🌒 [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]

"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."

[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?"

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."

[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."

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.

[wipingallout]

The Forest is beautiful, but it's tragic.

Stepping up the stone path, amidst so much bamboo, the path onward disappearing in the foliage... the entire place was buried completely in gently falling white petals, descending like snow. The haniwa figures stood silently, as if watching them, watching over this place... this decidedly sacred place.

Hamuko paused at the entrance, extending a hand and looking down into her palm at the white petals settling there. White, faintly curved, short... they were probably chrysanthemum petals. Between that and the feeling of this grove...

...

"... This is a grave," Hamuko whispered softly. Did she mean to say it to Maruki? She wasn't sure. Instead, Hamuko found herself distractedly wondering if her grave was lined with these flowers. If it was... this... beautiful. Someone's cognition had shaped to a grave. Were they like her? Like Shinjiro? Like Akinari? "...You said that the people that these places were created by... aren't here and connected to them anymore, right?"

[takutomaruki]

The white petals reminded Maruki of snowflakes, soft and fleeting, each one dissolving the moment they left his palm. Cognition was like that here. Ephemeral. Transient. It wasn’t real, and yet… it felt more real than anything else.

At Hamuko’s whispered realization—"...This is a grave."—Maruki faltered mid-step.

His throat tightened.

"Hamuko-san..."

The words slipped out, hesitant, slow, unformed. He didn’t know what to say next.

She was right. Everything about this place felt like a graveyard. The gentle snowfall of petals, the solemn haniwa statues standing in silent vigil… This place wasn’t just beautiful. It was heavy. A final resting place for something long since lost.

Maruki exhaled, trying to collect his thoughts.

“These dungeons… they seem to exist independently, just like the others,” he murmured, his voice careful, measured. “Whatever distortion created this place… The source might have healed. Or maybe…” He hesitated. “Maybe they passed on. We can't be sure when every location in this place still has their relevant cognitive events attached to them.”

Like Tartarus, still standing after the Fall. Like the Mirror World of Mikage-cho, persisting in the absence of its creator.

He pulled out his notebook and jotted down a few quick observations, but the sheer weight of this place pressed against him. The atmosphere was different from the Palace-like distortions he’d seen before. It wasn’t screaming in agony or twisting itself in denial. Instead, it was quiet. Still.

Depressing.

He glanced up at Hamuko, his gaze thoughtful.

After a moment of deliberation, he asked—gently, carefully—“...Are you mourning?”

[wipingallout]

"...It doesn't help that it's so close to the Promised Day..." Hamuko admitted softly. Curling her fingers into her palm, holding onto the gently fallen petals that had drifted into her hand, she held them to her chest solemnly. What was it about the Forest that drew Maruki, she wondered? Maybe he understood on some level... or maybe he was picking up on something else.

This place might have something powerful in it as well. If it was there, though, she couldn't sense it from here. Not over the profound sense of melancholia and that swirl of other emotions that so deeply intertwine with someone who is dying. Feelings that one would only experience in that state.

"Am I mourning...? I think... if anything, I mostly understand what the person this place is for is feeling," Hamuko explained softly, giving Maruki a heavyhearted smile. "But I'll be okay. Right here, right now... I am here."

Gently letting go of the funeral petals, the teen gave a deep, respectful bow to the entrance. There wasn't a grave in sight, but the shimenawa creating a barrier between the entrance and the path would suffice for now. Please forgive us for trespassing. I hope you are well. And with a swipe of her naginata, the rope cut, opening up the pathway for them.

"I assume this path has been braved before. We should be able to do it here again."

[takutomaruki]

He just… watched.

Watched as Hamuko curled her fingers around the petals, pressing them to her chest like something sacred. Watched as she stood there, quiet but steadfast, offering him that small, heavyhearted smile.

And once again, he was reminded.

Of everything she must have gone through.

To throw herself at Death itself.

His fingers curled against the clipboard at his side, gripping it just a little too tightly.

This girl—no, this young woman—had undoubtedly seen more than her fair share of loss. And Maruki was almost completely certain now. She had either nearly died or… properly died.

He wouldn’t even be surprised if Igor had pulled her back from the brink.

Still, she smiled.

And she stood here now, grounded in the present.

Maruki exhaled, his hold on the clipboard loosening slightly. He wouldn’t push. He knew what it was like to have others pry too much. But he could at least reassure her.

“You are here,” he said softly, firmly. “And I’ll—” He stopped, then gave a small chuckle- offering a sincere smile. “Well. I’ll try to do my best to make sure we both come out of this unscathed. With some answers too."

Still.

If he knew she would react this strongly to a place like this, he shouldn't have suggested it. Sure, he didn't know the full context but that didn't mean it wasn't a mistake.
And now he can only wonder how much pain she must be in- having to recollect the tragedy of her own life through the lens of these manifested grounds.

---

As they stepped further into the Hollow Forest, Maruki let his clipboard rest at his side for a moment, just taking in the atmosphere.

The white petals, cascading like slow, patient snowfall, whispered something ancient and undecipherable.

For a brief, fleeting moment… Maruki almost felt like it was speaking to him.

He exhaled, shaking the feeling off as he pulled himself back to the present. This wasn’t the time to get too lost in thought.

“I do have a gun on me,” he admitted, lifting his free hand from the tucked in arsenal on the back. “So I should be able to help—”

He stopped.

Stared.

Because what he pulled out was not a proper gun.

It was a pathetic, tiny peashooter.

[takutomaruki]

Maruki blinked.

Squinted.

Turned it over in his hand, as if trying to comprehend what he was looking at.

Then, after a long, awkward pause, he slowly, painfully admitted—

"Wha-! My pistol it's-!"

[wipingallout]

It was the first thing she'd noticed about her naginata, too, stepping in - the weight was already pretty light, but it'd gotten even lighter, the blade flimsier - this was the same crap that she'd been passed in an emergency on that first full moon!

Her pack feels lighter, too - Hamuko was slowing down to check it when Maruki brought up that he had a gun with him, but paused at the shocked reaction.

...The little peashooter.................

It wasn't polite to laugh, but despite the heavy weight of this place, Hamuko laughed. It was so ridiculous, how could she not??

"Wow... well, bad news on my end, too," she chuckled, tapering off the laugh and patting the now empty bag on her belt, "my weapon got replaced too and all of the medicine I keep on me is missing. Messiah is still in my heart, though, so I have a steadfast Persona to keep us going well enough."