Rikkyo Hall Dorm, After School

BGM: Shadow

Cruz shaked his head as the world changed. When he saw many creatures were attacking, he panicked. After some time, Cruz knew that he was under the effects of the Lhermitte effect. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't. "W-What are those things?! Where did they come from?! What did happen to the world?!", he said. As soon as he spoke, Shadows appeared and started to approach him. Then, he heard Igor's voice in his head. "And this, are Shadows. They are extremely dangerous beings which live inside people's minds... Your only opportunity against them is using a Persona, now, I wonder, who'll be the first one to awaken it? After all, to summon it, you need to feel a really strong emotion. I hope you have something at your disposal that will help you in this, let's say, endeavor.", it spoke.

"P-Persona?! What is that supposed to be?! Isn't that simply a word related to psychics?!", he said. As a Shadow tried to slash him, Cruz rolled and ran to the group's direction. Then, he saw Ken summoning his Persona. T-That's a Persona?! But... where did he got such emotion?!, he thought. As he was running, however, a Shadow striked him and he fell. The Shadows started their approach, as Cruz tried to get up, but that attack left him unable to get up. That did hurt... now, I'm going to be killed for sure...!!, he thought.

As people started coming in and introducing them self, Kazu closed his book and smiled at everybody. "Kazu Okano, I'm a second year. All I ask, is that you don't touch this scarf okay?" Kazu asked, yet as soon as he finished everything began reflecting again, this made Kazu sigh as he opened his book. "Here it goes again." He spoke out loud, yet suddenly he heard a screech and saw something seep through the floor. If this was some special effects the school did every now and then, they did one hell of a job at it.

"And this, are Shadows. They are extremely dangerous beings which live inside people's minds... Your only opportunity against them is using a Persona, now, I wonder, who'll be the first one to awaken it? After all, to summon it, you need to feel a really strong emotion. I hope you have something at your disposal that will help you in this, let's say, endeavor."

Kazu heard this voice goo off again, which made him grit his teeth. "Shadows? I don't know why, but I feel this voice is mocking me." Kazu mumbled to himself as he felt his left eye start warming up, and when a shadow went to slash at him, Kazu held up his book, and the creature tore right through it. "Well.... it's real." Kazu said jumping away from it, and then seeing the others start saying Persona, then summoning these creatures to kill these shadows. Kazu couldn't believe his eye, black blobs that attacked, people that can summon things to fight them. This seemed like one big joke, but yet it seemed real enough as well.

Hoshiko only looked perplexed as Touko leaped up and complimented her hair after inspecting it thoroughly. She had never told anyone it was natural. "Wow, you've got good eyes! Though I would have never guessed that your hair was dyed, it's gorgeous!" Hoshiko encouraged, before realizing a few of the people there weren't in her class. Introductions were in order. "Oh, and I'm Hoshiko Koizumi, a second year in Class 2-4. Pleasure to meet all of you!" The girl gave a slight bow, before returning to daydreaming or listening to her new dorm-mates.

Then, out of nowhere, the floor once again glossed over into a mirror, the blobs on the other side moving and writhing. From the look on everyone's faces in the room, they were seeing it, too. However, this time would be different. Once they caught wind of them, a foul shriek pierced the air and the blobs seeped through. They had terrible claws and creepy masks, straight out of a horror film. The voice from before rang out once more in her mind, "And these, are Shadows. They are extremely dangerous beings which live inside people's minds... Your only opportunity against them is using a Persona, now, I wonder, who'll be the first one to awaken it? After all, to summon it, you need to feel a really strong emotion. I hope you have something at your disposal that will help you in this, let's say, endeavor."

What the heck was a Persona? And these Shadow things, they were just hallucinations, right? Hoshiko believed this, until Ken was slashed by the claws of a Shadow, drawing blood.

"Blood?..." Hoshiko's normally bright eyes clouded with pain and fear, recalling the bloodied body of her sister in that alley. Her hand went to the ring on her finger, the band nearly pulsing. "Aki...Make it stop!" Her eyes grew fierce, and by instinct alone, her hand moved in a circle in the air, "Persona" leaving her mouth as she did so. The circle became opaque, cracking, before a blond woman in pink garb with wings of the same hue burst forth with a shatter, and took her place behind Hoshiko. A white bow and quiver of arrows were her weapons. A name found it's way into Hoshiko's mind. "Cupid..." She whispered, before taking a step forward.

Something turned her attention to Ken's wound, and Cupid was nodding her head. Hoshiko nodded in response, telling her to go ahead and...do whatever it was she could to help Ken. The Persona raised her hand, encasing it in a pink glow. As she did this, so did Ken's leg, sealing the wound and hopefully alleviating the pain. Hoshiko was beginning to understand her role in this battle, although that didn't necessarily mean she understood anything else.

Rei grimaced a bit at the turn the little conversation took, it seemed the underclassmen didn’t find any amusement in her entrance. This group wasn’t off to a good start making her somehow wish she could just go back to the orphanage of all places. The girl gave a huff, leaning an elbow against the arm of the chair and setting her hand in her chin as one of the other girls started fawning over a blonde girls hair. ”If they're going to get cliquey this is really gonna suck...” She thought to herself, mind wandering idly for the next few moments.

That is, until a strange feeling began to intrude on her senses. A strange feeling that was now distinctly familiar. The girls eyes widened and she looked down to see the writhing mass of shadowy horrors down below that mirrored floor. She sprung up from her chair, quickly realizing the shadows had no intention of staying in their own little world this time. The voice once again echoing through her head only made her more anxious. Shadows, personas, strong emotions and monsters in peoples minds? It all sounded absurd.

Yet here they stood, those shadowy foes glaring down at the group of teens. And in the following moments, something stranger still. Several new, foreign figures burst forth into battle with the shadows. Were those personas? There wasn’t time to think about it, one of the shadows was already coming at her. The girl quickly fumbled in the bag at her hip, pulling a pocket knife from within. She flipped the blade open and swung at the shadow as it lunged with its claws. The blade sliced clean through its fingers, and for a moment she felt a surge of adrenalin. But it didn't last long, the creatures fingers mended themselves soon as the blade passed through.

”I'm not gonna die here... and I'm not about to trust these guys to keep it from happening...” Rei muttered to herself, her teeth clenched together and her body shaking from fear. The others were already fighting but these things just seemed to keep coming, there was no way of knowing when it would end. She wasn’t about to leave herself defenseless. She shoved the pocket knife away and replaced it with her mp3 player and headphones. With the enemy approaching once more she quickly shoved them on and thumbed through the player for a specific track. She took a breath and pressed down on the play button.

”Persona...” She stated tentatively just as the sound rang through her ears, causing her eyes to widen. In the next moment the wind behind her picked up causing to tense up. But she didn’t have time to turn to see the cause. Another voice rang in her mind, one unfamiliar from the others that had previously, and a pair of shadows lunged forward. ”I am thou... and Thou art I... From the sea of thy soul, I awaken...” In that moment an armor clad figure stepped to intercept the lunching shadows, its blade cleaving through the enemies in a single motion which then sputtered and dissipated into the air.

”Dullahan...” She stated looking upon the figure as if by memory. Seemingly taking it as a command the persona turned and swung an outstretched hand over Rei's shoulder, the eyes of the severed head it held springing open and striking down another target that began to approach from behind. Looking around once again Rei tried to properly process all the stimuli coming from the monsters and the persona, but it was impossible. The entire situation was too sudden to even hope to understand in the thick of things.

Sorathhuss, one of the oldest Dragons The name and title came into Ken's mind automatically. Multiple others had their Personae now as well. The Dragon roared and flitted about the room, slashing at shadows and burning others. It was a dervish of offensive power, and Ken leaned back on the wall with a satisfied grin as it and the other's cleared the room of monsters.

The shadows creeping underneath the ground seemed too scared of the persona wielders to continue to surface, and just remained where they were. "If only we could get to them, wipe them all out, and stop this madness." Since indeed, it appeared everybody was sharing a hallucination, that would make it not a hallucination at all, but rather something real, something beyond the grasp of humanity was occurring. But why was it targeting these teenagers? As the last of the Shadows got crushed under his Dragon's talons, he bade it to vanish, and it did just as easily as it had arrived.

Ken didn't speak in the pandemonium he was sure would ensue, he just remained back by the wall. Who are these people? and why do they all have this power too? now that I know I can fight the Lhermitte Effect, I don't really need them, though I guess I'm stuck with them because of dorming. I wonder how Sorathhuss would match up against the others? probably wouldn't even be a fair contest, heh.

Tsukiko silently commanded that Zeus loose lightning bolt after lightning bold into the shadows, killing them one after another. She followed up with her own weapon, The fighting was over almost before it was started, and she told the Persona to leave, feeling far more spent than she thought she should. Looking around to see very little changed by the fighting, she asked the most obvious question she could right then.

"What the hell was that?" She rasped, speaking through her heaving chest, "I don't mean what's it called, I heard just as well as I assume the rest of you did. I mean what the actual hell? That was a bit more than a hallucination." She moved over to the couches and nearly fell down onto them, dropping the lamp as she went.

Things were just plain crazy. Touko's senpais were summoning dragons and whatnot to fight off the monsters. She couldn't be mad at Ken, since he had saved her, but still, the way he pushed her away was downright rude. The only thing Touko could do now was crawl into some corner and wait for everything to finish. She covered her ears as she facethe corner, constantly repeating to herself. "Onii-chan... Onii-chan, help me... Onii-chan!" As she was doing that, the floor suddenly returned to its original state. "What?" She slowly turned to see the others. The fight was over, the Shadows had disappeared and the Personas along with them. What had just happened, was a total mystery for Touko. As if searching for some kind of emotional support from her already deceased brother, she crawls towards Ken, yet again. She clings to his leg. "A-are they gone? Did you chase them away?"

Right now, she seemed more like a kid. Her fear was overpowering her, so she tried to cling to whatever was closer and resembled her brother the most, in this case, Ken, though just for the fact that he was a man.

As everyone was trying to get things to settle in, Kaminari opened the door of the dorm. "We are here." He announced his arrival, though he was dumbfounded as he arrived and saw everyone scattered through the room. "Umm.... Am I interrupting something? Is this some kind of, what you call it, roleplay?" He scratched the back of his head looking at them. He then cleared his voice, before proceeding. "Anyway, some of you may know me, but for those who don't.... I am Mikihito Kaminari, the one in charge of this dorm. I hope we can get along, students." He gives a slight bow, before getting into serious mode. "Now, can you all tell me, why the hell are you all like this?! And what just happened to you lot? Can't you be a little more respectful of the dorm you'll be staying in?!" After that, Kaminari lectured everyone in the dorm thoroughly for at least half an hour.

Even so, Touko tried to explain what had happened, in the best way she could, but for Kaminari, it was just senseless rambling. "So, you're telling me that monsters attacked you and that you kids, fought back with monsters of your own? Do you really expect me to believe this? I am sure you are just getting anxious about that famous 'Lhermita effect' or whatever, that is rolling around this days. Or maybe you are just tired. Just go to your rooms." He dismissed everyone, with a kind voice, but he knew that maybe some of them wouldn't do so. And to be honest, he was still angry for how he found them, some clinging to others and others hiding, he even thought he saw someone carrying a lamp. He slams his fist on the desk and some of his veins start popping up in his bald head. "Now. If I see any of you outside of your rooms, I'll be sure to make you regret it." He said, now in a deep, scary voice.

The students really didn't have much of an option now, and night had already fallen a while ago, while they were trying to get through to Kaminari. Thus, Touko resigned and decided to return to her room. Though she couldn't leave things like that. She'd be sure to make everyone explain what had just happened.

---

Some time later, with midnight approaching, Touko got out of her room, with a bunch of little papers resting on her hands. She double checked to be sure that Kaminari wasn't around. She started passing through every room and knocking on the door, though she wouldn't answer and would just slide the little piece of paper under the door, the knock was mostly just to get the attention of whoever was in. She left one paper in every room, even in the vacant ones, since she didn't know who was in which. And in the paper it said:

Let's meet during lunchtime tomorrow, behind the gym. --Touko

Whether that would lead to some misunderstanding between the boys, she didn't really care, she just wanted answers, though they would be given to her sooner than she thinks.

Cruz ran to the group after some time, hiding behing the new Persona-users. He was scared, wondering what did happen to the world. I don't get it... what's the most logical explanation for this?! I... I just want it to end!! Someone wake me up from this nightmare!!, he said, closing his eyes and holding his head. He was shaking terribly, almost at the verge of crying like a baby would if it didn't had its milk. Then, everything returned to normal. Cruz slightly opened his eyes, and then, he saw the floor. Everything seemed to be in pure wreckage. "T-They're gone... thank goodness...!", he said. Cruz tried to hold his breath while thinking. What could have called those things? How did these Personas appeared? There were so many questions, and Cruz had the slightest idea of how to answer them. All that he thought was on how that did happen.

BGM: Troubled

Then, a man opened the door. He announced his arrival and looked at everything. Surely, he seemed dumbfounded. Cruz knew that anyone who would enter the dorm now would stay the same way as he stood. He intoduced himself as Mikihito Kaminari, the one in charge of the dorm. Although he seemed to be rather calm, Cruz was right on having an feaful image of him, as after that he started to lecture anyone about the situation of the dorm. I guess if we explain to him, he won't believe. Why would he?, Cruz though.

However, Touko tried to explain what had happened. For Kaminari, her words were simply nonsense. He dismissed everyone, yet Cruz was trying to think. I wonder if someday we will be able to prove that. Maybe if we try to think hard on this... no, there's no way that we can prove that right now..., he thought. And, even if there was a way to prove it, was it good to prove it or let it hidden? Another dilemma raised in Cruz's head. He scratched his head, while trying to keep himself calm. He walked a little slower than usual, since the hit from the Shadow back then was hard. He really wanted to go in his new room.

Ugh, of course he doesn't believe us, it's best to just go with whatever he'll believe and brush it off, if he isn't seeing the stuff, he'll never believe it Ken was frustrated with their authority figure, and with everybody else for trying to explain things to him that he would never believe. Ken remained utterly silent through all the proceedings, helped clean up the mess (though the blood stains were kind of a pain to get rid of) and retired to his room.\

He spent the rest of the night doing research, on personae, shadows, the LE, he found very little, mostly occult ramblings, but what he found was intriguing. Personae represent your inner self, and grant their wielders power to combat demons, both their own and others. His mind wandered back to the dream he had the night before, tarot cards, a familiar voice. Suddenly all the memories came back to him and he recalled the dream in full. "Was it a prophecy? was it telling me, no, us, to prepare? is that strange man on our side or not... he seems to be, but you can never trust fortune tellers." He decided to just head off to sleep, in the morning, he would see the note left by Touko, and seeing no reason to ignore it, would show up with the group for an actual meeting behind the gym.

After the situation began to cool down and the shadows had been dispatched Rei couldn’t help but groan in disgust. Not at the life threatening events that had just came and went, she was already sufficiently shell-shocked from the ordeal, but at the underclassman clinging to the leg of one of the guys. Her childish muttering only made it more despicable to her. ”What're you, a bro-con? Ugh...” She scoffed under her breath, turning her sight away in time to watch her own persona dissipate into the ether as the room thankfully returned to its normal carpet floored state. For the first time since the fight broke out Rei looked to her hand which had begun to sting, three deep scratches ran across it, no doubt from the shadows claws. The pain was an unwelcome reminder that what had just happened was as real as real could get.

When she heard the door click open she looked towards it, towards the burly teacher that ended. Her good hand quickly met her face, Kaminari couldn’t have picked a worse time to show up. Despite everything she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed to even be seen in the room, and the younger girl trying to explain what happened to a grown adult only made it worse. No one in their right mind would believe such an absurd story, she could hardly even believe she wasn’t hallucinating from a gas-leak or something herself. Rei was already grabbing her bag and turning to head up to her room before the teacher even gave the order. She hadn’t even got to pick a room before things went south, no matter how you looked at it the first day in the dorm was a disaster.

The girl ran up the stairs to the girls floor and picked an empty room, tossing her bag inside and heading immediately to one of the bathrooms where she carefully applied disinfectant to the scratches and bandaged her hand up, wincing at the contact to the wound. After returning to her room her next few hours would be spent unpacking and getting used to the new surroundings. It was your average dorm room, a desk with a laptop, a bed, a dresser and a small TV. She imagined the room could have felt small to anyone with their own room at home, but it was certainly less cramped then she was used to. After everything that happened Rei was simply content to lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling half asleep for the rest of the night. Still she was awoken around midnight when a sheet of paper slid under her door and she reluctantly had to retrieve it. She only gave it a quick glance before returning to bed, that was all it needed and she felt much too exhausted to care for doing much else before finally falling to sleep.

---

The night was late, well after each of the dorm residents had fallen into a deep sleep. In each of their minds a sound would play against their subconscious. A click, and the slow creaking of door hinges. And then, a voice, starting as if blurred and distant but growing closer, clearer with each word. ”Welcome to the Velvet Room” The feminine voice called out to each of the residents, bringing their minds to lucidity in the gently swaying blue coated room.

”Today you have all faced the first of many ordeals to come in your journey.” Priscilla spoke calmly as she stood behind the desk of the Velvet Room. The heavy time she carried was set upon it and Igor was absent from the room. ”I had feared I would have to intervene to spare your lives but in the end you managed to scrape by on your own abilities, congratulations!” The woman continued with a bright smile on her face, giving a short applause for the group before speaking once more. ”For this I am glad, my master would have frowned upon such an intrusion and I shudder to think how you would even begin to explain the damage my intervention could have caused!” Priscilla slouched a bit and shook her head for a moment before quickly straightening her posture and giving a light 'ahem', seemingly embarrassed at the rambling digression.

”But I digress, you were not brought here for a simple chat. In your strife some of you have awakened to your persona! And with that, it is my duty to log your progress in the compendium. Furthermore, in the awakening of your persona the arcana which ties you and your persona together becomes clear!” The woman spoke enthusiastically as she looked between the group, the book sat upon the table flipping open as if on its own accord. ”Now, those of you that have summoned your persona please step forward. I will take log and if you wish inform you of the arcana that has risen within.”

Priscilla paused for a moment once again before raising an index finger toward the ceiling with a small huff. ”Though, I am required by my master to state that it is entirely your choice if you wish to be told of your arcana. The implications of such things may be... disturbing to some. Along with this I am also required to state that any information divulged in regards to an arcana is strictly private between myself and the holder. I am not permitted to speak to anyone other than the arcana's holder about such things.” The attendant delivered the legal-esque information quickly in a single breath, letting out a puff of air when she finally finished and looked back towards the group with a smile once more. ”Now then, please step forward. And by all means if you have any questions do feel free to ask, I shall do my best to answer.”

Once the last Shadow fell, Hoshiko's chest heaved and she felt drained. With each arrow Cupid had fired, some of her strength went with it. Her Persona had faded away, and the floor returned to normal. The second year fell to the floor, leaning against a wall. "Wow, that was rough..." She said exasperatedly, not even trying to question what exactly that was. Her mind was much too tired for that. Touko was holding onto Ken's leg for dear life, which made Hoshiko sort of sad. They were all pretty shocked and terrified, but she seemed to be taking it especially hard.

It wasn't long after that when the teacher watching over the dorm came in, named Kanimari. He was a terrifying man, in his stature, and when he slammed his fist down to accentuate his point, Hoshiko darted up the stairs with little more than a scared "Yessir!". In her room, she got in her pajama pants (floral print, of course), and a white tank top, and began surfing the web for anything she could about what had occurred. The girl turned up little to nothing. Frustrated, she was ready for bed, but a knock followed by a note slipped under the door coaxed her to get up. It was from Touko, saying that they should all meet behind the gym at lunch. Nodding her head, Hoshiko placed the note on her desk, and laid down on her bed, ready for sleep.

---

In the dead of sleep, a creaking door brought Hoshiko's subconscious into the blue of the Velvet Room. Huh? This feels...familiar... She thought, before realizing the others were there as well. It was coming back to her now...this was where her dream from the night before came from! Hoshiko's eyes focused on the woman behind the desk, the old man seemingly not around. She congratulated them on their achievement, and how she was glad she didn't have to intervene. Intervene?...She hardly looks like she could do anything very destructive. Then again, neither do we... The girl thought to herself, remembering their Personas.

Priscilla offered to reveal to them the arcana they held, as she logged things in her book, asking the ones who had awakened their Persona to step forward. Weren't arcana those things on tarot cards that fortune tellers used? Like the ones from the first dream, and the old man! Tentatively, Hoshiko stood. "Well, I have no idea what these arcana have to do with things, but...sure, I'll give it a go." She smiled at Priscilla, before stepping forward a bit more.

As the last Shadow was beaten, Kazu just stood there speechless as everything seemed to settle down. All those Persona that a few of them summoned vanished and everything looked like it did a while ago, in fact it didn't look like much happened at all, besides one person moved a lamp. Kazu sighed and started on his way back to his room trying to make sense of what happened, when the teacher that was suppose to be watching over them came through the door. Kazu looked at the scene before him and simply smiled as he rubbed the back of his head. Well this wont go so well. Yet much to Kazu's surprise one of the girls tried to explain what just happened which made him stare blankly at her, and sure enough the teacher didn't believe it in the slightest. So Kazu simply went to his room when the teacher told everyone to do so. He saw someone slide a note under his door a few hours later and as he picked it up and read it, he rolled his eyes, and placed it on his desk as he went to bed.

yet he found himself to be in a familiar room, just minus a long nosed individual this time and with his assistant doing the explaining this time. As she spoke however he just stared at the ground. Wondering why he was even here, he didn't do what these other people did, all he could do was watch was unfolded, yet apparently he had to watch whatever events were going to unfold between her, and some of those others that did gain this Persona. I bet you would love this bro, this seems to much like a video game to me. Kazu thought to himself as he watched one of the girls give this arcana thing a shot.

Kaminari had opened the door just as Kratos disposed of the last few shadows, from where he was standing Ryu could see a few of the others' Personas mopping up the shadows inside. Good, it looked like the fighting was over for now, and with that thought Kratos faded into nothing. The young man cautiously followed Kaminari inside, taking stock of the people within. There was blood on the floor, and one of them had a cut on his leg. The others looked a little shocked and ragged but overall they seemed fine.

What happened next was.....Irritating to put it lightly. Kaminari started lecturing everyone in the vicinity because of a broken lamp and some blood, he even lectured Ryu when there was absolutely no way he could have possibly been involved. By the time it was over the sun had set and it was dark out, so the teacher sent them all to their rooms. Ryu decided it was more trouble then it was worth to argue, so with a defeated sigh he picked a random room.

He sat on the bed and sighed again,thinking on his situation and apparent predicament. "Of course, with everything that happened I didn't have the opportunity to go home and get anything, and Kaminari was very adamant about us not leaving our rooms. Damn it, I guess I'm stuck with what I've got. Still, I at least wish I had my tooth brush...." Just then a knock sounded at his door accompanied by a note sliding underneath. The note was simple paper requesting his presence behind the gym during lunch. Ryu didn't recognize the name, but it was fairly obvious they lived in the dorm, but he didn't have any particular interest in what the person had to say to him, his thoughts drifting to the last time he received a note like this. "No, that's the last thing I need." He tossed the note into the waste bin before reclining on the bed, sleep slowly overtaking him.

Ryu awoke, but he was not in the same place he went to sleep. However he recognized the blue walls and furniture, his memories of the night before coming back to him. He looked around, searching for the man with the large nose who introduced himself as Igor, however he was nowhere to be find. Instead the striking woman who was his assistant was there, saying things that Ryu just absorbed, not offering any comments or thoughts. Finally she asked for those who had summoned their Persona to step forward, Ryu didn't really know why something about Arcana, but he didn't really get it. So he stepped forward, interested in what the woman, Priscilla he remembered, would say to him. But he also had a few questions. "What is this place? What are Personas and Shadows? What is the Hour of Reflection?And how do you correlate to them?"

The Velvet Room attendant gave a nod as the first of the residents stepped forward and volunteered herself for a reading of her arcana. Priscilla made quick note of her persona in the compendium before producing a deck of cards from her sleeve. She then tapped lightly on the deck and lifted the top card, extending it out towards the blonde girl. ”The persona Cupid, she is bound to you by the lovers arcana. A heated romance, a strong friendship or a crossroads in life, I wonder what the card will come to represent for you.” Priscilla spoke directly to Hoshiko for only her to hear, the others would hear nothing, the face of the arcana card being masked by a sharp white glow obscuring its identity. ”Though do bare in mind, the arcana is only a prediction. It is by no means a fate set in stone! If you wish to know more do not hesitate to ask or visit anytime.” Priscilla gave a small bow to the girl before slipping the card back into the deck.

When the next person stepped up Priscilla turned her attention toward him in turn, once again repeating her routine of logging the persona into the compendium, the book seemingly turning to a page of its own accord. ”And yours... Kratos, the embodiment of power originating from Greek myth...” The woman said half to herself as she recorded its information, a pleasant smile spread across her features. When Ryu spoke she looked to him once again before standing straight. ”This place? Well, it is a world existing between the boundaries of dream and reality. A place of solace and sanctity for those who are chosen where only those chosen may enter.” She answered the first question matter of factually, pausing a bit before touching on the second. ”The Personas, they are a reflection of your inner most self, a power to face down your hardships, when properly used.” She gave another nod before humming to herself in thought, tapping a finger against the compendium. ”Shadows are... a more complicated matter. Beings of the other side I suppose you could say, the side human beings do not wish to see. Dangerous creatures surely but with anomalies all the same. Sometimes, I feel for the unfortunate things. Not all are so bad I have once heard.” Priscilla's voice grew less sure as she spoke, taking on a more contemplative whimsical tone, ending the sentence with a light shrug of the shoulders.

”But I digress, the Hour of Reflection. A mysterious time surely, and a recent phenomenon as well. A time where the two sides begin to bleed together. It is unpredictable and most are entirely blind to it. How they relate even I can not say for certain. I am merely a guide and an observer. After all, the search for answers is the very purpose you have all arrived here. I am sure you are all searching for something, even if you have yet to realize it.” Priscilla concluded her explanation once more.

Rei had stood in uncomfortable silence as she watched the first two step up to the attendant then listened to her explanations which did very little for her own understanding of the situation. Finally she brought herself towards the desk to have her own persona logged by the attendant. ”This one is... the Dullahan.” Priscilla spoke to herself noting down yet another persona, turning towards Rei with her ordinary warm smile which caused the brown haired girl to blush uncomfortably and glance away.

When Priscilla was done she looked towards the group again, clapping her hands together. ”Now then, I have one more matter to discuss with you all. We of the Velvet Room do not wish to make a habit of forcing you here as a group. After all our services are available whenever you wish. As such you are all being issued a key to the Velvet Room. Merely proceed to a dock within your city with your key and the door to the Velvet Room will appear to you!” As she spoke a faint light began to shine in each of the residents hands, a silver key marked with the mask of the arcana at the end and highlighted with the familiar blue appearing in each of their hands. ”You are now free to come and go as you wish. Those of you who have not yet awakened to your persona, please visit me when the time comes.” She concluded, gesturing to a single blue door which had appeared at the opposite end of the room.

During the whole session of the Velvet Room, Touko was completely silent, only gasping when the strange key appeared on her hand. At least she got some answers, but she couldn't help but to feel somewhat uneasy. What Priscilla said made it all the more so. That they should return when they 'Awakened to their Personas'. Did that mean that they too, would be able to summon those things from earlier? If so, what would hers be? Rather than scared, she was now somewhat anxious and thrilled to see what hers would be like.

She followed Priscilla's gesture with her eyes and looked at the door. Wait, weren't they in a boat? Where did that lead to? If the rest of the boat was as fashionable and expensive-looking as the Velvet Room, then a little tour was in order, boundaries or not, it was ought to be interesting. Touko hurriedly got out of her seat and opened the door... Only to find herself in a foreign room. She sprung to a sitting position. First the Velvet Room and now this? Was she kidnapped or something? She takes her cell and tries to dial her father's number and while she is waiting for him to pick up, she remembers that she is in the dorm. She hits herself on the face with her palm after she realizes it. She turns her phone off and gets out of her bed. She quickly dresses up and leaves the dorm. She thought she would have to walk all the way to the school now, and she didn't felt like bothering everyone else to get someone to accompany her. Besides, she wanted some time alone to think.

What the heck was that yesterday? It was all too surreal, yet it felt as real as life. Personas and Shadows, the Hour of Reflection. It felt like too much information to swallow up at once. But she had the gist of it. Basically, this 'Hour of Reflection' happened at random, so it'd be better to be prepared when it came down to it, right? Maybe buy a weapon or something. But, who would sell a teenager a weapon? It's not like she could go and tell them that she was being attacked by blobby monsters, they'd take her for crazy. It seems that the only thing she could do was ask one of this guys with a Persona to be with her at all times, so that she won't be killed. Or, she could awaken her own. Not that she had any idea on how to do it, though. Yesterday, everyone made it seem as a simple task, but when it goes down to it, would Touko be able to summon hers before being killed by the Shadows? It was better not to take any chances.

It seemed strange, though. She barely remembered the first time she visited the Velvet Room, but now she could vividly remember this encounter. The girl named Priscilla and the odd looking man named Igor, both of them were residents, and everyone in the dorm were their hosts. She recalled that Priscilla said something about a journey and the search for answers. What did she meant by that? What answers and answers to what? She felt that her brain was prone to overheating if she kept thinking so hard about things. She decided to give it a rest for now and gather information with the others later, if they decided to show up, that is.

The first part of the day went on without a major incident, no Hour of Reflection or Shadows, just teachers and students. Touko let out a sigh of relief, for not having to experience again the Hour of Reflection and the dreadful Shadows. She hurriedly headed to the rendezvous point that she had written on her note. She hoped that someone, if anyone, showed up. God knows when will the Hour of Reflection trigger in again, and for how long this time.

She thought that she was the first one to arrive, since no one was there when she arrived. Figures. Not like any of them would run there just to have a get-together like her, but she still expected to see them around as soon as she arrived. She crossed her arms and anxiously drummed her fingers on her arms. She was very anxious for some reason, maybe it was because no one would be there to help her if the Hour of Reflection were to happen right now? However, she had no option but to wait until everyone else decided to show up. "Come on, how long are you planning to make me wait?" She said to no one in particular in an irritated tone.

Tsukiko showed up shortly after, a bit out of breath. Seeing that the dorm mate who had called her here looked a bit miffed, she apologized when she drew to a stop.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I forgot my lunch down in my locker." she lifted the small bento box in her hand as proof, then managed to catch her breath. "So what did you want to know?"

The truth was she hadn't really forgotten the box, but she had gotten distracted thinking about things. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she had learned last night, about persona and shadows and arcana. "The Emperor Arcana," she heard Priscilla's voice again, as if she had just said it to her. She shooke her head and turned her attention back to the underclassmen.

Cruz saw himself in the Velvet Room with everyone again. He looked around, probably trying to figure why he was called there again. Soon, he noticed that only Priscilla was there. Igor was nowhere to be seen, yet Cruz looked around to see if he wasn't missing anything. However, he stopped and paid attention to Priscilla and her current actions. He saw these Arcanas and the Personas and started to question himself. Then she spoke that they could return whenever they wanted, but only when they had ther Personas awakened. Cruz received his Velvet Key and started to think... in a negative manner. Me... having a Persona? That will never happen... I'll live towards this Hour of Reflection, simply escaping as everyone else fights with their lives on the line. That's what I'm always doing... running away., he thought.

Then, following the gestures she made, he crossed the door. Probably this would be the last time he would even see the Velvet Room, as it seemed pointless for him to be called again. He looked back, wanting to hold a simgle portion of hope that he would come to see his Persona and that he would be important to someone. However, that hope was took by the wind, like if it was a leaf in a tree, ready to fall into the ground and be stomped by many. He closed his eyes and finally crossed the door.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The morning came up, as a little portion of the sun shined into Cruz, like always. He sook his head and got off his bed. Opening his locker and picking his uniform, Cruz's mind had the Velvet Room's image and wasn't able to think in anything else. Nevertheless, he changed his clothes and headed out. However, he saw a note into the ground. It seemed that Touko wanted to talk with everyone on the dorm. Do I really need to go? I don't see why I should go, but..., he shook his head and moved to the exit. Cruz didn't even thought about breakfast, he just wanted to end that day as soon.

As he got on school, there weren't many difficulties. Other than the gossiping and talkative students of his class, the lessons passed by the teachers were nothing too complicated for Cruz. He understood every single bit, but he did some annotations, in case he needed them. He thought if the Hour of Reflection would happen, with all those people oblivious to it. However, he knew it would be impossible something like that happen now. Somehow, he started to think in what exact moment the Hour of Reflection would happen. Then, the alarm rang.

Cruz walked to the rendezvous point and saw Touko and Tsukiko already there. He tried to remain normal, but he wasn't even wanting to go there. His mind was already setting that he would turn back and go away. But he knew that if he left now, they would get really angry. He didn't wanted to hear things like girls complaining at his ear. As he reached there, he looked at both of them. "I'm sorry for being late... But, where are the others? I hope that they hadn't forgotten about the meeting...", he spoke.

Kazu watched a few of those that got these Persona walk up the the lady, and then everything went mute, so it must be one of those private matters. Not that it really mattered to him, so far he had no involvement. When it seemed as though it was done, see gave them all this key called the Velvet key, which was to come back here. She also told those that when they awaken their Persona, to come back and meet her again. When she gestured towards the door, Kazu simply shrugged to himself, as he went to the door she motioned to and left this room on what was to be assumed as a boat.

As soon as Kazu woke up in his bed, he remembered the note that one of the girls probably slipped under everyone's door. "Might as well, it could be humorous. Yet why ask me? I'm normal in every way." Kazu said to himself, pulling his body out of bed and then got changed into the school uniform. And as soon as he was changed, he made his way to the school and went about the school work that was handed out in class. He took some notes from one of the harder subjects, yet that was it for the most part. So when the bell rang, Kazu then remembered that the Hour of Reflection didn't happen yet. So he almost decided not to go to the little meetup, yet he did so anyway packing up his stuff and walking out of the room.

By the time he got to the meet up he saw a few people there, certainly not everyone that got the note but yet some of them did arrive. He heard a few of them talking, so he gave a smile and a wave, as he pulled out a book from his bag, deciding to read it while he waited for the rest of the people to show. If they showed that was, for all they knew, this was as big as the group meetup was going to get.

A fiery romance? Wow...the thought was pretty shocking and exciting all at the same time! Hoshiko blushed a bit before sitting down at her seat, while the others went about their business. They even got some answers, vague as they were. Still. everything was too surreal...now they were being asked to go on a journey for answers? It was just so crazy...

Hoshiko gasped a little when the blue key appeared in her hand, and the door appeared at the side of the room. So they could come back whenever they wanted? Well, that'd be handy, as Hoshiko had plenty of things she wanted to know. She made a mental note to pay a visit to the docks whenever the chance presented itself. They all began to file out of the room through the new door, leading Hoshiko to awaken with a start in her bed. The Velvet Room and Priscilla were incredibly vivid in her memory...much more than a dream. Looking at the note on her desk, she remembered the meeting at lunch. Throwing on a light pink skirt, cork sandals, and a long sleeve white blouse after her shower, Hoshiko put her hair back in a pony tail with a flower tie, and headed off to school.

Classes were normal, and nothing unusual occurred. Thank goodness... Hoshiko sighed mentally, thankful that the Hour of Reflection didn't ruin the school day for her and the others. Lunch came soon enough, and Hoshiko began making her way to the meeting spot on the note left by Touko. She had to double back to get her lunch, though, so it took her a bit longer. When she arrived, only Cruz, Tsukiko, Kazu, and Touko herself was present. Hoshiko frowned a bit...had the others decided to ignore the note, or had they just gotten held up? Either way, Hoshiko was eager to hear what the first year, and everyone else, had to say. "Hey everyone! Wow, not a huge turnout, huh?" Hoshiko said, before sitting against the wall and taking out her boxed lunch.

Ryu didn't really get a lot else of what she said but he could understand some of it, and so he focused on what he did understand. "Kratos, Power. Then if a Persona is......Yes I see, my innermost-self is personified power." He frowned at Priscilla's weak answer in regards to the Hour of Reflection. "Of course, no one ever knows the key pieces that are needed. I suppose I will have to figure that stuff out myself huh?" At that point though Priscilla went on and addressed the next person in line, after that she said a few more things to the group as a whole, the summary Ryu managed was that those with Personas could enter individually and those without would have to wait and get theirs. That indicated that everyone present could, and would in fact get Personas.

Ryu awoke the next morning exhausted from the previous day's events. So he trudged through some semblance of a morning routine before realizing he had absolutely nothing aside from the clothes on his back and what he kept in his book-bag. A glance at the clock told him he wouldn't have enough time to run home and get anything before classes started, so he grit his teeth and accepted his fate. Oh well, it's not like he was ever out to impress anyone anyway.

The young man took his seat in the classroom, his clothes disheveled, his hair a mess, and dark circles under his eyes indicated to anyone who even glanced at him that he had a bad night. So if his natural demeanor wasn't enough of a deterrent, the zombie look would certainly serve to keep people away from him. And so classes went on as normal, lunch came and Ryu merely stuck to his routine, with his nose in a book. It was a pretty bad habit actually, he would get so absorbed in a book that he'd miss meals, sleep, important events even. At one point his Aunt had to make sure he was eating by watching him eat just to make sure. Ryu had somewhat broken the habit, but his current book had his full attention, it's title: Psychiatry of World War 1. Although, as he took a brief respite to digest a paragraph Ryu had the most eerie sense he was forgetting something.