[video]
[A flicker of static resolves itself into a nighttime view of a rooftop; at first look, anyone who's been up onto the roof of the SEES dorm here in the Underworld might mistake it for that building, but it's washed in the eerie greenish light of an enormous, sickly-looking full moon, and the bits of lightless skyline visible around the edges belong to some other, modern city.
Puddles of some dark, viscous liquid lie splashed over the rooftop. The greenish moonlight makes the color hard to determine, but it looks unpleasantly red.
The rooftop access door bursts open to let out two girls - Minako, in pink pajamas with her hair loose and tousled, clutching a cheap replica naginata with both hands, and another girl about the same age. The other girl turns hurriedly to close the door behind them and lock it, and then lets out a breath in an audible sigh, shoulders dropping in relief.]
I think we're okay for now...
[She's made a liar immediately by an alarming sound from below and behind them, a low, shuddering impact, as though something has crashed into the building. Both girls freeze, eyes going wide, and - clearly not wanting to see what might have caused that sound - turn to look.]
What--?
[With a squelching sound, a black hand reaches up from below to grasp the edge of the roof. A few more follow. And then a lot more. Over the black arms, a face rises - no, not a face, a blue mask, held in yet another hand that turns it from side to side as though it's looking around.]
You gotta be kidding me... it climbed up the wall?!
[With a sudden heave, the arms pull the whole mass of the thing up over the edge and onto the rooftop - a tangle of shapeless black, as though it's made up entirely of arms and hands. Some of them brandish swords. It scuttles toward the girls as they recoil.
The other girl's hand goes to what looks like a handgun strapped to her thigh.]
Those monsters - we call them Shadows.
[She yanks the gun from its thigh holster, but rather than aim it at the Shadow she presses the muzzle to her forehead, squeezing her eyes tightly closed.
Several things happen almost at once. Minako, confused and afraid, raises a hand to reach towards the other girl, just as the girl draws in a sharp breath and holds it, bracing herself as though for a plunge. Before either of them can do anything else, though, the Shadow's many hands trace strange symbols in the air and a wave of flame out of nowhere makes both girls shrink back; a slash of a sword sends Minako's friend sprawling to the surface of the rooftop with a cry, the gun tumbling out of her hands and coming to rest at Minako's feet.
There's a sudden silence, so abrupt it's like the audio of the feed has cut out. Even the Shadow has stopped its advance and seems to be waiting, poised, hands and swords waving gently in the air.
Slowly, as though in a trance, Minako bends to pick up the gun. As she touches it, there's a deep, thrumming sound like a heartbeat... and then, very softly, the whisper of a young boy's voice:] Go on...
[Eyes closing, Minako raises the gun to her temple. Her other hand comes up to rest over her chest, below her throat; her lips part, and she breathes out one quiet word:]
...per... so... na...
[She pulls the trigger.
The sound is a gunshot overlaid with a noise like breaking glass; her head twitches to the side, shards of blue-white light spraying from the side of her head with no sign of an exit wound.]
Thou art I, and I am thou.
[A rush of air seems to swirl up around her, shimmering with light that coalesces above and behind her into a humanoid, metal-jointed figure of white and gold, bearing a massive lyre.]
From the sea of thy soul, I come forth. I am Orpheus, Master of Strings.
[And then something goes wrong. Minako shudders, and then doubles over, her hands going to her head and her face contorting in pain; Orpheus spasms, and the clean, hard lines of her seem to deform. The Persona makes no sound as hands erupt from inside her head, but Minako screams, a high, shrill sound, and then Orpheus bursts like an overripe fruit and a dark figure emerges from within her with a roar.
All of this happens in moments. The Shadow begins to recoil, as though sensing danger, but it's too late. The thing that emerged from within Orpheus launches himself at the Shadow, slashing at it with his sword, which slices the mask in two and severs a number of its arms.
The thing that emerged from inside Orpheus mauls the Shadow with vicious abandon, first with his sword and then with his bare hands, making a harsh, rasping sound like panting breath, until all that's left is a pulpy mass of evaporating blackness and a couple of piles of twitching, discarded arms. He crushes a remaining arm between his fingers, and roars again as though in triumph.
A flicker, and between one moment and the next, the dark figure has disappeared and Orpheus has regained her original form. Another flicker, and the Persona has disappeared entirely.
The other girl's voice can just be heard as the feed ends in static:]
...is it over...?
[ooc: there is a video, but it is Minato's version, because Minako doesn't get animated cutscenes so her version is not as cool.]
Puddles of some dark, viscous liquid lie splashed over the rooftop. The greenish moonlight makes the color hard to determine, but it looks unpleasantly red.
The rooftop access door bursts open to let out two girls - Minako, in pink pajamas with her hair loose and tousled, clutching a cheap replica naginata with both hands, and another girl about the same age. The other girl turns hurriedly to close the door behind them and lock it, and then lets out a breath in an audible sigh, shoulders dropping in relief.]
I think we're okay for now...
[She's made a liar immediately by an alarming sound from below and behind them, a low, shuddering impact, as though something has crashed into the building. Both girls freeze, eyes going wide, and - clearly not wanting to see what might have caused that sound - turn to look.]
What--?
[With a squelching sound, a black hand reaches up from below to grasp the edge of the roof. A few more follow. And then a lot more. Over the black arms, a face rises - no, not a face, a blue mask, held in yet another hand that turns it from side to side as though it's looking around.]
You gotta be kidding me... it climbed up the wall?!
[With a sudden heave, the arms pull the whole mass of the thing up over the edge and onto the rooftop - a tangle of shapeless black, as though it's made up entirely of arms and hands. Some of them brandish swords. It scuttles toward the girls as they recoil.
The other girl's hand goes to what looks like a handgun strapped to her thigh.]
Those monsters - we call them Shadows.
[She yanks the gun from its thigh holster, but rather than aim it at the Shadow she presses the muzzle to her forehead, squeezing her eyes tightly closed.
Several things happen almost at once. Minako, confused and afraid, raises a hand to reach towards the other girl, just as the girl draws in a sharp breath and holds it, bracing herself as though for a plunge. Before either of them can do anything else, though, the Shadow's many hands trace strange symbols in the air and a wave of flame out of nowhere makes both girls shrink back; a slash of a sword sends Minako's friend sprawling to the surface of the rooftop with a cry, the gun tumbling out of her hands and coming to rest at Minako's feet.
There's a sudden silence, so abrupt it's like the audio of the feed has cut out. Even the Shadow has stopped its advance and seems to be waiting, poised, hands and swords waving gently in the air.
Slowly, as though in a trance, Minako bends to pick up the gun. As she touches it, there's a deep, thrumming sound like a heartbeat... and then, very softly, the whisper of a young boy's voice:] Go on...
[Eyes closing, Minako raises the gun to her temple. Her other hand comes up to rest over her chest, below her throat; her lips part, and she breathes out one quiet word:]
...per... so... na...
[She pulls the trigger.
The sound is a gunshot overlaid with a noise like breaking glass; her head twitches to the side, shards of blue-white light spraying from the side of her head with no sign of an exit wound.]
Thou art I, and I am thou.
[A rush of air seems to swirl up around her, shimmering with light that coalesces above and behind her into a humanoid, metal-jointed figure of white and gold, bearing a massive lyre.]
From the sea of thy soul, I come forth. I am Orpheus, Master of Strings.
[And then something goes wrong. Minako shudders, and then doubles over, her hands going to her head and her face contorting in pain; Orpheus spasms, and the clean, hard lines of her seem to deform. The Persona makes no sound as hands erupt from inside her head, but Minako screams, a high, shrill sound, and then Orpheus bursts like an overripe fruit and a dark figure emerges from within her with a roar.
All of this happens in moments. The Shadow begins to recoil, as though sensing danger, but it's too late. The thing that emerged from within Orpheus launches himself at the Shadow, slashing at it with his sword, which slices the mask in two and severs a number of its arms.
The thing that emerged from inside Orpheus mauls the Shadow with vicious abandon, first with his sword and then with his bare hands, making a harsh, rasping sound like panting breath, until all that's left is a pulpy mass of evaporating blackness and a couple of piles of twitching, discarded arms. He crushes a remaining arm between his fingers, and roars again as though in triumph.
A flicker, and between one moment and the next, the dark figure has disappeared and Orpheus has regained her original form. Another flicker, and the Persona has disappeared entirely.
The other girl's voice can just be heard as the feed ends in static:]
...is it over...?
[ooc: there is a video, but it is Minato's version, because Minako doesn't get animated cutscenes so her version is not as cool.]