genessia | voice/action

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voice/action

[Voice]

Hello?

[The voice is that of a teenage girl, cautious but at least trying to show willing in this strange new place. There's a pause, then, as though she hasn't fully figured out what she really wants to say - does she mention where she was supposed to be? Does she mention the Shadows?

Eventually, she finds her voice again.]

Um...this is kind of new to me so I'm not really sure where to start. I got the welcome message and the map and all but...is there anything else I should know?

[That should be broad enough to get something helpful, she hopes.]

[Action - Genessia City]

[Considering she'd been gearing up to head into the deepest depths of Mementos last she remembers, Ann's really not sure what to make of all this. She's in her regular clothes, so wherever she is she's not considered a threat right now at least, but she's not sure whether that should be comforting or worrying.

Still, she's not going to figure anything out by staying in one place so she figures she should at least go to check out where she's supposed to be staying right now. She's aware it could also be a trap, but so long as she goes into it expecting that, maybe it'll lead to some useful information.

At least, that was the plan. It's not that she doesn't know how to follow a map but when a girl stumbles across a mall, she can't be blamed for wanting to take a look around, right? Even if she can't really buy much, just the act of looking should be enough to help calm her down. And once she's done with the mall, she has to see what else is around, right?

And so she can be found looking in various store windows, lingering longer when she spots a cute outfit she can't help but want. The real danger, though, is when she reaches a bakery with a range of desserts that's just begging to be sampled.]

I shouldn't...but just one couldn't hurt, right?

[She's not addressing anyone in particular but that's not to say she goes unheard, either...]

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Yes. Hello, Takamaki.

[ Bless her. She didn't make a scene. Ryuji made a scene and Futaba sort of spilled the beans at him about certain things. That's quite a lot of self-restraint. He could count it as an acting improvement. Almost. He's still the best actor in the group, he thinks. He manages to sound almost cheerful. ]

Very well. First and foremost, timelines are peculiar here and we never seem to be taken from the same point. You may either remember things everyone else hasn't gotten to yet or are unfortunately a bit behind. It can become quite confusing. If you don't mind sharing what date it was last on the calendar, I could figure out where you're currently standing in relation to everyone else.

I see...they can do that...

[That's new even for her but that's going to have to hold for now while she tries to deal with talking to Akechi again. Still, she thinks she can grasp at what he's really asking - she doesn't know for sure, but there aren't many reasons he'd have to care about how far behind or not she is.]

It was December 23rd. We'd already, um, taken care of Shido.

[She's not sure how delicate a subject that's going to be, and she figures ~~Ryuji~~ someone else would have filled him in on his own death if he didn't already know but she's still being careful. Upsetting him could still be dangerous, after all.]

[ The name slips out and he's immediately throwing a lock on their conversation. ]

They can do quite a bit that might seem impossible. For example, plucking one from their moment of death apparently... [ Now that she's put that card on the table. It's no use hiding it. She knows. He knows. Might as well confirm that unfortunate bit of information. It's almost a relief that there's one less thing to lie about. ]

Futaba was kind enough to mention that was handled. Sakamoto enforced it. [ There's a drop in his polite tone momentarily. Spiteful vindictiveness only that name could so easily draw out. ] I hope it hurts. Every day of his remaining life.

[ He clears his throat and there's a pause for composure. Back to being useful. ]

Let's see... Futaba seems to be the furthest ahead out of all of you by at least a few months, Sakamoto is more or less during your same timeframe, I'm at an impasse, as you could imagine, and your leader is behind all of us in an interrogation room. How ironic. I can't speak for Morgana and Kitagawa, if they're still around.

[So her hunch was right. And she can't say she's surprised that he doesn't speak of Ryuji as fondly as he might anyone else - if anyone's likely to have kept the conflict going, Ann would not have been surprised to hear it would be Ryuji even had he not already told her how their first meeting went down.

Still, Akechi's words about Shido spark something in her, a feeling she can't say she's ever really let go of even with all that's happened since that first Palace all those months ago. It's not something she's sure she knows how to vocalise just yet, but it still curls at the back of her mind as she listens to what everyone may or may not know.]

Huh. Well I suppose with so many of us, if we can be pulled from all different times it makes sense that we wouldn't all be from the same moment. As much as any of that makes any sense at all.

[Which it does not but, you know. Trying. It does leave one question though.]

Still, if he's behind...does he know?

[If he's speaking of the time Ann thinks he is, then Ren knows something's up, at least, but she can't help but wonder how much beyond that he's aware of.]

[ No one gets called by a first name in this group - sans Futaba, who currently holds the record for being stuck here the longest with him. Ryuji and him have an odd relationship. Amicable, perhaps due to Ryuji's brutal honesty about how he felt about him right out of the gate. How freeing it must be to not care what anyone thinks. It's respectable in a way. (He'll never say it out loud.)

Nothing makes sense anymore. How right she is. ]

No. I don't believe he does. [ It's difficult. Ren always seemed like the most connected but now he might be the least so. Not that he needs anyone to understand anymore. ] I can't imagine how bringing it up would matter. It is what it. I'm sure he'll eventually go seeking out answers from the rest of you.

Are you sure you're okay with that?

[She can understand why Akechi might not want to bring it up himself. But at the same time, that cedes control over what, exactly, Ren hears to people who will never really be able to truly understand everything that happened that day. And given the limited information she has, Ann can't help but worry over being left with that responsibility.]

I mean...it's not like he doesn't know by now that you lied to us. And honestly this sounds like something he'd be much better off hearing from you than any of us...and even if he does ask us, you know he'd come to you for the rest anyway, don't you?

[Because there will be gaps, no matter how many of the others he asks, that only Akechi can fill in himself, at least as far as Ann is concerned.]

Ha. Can one be okay with anything in this scenario?

[ It's not that he meant to shove the responsibility on everyone else. He expects them to all direct him back to him - because no one has all the puzzle pieces. It's the idea that Ren would have to want to know first. Seek out truth. Give enough of a shit to bother figuring him out. They didn't care until it was too late, after all. Just used him to figure out who Shido was. He's not going to feed information like that and have Ren come out thinking he's pathetically lying for sympathy points. ]

I know. For now, it's better left alone.

If that's what you really want.

[It's not hers to push. Maybe he's right. Maybe it's a conversation best never had if they can get by without. It doesn't seem right - there's that niggle in the back of her mind that this can only lead to more problems down the line - but she's also not in much of a position where she can focus too much energy on that when she barely knows where she is.

Still, she has to wonder. Things are still so fresh for her but there's nothing to say that's the case for him. Maybe it's just picking over wounds that healed over in their own way?]

So...how long have you been here, exactly?

[ He doesn't know what he wants. There could be an effort put forward but then they'll all probably leave again and he'll have to start over. ]

A year next month. I've been here the longest out of people from our world. There used to be others before me but they're all gone now. [ There's a number of theories he has as to why it worked that way. One involves having no ties to the world and it being easier to pluck him out and keep him here. ]

Others...you mean Makoto and Haru?

[It's the logical conclusion to draw, since they're the only ones not to have been mentioned yet. Which doesn't explain the "all" if all amounts to just two but nothing else makes any sense.

Why she still expects it to, she couldn't quite say.]

You know, you're the first one to ask for clarification on that. Haru was here, briefly, after me and before the rest of you. But no, I actually meant... [ He taps his chin. Worth sharing a detail about this? It's not like the people are here to reprimand him not keeping a secret. Yukiko freely shared the information like it wasn't even one with him. ]

Did you know there were other persona users outside of us? I met at least two.

Really? I mean, I can get Ryuji not asking...maybe Yusuke too...but really no-one else thought of that?

[She's not sure what to make of that. She's not used to being the smart one of the group - not that she can't be, just usually she can defer to someone else.

But Haru was here and left, okay. And then comes the next part.]

Well...I guess...I never really thought about it. But I guess there's no reason the Metaverse couldn't exist in other places too. We don't even know for sure we couldn't have got to part of it in Hawaii.

[And this doesn't seem like something he would have reason to lie about - if he wanted to be awkward, more likely he would have left her to find out about that snippet herself, though she's also aware that the fact he hasn't could be because those other Persona users aren't here any more either.]

Ryuji hadn't even realized he could use his persona here until I showed him. [ He gets an excuse and the excuse is stupidity. ] I suspect it's a bias against using me as an information source. I rarely get asked anything important.

[ Akechi has been sitting on this 'other persona users' information for months. It's so interesting. It really deserves full discussion. Like where the fuck were they? ]

That's an excellent point. It was interesting. They were a group of teenagers approximately five years behind us on the timeline. And there were people behind them before that. I was thinking the Metaverse might have similar individuals awaken in it every few years due to a specific set of circumstances? Though I was at least two years behind the rest of you when I gained access so I can't work myself into my own theory...

Well...I mean, I can't be too surprised but that seems a waste to me.

[Is she going to find ways to verify what he says? Possibly. But regardless of what he'd done, Ann still is very aware that he wouldn't have become such a beloved detective with at least some skill in the job.

Connections only go so far.

Which isn't to say Ann is the best person for this conversation, either.]

Well, you'd know more about that than I do. I'm still not sure I fully understand everything that's been happening. Have you spoken to Futaba about it?

[Makoto would maybe be the ideal candidate but if she's not here, Futaba seems like a good option.]

It is a waste. I can be incredibly useful. [ That... doesn't sound desperate, right? Yeah. It's factual. He is a valuable resource here. Especially as someone that already integrated himself as a good cop at the GCPD that's kind enough to remove evidence of that time half of Ren Amamiya got himself arrested.

He goes to keep talking about it and simply shuts his mouth for a good 2 seconds. ] I-... No but... [ But? So. Nobody ever asked so he didn't say anything about it. Then let himself get annoyed no one bothered to ask if he knew things. Did he try to start up a conversation about any of it himself before now though? He did not.

Okay. Lack of communication might go both ways. ] My apologies. I get a bit lost in thought about that one. You've only just arrived. I shouldn't be rambling your ear off on theories. Did you want to know anything else?

[She can understand why his words might come across a little stronger than they would from someone else. She remembers how he was in Shido's palace, how he reacted to the cognitive version of himself. So while she doesn't confirm it, she doesn't say anything to dispute that either.

If in part because the part where he stumbles over his words distracts her from doing so. She's not sure if she should say anything to that, either, but she can at least respond to the apology.]

Oh, no, it's fine. Honestly it's nice to have something that feels so normal. It helps while I'm still figuring everything else out.

[And it does feel normal. Mulling over theories, putting the pieces together...okay so doing so with Akechi is less normal but it's still more familiar than a lot else about the place.]

One thing I did wonder, though...I know we're not supposed to stay where they assign us for too long. Is it easy to find somewhere that's cheap without being, you know. Kinda sketchy?

[ Not saying a damn word to him stumbling over his words for once is something he can really appreciate. So is her phrasing that follows. ]

Normal? Really? I'm happy to help. [ Talking to him wouldn't be something he'd think any of them would consider normal in any capacity. It might be that listening to him theorize while she zones out thinking about everything else is likely the normal thing. Like he's the background noise on the television (and he probably was very often.) That makes more sense in his head. ]

Putting aside that the entire local can be considered sketchy with the circumstances, it isn't too difficult and the entire process was easier than expected. It depends on which city you're in. Nova City has the nicest apartments but their rent rates tend to be much higher. I would probably recommend Holly Ridge or Garden Park Apartments in Genessia itself as a start if you're going to be alone. Fully furnished and easily affordable. The latter has an excellent view of the park, so I found it preferable.

[It's only when he repeats the word that Ann realises perhaps normal wasn't quite the word she wanted. It does feel strange talking to Akechi like this, but he's more familiar than a lot else about the place.

Besides. Ann's not really one to worry too much about semantics.]

Oh! I'll have to check those out, thanks! It would be nice to have something nice to look out at.

It's no problem at all. The view is quite relaxing. I almost regret not deciding to stay there.

How come you didn't? Is it just too far away from work, or...?

I would be closer to it, actually. Truth be told, I went for the most expensive option I had just because I could. It's a ridiculous reason. I figured what may be a permanent residence for me was a worthy investment, right?

Oh! Well I guess I can't blame you. If I could afford somewhere super-nice then I'd probably do the same.

Futaba's actually across the hall from me. If she's managing, you'll probably be just fine. Besides, it doesn't mean much. More space when you have nothing to stick in it isn't all that grand in the end.

Edited 2018-04-26 20:06 (UTC)

Really? So you're both doing pretty well for yourselves.

[Not that she's not making a mental note to keep a close eye on Futaba for a while.]

But you're right, I guess. And I'm sure there are nice places that aren't too big, somewhere.

So we are. She mentioned it being difficult at one point but she must have figured everything out.

[ She's a hermit and he's at work all the time. Neighbors that haven't run into each other in the hall once. ]

Like one with a park view.

voice; locked

phanther - 2018-04-29 13:02 (UTC) - Expand

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