Right? They're way bulkier than you'd think from seeing them on TV.
[The cow snuffles into Sumi's hand and takes a few more steps forward, bumping against her. The animals on the farm are stupidly friendly; Shinji can even hold one of the chickens! (He named her Scramble.)]
Anyway, it's not my farm. I just live here with Astralin-san and Aragaki-senpai. It's Astralin-san's farm, but I like to help out 'cause he doesn't make us pay rent or anything.
[And, like, he'd offered for them to stay there? So it seems only fair.]
[Sumi giggles and pets the cow's head, scrunching her nose happily as she watches it. How can one be sad with cows around??
She listens to Kotone, nodding slowly] Oh, that's so nice of him! He sounds like a really nice guy. If you guys need any more help with them, I'd love to learn! I don't know if I could leave these sweet faces without helping!
[The cows have helped so much in their big dumb way. The chickens and sheep, too. None of them had any expectations of her -- even if they're not as smart as Koro-chan.
But she just smiles and nods at Violet's enthusiasm. Is this how people usually see her? It must be. Okay, so she just has to act like that. But she's so tired... is that really what she does? All the time??]
Yeah, I'd love to show you! It'll make things easier around here for us, anyway.
[Kotone lightly pats the cow's rump and tilts her head, glancing back up at Violet.] So what did you want to talk about?
[She looks pleased and then perks up once more at the reminder.]
Oh, right! Kotone-San! [She hurries over, grabbing Kotone’s hands in her own] I’m so glad you’re a persona-user too! It makes it all feel a little less lonely, you know? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!
—Ah, well, I guess I can, but still! I haven’t met any others besides—All of us from our world!
[Ah, yep, it's as she suspected. Akira... she's disappointed, but not surprised. The disappointment doesn't show on her face as she forms her expression into something sheepish and shrugs, letting Violet do whatever she likes with her hands.]
You didn't tell me either, [she points out, because-- yeah. Fair's fair! But also,] Besides, it's kind of hard to explain to someone who doesn't have one, isn't it?
[So like, please don't tell anyone else. Ugh, the questions. The effort. No thanks!]
True... [She sighs. Kotone speaks the truth, but still.] But I knew there was something about you. You're so... comfortable. Just like Akira-senpai.
[It almost feels like she should somehow have known all along. She throws her arms around Kotone briefly in an excited hug before she steps back, grinning] I'm so glad to know I'm not the only girl here that knows about it though! Akira-senpai and Akechi-senpai are great, don't get me wrong! But I miss all of the girls on our team too...
[She misses all of them, really.] I'm really glad we're all in this together.
[She blinks, surprised, but remembers to draw a smile to her face. Well, that probably makes sense]
Oh... thanks! [The hug is too brief and too surprising for her to really return it and -- honestly, the energy is a little overwhelming. Is this what Shinji feels like all the time when she talks to him? Suddenly, she understands how tired he looks sometimes.
But she smiles again at Violet's comment and laughs a little as she clasps her hands behind her back and nods.] Yeah, it's nice to have other people around. So you're a Phantom Thief?
[Her eyes sparkle a little bit with amusement. It's still so funny and dramatic to her -- not that SEES is any better when you break it apart, but still. Introducing oneself as a Phantom Thief really is something.]
[The--not an accusation, observation?? Makes Sumi cringe a little and then laugh before she puffs up proudly] That's right! I'm Violet, of The Phantom Thieves of Hearts!
[For added dramatic effect, she does some kind of Sailor Moon-esque pose, before lowering her arms with a laugh]
I'm still figuring it out a little. I was the last one to officially join the team, truthfully, so it's all still pretty new.
[Oh it's even more dramatic than she thought. Kotone's eyebrows disappear behind her bangs at the declaration and the pose, and then she can't help it -- she snorts a laugh of her own, covering her mouth with her hand belatedly as if the sound had been unexpected. In a way, it had -- she'd felt so out of sorts lately that actually being able to laugh comes as a surprise.]
Sounds like a lot of fun. [Kotone gives the cow one final pat and then retreats back, hopping up to perch on the edge of a hay bale. It's time to Sit for her, but Violet is welcome to keep petting that cow. She's just a big affectionate animal.]
It’s… [Sumi hesitates a moment. ‘Fun’ isn’t exactly what SHE’D call it, but she supposed in a general sense…?] I guess the work isn’t so fun, but… my teammates, and what we can do for and with each other… that’s definitely fun!
[She continues to pet the cow for a bit, not sure about sitting down on the hay.]
Her name is Cendrillon! I miss being able to summon her, actually… it’d be fun to show you the cool outfit I change into when I do! [Alas.]
What’s— [Sumi pauses, remembering that Akira had said that Kotone was a lot like him.] Do you have multiple personas too? Or just one?
[The general sense is enough. Wearing costumes, striking poses, and calling yourselves ~Phantom Thieves~ sounds really, really fun -- way more fun than just grinding through Tartarus for (what felt like) hours.]
Yeah, fighting can be tough, but as long as you have a good team, you'll be alright! And if the rest of your team is like Akira, you'd be in good hands.
[She gives her a brighter smile, propping her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as she swings her feet a little off the big hay bale. It's easier to act like she has energy when she can just bounce off some of Violet's.]
I'm not familiar with Cendrillon... [Igor and Theo had said that she had a large number of Personas she could potentially summon, but not all of them. It's not like she could summon her teammates' Personas either, so it would make sense not to have heard of Violet's.] But yeah, I'm like Akira. I have a couple I can switch between, but I haven't tried doing it here.
Well… [Sumi trails off and then laughs] No one’s quite like Akira-senpai, but they’re all great in their own ways. They’ve been so kind and accepting, and they’ve been helpful in teaching me the ropes, so to speak.
You’ve already met Akira-senpai, but Crow-that’s Akechi-senpai—is also here! If anyone else shows up, I’ll be sure to introduce you to them. I think they’d really like you.
[She laughs again and adds:] Not that that’s hard at all!
[Urge to tease an underclassman... rising...! Her eyes sparkle with a little bit of mischief as she tosses the other girl a wink and a warm smile.]
Thanks! I really like you, too.
[Hehe. She kicks her heels lightly against the hay bale as her smile fades a little.] It's kind of funny to think about you and Akechi-san on the same team. You're really different.
[Her face immediately turns bright red and she waves her hands in front of her as if to create a shield] Ah, well, um, th-thank you! [Protagonist charm power...! Too strong...!!!
She turns away, clearing her throat in her fist before she focuses on petting the cow again.]
Ah, yeah... We're all pretty different from each other, but we all have this sort of...drive, I guess, toward making things right. We're all people who've been hurt by a society that says 'that's just the way things are sometimes' and turns a blind eye to it.
Akechi's been hurt too. I don't know all the details, but I think we're all at least a little scarred in some way. I guess that brings us together.
She hums with interest, leaning back on the hay bale as she thinks about that. What brought SEES together...? Just having the potential of having a Persona, really. They weren't united behind a common goal other than, well, not wanting to see Shadows run amok through the town. Sure, all of them had faced death in their lives, but hadn't everyone? That hardly makes them special.]
So you guys fight against society itself? I guess that's why you're Phantom Thieves.
[Sumi listens and tilts her head before laughing to herself.] It's sounds easier. [But then she quickly shakes her head, frowning at Kotone] Sorry, that's not what I mean. Not easier, just...less complicated, I guess? More straight-forward.
For us it was more... Literally changing peoples' hearts, fighting in their own hearts-- Or something like that. [She looks thoughtful] Did Akira-senpai explain it to you?
It was for a while! You know how things go, though.
[She waves a hand. It got complicated really, really quickly. Shinji got shot. Ikutsuki and Mitsuru's dad died. The world was going to end. But that's complicated to explain and she'd rather not, so "we fought Shadows" is good enough.
She leans forward with some interest, though, tilting her head again.]
He didn't explain much... he wasn't totally sober at the time, though. [She giggles a little bit, her cheeks flushing the lightest shade of pink. He had kissed her forehead, which had been really cute.] What do you mean, fighting inside their hearts?
[Sumi sighs. Of course he wasn't sober!! It must've been the party then because that's the only time he was tipsy...
She stops petting the cow, giving her a last pat before she goes to sit next to Kotone on the hay.] Well...I don't know everything, but this is whole I understand it.
The Metaverse is like...the collective human subconscious and a reflection of their... Desires? I think it's like that. The Phantom Thieves can enter it, and people with distorted desires can shape areas of it. Like, um... Say you have a manager of a department that's a real tyrant. They're mean to their employees and abusive or something and they see themselves as a...like a ring leader of the group, controlling the shots.
In the Metaverse, they'll have a palace that reflects how they view things. So like this manager might have a palace that's a big circus, because like I said they view themselves as the ringleader, and their work and the workers are their circus they control.
The Thieves can enter it and find the 'treasure'--that is, something that represents the distortion--and take it. When they--we-- do, I think it... just sort of destroys that distortion. So the person ends up feeling super guilty and can actually confess and face punishment for how they acted.
So we're 'stealing their heart'! Get it? [She looks at Kotone with a sheepish sort of grin] Does that make sense?
[As she listens, Kotone's gaze goes a little bit distant, her expression fading into something more neutral as she processes the information and tries comparing it to things she knows already. The Metaverse is kind of like the Dark Hour, but not exactly. It sounds like a mix between Tartarus and the space the Velvet Room exists in. Shadows are a reflection of human desire, so it's not weird to think that a strong enough desire could form a Shadow of its own, she guesses?
Hm, complicated. She wishes Mitsuru were here.]
I think I get it, [she says, even though she isn't totally sure she does. Ugh, and then she's going to have to try to explain it to Shinji after...? No, she'll just have to get them all together at some point, though inviting Akechi anywhere is potentially... fraught. But he'd be Akira's responsibility at that point, not hers, so it'd probably be fine.]
You take people's desires away. Isn't that... kind of bad? [It's hard to think about, and her expression pinches with the effort.] It sounds like it would cause Apathy Syndrome.
Oh! [Sumi quickly waves her hand, looking surprised] Oh, no! We're very careful! It's only the distorted desire, and it's not so much taking as it is like...resetting it to normal? If someone's desire becomes distorted and out of control, it becomes harmful not only to themselves, but others. We're just bringing it back down to normal!
[Sumi hesitates for a moment, as if wondering if she should even say anything, but... It seems better to not keep secrets. Kotone is practically one of them, right??]
But...We do have to be careful. We can't erase the person's shadow, just weaken it until it gives up. If we destroy it, it will destroy the person's desire--all of them. [She kind of wishes Morgana was here. He'd understood it all way more and might've been able to help with more detailed questions. Damn.] I don't know about Apathy Syndrome but it might be similar. We call it a Mental Shutdown.
[She looks down at her clasped hands] They'll die. So we have to be careful.
[It seems kind of dangerous, playing with people's lives like that. SEES had never done anything even close to this, she's pretty sure, humming a little as she tilts her head. It sounds like the kind of power that could easily be misused -- especially if it could be used to kill.]
Apathy Syndrome was all over the news back then. People would become like zombies, unable to care about anything, even themselves. They'd just wander all over town aimlessly. [She shrugs.] So it's kind of similar, but not the same. It wouldn't kill them, at least, not for a while.
[Sumi's expression is grim, nodding and then sighing.] It's...a lot. I haven't had to deal with it nearly as long as the others though, so it's them that really not the sympathetic shoulder more than me!
[She tries to sound upbeat about it, rubbing at the back of her neck.] I was the last minute member. We've already got a lot to deal with, but hopefully... Hopefully after all of this it'll be over. We can relax and just... go back to normal. Whatever that'll be.
[Kotone makes a bit of a face. That's some kind of attitude to have, for sure -- putting the feelings of others in front of herself. It's something Kotone's familiar with, anyway, even if this isn't the form hers usually takes.
So she reaches out and pokes Violet's cheek gently, trusting the familiar motion to catch her attention and startle her out of whatever thoughts are making that expression so grim.]
They're not here, [she points out, meaning literally right here in this barn to receive sympathy.] So I guess you're the only one who gets my sympathy!
[She manages another smile, resting her hands in her lap as she smiles up at her. It sounds like Violet's in the middle of whatever all their stuff was, while Kotone's already seen how the end is. She can't be certain, but maybe the right thing to say is--]
[Sumi squeaked in surprise, looking at Kotone in bafflement before she laughs.] Kotone-san! [It's not that simple!! But she can't really argue against it, even if she sort of looks like she wants to. She huffs out a breath and leans back a little.]
I guess that's true. Akira-senpai and Akechi-senpai are all ahead of me, in the timeline I mean. I'm in a completely different world from my own, meeting all sorts of people who are also from different worlds... I guess this will have to be my new normal for a little while.
[She looks at Kotone with a warm smile] But I'm really glad we got to meet.
[She's not asking for her own sake, she's asking for Shinji's, because they still haven't talked about October and everything that happened since. It just keeps getting pushed later. Her brows knit just a little bit before she forces the expression away with another smile.]
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[The cow snuffles into Sumi's hand and takes a few more steps forward, bumping against her. The animals on the farm are stupidly friendly; Shinji can even hold one of the chickens! (He named her Scramble.)]
Anyway, it's not my farm. I just live here with Astralin-san and Aragaki-senpai. It's Astralin-san's farm, but I like to help out 'cause he doesn't make us pay rent or anything.
[And, like, he'd offered for them to stay there? So it seems only fair.]
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She listens to Kotone, nodding slowly] Oh, that's so nice of him! He sounds like a really nice guy. If you guys need any more help with them, I'd love to learn! I don't know if I could leave these sweet faces without helping!
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But she just smiles and nods at Violet's enthusiasm. Is this how people usually see her? It must be. Okay, so she just has to act like that. But she's so tired... is that really what she does? All the time??]
Yeah, I'd love to show you! It'll make things easier around here for us, anyway.
[Kotone lightly pats the cow's rump and tilts her head, glancing back up at Violet.] So what did you want to talk about?
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Oh, right! Kotone-San! [She hurries over, grabbing Kotone’s hands in her own] I’m so glad you’re a persona-user too! It makes it all feel a little less lonely, you know? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!
—Ah, well, I guess I can, but still! I haven’t met any others besides—All of us from our world!
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You didn't tell me either, [she points out, because-- yeah. Fair's fair! But also,] Besides, it's kind of hard to explain to someone who doesn't have one, isn't it?
[So like, please don't tell anyone else. Ugh, the questions. The effort. No thanks!]
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[It almost feels like she should somehow have known all along. She throws her arms around Kotone briefly in an excited hug before she steps back, grinning] I'm so glad to know I'm not the only girl here that knows about it though! Akira-senpai and Akechi-senpai are great, don't get me wrong! But I miss all of the girls on our team too...
[She misses all of them, really.] I'm really glad we're all in this together.
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Oh... thanks! [The hug is too brief and too surprising for her to really return it and -- honestly, the energy is a little overwhelming. Is this what Shinji feels like all the time when she talks to him? Suddenly, she understands how tired he looks sometimes.
But she smiles again at Violet's comment and laughs a little as she clasps her hands behind her back and nods.] Yeah, it's nice to have other people around. So you're a Phantom Thief?
[Her eyes sparkle a little bit with amusement. It's still so funny and dramatic to her -- not that SEES is any better when you break it apart, but still. Introducing oneself as a Phantom Thief really is something.]
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[For added dramatic effect, she does some kind of Sailor Moon-esque pose, before lowering her arms with a laugh]
I'm still figuring it out a little. I was the last one to officially join the team, truthfully, so it's all still pretty new.
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Sounds like a lot of fun. [Kotone gives the cow one final pat and then retreats back, hopping up to perch on the edge of a hay bale. It's time to Sit for her, but Violet is welcome to keep petting that cow. She's just a big affectionate animal.]
So who's your Persona?
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[She continues to pet the cow for a bit, not sure about sitting down on the hay.]
Her name is Cendrillon! I miss being able to summon her, actually… it’d be fun to show you the cool outfit I change into when I do! [Alas.]
What’s— [Sumi pauses, remembering that Akira had said that Kotone was a lot like him.] Do you have multiple personas too? Or just one?
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Yeah, fighting can be tough, but as long as you have a good team, you'll be alright! And if the rest of your team is like Akira, you'd be in good hands.
[She gives her a brighter smile, propping her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as she swings her feet a little off the big hay bale. It's easier to act like she has energy when she can just bounce off some of Violet's.]
I'm not familiar with Cendrillon... [Igor and Theo had said that she had a large number of Personas she could potentially summon, but not all of them. It's not like she could summon her teammates' Personas either, so it would make sense not to have heard of Violet's.] But yeah, I'm like Akira. I have a couple I can switch between, but I haven't tried doing it here.
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You’ve already met Akira-senpai, but Crow-that’s Akechi-senpai—is also here! If anyone else shows up, I’ll be sure to introduce you to them. I think they’d really like you.
[She laughs again and adds:] Not that that’s hard at all!
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Thanks! I really like you, too.
[Hehe. She kicks her heels lightly against the hay bale as her smile fades a little.] It's kind of funny to think about you and Akechi-san on the same team. You're really different.
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She turns away, clearing her throat in her fist before she focuses on petting the cow again.]
Ah, yeah... We're all pretty different from each other, but we all have this sort of...drive, I guess, toward making things right. We're all people who've been hurt by a society that says 'that's just the way things are sometimes' and turns a blind eye to it.
Akechi's been hurt too. I don't know all the details, but I think we're all at least a little scarred in some way. I guess that brings us together.
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She hums with interest, leaning back on the hay bale as she thinks about that. What brought SEES together...? Just having the potential of having a Persona, really. They weren't united behind a common goal other than, well, not wanting to see Shadows run amok through the town. Sure, all of them had faced death in their lives, but hadn't everyone? That hardly makes them special.]
So you guys fight against society itself? I guess that's why you're Phantom Thieves.
[She tilts her head with a wry grin.]
My team was called SEES. We just fought Shadows.
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For us it was more... Literally changing peoples' hearts, fighting in their own hearts-- Or something like that. [She looks thoughtful] Did Akira-senpai explain it to you?
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[She waves a hand. It got complicated really, really quickly. Shinji got shot. Ikutsuki and Mitsuru's dad died. The world was going to end. But that's complicated to explain and she'd rather not, so "we fought Shadows" is good enough.
She leans forward with some interest, though, tilting her head again.]
He didn't explain much... he wasn't totally sober at the time, though. [She giggles a little bit, her cheeks flushing the lightest shade of pink. He had kissed her forehead, which had been really cute.] What do you mean, fighting inside their hearts?
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She stops petting the cow, giving her a last pat before she goes to sit next to Kotone on the hay.] Well...I don't know everything, but this is whole I understand it.
The Metaverse is like...the collective human subconscious and a reflection of their... Desires? I think it's like that. The Phantom Thieves can enter it, and people with distorted desires can shape areas of it. Like, um... Say you have a manager of a department that's a real tyrant. They're mean to their employees and abusive or something and they see themselves as a...like a ring leader of the group, controlling the shots.
In the Metaverse, they'll have a palace that reflects how they view things. So like this manager might have a palace that's a big circus, because like I said they view themselves as the ringleader, and their work and the workers are their circus they control.
The Thieves can enter it and find the 'treasure'--that is, something that represents the distortion--and take it. When they--we-- do, I think it... just sort of destroys that distortion. So the person ends up feeling super guilty and can actually confess and face punishment for how they acted.
So we're 'stealing their heart'! Get it? [She looks at Kotone with a sheepish sort of grin] Does that make sense?
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Hm, complicated. She wishes Mitsuru were here.]
I think I get it, [she says, even though she isn't totally sure she does. Ugh, and then she's going to have to try to explain it to Shinji after...? No, she'll just have to get them all together at some point, though inviting Akechi anywhere is potentially... fraught. But he'd be Akira's responsibility at that point, not hers, so it'd probably be fine.]
You take people's desires away. Isn't that... kind of bad? [It's hard to think about, and her expression pinches with the effort.] It sounds like it would cause Apathy Syndrome.
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[Sumi hesitates for a moment, as if wondering if she should even say anything, but... It seems better to not keep secrets. Kotone is practically one of them, right??]
But...We do have to be careful. We can't erase the person's shadow, just weaken it until it gives up. If we destroy it, it will destroy the person's desire--all of them. [She kind of wishes Morgana was here. He'd understood it all way more and might've been able to help with more detailed questions. Damn.] I don't know about Apathy Syndrome but it might be similar. We call it a Mental Shutdown.
[She looks down at her clasped hands] They'll die. So we have to be careful.
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[It seems kind of dangerous, playing with people's lives like that. SEES had never done anything even close to this, she's pretty sure, humming a little as she tilts her head. It sounds like the kind of power that could easily be misused -- especially if it could be used to kill.]
Apathy Syndrome was all over the news back then. People would become like zombies, unable to care about anything, even themselves. They'd just wander all over town aimlessly. [She shrugs.] So it's kind of similar, but not the same. It wouldn't kill them, at least, not for a while.
Sounds like you guys had it tough.
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[She tries to sound upbeat about it, rubbing at the back of her neck.] I was the last minute member. We've already got a lot to deal with, but hopefully... Hopefully after all of this it'll be over. We can relax and just... go back to normal. Whatever that'll be.
[She chews on her bottom lip, looking uncertain]
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So she reaches out and pokes Violet's cheek gently, trusting the familiar motion to catch her attention and startle her out of whatever thoughts are making that expression so grim.]
They're not here, [she points out, meaning literally right here in this barn to receive sympathy.] So I guess you're the only one who gets my sympathy!
[She manages another smile, resting her hands in her lap as she smiles up at her. It sounds like Violet's in the middle of whatever all their stuff was, while Kotone's already seen how the end is. She can't be certain, but maybe the right thing to say is--]
I think "normal" is whatever you decide it to be.
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I guess that's true. Akira-senpai and Akechi-senpai are all ahead of me, in the timeline I mean. I'm in a completely different world from my own, meeting all sorts of people who are also from different worlds... I guess this will have to be my new normal for a little while.
[She looks at Kotone with a warm smile] But I'm really glad we got to meet.
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[She's not asking for her own sake, she's asking for Shinji's, because they still haven't talked about October and everything that happened since. It just keeps getting pushed later. Her brows knit just a little bit before she forces the expression away with another smile.]
I'm glad we met too, Violet-san.
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