@Krayzikk@Ayazi@Plank Sinatra@Write

Act (a): Climax

Daisuke's one-man assault upon the DRU forces that had dared attacked him was powerful and ruthless, but even humans, especially injured ones like the young part-timer, would falter if they kept up the fight for too long. The three drones he had initially struck were left crushed, the power behind his Persona-enhanced swings too much for their relative fragility to handle. Yet there were still more of them ahead of him, and no matter how rapidly he moved, they knew he would tire.

It was unfortunate for them, then, that Kimiko would save her supplier.

The young, capitalistic girl's fist slammed into the eerie, masked thing's face with all the force of a great typhoon and the strength of a raging fire, crushing its skull with a loud crunch. Whatever had been done to the strange ... device-creature, it had evidently weakened its body, turning it into really more or less a walking corpse. However, with its loss, something immediately changed. Its eyes stopped glowing, and across the makeshift battlefield, each and every DRU's golden optics flickered.

They stopped.

Blue returned briefly to their eyes, and slowly and surely, each and every single one of them began to shut down.

The golden fog slowly dissipated away into the air.

Only Kimiko's stolen DRU, it seemed, had survived.

The battle was over.

---

@Suku

School Side - NPC: Philemon

"They are the ... gods and demons ... you harbour within you," explained the entity, voice seeming to clip as it spoke to the youths. "A manifestation of the masks ... the many and varied selves ... you hold within."

A legion crumbled before her jab.

Her faithful DRU was still behind her; turning coats had somehow ensured its survival amidst the automaton purge. Clearly prolonged exposure to Kimiko-chan was sufficient enough to inoculate it from the Up-Down-All-Around-Take-The-Demon-to-Pound-Tound Haymaker she had perfected by watching Daisuke-kun.

She had never seen him punch, mind.

But if he did...it would probably look like that. And he'd probably name it that.

She looked at the space where the golden fog had been the thickest - the place where the mask, and its twisted imitation of a vessel, had been exerting its influence.

Stared at it for a while, lips pursed slightly.

Her tummy rumbled.

Time to lick her wounds. And some salt from her fingertips.

She rode DRU back out of the truck, straddling the pizzabot with her legs wrapped around its head and her hands underneath her butt. She stretched one out to Daisuke-kun...and poked the head of his makeshift staff curiously. Her eyes had taken on their normal disinterested air. Her hair was kinky, ginger bangs half-obscuring them from view. Kimiko's cheeks puffed out, as if to sigh in exhaustion...then deflated, like a bullfrog's.

She didn't even spare a glance at the robot corpses around Daisuke-kun.

"I'm a pretty cool kid."

Only that could explain how she had stopped a whole invasion with one blow from these thermite hands.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd say so." The delinquent agreed, managing a quick laugh as he surveyed the carnage. Three wrecked DRUs in front of him, and more further away. Six just shut down. The rest of them all shut down, too, but they were further than him. These were the six left of the ones trying to kill him. He glared at them, almost like he expected them to suddenly come back to life, but was (secretly) relieved that they stayed inert. Whatever Kimiko had done up at the truck had shut them all down. Daisuke counted, as best he could, about fifty more of the machines from hell. They'd never have managed to beat them all.

He had a hell of a story to tell now, though. If it weren't for the fact no one'd believe him.

The adrenaline crashed harder than the truck, though, and he leaned heavily on his staff as the extent of how much he hurt hit home. Stab marks on his back, the fact that he couldn't see 'em didn't make 'em hurt any less. His shirt was ruined. Pizza buzzsaw had torn most of it, and blood was staining the rest. Which, speaking of, he really needed to figure out how to stop. His face felt like a mess, too, and he was pretty thankful he couldn't see it. The Miyamoto son wasn't a vain guy, far from it, but he'd seen his face after a good punch often enough. And this certainly felt worse.

How the hell am I gonna explain this one to Sachiko?

"Anyone know if there's a world-record-sized bottle of aspirin around here? Maybe some stitches?"

"We should go to McDonald's."

Daisuke looked hungry, too. Some food in his stomach would perk him right up.

"We can get you a cup of ice."

DRU would probably take well to McDonald's. Perhaps, as the sole survivor of his unit, he would appreciate Kimiko enough to be retrained for fast food retrieval over time. Like a pet. A futuristic robot pet. Her moms would probably be happy. There was less cleanup with a robot.

Daisuke looked pretty beat up on top of looking hungry. Kimiko's eyes drooped, as though she were about to drop right there and take a nap. Her mouth quirked downwards slightly, then up into a faint smile.

"Come on. Let's find Guitar-chan and we can all get some fries together. You'll feel better."

@Plank Sinatra@Krayzikk

NPC: Sasori Yoshinori - Act 1 Aftermath

"Now ain't a good time to lam off and horse around, little bird," said the smooth, dulcet tones of Sasori Yoshinori, private detective, as he approached Kimiko and Daisuke. The emerald-haired shamus had replaced his bat (translator's note: police baton) for a dingy-lookin' portable horn (translator's note: pocket-size folding telephone with a very thin carbon microphone), obviously intent on buzzing the fellas up and grill them for the wire. It was on his dime and all, so he needed to mosey up. "Kid's mug's far from lookin' peaches; someone's gotta fix up that conkin' before anybody dips the bill."

He glanced down at Daisuke, noting the two googs the youth had developed when sappin' the crawlers. Real mill, that'd been, so he immediately reached into his pocket and grabbed a roll of bandages, chucking it lightly towards the boy.

"You and your moll there should skip outta here with me," he added. "Get our noggins together and get some jack outta it. I could get some more help for that bleedin' beezer too."

...

"Are you hungry, too?"

She knew this man's alien tongue well. Her mothers had used it to vex her occasionally as a child, whenever she'd watched anything too hard-boiled before bedtime and asked about the cool adventures they had taken on as gumshoes. The replies were all in this unintelligible quicksilver dialect that made Kimiko's eyebrow twitch funny.

"If you want our help..."

For whatever reason. They had just been walking to McDonald's.

"...I hope you like McDonald's."

They would reach their destination.

"I understood like, one outta three sentences there. You come with a translator or somethin'?"

The reformed(?) delinquent didn't mean to come off defensive, but under the circumstances it wasn't hard to see why he might've. Bandages were easy to understand, though, and Daisuke nodded his head in thanks. Benkei walked, without any external prompting, across the battlefield towards where the two students had been coming from when the shit hit the fan. The representation of the long dead warrior monk sidestepped fallen pizza bots from Hell where necessary, grabbing Daisuke's backpack with one hand and bike with the other before beginning his return trip. The bike was deposited next to the teen, supported by the same hand that had carried it, while the Persona held out the backpack for Daisuke to take. The monk got a nod, too, while Daisuke fished his water bottle out and pulled off his thoroughly ruined shirt.

First off, a splash of cold water helped wash the blood off his face. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but he wasn't going to be able to go anywhere looking like he did. Same went for the wounds on his back. The motions were almost automatic, like he'd had plenty of practice, which was a theory backed up when he pulled a few smaller bandages and a small bottle of alcohol out of a side pocket of the bag. He tore off a piece of the ruined shirt to soak up some of the alcohol, wincing faintly when he dabbed it across the abrasions on his face and back.

"Thanks for the help," He continued while covering the abrasions on his face with the bandages from the bag, and starting the process of wrapping bandages around his torso to cover the wounds on his back. He tossed the roll back to the new guy once he was done, knocking back what looked like a generic painkiller from a bottle in his bag with a swallow from his water bottle. A plain t-shirt went on once he pulled it out of his bag, backpack looped over the shoulder that felt a little less shitty. He really, really hoped he still had a spare uniform shirt. "But who are you?"

Don't you put that s--

--hirt on.

You will read her thoughts one day, Daisuke-kun.

"He said it's not a good time for us to go to McDonald's and fill our stomachs in my usual manner," she translated. "You are normally very attractive but currently look like an unprepared Quarter Pounder. He's offering us a ride to find out why the pizza robots went haywire and attacked us so ferociously. And the origins of the mask that I gave these hands to. He also says he can help your face while we're there."

She'd need to strike a bargain with this man. If he had information on what was going on, then they should probably take him up on it. But she would need to prove she was no pushover. She would have her lunch.

"No can do, op," she replied fluidly. "This nance and his mug are both mine. Now, the last thing we mind is screwing. Especially not if it means we can crab why those pizza wobblies went off the track - or why they went all jingle-brained and dropped like weak sisters when I sang that evil mug some chin music. But I ain't no bunny, and I know my worth better than any joy girl. I wanna chew. McDonald's. You grab the babe with the guitar and hack us to McDonald's, and I won't call copper to any of our parents about this."

She looked over her shoulder to Daisuke.

"My parents are a couple of slacks. Been private dicks since I was a twerp. You know that, ya palooka. I had to pick up the lingo."

Then back to the detective.

"That's our deal. Grab the kiki with the guitar case, hack us to the burger joint, and we'll drop a dime. Otherwise we're crushing out."

Sakura had remained quiet for most of the conversation. Now that the crisis seemed to be over, she suddenly didn't feel like bringing attention to herself. Instead, she had gradually drifted so she stood behind Jin while the others had been talking to the floating mask.

"Jin." She said softly, grabbing their sleeve to get their attention. "It's alright if you want to leave this behind. I'll stay, and I'll make sure you stay safe at least." Her voice was earnest, but it quavered a little with nervousness. She looked away, trying to hide her fear at the idea of facing more monsters like this without them. "I'll be fine, really."

@chukklehed

Jin had been about to speak, but when Sakura grasped their sleeve, they stopped to listen. Sakura was... going to do the protecting? Sweet, quiet, Sakura?

"...nah." Jin laid their hand over Sakura's, giving it a slight squeeze. "It's my job to look after you. And that's what I'll be doing. I just need a better weapon, and some answers." The bow and arrows were good, but Jin was already thinking about something lighter and more versatile. If they were going to be fighting endless waves of monsters, Jin would need a weapon that had a lot of ammunition. That, and maybe knowing who their enemy was would help the fight.

While they were displeased about Aki's sucking up to this Philemon person, Jin had to admit that upsetting the person who had the way out was probably a good plan. "So... why are we here, for real? Is it just us who can get these... gods and demons and whatever? Why do we need them?"

Daisuke, truth be told, only understood about every third word of what was being said. By either party. Kimiko's translation of the unknown man's first comments had been quite helpful, but then she started doing it too. Her parents were both detectives, so he wasn't really surprised she'd picked up the lingo at some point, but his weren't. Did Personas come with translation features? Probably not, Benkei was silent. And Daisuke already spoke Japanese. So the languages the warrior monk might know were pretty useless. So he'd have to do this the old fashioned way.

The delinquent listened close, focusing less on individual words and more on sentences. The gestures she was making. The words he did know. Every other noun was useless, but he could tell subjects from where she gestured; pronouns too. He didn't know what 'nance' meant, and he certainly wasn't spending the time to ponder what 'screwing' meant here, but 'nance' was him. Apparently. 'Kiki with the guuitar case' was guitar girl. Who hadn't said much, he wondered where she was... Not the point.

Seems like she was saying they should get food, then talk.

"McDonalds have drive-thrus." Daisuke added helpfully. "We could pile in the car, get Kimiko her fries, and then go somewhere to talk."

Senhime|Lost In thoughts

Masks, gods, and demons? All of it seemed odd like it couldn't possibly be real. But with that said she couldn't really deny it considering what she just been through. Masks she thought to herself so a facade she wore to face not only herself but the future? Was that what all of this was her "mask" given shape and form? But what about what happened with the shadow like creature she just faced than? This made no sense but she assumed that with what happened things were not bound to make a lot of sense. "This just makes no sense" she muttered quietly to herself as she gathered her thoughts together.

@Mistress Dizzy@Suku@chukklehed@demonspade64@Zenphilvian@HereComesTheSnow@banjoanjo

School Side - NPC: Philemon

"It can .... be difficult to ... comprehend," acknowledged the being, voice continuing to fade in and out, starting and stopping with a tinge of static. A weakening sound. Yet strengthening. "All humans possess ... a ... persona, but ... only ... those with ... potential-"

Philemon fizzled in and out of view.

"You were ... not the ... original ones ..."

It was clear that there was something wrong with the entity.

---
@Krayzikk@Plank Sinatra@Ayazi@Write

City Side - NPC: Sasori Yoshinori

"Got a real good noodle on ya, little dame," was the grinned, easy reply from the gumshoe. "We'll nab the cute songbird and this swag, then we'll crush-out for that joint of yours, yeah? Scram before the readers and johns get us jugged."

@Plank Sinatra @Krayzikk@Write@Crimmy

Arina Mifune – Shikatsu

Arina sighed as was not sure whether to be cautious or...she was too confused about how to react. “Um, can you speak with the current times, as in modern? You sound like a NPC that was ripped out of Fallout New Vegas and materialized in the real world.” I just want this day to be over, I want to go home.

Then two other people entered into the vehicle, a scruffy-cute girl that look tempered and a boy wearing a school uniform unfastened the two with Benkei and Kaguya fighting off against the pizza-killing robots. “You two wouldn’t happen to be from Uchima High School would you?” as she recognized the boys uniform. Arina sat in the vehicle with A blank, neutral expression, she has seen many things and today by the fact that from her perspective the spiritual world exists with the summoning of Benkei and Kaguya-hime and something sinister is going on when robots are causing death by pizzas.

"Yo yo."

Kimiko climbed into the gumshoe's van and pulled DRU in after her, resting the robot between her and Daisuke. The girl who had spoken to her seemed glamorous. Like Kimiko's Japanese mom was glamarous.

Schwing.

"We're third-years," Kimiko said. "But someday I'm going to be Sailor Venus. You look glum. DRU. Did you use any of the cinnamon sticks as weapons?"

Apparently not.

DRU produced some nice hot cinnamon sticks and a cup of icing.

"Dessert is on the house, senpai."

@Plank Sinatra@Krayzikk@Write@Crimmy

Arina Mifune – Shikatsu – Sasoris Van

Arina made a tight lipped smile. “Heh, well I’m a 4th year student from the Golden State” alluding to her homeland.

“Well I wish I could have used something as a weapon but the imagination of decapitation by pizzas scared me away from ever putting up a fight against those robots.”

@Ayazi@Plank Sinatra@Krayzikk@Write

City Side - NPC: Sasori Yoshinori

"Don't be so keen to be a dumb Dora, champ," said Sasori Yoshinori as he entered the van again, the unconscious figure of Hitomi cradled in his arms. "Ain't no third year like you swift enough to take those clankers for a ride. A rube idea like that'd have gotcha blipped off pronto. It'd have been a trip for the biscuits."

The shamus leaned over, gently placing the frail down on one of the back seats, making sure that she was resting in a comfortable position. With that done and dusted, he straightened himself out, and turned to address the fellas he'd nabbed.

"Songbird's joed after that bust up," he explained. "Did swell for a dame as cute as a bug's ear."

He paused for a second, crimson eyes flickering towards Kimiko.

"Hey, what didja do to make the wheelies scram?"

Aki felt some major annoyance well up in him. They weren’t even meant to be here. They weren’t the rag tag misfit teens brought together by fate to battle the dark forces. No, Aki was just a bystander, accidentally sucked into this mess and forced to endure through life-changing trauma and a potentially fatal situation. Because of a mistake on the part of this glorified theatre prop. Speaking of theatre…

“So we’re supposed to investigate the strange stuff that’s been happening around school?” he masked the contempt in his voice with a nervous curiosity, “Like the President and the Drama Club idi-incidents?”

The image of Philemon was flickering now. Rather than being concerned for the strange being, Aki’s gaze immediately darted to the exit portal. If something happened to Philemon, then the way out…

"Philemon-san, is there something wrong? You seem to be, uh, flickering."

Aki's heart was pounding. There was no way he'd let himself get trapped in this hellhole.

@banjoanjo

School Side - NPC: Philemon

"If ... that is your wish."

The mask of butterflies, shining blue, seemed to glow in greater intensity.

"Maintaining this form ... is difficult ... the evil responsible is a ... powerful one."

...

Kimiko looked to Daisuke and the Californian girl inquisitively, as if she too were quizzing them on how she had stopped the robot menace. Finally her gaze angled back to Sasori and she shrugged with one shoulder. A cinnamon stick broke in half and squished into DRU's head multiple times, looking for a container of cream to dip it in. It found it on the fourth try, and the dreamy saviour of the city (in her eyes anyway) wiped off the cinnamon atop her pizza robot's head with a finger.

"I bopped it," she said simply, sucking the appendage clean of flavor with a fuller shrug. "In the schnozz. One handed. Like so."

She mimicked a punch in mid air. Just the way Daisuke-kun taught her.