Logs: The Offer
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
The day is Monday, February 16th. It's evening. School's been out and Mitsuru is waiting.
She wasted no time in sending a request to the labs for another Evoker. Creating the Evokers is a difficult task and dangerous in the wrong hands. Thus why each member of SEES gets one Evoker and there are no spares. When someone leaves SEES, their Evoker is confiscated and either destroyed or simply kept under lock and key, depending on the circumstance and if they even need an Evoker. Yoh will be one of them.
She has all the things for his orientation ready and she sent him a text message, with the address to the SEES dorm. The door will be open for him and instructions were given to come up to the fourth floor, where their command room is. This is where Mitsuru is waiting, sitting in the armchair with a book in hand. The door to the command room is also open, so that Yoh will know this is where he needs to be.
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Upon finishing his martial arts practice, Yoh had found an important message on his phone to come to a location for a second meeting. This was expected, as the girl with red hair from the day before had mentioned it. For some reason, he had a feeling he may need his Gi on for this one. It may or may not be true, as the feeling came and went often, sometimes being incorrect.
Even though Yoh preferred simplicity in life above most things, phones weren't one of them. His could do all sorts of strange things. Watch TV, E-mail, GPS, games, provide wireless internet to those nearby he input into the phone... It was a strange exception to his preference, for reasons unknown, even to him. Probably due to how helpful it is in everyday life. Following the GPS coordinates, he found himself at what appeared to be... a college dorm? He wasn't sure. Either way it was the right locale, and he headed inside.
His Gi was still rather battered up from the fight in Mikage-Cho. Frayed in small places, and a large chunk of fabric missing from the side, though he wore a black undershirt to keep it from sticking out. Damned Bicorn had gashed him with the horn there really deep. How it was healed fully is by no means a miracle. Or rather, a well placed Diarama.
Upon reaching the top floor, he sees the double doors mentioned. Walking over to them, he takes a deep breath as he sets down his duffel bag momentarily, tapping on the door and peeking his head inside. There she was. So this was the right place! Yoh gave the girl a courteous bow as he entered. "Hello again, Kirijo-san! Good to see you." Cheerful as always, even though this was serious. About the only time the boy didn't have some sort of friendly and upbeat tone was when he was pissed off enough to beat the snot out of something. But hey, no one is perfect.
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
The SEES dorm is well furnished but it is just a high school dorm. Though one could almost think that it was a hotel instead. They might have to look into expansions soon though, given the number of people in SEES and who are joining. It's on the list of Mitsuru's things to do. For now, there is a young man who needs her attention. She senses him first, before he even walks in so by the time he does step inside, the book is placed on the coffee table and she is nodding. "Good evening Yamagatani-san. Please, close the door behind you and then have a seat." She is polite, but cool even in front of the younger student's friendly tone.
She waits for him to do as she asks and when he sits, she reaches to the side of the armchair and pulls out a briefcase. It's the kind of case that one commonly finds in movies for transporting large quantities of money or weapons. "There are a few things we need to go over before I officially welcome you to the organization. First. On paper, this organization is known as the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad or S.E.E.S. for short. The other students think that we are merely an ordinary social club. I would prefer it if this remained so."
She folds her hands over her lap, "Second. I am the commander of this organization. While I try not to exercise this fact very often, there may come a time when I will give an order and I will expect you to follow it. Third. You are to refrain from discussing official SEES business with anyone who is not a member of the organization or one of our allies and even then, there will be information that should never be mentioned to anyone outside of SEES. Do you understand me so far?"
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Yoh gives a solemn nod back as Mitsuru returns the greeting. Shutting the door, he enters the room proper, duffel bag in tow. There isn't really anything scary in there, just a change of clothes with a spare shirt, deodorant, the usual things people take to a Dojo. Though his bolt spiked gloves are inside as well, due to the Gi having no pockets. Of course, being here, there is no point to pull them out... probably. Unless a serial killer bursts through the door or some such.
Taking a seat near the girl, he puts one hand in the others palm, and puts both of his elbows up on the table. Not exactly what mannered people do, but in Yoh's case, it means you have his attention fully. He leans forward slightly in his seat, ready to listen. Yoh merely nods to her first statement. Yoh is quite dense most of the time, but he figured it needed to stay quiet about the true motives of this. The boy usually isn't good with small secrets, though, something like this he could most likely keep.
To her second rule, he does decide to speak. "Understood. I am not a leader kind of person. I am a good listener though. I will try my best to follow instructions." For once he wasn't trying to sugarcoat something. This was indeed a fact. Yoh had spunk. And courage. But in a position of leadership where others look to him for guidance in a tough situation, he does tend to crack under the pressure. Strangely when he is listening to others in the exact same scenarios and given orders, he would charge at Death himself.
To the third statement... "Got it. I take it Kobayashi-san is in the 'allies' area? She was the one whom guided me to you." There is a small pause before he poses his own question. "Is there anyone in particular I should avoid altogether since I am associating with you? I already know of one person I should stay away from." Mitsuru may know who it is, if there was one person in the world to avoid. The super devil himself, Kandori.
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
The double door to the command center has a core of solid steel in the middle covered by solid oak on all sides. But it's well maintained and was built in such a way that it can be easily opened or closed but once shut and locked, difficult to break down and equally difficult to eavesdrop through. A serial killer would also have to go through three floors of persona using combat ready high school students. It wouldn't be easy.
She watches him, studying his reactions to her words. Good. He is willing to follow orders. "Kobayashi-san is one of our allies yes. So is Himeru Namikawa and the KDA. There are various other individuals too. You can assume that if someone has posting access to our boards, they are either an ally or a member. As for those you should not associate with.." She shrugs, "You will want to be careful of Strega, the death cult currently in Port Island but otherwise, I will leave it to you to decide. Even though our main goal is hunting shadows and ending the Dark Hour once and for all, you should assume that there will be a life beyond all this. Your social activities are your own to plan and act upon. As long as it does not endanger SEES, civilians or yourself, you are free to do as you wish."
She flicks open the briefcase and turns it around. Inside the briefcase is what looks like a handgun tucked into a white holster and a red armband with the letters S.E.E.S. embroidered upon it. "Wear the armband during any and all SEES operations. It is the easiest way for us to identify you. The gun is not a real gun but an Evoker. The Evoker is a tool that will help you summon your persona. Do not lose it. These are difficult to make and we do not have spares."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Yoh breathes a sigh of relief upon finding out about Thora's involvement. Though she was big, mean, and contributed his Persona manifestation to through a fatal encounter, she was beginning to grow on him. "...KDA?" He was not aware of Thora's group existence. Of course it would make sense, all the members hung around each other often. "Strega... that must have been that preaching group I saw that talked of oblivion, or something like that. Was in a bad part of town." He happened to be there when it happened completely by chance, and was a rather strange event. Irked Yoh in some ways.
After nodding to the latter part of the first statement, his eyes look down in the briefcase. A red armband/sash thing lay there, and what looked like a modified pistol that police carry. He picks up both, looking at each in a hand. He studies the Evoker more closely however. His father had a pistol that looked a lot like this one time, that he brought home from work. "Ah. How does it work?" He looks down the sights of it, aiming it around. Of course, he has no finger in the trigger area, just holding it by the grip. "Wait," he says after a moment. "I need this to summon uh, what was his name..." Yoh sets down the gun for a minute, and snaps his fingers a few times.
"Oh! Right. Magni." The Gi-wearing teen lowers his vision to about level with the table, looking over the gun in a quizzical manner. How the heck do you use this to make something appear? Shoot it at the ground? "I didn't need this for him the first time. He just showed up when I became overly panicked and angry. I didn't have a gun." Indeed. Yoh had summoned it via force of will mere seconds before being torn apart by a shark toothed horse. Yoh couldn't help but be rather skeptical.
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
"Yes. Strega is a death cult and they tend to stick to the back alleys and other rather dangerous parts of Port Island. You would be wise to avoid them if necessary unless accompanied by another member or two of SEES. They should be considered dangerous." It's not that Mitsuru is afraid of losing any members to them. No. She just doesn't want to see any of those under her care get badly hurt.
She watches him go straight for the Evoker. What is it about boys and guns? But she shifts, reaching for her own Evoker at her hip. "It is a tool to help you summon your Persona. The first time you summoned him, that was when you 'woke up' so to speak. Extreme fear, panic or any other very strong emotion can be used to summon a Persona but it can be difficult to learn how to do so at will. Some have never 'awakened' the natural way like yourself. The Evoker is a tool specially designed to help bring out your Persona."
She closes her eyes and lifts the gun, pressing the barrel against the side of her head. Without even flinching, despite the natural fear one should feel when there's a gun pointed at you, she pulls the trigger. "Penthesilea!" There's a BANG and a female figure appears behind Mitsuru with a shower of ice. The figure is encased in metal, wearing a crown upon her head. In one hand is a rapier, in the other a dagger. It does nothing, controlled by Mitsuru's will. It should be larger. It could be larger but the SEES commander has had years to learn how to control her Persona. She's willed the Amazonian Queen to appear, smaller in size though still tall, looming behind the woman and with another thought, vanishes.
The young woman opens her eyes as her arm lowers again. "That was Penthesilea. Normally she is larger, but normally when I summon her, we are outdoors. But that is how the Evoker works. As you are new to this, I would not recommend you summoning Magni here and now. There will be time for that later."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Looking from the Evoker to the girl as she talked, Yoh nodded to her when it came to avoiding Strega. He was done with getting involved with the wrong crowd. That part of him was in the past. Hopefully to stay locked there forever more.
As Yoh listens to Mitsuru talk, he cannot help but wonder how it is used. She said it was a tool to help summon a Persona. Do you shoot an enemy and they get attacked suddenly by the Persona? sort of like a tagging light used for bombing? "...Natural way? Is there a difference to how people... awaken?"
Before he can say anything more, Mitsuru begins to put a gun to her head! He jumps up. "Wait! Don't do--" A strange sounding gunshot rings out, and Yoh flinches. Upon setting an eye back on her, there was something... not expected. A woman stands behind. His mouth droops open slightly, taken aback by the sight. This one was much better to look at than a giant red snarling wolf that looked like it wanted to eat you.
He takes a step back towards the seat, and sits back down.
"S-sorry, Kirijo-san. I wasn't expecting that." Yoh somewhat looked away from the Evoker for now. He had a hatred of guns from his past, using them many a time, thankfully never having to actually kill someone, or shoot to kill for that matter. A lucky chance. If he had to aim that at his head to summon Magni... he would surely go nuts. It reminded him too much of what his fellow gang members did to others when he was around. "I... I see." Some tension was in his voice already over it. "Is there another way to summon a Persona by chance?" Couldn't help but ask that.
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
Dark eyes watch Yoh's reaction. She heard his protest. 'Don't do it'. He will be like Yukari then, too afraid unless the time comes. "It's fine. It's difficult for people at first. There are very few individuals who can do this without flinching the first few times but practice will banish those fears." But there's something else isn't there? She can see the fear in him. It's not just out of self-preservation.
"But there are others ways. But you will have to ask someone who is not within SEES about it. Everyone here uses the Evoker to summon their Persona. Perhaps you can ask Kobayashi-san. I believe she does not use an Evoker. But be careful. It is very easy for a Persona to lose control." Shinjiro himself is an example of what happens.
"If they are brought forward in a moment of panic, the Persona could go berserk and people can be hurt or worse, killed by accident." She appears thoughtful for a moment, "Many of your fellow SEES members exhibited traits of being Persona users so they were given Evokers. That is how they awakened. There are others like you who raised their persona naturally and I believe some had theirs.. artificially awakened through an encounter with the TVs in Inaba. There may be even other ways. I have heard of meditation and the Persona game." She smiles faintly, "so you see. There is no one sure way."
She glances at the case, but makes no move to remove it. "I believe that this is the most sure way of controlling your persona though."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Yoh scratched the side of his head with a single finger. He figured that most newcomers did that. Japan did have a high suicide rate. Of course seeing this woman do it suddenly in front of him when she led an entire sect of Persona Users... it was a bit far-fetched. Yoh just nods to the woman, not really having anything to say about it. Apparently he would have to get over his fear of guns outright to do this. Or so he figured until Mitsuru talked again.
The tension he held seemed to fade as she spoke of other ways existing, his eyes seeming to light up some from the fear they held. "Now that you mention it... she didn't use an Evoker when she showed me the wolf..." Though Yoh is rather worried at the thought of losing control of the giant, Thora could surely show him how. She wielded Garm in a confident manner.
The teenager listens carefully to her words that came next. After she finishes, he responds, with a serious tone. "I see. That is terrible. I... I will see what I can do about controlling Magni. Maybe it is best that I carry the Evoker for now." Hopefully he would learn how to summon without the gun after some time. He pulls the supernatural gun towards him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It didn't seem to even make her move when she was hit with it. It must not hurt.
Yoh nods slowly to Mitsuru. "Best to take it slow, right away, I suppose." Mitsuru would probably know what was best. She is leading an entire group, after all. Yoh does tilt his head slightly at the mention of the Persona game. Didn't he play a game once that had to do with that? Or something like it, anyway.
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
Consider that guns are actually illegal in Japan for the most part. Well. Shooting yourself in the head just isn't that common. But boys are attracted to them and it was the only way she could think of to attract one of the founding members of SEES to join. "We will help you as well, how we can that is. Hinata Itoh has offered to tutor you and there are several of us here so you won't be alone and you won't be asked to deal with more than you can handle."
She reaches to the side again and pulls out another briefcase. Her personal one. From this, she pulls out an envelope and a pen. "I am sure you will learn it in no time. But do keep the Evoker out of sight. Only police are supposed to have handguns and though it isn't one, it looks similar enough that they won't ask questions. And it would be dangerous for ordinary people to get a hold and try to use it." She looks quite stern about that.
"And as I have said, if you join SEES, you will get the added benefit of attending Gekkoukan High School on a scholarship and you will be moved into these dorms. Since the school year is almost over though, I have decided that it would be best to allow you to finish the year at your current school before transferring." She slides the envelope over. "Of course, you can choose to turn this down and we can work out another arrangement. But if you choose to take up this offer, you only have to sign the paperwork and have your parents sign as well."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
At the mention of Hinata, Yoh does seem to feel a bit better about the situation. "Understood. I hope somehow I can help with the tasks I am given." As long as they involved punching many a Shadow in the face in Tartarus, he was good as gold! Though he does practice diplomacy through his psychology (which he is no good at yet), he does try. Anything involving subtleties of any kind, or scouting, do not count on this kid. Yoh nods swiftly to her second comment. If an officer saw it, he would be in so much trouble. He was trying to avoid the law as is, as they could probably trace his doings in the past back to him still at this point. Another reason he was always on good behavior.
Moving away from his mother would be hard, but something this big couldn't be ignored. Besides, she was what, a mere thirty minutes away from Port Island via subway? Yoh knew his routes well. Not to mention some street cred bought him shortcuts in the areas of Port Island and Lunarvale without being accosted. The boy looks at the envelope, weighing his options. "How long to I have to consider this, out of curiosity? I mean, it is a wonderful offer, though I should make sure it is the right one."
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
"Until school starts in the fall. You can keep the Evoker until you make a decision. If you do not wish to join us, I will find another way to ensure that you can control your persona. If you do, these are the benefits. I hope you do not keep us waiting though and I am holding you personally accountable for that piece of equipment. It is on loan to you and should not be shown to anyone unless they are wearing the SEES armband." Mitsuru is very serious about this. She doesn't want those things falling into the wrong hands.
"Now. Do you have any questions for me?"
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Yoh quietly nods to what she says. She seems quite serious over what she is saying. Of course, this whole topic was. Anything involving Personae was, for that matter, too. "Understood. I will keep it out of sight. Do not worry." the boy looks to the side for a moment, then back to Mitsuru. "I do want to accept. I just need to... check some things before the final verdict is cast, in a sense." Mostly see his mother's reaction above all else, and finish the job on the Shrine, which was very close to completion.
Posing her final question, two came to mind. Wait, three. No wait, that would be stupid. How would a young lady have an important business named after her? Odds are coincidences played a part. "I do have two. One. Erm, when I was caught in the Dark Hour, when I was fleeing with someone I knew, I saw a gigantic tower nearby where we passed that I swore I never saw before. Was that my imagination? It seemed to just vanish when it ended."
"The second is a bit silly..." Yoh rubbed the back of his neck. Might as well get started on a good note. "...I know I don't know how to do a lot around here yet, but is there anything I can help with anytime soon?" He presents Mitsuru with a small grin. Even without Magni, Yoh could probably beat the ever loving crap out of weaker shadows thanks to his martial arts training. It didn't hurt to ask! Though he expected a no, as you never know what could happen out there, as he has been told.
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
Mitsuru nods slowly, "Understandable. I don't want to force you into a decision that you are unwilling to make. It could prove to be disastrous for everyone." But as he asks his questions, she 'mmm's a little. "The tower you saw was Tartarus. It appears only during the Dark Hour and we believe that it is a Shadow's Nest. The exploration of Tartarus is one of our goals as it may be the key to ending the Dark Hour. You will get to explore the inside of it if you work with SEES."
The young woman tilts her head again as she considers his other question. Sometime soon? "I.. suppose there is no harm in allowing you to join one of our patrols. I will give you access to our boards until you decide if you wish to join us or not. That way you can read up on our patrols." And if you betray them, she will hunt you down. Personally. That and she sees no harm in letting him see some of the more free floating bits of information. If there's anything particularly sensitive, she'll just lock it to SEES only.
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
"Huh. Sounds dangerous." There is a glint of excitement in his eye, easily seen when Tartarus is explained. Naturally Yoh wanted to just run in and punch stuff. Of course there is deeper meaning to the location. "Well hopefully i can help there. I do like to explore." He also has a photographic memory of locations he sees, though the reason behind not being good at scouting, is remembering when it is needed, sadly. It just seems to come to him at a subconscious level.
"Okay!" Suddenly the boy is energetic as usual. He was like a boy Hinata at many times. "That sounds good. Hopefully I can make a difference then! You know my number in case I am needed suddenly. It only takes me about thirty minutes to get here from my house if I book it." He ponders for a moment. "Though if for the Dark Hour, may want to contact me earlier so I can get here before it starts. As well, all electrical stuff stops and I can't use the sub... Wait." He turns red for a moment. "Why am I explaining this? I am sure you already know it! Heh heh."
Now he felt stupid. He was also worked up all of a sudden. Hopefully he wouldn't be too much of a handful for the SEES Commander.
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
Oh god. It's another Akihiko. She'll have to keep an eye on this one. If she lets him have his way, he might end up doing what Akihiko does and trail a line of Shadows back to the starting point without any back-up. That can't be allowed to happen. She has her hands full with one Akihiko. "I'm sure you will be. But I warn you, the place is a labyrinth. But you will see it for yourself one day."
Misturu smiles faintly at his enthusiasm, "Yes. I will be sure to inform you at least a hour before any Dark Hour excursions so you can get here in time. If need be, you can stay the night as well or catch a late night train back to Lunarvale. The choice will be yours. I look forward to hearing your response Yoh Yamagatani."
The young woman rises to her feet, taking with her the two briefcases and her own book. The Evoker stays with Yoh but she will take the armband until he makes his decision. "If you need to contact me, you can speak to Hinata. She knows how to get in touch with me. Otherwise, good luck. I hope you will work with us in the future."
(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))
Yoh bows his head to the woman as she speaks. The place looked like a twisted Picaso painting from the outside. It was no surprised that it was a labyrinth. It probably looked the same inside as well, for all he knew. Still, he was anxious to do something. But it'd have to wait. He did need to learn how to fight properly. "Understood. I won't go near it unless I am told." For the most part anyway. Though he wasn't about to go there alone anytime soon.
"I should have figured as much. You guys already have a lot of info about it I am sure." Not as much as they wished they did, but it was something to have basic knowledge. As Mitsuru stands, so does he. He holds out a hand to shake hers, but realizes that her hands are full, and sort of... lets his hands drop from the position awkwardly. "Thank you again, Kirijo-san. I do apologize in advance if I do something stupid as a newcomer. And as for working together, you can look forward to it. Even if things do turn out that I am unable to move here, it does not mean I am giving up on this." He has a strange, heroic tone to his voice when he said this. Why he did would probably remain a mystery for a long time.
Of course, for those who want to know... What better way to make up for terrible past transgressions than to save the world? Or a city. You get the point. It is big to him.
(((Mitsuru Kirijo poses.)))
Mitsuru sets one of the briefcases down to shake his hand. "Everyone makes their mistakes. It is how we learn," she replies simply before picking it back up and like magic, the command center doors open again as she walks out.
