[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.]
A little. [She rubs at her arm, frowning a little as she considers it] There's a lot I still don't know... Some things seem to go well, and some things... don't.
Since Akira-senpai is here, I know we must win! But there's a lot I still don't know about and that I'm a little afraid to ask. I want to know what happens to me and the others, but also I'm not sure if I should even ask.
[She sighs, but then realizes that it sounds more dramatic than it should be and waves her hand] It's not that I expect anything bad to happen, really, I'm just curious. But I had a goal I was working really hard toward, and I don't know if it'll make me feel better or not if I know what happens.
[Kotone watches her stumble around her answer, head tilted as she tries weighing what Violet is saying against her own experiences. Shinjiro... is in a coma right now, as far as she knows. He's not dead, but he might never wake up. Is it better for him to know that, or is it better than he not know what happened after October? Her brows knit together and her lips thin as she nods along.]
I think so, yeah. It's hard to know what to do with stuff that's totally outside of our experiences, right?
[She kicks her feet against the hay bale again thoughtfully.]
I think... you should talk to my friend Aragaki-senpai. You talked about timelines? He's... I guess you could say he's behind in mine. We haven't talked about what's happened since the last thing he remembers. I don't know if he's waiting for me to bring it up, or if he doesn't want to know. I think you two have that in common.
[She listens, nodding slowly] Is he a persona-user too?
[She assumes so, but wanted to make sure before she went saying anything she shouldn't.] I wouldn't mind talking to him though. I think it'd be nice just to talk to others who understand where I'm coming from. I don't mind that the others don't, it's just...
[Sumi's quiet for a moment before shrugging. It's just different, she supposes, though she's not sure how to put it into words.]
Kotone-san, you're really nice. I hope I can learn a lot from you too.
[She winces. She hasn't told anyone about Shinji's power, but if they're really all going to work together, it's better for them to know, she thinks.]
He's a really good friend of mine. Please don't talk about it with anyone else?
[It's a sore subject for him for very good reason; most of the reason she hasn't told anyone is because she doesn't want it spreading around and for people to bother him about it.
She leans back on her hands and gives Violet a smile.] I don't know what you can learn from me, but if you want to go back to calling me 'senpai,' I don't mind, Violet-san!
[A giggle scrunches up her nose. It's still funny to think about being anyone's senpai.]
[Sumi can't say she doesn't understand that though, so she nods, her expression serious.] Alright, I promise. I won't even tell Akira-senpai or Akechi-senpai. [She makes a 'sealing her lips' motion and mimes throwing away the key.
However, she takes Kotone's request completely seriously, hands balling into fists in front of her]
Yes, Kotone-senpai! I'll be the best student you've ever had!
[Gosh, she's cute. Are all first-years this cute? Fuuka was this cute, except when she was cooking. But when she was working on machines she was definitely this cute!
Kotone laughs, almost about to refuse but-- no, this is funnier. She can be senpai if Violet really wants.]
Just that? Don't worry, with me as your coach, soon you'll be able to do-- [Sumi laughs and hops down off the hay, and kicking her leg up well above her head, grabbing the arch of her foot.
She then bends entirely backwards to plant her free hand behind her, lifting herself up and over to land back on her feet and throw her hands up in a 'ta-dah!' pose]
That! Soon that'll be easy-peasy for you! [She might be teasing Kotone though as she laughs, walking back over] You'll be able to bend like a pretzel by the time I'm done with you!
[There's a Gleam in her eye... Danger approaches...]
[Kotone's jaw drops. She just- put her leg up? All the way up there?? The human body can do that?!]
You must've put in a lot of work to be able to do that! [she says when she can manage to find the words, eyes wide with astonishment. Wow! Just. Wow!!] I didn't do anything like that in tennis! I was mostly just there to hang out with my friend, anyway.
[But! She hops gamely off the bale, clenching both fists in front of her. Maybe danger, but she wants to get to know Violet, and engaging in her interests seems to be the best way to do it.]
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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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Since Akira-senpai is here, I know we must win! But there's a lot I still don't know about and that I'm a little afraid to ask. I want to know what happens to me and the others, but also I'm not sure if I should even ask.
[She sighs, but then realizes that it sounds more dramatic than it should be and waves her hand] It's not that I expect anything bad to happen, really, I'm just curious. But I had a goal I was working really hard toward, and I don't know if it'll make me feel better or not if I know what happens.
Does that make sense?
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I think so, yeah. It's hard to know what to do with stuff that's totally outside of our experiences, right?
[She kicks her feet against the hay bale again thoughtfully.]
I think... you should talk to my friend Aragaki-senpai. You talked about timelines? He's... I guess you could say he's behind in mine. We haven't talked about what's happened since the last thing he remembers. I don't know if he's waiting for me to bring it up, or if he doesn't want to know. I think you two have that in common.
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[She assumes so, but wanted to make sure before she went saying anything she shouldn't.] I wouldn't mind talking to him though. I think it'd be nice just to talk to others who understand where I'm coming from. I don't mind that the others don't, it's just...
[Sumi's quiet for a moment before shrugging. It's just different, she supposes, though she's not sure how to put it into words.]
Kotone-san, you're really nice. I hope I can learn a lot from you too.
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He's a really good friend of mine. Please don't talk about it with anyone else?
[It's a sore subject for him for very good reason; most of the reason she hasn't told anyone is because she doesn't want it spreading around and for people to bother him about it.
She leans back on her hands and gives Violet a smile.] I don't know what you can learn from me, but if you want to go back to calling me 'senpai,' I don't mind, Violet-san!
[A giggle scrunches up her nose. It's still funny to think about being anyone's senpai.]
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However, she takes Kotone's request completely seriously, hands balling into fists in front of her]
Yes, Kotone-senpai! I'll be the best student you've ever had!
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Kotone laughs, almost about to refuse but-- no, this is funnier. She can be senpai if Violet really wants.]
Alright! Well, what do you want to learn first?
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Oh! Um... Hm. Well, I haven't played many sports before, besides gymnastics. Maybe you could teach me something you know?
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[Oh, she wasn't expecting that... is Violet the Chariot? Kotone blinks, then shrugs and nods.]
Yeah, sure! I was in the Tennis Club in school. In exchange, can you show me some gymnastics? I want to be able to bend like-
[She sticks her legs straight out in front of her and bends down as if trying to touch her toes. She makes it partway there, at least!]
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She then bends entirely backwards to plant her free hand behind her, lifting herself up and over to land back on her feet and throw her hands up in a 'ta-dah!' pose]
That! Soon that'll be easy-peasy for you! [She might be teasing Kotone though as she laughs, walking back over] You'll be able to bend like a pretzel by the time I'm done with you!
[There's a Gleam in her eye... Danger approaches...]
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You must've put in a lot of work to be able to do that! [she says when she can manage to find the words, eyes wide with astonishment. Wow! Just. Wow!!] I didn't do anything like that in tennis! I was mostly just there to hang out with my friend, anyway.
[But! She hops gamely off the bale, clenching both fists in front of her. Maybe danger, but she wants to get to know Violet, and engaging in her interests seems to be the best way to do it.]
Alright! How should we start?