LUNAR INTERLUDE 3: VIDEO | Backdated to the end of the event on the 20th

[journalkeeper]

(( cw: Discussion of character death. ))

[ Lucretia looks tired, and sad. Her cameras focused on her face he can't really see very much about going on behind her, but if you pay attention you can definitely hear other people around and there is a glimpse of a cop nearby.

And the other, pervasive, inescapable sound is Magnus Burnsides wailing his heartbroken heart out.

This whole scenario was exactly what she was afraid of, but she's in no mood to say "I told you so". And, considering it was caused by one of the Grand Relics, has no right to. ]

I have... news.

The plant infection of Maurtia Falls is over. We've managed to stop it from spreading, and hopefully things will get back to normal soon. I'm sorry for all the trouble and grief it caused, but please rest assured the worst is over.

[ She sighs, and then straightens her self as if steeling herself to say what she has to next. ]

I'm sorry to say that we did not come out of this unscathed. Archie... [ She lets out a breath. ] Archie is dead.

From what I understand, there is a high chance the nanites may bring him back in a matter of days, but that does not mean this is not a tragedy. If he doesn't… if he is truly gone then you have my condolences and I hope that you can all take the time you need to grieve.

[ Magnus’s wailing voice is still heard and is joined by Merle, "OH HOW WE MISS HIM!! THAT--" There’s a pause. "ARCH DUKE FERDINAND".

Lucretia's shuts her eyes tight for a second before she moves to shut off the communicator as she simultaneously turns. ]

Merle that’s not his --

Comments

[sleight_of_hand]

And what exactly is your job supposed to be? What the hell happened?

[journalkeeper]

My job is to prevent this sort of thing happening, to protect people from... magic that would work through someone like that.

[sleight_of_hand]

Well you obviously need to be fired.

Now how about answering my other question. What the hell happened?!

[journalkeeper]

[ Ouch. It's the thought "maybe she deserved that" that keeps her from responding to that. ]

As I said, magic. Archie was influenced by some very powerful magic that was far more than he could control. In fact, you could say it was controlling him far more than he was controlling it. We... disrupted it, though not without a terrible cost.

[sleight_of_hand]

You killed him. You 'disrupted' it by killing him.

[ The judgement is practically dripping from his voice. ]

[journalkeeper]

We -- it wasn't what any of us wanted or intended. I was not speaking lightly when I called it a tragedy.

[sleight_of_hand]

Yeah, you sound really sorry.

[ The sarcasm was dripping from his voice. ]

Maybe you should make sure that any weird magics should stay out of good people's hands, hunh? Might be a good idea.

[journalkeeper]

[ Oh her patience is worn very thin. ]

I understand this is frustrating. A small, simple error resulted in an immense tragedy, and I didn't watch a good friend die so you can question my intentions. I don't think his death was just, but had this gone untouched this would not have remained contained by Maurtia Falls. I have watched far too many people die due to - to dangerous magical artefacts to underestimate how near a fucking miss this was. That it happened at all is a tragedy, that we managed to stop it before it spread even further is a goddamn blessing.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ A cold, hard look came to Adachi’s face as she spoke, and he was silent for a long moment when she finished. A grin spread across his face then, open and friendly, but it didn’t match the look in his eyes or the frigid tone in his voice when he spoke. ]

A small mistake, hunh? A blessing that it ended quickly?

[ A dark chuckle escaped from Adachi’s throat. ]

I watched my friend kick around the dog that he bred because he was so out of his goddamn mind that he couldn’t even remember her. I had to stand there as my body twisted itself into something else, as everything felt cold as I was trapped in an Empty form of living. You know what it’s like to be a plant, lady? Especially when part of your soul is still aware like a human would be? It’s hell; it’s pure hell. You can’t move, you can’t speak, you can barely fucking feel anything. I wanted to scream the entire day I was stuck like that, and only part of me could.

[ And oh, did he remember Izanagi-no-Yomi screaming. His Persona barely talked, wasn’t anywhere near as chatty as Akira’s Arsene, but gods he would never forget the horrified, pained screaming that he could still feel in his soul. ]

You don’t get to call any of that ‘small’ or a ‘blessing’.

[journalkeeper]

[ This is... horrifying. Legitimately horrifying and that sorrow and sympathy on her face is sincere. ]

There haven't been -- every other time this has happened there hasn't been any survivors to tell their story, that you could still be aware like that -- I - I didn't know, no one has...

[ She pauses. ]

I'm... I'm so fucking sorry.

[sleight_of_hand]

Yeah, I'm sure you fucking are.

[ He didn't have time to deal with her right now, so he just closed the connection. Oh, if he did though, he would be investigating everything he could about this chick. ]