Closed Log: Dark Hour
Who? Ryoji Mochizuki & Teddie, along with the rest of the Persona 4 crew
What! An explanation of the Dark Hour, complete with some crazy spoilers.
When? A few days ago, after this post.
Rating NOTHING BAD I'm hoping...
Ryoji knew what he was. He never felt bad about it, and he never regretted it. What he had to do, and what would come of his existence were separate. Those were things that he realized he could have changed. He felt guilty over his nonaction, so much that he merely faded into the night, claimed by Nyx Avatar-still, somehow, fully human. The heart that she had given him had stayed with him, and even in Atsumi's absence, it pumped with life beneath his chest. Here, too. In this city that he could learn to love.
As he stepped down the concrete staircase down to the lobby, it occurred to him that he had a friend. Teddie, though far different from him, had the same understanding of the world. They were both Shadows, born from Nyx's womb, and brought into activity by Erebus. They left human, regretting and loving. Things that Shadows didn't feel.
As the Dark Hour blanketed the city of New Moore, he once again feels like he's home.
The clock hits midnight, and he suddenly looks comfortable.
"Hello, good evening. You weren't waiting long, were you?"
Teddie had been waiting for about ten minutes before Ryoji arrived, due to an odd set of nerves that kept him from waiting until the official meeting time to look for Ryoji's familiar form. Odd, he thinks, because he's never been nervous before, but the thought of what was at stake--Ryoji's need for acceptance, for companionship, so similar to Teddie's desperation in Inaba--makes his palms sweat and his breath quicken.
Seeing Ryoji, though, Teddie feels reassured. Ryoji is personable, likable, and a good person--these are things he knows the group will see and understand. They will look past what he is, and see who he is.
"Not too long," Teddie says, smiling. "The others should get here soon enough. Teddie wanted to be sure he was the first person you met tonight."
There's something about him that's oddly serene, a gentleness in his smile and his quiet laughter. There were no layers of emotion that complicated his expression, just a calm sadness.
"I should apologize to you. You've been so kind to me. Somehow, I feel like I've betrayed you. I wanted to say that I didn't mean to … and that anything I say tonight … I'm sorry, but you should know the truth about what you are."
He follows Teddie out of the lobby, waiting outside the large double doors, breathing in the night air. For a moment, his eyes move to the moon.
Teddie follows Ryoji's gaze without thinking, staring at the sky and wondering why his friend looks so intense. He supposes he will find out tonight.
When he looks back at Ryoji, he smiles. "There's no need to apologize. Teddie isn't defined by his past or what he is -- he's defined by who he is now, how he treats others, and how he chooses to live his life. Sensei taught me that. Sensei gave me a new purpose in life, to be a good friend. No matter what I learn tonight, it doesn't change who I am today." The smile doesn't leave Teddie's face as he says this; he truly came to peace with what he was back in Inaba. No matter whether it was real or not at the time doesn't change the fact that it was real for him, and real for the others.
He claps a hand on Ryoji's shoulder. "And you need to stop telling me how kind I am. Teddie is just being a good friend."
"You are."
For a moment, he looks thoughtful.
"Shadows are more powerful on the full moon," he says, a hand to his chest, "you should see what you can do sometime."
In the distance, he can see Teddie's friends approaching.
Teddie looks up at the moon one more time, puzzled. Though Ryoji keeps mentioning it, he hasn't ever felt connected to the moon in any way. The fog, however...
Well. He supposes everything will be answered soon enough. Teddie begins to wave enthusiastically as Sensei, Yosuke and the others approach.
What! An explanation of the Dark Hour, complete with some crazy spoilers.
When? A few days ago, after this post.
Rating NOTHING BAD I'm hoping...
Ryoji knew what he was. He never felt bad about it, and he never regretted it. What he had to do, and what would come of his existence were separate. Those were things that he realized he could have changed. He felt guilty over his nonaction, so much that he merely faded into the night, claimed by Nyx Avatar-still, somehow, fully human. The heart that she had given him had stayed with him, and even in Atsumi's absence, it pumped with life beneath his chest. Here, too. In this city that he could learn to love.
As he stepped down the concrete staircase down to the lobby, it occurred to him that he had a friend. Teddie, though far different from him, had the same understanding of the world. They were both Shadows, born from Nyx's womb, and brought into activity by Erebus. They left human, regretting and loving. Things that Shadows didn't feel.
As the Dark Hour blanketed the city of New Moore, he once again feels like he's home.
The clock hits midnight, and he suddenly looks comfortable.
"Hello, good evening. You weren't waiting long, were you?"
Teddie had been waiting for about ten minutes before Ryoji arrived, due to an odd set of nerves that kept him from waiting until the official meeting time to look for Ryoji's familiar form. Odd, he thinks, because he's never been nervous before, but the thought of what was at stake--Ryoji's need for acceptance, for companionship, so similar to Teddie's desperation in Inaba--makes his palms sweat and his breath quicken.
Seeing Ryoji, though, Teddie feels reassured. Ryoji is personable, likable, and a good person--these are things he knows the group will see and understand. They will look past what he is, and see who he is.
"Not too long," Teddie says, smiling. "The others should get here soon enough. Teddie wanted to be sure he was the first person you met tonight."
There's something about him that's oddly serene, a gentleness in his smile and his quiet laughter. There were no layers of emotion that complicated his expression, just a calm sadness.
"I should apologize to you. You've been so kind to me. Somehow, I feel like I've betrayed you. I wanted to say that I didn't mean to … and that anything I say tonight … I'm sorry, but you should know the truth about what you are."
He follows Teddie out of the lobby, waiting outside the large double doors, breathing in the night air. For a moment, his eyes move to the moon.
Teddie follows Ryoji's gaze without thinking, staring at the sky and wondering why his friend looks so intense. He supposes he will find out tonight.
When he looks back at Ryoji, he smiles. "There's no need to apologize. Teddie isn't defined by his past or what he is -- he's defined by who he is now, how he treats others, and how he chooses to live his life. Sensei taught me that. Sensei gave me a new purpose in life, to be a good friend. No matter what I learn tonight, it doesn't change who I am today." The smile doesn't leave Teddie's face as he says this; he truly came to peace with what he was back in Inaba. No matter whether it was real or not at the time doesn't change the fact that it was real for him, and real for the others.
He claps a hand on Ryoji's shoulder. "And you need to stop telling me how kind I am. Teddie is just being a good friend."
"You are."
For a moment, he looks thoughtful.
"Shadows are more powerful on the full moon," he says, a hand to his chest, "you should see what you can do sometime."
In the distance, he can see Teddie's friends approaching.
Teddie looks up at the moon one more time, puzzled. Though Ryoji keeps mentioning it, he hasn't ever felt connected to the moon in any way. The fog, however...
Well. He supposes everything will be answered soon enough. Teddie begins to wave enthusiastically as Sensei, Yosuke and the others approach.