Reverse Tarot - entrance

Nozomi couldn't deny her nerves. This felt really stupid, but she was already way out of her depth as it was. Might as well take the plunge, right? Unfortunately, she had a lot of time to think about this on the train. She hadn't been back to the other world since they rescued Yosuke, and the last time she'd been there prior was when she was fourteen. Needless to say, this was not the norm for her. Still, she needed to learn how to defend herself in that world, to use this new power she'd awakened to. She still didn't fully understand how it worked, so thankfully it was fairly instinctual. At least, to start off it was. She did remember seeing all of the personas that the rest of the rescue party used, and they were quite impressive. Some of them even used more than one, Narukami included. She wondered a bit if that was something she was capable of learning too. Maybe best to not start with that though. Though her impending training was not the only reason for her nerves. This was also going to be the first time she'd met up with Tatsumi since she was fourteen as well. There was still a small amount of embarrassment from that day, awkwardly asking him out in front of all of his friends. It made her want to slap herself. Hopefully he wouldn't remember that little speed bump, but it was at the forefront of the idol's mind all the way down, even as she approached the agreed upon meeting spot. Standard cyan hoodie adorning her form, and suspiciously bulging backpack in tow, she patiently awaited the others.

The trip around Tokyo for Shadow-related activities had always been a bit of a process for Yu, to say the least. Weapons and a stuffed bag on hand made him a pretty strange individual to come across on the street and subway, if not downright terrifying for some people. Though, when someone had attempted to stop him at any point, he would simply show them his police identification that he’d gotten from the Shadow Operatives, and they’d reluctantly let him continue on his way without much follow-up. It certainly made things easier, as there was no way he could cover-up his sword, but walking around with it so clearly on display had been a bit of a strange sight by many passing by, especially paired with his otherwise pretty business casual outfit that certainly hadn’t resembled any attempt at cosplay. Staring had never gotten Yu down; in fact, he barely noticed at all, continuing on without a care in the world. Maybe he should have been a little more careful, but he’d gotten by thus far without worrying too much about that, only deciding to put his guard up as he neared the agreed upon location. Meeting behind a gym might not have been the best place to find an idol, but Yu and Kanji-kun had frequented the place pretty often together, and knew the guys around there wouldn’t touch Nozomi-chan. That, and the alley behind the place was barely entered into by anyone, giving them a good place to discuss things and transition to the other world without anyone catching a glimpse into their strange meeting. After all, even if he was a member of the police in some regard, he still couldn’t be bringing a sword into any sort of building, and he certainly couldn’t tell them exactly why he needed to be carrying around something like that in the first place. Not to mention some of the stuff he’d been carrying around in his messenger bag that would get him put onto several lists and countless criminal offenses if he wasn’t a Shadow Operative.

1:10 AM

A light smile appeared on his face as he caught a glimpse of Nozomi-chan in the alley. The bulging backpack seemed to somewhat match with his own he had hanging off his shoulder, though his hadn't been as overstuffed, instead simply holding some supplies for just about any situation they could have run into in there, be it curing ailments, replenishing energy, or a guaranteed escape from a fight if it had been necessary. Yu wasn't particularly fond of the latter, but it was something that needed to be kept on hand, considering how new Nozomi-chan had been to the shadow realm and Kanji-kun's supposed rust when it came to using his Persona. "How are you feeling?" He stopped himself a fair distance away from Nozomi-chan, leaning his sheathed sword against the wall and readjusting his bag before lighting up a cigarette. A bad habit, sure, but it helped to focus him a little, temporarily taking the weight of the rest of his life off his shoulders and clear his mind before going into the other world. “I hope you aren’t too worried. We won’t be going far today, so there shouldn’t be any trouble.” He had gotten some details about the area from a begrudging Adachi-san, and knew that they should have been pretty safe staying on the outskirts. Sure, it might not have been as thrilling as later sections, but having sparse populations of manageable shadows made it a good training group for someone brand new. At the very least, it would be better than throwing him straight into a new, grueling labyrinth, like he often would have to do while leading the Investigation Team. They had time to take it slow. Well… He hoped they did, at least. …Not the time to be thinking about that. His eyes turned towards the entrance to the alley for a moment, awaiting their final member’s arrival. Kanji-kun shouldn’t have been too late. If anything, it seemed both he and Nozomi-chan had been early, both awaiting his kouhai in seemingly comfortable silence.

An unshakeable sense of nostalgia had come over Kanji as he'd made his way to the meeting place the trio had all agreed on. Maybe it was different for some of the others, especially Yu, considering he was a Shadow Operative; but how long had it been since he'd set out to do anything related to Personas or Shadows? The last occasion he could think of was a decade ago at this point; the Love Meets Bond festival. Hell, there was another thing— the person who'd needed help learning the ropes from Yu and himself (probably moreso Yu, considering Kanji might've been a little rusty) was none other than Nozomi from Kanamin Kitchen. All things considered, her involvement in all this came as a pretty big surprise to Kanji. He just hoped she was okay in all this. Although, when he thought about the reason he was going out to meet the both of them today, he realized he probably didn't have to worry too much. Even if she didn't have experience yet, having a Persona was a hell of a lot better than not having one at a time like this... After spotting his old friends in the alley, the long-haired man waved as he walked over at a brisk pace. Immediately, he noticed the backpack the idol was carrying along with the sword Yu had brought— Kanji hadn't really come quite as prepared, compared to them. Not that he really needed a weapon; he was still strong as ever physically, able to get by just fine with his fists alone. "Yo! Sorry to keep you guys waitin'. How's it goin'?" While glancing between Yu and Nozomi with a smile, he couldn't help but wonder in the back of his mind if the latter would even recognize him— after all, the last time he saw her, he was still bleaching his hair and keeping it relatively short. At least he hadn't decided to wear glasses today... then he might've been completely unrecognizable to someone who knew him from way back in his delinquent phase. (edited)

Nozomi's nerves were clearly etched into her expression, as per usual. However, they may have been amplified by seeing the silver haired boy toting a sword around like it was nothing. Her eyes fell to it immediately, and followed as he leaned it against the wall. They didn't leave it for a few moments, and the only sound she let out at first was a muttered, "Uh-huh." It wasn't that she was surprised that he had a sword, but seeing it in person was starting to make it sink in what they were about to do. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I-I'm a little nervous." It was her only answer. How was she supposed to accurately state exactly how she felt in this moment. If it weren't for the fact that she was currently standing next to Yu, she would've been a wreck. She couldn't do anything else to break the silence, and it probably wasn't doing her any good in all honesty. Silence allowed plenty of room for an anxious mind to work its magic. Those thoughts were totally broken when the other boy announced his presence however. Nozomi turned to look in the direction of the voice and felt a lump lodge in her throat that she was forced to swallow down. Oh no, he grew his hair out. She could feel her heart beat a little faster in her chest as she tried to push those thoughts away, to mixed success. At least she was anxious for a different reason now. "O-Oh, um, hey, uh, T-Tatsumi-san," she forced out meekly. A slight wave was offered as well. It wasn't much, but it was at least some form of greeting for not having spoken to the boy for nearly a decade.

Why was Nozomi-kun… Oh, yeah. Yu had gotten so used to taking a sword everywhere for work that he sometimes forgot just how odd it was, save for when officers stopped him on the street. Maybe he should have found something better to cover it up like Makoto-senpai… That could get pretty troublesome to carry around, though. Having the sheath should have been more than enough, right? That didn’t seem to be helping her anxiety, though… “We won’t let anything happen to you.” That was a promise he would live by, no matter what. Protecting those he cared for was the reason he worked in this field—no way he would let her get hurt on something like this. “You have my word.” After shooting the other another minute grin, he turned away and took in another drag of his cigarette. The timing seemed to have worked out quite well, as he caught sight of their final party member approaching through the small alleyway. He made sure to blow out his smoke in an opposing direction before shooting the other a small smile and wave, matching Nozomi-kun’s. “Good.” A brief response, but there admittedly hadn’t been much more to add. He didn’t feel much excitement or anxiety over entering the other world. This was his job, after all. The only thing that had been different from normal was the people he had been going in with, which Yu believed in to be able to work as solid teammates. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you could agree to meet on such short notice.” Maybe grabbing someone who was more suited to Nozomi-kun’s moveset would have been better, but the trip had been a little impromptu. If he could have, someone like Yukiko, Teddie, or Adachi-san would have probably been preferable to teach her better than he probably could, but just having Kanji-kun to lend his strength while he ran through things with her was a huge help in itself. His kouhai was one hell of a Persona user, and if there were to run into any trouble, he knew that the man would put everything down to make sure Nozomi-kun was safe. Then again, with the sudden stuttering, maybe things weren’t going to go as smoothly as he hoped. Turning his attention to the youngest of the group once more, he did his best to try to grasp onto what could have possibly been bothering her, to no avail. Was it Kanji-kun…? No, that didn’t make sense… “...Are you sure you’re okay?” Actively softening his gaze, he made sure that she would be able to answer truthfully and without any fear of bothering him or Kanji-kun if the answer hadn’t been yes. “We could always postpone the trip for another day if you’re not feeling well.” Oblivious as always. It could be considered a charm by some, an annoyance by others. Either way, his concern was no doubt genuine.

A part of Kanji did feel nervous about the whole affair— not that he didn't have faith in his and Yu's abilities to handle themselves, but the fact that it was only the two of them and Nozomi, who was still a new Persona-user, made him wonder if they should've called on at least one other person for extra help. Besides, if it turned out that Kanji's Persona had gotten weaker, he definitely didn't feel like going in all confident only to get the crap kicked out of him in front of Nozomi...not that he was super concerned about that. So what if Takeji-Zaiten was a little out of practice? It didn't mean that all of a sudden, he wasn't strong as all hell. In fact, he he had to be at least physically stronger than when he was sixteen, right? It was just a little performance anxiety, he'd be fine. Speaking of anxiety, the stuttering in Nozomi's greeting didn't escape Kanji's notice, especially seeing Yu's reaction to it. "It's alright if you're nervous," He added on, shooting a small smile towards Nozomi. "We'll prolly be fine in there. I'll admit it's been a while for me, but if anythin' goes south, Yu's got it handled. Ain't that right?" Kanji's gaze moved towards his former senpai as he lightly pat him on the shoulder. (edited)

There was a glance that shot back and forth between the two boys at the interrogation. Great, so it was obvious she was nervous then. Of course she was, this was the first time she'd willingly gone into this world with the intent of fighting shadows, how could she not be? That wasn't what was important though. What was important was learning how best to use her newfound abilities. After all, if she was dragged into all of this, how long would it be before another member from the Kitchen showed up in the chatroom, or worse? That was something she tried not to think too hard about however. Cross that bridge if they ever got to it. "O-Oh, no, I'm um, I-I'm fine. Feeling fine that is. I uh... I guess I am a little n-nervous, but I'll be okay." That was certainly not the most convincing statement she'd ever made, but she did make it. In an attempt to prove her point, she slid her backpack off her shoulders and unzipped it, pulling out a small buckler. Real steel and all. Surprisingly easy to get all things considered. And it technically wasn't a weapon, so not as incriminating if her bag happened to be checked by any authorities. It took a second to strap it onto her arm, but she did so with ease. She'd spent some time practicing, and had also watched a few videos on the proper defensive stance she should take. This would serve as the field test. "So, how does this all work then? What's the next step?"

Anxiety from the youngest hadn’t been unexpected, but it failed to make her words about being okay truly believable… Not that he hadn’t helped many new Persona users before through those early nerves. At least she had already been in there and gotten to use her Persona slightly on the last visit—That was more than he could say for most that he’d instructed prior. Speaking of his prior kouhai, a pat on the back had caught him slightly off guard, eyes darting to meet the taller man’s gaze with a light, shy grin. At least his positivity could offset Nozomi-kun’s nerves, as much as he wished the other could have a little more confidence… "Don't sell yourself short." That was advice he had always tried to give to Kanji-kun, although it often felt like it didn’t entirely work… Not that he could understand why. He was an incredibly strong and talented man, but it often felt like he had a much lower self-esteem than his accomplishments should have afforded him. “I know both of you can handle yourselves well. Just be aware of the danger around you, and you’ll be okay." For a moment, he almost thought about trying to accompany his words with a wink, like Yosuke always would, but he hesitated at the last second, knowing that the results wouldn't be quite as he wanted… He eventually decided just to give a soft smile to avoid any potential embarrassment. “The chatroom came with another feature.” Words wouldn’t be enough to explain it to those who hadn’t experienced those types of other worlds, so it was much easier to slip his phone from the back pocket of his jeans and navigate from the chatroom menu into another section, showing a keyword entry page with a blue and gold aesthetic he had become well accustomed with over the past decade. “It's pretty similar to a couple other apps I've seen before. All we need is a codeword and we’ll be in.”

8:36 PM

Said codeword wasn't hard to identify on his screen, as it seemed to be the only one in his destination history once he clicked on it: the ever ominous 'Phlegethon'. At least they weren't walking into a literal river of fire, but under some circumstances, a den of shadows couldn't have been much better. Hopefully there wouldn't be an issue for them there, as there was no intent to enter right into the heart of things. That was something that would be left to a larger, more well trained group, like the Shadow Operatives. Right now, they had no reason to be worrying about any of that. Training came before trying to uncover the truth about that place. “Get ready—The transition can be a little rough.” The comment was directed towards Kanji-kun with an attempted short, reassuring smile that everything would go smoothly being sent in both of their directions. Anxiety would only get in the way in the other world, and as the most experienced of the trio, he needed to dissuade that as much as he could, even if he wasn't met with complete success. After a final glance over, he took one final puff off of his cigarette before leaving it to hang out of his mouth, reaching for his sheathed shield with his newly freed hand and pressing the screen with the other to allow the world around them to be warped and twisted into another.