A Hymn Before Battle [Alisa/Open]

[Ayakura Alisa]

I looked at Anna and sighed. "It's too late for me to back out. I involved myself in the Shadow business ever since my parents got killed by them. If I can't avenge them, I'll at least want to discover the truth," I said. "I just didn't think that demons would be involved in this mess, too. It's a bit too much for me to bite right now, but at the moment I haven't really seen any gateways or portals or whatever crazy sorcery these things use to cross from one world to this world." I crossed my arms and looked down at the ground.

"On top of that, I'm probably one of the strongest local Users around. Not to toot my own horn, but I've gone a long way since I wrangled with Shadows without a Persona."

[Anna Myers]

So this woman had a personal connection to the incident, then. Much like Anna did. It was easy to assume, from Anna's attitude towards fighting, that she had jumped at the call. But that hadn't always been the case. After all, the incident where she awakened had come to her, rather than the other way around. And after that? She joined the organization as an excuse to leave home. Everything else came later.

Something else stood out, though. Alisa mentioned fighting shadows without a Persona. "Really? Not bad," she said. "I guess I started there too, for all of...one shadow. How was it for you? You clearly must have had a lot of combat training. That or some really good weapons." Or both. Both was possible. Anna wouldn't have been surprised if Alisa turned out to be ex-military.

[Ayakura Alisa]

"For me?" I rubbed my chin in thought. "For a while. A month or so. I was mostly taught CQC and other martial arts. My mother was a former mercenary turned information dealer, so she taught me in the art of killing, and it was a bit surprising how much of that I could apply in Shadow combat. So I guess I did have a lot of combat training. In more tough days, I might have become a mercenary myself, but fortunately I didn't go down that path. I don't like employing violence... wantonly, to say the least." I looked at Anna and soon realized she probably thought I had some military connections. Nah.

"But yeah. I know a bit about firearms, but the only ranged weaponry I have a lot of experience in are things like crossbows, longbows, that kind of stuff. Tranq darts and stuff, I had to use those in the past. You, yourself, strike me as the military kind of woman yourself."

[Anna Myers]

Well now, Alisa seemed to have an interesting history after all. Almost a mercenary, was it? Not exactly military, but they shared some common points. Professionalism, for one. This woman could definitely be an asset, if the higher-ups were to ask for her. But it sounded like she had quite a few commitments that would keep her here. Not like Anna, who couldn't have left home fast enough. Then again, not everyone with the organization wandered, like she did.

Anna simply smiled through Alisa's explanation, listening but allowing her to continue, until the question was turned back on her, and more directly. "Me? Not really. I haven't had any formal combat training like you. I got to where I am through sheer experience," she responded. "First time I used a gun to defeat a shadow, it was an emergency. And in close quarters, so I didn't have to worry about my aim being terrible. After that, I just kept practicing and learning through doing. Although, it also helped that I went to a few conventions after that and fell in with a crowd of mostly military and ex-military fans who liked planning range trips."

[Ayakura Alisa]

I stretched in place. "I can tell you've been in this business for quite a long time, much longer than any of us right here," I said, fidgeting. "Well, as long as you can get in your practice, it's fine I suppose, right?" I continued sheepishly, soon at a loss about what to continue this line of thought on. I had to practice and train a lot as well even if I did receive the appropriate set of exercises. I soon sighed. "I'm curious about these demons, though. If you've been hunting them, I think it would be a good idea for me to get some information on them so I can be prepared for the future, given that I've already encountered a large demon."

[Anna Myers]

"You mean on what they are, or how to fight them?" Anna asked. She shifted her umbrella to her other shoulder and worked the the one it had been resting on around a couple of times, as though working strain off of it after carrying weight on it. "If it's how to fight them, it's just like I said. You can fight them the same way you do a shadow, although they'll usually be stronger and more resilient." She laughed. "Although since you're still alive after encountering one, I guess you've already figured that much out. Well, let's see...they don't actually live in this world, as we know it, but in a 'mirror world' that occasionally connects with ours. They have to make portals into our world, and usually can't go too far from them, unless there's some really bad shit going on...to use a technical term."

[Ayakura Alisa]

"I see, so they just appear from another area, kind of like an alternate version or dimension of this place. An evil version of the world, I guess," I sighed and looked about. There really wasn't that much specific information on demons, huh? And indeed, I guess the way to battle demons was pretty much similar to the way we already fought Shadows, so nothing new there. "But if they can't go too far from the portals, how was it that a demon was able to infiltrate the city... That must mean there's a portal in the subway. That's probably the most logical conclusion to come to. Once the area is clear, I guess I'll go investigate that area. Thank you very much. By the way, if there's any way in which I could help you out, please let me know. It feels bad of me to be asking you for information without giving anything back in return."

[Anna Myers]

"Not necessarily," Anna said. The possibility of a portal in the subway linking the safe zone and the shadowlands did bear investigating, but that wasn't the only possible explanation. She recalled the explanation of the full moon, and how they'd had difficulty organizing because of time freezing and electronics ceasing to work when it happened. Another known phenomenon that was not fully understood, and rare enough that not everyone knew about or was equipped to deal with it when they went in. "It could also have been because of the Dark Hour. Oh, that's what some of us call that time freezing phenomenon that got mentioned. Although, if you think there's reason to believe there's a portal in the subway then please, investigate. We could use the intel."

Anna nodded as Alisa made her offer. "Well, I don't really know my way around the city yet. Not that it matters much out here since I've got wings, but I can't well summon my Persona inside the lockdown area. Other than that, a more local perspective of what all's been goin' on here would be nice."

[Ayakura Alisa]

"I've heard of the term used before, I think... Or maybe I haven't..." I scratched my head. "Regardless, I'm going to check sooner or later anyways. I think it's a fair shot." I didn't have really any reason to distrust Anna or doubt her credibility. She's been at this for far longer than I have. Well, the whole Shadow and demon thing anyways. Anna soon mentioned that more local information would be appreciated. "As for the local situation, it's pretty hard to say. I'm pretty sure that at this point I can make a fair conclusion that any 'military enforcement' coming from the higher-ups aren't 'military enforcement' units as such but probably Shadows. The local Users here are trying to make sense of everything as well, but most are quite young and lack the calm and coolheadedness needed for this kind of undertaking." I sighed and recalled Amane.

"It's difficult."

[Anna Myers]

Military enforcement? Pffft, was that really what they were going with? Anna remembered being informed of a barrier separating the safe zone from the shadowlands, but really? Military? Or rather, shadows appearing as military? Anna would have to test that out sometime and see what they really were. But for the moment, she needed to get settled in and working with these people. Or not. Alisa seemed reliable enough, but from what she said about 'most' of them, perhaps she would be better off working on her own, or only with small groups.

It wasn't anything unexpected though, as disappointing as it was. That was just the reality of it. Anna frowned as she answered. "Unfortunately, that's normal. I'm not entirely sure why, although emotional instability is a common theory, but most Persona users awaken in their teenage years. Heck, even I was sixteen when I started out, and the guys from the organization I met around then were only a few years older."

[Ayakura Alisa]

"That makes sense," I nodded and scratched my chin. "I'm quite older than the typical teenager though, I guess my case is a little different. In any case, I think it would be good for us to work together on this, we don't really need to involve many people in this, though I am sure they will force themselves in sooner or later." I continued, tapping my feet on the ground in thought. "Regardless of what happens though, working alone is not really... the smartest idea. I've tried. I didn't get very far. Then again, I was very weak before, and I've gone a long way since then." I sighed and crossed my arms, trying to figure out if I had anything else I wanted to ask. Hmm... Probably not for the mean time.

[Anna Myers]

"People will get involved in this eventually, whether we want them to not," Anna said. For a moment, her smile faded. "The unfortunate truth about incidents like this is that anyone who has the potential to do something about it gets drawn in. They don't always want it either. I jumped at the opportunity myself, but I'm ain't really normal like that. Most people, they'll only fight to survive. Or they'll try and run away, only to run right into trouble instead. And then they'll be involved because now they're suddenly in the middle of it all. Think about it, I'm sure you know plenty of people who don't belong anywhere near a fight but've been in plenty anyway."

Finally, Anna sighed and shook her head. She swung her umbrella off her shoulder. The tip fell fast, as though it weighed a lot more than it looked, but it still gently touched against the ground as Anna brought it to rest there. She turned back to Alisa and smiled again. "Sorry, didn't mean to lecture ya there. Point is, we can't really stop people from getting involved. Best we can do is get as much done as possible before someone ends up in harm's way. So to speak." She paused, thinking for a moment on Alisa's words on working alone. "I'm used to it, myself. I think I've done more solo missions by now than with teammates. But I'll take help whenever I can. Especially for a snafu as big as this one."

[Ayakura Alisa]

My expression now was a subtle grimace, and it remained that way. "I know. It's inevitable," I simply responded. "When I first started I counted less than ten. Now we could easily number a small squadron. Or two. It is going to happen regardless. I can still express my concern over safety," I sighed and shrugged. I didn't like the tone she took with me, considering I was already well aware of this based on my runins and experiences, but whatever, she couldn't have possibly known.

"I tried to work alone, and without a Persona, at that. It wasn't very smart. Connections are essential. I needed connections as an informant. And I'm pretty sure I'll still need them here in this case. Of course, if you're more comfortable flying solo, be my guest, but indeed, if you're open to the idea of receiving help, I'm more than happy to offer that assistance. I suppose."

[Anna Myers]

"Well then...I didn't expect there to be that many," Anna said. A squadron or two, huh? That was more Users than ever awakened in a singular incident. Of course, this was also the biggest incident yet that she knew of. And Alisa was probably counting members of the organization who had arrived a few months ago among them. Did she even know about that, though? Probably. It didn't surprise her that Anna had come from the outside, so someone else probably got to her first.

"Relax, I'm not planning on flying alone. Not with how big this is. If you're happy to offer help, then I'm happy to accept it."

[Ayakura Alisa]

"Yeah, I didn't expect that many to suddenly show up either, but they're still new and they need to work on becoming stronger too as the danger and threat posing on the city is also rapidly growing in strength," I sighed and looked down. "Especially now that demons were now involved. We can't risk too much on this," I shrugged as I folded my arms once more.

"Well, in any case, I'm glad we can come to agree on something, and that's the fact we really need to do something about it. If I get any new information or find the next scoop, I'll let you know as soon as I can. Any way for me to contact you here for now in that event? I've got my contact details here." I passed Anna a card of mine which stated my phone number and my website and email, in case I needed to be reached.