[OPEN] What could it mean that we're here,

[cakebuffet]

Who: Ann & you!
Where: Coffee shop, kitchen, training center, and potential other locations.
When: May 6th & 7th
Rating: PG for now.
Summary: After having a few days to regain her bearings, Ann has decided to further explore what Wonderland has to offer.
The Story:
may 6th, coffee shop

[It's not Leblanc, but when Ann does stumble across the coffee shop during her investigation of the mansion, she gladly notes that it has something of a similar feel to it-- cozy, though it's a lot more modern than Boss' place. It's not the same, but if they're going to be stuck here for any real length of time, it's nice to having something at least a little bit familiar. She sets her bag down beside one of the chairs at the counter, reaching for her phone to fire off a quick text to Morgana, Yusuke and Futaba.]

Have you guys found the coffee shop yet? First floor, door 16! It's no Leblanc, but we should see how it measures up!

[She tucks her phone away, only barely managing it before the pastry case grabs her attention.Oh...]

Are these for real? [She reaches out to grab a cupcake from the sample tray perched on top, biting at her lower lip.] Who makes all of these? They're gorgeous!

[On top of undoubtedly being delicious. She's getting there.]

may 6th, kitchen

[It's not her first visit to the kitchen, given that it would have taken a lot more than being dumped in Wonderland to convince Ann to skip a meal, but she hasn't quite put the kitchen or the closets through their paces yet. Now that she's read all the literature on this place (the brochure had been very helpful) and learned a little but more about what Wonderland's magic is capable of?

Well, it would be a shame not to make good use of it. So far, she'd been treating the fridge and the cupboards the way she would in any other kitchen-- it had been easy enough to find the usual staples in there, but if this place is really magic, it should be able to do a lot more than that.]

Let's see...

[She folds her arms across her chest as she stands in front of the open pantry door, thoughtful.]

I wonder if this place will take care of the actual cooking part for us, too?

may 7th, training center/danger room

[It's entirely by accident that Ann comes across the training center, and she almost turns on her heel and leaves, potentially dismissing it as something of interest, but some of the equipment catches her eye and compels her to look a little bit closer. She'd seen the fitness center nearby, a gym that was full of the kind of equipment she was used to seeing in these kinds of places, but this? This was different.]

Huh. I wonder what people train here for...

[The elaborate targets that are set up in the main room make it pretty clear that this place isn't used for your everyday exercise routine. She lets out a soft hmm, propping a hand against her hip.]

Maybe we could use this place. Is there someone we can talk to about renting it out?

[Would anyone mind? It seems like the kind of place that could serve them well so they didn't fall out of practice-- there were no Shadows to fight to keep themselves sharp, after all.]

may 7th, closed to futaba

[It's not the first attempt Ann has made to coax Futaba out of her room since their arrival, and she's sure it won't be the last. She's caught wind of Futaba venturing out once or twice, but not for very long-- and while some regressions is probably to be expected, Ann knows she's going to be in serious trouble if Akira shows up and all the work they've put in with Futaba has been undone. She sighs, knocking for the third time since the start of this particular attempt, slumping forward against the door to rest her weight against it on one arm afterwards.]

Come on, you don't have to come out for long-- let's just get something to eat. You've gotta be tired of instant noodles, and a change of scene will be good for you! Just for a little while.

[They have a lot to learn about this place, and given that Futaba is their information specialist, Ann feels she should be seeing more of it firsthand. Without Akira here, someone has to keep everyone on task, and unfortunately, Ann feels like responsibility falls to her. Morgana is helpful, of course, but he's still Morgana. Yusuke and Futaba both require a delicate touch in different ways, one she's nowhere near mastering the way Akira has, and she doesn't even know where to begin with Akechi.

She's not made for this life, but damn if she's not going to do her best.]

Comments

[cakebuffet]

[Carmen, too, fades from view, leaving a faint trail of blue flame behind her, though Ann's Phantom Thief clothes remain. The rules seem to be different here than in the Metaverse as far as summoning and their appearances, but the last time she called Carmen, she went back to normal before too long.]

He looks it. What does he do? Carmen is mostly fire magic, but she has a few other tricks.

[eatsyourscience]

He does a little of everything. I have others that are more focused on one thing or another though.

[He's peering at her curiously, trying not to look like he's staring.]

What's up with the costume?

[cakebuffet]

[She appreciates the effort, however successful it may or may not be. She flushes just a little as he brings attention to the outfit, however, clearing her throat.]

This, uh-- it happens in the Metaverse whenever we're viewed as threats. We all changed like this when our Personas awaken. Last time I called Carmen here, I went back to normal after a little while, thankfully. I'm used to it now, but-- you know. Not always practical.

[eatsyourscience]

I wonder if Wonderland views you as a threat.

[It was possible, though he really thinks it probably sees her and the other Phantom Thieves more as food than as a threat.]

[cakebuffet]

It's definitely possible. That's what I first thought, too. Looking back, though, I've never called Carmen as regular old Ann-- it's always been in the Metaverse, and since the outfit showed up when she did, maybe they just go hand-in-hand?

[She could see that being the case, at least.]

[eatsyourscience]

That makes sense. It's the same where I'm from. We weren't able to summon in the real world.

[...]

I mean, we didn't have the costume thing, but it was similar.

[cakebuffet]

So you were the same in your Metaverse as you were in the real world, aside from the Personas?

[That's interesting-- she wonders if that means people's perceptions didn't effect things quite the same way for Souji and his group.]

[eatsyourscience]

Well, we wore glasses. To see through the fog. But that wasn't a requirement or anything.

[Well, not quite. They were required if they didn't want to get sick from the fog, but that was all.]

[cakebuffet]

The fog?

[She inclines her head slightly, curious.]

I don't think I've ever seen any fog in the Metaverse. The glasses really helped with that?

[eatsyourscience]

It wasn't a normal fog. And it was only really inside the TV world, which I think was our version of the Metaverse.

[cakebuffet]

The TV world?

[Hmm.]

Sounds interesting. Was it actually inside the TV? We get to the Metaverse through an app on our phones.

[eatsyourscience]

It wasn't literally the inside of a TV, but we got to it through TV screens, so that was the easiest thing to call it.

[Phones with...apps. Huh.]

Is the Metaverse a different world, though?

[cakebuffet]

Huh-- through TV screens. Kind of cool.

[When you think about it, not all that different from what they did, using an everyday device to traverse worlds.]

Maybe? The Metaverse is made up of people's subconscious-- the way they view the world. It's full of Shadows, too, all shapes and sizes.

[eatsyourscience]

That sounds a lot like the TV world.

[Or exactly like it.]

We thought that even the Shadows took forms from peoples' subconscious.

[cakebuffet]

Makes sense. The Shadows we see that resemble people in the real world-- it's however they actually view themselves, whether they realize it or not.

[She almost references Kamoshida as an example-- but can't bring herself to. Not quite. She's not ready to talk about him again just yet.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Wait wait wait.]

You saw Shadows that were versions of people from the real world?

[Minato had never encountered anything like that. Souji thought it might have been unique to his journey. Apparently not!]

[cakebuffet]

[She nods a little.]

Yeah-- some of them were pretty damn twisted, too. Like a crime boss whose Shadow was some monster bank manager, because he thought of all of Shibuya as his personal bank.

[eatsyourscience]

[Huh.]

We had something like that, too, but the Shadows belonged to my friends.

[cakebuffet]

[Oh.]

Did you have to fight them, too?

[eatsyourscience]

[He nods and decides this needs some more explanation.]

Shadows are the darkest parts of us. [She knows that, so he says it as confirmation rather than as instruction.] But if you deny them that, they turn into monsters. If you accept it, instead, they become Personas.

[cakebuffet]

Really...

[That last part is new on her.]

Our Personas came to us in times of trouble. We each awakened when we needed the power of rebellion to fight back.

[eatsyourscience]

[This whole conversation is eliciting a lot of questions and half-formed ideas for Souji, but he can't seem to sharpen the blurred lines in order to make a full picture. His words are deliberate when he speaks again, partly because he's still trying to put things together mentally as he speaks.]

It must depend on the circumstances. We had to solve a series of crimes, so we had to find the truth about ourselves first.

[cakebuffet]

I guess that makes sense.

[She frowns thoughtfully, pressing her lips together and letting out a soft hmm. Finally, in Carmen's wake, her thief costume disappears at last, replacing itself with her normal clothing seamlessly.]

So before you could learn the truth about someone else, you had to face the truth about yourselves-- and we had to decide that we were willing to stand up and fight instead of give in before our Personas came to us.

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji is still very curious about the wardrobe changes, but there's nothing left to say about it. On the other hand...

He wonders if he should mention that he never faced himself. Not at home, anyway.]

They're both ways of coming to know yourself. Who you are deep down.

[cakebuffet]

So even though the method is different, the idea is the same. They're both ways of confronting yourself and letting your inner power shine through.

[Since really, at the end of the day, that's what a Persona is. It's a part of them, no question about it.]

It's wild... I didn't expect to meet other Persona-users here at all.