4512/Persona:WTWM - Old Man Turtle

Persona:WTWM - Old Man Turtle
Date of Scene:	05 September 2016
Location:	Alberichstadt <P:WTWM>
Synopsis:	Ainsley summons her newfound Persona for the very first time.
Cast of Characters:	August Kohler, 151, 385, 1040, Kotone Yamakawa, 513, 999

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August Kohler has posed:
ARBITRARY TIME THAT ALLOWS ALL PARTICIPANTS TO BE HERE, ALBERICHSTADT, GERMANY. Last night, Ainsley got a Persona! As a new true member of the Persona Gang, she needs to test it out, break it in, get used to it before she uses it to survive the eternal hell of the Mirror Forest.

So, August decided to do that by inviting her into the Mirror Forest! He's waiting in the Shack, by the large mirror that's propped up, drinking a can of...well, something, as he waits for Ainsley and anyone else who is coming to arrive. He hasn't opened the portal, likely because he wants to test something.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley shows up in short order. She had retrieved her book somewhere between that ordeal and now, and her sword. She brought them under the assumption she would need a reflective surface just to summon a Persona at all. Once in the shack and looking around, she looks at August for several measured seconds. It's clear she's thinking of saying something, that something lingers on her mind. Something that has nothing to do with her Persona. But she looks back to the mirror, the portal left closed, and wonders...

    "The first test is to see if I can open a portal, right?" She gestures vaguely to the mirror, and smiles over to August afterwards. "How does that work, then?" It's not exactly intuitive to use an ability she would have only received yesterday, but odd and magical things like this may come naturally to her.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna looks like she's had better days, at the very least, or more likely better *weeks* - and anyone who's been aware of the situation in Ravnica could probably render a fair guess as to why. She hasn't bothered changing out of her Light Suit, she looks like she needs a good night's sleep, and Elner is flitting around her in a manner which may be strongly reminiscent of a proverbial mother hen.

None of this stops her from showing up at the Shack, or waving to August and Ainsley and whomever else may arrive. She should probably make more of an effort to actually smile, but ...

Well, The fact that an honest smile lies a little outside Yuna's capacity at the moment is probably the biggest flag *possible* to indicate that something is wrong.

Ran Itoh (1040) has posed:
    Last night, Ran set up a triage area in the cabin to prepare for the slew of HORRIFIC INJURIES August had all but assured her would be the result of the battle to reclaim Ainsley from her kidnapper. (Happily, it wasn't necessary at all!) So she's still got a little tidying up to do, though she's planning to just leave all the supplies here in case of future horrific injuries. At least she'll put them someplace out of the way!

    This does mean, however, that she hasn't actually /met/ Ainsley yet. She may be unprepared for a lizard person.

    She's brought a couple of medium-sized plastic tubs to store things in (they'll be clean and dry in here). She knocks at the door and goes inside, and goes stiff when she sees the person that must be Ainsley, because there is knowing that you're about to meet a lizard person and then there's actually /meeting/ that lizard person.

    Still, it's Ran. She's learning to roll with stuff. "Hi, everybody. And you must be Ainsley, right?" she smiles at who she hopes is the correct lizard person, since there's only one. "I'm Ran Itoh, Drachenblatt's school nurse. I'm so glad you're safe!" August and Yuna get waved and smiled at - August because Ran knows him and Yuna because blondes gotta stick together.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone was just happy Ains was all right and there was a chance to see how she could put her persona to use. She'd also got a chance to meet up with others she'd never met or hasn't caught up with in some time. Soon Kotone would arrive now a bit after Ran does she strides on in looking over Ran Itoh for a moment grinning at her.

"Good to meet you in person, Ran." 5R
Kotone looks like she's wearing something out of a cyber punk novel with the bodysuit like grey and black armour she's wearing. Hey this is the forest she'd rather be ready for a fight and not need it then be found flat footed. She's also got two bags of takeout under arm as well it seems she's brought food and it's hot still from the looks of it.

"Ainzley! August hey also been a while Yuna."

She's also looking over Ran with intrest sizing the woman up with a bemused look on her face.

Finna (513) has posed:
Finna's one of the last to arrive, but it's because there's an odd lack of enthusiasm and uncharacteristic listlessness in her gait. She's in no real hurry, but arrives just in time.

    Just in time to sort of loll over behind August Kohler and gently clap a hand on his left shoulder from behind. "A beautiful night for getting up to things, hmm?"

    A frowny look's momentarily cast Ainsley's way, but Finna rapidly looks away. She's of no mind to dump mopey on her of all people right now.

    Thankfully, getting up close and personal with August seems to be giving her a little energy back! A hint of a smile's forming quickly. And curiosity shines in her eyes again...

August Kohler has posed:
August has his own reflective surface, or atleast a temporary one. It turns out that the glass shard he used last night /shattered/ when he used it, so now he's using a little handheld mirror and hoping it works for him. He still has had no luck finding his spoon, sadly. When Ainsley arrives, he greets her, and gets prepared to speak, before suddenly a fox is behind him and startles him. He spills his strange colored beverage (is...is that a shade of blue?) everywhere, as he quickly speaks to the fox behind. "/God/, don't /do that/!" The redhead moves to grab a rag, cleaning up the mess real quick, before he sighs, turning to Kotone, Yuna, and Ran as they arrive. "Nurse Itoh, Yamakawa, Kagurazaka, glad you could make it. You want some Cielo Blue? No?" He points to a large bottle on one of the tables set up: it's weird and blue-ish and the hell is that.

August then turns backs to Ainsley, nodding. "I want to know how much your Persona is like ours. Acquisition method was different, so it's possible the abilities are as well. Place your hand on the mirror, and just...think. About opening a doorway. It should make it ripple to the access point on the other side. Please, go ahead."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley looks at Finna and just lets out a gentle sigh at the frown, after the fox woman had startled August... Then she just laughs quietly to herself and shakes her head. She decides to greet Ran Itoh. Turning to look at her, she says, "Yes, that's me. Sorry if my appearance is unnerving," she says, "Thanks." She waves to the others as well.

    With a nod and a determined look, Ainsley reaches out and places her hand flat on the mirror, fingers spread. She thinks about it. She squints. Her feathers bristle sloooowly like a parrot might.

    She pulls her hand away, having failed to open a portal. "Huh..." She looks to August and wonders, "I think you're right. It's a shame... would've been useful to be able to open or close the portals." She crosses her arms and frowns at the mirror thoughtfully. She didn't even smudge the mirror when she touched it, funnily enough. She seems pretty disappointed.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna musters a smile before bowing to Ran. "It's good to meet you, Ms. Ran," she greets the nurse. "I'm Yuna Kagurazaka, an idol singer."

... which does nothing to explain why she's wearing an armored bodysuit, even as kinda-revealing as it is. She stifles a giggle as Finna startles August, but her expression goes serious again as she watches Ainsley trying to open a portal.

Ran Itoh (1040) has posed:
    W-what's with that lady that looks kinda like she's from a weird goverment program, or maybe space? Ran eyes Kotone back, albeit in a mostly cheerful manner. But it's always good to meet someone from her homeland - you never can tell with strange hair colors - and Ran returns Yuna's bow properly with one of her own. "It's nice to meet you too, Yuna-san!" Ms. Ran sounds so respectable, too...! "Are you fresh from a concert? I think I saw Momoiro Clover Z using outfits a little like that once~"

    She's a bit surprised that Ainsley can't open the portal - but then, August /did/ spend a while telling her about the different kinds of Personas that might exist. It would make sense that not all of them would have the same abilities, even outside of battle. "No, please don't apologize," Ran tells Ainsley, shaking her head. "It's my fault. I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable!"

Finna (513) has posed:
Well. Having August nearly JUMP out of his skin on her's enough to get Finna cringing back and away, pursing her lips sourly! "Jumpy jumpy... for someone so stoic when all hell's breaking loose, one'd think my touch'd be nothing!" It's puzzling how he reacts that way, to her. She'll have to investigate further!

    "Helloooooooo!" A bit cheered up, if still nervous-looking, Fina waves around at the others present... but bunches up her shoulders weirdly instead of saying more.

    Yeah, she's confounded since the other day.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa takes notice of Finna.

"Sure I'll try some August."

She'd never had it before why the heck not. She looks at Ran grinning widley for a moment. Kotone however might have an accent to Ran, though from how she talks. she looks to Ran for a moment and nods for a bit.

"Yuna has been fairly known in the multivese for her music and Miss Itoh we meet at last."

Though if Ran looks hard at Kotone she might notice something off about her eyes or as her head moves a bit what appears to be plugs in the back of her neck.

August Kohler has posed:
August frowns at Finna, because apparently she still doesn't know what 'personal space' is. He just shakes his head at her, before turning to Ainsley, watching as she tries to open it. And fails. He nods, speaking. "That's fine, you have several of us who can. What this does mean is that your Persona is certainly different from ours. Lemme open it up." August approaches the mirror, placing his hand firmly on it. It ripples, before changing into a portal to the Mirror Forest, which he steps through. It'll last long enough for everyone to get through.

Oh, also, Kotone, Cielo Blue is literally Cielo Mist (which is like jamaican sprite) mixed with Pepsi Blue. It tastes...well, you can come up with how it tastes.

Inside the Forest clearing, Shadows peek through the trees and everything seems relatively normal. The pig is napping inside a log. August turns to Ainsley once they're in. "Alright, so, you have a reflective surface, right? Look into it, find your Persona, and basically...pull it out. It should feel intuitive, once you find the Persona. The motions just sort of come to you."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley nods in understanding, and resigns herself to the fact that she'll need to rely on others to handle that. Same as before, after all. She manages to smile after that, glancing back at the others before she follows August through the mirror. The lizard woman shows a brighter smile to Ran, her assurances having created a better mood in the reptile woman. Despite looking like an anthropomorphic lizard, she has very expressive features!

    In the clearing, Ainsley unslings her book from her back and holds it under her arm. She already knows what August is going to ask and nods silently when he does. She waits for the others to step through before she begins. She then holds her book in front of her, the metal plating polished enough to be reflective. She furrows her brow... then she almost doubles forward as if trying to get a better angle. As she does, her eyes widen. It really does happen as if on reflex. Her mouth opens and she shouts the word.

    "PERSONA!"

    A surge of blue light happens right behind her, and the light manifests a figure that is much larger than she is, but not in the least bit intimidating. It's a turtle man with a jolly expression on his face, with a fishing net stretched over his ornate shell decorated with symbolism of Japanese sea gods, the net overlapping over itself and strung over a shoulder as if just stored there for later use. He's dressed in well-worn modern fisherman gear, complete with overalls and a red button-up shirt beneath it, and his great big bare feet seem as wrinkled and worn as the rest of him. He has a pipe sticking from the corner of his mouth. His arms are crossed, and he's a little hunched over.

    As Ainsley straightens, she looks a little dizzy or stunned, having never done this before.

    Urashima Taro, the Persona she summoned, unfolds his arm, placing the knuckles of his hand on one hip and his other hand on the pipe. The wizened turtle man just kind of lingers there in the air. Ainsley looks back at him, and he doesn't seem to react. He is, after all, a part of her, and she can feel it, so she doesn't seem weirded out, just surprised. She looks to the others, gauging their reactions to its appearance, almost expecting jokes or surprise. "His name is Urashima Taro," she explains, "If you know the story, his appearance should make sense."

Finna (513) has posed:
"But I don't know the story." Finna murmurs, a bit embarassed. She presses her fingers together, fidgeting uncomfortably... but her gaze sweeps up and down the Persona. "Is he a sea god's son?" Well... at least she seems to be adding things together with logic.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna looks up at Ainsley's summoned Persona, raising her eyebrows a little at the turtle shell ... although when Ainsley states its (his?) name, Yuna's confusion vanishes as she nods in understanding. "Urashima Taro was a fisherman who travelled to the palace of the sea dragon, wasn't he? And spent a long time there, before being sent back to the mortal surface world ..." She purses her lips briefly, looking at Ainsley. "I'm guessing water-element and maybe time-related magic? Have you experimented with what he can do yet?"

Ran Itoh (1040) has posed:
    There's.. definitely something off about that woman. Something about her eyes? It's a little weird, but Ran can't tell what's wrong. Not until she spots something strange on Kotone's neck. Is... is that a piercing? But they don't look like-- Ran just sort of blinks at Kotone when the cyborg introduces herself. "Ah--" 'Finally'? That sounds kind of creepy...! "N-nice to meet you too," she manages, though her smile is a teeeeensy bit strained.

    She never thought she'd be glad to go through the mirror again, but at least she sort of knows what to expect - and if the creepy robot lady does anything weird, the others will be here too.

    She only sees the pig because she's looking for him. Bu-tan is so cute when he's asleep~~ Ran decides against waking him up to try to pet him, because she's supposed to be helping Ainsley and the others. Urashima Taro isn't who she'd expected Ainsley to summon, but... somehow it's really fitting, isn't it?

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone grabs the soda and downs it, the taste is certainly interesting. She grins at August.

"This is certainly new I think I like it, August."

She'll leave the training pair to their thing as it is a good idea for Ainsley to know what her persona can do. Meanwhile she gets a bit of an odd look from Ran and tilts her head.

"I'm sorry if I'm making you uneasy, I'm a cyborg as I said. I wasn't kidding about that part Miss Itoh."

August Kohler has posed:
August watches intently as Ainsley activates her Persona, noting its appearance. Turtle. Happy fisherman turtle. Urashima Taro. He knows the story, and takes a minute to think about it before nodding. "It fits. Old, fisherman, friendly, peaceful. Better than 'burnscarred robot soldier'. Alright, next step. Try to control it. It's a part of you, use your will. Think hard. You want it to move, and it'll move. It's almost like breathing once you get the hang of it. Additionally, try to feel if it has any...special abilities, and try them out. I'll take the hits; the Tin Soldier can take a beating if you're not trying to kill." August pulls out the hand mirror, and calls out.

"Tin Soldier!"

The burnscarred soldier robot appears, before dashing away from the others into a more open part of the clearing. It glances at Urashima Taro, while August turns to Ainsley. "You think you can do it? Imagine he's a Shadow, though not necessarily one you want to viciously brutalize."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley watches August summon his Persona, a little wary of the thought of using a new and untested power on someone. Urashima maintains his implacable smile, though his head does seem to turn to acknowledge the Tin Soldier, despite the squinty and friendly face he has. It's impossible to see his eyes at all. As Ainsley searches deep inside of herself, she traces the parts of her True Name that have changed. She places a hand over her heart until she's found the unfamiliar parts.

    And then she finds something. "Dark Introspect!!" she shouts, pointing toward Tin Soldier. The ability does no physical damage. In fact, to most people, it wouldn't seem to do anything. Urashima Taro just opens one of his eyes and his smile mellows to a neutral expression for a second. His eye is a BRIGHT yellow and slitted like Ainsley's, betraying a somehow more sinister side, and emits a strange light for only a second.

    The air around Tin Soldier ripples, and August's Persona is hit directly by a SURGE of negative emotion, like a magical ten ton weight pressing down on his soul.

    Ainsley looks baffled, because... it didn't seem to do anything, even from her perspective. "Uhm...?"

Ran Itoh (1040) has posed:
    It says something about the state of Ran's brain that she'd /already forgotten/ that there's a cyborg on their team, and also that she /already knew this/. In her defense, she's had other stuff on her mind.

    It isn't until Kotone reminds Ran that she's already spoken to her that the puzzle pieces click into place properly. "...OH. You're... Yamakawa-san, right?" Or was it Yamagawa? "I'm so sorry. I didn't connect /you/ with your voice on the radio." Ugh, she's just making a huge mess of everything! "I kind of had Ainsley and everybody else on my mind, since I couldn't be with them for the rescue."

    It seems that August is going to draw Ainsley into practicing already, and Ran can't help but smile a little. This is a lot less terrifying when there are other people in the Forest too.

August Kohler has posed:
August keeps the Tin Soldier prepared as Ainsley begins to get used to her Persona. When it casts the ability, he's wondering what will happen from that name. Shadow balls? Evil dark power? Villainous blackn- wait, this just sounds like August thinks Ainsley's evil.

But instead, he suddenly falls to his knees, as the Persona is staggered, plummeting to the ground. August shrieks briefly from the shock, as he looks up at Ainsley. "Jesus fuck what is wrong with your Persona, I feel /bad/."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna just keeps watching; she didn't really feel like trying one of the soda-ish drinks, although in hindsight she's wondering a little if maybe she should have brought one anyway, so she could ... y'know ... do more than just stand around and watch.

On the other hand, it IS the first time she's really had the leisure to just watch August using his Persona before, so it's not just Ainsley's new powers getting put to the test, at least as far as Yuna's concerned. Or Elner, for that matter. And neither of them can sense magic, if that's what Personas use. Still, when Ainsley invokes the Dark Introspect technique, Yuna sees the flare of light and briefly wishes she were somewhere else.

When August reacts to the attack, though, confusion gives way to alarm. "August, you okay?" Yuna asks, scampering over to try and help him back to his feet, if he accepts the help anyway.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley is visibly startled and puffs her feathers out, and then looks like she feels really bad about what she did. She presses her hand to her snout. Urashima Taro puffs on his pipe behind her with his implacable smile, apparently not concerned in the least. "I think it's supposed to do that," she tells August, "You told me to attack you and... I don't think it can attack any other way. It just doesn't feel possible." As she explains, Urashima Taro pulls his pipe from his mouth and shakes his head slowly, as if she's emoting using her Persona.

    She looks like it's worrying her pretty bad that she barely understands what she even did to him. Thankfully, the effect is temporary as long as she isn't focusing on maintaining it, so it should lift after a few moments. "I guess it makes sense... My Shadow did something almost like that. She just ranted to do that, though." Ainsley is evidently unaware of the debuff aura the Inquisitor used on the party at the time.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa grins at Ran for a moment as she makes the connection about her nature.

"It's fine you have a lot on your plate right? So if your wondering I was raised in Canada. Dad moved over there before I was born. If your wondering I didn't grow up in Japan, I didn't live there too much later when I was in post secondary."

She offers Ran a can of soda, as why the heck not.

"So you got the medical information I sent you?"

August Kohler has posed:
August has trouble getting to his feet, even with Yuna's help. It's not until the spell deactivates that he can stand up straight, breathing heavily for a moment. "Fell like I was being crushed. Just a plethora of bad thoughts. That was nothing I was expecting." August shakes himself off, as he brings the Tin Soldier back over. "Alright, before we go, let's see how it can do with dodging or taking a hit. You ready?" August only waits five seconds for a confirmation.

And then, the Tin Soldier is rushing forward, hoping to bodyslam Urashima Taro. He's not incredibly fast, but that hit will be strong if it does hit!

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    When the Tin Soldier charges at Ainsley's Persona, it seems to react on reflex. Ainsley's gaze goes distant for a second as Urashima Taro takes up a sumo-like posture and then CATCHES the Tin Soldier, and slams into the ground and digs grooves with his bare feet, and then tries to deflect Tin Soldier aside with his hands harmlessly. It did some damage but not as much as it might've if it hit Ainsley directly. Ainsley visibly winces when this happens, but it's minor compared to the alternative. She turns to follow the other Persona's path, surprised by what just happened. "It's like another limb," she remarks, impressed with how quickly she's adapted to such a strange sensation.

    "I'm getting used to it," she tells August.

August Kohler has posed:
The Tin Soldier is pretty hefty, but August isn't going full power. Urashima Taro tosses it to the side, as it bounces and makes a pantomime of getting knocked out. Though, not really. It stands back up and then fades away, as August starts heading back to the Mirror. "Excellent! This isn't a show of how things will really go, of course, though I think you have the natural will to survive. Welcome to the team, Ainsley."

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    When the group returns to the shack in the forest, they will discover a tray has been left consisting of various lunchmeats, crackers and veggies, all laid out in a neat and pretty arrangement.

    There is a simple card on the tray with an elegant 'E' on it.