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

[amadaman]

I'm sure that even if you bent over backwards and turned yourself inside out, you couldn't keep up with him.

[he shakes his head]

But he'll probably be happy knowing he's always got you beside him. Even if he doesn't realize he feels that way.

[attainment]

That's...one way of putting it, yes, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try. I'm his partner, after all.

[Barnaby gives a small smile at that last comment, though. For all of Kotetsu's complaining whenever Barnaby lectures him, he knows the man still likes it at the end of the day.] I have no doubt he enjoys working as a duo as much as I do.

[amadaman]

That's the nice thing, [he says. They're not very specific words, and it's almost vague, like it could be applied to anyone, but it's sincere. There's a brief pause as a server comes by to take their orders, but Ken returns his attention to Barnaby after that, too.]

He still needs to work on being cooler, but he's a good person.

[attainment]

[Barnaby thanks the waiter before they resume their conversation. He cracks a small smile at that comment.]

You're right. Unfortunately, I'm afraid he's a bit of a lost cause in the cool department. For some people, though, that may be part of his charm.

[amadaman]

You mean, like you?

[Ken says it more teasingly than he's said anything to Barnaby before, but it's a sincere smile he's got on his face. A sincere one, genuinely happy for how pleased the man seems to be when talking about his 'partner.']

... 's nice. Maybe he'll be 'the one' for you. You know, just -- just someone you'll always have. No matter what.

[attainment]

[Barnaby's smile twists into something a bit more embarrassed, but it only lasts for a moment before he's got it under control again.] I can see why some people might think that. [Which is his playful, roundabout way of agreeing.

The idea of "the one" is a nice concept. It's wholly irrational in some ways, but Barnaby likes to believe he and Kotetsu's fates are destined to intertwine forever. Even if they go their separate ways, the forces of the universe will inevitably bring them back together again. Barnaby would bet his life on it.]

Yes. That man will always be part of my life in some way or another, I'm sure. He's influenced me too much, and in too many ways, for things to turn out otherwise. I'm very fortunate to have met him.

[amadaman]

You even followed each other all the way out here.

[It may be irrational. There may be no way to prove it. But if there was anything Ken believed in, it was that. Everyone, no matter what, will have that one person who will be theirs. It might not be forever; it might be brief; but if reincarnation were true, then these people will always find each other in each of those lives, too. It isn't the same to him as the "true love" found in fairy tales; this was different, to him. But he's sure that Barnaby and Kotetsu are exactly that, for each other.]

You seem very happy when you talk about him, Barnaby-san.

[attainment]

[That's true. Not only that, but whenever the Porter decides to whisk one of them way, it always seems to take the other too. Barnaby privately hopes that trend will continue. The thought of one of them being left here alone is just too sad to contemplate.

Ken's words cause Barnaby's stomach to flip-flop a bit, but it's not entirely bad, nor unexpected. Kotetsu gives color to his world more than anything or anyone else, it's true. He would gladly spend the rest of his life with him, if fate was generous enough to grant him such a luxury. Barnaby has examined and re-examined his feelings so many times that he'll never second guess himself on that point.

He gives a quiet chuckle.]

...Other people have said that too. They're not wrong, I suppose. When all is said and done, he's been a good partner to me, and I hope to be the same for him in whatever capacity he'll allow.

[amadaman]

I'm sure you'll be able to. That's how that stuff works.

I think everyone has someone like that. It takes some people longer to find them, but you were able to find yours. I think that's great.

[attainment]

Well. I appreciate the vote of confidence.

["In whatever capacity he'll allow" can be limiting, depending on what's going on in Kotetsu's life at the time, but Barnaby will continue doing his best.

It would be nice if everyone truly did have someone like that. His parents may have been that to each other, with their shared passion for science, acting as partners both at home and at work -- the ideal relationship, in his mind. He can only speak for himself, though, and Kotetsu is definitely "the one" for him.]

Yes. I don't like the phrase "everything happens for a reason", but...I believe everything I did to become a hero will have been worth it, if that's what it took for us to become partners.

[Barnaby pauses with a small smile.] Do you speak from experience, Ken?

[amadaman]

It's not the same as you.

[Maybe there was another life where it was. Maybe in another life, in the future, it'll happen. That isn't the case for him. But he looks down at the glass of water in front of him and wraps his hands around it, rubbing away at the water that gathered on the surface as he does.]

I know who mine is. I was born knowing her, so it's different.

[attainment]

[Barnaby watches Ken carefully. He blinks a bit at the cryptic response, but then the answer sudden occurs to him.] ...Your mother. [His words are quiet, surprisingly gentle and understanding.]

[amadaman]

Mmhm.

No matter how many people I meet, no matter how many people I become... I can't think of anybody else who'll be that person for me.

[attainment]

[He quietly smiles. That's a lovely sentiment to have about the person who brought you into this world.] As long as you feel that way, I think a part of her still lives on.

[amadaman]

Thank you. I feel that way, too. I think that's why Kala-Nemi feels the way she does for me.

[attainment]

Kala-Nemi? [He recognizes the name as a mythological reference, but isn't acquainted enough with it to make the connection.]

[amadaman]

Oh. Um, she's my Persona -- I don't know if Kotetsu-san ever mentioned it to you. It's my power, and sort of like summoning magic, but Kala-Nemi comes from inside me.

[attainment]

I see. [He files away that piece of info for future reference.] I knew about your power, but I didn't realize she had a name.

[amadaman]

They all do. All of ours, I mean. I don't know why they do, or why they have the ones they have. When Kala-Nemi showed up, she already had that name, as did Nemesis before her.

[attainment]

So they're more like individual partners you summon at will?

[amadaman]

Close. They're definitely unique to each person -- Kala-Nemi is a piece of me, born from my mind.

[attainment]

Would you say she's a reflection of the person you've become, then?

[amadaman]

Without a doubt. Persona are like mirrors, so they show you things about yourself even you didn't know about.

[attainment]

That sounds like it would be an asset in just about any area of life, not just combat.

[amadaman]

Persona and shadow are both psychological terms, so yeah, it would. Our Personas, though, are specifically there for our defense.