☪ shattered → Memories { a Persona Role Play }

[Freiflug]

-----「Ｋａｔｓｕｏ ► Ｓｔｒｅｎｇｔｈ

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✖--Pinching the bridge of his nose, Katsuo closed his eyes and silently prayed for patience while he fought to ignore anything that came out of Hiro's mouth. As per usual, the white-haired delinquent couldn't go a moment without saying something to upset the others. He knew how much comments against Mitsuru-sempai would upset Misa, but not only her, all the others as well. The chairman had taken them all in when they had no one else to explain the strange and unfortunate events in their life. How couldn't they each feel a unique individual sort of bond to her? Hiro, no matter what, had no right talking the way he did. Still, if there was one thing Kat had learned, it was to not feed into his negativity and just move on.

Taking in a slow, deep breath, he eventually lowered his hand away from his face just in time to hear a timid comment that had his head turning. It had come from one of the newer SEES members, Oni, who was now clutching her beloved stuffed teddy bear to her chest after voicing her concerns. The obvious fear in her tone and posture struck a cord within him, and almost immediately Katsuo's expression softened from the annoyance it once held moments before. It was understandable how she felt, in fact, Oni was just brave enough to voice what the rest of them were feeling. More than that, he thought, than how Hiro was feeling as well. Walking slowly over towards the older girl, the team leader gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder just after Kouki began reassuring her that their teacher would return.

"He's right, you know," he said, offering the best encouraging smile he could. "Misturu-sama is strong and would never leave us behind or let anything bad happen." Hopefully the tone of his voice didn't betray his doubts. There was something foul in the air that night, something that had the fine hairs on the back of his neck rising and his stomach churning.

It took a squeeze of the girl's shoulder and a slight nod for Katsuo to swallow down his sudden wave of anxiousness and face the others again. Their only hope now was for Takashi to use his evoker to summon Narcissus, a persona he commanded that would increase his scanning and tracking abilities by a high percentage. True he wasn't trained to be fully efficient, but it was better than nothing as far as Katsuo was concerned. If memory served him right, Takashi couldn't use his abilities for very long and it often left him shaken and winded. It was a common reaction to the first few times of summoning one's persona, but this guy took it to a whole new level. For whatever reason he was completely unstable; couple that with his overall fear of using something that resembled a gun, and well... you got the picture.

More sympathy flooded Katsuo at the look of discomfort and fear on his fellow SEES member's face. The poor guy couldn't even look at any of them! "Take it easy, Tachibana."

After a moment of hesitation, Takashi finally called forth his Persona, Narcissus, and got straight to work. It was clear from the other's reaction that he was proud of himself, and for that matter, so was Kat. A small smile spread across the purple-haired boy's lips as he watched their scanner get to work. Although the struggle with himself happened in a short matter of minutes, he knew how much it had taken out of Takashi to take that step. All it took was one step at a time for someone to finally gain confidence and strength. One day, he thought, the shy and nervous Tachibana would reach his full potential. For now however, the small amount of time he was able to keep his power stable was all they could get. At the mention of shadow activity at the strip mall, Katsuo nodded curtly and ordered the others to group up.

"Stick close everyone, and watch each other's backs! There's something off about tonight, there's no denying that, so I want you all on high alert." Then, turning his attention to Hiro, he added, "That means no more crap from you, alright?" It made him flinch inwardly to give Hiro such an order, almost recoiling at the thought of whatever the delinquent would lash back with, but he had to set an example as leader and try to get things straight.

The moment everyone seemed prepared, Katsuo swallowed down a hard lump in his throat and set off at the head of the group, exiting the safety of the dormitory and straight for the strip mall.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There was definitely something wrong. The air was thick, pumping in and out of his lungs at a pace that required effort, and though the air held an eerie chill, beads of sweat clung to his forehead. A sickly green hue washed over the storefronts of the area, casting down haunting shadows that hung thick in deep corners that had Katsuo more jumpy than usual. Small mist tendrils crept across the ground, and in the silence was the faint drip... drip... drip of strange, bright red blood adding to a shallow pool somewhere unseen. Now and then puddles of the stuff could be found here and there scattered on the ground; once one found Kat's left shoe in its depths. He couldn't shake off the feeling of dread washing over him. It clawed at him, wrenching his insides into tight knots and making his muscles tense. Back and forth his eyes searched, but nothing but coffins and an empty city could be seen.

Deciding to stop, Katsuo raised a hand and motioned for the others to halt in front of the Wild-Duck Burger joint. Quickly he tugged at the collar of his shirt, wishing he had something lighter on to beat the strange uncomfortable heat that seemed to cling to him despite the cold of the Dark Hour. At the easing of the material around his neck, breathing came easier to him. He took the opportunity to clear his mind and access the situation, breathing in more calmly now, though it still took some effort, as if the air around them was limited. Where were the shadows at, and more pressing, where was Mitsuru-sempai? Frowning, Katsuo scanned the area, slowly turning on his heel so he could see the entire parameter. In little to no time a movement caught his eye, drawing his attention to the spiral staircase to their left.

"Shadows!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Kat drew out his katana just as three black shapes slithered down the stairs like liquid. With blue faces they gazed unblinking at the group of Persona users, fingers twitching and wriggling with what he perceived to be eagerness. Just as they reached the bottom step, a harsh clanking of metal against metal began grating his ears. With it came a loud clang that seemed to count down each step the shadow behind the other three took. It's shape was much larger, and the moment it stepped into the eerie lighting, Katsuo quickly recognized it as what Mitsuru-sama called Wild Beast. With glowing yellow eyes it seemed to study each of the students, almost as if it could think. The tip of the creature's tail twitched, and for a moment it looked as though it might open his mouth, but at that very moment the ground beneath them trembled.

Letting out a startled yelp, Katsuo quickly reached out to steady the person closest to him, crouching down and holding out his katana to the side so that it wouldn't pierce anyone while the ground continued to shake. It seemed as if the sudden quake alerted the shadows as well; the three Mayas were flat as a puddle, and the Wild Beast crouched down in a defensive stance. What was this?! Gritting his teeth, the SEES leader glanced up by chance and was awed by what he saw. Mouth hanging open, he pointed up with the hand that held his weapon. In the distance, a long, narrow beam of light shot up into the sky. For a brief moment it illuminated the sky in a harsh wash of white, causing him to squint his eyes and blink hard, then it quickly evaporated, as if it never were.

A harsh, raspy chuckle followed by, "You're too late, humans." made Katsuo look back at the shadows wide-eyed. The Wild Beast was actually sneering at them. Flexing its claws, the shadow let out a piercing roar, declaring that the battle was to begin.

(( ooc: the light came from the direction of Taratrus. But first, we fight! >8D ))

[ Dark Hour ] [ Iwodtodai Dormitory / Strip Mall ] [ Distressed ]

[Hit me with a Stunfisk]

{ { T h e . H a n g e d . M a n . A r c a n a } }
( ( H i r o s h i . K i y o s h i ) )

{Strip Mall} {SEES Mambers} {Fine and raring to go}

"Stand up, get your hands up. Move! Are you ready to kick a**?"


The white haired teen rolled his purple eyes angrily as Misa spoke up scolding him. He was about to retort back, but then she just had to go and add that Mitsuru had saved his a** probably too many times to count. Hiro hated that fact, that’s why when the dark hour came he’d often be found training. Mitsuru watched him a lot during his training sessions and even gave him instruction, which he greatly appreciated as it helped the physical and mental strain that the bewitched hour cursed. He hated admitting that he received help though; it made him feel inferior and worthless. Mitsuru had helped that a bit with him, saying that with help you can destroy stronger shadows and that it allowed you to go all out without much concern about getting away afterward. With instruction it was the same principle.

Little Oni’s worrisome words both brought Hiro back to the conversation and made him think even more. What if she was gone? What if she never did return? Hiro clenched his teeth and fists. It pissed him off and he didn’t want to think about it. He wouldn’t feel like he belonged here if she was gone. Hiro didn’t want to have to find a new place or return to the streets again. He had… gotten rather adjusted to living here, though he’d never admit it. He was going to snap saying something like Mitsuru couldn’t be defeated as she was stronger than any shadow around here, as he had experienced once challenging her to a fight, but Kou spoke up saying there was nothing to worry about. Hiro was close enough to the older male to know that Kou’s words weren’t being honest to what he was feeling. He also went on saying close to the same thing that Hiro was going to say so the delinquent relaxed a bit.

Finally it seemed that his advice was taken and Takashi was finally going to summon his persona. Of course after the first few seconds and Kat telling him not to force it or whatever Hiro got bored with the whole thing. Granted he didn’t like using the blasted object either, but he knew that a moment of hesitation could result in a major injury or even death. Finally the slowpoke pulled the trigger and got too happy about seeing his persona. Was Takashi crazy or something? As told by Mitsuru, a persona in an extension of yourself, your true self. Why the hell would you be so damn happy to see something that is a representation of your true self? Hiro knew what his Persona was and what it mean. Inugami, an angry dog spirit from Japan. Most of the time the myth went along that the owner buried the dog all the way up to the neck then tortured the dog by placing meat right out of it’s range. Eventually the dog died and became a vengeful spirit that would haunt and curse his owner. There were variations though like cutting the dog’s head off with an axe at a certain point. Either way it fit him, though like everything else he’d never admit it. He accepted his persona easily after realizing it’s name.

Now it seemed like they had a destination: the strip mall. Just as Hiro was going to start putting on his arm blades Katsuo called him out. The delinquent merely smiled and put his hands up like he was surrendering. Hiro never truly believed he gave out any ‘crap’, it was all truth for him or at least the truth that he would admit to. As soon as they were all out and on their way Hiro was back on high alert. Instincts fortified by Mitsuru’s lessons that the majority of them got were quite apparent. Hiro’s body was tense, but loose enough to quickly react to any attack. His face though appearing serious his eyes shone in excitement. The delinquent was pretty close to his element. He loved to fight and it showed both in and out of the Dark Hour.

Soon enough they were at their destination, Hiro taking the outer area closer to the open space. It was an optimal position to be in. If anything came from the center or street he’d be able to see it clearly and alert the others. There’d also be more space for him to fight. Of course luck would have it that the enemies come from the left staircase. It wasn’t far and Hiro could easily change his position, but at the rate those guys were going… The white haired teen tightened his grip on the handles of his weapons just as he did the ground began to shake. It’d be enough to stagger a few and probably knock down a few others, but Hiro knew to have a wide stance in battle for balance. The only thing that caught Him off guard was the bright light that was rather blinding. After the light faded Hiro lowered his arms from his face and reassessed the area. No new shadows, but a voice seemed to come from the lion-like shadow. It told them that they were too late. Hiro chuckled, “For your funeral we’re not!” he challenged before moving up to them near Kat and guarding. He wanted them to be a little bit closer before he attacked.




"I can't be defeated! I can't be broken. I will remain! I will not quit."

[minaflower71]

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I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS
I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS
I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS

the [ɱagician]X X X -X X X -X X X PERSONA: [Sati]
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C H A S E D. A R O U N D. B Y. T H E. S O U N D. O F. T H E. C L O C K. I. L I V E. T O D A Y- B Y. F O R G E T T I N G.
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❀ I✘ L O O K ✘ T H R O U G H✘ T H E ✘ WINDOW Even with both Kou's and Kat's assurances, Misaki wasn't convinced and remained grim-faced. Hidaka Misaki was one of those girls who would always be at the center of things, talking and giggling and being, well- her, but in today's situation, she remained withdrawn and serious. Watching Takashi hesitate with the evoker, she tensed unconsciously. It was worrying to see the newer members hesitate with the evoker, but it was an issue that they had not yet overcome yet. The newer members could only manage after doing it for so long- almost a year in fact. Because not pulling the trigger could result in your death, which was a little ironic. Their guns saved their lives, when regular ones stole lives.

The strip mall was to be their destination. Following along, Misa placed herself near the head of the group, closely behind Kat, who led. It didn't take long for them to get to the strip mall with their steady pace. It was even easier with the lack of need to worry about traffic or bumping into things. The night was illuminated by the swollen green moon, casting a sickly shade of slime on every corner. The only sound were their harsh footsteps scratching against the pavement, with the occasional grunting of shadows that fled into the darkness.

It was a lovely place during the summer, but underneath the filter of this peculiar hour, it seemed an eerie ghost town, with the possibility of danger lurking behind every building. Soon, they were confronted with the shadows and abruptly- the earthquake. Surprised, but trying to focus on keeping steady, she was grateful for Kat's steadying hand. "Thanks." She said gratefully, and then following his lead in crouching for better balance. Her warrior instincts attuned, she immediately snapped her head upwards following Kat's gaze. Momentarily, Misa's eyes were blinded and she gripped her epee tighter, disoriented by the flash.

Before she knew it, the battle had begun with the Wild Beast's roar. Blinking rapidly, she slid into an offensive stance. In the background, she heard Hiro come up beside Kat in a defensive stance, though she would have to admit that his smart a** reply had been pretty amusing. Finally, the dots in her eyes vanished and she swung her epee in a testing manner before sliding to the side slightly. It bothered her by what the Shadow had said and she wanted to investigate that white light that had flashed by.It was such a rare occurrence during the Dark Hour. Clearly, something was wrong, but it was even clearer that they weren't going anywhere with these Shadows in the vicinity.

"I'll take whichever's weak to agi." She said out loud, directing it loudly at the Wild Beast, knowing that it likely could understand her. In response, she was greeted with yet another roar. "Tachibana-san? Could you please scan them?" She wanted to send an apologetic look for asking him once again into having to use the evoker, but it would be useful to find out what the shadows' weaknesses were. Swiftly and well-practiced, she hooked her evoker out of her thigh holster at the same time the Wild Beast leaped forward in a pounce, covering the space that had been between the shadows and SEES. Within seconds, she had lifted the evoker to her head, grip skyward, and pulled the trigger. "Sati!" The strip mall resounded with shattered glass, a female figure clad in black and flames appearing and thrusting her hands forward.

Mid-leap, the Wild Beast erupted in light fire, but fire seemed to only hurt it normally. It was unabashed by it. In fact, it could still move immediately after it, landing right in front of their group with a roar. It nuzzled the round ball attached to the chain once, its yellow eyes shifting from one member to another. Perhaps the Shadow could sense fear, but its mouth revealed fangs in an almost crude smile before leaping with a snarl at the newer members , who were naturally nearer the middle of the group.

"Watch out!" With a warning, she swirled around and hoped to God, though she didn't believe in religion, that they would be able to defend themselves or either Kou, Hiro or Kou reached them first. She didn't expect them to be able to use their persona immediately, but she just prayed that all that training had worked and that they would evade safely. Misa lunged forward herself, but knew in her heart she wouldn't reach them before the beast landed.

[Magician Arcana]

x
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＂Ｉ＇ｖｅ ｇｏｔ ｙｏｕｒ ｂａｃｋ！＂

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██║ ⋆ STRIP MALL *!_______


From down the blade of the silver katana glinted the white light. Kouki winced as he stared at it, nerves already on edge from the abrupt earthquake and sudden shadow appearance. They knew that shadows lurked in the strip mall, but seeing their presence made him worry. From the dorm to their destination he followed the group from the rear. It was the best place to protect the new members and keep an ear out for a surprise attack. Though the shadows had yet to give them a clue they were that intelligent, Kouki was not going to take this menacing atmosphere for granted.

Four Shadows in total surrounded them. Those with the blue masks weren't too strong, but the lion with the ball in chain was a different story. Dread knotted his stomach. Every knuckle was pale from the tight grip he had on the Sais. Mitsuru’s training came back to mind. Remain calm. Remain steady. Lash out. Protect.

Protect. His eyes darted to the three new members. Misa took the words out of his mouth when she asked Tachibana to scan the enemies. They needed that leg up, or this battle would take too long. Whatever that flash of light meant, it was time limited, so said the Lion with a snarl.

Those bright yellow eyes flashed with menacing intelligence as it deftly leapt past the three older members towards the newbie’s who were placed in the center. Cursing, Kouki pushed off on he balls of his feet. Propelled by the motion, he pushed Oni to the side (not enough to shove the girl over) and out of the Lion’s reach. Already one massive paw had been raised and came down. Pain seared from his right shoulder to the center of his chest as the shadow’s claws raked his body. Crying out in pain and anger, he lashed out with both Sai’s. They bit into the skin of the Lion, who pack peddled from the new members. Before the Lion could react again, Kouki threw one of the Sai’s.

It was the perk of using such a small item. They could be wielded as daggers, as swords, or as they were currently employed: Throwing Knives. Flying true, the three prongs of the blade sunk into the Lion’s right arm. Another ear splitting roar issued from the pained shadow, who stumbled back. Grim satisfaction smiled on the boy’s face. Fumbling with the leather holster, he had neglected another part of Mitsuru’s teachings.

Remain vigilant.

One Maya had taken advantage of Kouki’s distraction and slithered forward. Its high pitched keening gave him just enough time to mentally prepare for the attack. From the formless black blob of a body rose two arms that wiggled around. White, sparkling mingled with blue shimmered from its fingers. Bufu, or Ice rather, gathered around Kouki’s legs. Energy sapped from his body as he gasped. Eventually the ice broke and sent him tumbling over with a groan. Damn it all! Ice was a major weakness of his, and now he lay defenseless with the newbies, one Sai down, with a grumpy Maya looking to take a piece out of them.

[minaflower71]

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I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS
I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS
I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS

the [ɱagician]X X X -X X X -X X X PERSONA: [Sati]
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C H A S E D. A R O U N D. B Y. T H E. S O U N D. O F. T H E. C L O C K. I. L I V E. T O D A Y- B Y. F O R G E T T I N G.
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❀ I✘ L O O K ✘ T H R O U G H✘ T H E ✘ WINDOW "Kou!" Her lips spread in a grin, relief flooding from her. Kou, who had been near the back, had thrown himself in front of the newer members and attacked the Wild Beast. Damnit. She couldn't believe that this particular Shadow seemed more intelligent than past encounters they've experienced, knowing to jump past Hiro, Kat and her right into the center of their group. Her eyes quickly gave Kou a once over as the beast back-pedaled, noticing the long scratch on Kou's chest. It was bleeding heavily, and it was evident the creature had been merciless, its large claw digging harshly into the skin.

The thing about fighting was how fast paced they were. One second you could be victorious and in the next, you would be down on the ground in pain. Before her, such happened and she took a sharp intake of breath as a Maya took the opportunity of Kou's distraction with the other Shadow to scurry forward and cast Bufu. Shoot. Kou's weakness was ice. There had been no time to react and in a flash, the Maya was slithering forwards again, probably wanting to take out the defenseless prey on the ground. Kou seemed disoriented from the ice, and she grit her teeth as she propelled herself forward. She knew that feeling. She, herself, was also weak to ice, shivering already from the thought of ice creeping up her body. Taking on these Mayas would have to be a cautious encounter. Sati and her, they'd need to be vigilant and weary. Hopefully, they'd be evasive enough and fast on their feet.

Bravely, she slid herself in between Kou lying on the ground and the Maya preparing to strike again. Please don't cast Bufu again. She prayed with all her might, but it seemed her prayers weren't being heard. The blue mask filled with malice and the spindly arms had raised into the air. She didn't want to summon Sati again. They would have a long night ahead of them, and there would be a limited amount of times she could bring forth her persona without feeling drained. But she didn't have a choice! It was a race against the Maya. Evoker in hand already from her previous summon, she blasted herself in the head hastily. Her adrenaline was pumping, forcing herself to push her arm faster- faster than the Maya- she had to be faster!

Her soul burst from a flame and glass shattering, and became her saviour in a nick of time. Fire enveloped the Maya which squealed and flipped upside down, splattering against the tarmac. It was weak against fire and it seemed it was going to take some time before it got up again. Thank you. She thought to the majestic silhouette in front of her, and she didn't know if she imagined it, but the figure clad in fire seemed to nod before dissipating in thin air. As Misa's persona vanished, Misa took a gulp of air. She must have forgotten to breathe, caught up in the moment.

"Everyone! I think the Mayas are weak to fire!" It was still best if Tachibana-kun could double check and maybe see if there were any other weaknesses, but at least they sort of knew one thing. Panting, she knelt by Kou's side, one hand on his arm. She tried not to flinch due to his arm being cold. "Are...you...alright?" She asked worriedly, her hand shaking slightly, while she continued to catch her breath. Summoning personae was exhausting. "Is the wound deep?" She scrutinized the gash. The claw had ripped through the cloth.

A growl nearby made her raise her head. The Wild Beast again. The battle wouldn't be so difficult if it wasn't for that thing. He seemed to be charging himself up for an attack, arched on the balls of its four legs. Kill rush. She thought to herself. Mitsuru had taught them how to recognize some physical assaults that enemies usually prepared for. But she couldn't find out who the target was.

[Hit me with a Stunfisk]

{ { T h e . H a n g e d . M a n . A r c a n a } }
( ( H i r o s h i . K i y o s h i ) )

{Strip Mall} {SEES Members} {Fine, Reserving strength}

"Stand up, get your hands up. Move! Are you ready to kick a**?"


Hiro watched as Misa came up to the front area and Hiro was about to snap at her. Her moving position left an open area and the Wild Beast seemed to have noticed that as well as it bounded over to the weak spot. Misa was able to get an agi off on it, but it didn’t do much. It continued it’s attack in which Kou bolted in front of it’s claws to protect the newer ones. In horror the delinquent saw the claws strike who would be considered closest to a friend then anyone here. That wasn’t the end though; an ice attack downed the older SEES member. Hiro curse under his breathe. Ice was a weakness to both Kouki and Misaki. Hiro, despite being a fire user as well, wasn’t weak to it. He was weak to Wind and Darkness. Hiro went up still defending, but ready to react in a moment’s notice.

Sparks gave way to flame onto a Maya. It squealed in pain which made a light bulb go off in his head and Misa seemed to have the same idea. It was weak to fire. Hiro quickly pulled his evoker out and just before he pulled the trigger he noticed the stance of the lion-like shadow. He recognized it, took a deep breath in, and pulled the trigger to the gun beside his head. “Miragi!” Fire engulfed all the surrounding shadows. The Glob-like shadows flattening, one that had been agi’d by Misa disappearing, and the Wild Beast shaking off the flames. That shaking off of the flames was all that Hiro needed. He wasn’t aiming to damage the stronger shadow, just distract it.

The delinquent was in front of the shadow in a flash. Even it seemed slightly shocked. “Payback time!” Hiro cheered busting with even more speed slashing down the shadow’s torso. The beast roared out in pain and went for a counter strike against Hiro. The young male back peddled just enough to be out of reach of it’s claws. “Old tricks gonna be the end of you buddy.” He chimed before making a quick blade through the face of the beast and ripping out Kouki’s sai. Again the quick footed boy back stepped back to the outer rim of the group. He gently skidded Kou weapon back to him. “I can’t use this. Maybe some other idiot can.” He said out loud, but not looking at anyone. He had said it playfully and he had a wide smile on his face. His unnatural purple eyes keeping focus on the present shadows as he took a quick rest.

Hiro was fast, but he needed short breaks after attacks like he did before. It wasn’t because it wore him out, it was to actually prevent him from wearing out as quickly as others. It was a tactic Mitsuru taught him. Hiro focused on quick and powerful attacks. Any battle that lasted too long, his energy would run out which would make him slower. That was dangerous for him. Just like how Hiro couldn’t use his envoker as much as the other more experienced members, he couldn’t take shadow’s hits too well. It was different then getting into a fight with a human. They couldn’t make wounds like Kou currently had. Damn it! Where the hell was Mitsuru?





"I can't be defeated! I can't be broken. I will remain! I will not quit."

[VivaceVivian]

╠══╪╪╪══╣ ( ☆ ) ╠═╪═╣ WHITE Rider!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxyour perfect world has been upset,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxand this is the best it's gonna get!

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The midnight hour fell and she was ready for it. A few minutes before she had been safe and sound in her uncle’s apartment, situated just above the gym he owned. It was where she trained, day in and out, when she wasn’t at school. The man heard her leave, but never asked where she went. She was an adult now, and what she did was her own business and responsibility. He’d never gotten a call from the police, and that was the most he could ask.

Standing a few blocks away from the gym as the hour truly took it’s hold, she pulled her gloves on tighter, making sure her largely traditional motorcycle leather was properly fastened to her body at all corners. She lifted the visor of her helmet for only a moment, just to take in the initial smell of the night. With a small grin, the girl flicked the thing closed before anyone could see. But who would be out here at this hour? Surely only shadows, and one shepherd with her flock.

She was set to go about her nightly routine. The midnight hour was a fantastic place to get in training where other humans couldn’t. It just sharpened her skills, more than most workouts could in the waking world. She loved the rush of hunting the enemy. It was something a certain red head seemed to find a little disturbing in her. But what did it matter? No matter how cute the woman was her requests for the leather clad warrior to join her cub scouts had gone to waste. She worked fastest alone.

Her muscles were at the ready, the warm up workout she’d done the hour before the clocks stopped at twelve helping with that. She wanted action. Though the leather clad girl had no scanning abilities, she usually managed to get herself into plenty of trouble, which was just the way she liked it. Only a few times she’d had to go back to Mitsuru at the end of the night. Not that she minded having the woman patch her up. Quite the opposite. But She wasn’t about to be distracted by such thoughts, not when there was killing to be done.

She met up with her first Shadow not long after starting her trek. Strange, there weren’t usually so many this far out of Tartarus. Not to mention the fact that they were incredibly aggressive. She drew the twin night sticks out of their holsters at her thighs and went to work. The creatures out here were not exactly strong, but she wasn’t about to underestimate them. She kept her eyes open and her body moving. Most of the hits she took were in stride, and thus absorbed into her armour.

It was the flash of light up by the tower of Tartarus that really caught the girl’s gaze. She dispatched of one of the shadows nearby, looking over to the tower again to try and see if another flash would sound. But there was nothing. Still, she got a dark feeling in her chest. The same feeling she got when a mission was about to go sour. Giving one other shadow a hard hit she broke off running, long legs taking her to the fire escape of a building nearby and up onto the roof in seconds.

With her weapons back in their holsters she moved like a breath of winter wind over the rooftops. She had to watch where she stepped. Even with her physical prowess, she wasn’t a super hero. She could jump far enough to get through the city faster than on most streets, but she had to do a little creative thinking on her feet to do it. It might mean a few bruises on her knees and elbows in the morning but she was used to that. What she was about to come up against however, she wasn’t used to at all.

She heard a cry of pain from below, and as she ran the roof of the Strip Mall she came to see a group of shadows gathering around a group of students. She slowed for a moment, eyes narrowing. But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find Mitsuru among them. Confusion wracked her mind. It wasn’t like the woman to leave her flock. What was worse, one of them appeared to be severely hurt. She could see another with white hair making a good run for the shadows. But what if another was wounded?

Alone, abandoned, out in the woods with no one to guide them. She was tempted to just keep going. Just run towards the building. Up until now their paths had never crossed, but Mitsuru had never left them alone. With a growl, the giant of a girl came to a stop at the edge of the roof. In the moonlight she was a white figure drenched in an emerald outline. Why not just leave now? They had never mattered to her before. But the thought of that red head’s pretty face wrought with sadness when she found out they’d been hurt. Well... She grabbed the evoker from the holster on her back and pushed it into the space under her helmet.

A flash of light burned the sky, and in a flurry of feathers a female form burst from the shot that left the top of the white figure’s helmet. The angelic creature was beautiful, far more feminine looking and delicate then the one who had summoned her. Floating silently behind her mistress, the celestial Persona lifted her hands, lips moving with no sound. Her palms began to light, and all at once each of the shadows were engulfed in the same bright flash.

One by one the Maya collapsed inwardly, destroyed by the force of the spell. All Shadows dead but one. The lion like creature winced at the light, blinded for a moment but still unharmed. The white figure placed the evoker back in its holster, her Persona disappearing in a burst of light fragments and feathers. Taking a step back, she breathed in slowly before flinging herself off of the building. This was going to hurt. She positioned herself with her heel down, falling straight for the lion like creature’s head.

The impact was incredible, and her muscles absorbed it as she fell. Still it sent a shock through her body. She had fallen quite a ways. She tried to absorb as much pain as possible before rolling off to the side. She took to a knee to catch her breath, glancing over to the fallen body of the final Shadow. Her head bowed and when the pain in her bones began to fade, she moved to stand. There were a few stars in her eyes from the impact, but nothing she couldn’t see through. Looking from one student to another, she tightened her gloves once again, her voice somewhat muffled and morphed by the helmet.

“Little lambs, where is your shepherd?” She stood towering over them, slowly walking toward the wounded one. Her head tilted somewhat, face and features entirely obscured by the helmet. Anyone who saw her might think her an extremely fit woman that had to be in her twenties or thirties due to her height. Not that she minded the secrecy. She much preferred to keep herself anonymous, “Can any of you heal?”

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe smack of the truth wakes you from your dreaming,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxKeep your money!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxKeep your beauty!

[Hit me with a Stunfisk]

{ { T h e . H a n g e d . M a n . A r c a n a } }
( ( H i r o s h i . K i y o s h i ) )

{Strip Mall} {SEES Members and Giant Woman} {Fine, Defensive}

"Stand up, get your hands up. Move! Are you ready to kick a**?"


Hiro steadied himself as he prepared himself for another attack. The Mayas, well one more hit and those guys would be out. Any of the other members could finish them off. The big prize was the Wild Beast. That one was stronger and provided much more of a fight that Hiro enjoyed. He slid his left foot forward preparing to bold toward the larger shadow when light surrounded all the shadows in the area. The Mayas disappeared like usual, into smoke, but the lion-shaped shadow was completely unaffected if not surprised like the rest of them. Purple eyes quickly looked around, but he saw no evoker to the head of the other SEES member. That means that it was someone else. It couldn’t be Mitsuru as she’d never use her persona on a weak-to-her shadow. He wondered who in the world did it, but his silent answer was soon answered as a giant came falling from the sky and crashing down on the last shadow.

Needless to say the delinquent in all the years he lived on the streets never saw someone crash down from the sky in armor no less. So a look of bewilderment was quite appropriate. However when the giant stood up, it was obvious for the young SEES member to see that it was a girl. Still a giant though. Hiro gripped the handles on his arm blades tighter and got into a defensive stance. He could barely hear her words, but was able to make them out. Actions spoke louder than words though and as she approached Kou, Hiro panicked slightly. He bolted out to block her path and raised his arm blades infront of him in a defensive stance. However, Hiro’s attitude was anything, but defensive. “Who the hell are you lady? How do you get off just interrupting someone’s fight?! We were completely fine and will be completely fine so BACK OFF!” Hiro barked and snarled not at all pleased by the random giant woman appearing out of the blue. The white haired male didn’t trust her. Mitsuru had at least told him that not all people who were awake during the Dark Hour were good. He had questioned the redhead about it, but she had just told him not to worry about it.

Hiro hoped that Misa, Oni, or Taka would get to healing Kou quickly. He really didn’t like this woman just coming up so friendly-like. It was one thing if the group would have ran into someone that was scared, but this woman didn’t have an ounce of fright in her. He could tell and that sent off red flags. Very dangerous red flags and the fact that the woman mentions their “shepard” meant she knew of Mitsuru. Even if the evoker that the woman was given by the redhead the fact that this woman wasn’t apart of SEES sent even more alarms into the actually cautious Hiroshi.





"I can't be defeated! I can't be broken. I will remain! I will not quit."

[Tricia Kurosawa]

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗

Kurosawa Oni | Hermit | Banshee

In you and I there's a new land
Angel's in flight
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah

Well, that was certainly a first. In her short time with SEES, she never heard any of the Shadows taunt them before. At the same time, Oni could have expected something of the sort to happen. Exposed to such a new world, there were an infinite amount of possibilities. She still could not take the Shadows seriously, since she found them to appear rather cute. However, despite having ideas of making stuffed animals based on them, she would prefer not having the team judge her, or risk some sort of weird voodoo possession over them.

Oops, her mind was wondering again. The Shadows had begun to attack, so the SEES members had raised their weapons in defense. The brunette soon followed suit, unhooking the pair of chakrams that were attached to her bag (the very bag that her stuffed bear took shelter in at the moment). She had once seen a video demonstration of this type of weapon on the internet, and she been interested in them since. It was not so much of a surprise when she chose to wield them for when the team goes on missions.

Realizing that the lion-esque creature was charging towards them, Oni raised both chakrams in preparation to block. She was not too much of a violent person, much less a melee attacker. In fact, she knew that she had no chance against the Lion, but she hesitated, deciding to stand in place instead of gaining distance. However, before the Lion had struck, Oni found herself pushed to the side. It took her a quick second to keep her balance and to realize that it was Kouki that pushed her aside before collecting the Lion's attack for his own. Great, now she owed him one - not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but still.

Noticing a nearby blue-faced Shadow, Oni decided to take a chance. Raising the chakram in her left hand, she measured the distance between her and her opponent, as well what preferred angle to take. Once the math was sorted out, she launched her arm straight, flicking her wrist as she released the chakram. The blade-edged weapon spun through the air, slashing through the Shadow before returning to its master. Though the catch was messy, Oni was able to successfully retrieve it. The Shadow was slightly stumbled, but the battle was hardly halfway finished. All the girl had to do was keep up the ranged attacks.

It took Oni a moment to realize that they had an obscure visitor. She could not recall ever meeting this tall woman - especially under S.E.E.S. jurisdiction - but it sounded as though she knew them all somewhat well. Hearing the woman's latter question, Oni recalled her abilities. Right, she could heal Ohayashi's wounds. Of course, there was one minor catch, but it was something that she had not minded.

Quickly opening her bag, Oni pulled out her Evoker. She was always intrigued by its process. The barrel against one's own head, and their finger pulling the trigger, brings out this incredible adrenaline. With this adrenaline, those with potential can summon Shadows of their own and use their abilities. It was absolutely fascinating to Oni - it could be a remarkable plot device for some movie. Of course, it still does frighten her a little, but that's the point! If someone were to be absolutely fearless when shooting themself in the head, then that energy would not be there to begin with.

Taking a deep breath, Oni pointed the Evoker crookedly at her temple before murmuring, "Banshee..." Reluctantly, she pulled the trigger, resulting in a resonance echoing through her mind before projecting the image of a feminine figure. The woman, with long hair that flowed as freely as her dress, covered her face as she wailed upsettingly. With the summon's aide, Oni was able to cast Dia on Kouki, treating his injuries before the Banshee disappeared.

Where fears and lies melt away
Music inside
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
What's left of me what's left of me now

╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[Freiflug]

-----「Ｋａｔｓｕｏ ► Ｓｔｒｅｎｇｔｈ

-------███████████████████████████████████

✖--"Longma!"

With a harsh cry of shattering glass, a long, shimmering body slithered through a harsh glow of blue light up into the air. It's tail flicked to the side with a small burst of energy, almost as if summoning the golden encirclement that began to surround its being. Once fully revealed, the light subsided, and left behind in its wake the serpentine body of Katsuo's other half, Longma. Through piercing eyes that glowed like molten amber, it gazed down at the two remaining Maya that were closing in on its summoner and those behind him. Without any hesitation, the creature quickly tucked its head forward, causing a chain reaction of its long body to twirl forward in a circular motion until it's tail was at last able to lash out in a whip-like motion.

"Gale Slash!"

The attack connected, striking back both shadows a few paces away from the newbies Katsuo fought to protect. With one Maya and the Wild Beast closing in on Kouki, Misa and Hiro ran to his aid, leaving him behind to try and fight off the remaining enemy. No matter what he heard behind him, the cry of pain from his best friend and the combined fighting of Misa and Hiro, the SEES leader refused to turn around and look behind. He grit his teeth at the knowledge that he couldn't do anything to aid them, that such a wide gap was even allowed to be opened for the Wild Beast to attack. How could this have happened? Instead of their 'brave' leader falling back to defend their new recruits, it had been Kouki to take the fall, and then the other two to pick up the remaining pieces and work hard to defend the group. Just how useless could he be?

I knew I shouldn't have been leader...

Gripping the handle of his katana tightly until his knuckles turned white with the strain, Katsuo let out a loud yell as he pushed himself forward towards one of the Maya. With fluid, practiced ease he rose up the blade and slashed in a diagonal motion, cutting across the shadow's face just as its writhing fingers began crackling with ice magic. A few shard of ice clung tightly to the youth's skin, but almost as if nothing had happened, Katsuo was on the shadow again, slicing away at its grotesque black form. Bufu spells had no effect on him thanks to Longma's resistance, leaving him in better shape than Kouki or Misa would be in. With a soft grunt, he took a step back quickly just as the Maya went up in flames. From behind he'd heard Hiro call forth his Persona and was able to guess the delinquent's next move. With his own attacks and the flame that licked at its body, the Maya was down for the count; flipped onto its back and defenseless.

Still, there was no denying that Hiro's attack had been more of use. A small pang of self-doubt caught Katsuo's throat in a tight knot. He ignored it as his eyes traveled over towards Oni, Sachiko, and Takashi; especially Oni as she managed to slice through the third Maya that was unattended. They seemed to have been holding on their own, at least. There was one bright side in this mess. With them safe and secured, it was time to end this. Drawing out his evoker, Katsuo paused with the trigger on his temple when a sudden burst of light blinded his vision. All three Maya vanished in smoky tendrils as the white light subsided, leaving him confused and alert. That looked like a Hama spell, but who...?

He quickly turned sharp on his heel, noticing just as the others did as a leather clad figure came down from the sky. With a jolt of shock he watched through wide-eyes as the figure dug its heel into the head of the Wild Beast, finishing it off with ease before standing back up. That was when Katsuo noticed how tall the new comer was, and that it was female. Who the hell was this woman? And how did she get an evoker?! Adrenaline still coursed through Katsuo's veins as he walked closer towards the others, all the while keeping his katana in one hand and his evoker in the other in a tight grip. There was no knowing what the stranger would do next, and she was too close to the injured for his comfort.

“Little lambs, where is your shepherd?”

Shepherd? Did she mean...?

Before the youth could connect any thoughts, Hiro's shouting cut through them like a blaring siren. As per usual, he was being aggressive, though there was some oddity in his actions. Was he standing protectively over Kouki...? There was no time to be surprised or contemplate it, however. Just as Katsuo reached the group, Oni was already beginning to use her Dia skills upon the leather clad woman's suggestion. He placed himself up close so that it was obvious who was in charge, though honestly on the inside he felt lower than a slug. Still, despite his doubts and fears, Katsuo tilted his chin up in an effort to stare their savior in the face, which was hard to do considering the dark shaded shield that covered her face.

In all honesty, Hiro's words echoed his own doubts. While she did save them in her own way, there was no need to hand her over a peace treaty just yet. Just who was this woman, and most importantly...

"How do you know Mitsuru-sama?" Much to his relief, his voice rang out confident and firm, giving the young man a sense of stability as he continued. "Please, if you know where she is, you have to tell us! Otherwise get out of our way. We can't waste time!"

[ Dark Hour ] [ Strip Mall ] [ Self-doubt / Curious ]

[Magician Arcana]

x
x
＂Ｉ＇ｖｅ ｇｏｔ ｙｏｕｒ ｂａｃｋ！＂

══════════════════════════╗_______
██║ ⋆ STRIP MALL *!_______


“M-misaki?” Kou felt his head swim, his body wracked in shivers. He’d never been one to stomach cold weather well (living in Mid-west America with his parents had been a personal hell on earth from October to February). Bufu attacks struck at that weakness as well as Matador’s. Down as he was, the Maya had moved in to attack, but then Misa-Misa stepped between them. Gratitude warmed his heart, but did little for his body.

When the Maya flopped over (looking quite like a black gooey pancake) Misa touched his arm and snapped him from the wondering thoughts. Already Kou was starting to pull himself back together again. “I’m okay, Misa-Misa. Thank you.” The wound wasn’t too deep; it just was bleeding a lot. Shaking his head, he used her arm to help stand. Strength poured through him as Matador and his own self will were restored. Warmth tingled where the ice had touched.

This battle was turning out rough for Kouki, but the others seemed to be handling just fine. Hell, Oni was able to slash and take out one of the Maya’s! He couldn’t help but smile and feel a bit proud that the newbies were handling themselves so well. They weren’t exactly a well-oiled fighting machine yet, but in time they would become better and more competent in battles. Fighting strategies really did need to get hammered out. As much as Hiro was a power house, Kouki could tell that he was running out of steam. Though that smart-alecky comment made him smile as he bent over and grabbed the Sai.

Who would have expected that bright flash of white and the soft popping hiss of a Maya dying? Kouki instinctively covered his eyes and face with a forearm. What, or who, had done that!? None of the members could do something like that… What was it that Mitsuru called those moves? Hama? Of course, that was answered in a moment when some giant in white leather dropped from the sky and right into the skull of the Wild Beast.

Shocked, the teen stood motionless as this newcomer addressed them and stalked towards him. Instinctively he knew he should protect himself, but his burning chest and befuddled mind were not working like they should. Still, even in that state, he was surprised to see Hiro blocking this mysterious woman’s path.

Oni summoned her persona and Kou was relieved as his strength returned in full. Magically the flesh that had been torn knitted itself up. With a soft sigh, he touched the healed skin through the claw marks. Her healing could not fix the ruined shirt. If this was the worse to happen to his clothes tonight, then they were in good shape. “Thank you, Oni-chan!”

Katsuo addressed the mysterious fighter. Mitsuru-san was still not there and then there had been that light from Tartarus too… They really did need to get going. Knowing that Hiro would not appreciate a long winded thank you, the elder SEES placed a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed while giving him a brief smile.

“Katsuo, we really should get going. Staying around here isn’t sa--” Interrupting his warning was the sound of an arrow zipping towards them. Cursing, Kou watched as it missed and embedded into the asphalt. Turning around, two Obsessed Cupids appeared. Their odd masks and tiny bodies left Kouki feeling disturbed. The Cupid’s buzzed around haphazardly, turning in little circles and tittering to one another. They were hard to hit, being so small and fast, and Kouki had a personal hatred of the little beasts.

[minaflower71]

▬▬▬▬▬▬X▬▬▬▬▬▬X▬▬▬▬▬▬X▬▬▬▬▬▬X▬▬▬▬▬▬X▬▬▬▬▬▬X▬▬▬▬▬▬X▬▬▬▬▬▬X

I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS
I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS
I'LL LEAD, ❤THE BRAND NEW DAYS

the [ɱagician]X X X -X X X -X X X PERSONA: [Sati]
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C H A S E D. A R O U N D. B Y. T H E. S O U N D. O F. T H E. C L O C K. I. L I V E. T O D A Y- B Y. F O R G E T T I N G.
—————————————————————————————————————————

❀ I✘ L O O K ✘ T H R O U G H✘ T H E ✘ WINDOW "Yokatta!" She exhaled. It was quite a strange feeling to feel relief so many times in such a small amount of time, but she felt relieved when Kou replied, assuring her of his well-being. The wound seemed painful, but as she helped him up, he still seemed to be mobile. That was good. Turning back towards the fight, she raised her epee, one hand on her hip, preparing to fight, but in a flash of white light (though less bright than the first one shooting into the sky), the Mayas had been dispersed.

Hama. She realized in the next second, recognizing the odd tinkling of chimes after the attack, but who? Off the top of her head, she did not recognize anyone in SEES to possess Hama skills. As if to answer her questions, a leather-clad giant fell from the sky, taking out the Wild Beast on the way without much of a struggle. What the- Misaki's hazel eyes grew large in disbelief as the giant spoke. From the octave of the voice, Misa guessed the mysterious figure was a female, and as she took a closer look, she could see the distinct curves of a female in the tight leather outfit. Though there was something nitpicking at her. The voice seemed all too familiar, but her mind was drawing a blank. It was probably nothing. Besides, she didn't even know that many adults with such a well-built body.

What was certain though for Misa was that she did not appreciate being called little lambs. For the first time, Hiro snapping at the woman almost seemed suitable. Jumping in like that into a battle, especially when SEES did not know if she was friend or foe yet was just...it was just dangerous to let their guard down. Behind her, Oni cured Kou and there was one problem down. It seemed Kat was taking on their leather clad problem too. Whole-heartedly agreeing, Misaki also voiced her own curiousity. "Who are you?" But before she was answered, a chittering behind her and the twang of an arrow hitting a surface emitted into the air.

But it was problem after problem and with the arrival of the Obsessed Cupids, Misaki was not pleased. It didn't help that she suspected getting hit by those arrows weren't just going to hurt. Mitsuru had told them the results of getting hit by one of those arrows. Charmed, she called it, when you lost all inhibitions and senses and you turn against your own comrades. "I say we leave these annoying pesks or get rid of them fast. We have to find where that light went. And find Mitsuru-sama. Would she be at the school?" She was on the balls of her feet, with her body angled towards the direction of the light. She wanted to run, all her senses telling her that that white light had been the source of all their problems and that they NEEDED to find it. It was just so wrong!

[[OOC: I'm assuming the cupids can charm. I read somewhere all the cupids have that stat ability apparently. I also have forgotten if they know of Tartarus yet. LOL.]]

[Freiflug]

-----「Ｋａｔｓｕｏ ► Ｓｔｒｅｎｇｔｈ

-------███████████████████████████████████

✖--Reality warped around him, voices went unheard. He felt paralyzed, completely missing anything passing between the other SEES memebers as they decided what to do. All Katsuo could hear was ringing, endless and high pitched, echoing in his ears. The sharp pain that throbbed in his left arm was beginning to subside, but only by a small degree. Wait, why was he in pain? Though he should have been startled, somehow he felt an odd sense of calm as he gazed down to inspect what was wrong. Sticking out a little under twelve inches was a long, thick shafted arrow that dimly glowed with a golden light.

For a moment it held still, then rapidly began to sink into his skin, almost as if becoming a part of his DNA. What followed was an intense shock of heat that had the boy doubling over, gasping as the golden glow drifted up along his skin until it reached and settled into his eyes. For a moment he stared at the ground unblinking, mind blank and mouth unwilling to work. What was going on? Still no terror reached him; something was holding him back. It wouldn't allow him to feel fear, to contemplate the matter any further. All he could think was, What's happening? over and over before his eyes shifted back to normal. That was when it happened. The Charm had Katsuo under its complete control.

Like clockwork Katsuo's body moved him closer over towards the Obsessed Cupids until he was between the two of them. Then, it was almost like a switch turned on. Previously stiff and lifeless, the SEES team leader was now crouching down in an offensive stance; a wicked smirk spreading across his face. Drawing up his evoker, he pressed it hard against the left side of his temple, and with a cry he summoned his Persona.

"Kill Rush!!"

Just as before, at the chime of breaking glass Longma rose up from Katsuo's soul into the scene. At it's masters command, the serpentine monster thrust itself forward, aiming its horned head straight for where Misa stood.

[ Dark Hour ] [ Strip Mall ] [ Possessed ]

[DisaffectedYouth]

____________________

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ❥ ▇▇▇ ◞THE MOMENT I MET YOU THIS I KNOW↓↓
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂xxI'D ALWAYS LET MY LO❥VIN' SHOW
__________❛ BUT I HAVE LＯST MY WAY INTＯ THE BLUEXXX ▇▇▇
_______━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ × ━━━━━━━━━━
˟˟AND WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES ↗↗ I PRAY WE'LL SEE THIS THROUGH ➠x
_______━━━━━━━━━━ × ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

▬▬ ▬▬ ▬▬________▬▬ ▬▬ ▬▬________▬▬ ▬▬ ▬▬

THE WINTER'S GONE AND SPRING HAS COME, WE'VE WITHERED AWAY. AND OUR HEARTS ARE TORN, FROM THE YESTERDAYS↴
____________________________________________▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ❥ ▇▇▇




Venturing out into the field was something Takashi hadn't experienced often, and never without Kirijo-sempai. The trip to the strip mall was fairly simple. No Shadows had come their way as of yet, and Takashi hung towards the back of the group to try and stay out of the more experienced members way. They seemed to know the fastest route to take, since they were required to travel on foot and they only had an hour to find Mitsuru, that was important. His thoughts were wandering, so far there were no troubles or threats, and somehow that was not comforting. Where did all the shadow presences he felt go? From here his thoughts and ideas became scattered and strange. And with each new idea, they got more and more ridiculous. And that strange presence. He didn't get a change to really look at it before his Persona vanished, but there were many things about tonight that were different from the other nights (despite how few) that he had experienced. Katsuo, their fearless leader, was charging forward through the strip mall; showing off why exactly he was the appointed leader. Takashi was glad to have the Katsuo leading the pack seeing how he was the only one with strong leadership skills of the group, and it give him a small amount of comfort knowing that. However, when their easy trudging through the city came to an abrupt halt, Takashi pulled himself out of his now utterly impossible and completely ludicrous thoughts of what happened to Mitsuru. Peeking out through the crowd Takashi saw three black blobs slithering their way, followed by a much larger, animal like creature dragging a large ball and chain behind it.

It was then that the ground shook violently beneath him, and a large flash of light in the distance partnered with it. Taking a cautionary step backwards there was almost no time to think before the more experienced S.E.E.S. members went straight to work. Katsuo immediately took a defensive stance as the beast like Shadow spoke to them. Wait, shadows could talk? "Guys...it's talking." Despite saying this to everyone, he really wasn't speaking to anyone but himself, trying to take in this new information as best he could. That shadows actually had some level of intelligence. That they could think and plot and actually have purpose and strategy to their movements? That was a lot to take in. When he first experienced the dark hour, the shadows were lacking in any level of intelligence, so he was able to avoid their attacks. Ones that could think though, that meant that he and the others could be hunted.

Before he could think he found himself, along with Oni and Sachiko, surrounded by the other members. They had formed a protective make shift circle. Apparently, that Wild beast was significantly stronger than any of them were prepared to handle. At least so early into the dark hour. Even without his persona, Takashi knew this opponent was leagues ahead of him. He stood no chance. Taking a defensive position behind his spear he watched as the Wild Beast took its sights to Oni. He could only watch as Kouki forced himself between the two and took the blow head on. Too shocked with the intensity of the battle to realize that he could have helped prevent this. Misa was able to figure out their weaknesses before he could, rendering him completely useless. He had one job. One.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi was bravely fighting the wild beast. Misa was curled over Kouki, and Katsuo was doing all the things a fearless leader should do. He and Oni seemed to share a thought as both of them hesitantly raised their weapons to attack. Throwing his Spear without even thinking about having to retrieve it, the sharp weapon traveled at the fastest speed his well toned muscles would allow. The bladed weapon made contact with the Beast's thigh, deciding that it was better for it to just sit there. Well, great. Oni got her weapon back. "Spear! Come back..." Because talking to it was going to help. And, now he was defenseless. All he had was his persona, and his scanning abilities. It was either do that, or die. breaking from the group Takashi distanced himself from the others and pulled out his evoker. "Please work." Pulling the trigger, glass shattered in his head, pulling forth Narcissus for the second time tonight. A personal best.

Using the advanced analysis his persona would allow him Takashi managed to catch wind of something else. Someone else? A mysterious and strong persona user emerged from the erie green lighting of the Dark hour, slayed the Wild Beast, and saved them all. It was strange, this person. They seemed familiar. And tanks to Narcissus, he could tell this person was closer to their age than Mitsuru's. Not many people were taller than he was. He already teetered near six feet. Above average for a someone his age. In fact, he was the tallest in his grade, with the exception of one. A female transfer student, who was a whole head taller than he was. And this person, was easily a head taller than he. His persona, still somehow active told him that this person was exactly eight inches taller than he was. This person was a female. And she was very strong. Stronger than even Katsuo. Was this person their classmate? He couldn't let his guard down, so before their persona vanished, Takashi took a quick look at it. This female, she used a Hama spell, and as Takashi had guess, her weakness was the Mundo spells. Their only Mundo user was hurt, great.

But this person, they weren't attacking. They knew who Mitsuru was? Was this person looking for Mitsuru, or had they come across this battle by accident? Too distracted by his own thoughts, Takashi had hesitated just enough for Oni to summon her person and heal Kouki before he could. Kouki returned to his feet, but the group was greeted by more enemies. Little cupid things? That apparently, shoot love arrows? Love arrows...Charm! But yet again, things we're too late, and Katsuo fell under the control of the little cupids. "Marin Karin." Naming the Obsessed cupids attack much too late Takashi watched as Katsuo turned against them, position himself between the two Obsessed Cupids, and summoning his Persona.

"Hidaka, look out!" Takashi managed to force out as he looked for something to defend himself with. Without a his spear, he was completely defenseless. He had no offensive skills with his persona and there was no telling how much longer he could maintain connection with Narcissus. Backing up and using a street lamp as a shield his eyes made contact with one of the Cupids that had now set its sights on him. "Someone can cast bufu on those things any time now."

[VivaceVivian]

╠══╪╪╪══╣ ( ☆ ) ╠═╪═╣ WHITE Rider!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxyour perfect world has been upset,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxand this is the best it's gonna get!

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She was not surprised at their defensive stances. She watched them flood to keep their teammate from being hurt further. From behind her mask, the girl smirked. Good. They’d need each other in the end. She saw the girl move over closer to the wounded of the group and begin her spell while the white haired punk made his move at the Rider herself.

She didn’t flinch, didn’t back down. She merely stood, black visor staring him straight back in the face. With a slight tilt to her head, the woman spoke with a steady tone, “It is not a wonder that the shadows are attracted to your group, with a mouth as loud as yours on the team.” She wasn’t interested in attacking. She had no reason to. Otherwise she wouldn’t have given them aid in the first place. Her attention as taken by the boy who seemed to be the leader of the group, and she stepped back to get a better look at him.

His questions fell on deaf ears. All she heard was that Mitsuru was indeed missing. So this wasn’t some twisted missions he had sent them on. The woman was truly gone. She heard another ask about her. The Rider hadn’t intended to answer anyway, but it was close to the same time that a few arrows flew through the air. Her senses were immediately on high alert.

As the cupids started their assault she knew she had to take this moment to continue on. The group would be fine. They seemed capable enough. She had to find Mitsuru. She glanced around the battle field for a moment, analyzing the situation before she sprang backwards, doing a few back hand springs back to where the lion creature’s body had fallen.

Her next move was nothing if not amazing. She grabbed the spear lying there that had been tossed a few moments ago, and made a run for the lamp post. At the last moment she slammed the blunt end of the thing into the ground just beside its owner, and used it to vault up several feet into the air. Her hands left the spear to fall into its owner’s possession as she grabbed the lamp post and used her momentum to swing over the railing of the higher level of the strip mall.

With that she was off, running in the direction of Tartarus again. Her recent acrobatics left her a little winded for a moment, but she soon broke into the sprint that had won countless track competitions. Her legs took her to the edge of the mall and over the railing to the street. She had to get there, to Tartarus. If Mitsuru was there, she may be in trouble. It was the only place she could think to look.

She passed a few shadows by as she ran, having to summon her persona once to cut through one with a Kill Rush attack. She and Uriel burst through the front gates to the school with a flurry of crimson and black shadow disappearing behind them. Running with her Persona alongside her, the Rider remembered the moment she had seen the creature. Mitsuru had said it was her true self, yet she still did not believe it.

Someday she hoped it could be true. That the angel could represent her even in some small way. The Persona disappeared in a flash of light as she came into contact with the door. She just hoped she wasn’t too late.

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe smack of the truth wakes you from your dreaming,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxKeep your money!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxKeep your beauty!