It was a bad habit of his, eagerly pulling Makoto along, which Ryoji was immediately made aware of when his brother tugged on him to slow down. He smiled sheepishly, letting Makoto take the lead, completely unfazed as he led them around the coffins looming ominously on the streets. 

“I can’t wait to explore the city,” Ryoji said excitedly. He pointed at the silhouette of the bridge in the distance with his free hand. “I bet it’s beautiful over there.”

The walk to the dormitory wasn’t far. Even with the strange phenomenon that made green light fall and always screamed danger, Ryoji was grateful for the stillness of the night. It made it easier to take in their new surroundings. He couldn’t shake the sense of familiarity tickling the edge of his memories, though nothing came to him suggesting that he should know anything. 

Suddenly, Ryoji caught something move in the corner of his vision, and he jerked on Makoto’s arm, making them both turn towards the back street that they had just passed. 

He stared, both boys having stopped to examine their surroundings. There was nothing out of the ordinary—well, besides the way blood dripped from the walls where they had long learned was normally water leaking from the drains during the day—and Ryoji frowned.

“Sorry,” he murmured in apology. Ryoji squeezed Makoto’s hand again, then gave him a little push, urging him to continue to the dorm. “Thought I saw a shadow move or something.” 

It was unusual; the world was usually dead right now, except for them. And Ryoji was certain there had been something there.

Makoto’s smile is barely there, but he accepts the words, brings up the hand holding him to press it to his mouth. It’s his way of saying he agrees, that he understands and he knows. Ryoji’s excitement is a force to be reckoned with, even on his lowest days. It’s enough that Makoto knows Ryoji will get the message.

I can’t wait either.

The sudden stop pulled Makoto out of idle thoughts where he had been leading them to, and eyes lightly narrow in curious incomprehension. Something... there? Whatever it was, Makoto disliked the concept. He tugs immediately, demands his sibling-in-name go with him, away from the silent, screaming danger that Makoto knew better than to ignore.

Tug tug. The action is enough to stir Ryoji into moving, and the two resume their trek. When they’re only a few inches from the door, the creepy green light faded, leaving them in a peaceful, if slightly chilled, evening air. Makoto pokes the door, looks back at Ryoji with purpose. A hesitant tug, and Makoto looks at the door and then back. Obvious on his features is the hesitance of them entering the building so late at night.

||Ashes||

“No?” Ryoji sounded surprised. His brows furrowed, his hand squeezing Makoto’s tighter in thought.

Much like the way Thanatos had ripped his way through Orpheus to help Makoto, Thanatos had been the one to rip away from Nyx, allowing Ryoji to return to his soulmate. While there had been no guarantee—and in hindsight, the thought may have been kind of silly, since Thanatos had been protecting Ryoji from Shadows when he returned to the Land of the Living—Ryoji had fully expected Thanatos to return to the destined Messiah’s beck and call. 

“He’s here with me,” Ryoji said slowly, reaching into his consciousness to touch Thanatos’ presence. He felt Thanatos gently press back, a bit lethargically, as though sleepy, knowing that Ryoji was not summoning him. 

“I thought he’d return to you,” Ryoji admitted, pulling Makoto’s hand up to his lips to press kisses on his knuckles. “He freed me from Nyx.”

Makoto smiled, kisses Ryoji’s forehead and tugging him a little closer with his entangled hand, smiling into his hair. “Oh Ryoji.” There’s fond exasperation in his voice. “Don’t you think, that after all you two have done together - lived, bled, and died for each other, that perhaps Thanatos would love you just as much as he does me?” The kiss to a temple is fond, but there’s amusement in vivid blue.

“You silly boy.” There’s no insult in it, just amusement. “I need you here. In the real world.” Likely Thanatos had recognized that, and had planned and adjusted accordingly. “Either way, I’m glad. You deserve the right to his allegiance.” Makoto kisses his temple once more, trails down to his nose.

||Glass Cards||

[~☪~] Even after all this time, it appeared that the younger was still used to calling him Senpai…

“You know, we’re both adults now, Makoto, you are allowed to call me Shinjiro… hell, Shinji would be alright at this point.”

His hand brought itself to rest in his pocket while the other carefully pulled his hat off in order to free his hair. A small smile appeared on his face, as he went over and rested his back against the nearby wall.

“I’ve lived here for a while… I didn’t really enjoy living in Iwatodai with the constant reminders of what I used to be like. Being here has been a lot better for me.” He replied, as he watched the other going to get a chair for the both of them to sit.

“I have the day off from work and I’ve never been to this shop before… wasn’t expecting to find a good friend waiting for me though, but I’m not disappointed.”

“Alright... Shinjiro. Forgive me if I take a little longer to call you Shinji, however.” Makoto still felt odd, saying those words, but he didn’t wince like before, the desire was still strong.

“I’ve been here before,” Makoto admitted after a brief silence. He hadn’t said anything to Shinjiro’s words - he understood. Makoto had only just stayed long enough to ensure that he’d graduated and then he had left, bid Junpei farewell and helped Yukari move to the city for college. “I used to live a few miles down.” The orphanage there gained and lost children too fast for the town gossip to care.

Though to hear he was working make Makoto’s spirits lift a bit. “I’m glad to hear that Shinjiro. It’s good to see you as well.” The chair is set at the counter, the tall barstool, before using the other side and putting it there. “Take a seat. I’m just going to get a teapot. Or browse - but be careful with what’s in the fridge. It’s all volatile stuff.”

Deciding to turn the film off together– it was only aired on television, so it’s not like any money was lost through pay-per view, the brunette stood up from her seat. Setting the remote down on the coffee table, she yawned ever so lightly, rubbing her eyes. Hell, what time was it anyway…? It was Sunday tomorrow so she didn’t quite give a damn what time it was,  but it’d be nice to know, huh?

Upon walking into the kitchen to grab her a much needed water bottle to quench her thirst, Mitsu smiled at the leader, waving to him… though as fate would have it, bear witness to the boy falling square on his face.

“M-Makoto-kun… are you.. okay?” She spoke softly, kneeling before his face planted form, attempting to help him off the ground as best as she could. “Did you hurt your nose or anything?”

“I’ll live,” Makoto said, pushing himself up after a solid minute of staring at the floor. “Good evening Mitsu-senpai.” He slowly sits, seiza style, and offers her a blank stare - his equivalent of a smile. “I’ll be fine... In a minute.” He shakily stands, blinks at the wall. He couldn’t recall a moment when it was quite so blurry before, but then again, that could be the pain making his eyes water.

He wasn’t sure, actually. Oh well. It could have ended worse.

||Forgotten Heart||

|| ♕ ||

Mitsuru allows him to speak, listening quietly and nodding at appropriate intervals to demonstrate that she was paying attention. The requests all sounded reasonable; certainly nothing that was outside of her capabilities. Assumedly, Makoto had managed to juggle their wishes alongside all his other responsibilities… how difficult could it be? The second variety of request caught her attention almost immediately - escorting him outside of the Room? His explanation made sense, but was he incapable of stepping away without her? Igor didn’t seem the restrictive type, as far as she could tell…

But further consideration was interrupted by the last piece of information Michael had for her - and her brows raised in surprise at what he had to say. “Everyone?” Two Personae each. It was unheard of, having more than one - excusing him, of course. Truly, he must have had remarkable power, to give every single member of SEES something of that magnitude. She doesn’t miss the tension on their faces; it’s noted with curiosity, but she opts not to pry any further at this stage. Perhaps if she managed to work out what was going on, she would be able to understand what clearly sat wrong with them.

“That’s fine. I can do those things for you.” A hand brushes her hair from one shoulder to drape over the other, and she clears her throat softly in order to fill the quiet whilst she processed everything. “How does this Fusion work?” A brief pause, before a slightly embarrassed sigh. “My apologies. You must be beginning to tire of all these questions.”

“As far as we can discern.” Michael agreed softly, sighing. “It truly is a feat of power.” Igor still looked contemplative, but at the question of his life’s work, he immediately seems to brighten. Something Igor understood. That seemed to lift the mood, and Igor merely shook his head.

“Hardly. Your leader, while quiet, was as inquisitive. It’s good to see that his thirst for understanding is as strong in those he called his family.” After a silence, Igor began, drawing two cards together. “Fusion is the act of taking two Personae and binding their energies together to create a new form. As each card and partner carries different requirements, the cards that merge together carry traits of both sides, but invoke the emotions and the powers of those that they came from.”

Michael, sensing Igor’s thoughts, immediately interrupts. “If it helps, think of it like a game of dice. It can be two or three, but those dice can come up with specific numbers - these results can influence the outcome.”

“But sometimes, the dice might change - and expected outcome might change due to outside factors. So if we put Pixie and High Pixie together to create Titania, there is still a chance it could, unintentionally, create Oberon, or Puck, because they have similar outcomes, but different numbers input to them.”

||Incandescent||

     ||| ♕ |||

painted nails tapped on the wooden surface, with a bit of insistence - an effect she was not asking for, but that had come almost naturally. unintentionally.  why were people so closed minded when it came to councils and that aspect of being a student ?  she would have never understood:  not only it provided its member a good sense of guidance and responsibility, but it had numerous other advantages. 

yet, he sounded way too serious about it. she was expecting something of that sort from the new SEES leader, but it seemed strange, even for him. 

                «  Is everything okay ?  I know you are busy: you have                 enough things to worry about, and the sport club too.                  Is something the matter… ?  »

personal space… she might have been a fool for having insisted like that. but she did not feel sorry; forcing him to join would have been bad. in more than one way – yet her wish was to have him, there. somehow, she felt confident enough…

was he stressed out ?      

A sigh leaves chapped lips, and Makoto absently reminds himself to buy chapstick. “I... am highly introverted Kirijo-senpai... I require time alone - or in a state of semi-seclusion to properly recuperate and maximize my study time and potential. It’s not intended to be a slight against the council, but I understand that being a council member would require me to spend time with the other members outside of classes. I can’t quite do that yet.”

The mere concept stressed him, and he had yet to even meet the council. “If... you are honestly so intent on my joining the council, just please give me a little time to think of it... I am...” He winces. “Stressed.”

||Fluidity||

yusuke kitagawa had nothing to do on this Saturday, there had been no notice from the phantom thieves that they were going to do anything today, so he figured he could paint, or sketch in the meantime, that was how he gotten there, standing with his notebook in hand, a pen pressed against the pages as he glanced over the people he had seen, usually he only gotten one or two ideas when he did this, when his eyes landed on blue haired man, he stopped. a shop owner? curious something about them was different then the crowd of people, yusuke felt drawn to the person like a magnet, so when they opened up their shop, he tucked the notebook under his arm and started to walk towards them  “excuse me” he said as he remembered what his friends had told him, try not to be weird, he didn’t need to be mistaken as a stalker once more, that would be…unfortunate.

The boy entered after him, curiously, his voice a soft and low timbre - perfect for music. Makoto blinks at his new companion, flashes him a half smile. “Hello. Welcome to my store.” He smiles mysteriously, but offers the boy a seat. “Take a seat if you’d like.” He immediately picks up a rag, wiping down each surface with a smile.

“You are an artist?” He asked, head tilting in friendly interest. It’s not a common pastime here - many of the students here were more interested in photography - a faster, easier method than true handpainted work of classic art. “It’s rare to see a painter out here.”

||Magic Shop||

It’s a small but odd shopping list that Yu gave him and definitely not the sort of thing that they would sell at Junes or most other stores around here.  For once, Yosuke is actually thankful about the small occult store in town.  He looks up at the small bell ringing before the door and then back down at the owner greeting him.

“Hey, do you have purifying salt?”

“What kind?” Makoto asked immediately, already picking up several bags, already grabbing several different kinds. “If you’re looking for salt to prevent possession, any typical rock salt will work fine. If you’re looking for a magic circle, it needs to be mixed with different types of sand corresponding to your elemental affinity. Rock salt in a medicine pouch draws away possession, and plain salt is good to prevent a malicious spirit entry to your home.”

“But, I suppose if you’re talking about the darkness that lurks about in this place when the fog is in the real world, I suppose you’re looking for this kind.” Makoto held out a bag, depositing the six types on the table. “These are related to primary elements as well as light and dark magic.”

“It’s also known as Blessed Salt. But any black salt is a good substitute, and can be found in that lovely Junes store up the street. Pink Salt is also good for this purpose. Alaea salt does the same purpose, if a bit tempermental for those who aren’t aligned with water and ice... Mmm.”

“There’s also Rose, Lavender, and Rattlesnake salt.”

||Help Wanted||

“I guess I can understand that,” However unusual it may have sounded to him, it seemed as though this guy made a living off of these tarot cards, so he could see why the other male might view them so seriously - they were his livelihood, after all.  “I hope I will,” He nods, somewhat nervously as he gently takes the book from the other male.

“Right,” Nodding, he makes quick mental note to try to look for this woman as soon as he’s finished school, tomorrow.  “I’ll try an’ stop there on my way home from here,” Although he’d never had any particular reasons to visit the library, before, perhaps this might make for an interesting opportunity to explore parts of the city he wasn’t so familiar with.

“Yeah!” Grinning at the unexpected praise, he nods his head, eagerly.  “Yeah, I’m definitely eager t’learn from you! I think workin’ here will teach me a lot!”

“I’m pleased to hear that,” Makoto’s head tilts in a smile, and he gives a soft chuckle. “It’s rare to see someone so enthusiastic,” He admits, smiling a little brighter at his charge. “Forgive me if I seem... overly excited. It’s rare to have one so interested, even if they may not quite seem so.” Eyes spark gently with mischief, and he offers a cup of tea that seemed to appear from nowhere.

“If you’d like, I can show you all that there is here - just so you know where everything is, or we can look for an item of your interest, if you have any little curiosities that you’d like to explore. Oh - and if you find any... unusual items, please, I’d love to have a look. I might buy them if they’re the right type.”

||Help Wanted||

“S-Seriously?” This guy was really going the extra mile over a few tarot cards - it was almost a little weird to just how seriously this guy seemed to take something as simple as card reading but for now, Ryuji bit his tongue. He needed this job pretty badly, after all.

“Can you recommend any tarot card readers t’me?” He didn’t usually actively go seeking out that kind of stuff and he wouldn’t even know the first place to look - Tokyo could be a very big and confusing place, at times.  “Right,” Reading over his tarot cards twice a day sounded easy enough - perhaps it might even help him to get good at this kind of stuck.

Following where the older male seems to be nodding, he mentally notes the tree - had it been there, before? He couldn’t recall noticing it? Either way, he was very much intrigued about it.  “I understand,” He nodded, momentarily turning his attention away from the tree.  “Thanks for havin’ me.”

“Very much so.” Makoto said with a smile and a tilt of his head. “Tarot cards can be serious business for those of us who make our living off of these particular arts.” He does make sure to smile a bit more gently, to let him know no offense was taken in his incredulity. “I’m sure you’ll understand one day.” He said kindly, handing him the book to go along with it.

“As for Tarot Readers, the only decent one I’d trust you to go to is a young lady a few streets down from here - she’s quite friendly and knows her divination well. She’s only there twice a week though, Thursday and Friday.” He explained with a gentle smile. “Other than that, the library around here is surprisingly well stocked with information.”

He notes the glance, smiles slyly. “Of course Ryuji-san. It’s lovely to meet someone who is so willing to learn.”

The slightest hint of a self-deprecating smile found itself hidden behind Katsuya’s fist, as though he simply meant to clear his throat when he tipped his head downward. At least his reputation worked in his favour, he supposed. It made Makoto a potential ally.

Contract. Wild Card. All of these things were repeating concepts, but Katsuya had never known the Velvet Room to be so organised. What sway did they hold over their guests, now? Why was it that this student had to come here alone?

“I assume you’re talking about Apathy Syndrome,” he said—and with that, he lost his air of cordial detachment. This was territory in which he had a keen interest. “That’s what I was here to ask Igor about, but I think I’d rather talk to someone in the field. I’m sure there’s information I have that you’d be willing to exchange for your own.”

At the man’s recognition, Makoto tilts his head in agreement. “Exactly that,” He agreed with a soft touch of ruefulness. “Unfortunately, I only recently moved here. What little I know of it is limited to what Kirijo-senpai is willing to explain to me, and despite the fact that she has been attempting to observe and categorize the phenomenon, it’s still quite slow going.” It was odd. Being bound to people in any way tended to make him feel quite uncomfortable. Social links unfortunately didn’t help that feeling. But he politely smiles again.

“Apathy Syndrome is an ongoing event, which started to occur nearly ten years ago, but with increasing frequency until it became an epidemic last year. It drains people of their will to live somehow... I understand Shadows are involved to some capacity, but I can’t say for sure how it works.”

||What a Racket||

Oh– he didn’t have to bow, did he? Mitsu always felt it was quite strange, but it was Japanese culture. Hell, it’s been awhile since her stay in America but had it given her that much of a culture shock? “Oh– you’re welcome!” The brunette’s smile was bright and welcoming, nodding slowly after his response. “Yeah, a team definitely would help you out– we don’t require any prior knowledge though, so the fact you used to play it is really great. Unfortunately we have finished practice early today, so our next meeting time is on Thursday.”

“Hai, Senpai.” He said quietly to her, head bowed still before he straightened. “Ah?” For the first time since they started talking, he looked vaguely dismayed, crooked tilt of his lips flushing into a tiny little frown. It was obvious he’d been looking forward to practice, but the expression is wiped away with ease. “I understand. I’ll attempt to arrive earlier next time senpai.”

this post suddenly jumped a bunch of notes I’m glad I could start colour picker discourse