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labyrinthum2024-11-29 06:46 pm
[OVERFLOW] November Intense Event 2024 [4th Wall Event]
It's not clear when it starts. It's subtle, with one new face appearing in one of the alleyways in Somnius, a gold cuff bracelet unremovable from their left wrist. Another appears a little while later, on the outskirts of the woods. Several more appear, as the hours go on, scattered throughout the neighborhoods of Somnius. It continues like this, a sprinkle of new faces with questions on their lips that becomes a steady stream. The natives do their best to accommodate these new Visitors, but it becomes clear quickly that they are different from the Dreamers, arriving all throughout Visium, rather than in the Enchanted Garden. Rumor travels throughout the city that these Visitors with the golden cuff bracelets must not have contracts, and may still have their native powers. They're treated just the same, encouraged to make themselves at home until Vaeros decides what to do about their lack of contract.
Vaeros remains suspiciously quiet, even from his castle beyond the labyrinth. There's something electric in the air, the atmosphere crackling in anticipation. What's on the horizon?
- 🏘️ Making House
There's no end to the mushroom houses or hill houses available, and though there are fewer in existence, it seems as though the desire for a cottage means there will be one available. Visitors are encouraged to make one of these places their home, but some need a bit of TLC to be homeworthy. Roll up your sleeves to make these houses your home! Sweep out those cobwebs and find that the mushroom houses stand straighter and feel healthier the more their insides are cleaned. Other homes feel lighter, and the land around them feels more fertile the more tender care is put into maintaining them. Though many come without electricity and water, it may be found that, for Visitors only, these dwellings will self-connect if enough work is put in. Be careful not to get sprayed in the face by that hose or faucet you're currently polishing!- 🌇 Exploring Town
There's a myriad of places to discover in Somnius. Not only are there native run places like the Stone Dragon Café (which will, unfortunately, almost always misinterpret your order in some fantastical way - they just don't have the best grasp on Dreamer foods), and other businesses run by Dreamers themselves. There's Club Quartz - which is often open late, and always welcoming to those who want to visit - Bloom Boutique, the Dreamer run flower shop, Kuchel's Tea Shop, a long running standard run by a different Dreamer, and of course, south of the cottages, a few miles off the main road, there's a pretty white farm house with a swath of field behind it. There's also the Church of the Moon, ran by locals who fervently believe in the moon and her power to keep the world in balance.- 🚸 Unruly Kidlings
Like any city with people dwelling in it, there's bound to be children. This particular week, the kidlings, both gelfling and goblin alike, seem to be extra naughty. They'll take slingshots to shoot dreamers and visitors with sticky gum, and they're putting soap in drinks that cause those who drink the syrupy concoction to hiccup soap bubbles out of their mouths. Nothing they're up to is particularly dangerous, but it sure is mischievous. It might even be fun to join in when groups of these children take to the streets to race on self-made rollerskates, skidding and rumbling down the cobblestone.
Dreamers and Visitors might find themselves as makeshift parents, having to guide these unruly children back to their actual parents. Those who take up this task will be given small tokens in thanks - simple items like pearl beads or glass baubles that, if are floated in glass jars with water and several others, will show pleasant memories from the person who last touched them.- 🪩 The Labyrinth
The Labyrinth, freshly reestablished has been quiet. Dreamers will find initially that they cannot enter, but that the labyrinth looks completely different to Visitors. Welcoming and warm, it comes across as inviting and somewhere Visitors seem drawn to. It will be up to Dreamers to stop them before they enter, or take advantage of temporary openings that WILL allow them to enter that only appear when a Visitor goes in, in order to chase after them.
Dreamers and Visitors alike will experience moving walls and shifting pathways, and find themselves drawn to one place in particular: a tall clear crystal statue that seems to hum. Time spent around this statue compels anyone around it to tell the truth, but when night falls it compels confessions of desire or even love.
cw: natural disasters, potential dismemberment
There's peace for a while, even with the mysterious appearance of these Visitors. However, as time goes on, things start to feel a little off kilter. The ever present barrier around the whole of Visium shimmers ominously, cracks and sparks appearing along the sky, almost as if a bubble is trying to burst. Swirls of color splotch through the sky, only becoming more and more evident. The weather begins to turn cold, then colder still, but then turns warm again. Rain falls heavy and fat, only to disappear the moment day turns to night - which seems to be happening rapidly and without much warning, the day shifting several hours in only a few minutes. These erratic shifts between day and night only seem to further fuel the storms and dramatic weather patterns that dance over the island. Some parts of the island will experience dramatic environmental changes from other parts. While the city could be covered in snow, the forest could be experiencing a heat waves. Concequences from these weather patterns are possible, including forest fires, flooding, freezing of crops, and the dramatic rise of tides on the beach.
What's worse—the very ground beneath everyone's feet begins to rumble occasionally. It, too, starts off subtly, but as the days progress these rumblings cause small cracks, then fissures, and finally, craters that seem to radiate heat as though they reach deep into the earth, beyond the ocean and land. Echoes of cackling and ominous whispers filter up from these fissures, and those who stand too close might find themselves possessed with violent desire or the wish to sap the energy from others in any way possible. Time away from these fissures will make this behavior wane, but be careful!
All of this activity seems to be waking up adversaries and creatures old and familiar within Visium, so be prepared to handle them!
- 👾 The Fireys
It's no surprise that, even with the wild weather, the Fireys are making a reappearance outside of the deep recesses of the woods they call home. They're wandering into Somnius, large gaggles of them looking for something FUN to do to match the wild atmosphere and crackling magic all around them. They will party in their usual way, their strange bodies able to detach wherever they want. They have no care that not everyone's body works this way, and will relentlessly pursue anyone they think is playing too hard at being a wallflower.
When touched by a Firey, body parts do come off, much like dismantling the limbs of a doll. For most people, it’s painless, but for the unlucky few, it’s as excruciating as having it cut off. The Fireys, though? They have no concern for the well-being of others. They will run off with their loot, kicking it around and hiding it, forcing that unlucky soul to go on a morbid scavenger hunt.- 🌑 Shadow Wolves
Those shadow-like wolves have made a reappearance, traveling easily through the slithers of darkness as the moon and sun erratically change positions in the sky. The crackling energy rebounding through the atmosphere fuels them much as the blood moon once did, once again giving them solid form...
What once was a shadow becomes a ferocious direwolf as large as a tiger, blacker than the night itself, and with razor sharp claws and teeth. These wolves target the natives, who are the most defenseless in this chaotic situation. Adults and children alike are snatched and carried off with the intention of making a meal out of them. These wolves cannot be reasoned with and do not speak. They will attack indiscriminately if they are separated from their intended prey. Once again it is up to Dreamers to protect the native population and usher as many as they can to the new Healer's Conclave, a medical and healing safe haven for those less inclined towards combat.- 🦇 Visium's IRS
No one likes it when government agents go rogue. But in the chaos of rebounding magic and crackling barriers, the Skeksis seem to be operating on their own. Instead of targeting the locals, as many expect once they first show up, the Skeksis target the Dreamers' belongings. They're vicious and will attack in groups when they happen upon a dreamer with items that they have regained. Your gun? Clothes? Any myriad of items you could be carrying on your person from home or gained by Vaeros' magic? They consider that theirs now. They have little regard for how they leave dreamers in the wake of their grabbing and snatching. Visitors will also be targeted for their golden cuffs, but the situation is dire for them; if their cuff is removed by the Skeksis' magical means, the visitor will begin to wither like a plant stricken with no water and a disease. The only way to stop this is to get the cuff back and place it around the visitor's arm again.
They won't stop at simple possessions either. Those who have wished for homes, castles, and home improvements will also find their homes targeted. Normally places of safe haven, there is no such unspoken rule this time around. Skeksis will wield wands made of purple crystal that seem fused to their hands to rip home additions from their foundations, to crumble standing buildings and pull out plumbing. They can be ganged up on should they get singled out, and should dreamers break their wands their homes will return to the way they were before the Skeksis began their nasty work.
At one point, the sun sets from its point at high noon, the day rapidly descending into night and giving way to the moon. Shimmering along with the stars, something else appears in the sky. A magical shimmer ricochets through the sky before the image of a large white barn owl flies through the night sky. A screech echoes through the air, cutting through the crisp, stunned silence coming from the natives and the land itself.
"If you do not wish to see the complete unraveling of this place, then I suggest you give back what you have been given. If I am not given this power back, the island WILL sink, it is no longer my choice. Pray at the crystal and return my power to me."
An ominous rumble of thunder echoes through the sky as soon as the image of the perched owl—Vaeros— disappears from the sky in a shattered shimmer. The natives look towards Dreamers especially - expectantly - as they clamor for the help that only they can give. Vaeros is doing his part! You must do yours! Help us all before we no longer have anywhere to live! Give back to the crystal! GIVE BACK TO VAEROS! Ultimately the decision to give back to Vaeros is up to the dreamers themselves, but the consequences seem to be quite dire to the gelflings and goblins that make this place their home.
- ✅ Returning Magic
Those generous enough to be willing to sacrifice their regained powers will need to get to the Crystal to do so. When there, they will need to join hands in prayer with other dreamers willing to sacrifice, as well as locals who are there to bolster the wish. This action won't take long, but it does take significant concentration.
Interruptions or wavering resolve might result in electric shocks that sap energy. Those who do make it through the prayer and give up their power will feel significantly lighter, and a little weaker but they will find a deluxe potion in their pocket when they stand. These potions will replace the returned powers for now, and at full strength. Those who already have red or yellow potions can obtain a second to gain a second elemental power or a second transformation.- ⛔ Refusal
Wait a minute. They want us to return our what?
So, Vaeros is urging Dreamers to relinquish their regained abilities back to the crystal in order to stabilize the crumbling world. Those who do sacrifice their abilities will notice that anomalies nearby begin to calm - some, however, are surely opposed to this idea.
What's the right call? Perhaps your character wants to advocate for sacrificing abilities as requested, or, perhaps your character is dead set on doing the opposite. Dreamers who disagree with Vaeros' requst might attempt to reason with others, speak out to the population at large, or even go so far as to interfere with others praying at the crystal to return their abilities. Locals will try to deter these dreamers from interfering, but the natives are generally much weaker than the contracted Dreamers.- 🔮 The Crystal
Those who visit the crystal at this point in time may find that it feels like a safe haven. Besides the Healer's Conclave the effects during this time seem minimal the weather stays steady though the time of day still reflects the same fractures as everywhere else. Huts and tents are set up for those injured by the fireys or shadow wolves, and despite these creatures wandering around everywhere, they can't seem to get into this area. It's a welcome safe haven in all the chaos, and it allows those who wish to pray and donate their regains to do so in...relative peace.
With their world and status quo once again thrown into chaos, the natives are growing restless with frustration. Those who are not cooperative with Vaeros are shunned from businesses that are native-run. They might even have a hard time seeking help at the local Healer's Conclave, a new establishment meant to replace a previous Dreamer establishment. Dreamers and Visitors alike may find themselves ushered unceremoniously out of buildings or even public spaces in the town if it's clear they've refused to help the situation. Those who do seem open to helping are greeted warmly and actively sought after with gifts and healing balms. A large contingent of locals have also hastily erected a large board near the Crystal, decorated with gems and carved creatures in its poles. This newly erected Quest Board is how they've chosen to organize their new desire to facilitate tasks that the dreamers and visitors can do to supplement the magics at work to save the island.
Quests appear on the board which insist that connection is vital to repairing the deteriorating world. The locals plea with Dreamers and Visitors alike to seek each other out, and find what connects them.
The magic in Somnius is currently unstable. With Dreamers sacrificing their regained abilities to the crystal in the interest of stabilization, many are left with only the power granted to them by potions. Even if one does still have their regained abilities, locals implore Dreamers to use their potion-granted powers to complete certain cleansing rituals.😱 Shared Scares
Dreamers and Visitors, you must find what bonds you! Sometimes weakness is louder than strength. Seek someone out who shares your greatest fear, and share it with them fully. Honesty is essential. The world will not repair unless you expose your most vulnerable anxieties.🎇 Drive & Desire
Dreamers and Visitors, strength lies within you still! What is it that you want? Seek someone who shares your greatest desire, and share it with them fully. Honesty is essential. The world will not repair unless you reveal the heart of what drives you.
🐺 Wolves at the Windmill
The White Windmill has been overtaken by a pack of shadow wolves, prowling inside and out. The magic surrounding the Windmill has become extremely unstable, but nothing can be done to cleanse the space until the wolves are done away with. Locals warn that only using animal transformation magic, granted by the gold potion, will successfully run off the wolves and regulate the area.🌊 Lake Oh-no-men
Erratic weather near Lake Omen is causing massive waterspouts to form. The area has become extremely dangerous, but locals warn that only using elemental or healing powers granted by the red and blue potions will calm the phenomenon. Dreamers must work together and lend their magic in order to regulate the area once again.
Expand to see our Event Summary
Visitors Arrive
Control Slips
Returning MagicOOC Note: Linked TDM plotting posts are for reference of these mentioned creatures only.
Working TogetherOOC note: The rewards that can be sacrificed can ONLY be powers or high-stakes items that facilitate character abilities. Regains to housing, mundane items and similar are not valid. Anything that is voluntarily sacrificed during this event will be returned at a later time via another event and cannot be regained with shards in the meantime.
Welcome to our November 4th Wall Event! Please keep all event activity to this post and subsequent overflows. We have provided a couple of headers for both Visitors and Dreamers to post their top-level links should they want to! We are also including a third header where we will have a form to fill out regarding donated regains. Please see our plotting post for any event related questions.
An important note about Visitors! All Visitors still have their canon powers. But they can not donate them to Vaeros. Have fun with that!
The Healer's Conclave is our new "clinic" location! Located in roughly the same place the clinic once was, it is a building molded from the trunks of ancient local trees and old pieces of labyrinth wall for protection. Inside, it is much the same as the clinic with a magical healing wing and a traditional medicine wing. This is a well staffed and NPC run "business", though Dreamers can work here. A location entry will be added for the Conclave no later than January 1st.
A State of the World post will be put up on December 10th, based on activity within this event, so look forward to it! Have fun Dreamers AND Visitors! A special welcome to our Visitors coming to us from outside the game!
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For a long moment, Akira stares at him, utterly stunned. He doesn't know for how long. He doesn't know what kind of expression his face is making. What he does know is that
He is afraid of running away
His hands pull off of the table as he leans back, settle on his thighs. It gives him something better, more substantive, to hold onto.
Akira needs to lie. Conceal it. Make something up, anything is fine, as long he doesn't reveal what's really on his mind. Correct himself. Be calm, be Joker.
A whisper slips out, and it's not what he needed to say.]
Yes.
[The light is at the wrong angle. It won't hide either of his eyes. He can only hope that his glasses are up to the task.
He tucks his thumb against his palm, presses til he feels the discomfort of nail against his palm. Piece back together. Pick the masks back up.
He can't think about it. Lingering on this... doesn't help either of them. Not right now. Akira can give him answers he may need; he can't help him like this. He needs to refocus.]
If you can summon your Persona and I can't- it's literal, too. [Facts, logic. Realigning himself. As long as he doesn't get caught up in feeling too much, he'll be fine. It's fine. He'll be fine now, because he must be.] It's a piece of my soul I can't access.
[Arséne. How much less would he stumble with him? How much more?]
There's... something I should say about that. About yours, I mean. [There. His voice is almost normal again. It's fine. He's fine.] I think it might help you to know.
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More than anything, Maruki wants to reach across the table. Squeeze a hand, ground him. He knows he can't, shouldn't. Won't. Akira sits back, and Maruki doesn't blame him. The distance between their souls has been closing up so rapidly every time they talk; counterbalancing that with even the tiniest bit more physical difference is probably necessary.
At piece of my soul, Maruki's eyes slip shut. They don't open again as Akira finishes speaking.
His brows crease in the middle, briefly, as if in a pained twinge. ]
If I can say one more thing first...
[ He awoke in the garden alone, frightened and furious and empty. Spent six weeks being inundated with everyone's worst traumas from realities more horrific than he ever could have imagined, each one a drop into the cavern that had split open at the back of his mind. It felt like it would never be filled again.
When Azathoth returned to him, he could have cried from relief. The days and weeks that followed were their own special brand of terrible, the castle in sudden disarray from Vash's abilities returning to him too, and then the perpetual night that seemed to stretch into eternity. But he was never scared, not really, not even when he and Venat faced down the Green Knight.
He had Azathoth, after all. What was there to fear?
Maruki's eyes open, warm and trained directly on Akira's. ]
I know how wrong it feels to be without it, and I don't want you to feel that way for a minute longer than you have to. Whatever I can do to help you regain your persona, I will.
[ Akira doesn't have to ask. Knowing him, he won't. And it won't matter. Maruki will be at his side.
He picks his head up off his palm finally, sits up straight, hands folding together once more. ]
Now, I'm all ears.
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It's an unbearable kindness that he doesn't know how to come to terms with. Akira can only try.]
Thank you.
[It's said almost too quietly again, too Akira and not enough Joker. He's trying to patch his vulnerable places, teeter-tottering on the edge of staying collected, but it feels like a herculean task. His calm is the most important thing he has, but every time they speak with one another, it continues to falter in this man's presence.
And yet, somehow, it isn't quite pain. It's terror, yet it isn't quite fear.]
I'll be in your debt. [Stronger again. Leveling out. It's a give and a receive, as his relationship with his Confidants are meant to be. Only... Akira isn't used to receiving anything first, and nearly not so much.] As for your circumstances with your Persona... they may be unusual, but it's not unheard of. What you experienced sounds like a partial Awakening.
[He wishes Morgana were here to explain it better... but Maruki only has Akira.]
It only happened to one of our members, though you could technically say it was two. [For these purposes, Akira only intends to draw on Haru's experience. It's easier than explaining the other.] I haven't seen it happen over such a long time, but I think the principle is the same. On Christmas Eve, did anything happen that hardened your resolve?
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It occurs to Maruki that for all of Akechi's expertise, he really has worked as a solo operative for years. Akira may not have the same length of time under his belt, but he has the benefit of a team. He's seen more awakenings than just his own. It stands to reason, then, that not all of them follow the established patterns Akechi laid out so clearly as normal.
A partial awakening. It only makes sense, but... ]
I see.
[ Maruki swallows, hands winding together again, thumb returning to its well worn track over his own knuckles, the bump-bump-bump motion soothing. ]
Yes, you could say that it did. I was–
[ Spiteful. Furious. Vindicated. Teetering on a knife's edge. ]
I was operating on pure emotion. There was a lot going on.
[ Maruki won't ever lie to Akira again.
But there are some truths he'll keep close to his chest until they know one another better. ]
I suppose it makes sense, doesn't it? Someone's cognition undergoing a transformation and a manifestation when those feelings are heightened much more than they normally would be.
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That's how it goes for all of us. [It's an almost subconscious motion, but his hand rests over his chest.] You don't "Awaken" until your heart has something to cry out over.
[To scream out against what's wrong, against the unfairness of it all. To no longer be content with the pain you're forced to either witness or bear.
Akira can still feel it like the phantom pain of an absent limb.]
Awakenings are tied to your strongest feelings, but just feeling emotion isn't always enough to tip the scales into a full one. There might be a specific science to it that none of us discovered completely, but... Just from what I observed, "resolve" seems like the thing that makes the difference to me.
[He's never had conversations like this with anyone before; not about the Metaverse, not to this extent. Not even to Morgana, when nights were spent hypothesizing on his bed. The closest he ever came was probably Akechi. Some of those talks in between slot machines almost felt like this, just covered in a dozen layers of mistruth too many.
It doesn't feel like that now, or like those bedtime conversations. He's never really had a space to ruminate like this with another person, not without it being cut short.]
1/3
You could even say there's a... psience to it.
[ ... ]
Ah, it sounds the same, so the joke doesn't– [ His hands unwind, gesticulate vaguely against the tabletop. ] Psience, p-s-i! You know, like cognitive psience...
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That was pretty lame, wasn't it... Sorry.
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That's...
[Well.
He tries to straighten out whatever his face is doing. Fails. Fails again, a second time. Ditches that and just tries to be as gracious about it as he can.]
We all have our off days.
["Tries" is the operative word, so he decides to give up a poor attempt at comfort in favor of what both of them seem to latch onto much better: facts.]
How much do you know about cognitive psience?
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More importantly, though...
He slides his glasses back up his nose, smile turning a little hesitant. ]
I know a bit. [ A beat. ] Okay, more than a bit. I was a researcher before I was a counselor. [ Another beat. ] It was my dream career, if I'm honest with you.
[ And god, he's being too honest with him. ]
All that to say... Since I arrived here and learned about my ability, I've been fascinated by the practical applications of cognitive psience as it pertains to personas. It's nice to be able to discuss it with you, finally.
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If Maruki was a researcher...]
It's nice for me, too. [Because it's true.] I don't get to have discussions with the others like this that often. Really, I'm just passing on the things that I've learned from a few others that are a lot more knowledgeable than I am. [If any of them ever got to talk to Maruki, Akira's sure they'd have a field day.] But explaining things, theorizing things... Usually I'm not the one in the driver's seat.
[The thought does nag at him, that the others who would be a lot more qualified to have this discussion with Maruki aren't here, but... Maybe part of him is still glad to be able to have the chance.
He still needs to make the most of it, though, even if his guard is painfully low. He owes it to Futaba to ask this.]
During your time researching, did you run into anyone named Isshiki Wakaba?
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She was quite the prominent researcher in that field, wasn't she? It's a shame about what happened to her.
And then again, spoken under the soothing hum of lo-fi back when his real self was still in hiding from almost everyone, but Akechi had put together just enough pieces of his puzzle to know that Maruki was both dangerous and endangered.
Don't you find Wakaba Isshiki's death odd?
Maruki has learned since exactly how odd it was. Exactly who was on the other end of a gun in the shadows of a cognitive world.
I wanted to steal her research - doesn't that sound familiar?
Still, though– the honest answer to Akira's question is a shake of his head as his mouth turns down. ]
I knew of Isshiki-san, but I never met her. If only I'd been so lucky. To say I admire her work would be a huge understatement.
[ Foundational, aspirational. His own budding career never would have had the springboard it did without her.
One day, people may look back on a time before cognitive psience was the norm, unable to comprehend a common topic for them being so new to us, and wonder why society couldn't appreciate the likes of Wakaba Isshiki and Maruki Takuto.
In hindsight, that feels more like a threat than genuine praise.
His stomach turns, and he moves to increase the heat on the kotatsu. ]
I take it you're familiar with her too?
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But it's not a matter of trust. At least, not for this situation, when Futaba isn't here to say it for herself. It's a matter of protecting the Phantom Thieves, and it's a matter of protecting words that Futaba should be the only one to speak.]
We stumbled across some things related to her and her research, you could say. [If it's a wordplay that only Akira gets, he can live with that right now.] But that was before we realized it was tangled up in something a lot bigger than us.
[Too much, but still not enough. It's serviceable. At the least, he knows now there aren't additional avenues to pursue by asking Maruki about her... or at least, after one additional thing he'll be done pursuing that.]
Did you ever encounter any roadblocks during your research?
[It seems... almost bizarre, that another researcher of cognitive science would not have come up in Akira's version of reality. Shido worked so hard to steal Isshiki's research for his own, after all, and anyone else in the field was practically unheard of. A suspicion curls at the back of his mind that he immediately has to push away, not think about, not right now.
Later, however, he will turn it over and over in his head.]
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[ It escapes on a huffed exhale that could almost be a laugh if there was any force or mirth behind it at all.
Maruki folds his hands back on the tabletop again, looks at Akira with an expression that approaches caution, for the first time since their reunion.
It isn't that Maruki doesn't want him to know. It's more that he doesn't want to burden Akira with any unnecessary worry. Perhaps the Maruki Takuto that exists in his reality never pursued cognitive psience at all – or perhaps he received an offer too good to pass up, found himself in a well-funded laboratory under the thumb of the man he loathes most.
Regardless, Akira doesn't need to worry about whatever future awaits this Maruki. He made his peace with it some time ago. Either he's killed by Akechi or by someone else; his name is on a list either way. ]
Yes. Many roadblocks. It's not a field of study that's widely accepted in academia, to say the least. [ He fought tooth and nail every step of the way. It was worth it. It had to be worth it. He has to find a new way to make it worth it. ] If you can believe it, I was actually supposed to have my own research laboratory, but the funding was suddenly cut off, and then I found myself out of a job.
[ A vague gesture. ]
Hence, counseling. And here we are today.
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It's enough, though.]
That seems to be a common theme. [He lets his hands grip each other to give them something to do. No fiddling. No tells. Not right now.] From what I understand, Isshiki ran into troubles of her own the more she tried to pursue her research. Whether it's a conscious or unconscious effort, it seems like there's always something that hinders people from looking into it more.
[It's a breadcrumb, a hint. He doesn't know if he's ready to talk about Yaldabaoth with Maruki more than he has yet. But if he digs deeper... If he asks... Akira thinks he really will tell him.]
When you had to change career tracks, was there a reason you picked counseling?
[Akira can think of a few reasons, but... He'd like to hear what Maruki says instead of speculating about it.]
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Maruki isn't going to dwell on it. Can't, not right now. It's far too early for him to lay such a heavy load on Akira's shoulders. He did so right away when he appeared; he has to balance the scales first, get to know him better before they discuss anything that might be awaiting Maruki back in his own reality.
Besides, that question is much easier to answer. ]
All I want is to help people. That's all I've ever wanted to do. It's what my research focused on, as you can imagine.
[ Akira is more than welcome to liken it to the changes of heart all on his own. It's a reversal of how these conversations originally happened, after all. ]
Without that, I was a bit lost. A good friend of mine from grad school pointed out that I could help people as a counselor instead, and I had the skillset for it, so... it was a natural fit, in the end.
[ Debatable, but he wishes it was, so that's as good as it being true. ]
That's probably a pretty cliche answer, huh?
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[For words that are said so softly, there's an undeniable firmness in both his eyes and his gaze.]
You were denied your chosen path, so with a little help, you chose the next best thing. There isn't any shame in that.
[Even if it wasn't a career in his own case... maybe that isn't so different from Akira himself.]
I know it's not the same, but... If there's ever anything you want to ask me about psience, about my experiences in the Metaverse... You're always welcome to. Like I said, I know better experts that aren't here with us, but... It's still something I'm happy to share with you.
[There's still things he should protect, and he will. For instance, for the time being he doesn't intend to tell Maruki that Akira's own "expert" is Sakura Futaba, Isshiki's daughter.
But Maruki is still his ally, now. Informing him of what he can is the least that he can do.]
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I was trying to prove the existence of any sort of cognitive world. To me, there's no better expert than one who already knew about it and spent so much time in it.
[ He's told Akechi, time and time again, that while he may be more academically informed about cognitive psience, there's no replacement for direct experience with it. They've both learned just as much from each other. The same goes for Akira. Of course it does. ]
Which is to say, I appreciate the offer more than I can say. I'll certainly take you up on it after we've had a little more time to digest... everything. [ Vague wave of his hand. Dead Skeksis! Persona reveals, or lack thereof! ] By that same token, if you ever want to ask me anything about the field, please do! I can talk about it for hours. If anything, you might have trouble shutting me up.
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[It makes Akira feel lighter to think of. This won't be the last time either of them ask each other things about this. More and more, they'll understand together. They'll make up for the areas where the other doesn't, where the other is weak.
If they have the chance to fight side by side again... Maybe they'll get to fill in those sorts of gaps, too.]
It's been a lot, though. [Dead Skeksis... Persona reveals......] I've kept you talking for a while without even putting on some coffee for you. [His hands aren't shaking anymore. He probably could, now.] But... Do you mind if I ask you about one last thing for now?
[He already has much to think about, as does Maruki, probably. But it'll weigh on him if he doesn't mention it now.]
stares at you
A hand waves vaguely through the air at the coffee comment. ]
I'll make something for us before we take some time to decompress. But no, I don't mind! Of course not. Fire away.
? i'm literally so innocent
But Akira buries it down. Maybe Maruki needs to do it... and maybe Akira needs to learn how to try to accept it.]
...Thank you.
[Better.
Now, for the plunge.]
Earlier, you said Akechi has been your guide. Can I ask what he's told you?
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In truth, Akechi has told him too much for him to ever be able to explain to another person, even one as deeply embedded in his heart as Akira. How does one summarize more than half a year of daily, constant contact? More than half a year of conversations that meander through all possible topics, and even those seemingly unrelated to the cognitive world somehow tie in. Akechi has told him just as much about how that place works by drawing him diagrams and explaining words like palace and Mementos as he has by quietly sharing stories of his mother beneath the steam of a bathhouse, or trying to rip his throat out with his bare hands.
There are things Akira may never be able to learn. A darkened alley behind a cottage, an attempt to alter a gelfling's cognition by either of their means ending in failure. Akechi's fingers wrapped around his throat as he bled every vile wound about his father. Days spent living out a false childhood behind castle walls.
Maruki nods at the question, rests a hand atop the kotatsu and traces idle patterns with his fingers. Concentric circles, overlapping again and again and again. Every reality in which he and Akechi Goro have found one another – ally, friend, enemy, family.
The best answer is the simplest one. Maruki draws a breath. ]
He's explained the basics of how the cognitive world operates. What it means for someone to have a palace, and the existence of that realm of the collective unconscious – things like that. All things I'd like to discuss with you too, eventually. As you can imagine, it's fascinating to me. But...
[ None of that matters here. Even if they try to operate under the same logic as Akechi would in a palace, it's all information that doesn't truly matter until he returns to reality. ]
I'd like to answer your question with a story.
[ No, what really matters is this: ]
When I first got here, exploration of the labyrinth was much more common than it is now. There were doors that would transport explorers into strange places that they had to find their way out of. It could be something as mundane as a greenhouse, or something as absurd as a room made entirely of cheese that they had to eat their way out of. I wanted to explore for myself, naturally, so Akechi-kun and I went just a few weeks after my arrival.
[ He spreads his hands wide on the tabletop, then lifts them up into the air, shaping the skyline of a city. ]
We found ourselves in a massive, abandoned city. It was ripped straight out of a movie, right down to the kaiju in it. [ He looks at Akira, eyebrows raised, and laughs. ] Actual kaiju, as tall as skyscrapers! Can you believe it?
[ His hands drop back down, his smile subduing. ]
You have to understand... I was hopeless back then. I had never so much as thrown a punch in my life, and I certainly hadn't been in a situation anywhere near as harrowing as that. I hadn't yet regained Azathoth's power, and even if I had, I didn't know that it was capable of fighting. All I knew was that it had appeared to me right before I awoke here, and the farther away I got from that moment, the more I wondered if I hadn't imagined it.
[ That emptiness at the base of his skull that others only filled with the worst horrors of their realities kept him up at night, and when he slept during the day he found himself counseling in his dreams all over again. It was a maddening time. ]
So, we had to find our way out of that city, and Akechi-kun was tasked with protecting me. I trusted him, but I also thought we were goners. What could two regular guys from Tokyo holding daggers do against kaiju? [ A shake of his head, fringe flopping over one eye. ] But Robin Hood appeared the first moment we were in danger. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I thought to myself – wow, the Detective Prince really is full of surprises, isn't he? I would have been dead without him.
[ And it was only that Detective Prince mask being so firmly intact that kept him from being left for dead. Maruki knows that now. ]
We eventually found a convenience store to take shelter in for a few hours of rest. While I was patching up his wounds, he explained to me that Robin Hood was a manifestation of his will, and– [ Like sunlight breaking through thick cloud cover after weeks of rain. ] I knew. Immediately, I knew we were the same. I hadn't known how to explain Azathoth's presence in my life until he used those words. A manifestation of will.
[ A beat, and Maruki huffs a breath that might be a self-deprecating laugh. ]
I told him everything. I'm sure it was overwhelming. But seeing Azathoth manifest for the first time, contracting with it, and then waking up here without it and a contract with an entirely different being... Kurusu-kun, I really did feel like I was going mad.
But he told me that I wasn't. That what happened to me was real, and that even though my power was dampened by arriving in this reality, it wasn't gone. "It's always with you. There, when you need it most, even if you can't summon it." Do you know what a comfort that was to hear? Honestly, I still don't think he knows. But to have someone around with the same ability during that time when I knew nothing about it and was so lost and confused...
[ Maruki's hands fold together, finally, eyes downcast, smile warm and calm. ]
I couldn't have been more grateful to him. It's a debt I'll never be able to repay.
[ A beat, and he picks his head back up. ]
I was able to regain my abilities a few weeks later. They were still foreign to me– fighting at all was still foreign to me, and I needed training. So ever since then, Akechi-kun has been the one to teach me how to utilize my persona. Everything I know, I learned from him.
[ For better and for worse.
Maruki lets that settle between them for a moment, then nods. ]
What he's told me about how it works in our reality pales in comparison to what he's taught me to do in this one. If he hadn't gone to such lengths to do so, I would have been dead several times over by now. So would many others. I'm sure it's jarring to hear that I've learned from your rival, but I hope you can understand. When it comes down to it, he's an incredible person, isn't he, Kurusu-kun?
[ Not a good one. Certainly not. But an incredible one; Maruki will never budge on that. ]
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Akira tries to imagine for a moment, what it must've been like - if somehow, he'd woken up here scarcely after his Awakening, stumbling through everything and trying to feel like he hadn't lost his mind, made it all up. What it would feel like to be separated from a piece of his very own soul, if he hadn't already gone through that before, after facing Yaldabaoth.
He thinks about mentioning it, and doesn't. He waits, and he listens.
Robin Hood, and not Loki. It makes sense; he still can't tell for sure what things are like between him and Akechi now, but he's sure that he would've used that Detective Prince mask with Maruki for as long as possible. May still be doing so now; somehow the things they've both said leave enough deniability for either case to be true. He doesn't have a clear answer in that regard... but maybe he doesn't need one, right now.
It should be, shouldn't it?
That's probably one of the things Akira is supposed to feel.
So why, then... why is the only thing he can feel relief?
He leans back and smiles.]
Akechi Goro is the most amazing person I know. [Too soft, and too honest.] I'm glad you think so, too.
[What was fake between Akechi and Maruki, and what was real?
Akira doesn't know. But he chooses to believe in the boy with a superhero Persona, saving a lost counselor in a city full of towering kaiju.
There are a lot of things he should be telling Maruki. Some are things he should want to say; some are things others would want him to say.
He tried to kill me.
You may not know everything about him.
He may be a danger to you.
...But none of those are words that will leave his lips.
Firstly, because he will protect the things Akechi may have hidden until he knows Akechi has revealed them himself. And secondly...
Akechi.
He stares at Maruki, as tired as him but still steady. An adult that terrifies Akira because of how quickly he trusts him. That rushed to save him, protect their home, and can speak of Akechi Goro with such intense and undeniable affection.
I want you to have better things in this world.
I think he can give them to you.]
I'm sure he's told you a lot. There are some thing he doesn't know, or may have mixed up because he was on his own for a while. But for the same reason, there are more things he knows than I could ever imagine. [He folds his hands back over the table. Steady again; no tremble.] I wasn't sure if you knew about him... but now I do. I'm thankful that if you met any of us here... it was him.
[For both of your sakes.]
I THINK THAT'S A WRAP KING UNLESS YOU GOT MORE
For all the disparities between their realities and experiences, there is at least that common thread.
Maruki has to wonder if the Akira in his true reality felt the same. Would they ever have had reason to speak about it? Probably not– no, definitely not, as his back molars ache with the force of the broken shards of memory that invade his own cognition. A pawn held captive and dangled overhead. He feels sick.
He forces it back out. Focuses only on this Akira, here and now, right before him.
And a smile breaks out over his face, warmer than the sun that beats down outside in a sudden heat wave. ]
Well, I'm thankful I have both of you now.
[ He raps the knuckles of one hand against the tabletop, as if to close a session of court. ]
Perhaps we can trade embarrassing stories about him sometime. For now, I think we deserve a cup of coffee and some time to rest.