recolle | SPOOKY HAUNTS AND TRAILS

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SPOOKY HAUNTS AND TRAILS » OPEN

WHO: the infamous nasty crimeboy, Akira Kurusu, and you!
WHERE: Places in Recolle
WHEN: Spooky Month of October
WHAT: EVENT STUFF and mundane stuff if it comes up. if you would like to plan anything, hit me up via

halloway or hei#2323 on discord.
WARNINGS: Persona 5 spoilers for last boss battle and late-game conspiracy unveiling. Will update when necessary!

NOTE!! You can leave an empty comment with the subject header of your choice or even RANDOM for something unlisted/miscellaneous (lighthearted) and I'll write the prompt. For nightmares, it may skip around and make no sense very much like how actual dreams are.

nightmares

[ When you enter the dream, you're engulfed by darkness until you hear a deep and unfamiliar voice. It speaks in a language you are most comfortable with. ]

The contract has been sealed...

You have agreed to provide the Trickster support
in his journey to oppose fate and seek change.

CASINO
It's filled with a variety of gamblers from talking fish to actual people. Shadows are also gambling? But they're aggressive due to their mass losses. There are several elevators and it seems like the treasure is on the VIP level.

If you choose to enter the CASINO, you may appear outside of the structure or on the first floor in costume and mask. Akira will accompany you in his Joker outfit.

VELVET ROOM
Are you a prisoner? Or a keeper? You can stand behind the bars with Akira, withstand the abuse and rebel alongside him, or on the opposite side—ushered by two wardens and a man with an elongated nose to carry out discipline. Rehabilitation is important.

If you choose to enter the VELVET ROOM, you may appear inside or outside the cell. Your attire will change into prisoner wear or officer uniform respectively.

MEMENTOS (SPOILER)
In the city of Recolle, you notice there's something strange. People walk past the blood red rain and the towering skeleton pieces. The irrelevant become forgotten. The forgotten vanish. Is it your hand that's disappearing? Or is it Akira's?

If you choose MEMENTOS, you'll be in your normal attire or in your underwear. Whichever your character feels less attractive in if you want. Once again, Akira is beside you.

CODE CREDIT

fog

[ Akira has been having a hard time with his nightmares. Some of them he remembers bits and pieces (all useless), but he's thinking a jog in the ungodly time where the thick fog rolls in is a good idea? Unfortunately not... He ends up running away from one of these three tormentors in his pajamas. What's with his luck?

As he looks behind him, he crashes into someone. Sorry. ]

TWIN WARDENS (SPOILER)
Their names are unknown to you, but they're two girls with silver hair with a single golden eye (an eyepatch covers the other). As attendants of the Velvet Room, they have this ethereal aura to them, even menacing as they shoot various skills into the fog.

"Come back here, inmate! You can't hide forever!"

"You're only delaying the inevitable."

IMPERIOUS ANGEL (SPOILER)
An angel appears with an abstract body shape. Wings scaling wide and halo spinning over its head, it spreads its several hands that hold instruments. With the rise of the triangle, the angel rings it with a clear ding. In a matter of seconds, a flash of light magic strikes near.

"I am what humanity desires. Why oppose me?"

You can hear the sneer in its voice.

GOLD PIGGER
This silver piggy bank may seem cute, but it's also massively large and rolls without end. What does stop it from rolling are valuable items. Throw something expensive and it'll take a break to appraise it with a series of oinks. The one in control is a half-fly guy throwing out some mad rhymes.

"Yo yo yo! You think you can just walk into my neighborhood and disrespect me like that, dawg?"

CODE CREDIT

wildcard

[ THROW ME WHATEVER! Baby haunts from the new ghosts or even the Retrospec Maze! Even anything normal. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ WELP, looks like this isn't the time for a tutorial, huh? sena watches the way akira lunges at the enemy with his daggers, and decides to charge in as well and slash at one of those mice before it gets him with a stun gun. so far so good? he still doesn't have enough sword training due to how busy he was last month, but apparently he's not doing half bad in this surreal dream.

he turns and sees that another mouse is aiming at akira with a gun from afar, and sena dashes over to guard his back by swishing his cape over them; the cape can apparently work like a shield, as the bullets bounce off the fabric like it's nothing. ]

You have a gun on you or something?

Yeah, I do.

[ The only Personas he seems to remember using are in his roster... So when Sena asks about having a gun, he brushes his fingertips against the rim of his mask. The demon lord, Satanael, appears and points its intricate gun at the target Sena has his eyes on.

With a quick cast of riot gun, all the mice get hit and plop backwards onto their backs, moving their little paws in the air like they can't get up. It's actually humorous. The megaphone mice is also on its last squeak, actually collapsing when Akira punts it away. ]

Thanks for the cover. [ And he hopes Sena has healing powers? Actually, he doesn't see why Sena doesn't. Yes, this means he has healing capabilities now. Akira needs healing. ] Want to finish them off?

[ Yes, his trust blossoms in giving his friend powers that... he really does not have. ]

[ sena watches in awe as the demon lord manifests from out of nowhere and shoots every mouse on sight. where the hell did that even come from? is that what yu mentioned to him last month?

a frisson of power blossoms up in him as akira grants him healing abilities and with a mere snap of sena's fingers, they're both back in tip-top shape once more. now that he's getting more used to this... gameplay... sena nods before running and impaling whatever's left of those mice on the ground, the poor little guys vanishing in a puff of smoke once thoroughly defeated.

that sure was exhilarating, but so exhausting. sena has to take off the stupid hat off his head first before catching his breath. ]

Wh... What was that, Aki-- Joker? Was that a Persona?

Edited 2017-10-09 00:15 (UTC)

Yeah. I know you don't have one, but it's no big deal.

[ Because his friends has a bunch of Persona users? So it must be normal. Don't worry about it. Their first battle has been successful and the danger meter goes down. They're back to being unsuspecting trespassers and security lowers overall.

He's quick to keep moving (no time to rest, sorry), leading Sena through the aisle of slot machines that have bipedal animals in their seat, chipping their savings away for that taste of the luxury life. ]

I only have three right now, so we don't have every attribute covered. Good thing you can heal. Right, Knight?

[ Arsene apparently is in his roster in this dream, but nothing else at the moment. They hear a siren's song as they approach the bar area of the casino. One of the elevators is also there—watch as this Shadow (it's in the form of a humanoid employee in a rather fancy suit) flash a card to the reader and take it up. ]

Mm. Aside from this cape and sword, it's all I know in this strange dream of yours.

[ ah, so he's like yu and souji then. but he's not mulling over that any longer, because up they go the elevator to yet another level. probably another large room full of slot machines and even some roulettes like any other casino. ]

So why a casino, exactly? Is this some otherworld thing that you'd mentioned last month?

[ let's see, what was that infodump about again? something about stealing hearts, distorted desires, a talking cat... this may be a dream but sena would believe anything at this point ]

Edited 2017-10-09 06:06 (UTC)

Dream? [??? ] Also, I don't know why it's a casino, but Palaces take form however the Ruler sees it.

[ He doesn't know what you're talking about... For all he knows, he has always been doing this. Sena is a new addition, but this is just the same old for him... Whether that's unsettling or not is up to the audience. They're able to slip through into the elevator and end up on the next floor.

The words say BRONZE by the large entrance into the floor, but—"ID?" It seems like these security guards don't see them as a threat, only asking them for their ID... Actually, Akira pickpocketed some poor bunny on the first floor, so he gives them that.

"Sorry, you must win enough chips to rank up to Bronze, then you'll be allowed into this floor and enjoy its benefits."

Down they go. ]

... By chance do you know how to gamble?

Edited (WHOOPS) 2017-10-09 06:32 (UTC)

[ Palaces and its Ruler. okay, gotcha. he gets it now.

(he does not get it)

but at the question, sena freezes in place because oh no... this really isn't his specialty, but: ]

I... guess you could say that? My best friend taught me the basics, at least. She's an expert on that stuff.

[ the basics of CHEATING, more like. sena will never be interested in something like that and yet mary had taught him everything he needed to know just in case. it's all so stupid - ]

All we gotta do is get enough chips, right? How much do we need?

[ They can have a more detailed talk in person because dream Akira believes they went through the basics already. Either way, their new objective is to increase their rank to bronze... Akira sneaks a brochure that’s left at this empty bingo machine and checks the membership tiers. ]

That’s better than nothing. [ The original PT had no experience whatsoever. ] It looks like 10,000 chips. We get bonus chips for playing their current promotions, too. Almost doubled.

[ Which are (guess what) Halloween themed. Hallowin seems to be the promotion available on this floor. Based on the description, it’s a matching game against two other gamblers. The requirements sure are something. Either way, since this is an American casino, these chips mean actual money.

A number shows up to indicate the amount on the card Akira stole from the rabbit: 605 games and 320 chips. ]

I thought rabbits were lucky.

They are, if you chop one of their feet off.

[ that's kinda morbid, izumi. but now this got him to thinking - as if they have all the time in the world to grind for chips right now. they need to get up there, and fast.

which means... u g h. god, why did he have to learn gambling from her of all people? ]

I have an idea. Follow me.

[ let's go to a corner of this large room where nobody can listen in on them. sena's eyes dart from left to right, checking if they're in the clear, and huddles closer to akira to whisper: ]

We have no choice. We need to cheat in order to get up there. I know how to rip off stuff from poker - not sure about slots though - but yeah. We have to play dirty.

[ Akira leans in, raising his eyebrows in this little corner they've congregated in. Lucky for them, they're in the area that seems to be less populated because these machines don't have as many chip bonuses as the others. There's a thoughtful hum... ]

Good idea. [ Of course he's game? In the end, the method doesn't matter if they can get results. This isn't reality in more than one way. ] I saw an employees only door nearby, but it's locked with a card...

We might cause too much of a scene assaulting an employee for their ID card, but there's also a vent that we can fit through.

[ ARE YOU READY?!??! ]

[ sena blinks at him because holy shit? he did not expect akira to agree with this? is he really the only one around here who disapproves with cheating at all?!

sigh. the nasty crimeboy life simply isn't the life for him. ]

Right. Lead the way.

[ HE'S READY, I GUESS...... ]

[ They're on a deadline and sometimes you have to do some underhanded things to get results. It's part of the Phantom Thief name. Give him a moment to look surprised?

A model boy that doesn't mind going into a dirty vent. Wow. ]

You amaze me every single day, Knight.

[ And he'll lead them through a vent... It's a little dusty, but luckily clean. Before they can exit, they get to eavesdrop into a conversation.

"Did you hear someone won the lottery on the Platinum floor?"

"Would you really call it winning when they were chosen? Didn't you hear? In their past life, they were gifted with considerable luck. The higher-ups are just playing it as they see it."

"Oh, break time is over. Let's head back."

When that's over, Akira gently drops into the break room and waits for Sena to follow after him. ]

[ as you said, you have to do some underhanded, filthy things to get results. it's totally fine... for now. he does overhear the aforementioned conversation and - oh no. what if...

thankfully the vent isn't too dirty so apart from some dust caught on his knees and gloved hands, sena jumps out of the vent relatively scotfree and follows akira to hopefully nab one of those security people. ]

So do we sneak up on them or wait for them to come this way?

[ he'll ask akira something once they're through with this one. ]

[ Hm... He thinks that there must be a control room or a server room that handles everyone's account balance, so that's where he would like them to go. However, snatching an employee ID card would help them sneak around a lot easier.

But if they're in front of them like chicken dinner, they have to finish them off so they can't alert others. With a quick slash, the Shadow disappears and they acquire x1 Clerk ID Card. It won't get them into every room, but it'll definitely get them into some.

The Shadow also leaves its employee uniform. ]

It's good to do some reconnaissance first.

[ Opening a small crack in the door, he pulls in another employee to knock them out, too. Unfortunately, their card is lower that clerk, but uniforms. ]

[ damn, he really is experienced with this. sena now feels like dead weight - but he's not going to let akira have all the spotlight? excuse you.

but he'll show him what he can offer on the table once they get there. right now, they have to change into these uniforms to blend better in the crowd. there we go. ]

Right, I think we're in the clear in this room for now.

[ let's just say they hid their PT outfits in sena's hat ok. they need to find a better safe room, though... ]

Is it possible to get more chips than required for Bronze and just go straight to Gold or even Platinum from here? If we can hack into the system and change the rates for our benefit, I'm sure it can be done no matter how badly we play.

[ It's a dream, so he's as confident as his dream allows him. Sena, of course, is great support even if he doesn't think so. Without him, he'll have trouble in the long run? Take the spotlight. We can say that they don on the uniform in some quick weird Metaverse way. Their outfits will appear back when they want. ]

It'll have to depend on their security... I imagine if we had a hacker in our ranks, it would be easy.

[ They're ready, even wearing hats to further obscure their faces. He goes ahead and leads Sena out. The layout doesn't seem that extravagant... It is just a casino, but there are a couple of rooms they have to choose from (room a, room b,
and room c). Which will Sena pick? Akira has already quickly surveyed into room c and it seems to be a storage room. ]

[ damn, true. sena obviously doesn't know how to hack so there goes that idea. maybe there's another way they can get up there without abusing the system.

three doors, one of them is the storage room... with a shrug, sena the first room and turns the doorknob before throwing it open. what's behind door letter a? ]

[ Wow. You're really straight-laced, Senya?

Behind door letter a is the surveillance room for the Bronze floor. Unfortunately, there are two guards there that look surprised when Sena opens the room. They recognize his uniform, so they don't come off as hostile.

"Are you lost?"

Akira is right next to Sena, but not within line of sight of the guards. It would seem too weird for two people to be "lost". ]

[ they didn't see akira? okay, they can make do with this. sena keeps up the straight-laced look in his face as he waltzes into the room, keeping the brim of his hat lowered. ]

The higher-ups actually sent me here since the rest are busy right now. Told me to check the surveillance cameras to see if they're still working right. You know how paranoid they can be sometimes, even if they don't act like it.

[ he coolly approaches the controls, hoping that the guards will turn their attention towards the screens so that akira can sneak up on them while distracted. ]

Now tell me how you switch from one camera to another. I can't do this on my own.

[ The Shadows seem perplexed? But listen to Sena and teach him how to work the controls and the cameras. It seems pretty simple and with these cameras they can see every floor, including the treasure room.

It literally says Treasure Room as its lower third title, a weird blob hovering over a pedestal. Either way, they are focused on helping their peer learn the ropes—until Akira just climbs onto their shoulder and rips off their mask. Easy. ]

Good acting. Too bad these cameras don't include the control room.

[ But!! This room does include a map that shows the control room. For some reason, it's in the basement. ]

There's this, though. [ indicating the map that can lead them to the basement. ] What kind of establishment puts their control room in a basement of all places? It just complicates things for us?

[ that's the point, sena. huffing, sena turns to look at the screen where the Treasure Room is displaying the fuzzy-looking Treasure, then at the door. ]

If we don't leave now, they'll be back with more reinforcements. Let's hurry, Joker.

It does since we're looking for a way up... But if it's down below rather than specified for each floor, we might be able to rank up to VIP without worries.

[ But Akira isn't sure that it'll be that easy... It might have weird traps or some kind of puzzle to it. He has been suffering from riddle and puzzle hell since that water temple in August. Ugh.

Anyway, Akira will pocket that map and now they can check it anytime. ]

It's a flight of stairs down... To the right.

[ But if they look at the security cameras, they can see some of the Shadow congregating somewhere on the upper floor talking about intruders. They say they need to get rid of them if they want everything to go according to plan. The "reconstruction project version alpha" must go without interruptions.

On other screens, Sena will see people he definitely recognize. They're gambling, like usual, but instead of money they seem to get items? Abilities? Things that belonged to them. ]

[ sena still hasn't recovered from last august neither, christ. but before they leave, he turns to look at the screens again and overhears the security guards murmuring to themselves about a "reconstruction project" of sorts. is this what akira and his gang fighting against in his past.

but he freezes at one screen that shows gamblers getting all sorts of items which look innocent enough... until sena spots the photos of makoto that he'd kept hidden in his closet at his room being distributed around. fuck. ]

We need to get out of here. [ he grabs akira's wrist and pulls him out of the room. ] Now!

[ the stairs aren't too far off, but sena squints at the horizon... are those guards blocking the way already? ]

[ ??? Sena's urgency makes Akira question what's wrong, but there's no time to ask. They're already on the move to the lower control room... This may not be exactly what they did (it's mixed with some ideas from Retrospec), but the goal is still the same. For some reason, the danger meter continues to rise as they dash through the corridors and down the stairwell.

Is... That really a danger meter for the palace or for Sena? When they scale down the steps, guards are appearing left and right, but he's sure to summon Satanael to take care of them. With bullets shot through the Shadows, it's an easy way down... But the walls are pulsing, much like a heart.

What they find is a large supercomputer and a room that mirrors the galaxy. There is someone that sits there, but they can't see... At least until the chair finally turns to unveil a man in a suit, but his face is covered by the Retrospec logo in the color red. ]

[ the danger meter may as well symbolize sena's heart rate as they sped down the stairwell. thankfully akira's incredibly OP persona takes care of the pesky guards, but nothing's prepared them for this. sena's suddenly standing in space, his head turning in all corners before his gaze lands on a guy that symbolizes retrospec.

his sword instinctively materializes in his hand in a splash of water. ]

Who are you?

[ "and how did you know about those photos" but he can't risk letting akira know about that. ]

SPOOKY HAUNTS AND TRAILS » OPEN

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