The Masked Invitation - Looking for the Smile

"Shadows exterminated." Chance would raise her compendium and watch it vanish in an azure light. However, even after the Shadows were destroyed, the sky still seemed tinted red and things were not returning to normal. Was there a chance that more Shadows were still outward in the carnival? Looking towards Naito-san and Azame-kun, the Attendant would bite her lip. "I see. The sky is still blood red even after we have eliminated the Shadows. Does this mean there are more somewhere in the Carnival, or is it possible this area will always be masked in the Red Mist? Should we search the other end of the carnival just to make sure we're not missing something?" The Attendant, who was still currently dressed like an average schoolgirl, patted her skirt and awaited a reply from her team mates. Well, her guest and other, but in this moment she saw them like her own siblings. She wouldn't want either of them to suffer the same fate as the unfortunate ones who had been trapped in Limbo previously.

When the towering Shadow crumbled, the silver haired Tsurinai would take a breath. Was this event all over now? His Samurai Clad Persona would revert back into its card form before vanishing all together. Before he could relish in his victory, his eyes shot open and he quickly looked up towards the red sky to see no change. What the hell was going on here? Though he dismissed his Persona, the Tsurinai summoned his O-katana and sheath to hand. Looking towards Azame and his Attendant, he would begin to speak. "We're going to do another sweep of the carnival. Azame, I'm going to need your sensory skills for this. There's a chance more spawned on the far other side, so let's get a move on it. However, we need to watch our backs and stay low. Stay out of sight. There's a chance this mist does not lift, but we should atleast attempt to counter it somehow. Also with those doorways permanently open, more Shadows could pour into this area at anytime. Let's make this fast." With a nod to Chance and then over to Azame, the silver haired teen would dart through the crowd of people making his way to the other side of the area. He'd need Azame's sense to pick up any irregulars just incase there were further danger outward. Hopefully there was a way to revert this red mist area, or things would become even more troublesome in the coming times. Why was Limbo getting stronger?

Seeing the tower go down, Kahn would do a quick fist pump, "Alright, nice work everyone we took them down. Now everything should...." He would trail off as he looked at the sky seeing that it remained a crimson red, "Not change...at....all?" A puzzled look crossed his face, Chance suggested that there were more shadows. That seemed logical, but where were they? The red haired young man ordered his persona to return to the card from whence it came. The knight would fade away almost immediately. Naito took charge and said that they were going to need to do another sweep of the carnival and head toward the other end of the carnival and that he would need Kahn's radar ability. Furthermore, his classmate warned that they would need to stay low and out of sight, lest other shadows find them. Kahn would return the nod and follow Naito, but choose not to summon his own weapon due to the additional weight. Not that it wasn't anything he could handle, he just had to keep up with Naito.

"There were no other signatures around here from what my last scan detected, it only detected the two shadows we fought and you two. Furthermore, I should warn you that my scan has a limited range, and I can only use it when I am standing still. So I propose we get within a good distance of the other end of the carnival before having me scan again." He would inform his two allies, before returning to weaving his way through the crowd. However, this thoughts drifted toward the situation they were in. What did the Masked Man mean by where the clowns meet? If he wasn't here than where? Where else did clowns meet? Maybe he didn't mean literal clowns, but figurative ones or fools? Too many questions, not enough answers. However, they soon got close enough to the other side, and he would come to a stop and call out to the others.

"Hold up, we ought to be in range now. Just give me a second...." Kahn would pause for a moment, and activate his radar. After a moment he would open his eyes, he had multiple readings. He pointed toward the readings, "I have four readings that way. One confirmed shadow and three unidentified sources of power. Could be persona users or it might be something else." He would say, before gesturing the others to follow him. They took a right at upcoming intersection, and then ran down that way a little bit. Kahn saw something that looked like a wooden tank of some sort, but the red aura it gave off informed Kahn that it was the shadow he sensed earlier. The identity of the three tags were obscured by the shadow's large body.

"Can't see them from here...keep low, I think we can get a good view from that game stand over there." He would tell the others and quickly lead them over to the stand. It appears that even the goldfish were in a catatonic....or maybe they were dead. Peering out from the stand, Kahn would look at the three unidentified tags. After about half of minute, he identified all three of them. Lorielle, Gabby, and.....the criminal Kogami? While he was confused as to why Lorielle and Gabby were working with Kogami, he realized that his friends were in danger. He looked to the others, "Come on we gotta help them! That shadow could kill them!"

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The Attendant followed along with the two humans while staying rather quiet. For some reason she was contemplating her own actions. Would she be punished for this? She was dressed like a human, and even assisting the humans with matters that dealt with their own world. For someone so committed to her duties, she was surely neglecting them right now. It caused her to become flustered as she ran behind Naito-san and Azame-kun. When the red headed User pinpointed the direction of another Shadow, the Attendant found some hope and a smile. "So then this means maybe if that Shadow is destroyed, this area will return to normal?" Chance spoke to the two Users with a hushed tone as the group moved behind a stand to watch. These three other users they had come across were strange. They were not guests of the Velvet Room, and their powers did not seem as pure as that of the actual Users.. And one of those Personas seemed rather familiar. Who were they, and were they a threat?

The Attendant stroked her face while thinking, but when Kahn spoke out loud about helping them, she placed her soft hand over his mouth. "Wait a second, Azame-kun.." She spoke in a hushed tone while placing a finger on her own lips in the "shh" manner. "It would be unwise to reveal ourselves to others, would it not? They seem to be handling their own, so this gives us time to determine exactly what is happening, doesn't it? Rushing from battle to battle is headstrong, but rather foolish. Please understand this." The "female" Attendant released her hand from the boys mouth and would place them both on her lap while on her knees behind the stand. Her eyes looked over to Naito-san, expecting him to input something. What could he be thinking?

The Tsurinai narrowed his eyes at the group battling the Shadow. The fact they were still operational already said they were Persona-Users. When Kahn spoke up saying he knew them, Naito shot him a cold "Shut the Hell up" glare, before Chance covered his mouth. He took this time to speak in a low inaudible tone for those in the distance. "You know these people? One of them attacked one of my previous comrades in the school and then jumped out the window like he was some sort of action movie hero. I don't care if you know them or not, we are not getting involved." The silver haired Tsurinai turned back to watch the group with cold narrowed eyes. He was obviously thinking of something, even though his face displayed zero emotion. Chance had gave them an odd look as if she did not see them before. Was there a chance these Users were not tied to the same power as himself? Was that possible there was a way for someone to become a User without needing to go through the Velvet Room? This interested him. Perhaps Kahn could come in handy when it came to gathering information about these subjects. Of course beating the information out of them was also an option, the Tsurinai thought against it. What was the point when they were doing his job for them? Even though they were most likely degenerates for being around Kogami, and simply trash, they had their uses for the time being. "This works to our benefit. They seem to be capable, so allow them to handle the Shadow. If they die in the process, we'll finish the Shadow and continue on our way. They are not our responsibility, Azame. Three lives for many? I'll take that cost any day. With the world unbalanced like it is now, we don't have time to be playing hero around every corner. Especially without knowing who our main enemy is. As far as we know, these three could be associated with the Smiling Man and playing you for a fool. Isn't it quite a coincidence that you know all three of them and they all have this power? Hmph, they could have followed you here to the Carnival and got mixed up in this. You can't trust them." Naito was blunt with his words, but the truth was still there. Since Azame was so surprised about this, there was a chance they were playing him for a fool. Clever bastards.

While continuing to watch the scene, the modern day swordsman would being to speak to Chance. "I take it you haven't seen these three in the Velvet Room before, yes? Why can they use Personas if they are not a guest of the room? I know you have skills when gaining information about people. I'm willing to pay a fee for you to gather enough information to where I feel I have known them for my entire life." Once finishing his sentence he gave Chance a side glance. He knew when it came to information, the Attendant always charged. Well, it was worth it to see if these three were the cause of this nonsense, or if they needed to be dealt with. Though he highly doubt they were; knowing all points of the battle was still a priority. Who's to say they were not associated with the one who attacked Azame when he was traveling within Limbo?

Kahn found that his message came out muffled as both Chance and the Tsurinai were telling him to be quite. Naito seemed to know more details about Kogami's attack on the school, which was not that surprising considering the fact that he was part of the student council, supposedly where the attack started. Granted, he was not on good terms with Kogami, considering they met after the red haired young man thrashed two of his thugs. Lorielle and Gabby on the other hand....they did not seem like the kind of people who would hang out with a criminal. A dangerous one at that, given what Naito said. Not to mention....Kogami did mention "Persona" and the fact that some of the people with "Persona's" were hunting him. The question is, what side did that place him on. Philemon or Nyarlathotep?  Whatever side he was on....would determine the side that Gabby and Lorielle were on. He turned back to the fight and watched the battle continue, taking in their Persona's in deep detail. Kogami had a winged creature of some sort, Gabby had a creature with the front of a lion, but the back of a fish. Meanwhile, Lorielle had a black figured creature with what looked to be tree branches forming the head. Well, none of them attacked him for as far as he knew. His attacker had a metallic Persona with a treasure chest.

Naito however, interrupted his train of thought with a monologue of how this works to their advantage. How three for many was a good exchange, which it was, but Kahn would grumble a bit. How about no causalities?  That was better than one or three. Furthermore, he went and said that he could not trust them. That was a given for Kogami, and maybe Gabby, but Lorielle? Kahn felt like he could trust her a little bit. Though he did find a few problems with his theory, "I'm not so sure they are associated with the Masked Man, if they were...why not ambush us when we were fighting earlier? Furthermore, I never told anyone about our little plan, or the fact that I have a persona. They would have gotten very little information out of me, nor have they questioned me about supernatural things. The girl with the long hair is the only one I have really talked with, and I kept those conversations to normal observations and knowledge. As for following me, if they were following me as you say....how did they end up on the other side of the park? If they were following us, then they would have remained behind me, not this far away from me. I'm more willing to chalk up their appearance to coincidence then some conspiracy, but you are right. It will be difficult to trust them....now that I know the power they possess." That point he would concede, after all Naito's point about not knowing who they were associated with. They could be allies to the one that attacked them especially if they were Nyarlathotep's pawns.

The silver haired young man then asked Chance to dig up information on them, and why they could use persona's, if they were not guests. Kahn knew the answer to the question, it was one that he was afraid to answer though. He did not know what Naito would do if he told him. Would he seek their destruction or simply see if he could use them. The red haired youth would offer Naito his own theory, granted it was not the one that he was afraid of giving, but it was still an answer. "Well, I didn't know about the Velvet Room or anything when I gained my Persona. Aren't you only a guest when you choose an attendant like Chance or Noctis? At least that is how I assumed it worked, or do you become a guest the moment you awaken to your powers?" This was Kahn's best explanation with what he had experienced. Granted, Noctis' knowledge told him the answer. If Chance said they were not a guest of the Velvet Room, then he would know what side of the three before him stood on. Sadly, it was not his side, but maybe there was no line. They were both fighting Shadows, were they not? They had a common enemy, why not work together like logical people would do. After all the enemy of my enemy, is my friend.

Chance looked back and forth between her guest and Azame-kun. She was looking for her opportunity to say something herself. The red headed user had some valid points, but at the same time she could already see flaws in them. Stroking her cheek, Chance would speak in a soft tone before Naito would respond with his usual bluntness. "Azame-kun, those with the potential have amazing abilities. Just how you are able to be a sensor, they could also have been watching you from afar while here in the carnival. There is also a chance when the Shadows attacked, they attempted to escape but ran into this fellow here. There are too many variables for you to honestly doubt what Naito-san is saying here. Especially since their Persona is not as pure as your own. There is something extremely different between the Persona summoned by a guest of our room, and that of someone who is not a guest. Who's to say they do not have an ability to read minds either? You can not rule these three out as enemies just because of your human emotions for one of them. It could cause not only your downfall, but the downfall of your true allies. For once, think of consequence before taking action." The slender Attendant nodded her head and looked back towards the group of three with worried eyes. "When it comes to being a guest of the room, you have full access. Even my siblings usually send messages out to users specifically aswell. However, out of all my time within the room, I have not seen either of these three mentioned or even within the confines of the room. And with all that is going on in your world, simply trusting them is foolish." With that said, Chance's eyes would shift to look at Naito-san. She would only nod to his demand of learning information about these three. Reaching into her school vest, Chance removed her notebook and began to jot down appearances and information while observing their overall mannerisms, and more.

"Not as pure, hmm?" The Tsurinai continued to speak in his inaudible tone before he looked at Kahn and raised his scabbard slightly. "You're a fool, Azame." Would be the only words to leave his lips as he noticed the Shadow King was on its last legs. When the users finally defeated the beast, the sky and world began to revert back to its normality. People began to walk and move again, and the Carnival returned back to its normal lively hood. The loud sounds continued again, and it was almost like it never happened. Looking towards the two, he'd give a nod and sneak along the crowd, out of sight from the three who just finished their battle, and would make his way towards the back exit of the carnival. He made sure to be careful, as a silver haired boy stood out; and thus he took extra care to remain clear out of sight and out of their PoV.

Once getting some large distance from the small rival group, the silver haired Tsurinai would continue onward out the carnival, still mixed in with the people. Looking at Chance with narrowed eyes, he didn't say a word. He was sure she knew what he wanted her to do from this moment on. After this, he would look towards Kahn. By this time his scabbard had been de-summoned, but he still had a slightly irritated aura coming from him. "Next time you endanger the team because of some foolish friendship with the enemy; I'll end you myself. Who knows what could have happened if you marched out there with that dumb look on your face. Chance may have said it in a kinder tone but I will not: Endanger my comrades, and I will kill you." With that said, Naito would turn back to Chance. Their next stop was the Velvet Room, and after getting a bit of distance from the carnival, he would head towards the invisible doorway (to the normal eye) and disappear on the spot. With the large crowd, the moving people, and the bright lights; it'd be almost impossible to see without keen vision.

[Exit]

Kahn was paying attention to the battle, and turned toward Chance when she began to refute every single point in his argument. Of course....he had to imagine that the power of the Persona is nearly limitless, regular and logical rules no longer apply. He had to be prepared for the unexpected, and assume almost every situation that was plausible in these scenarios. After all he was not dealing with human thugs, no he was dealing with shadows, and Persona-users. Chance asked him to think about the consequences of his actions, before endangering his true allies. Fair enough of a point, but it was difficult to sit there and watch a friend suffer. A concept he was fairly certain, Naito would not understand. The attendant was just wisely informing him of knowledge he should already have. After all, he knew not to make stupid mistakes like picking fights he could not win. No, one must use strategy and wisdom when fighting an enemy that could be superior to him or herself. A concept that he seemed to have forgotten when it came to his friend....were they even his friend anymore. Based on what Chance said they were undoubtedly pawns of the god of chaos.....would one of these pawns attack him if they knew that he was fighting on Philemon's side?

He looked over to see Naito's scabbard raised and aimed at him. His classmate called him a fool, and the red haired young man did not bother replying. Perhaps he was foolish in light of what Chance told him, revealing himself would have done no favors. As the world returned to normal, he would follow Naito's lead and remain out of sight and mind. His mind was drawn onto ways he could use the information he had on Lorielle, Gabby, and Kogami. Perhaps, he could draw information out of them. Granted, Naito would most likely dismiss what one of them said as lies and deceit, but what if he could guide the topic to the point where they could not lie? Maybe then he could get some truth, and perhaps to the bottom of this. When Naito turned to him, Kahn left thought of subterfuge behind and met his classmate's stare. Naito made one thing clear, endanger his comrades again and he would kill him. That did not surprise 'The Avenger' one bit. In fact he half-expected it, he would merely nod toward the more experienced Persona-user as a sign of acknowledgement. Revenge was something he could understand fairly well, it was a simple feeling that drove many people. Afterwards, he would follow Naito into the Velvet Room, where he assumed they would discuss the next phase.

((Exit))

The Attendant followed Naito-san's lead out of the carnival, and when they finally arrived at the entrance to the velvet room, she took a deep breath. Even though the sky returned to normal and the crisis was averted; she could still feel some tension between her guest and the other Persona-User. She had no place to interfere, so instead she stayed quiet and only watched as Naito-san made a threat towards Azame-kun if he ever endangered them again. The slender attendant could say nothing, as her eyes drifted downward and she followed them back into the Velvet Room. Her mind could only wander back to that of the red area, and how she felt in her stomach that this wasn't the last she would see of it.

(exit)