Abilities on: Rook Blind (f): Janus is blind as a bat, but luckily has their hearing on a demonic scale. Creature of the Night+: Plus illusory magic and hypnosis.
Inventory: Phone {currently texting: }
Health: max Energy: max
"The usual," said Janus ordering for Setsuko as they sat down. "Don't worry, you'll figure it out. Like I said, this is the hardest stage... Oh boy..." As Setsuko started to wonder if she was real she would begin to fade out. This was an illusion of Janus' own doing, and was a pretty mean joke, but was necessary to get the trainee to start deciding what was real actively.
"This is stage two, where you think everything is an illusion. Congrats! You beat Melanie here. Now please, focus?"
"B..But I... What?" When she had begun to fade away Setsuko was close to having a panic attack. She had to take a minute to compose herself. This was not what she had been expecting at all when training was mentioned. "Janus... Can.. Can I use the bathroom?" And if Janus sent her to an illusionary one...
Abilities on: Rook Blind (f): Janus is blind as a bat, but luckily has their hearing on a demonic scale. Creature of the Night+: Plus illusory magic and hypnosis.
Inventory: Phone {currently texting: }
Health: max Energy: max
Janus simply nodded and pointed to the entrance of the cafe. Setsuko'd be able to find the bathroom no matter what. When she came back Janus would be sipping something delicious smelling and would be completely tangible again.
"There are easier ways to do it," she said letting the cup drift off into the air, "but they won't get you very far."
After leaving the room and doing her business Setsuko came back and sat down. "Is it just this room that's an illusion or did I..." Setsuko didn't really want to think too hard about it. "So.. Um... What's the next stage?"
Abilities on: Rook Blind (f): Janus is blind as a bat, but luckily has their hearing on a demonic scale. Creature of the Night+: Plus illusory magic and hypnosis.
Inventory: Phone {currently texting: }
Health: max Energy: max
Janus shrugged, making herself look a lot like the mad hatter.
"That's one of the rules, I'm afraid. The training won't do you any good if you know the next stage. Trust me," she said as she leaned forward, "it gets weird."
"Anyway, why don't you try making something happen here on purpose?" This might help Setsuko feel less helpless. Janus leaned back and stretched her arms out to present the trainee with her enormous canvas.
"Al...Alright." Janus seemed to have no trouble making illusions, but then again she had a lot more practice than Setsuko. She tried to think what to do. Did she think about something really hard or project it? Janus had said Melanie had trained here as well and she was new like her. How would she have done it? As she thought about Melanie the red haired girl appeared in the cafe. She was partly transparent, like a ghost, and frozen in place. Seeing it Setsuko looked at Janus a little shocked. "Am I doing that?"
Abilities on: Rook Blind (f): Janus is blind as a bat, but luckily has their hearing on a demonic scale. Creature of the Night+: Plus illusory magic and hypnosis.
Inventory: Phone {currently texting: }
Health: max Energy: max
Janus looked at the creation and nodded. "That's it! You did it! ... But I wouldn't start with people, they're a little more trouble than they're worth sometimes." Janus would be able to shut down the illusion at anytime, given this was her playground and all, so she would leave the Melanie phantom be for a while.
"Watch what happens when one thing changes." Janus made the table into a coffee table and soon the scene around them started to shift and pull until it was some living room in a nice, cozy house with a great window view of the suburban kids, who were just maids, running around doing whatever their mommies told them not to. "The entire environment conspires around one illusion; you can't just go into a place, create an illusion, and expect that to be the only change."
"Okay... I'll give it a try." Setsuko concentrated just on something small. Thinking carefully she just let the thought flow and a small spoon appeared on the table. Following it a coffee and sugar pot came into existence.
Abilities on: Rook Blind (f): Janus is blind as a bat, but luckily has their hearing on a demonic scale. Creature of the Night+: Plus illusory magic and hypnosis.
Inventory: Phone {currently texting: }
Health: max Energy: max
"Now you're getting there!" Janus couldn't help smiling at Setsuko's success. Just a little bit ago she was puking just from warping. I mean, come on! It's just instantaneous movement...
"Now, as long as you take everything as it is, like you used to, nothing will change; but it's impossible to keep all this in mind exactly how it is, so there will be changes... Constantly. You're going to have to pick your battles, so to speak. Sure, everything's an illusion, or whatever, but which illusions are real to you?" At this point Melanie dressed in a maid outfit came over to pour the coffee for Setsuko's creation. Apparently this was some kind of giant improv thing now.
"This table... Where did it come from?" If Setsuko looked closely she might notice the style of this particular coffee table was a perfect match for the furniture they saw in the room Setsuko'd originally made when the two arrived.
When the fake Melanie came over with and poured the coffee Setsuko couldn't help but notice how good she looked in that maid uniform and blushed. But when Janus asked her about the table Setsuko's attention returned to the task. It did look familiar, wasn't it in the bedroom from before. Almost instantly the street scene was gone and they were back in the room. Everything was exactly how it had been before except there was coffee. But unlike before Setsuko was starting to take it in her stride. "Janus... Those maids from before. Were they real or are we the only actual people here?"
Abilities on: Rook Blind (f): Janus is blind as a bat, but luckily has their hearing on a demonic scale. Creature of the Night+: Plus illusory magic and hypnosis.
Inventory: Phone {currently texting: }
Health: max Energy: max
"Oh, they're real. They're just participating in the illusion." Janus leaned back for a big stretch. So much briefing! She was glad Setsuko was catching on so quickly though. Maybe she should have taught Melanie this way; as it was now Melanie looked way too incompetent next to her kouhai.
"What do you suppose you look like to them?" This question seemed to undermine the whole concept of them owning the illusion, but if fact it should be emblematic of the illusionist's task; to own the illusory world one must master one's own illusion.
"Really though, they're succubi just like you. The chart Lilith drew yesterday doesn't lie, and all those succubi have to be somewhere. They're here too." Depending on how well Setsuko accepted this she could move out of stage two and surpass Melanie.
Setsuko was a little relieved to hear they weren't the only ones here. But Janus did have a point, what did Setsuko look like to them? Was it her if she knew it was her? But what if they were her and she wasn't her? Would they still be her even though she was her? Perception seemed to be a major part of illusions but as she thought about it her head hurt. She was still only a first year student so advanced philosophy was a bit beyond her.
Abilities on: Rook Blind (f): Janus is blind as a bat, but luckily has their hearing on a demonic scale. Creature of the Night+: Plus illusory magic and hypnosis.
Inventory: Phone {currently texting: }
Health: max Energy: max
"... Set? You're doing that thing again." Spacing out that is. Janus was preventing whatever terrible realities her thoughts were leading her to create here, a perk of being the boss but still.
"I'm glad you're not running from the question though. ... I've always admired that about you; it'll get you far in this line of work." Lilith would have broken into a sermon about what makes a business successful, the thought of which made Janus titter to herself.
"Think about: what is it you know as you? You can't tell me it isn't at least mostly what I see; since we're the only two here right now. Same thing with me," Janus said as she shifted to her male form and back seamlessly, "even without all this I can guarantee you Melanie knows a different Janus than you." And while that led to a quick chat about anatman the sun seemed to skip to dusk.
"... Oh, wow. It's getting late, huh?" This was a test, of course.
Setsuko really thought about the question. Janus had already proven that appearance was only skin deep so it had to be something more. When the light faded from the room Setsuko looked out the window. She was pretty sure it wasn't all that late but this was the underworld. "Janus can we put the training on hold? It's all a bit much to take in on the first day."
Abilities on: Rook Blind (f): Janus is blind as a bat, but luckily has their hearing on a demonic scale. Creature of the Night+: Plus illusory magic and hypnosis.
Inventory: Phone {currently texting: }
Health: max Energy: max
"Of course," Said Janus warmly. "We wouldn't want you to get all burned out! ... Though I am impressed. Normally it takes people quite a while to just get out of stage one."
