animus_network | first ❅ video;

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first ❅ video;

[It's been a while since Yukiko has been in the Tower at all - three months, give or take a bit. It shows in her face when she appears on the video feed; this isn't the face of a surprised newcomer. It's the face of someone who has explored enough to know that while she was gone, a lot of her friends have left. Her voice is just a bit shaky when she speaks.]

...hello, Tower. This is Yukiko Amagi. I was here, before, and now I'm back. I think it's been about three months. It's kind of hard to tell time when it passes on a dead world. One day blends into another after a while.

[She pauses, briefly, taking a deep breath.]

I know that there were people from the Japanese town of Inaba here before. They were my friends. I also tried sending them a message. I - I know that they're all gone. The message said 'user not found' for all of them, and so I went down to the graveyard to doublecheck. They're definitely gone.

I'll be okay, though. I know they're gone now, but I can be strong enough for all of them. I know I'm back here for a reason, and that reason must be to make sure they're saved, in the end. Really saved, not just 'saved' as in pulled here again.

...so. What did I miss while I was gone?

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[Diarmuid smiles gently.]

I had a feeling you would understand.

Do you want to meet to talk about it sometime soon? Perhaps after you are done talking to Ryoji? I would tell you just to ask him about it, but I don't know how closely he has been following developments. He has had...other things on his mind.

[The frown returns to his face.]

I wonder how it will affect...her...

I think that would be good. I don't know how long we'll be talking, but I'll see about finding you sometime afterwards?

[Oops. She's blushing a little bit. That fades as soon as the frown returns to his face.]

...Ruana? Whatever happened, she'll have to deal with it. She may not be happy about it, but we'll handle it. We always do.

That works for me. I will be around as I always am. Don't you dare rush on my account, though. Spend as much time with Ryoji as you need to.

[Her response to his mutterings causes him to shake his head.]

No, not Ruana. I mean Ryoji's her...

[Diarmuid waves a hand dismissively.]

Don't worry if you don't understand. I will explain when we talk later.

(OOC: Do we want to time skip to after she meets with Ryoji or just set up/handwave something later?)

[That gets a little bit of a blush out of her.]

I - I wasn't planning on rushing that, or anything.

[She frowns again, thinking a little.]

...ah. That one.

[Yukiko nods.]

If you don't mind? Thanks.

[OOC: a timeskip is fine!]

[Diarmuid laughs.]

Good to hear. Then, I will consider that part of my fatherly duties done.

[He winks at her.]

Take good care of my son. I will talk to you later.

(OOC: Time skip it is! Feel free to set up whatever time and place you want next tag. Diarmuid is flexible.)

I'll talk to you later.

[And a few hours later, she pings him again.]

Hey. Ryoji and I are done talking, so I can meet with you. I'll be on the meadow floor?

[She didn't blush when she said 'talking'. Nope.]

[The reply she gets is short, though amused, since he doesn't miss that blush.]

I will meet you there shortly.

[And true to his word, not long later, Diarmuid can be found in the Meadow waiting for her to arrive.]

[It's not long after when Yukiko arrives. She's always liked this floor, and it's nice seeing all of the flowers and feeling the sunshine, even if she has to remind herself it isn't real sunshine.

She waves when she sees Diarmuid, walking over with a warm smile.]

It's good to see you again.

My, don't you look cheerful.

[Diarmuid can't help it. He just has to tease. He's Ryoji's father, after all...]

It is good to see you again as well. Especially looking as 'radiant' as you do...

[The teasing's working; Yukiko blushes just a little bit. It isn't that obvious, is it? She's certainly happy, even glowing, but she'd rather not say exactly why.]

D-do I?

[She looks off to the side and takes a couple of breaths to calm herself down.]

So you mentioned that collar research breakthrough. What happened?

You do. I know I asked you to take good care of my son, but it seems he took good care of you as well.

[Diarmuid winks at her.]

Very good!

[And that is all he will say on that, his expression becoming more serious as he addresses her question softly to make sure no unwanted ears overhear.]

At your next collar check, if you so wish, give a note to the unit with the chipped collar who is in charge. It will give you a...different fluid so to speak, than usual. Immediately after that, you will lose all your powers for a week. However, once that week passes, your powers will slowly return.

Your real powers.

[...give her a second, Dia. Yukiko has just gone as red as her sweater and she needs a second to get her bearings back. It takes a little bit of awkward giggling and looking away, but she gets herself back together eventually.]

...something like that, ahaha...but I really shouldn't say anything.

[The subject change is more than welcome. Yukiko instinctively brings a hand up to her collar as she listens, nodding.]

That is a breakthrough. Color me impressed! I'm definitely going to be doing that soon. I can lie low for a week while I don't have my powers, and it's better to do it during a month when Riki's in charge. That should mean my powers come back in full in time for next month.

[She really doesn't want to be entirely powerless during a Ruana month.]

[Fortunately for her, Diarmuid isn't looking for details. He is just going to smile a knowing smile and continue talking about the collar fluid.]

I will also be taking it soon, probably around the 18th. I could have done it earlier, but we were still waiting to see the full results and I couldn't let myself be weakened at the same time Waver was.

He insisted on being in the first test group.

[Even though it all seems to have worked out now, Diarmuid is still not happy about that.]

[She's glad for that. It gives her a chance to get her blushing under control and to focus.]

I can't say I blame you for waiting. I'm also not surprised that someone like Waver-san volunteered early, though I can't imagine it was pleasant.

[Yukiko would have seriously considered being in that first group herself, had she been there.]

He's all right now, though, right? There weren't any side effects other than being depowered for the week?

[She's already planning for that. She doesn't think she'll make it in time for the check on the 14th, but the 28th is circled on her mental calendar.]

Aside from the slow return instead of immediate return of powers after the week, no it seems like there are no other side effects. It is unfortunate, though, that floors that nullified our 'fake' powers still nullify our 'real' ones, but one step at a time.

[Diarmuid frowns slightly when it comes to talking about Waver.]

Waver is okay...now. When his powers first came back there were some problems, but that wasn't because of the process. That was because of the nature of his powers.

[Of course, cause aside, it had still be very frightening for them both.]

So whatever it is that's nullifying the glamour powers is nullifying real ones, too. I wonder what kind of barrier it actually is? It can't react to just magic or physical powers only. Given there are so many sources they can come from, it can't be targeting some universal marker.

[Yukiko frowns. She's not a scientist, but she's trying to think like one. It's not getting her very far.

She picks up on that note of worry, and that makes her frown deepen.]

...do you mind if I ask? Are they something like mine, where it's - I explained it, but it's like a piece of my spirit or my soul - or something else? I'm - well, I'd be crazy if I weren't concerned.

[Diarmuid shrugs helplessly.]

I am afraid that I can't help much with that. I suspect somehow whatever is nullifying things doesn't look for a constant. It is keyed to each of our souls individually, but how is beyond me. I let Waver try to figure that stuff out for a reason.

[And speaking of Waver...]

It is okay for you to ask. I understand your worry. His powers aren't like yours. The reason he had so much pain is that his powers come from something that is meant to be introduced to his body gradually, since for whatever reason on our world magic circuits--which a magus needs to work magic--are rejected by the body. Both his circuits and his crest came back all at once when they had originally developed/been given to him over many years.

It...was not pleasant to say the least.

I think I'll let the scientists puzzle over that one. It sounds like it's over my head.

[She laughs for a second, before getting serious again.]

I'm glad Waver is okay now. I can't even begin to imagine how awful it must have been. It's hard to think about magic being something that can even be rejected. I can understand it developing over time well enough, but having it come back all at once when it doesn't develop naturally...

[Yukiko shakes her head. It's hard to wrap her head around, when magic comes as easily to her as focusing her feelings and emotions, at least at first. Then she remembers exactly how she got that power to begin with.]

...I'm sure he would have rather fought with his own Shadow, like I did, than go through something like that. It was painful, but on a different kind of level.

[Though it leaves the question of whether she'll have to fight hers again to regain her Persona. She knows she can do it, but the idea makes her frown again.]

Magic is...weird on our world. It was not always that way, but its form in modern day is very different than it used to be. Waver says it is more like a science than true magic anymore. Perhaps that is why the human body fights it so hard. It has lost the ability to be natural.

[Diarmuid shakes his head. It is another one of those changes for the worse he has come to notice in modern day that he will never understand.

Her mentioning her Shadow causes a concerned look to cross his face.]

Will you need to fight...her again?

[And 'will you need help' is the unspoken question.]

That's almost the exact opposite of how it works at home. There aren't many that can use it, and we have to fight once before the power truly awakens, but when it does, it's like a presence that's always there. I know that this might not be my 'real' power, but I can still feel Konohana-Sakuya. That connection's as natural as breathing.

[Yukiko's just as concerned, and she shakes her head.]

I honestly don't know. I've accepted that part of me where she's from, and I don't think it will change anything. There's no way for me to know for sure until I get the new collar fluid, though.

If I have to fight her, I will. It won't be the first time. I know what to do, but I might need backup.

Well, there aren't that many who can use it on our world anymore either and most of those are tied to bloodlines.

[There is distaste in his voice when he says 'bloodlines.']

There used to be so many more. I don't understand why it changed so.

[He shakes his head and then his expression becomes very serious.]

You know I will help you however I can, right? You need only ask. I don't know if there will be any complications when I get my powers back, but even if there are, I expect they will be very minor in comparison to what others will be facing.

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first ❅ video;

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video -> action; say a few hours later?

video -> action; good by me!

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