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[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Shin Megami Tensei

Persona: Return of The Dark Hour

OoC Thread

July 4, 2012, 12:00am
Hanged Horse Park – Dark Hour

Two Shadows, one of the Temperance Arcana and one of the Devil Arcana, soared out from a chasm known as Hel, straight for a young woman by the name of Xiva Vulzah. This woman stood firm, unintimidated by the two creatures that stood before her; the Temperance Shadow had the appearance of a fallen angel, whilst the Devil Arcana had clearly resembled… well, a devil. Xiva had begun to summon her Personae, Yamata-no-Orochi and Seth, who had immediately began to attack the two Shadows. But they were no match for the two of them, and were quickly overthrown by the Temperance Shadow. The Devil Shadow had disarmed Xiva and sent her sprawling across the ground, and was just about to finish her off when a second blade had intercepted the killing blow. What had saved Xiva's life could’ve been another Persona, but with her failing consciousness, she couldn’t even begin to figure it out. The last thing she saw was the creature firing off a Mudo Skill and a Hama Skill.

The two Shadows were quickly felled by this creature that seemed to have materialized from out of nowhere, and by the time Xiva came too, the creature had vanished, just as suddenly as it appeared. In its place was a man in a tuxedo, fitted with a sun yellow tie. His oil black hair was swept back, and a mole could be found under the left of his baby blue eyes. The man extended a hand.

“Ryoji…” Xiva asked the man weakly, “Is that… you?”

“It’s OK, I'm here,” he answered, grabbing Xiva’s arm and helping her up, “You’re safe now,”

“But… how? I didn’t… I didn’t think you had…” Xiva tried to continue on to say that she didn’t think Ryoji had a Persona, but it was at that moment that her consciousness had failed her as she fell forward, only to slump into Ryoji’s arms, her head now resting onto one of his shoulders.

“Xiva…” Ryoji picked the fallen woman up and carried her in his arms, as The Dark Hour had begun to draw to a close, and everything had returned to normal.

July 12, 2012, 7:59am
Middle Garden Academy

All the students gathered together at the hall for the opening assembly, which was to start at 8:00am on the dot. Ryoji Mochizuki tightened up his tie as he waited for those final few seconds to pass, as a senior student at the podium called for the others to quieten down. The assembly was about to begin.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to the first assembly of the new school year,” the senior student stated, “I’m sure you’re all excited to get underway, but first, we have a word from our principal,”

The senior student stepped down and took a seat in the front row, and now it was Ryoji that had the floor. However, the stern face that he held whilst in the assembly in the first place was still there, as he stepped up behind the podium, an applause following along as he did so.

“Good morning, I hope you were all looking forward to the school year to come as I was,” Ryoji smiled briefly as he said this, but that smile quickly vanished as he pressed on with his speech, “However, I’m afraid I must share some grim news. As some of you may know, particularly our senior students, Miss Xiva Vulzah has been teaching here with us for three years now. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it today; last week she just went into a coma, and was rushed into Gin City Hospital,”

Everyone seemed shock to hear this, and began to gossip their concerns to one another.

“We don’t know how long this coma will last,” Ryoji stated, everyone silencing themselves once again, “But in the meantime, I’ve taken it upon myself to teach in Xiva’s place until she recovers. Those of you who have been assigned classroom 4-K as your homeroom; you’ll also be with me. Speaking of which, I’ve decided to host a Self Defense Club. School will be finishing at 2:45 today, so if you’re interested in joining this Self Defense Club, then meet me at classroom 4-K. That’s it for today’s assembly, so if you’d all line up in separate columns according to the homeroom you’ve been assigned.”

The students were led to their separate homerooms, and school proceeded as normal… until the bell rang at 2:45 rather than the usual 3pm. From there, the students went their own separate ways. Some were stuck at detention, presumably for misbehaving in class. Others turned up to the various other Clubs that Middle Garden Academy had to offer, and others still just went home. Ryoji, on the other hand, was in the principal’s office, finalizing a few things before he’d head off to classroom 4-K.

July 12, 2012, 2:46pm
The Velvet Room

Meanwhile, Xiva slowly came to a stir, only to realize that she had been summoned to the Velvet Room, a place that she’d never been in such a long time. A fair distance in front of her was a wooden desk, where an old-looking hunched-back man by the name of Igor would always sit behind. At first, Xiva was perplexed by the thought that she was even there in the first place. But she quickly deduced the reason why she was most likely summoned here after a while’s thought.

“You wanted to see me, Igor?” Xiva asked the hunched-back man.

[~Tico~]

Kaito picked his way down the hallway with a steady tread. He was in no particular hurry; after all, it wasn't as if the classroom was going anywhere. As he continued along, he reviewed the confirmed objectives of this particular assignment. Stay at Middle Garden Academy, assist the "Self-Defense Club", and eliminate the threat of the Dark Hour. It wouldn't be quite so simple as that, he knew, but his goals were clear. All he had to do was make sure the mission was a success. Nothing overly complicated about it.

Stopping at the door he had nearly walked past, Kaito glanced upward to make a quick check and ensure it really was room 4-K he was entering. Satisfied at its validity, he stepped inside.

The room seemed fairly empty, except for a few students who had loitering about even though class had ended nearly ten minutes ago. Ignoring the glance directed his way, he made his way to a desk and sat. Now'd he have to wait for that man, Mochizuki Ryoji, to make his entrance.

[Hydra of Ages]

The Velvet Room was a place of tranquillity, a safe place of contemplation riding upon the waves of the unconsciousness. Lying outside of time and space, Igor had seen countless guests, far more assistants than he'd ever have use for at a single one time, and a nigh-infinitum of variations to the space itself as it warped and grew into the shape that best fit the journey of the guest at hand.

Igor sat behind a thick desk, a far more sturdy and formal thing than he'd usually ever have use for; indeed, usually the Room provided little more than a small coffee table for his use, or something unobstructive that would put the guest at ease; even the blue velvet of the chair he sat in was far more imposing than he was comfortable using, a throne as much as it was a place for him to rest his weary back. The room seemed smaller than usual, almost cramped, with clearly defined walls hanging tasteful artwork; twenty-four pictures, naturally, arranged in a specific order around the room.

An office space; that was it; that was what the room had assumed. He was almost prepared to speak when a ticking sound broke the serene silence of the room- the ticking of a clock. The denizen of the room didn't spare a glance upward, but he knew almost immediately that a familiar clock had returned, ticking down the seconds of destiny; a familiar feature from a previous guest. Even more curiously, the room suddenly lurched- then fell, light periodically shining through the cracks in the walls as they passed.

An office that was also an elevator. Heading downward, in fact. Well, well.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor said as he gestured with a gnarled hand for Xiva to sit down. He closed his beady, vulturelike eyes for a moment in contemplation before opening them again, hands steepled. "I'm afraid, Xiva, that an old destiny has fallen to you. And of course, to my other esteemed guests as well; you needn't face your destiny alone."

Igor gestured with his hands again, and a deck shimmered into being on the table. Theodore, his assistant at the moment, reached over and took the deck, shuffling it a few times before setting it out into a standard card reading pattern.

"Tarot cards such as these imitate life itself," Igor said in his soft tone, "Though each card is different, patterns will occasionally emerge. But even when a set repeats itself, it can often mean something different entirely. To truly interpret a card, we must first discover what it truly means;"

Igor gestured with a hand and, like a sudden gust of wind, an unseen force flipped over the first row of cards- the two flipped depicted an arrow pointing upwards, and a small man about to tumble off of a cliff.

"The Hierophant, in upward position, next to the Fool. As your journey begins, you will have a great deal of advice from those who have had far more experience; but yet, you will make mistakes. If you strive to forge your own path, you may fail; and yet, if you neglect to take independent action, you may be rendered helpless. Now, let us see what challenges you shall face in your quest..."

The next set, this time three cards arranged vertically, flipped; this time it depicted a frowning moon looking down on a idyllic lakescape, thought the card was rendered upside-down. The next two in row were a fiendish red creature, and a set of four objects arranged in harmony.

"The Moon in Reverse: and the Devil and Temperance upright. The Moon represents creativity and potentials; unseen paths. In reverse, it is madness and masks- the dark side hidden behind all of humanity. The Devil represents revelry and release from that which chains us, whereas Temperance is common sense and moderation. The dangers here lie in deceiving one's self- either through the chains we put upon our own persons, or from a lack of control over our own lives. As for the future..."

He waved his hand; the last two cards flipped over. One was a strange wheel, depicting multiple animals and spirits as they held onto it- and yet the final card was blank.

"Ah," Igor said, his mouth changing in a way that might have been a smile. "The Wheel of Fortune indicates a grand choice in your future. As for the final card..."

He picked up the blank with his gloved hand and studied it for a moment. "That destiny has yet to be written; Or, perhaps it simply chooses not to be shown."

Igor placed the card face-down again, and allowed the set to disappear. He spared a glance, this time, to look at the movement of the room downwards. "We are moving swiftly towards our destination, now. A stone pushed down a hill by one may only be stopped by many. You will require a number of allies before you will be able to travel the path that fate has chosen for you. Once those who you need have been assembled, you will know the next step you should take."

Igor grinned- a bony, threatening grin as it was, due to the old man's tortured face, but one could tell it was sincere, if sinister.
"And likewise, I shall be here to help guide you down that road. As long as you have the will, I shall be waiting. We will meet again, soon."

[salseethrough]

A student was on stage, welcoming the audience. After an unorthodox introduction from the student, the pronounced principal made his appearance on stage. A well dressed man, hair slicked back, baby blue eyes. Clearly he held a successful and authoritative look well.

“Good morning, I hope you were all looking forward..."

Finally, this thing's started. Jaz couldn't help but feel impatient. Sitting among strangers, she wasn't feeling very comfortable. This man, the principal, went on to a grave topic, not something someone would expect to hear on the first day of school. A faculty member, a teacher specifically, was taken to the hospital, and he would be taking her place for the time being.

"Speaking of which, I’ve decided to host a Self Defense Club. School will be finishing at 2:45 today, so if you’re interested in joining this Self Defense Club, then meet me at classroom 4-K. That’s it for today’s assembly, so..."

A Self Defense Club? She didn't know why, but that had struck a chord in Jaz. Once the assembly was over, she found her homeroom and pondered about the club. With the school day moving along smoothly, Jaz's mind was occupied with nothing other than the Self Defense Club. Maybe if I visit 4-K, watch the club for a bit, it'll cure the curiosity.

Once the school day had ended, Jaz had done exactly as she had decided and sought room 4-K, looking up at the door labels. No... not it... no... Hm, wonder how many people'll be in there. Why would the school even have such a club? And announce that one specifically at the assembly? Well, the principle is hosting that club, and he was speaking on stage. Why shouldn't he announce it? Oh well. I just want to see what's there, anyways. I'm sure a bunch of people would want to join. It'll be filled quick. It's not like I want to- Found it.

Opening the classroom door, Jaz saw some stragglers hanging out, having not left the school building and an oddly silver-haired boy with mismatched eyes sitting alone. Jaz gave him discriminate look before finding an empty desk one seat up and one to the left of him. She sat down slightly slouched in her seat, putting her red messenger bag on the floor between her feet. Giving the room a once over, catching the silver-haired boy in her sight again before glancing to her empty desk top, she waited once again.

[Opa-Ayumu]

Markus was walking upstairs. He was pacing fast, like wanting to reach his classroom and leave as soon as he could. He jumped down the end of the last step of the staircase from the corner, landing on the first step of the next stair.

"Self-Defense Club? Come on! Is this...Dark Hour really that bad?" - Markus ran the last path to the classroom door. Upon reaching, he opened the door slowly.

"So this is classroom 4-K, huh?" - the room was almost empty, except for some people inside. The one that caught his eye was a gorgeous girl with long grayish hair and blue eyes. She had a couple of butterfly hair accessories and blue glasses too. Markus walked by her, but stopped on his feet, and sat a few desks in front of her. - "Not a good moment to start socializing..." - he mumbled as he sat and threw his black backpack full with pins to the floor next to him - "maybe I'll take a small..." - he yawned with his mouth open, and he suddenly felt sleepy - "...nap..." - finished Markus, as he crossed his arms on the desk, and rested his head on them while his eyes clossed.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Xiva Vulzah

"Temperance... the devil..." Xiva pondered aloud as Igor spoke of them, before reaching an epiphany, almost as if she recalled something in specific, "Those two Shadows I fought earlier. I sensed they had Arcana, Temperance and The Devil to be exact, but... I didn't think I'd find Shadows with Arcana. How many more of them are out there?"

Just as she finished asking that question, Xiva still had to take a proverb that Igor had spoken about into account. "A stone pushed down a hill by one may only be stopped by many," as the proverb went. As Igor stated, this meant Xiva needed allies, probably as many as she could possibly gather. But how many people out there had Personae? How many of those that did would actually come to her aid? And how many, if anyone, would only seek to crush her dreams of extinguishing the Shadows once and for all? There were a lot of such questions on Xiva's mind, but it wasn't in her to bombard anyone with questions. Still, she could probably get away with asking one more question, at the very least.

"And why do they seek to kill us humans?" Xiva asked, "Does it have anything to do with what they think we're doing wrong?"

Ryoji Mochizuki

Ryoji was still looking over Xiva's schedule for the year and pondering if she'd ever get out of the coma she was in when all of a sudden, a young girl, who happened to be no older than 14, was heard sighing, before she stood outside his doorway. Ryoji looked up, only to see in the girl's eyes that she just wanted to get on with whatever she was sent here to do.

"Ah, Miss Kyodaina," Ryoji stated, "What brings you here?"

"Mr. Ekoda Jr. sent me here," the girl replied, "If he actually bothered to give me directions, I probably would've been here half an hour ago. But anyway, he told me to give this note once I got there,"

Rolling her eyes, she tossed the note in a half-assed manner, sending it gliding over and onto Ryoji's desk. He read it with what seemed to be an annoyed look, expecting Mr. Ekoda Jr. to have made a big deal over something trivial. Well... Ryoji was half right. It was definitely Mr. Ekoda Jr.'s handwriting, and the pen that was used appeared to be forced down, indicating that he was angry at the time he wrote it. But the note detailed something with a much higher magnitude than what was usual of him.

'At least he had the decency to give me a remotely serious incident this time,' Ryoji mentally scoffed, before letting out a sigh, and looking up to the girl with a stern look on his face, "Kira, I'm gonna have to give you a principal's detention for this. I mean, we could easily afford another textbook, but the fact that you've hit another student over the head with it before it landed in the trash is a big no-no. For your detention today, I'll need you to follow me to classroom 4-K."

"But isn't that where the Self Defense Club's being held?" Kira asked.

"Yes it is," Ryoji answered, "And you're to attend the first meeting."

"Huh," Kira shrugged her shoulders after saying this, "I was expecting to have to write X number of times, "I will not do Y," but..."

"Well, did you originally want to attend the meeting?" Ryoji asked, intervening Kira.

"Tch, no!" Kira retorted.

"And am I making you go there?" Ryoji asked again.

"Well... kinda," Kira admitted.

"So then it's technically a punishment, as one could argue," Ryoji said in a determined tone, "Besides, I think there's something you need to know, along with everyone that'll probably turn up to the Club meeting."

The two of them finally left Ryoji's office and begun to walk towards classroom 4-K. However, just as they started to climb the stairs to the higher floors, a chill ran down Kira's spine. Something about the direction she and Ryoji were currently going seemed to ring a bell... perhaps Kira was going this exact direction when she sneaked into the school, before The Dark Hour had frozen her in place inside one of the classrooms. She couldn't remember which one it was until Ryoji opened the door.

It was classroom 4-K, but not as Kira remembered it. There were people already stationed inside; a mixture of those that legitimately entered for the Self Defense Club and those that were just loitering around. Eventually, the loiterers left when Ryoji actually entered the classroom, but not before he took down their names.

"Alright everyone, welcome to the Self Defense Club. Why don't we start by...?" Ryoji was about to have everyone introduce themselves when he barely managed to catch eye of Kira inching closer and closer to the door, "Kira?"

"Oh! Um, I um... I need to um... go to the rest..." Kira's mind froze as she tried to come up with an excuse to leave, before she threw in the towel completely, "Oh, who am I kidding?! This place gives me the creeps, and it's all because I once had a nightmare of me being stuck in it and it turning into some kind of frozen hell!"

Defeating herself, Kira slumped into an unoccupied desk and buried her arms under her eyes, not wanting to see any of this misery she landed herself in. She tried to reduce the sulking to a minimum and quieten what would inevitably come out as much as possible, but she couldn't stop a flow of tears from pouring out of her eyes.

[salseethrough]

Moments after sitting herself in the room, an older gentleman and a younger girl entered room 4-K. After a second, Jaz remembered that the man was actually the principal. The girl, Jaz had know idea who she was, but she didn't look very happy. After the loitering students vacated the room, the principal began to welcome those interested in the club, whilst the young girl attempted to vacate herself. Impressively, the principal caught this and the girl put on a show.

"Oh, who am I kidding?! This place gives me the creeps, and it's all because I once had a nightmare of me being stuck in it and it turning into some kind of frozen hell!"

Frozen hell? Jaz followed the girl with her eyes as she slumped herself to a desk. There's no way she's talking about the same thing.. Memories of walking Gin City rose up. Of it being frozen, with nothing and no one around. Of the wail Jaz had heard. Of the mangled Shadow Man she saw and was deeply afraid of. Or was it a dream, as this girl described? Even if it was.. There's no way she's talking about the same thing..

Jaz crossed her arms, holding herself. That was just coincidental. Obviously. Had to be. Jaz stared at the girl. I'm gonna ask her about her dream, but, not now. She's real upset. Sometime, I'll ask her.

[Opa-Ayumu]

"Come on, gimme some rest here?" - Markus protested, as the principal and a young woman entered the room. He had to slap himself out of his slumber to start the class. While the principal started talking, the girl tried to sneak her way out of the classroom.

"Oh, who am I kidding?! This place gives me the creeps, and it's all because I once had a nightmare of me being stuck in it and it turning into some kind of frozen hell!"

"What? F-Frozen Hell?" - Markus had a chill going down his spine - "It can't be...a coincidence, right? I mean...It MUST be. That...time, that thing, did she see it? Does that mean, this thing is for real!?" - he shook his head, trying to stay focused - "No. There's no way that's possible. I'll do some research later. Let's just, listen to the principal for once."

[Hydra of Ages]

Velvet Room

Igor smiled magnanimously, though as with most of his expressions, it didn't quite escape his tengu-like face. The man gave a good natured chuckle, and shook his head slightly.

"My sincerest apologies Xiva, but those of us who dwell in the Velvet Room are merely guides; we can provide no answers, only questions and... guidance. The nature of the Shadows is a complex, exciting thing and I much look forward to whatever discoveries you may make," The old man grinned, but he still seemed apologetic. He turned slightly, and waved over the younger man hovering by his side.

"This is Theodore, my assistant- and, of course, your own," Igor steepled his hands, interlacing the fingers. "Like yourself, he is a soul also free to choose and pursue his own destiny, and may yet prove himself far more valuable to you than I ever could be. Theodore, this is our guest, Xiva Vulzah. Please, show her every courtesy."

Theodore tipped his attendant-like hat. "Of course, Sir," he said with a smile, before turning to Xiva. "I am Theodore. It shall be my duty to help you in any way I can; pleased to make your acquaintance.


Izumi Murakami

Well, the Self-Defence Club seemed to be a bust.

It could be difficult to tell just by looking, but it hardly seemed like anyone there was actually good at self-defence. She recognized a couple boys lounging around that she recognized from the Kendo Club, and there might have been one girl from the Wrestling Team- the only member she remembered, come to think of it, which probably meant she was the only serious one- and what looked like the entire Boxing Team. Still, outside of the general assortment of jocks, the turnout seemed to be a miserable mix of bedraggled youth pulled from all across the school system.

She didn't bother restraining the obvious disappointment from her sigh. It wasn't as if she expected the Self Defence Club to be any different, she really didn't- it was just that her desperation was starting to become apparent. Just one thing, was it to much to ask for one interesting thing? One that didn't involve inane high school student relationships or lazy slackers making an unintelligent quip now and then? Often, she wondered why she even bothered to get up in the morning- less effort than staying there, she guessed. About as interesting though.

The principle arrived, finally, dragging a junior student that Izumi didn't care about with him. He attempted to start of course the troublemaker tried to leave as soon as possible- typical. She attempted to make an excuse, then just broke down and started crying about some nightmare.

"Shut up,"

She said with perhaps a bit more venom than she might normally have put in. Or effor- in most cases, this wouldn't have warranted talking at all. Yet... a nightmare of a frozen wasteland- not an entirely unfamiliar concept for her. Or rather, a nightly psychosis. She touched her glasses briefly, then fingered the tip of her butterfly ornament's wing.

"Nightmares are just the information absorbed by your brain regurgitating itself while you rest, and your brain futility attempting to make sense of it. Being scared of a room based off of that is just pathetic."

[~Tico~]

"Oh, who am I kidding?! This place gives me the creeps, and it's all because I once had a nightmare of me being stuck in it and it turning into some kind of frozen hell!"

To be truthful with himself, Kaito hadn't really bothered observing the new individuals. After all, how much could really be expected from what, half a dozen adoless dragged from whatever part of the school and lumped together for a chance at a functioning team? Taking a glance around at them, Kaito could just about conclude that nearly none of them, except for a rather sharp-faced girl with glasses, had even a relative degree of stone-cold hardness to them that would be crucial for keeping moral, especially against enemies like Shadows. Therefore, when one of the girls, who'd looked as though she'd been dragged in against her will, had shouted about her nightmare and fallen into hysterics, it was strangely easy for a brief flash of annoyance and exasperation to course through his circuits.

Good lord, are humans really so soft that one unpleasant dream can shake them up to this extent? None of the researchers or scientists who created seemed to have any such inhibitions. Or does this sort of feeling differ as one progresses in age? His thoughts were then then interrupted as the girl he'd noticed earlier stood up and with a hard tone, dismissed the nightmare with a logical explanation. No trace of uneasiness was present in her voice, or was there? Kaito still hadn't gotten full adept at interpreting emotion fully from human speech, but that would come in time.

"Glad to see someone with a decent amount of sense in their head," he said shortly to the girl, not quite loud and yet with a slightly lower volume than normal speech. "However, it's not as if one could exactly expect to find undaunted courage and resolve from among our midst, not at the current moment anyway."

[salseethrough]

Jaz turned around in her seat to see who'd spoken and pushed the hair that draped over her face away. It was the silver-haired boy she'd noticed before, who'd replied to a girl who'd spoken before him. They were apathetic types to be sure. Logic was all that dictated their thoughts and actions.

"You know, some things are better not said aloud. Sure, being that afraid of a room because of a dream is a bit strange, but it's no reason to be made fun of. Even condescendingly."

Jaz faced forward again. The frightened girl was still buried in her arms. She couldn't but think that this thing needed to get started, to get the room's focus elsewhere, like what the students were there for: the Self Defense Club. Please, can this thing start? I don't wanna have to talk with those two. It won't get anywhere.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Xiva Vulzah

"Pleased to meet you, Theodore," Xiva greeted warmly, before realizing that she should be back in the real world by now, "Well, I suppose I best get going. I just wonder where I'll end up is all..."

Xiva could only hope that the question that she had attempted to ask would be answered in due time, as well as those that she held in the back of her mind. However, one thing was certain, it was time to start her journey in amassing allies, as well as scouting for any Persona users who would oppose her. After all, the sooner she could get started, the more time she had for her efforts to avert the possible demise of humanity once and for all.

Self Defence Club

Kira was still crying over what she believed to be a nightmare, unaware that the event really took place in The Dark Hour, when all of a sudden one of the senior students had immediately dismissed the whole thing with some logical explanation, followed by mentioning of it being simply pathetic. Angry about this, Kira turned hastily towards said student.

"Oh, what do you know?!" Kira asked the young woman spitefully. However, before she could get much of an answer...

"Ladies... please," Ryoji stated, in a tone that implied that he was more than prepared to defuse an argument between the two, before immediately moving on, "Alright, there's something you all need to know, concerning this... frozen hell, as Miss Kyodaina kindly put it. It's real, and it only takes place during The Dark Hour, a hidden hour between 12:00am and 12:01am each day. However, only bearers of Personae can witness The Dark Hour. Everyone else will be seen encased in ice, along with all the buildings. One will also find creatures called Shadows within The Dark Hour. I assume everyone's witnessed either of those two things?"

[~Tico~]

Kaito sighed. Perhaps he'd spoken a little too bluntly for the situation at hand. He still hadn't gotten a good hold of using a humane standpoint when viewing each scenario, after being so used to the tactical and cold standpoint a machine like himself would possess. Fear...now there was a concept he had nary a clue about. He knew it from the data installed within him, as well as some accounts from the scientists who had taken part in his creation, but to actually have experienced terror on a personal level...he hadn't yet felt that before. Raising his voice again, but using a warmer tone than before, he directed his next words toward the girl who'd accused him of being condescending. He wasn't sure if she would ignore him, but figured he might as well try to explain himself.

"I didn't wish for my words to have such an insulting bite to them, although now I see how they could have come across as such. I just feel as if it's rather unwise to dwell upon such feelings of fear. Reliving the occurence fresh in your mind won't drive the terror away; to the contrary, it may even strengthen the fear. Instead, we ought to take a little look to the brighter, more encouraging aspects of life. Perhaps then, they may become as a shield from those troubling moments. Morbid memories can't chase out the traces of dread, so why think about them? Hope drives out despair; likewise, our fear ought to be dispelled by an unwavering spirit."

OoC: I had this written up about twenty minutes ago, but forgot to post it. So obviously when I got around to it, I was ninja'd. Just saying.

[salseethrough]

...I assume everyone's witnessed either of those two things?"

It was real? Gin City frozen? The Mangled Shadow Man? It's all real?! The principal seemed to have shot everyone with a shot gun. At least, that was the way Jaz felt. She raised her hand.

"I've.. seen one." She bit her lip and looked down at her empty desk. "It.. was horrible. Ugly. Black and evil.." Now she felt afraid. Despite what the silver-haired boy said, it wasn't as easy for her as it, presumably, was for him. Ugly memories are a foggy mask that clouds your thoughts. Especially one you feared on a daily basis, and now to find out it was real? She looked back to the boy again.

"I'm gonna have to talk with you more. Maybe you could help me." Facing forward again, she slumped further in her seat, waiting for the principal to go on. He knows about this Dark Hour, when it happens, what happens during it, and who are a part of and who can see it.

Jaz faced the principal. "Sir, like you said, anyone who's seen the.. Dark Hour? They have a Persona; what's that?"

[Opa-Ayumu]

"So it is called...Dark Hour. Damn is this creepy. I mean, the entire city...god. Sorry..." - Markus slowly raised his hand - "I've experienced it too...I mean, it happened, twice. The first time I had no idea what it was. The second one....I saw that thing...the black, hideous Shadow." - he then finished the doodle he was making on his notebook, and put it away - "I don't really know, what these...Personae are."

He then looked back, at his classmates. Some of them were fighting about some idiotic comment one of them made - "Grow up, gosh..." mumbled Markus, as he turned to the principal again. At this point, his spine was tingling, and he didn't feel so sleepy anymore.

[Hydra of Ages]

The Velvet Room

"And you of course, Miss Xiva. Farewell;" Theodore said as he waved his hand amicably, the Velvet Room fading away almost imperceptibly as Xiva left. The clock continued to tick, backwards, which Igor noted with very slight distaste; he didn't like repeats, especially when they seemed determined to go in reverse.

Still, even so, he found enough cheer to turn to his guest and give her a small wave off. "Be well~" he said with a hint of a chuckle, almost a cackle, though meant in goodwill. "And know that you are always welcome in this Velvet Room, no matter where you may end up. Our lamp is always on, though it may seem dark outside."

"Perhaps we shall be able to offer more aid on your next visit. Until then; farewell."



Izumi Murakami

Then the principal opened his mouth and started talking like a crazy person.

At least one person raised his hand and confessed to having seen strange, cold things in the night; dark shadows without people attached to them, twisted reflections that stalked during the night when the clock froze still. Many more still just stared blankly at the teacher, as if he'd suddenly confided in him that he was secretly a godlike entity that could recreate the world just by being in a bad mood.

Izumi was one of the later, though a flicker of discord still gave her brief pause.

"Are... are you a bunch of crazy people?" she snapped, glancing irritably as her glasses started falling off of her face, as if to check who was looking properly confused and who seemed to actually take the principle's words seriously.

"hidden hour? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Standard fair for a fantasy novel, perhaps, but this is reality. I shouldn't have to tell an adult to grow up and stop teasing us with things like that," she scoffed. "Anyone who actually believes they see monsters is probably mentally ill."

Which, of course, is why she'd need to get herself checked out sometime. She tried her best to block it out, of course, but it was very difficult not noticing an extra hour every night- especially since Izumi found herself staying awake far past twelve. The strange shadow-people lurking around were particularly worrisome- now that she thought about it, it was possible that there was some sort of illness spreading. Pollen, maybe? An allergic reaction that happened to have oddly similar yet esoteric symptoms between people?

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Xiva Vulzah

As Xiva found left the Velvet Room, she found herself in the hospital for whatever reason. Immediately she rushed back out, stripping herself out of the cloth that would normally be found over patients and whipping her dress back on, and her high heels. She evidently knew she was meant to be somewhere, and by her watch it was 2:53pm. She continued to bolt down her way to the school in hopes that she could arrive just in time to finish off class, unaware that school finished 8 minutes ago. However, as she took a short-cut through Hanged Horse Park, she bumped into a young man in white, causing her to fall over forwards and on top of him. Luckily for the man, he landed on the grass rather than the pavement, and even more luckily, Xiva's breasts ended up on his face. Yep... assuming his perverted nature, he'd be the luckiest man alive. But anyway...

"Sorry," Xiva apologized, "Normally I'd help you up, but I'm afraid I don't have the time,"

"That's OK..." the young man said in a voice that implied he was in fact dreaming of what happen, "I'm in heaven, now..."

Eventually, after Xiva resumed her running towards the school, the man got back up and dusted himself off, before noticing that his dog tags, which bore his name of Mako Yamato, were outside his clothing when they would normally be outside. Fixing that too, Mako continued to daydream about Xiva a little more, before coming across an epiphany.

"Wait... if she has a Persona, and she wasn't at the meeting with the others, then that means..." Mako suddenly turned to the direction that Xiva ran after he said this, "God damn it! Why does she have to be the enemy for?"

Self Defence Club

"Personae are ethereal reflections of one's inner self," Ryoji explained to Jaz, "Therefore, it would be obvious to state that they lay in hibernation inside your body, and..."

But that's as far as he got before Izumi interrupted him, this time letting everyone know she didn't believe any of this. Of course, Kira was mouthing the words blah, blah, blah and opening and closing her hand like a duck would open and close its beak in response to that, but Kira wasn't who Ryoji focused his undivided attention on.

"Well Ms. Murakami, I suppose you won't mind leading us to Hanged Horse Park tonight and proving us all wrong, then," it was obvious in Ryoji's tone of voice that he was unamused by Izumi's interruption. However, before he could get back to where he was, Xiva had burst into the room and slammed the door open, breathing heavily as she finally got there.

"Xiva!" Ryoji said in an astonished tone, "What're you doing here so early?"

"Taking over the last few minutes," Xiva replied, before turning to the class, "Alright, someone bring me up to speed."

[galesonic]

Kohaku was in the back of classroom 4-K, where the supposed Self Defense Club is being held. During the time after school when he heard about this club and the other rumors, his thoughts came across the thought of the god forsaken Dark Hour. Was it really was that people thought of: an extra hour? He had to see for himself. He immediately went to the room and go through the door. It was in the middle of the discussion, but no one seemed to care about him coming in late. That was one benefit of being invisible to the whole student body: you get to come in late and no one really realizes it. Sitting in the back row, he listened to the explanation of what the principal had to say.

So it was true, That even he just witness was what they called the Dark Hour. But, only Persona users can witness it? There must be a mistake. How can a nobody like Kohaku have such a power to have something like a Persona, if thats what they call it? It was then that an older woman ran into the room, seemingly out of breath. Maybe she could bring some light about this subject, if its a stupid rumor or not.

"We were just discussing the Dark Hour..."Kohaku quietly said. "And something about meeting at Hanged Horse Park to witness it."

[Hydra of Ages]

"Ah, miss Vulzah," Izumi said cooly as she adjusted her glasses.

"Principal Mochizuki was just telling us about how monsters are actually real, the government is apparently conspiring to hide a twenty-fifth hour of the day that nobody else is aware of for some strange reason, and how I and my fellow under-aged students should accompany him to an abandoned park at midnight alone to be totally certain that yes, the laws of reality are still applicable."

She took a cloth from her pocket and removed her glasses, polishing the lenses carefully before she looked up at her teacher with bright blue eyes.

"In a tangentially related matter, you wouldn't happen to know if there's any health risk going around for hallucinations, would you? I suspect pollen or some other air-born conductance myself, but now that I think of it, tainted food from the cafeteria would explain why it only seems that those from the school are affected..."

She shrugged a little. "Or the people here are just naturally overimaginative. I saw monsters and such when I was a child too, and while blue butterflies are fun to see in dreams now and again, one learns to separate that from reality when they grow up."

To be fair, she had a teacher in that regard. Kyo still hadn't contacted her, and it was starting to annoy her, to her dismay. She'd get over it, of course. That's how high-school worked; crushes came and left, like with the tide. It never really meant anything. She already knew that, of course.

[salseethrough]

There that girl goes again. Using her intelligent, calculating words to make fun of the situation. She obviously didn't believe in the notion of the extra hour and the monsters that dwell within it. The girl was so much as getting the government involved by means of conspiracy. Another postulation was the spreading a hallucinogenic pollen or infection.

Jaz wanted to say something to her but hadn't a clue as to what. Clearly the girl with the glasses and bow was much smarter than herself and would easily rebuttal any statement she made. Plus, there were two faculty members in the room now: Principal Ryoji and Miss Vulza. Behavior was due prompt. Jaz had to sound somewhat civilized. She turned around in her desk and looked at the clever girl.

"Seriously? Are you oblivious to the fact many of us in this room have experienced the same thing? Even with an illness, the chances of a shared hallucination or delusion is miniscule. Especially one as detailed and intricate as the Dark Hour. It's okay if you don't believe it, but you don't have to condescendingly make fun of it. I think you should join the expedition. See for yourself."

It was a vastly flawed argument, but Jaz didn't care. She just needed to say something to the girl. No one needs to be so detached.