[nope] - date 3, Tatsuya

[afailedmurder]

[The aquarium tunnel is a romantic spot for a date, though Akechi seems a little wary of the water overhead.]

Shall we take a seat?

Comments

[motorcycle_noises]

I mean, you can. Some of them are willing to talk, some of them just want to fight me... Most of them are pretty willing to ignore me if I ignore them. It's pretty "live-and-let-live" these days.

[afailedmurder]

Well, it's not like you have to go back there. Why don't you go home with someone you like?

[motorcycle_noises]

I can't go with the people I'd like to most. Sudoh's world is too dangerous, and I definitely can't go to Yusuke-san's....

[ Tatsuya shrugs slightly. ]

Rin-san offered, and I'm considering it. But even though it's lonely, I'm not sure I'd want to abandon my world entirely.

[afailedmurder]

Why can't you go back with Kitagawa? If you don't mind my asking.

[motorcycle_noises]

Well, ignoring the time travel aspects for a moment... It's technically the same "world" as my own— but on the "other side." And if I go there, the world will end.

[afailedmurder]

What? Why?

[motorcycle_noises]

It's a long story... the short version is that I did something I shouldn't have, and created a paradox. So going there will bring the attention of Nyarlathotep, the crawling chaos.... And even if he's defeated, he'd just be able to come back again. Over and over. He's the reason there's no one left on my side, the reason that my friends and I had to create the other side.

[ ... ]

So I can never go back there. That's the punishment for my sins.

[afailedmurder]

Wh... when did this happen?

[motorcycle_noises]

Not long ago by my standards. The end of summer, 1999....

[afailedmurder]

[ C O O L ]

I... I was born in 1998. What... does that mean?

[motorcycle_noises]

Everyone who died when the world ended.... their consciousnesses were moved over to that side.

[ So technically there's a version of you that died as a toddler, have fun with that thought. ]

No one was ever supposed to remember anything that happened, and most people don't.

[afailedmurder]

[laughs darkly]

Just how often does this sort of thing happen? Is the world simply teeming with demons and evil gods trying to destroy it?

[motorcycle_noises]

I wouldn't be surprised.

[ He hasn't even told you about Philemon. ]

[afailedmurder]

Of course. Of course. I suppose you're a Persona user as well.

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Yusuke didn't actually mention that Akechi was a Persona user... but all the same, Tatsuya supposes it's not really a surprise. ]

That power's been blocked by the chinchillas... But under ordinary circumstances, yes I am.

[afailedmurder]

What happened to your friends?

[motorcycle_noises]

They're all on the other side... and they don't remember anything, either. That's the price we were all supposed to pay— our memories of our friendship to save the world. Eikichi, Lisa... Jun... Maya...

[afailedmurder]

...I'm sorry.

We were cut off from the cognitive world.

[because that's the same]

[motorcycle_noises]

The cognitive world... Kurusu-san called it that, too. I think that's the place we called the Collective Unconsciousness. Or if not the same, then at least a similar concept.

[ He's quiet for a moment, thinking about that. ]

And you lost your way there?

[afailedmurder]

We used to have apps on our phones.

[pulling out and turning on his phone to show Tatsuya; how else are you going to explain smartphones to someone from the late 90s?]

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya blinks at the phone. It's like the tablets they were given, but.... even smaller. ]

Cell phones got a lot nicer since I last checked.

[afailedmurder]

It's true. In the future, everyone has one of these.

[Pulls open a normal map app and shows him his offline map of Tokyo.]

Using this, you can search for different places in Tokyo; the version we had could search for different locations in the Metaverse.

[motorcycle_noises]

[ TECHNOLOGY IS AMAZING. ]

That's so cool.

[afailedmurder]

I don't mind if you want to play around with it for a bit. I don't have many games, but it should be more interesting than the tablets.

[Holds the phone out]

[motorcycle_noises]

[ Tatsuya's face lights up. ]

Really? Thanks!

[ He takes the phone, holding it as he starts flipping through and trying out various apps. ]