of despair

[coagmentatio]

Who: The Phantom Thieves and Friends
What: Aiden's Palace
When: forwarddated to 22nd, OOCly
Where: Aiden's headspace
Warnings: it's a Palace... so just mind all subject lines.

[ Everything will be going into toplevels, and then it's all getting linked below! ]

DAY 1:

outside | 1st floor | B1 & B2

DAY 2:

B3 | B4

DAY 3:

B5

Comments

Exterior

[coagmentatio]

[ Unlike how Mona originally saw it, the Palace is no longer completely surrounded by darkness; it's possible to navigate easily, if you have strong enough night vision.

What's more, is it's no longer difficult to get to the Palace. There are still thick, thorn-covered walls, but the gate is now wide open. So, everyone will be able to immediately get through and (in most cases) see the old building.

Said building is covered in a slimy moss on the left side, while the right side appears to be crumbling away... But, more importantly? Everything is in brown monochrome - yes... everything.

Even the very group who just arrived - everyone's clothes, their hair, their skin... It's all in monochrome.

Waiting at the door, there's someone wearing a very plain, white mask. Mona would possibly recognize this as the one who chased him away, last time. This time, the cognition that's shaped a lot like Aiden is going to be nodding its head in greeting, and then gesturing for everyone to head inside.

>step inside? ]

Interior

[coagmentatio]

1

[coagmentatio]

[ As soon as the very first person steps inside, they might first notice the... music?

In the front, there's what appears to be a reception area that has a large desk. ]

[promittere]

[It's a shame he can't see how sepia everything is, because that would be something worth pointing out and wondering over.

As it is, Specs is ready for this Palace exploration. He's...worried about Aiden, but he has faith in this team. They helped Izunia, after all, and there's more of them now. He can be found hovering just outside the gate, waiting for the go ahead from everyone else.]

[biddentodance]

[Minato, or "Maestro", is here, in full SEES getup. School uniform, red armband, every present MP3 player, and most importantly, silver Evoker holstered at his hip. He's...different from his usual sleepy daze. Focused and alert, all but a soldier.]

Anything else I need, before we move out?

[fullmoonfool]

[Minako is a little bit worried, if she's honest. This is very different to what she's used to (the odd colours not so much but everything is an odd colour and she's not sure she likes that) and the whole idea of a Palace and everything is strange. At least she can sorta equate the idea of "large place full of Shadows" to Tartarus, but it's not really the same.

She's doing a damn good job of hiding it though, making sure she has everything. Like Minato, she's wearing her school uniform, SEES armband on and Evoker settled around her waist. The only sign of her being a little unsure is her quietness, and the fact she's flicking through her music more often than normal, headphones on but at a volume where she can still hear everyone else talk]

[beguiledcard]

[ He's not too surprised that he's in his normal clothes, rather than the Joker attire... They were invited, after all.

Minako's silence is understanding. This is new, after all. He won't ask how she's holding up, but... ]

Any questions before we head inside? [ also. . . ] You need a codename.

[hairpincurves]

[She's not sure how she feels about this, honestly.

The female Joker is quiet, seeming tense and almost nervous as she glances around. Or, depending on how well one knows her, worried.

Because hoo boy is she worried. Worried about Aiden, worried about holding everyone back... worried about how this could turn out. She hasn't been this worried in a while, honestly. She'll just... be doing a last supply check to occupy herself if anyone wants to bother her.]

[fullmoonfool]

[Minako smiles as Akira speaks up] Mostly I'm just curious what to expect. I'm used to exploring somewhere with Shadows, but this is probably a lot different to Tartarus.

[And then she head tilts] A codename? What for?

[makejapangreat]

Ignis.

[Shido greets him, strolling up quietly. There's a slight bit of tension in his body; he's definitely out of his element here, no matter how much he actually knows about the Metaverse.

All he can hope is that he won't end up dragging everyone down too much...]

Is this your first time in a Palace as well?

[beguiledcard]

From what little I've learned about your timeline, I'm willing to bet it is.

[ There's the hint of a grin. ]

It's part of being among the thieves. We all have them. I'm Joker. [ pointing to Akana/female Akira ] And she's Joker. We also have Crow, Wild, Maestro, Specs, Oracle, and Mona.

[ Guess the thief! ... Also, he's glancing over to Shido for a moment. ]

... We also need a codename for him. [ back to Minako! ...and giving the hint of a grin, once more ] Either way, it's actually part of the initiation process to get codenamed by the other thieves.

[fullmoonfool]

[The hint of a grin makes Minako smile, relaxing a tiny bit]

Oh...I see. That's actually kind of cool. [She's not entirely sure who is who, but she might be able to figure it out later] Well, if it's an initiation thing, then alright! Though I don't really know what would be good for me.

[promittere]

Shido.

[His head tilts in greeting, before shaking his head no.]

No. I was invited along to Izunia's, though I'm sure this will be incredibly different. I already knew what would be in Izunia's mind, after all.

[makejapangreat]

... I wasn't aware Izunia had a palace.

[The guy had seemed pretty chill and... well, for a lack of a better term, relatively normal? Then again, he didn't know him that well. He quietly looks around.]

Everything here is... brown, for starters.

[promittere]

He did, back when I first arrived.

[So...during a not so great time for Shido. It seems like an entire lifetime ago.]

Everything's...brown? Like an old movie?

[makejapangreat]

Yes. Precisely like that.

[He glances at the Cognitive Aiden.]

... and Aiden's Cognitive self doesn't seem to be much for words, though I don't need to tell you that.

[negare]

[ A hum can be heard. ]

And just what would you have me talk about? [ a smirk ] The weather? The stupid optimism within this group?

[promittere]

[Your smirk means nothing to him.]

Why not? You seem to be paying us close mind, so why not tell us what you truly think about all of this?

[makejapangreat]

[Ah. Well that certainly got his attention, didn't it?

Shido looks at the Cognitive quietly as Ignis speaks to him, taking in that expression, yellow eyes, wry smirk... none of it comes as any surprise. For now, he'll just keep observing.]

cw: and so it begins... with some effed up self-worth and some vulgar af language

[negare]

[ EXCUSE U... SMIRKS CAN BE HEARD IN A TONE.

The smirk and eyes are all Shido'll be able to see, thanks to how much the mask covers, but... it should be enough.

Said Cognitive is tilting its head to the side a bit, an almost challenging expression being directed at Masayoshi. ]

What I think? I think you're all wasting your fucking time on a useless piece of shit. I think you're all going to die trying to fix the unfixable.

cw: sprays him with a bottle

[promittere]

[Nah.]

You're wrong.

[Ignis, somehow, doesn't even sound defensive. It's as if he's just relaying the simplest truth to him.

Which he is.]

But we're not hear to argue whether or not this is worth it. We're here to help our friend - all parts of him.

cw: baps him on the head

[makejapangreat]

[........ yeah, Shido was pretty much expecting a response like that.]

You saved my life. I wouldn't consider that the action of someone useless.

[challenge accepted, motherfucker?!]

[byanyother_name]

[Kurama takes a moment to examine their new surroundings... and the effects it has on them. He doesn't think the brown tones suit him, but for the moment, it's set aside as harmless and cosmetic.

Not so the masked man with the familiar build by the door. Kurama doesn't hesitate as he walks right up to him, eyes searching. It doesn't seem likely for the Palace ruler to be playing doorman, and yet he can't rule it out, either. His tone is soft and gently inquisitive.]

Are you Aiden?

cw: continual misuse of the "cw" tag??

[negare]

Am I?

[ It's moving to... circle the two of them... ]

Your friend...

[ The laugh that's given is a shaky one. ]

Your friend who... saved your life? [ to Masayoshi: ] Are you referring to the thing that was a fucking group effort?

[negare]

Zaen.

[ There's something only minorly irritated in its tone. ]