This was... different. But I've been worried about some of what Joker's told me...
[ that gets minako's attention, and she rubs at makoto's upper back, pulling her a little closer. there's a crushing psychic weight that seems to bear down on the projection of sees, along with the distant noises of screaming and utter chaos from the city below.
the scene glitches forward again. blue walls. blue everything, save for the checkerboard floor and gold accents here and there. the velvet room. (the accompanying aria and piano cut in like a needle skipping a groove.) a large elevator this time, judging from the shifting light and the huge doors that seem to serve as the far wall. in front of it, there's a desk where igor sits--hands folded as ever, with a glowing tarot card spinning in front of him-- with a woman standing near him who appears similar to lavenza, but older, with a bob cut and a sleeveless blue dress.
the projection of minako sits before the desk, in a chair whose back matches orpheus's lyre. ]
Yeah! I'm surprised you know it...? None of my teammates ever came here.
[ igor speaks. not yaldabaoth's voice--it's the real one, the same old man the phantom thieves met before the final battle.
i never dreamed of seeing that card with my own eyes... this is indeed a surprise. behold the last power you and i shall unveil... it is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. it may be possible now, with this newfound power... you may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated. what you have in your hands is the power of the Universe... nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you now.]
[Makoto looked at this and nodded. She understood now. This was the pivotal moment -- the last stand where an alleged god would be utterly defeated by the will of humanity. After all, Joker mentioned that all the other Persona users were in their past. The fact that there were no green cityscapes and red coffins was the surest indication that the entity -- this Nyx -- was not able to succeed.]
[Like Satanael came to defeat Yaldabaoth and save Christmas, something amazing is about to happen.]
[ minako's expression keeps a forced impassiveness.
the attendant standing near the wall speaks, looking to the projected minako: we will soon reach your destination.
igor nods. it seems that, in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the wild card. ...you must accept your destiny. our contract has been fulfilled... i have completed my role as well.
...you were truly a remarkable guest.
the elevator stops. the doors open, an almost blinding light pouring from the wall--and then the projection is back on tartarus's peak. the past minako manages to get to her feet, looking up towards nyx and the moon. (the current minako very much isn't looking at any of this anymore.) a glowing light envelops her, and she looks back to her teammates--all of them on the roof now, not just those who had participated in the main part of the battle--and just says one word: live. her feet lift off the surface, and she begins floating upwards, letting her evoker slip from her hand and clatter in front of one of them.
how... can you move...!?
minako...! wait... are you going to go alone!?
don't go!
no way... why!?
dammit... why the hell can't we stand up!?
wait... please... we've been through too much together...!
urgh... dammit!
i said, WAIT! come back, you idiot!
she doesn't stop. just continues rising towards the descending moon. ]
[Makoto looks up at the ascent quietly, soberly. She gets it. She knows what she's seeing now. There were two members of the Persona group that died. The first was Akechi. She had witnessed the final moments and watched on helplessly.]
[This is the second. This happened, didn't it? For the good of everyone, this happened.]
[The most respectful thing she could do was watch.]
[ minako's turned away from all of this--stepped away from makoto too.
she finally takes off the transmitter before things can progress further, not really caring if there might be an unforeseen effect. the images around them flicker out. the rest of what happened is too personal to show. ]
I entered the main body, and gave up my soul to seal Nyx away. Destroyed her physical form, too, I think. I realized people weren't going to stop wanting death and calling her--she wasn't evil, just... answering people's will. And she couldn't be beaten, either, so...
[ she laughs--a slightly forced thing--still not looking at her. ]
One girl for everyone on the planet. Not a bad trade, right, Makoto-chan?
[Despite herself, Makoto raised her wrist to wipe at her eyes. She understood what she did. She understood what she must have felt... is still feeling. She could imagine an ever-present, ever-knowing weight that this is the way that she was going to die. But what could she say? This wasn't an event that was happening, or going to happen. This was what happened. An immutable fact of the past that continues from the beginning of history to the point when a young woman decided to step up for the good of all.]
Y-You're very strong, Minako-chan, I-
[There's a blip and the sound of the system firing up. [RECONSTRUCTION INITIATED]. Makoto glanced around in confusion, unsure of what is to come.]
[They didn't have to wait long. A red carpet form, rising up in to a tiered dais leading up to a decorative casket. Set to the side -- the grieving family -- only two. One was a stern woman with shimmering grey hair and a stern expression. The second was small and mousey in comparison: a younger Makoto.]
Oh... [The current one, the real one, eyes droop. Right. She was given her own one of these, huh...]
[ minako takes a step back, before taking all of this in. it's... pretty clear what makoto's remembering, and even after everything she just shared, it feels like an intrusion. but-- ]
... One of your parents? [ she asks the question softly, eyes on the casket.
[Makoto couldn't watch and drifted her eyes away from the scene.]
Yeah... my... dad...
[Just as she was about to choke out more words, a couple entered in. The memory of Makoto's eyes drift up to them sadly while the stern woman kept her intent gaze.]
We just wanted to let you know we're sorry for your loss. He was an honorable police officer.
He was trying to help the prostitution and trafficking ring. He's a hero. You two should be really proud.
[The memory of Makoto muttered for the dozenth time. 'Thank you. He will be missed.' The older woman's hand folded across her chest and gripped the other arm. She did not seem to accept the praise. As the two left, they turned toward each other. Their tone was trying to be a whisper, but the sitting women could easily hear them.]
A teenager and a young woman, right? That's going to be tough...
He really left them quite the burden... but the older one just became a public prosecutor, right? I wouldn't feel too bad for them, really...
[The knuckles of the older girl whitened as her grip tightened around her arm.]
[ okay, she can't look at this anymore. minako closes the distance she'd placed between herself and makoto, resting her hands on her shoulders. ]
Makoto-chan, you don't have to show me this if you don't want to. I'm not going to judge or anything, I lost my parents too, just-- [ she squeezes, looking down. what the room is showing is so intensely personal. ]
Try to think of something else, or just--take the thing off?
[Her eyes focus on Minako. Yeah, that's right. She did that too, didn't she. Acknowledgement in her eyes, she reached for the device to take it off.]
['He was a hero. He died trying to save people. He did the right thing, right?' The memory asked. The other woman looked down at her, fire in her eyes that softened at the sight of the younger sister. 'I like to think so.' She finally said. 'But now's not the time to think of that... No matter what happens...']
...we'll always be there to help each other.
[With the faintest of smiles, she reaches for her device and plucks it off. Instantly the room returns to the way it was just a second ago.]
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no subject
[ that gets minako's attention, and she rubs at makoto's upper back, pulling her a little closer. there's a crushing psychic weight that seems to bear down on the projection of sees, along with the distant noises of screaming and utter chaos from the city below.
the scene glitches forward again. blue walls. blue everything, save for the checkerboard floor and gold accents here and there. the velvet room. (the accompanying aria and piano cut in like a needle skipping a groove.) a large elevator this time, judging from the shifting light and the huge doors that seem to serve as the far wall. in front of it, there's a desk where igor sits--hands folded as ever, with a glowing tarot card spinning in front of him-- with a woman standing near him who appears similar to lavenza, but older, with a bob cut and a sleeveless blue dress.
the projection of minako sits before the desk, in a chair whose back matches orpheus's lyre. ]
no subject
This place. [She knows this place.]
Is... the Velvet Room?
[But not like the one she knew.]
no subject
Yeah! I'm surprised you know it...? None of my teammates ever came here.
[ igor speaks. not yaldabaoth's voice--it's the real one, the same old man the phantom thieves met before the final battle.
i never dreamed of seeing that card with my own eyes... this is indeed a surprise. behold the last power you and i shall unveil... it is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. it may be possible now, with this newfound power... you may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated. what you have in your hands is the power of the Universe... nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you now. ]
no subject
[Like Satanael came to defeat Yaldabaoth and save Christmas, something amazing is about to happen.]
no subject
the attendant standing near the wall speaks, looking to the projected minako: we will soon reach your destination.
igor nods. it seems that, in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the wild card. ...you must accept your destiny. our contract has been fulfilled... i have completed my role as well.
...you were truly a remarkable guest.
the elevator stops. the doors open, an almost blinding light pouring from the wall--and then the projection is back on tartarus's peak. the past minako manages to get to her feet, looking up towards nyx and the moon. (the current minako very much isn't looking at any of this anymore.) a glowing light envelops her, and she looks back to her teammates--all of them on the roof now, not just those who had participated in the main part of the battle--and just says one word: live. her feet lift off the surface, and she begins floating upwards, letting her evoker slip from her hand and clatter in front of one of them.
i said, WAIT! come back, you idiot!
she doesn't stop. just continues rising towards the descending moon. ]
no subject
[This is the second. This happened, didn't it? For the good of everyone, this happened.]
[The most respectful thing she could do was watch.]
no subject
she finally takes off the transmitter before things can progress further, not really caring if there might be an unforeseen effect. the images around them flicker out. the rest of what happened is too personal to show. ]
I entered the main body, and gave up my soul to seal Nyx away. Destroyed her physical form, too, I think. I realized people weren't going to stop wanting death and calling her--she wasn't evil, just... answering people's will. And she couldn't be beaten, either, so...
[ she laughs--a slightly forced thing--still not looking at her. ]
One girl for everyone on the planet. Not a bad trade, right, Makoto-chan?
no subject
Y-You're very strong, Minako-chan, I-
[There's a blip and the sound of the system firing up. [RECONSTRUCTION INITIATED]. Makoto glanced around in confusion, unsure of what is to come.]
[They didn't have to wait long. A red carpet form, rising up in to a tiered dais leading up to a decorative casket. Set to the side -- the grieving family -- only two. One was a stern woman with shimmering grey hair and a stern expression. The second was small and mousey in comparison: a younger Makoto.]
Oh... [The current one, the real one, eyes droop. Right. She was given her own one of these, huh...]
no subject
... One of your parents? [ she asks the question softly, eyes on the casket.
why is this so common for them? ]
no subject
Yeah... my... dad...
[Just as she was about to choke out more words, a couple entered in. The memory of Makoto's eyes drift up to them sadly while the stern woman kept her intent gaze.]
We just wanted to let you know we're sorry for your loss. He was an honorable police officer.
He was trying to help the prostitution and trafficking ring. He's a hero. You two should be really proud.
[The memory of Makoto muttered for the dozenth time. 'Thank you. He will be missed.' The older woman's hand folded across her chest and gripped the other arm. She did not seem to accept the praise. As the two left, they turned toward each other. Their tone was trying to be a whisper, but the sitting women could easily hear them.]
A teenager and a young woman, right? That's going to be tough...
He really left them quite the burden... but the older one just became a public prosecutor, right? I wouldn't feel too bad for them, really...
[The knuckles of the older girl whitened as her grip tightened around her arm.]
no subject
Makoto-chan, you don't have to show me this if you don't want to. I'm not going to judge or anything, I lost my parents too, just-- [ she squeezes, looking down. what the room is showing is so intensely personal. ]
Try to think of something else, or just--take the thing off?
no subject
['He was a hero. He died trying to save people. He did the right thing, right?' The memory asked. The other woman looked down at her, fire in her eyes that softened at the sight of the younger sister. 'I like to think so.' She finally said. 'But now's not the time to think of that... No matter what happens...']
...we'll always be there to help each other.
[With the faintest of smiles, she reaches for her device and plucks it off. Instantly the room returns to the way it was just a second ago.]