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[jericoded]

Is this really it?

[The half-incredulous tone of a guy who is obviously gearing up for an impassioned speech of some sort, but still valiantly fighting the urge.]

A handful of paperwork, [and here he holds up his own file folder,] a mark on the wrist, and an assignment to placate us?

[Someone's vlogging, because as he walks past a nearby burn barrel he tosses his file into it and doesn't even watch the sparks fly up as he continues on his way. Something about symbolically burning the whole damn thing down to the ground comforts Markus enough that he moves on from suggesting outright revolt. For now.]

I'm not moving into a stranger's home, so no one living in De Chima #004 has to worry about a new roommate. And if anyone would like to be a dating app developer, the position is currently up for grabs.

Anyone of a like mind, I'd appreciate your perspective.

Comments

video

[izanyagi]

That fast? That's amazing!

[Anyway, Yu being Yu, he'll just continue like this is nbd.]

I'm Yu Narukami by the way. It's nice to meet you. If I knew how to program, I'd take you on that dating app offer, but I'm not every good with electronics, I can just stick my hand in them.

[???]

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[jericoded]

Markus. Don't worry about it, I'm sure the position will still be there regardless of who does or doesn't take it. [What are you doing to electronics in your world, human]

Video

[izanyagi]

[

Of you know, nothing special. Just entering an alternate world mind palaces of humanity's collective unconsciousness.]

Well I'd be happy to show you around if you'd like, Markus-san. This place is pretty daunting when you've arrived and there's been a lot of weird situations lately...

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[jericoded]

[There's definitely a brief moment of hesitation as Markus runs through the possible consequences of taking Yu up on the offer; he's no RK800 but it doesn't take long for him to decide (only slightly longer than it does for him to comb the network mentally for all of Yu's interactions before deciding his hospitality is genuine).]

All right. I've no reason to refuse, if you're offering. Where would you prefer to meet up?

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[izanyagi]

Well...

[Hmm...how does he put this without making it sound really dumb...]

...if you tell me where you are right now, I can probably teleport myself there using a tv or a computer screen. It's one of my powers.

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[jericoded]

...okay. [NOT GONNA QUESTION THAT. Apparently he got some sort of power that lets him memory share with organics so yeah, sure, the kid can jump through TVs. Sure.

A text with Markus's current GPS location pops over into Yu's phone.] There's an electronics distributor on the corner. Maybe you can use that.

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[izanyagi]

[This is your life now, Markus.]

On it. Keep watch for something appearing.

[He's not perfect, but a few minutes later, a hand appears from one of the appliances and a surprised worker screaming in the store.]

Do you see that one? I think I heard a loud voice...

video & action

[jericoded]

...yeah I see it. [And the screaming. He's just gonna head right over and grab that hand to help the guy out of the the TV (??/ ?????)]

And now full action! 1/2 (mostly so I could use this icon)

[izanyagi]

[In a way it's pretty funny because this is exactly what happened back them. An invisible force pulled him into the midnight channel but the TV was to small. At first his mind goes into a 'oh this is normal' instead of completely panicking, but as he passes over and sees Markus he does look a little sheepish realizing what had actually happened.]

2/2

[izanyagi]

Oh! Sorry. [You did not see the brief look of wonder as he exited, seeing Markus different eye colors.] Thank you for helping.

[He dusts himself off before extending his hand. He's quite tall for a human, about but the android is still taller. There's a warmness to him, a genuine calmness in the greyish eyes that match his hair.]

Nice to meet you face to face. It's better than just speaking by video.

[jericoded]

[That was fucking bizarre, my dude] Is that one of those 'powers' you were given when you arrived here?

[izanyagi]

[WELL...]

...actually no, I had something similar to that back home. We used it to enter the TV world, a place that lives inside of people's hearts...

[Don't mind him looking like "please don't think I'm insane" as he idly rubs the back of his neck. Please don't be too freaked out to accept his handshake either, he promises he's a nice!]

...it's a long story. Actually all of my powers sort of remind me of my own back home...just not quite the same. The power of bonds with my friends, it has become a way to boost others I'm close to here. Then there's my Persona. It's uh...my other self that I can summon to help me fight.

[jericoded]

[Hey no offense, he wanted to learn a little bit more about the TV power first. But sure here, have a handshake.]

That's...a pretty impressive array of abilities. Seems almost ridiculous. ['''''almost''']

I hope this was worth the plurk

[izanyagi]

omfg

[jericoded]

[ WHAT IN THE FUC K

Markus snatches his hand back before the first syllable finishes echoing, warning messages springing up in front of his eyes as his processors overclock, searching for a threat. The voice slows to a crawl for a second as Markus tries to assess any dangers, then picks back up as he begins to relax. No software intrusion, no unannounced visitor. No threat.

Still fucking spooky, though. And the- card thing. Markus presses a hand to his chest, running a full diagnostic in the background just in case.]

Yes, the card is the startling part. Maybe consider volume control for...whoever that was.

I love doing these okay

[izanyagi]

[Yu on the other hand seems to be a paragon of calmness, standing there even as Markus panics like he's lived through this before. When it's all done, he gives him a tiny smile.]

I wish I could but it has a mind of its own. It used to be like that back home, but no one else could hear it.

[He points to Markus' card.]

An old man with a long nose once told me that the Arcana is the means in which all is revealed. I actually do tarot card readings here so I can tell you more about it...

[He snaps his finger and a deck appears. No it's not magic, this is just slight of hand, Yu's been practicing his tricks since even before coming here for little cousin. He pulls out the strength card from the deck and shows it to him. It's not quite like the other but similar.]

...the Strength card represents inner strength and the power of the spirit to overcome any obstacle. You have a persistence, tempered by an underlying patience and inner calm. You are focused on what you need to do, and you go about it in a way that demonstrates great composure and maturity. [He tilts his head and puts the cards back...in his pockets. Sorry, the trick only works one way.] I hope that was useful as information. Or maybe I'm completely wrong. It rarely is...

[Yeah, he's pretty weird. But when you've saved the world twice you tend to have to be a little bit crazy.]

As long as you have the card, if we're close by, I can lend some of my own power to boost your own. I guess you could say I'm like a battery?

[A human battery, if you will.]

Back home, the bonds I had with my friends were able to cause miracles. That hasn't quite happened here yet, but I'm sure one day it might.

[jericoded]

[Despite all evidence to the contrary, Markus is reminded of Lucy with painful clarity. The way she would look at him, look into him; how she would never give him full answers, but laid out the choices and paths before him as if she'd put his code together line by line herself.

Markus rubs the spot on his chest where the card had emerged idly, committing the one Yu shows him to memory to look up later.]

Do your cards always have such a high opinion of people you just met? [What on earth does he even do with this, just carry it around? Maybe he should slip it into a panel where it'll be out of the way, if it's that important.]

[izanyagi]

They just show potential. Admittedly, I'm adding a little bit of theatrics to make it sound cooler. If you want I could do a full tarot reading later! They are pretty fun to do.

[He's a teen who's truthful to a fault.]

The cards in my world signaled someone important. As I grew closer to those people, my own powers grew stronger. Even if it's not quite like this here and a more [he points to Markus' card] visible. I also have a card of my own I use to summon my Persona. Sorry, I can't really share that power, unfortunately, only show you how I do it. That's my last skill here.

[jericoded]

[Is this what teenage humans are into??? Is it the cards or the lightshow or the booming voice? He's so behind...this is what he gets for living with an old traditional artist all his life.]

No, it's fine...I wouldn't want to take something you'd need. It's all right. [Markus will just turn the card back and forth before pocketing it for now. He'll find somewhere safer to store it later.] I don't have anything that impressive to share with you, unfortunately.

[izanyagi]

[Yu is like...the least normal teenager Markus don't worry about it too much.]

Oh no! Sorry I meant I can't make you a Persona user...if I knew how, I think it might help others to be honest...they helped me and my friends through great hardship. But honestly it's not brute power that's important, but the strength of the heart.

[Maybe just hamming it up a little bit. Yu is slightly trollish that way. Also to be fair he has no idea Markus is not a human. Why would he?]

The Persona can wait, if you'd rather visit the city. I use it for fighting normally. Do you know how to fight, Markus-san? I have to admit, there are a lot of very strange things that happen each month...

[jericoded]

[Maybe a little but Markus eats it up, he loves those kinds of speeches. Enjoys the sports team movies where the underdogs win the cup, etc etc.]

Why don't we take a look around the city and talk? [Doesn't really wanna answer the 'can you fight' question to a teenager when the answer is very, very complicated.]

[izanyagi]

Yeah.

[And surprisingly, Yu doesn't bring it up or poke him farther. There's a big of understanding in the way he speaks.]

De Chima is pretty humid during the summer, so I hope you don't mind the heat too much. [He offers his own bottle to him.] During the day it's pretty quiet, since everyone is working, but at night there's a lot more people around. I don't know if you're a fan of high-end fashion or technology but that's what they are known for along with their medical research.

[jericoded]

[Politely refuses the bottle with a wave of his hand.] I might have something of an interest in one or two of those. [They're something to explore later, at least. If Markus finds himself in desperate need of something to do, which is looking more and more likely.] Do the other imPort cities have their specialties like De Chima?

[izanyagi]

Heropa is more like a small town than large city...if you want something more quiet, then I'd suggest vising them first. It's in Florida. Nonah is in North Carolina and it's a good place to look for a job since you don't like the one you have...there's a lot of opportunities there since it's constantly growing.

[Which brings them to the last city.]

Maurtia Falls is in Pennsylvania. It's smaller like Heropa, but its illegal activities is what most people know it for, especially the usual vices that nightlight is known for. [Yu figures Markus would understand what he means by that.] It's a beautiful place, and the food is really good. Oh! Speaking of which...I know a few places around here that serve food, if you're interested.

[jericoded]

[Huh...maybe he should check out Maurtia Falls. Sounds kind of like Detroit.]

If you're hungry I'm more than happy to go, but I don't need to eat or drink anything.