open || greek fire from the sea of her soul

[complementing]

WHO: Minako and YOU!
WHERE: Peach Beach late at night, Birch Hills apartment complex in Apprassage
WHEN: All month, excluding certain event days
WHAT: Feeling like she's going down a path of no return, Minako tries to summon the two beings that have recently settled into the depths of her soul...and on a more lighthearted note, she also gets involved in cosplay.
WARNINGS: Hints of Persona 3 related suicide and death. For anyone tapping into the Persona threads, I will be writing Seth in prompt 2 by default, but Card is also available to write Thanatos!Ryoji if you want your character to interact with him instead, most likely as an accidental summon on Minako's part. Let us know if you'd be okay with threadjacking or even a complete three-person thread if you want to go that route. Oh, and if you'd like an Evoker thread and a Persona thread all in one, please mention that in the header too!

I. I CHOOSETH THIS FATE OF MY OWN FREE WILL
Evoker use; Peach Beach late at night

[Okay, Peach Beach at night should have less people around than Hollingberry Fields at night, right? Right. Or so Minako tells herself, staring out into the ocean with her Evoker in her hand. The scenery is all wrong, but there's definitely no way she's pulling the stunt she's about to pull anywhere in public. Nobody needs to freak out over her looking like she's about to shoot herself in the head.

Because that's exactly what it looks like, the Evoker cradled in her palms and then lifted to her temple with an audible click of its mechanisms in her right hand. Her left is clutching at her wildly beating heart, and her finger is on the trigger. Her visions tell her that this won't end in death, logic tells her it can't because the gun doesn't fire bullets. But she's almost hyperventilating anyways, so so so afraid that she's making a mistake.

But she has to know.

Do you catch her before she pulls the trigger? Or are you drawn to the area by her cry?]

PERSONA!

II. YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ME...
Persona regains; Peach Beach late at night
See note about Thanatos!Ryoji under Warnings

[Or maybe it's none of the above, and you encounter her mid-summon. Her head violently jerks to the side, the sound of glass shattering, and where one would presume a bullet would escape, there's instead what looks to be glowing blue fragments, suspended in the air. The wind picks up around her in a self-contained tornado, and a figure bursts into existence behind her with a deafening roar.

Seth, the fire-breathing dragon, spreads its wings wide as it responds to Minako's voice, head thrown back to gaze on the moon that represents its Arcana before throwing all its fury and weight forward. An explosion of fire escapes from its mouth, parting the ocean water before them. And though it's right above her head, hot enough for her to feel like her skin is blistering, Minako doesn't flinch. She kneels wearily on the sand, yes, Seth snapping his jaws shut to return the fire to the furnace after a few moments, but she doesn't flinch.]

Maragidyne...sure takes a lot out of me. Was that four or five in a row?

III. CARD CAPTOR SAKUYA
Cosplay progress; Minako's apartment

[It might be that you don't even realize all of this Persona stuff is happening late at night, and instead you encounter Minako right outside her apartment on a sunny day. She'll be either practicing cosplay poses or perhaps walking around in a pretty white dress, and while how finished it looks depends on what time of the month you stop by, she'll be more than happy to show off what the end product is supposed to look like by practically sticking her phone in your face.]

It's Card Captor Sakuya! You know, the magical girl anime. Kiyomitsu-kun is helping me make it, but I'm breaking in the heels right now.

IV. WILDCARD
Throw me a starter, or find me at Plurk on raynestorm to work out a different scenario with me

Comments

III

[scarlet_devil]

[ Émilie missed all the Persona related shenanigans simply because she had to be up early for university during the week. Quite often, though, she has her afternoons free. And since she happened to be in the area... ]

Oh...? Didn't that come out in the nineties?

[complementing]

Around then, yeah! I remember watching it as a little girl, at least, though I've forgotten how much I got through before I stopped...

[Clearly she needs to binge watch it before the convention.]

II

[true_noir]

[Well, she was right. The beach was a lot more damned deserted. However, Chloe did have good reason for being in this part of town. Some sailor girl, who would remain nameless, was having a really damned tough time with the whole 'the ocean and sky are both gray,' and this meant occasionally coming out to check on her. Chloe was heading back, for once not blackout drunk on the boat with her friend, when she caught sight of Minako.

She'd been about to say something when she saw the evoker. Now, if it had been a real gun, she would have been terrified, running towards her to get her to stop. She couldn't be sure at this distance if it was, but in the back of her mind she had a strong feeling... and if Minako was trying to test something, then this was the place to do it. So, rather than call out, she snuck down behind a dune, completely out of sight, and watched. Her heart was kind of in her stomach as she observed, eyes locked onto Minako... please be the evoker.

(OOC: If Ryoji's up for it, interested in Thanatos making an appearance in a three-way thread, though Chloe won't get up until that insane monster thingee isn't rampaging, so I don't know if he'd still be around afterwards.)

[complementing]

[The sound of glass shattering-- and then a black dragon whirls into life behind Minako, and fires off a single fireball into the ocean. Minako watches it sputter in the water thoughtfully.]

So...single target versus multiple targets? I love it. So versatile.

[Seth lets out an audible snort, flapping his wings once to float in a lazy figure eight above Minako's head. A moment later and he disappears.]

Oh come on, am I really going to have to summon you every two minutes? Don't be grumpy about staying out longer than normal, I'm trying to test my limits here.

I

[cattack]

[Unfortunately for Minako, great minds, or at least antisocial ones trying to avoid people, think alike. Cleo had driven to the beach, no longer able to handle being cooped up in her apartment, hoping to get some fresh air and maybe do some running without any people present. But when she sees Minako, well. Her first reaction is to go and greet her friend. (Was that right? Were they friends? Minako had said they were, so they were, right?)

Then she sees what Minako is holding. And everything clicks into place, horrifying and impossible. As Minako places the gun to her head, Cleo abandons everything she was thinking to simply dash forward, dive, and tackle Minako with a loud shout.]

Don't do it-!

[complementing]

[So much for privacy, she thinks as she hears Cleo's voice, and also OW, as she goes down. The Evoker has a much softer landing a few feet away, gleaming despite the weak moonlight. She hopes sand won't affect its performance.

Now that she's not holding the Evoker, though, it's even more obvious to her how frightened she really was. Her breath is coming out in gasps, her hands are trembling, and she can barely lift her arms to try and move Cleo off of her, slight as she is.

It's not helping her case, she knows, and she tries to at least let her voice project calm confidence, reigning in the heaving with some particularly deep breaths.]

Cleo. I promise you this isn't what it looks like.

I. something something significant beaches

[long_live_the_queen]

[Lucy's shifts had gotten hard to control lately; many of them ran late into the night or started way too early in the morning, often several days in a row. The warehouse was close enough to the beach that catching a bus down here to unwind wasn't too much of a hassle, ankle or not.

It was usually empty at this time of night; the moon rising over the water and the gentle waves washing against the sand was hypnotically calm.

A bright spot of auburn hair caught her eye immediately as something out of place, and Lucy paused a moment before increasing her pace. Minako? Strange, to see her here, but Lucy wasn't going to complain. She was going to say hi.

Something in her roommate's hands gleamed silver in the moonlight, and the quiet happiness in her mind froze into panic. The teenager burst into a sprint, throwing up sand behind her, uncaring if grit got in her shoes, that was a fucking gun and Minako was raising it to her head and nothing else mattered except stopping her.

Three meters, two—and Lucy lunged, something translucent silver and humming reaching out from her back to grab Minako's shoulders and wrist before Lucy tackled her.]

What are you doing?!

[complementing]

[Minako shouts as she hits the ground hard, head throbbing and the breath knocked out of her. Lucy isn't as light as she looks, apparently, and the sand just. Really isn't her friend this month.

Once the stars are out of her eyes, and after she wheezes out the last of the grit from her mouth, Minako reaches back to pat whichever part of Lucy she can reach in a move that she hopes is somewhat comforting despite the angle.]

Not what you think I'm doing. Let me sit up a bit, Lucy. Please?

iii

[wordcarvings]

[ Hello neighbor, he did certainly not expect to have a phone shoved in his face on his way home for the first time this week (he's been sleeping in his atelier for the last couple of days).

He blinks sleepily a couple of times, then smiles. ]

It looks lovely, and I'm sure the end result will be amazing.

[complementing]

[She peeks at him from behind her phone, beaming at him with something akin to the force of a thousand suns.]

Thank you! Hehe, sorry, I'm just really excited for this. I feel like a princess, and it's like reliving my childhood, all in one!

II

[openhanded]

[Sorey is finding it harder and harder to sleep lately, especially with the shifts he's been pulling at the bar. Something about the beach calms him, though. He's lived in Recolle all his life so he's never been to a busy beach like you'd find in Florida, but the ocean here has always calmed him. This is where he found the old fossil that kicked off his entire archaeology obsession.

He's not looking for fossils tonight, though. He's just walking with his shoes in his hand, enjoying the feeling of the sand between his toes. The moon is beautiful, and there's nothing but the waves, a clear gunshot and a tornado...

Sorey jerks out of his trance sharply as a dragon appears on the beach. It appears to be protecting something, but more than that, Sorey's stunned by its magnificence and the firepower. It startles him enough that he finds himself on his rear.]

H-holy...

[When it appears to be over, he focuses on the small figure crouched on the sand. Despite everything in him telling Sorey to flee, Sorey runs toward the source of the noise and fire. He needs to make sure that person is okay, suddenly. He needs to--]

[complementing]

[Minako looks up when she hears approaching footsteps, blinking her red eyes at him. She's had no shortage of unexpected onlookers since she started practicing (even if Peach Beach is supposed to be deserted, she thinks wryly), so she's not surprised that someone has seen her. She's more surprised it's him. He's so connected to books and papers in her mind that she easily forgets archaeologists actually go out into nature for their work, too.

This late at night, though? Did he have another argument with Mikleo? She hopes not.

Seth turns its head towards Sorey, staring impassively down at him as he reaches them.]

Hey, be nice or go away.

[She points accusingly at the dragon, but it's gone by the time she finishes the gesture, leaving only a low growl in its wake.]

III

[mincingminuet]

[Penelope may not realize exactly what is going on at night, given that she's been having adventures of her own, but she does absolutely recognize the costume. she'd come by to say hi, check on Freya and Lucy too, and talk cosplay. And seeing something she remembers makes her eyes light up.]

I totally remember that! I watched it all the time as a kid. I think you can pull it off, you totally have the figure for it.

[complementing]

Pen, I knew I could count on you to appreciate this.

[Minako's grin widens-- and then she's suddenly more shy than anyone might have ever seen her, clasping her hands in front of her and rocking a little bit (dangerously) on her heels.]

You really think so? It's my first time ever doing cosplay, and I want to do it justice. Card Captor Sakuya is one of my favorite animes even now.

I

[covenantal]

[ Too bad he found out from Yukiko that the beach is also a good place to practice powers.

He's been using the woods, which, when you have fire powers, presents some risks. He's been fine so far, but practicing in a place where he can't set the city on fire by accident has some appeal.

It doesn't entirely surprise him that he doesn't get the beach to himself. It surprises him even less to see his senpai, leader that she doesn't think she is, everyone's beacon and hope.

... is ...

... she holding ...

... a--

His heart leaps into his throat as he cries out: ]

Mina--!

[ But it's too late. She's already lifting the gun and pulling the trigger, and saying... Persona?

Still, Yu will trot over, terrified adrenaline making his pulse beat too hard and fast in his wrists. ]

Minako-senpai...?

[complementing]

[Yu's voice pulls her out of her summoning reverie, her eyes widening at the sight of him. Above them, the giant black dragon manifests into the air, unfurling its wings in one majestic sweep before taking to hovering in response to her hesitation.]

Yu-kun...

[She pulls the Evoker from her temple, her expression tense with guilt. He shouldn't have seen that. Nobody needs to see this, honestly, nobody needs to see the awful, morbid way she has to access her newfound powers.]

I'm sorry, I must have scared you just now.

II aggressively. But let's leave Thanatos out.

[burningblossoms]

[Yukiko had just been in her spot in the woods near the beach practicing herself when she'd heard the sounds of someone else moving around out there. Curious, she moved ahead, her Persona flitting along behind her and casting golden light through the darkened forest. She arrives just in time to see Minako standing out on the sand, and in time to see her raise a gun to her head and fire.

Her eyes widen, a silent scream of surprise and protest, but no sound comes out that's audible over the tornado. She scrambles out of the brush, Sumeo-Okami blazing ahead and swirling over to Minako.]

Minako!

[Healing light pours off of her own Persona, uselessly healing damage she's only perceived. It's clear enough by the time the dust settles that it was unnecessary, but still. The girl herself skitters to a halt, dropping to the sand with a ghastly expression.]

You...you...can absorb fire too?

[complementing]

[The feeling of something soft and warm enveloping her, while not actually doing anything for her, still feels nice enough that she's more energized than before. In fact, she's smiling, moving to kneel in front of her friend and gently pat her back. The way Yukiko had burst in out of nowhere, Sumeo-Okami flying before her, is a sight she's not going to forget any time soon, all the more important because Yukiko had summoned her for Minako's sake.]

Um...I don't think so? But Seth is definitely a fire affinity Persona.

closed to sora

[complementing]

[Minako tries not to work herself too hard when she does these late night training sessions, for a multitude of good reasons. School, work, mental and physical health. Tonight's reason is to pick Sora up from an opening night showing for a movie-- but she's so tired from her earlier session. She just needs an extra ten minutes to rest up first, before driving him back.

So she texts him to ask him to meet her on the beach, just a few minutes' walk away.

When he gets there, he'll find her curled up on a tiny half-sand, half-grass hill looking very sleepy.]

Hi Sora...did you just get here?

[She seems completely oblivious to the giant black dragon curled around her, dozing along with her.]

they probably saw Wonder Woman

[destiny_key]

[Sora doesn't usually go out on weeknights, but his entire soccer team wanted to celebrate the last practice of the school year. Who was he to turn down a movie with friends? As such, he doesn't even look at his phone until the large group begins to dissipate, and waves off the last few who offer to walk home with him so he can meet his cousin.

In hindsight, maybe he should've expecting something weird considering his life lately, but hindsight is 20/20, after all.]

Um... hey.

[He stands beside her on the hillside, not wanting to be rude and stare at the dragon, but also there's a dragon.]

Um... who's this?

iii!

[sharplydressed]

[At some point while she's showing off the dress and trying to get used to her shoes, over Kiyomitsu moseys! His unofficial tailoring business has been pretty hopping lately thanks to the upcoming convention, so he's been out and about even more than usual, checking on this outfit or sewing an extra hem or delivering packets of buttons and zippers and lace.

When he spots Minako, he raises a hand in cheerful greeting.]

How're your feet holding up? Do I need to go get the bandaids yet?

[He's only half-joking... Heels are truly the devil's work even if they look so nice and are so necessary for some costumes.]

[complementing]

[Minako waves to him energetically, practically skipping over to him to meet him half way, holding her skirts up like a princess on the run. This cosplay has brought out a childish side of her she thought she'd never have a chance to go back to, and it's incredibly stress relieving.

(It probably helps that Kiyomitsu is handling most of the actual cosplay parts. Oops.)]

I'm doing great! I stuck on bandaids before I put on the heels, and I think that's helping.

I

[accordance]

[ As Minako's touchan, of course he'd be here to supervise her very first summoning. He may not have any healing abilities, but he can fly now - and if anything, hopefully his presence would be reassuring enough. The moonlight reflects off his white hair, gleaming silver and ethereal in the almost-darkness.

Because he also wants to know. The gun has no bullets, that he's made sure of. But - just in case. ]

Whenever you're ready.

[ Do begin. ]

[complementing]

[Minako is so glad she went to Lucian about this. Never, not even in her most depressed state, has she ever considered suicide as an option for her troubles-- but the summoning from her visions requires using the Evoker to mimic a suicide so closely, she's sure she's going to react badly the first couple attempts. She hopes that Lucian will be able to calm her down before she breaks down, even if she doesn't want him to need to.] Right. Here I go. [The gun in her hands is still unfamiliar, so unlike the other Minako's Evoker, which felt like holding fire between her hands with how much power there'd been behind each summoning. Minako raises it to her temple now, closes her eyes and tries to find that fire. But all she feels is the cold metal of the muzzle, and the slight give of the trigger under her finger, ready to be pulled. She lets out a soft sound that she doesn't hear at all over the pounding of her heart.] Per...so... [She can't finish. It was so easy for the other Minako. But she's not the other Minako. She opens her eyes and stares down at the ground, hands trembling badly.]

II

[chiseler]

[He should be at the bar, but he's managed to con someone into taking his shift for the time being so he could take a break. With everything, he needs time to clear his head and it's why he's found himself on the beach. He doesn't even like the ocean that much, but it should be quiet.

Or so he'd think, but no. No, there's a familiar girl ahead of him and though he can't quite see what she's doing, it's not at all hard to see the giant dragon and hear the thunderous roar. He stares for a moment, trying to understand the logistics of what he's seeing.

...it's cool, but also...what the hell? He's approaching slowly as Minako continues working with Seth, subconsciously counting the bursts of flames as they skip over the ocean like a stone. She doesn't seem to be burning either which is why his approach isn't more panicked. It's only when she settles in the sand that he finally jogs, though he's keeping his distance because. It's a dragon. Not the first he's seen, if his memories are to be trusted, but this is the real deal.

Maybe he's also not quite as freaked since he's a little too stunned.]

Five from what I'm counting, but that doesn't explain what the hell I just saw. [A wry grin.] You okay?

[complementing]

[She turns and shoots him an equally wry smile back, raising a half-hearted fist of triumph into the air.]

Whoo, five.

[As she lowers it, she carefully stands up, tucking her Evoker into the tiny purse slung across her shoulder. She doesn't have a harness like the other Minako does, she'll have to find one or make one on her own...]

I'm fine, just tired. Using the spells takes a lot out of me. [A pause.] As for what you just saw. Uhm. I always knew that the other Minako was some kind of summoner, but now I am too? This is Seth.

[Seth looks down at Luke impassively before disappearing out of existence. Minako sighs, looking even more tired now.]

Sorry, still trying to work out how long I can keep him out like that.

III

[youraffection]

[ The Persona stuff will clearly come with a more serious conversation...at a later time! Yosuke will enjoy the purity of his senpai from a non-depressing canon while he can. Fuck that fourth wall. Yosuke just happens to be in the neighborhood, riding his bike as per usual when he spots her.

He actually flies by, does a double take, and then turns around. Because that is most definitely Minako with...wings? ]

Uhh--hey--

[ He waves to greet her as he skids to a stop. ]

Wait...that kids show?

[complementing]

[Minako looks up from inspecting her dress-- she didn't ruin some of the embroidery just now, she hopes-- and brightens at the sight of her kohai.]

Hi, Yosuke-kun. Yeah, Card Captor Sakuya! I got this commissioned as soon as I heard about the comic convention in July.

you are the wildcard persona etc. etc. etc.

[lingeringwill]

[It's late at night--not that late of course. Definitely not late enough for the nearby restaurants to stop playing the gentle music that comes spilling down the streets to the spot that they're sitting. It's a bench like any bench, on a night like any other night. No no, it's definitely not the night. Just a night. Even so...]

Tonight's a big night for us, you know. [Terra looks over at the red haired girl next to him with as much light reflecting in his gray eyes as there can be. There's a small black streak towards the back of his jawline--sharpie from the day's earlier volunteer operation. Nothing special, just organizational ReVA stuff. Boring stuff, but not boring enough for Minako to try drawing on his face. Okay, maybe he deserved it, but still.]

[complementing]

[Minako swings her feet back and forth under the bench. She's not so small that her feet don't touch the ground, of course, but she likes doing it anyway, so she doesn't have to sit still.]

Oh? How so?

[She's got a smile on her face that says "I absolutely didn't tell Terra about the last bit of sharpie he missed while trying to clean his face, and I absolutely am not going to tell him about it until I leave for the night."]

6/24 morning; closed to Lucian

[complementing]

[With a free morning before Yosuke's birthday party, Minako decides to head into town to check out a sale at the Towers. It's almost proper summer festival season after all, and she's hoping she can find a new yukata to wear for at least one or two that always pop up in the city this time of year.

It's such a nice day that she decides to walk there. She's not surprised when she stumbles across Lucian walking nearby too.]

Good morning, Lucian!

[accordance]

[ For the most part, he's tired. But that tiredness comes with a sense of purpose that drives him forward regardless, a feeling that he must continue moving lest he loses grasp of his senses. So he walks without a book or much of anything that could lend a guess to why he's out - walking, for walking's sake, really. ]

Good morning. Where are you headed?

ii because i'm dumb and late

[ghostdrives]

[Aria didn't expect to stay out this late. Usually her trips to the beach are shorter and she heads back around dusk, but she must have lost track of time swimming of course.

Hey, sometimes it's nice to get out of the pool and try swimming somewhere else. It's still training, but it relaxes her more than anything.

But what's not relaxing is hearing roaring as she packing up. There's a hill of sand in between her and Minako, but there's no mistaking the giant scaly head that rears up and the bloom of fire that bursts into her field of vision.

Don't tell her someone somehow got a real live dragon from that company.

Fearing there might be someone else around that dragon, Aria's quick to pick up her pack and bust her butt up that hill, rushing when she sees Minako.]

Hey! You okay?!

shh there is no such thing

[complementing]

[Minako looks up and offers a wave, smiling the brightest she can so that Aria can see from far away that she's not in any distress.]

I'm fine! He's not going to hurt me.

[He definitely looks like he could hurt something, though. But for the moment, Seth isn't spewing fire, only hovering with the occasional flap of his giant wings above Minako's head. It takes a moment to struggle to her feet, but she's standing by the time Aria reaches her.]

Um. Hi.