It's the end of the World as we know it

[codeoracle]

WHO: Persona House and YOU
WHERE: Heropa 001
WHEN: November 8-10th
WHAT: A weekend blowout party leading up to the apocalypse. Everyone is welcome, a few specifically invited. Look, your local teens know that apocalypses mean high stress.
WARNINGS: Likely under-age drinking, possible sexual situations (??), drug use (???) IDEK what do teens bring to crazy ragers anymore?


Arrival, Food + Drinks, Etc.
↳ The door to Heropa 001 is open to visitors of all kinds this weekend, welcoming all that want to filter in and out of its halls. Rooms themselves may be closed off--but when has that ever stopped the curious? While the house is full of wayward teens, anyone that finds their way to the kitchen through the course of the weekend is likely to find a rather impressive array of food. This is most likely due to the efforts of the more responsible members of the house--and the large savings Futaba had amassed during her years here. Don't see anything you like? Find a host of the house and it will probably be added to the list of offerings.

The biggest part of this weekend is that there doesn't seem to be a set start or end. Come as early or as late as you want. The world might be ending--no one here will hold how you chose to spend the final days on earth. While there may not be enough beds to occupy any overnighters, there's definitely more than enough surfaces to crash on if you're the type to do so.

As I watch the world burn | Activies
↳ A party isn't much of one without things to do, now is it? At the center of the family room is a techie's dream entertainment center complete with any up and coming games and systems, courtesy of Futaba's personal collection. But if you aren't much of a video game person, there's a stack of party games in a corner, not much used but it might be fun to get tangled up in color oriented ways during your last night on earth.

Outside, one can occupy themselves with the pool. It's Heropa, a house has to have a pool (just go with it). So what if it's November? It's only a little chilly and no one is going to blame you for forgetting it's past swimming season when you're down in Florida. Or you can linger around the fire pit for something a bit more toasty. Careful though, this is where you can find people engaged in a game of Truth or Dare. If you follow the rules, though, it should be fine? Maybe.

Comments

Truth or Dare

[codeoracle]

HOW IT WORKS: If your character would participate (or if you want them to~), comment under this thread with their choice of truth or dare--or play it up and do both. Others can then respond with questions for "truth", and prompts for dares.

Dares that encourage tagging around the thread are, of course, encouraged. So dare someone to slap a person that next arrives, or have them go around and ask embarrassing questions of four random people--get creative! It's the end of the world, it's your last chance to do something interesting. For comfort's sake, feel free to specify in your starter comment if there is any kind of dare (or line of "truth" questioning) you would prefer not to play out. Otherwise, have fun :)

[lempereur]

...truth.

[ But he's hesitant. This can't end well, Futaba. ]

[girlybruiser]

Uh... dare!

[ She giggles loudly, vibrating with excitement.

... hopefully she won't regret this. ]

[lempereur]

I dare you to jump into the pool. Right now.

[girlybruiser]

What? With my clothes on?

[ Haru looks over uneasily.

Also her hair, Yusuke. Think of those curls! ]

Ten thousand years later.

[codeoracle]

Both.

It's better to play it both ways, rihgt?

[lempereur]

Do you still have a crush on me?

[ Inspired by Ren's admission that he has crushes on all his friends, and not his own curiosity, of course. ]

[codeoracle]

[Oh you rude ass little--All she can do is stare at first, blinking owlishly at actually being caught off guard. She should have expected this, should have calculated--should have known.

It causes an odd burst of anxiety, her hands twisting together in her lap as she considers whether or not a lie would actually be detected. And if she really could lie to someone she considered her best friend.]

I moved on when you were here the first time, but it's not like those feelings just...go away.

[A yes without saying yes, then.]

OTA;

[lempereur]

a; punch bowl

[ In his time here, Yusuke has learned a few things about parties. He's not an every weekend, enthusiast type, but he enjoys getting into trouble with his friends on occasion. What better occasion than moving in with them, the weekend before the world is supposed to end? You can find him maintaining the (spiked, of course, these criminals) punch bowl, making sure the rum to juice ratio is correct using perhaps more taste tests than is strictly necessary. Driving? Just ask him, he can hook you up with a soda. ]

b; yusuke's room

[ After being assigned to De Chima after his reentry into this world, Yusuke has finally packed his things and moved to Heropa with his remaining friends. His room already has droplets of purple paint on the carpet, the artist having unpacked his pigments, easel, and other supplies while his clothes remain in boxes stacked in the corner. Not that you have any business snooping around in here...why would you need alone time with him Unless, maybe, Yusuke dragged you here to show off his most recent painting, slurring something or other about the beauty of flame, giving life and taking it away, much like this cruel world of theirs -- oh, sorry, did you come to a party to forget the apocalypse? ]

3; twister

[ It's twister. The game! Everyone is having fun, and then you had to get assigned right hand - blue. The dexterous player below grunts, wiggling to try to throw you off balance. ]

Your knee is digging into my back. Move.

4; wildcard

[ doop doop dee dee ]

a;

[cognitivism]

Yusuke!

[ Goro approaches after he re-emerges from his room, in brighter spirits now that he was no longer in the office. While he was hesitant to purchase the alcohol (thank you Maurtia Falls for not checking IDs) he's not regretting now that he's seeing his friends enjoying themselves.

Might as well enjoy the end of the world. ]

I'm glad you're here. Were you able to move everything in all right?

[lempereur]

Yes!

[ Yusuke is serving him up some punch, whether he asks or not. Eat, drink, be merry, forget the world is ending! ]

I have some things to unpack still, but everything is here. I am thankful Jaime stored my old things here in Heropa instead of having to put them on a truck in De Chima.

[ He can't...afford that. ]

Thank you for welcoming me.

[cognitivism]

Of course. I'm honestly relieved to see you again. Was there anything at your De Chima residence still? I would not mind helping you move it.

[ Clearly the topic of conversation for a party. He reaches over to a cup, then grabs the rum to pour straight into it. It was a hard day at work let him live.

But, at least he's genuine about being glad to see him. He's made his mistakes with Yusuke, and if there was one thing he was going to do was try to do better with their friendship. Goro was never certain of his place among the Phantom Thieves until recently, but he does wish he did a better job with their relationship.]

a

[h2no]

[archie isn't planning to stay here for long; he's only really here for one reason. he holds a bottle out to yusuke. a present. some booze blue used to like.]

Here. Reckon it's worth pourin' one out for him, huh? Both of them. Lucky bastards.

[lempereur]

[ Mixing alcohols is good and smart, especially in celebration of a fallen comrade. ]

Thank you, Archie.

[ Yusuke examines it, curious. Usually when Blue handed him a cup of something, he didn't specify what was in it, so Yusuke hasn't got a clue. He pours a little bit into a plastic cup, and smells it. Fruity. ]

To Red and Blue, then. I hope they're well, wherever they are.

[h2no]

Alola. Beautiful region.

[he raises his own cup, gently bumping it against yusuke's.]

Figured we might as well do this, seein' as it's the last chance to.

OTA (starting with prose, but feel free to switch to brackets I'll reply accordingly)

[chainlinks]

Being brand new to this place and unaware that he wasn't alone, Ren had taken to the streets of the various districts, testing out the technology. It didn't take him long to end up in Heropa, silently admiring the various buildings and people...all prepping for the end of the world apparently. Kinda count-productive to bring him here if he was just set up to die, really. In a bid to learn more and see if he could possibly do his part to stop an apocalypse, he stayed mostly in the shadows, listening to the people chat up around him. Something about one of the houses having a party and the owners being non-natives like him.

Ren hadn't gone to many teenager parties, and he previously thought about sneaking in as Joker, but he needed to meet with others like him. Besides, he had an idea of what to expect and meeting them as Ren first seemed like the obvious choice.

Only when he got closer and heard people swimming in the pool, he wasn't too sure about his decision anymore. Sure, Tokyo would be pretty warm at this time of year, but Ren didn't have much of anything on him so far, and hadn't begun his new job yet. He'd just be the stranger that showed up. Sure it was the end of the world, but a newcomer showing up empty handed? He just hoped they were nice about it.

Against his better judgment, he adjusted his glasses one last time, and entered the house, carefully putting away his shoes.

This was...this was a lot more than he had expected. How rich were these teenagers?

"Hello?"

[lempereur]

[ He'd know that voice anywhere. Even after months without hearing it, even through the music and assorted chatter, even after several hours of punch bowl skimming, Yusuke is drawn to that voice like a magnet. He slams a plastic cup on the table and makes a beeline towards it, running at a full sprint until he can catch the newest guest in a tight hug. ]

Akira!

[ Is it weirder that Yusuke's calling him by a different name, that he's even taller than the last time Ren saw him, or that he's clearly drunk? ]

[chainlinks]

[Ren had expected many things out of an evening that proceeded the apocalypse, but if he had been given a list of possible outcomes, no where did 'Yusuke' 'Drunk' and 'Older' come up in those theories.

Letting himself be carried by the moment (and the clear smell of booze as Yusuke got closer), he wordlessly opened his arms until his friend slammed into him and...

Uttered a name he didn't know. The warning bells that had been going off about Yusuke's everything suddenly go into hyperdrive.]

Akira?

[lempereur]

[ It doesn't occur to him that his dear friend would be questioning his own name, he's just happy to hear his voice again. So happy, in fact, that after a moment of holding him into his arms, he has to pull back, else he'll be sniffling into his ear. ]

Excuse me. [ Yusuke steps back, uneasy but not quite a stumble, and presses his ring fingers to the corners of his eyes, dotting away any forming tears. ] Did you just get here? Do you remember before?

( sometime after yusuke )

[girlybruiser]

It's a mystery that will remain unsolved, but somehow Haru doesn't take notice of a familiar face that's wandered into her house, preoccupied by the fun she's having among guests and friends to pick up on something inherently wrong with another stranger in the house.

At least for now, a strange unbeknownst to Haru.

She's not drunk, no, it's not ladylike and relatively out of the realm of comfort for her, but she's had a glass or so and is in good spirits in spite of the overwhelming dread that's taken over the network the past couple of weeks. She's ready to take on the end of the world, but for a couple of more nights, she wants to enjoy her time with her friends.

That's probably how she winds up accidentally encountering Ren, unaware he's milling about the house until she turns her back too fast and bumps directly into him.

"Oh!" Haru's heart seems to leap from her chest and into her throat, the words caught there and instead a loud gasp escaping. The shock of a familiar face so soon returned that she loses her grip on her glass and spills the contents all over her soft pink dress. "Ah!"

(beautiful right after he's a little tipsy)

[chainlinks]

After speaking with Yusuke, Ren isn't sure why he's still here. He doesn't want to cause his friends, be they may from another world or not, more heartaches - especially not with an apparent end of the world coming.

Maybe that's why he also jumps when they bump together and he hears her voice, trying to drown out the voice of dread in his head that has gotten a little louder thanks to the drinks he's taken.

And yet...

All his worries just melt into nothingness when he notices what happens.

It's not even a concious decision. Actually one could argue it's caused even more by the booze, but Ren quickly turns to the nearest table that has food on it, and yanks the cloth from under it in surgical precision before handing it to her.

"Here."

It certainly crashes with her clothing, but it's the thought that counts?

( a short while after Haru)

[cognitivism]

How could he have missed him?

Maybe it was the showing up late to the party Futaba set up. Maybe it was fixing his hair (he needs a haircut, but at least it's in a low ponytail for now) or making sure to drop off his work bag in his room - his mind not as focused as he drinks a glass of wine (compared to the cheap beer and mixed drinks) because he opened the bottle the night before and he wasn't going to let it go to waste.

His eyes are wide, shock evident as he stares at Akira. His mind isn't keeping up with his heart as both race with possibilities. Why now? Why when he was moving forward (not on, per se, because deep down he knows that he'll have those feelings but it's different), and he can't stop his feet from moving.

Logically, the chances it's Akira who remembers is slim, but that doesn't stop him from hoping.

"Hey." He says, almost helplessly, concerned of what he may or may not know. "Should I be surprised you managed to find your way back again?"

Too vague? Too on point? Goro isn't sure what he wants to say, but none of that is right.

(continuing Ren's decent into madness)

[chainlinks]

That voice . He knew Akechi was around, but Ren didn't know he also lived here - in retrospect it should have been obvious. He turns around to face him, watching the other's expression reflect his own surprised one. Seeing someone who he thought was dead - even more, having grown and changed, was a lot to take in. Even as Akechi advances, Ren's feet are glued to the ground.

When they are close enough that he could reach out to him, his eyes briefly dart away. Ren wants too, but it would just complicate things for now. Besides, part of him almost expects Akechi to disappear if he touches him. He bites down on his lip before speaking.

"Hey."

There are so many scenarios he had in his head if he ever ran into him again, and yet with this sudden reunion, it's hard to find the right words instead of just parroting back. He smiles at him, idly tugging at his sleeves.

"It's good to see you again." Normally Ren wouldn't be this open around him, but he can almost feel the change in Akechi, even if all his current physical clues had been missing. It's why he isn't going to beat around the bush either, he knows his rival (or at least his Akechi) would be angry otherwise. "Even if it's the first time meeting this you."

Ten years late with Starbucks.

[codeoracle]

[Futaba has seen him. Of course she has, it's hard not to pick that familiar face out of a crowd. This is doubly true when every one of their friends group had found time to approach him before with various degrees of chaos.

It isn't until the night is well underway that she takes her shot at approaching, two mugs in hand.]

Here...I think I got it right.

[A peace offering. A question. Who was he, really? Their Akira or...someone different? Here, anything was possible.]

An Oracle is never late as she arrives precisely when she means to. (With Starbucks)

[chainlinks]

[It's strange to see her and think that they are technically the same age. Ren had seen her as well during the entire chaos that had been the night - but like everyone else, he waited until she decided to speak up to him.

He took the mug with a tiny bow and a small smile.]

Thank you.

[He takes a sip before 'answering' her question.]

A truly artistic blend that will increase HP for a few hours. Sojiro would be proud.

[What a nerd.]

Sorry I caused so much chaos tonight...I'm not sure what the others have told you yet, but I'm not your Akira. To put it in simple terms, someone started a different instant of the same game, and changed the main character's name. So I seem to have met and know a lot of the same people, but my name is Ren Amamiya instead.