phantasmalrift | (no subject)

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Who: Aiden and the Purse Owners + one very open prompt
What: Not long after learning he actually has a fucking Palace, he decides to talk to the Purses about it.
When: 06/26 & 06/27 (OOCly, 07/15 & 07/16)
Where: Mall Trio's apartment for the meeting, common area (mostly kitchen) for the day before
Warnings: Nothing for the 26th, but the 27th is a lot of very dark worth-of-having-Palace-mindset talk...? Just mind the subject line and we should be good. Also I'll be slow since I'm gonna put most of my focus on his previous post (I'm only putting this up now to get this part out of the way lmao).

Finding Distractions - 26th

[ It's on this day, he can be found with a considerably high amount of nervous energy.

He'd approached Morgana earlier in the day to ask him some questions about Palaces. Initially, he'd considered that it shouldn't be possible for someone to have one in a world where they didn't originate, but that only led to him kind of laughing at himself. Really, he's never been the type to entertain willful ignorance for very long - knowledge is power, and all that.

For most of the day, he can be seen in the common area, reading some books he borrowed from the library. Some might begin to wonder when was the last time he ate (he's been sitting there with a stack of over fifteen books for hours on end!), and some might notice he's spending lengthy periods of time staring at the same damn page, eyes not shifting at all...

He has some things to consider, and no part of him really even... wants to think about it to begin with.

"--if you ever want to do this, you can tell me your real name, okay? That's how we'll know you're ready."

... But when could he ever be ready for people seeing some of the monsters that lurk in his past?

Unknown to Aiden, for now, his Palace is in a world of almost total darkness. It's difficult to get to the Palace itself, because there are thick walls surrounding it, and razor wire lining the top, all the way around. The only way to get past it, is to note a busted up statue almost blocking a hole in the wall.

Upon closer inspection, there's just enough room for a person to squeeze through. Once inside, it'll be obvious that there's a very large level-controlled gate - one that was apparently designed to blend in with the wall on the outside, meaning that a lever can be pulled in the future, to make it easier for visitors to get inside. Of course, this all depends on how far Mona traveled.

If he ventures any further than a few feet from the wall, he'll be at risk of hostility. There's someone who has the body type of Aiden and sounds like Aiden... but there's the distinct lack of a face that should make things confusing, maybe? Who knows. All that's clear is that Mona will be getting chased out of there by someone who moves at lightning speed.

Although... the being never attacks with the intention to harm - only frighten. ]

Q&A - 27th

[ ... Back in the real world, it's not the most open space ever, but it's private!

He did not explain what the meeting will be for, beyond that it's incredibly important - something he would rather explain, in-person. Something he needs total privacy to feel comfortable talking about.

And, once everyone is piled into the room that Goro shares with his fiances, Aiden sort of... continues to sit quietly in the corner for a moment. He's staring uncomfortably at the water bottle in his hands, brow tense. Where the fuck should he even begin? He apparently has something that he doesn't even fully understand existing in the Metaverse?

Something that makes it clear he's just as fucked up as he thought? ]

Given what most of you have in common, I'm sure most of you can guess why you're here...

[ His smirk is wry and he continues to stare at the water bottle. His grip on it tightens enough that the plastic suddenly cracks. With a tense exhale, he replaces the cap and sets the bottle on the floor. ]

I got curious. [ a pause ] ... So I asked Morgana to check whether, or not, I have a Palace.

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[Hopefully he wasn't too invested in whatever page he was staring at, because that book is being very gently pushed down a bit by a worried Akira.]

Hey, have you eaten recently?

[ O-oh... ]

Akira...

[ He looks up at her with an expression that should make it obvious he was snatched from thought. ]

Uhhhh...........

[ That's right - Aiden with his memory being what it is? Is stalling on an answer. ]

Define "recently?"

[The last part is met with a sigh as she shakes her head, but pulls something from her inventory--it's nothing too special, just a bowl of rice with some venison and vegetables on top. She puts it down in front of him, with a fork from the kitchen.]

Here. Eat something.

[... She's actually going to join him with her own venison bowl.]

You haven't made a lot of progress in those books for as long as you've been out here. Something on your mind?

[ He nods with gratitude, taking the food. ]

Thanks.

[ Aiden puts the book down, then begins to dig in... only to pause at the question. ]

I just have some things to think about. [ giving her a small smile ] Any chance you'll be free tomorrow?

Of course.

[Her smile's gentle. She tilts her head at the question.]

My morning's pretty occupied-- [Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays always are, with training.] --but otherwise, my schedule's empty as usual. Why do you ask?

[ That works, because no thanks to early hours in the day, unless it's so early it's still dark outside. ]

There's... something I want to ask you, as well as the people from your world, about. Something I'd prefer to talk about in private, which is why I asked Goro, Kurama, and the other Akira if it's okay to use their room for a meeting.

It has to do with the Metaverse.

[Yeah even if she volunteered for the training she feels that.

But... oh. Oh. If it's about the Metaverse, there's one guess Akira would have as to why he doesn't want this talked about in public.]

I'll definitely be there, then.

[Morgana hadn't been able to resist laughing at the assumption, in spite of trying to be kind; the idea of the Metaverse being tied to a particular world, rather than the people who occupied it, was just..... completely contrary to the entire concept. He'd agreed to check, though, knowing that he was the best suited to doing so; he didn't rely on the app, after all. He didn't need to know any keywords. He just..... needed to find it. It's a much easier task than it would have been in Tokyo; the entire station can't be more than a few dozen people.

What he'd found..... well, even outside the Palace proper, he'd been uneasy. The darkness was oppressive, and the building itself was ominous and menacing, looming barely visible in the night. Humans would no doubt find it difficult to navigate out here; it's only by the grace of his superior vision that he's able to spot the concealed hole he can squeeze through. He didn't manage to get very close to the building, though, let alone enough to locate a secondary infiltration point--the faceless man bore down on him mere moments after he emerged from the shadow of the wall. He chose to flee, rather than fight--if that was the farthest he could get without actively interfering, then that was obviously all Aiden was ready for at the moment.

Right now, though? He's confronted by a different foe: the Evil Crinkling Water Bottle of Doom. Morgana had been sitting in Aiden's lap, readily at hand in case the boy needed comfort--now though, he's shooting to his feet and making exactly the same sort of startled sideways hop seen in Cat VS. Cucumber videos. None of you saw anything! It was just your imaginations! He's totally just..... grooming himself! He's been licking his paw the whole time!

.....Shhhhhh. He meant to do that. He is graceful and dignified at all times.]

[ This is a very serious meeting about a very serious topic, just eXCUSE AKIRA

HE'S NOW STRUGGLING TO BREATHE FROM HOW HARD HE'S LAUGHING ]

[..... Pfffffffffft.

The other Akira is at the very least managing to not burst into laughter, but honestly, it looks like she could any moment now.]

H-hey! Pay attention, this is a serious meeting!

[Right, Morgana. Because it's totally only for Aiden's sake that you're scolding the Akirii. You're not tsunning at all, are you?]

[So here's something new.

Shido isn't just genuinely smiling but he's also actually outright laughing... It's the hardest he's laughed in... such a damn long time?

His head snaps back as he lets out a laugh which, much like Akira, becomes increasingly breathless. Holy shit...]

[ OKAY BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS???

... His expression is going to soften a little before he gives a small smile. He's glad the guy's found some chill! You're doing way better than this guy, Masayoshi. ]

[ And then we have this guy.

He's too shocked to do anything other than abruptly stop laughing, and then... make this face.

This one right here.

He's shook. ]

[Well, that's one way to keep Goro from laughing his head off at Morgana. He's just at restrained snickering when he hears Shido laugh, and immediately stops laughing to stare at Shido. He takes all manner of supernatural phenomena in stride, but Shido laughing has him looking at him like he's wondering if he's hallucinating.]

Grrrr..... J-just listen to Aiden, okay?

[That huffy little growl isn't menacing by any stretch of the imagination, given the way Morgana is flustering; he sounds more like an offended kitten than anything else. Morgana is just..... gonna be over here half-loafed on Aiden's lap, covering his face with his front paws in some mixture of facepalming and trying to hide in embarrassment.

Sorry, Morgana, I don't think trying to get people back on track will make them just magically suddenly forget about your antics.]

[Kurama's expression of quiet attention barely even twitches at Morgana's little moment, actually. First of all, this is a very serious discussion about a very serious situation and it probably took Aiden a lot of courage to bring it up.

Second of all, he's a fox, he's had the instinctive response problem. Especially when he was young. That shit is embarrassing sometimes for a fully sentient and self-aware being.]

I take it, considering the people you've asked here, that the answer was yes.

[His tone is deliberately soft.]

[ His smile is wry. ]

It wasn't learned the way the group learns it, though. Morgana had to go directly seeking it out, since the app most likely decided to go with the name- [ wow, that's an interesting spot on the wall over there ] -my parents gave me...

[ Then he shrugs both shoulders. ]

But don't misunderstand; this isn't me inviting you guys in. The reason I asked you guys here, is because I want to learn everything you all can teach about Palaces. All I know, is it's all about cognition, and I can't say...

[ A tense and humorless, but also very quiet laugh slips out... ]

Some of you might already have an idea of what it is... But there's a reason I don't think the things in my head should ever be seen.

I know just about everything there is to know about Palaces, and I've trained these guys well, too. Between the lot of us, I think we'll be able to answer anything you could ask.

So, where do you want to start?

[ ~~WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE SUDDEN OPTIONS IN FRONT OF HIS FACE--~~

He's probably going to surprise nobody. ]

What does it take to make the Palace go away?

Palaces are only able to exist because the Treasures they hide maintain them! A Treasure is the root of the distorted desires that led to a Palace forming in the first place. If you take that away, then the Palace crumbles away to nothing.

That's what the Phantom Thieves do--we find where Treasure is hidden, force it to manifest, and steal it.

[If he sounds smart then everyone will forget about him embarrassing himself, right?]

So it's a representation of whatever the person became fixated on to an unhealthy degree?

[ Something incredibly important to them in some way...? Something that drove them to... what they became...? ]

Pretty much! It's what first clouds your eyes to the truth. When you stop seeing reality as it is, and start seeing it how you believe it should be, healthy desires end up becoming twisted. Every Treasure starts out as something reasonable, or even something good, before it goes off the rails.

...It's also possible to break down a Palace organically. But it's more difficult and takes more time and effort. If the owner of the Palace can overcome their own distortion, and find their way back to the truth, it will degrade as their distortion weakens.

Eventually, I believe, to the point of collapse.

[It's quiet and even, Kurama's voice calm and matter-of-fact. But Aiden being an empath, he'll be able to feel Kurama's discomfort.]

That's right! You can talk a Shadow to death or a Palace into collapsing. You don't even have to go into the Metaverse to do it!

[There's definitely a mischievous grin on Morgana's face; he knows he's pointing out that what Aiden probably thinks he wants most is in fact actually what he'd want least.]

It's called therapy.

[Horror of horrors! Not that! Anything but being forced to talk about your feelings and actually process them in a healthy way!]

[ He squints a little. ]

Therapy?

[ Said to the tune of: I've literally never heard this word before. ]

[Morgana deflates a little at the question, something more easily felt through empathy than actually seen. He seriously doesn't even know what therapy is? Way to turn a bit of sass into something genuinely sad, Daeseon, you're one fucked up world.]

Well--that's--

.....You, um, talk to someone about your problems, and tell them what's wrong and how you feel. And they help you handle it all so you feel better, that's what they're trained to do.

[Is having to actually talk through your Issues with another person better or worse than having people in your head and seeing everything that's fucked up?]

[ He blinks a couple of times. ]

Someone can be trained to help someone... like that?

[ What the fuck is this concept... ]

... So it's like... easing the carbonation out of a soda bottle, rather than letting the thing explode?

.....Sssssooooomething like that, yeah..... But the carbonation is your feelings, I guess?

That's the comparison I was going for, yeah.

[ Don't judge him!!! ]

[After clearing his voice awkwardly after that little outburst that had everyone staring at him, he listens to Aiden's answer to Kurama.

Everything they can teach about palaces, huh...?]

I'm not sure if what I know will be of much help. Most of what I learned, I used to directly influence my own Palace to ah... make it more difficult for invaders.

[His brow is tense as he stares at the ground... before he shakes his head.]

But I agree with you. If you do have a Palace, then it would be best if you can make the change yourself.

[He seems to want to say something else, but... withholds, though Aiden will feel that pain and shame...]

Edited 2018-07-21 21:06 (UTC)

[ He tenses his brow. ]

So, you can alter the state of your own Palace... consciously?

[ There's a tilt of his head. ]

Then that means, if it came down to it, a person could possibly make their Palace safer for anyone inside?

... in a manner of speaking, I suppose you could.

[He... never considered that it could be used to actually protect the people coming into the Palace.]

But such an effort does take a bit of... deliberate self-delusion.

[Boy, sure is making a point not to look at Goro over here.]

Edited 2018-08-01 05:36 (UTC)

[Yeah, he's...maybe conspicuously staring at his tablet. He doesn't want to talk about it? He doesn't want to talk about it.]

[ Looking to the floor for a while... ]

So, you have to convince yourself of something... and believe it with everything in you.

[ Considering the route he'd go with it, though... Would it really be that difficult to focus on the kinds of thoughts that would be required?

In any case, he's noticed how quiet Akechi's being. He's tempted to ask if he's okay, but--....... ]

Are you okay?

[He glances up and runs a hand through his hair.]

This is just...an awkward topic for me. I had clearance in his Palace, so I spent a fair amount of time there when I was plotting against him. I've seen, or at least heard of, the results of some of his efforts at changing what was in it.

[ Yep, there are definitely some things he needs to learn more about... ]

If it's too awkward for you, you don't have to talk about it, but... I will admit I'm curious about what some of the obvious differences were, between the ship and any other Palace.

The worst detail...I've only heard about secondhand.

But, the biggest difference I noticed is that certain Cognitive beings had a more...solid presence. They didn't behave quite like the puppets Cognitives usually are.

[Yeah, Shido has decided to use the tablet distraction himself, now. He... really doesn't want to think about it...]

[ Interesting... ]

So, if you put effort into it... you can give the beings inside what seem to be minds of their own...?

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distractions

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/fulfills his job as a living options prompt

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