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Who: Junpei, Ryoji and Pharos
What : The quest to solve the mystery of what shadows taste like is met with failure
Where: Dorm, Tartarus
When: Wednesday after Pharos' arrival
Rating: G
And so, the quest to find Junpei started. Ryoji ascended the stairs to the second floor where all the boys' rooms were found. They did not search for long, and found Junpei in a heated battle with.. the vending machine..?
"Gimme my drink, you! I don't care if it's the dark hour or not! Give me!"
What happened prior could easily be guessed.. NEVER try to get a drink so close to the dark hour...
"See, that's him over there... He can look a bit intimidating sometimes, but he'sa fun guy." Ryoji nodded to his brother before turning. "Hey there, Junpei."
The vending machine was momentarily forgotten. "Eh? Oh, s'Ryoji.. Yo dude!" and already, "Did you uh.. finish that lame homework..?"
Oh he could SEE where this was going. "Yes, but I have something more interesting to offer you than an opportunity to copy my answers.." Oh my, what could it be!
"Huh? really?" well, if it was Ryoji saying it, then... Junpei had to believe it.
The youth with the scarf nodded. "Yep. Otouto and I had this great idea, see.."
"...huh? You got a lil' bro?" Now this was news. Ryoji never talked about his family, at all!
"Hello!" Pharos greeted, keeping close to his brother. He may have been almost half the size of him, but he shared the same bright blue eyes and, of course, the distinguishing dot underneath the left one. He simply grinned back at the other boy, partly because he always kept such a demeanor and partly because he was amused that the boy seemed to still be so unaware of the qualities of the Dark Hour.
"..uh.. are you guys like.. twins separated by a decade or somethin?" he blinked. "Y'better keep him away from Yuka-tan..." he chuckled to himself. He dimly wondered if that mini-ryoji would be a huge date sensation too, later. "So uh.. wha'd you guys have in mind?" he asked, blinking.
"Shadow pie!"
"...huh?"
"Yep." Ryoji nodded. "We need something to cook it, Your persona has any Agi skills?"
"...uh.. y-yeah but why--"
"All right then, it's a trip to Tartarus!" and thus Ryoji decided by himself that Junpei would go.
The boy with the cap, however, was easily distracted. .Tartarus!?" his attention shifted. "Cool! Last time I went was like ages ago, man!" Now he was psyched. "C'mon, Samurai Brother! Let's get our katanas and go slay the terror that reigns over this world!" Drama club had done a lot to him.
Pharos continued to smile. He was happy that the other boy was so eager to help them out, for even more so than the simple concept of Shadow Pie, Pharos wanted the idea to come to fruition for Ryoji's sake. "Nii-san, how are we going to catch a Shadow?" he asked his brother.
"..hm.. now that you mention it.. I didn't exactly think of a way." he went to his room while Junpei raced to his. No doubt he'd be the first waiting outside. "It's easy to make a pie normally, because the meat is pre-processed.. We'll figure something out." Somehow, he always did, didn't he? .I wonder if shadows bleed.." he thought alound, claiming his awfuly long katana and securing it to his back where it still slept in its sheath.
Pharos followed close by Ryoji as he raced about, listening intently to every word. "Hmm, pre-processed? But I've never known a pie to have meat in it," he replied. Oh well. It didn't matter. They'd think of something. "The Shadows... Something tells me that we'll find a way." He smiled at his brother.
"Well, there are fruit pies too.. You're right!" maybe they wouldn't have to cook anything.. but then.. "Shadow Creme Brule, that sounds tasty." he chuckled. He and Junpei met up in the hallway, the other boy raring to go.
.Heeey what took you so long? C'mon, the dark hour's gonna be over before we're actually there, slowpokes!" Did he know how dangerous it was to haul an unsheated katana around? He most probably didn't care much.
"Yes," Pharos agreed, a serene smile still upon his face. "The Dark Hour is expiring, and as we are still uncertain of our methods, it's best to go quickly." He looked up at his brother. "Right?"
"That's my lil'brother alright." Ryoji ruffled the dark-colored locks of hair fondly. "Let's be on our way."
"Last one there is a stinky old sock!!" yelled Junpei, racing downstairs and through the door.
"...well, electronics don't work, but I,m sure no one will mind us borrowing a bicycle outside." In the end, Junpei might get to be the stinky sock....
Pharos laughed at his brother's witty idea. Of course, the other boy didn't seem to be too bright as it was. Once outside, Pharos couldn't help but be drawn to the light of the moon. "The moon... It grows full," he noted aloud.
"Oh.. you're right!" the older boy nodded as he looked up. "Good thing it is, the streetlamps are out of order." he chuckled as if it was something funny.
Fast-forwarding to Tartarus... the two are first, and later arrives a confused Junpei. "..Huh!? How didyou guys get here so fast?"
"Seecret!" Ryoji gets up from where he sat. "Now that you're here, we can finally start this!" this will be an historical experience!
Pharos had already begun walking towards Tartarus. There was something about this place... It seemed to draw him in. He paused, however, after a few steps and turned to the others. "Come on... The Shadows are waiting!" he grinned.
"H-hey! you're not going in first! Respect your elders!" and thus Junpei took the steps two at a time to enter. HA! Take taht!
Ryoji was keeping a more moderate pace, chuckling and shaking his head. junpei was so energetic! .Let,s not make the shadows wait any further then." If only the shadows knew their intent, they would be fleeing in fear...
Pharos walked alongside Ryoji after Junpei had passed him. It didn't really bother him, nor did it affect him in any way, that Junpei was being rather loud and... well, obnoxious. Pharos was excited to be in Tartarus. Each step closer made him feel more self-aware, somehow. As they entered the main doors, there was a stairway leading to another door, a strange device to the right, a clock to the left, and nothing more. "The Shadows... They're up there," he said, pointing to the stairway.
"StairwAy to heaven baaaby!!" Junpei was his usual nonsensical self and was already dragging them both towards the stairs. "Come on Come on! We got some slayin' to do!"
"And some cooking too." Ryoji reminded. What do shadows taste like.. such an adventure from a strange question.
And they entered the place where the shadows dwelled, Ryoji unsheating his katana, the blade making a distinct noise as it slid out. "Well now... let's do it."
Pharos looked around. Tartarus truly was a fascinating place... He was pleased. "Do you hear that...?" he asked the other two. He closed his eyes, sharpening his listening senses. He lifted a finger and pointed forward and slightly to the right. "It's that way..."
Junpei blinked. "..hear uh.. hear what? I don't hear anything." of course he wouldn't hear, because he's Junpei. He can't focus.
Ryoji cocked his head. His little brother could detect them? "Ah, great work!" Now that they had located one, they should think of a way to actually cook it. "First, we should try to make chunks from it.." Because chunks are what makesa pie good, doesn't it?
"So that's the plan?" Junpei was pleased and immediately sped off the the shadow's estimated location. "Samurai Brothers, Go Go!"
Pharos followed Junpei at a less quick pace until they had reached the shadow. Upon seeing the creature, Pharos's eyes seemed to become blank. "He says... he's scared..." he stated softly. Indeed, even without a translation, the shadow seemed to be quite skiddish.
"..scared?" Ryoji repeated, glancing over at Pharos.
"Ha! Of course it's scared! Doom is near!" and the boy with the cap struck! ..but missed and crashed to the floor. "H-hey why's it gettin away!?"
"Because it's scared..." Pharos said simply. He watched the Shadow as it ran off, expressionless. This could prove to be a bit difficult if they intended to make a Shadow Pie.
"H-hey! Don't LET it run away!" Junpei took off after it as Ryoji began a philosiphy discussion.
"...Shadows can.. feel fear?" This was new to him... Shadows had feelings?
It was then that Pharos snapped out of it. He ignored Junpei completely, although not intentionally, and looked over at his older brother. "Nii-san, you didn't know?" he questioned.
"....eh? I never thought they did. None of us ever seemed to really try and.. understand these shadows, really." he began to wonder whose side was at fault. "If they can fear, then...." he looked at the shadow that still surried away. "....can they feel sadness?"
"AUGH! Stay still, damnyou!" Junpei was probably going to drain all his stamina running like he was...
Pharos frowned. "That was all that one told me," he replied. "That it was scared. However, I'm sure it's just as capable of sadness." He looked into his brother's eyes. "We're not so different from them."
"..and... and we were going to make pie out of them?" Ryoji blinked slowly. He fell silent, the tip of his too-long katana now resting on the floor. "...eeeh.... doesn't that make us.. the bad guys?" they were invading this tower after all..
"COME ON GUYS!! Help me out here!" poor Junpei was still oblivious..
Pharos looked back where only a moment ago, a shadow was present. Shadow Pie... Yes. It seemed harmless, but suddenly, all that was changing. "They may not want to make pies out of us," he said, a faint smile returning to his lips. "But they certainly don't want to be our friends. That one was scared, but only because it was too weak to fight us. The others may not be so afraid..."
"..well.. I guess I'd feel better about turning something that wants to eat us into pie. That, and I don't think this one really wants to be caught at all.." it was still running.. or more specifically crawling at high speed. "Maybe there's something with killing intent further away.."
"Yes, there is," Pharos agreed. "But not here..." He pointed a finger upward. They're still above us."
"...hm.. would we be safe going further up though.." Ryoji pondered. "I don,t think it would. Should we... save this for another time then?"
"Guuyyyss... I'm tiiired.." Junpei was more slugishly chasing the shadow now. .Oh damn you stupid thing!" okay, now it was war! It's probably what he should have done first anyway. "Now it's hurtin' time!" he clamored, taking out his evoker. There was no fleeing from an Agi spell! How brilliant....
Pharos opened his mouth to reply, but closed it as he watched Junpei prepare to fire his attack. He'd never seen anything like this before... a battle between a human-- no, a persona-user-- and a Shadow. He'd already realized due to the Shadow's fear who had the advantage, but he was nonetheless intrigued. After a sharp cry, Pharos translated. "It said 'Don't hurt me.'"
"...that's too late.." Ryoji actually adverted his eyes.
As Junpei pulled the trigger, what seemed like shards of light flew away, and quickly, his persona materialized. The tall and quite enigmatic Hermes. If Hermes was the greek god of speed, why was it weak to wind? ...whatever. "Come and get it!" And the shadow was consumed by an Agi blast.
Pharos's gaze never left. He watched the entire time, as the trigger was pulled, as the flames engulfed the poor creature, and as the smoke disippated, leaving not even ash in its place. Silence. A moment of silence for what was a living creature with real emotions. This was Tartarus...
Junpei was oblivious to it all.. "Woohooo! Didya see that guys!? One shot! YEA!"how many exp he got?
Ryoji patted his brother's shoulder gently. "...we should try not to let it affect us too much.. right?" even if it may be too late.
Pharos nodded, still watching Junpei prance about. "The Shadow would have done the same... but still..." He looked at his brother. "Even though I've always known the Dark Hour, I don't know who started this war between Shadows and humans."
"..hm.. me neither. Maybe we could ask the chairman. He might be able to tell us more." Ryoji thought this was the best course to ease their minds.
"Guuyyys! You weren't even watching.." Junpei pouted.
Pharos stared back at Ryoji, wide-eyed. "Chairman...?"
"He's the one who.. uhm.. operates this whole thing. Sort of like a school director. I haven't exactly had a chance to meet him yet... This would be a good opportunity." He thought if this man got all of them together to fight shadows, he should tell at least those asking just where exactly they come from. "There are a lot of things I heard and read, but I want to hear it from him.."
Pharos nodded agreeably. "Yes, we shall ask him then..." He looked over at Junpei. "In the meantime... Can we go home? I don't like it here anymore..."
Ryoji smiled weakly. At least if they asked, maybe they could find a way to rid themselves of these strange emotions. They were supposed to hunt shadows... not feel sorry for them.
"...huh? We just started.." wasn,t he whining about being tired earlier? "Well, uh.. if y'guys say so, sure."
Pharos acted normally towards the other boy. "We can't very well make a pie if the spell disintergrates the Shadow entirely, can we?" He smiled, although it was slightly forced as he recalled the vanishing shadow. "We should go back and devise a better strategy next time."
".uh... oh, I-I guess I kinda messed it up huh? ahaha.." Cue nervous laughter. "Sorry about that guys."
Ryoji sheated his unused katana shaking his head. "Well, we should be heading back either way... Didn,t we have a test tomorrow?"
"...A TEST!? I didn't study! You should have told me earlier!"
Ryoji watched Junpei run out in a cloud of dust and chuckled. "Gullible as ever..."
Pharos stood beside Ryoji as the other boy ran off. They were outside of Tartarus now; the ill feelings he had felt inside began to melt away as he looked at the moon. "Do you hear that, Nii-san...?" he asked suddenly, his eyes focused on the sky.
The youth with the scarf looked ariound, then up and frowned. He did try hard to pick up a noise, but it was all fruitless. "I don't hear anything.. What's the sound like?" he asked, head cocked slightly, curious.
"Hm...?" Pharos replied in confusion, as if he himself had yet to say a word. "No... Nevermind. It's gone now," he told him, shaking his head. "I didn't hear what it was saying."
"A voice was talking to you?" Ryoji was interested, hardly thinking his little brother was a nutcase. "Too bad you couldn't hear.. Maybe next time?" he smiled encouragingly.
"Not a voice... but..." Pharos corrected. He paused, trying to think of a way to describe it. "It's all right. Maybe next time," he smiled.
The dark hour had been quite eventful for Ryoji.. a visit -to stay- from his younger brother, a trip to Tartarus, and discovering that shadows may not quite be as different from them. He had more mysteries and questions around in his head now. "I'll try and see if I can't contact the chairman after school..." If any girls asked for dates, he had the whole sunday.
"Okay," Pharos nodded. He was silent for a moment before tugging on Ryoji's scarf. "Nii-san... Can I sleep with you tonight?"
The teenager blinked at the tugging and looked over. Awww.. his little brother was so cute! "Of course you can, otouto-chan! I'll have to try not to wake you up when I'll have to get ready for school.."
Pharos's eyes lit up, along with his beaming smile. "I don't mind if you wake me up," he assured him. "Actually, I want to go to school with you, too."
Ryoji laughed lightly. "You do? Hmm.. I wonder if it could be done..." the teacher probably wouldn't be able to resist him.. and much less his little brother. "All right. I'm sure there won't be any problems if I ask the sensei nicely."
"Really?" Pharos marveled excitedly. "Yay!" He wrapped his arms around his brother and hugged him, although it was around his waist due to his height.
It seems like it didn't take much to make Pharos happy. "I bet all the girls will flock you." he chuckled. It will be a scene to remember. "I do hope you're prepared. Too bad I can't let you have my uniform." it would be awfully big.. Wait, he had a uniform? Why didn't he ever put it on?
"Uniform?" Pharos echoed back, looking down at his striped pajamas. "I can't wear these?" In truth, he really didn't know much about "school" at all. He just wanted to be by his brother as much as possible, doing the things he did.
"Well.. you probably can.. after all, I wear these clothes all the time and no one said anything." he shrugged lightly. funny how 99.9% of the school wore a uniform, yet he did not. "Don't worry about it." he gave his brother's shoulder a light pat.
"Okay," he nodded again, immediately following into a yawn. The Dark Hour was ending, and though he had been quite energized not long ago, he was beginning to feel rather tired.
"Let's hurry back.." Ryoji got onto the borrowed bicycle. "Hang on for just a little longer, we'll be back at the dorm soon.." they would probably both fall asleep very quickly once they were comfortably in bed. "I'll pedal as fast as I can!"
Pharos nodded as he wrapped his arms around his brother's waist, holding on tight as the bicycle sped off into the night. He closed his eyes and leaned against his back, already beginning to drift into sleep.
What : The quest to solve the mystery of what shadows taste like is met with failure
Where: Dorm, Tartarus
When: Wednesday after Pharos' arrival
Rating: G
And so, the quest to find Junpei started. Ryoji ascended the stairs to the second floor where all the boys' rooms were found. They did not search for long, and found Junpei in a heated battle with.. the vending machine..?
"Gimme my drink, you! I don't care if it's the dark hour or not! Give me!"
What happened prior could easily be guessed.. NEVER try to get a drink so close to the dark hour...
"See, that's him over there... He can look a bit intimidating sometimes, but he'sa fun guy." Ryoji nodded to his brother before turning. "Hey there, Junpei."
The vending machine was momentarily forgotten. "Eh? Oh, s'Ryoji.. Yo dude!" and already, "Did you uh.. finish that lame homework..?"
Oh he could SEE where this was going. "Yes, but I have something more interesting to offer you than an opportunity to copy my answers.." Oh my, what could it be!
"Huh? really?" well, if it was Ryoji saying it, then... Junpei had to believe it.
The youth with the scarf nodded. "Yep. Otouto and I had this great idea, see.."
"...huh? You got a lil' bro?" Now this was news. Ryoji never talked about his family, at all!
"Hello!" Pharos greeted, keeping close to his brother. He may have been almost half the size of him, but he shared the same bright blue eyes and, of course, the distinguishing dot underneath the left one. He simply grinned back at the other boy, partly because he always kept such a demeanor and partly because he was amused that the boy seemed to still be so unaware of the qualities of the Dark Hour.
"..uh.. are you guys like.. twins separated by a decade or somethin?" he blinked. "Y'better keep him away from Yuka-tan..." he chuckled to himself. He dimly wondered if that mini-ryoji would be a huge date sensation too, later. "So uh.. wha'd you guys have in mind?" he asked, blinking.
"Shadow pie!"
"...huh?"
"Yep." Ryoji nodded. "We need something to cook it, Your persona has any Agi skills?"
"...uh.. y-yeah but why--"
"All right then, it's a trip to Tartarus!" and thus Ryoji decided by himself that Junpei would go.
The boy with the cap, however, was easily distracted. .Tartarus!?" his attention shifted. "Cool! Last time I went was like ages ago, man!" Now he was psyched. "C'mon, Samurai Brother! Let's get our katanas and go slay the terror that reigns over this world!" Drama club had done a lot to him.
Pharos continued to smile. He was happy that the other boy was so eager to help them out, for even more so than the simple concept of Shadow Pie, Pharos wanted the idea to come to fruition for Ryoji's sake. "Nii-san, how are we going to catch a Shadow?" he asked his brother.
"..hm.. now that you mention it.. I didn't exactly think of a way." he went to his room while Junpei raced to his. No doubt he'd be the first waiting outside. "It's easy to make a pie normally, because the meat is pre-processed.. We'll figure something out." Somehow, he always did, didn't he? .I wonder if shadows bleed.." he thought alound, claiming his awfuly long katana and securing it to his back where it still slept in its sheath.
Pharos followed close by Ryoji as he raced about, listening intently to every word. "Hmm, pre-processed? But I've never known a pie to have meat in it," he replied. Oh well. It didn't matter. They'd think of something. "The Shadows... Something tells me that we'll find a way." He smiled at his brother.
"Well, there are fruit pies too.. You're right!" maybe they wouldn't have to cook anything.. but then.. "Shadow Creme Brule, that sounds tasty." he chuckled. He and Junpei met up in the hallway, the other boy raring to go.
.Heeey what took you so long? C'mon, the dark hour's gonna be over before we're actually there, slowpokes!" Did he know how dangerous it was to haul an unsheated katana around? He most probably didn't care much.
"Yes," Pharos agreed, a serene smile still upon his face. "The Dark Hour is expiring, and as we are still uncertain of our methods, it's best to go quickly." He looked up at his brother. "Right?"
"That's my lil'brother alright." Ryoji ruffled the dark-colored locks of hair fondly. "Let's be on our way."
"Last one there is a stinky old sock!!" yelled Junpei, racing downstairs and through the door.
"...well, electronics don't work, but I,m sure no one will mind us borrowing a bicycle outside." In the end, Junpei might get to be the stinky sock....
Pharos laughed at his brother's witty idea. Of course, the other boy didn't seem to be too bright as it was. Once outside, Pharos couldn't help but be drawn to the light of the moon. "The moon... It grows full," he noted aloud.
"Oh.. you're right!" the older boy nodded as he looked up. "Good thing it is, the streetlamps are out of order." he chuckled as if it was something funny.
Fast-forwarding to Tartarus... the two are first, and later arrives a confused Junpei. "..Huh!? How didyou guys get here so fast?"
"Seecret!" Ryoji gets up from where he sat. "Now that you're here, we can finally start this!" this will be an historical experience!
Pharos had already begun walking towards Tartarus. There was something about this place... It seemed to draw him in. He paused, however, after a few steps and turned to the others. "Come on... The Shadows are waiting!" he grinned.
"H-hey! you're not going in first! Respect your elders!" and thus Junpei took the steps two at a time to enter. HA! Take taht!
Ryoji was keeping a more moderate pace, chuckling and shaking his head. junpei was so energetic! .Let,s not make the shadows wait any further then." If only the shadows knew their intent, they would be fleeing in fear...
Pharos walked alongside Ryoji after Junpei had passed him. It didn't really bother him, nor did it affect him in any way, that Junpei was being rather loud and... well, obnoxious. Pharos was excited to be in Tartarus. Each step closer made him feel more self-aware, somehow. As they entered the main doors, there was a stairway leading to another door, a strange device to the right, a clock to the left, and nothing more. "The Shadows... They're up there," he said, pointing to the stairway.
"StairwAy to heaven baaaby!!" Junpei was his usual nonsensical self and was already dragging them both towards the stairs. "Come on Come on! We got some slayin' to do!"
"And some cooking too." Ryoji reminded. What do shadows taste like.. such an adventure from a strange question.
And they entered the place where the shadows dwelled, Ryoji unsheating his katana, the blade making a distinct noise as it slid out. "Well now... let's do it."
Pharos looked around. Tartarus truly was a fascinating place... He was pleased. "Do you hear that...?" he asked the other two. He closed his eyes, sharpening his listening senses. He lifted a finger and pointed forward and slightly to the right. "It's that way..."
Junpei blinked. "..hear uh.. hear what? I don't hear anything." of course he wouldn't hear, because he's Junpei. He can't focus.
Ryoji cocked his head. His little brother could detect them? "Ah, great work!" Now that they had located one, they should think of a way to actually cook it. "First, we should try to make chunks from it.." Because chunks are what makesa pie good, doesn't it?
"So that's the plan?" Junpei was pleased and immediately sped off the the shadow's estimated location. "Samurai Brothers, Go Go!"
Pharos followed Junpei at a less quick pace until they had reached the shadow. Upon seeing the creature, Pharos's eyes seemed to become blank. "He says... he's scared..." he stated softly. Indeed, even without a translation, the shadow seemed to be quite skiddish.
"..scared?" Ryoji repeated, glancing over at Pharos.
"Ha! Of course it's scared! Doom is near!" and the boy with the cap struck! ..but missed and crashed to the floor. "H-hey why's it gettin away!?"
"Because it's scared..." Pharos said simply. He watched the Shadow as it ran off, expressionless. This could prove to be a bit difficult if they intended to make a Shadow Pie.
"H-hey! Don't LET it run away!" Junpei took off after it as Ryoji began a philosiphy discussion.
"...Shadows can.. feel fear?" This was new to him... Shadows had feelings?
It was then that Pharos snapped out of it. He ignored Junpei completely, although not intentionally, and looked over at his older brother. "Nii-san, you didn't know?" he questioned.
"....eh? I never thought they did. None of us ever seemed to really try and.. understand these shadows, really." he began to wonder whose side was at fault. "If they can fear, then...." he looked at the shadow that still surried away. "....can they feel sadness?"
"AUGH! Stay still, damnyou!" Junpei was probably going to drain all his stamina running like he was...
Pharos frowned. "That was all that one told me," he replied. "That it was scared. However, I'm sure it's just as capable of sadness." He looked into his brother's eyes. "We're not so different from them."
"..and... and we were going to make pie out of them?" Ryoji blinked slowly. He fell silent, the tip of his too-long katana now resting on the floor. "...eeeh.... doesn't that make us.. the bad guys?" they were invading this tower after all..
"COME ON GUYS!! Help me out here!" poor Junpei was still oblivious..
Pharos looked back where only a moment ago, a shadow was present. Shadow Pie... Yes. It seemed harmless, but suddenly, all that was changing. "They may not want to make pies out of us," he said, a faint smile returning to his lips. "But they certainly don't want to be our friends. That one was scared, but only because it was too weak to fight us. The others may not be so afraid..."
"..well.. I guess I'd feel better about turning something that wants to eat us into pie. That, and I don't think this one really wants to be caught at all.." it was still running.. or more specifically crawling at high speed. "Maybe there's something with killing intent further away.."
"Yes, there is," Pharos agreed. "But not here..." He pointed a finger upward. They're still above us."
"...hm.. would we be safe going further up though.." Ryoji pondered. "I don,t think it would. Should we... save this for another time then?"
"Guuyyyss... I'm tiiired.." Junpei was more slugishly chasing the shadow now. .Oh damn you stupid thing!" okay, now it was war! It's probably what he should have done first anyway. "Now it's hurtin' time!" he clamored, taking out his evoker. There was no fleeing from an Agi spell! How brilliant....
Pharos opened his mouth to reply, but closed it as he watched Junpei prepare to fire his attack. He'd never seen anything like this before... a battle between a human-- no, a persona-user-- and a Shadow. He'd already realized due to the Shadow's fear who had the advantage, but he was nonetheless intrigued. After a sharp cry, Pharos translated. "It said 'Don't hurt me.'"
"...that's too late.." Ryoji actually adverted his eyes.
As Junpei pulled the trigger, what seemed like shards of light flew away, and quickly, his persona materialized. The tall and quite enigmatic Hermes. If Hermes was the greek god of speed, why was it weak to wind? ...whatever. "Come and get it!" And the shadow was consumed by an Agi blast.
Pharos's gaze never left. He watched the entire time, as the trigger was pulled, as the flames engulfed the poor creature, and as the smoke disippated, leaving not even ash in its place. Silence. A moment of silence for what was a living creature with real emotions. This was Tartarus...
Junpei was oblivious to it all.. "Woohooo! Didya see that guys!? One shot! YEA!"how many exp he got?
Ryoji patted his brother's shoulder gently. "...we should try not to let it affect us too much.. right?" even if it may be too late.
Pharos nodded, still watching Junpei prance about. "The Shadow would have done the same... but still..." He looked at his brother. "Even though I've always known the Dark Hour, I don't know who started this war between Shadows and humans."
"..hm.. me neither. Maybe we could ask the chairman. He might be able to tell us more." Ryoji thought this was the best course to ease their minds.
"Guuyyys! You weren't even watching.." Junpei pouted.
Pharos stared back at Ryoji, wide-eyed. "Chairman...?"
"He's the one who.. uhm.. operates this whole thing. Sort of like a school director. I haven't exactly had a chance to meet him yet... This would be a good opportunity." He thought if this man got all of them together to fight shadows, he should tell at least those asking just where exactly they come from. "There are a lot of things I heard and read, but I want to hear it from him.."
Pharos nodded agreeably. "Yes, we shall ask him then..." He looked over at Junpei. "In the meantime... Can we go home? I don't like it here anymore..."
Ryoji smiled weakly. At least if they asked, maybe they could find a way to rid themselves of these strange emotions. They were supposed to hunt shadows... not feel sorry for them.
"...huh? We just started.." wasn,t he whining about being tired earlier? "Well, uh.. if y'guys say so, sure."
Pharos acted normally towards the other boy. "We can't very well make a pie if the spell disintergrates the Shadow entirely, can we?" He smiled, although it was slightly forced as he recalled the vanishing shadow. "We should go back and devise a better strategy next time."
".uh... oh, I-I guess I kinda messed it up huh? ahaha.." Cue nervous laughter. "Sorry about that guys."
Ryoji sheated his unused katana shaking his head. "Well, we should be heading back either way... Didn,t we have a test tomorrow?"
"...A TEST!? I didn't study! You should have told me earlier!"
Ryoji watched Junpei run out in a cloud of dust and chuckled. "Gullible as ever..."
Pharos stood beside Ryoji as the other boy ran off. They were outside of Tartarus now; the ill feelings he had felt inside began to melt away as he looked at the moon. "Do you hear that, Nii-san...?" he asked suddenly, his eyes focused on the sky.
The youth with the scarf looked ariound, then up and frowned. He did try hard to pick up a noise, but it was all fruitless. "I don't hear anything.. What's the sound like?" he asked, head cocked slightly, curious.
"Hm...?" Pharos replied in confusion, as if he himself had yet to say a word. "No... Nevermind. It's gone now," he told him, shaking his head. "I didn't hear what it was saying."
"A voice was talking to you?" Ryoji was interested, hardly thinking his little brother was a nutcase. "Too bad you couldn't hear.. Maybe next time?" he smiled encouragingly.
"Not a voice... but..." Pharos corrected. He paused, trying to think of a way to describe it. "It's all right. Maybe next time," he smiled.
The dark hour had been quite eventful for Ryoji.. a visit -to stay- from his younger brother, a trip to Tartarus, and discovering that shadows may not quite be as different from them. He had more mysteries and questions around in his head now. "I'll try and see if I can't contact the chairman after school..." If any girls asked for dates, he had the whole sunday.
"Okay," Pharos nodded. He was silent for a moment before tugging on Ryoji's scarf. "Nii-san... Can I sleep with you tonight?"
The teenager blinked at the tugging and looked over. Awww.. his little brother was so cute! "Of course you can, otouto-chan! I'll have to try not to wake you up when I'll have to get ready for school.."
Pharos's eyes lit up, along with his beaming smile. "I don't mind if you wake me up," he assured him. "Actually, I want to go to school with you, too."
Ryoji laughed lightly. "You do? Hmm.. I wonder if it could be done..." the teacher probably wouldn't be able to resist him.. and much less his little brother. "All right. I'm sure there won't be any problems if I ask the sensei nicely."
"Really?" Pharos marveled excitedly. "Yay!" He wrapped his arms around his brother and hugged him, although it was around his waist due to his height.
It seems like it didn't take much to make Pharos happy. "I bet all the girls will flock you." he chuckled. It will be a scene to remember. "I do hope you're prepared. Too bad I can't let you have my uniform." it would be awfully big.. Wait, he had a uniform? Why didn't he ever put it on?
"Uniform?" Pharos echoed back, looking down at his striped pajamas. "I can't wear these?" In truth, he really didn't know much about "school" at all. He just wanted to be by his brother as much as possible, doing the things he did.
"Well.. you probably can.. after all, I wear these clothes all the time and no one said anything." he shrugged lightly. funny how 99.9% of the school wore a uniform, yet he did not. "Don't worry about it." he gave his brother's shoulder a light pat.
"Okay," he nodded again, immediately following into a yawn. The Dark Hour was ending, and though he had been quite energized not long ago, he was beginning to feel rather tired.
"Let's hurry back.." Ryoji got onto the borrowed bicycle. "Hang on for just a little longer, we'll be back at the dorm soon.." they would probably both fall asleep very quickly once they were comfortably in bed. "I'll pedal as fast as I can!"
Pharos nodded as he wrapped his arms around his brother's waist, holding on tight as the bicycle sped off into the night. He closed his eyes and leaned against his back, already beginning to drift into sleep.