Persona Flashpoint 17: Cold Open

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Agi has connected.

Danjuro:
uugggghhhh

Danjuro:
this asshole

Danjuro:
this fkn chodeicus

Kaori:
I'm gonna need a LAST TIME ON DRAGON BALL Z recap

Danjuro:
Last time on Dragon Ball Z we split the party and I found out that no fewer than two dozen assholes pursued us to this island to kick our ASSES

Danjuro:
thus discovering that this world follows Dark Souls II logic

Danjuro:
this guy right here, he's one of those assholes, except he's not

Danjuro:
there's some evil shadow versions of us going around fucking shit up, including his shit

Danjuro:
but he's actually a real person I think?

Danjuro:
iuno man
Phatthrice:
Close enough

Danjuro:
*Jebs*

Kaori:
"Okay, so like, we really don't want to be here. We've never seen you before like, right now. That's...really concerning if there's someone out there looking like us..." She looks between the two fightmen, "Probably would've been good to have someone here to talk this out..." Kaori takes a cautious step forward and extends a hand, eyeing the big Persona behind the guy, "My name's Kaori."

Danjuro:
"Talking didn't get us much of anywhere before... damn it. My bad, I guess, for not realizing we had freakin' shadow clones of us out there causing trouble... jeez."

Danjuro:
"When you asked what we were I thought you were a fan or somethin'."

Energetic Masked Man:
"It's not your fault! This all would have been solved if I'd listened from the start, but..." He kisses Kaori's hand, rather than shaking it, "Good to meet you, Kaor...i..." He blinks slowly, "Ah... Well! Anyway! Erm, no, it seems clear to me that someone is trying to frame you."

Kaori:
"E-...eeeeeeeeeeehhh?!" Kaori pulls her hand back, holding it against her chest as she blushes heavily, "S-...so are you like...from the real world...?" she stammers out.

Energetic Masked Man:
He glances around, grimacing, "I...can't answer that right now. Should we meet again, on different terms, maybe.. But right now, I should likely be going. I wish I could help you more, but I've given you all the information I know."

Danjuro:
Danjuro scowls and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, alright. See you around, I guess - good luck out there."

Kaori:
Kaori glances around herself, trying to see if maybe they're being watched or something, "Well alright then..."

Energetic Masked Man:
He leaves you, all alone, probably on his way to meet up with his charge again. What's y'all's plan now?

Stella:
GO TO SLEEP!!!!
Kaori: (( NOT IF WE'RE SHARING A TENT YOU DON'T. ))

Danjuro:
Rotating night watch followed by next day with any luck
Phatthrice:
3
Phatthrice:
While Kaori is on watch, she hears rustling in the bushes and hushed whispering that sounds conspicuously like arguing
Kaori: (( Does it sound like a Shadow ))

Danjuro:
Grappling Strike Attack: [1d20+
Phatthrice:
There's a hint of reverb in the voices, whichis normally indicative of Shadows
Kaori: (( Schute Lazer ))

Danjuro:
Grappling Strike Attack: 18
Phatthrice:
One of them is hushed, and you can BARELY make out any sound at all. The other is....not so hushed. It's a rough girl's voice, exclaiming that they should ambush you while they have the chance

Kaori:
Kaori scoots over to the tent Danjuro's in, "Psst...hey, wake up...!" She says in a hushed tone, "There's somebody out here...!"

Danjuro:
"Rrgh..." He grumps a bit before dragging himself to his feet

Danjuro:
"Thanks for that..."

Kaori:
Kaori pouts, "What? Am I *not* supposed to wake you up if there's a threat?"
Phatthrice:
The hushed voice stops, and then the rough one does, very suddenly. You hear the sound of dragging, then two pairs of footsteps stumbling away

Danjuro:
Grappling Strike Attack: 12

Danjuro:
Danjuro looks off towards the sound of the rustling. "Sounds like they weren't really up for the fight anyway. That's a relief... shit, but now they've found us again."
Phatthrice:
It IS close enough to morning that you gain the benefits of a long rest, because it's been like two sessions and 10 days you might as well. It's the only one you'll get while in here, though, so don't go wasting it

Stella:
"Ungh....y'all are noisyyy..."

Kaori:
"Ughhh, I think you guys are missing the point of a night watch if you're gonna get upset when they wake you up cuz someone's out there..." she puffs up her cheeks and looks away.

Sita:
"S-she's right...." Sita stifles a yawn, "Thanks..."

Sita:
She pulls herself out of the tent, and yanks Stella out after her

Danjuro:
"Alright, I see this going a couple of ways... we could try and steal a boat, or stow away somehow..."

Danjuro:
"But, y'know, I feel like they're just going to keep scouring this island until they find us."

Kaori:
"Probably..yeah...well if we were to stow away, we'd basically be trapped if we got found out...so stealing a boat is probably the best idea. Comparatively speaking, of course."

Sita:
":Stealing a boat didn't go so well last time, I'll remind you. Gives them an excuse to destroy it and claim the insurance!"

Sita:
"It's worth a shot, but...we must be sure they can't track us."

Kaori:
"Maybe if we steal a smaller boat then? Would be harder to defend, but it'd be easier to go unnoticed..."

Danjuro:
"How much further do we need to go?"

Danjuro:
Grappling Strike

Sita:
"It's possible, but risky! We might not have much of a selection here, either way. Their armada is....likely not overly large."

Danjuro:
"Alright... nothing we can do until we get back over there. Pretty sure I remember the way..."

Sita:
Well if you don't, their trail is a pretty good lead. It's not very well hidden

Kaori:
"Right! But keep an eye out, cuz those two probably aren't too far...well, I hope it was two...sounded like two voices..."

Danjuro:
"Coulda been the two from last night."
Phatthrice:
You trace their path back to the hideout, which is a rather large fort. There's a night guard up, though - getting any closer than the forest's edge will be risky and difficult without being spotted

Danjuro:
Villain's Menace

Danjuro:
mmm

Kaori:
"Hwhuh, this place is a lot bigger than I expected..."

Danjuro:
Combat Agility

Danjuro:
"Yeah, just our friggen luck they'd have a base on this random island."

Kaori:
"Guhhhh, there's way too many people here..."

Crimson Lotus:
The crimson lady paces back and forth, and you see the two you'd been following walk into the main entrance
Phatthrice:
The air's chilly here, and the rain bites harder than usual because of it. The people up top look uncomfortable, but for some reason, aren't speaking up about it

Danjuro:
Combat Agility

Danjuro:
This is iteration 5 There are 4 iterations left 4, This is iteration 4 There are 3 iterations left 3, This is iteration 3 There are 2 iterations left 2, This is iteration 2 There are 1 iterations left 1, This is iteration 1 There are 0 iterations left 0
Phatthrice:
So - Sita says that she CAN get up there, easily even, but she's naturally a bit loud

Danjuro:
Combat Agility

Danjuro:
Combat Agility 0

Merchant King:
"This really the plan we're going with, huh?"

Danjuro:
"Alright... we do have an edge or two going into this."

Sita:
"How good are your acting skills, Danjuro...?"

Danjuro:
"Whatcha have in mind?"

Sita:
"Well! You still have that potion of mimicry, don't you?"

Danjuro:
Combat Agility 0

Sita:
unless u used it to transform into Kaori while whackin it which I can't blame you for I guess

Danjuro:
"Yyyeah, haven't had a use for it yet. I guess now's as good a time as any..."

Sita:
"Good. Transforming will be risky, but we have your back if anything goes sour! I can climb quickly if I don't need to worry about staying hidden."

Kaori:
"Ohhhhh, I get it, he could turn into that gross manager guy!"

Sita:
yea he's already gross it checks out

Danjuro:
"You think they'd buy him just showing up outta nowhere? What if he's already in the building?"

Kaori:
"Dunno, you think that annoying guy would bother to stay on a rundown island like this?"

Sita:
"Uhh..we'll deal with that when we come to it?"

Sita:
"Yeah! Just walk in like they owe you something!"

Stella:
"You just have to be mean! You can do that, right?"

Kaori:
"The Shadows are like...an exaggerated version of the person's inner desires, right? So this dude is real pompous and gross in real life, so just be that but like...*more.*"

Danjuro:
just walk in there and rip one eh

Danjuro:
"...Alright, say I go through with it. What's the plan on your end? Say I'm like, turning up for inspections, or to bitch em out for not finding us yet."

Sita:
"Well, you want to worm the location of a boat out of them..."

Kaori:
"Say you need a boat because those gross intruders sullied your old one!"

Sita:
"And then we take that boat, of course! The only way out I know of will require one, unless you want to trust that masked man."

Merchant King:
fkn

Merchant King:
Polyjuice potion time then
Tokens dropped onto map 'Rainy Island' by player Agi (Player)
Tokens dropped onto map 'Rainy Island' by player Ci Tsukino (Player)

Merchant King:
Danjuro DRINKS UP

Kaori:
"I mean..I think we could probably trust him...but we can be proactive in the meantime!"

Merchant King:
"Urgh... this stuff tastes god-awful."
Phatthrice:
The two girls are reporting to someone seemingly higher-up, not being very polite at all about it. They're ranting about how they found you, of course, but you woke up before they could do anything

Merchant King:
He struts up to the base, glaring about

Merchant King:
"Forcing me to set foot on land myself... Have the lot of you found them yet, or what?!"

Ice Shadow:
The ice person scoffs, "And you left? Can you not handle anything on your own? I'm not here to clean up your messes." They pause when KING DAN strolls in, "And here's one of those messes now..."

Dragirl:
Dragirl whirls around, but stops when she sees who it is, "W-wh-P-San?! Whoa!! When'd you get here??"

Owldol:
"Sir?! I'm deeply sorry, we weren't expecting you tonight... Just a little more time, that's all we need!"

Merchant King:
"You should know better than to ask questions. Time? You haven't had enough already? Did I not just overhear that you had them in your sights?"

Dragirl:
"Errr....weeelll...yeah, but, listen, we can explain! There's, like, four of them!"

Owldol:
"We thought we would procure backup, sir, to be safe..."

Merchant King:
"And how many of you should it take to deal with a couple off-worlders? That bird woman, she would hardly even count as a fighter!"

Owldol:
racist

Owldol:
"Ah....true, but, they still outnumber us...After the state Ana was in, we didn't want to risk it..."

Dragirl:
"Hey, don't speak for both of us! -I- wanted to fight, but she talked me out of it!"

Merchant King:
"I'll make this brief - I'm commandeering the ship. I'll be anchored until noon tomorrow - if I don't see a signal flare indicating their capture by that time, I will not be returning."

Owldol:
Owldol glances behind her, for some reason, "U-uh...the ship, sir...?"

Ice Shadow:
Iceman/woman raises an eyebrow, "Oh, you are, are you? And what, exactly, makes you think you can renege on our deal?"

Merchant King:
"The frigate! The vessel! You came here on a boat, did you not?" Danjuro turns to look at the Shadow. "Nothing will be reneged on if you find them. WHEN you find them. I do expect results."

Merchant King:
i'm fkn sweating

Ice Shadow:
Roll Blunff

Agi's Pride:
You got this.

Merchant King:
9

Merchant King:
11
Tokens dropped onto map 'Rainy Island' by player Ci Tsukino (Player)

Killberg:
I always believed in you.

Ice Shadow:
"Hah! Find them? I'm not doing your dirty work, hood rat. ...And you ought know not to mock me. Do you need another demonstration?" This sends the two girls into a fidgeting panic. "If I don't get that ship, your life is forfeit. You won't find me as forgiving as my partner."
Phatthrice:
The ice dude...mostly seems to buy it??

Agi's Pride:
My 75% gray halo

Agi's Pride:
Will protect you

Owldol:
But the owl girl is not so easily convinced, "...wait. What was that? Why do you need OUR boat?"

Agi's Pride:
Fuck

Agi's Pride:
You're on your own, buddy.

Dragirl:
Dragirl hisses at her partner, "H-hey!! Don't talk back like that!!! He'll kill you!!"

Merchant King:
"I don't recall implying I needed it. I am TAKING it."

Owldol:
"...but why?"

Ice Shadow:
"Hah! Can't you even control your own minions?"

Merchant King:
"Incentive. Clearly, you need more."

Merchant King:
Grappling Strike 9

Merchant King:
23 REROLL

Merchant King:
so uh, nat 1 she's able to duck out of the way but I'm grabbing the hairband I guess? With the reroll/action point/whatever I'll make another grappling strike

Owldol:
"HEY! Let GO of me!" She ducks away, but you snatch up her hairband, and then make a second attempt, clasping your hand around her neck, "HURK!" She claws at your hand with her talons, choking out a cry, "You...you're..."

Merchant King:
nope closing THAT thought off

Dragirl:
"H-hey! That's going too far! L-let her go..."

Ice Shadow:
"So you do know some discipline, after all. But wouldn't you prefer more useful subordinates?

Ice Shadow:
"

Merchant King:
Danjuro squeezes a bit, preventing her from talking, then throws her away. "We'll discuss that later. I've had my fill for now. Noon."

Ice Shadow:
"Hah! Your display was nice, but I don't recall ever agreeing to that demand. You're not going anywhere until you finish my vessel. You might not care much about these girls, but I'm sure they're more useful to you alive than dead?"

Owldol:
The owldol tries to choke out a response, but her windpipe hasn't recovered yet, so she just ends up spitting out random vowels. Those are gonna cost her.

Dragirl:
"Uhh.... I-I think they're serious, P-san..."

Merchant King:
"Of course." @Shadow
Tokens dropped onto map 'Rainy Island' by player Ci Tsukino (Player)
Tokens dropped onto map 'Rainy Island' by player Ci Tsukino (Player)

Ice Shadow:
"....fine. You're leaving at noon? I'll allow that. But if you don't have MY ship finished before then..."

Ice Shadow:
Iceman is boutta do a lot more than chip damage. They bring up their arms, coated in sharp, frigid ice, and in one smooth motion, STABs them through the chests of the fallen owldol and the stammering Dragirl! Tendrils of ice creep up the two as they stand, paralyzed and frozen, struggling against the rapidly-advancing ice. Within seconds, it fully consumes them, no trace of their original forms remain, and their new, icy forms slowly begin to move.

Ice Shadow:
"You ought re-evaluate whether to be more afraid of some boogeyman you've never met, or the threat in front of you."

Stella:
UUUUUUUUHHHHHHH... What is that?!"

Kaori:
"...I have a really bad feeling that this didn't go very well..."

Frozen Dragon:
"URRAAAAAWWHHHH"

Merchant King:
"You and yours won't be forgotten. ...I'll be off now, excuse me." (What the FUCK)

Ice Shadow:
Behind the hood of the iceman, you see the glint of a smirk, "I bet you will." They pause, "Oh, and redirect all personnel to the task. I no longer care about the portal."

Crimson Lotus:
I am

Crimson Lotus:
SO glad I'm irrelevant

Merchant King:
bote?? Now please??

Danjuro:
Danjuro is uh

Danjuro:
a little bit paralyzed

Danjuro:
from that interaction

Ice Shadow:
frozen even

Stella:
"I...w-what happened...?"

Danjuro:
"G-got us a boat!"

Kaori:
"So uhhhhh...we gonna talk about that big dragon?"

Danjuro:
"Made a reeeal freakin' powerful enemy for someone who ain't us!"

Kaori:
"Oh."
Phatthrice:
You rush to the BOTE at the shoreline, brushing aside any remarks. It couldn't be called a MIGHTY vessel, but it's leagues better than the dingy lifeboats you had before

Sita:
"Uh..w-well! Those two won't be following us any more... Sothat's good!"

Merchant King:
"Good's a STRONG word..."

Sita:
"For what seems to be a strong adversary..."

Sita:
"Stella and I may need to lay low for a while after this."

Danjuro:
"The owl definitely caught on midway through. I don't know if you caught... any of that, but - hoo... happy to be out of there"

Frozen Owl:
"hoo"

Frozen Owl:
you mocking me

Kaori:
"Ughhh, this doesn't add up...are we even still in Serizawa-sama's shadow world? If so, then who's that icy person you were talking about?! It sounds like even that sleezeball manager is below them..."

Sita:
"Afraid I don't know much about that... Maybe you could ask someone with more intel? You should still be in the same realm you entered, but... There are other possibilities."

Danjuro:
"Bad luck, no one dropped Jack Frost's name. I wasn't really in a position to ask."

Kaori:
"Guh...oh well...might be easier to root around in the real world for info on that..just have to make sure not to set Serizawa off again or we'll end up back here..."
Phatthrice:
Sita leads you through a spiralling path around various islands, until you get to an overgrown, jungle-like island. On the beach of this place, there's a huge archway, wreathed in vinery. It seems to be one of those portals Sita and Chip Damage were talking about

Danjuro:
"This is... hoo, really far out of the way, isn't it? Through a nice lil' series of islands?"

Sita:
"This' the only one I know about! I guess there was a closer one on that island, but...I'm not going back there any time soon."

Kaori:
"I don't blame you..." she sighs heavily, "Thank you for everything though! I'm sorry this was such a mess...!"

Sita:
"Well...we accomplished what we set out to do. It wasn

Sita:
't all a wash."

Danjuro:
"For us, maybe. I feel like you all got hosed from that."

Sita:
She shrugs, "Eh... I'll get in contact with Mamiyo somehow. She might be able to sort things out... she's muchbetter at getting around than me."

Sita:
okay I probably couldca phrased that better but

Kaori:
"Well, we'll be back to sort this all out eventually...we really need to regroup though...jeez, my brother's gotta be worried sick..."

Sita:
Ryouta has contacted the police throughout all of Japan and parts of Hawaii
Phatthrice:
You bid the duo farewell and pass through the portal. But you...don't end up anywhere you recognize. You really DID get lost... Immediately, your phones BLOW UP with messages, from Ryouta, Mamiyo, Lethe, Takara(apparently he got a new phone), Kodaira, and even the Banchou
Phatthrice:
The last message is from Lethe, from a few hours ago
Phatthrice:
The one before that...is from four days ago.

Danjuro:
suddenly, you experience four days' worth of hunger

Danjuro:
"Ohh boy, that's not good."
Phatthrice:
The message from Lethe reads, "Hey...I-I know this is a long shot, but we're coming to help you! If you get this message, meet us in Serizawa's realm!" The portal behind you shrinks shut, and you're left alone with your thoughts

Kaori:
"E-...EHHHHHHH?!" Kaori panics as she looks at her phone, "Nonononono! No way! We've been gone for four days?! Oh nononono...!" she flips through her messages, a sea of unread from her brother. "I'm so dead...! How do we even explain this?!"
Phatthrice:
just say you took up stripper job
Phatthrice:
a
Phatthrice:
it'll go ovcer fine

Danjuro:
"AND those two went in... you kidding me?!"

Kaori:
"Wait, what?!" She scrolls back up and looks at the top message, "Oh no..."

Danjuro:
"...let's grab something to eat, work out some alibis, and get a taxi home."

Danjuro:
"Figure it out from there..."

Lethe:
yo who's this ice dude he looks kinda chill--oh no

Kaori:
"Ehhhhhhhh, I have no idea how I'm supposed to explain away four days without even replying..."
Phatthrice:
very long orgy
Phatthrice:
Oh shit! You got a new message! It's from....Mamiyo? She sends: "Whoa! You guys are online?! What happened?! Did wiz-kid finally find you?"