avalar | [Video] ♪ 01 : FOOL ♪

Entry tags:

persona: chou yoshihisa (oc)

[Video] ♪ 01 : FOOL ♪

I don't think being dropped into a lake is very much of a welcome.

[The speaker is currently soaked to the bone, apparently not having thought to go dry out before using the orb he's gotten. Thankfully, the clip in his hair is keeping most of it out of his face, drowned rat look or not, and his dragonfly is making odd little melodic tones behind him.]

So, I took a look through the Guidebook... and it seems I'm here for a specific reason. A "fixing of a magical drain" or something like that? Does anyone else have any more information on that? It's kind of vague, and I generally mucked about with cards more than anything.

[While it's true in multiple forms, Chou carefully omits the fact they were magical cards.]

...Also, somewhere I could dry off and maybe get a change of clothes would be nice too. At least until mine dry out.

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Ah, yes, I am.

[He's a bit too stunned to try to reply properly, but he does nod, abet belatedly, at the question.]

I'll wait here?

[He nods back and returns his attention to Chou.]

We'll meet you there. [With that, he shuts off the feed. Marie might spot him dashing out of the house moments later. This was nowhere near as private as his first conversation with Naoto was, and he doesn't want to have anything outright on the orbternet if at all possible.]

[Naoto shuts off the feed without a word--Kita's not there to see Naoto leaving their house and she's quick to arrive as well (although Minato still probably gets there before she does).]

[Chou is waiting obediently by the lake for them, talking quietly to Belladonna, who's resting comfortingly in his hand. When the two arrive, he nods slightly, giving an unsure smile.]

Minato-kun, Naoto-kun.

Hey. [He slows as he approaches, hands slipping into his pockets. This is business now, instead of just greeting a newcomer, so he's wearing his SEES armband. He won't start the conversation just yet - there's a lot of stuff he could delve into, but he wants to wait a minute. Especially once Chou referse to Naoto as Naoto-kun... Do they know eachother?]

Ah... [Naoto's not sure how to respond when Chou greets her. It takes her a minute to collect herself.]

I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name...? [She seems a bit guilty, since Chou clearly knows her, but... she has no clue who he is.]

[That causes Chou to hesitate in confusion. Naoto didn't... how...?]

It's... Chou Yoshihisa. We've... definitely met before, Naoto-kun! With the Investigation Team...

[...Ah. Minato thinks he gets it.]

We might have seen this before. But first... What was the date for you, Yoshihisa-san? This place doesn't just bring people from different worlds, but also different times.

[This is either a case of timepoints not matching up - unlikely, based on what Naoto's told him about her experiences - or another situation like Seito. An extremely similar world with key differences.]

The date...?

[That seems like an odd question, but Minato appears to have an idea of something, so he just nods.]

It was... January. January 2nd, 2012.

[And then it dawns on Naoto.

This is another... strange case of a similar, yet different world being involved.] ... Another version of our world, then...

[Minato nods. Exactly what he was thinking.] I thought so. Like Souzen-san.

[He addresses Chou, to explain.] We've seen this before. There's someone else here - Seito Souzen - who looks exactly like someone Shirogane-san knows, but his personality is different. Seems like he's from a world extremely similar to ours, but still another world. Same thing with you, which is why Shirogane-san doesn't know you.

[A different world, but still similar... Well, it would explain it. But even so, Chou's face visibly falls, though he tries to put a smile over it after a moment. It's more of a struggle than usual to do so.]

I see. Forgive me, then, Shirogane-san.

[There's a weird sort of pain in his chest that makes it a little hard to breathe, but he's not sure what it is. So he tries to ignore it.]

What was it... you wanted to discuss again?

[... it hurts more than she wants to admit.]

... if we're friends in the world you came from, I don't see why we can't be friends here.

[She glances over to Minato afterward. You get to lead this conversation, senpai.]

[He agrees with Naoto on that point. Chou has been friendly thus far, so he seems like a friend. It isn't a situation like Seito, despite the similarities.]

...Right. You said your arcana is the Universe. That will probably explain why you thought we'd met. I wield the Universe Arcana.

[...It feels so weird, just admitting to it like that.]

[He brightens a little at Naoto's statement, that weight lifted some. Even if they aren't the same, Naoto still being his friend is... a weird sort of comfort, that erases that pain in his heart for now.]

Yes, I... well.

[How does he explain it?]

I hadn't even heard of the Aeon or Universe Arcana, though Igor had taught me the others, but... when you said it, that feeling just came up. I... suppose a memory of mine I lost?

I'm certain that's my Arcana, but... I can't explain how.

Not knowing Aeon would make sense. It's an Arcana that isn't typically present in most decks. It's in Aleister Crowley's Thoth deck, replacing Judgement.

[She doesn't know who Igor is though, so she's not going to comment on that.]

[He'd comment on the Aeon part, and about Universe and World being included in different decks... but then there's that name. He stiffens. There's something more intense about him. This isn't just Persona-user business - this is Fool business. Velvet Room business.]

You know Igor. Are you a guest of the Velvet Room?

[He's deadly serious about this. He's never met another one, and if you're related to the Universe... He's got to figure this out. What does it mean for the Great Seal, then? What does it mean for him? What does it mean for Ryoji?]

Ah, replacing Judgment in a deck... yes, that would likely be it.

[He thinks about that for a moment, but then those three words shatter his thoughts.

The Velvet Room. Minato mentions the Velvet Room... and now Chou understands the weird feeling. He smiles brightly, folding his hands on his waist and offering a proper bow at the waist.]

No, I was not a guest like you, or Azami-chan. I'm an attendant of the Velvet Room, alongside Victor or one of his siblings -- Elizabeth, Theodore, or Margaret.

Edited 2013-09-13 20:19 (UTC)

[She nods in response, but remains silent.

... This conversation took a very odd turn and she's not entirely sure if her input is even necessary at this point. She falls silent in the meantime.]

[An attendant. Like Elizabeth. That hits hard. Elizabeth...had siblings? And so many.. How many guests were there, total?

Numbly, he ducks his head in a sort-of bow.]

Elizabeth had siblings? [...! He should explain. For Naoto's sake as well as some clarification.]. Shirogane-san, the Velvet Room is where Wild Cards like me go to fuse new Personas...and a few other things. I don't think I ever got all the details.

Yes, she has two brothers and a sister. I wasn't related to them, so I had nothing to do with the Compendium. Instead, I worked with Skill Cards that Azami-chan brought me, either replicating them for her or selling them back to her.

[Ah, that's right... he inclines his head to Naoto in apology, but says nothing further.]

Edited 2013-09-13 20:33 (UTC)

... I see.

[And that's about as much as she's willing to say, falling silent again. She doesn't really have a place in this part of the conversation, does she?]

...Right...

[...This means it's time to say who he is again, isn't it?] I guess you might know of me, then. I was a guest in 2009, and the early part of 2010. I died a month after fusing the Universe Arcana.

[Depending how much of their guests' stories the attendants share, Chou might know of him. Minato knows Elizabeth cared for him a great deal, after all, and Igor himself seemed to be pretty impressed with Minato's progress.]

[...The guest in 2009... That sounds familiar, what is it...

...Wait a minute. He remembers something he heard in passing, from Elizabeth, about a guest two before Azami. What was it...?]

The... Great Seal...?

[It's murmured quietly, Chou struggling to remember. Had that been it? For some reason, something in his mind was making it hard to grasp that memory, like it just slipped between his fingers each time.]

Edited 2013-09-13 20:55 (UTC)

...Yeah. [He is the Seal. He knows without a doubt that his entire role is as a seal, both during life and after his death. He'll stubbornly refuse to fall. The confirmation is likewise very quiet. He barely heard Chou's words, but...]

Becoming the Great Seal took everything I had. I would've died earlier, but I had a promise to keep. [And he still broke it. Dammit. His one regret is not holding on a few minutes longer to keep that promise.]

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