social_linked | ...At least he brought pizza?

...At least he brought pizza?

[There are many great mysteries in this world.]

[How did Personas come to be? How did Shadows? What was the purpose of it all? Why is all this stuff in Tokyo happening now?]

[Why is there some random dude asleep on a couch in the group's HQ? How the hell did he get in?]

[None of these questions have answers for now, so for the time being, they'll just have to deal with it. A blue-haired man is currently passed out where most of the group hangs out, earphones on, from which muffled music could be heard.. From the looks of things, he's been there for a while. On the coffee table in front of him, there's a couple pizzas of varying styles and toppings from "Ultimate Super Hyper Pizza DX Alpha Final Mix Arcade Edition, Featuring Dante From the Devil May Cry Series and Knuckles" (impressive they fit all that on the box), as well as a few bottles of soda, one of which already opened. It's a little more than one person can eat by themselves, so perhaps he was expecting others?]

[It might be a good idea to wake him.]

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...

[...You know he was coming here to do some studying out of the house/find excuses not to study and help the others, but. This seems a bit more pressing.

...Also that pizza smelled really god.]

[And... for some reason the guy seemed familiar, but Souji was sure he never saw him before.]

Hey... uh, did someone let you in?

[...]

[No response, save for muffled Lotus Juice.]

[Those earphones seem to be turned up a bit too loud.]

...

[He was reminded of Yosuke.]

[And, well, he knew what to do in that case...]

[Going over to the couch, Souji grabbed the earphones so they'd pull away from Minato's ears just a bit while still hooked...

And then let go, letting them slap back into place. Not as effective as with his partner's headphone style, but should do the trick.]

[Yep, that's enough to get him up.]

[Minato wakes with a start, half-sitting up.]

Dammit Yang, I told you not- ...Ah.

[He finally sees Souji there, and stops whatever he was about to say. This... this wasn't where he fell asleep. Well, at least his food came with him. That was an unexpected surprise. Because the whole "waking up somewhere new" bit wasn't.]

Here we go again. Where are we?

Yang?...

[He'd met a lot of people in recent months, but no one named Yang. Even more suspicious... and yet...]

...You're in Tokyo, Japan... in the year 2017.

[Felt like it was important to mention that.]

...Who're you?

Tokyo?

[He repeats that bit as if it was a particularly surprising bit of information. It was to him, since that meant that he was finally back on Earth, for the first time in a long, long while.]

[And also he's not dead, which is strange.]

...Guess it's been a while. Name's Minato. I've, ah... been traveling.

[Best leave out the "between universes" bit. Better to not come off as completely insave right out the gate.]

Do you... know anyone here?

[He was really just trying to figure out who let you in. It was as if he just appeared here...]

I'm Souji Seta. I don't think we've met before...

[Souji this time. Good to know. Otherwise he may have accidentally called him Yu.]

For now, let's just say I know of you. I was part of the group of Persona users in Iwatodai. I think they mentioned meeting you and your group?

[That's probably the easiest way to put it, yeah.]

Edited 2017-07-14 04:44 (UTC)

Oh, so you know Junpei-san and Kirijo-san?

[Thaaat explained it. He was a Shadow Ops member...]

They didn't mention anyone named Minato was coming, but yeah, we've been in contact with the Shadow Ops group Kirijo-san set up... since May 2012. Things have just gotten a bit... complicated, so we're organizing more people to help out in Tokyo directly.

I've been indisposed as of late, plus I really wasn't planning on showing up, but I guess here I am.

[A shrug. Might as well just go with things.]

Complicated's not new. I'll figure things out eventually.

...Want some pizza?

Huh...

[Yeah he... wasn't quite buying now that this guy was sent by Kirijo-san or Junpei, but at the same time, he knew them...]

[And there was that still familiar spark...]

...Sure. What kind is it?

[And Minato can't blame him for that. He knows full well how sketchy this seems, no matter what he says.]

One's just pepperoni, the other's seaweed and salmon. I tried to get a third with pineapple and some other things on it, but a war broke out in the restaurant over it.

[He says this as if were a completely normal thing.]

A...war broke out?

[He was exaggerating... he hoped.]

But that Salmon and seaweed one sounds interesting. Let me try that...

[Souji no. Stop, seriously-- but no, he was going right for pizza, sitting down in one of the chairs and taking a bite.]

There were formal declarations and everything.

[He could be joking, but he could also be serious. There's no way to tell for certain with his straightforward tone of voice.]

It's pretty good, but they overdid it a little on the miso sauce. Little too salty.

[Ah... he was one of those people who you couldn't tell was joking or serious, huh? Then again, people said the same about him.

Chowing down on the piece, Souji did note it was a bit too salty... but it was still pretty tasty.]

Got anything to drink? I think if they switched the miso to just a white sause, it would be fine...

White sauce? That could work. Might have to try that myself...

[This may or may not turn out well.]

Drinks are there. Help yourself.

[Minato motions to the drinks. There's Dr. Salt, Cielo Mist, and... "Drinking Soul". Whatever that last one is, it's uncomfortably blue.]

Bachamel sauce would work pretty well for this, I think. Something a bit weaker to let the taste of the salmon and seaweed stand out.

[...Of course, Souji's eyes would be attracted to the one he didn't recognize.]

What's 'Drinking Soul'?

[He's asking, but he's already reaching for it.]

It's like a Chewing Soul, or a Snuff Soul, only in soda form.

[As if that answers anything.]

I'm not sure if it has actual souls, though. Never could figure it out.

...

[And THAT'S GOING RIGHT DOWN THE GULLET. Glug glug glug...]

Ah!

That's pretty good...

[+100 SP! Nice, he was running a bit low today...]

Better be. Thing cost me an arm and a leg.

[Don't mind as he helps himself to some. Tastes like souls. Whatever souls taste like.]

Anyway, I'm gonna assume I ended up here for a reason, so if you need help with anything, that's... pretty much all I do these days.

(Ever since the group got their own HQ, Matilda's made regular visits. Very regular visits. Look, this round of guests has multiple guests. Who dress up as superheroes. Of course a nerd like Matilda's gonna hang out with them a lot.

But Igor's newest assistant can't help noticing the new face crashing on the couch. Deeeefinitely a new face. Not that the girl minds; they have matching hairstyles!

She's just gonna poke him repeatedly. If that's enough to wake him up, he'll see the human girl in vaguely familiar looking attendant clothes.)

[It takes a few pokes, but he does eventually stir. He lifts his head up enough to see what was poking him, but it takes a few seconds before he can process everything that's going on.]

[Blue outfit, not where he fell asleep...]

...Did Elizabeth send you?

Nope. Knowing her definitely confirms who you are, though. Kind of.

(She at least stops poking him, but definitely won't stop staring, now with noted interest.)

You're him, aren't you? The boy who wields the universe arcana?

Uh... yeah, I guess so.

[He only really used it once, technically.]

Aha! Called it! Elizabeth's gonna be psyched to hear you're back.

(She smiles brightly, but composes herself to run her fingers through her hair.)

Right. I'm Matilda. The velvet room's newest attendant. There've been a few more wild cards since you were away, but no other universe bearers.

I know of Souji already, but I didn't know there were others. Guess it's not surprising.

Speaking of which, where is she? I should probably tell her I'm not tied to a door anymore.

I'm...really not sure. Margaret told me she was searching for a way to defeat Erebus once and for all and awakened to the Fool arcana along the way. I imagine she's well along on her journey by now.

(She nods.) Her goal was always to return to you. The only difference now is how much sooner she'll achieve that goal.

(In due time, she'll find her way here, find her way to Minato. Matilda has yet to see it for herself, but she was told of Elizabeth's determination. She won't let this opportunity pass her by.)

Oh! Speaking of Fool arcanas, the newest one's this cute kid named Madoka Kaname. Do you know her?

[There's concerns in the back of his head of what's going on with the door if he's not there sealing it, but since humanity isn't dying horribly right now, it's probably okay. He'll worry about it later.]

Madoka?

[The name's familiar, but it's probably not the versions he's familiar with.]

Might have heard of her, at least.

Well, she's the newest guest. Actually no, most of the team here are all guests! Isn't that awesome? Even master Igor noted that it's been a long time since that happened.

(Her head perks up in realization.)

Master Igor! I bet he'd love to see you again, too!

Oh, right. Might be a good idea to check in on him.

[Maybe he'll be able to answer some of his questions, cryptic as the answers may be.]

I'm not sure I can get in, though. My contract's technically over.

That's where it gets kinda complicated. See, the contract is technically Madoka's because she's the a budding wild card, but Souji-san is the one who pulled everyone together to form the team. Cornelius sometimes acts as a leader and he's a good one. Really cute, too. But there's detectives Dojima and Shirogane on the case...

(She could probably go over the technical bits for a while, but Matilda cuts herself off and simply shrugs.)

Let's just say we're playing it fast and loose this time around. That and master Igor wouldn't turn you away, after everything you've done. ♥

Leave it to Souji to build a small army of friends.

[Mental note: Souji in this universe. Not Yu.]

Guess I have a lot to catch up on. Do we know which angry deity is trying to kill humanity again? Because it's always one of them.

Not yet. It's always hard to tell who's involved with that, especially with shadows and persona users appearing all over the world. There are factions taking advantage of the chaos, of course.

(She shrugs.)

But nothing that can be resolved right away. Have you taken a tour of headquarters yet? I've been making more and more trips out of the Velvet Room to check in on it and the rest of the team. They're so cool! I can't believe I'm lucky enough to work with a team like this!

(Don't mind the minor fangirling; some things are expected when you put a nerd in a room full of superheroes.)

It's a lot different than what I'm used to, but I guess "different" isn't new anymore.

['Cause this dude's seen some shit.]

I'll have a look around, sure. Who set this all up? Looks pretty neat.

Local rich boy and teenage heartthrob, Cornelius Abelard. He's the heir to Titania Corp, but he hasn't let it get to his head. A lot of the others have their own sections added to it, like Gil's forge and Dr. Kimishima's clinic...

(The fox girl cuts her list short, however, in a strong flash of curiosity that takes hold of her. There's a lot that's new about this, but something about the former guest seems...not surprised? Mellowed? She's not sure how to describe it.)

If...you don't mind me asking...sudden topic change, I know, but...what happened? After you placed the seal? None of us were completely sure what to make of it...

[Wow, it's a legit HQ. Better than just the dorm at SEES.]

[Minato has to think for a moment before answering Matilda's question. Bot because he forgot, but he's unsure how much he wants to reveal what exactly happened to him these past 7 or 8 years.]

...I knew why I had to do it. I didn't know Erebus was behind it at the time but I knew Nyx wasn't entirely at fault. I have some fleeting memories about being up there on that door, but it's not much.

[Mostly because the universe decided to take him elsewhere shortly after but for the moment he'll omit that part.]

(She nods, seeming to understand. Even after everything that happened, he couldn't blame Nyx. That sort of judgment takes a strong heart, after all she heard about the ordeal. It's no wonder he attained the power he did...)

Erebus couldn't break past you, no matter what it tried. The seal was powerful, but Elizabeth feared for your safety the entire time. She...well, we all wondered if you were conscious for all this time...

(Matilda shakes her head and offers that calm, supportive smile common among assistants.)

In any case, I think the others will be glad to have you. If you choose to lend them your power, of course.

I guess you could say I was? It's... complicated.

[That's putting it lightly.]

You say that like I'd ever say no. Not like I have much else to do.

[Plus, he technically never finished high school here, so getting a "normal" life with a "normal" job would be difficult.]

(She nods in response, seemingly pleased with his answer.)

Glad to hear it. If you need to catch up on anything that's happened, I'll do what I can to help...even though I still don't know a whole lot about human culture. I've been sticking to these guys the whole time. But! I don't think you need to be reminded of video games, right?

(She gestures towards the several consoles connected to the TV.)

Play me, nerd.

[Minato looks towards the TV and across all the consoles and games scattered around. Yeah, games sound good. Something normal for once.]

[Though, a small bout of weirdness does go down his spine as he realizes he's met several of the people depicted on these covers.]

[Or maybe he's just batshit insane at this point. Eh.]

I'm a little rusty, but pick something. I'll take you on in whatever you got.

(A fighting game seems like the best option. Naming specifics isn't important in an RP thread, so we're just gonna not with that. Matilda pops one in and passes a controller over to Minato while holding one herself.)

Apparently, there was a time when you had to unlock most characters in a fighting game by playing through it repeatedly. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It adds to the replayability, but then you have those annoying question marks taking up space, waiting to be all filled up.

Yeah, but if you bought it just to play with friends, not getting everything out of the box can be annoying.

[Minato spends a few seconds looking over the roster. He's never seen this game before, so he settles on his usual fallback: the random button.]

[Of course, it gives him what is most likely the joke character of the game. Oh well, he can deal with it.]

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...At least he brought pizza?

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