eatsyourscience | (no subject)

(no subject)

To begin with, it was Naoto's idea to check up on things in the TV world, and it had become so normal to spend rainy afternoons inside that Souji agreed without requiring much in the way of an explanation, though she provided one anyway. He agreed with all the points she made--that they should keep an eye on the movements of the fog, the density of shadows in various places, if anything had changed since Adachi's defeat--but more than anything, he was beginning to miss that world and the time they spent there.

Chie and Yukiko passed, and so did Kanji when Souji tracked him down at lunch, but Rise was happy to accompany them--a good thing, because Souji didn't think it would be wise to go in without her--and so were Yousuke and Teddie, who agreed with Naoto about the importance of keeping an eye on what was going on in that world. Souji couldn't blame him.

Inside, everything seemed the same. Even the damp smell, the feeling of the fog against his cheeks in odd juxtaposition to the way it vanished in the view through his glasses were the same. He asked Rise to do a scan of the area, but wasn't expecting her excited, staccato announcement that there was a new area she hadn't seen before.

When Kanzeon vanished, Souji glanced around to find everyone looking at him and he almost smiled at how comfortable it had become to see them relying on him. He gave a slight nod and with Rise directing him, led the way past locations they already knew.

They stopped when the ground disappeared in front of them. An expanse of open, empty space spread in front of them, filled with a swirling fog that he could see. Resisting the urge to remove his glasses and clean them, Souji squinted. All that was visible were what looked like several bare, unornamented platforms hovering in the air, each at a greater distance than the last from where they stood.

He looked around, then down, then took a step into open space. Rise called out after him, but trailed off when a walkway materialized beneath his feet, extending for a short distance ahead of him. A few steps across what looked and felt like smooth, gray stone confirmed that it would continue to appear ahead of him as he walked instead of leaving him to step blindly and hope he hadn't come to a corner without noticing. Hefting his sword a little higher, he looked back and nodded to the others that they should proceed.

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"It reflects physical attacks!" Rise's been able to scan the enemy by now, but she still doesn't have all the information. "It doesn't look like it has any weaknesses!"

Teddie follows Yousuke's lead and heals Souji, who's barely skipped a beat before casting Niflheim again. He wants to get this thing out of the way and get some answers.

The shadow casts another Maragidyne, but everyone's ready for it. Yousuke repeats his Garudyne and Naoto pulls out the metaphorical big guns with a Megidolaon. There isn't a whole lot that can stand up to her almighty attacks, and it begins to show fatigue after their combined assault.

It doesn't take much more to defeat the shadow and when it's gone, Souji lets the end of his sword rest against the ground as the beginning of the path appears on the opposite side of the platform. He doesn't move toward it yet, taking several deep breaths, head tilted to the side as though listening for something other than Rise crowing, "We won! Great job!" as she bounces to his side.

It wasn't that trying of a battle, so the others regain their bearings very quickly. Naoto quickly busies herself with investigating the platform and where the shadow disappeared, hoping to find some sort of clue as to the origin of this dungeon. The roman numeral "I" seems to be dominating her attention. Yousuke goes to Souji as usual, but with a purpose.

"You okay dude?" he asks, and claps Souji on the back, "You were zoning out there at the beginning. Did you see something weird?"

Now isn't the time to withhold information. Not when they don't know where this area came from or why it seems so empty of shadows or...or anything.

"One of my Personas disappeared."

Everyone looks up. In truth, none of them are very sure about the nature of Souji's powers. He had a lot of persona, and they changed sometimes, and that was how it went. But otherwise...

Naoto speaks up.

"And that's not a natural occurrence?"

Souji shakes his head, still listening for that voice gone silent, panic starting to bubble in his stomach again. He swallows against it and keeps his expression neutral.

"Unless I dismiss them, they stay with me."

The team looks amongst themselves. None of them completely understood what that meant, but it was still something wrong. Yousuke picks up the line of questioning.

"Are you okay? Should we go back or something?"

Naoto adds,

"Did that shadow have any sort of connection to it?"

He isn't okay. A piece of him is missing. But he continues to swallow back any response to that and nodes in response to Naoto's question.

"Magician arcana." He points at the large I.

"The arcana..."

"Arcana?"

Naoto nods, and naturally launches into explanation whether Yousuke needed it or not.

"The 22 major arcana of the traditional tarot deck, from the Fool at 0 and the World at 21. They're supposed to represent the journey of the Fool as he learns about himself and the world around him..."

She shakes her head, as if stopping herself from continuing into more lengthy exposition. That wasn't important now.

"I've noticed that the information Rise provides us with categorizes the shadows we face into those 22 arcana. Are your persona the same?"

"Geez Naoto, how do you know all this stuff?"

"Yes." Again, Souji answers Naoto and, at least for now, lets Yousuke's question slip past. "All 22."

Teddie's eyes grow exaggeratedly round. "You have that many Personas, sensei?"

Without twitching, Souji answers, "I have 186."

Yousuke balks, and then begins to absently count on his fingers, trying to think of all the persona he's seen and how many places he's seen them. Even Naoto has to adjust her glasses a bit at learning just how large a number it was.

"And so, after that shadow, you mean to say that any of your persona under the Magician arcana wouldn't respond to you?"

Souji's never discussed the mechanics of his Personas before, not with the other members of the Investigation Team, but he can't think of a reason to keep them in the dark about it.

"I can carry twelve at a time. One of them was Magician arcana. I can't hear him anymore, though."

Everyone goes quiet. They're not sure what to say, having just learned this. Naoto calculates through her theories quickly and airs them as they come.

"Then... we can assume that this place intends to disable you-- senpai-- as we move forward? Since the platforms in the distance seem to follow the same pattern..."

Souji looks at the fog, but can't see through to the next platform.

"Can you tell how many there are?"

Yousuke looks out into the distance.

"I can't see all the way, but there're four or five out there."

The thought of losing four or five more Personas makes a knot of cold spread through Souji's chest. The times he's had fewer than a full twelve, it was either temporary or because he wasn't able to carry that many yet. Now he was used to their voices' lullaby whispers.

On the other hand, he doesn't want to chance losing this arcana permanently. If they continue, then at least they might find some answers.

He lifts the end of his sword off of the ground and shifts it into position at his side, heading toward the new pathway.

"Let's go."

"Wait."

Everyone else had begun to follow Souji, but Naoto stood still.

"You can't see through this fog, can you senpai."

Souji pauses and glances back at her. "The rest of you can."

"Woah woah woah woah woah."

Yousuke runs ahead of Souji and blocks his path.

"We're not just glossing over this. Ted!"

He takes the glasses right off of Souji's face, and holds them in the bear's direction.

"Glasses check."

Souji pulls up short, going a little cross-eyed as Yousuke steals his glasses. Teddie, on the other hand, seeing how serious Yousuke is about it, has put on his game face and hurries forward. The squeaking footsteps ruin the effect somewhat as he takes as he takes the glasses and turns them over, inspecting them. He holds them up in front of his own face, as though to put them on his much-too-large head, then hands them back to Yousuke.

"They look fine!" He smiles brightly. "I'm a master craftsman after all!"

"Interesting..."

Naoto puts her chin in her hand.

"It seems that the tv world is specifically working to disable Souji-senpai. Could it possibly be sentient? To target the strongest in our group..."

It's obvious that she's just talking to herself at this point. She clears her throat and shakes her head.

"Pointless conjecture. It could be any one of multiple things at this juncture. We're in the dark."

"Well, then it's still just like always," Yousuke interjects, "We might as well go on ahead. It's not like standing around is going to get anything done."

"Yes. For now, it's up to Souji-senpai."

Souji nods and Rise steps up beside him, a little too close, as always.

"Don't worry, senpai! We'll watch your back!"

With a slight smile, Souji takes his glasses back from Yousuke and slips them on as he starts to walk again.

"It might not be the same all the way through anyways."

They don't have any problem with continuing. Even with one persona down, Souji still has 10 more than the rest of them. He wasn't in any danger. Right?

That's his hope. Though if the arcanas are going in number order, he's preparing himself for who he'll lose next, picking her voice out among the eleven and listening for any last minute advice before she goes silent. It's like having to say goodbye to a close friend with no warning as to when she'll actually be going, or if she'll ever come back.

Like before, there aren't any shadows on their route toward the next platform, and though the path takes a somewhat circuitous route through the empty air, it doesn't take them long to get there. When they do, it isn't quite like it was before; rather than fog roiling up around them, a fine, crystalline mist forms in the center of the platform, above the giant Roman numeral II.

Souji's in the middle of raising his sword when Scathach's voice rises with urgency and then goes abruptly silent. Down two now, he switches over to another Persona that, if she disappears later on, will at least be with him for awhile.