Kirumi Tojo's Palace | The Ultimate Maid's Failures

[kandata]

By now everyone may be used to find themselves in bizarre locations, between going into palaces and visiting Nekyia. It might not come as a surprise that it has happened again.

What might come as a surprise, though...is how empty this place is.

All around you there's nothing more than a large, gray, featureless expanse. In the distance there seem to be bars, curving upwards to gather so, so high above you, possibly hundreds of miles above, so high it’s hard to distinguish.

It’s a cage. So unfathomably large. You could escape, were you to get to the edges of the cage, but...it would take forever. No matter how you look at it, you're trapped. The atmosphere is so...hopeless. Devoid of anything even remotely positive.

Not that you want to hang around for long, do you? After all, this is someone's palace. Not a place to stick around at. What to do, though?

It’s all so...empty. Silent. Featureless. A flat expanse of hard gray tiles.

Gather together, everyone. Gather and choose a direction. North, East, West, South. All directions look completely identical, but could it affect your time in this place, somehow? Probably not. But all treks start with the first step. Perhaps, if you get moving, you'll progress?

Comments

1/2

[kandata]

[Kirumi is, truthfully, very touched by all this. It's been...it's been such a wake up call. She's quiet, caught off guard by everything, but she's been listening to everyone, truly listening.

Monokuma, though, isn't nearly as happy.

...twelve people, and not a single vote. Monokuma is silent, watching everyone. He can see they're defying him. They haven't played along. This is ridiculous, he thinks]

...you all...I bearly can believe it. One can't rely on any of you to do a single thing right.

Not a single thing! From the very beginning! Well, you know what, fine! Damn you all!

Since all of you refuse to follow the nice little breadcrumb path I laid out for you, then okay, I'll handle things myself. Hope you're happy, bastards!

I will destroy Kirumi Tojo myself!

[Kirumi disappears from the Exisal's hand. Next thing they know, Kirumi is up there, at Monokuma's throne. Monokuma holds Kirumi by the neck, turning her head to the far end of the courtroom, where a screen descends]

Watch, all of you, how I get rid of the damn maid you all are sooooo eager to coddle!

[The screen turns on.

There's a girl there. She's staring upwards, like everyone did to the cameras some time ago. That girl, she talks. Her voice keeps trailing off, she sounds so unsure of herself -- completely different from the Kirumi Tojo everyone knows:

'...I...I want to be part of that world. That's why I'm here.

About what talent I could have, I'm not all that sure yet...? But I gave it a lot of thought, and I think that anything that could have me up front and center would be nice...please?

I'm so tired of being in the background. I don't want to be...just...this girl standing to a side like some piece of furniture...so...

...please let me be someone everyone sees! And then...I can...I can give you the killing game drama the season needs!

Just...just...can you please...not make me die early? The cases are fun, but also, I...the thought of surviving past all the death...wouldn't that be...really interesting?']

Theeeere you go, Kirumi. You're seeing that? That's you. Or more like, that's who you used to be, you little sniveling prop. Some random girl trying to get into the biggest, hottest television content ever. You were so eager to be in the 53rd season!

And guess what, silly girl?

You got in.

[Monokuma lets go of Kirumi's neck. When he does, Kirumi just drops to her knees, eyes wide open, staring at the screen. She seems absolutely dumbfounded.

And Monokuma isn't done. The screen goes back. There's no sight, but there's sound. There's a constant mechanical sound, like a buzz, and many voices talking to each other.

'...okay, all has been erased. The intern is ready to type in, you got the outline?'

'yeah, yeah. It's incomplete, though.'

'Why the fuck--?'

'Look, less talking, more solving.'

'Fine,' there's the click of a pen getting ready. 'Let's start...what'll be her name?'

'Something elegant, something--'

'Harumi?'

'.....'
'....'
'She doesn't have the face of a Harumi.'

'...you know what, just jot down something random. We'll consult with the committee about the name later. Uh, age, we can put the same than the original candidate. What did the candidate say? Any requests?'

'A bunch. She had some thoughts.'

'Yeah?'

'Who cares.'

There's the sound of typing, for about a minute.

'The higher-ups are getting a little antsy after the failure to get broadcast agreements with Europe, so let's focus on what to pass the character writing team. The roster needs, uh, three victims--'

'Yeah, she has the face of a victim character'

'Then why don't we turn that on its head and make her a killer?'

'Not a bad idea. Let's do it. How early, how late?'

'Depends on the talent we give.'

'Fuck it. No wonder it had so many blanks. She really is such a forgettable girl.'

'How about we use this?' There's the sound of rustling paper, followed by a groan from somebody else.

'The stupid 'teenager is the defacto prime minister' backstory was left in the cutting room floor seventeen seasons ago for a reason.'

'At this point we need to go for stuff out of the box! There's been 52 seasons, we need some new spins to old concepts--'

'Who the hell would put a teenager as the prime minister of Japan? That's the most stupid--'

'We can tweak it a little!'

'...minister...public servant...how about we make her a servant?'

'Like the cleaning lady?'

'Super cleaning lady.'

'...eh, sure. Whatever.']

Okay, that's all that survived of that moment. after the deletion back then. Your head is such a mess. Clean up a little, won't you?

[The screen disappears, but the damage is done. The implications were clear, and Kirumi and anyone else can connect the dots well enough.

Kirumi Tojo doesn't exist. She was some girl before who wanted to be part of what seems to be a show everyone in her world watches and enjoys. That girl is completely gone, emptied out of all original personality and memories. That's why there was all that blank expanse at the start -- there just was nothing else in Kirumi's soul. All that exists is the killing game, and what happened in it. All that's left of the original Kirumi is a vague shape.

Nothing else exists.

Kirumi Tojo's talent, her personality, her likes, her dislikes, her hopes, her dreams, her past, her bonds, her joys, her sadness...

...the actions she would take, what she would do, what her fate was...all predetermined for entertainment. A part of Kirumi must have

Monokuma steps to the edge of the throne, and glances back at Kirumi]

You, "Kirumi", existed only for about a week and half before you died. You were written and created to be this archetype of caring character who then would murder someone with cruelty. And your execution, oh boy, whoever authored that one should get a raise!

[Slowly, tendrils extend from Kirumi's entire clothes. Tendrils as fine as spider thread reach for Monokuma, the bear starting to get entangled in that]

Now come along. I still have to deal with your newfound friends.

[Monokuma jumps off the throne, towards the ground, Kirumi hurtling behind him]

[destage]

KIRUMI--!!!

[Sayaka's horrified as she witnesses everything. This, all of this--she was built from the ground up for entertainment? These sorts of games, they were entertainment for people who watched them--she was made into a

perfect

little doll.

It's oh so wretchedly familiar, and Sayaka's seeing red. She doesn't even consider if she was made to suffer a similar fate, if all of this wasn't the same for her. It doesn't matter. None of this does. None of it does, except getting the girl who was made into Kirumi Tojo out alive.

But she needs to mean what she says. And say what she means. The grip on her sword is tight, white knuckled, glaring at the spider threads and everything that extends from Kirumi into Monokuma. This is it. They have to save a girl who wanted to be something more from the clutches of a hideous fate.

And Sayaka is ready.]

...Monokuma, you bastard. You...

You're going to pay for this if it's the last thing I do--

[bloodweapon]

[Kirumi Tojo doesn't exist. All that they've been through, all that they've seen, were lies made up to give her a story, motivations, a reason to kill for... what? A show? A show that this girl wanted to be on so she could take center stage.

Maybe he doesn't have the full picture, but Fray has enough. It's enough to draw parallels to his own experiences and that... That isn't something he should be doing right now. This is about Kirumi. This is her story, her palace, her experiences, and yet Fray can't quite get out of his head for long enough to say or do anything to actually help.

(And privately, he wonders what this means for Sayaka, who has also been through something similar. Was she like this as well...?)

For the first time since he arrived here, he's completely consumed by... fear. Rage. Hatred, frustration, fury, disbelief, shock— so many other feelings that threaten to boil over into something, though hells if he knows what it is. Instead, he's left standing there silently, looking up at Kirumi without the words to express anything he's feeling.

It would be so much easier if this was simply a fight.

Fray remains silent, unable to react.]

[prozaic]

So, you're saying that her entire identity was scripted.

[NOW WHERE HAS HE HEARD THAT BEFORE--]

2/2 Final Fight: The Ultimate Maid

[kandata]

[Monokuma returns to ground level, glaring at everyone. Behind him, Kirumi falls to the floor, hard enough to almost fall unconscious at that point. Almost. While she's there, struggling to stand up, Monokuma talks to everyone]

I told you, it's kill or be killed! And since you didn't kill, you all die.

Allow me to show you...the great things our team can create!

[You know why Kirumi Tojo doesn't have a Persona anyone can see, not even herself? That's because all she is, is the Persona. A Persona is by definition the face shown to interact with others. There's no hidden side to her, either. All that could be hidden is right on the surface, to be part of the husk she was turned into.

Every time she just is using her own body and mind. She's the Persona, even though she never knew it.

The tendrils that extended from Kirumi's close begin forming, Monokuma blending with them. His own black and white cotton starts dissolving, an abomination being created in front of everyone. If anyone tries to attack during that, the threads lash at their weapons and their attacks, Monokuma's grin somehow surviving the union with Kirumi's Persona so far.

What arises, is a freakishly tall entity resembling Kirumi's maid uniform. There's no face to this monster. Its hands are soaked red. Monokuma's cotton seems to be imbued into everything, swirls of monochrome like splotches of paint and ink all over it. The thing extends a hand, spider threads falling from its palm and wrapping around Kirumi's torso and chest, and they hoist her up, torso-first, the threads dangerously close to her neck. The monster experimentally swings her like a flail]

Fifty-two seasons. You bunch have even less numbers than a season, so I'm sure you won't be part of the body count!

I'll crush you all to a pulp!

[The Ultimate Maid intends to kill. Watch out. It's so cocky it even lets you all have the first turn.]

1/2

[moodwrecker]

...

[Kirumi was created, all for... this. There's a weight in there that makes Aubrey sick to her stomach. Knowing that this was apparently accepted enough to have reality tv show writers who couldn't even care enough to craft a good story for her.

She was just fodder for that world, in the end.]

...But you're out of that world now.

2/2

[moodwrecker]

And if you still want to live your own life as Kirumi, or... or whoever you decide to be...

I'll tear that bear to shreds until you can!

[Which she makes good on, because her Giant Slice actually hits this round (12)]

[destage]

[There's still something to save in there. Sayaka knows it. She refuses to let herself be bogged down in fear, to be bogged down in what ifs and what could be. What's here in front of them is an objective, and it's one that Sayaka intends to see through. She closes her eyes briefly, gripping her sword tight, and she speaks to herself calmly.

It's about time she lives up to the path of the knight she wants to be, and save a girl who simply wanted to be noticed.]

...My brothers. You've both guided me for so long. May I make you both, and everyone else here, proud.

[Sayaka's eyes open.

She'll attempt to rush down the strange new form with all of her might with a Giant Slice (3), though it appears she can't grasp the true form of the monster just yet.]

[vogelfrei]

[ This explains the gaps in Kirumi's memory, the matters that don't add up, the unrealistic career... McGillis had been fairly certain that there was something off about her past that they had not yet discovered, but he could not have foreseen this.

Kirumi is nothing. Not a name, not a past, not anything at all. She's nothing, because she allowed who she used to be to be ground into dust for the mere chance of relevance.

At the same time, this means she is something. Kirumi is tenacity. Not to be sidelined, she'd been given the most sidelined role of all, and yet-- Kirumi's always wanted to shine, to keep going and reach something higher.

McGillis Fareed-- No, McGillis Montag understands that desire.

He'd related to Mafuyu and her masks, to Sayaka and the whittling down of who she might once have been... With Kirumi, he's confronted with the abandonment of self in pursuit of something else coming to its absolute final form.

And it makes him want to reach out his hand, for once.

But he can't, not yet. First he has to hit the monster with a Garudyne and get Kirumi free (11). ]

1/???

[prozaic]

[Shalem makes a face. He almost... looks annoyed, really. He's been denied a proper fight once, and then now they have to fight something not human? That's not murder, no potential for art-- that's just slaughter, culling. Clean, methodical.

Still, fight he must, so he gives a sigh and readies a Bufula-- but Orpheus is unresponsive. Shalem has to look up at his Persona quizzically. What's happening?]

[prozaic]

[Excuse him, he has to deal with his Persona for a bit!]

[prozaic]

[As he's handling Orpheus' lyre though, he notes that... There's something different about both of them. He should still have some lingering numbness from the Bufula he shot earlier, but it's just gone, which should not be possible because his body doesn't warm up that quickly unless there was a source of fire...?

Did what Braphine promise come to pass?]

4/4

[prozaic]

[Only one way to find out. Shalem searches his mind for a suitable spell, and--

Orpheus responds by blasting the boss with an Agidyne (16).]

[strawsandals]

[ This is so much. Kirumi Tojo isn't real? Kirumi was a character that someone else wrote? Kirumi is simply a narrative device...

...well, then. They'll just have to change the narrative then, won't they? And he will carve it into her mind so she doesn't forget.

While others presumably keep her busy, Yoon grabs a stray piece of wood and tries as hard as he can to carve letters into the floor: ]

Kirumi Tojo is real

[bloodweapon]

[Ah, wasn't he just wishing for a fight instead of time to think about all Kirumi Tojo is or once was? Perfect. Fray shakes his head as if to clear it, dropping into his usual battle stance as he prepares himself. There's really only one path forward, and it's one he's eager to take - battle is where he has always shined brightest, after all.

Regardless of his own issues and insecurities, a Dark Knight exists to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Right now, that's Kirumi. He can sort out the rest later.

Here's a Thunderous Rage, striking hard with a 19!]

[beautifulknight]

[ All of these revelations...

...They are unpleasant. One, right after the other, witnessing and hearing them makes Argenti's stomach churn, and his expression darken.

The fact that there was some kind of show involving a "killing game".

That she, as a person, wished to be a part of that world.

Yes, Argenti is staring down the core of this young lady's twisted desires in the face - he feels that much.

But, it does not end there. No, the rabbit hole grows even deeper, with her own identity essentially being placed into question. That she was never really "Kirumi" at all, it was just something gifted to her, without even consideration for her desires at all.

...To be honest, Argenti can't really understand why she would wish to be on such a stage like that. Not at all.

But, that doesn't matter.

He understands that she still wanted to be her own person throughout that, and he feels that was stolen away, when she was slotted into a role she never wished for. In the end, Argenti will endeavor to rescue her, to show her that she can still walk along a new path.

And be her own individual while she's at it. ]

I see a wretched fiend like you only has room to be conceited and full of nothing but wretched evil. We will take Miss Kirumi back, and she will have the chance to embrace that opportunity of a second chance as herself! And you?

[ Unfortunately Argenti doesn't know what else to call her, but Kirumi is his friend. That hasn't changed, even in the face of these startling, troubling revelations. ]

You shall fall!

[ Argenti shouts this, rushing ahead, and he just flat out misses (6) with his swing, but he isn't embarrassed in the slightest. ]

[emptyself]

[ soujuurou stares ahead, dumbfounded more by the memory that he saw rather than the monster that has taken control of kirumi tojo.

something about it feels horribly familiar and horribly sickening, but soujuurou has no time or energy to process his own feelings. if it’s a living thing, then it must have a weakness. and if it has a weakness, then it can be taken down. ]

I’m sorry, Tojo. But I know that you can continue living even with a false identity. It’s hard— but I think you can do it.

[ soujuurou poses, ready to strike, as he goes to strike the monster with a punch (19) ]

[imperiosity]

[Once his head feels clearer thanks to Yi Sang’s Energy Shower, it’s just in time to witness what is frankly a pretty fucked up revelation about Kirumi. He grits his teeth as the screen plays back everything, stuck in place as the entirety of her situation clicks into place. Those seemingly uncharacteristic messages that were littered about the palace now take on a far more sinister light.]

You sick bastards…

[Even if she initially volunteered herself for that show, going so far as to completely erase that girl just so they could foist onto her a role that she had never wanted was enough to crush whatever misgivings he might have had about her murder and her conduct during that trial. It wanted to show them Kirumi was worth hating? What a farce.]

…Didn’t think I’d ever say this, but you might even be worse than those Almata shitheads. So just shut up and die already!

[The bigger they are, the harder they fall — and that’s why he aims a pair of heavy slashes at the base of the creature (15) in an attempt to cut it down to size.

[idealitas]

[ This explains the notes with the changing vase. That poor young woman who longed to be someone special. She was even willing to be a part of something twisted like this program if it meant having that chance at living as that dream. Short-lived, as it's all for a killing game of entertainment in the end, but still a life lived in a way that exploited the ... For what? What's so fucking

This is beyond inhumane. It's wretched. If she lived in a world where this was this source of entertainment, he doesn't blame her desperation.

But the manifestation of that world's callousness trouncing on her like this once she was no longer worthwhile of prop even here... needs to fucking go. He's furious. ]

You deserve to live whatever life you wish. What you believe in to move forward. That is not, and can never be a falsehood.

[ Yi Sang charges in and stabs the Ultimate Maid (19). ]

But this pretense that deigned you as a prop in their eyes needs to fucking disappear...!

[kandata]

[This thing must be really confident, to be facing these twelve without flinching. There's no grin anywhere on it, but its body language is very obviously mocking. It barely makes a move to defend itself, like that's casual.

Aubrey's Giant Slice strikes at its torso, the monster unraveling it to avoid Sayaka when she does the same thing]

You want her so badly? Have her!

[The Ultimate Maid swings Kirumi, who until now had been trying hard to get herself untangled from the threads it was held by, but any effort was impossible once the Ultimate Maid swung her, like a flail, aiming for Sayaka and Aubrey

It misses (rolled 6, 7)...and Kirumi slams against the floor, with an ugly sound. Whoooops. Kirumi Tojo is unconscious. The Ultimate Maid couldn't care less. If anything, that makes it easier to swing her around -- a dead weight is easier for this than someone struggling! Fortunately, McGillis is handling this, so Kirumi can't be used as a weapon ever again. Kirumi falls to the floor, unconscious, the Garudyne effective at wrecking the Ultimate Maid enough to make her free. The hand, a mop of string now, coalesces into a bear claw now, swiping at McGillis, but it being a new appendange means it's not used to that yet (rolled 2).

Good news about spider thread: it's very flammable! Shalem's Agydine strikes true, burning some of its shoulder, ashes and smolder left there. It burned a small portion before the creature solves this, some of the threads moving like a fan to extinguish the flames. The Ultimate Maid, relentless, focuses, unleashing a Hamaon onto Shalem. It's successful! Barely. Shalem was at the edge of the columns of blessed light that emerged from the ground, hitting him...and slowly starting to kill him. The 11 roll made it not as effective, but if Shalem doesn't get his rapidly depleating health healed, he'll die!

The Ultimate Maid is forced to bend one way or another by the strong physical attacks so many use against it. Even though it's not giving any huge indications of damage, hey, you're hitting it! Health points get lost even if the opponent doesn't writhe in pain! Argenti, Fray, Yi Sang, Aaron, Argenti and Soujuurou -- the last one with a punch -- are merciless against a creature that deserves destruction. Soujuurou will feel the uncomfortable sensation of the threads trying to capture his fist, though, ew!

The slash onto the legs is particularly good, though. The slash makes the creature stumble, and it gives a very ursine grown. Very unsettling to hear from such a spindly humanoid!]

You know what makes our team so good? We adapt everything and everyone into our plans!

[To demonstrate it, the Ultimate Maid hits the ground, and all of it shimmers. Tetrakarn! Physical attacks will get deflected onto the user! Better watch out. Not only that, with a swipe of its new bear claw, it targets the five who had attacked, a red, vague mist covering the area. Wage War!

Yi Sang, Argenti, and Soujuurou get inflicted with rage, feeling the need to physically attack the opponent. Aaron and Fray didn't get affected.

Watch out! The Ultimate Maid is trying to counter you all and keep everyone busy!]

[destage]

[Ohhhh, that is so bad. They're in a rush against time, aren't they? If Monokuma keeps using her like that, then she'll...

...Sayaka can't let that happen. She just can't, but the desperation of the situation means that while she tries to aim an Agilao (8) at the thread connecting Kirumi to the monster, she misses her shot entirely after dodging the attack.

Focus, Sayaka, focus--well, she at least tries to cast a Dia on poor Shalem, because holy shit we do not need the snake dying here. Focus, girl, focus--]

[vogelfrei]

[ The resistance to physical attacks makes the Exisal fairly useless right now, but McGillis remains shrimped inside just for the physical protecting the armor can offer him.

Combat-wise it seems better to just focus on his Persona and keep hitting the Ultimate Maid as strongly as he can - with a Garudyne (12) once more!

He's on the move though, trying to inch closer to where Kirumi is unconscious on the floor. He's hoping to snatch her away in a round or two... ]

[moodwrecker]

[She recognizes Wage War - she herself had that power, as a Shadow. Which is why she opts to swap to:]

Bufudyne!

[And with a roll of a 14, that should at least hit! She's tossing a dia on Kirumi as well but, you know, fighter not utility and all.]

[imperiosity]

[Hm, that round of attacks wasn’t bad but uhhh all the rage effects and then Tetrakarn definitely are, but he’s not utility so he can’t really do shit about it!! So for his part, he uses a Garudyne (11) at its torso, trying to shred as much thread as possible.]

Tch. Someone clear their heads!

[bloodweapon]

[Well, at least one Utility was spared. Fray immediately switches tactics, throwing an Energy Shower out for Yi Sang, Argenti, and Soujuurou.]