first chapter | open [voice + action]

[thirdarrow]

[ This is the first time Takakage has started a discussion instead of listening in and participating, so it took him a while to find the proper words for it.

Nevertheless, when he finally starts the transmission, his voice is quiet and confident, perhaps even a touch crystalline. ]

Hello, everyone. I am Takakage Kobayakawa, from the Land of the Rising Sun. You may also know me as MINTAKA from the previous Jaunt.

We have quite a few Persona users amongst us, myself included. Thus, I would like to propose that we meet and train together, so that those of us Investigating in future Jaunts will be able to pool our efforts together and use our gifts as a team. It will also aid in identifying Infiltrators, as I have noticed that our Personas also follow us if we take on alter egos. If you are partial to that idea, we can all share our abilities and compare what we are best at. I am aware that a few of us have also been Marked by Trumps, which may also change our Personas to some extent. That can be discussed as well.

As far as I know, I am the only Support Persona user in our midst, so it would be beneficial if you let me know, so I can best support you with what I can do. Noah is able to heal, scan surroundings, weaknesses, and detailed analysis - in addition to providing a psychic closed network which will be useful on stealth missions.

For those who have been Infiltrating with the Miners for the past Jaunt - may I also ask for your assistance? There was another Program with me, SAIPH - do you know if she is amongst us as a Traveler? I have something that belongs to her.

If you need me in person, I will be by the entrance next to the Trump phone. Thank you for your time.

[ True enough, he is seated on one of the stairs, with Noah floating above him in a stance similar to that adopted by guardian angels. ]

Comments

[stophamatime]

...I don't know if it's possible or not. At home, some people had the potential and some didn't, but I don't know if we ever figured out why.

[neverfeltthatway]

But... it's worth giving it a try, isn't it?

[stophamatime]

...

[Shooting yourself in the head for quite possibly nothing? He's not terribly sold on that, honestly.]

[neverfeltthatway]

[Shooting himself in the head doesn't carry the dread for him it might with some. He's expected to die in worse ways before. He doesn't relish the idea, but...]

With everything a Persona can do, all the ways a persona user can help people, and the situation we're in right now... can we afford to leave that sort of potential untested?

[stophamatime]

Even if it works, it's not like we have extra Evokers.

[The three people who brought theirs...all need to keep theirs for their own purposes, and the odds of one of them being convenient to borrow from when the shit hits the fan don't strike him as terribly high.]

[neverfeltthatway]

That's why I suggested it when Naoki mentioned teaching you to card summon - if you could do that, you might not need them.

[thirdarrow]

[ There is a slight pause before he replies. ]

- ah, forgive me, I have yet to become accustomed to my original self. Then... I would like to test something out, if you'd like. In Hinoto-Ri, where I come from, Persona users with a particularly strong bond are able to fuse their Personas together temporarily to boost its capabilities by quite a large amoubt. If you have time, could you give it a try with your friends?

[thirdarrow]

[ He's heard of Margaret, if anything else. ]

Interesting. I would attribute this to different universes being served by different attendants.

[creativefool]

Heh. No worries. I'm still gettin' mixed up myself.

But - damn. I know a few'f my friends back home used t' have some pretty cool combo attacks goin'. But actually fusin' Personas on the battlefield? That's a new one on me. Gotta say, it sounds worth a try sometime.

[leftbehindagain]

Maybe? Souji-san knew her too. I don't know who took care of Adachi-san's stuff.

[They've really only just managed civil conversations, and Naoki's not equipped for a Comparative Velvet Room talk anyway - that'll be Kanji, if it happens.]

[shiroganeheir]

[Naoto has been listening to this with increasing amounts of uncomfortableness, and finally speaks up.]

I have some reservations about it, to be honest. Handling firearms of the normal sort when one is not trained on them is difficult enough, but handling technology that can neither be replicated here nor understood seems extremely dangerous at best.

Given the correct things, I could likely replicate them, but I do not have the materials, nor the blueprints to do so.

[shiroganeheir]

That would be useful. I do have a Mind Charge ability that I seem to have forgotten, but any other assistance would be very useful.

[neverfeltthatway]

I've had training with firearms. And does anybody using them now actually understand how they work?

[A genuine question, not trying to prove a point.]

But we're not in a situation where we can avoid danger - no matter what we do. I'm a soldier - it's my job to put myself in danger to try and help others. This... this is no different.

[shiroganeheir]

I am certain they have more of an idea of their usage than someone who has never fought Shadows, yes. Evokers and Persona in my world are used for a very specific reason. Here, they can be used for other things it would seem, but still. Persona are dangerous if they are not controlled properly. If you get a Persona the hard way, it is much easier to control, but I highly doubt you wish to face all of your suppressed emotion. Trust me, it's ugly.

This is not my fight, so I will step out, however, I am not comfortable with it, for what that is worth.

[thirdarrow]

I do understand how they work.

[thirdarrow]

I can confirm this. Personas not acquired by way of contracts have the potential to reverse and consume the user instead. I would very much not prefer to do that as well.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Bewildered at why Naoto is so angry with him all of a sudden, Armin's is glad to latch onto more solid ground when it's offered.]

Do you know what determines who is able to use it? [He flashes back to Naoto's anger for a moment, and while he doesn't quite understand...] Or whether it would be safe for someone new to try?

[thirdarrow]

[ Friends back home... he is reminded as well that Kanji's Persona might be fundamentally different from his. ]

I am not sure if there is a 'tried and tested' method for it, but I have done it before. If you enter a battle with a close friend and coordinate your attacks, it can occur if the time is right.

[thirdarrow]

We can practice together later, if you'd like.

[ He's curious, if anything else. ]

[thirdarrow]

An Evoker is designed to instil a sense of terror into the user. It works due to the Plume of Dusk inside the handgrip. This Plume is a fragment of an elder deity tied to the sea of consciousness, so it is impossible to replicate here.

[ A pause. ]

I acquired my Persona by way of a contract. However, the contractor is not here, so that avenue is closed. Forced awakening of Personas is very dangerous indeed, I would not suggest it.

[seestheworld]

[Minako has been listening to all this, and... what.]

You're... asking if people who regularly use Evokers understand how they work?

Besides, the item that powers them isn't available here, and if we're ever in a world where it is, we're probably going to have bigger things to worry about.

[thirdarrow]

Master Adachi? I'm afraid I have not met him. Or was he ADAX from the Jaunt?

[ So many wild cards popping up everywhere... ]

[leftbehindagain]

Yeah, that was him. For added fun, most of us know him better as the culprit than as a Wild Card.

[Especially awkward when Naoki's sister was the second victim of the case...]

[seestheworld]

I don't think we ever met? I'm Minako - I was one of the Variables.

[neverfeltthatway]

Naoto implied that the technology was not understood, and thus was dangerous. That didn't really make sense to me, with you using them, so I was trying to clarify...

[Armin trails off. When he had heard mention of teaching the evoker summoners to card summon, it had made sense to ask if it was possible for others to use the evoker. But there are so many people answering, speaking about things he doesn't understand, and giving conflicting answers that he's only more confused now.]