Sisters at Last (Rita)

Naomi had been dying to meet Rita again ever since their first encounter. She was so happy to have a little sister for the first time. She was going mad just thinking about how she should spoil her. That was what big sisters did, right? She actually had no idea how a big sister was supposed to treat a younger one. All she knew was she wanted to see her again. She had called the girl up earlier today, saying she wanted to meet up at a small bakery she knew in Penecia. She would have preferred the sweets in San Malarus, but it was only fair she go to meet Rita this time around. She would get dressed for the occasion. For once, she wouldn’t wear her normal green outfit. She was feeling a little more normal today and she wanted her clothing to show it.


She went to the subway station and hopped onto the train heading for Penecia. Once it arrived, she would get off and head for the destination where they said they would meet. She found a seat and took out her tablet to start playing games while she waited. She was so excited and could hardly contain it. Naomi would wait for the girl that was now her little sister with a smile… and some strawberry cake that she had ordered to pass the time. She needed the sugar boost after that ride.

She would nearly jump out of her seat when she saw Rita finally come in, “Rita!” She was easily excitable, especially after waiting for something as important as this. She wanted to hug the girl, but she stopped herself. She was still sore about being shorter. The difference was negligible when Naomi was in heels, but it still bothered her. She wished she could get over it, but it hurt her pride as an older sister. Broadcast? Naomi had to think for a moment before she realized what Rita was talking about. Her entire face would get red-hot and she struggled to look for something to say. Little did Rita know, Naomi hadn’t seen the broadcast firsthand. She had only heard about through a long conversation with her mother in which she had to convince her not to lock her in the house. That went… well, she guessed. It wasn’t a great conversation, but her mother had pulled back the reins enough that she could go out. Still, she hadn’t even thought about what that meant. She was now a known Persona user. That thought made her insides bubble and her stomach ache. Why did the universe hate her?

She laughed nervously as she thought up an excuse, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. No one’s been looking at me any different than before. Besides, that broadcast was obviously a hoax or something. Right? I mean, stuff like that doesn’t happen in real life.” Having not seen the broadcast, she had no idea whose names were on the list or what events occurred during the time. She didn’t know she was saying absolute nonsense right now or that Rita could call her out on it anytime. She really should have looked for a recording of that broadcast. It just never occurred to her, “But I’ve been fine. Just attending to life and all its little nuances.” In other words, she had been doing nothing of value as of late. Nothing she wanted to talk about, at least, “But enough about me. It’s the big sister’s job to look after the young one, so tell me if you want something. It’ll be my treat and we can spend time catching up and doing sisterly things.” She was too excited to speak any more clearly than that at the moment.

And the fact that Naomi had no idea what was going on when the broadcast went on was now known. She would hold her head in embarrassment, “Okay. I didn’t see it, but I have a good reason why…” Not that she was in the mood for explaining that right now. She would just concede that she hadn’t known what exactly was going on during that time, [color=#ffcc00] “Well that’s fantastic. I had no clue things had gotten that bad. We’re public knowledge and people can see the scary paint stains leading into other worlds. Fantastic.” She would rant before her brain fully realized what Rita had said. As soon as she did though she would stare at Rita, “Wait… One of us? Name was on the list? You’re…” She didn’t want to say the word out loud. Not that it mattered anymore, but old habits died hard, “You have one too?” Her face turn into one of concern more than one of happiness once she found out her younger sister was another Persona user.

She had seen time and time again what happened because of Persona. She couldn’t change what already happened and she couldn’t stop being one, especially since there were people in the other worlds she wanted to help. More so, it also meant the other users were ousted now. Rita being a user was public knowledge in this world, along with her and a few other people she knew. Without asking, she would reach out at hold Rita close to her. She held on a few seconds before backing up again and showing that she was both panicking and crying inside, “Please tell me you haven’t put yourself in any danger and you haven’t gotten too invested in what’s beyond those portals yet.” She didn’t like the thought of more people getting involved with the other side, especially people she cared about. This wasn’t just about being a worried older sister anymore. This was concern for someone else’s life. Naomi had seen too much and was used to all the hits that came with the territory, but that didn’t mean she wanted others to get involved.

She would rub the back of her neck and sigh, “Sorry, Rita. I guess I’m still not used to finding other people with Persona. For the longest time, it was just a few of us. These days though, others seem to be popping up all over the place. It’s just a lot…” She wasn’t sure how to feel about Persona is general anymore, “I suppose if you’re already starting to fight and use it, there isn’t much else. They’re the best bet against Shadows and I guess you aren’t in danger if you know how to use it.” She still wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but she didn’t control Rita’s life. She just didn’t want her to put herself in harm’s way. Still, that seemed to be something that came with the territory, which is what she hated.

She would hum before answering Rita, “Talk to me about and we’ll see if I can help. I’m sort of involved in one world pretty heavily, so I need to pay attention there more than anything else at the moment. Plus, what I’m doing is potentially dangerous, since I’m deeply involved with the other San Malarus. If Hyde told you about the incident, you should know why it’s risky and that you shouldn’t go there. If you must, however, do not say anything to give away that you have a Persona. Actually, that’s good advice for all the worlds. Don’t go rushing in without knowing what’s happening. Of course, you should know by now that some worlds don’t appear to have people. Each of them is different and they operate by different rules. It’s complicated.” When Rita said she didn’t care what was in the worlds, Naomi would tilt her head, “If you don’t care, why are you going into them to fight?” If she didn’t care, she could have just left them alone. Instead, she went in there of her own freewill and fought enemy after enemy.

She would glance off to the side. That’s right. If everyone could see the portals now and Persona were public knowledge, that meant that some people could become afraid and strike out against them. On the other side, those that supported them would face trouble from those that turned to violence. She hoped most people would remain neutral, but there were going to be exceptions, “We aren’t able to use our powers here, however. If things get too toxic, we’ll have to depend on the police to keep the peace. In retrospect, I guess things haven’t changed all that much when we’re still the same as long as we stay in our own world.” She had thought was a blessing up until now, since their world was safe compared to the others. That had just drastically changed. In fact, one could debate their world was more dangerous now, since they couldn’t use their Persona to defend themselves from a threat.

Her attention would suddenly go back to Rita when she asked if Naomi had found anything else. Deities? That was something Naomi hadn’t been looking for, “Hate to tell you, but that sounds like it’s out of my range. I’ve mostly been learning about the culture. I mean, the person I know there has been really nice and she’s told me a lot about the world. I’ve been so focused on trying to figure out what’s going on with her and help that I guess I may not have been looking hard enough. Still, my plan was always to learn about the place before getting to entangled in the more risky stuff.” She would shift her weight, “Well, I know a pretty basic summary of the last few decades in San Malarus. I also know that there’s a legend about the other islands connected to it disappearing for some reason a long time ago. It seems so long ago that no one knows what really happened.” She wished she had gone more often, but she was only one person trying to figure out an entirely new world, “Umm… maybe there’s something strange, but I’m not exactly sure it’s what you’re looking for.” She wasn’t sure what Rita considered useful information, “Why do you ask?” She didn’t know why it mattered, either.

Her head would tilt in confusion, “Philemon? Nyarlathotep?” Naomi didn’t know that different Users had different alignments. Well, she sort of did recall Hyde mentioning it once, but she still didn’t get what made an alignment what it was, “Are those the people leading each side or something? Why are they fighting? This war makes no sense.” She didn’t get what was going on. Even more so, she was confused by who Angel was, “There are more spooky, otherworldly being people? That’s just great. Is this one as crazy as the one that almost killed someone? If so, count me out. I don’t want to deal with the kinds of people that use others just to get what they want and then throw them away when they aren’t useful.” She laid her head against the table and hummed in annoyance.

Naomi raised a single eyebrow, “I was solely talking about Persona. I guess a weapon does have its uses, but it’s still just a weapon. Unless you can light it on fire…” That was the first she heard of someone doing that, “If you’re restrained, it still doesn’t do any good. Our Persona can at least fight when we’re not able to.” Which is why they were useful, “Unfortunately, they are still something I don’t understand very well. I’ve sort of just been going with the flow and following whatever lead I come across, so the only thing I know about Persona is what someone can figure out on their own, if given enough time.” She hadn’t really gone out of her way to investigate the things. She just learned to use them and made due with that. Maybe she should have looked into it more. It would have made her job a little easier to understand what was happening.

She was nearly taken aback when Rita started asking questions about the alternate San Malarus. She knew the answer, of course, but it was still strange. Rita seemed almost enthusiastic about learning about all the worlds, “It’s pretty simple. Persona users, human or machine, were murdered a few years back. The event was called the Red Storm and all the known Persona users were found with gaping holes in vital parts of their body. They’re afraid of the event, or person, coming back and continuing the job. As far as they understood, all Persona users were gone. When Hyde showed up again, they seemed to become very afraid. I must admit, I’m not sure who or what causes the Red Storm. I’ve been focusing on other things.” Like figuring out what was going on with Beep and how she could help her. She still had no concrete idea what the problem was, but she had an idea. She would have to try it next time.

She hummed and looked off to the side before speaking, “I get the logic behind wanting to learn about all the worlds. Heck, I’m trying to do the same thing by focusing on one and letting other people handle the others. This way we learn a lot of information instead of little pieces here and there. But…” She wasn’t sure how to say the next part without sounding like a jerk, so she just said it, “How do you know that you really should be looking for these Devine guys? Maybe it’s because I haven’t met Angel, but it doesn’t sound like she has said anything that’s all that great. I’m not a fan of Thesis either, but I didn’t meet her firsthand. I had gotten out of the fight by then.” In other words, she didn’t trust either side. She didn’t know their goals, “Yeah, I guess Thesis wants to start a new world and completely screw this one over, but what does Angel want? Do you know?” And to simply help them was not an answer. No one helps just for the sake of helping. Even if their intentions were pure, there had to be some reason she was going out of her way to assist them and some reason she needed the other Devine to help, “And why do you need to look for Angel’s friends in the other world? If they want to help, wouldn’t they just come here? This is too strange.” She didn’t trust this situation when she didn’t understand it.

She would continue her questioning of these gods, “So… Aside from which person you get your Persona from, is there a reason for us to be at each other’s throats? I mean, we’re all people who happened to get stuck with this power and we’re just trying to make it through.” Thinking about it though, Rita said the Persona were corrupted. The fact that there were two people handing them out also probably meant something. Maybe there were more differences that occurred. Headaches? It was one of the things she had seen. There were two ways to summon a Persona. Either with no issue and something to work as a medium, or intense pain in one’s head. If that could be applied to all users, it meant you could tell who was under what god the moment a Persona was summoned. It also meant that she knew some people that were under a different god. Good thing she didn’t care. Picking sides in this fight was dumb. They all shared a world and it was more important than some petty issue about what god you had to thank for putting a monster in your head.

Naomi would noticeably pout, “Okay, maybe I didn’t think that statement through completely, but I tend to have mine out whenever I can. Besides, if I was restrained, I could probably do it. I just break some strange floating card. I’m sure I could find a way to break it, unless I was unconscious.” It wasn’t like the card was that complicated. She just touched it, and out came Intertwined, “I also know some people who seem to be able to call it out like it’s nothing.” Maybe she just knew special people. Her pout would continue as she spoke about her Persona, “Mine don’t exactly talk to me. Except for the first time I summoned them. That was the first and last time I heard them. Can they even speak without a mouth?” Well, they had a mouth, it was just sewn on. She just had no idea if that meant it worked, “They do like to dance though. It’s the only way I even understand what they’re saying.” It said something about her that she understood their random dancing gestures as complete thoughts and sentences.

Her mouth would gape open when Rita asked to go to the other San Malarus, “You want to go to the world where if people know who you are will arrest you on sight? Are you insane? I can’t drag you into that. Besides…” She would look away a little embarrassed, “My friend there knows I have a Persona. I think the only reason she didn’t turn me in is because she trusts me, but I can’t promise the same thing for you. I’m afraid that if something happens or if anything goes wrong she’ll need to turn me in. If that happens, I don’t want anyone else to be dragged down with me.” She could bring Rita there in any sense of good faith. She didn’t know how the other San Malarus was holding up, and she didn’t want to risk it, “I’m sorry. I know you want to find these Devine beings, but going there now is too big a risk. Until I find the Red Storm, I can’t advise anyone to go there. Even if you can protect yourself, this thing managed to take out several Persona users, meaning it may have some advantage over us. I don’t know what’d that be, but it must be something.” She knew going back could end badly for her, but she wouldn’t put anyone in that same danger.

She would raise an eyebrow, “Your Evoker is a gun? That’s kind of cool. It seems so dramatic and poetic, although I don’t think I could do it. It feels too much like I’d be committing suicide or something.” She would think for a moment, “And that thought just gave me the creeps, so let’s not think about it.” Even though Rita did it every time she had to summon her Persona, “I’m thankful that mine is just a card. It makes summoning so much easier. Like, oh no, I need my Persona. Gold card floats down from the sky, I touch it, Intertwined comes out of gold dust. It’s pretty convenient. I don’t even have to carry anything.” She would wave her hand as if brushing off the topic. She wasn’t. She was just so used to the summoning that it didn’t mean much to her anymore, “Oh, that’s right. You don’t know my persona. Well, mine are called Intertwined. They’re basically just two teddy bears. Living, dancing, carefree teddy bears.” When she said it out loud, it sounded as crazy as it did in her head. Weird. She had been expecting that not to sound like she was going insane by now, “Well, I could probably talk to them. I’ve just never had a reason to. It would probably be interesting to hear what they have to say. Something tells me it would be about confetti and balloons, though.” Those two were always dancing, so she figured they liked parties. Heck, they were her, so they probably did like parties.

She would look to the side, “I never said I would take it on alone. I just want to find it and then figure out what to do about it. I just can’t risk hurting other people while I look for something so dangerous.” She moved uncomfortably in her seat, “Rita, they are on a witch hunt over there. I don’t know if I’m safe, and I was over there quite a bit before this started happening. I can’t guarantee anyone else’s safety.” She would reach out her hand and rub Rita’s head, “Trust in your big sister to get this done, please. It’s my job to relay the news of San Malarus back here, and that’s what I’ll do. Besides, I don’t plan on dying. I promised somebody else that already.” She was stubborn and wouldn’t move on this. Until she could find a safe way for other people to go, she didn’t want anyone else there. Besides, risking her life is just sort of what she did.