09/15/34

[notvelour]

WHO: Open for people who already have persona in '34!
WHERE: A bus stop just a few blocks away from Adessi.
WHEN: September 15th -- 9PM-ish
WHY: Nyx's Lounge is fun!

Comments

[outawindow]

"Well... There are three. Just three. Or four... Three... plus one. No, just three." Locrine lifted a hand to his mouth, staring at his rabbit in a manner that was almost dumbfounded. Obviously, he was a professional when it came to being unsure. Usually it was just the matter of having difficulty with awkwardly bringing something up, but this time was different. Partially different, anyway. There was something that he just wasn't skilled enough to actually read yet. "There are definitely three somethings over there. I'd say four, but... I don't know. It's fuzzy."

He took another minute to try to get a better reading. Three unidentified things, something fuzzy, and, despite a vague sense of familiarity, he was certain there was nothing he could name. Eventually he just shook his head and shrugged simultaneously with his persona, feeling a bit like he was failing. "I know for sure that there's nothing giant, so it should be safe to get closer."

Okay, okay, small or mid-sized didn't necessarily always mean weaker, but he was trying to be optimistic. They'd probably be checking it out either way.

[highfivepriest]

"Not too bad, I guess." Once Locrine could decide if it was three or four. The idea of White Rabbit not being able to clearly scan something wasn't comforting at all, Locrine usually could tell when something would cause them any real trouble. No reason they had to draw attention to themselves right off the bat and ruin their chances of escaping without a fight, either (in theory. In practice, there were certain conflicting personalities regarding that idea.)

"Time to do our 'job' and take a peek then, hm?" No point in pretending like they weren't going to, in the end. Still, even as he said it, Theo sounded like it was the last thing he wanted to do.

HI GUYS LET'S JUST PRETEND I'M NOT TOTALLY LATE AND THAT I WAS HERE ALL ALONG OKAY

[ironhanded]

Though he vastly preferred patrol to sitting in class, even Jimmy wasn't particularly plussed about wandering aimlessly around the area in only the mere hopes of bumping into a bit of adventure. Until Locrine had spoken up (a rare event, being that there wasn't much to speak up about, and being that, well, it was Locrine who was usually somewhat adverse to speaking up at all), Jimmy was pretty sure he was feeling his brains leaking out ears as he aimlessly followed the crowd.

But it must have been his lucky day.

His ears perked, his head raising up as he squinted in the direction White Rabbit was facing, and almost before Theo's words were even out of his mouth, Jimmy was already jumping to the head of the pack, half-caught between a run and a very fast walk. As much as Theo liked to theorize, and as much as Locrine liked to prepare, they weren't going to get anything done if they didn't start doing something. "Ohhh, what if someone's in danger!" Jimmy said excitedly. "Let's go!"

while the mods are away, alex will play 8)

[noonesfavor]

There was a very pregnant pause.

"Nothing to say for yourselves, gentlemen? In that case..."

Charlie then put on his best Kubrick stare and began beating the thugs senseless with his book bag, which he kept filled with rocks for just such an occasion.

when mods return, charlie will... burn? 8D

[notvelour]

Charlie's first interruption was met with only a brief glance. Half a second at best before they went back to their laughter at business. Obviously, he seemed like nothing of a threat to them and they had no intention of stopping or even acknowledging the new arrival. At least until the sudden attack. They raised their arms in annoyance, but didn't seem harmed by the barrage.

"'Eeey, watch it!" The tall one complained in a gruff voice, grabbing on to the book bag with rocky hands that were actually rather blue. The shorter one gave a mean glare from glowing eyes beneath his hat, but moved to quickly grab the dog's collar.

"Who do you think you are, punk?!"

[outawindow]

Locrine was still shaky on the matter, but he managed to nod in a manner that was at least somewhat certain. There was nothing there that was just that strong? Right? Right. Maybe... he took a deep breath and trailed behind his persona as it led the way to the signal. And eventually the two men, dog, and Charlie came in to view. He immediately stopped in his tracks and fidgeted for a moment in momentary surprise.

"O-oh my! Isn't that--" The teenager was hard to miss as one of their own. Locrine very rarely forgot a face, but he was trying to double guess himself anyway. "The others are demons, so we should do something. We can't just-- And the dog. I mean, u-um... Charlie!"

theo i need you for a combo attack here-

[ironhanded]

Although at times it seemed as though a coming apocalypse couldn't stop Jimmy Campbell from continuing in his charge, his steps slowed to a bewildered stop a few steps away, a yard or two in front of Locrine. One brow was quirked, his mouth slightly ajar as he took in the scene before him. Locrine's reading had him picturing an almost romanticized view of rescuing a friend in need, with big, looming ruffians towering over a trembling young student, or something of the like.

He hadn't expected to see his roommate trying to buffet one of them to death with his books. He was about to open his mouth and say, But don't you think he looks like he has things in control when something Locrine mentioned had him once again at full attention.

His eyes widened. "Dog?!" he exclaimed and indeed, there was a hound backed up against the wall. For its considerable size, it seemed vastly outmatched. Its stance betrayed its helplessness. Jimmy clenched his fist, frowning. Of all the cowardly, terrible, abhorable things that no gentleman of proper upbringing would ever partake in! Harming a helpless dog! Man's best friend, his loyal companion! This was surely unforgivable by all accounts.

The air crackled around him, and a spark ran its way up from the ground to his legs, travelling the length of his body to collect at his fingertips. Caledfwlch appeared not a moment later. "Bianchessi!" he called in warning, giving the other boy a cue before his persona threw a jet of water at one of the thugs' back.

[noonesfavor]

Charlie blinked at the sight of the man's blue skin, not even noticing how little they seemed to be affected by his 'attack'. Did the man have some sort of disease? All the more reason not to let him lay his grimy mitts all over his handsome bag without a fight. He held fast to the strap with a stubborn expression, a bit worried about where this was going despite himself. "You're just a pair of thugs. Let it go!" An indignant noise escaped him as he watched the man's partner grab onto the dog's collar. Which turned into a startled squeak when he caught sight of his glowing eyes. That was most certainly not a trick of the light...

And then another group happened upon the scene. Charlie looked over hopefully. Perhaps the extra attention would cause the men to flee. "Oh, hello Locrine!" He called out as if he wasn't currently engaged in an almost comical-looking tug of war. What was that bookish RA doing out here so late? And with company... Charlie blinked at overhearing the word 'demon', slowly glanced back at the two men and bit his lip.

"Uh... help?"

And then help came, in the form of a giant sword appearing out of nowhere. Charlie promptly let go of his bag and fell flat on his rear, his mouth hanging open in obvious shock and awe as the weapon sent a stream of water at the thugs. After a brief moment, he raised his hands to his mouth and yelled encouragingly. "Let 'em have it!" He had no clue what was happening, but that didn't mean it wasn't amazing.

[highfivepriest]

Theo had been perfectly content to roll his eyes at the obvious trouble Jimmy's constant running ahead caused him, even if he summoned his Persona as he did so. Aequitas took forever to charge up anyways, and every time it did it seemed unable to really protect him as well. No need to run out into possible fire.

Well, that was until he recognized the victim as a member of Adessi Hall apparently intent on beating the daylights out of two of the local guttertrash. And who needed Locrine's calling out about demons, exactly, when those same thugs had glowing eyes and sickly skin? Besides, there was a dog irresponsible classmate who needed saving. One who shouldn't have been out this late to begin with. The usual.

Just before he was about to remind Campbell that electrocuting the group wasn't going to do them any good if the dog and his roommate were in the way, Caledflwch attacked. What a pleasant surprise that Campbell had enough of a sense of aim to only soak one of those thugs - and the one without the dog as well. Still, like he could ignore the chance to have the last word in, versus Campbell: "More of a warning next time, will you?"

The roar of lightning drowned out whatever their fellow schoolmate had yelled out, lighting the street with a brilliant for that splitsecond it hit Cal's trail of water. When the light died down, the thug it had hit was smoking where he was (barely) standing.

[outawindow]

"They're both weak to fire and... slashing skills? But that will do." Locrine noted, as his rabbit's ears twitched. It was almost like they were made out of a combination of rocks and modeling clay... with glowing eyes of course. It would've been difficult to tell with the hats and overcoats, which was even more troubling. Who knew what trouble something like that could get in without ever seeming inhuman.

"U-um. I'd avoid ailments, but I don't think any of us- We're fine!"

[notvelour]

And it was a hit! The blue one fell to the ground in a huff, not quite dead. Smoke was rising from his body. He only twitched, not willing to try and stand again just yet.

"Chuck!!" The short red one called out to the other who was hit. "Alright, you asked for it." He used the belt of his overcoat to tie the dog to the bench, then removed his hat and stomped over to the bus stop sign. With a low growl, he plucked it from the side walk and tossed it at the meddling kids like a javelin. Anything that looked movable within range was being thrown after one by one.

[noonesfavor]

As the lightning illuminated the street, Charlie made out his other two "rescuers" and the strange creatures they'd summoned. That Theodore Freddie was always going on about, and his room mate. The thought of just how Jimmy had managed to keep this all hidden from him was going to bother him later (not to mention why, he thought they'd hit it off so well), but for now he felt more than a little helpless, especially when the thug started throwing things at the others.

... What was a butterfly doing here? He might be seeing spots because of the lightning, but hearing things too? Charlie scrambled to his feet when a flung pole came far too close, his voice questioning and a little bewildered. "Persona?"

A birdlike shriek rang out like a warning from all around him. Charlie looked up into the night sky blindly, blinking back spots in his vision, before a rush of wingbeats and a blur of gold flew past him and towards the demon still standing. A flash of talons later, and he staggered and lost grip on his latest projectile. The clang of metal on concrete rang out just as Charlie finally caught a glimpse of the creature. The fierce gaze of an eagle met his as it landed, close enough that Charlie could see specks of blood across its feathers. Rather than shy away, Charlie felt compelled to reach out and stroke them, and did so with a slightly shaking hand.

He gave a soft, thrilled chuckle when the creature leaned into the touch. "Heh. So I can do this, too? Persona?" She felt warm and soft, and he thought he could feel the vibrations of a purr starting up. He patted her once more before returning his attention to the two slowly recovering demons, and the boys on the other side of the street with a breezy smile. "Right! You three will explain everything to me later, won't you? But for now..." The Gryphon tensed its wings, ready for another round. "Let's get back in there, girl!"

[ironhanded]

You would think that with all the experience Jimmy had with rescuing people who turned out to be persona users, he would have expected something like this, but no, the appearance of the bird-like creature that materialized behind his roommate and then swept a graceful arch in the air before settling next to Charlie still took him by surprise. It was only in retrospect, as he doubled back towards Locrine to cover the older boy, that Jimmy realized he should really be getting used to strange happenings around him more quickly than he was.

The demons were dragging themselves back up again, the looks on their face nothing short of murderous (not that they looked any friendlier in any other circumstance, he would wager). Eleanor wasn't here, so they did not have fire attacks at hand, and water seemed to only do minimal damage to them at all, having served largely as a conduit than anything else the last time around. Without any weaknesses of theirs at his disposal, then, covering Locrine, then, was the gentlemanly thing to do - almost knightly. (Caledfwlch hummed in approval at that.)

"I'm beginning to think most of these people never need rescuing by the time we get to them," he murmured in good humor to the older boy behind him. His eyes were watching for any sudden attacks, but Jimmy was still curious to see what the Gryphon could do.

[outawindow]

Locrine held his breath the moment Charlie's persona took the stage. It was a very sharp mix of relief and dread. On one hand, it was always an exciting pleasure to find a new team member and witness their skills. On the other, another joining their ranks meant another person to worry about. He was understandably concerned, but he was certain that he would be able to accept this all the same.

He exhaled in exasperation, but maintained composure. This was all fine now at least. It would be okay. His eyes were focused on Charlie's persona and the demon thugs until Jimmy spoke up. He nodded and gave a sympathetic smile to the other boy. "Seems so, but what matters is that they're safe, right?"

That was something he could understand. He was getting very used to feeling like he was useless. Well, he wasn't completely useless. It was more like unnecessary. He could sometimes offer interesting information, but in practical terms it rarely seemed like they were in dire need of said information. Ahem. Well. That was a tangent he really needed to stay off of for the moment. He stood by Jimmy, very willingly to act as something that could use guarding.

"I think he's got what we need here, too!"

[highfivepriest]

The sign-turned-javelin had missed them all by a slim margin, but the police box ripped from a telephone pole hit truer: it bounced off of Aequitas' shoulder fins, the Persona having hovered just in time over Theo. He'd had no time to try to avoid the projectiles himself, the flashes of lightning strong enough to burn after images through his closed eyelids. The bird's shriek set him on edge as soon as he heard it. Don't tell him there was another demon to back those two up--

Oh. Theo stared a little dumbly as the large bird tore into their attackers. He'd though Betty had just been a timely fluke, the other two girls just some horrible coincidence, and he wasn't going to turn away another able body, but… but it was Charlie. In the scant two weeks or so Theo had been acquainted with the upperclassman through Freddie, it wasn't like Charlie had given any notice of being capable of any sort of responsibility, predestined or otherwise. But maybe it was close quarters with the demons themselves that caused Persona to manifest at all?

Aequitas' bursts of static, actually audible instead of only in his head for once, tore his attentions away where the gentle attempts at nudging Theo to safety had not. Cautiously, he backed up before the two demons could gather up enough strength to break through Charlie's Persona's attack and start throwing everything else on the street; with a pointed look up at Aequitas more crackling of charging electricity filled the air, and the dog's whining shifted over to sharp panicky barks as it pulled at its' leash.

For a moment he wondered about getting the dog out of there while the two demons were distracted- an idea that Aequitas gave a pleased crackle about. Right. He didn't turn around as he gestured at the animal for Locrine and Jimmy, with a terse, "I'll do what I can for back up. You two see if you can take care of him before we attract more attention."

[notvelour]

The red demon clasped a hand over his wound and let out a shout of pain. It was a critical hit that sent him momentarily to his knees. The situation was not looking good. Outnumbered and outmatched. He had never been a bright one, but he knew when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. He let out a low growl, but rather than attack he ran for Chuck. He dragged the other to the nearest manhole as quickly as possible and before anyone could really protest they were gone into the darkness.

All that remained was the large dog still tied to the bench. The dog looked relieved for a moment before looking at the persona users. He ducked his head under his paws and whimpered.