1st card.

[dormition]

[There's a young man, Japanese even if his black hair has a blue sheen, sitting on a park bench. He's cradling what looks like a gun in his hands, staring down at it and running a finger along the barrel. There's an odd affection to the motion, but also a definite respect

Comments

[transient_gale]

Planning on doing something with that?

[ Normally she would have just walked by but the glint of light on gunmetal caught her attention. She wouldn't have said anything if he didn't address to her first. But he had.

[ Squall jerked her head to the gun in his hands. ]

[dormition]

Not really... it doesn't work right, here.

[It would be pointless even if it did. Minato looks up and over at her, holstering his Evoker at his belt.] Want to sit?

[transient_gale]

I'll stand. Thanks.

[ She glanced at the now holstered weapon before lifting an eyebrow at him. ]

No bullets?

[dormition]

[He accepts her refusal without comment.]

No bullets, [he agrees.] It's not for shooting things. It's for summoning.

[waterfell]

[The one who answers is a young Japanese girl, perhaps in her late teens, moderately fashionable but professionally dressed.

She knows those words. She's said them herself, in futile attempts to be convincing to herself: I'm used to this. That makes it alright, except that of course it doesn't.]

New?

[She lets it stand at that single word for now; she needs to know more first.]

[dormition]

[Minato's still in his school uniform. What else would he be wearing, even dead? For him, being alone has been true for most of his life, aside from those memorable two years... but that was a few years ago itself now.]

Most people don't stay here for very long, [he clarifies, as if this is clarification.] The people that are arriving, they'll keep coming back as they sleep.

[waterfell]

[That sends a very strange chill down her spine. The idea of unreality, the idea of mistaken perception, the idea of the twists and turns her mind has taken.

But there's something more important.]

So just what are you doing with that gun?

[For that matter, guns are rare in Japan; how had he come by it?]

[dormition]

It's not a gun. It doesn't have bullets. [He holds it up, barrel pointing towards himself, as if to demonstrate that fact. There's the off chance that she's familiar enough with guns to tell once she takes a closer look.]

It's more like a memento... something I can't let go of.

[goldenpacifist]

I am. [Cain's worried. He is the type of person not to make this obvious though. He just smiles as always as he approaches. He's playing along with ease.]

Would you like me to keep you company?

[dormition]

[A short hesitation, and then he looks up at him.] I... would like that. Thank you.

I'm Minato.

[goldenpacifist]

It's no trouble. [Cain takes a seat beside him.] My name is Cain Knightlord. It's a pleasure to meet you, Minato.

[dormition]

[He leaves his Evoker in his lap, but appears much less interested in it now that he has company.] ... I'm not very good at talking to people anymore. If there's going to be a lot of you, maybe I'll learn again.

[daha_az_tanrica]

[She sighs quietly before taking a chance to look the boy over. Didn't seem harmless to chit-chat with him for a bit.]

New, hm? I suppose I could be.

[dormition]

I haven't seen you before, so new to me. [looking up and over at her] I'm Minato.

[daha_az_tanrica]

Fair enough. I'm Seth. [Crosses over to him but instead of taking a seat, she leans against the bench.] I take it you don't expect new people that often.

[dormition]

People come here sometimes, but they don't remember it, or don't come back. Or both.

People that return... like you will, and some of the others... that hasn't happened before.

[knowmypurpose]

[So, that's a pretty concerning sight. At one point, Cordelia might have overlooked it, but after the whole thing with the Vocah demon opening her up to so many people's suffering, she has a different aspect on things.

As it is, she carefully approaches the boy, sitting down next to him.]

I'm sure you're not that alone.

[dormition]

I guess not, not anymore. [He's glad for the company, but something about how careful she's being...] Oh. You think I'm going to kill myself, [he realizes. Minato suddenly remembers Jack Harkness' extreme reaction to seeing him summon his Persona; it's not like someone hasn't thought that before.]

It's not really a gun. [He offers it out to her in case she wants to inspect it, handle first as a courtesy, though he is being truthful: it's not a gun, and if the trigger is pulled, all that will happen is a muted noise.]

[knowmypurpose]

[Cordelia blinks a little. And people call her blunt. She smiles though, relaxing.] Well, that's good news at least.

[She takes the thing from him, looking at it curiously. It sure looked and felt like a gun but she's seen enough weird things in her day to know that didn't mean anything.]

What is it, then?

[dormition]

[Minato's a study in blunt, that's for sure.] It's an Evoker, [he explains.] Certain people, very few of them, are able to manifest their soul outwardly, like a summoned entity. The summoning happens by shooting yourself with an Evoker.

But there aren't real bullets, so you don't get hurt. It's more... metaphysical. [That's as good an explanation as you're getting, because he never bothered to learn anything further on it.]