InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Beg!"

Ikeda Kiriko | 池田妃凛子 (apathyisboring) wrote in disappear_plot,
@ 2009-10-23 14:41:00

Meeting time
Who: EVERYONE.
What: Meeting time.
Where: Butterfly Room
When: After School
Why: A lot to go over.

The blackboard had appeared out of nowhere when the congregation gathered. Initially Kiriko had stubbornly tacked her note sheets to the board (what wasted effort otherwise!) but eventually caved to the practicality of its presence and written, point-form, what the problems were under the large header What We Know.

1) Paradise.

"People left in Paradise for too long will die... According to Akuba-san's shadow, the time it takes is two weeks. We knew this one already, though, right?"

2) Shadows.

"It seems like these don't come out under normal circumstances. I mean, we can all go in and out of Paradise and there doesn't seem to be any connection to the Shadow emerging, which is when you get stuck there, right? I guess it might be the Shadow that's sort of holding people there when they do get stuck...? But then it could just as easily be..."

3) Murderers.

"Well, we know now that we're being targeted. I don't understand the first two murders - except, maybe Aomori. Maybe he figured out what was going on before all of us did. Isn't it possible that Sato-san knew as well? But that's just a guess... We don't really have any idea why this is happening."

4) Angels.

"The most we know is from those angel creatures that showed up... Do you think it really matters that they look like angels, in a world like that? Er, nevermind. They said they were targeting us, and they didn't like that we use our Personas... But we wouldn't have to use them if people didn't keep disappearing, and it didn't seem to make a difference to them when I said we could stop. If they're the ones that have been trapping people in Paradise, and bringing out their shadows... Well, I don't understand why they wouldn't try to round us up and kill us off if they wanted to so badly. Akuba-san's shadow seemed to have helped them last time, so maybe the Shadow of whoever is trapped in Paradise rules it, and they're bound by that...?"

5) Butterfly.

"Or maybe it's kind of a safety-in-numbers thing. That butterfly that spoke to us - I guess you all heard it in your own voice too, right? Sagaki said it's possible there's another force out there that's just using us as its army, and it's possible that the whole thing with the butterfly is a trap... It's true we don't know much about any of that, I guess, but at the same time it's... well, it does feel really safe here, doesn't it? Anyway... It's... probably important to start working as a team. It said our true strength is through others. Normally I'd take that as strictly a 'united-we-stand' sort of thing, but you never really know with Paradise, and if the alternative is being killed..."

6) Cover identities.

"Oh, right - one of the angels also said that this was their 'true form'. You know how Shadows will leave Paradise and 'fill in' for the person who is missing? Maybe this is something like that, where those angels - shadows - what have you, have some presence in the real world. I think that would make sense. Aomori-san thought it was somebody local, right? It's worth keeping our eyes open. I don't know how to confirm if it's true or not but if there's any possible way to get them before they get us then we should do it. Sagaki, you said Ishino-sensei might be connected to the murders? Could be worth investigating."

7) Why?

"But there's still a lot we don't know... I mean, the other world seems to almost defy explanation to this point. What makes the most sense is that we're all being targeted because we're Persona users. But... The first murder happened before any of us were in Paradise. Does that mean that Sato-san was a Persona-user too? I guess it makes more sense than that he knew something, but it's all pretty ciruclar, and I don't know if we can found out why we can call Personas in the first place, either.

We also don't know why they're going after us one at a time, or why they've never targeted the same person twice... Or if they regularly work with our shadows to try to kill us."

8) Recap.

"So... We may not know why, but something is... after us. And I don't have any plans to die. And I don't think any of you do, either, so... we should follow the lead that they might be somewhere in the real world, because it looks like the killers have got to use Paradise to be really powerful.

... And I, personally, trust what the butterfly said. This place has been safe so far - no shadows, no trapping us in, nothing like that. Didn't it also say there were two more of us left, and that now we could see who? If that's true, maybe the rest of what it said also was... but putting aside our differences for the time being can't hurt.

"Is that everything?"

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2dbeauty
2009-10-23 07:03 pm UTC (link)

Toru raised his hand, quietly and unobtrusively. He probably didn't need to, but something about Kiriko's demeanor distinctly reminded him of a schoolteacher.

"I-if we can see new Persona-users, th-then that should probably be our first order of business. Um, also... how do you suppose we'd be able to spot the angels under their cover identities... I-I mean, assuming that they were telling the truth about that. Would our... powers let us see them? Would they act or speak differently?" He paused, apparently considering another point.

"A-and also, since... since the majority of people who've disappeared were on this team o-or knew too much, should we be keeping closer watch on the status of our teammates? Er, because teamwork i-is important, f-for one, a-and also because everyone who disappeared... w-weren't they in a bad state of mind beforehand?"

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apathyisboring
2009-10-23 07:06 pm UTC (link)

"I... have no idea," Kiriko admitted. "I guess you just have to keep your eyes open for anything suspicious."

Kiriko frowned. Honestly, she had not particularly noticed a bad state of mind in anyone but herself - at least, no worst than the usual states of mind. Of course, she hadn't been paying much attention to any of the victims' personal problems, either. She nodded.

"It can't hurt to be vigilant."

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giantfruitbyday
2009-10-23 08:13 pm UTC (link)

Maeko wasn't entirely sure if the plastic chairs they were sitting on had just appeared there or if Kiriko had 'borrowed' them from the school below. Both seemed likely possibilities.

"I assume we'd know when we see them." Maeko said, subdued. She had flinched when her name was mentionned but calmed again quickly.

"I don't really remember before I was taken. The last few days before it are all a little fuzzy. I think we had a fight the day before I vanished...so Ishinomori-san might have a point."

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ofmanydevices
2009-10-23 09:05 pm UTC (link)

Tom had set himself up in as much of an out of the way place as possible. He liked that Kiriko was up front and all eyes were on her. So he sat quietly in the corner and listened to explanation.

"I'm looking into Ishino, I think it's probably a good idea if you let me worry about it for the time being. The connections are pretty minor, and It could be a dead end, if it doesn't pan out, I would hate for everyone to have focused on it."

Tom looked over at Toru.

"As for recognizing the angels. It'll probably be by what they say and do. Right now it looks like they can't attack the group outside of Paradise, so you'll want to keep an eye out for someone who tries to be friendly, flatters you in all the right places."

Tom's eyes glanced to Kaz for a moment and then back to Toru.

"Anyone not a confirmed Persona user that is. They'll play on people's insecurities, either make you feel good or bad, and then try to convince you to turn on the team.
But the guess about them could be wrong, so be prepared to run if they attack."

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zealousemperor
2009-10-23 09:57 pm UTC (link)

Kanaye yawned. Could this get any more boring? He had snuck a few glances at Maeko, who was either not noticing or ignoring him. He was rather annoyed, and when Tom spoke up, he took the chance to annoy his classmate. "Tom, let's not get into the whole "WATCH OUT FOR TRAITORS" thing, alright? There are very few people that would actually betray us, either due to morals or simply connections to other people on this team. And besides," he said, pausing for another yawn. "If they wanted to attack us in the real world, they would have done so already, when we are alone. NOT in a group, when we are...somewhat prepared." Kanaye countered sleepily.

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pinksunbeam
2009-10-24 01:40 am UTC (link)

Misaki closed her eyes taking things in slowly and then looked over the points again as if trying to create a picture in her head.

"Um...Kiriko-chan...well I know this isn't worth anything but.." She took a nervous breath. "Well first about the shadows. I was thinking about it this past week. What if...what if it's the emotions of the person at the time that give the shadow the strenght? Basically what if the shadow feels it's protecting or keeping the person from being hurt in a way. They only seem to come up when people get upset or really in a depressed state right? Could it possibly be the person choosing to stay there? Not like they're trapped, but more like...they don't know HOW to get out?"

She looked about nervously and had been sitting farther back from the group, but added quickly, "Second about the murders. We're assuming that the person that did the killing of Sato-sempai killed him for a reason. What if there wasn't a reason, or if the reason was something that we might not have thought of." Misaki went over to the board and picked up the chalk and quickly wrote down the names of the people that had been in there.

"Sato-san was quiet and shy, he also had trouble socially, and he had trouble in the past with bullies. Oubai-sempai could be seen as similar to Sato-san. He's quiet too, in the same class, and also has social troubles. Toru-kun is in the grade below, but he was also a boy and seemed to fit the other two for being shy and such. Then came Kiriko-chan, which was at first out of left feild. She's a girl for one thing, she's not shy the same way the others are, and there's been no trouble in the past with being bullied. But she's also in the same year as Toru-kun. Akuba-san is next, she's the same year as Oubai, and Sato, and also has had connections to the bulling club and such."

Misaki took a deep breath and swallowed some, "Then there was Sensei, who's been watching over Ishino Sensei since Sato-san's death. There's something in common all of them have...If you think about it. Oubai, Sato, Akuba, are all in the same class taught by Ishino Sensei right? Each of them have had their moments of..." she paused some not looking at Maeko, "dealing with bullies. That being said, there's also the fact that Kiriko and Toru both have connections to all three of them. Maybe it has to do with Ishino-sensei and the bulling club as a whole? Not just being Persona Users? Because when Oubai-sempai was taken we really didn't know enough to really be a threat to whoever is doing this. So...maybe because we saved other people they're starting to get scared?"

She put the chalk down and looked at the board thoughtfully, "Maybe someone found out about paradise first and they feel like we're getting inot their territory? Like how mice in the labs fight with one another when they are placed in the same cage?"

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daioujou
2009-10-24 11:36 pm UTC (link)

"Doubtful. If those beings," the word rolled venomously off Kou's tongue, "wanted to keep you out, they wouldn't kidnap people. Kill them, even."

He frowned. Pathetically, he was not strongly galvinised to bring a terrifying level of danger away from anyone to himself; they weren't people he wanted to spend time with, and he didn't want to become close because it would prove him - and his father - to be wrong. Certainly, he was capable of being civil and engaging in polite conversation, so much as they deserved. He checked his nails.

"Don't you remember how you all came running? Why garner attention if they want us out? I," his tone was triumphant, "think it's strange. Some of you will and some of you won't."

Kouchisei glanced at Tom and continued, "Instead of acting like heroes, we should go outside and do something."

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anthesphoria
2009-10-25 01:43 am UTC (link)

The meeting thus far had been an exercise in confusion for Kozue; while everyone was talking, she'd kept peeking up at the notes on the chalkboard, taking glance after glance to try and get it all to make sense. It felt like a doomed effort. Add onto that having to keep track of what the other members of the team were saying, and it became too much to ask of her after an entire day of school. (At least, in school, there were smarter students you could bribe into helping you. Here, the smart people seemed to be just about as lost.)

But something that Kou had said made her pause, and turn back from the board-o-notes to look at him curiously. "Go outside and do what, Oubai-sempai?"

It wasn't a challenge, or some kind of oh, and do what, exactly attempt at being witty—it was literally Kozue wondering if she'd missed Kou's suggested thing-to-do.

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	pinksunbeam 2009-10-25 05:05 pm UTC (link)
	"Maybe he just means we shouldn't just sit here and talk about it. Maybe it's just time we actively tried to figure this out rather then just what we know AFTER the fact." Misaki commented and sat down gently. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ofmanydevices 2009-10-27 03:10 am UTC (link)
	Tom scoffed. "Yeah I think it's pretty obvious that running off half cocked does not help. The only reason more people aren't dead is because of incredible luck. And that's not going to hold. You guys need to take a moment and sit down and try to understand the situation." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	zealousemperor 2009-10-27 06:59 am UTC (link)
	Kanaye rolled his eyes. "Understand WHAT? We have no idea what is going on. There are angels and weird, bizarro versions of ourselves running around whenever something bad happens. Quite frankly, I'd just say that it doesn't matter why people go missing, so long as we save them." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ofmanydevices
2009-10-27 11:33 am UTC (link)

Tom sighed, but he knew just snarking back wouldn't help the situation.

"And Aomori proved that no one can do that with consistency.

It'd be like if someone had a terrible disease, and only treating the runny nose. The group has very little information to go on, but that's reason for everyone to try and learn more, not ignore it.

This is not something that will fix itself, it's not going to get better if people just ignore it and hope it does. The team needs to do something, and that effort won't be successful as long as people are just groping blindly in the dark."

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pinksunbeam
2009-10-28 08:11 pm UTC (link)

Misaki glanced between Tom and Kanaye, "Well I for one intend to go to the library and see what I can find out about these Angels, and also to see if there are any articles about past cases like this."

Misaki stood up, "If anyone wants to join me then they can, but I'm not going to just assume that we can simply do this without knowing the whys about it."

She glared at Kanaye, "Are you serious! Do you even realize what happened? If we had known something earlier and wern't acting like...like we were all in preschool, maybe then we could have stopped Akuba-san from being taken in the first place!"

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	apathyisboring 2009-10-30 03:08 am UTC (link)
	"Sagaki is right about needing to understand the situation," Kiriko said with a frown. She scanned her owned writing on the blackboard, eventually pointing at point number six. "I think this is the most important part... We should do what we can to find out if this is true. If we could stop them without having to go to the other world..." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

daioujou
2009-11-02 03:48 pm UTC (link)

Kou pushed his glasses up. "How? By killing them? They know we're coming. We don't have a plan. Going without one is stupid. What would we do if we found them? Question them to death? They made it clear what they want."

He paused, his eyes a little wide. "And if they're people doesn't that make those things Personas? Not angels at all. Sounds like they're insane."

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	pinksunbeam 2009-11-02 10:23 pm UTC (link)
	Misaki sighed and rubbed her head, "I'm getting confused. So are they really people? Personas? What?" (Reply to this) (Parent)