No Rest for the Wicked (Post- Joker)

Shouhei started gathering ingredients for a cocktail while listening to Lupin drunkenly rant.  He grimaced once he heard Lupin start to sob.  Sad and emotional drunks could be a handful to deal with at times.  Still, he kept his ear open and had experience in this working at the bar “All Night Long” in Little Tokyo.  Since it was now winter, he recently learned how to make a more seasonal drink as well.  

“...First of all, kindly getcher ass off the floor and help me out; grab some glasses so I can pour us some drinks, and connect some straws together for Rev, wouldja please?” Shouhei’s tone of voice was kind but firm; it was the same one he used with drunks at the bar.

“And there’s an easy trick to overcome feelin’ useless.  Get better.  Stronger.  Smarter.  Gain confidence so you can stand again.  Simple as that bud,” he continued with a cigarette dangling between his lips, in an attempt to console his whimpering friend while filling a cocktail mixer with ice.

“Once ya do that, I’ll help you kick the shit outta some clowns.  I dunno what you’re on about with that ‘Queen’ shit, but we’ll get revenge for Yuri, for Nightingale, for anybody else Joker or Jest fucked over,” Shouhei added as he began filling the mixer with the various bottles of liquor he brought together.

“...But what kinda restaurant you got in mind?  I was thinkin’ somewhere with good burgers, but I’m curious what you got planned.  Maybe someplace with kebabs?” Shouhei nearly shouted while vigorously shaking the cocktail mixer.  Once finished he sighed a cloud of cigarette smoke and turned to Lupin with a grin.  

“Beer’s an acquired taste, yeah.  I’m makin’ all of us somethin’ sweeter and more palatable.  Festive even.  Sucks we don’t have candy canes tho-”

Interrupting his comment, Unison entered the room and revealed her identity to Shouhei and Lupin with little fanfare or warning.  He nearly dropped the mixer he held so firmly onto; his cigarette dropped free from his slack jaw however.  Quickly he picked it up to avoid a fire hazard.

Shouhei’s initial shock turned into a slow realization.  The idol group Trinity.  Her terrorist name of Unison.  The fact that they spoke in several voices merged together.  Nola was the only one he met that day when he stepped into the Music Club, but all of them had met him.  While he wanted to reveal himself to her in return for her selfless act, he respected her wishes in not doing so.

“...I uhhh… I’ll ask ya questions some other time, No- I mean Unison.  Thanks for the welcome though.  Ya thirsty, Unison?” Dirge shook the mixer another time while offering a small grin.  “Tempo, ya ready to serve Rev his drink?”

Cecil looks away as he's chastised by Nadia. Yes, he bloody knew that. But goddammit, he was pissed, and Trinity was going stomping about like a goddamn crazed rhino again, charging forward into things without a moment taken to even-

wait

what

what the fuck

what the fuck did she just

For a moment, Revenant found himself completely disarmed. He watched through the now open door as Trinity waltzed in, wiped away her mask and gave her name to two people that may as well be - well, no, that were complete strangers to her. The radiating anger vanished in a flash, confusion the only thing left.

It was several seconds before his mind started to process the happenings of the rest of the world again.

He clears his throat.

"...we will discover soon enough whether or not they can extract such information. If Yuri or...he, knew the true faces of anyone, then we shall likely discover soon just how much the process reveals. We...should likely be aware of the possibility of a knock on our doorstep - both in our private lives, and..." He looks to the entry door to the Playhouse. "...and at this very location. We...should probably determine if after Skelter's era, the Playhouse had to change sites. The process may have developed since then...but it will let us know if they have been able to extract such things in the past."

He looked over at Trinity, and found himself choking on his words. Honestly, he felt ashamed. He'd intended to apologise and try to make up just before he'd fallen asleep in that meeting where they'd first all learned each others' faces, and just as quickly he'd turned around and spat at her here.
Nadia was right, yes. What she had just done was...not quite what he meant. But he wasn't going to say it meant nothing at all.

"...what you said specifically, T- Unison, was that you couldn't understand why she might be upset over what happened. In some aspect, you are not wrong. This is...sadly, the better situation of what choices remained." He pauses. "But a great many things were still lost, that will shape her life forever forward. Until the day this ordeal ends or she finally breathes her last, she will have her steps dogged by the consequences of these events. She ought be allowed to mourn the things that may no longer be."

Lupin after hearing Shouhei's encouraging words decided to get back up slowly. "Your right, I shouldn't feel sorry for myself I should be actively improving. Yuri wouldn't want me to selfishly mope about myself. I am going to become stronger Dirge mark my words. Triboulet is going to be the most terrifying thing anyone in this city has seen." While he was rising slowly it was starting to be noticeable, even though there still tears on Lupin's mask he was starting to get his act together. Triboulet with happy tone said to Lupin. "A good entertainer always gets back on their feet after being dealt a serious bout of sadness. We may not agree with all of the time but remember. I am thou and thou art I, we are in this together Lupin, you have my word on it."

Lupin was starting to feel a lot more motivated. Then Unison came along and revealed her face. "Well can't say I expected to see that." Lupin was in shock. Well since this girl Trinity she said her name was placed her trust in Lupin and Shouhei, Lupin is going to do well to make sure that trust is kept. Lupin then responded "Thank you for Ms. Unison I promise I won't let you down. Some answers would be pretty good." Lupin finally got back up on his, he was ready to get back into action. He turned to Shouhei and said albeit sounding still a little drunk "You bet I am ready to serve this drink, I even got the straw ready." Lupin placed the straw in the drink and headed towards the others.

Lupin then went up to Revenant to give him his drink. "I am sorry for shenanigans sir, don't worry I am not going near booze for a while. I mean how can people drink that stuff it tastes awful." After Revenant takes his drink Lupin would turn to the others and proceed to ask them something. "What are we going to do next. if you guys don't mind me asking." if the people around him can see his eyes despite the mask covering most of the face, they would see weary eyes. Lupin was sad, tired and drunk. "What's the current plan to help Endymion out of the mess its in. What are we going to do and how can I help." Lupin body language suggests he was ready for action. He was ready to do some training, he is ready to study, he was ready to do anything.

Unison walked back over to the door that separated Revenant and Nadia from the rest of them, granted it was open but still it was a barrier they could close if they wished "From what I understand...currently everyone is under some illusion....at least it seems that way...what with what happened when I became aware of Pawn....and from what I understood was being spouted from the District leaders that we fought...the people are currently controlled, the moment we awakened we lost everything....some of us lost everything far before then....The moment she awakened, the moment any of us did our lives changed, that moment shaped our lives forever, we are terrorists to the government...did you think that came with no risk? did you think you could stay friends with people that were cadets? That is a level of Optimism that I have to admit I don't have, I have said this before....this entire city is enemy territory, we are NOT safe in it, and we can't think we are...we need to be guarded...not paranoid just guarded one slip...one lapse...and we all saw what happens..."

She stopped a moment and Looked at Nadia "Your right...it wasn't what he asked me to do...however do you think I would be foolish enough to simply go out into a district...into enemy territory...and reveal myself? To win an argument? Thinking selfishly has led only to trouble and more issues, I have nothing left in society....so if you want me to do so I can....nothing is left for me there, no friends, no family...all that was taken away from me by the government, and by happenstance and factors of birth, I have had to cope with that since I was younger, when I told you all I am willing to DIE for this cause...I was not lying...I have nothing left BUT this cause...".

she looked at Cecil and Nadia a moment "I didn't say this before...but I feel I need to now....what if they wanted you to bring more people? they don't know our numbers....our members....but if they set themselves up knowing you would come...and if they suspected you were already part of us...what if they set things up to capture or video anyone that entered the area? you asked for help in this matter, and I understand the reasons, but at the same time...you also potentially endangered everyone that went with you" She stopped a moment then continued "Hopefully they were not aware, and I again understand your want for help..."

She then turned "I would appreciate you two coming out here to talk....and for you to put on your Guise....we never know when new people will walk in...also..do not think I am insulting you, or berating you....I point out flaws so you can better yourself...like my friends used to point out mine...so I could better myself...and it's what I expect you to do as well...I am not perfect, no one is....we all need help to get better and we don't get that help if we don't know what's wrong, but learning about it can help us get stronger....you don't get stronger just by improving a strength...you get stronger when you lessen a weakness as well...and lift your head up Nadia..Taking control of your life from people that seek to control you...that's what we are fighting against....and you did just that with another would be tyrant...I don't see a defeat there....just a set back..".

With that Trinity walked out of the room leaving the door open as she walked back to Tempo and Dirge as she took a seat she looked to Dirge "Make sure you leave adequate payment for the things you are taking...I do not wish our host to decide we are more trouble then we are worth.." she said before looking to Tempo.

"Our plan remains the same....destabilization...we need to find evidence to use against the remaining districts heads, loosen their control over their districts, and then take them out one by one...so we need to start digging up clues....I have a contact that the previous leader gave to me...I will be using that to see if we can get additional info...other then that we need to train, we need to work together....I hate to say this but...I am no fighter...I am a healer...my friends...they were all fighters...but they are gone now....I am the last of the old members....and I have an obligation to make sure you all survive.....I will not lie to you though...if your caught by the government, they have the means to possibly change who you are....to erase who you used to be and make you into someone else....or they may just kill you....but you have awakened...you are now a threat to them....but you have friends here...and I will do my best to make sure I lose no one else if I can help it..." she said to him and Dirge. Then she looked over her shoulder to Cecil and Nadia "Even if you may not wish me around"

Nadia looked with a small smile to Revenant, quietly slipping her hand into his that wouldn't be holding his drink, and squeezed it as Unison began to speak. It was a silent plea to keep him civil. Unison's direct way of sharing her opinions without care or concern for whether or not it was the right thing to do clearly grated on Cecil's nerves in a way that made him lash out. Nadia had been close to something similar the other night when Trinity had completely over ridden her requests in order to prove her points. Now, as Unison took her words the wrong way again, she just shook her head and waited.

"It's true that as Terrorists we are enemies of the Cadets. That is how things are right now. But as people of Endymion, we are still free to roam freely. As I said before, my concerns are logistic. I made my choice in the face of Joker, and I would do the same thing again. But as to your point about the direction of the playhouse against the district heads...I think perhaps we have been going about things the wrong way."

Nadia stood from her seat, turned to Revenant with an apologetic look, and strode towards the door. She looked not just at Trinity, but at the other two as well. "I have been thinking alot about it, and isn't assuming every Cadet is the enemy the same as what they are doing? They assume we're the enemy because we say things like 'we're going to take down the government' but why do we need to? People have always abused their power. Those people should be punished, but that doesn't mean the entire system needs to come down. If we tear down the infrastructure of Endymion, what replaces it? has anyone thought of that? Our goal can't just be to end what we have, we have to see past it to what comes next.

The Cadets protect people from supernatural threats, and we share that mandate. A government can be made to better police itself without being torn down to it's foundations. We are children playing at war, unison. Each and every one of us needs to ask themself what they are fighting for. Fighting isn't good enough. If we want a better Endymion, we have to all know what that Endymion looks like. The goal of any soldier should be to do what is necessary to end the war. Right now, it will never end. They will make more Cadets, more Terrorists will awaken, and nothing will ever change. If I'm going to be putting my life on the line, it won't be for war. It will be for peace."

She took a breath. "And, ofcourse we want you around, Unison. Your knowledge of the playhouse's exploits is valuable, as are your skills as a healer. We can all protect each other, but we have to be on the same page and think things through, or else the tides of this conflict will pull us under. So...What was it your friends had in mind for the Endymion that comes after? What was their plan?" She was honestly curious. It wasn't something she'd ever gotten to talk with Shotaro about. But the more time she spent as a terrorist, the more it mattered. She was starting to form a rather radical counter-offensive, and it wasn't like anything any of these people were likely expecting. But before she made any kind of move, she needed to talk to them, to understand what the playhouse had been before, to see if it could be what she wanted to be a part of. If it couldn't...then her dream of Endymion perhaps couldn't come true.

Blatantly, in front of everyone, Dirge slammed a twenty dollar bill on top of the counter.  He wasn’t a thief, and would pay for everyone’s drinks.  Once he poured himself a glass, he took into consideration the words everyone shared.

“...I ain’t gonna lie, but Nightingale pretty much summed up my concerns with this place.  I don’t wanna take on the government.  Those guys’re just doin’ their jobs; I can’t blame ‘em for wantin’ to stop assholes with powers goin’ apeshit.  I just wanna stop demons from runnin’ rampant in this city, and to get rid of any fuckers that abuse our powers, like Joker, or Jest, or even those District Leaders ya mentioned.  I don’t really wanna join this outfit if we’re gonna go against the government.”

Dirge paused to take several gulps of his drink.  Minty and fruity, very refreshing.

“...Also I appreciate your concern, Unison, but I can handle myself.  I’ll watch my own back, thanks.”

As Tempo gave him his drink, he took a moment to carefully snake the straws into his helm, and listened quietly. He smiled a little as Nadia smiled at him, thankful for what touch his gauntlets would allow him.
After a while, he would speak up again.
"...for all you say, your speech still sounds like that of one that jumps at passing shadows." His helmeted head gains a questioning tilt. "We were aware of the risks of recording. We took precaution. And in any case...we take risks in operating at all. If she had not spoken and had gone without support, we could just so easily be without a member nor any knowledge of this new threat. And if she had not gone at all, we would be in this same scenario without the knowledge we possess as well. Better we support each other in endeavours than shy away and abandon it all." He shook his head. "For now, we can be confident they do not know anything sensitive, and we have the knowledge to be aware of what they seek, even if only in part."

He takes a sip of his drink, taking a moment to mull on the taste. "I shall...try, to be brief." He look over to Dirge, first. "I understand what you and Nightingale say...but the District Leaders are the heads of government, and it is the role of the Cadets to defend them just as much as any other in the city. These are the people that run this city, and continue its workings. Even as they abuse their powers, they still run this place. Whether or not you want to destroy the government, preventing the abuses of the powers it provides still means confronting it and the people that maintain that status quo. In the end, a new head cannot be appointed before the last is removed from power. The most that can be done is minimising the collateral."

With that said, he turns to Trinity, taking another moment to compose himself. Another sip of his drink. A light squeeze of his girlfriend's hand. "...I do not necessarily hate you, but I take issue in how you conduct yourself. So allow me to point this out as you point these matters out to others - you act with too little consideration to people even if you act in their interest. All the well wishes in the world are worthless if you trample people with them...and no amount of telling people what your sentiment is with will make it felt if you don't build rapport and address the concerns of their perspective."
"You had that rapport and understanding with your old friends - it was what let you engage with them as you try to do with us. But we aren't those people, Unison. We have our own boundaries." He pauses. "If you want to reach someone, you should take the time to understand them and their boundaries first, as you did with your first friends. If you respect those boundaries, and work to build your understanding...you should find more luck than if you hadn't."

Poor Tempo, if the others could even see his eyes express absolute shock at what he heard. "OH GOOD GOD THEY BRAINWASH PEOPLE!" Tempo probably due to being drunk was absolutely scared at the thought. "Oh god, yeah we need to take them out now. Killing someone is one thing but completely altering who they are, that's not a punishment that's cruelty, the four leaders in my hometown would never let something like that slide." Tempo is horrified of the prospect. Tempo is just trying to wrap his head around everything he just heard.

"So the government assigns these district heads and they abuse there grip on the people who are unable. Say no more, I am willing to help you guys." Tempo seemed irritated at the prospect of the rich hurting the poor.

"Ah oh, Tempo I understand your anger, but you shouldn't let your anger get the best of you. By all means, let it motivate you to punish the rich but don't let it take over." Triboulet had warned Lupin just to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Tempo seemed to have gotten really involved in the conversation, he wasn't sure why but whenever he has an outlet to express an idea for change, he feels excited. He wants to help, this is his chance to get back at the rich, at the upper-class families that think that the unfortunate don't deserve a chance at a good life.  

Tempo shared an idea with the group regarding of what should be done with Endymion. "I hope I am not coming off as too extreme, but if it was up to me to decide how Endymion should function it should be a democratic system were the disadvantage such as the poor or orphans have some leg up over the elite. Because in the world before the divide and to a lesser extent today, the rich always had control of society and will find ways to abuse their powers to make the poor miserable just to satisfy themselves. I am tired of this cycle there has to be a way to resolve this issue."

Tempo then turned to Unison he was wondering the same thing as Nadia, what were the original group's intention. But instead of just addressing the same question to Unison, Tempo proceeded to ask the group as a whole. "Miss Marquee's question is a valid one, which is why I would like to ask all of you a similar question as I haven't got a true grasp of where this group stands, what is each of your plans after the playhouse has accomplished its goals of taking out the district heads? We can't let the current government stay because I am fairly certain the head of the government would just assign more district head that would do the same thing all over again. continuing the cycle." Lupin clearly drank too much he seems to be in a ranting mode of some sort. Hopefully, he didn't make himself look like an idiot in front of the group. This booze stuff made Lupin quite emotional.

Lupin was in the mood to start putting the rich in thier place, but that's probably the liquor talking. Lupin would wait with anticipation to see what the rest of the group had to say about his little rant.

Unison looked to Revenant a moment, "you do not seem to know our situation, so I will say this, WE are the Shadows that others should worry about....the fact that you cannot see we need to use caution it worrying, the fact that you see someone vetting for caution as a coward is also worrying.." that was all she would say to that point, she then looked at Nadia as she asked her question and seemed to assume there wasn't a plan, it would seem her and Cecil were going to be issues constantly, or at least until they seemed satisfied,though Cecil seemed to be acting almost like he held a grudge against her, and Nadia seemed to question everything, and assumed she knew nothing..or at least it seemed that way so far.

She couldn't help but wonder if what she thought was going to turn out true about those two, really in the end it would play out as it will, but she still could formulate a few possible outcomes, for now she would answer them as it seemed even Tempo wanted an answer. Though she was quite confused to hear what Dirge and Nadia had to say in general about not fighting the government or trying to get along with cadets...considering Nadia's position one would think she would reconsider that view at the moment.

With a sigh Unison started to answer "If you do not wish to fight the government, then you are free to simply leave, we are trying to stop them from finding others like us and killing or brainwashing them into their personal army to keep control over Endymon, there will come a time where we will have to fight the Cadets, especially if we want to take out the government as a whole, and we will need to do that to get this city the freedom they deserve" she looked to Dirge "You want to stop demons from running Rampant in the city? the Government uses Demons as well, how do you think they get their cooperation? on top of that....Two of the District leaders that we have already dealt with were far worse then the demons, Invidia was causing Idols to preform murder and Cannibalism to earn his favor and to allow them to become popular....Superbia was making people disappear if it was discovered that they had any dissident thoughts or activities, they would simply vanish....and these both were guarded by Demons in their Employ..and when confronted and beaten...Cadets most likely were sent to aid them..." Unison took a moment to let that information sink in for the new people.

After a moment she looked over the group and stood up "Our goal was to free the city, not kill people for no reason, My....departed allies...wanted to install a council to over see Endymon something with it's own checks and balances, as for the Demon issue, we were divided on that, I personally vouched for learning coexistence...and I still do they are living creatures much as we are, they have things they wish to do...some even wish to coexist with use...look at Larsinny our host for example...he has no issues trying to coexist with us, and I am sure others are much the same.." She looked at everyone at the table for a moment, she had to take charge, at the very least keep the group together, she had made a promise to Gabe, and she had a mission to complete for Selenus.

She had little else to say now, her piece was made, and they would have to make up their own minds, if some left that was their choice, she would still stay, she had her promise, and her own goals as well, and she needed to start work on her own plans as well, so much had to be done, but it needed to be done she would wait for their response, but she would be leaving soon to begin her work.

It didn't sit well with Nadia. She had watched some of the Cadets, and for all she didn't necessarily fit in with people, she felt she understood them atleast a little. Maria...Albrecht...they didn't seem like bad people. They didn't seem like the type of people who would align themselves with District Leaders who did the things they had been doing. But, even Cecil seemed to think of them as enemies. The line in the sand between Cadets and Psyche Terrorists was drawn in the sand. Cecil and Trinity couldn't see past it. They couldn't see the holes in their own assumptions. But...now wasn't the time to fight them on it. She was tired. It had been a very long day, and she already knew that reasoning with Trinity wasn't something she was capable of.

Despite her disagreements with the current state of things, There were things Trinity said that Nadia agreed with, for the most part. Coexistence with Demons was likely possible. They did have thinking minds, in most cases it seemed. And if the Cadets had already made some kind of agreement with them, it was possible that they could do so in a future Endymion. That helped ease her concerns about how they'd control demons during the day in an Endymion without whatever technology or skill that kept them in check. In any case... "I'm not so sure that a fight is inevitable. But until I have another option, you should know I do see the situation for what it is. Especially with what happened to Shotaro. For the time being, they are our enemies. But...I think we need to do more research to know for sure. Not everything may be as we see it. Until we have those answers, I agree with you, Unison. I'm glad to know there was a plan in place. I hadn't been made aware of it by Shotaro yet. A council like that makes sense, atleast for the interim between the fall of the current regime and the instillation of something more lasting. As for co-existance with Demons, I agree with you. It would likely involve some measure of policing, but they aren't a problem that can just be dealt with. They are a fact of our world now, and we need to learn to adapt to that.

"In addition...I think whatever regime comes next should have rules about how abilities like ours should be used. There are those who do not use the power of Persona for self defense, but in order to hurt people. People will keep manifesting this power, and they'll need to be kept in check. We can't claim to reject the current form of government unless we have something to replace it with, and this...this could work. We have time to discuss it in more detail...but perhaps we should create a manifesto. A collection of our ideals and principles. Like the forefathers of this country?" It was just a thought she'd had, but it was something they should do. After all, it would help new members understand their purpose, and it would show their enemies that they were thinking ahead, not just a bunch of kids playing Phantom Thieves.

Dirge supposed it was his turn to chime in, but there was so much to answer for.  Everyone had valid points to discuss, and on top of that there seemed to be some sort of heated tension between Revenant and Unison.  Ultimately someone as simple-minded as him didn’t like these types of long and drawn out rapport.  Simply put, he was a man of action first, as actions often spoke louder than words.  

“...Yeah, I hear ya.  All y’all.  There’s shitheads in the government, there’s shitheads on the streets, there’s particularly shitty demons.  But all I’m sayin’ is that there’s decent ones among ‘em.  I can’t in good conscience bring myself to fight those types.  And, believe you me… I wanna fuckin’ fight.  S’all I’m good at, if I’m bein’ honest,” Dirge let out a modest chuckle before he took another drag of his cigarette.  

He sighed a long plume of smoke, as if he could just blow away his thoughts and feelings.  However the next words he uttered were slightly painful, because everyone here showed him nothing but respect and hospitality.

“...So until y’all gotta plan that I can see, one with actual people that can do it, I… can’t fight for ya.  I appreciate ya takin’ me under your wing but… I’m sorry.  I’ll do things my way, on my terms, thanks.”

Triboulet obviously knowing this might devolve into a full-blown argument and knowing that Lupin isn't in a good state of mind at the moment was worried about Tempo's mental health. And he was right. Tempo was still bloody angry with what he is hearing. "Ok shit, they control the media and kill anyone who disagrees with them, what's next? Do they poison our food as well? And the cadets are helping these people?!?"

I could write about how angry Tempo is but you the reader have already gathered this much already. Triboulet seemed rather annoyed with Lupin, it's great that he is motivated to help the Playhouse, but god damn it is he going about this wrong way. So Triboulet did the only thing that was responsible. He summoned himself to help Lupin be rational. Triboulet stared at everyone with his half melted mask, his mask mirrors Tempo's mask, Triboulet looked at the rest of for a minute looking in dead silence, his arms are up looking like they're about to grab something. After gaging everyone's reactions if they had any Triboulet began to talk in a bubbly tone to help calm the atmosphere. "Hi I am Triboulet, sorry about the way my user is acting he had a few too many drinks. He needs to learn to reign in a bit I know. Which is why I am going to drag him out of here before he does anything stupid." Tempo elbowed Triboulet saying in an angry tone.

"Triboulet if they group wanted your commentary I am sure they would've asked for it." Triboulet turned to Dirge quickly. "Dirge can you please calm Tempo down. I am worried he is going to pop a blood vessel if he continues like this." Lupin then said to Triboulet. "Triboulet you usually belittle me for your own amusement what's with the sudden change of heart." Triboulet simply retorted "Well excuse me if I want to be a good persona and help my user then. Tempo I know you feel really passionate about ramming your pogo spear up these district heads asses, but you need to slow down a bit, blindly waltzing into battle is not substitute for having a well thought out plan. You can't fight back against these people if you don't know who they are, seriously do you even know who the royal family even is?" Tempo then tilted his head down, "Your right I don't know." in shameTriboulet then crossed his arms as tries to lay the final blow in this debate.

"You're a terrorist now Tempo and the cadets are your enemies now, I doubt that Lamecia girl you met will give you mercy if you were caught. The world was never a nice place for you I get that, I am you after all." Triboulet turns his attention from Lupin towards everyone else and uncrosses arm, he then moved his arms together in an apologetic position.

"Once again on behalf of Tempo I am terribly sorry about his behavior this evening, I swear his not normally like this, he is usually a lot more helpful than this." Triboulet then turned his head towards Dirge again waving his right arm at him. "Please tell me when your planning to head out Dirge, I think Tempo needs some fresh air." Tempo still bloody annoyed said to Triboulet in a sarcastic tone. "Oh thanks dad." Tempo then spoke to the others.  "Are any of you guys personas are like this? Please don't tell me I am the only with a persona that talks back to me." Yeah this hasn't been a great night for poor Lupin. He just wanted something to eat and go to sleep.

"You are the only one speaking of cowardice, Unison." She had to go and put words in his mouth...of course caution was warranted. But the best thing they could do was live their lives as they had been, as best they could. After all...
"This place is still our home, for better or worse. The things we care for lay here. To sever ourselves from those things would not only be strange, but lose us the things that make it all worthwhile. Any victory shall feel all too hollow if we give all we have and all we hope for up for it."

He frowned as the girl spoke about the hopes of the old guard for the city, a faint scepticism radiating from his posture. It was a lovely bit of talk, but he still acutely remembered going through the halls of SMILE as Gabe pondered openly what their end game was, with not a word from anyone there of the faintest inkling of a concrete plan for it all. She spoke of old friends...but the only person she could have truly had this idea with was Gabe, sometime after they had exited Superbia's door. That, or for some reason, they had opted to leave him and Wicked in the dark and act like they hadn't a plan.
He wasn't going to say it with everyone professing their own hopes, but the whole thing left a sour taste in his mouth.

"...do you have any record of Invidia's actions? Footage of what has gone on in his space? Recordings or testimonial of his deeds?" He wasn't going to speak on the matter of the city's future for now, but..."I feel it would be better to show them the nature of what they are dealing with than pass on tales second-hand, if possible."


He nodded solemnly toward Dirge. "So be it. Look after yourself, Dirge. Let us know of any troubles."


As Tempo's outburst played out in front of him, he stared blankly, trying to process the insanity. It reminded him of Wicked's own persona, seemingly appearing and flitting about on its own whims. "...you are...not the only one..."
"...how, exactly, have you lived in this city without knowing the Lamecia name? The queen alone should be impossible to not know of after living here for any time - to speak nothing of Isla's daughters and Julius."

Looking to Cecil who not to long ago had accused her of sounding like she was jumping at shadows, and now he denied mentioning cowardice? She simply let that matter rest as it seemed like Cecil was simply trying to get a rise out of her, as he had been nothing but aggressive towards her sibling Trinity on a night that she had needed support...and now he was directing that Aggression towards her, failure seemed to cause the boy to lash out at others unless they agreed with him it would seem, and so Far Unison wasn't to impressed with his words or actions towards her siblings.

But then we went on to ask about evidence? As if he seemed to think the District heads were some how saints?..... No he apparently wanted it to prove to the new people that the district heads were evil....how odd...it seemed Cecil doubted everything, to some extent or another, at least that's how he projected himself most of the time, Unison simply looked at him "I have video and audio recordings, one of which was sent to my by a friend before he died at his hands..." she said simply as she looked to Nadia.

"It has been a long night so far....We can do that over time for the time being....as we have a more pressing matter to attend to, that being your safety, I will work on said manifesto, at least my part of it to incorporate into the whole, However as I feel the task of your safety is more then likely in the forefront of your mind I will Revenant to aid with that..." she then looked to Dirge and Tempo.

Dirge seemed to decide that they had nothing for him there and she simply looked to him "If that is how you feel, that is how you feel, Though I did not expect you to back away, a goal was said to you, but if you feel that is not enough, again I cannot stop you, however...you are severely Underestimating yourself if you think your only good for fighting....I will trust you to keep my secret...but I do hope you return...".

She then looked over to Tempo and his Persona that seemed to have summoned himself, and heard Revenant mentioning he had an issue with his persona, and she started to wonder if everyone but her had that issue, the most Pawn had done was speak in her defense a few times, but for the most part she had accepted them as part of her, as her siblings, and had had no issues with them. "Other then a few times were they have spoken in my defense, My Pawns have never argued, we work together, I listen to Their council and they respect my choices, not because I control them...but because I respect them and accept them as part of me....part of us...one of Us" she said to Tempo before gently placing a hand on his shoulder "Don't fight with him...take his advice, think on it...respect the fact that he is part of you, even if that part might be negative, it is still part of you, if you can accept everything about yourself...you will learn to get along with your Persona....even now it is looking after you..." she then looked to the others as she finished.

"Unfortunately....I must leave now...there are things I must begin to do, it is clear things have to change in regards to a few things...not to mention that my life in the morning is going to busy tomorrow..." she stood and headed for the door "you all should return to where you need to go...Revenant...I trust and request that you will Aid our Ally in her requirements, as I have no doubt you will be able to handle such it is your choice to help her or not...I am simply requesting..." she wasn't sure if Revenant wanted the others to know he was in a relationship with Nadia, so she was making it sound like she was requesting he deal with her safety, though she already knew he would prioritize that...or at least she hoped he would.

and with that she left the playhouse to slip away into the night and vanish.

Nadia was feeling overwhelmed, and defeated by this day. There were still things she could do. clipped though they may be, she still had her wings. She knew it, logically, but the events of the day were weighing heavy on her, and she needed to get some sleep. Tempo's Persona's display, and their banter back and forth, hardly even registered for her. She took it in, but it just felt...distant. She'd have said something, but Trinity said everything that Nadia could have thought to say.

Rather than drag the conversation out any more, Nadia nodded to Trinity's words. They would have time to deal with all of this later, presumably. More meetings at night, hopefully with more of the playhouse members present for them. Tomomi...Isabella...The others who had come to her aid but hadn't come to this meeting. It was probably because they felt as defeated as she did. She couldn't blame them.

Trinity left, and in her wake, Nadia's exaustion seemed to multiply. Dirge had said his peace as well, though Nadia appreciated that he alone seemed to share her sentiment that fighting the government may be a losing battle. She walked up to him now, and look up at him with curious, wide eyes full of sleep. "You don't need to join the playhouse if you don't want to. But if you want to talk...I'll be here quite often. It isn't as though I have much else to do with my time..." She gave him a small smile, and turned, passing by Tempo. "You should go home and get some rest. Sleep this off. Be careful next time to moderate your drinking and...drink some water before you go to bed."

She kept walking, saw Revenant where he was and nearly collapsed against him, pressing her cheek against the cold steel of his armor. It was oddly comforting, like an obscuring blanket of snow. It was like a cold day in a hellish place - a benediction to the riot of her mind and heart. She closed her eyes and instantly the world began to spin a little, as her consciousness flickered.

but then, she pulled away, swaying slightly. "Don't worry, brave sir knight, this bird is already safely in her cage." Patting him on one steely spaulder, she moved past him, collapsing face-first into the cushions. She closed her eyes, and let oblivion take her.

To her disappointment, her dreams would not be pleasant.

[EXIT]