Scene #8091: PNL: Spring Ahead, Fall Back

Owner	Pose
Stanley Padgett	There's simplicity in an Arcade. The place is dimly lit, save for fancy and complicated neon lights, there's the smell of old carpet and popcorn and electronics and sweaty kids and the din of video games being played. But there's also something warm and safe and cozy feeling about the Happycade Game Junction. Which is one of the reasons Stanley's here tonight. It's Labor Day Weekend, school starts back up tomorrow, and hopefully, everything with Dr. Hun will have blown over and he'll be gone and... Something tickles at the back of Stanley's brain. His new friends say this has all happened already. The stop at the wedding to get food, a conversation over getting more aid for disadvantaged children, excitement over tokens... the news that the police won't be charging Dr. Hun... And so Stanley waits just inside the Happycade's entrance, over by the tables marked EAT YOUR FOOD HERE, DON'T GET THE CABINETS GREASY - THA BOSS. He does indeed have a bag of popcorn and is nibbling on it as he waits for people to show up. There is no pizza allowed in the Happycade. This is an unwritten, but ironclad rule.
Kukuru	It's the second time Kukuru's at the Arcade! Like last time, she arrives with her big container of fried food, and... Wait. Where did she put it last time? She probably handed it to Stanley, if she remembers right. (She doesn't.) Thus, she's going to do it again (for the first time), and she passes the greasy container of fried chicken wings and roasted brussels sprouts over to him. "He-llo, Stanley. You need to eat better stuff than just fried food, okay? It'll mess up your throat." Spotting the sign by the boss, however, she lets out a long 'aaah' noise before nudging him over after everyone else shows up. "So you've... What day is it today? Here, I mean? And have you seen the tiny lady again?"
Timespace Riders	"Hi Stanley!" Sougo smiles sunnily as he comes into view. Woz does not, but this is characteristic of him. "Felicitations to you, latter-day disciple of the Bard." The theatrical half-bow is also characteristic of Woz. "It won't be long before we start having jacket weather," says Sougo, dressed in a pink-and-blue striped button-up, khakis and matching low-cut boots. "If I were you, I'd be extra annoyed at being stuck in a time loop, with that right around the corner!" Taking a seat, he is joined by Woz, who scoots just a hair closer than normal. Glancing over to level a warm, easygoing smile at his retainer, "Woz, could you please...?" Clearing his throat, the Demon King's retainer cracks open the mysterious book. Blue hardback cover with striations and whorls like finished wood; leather at the corners. There's clearly katakana on it, but the title eludes the Understanding for some reason; they seem to squiggle and shift away from being read. "According to this book," Woz says, "You are indeed the victim of temporal meddling--though by now, I am certain some part of you realizes this." A coy smile is cast over the lip of the book, his dark eyes twinkling with the exaggerated smugness of a career time hooligan. "The meddler in question, not unlike Dr. Hunnicutt, quite possibly has a Shadow running amok..." The book is clapped shut with one hand, tucked back under his arm. "Mm... so, what did you do to find out about Dr. Hunnicutt, then? Maybe that'll help here, too!"
Rita Ma	As fun as the arcade is, Rita's already had her fill of it. She walks in with as businesslike an air as she can manage. "Are you still having a hard time believing it, Mr. Stanley?" She hands him a folded piece of notebook paper. On it are the words 'THIS IS A TEKKEN HOUSE TAKE THAT AMATEUR CRAP OUTSIDE'. (On the back is an additional message: 'Please don't tell Ms. Rook I know that word.') Then she checks the time on her phone, politely clears her throat, and says: "They don't have 'Melty' here, do they? I think that's the only game I've really played..."
Hibiki Tachibana	NOT ALL THAT LONG AGO: A certain mahou shoujo was offered two-for-five burgers. In that moment, even if it was not known, a bond that transcends time was forged. NOT THAT LONG AFTER THAT: Speaking of that, some really weird stuff involving time loops was brought up. Nothing involving time loops is ever good, anyone can tell you that. Something about a game? A 'phone lady'? A quest...? RIGHT NOW, THE CURRENT MOMENT: Happycade time. Hibiki is there, in her usual tomboy casualwear of black tanktop, big yellow jacket (is she already prepared for jacket weather?), bigger boots, and some shorts. On the approach to the building, she throws up an arm in a lazy wave towards the boy waiting up, with the other hand being used to hold onto a small plastic container. "Yo. Stanley." She's right behind Kukuru. Huh. She didn't think about it, but if his memories got jumbled up, maybe it feels a little awkward to re-meet the ones who met him before? Then again, in a way, it also makes it feel a little less awkward for her having this be /their/ first meeting. Like she's not the odd one out. Sort of. Maybe. Nah, she still is. On getting close enough, she offers up the container much like Kukuru herself - if checked inside, it's a serving of takikomi gohan. Her own contribution to the Stanley Padgett Food Drive, apparently. "Nice to meet you. Uh, you know, in person. So, uh..." She casts a side glance to Woz, then back. "Just to ask, how much /do/ you actually remember of everything...'before'?"
Stanley Padgett	"A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS!" A man's voice booms across the room, over the cheers and jeers of the juveniles playing games and whatever chiptune nonsense was playing in the background. He's tall and severe-looking, but has the joviality of someone who has never been an adult a day in their entire life. He also stops short of his usual greeting, as he spots the oddness of the newcomers. "Oh ho! Questors from far away worlds, welcome to the HAPPYCADE. I..." "...Stanley, you didn't tell me you were inviting guests." He chortles, and moves to start getting bottles of soda and water for the arrivals. "Now I don't usually accept carrying, but, we'll make an exception for offworlders." A wink at Kukuru and Hibiki, and then the man is shuffling into the back to try and break up a fight at the GrooveCoaster machine... Only to stop and hollar over his shoulder. "THIS IS A TEKKEN HOUSE TAKE THAT AMATEUR CRAP OUTSIDE." Stanley is first off, overwhelmed at the arrival of food, but also at Rita's clairvoyance. Also, at Hibiki, who is a cute girl his age and Stanley tries to put on the charm for all of a moment. "Hiya, I'm Stanley!" But there's actual food and Stanley has only had granola bars today, so... he stuffs a bite in his face as Woz and Sougo start to interrogate him. "...Uh, that was sort of an accident... I fell into the Reversal at school and was nearly caught by the Shadows there... until I awakened Mercutio." Another bite, a chew and a swallow. "...But I saw the missing kids in like... big crystals in... uh, where Hun's office was supposed to be. So I went back and kicked his Shadow's ass." A beat. "I didn't kill it thought, Delilah told me that could like... kill Dr. Hun in real life and I'm not... I'm not a murderer."
Kukuru	The wink from the big man gets a pleasant smile and light finger wave from Kukuru in turn, and she peeks over at Sougo and Woz when they greet Stanley. "Ah, there you are~ Um... What're those names, though?" Clearly, she's a little out of the loop herself aside from the time loop thing. Woz's explanation helps a fair bit, though, and Rita's little stunt with repeating what happened last time gets an approving thumbs up! "Ah, good idea... See, Stanley? We're not just pranking you. That'd be way too much work, you know?" Yawning lightly, Kukuru wobbles in place for a moment before sniffing Hibiki's offered stuff while it's en route to Stanley. "Oh, I dunno what those words mean, but they sure sound tasty. Smells pretty good, too..." There's a Look in Kukuru's eyes that suggests she might want to try some of whatever it is herself, but she's much too polite to actually say it. She's just really bad at hiding it on her face. Luckily, Stanley has his own share of information to reveal, and Kukuru's able to distract herself with trying to digest all of that. "So you woke someone up, and they protected you? That's good... But what about the rest of the missing kids? Are they okay now? And..." Kukuru pauses for several long moments, then slouches against the nearest solid surface (which may or may not just be Rita or Woz or Hibiki). "Do you know for sure if it'll kill him, though? Because if that's a problem, I could take care of iiit~" She says that last part in her usual singsongy and mildly dazed tone, but she doesn't actually elaborate on what that means.
Timespace Riders	"Oh, Hibiki, hi! I'm Sougo, this is Woz. It's good to put a face to a name!" He looks like he wants to stand up for a proper greeting, but Woz piled in next to him. Sougo listens to Stanley's explanation, leaning forward in his seat, both hands palms-flat on the table. "I'm proud of you for making that decision in the end, Stanley," says Sougo. He sounds like he means it, but seems a little... distracted, allowing himself to zone out when he thinks Stanley isn't paying attention. Troubled, maybe? "The path of a savior is seldom without its costs, dear Stanley," counsels Woz with a tilt of his head. "There are those who will take the matter out of your hands;" a glance towards Sougo, "Those who will hold themselves hostage--" "I don't want to think about that place right now," Sougo says softly, with a gentle frown and uncharacteristic tiredness. "Can we focus on helping Stanley?" "Of course, my Demon King." Turning to answer Kukuru, "Mercutio is the name given to the shape of Stanley's inner feelings, made physical. Moreso than 'someone,' it is part of him." "He really likes Shakespeare," Sougo manages to add with a weak smile. "Indeed," says Woz, rising from the table to make a sweeping gesture with his free hand. "Shadows, too, are a part of one's inner feelings. Delilah--the woman in the phone, I presume?" He briefly checks with Stanley to confirm, then continues: "--may or may not have been truthful. In such matters, I find it is best to ask not whether a person is worthy of trust, but what they may have to gain from lying. How much do you know of this woman, Stanley?"
Rita Ma	"Thanks, mister!" Rita waves after the arcade man, beaming. Turning back to Stanley: "It's good to meet you. I'm Rita Ma, and-" A pause. "No, wait. You remember back that far. I'm sorry." Rita is leaned against with little complaint, supporting Kukuru surprisingly easily. "Mr. Woz is right. There might be times when it's... out of your hands, whether or not you can keep your enemies safe. If that ever happens, I don't think it makes you a bad person. But I still admire you doing your best." She gives Sougo a concerned, confused look, lacking context for what transpired between them. But, like Woz, she doesn't press the point. "The last time we saw you before everything rewound... we found a 'control point' sticker in a corner of the arcade, and Ms. Delilah said she needed to see you for a second. So the cause for all of this could be a Shadow, but couldn't it also be her, Mr. Stanley?"
Hibiki Tachibana	"Appreciate it. I'll try to remember that for next time," Hibiki gives a wry grin towards THE BOSS giving them the pass, followed by a flatly awkward chuckle at what he shouts right after. Rita, the girl of Melty, is given a sideglance and the rest of said awkward chuckle right after, before she looks to Sougo and Woz. "Same here, Sougo. You guys are..." She compares the khakis to Woz's outfit. Hm. "...Haha, not the first thing I'd think of when I think of a Demon King." She'd try to match that attempted greeting, but then comes EXPLANATION TIME, and also charm being put on. Unfortunately(?), Hibiki is exactly the right kind of idiot that she apparently doesn't register it being flexed at all, and just flashes back a small but friendly smile as her response - at least, until he starts recounting things, and her expression drifts more into open thoughtfulness and then concern as she shoves her hands into her jacket pockets. "Mmn...okay, I think I get the idea." Sure, capitalized words like Reversal and Shadow might elude her, but she can piece together the context enough to understand, more or less. And Woz helps. He entered a weird place, awakened a mysterious power after almost getting caught by bad guys, and missing kids...that part... "...You're a good guy, Stanley." She opens with that, as Kukuru finds her to be a fairly sturdy thing to lean up on. That look on her face didn't escape her. She'll have to remember extras next time. "So we'll solve this without that needing to happen. Promise." She means it. How that's going to happen, though... "It sounds to me like checking out that sticker is gonna lead us to /something/. So it might be worth looking at again...and seeing if things repeat the way they did for you guys last time." She pauses for a second, making a quiet sound. "Whether she's lying or not, or even the cause of it, 'Delilah' sounds like she knows a whole lot about whatever is going on here. Can't imagine we're gonna get too far without having to deal with her."
Stanley Padgett	"Wait wait wait. Delilah's here?" Stanley looks up a bit, and then to Rita and Woz. "I mean, she's the Tour Guide. She's the one who gets me my quests and stuff, so..." He closes the food containers, tosses them in his nearby duffle bag, and then gets out his phone. His untracked phone, thanks Sougo. "...Maybe we should just ask her." And if no one stops him, he shuffles over towards where the group spotted Delilah through his phone the last time, holds it up... and then scans the QR code on the little Delilah sticker in the middle of that cubbyhole of arcade machines. And everything stretches s i i i i d d d D W A A A AYS... And the group is now inside what is presumably The Reversal. The Shadow World. Everything feels smokey and angular and the air tastes like ozone... But there are no slavering monsters trying to jump the group. The HAPPYCADE is much larger here, there's 'video games' but they're monolithic slabs of concrete with flashing images in front of them, and vague ghostly wisps of argon mist are 'playing' them. The whole place has the feeling of the training yard of a keep... which will make more sense as Someone Approaches. The Boss, who is not a lean angular man anymore, but a gleaming, large warlord style figure, visor down on his shoganate era helmet, but a digital projected smily face over the front. It's still his voice tho. "Brave Fencer Padgett, you return. Are you questing or resting, or... meeting someone~" An exaggerated waggle of digital eyebrows, as he looks over to, for some, a familiar figure. She is not neon and smoke and mirrors. She is a cute girl in a Blue uniform, with white hair, carrying a large leather book. "...Oh, hello Stanley. And hello... others. I surmised you might come to find me. I am Delilah, keeper of the Compendium. And now Tour Guide." She curtseys. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
Timespace Riders	Sougo puts on a brave smile for Rita. She, being a practiced user of that face herself, likely sees right through it. Hibiki's comment, at least, draws more warmth back to Sougo, allowing him to smile fondly at her. "That's because I'll be the greatest, kindest Demon King," he says knowingly. The future king stands, joining Woz. 'Just asking Delilah' earns Stanley a thumbs-up from him: "Sure!" Everything goes sideways. Woz seems curiously unperturbed by it. Sougo's eyes bug out and a buffoonish, startled cry flies from his cartoonish 'O' of surprise. "UWOH!!" Wheeling around, he drinks it all in, poking timidly at one of the giant slabs of concrete, waving hands in front of the argon silhouettes. The arrival of the Boss startles him enough that he nearly backs into one of the slabs. "Oh!" He introduces himself. "I'm Sougo Tokiwa. I'm going to be king one day! It's nice to meet you, too." "We meet at last!~ And what an auspicious meeting it is, Keeper of the Compendium. I am Woz, prophet of the one true timeline and retainer to the Demon King." His free hand over his chest, he offers a half-bow. As he rises, his courteous smile takes on a knowing edge. "The profession of chronicler is a noble one indeed. How fortunate it is that dear Stanley may count upon your guidance." His tone and arch side-eye imply exactly the opposite, making a question of her intentions rather than praising them. "Delilah," Sougo says, more straightforward and sincere. "Stanley's been pushed backwards in time. Woz thinks it might be someone's Shadow." Thumbs hooked over the pockets of his pants, "Any help you could give us, we'd really appreciate."
Kukuru	"Ooh, so it's a reference to this... Shake-spear." Kukuru replies to Woz with an affirming nod, doing a terrible job of sounding like she totally gets it. She at least gets that it's important to Stanley, though, and she stops looking around Stanley as if expecting someone else to show up. "So his... Um. Awakened Mercutio fought off these Shadows, and then... Okay! I think I get it now~" She adds with a pleased hum while swaying lightly between Rita and Hibiki. The sticker rings a bell, too, and she nods in agreement with them when the conclusion about checking that location out comes up. Eventually, she follows Stanley over to checking out the sticker spot, peering over his shoulder at the QR code in question as well as the tiny Delilah. When things get all funky and Reversalized, though, Kukuru straightens back up to smack her lips a few times at the odd feeling around her. "So that's what you were seeing... Oh, this is kinda gross feeling, isn't it?" She comments with a slight shiver, peering at what was once familiar in vague confusion. "Is anyone else that we saw from before still here, or...?" Her question is answered when The Boss speaks, and she looks up at the gleaming figure with a curious eye. Between him and the girl identifying herself as Delilah, Kukuru breaks into another smile as she waves at the both of them. "He-llo, you two~ My name's Kukuru. Ku-ku-ru. Thanks for taking care of Stanley for us while he was in here." She curtseys in return, then scratches her chin idly. "So... Have you two seen anything from this Mister... Hunnicles lately?" She already forgot the rest of the name. "Stanley told us a bit about what happened, and that you were worried about him dying if Mercutio blew him up or something. But... "She gestures at Sougo with a light 'ooh, mhm' noise. "Yeah, that! Does that sound like something Mister Huncler can do? Or... Shadows in general?"
Rita Ma	"That's probably a good idea, Hibiki. At the very least, it's still a little while until the rewind is supposed to happen, isn't it? Maybe this time, if Mr. Stanley isn't alone..." ---- Once they're inside, the very first thing Rita does is look down at her hands and feel her face. Everything still the same? Good. The second is to look around in quiet awe, hands folded in front of her chest. "I've never seen anything like this, Mr. Stanley!" "Is everywhere in the 'Reversal' like this? It's kind of..." She reaches out to touch an argon ghost, but either pulls away or simply passes through. "... beautiful." The appearance of the two figures, in rapid succession, each get a quiet 'ah!' of surprise out of her. "I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier, Mr. Arcade Boss! And it's good to meet you, Ms. Delilah! I'm Rita Ma, a new friend of Stanley's." A brief pause. "You're a lot taller than when you were on his phone." "Oh! I was meaning to ask you something. On top of what Mr. Sougo and Ms. Kukuru asked, can you think of anything that might make you urgently pull Mr. Stanley away, in the next hour or two? Something that might become an emergency?"
Hibiki Tachibana	This course of action works just fine for Hibiki. Going straight to Delilah, just as she said, seemed to her like the simplest way to learn as much as possible. The Reversal does, however, take a bit of getting used to. Even with some advance warning. "Uh--whoa. Not exactly the arcade trip I was thinking of..." She murmurs, going from actively 'fists up' on guard to simply wary as she crinkles her nose at the atmosphere. It's her very first time here, after all, and it's a pretty heavy change in environment. And then she goes right back to it for several moments when a certain someone approaches. Luckily, it's absolutely for nothing, as a smiley face like that could surely never harm a fly. Probably. In fact, thanks to the boss, they get to meet... Delilah. "You...surmised we would, huh?" Hibiki furrows her brow a bit, taking that as pretty clear indictation that she was right in her guess. And that she's probably not as forgetful as Stanley when it comes to the time reset. She looks harmless enough, but... Woz assumes she could be lying. Rita brought up a good point that she could be more behind this than any of them think. "...Hibiki." Still, she offers up her own greeting, complete with a small chest-height wave before she frowns a bit and straightens up some. What she asks is a simple add-on to what the others bring up. "...And just how much do you know about how and why Stanley is getting tossed around in time? It sounds like you were expecting him...and us to show up here again."
Stanley Padgett	Woz and Sougo get a smile from Delilah, who settles in on a chair nearby to look at the crowd. "Mr. Woz, my goals here are to ensure that the incidents that are occurring can be safely resolved and Lampport be returned to normal." She taps the book. "And you are correct, in times past I would have assisted Stanley or his friends in keeping track of their Personas... but no Wild Card has manifested in this incident, so I am here to provide guidance where I can." Stanley perks at Hibiki's question, and nods, looking back to Delilah. "I figured you'd know this was one of the safe spaces..." The white-haired girl taps the cover of the heavy book in her lap. "...While I have some knowledge of what is taking place, I am bound by contract not to divulge the details." A frown crosses her face, and she sighs. "...Were this a simple matter, it could have been resolved without involving mortals in its resolution. But outside forces have conspired to unmake Lampport, and we have been caught in the middle." She looks to Stanley. "...My Master and I turned to this game that Stanley and others have been playing, to try and find assistance where we can. Stanley is our first Champion. And he's solved one Incident so far, but... yes. There is another great darkness looming, a Tyrant has risen up and is keeping Lampport locked in the same three days. You now have approximately... 3 hours before the city resets itself, and I would recommend not being here if you do not want to be caught up in it." Stanley earns himself a headpat from Delilah. "...I tried to warn Stanley three days ago, but was unsuccessful in preventing his capture by the loop."
Kukuru	"You've seen this kind of stuff happen before, then?" Kukuru asks Delilah while pacing around slowly, eventually settling upon one former arcade slab to pull herself onto and lay across. "Hmm... It's a shame you can't tell us more, then. But if those are the rules you gotta follow, then... Yeah, okay." She shrugs lightly while closing an eye, looking just about ready to take a nap right there until more details are divulged. She mentions Stanley's friends, and that gets her to clap her hands together while suddenly sounding pleased. "Oh, like at the weddings! That's great, then. So I guess that makes us the next ones that can help out with all this." She still keeps one eye closed, but at least she sounds a little more awake. "Do you know where that Tyrant is, then? Um... Not too specific if you gotta be quiet about it, but maybe... Where it was last seen or heard about?" She asks, clearly trying to sound clever in the process despite speaking rather slowly. "Or... Um. Any ways we can find it quick?"
Timespace Riders	"A contract. I see," Woz politely non-answers. A light, tittering noise of amused interest. "Where would we be, without our obligations? ...Rest assured, however: my Demon King's mortality is most temporary. Just as dear Stanley's power grows with the bonds he makes..." The retainer trails off, allowing Delilah to draw her own conclusion. "I'm happy to help! Stanley's my friend, and he really likes Lampport," Sougo confidently asserts. "Besides, as the future king of time, I'm already caught up in this. Forcing everyone to relive the same thing over and over isn't fair even if it's a good three days. And people who didn't have a good three days..." He frowns softly, shaking his head. "I'm sure this 'Tyrant' is only doing what they think is right, but somehow, we'll reach them." It sounds almost like he's trying to assure himself as much as her. "Time is short," Woz utters, with apparent distaste at having to say so. "I would find this... usurper and see him deposed." "Mm... you can't help us, but it doesn't count if I cheat, does it?" Sougo's smile turns a shade mischievous. Here in the present, nothing seems to change. But in the moments between moments, subdivided down in a way only a causality manipulator can, Sougo attempts to visit Delilah's past. Namely, he attempts to travel into the point at which she and her master first became aware of the Tyrant. Intending to witness their conversations as an observer unable to influence future events, he drifts through the past until he either finds what he's looking for, or hits some sort of wall.
Rita Ma	"Contract? You mean with-" Rita briefly wracks her brains, but comes up empty- "the company that does the Reversal game? Or is it a different kind of contract?" At 'three hours', her face scrunches up unhappily. "If we don't even know where it is, that's not nearly enough time. Not to be safe. But if it's 'everything in Lampport', and not 'everything that belongs to Lampport', then... couldn't we keep Mr. Stanley from forgetting if we take him back with us? That way, we won't have to explain all of this again." She shifts anxiously from one foot to another, staring off into the distance. Then she perks up. "Mmmm, I did think of one thing that might help us narrow it down. Ms. Delilah, what makes a Tyrant different from a normal Shadow?"
Stanley Padgett	Okay so, trying that trick on Delilah is a bit of a snag. Sougo gets... did you ever try to watch a fucked up VHS tape? In Reverse? You get bits and pieces, snippets and clips, but it's all torn and gliched and- And the Time King makes it as far as what is marked as Friday Morning, and the tape ends. Most of that time? Delilah can be seen inside of a Blue Bus, reading her compendium. That's a dead end. he does frown at Sougo though and murmur. "Please be careful, some things can't be unseen."
Hibiki Tachibana	"It's not like I play this game of yours to know..." Hibiki murmurs back to Stanley, actually sounding a little embarrassed at getting called out on her question. Fortunately, that doesn't have to hang over her head for all that long. Since that's some pretty heavy stuff they were just presented with. She has to hold back a frustrated groan at being no-selled by contract, but just like Kukuru said, there's not really any helping it if that's the case. Doesn't make it any less annoying, though. "Just three hours isn't a lot to work with...I guess even if we're not local, being stuck here when it loops back around wouldn't be a good thing. Actually, that'd be /extra/ bad..." She grimaces for a moment, then shakes her head. "...Which means what Rita said should probably work, right? Since it'd be the other way around." At least, she hopes so. "Though that still won't solve the actual problem, even if it'd let us start right from the top..." She clicks her tongue. "...How are your 'Champions' usually supposed to deal with these Tyrants? Are they all capable of doing stuff like this...?"
Stanley Padgett	Rita gets something too for her trouble. "Oh, Miss Rita, that's easy. A Tyrant is the Shadow of a person who has been given R E D A C T E D." Delilah blinks a bit. There wasn't even a chance at lip reading that, her mouth was just... gone. She tries saying the phrase again. "R E D A C T E D." She stamps a foot. "...Stanley doesn't know, I'm not allowed to say, apparently." Stanley grumps. "I'm new here."
Stanley Padgett	Kukuru and Hibiki, though, are asking questions that CAN be answered. "Well. Stanley's already handled an Incident where the current one is taking place." She smiles, and flips open her book, to show... the school. "This I /can/ help with. The Tyrant is here, in Silver Springs Union High School, in a place that was recently vacated by your Dr. Hunnicutt." Hibiki gets a smile. "...Well. Anyone CAN fight a Tyrant. Whether they can do so successfully is another story." Another pat on Stanley's head. "Personas are a side effect of the nature of our reality, Miss Tachibana. The Soul is our strength. And Bonds are the true power."
Stanley Padgett	Stanley isn't sure how he's feeling about these headpats, actually.
Kukuru	Kukuru is more than willing to provide headpats, but only to anyone close enough to her. She's not about to get up from her spot on the slab anytime soon! Besides, she's busy listening to Delilah. "Silver Springs... Oh. A high school? That should be easy enough to get into, then. We can go in disguise if we gotta~" She suggests, gesturing at Hibiki, Sougo, Rita, and Stanley. "New students-" She gestures at herself and Woz next. "-and teachers!" She sounds confident enough in that plan, then pauses. "... Wait. We gotta do all this in three hours, right? That's not gonna work, then." Despite lying down already, she still manages to visibly slump. She reaches her hands out from her position on the slab, but still refuses to get up just yet. "So maybe... Uhhm. I guess we should just start looking, then?"
Rita Ma	"So you can't even tell us that yet. Your hands really are tied, aren't they, Ms. Delilah?" Rita says. Her expression is mournful for just a moment, but then scrunches up in thought. "Lips tied? ... Tongue tied? Well, thank you anyway. You're trying your best, aren't you? Her little eyebrows shoot up at the mention of the high school, and her gaze darts between Delilah and Stanley. "Again?! High schools really can be places of darkness, I guess. But even narrowing it down like that, I don't feel comfortable giving ourselves three hours. If we run out of time while we're pinned down, or something..." Rita audibly shudders. Then, when Kukuru divides them up into students and teachers, she crosses her arms and puffs herself up a little. "Hey, I could be a teacher too, you know. I'm twenty-one now!" She deflates again. "But I have been wondering what it'd be like to go to school. Even if it's not necessary, that might be nice, right?" "Did you have anything else for us, Ms. Delilah? Or should we be headed back to the arcade now? I don't want to take up too much of your time."
Hibiki Tachibana	"Anyone can...bonds are the true power..." Hibiki repeats, in a very contemplative sort of way, while observing Stanley getting his (head)patdown. It's okay, Stan. She wouldn't know how to feel either. What she does feel is a burst of determination, now that two very important pieces of information have been given. The first of which, "Recently vacated by that Dr. Hun...that should narrow it down a whole lot. That wouldn't mean where you were talking about before, right?" A glance is given to the boy himself. "Where the office was supposed to be? Though, when we do find them..." Her thoughts go back to what was mentioned before. About how Stanley had beaten up but not killed the Shadow. She spends several seconds in silence looking off to the side, then returns her attention back to Delilah. She speaks up, slowly. "...Is killing them the only thing you can do to stop them? Or can you make them stop without risking hurting the person they came from?"
Stanley Padgett	Delilah smiles at Rita and at Kukuru. "...I would suggest trying again... tomorrow. Which will be Saturday." She looks down a little thin watch on her wrist and mmmmmhs. "And I would suggest that the offworlders not be here past midnight." Hibiki gets a thinner smile. "Hmmmm. A Shadow is someone's... self. Their inner being, a half of them that they hide away from the world." A murmur. "What would happen if someone killed off half of your soul, your willpower?"
Stanley Padgett	Stanley grumps and shifts a foot away from Delilah and away from Head Pats in a fit of Teenage Rebellion.
Timespace Riders	Sougo places a hand on Delilah's shoulder. "Thank you for worrying about me," he says sincerely. "Um... keeping that book that you do, you must know that mortals like me see things we can't unsee every day. That's why Shadows and Personas exist, isn't it?" Sougo frowns thoughtfully, letting his hand fall back to his side. "At least... part of why they exist. You don't see things as cause-and-effect, do you?" Furrowing his brow in concentration, "For you, and people like you, I bet it's inter-relations. Bonds. When I look at you, things are fuzzy." He smiles warmly. "I'm glad Stanley has someone helping him who can see things that way." "Indeed, Kukuru," Woz nods once. "My Demon King is only recently graduated himself. I am afraid, however, that a disguise would confuse the audience." Who? What audience? Sougo looks around confusedly, badgering Woz with questions, which he ignores with pursed lips and put-upon serenity. "However," says the retainer, "I have some familiarity with the ninja arts, which should suffice to avert unnecessary attention all the same." Sougo's antics die down, given to somber introspection as Rita's advice is offered over the radio. Maybe she's right. Maybe I can't necessarily forgive this Tyrant, on behalf of their victims... Stanley has more than his share of bad days. How many other people in Lampport are having to relive hurtful things? Being fair means... It's her worrying about the timeframe that ultimately causes him to speak up again. "If we come back on Saturday like Delilah says, then Woz can use the book again, and we can find the best way to use what time we'll have then." "Neither Stanley nor my Demon King wish for such an outcome, dear Hibiki," says Woz with what sounds like disdain. "And I infer by your raising of this concern that you wish to avoid it, as well." He indulges in an airy 'hmph,' before continuing with a flourish of his free hand. "If you are determined to be merciful, know that Stanley succeeded once before, with such an approach. It is possible." If not particularly advisable, his turned up nose seems to silently add. "We'll stop them," says Sougo quietly, but firmly. "For the people they're hurting, I know we will."
Stanley Padgett	Stanley blinks. "So... Tomorrow I'm going to wake up, look at the newspaper, and go eat some wedding reception food. And then we go looking for a Tyrant?" Delilah smiles up at Woz, and... Woz will get the yawning realization that Delilah isn't even close to being human. The look behind those yellow eyes is... alien. Not evil, just... fae. Otherworldly. It might just be all concepts and contracts with this girl. "Mr. Woz, Mr. Sougo, I cannot imagine someone more suited to helping Stanley, and whoever else joins him on his mission, to grow and find and strengthen their Bonds with others." A serene smile, though she taps on her watch. "However, as Tour Guide, I am going to helpfully usher you all back to the Real World so you can prepare." She opens up the book, and rips a... transit ticket from a pad of them stapled to the inside cover. "...these tickets will get you back into the Reversal without Stanley's help, one time. They are good for the next cycle." And everyone gets one (1) Bus Ticket To Neon Town.
Rita Ma	Rita head-bows politely in Delilah's direction. "Tomorrow. Thank you, Ms. Delilah! I'll try my best to be useful then." A little pause. She nervously double-checks her phone, real quick, to make sure it's not getting too close to midnight. Then she smiles comfortingly (or tries to) in Sougo's direction, and puts a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Mr. Tokiwa. If it's really just 'the dark part of someone's heart'... well, I don't want to hurt anyone for something they're not even doing on purpose. With weird heart-shadows, I don't think you need to worry too hard about fairness or forgiveness." "Besides, if Mr. Stanley got it to stop the first time just by beating Mr. Hunnicut's Shadow up, then we can do the same this time, right?" She smiles past him, at Hibiki and Stanley. Then she accepts the ticket graciously, in two cupped hands, as if she were receiving some great artifact. "Thanks, Ms. Delilah! We'll use them responsibly." Another pause ensues. She looks up sheepishly. "So, how do we leave this time?"
Hibiki Tachibana	"The part they hide away..." Hibiki's favorite pasttime is indeed repeating important phrases back, closing her eyes while she does so. The thought that Delilah puts in her head, apparently, is not a pleasant one judging from the expression that comes to her face. "...No, I get what you're saying. I really do." Which is probably why Woz gets a Look, somewhere between a grimace and the kind of stare that just /screams/ that he's not wrong in his assessment at all. Not one that she particularly blames him for, though. She can at least appreciate him being a surprisingly good counterbalance for Sougo right at this moment. "If I can at all, yeah. So as long as it's possible, that's good enough for me," she says, both to him and to Rita. "I don't want Stanley to have to do that," and then, somewhat more quietly, "...Or to have to do that to anyone at all. If this Tyrant is someone's true self, and doing what they want without that other half holding them back..." She doesn't actually finish that, trailing off. It's not terribly hard to imagine where she was going with it though, and she simply adds on a silent nod after Sougo. And silent she remains, until they get their singular (uno) ticket. It gets a brief stare as she takes it. "Then...it looks like we'll be seeing you and this place again, uh...soon. Sort of." Man, time loops are weird.
Kukuru	"I know, but you're just too cute to be a teacher like..." Kukuru looks from Rita to Woz, then from Woz to the Boss, and then back to Rita. "Mmn... Oh! I know. You could try both!" She suggests with a cheery laugh, then nods at Delilah's recommendation. "Tomorrow? Yeah, that's not a bad... Wait. Isn't tomorrow...?" Kukuru pauses for a while. It'll take a while for her to finally get it, but get it she does, and she even lets out a long 'ahah' noise to signify as such. "Yeah, getting stuck here might make things super weird. Unless... Does being stuck here mean there'd be more time to relax?" It's a dangerous thought, and one she might be willing to consider for real. She slides off the slab eventually, then takes a ticket and sniffs it before slipping it into her pocket. "Thanks, De-li. I'll be super careful not to lose it." She reassures, then taps her chin once more before looking over at Delilah and the Boss once more. "What kinda food do you like, anywaY?"
Timespace Riders	Woz and Sougo both take their tickets. Sougo smiles at Rita. "Thank you for thinking of me, too, Rita," he says warmly. "I..." He frowns, slightly, attempting to find words. "I still have a lot of thinking to do about what's inside of me. So it helps, getting advice from someone who's been at this a little longer than me." "Quite the opposite," says Woz to Kukuru. "Only I would be able to resist being ensnared in this knotted causailty. I assure you--your subconscious mind will thank you for your discretion in the present." With a hint of menacing loftiness, "As surely as it would scream in muffled agony just behind your conscious ease, were you to indulge such temptations.~" Probably not a good idea, then. "I think we're ready, Delilah. Thank you for everything--we won't let Stanley down."
Stanley Padgett	Delilah smiles at the group again. "I can show you out. Ah, please be kind to Mr. Speck, and don't make trouble for the Happycade. He is a good friend." The massive frame of SENGOKU SPECK shuffles up to his feet and stamps the butt of his naginata in the the concrete of the yard behind the group. "MISS KUKURU, ALL FOOD IS PERMITTED IN THE HAPPYCADE EXCEPT FOR PIZZA THERE IS NO PIZZA IN THE HAPPYCADE IS THAT CLEAR?" Oh. Okay, there's gotta be a story there. Delilah smiles and gets up to her feet, before her hair starts to puff up and levetate around her ears, the blue headband holding some of it in place before.... "Have a Safe Trip" and everyone moves s i i i i d d d eEWAAAAAAYS again. The Happycade is closed. The lights are out. But the emergency exit lamp is still lit and still shows a way out of the place. Stanley huffs, and gets out his phone, to get some light on. "...Crap I got school in the morn-" He cuts himself off. "...Oh this is going to take some getting used to..."