Expanding Investigations [Tristan]

[Lucretia Odovacar]

As much as she dreaded having to take it, English was actually becoming one of her more productive times.  She was fluent in the language, it was one of her first, so there was no need to pay attention at all.  While it was interesting to see the language being taught as a foreign language in its own right, Lucretia knew that this class was never going to teach her anything.  Thus, she knew she could do whatever she wanted during this period and not really miss anything.  Her options were limited since she didn't have any of her equipment here, but she did have her glasses computer and thus could surf the web during class.

This was a perfect time to start doing some research into the occult to see if she could find any similarities between the supernatural phenomenon happening now and whatever ideas people have had, past and present.  The idea of a dark world was very common, though the idea of the world shifting at a certain time of day was less common.  This research was allowing her to make some connections, but none of it was particularly useful to her yet.  How was one supposed to investigate something that broke all the known rules of the world and defied all common sense?

It was becoming clear to her that investigating alone would be difficult and unnecessary.  There were others that could experience this phenomenon, so there was no reason not to use their expertise even if they were as lost as she was.  Any person would have different experience, and from her observations, different magical abilities.  

That lead her to think of a peculiar experience she's been having since meeting the first humans in the dark world.  She scanned one of them, and since then she's always been able to tell exactly where he was when he was within a certain distance of her.  She hadn't quite pinpointed the exact distance, but she estimated it was around 1000 meters or so.  It was a little unnerving at first, but sure enough, every time she investigated that strange blip in her mind it was always that guy.  This had interesting implications as well.  Did her magic work in the real world outside of the supernatural phenomenon?  She would have to investigate.  

For now, she was thinking about exactly how she should approach this person.  Knowing his exact location at all times was a bit strange, and he would likely find it terrifying.  How should she explain what she can do then?  His magical abilities were offensive in nature, and could probably cleave any normal person into unrecognizable chunks.  That was equally as terrifying to her at least, so perhaps it would be fine just to be honest?  In the end, it probably wasn't wise to hide any information from him, even if it was a little awkward at first.  Knowing as much as possible may lead to future discoveries, so...about all she could do is hope that he wouldn't freak out.  School would be over in about ten minutes.  He always seemed to take one particular route out of the school, likely to avoid the crowds.  All she had to do was meet him outside and offer the alliance she wanted.  Lucretia had no ulterior motives, no desire to hurt him or anyone else, so hopefully he would understand that and go along with it.

So she waited for him to show up.  When he did, she waved in his direction and approached him.

"Hello.  I am not sure if you know who I am, but we fought monsters a few days ago.  We did not talk after, but I think that was a mistake.  My name is Lu--Odocavar Lucretia.  Who are you?"

She spoke in Japanese for the time being, not sure if he spoke any other languages.  Her accent was as thick as ever, and between that and her appearance, it was quite clear that she wasn't Japanese.

[Tristan Carter]

Tristan took a look around. It was surprising to him how few seemed to know about the darker world that appeared at midnight. Not only that, but the ones who did acknowledge its existence seemed to be as confused about it as he was. There was his viral idea, which meant that the people who used "Persona" weren't supposed to be there, but that meant nothing. Just because he understood how the ecosystem worked, that didn't mean he could figure out anything else. He was sure someone else would be able to figure out something truly important. He just hoped he would be informed once that happened.

He was musing about this when he saw a familiar face on his usually unoccupied path. He recognized her immediately, mostly because she was the first person he saw within the dark world. Another reason was the Italian accent which caught his attention. As she introduced herself, Tristan drifted off, trying to fit together the few pieces he had. Well, I suppose that if she's out here, they really are other people who are experiencing this and not another form of the monsters.

When the girl finished, Tristan gave a slight smile. "Yes, I remember you," he said slightly sheepishly, in Japanese. "My name is Tristan- err... Carter, Tristan." He took a breath and turned slightly, keeping an eye on the girl. "You don't mind if we speak in English, do you?" he asked, getting a slight blush of shame as he spoke. "I'm still learning Japanese, and I'm not sure I could hold a real conversation."

He took a step forward along his path, then stopped and turned towards the girl. "It, uh, probably wouldn't be seen as normal if we were to talk in front of the school," he said with a small smile. With a nervous look in his eye, he continued. "I get the feeling rumors probably wouldn't bother you, but I'd rather the people not start spreading things that aren't true. Especially if, so long as my guess is correct, you want to talk about certain going ons at night." He paused a second, taking a look around to see if anyone was holding a particular interest in their conversation so far. "You know, it probably wouldn't be smart to try and bring it up around people who don't already know about it."

[Lucretia Odovacar]

He wasn't wrong in regards to it being a bad idea for normal people to know about this.  She had a very effective way of mitigating that danger, assuming her abilities could actually work here.  She was able to locate this person with no problems, as though they were currently in the other worlds, so it seemed likely that her other abilities would carry over.  The real question was whether or not anyone else would see her blob if she summoned it really.  Fortunately, just talking didn't require fully summoning it, so this was a pretty safe test.

"My magic allows me to prevent anything like that from happening," this time her voice appeared in his  mind rather than from her mouth.  "Can you hear me like this.  I'm not sure if this works outside the other worlds.  Oh, also, don't worry, I am not actually able to read your mind.  If you want me to be able to hear you like this you'll have to 'think' at me.  I'm not sure of a better way to describe it.  It's like talking, just with your mind instead."

Lucretia 'spoke' in English, though it was clear from her accent that she spoke British English rather than American English.  She didn't expect to have any problems with that though.  The languages were near identical, they were just different dialects.

Lucretia continued to move away from the building as though nothing unusual was happening in order to avoid attracting attention, figuring he would follow.  They could figure out where to go shortly, assuming he didn't run away screaming from her abilities.

[Tristan Carter]

When the voice appeared in his head, Tristan jumped. Between the wide-eyed shocked look on his face and the fact that he jumped for seemingly no reason, he was sure it was a comical sight. Still, he felt it probably would do some good to not react to it further. When she started walking off, Tristan started to follow, just a bit ashamed at jumping at so little. So her magic allows her to talk into people's minds, he thought to himself, still unsure about whether or not she was telling the truth about not being able to see all of his thoughts. That certainly isn't more unusual than me being able to summon an ancient Greek to fight fairies and blobs for me.

Then he started thinking "at" Lucretia, to see if her telepathic ability did work both ways. So, this power comes from your "Persona," right? he asked, still trying to wrap his head around it. Does that mean you could talk to anybody at any time like this, or did you do something specific to talk with me?

Tristan then realized something. Wait, he said, suddenly getting worried. If you can do this during the day, that means that any of us could use their Persona's abilities during the day, right? He stopped walking for a moment, trying to understand all the possibilities that could arise from this. He didn't really care for the majority of them.

"If we can do this," he said aloud without thinking of it, "that means they could be used for any number of reasons." He looked down at the ground, not wanting to say what he thought but feeling compelled to. He then remembered he could simply think it at Lucretia.

Lucretia, you know not everyone will be responsible with these powers. The second someone with an evil heart realizes they can turn this to their advantage during the day, chaos will erupt. He started walking again, although with no actual location in mind. The sooner we can figure out what is going on, the sooner we can prevent anything like that from happening, right? Before I say my piece, do you want to say anything that you've figured out? You seem to be further along in figuring this out than I am.

[Lucretia Odovacar]

This reaction was much better than what she was afraid of.  A bit of surprise was to be expected, and even if his surprised seemed to come out of nowhere to any casual observer, there were reasonable explanations for it that didn't involve killer blobs or other worlds.  Lucretia herself didn't know how to smooth it over herself, so she opted to just join in the staring as though she had no idea what was going on.

"Don't worry, I'm just trying to look less suspicious to any outside viewers.  Anyway, yes, this power comes from my persona.  I am unsure of its limits right now.  It's not something I can easily experiment with outside of the other world."  She nodded at his observation.  "I am considering that a definite possibility.  My persona's skills appear to have to do with the 'mind.'  The ability you saw me use in the battle to reveal the creatures' weaknesses, I also used it on you before the battle.  Since then, it's as though my mind has some kind of radar, and whenever you enter a certain range of where I am I can tell you're there.  It's quite odd, and it happens even outside the other world.  I still need to experiment, however, given my persona's appearance, I've been hesitant to do so.  I need to find someone that would be willing to believe they're hallucinating.  Perhaps I should visit a bar at some point."

She continued talking directly into his head.  There was no reason to actually speak about any of this.  This method would keep the information secure no matter what.  Lucretia was only somewhat concerned about how others would use their personas.  It seemed like a given to her that people would use them to further their own goals; it's what people do.  It would only be bad if they started a panic, as that could lead to potential witch hunts.

"I am not sure if starting at stopping this phenomenon is the right way to proceed, but I agree with the sentiment.  In any society there will be those that misuse their abilities in terrible ways, but society as a whole has found a way to handle those people.  Going straight for the end of this phenomenon, while perhaps ideal, may be too much for us at the moment if it's even possible at all.  Instead, I propose that we should learn as much about the phenomenon as possible, and then we can decide on how we should proceed.

"Sadly, I have limited information.  I am not too familiar with the occult, and while I have been trying to learn more, there do not appear to be many consistent rules with these ideas.  My observations are still somewhat simplistic, but this is what I know:

"First, magic exists in some form.  It manifests more clearly in the other world, but it appears to touch this world, as evidenced by how I'm talking to you, and the portals to one of the other worlds.

"Second, the other world appears to have two forms.  There is the other world on the other side of the very strange looking portals showing up throughout town, and then there's the other world that appears at the stroke of midnight.  The...portal world twists the normal world into something only vaguely recognizable, while the...midnight world only sees some minor changes, most notably in the sky, and no electronic device works during this time.  However, the device will start working again once the phenomenon is over as though it was never turned off in the first place.

"Third, both these other worlds are inhabited by strange creatures.  Another person called these creatures youkai, which, after looking up information on the term I have to agree is accurate...but it seems like a very non-specific term.  I will call them that for the time being.  Regardless, there seem to be two varieties of these youkai: the first are the ones in the portal world.  They appear to be more intelligent, and come in a wider variety of forms, and have more stable forms.  The second appear in the midnight world and appear much more unstable, and do not to have any predicable patterns of behavior, outside of attacking anyone who comes near.

"Fourth, some humans appear to have similar abilities to the youkai.  While I have not encountered a youkai with my ability, I have seen some with abilities similar to other humans I've encountered.  I find it very likely that our magic and youkai magic come from the same source.  Regardless, there is a wide variety of magic, ranging from offensive abilities like yours to more supportive abilities like mine.  I doubt I have seen the full range of abilities humans and youkai can have.  For humans, gaining this ability also appears to give us super-human strength; enough to put us on par with the youkai.

"There are some other details I could talk about, but I think that's a reasonable place to start.  I've been trying to observe some of the youkai behavior, with...moderate success I suppose.  My investigations are going well, but slowly.  That's why I would like to expand them and bring more people into them.  What have you discovered so far?"

[Tristan Carter]

Tristan thought a moment. A lot of what she said seemed like common sense to him, nothing that needed to be brought up when he was simply thinking to himself. However, when she pointed it out, he realized exactly how strange it sounded. Magic? Other worlds? Strange creatures called "youkai"? It was all very important to realize just how unusual it was. As to what he had found out, he doubted it was very important in the long run. Still, all information needed be shared.

I haven't found anything that was as concrete as all that, he thought to Lucretia. I do have a theory, though. We aren't meant to be a part of this. Whatever all of this is, we are an unwelcome effect. It would make sense if it worked as a normal ecosystem, but instead it seems much more like how a body responds to contagion.

The creatures we hunt down seem to hunt us as well, so far as I can tell. That reminds me of antibodies and a virus. And, so far, it seems like we are the virus. He looked over at Lucretia. She was certainly thought about the situation in a scientific matter. Perhaps she would be able to make more sense of the one thing that bothered him, he hoped. The only thing is, I'm not so sure. I can't place it, but I get the feeling that isn't the case, even if logic says otherwise. And then there are the coffins. I have the strangest feeling if I approach one, and I'm honestly scared of opening one. He gave a sheepish smile, but continued. That's honestly all that I've gathered so far, but later today I'll see if my combat abilities work out here while the sun is up.

[Lucretia Odovacar]

Lucretia pondered his theory, walking just a little bit slower as she did.  There was a moment of silence, and then her voice echoed in his head again.

"It's not an unreasonable idea.  The creatures there certainly don't want us to be there, though I don't think there's any basis for saying the world itself doesn't want us there.  What makes the other worlds hostile are the inhabitants, not the world itself.  I also find it unlikely that the world itself is alive in that sense.  I think that if it were, then it would be trying much harder to kill us.

"I have not gotten close enough to one of the coffins to observe what may be inside them.  I should investigate that sometime soon.  I would not be against doing so in a group if you wanted to investigate it as well," she paused for a moment.  "Though, if we were to begin investigating as a team, I recommend sharing contact information.  My senses have a limited range, and I am unsure if my voice does as well.  I would rather not find out in a precarious situation with no backup."

[Tristan Carter]

Tristan grinned sheepishly. Oh, so she wants my phone number, huh? He took out a pen and offered it to her. I don't have any paper, he thought to her. And as for phones, we would have to contact each other before midnight. Nothing works after that, apparently. As for investigating in a group, that would probably be safest. It would be tempting fate if we were to rely on random chance to always bring assistance. He then recited his phone number for her from heart.

As for opening the coffins, I don't even know if we should. If people are transforming into them, it could be the equivalent of splitting a person in half and opening them up. I'd rather not be the one responsible for a person's death. He thought about it. What answers could they receive from opening one of them, though? Was it fair to deny the group answers on the chance that someone could die? He didn't know about the risks others would take in the quest of understanding it, but he was sure it would do less good than bad. He didn't know if Lucretia would agree or not, though.

So, yeah. I wouldn't want to be part of opening one of those up. However, if you need me for anything else, I'll be there. Promise.

[Lucretia Odovacar]

His response was a little disappointing.  He seemed to understand the stakes here, felt some sense of responsibility to make sure this was resolved, but he wasn't willing to take the necessary risks and make the necessary sacrifices to do any of that?  How could they possibly hope to solve anything if they couldn't even figure out what was going on?  Figure out what the rules of the other worlds were?  He spoke in idealized tones that would not be useful for any serious investigation.  Very unfortunate.  He still had the power though, so he would still be able to assist in some ways.  She would just keep the information and requests she shared with him very safe.

"In my experience, electronic devices still function with in the portal other world, though I have not attempted to call someone from there.  I'm not sure if they can use the signals from the other side of the portal or not, because I find it unlikely that the portal creatures have cell phone towers.  Regardless, this is more for if we figure something else, or if something unexpected happens.  It's unwise to think that you understand all the rules to a new phenomenon based on a few, meager observations.  It's very easy to draw incorrect conclusions from insufficient data.  It will be easier to schedule excursions into the outside like this as well," she nodded to herself.

"Outside of what your persona allows you to do, what are your skills?  I mostly work with electronics, so you can imagine my frustration that they don't work during the dangerous hour.  I can reverse engineer most any device, so if we ever come across anything unusual I may be able to decipher what the device is supposed to do and rebuild it for ourselves."

She opted to drop the coffin topic and leave out some of her less savory skills.  He probably didn't need or want to know that she could probably hack just about any system in the country.  About the only thing she wasn't willing to attempt was military hardware.  Given his earlier reactions to some more questionable things, it was probably best to make herself seem as clean and safe as possible.

Lucretia held off on asking for persona information for the same reason.  She wasn't sure how he'd feel about being associated with a mad titan, or that she could could sense his exact location if he ever came anywhere near her.

[Tristan Carter]

Tristan noted the lack of a response to his comments, but he decided not to say anything about it. Lucretia instead focused on his comment about phones not working. Apparently, most electronics worked in the dark world. Still, he'd rather not depend on that. As Lucretia said, it wouldn't be smart to think they understood everything based on a few observations.

He was surprised by her question about other skills. He hadn't thought about it before, but what could he say he was talented in that could be useful? Well, I'm decent at cooking, he said jokingly. Seriously, though, I can't think of many things that I could do that would be useful. Certainly nothing as good as a deep understanding of electronics. With a smile, he looked at her. I could always do good work as moral support, i suppose.

[Lucretia Odovacar]

Lucretia frowned, which didn't make her expression look that different oddly enough.  "I said my specialty was tech and robotics when we are potentially experiencing something that may render those skills less effective, if not useless.  It is still worth noting because we know next to nothing about this phenomenon, so we don't know what may or may not be useful.  Expecting to just be able to kill all the creatures and somehow fix everything that way is unrealistic, and it is not a good idea to only have one plan or one way to approach things," she couldn't hide the irritation in her voice.  "So, what else can you do?"

She only brought up a single skill because she was highly specialized.  Even if she thought about it, there wasn't a whole lot else she could do.  Her knowledge of physics and mathematics would likely be useful, but those still weren't things someone did; they were things someone knew.  Still, she wasn't about to say that out loud, it sounded so unflattering.

[Tristan Carter]

Tristan thought about what Lucretia had said. Sure, it wasn't smart to think that killing everything that moved was going to solve anything, but nobody would be able to move on towards any clues if they were helpless, either. He also took note of her general... Lack of a sense of humor. Anyone else would have taken that as a joke and a compliment, he thought to himself. But she seemed to get... I don't know, angry? Maybe joking around isn't the best idea.

With a calculated pause, Tristan thought about anything that seemed useful. I'm quick to understand the basics of most things, he thought towards her. I'm also pretty good at remembering things, so long as it isn't names or where I put something. He started to smile, but stopped himself. If I make that seem like I was just telling a joke, she may not believe any part of it. Nothing else, I need to see what sort of jokes she would be able to see as jokes before acting like I'm making any. As soon as he decided this, though, he instantly regretted it as all of the jokes he had been told in America flooded his mind. It was only made worse that many of them were dark humor, and he still didn't know if Lucretia could see all of his thoughts or not.

As he started snickering, he turned to Lucretia. When he looked into her eyes, though, he started all out laughing. "I-I'm sorry," he said in between laughing fits. I know this isn't the best time, but I just remembered something hilarious!" His face was turning a bright shade of red, both from his laughter and from embarrassment. He could only imagine how Lucretia would react, but he doubted it would be something to laugh about.

[Lucretia Odovacar]

Lucretia nodded to herself slightly as he spoke.  Based on how he discussed the information he had uncovered so far, she figured it was more of an intuitive understanding versus her highly analytic and detail orientated style.  Still useful though.  He would be more likely to find the bigger picture, and perhaps more connections to specific events than she would be.  She figured there'd be more coming, so she just waited.  He was taking a little longer than expected, so she looked in his direction.

His mouth was puckered up strangely, and he was clearly trying to hold back some amount of laughter.  When he looked at her he suddenly burst into laughter.  Lucretia raised her eyebrows slightly and continued to stare.  This phenomenon wasn't something she really understood as she rarely found anything funny (and even rarely might be an overstatement), but she observed it in many people in the past.  It always disturbed her a little.  Working with this person would be...interesting to say the least.  

"I...see."  She pushed her glasses up.  "This conversation has been very informative.  I will be sure to let you know if I plan any trips into the two other worlds.  That is all I wished to discuss for now.  If that is all you wanted to discuss as well, then I'll be heading home."

With that, she adjusted her bag and started heading for the train station.  Unless he stopped her, she'd head directly to the treehouse in her backyard to record all this information on her computer.

[Tristan Carter]

Tristan managed to stop his laughter in time to hear Lucretia say her goodbyes. He gave a friendly wave and watched as she turned away. He stood there for a moment, spacing out as he tried to process the conversation. Everything from telepathy to humor was involved, and Tristan knew he was going to have a fun time simply sorting out everything, as well as seeing if there was any glaring details he simply hadn't noticed.

The boy decided to continue his walk, and he thought about the uncertain future. They knew next to nothing about the situation, and they could possibly be killed trying to find anything out. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, honestly. Maybe the future would enlighten him.