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

At this point, hearing that food and drink could patch up injuries and restore energy in this Metaverse place might have come as a surprise if not for the seemingly infinite conga line of bizarre and supernatural occurrences that had befallen him in the past…God, had it even been an hour? For the life of him Barney couldn’t get an idea of how much time had passed since he first fell flat on that pier over an infinite quagmire of dreams, but that was par for the course by now. Whether the police girl spoke the truth or not, Barney didn’t really have the luxury of choice. He’d hoped to find Spindle’s exit here, but it sounded like the bedraggled team had a ways yet to go, and if that was the case Barney would be pretty much useless in this condition. It was funny that just that morning he’d thought of himself as a living corpse, sitting on a couch after a night’s rest and a passable breakfast, never imagining what real exhaustion and agony felt like. [i]Next time, I’ll count my blessings,[/i] he thought.

So, with no other options, he had to take Spindle’s word for it. It wasn’t as if he doubted her, since she could have at any time done them harm -or just left them to get themselves killed- if she felt like it. Rather, he felt the all-too-familiar sensation of debts piling up. As he followed Lorenzo to the coffee machine, then took a muffin from the breakfast line, he couldn’t help but ponder just how much he and the other jailbirds owed their mysterious benefactor. No doubt everyone else wondered why she, a self-admitted resident of this twisted dreamland, would go to such lengths for complete strangers. Barney hoped that it was just a duty thing, since if debts came due, he would have a lot to answer for.

For now at least, however, the general opinion seemed to be more concerned with the [i]what[/i] than the [i]why[/i]. Of course, the nature of the Metaverse itself demanded the most attention, and with all of the unknown terminology that Spindle generously slung around, there was a chance to grasp some semblance of understanding. Plus, in all the chaos, introductions had naturally slipped away. Now that everyone had a chance to get themselves together they could afford to share their names, and the bearded student certainly did. “I’m Barney Rynsburger,” he told the rest. [i]Lorenzo, Harriette, and Nick,[/i] he repeated in his mind. “And likewise,” he added, following up on the latter’s statement. “As much as I’d like to say I have an idea what’s going on, I’m pretty darn lost.”

“Well, that goes for pretty much everyone, I feel like. Name’s Dakota, by the way,” the former singer added. Though he looked between the others for introductions, neither Vincent, nor Jin, nor Caelum, nor Alina accepted his baton. They kept their silence, not even going to grab a bite to eat to replenish themselves.

“If you’re feelin’ down I can’t say I blame ya,” Spindle offered. “It won’t be long before y’all get yer Personas too, I know it. Jus’ hang in there a li’l while longer. Speakin’ of, I guess it’s past time I explained this crap, yeah.”

After seating herself on a couch in the hotel lobby and waiting for the others to join her with their drinks and snacks, Spindle began. “I dropped a couple lines already, but for now I’ll jus’ start over. To begin with, this place is called the Metaverse. It’s a kinda psycho-cognitive world dealie, formed from the collective unconscious of everyone on the whole doggone planet.” She moved her hands a lot as she spoke, as if her enthusiastic gestures helped get her points across. “Uhh…well, try’n picture this. If reality -that’s the world you know’ is the real thing, then this place is the shadow. And y’all are the light castin’ it! If…that makes any kinda sense.” Clearing her throat, she continued. “Everyone sees the world a li’l differently, mind. Like lookin’ through different glasses.” She tapped her own for emphasis. “This place is a mishmash of all them different perspectives. Everyone’s feelin’s, their hopes and fears, all their wants and woes, all come together to make this, with its own rules and laws. And certain people have a real distorted perspective.”

“The Warlords?” Dakota supplied.

Spindle nodded. “Sort of. But they ain’t just yer Saturday mornin’ cartoon monsters. See, normally the Metaverse and the real world exist side by side, but never touch, ‘cept in dreams maybe. Like train tracks. But sometimes the tracks get bent outta shape. Stress and sufferin’ wear ‘em down ‘til cracks start formin’ in the space between, gettin’ worse and worse until they finally…well, snap.”

Barney gulped. “Is that…what happened to us?”

“Mhm.” The police girl looked grave. “I mean, I don’t wanna pry or nothin’, but that’s the only way ya end up here. And once you’re here, the timer starts tickin’. Sooner or later, every poor sap who falls through the cracks comes face to face with their demons, no matter if they’re in or out. And then ya got only two choices: win or lose.” Spindle took a quick but deep breath. “Everyone’s got an ugly part of themselves they bury down deep. The dark side, hidden from yerself as much as everyone else. If ya lose, that side takes over. Becomes who y’are in the real world. Those people in turn become sources of sufferin’ fer others. It’s a vicious cycle, and the worse stuff ya do out there, ruinin’ folks’ lives and changin’ their cognition, the more powerful ya get in here. Those are Warlords. And that’s why I’m here.”

Spindle put her hand over her heart, a determined expression on her face. “I’m here to help y’all out. Heck, to help out all of humankind, if I can. To stop ‘em sufferin’, an’ to do that I gotta take it to the Warlords. ‘Course, I’m just one gal, an’ I can’t hardly fight, neither. So it’s my job to find folks who fall in here, chase ‘em down before their demons get ‘em, and make sure they win. ‘Cause when you’re able to face yer demons and come out on top, ready an’ willin’ to fight for yer own little world? That’s when ya awaken a Persona.”

At that, Spindle stood. “Odradek!”

In a flare of azure flame, her Persona appeared. Stretched out like a kite of silken thread between two silvery crossbars, and bearing a watchful eye at the center, it hovered behind her without a sound. “Personas are yer true selves. Those deep, inner thoughts, confronted, accepted, and turned from yer demons into yer strength, takin’ form from the stories of yer civilization. They’re the masks ya wear to overcome hardship. In other words, they’re yer best friends, and if ya do right by ‘em they’ll sure as hell do right by you.”

With a wave of her hand, Odradek disappeared. Spindle gazed around at everyone present. “And ya better, ‘cause the Metaverse sure ain’t in a good state these days. In fact, it’s a doggone warzone. If you’re gonna slog through the trenches of the collective unconscious, ya gotta be a soldier against corruption, and yer Persona is yer sword an’ shield.”

Although happy to find out that Spindle had been telling the truth about the food, and that the muffin and coffee legitimately made him feel much better, Barney had been frowning for a while now. “You make it sound like…well, a military campaign. Or some grand quest to save the world. And I’m sure we wish you luck and everything, but all we want is to get the hell outta here and back to the real world. That’s what this is all about, right?”

“Oh, uh, right, right!” Spindle assured the group. “The exit ain’t that far, even. I was just, uh, talkin’ in general. Once everyone’s set we’ll head off. I’m just sayin’ to expect some trouble on the way.”

“Right,” Barney sighed. “Great.”