Capsule 004 💊 (Video)

[rassera]

[Kaneda had been in Heropa for a day or so when he say Kazu talking to a certain missing psychic. Kazu was his only clue to where he could be, and Heropa was the last place he'd been. Well, he wasn't exactly wrong; Tetsuo was indeed on the move and causing trouble, Kaneda now in pursuit of him. How does he keep up? Well, he just looked for the trail of betrayal and bitterness (and destruction) and followed that. His bike was fast, sure, but Tetsuo had a good head start, not to mention Kaneda was actually trying to avoid traffic an pedestrians. SHOUT OUT TO STILL NOT HAVING HIS DRIVER'S LICENSE.

Wait.

Traffic.

That's it. While in pursuit, and police sirens heavy in his ears, he pulls out his comm. Hello everyone! Don't use the phone and drive.]

KANEDA HERE!

[Why is he yelling? Well, the sirens in the background, as well as the wind whipping past him makes it hard for decent conversation. What can he say? He's doing this for all of you! He seems to be resting his wrist on his handlebar while holding the phone up with his fingers, eyes kept on the road as he surveys the situation.]

Figured now would be a great time to do a traffic report since some people [see: Quill] think I'm not dedicated enough to my job. Wanna see your traffic?

[His hand flicks the communicator up against the glass windshield of his bike, swirling around to show Tetsuo and a girl he can't seem to recognize off in the distance causing havoc, police just ahead of him in the chase. He knew those guys didn't stand a chance. Call it first hand experience from the Swear-In.]

THERE'S YOUR TRAFFIC, HEROPA. OUT OF THE WAY!

[He weaves past a few of the cop cars, only one following over the overpass that lies ahead. If he can just get past it, it'd be easy to take him down. Tetsuo wasn't much further, close enough to see him do what would normally be too dangerous of a jump for his skill--Oh wait. That's a flying police car in his direction. There's no time to react, except swerve his bike in the least damaging way to impact this.]

SHIT!

[And the feed cuts to static, a scream and a loud, sickening 'clank'. It fritzes for a moment or two, and when it opens back up, despite the video having a few glitches, shows a nice overhead view of the street below the overpass. gravel and dust brushes past the screen as something starts to move it. Seems like Kaneda's still got a hold of it, fingers gripping it for dear life as his initial signs of life move it towards his face. You look like a car ran over you, kid.]

Jesus Christ...Ow.

[The impact had certainly done some damage to him, his yellow shirt with a nice tear at the shoulder to the armpit, and his head hurts like a motherfucker. Some bruising, too, naturally, because he certainly couldn't get enough of that! But for the most part, he's pretty okay, which is more than a lot of people can say from being hit with a police car. Most of them are...you know. Dead. His one free hand reaches up to his hair, trying to get the constant wooziness out of his head before he turns, eyes cast down to--

!!

HE CERTAINLY IS HANGING OVER THAT OVERPASS--there's a slight moment of panic, hands scrambling to cling to whatever stone lie still intact beneat him, before trailing his own body to see just what's keeping him from becoming a pancake on the freeway. Upon inspection, it looks like some twisted metal from the railing caught around his ankle, locking him firmly in place, albeit upside down. Bending up, the puts his hands on his boot ankle to inspect it. Bad, BAD idea. Needles shoot up his side, lacing his entire chest with pain as he attempts to Maybe that car did a little more damage than he realized...and his bike? Well, that's nowhere to be seen.

Slumping in defeat, he holds the camera up and throws his free arm across his eyes. Heads.]

Say, anyone want to help a guy out?

Comments

video;

[amadaman]

... Do you still need help?

If you have two feet on the ground now, do you need healing?

video;

[rassera]

[Thanks to Peter/Charlie/Riku, he's on his feet at the very least. Although he's looking a little busted up...(when aren't you, Kaneda.)]

What's a healing or two between friends, right?

[That's a yes.]

[amadaman]

You rely on your luck too much! Just stay there; I'll be there in about half an hour.

[and cutting the feed. Damn it Kaneda!! Ken's using his speed and jumping to get to a Porter quick, then he's hopping over to Heropa and to where Kaneda is; he already located him by the background of his video.]

[rassera]

[It's certainly hard for Kaneda to stay still for a half hour. He may or may not wander away from the scene of the actual car, seems medics have arrived and he'd rather not get roped into a hospital visit.

Bless durability--you at least LOOK okay in comparison.

So he'll settle by the side of the overpass, looking at the freeway down below and spinning that coin in his hand.]

[amadaman]

Here.

[Ken arrives in half an hour, just as promised. He ran all the way here, bless superspeed, and he's got a can of soda for Kaneda that he hands over along with a bag from the box of Pocky he brought along. It is a serious stash of snacks he keeps hidden in his room.

His own injuries are down to a healing scab on his legs and arms. Most of the bruises are gone, and he hasn't been in pain moving around for a week or so now. And while he certainly hasn't been sleeping well, most of the toxin-caused hallucinations are gone. Which means he's here alone with the house left under the care of Koromaru and his lot. And plainly visible at his waist in its white holster is that gun of his.]

How bad is it?

[rassera]

[He's glad Ken's been recovering, at least. Injuries to him were a nuisance, but to Ken, they were practically life threatening. Definitely life threatening. He notices the Evoker, his shoulders slightly tensing when he sees it. Last time he saw it...well, he'd been at the proverbial other end of the barrel. And it wasn't fun.

Hard being in close proximity to it now.

Nevertheless, he shakes his head back down to Earth at the question. There's a quick check over himself, testing his arms first by shaking them, and then his legs. OH--Oh right in the back, that's gonna smart.]

Right here.

[He turns his back to Ken, pulling his shirt up over his head to expose it to him. It's...got some shrapnel there, certainly, old scars from the swear in now etched with new ones You're getting a collection, Kaneda.

Complete with road rash.]

How bad is it?

[amadaman]

[Ken's perceptive. Perceptive enough to notice even the smallest change, and Kaneda's tensing doesn't go unseen. But Ken doesn't comment, doesn't let it slap him with guilt. What happened, happened, and if he wants Kaneda to trust hiim with this gun again, then his job is to keep in control of it.

He narrows his eyes and sticks his tongue between his teeth when he sees the injuries. The cuts and road rash? Not a problem at all. He could heal that without even thinking about it. But he's not going to do that when there's shrapnel still in there, so he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handkerchief, holding it in front of Kaneda's mouth.]

Bite it. I'm pulling some of the gravel. Is your leg busted too?

[Ken's no stranger to injury, though. He's nothing but calm as he talks.] I healed a hole in someone's body before. Don't worry -- I can get rid of these with one try.

[rassera]

[The handkerchief catches his eye, trailing it back up to Ken's face a moment before softly taking it in his mouth. He didn't want to add tongue damage to his repetoire, honestly. And knowing him, that coin that fell was most likely tails.

Don't bet against luck when your power is luck.

His leg...there's a bit of sharp pain there too, right at the ankle (unsurprisingly). With a bit of resignation, there's a soft nod.]

...

[And mental preparation for what Ken's going to do.]

[amadaman]

I can get that.

[Healing is one of his better powers, the one he can be least ashamed of. It had saved Kasumi and Glitch's lives. He'll take that. But the Evoker goes untouched for now as Ken steadies Kaneda's shoulder with one hand and his other reaches for his back, small fingers working carefully to dislodge the shards of glass and pieces of rock. Some of them are stuck deeper, older looking, but the new fall has exposed some of them again so he picks at them too.

In all honestly, Ken hates blood. It makes him feel queasy. His mother's death had been anything but clean, and the Dark Hour was full of blood, all the time. Kaneda will be able to hear him deliberately slow down his breathing as he works, diligently pulling out what he could while trying to hurt him as little as possible.]

[rassera]

[There's a tensing of his muscles as he pulls out that shrapnel, biting down on that handkerchief and...very glad it was provided. Durability included pain reduction--things didn't hurt as badly as they could--but that didn't mean that they still didn't fucking hurt. Eyes shut tight as he bides the pain, feeling the soft trickle of blood down his back. The air stung, worse than the actual injuries.

But that's what you get when you're durable. You get the pain, and you have to sit through all of it.

He hears Ken's breathing, using it to sync with his own.]

[There's a muffled curse word underneath that handkerchief as the next piece is pulled out.]

[amadaman]

[Ken squeezes Kaneda's shoulder when he hears his voice, then gives it the tiniest of rubs. It's far from a truly comforting gesture, but it's an attempt born from knowing that this can hurt a lot. Ken's nursed a number of his own injuries after Tartarus expeditions, too, and he knows: surviving means you always have to feel the pain that comes with injuries. Unfortunately, Nemesis has no pain-killing abilities.

He silently continues his work for another handful of minutes, ignoring that he's getting Kaneda's blood under his nails and all over his fingers before the pieces are finally gone. And silently, he gets to his feet, walking around in front of Kaneda.]

I'm not going to hurt you, [he starts, wiping his hands quickly on his pants before reaching for his gun. It glints in the summer sunlight as he pulls it out, muzzle pointed down at the ground.] And it's going to be safe. So don't... freak out, okay?

[rassera]

[The gesture's noticed, shoulder tensing into that hand like it was trying to escape through it. His breathing's shaky, only noticable by the way his whole body shivers with each breath. The heat beating down on the wounds and exposure to air making it all sting.

When it feels like Ken's done, he lets out an exhale, looking at him as he walks around to his front. He doesn't let go of his shirt, to not let it fall and get soaked in blood, but also to help bide the pain.

His muscles tense, though, when Ken pulls out the evoker. Kens words were comforting, but images of Nemesis flash through his mind, dark eyes suddenly on edge. He trusts Ken, he really does.

But the head on collisions from the swear-in were hard to forget.

He nods silently, eyes cast down.]

[amadaman]

[The wariness is anticipated. He would be wary too, if he were in Kaneda's place. Even without that horrible first encounter, watching someone shoot a monster that size and appearance from their heads is, in one word, freaky.

But this is all they have now, and he doesn't let himself hesitate as he raises the gun and presses its muzzle against his temple. The metal feels cold against his skin, but for all that he says he can't like Personas, the gesture and Nemesis' presence brings him comfort. He takes a small, quiet breath to steady himself and,]

Nemesis.

[There's no attack from the Persona this time. The trigger is pulled and she appears, hovering over Ken with her wheel spinning slower than before, but she doesn't move from her spot. Instead, she raises a hand and points a finger at Kaneda to cast her spell. Diarama appears as a warm, yellow glow around Kaneda's body as it starts to stitch his skin together.]

[rassera]

[Kaneda's seen death plenty of times. Some of the more gruesome ones frequented Neo Tokyo's alleyways. Bike crashes, explosions, head injuries. The works. But nothing tensed his muscles like seeing Ken place that gun to his temple. A part of him tries to reassure himself--

It's fake. It's not a real gun.

--His eyes can't look away as he watches, arms ready to do something in case the gun decided to be real for a day. The word Nemesis rings in his ears as he winces, watching as the familiar figure appears.

Nemesis.

She couldn't emote, or even read his own face, but there's a little wary glance to her as she stands before him. The moment her hand raises, he holds his breath, a small part of him waiting just in case Nemesis decided to be less than friendly.

But that never comes. Instead, warm, yellow light envelopes him, running across his back like warm sunshine, fixing up the wounds and scars on his back like sutures. A wash of relief flows through his body, and his eyes close while the sensation takes effect. This...this made up for all that shrapnel.

You might even see a smile, Ken.]

[amadaman]

[It really isn't a real gun; it's not even good at looking like a real gun. To anybody who knows a gun well enough, it'll probably be easy to tell how fake it is, and a normal person would only get a small click out of pulling the trigger. It's big and out of proportion in Ken's small hand, just like his spear, and just like the Persona that hovers over him once summoned. But the action looks real enough, doesn't it? And it feels real enough, too, to Ken, and he thinks it must also be for the other members of SEES.

They'd all been exposed enough death in their lives to fall for it. Ken's envisioned his own death so many, many times that even this little act brings up the association crystal clear. As far as he understands, it's that understanding that draws his Persona out. It's such a messed up concept; Jaime would cry if he told him that mechanic... did he tell him already?

But as he rolls the thoughts around in his head Diarama starts working and Kaneda's wounds start closing, and he thinks he sees the shadow of a smile on the guy's face. It brings him another wave of relief; this time, he was able to use Nemesis for good. This time, he was able to use it to help his friend.]

... Your wounds aren't that deep. This should do it.

[rassera]

[Perhaps it was watching Ken use it that made it real. No matter how much you know something is fake, a kid holding a gun to his head and actually pulling the trigger...it makes you think.

The only difference between a fake gun and a real one in that situation is bullets. You're not thinking about the internal workings or how big it is.

Bullets are the only thing that matter. And an inch of finger movement is all it takes to know the difference.

Diarama envelopes around him, the warmth of it almost...protective. Like the mother's embrace he'd never be able to recognize. When the light starts to fade, he feels the pain alleviate, a shaky sigh coming out of his mouth as he throws a hand to his forehead.]

Good as new.

[You never appreciate status quo until the pain is gone.]

[amadaman]

[Unlike the last time he had to heal a friend, this only takes one shot so there's no visible exhaustion on Ken's face. He waits until Kaneda's reaction, to see if he needed another Diarama, but it appears that he doesn't so Ken nods, placing the Evoker back in its holster and snapping it shut. There's no need for it now.

And with his hand now free, he extends it toward Kaneda in an offer to help him up.]

This is what Personas are supposed to be used for. I forgot to introduce you, [he says, though Nemesis has faded already.] That's Nemesis, my Persona. She's... me, in a sense.

[rassera]

[His hand eventually runs through his hair, soaking in the sweet feeling of not-feeling. No burn, no dull ache, no sharp shooting pains. It was a nice alternative. The gun's put away now, and a small part of Kaneda's glad for it. Just because it's fake doesn't mean he likes seeing it in a kid's hand any more.

You know, unless they're a really good shot.

The opposite hand goes to Ken's, taking it firmly as he hoists himself up from his knees and back onto his feet, eyes cast towards Nemesis now. It's such a weird light to see her in now. The thought of her gear ramming into his back still rung heavily on his mind, but he's starting to see just what she was intended for. Protection.

Maybe they aren't...SO bad.]

...Uh..Hi.

[To which he flashes a small smile and a wave. Can she see that?]

[amadaman]

[Ken watches Kaneda wave, but Nemesis herself doesn't move an inch. She continues to hover, wheel spinning, before Ken releases Kaneda's hand and sighs, letting his shoulders drop, and she fades away.]

She can't see you. She's not alive or sentient, not really.

[He taps his temple where the gun had been pressed.]

Like I said, she's me, so she reacts to my thoughts. She doesn't think or feel individually from me.

[rassera]

[That was so weird to think about. Something that was so humanlike in nature, something given a face, and it's anything but living physically or in spirit.

His hand lowers as Ken explains, walking up to Nemesis (albeit cautiously), and reaching a hand out.]

Like a bike. An extension of yourself.

[Somehow, that sounded easier to understand. His bike was practically everything, and if this came from Ken, then that was the same too.]

Explains why it hurt you when I shot her...

[amadaman]

[This time, no matter how close Kaneda gets she doesn't move. Not voluntarily. Her wheel is spinning at a smooth, even pace today instead of the angry whirring from the swear in. Her eyes only follow Kaneda because Ken's own attention is on him, too.]

Yeah. Shadows usually come for us directly so I never thought about it, but I felt the impacts.

Persona powers are unique to my world. I haven't met anybody from another who had anything like it -- Koromaru, Minato-san, Aragaki-san, and Sanada-san all have the same powers as I do, and this power is the reason why we were gathered to join SEES back home.

[rassera]

[Kaneda circles around her now, his muscles a little less tense as he inspects her. She's nowhere near as volatile as he remembers from the Swear-In, and he's starting to finally bridge that gap that Ken's mental state is--by default, her behavior.

If anything, the even pace Nemesis's gear runs at is comforting.


Ken actually trusts him.]

So everyone in SEES has...one of these?

[His knuckles knock on Nemesis's leg ever so gently.]

Makes sense. Not like you guys have anything like what Tetsuo is in yours.

[amadaman]

[That's so strange, having his Persona touched with such a gentle gesture. But, he supposes, he had never kept her out for such an extended period of time; in Tartarus, they could never afford to waste that extra energy of keeping them there. Right now, at least, the lack of spells isn't zapping his energy, although the concentration it takes to keep her solid is starting to be a bit of a strain.

Which is why, as Kaneda pauses in his circling, Ken moves to stand next to him and puts a hand on his elbow lightly. He smiles, but his breath comes out quietly huffed and his brows are starting to crease.]

I'm gonna put her away, okay? It can get kind of tiring.

[And with just that, without a motion or even an incantation from Ken, Nemesis disappears. Without her there to block it, the sunlight beats down on them -- still warm, despite the incoming fall -- and Ken squints against the brightness.]

Nemesis is unique to me... like Koromaru has Cerberus, like the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld in Greek mythology.

[rassera]

[Kaneda's eyes travel to that hand, trailing it up to Ken's face. Right...like using any power, Nemesis had to be sapping his energy. His own hand moves away from her, giving her one last look before nodding and taking a step back.

And sure enough, she disappears without any trace of being there. The sunlight soon takes her place, and his hand goes up to shield slightly from it.]

Of course Koro would have a guard dog. Are they all that fitting?

What's Minato have?

[amadaman]

Yeah, they are. I told you: Nemesis is me. It's more than just being linked to them; Persona are our true self and a reflection of who we are. Personas don't lie.

[Ken narrows his eyes against the sunlight but watches where Nemesis used to be. Nemesis, the spirit of divine retribution, and the goddess of revenge. He had always narrowed in on the revenge part of her meaning, but as she fades, he thinks about what Jaime had said the other day: "You all want to do the right thing." And that was Nemesis' other attribution, wasn't it? He shakes his head.]

... Minato-san's a bit of a mystery to us, honestly. Maybe to himself, too. His initial Persona was named Orpheus, but I never got to meet that one; he has more than one. Dozens.