[He had spent several hours there himself, slowly recovering after tossing himself in the eye of the Storm.]
I won't be long. Wait for me, please.
[He's true to his word -- Connor appears not long after, a handful of minutes at most, not having wandered off terribly far from where Akira is current situated anyway. The flap of the tent parts, and the android steps through the entrance to find Akira within.]
[Connor will find Akira seated atop one of the cots, legs dangling over the edge, white bandages poking out from underneath his shirt sleeves and pant legs. looks like someone got a little scratched up during the mission, but hey. for the most part, he's totally fine]
[he lifts a hand, two fingers pressed against his temple in a greeting]
[He approaches, opting to clasp his hands behind his back as he draws nearer. The line of his back is purposefully straight, any sense of sluggishness in his limbs being pushed aside and compartmentalized for the sake of appearances.]
I wasn't. [He can't really move very far, not in a still psuedo-recovering state. But no need to say that.
[An immediate reply, though Connor believes it to be correct. Compared to how he was before, he certainly does qualify as fine.]
The Storm was... not kind to my systems or hardware, but I knew that going in. I've had some time to recover in this very tent, and I promise that my current functions have been stabilizing since.
[He tries to offer a friendly quirk of a smile.]
Besides, I didn't come here to just talk about how badly the Storm treated all of us. You were wanting to speaking face to face about... what we mentioned?
[He had thought that it was a good enough explanation to inform why he was "fine" but apparently not. Still, there's only the smallest tug of a frown as he nods, then takes the spot next to Akira. The cot squeaks a little to accommodate him.]
I don't really need to "relax", but I appreciate the offer anyway.
[Don't worry, Akira, Connor will relax once they fall into a very interesting conversation like this one. His focus will be too hooked into his words to think about how he's still in recovery mode.]
[a nod, and Akira lifts a hand to place it over his heart]
Everyone has a mask with which they face society. Something that helps them cope with adversity. A "Persona," so to speak.
A select few of those people can manifest that Persona into a physical being to fight for them. That Persona usually takes on the form that best represent's that person's soul.
[and then he drops his hand back into his lap]
I can't use that ability anymore, but it's still something "abnormal." If you want to call it that.
It’s simultaneously straightforward and dredges up a hundred more questions. Obvious by the way the LED on his temple flickers several times before he even opens his mouth to question anything.]
You’re right, that is generally considered abnormal. [TO SAY THE LEAST, BUT. He accepts this as a valid explanation, because why not, after these past few months? He finds it’s hard to disbelieve much these days.]
So then… what does your mask look like? Or rather, the ‘physical being’ that it becomes?
My mask-- [Akira answers the unexpanded question first, lifting his thumb to trace a domino mask pattern across his features] -- is white with black markings around the eye holes.
As for my Persona, I'm unique. Most people only have one Persona, because they only have one Personality.
I have over one hundred, and can swap them at will. Most of them take on the form of famous characters from history and mythology. That is what's called the power of the "wild card."
[The first explanation is easily imagined. The second requires a little more stretch of the imagination.]
Over a hundred. Meaning that your own personality is that malleable?
[He looks at Akira, not really skeptically, but as if seeing him in a different light than before. Wondering what to make of what he already knows of the young man.]
[Connor can relate to adaptable — he can appreciate it, too, one of the defining parameters of his existence. But he lacks the ability to say that his own personality is so varied. There’s still a core that he can’t change.]
That’s… amazing, to be honest. The applications of having such an adaptable personality would be advantageous in various social situations.
[But he knows that’s not the point. That’s merely how Connor views it, through the lenses wrought from his own world.]
It isn't like I can change my entire personality at the drop of a hat. I'm still. . . me, no matter what.
[Akira has that unshakable core as well, that part of him that guides his ideals and his actions. adaptability is just. . . you know. a strength]
As for what we used them for-- [hesitation] -- we used them to fight monsters in the cognitive world. The, ah. Metaverse. They were dangerous monsters, and left alone they would've hurt a lot of people.
[he purposefully couches it in those terms, because. . . well. Rion, Kou and Dave know about heart stealing, but while he trusts Connor enough to tell him about Personas and the Metaverse? he'd like to get to know him a little better before he delves right into what, exactly, the Phantom Thieves were capable of]
[Thankfully, Connor would have no way of knowing that Akira is withholding certain bits of information based on what he's said; it's hard not to get caught up in the questions that come from on this alone.]
The cognitive world? You mean, a world made of... [He's stretching his assumptions here, since he can't possibly base any of his guesses off of experience.] ...the thoughts of others?
[He only did, really, because he didn't know what else to equate to the word cognitive. But he's pleased to have guessed correctly, as all detectives seem to do.]
How did you discover such a place? I'm surprised to hear that an app even exists -- is it common knowledge?
That sounds almost malicious. That something would appear without warning, and toss you into a dangerous situation... You might have lost your life against these 'monsters' you told me about.
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Word for word, then-]
Why do you think you were chosen to be a member of the Circle?
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Do you want to meet in person? I'd rather answer that way.
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Where can I find you?
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[He had spent several hours there himself, slowly recovering after tossing himself in the eye of the Storm.]
I won't be long. Wait for me, please.
[He's true to his word -- Connor appears not long after, a handful of minutes at most, not having wandered off terribly far from where Akira is current situated anyway. The flap of the tent parts, and the android steps through the entrance to find Akira within.]
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[Connor will find Akira seated atop one of the cots, legs dangling over the edge, white bandages poking out from underneath his shirt sleeves and pant legs. looks like someone got a little scratched up during the mission, but hey. for the most part, he's totally fine]
[he lifts a hand, two fingers pressed against his temple in a greeting]
You must not have been far.
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I wasn't. [He can't really move very far, not in a still psuedo-recovering state. But no need to say that.
He eyes the bandages.]
You're hurt?
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Only a little bit. I've had worse. Are. . . you okay?
[he's holding himself taut and straight like an arrow]
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[An immediate reply, though Connor believes it to be correct. Compared to how he was before, he certainly does qualify as fine.]
The Storm was... not kind to my systems or hardware, but I knew that going in. I've had some time to recover in this very tent, and I promise that my current functions have been stabilizing since.
[He tries to offer a friendly quirk of a smile.]
Besides, I didn't come here to just talk about how badly the Storm treated all of us. You were wanting to speaking face to face about... what we mentioned?
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[Akira shifts, patting the space on the cot next to him]
Come on and sit. You're allowed to relax a little bit. Then we'll talk.
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I don't really need to "relax", but I appreciate the offer anyway.
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I really do believe Astoria's recruitment is random. But, on the off chance that it isn't. . .
I think I was chosen because of my Personas.
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Your 'Personas'? Can you clarify?
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Everyone has a mask with which they face society. Something that helps them cope with adversity. A "Persona," so to speak.
A select few of those people can manifest that Persona into a physical being to fight for them. That Persona usually takes on the form that best represent's that person's soul.
[and then he drops his hand back into his lap]
I can't use that ability anymore, but it's still something "abnormal." If you want to call it that.
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It’s simultaneously straightforward and dredges up a hundred more questions. Obvious by the way the LED on his temple flickers several times before he even opens his mouth to question anything.]
You’re right, that is generally considered abnormal. [TO SAY THE LEAST, BUT. He accepts this as a valid explanation, because why not, after these past few months? He finds it’s hard to disbelieve much these days.]
So then… what does your mask look like? Or rather, the ‘physical being’ that it becomes?
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As for my Persona, I'm unique. Most people only have one Persona, because they only have one Personality.
I have over one hundred, and can swap them at will. Most of them take on the form of famous characters from history and mythology. That is what's called the power of the "wild card."
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Over a hundred. Meaning that your own personality is that malleable?
[He looks at Akira, not really skeptically, but as if seeing him in a different light than before. Wondering what to make of what he already knows of the young man.]
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"Malleable" isn't the right word.
[he corrects, as though he can read Connor's skepticism]
"Adaptable" is a more accurate term.
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That’s… amazing, to be honest. The applications of having such an adaptable personality would be advantageous in various social situations.
[But he knows that’s not the point. That’s merely how Connor views it, through the lenses wrought from his own world.]
What did you do with these abilities?
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[Akira has that unshakable core as well, that part of him that guides his ideals and his actions. adaptability is just. . . you know. a strength]
As for what we used them for-- [hesitation] -- we used them to fight monsters in the cognitive world. The, ah. Metaverse. They were dangerous monsters, and left alone they would've hurt a lot of people.
[he purposefully couches it in those terms, because. . . well. Rion, Kou and Dave know about heart stealing, but while he trusts Connor enough to tell him about Personas and the Metaverse? he'd like to get to know him a little better before he delves right into what, exactly, the Phantom Thieves were capable of]
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The cognitive world? You mean, a world made of... [He's stretching his assumptions here, since he can't possibly base any of his guesses off of experience.] ...the thoughts of others?
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[he seems pleased that Connor got it in one guess]
A world parallel to our own. We had to use a navigational app on our phones to get there.
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How did you discover such a place? I'm surprised to hear that an app even exists -- is it common knowledge?
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That's. . . kind of the weird part.
I woke up one day to a mysterious app on my phone. I didn't know what it did, but I couldn't delete it no matter how hard I tried.
And then, on my way to school, the app activated itself and sucked me and one of my friends into the cognitive world.
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Beg your pardon?
[Akira, that sounds, well-]
That sounds almost malicious. That something would appear without warning, and toss you into a dangerous situation... You might have lost your life against these 'monsters' you told me about.
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