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 Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:28 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"Dynamic entries were nothing new for the blue-haired android that had become one of the more unpredictable parts of their team back in the spring; still, the sight of his door literally exploding off of the squeaky hinges that he had only a little while ago finished fixing was something that stole his attention from the otherwise colorful introduction. He didn't hear many of the reactions to the explosion or even take note of many of the gifts that were handed out, his ash-colored eyes scanning the smoking remnants of his house's entry in memoriam for a portal he had fixed with his own hands more times than he could count this year. "I just fixed that," his voice was quiet as he muttered with a strange, distant sort of sadness at the wreckage...idly running through how much of his savings it would take to replace it (and have it installed before Dojima-san came back from work tomorrow evening). He had a plethora of wealth saved up from his runs inside of the television, but even he wouldn't be able to handle repairs like this forever. Of course, Zeo promised to pay for the door almost the moment that it blew off the hinges, but there was that tiny, almost childish little voice inside of the Senior's mind that wanted to lament the poor door after putting in the effort to fix it following last night's scuffle. If it were anyone but Zeo, he might have been legitimately angry about it...or at least said something to them to discourage the practice further. But even as the blue-haired whirlwind of perverted energy and enthusiasm zoomed from one guest to himself and presented him with a pink pair of swim trunks adorned with gray lining and a Magical Girl Detective Loveline emblem on the right leg, the annoyance melted into a sort of resigned acceptance. After all... "It's very fashionable..." ...wait, what?! His disappointment became a small smile, his spirits returning even as the blue-haired android settled against a wall and held out a box for everyone at an angle that would make any fan of internetainment nervous. Lips curled into a half-smirk as the sound of footsteps behind him caught his attention, a last-second quip escaping him in muted warning before he turned to greet them. "Zeo...don't do anything illegal." Fair warning had been given. Nothing he could do about it now, right?
"Everyone, don't hold back," his voice echoed through the house a moment later, fingers dashing into his pocket to snap open a pair of familiar glasses in a practiced and rather showy fashion, settling upon his face in an expression that could only be described as unnecessarily serious for a man offering his teammates and friends some curry...but then, he always did get serious about the weirdest things, "This is a mission...to replenish your strength. Eat as much as you need until you can't store anymore!" His finger pointed dramatically at the crowd, voice raising for a moment as if to emphasize just how serious he was about the whole thing. ...Wait, was he willing to go this far just to get them to taste his cooking?! That thought lingered for just a moment as he held out his hand...until a familiar presence at his back stole away his attention to something he loved more than even watching his friends enjoy his cooking. Or someone, that was. "It's nothing...I just wanted everyone to relax," the silver-crowned teen smiled softly as he spun on his heel and turned his ash eyes to the Amagi Heiress, immediately feeling any lingering tension drain away at the touch of soft skin against his cheek. Unconsciously he turned his cheek in to meet it, the warmth and smooth brush of fingers against him matching the familiar and wonderful feeling in his memories. He had missed even these little things, had missed hearing her voice and seeing her within the space of his own home. And of course, barely a moment in and she was already covering for his own oversights, filling in his gaps with her mere presence, the flour he hadn't known was there for hours gone with one smooth motion of her fingers. It was...nice to see her, and he wasted no time in falling back into their familiar rapport when her hands clasped behind her back, that curious and deceptively airy voice of hers going darker for a moment to ascertain the details of their situation. He knew she would feel a little guilty after work kept her too late to meet them at the respective battles last night, and that her first question would probably be towards their health. His smile was meant to disarm her, to relieve her. Despite the complications, the newer members of the team (and Teddie) had held their own swimmingly against the Shade; he himself had managed to scrape through another near-death encounter as well, even learning something about a lost friend in the process. Bruises aside, he could call that...on the whole...a victory. "Everyone is fine...or recovering," the senior spared a tilt of his head towards Rednal, also not forgetting that Genji was still recovering in the hospital as they spoke...but they were alive and getting better, little bits at a time. And getting closer to the truth with every new challenge they conquered.
"Yukiko..." before he knew what he was doing, her name had slipped past his lips again, perhaps an attempt to simply continue carrying the conversation...or maybe there was something that he wanted to say to her and hadn't just yet. His eyes flitted over towards the curry as though it were much more interesting than it likely was for an instant, but were back on her a moment later, the look in them having changed slightly. His calm, easy expression had returned after a momentary lapse, but even then the warmth in his gaze was there. What was it that he wanted to say just now? ...Was it about the curry? Her curry? Mystery Food X? ...Or maybe he just wanted to tell her that he missed her, that he liked being near to her again and hoped that she would stay close to him throughout the night and make him feel more whole the way that she could. Maybe he just needed to go to the bathroom or was a little worn out, or worried he hadn't made enough for himself? It could have been anything really, but he didn't seem like he was going to continue the thought. A shame, really. But she knew him well enough to draw her own conclusions, right?
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 11:12 pm
 Kar u Raiku Karu popped in a bit shyly. He hadn't really visited Souji's place yet so he was a bit unsure about coming inside even though he was invited with the other I.Team Members and he did want to get to know all of the other people better especially after the fight from the other night. "Hello and good evening" He spoke up looking at the group that had already started to assemble at the leader's house. He recognized most of them from the previous night. He sort of slowly worked his way in just listening to the conversation taking place. Sort of taking note of all of the people around trying to sort of get comfortable in the group of people. If he was going to work along side with the people he'd really have to get comfortable with the people and quickly would be better since they were facing rather dangerous foes
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 11:56 pm
Yukiko Amagi  A sigh of relief escaped her lips the moment the silverette's response reached her ears, the tension that had been gathering on her shoulders finally released. The onyx haired girl smiled shyly, before lifting her gaze back to him, almost as if making sure he was completely right, and he hadn't suffer some serious injuries. She had seen scars and bruises he bore, and she knew it would be useless to ask him to avoid getting hurt. With shadows, Shades and many other enemies trying to kill them, it was impossible getting out without a scratch. Everybody had suffered from beatings...and she couldn't say she hadn't woken up without dark and purple bruises on her pale skin before. Either way...she worried about him. And she wanted him to be safe and well. Yukiko nodded then, her examination complete, finally able to relax a bit. "Alright, I am glad that's the case." Her gaze followed his pointing at the silver haired Junior, and then trailing off towards Crowley, just as hurt. "Still...if you need anything, I might be able to help." That was the least she could do given she hadn't been there the night before. She wanted to help the team...she wanted to make sure they were all at their best.
Eyes had wandered around the room, just catching glimpses of conversations around the members of the team. She heard Zeo talking, a box of some sort in his hands, he could see Kusuri, Faust and Nix discussing something, and others just chit chatting. Even after the battles last night, they were able to keep on, not lingering on the wounds or pain...knowing that they should enjoy these rare moments of peace, and be ready for the storm that was getting closer each day. Her train of thought trailed away as obsidian orbs returned to ashen ones, her name coming from his voice taking her attention back in an instant. Still, he trailed off, shifting his gaze to the curry pots as if in deep thought (or at least, that was how it looked like to her), before returning his eyes back to her. Yukiko couldn't help tilting her head to the side questioningly, not saying anything yet as she waited for him to continue with whatever he had wanted to say. But...no words came after, making her wonder just what that could have been. Warmth never left his expression, and the girl found herself smiling as well. Did he...want to say something important? Was there...something in her hair? Or... "Yeees?" Her voice slipped through her lips in a soft and even maybe curious tone, her body leaning closer to him ever so slightly. Maybe, just maybe he...
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 12:36 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"It was just a thought that had trailed away for a moment, nearly forgotten at the look in the girl's onyx eyes as they returned to him; he could never really be around her without feeling more calm than before, without appreciating the traditional Japanese beauty that she had always been. It didn't matter if she was in a kimono or her usual reds, she was always attractive to him, and he couldn't deny the way that her look made him feel. He couldn't ignore the curiosity in her gaze, though, almost like a kitten curiously poking its head out from behind some furniture at the corner of the room to investigate the rustling of a cat food bowl in the next one over. Had he accidentally teased her just now into wanting to know more? His lips curled interestingly; oh, that was fun...maybe a lot of fun. And it was such a cute expression that he found himself drawn a little closer to her in-turn, her body shifting ever-so-slightly towards him as if in some conspiratorial light...or maybe just a sense of magnetism that always lingered between them, drawing his hand to hers sometimes...his lips to hers at others. And with her sliding closer to him in the kitchen he could feel that strange magnetism magnified to incredible degrees, ashen gaze pouring over inches of perfect, porcelain skin down the soft length of her cheek and the curve of her lovely neck. His fingers seemed to move on their own from his side as his eyes drank her in, deftly and slowly moving to the lowest reaches of her onyx curtain to play at the soft strands of silken hair there...mimicking the motion she had made with her own fingers a few moments prior. She was soft...it was a thought which ran through his mind now as ever, delicate...so much that he sometimes wondered how someone so beautiful, so gentle as her could hit with such ferocity and smolder with such righteous indignation when they stood before their enemies. ...Yes, she was powerful, but she was elegant and he loved that about her. He really loved...the long, smooth hairs between his fingers now, the soft, accidental brush of the backs of his fingers against her chin. He didn't know what had inspired him to touch her obsidian locks, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the feel. And then his eyes found hers, a cool smirk curling at his lips when his thought came back to him...the answer to her unspoken question.
"Please don't cook or add to the curry."
...All that romantic buildup for a reminder of how terrified that he was of her cooking? Well, at least she had the memories of the horrors she had made in the past to keep her from taking the playful jab personally. Though playful as it was, it was really the best for everyone if she didn't decide to make any impromptu additions in order to spice things up. He knew that she wasn't necessarily the type to go out of her way to touch a dish that somebody else had whipped up, of course, but then, maybe she thought she could make his meal special by adding a thing or two to his meal. Even if it cost him a palm-print to the cheek, it would save him days worth of digestive issues...so it was a worthwhile cost, he supposed. And well, his playful machinations had allowed him to get this close to her naturally, to look at her lovely smile up close, to smell that floral essence that lingered about her inn on her clothes. ...Yeah, he had really missed her. "And..." his eyes shifted towards the side, making sure that the others weren't looking for a brief instant, before his forehead dipped and touched hers lightly...intimately, his playful smirk growing just a hint more affectionate before he pulled back away from her, "...I'm glad you came. I had been wanting to see you since yesterday."
It might not save him the slap, but it was worth saying. And it wasn't at all untrue, either...an honesty conveyed by every inch of him and how hard it was to pull himself back away from her with just that. Maybe she would notice...but, well, even if she didn't, he could tell her later. They had plenty of time now, after all...right?
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 4:15 pm
 È ix Gallen XI call your name
XBut it does not reach.
XSo I will keep calling
XUntil my love
XReaches your heart X ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ Nix glanced away when Kusuri kissed Faust on the cheek as they teased on another over Zeo's 'unique' gift. It was just a bit awkward for her to be around open displays affection like that. Well at least they wouldn't have to be all shy about it since she was going to live elsewhere. She laughed nervously when Faust brought up the tent incident. It was a little scene she didn't want to experience again. The poor thing she bought didn't stand a chance once Kusuri caught wind of it and what followed was borderline kidnapping. Though the girl was grateful she allowed her to stay for as long as she did. "Well.. I spent the rest of the night and some of the morning at the hospital. Genji hasn't woken up yet but at least he's being taken care of.. Then I just went to your house and then to the Hilltop to get some rest." Sure Nix's answer might make Kusuri mad at her again but the violet haired girl deserved an explanation.
The snowy haired girl looked at Soji as he announced that the mission that evening was to eat as much as they could. That reminded her that she didn't have a bite to eat all day. The day went by a lot faster than she thought. Her stomach growled as she caught the smell of food once again, causing the light pink blush of embarrassment come to her face. ".. I guess my stomach didn't appreciate being left empty today.." She muttered, looking at the variety of curry and Aiya selection. It was hard to decide where to start. ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ â™«
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 9:03 pm
  Faustus Necromonium and Kusuri Keiraku
Kusuri nodded quietly as Nix explained herself, hearing Soji tell them that they needed to eat all they could.
"Sounds good to me!" she called, moving over to grab herself a bowl of the curry and starting to eat it. "Come on Nix, time to shut it up the old fashioned way."
And as Kusuri moved to put her at ease, Faust turned to a vaugely familiar face, and moved over, waving an arm.
"Raiku-Senpai, was it?" Faust called with a quick gesture, waving. "It must have been rough, going through....whatever it was we fought last night. Are your Wounds healed?"
A Standard question, but one nevertheless. The Majority of them seemed fine, but.....
"Congratulations on surviving, and thanks for the help, by the way."
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Hopeful Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:58 am
"You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time!" "Maybe if you got lucky, you could be a hero."  "So anyways, I don't want to miss out on any details. It could be important." Yosuke took a bite of meat as he waved a fork at Soji, hoping that he could get the chef to start spilling some of the juicy details, not that he was really trying to get all the hard details before they got into the meeting. Being who he was though, Soji had to guess that Yosuke pretty much just wanted some time to analyze the fine print, and see if he had any theories before they got started. If his brain wasn't analyzing a case, it was pretty much going to waste on everything else...because he wasn't sure he actually used it for anything else. "What's this whole copycat thing about? I thought we defeated our Shadows, and since they normally look like the person they come form, these new ones are real weirdos, aren't they? Or is there something we're missing?" Yosuke prodded, chewing for a minute before stuffing another bite of the Aiya bought meal in his mouth. If there was one thing he didn't want caught red handed with, it was any type of food that came from an animal when Chie showed up. Seriously, he was starting to think that even milk counted as 'steak' to her, though she was probably woofing that down more for the fact that she wanted to catch up to Yukiko and the others, than for the sake of protein. "And there's another thing...what you said last night, about what that Shadow turned out to look like." Yosuke looked away for a minute as the smile faded from his face, obviously remembering what it was Soji had told him on the phone. He'd only got the bones of the story, but the one part that stuck out the most to him was something Soji could easily guess; after all, it was still a given that any time you brought up the name 'Konishi' Yosuke would end up with bitter memories. This time, he felt a sinking feeling when he realized that despite his declaration that he'd make the town a safer place for Saki-senpai's younger brother, he'd ended up becoming just as much a victim as the rest. And now Soji had a horror story that caused his partner to turn glum just at the reminder of the conversation from last night...but at the same time, Yosuke clearly wasn't shutting down. He'd already vowed to put an end to all this, so he was going over every detail in his head, regardless of whether he was hot under the collar or not. That way, he would make sure nothing slipped their minds, so that they were never guided away from the truth ever again. Even if that meant facing a harsh reality...liking knowing that Saki-senpai was gone, or that despite his best efforts, the one person he'd promised to protect for her had already slipped through his fingers, making him feel powerless once again...
"And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:05 am
 Rednal"...They're a lot tougher than Shadows ever were." Rednal noted quietly as he continued eating. The crutches were propped up against the couch so he could grab them easily, but he seemed to be doing okay otherwise. Most of the bleeding had stopped, and the few injuries that still seeped had pretty heavy bandages, so he shouldn't be getting any blood onto the couch. "They seem a lot more... aggressive, too. Like, if Shadows show who we want to be, then these guys are what we're afraid of or something." Which was really troublesome. It was hard enough for anybody to admit their real desires, especially if they had reasons for wanting to keep them quiet... but it was quite a lot harder to accept anything that you were afraid of. This was, possibly, a good part of why these fights were so brutal. They weren't likely to get easier anytime soon, either... sigh. Well, he'd just have to do his best and go with that. If nothing else, they were all here to support each other, right?
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 6:42 pm
Yukiko Amagi The silence was killing her. She couldn't deny she was curious about the question or comment he had stopped himself from saying, and the teasing smile on his lips made it all more difficult to try and stay calm about it, to deem it as something unimportant or just some casual remark about whatever. That he was looking at her so closely, with a gaze warm and intimate not unlike the times they found themselves alone and that he was moving closer to her was starting to make her feel...nervous. She could feel the fluttering of wings inside her stomach, the quickening pace of her heart with each moment passed...and if she blushed when fingers took a lock of her hair and brush against her cheek, she couldn't be exactly sure. Obsidian eyes shifted up to look at his expression, trying to find some clue of what was about to be said, to gaze at his handsome features...those eyes...that smile...his lips... What was she expecting? They weren't alone in this instant, so he couldn't possibly be thinking of doing something bold...right? The thought made the girl's cheeks to burn prettily, lips parting only slightly to break the silence and to distract her from the strong force that urged her to pull even closer to him. "S-Soji?" her voice was just a whisper, and her lips curled into a shy smile as eyes found ash ones. He was smiling as well, and as she prepared herself for the answer and as her mind thought of every possibility, he spoke up. And he was asking her to stay away from the food with his usual smooth and deep voice that always managed to melt her awa- Wait.
... ... ...
"H-huh?!" In less than a fraction of a second, her dream bubbled burst. The Amagi heiress deflated almost visibly as she straightened herself up, moving back from him. Confusion clouded her eyes, along with a bit of...disappointment? as she looked at ashen eyes, not understanding for a moment what he meant. But as the words sank in, echoing inside of her mind, it all turned into indignation and a darker mood. She narrowed her eyes, her whole face red, insulted. "Soji Seta! How dare you think that I- ... And even if I do... it-it doesn't mean I haven't gotten better and-" She was defensive, and despite her apparent rage, she almost looked childish and reproachful. Almost. The fire in her eyes was still quite scary, though. "And?" She challenged, only to have the dark aura and flames inside of her die down immediately the moment his forehead touched hers softly. The words that came after would have made her smile just then, if she wasn't trying to look still mad at him. Which she wasn't. Not after that. It was really hard to keep angry at him, if not impossible, the girl had to admit. Yukiko didn't answer, but it was clear on her gaze that she had missed him as well...and that she was glad to see him despite the accusations at her cooking! Not that they weren't founded, but... that wasn't the point. "I am still mad at you..." But a chuckle broke whatever was left of the 'firm' statement, a small smile appearing in exchange of the pouty lips that had been before. And with that, the dark haired girl turned her attention back to the conversation that had turned into more serious matters while she had been distracted.
Yosuke was asking about the Shades, while Rednal explained what he knew about them. It was strange yes... Shadows and those things were different, weren't they? She hadn't seen any of them yet, but... by what she'd heard, they were ferocious things. But... they would find the answer to it...just like they had before. She had no doubt of it.
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:28 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"It was silly, poking fun at her cooking out of nowhere and then immediately turning around her indignation and hitting her with an intimate little moment out of left field in an attempt to deflate her anger in one fell strike. Totally unnecessary, really, but there was just something about watching such a wide range of emotions play across her beautiful face in such a short period of time that made the whole amusing exchange more than worthwhile. Smiling, hopeful, pouting, every different expression reminded him just how unique and lovely a creature the girl next to him truly was; escaping without a promise of imminent pain following his jab at her cooking had proven to be one of his more smooth escapes in recent memory, too. Even if she was still a little fired up at him, he knew that she would forgive him...he might have to work just a little to bring out an even more brilliant smile in her, of course, but that was an operation that he was more than willing to undertake. His lips curled into a half-teasing smirk at her reminder that he wasn't completely out of the woods yet, though her expression said that even she couldn't quite back up the malice that might have been intended by those words. And he made a mental note at that to keep poking at the girl throughout the night, to brighten her up, to hear that melodious laughter again, and whatever else he could manage while they discussed the case. Speaking of which, he heard Yosuke's questioning and knew that it was just about time to get down to business, the heiress turning to face him only a moment before the silverette. His shoulder gently nudged the girl beside him as he moved, however, perhaps just to ruffle her a little and keep the mood from getting too heavy between them. The smile she might have looked up to see then was a little more gentle than before...perhaps comforting, though that alone was a reminder of the serious nature of their current situation. These creatures, whatever they were, were terribly dangerous. His black and blue ribcage could attest to that.
"I spoke to Rise on the phone this afternoon, and even though she couldn't make it to the Amagai Compound on time, she confirmed that the monster Minori defeated last night had the same feeling as the one Rednal fought in June. They're not completely unlike the shadows you had to face, but unlike before, that's not all there is to them. She said they're like a shade of the shadows...a part of you, but with something else inside of them, too. And as Rednal said, what they are isn't what you want to be or what you're consciously suppressing, it's more like what you fear...or perhaps it's what Hetero hinted at on top of Tartarus? These are the parts of us that we're still denying...or that we can't accept. ...At any rate, from now on, I've decided to refer to these monsters as Shades...and based on last night's incident, we haven't seen the last of them. ...Is there anything else?" his ashen eyes seemed to scan the room to gauge whether or not there was more to add, if anybody had disagreements, or if anything that he said sounded wrong to them. Even Rise could only gather so much information from a distance, sadly; he himself had missed both Shade fights thus far for his own reasons, too. Everything that he knew was secondhand, and it left more of it open to the rest of the group to correct him if necessary, or fill him in on what he had missed. He wanted to be on top of things from here on out, though. The next time one of these Shades appeared, he wanted to be there to greet it personally and find out just what the Hell these monsters were. "Having said that, if you guys haven't heard by now, the Shades weren't the only monsters around last night. I was attacked right here in my kitchen last night...but a monster wearing the face of Naoki Konishi...my friend." His expression darkened slightly at the memory, and while he had been serious before, the playful streak of little elbow nudges to Yukiko and quips about this and that seemed to die off in the solemn moments of exposition pertaining to the incident the night before. Even now he remembered the boy's crying face, how he struggled against the control of the monster within him, and his last words before the shadow faded into nothingness...a blessing in disguise, perhaps, to allow him to let go of a burden he had been unknowingly carrying since that night when Naoki had died on the Midnight Channel. ...Though that didn't make him any less determined to avenge him.
"According to Rise it felt something like a Shade, with multiple conflicting presences inside of it...but they all felt whole, not like before. It was surprisingly talkative, too...it said that I was some kind of harbinger, that it was what I visited upon my enemies. It went on after that about how it was born from the Arcana, Naoki's spirit or shadow fused into a living vessel to create an abomination...I wish I could say I understood more, but it felt like it was just ranting off loosely connected ideas...and what else?...it said something about being joined together with other shadows, and from the suffering of the vessel fused with the shadows it was given rise? ...Does any of this sound familiar to you guys?" the Senior sighed and scratched the back of his head, trying to find connections between the different ideas that the Orochi Priestess had imparted upon him...before his eyes twitched and a finger raised in front of him in remembrance, "I remember one other thought I had...based on what it told me, I'm pretty certain of it. What attacked me was definitely related to Hetero...whether or not he was the one who created it, I still can't say for sure. But we've seen what he can do before, dating back to the Data Dungeon World...and that was before he evolved into what he is now. I wouldn't put it past him to create something like this and unleash it...something with a similar power to these Shades. It's definitely concern..." He trailed away at that, thoughtfully...and while his expression was thoughtful and serious it was, at the least, not the struggling expression of pure confusion that they had borne far too often in last year's investigations. Now, at least, they knew about the Shadows...they knew the villains and the puppeteers pulling the strings behind the scenes; what they needed to discern now were the 'why' and 'when' so they could predict the next attacks and prepare themselves to stop them. In his estimation, even though the incidents had just started back up, they were ahead of the game. And that was a welcome change.
"One thing is for certain..." he added after a few moments of quiet, glancing once at the onyx-haired girl at his side, his expression no longer troubled...but stern, confident. This was the face of the leader that they had come to know and trust so well, "Things are starting to move again...we should watch the Midnight Channel regularly from now on. ...And always try to stay on our guard..."
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:08 pm
"You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time!" "Maybe if you got lucky, you could be a hero." "That must have been tough...hey, I'm glad you're alright man." Yosuke nodded towards Soji, showing that he was glad that the silver haired classmate was okay. At the same time though, he didn't want to show the twinge on the inside. So the thing that Soji had seen really was...or at least, really looked like Naoki. He couldn't help thinking things like 'What if they caught him', or if there might have been a way to avoid destroying it. If it really was Naoki's spirit, then...Yosuke snapped at himself again, on the inside. No way. If his Partner finished him, then it meant there must really have been nothing else they could do. Soji wouldn't half-a** it when someone they knew was involved, though he'd probably the same for anyone. It was Yosuke's own regrets at not being there causing him to get down on himself, so he couldn't shift the blame here. That's when it occurred to him though, and he bucked up a bit. There was something that was bothering him about the fact they got attacked twice, and although splitting Soji and the others up was one possible reason, it still didn't feel like it explained everything that happened. If they were going to avoid getting ambushed again, they needed to figure out just what the heck was going on. "Huh? Hey, wait a sec! Doesn't this seem a little strange to you?" Yosuke set his chopsticks down on a plate, dividing it into two as he put a piece of meat on one side, and a carrot on the other. Hey, come on, of course he knew you weren't suppose to play with your food! He was being serious here. "If they're still trying to get rid of us, then I can see why they would try making these super strong Shadows come after us. But don't you think it's a little strange? If Hetero has these copycats that nobody can hurt after a while, except for the guy who's face they're borrowing, why's he need a bunch of different strong Shadows? Wouldn't sending one of the Shades after us have just been enough to split us up? Or does it have something to do with the fact they're always attacking the originals, and maybe they just couldn't get one to mess with you?" Yosuke said, taking a minute to theorize a thing or two. "Tch, of course there was that incident on the hilltop...so I guess that it's not really an issue. But in that case, they really should have dropped one of them right in your home." It didn't seem like Soji would have a Shade...but then again, they didn't have any real proof what these things were, so that was just an assumption. No, on the other hand, they skipped the original Investigation Team entirely, so why'd it go ahead and start with Rednal? Why were they the ones being chosen? "...huh? Come to think of it...Rednal...Minori...weren't you two the first ones we rescued this past Spring? Oh man, and I think it was in that order, too. And since it's Hetero who started this mess, that just makes him being the culprit even more likely." Yosuke said, grumbling again. It was such a pain! Why did someone like that have to get to do as he wanted, when all he did was make people suffer? They were trying their best, but they hadn't gotten any closer to capturing him at all! And after they beat the snot out of him that one time, he thought that this problem was gone for sure... "...so at any rate, I think the Shades might appear in a certain order. It's just a guess though. Oh, but a few attacked last night, right? I guess that means they don't have to come at us one at a time. In which case, what's the point of those Orochi-Shadows or whatever? Their existence doesn't make any sense!" Yosuke said with another growl, rubbing his head furiously. On one hand there was the 'beef', on the other the 'carrot'...but he couldn't figure out how these two separate things were connected. If Hetero was holding back on big guns like these, why'd he split 'em up? Was one a contingency for the other, or was there even more trouble they weren't even capable of seeing through yet? Agh, all this thinking was really starting to make his brain hurt. "And while one's trying to freak us out with our own faces, the other's wearing our friend's faces, mocking them like they were never even here...I can't forgive this. I'm...I'm okay though, I won't lose my cool." Yosuke said, nodding towards Soji to show him he was alright, even if he sounded pretty pissed off. Who wouldn't be, when there was so much on their plate. The fact that they were caught up in another mystery was something that might have made Yosuke happy on the inside, but it didn't mean anything if people were going to get seriously hurt. He hated letting sickos like Hetero get away with this s**t, damn it! "But...there has to be a reason for it. Although we've been stumped time and again, some light always revealed the truth for us along the way... so I feel like this time will be the same. Random seeming or not, there's gotta be a purpose to their actions. Even Shadows have some purpose...I think our victory last year should have proved that." Yosuke said, thinking back. The Shadows were mindless, but at the same time they were just trying to give people what they wanted. When everyone had nearly given up, the Shadows got stronger, and nearly consumed their whole world. They beat them back last time though...and he would make sure they did it again. This was their world after all, and he and his partner would protect it, even if they had to give it their all!
"And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:56 pm
È ix Gallen XI call your name
XBut it does not reach.
XSo I will keep calling
XUntil my love
XReaches your heart X ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ Nix helped herself so some of the food before stopping to listen to Soji and the others talk about the attacks last night. Soji was attacked by a different kind of creature while the others were battling the Shade. They seemed unsure of what exactly the Shade was but from her understanding they were a part of someone. She never encountered her Shadow so this was still a bit new to her but something struck her as odd. "If these Shades creatures are some sort of part of us or were made to imitate us.. Why did they attack Genji? There was one other besides the one that looked like Minori. I didn't see her face, only a finger or a hand that came out of the trees. It doesn't make any sense why they would attack him and string him up like that.. Also by actually making a display of Genji that makes them a lot smarter than normal Shadows right?" Simply recalling seeing the pink haired teen hung up in the air was enough to send a chill down her spine. The savage shadows in Tartarus couldn't have thought to use string to tie up a person, at least that was what she assumed. The first Shadows she fought didn't seem to think of anything else besides 'Attack and kill.'.
The snowy haired girl fell silent as she thought more about the attacks. The two monsters seemed different and yet had similarities. What if the two cases weren't linked at all and they were just over thinking things? Saying that wouldn't help so she kept that thought to herself for now. They needed to figure things out, not make it more complicated. "If there is an order like Yosuke-san suggested then who is next on the list of people who joined the team? If we figure that out then perhaps we can prepare for when it arrives instead of being caught off guard." ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ ï¿ â™«
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Hopeful Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 10:09 pm
Faustus Necromonium and Kusuri Keiraku
Kusuri nodded along quietly as the group discussed the....Thing they faced last night. A Shade......
"An order...?" she called out quietly, pondering. She had been much later in the team....being barely older than Nix for the whole group. So, who had...
"It was me.." Faust called out, quietly to the group. "I Mean, I can' t be certain if someone came after Minori....but I know I was one of the ones captured right after Yakushima. With Mr. Kirijo over there. If my memory doesn't fail me....Then Mine was before his.... Because me and Chie had missed Hetero..." And judging by what he had heard.....It was a very good thing they had.
A thought from his memory, though he couldn't be one hundred percent certain.
"As for Why it went after Genji.....Ruling out general hostility of the Shade......Maybe it's because his powers weren't awakened the same way as us..." he added, hazarding another guess. "Perhaps these things react to those of us who never faced their shadows...."
Maybe.... He did recall Nix having powers, despite never being in the T.V. World...and Genji apparently was the same way...So maybe..
Kusuri herself wasn't sure on these things...Though she felt a twinge at hearing one of Soji's friends had been forced to attack him...That poor Naoki...
First his sister, and then him...And then having to attack Soji...Jeez, being a Hero wasn't all that pleasant when the bad guys didn't play fair... It was rather hard to imagine what kind of pain Soji must have felt......
"Hmmmm... Kusuri called, thinking. Jeez...She may have been book smart, but with so many things at once, it was hard to get it all together
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:08 am
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader
"Show me a hero, and I will write you a tragedy"Every question that they seemed to answer opened the door to several more questions...but then, even when the frustration began to set in with question they couldn't possibly find a concrete answer to yet, there was something familiar and almost comforting about this brainstorming session with the team. When was the last time they had been called together like this to simply compile the information that they knew about what they had seen so far, to draw their own conclusions and figure out what it was that they wanted to do moving forward? It was almost...nostalgic...if trying to solve cases for serial murders and stop supernatural forces from taking over the town could be considered such a frivolous word. His lips curled into a wry smile that Soji shared with Yukiko at his side, wondering if she was feeling the same way now that they were all laying it out there together and seeing where their thoughts might leader them. It wasn't about trying to discover who the killers were...it was merely trying to decide what they were facing and how it related to the rest of the trials that had come before, trying to figure out which of their already-guilty suspects was behind each particular incident. Which reminded him... "Don't forget what Hetero told us about Simon, and what...my shadow said before, about the Arcana Shadows. If defeating your shadows...starting with Rednal's...was supposed to have something to do with reviving the Arcana Shadows, isn't it possible that the Shades are related? ...Also in that line, we can't rule out that the Shades are somehow related to my Shadow and the Messiahs. If you think about it that way, then the lack of relation between what attacked me and what attacked you guys starts to make sense," the Senior chipped in before turning around and scooping out a small bowl of curry, nodding towards somebody closer to take it over to Rednal where he sat. He would get his own food too, of course, but he was a bit wrapped up right now in the discussion to think about eating. He had a feeling that for the most part they all were...even Yosuke was making sport with his food, using the meat and carrots as props for his deductions. People really didn't give him enough credit for his creativity...
"And another thing I just remembered...from what I heard from Genji, he was the first person to encounter Rednal's shade as well, wasn't he?" Soji seemed to be on a roll now, connecting a few dots here and there that perhaps hadn't been thought of before, "It might have seemed a coincidence the first time, but with what happened at his house last night, I don't think it's a stretch to say that the Shades...while going berserk in front of their own face...were targeting Genji directly. The question is, why would they? He's relatively new to the team, his power is still developing, too...what makes Genji different from the rest of us that might make him a threat...or a target...for the Shades?" This one didn't require a lot of thought; it was a layup, so to speak. While many of them were physically or magically stronger than Genji, he had a special gift with his unique eyes...they saw things and could analyze them in a way that even Rise's persona couldn't quite see, even if hers was superior in analysis as a whole. If, perhaps, his eyes were somehow a threat to the Shades...or more specifically, the people who were responsible for the Shades...perhaps that was why they would target him apart from the rest of them first? If that were the case, though, then someone had to be either manipulating the appearance of the Shades...or somehow guiding the mindless monsters to ensure that he was the first of their many enemies that they encountered. That, or the two things were unrelated and he was simply drawing a false connection between them. He couldn't be sure which. But one thing was for sure... "If that's the case, they're not going to be happy that he survived," he added calmly, evenly, but with a small sense of gravity that would not go unnoticed, "And even when he's back on duty, we're going to have to keep an eye on him." He didn't expand on it just yet, because he didn't really have any plans on how to do that at the moment. Besides that, Yosuke's suggestion that there was some sort of pattern to this was one they really couldn't ignore. Though Hetero hadn't kept much of a pattern last spring, it was possible that this would be different...and if everyone's assumptions were correct...there were two or three people in particular who needed to be prepared.
"Don't forget Kazuma..." the Senior added after a beat, even if he knew the name would strike a bad note and a sour taste in their mouths...he couldn't ignore the possibility that the third person they had rescued in the TV (technically the second, but they were kidnapped together) might also be involved, "Unless it's different for him now that he's let his Shadow take over, he would technically come with Minori. ...So we can't rule out him, Faust, or Zeo as the next target for a Shade. I'd say that moving forward, every time the Dark Hour hits we need to be ready for all three...and whatever Hetero decides to throw at us next. ...In fact, it might not be a bad idea to consider preparing two separate teams from now on, just in case we get split up again like last night. My ribs could have probably used the help against whatever that thing last night was..." He might have even quipped that he felt like he was going to cry...but the moment passed before he remembered the old line he had busted on Chie once back at the beginning of their adventures. Ah, the memories...
Well, perhaps knowing he was still aching a bit might at least get Yukiko to look after him a little when he finally sat down to relax? A guy could always hope, at least...a feeling he concealed only slightly in his eyes as he glanced at the onyx-eyed girl a moment later. Which most certainly was not to ensure she wasn't using his distraction to poison his curry. Nope. Not at all...
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Hopeful Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:25 am
Faustus Necromonium and Kusuri Keiraku
Kusuri grabbed the bowl Soji was handing out, and passed it over to the crutch-wearing boy on the couch. She kept her ears open as Soji gave his own bit on the matter, bringing up Kazuma, along with Faust and Zeo as a target. She unintentionally cringed as she heard the name, still having a bit of a unfinished buisness with him, but she refrained. In front of Minori, she didnt't really want to start trash talking her brother, even if he was one of the bad guys.
Interesting....Interesting.. Faust thought, hearing about the Shades targeting Genji directly as a possibility. On top of that, his, Zeo's, and Kazuma's shade being the ones they needed to expect next...If their Theory was correct. Also..
"A second team?" he called out quietly, before nodding. "In case we can't get to the first one...or we get split up. I see....
Soji's Foresight was astounding, though another thought Crossed Faust's mind.
"Perhaps we should inform one another in our Persona ability, in case we're found fighting without someone to scan our enemies." he added, raising his own hand in a slight waving motion. "Assuming the..Shades have the same general affinities and skills as us......It would help give us a slight edge over them if we don't have to waste precious time using attacks that won't do any good. If nothing else, I'm sure it'd be an entertaining conversation top.....I could start even, if you like"
It was hard to tell if Faust was being serious, or merely trying to lighten the mood. Granted, with Minori's persona, and Rednal's...necklace, they had a bit of an edge up over everyone, being able to tell at a glance what someone was weak to, or strong to. Despite this, a few of them fell under the radar, never appearing as a foe to one another. And....he was curious how many people shared an affinity with him. Minori had Light at least, and Rednal with not taking physical attacks, and a darkness resistance, but what about the others....?
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