hamuko, ready to lead the way. “We should get moving. If we’re looking for a main hub, then—”

He paused.

Oh.

She was making the naginata.

His eyes widened slightly as she deftly screwed the rods together, the weapon extending into its full length with each practiced motion. For a moment, he was just… impressed. And maybe a little envious.

“That’s—” He cut himself off, regaining his stride and motioning for her to follow as they started walking. But his curiosity had already taken hold.

“You just… make the weapon on the spot?” He glanced between her and the now fully assembled polearm, brows raising slightly. He kind of wanted to get a feel of the weapon itself, eyes doting on its form as it did. “That’s incredibly efficient. Do you always carry the parts around like that?”

[wipingallout]

"Well, back in Tartarus-climbing days, we usually left the door during the Dark Hour to not raise suspicion. A lot of the better quality naginatas we picked up weren't able to be broken down like this one - I just asked Igor for something discreet for here. This one isn't too different than some of the basic stuff I got really early when I started fighting Shadows," Hamuko explained plainly, resting the polearm against her shoulder. The leather bag stayed on to keep the blade away from anyone, for now.

"The 'people' here not quite being people... that makes it a little easier."

[takutomaruki]

Maruki hummed thoughtfully as he jotted down a few quick notes, his mind working through what little he knew of Tartarus. He recalled hearing bits and pieces—a towering labyrinth, floating coffins, and a school built atop something much, much older. Even before this strange town or this strange place, he'd read enough scattered reports in his own world to piece together that it was more than just some supernatural anomaly.

A place where so much pain settled upon the world that even cognition itself warped to reflect it…

His chest swelled with discomfort at the thought.

It was only when Hamuko spoke again that he realized he had absentmindedly circled the word coffins on his page, the ink pressing deeper into the paper from the number of times he’d gone over it. He blinked, quickly shaking off the creeping weight of his thoughts and glancing back up.

His gaze flickered to the weapon again, then to her. Right. Cognitions. The residents here weren’t quite real, not in the way they should be.

“Well, that does explain a few things,” he mused, tapping his pen against the clipboard. “I’ve heard of people blowing up buildings around here at their own leisure, honestly. So really, you could probably go flaunting that around and no one would bat an eye.” He chuckled, though there was an odd sort of exasperation in his tone.

Then, as if remembering something, he glanced off to the side, rubbing the back of his neck. “…I had to buy weapons from shady online dealers just to get anything functional for my research.”

The way he phrased it made it sound a little too casual. Like that was a perfectly normal thing to do.

Maruki sighed, shifting his clipboard under his arm as they walked. “Not a fun process, let me tell you. The whole time, I had to go through layers of vague listings and extremely questionable sellers just to get anything functional for my research.”

He shook his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “One guy I bought from—real eccentric cognition—had me meet him in some abandoned warehouse at exactly 3:33 AM.” He recounted this with the same tone someone might use to complain about an inconvenient grocery store trip. “He said it was the only time the ‘spirits’ weren’t watching.”

He nodded to himself. “Nice guy, though! A little paranoid and waved around a knife, but he did give me a discount when I told him I wasn’t planning to use the weapons for ‘government-level cleansing operations.’”

[wipingallout]

"Sheesh!! We were mostly stocked thanks to an in with the police... they would sell us weapons they'd apprehended from people illegally owning them. But honestly, the strongest weapons came from fusing Personas into weapons. Or from treasure chests in Tartarus," she laughed a little awkwardly. It sounded a little insane saying it out loud like that.

"I'll have to do a little more climbing and regaining Personas to get set up with better equipment, but I'll figure that out later. I can still feel a few strong Personas sticking with me right now."

Still... walking through town with a naginata ready, looking for a TV to jump through.......

"So, what sort of things have you been researching, when it comes to Shadows? Or 'cognition', I guess?"

[takutomaruki]

Maruki barely blinked at Hamuko’s explanation—if anything, he just hummed in understanding. Sure, fusing Personas into weapons was new, but after all the things he’d seen, he wasn’t about to be surprised by yet another supernatural loophole.

"Treasure chests, huh…" He tapped his pen idly against the clipboard, thinking back to Mementos. "I suppose that’s not too different from what I’ve found in the depths of Tokyo. Weapons, supplies… even some rather nice accessories." He says, adjusting his heart shaped pink glasses in tandem. It was an interesting item from a shadow if he will be honest.

His voice was lighthearted, but he did make a mental note—if Hamuko was willing, he could show her Mementos sometime. Might be interesting to compare their experiences.

He kept walking ahead, taking a quick glance at her from the corner of his eye. She was staring around, almost like she was still getting used to the town’s layout.

“Junes should be just around the corner,” he commented quietly. “It’s a little tucked away, but we should be able to spot it soon.”

At her next question, though, he slowed his pace. He mulled over his answer, carefully weighing just how much he wanted to reveal.

"Let's just say I have had my fair share in understanding cognition from experiencing supernatural phenomenon at quite the young age," he starts. "While I specialize in psychology, I’ve particularly dabbled into cognitive behavioral therapy before—back when I was a school counselor. It’s something I’ve always been interested in, especially in how people process their struggles.”

His fingers tapped idly against the clipboard, his gaze drifting ahead as he continued.

“But with everything I’ve encountered over the years... my research has shifted toward something broader. Metaphysical cognition—how the mind shapes and perceives reality, and how deeply it integrates with memory, emotion, and perception. Shadows, distortions, cognitive spaces… all of it seems to stem from the unconscious mind. The fact that we are connected to the main hub across multiple universes, regardless of our current species, timelines, habits, experiences being built on the thread of cognition is just about enough proof that our reality exists because of it- which tends to shift more towards an occult-like science rather than the ones governed by human law."

"While I have only made theories before- I have only begun to see and experience it practically. It's a powerful field, I suppose, in a way you can't even lift a finger without it." He hesitated for a beat, then continued, “I also look into how it connects to emotional trauma. And, more importantly, how people should be allowed to move forward.”

He offered a small, subdued smile. “From their pain. From their suffering. From everything they’ve lost.”

[wipingallout]

Her curious gaze - and focus on mapping out her new location - subsided a bit as Maruki explained and claimed more of her attention. The collective subconscious... Shadows coming from mankind... she'd gathered from the bare bones basics of the Kirijo Research, what little was allotted to her and found in Tartarus, that Shadows came from the hearts of people.

The idea that people might be connected on a societal level, though... while the knee-jerk thought she had was that it didn't make sense, after a few more steps of silence to listen and think, it did.

"Supposedly, all of humanity was calling out for its own demise... at least, that's what we were told. I don't think that's strictly true... I know what despair feels like, but I think humanity wants to live, and thrive. There's painful things in life, but making it through to see beautiful things, to forge new connections with people... that's what makes life worth living. Even when it all seems hopeless."

[takutomaruki]

Maruki stalled for a moment, Hamuko’s careful words lingering in the air between them.

Despair. Pain. And yet—humanity’s will to fight, to persevere.

His expression dimmed slightly as he considered her perspective. Considered the sheer defiance of the people here, their refusal to be shaped by suffering, their rejection of his ideals—the ones he had built to save them from it.

And yet…

“I don’t disagree that hope can shape people,” he said at last, his voice quieter, measured. “I’ve seen it here. The strength people gain from one another, the way they lift each other up. It’s remarkable.”

His fingers tightened slightly around his clipboard.

“But...” His eyes flickered downward, toward the pavement. “The collective consciousness, the general world, the common man- doesn’t always reflect that.”

The wind carried his sigh, soft but heavy. “Not everyone makes it to the surface. Some fall too deep into despair to even see a way out. When someone has spent so long drowning, do we truly expect them to survive a relentless storm?”

Maruki exhaled lightly, shaking his head. “...In a perfect world, I would love to believe that everyone has the strength to fight. That making it through pain to find something beautiful is always an option.” His lips pressed together, and when he spoke again, it was almost to himself.

“But not everyone gets that chance.”

cw: suicidality

[wipingallout]

Solemnly, she nodded... there was absolutely no denying that some people don't have that strength to keep going on. People give up, or even fight tooth and nail to force the end on themselves and others. Pain runs deep, like that.

She remembered so, so many moments in her life.

What's the point?

She doesn't have a family anymore. All she was in these strangers' homes was... a burden. No matter how small she made herself, she couldn't deny that she DID take space, and time, and resources - and saw how it furrowed brows.

Why am I fighting?

All of her efforts hastened the death of everyone, she'd been complicit in endangering everyone and been an unwitting pawn.

I'm scared.

She would have lied if she said that she hadn't seriously considered Ryoji's offer, even if it hadn't lasted long in the face of her resolve. Those few moments of deep terror, anguish, knowing it was coming inevitably, not wanting it to hurt more... it would be so, so easy. Living without being seized by guilt, fear, by knowing that she did this, she harbored the end of the world inside of her and doomed everyone like a fucking idiot--


Akinari's smiling, pale face came to mind. Ryoji, hugging her for a final time that terrible New Year's Eve. Shinjiro, finally alive and breathing and embracing her before everything went dark, a smile on his face. Every single member of SEES, looking to her, finding comfort in her resolve, deciding that even if they die, this mattered to them too.

Life was funny, like that.


"That's why it matters for those of us who can fight, who can keep going, to reach out and help everyone else. If I can be strong for someone that isn't, and I can be there for them so they aren't alone... then I will. That's worth fighting for," she answered with a soft, melancholic and humorless laugh. "People are afraid, so often. We don't live in a perfect world because people aren't perfect, but... they deserve a chance."

[takutomaruki]

Maruki watched her carefully, his gentle gaze softening as he took in her expression. The way her voice wavered just slightly, the weight behind her words—it told him more than she probably realized.

She had been through far too much. More than anyone should have to endure.

And yet, he understood.

Because he had been there too.

Even now, in the quiet of their conversation, he could still hear Rumi’s screams echoing in the halls of that hospital. The raw, anguished cries of someone drowning in grief, pleading for something—*anything*—to take the pain away.

"I want to forget, Takuto..."

"I can't- I can't do this! Not anymore!"

"It hurts!"

"It hurts!"

Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts-

So he took it all away.
The pain. The hurt. The memories. Rumi wished to forget him. Forget everything related to her parents.

Azathoth? helped? him?

Not even as he failed to protect her parents, not even as he stood helplessly by while her world shattered.

He had lost so much that day. The love of his life, the future they could have had, the warm light in her eyes that once made him feel like everything would be okay. It was gone, ripped away by circumstances beyond his control.

That was why he had to take up this research.

If the mind could shape reality, if it could distort and twist under the weight of pain—then it could heal too, couldn’t it?

He wanted to use it in therapy. To pull people up before they sank too deep, to erase the burdens that crushed them.

If he could take away the suffering, if he could lift even one person from the depths of despair… then maybe they wouldn’t have to beg to forget.

Maybe they could move forward. Truly move forward—free from the pain, free from the endless suffering that bound them to the past.

And Hamuko…

He could see it in her. The loneliness. The loss. The way she fought so hard for the sake of others, but never for herself. Despite not having any sort of context.

His fingers curled slightly around his clipboard, and for a moment, he looked away, his expression dulled by something unspoken.

When he met her gaze again, it was with quiet compassion.

“…You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you, Hamuko-san?”

It wasn’t just a question. It was recognition. A quiet acknowledgment of everything she had carried—and everything she still did.

[wipingallout]

"Hasn't everyone?" she asked back, with a slight laugh, shifting her weight a bit into a more relaxed posture. "Fate can deal a really difficult, painful hand. But I made it through to the end doing the right thing, so that's what I can take pride in."

The end, huh...

"I may not have 'fixed' society, or anything like that... I might not have made things better. But I believe in them... I think it's in human nature to want to connect to others. And bonds like that are what help people that are struggling through the worst of it. Even if humanity was crying out for death, I won't let Her reach them - I want them to have the chance to make it through that despair."

[takutomaruki]

"I made it through to the end."

"Even if humanity was crying out for death, I won’t let Her reach them—"

His grip on his clipboard tightened.

She was talking about herself like she was already gone.

The factors were all there. The hints, the implications, the way she carried herself—like someone who had already reached their end and had made peace with it.

He didn’t want to make assumptions. He couldn’t.

Because if he was right, if he acknowledged what was clawing at the edge of his mind, then what did that mean? That he was talking to a ghost? A lingering cognition left behind in the wake of something tragic? A memory?

A lump formed in his throat.

Maruki tucked the thought away, quickly, methodically—like pressing down a loose page in a book before the wind could carry it away. His own psyche was already a fragile enough thing. He wasn’t going to risk unraveling it further.

Instead, he exhaled quietly, carefully choosing his next words.

“…I don’t know your circumstances,” he admitted, his voice measured. “I don’t know what your timeline, your world, particularly looks like in the way you may have experienced it. But I do know that you’ve made an impact. Just by existing.”

His gaze softened, his sincerity pressing against the weight of her words.

“I believe that each and every person is a miracle in this world, Hamuko-san.”

It wasn’t just something he told his patients. He believed it. People were born into circumstances beyond their control, shaped by joys and tragedies alike, but their very existence was a defiance of the impossible.

Maruki hesitated for a beat before continuing. “And while I won’t pry into what you’ve been through… I can say that there are people out there who are striving to fix society now. People who have devoted themselves to their cause, to sort out Humanity's old habits of self-destruction, to studying cognition, to understanding the mind’s influence on reality.”

He offered a small, almost wistful smile.

“People like me, hopefully.”

Morning believed in it too. Right?

Because if cognition could shape the world, if reality could be rewritten—then maybe, just maybe, they could create a world where despair didn’t have to linger.

He just...needed to perfect the method. The answer must have been somewhere simply lingering in his mind but he will do it. No matter what it takes.

[wipingallout]

"If everyone tries, then it will get better. I'll probably end up talking more about things anyway, but there's no rush," she laughed lightly. After all, she was lonely, and wanted very badly to talk.

If she knew him better, she would've given him a playful shove. For now, she just chuckles.

"Well, being a counselor is always a good start. Most people just need someone that will listen and not judge them, right? Someone that'll believe in... them. Oh," she trailed off, seeing the sign for Junes, lit up even midday. "Wow, I really wouldn't have missed it if I kept walking, looks like part of the city encroaching on a little town. That's gotta be the place."

[takutomaruki]

Well, being a counselor was his past job- a detail the girl didn't need to know. It hadn't exactly been a part of his ventures but he couldn't deny the need to listen to others and believe in them. It was admirable of course, to see people tackle their hardships.

Steering through the pain.

Suffering when their dreams didn't follow through.

His smile fell as he looked away- staring ahead through the lens of his pink glasses to stare at a few birds perched on some of the electrical wires stretched from one pole to another.

He answers a beat after, lost in thought as he realizes the brief silence that follows Hamuko's words before he shakes his head and fiddles with his hoodie to adjust it.

"Ah yes, Junes. Time to really get into the field work-!" he starts and walks past Hamuko almost in a sort of rush as if tearing his mind away from latching on the forefronts of something rotten. "Junes, from what I heard was so successful as a department store that it severely impacted some of the businesses here in the Central Shopping District. A lot of the stores were shut down because of it...still," he shakes his head as he frowns and pulls out his clipboard again. "I have no idea on how such a powerful business could relate to the occurence of dungeons that open into your own heart. Did Tartarus also exist on a similar concept of popularity? Some magnanimous organization fostering feelings of that particular belief in others?" He turns the last question at Hamuko.

Maybe he needs to speak more to other persona users in Inaba before making any major conclusions.
Easier said then done.

As they make their way past the aisles, the electronic department is right across and sure enough-

There's a small box filled with some boxes before the big screen.

1/2

[wipingallout]

"Ah, no, there was a research facility in the decade before. The school was built over the site after an explosion, mostly to bury it. Tartarus forms there because that's the facility the Kirijo Group was using to study Shadows, and where they nearly brought about The Fall," Hamuko hummed, voice carrying a tone of disapproval. "The talk about cognitive realms, and the collective unconscious... aside from humanity calling for the Fall, I didn't see much of that, I think?" Or maybe she did, and it just manifested in a way that she wasn't understanding yet. She's keeping her mind open on that front.

Some boxes in front of... god, that was probably the biggest TV screen that Hamuko had EVER seen. So you just... go in through the screen?

Hamuko hems and haws a bit, digging through the boxes to find a pair of glasses while she sized up the screen. Either way she'll probably have to go in head-first - there's no real shelf or anything to grab on to swing her feet in.

[wipingallout]

"Welp! See you on the other side! Cannonball!" she chirped, switching demeanor as she turned around and let herself fall backwards into the screen - and thankfully, instead of shattering and clumsily falling into a display stand, she found herself rolling backwards and getting back to her feet in a completely separate area.

1/2

[takutomaruki]

Maruki nodded at Hamuko’s correction, already scribbling into his notes with rapid efficiency. “Right, right, a separate dimension, not just a cognitive overlap—fascinating.” He adjusted his glasses, barely missing a beat as he amended his hypothesis table, his pen tapping against the clipboard. “That would imply a significant difference in how cognition manifests compared to my prior research. Maybe it has to do with—ah…”

He paused, watching Hamuko dig through the boxes.

Maruki’s brow furrowed slightly, but he shook his head, moving past it. “I suppose if your time didn’t have the same kind of widespread social networking—no MetaNav, no real online infrastructure dedicated to cognitive phenomena—then these kinds of distortions wouldn’t have been easily accessible or well-documented…”

That was going to be an entire section in his notes later. But for now—

He turned back toward the screen, rubbing his chin. “Maybe we should take a moment to evaluate our options before—”

"Welp! See you on the other side! Cannonball!"

Maruki blinked. He looked up just in time to see Hamuko throw herself backward, completely unbothered, into the massive TV screen. His stomach dropped.

“Wait—hold on a moment—!”

He reached for her on reflex, but it was too late. She was already gone. And now his hand—

—was stuck.

Maruki’s eyes widened, his free hand gripping his clipboard. A sharp tingle ran up his arm, a pulling sensation, like the screen itself was trying to drag him in. He barely had time to register the situation before a memory surfaced—

"You’ll need the glasses to see through the fog."

Raven’s warning.

His mind snapped to the box of glasses, his gaze darting frantically. Instinct and his own cry took over. One of Azathoth’s dark tendrils shot forward, rifling through the contents before yanking out a pair and pinning it to his chest pocket.

Maruki inhaled sharply, bracing himself.

This was insight into his research. This was a completely new field of study.

This was also absolutely, completely insane.

He let out one last deep breath before he stopped resisting the pull—

And fell forward.

The moment Maruki felt himself slipping, instinct kicked in.

Half a mind to at least try and save himself, he subtly called upon Azathoth—nothing too obvious, just the barest whisper of its presence.

Something unseen stirred beneath him.

His fall was still undignified, still a complete failure in terms of grace—but at the very last second, something cushioned the worst of it.

Instead of crashing full force onto the ground, he felt a faint, almost imperceptible resistance, like a layer of unseen air had softened the impact just before he landed. It barely lasted a second before fading completely, leaving no visible trace.

Still, Maruki felt it.

2/2

[takutomaruki]

Maruki groaned, rubbing his temple. Even with Azathoth’s intervention, his pride wasn’t nearly as intact as he’d have liked.

“At this rate,” he muttered under his breath, “I might actually break my spine before I get my true breakthrough."

[wipingallout]

She'd rolled once she landed, a bit harder than she'd have liked but with enough momentum to not hurt herself. Getting to her feet, Hamuko gripped the glasses in her palm, looking around. There was a dense fog, making the strange... vague... appearance of a studio nearly impossible to discern. After a beat, she carefully took the pink glasses she'd snagged - no cute heart shape, unfortunately - and slid them on.

The difference was immediate. The area was SO much clearer, the strangeness of the world stretching out further, leading to different places, and--

There was a sudden, strong feeling that shot up and down Hamuko's spine. She turned on her heel, but all that really tumbled was--

Ah. The doctor. That must be the sensation of someone coming into this place, maybe...? Hamuko decided to put a pin in that unease, look into it later - for now, she offered her free hand for Maruki to take to help him up.

"Landed a little rough! You gotta roll when you land. Forward momentum to help lessen the downward energy, and all."

[takutomaruki]

Maruki heaved a small groan as he reached up, clasping Hamuko’s offered hand. She was surprisingly sturdy, helping him to his feet with ease. "Thank you, again."

Brushing himself off, he sighed, shaking his head. "I swear, everyone here is in ridiculously good shape. It’s honestly a little...unfair-" He cuts himself off as he pressed a hand against his lower back, wincing slightly.

His gaze flicked to her, still in disbelief at how casually she was taking all of this. She was already assessing their surroundings like getting sucked into a television was just another Tuesday.

Maruki exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "You’re— that was—" He paused, searching for the right word. "Intense. No, actually—insane. You cannonballed into another dimension!" he shook his head as he looks around. "Let's just hope we don't get stuck in this labyrinth." Is that where his clipboard is-? Everything is so foggy-

Oh right.

He looks at the glasses resting on the 'v' of his hoodie, finding the simple pair tucked in as he pulls off his previous rather quirky eye accessory and exchanges them.

The red frame finds itself sitting on the bridge of his nose.

[wipingallout]

Despite her silly grin, her eyes absolutely reflected that assessment - Hamuko was already assessing their surroundings, painting a mental map, and everything. There's a sharpness one would see in someone trained, rather than a plucky adventurer.

Still, after hauling Maruki to his feet, she just gave him an amused smile.

"Jumping into a TV? Pshaw! I flung myself into the moon once, the TV was nothing after that," Hamuko laughed. His new glasses suited him more, made him look a tiny bit more like a grown adult, buuuut... she'd also seen him eat the floor there and he still had the kitty cat hoodie.

[takutomaruki]

Maruki blinked. Once. Twice.

And then, slowly, he turned to look at her, still processing what she had just so casually thrown out into the world like it was nothing.

He gawked, lips parting as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. His brain scrambled for context—was she joking? Did she mean this metaphorically?— "Wha-?" he barely managed to ask. "You are joking, right?"

[wipingallout]

She laughed at that reaction. If nothing else, it was validating? She didn't doubt her own sanity one bit no matter how wacky the statement was.

"You've heard of Nyx, by now, I'm sure. She's sleeping in the moon. Which sounds like a weird sci-fi movie plot, but she really is there - everything about the Dark Hour was always affected by the phases of the moon, including how stable Tartarus was, and I think that's from how the Dark Hour was connected to Nyx."

[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."