Scene #5413: TRUE PSYCHIC TALES: Hot August Night

Owner	Pose
August Kohler	The meeting place is the Shack. It's where August feels most comfortable doing this, the little home they made for themselves in the forest to camp out at whenever bad things happen. Janine's currently living in it, but he's hijacked the main casual area for the mind dive, sitting at a table with the door creaked open to show that those showing up can come in. He's twiddling his thumbs, pretty obviously haven't been sleeping well in weeks. He's waiting primarily for Flamel, who he called ahead of time and told 'alright let's do this, meet here' before sending out an invitation to people he knew and over the Die Reisende chat.
Flamel Parsons	Flamel Parsons' arrival is classic government goon guy. Striding to the door, he flashes his credentials dramatically as he enters. "Agent Parsons, Psychonauts Multiversal Operations Bureau." He says, in a bright and upbeat tone. "I'm told you've got an uncontrolled psychic phenomenon occurring!" He takes a seat in a posture that manages to seem both official and quite friendly, taking a small door out of his coat pocket, offering it to August. As usual, it's a little wooden deal styled after a spy agency's door from a cold war era TV drama. Big ol' weird triangle eyes and everything! "If you'd please place this on your forehead, Mr. Kohler. I'll get started as soon as everyone's ready." He, himself, seems... Grimly prepared. He's not exactly treating this as a silly event, for a given value of taking things seriously at least. Psychonauts may not be the most sensible folks all the time, but at the very least Parsons knows when to shut up about conspiracies when he can tell things are going to be a little troubling. And then he joins August in waiting.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna happens to arrive around the same time that Flamel does, waiting patiently behind the Psychonaut while he presents his credentials. "Hey August," she says apologetically on her way in. "Sorry I wasn't here earlier ... how do you feel?" She's actually in her Hikari Fleet uniform (not that the Fleet's uniforms are that ... uniform ...), rather than the Beacon Academy uniform she usually wears when she comes by Drachenblatt. Then again, it's not like she's planning to visit the actual school beyond 'in passing' this trip - it's just to help August out with the mind-dive.
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca doesn't make any type of attempt to be flashy or noticeable. She just enters in her usual, somewhat casual manner, but once she gets there, she stops and salutes, as is one of her unique habits when she encounters someone she considers to be a superior. Or it could just be her military style of greeting someone. After saluting, Rebecca says, "I'm ready to move out when everyone else is. Just say the word." Her tone indicates she's definitely in a mood that's suited for getting the task at hand done. Originally she was considering wearing her casual attire since she wasn't on-duty, but decided to stick with her standard uniform instead. Whatever reason that is is anyone's guess.
Ainsley	As the one that suggested getting this dealt with sooner rather than later to August in the first place, Ainsley is one of the first to arrive when given the message to show up. Her attitude is as reserved as ever, but there is an air of clear tension in her posture and the way her tail is behaving, with cat-like twitching. She ignores her own nervousness as she seeks out a seat where she will be comfortable during the mind dive, and settles in, clasping her hands and resting them in her lap. Her posture is practically professional, and she hasn't given so much as a smile or a greeting so far. That is actually unlike her. She's quiet, but today she is deathly serious. This is clearly important to her. "Let's get to it," she urges in a neutral tone, because she'd rather not spend a lot of time stewing in her own anxiety right now. She has a sinking feeling she might encounter things she doesn't like today...
Janine Liberi	Janine has been living here, it's true. But you wouldn't think it looking around. Unlike when a certain someone lived here, not a trace of her own presence is inflicted on the cabin. No sweet wrappers lying around. No dirty clothes strewn about... although, that might be more to do with Emily than herelf. She sits on a chair, still not looking great, but better than she was before. The sword Emily gave her is by her side, sheathed and clutched in her good hand as she waits. As everyone starts to arrive, she offer the slightest nod of her head to each one. "P-MOB?" she asks Flamel. "Surely that's not the real acronym? C'mon, you and your government can do better." She's trying to lighten the mood. 'Trying' being the operative word.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa had not done an update to the shack's computer in some time she had intended to go there to do so. Update information and it's security given the danger if the truth of the forest got out to the world at large, would be very dire? Kotone didn't want to mess around with such things but that had been derailed the patch can wait as she comes in. She's in slightly high tech clothing today but it's not the combat gear she seems to sport normally and she would be arriving a bit after Yuna does looking a bit concenred.
Ran Itoh	Things haven't been improving, per se... but things are starting to look like they /might/ improve. And for Ran, that's good enough to keep going. She's waiting there outside the Shack when the appointed time arrives, and follows the others inside. "Hi, everybody." The blonde woman smiles at Janine and moves past Flamel to slip a piece of candy into August's hand. (She's not above bribery. Who told you she was?) "Don't worry, okay? We're all here to help you out," she whispers to the boy, going to loop an arm loosely around his shoulders and lean in for what she hopes is a comforting hug. She'll find a seat and spend the rest of her pre-dive time getting comfortable and smiling at the others. She's so glad Janine noticed P-MOB too, because she didn't want to be the person to say it.
August Kohler	Flamel gets the smallest smile when he comes in with his badge out, as August nods to him and takes the door when handed. "Yeah. Thanks." Yuna arrives next, asking him how he feels. "Not great, honestly. Let's hope that whatever you guys find and do in there will fix it." There's a nod to Rebecca and Ainsley as well, August understanding that everyone seems stressed out about this as well, and a small laugh when Janine makes her joke. Ran's arrival has August nodding to her, taking the candy, unwrapping it, and rapidly tossing it into his mouth. After chewing, he speaks, moving his hand up to set up the psycho-portal on his forehead - he's had this done to him once before. "Alright, I'll let Parsons say the catchphrase this time instead of stealing it. Go wherever you guys need to, in there. Not sure I have the liberty to hide anything anymore." A weak laugh, as he prepares for the mind dive... And soon, the group is in. As soon as they regain their senses, they'll notice that they're in some sort of 'greeting center', with a poster saying 'WELCOME TO KOHLERWORKS'. The building is made of grey steel, but there's an immediate issue - it's collapsed, with a noticeable hole in the ceiling, and the poster and all the furniture is worn, as if it hasn't been used in forever. Light is minimal, only shining in through the hole in the ceiling from drones with spotlights, flickering as they move back and forth. There's a constant sound of whirring, buzzing, and other machinery to the east, which also has a glow to it seen through the hole int he roof - it seems to be the direction of the Rage Volcano from the last minddive. And to the west, up through the hole, there's dark clouds covering...something. Who knows what? There's an entirely odd sensation to the mindscape, though. The air feels...stifling, almost as if it doesn't want you here. It's like smog on the lungs, though tolerable enough to move through, and at times feels like lead weights, though not enough to really deter movement.
Flamel Parsons	"I personally like 'PsychoMOB'." Parsons asides to Janine, and then gives a wink. But under those sunglasses, the wink's totally undetectable. "But we're always looking for better ominous names for our vague yet menacing government agency! Tell me if you get any ideas!" Once everyone's settled, Parsons leans back in his chair. "Alright, various friends of August! This one may be a rough ride. I'm going to project all of us deep as we can go, so there'll be a lot of possible danger! From August's own mental defenses, and from whatever's eating him. So, you know." He removes his sunglasses, taking a deep breath, and opens his eyes wide. They both shine with brilliant white light. "Prepare your minds." https://a.lainfile.pw/KE/MIND_DIVE.mp3 Each person present will feel a tug on their mind. Parsons emerges from his own body as a shadowy, whispy white ghost-like presence, and if the others don't resist the tug on their mind, in a moment, they will too. Each astral projection will find itself drawn into the door, whooshing and surging into it, and letting the door snap shut behind them, and depositing them straight into the mindscape of August.
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca doesn't mind having her mind tugged on really. Namely since she's been through a LOT worse than that. When Flamel says the magic words, she closes her eyes and prepares for it to happen. When she opens her eyes again, she finds she's inside Kohlerworks, which she thinks is a rather unique and interesting name, albeit fitting as well. Once everyone's inside, Rebecca's facial expression turns into one of sternness again as she says, "All right, let's get ready to move out! We've got work to do and we've got to do it now!"
Flamel Parsons	When they deposit, Parsons is already prepared. "It's changed from the last time we were here." He says. "Decayed, a bit, maybe? Like, it's collapsed some, sort of." He catches sight of the drones, and immediately dives out of sight of the holes. "Woah! Mysterious government monitoring! Be careful of that." He cautions, and then flickers into invisibility, levitating off the ground and immediately trying to bound, invisibly, out of the hole, to get a good look at the landscape and understand some more of what's going on. What's all this?!
Ainsley	'Prepare your minds.' Ainsley's eyes close. She feels her astral form drawn into August's mind. Her eyes open once in August's mind. There's a soft mental resistance, a feeling she picks up on immediately with a thoughtful frown. She lifts her head, her bright blue eyes scanning the cracked state of the mindscape. It is clearly in disarray, a feeling that is strangely familiar to her, despite having not seen the state of her own mind like this. She turns her head when Rebecca lifts her voice to give everyone their call to action, her feathers puffing up for a moment. A sucking breath and a sigh, and then she turns to find a way to climb out of the structure to get a good vantage on those dark clouds and the rest of the mindscape. She'll fly a little bit in lieu of climbing if she has to. She is cautious about the drones, making sure there's none in the immediate vicinity.
Yuna Kagurazaka	It's not Yuna's first time in the recesses of somebody else's mind; when she passes through the psycho-portal, her projected self is clad in her Light Suit, although she was in civilian attire in the 'real' world. Elner isn't with her this time like she was in Karian's mindscape, though. And Yuna is already regretting that she didn't make a point of having the little robo-faerie with her directly. And it is her first time in August's mind, so she's looking around the wreckage of Kohlerworks at just a bit of a loss. "So what all did you look into when you were in here before?" Yuna asks Ran (and the others, by extension). "Making sure the machinery is all working properly seems like it's probably in order ... I'm guessing that splitting up isn't really a great idea?"
Janine Liberi	"Prepare your minds, are you kidding me? That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard, you fuuuuuuuuuu-" And then, into August's mind they go! Janine coughs with fake lungs as the filthy air coats them. "Goddamn grimy in here. He's literally dirty-minded, I can't believe it," she mutters as she looks about the collapsed building. Looks like several bombs hit it... she examines the skyline that she can see. That angry red glow from the east... considering what he did before, that seems highly prevalent. "I'm going that way," she announces, pointing with her sword before breaking into a brisk jog, heading off in that direction.
Ran Itoh	It's hard to relax when she knows she's about to go inside someone else's brain, but Ran can't /not/ come along to try and help. She watches Flamel remove his shades with wide, curious eyes and prepares for the dive. What was the old saying? Oh, right! "In for a penny, in for a quarter pounder...!" She opens her eyes again inside a strange, unwelcoming place. Kohlerworks...? This is about as far from 'familiar' as things get for Ran, but that's to be expected, isn't it, going into someone else's /mind/? "Is it just me, or... is it kind of hot in here?" Like it's hard to breathe, or... psychic pressure, Hikaru would probably call it. "Well, at least it's not trash-dirty, right?" she tries optimistically, but Janine's already breaking away from the group. "--Hey, wait up!!" She takes off after Janine at a jog.
August Kohler	There's both doors out (though they have no windows, for some reason, so it's difficult to eye the safety of that) and multiple footholds made out of desks, shelves, and etcetera to climb out of the hole. They seem...premade. Like someone's already set up a way out of here. Once outside on the roof, the bigger scope of the mindscape is visible, and it's not the prettiest. There's multiple drones, fluttering around in patterns, shining their lights through the holes of collapsed buildings, loud signals of beeping. These seem to be registered by the multiple Tin Soldiers travelling across the ground, poking through doors and doing body and hand signals back up to the drones, before moving in what can only be squad tactics. The factory city itself can only be described as bleak - the crushing air is even more prevalent once out of the building, and the building's look collapsed due to /violence/, the signs of explosions and destruction everywhere. For those who have been here before, the structure of the buildings has changed, putting them in different locations, though the important ones still seem to be there. Off in the far north seems to be the Joy Parade, which has a massive sign (visible from here) on the doors saying 'CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC', with what appears to be a large congregation of Tin Soldiers patrolling down there. To the east is the Rage Volcano, which is emitting odd black smoke which is getting vented into the rest of the mindscape. The Depression Tundra seems to be hidden behind a group of buildings somewhere, the cold barely noticeable. And to the west, a large jagged building, with the sign 'Under New Management' being the only thing to label it, is exuding horrible grey clouds, filling the sky with them. When people begin to actually head out, though, they'll notice on the various buildings and walls of the city, numerous posters. They're sillohuetted, but anyone who sees the sillohuettes on them can tell who they are - it's a poster of them, as well as one of a massive person in armor. They list 'OBSTACLES: WANTED - DEAD OR EVEN DEADER', 'BOUNTY - FREEDOM'. The front doors to the Rage Volcano have a small group of Tin Soldiers patrolling around it, and there's the sound of work inside. Furious work...what could be going on in there?
Ainsley	Ainsley stares out into a bleak, dystopian landscape. Metallic soldiers tromp through the rubble, seeking out their prey with militaristic intent. Her eyes follow their activity, and her brow knits at the sight of their behavior. They look like warriors under the command of an oppressive regime. If she has had any taste of the Watch mentality, it is that they dislike this very appearance. It's a representation of a hypocritical mindset, putting her nerves on edge thinking about what kind of facet of his mind might be directing this. Ainsley decides to head due west. The building there is the only other sign of activity. She is careful to avoid the scrutiny of the drones and soldiers, but she is not afraid of casting a stunning spell or two if she needs to traverse an area quickly. She isn't the most ninja-like reptile and has very little training in avoiding notice, but she is savvy enough to know to hide behind cover and slip by when she thinks the coast is clear.
Flamel Parsons	Parsons maintains that invisibility, and slides off the roof, bounding over the rooftops in dramatic leaps. He comes from a world that deals with this sort of platforming, after all! Is there an opening, a window, a door he can access? Maybe he could maneuver himself into one of those pipes and sneak in with his cool espionage skills? He notices those posters especially. Worrying. Something here is actively going against interference, not just defending by lashing out. That's not something you do when you're a mind in stress, that's some part of the mind with a /plan/. And that's dangerous. VERY dangerous. That's why he's going after management.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna picked up on the observation that August's mindscape isn't usually this polluted - and while the Light Suit helps ensure that she can breathe comfortably despite the environment, that doesn't make it any more pleasant to look at (and doesn't really improve on the smell). The sight of her face on the Wanted posters doesn't really put her at ease ... But she came along because she'd promised to help, and she's going to do whatever she can. Being 'at ease' has nothing to do with it, really - it never has. So while some of the group is heading west to check out the 'New Management,' Yuna heads towards the east, waiting up a bit to see who else is with her.
Rebecca Chambers	The world is dark and dreary. Not a place Rebecca would want to live. But she knows it's just part of the 'mindscape' (as she calls it) and knows it's not real. But she also knows that this isn't how it should be and that's why they're here. They have a job to take care of this and put an end to all this filthy pollution! After looking both ways and considering her choices, Rebecca opts to take on the volcano. "Something big is happening there, and I think it's more than just lava ready to erupt." She goes along with Yuna, a slight hint of a scowl on her face as she does so.
Janine Liberi	Janine coughs again into her shoulder as she gets a better look at the cityscape. "Man, what a shithole," she says, very uncharitably. She looks at the posters and frowns, giving some Tin Soldiers in the distance the stink-eye. Although, there is one figure that is... familiar. She smirks lightly and mutters, "Oh, you dumbass." The fiery volcano gets her glare next. "I'm checking that out." With that, she draws her sword and gazes into the polished flat of it for a long moment... but she doesn't call anything out. Instead, she just keeps it by her side and starts sneaking towards her target. Going through alleys to avoid patrols and the like.
Ran Itoh	Ran, too, noticed the Wanted posters... but there's nothing she can do about them. In a way, maybe she can use them too - thanks to those, everybody knows they're being hunted, and can adapt. As Janine changes course, Ran nods at the other girl and continues on. New Management seems like the place where she'll be able to help more. She's not quite as agile as Flamel, though, and can't quite roofhop! Instead, she beats feet along the cramped alley below on a similar path as Ainsley, depending on speed and luck to keep safe from any roving Tin Soldiers.
August Kohler	There doesn't seem to be much in the way of security directly in front of the New Management building, atleast, not security that can't be bypassed with stealth. Ainsley ducks over towards the door while Rainsly passes through an alley, while Flamel is able to bound straight into a giant pipe (there seems to be ZERO windows, whatsoever, for some reason), sliding inwards into the building. Occasionally, fog clouds spray out at certain directions, but with careful turns or hitting a ramp (the pipe has ramps for some reason), they can be dodged. The front door leads to a hallway, with a sign (in relatively nice but still bleak condition) showing two locations - the Chief Engineer's office to the east, and the ISKANDRIAN DYSTOPIAN SMOG ROOM(TM) to the west, the name possibly inspired by William Pauwel's world. There's the sound of machinery inside the smog room, as well as security if one glances to the west. Flamel finds himself dumped into a room out of a pipe, facing a Tin Soldier (that is luckily not turned towards him) working at controls. This appears to be the ISKANDRIAN DYSTOPIAN SMOG ROOM(TM) control room, and through a large glass window, there's a massive pile of pipes, all connected to the ceiling vents and to the ground, as well as to the operating room. The controls list that they seem to be funnelling from the Depression Tundra and the Rage Volcano, primarily. Tin Soldiers patrol through the ISKANDRIAN DYSTOPIAN SMOG ROOM(TM), and the pipes appear...clogged? Knotted, possibly?
August Kohler	The front gate of the Rage Volcano seems pretty heavily guarded, but an alley to the side has a very odd set of pipes and dumpsters set up to allow platforming over the gate, though it's a difficult jump, and occasionally, the drones fly in this way, requiring cover and ducking under something. Once over the wall, though, whether going through the guards or over the wall, the picture is clear. A giant volcano made of lava and metal and obsidian, being worked on by countless Tin Soldiers while others patrol, making sure everything is being worked on. There's a large valve on the volcano, a dial reading 'off-minimal-optimal-maximum-OVERDRIVE', with the valve flipped all the way right, causing that smoke and forcing the Tin Soldiers to work frantically. Something seems to be getting made by the volcano, but might merit a closer look - there appears to be something already emerging out of the lava.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks to August for a moment as she arrives and sees they are going to be going in soon. "All right Kohler, we'll see what we can do." With that she'll get into a coo spot to lay downbefore they group goes into the mind dive. She takes a moment to situate herseld in the mindscape and it feels stifling she wonders thouh h asked them to come? Yet the mind scape isn't hostile ad it's like she has lungs again, the senstion of sucking down smog is not something she missed about hger old body of flesh. She looks aroudn trying to get an idea but the sound od machinery that does get her attention. "Kohlerworkshuh?" Kotone has done this before but it's not something she'd entirely at ease with. Memories of Mizuki pop up for a moment but she forces them down. R she take sight of the drones and tracks them she will try to look for wireles sbut doubts uit given this is a mind scape as she heads out she'll ook at the various posters she tilts her head a litlte bit anbd wonders what the various posters she has seen imply? It's not long before she catches up with Ainsley and Ran though sand she keeps her tone of voice low. "I'm never going to get used to doing this." Even with her time with Mizuki, this was not something she realy got used to. She'll follow the other two women keeping quiet otherwise for the moment.
Ainsley	Ainsley acknowledges Ran once they enter the building, discovering that Flamel took an atypical route into the structure. She isn't surprised by this, though she does make a thoughtful noise. She takes one look at the options they have inside the strangely sparse innards of the building, and squints at the sign for the ISKANDRIAN DYSTOPIAN SMOG ROOM(TM) with a skeptical frown just for a moment. Seeing no value in applying her own skills to that particular issue, she turns her attention instead to heading for the Chief Engineer's Office. While she walks, she mentions aside to Ran and Kotone, "I will need a moment to diagnose the problem, once we find the Chief Engineer. That could mean talking, or it could mean scanning with my magic. I hope all we have to do is talk. I don't think this will go that simply. I cannot do two things at once, so I need you both to be prepared for that."
Janine Liberi	A hop, a skip, and a jump to get over the fence around the volcano. Normally, Janine would summon Biancabella and just leap the whole thing in one go. But she doesn't. Instead, she just scrabbles over the fence, something made very difficult with only one arm. But eventually, she drops down with a hard 'thud' and gets to her feet, before looking around. The big obvious valve handle turned far too much to the right is an obvious clue. But... to what end? What is being made in the volcano? "One of you try to turn that thing down. I'm gonna take a look," she says to Rebecca and Yuna, before beginning her ascent up the slope.
Flamel Parsons	Parsons is a spy. That means TACTICAL ESPIONAGE ACTION. By which I mean, when he three-point-hoverlands on a wobbly levitation field. He's first going to take a close look around, especially at those pipes. What sort of effect is that knot having? He's trying to determine if undoing the knot and unjamming the pipes would make more of these feelings, or less. He's worried, distinctly, about making more of them. Or are they so thick and awful because of them being jammed up...? Oh, right, and the guard, who still hopefully can't see the invisible man creeping around his room. Parsons slides up behind him, places two fingers from each hand on his temples, and attempts to hit the melee button and perform a STEALTH MELEE TAKEDOWN! Hefty telekinetic hands attempt to choke out the tin soldier until he passes out, and if that doesn't work -- he hopes these are the silent type -- to just snap his neck. STEALTH MANEUVER. He wants to get control of that control panel, and possibly find out some information it might display about what the status of the piping is, and what he could do to improve the mindscape here.
Ran Itoh	Thank goodness! Bypassing a lagging Tin Soldier, Ran makes it through the doors. "Ugh, I'm glad real life isn't like this," she sighs, standing next to Kotone and Ainsley. She tugs thoughtfully at the bunny pendant on a cord around her neck and looks from one sign to another. "New Management, all right." She's not entirely sure just what to expect, but... well, the whole situation has her feeling pretty uncomfortable. Ran glances at Ainsley and nods at her precautions. "Don't worry. Just focus on doing whatever it is you need to do. The two of us will watch out and keep you safe. Okay?" She doesn't reeeeeaaaaaally understand lizard magic. It's probably just as well that she isn't watching Flamel try to CQC a Tin Soldier.
Yuna Kagurazaka	While Yuna might be able to take on the Tin Soldiers - particularly if they don't share the full power and abilities of their projected Persona form - she's not particularly keen on picking a fight that she doesn't have to. A bit of coordination with her allies leads to her scrambling up through the alley and over the wall; it's not exactly le parkour, but she manages to get there with a certain amount of grace. "I was already thinking of doing exactly that," she agrees with Janine. "Rebecca, cover me?" She takes a moment to watch the patrols' patterns, then makes her way to the dial with a mixture of skulking where she can, sprinting when she has to, and occasionally just brazenly walking when she's among the workers who are engrossed in their labors. As soon as she reaches the dial, she starts trying to turn it down - at least as far down as 'optimal,' although 'minimal' sounds a lot better to her. Maybe what's being constructed is important or will be helpful, but if it costs August this much, internally, to construct it at all-out top speed ... she's not going to assume it's beneficial until somebody finds reasonably convincing proof thereof.
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca also agrees with Yuna, that fighting isn't the best course of action here. At least if it can be avoided. She also makes her way over the wall as well, albeit with a little difficulty, but she manages to get there and lands without difficulty as well. Once she lands and looks around, she spots the dial and nods to Yuna. "Gotcha, I'll cover you." She takes out her Beretta, clip loaded, and readies it, just in case anyone gets too close to Yuna. Although how effective it will be in a situation like this is anyone's guess.
August Kohler	In the pipe operating room, Flamel manages to creep up on the Tin Soldier. Once he begins choking it, he'll realize it doesn't actually have lungs, and is also attempting to scream. However, it is incapable of making any noise whatsoever, so it's just pained pantomimes of screaming. The neck snap succeeds, as the robot crumples to the ground. The control panel is easily readable, and indicates that the ISKANDRIAN DYSTOPIAN SMOG(TM) is being made by a mixture of depression, nihilism, apathy, and self-frustration. These are being funnelled into the pipes, which then vent them into the whole city and mindscape. To deal with this, one would need to stop the pipes, which could usually be done with a button, but the massive knot is keeping them in place. There seems to be a control panel to address the Tin Soldiers inside to work on the pipes and do things with them...perhaps they can be moved or otherwise dealt with? The trio of Ainsley, Ran, and Kotone head into the Chief Engineer's office. There's a chair swivelled with the back facing the group as they walk in, and there's once again, absolutely no windows, leaving it dark until a light is switched on. As they walk in...the chair swivels, and is empty, as an audio recording begins playing from a device on the desk. "Hey there! This is the Chief Engineer! If you're getting this, I'm currently not in right now! In that case - in that case...I guess you'll just leave, right? You don't really want to see me, do you? I guess I should just curl up and die...and maybe you should, too, mwaaaaaah." beep The voice is August's, without a doubt, and sounds...odd, though it may be because of the recording filter. Midway through the sentence, the emotions change entirely - what sounded like a happy welcoming turns into what sounds like a genuinely upset person, with legitimate crying, though definitely melodramatic.
August Kohler	Despite all the activity, getting to the valve and to the machine doesn't seem difficult. The valve is hefty, though, and at first, Yuna will only be able to turn it down to maximum, and have to keep pushing to get it down lower. But... As Janine approaches to check out what is being created, suddenly, there's a very loud 'BUZZ' in the air, an alarm of sorts. The Tin Soldier security suddenly turns towards the valve, pointing their gun-legs at Yuna and Rebecca, as the engineers glare at Janine. The thing in the lava starts to climb out, as a voice begins speaking over the intercoms. It can be overheard everywhere, including at the New Management building. "Okay, I have to admit, your stealth was pretty good, but did you really think you could just sneak up to the valve? You're incredible, that's wonderful! I like you guys! But I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU SO MUCH, and as you know, you're wanted...DEAD OR EVEN DEADER! OBSTACLES LIKE YOU WILL BE CRUSHED! But, I'm a bit busy setting up for a parade...I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me. I...I know, I'll give you a new friend. One of the very new and exciting...Kohlerworks Obstacle Exterminators! YOU'LL JUST DIE WHEN YOU SEE IT!" It's August's voice, clear as day, but with that same odd filter, being broadcasted over a speaker. It seems to jump between emotions frantically - extreme joy, to extreme anger, to extreme sadness. As it finishes its speech, a giant robotic beast, designed roughly like a Tin Soldier with...tiger claws and lava vents plus a tiger face, leaps out of the lava, roaring. A claw smashes into Janine, flames and heaving metal moving to knock her straight into the gate in the distance. The Tin Soldier security, meanwhile, begins firing on Yuna and Rebecca, bullets attempting to pepper through them. This just went loud.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks over to Ran and Ainsley for a moment. "I"m hoping that's all we need to do, and right I'll be ready then. Ran you good?" Ran's always been able to handle her self so far as well as Kotone was aware of. She would make redyu to cover Ainsley's back with Ran and replies. "It's crazy as it is without it going into something like this." She notices the bunny pendant and says nothing on it but does note it. She seems to be ready as she's going to be to cover Ainsley's back. She sees the chair she doesn't move yet and pauses as the being in it speaks wait no it's a recording? Or is it really? "That sounds like August..." She's going to look around the office for a moment and then gets into a good spot to cover ainsley. Then she hears the monolog and just goes quiet for a secon. "Ran? Ainsley ... I think we need to be elsewhere. Unless you got another idea?"
Ainsley	Ainsley half-expects something way different than what she runs into. She makes sure to seek out a light switch just on reflex, and when the lights are on and the three approach the desk, they discover the expected occupant of the chair in front of them is absent. That is... unusual, at first, but the reason becomes clear when the audio recording plays. She grimaces somewhat at the sound of those words, because it sounds unhinged when it switches so suddenly between emotional states. Her fears are confirmed. "Something is attacking their inner selves..." she muses, based off of her observations, "Could it be a Shadow we haven't met yet...? Perhaps the power of the Black Queen herself?" She decides to put on her investigative gloves, so to speak. He said he's preparing for a parade, and so... Ainsley turns and sprints. She knows what that means. He could only be one place. Ainsley makes a beeline for the Joy Parade building. "Follow me!" she shouts to Ran and Kotone.
Janine Liberi	Janine flinches, coming to an immediate halt as August's voice comes over the loudspeakers. It's his all right, but... there's an effect to it, like someone with only five minutes of experience on a sound mixing board went to town on it. It's a familiar filter, she's heard something like it before... but in her voice instead. But then, whatever was in the volcano awakens. A vision of metal and flame, bearing down on her. She starts to lift her sword, looking into the reflection... but what looks back has features of a bug, and she stops, paralyzed. "SHI-" she manages to say before the claw slams into her. It was a hard climb, but an easier descent as she tumbles down the hill, coming to a hard stop before laying prone, unmoving.
Flamel Parsons	Hmmmm... STOP the feelings entirely? Well, some amount of sadness is still necessary, as are some amount of apathy, and sometimes even self-frustration. Nihilism, rarely, but Parsons decides how he wants to handle this. Can he reel it back to a far less dangerous level, instead of stop it? If so, his plan right now is to hastily begin working on PUZZLE-SOLVING! A Psychonaut has to know how to solve elaborate puzzles, and this Pipedream nightmare is... Well, it's not no different from other minds, it's very, very different. But Parsons is at least adjusted to this sort of paradigm of interaction. He tries to do some rapid pipe untangling by way of the console, willing to direct unplugging and replugging where necessary to ensure that this all gets wired back up. His strategy for puzzlesolving is surprisingly thorough, involving extensive initial moves to determine the limits of the system, and then concocting multiple plans, all in the name of detangling this mess. He also tries to funnel his Clairvoyance into the console; if he can read some or even all of the imprints of the "moves" necessary to make this nightmareish configuration, he can "reset" August back to his "default" emotional configuration! And maybe shut things down if he has to, pending a more qualified Tin Soldier who isn't evil coming to deal with it.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Forget 'minimal'; Yuna pushes the valve as hard towards completely 'off' as she can get it, even with bullets searing past her - and probably quite a few slamming into the Light Suit, eliciting flashes of light as the battlesuit's protective aura repels the harmful impacts. Only once the valve is COMPLETELY off does Yuna turn her attention to the new threat. Specifically, sprinting towards Rebecca and calling out, "SHUGOSEIHEKI!!!" to summon her kite shield. If she can interpose the kite shield to protect both herself and the STARS officer, great. If she can only provide partial attention, that's better than nothing. But Ainsley points out that attacking the giant variant Tin Soldier could hurt August. So Yuna does not produce a weapon, just keeping the shield ready and trying to see where Janine landed.
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca looks up and sees the bullets coming at her. She twists and attempts to dodge them, before Yuna comes in with the shield. She's grateful for the cover, but looks to Yuna and says, "Don't worry about me! We have to get Janine!" She looks towards where Janine might land and starts to move towards that spot. "I hope she's OK!"
Ran Itoh	"I'm okay," Ran nods at Kotone. As much as she'd like to believe that August wouldn't hurt them, especially not here inside his own mind, she's seen what happens when people feel a deep-seated, instinctive need to protect themselves from anything - especially from people that should be friends. Speaking of friends... it can't be August waiting for them in that chair, can it? She takes a step back when the recorded voice begins playback, staring dumbfounded at the empty seat. "But then where's--" she begins, but the recording plays on. What's... is this how August sees himself? The idea doesn't quite seem correct, somehow, but Ran can't yet piece together /why/. Ainsley turns and runs, Janine's voice over the radio is cut off, and Ran is running again. Running, running, always running, for the volcano and the heat.
August Kohler	Flamel gets two read outs for his movements - he can take a very large number of moves to fix it, or 'one move', but none of the pipe arrangements will allow for a single move to unknot it - but both potentials are absolutely correct. The Tin Soldiers move frantically in either case, like little drones, undoing and refitting pipes back and forth as Flamel instructs. In the end, the smog machine is reconfigured in a way that stops the horrible clouds and makes it better for August's mindscape, though by that time, the others have left the New Management building and are on their respective ways. All without cutting a Gordian Knot, too!
August Kohler	In exchange for taking quite a few bullets, Yuna manages to turn the valve all the way off, stopping the black smoke and the creation of more war machines. The engineers try to scramble to turn it back on, as security keeps attempting to gun them down. Janine went flying against the gate, where she'd still be. Ran would find herself, as she approaches, getting shot at by the security in the front. Meanwhile, the Tin Tiger notices that the group's heading for the gate, and charges, attempting to leap at them - whether it hits them or not, it smashes the gate down, which will take down any Tin Soldiers Ran doesn't attack herself, as it roars with hostile anger. Meanwhile, Ainsley will find her path to the Joy Parade difficult. Tin Soldiers fire at her from all directions, but there's multiple buildings to weave in through and duck between for cover, and the Drones keep shining light to inform the Soldiers of her position. Eventually, Ainsley will spot a /massive/ crowd of Tin Soldiers...which all turn towards her, guns up. But after a moment, they put their guns back down, and turn towards the gate of the Joy Parade. It begins to open. A figure begins to walk out of the blinding light inside, to the silent cheers and fist raising of the Tin Soldiers gathered. This might be Ainsley's best chance to get a scan.
Ainsley	Ainsley discovers she is not being followed. She doesn't complain overly much. With Ran and Kotone heading to the Volcano, they're likely to deal with a majority of the much... larger threats that come as a symptom to whatever is happening in August's psyche. She encounters Tin Soldiers and Drones, and she reacts in turn. She weaves to and fro between buildings, until she comes upon a spot where she can see the Joy Parade building... and countless firearms lift to aim toward her. She pulls her metal-bound book from her belt in preparation to call her Persona and defend, blood, or at least the mental representation of it, running off of her body from all the not-quite-lethal damage she incurred along the way... A strangely apt metaphor for her own personality. And then they stop. She gets behind cover and turns her attention toward the building itself. Her eyes fixate on the figure, and she speaks the word for Emotion, casting the spell that shines a soft golden light over her eyes. Her eyes widen and she leers in that direction, trying to divine the nature of the emotions of the figure before her, and maybe isolate the source for foreign emotional influences in the process. "Come on..." Desperation edges on her voice.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna chances a look over her shoulder, following Rebecca's gaze, and manages to spot where Janine landed. "There she is ... c'mon, let's pick her up and see if we can -- DOWN!!" She crouches behind her kite shield, reaching behind her to try and yank Rebecca down with her so the STARS officer isn't left standing at her full height, behind a shield which is no longer reaching up far enough to protect her, as more bullets hammer against Shugoseiheki's surface. "Ooof," Yuna groans quietly, as if she'd been punched in the gut. And in a way, she was; while the shield is physically a separate thing from the basic Light Suit, it's reinforced by the same defensive aura ... and that aura has limits. Every bullet that hits either Yuna or her shield takes a bit out of the suit's protective reserves - and no matter that this is a mental projection rather than the real world, Yuna can't sustain a fight like this forever. "Got any flashbangs or something?" Yuna asks her ally. "Something that'll blind and disorient that thing, give us a chance to make better time?"
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca finds herself being yanked down quickly, and with good reason too. Even her kevlar vest isn't indestructable, and who knows what those bullets might do to her? They might even be immune to her bulletproof vest! Once she regains her bearings and realizes what's going on, she looks around and then hears what Yuna has to say. When she mentions the flashbang, Rebecca perks up a little. "I do have a couple," Rebecca says as she reaches into her belt and produces one. "I just hope it works." She quickly pulls out the ring and tosses towards the attacker while crying out, "DON'T LOOK AT IT!" Before turning away and squeezing her eyes shut.
Flamel Parsons	Parsons looks proudly over his work. "This is for sure going to get undone if I don't go deal with the guy in charge here." He says, still in that positive tone. "Okay, let's try this out." Popping right back onto his levitation field, he leaps back into the pipe he arrived in, rushes back up the pipe, and uses it to FIRE himself high over the city, in an elegantly parabolic arc! Up and above the city, he glides his way towards Ainsley, and drops into the area from above, slamming into the ground dramatically, holding a his right hand in a "fingergun" position, and planting two of the fingers from an opposite hand onto his temple, and either threatens the Tin Soldiers menacing Ainsley from behind if they're just as enraptured by the figure, or begins firing heavy, massive psionic energy blasts from his fingers at them to force them back if they're still assaulting. He only glances over his shoulder at that figure. "Hey, miss Overlord, whatever you're doing, I hope you know what it is and how to do it fast!" He says, worry creeping into his voice. That shining figure... He thinks he knows what that is. He remembers the last time he was here. And he DEEPLY WORRIES.
Ran Itoh	Of course, it's easier said than done to ditch your ally to try to save another one. Ran finds herself being shot at, and though she manages to remain unperforated for the moment she's still feeling the stress. Dodging another spray of bullets, she crashes feet-first into one of the security Tin Soldiers with a cry of "PERSONA!" Tsuki-no-Usagi descends from above, bashing dress hats in with her mallet as Ran picks herself up and hurries. The heat's getting strong, and so is the feeling of raw, ragged anger that crushes her awareness down... But despite that, there's also... joy? --No, she realizes, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. There's someone /causing/ it...
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa has faith in Ainsley to handle this the Volcano is likely even worse than things where Ainsley are going. Maybe she's mad ea mistake but there's no time to waste. "Good you adapted to thigns faster han I ever did in the multiverse Ran." She keeps running at a good clip now hopefully she and Ran can make it in time. She looks to Ran for a momentbut she'll end up taking point out of habit. After all she's a cyborg at least in the material world and can take being hurt a littl easier or so she thinks. here it's likely moot. She opens up on the guards who open fire on Ran hoping to give her some cover. "Ran go on ahead if you ahve to don't worry about me."
August Kohler	The Archtiger MK.I is a very terrible Archtiger, because it can't fly or cloak or really do anything but be an angry lava tiger. As the group attempts to defend against it, it's about to lunge to strike again, when Rebecca lobs off a flashbang, disorienting its sensors and causing it to roar. For a moment, it's not moving, which is enough time to get Janine and get distance. Especially since, off in the distance, something is happening. As Flamel chutes through the pipe-cannon over to Ainsley, the other Tin Soldiers have stopped attacking. They're instead marching up past Ainsley and Flamel, into the crowd of cheers. After a long moment of the doors of the Joy Parade being open and the light covering the figure, they finally shut, and it's none other than...August? It certainly looks like August Kohler, but he's wearing what appears to be a silver and black military uniform, covered in oil stains, with an engineer's cap with some sort of emblem on his head. All of the Tin Soldiers salute him, and then he glances forward, showing his golden eyes. Flamel is correct - this is exactly what he thinks it is. During the time this is happening, Ainsley gets a read, and learns two things - it is feeling all of the emotions in a rapid cycle, from joy, to anger, to sadness, all at extremes. It's like a valve has been turned to overdrive and let out pent-up steam - or in this case, emotions. And there's one other thing Ainsley would learn. This is not a foreign presence, even if it is a very unusual one. This has come directly from August himself. The Shadow turns to the crowd of soldiers, stopping their silent cheers with a raise of a hand, as it begins to speak cheerily. "My army! You've all done very well in setting up our new order, but the obstacles that BLOCK OUR FREEDOM HAVE ARRIVED! YOU HAVEN'T DESTROYED THEM! USELESS!" The cheer quickly turns to anger, as the Chief Engineer's face twists into exaggerated anger, causing the Tin Soldiers to bow their heads, before he begins shaking his own, a sad tone to his voice. "No, no, don't be sad, I'm sorry, this is all my fault...but I think you guys can do it!" A turn back to the joy. "These awful rebels who ruin everything will be dealt with! I believe in you, DON'T YOU?!" All of the Tin Soldiers raise their hands in the air, as the Chief Engineer's eyes lock towards Ainsley and Flamel. "I CAN SEE YOU, you know! You horrible punks, why must you make everything worse for me? Why do you come into my factory, my city, and tear it apart? Do you like seeing me suffer? Do you really hate me that much? Because...I'm sorry if you do, please, just get out of here, get hit by a bus...please?" It begins /crying/ at the end, real tears, as the Tin Soldiers all turn to look at the pair. "You're in the way. Don't you see? You're in the way, and you need to cease to exist. Don't you care about me?" This entire thing, by the way, can be overheard by the others. It seems it's being broadcasted over the multiple loudspeakers around Kohlerworks.
Ainsley	Ainsley is being seen as An Obstacle. She doesn't have a lot at her disposal, and she spares a glance behind her at Flamel as the yellow glow fades from her eyes. She decides, despite everything telling her that such an earnest approach is suicidal, to come out of cover. As she does so, she walks up to the edge of the army of Tin Soldiers, and just holds her arms up and out at her sides. She doesn't make any aggressive motions. She stands on a nice little collection of convenient rubble so that Chief Engineer Kohler can see her. She is completely vulnerable. "Am I really an obstacle, August?" She speaks this loud and clear over the crowd. "I won't stop you. Decide for yourself. If you really believe that, then I have to respect that feeling. Do what you believe you must." And she falls silent and waits, staring him right in the eyes over the heads of the Tin Soldiers. Her solemn features don't waver for a second.
Yuna Kagurazaka	With the Archtiger Mark I getting a flashbang in its face (or sufficiently close), Yuna is able to stop focusing on keeping her shield ready and can instead help sprint away; Rebecca may need to handle carrying Janine, but Yuna will help with that as best she's able in the interest of getting out before the Archtiger recovers its functionality and comes after them again. Now it's a matter of finding Ainsley and the others. Fortunately, things are pretty straightforward as far as navigating the mindscape is concerned ... and Chief Engineer Shadow August is pretty obvious, given his speech is being 'transmitted' throughout the mindscape, and it's not THAT hard to figure out where the speaker is. The hard part is figuring out what to do - what to say, how to treat him .... Yuna's only really sure of one thing: this is the part of August that she's been so worried about, the part that's emerged on occasion to the detriment of quite a few things. And if this is genuinely coming from within August, part of his inner mind rather than an external influence's internal representation .... Singing probably is not going to help much, she thinks.
Ran Itoh	What... what's going on? Has she ever known August to show... well, /any/ emotion besides frustration? When Janine's Persona had mutated so grotesquely, it had been bad enough before August went a little psycho. He'd said the same thing then, hadn't he? That Janine was an obstacle. Ran tucks her lower lip between her teeth. She wishes that Hikaru was here. He understands the 'why' behind things like this. He would know the right thing to do! Usagi fades away behind her as Ran pushes herself up and starts running again. She thinks she hears Kotone saying something behind her, but the roar of lava and the pounding of her blood in her ears drowns it out. "AUGUST!" she yells, feet pounding the cracked asphalt. She can't protect Ainsley from here - seriously, the reptilian wizard's braver than Ran has words for - but she can be a distraction. As soon as she's close enough to see the molten burn of the Engineer's eyes, Ran grabs for her pendant again. "PERSONA!" Usagi dashes for the crowd of Tin Soldiers, bowling through them with sheer inertia, clearing a path.
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca moves along with Yuna, also unsure of how to handle this as well. She feels that fighting isn't the answer here, so she holsters her Beretta and attempts to show a peaceful look on her face. It's kind of forced, though, as her smile is crooked and shaky. Still, she knows that there has to be a way to resolve this. The question is, how?
Flamel Parsons	Parsons doesn't know August that well. Honestly, he also kinda disagrees with August in a few key ways, very intensely! But Parsons knows one thing about Psychonautry, and that's the fact that when a large, dangerous foe that menaces and harms the mind shows up, almost never is it wrong to go right for the violence. Ainsley goes for the social attack, and Parsons goes for a different angle. Planting his fingers on his temples, his brain begins to make a noise like a flywheel spinning up, then like a jet turbine about to take off. "Sorry, August!" He calls out. "There's obstacles in life for a reason! Sometimes you need to become a different and better person to get by them! Sometimes those obstacles are there to help you keep away from the things that would hurt you, or hurt the people you care about! Why are your goals more important than the people who get in the way of them?" August might not be someone he knows well, but he's making an effort to draw more data out of the Shadow. The "flywheel" finishes, and his brain launches a MASSIVE blast, a sustained artillery-scale laserbeam of constant energy, dumped right onto the Shadow. Getting data is good. So is fighting your problems head-on!
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa is delayed but Ran is closer to August it makes sense for her o get ahead of her and get to August sooner rather than later. She'll not be too far behind Ran. She'll move as rapidly as she can while not wnting toend up extra crispy. She managed to make it a bit behind ran and she sees the crowd of Soldiers. She'll pause for a moment and she looks at them readies a pair of weapons now in hand as she comes running int but she's not moving to attack just yet, but it seems that it may be time soon. "Are we really in the way? You got to make your own choices that is true but if we are in the way? Why to you contiune to interact with us? Why don't you just cut us out?!"
August Kohler	The others begin approaching the parade entrance. As they do, the Chief Engineer begins responding. "Of course you're all obstacles. I still haven't 'fully' realized it, but it's the ONLY ANSWER, ISN'T IT? THE ONLY SOLUTION IS YOUR DESTRUCTION, ISN'T IT?!" He growls, as the Tin Soldiers slowly start raising their guns. As Ainsley steps up and tries to appeal to emotion, and Flamel speaks as he charges his attack, the Shadow just laughs, before starting to tear up again. "I'm just...a burden. You all know that, that I burden you, I just get in your way and get you all hurt...our friend even DIED FOR ME! BUT...but he said some things, gave me an idea. You know, if everyone was dead...there'd be no one to be a burden to, would there?" A cat-like grin. "So I just have to kill everyone. And then there'll be no more obstacles causing me to feel this way..." A glance towards Kotone as she remarks. "Tsk, tsk, you fool. That's because /someone/ is fighting realizing this. I keep pushing, and prodding, and telling them the answer, but I've always had such resilient willpower. No matter! I'll break it in half someday, I guess..." Finally, August's Shadow turns back to Ainsley, stares at her for a moment, and dismissively waves a hand towards the Tin Soldiers, cheerily shouting. "Kill them all!" While it does so, Flamel can feel it try and /grasp/ onto him, or more accurately, his psychic connection. Trying to latch on and come along, but it's like a child who first learned how to use its hands - it's loud, clumsy, and not very good at it. Meanwhile, the Tin Soldiers all get ready to fire their guns, but Ran's Persona barrels through several of them, as vast amounts of bullets begin raining out. As he laughs, the Chief Engineer suddenly gets a nice hit of laser beam, dodging to the side for just a second, but it slices straight through half of it. But instead of destroying it, knocking it out, or even /knocking it down/, it instead shreds half of the outfit, and cuts through Shadow August's face...revealing machinery attached to the flesh and blood vessels. There's a twist of sadness and anger simultaneously in his face as suddenly, fire begins swirling around him, and flies outwards at Flamel. Many more Tin Soldiers start pouring in from all directions - even though the group could take out quite a bit, there's a /ton/ of them. They're being overwhelmed. "DIE, YOU FILTHY PIECE OF TRAS-" And then, there's an explosion, as if a tank cannon was fired, and a shell suddenly slams into a group of Tin Soldiers, barrelling them over. And then another. As this happens, the Archtiger Mk.1 lunges at the group, but itself is hit with a shell...that explodes into smoke. The robot twists and growls for a moment, before lunging at another group of the Tin Soldiers. And then, off to the right, the figure doing this can be seen - a tank? No, a knight in a suit of armor /made/ from a tank. He's standing on a building, holding a tank cannon like a sword, as he calls out with a raspy voice, leaping down on the other side of a large crowd of Tin Soldiers. "Come on, you can get through them, you guys have always been good at surviving! This way, hurry! Our big feline pal will hold them back for a bit, nyahahaha!" It runs down an alleyway, towards a specific building - the Museum of Memories.
Yuna Kagurazaka	The Wall of the Guardian Star is pretty much Yuna's best defense ... but as with any other shield - at least, the physical type that you have to hold in front of you (assuming that's where the attacks are coming from that you're worried about) - it only protects Yuna in one direction, and if she's trying to protect somebody behind her, them too. So getting surrounded is basically her cue to dismiss Shugoseiheki and decide on a weapon. So with Tin Soldiers coming in from EVERYWHERE, Yuna glances around, lets her kite shield vanish, and wills the Matrix Divider to form in her hands. At about the moment that the Chief Engineer yells 'DIE,' even before the rest of the insult comes out, she opens fire on the nearest Tin Soldier: a simple uncharged bolt first, then a more powerful one that only takes a brief moment to focus. Then the big armored tank of a knight shows up, redirecting (or something) the Archtiger Mk. I and sending the Tin Soldiers into a measure of disarray. With that, the Matrix Divider flares into full, brilliant life in Yuna's hands, basically a continuous charge to keep replenishing the focused energy that gets released, and Yuna begins carving a path through the crowd of August's Persona-l mooks, trying to keep it clear enough for her allies to come with her. If they can stay clustered together and keep the Tin Soldiers off of them, it'll be a lot easier than everyone blazing their own trail, right?
Flamel Parsons	Parsons winds up tumbling back, blasted and lit on fire. But more than the wounding, he's shocked into a retreat by the sudden attempt to grasp his astral connection. He begins to uncharacteristically swear, trying to put himself out with big telekinetic hands and trying to get onto his feet. He calls out alerts over the radio, discussing his inability to sustain a fight like this, not to mention his intimidation from that HOSTILE REPLICANT! urning and running, he gives a wave and a grateful, "Thank you!" To those friendly helpers. He hops onto his levitation field again, then charges forward, encasing himself in a heavy psionic shield to turn into a human wrecking ball, and make his way through whatever segments of the crowd that Tankbro hasn't torn through and reach that path to the Museum of Memories! Of course, he tries to run near Yuna, who can hopefully intercept any last attempts to grab him by that evil August-tron.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa sees the Chief Engineer she doesn't attack him no, there's too many Tin SOldiers all around here. She hears Shadow? Augusts' words and she stares him fown for a moment. "So that's how it will be..." This could explain some of his recent behaviour. She however sees the hore comming for her. She opens fgire and starrs doing stupid agilityh trick the entire 'place' becomes a jungle gym as Kotone leaps an bounces about while shooting down Tin soldier and she's not sitting still. She can never sit still least she drown under the tide of bodies before her. She sees the sudden help she does not question it and she will make sure to make use of it. "We owe you one!" she'll lay down fire as she'll cut her way through to the evac point. "LETS GO PEOPLE!"
Ran Itoh	The 'world' goes loud and explodey. Ran never met Panzercat, so the feline laughter from the strange tank knight doesn't trigger any recognition, but she knows an escape route when one is very obviously pointed out and she is encouraged to use it by a mysterious hero. Why are we obstacles, she wonders, as Ran watches the Engineer continue to howl. Above her, Tsuki-no-Usagi hovers in the dirty sky, tracing out a circle and glyph with the narrow-ended handle of her mochi-pounding mallet. When the last line is connected, the whole thing lights up; dust flecks rising from it glow with power. Ran lifts a hand to the sky, letting her confusion and her sadness lap at the edges of her own psyche as Usagi flips her mallet over and slams the head down into the center of the circle. Dozens of pencil-thin moonbeams cut through the dusty air, burning up despair particles as they pass. The beams slam down into the milling Soldiers, piercing through several; instead of pressing some momentary advantage, Ran turns to run after the others, her Persona vanishing along with the remnants of its magic.
Ainsley	Ainsley lowers her arms as she realizes that her attempt will fail. She stands there staring as she watches the maddened shouting of the Shadow... her face flickers with anguish because she realizes this is because the boy has been exposed to so much in the Multiverse... that his inner issues have been amped up by all of the trauma everyone has experienced. She realizes that, perhaps, Janine was simply crushed by her own inner despair. For a moment, she feels disheartened, her posture drooping and her face showing a kind of sorrow that she's only shown when things start to look hopeless. But just before things get that bad, just before she's about to get destroyed by a hail of gunfire... The crowd of tin soldiers explodes in several flashes of fire and light, sending then flying through the air in shreds. She lifts a hand and hunkers down on place as the blast winds nearly bowl her off her vantage point. When her eyes adjust, she turns and notes ... Panzer Cat. Perhaps a prime example of the personality responsible for behavior like this, as Shadow August professed himself, and yet it is trying to save them. She doesn't wait and think about it. She runs. With an opening given to her, she takes it and she flees as fast as she can, so they can all regroup and figure all of this in a safer place. At one point she mutters something almost sinister and pushes a Tin Soldier aside as it tries to block her path, and a red light shines out from her hand and just... evaporates it. She just directly remove its Life with magic. Looks like she DOES have an offensive spell, when she needs to use it.
August Kohler	As the group flees, the Chief Engineer does not pursue, instead beginning to move back to the Joy Parade while the Tin Soldiers continue to attack, his latch on Flamel breaking. However, the Archtiger Mk.1 is apparently an ally, as it continues to tear through them, and the group makes mincemeat of the others. Even with some pursuing, once they make it to the Museum of Memories, every single pursuing Tin Soldier stops and retreats. The door to the Museum is old and wooden, and cracked open, inviting the group inside. It's /way/ bigger on the inside. Books plaster the walls, with massive tomes labelled things like 'August's Thoughts - 2004', and 'August's Food Opinions', pictures of August as a kid playing with toys, or at school events, or with his parents, and a massive sphere in the center that seems to be a navigator through the museum library. In the back are 'exhibits', like a single non-functional Tin Soldier, a giant sled made of obsidian and lava slag, and a pedestal containing that giant tank armor. Which turns towards the group and waves once they're inside, a broken purr from that raspy voice. "I knew you'd all make it! Lemme get out of this armor." And then, the chest of the Panzerknight suit opens up...and out jumps a small cat, mangy, weak, and with mottled fur, definitely underfed and weak. Despite that, he's smiling widely, as he closes up his armor. "Don't worry about pursuers. He'd never risk this place. He's still Firehair, even if he's not the Firehair we know and 'eh'." He ends the last part with a teasing handwobble. "Some of you know me already, and some of you don't - as far as Firehair's aware; but I know all of you. I read through his memories often, you should see what he was like as a kit!" There's a laugh, as he climbs up onto the nearest friendly persona and moves to perch on their shoulder. It's definitely Panzerkatze, for those who have met him. "This is all thanks to you, you know. You gave him the thought that there was something wrong, and that he needed to fight back, and here I am! The great and wonderful and if I may say so myself, dashingly handsome, Panzerkatze!"
Ran Itoh	She rushes into the museum with the others, never quite giving the appropriate level of gravitas to what the place must really /be/, until... 'August's Food Opinions'??? Ran actually starts to reach for the book, heedless of how invasive the action would be - she's just not thinking about it! - but is stopped by the sudden reveal. A... cat? "It can't be," she murmurs, crouching down in front of the rather bedraggled little figure. "Are you really /the/ Panzercat?" Heedless of the answer, she's already reaching for the poor thing, and she'll cradle him in her arms like a real cat if he lets her, or hold her shoulder still for him if he won't. "Oh-- is everybody else okay? Lay Janine down over here where the floor's clean, and everybody else get your injuries out where I can see 'em--"
August Kohler	Panzerkatze doesn't seem the type for cradling, but definitely perches on Ran's shoulder. "The one and only! Oh dear, One-Arm! She should be okay, you guys wouldn't go down that easily, would you?" There's a tilt of a head. "So, you'll all probably be going back soon, so I have a few things to say, but I can answer any quick questions you have. Mainly, you're going to need to prepare to deal with that Chief Firehair. He's tough, and I'm the only member of this rebellion to save the good one. Also, he stole /my/ idea, and he needs to pay for that! It was never for Firehair, and I'm a bit jealous, y'know?" Raspy laughter from the cat. "Finally, and I think most importantly..." "Firehair doesn't know what's going on in here. It's up to you if you all tell him or not. He's asleep out there, his Shadow knocked him out." Even after that grim reminder, the cat laughs again, dancing on Ran's shoulder. "So, any questions? I'm all ears!"
Ran Itoh	While everyone else takes the moment of respite to relax, collect themselves, and hopefully not let Janine wake up on a dirty spot or something, Ran gets a little more comfortable on the floor (and sneaks in a few earpets to Panzercat if she can. KITTY!) "I don't... really understand how you're here. I thought you were dead," Ran laments softly. She had wanted to meet this cat, because he'd been important to Die Reisende. He'd been important to August, hadn't he. "I won't worry /too/ about Janine, I guess. I know she's tougher than she looks." Seeing as how Janine's average expression could cut glass, that's saying something... Clutching her pendant, Ran toys with it, poking the tips of the ears against the tiny scars in the palm of her right hand. "What idea did he steal?" she asks suddenly, as the idea occurs to her. She's not even sure who 'he' is, but...! "And... is telling August a good thing?" What if it hurts him? What if it drives him further away from them?
August Kohler	Panzerkatze is a good cat and allows some earpets, seemingly loving the attention. "Do you remember the people close to you who died? Firehair remembers me, and apparently, I was very important to him. I may have broken some dials, though!" That last line is kind of melancholic, as Panzerkatze nods in regards to Janine, before answering plainly on 'what idea did he steal'. "That Shadow? He stole my idea to kill everyone in the world." There's no shame there. "I was going to duel them all to the death to prove I was the strongest! But, I died before that could happen. It's torn into Firehair quite a bit, primarily because I sacrificed myself. You heard the other one. He feels he's a burden. Part of the boy knows that this might not be true, but part of him also still thinks it. It's complicated! He'll be having to make that path for himself. Nothing I can do, I'm just reading his secrets. Did you know he once tripped and tore his pants during a school recital? Embarassing!" The cat laughs as it shares one of August's embarassing memories, before shrugging. "What do you think? You have to tell him something, don't you? Maybe it'll help strengthen things. Or maybe it'll hurt him! I'm just a cat. What do I know?"
Ran Itoh	Even if Panzercat is a genocidal mental construct, he is /super adorable/ and also his ears are soooooo soft. Ran will let a lot of things slide for the opportunity to pet kitty ears. Like aforementioned genocidal tendencies. "Hmm? Oh, did he? That's rude, isn't it." After a while things just... sort of get less sharp-edged. Also this is probably the closest Ran will ever get to lucid dreaming, so she's just going to wing it. It beats going back outside with the Chief Engineer. Even so, she taps his forehead somewhat reprovingly. As is her way, even /that/ is gently done. "Ne, be good. Don't tell embarrassing secrets about people." She's not going to tell him about her kogal phase after this...! "...Anything I tell him will just become more fodder for why he thinks he's a burden, won't it...?" she murmurs, brandy-brown eyes distant. "Isn't there anything we can tell him?" This kind of shit is why she drinks. Ran remembers the bottle of vodka she left in the freezer and feels a tug of 'want' that makes her lips thin.
August Kohler	"You get it exactly, Hareface!" Ran's nickname - decided. Panzerkatze has settled on it. As he's tapped on the head, he meows, and then leaps off (though it doesn't seem to be out of ill will), perching on his armor. "He shouldn't have let me have access to them! His loss." The cat smirks, swishing his ratted tail. "Perhaps. But, there is something I think that'd help him. Something he doesn't have a lot of." Panzerkatze grins. It appears as if it is as bright as the sun, or even brighter. "Help him find hope. Help him think there'll be a better future than what he has. He knows it's possible, somewhere inside of him. Let that come out! I think you can all do that, and take out Chiefy!" "For now, though, you should probably head back. Firehair should be waking up sooner or later." Panzerkatze leaps onto a bookshelf, pulling a book off ('Retained School Knowledge') and begins reading. "If you come back here, I suggest trying to come through here! Always a safe haven, you know."
August Kohler	When the group finally leaves August's mindscape, there's back at the Shack. He wakes up after a moments, taking off the door. "Welcome back. Guess I fell asleep. Good work, with whatever you did in there. While I'd like to ask questions...we should probably all get some rest, yeah?" And then, he'll get himself a drink, and head off to a spare couch to take a nap. Still oblivious to everything. It's up to the others if he'll ever find out.