Takaru

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | Afternoon

As Alexei dropped the subject on how exactly the rescuers of both himself and his sister, Kotori felt a slight bit of relief - which just made her feel a little guilty right afterwards, as he undoubtedly was wondering just what the mirror world was and would likely have dozens of questions. She'd been the same at the time - but trying to explain it when she didn't even know all that much herself nor whether it was a good idea to involve Elena left little for her to do but give wry half-smile of mixed guilt and gratitude. Looking back up, Kotori blinked in momentary surprise when she saw Alexei holding an apple out toward her - evidently one of the fruit basket on the bedside table.

"Eh?" she went at the gesture - only to blink at his words. However, before she could even voice any protests at the request to visit, Rui stepped in and diverted the attention away - not to much dismay of Kotori at that moment, as she didn't really know how to explain that it really was the others that Alexei should be thanking thusly, seeing as all she'd done was tag along and help them out if the need arose. Shifting position on the edge of Elena's hospital bed to allow the younger girl to see whom her brother was talking to instead of needlessly sitting in her line of sight - and because, with the immediate attention drawn from her, she felt the uncomfortableness that always seemed to accompany hospitals returning; leaving her a little restless.

Rui meanwhile began talking; asking about the eventual discharge date which turned out to be later this day; or rather night apparently. Kotori left the talking to the two of them - at least until Alexei mentioned wanting a drink that the nurses had advised against. Just as she wondered whether to say something about following the doctor's orders, the door opened once again - this time revealing Akane to be another visitor. Kotori quickly gave a bow as she returned her classmate's greeting before sitting down once more; though moving some more again in case any of the other two visitors too wanted to take a seat. It was only when Akane then turned the conversation to Elena that Kotori realised she hadn't actually asked about the girl directly - instead, she'd just assumed that her condition would be the same as Alexei, given how she was showing as much enthusiastic cheer as she had back at the library. With a pang of guilt at the thought, Kotori glanced between the two siblings in waiting for an answer.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | Afternoon

As it turned out, her worries had been unfounded - Elena, who seemed rather elated about her visit, was quick to show her appreciation. With a small smile of relief, Kotori said "Ah, that's good," as she placed the flowers in their vases - though her relief wasn't just about the flowers not being unwelcome, but also to see that both of the two Dragunovs were awake and well; or at least appeared as such. At the very least, Elena was still showing as much enthusiasm as she had back at the library - even as she asked how she'd known that they'd been there.

"Eh?" was Kotori's first response, having just placed the flowers on the small table, as she really didn't know how to respond to the question - should she outright tell them? Should she try to talk her way out of it - even if she heavily doubted she'd be able to do so? However, before she could even say anything further, Alexei spoke up to try and calm some of his sister's excitement - and quickly making Kotori rather surprised when he said she'd been of such help. "Eh? Ah, I..." she began, trying to say that she really hadn't done very much, before he continued to say that he'd try to repay this debt.

"Ah, n-no, no, there's no need for that, really!" Kotori quickly said, shaking both her hands before her and her head for emphasis. "T-the others did a lot more, so..." she began, embarassment rather evident in her voice - not only didn't she know how to answer the previous question, but also not how to dissuade him from seeing it as a debt to be repaid when it was far from her alone who'd been there to help. Luckily though, a distraction presented itself as Rui stepped into the room; prompting Kotori to stand back up after she'd only just sat down on the edge of the bed at Elena's motioning to give a bow in somewhat thankful greeting: "Ah, good afternoon, Shinichi-san."

Seeing as he'd been the one to tell her of all the details after she'd been rescued and subsequently gained her persona, Kotori assumed - or rather, hoped - Rui was here to do the same for Alexei; though it was a slightly different situation with his sister in the know but not having gained a persona - either way though, Kotori sat back down for the moment to take a momentary breather and hoped that Rui would be able to clear up some things.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Crypt of Hopes and Dreams: Empress' Tomb | Saturday, June 13 2015 - After School

The rest following Alexei's acceptance of his other self was a brief one - unsurprisingly, given that he seemed rather anxious to go after his sister and because no one was quite sure if he'd hold on for that long. The latter of those concerns would turn out to be unfounded - whilst the former was quickly alleviated when the group carried on; guided once again by Ayano along the shortest path. Much like before, the shadows didn't seem very numerous or dangerous - not that Kotori would complain about that of course. Instead, she was far more preoccupied with the increasingly bleak setting that the dungeon was taking on - where previously at least some colour had been sprinkled about, the final stretch was devoid of all that and managed to still feel unsettling despite its tackiness.

The attention would quickly shift elsewhere as they reached the final room - wherein they finally managed to catch up to the kidnappers. Kotori's steps slowed for a moment when she recoginsed them - not the cultists themselves, but rather their clothing's general appearance - being the same as the ones responsible for her own kidnapping. However, she quickly caught herself again as she saw one of them carrying Elena in his arms. With a weak voice, one of the kidnappers warned them to stay back - an order summarily ignored by Alexei who pressed on unabatedly - whilst at the same time they seemed quite unnerved. It wasn't until one started to ask where this place was that it became apparent that they were rather confused - something which, in turn, confused Kotori who'd expected these kidnappers to know exactly what they were doing.

A moment later, she flinched when a sudden cry interrupted the man's questioning - as a shadow poured out from his body before their eyes. His partner was a lot more horrified than the rescue team - including Kotori, who, whilst she hadn't actually seen a shadow emerge from a person, likewise knew that such a thing seemed to be commonplace for anyone caught in this world. However, there was little time for any analysis - such things could be left for Ayano now or everyone later while they dealt with the immediate threat. "Ki..." Kotori started - but before she got any further, Alexei slammed the shadow into the group; leaving it an easy victim for the others to quickly dispatch. With the other cultist falling to his knees at the overwhelming confusion at what was unfolding before him, the fight came to a rather rapid conclusion as Alexei wasted no time in picking up his sister.

Despite the rather strange circumstances, Kotori was still relieved to see that things seemed to have turned out well after all.

Kotori Shirohane - Abandoned Warehouse | Saturday, June 13 2015 - After School

With Alexei taking care of his sister and Rui and Kaminari delivering the cultists to the police, they'd agreed to return to the warehouse - leaving a not unwelcome break for Kotori as they waited for the others to return. Though it had been an easier dungeon - perhaps due to its very recent formation - she still had to catch her breath once the pressure and anxiety she'd felt inside washed away. It did leave some time though to think about the events that had just transpired - in particular the rather strange way the cultists had reacted to the other realm. They placed the kidnappees there, so why would they be surprised at it?

Unfortunately, she didn't have any answers before Rui and Kaminari returned - bringing news that Alexei had dropped his sister off at the hospital and himself dropped just a moment later. Those present discussed the same events Kotori had just pondered - but no one seemed to be able to make any sense of it either. Soon enough, they concluded that there was little use in trying to brood about something they knew too little about and decided to end things here for today; Kaminari promising to look for leads whilst Megumi and Kazuki would keep an eye on the Mirror World.

With that done, the group disbanded as everyone headed off in their respective directions - home, in Kotori's case. The oddness surrounding the day's events still lingered in her thoughts even once she'd arrived. Once she'd placated her mother's interest in these friends of hers and returned to her room, she found her school bag laying atop her bed where she'd hastily placed it when she'd received the message about a new kidnappe just after school - left there precisely to remind her that she still had her homework to do after all. She'd almost forgotten about that in all the rush - but thankfully, her note-keeping made doing said homework quite a simple affair.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | Sunday, June 14 2015 - Afternoon

As ever, Kotori felt somewhat uneasy as she walked down one of the hospital hallways. She was of half a mind to turn around and leave - but quickly shook her head at the thought. After all, it's not like a hospital was something bad, so there was no reason to dislike it - at least that's what she told herself, but to little avail. Looking over the room numbers, she was getting closer to the one she was lookign for; as per the instructions of the lady at the reception. She'd seemed rather surprised to see Kotori - and even recognised her, but was quickly dissuaded from any worries about sudden emergencies when she saw the flowers she was carrying.

These same flowers - two small bouquets of a few pale green peonies and blue hydrangea as get well gifts - were carefully moved over to one arm as Kotori used the other to raise a hand to the door in front of her - though she hesitated to knock. Much as she had about even coming here in the first place rather than just asking her mother to deliver the flowers, Kotori mulled over whether she really should go - wouldn't just showing up unannounced with flowers in hand be somewhat awkward when the one doing so wasn't even more than a fellow student?

However, much like before, Kotori once again shook her head to get rid of those thoughts - after all, she'd been somewhat surprised but ultimately glad to have received as many visitors as she had during her stay in the hospital after her kidnapping ordeal. With that thought in mind, she gave a faint knock - it was doubtful as to whether it would even be heard on the other side - before waiting for a second or ten and then slowly opening the door. Peering inside, she saw that the room was a double room with two beds - upon each of which one of the Dragunov siblings lay.

Stepping inside, Kotori quickly gave a bow in greeting - which turned out a little difficult to do while carrying the flowers in her hands; all the while giving a strange feeling of déjàvu, except with the roles of patient and visitor reversed. "Uhm, g-good afternoon," she quickly said in her usual quiet voice; a little unsure about what to do at that point - whilst she'd been to the hospital a few times, she'd never been here as a visitor before. "Uhm..." Kotori went, eyes quickly glancing about the room behind her glasses before coming to rest on a small cupboard - a likely place for a vase of sorts. "I-I brought some flowers," she said, slightly lifting the mix of blues and greens for emphasis - realising a moment later that she was merely stating the rather obvious; leaving a wry half-smile on her face at that.

"Ah, unless it's bother?" Kotori asked, as it occured to her halfway to the cupboard that perhaps neither of the two might actually want any flowers by their bedside, seeing as no one had actually asked for them - just because she liked them didn't necessarily mean the same for everyone else after all.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Crypt of Hopes and Dreams: Floor 1 | After School

As it turned out, Kotori's wariness had been unfounded - Ayano had been scanning their foe the entire time and quickly managed to further deduce a weakness in the arms; prompting the team to attack at Rui's orders. Whilst keeping an eye out for any would-be retaliation, Kotori summoned another Zio down upon a slowly widening gap on one of the shadow's large arms. Though she doubted her contribution was very significant when compared to the other, far more offensively capable members of the group, it was still enough to collectively break the shield generator within. Rushing against time as the shield was about to go up any time now, they managed to repeat the process with the second arm - just in time, as the shield of swords returned just moments later.

However, without anything to sustain it, Rui could quickly shatter this defence; allowing the attack to continue. Kotori still worried about an unexpected desperation attack; ready at any time to quickly cast healing spells as necessary - but ultimately saw yet more use of Kikuri-hime's ability to call down lightning attacks. Under the weight of the entire group's onslaught, the shadow could no longer hold up and came crashing down as Rui's Askr performed a decisive final attack. With an agonising cry, shadows once again enveloped the creature - before dissipating and revealing the more familiar form of Alexei.

Kotori breathed a sigh of relief at the sight - she'd feared the fight might drag on as long as the last, leaving her completely out of breath. Instead, however, she merely noticed how her breathing was a bit quicker after the exertion, but nowhere near the exhaustion she'd felt previously. Just as she wondered if this fight's apparent quickness had something to do with how recently the dungeon had formed, however, Alexei - the real one - approached the shadow. And much like with Ayano, Kotori felt a little awkward standing there and listening to him talk - even if the same had happened to her not all that long ago.

Still, she couldn't quite help but worry what might happed if Alexei didn't accept his other self - but luckily, that did not come to pass. Instead, he agreed that he did not have to sacrifice himself for his familiy - something Kotori, hearing him talk, was sure they wouldn't want - but instead would do what he could for them. Not because he had to, not because it was his duty - but because he wanted to; without losing anything about himself in the process. A small smile came to Kotori's lips at the outcome, even as the other Alexei began to once again change form - but this time not into a monstrous shadow, but rather a fiery torch-bearing Persona.

However, the smile quickly vanished when Alexei then turned to face the group - and asked them for their help in rescuing his sister. "Eh?" Kotori went in surprise, blinking rather quickly. "Dra... uhm, E-Elena-san is here too?" she asked, evidently not having expected that - but she didn't even have to look over to Rui for him to already agree to aid in the rescue; Kotori quickly nodding in agreement. Worry began to take hold once more - not only for Elena but also Alexei as he most likely would be feeling the same wave of exhaustion that Kotori remembered coming over her when she'd first met Kikuri-hime.

However, she wasn't alone in her surprise when Alexei didn't seem to have any intention of just collapsing like she'd done - instead, he remained on his feet and seemed quite determined to get underway to find and rescue his sister. Taking a deep breath - the brief exchange of words having at least served as a small break - Kotori stepped forward, ready to continue onwards. Luckily, Ayano was once more quick to scan the surroundings and informed them that Elena was not far off - though she couldn't quite shake off her ever-present worries, Kotori still remained hopeful that they might be able to finish things off quickly; even more so with the rather unexpected assistance of Alexei and his newly-gained Persona - whilst any thoughts about the rather strange situation they found themselves in and how it reflected on the cult's kidnappings took a backseat for the moment, seeing as there were far more pressing concerns at hand.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Crypt of Hopes and Dreams: Floor 1 | After School

Kotori glanced between the steam-spewing and her teammates; unsure of whether this was some form of attack, a cover or just a harmless venting of heat. She was, however, at least a little relieved to see that both Sato and Akane seemed to have recovered from the respective hits they'd taken; particularly after the former had been thrown to the ground by strike. The others, meanwhile, seemed similarly wary of the shadow after its initial attacks and sword barriers had prevented any real damage being done to it. Instead, they'd opted to go for a defensive approach as Akane used Setanta to summon a shield of her own. Taking inspiration, Sato then too used the same spell - but this time being cast upon the whole group, enveloping them all in a faintly glowing shells. Whilst they didn't feel impervious, it did seem like they'd take the worst of any attack and at least make strikes easier to take.

Meanwhile though, Ayano hadn't been idle either - instead, she'd been scanning the shadow and finally managed to get a read on it. Relaying anything she'd garnered to Rui, he was quick to order an attack - it seemed as though the steam really was due to it using up too much energy to shield itself, needing a brief pause to recharge. Looking between the others as they got ready to attack, Kotori couldn't see anyone in further need of healing; leaving her to instead face the large shadow. Taking a deep breath, she once again raised a hand with a low "Kikuri-hime" - before clenching said hand as she called her first attack on the shadow: "Zio." A bolt of lightning crashed into the creature; further adding to the damage it was taking from the others - but rather than get too hopeful, Kotori couldn't shake the worry that it wouldn't go down quite that easily; keeping her distance and trying to stay on the shadow's sides as Rui had ordered.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Crypt of Hopes and Dreams: Floor 1 | After School

Spreading out seemed to work to some degree - the shadow didn't seem to know immediately who to focus on as the group of four swarmed around and into attacking position. Rui's Askr fired an attack at range whilst Akane's Setanta closed in for a melee attack to the shadow's side. Kotori meanwhile was about to call upon Kikuri-hime to aid in the attack when things started going awry. Rui sprang back when the shadow suddenly launched a counter-attack at him whilst a veritable wall of swords repelled Akane's Kill Rush. Sato meanwhile had not managed to get quite into position and got struck in the side by a number of swords being tossed his way; a rather painful sight that caused Kotori to give a worried wince as he was thrown off his feet. She herself managed to avoid getting anything thrown her way and was thus immediately free to counteract the damage that had been taken.

"Media," she called - and just a moment late, Kikuri-hime raised the flower in her hands and brought it closer to her chest as a faint light emanated from her. This same light began to glow around all four of the group; a healing warmth soothing the worst of the pain from any sustained wounds and healing some of the damage caused. Seeing as the shadow seemed to have a penchant for countering attacks, Kotori warily kept an eye on it for any potential retribution; hesitant to yet engage in any offensive actions as long as the others might still require her aid.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Mirror Warakuma | After School

Luckily for Kotori, Akane too knew Alexei and took over explaining about the third year. She was a little surprised herself to learn that he was part of the Manga Club - something which, apparently, he had in common with not only Akanae but also Rui. Meanwhile, Ayano hadn't been idle and just moments later announced that she'd managed to plot a route for the group to find Alexei. Rui wasted no time in ordering the pursuit and they set off - even if Kotori still had a sinking feeling about this cult, considering that they had somehow managed to subdue someone of his size and stature.

Kotori Shirohane - Crypt of Hopes and Dreams | After School

The sight of the dungeon was... odd. Not that the previous one had been any better in that regard - but even while Kotori hadn't known what to expect, it likely wasn't this. It was a building of sorts, but with some rathe strange architecture which looked more at home in some medieval story of knights and dragons - yet at the same time, the colours clashed more than a bit with that image. However, before the dungeon - helpfully named by a banner as the 'Crypt of Hopes and Dreams', for whatever that might mean - could come under closer scrutiny, the group's attention was drawn to the figure standing outside: Kaminari.

After explaining what he'd seen - including the dungeon forming from thin air in front of him - he suggested that he stay behind with Ayano to guide any belated arrivals and serve as backup. Due to their already reduced numbers, this meant that the group was already decided - Ayano would be their guide, Rui would lead and Akane, Sato and Kotori would be following him. Kotori took a deep breath before nodding to acknowledge the decision - even after already having braved a dungeon previously, it wasn't exactly a prospect she was looking forward to repeating. Even less so now that she was standing right in front of the, at closer look, somewhat foreboding dungeon. Still, she was here to help anothe kidnapping victim - and the others were heading inside, leaving little time for any doubts as she followed them in.

Kotori Shirohane - Crypt of Hopes and Dreams: Floor 1 | After School

Thankfully, the dungeon turned out to not pose much in the way of danger - the few shadows that did cross the group's path were quickly annihilated with little to no damage incurred in return; something Kotori was rather thankful for. This in turn meant that the group quickly progressed through the dungeon floor - but despite the only very light resistance, Kotori couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about the dungeon itself. The tombs and candles, even if they seemed almost comically toy-like, still gave off an unnerving vibe to her - and she half-expected shadows to suddenly pop up from unexpected angles to scare them, though that never came to pass before they arrived at a sort of clearing - upon which stood a somewhat familiar figure. Or rather, two - Alexei and, if the previous dungeon and her own experience was anything to go by, his shadow.

The two were already engaged in some sort of fist fight and shouting match - though most of the punching and shouting came from only one side whilst the other seemed far more calm. Just as they managed to get close enough to clearly see the two and easily follow the conversation, the group realised that they were too late as Alexei uttered the fateful words of the shadow not being him. "Ah!" came from Kotori as one Alexei - the real one - was thrown heavily into one of the tombs. The other one, meanwhile, transformed before their eyes - turning into a strange creature. One girl laying upon the ground. The shadow itself, retaining much of its apperance. And the creature upon which it stood - which caused Kotori's eyes to briefly go wide behind her glasses at the sight.

An enormous masked humanoid creature, encased in some sort of armour, was hunched over the girl. However, this armour was pierced by dozens of huge bloodied blades - in fact, the whole thing was covered in bloody splatters. And to make matters worse, the girl began to cry out - in a voice which Kotori again recognised as being that of Alexei's sister, Elena. However, this sound was cut short by the shadow's voice - no longer calm, it shouted down at the girl before turning to address the group with its words and making clear its intent to make them disappear.

It didn't give more than that for a warning before immediately wrenching some of the bloody blades out of the creature's back - and hurling them at the group. The attack happened so quickly, Kotori barely had any time to react - but thankfully, the others had been more ready for such a thing and already sprung into action. Rui and Sato quickly dashed off to the sides to avoid the attack whilst Akane, using Setana, put herself between Kotori and the shadow; blocking its barrage with ease. "S-sorry," Kotori quickly mumbled out of guilt for having forced the othe girl to have to throw herself in the way of an attack because she hadn't been quick enough herself.

Rui, meanwhile, had already begun putting his experience to use and noticed that attacking from the sides would be their best bet as turning seemed to be a little difficult for this shadow. "Right," Kotori said, nodding to affirm the command, as she already raised one hand. In her palm floated an ethereal blue card - which was shattered with a single motion and a word: "Kikuri-hime." Kotori's persona emerged, allowing her to fight with its assistance rathe than having to rely on just her physical abilities. The presence of Kikuri-hime once more had an almost calming effect on her - taking a deep breath, she immediately began to head off to try and follow Rui's order of flanking the shadow; keeping a close eye on it to try and avoid any subsequent attacks instead of having to burden the others whilst at the same time keeping Kikuri-hime ready to heal any sustained injuries at a moment's notice.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Mirror Warakuma | Saturday, June 13 2015 - After School

As it turned out, the rather short notice did seem to have its downside - a few of the team were not yet here, leaving just five of them to actually enter the mirror. Kazuki remained behind to guide any late arrivals and possibly act as backup whilst Rui had just come off the phone to Kaminari who had entered the Mirror World elsewhere. And with that, the five of them entered the other side.

The transition was... strange, even if it wasn't the first time experiencing it for Kotori. She quickly looked around for any sign of trouble - but luckily, their arrival didn't immediately herald any shadow attacks. She wouldn't have been very confident in her abilities to drive them off though - but luckily, the others were here too and had already proven to be quite capable combatants. Rui quickly turned to Ayano and explained his suspicions about her persona's abilities - rather than specialising as a fighter or supporter, he believed that she would be able to guide others from afar.

For a moment, Ayano seemed a little hesitant - understandably, given that such a task was just thrust upon her. However, this quickly turned into eagerness as she took but a moment to summon her persona. The rest of the group watched as her other self formed above her - a humanoid figure which held a display of sorts in front of Ayano. Much like the others before her, Ayano seemed to take to controlling her persona as second nature within moments - though a worried expression came over Kotori's face as the other girl gasped briefly.

At Rui's question though, she reassured everyone she was alright - and that she had both the route to take and the locations of Kaminari and another: Alexei Dragunov. 'Ah...' Kotori thought, recognising the name - only for it to fully sink in a moment later. "Eh?" was the first sound she made, blinking at the realisation that she actually knew the person they were looking for. "Ah, uhm, y-yes," she said, a little hesitantly as she noticed several of the others turning to look at her as she spoke. "D-Dragunov-senpai is, uhm, a third year at our school," Kotori vaguely pointed toward the direction of the mirror they had come in from; her eyes behind her glasses having steadily decided to focus on some remarkably interesting part of the floor rather than any of the others' eyes.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Agriculture Club | Tuesday, June 9 2015 - After School

With the rather sudden departure of both Shizuka and just moments later Matthew too, Kotori had turned to gather her things seeing as there was little left for her to do alone in the clubroom. However, she wasn't quite alone - though in the other two members' haste, a knock on the door had been drowned out, leaving her instead to nearly jump in suprise when a voice suddenly called out a greeting from the door to which she'd had her back. "Eh?" was the only thing she could bring up in her surprise as she quickly turned to face the source of the voice - though with the initial unexpectedness quickly fading, Kotori realised that she recognised the voice at the same time as she recognised the person whom it belonged to.

"Ah, Dragunov-senpai" With a bow, she returned his previous greeting before looking up at the noticeably taller third year student as he put away his phone. His following question was quickly met with a raised hand on Kotori's behalf: "Ah, I'm fine," she said, shaking her hand to assuage any doubt. "Uhm..." Kotori started, glancing about the room as she did - before realising a bit too late that that would usually be the moment she'd return the question. "H-how are you, senpai?" Kotori asked, a bit belatedly.

"Do... you need anything?" she then added when she further realised that it was somewhat unusual to have guests at the Agriculture Club - the president of which, unfortunately, was not around if that had been the reason for his visit.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Classroom 2-2 | Saturday, June 13 2015 - After School

With the usual ring, the bell signalled the end of class and the start of the weekend - which most of the class were rather eager for and quickly headed out to meet up with their friends or other appointments. Kotori meanwhile, much as usual, remained seated as she finished her notes for the day; brief though they were considering that school ended somewhat early on a Saturday. Quickly reading her notes over, she gave a satisfied nod before packing her things. As she did so, she thought on what to do with the rest of the day - there wasn't any shopping that needed to be done today nor was there a club meeting.

That last thought brought a small smile to Kotori's lips - though they hadn't said a word about it, there had been some very subtle exchanges between the other two club members. Not exactly noticeable, but if one knew to be on the lookout, it wasn't much of a stretch to know what that was about. When Kotori picked up her bag though, a voice could be heard - and an oddly familiar one, given her previous thoughts. Turning to look, it was indeed Shizuka; the younger girl standing in the classroom's door and peering inside as she asked whether Saji was around. Schoolbag in one hand, Kotori walked over before giving a small bow in greeting: "Hello, Otonashi-san."

Looking about the classroom to see if her classmate was still about, Kotori quickly found Masahide's seat before pointing it out to the enquiring girl. Though she was a bit curious about the rare visit, it seemed a bit rude to ask; leaving Kotori to give another bow before heading out of the classroom.

Kotori Shirohane - Abandoned Warehouse | Saturday, June 13 2015 - After School

A little out of breath, Kotori arrived at the warehouse following the message from Rui - she'd only just gotten home when he'd urgently called for a meeting. Kotori had said she'd made some plans for the afternoon with some friends from school - not entirely a lie, really - and had headed straight for the warehouse where she'd met the rest of the group last time when Ayano had been kidnapped. She was feeling a little uneasy - the prospect of the kidnappings continuing still was not a very enjoyable one.

Furthermore, there was the rather real chance that they'd have to once again fight those shadow creatures - an equally unpleasant thought, though she hoped she'd be able to at least try to help out. As such, Kotori tried to stymie her nervousness as she waited for the group to arrive and Rui to divulge all the information once they were assembled.

Persona - The True Self

Oh, is it that time of year again?