[RL with Dr. Stein | Backdated to Jan. 3rd]

[truthinfortune]

It had stopped snowing while Naoto awaited Stein's arrival. The cats and Fluffy were all safely corralled in her bedroom, lest the doctor's appearance frighten them too much. She wasn't quite sure what she'd been thinking when she agreed to let the doctor examine her, but there was a part of her that was just as eager to learn about her own Persona

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[demondoctor]

Stein obtained a worldhop from an obliging person and found himself outside the Shirogane home in lovely, snow-covered Inaba. What a quaint place! He'd have to explore it a bit before he signalled for help in getting home to the secret island base.

He walked up to the front door after taking a curious look around, and rang the doorbell. In one hand was his portable medical case, and he wasn't wearing a coat, just his lab coat flapping about his knees. He shivered a little, drawing on his cigarette for warmth and letting the smoke escape his mouth to add to the fog his breath formed.

[truthinfortune]

Ah, the doorbell! Naoto hurried to answer the door, shivering a bit as the cold air blew inside. She stood there for a brief moment, staring up at the tall man. For some reason, Naoto was struck by the strangest sense of dèjá vu. Well, this wasn't really the first time she'd met Stein in person, if what he'd told Naoto about her Shadow was true...

"Come in, come in!" she said, ushering the doctor inside and quickly closing the door. She waited politely while the doctor removed his shoes, wanting to retreat to the warm glow of the kotatsu. There was a small tea service already set on the table. "Would you like something hot to drink? Tea, coffee, cocoa?"

[demondoctor]

"I'd love a coffee," Stein said, beaming at her. Ever since Birkin had ridden his body for a week, he'd had a much greater caffeine addiction than before. He'd always liked coffee, though.

Despite his odd and unsettling appearance, he was acting perfectly friendly, toeing out of his shoes and entering her house in a perfectly civilized manner. However, there was an eager gleam in his grey eyes as he looked Naoto up and down. He was looking forward to getting started.

"Are we alone here?" he asked curiously as he settled down at the kotatsu with his legs crossed.

[truthinfortune]

"All right. Just let me get the water boiling, and it'll be ready in a moment."

It really was strange, seeing someone that wouldn't look out of place in a low-budget slasher flick behaving like a perfectly ordinary citizen. You really couldn't judge a book by its cover, could you? Naoto's eyes flicked toward the gigantic screw lodged in the doctor's skull before retreating toward the kitchen to turn the coffee pot on.

"Yes, we're alone," she said, pulling out a mug from the cabinet. "I live here by myself, aside from the cats and Fluffy. They're upstairs for now."

She didn't elaborate. There really wasn't any need. In a few minutes, she set the mug of coffee before the doctor and settled herself across from him. Taking her cup of tea, she began stirring in a generous amount of cream and sugar.

[demondoctor]

Stein was used to people staring at his bolt, and he didn't really take notice of Naoto's interest. He waited while the coffee was made and stirred in a bit of sugar before taking a sip and smiling at her.

"I'm surprised," he said. "I would have thought you'd have parents or a guardian of some kind. You're pretty young to be on your own, aren't you?"

[truthinfortune]

There was a brief pause before Naoto answered. She spoke matter-of-factly. "My parents both died in an accident when I was still a child. I was raised by my paternal grandfather. Since becoming a professional detective, I've been called to all parts of the country, so I'm used to boarding alone."

The Detective Prince took another sip of tea before setting the cup down. Outwardly, she showed no sign of discomfort at the direction the topic had taken. Her parents' death was something she usually avoided thinking about.

[demondoctor]

Stein's eyebrows rose. He was no stranger to children with dead parents. Many of the students at Shibusen had been taken in by the school because they were orphans - Stein himself was one example of that.

"Ah, I'm very sorry," he said sincerely. "I know what that's like." He took a sip from his coffee and changed the subject. "Tell me about your persona. I'm curious what features it has."

[truthinfortune]

Naoto stared at him for a moment, her expression softening. She only knew a handful people who had lost one or both parents: Kanji, Kaito, Aoko, and Haibara. And now, Stein...

She nodded once and easily segued into the new topic of conversation.

"Well... I could show you what he looks like, if that would be easier. I only just got my Evoker a short while ago, and I haven't actually had the chance to test it out..."

Truth be told, she wasn't exactly keen on the idea of putting a gun to her head, even if she knew it wasn't a functional firearm. When you worked with guns for as long as Naoto had, you learned to cultivate a healthy respect for them.

[demondoctor]

Stein noticed the softening of her features and smiled in return. He had no angst about his parents - he didn't remember them, at all, and he had had a good life. At least, by his standards. He hadn't had much use for companionship and had hurt several other students until Spirit took him forcibly under his wing.

But he was happy to move onto more useful topics. He sat up straighter, eager. He'd seen Minato summon his persona and knew what to expect, and he was very curious to see Naoto's in action, also.

"I'd very much like to see it," he said. "If you don't mind testing the Evoker with an audience."

[truthinfortune]

"It's fine. Hopefully, it won't make too much noise. I'd rather not have the neighbors start calling the police because they heard stray gunshots, you know

[demondoctor]

The view from Stein's perspective - with the help of Soul Perception - was quite different. He saw the concussion of some kind of magic strike Naoto's soul, and then saw a part of it detach and rise up out of her body, trailing a slender thread as it resolved into Sukuna-Hikona.

He wondered what would happen if he broke that thread. Probably something bad... His fingers twitched, then stilled.

Pushing his glasses up with a finger, he leaned close to examine the Persona. This one was more friendly than the last, though he hadn't been afraid of Minato's - quite the opposite, as that one had shared his Arcana.

"Hello there," he said brightly. "And what are you called?"

[truthinfortune]

"Sukuna-Hikona, and don't you forget it!" the moth-boy said, and despite the minimal amount of expression offered by the mask he wore, it almost appeared as if he were grinning. "An' you must be that doctor that dropped by back when I was still runnin' wild. Nice to meetcha again!"

Naoto settled herself once more beneath the kotatsu. "It stands to reason that everything I know, Sukuna-Hikona also knows."

"Damn straight! 'I am thou, thou art I.' Yadda yadda, you get the idea." Sukuna-Hikona noticed Naoto's abandoned teacup and his wings twitched upward from their relaxed position. "I'm just gonna steal a little swig of this, if ya don't mind!"

Kneeling, the moth-child picked up the tea cup in both hands and raised it to his face, slurping down the tea with relish. After drinking half the contents, he clinked the cup back on the saucer and sighed. "That hit the spot!"

[demondoctor]

Stein watched the antics of Naoto's persona with interest. "So you remember when I visited Naoto's shadow and secret lair?" he asked curiously. "You were certainly different then."

He reached out hesitantly, hoping to touch and examine Sukuna-Hikona more closely.

[truthinfortune]

"Yeah, sure do," he said, fixing the doctor with a interested look. "The subconscious picks up on everything, you know?" His large, luminous eyes flicked downward for a moment and he shrugged. "I was pretty scary there for a while. Guess I let my scientific curiosity get the better of me. You could say I'm the father of modern medicine. Guess that makes me the world's first doctor!"

Both Naoto and her Persona chuckled at that.

As Stein stretched his hand closer, the moth-boy twitched his wing away reflexively. Upon realizing the doctor's intent, he lowered his wing once more.

"I don't mind a little pokin' and proddin'. Just don't expect me to strip for ya, Doc!" Sukuna-Hikona laughed raucously.

[demondoctor]

Stein's eyes widened faintly at this, and he beamed. "Ah, we have more in common than I thought," he said, grinning. "I always liked that scientific side of you, Naoto, whom I met in the TV world."

He gently picked the moth-boy up in his hands and brought him close, running his fingers delicately along the wing and then extending it to see the joint. Fascinating. Too bad he probably couldn't dissect it.

[truthinfortune]

Naoto nodded her head in agreement. "Detectives have to keep up with the latest in scientific advances, in order to compete with the increasingly sophisticated forensics techniques used by the police. I've always been interested in the sciences: biology, chemistry, mechanical engineering. I much preferred to tinker around with old watches than play with dolls."

She watched with concerned interest as Stein picked Sukuna-Hikona up and touched his wing. It was a feeling similar to the anxiety a mother might feel for her child, and she had to remind herself that Stein wasn't going to hurt him. In a strange way, it was almost as if Stein were examining herself, which he was, in a roundabout way.

Sukuna-Hikona patiently suffered through the doctor's handling without any complaint.

"Hee hee! That tickles!" A snort as the moth-boy tried to suppress another giggle.