君を I will never leave you

Pharos looked around at what he had previously been told was Hive City, where he was to be part of some unknown experiment. He was told this by the woman he met for but a brief moment, and though it was never wise to take what only one person says for the truth, he was having trouble finding other people to talk with. If this was an experiment, should there not be more people around?

All he knew was that he should look for the two he had at this point addressed as his ‘home’. The boy with a sullen look and blue hair, and the girl with a cheerful face and auburn hair. He wasn’t sure if they were here, but it was a worth a try to look. During his search, he just might meet some new faces that he could interact with later.

He decided that he would talk to the next person who he sighted, in hopes that they were here for a bit longer than he and knew more about this strange place.

“I wonder what time it is any how, if I knew it may explain where everyone is.”

The boy slowly opened his eyes and let the passage of time sink in. A few more hours and the day would be over, it seemed. There were still ways to make use of his time before it went to waste. Having decided to tour the city once more, the boy rose from his back. However, he found himself unable to get on his feet. It was not as if it was physically impossible, but it was the sight before him that froze his body out of shock. It was a small, fragile-looking boy dressed in black and white, once that he knew well. 

But that wasn't possible. Even in the most profound definition of wishful thinking, this wasn't possible. The last time that he saw his... friend in this form was almost half a year prior to his own death.

Ah, that's right. Minato was still asleep.

And so, he went back to sleep. He got back down, placed his arms above his stomach and closed his eyes. One, two, three... And he rose again. And the eerie child was still visibly standing in front of him.

“…Tch. What the hell’s goin on here…” Shinjiro frowned as he leaned against a building. There was something about scientists and being a test subject and blah blah blah… He wasn’t the least bit interested. He was interested in figuring out which one of those bastards brought him here and how much of a beating that said scientist was going to get.

..No matter. It would be a waste to try and figure a way out anyway, he mused. This city seemed to be located elsewhere, far from home, no where near Port Island. He wondered if it was anywhere near Japan at all in the first place. 

He shuffled a paper out of his jacket pocket and reread the note for a fourth time. “Sector 006, Apartment X-6, Wooden Axe, Summon Twice A Day”. All together, it didn’t seem to make much sense. He guessed that his belongings were in the marked apartment and that included the mentioned wooden axe. Would his Evoker be there too? He didn’t have it on him the last he remembered, but maybe he would be lucky. It was much easier to summon Castor that way.

That was his reason for being hopeful. There was a place that newcomers often passed by after their meeting with the scientists: a footbridge near the train station. He wasn't one who needed to work to earn his food, so there were little consequences to spending his time loitering in a single area. Eventually, his efforts paid off. As the sun came down, there were less and less people passing by. When night came, every single footsteps echoed very clearly in the area. Out of all the strangers that he watched over the day, finally came one who managed to surprise even him.

Minato turned to face his upperclassman, smiling.

Hive City was certainly…different.  In all his years of living, Alcor had never been to so unique a metropolis; quite impressive in itself, as he had seen countless civilizations flourish and fall in an endless cycle of growth.  It was just another little thing that he had to applaud the scientists for.

It would be a waste to leave such an enigma unexplored.  The day before, he had toured Sector 3 (and miraculously managed to get out unscathed, despite a…few encounters—just some of the consequences of being rather lacking in street smarts), and yesterday, Sector 4 (and what a wonderful place it was!).  Today, he found himself in Sector 5, in the middle of what seemed to be a marketplace.

Many stalls lined the streets, with vendors hollering to the crowds and advertising the wares that were on display.  One in particular caught Alcor’s eye; it was a sweet shop of some kind, with various ornate boxes full of candies and other sweets on display. 

Didn’t humans like indulging in such things? He stopped by the table, staring down at a red, star-shaped box ordained with a ribbon.  The shape was certainly appealing, and no doubt the contents would be too…probably.  He had never tried sweets before, and the vendor was occupied with other customers at the moment, so Alcor could only assume.

Perhaps Hibiki would like it, regardless? And maybe Yamato too, provided he would accept such a gift without throwing it back in Alcor’s face.  The thought in mind, Alcor picked up the box and turned, starting on his way, when…

“Hey, you!”

An angry voice resounded throughout the street, just barely audible above the cacophony.  Alcor paid it no mind; there were many people, and it was unlikely that the owner of the voice was addressing him, so—

“Hey! You, in the red shirt!”

Oh… Was he referring to him? Alcor glanced back, catching glimpse of a rather red-faced man trying to wrestle his way through the crowd.  Come to think of it, that was the vendor, wasn’t he?

“Don’t think you could get away with what you’re doing, you weasel!”

…

He stared at the man, clueless.  ”Did I do something to offend you? I apologize.”

“Don’t try to play dumb! It’s as clear as day! You thief!”

Oh dear.  That didn’t sound very good.

“I do not recall stealing anything from you.”

“You’re holding it in your hand!”

“This?” He held up the box of chocolate.  ”I took it from the table…”

“You STOLE it!”

Back to the situation at hand, Minato felt that something should be done about this. He recognized the shopkeeper well; he was there even in the previous version of this simulation and he was one who would glitch and turn into nothing on the nights that the scientists designed to toy with the test subjects. In other words, he was an NPC. The white haired male, on the other hand, acted too out of place to be one of them. The boy stood up, one hand throwing his empty cup into the garbage bin and the other, reaching for the evoker he hid behind his back.

A sigh of relief left his lips, glad that he hadn’t hit the floor after all. He seemed to check his face, his arms, his torso, for any damage but exhaled deeply when he found no noticeable wear or tear. He rather conspicuously tucked both his gas mask and his umbrella right into his curiously sized coat pockets. Though the contents were clearly bigger than what the pocket looked like — it fit in with relative ease, Clear not thinking much of it as he bowed towards the stranger in gratitude.  

❝Thank you for saving me.❞

He paused and processed the boy’s comment, laughing with a tinge of embarrassment as he quietly explained he had been dared to do it! Though he had to admit he thought it would have been fun and for a few moments he did have fun up until gravity caught up to him. But he was glad that this stranger had saved him! How kind of him to do so, Clear felt his heart skip a beat, grasping the other’s hands in his own, his smile bright and shining as he was quickly back to his usual self.

Even with the given explanation, there was no way Minato could find any hint of common sense in his reasoning. This person here jumped from a building simply because someone asked him to? That was the worst case of bullying, wasn't it? Still, this boy did not seem any shaken from his experience, save for what seemed to be a slight surprise concerning the summoned Persona. That, in itself, was a little worrying...

"Uh--" Before he could bring himself to say anything more, his hand was pulled forward, then affectionately wrapped in the other's.

"Aonato Minato. Minato Arisato." Considering that death was a trivial concept in this city, the boy didn't think he deserved that much thanks. He recalled that time the scientists just so suddenly killed everyone in town with just a simple switch of a button. To spare himself of the memories of that day, his attention returned to the boy that Yatagarasu just delivered to him.

At least he was kind enough to pull him out— wait a second. Something about him seemed familiar. Well, not that the teen could see him, as his vision was filled with trash and darkness. Perhaps he was just hallucinating that it was familiar, but there was something about that voice that was on the tip of his tongue— ! But he couldn`t name it. Not that he had enough time to meditate before he felt strong arms around his middle, and his entire body in a rather interesting position. That definitely felt a bit awkward. He couldn`t identify this person by their crotch, that was for certain, but that voice… “C-careful! I don`t want to snap in half.” Though his voice was muffled from the inside, he hoped the courteous stranger could hear. His own legs flailed a bit, trying not to hit Minato`s calves. In all honestly, he was wiggling around in an effort to loosen himself, but he didn`t realize how, hmm, awkward it might have felt.

That aside... Minato pulled and pulled, but the other still wasn't anywhere close to  freeing himself yet. For something like this, he thought only a little pull would do, but it escalated to the point that he had to grip onto the boy's clothes tightly and pull with all his strength. The other probably owed his predicament to his large frame, responsible for pulling his center of gravity ahead, and the right leg length to make it difficult to come out of the can without tumbling and hurting himself.

"Wait-- Stop moving so much, hey!" Minato called out with panic. They were in enough of a fix already all because of the person he was trying to help. More unnecessary lower body movements were the last thing that he needed at this moment considering the current posture. Now, this was twice as much physical contact that he needed for a whole month and it was becoming ridiculous. Even in his misfortune, the other was fortunate enough to be hidden from view. Minato, on the other side, had to face the strangest looks from the rare passersby.

And here he was all over again. Not to bore you with the details, but it was obvious that Souji was a veteran when it came to this place. He didn`t have that confused look on his face when he saw his new apartment building, a different sector than he was stuck in last time. At least the spice of life here was variety. Even though on the outside he looked completely unruffled by being stranded in Hive City yet again, the persona user had mixed feelings. He didn`t see a single face from last time, nor anyone from Inaba. It was unsettling to be in an unfamiliar place, but the youth was used to it. Moving around, being the new kid. It wasn`t anything new to him. But settling in always had a fresh and strange sensation.  If only he could find a familiar place to be comfortable! He would take a train to Sector Five, see if he could spot any of the same restaurants, maybe even the one he worked part time at! On the way to the station, he was startled by a rustling in the cans as he walked past an alleyway. Was it a thug ready to attack him, mug him due to his fabulous looking hair? Plastic golf club in hand, Souji prepared himself for what may come, only to end up swinging at air, smacking the side of the trash can and having a stray cat pop out of the cylindrical tin. “…Oh.”

And, well, to tell the truth, he expected something... more? In front in him was another boy who managed to get his top half stuck in a trash can and he'd recognize that ass anywhere. Was Minato... supposed to do anything? Or should he just leave him be?

"Real smooth." The blue haired boy unknowingly echoed the other's thoughts.

He had looked up who Mary Poppins was first.  He was allowed to do so now that his rank was raised! Computers were a familiar thing to him after all, and once he had seen a few pictures and videos, he gave a firm nod and took action. For him to fly however like she had…wouldn’t he have to be on high ground? Since he couldn’t stand and wait for a gust of wind to come and pick him up. Completely logical. 

So it was without any hesitation that Clear found the nearest building he could, found his way to the roof and opened his umbrella. He glanced down once or twice before he looked at his umbrella once again. He wondered if he would really be able to — oh well, he wouldn’t go back now! So without further ado, he boldly jumped right off and for a few moments he did appear to be fine up until gravity factored in.

❝Oh no. Please get out of the way so I don’t crush you!❞

The teen quickly drew out a silver gun from a holster he now kept hidden behind his back and aimed at his own head.

"Persona!" 

A loud bang rang out-- but the boy remain unscathed. Instead, at his call, a large winged creature emerged from his body and flew upwards to catch the falling stranger in a flash. If one were to pay attention, the number of legs tightly gripping on the male was a total count of three... It was the great crow, Yatagarasu.

Once the bird dropped off the audacious male to the ground, Minato hurried to his side. There was perhaps a hint of disappoint that the person didn't turn out to be the one he thought he was, but at the very least, he was glad the boy was safe.

Do you ever find yourself saying, “I want to join a gang!” 

Well you’re in luck! Look no further for the Yellow Scarves have arrived!

For any questions, comments, or requests to join direct to either gang leader Clear or gang leader Daichi !

Jack took to mundane things he could do around the city. It was hard to find working cogs and such to make music boxes here, and it’s not as if he even had a job to begin with! But when he did manage to scrounge up whatever money he could, don’t ask how he got it, not that he’d tell the truth anyway but details, details — Regardless! The Vessalius had chosen to more often than not, spend his fortune on his most favorite thing that he could find in this city. If you assumed oranges then you would be correct, as Jack had bought a bundle just now. However he had made the mistake of denying a bag or anything to carry them with, bundling them in his arms instead. Which, admittedly, not one of his better ideas. Solely for the fact that his arms simply could not contain all those oranges. He continued to drop them on the floor, panic and pick up the dropped fruit, only to repeat this several times as he tried to take them home.   

After about an hour of repeating this cycle, Jack had to stop, glancing around and trying to find any kind soul to help the poor obsessed man with his plight. He very slowly approached whatever presence he felt closest to him, though he couldn’t tell whom he was talking to, a pyramid of oranges obstructing his view. He hoped that it was someone willing to help him at the very least!

Still, during those lazy, the boy would think a lot. Think about anything, from the state of his original home to his missing hunger. Hunger. A dead man, a man with a lent physical body did not need to eat, which was something quite regrettable. Minato missed feeling hungry and then feeling fully satiated after a good meal. Then again, thanks to his condition, he did not need to work to feed himself.

Minato continued to ponder about the 1001 meals he used to have... until he noticed something roll past him from the corner of his eyes. 

"An orange..." 

Curious, he rose from the bench and there was another one, hitting his foot as it rolled. When he turned around, he found a man holding more oranges than he could carry.

Anonymously message someone with another member’s url, a location setting and a topic and that person will make a thread in said setting and about said topic with the specified user. They can be of silly or serious nature. Think of it as a fun little way to have some people interact with each other who haven’t already gotten the chance to. Or just a way to have two characters engage in ridiculous hijinks.

‘✉’ for an unsent letter from my character to yours.

‘♥’ and a name, and I’ll kiss them.

‘♡’ and my character(s) will cuddle yours!

a word and I’ll write a headcanon based on it.

‘♪’ and I’ll put my playlist on shuffle to tell you our song.

‘Ω’ and I’ll tell you what my character(s) thinks of yours.

a ship you have for my character(s) and I’ll tell you what I think.

age and a question and my character(s) will answer as that age.

unwanted (or bad) advice for my character(s).

ask my characters for advice.

bad (but hilarious) pick-up lines!

prompts or drabble ideas!

Questions!

‘Crush?’ for any romantic interest my character(s) might have for someone.

‘Confess?’ and my character(s) will have to confess something to yours. (whether it be feelings, opinions, a secret — whatever; feel free to specify)

‘Fetish?’ for one thing that is sexually appealing to my character(s).

☹ for a turn-off

a headcanon you have for my character(s) — I will accept/reject.

“[name]…has passed away” for my character’(s’) reaction.

★ for an IC fact, or ☆ for an OOC fact

Give my character a difficult decision

‘Would you rather…’

♛ and I’ll summarize our muses’ relationship with a gif.

“You’d be correct,” she said, nodding her head.

At least being stuck here wouldn’t be so bad now that she had come across somebody who has gone to her school. The only problem was that she had a feeling they might not have a lot in common, they hadn’t come across each in school so he still a stranger to her. But there was something telling her that he wasn’t a complete stranger.

"Hm. I'd say that I'm glad to meet you but, at the same time... I'm sorry you ended up here." Personally, Hive City wasn't the worst place to live yet, but for a person he assumed had all her life ahead of her, being trapped here was a cruel predicament. Come to think of it, he had yet to present himself.

click

Moments ago a man had occupied the television screen, dropping a sort of ‘bomb’ on him. The appraiser’s expression was relatively apathetic as he sat limply on his bed, blue yes glancing restlessly around the almost empty room.

His hand reaching up under the yellow fabric of his scarf, Ryoji unbuttoned two of the top buttons of his shirt before closing his eyes for a brief moment, simply taking in everything he had been told in silence. The darkness that hugged him from beneath lidded eyes felt oh so familiar - unlike the sensation of bright white that had proved to quickly tire his vision.

Tired… That’s exactly what he was, wasn’t he? Exhausted with a hint of confusion and a fuzzy mind. Even so, Ryoji couldn’t find himself to simply laze around when he had plenty of curiosities to cure. Making his way to the window, the glass was thrust open - releasing a strong gust of wind along with it.

His scarf, a sloppy mess around his shoulders since he awoke, was quickly seized and pulled along with it.

“… No way..! You gotta be kidding me -“ 

The appraiser reached out towards his fallen scarf, but it had now became victim to the streets below.

Deciding to abandon any quests he had for the day, the city-dweller only had his apartment to return to. A long and deep sleep was most likely what he needed to recover from this condition. When the building was finally within sight, he let out a sigh of relief. Very soon after, that relief was replaced with perplexity, then a certain anxiety. On the ground, there laid a long golden scarf. At first, Minato told himself that someone might have dropped it, but as he crouched down to pick it up, he recognized it to be a much more familiar piece than he initally imagined.

Now who the hell was this guy?

Mondo straightened his posture, if only to make himself look bigger and more intimidating. Of course, he just slouched after a moment, offering Minato an unfriendly scowl. Now, now.. You’re new in this place, Mondo. You’d think that making friends or acquaintances would come first. There was no need to make any enemies here.

But his property was being threatened. 

Sure, he wasn’t pleased with the bike but… He wasn’t about to just give it up! So he took a moment to glance at the minibike before looking back over at Minato again. 

“Yeah, it’s mine.” 

Standing once more, a silly move seeing as he just sat down, Mondo proceeded to shove his hands in his pockets before he decided to get all up in Minato’s business.

Intimidation at it’s finest.

"Wow, I'm jealous."