I can move mountains, I can work a miracle [OPEN]

[rassera]

WHO: The residents of Nonah 05 + YOU!
WHERE: Nonah, Residence #005
WHEN: All month long (January)
WHAT: Nonah 05 open log for January Shenanigans
WARNINGS: Obligatory Bull and Tetsuo warnings apply.


Starters will be appearing in the comments. If you want something specific from any one person (Kaneda rassera, Tetsuo iamtetsuo, Bull rideme and Ken amadaman), feel free to drop them a line and ask! Otherwise, feel free to add your own starters for the whole household or individual residents as you like.

Comments

[dormition]

Why? Did he do something before?

[iamtetsuo]

I'm - [I was, he doesn't say, though there's a hesitancy in indicating tense.] -psychic, Minato. I'm supposed to know shit like that.

[dormition]

I thought you didn't read peoples' minds, normally.

[If having someone logically deconstruct his shame will help, well, Minato is here for that.]

[iamtetsuo]

[It's the safest topic on a whole landslide of reasons to hate himself right now.]

I should have.

[dormition]

Does that mean you want to read someone's mind before trusting them in the future?

[Since this is Minato, he doesn't sound like he has any immediate objection to that.]

[iamtetsuo]

[He doesn't have a reply to that, only tensing up further. Yes. If he could. But he can't even do that anymore.]

[dormition]

... No? [he hazards, unsure what to make of this response.]

[iamtetsuo]

[Minato ... he knows. There's no guesswork. No probability. He knows without a doubt that admitting anything dangerous to Minato won't hurt him any further than the pain of having other people know would. Somehow, that's even worse...]


I can't.

[dormition]

[There's a long beat of silence as that sinks in, and then Minato's eyes widen, shock a mild expression on his face but notable for being prevalent at all.

It fades into hesitance and concern.]

You really can't? Did someone take your abilities away?

[iamtetsuo]

[Tetsuo still won't look at him, but he shakes his head.

There's not much reason to stay around him anymore, or care he exists. He's essentially meaningless now. If Minato's going to leave when he finds out, he's going to get all this over with.]

It's been like that since I woke up.

[dormition]

So it might be because you died?

[Minato has no idea why that would be-- he's never known anyone who'd died here, as far as he knows-- but that doesn't matter. He's used to accepting mysterious things with no discernible explanation. It is what it is; that's not the important part.

He inches forward until he's on the edge of his seat, and gently, carefully, leans in to place a hand on Tetsuo's shoulder.

He's had his Persona taken away three times now since coming here. Each time, it'd been horrific; he's terminally afraid of it now, of even something so simple as having his Evoker taken away. He hasn't gone anywhere without it in months. To Minato, losing your abilities is like losing part of your soul, quite literally.

Whisper soft,] That's horrible.

[iamtetsuo]

[It feels like it. He's been blind since he woke up, alone in his head. However maddening the sight was, the silence is worse. But chief amongst all if it is one single fact:

It's his fault it's gone. He failed.

The other things Pan said still hurt. Everything Pan did does. But nothing is quite as big a blow as the world being proven right. He was useless. He couldn't save himself.

Tetsuo flinches as Minato draws near, but he allows the contact, not doing anything further to push Minato away. He's tense under Minato's hand, almost enough for his body to start shaking from the strain.

To look at Tetsuo now, diminished and quiet, resigned to his fate beneath Kaneda's emblem in order to cling to the vain hope that he still had any purpose... Minato's not wrong. Some part of him didn't come back on revival.]

...yeah.

[It's amazing how much misery one syllable can hold.]

[dormition]

[It's very strange for Minato to be put in the position of talkative one, the one who has to draw someone else out. Usually it's reversed; well, usually, he sits and listens and is a receptive audience that does little more than prompt. But those that get close to him almost always take the reverse role of this case, where they try to drag things out of him.

He has an abrupt sympathy for them, both the difficulty of it and their determination. But maybe too he can use that experience to know what to do here. He can do what would work on him in Tetsuo's place. They're not at all the same, but in some respects... he understands completely.

Minato leaves his hand where it is, no movement at all; no reaction to his flinch or his tension. Just waiting, letting him become used to the contact.]

... Are you worried? Will you be in danger from anyone? [Because that's the next practical consideration, isn't it? And Minato is primed and ready to offer his protection, if only it will be accepted.]

[iamtetsuo]

[Slowly, Tetsuo's head raises up, almost managing to find Minato's eyes. That question almost doesn't need answering; like this, anyone could do anything to him. He's not even as strong as he used to be anymore, and fight as much as he could... he was never much out on the streets. Tetsuo knew how to survive taking a beating for a very good reason.

Who hasn't he been trying to make enemies out of? What hasn't he done? Now that Minato can see his expression better, there's no missing the fear under his misery. You come back from dying, but it still means you die...

A very small, mumbled question in return:]

What do you think?

[dormition]

[Quietly,] You know that some people have wanted you to get taken in by the authorities, ever since you attacked Ken-kun in December. I guess... it was the last straw for them.

[But obviously they couldn't find him while he was living on his own, and it would've been near impossible to take him in unwillingly, so Minato had been content to wait. Things usually worked themselves out in time. He's not sure he'd call this working out, but-- maybe it's how it's meant to be. 'Meant to be' doesn't always mean happy or easier and he knows it. Sometimes you need the difficulty in order to have growth.

He's the sort of person who's had incontrovertible evidence of fate presented to him, after all.]

[iamtetsuo]

[That gets his attention. Tetsuo's eyes widen, snapping up the rest of the way to meet Minato's. Before, it just hadn't seemed like a big deal. Authorities couldn't get him. No one could! He could have done anything... so much so that getting caught, the very idea of police investigation was laughable. They could try, and it could kill them.

Here and now, it's suddenly very real.]

That stuff... I can't - I can't do that anymore. So there's no reason...

[That's an argument for himself, right? All the stuff he did, and that's the only defense he can come up with.



He's so screwed.]

[dormition]

[Minato's sure Tetsuo doesn't actually think that defense will work. Just because you throw away a gun doesn't mean you can't still be charged for using it. There's no need to try to convince him of that, anyway, because it doesn't matter.

Minato's already done all of his defending for him. His hand slips off and away, but his eyes hold steadily on his, compassionate.]

It's okay. I didn't tell you this before, but back when it happened, I convinced them not to put you in jail if they ever brought you in. As long as you agree to let me be your probation officer, you can work off your sentence without consequences like that.

[He lays out this plan quietly, without any fanfare or expectation, just setting it out in the air to see what Tetsuo makes of it.]

[iamtetsuo]

[Looks back to the other room, definitely anxious now. At 'jail', he stopped quite hearing anything else, panic starting to override everything. Death was kinder than jail. If they caught you, you could hope they'd either let you go or beat the life out of you.

No matter what the sentence, it was always death if jail came up. He can't really imagine what working off a sentence would even mean. At the moment, he can't even fathom the sheer scope of what it'd entail. All of the implications and what ifs hit him at once, eliciting a panicked screech.]

What?!

[He's not even wrapped his mind around the idea that Minato might have saved him from a living hell worse than anything his powers put him through. The rest of Minato's words didn't get a chance to sink in.]

[dormition]

[The problem is, Minato doesn't know what he's actually reacting to, with him so inarticulate.

It sets him back in his chair all at once, eyes widening and bewildered. He really has no clue how to react to this. Actually, given how strung out he is today and yet he'd levered himself over here to take care of this, he feels a little impatient. Why can't everyone else just listen to him instead of exploding with emotions all the time?

He really doesn't get it.]

You don't want to? [he hazards.]

[rassera]

[Tetsuo's exclamation rings through the kitchen, and Kaneda has to stop what he's doing to practically skid his way out into the living room. He'd known Minato was here, he'd seen him walk in by now and...with Tetsuo acting so calm, he'd left it at that. He didn't need to be around for every aspect of Tetsuo's life right now.

But when that shout happens, like a life alert system he's the first to respond, head peeking out and veering himself around the corner.]

Tetsuo, what's wrong?

[Sorry, was he interrupting a moment?]

[iamtetsuo]

[Did he hear a word Minato said? Yes. Just about one word exactly. Nothing against you at all, Minato, he's just reactive.]

He's talking about getting brought into the authorities!! Getting sentenced!!

[This wouldn't be for trespassing or existing on a motorcycle at an inconvenient time of day or just being outside or something.]

[dormition]

[Minato's expression flattens. It wouldn't really be noticeable at all - it's not far from his default blankness - except he'd been shades of attentive and concerned with Tetsuo for the whole conversation. But now...]

I was saying I worked out a way to keep you out of jail.

[It's not like he was the one explosively attacking people. Crimes are crimes. Did Tetsuo really think he could evade responsibility for all that indefinitely?]

[rassera]

[Thankfully Minato had run this over with Kaneda from the start, otherwise this would have had a very different outcome. His body hitches, instinct taking over before logic--because there was nothing he wanted more than to keep Tetsuo from behind bars. Call it instinct, call it common sense, call it whatever you want.

But he remembers...that Minato and Edgeworth had gotten probation for him.

And he goes over to Tetsuo, arms on his shoulders.]

Hey, hey. I wouldn't let them take you, you know that!

[There's a glance up to Minato, nodding. You're keeping your end of this, at least.]

He's SAYING you won't go behind bars.

[iamtetsuo]

[Panic abates, leaving anxious fear behind. He thought he knew that; he hoped he did, but for a moment...

Tetsuo's shoulders are tense under Kaneda's hands as he looks up at him with wide, pleading eyes. If anyone understands the horror of what anything to do with police entails, it's Kaneda.]

How?!

[And to Minato, weakly -]

There's no way I wouldn't!

[Realization after realization only intensifies his horror at the very mention of anything legal. The color drains from his face completely.

He could die and come back. If he did go to jail, if that happened... No one would ever have proof about what they did to him in there. It'd be his word against theirs; a useless delinquent nothing against 'upstanding' police officers. They could find a new way to kill him every day. Or torture him and kill him to get rid of the evidence- many of his scars from his adventures here had faded and grown a lot less prominent since he revived. And he regenerated a heart...

Tetsuo's shiver has nothing to do with the cold.]

[dormition]

[Wow. He's much more distressed than Minato was expecting-- it seems like he's barely processing what he's saying.

Minato hesitates, then stands up to face him directly, a concerned frown hovering around his face.]

I'd be responsible for your parole. So if you did anything, it'd come back on me. [A pause. More quietly,] We'd have to trust each other for it to work.