[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

[eatsyourscience]

I didn't either when I first got here.

[He wonders if the way this feels to him is how it felt to Minato when he first met Souji and his friends.]

Even knowing there were people before me, I still didn't expect to meet Persona users who came after me.

[cakebuffet]

Surprising as it is, it's nice that we all have that in common. There are only so many people we can talk to about these things, after all.

[Beyond her team, there's nobody back home-- unless you counted Mishima. Everything was supposed to be top-secret.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Mishima doesn't count.]

That's true. [He shrugs.] Even when I did try to tell someone about it, he didn't believe me.

[Souji can't blame his uncle for that, but it sure made the whole getting dragged to the police office episode even more of a bummer than it was to begin with.]

So it is nice to meet people who do.

[cakebuffet]

[Jealous you don't have your own phanclub, Souji?]

Well, guess that's one good thing about this place. Wonderland itself is already so crazy, it makes everything else easier to swallow, even if I didn't already know about Personas.

[eatsyourscience]

In my experience, most people accept the existence of Personas after seeing one.

[It's kind of hard to deny them when one has just appeared and healed you or something.]

[cakebuffet]

Not an option we have back home, typically.

[Seeing as they can only be summoned in the Metaverse.]

Jeez, what time is it? I've probably been keeping you from more important stuff--

[They have been talking awhile.]

[eatsyourscience]

[He blinks and has to think a second to remember what the heck he was doing when he ran into her.]

Same here.

[He shifts, looks toward the door, then looks back at her.]

I'm glad to have met you, though.

[cakebuffet]

So am I.

[She smiles again, faintly, but it's genuine.]

We'll have to talk again soon. I'll try not to plague you with so many questions next time.

[eatsyourscience]

Ask as many questions as you need to.

[He raises a hand in a little wave as he moves toward the door.]

Until next time.