Persona: Shadows of the Mind

[Unionhack]

The Velvet Room

Igor leaned forward at this line of inquiry, hummed a bit as if scanning his thoughts, and then spoke. "Shadows are the reflections of the repressed side of the human heart. They exist at every turn. At this moment, however, there is no disturbance to the level that Mr. Rathburn experienced, and thus directing the Velvet Room to become a conduit to a place of urgency is... difficult."

Victoria looked up from the stack of letters that she was in the midst of sorting. "That being said, we have a location in mind, a place much like the ice rink from the last encounter, that has echoes of dark tidings... if you would like to investigate this, we can provide a conduit for you to visit. We cannot guarantee anything will be apparent, but there may be things to find."

[Baloth-Kul]

"Oh, yes, I'm going." Max replied eagerly, with a cold edge to his tone. He glanced at his fellow students, curious if they would volunteer, or had any worthwhile questions.

[Cassandra]

Maria - The Velvet Room

"'Echos of dark tidings', what does that mean? Is there any chance we'll have to fight another... thing?"

[The SheoDovah]

Oscar Nigel Tarinson

Oscar Nigel Tarinson was surprised by the fact that his phone was allowing the chat and attempted to respond to Victoria. However, his grasp of modern tech had a tendecy to infuriate him and he swore like a sailor underneath his breath as it kept correcting his words before ragequitting it. After the meeting had concluded, he retired to his dorm for a much needed nap.


Once again, he found himself in the Velvet room with his fellow summoners and he couldn't help but smile. He placed his legs ontop of the desk. "Shadows huh?" He looked at the blade of his katana. "Assuming that they are our foe, we work as a team and kill those sons of [&@%!]." He retorted. "What's the point of having this power and purpose if we don't use it? I will embark on this." He looked at Maria. "Probably but I will look out for you and do my best to keep you safe." He gave her what was meant to be a reassuring smile.

Hidden:

Kinda back. Covering recap etc..

[Cassandra]

Maria - The Velvet Room

Maira gave Oscar a slightly disdainful look as she made to respond. "I'm able to look out for myself, thanks. I was just wondering what we might have to deal with."

[Dirty Spaceman]

Brendan

Having somewhat apprehensively - at least on the surface level - accepted the invitation to enter the Velvet Room that night, Brendan found himself there with the others. It was his first time officially being there, and he tried to suppress any visible signs of just how weirded out he was.

"Look, if I can stop someone else having to deal with... what happened to me last night, then I'm down," he said firmly, though a hint of nervousness entered his voice has he continued, "But, uh, since I'm pretty new here, can I ask - is this a 'die in here and you die in real life' kind of deal?"

[Unionhack]

The Velvet Room

Igor shuffled about in his chair as he was presented with questions, and looked to Maria first. "You were not given the power you now wield to sit idly by, after all. You should prepare to face what lurks within the hearts of humanity if you wish to solve this mystery."

Victoria then looked up to Brendan. "Your soul is intrinsically linked to your perception of this world beyond that of the waking. To perish here would mean the death of your Persona, the very reflection of your inner self. The implications of this occurring are... unpleasant."

"If you wish to investigate what you are able to at this given moment, we can provide a path." Igor said to Max after Victoria was finished explaining the morbidity of the situation.

[Rook]

James

"What are you guys so worried about?" James demanded of Brendan and Maria, "That dragon-thing from yesterday was a piece of cake! As long as we've got these powers, we can handle anything."

[Baloth-Kul]

Max
"Pbbt." Max blew a raspberry at James. "Last night was fun, but even I don't think it's always going to be so simple. We don't even really understand what asses we're kicking...but that doesn't mean we're gonna stop. Just gotta buy more shoe polish."

"Yep, let's go look for clues, gang. --Go ahead and open the way, Iggy Pop." He glanced at Igor, wondering if the little goblin would even react to the quip.

[The SheoDovah]

Oscar Nigel Tarinson

"I am partial to the same thought as Max. It was fun but I get the feeling that we may have been fortunate." Oscar remarked. "And if you lose control, I suppose, we can always kick your arse." He shot a smile at Brendan. "Well, let's get to it. Having knowledge of our limits would be useful along with what fancy.... what's the term? Toys? to play with." He stood up. "Why do you need shoe polish? You can kick arse without looking your best."

[Unionhack]

The Velvet Room

Igor's fiendish grin widened, perhaps in response to Max's quip or perhaps in the joy of carrying out his strange duty as the overseer of the Velvet Room. No matter the case, the residents of the room felt a pressure pushing against them, as if they were in a roller coaster cabin heading up an ascent just before the next drop.

The drop never came, however. When the pressure subsided, the door to Igor's left appeared as it had the other night.

"You may proceed when ready, honored guests." Victoria announced. "Tread carefully, and mind yourselves. Power is an intoxicant, and you must take care that mortality is kept in your thoughts."

Igor, his grin still the unnervingly definite center of attention, nodded to this. "Return when you are satisfied with what you have discovered. We shall await."

[The SheoDovah]

Oscar Nigel Tarinson

Oscar Nigel Tarinson got up and rested his katana on his right shoulder. "Power is might. Might controls everything and can be corrupted." The redhead commented. "He who is drunk on power will be his own downfall. Or so that quote goes." He looked at Victoria. "If we recieve wounds, will they show up in the physical world?" He inquired as he began to causally stroll towards the door. "Oh and Brendan, do not fear your power. If you lose control, I just kick your arse." He meant it as a small joke and to reassure him but it was likely to be the complete opposite. Ares, reveal thy power. Make your strength mine. Show me how to master you.

[Unionhack]

The Velvet Room

Victoria tapped her desk lightly with a pen. "Did you not feel soreness when you awoke the previous morning?" she asked rhetorically to answer Oscar's question.

Though Oscar felt a power welling up within, Ares did not come. The strength he felt swelled as he approached and stepped through the door, and once outside the Velvet Room he could feel that Ares could then be called.

???

Upon exiting the Velvet Room, the summoners found themselves in a dimly-lit hallway composed of ivory, gold, and marble. Beams of light emphasized a thick layer of dust drifting about the scene, and whispered murmurs accompanied by echoed footsteps could be heard just beyond where their location could be discerned.

Though there were no shadows to be seen as of yet, the summoners all felt like they be were being watched.

[Dirty Spaceman]

Brendan

Brendan looked around, taking his new surroundings. The general atmosphere of the place was enough to give him a shiver. He wasn't sure what they'd find here, but he was sure it wouldn't be good. He moved forward a few steps, listening closely to see if the echoing sounds up ahead changed; he didn't know what might alert whoever was the source of the sounds.

[Baloth-Kul]

Max stuffed his hands in his pockets, still not wholly impressed with this parallel to what he had known as the 'real world', but he remained alert. He followed the sounds down the hallway, searching for their source.

[Unionhack]

The Ivory Halls

As the summoners walked through their strange locale, the whispers and footsteps remained, always seeming just as far away as when they began. Hallways continued to snake about, leading them for a few minutes. They would observe several framed pictures on the walls as they progressed; framed sketches of mosaics and Hindu imagery, drawn in pencil with loving detail.

Max could have sworn he saw one twitch as he passed, but as he observed it more closely, it laid still.

Though the whispers continued, a new voice suddenly added itself to the cryptic cacophony of hushed mutterings; an amused laugh, spaced out by the sound of wind rapidly passing through narrow corridors. The summoners felt a growing sense of dread as the rushes of wind grew louder, until finally a torrent of black smoke raced through their scattered group, blowing past them like the wind of a storm.

The black smoke swarmed about like malicious tendrils, converging on a single point and coalescing into a single shape. The smoke began to settle, and revealed was a humanoid figure, draped in a strange upside-down mask and a black mesh that hid the rest of the head. The figure's body was outfitted in an almost formless suit of black armor, from which small wisps of smoke raised sporadically.

The figure placed a hand on the hilt of a weapon, obscured from the summoners at the angle it stood, and angled its masked face at the group intruding on its supposed space.

"You're early." finally spoke the figure, its voice comprised of multiple conflicting tones both masculine and feminine. "Initiative is surprising. You've been dropped into a world beyond your understanding, but you're charging headlong into the breach like the brave little soldiers you are. Makes this all more interesting."

[Dirty Spaceman]

Brendan squinted, trying to make sense of the strange being in front of him as it solidified into shape. It certainly seemed dangerous, but Brendan refused to let himself be intimidated. Who knew, perhaps showing fear would make it more likely to attack.

"If you expected us, then I guess you know who we are," he called to the figure. "So I hope you wouldn't mind telling us just who you are?"

[Baloth-Kul]

"If we've surprised you, I guess we're beyond your understanding." Max said with a smirk, as he produced his parrying dagger. He stood his ground, however--if there was anything to be learned before they ground this monster to dust, better to wait and listen than charge in like an idiot.

[Unionhack]

The Ivory Halls

"Arrogance! How quaint." spoke the masked figure, giving a punctuated laugh with the proclamation. "I would tell you who I am, truly I would, but that would compromise my ability to move about in the waking world. No, no, there will be no time for names, but if you must have something to call me by, then..."

The black vapors emanating from the figure began to swirl around, becoming a bright blue in color. The feeling that followed was all too familiar to the summoners; "Abel!" the masked figure shouted. Before him flashed the image of a Tarot card for the briefest moment, before his Persona came into being.

Abel appeared as a wraithlike figure, his lower half vanishing into a ghastly haze but his upper half resembling a lordly man eternally frozen at the moment of his death. With blue-skinned arms outstretched, Abel seemed to tower over his actual height.

The masked figure nodded its concealed head and produced the weapon sheathed at his side; a small metal bar that immediately snapped into the shape of a pointed lance; and bowed to his intended opponents as if to taunt them.

Jukebox: Wild ARMs 3 - Michiko Naruke - Black as Sin, Red as Blood (Battle Against the Hanged Man)

Hidden:

YouTube Link

[Cassandra]

Maria - the Ivory Halls

"Vesta, to my side!" Maria glared at the figures, on the defensive. "What have we done, that you don't want us to pass?"

:

Sorry for not posting for such a long time.

[Baloth-Kul]

The Ivory Halls - Max

Max began to strafe the room at a walking pace, keeping his dagger in a defensive position, and keeping his eyes on both Abel and their mysterious assailant. While unlikely that they'd simply allow themselves to be flanked, there were enough of these brave little soldiers that it was likely inevitable.

[Aarah]

Keira - Dorm Bedroom

Keira awoke in the night from a dreamless sleep. It was nice to get some proper rest; one undisturbed by a visit to that strange world from previous nights, but something wasn't settled in her mind.
She looked at the clock to see what time it was. Her gaze moved to the dim ceiling of the room and her thoughts began to drift to the others that shared her Persona experience.
Some of them she knew had requested to once again visit the Velvet Room that night. Were they there now? Were they okay?

Keira picked up her cell phone from the nightstand and opened up the group chat app from earlier. After a minute of staring at the screen, she began to type.

Hey, anyone there? Victoria?

[Dirty Spaceman]

The Ivory Halls - Brendan

Brendan took a step back defensively. "Guan Yu!" he called out, summoning his Persona to the scene. He was new to this kind of fighting, so he held off from making the first move. He would leave it to one of his fellow summoners or their adversary - if it was the latter, he hoped that instinct would guide him in defending himself.

[Unionhack]

Keira's Bedroom

A short moment passed, but the suspension made it feel like hours. Keira's phone then buzzed softly.

Keira,

Yes, honored guest, how may I assist you? Your companions are currently exploring the Dreamscape and are unavailable, but I am fit to take inquiries for the moment.

The Ivory Halls

Vesta and Guan Yu came to their summoners' sides, accompanied with the characteristic blue flame to match that of Abel. While Maria noted that the rush of summoning her Persona now was far less intense than at the moment of her awakening, Brendan felt a far more significant wave of energy and adrenaline wash over him; after all, this was the first time he summoned Guan Yu of his own volition.

We are to do battle, then? My blade shall serve. Unleash the fury of your awakened warrior spirit!

'Abel' and the Persona that bestowed their namesake paced slowly, lance in hand as they sized up the opposition. "It isn't what you have done, but what you can do, that is my concern. You will be either of a great help or hindrance to my goals, and I would like to see what lies in store." spoke the figure to Maria.

Step by step the masked figure walked, until a sudden stop and a heel-point-turn launched them towards the nearest summoner; Brendan, who had only moments to react to the lance stretched out to pierce his heart. In a blinding flash, instinct guided Brendan to will Guan Yu forth with great alacrity. Guan Yu's blade slammed down into the ground, sending shattered marble into the air, and blocked the masked figure's strike. With what sounded like a chuckle, the figure stepped back a bit and nodded. "New blood. The awakening is the strongest you will feel, you know. Afterwards? All downhill, unless you learn to master yourself."

The masked figure's persona, Abel, flew independently in a flanking maneuver through the air. In one of his hands was grasped a black orb, reminiscent of cartoonish depictions of black holes. Abel turned its gaze towards Max, unprotected by a Persona, and launched the orb. Max, like Brendan, found himself with only seconds to make a move...

[Cassandra]

Maria - Ivory Halls

Maria watched what unfolded with alarm. "Vesta..." Before she could finish, Vesta had pulled a flame from her lamp and flung it at the black orb. She pulled out her bow and aimed it at the masked figure. "If you're worried about things we can do, I'd suggest taking more care with how you act." If she was scared at all, it didn't show through her composed figure.