Reverse Tarot - naoya-toudou

Um, excuse me, Nao-san? I hope I'm not bothering you, but you seemed quite knowledgeable on the topic of these "persona" things and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about them.

Nah, you aren't bothering me. Go ahead and ask away, I'm happy to answer what I can.

Well, I suppose the first thing would be understanding exactly what they are. I know they're some kind of thing you manifest, but I don't really know what that means or entails.

They're like a creature you can summon to fight for you. A being that comes from the heart. It's a bit confusing but makes sense once youve seen it.

That sounds... I don't even know what to make of it. So it's like a physical thing? That comes from within?

That's correct. I realize how unbelievable it sounds but I guess that's why it's called supernatural.

Sir Naoya! You too! Maybe, don't, mention other world stuff too openly on the public chat?... Since we don't know much about it!!

4:22 PM

On that note, though... Do you know if the shadow operatives have been investigating this yet/are they aware of it yet? What with the weird mystery app stuff with apparently multiple persona users?... Other then yourself, of course! Though I am glad you're on it already too ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ

Eh, it's okay. It's really not that big of a secret, at least not where I'm from. I keep the really important stuff to myself

Yeah, Nanjo's got a bunch of our crew checking into things. I could also maybe ask Igor...?

And thanks!

....It's, not?.... Ehh? Where are you from? People just know about it there?

4:46 PM

I don't know those names but that sounds good!!

Mikage-cho! A lot of people in Sumaru City know too, to an extent. Things happened pretty out in the open. Nanjo works with Ms. Kirijo, their companies are pretty close. And igor runs the velvet room

...Things did, hm? Oh!! I know her!! The velvet room, though...

4:54 PM

Do I know that place?....

4:55 PM

Uhm! Back to, Mikage-cho then, though... Can I ask what happened there, exactly?

I dunno, have you been to the velvet room? Basically the entire town got overrun by demons. And also a second version of the town was created through the mind of one of the residents via a reality warping machine.

What's it look like? Thinking about it feels... fuzzy?

4:59 PM

Demons? As in, shadows?

4:59 PM

And a second version of the town... That sounds familiar, but- a machine? As in a literal machine that people just build?

Well it's usually blue on the inside. Ive heard it has different appearances depending on who visits but always blue. Maybe? We've had trouble figuring out if demons and shadows are the same beings or not. But yeah, a machine that was built by the company SEBEC.

A blue room... Hm! I see! Maybe Wait, they might not be the same? As in there's demons roaming around? The ones from hell??

5:03 PM

...Should i know SEBEC?

Its a nice place

Well from what I've been told demons come from a place called the Expanse. But yeah, they might be separate creatures. I think SEBEC is defunct now but they used to be a big company. The ceo of Japan's branch tried to use the technology to rule the world.

And what is the Expanse?... Oh! So in the past! Then I wouldn't know about it, I suppose.

5:11 PM

Uhm, thank you for all the information!! I don't think I'm understanding most of it but, gotta try, and stuff...

It's another world in itself. Separate from the sea of souls that personas and shadows come from. Of course, i dont know for sure. That's just what the devil summoners told me. No prob

if you want me to try and explain better just ask and ill do my best!

The... devil summoners...

5:15 PM

Ah, it's okay!! My friends are a lot smarter then me! And if it's super important I'm fairly certain at least two of them would know and would've told me already... I think so, at least! I was just curious for personal reasons, ehe

5:15 PM

Thanks for bearing with me!

Yeah, they summon demons to fight. Awh, dont put yourself down like that. You seem plenty smart! Plus, i dunno exactly how much they know compared to me

ive doing this a looong time. No prob!

ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔThank you! It's okay, though! A long time... That certainly has to help! We don't count as newbies at this point either anymore though, I think! And one of them has their entire job revolve about being smart and figuring things out!! So I trust them.

5:21 PM

I think I'm just... confusing myself more thinking about demons...

5:21 PM

I don't think I remember anything about them?..

Yup! Ive been at it like... 20 or so years on my end. But that is good to hear! Well demons dont always show up sometimes only shadows. So you may not have seen one before.

Oh, wow! It's been around ten for us, I think?

5:29 PM

Yeah... The TV world only has shadows. I'm pretty sure of that, at least! Otherwise I would've known...

You guys have been around a while too then :0 i feel like i read that in files at one point but forgot. Whoopsie. Oh yeah? Never got a chance to go there myself so I wouldn't know.

Mhm! If you ever need a tour guide, let me know! It should be safe there at the moment as long as only persona users enter.

Oh? Maybe I could swing by and take a look around there sometime soon. I might be able to learn something

ʕ ´∀｀ʔ♡ Just give me a headsup if you wanna! It's calm there now, but it's still not the best idea to go in there on your own, even if the exits should be up.

I see, i see. Hmm what if I come by in a couple days? We could meet up before hand or something

Mm!! That'd be fun!ʕ‘▽^人ʔ I'll keep my schedule free then~ It's always nice to meet other persona usersʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ

Cool! Youre in Inaba, right? Gotta make sure i go to the right location lol

Okina! Though it’s super nearby and I stay back at home in Inaba with my parents a lot still ʕ´｀ʔ; But the TV world is very much an Inaba thing! So we should meet there, yup.

Ooh, gotcha! Yeah though, I heard the TV world only opened up there, eheh. Why dont we meet somewhere public? Like a store or restaurant?

Sure! ʕง´͈ ౪`ʔ วThere's Junes which is the local grocery store, or if you wanna go to a proper restaurant... Aiya, maybe?

Hmm i'll probably be hungry after the trip there so Aiya?

!! Okay!ヾʕ o≧∀≦oʔﾉﾞ♡ That'd be nice It's a really good place!!!

Sweet! I look forward to it then! Does next Sunday work for you to meet there?

ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ Absolutely!

5:01 AM

I'll be looking forward to it, then!ʕ‘▽^人ʔ

Ah! Sorry! One last thing I need to know! What's your favorite color?

Purple!

Oo!~ Okay! Thaaank you!

No prob

Naoya-san hello good day I hope you're doing well! I know I asked you to be careful when speaking in the chat and please still be careful in general but please do not talk about things in the chat to someone named Iris in specific! I'm sure you can do it!! Thank you in advance that was all

Oh! Alright, I'll try and keep things quiet around him then. Thanks for the heads up, Ted

You are so welcome! Thank you! This means a lot

@Kayla, male thot enemy of state hey, your little bro let me know not to let Iris find stuff out but I've been doing some digging and I think i know him too.. or, rather, know of him.

Huh? That sounds weird... What do you know?

8:35 PM

You can see his name, right?

Yes although the name we have on file is slightly different. It looks as if he was Cw; kidnapping taken by someone during an incident in 1999. Promptly rescued although the place he was rescued from ended up burning to the ground. (edited)

That's weird that you guys have him on file tho? Who rescued him?

Well it was due to demon and persona involvement. Another group of persona users rescued him. This included one of the other users on this app, actually.

Was it... Tats? Or Tatsuya, I guess Not the one that Mochi knows lol

Yup! I actually know his brother whom is part of the OPs. They were both involved.

Well... if Tats says that Iris can't remember his old memories, then I wonder if that's part of it?

Maybe? Considering what the report says... if he went through all that, he should be finding things familiar.

But was he unconscious during it?

Some of it, going off what this says. It seems the criminal was trying to get Iris to remember something else by dragging him into things but it didnt work.

So someone else was aware of it... huh This is pretty interesting, but it does make it sound like Iris might be someone we need to protect, right?

Yeah... it's been such a long time without incident that we left the guy alone but now things might not be so good...

Yeah... maybe dispatch someone to follow him?

Yeah.. hm... gotta figure out who would be good. Someone that wont accidentally bring back memories...

Oh yeah, that's an issue too huh? You all kinda know each other

Exactly... hrm... maybe one of Kirijo's friends can do it? Or... heck, maybe even you?

Me?

10:55 PM

well

10:55 PM

I

10:55 PM

I can try when I'm not working

10:55 PM

But I dunno if I'm reliable enough for it

I think you'd do a fine job, Yosuke. Maybe you and one other person can help keep an eye on him in shifts? I wouldn't wanna make you do it alone without time to rest.

I'll.. I can try.

Good! Would you like to pick your teammate or should I just pick the other person?

Um

11:17 PM

Well everyone I know is busy so

11:17 PM

I guess you have to pick

Gotcha. I think Ken should be free then. I can send both you and him more details over text!

Ken?

11:26 PM

I haven't seen him in years lol

11:26 PM

But yeah that's fine

Well thisll give you a chance to catch up a bit too ahah. he sends over the info through text

@Ribbon Okay so this shadow was found in the real world?? In a trash can?? Which is weird enough as is. But it also has red eyes and seems to be extremely hostile.

Wh

4:24 AM

What.

4:24 AM

It was in the real world?

4:24 AM

How did it get there?...

We dont know it just suddenly showed up on radar! So ofc we couldnt leave it unattended but its super mean. Bites everyone. Breaks stuff.

Let's hope that. It was a one time case then aha aggressive shadows suddenly appearing amongst regular people would be bad!

4:28 AM

I guess it could be made out of more violent emotions?

4:29 AM

Shadows are all born from the feelings of humans- and technically, it can be any of those feelings. So some would be more angry then others, I guess.

Hopefully! We'll keep an eye out just in case though. We wouldnt want people getting hurt! Oh yeah... that makes sense. One of my shadows was pretty angry so

but then the shadows i knew all looked human shaped.

Mm...

4:35 AM

I've theorised before that maybe the reason a shadow can develop it's own ego and personality could just be the perfect right mix of emotions it's made from..

4:36 AM

I've got no proof for that though

4:36 AM

It's just a nicer thought then 'it can just randomly happen as a glitch in the system'.

Maybe? I used to think all shadows were practically their own person er... ego? But my experiences were with shadows who could summon personas and acted out on their own emotions and such. This included a very close and trusted teammate... its a bit hard to explain though.

.

4:41 AM

?

4:41 AM

Shadows who could summon personas?

4:42 AM

With their own...

4:42 AM

Naoya-san

4:42 AM

What happened to them?

Yes, one of my shadows could summon multiple personas. As for my teammate... well... she's okay? She merged back with her human counterpart. So I know shes still there but... idk i feel complicated about it sometimes.

....What happened to the others, Naoya-san?

4:47 AM

If your teammate found peace merging back with her original self then, good for her.

4:48 AM

What I’m asking you is if you killed people with their own thoughts and feelings.

Oh I accepted mine so we merged back together! Theyre both okay (i had two). Maki had.... 4 shadows, 3 of which merged back with her. The 4th we had to fight alongside maki's first shadow..? So in a sense she was fighting against a part of herself that was kind of trying to destroy the entire world. That one was more of a primal and violent shadow though, made up entirely of anger and sorrow. So uhhh i dont actually know if the 4th one 'died' or if it was just calmed down?

...Mm! Okay. I see.

4:57 AM

Do you know if more people knew of shadows with personas? And stuff?

4:58 AM

Or was it just an isolated incident with you and miss Maki, then?

There were others, yes. Though they might have been a special case of their own? They were authentic shadows but at the same time a certain entity summoned them to fight their human counterparts. Which is different from Maki and I's shadows who showed up sorta kinda on their own.

Hm, okay...

5:04 AM

But they did all only show up with a matching human counterpart then?..

As far as I know, yeah. Though I can say that some humanoid shadows dont look like exact copies of their counterpart. Two of maki's took on a child's appearance. And, if I had to guess, I'd bet a sapient shadow could be created from a conglomeration of emotions from more than one person.

Mm...

5:09 AM

Yeah, that makes sense. It would also probably be less bad if it seperated itself then.

5:10 AM

Okay, if they all showed up as related to humans, it's probably fine. A little different but that sounds similar enough to ours.

Separated itself? But yeah we compared notes some to you guys from Inaba! Theres so many different types of shadows judging from what everyone's said so far.

Oh! I mean, If a sentient shadow started doing their own thing? And kinda moved away from being a shadow for the person it originally came from Seperating itself like that!

5:15 AM

Mm.. It sounds like it.

5:15 AM

Have there been any other records of shadows with like, egos and stuff?

Oh! Yeah, thatd probably work out okay as long as they can both exist and be healthy and stuff. Aside from the ones ive mentioned theres also Aigis' shadow, Labrys' shadow, and then uhh maybe Nyarlathotep? But he's also technically a god. Then again some of the other gods might be shadows technically.

Oh yeah the gods are kind of their own thing I think.

5:27 AM

And mm! Wouldve heard if someone had something happen back then... So it should be fine.

5:27 AM

Aigis had a shadow too? Huh

5:29 AM

It’s not super fun to think of this, huh? If the things were beating up could just be people if given a chance.

5:29 AM

....Mm.

Yeah? The gods are pretty complicated in and of themselves. Yeah! According to what she reported her shadow also merged back with her after being a teammate for a while. Hm... yeah that's... pretty heavy. I mean... some shadows obviously do pose a threat and purposefully attack people but theres also nice ones who can be talked with and befriended.

Mhm.

5:47 AM

It just makes you wonder were the line lies.

Yeah.... I guess... it's just like with humans? Sometimes we have to fight each other.

...Yeah.

5:58 AM

It'd be a whole lot easier if shadows just couldn't be people, huh?

5:59 AM

But I guess someone has to be the cruel joke of the universe. Oh well.

I usually fight demons and other people, honestly... so im kinda used to the moral struggle there. I think itd be nice to meet more shadows that I could be friends with though.

..Mm. Yeah. I'm sure it's a struggle.

6:18 AM

Maybe one day.

It is.... some decisions still haunt me, honestly. I hope so! At least im friends with my own shadows, eheh.

Is that so? I hope you've made the right choices, then.

6:24 AM

Mm! That's always good.

Its hard to know whats right when youre stuck choosing between one life and another.

I can only imagine.

6:33 AM

Could I ask you one last thing?

Good. Its not a situation i would wish upon anyone. And sure, of course!

In the labs... There's places where you hold shadows, right?

6:34 AM

Where they can't harm anyone from in there.

Yeah we've got secure spaces for them. Not that we actually have very many... shadows arent the nanjo group's forte.

Mm.. Okay!

6:38 AM

I'm gonna ask for a favor I don't know if I'm allowed to but could you make sure at least one of those spaces is always open in case of emergencies? Be that in the Nanjo branch or not.

Oh sure! I can have one reserved! What kinda emergencies are you thinking of though? Its pretty rare for a shadow to show up in the human world.

Thank you! That means a lot

6:42 AM

Uhm! It's just to ease some personal worries. That I hope will prove to be unfounded!

6:42 AM

But if they aren't... It's better to be prepared, right?

Of course! Anything for a friend! Ah, gotcha. It is better to be safe than sorry. Just let me know if we ever need to use it.

Mm! I will! Thanks again

6:44 AM

Sorry I can't really elaborate on it for now.

You're welcome and it's okay! I get that stuff is hard to talk about sometimes. Just make sure ya take care of yourself! And lil guy too, of course.

I'll do my best!

6:53 AM

For them, too.

@Ribbon so that shadow ive been told to watch? Apparently got into the vents and then the dog got into the vents and then agi skills happened and i...

IS THE BUILDING ON FIRE RIGHT NOW? IS THE DOG OKAY?

5:14 AM

Is the shadow attacking the dog???? oh my god

The dog is actually an anti shadow weapon that breathes fire so like.. he's okay but also made the fire worse. I'm using my persona to try and keep the fire down... already used up the fire extinguisher.

are you serious

5:17 AM

naoya-san i am begging you to not use your phone right now unless its to call the fire department or backup please get the situation under control first i dont want you all to burn down

it escalated very quickly. I have backup on speaker phone rn. cant call the fire dept though, wouldnt want them getting hurt by anything else in the building.

OKAY everything is good now. shadow re-contained. Argos safe. Building only sort of scorched...

o.... okay.....

5:33 AM

I’m. glad to hear that.

5:34 AM

Sorry for taking a second, the little one accidentally fell into the mascot suit I’ve got lying around and I had to help them get out

5:34 AM

The shadow though... wasn’t someone watching it?

Awh... poor lil guy. Im glad you helped them out! It was in a containment unit so no one was assigned to watch it closely. I was in a different room fixing a computer when Argos ran off to investigate. We're also not sure how it escaped...

It escaped from the containment unit?

5:41 AM

Aren’t those supposed to be secure?!?

Yeah! No other shadow has escaped one before. Kirijo made these things to be extra strong and used the same model a lot before giving us some. We're investigating to see if someone released it on purpose. But I dunno... I think theres just something different about this shadow.

.....Well I hope it got released on purpose and you'll catch the culprit because otherwise

5:48 AM

if these are all the same model. And they can escape from one.

5:48 AM

....That technically means all could escape at any given moment. Does it not?

Maybe...? We only have two others here and they've attempted to break out before but it never budged for them. I convinced the lab team not to put this one on ice in case it ended up like lil guy... but they might change their mind after this whole thing.

..Mm... Let's hope it stays that way.... I'd offer to come over and check but. I can't really leave the little one unsupervised at home.

5:55 AM

They uh. After the incident with the suit they found it's head and they've been moving around on the floor with it over them.

5:56 AM

....A little disturbing to see the detached head moving around on it's own but at least they're having fun I guess!....

Its okay, some people from Kirijo are gonna come check things out. Hopefully theyll be able to see if theres a flaw in their equipment. Awh... that sounds adorable! Sorry that it's a little disturbing for you though :(

I hope so...

5:59 AM

Ehe, it's just a little weird for personal reasons! But I don't mind it as long as they're having a good time.

Oh? Did you wear the suit a lot? :o

Uhh! You could say that!!!

6:03 AM

There's a reason I kept it around, ehe.

6:04 AM

I actually kinda designed it a long time ago ʕ ´∀｀;ʔ The store just decided to start using it!

Oh! That's pretty cool! Do you mean junes? Are they using your design for ads? (edited)

Mhm!! Hehe~ Have you seen it around? ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ It was just for our local store at first, but now it's used everywhere!

6:09 AM

It always does remain odd to see other people wearing lookalikes of the suit, though.

6:10 AM

ʕ ´∀｀;ʔ Cant beat the original!

Oh!! You designed that cute bear then? I have seen 'em a few times on commercials! Ahah, true. Itd be cool to see the original sometime!

!

6:13 AM

ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ I'm glad you like it

6:14 AM

Mine's the only one whose face can animate, mwheeheehee~

Really? That musta taken a lot of work to make!

♡～ʕ‘▽^人ʔ Hehe~ I did work hard on it!!

Good job! Id love to see it someday if you dont mind showing me?

I wouldn't! I don't get to wear it too often anymore now that it's the official mascot... So it'd be fun!ʕ ´∀｀ʔ♡

Sweet!

Naoya-sanʕ´｀;ʔ Sorry I kinda forgot to ask until now but

4:24 PM

The little one didn't get named by you all, right?

I think we were calling them Odysseus to go with Argos but it should probably be up to them what they be called, yeah?

Mhm. Just curious if they already had a name they recognised as their name So far they haven't seen very interested in picking anything

4:31 PM

...Let me ask them if they liked Odysseus just in case...

4:33 PM

They called it 'hard to say' and then went back to drawing so I guess not

4:33 PM

Thanks for answering though!

It is pretty hard to say lol. No prob

Is Igor a shadow?

Not exactly. Igor was created... Originally supposed to be a 'doll' that lacked emotion but has long since sort of grown into his own person.

h

5:03 PM

Created?

5:03 PM

A doll????

Yes Philemon made him to assist persona users. I guess you could say he's kinda like Aigis too, in a way?

Philemon?....

Philemon can awaken the persona ability in people naturally and is sort of a guide. His power has been low lately though so igor takes care of most things now.

The more I learn about all of this, the more confusing it gets....

5:14 PM

But I see. Thank you for trying to explain.

5:14 PM

If he was... A doll.

5:14 PM

What was the doll made from?

Yeah, I know the feeling eheh. I dont think even igor knows the answer to that. He looks a bit odd but seems to be flesh and blood now...? So i dunno.

Mm...

5:18 PM

Okay.

5:18 PM

It'd be nice to just live a regular life without having to worry about all of this, huh?

5:18 PM

But that's a bit of a selfish thought.

5:18 PM

Oh well.

5:18 PM

If hes Igors,

5:18 PM

creator

5:19 PM

Would Philemon have a hand in this app too?...

True, it would be. At least theres peaceful times in-between the chaotic. Hmm maybe? He might be checking in on us too or something?

Aha, for some, sure.

5:22 PM

Hmmm

5:22 PM

Concerning, maybe

5:22 PM

Is Philemon like... okay?

Oh? Has it only been chaotic for you? He personally helped me and my friends awaken to our personas and helped us out when our town was in danger so I believe he's trustworthy.

Ah, I don't mean to sound dramatic! Things have been fine for a while now Just some, reminders! I'm not ever gonna be able to get rid off as long as I'm aroundʕ ´∀｀;ʔ

5:26 PM

Oh! Okay that sounds good.

5:26 PM

Is he also someone we can call up for questions?

Ah, I think I kinda know the feeling. He might be? I can try getting in contact with him.

Hmm! That would be nice...

5:30 PM

If he has more answers that would be great actually

He might! Though he may also be cryptic

but ill definitely try and ask him at least!

Thank you for your efforts, Naoya-san

5:42 PM

Sorry for making you do so much.

No worries! I want to help! Not to mention im curious about why the app was made as well.

Yeah...

5:51 PM

I hope we can all leave this behind us as soon as possible again.

Hopefully for some of you, yeah. My second job sorta just involves the supernatural.

Mm.. Well, you chose it at least, right?...

Kind of? I guess part of me felt like I had to as well. Being a persona user i felt i should use my abilities to help others. Plus some of the friends ive made, like Igor, are supernatural too... i wouldnt wanna ditch them.

I... I guess I can understand that too

6:10 PM

It's complicated, isn't it?

6:10 PM

Back in the day, after we finished our, adventure, so to call it

6:11 PM

I was all sure I was gonna be a protector of the other world too Now I've been avoiding going back there all together. Maybe I'm just running away from it all again.

6:11 PM

It's all just weird, huh?

It really is. When I was younger I just sorta went off to college and tried to go back to 'normal'. Ended up missing a lot of stuff I wished I'd helped with. Maybe? That's up to you to figure out. But maybe you should think of it like little guy? They needed someone to help them so you did. Sometimes you just have to stick your neck out to protect others. Maybe the other world has more shadows who need someone to lend them a hand from time to time? Nothing says you have to stay there 24/7

I'm doing my best, Naoya-san Otherwise I wouldn't be on here asking around as much as I am

6:22 PM

It's just... always a mess. I guess

6:23 PM

I don't want anyone to get hurt, so if there's something people need me for, of course I'll be there

6:23 PM

But.... I kind of hoped it wouldn't pop up again like this, I guess.

6:23 PM

Sorry, I'm being rambly.

Yeah... life has a way of throwing the unexpected at you. And I know it's stressful. Especially when you have to try and keep a bunch of stuff secret while dealing with it. Its okay! Im happy to listen and try to help.

Mm! Yeah. Having to lie to everyone you know and love kind of sucks, huh?

6:32 PM

Thank you, though.

6:33 PM

I do appreciate thatʕ ´ᴗ｀ʔ

Yeah... my parents have no clue about a lot of this stuff. No prob! Though, i was wondering. About being the tv world's guardian? How come that's your job? That seems like a lot of responsibility to deal with for one person

Relatable. They don't know about anything as far as I'm aware...

6:37 PM

oh, uhm

6:37 PM

I guess I'm

6:37 PM

....Kind of linked to it? In a way?ʕ ´∀｀;ʔ

Oh? How so?

Uhm.

6:44 PM

I probably should have thought more before I said that ʕ ´∀｀ʔ

Oh uhh hmm... well I guess if you ever want to tell me, you can. We havent been friends a long time so i can get not wanting to share anything too personal.

Mm... I'm sorry.

6:54 PM

The higher ups at the Shadow Operatives know about it though so uhm Please don't think it's something bad I'm trying to purposefully hide

It's okay. And don't worry, you seem like a good dude. I trust that it's nothing bad. Just like I'm trusting you with little guy.

Ah, thank you Naoya-san...

7:01 PM

I'm sorry if I've been a little on edge about some things lately towards you, that's not very nice

7:01 PM

Thank you for being kind trough it all.

It's alright! Sorry if I got a bit defensive when it came to Igor. He's just a long time friend... and some people react badly when they find out he isnt 'human' and stuff. But yeah, no problem. Im doin my best

Oh don't worry! That's understandable! I'd never judge about that though- there's a reason I got so defensive about Hikaru, ehe

7:07 PM

Thank you! I think you're doing well.

I'm glad to hear that! And ooh is Hikaru the little guy's name? Thank you, too!

Oh! Yesʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ

7:10 PM

They, didn't seem to keen on naming themselves But they didn't mind that one at least!! So it's what I've been sticking with

7:10 PM

Please don't use it on the chat, though... If they do get a human form, I don't want this to somehow trace back to them.

That's a great name! Im glad they like it! nods of course. Ill just keep using little guy for their nickname in the group chat. How has Hikaru been anyways? Did they do well with Yosuke?

...Hehe, did you just type out 'nods' as a reaction?ʕ ≧▽≦ʔ That's adorable Thank you though!!! I did my best!! And they're doing well! They're actually kind of getting there They can kind of form a torso, a vague head arms and hands now! The hands look the closest to what they're supposed to be, eheh. They got frustrated they couldn't hold things or do things I could because of their claws. ...Their main current frustration is that my makeup doesn't show up on them due to being, black goo, so we'll see how that turns out! But overall they're happy! Anything and everything is still interesting to them, heh.

7:19 PM

Yosuke-nii got along with them too! ʕ ´∀｀ʔ♡ So I guess they have an uncle now...

Well theres no nodding emoji... unless i missed it eheh. Np! Dang, that's impressive! They grow up so fast :') hopefully theyll be able to use makeup as much as they want soon! That's all so great to hear, honestly. Knowing theyre happy and getting along well is so nice

Mm!! I really do hope they'll be able to gain... some form of form.

7:27 PM

That way they'd be able to actually play with others....

7:28 PM

Go outside! And stuff! I've shown then videos of outside and they always get really excited and they're very social, so... Well! I hope I'll be able to show them it over more then just videos at some point.

That would be nice! Maybe if you wanna take them outside before they look human shaped you could bundle them up in some blankets for a disguise?

Maybe... I'm just worried they'll get excited and try to run off They're a dear! But they're also a little kid who sees a shiny and immediately wants to go after the shiny

7:37 PM

Plus no legs yet...

Ah, yeah that wouldnt be good. Wouldnt want them running into danger! I just hope they can get to see more of the world soon. They deserve it, especially after being cooped up so long before.

Yeah! Yeah...

7:43 PM

I'd love to take them out right now! But I know how exciting the first time outside is...

7:43 PM

Ahh, so much to worry about.

Mmhm. Maybe if you could go somewhere quiet and less crowded? And bring yosuke or someone else you trust to help supervise?

Hm... That might not be a bad idea....

7:47 PM

I.. haven't really told any of my friends other then Yosuke-nii about them yet.

7:47 PM

Maybe he's told Sensei already, though...

7:47 PM

Maybe.

7:48 PM

I've just been worried about how the others would react, I guess.

That's understandable. They may be shocked or freaked out at first but I bet once they get to know Hikaru a little theyll realize that theyre a good kid.

Mm! Well...

7:51 PM

I'm, mostly kind of anxious about them knowing I'm the person taking care of them. Aha.

7:51 PM

Everything considered I don't think they'd be too harsh on Hikaru... I hope so , at least.

Oh! Why's that? You seem to be doing a great job caring for them imo. Thats good tho!

Thank you! I just

7:54 PM

I donno

7:54 PM

I wonder how much of an adult the others view me as, at times

7:54 PM

Which all things considered is probably my own fault, but...

Why do you think its your fault?

Not acting the part around them well enough, I guess.

7:59 PM

Part of me is like oh it's them! I don't have to worry about being too proper around them But then that leaves another part of me feeling like I've only ever seemed untrustworthy to them.

7:59 PM

I trust Yosuke-nii, I really do! I know he doesn't mind But for the others...

8:00 PM

I love them a lot! And I respect them more then anyone else

8:00 PM

I just don't know if they do me, I guess.

8:00 PM

But maybe that's just me worrying too much...

8:01 PM

Gosh, I've been worrying a lot to you, haven't I? I'm sorry. I swear I'm not always like this.

8:01 PM

Once you let the nighttime worries cross over to daytime by talking about them they really do never shut up.

Hmm, I think I kinda know the feeling. If theyre your friends id imagine they do respect and trust you, too. But you could always talk with them about your worries, yeah? Everyone needs a little reassurance sometimes. It's alright, i dont mind

its good to talk about stuff!

Yeah... I guess that's true!

2:46 AM

Thank you again! I think that's enough mindless ranting from me for the day ʕ´｀;ʔ

No prob! Im here for ya, ted. Hope your day goes well!

@Ribbon So about that murder incident... thats really similar to the documents on inaba... Does it seem the same to you? Also, possibly related, we found out where that second shadow came from. The violent one.

Mm. I've been making some calls back and forth to Inaba. Can't go myself due to Hikaru, but from what I heard, the TV world is calm. From what I read, the body was physically wounded, yes?

3:02 PM

That doesn't match up with the old victims from Inaba. For all of them , the cause of death was unidentifiable, save for one- Which turned out to have been done by a copycat murderer.

3:03 PM

It's similar,but it shouldn't be the same if what I'm gathering is correct. It doesn't make sense.

3:03 PM

Also what do you mean?

So it probably isn't the TV world? Hm... We may have another copycat on our hands then. Except theres definitely some unnatural things going on. Like that black substance coming from the stiff. We found another world..? Area? An unsettling place. That seems to have been the red eyed shadow's place of origin

......You found another shadow world?

3:12 PM

Where? How?

3:13 PM

And no, it shouldn't be. The TV world shouldn't even be able to spread to Tokyo like that. Unless someone killed them here, and then proceeded to bring their corpse to Tokyo to hang and slash up, but that sounds... more far fetched then the idea of a copycat.

3:13 PM

....Though...

3:13 PM

Are you in Tokyo?

3:13 PM

just for the sake of ruling things out

3:14 PM

Could you press you hand against a TV screen for me?

In Tokyo. It seems like the strange app opened a way to it... but it won't do it again as of right now. Sure thing. Hmm.... Tried my hotel room's TV and nothing happened.

The strange app?- The chatroom? Entered you into the world??

Yeah! It has a gps or something now?? It doesnt cooperate well though... Ive tried looking into the coding and stuff but no dice.

What.

4:14 PM

Did it activate randomly? Does anyone else know?

4:14 PM

Did it let you... did it just let you exit again?

4:14 PM

and

4:14 PM

it didnt drag anyone else around you in, did it?...

It did. Some of my coworkers and friends know after I reported on it. It kicked me out :-/ i didnt have time to look around or check for anyone else.

Right... Okay.

4:22 PM

Just making sure if it safe to have a toddler sitting next to me when I'm holding onto something that can apparently just spirit people away.

4:23 PM

Wow that is so many levels of concerning! I don't actually really know what to say to that!

I honestly don't know if it is. But... maybe itll only activate near a disturbance area? I was investigating a place that had a lot of shadow-esque energy. It is. Theres so much we dont know...

Right... a disturbance area....

4:26 PM

The TV world was more or less locked to Inaba

4:27 PM

Naoya-san, do you know if other shadow worlds were also like that?... Locked to a place?

4:27 PM

I mean, people from all over the place do have the app, so maybe that doesn't go here but

4:27 PM

Well? Maybe just Japan in a worst case scenario?.. Ugh

Theres info on one that was in only in Tatsumi port a few years back. Not sure about others but... I'd hazard a guess that theres more shadow worlds. Hrm... this might be just in Tokyo but we cant be sure. Maybe we should ask in app if anyone had something weird happen recently?

I'm certainly not in Tokyo, but I do have the app... Asking might be worth it.

4:34 PM

...Nn... Even if it's just a random chance of only me disappearing.... I need to figure something out for Hikaru too.... AUghh

4:34 PM

You're sure it was the app??

Yeah... just gotta ask casually so people dont get suspicious. Maybe teach them how to make a phone call or email if they get left alone somehow? Yes. It even had an automated message say when I returned to the regular world.

Right... Some form of that would be good....

4:38 PM

This is

4:38 PM

Hh

4:39 PM

Is keeping this from the whole rest of the chat even morally sound?...

4:39 PM

Then again it might just cause a panic but

4:39 PM

if any of these people could just disappear...

4:40 PM

And not everyone here has a persona. Who knows what'd happen if they don't immediately get pulled out

4:40 PM

ugh

Im not sure... we could say something but this app shows up even on new phones and other devices, I don't know if anyone could really get away from it even with warning.

[Text from Yosuke:] Naoya-senpai? Are you there?

Yeah. What's up, Yosuke?

Well

5:51 PM

I was wondering if I could donate my body to science

I- what??

That came out weird

5:56 PM

Uh

5:56 PM

The Shadow Ops or

5:56 PM

Kirijo/Nanjo group or whatever

5:56 PM

Do they have some kinda... dream monitoring stuff?

Oh! Had me worried there for a sec, man. I think Nanjo has sleep study/dream monitoring equipment in one of our facilities, yeah. Is this about those nightmares?

... yeah. They got super bad like... last week. I'm exhausted lol.

Oh man.... I'll call Nanjo and have him get something set up. And... hm... how about I pick you up when its all ready? Driving while exhausted wouldnt be safe.

Oh... sure. I guess I shouldn't be driving my bike so much. I've been ok so far but it is hard to concentrate.

6:05 PM

Thanks senpai. I just had no idea who else to ask

Yeah... better safe than sorry. No problem. I'm happy to be here for ya!

Thanks senpai...

@Kayla, male thot enemy of state Once Nanjo got everything setup Naoya let Yosuke know and started to drive on over to his apartment. Nanjo had given him a 'inconspicuous' black sedan for this 'mission'... at least it wasn't as bad as Kirijo's limousine but still... hoo boy. In any case he parked the thing and went to knock on Yosuke's door to collect him. Hopefully the young man was awake...

Yosuke heads to his door once he hears the knock, because he's always awake. It was his unfortunate reality, actually, that he was completely unable to sleep due to the new onset of nightmares. They were so painfully real it made him shake to think about it, so he didn't think about it, he thought about how hopefully @Kite would be able to help him. Emerging in a large sweater, energy drink in hand, and a face that clearly says "I haven't slept in about two days," Yosuke opens his door and pauses as he sees his Senpai for the first time. He smiles awkwardly, of course, a little self conscious of himself, but he's happy to finally place a face to the name. "H-Hey. Umm, we ready to head out? (edited)

Man, poor guy definitely needs rest. That's the first thought running through his mind as he takes in the young man's looks. Still it was nice to see him in person finally. Smiling back he gives a nod. "Yup, just follow me to the car and we can get going." With that he lead the way back to the... incredibly obvious vehicle and opened the passenger side for Yosuke before getting in the driver's seat. @Kayla, male thot enemy of state

Kite

Man, poor guy definitely needs rest. That's the first thought running through his mind as he takes in the young man's looks. Still it was nice to see him in person finally. Smiling back he gives a nod. "Yup, just follow me to the car and we can get going." With that he lead the way back to the... incredibly obvious vehicle and opened the passenger side for Yosuke before getting in the driver's seat. @Kayla, male thot enemy of state

Yosuke was certainly struggling to sleep, even outside of Tokyo. Sleep-based traumatic events will do that, and he already let Naoya know what happened the last time he slept within the "perimeter." Either way, he was still willing to go through with this, even if it was dangerous. Yosuke paused when he saw the "descreet" vehicle, wondering what Naoya must have been thinking. Either way, it was better than taking their personal rides, so he bit back his snide remark as he slumped into the car. "I wanted to ask," Yosuke began as they started to head out, "are you gonna, like... Force me to sleep? With some chemicals, I mean." Another pause, "How many people are gonna be there?"

Naoya kept his eyes on the road as he spoke, "That's likely... unless you'd prefer not? But I know you've been having trouble just falling asleep regularly." So it might be easiest to 'help' it along with safe sleep inducing meds. "Hmm... I'd say about 10 people in the immediate area? It's a big facility though." So there's other wings to it and so on... Big lab facility type. (edited)

Kite

Naoya kept his eyes on the road as he spoke, "That's likely... unless you'd prefer not? But I know you've been having trouble just falling asleep regularly." So it might be easiest to 'help' it along with safe sleep inducing meds. "Hmm... I'd say about 10 people in the immediate area? It's a big facility though." So there's other wings to it and so on... Big lab facility type. (edited)

"I see," Yosuke sinks back, more at ease. He trusted his senpai, but Naoya seemed a bit on the wild side. Much like his partner, Yu... And his romantic partner, Akira. On the flip side, that must be his type in men. He didn't say this, of course. "I think it'll help to put me to sleep... I'm way too on edge to even close my eyes for too long." He laughed weakly, trying to play his fear off as a joke, but he was definitely taunt. It was giving him a headache. "After what happened last time, I won't say I'm not scared shitless of what could go wrong."

"I understand... I haven't been afflicted by the current sleeplessness but I had an issue in the past." Guilt and self hate over losing your twin brother really fucks up your sleep. He pauses, focused on parking the car before speaking again. "It's okay to be scared... but I'll stay with you. You won't be alone in there." During the testing, that is. Sadly he can't join him in his dreams.

Yosuke looks at him, as though seeing him in a completely new light. Naoya is proving to be much more reliable than he initially let on. "Yeah... Let's do this." With the support, Yosuke feels a new motivation to get it done, despite the turning of his stomach. As they move down to the testing chamber, he tries desperately to numb himself, thinking of something else. He tried to ask questions about what others are doing down here, but it didn't stop the hardened look on his face. Determined, but desperately trying to keep the storm of anxiousness at bay. "What do I need to do...?"

He nods and gives an encouraging smile before leading him in. His questions would be answered, most researchers seemed honest and friendly. The Nanjo group may hide persona related stuff from the general public but they did their best to be humane. "Just lie down and the nurses will take care of setting up the rest." Naoya gently pats a hospital bed for Yosuke to hop onto. Lotsa fancy machinery was set up nearby and competent health workers got to connecting him up to some of it. Naoya pulled up a chair to sit right next to Yosuke, even offer a hand to hold if he needed it.

Yosuke laid down, tucking his hair from his face and making sure he was comfortable on the stiff bed. He never found hospital beds very comfortable, especially since he was forced to be in one for so long recently. The nurses pull back his shirt to plug many corded stickers to his chest and ribs, then wheel a large light that overhangs the bed over his head. Apparently it was meant to look into brain activity. When the IV was in, Naoya came to his bedside, to which Yosuke laughed. "I'm fine, Naoya-San. I'm sure if anything happens you'll be here to help..." A nurse gently placed a mask over his face, asking him to count down from ten. He barely mumbled out five before the lights were out...

3.....2.....1... ... The darkness here. It was tangible, no doubt. Even in a place such as this. A facility brought about to shine a light upon the unknown. No, this wasn't merely the quiet shade of the night. Or a peaceful drift into the realm of dreams. One.. could swear the air had grown cold with a pervasive feeling. One that intruded upon one's mind. One's heart- one's ego... The Gaze of one wholly unwelcome. Fixed upon this experiment. Right here and now. Selfish desire had found it amusing, no less than he saw it as paltry in effort. Little could a sleep study do. For throwing their current theories into the dark. And even now. The human sensations held within. Inspired little confidence. A break in the silence- the sudden churn. And gurgle of oozing liquid... ebon mass leaking from the surface beneath the subject Naoya had been so certain he'd keep safe. Arms of darkness, snaking around Hanamura.. embracing that resting form... Almost mockingly obvious. A sign to the Shadow operatives. The lack of fear this being held. (edited)

"Of course. I'll protect you." That's a promise... one he would never break on purpose. After watching Yosuke with a kindly gaze, making sure he fell asleep safely he'd take a more serious expression. Determination and strength held in his heart even as the atmosphere changed... he tensed a bit, readying himself for anything. "Wh..?" That was bold he expected this thing to be more sneaky. But there's no time to think, he'll immediately grab at Yosuke with one hand and use the other to try and pry off one of the grotesque hands. "Let.... go...!" He grits his teeth trying to do this without harming Yosuke.

Yosuke could feel the sudden chill in his sleep, could feel a snug all over feeling like he was being put into a tight tube. He couldn't move, and the terror woke him from the brink of medicated sleep. He could hear the beeping of his racing heart, could see Naoya over him, panicking, and realized that what he was dreaming was reality. He started to wiggle uselessly, but the gas he breathed in made the darkness so much stronger, and he found himself out again... All he dreamt of was floating in darkness, sinking. He couldn't bring himself to move. He was just... So tired... And it was nice to float there, letting his body be supported by nothing...

A sudden command to one's body- .don't move. A sensation that could hardly be described as pleasant. As that presence would invade Naoya's muscles. Causing them to contract in an unnatural way. Forcing limbs to turn slightly in ways they were never supposed to go- a firm threat without words. And Kagutsuchi's very being was little less than suffocating. And the claws that grasped so tightly... their pull grew ever stronger. All that was needed now was.. for Naoya to let go.

Hrk..! he heard that command... felt it? Either way it was painfully obvious when his arms and legs moved on their own toward directions they really shouldn't. Further pressure and some would certainly break.... "You bastard!" Despite the obvious threat he tried to fight it anyway, putting Yosuke's wellbeing above his own... thankfully some of the facility staff scrambled in to grab at him and pull him away when they saw what was happening or- at least, saw the readings on this thing's power. Readings that broke the machines. "Hey, what are you..!? Stop!" Now he's trying to fight them too. Not gonna work. He's about ready to even summon a persona but it's probably too late the second his grip is pried off of Yosuke.

And... With that. Yosuke's form- that grip Naoya had fought hard to maintain. Even underneath Kagutsuchi's influence... Hilarious to think he'd try so hard. And.. yet. Ever more. He found himself somewhat grateful for such an entrhalling performance. How passionate these persona users were... indeed. That lost grip... failing back. As little remained but the tar-like shadow substance that had consumed Hanamura whole... No use in reaching in now.

"No.... NO!" Naoya would jerk away, no longer affected by the strange power, and move to the bed, trying to... trying to go after him! But it only served to get gross tar on his hands. "D... damn it! I promised I'd protect him..." he buries his fist into the poor hospital bed. Tears welling up... he thought for sure he could handle this. That he could keep the younger man safe but he failed him. Now what? What if Yosuke's about to die!? Who knows what the thing could be planning. He whips around, facing the others. "Call everyone you can. We need to find him." And with that he goes off, steps tense and giving a bit of sniffle as he tried to keep himself from full on crying. He needs to keep it together. Tell the others. And then....... [Thread End] (edited)

@Phea: full-time twink bullier Psst. You're the one who agreed with me on sharing info, right? I feel like you also know yosuke a bit better. Do you have any guesses on what's goin on?

I live with him, so... I definitely have some things on my mind about what's going on.

5:14 AM

He won't tell me what's happening, but there's clearly something difficult he's going through... I want to trust that he can figure it out on his own, though.

So he's been acting strange...? He seems more grumpy, too. Even though he seems to be gettin' sleep again. Good to trust him, I just... worry. Especially after him getting sucked into that world and all.

Sucked...?

Perhaps 'pulled' is more apt...? Taken right from under my nose during a sleep test. I hate that I couldn't stop it... I said he'd be safe and then that... happened.

He wasn't taken by someone...?

Someone or maybe more like some sort of entity. It screwed up the security cameras too. But I saw it.

I... See.

5:42 AM

...Do you have any description of it?

Dark arms with claws grabbing at him. I also recall a suffocating presence and a very firm threat to my limbs... like something was twisting them without even being there. And a voice...? Very brief.

Thanks, Naoya-senpai. That helps to clear a couple things up... I think.

5:48 AM

Is there anything else you want to know? I'm happy to answer to the best of my abilities.

No problem, I wanna help as much as possible. We can't let more people get hurt..! As for questions... hm... any idea what this thing could be? Tatsuya says Nyarlathotep but... tatsuya says that about everything with his paranoia

Well... One of my friends suspects it might be someone we dealt with before—Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, a God who could warp reality to rather intense extremes. I'm not sure how I feel on the theory myself, but... I don't think it's entirely out of the picture. Especially with the fact that something non-human dragged him in like that...

5:58 AM

There isn't too much to support it, other than, as you mentioned, paranoia. But the red sky of this new other world does remind me a lot of back then...

5:59 AM

...I wouldn't say for certain, just in case. We don't usually see repeat deities...

I see. well, I won't rule it out either then. And if even the layout of this being's lair is familiar it could be likely... unless its trying to trick us...? Hrm. It's not unheard of for a deity to revive tho, especially if it's from the collective unconscious. If it is him are there other signs to watch out for?

I would like to think he's gone for good. I watched him die in front of my own eyes with a friend. But... We can never be too certain in this field of work.

6:25 AM

Hi-no-Kagutsuchi really liked creating fake replicas of friends and teammates in order to trick us and throwing us into fighting competitions. I kind of doubt the latter will happen again, but it was one of the more interesting experiences I've had with a deity, at least.

6:26 AM

The last time we ran into him, he replicated the appearance of one of our friends—Teddie. And he took on his voice, too. We had him mistaken for the real Ted for a minute...

6:27 AM

Be careful and keep an eye out for anyone acting strange.

Exactly. It's tricky with the supernatural

Oh... that's an issue. If one were to infiltrate our ranks they could get to some of the secrets that really matter like strategies or weapon blueprints... Oh? Ted's your friend too? I really like him. He's been a great parent to the little shadow baby that used to be in our facility. But, I digress.. I'll definitely keep an eye out.

@Phea: full-time twink bullier hi. You. Psst. Hello. Should we tell Labrys about this hunch I read up on past incidents and I feel like she should know

I definitely trust her with that information. Feel free to add her. :)

Alrighty. @Bones hello madam you dont know me well but you know yu sooo

yep, i know him pretty well! :D

It's good to see you again. ^-^

9:33 PM

Naoya-sensei wanted to bring you in here to talk about a hunch of his. (edited)

it's good to see you too! c:

9:34 PM

what hunch is it? i'll try my best to help!

Well it was more of Yu's hunch... but we were thinking, perhaps, Hi-no-kagutsuchi is skulking around here. If he's revived or some such thing...

hi-no-kagutsuchi?

12:47 AM

why do you think that?

The thing I encountered is a bit dubious... It's less my hunch and more Yu since he was actually there when Kagutsuchi first showed up. Or, Yu's friend..? I just felt we should tell you in case it is.

i hope he isn't

2:20 AM

last time he was around it was

2:20 AM

bad.

It definitely sounded bad... I wish I could have helped but I was in a different country on a different mission at the time. One sec. Let me find my description of the entity I saw.

2:25 AM

Just a copy paste of what I told Yu. 'Dark arms with claws grabbing at him. I also recall a suffocating presence and a very firm threat to my limbs... like something was twisting them without even being there. And a voice...? Very brief.'

do you know what the voice sounded like?

I said that Sho thought it could be and I said I didn't quite believe it myself... But even if there's a chance, it's important to keep an eye out for it.

Very deep, more on the masculine side. Full of spite and malevolence that seemed to make the presence more and more suffocating with every word spoken. And, yeah. No guarantee it's him but I felt it would be good to let you know in case.

it sounds like him but like you said there's no guarantee. i just hope it ain't.

Naoya-san? I promise this isn't about my brother lol!

Gotcha! What's up?

Oh just I wanted to see if you can get me into contact with that therapist you mentioned-- the one that knows about personas and stuff

Absolutely! I'll message Maki right now. I'm also here if you need to talk some rn. Though I am not professional

Oh, just... I agreed to get professional help for someone close to me. I thought it might be a good time, since my emotions are out of whack, is all... Thank you for being such a good guy, Naoya.

Ah, I see. It is good to get help if ya think you need it. And with everything going on i can imagine it's been hard. No prob! I'm always happy to help if I can. And you're my friend so I especially wanna help!

Thanks Naoyo-san...

You're welcome, yosuke. If you need anything else just let me know Maki said she'd text you about figuring out a good appointment date btw

Thanks again. I'll keep a look out!

1

@Ribbon Psst. Are you alright?

Wah?!?

4:55 PM

Uhm!! Yes!! ʕ ´∀｀ʔ♡ Thanks for checking why do you ask!

I got the sense that maybe you were upset? You can tell me, I won't be mad or nothin. I just wanna know how you feel

Ahh ˓⁽͑ʺˀ́˙̻ˁ̀ʺ⁾̉ʾʾ

4:59 PM

I’m sorry…

5:00 PM

I don’t know ʕ ´∀｀ʔ♡ So it’s okay! Sometimes a bears head just gets all cottony! It’s a real problem, you know?

5:00 PM

I just…

5:00 PM

I donno.

It's alright! Hmm well, what kinda things are on your mind? Maybe talking it out in parts will help?

… ʕ ´∀｀ʔ♡ You’re always so patient… Thank you

5:08 PM

Uhm

5:08 PM

Mm…

5:08 PM

Naoya-san…

5:08 PM

You are coming to Christmas, right?… As a date?…

5:08 PM

Right?

No prob! ❤️ And yes, I am. I'm really looking forward to it!

Ehehe…

5:18 PM

As a date…

5:18 PM

ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ Mhm mhm!! So am I!!

5:20 PM

Heeheehee… I’ve never been on a date before, you know? You get the pawriviledge of being the first!

5:20 PM

…

5:20 PM

But you’ve dated before, right?..

Really? I'm honored! I'll do my best to make it a great one! And yeah, I have. Considering my age i'd be shocked if I hadn't.

Hehe~ ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ

12:19 AM

Oh, that’s right! You have to tell me your birthday so I can write it down!! oʕ ≧◇≦ʔo

12:19 AM

But uhm

12:23 AM

…Is there anything you like or not? Do you have a preference for boys or girls? Go casual or all out? Wahh!

12:23 AM

I don’t know these things!!!

12:23 AM

˓⁽͑ʺˀ́˙̻ˁ̀ʺ⁾̉ʾʾ ˓⁽͑ʺˀ́˙̻ˁ̀ʺ⁾̉ʾʾ ˓⁽͑ʺˀ́˙̻ˁ̀ʺ⁾̉ʾʾ

It's April first! And I swear that's not an april fools joke, ahah. I like both equally! You don't gotta sweat it too much, just wear whatever makes you happy :-D

Oooo! Lucky day

3:12 PM

˓⁽͑ʺˀ́˙̻ˁ̀ʺ⁾̉ʾʾ If you say so….

3:14 PM

Ahh, I’m sorry ˓⁽͑ʺˀ́˙̻ˁ̀ʺ⁾̉ʾʾ If you say so it’s fine!!

3:15 PM

Uhmm On the day of, do you wanna go straight to the house? Or should I come get you at the train station? ʕ ´∀｀ʔ♡

It's alright! Just be yourself, man. I like you! Hmm meeting at the station and walking together could be fun!

You can’t just say that so casually!! Wahh!! ˓⁽͑ʺˀ́˙̻ˁ̀ʺ⁾̉ʾ

3:39 PM

Ehe… I agree though ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ

3:39 PM

That’d be nice….

Eheh, I'm just that type of person. I say what I feel ❤️ Then let's plan on that, yeah?

You really do, huh?… ʕ ´∀｀ʔ♡ Thank you for always being honest, ehe

3:42 PM

That’s reassuring, you know? Too many people who talk and talk and talk around things!

3:43 PM

We should!! We shall ٩ʕ ◦`꒳´◦ʔ۶

No problem! And yeah, I know the feeling. It's much better to be honest imo. Sounds good! I'm excited

Really? ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ You’re a smooth talker! How dangerous! oʕ ≧◇≦ʔo

3:58 PM

Yeah though…

3:58 PM

It’d make things a lot easier, huh?

Eheh, thank you~ Mmhm. Honesty is a foundation for good relationships. I can get why some people keep secrets, but it definitely causes confusion and sometimes fights.

Mm… I wish more people were just to the point ˓⁽͑ʺˀ́˙̻ˁ̀ʺ⁾̉ʾʾ It’s confusing having to play mindgames.

4:05 PM

…Man, I’m glad you already know about me and Karu-chan ʕ ´∀｀;ʔ♡

Yeah. Having to guess what people are thinking gets confusing. I'm glad, too. I'm happy to know you guys.

Ehehe… I mean, I wouldn’t have met them if it wasn’t for you! I should be the one saying that oʕ ≧◇≦ʔo

4:12 PM

Thanks again for everything ʕ♡◦ᴥ◦♡ʔ

True! I'm glad we all met

No prob! And thank you too :-D

@Ribbon Naoya couldn't help a smile that spread across his face as he strode off the train and saw Ted there waiting. It'd been a bit since the last time he had a serious date. Most of the time it was just... friends with benefits? Little flings? Obviously agreed to by both sides. He wasn't the type to play with someone's heart. So, long story short, he's pretty excited for this! Maybe it'll work out or maybe not but.. it's nice just getting to be together and see! "Heya. You look marvelous." He flashes another grin her way. Genuine in his compliment, he really looked great! Naoya himself was wearing a red dress shirt with a forest green tie and black pants. Christmas-y colors stylin! He also had on a coat right now though (it's cold!), one with the fuzzy hood, though it was down.

Teddie was going over her mental checklist for what felt like the five-hundredth time since she got here. Hair still in place, no missed stains on her clothes anywhere (and the outfit was fine by the way she did NOT need to run home to change again), makeup hadn’t magically turned into a clown one since last she checked via her front camera- It was fine. Everything was fine. This night have been her first time doing this but it was fine. She totally had this. If she could stay calm, focus, and— ”AAAH!-“ Jumping backwards in shock with no grace and no style, perhaps she’d been a little too focused... and managed to miss Naoya approaching entirely. Good start. For a few seconds she froze, mouth slightly open, staring at him. Then the realization kicked in that oh god she should say something and- what had he said again? Ahh! This couldn’t go off script already! Startling upright again, she smiled her best most convincing totally not nervous smile at him as she could. “N-Naoya-san! You’re here!” He complimented you, idiot! Say something back! “Thank you! I— I put a lot of time into it!!”

Someone's nervous. He'd think that but not say it. It wasn't really a bad thing anyway, just an observation. Hopefully I can help her relax. he'd not want his date overly stressed, if he can help it! "No problem. I can definitely tell." Another smile and a light pat on the shoulder. "You're always so fashionable~" trying to help him calm buuut he can't help throwing another compliment his way. "Oh..! I also brought these." And in his other hand is a container of cupcakes! They have little icing jack frosts shapes on them. "I know I mentioned them in chat before but, well.. I hope you and the others like 'em."

‘Nervous’ was a kind way of putting it. Wether Naoya finally arriving (not that he’d been late- more so she’d simply been early) made said nerves worse or not she hadn’t decided yet. Face going red between the compliment and the touch- touch! Wahh!- * She was trying VERY hard to stay with it. He thought she was fashionable! That was definitely a good thing! And she was, for the record, pretty fashionable indeed. If she did say so herself. “Ahh! Uhmm! Thank you!! I—“ Ooh, cupcakes. “Ooh, cupcakes!” Snapped back to reality within a second, suddenly the cupcakes held all her interest. “Oh, they’re so *cute! You made them all by yourself?“ Hikaru would definitely like these. Shuffling a bit closer to Naoya, she gave a big smile. "They look delicious! I'm sure I wi- I'm sure they will!" Sharing is caring Teddie, don't forget.

Lucky for Ted he doesn't seem to mind the other stumbling some. After all she said it was their first date! So it's understandable! "Yup! I learned how to cook from my mom when I was younger and then I just kinda kept going." He smiles, though there was a small pause when he mentioned his mother... he has complicated feelings about back then. But it's the holidays! And a date! No time for angst! "Thanks! I'm happy to hear that." He'll pause and offer his free hand, wanting to see if she'd like to walk holding hands. "Shall we get going?"

Luckily for Naoya, Teddie was way too distracted to notice any potential dips. "Aww!~ That's so sweet!" She was totally going to get them to cook together another day. Romantic AND tasty. The bearst anything could get! "Oh! Uhm-" Woah, hand holding! Scandalous! ...She'd been preparing to grab his hand all week, and now she didn't even have to! Grinning as wide as humanly (shadowly?) possible, she took Naoya's hand. "Mmhm! Right this way!" With a bounce in her step she swung their arms as they walked ever so slightly. Look world, look! They were holding hands! "I'm sure everyone will be excited!" But not as excited as her. It simply wasn't allowed!

Naoya's hand was probably bigger than her's, encompassing his date's hand but keeping a grip that stayed gentle yet firm. A very assuring hold! Also him just enjoying the closeness. Smiling as they went along. "I hope so! It's exciting getting to do this. Have you ever gone skiing before?"

Holding hands, holding hands~ Suppressing the urge to frantically wave their arms around in the air each time they passed someone (See! We’re holding hands!) she was definitely on cloud nine for the moment. “Yep yep!! A purretty long time ago now, though… And that was with-“ Was there a good way of explaining you were skiing in a mascot costume? Hm. Maybe not. “W-well, it was a pretty long time ago. Ehe.” ….Oh no, falling would hurt a lot more in this body, wouldn’t it? Smile dropping for a moment, she decided it was an excellent time to reflect the question. “What about you though? Have you gone skiing before?~”

Naoya tilts his head at that comment, curious what she was gonna say especially when his expression seemed to drop. He was about to ask if she was okay when the question got turned around. "Ah? Oh! I have." He smiles. "It's been a bit for me too but hopefully we can have some fun together?"

“Well, you beartter catch me if I fall then!” Not even noticing the puns slipping in, she grinned. “I’m sure anything would be fun with you!” Though with a little luck, it would not, in fact, involve falling. She sure hoped so at least. Squeezing Naoya’s softly, her mind wandered to the rest of the day. Already meeting the family right on the first date- even if he technically already knew most of them… Still! She couldn’t ask for anything better.

Quite frankly, he loves puns. So he usually just gave a grin at 'em. And with a bit of walking later they were at the resort, still hand in hand! He'd give a hello to everyone, even Adachi who distinctly still didn't like him. And leave the cupcakes in the lodge for everyone to try. After that it was time to try skiing! "You ready for this, Ted?" He looked over at him, all geared up. He picked one of the smaller hills for Teddie's sake so hopefully even if she fell it'd be alright.

Ahh, skiing. Now with a distinctly less egg-shaped body. Fun. How did people do this again?... She hadn't needed much explanation last time. Things felt much more natural as a bear! And the bear feet didn't even properly fit in the bindings! ....Actually, she hadn't really used the skiis then anyways. That might've been it. Wait, the first slide down she had, hadn't she? Didn't she crash that time?!? And then it was fine because her fur was a lot bouncier but-- Looking up at Naoya calling over, she gave a wave. "Totally!" The death grip on her poles and slightly unsteady stance said otherwise, but it was fine. It was a small hill! "....You go first, though!"

Hm.. She didn't look too confident... and Naoya could tell. Those brown eyes of his looking with worry for a moment but then, he should put some trust in his date right? Teddie could do it, right?? She's probably just nervous..! "Okay..! I'll see you down there." He gives a big ol' grin before squaring up and heading down. Definitely not ski champion material. He tripped up a few times but managed to save his ass, comically waving his arms a time or two to regain balance... but he did make it in one piece! Now looking behind him to see how Teddie was doing.

Cheering Naoya on as he went down (both to be nice and to get her mind off having to go down herself), she stalled as long as she could watching him instead. Well…. He stumbled, but he didn’t fall! That was reassuring. She could probably fix her mistakes too then. Realizing she couldn’t just awkwardly stand still here much longer, she took a deep breath. Okay, in position… And go! For a bit, it actually went rather well. Not perfect, but alright! She wasn’t too off balance, she was (mostly) still going straight and the speed wasn’t too horrifying. Right as she was thinking that, though- For just a second, she forgot about her human legs being long, and needing to stay bend. Straightening up unconsciously, the wind hit like a truck and with an overly exaggerated wave, she managed to both steer herself off path and fall directly afterwards. “AaaaaA AAAAA-” The scream was abruptly cut off by a direct hit into a tree. Getting a hefty package of snow dropped on her for the trouble, she didn’t have the energy to sit back up. Half buried, she just laid dazedly in the snow. Ouchie. (edited)

Naoya watched as she went, cheering his date on in return. She was doing well! And he couldn't help smiling that is until the one, fast, mistake wiped the grin off his face and replaced it with worry. Immediately he scrambled, first falling once himself as he forgot the skis still attached to his feet... he'll quickly remove them, toss em off to some other person (asking them to return them for him), and start trekking up the hill again. Even using his hands to sorta climb when it was steep. He eventually got to her and pulled her out! "Teddie!? Ted! Are you alright?" He'd hold the shadow in his arms, bridal style. Hoping the closeness would warm him up some. He'll get him back to the lodge asap!

This was how she’d die. Farewell, cruel world. She was going to become one with the snow forever. In other words, her head hurt. She didn’t have the brain or the skull needed for a concussion but that knowledge wasn’t really making her feel any better right now! Farewell cruel world, it was nice knowing y— Oh, someone grabbed her. Was talking to her? It took Teddie a moment to refocus. The person was… Oh! Naoya! Before she could have the consciousness to remember that she just made herself look like an idiot on her first date, her attention was pulled to something else. Mainly the fact that she was being held. Ahhh! Aaah!!!! That!- That was really nice, actually. Oh, wait. Hadn’t Naoya said something? “Huh? Uh..“ Head still spinning slightly, she gave up answering and opted to just lean against him instead. Ehehe… If she thought away the snow and the headache, she was just like a princess… “My prince…“ Eyes closed, she stayed right like she was for a moment, a smile on her face. …But she should probably make an effort to say something useful. “Uh.. I’m okay.“ She kind of hoped he wouldn’t drop her, though. (edited)

Well she's moving at least. That's good. if Ted hadn't moved some he might be in a panic but luckily she seemed sorta okay. Cuddling up even..! "Eheh, a prince, eh?" He grins at that. It was kinda nice, actually. Reminds him of when he was in stage plays. "Then, that makes you the princess~" cheesy and said while she's still got a headache, very smooth. He'll clear his throat after that and start moving, "Good. You really had me worried there for a sec. I'm glad you're okay." He'll give a light squeeze as he held him, a hug! @Ribbon

...! He was even carrying her!! And playing along with her a lot, huh?... Grinning brightly to herself, she stayed leaning against him as they moved. Head hurting or not, she felt very lucky. There'd been a bit too many people who liked her right up until she started talking too much. "Sorry about that.... Don't tell the others I crashed into a tree, okay?" On her first try too... Embearrassing. Thinking about it some more, the realisation set in that the fact that she was still half white from the snow would probably give it away anyhow- but oh well. Worries for whenever her headache subsided. Looking up at Naoya, she gave the brightest smile she could while half covered in frost. "Thank you for coming to get me! I'm okay if you're here, ehe.."

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