Persona! Gosei High

[InTheMachine]

“I don’t know that the thought of going to an Otherworld is comforting,” Akiko says to Chrétien. “But that does offer a few explanations.”

She moves back a half step from the window as something races across it. This was reminding her way too much of the weirdness of her dream just a few minutes ago.

“Who is this lady you’re talking about? What calling?” she asks the exchange student.

As Arata and Yoshiro mention leaving for the hospital, Akiko starts to head for the second floor. “I’m gonna go check on Koji and Sasaki-chan. They could’ve been caught in… whatever just happened too.”

Akiko heads straight for Koji’s door and knocks loudly. “Hey, Koji! You okay in there?”

[big teej]

Chotto Matte:

Sakuma is trapped in his own thoughts, slowly coming to grips with the unhinged reality before him compared to what should and ought be... He could feel that presence helping bridge the gap.

He starts from his reverie as Akiko heads up stairs. "Wait, Akiko-san, that's the boy's floor." He mutters reflexively. He starts after her and stops on the steps, looking back toward Tien-san and the others, and the ruddy skies outside. "We should... probably try to stick together, or at least avoid being alone."

He sighs. "I'll be back." and hurries up the stairs after Akiko.

After checking on her, he'll continue on towards Sasaki's room on the girls' floor. "Turnaround is fair play, I guess." Sakuma muttered.

Notice: 4....

[Roguewolf]

Yoshiro's head whips around as Akiko mentions Koji, and when she runs off, his eyes widen.

“A-Arata-senpai….. do you think?”

Arata puts his free hand on Yoshiro's shoulder. “I'm sure he's ok, Yoshiro-kun. And you can drop the honorifics with me. They won't do us much good if we're in the Otherworld as Chrétien-San says.”

He looks at the Frenchman. “But you're probably right. In which case, we need a way back. Any ideas?”

Yoshiro shakes his head. “I can tell there's movement all around us, but I'm only sensing us here. It's like…. That voice gave me a sort of radar.”

As Akiko knocks on the door, there is no answer. The door also opens on its own, and Koji's room is empty.

As Sakuma reaches Sasaki’s room, the same occurs. It's almost strange how much more spacious the girls’ rooms are than the boys’.

[InTheMachine]

As the door opens at her knock, the cold tingle of dread shoots down Akiko’s spine. Her respiration increases as her eyes dart around Koji’s room.

Her first incoherent thought is that he’s obviously playing a prank on her. But there room was small and the closet was open. There was nowhere to hide.

There’s a few boxes of his things that she recognized, and his jacket was draped over the back of the chair at his desk. There wasn’t any doubt that she’d knocked at the right room.

He was gone.

She swallows to wet her dry throat before pulling out her phone to try and text him. Her fingers tremble on the black screen. Dead. Just like the TV.

Akiko grits her teeth and closes the door. She makes her way back down the stairs with much less urgency than she climbed them.

When she arrives back in the common room, her gaze moves to Yoshiro and darts away almost guiltily. “He’s… not there.”

[big teej]

One Door Opens:

"Etooo....."

Sakuma Matsuyo stared in consternation as 'Sasaki's' door swung open at his touch. He chewed his lip.

I can't just... walk into a girl's room.
It's an emergency though.
What if we're the crazy ones though?
What if she needs more help than we do?

Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, the red-haired youth pushes on the door with greater intent and strides into the room.

Sakuma's semi-practiced eye sweeps the room quickly. A total, definite, disconcerting lack of oppai life.

The youth's frown returns. Turning on his heel he stiffly marches back out into the empty, quiet hallway. He sighs disgustedly and marches from door to door, knocking at the first two, and then simply pushing open into the handful after, throwing each door open with greater violence and desperation than the one prior until eventually he was back at the end of the hall, across from Usagi-chan's room.

He looked at ground for a moment, down the hallway of open dorms, then back at the stairs.

He sighed and adjusted his vest.

The pistol was a comforting weight beneath it.

Sakuma Matsuyo went back down the stairs to the common room, sparing only a glance to see if Akiko was on the boys' floor.

"I think it's just us." He announced from the landing.

[mmdeforrest]

“La Dame du La Lac,” Chrétien replied to Akiko reverently before she dashed off to inspect the rooms for their occupants. “It was her voice that called me to serve her — to serve a higher calling. If it be madness to accept, so be it.”

As his two friends depart to inspect the other floors, Chrétien drew a chair over to the window in the hopes of getting a better view of what was happening at the street level. “Where are you sensing these movements, Yoshiro, are they in the building or outside? Knowing where others are will be helpful — although it is not spoken of the the older storied my mother studies. Oh — and see if you can tell the difference between out two volunteer scouts and the others as they inspect the higher floors.”

Chrétien was glad the leather of his pants was supple enough to not hinder him stepping onto the seat of the chair. Something thicker would be better armor, of course, but it would…

Chrétien stopped and looked down at himself.

His pants were leather, dyed almost to an olive color that perfectly matched a snug fitting, multi-buttoned waistcoat. The sleeveless blue jacket was a royal blue with a military cut. His boots, were a polished brown but a quick shifting of his feet confirmed a modern sole — one that would keep him from losing his footing should he draw his rapier in anger. His sword belt lay over a red sash that both felt separate from and a part of the rest of the ensemble.

His hand reached up and felt the cravat at his neck.

He drew out his cell phone to get a view of the thing.

He didn’t even know how to tie a cravat. Where had this thing come from?

At least it was not lacy in style, he assured himself — much more d'Artagnan than Louis Quatorze.

Not that he was sure either wore such a thing.

He glanced at the others in the room, surveying their mode of dress to ascertain if they, too, had changed. The look felt so natural to him — in the way sheathing the rapier had been second nature — that it only now occurred to him that he was no longer in his school uniform. What of the others? Had they changed, too, and their own comfort make it seem tres normal?

[Roguewolf]

Yoshiro and Arata looked confused at the name given by Chrétien. Granted, Arata knew a little French from their interactions, Yoshiro was left entirely in the dark. At his other question while the others ran upstairs, he looked at the ground.

"I-it's not so much seeing as sensing. I'm feeling them outside, but they don't feel familiar." He draws a sharp breath as he looks again. "Almost terrifying."

Arata also looks at the window in his new black leather armor with feather patterns adorned on the bracers and boots. He sat the naginata against the wall with the point down and adjusted the bracers and duster. They seemed to fit well. Yoshiro was still in his regular clothes.

"Yoshiro-kun, if you're sensing what we saw earlier today, then maybe we should all be ready to fight. Doesn't look like you got the same treatment of weapons and suits that we did so we'll protect you on the road then."

Yoshiro looked up at Arata and nodded, a look of fear in his eyes. "Y-yes, Arata-senpai." He then looked at Chrétien and closed his eyes to focus on Akiko and Sakuma. He shook his head a bit and then nodded after a moment. "There is a difference. So if anything, I can see you all clearly. The others out there feel like..." He was stuck on the word. "Shadows."

When Akiko came back down with the news, Yoshiro looked at the ground and nodded. "I..... I thought so after what Chrétien-senpai just had me try. So we really are...."

At Sakuma's words, Arata nodded. "Yep." He grabbed the naginata again. "We should get-"

Arata is cut off by a banging on the door, and the next moment it flies open revealing three entities.

"Well, it seems like humans have wandered in." The first says.

"I haven't had human in ages! Maybe now our worlds will collide again and we can feast!" The second pipes up.

"Shut up you Hee-ho moron! They may be intelligent enough to understand us." The third looks a lot like the one you saw at the maze.

Arata readies his blade. "Get behind us, Yoshiro-kun. At least one of them is smart." He smirks at the jack-o-lantern.

"Hee-ho hee-ho hee! A human with a challenge!"

READY FOR COMBAT! Our heroes move first!

[mmdeforrest]

Yoshiro and Arata looked confused at the name given by Chrétien. Granted, Arata knew a little French from their interactions, Yoshiro was left entirely in the dark. At his other question while the others ran upstairs, he looked at the ground.

"I-it's not so much seeing as sensing. I'm feeling them outside, but they don't feel familiar." He draws a sharp breath as he looks again. "Almost terrifying."

Arata also looks at the window in his new black leather armor with feather patterns adorned on the bracers and boots. He sat the naginata against the wall with the point down and adjusted the bracers and duster. They seemed to fit well. Yoshiro was still in his regular clothes.

"Yoshiro-kun, if you're sensing what we saw earlier today, then maybe we should all be ready to fight. Doesn't look like you got the same treatment of weapons and suits that we did so we'll protect you on the road then."

Yoshiro looked up at Arata and nodded, a look of fear in his eyes. "Y-yes, Arata-senpai." He then looked at Chrétien and closed his eyes to focus on Akiko and Sakuma. He shook his head a bit and then nodded after a moment. "There is a difference. So if anything, I can see you all clearly. The others out there feel like..." He was stuck on the word. "Shadows."

When Akiko came back down with the news, Yoshiro looked at the ground and nodded. "I..... I thought so after what Chrétien-senpai just had me try. So we really are...."

At Sakuma's words, Arata nodded. "Yep." He grabbed the naginata again. "We should get-"

Arata is cut off by a banging on the door, and the next moment it flies open revealing three entities.

"Well, it seems like humans have wandered in." The first says.

"I haven't had human in ages! Maybe now our worlds will collide again and we can feast!" The second pipes up.

"Shut up you Hee-ho moron! They may be intelligent enough to understand us." The third looks a lot like the one you saw at the maze.

Arata readies his blade. "Get behind us, Yoshiro-kun. At least one of them is smart." He smirks at the jack-o-lantern.

"Hee-ho hee-ho hee! A human with a challenge!"

READY FOR COMBAT! Our heroes move first!

“I wouldn’t concern yourself overmuch,” Chrétien observed as he stepped down from the chair and drew his rapier. “I’m sure our understanding is sufficiently limited that we won’t be able to follow.

“En garde!” the exchange student warned as he awkwardly thrust at his enemies.

Spoiler: More Elan than Accuracy

Show

Attack!: 2d6o6+1 6

Chrétien misses and suffers a setback!

[InTheMachine]

Akiko takes a few steps back as the three shadows enter the room. Wha—what are those? They want to eat us!? She thinks in horror.

Her hands grow slack on the haft of her axe as the exchange student lunges at one of the evil looking beings.

You must fight, the voice from her dreams whispers in her ear. They will indeed eat you should you fall.

“I can’t,” Akiko says, her eyes wide.

You can, her demonic companion retorts. I will assist you. It would not do for this rabble to best you.

A black silhouette phases into existence behind Akiko for just a moment. It beckons a clawed hand upward at the Slime and red and black energy erupts from beneath the Shadow, bathing it in evil energy, before fading back out of reality.

OOC: Eiha to Hit: 8
Damage (Curse): 3

[big teej]

Court is in Session:

Up on the landing, Sakuma rocks back on his heels as the monsters enter the room. His eyes grow wide and his jaw slackens, a lit cigarette falls from his lips to the floor.

The red-headed youth's form flickers as Chretien attempts to stab one of the monsters, but Sakuma still doesn't move.

The black silhouette's appearance and subsequent eruption of energy shock the boy into motion.

He takes a half step forward, his clothes stuttering his movement, one frame - his casual outfit from the day. The next, black leather trousers and a white shirt beneath a black vest and a darker coat, trimmed in silver and exaggerated vertebrae. The humble newsboy cap evaporates, replaced with a broad-brimmed hat, the bastard child of a gambler and a capotain.

Sakuma's gloved hand snakes into his coat and pulls forth the revolver that felt made for his gloved hand. He blades himself and aims at the pumpkin-headed thing in one smooth motion...

and fires.

Spoiler: OOC/Mechanics/Whatnot

Show

Basic Shot: 11!
Damage: 5 Ranged vs. The Jack-O-Lantern Hee-Ho!

[Roguewolf]

Yoshiro yelped and rushed to hide behind a chair, as Arata struck the shadowy man with his naginata. The demons all hissed as the respective attacks hit, though the one that Chrétien struck whirls around to strike him again, narrowly missing his target.

The slime looks at Akiko with surprise and snarls. "ThEsE hUmAnS HaVe MaGiC!!" He lunges at her and manages a glancing hit.

The Jack-o-lantern cackles as it looks at Sakuma. "HEE-HO!! Then magic we go!" He shouts as a ball of flame fires at Sakuma and hits him square.

Mechanics:
The Dybbuk is hit by Arata, and misses its counter on Chrétien.
The Slime attacks Akiko for 3 damage!
Pyro Jack hits Sakuma for 4 fire damage!
Heroes have initiative!

[big teej]

Courtroom Drama:

Sakuma's eyes widen as the fireball grows larger in his vision. The youth wards himself, crossing his blackclad arms across his face and flinching. The impact throws him back against the wall. He staggers back through the smoke, his clothes normal again. He coughs, barely keeping one eye open against the smoke and the pain. A hasty shot puts a bullet through the glass of the front door.

Not Good...


Basic Shot: 3...

[InTheMachine]

The Slime’s lunge sends Akiko staggering back a few steps. She could feel a dull pain in her shoulder where its oddly firm body he struck her that she knew would bruise tomorrow.

If they lived to see tomorrow.

“Sakuma!” she calls out in horror as he’s hit with the ball of flame.

You see? the voice says in her ear. Find your courage to fight. Or die.

Akiko takes several shallow breaths as she looks at her classmates and the demons that they faced. She closes her eyes for a moment as various moment of her life appear in her thoughts. I… don’t want to die!

Her clothes shift in that moment, turning into a tight assassin’s outfit made of black leather and a cloak with an inner lining of ornate purple cloth.

Alright, Ruin Collector, she thinks as she throws back her hood. Help me.

I thought you’d never ask, he replies with a dark chuckle.

Her shadowy companion appears behind her again, and this time she raises her own hand in conjunction with his, bathing the Slime is more cursed energy.

OOC: To Hit Roll (Slime): 9

Eiha (Curse) Damage using Pulse (1SP): 7