[Closed] A Gathering of Thieves

[nuclearpowered]

Who: The Phantom Thieves and their Shinki
What: Information Sharing.
Where: The Far Shore, the Park
When: July 26th, Late Afternoon
Summary: 3 new gods arrive to find that 2 of their closest friends are dead, and they are responsible
for two other people as well. A talk is needed.

Warnings: Major Persona 5 Spoilers in comments, also probably language.



[Arriving here with little warning had been jarring enough, but when the Phantom Thieves realized that they weren't alone, and that two of their number had no memories, it was time to confer somewhere. Temples and the like had felt a little raw, and not wanting to stray too far from the Far Shore until they had their bearings, the group had gathered in the park. Akira, Ann, Futaba, Makoto, and Ryuji, along with the shinki that had unwittingly become part of their circle, all standing around in a small clearing, talking. It should've been a positive occasion, but there was no denying the shroud that hung over the group. There was a lot to talk about, and things that needed to be agreed upon.

The question was...how to even start?]

Comments

The Discourse.

[nuclearpowered]

[The day had been difficult enough so far, with the shift from Tokyo into this strange place, but the events had taken a far more jarring turn when Shinki assignments had come. It necessitated a lot of tongue biting and patience until they had made it through what was expected of them and been able to move off on their own without causing too much of a fuss. That part, at least for Makoto, had been torture. The vision of both shinki's deaths had been like a dagger through her heart, and waiting to really speak to her friends had been a task.

But the moment was here, and someone had to say something. So, pushing off of the tree she'd been leaning on, Makoto coughed to get everyone's attention. Trying to stand in as non-threatening a pose as possible, she addressed the group.]

So. We...all need to have a talk. All seven of us. Probably starting with introductions, I think. So that we all have an idea of who each other is.

[Looking at each of them in turn, she puts on a weak smile and bows.]

My name is Makoto Niijima. And I'm currently standing in for Bellona, the Roman Goddess of War...

[Which felt even stranger to say than to think.]

((ooc: This is the big group thread. No posting order, just go for it.))

[intrusivethot]

[ The afternoon at Bishamonten's temple had been illuminating, if dimly so. Why Akira had awoken memory-less and and with a walloping headache radiating from the center of his forehead had been more or less answered, unsatisfactory as You died can sound. Then someone claimed him - like a person have the right to claim another. Much less someone "standing in" for a god.

None of them could be much older than the "us" in the equation: Akira, someone named Ann, a guy
he'd met earlier that called himself Shion, and a... kid? Mabel, the only one of them that didn't look or sound like the rest.

Through the phase where they got settled in together in the field Akira held himself away, glancing among those gathered. Those trapped here in an arrangement they neither asked for nor wanted, at least in Akira's case.

No one else is going to speak up? Fine. ]

I'm dead. Nice to meet you.

[herecomethebuffs]

[Futaba was sitting on the ground nearby, legs stretched out in front of her, laptop on her lap, screen open. Her gaze flicked from said screen to the small group of people, then back. It all felt so familiar, them sitting around discussing their situation, trying to come up with a plan. Except it wasn't. There were two strangers and two of them were dead and it was just...ugh.]

[It would have been comforting if it wasn't so not.]

[In the silence that followed what Makoto said, Futaba decided she should probably go next, and opened her mouth a second before Akira suddenly blurted that out. Her only immediate reaction was her fingers clenching against the keyboard, because it was such a him thing to say. In his voice. With that stupid face of his.]

[She started to glare at him, but then remembered it wasn't his fault he was like that. Unless it was, really, she didn't...know why he...okay. Not dwelling on that right now. Roll with it, Futaba. She could do this. She had to do this.]

...Hi Dead, I'm Futaba.

[Well somebody had to say it.]

God Talk

[nuclearpowered]

[Before the meeting really began in earnest, Makoto had deliberately pulled Ryuji and Futaba aside, tugging them out of earshot of the Shinki and pitching her voice low so that they could actually discuss how to handle all of this. It was difficult, hard to bear even, but it needed to be done. As the eldest she naturally felt responsible for the others, the Shinki more than any of the others, and it wasn't going to be an easy talk but when she had the two of them isolated, she tried her best not to let her emotions show.]

So. We...definitely can't tell Akira and Ann about their life back home. None of it. But that doesn't mean we can't work together. All of us. I...

[She frowns, at a loss for words.]

...Without the rest of us, and with Akira and Ann in their current state, I think that we're going to have to be careful for a while.

[herecomethebuffs]

[Futaba was perched on a end of a bitch, sitting like she often did when she was uncomfortable. Well, 'sitting' wasn't right, since she was basically crouching on the bench, hugging her laptop to her chest. Her eyes were turned downward.]

They don't even know who we are.

[She said, her voice quiet. She sucked in a breath that might've been cover to hide a sniffle.]

It's so stupid.

[forreal]

[Ryuji, on the other hand, is tapping his foot restlessly with arms crossed and is barely looking at the other two. He would sit but he can barely keep still as it is and his position keeps him from sneaking in glances at Ann and Akira. Even Shion.]

None of this is fair, goddammit. [And up his volume goes.] Why'd it have to be them!?

Makoto

[nuclearpowered]

A) Team Mom:

[It's really not an easy situation to be in, but Makoto Niijima is nothing if not resilient. She'll do as she does, doing her best to make sure everyone around her is at least somewhat comfortable and adjusting. She's not great at offering kind words, but she is good at giving advice and a comforting smile.

She's also snagged food from the training grounds, and has set all of that out for people to munch on as they want. Light snacks, water, Gatorade, that sort of thing. If anyone looks remotely hungry or dehydrated, she's bound to walk up and offer something. Well...offer is a strong word.]

Here, take this. [Foisted upon is more like it.]


B) Ferocity

[Makoto eventually had to step away from the group. Her head clouding, memories of Akira's life coming back to her slowly but surely, coupled with the fury that had been seething inside her since she'd been given Bellona's mantle made it necessary. Moving back into the trees, she sets to work getting out some of that pent up aggression. It starts slow, one punch, two punches, just working a tree like a punching bag until eventually her anger overrides her sense. She draws on that anger, fist swinging faster, actually cracking the wood of a tree. Another swing and another until her power begins to truly manifest, a blood-red aura beginning to swirl around her hands as her new power starts working.

Feel free to come see her, fists working the tree until they tear out splinters. She's mad, and her fists make audible impact sounds as they crash into the wood. Just...don't sneak up on her.


C) Wildcard

[Funk me up guys. Come talk to Makoto, or make up a scenario you want. I'm cool with anything.]

A

[meowbel]

[With everything going on, Mabel had to admit, she was pretty hungry! After her training, she figured if she worked hard enough, she could get her powers to work pretty quickly! And so far, it seemed to be working!

...Or at least until her stomach started growling. Suddenly, that's when she held it and started mumbling to herself]

Oh c'mon, just when I got it too...!

[nuclearpowered]

[Mabel's efforts hadn't gone unnoticed, of course. Makoto had been watching cautiously, out of the corner of her eye, just seeing what the girl got up to. Honestly, she wasn't sure why she'd been partnered with her, given what she had gleaned from her personality through memory and observation but her heart did reach out to the poor thing.

She's dead. So young, and she deserves so much better than me was her only thought as she approached, holding out a packet of well...something she liked.]

This may help. It's just some dried squid I found, but it might take your mind off your troubles until we can properly eat.

B

[forreal]

[He wasn't heading in any particular direction, just wandering, when he hears the sound of splintering following loud thumps not far from the path he's taking. Into the trees he goes, following the noise until he happens upon Makoto... a very red and angry looking Makoto.

You'd think that one would have the sense to not sneak up behind her the way he's doing, but this is Ryuji and he's far past the point of caring by now. Besides, it's not really sneaking up as much as it is not making himself known until he's behind her, hands sliding into his pockets as he slumps his shoulders.]

What'd the tree ever do to you?

[nuclearpowered]

[She doesn't pause in her furor, her fists grinding against the wood, flinders flying off in all directions as she pounds away. It's easier than she imagined, if she just thinks of that guy's face.]

Ryuji.

[Another swing, a vicious right cross, and she tears through more of the trunk with a resounding crack. That broke her concentration on the routine enough to whirl around, expression a little wild, her breathing heavy. Slamming her fist one final time against the oak, she meets his eyes with her own, like cherry-red coals burning in her sockets.]

I want to strangle something but I can't. What would you propose I do to get out some frustration?

B

[herecomethebuffs]

I'm preeeeeetty sure you're not going to get anything for killing the tree, you know.

[Futaba had approached Makoto a short while before, but held back until a pause in the older girl's...well, rage? Against the tree itself. She'd seen her angry before, but the glowing was new. She had her laptop with her, held in hands tucked behind her back, and she stood a bit away just in case she startled her. Who knew what Makoto-the-god could accidentally do while angry?]

[Or what any of them could do at this point, really. It was all so weird.]

...Also don't your hands hurt? Cause I mean wow that looks like it hurts.

[nuclearpowered]

[Makoto had been aware of Futaba's presence the whole while, yes. The girl wasn't exactly difficult to miss, not with her senses all tuned like they were in this state. She spins after driving a final punch into the tree, splinters welling outward from the crater her fist had made]

I don't feel it. Not right now.

[Stepping away from the tree, she fixes the younger girl with a level look.]

Got something to say?

b.

[intrusivethot]

[ Nothing could be put between Akira and his upset but time. Dying,
waking up, having to listen to that like they knew anything about him but, of course, he couldn't verify a thing but his name. Who in their right mind could endure that?

Akira could, allegedly. He feels no kinship to the boy they obliquely referenced and then stonewalled him on, and after that, well. Some cooling off needed to happen. He just wasn't counting on a god needing the same.

The forest doesn't exist solely to facilitate Akira's frustrated wandering;
it finds Makoto's fury as compelling and rises to it, steels its trees apparently. Heaven should be good for something, he guesses. Akira doesn't try staying out of sight but he wonders if sound alone would reach her if he continues loitering in her periphery, less anger and more stoic observation of his god now.]

That doesn't hurt?

[asterflower]

O-Oh. Thank you.

[Shion takes the offered water bottle with a small smile.

He feels a little out of place with his god's friends to be honest. Still a little shaken by waking up with no memories only to catch his own reflection and start screaming. He has abnormal white hair and red eyes and a very noticeable scar along his cheek and neck. And ... no way to explain why he looks the way he does. He's pretty sure he wasn't born this way ... Hopefully.]

I'm sorry, I haven't caught your name yet. I'm Shion, tool ... for ... Nike.

[It still sounds weird to call himself a tool...?]

A

[cakebuffet]

[Ann looks a little startled as she suddenly finds herself being forcefully offered a bottle of water, but she accepts it after an odd, disconnected moment, swallowing hard before nodding her thanks.]

Thank you.

[She manages a weak but grateful smile, uncapping the bottle and taking a long drink before she lets it come to rest between her knees in both hands. After everything that's happened today, she's just exhausted.]

It's... been a rough day for everyone all around, I guess.

Futaba

[herecomethebuffs]

A - Watching the dead

[Futaba had no idea how to deal with this. When she'd arrived, she'd sensed the four of them almost immediately thanks to her persona (which worked here, and was a briefly awesome thing) until she'd realized...well. The rest of it. Someone explained before she did anything stupid, but the urge was still there in the back of her head the whole time.]

[So she was sitting off to the side of the others as everyone talked, just listening, her laptop open in her lap (but she wasn't actually doing anything with it) as an excuse to seem like she was busy. But her eyes were never on the screen, they were on everyone else. Well. Mostly Akira and Ann, really.]

[It was a shame two years of basically hiding had made her awful about hiding her emotions, since it was pretty obvious she seemed caught somewhere between frustration, and just wanting to burst into tears. Whoops...]

B - Oh right she's a light goddess.

[Sometime after adjustments had been made and she'd managed to get control of herself, well she thought she had anyway, she realized that...well, it wasn't as dark where she was sitting as it had been earlier. Which prompted her to look at her arms, which were...bright? Brighter than her usual sun-reflecting paleness, even. Uhm.]

Hey so uh I seem to be glowing? [A beat, as she waved her hand in front of her face.] Yeah definitely glowing this is new. Help?

[She was probably supposed to know how to turn this off...]

C - Wildcard. Futaba will be moping around or watching or glowing or whatever just throw an idea here!

A

[meowbel]

[In constrast, Mabel was excited about everything! She wasn't sure what was going on but if it meant that she has some kind of superpower, it was a definite plus for her! Who wouldn't want the ability to do cool stuff anyway? However, that didn't stop her from looking back at Futuba.

For a moment, she wasn't sure what was going on. She simply just stared at wondered if everything was okay. Wouldn't she be happy too that she got some kind of powers too? Without another moment to lose, that's when she hopped over to the girl]

Hey, is everything okay? C'mon, let's turn that frown upside down now!

B

[asterflower]

[She's... definitely glowing. Shion stares in awe for a moment. Curious. But he's not sure how to help her yet??]

Um. Do you feel strange at all? Feverish or warm?

A

[forreal]

[Spotting Futaba off to the side, Ryuji lingers for a while as he contemplates taking a seat next to her. He never really had a chance to talk to Futaba much - well, he did but he regrettably didn't take advantage of it much despite how cool she was... but better late than never, right?

He comes up from behind and leans over next to her, forcing a crooked half-smile onto his face to try and at least seem a little bit more welcoming than he has been for most of the day, although it's clear that it's a bit strained.]

They let you bring your laptop?

Ryuji

[forreal]

A - Juice Box Blues

[Once the introductions are over and done with, he takes it upon himself to help with handing out some refreshments. Better to keep himself busy to take his mind off of things than to sulk around, right? With a pair of juice boxes in hand, he wanders about still visibly tense. Not like he's trying very hard to hide it, but for the sake of everyone else he's at least attempting to put his best foot forward.

If you happen to be sitting or standing nearby, the blond will pause.]

Yo, heads up.

[Think fast, you're getting a juice box thrown at you!]

B - Oh my freakin' God

[After a little bit of socializing (if he can even call it that), Ryuji takes his leave from the rest of the group for a while to explore the park and to clear his spinning head. Gods and shinki, memories lost... it's a bit much for someone to take in in one day. Once he's far enough away, he breaks into a light jog as he begins a lap around the park. Second time around, he cranks it up a notch into a run with his feet thundering against the ground as he gradually picks up speed.

Being able to run like this stirs a sort of rush that's unlike anything else, and it's one he's missed for a while. This time, however, things feel different. Something's not quite right, and by not quite right, he means that everything feels right. Like he can run freely without a care in the world... it's that awareness that sends him stumbling a little before he catches himself from falling. His movement is swift and quick and very not-like-him that he fumbles to a halt when it's all over.

He looks back to the group, hands out in front of him and eyes wide.]

The hell...? [And he calls out to whoever happens to be in earshot or watching him:] You see that!?

[Or is he just going crazy? Heck, if it's not one thing, it's another.]

C - Wildcard!

[Have something else in mind? Come at him, brah!]

Akira

[intrusivethot]

a. cut down to size

[ He's not a naturally surly person, Akira can tell that much. Forced to choose between staying near the others and nonetheless being subject to it or breaking away and suddenly having too much time on his hands to think about the afterlife being screwed up, Akira takes his chances with the latter for now.

It's not their fault. Makoto didn't kill Akira or ask him to get - what is this, resurrection? The closest approximation may be that he's a ghost or spirit and yeah, great, thanks for that, Powers That Be. Him being a literal shade of who he used to be.

Seeing some things at the temple took a bit of the sting out of it - knowing he wasn't completely helpless like this. Time spent surveying the forest and walking off his anger shifted with that notion crossing his mind: the training Akira admittedly had only observed, feeling no obligation toward anything in the moment but frustration.

But alone among the trees it's easy to look at his hand and flex it, feeling the terribly real response of bone, muscle, and tendon. It's easy to imagine the anger bubbling up underneath the surface as he makes a loose fist, first two fingers drawn together like he saw in the temple grounds, rows and rows of shinki facing wood and straw targets as they shouted - ]

Line!

[ Crack. A nearby tree groans after and slides off its own axis, split with the faint blue light Akira drew with his fingers. The magical energy crackles, smelling oddly of ozone to him. He shifts and looks at the result, trying to handle how he could possibly feel his pulse beating in his throat like this if he's really dead. ]

So that's how it works. Useful. [ At least he could really be left alone if he wanted to be.

A twig snapping behind him suggests that isn't the case. Akira whirls, instinctively drawing another borderline between him and his company. ]

b. caffeine solves everything

[ To be honest he's getting tired of being mad. Makoto doesn't deserve that, Mabel's just a kid - it's not doing anything productive and that's why Akira decides it has to go now that he's paid its due in acknowledging its existence.

From their attempt at a secluded gathering Akira could still see other gods and shinki training, talking, and... eating? Why would you have to eat in the afterlife? No one is going to die so... comfort for all the former humans? The earlier hours saw Akira avoiding Makoto's attempts at looking after him and others, robbed of an appetite. But there are worse means of establishing a truce.

He doesn't know why he settles on coffee - hot cocoa for the less caffeine-inclined. Producing an electric kettle, supplies, and getting the process started is bewilderingly easy for the setting - Heaven provides, huh - and sets his mind to the task without knowing particularly why he knows how to set up a filter and pour hot water over the grounds until it "blooms", deflates, and then continue pouring. It's as though the blueprint exists in his mind and he's simply following through.

At length, he realizes he has company, glancing up as he sets aside another hot cocoa to one side of the work area, divided from the coffee mugs. ]

Hi. We're stuck here so... a little hospitality seemed like it was in order. What's your poison?

wildcard!

[ wildcard like the wild card himself~ ]

B

[meowbel]

[All things considered, Mabel decided it was probably best not to question the how or the why. Right now, it was better to focus on what she could do at the moment. Sure, there were still plenty of questions running through her mind but why ask when she got some kind of cool super power in return?

Now that Mabel was busy eating a few snacks Makoto had brought her, she couldn't help but be curious about her other partner in crime. For a moment, she didn't say anything back and simply narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. Not that she was judging him, she was trying to figure this Akira out!

Especially when Makoto was avoiding eye contact with him!]

That depends on what kind of poison we're talking about!

[She giggled before taking a sip of her cocoa. With that, there was a huge smile on her face! There's nothing wrong with something sugary after a long training session!]

B

[forreal]

[Considering everything that's been exchanged up until now, Ryuji is a little hesitant to approach Akira, if only to save him from having to put up with the fury at whatever did this to them that keeps bubbling up in his chest whenever his gaze happens to fall on his friend. Still, he knows he can't avoid him forever. He and Makoto and Futaba are going to be working just as closely as they did before, and he might as well "get to know" their shinki along with it.

Except that Ryuji knows plenty about Akira. Maybe more than he'd like to at this point, but when was the world ever fair?

Once he manages to calm himself down a bit, he approaches and eyes the coffee cups as a knot forms in his stomach and he swallows past the lump in his throat.]

Hey.

[He remembers the first time he tried Akira's coffee... and how shitty it was. Hopefully it's better this time around.]

Coffee's fine.

A

[cakebuffet]

[Ann offers Akira an apologetic look in response as he suddenly turns in her direction, drawing a borderline between them. She clears her throat, lifting one hand to give him a half-hearted wave.]

It's just me.

[Not that it means much, considering they just met, but-- hey. They're both dead, they have that much in common.]

Looks like you're getting the hang of drawing a borderline pretty quickly. I was working on it with Shion earlier. Took a few tries.