[IC] Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (To Save What Remains)

[Theorist]

-The Society-
Momo;

Tonight is a very proud night for your parents. It is your "Coming of Age" ceremony. Tonight, you become a full member of The Society. A banquet is being held in your honor at The Society hall in Tokyo, Japan. There will be fine food, fine wine, and classical music.

You arrive at White Rose Hall via limousine at around eight o'clock at night. The party is held in the ballroom right inside. Waiters dressed in fine suits bring around finger foods speared with toothpicks on silver platters. Everyone was in their finest attire. This was THE event of the year after all.

"Come on, darling! Let's go inside. Stand up straight. Wave to the guests, come on." Momo's mother pushed her along, whispering advice in her ear. Momo's father smiled and waved at the assembled press and those who lacked the money or status to attend the ceremony.

---

-The Paladins-
Yoromatsu;
"One, two, three four, five six, seven eight..."

Ever dutiful and striving for perfection, you forego the Induction Ceremony to extend your training. In the gym, in the Ares Hall, the HQ for Japan's Paladins, you can't help but recall your own induction into the Paladins all those years ago.

"Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three..."

The more humane part of your conscience whispers that you should be there for the induction of the new Paladins. However, your inner voice of duty demands that you train and get as strong as possible. You only need to be there for the induction of the new Templars after all. You couldn't help but feel proud when you got that letter you secretly wished for.

"Yoromatsu, we are pleased to extend to you an invitation to join the esteemed ranks of the Templar Order within the Paladins. You are to attend the Induction Ceremony on May 17th. If you are not interested, please tender a formal declination to Chairman Ryota."

"One-hundred one, one-hundred two..."

"Yo, Yoro-san!"

"Hm?" Yoromatsu's push-ups were interrupted by his... "friend", Daisuke. There he was, decked out in his silver Templar armor. "Daisuke-san, i've told you not to interrupt me when i'm training."

"Just wanted to see if you're coming to the Induction Ceremony. Word on the street is you got a certain letter... from a certain chairman..."

"Hmph. Yes. I'm coming. I'm skipping the induction of the newbies, though. I don't need to be there." Yoro went back to doing his push-ups. "One-hundred three..."

"Jeez man, that's cold. Wouldn't you have wanted the "Seniors" there for your induction?" Daisuke sat on a weight bench.

"One-hundred four, one-hundred five, one-hundred six..."

"Fine, ignore me if you want to. Well, i'm heading to the ceremony. Lates, bro." Daisuke stood up and walked to the exit, waving to Yoro casually.

[Lennon79]

For all their innate devilry, there was a certain honesty about the Shadows that roamed the unreclaimed ruins of outer Tokyo. If they saw you, they would attack and when you killed them, they stayed dead. Humanity was a different beast entirely... A heavy gunshot echoed through the empty streets and another Shadow was put down for good. It's executioner sighed deeply, weary from his long hunt. The young man had left civilisation a week ago, hoping to find peace and perhaps some measure of honour in his end; so far none of the Shadows he had found had been up to the task... The longer this went on for, the more conflicted he became. He had once hoped to become a Templar of the Paladins, a staunch protector of humanity and a man of honour, a man with purpose. Even now he clung to that dream, hoping to meet his end with dignity... at this rate though, he'd starve in a few days. Not a particularly honourable way to die, that. Was it even worth the effort..?

With a start, the young hunter realised he had wandered from the path, finding himself on one of the main roads that led back to the populated region. It seemed even his subconscious was telling him to give up... Of course, being a Persona user, he could always just ask his subconscious... He paused, searching deep within himself for his partner of many years and summoned it among a shower of blue light. 'Well... I'll leave it up to you. Honourable death, a sense of self-worth and a chance to leave a world full of cunts, or a bacon sarnie?' The wispy figure danced around him, forming figures of eight and elegant loops around the young man's body. He had always likened Makami to a flying paper dog who had lost a fight with a steamroller... The parallels with himself were clear as day. But where the hunter lived by a sense of duty, his Persona was of a more whimsical sort. It flew off toward the glowing lights of civilisation, beckoning him to follow. Bacon sarnies it is... His glorious death could wait a few more days...

[Pudding]

"Greetings, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
It's a pleasure...
Greetings..."
She could have said it millions of times by now, the words she was taught to say, to people she had never even met, but its' what her parents wanted. The words quickly lost their meaning within the first ten minutes or so. Momo did the same thing over and over, curtsey, greet, smile. Over, and over, to as many stiffs and old cronies as she had to. Tonight was her 'coming of age ceremony' It was when she would become a full member of the Society Faction.
(Its almost time, almost... Just hang in their, soon it will be over!) Momo kept replaying those words in her head, it was like a false sense of security, the night seemed to drag on.
The worst part was they she couldn't eat any of the food until she had become a full member, seeing the butlers in their cute uniforms, carrying around deluxe food like; Grilled Salmon, Gyoza, Beef Wellington, Pudding, Momos' favorite foods. They weren't even full plates, just bits on toothpicks. Despite her dying urge, she kept silent and let the ruse of happiness continue.

Momo stood with her Father at the end of the table, waving to everybody before sitting down. "Dad, is it finally starting? You never actually told me what the test to join was..." She whispered, but her Father ignored her as he began to talk into a microphone, his voice seemingly coming out from nowhere.
"Ah! I would like to thank you all for you attendance! Its such a grand night for us!". Momo rolled her eyes (Teh, yeah, for you guys) she thought.
"Tonight, our daughter, Momo Difru, will officially become one of us! Apart of The Society!" The attendees clapped and whispered to each other. The room blackened, a spotlight set its gaze on Momo. Rising from her seat, the light was shining bright, warm, but no very inviting. (This is it..)
"LILIM!" She shouted after clapping her hands.
A blue light glowed above her in the air, it began to form a woman with devil wings and a devil tail. Once the the creature or woman, if you could call it that, became an absolute figure, Momo began to speak.
"I am Momo Difru! Thankyou for attending, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Momo did courtesy as her Persona winked and blew a kiss.

[Lenaya]

"Look, I offered you a fair price for this. If you won't take it, it's not because of my greed but your stingy actions! It took me over a week to even find something this good anyways." The man in front of Aera's "shop", which consisted of a dingy rug with trinkets spread out on it within the marketplace, grumbled as he fingered the silver ring. She was asking a decent price, but he wanted nearly half of what she thought it was worth. With a few more minutes of grumbling, the man fished out two cans of chili from his bag and an apple and tossed it before the red-haired woman. "I'll offer you this and that's as high as I'll go."

Aera gave a smirk in response. "I don't want the apple, I want the tomatoes. You give me three of those tomatoes and I'll throw in a ring box for free. Hard to find those intact anywhere." The man threw down a burlap sack, and one of the roma tomatoes within rolled out. Aera tossed the ring box up at the man, who swiftly caught it before walking away. Well, dinner was always nice to have after a long day spent diving in trash piles. She managed to find a small dagger along with a beat up katana she was restoring while digging in the far outskirts, but not without running into a few of the Invokers. She had no problem killing them like she would any shadow, though it was difficult to hide their bodies. She even managed to loot her 9mm pistol and some ammo off of them, and it was a good day for her.

As the hours passed and afternoon approached, she rolled up the little amount of trinkets she had left in her shop mat and tucked it away within her rucksack before heading into the housing district of the rag-tag town she "lived" in. She lived in the bottom floor of an abandoned apartment complex with the other women, and it was set up much like a dorm--each floor was reserved to a specific gender, and every night the younger residents who were armed took up guard duty for the night. As she turned the corner out of the marketplace, a strange dog-thing floated past her. 'A persona?' she wondered to herself before absentmindedly readjusting the bandage on her upper arm. It was odd to see a persona wandering without its master, and she could feel her own become restless as she watched the dog twirl in the sky. Aera couldn't help her curiosity, and she decided to wait and see who exactly this little guy belonged to.

[Lennon79]

Of course, the young hunter used the term civilisation loosely.
These slums were becoming more common as humanity took back land from the Shadows; the poor, the unfortunate and the plain dumb often ended up out here on the frontier. They served as a buffer between the rich and powerful who lived in the inner city, and the lawless wastes outside. Shadows too, but organised crime was a bigger threat by far, especially when instigated by the so-called Invokers. Everyone who made their home in the outer slums had some contact with the gang, be it collaborative or down the barrel of a gun; he himself had done both, as and when appropriate.

He had a fair amount of money saved up, so dinner shouldn't have been an issue; unfortunately your average backpack caravan trader didn't take card and a general dearth of corner shops wasn't helping matters. Still, he had gone a few days without food; temperance wouldn't do unless he fancied death by starvation. He would have to try bartering, as much as he hated it. And that meant finding a trader... Fortunately for him, Makami had already located a likely looking lass. He turned the corner to where his Persona had wandered, yet another broken streetscape, and gave the girl, or perhaps young woman, an appraising look. Fairly tough looking sort, as you would expect from these parts, and foreign, which you wouldn't... Well, it wasn't as though he could say anything. '... Evening.', he said in polite, neutral tone. 'Are you a trader?' His aloof demeanor tended to put the locals off, but it was useful for securing a good negotiating position. Act like you are entitled and the weak-willed often bend; one of the few teachings of the Paladins that he actually agreed with.

But still... Dat hair. There's just something about redheads... It took willpower, but he hid his less serious side for the moment.

[Lenaya]

Ah, so this little fellow belonged to a not-so-bad looking guy. She'd seen her fair share of menfolk, travelers or denizens, and she had to say he was one of the better looking ones she'd seen yet. 'He looks tired, and that's a pretty gun he has. Almost as pretty as his persona. Would be best not to find myself staring into the barrel of that thing.' She thought to herself before raising her hand in response to his greeting. "Evenin'." she responded easily, obviously sizing him up with her blue eyes. "You're in luck, stranger. I just so happen to be a trader. What exactly are you lookin' for?" Her attention turned back to the cute little fellow dancing around her head, though she wasn't reckless. She'd do good to keep this stranger in her sights.

She could see in the small, almost unnoticeable movements, the small slouch, and the bags under his eyes that he was tired. Probably hungry too...damn, why'd she always have to be kind? After a small stretch and a quick glance of her surroundings, she deemed herself somewhat safe and then spoke. "Let me guess, you're aching for a meal. It just so happens.." She took a moment to fish out the can from the inner pouch of her backpack before closing it and slinging it back on."...that I have a can of chili I could spare, for a price. Depends on what you have to offer." 'Or whether or not you'll try to kill me for it. Hope he's not one of those kind.' Her own persona, Cerberus, growled in response. She could feel his need to break free of her mind, to make himself known and intimidate this man before her, but she resisted. Better to wait and see what happened.

[Theorist]

-The Paladins-
Yoromatsu;
"--and that concludes the Initiate Induction." A stern-faced middle age man shuffled through some papers, adjusting the straps on his glittering silver armor and placing a hand on the pommel of the blade at his hip. "Next, we begin the induction of the new Templars. Step up to the podium as I call your name." He cleared his throat. "Aikako Daijin, Iori Junpei, Nara Kensei..." There were ten new Templars in total. Then, Yoromatsu's name was called. "And... Yoromatsu." Yoromatsu stepped forward alongside his comrades. Each stepped forward, reciting the long-standing Templar's Oath. Then, it was Yoromatsu's turn. He stepped forward, got on one knee, and recited the Oath just as he practiced.

"I swear, on my honor and the honor of my brothers to uphold the values of justice, law, and compassion. I will go where I am needed. I will protect mankind until my dying breath. This I swear in the sight of men and gods." The man conducting the ceremony drew his sword and placed the broad side of the blade on Yoromatsu's right shoulder.

"I, Mikato, Master of Ceremonies, hereby induct you into the Templar Order." He moved the blade over Yoromatsu's head to his other shoulder. "Rise, Ser Yoromatsu." Yoromatsu did as he was told, then stepped back in line.

-The Society-
Momo;
The applause of those gathered seemed more forced and polite than genuine. Why would they be glad? The arrival of Momo into the ranks of the Society just meant they had another opponent in the great Game of Power. As the applause faded, an elderly man shuffled onto the stage, a box in his hand. "Welcome to The Society, my dear. I have here your signet ring. Take it and use it in good health." He opened the box to reveal a large gold ring with the sigil of the Society on it; a dove. "Help yourself to as much food and drink as you want." He moved closer and spoke in a low tone so only she could hear. "And remember my dear; poise and dignity."

-No Faction-
Aera and Youhei;
Interrupting Aera and Youhei's conversation, a rather shady looking individual in a tan burlap cloak appeared to materialize out of nowhere. "You two." He said in a harsh, authoritative tone. "Are you Persona-users?" Aera would be completely oblivious to the handgun the man had his hand on; however, Youhei managed to catch a glimpse of the gleaming metal strapped to his hip. Youhei could see the man's grip on the firearm tighten. "I won't ask again. Are you two Persona-users?"

[Lennon79]

The woman had an interesting accent; American, with a hint of southern in her manner. Truth be told, he didn't have a clue where it came from... Even after the global catastrophe that was the emergence of Shadows, America was a big place. He smiled anyway; it was a breath of fresh air after years of only hearing Japanese accents. 'Chilli, eh? I'll ask this now and get it out the way; what the bloody hell is chilli?' She looked a trustworthy sort and he had spent the last few days trying to die... So he decided to lighten up a bit, even if just for the moment. 'Well, I'm not sure what I have that's worth a can of... chilli... But I do have a few bits lying about. Call me Youhei by the way; I'd call you Carrot Top but I doubt you'll approve.' He paused, halfway through rummaging through his own backpack. 'Though I do kind of like that name...' He was laying out a few of his less essential items when a rather gruff voice came from one side.

Youhei looked the man up and down; here was a sterling example of the other end of visual reputability as often found in the slums. The rough tone and adhoc cloak both gave the impression of a common criminal but his voice carried an air of authority, as if he was used to having his orders followed and the gun hidden at his hip showed that he was at least better connected than most. Youhei didn't answer for a moment, sizing the man up. As he did, Makami floated aimlessly above them with no intent to attack, but there just in case. 'Well, I can see they taught you well. Look up.' He slowly stood, turning to face the man with his palms open to signify that he wasn't armed. 'If us having Personas means that we have a problem, then you'd better make your first shot count.' Deep down, a nerdy part of his mind pumped it's fist in triumph; he had always wanted to say that.

[Lenaya]

Ah, so this guy was a Brit! He did seem a little less out of place than she did, but considering she'd traveled all the way from France to get here, and him Great Britain, it didn't seem so odd anymore. She let a small, easy-going smile show as she toyed with the can of chili in her hand, and gave a small laugh at the stranger's question. "Ah, yeah, it's good stuff. Think of it like a meat, bean, and tomato based porridge of sorts. This one isn't spicy at all, but I knew a woman who'd make it so hot your tears drippin' into your bowl was part of the seasoning." Aera saw him digging about his own rucksack, and she let out another laugh at his nickname for her. "Well, Youhei, I'd like to say I'm a bit more red than a carrot. My name's Aera, and we can talk about a price on the way to the local bar. It's the only place that has alcohol and I've been needing a glass for about a week. Better yet, if you've got coin on hand...buy me a drink and i'll give you dinner."

Before she could start bantering with her new acquaintance, a strange man had somehow managed to come before them without her noticing. 'Where did this guy come from?' Youhei seemed to resume his neutral demeanor she'd been welcomed with, and she too kept herself as lax and harmless as possible. People like this one tended to think of the womenfolk as weak, and expected little from them. Some of them even viewed people as property, and she'd even heard whispers that there were thugs kidnapping young kids for some sort of criminal lord who was building his own personal brothel. Sick as it was, she couldn't find herself to be entirely surprised, and she was the one who'd suggested to the Head of Town that the living quarters needed to be guarded at night. Youhei's voice rung out, and she stifled a silly look at the words he'd spoken, though it was a good sign for her to keep her own mouth shut and see what happened.

[Side Character G]

Seto Nanzo of The Society.

---

Perhaps if the eyes of the crowd were even remotely fixed onto him, Seto would've considered clapping along with the others. By now, thankfully, he had attended enough of these banquets not to raise any lasting attention. Even so, it came as a surprise to the young machinist at how quick the members here were to dismiss him. He was a Persona user which was always a cause of alarm to those hungry for power. And then there was the fact that the Nanzo group held an outstanding reputation of one of the best in the chemical engineering business; a multi-national business that still operates in the midst of this troubling times with the Shadows and all, and he was the heir to this company once his father retires. That in itself, Seto was certain, would've made it difficult for the greedy pigs from taking their attention from him. The fact of the matter was that he nearly killed everyone here on his 'coming of age' ceremony, obviously long forgotten by the perpetrator himself. That incident had ironically labelled him as incompetent and an easy target once he claims his father's business.

Seto's attention went back to the stage as an old man stepped into view. Todd... or... what was his name again? He did a mental headshake, unable to remember, but in any case he observed with indifference as the 'star' of today finally received the seal that will bind her to this merry group. Of course he knew what was in the box without needing to look; he was the one at that stage only a few years back, receiving the exact replica. He could clearly remember that scene much to his distaste. Within the box would be a ring, one made with gold to symbolize greed and a dove to represent their arrogance; the Society was the last organization to keep 'peace', so what else could it symbolize?

The main event of today's banquet was coming to a close. Seto's hands went to his collars, straightening the already-tidy tie; his fingertips then slid down to his waist to pull his dark vest straight against his belt holster. Busying his hands with his attire was a habit of his, especially when they weren't in a situation to handle the cool and heavy touch of metal and machinery. Plus he saw no loss from looking his 'best'. As he mused this to himself he found his hands resting on the goggles sitting on his head. They held a glossy orange sheen, he knew, which easily contrasted to his dirty sable scalp. It was also something he liked to think of as his 'signature point'; something others could recognize him by. Unbeknownst to him, the goggles were actually the main reason his fashion sense were critiqued; there was a reason why no one wore goggles with a three-piece suit, especially when the suit's jacket was still hanging in the wardrobe back in the wearer's room. Plus they were overly shined; a single step into strong light and they relentlessly attacked the eyes of anyone trying to look his way from afar.

His part of the bargain with his parents were nearly over, thankfully - they did not mention anything about actually greeting the new member of the Society. Just that he should attend every banquets and events, espeically those involved with other Persona users. Be polite to those who speaks to him. And for whatever reason, never, ever let your insane Persona come out indoors.

'At least the food seems good,' he thought, moving from his initial spot to fill his stomach.

[Pudding]

"Be Poised and Polite..."
Poised and Polite, the things that she had been since as far back as anyone could remember.
Momo closed her eyes and nodded as her Persona disappered into thin air. "Always..."
She looked at the golden ring, it glimmered a little, she found the dove to be kind of cute, but that was it. She picked the ring from the box, sliding it on onto her ring finger, raising her hand in the air to show it off as it glimmers in the spotlight. The audience went wild clapped once more, slightly louder, they weren't louder because of her acceptance, more gossiping about her. She kinda scanned over everybody quickly, to see if she recognised anyone. She looked but didn't recognise anybody, not personally, she knew of them mostly. There was boy there, wearing odd clothes, a three peice getup and goggles. Walking back to her seat she asked her parents what they knew of him.
"So... There's a guy wearing glasses here..." Momo said as she cut her salmon before taking a bite.
"Alot of people wear glasses here sweetie! What, what are you staring at?!" Forcfully nudging her on the back to make her stop.
"Oh!" Said her father. "Thats Nanzo's kid, he's a weird one, he always wears those peculiar goggles and is doing peculiar things... But not like our perfect little" He smiled and patted Momo on the back. It would have been the first kind of affection she had gotten in years. Her parents never let her out of the house, alone. So this meant she didn't know anyone, making this ceremony just more awkward if somebody remotely her age came to talk to her, if they even bothered to come that is.
"Peculiar boy huh? ... Heh, sounds like fun" despite her parents warnings, she slipped away to go meet with him. After shuffling through various older people. She managed to sneak up on him as he ate a baget, she must have accidently spooked him as he jumped and started to choke on his food.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean it!" She hit him on the back hoping it would somehow shoot what ever was stuck in his throat out.

[Side Character G]

Seto Nanzo of The Society.

---

Yup, he was definitely right about the food. The finger foods served by the waiters and waitresses were a delicacy but there was also a small stand with the slightly larger and heavier cuisine; it was usually located on the same place and he did come to taste it every time there was a ceremony happening, so it was not like as if he needed help to reach it. If there was anything to be surprised about this all, really, was the variation of the cuisine. They seemed to have improved on the menu this round, as Seto could spot at least ten different types of cheese and bread. He wasn't exactly a person to recognize exactly which country's specialty they all were, but no doubt they were mainly if not all French; he heard from his parents that the lady of honour tonight was French, so it was merely piecing the information together. Besides, back at his ceremony it was virtually nothing but unfussy dishes and tea so there was that too.

The audience went for another round of applause, but the machinist ignored it; his hands were full with a plate of food. He walked a fair bit away from the food stand in case there were anyone else wanting to fill their hunger [for he was a polite man... somewhat] and grabbed whatever was on his plate. Hm, bread. What a surprise.

It was around the time he was up to his second bread whose name escaped him - all he knew was that it was a long bread - when something or someone appeared in his vision. He was totally not expecting company, and besides he was too busy talking to himself in his mind, and most important of all he was in the process of swallowing. Needless to say the jump made the lump of about-to-be-digested carbohydrates hit his throat in an unexpected way which made him cough vigorously. He hastily let the plate fall on the nearest stand as not to waste the free food, one hand going for a certain flask around his belt holster. With practiced movement he flicked open the cap using one hand and gulped down the flask labelled "H2O", seemingly ignoring the concerned impact from the back. It never contained enough to quench a full-blown thirst, he knew, but it was enough to forcibly pass the lump down the right path down to his stomach. He took a few seconds of silence to catch his breath, then finally gave attention to the figure that made him jump while replacing the flask back in the holster. He heard her panicked voice to realize there was no danger, nor was it intentional. Instead of any sort of retaliation, he merely bowed a little as a half-courtesy and half to match the young lady-of-honour's eye level.

"Good evening Lady... Difru," He started, pausing a little from trying to pronounce it as he remembered. She had announced it only moments ago just before the show of her Persona so it should be correct. His eyes met the tiniest glint from the all-too-familiar ring and willed his voice to come out once more in its boredom-laced manner as he would any other guest who he should be 'courteous' too.

"Many blessings, I do appreciate the warm welcome so soon after the ceremony; how may I be of service? Though surely there are others here who are far better suited for your needs. Unless of course there is broken machinery to fix, well then there is no other man better suited than myself."

[Pudding]

Momo was impressed by the boys' manners, he was different from the rest of the people attending the ceremony. Momo felt something strange as the boy called her by her last name, she could tell he was struggling to pronounce it.
"No, please, refer to me as Momo.. Hehe, it must be hard for you to pronounce my french name... Ahaha-"
Momo quickly placed her hand over her mouth.
"How rude of me! I'm sorry but..." Momo moved closer and whispered to him.
"These old cronies know almost every language, so I'm used to it being said correctly, but you're the first to get it wrong!"
She once again placed her hand over her mouth as she giggled. The boy, or should we say man, considering the obvious age difference, at least obvious to Momo. Was about an entire head taller than her, so every time she wanted to make eye contact with him, she'd have to tilt her head up. She noticed him quickly glancing at her new ring, but thought nothing of it. One of the waiters came near the duo with a platter holding one of her favorite desserts.
"AH! Waiter! Please! Two Banana Puddings for me and... my goodness I don't even know your name! Um for my polite guest!"
The waiter did as instructed giving them the pudding on a silver plate with a spoon on the side.
Momo took no time in waiting she quickly dug into the pudding.
"Mmmf! So gloriously lovely, so... Delicious! Please Please! Try some ... Uh, what is your name anyway... Actually! I think I remember you from when I was younger... You, destroyed the hall, it was amazing! Just like this pudding! You must be SO strong! Tell me about yourself!"
Momos' eyes sparkled, she found great interest in this man, hopefully he was as 'peculiar' as her parents said, it was as if she had finally finished the hardest chapter in a game. She found someone of great interest in a land full of stiffs.

[Side Character G]

Seto Nanzo of The Society.

---

"As you wish, Lady Momo," The machinist replied with a smile to show that he wasn't all that concerned of her laughter, hiding the fact that he did initially took it as a mockery and to a certain extent offense at his failure to pronounce her name correctly. He didn't really know much about Momo save for her name, her Persona and her family [just because he couldn't pronounce it doesn't mean he was void about their social status] but judging from the way her manners seemingly fell apart to reveal a cheeky teenage personality had melted away this initial misconception like ice floating in a body of boiling water. Besides he was used to people taking offense at him, so he wasn't all that offended by it himself.

"Please call me Seto," He replied after a small taste test of the dessert he was given. It wasn't bad, he admit, the taste of the processed banana filling his mouth. His mind briefly went back to the unmanned platter of food nearby that he had gotten for himself, but surely one of those who were in charge of taking away such plates would take care of it soon enough.

"I apologize for not recognizing Lady Momo earlier, it is hard to admit but I do not recollect exactly who was around during my coming-of-age ceremony. As for your kind words, the word 'strong' does not exactly describe myself, for in all honesty Personas who are capable of combatting Shadows would surely have no trouble toying with unprotected buildings such as these without much effort. Like this pudding, yes; to us, only a slight push of cutlery is all it takes to scoop it up." He took another taste of the pudding, letting the sweetness cover his mouth. The amount of attention Momo was aiming at him was starting to get on his nerve, mainly because no one had ever given him such intense interest. This also wasn't part of his plan, but there was still time until he was able to leave. That meant he had little to no excuse to escape this situation. On the other hand he knew that if he was able to get close to someone from such a high social status he could use the connection in the future for his own gain. He would take chances with a girl brimming with curiosity and admiration over the haughty and suspicious adults any day.

"Mmm, I like to refer myself as a Machinist; that is, someone who works with machinery and metal to create something new. Take this, for example..." His hand went under the folds of his pocket, pulling out an old fashioned watch. It was a round silvery object with a clasp. When unclasped, revealed the face and hands of the watch.

"Is just your ordinary antique pocket watch. It runs on gears that tirelessly works behind the face to show you the time. A little modification, however... can make it a perfect place to conceal a corkscrew." He turned the knob which was normally used to readjust the time. In doing so, a sharp metal prong pushed out from the other side of the edge. The prong was actually a piece of multi-twisted metal exactly like those one would often see on a corkscrew used to uncork champagne and wine bottles.

"I have yet to find any use for it, sadly. I do enjoy a good glass of wine but it is not often do I find myself in the position of opening one. Perhaps a concealed blade would fit better... Or perhaps Lady Momo has a suggestion as to what kind of machinery and contraption I should attempt next?"

[Theorist]

-The Society-
Momo and Seto;

"I have a suggestion." A man in a suit came out of the crowd. He had a cane with a silver cobra on the head. Its eyes were blood red rubies. "Good evening. I am Duke Faragil, at your service." He bowed briefly.

---

-No Faction-
Aera and Youhei were facing down an armed, dangerous man on the streets of Dust Town. He grinned at Youhei's threat, revealing a row of yellow teeth. "It's not my shot that has to count, lad." Just then, Aera would catch a flash out of the corner of her eye. She would notice very quickly that it was a sniper. A shot rang out. Aera would have just enough time to decide how-- or if she was going to save Youhei.

[Pudding]

"Ah! Your grace! Thankyou for attenting my ceremony!" Momo curtsied, flustered about why the duke had appeared.
The duke was a man of great importance, why would he be at her ceremony? Perhaps her family had more connections then she thought. But the better question was why was he listening in to their conversation?
If Momo had learned anything from the many books she's read, a man with a snake cane is always bad news.

"Please, do tell us of your Idea! I'm not very good at coming up with ones myself"

[Lenaya]

The entire moment felt like it'd lasted more than just a few seconds. This man had come off as suspicious, and she couldn't help but stare at the skyline. That was when she saw the glint of a rifle, and the growling in her head intensified as Cerberus emerged from her body and mauled the man with the yellow grin. In the next moment, Aera pulled Youhei back to avoid the shot and into the cover of an abandoned shack.

"Shit, sneaky little fucks." she growled before readjusting her grip on her 9mm. She turned her gaze to the man beside her, giving him a once over. "Are you hurt? Sorry about that, had to act quick. That sniper is still out there, and a pistol won't be enough to pick that guy off. Do...you have anything?" she asked awkwardly as her Persona returned to her, his maw and chest dripping with blood as he stepped into the shack with heavy paws. Cerberus let out a content rumble before vanishing, appearing as a glowing mist that returned to Aera's body.

[Lennon79]

Everything happened so fast that Youhei couldn't even flinch. Whatever trash talk their new acquaintance may have had in store, Aera's Persona ensured it would remain unsaid and in quite a graphic manner too. He blinked as the girl gave him a once-over, unsure of what to make of this sudden chain of events. 'Uh... Yeah, I'm ok. I think I'm ok... I'm ok, right? Yeah. I'm ok. Probably... Yeah.' Youhei nodded to reassure himself; he wasn't shaken so much as confused. There was no lack of people with reason to kill Persona users, but most would have picked a less conspicuous, some might say suicidal way to identify them. Something about the methods used here didn't quite add up... 'Yeah. Uh... Cheers. I reckon I owe you one for that. But yes, a sniper I can deal with, if he's distracted for a minute.' The disheveled hunter rooted around in his bag for a moment before producing a brace of 40mm grenades. As he loaded his weapon up, he gave Aera a sidelong look. 'So, uh... they friends of yours?' If the sniper were to be conveniently not looking his way for a few seconds, Youhei was quite confident that he could drop a round on him; unfortunately, that idea required a distraction... 'And... Sorry, but how fast can you run?'

[Theorist]

-No Faction-

Aera and Youhei;
"Alright, i've done my job." The sniper tossed his lit cigarette to the side, dropping prone and crawling off of the crumbling building. He stomped on the sandy ground with his right foot once, leaving a black mark on the ground. That black mark split into two. Then it began to move across the ground. Slowly at first, then very quickly. In no time at all, the black marks were right on Aera and Youhei. They rose out of the ground, appearing as black globs of some unidentifiable substance.

-The Society-

Momo and Seto;
As the Duke was about to speak, a man in a tux walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. The Duke nodded along. Once the man left, he smiled and spoke to Momo. "Forgive me, I have some important business to attend to. Congratulations. You will make a fine member of The Society." He walked off.

[Side Character G]

Seto Nanzo of the Society.

---

"Spoilsport." Seto muttered under his breath when the Duke was out of hearing range. He pocketed his gadget back to its place, his eyes taking note of the hands of the pocket watch as he did so. There was a flicker in his eyes, realizing that he was no longer held by the words he had given to his parents; he could finally leave this gormless place. With a mental sigh of relief, he faced Momo once more with a half-smile.

"Well hasn't it been an eventful evening. I'm certain there are better things to do than spend the rest of it with a man like me, who has nothing but a taste in machinery. Entertaining the, how did you put it earlier, 'old cronies' for example." Seto gave Momo a bow of farewell before turning for the door.

He paused after a step, turning slightly to address Momo once more, partially out of courtesy and partially because he knew that someone valuing their position as the new member would never leave her own ceremony prematurely. "Of course Lady Momo is entitled to joining this obscure geezer outside where there should be no well-attired distractions floating about, if she so wants."