Logs: Important Decisions
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
The Lunarvale Shrine. A quiet bastion of Japanese culture in the quaint town. Though it is rather run down at this point. Walls rotting, moss everywhere, and statues lay unclean. Though an invisible hand seems to be slowly working life into the place. The tile paths look brand new, though sporting the same scheme it used to. Flags and flagpoles, as well as wall decorations look clean, and the middle garden, once overrun by just weeds, now sports many vivid blue orchids, bonsai tree patterns, and sakura trees.
Though, the person working this magic is not far off. Loud banging noises can be heard within, as well as angry yelling. A person, standing in a black karate gi with a blue belt seems to be standing at one of the walls, punching it, breaking out the decayed wood. The boy is Yoh Yamagatani, taking out pent up frustration held in from days past.
Not all too long ago, Yoh had place a call in to a friend, one Thora Kobayashi. She had told the boy to contact her if anything were to arise that was suspicious or supernatural. And everything he had seen and heard in the past week, or what seemed like a week, fell under this category. Not knowing what to do, he dialed her, and asked her to meet him here.
"Why can't I do anything?!" the boy yells as he lays another fist into the wood. The past days he has learned much about the world, as well as the repeating days. Of course finding out about these things as made him feel powerless, one of the few feelings in this world he hates to no end. "Why can't I stop time from repeating?! URGH!" As he throws another fist through the rotting timber, he feels as though he could turn to the nearest living thing and kill it, though he wouldn't actually do it.
He looked over at a fresh pile of timber nearby. He had to put it up today, but what did it matter? It would just be back in that pile the next. Same for the trees buried in the courtyard. They would be back, in Port Island, on a cart the next day. How frustrating.
(((Thora Kobayashi poses.)))
An earlier call placed to Thora Kobayashi would not have gone through. That would be because phone calls can't make it inside the strange dimensional pocket that Mikage-cho continues to exist in. Thora had been there all day, meticulously studying the demon residents, learning their quirks and researching their likes and dislikes. In the past few days she'd learned all kinds of interesting racial preferences some of the demons had. Overall, some species would get along with her much better than others. It was educational.
Once emerging, Thora was quick to listen to her voicemail with some surprise and some annoyance. Clearly Yoh had gotten himself into some kind of trouble-now here's to hoping she wasn't too late to kick something's ass. Eventually she tracks him down, finding him taking out all his frustrations on wood. Frowning, she leans on a wall before clearing her throat loudly to get his attention.
"You called?" she deadpans in that deep voice of hers.
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Whilst in his rage, Yoh continues to bash the heck out of the wall. It needed to be torn down anyway, so taking out stress wasn't a half bad idea. Though his arm gets wedged in between a smaller piece and a support beam. As he pulls on it he hears a voice, and swivels around to yell, with bloodshot eyes. "WHAT?!" Of course after a second or two he realizes who it is and calms down somewhat. Using a foot as leverage, he pulls out his hand and arm from the hole.
"Sorry, Koboyashi-san, didn't realize it was you." He furrows his brow and rubs it with one hand for a few moments. "Okay look, I don't know if you have noticed, but time is repeating. And it is FRUSTRATING. Everything I do is reset when I wake up. All the work done, people I saw forget what happened the day before and whatnot. You told me to call you when something was weird, and that something is now." He decks another fist through wood before continuing. "Not to mention thugs robbing people using whatever the heck you did at Inaba. I come to their defense, I get my ass whipped with what was that, fire? I don't know."
Those that have seen Yoh often enough may notice a few plumes of hair on one side are missing, as well as a few light cut marks on his hands and face. "In all seriousness, How do you fight back against that crap? I was just doing what I do every time I see that. It wasn't even that far from here!"
Anyone could definitely see anger coursing through his expressions.
(((Thora Kobayashi poses.)))
The vicious-sounding question quickly gets an equal reaction out of Thora. Immediately she pushes away from the wall and slips into a more aggressive stance. If he didn't have his arm stuck in the wood, there would have been an aggressive advance to match that calling. "Didn't think I'd show, eh."
What he says next surprises her and it is clearly evidenced on her face. "Actually, I'm surprised that YOU'VE noticed. I thought only me and my friends did. -look, that, it's called a persona, it's like a superpower. Very psychological. Anyway, we're working on the time thing. It's going slow but at this point, getting all the pieces in the right spot is like herding cats."
Thora holds up a hand and curls it into a fist. "You need power to fight back against that. The only kinda power that comes from facing yourself and enduring a near-death experience. 'cause that's the only way I've seen people get it and even then it's hit and miss. If you don't got the potential, then you're out of luck." Save going to Kandori for an artificial persona. Of course, that would slowly kill the person that owns it though which is a less than ideal situation.
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Yoh stands there, trying to calm himself down. He was in an absolute wrathful fit over that punk torching him and doing all those inhuman moves out of the blue. What made him even more angry than being whooped is they got away with the loot they stole from that couple. The boy brushed some wood shavings off his shoulder before speaking. "Well, figure you would think my call was bunk, but I am slightly surprised. Anyway, sorry to drag you out here. reliving the same day, what has it been, four or five times in a row? I lost count. Either way, I wish it would stop."
"Wait, what do you mean, you are surprised that I notic-- oh. Hrn." He recalled being told that only people with that power remembered. But... he didn't have those powers. Did he? "...Persona, huh? I have heard that term used elsewhere, but figure it was a misnomer for 'person' people used." Yoh clutches his fist tightly at the mention of the repairing going slow. "Well, if there is a face to be beaten, just point me at them. Persona thingy or not, I will beat them silly for messing up my valuable time I could be using doing something useful."
As he listens to her, he can't help but tense up. He was strong! He was powerful! Though he listens until she is finished before speaking. He did almost die in that alley. The hooligan used some sort of fiery ability that engulfed the entire alleyway. Yoh barely made it out, as well as the two he was helping. Thankfully the buildings on both sides were made of brick, otherwise a fire would have definitely broke out. "So, I guess I am just out of luck when I come across folks like that, huh?" Of course he didn't know the dream he had about a week and a half ago provided him with the key needed to open the door to these powers. His only problem was finding the door.
(((Thora Kobayashi poses.)))
"It's some kinda psychology term." Thora explains, having looked it up previously on a whim to determine its origins out of pure curiosity. "It's what everybody tends to call it unless they're mistaken." Casually, Thora relaxes and stuffs her hands into her coat pockets. The weight of her strange-looking cellphone weighs one of those pockets down.
"Jeeze, chill out, your time's not getting wasted. Heck, if I were you I'd look for some way to make this situation work for me. I know I have already." A cruel little smirk breaks out over her face but quickly disappears. Eventually she nods.
"That's right. Shit outta luck. If you run into that again, you better take off unless you wanna get even more hurt. Of course, if you went out and got these powers yourself it'll help a little, but not much. Then you become a target which could ruin your life." Or make it more exciting in Thora's case. As messed up as things were for her right now, she's not so sure she'd trade it for a quiet life of isolation now. "Now I ain't gonna give you specifics on how to do it but I will give you a hint. A bit of internet research'll clear it right up. Look into something called the persona game."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
"Well, that answers one question. Never had a word for it." Yoh thinks for a moment. It would make sense in all the places he heard the word before. "Well, about the only thing I have gotten done in these past repeating days is a lot of martial arts training. That is about it. Since everything resets I guess I could cut loose for once." For once? Yeah right, more like since you were a domestic terrorist to everyone in the downtown area of Lunarvale.
Yoh winces at the mention of being out of luck for the most part. Wonderful. He itches at the back of his head again, that buzzing noise getting to him. "Well doesn't that just beat all. Well, not like I knew they had those abilities." Oh the irony of the past two sentences. "A game, huh? Not sure how a game could be involved in this. But, learning about the Persona powers, time skipping, danger in Port Island, and a supposed monster in Inaba, you know what? I believe you. Wholeheartedly. Seriously, is there any way to keep out of this? I try and I try, yet it keeps getting in my face. Maybe I should just jump in and beat some faces until they collapse inward until they leave me alone." He sneers at the idea, for just a brief moment, the old Yoh surfaces, though he bats away the thoughts in his mind.
(((Thora Kobayashi poses.)))
"See? There you go, that's the perfect thing to get done while this is happening. I'd do that if I didn't have my own things to do." Or if Thora had any kind of martial arts training whatsoever. She doesn't, though nobody really knew that. Destroying people kind of almost came naturally for her.
Watching his reaction, she's unsurprised he doesn't like her answer so much. She could leave it at that but that'd only increase the probability that he'd end up shadow-possessed or as a science project. A cruel smile graces her face. "You don't have any other choice but to believe me now. You've seen what goes on and it haunts you, you can't get it out of your mind and now I bet you secretly seek it out, looking to get a taste or glimpse of that power."
With a shout, light erupts beneath her and her persona known as Garm appears. Unlike most personae, which are elegant gods and heroes, this one is a gigantic dog monster with blood red fur and a skull-like face. She lets the vicious beast stand there on all fours for a second so he gets a real good look before it fades away. "Whether you stay in or keep out is up to you. Just know that if you go chargin' in without thinking, people are gonna get pissed off and then you'll have more than just some thug with a persona annoyed with you. And that's bad."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Yoh nods to Thora as she speaks. It... would be nice to do something else for once. and he has gotten in much training over the space of what was apparently a day. "I am sure I could find other things to do. Though anything productive for the most part is pointless it seems."
As he thinks about this supposed game, the large girl speaks up again, with a strange tone to it. "It does haunt me, to be honest with you. I try to avoid it, but I get caught up in it regardless of what I do. Though I cannot say I have sought it out in the past... today has changed my opinion on that." And he rubs the back of his head before speaOH GOD WHAT IS THAT. Oh right, the thing she whipped out on Kandori. The gigantic wolf looked as though it could tear someone in two with a mere utterance. Yoh could only stare are it for a moment, though he seems rather blase about it. Probably due to the large amounts of paranormal stuff he has gotten into as of late. After a time, he states his answer, slamming a fist against the wall, it some sort of strange dramatic manner. "You know what? I am tired of avoiding this crap. it just keeps coming back! I am TIRED of it! Mark my words, I WILL find a way to do that, and I WILL whip some ass until this all goes away!"
After a moment, he mutters under his breath. "My father would have done the same thing."
(((Thora Kobayashi poses.)))
Garm /could/ tear something in two with little effort. Garm would do that as Thora watched on with gleeful malice as her prey was shredded before her. The persona is not a friendly-looking beast nor does he give off a friendly-looking resonance. "Productive?" Thora's eyes shine, "I disagree. Until time's corrected, you basically got infinite time to train yourself. Or if you're down with the whole academics thing, study. I gotta friend that's usin' this to study for entrance exams. You're luck you notice it."
Her grin gradually fades as he declares that he's not going to stay out of this or run from it. On one hand, she likes that attitude-facing things head-on and rising to the challenge. On the other, people that keep prodding the supernatural like this, in Thora's experience, have always caused nothing but problems. Maybe there was a better way to go about this. "Alright, if that's your choice, then you gotta do /exactly/ what I say. If I tell you to jump, you jump. If I tell you to make nice with someone, you make nice with them. You want the power? Then you gotta do this right or else you're gonna live with a bunch of pissed-off people for the rest of your life."
Her eyes darken and she adds ominously, "However long that is."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Being in front of Garm, that feeling in his head goes apecrazy, but he tries to ignore it, wincing a few times. As he listens to Thora, she did have a point. He may not have the magic powers, but he did know how to fight a fool or two. If he got stronger, sure, he may be assaulted by a Persona's magic, but if he got in close, he could tear most people to pieces in a matter of seconds. Well, not really, but they would be facedown on the pavement.
The boy nods in her confirmation. "It is my final decision. I have tried taking yours and everyone else's advice, but it just keeps ocming back." He rubs his fist in the palm of the opposite hand as the large girl speaks. "Sounds good to me. Maybe I will get to neat some sense into people to make this a better place to live. As for people pissed at me? Oh well. Worth it in the long run if you ask me, if I can make a change somehow. I tire of being a normal person, if this is what really goes on in the world."
The boy sounds firm in his statement. Indeed it was true. Yoh strived to make changes in the times where he was not the one harming people. Though at times he found himself unable to help those in need alone, which is when he met his dojo sensei. Undertaking his vigorous training, he fought tooth and nail to raise through the belt ranks, and become stronger. And, for a time he was. But now, he found out about this power withing people, and once again he was weak compared to others. Naturally, it seems as though history will repeat in Yoh's case.
(((Thora Kobayashi poses.)))
Even without a persona, training in that sense would help against the vanilla thugs. In Thora's world, that was just as important and frankly much more a common threat than of the supernatural variety. At least that was the case for her. Nowadays...
"You've got some pretty bad luck." Thora sighs, shaking her head. "But at least you can listen. I'm gonna try to help you because I'm sick of putting up with this shit from other people and the last thing I want is another shadow-possessed on our hands." It's pretty obvious that this kid just wants superpowers now. Problem was now that he knew they existed, he's going to do whatever it takes to get them-Thora has seen this before, she knows what happens, so she'd have to move fast to make sure he didn't wind up with Kandori or something. "Anyway, that's all I've got. I'll call a few people, pull some strings. Don't be surprised if you get a few calls. I need to be on my way now."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Yoh listens to the girl, and sighs as he grimaces somewhat. "Indeed it seems I do have quite the... horrid luck lately. None of this happened before I changes schools. Ah well, what is someone to do?" The boy crosses his arms as she continues. "Now don't get me wrong, I love to fight. But I do know when my match is met, and there is a time to fold. Most of the time anyway." That was somewhat of a lie, most of the time he couldn't tell unless he was blatantly overpowered.
As the boy nods to her second comment, he wondered just what the hell he got himself into. Though at this point there was no looking back, or chickening out. He made a decision, it was time to stick with it. "Understood. I will try to avoid things for now until I get word back. I take it avoiding Kandori-san, staying out of Port Island at midnight, and staying away from Inaba for now are still on the top priority?" he asks, peering about the Lunarvale Shrine.
(((Thora Kobayashi poses.)))
There is /definitely/ no looking back now. "Yeah, you've pretty much hit on all the points." Though she's tempted to rescind the Kandori one. On the other hand, he doesn't need any additional 'soldiers' delivered to him and Thora has no reason to try to put more people in his clutches. "Staying up-to-date on rumors will improve your chances of not getting waxed too. Focus on staying alive, alright?" Well, at least he didn't ask to explain what a shadow-possessed was. Then again, maybe someone already beat her to that.
Thora turns away and waves over one of her shoulders. "Gotta get going. I'll see you around, Yamagatani."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
As Yoh listens in, it was true he didn't know what a Shadow-Possessed was, but he has heard the term used in an unfriendly manner before, and just the term itself 'Shadow' and 'Possessed' did not sound good even when by themselves, let alone together.
"Staying alive is something I can do. I will just go to school, work on the shrine, the usual stuff." Of course this also meant he couldn't get into fights probably. He will 'try' to adhere to it, though no promises apparently. Of course dying doesn't sound like a good proposition. As the girl bids farewell, he gives her a wave. "Have a good day, Koboyashi-san." After a few moments, he tacks on something.
"And thanks."
As the girl leaves, Yoh turns back to his task at hand, though he doesn't start punching at it. The boy just stares deeply into the wall, obviously caught in a moment of contemplation. 'Maybe I should have just kept it to myself.' Yoh can't help but ponder this, as well, there was no looking back at what he just did. Maybe now, living a normal life just left his grasp...
Still, he had no regrets. If this is what it took, it had to be done.
