the strength of numbers.

       somehow, in her wave of emotion, she had failed to register his cat paws and a breath resembling the softest short laugh slips out of her before she shrugs. nostalgia does well to keep her grounded — a part of her is always floating, somewhere far, far away ( because kotone shiomi shouldn’t be and perhaps a part of her soul knows ), but the amusing image before her helps her stay in the here and now. it may remind her of scenes engraved in both their memories, but it’s different. new experiences remind her she’s in the present and not daydreaming of the past. 

    she hums thoughtfully, head shaking as fingers drum upon her noodle. ❝ it feels different than the dark hour and the things crawling around aren’t exactly shadows, so… ❞ and then suddenly, kotone laughs, because look at them ! the warning to travel in groups, and yet they were both alone. perhaps split up in tartarus became something they were used to. most people wouldn’t be wandering the dark alone. ❝ two heads are definitely better than one ! i bet they’d definitely make it easier to avoid these monster things too ! ❞ 

    and then her lips purse, index finger pressed against her cheek as she gazes up at the darkened sky. ❝ do you think we just start knocking against things like how they do in movies… we just listen for something… ? though, since there’s magic and stuff, something tells me it won’t be that simple, aha… ❞ 

  It really is like old times... the little things that kept them all going even while they traveled the dangerous heights of Tartarus. Stupid jokes told by Junpei, Ken always trying to prove himself, Aigis worrying about everyone’s status... it hasn’t been long at all, but Akihiko already misses everyone - but he’s glad that Kotone is here. He wouldn’t trade that for anything. 

as a walking vessel of bad ideas and irresponsible enabling, it’s more or less a legal obligation for cal to intervene when he hears things like this. hell, part of his mind is already working to stage this as some sort of sacrificial situation, as if he’s back home with all his magic. set-dressing can come later, though.

“i think they’re just saying that for the sake of all the normal people in this place. not, y’know, a muscle-bound hunk of a man like yourself.” he looks the other over, gives an appraising nod. “you could definitely take it on. i’ll spot you.”

  “Oh! Yeah, that makes sense. Your average person definitely shouldn’t try to fight something so dangerous, but for someone like me it’s no problem.” He raises a fist, flexing his (genuinely impressive) biceps as he grins proudly. Of course he doesn’t fully agree with being muscle-bound since he already has plenty of muscles, nor is he a “hunk” of a man, he’s a full man, but he doesn’t want to seem rude.

“Honestly, the only good thing about being granted access to this area is being able to explore the area and map it out properly. I don’t see why we’re banned from traveling across the region. There’s such a hue and cry over it being for our safety.. but if we had our weapons and powers at full force it wouldn’t be a necessity to be worried.”  

The feeling of eyes upon him is not unfamiliar – in fact, it’s so normal that Adachi doesn’t seem especially troubled by the stare. The ex-cop does turn to face the person in question however, expression jumping from bored, to surprised, to vague amusement.

“Don’t know me? I–” He cuts himself off, now really thinking about this guy. Adachi saved a version of him from being mauled by a swarm of Shadows, but this isn’t the same guy. Rather, whoever-this-is hasn’t gone through that yet, has he? 

“– I’m kind of an infamous figure in some places, heh.” The darkness doesn’t completely hide the emptiness in his eyes, or the way he smiles when questioned about Personas. Sure, right now would be a good time to lie and say no, but would that be fun? Not really.

“Oh, yeah, sure, I know plenty about them! You’ve got one, right?” He damn near added the word ‘too’, but Adachi isn’t exactly keen on completely tipping his hand right off.

  “Infamous, huh..?” What for? Akihiko keeps up on the news, and while he’s no detective, he’d like to consider himself up-to-date on most of the active criminals in Japan, or at least the famous ones. Maybe he’s not from Japan.

||  █ ▌— it was… dark, and not getting any lighter. that’s unnerving, sure, but zack has never been particularly afraid of the dark. his sense of time is all screwed up, however, and he’s overslept a few times without the breaking of the dawn to prompt him to wake, and not wanting to set an alarm.

still, he’s up, he’s out and about. and the city is… fine. interesting, unfamiliar, unnerving, and all in all just… fine. zack seems content to enjoy playing with his toy sword (because what else is he going to do with it?) when someone approaches. zack takes a moment to look the young man up and down, sees someone who looks like he’s done a fair bit of fighting. he has the build for it, and the confidence in his step. zack just smiles, friendly as can be.

❝ yeah, do i? well, we can definitely spar, if you want, i– ❞ he begins, but then the next words make him frown in just the slightest bit of confusion. is it dangerous around here? he really doesn’t know this place well enough to know, but now he’s on alert–just in case. ❝ oh, okay, lead the way, then. ❞

  Akihiko grins in excitement, raises a hand, and snaps his fingers. “Nice!” It’s rare that someone agrees to spar with him, especially people he doesn’t know, and he’d rather not lose the chance. He begins walking toward a nearby building that still has lights on, only to realize something crucial.

  “Hey there!” Akihiko waves excitedly to a nearby stranger as he slows to a stop mid-jog. “It’s not safe to be out on your own from what I hear... do you know any self defense? It seems like a lot of people had abilities and weapons taken from them when they got here, so it’s important to work on your natural physical strength.”

  Akihiko isn’t typically one to stare, but he can’t help the way his eyes linger on a particular adult. They’re safe enough for the time being, so his attention isn’t divided. He’s fully focused on the strange feeling that he knows this guy. It’s odd, and much as he wants to push the feeling aside, he just... can’t.

  “Come, Caesar!” It’s a gamble. Even with all his training, Akihiko isn’t always able to summon his Persona without an Evoker, but thankfully, Caesar heeds his call. There’s a bright flash as a Ziodyne strikes the beast, and it’s stunned. At least long enough for Akihiko to rush over to the girl it had been chasing and extend a hand.

       she doesn’t even bother to hide the soft sniffle as he turns away, her own amused grin spreading across her lips. it’s comforting, she thinks, of how so much can change yet still remain the same. protein this, beef bowl that — if they weren’t prone to being attacked out of no where, perhaps kotone would tease him more on the topic. instead, she simply reaches out to take her makeshift weapon back, a fond sigh exhaled through her nose. ❝ then, after this night problem is eventually solved, we’d better find a nice beef bowl place, huh ? ❞

    but then she pauses, brushing away whatever dirt managed to cling to her noodle because hearing welcome back brings that sting back to her eyes, and forgive her ! she knows now isn’t the time to get sentimental, but she needs just a moment. it’s such a simple, every day phrase, and she thinks it’s almost funny how swiftly it can bring her to tears ( how easily such mundane things can be taken for granted and how easily one can forget how it sounds ). a finger is raised to the corners of her eyes and the forming tears are wiped away and then…

    and then kotone smiles. it’s bright, genuine and warm. it’s one of gratitude and joy, the younger giggling softly at how her upperclassman glanced away. ❝ i’m back… thank you, akihiko-senpai. ❞ with her chest filled with warmth, she’d like more than anything to stand around and catch up with whatever had occurred once she was gone, but they don’t have that luxury. later they can chat all they’d like, maybe even cry a little more, but kotone would like to do that after they’re safe. gaze once locked upon akihiko turns elsewhere, surveying their surroundings and ears perked for even the slightest bit of off noise. 

    ❝ this is just like old times… wandering around in the dark, i mean. except this time, i’m not really sure what i’m looking for. ❞ the gear has been turned, and ‘just like old times,’ the tone of her voice changes to take on its leader-like tone. ❝ i heard something about a passage somewhere… what about you, senpai ? i know you recently got here, but did you manage to ask around ? ❞ 

  “Wait, after? You don’t think they’re still open?” He’s genuinely surprised to think that restaurants might be closed. How are people supposed to eat properly and have time to train if they can’t eat out? “I guess it can wait. There are more important things to do for now anyway.” 

  He catches a brief glimpse of her hand raising and manages to catch her wipe at her eyes... did he make her cry? Hopefully tears of joy, at least... given her smile. It’s just like always, that smile bright as the sun that makes his heart race like he’s just jogged through Tartarus. Even now he isn’t entirely sure what the feeling is, Akihiko just knows that as long as she’s here, alive again, he’ll do anything to protect that smile. He won’t fail her again.

  Akihiko’s comfortable enough in the darkness, and if anything, he’s glad that this place isn’t full of coffins and Shadows - just giant wolves. It’s a relief until he ends up having to run from one, and with only Ziodyne and a pair of mittens, he’s lucky he didn’t end up worse for wear. When he finally loses the beast, he finds himself outside a strange-looking store. “...Fantasy Costco-Denny’s..?” Thin brows furrow in suspicion, but... maybe he can stock up on some restorative items, if not grab a bite to eat. Truthfully, he’s surprised it’s even open, given the crisis... but then again, this sort of place could be considered essential for survival.

       the sound of his voice is what catches her attention before the actual sight of him. it causes her to freeze, gaze trailing from where her noodle landed to his features. her heart twists and turns, thumping in her chest so hard she feels as if it’ll burst out of her chest. that day, already feeling years ago, she had resigned herself to being apart from those she held dear ( because that’s simply how it goes, doesn’t it ? one life for the world ). but, being here, alive and breathing… it gave her hope for reunion. even if it were impossible she should be alive; even if it a meeting would rely simply on chance.

    there’s an undeniable sting to her eyes, and kotone’s lips part to speak, but he’s as quick as always and her words die on her tongue. she laughs in that bright way of hers, but the watery tinge to it betrays how nonchalant they both try to be. her “weapon” is abandoned as kotone turns to return his embrace with both arms, and it’s funny how she thinks warm the same way. ❝ not much i can do with a wet pool noodle, senpai. swinging it around when it’s all floppy is hard work ! ❞ 

  There’s a kind of pain in his chest like he never thought he’d feel. Worse even than that day. He remembers what came after, the arguments about whether they should all try to bring her back. Even seeing her like this again, some part of it feels wrong - what about her sacrifice? She’d given everything for them, for the world and Akihiko’s so glad to see her again... maybe that’s enough for now. It’s selfish, but he can’t help it when her arms are around him.

  There’s just something about knowing the sun won’t be coming out any time soon that really has Akihiko bummed out. It completely ruins his morning jog routine, and it’s that much harder to work up a sweat while he’s trying to train. At least he got some protein powder when he showed up... now he just needs to find a good restaurant with beef on the menu.