[ CLOSED ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD-_oLjmCGY

[rollin]

Who: the idiots who think this will actually amount to anything
When: IC 11/23 onward
Where: Various!
What: The rescue mission Yata, Sheba and co. discussed at the citywide meeting!
Rating/Warning: at least PG because some people swear like sailors

---

[ Once everyone arrives at the agreed meeting area, the CERES Metro-rail Station at the Residential District, Yata briefs the group on what to do. As discussed in the citywide meeting yesterday, the group will split into six teams that were decided by drawing lots. Everyone should know who they're teamed up with by now. Yata's instructions are simple enough: don't work alone (buddy system!), and if anyone finds anything, report to him. Should the missing arrivals be found, don't wait on anyone's orders. Yata admits that he's not smart enough to call the shots, but if he found who they were looking for, he believes that taking action should be the team's first priority. Anyone is free to protest, but he won't go back on his word.

Then he makes a special shout out to Hiccup and Toothless because look look guys it's a dragon how cool is that okay back to business.

By 9:15 AM, all teams should be on the move! ]

RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT | SHOPPING DISTRICT | ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT | TECH DISTRICT | PLEASURE DISTRICT | VIVID

Comments

[masakados]

Why not?

[With a laugh he lifts his eyebrow teasingly.]

Martial arts is way more advanced than just my plain punching and kicking, isn't it? [Mind, he has demonic strength and a slew of other abilities on his side, but he's never been trained to fight.]

[psycholawgy]

W- Well, because!

[ Points her handy twig at him. ]

Kicking and punching is my job! Just stick to your... leader stuff!

[masakados]

Ahhh--

[She's funny.]

Right, right. Leader stuff for me, kicking and punching for you. [--though he'll be doing some if need be.] You're a pretty versatile assistant.

[psycholawgy]

I try to help in any way I can!

[ And that includes scrubbing toilets. ]

[masakados]

I'm going to feel like I've gotta do more at this rate.

[He won't make you scrub toilets, Athena...]

Looks like we're getting close to that village, though. [And past that, if he knows ViViD well, is where the dungeon will be.]

[psycholawgy]

[ Puts her hands close to her ears. Not that it would do anything like make her hearing powers level up, but... it's an instinct kind of thing. ]

Mm, I can't seem to pick up on anybody feeling distressed. No one's crying, or sad, or feeling miserable.

[masakados]

[Naoki stops so suddenly that Athena might not notice it at first. But he's looking at her, expression inscrutable.]

"Pick up on"? [From hearing? he almost adds, but she said feeling.

Inside, he's surprised; because he could sense the same. His body is attuned to darker emotions, fear, sadness, pain or panic by merit of what it is that he's sure he would've been able to pick up on something.]

[psycholawgy]

[ She nods, clutching Widget with a hand. ]

I said I'm a lie detector, right? My hearing is special... I can hear people's hearts.

[masakados]

[How is that-- but there're a lot of things that he's found should be impossible but aren't. If he can sense emotions, why should it be strange a human from another world could hear someone's heart?

Still, he watches her and something in him wants to ask her isn't that difficult? but he refrains.]

...So, two of us who can't catch any feelings like that, [despite misgivings and a vaguely apprehensive frown, he says that much.] I can't hear someone's heart, but I can sense their emotions.

[psycholawgy]

[ She nods again, pursing her lips as she gives his much thought.

Now she's thinking if they're just wasting their time in ViViD... if she can't hear anything, then there must be no one new and who needs help. ]

Mm, I'm the same. I-- Their strong emotions, that's their heart. Their true feelings. So if someone is truly distressed, I can hear their heart as if it's yelling at me.

[ Totally vague description but Ace Attorney never really specifically described how she hears emotions... SIGH. . . ]

[masakados]

[Admittedly, Naoki had been thinking something along the lines of this being a wasted effort before-- but nevertheless, he'd come and intends to look still even if it's fruitless.

What else was he going to do, after all?]

This is the first time I've ever met someone completely human who can do that.

[For him, it's like their emotions seep into the air, colour it, thicken it with something like magatsuhi, stronger at the source, but he can't feel any of that, hasn't for all the times he played this game. After rubbing his hand under the horn at the back of his neck:] ...Let's go have a look around.

[psycholawgy]

[ Athena normally presents herself as someone cheerful and has it all together, but that makes her worry. ]

... is that weird?

[masakados]

[Does it creep you out? he'd asked Yang something like that when he'd told her about how he could feel emotions. So, struck with a sudden and deep empathy, he stops and turns around to face Athena.

And he smiles at her, easily and warmly.]

No. It surprised me, but it's not weird. [Pause, and he adds:] It's just a part of who you are, right?

[psycholawgy]

[ His smile totally warms her up as well, and she gives him a warm smile back. ]

Yeah, you're right. This is me.

[masakados]

Then weird doesn't even come into it.

[There we go, that's a better expression that Naoki's glad to see-- sometimes hearing it from someone else helps, maybe more than the person saying it realises. He tips his head now.

Shall we get going? is what he's silently asking.]

[psycholawgy]

[ She nods again, with a more cheerful smile this time. ]

So, you said we're going to a village?

[masakados]

Yeah-- there's usually one before the dungeon to pick up supplies and stuff like that.

[They're coming up on it, slowly but surely.]

[psycholawgy]

We're going to loot the village?! Are there people there, like... NPCs?

[masakados]

...I was just gonna buy some items from the stores, but if you want to loot them...

[Wow Athena.]

And yeah, there're NPCs.

[psycholawgy]

[ No! She shakes her head a couple of times. ]

No to looting! That's- That's stealing, and I am no way a criminal!

[masakados]

[Naoki smiles at that.]

I was just kidding anyway. --though if you see any treasure chests lying around, you can take them.

[psycholawgy]

I don't need keys for them?

[masakados]

Nope-- well, not all of them. You'll find both around, though there'll be more in the actual dungeon.

[psycholawgy]

Okay, gotcha! Let's go get ourselves ready in the village!

[masakados]

Yeah.

[And with a grin, OFF THEY GO into the unknown, into adventure... into a more-or-less regular village populated with NPCs, with nary a flicker of human emotion in sight. Hrmm.]