post-trial garbage feelings

[ballisdeath]

[ The campfire is still roaring. S'mores supplies are hanging around the area. There's still a faint scent of copper on the air, for those who can really recognize it.

Leon is leaning against Mami on one of the logs around the fire. He's been acting like he's uncaring-- and a lot of it stems from bitterness that this happened to him and he had to watch it AGAIN. But he's calmed down now. He actually looks rather peaceful, if a bit weathered.

There's also now a pizza sitting on another nearby seat. It's cheese and a little cold. ]

Spell didn't work. Delivery man practically blinked out of existence. I thought I'd try since... look at all of us now.

[ That's all he murmurs. Join the campfire? ]

Comments

[le_mat]

You already know I lead a group. We're just high schoolers - if someone learned who we are, shit could get really bad. It DID get really bad - even now that everything's over I still see unmarked cars following me around sometimes.

[fallbymyhands]

[. . . SEES was just a group of high schoolers, too. and before that, a group of middle schoolers. she's sympathetic]

Unmarked cars. . . from the government? [he had mentioned a government researcher before, so that's her conclusion] Why would the government be interested in following a group of Persona users?

[le_mat]

Maybe because our last target was an in-running candidate for Prime Minister?

[He smirks]

If I had to guess, they want to keep tabs on someone already known to take on people in power, and who knows about cognitive psience. I have too many allies to disappear but know too much to leave alone either.

[fallbymyhands]

. . . your last "target?"

[Ren you never told her what it is you do!1]

[le_mat]

[He looks so pleased with himself]

That's what our group does. We take on corrupt people and use the Metaverse to change their hearts. People with distorted desires form their own little area in the Metaverse called a 'Palace'. We go to them, use our Personas to take on the Shadows inside, and steal their tainted desires right out of their hearts. Without their Treasures, they feel the guilt and weight of all their crimes and confess.

[The Phantom Thieves, aka mind-controlling anti-establishment teenage terrorists]

[fallbymyhands]

[. . . . . . .]

[she's already spoken to Kanji about his brand of Shadows, so. . . it isn't so much of a surprise to hear they fight the Shadows of corrupt and distorted individuals. but, that said?]

You mentally manipulate them into confessing.

[JIIIII. it's not a judgmental stare, but one that kind of says. . . "I hope you realize exactly what you're doing, here"]

. . . that's an extremely dangerous power.

[which isn't her saying that he can't be trusted with it. rather. . . it's her acknowledging the potential uses of same]

[le_mat]

[His cocky attitude falls to something more solemn, and he nods]

Yeah. I mean, we didn't think of it like that at the time. We were just... just kids trying to fight back against the people that hurt us. Our first target was this scumbag, Kamoshida- he broke my friend's leg, was beating on students, tried to force my other teammate to sleep with him... one student even tried to kill herself because of his abuse. People like that... it's hard to think of the fall out when you get the chance to really get some revenge. We never hurt anyone... but we could have, really easily.

[When you're hurt, angry, beat down... eventually you lash out. You can so easily become what you hate. Ren saw that path open to him that last conversation with 'Igor'.

He hates to think that, for a moment, he considered it]

[fallbymyhands]

[. . . she gets it]

[SEES was similar, in many ways. there wasn't a single person on that team who hadn't been deeply affected by the sins of her grandfather, of the Kirijo Group's ruthless pursuit of power. and that included her, didn't it? and while SEES didn't necessarily lash out the same way it sounded like Ren and his friends did, she. . . gets it]

I'm glad that you didn't. There is a lot to be said for recognizing your own moral alignment and sticking to it.

[le_mat]

[He makes a small sound, almost like a laugh... if it was grim and aimed straightly at himself]

S'not like I haven't been... tempted.

[fallbymyhands]

[she shakes her head]

Believe it or not, imperfections are nothing to be ashamed of.