[center][h3]Barney Rynsburger[/h3][/center]

Although the chief and most tangible takeaway from Barney's awakening not too long ago had been to ask for help when he needed it, old habits died hard, and the big guy might have taken a few hurried steps too many and fallen flat on his face before thinking to request Dakota's. Luckily the punk rocker could figure things out on his own, and without a second thought made an expenditure from his avian Persona's dwindling spirit reserves to undo some of the damage. As the Dia took hold, Barney found himself awash in the magical sensation of healing. It was bizarre and quite unlike anything he'd ever experienced. His bruises mended, his cuts closed, the clothes repaired themselves, and even the lightheadedness of blood loss faded. Whether or not that meant the spell somehow put more blood in him Barney couldn't spend time contemplating, but he was grateful nonetheless, "Thank you!" he told his new comrade, echoing the same appreciation he'd shown Caelum earlier. While needing to rely on others stung him just a little, the knowledge that other people really did care about him filled him with both relief and joy. Any leftover regret could be stymied by assuring this dude he'd return the favor. "I owe you one," he vowed.

A moment later the two were out of there, hustling down the dirt footpath of the alley between jailhouses as fast as their wearied legs could take them. They didn't need to look back to know that more Shadows were headed their way.

While they got a move on Dakota voiced a question that left Barney kicking himself for not thinking of earlier. Unfortunately the police girl could do little to assuage either of their concerns. "I saw 'em run into one of the jailhouses," Spindle reported. "After that...well, I can't say for sure. The Metaverse is a dangerous place. But y'all seem like a lucky bunch, so here's hopin."

Hands lightly against his hips, Dakota looked a bit discouraged. "Crap... Hopefully they found a good place to hide out until we can get there."

It was during his  sprint that Barney learned the difference between health and stamina, since even though Dakota's healing had put him back near mint condition, he was every bit as tired as if he'd done a full loop around Barclay Waterfront University's perimeter running track. By the time he and Dakota reached the basketball court, skirted around its unsettling players, and climbed the dumpster the frontrunners left behind, Barney was gassed. He practically flopped over the top of the chain-link fence, landing on a faded navy blue suitcase. "Whew!" he breathed. "Man...I was feeling great just a minute ago...why'm I so doggone tired all'va sudden?"

Dutifully Spindle radioed down from her overwatch on high. "I bet ya done worked your way through all the adrenaline ya got from awakenin'," she told him. "Folks get a sudden surge o' energy along with their Personas, enough t'deal with the problem at hand, but it peters out pretty darn quick."

Chest heaving, Barney glanced at Dakota and found him on the haggard side, too. "That's...bad!" he gasped. "How're we gonna keep fightin' then? We have to keep everyone else safe until we get out!"

"Sorry, but I think you're fightin's done 'til the both of ya get a nice, long rest." Spindle sounded unsurprised by anything that was happening, which spawned more questions the more Barney thought about it. "But as luck'd have it, there's a pretty good shot of passin' the torch. People don't last long in here without facin' their demons. It's like destiny; either you're drawn to them, or they come to you."

Still panting as he tried to get enough wind back to make it through the rows of household junk ahead, Barney asked another question. "How d'you know all this? Has this happened before?"

"You're darn tootin'!" Spindle called down. "Didja think y'all were people who ever fell down here?”

Dakota scratched his chin, thinking back to their conversation in the courthouse as he tried to catch his breath.. "Well... That guy with the huge mallet seemed to believe our story pretty easily." He noted, recalling how Pondwater didn't even really care to see any evidence. "I guess it's not impossible this happened to someone else, but if that's the case, where the heck are they?" He questioned as he glanced back, thinking to those human-like figures in those weird machines. “Some of them had to make it this far, right?”

“Uh…” This time Spindle seemed less certain. “I’m sure they’re out there somewhere.”

Barney’s brows furrowed as he stood. “Wait, aren’t you one? Someone from outside, I mean?”

“Nuh-uh. I’m from here,” Spindle replied matter-of-factly.

"What exactly is 'here" anyways?” Dakota questioned. "I mean-- It's [i]unreal.[/i] Flaming lion heads, birds with eyes on their wings? This Metaverse thing is like some sort of screwed up fantasy."

As the two proceeded through the littered heap, wary both of enemies and to not over-exert themselves, Spindle explained as best she could. “It’s a cognitive world. It’s kinda like the collective unconsciousness of all humanity. Your fears, your stories, your dreams, and your struggles all rolled up into one big, scary ball. Like your shadow. Always down there below ya, whether ya see it or not.”

“Paints a real freakin’ bleak picture of humanity,” Barney grumbled.

"Why couldn't we end up in a place with [i]good[/i] freakin' dreams, right?" Dakota added in acknowledgement to Barney's words. "But wait," He instinctively looked up at the sky, even though Spindle could hear him fine all the same. "If this place is a big crumpled mess of humanity's fears and dreams, then where do you fit in? If you live here, then you're a part of that, right?"

“You betcha!” Spindle sounded happy that the two seemed to be catching on quick. She offered no further explanation though.

That left it up to the Persona users to field more questions. “Why’re you helping us, though? Not that I mind, of course, you’re super amazin’. But everything else in here wants to kill us.”

Spindle laughed as if Barney was being a goof. “‘Cause it’s my job, silly! ‘Serve and protect’ ring any bells?” The bearded man, currently climbing over a couch, said nothing. “This place’s hostile ‘cause of Pondwater. He’s the Warlord ‘round these parts.” She sniffed in disdain, her cheer evaporated. “Must be causin’ a heckuva lotta grief out there to have built up a Stronghold like this in here.”

Dakota felt an imaginary lightbulb turn on in his head, as he slowly navigated the terrain. "Wait, if he's causing trouble outside, then Judge Jackass is a Shadow, too?!" That explained his strength with that mallet, even before doing any of that transformation crap his own Shadow pulled. Though, that name kept coming up. Pondwater. "That Pondwater guy sounds kind of familiar, but I don't think I know any supervillains that’d have a damn personalized hell like this hanging around." 

“He’s the president of B.W.U.” Barney put forward. “Basically the guy in charge of our...well, everyone’s education. But he seemed pretty normal in reality?”

Spindle reached out to the two again. “By the way, I don’t mean to alarm ya or nothin’, but those three guys quit headin’ north a minute ago and went inside one of the houses.”

“What? Why?” Barney was baffled that anyone would want to spend any longer here than they had to.

“Reckon he felt someone callin’,” Spindle said, her tone serious. She’d begun to descend, swooping down to an area ahead of the pair on her Persona kite. “Let’s get in there. Even if we can’t do much, we oughta lend a hand.”

Taking a deep breath, Barney picked up the pace. Dakota was behind a little bit, still quite winded but with anyone potentially at risk ahead, he wasn't about to complain about having to keep going. He'd just be trucking a little slower than his taller, bearded friend.