avalar | [Visual] Arcana IV - memento mori (it's still the 5th somewhere)

Entry tags:

persona 3: minato arisato

[Visual] Arcana IV - memento mori (it's still the 5th somewhere)

[March fifth. Graduation Day.

Minato has been scarce since the start of the month, even more quiet and withdrawn than normal. It isn't really characteristic of him, since he's usually on the go, always doing something. Finally he's been missing all day on March fifth.

The last day of his life.

With everything that's happened, he can't escape thinking about it. He's never been very good at dealing with his own troubles. He tends to shut down when he can't escape.

It's late at night, and the video opens to his cobalt blue dragonfly making distinctly worried kazoo noises. The last time this dragonfly made a video, Minato was sick and passed out in the woods. This time when it gets its jeweled eyes out of the way, Minato can be seen awake, but staring blankly at the sky. It's still cold, and he's underdressed for the snow he's laying in. He's been like this for a while if the dragonfly is resorting to using the orbs.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's night time, kid.

[Adachi paused, really worried now.]

How long have you been up there?

...Hours. [And lots of them.] I...don't know exactly how long. I might have come out before noon...? [Before dawn? He doesn't remember, he was in a daze. What has he done all day?]

...

[Okay, that was it.]

I'm coming over, kid.

I'm on the roof. [It's said absently, like it's a fairly normal place to be. He's really out of it. He should probably go see if he has anything in the fridge... Probably. Now he's thinking about it he is hungry.] I should see about food, too...

...all right, I'll see you in the kitchen. I'll make something for you.

[...just because his diet was mostly cabbage and ramen, that didn't mean he couldn't cook.]

Alright. [He turns off the orb.

It takes a few minutes for him to gather his thoughts and drag himself off the roof. It's cold, and he's moving sluggishly. He's only just gotten inside by the time Adachi arrives.]

Hey.

[Adachi had hauled ass to get there too; he was getting slow in his old age.]

Hey, kid.

[He hesitated a moment; geeze, he looked so down, he was feeling depressed just being in the same room as him. He scrunched his face up, before going over and giving his shoulder a squeeze, not sure what else to do.]

Sorry. [He knows he's not very good company right now. A least he's healed from the attack he took for Seito by now, being bedridden could only make this worse.

He wants to talk, to distract himself - he's been thinking the same things over for far too long - but he can't think of a damned topic of conversation.]

[Poor kid was really out of it... geeze.]

C'mon; I'll make 'ya something good.

They all forgot, you know. My team. They forgot everything.

[Thought-to-mouth filter? Just broke. He trusts Adachi anyway. He's not sure why he's saying this now, as he sits in the kitchen. Maybe it's just time he stopped holding back so much.

The kitchen is fully stocked, mostly with basic staple ingredients. There are plenty of things for Japanese food...and also a small selection of distinctively French foodstuffs.]

[Adachi hesitated, squeezing his shoulder again, before heading toward the kitchen. He started pulling out seemingly random things, tossing them up onto the counter before pulling out pots and other utensils.]

Sit tight, kid; this might get hazardous.

[There's a wide array of cooking items. If there's one thing Minato and Marie did a lot of before she left, it was cooking. Minato still tries to cook decent things often. He spent ten years mostly looking after himself and he knows he didn't care enough to really do the things he should have. He doesn't want to go back to that.

He waits in silence while Adachi cooks.]

[Well, it wasn't that quiet. Adachi whistled as he cooked, shaking pots, cutting things up and tossing them in, stirring, and... generally making a complete mess in the kitchen.]

[By the time he was finished, there was a steaming bowl of stew in front of them both, and Adachi looked insanely proud of himself.]

Eat up~!

Thanks.

[He'll serve himself, hunger finally hitting him with the force of a bus. Honestly it wouldn't matter if it were on Shinjiro's level or Fuuka's, he's inhaling it.]

[Adachi managed a half grin.]

You haven't eaten all day.

[It was more of a statement than a question, and the detective reached over to muss his hair.]

[He almost smiles at that.]

No, I guess I haven't. This is good.

[He'll try to cheer up. He hadn't planned to isolate all day...]

Recipe I picked up in collage. Just throw some meat and vegetables and a little bit of water into a pot, and let the natural juices do the rest.

[He grinned slightly.]

Plus it's nice to have when you're feelin' down.

College, huh... [Mitsuru and Akihiko would definitely have gone on to college. He hopes they're doing fine.]

I never decided if I wanted to continue school or get a job after graduating, you know. I think I was the only one on the team without a plan. I hope the others are doing alright.

...sometimes I think it's better that way.

[Adachi made a face.]

Everything was pretty much decided for me, you know? Study hard, get into a good school, a good college, a good job, find a good girl, have a good family. That's how the 'ideal' is supposed to be, you know? But it's better to just think for yourself... even if you're not sure what the answer is, you'll find it when it comes to you.

I wasn't thinking about it, though. And by the time I cared enough to think about it... [There's a grim smile.] There's no point to planning for a future you won't have, right?

Sorry, I know I'm kind of depressing tody.

[Adachi paused at that, lowering his fork.]

...it happened today, hunh?

...Yeah. It's Graduation Day.

[There's a sad smile as he remembers the one promise he broke.] I only have one regret, you know. Only one.

What's that?

[Adachi's voice was soft, gently encouraging Minato, yet promising he wouldn't be mad if he didn't want to get into it.]

A broken promise. [The last promise he ever made. The only one he broke.]

We only found out everything in early December. We were given one month to decide how we wanted to die. When New Year's Eve came we'd made our choice... We decided to fight. We didn't believe it was impossible, we were going to try anyway... So on January 31st, before the Dark Hour, we made a promise. We were told we'd forget everything if we succeeded, but we didn't want to believe that, either.

So we promised that even if we forgot everything, we'd remember. We'd all meet up on the school roof on Graduation Day to make sure peace had really returned.

[He closes his eyes briefly, letting the regret wash over him. He knows they remember. He knows they got there. If he'd only held on a little longer...] I'm the only one who broke that promise, despite being the only one who remembered.

[...damn.]

[Adachi shook his head, looking down at his bowl.]

...s'not fair you had'ta grow up too damn early.

[He let out a breath.]

But... you're here now, okay? Just... take the time you have, okay?

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video -> Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]