3rd foggy night ▣ [anonymous text/private message within]

[handshakegreeting]

[Remember that anon who first sent messages shortly after the first of April? Well, guess who's leaving a nice little message on your network?]

I see that there are plenty of new faces, each as confused as the rest when we too arrived. I do hope most of you are well-met? Especially since it has been raining so very often this week. Such a soothing sound, the rainfall...

Though it would seem that a few are not so fond of it? It has me curious if it is simply personal preferences or because the human body is more susceptible to illness...

[...Weird. Nothing even vaguely threatening and a lacking mention of death. But then, that is likely because someone else already brought up that topic this week. For most, it ends there. But for a certain former detective...]

[Heavily encrypted/anonymous to Tohru Adachi.]
I see you arrived last month. Adachi-san, correct?
I would like to speak with you for a moment, if you do not mind.

[...Oh, there's the threatening undertone. Time to check up on her present representative.]

Comments

[raincoats]

[ ah, this was escalating quicker than he expected... it was.. exciting, kind of. of course, when he hears the clapping from behind him, there are only two instinctual reactions he makes in response to it—

one, he felt some kind of satisfaction from it; it was a reassurance that he was on the right path, and it incited his ego in ever the slightest way. two, he, of course, had to turn his head. not immediately though— it had been a brief pause, but during that pause he'd tightened his grip and taken a deep breath; he was almost smiling, but he couldn't bring himself to smile once he'd turned around. he was never the best at controlling his own nerves— something about how he'd puked at his first kill and how he'd initially decided to run away after he'd been found out.


ah, wait— he recognized that person... he'd met them before, actually— that was it! that was the person who had told him about the tv trick— before he'd eventually heard it again from other rumormongers in town, anyway. it'd been a popular rumor, hadn't it? although he'd first heard it from the first person he'd met when he'd only just arrived at that shithole of a town...

he compulsively grits his teeth, albeit momentarily. he's somewhat irritated at their first implication— it didn't take a detective to figure out who they were referring to. the 'three' of them— that's interesting. him, namatame, and dojima's nephew. the last part of what she says has him the most interested though— he'd been briefly shot down then validated, but of course he's going to concentrate on the latter since the former was only annoying to him. yeah, yeah, adachi's a screw-up and he's mr. perfect— in fact, he's probably one of those lucky ones that were blessed by the world and society; the kid had a lot of friends and nothing seemed to affect him— because he hadn't been through the kind of shit that adachi had been through, obviously.

'the strongest', huh... ] That's..

[ then why did he lose? did he screw up? it'd all been a game for him, yeah— that whole escapade that had gone down in his own little world had been his last round of fun. it'd all evolved into something more though, he'd noticed that much— he'd embraced it, even. maybe that was why... ]

That's because my idea was the strongest, wasn't it. [ not so much said as a question rather than a statement. there's another pause, but he at least knows where he's going with this— it's something he'd already decided on before, after all. ]

It's what people want— a world where truth is obsolete.

[handshakegreeting]

[It was something that always had amused her, and one of the many reasons why he was so befitting of his Persona. Raw nerve and emotions certainly did seem to play a role in his actions, and somewhere... an aspect of herself is likely smirking as the figure stands there in the corner. Events were continuing to go just as she had imagined they would, and she cannot help the chuckle that comes from the mists.

After all... that light of recognition had been more than enough of a clue to say that he did indeed recall their brief exchange of words. Do continue to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together, Adachi... she cannot wait to see what your mind will give birth to this time around.

Yet the figure remains silent as she waits for him to be able to speak plainly, watches the thoughts flicker in his expression. It was always something she found entertaining, even though there was no way she could completely understand their motivations. That lack of realization was what caused her to fail, as well... a shame, too. If they had succeeded, then mankind would not have to suffer longer and even more. The 'conductor' was well aware of what was predetermined...]

An interesting theory, Adachi-san.

[Was it right? Was it incorrect? The expression on the figure's darkened expression left little to the imagination as it takes a few steps closer.]

However, do you not seek the truth simply by stating that? Or... do you turn from it once more.

[raincoats]

[ he already knew - there was no way he had mistaken who this person was, but their response only nailed in a confirmation. so he knew who he was dealing with.. that, in no way, told him how to deal with this, but he liked to think that he already had that sort of understanding driven into him somewhere. this person had chosen him after all, right..? not to mention he was the only one who had gotten along with the shadows. his mentality expressed at that time remains unchanged - the world is full of shit. that's really the only truth he's willing to acknowledge. he shakes his head, giving a shrug with his thumbs awkwardly placed in his pant pockets - both due to his overall nervousness and general laziness in posture. regardless, what he says comes in a rather matter-of-fact tone. ]

I'm not interested in truth. I don't intend to chase after it, either.

[handshakegreeting]

Hmhmhm...

[That smile is looking less and less friendly, even though they do not take another step forward. In fact, they seem to be reflecting on his choice of words.]

Yet you seek confirmation of your beliefs.

[Parts of the figure flicker in the thin fog, but nothing happens right away. He has remained stagnant, just as she had predicted. A fitting vessel of emptiness, and how truly pitiful... If he blinks, he'll miss it. The coldness, the sudden disappearance of the familiar facade before him. Until-]

You, who were chosen for your emptiness...

[...It's coming from his right, and if he looks, he will see her standing there. No, standing is not the proper word for it... More like hovering an inch from the ground as she speaks. The hat and usual outfit are gone, leaving the white kimono as her only covering and folded right over left. That same twisted, malevolent presence as the one inside his head seems to permeate from the near-ghostly figure in the room. He can likely feel that little 'push' deep within his soul as she lifts a blood-stained hand out to him.]

How ill-conceived, Tohru Adachi.

[raincoats]

[ he isn't particularly set on blinking any time soon with what was going on right in front of him; it was all very surreal if only due to the fact that his apartment had been completely empty and normal just 5 minutes ago - well, as normal as an apartment can get that is under the ocean, anyway. and yet, nothing had ever felt quite this real to him. this was happening for a reason - this was right.

he's startled for a moment by the transition - it'd been a little too quick for his tastes, and having his figure on the right of him so suddenly causes him to take a step back solely in reaction. although it wasn't a "him" anymore... he's not sure what to make of the drastic change in appearance - from some unimportant kid that pumped gas of all things for a living to a woman on an scale of elegance that he had never actually witnessed before. it really does have an effect on him for some reason, almost like a physical "push" - a "push" that wasn't unfamiliar to him either, but it had that much more impact now that he knew the significance of it. he wouldn't be surprised if she claimed to be some kind of divinity at this rate - he might actually believe it, too. was she even in vatheon against her will? he's honestly curious.

but regardless of wherever this was going, he's not exactly sure if he likes what he's hearing right now. although he isn't about to tell whoever this was to shutup because that just doesn't seem like a very good idea - and while adachi may be a man full of bad ideas and bad life choices, he's also a coward. a part of him is genuinely afraid of this thing, but he isn't about to flat-out defy her, either. she isn't a shadow, but her ideology can't be in total rejection of his - she'd said it herself, that she'd chosen him. what for? because he didn't give a shit about the world? then what did that mean? ]

So what? I don't know what you expect from me, but it'd be nice to know how exactly you "understand" beyond being aware of everything that I did, so that's why I'm asking: What are your beliefs?

[ TL;DR SOME MEN JUST WANNA WATCH THE WORLD BURN, IZANAMI. ]

[handshakegreeting]

[True enough, it was a visit she had planned to make on her own soon enough. However, it would seem that this world had other plans... though she had made it under her terms. No doubt he, like him would have felt that sudden queasiness had she not made her presence known first. An unfortunate side-effect to be chosen by one of Death...

Yet she makes no further move, her hand dropping to her side as she floats there in this empty apartment... so very reminiscent of the man's heart. It was almost ironic, really. Claims of divinity and such could wait for now. In the meantime, she could not help the faint smirk crossing her lips. On its own it would hardly seem remotely threatening, but her slightly narrowed eyes second that cold, dead elegance of old. One that is rarely seen in modern-day terms in their own world.

The push relents for the meantime... She supposes she could spare a few answers for the time being.]

It is not my beliefs you should be asking of, child of man. [For a brief moment, it's almost like she can see right through the soul. Then again, for those she has greeted with a handshake... she certainly could.] I merely wished to give humanity what it desired so... and mankind cried for a world marred in a thick, heavy fog.

[Izanami chuckles, like a mother looking down upon her child... like someone who despite having lost, still won.]

"Would it not be better to wrap oneself in lies and live in blissful ignorance?" [It is by no means the same as Adachi's words, but she could not be surprised that the Hanamura boy spoke nothing of the mastermind behind the scenes... the one who started the rumor in the first place.]

Did you not think similarly when you faced those children?

[raincoats]

[ it's not a word-for-word quote, but it's similar enough - familiar enough - for him to understand almost immediately what she's talking about. he'd said something nearly exactly like that himself. haha, wow... he never even thought that this "mastermind" had shared the same ideology as him. granted, he'd gained that particular wish when he had basically thrown his life away and fancied the idea of everyone else doing the same simply because of how much he disliked a world that operated by society's rules - rules that had screwed him over. so he was really just returning the favor.

he's silent for a moment; he doesn't intend to answer her questions since he figures they're more in a rhetorical sense, anyway - the look on his face is probably louder than his words would be anyway, considering how heavily reminiscent he appears to be.

but he definitely still has a few questions. that's right... since he had lost, he never got to see the end of all of this then, did he? had it even ended? 'had' is a particular keyword for him here, considering she was here now, despite whatever happened - right in front of him. so what about now? ... ]

Did they ever make it to you?

[handshakegreeting]

[Technically she was a neutral party and only wished for what humanity wanted, but details. Close enough, anyway. She smirks faintly at his silence, the expression that was all too clear on his face. Aah, she did indeed strike a nerve. Even if it was a former similarity.

Former, because she finally acknowledged their desire - their right to choose. Though the one before her didn't have many choices left back home now did he?

Though that question... Ha ha, she seems so amused by it.]

They did indeed [All courtesy of yet another little push.]

[raincoats]

[ honestly, he's more than a little impressed - to tell the truth, he never expected those kids to even make it to him, so the fact that they found out about the mastermind was even more amazing. on one side, he found it a little amusing really - wow, that would've been entertaining. he's left wondering who won though, considering izanami had answered his question in the most ambiguous sense possible. on the other side of things, it also kind of irritates him... if only from his much disdained familiarity with that aspect of those kids - they really never know when to give up. not that adachi was ever very confident in his ability to win in the first place, but damn...

he chuckles, although his brow knitting together a bit in mild irritation despite the sneering but just as slight crook of a smile he had begun to exhibit. ]

I guess I should've expected that. [ ... although the questions are still there. did they win? did this mastermind win? and whatever happened to the world that adachi had grown such ressentiment for... ameno-sagiri had ultimately backed off, which left the main question lingering in adachi's head - the question to answer all questions, if you will. ] Oh, but I wanted to ask you something...

[ his posture straightens ever so slightly and he attempts to keep eye-contact this time - as though it were a speech he had recited beforehand... although really, it was just a question he had wanted to ask since she first sent him that encrypted message... ]

Who are you really?