In the Shadows of Greatness: Persona M&M IC

[The-Mage-King]

"As worried as I am, I need to have a talk with the Headmaster about this incident." Edwin replies, sighing. "I figured that this place would be out of the way, and have a more calming atmosphere than the other options. Now, if you'll excuse me..."


With that, he starts to turn and go, unless stopped.

[Hammerpriest]

"You're excused sir." The nurse makes a a sarcastic bow as he watches Edward and his entourage leave the room. He his eyes turn to steel the moment he's out of the room. He walks over to Daniel and helps him to the long couch in the back of the room before returning to the tea on the stove. The whining of the kettle fills the room as the nurse once again begins to speak.

"I don't know what you did back there, but I'm betting it has to do with him over there." He points towards Mot.

"Also, you keep clutching your ears. What's the deal with that, laddie?"

[Ionbound]

After she leaves the Nurse's office, having assumed her human form on the way to the nurse, Hikari checks her schedule.

6th Period-Free

Seeing she has a free period, Hikari looks around for Matt to explain what just happened.

[Cogsrow]

"Daniel looks at him" He's loud, his voice tries to break my mind and take control....doesn't really help I guess, but it's a reflex. "he takes a seat looking exhausted already"

[Hammerpriest]

The nurse turns off the stove. He pours Daniel a cup of the tea before moving back to his medicine cabinet. "I hope yah, like it bitter, because I don't really have anything for yah to add it." He continues rooting around in his medicine for a little while before letting out an "Aha!" He returns with a few cotton balls and hands them to Daniel.

"Don't know if it'll do the job, but that should hold yah until yah get some real earplugs."

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As you arrive at the headmaster's office for the second time today, you notice that the secretary isn't present. A small withe sign hangs from her desk saying, "Out to Lunch. Back in five." Ignoring the sign you knock on the Headmaster's door, hoping that at least he is where he should be. After three knocks, you hear a familiar sliding sound for a minute before the headmaster beckons you in. "Edwin? What's the occasion for the unexpected visit?"

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Matt leans against the lockers as Edwin walks past. His mind his filled with fear and trepidation over what he just witnessed. While he had seen his own spirit self, he had no idea that they could be capable of attacking others. In addition, Hikari's changed her. She became one with it, and no longer looked human. Maybe he would let Hikari explain everything because for the moment, he was shrouded in shadow. Seeing her leave the nurse's office after Edwin left, he stops her. "So, you still up for explaining everything? Because I have no idea what's going on anymore."

[Cogsrow]

It won't work, I usually have to drown it out "he takes the cup drinking"

[The-Mage-King]

"Daniel Archer- one of those confirmed to have Personas. His is acting up, which lead to an... incident shortly after my class ended." Edwin says, pulling the Evoker he confiscated from where he had tucked it. "He summoned using this, in full view of half the class."


"The incident was brought about from Frank Durnstrund taking Mr. Archer's headphones. Mr. Archer retaliated by summoning and using a spell intended to drain Mr. Durnstrund, which thankfully failed." He continues, setting the Evoker on the desk with care. "Then I stepped in and Mr. Drunstrund took the opportunity to flee using his own Persona."


"At this point," He finishes, looking at the Headmaster directly. "Mr. Archer seemed to have a nervous breakdown. I thought it was best to get him out of the crowds and noise of the halls, and over to the nurse's office. He and Miss Suziome are still there, if my guess is correct."


"I came here to see what you wanted done about this mess."

[Hammerpriest]

The Headmaster folds his hand in front of his face, unsure of what to do. He spends a good minute or two in thought before finally beginning to speak. "While I can empathize with the poor boy being unable to control his own literal demons, I cannot stand for those who would make a mockery of the fine tenets and by-laws. He is to be brought to me personally to face whatever punishment I deem fit. However, this also applies to Mister Durnstrund as well. I will not let these two boys destroy the sanctity that an institution of learning is supposed to provide to its students.

As for what you did to keep control of the situation, I want to applaud you for doing your best to keep damages to a minimum. I shudder to think what might have happened if someone who wasn't in a position to act had been there. We might have very well had the death of another student on our hands. Edwin, you are to return to teaching for the rest of your work day. I will see to it that Nurse McMahon keeps Daniel in one place for me to administer his discipline. As for Frank, I may have to ask you to search for him once the school day ends. I must know what lies at the heart of this conflict before I proceed."

The Headmaster reaches forwards and grabs the revolver. "You'd think the boy would have more sense though. Next thing you know, there'll be students bringing in swords to school. The PR nightmare that would result from all of this would be insane. Anyway, you have your assignment. I will see to it that our counselors tend to anyone who might have been disturbed by witnessing the event."

[Sairyu]

"Did you hear? People're saying that there was almost a shooting - my friend was saying that someone pulled a gun in class!"

"What? No way, they must be lying. We're at Preston ya'know?"

"It's true! The teach' wound up bringing them to the principal! I hope he gets suspended, at least..."

Keiran cocked his head, trying to catch the fading snippets of conversation as he walked down the hall, the chatty pair heading down in the opposite direction. He shook his head, America was getting more barmy with every passing minute.

[Ionbound]

"I suppose you do deserve an explanation after what happened. Did your parents ever tell you stories about gods, heroes and demons when you were little?"

[Hammerpriest]

"Well, my parents never told me about any of that, but I've read stories. You're not telling me that they're all true, are you?"

[Ionbound]

"Well...Not exactly. You see, most, if not all, humans create beings called Shadows, completely unconsciously. These Shadows are the manifestation of all the negative emotions people experience and suppress over their lives, and generally they seek out their creator. At this point, one of two things happen, either the person who created the Shadow denies that it's a part of themselves at which point the Shadow attacks or kills them, or they accept that the Shadow as part of themselves and the Shadow becomes part of them. The person is then able to use the Shadow's power for many purposes, as you just witnessed. These Shadows that merge with humans are called 'Personae' or 'Persona' in singular and usually take on the appearance of legendary heroes, gods, or demons based on what their powers were. Also, for some reason I don't really understand myself, the Shadows and Personae are always associated with trumps, or arcana, of the European tarot. Any questions?"

Spoiler

Show

I hope I didn't spoil too much of the plot.

[Hammerpriest]

"Woah, that's... that's a lot to take in. So, does that mean that thing that Daniel summoned was a part of him?"

[Ionbound]

"Basically. It was a secondary aspect of his personality. Then, you have...outliers like me. We, for some reason, don't summon Personae like anyone else. For example, because I slowly awakened a Persona and never fully recovered from an...incident at my old school in Japan which created a 25th hour at midnight and caused people to become coffins for that hour, instead of simply summoning Raijin, I merge with him. I also know of a robot that summoned a Persona, but myself and the robot are the only two that I've heard of."

[The-Mage-King]

"...Would ceremonial tea ceremony accessories be more acceptable than swords?" Edwin asks after a pause.

"At any rate, I must be going! Class to teach, student to find."

With that, the teacher hastily leaves the headmaster's office.

[Hammerpriest]

Matt pauses for a moment. Did she just say robots? He was understandably confused about this whole situation. "I think... I think I need to think all of this over for a wile. This is way too much info to digest in one setting. I'll talk to you later Hikari." With that Matt stumbles away from her, looking for somewhere he can sit down and think about everything.

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As the Headmaster watches Edwin hurry out of the room he stops to ask himself what in the world Edward meant by ceremonial tea ceremony accessories. Especially since using the word ceremony twice in there would be a bit redundant. Did he mean ancestral tea ceremony accessories, or were these tea accessories so ceremonial that they needed to be referred to belonging to a ceremony twice? Could an object even be ceremonial? He had always thought that something was either ceremonial or not, but perhaps he was wrong. Maybe ceremonial-ness was a measurable, quantifiable adjective that could be applied to objects. Maybe if one was enlightened enough...

He snaps out of his train of thought. He had urgent business to attend to. Reaching for the phone on his desk, he punches in the extension for the nurse's office.

"McMahon speaking. What do yah need?"
"I understand that you currently are treating a Daniel Archer in your office is that correct?" There is a slight pause before an answer comes from the other end.
"Uh... I sent him to his dorm room to get some bedrest, that bad?"
The Headmaster lifts his other hand and uses it rub his temples. "That... That will be fine. I shall speak to you later."
The headmaster hangs up the line and picks the revolver. He needed to find Daniel Archer before he hurt himself and someone else.

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The nurse looks over at the boy sipping tea on the couch in his office. While he understands that he most likely did something bad to get the headmaster's attention, he can't help but feel sympathy for him. "Uh... I sent him to his dorm room to get some bedrest, that bad?"
"That... That will be fine. I shall speak to you later."

The voice on the other end the line cuts out abruptly. The nurse hangs up the phone and turns to face Daniel. " I dunno what yah did, but yah got the Headmaster looking for yah. Now I sent him away for now so yah can rest, but he's gonna be angry when he doesn't find yah. Yah can either use this opportunity to go to him, or run, doesn't bother me too much either way."

[Cogsrow]

"daniel sips the tea and looks at him" If I was a runner I would of just used that pistol 4 months ago. would of saved me a lot of trouble.I'm not gonna try and say what I did wasn't wrong, cause it was, but the alternative was worse

[Hammerpriest]

The nurse lets out a hearty laugh before getting himself a cup of tea. "Hah, that's the marking of a real man. I told him yah'd be in your room so you'd best be off. I hope I never see yah as a patient again then, boy.Good luck to yah."

[Cogsrow]

"he nods standing up and rubbing his head" I'll need my headphones back though. Thanks for the help "he walks out heading towards his dorm"

[Hammerpriest]

As the time passes, sixth period comes to a close, and the bell rings to dismiss the students to their next class periods. The hallways become abuzz as the rumor of a student bringing a weapon to on of their classes spreads like wildfire. Every student whispers the event in fear that they could have been the one who could have been in that room. Various teachers make attempts to disquiet the rumors but to no avail. The bell for seventh period rings, and everyone moves to their next class, afraid that the "shooter" had a partner.

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As Daniel arrives at his dorm, he notices the Headmaster waiting inside his room for him. The imposing figure stands there with a stern figure, holding Daniel's revolver in his hand. On noticing Mot, his face hardens and he takes a step back. "So it was true then. You were the one who so carelessly summoned his Persona. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

[Cogsrow]

There was nothing careless about it, without my headphones mot can force himself to be summoned. When he does that he can use his powers at will. Then he does what a god of death does. He does the biggest grab for my mind when I first lose my headphones, he then waits wearing me down for days before he tries again. So my choice was either summon mot to control him or let him take over and he might try to kill everyone.the gun isn't loaded I needed it to summon him. Can I have it back? I can't use his powers without it and anyone that wants to kill me for being a summoner can and i'll be defenseless.

[Ionbound]

As Matt leaves, Hikari sighs.

Eh, don't worry about it, you did the right thing.
You sure?
Yeah. He can see Shadows, remember? He'd would have found most of that out the hard way if you hadn't told him.
I guess...Still, I'm worried about what he thinks of me.
Don't tell me the great Hikari has fallen in...lurve.
Shut up! It's just that he's a good person and...I just realized what I sound like.
Yup! BWAHAHAHA!
Godsdammit.
Oi! I resemble that statement!

Ignoring Raijin's teasing, Hikari hears the bell and looks down at her schedule

7th Period-Trigonometry

[Kymme]

Matt takes another glance at Hikari as he leaves, heading to his next class. That was... interesting. Robots, though? Well, isn't Tonk a robot? He shakes his head. I've got to stop thinking about this. Shrugging, Matt glances at one of the wall-maps. He mumbles to himself as he looks for his next class. "American Literature... it should be... oh, right.

Matt looks to the door to his right. A sign over the doorway reads "American Lit" in a sprawling, cursive font.

"Well isn't that convenient." He heads inside, still thinking back to his conversation with Hikari.

[Hammerpriest]

The Headmaster keeps his gaze fixated on Daniel. "If you had no choice but to summon him, why couldn't you have asked to be excused? Why couldn't you have done anything else to contain the damages? The truth of the matter is that you had a choice, you just panicked. Your action to summon your persona in full view of the entire class with a gun shaped evoker no less, created a scene that won't be easily rectified. Not only that, but by the very tenants on which Preston Academy stands, you brought a potentially lethal weapon into my school.

Now, I should expel you right here and now. But I won't. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone deserves a second chance. From here on out, you are on absolute probation. You are to do what I say, when I say it. And you are most definitely not allowed to bring this revolver onto school grounds unless I am notified first, and even then, only if I grant my approval first. Should you decline these terms, you are to pack your bags and rid yourself from my sight immediately. What say you to these terms?"

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Seventh period is unnaturally quiet in every class. Students fear for their safety, and teachers worry about how to diffuse the tension. Suddenly, the PA system rings out. *BING BONG* "Students, may I have your attention? To all members of the archery club, there will be the year's first practice held in the courtyard at 5:00 P.M. That is all."

[Cogsrow]

"he nods" I'll accept them

[Hammerpriest]

The head master lets his stern expression fade before he tosses the revolver back to Daniel. "Good. I was worried I'd have to lose an important resource. Also, you're lucky you don't actually have ammunition for this. I'd really have had to expel you if that were the case. Now, back to business. I need you to tell me where I can find Mr. Durnstrund. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

[Cogsrow]

I was about to go see him, get my headphones back....I can't go but a day or two without them

[Hammerpriest]

"Well, that's certainly good then. Bring him back to me alive when you're done with him. Just remember to not summon where there are any witnesses. I can't protect you again if you do."

[wqsaey]

The PA nearly frightens Aster out of her seat as she is reaching into her backpack to find her schedule for her next class. As she calmly settles down into her seat again, she starts thinking about the meaning of the announcement.

Meet outside in the courtyard at 5:00, huh? Wait, doesn't that mean... the school doesn't even have a proper archery range? And I thought this was supposed to be a prestigious school. No, no, maybe they just haven't built it yet. Still, that's just a little silly. I hope they at least have the proper equipment. I'll have to make a note to go back to my room to get my bow.

She finally finds her schedule crumpled beneath a few notebooks, and smooths it out on the desk.

Eighth Period - Mythology

What? There's no way I signed up for this. Well, this should make for another boring afternoon class. Too bad I didn't bring my carving supplies with me.

Aster picks up her stuff and starts leaving along with the rest of the students as the teacher dismisses them to their next class. As she does so, though, heavy wind severely rattles the only window in the classroom, which the teacher promptly shuts.

[The-Mage-King]

Once more waiting for all the students in his class to arrive, Edwin is deep in thought.

"... Perhaps if I rolled in on my chair..." He mutters, keeping an eye on his watch as he fiddles with the card he uses as a focus. "...Or maybe..."


His mutterings continue until the bell rings, and he looks around the corner to confirm his classroom's door is closed.


"Well, time to start this class off weirdly." He says, standing up and dropping the now aflame card to the floor, where it shatters.



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Eight Period: Mythology

Walking into his classroom, Persona floating behind him and mimicking his movements, Edwin gives his students a once-over.


"Good afternoon, class. I am Edwin Durant, and this is the initial Mythology course offered by Preston Academy." He says in a tired tone, barring any outbursts.

"In this course, I shall teach you how to gain knowledge of ancient gods, summon your own, and to write papers in the format that I learned eight years ago back when I was entering college, that's changed once every six months since." He continues, watching all of his students' expressions.


He pauses, letting a few seconds pass for that to sink in.

"That's a horrible joke." Edwin says, his expression changing to a grin and a chuckle seeping into his voice, his demeanor showing his initial introduction as a joke. "I don't really like that format anyway. Now, let's go over the basics of this course..."