[OPEN] you will be given one day

[compendiem]

WHO: Minato & OTA
WHERE: around the city
WHEN: noon 2/15-noon 2/16
WHAT: packs for a camping trip two weeks late bc this is his life
WARNINGS: none

i. around town
[ Minato wants to sleep so, so, so, so bad, and looks like he needs it— dark circles under his eyes, disheveled hair, feet that drag and wear down the bottoms of his shoes when he makes a beeline straight for home. First things first, check that the cat's still alive. Second, resist the siren call of bed so he can take a quick shower, grab some clothes out of the closet, empty the cupboards and set aside some bags next to the front door to pick up later. Zee had called it a vacation, and he knows he should try to get some proper rest, but he can't. It's a supply run day, and he needs to make every minute count.

Grocery store for food. The pharmacy for meds. Charger, battery, extra socks, a package of Kobe beef that he weighs in one hand and deliberates whether he should buy this (he buys this). Both sleeping pills and energy drinks, as if he can't decide how to live, and honestly, he doesn't.

It feels like end times, a little, him way out of his element and wondering what is he even doing? Why is he doing this? What's the point. Everything gets dumped into the trunk of his car, but then he just. leans back against it, hands smothering his face and looking like he wants to scream or cry but can't do either, so he just hisses a long sigh through his teeth. He wants to sleep, but he can't. Not yet.

ii. velvet room
[ When he does sleep, it's past midnight and he doesn't go home. He goes to the Velvet Room next to Pizza Port so he can crash somewhere that's hopefully deserted like it's always been the handful of times he's gone inside, the elevator music being all that lifts his feet from step to step as it fills his soul with calm.

He's walking right past that dinky little chair and crashing on Igor's couch; he's not here, he can't stop him. ]

(note: only Persona protags/Liz may enter the Velvet Room, but those with high spiritual sense can notice the door and call out to Minato trying to open this fake door at the dead end of an alleyway)

iii. waffle house mailbox
[ The first afternoon was a supply run, thrown together feverishly but it'd gotten done, so the next morning, Minato makes sure to drop off his apartment rent for the next two months in case Zee needs them held hostage for that long, and his last stop for the day is the mailbox in front of the waffle house. He looks at the ticket in his hands:

"bat with nails driven into it"

and prays this isn't a live bat. He gets his wish, but who knows if this is any better? Those sure are nails jutting out of the wooden bat, rusted but sharp when Minato almost drops it in surprise, covered with so much blood that it's soaked into the wood and the cloth grip and would be impossible to wash out.

A smarter person would stick this right back into the mailbox before somebody can see. Minato is not that smart a person, so there he goes dragging this bloody nail bat throughout town, head bowed with his hair overshadowing dark eyes and looking very much like he's out to kill. He just. Really wants to go home and sleep. ]

wc.
[ general meetings; he can be found anywhere around town, so feel free to make up a location ]

Comments

mmmmm ii, all her guest talks take place here why not this one too

[elevelvetor]

[ Even though her roommates are finally home, and she is finally free of cats deciding to use her as a bed in lieu of their owners... she still finds herself outside of this blue door. It's become habit now, given her usual place has been empty, and she's hardly tired even if it's growing later and later by the moment. Or earlier, if you really think about it.

...Perks, she supposes, and she's quiet when she enters sometime after three in the morning; she's quiet when she realizes there's someone here already, the elevator familiar in its ever-ascending feel, and a quick glance shows it isn't Minako deciding to while away a sleepless night here.

No, that's...

Elizabeth keeps her mouth shut and settles in the dinky little chair opposite of him, carefully setting her bag down so it won't disturb his rest. She wants to study him for a bit, sorting out her feelings (because this is something she can't ignore now; if he's here it only means one thing, which is slightly frightening but not as frightening, she finds, as it used to be) and how to address it (casually, maybe, like she isn't surprised to see him and he shouldn't be surprised to see her since she'd been meaning to check in on him anyway and this is then a very fortunate happenstance).

In the end, she gets up and goes to kneel beside him instead, poking his cheek firmly a few times. Up and at 'em, Minato. Sorry. ]

My apologies for disturbing the rest you likely need, however... Please wake up, Arisato. The Velvet Room is no place to sleep.

[compendiem]

[ Minato turns away from the poke, initially, curling in on himself and moving a hand to tug a nonexistent blanket over his head; his fingers grasp air and land clumsily on his arm, and only then does he crack an eye open, squinting at whoever's in front of him.

Elizabeth. His brain helpfully supplies a name, but not the reason why she would be here. For a moment, he wonders if this is another memory, but the weight of his limbs, the dark brown hair that he pushes out of his eyes- only to fall back into place- tells him otherwise, and he sits up, scooting over to leave the other half of the couch free to sit.

He opens his mouth. Closes it. Tries again. ]

Good morning. [ ...He searches for something more intelligent to say, but his brain's not quite awake yet. A glance at his watch also tells him it's the middle of the night. ]

It's comfortable here. Just give me two more hours.

III

[belligerentwarrior]

[The first part of the day likewise was a supply run. More food, more battery packs, replacements for winter clothes worn by two weeks in the frozen wild. A few other things. It was downright warm, back in the city, even if run errands away from Pen meant the world faded into dreary greyscale.]

[She rounds the corner on a bike, purchases in bags, and skids to a stop when she sees Minato. The sight of the nailbat's so outrageous and out of place it takes her mind a few moments to process it, to parse what the darker grey splotches dotting it mean.]

[And all her indirect frustration boils to the surface in a flash, after a month of restraining herself. The heartstone broadcasts a sharp lash of anger, like an electric shock.]

The hell's wrong with you?! Is that blood?!

[compendiem]

[ The second-hand anger that courses through him hurts a lot more than the words, and is what has Minato freeze right on the spot, eyes wide when he sees the fury on Freya's face— it takes half a second for the confusion to flash by him, replaced by the insurmountable mental wall he immediately throws up when directly confronted like this.

Everything that he'd been trying to fix over the last several weeks, all the bad habits and knee jerk reactions he'd tried so hard to be aware of, all of that is thrown out the window as he clams right up, face hardened like a mask and voice a whisper directed at Freya's feet. ]

It's none of your business.

I -- for I hope you understand I'm gonna do all the prompts you'e gonna hate me

[deathboss]

[When he heard people were coming back, of course Michel had been going around the city, seeing if his friends were around. Perhaps Minato had noticed a message he had left the other asking if he was back - perhaps a little more worried than usual.

But lo, here he came on his own vehicle - a motorcycle just as he's out of the grocery store. Since he hadn't found him, he had gone along the usual paths and haunts, hoping to run into him. Taking his helmet off, his eyebrows frowned in worry.]

Ahh. There you are! I thought you would have gone back to sleep.

[compendiem]

[ Minato had been too busy to really check his messages, not thinking there'd be somebody who would text him in the first place, so it's a surprise to see Michel there when he exits the store. He blinks for a moment, adjusting to the bright light outside, before offering Michel a shrug— it's a weak shrug, both arms laden down with heavy bags of food. ]

If I go to bed now, I won't wake up again. It's at the end of my to-do list. [ But- "there you are"? ] ...Did you need me for something?

I

[ascatic]

[ he's... well. to say that Leon hasn't been negatively affected by missing the most important employees in his life (as well as some VIPs) would be a lie, but he's been dealing with it as best as he can. it's tough when he can't spend time doting and teasing on some of the customers, when he has to diligently take care of the cafe's front and ensure everything goes smoothly.

but when he sees that familiar... well, more likely hears that hiss and instantly spots who's making it? it makes him forget about the slowly accumulating stress and the fact he had to temporarily close the cafe. his eyes go wide. and while clutching his bag close to his side, he jogs over while minding others. ]

You're okay.

[ he thinks about opening his arms, to give Minato a hug, but. well. instead, he'll lean over him as best as he can with a tired smile. ]

[compendiem]

[ Being dead on his feet might have been the only time Minato would be receptive to hugs without immediately squirming away, but seeing somebody smile at him does more than any hug would. ]

I'm okay. ...It'd kinda weird seeing you outside the shop.

[ He tries to laugh it off, but. He knows they don't really hang out outside of work, and the thought also plants a little seed of worry when he remembers Jamie texting him, wondering if Leon would be alright without three of his employees, and the guilt Minato has for ever leaving the city in the first place. ]

You're doing alright?

[ Better than he is, Minato hopes. ]

iii

[imaginex]

[... No judgement, Minato. Sakura knows you and very much doubts you clubbed someone to death with that thing.

But she's also riding high on intensified emotions and nearly drops her tote back when she sees her friend dragging both himself and the bat down the street in broad daylight.]

Minato-san...?

[compendiem]

[ Minato lifts his eyes at the sound of his name, but it takes a while for his eyes to find and focus on Sakura's face, as if the strain against exhausted, dropping eyes takes too much effort. It's been a little jarring coming back to the city from the woods where there is always somebody keeping watch over him— not necessarily watching over him, but keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't go clubbing people to death with whatever he has on hand. It's the sort of reputation he's resigned himself to and has given up defending against, but the worry in Sakura's voice makes him regret that immediately.

He draws a breath and shakes his head at the same time, trying to clear the fog out of his mind. ]

Hey. I- ...I didn't think I'd run into anybody I know. [ a pause ] They sent us back for a day.

[ As if that explains anything of what he's doing, but he fumbles with what pieces of information to offer for it all to make sense. ]

1

[burningblossoms]

[Yukiko's out, just getting things together, collecting food for the week and idly walking through the store. She stops when she sees someone pulling over a package of Kobe beef, one of the last left in the store.

She shouldn't say something, should she? Except, well...]

You really shouldn't handle it that way, out of the cooler. That beef needs to be kept cold...otherwise it won't keep that marbling.

[compendiem]

[ Minato knows nothing about beef or marbling, but the point's make that he's doing something wrong and he shamelessly puts the package back. ...And on second thought, buries it under another package of meat as if covering it with cold on all sides will salvage whatever damage he's brought upon it. ]

Sorry. I don't really know much about beef. Does the marbling matter if it'll be eaten raw?

iii.

[livens]

[ LEADER..............WHAT ARE YOU DOING...

hinata doesn't look scared, at least, so much as kind of worried...? ]

Ummmmmm...you know, you look kind of dead on your feet...

[compendiem]

[ HIS BEST......... but not even. Minato thinks he might prefer scared over worry most days— the former keeps people away, the latter draws them near, and something like a bloody nail bat is hard to explain away or make excuses for. So he's glad that Hinata doesn't bring it up right away, and Minato will pointedly pretend everything is normal too, even as he leans against the bat like he would a cane. ]

It's been a long month... But it's the same for everybody, isn't it? This is the storm.

[ He knows he's not the worst off. The people in the city have it hard too. He's not allowed to complain, or give in. ]

ii

[maskreant]

[ Akira's date with a detective ended, so he wanders straight to Pizza Port despite splitting up closer to his place. There are a lot of things on his mind and the Velvet Room, while a horrible place, is the only solitude he can find. Sure, other protagonists and Elizabeth can enter, but he chooses certain times and days to evade them.

Tonight is not the night, even at this ungodly hour. He opens the door, ready for the jail cell to appear, but what he sees is the elevator. ]

So you share the same room as your sister. [ That's strange, but he doesn't hold onto that. With a few strides, he's by the couch, looming over Minato. ] Long day?

[compendiem]

[ Why is nobody letting him sleep... Actually, why is Akira even here so late at night; he's somebody with wonderful friends and warm roommates and doesn't seem like he needs a place like the Velvet Room that Minato takes solace in, hiding himself from the world when he wants a moment of peace by himself.

Minato only mumbles in response at first, turning over so that he's lying lengthwise on his back instead of curled up on his side, before drawing his knees up so that Akira can side on the other end if he really wants to. ]

This is Minako's room...? Then why are you here?

[ WHAT ARE YOU GETTING UP TO WITH MY SISTER, HUH?? ]

I

[long_live_the_queen]

[Normally, it was easy to find Lucy. Just follow the cloud of negativity if you could somehow not see bright pink.

That negativity wasn't there, though. Life in Freshens continued as usual without the depressed mood.

Lucy had found the orchid display. The one she was holding up was one of the smaller white ones, and it did nothing to hide her face. Which had not a suggestion, not a lightening of her expression, but an unmistakable broad smile on it.

What the fuck.]

[compendiem]

[ Yeah, what the everlasting fuck is this.

Every fiber of Minato's being is screaming at him to walk away before Lucy notices him and he destroys what little bubble of happiness she's in right now, but he can't help but stand there in wonderment with his cart blocking the canned food aisle and stare. He can't help but inch forward, using the shopping cart as a physical barrier between them, and try to catch her eye. ]

Are you buying flowers for somebody?

[ It's none of his business. But he's curious anyways- is that smile for the flowers, or for a person? What is it that can make Lucy Takada smile like that? ]

iii

[reaquila]

Senpai...what the heck?

[Minato mentioned having a bow and arrow earlier. A bloody bat is something else entirely and it sends Nanashi into shock. His senpai looks like one of those bullies he beats up after school. It's a little more than just disturbing.]

Only delinquent thugs look the way you do now. I know you're not like that. So what's your deal?

[He seemed reliable and easy to talk with. Nanashi isn't gonna pick a fight with him over this.]

[compendiem]

[ He hadn't honestly given much thought as to what he looks like dragging around that bat, but the mention of being a delinquent is enough to give him pause. He was a good student- he slept through class more often than he should, but he never missed a day up until high school and he always kept up his work; his only experience with bullies were back when he was much younger, getting through the rest of elementary school by keeping his head down and avoiding those who didn't like him so that stuff like bats and fists never came into question.

So it's weird, for somebody to look at him and think of that. And it's with infinite gratitude that Minato realizes that Nanashi believes in him, rather than assumptions based on outward appearance. ]

...Waffle house mailbox.

[ is all the explanation that he offers. It's all he needs to say, he thinks, since Nanashi knows about Retrospec, about things people get from the mailbox, about how this isn't really his, not really. ]

i

[servileness]

[ Clover's out on her own supply run. Her time away to help Retrospec hasn't been the best, but while she's not the greatest actress, her concern for other people and desire to be a better person does a lot to help hide how miserable she is. Her reusable bags are hanging off her wrists because her gloves are hiding the healing burns on her hands.

Honestly, Clover almost misses Minato and is about to completely pass him by, but she sees him in the reflection of a window and she can't ignore him, not after what he's said to her. ]

Were the last two weeks especially terrible?

[ Or is it something more? ]

[compendiem]

[ Minato drops his hands with a little startle of guilt. "Tired" is what most people have been saying he looks like, but it always catches him off guard when people can guess at something deeper. If it's just physical exhaustion, he's had days in the forest where he sleeps through entire days at once— earlier that week, actually, he'd let himself pass out for almost three days in a row without waking— but this sort of exhaustion is worse than he's ever had in his life. It couldn't alleviated no matter how hard he tries, and he doesn't try to hide it from Clover either. ]

Yeah, [ he admits softly, standing up a little straighter, deciding there's no point, and settling back against his car. ] I need to be strong enough to handle it so I don't hold people back. But it's been tough. I don't know how you do it.

[ You, specifically you, who he knows tries to help out wherever she can, however she can, and still come back to the city to get shit done without being on the verge of breaking. ]

iii

[steadycourse]

Minato-san?

[A very worried Ishida is staring pointedly at the bloody nail bat that he's just dragging around town. H-he doesn't think that Minato is up to anything bad, but this is still something to address! Not to mention, he looks very... not with it.

But he's not going to run or call the cops, not yet.]

Why are you carrying such a dangerous object around so casually?!

[compendiem]

[ As his feet slow to a stop, Minato lifts his eyes to look at Ishida, taking a moment for recognition to dawn, and another for his brows to furrow slightly before he relaxes again. He has to bite back saying something flippant like him always being casual and it's better than swinging the thing around, holding his tongue only because he knows Ishida takes this sort of thing seriously. ]

Mm... Didn't feel like driving today, so this is the only way to get it home. [ He glances down at his watch; it's still morning. ] I need to get there before noon, so I don't have much time, sorry.

iii

[floret]

Oh!! Minato! You're here.

[ And Jamie's here!
And an unreasonably large and sinister-looking weapon is here.
Also, Jamie's small styrofoam box of waffle house leftovers... is here. ]

I thought... you'd gone back or something already?
Since you weren't home last night.
Anyway, do you want some hash browns? They're still warm.

[compendiem]

[ Minato would have gone home, but he has a feeling that if he did, he would never want to leave again. Seeing Jamie again, he also feels that urge to go home— he stayed out for a reason, though, so he has to endure.

He holds the bloody bat out, handle to the sky. ]

Trade you.

i

[constellates]

[ - well he sure looks like he's having a day. Anya is enjoying her freedom now that she's not super attached to Shuji, blinking when she sees Minato and automatically her expression brightens. He made it back safely! That's good to know, even if he possibly has to leave again.

But.

It sure does look like he is having A Day.

Hence why she'll hold her groceries a little bit closer to her as she approaches, tilting her head. And for the sake of my own sanity please just assume she's talking to him in Japanese until further notice.]

Arisato....? Are you sleepy again....?

[compendiem]

[ Minato is sure having A Day, and it isn't a good one— he hasn't had very many good ones since he can remember- Christmas was good? He had a very nice Christmas. And then everything has been going downhill from there, culminating in him blinking silently at Anya for a few seconds as he tries to think of a time when he isn't sleepy? (the answer is never)

Anyways, Japanese forever: ]

I'll be fine. Got a shopping list I need to get through.

[ He holds up a sheet of notebook paper with the list scrawled on it. It's mostly snacks, and also a request for a pair of socks. ...He did not write this list. ]

II

[androidheart]

Welcome back. [From a voice that...he may not have expected to hear from inside. She's on the other side of the room, a ways away from the couch, so there's a certain amount of volume in her voice.]

Minato.

[compendiem]

[ His feet skid to a stop so suddenly he almost trips, hand on the back of the couch to catch and steady himself. The voice is definitely not one that he'd expected, that he has to wonder whether he'd already fallen asleep on the couch and this is a dream.

Either way, his feet carry him to her; he reaches out, remembers, and then lets his hand fall again. ]

I'm back. I'm- ...It's good to see you, Angela.