thephantomthief | IC INBOX

[Thankfully Ren is able to use his natural Cordis skills of agility to get to the cafe before she shows up, and start one of the coffee machines looking like he was here all night.]

Don't worry. It's decaf.

[ she blinks in surprise at that, but rolls with it with a little smile, before taking a seat at the bar. ]

Good. So... [ minako drums her fingers once. ] Arsene became Satanael for you, right? Because of humanity's hope. But... when Orpheus changed, it wasn't... really like that.

[He doesn't want you to stay awake for the next few hours, Minako. Well more than what they might end up doing here anyway.]

Do you mean when you awakened?

[He still remembers that shared memory.]

[ she shakes her head. ]

No. Later, when Orpheus came back out of the Sea of Souls and became Orpheus Telos.

[ exhale. ]

After all of my Social Links hit their peak, Igor gave me this thing called the Cipher's Mask. Because I'd worn so many masks for so many people. Been whatever they needed me to be, a cipher, just... a blank slate to back them up, you know? He praised how I did it, acted like it was what I was supposed to be doing the whole time. So I took it to heart.

And that's what unlocked my Persona's true power.

[Well...that's a lot to take in. Ren sips his coffee slowly to think about what she just said.]

So now you don't know if who you are and how you interact with others is just a mask or not, is that it?

... Yeah. [ it comes out quietly, and she takes a long, slow sip. there's more she could say, but. ]

That pretty much covers it... I always tried to be there for other people so I wouldn't have to deal with my own stuff.

[Everything he's seen from her is so much heavier than Ren's own problems...or at least, they seem to him. Leaders tend to do that a lot, don't they?]

So now you're in a place where you can be yourself, but you're not sure where to begin, all the while still feeling the stress you have to be that person that your friends know.

I mean... I am that person, I just... there are parts of myself I never wanted anyone to see, you know? I could never really get angry, or let myself cry, I buried everything. I always had a laugh, a smile, a bad joke... because I had to be the girl propping everyone up.

[ she takes a deep breath, dragging a hand through her hair. ]

And then I died at 17 to save the world, because it was always going to end that way, and when people find out-- they talk about how strong I must be, or thank me, and it's just...

...I can't imagine.

[It really isn't fair at all. He can understand that pain and anger. However, right now it's him who needs to be that shoulder.]

It's time to get angry...and to cry if you need to.

[ the corner of her mouth quirks up for a second. ]

... I got most of it out of my system earlier. I think? I don't know, it's... [ her hands tense a little. ] It's a lot.

... And I found out what really happened. When I sealed Nyx. I think I already knew some of it, on some level, just...

[Come on Minato...don't you just want to go apeshit? Hen tentatively puts a hand on hers and nods, before releasing it. A sort of silent 'I've got your back'.]

It really sounds like a lot.

[Just...]

Talk about it, if you like. That's why we're here.

[ she nods at that, looking down at her coffee. ]

... The Seal wasn't to trap Nyx. I said before how... Nyx wasn't really evil, just answering what people wanted, right? Well... apparently, there's another Shadow called Erebus, made from humanity's despair. And if it reaches Nyx, the Fall comes. And as long as the Seal's there, that won't happen, but...

[ she grasps ren's wrist, taking his hand back. ]

... I didn't just make the Seal, Ren. I am the Seal.

[It is a lot to take in and he is silent for a few seconds, just letting their hands touch in silence. He looks angry, but also sad for her.]

I'm sorry. [Having the entire world on her shoulders. Literally.] No one deserves that.

[And yet, he knows.

He knows if he was in her shoes, he would have ended up doing the same.]

[ she cracks a weak smile. the sympathy, the agreement at how unfair it is--it helps. it's something, anyway. ]

I guess just dying for the world isn't enough, huh? [ it fades. ] ... Yukari didn't want to tell me. And I was... I knew there was something, but I didn't want to ask for a while, you know?

I can understand why she didn't want to tell you...it must have been hard for her too.

[...]

Humanity's despair...I never met Erebus but I do know people wanted to be controlled. That's how Yaldabaoth gained its power.

Yeah, I kinda thought the same thing. About the feelings that caused Yaldabaoth. I know it's not totally the same, but it's coming from the same place, right? Despair, giving up...

I don't know. I guess it's not my problem anymore, right?

[There's a small, bittersweet smile on his lips.]

No. That's ours.

[He takes a small sip from his coffee before adding;]

I know it's not exactly the best answer because I'm not sure what I'd do if I knew your fate. But this world is giving you an opportunity. You can be who you want. Discover who you really are. Be yourself as much as you like. No Velvet Room or Igor to tell us what needs to be done.

[He doesn't know if that helps, but it's worth a try.]

IC INBOX - PRISMA

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Wow I thought I had tagged this? Could be when they had issues with the posts, sorry

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject