Ah! Yes, Joker was mentioning that there was a few people from the past. I didn't expect to be saved by one so soon. Or that she would help me out of a bad spot.
I would love to get the chance to see your memories. If that is what you're offering.
Minako-chan, you were a part of a team, yes? What was your role, if you don't mind my asking?
[In a lot of ways Minako reminds her of Ann, but there was something different too... a certain, focus and purpose. She admired that, a little.]
[ oh then you know she's dead. cool. i read that thread makoto. she grins at that. ]
I already showed Yusuke-kun around Iwatodai, so why not? I wouldn't mind seeing more of what you guys dealt with, either... [ she hums at the question, rocking on her heels. ] I was the field leader, like Joker. Multiple Personas, you know? Comes in handy when you're climbing a tower full of Shadows.
[Ah... field leader. Wait... that sounds... familiar. What did Joker say? That conversation was a couple weeks ago...]
You're... the one who...
[The words tumble from her mouth. No, she wasn't going to say that. Instead she'll just... quietly acknowledge. Yes, indeed, she is fairly confident that Minako was somebody worthy of her trust.]
[Still, talking to a dead person was going to take some getting used to.] R-Right, I would imagine so.
I... imagine I have much more to learn from you than you do from me.
[ ... okay. she's going to file that away for later. but instead she holds back a reaction to that, only smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of her neck when makoto says that last thing. ]
Haha, you're gonna make me feel old! [ minako, makoto's older than you ] I still don't know much about the Metaverse, or anything like that... I mean, your teammates have told me things, but I'm not going to act like I totally get it.
[She chuckles, musing out loud.] In a way, you are my senpai.
But if I'm honest, we really didn't understand much ourselves. Most of the time we were fumbling in the dark, really only ever responding to situations as they became necessary for us to do so. I will not deny that everyone performed their roles well, but I think you may be giving us too much credit.
Yeah, well. You guys weren't the only ones being manipulated the whole time, you know? The fact you did what you did, especially with all that? It's pretty huge. But... okay! My memories it is, then. Easy.
Hey, maybe! [ she grins. she got what makoto was...trying? to say, at least. ] So, there's a lab before we go in. They'll give you this neural transmitter thing for the projection--it's basically like a clip-on earring. Hopefully, they've worked out some of the bugs by now...
[ aaaand this is it. lab. minako takes the offered transmitter and puts it on. ]
Yeah, the Amphoria Room's through there. Right? [ she says it kind of in a way meant to remind herself just as much, and one of the prismal scientists nods. ] Right!
[ aaaand minako leads on. it's a larger, open space with high ceilings, fit for a holographic projection like this. she closes her eyes, and around them, the floors, walls, ceilings all shift and shimmer, seemingly replaced with concrete, the night sky. the lights of other parts of the city shine in the distance, and behind the gate in front of them stands gekkoukan high school.
the clock tower on the school reads 11:59.
there are a few people, part of the projection, milling about maybe thirty feet off. ]
Okay... if this works the way it's supposed to, you're about to see something wild, Makoto-chan!
[Sorry, Minako, she's going to need a moment. She's taking everything she just saw all in and is mesmerized by just how REAL everything is inside this room.]
[ well. hopefully that passes soon, she sees the huge clock ticking. minako can't help smiling at how blown away makoto seems to be--this place was a lot for her too, the first time she went in. ]
[That broke her reverie and suddenly her focus gets drawn to Minako. A soft blush comes to her face as she realizes that she was caught off-guard.]
Y-Yes... when you described this I was expecting something a little less... dramatic. Actually, I don't know what I was expecting, but this is amazing.
[ the clock strikes twelve. on the first chime it suddenly halts, and the night sky changes in a shimmering wave that rapidly ripples out from a point right in front of them. the moon hangs massive in a dark green sky, casting a sickly green light over the town. the city lights go dark. the illusory mist of very light rain coming down turns blood-red, as do the puddles on the ground.
where the people had stood, there are just coffins, upright. before them, the school warps, shifts, becomes an impossible tower stretching above the clouds.
minako's breath catches in her throat, just for a moment. ]
[So does Makoto, transfixed at the transformation that took place. Sure, there was a kind of distortion -- a change in the air -- when they entered a Palace, but this was much more abrupt. Like the metaverse was invading and taking over the real world.]
...I... see...
[She looks up at the tower.] ...yes, this is definitely a metaverse...
... More like a beacon, I guess? In more than one way, too.
[ the projection glitches, like a stuttering video. minako suddenly dreads where this is going, face paling as she turns her attention to tartarus. in a moment they're atop the tower--where else could they be, with parts of the cloud layer visible around the circular stage? the moon hangs even more impossibly, seeming to be in front of the higher clouds. four figures--another minako and three others harder to pick out, glitching in the projection--are maneuvering against a towering, multi-winged figure with a blank face like a comedy mask. ]
No, no, no, no...
[ they don't seem to pay either of them any heed. the boss speaks, with a warped and multifold voice. ]
The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate... Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
[She's in awe... and is suitably terrified. But everything is okay so long as Minako is doing okay, right? Expecting to see the same confidence as always, Makoto looks to her side... only to see that Minako is definitely NOT okay.]
[She is transfixed, but... no. No, this isn't right. No one should have to reveal what they didn't want to.]
[Like lightning Makoto is right in front of Minako. Her hands clasp her arms and she looks her dead in the eyes.]
Minako-chan! Minako-chan, look at me! How do we stop this?
[She wanted to end it forcibly. It would be easy, to just pluck off the ear clasp from her. But what if that caused more harm? She needed to make sure that she was safe, first and foremost...]
[ she snaps out of her reverie and stops staring wide-eyed at nyx's avatar, to look at makoto. ]
It's--we could get them to turn it off, maybe, but--
[ minako exhales, then draws in a deep breath, grasping to try to return that physical contact a bit to reassure makoto in return. and wow ok the projected version of herself is definitely just using her evoker right there, huh. cool. that's a whole other conversation she doesn't want to have. ]
Maybe it's better if you guys know what happened...? This isn't going to hurt us, it's not real.
[ another glitch, jumping much further forward than before. nyx speaks again, raising its train car sized sword mid-spiel. ]
The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate. Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yet the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are... Death awaits you.
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I would love to get the chance to see your memories. If that is what you're offering.
Minako-chan, you were a part of a team, yes? What was your role, if you don't mind my asking?
[In a lot of ways Minako reminds her of Ann, but there was something different too... a certain, focus and purpose. She admired that, a little.]
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I already showed Yusuke-kun around Iwatodai, so why not? I wouldn't mind seeing more of what you guys dealt with, either... [ she hums at the question, rocking on her heels. ] I was the field leader, like Joker. Multiple Personas, you know? Comes in handy when you're climbing a tower full of Shadows.
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You're... the one who...
[The words tumble from her mouth. No, she wasn't going to say that. Instead she'll just... quietly acknowledge. Yes, indeed, she is fairly confident that Minako was somebody worthy of her trust.]
[Still, talking to a dead person was going to take some getting used to.] R-Right, I would imagine so.
I... imagine I have much more to learn from you than you do from me.
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Haha, you're gonna make me feel old! [ minako, makoto's older than you ] I still don't know much about the Metaverse, or anything like that... I mean, your teammates have told me things, but I'm not going to act like I totally get it.
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But if I'm honest, we really didn't understand much ourselves. Most of the time we were fumbling in the dark, really only ever responding to situations as they became necessary for us to do so. I will not deny that everyone performed their roles well, but I think you may be giving us too much credit.
[Makoto "undersell your accomplishments" Niijima]
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Yeah, well. You guys weren't the only ones being manipulated the whole time, you know? The fact you did what you did, especially with all that? It's pretty huge. But... okay! My memories it is, then. Easy.
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Er... ah! [Did she mess up? She messed up, didn't she...]
Of course, I am totally okay with a mutual sharing of experiences! I don't want you to think that I would want this to be entirely one sided...
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Oh, no, no, it's not that! But either way, I should probably go first, right? Since I've done it before...
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And if something goes wrong, maybe I will be the one to help you out of a dangerous situation.
[That... was supposed to be more supportive than how it came out.]
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[ aaaand this is it. lab. minako takes the offered transmitter and puts it on. ]
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[Hesitant but willing, she takes the device and attaches it to her ear like she saw Minako.]
Do we need to go to another room?
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[ aaaand minako leads on. it's a larger, open space with high ceilings, fit for a holographic projection like this. she closes her eyes, and around them, the floors, walls, ceilings all shift and shimmer, seemingly replaced with concrete, the night sky. the lights of other parts of the city shine in the distance, and behind the gate in front of them stands gekkoukan high school.
the clock tower on the school reads 11:59.
there are a few people, part of the projection, milling about maybe thirty feet off. ]
Okay... if this works the way it's supposed to, you're about to see something wild, Makoto-chan!
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Hey, you good?
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Y-Yes... when you described this I was expecting something a little less... dramatic. Actually, I don't know what I was expecting, but this is amazing.
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[ the clock strikes twelve. on the first chime it suddenly halts, and the night sky changes in a shimmering wave that rapidly ripples out from a point right in front of them. the moon hangs massive in a dark green sky, casting a sickly green light over the town. the city lights go dark. the illusory mist of very light rain coming down turns blood-red, as do the puddles on the ground.
where the people had stood, there are just coffins, upright. before them, the school warps, shifts, becomes an impossible tower stretching above the clouds.
minako's breath catches in her throat, just for a moment. ]
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...I... see...
[She looks up at the tower.] ...yes, this is definitely a metaverse...
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[ she leans against the gate. ]
The tower is called Tartarus. It was the center of all of it--the gathering point for everyone's misery and despair.
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Like a lighting rod? Or a beacon?
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[ the projection glitches, like a stuttering video. minako suddenly dreads where this is going, face paling as she turns her attention to tartarus. in a moment they're atop the tower--where else could they be, with parts of the cloud layer visible around the circular stage? the moon hangs even more impossibly, seeming to be in front of the higher clouds. four figures--another minako and three others harder to pick out, glitching in the projection--are maneuvering against a towering, multi-winged figure with a blank face like a comedy mask. ]
No, no, no, no...
[ they don't seem to pay either of them any heed. the boss speaks, with a warped and multifold voice. ]
Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope.
Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
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Minako-chan...? What is going on...?
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[ nyx continues its spiel, heedless. ]
[ a glowing and spinning tarot card descends in front of the boss's face. the magician. a girl's voice speaks up, similar to how oracle's might. ]
Nyx's Arcana changed to The Magician!? Be careful, its properties have changed!
[ another glitch, more of the projection skipping forward. ]
The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom.
[ another card descends: the high priestess. ]
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[She is transfixed, but... no. No, this isn't right. No one should have to reveal what they didn't want to.]
[Like lightning Makoto is right in front of Minako. Her hands clasp her arms and she looks her dead in the eyes.]
Minako-chan! Minako-chan, look at me! How do we stop this?
[She wanted to end it forcibly. It would be easy, to just pluck off the ear clasp from her. But what if that caused more harm? She needed to make sure that she was safe, first and foremost...]
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It's--we could get them to turn it off, maybe, but--
[ minako exhales, then draws in a deep breath, grasping to try to return that physical contact a bit to reassure makoto in return. and wow ok the projected version of herself is definitely just using her evoker right there, huh. cool. that's a whole other conversation she doesn't want to have. ]
Maybe it's better if you guys know what happened...? This isn't going to hurt us, it's not real.
[ another glitch, jumping much further forward than before. nyx speaks again, raising its train car sized sword mid-spiel. ]
Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope.
Yet the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are... Death awaits you.
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