Logs: A Morning Stroll
Mikage-cho W - Captain Rebellion HQ
The year is 2099.
Deep, deep underground lies the heart of humanity's last stand against the Drakon Empire... the headquarters of the Secret Rebellion!! Metallic corridors are lined with the latest in gratuitious technology, with devices that don't do anything and monitors that display completely meaningless but still vital information.
The nerve center of this facility is, of course, the massive command room, where the Secret Rebellion's best and brightest spend their days frantically operating complex control panels. In the middle of it stands a large statue of the Rebellion's leader, Captain R (or as everyone calls him here, Captain Rebellion), standing with his arms crossed, as a constant reminder to always be as awesome as you could possibly be.
Other highlights of the secret base include the hypergravity training room, transforming vehicle hangar and very futuristic living quarters. In case of emergency, the base is rigged to sound a very annoying alarm and lock up while still providing highly entertaining venues for improbable combat.
Demons often seem quite preoccupied with assaulting the base. It's as if they're looking for something...
This was an unexpected turn of events, to put it lightly. Just yesterday, Yu had known for one of few times in his life true despair. He feared it wouldn't be long before everyone went the way of madness, as some already had. Then again, Strega members like Chidori weren't exactly sane in the first place.
Yes, he was without a means to contact his friends and demons roamed the streets, but today Yu awoke with a renewed sense of hope, though he knew not why. Perhaps it was the fact he had just become part of a hero story made manifest, or perhaps it was a sense of trust in his newfound allies. Or maybe a comfortable bed and nice shower simply do wonders for morale.
Yu awakens in the complex finding himself one of the first ones up at this hour in the morning. Quietly, he rises from his bed and goes for a silent walk about the base, careful not to awaken anyone. Though his ambience effectively a shelter made of steel, Yu was able to ponder about a course of action with a renewed sense of clarity today.
Like Yu, Masumi found that the amenities of the Rebellion base did wonders in improving both mood and general frame of mind. A real bed instead of sleeping on the school's floor, real food instead of whatever meager fare could be scrounged up, and a real shower to wash away the sweat and grime accumulated first by scouring the streets for information and then by a full-scale battle against a demon mob.
It's that last one which Masumi keeps turning over and over in his mind, unsure of how to sort out the conflicting emotions he's feeling. Elation over their victory, a strange thrill from the adrenaline high, a sense of surreality at being pulled into something that belongs in the pages of fantasy, and fighting a certain reticence to place himself in that kind of danger again. And finally, guilt over killing creatures which displayed a disturbing amount of sentience -- though he hasn't allowed himself to dwell on that long enough for it to really hit home yet.
"Good morning," comes the sound of Masumi's soft tones from behind Yu at some point during his walk. It seems they had similar ideas on a morning walk to open the mind for contemplation.
Eventually, Yu does come across Masumi, who he nods politely to. The two kept running into one another, and now here they are fighting together. He didn't think much of that, personally. It had happened plenty of times before.
"Good morning," he finally speaks to the other boy, "I hope you rested well after that fight yesterday." Speaking of fights, he recalled that Masumi indeed had made use of a Persona yesterday.
"So, I noticed you using a Persona, yesterday. Interesting," He remarks. That may explain why he seemed to have a mystical feel about him,he supposes. Disceretly, he witholds his other thoughts on the matter, namely that Masumi's Ceridwen had a female visage. Usually, a Persona resembled a gender corresponding to the user.Of course, Yu was a bit of an exception himself given his abilities, as were others.
It might be said that anyone passingly familiar with Masumi probably shouldn't be /too/ surprised that his Persona does not match his physical gender. Still, the exact connotations of the mismatch is not something which Masumi has considered much, if only because he has not had sufficient experience with other Persona-users to note that he is something of a break in the pattern. It would likely pique his interest.
"I did," Masumi responds quietly as he steps forward to walk alongside Yu rather than behind him. "The base's amenities have proven to be well worth the price of admission -- if only in contrast to sleeping on the school floor and scavenging for food and water." He also seems to have taken the opportunity to mend the damage done to his clothing during the both the dimensional shift and last night's battle.
He nods once when Yu comments on his having a Persona. "Have you noticed?" he asks after a moment to contemplate. He's still trying to arrange the chaos into discernable patterns. "The disturbance that brought us all here did not operate on physical locality; I at least was not close to anyone else that was pulled through." He pauses briefly to organize his thoughts. "Those who were pulled through the portal seem to either possess the power of Persona, or have apparently been exposed to it on a regular basis."
"Actually," Yu nods understandingly before correcting one of his statements, "I've seen plenty of ordinary people here as well. That said, they've all been well exposed to Persona -now-."
"But yes, I have noticed physical location had little to do with where we were sent. Basically no one who stood by me as Kandori activated that blasted machine is with us now," Yu states firmly. That was the source of hope that his friends were alive, "There could be plenty more of us around, especially on the other side of that blasted tunnel on the edge of this side of town." He apparently is referring to the demon tunnels.
"Don't try to go through there, though," he warns, "I caught a glimpse of it and it looks basically like suicide. For now we should work to do what we can over here."
He looks down and seats himself in a nearby chair before adding, "Our goal should be looking for clues about what this place is and what we can do about this. Some seem to think killing Kandori should end it, but I'm not so certain. Even he seems surprised about all of this. It can't be that simple." Not to mention, killing Kandori wasn't exactly a feat in the realm of -possibility- to Yu at this point, let alone viability.
Masumi nods softly when Yu corrects his theory, and does not seem bothered by it. It's so important to be open to the exchange of ideas and new information even when it corrects something you think you've discovered -- though he sets the theory aside for now rather than discards it altogether. It's possible that it merely requires refining, but also possible it's the wrong track altogether. He always tries to keep his mind open to the possibilities.
"You mentioned that machine last night as well," Masumi says, taking the opportunity to broach the subject he wanted to since that time. For at least the moment, he refrains from confronting the other youth on why he wasn't more forthcoming about such an important detail sooner, in part because he's mentioning it again now. "Tell me more about it," he continues in a tone that makes it come off more as a request than a demand.
But Yu clearly thinks that it has something to do with their current situation. A combination of modern science and the hidden power of the psyche in some way? He feels his pulse quickening slightly at the idea, having always dreamed of that sublime marriage but never knowing anyone had actually attempted it.
Masumi takes a seat across from the other youth so they can continue their conversation. "His surprise could very well have been nothing more than a deception -- but I do agree with you that it does not seem likely to be so simple. It is possible, of course, but only if he is actively maintaining the disturbance himself through the power of his Persona. Then, yes, killing him would probably collapse the dimensional bubble -- but again only if it is indeed a bubble."
He almost mentions Occam's Razor, then realizes that applying such a concept when the entire world has been turned upside-down borders on the absurd.
"Well," Yu explains with a calm yet concerned face, "killing Kandori isn't exactly easy. I'm not even sure he's human. He seems to be capable of some supernatural feats even without his Persona out. Of course, that may just merely be a trick of some sort, but..." He shakes his head.
"As for his machine, he called it the 'DVA'," he goes on to describe the device at Masumi's request, "Not sure what that stands for. His scientist goon says its meant to dive into the mind. So this all could be a manifestation of someone's, or perhaps all of our, thoughts and memories. Like a truly real dream of some sort."
"If it were indeed the way home, it would be worth the risk, yes?" Masumi counters softly. "And there appears to be a good number of Persona-users here that could band together for that purpose. But as you said, the answer is very unlikely to be that simple or that direct." Or at least as simple as killing someone as apparently powerful as Kandori is could ever be.
"Also, I think..." he begins slowly. "I think it's very possible that Persona is only the most direct and obvious manifestation of extra-normal power. I have seen and experienced things in the world of the occult and neopaganism that would seem to also fly in the face of conventional science and our understanding of the world. Though not nearly so easy to confirm."
An almost eager look crosses Masumi's face when Yu describes the machine, as if he were just learning of a great possibility he always dreamt of but never thought possible. "An interesting idea," he muses. "But you said Kandori also seemed surprised -- were they aiming for something else? Was there an accident of some kind?" He doesn't seem immediately curious as to why Yu was there in the first place.
"I'm not certain," Yu shakes his head as he answers, "he was confused at first, but he seemed overall pretty pleased with the results. Perhaps he got what we wanted and we just moved up his schedule, so to speak." He recalls Guido's mocking of them as they first arrived in Mikage-cho. He also doesn't seem to want to mention that one his own broke the machine as it was starting up.
"As for the tunnel, it seems to just divide the city, not lead out," he answers, "there might be an exit on the other side, but I don't want to risk it until we know more about what's going on over here."
He doesn't seem to muse long on Masumi's words on mysticsm. He took little stock in it usually, though after all he's been through he's not exactly about to doubt whatever the other boy said.
Masumi nods in agreement. "If we can better determine the nature of this world first, we will be better equipped to make our escape without unecessary risk." Assuming there actually was a way to escape, because it was entirely possible there wasn't -- or at least that the way out required resources they would never have access to here. But he tries not to dwell on that possibility much.
"I remember the girl in the classroom yesterday mentioned he had a penchant for experimentation, and an interest in those with Persona and...Shadows?" There's a questioning note in his voice that indicates he does not know what Shadows are. But then he continues, pressing a little further as he digs for information which might assemble the chaotic elements of this world in discernable patterns. "What were you doing that may have moved up his schedule?" he queries.
"Seeking answers about a friend's disapperance, mostly," Yu answers his question readily before sighing. He then continues to explain with some background information, "Thora Kobayashi is and a friend and associate of ours. Because of recent poor exam grades, she was forced by a guardian figure to join Kandori's KNOWS branch in Inaba. We encountered Kandori a day earlier, too. He said he was looking for her too, but may have had answers. He asked a price beyond money for the information, though, and I wasn't exactly planning on paying."
"The following day," he goes on, "we decided to find out what he may know regardless. He led us up the SEBEC building and then this happened."
So that pretty much confirms the idea that he had been toying with based on vague hints here and there, Masumi reflects. KNOWS is definitely connected with something darker -- though the idea of an evil corporation led by one superpowerful man with assorted scientist lackeys doing terrible things to time and space once again seems more like something out of a fictional work than reality.
It was starting to become a rather prevelant theme, actually.
"I see," Masumi says. "So this was most likely intentional," he surmises, not knowing that Yu is still holding out important details which would alter that conclusion. "What sort of price was he asking for?" The silver-haired youth knows he's asking a lot of questions, but apparently he is terribly out of the loop on certain things which have affected all of them. He feels he has a right to know, given he's trapped here as well.
"I'm not sure. It could have been a favor. It could have been my soul. All I know is that I dreaded paying it like all hell," he answers Musumi firmly before rising from his seat.
He grips his sheath under his jacket to check his sword is still there before nodding to the effeminate boy, "I'm going to head out to search, both for information and supplies. It should be quick. I'll be back before the others are up, or at least before they notice I'm gone. Farewell for now." With that, he sets off for a brief scouting of the nearby streets and area.
