[ day 160 | closed/open ] burning my dreaaad

[sealkun]

Who: Minato Arisato and Ryoji Mochizuki for the first part, Open for the second.
Open: First part is closed, 2nd part is open!
When: Day 160, Early Morning (like 9AM?)- Late Afternoon.
Where: Skyway! Towards the Bastion by Mid-Day or Late Afternoon
What: Existential crises A new arrival!
Format: I'm fond of action spam, but anything goes and I'll match.
Warnings: Spoilllers for the end of P3 in the thread with Ryoji. Possible threadjacking? Nothing else that I can think of atm, I'll edit this if they pop up.

The first thing Minato stirs awake to is the silence. The dorms aren't bustling around for the sound of school, even though it should be graduation day. Underneath him, the ground is...humming? That's not normal, so Minato sits upwards and climbs to his feet, dusting off his uniform for any particles that may have clung to him in his sleep.

He doesn't feel tired when he wakes up, and a single Persona is chiming away at the back of his head where there had been none in the days before. It's enough to tip him off that something is wrong. Over all, though, having to watch his step even as the rocks gather beneath him is a disorienting experience.

He sucks in a deep breath. Okay. What's happening to the ground isn't normal either, but he can't panic yet. What's the safest and most inconspicuous way out of here? The ground beneath him is still pretty dangerous, and he has no way of summoning Messiah until he does get his hands on an Evoker. It'd be best to stay on his guard until then, even though there doesn't seem to be any dangers lurking in the distance. Time to get a sense of the surroundings before actually going anywhere.

In the distance Minato notices the markings of shelter. Hooking his headphones back on to his ears and clicking his MP3 open ( for once he's glad he sleeps with them on), Minato starts running towards the distance.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots the bushes rustling. The teen stands guarded, eyes searching around for some sort of mechanism or defense.



He can't help when the relieved sigh escapes his throat upon reaching the Bastion. Although he doesn't particularly know what's going on or why the ground hovers under him, it's comforting to know that there's some semblance of a society here. He shoots a glance at his clueless companion.

Hunger is settling in and Minato's eyes are starting to droop, but there's something more important at hand than stuffing his face or sleeping again. Messiah pipes in at the back of his head, reminding him of the things he's seen. It makes him wonder what happened to Iwatodai.

"We need information."

He says this in a quiet voice, but underlying his neutral tone was a sense of urgency and desperation. Minato needs to know what happened between him falling asleep and waking up again. What he did in the final battle wasn't supposed to lead to this. Maybe he's dreaming?

But dreams never feel this real.

ooc i hope im doing this right heaves

Comments

[apprising]

[ He's been wandering around on the Skyway adjusting to the use of his hands and feet and everything again, the aftertaste of the surprise still strong. Not that this being human thing was all inherently bad, of course, but.. unexpected, almost as much as these new surroundings.

A few hours in, and Ryoji is still drawing blanks about the entire thing. He very nearly has a run in with some spooky looking creatures and, in an effort to stay concealed, moves through the foliage as quietly as possible. ]

Ah!

[ The first sight of an actual person should be a welcoming one, but Ryoji's breath catches in his throat once he manage a double-take, not quite sure how to process the presence before him. ]

..Minato--?

throws up a spoilers warning juuust in case again

[sealkun]

[ Ryoji.

Minato's releases his clenched breath, sighing as his shoulders slump into his usual slouch. A familiar face, no matter how confused he is right now, is the thing he needs to reorient himself again. Minato glances at his own fists, clenching together as if unsure if what he's in is his own body. ]

Ryoji.

[ Another exhale, and Minato's facing the former shadow. ] Let's talk about that later.

[apprising]

[ Ah- he straightens himself out after a beat of hesitation, nodding abruptly. ]

Right, right! Good idea.

[ Offering Minato a (distracted) smile, since he's not sure what else to do about this. ]

Do you know where we are, then?

[sealkun]

[ He would love to talk about that, but the matters at hand are more pressing. The small beasts that roam are more than enough for Minato go garner warning flags. His evoker isn't with him to summon Messiah, either.

They should be cautious about where they step next. ]

Mmn...

[ His face falls a little as he tries to point anything that might have happened since he was asleep. ] I don't.

[apprising]

[ The confusion must not only be unsettling to himself, so he makes a quick mental note to be optimistic about their sudden reunion, uncalled for as it may be.

There's a brief pause, followed by a thoughtful hum as Ryoji's own features remain opposite of Minato's. He has to keep that smile in place, after all! ]

But there are people who do know- locals, perhaps? [ Right? Right?? ] And I'm sure there's an explanation for all of this, as well.

[sealkun]

[ It's shocking to see Ryoji in one piece, considering how he was in that form before they defeated Nyx. Minato's still shaken from the teen's appearance, worried (slightly), that he'd disappear once they got somewhere and that he was delirious from the exhaustion of Tartarus and the whole year combined.

Ryoji is real, right? ]

We'll see when we get there.

[amphibian]

Information, huh? [It's a good thing Aoi's here to give it to you, then! She's out on her daily jog, but she slows and then stops for the curious newcomers.]

Well, um...this is the Bastion! Is that an okay place to start..? [She hasn't given this whole spiel before, good luck sorry, guys.]

[sealkun]

[ Bastion. A place that was supposed to be safe? Seeing as how the monsters seemed to disappear as he and Ryoji entered this place, the name itself made sense at least.

He nods slowly, waiting for her to go on. ]

[amphibian]

Okay! Ummmm... So, the place you just came from with all the monsters is called the Skyway, and...

...Oh, this is no good... [She looks away and taps her finger against her cheek. Having to give the whole "all your friends are dead" speech is new to her.

With a moment's thought and a long sigh, Aoi continues, quietly.] You're here because...something really bad happened, and...the world was destroyed.

[Yyyeeeeaaahhh she'll give him a minute.]

1/2

[sealkun]

[ At the moment those words enter Minato's ears, he freezes, eyes widening in shock. It isn't often that he loses control of his emotions, but the implications of this are too grand and too devastating. ]

[sealkun]

[ But despite his face twisting into one of shock, he attempts gather himself into something that doesn't leak any of his anger at his own failure. A small breath later, Minato's face settle back into position. He seems to have recovered. ]

That's the gist of it?

[amphibian]

[She quirks an eyebrow; that was an awfully quick recovery, but she isn't about to push it—not with a stranger, certainly.]

Umm... Those are the very basics, yeah. S-sorry... But, um, welcome, though! Despite, y'know... [Cue some vague gesticulating; there isn't really a casual conversational way to talk about the end of the world.] The Bastion's nice! It's safe here.

[sealkun]

[ He isn't about to cry in the middle of godknowswhere-- ok the Bastion. He'll cry in private probably or just shove it down and try not let it bother him.

Instead, he listens to the girl's description and registers what information she's been feeding him. It's not the information he values now that she continues on, but rather her cheerful company that's in such contrast against the dreary circumstances with the end of the world. ]

Got it. [ Safe is a nice break from the things outside. ] ... Can I ask a question?

[amphibian]

[Being perpetually cheerful is one of maybe three things Aoi's good at, so he's in the right place for a pick-me-up, at least.]

Sure thing! Ask as many questions as you want! I'll do my best to answer all of 'em.

[sealkun]

Where can I get a weapon?

[ A gun, a sword, a bow, anything to get his hands on something that could make him feel a little less useless. The evoker itself is special though, and she's not likely to know about that, so he decides to leave it out for later. ]

[amphibian]

That'd be the forge! You're allowed to take one. [After spinning around to figure out where it is relative to where they're standing, she points off to the east.] Waaaaay out there, next to the farm. You'll really only need one if you go back on the Skyway, though... But there's some neat stuff out there, so long as you're careful! But you oughta get some rest and stuff before any of that.

[apprising]

That's a wonderful start, actually. [ Cue the charming smile! He's grateful for the help, but it's difficult to resist his old tendencies.. ]

If it's not too much trouble, however, could you please explain a bit more? I've never heard of such a place until now.

[amphibian]

Sure thing! Well... [She needs to think about that for a second.] That place you just came from is called the Skyway. And it's safe here from all of the monsters out there. [Accompanied by a swooping and a pointing gesture in turn.]

And there's...I mean, basically everything around here! It's like a little city.

[ourlegends]

[ OH HEY newbies! Fresh from the Skyway! Though of course this tiny girl with a tiny little Zorua in her arms is just happy to know that they made it safely. Hilda isn't in time to hear the tidbit about information, but she's definitely seen enough newcomers during her relatively short time here to know what they look like.

Zorua yips happily from her arms and wiggles to get out of them. She succeeds, and runs around the newbies a few times excitedly. ]

H-Hey! Zorua!

[ And now she has to catch the little one AND apologize to these guys ... ]

[sealkun]

[ He wasn't expecting that for a greeting. Minato's eyes raise in surprise as it skips over to them, but he makes no other gestures until its owner has appeared. It wasn't like this has ever happened before with more dog-like counterparts than this black fox-cat animal in front of him.

Minato nods in greeting as the girl's voice finally makes a connection, calling out to the creature at his feet. Zorua, was it? Must be a nickname for whatever the little thing was.

A fox is his most likely guess, but foxes don't come in black and red. ]

[ourlegends]

[ Zorua, fortunately, stops at the newbies' feet and looks up with bright little eyes. Hilda catches up and scoops the baby into her arms, smiling sheepishly at Minato. ]

S-Sorry about her ... she's very young, so she's excited about everything.

[sealkun]

It's fine.

[ Minato settles into his usual slouch. It was relaxing to see the animal excitedly run around, though, and more importantly took the issue at hand out of mind for at least a little while. It seems Ryoji's taken care of the petting, so Minato will focus on the more important details. Even though he has his hunches, it'd be smoother to just ask her owner. ] What's her name?

[ourlegends]

Zorua. She only hatched a few days ago.

[ It was kind of nice to be getting to talk to newcomers about things that didn't involve "your world has exploded." Hilda was content to talk to these two about Pokemon. ]

[apprising]

[ The sight of a creature hurdling towards him causes Ryoji to brace for impact instinctively, though his guard quickly falls once he realizes it's just a cute pet belonging to an even cuter girl. What luck! ]

Ah! Hello there. [ A laugh! ] This one is yours, I take it?

[ Just gonna bend down to attempt to pat the critter on the head once or twice, yeah. ]

[ourlegends]

[ Zorua leans up and lets the new guy pat her on the head. She likes pats! Hilda catches up and smiles a little, sheepishly. ]

Y-Yeah ... she's just a baby, so she gets excited over everything. I'm sorry if she's bugged you at all.

comes in late with starbucks

[wayofvoice]

[If it's a dream...]

[Well, that sure as hell explains the giant dragon suddenly swooping through the sky overhead, its enormous shadow falling across the Bastion. No one else seems particularly worried, not even when it lands somewhere near the Distillery and drops off a rather large Pecker corpse.]

[It starts to move, movements a bit strange considering it only has two legs and relies on its wings as props to go forward, only to pause. It's long neck turns its head until it's staring down at the new survivors.]

Ah. More, then, have arrived. This is good.

comes in even later with kfc

[sealkun]

[ Ok, well.

Let's take a moment for all of that to sink in. Luckily, Minato isn't the kind of person to freak out over a huge dragon swooping. It doesn't mean he's not shocked at it wobbling towards them. He shoots a quickly glance at Ryoji, waiting for the other to say anything if it need be said.

Minato takes a preventive step backwards regardless when it starts wiggling towards them. He blinks, then gives a nod at the dragon's assessment. It seems to fall in line with what he's been told so far. ]