linkingup | * ‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

* ‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

What's Up?

Mafuyu and Aerith have hatched a plan to give Braphine's Chosen some time to relax and have fun together! And just in the nick of time...

Date and Location

Afternoon of Monday, October tth into October 8th
The Aquarium within the Office District

The sway of water

It's a normal morning for anyone who's managing to sleep a standard schedule- up until a mass text goes out, that is. Everyone will find the same thing from either Mafuyu or Aerith's username:

... Simple enough. And should you choose to attend, both your hostesses will be pleased to see you once it's time to head over.

As they said, the aquarium is largely empty save for the group, and it's definitely worth it. A serene song plays overhead while attendants give tours or explanations as needed. The variety of aquatic life is surprisingly vast as well, and spacious halls give way to plenty of opportunity to explore.

Come nightfall, certain rooms dim the lights but the tanks stay lit- or black lit as darker enclosures like the jellyfish hall and the octopus tanks remain- and only a few staff remain to keep an eye on things- so... stay on your best behavior. The two restaurants stay open- a regular fast food joint with kitschy island cabana theming, and a much more upscale lounge where Aerith plans on corralling the adults for fun this evening.

Once it's time for the age groups to split, Aerith will lead the adults to a pleasant lounge with more tanks, large couches or more private tables, and a view overlooking one of the main rooms of the aquarium- wave to the kids if they're there! Or don't. Bouquets of flowers are placed around the room, and it looks like Aerith has a few ideas already, though she won't stop anyone from going out to review the different sections again.

Contrasting Mafuyu, who is content to let the fellow teens do whatever- though if they do congregate, she's not really the social sort and will simply be content to enjoy the vibes. Even if you just want to take a nap somewhere, there's plenty of dark secluded areas to do so.

Out of character!

This log is for an ic sleepover hosted at the aquarium! All characters are invited but attendance is not mandatory. That said, there are still staff members ready to boot any troublemakers out. We wanted to keep the types of displays vague to give everyone creative freedom, and characters are welcome to flit about between groups as they desire, be it to check in or to to snoop or whatever. As discussed with the mods, this does count as an open event and can be used for rewards. Thank you all for your interest!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ maybe it's because she's seen what's in Kaine's heart. Maybe it's the goddess' touch but Schneider feels a little more open today]

... I hated it. The farm I grew up on...it wasn't nice, but at least we belonged.

[It is easier right now, isn't it? Maybe they're playing into exactly what was expected of them, or maybe...it's just a little easier to forget, in the dimly lit crevices of the aquarium, that other people surround them and they aren't just talking between themselves.]

So you lost out on feeling that way. [Kainé has very little to compare it to; in childhood, her experience with love and belonging was a small and fleeting thing. But she remembers what it meant to have it.

She tilts her head back.] I'd hate looking up, too. What if it looks like the same sky? [What if it doesn't?]

[It's why Schneider hasn't bothered approaching anyone but Kaine and Yoon. She doesn't like this feeling of being surrounded by strangers, playing at family or such. But the darkness of the aquarium helps her forget]

Mm. So it's better to keep your eyes on what is in front of you. Wasting time like that is not much fun.

You've got your own shit to deal with. Dreaming's hard. [Kainé can't exactly disagree, not after everything. There are plenty of big pictures she never bothered to look at because their outcome meant nothing to her.]

The view's probably not bad out by the temple, [she muses. She and Schneider share a similar opinion about their circumstances; neither of them, she thinks, is really willing to give a lot of credit to the goddess who claims to depend on them. So it's a little stupid that it's the first place she thinks of now.

Kainé rubs at the side of her head.] ...Are you playing too, or am I gonna sit here and look like a dipshit?

[ The brief expression that crosses Schneider's face says everything about her thoughts on the goddess. But she smiles, quick to cover that up and giggles]

Mmm... can't have that now, can we? Ah. Never have I ever kicked down a door while yelling.

[Okay, first of all, unfuckingbelievable.

Second of all...

Kainé holds her glass, but she doesn't lift it right away.] Yeah, not sure I believe that.

[Ahahaha]

The game is "Never have I ever", isn't it? Why would I lie?

'Cause even if you're lying, nobody'd call you on it. [It's probably a testament to how little some of them know each other, and that's fine. Why question something like this? Even Kainé's just doing it to be ornery.]

You'd probably just say, "I'm a tiny princess who has people to kick down doors for me."

[Grumbling, she lifts her cup to her mouth and, as foretold by the chugging art, quaffs it.]

Oh? You know me so well.

[ Schneider beams unrepentantly]

...huh. I thought it was meant to be a sip, not a whole drink.

Yeah? [There's skepticism in the question. It just doesn't seem like the type of thing Schneider would say or believe in any real measure.

She wipes along her bottom lip with the back of her hand.]

It's just that bubbly soda shit. No big deal.

[Which should feel pretty unpleasant to chug (and kind of does), but her iron stomach seems to have handled it easily. Kainé takes a lot of things in the extreme: This just seems to be another one of them.]

It's a bit sweet for me.

[Honestly, pretty nauseatingly so.] Now, something with alcohol, a bit more of a kick, I'd understand.

Yeah, it kinda sucks. Usually people who make a fuss about how bad something is are blowing smoke, but...

[She shrugs before taking another, more conservative drink (for her, so it isn't saying much).]

You wanna get into a fight with the bartender? They'll toss you out on your ass faster than you can cry about it.

[ She puts down her drink. This amount of sugar and fizz is not sitting well with her]

Oh? You think they could throw me out?

Eh. [She gets an extremely uncommitted "who could say?" sort of shrug. Is it bait? Or perhaps Kainé really doesn't have a horse in this race.

...Or it's some small vengeance for getting tormented.]

[She sees where this is going]

A shame. I've already given up on anything special here being worth arguing over. Your turn again or are you tired of the game already?

What, do you wanna argue about something?

[She's getting poked at - she's naturally ornery enough to notice that - but Kainé doesn't fully grasp the meaning.

She reclines a little too forcefully, making a soft thump when her back fully hits the seat.] It is tiring. I've never been to something like this or played these kinds of games.

[She isn't really saying that as a turn in the game, even... it just comes out that way.]

[ Schneider tips her head in acknowledgement and sits down with Kaine, carelessly closer than she needs to be as she sets her drink down on the table. It is just her habit to be in people's space. Don't worry about it.]

Neither have I. My parties were... different kinds. Dancing. Wine. Threats and alliances made over dinner.

Ugh. That sounds annoying, too. Like you couldn't be left alone even if you wanted to. [Maybe all parties just kind of suck, actually. She spares a single glance when Schneider comes over, making some silent appraisal.

She wouldn't usually keep talking, but there really is something about the floaty, otherworldly lighting in here and the illusion of closeness.]

I'm... [She slows. They are still in public, though, after all. Like her conversation with Aerith, it's not really great conversation for a "party."] ... Not exactly what people wanted around, ever since I was a kid. Even when I got older, there were a lot of reasons for me to stay away from group occasions.

No. They pissed me off so much. Those that pointed their guns at me directly...at least I didn't have to play around with them.

[Honor amongst thieves and all. Schneider curls up a little, leaning a little closer, her voice dropping a little. No one is paying attention to them]

No...? As gorgeous as you are...I can think of plenty of reasons to want you around. What sort of people were they...that they would reject you?

Yeah. At least you know where you stand when it's like that. Easier to say fuck 'em.

[When there's always a gun pointed at you, you get used to that, too, but you learn what to expect from people.

The compliment, like the first one she received from Schneider, tries to slide off like a drop of oil. It's nice. It means something. Does she really believe it? Whatever Kainé says is going to be like digging the point of a sword into the fleshy lump of growing trust and making it bleed. She looks away, her gaze fixed on a specific animal struggling to swim.]

... My body wasn't born right. Normal. The people in my village didn't want somebody like that bringing misfortune. That was before part of it became free real estate for a monster.

[ Schneider is familiar with the deep suspicion isolated villages had to outsiders, those who were different.

Believing in things like curses and misfortunes brought by the devil or those that didn't fit their ideal when the real monsters were staring them in the face all along]

Places like that always have such stupid superstitions...as if they are so good and holy that they can cast judgements without being damned themselves. What is normal anyway? My heart is not where it should be, but it still beats, no?

[Schneider scoffs, her lip curling in disgust, and leans in a little more. her hand brushes against Kaine's while her other fiddles with her cheap fake pearl necklace]

...your body was possessed by something?

You...? [That does get her attention away from the tank, and she rolls her head back to look at Schneider again.

Whatever's going on with Schneider's heart isn't exactly the same - not the visible difference that drove people like her and Emil to want to hate parts of themselves - but Kainé has to wonder if it was used to make her feel shameful. If she still fought to prove she had as much right to live as anyone else.

Then Kainé glances at her hands, the one at her throat followed by the one brushing hers, and she shifts a little bit.]

It's a long story but not exactly an interesting one. I was gonna die, but... I wasn't finished yet. So after that son of a bitch moved in, I fought like hell to not get totally taken over. It's my Persona, now...guess that's who I always was. [There's a little ruefulness in Kainé's voice. By the end, they'd become more a part of each other than either of them would even admit.]

[She takes Kaine's hand and presses it to the left of her chest. If Kaine feels for a moment...she wont feel anything.]

See? My heart isn't in the right place.

[Schneider listens intently, her brow furrowing] So...the villagers forced you outside, and then that thing came and tried to take over.

[She knows Kaine is a lot softer than she lets on, that her heart is more easily moved and hurt than someone like Schneider. It must hurt, not to claim ownership to anything, to fight desperately for every last part of yourself]

It does not seem there is much reason or logic behind personas...but you are indeed a strong person.

[She lets her hand linger where it's been placed, taking in the silence of a missing heartbeat. She's been in that position before, letting someone else feel the part of her that was cursed. Kainé's thumb taps a couple of times, but she doesn't move her hand otherwise.]

... What, do you feel sorry for me now? Hold onto that for someone who can use it.

[There has been plenty of hatred in her heart - there still is. But filling the hole left by revenge made things more...complicated. Meaningful. Whatever.]

Sure, I can fight. At least I never needed that guy to know how. He kept me going, and I could use magic... but I was dogshit at it. [It's remarkably like her relationship with her Persona now, actually. Even if it's just a part of her, it seems to echo whatever hollow the Shade carved out of her.]

[ Oh. Kaine isn't moving her hand. Well, this is fine. Schneider hums with amused laughter]

I'm afraid my heart is stone and is not easily moved that way. Pity has never been something I've been able to offer anyone.

[ Ruthless, dispassionate...these are all traits Schneider is used to. But under that is a yearning that wants to reach out and hold someone close.]

...what did you intend with your strength? Revenge on the villagers who condemned you? The one who cursed you?

* ‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

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oblique references to interphobia

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