Dogma [Nadia]

Sunlight creeping in through the windows and from holes in the ceiling, the rambunctious revelrous bar of the prior night would prove absent in dawn's wake, its tricky and malleable visage pinned banally down to the form of an ordinary warehouse. Scattered tremors gently rocked the air and a careful eye would be able to spot within them the invisible outlines of inhuman bodies moving about, but even this last vestige of the supernatural's presence was barely noticeable and attempting to touch the hidden Demons or communicate with them in any way would lead merely to disappointment, hands grasping only wind and ears catching only silence outside of the chirping of far away birds. For all intents and purposes, this place was nothing more than a dusty depot forgotten by the rest of the city. That's all it could ever be until night when the glitz, glamour, and delusions came back to transform it into something more; until Endymion fell to slumber and began to dream.. or perhaps it was the other way around and this was the dream, a veneer of normalcy that masked the real nature of the world, a peaceful fantasy for the citizens to retreat into until they inevitably awoke to truth each night. One could never say in a kingdom that prided itself on its claim to insomnia: the city that never sleeps rested in a place beyond any one objective reality.

Regardless of whether she was waking or dreaming though, Nadia's eyes would open to be greeted by this sad sight. There was a suffocating loneliness pervading the atmosphere. Cold, barren, quiet... However she personally felt about it, the place she went to rest at had been torn away and replaced by this. Yet while this stillness would persist for some time, it would eventually be broken by the sound of pounding feet as a figure rushed toward her from behind without any warning, almost as if they'd appeared from thin air. Were she to turn around she'd see the face of a child who would waste no time in trying to grab her hand and pull her toward the exit as he frantically pleaded with her.

Nadia had awoken when the playhouse had shifted. It had been a start, falling through the lounge sofa she'd been sleeping on to hit the concrete. If she slept at the playhouse again- as it was her most likely refuge-  she would remember to go to sleep on the floor.

After falling, the girl lay awake, curled under her blanket and staring through half-lidded eyes at nothing. Her mind was running in circles, contemplating everything that had happened to her thus far. Running, running, but not ever reaching anything close to a conclusion. Her contemplated option of contacting the Cadets and organizing a truce to deal with people like Joker had been crushed by the words of her boyfriend and her colleagues. She wasn't sure what was left for other than to sit and waste her time away as a fugitive. She'd have to be careful every waking and unwaking moment, but she was prepared for that. Somewhat, anyway.

Mentally, however, she wasn't sure how prepared she was. For now, she just wanted to sleep away everything...

"Oi, oi miss! Ya gotta go, I dunno who ya is but we both need ta' bail!
'Dis place ain't normal, somethin' weird's in the shadows, it ain't safe! Hurry!"


The sound jolted her to attention, and she pushed herself up on her elbows to look at the boy who'd roused her. Immediately panic set in. Something weird in the shadows? More dangerous beings in the day time? And her without the means to summon her Persona...it was just like those men in the inn. Was this...did Joker find her already? She'd been so careful to remain off the internet...

Still, there was no time to dawdle. She was curious about the boy, but she'd have to ask him later. At the moment, she had to get out and make sure he was okay, as well. "What did you see?" she asked in a hushed voice as she got to her feet and threw her blanket over one shoulder. She grabbed up the handle of her rolling luggage bag and began hurrying after the boy, making sure he stayed in sight as they fled.

"Does it matta'? You gotta' go! C'mon!" The child hissed as he continued to pull Nadia ever so strongly as they dashed through the lonely emptiness of the abandoned warehouse. The Psyche-Terrorist being led away could barely hear hushed whispers, mostly incomprehensible. The corner of her eye could notice the wispy movement in the air in the midst, just wafting about in the shadows. Yet it would say or do nothing to her as she left the warehouse. The moment the bare sunlight hit her skin and her feet finally hit past the warehouse's entrance and the child, the door would suddenly shut her outside of the warehouse all on her lonesome. Not before she could hear the muffled voice through the shut door. "D-Don't come back! Or d'ese guise will eat ya'! Ya' hear me? Shoo!"

Something seemed strange about this situation. Now that the urgency of the moment had cleared away the sleepy fog over her mind, and they were running towards the exit, Nadia found she was confused. Who was this boy? Why were they in such great danger during the day? Could these things really hurt them during the day at all? It was concerning to say the least, but for now she wanted to follow this boy. If they really were in danger, she'd need to protect him.

But, as he ushered her out the door, he began to close the door on himself. Nadia quickly wheeled on him, shoving her bag in between the gap in the door so that it wouldn't close all the way. "Wait! You said it's dangerous for both of us! You can't stay behind, come on!" She argued, looking behind the boy back into the factory to see if any shapes were moving around behind him. He was hiding something, she thought. She hadn't noticed until now, but the color of his eyes were golden. She'd seen that color before, on people who had awakened to their power. "Who are you, and what do you know about...this place?" She asked, still trying to keep the door from closing.

It would almost seem like a slam dunk case of shutting out the intruder. Yet, she managed to squeeze in a bag between the door. The boy angrily kept slamming the door, but to little avail before quickly trying to kick the bag out. Yet, even that wasn't working. That wasn't stopping him from keep trying however. He snapped back at Nadia with his little foot still kicking at the lodged item at the threshold. "Nun' of ya' beeswax! And what of ya'? Who da' Hell ya' think ya' are? Ya' dun' live here! I ain't seen anyone like ya'! We're closed on the day, git! We ain't run charity for run aways!"

Nadia's eyes opened a little, staring at the kid. So...he worked at the Playhouse during the night? was he some kind of Psyche Terrorist? no, their eyes returned to the normal color after awakening. Was he some kind of demon then? but he looked human. She didn't have enough information, and it was irritating. But it seemed that despite what he'd said initially, he belonged in this place where she didn't. Maybe she could, however. She didn't have any other options available to her right now.

"I don't have anywhere else to go! Please! What if I work? I'll help out with whatever needs to be done. I can earn by keep, I promise. Please, if you'll let me explain the situation...Maybe I can be of help?" She begged, narrowly avoiding a kick from the boy to her shins.

At first the child hesitated. For that moment, he seemed sympathetic. But it only took a momentary second before the kicking and door slamming renewed to struggle to get the door shut. He growled back at her, albeit with less harshness in his voice. "Tough luck! I ain't gonna take away the work charity already does! 'Sides! I ain't got the the dough to pay ya--"

"Let her in and hear her out, Lars. She's gonna attract weirdos the longer she keeps up." a voice called out to him from behind. It was a young man's. It echoed, denoting the distance away from this "Lars". A loud uncovered yawn could be heard from the same distance. The child hollered back at him. "And if she brings back any strays?"

"That's a problem we can deal later. Let her in or we're gonna attract some dumb beat cop or a Cadet knowing our shitty luck. *Fwaaah...* I'll just beat the shit out of her if she overstays her welcome." The tone yawned nonchalantly. Lars grimaced and finally let the door wide open to allow her back inside with hesitation. The door would shut once the child made glances around outside to only see no one was around. But it was indeed the early morning when activity would begin to rise as people woke up.

In the distance, there was someone standing within the dark shadows cast by the building's interior. Unlike the shadows from earlier, the eerie eyes were gone though the soft indescribable whispers continued in the background. His face was obscured, but his body was not as they waited on her to enter. And when she did, the man rose a hand towards her to signal her to stop.

The hair stood up on the back of Nadia's neck, worry spiking down her spine as she started evaluating options if she couldn't get inside. If she couldn't stay here...

but then there was a voice from inside. She...hadn't seen anyone else. There was that fear again, dripping like an IV down her back into her stomach. She entered quickly, almost eagerly, facing that fear and strangeness head on. She didn't want to be out in the open any more than they did. And more-over, she wanted to learn more about how the playhouse operated during the day.

She stepped back inside, leaving the bag and her blanket by the door, and approached the direction the voice had come from. She stopped when he raised his hand, hooking her hands behind her back as she did so. She steeled her gaze. She knew this feeling. It felt similar to when she'd met with Joker. The feeling of being sized-up by someone who wasn't sure what to make of you.

It was in this moment that she realized what that really meant. It was an opportunity to define yourseslf in ways perhaps you hadn't before. "My name is Nadia Marquee. I'm also known around the Playhouse as Nightingale. I was on the mission Mad Dog sent us on the other night. I'm sorry, I died my hair red, so you probably wouldn't think to see me as that person during the day, especially without my attire.

Yesterday there was some trouble at the Inn, one of our other members was in trouble, and I tried to help him. In doing so, I mistakenly revealed myself as a psyche terrorist to an individual named Joker, who had hidden a camera in the room. Last night, he tried to black mail me into guiding him and his posse of faceless assailants to the Playhouse, but I thought it would be a poor decision to lead someone who could potentially do us harm to our location. I tried to reason with him, to set up an alternate means of communication, but he did not want to negotiate. After I declined him, he made me aware in no uncertain terms that he had released my identity to the Cadets. So, I was hoping that I could stay here during the day, for atleast until I decide or discover...what happens next." She didn't stutter or mumble. She explained clearly and as concisely as she could without inflection, much like how she spoke to her parents or their business partners. After all...for all that this was an unfortunate event, she couldn't expect these people to honor her sacrifice at face value. She'd have to work for a place under this roof, and she was willing to do so. "I have been as loyal to the playhouse as I can be, and I'm willing to do what is necessary to stay here. So please. We've lost too many lately as it is."

The man in the shadows listened to what she had to say. Upon introduction, his eyes narrowed at her direction with arms crossed against his chest. It was almost as if it were all in distaste, viewing upon someone who seemed to be the source of their problem. The boy "Lars" noticed this and seemed to fidget in place uncomfortably by the wall as he watched the interaction between Nadia and him. When the girl was finished speaking, the man immediately replied rudely at her. "So you're Nightingale. Read that heartfelt letter of yours... Right, so he outed you. Sucks. But I've never met or heard of you before your letter, so I can't help but doubt your claim. This Yuri guy, was he caught on camera too like you? Is he outed as well?"

Sometimes when Nadia faced challenges, nothing else mattered but pushing through. Other times, the stakes where not just her own stakes. Death or capture would be easier than this. But she had made a promise, so she had to try. It felt strange defending her own well being when at her core she wondered if maybe none of this would be a problem if she had just killed herself.

She looked down at the ground. Ofcourse he would bring up Yuri. "Yes, Yuri was already taken into police custody after admitting to stabbing the men who attacked him. Albeit in self defense. He was outed by the video as well, and it's likely he was never released, simply transferred to the Cadets and...dealt with. I have no reason to believe otherwise."

There was something that didn't quite fit in well for him when that Nadia girl opened her mouth. At first, he couldn't put a finger upon it. But just now, as the man in the dark listened intently while observing her features and little personal tics, he was starting to get a better picture. Surely, but slowly he was coming to some kind of personal comprehension of this girl. The building was silent when she answered. He finally broke the quiet as his voice begin laying down the brickwork of everything the intruder claimed.  "Right, so basically you came back with your tail between your legs. Abso-fucking-lutely wonderful... You've got to be shitting me. I understand not wanting to bring someone shady back here, but why didn't you just pretend to agree and set up an ambush later to some other place than here? To maybe give this Yuri kid some time to get the hell out when they think he was another shmuck to them? You shafted this kid to save your own hide, let Joker walk all over you, and you got nothing to show for it... We didn't need this. We absolutely didn't need this with what's going on with Shotaro. Goddammit!"

He kicked a discarded soda can by the floor, causing it to clatter loudly across the floor as it skid against the dusty granite as Lars flinched at his impatience and exasperation. The shadowy man angrily rummaged through the feel of his hair in thought. One thing after a goddamn another. What is it with this generation going in without even thinking? Did they even know who this Nightingale kid is? Why is everything going to shit all so suddenly and soon after returning? It boggled his mind as he glared at the very reason why the meeting to discuss and gain bearings last night was derailed.

"Maddy... " Lars chided as he strode closer to the shadowy man, forcing his attention back at the boy. He regarded him with a grudging acknowledgement and heaved a deep sigh. There was little point of losing their anger right now, even if understandable. Mad Dog might have been the most belligerent on the street, but with all of these fresh-faced newcomers knowing nothing about the realities of the streets and the powers that hide in the alley, he knew he couldn't lose himself. The PT spoke to Nadia. "I'm gonna be real with you right now, Nightingale. You ain't in a good spot in my eyes. I don't know you, you screwed one of us to the Cadets, and made a plea to everyone to help you out of your problems... Give me a reason why I, no--the Platinum Playhouse should let you stay. What do you even have to offer to us?"

Nadia flinched back as he berated her for her actions. It stung, to say the least. She'd already gone over the night herself as much as she thought she could. It did little good to justify or wonder about what ifs now, though. The decision had been made, and she didn't regret it. But the way he'd judged her for it...when he read the letter and had done nothing...it made her angry. She didn't get angry very often. But the look in his eyes as he asked her what she was worth the playhouse, after not even having been there, it irritated her. Despite her desperation, she had to speak. She had nothing left to lose anyway. Nothing of value beyond this.

"It was a pawn, nothing more. Of course I thought of an ambush. That's why I rallied the playhouse - in an attempt to fight together. If you really did read the letter that I wrote you should understand that I didn't write it for me. I wrote it because this keeps happening. We...left Shotaro. Or rather, he stepped away from us, choosing to fight the Cadets on his own. If I have any regrets...it's that I didn't stay to help him. Even if it was his own oversight that caused it. Yuri arranged his meeting with that Joker person - the one I tried to help him out of. If he had contacted the playhouse - if he had relied on our strength as a group instead of going in alone, none of that would have been necessary. That's why I made my letter and asked for aid. Because we need to stop running into things on our own. That goes for all of us, myself included. As I stated before, luring him somewhere else and ambushing him would have been pointless. It was a pawn with a cell phone. Joker had all the cards. The moment we attacked the individual he was communicating to us through, Joker would have just released the footage at that point anyway."

She stepped closer to the one who was called "Maddy." Fear and anger and desperation were churning together in her stomach and right now she just had to let it out somehow. She didn't care how he saw her. "Strictly speaking, what happened to myself and Yuri is our own fault, and I'm not going to deny it. If I had merely wanted to save us, it would have been at the expense of the playhouse. And he would have continued to use that video as leverage for one thing after another...." She shook her head and sighed. The what ifs weren't going to help.

"But I have this one chance to make all of this nonsense worth it. Joker won't stop there. I will get stronger, and what strength I have, belongs to the playhouse. Not the building, not you, but the friends I've fought beside. I don't know you any more than you know me. You don't get to judge me when you admittedly read the letter and deigned not to lend us your aid. A Threat to one of us is a threat to all of us, otherwise we'll be picked off one by one like Shotaro." She wasn't yelling, but her words were quick and edged, pointed at the man who lofted his words over her so coldly.

A loud sudden laugh escaped Maddy after he listened to Nadia. It was mocking, but also full of incredulity and rage. It would go on as the warehouse was filled with gales of his laughter. So much of it was absolutely ridiculous to the point that he far way past from anger. Everything is so screwed, this entire thing that was thrust upon him and the Playhouse. How could anything get so much worse in such a short time. It was a question he sorely wished he had an answer to. When he was finished, the shadowy individual regarded her with absolute disgust in his eyes. "Naw, I get to judge you as much as I want. Wanna know why? Because this isn't what we needed. At all. I was left behind knowing very little of what the living fuck was happening at the time. This was a time to regroup and reassess our options, not go in guns blazing to make everything worse for some fucking nobody I've never met or even heard of until now. But you being a delicate snowflake thought your problems were big enough to override all of that and jump straight right in. You said this yourself. It was something of your own fault and you tried to drag this onto all of us when it could've screwed us all over even more. You risked lives of everyone involved for something that was of your own doing. Don't pull this friendship non-sense on all of us, you knew what you were doing when you made that letter. You wanted your problems to be solved when we're still reeling from losing Shotaro and needed to play things safe. I don't see any need for you. You can claim that your problems are big enough to screw over the Playhouse, but you aren't even important enough to matter. Shotaro was and at least he had the sense to deal with his own mistakes... Get out, you're a liability to us. We don't need you here. Maybe ask some of your 'friends' to let them board with you. I'm sure they're willing if they stuck out their necks just for you."

The man's eyes disappeared from her as he turned his back on her. The rage was bubbling inside of him. It threatened to spill out and engulf the entire building as his fists grew nearly white from clenching for too long and too hard.  Nothing ever mattered now. They needed to excise this problem from them as soon as possible. But just as he waited for Nadia to leave, he could hear Lars speak. "Nightingale.. stay."

He wheeled around to see a weary child looking back into his eyes. "Mad Dog, let 'er stay. We... we've lost enuff alre'dy."

"And we can lose more if we let her, Larsinny." The PT snarled back at the demon, his displeasure evident at the disagreement. His anger was just oozing out slowly, but surely. The shadows rumbled beside him, as if in resonance with each wave and flash of rage churning inside of him..And yet, Larsinny refused to stand down. "And the others she gits inv'lved with could as well if we l've her be. I don't really trust her... But we need all da' help we can git at this point. We can't let her go."

"And we're supposed to make her our problem?" He grit out.

"If only if ya' want to be a hypocrite. Ya' know she won't last long as she is.."

Mad Dog's hues glared back into Larsinny's for a long time. The shadows beside him continued to rage almost threatening to leave the boundaries of the dark, and it still did. But it came to a slow boil as the PT turned to Nadia. "You have three days to find a place. The water drain, the sticks in Eden, I don't care. Until then, you get to hang out around here. If you fuck thing up again, you're gone. Capiche?"