aerodynamic | INBOX for purgastory

[ there's a bit of a flinch because from his perspective one minute he was alone and the next ryuji's here, but he doesn't seem afraid so much as momentarily startled.

he's staring at him briefly though like he's trying to find words. ]

We didn't actually die, so what the hell were we doing in a morgue... ?

[ this is rich coming from him given he's still sitting here in bloody clothes and his stupid foot. ]

[Both hands come up when Yosuke flinches. It's just him. But he doesn't blame Yosuke from being jumpy. It looked like it had been bad. (pretends i wasn't at work)

He squats down beside Yosuke, looking the other boy over. Frowning about it.]

Uh, you sure you didn't die? [GESTURES TO THE BLOOD.] It was weird as hell, I dunno. You okay, man? You look like shit.

[ he does at least relax because ryuji is safe and also didn't get horribly destroyed on this cyoa. aside from his injuries being what they are, he looks okay? other than the vaguely empty look in his eyes because he's desperately trying to cope with what the hell just happened. ]

No... [ is this "no we didn't die" or "no we're not sure"? ] No, we got out of there. We made it to the summit, but we didn't...

[ god. they didn't even do what they set out to do because they got distracted rescuing people. he's taking a few more minutes to contemplate before eventually scrubbing a hand over his face. ]

Yeah, well, I feel like shit. [ for a multitude of reasons. ] I still don't get how this happened, but now we have a new problem to worry about if this is something that can get to us.

[His brows furrow, though he lets Yosuke talk.]

Okay, first: yeah, you ain't wrong. Whatever happened to you guys is effin' worrying. You all came out lookin' like you got put in a big meat grinder, and I ain't even talkin' about the fact you were in a morgue.

[WILD.]

But more importantly, dude, what the hell even happened? You get stuck in the place with the courtroom 'n gallows 'n stuff, or somethin'? But you came out talkin' about gods. You mean, like... the ones we talked about?

[YOU KNOW. LIKE. PERSONA GODS?]

[ there's a snort because yeah, he can imagine. ]

Not that surprising when the mountain was crawling with monsters. [ frustrating. but they also knew that going into this (or their au'd selves did.) ] It wasn't... here. We were here, and then we weren't, and we were in a village at the base of a mountain preparing for an expedition to ascend to the summit and kill the god that was killing our people every year.

[ ... he shakes his head though. ]

Not a god like that though. I didn't even remember I had a Persona, or what it was. Or who I was.

You really were in some other dimension...

[Okay!!!!! That might as well happen, whatever!! It's not like they all aren't already going through some shit, but okay!]

You were, like.... an isekai, but you didn't even get to keep your memory? Lame. [STOP MAKING LIGHT OF IT.] ...You think it was a sign, or just somethin' annoying like the other places?

[ honestly making light of it is probably fine because he really is thisclose to falling apart entirely, so thank you ryuji. ]

Yeah, that's a pretty good way of describing it. New memories, new backstories... new bodies, in some cases. [ which. hm. vaguely disturbed about this now, but it's okay. ] I don't really know. Could've been a sign, or it could've just been something else to screw us over like those monsters out in the fog.

[ ryuji probably has no idea what he's talking about, but it's fine. ]

It felt... kinda like a test, maybe. If we'd endure, or if we'd quit.

[YOSUKE.......]

What the hell, man...

[Don't agree with his speculation, it's fucking scary. Okay. So. Weird isekai. Great. Not what he was wanting. Sounds almost like virtual world bullshit.]

Monsters in the fog...?

[In my restless dreams, I see that town.....]

A test... So... Sorta like the places we go? The ones that change. Don't they feel like tests, too? Dude. I'm failing half my classes in college. No way I'm ready for tests!

I don't know, dude. I'm just telling you in case this happens again. We don't know how it really happened this time, so how the hell can we stop it? [ his paranoid ass suddenly alarmed about this. but oh, yeah. ]

A couple of guys and I were doing some stuff and... I could see something out there. It followed us for a while, and when we left the building it appeared. It was this weird creature that was some hybrid of people all four of us knew, and it attacked on sight.

[ creepy!! and annoying!!! but yeah. ]

But yeah like that. [ exactly like that. ] How the hell are we supposed to pass a test when we don't even know what we're being tested on? [ this also jars him out of his funk for a few seconds. ] This really isn't inspiring me to pursue higher education either.

[ it's because you're both stupid in different ways except he hilariously does start cram school in like a few weeks back home. ]

I know that.

[To the first part, though he doesn't sound as argumentative about it as he could. He's just saying he gets it. Besides, he's more interested in hearing Yosuke explain what the fuck happened in the other dimension.]

Well, that's effin' terrifying, man.

[He would not like it if he ran into a creature that's a hybrid of people several of them knew. Thanks. (This is just a transmorphed Persona....?)]

Beats the hell outta me. [Please pursue higher ed, you will do way better than Ryuji.] Okay, so... hold on, let's go over it:

The first place--with the spiders 'n the candy house 'n shit, then the freaky church and the fancy dinner. What do those have to do with this? The damn court trial, the gallows. And all of them have some weird place that show... memories, right? Feels like we're in damn Alice in Wonderland.

[ there's a little inhale, and a forced exhale. ]

Right, sorry. [ his nerves are still fairly rattled but that's not ryuji's fault and it's not fair to get agitated with him. he'd be asking similar questions and making similar points if their situations were reversed. ] But yeah it was, it was... it took a lot to bring it down. That's what worries me the most, we already know there are people here who can't fight. Two of our guys had to hang back to stay safe.

[ and that was probably the one way to get him to brush past the fact he was killing something with saki's face. but okay. ryuji starts laying out facts and yosuke's picking at a piece of shredding fabric dangling off of one of his wounds while he thinks this through. ]

You mean besides things that wanted to eat us and point out our shortcomings? [ dry. ] It's like... it's like everything here wants to push us to our limits and force us to confront ourselves all over again. Like we're meant to reflect on our choices, both good and bad.

[ HE ALREADY CONFRONTED HIS OTHER SELF!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!! but there's another pause. ]

... makes me think of what that god said while we were in that other world. [ was it the god? he's not even sure now. ] "The truth waits for those with the ability to endure. You have lasted long. How much longer can you go?" And... it always feels like we're being told we have to go further into the maze, doesn't it? Have you felt that, too?

[After a bit, in the middle of Yosuke talking, Ryuji's legs start bothering him while crowded, and he deadass just flops down onto his ass on the ground beside Yosuke.

He is still WORRIED ABOUT YOUR DUMBASS FOOT AND EVERYTHING.]

We sure as hell are havin' to make a lot of choices.

[Thanks a lot!!! He hates it!! He glances at Yosuke, rubs the back of his neck.]

Don't listen to gods, man. Half of what they've always said is bullshit, you know. [He frowns a little.] Yeah... I've felt it, too.

It's, like... I'm missin' somethin', but can't remember what, and I have to keep goin' to find it.

[ welcome. he seems totally fine with ryuji joining him but there's a note of concern in his face as he directly stares at the leggy. bro, he watched kamoshida break that thing. ]

Make a lot of choices, think about past choices, all of it. Why? What's the point of reflecting on the ones we already made? Why are these choices even coming up now?

[ there's a snort though, soft yet tired. ]

I know it is. But when we were there... all of it felt so real. All that mattered to me was actually making the trip up the mountain to try and kill this god, mostly because of the bullshit they were putting the village through. [ he reaches down to fiddle with the laces of his singular boot to give his hands something to do. ]

... what if what we're missing is actually bad? [ what if they're walking right into a trap. ]

[Yosuke has NO room to talk about HIS leggy when Yosuke is sitting there with THAT FOOT. SO SHUT UP, YOSUKE!! Slaps his foot (no, he doesn't).]

Ain't our lives always about damn choices?

[Deciding who you are, deciding who you'd become, who you where. I am thou, thou art I stuff. Annoying. He huffs out a sigh, picking at the edge of his shoe.]

Bad? Like... Our evil selves, or somethin'? I dunno, dude. Would this place really be forcin' us to find something bad? To do what, get rid of it?

[ there's a hum because yes, their lives are always about choices. granted his head snaps up so fucking fast he hisses at the sudden movement. ]

I already did that. [ he growls a little. no!! he doesn't want to face his shadow again, fuck!! ] And I don't know, maybe? If we can't remember why we're here, who says we didn't agree to get rid of something in exchange for whatever we actually came for?

INBOX for purgastory

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