animus_network | five ✾ video;

[Yukiko looks worried as she gets on the network. Very worried. She'd disappeared after the battles at the barricades, not been able to get back, not seen or heard from anyone...]

I owe everyone at the barricades the night of June 19th an apology. I couldn't do enough to help you, and I couldn't get back in time to prevent more damage and keep more of you from being hurt because of the way my magic was blocked.

[She gives the camera a deep bow.]

I'm sorry.

I'd also like to say something to everyone I was fighting with - from the brave, brave girl who kept pushing past her limits and kept going, to my team leader at home for showing why he's our leader, to every healer in the fight, to everyone who stepped in and replaced those who couldn't keep going any longer, to every single person there...thank you. You're very brave and very strong. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise. You're incredible.

And someone else has already said this, but to those who were turned...I don't hate you. You had no way of knowing. I didn't want to witch-hunt you, or go after you, because of something you couldn't control. Please take care of yourselves. You're not what Ruana says you are.

[She bows again, then cuts off the feed.]

[Also, the Persona-users at the barricade, SEES, the Investigation Team, Strega, Hidetoshi Odagiri, Ryoji Mochizuki, Saki Konishi, and Labrys will all get a note in their inboxes, with sharing instructions.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

you suffered no lasting issues from your magic being severed, i hope?

None that I've noticed. It took longer than I'd have liked for it to come back to me, and that was definitely unpleasant - like a piece of me was blocked off and I couldn't access it in the slightest. But I haven't noticed any lasting effects, thank goodness.

Are you okay?

that's good. luna blade isn't supposed to be permanent, not to my knowledge, but i was concerned it might've reacted differently to different magic systems. it's not my specialty, in any case.

i'm fine.

[ 'fine' as a matter of speaking. ]

It shouldn't have. The magic I used is called a 'Persona' - it's a piece of my soul that powers the magic itself, to put it simply It's a complicated situation, but I don't think it's possible to permanently damage it. It can be blocked, yes, but not damaged entirely.

It took about 5 days for my magic to come back, but that's all right. It took longer when the power first woke up, so I'm good.

your soul?

[ a pause—lengthy, pregnant, when his replies otherwise had come fairly quickly—before Raven, too, switches the feed over to video after having managed to school most of the shock away from his features. he could do her the justice of being able to see who it was that had attacked her, at least.

he looks uncomfortable in the way that would be strongly telling of a constant, habitual guardedness being forcibly dropped, had he not also appeared so drained. ]

I'm... glad that was the case then. If it could have been affected like that, then... it's good to hear no lasting repercussions came of it.

My apologies regardless, though.

[The pause is telling enough, all right. Yukiko can't help an immediate feeling of apprehension at first, but it fades instantly when the video comes on.

He just looks so exhausted that she can't be angry. She never was, but right now, she's more concerned than anything else.]

I'm fine, really, I am. You don't need to worry about me, all right? I'd know by now if I wasn't. I feel like myself again, I promise.

I'm more worried about having hurt you! I know I was firing off some pretty big spells, and I wasn't actually expecting the one that followed you to work...I'm really sorry about that.

You were only defending yourself and everyone else there. There's no need to apologize for that. [ his voice strengthens while he says this, but only for that; it fades back into the muted tone from before when he speaks again. still, he sounds pretty vehement about it while it lasts. ]

I said I was fine, earlier. I meant it. None of the injuries sustained while... transformed, carried over. Not even when I met my death by—again, fire—on a later occasion. [ because burn scars of all things wouldn't so easily fade, normally. ]

I suppose we would have known, otherwise.

Still...

[She shakes her head.]

I'm sorry I made that weakness of yours so easily known.

Mm. It's not exactly the same, but I couldn't entirely control my own actions back in April, and I've had nightmares about it ever since then, especially after it happened to my boyfriend even worse in May...it's why I drew the line at witch-hunting. I didn't want anyone else feeling that kind of survivors' guilt.

... I don't know. If it could have stopped us...

[ he murmurs, seeming distracted. ]

I can't... speak for the others, but I would rather have died ten times over than have allowed myself to be used like that again. [ before shaking his head and refocusing on the conversation he's supposed to be having. ]

I suppose, though, assuming wrongly about identities would've been no better.

[ ... ]

It's not your responsibility to be apologizing for. I can assure you that you had no hand in what happened; you... rightly, should owe no apology to me.

[There's a faint chuckle from his end. Really, Yukiko? Really?]

It's alright. You helped us this much until then; it was enough to get others out of harm's way.

[He won't mention that he...kind of didn't make it. Either she found out already, or she hasn't and he's fine anyway.]

I don't think my friend looks at the network often, but I'll let her know she was mentioned.

Edited 2013-07-02 19:41 (UTC)

[Yu know how she gets. Some things don't ever change. Being a worrier? It won't ever change.]

I wish I could have gotten back sooner. It wasn't that I was physically hurt, not after Naoya-san - I tracked down names best as I could, I'm pretty sure that's right - cast Diarahan on me, but that magic drain took days to recover from. It was a lot like after I got out of the other world the first time, with just feeling really weak and drained.

...are you sure you're okay? I...I didn't see what happened after Ryoji got me out of there, but I heard a lot of noises when we were on the way out and none of them were good. I...well, I figured the worst, to be honest. I'm so sorry...

[She put two and two together on her own. Also, note the lack of honorific.]

Please do. She was very brave and very strong. She needs to know that.

[To which he may or may not be grateful for ~~spoilers, it's the former~~.]

Mm. You're right. I guess I was lucky to just miss that. [And by "lucky" we mean "1HP left"... uh, yeah. ~~also brb shipping you and Ryoji 5ever, Yukiko-san~~] I'm glad you've recovered, at least.

[He nods in confirmation, before making the feed private. Though considering he has no marks from the attacks and explosions he weathered, the answer is obvious as to what happened to him in hindsight.]

...You don't have to apologize, Yukiko-san. We all did our best to protect the others. To be honest, I'm more worried for Xion. She was one of those who fell to the monsters and hasn't taken her death well.

[~~Good. She's not ever going to change that.~~ Also, she's glad this is private now.]

It wasn't something I would wish on anyone, no matter what they've done, let me put it that way. I'm not angry with the person, because they didn't know and they seemed really afraid of what they might have done once they realized exactly where the source of that magic was. It wasn't their fault. The blame lies squarely with Ruana.

...so I guess I don't really have to say that things otherwise worked out, do I? I mean. Yeah. That. It worked out.

[...priestess kid, quit blushing. Which she does, after hearing the rest of what Yu has to say.]

I feel like I do, though. If I'd not been so persistent, I wouldn't have gotten that drain, and I could have done more to take out the closer threats so that...so I could've kept my promise. I didn't want anyone to die on my watch. Not after...

[She shakes her head. Better in person, that.]

Would someone else talking to Xion-san help? I'd be glad to...

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