Persona: Invoke

[Vii]

Writing down note after note of today's subject, Chigusa's thoughts drifted if for one moment to a question that would cloud her mind every once a while. What was the point of all this? She was not one to question education, namely what she arguably needed to graduate one day. But her future, even if distant at this point, was not something she could simply ignore forever... Notably when one was not absolutely clear of what she would pursue in a few years. Going over her interests had long lost its substance in order to appease her concerns, as none of them seem to provide a fitting career choice. Well, one that assured she wouldn't starve... Photography, painting, crafts, ... No, nothing... She sighed, redirecting her focus back on the teacher's lecture, tapping her pen against the wooden surface of her desk. She was left with her internal struggle unresolved, it seemed. Again.
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[Ishi123]

Before Minato knew it, the school day had ended, the final bell ringing. The students were quick to get up and pack their things, but Minato took his time to make sure everything was organized before slinging his back on his shoulder and stepping out of the room once the majority of the crowd had passed. He put on his headphones and listened to his own music as he headed out, helping him to ignore all the clutter and voices of students talking at the end of the day.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack lets out a quiet sigh of relief as he hears the bell signaling the end of the school day. He packs up his stuff before getting out of his desk and walking out of the class. He walks down the halls, listening to the seemingly endless voices of other students around him. Hearing this and that about what people were doing or what they were going to do made him feel something, the same feeling he had last night.


"I really need to do something else today...but what..."

 

[Vii]

For once, Chigusa made sure not to prance around after the bell granted her the sweet release of the end of school. Shoving her books and other of her belongings on her bag, she exited 1-A in a brisk pace, arguably to the point of actually running down the hallway. She gathered a few looks and snickering from her classmates but she chose to ignore them rather than her usual scowl of indifference. "Chii!" Nope, nope, nope. The voice was the enemy, followed by footsteps, she could even hear the rest of her friends, some laughing at how ridiculous this all was, some even going their to tell Kosaki to leave her be. It was as if she was running from a pack of bullies out to get her, which put the actual circumstances of this scenario in a much pitiful light, even downright pathetic. Soon, she would reach the exit, having managed to loose them amidst the crowd of students desperately trying to get home at once. Dragging her shoes from the amount of effort put into this escape, the first-year catches her breath, wandering around for a bit more. For some reason, she didn't felt like going home, not just yet...
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[PyroHunter16]

Once the bell rang, Tsuna put his headphones on as he packed up his stuff and left the class. Today, he felt like going to Junes and getting snacks there. He sat down at the food court with a bag of snacks, grabbing a bag of chips and opening it as he ate alone.


"The breeze is sure nice today..." Tsuna told himself, munching on his chips in solitude while listening to music.

 

[PercyJacks]

<p>


Woken up by the much-awaited sound of the school bell, Kotone restrained herself for a moment to listen to the teacher's final remarks before packing up her things and walking to the school exit. She arrived at her shoe locker, switched her footwear, and headed outside. It was then she remembered her mental note to pick up groceries on the way home, so she took a detour from her usual path and headed to the convenience store.


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"<strong>Thank you, come again!</strong>" said the cashier as Kotone left the store and went on her way home.


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"<em>Haaa…I'm so excited!</em>"


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<p>


Kotone had bought, along with groceries, a disc that contained two seasons of one of her favorite anime, plus bonus OVAs and interviews with the voice cast. She walked briskly on the path, hurrying home as fast as she could but not too fast that she'd get people's attention easily.


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"<em>I hope I don't have too much homework today…</em>"


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[Raptordude115]

Zack finally exits the school building, standing right in front of the main gate. He taps his foot while wearing a face of ponder. He scratches his hair as he decides whether to go straight home or do something else for a change.


"Aye..."


Zack sighs as he decides to sit at the same bench he was at during lunch. He ignores the chatter of two nearby students, gazing at other students standing around talking or walking out of school. Zack begins to talk to himself, not caring if he's being heard.


"What to do, what to do, what to do...hmmm..."

 

[Ishi123]

Minato decided to head straight home right after he got out of the school gates. He didn't have anything to do this day, so it was straight home to relax on his own. He didn't have any homework assignments either, so he had the rest of the day completely to himself. He'd need to pass through the Samegawa floodplain to get back home, so he headed there from the school gates.

 

[Vii]

Well, the sensible thing to do would be to study. She could not recall any homework assignments given today, as well as no club activities this day of the week. Then again, there was no rush. Unlike in Kyoto, there was no one to pressure Chigusa, no one to have her reprimanded for wandering around doing nothing. Of course, there was so much a person could take from slacking around...in her case, at least. Taking in the scenery as she made her way across the Central Shopping Disctrict of Inaba, Chigusa would look for pictures to take, a feat that proved somewhat troublesome as it would lead her to bump into strangers from time to time...
​

 

[PercyJacks]

<p>


"<strong>I'm home!</strong>" Kotone said to whoever might be in her house as she opened the door and removed her shoes.


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<p>


"<strong>Ah, Kotone, welcome back.</strong>"


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</p>


<p>


Upon entrance, Kotone was greeted by her mother, who was in the kitchen doing…something. "<strong>Did you get the groceries?</strong>" the mother asked. Kotone went into the kitchen with a cheerful "<strong>Yup!</strong>" and dropped off the groceries, careful to make sure her new game wasn't in the bag. Her mother noticed and asked, "<strong>Did you get a new game?</strong>"


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</p>


<p>


"<strong>Yeah, and I heard this one is really good too!</strong>"


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<p>


"<strong>You've been spending a lot of money on things like that lately, haven't you?</strong>"


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"<strong>Well it's more expensive since it's all the way here in Inaba instead of Akiba where you can just get second-hand versions for much cheaper.</strong>"


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"<strong>I guess you're right. Don't forget your homework, okay?</strong>"


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"<strong>Got it.</strong>"


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<p>


Kotone played the game all night and ended up forgetting her homework anyway.


</p>

 

[Raptordude115]

After spending ten minutes thinking, Zack shrugs and decides to just head on over to the Central Shopping District. He first calls up his mom to tell her about his sudden plans.


"Hey ma...yeah, I'm still at school...I was thinking of going to the shopping district...uh, I was thinking of just looking around and stuff...don't worry, I'll be home before it gets dark...mom, relax...ain't you the one who keeps telling me to do something other than stay home and play games?...Don't worry, I'll be home before ya know it...alright...love you too, ma...bye..."


Zack hangs up the phone and sighs. His parents were the sort of protective type. Not protective to the point where they would want to keep him from going outside or stalk him to make sure he was alright, but just concerned for him and wanting to make sure he was safe. It doesn't help that they're now living in a completely different country, though... Zack begins walking and eventually arrives to the Central Shopping District of Inaba, looking around as he walks through the busy district...maybe bump into some new people...

 

[PyroHunter16]

Unsatisfied with just snacks, Tsuna got up and went to buy some beef-steak, returning to his original seat shortly after with the food in hand. As he opened up a can of iced coffee, he took a moment to think about his parents, who would most likely be home at midnight again.


"Guess I don't really need to tell them anything..." Tsuna muttered to himself before consuming his beef-steak.

 

[Ishi123]

Minato passed through Samegawa, enjoying the view of the lake and plains below, making it home in a timely fashion. He stepped through the front door, taking of his shoes and placing taking his bento out of his bag, leaving his bag where his shoes were at the front entrance to his house. He put the bento in the kitchen sink, heading over to his futon and sitting down, relaxing on it and sighing. He grabbed his remote control from the table in the center of the living room and turned on the TV to the news.

 

[PyroHunter16]

After about an hour of nothing, Tsuna decided to head home. He didn't have much homework to deal with, so it didn't really affect him. Once he got home, Tsuna left his shoes by the door, dropped his bag on the couch, and went up to his room to take a nap; the homework could wait.

 

[Vii]

Reaching her apartment by the time orange light bathed her living room, Chigusa took of her shoes, assembled her study materials at the coffee table and put a cup of noodles on the microwave, her pace resembling that of a snail in retrospective. It all felt too natural for her by now, save the choice of meal. She would have to find a part-time job soon, she couldn't just keep up depending on her family. Her point in coming here was to get away, to gain independence. No longer a caged bird, she thought back then. How whimsical. She mocked past thoughts as she broke her chopsticks and turned on the radio. A night of study awaited her, a far more appealing choice rather than to lose herself in her own thoughts...
​

 

[Raptordude115]

After half an hour of sight seeing, Zack finally heads back home, declaring to himself that there was nothing to really do today. He makes it home, his parents not home yet. He didn't mind, though, since he loved hearing dead silence when home alone. He enters his room, plops his school bag down on the floor next to his bed, and lies on the bed. He looks up at the ceiling, daydreaming.

 

[Ishi123]

Minato spent the majority of the rest of the day blankly watching TV, lost in his own thoughts. Minato sighed and looked to the clock on the wall, realizing it was about time he ought to get to bed. He turned off the TV and headed upstairs to his room, getting changed into his night clothes and turning off the lights, rolling into his bed and curling up sideways. He sighed and closes his eyes, ready for sleep, wondering if tomorrow would be any more eventful... but he already knew it would just be more of the same.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack spent the remainder of the day finishing his homework and playing video games afterwards. His mom and dad come home from work minutes before he decides to go to bed, already in his pajamas. He greets them and says goodnight to them before heading to bed, just wanting the day to end. He closes his eyes as he lies on his bed on his side, his head nuzzled into his pillow.


"Mmh..."

 

[Elikacheese]

Amori was in bed, and was still wide awake. She had a fever going on, and it wasn't really helping her go to sleep, because of the hot temperature, on her head. It was aching really bad, and luckily, she had some fever, medicine, and enough strength, to get up, and help herself to get it over. She couldn't come to school, but she'd leave a note saying for her parents that she needed a excuse, because she had a fever, or something like that. She started to doze off, as she rolled around her bed, until her brain shutdown, and went to sleep.

 

[PercyJacks]

<p>


After playing the game from 5pm to 1am, Kotone's eyes felt heavy. Just in case, she clicked the "Save" button on her screen so she didn't lose her progress. Kotone yawned.


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"<strong>Alright…do I follow him or try to go for a different route…</strong>"


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She tried picturing both options in her head, and ended up falling asleep while imagining the scenario in her dream world.


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[Vii]

History had never been a boring subject. Not as long as Chigusa was in concern. But today, it was as if the mere memorization of dates was torture. Perhaps she was tired, perhaps it was a "no" day. Nonsense, of course. She had taken some nice pictures, she had no P.E. class a today, nothing to add up. Tapping her pen on the surface of the coffee table, the teal haired female sighed, allowing her head to plop down onto her notebook's pages, turning off the radio while she was at it. She felt as if it was enough. Her eyelids slowly descended, her vision blurring, consumed by darkness... Soon, soft snores and the sound of the clock ticking on the wall would be the only remains of activity aside from the flickering light of her lamp...
​

 

[Ishi123]

You wake up in a strange room. You are seated on a chair of ornate design. The first thing that catches your eye is the peculiar man seated in front of you, on the other end of a circular table, as well as a young lady. He is dressed in a black formal suit with white gloves, is bald save for the white hair circling around the back of his head, and has quite a long nose. The lady next to him was dressed in a unique blue outfit, with medium length silver hair and golden eyes.


The room around you is decked in blue all around, and looked to be a small coffee shop, with a coffee bar just to the left. The entire room was illuminated by soft blue light, and the space of the room felt all the more accentuated with how you three were the only current residents.


"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The man at the other end of the table spoke, breaking the silence with a tone that sounded like he expected you to be here. "This place exists between dream and reality; mind and matter. It is a room that only those bound by a contract may enter."


You attempt to question the situation, but then decide to stay silent for the time being.


"It seems we have another guest with another intriguing journey ahead of him. My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."


The man who called himself Igor gestured towards the lady to his left.


"This is Catherine, my assistant. She is a resident of this room, like myself."


"My name is Catherine." The girl said, bowing to you. "Pleased to meet you."


"Hm... but this encounter is quite unique, I'd say..." Igor chuckled. "It would seem that I am not speaking exclusively to one person."


You wondered what he meant by that... he wasn't talking to just one person? What was that supposed to mean?


"Now, then... why don't you introduce yourself?" You hesitate at first, but give him your name.


"Hm... I see..." Igor said. "Indeed, your voice is not the only one that is heard now. You share your destiny with two others."


Share your destiny with two others...? You can't properly comprehend the situation... this is too real to be a dream, but... it must be, right?


Igor pulls out a deck of cards, seemingly from nowhere, and spreads them across the table face down in a circle with a single wave of his hand, the cards obediently falling perfectly into perfect rows and columns.


"Do you believe in fortune telling?" He asks. He chooses a random card and flips it up without touching it.


"Temperance, in the reversed position." He says. "This represents imbalance or excess, as well as a lack of long-term vision."


He flips a second random card.


"Death in the upright position." He says. "This card represents endings, as well as beginnings. It is signified by change and transformation."


He flips a third card.


"Judgement, upright position." He says. "This card represents... rebirth, as well as an inner calling."


With those three cards, he waves his hand and they all disappear.


"It seems that a great journey is beginning, and there will be many trials ahead of you. Your life will change dramatically. For better or for worse will depend on your actions throughout your journey."


You don't understand what any of this means, but your mind seems to be fixated on this prediction... for whatever reason, it resonated with you.


"Fate will bring you three together, and side by side you will walk this journey together, be it of your own intent or not. But please be cautious. The choices you will make in the near future will affect all of you in many ways. If you make the wrong decisions, your futures may be forever lost."


Igor then holds out his hand, and a bright blue light forms in it.


"Hold on to this." He says, as the light slowly floats towards you, dimming as it takes the shape of a blue key of intricate design.


"This key will allow you to return to the this room at any time." Catherine said. "From now on, you are our guest in the Velvet Room."


"Seek out those who would aid you on your journey." Igor stated. "They will be of great importance in the coming days."


You look at the key in your hand... it seemed to exude a peculiar warmth...


"Now, then. I mustn't keep you any longer." He said. "I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Until we meet again, farewell."


With that, a white light blinds you, and the scene around you fades away into dreaming...

 

[Ishi123]

Minato woke up with a slight start. He briefly forgot where he was, before he quickly reattained his grasp on himself. He was staring up at the ceiling of his room. It would've been pitch black, had it not been for the soft moonlight peeking in through his bedroom window.


He sat up, sighing and shaking his head. What a strange dream... how ridiculous. He looked over to check the time from his digital clock on the nightstand. 4:14 AM. He looked away, but his eye caught something else on the nightstand, just next to his glasses. It sparkled in the moonlight, giving off a gentle blue glare.


It was a key...


Minato hesitantly reached over and plucked it from the nightstand, feeling the warmth of it in his hand. He brought it up to his eyes so they could properly see it without his glasses. It was the exact same key as in the dream... was he still dreaming? No... no, he wasn't. But... the key in his hand was real. It was in his hand, right now. He spun it between his fingers, inspecting it thoroughly. His mind strained in an attempt to come up with a plausible explanation... but he drew a blank. Was that dream... real? Was the Velvet Room a place he had actually been called to in his dream? How could such a thing be possible? There's no such thing as magic or anything of the sort. But the key... it was right there. Real as himself.


He slammed the key back down on the nightstand, wanting to touch the thing no longer. He was suddenly gripped by a powerful fear and paranoia from the presence of it. He got up off his bed and went to the window, sighing heavily as he opened it up to let the cold, night air in, hoping to clear his head, but not to hopefully wake himself up and make the key disappear. He knew it was real... he just couldn't get his mind around it. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking back to the nightstand, to the key. His destiny is shared with two others...? Would they have keys as well? Did they just wake up from the same dream, and are trying to make sense of why they have this particular key?


Minato grunted and bit his lip, spinning around quickly and storming over to the nightstand, snatching the key and grasping it tightly, going to the window and rearing his arm back, ready to throw. He wouldn't have anything to do with this nonsense. Absolutely not. But he didn't throw it... he stayed reared back, poised to get rid of the infernal thing... but he stopped. He relaxed himself and slowly brought the key back into his sight, inspecting it in the more full moonlight from directly outside. The key was still warm... something was bothering him... in the back of his mind, he recognized the significance of this key... he tried to shush the thought, but it wouldn't go away.


No... no, he'd keep it for now... for some reason, he felt compelled, perhaps obligated to do so. He sighed once more, closing his bedroom window and stepping back over to his bed, putting the key back down on his nightstand. He laid back down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He spent the next half hour like this, absorbed in his own thoughts, before he decided to stay awake for the day. He'd get ready for school and have breakfast. Routine as the morning would be, however... he knew that this day would be anything but ordinary.

 

[PyroHunter16]

Tsuna woke up from his nap, which had turned into full-on sleeping. He looked at the nearby clock and saw it was 4:30 AM. Mom and Dad should be home... but they're probably asleep. He thought to himself. As quietly as possible, Tsuna walked up to his parents' room and, sure enough, there they were, sleeping after a long, hard day at work. That aside, Tsuna went into his own room and lied down. For some odd reason, he felt something metallic and cold touch his hand. When he looked down, he saw the key.


W-wait, what...? That actually happened...? He thought. After getting up with the key in hand, Tsuna closed his door quietly and opened up the window to let the cool, night air in. He closed his eyes and let the breeze flow past his face in gentle, random waves. It felt very relaxing, which helped to keep his mind at ease. Staring at the key in hand, Tsuna thought over what he could remember of the dream.


A guest...? Tarot cards? This can't be real... But if the key is real... Tsuna shook his head, staring out the window at the night sky. Amazing how beautiful this cruel world can be at times... He closed the window and went back to sleep, placing the key on his keychain and lying down on his bed.


For the next hour or so, Tsuna stared up at the ceiling of his room, his mind wandering from being blank to thinking over the events of that dream. He knew his parents would be up soon, and they'd be off to work right away. After a few minutes of deciding, he chose to get ready for school after his parents had left, and that he would continue with his normal routine. However, Tsuna knew that this day would be far from an average, bland day.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack wakes up groggily as his alarm on his phone rings. He groans as he shuts off the alarm, still lying on his bed as he rubs his crusty eyes. He flutters his eyes a few times before weakly sitting upright. He grabs his phone and looks at the time. He shakes his head before setting it down and getting dressed in his school uniform. After getting dressed, he exits his room and heads to the kitchen, hearing his parents' snores. It wasn't uncommon for him to wake up before his parents did, especially since he'd be at school before they went to work. And since their work hours were so long, he wanted to make as little noise as possible so that they can have enough sleep.


He sits at the table, eating his cereal. As he munches on a spoonful of milk and corn flakes, he keeps his eyes on the time. He didn't want to wolf down his food since he knew he'd regret it later on, but fastened his eating pace. He eventually finishes his breakfast, puts his empty bowl in the sink, and quietly leaves the apartment. He begins his morning walk to school, bag slung over his shoulder, thinking the day was going to just be ordinary and usual.