IC Inbox

[midnightmaiden]

Hi! This is Kasumi Yoshizawa. It looks like you just missed me, but feel free to leave a message, and I'll get back to it as soon as possible!

[ooc: IC inbox for P4kechi AU Sumi at personavelvetroomdr.]

Comments

[takutomaruki]

Uh hey there, Yoshizawa-san! This is Maruki! I figured I should send you a chat but I don't think I could explain my...current predicament the same way you guys do so listen- my arm is basically disintegrated. I had a wild run-in with one of the Rens here and I don't think I left a good first impression on him haha...anyways yeah, that's about it. Please shoot me a message when you are free or call me- I am unsure on how to proceed from here.

[midnightmaiden]

What?!

[One of the Rens hurt him? It takes a moment for her to compose herself. That's...

Disintegrated Nausea bubbles up inside of her. This isn't good.

She has to do something!]

Where are you right now? If we go to the Metaverse, I can probably heal you.

In phone call

[takutomaruki]

Thank goodness you replied back. Its nothing too bad. I actually had some people visit my office here in Odaiba...which I had no idea about by the way- but I am going to wrap up soon.
This metaverse is in Shibuya circle, right? I am unsure on if it would fix my arm but yes please-! I will take anything at this point. My arm is nearly rotting.

[midnightmaiden]

Yeah, we can meet at the station. I'll try to be there as soon as possible!

[She'll cut the call short there, then hurry her way to the subway from Kichijoji. Thankfully, the compressed distances mean that it won't take long.

So now it's just a matter of waiting.]

The injured and the damned

[takutomaruki]

"I will see you soon then."

Maruki sighs as he lowers his phone and looks onward. His work here in Odaiba is done- he should get moving. He steels his nerves and brings his disintegrated arm to gesture towards the long tall buildings at the north- concentrating so that his tentacles could let him traverse there in time since he forgot to carry his train ID- and hey the tickets don't come cheap!

A tentacle flies up in the air, wrapping around a pole but all of a sudden Maruki collapses- his energy draining as his heart starts banging within his chest. "Hn! Hn!" he wheezes as he falls to his knees and curls. He doesn't...he doesn't have the energy to traverse like this. This can't be good. His eyes widen as he shakes his head and sighs.

Great. Must be the drawback to his regenerative ability. Going by the train is the only way then. He will just have to make sure no one catches him skipping through the counters.

======

Maruki has never been scared of anything more in this entire life.

The whole station was empty. He ran into a whole bunch of black globs instead with shiny red eyes who were skedaddling away from him when he tried to go around their path- his legs shaking all the way before he finally ran into a bunch of cognitions of other people now traversing in the vehicle.

Soon after, he left the trains- thankful for the fewer number of those black inky creatures as he finds himself standing at the top of the stairs. His gaze falls on the bench where he, Dove and...Briar was it? Well, he hasn't heard from her at all after their little incident and Dove- right. He needs to book an appointment with him regarding journalling.

He will get to it soon then. For now, he pulls out his fifth snack for the day- a vanilla milkshake as he tries to calm his jittery nerves with the horror show he had witnessed while using the trains here.
Though he supposes that's just the usual public transport, he isn't surprised by the imagery at all.

[midnightmaiden]

Kasumi arrived early enough to stand watch for Maruki. When he finally arrives, her eyes widen, and she dashes his way. The closer she gets, the more anxiety gnaws at her. Knowing of Maruki's injury makes it all the worst.

"Dr. Maruki!"

Well, that's one way to start a conversation. She wants to drag him to Mementos right away, but it'd be easier if he knows what's coming. The last thing he needs is a sudden shock.

[takutomaruki]

Maruki barely makes it there as he's called by his name. He immediately recognizes that voice, now turning to the young girl as she practically runs at him. He holds his arms up in surprise as he blinks at her in shock before putting away the milkshake from his lips. He quickly wipes at them with his bandaged knuckles for good measure.

"Is everything alright, Yoshizawa-san..?!" he asks as he carefully observes her. No sudden attacks but- "Oh. Seems like I worried you too much with that voicemail, huh?"

[shakenit]

I'm sorry I snapped at you the other day. My issues with my sister shouldn't be your problem.

[midnightmaiden]

[At first, she's not sure what to say. It wasn't a pleasant encounter. Not by a long shot. So much weighs on her mind, especially after talking to Maruki, but...

At least she's apologizing.]

Thank you.

I guess we just got off on the wrong foot.

[shakenit]

[Of course she's apologising. She apologises for breathing if she's not careful. But this one is actually warranted.]

Maybe so. It's... it's hard, with so much left terminally unresolved, but you're not her.

[midnightmaiden]

I appreciate that.

It's just been overwhelming lately.

Sparrow-san's Shadow, Fawn... They both have strong opinions about me. And my tape has pieces that I can't even see. I gave it to Dr. Maruki so he could try and make sense of it, but I still don't know what to expect.

[shakenit]

I can see where it would be overwhelming, when you feel attacked for thinking the way you do.

But... you can't see parts of your own memories?

I know that if it were me, the curiosity and need to know would eventually overtake the whole 'ignorance is bliss' thing. Sure, memory isn't as infallible as people think it is, but gaps like that would drive me nuts, sooner or later.

[And in fact they did, but Midnight-san's not ready for that part of the discussion.]

I can also say

I know we had different experiences. I know things like the accident... change people. But running away from something difficult doesn't sound like my sister at all. She would've done her best to tackle it head-on, if she could.

[midnightmaiden]

Phoenix-san said the tape cut between two contradicting sets of memories.

I only saw one. Every cut was just static.

[It's worrisome. She knows that. Something isn't adding up.]

But I am trying to get answers. There's a reason I brought my tape to Dr. Maruki.

[unfoggedlotus]

[ God, all the shit around Christmas took so long to get over. But Ren's here now, ready to face his friend. ]

hey so
weird question
but
what does the name "midnight maiden" mean to you

[midnightmaiden]

[Her head's spinning. Everything hurts. Nothing makes sense. Nothing. Nothing.

Oh.

It's a text from...]

senpai

[No capitalization. No punctuation.]

i know you already figured it out
i guess it wasn't that subtle

why are you bringing this up now

[unfoggedlotus]

kouhai B)

no real reason
i just find it really interesting that you have a persona and a palace
ykno?

[ No subtlety. That's Goro's job. Not his, not Hiro's either. He hits the ground running. ]

[midnightmaiden]

[A Palace.

A Palace.

She nearly drops her phone.]

that's not funny senpai

you know persona users can't have palaces

[unfoggedlotus]

didnt say it was a joke!
it wouldnt be a funny one anyway!

im dead serious.

i for one refuse to let a friend suffer when i can do something about it
im here to help

[midnightmaiden]

why would i have a palace

i don't

i can't have one

[She can't. She can't. Cendrillon is right there. She's fine.]

[shakenit]

[Sumire's still not sure she should take point on this in any fashion... but it is true that she's about as close to understanding where Midnight's head is right now as anyone here can be.]

How are you feeling? [Hopefully less distraught, but Sumire's not going to make assumptions.]

[midnightmaiden]

I went in.

It was fine.

[Perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about.]

[shakenit]

[Pressing X to Doubt. If it was fine, it's only because she somehow managed to ignore all the brutal stuff that's surely there.]

When Akira-senpai told me about my Palace back home, he made a point of saying I wasn't a bad person who needed fixing. Neither are you. You're hurting, and you can't see things clearly.

We want to help you see things clearly, and then if you choose to go back to how things are now, at least you were able to make that choice with a clear head. [aaaaaaaaand Sumire would probably start trying to figure out how to slap Dr. Maruki silly across several dimensions, but. This is about Midnight's choices, which may not be her own.]

May I ask you a kind of personal question?

[midnightmaiden]

[Can she trust this? Can she really? How does she know this isn't a trick to make her lower her guard?

She doesn't want the dream to end.]

Fine.

[shakenit]

Are you really happy right now? Truly?

Because I wasn't, by the time Akira-senpai talked to me.

We had a gymnastics training camp abroad, and I thought I would use the time to reconnect with 'my friends.' My sister's friends finally lost their patience with me acting like nothing was wrong and told me off. That was kind of the last straw. I knew I had to understand, even if I didn't like the answers I got.

I was just clinging more and more desperately to an easy answer, and it wasn't helping me in the slightest.

[midnightmaiden]

It wasn't a problem until I came here.

Back home, I was happy! I had a purpose, and I helped other people's wishes come true.

I couldn't have done that without Dr. Maruki.