the_grid | For Persona Heroes

[ARE YOU SURE IT ISN'T A DEAD BODY]

[no okay, it's not dead, but it is both completely taken off guard and lying face first on the ground. which means that whatever words the owner of this body is trying to say are muffled against concrete, even as he squirms and tries to push himself upright again]

[this is so not cool]

[and also, there's a giant Shadow blob lumbering towards them from up ahead]

[welcome to Mementos, that's quite an entrance]

[It can't be dead it's got the pulse of a Persona user goood---shit who the hell is this guy. Maybe it's because he' still a little dizzy, but it looks like if someone forced Reiji to put on some clothes.]

[He pushes himself off, just in time to see the Shadow thing moving towards them.]

What the heck is that?

[once freed, the person pillow rolls over onto his side and pops back up onto his feet. he stumbles back, gaze flickering from Naoya, to the shadow, and back]

Who are-- [no, wait, do they have time for this? there's an enemy ahead] -- just stand back! I'll handle it!

[RIP semi-comfy pillow. Naoya looks up at the cosplayer and wonders if he's somehow stumbled into another dream or...no this all feels pretty real.

He moves to grab his gun and sword as the thing draws closer.]

I'm not a pushover!

[...that cape is pretty cool, mind you. Nanjo has enough budget for them to get costumes, right? Maybe he should ask...]

[his gaze flickers back, hand reaching for a dagger at his waist. this guy is armed, but. . .]

Don't try to fight an enemy you know nothing about. Now--

[it's a shame he can't ambush the approaching Shadow since it's already spotted them, but. well. he can leap froward, weapon at the ready, and bring his knife down to cut through the black blob. it stumbles back, wiggles, and then dissolves, revealing the forms of two Shadows before them]

[...huh. It was unlike what he knew at first, but the forms of the Naga are very familiar...if only he had Elly around to remind him what type of spells they were weak again.]

[Considering he's out of his element, he doesn't bother risking figuring out if he's really just stuck in some part of Deva Yuga with a cosplayer or even Tartarus. His mind switches to one of his stronger Personas and he advances next to the other.]

Don't worry about me. I'll take one, you take the other?

[He feels like he can trust him.]

[the masked cosplayer lifts a hand to his temple as he lets out a tch of annoyance. how many times did he have to tell this guy to stand back? but. . .]

[it'd be two against one otherwise, so Joker really could use the helping hand]

Only if you promise me you won't die. [please don't die, not on his watch] Stay on your toes, and let's go.

Jatayu!

[and with that, the mask vanishes, and blue fire begins to dance around the mysterious cosplayer's form. it formulates into a semi-transparent bird behind him; a bird that casts Garula on the nearest Naga just as it's about to leap forward in a strike]

[that bird is most definitely a Persona]

[That is...the strangest looking Persona he's ever seen. Also is he taking Philemon's mask speech a little too literally? What kind of strange place did he fall into?]

[He grips his gun a little tighter, just as the naga nearer to him begins to attack.]

[Instincts quickly take over, as he turns around, right hand still holding his sword, he raises his other hand in the air, as wind begins to blow around him, forming blue circles of glowing light under him.]

Persona!

[The light moves upwards into flame-like light, causing a figure to appear above him. Airgetlam raises its sword into the air, causing Mamagnara, and sending slabs of rocks rise from the ground and slam right into the Naga. It doesn't appear to react too kindly to be pelted in that manner.]

[what the]

[that!! is a Persona!! since when were there other Persona users wandering around Mementos? Joker opens his mouth to say something, but. . . in the end, he thinks better of it. there is a time and a place after all]

[instead, he tosses a sassy remark in Naoya's direction. the grin he wears only seems to make it sharper]

So you aren't useless. Not bad-- not bad at all.

[waves a gloved hand at Naoya, before he turns his attention back on the Naga he's fighting. the Shadow has already climbed back to its. . . ah, "feet," and is lunging at Joker with its spear extended. he ducks to the side, dagger flashing, and lashes out with the weapon to bury the blade into the naga's tail]

Hmm.

[If he didn't have Nanjo or Mark or Brown, the sassy remark might have gotten a better reaction out of him. But Brown literally goes around saying he's the hero and rating other's fighting prowess. It just gets a smile out of him instead.]

Thanks. You too.

[When he turns back to his own battle. As the Persona disappears behind him, he does a sort of time out sign. The Naga, clearly confused, somehow does as he asks.]

Hey Naga, do you want to join my Personas?

[It stares at him for a few seconds, before nodding. The tail behind him is wagging almost. It looks pretty happy. He smiles back, realizing its working.]

You are an interesting human...

[He steps a little closer. It's a dangerous way to proceed but...]

You'll be a great addition to my team!

[It inches forward as well.]

Very well I'll join, but only if you give me something in return. A life stone, do you have one?

[Ahhh...shit. He reaches into his pockets. Does he? Usually Eriko and Maki bring that type of stuff, but thankfully here's one in his pocket. He holds it up to the towering demon above him.]

Here it is.

My memory is flooding back! I'm a Naga like you said, aren't I? Well here's my spell card, kid, you better make a strong Persona with it!

[It slithers off, and he turns over to Akira to give him a silent thumbs up. You almost done?]

[what the balls is happening here]

[OKAY. a) how did this guy manage to turn a Shadow into a Persona too? and. . . b)]

Did you just call time out in the middle of a fight?!

[pay attention, Joker, you still have your knife in a Naga's tail. the Shadow hisses and attempts to yank its tail away, although doing so leaves a nice-sized gash in its scales. it lifts its spear up high, electricity cackling on the tip, before it sends the lightning dropping right down on Joker's head]

[fortunately, he manages to backflip out of the way before it hits, though not without a frustrated tch]

Edited 2017-05-31 19:51 (UTC)

Don't you?

[He stops speaking when the lightning strikes, shielding his face, but spotting the masked cosplayer moving away. The fact the guy is backflipping away is amazing in its own right. He couldn't quite imagine his friends doing the same thing and his hands briefly come together for a single clap before - oh right, the battle. He should concentrate.]

[He raises his gun and fires a round of bullets toward the remaining target, in the hopes of buying the other enough time to attack properly.]

No.

[holds ups are totally not the same thing as a time out. either way the bullets do the job, and the Naga hisses in pain as a few strike true before it whirls around to face Naoya, spear sparking with electricity again]

[Joker takes the opening]

Persona!

[Jatayu makes a second appearance with a second Garula, and the green wind envelops the Shadow. it lets out a rather piercing cry as the attack hits, and its form dissolves into a cloud of black smoke. whew.]

[Well now that the danger HAS passed, congratulations are in order. Hence, the clipping.]

[Quickly followed by;]

So where the hell are we? I don't remember a level of Tartarus looking like this...and I can still use my Personas.

[well]

[thanks for the clapping? he'd take a bow, but he's too busy giving Naoya a look now. it's filled with suspicion]

. . . Mementos. The Shibuya Underground, as seen in the Metaverse. [an honest answer, sort of] Don't tell me you can use a Persona and you don't know what that is.

[HE's getting a similar one back because this makes absoluetely no sense.]

Shibuya Underground? As in Shibuya, Tokyo? [Idly, he strokes his single earring, thinking silently to himself before speaking again.] That's at least three hours of train from Mikage-cho, if not more. I'm not sure what you mean by this 'Metaverse'.

[a Persona user. . . who doesn't know about the Metaverse? did he just awaken to his power or something?]

[tilts his head sideways to give Naoya a look through the corners of his eyes]

What's with that look? Weren't expecting a sudden vacation to Shibuya?

[which is, honestly, a little weirder than the fact that this dude has no clue what the Metaverse is. if he didn't expect to be in Tokyo at all, then??? why is he here??]

[Something far worse.]

No.

[He keeps looking around, expecting more demons to show up.]

I've been to the 'Other Side' created by Maki's mind, and the Collective Unconsciousness, even Tartarus, but nothing that's three hours away in Tokyo.

I'm just...not sure how I got here at all, and that my team isn't here with me either.

[HE LEFT BROWN AND MARK UNATTENDED WITH ONLY NANJO. THE WORLD IS DOOMED.]

[. . . he knows about the Collective Unconsciousness, but not the Metaverse. huh. there's a pause, and Joker folds his arms over his chest, like he's debating something. how much information does he want to drop on a total stranger?]

[he shakes his head]

The Metaverse is the Collective Unconscious. A world created by human cognition. That's what you see around you.

[tilts his head to the side, a brief, jerky movement to indicate their surroundings]

I don't know how you got here, or where the rest of your team is, but I can give you that much information at least.

So another part of the Collective Unconscious? So like the Alaya Cavern...I see.

[He'd already gotten out of it with Maki, but at this point did anything make sense anymore? Things could shift and change the whims of whoever had that locket. As long as he still had time to stop Pandora and he wasn't thrown in a weird place that he couldn't come out of.]

Okay. Hopefully they'll be able to go on without me for a bit...

[THEY'RE PRETTY DOOMED.]

What are you doing in this place?

For Persona Heroes

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Here I thought I had tagged this...