Handling your Persona (Nominé, Susan) [Post-Awakening]

After the previous fairy extermination, the suited knight led the two girls silently through the alleys of the community, picking up a messenger bag set at the entrance of the garden as he went. Eventually, they would stop by a seemingly abandoned house, complete with the overgrown ivy along the walls and a crumbling "For Sale" sign out front. Pushing open the fence to the backyard, Lui beckoned quickly to the girls to enter as he closed the gate behind them. Though the grass was overgrown and cobwebs speckled the door into the house, Lui took a seat on the swinging bench against the back wall, allowing room for Susan and Nominé to sit with him. The voice from behind the mask was noticeably changed, sounding like a medium-pitched man talking into a metal can.

"Apologies for the condition of this place, but it's pretty difficult to find a good place to talk in this community. I saw this house on the way here, so it was my best bet for a private chat. Now, let's get some catching up done. What were you two doing out so late? Was there something you needed in the garden?"

"You handled the fight quite well, young hairdresser."

"Well, duh. Whadd'ya expect of me? To be some weakling that can't handle herself. Of course me and Bunbuns kicked a hole in those dratty nuckfuts, ain't nobody mock me and not get scorched." She'd laugh confidently, flicking her hair out of her face again as her persona retreated back into her mind to keep hidden. Nominé decided it'd be for the best to follow along with this guy, as cocky and confident as she liked to show herself being, she was still clearly new to this whole premise of personas and demons. Any extra knowledge she could use against them would just be icing on the doughnut~.

"Must ye insist of using that ridiculous name to refer to me as... My name is May Hare. I am thou, thou art I and all that. Ye basically insulting yeself when you call me dat ya know!"

"Oh settle down Bunbuns, tis jus' a nickname after all. A pretty lil' nickname for my adorable bunny of fire and death~!"

"Ya, geh, ttaahh, braahhhh! Stahp mocking me! I'm the only reason ye even are powerful enough to have that stupid ego anyway!"

"Pffft, yeah, yeah Bunbuns. Whatever ye say."

"STOP CALLIN' ME DAT YOU UNGREATFUL LITT-!"

"Well it ain't like ye real name isn't stupid anyway."

Nominé would butt in and smirk as her persona had a mental breakdown within her head, the two over confident egos clashing against each other both wanting to be the one to say it was their doing to be powerful whilst trying to put down the other to feel like they were on top. She felt like she was winning, Bunbuns had nothing on her~. Whilst this whole mental argument was going on, the stylist hadn't even realised what a dilapidated and run down place she had been led to. She'd whistle sarcastically. "Woooahh, dude this place is sweet. How much ye pay for a mansion like this?" She'd cackle teasingly before slapping the guy on the shoulder playfully. "In all serious though, I was trying to leave that stupid overgrown maze when the frecking exit disappeared... Come te think of it, that was how we got outta there too! Those frecking pixie brats were trying to make a horse outta me! They totally deserved the new found blackened ashes they find their bodies have disintegrated into~! 'N boy, I was jus' out for a walk, nothin' special. Why were you there ready to pounce in anyway is a better question, hmmmmm? Pervin' on the ladies before trying to steal our hearts as the valiant hero?" She'd laugh, almost falling backwards from her seated position, she'd wipe a tear from her eye and snort lightly. "Sorry to come in and trample over the gracious plans of a royal knight in shining armour, but I ain't no damsel in distress."

She'd stay mostly quiet as the three of them moved towards this supposed meeting place. The battle, while short, drained her immensely. She could barely understand what energy she had remaining in her that allowed her to continue walking. Nomine's estranged attitude didn't do anything to brighten her mood at the current mood. Idiotic ramblings weren't something she was in the exact mood to deal with.

Her silence would continue as they walked into the backyard of the abandoned house. She'd mentally scoff at how obvious it would be for three strangely dressed people walking into the backyard of an abandoned for sale house... But she supposed if the cadets and or police hadn't already set their sirens ablaze then they should be fine unless they made some sort of commotion. And the commotion Nomie was making was enough to make her eye twitch from behind her mask. Goodness... This would be a stressful ordeal.

"Hm... I was also out for a walk... The weather seemed nice and I was hoping to enjoy the night sky for a little bit. I was merely passing the garden when I noticed my... Friend seemed to be back there for some reason. Though, I will admit the garden didn't feel like it normally did when I entered it." she'd respond after Nomie's own boisterous response. She really didn't find all the exaggerations necessary... But she couldn't allow her act to end just yet. Nomine could prove to be a most valiant ally now and if she could course this knight into her services... Hm, she'd have a perfect start in doing... Whatever it was she'd need to do now.

While the masked night heard the comments from his fellow users, he sighed in disbelief at the fact that both of them just so happened to wander out at night and run into each other as well. It made his job easier, sure, but now they were stuck against the side of the government. If they were now enemies of the Cadets, they had to keep their interactions more secret, just as Bat and Lui had done. He smiled at Nominé as he heard her comment on his "estate" and sighed as she implied that he was stalking them with ill intentions.

"Knowing you, Nominé, I never figured you the damsel type. You're certainly more dynamic and expressive than most. So, you both just ended up taking a walk on the same night? I'd consider it a rare coincidence considering I was doing the same, albeit for the purpose of meeting a friend. But no, milady, the reason I followed you two into the garden was... let's call it a bad feeling, the same I felt the night I was attacked.

Now, since I can confirm we are indeed alone... perhaps we should discard our disguises. That way, we can walk about without suspicion. Now, as for my identity..."

The masked figure reached towards the mask, laying his fingers on the face plate as the armor seemed to snake back into the mask. The figure wore a familiar outfit, and the black, ruffled hair that appeared from inside the helmet seemed familiar. To add to the reveal, the masked boy slowly drew the mask from his face before revealing himself as Lui. Hoping to get a reaction from the two, he gave a confident grin as he reclined in his seat.

"Nice to see you two again. I'm certain introductions aren't needed at this point. Nominé and Susan, I suppose it was rather fortunate that we met recently for the events of tonight to occur. As soon as I got that gut feeling something was wrong, I figured that I wouldn't want you two to be ambushed without some backup, so I followed to make sure you were protected. Call it perving if it pleases your fancy, Lady of the Trimming Shears, but I did so for your safety, just as MY rescuer did.
So that makes 3 female users outside of the terrorist group that I've discovered.

So, shall we discuss where to go from here? I trust you two won't go to the police or Cadets about this issue, right? We're in this together now, so I'd like to fill you in on what I got so far."

"Why its so kind of you to notice sir knight." Nominé would cackle as she accepted Lui's words as a compliment before smirking at him trying to explain himself out of being a perv. "Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. Whatever you say Captain Goodie-Gumdrops." She'd tease, honestly it was a little weird that they all had ended up their together the way they did though. Was thy destiny bounding her towards these people that day so that they would help her awaken to her power. Nah. Shits a coincidence, duh.

The Stylist would smirk as Lui removed his mask and acted as if neither of them had known who he was, seriously, how dumb did he think she was? "Oh my! Lui! What a deep and most admittedly eye turning reveal of majesty to know it was you under there all along!" She'd begin in what could only be described as the most sarcastic toned voice you could ever think of someone using. She'd laugh quite loudly to herself before continuing. "You knucklehead, if you were trying to keep that a secret you under estimated the power of common sense, boy. When we met ya told me about your fencing malarkey and you wielded a rapier in that fight which was the first of clues you openly admitted to. Next on ye list of fuck-ups was the fact you called me by my name which I didn't at any point tell ya, so I knew you had to be someone I knew. Ye also referred to me as a hairdresser which is another strike for the fact you're someone I know. Also jus' your manner of speech is recognizable. Need I go on...?" She'd question with an obnoxiously confidant grin on her face as she too removed her mask and return to her usual appearance and stretched.

"Though, s'pose in the end, thanks for looking out for us ya big dope." Nominé would yawn she felt herself suddenly drained, the adrenaline from the fight had kept her going but now she was relaxing it was harder to keep herself up right. "Nah, police are borin'. They'd probably go all heef'ho and fuck up my most precious life as well if I tried to anyway. So, sure, go a head Whimsical Knight, let's hear of thy mighty tales."

Susan would mostly watch with a twinge of annoyance in her eyes. It was luckily hidden by her mask, but she honestly didn't like how loud Nomine was being. Couldn't she be a tad bit quieter? And honestly, the theatrics weren't needed with Lui here. She wanted to strangle them both... This was rather serious, was it not? But, she'd breath in and brush her grievances away. She couldn't afford to lose her composure. Not now.

"I sadly must agree with Nomine, Lui. You need to be more careful when referring to us... Private details like that shouldn't be shared openly in the future." she'd say as she took off her mask, her clothes and hair returning to normal the same as her skin tone. She'd look down at her hand with a small frown. She hadn't even noticed that change of her disguise... The power of this mask truly was fascinating...

"Thank you for your assistance regardless. If the enemies had proved to be stronger than they were, your help would have been vital to a successful victory." she'd say with appreciation in her voice. Despite the weakness of the enemies... They could have proven most difficult in the end. She had noticed that one of them didn't have a weakness they could have exploited... With that in mind, she wondered what else she could learn of enemies...

"Ah, the age old question all adventurers must answer... What is the next step forward? I'm not sure I'm ready to answer that yet... Forgive my hesitance, but such commitments should be made while properly rested..." she'd say, sighing as a side of weakness showed itself in her form. She was faltering slightly... Her voice was still strong, she'd use that to her advantage for the moment. But her body was aching for rest... She didn't wish to sit, though. Not now at least.

Lui did admit that he wasn't exactly trying to keep his identity from them. Unless he were killed by whatever forces threatened them, he did intend to reveal himself to them. Because this was the first instance of him awakening others to their powers, he wanted to convey in some way that he was familiar to them. Admittedly, he may have overdone it, but at least they could pick up on it.
"Heh, fair point. At least you picked up on it. Didn't want you thinking some random terrorist was showing up just to grab you two and run."
"Thank you for your assistance regardless. If the enemies had proved to be stronger than they were, your help would have been vital to a successful victory."
"I should be thanking you two. Your analysis came in handy, Susan. And Nominé packed plenty of punch with her bunny pal."
Recognizing that the two were likely tired after their battle, Lui decided to give a basic outline of what he knew so far.
"Unfortunately, I don't have much to go off of. I only received my powers a day or two ago. My recommendation is to find a space to hone your skills, maybe learn how best to work with your Persona. The person who saved me let me practice out near their place, so I could always see if I can find a place for you two. Right now, I'm looking into any leads that can link someone to the Psyche Terrorists. If anything comes up and you need talk, you two already got my number. Now, you'd best get home before anything else finds us. I need to book it to my associate."

With this, Lui would leave the girls with a moment to collect their thoughts before giving one last question.
"Anything else you want to say before we head on our way?"

"Aha! So the truth be told you're a novice as well oh humble, fearless knight who puts himself in harms way to protect those he is barely acquainted with? Kneewww you were jus' as reckless of an idiot as me. Done a girl proud." Nominé would tease, leaning back on both hands in her seated position to stare upwards at the stars. Heh. It was funny how knowledgeable he tried to come across at despite not knowing much himself. "Psyche Terrorists? Ya mean there's like proper groups of people who abnormally posses an ability of unnatural magnitude? Huh. Bet they do some weeeiirrrrdd shit." She'd smirk before turning to Susan. "So, the next step forward. Eh? Already thinking of all possibilities that extend out from this new branch of life. Personally, I prefer to live in the moment, buuuuut, this mayhaps be a thing to consider with much closer inspections before rashly dashing into the thick of it. Then again, the latter sounds more fun. Beheheh~!"

"Ay! Ay!" Nominé would call out suddenly, clutching Lui's shoulder and forcing him back to his seated position. "I ain't done with you yet sir knight. You need to cough and splutter more info onto the proverbial table before just up and ditchin' out on us like that. Ye know where these persona even come from? Why the dicking hell demons roam free around the city? Why in gods name its been covered up and somehow not even noticeable until now? You talk as if this is now a catastrophically huge problem that lies round each bend of any persons travels. Yet why was this never an issue 'till now? The hell causes the change, huh?"

At least Nominé seemed to be taking the news in stride despite Lui's lack of knowledge at this point in time. He subconsciously turned the key in his pocket over and over, considering how he needed to keep an eye open for the blue doors to this supposed Velvet Room. Whoever had the answers would soon be revealed to him as he planned to dig as deep as he could to find the truth.

As he planned to leave, he felt Nomine grab his shoulder and shove him back in his seat. Apparently, she still had questions concerning the origins of her Persona and the demons that now prowled the night. Shirokishi had discussed these questions at length before, so Lui attempted to do his best in explaining what he was told.

"Well, according to what Shirokishi told me, these Personas are basically a reflection of oneself, down to your deepest details or background. Did you feel this strain in your mind as you saw those pixies? Apparently, that was you shaking off the mental shackles that bound this ability. You break free of the enslaving mindset of the city, you awaken to your true power. As for the demons, they don't appear the same to those without potential. Heck, people may not even be able to SEE them unless they could wield a Persona. As for why we have this potential in the first place and why demons are so commonplace in Endymion...

It may have been because of the Divide. On that day, some sort of creatures attacked the town, and my... brother is enough proof to show that that day was no dream. Shiro believed that our exposure to that day could have triggered a change in our psyche that allowed us to develop this ability. The coverup, however, is the mystery that intrigues me the most. The Queen just shows up and manages to sweep the whole affair under the rug, making it like it didn't happen. That kind of job was definitely not completed without some outside help. That's why I'm searching for what the queen is really hiding from her own people. If there's any group who likely has the scoop on her... it has to be the terrorists.

Hope that cleared up enough of the questions you got going on. But that's as far as I've learned. Now, if you two are willing, keep your ears to the ground. These terrorists could be anywhere in the city, hiding under the guise of an average Joe. Any details we can glean from the papers or people of this town can lead us to the truth. Mayhaps I should stop by that detective agency again sometime, see what info they can get for me..."

Feeling the fatigue slowly settling into his bones, Lui groaned quietly as he got back out of his seat and turned to face the two girls.

"Any more questions? I'm kind of running late to my... meeting as is, but I need to make sure you two can get home safe enough."

» The Other Side of Life (Cecil) (Post-awakening)
» Two Disobedient Gals (Dungeon Dash for Nomine and Susan)
» Shitposting in the Thunderdome 2008
» May Hare (Nominé's Inital Persona)
» Nominé Charbonneau (Persona User)