Difference between revisions of "Shiori Hibiki"

Revision as of 12:36, 21 April 2010

Profile

Shiori would like nothing more than to live life at her own pace, slow and relaxed and with an absolute minimum of pressure. As a result, her grades as a first-year student at Gekkoukan High School range from indifferent to below average, and it is mostly due to a combination of luck and good cramming skills that she has not yet outright failed any subjects. She does have a love of knowledge and learning, although not necessarily what she actually needs to know. She will often amble up to eavesdrop on conversations that are really none of her business, and her nosey streak has gotten her into trouble more than once. Quite normal, quite generic, quite boring... but why does she seem to have a curious reluctance to talk about her past, and self-esteem low enough to elicit both pity and annoyance? Surely it's nothing serious... right?

Skills

Ask A Stupid Question, Picker-Up Of Unconsidered Trifles, Or So I Hear, Don't Say Lazy, Gossip Sponge, Undefeated Champion Of Rival Blazing Arcana Fighters IV, Curiouser And Curiouser, Perform: Piano, Why Am I So Useless, Epic Flail, Healz0r, Entirely Harmless, What's Your Name Again, Edna Mode, Reformed Rich Bitch

Appearance

Short brown hair held in place with simple clips. Sleepy brown eyes looking at the world with mild disinterest. A short, slight frame. Unfocused, distracted... quite harmless, surely.

During school days, will be wearing a Gekkoukan uniform. On non-school days, probably blouse-and-jeans or an unobtrusive dress, along with a cute small bunny-themed backpack.

Her preferred colours are white, light baby blue or pink, dark browns, and black.

Whatever the occasion, will always, always have a small expertly-handmade black waist pouch just big enough to securely hold a pistol-sized object.

In the warmer months, Shiori will be wearing loose, light clothes, and if it gets hot enough, a sun hat. In cooler temperatures, her attire will range from a simple jacket, to an overcoat just slightly too large for her, warm mittens or gloves, and a hand-knit scarf.

Background

Born to a well-to-do family, to corporate executive parents in a multinational corporation, Shiori has never wanted for anything. Her parents may have been more lax than they should have been regarding their daughter's studies, and appear to be content that at least Shiori is not failing class or falling into bad company... or at least so they tell her, with every sign of sincerity.

With her parents concentrating their hopes of a highly-successful offspring on her younger brother (although still assuring Shiori that they love her as she is), Shiori was more or less free to do as she pleased, and yet felt a nagging sense of discontent. Her relatively sheltered upbringing made her a poor judge of character, and one thing led to another, culminating in an incident near the end of middle school that Shiori still refuses to talk about. Strangely enough, few people remember or even know of Shiori's involvement in that incident, leaving her reputation more or less unscathed.

After that, Shiori moved to Iwatodai/Tatsumi Port Island to enrol in Gekkoukan High School. There, Shiori's grades have actually begun to improve, albeit slowly. (How she managed to qualify for Gekkoukan in the first place is a minor mystery.)

Shiori has a little brother in Junior High whom she is alternately fond of and irritated by, in the style of all big sisters everywhere. He is a great deal more industrious and responsible than his sister. After Shiori left to live in Port Island, they don't see each other very often, and calls are brief and deliberately nonchalant, but he worries about her in his own (teenage) way.

IC Developments

Arrival

A couple of days after Shiori first moved into Port Island (to one of the student dormitories near the high school), she found herself in the Dark Hour, alone and helpless. It was only through luck and the efforts of SEES personnel also in the Dark Hour that Shiori managed to escape it mostly unscathed, particularly after meeting Takehito Kirikawa and Katsuya Suou.

After that experience, Shiori sought out SEES, in part to allay her fears of the Shadows and the Dark Hour every midnight. She obtained information on SEES from Takehito and Lucas Xavier; during the latter meeting, she also befriended Mae Ikina, Yasogami High School Student Council Vice-President.

Shiori arranged a meeting with Mitsuru Kirijo, and volunteered to join SEES, in order to protect innocents from the Dark Hour. She was formally inducted into the group after a short interview. Shiori was only mildly surprised to learn the true nature of Aigis and Koromaru.

As a member of SEES, Shiori has mainly accompanied the group on a few large-scale missions, but she has not participated in many solo or small-group excursions. Her first combat mission was against Strega, after SEES was led to an ambush by Wataru Hoshimoto (whom Shiori had last seen in the company of Lucas). There, she was part of the group that fought Jin Shirato and Natsuko Choukawa, although Takaya Sakaki appeared near the end to call a retreat. Bystanders Shiori encountered in that battle were Teddie, Tohru Adachi, Enoha Koinose, and Thora Kobayashi.

Shiori tries to keep in contact with her fellow first-year classmates who are also in SEES: Miyuki Yoshida, Hinata Itoh, Yoshiro Yoshino, Kiyoko Wakahisa, and Tomonari Sandou, among others.

When Shiori was visiting Daidara Metalworks in Inaba looking for a weapon to help her against the Shadows, Yoshiro helped her find her current weapon, a combat flail with a studded (not spiked) head.

In order to gain more combat skills, Shiori sought Takehito, who is in charge of the kendo club, for instruction. Kirikawa drafted her into the kendo club, and paired her off with Naeka Asahara, who was also in SEES.

Lucas assigned Shiori to be Sayaka Takuma's guide, despite the latter being in second-year.

Cold Comfort

Shiori was not part of the SEES group that tried unsuccessfully to secure the Mask of Winter. Her confusion about the "mask" everyone was talking about was unhelpful.

During this time, due to the influence of the Snow Queen, a cold front moved into Japan. Shiori visited Inaba to investigate this, where she met Yosuke Hanamura and Chie Satonaka.

When Miyuki was kidnapped by Strega, Shiori and Naeka asked Sayaka to assist in the rescue attempt in Lunarvale. At that battle, where Shiori met Strega members Tomomi Fujimori and Nagisa Renge, Shiori saw SEES almost wiped out by a concerted assault by Strega. That, along with the appearance of Thanatos from Minato Arisato, shook her belief in her own worth as a member of SEES.

After angsting about it for some time, Shiori agreed to be trained by Naoya Toudou in Lunarvale, where she was taught that true courage was not in succeeding, but in trying even though one may not succeed.

The next SEES mission was led by Aigis, with a team of Shiori, Kiyoko, and Deidra Doyle, to investigate reports of a monster wandering the Dark Hour feeding on people. They found a Wendigo, and were ambushed by Strega, consisting of Takaya, Tomomi, and Masaru Ikedo. Kaede Ikeda, as Murava, observed the proceedings and made herself known to the others, but did not participate. Other bystanders were Kagura Enjou and Anzu Momonoki, who seemed familiar with the Dark Hour, but did not seem to be able to do much about it. Shiori's classmate Anzai Mizuno was also present, and awakened to his Persona then. SEES defeated the Wendigo and drove Strega off, or at least survived until Strega left of their own accord.

After the battle, Shiori visited Inaba to sight-see, and encountered Masaru, as well as Yasogami High Student Council Secretary Osamu Tsurugi. With Osamu's help, Shiori managed to befriend Masaru.

Shiori was worried about Mae, who seemed to be paranoid and stand-offish, and made another, later visit to Inaba, where she met Haruka Tanaka, who was meeting Yosuke at the time.

Shiori was not part of the final battle against the Snow Queen.

Friends And Foes

As part of repayment for Sayaka's assistance, Shiori accompanied her and Naeka to purchase summer yukata now that the mystical cold front was over. Along the way, they met Osamu, and Sayaka wished to test her strength against Osamu's. Shiori agreed to referee the sparring match.

Partway through the duel, Sayaka's Persona materialized unprovoked and uncontrolled, and Osamu and Naeka brought it down, with Shiori providing what support she could.

Directly after that battle, Takaya and Tomomi attacked. Osamu managed to escape with the unconscious Sayaka. Shiori barely resisted Tomomi's call for her to join Strega, but Naeka was turned. For Naeka to prove her new loyalty, she had to stab Shiori, who had been knocked unconscious by Takaya's attack. Naeka made sure that the stab wound was survivable.

While Shiori was in the hospital, she was visited by Shuji Ikutsuki, Lucas, and Sayaka. Through it all, Shiori maintained that she believed Naeka to be merely "temporarily confused", and did not blame her in the least.

Some time after Shiori's release from the hospital, she visited Inaba again to check up on Mae, and was surprised to learn that Mae and Yosuke were officially dating. She also met Kenji Kurosawa, and learned that Mae had experienced a lot of problems related to the Other World that she did not want Shiori to get involved in. Nevertheless, Shiori obtained a promise from Yosuke for him to continue taking care of Mae.

An impromptu battle with Strega during the Dark Hour resulted in SEES capturing Naeka. Shiori took this opportunity to patch things up with Naeka. In addition, she tried to befriend Nagisa, who had visited the SEES dorm (although perhaps not for the first time) to check up on her former teammate. Nagisa was receptive, but vague about reciprocating that friendship.

Truth And Trust

After hearing members of Strega invoke the name "Nyx", Shiori has been trying to find out who or what it was. She has thus far not met with a great deal of success.

Several chance meetings with Wataru Hoshimoto has made Shiori concerned for the boy, possibly because he reminded her of her own little brother. When Wataru allowed her into his personal space, Shiori sought out Lucas Xavier for advice on how to communicate better with Wataru. The conversation soon turned to their respective pasts, and Shiori ended up telling Lucas about That Incident in middle school; the only person in Port Island she had ever told it to. In return, Lucas told Shiori about his own past, and reasons for coming to Japan. Where before Shiori thought of Lucas only as an irritating and creepy person, now she understood him far better, and counted him as a trustworthy friend.

Shiori met Tom Magnusson working at Cafe Chagall, and later chatted with him at some length at Hagakure Ramen. She has some suspicions about why he is in the Okina City area, and has cautioned him against being too reckless, without giving away specifics. In that same conversation at Hagakure, Sayaka Takuma arrived with her maid in tow, and invited Shiori to her home. Shiori, despite being intimidated by the maid's cold glare, accepted the invitation. The visit itself was uneventful, but Shiori learned more about Sayaka's family life and traditions.

On the eve of her 16th birthday, Shiori happened to be on the scene when the Lucky 7 convenience store was attacked by Strega, led by Tomomi Fujimori (although Takaya Sakaki was also present). She failed to help prevent the Lucky 7 from being burned out, largely due to being cornered by Chiharu Satou for most of the fight. Shiori now feels guilty for not being of sufficient assistance to Ran Itoh, Hinata Itoh, and their half-sister Kanon Itoh.

The day after her 16th birthday, Shiori's younger brother Yuuki visited Port Island to give his sister her presents from home. After implying that Shiori might be better off at home rather than studying in Gekkoukan and getting hurt in all sorts of mad adventures, Yuuki had a verbal sparring session with Lucas Xavier while Shiori was out of earshot, and decided to let Shiori stay in Port Island for the immediate future.

Sound Advice

In trying to investigate Strega's motives, especially regarding the demolition of the Lucky 7, Shiori found herself in a bad part of town, and was accosted by a strangely drugged-up punk. Tom Magnusson rescued her, and Shiori caught a glimpse of (but did not manage to meet) Azusa Shimegi, who had been hiding nearby.

Shiori was part of the SEES team that stopped the mysterious girl in black named "Aki" from taking over one of the Kirijo Group's laboratories, along with Thora Kobayashi, Naeka Asahara, and Deidra Doyle. Mitsuru Kirijo was already present at the scene when the spatial distortion "Aki" created occured, and joined the other SEES members after entry was gained. Together, they fought against Aki's minions, including a giant robotic toy mouse tank named Tesso, a Shadow Gigas, and a mysterious masked girl. Aki's motives apparently involved making a Christmas present (six months early) for her father from the spare and discarded robot parts used to make anti-Shadow weapons like Aigis. An unexpected intervention by someone who seemed to be Maki Sonomura (whom Shiori had never met before) saved the SEES members from an untimely end. Nevertheless, the masked girl managed to knock Shiori out cold for the rest of the night.

The next day, while recuperating from the mild concussion inflicted by the mysterious masked girl, Shiori was resting in Lucas Xavier's office when Wataru Hoshimoto requested advice on dealing with having a crush on girls. Shiori was stunned and astonished to discover that along with Sayaka Takuma's maid and Maki Sonomura, she herself was one of the girls Wataru had a crush on. The revelation left her with a strange and intense mixture of emotions, including embarrassed, delighted, flattered, confused, apprehensive, fearful, and oddly enough a distinct amount of guilt.

To thank Tom Magnusson for saving her, Shiori treated him to a meal at Johnny Roger's in Sumaru. There, they encountered Azusa Shimegi once again, although Shiori left the questioning and answering to Tom.

A couple of days later, on an idle sightseeing visit to Lunarvale, Shiori met and befriended Midori Nakashima, just before encountering (yet again) Azusa Shimegi. The parting was amicable and without incident, but Shiori was starting to get suspicious about the reporter never actually interviewing her straight-out, but instead skulking around in the shadows.

Shiori managed to meet Mae Ikina for a short while. Shiori apologized for digging so deeply into Mae's affairs, and promised to ask Mae directly for information next time.

Azusa Shimegi contacted Shiori urgently one day, asking to meet her. It turned out that Azusa had had a run-in with Midori Nakashima, who was a Shadow-possessed, and Azusa manifested her own Persona during that incident. Shiori attempted to answer Azusa's questions with limited success, and directed her to Lucas Xavier for further inquiries. Shiori also took heed of Azusa's warning about Midori, while privately deciding not to let it affect their friendship.

That night, Shiori helped Sayaka Takuma hunt down the "superboss" Shadow Sayaka had claimed was the very first Shadow the older girl had faced. The Shadow toyed with them before departing, but not before knocking Shiori out cold with overwhelming force.

This did not dampen Shiori's spirits the next day, when she met Wataru Hoshimoto busking in Paulownia Mall. She still had no answer for his confession, but she did admit that she was touched by how much he cared for her. After meeting and chatting with Kouji Kannazuki, Wataru presented Shiori with a cactus. Shiori accepted the present, and resolved to properly answer Wataru as soon as she could.

Portents

Shiori met Mae Ikina after the disastrous excursion into the TV World which Shiori herself was not a part of. Shiori resolved to assist Mae in any way she could, even if it would pit her against the rest of SEES. Shiori was also worried about the Shadow-possession of Osamu Tsurugi, but did not manage to obtain much information from that.

Shiori met Kenji Kurosawa, fresh from his TV World dungeon and with his own Persona, in Paulownia Mall soon after that. Also present were Wataru Hoshimoto and Youji Takita. Despite being initially frightened by Youji's delinquent-like manner, they parted as friends.

Shiori was not present when Wataru Hoshimoto confronted Minagi Shimizu, nor was she granted access when Wataru was confined in the SEES dorm "for his own protection". She did leave a get-well-soon cactus outside his door, however.

Shiori encountered Tom Magnusson loitering in the lobby of Gekkoukan, and volunteered to help him with his investigations, but Aigis vetoed the decision. In the subsequent confusion, Aigis punched Tom (over Shiori's protests), and bodily carried Shiori back to the SEES dorm.

Consulting with Lucas Xavier over recent events led to reassurances that Shiori had to do what she felt to be right. She also met with Itsuka Mizuhara at this time. Later, at the SEES dorm, Shiori met Akatsuki Enda and Misaki Toritsume, but not much came of that meeting.

Shiori met Tom Magnusson again at Naganaki Shrine a few days later, where she apologized on behalf of Aigis for the punch. Takehito Kirikawa was also present, and Shiori took the opportunity to resign from the kendo club, as she felt she was not of any use in that position. Shiori also reaffirmed her decision to help Tom with his investigation, even if SEES were to punish her for her disobedience to direct orders.

During Tanabata, Shiori went with Wataru Hoshimoto and Lucas Xavier. Wataru brought them to the grave of his brother, Yoh Hoshimoto, where they paid their respects.

Shiori met Tom Magnusson and Azusa Shimegi at the Junes Food Court, where she told them everything she knew about the Dark Hour. She named SEES as the "good guys" and Strega as the "bad guys", but noted that there were independents operating in the area as well, and that not everyone in the organizations were the same.

Upon being summoned by Mitsuru Kirijo to account for her actions, Shiori tried to defend them, and managed to obtain a concession: only people who were already about to discover the existence of the Other World by themselves would be warned of the danger.

Static

A SEES gathering, meant to be a meet-and-greet session between the older members and the newbies, turned into a shouting match as Shiori tried to defend her beliefs and her relationship with Wataru Hoshimoto. Shiori was left drained and depressed.

Things did not improve when she learned that Tom Magnusson had been thrown into the TV World. Igor had summoned her during a dream to the Velvet Room, and told her that she had to be on the team that helped rescue Tom. She was to turn on a desk lamp in his dungeon (which resembled an abandoned police station).

Shiori joined in the rescue team, and did as Igor requested. The desk lamp illuminated a picture of Farah Newman, although Shiori did not know her name at the time.

When the team reached the top of the dungeon, Tom Magnusson was facing his Shadow self. Tom's Shadow self declared Shiori to be of no more use to him, and literally tossed her aside, out into the mists of the TV World. In deep and crushing despair, Shiori stayed conscious long enough only for her Shadow self to appear and overwhelm her.

When a team arrived to rescue Shiori from her TV World dungeon, they found it to be strangely brief, almost as though the Shadow was eager to meet the others to explain its position. The Shadow revealed that it was responsible for the whispers of doubt in Shiori's mind, and told the others to leave, so that it could continue to "advise" Shiori. When the team refused, they battled the Shadow and defeated it. Shiori accepted that the choices she had made were her own, and she had to accept the consequences for them, rather than blaming them on her Persona or on other people.

Becalmed

After recovering from her ordeal, Shiori followed Lucas Xavier and Wataru Hoshimoto on a fishing trip to Inaba's Samegawa River, in an effort to catch the Guardian of Samegawa. They managed to do so, but the Guardian had been corrupted by a mysterious influence, and they had no choice but to kill it. The Guardian left behind a large egg, which Lucas took back to his church, with the egg under Wataru's care.

Shiori's relationship with SEES improved slightly when she managed to talk to Akatsuki Enda about her doubts about being in SEES. Along with her friendship with Yuuka Chiba, Shiori seemed to be making a conscious effort to reach out to the rest of SEES. Akatsuki advised Shiori to seek advice from Mitsuru Kirijo or Fuuka Yamagishi on her newfound spotter abilities.

During a visit to Paulownia Mall, Shiori met Farah Newman for the first time, along with Azusa Shimegi and Fumiya Watanabe. The mall was suddenly attacked by a strange monster (actually Takahisa Kandori), which toyed with and threatened them. Shiori could not identify the monster as either Persona or Shadow. Afterwards, Azusa and Fumiya left, while Tom Magnusson helped evacuate Farah and Shiori. The attack seemed to have happened in a strange alternate dimension; after it was over, there was nothing odd happening in the mall, except the mysterious loss of an hour to those who had not been involved in the fight.

After that fight, Shiori found a note addressed personally to her, apparently from the monster. It warned her that when the time came (said time was unspecified, but implied to be in the near future), if she saw something coming up behind her in a mirror, she should run immediately. Shiori considered this to be stating the obvious.

Through some mysterious means, the note turned into an invitation to a SEBEC ball. This invitation appeared to be applicable to Persona-users, Shadow-Possessed, and those who knew about them. Shiori attended in her best clothing, in order to find out what SEBEC and Kandori were up to. There, she found Wataru Hoshimoto gatecrashing, albeit with the tacit tolerance (if not approval) of SEBEC security. Farah Newman was announced by Kandori to be the "matron" of KNOWS, allegedly a program sponsored by SEBEC for troubled youths. Strega also turned up (invited) to the ball, whereupon they spiked the punch with hallucinogens. Shiori did not drink the punch, but many other Persona-users present did, and the ball degenerated into a near-brawl. Shiori and Wataru evacuated, along with Tom Magnusson (who had missed most of the events) and Farah.

Provocation

Shiori was not part of most of the events surrounding the Chariot Shadow. She did join the team that searched Tartarus for something that would help Minagi Shimizu divest herself of the Chariot Shadow. There, they encountered a strange strong Shadow, which claimed to be awaiting the coming of Nyx. Shiori made note of the sigil that the Shadow seemed to be making use of, as it had been used by Strega before.

When Ran Itoh and Shinjiro Aragaki were thrown into the TV World, Shiori wanted to join the team to help them, but was rebuffed. This also happened when Fumiya Watanabe was seen on the Midnight Channel. Instead, she was told to concentrate on her studies; she did so with the energy born from annoyance and frustration.

On visits to Inaba to de-stress, Shiori met Nanako Dojima, and they became fast friends. This would help when Strega attempted to steal television sets from Junes for their own purposes, as Shiori tried (somewhat successfully) to protect Nanako from Strega thugs. Wataru Hoshimoto and Shion Katsuragi were also present, but they failed to prevent Strega from making off with a few television sets.

Shiori met Blaise Cameron through Yuuka Chiba, where Blaise was introduced as Yuuka's potential love-interest. She was surprised when Blaise, in disguise, barged into Lucas Xavier's church to demand answers about dangerous organizations like Strega and SEBEC. Shiori could sense that Blaise did not have the power of Persona yet, and she worried for his safety.

This came to a head when Yuuka Chiba entered the SEES dorm in tears, revealing that Blaise was angry with her for revealing the details of his quest to SEES. Shiori confronted Blaise, and deliberately provoked him into hunting her down, threatening to reveal his information-gathering activities to his mother. Shiori hoped to show Blaise that he needed to trust others, or someone else would do what Shiori was doing, except for real.

Blaise cornered Shiori a few days later, and punched her, which Shiori awkwardly blocked, breaking her right arm. Shirou Sekigawa was present on the scene, and inadvertantly revealed his Persona to Blaise. However, Blaise had also mentioned encountering Takahisa Kandori and "snake-women", which Shiori had assumed to mean Azusa Shimegi.

Shiori and Blaise managed to come to a truce, after Shiori realized that Yuuka was deeply troubled by their conflict. Blaise had also calmed down, and after a long discussion where Shiori explained her motivations, they agreed to be friends... as long as Blaise did nothing to deliberately cause Yuuka to cry.

Personality

A comfortable home life and overall lack of ambition has left Shiori unmotivated, in the strangely unsatisfied way of someone looking for a purpose in life they can really get behind, and running on autopilot until then. She certainly doesn't care enough to actively seek out that purpose; she's content to wait for it to come to her... which, since she came to Port Island and joined SEES, it has.

Shiori is intent on doing the Right Thing, almost to the point of obsession. She seems incapable of leaving a problem alone, even though it technically has nothing to do with her. This has caused conflicts with a great many people, both allies and enemies and those she claims to want to help. Nevertheless, an innate core of stubbornness and sheer bloody-mindedness has made Shiori determined to Help Others, no matter the cost to herself.

Something she does take an active interest in is gathering information, and she might even have a promising future as an investigative journalist if she put her mind to it. As it is, she is interested mostly in gathering information for the sake of curiosity, of which she has an abundant amount. She doesn't really do anything with that information, preferring to keep it to herself. Simply knowing things and learning about things, especially things few other people know, is enough to give her a thrill. She's only slightly better than most in keeping secrets, as she might not blurt it out unless directly asked (or threatened), but her body language is distinctly untrained, and often painfully obvious. Her most common gesture is to clap her hands to her mouth in the Speak No Evil pose. This is apparently unconscious, and happens every time Shiori is about to say something she knows she will regret.

Shiori is not very brave and not very athletic, but she has surprisingly good reflexes. She is also quite speedy, mostly in a direction away from danger. She believes that there are a great many unexplainable things in the world, and so seeing something bizarre may alarm and surprise her, but usually not to the point of panic. She will, however, try to find out as best as she can what that strange thing was, and why it happened.

Shiori tries to act indifferent about it, but she does maintain her appearance as much as any other teenage girl. She has felt feelings that may or may not have been the faintest beginnings of a crush before, but nothing has yet made her heart skip that proverbial beat... until she met Wataru Hoshimoto. Even now, she still doesn't know if this counts as true love, but from what she can tell, it's probably the real thing.

The incident in middle school had changed Shiori's personality drastically, if anyone around her even knew of or remembered her old self. Now, Shiori tries her best to be nice and kind to everyone she meets, and to make as many friends as she can. In fact, her desire for friendship and the acknowledgement thereof often gets to the point of being needy.

Shiori also has the sort of low self-esteem that can get irritating very easily. She doubts herself, and believes herself to be unworthy of anything and everything. Everyone else is better than her in every way; everything she does is useless and pathetic. If one is not careful, the conversation will soon turn into a full-blown whine.

Despite all of this, during times of stress, when Shiori accidentally lets her guard down, some glimpse of her old personality may show. Shiori is never proud of these moments, and tries to hide her old self as much as she can.

For as long as she can remember, Shiori has had the same sort of hidden second thoughts that everyone has; the sort of tiny voice that tells you to touch that wet paint, or to call in sick to sleep in, or that your finished masterpiece is not as perfect as it could be... Ever since the incident in middle school, though, that tiny inner voice had turned nasty. And ever since Shiori moved to Port Island and experienced the Dark Hour for the first time, the inner voice has grown louder, more persistent, and oddly more coherent... until Shiori encountered her other self in the Midnight Channel, where it was revealed to be her Persona, on the verge of becoming a Shadow. Thanks to the help of her friends, Shiori overcame her doubts, and accepted her other self back into her.

Now, Shiori is moderately more comfortable with who she is, although she relapses now and again. She is more assertive and confident, but still tries to be as nice and harmless as she can. Unfortunately, her obsessive need for friendship and companionship has not changed.

Persona

Pheme

A winged woman, her own eyes shrouded with a veil, but hundreds of ghostly eyes on every rustling peacock-like feather. Surrounded by an aura of whispers and rumours in every tongue, informing and gossiping and babbling. She holds a long trumpet, into which she sounds a clarion note, inspiring all who hear it with promises of glory, of renown, of fame.

Pheme is mostly oriented towards support and debuffs. Pheme is also an analysis/spotting-type Persona; after her experiences in the Midnight Channel, Shiori has been able to utilize her spotter skills far more effectively than before.

Resonance

Giving

Pheme deals with sound and words and conversation and gossip, in that order of detail (from most obvious to least obvious). Shiori gives off resonance like any Persona-user with an awakened Persona, and makes no effort to hide it.

Reading

Shiori is now aware of Persona resonance, and her spotter abilities let her notice people with Personas or Shadows, assuming they are not deliberately hidden. She is still relatively inexperienced, and may often mistake a resonance for another.

Shiori's method of sensing resonance is through sound, as a whisper in her mind. She can be distracted from reading a resonance (especially in noisy areas), and multiple resonances in one place can confuse her.

Alternate Personas

Shiori had learned how to summon other Personas very early on, during a dream-visit to the Velvet Room. She tends to stick to Pheme, however, as she feels less than comfortable with switching to different tactics, save in the most dire of situations. In addition, switching to another Persona would reduce her abilities to sense Personas and resonances dramatically.

• Nigi Mitama: Retired. Shiori had learned several hard lessons on how familiar the Persona was to her enemies; specifically, the familiarity with its weaknesses.
• Pixie: Awarded during a dream-visit to the Velvet Room. Shiori has been keeping it as her primary backup plan.
• Lilim: Obtained after gaining much insight into the viewpoints of Lucas Xavier. Shiori tends to use it when she finds herself cornered and alone, with the absolute need to fight.

Background Assets And Miscellany

Shiori can probably get quite a lot of pocket money from her parents if she has to, but she hasn't done so yet beyond her current very generous allowance (which allows her to live without worrying about most basic expenses, and indeed quite a few luxuries). If she does ask her parents for more money, they will expect an explanation.

Since coming to Port Island, Shiori has been a regular customer at Cafe Chagall at Paulownia Mall, particularly for their cakes. (She has no real opinion on their Pheremone Coffee.) There will usually be a box inside the SEES dorm common fridge at all times; Shiori does not mind as such if people eat her cakes without permission, but she might grumble a little.

Shiori's preferred part-time workplace is the Screenshot Movie Theatre. She has been approached to work at Cafe Chagall as a waitress before, but she declined, as it would "feel really weird" to work in a place she patronizes so often.

Shiori is not particularly skilled with computers. She can use them to do homework, and she half-heartedly maintains the usual social networking stuff that is the latest fad, but that's about it. She owns a consumer-level laptop.

Shiori is very, very good at arcade fighting games. She is not so good at quiz games. She is downright pathetic at UFO catchers.

Apart from arcade games, Shiori's other hobby is needlework, ranging from sewing to knitting to embroidery to quilting. She is surprisingly skilled at this, largely because this is her default method of procrastination.

Since Shiori has lived a sheltered life (her family has several servants, including maids and a butler), she cannot cook. Her attempts are not toxic as such, but more along the lines of someone completely inexperienced, and quite scared of the process of cooking, such as cutting knives and hot oil.

Shiori is ambidextrous, but with a slight preference for her right hand. Her left eye is dominant. Her eyesight is normal, but her hearing is noticeably more sensitive. She does not have perfect pitch, but (classical) musical training has given her the ability (among others) to distinguish between tones fairly easily.

Shiori's brother is named Yuuki (響悠希, Hibiki Yuuki). He is two years younger than his sister.

Shiori melts in the presence of cute pets.

Relationships

• 0 - THE FOOL
  • Minato Arisato - Field leader of SEES. Shiori is uneasy around him, at first because of Thanatos, and later because Minato had made his opinion of Shiori as a liability to SEES clear. Minato dislikes Wataru Hoshimoto, and because of that Shiori is predisposed to be wary around Minato.

• I - THE MAGICIAN
  • Yosuke Hanamura - KDA member. Shiori's first friend from Inaba, and the first person she thinks of if she needs to contact the KDA, or ask about happenings in Inaba.

• II - THE HIGH PRIESTESS
  • Miyuki Yoshida - Fellow SEES member. Shiori has been trying to be a closer friend to Miyuki, especially after she noticed some curious similarities between Miyuki's drawings, and those of the popular shoujo manga artist "Miyuki Yamoto".
  • Naeka Asahara - Shiori's first friend in SEES. Was also in the kendo club. Shiori never lost faith in her friend, even after Naeka was temporarily turned to Strega. Shiori trusts Naeka implicitly, and hopes Naeka feels the same way.
  • Yuuka Chiba - Fellow SEES member. Shiori is happy to consider her a friend, perhaps even a very close friend, especially after Shiori's recent alienation from much of SEES. Shiori seems to have taken it upon herself to protect Yuuka's happiness.
  • Yukiko Amagi - KDA member. Helped rescue Shiori from her Midnight Channel dungeon. Has extended an open invitation to Shiori for the Amagi Inn.

• III - THE EMPRESS
  • Mitsuru Kirijo - Leader of SEES. Shiori is gradually trying to think of Mitsuru as a person, rather than some impossible perfect ideal. Still a little intimidated by Mitsuru in general.
  • Tomomi Fujimori - Strega member. The closest thing to hatred Shiori would feel. Tomomi had subverted Naeka Asahara, and had otherwise had a negative impact on many people Shiori cared for. Tomomi has also apparently guessed the nature of Shiori's shameful past.

• IV - THE EMPEROR
  • Naoya Toudou - Darkside, from St. Hermelin. He helped Shiori get over her initial depression about being useless, mainly by engaging her in mock-combat. Shiori thinks he's a nice person, despite his scary demeanour.
  • Akatsuki Enda - Fellow SEES member. One of the very few senpais Shiori trusts in SEES. Has turned into a sort of sounding board for Shiori's gripes and whines, which Shiori is extremely grateful for.

• V - THE HIEROPHANT
  • Mae Ikina - One of Shiori's first friends in the Okina area. Shiori had originally wanted her to be under the protection of the KDA, but Mae's own decisions resulted in Shadow-Possession. Shiori still considers her a friend, but as with all Shadow-Possessed, the friendship is nervous. Mae is Yosuke Hanamura's girlfriend.

• VI - THE LOVERS
  • Blaise Cameron - Shiori believes him to be Yuuka Chiba's boyfriend. She thinks his straightforward way of gathering information is highly dangerous; this, and other issues, had originally led Blaise to declare Shiori his enemy, a belief which Shiori had deliberately cultivated. After a truce and a lengthy discussion, they are now friends, especially with their common desire to protect Yuuka.

• VII - THE CHARIOT
  • Aigis - Fellow SEES member. Shiori is terrified of Aigis, mainly because of Aigis's apparent constant unrelenting contempt for Shiori's actions. Shiori would like to make up and be friends, but she fears Aigis is not interested.
  • Sayaka Takuma - Shiori was asked to be Sayaka's guide around Gekkoukan when Sayaka first transferred in, and the two became close friends. Early on, Shiori had tried to convince Sayaka to join SEES, but Sayaka had rejected the offer. Shiori cherishes the relatively "normal" friendship she has with Sayaka.
  • Fumiya Watanabe - Shiori tried to warn him that trying to find out too much about the Other World would be dangerous. He didn't listen. Shiori wanted to help rescue him from the TV World, but was forbidden from doing so. Shiori still intends to make up for it somehow.

• VIII - JUSTICE
  • Osamu Tsurugi - Shiori met him when trying to befriend another member of Strega, Masaru Ikedo. While Masaru was the one to reveal the existence of the Other World to Osamu, Shiori had confirmed it, and so now that Osamu is Shadow-Possessed (albeit through no direct fault of Shiori's), Shiori feels guilty.
  • Nanako Dojima - Shiori met her while shopping at Junes. She knows Nanako is closely-affiliated with many KDA members, even if she didn't know the details. Shiori worries greatly about Nanako's safety, especially since not only is her father a police officer, but Nanako has a tendency to get into trouble due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

• IX - THE HERMIT
  • Azusa Shimegi - Shiori originally refused to answer Azusa's questions about the Other World, and then felt guilty when Azusa asked Midori Nakashima instead, and eventually became Shadow-Possessed due to that. Shiori has been trying to make amends for her perceived negligence since then.

• X - WHEEL OF FORTUNE
  • Yoshiro Yoshino - Fellow SEES member. Shiori had been trying to help him in little ways, after the two were placed together in the same group for extra lessons to make up for their grades. Recently she has been confused and hurt by his constant rejections, and while she wants to make up and be friends, she doesn't know how.
  • Ran Itoh - Fellow SEES member. Shiori respects Ran for being friendly in SEES, which is a rarity for Shiori. Shiori had wanted to be a closer friend to Ran, but their schedules seem to conflict too much.

• XI - STRENGTH
  • Tomonari Sandou - Fellow SEES member. He helped Shiori get over her initial alarm and fear of Personas and Evokers. Shiori still has a standing promise to help him clean out a shrine.
  • Kenji Kurosawa - KDA member. Shiori had met him while looking for Mae Ikina one day, and was surprised by the oar he carried around. She befriended him more out of curiosity than anything else, but found him to be a good person.
  • Enoha Koinose - Employee at Inaba's Yomenaido Bookstore. Shiori finds her a good conversation partner for topics that Shiori would rather not discuss with those too close to her.

• XII - THE HANGED MAN
  • Wataru Hoshimoto - Ever since the proposal by cactus, Shiori has been going out with Wataru. She finds him to be a sweet boy underneath his cold vacant demeanour, and feels sorry for the loss of Wataru's brother so long ago. Shiori worries incessantly over Wataru's safety, especially since he likes to go out and hunt Shadows alone.
  • Takehito Kirikawa - Fellow SEES member. The first person Shiori met in her very first Dark Hour in Port Island, and the person who saved her life from the Shadows at the time. Shiori still feels a debt to gratitude towards him.

• XIII - DEATH
  • Chiharu Satou - Strega member. Shiori's only encounter with Chiharu had been during a Strega attack on the Lucky 7, but for some reason Chiharu seemed to be fixated on Shiori...

• XIV - TEMPERANCE
  • Shiori has yet to have a meaningful relationship with anyone with the Temperance arcana.

• XV - THE DEVIL
  • Lucas Xavier - Pastor of a church near Paulownia Mall in Port Island, and guidance counselor for Gekkoukan. Shiori had originally been annoyed by Lucas's habits and smug demeanour, but after a significant conversation in which she learned of Lucas's past (and revealed her own), she has begun to trust him, at first warily, but now implicitly. Shiori still gets irritated by Lucas on a regular basis, but now it is a sort of irritation between friends, rather than the more hostile annoyance previously. Lucas is still Shiori's first choice for confidant and advice-giver, especially concerning Wataru Hoshimoto.
  • Itsuka Mizuhara - Fellow SEES member. Shiori had met her when Itsuka first joined SEES, but the two drifted apart after that, due to conflicting schedules. Itsuka was part of the team that rescued Shiori from the TV World, though, and Shiori is more than willing to accept Itsuka's offer to rekindle their friendship.
  • (Yuuki Hibiki) - Shiori's brother. Unplayed.

• XVI - THE TOWER
  • Masaru Ikedo - Strega member. Shiori's first friend from Strega, and the one she learned the most on how not to say anything sensitive around, since any reminder or mention of their respective organizations' antagonism might set them off.
  • Thora Kobayashi - KDA member. Shiori is scared and intimidated by Thora's size and ferocity, especially since Thora seems to have little patience for much of anything. And yet, Shiori finds herself fascinated by the cases Thora gets involved in, and worried for Thora's safety. For her part, Thora doesn't seem to know Shiori exists.
  • Himeru Namikawa - Darkside. Shiori was originally intimidated by Himeru's blunt and harsh manner, but she has been slowly learning that Himeru often does not mean to be so scary. Shiori is open to being friends with Himeru, but is nervous about accidentally doing or saying something wrong.

• XVII - THE STAR
  • Teddie - KDA, technically. Shiori has learned about Teddie's nature mostly through reports, but based on her meetings with Teddie in person, Shiori still suspects that there is someone inside that suit, or controlling it remotely.
  • Hinata Itoh - Fellow SEES member. Shiori often feels overwhelmed by Hinata's bubbly enthusiasm, and while she would like to be a closer friend, Hinata's pace of life is just too fast, too fleeting.

• XVIII - THE MOON
  • Haruka Tanaka - A tabloid reporter who asked about the Other World. Shiori refused to tell her anything, fearing for any information leaks. Shiori never saw Haruka again, and Shiori fears that Haruka had run afoul of the darker side of the Other World. Haruka's lack of communication was a large impetus in Shiori's attempts to warn people about the Other World, without actually saying anything incriminating.
  • Midori Nakashima - Strega member. Another of Shiori's "friends" in Strega, except that Shiori feels slightly more comfortable (if still very nervous) around Midori than around Masaru Ikedo. Shiori knows, through second-hand reports, that Midori is Shadow-Possessed, and so Shiori is careful to keep conversational topics to the mundane and non-controversial.
  • Farah Newman - NWO member, employed by SEBEC to oversee KNOWS as Matron. Shiori knows Farah primarily as Tom Magnusson's girlfriend. Shiori knows Farah has a painful past, and Shiori believes that Farah always means well. However, Shiori has grave doubts about Farah's involvement with SEBEC, and specifically Takahisa Kandori: Shiori doesn't think Farah is a traitor to Tom, but Shiori does suspect Farah may be either blackmailed, or in way over her head.

• XIX - THE SUN
  • Tom Magnusson - Private detective. The only one Shiori had directly informed about the Other World in detail, against SEES orders. She had felt guilty enough about his subsequent entry into the TV World to join the team rescuing him. Since Tom's rescue, Shiori had been more open around him, as he obviously already knew about the Other World.
  • Misaki Toritsume - Fellow SEES member. Shiori has made some tentative overtures of friendship that had been favourably received, but so far Misaki's schedule had conflicted with Shiori's.

• XX - JUDGEMENT
  • Nagisa Renge - Strega member. Shiori finds her to be kind of creepy, but at least not likely to kill her outright (Nagisa's powers apparently being more geared towards support). Her "friendship" was more or less piggybacked on Nagisa's friendship with Minato Arisato.

Trivia

• Height: 152 cm, or about five feet.
• Blood Type: O positive
• Hometown: Fukaya, Saitama
• Star Sign: Gemini, (Yin Water) Rooster

• Good At: Fighting games, sewing/embroidery/crafts, piano, calligraphy
• Okay At: Rhythm games, quiz games, ballet/general dancing, singing, first aid, swimming
• Bad At: Cooking, cleaning, UFO catchers, acting

• Favourite Food: Cake
• Least Favourite Food: Green peppers

• Best Subject: Japanese Literature
• Worst Subject: Physics
• Best Sport: Lacrosse (not that she ever tried it)

• School Clubs: SEES, Fashion Club

Social Stats

• Expression: 2
  • Charm: 3
• Courage: 1
• Knowledge: 2
  • Academics: 1.5
• Diligence: 4
• Understanding: 3

• Stubbornness: 4.5
  • Obsession: 3
  • Whine: 4
• Impulsiveness: 2
  • Self-Preservation: 0.25
• Gossip: 4
  • Rumours: 3
• Procrastination: 4.8
• Arcade: 5
• Cake: 3.141592654

Equipment

• Hair Clips: Given to Shiori a long time ago, by the first crush she ever had. He was her brother's senpai in the Judo club. Now in university with a girlfriend of his own, and effectively out of Shiori's life, unaware of her unrequited feelings. Shiori keeps the hair clips as a memento of that time.
• Wristwatch: Analogue face, brushed dark grey, metal-link strap. Shiori's sixteenth birthday present from her brother; pricey, elegant, but incredibly sturdy.
• Backpack: Bunny-themed. Chosen for its cuteness. Not especially interesting, but Shiori had repaired and reinforced it so many times it was pretty much her own by now.
  • First Aid Kit: Kept in ker backpack. Always well-stocked. Shiori refills it after use from the Aohige Pharmacy at Paulownia Mall.
• SEES Armband: Kept either in her pocket or in her backpack.
• Evoker Pouch: Black, handmade, with an interchangeable clasp (options include bunny, kitty, and Jack Frost). Shiori keeps her Evoker inside, and has become good at drawing it quickly with either hand, through much practice.
  • Evoker: SEES-issued. Ever since Shiori's experience in the Midnight Channel, she has not actually needed to use it to summon her Persona, but she keeps it anyway for appearances.
• Cellphone: Clamshell design, pearl-coloured. Chosen more for its cute appearance than any features. Has the usual ability for messaging, emailing, taking pictures, and even making phone calls.
  • Cellphone strap: Jack Frost design. Shiori has been thinking about replacing it, but hasn't gotten around to it yet.
• Wallet: Usually with enough money to be a tempting target for muggers. Shiori has not realized the danger yet.

Further OOC Information

• Player: Shiori
• Alternate Characters: Chidori Yoshino, Shizuka Arashino
• Time zone: GMT+8 (Singapore)

Permissions

Blanket permission to +observe whenever Shiori is in a scene. In fact, blanket permission for OOC commentary.

With regards to resonance, assume that Shiori is not trying to hide it. She will resonate as much as the average Persona-user; the Persona will seem like it has something to do with sound, conversation, and rumours.

If you want to kill off Shiori, even if the situation demands it, I'd appreciate a warning OOC. Otherwise, please don't kill Shiori permanently.

Shiori may be considered Easy Pickings for an ambush. Feel free to do so (probably by prior arrangement, RP etiquette being what it is), but be warned that Shiori will pick flight over fight every single time, unless cornered with no other option, upon which she will probably surrender.

OOC Trivia

Shiori's name can be loosely translated to be "Poem Woven from Echoes" (Hibiki = 響 = echo; shi = 詩 = poem or verse; ori = 織 = to weave).

Similarly, her brother Yuuki's name can be translated as "Echoes of a Distant Hope" (yuu = 悠 = distant or permanent; ki = 希 = hope).

Character Soundtrack

1. Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight OP - A Happy Life -- Opening theme
2. Cardcaptor Sakura OST4 - Ashidori Karuku -- Decisions
3. Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya OST - Itsumo no Fuukei -- Everday Life
4. Mahoromatic OST - Take a Break -- Classroom
5. Lucky Star OST - Ran ran ran dayo Lucky Star -- Social Link
6. Camille Saint-Saens - Les Carnaval des Animaux VII: Aquarium -- Premonition
7. Mai-HiME OST1 - Tokiiro no Mai -- Chase scene
8. Shakugan no Shana OST - Danse des fee -- Exposition
9. Moon Phase OST - Midnight Games -- Dark Hour
10. Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya OST - Higeki no Heroine -- Shock
11. Cardcaptor Sakura OST2 - RELEASE -- Pheme
12. Mother OST - Pollyanna -- Image song
13. Wild ARMs 3 OST - A Person's Warmth -- Tranquility
14. Hidamari Sketch x365 OST - Waku Waku Hidamari Sou -- On a trip
15. Zettai Karen Children OST1 - Gaki tte iu na -- Exams
16. Moon Phase OST - Lemonade & Rice -- Lunchtime
17. Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya OST - Mikuru no Kokoro -- Wataru
18. Read or Die OST - Unequalled Wild Dance, The Sky Is Not Enough -- SEES
19. Ace Combat Zero - ZERO -- Boss battle
20. AIR OST - Natsukage -- Resolution
21. Sora no Manimani ED - Hoshizuku no Surround -- Ending theme