One With Nature [Sharaku - ???]

"Triggered? What kind of morons would actu--" Joshua was incredulous until stopping abruptly at a realization. There were actually a few morons with considerable powers who would actually consider it. It wasn't for certain, but maybe it wasn't them. And few was too much in his book in either case. He groaned and palmed his face as he still had his ear to the phone, "It's fucking them, isn't it? Please tell me that cosplaying manchild died at least."

Why the fuck would they do that and risk the lives of that entire island? The more he thought about it the more he just wanted to groan and palm his face. It was a bit too much so he gave the phone to Ariston and just listened to the exchange. But it was over soon with his phone back in his hand. He understood much of what transpired, despite missing half of the conversation. But he did want to make sure.

"We're waiting at Lunapa Oak. Can't miss it, we'll see you soon. See ya," Joshua answered before hanging up. The phone returned to his pocket and so did his hands as it seemed like they will have to wait for a bit.

The android followed Shunnosuke to the group that his friend had evidently met with before. He looked at every single one of them, analyzing them closely. He then noted the presence of Ariston, of how curious for Lewis' brother to be involved with such an affair. The android would keep quiet for now, observing these individuals who he had not met before. He knew they were here to likely reunite the brothers, as Lewis had expressed the desire to do so, and it was the least he could do to repay him for his help and aid with Tamara.

He looked at the trio that his friend had worked with previously, "I suppose I should introduce myself to you three, my name is Alphonse, and I'm a long time friend of Shunnosuke. I hope we can resolve the problem that we are all facing together and with great speed. Now, if you don't mind me asking, what are your names?" He would inquire, he was looking for a particular individual that he thought Shunnosuke had mentioned being among this trio. He just hoped that the person was still here.

While he had waited, Joshua noticed that they finally arrived. Lewis and Shunnosuke were a familiar sight, so he gave a wave to both of them. But the third wasn't, perhaps he was an ally that helped end the battle back then. Thus, he was likely reliable. Yet he wondered why he never saw him then. Perhaps he was dealing with the Mother?

"Let's make it quick then. I'm Joshua Bae. The rest are..." he would allow the others to introduce themselves, but if they stayed quiet he would introduce them for them. "We're going to need to make a quick review before figuring out what to do next. Mind starting first with what exactly happened in Penecia?"

"Phalanx." The android said with a light nod towards the newcomers. "Good to see you could make it here so quickly." He was a bit wary of the two, not sure if they could be truly trusted or not, but... what else could he do? Right now, he wanted answers as to what was going on, and how to stop it. At this point, the invasion and everything else that came with it were risks to his own goals... and as such, playing along with these temporary allies was the best course of action. Anything for the cause, right?

So Joshua had heard her, huh? Well whatever. His words confirmed that her caution was unnecessary in the first place. Standing up and emerging through the foliage, Azami would place her hands in the pockets of her skirt and walk forward toward the group as instructed. "I'm okay. A little disoriented, but considering recent events that's to be expected." She'd reply swiftly with a somewhat flummoxed expression on her face. Though she understood the reasoning behind Joshua's actions, it still felt odd to hear her attacker express concern over her condition. But even ignoring that jarring sensation she couldn't help but feel... uncomfortable. A glimmer of shame persisted within her eyes, but with Phalanx's interjection it'd soon be masked by shock. Was he serious? No, no! He couldn't be!

Surprise turned to disbelief and disbelief turned to irritation. Perhaps it was irrational to judge them without knowing the full context of the situation, but she couldn't help it. What was the point in grouping up with him if they were just gonna turn on him anyway? And could Isla really be trusted to do what was right for the islands? Perhaps it was time to take her leave. This alliance had been doomed to fall apart from the start and now seemed as good a time as any to abandon ship. But as much as that prospect was tempting, the more she thought about it, the less appealing it seemed. Joshua had already given her a firsthand demonstration of his combat capabilities and she had seen enough to know she didn't want him as an enemy. Beyond that, would Zachary even take her back? For all she knew he'd consider her a traitor too simply by association.

"...Fine. I'll stand by you, but I better get a damn good explanation about this when we have the time." She said before letting out a resigned sigh. Accepting her belongings back from Joshua, she'd equip her gear and do her best to ignore Ariston's quip as she got herself situated.


Shunnosuke's arrival would shatter the silence as seemingly all eyes fell upon him. With introductions underway, Azami would remain silent until it came time to introduce herself. "I'm Azami. Azami Aihara." She'd reply. Simple and straight to the point; there was no need to draw things out. Penecia was the primary concern for the time being and she restlessly awaited confirmation of its current state.

Their new allies or Shunnosuke's allies were Joshua, Phalanx, and Azami Aihara. The android's eyes lingered upon Azami, carefully analyzing what were the chances that this was the Azami? That had worked with Shunnosuke and likely had her own supernatural? Well now he wished that the other two members of Claire's group had followed, but he was sure that Claire at the very least would turn up sooner or later.

When he was told to fill them in, he would nod, and step forward. "If you all would listen to me, so I can explain what has occurred. We fought a demon known as Tamara, who controlled the demons that invaded the world. She was seeking out her own personal desires, which involved letting our world crumble so that she could become the queen of it, and in general possibly destroying all of Penecia." The android explained, "However, after defeating her, she sent the demons away from our world and began to explain the general situation. She is part of a group that is meant to protect the worlds, that much I believe is true, and I also believe that there is some sort of traitor among that group. It was not Tamara, she is...too brash to try and hide her intent." The android explained. "This group is made of 13 individuals, one of which is a friend of a friend, who is looking for the traitor, and I have met four members of these group face to face. I believe that three of them are trustworthy from my interactions , and I will inform you all of them as we meet them." He explained, giving everyone a moment to take all this in, and he was unsure of any encounters that they had with these mysterious individuals.

"Now, I want to explain our situation with the world and the core. As it stands this traitor is harming the core, making it pull in other worlds to absorb or devour in order to heal. Our world and another set of worlds are the closet to the core, and therefore ours is in danger. Now the leader of the group has most likely bestowed upon Azami and Nozomi, a friend of Shunnosuke, the power to defend the worlds. You two act as scales, and if Tamara is to be believed the weaker world is going to end up being devoured. At least, that is what is going to occur according to Tamara." The android explained, and now it was time for the bad news. "Now the bad news, Azami and our world is falling far behind Nozomi and his world, meaning that the scale is tipped in their favor and the core is getting closer to consuming our world to heal. However, because our worlds are on a scale, I believe that we can balance things out. I believe if both worlds approach the core at equal power, it might be possible to find another way to heal the core, or perhaps at the very least face it from two sides." The android explained, before looking at Azami, "So what we need to do is somehow make you more powerful this way you and Nozomi can either force the traitor out of hiding or perhaps face the core as two equals. The only way I know to do that is to make you face adversity, and at the moment I know Zachary is being a problem." The android said, before taking a moment to propose a course of action.

"I propose that we go over to Standsten and do our best to pacify Zachary, because if we do so then Isla and her informant, who was at one time a student at Azores Academy, could offer me more information, if not another solution to empower our world." The android explained, "I believe that covers all the important details, Tamara has been removed from our world by one of the good group members, whom I trust, hopefully we find her again. Her strength was very useful when we fought Tamara." He said before looking behind him, as if to see if Claire would somehow reappear behind them. He then glanced toward Shunnosuke, and gestured to him, "Feel free to add anything that I missed."

Joshua allowed the two brothers to play "catch up". He was a bit surprised that the two of them were "related", even though they didn't exactly look the part. He gave them their time and decided to give his time towards Shunnosuke and Sentinel. The former had claimed the jail had its own issues and Joshua wasn't too surprised given the current state of things. Sentinel gave even more useful information. A lot of it, he knew about it already. But learning more about Azami was well appreciated as he glanced back at the Wild Card. And soon the ASSW made a suggestion to head to Zachary.

"It'll be good to have you two with us. I was just thinking about heading over there. But I need your guys' help to retrieve Lune. Can you guys do that? Also you probably want to give us some description on what your trustworthy guys look like right now." Joshua asked.

The way how this person talked about the informant really started to have him suspect who it was. But it should be clear, based on what he knew from what Ariston told him about her. But first he had to give his summary, "Simon, Phalanx, Azami, and I came here to take down the guy Zachary wanted to eliminate. But Sharaku, some bitch from the Thirteen, and Ariston were here. I lost and regained control of my Persona. I broke off from Zachary, because I didn't want to hurt Rinna by taking down this old man. Needless to say, Analee fucked off and was pissed off. Zachary's going to know. Then after that, Sharaku and the bitch just fucked off elsewhere. Probably to you guys, then the rest is history."

It was pretty much the gist of what happened. But hopefully it was enough. Yet, he still had business to ask Ariston. And it was about Rinna. "Is Rinna related to this balance, Ariston?"

He did say that Rinna was protecting something that everyone should care about. Also it sounded as if she was some wielder of some power. What if... it couldn't be, right?

Ariston and Lewis's reunion didn't provoke much of an outward reaction from Azami. She had no reason to comment on it, so she didn't, and simply observed it silently. Perhaps it would be better for them in the long-run to maintain their distance, but she couldn't fault them for their desire to connect with one another. To scoff at humans for their nature would be unfair and, beyond that, hypocritical of her. Ultimately though, she had bigger and more important things to be concerned about than a stranger's relationship with his brother. So when Alphonse spoke up she naturally offered him her undivided attention.

"Removed? Don't tell me..." A frustrated sigh escaped from her lips. Of course they did. They spared her. They spared the fucking mastermind behind the demon invasion. And they handed her right over to those parasites too. Azami was clearly displeased with this revelation, but she swallowed down her anger and decided to drop the topic... at least for the time being, anyway. "...What's done is done I suppose. Moving on, under normal circumstances I wouldn't put much faith in the words of a rampaging monster. But most of what you got out of her lines up perfectly with my current understanding of the situation, and the information we've managed to gather thus far. As for what you've come to conclude from that information..."

"Let's start with Tamara. You said she's too brash to hide her intent, right? Following that logic, she shouldn't have been able to amass a demon army under the nose of the other twelve members of her group. So either the organization simply never had any intention of protecting our world, your reasoning is flawed, or perhaps both. Speaking of that demon army, I find it difficult to believe that Tamara could gather it all by herself. Even if she was capable of doing so, how could she possibly know she'd have the opportunity to use it? The only way she'd be able to ascertain the state Azores would be in whilst still working independently is if she was the sole traitor. But I don't think that's the case. It seems more likely me to that this is the work of multiple people. For starters, Tamara's not the only member who's been trying to make sure our world falls. One of the other thirteen, a girl named YumiAmi, attempted to murder me and -- this is where it gets interesting -- claimed she was on a mission from the group's leader to ensure our world dies. She should have been killed, but thanks to Shunnosuke here she's in Zachary's possession now."

"If you ask me, the thirteen are a part of the problem, not the solution. You shouldn't be so quick to place your faith in them, nor anyone else for that matter. Naivety like that'll screw you." Azami warned Alphonse briefly pausing before continuing. "Anyway, I agree. Heading to Standasen to take down Zachary is our best option right now. Kills two birds with one stone and what-not."

Following this, Azami would resume her silence and await the input of the others.

"So, it's one world or the other, huh?" Well, that certainly wasn't a very difficult decision on his end which world he would rather keep. His own of course. The other he couldn't care less about. The answers lied with Zachary, Lune and Rinna. The last of the three probably being deeply involved in this whole mess... Joshua had gone on this mad goose-chase because of her, and her alone. "As far as Tamara's status as a figurehead for the demons... may I ask you something, Sentinel? Were there any demons present during the fight with Tamara, except herself? If she's really their leader, you would think that her demon army would rush in to save her, no? Or perhaps, the demons aren't as loyal to her as she thought..." Now, the whole YumiAmi buissness brought up another question worth asking the rest. "Speaking of her... if we're going to take down Zachary, what do we do with YumiAmi? As I recall, she's still in captive with him. I'd like some information straight from her if we can."

The android nodded toward Joshua, "I would be willing to help with Zachary, especially if Lune is involved. It seems unlikely that she would help someone like him so...willingly." The android said, furthermore, that would get him more information from Isla so he could make a judgement call on whether or not they were to trust her. Then he was bombarded by a few other questions, and Azami was not willing to trust the thirteen.

He would first address Phalanx's question, "They watched, I suspect the demons obey those with power, and for her to call upon their help would be a sign of weakness. After her defeat, she was forced to dismiss them to the other worlds, or some other place. I have no doubt that this was also to save some sort of face, and demonstrate that even in her weakened state she could still force them to obey." He explained that situation to Phalanx, before asking a question, "Who is YumiAmi?" He would ask, not knowing of this mysterious individual.

Then there was Azami's inquiry and practically inquisition, who warned him not to be too trusting. However, Ariston spoke up about them not here to be a problem for everyone else here. "I agree with Ariston, it seems more likely that they are not here to be a problem, and from what I have gathered they are disorganized and separated. As for Tamara, if I take what I know of their boss it seems likely he chose her for her power as it would be useful to maintain the worlds, or so I assume. But I will tell you this, Tamara is not one to take orders, if we thought Tamara was a great challenge, Yufosa is no doubt far more powerful. At least this is what I have analyzed." He said, trying to talk some sense into Azami, she had the power to save these worlds. However, at this moment she was far from where she needed to be....in terms of her mindset alone.

Both Phalanx and Azami had their points about Tamara and the Thirteen. Joshua, himself, didn't exactly have a high regard for them. But, he kept silent while watching the exchange. Ariston and Sentinel both thought there was more to the Thirteen than thought before. And the former was right, they needed to figure out more about them later on. The last Thirteen member that was here made him question their motives as well and he was slowly agreeing to what Sentinel said about them being disorganized as he saw with Anat and that last Thirteen member that was here. Joshua grimaced and clicked his tongue at Ariston's response and then nodded, leaving it at that.


He shrugged. If this was true, then it made a whole lot of sense for Zachary to show such interest in her. And Joshua knew even someone like Isla would want her as well. A key to saving this world, how crazy. It made him wonder if she was going to fulfill such a role like Hyde once did. But time would only tell and the world didn't concern him as much.

"We'll focus on saving Lune first. Then deal with Zachary and interrogate him, he seems to know a whole lot more than the Thirteen. He has some kind of informant too, so I want to know as well." Joshua pushed up his glasses with an index finger as he continued, "YumiAmi? We can deal with her next after the drug lord. Sounds good? Anything else to talk about?"