Asura

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@WXer

The chimes that signified day's end were like music to Noriaki's ears. An easy first day, no doubt meant to help ease the students back into their routine. He had certainly been removed from the daily grind longer than his classmates and their brief spring interlude, so he took the easy material and lax pacing as a mercy. It did give him time to ruminate, though, and nothing good ever came from him having time to chew on his thoughts without distraction. Fortunately, he at least had the assurance of after school socialization to look forward to. That, and what the hell he was going to do with that cat. It was gonna need a name to go with the collar. Maybe it would come to him in time. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a chance to engage in that promised fraternization. As he packed up his bag with his minimal belongings, he spotted an approaching figure in his peripheral vision. He half expected it to be Asakura, but the voice that announced its arrival was far from that of his chatty neighbor. As he looked up, he locked eyes with a none-the-less familiar face. One with a rather rhetorical question, considering his status as the only new student in class. "I am." He might not have been the most academically gifted, but it would have taken a moron not to remember Nakano Sakuya—she had just taken the stage for a speech only a few hours beforehand. It seemed as though she was worried about him. A sweet sentiment, honestly, and one he was sure most transfer students would be happy about. Having a kindly senpai go out of their way to meet him at his homeroom on the first day, offering to answer his questions and help with any problems he might have had. But Noriaki couldn't be happy with that. Why would she be going out of her way like this? If he needed help, he had a homeroom teacher, or any number of fellow 2nd years to ask. She was the president of the student council, who undoubtedly had other things to be doing. That in and of itself was a rhetorical question. He knew why. "If I needed any help, I'd have asked for it. I don't need a minder." His icy blue gaze sharpened as he rose from his chair, more hostile than he had any right to be in this circumstance. But he knew why she was there. If anybody in the school—barring the staff—was going to have access to his record, it would be the council. She probably read through it and figured she would come and scope out the new delinquent herself. Make sure he wasn't getting up to any trouble under the pretext of being a helpful senior, as opposed to keeping tabs on a "problem case" like him. It pissed him off. "'Sides, I got plans after school. Is that all you wanted to say, Senpai?" There was a testiness to his tone, but he did his best not to show his displeasure. No need to go making enemies right away. Of course, he was never very good at subtlety.

Paranormal and Occult Investigation

But can I use weeb pictures? Very important.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

Kohaku

There was a level of satisfaction to be had as Kohaku's plan came to fruition—the wave on the right were unable to break through her earthen barrier, and countless of their number must have fallen to the torrent of flames that followed. Enough that it made them break and retreat back into the darkness from whence they came. That much surprised her; she had figured that the creatures of Grimm were mindless enough that they would have continued trying to charge through the barricade until she had burnt the last of them to ash. Disconcerting as their tactical awareness was, it was clear enough that her team had prevailed in the conflict as she scanned the left flank to see a similar state of withdraw.

Of course, their trials weren't exactly over just because they had stemmed the tides of Beowolves. As dark miasma began leaking from the slumped corpses pinned against the roof and those beyond, Kohaku brought her scarf up to cover her nose and mouth. Their supervisor informed them of the dangers the substance posed if inhaled, and it spurred the Faunus into action. Another mechanical thunk came from her staff as she cycled through to another, as of yet unused canister and leveled it towards the encroaching fumes. A pale white glow encircled the projector at the tip of her weapon, and a strong gust of wind followed. She directed it first down the right passage, blowing away the wispy black fog in her immediate area before turning it down the left, allowing the gust to wash over her team mates harmlessly while also dispelling the remnants of their battle.

Once she was content that it had been properly disposed of, she returned her staff to its resting position, rested against her shoulder to make balancing the unwieldy head most manageable. There wasn't exactly much to be said in this case, and so the girl chose to observe, watching as their instructor warily eyed the creeping tendrils that made the walls of the bunker their host. Staring at the vein-like flesh reminded her of the ill-fated Dust Devils and their complaints. Of sounds from within the ramparts.

"We should avoid being too close to the walls as we go deeper." She suggested, although she couldn't well explain to them why. Nivea probably had a better idea than she did of whatever kept the men who once called this place home up at night.

"Just in case."

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @WXer

It seemed Noriaki's gestured worked, albeit a little too well. Before he knew it he was being pulled shoulder-to-shoulder with the mouthy boy behind him, a hand circling round to pat him on the back. It wasn't exactly a gesture he was unfamiliar with, but it certainly wasn't one he was used to receiving from someone still so unfamiliar with him. It was better than the alternative, at the very least—having someone friendly to talk with would go a long way in putting down some roots in this new town. Roots he direly needed to start forming. "Man, you're the one askin' me to call you by your first name and givin' out hugs." He replied to the accusation of straightforwardness, as if that was a bad thing in the first place. It wasn't something this guy had any business scolding others for, that much was for certain. Still, for all his over-enthusiasm, Kazuyoshi did present him with an intriguing offer. Noriaki had intended to spend the hours after school wandering around the neighborhood to familiarize himself with the area, and having a local there to show him the notable spots would be helpful. He just hadn't expected someone to offer this quickly. He would have to text his mother so she wouldn't get to worrying, but surely this was the kind of thing she wanted him to be getting up to in the first place, seeing as though he didn't have baseball practice to eat up the hours anymore. His brief moment of contemplation ended almost as quickly as it had begun, and he shrugged. Who cared? It beat sitting around at home staring at the walls. "Eh, why not? Was already gonna go exploring, and I gotta get around to finding a pet store sooner or later anyway..."

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @WXer

Without too much else to do, Noriaki opted to simply sit in silence at his new seat. There was always the option to continue messing about on his phone, but he was pretty sure this school didn't exactly allow for those in class, and he didn't need the teacher giving him any more flak on the first day than they were already wont to do. He at least had a nice view of the sunny sky he had been cursing just hours earlier. Not that it was much of a sop. Even under a bright sky he couldn't shake the ominous events from the night before. He cursed the council president and her insistence on reminding the school about those stupid ghost stories. Luckily, he wouldn't have the silence to contemplate too far. A pair of fingers tapped against his shoulder, the source behind him. He turned just in time to hear the guy behind him, who had apparently chosen the seat there while he was predisposed with his daydreaming. "And you would know?" He fired back with an arched brow, perhaps a little more testily than he had intended. He had to remind himself he was new there, and it wasn't too good of a look to be making enemies on the first day. Foul mood or no, he had promised to try having a good time. "... You can call me Hoshino. Hoshino Noriaki. Just got here from Osaka last week." That response came out less terse than the last, and he turned in his seat so he could offer a firm hand to his new classmate. Hopefully that would dispel any notion of being standoffish.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S -

It didn't take too much longer before the remaining students filed their way into the gymnasium and began to take their seats all around Noriaki, prompting him to slide his phone back into his pocket and at least pretend he was being attentive. He always questioned why they bothered with these ceremonies; no important information was provided, no especially interesting displays. It was just the same old tired platitudes from the old folks in charge, standing on their soap boxes and waxing on out of a sense of tradition, as entrance ceremonies were a tradition worth celebrating. The fact they spent a non-insignificant portion of it bragging about their newest renovations just made it feel all the more masturbatory. But what did he know? He certainly didn't go into the speeches intending to listen in the first place. The same would have been true of the student council president's obligatory address, for he had little interest in whatever it was the kiss asses she represented had to say. Unfortunately for him, she managed to slip in a series of words that just so happened to drag his memory back to his walk to school—and by extension—the night before. He knew all about the supposed arson, and all the gossipy nonsense that surrounded them, sure. But being reminded that the disappearances involved students like himself made him think back to that damned mirror and the girl he met within. She couldn't have been much older than he was, could she have? He didn't want to think about it. The last thing he needed was to be haunted by the ghost of some match-crazy, demon beheading burn victim. Especially not one who lived in a spooky mirror, in a house that miraculously found itself rebuilt overnight. Luckily, the ceremony was hurriedly brought to a close while he ruminated over the misfortunes of yesterday. He shook his head as if to banish the thoughts entirely, and rose from his seat in tandem with the others from his grade. Best to get a move on quickly and get a good seat in homeroom. In this, he had the advantage, having no friends or acquaintances with which to speak before heading upstairs. Using his earlier foray into the student's handbook to navigate his way through the halls with some accuracy, Noriaki managed to count himself among the first few arrivals in the room which would be his second home for the next year. Scanning the desks to see which few were taken, his eyes almost immediately drifted towards the wall closest to the window. Those were always the best ones, especially during the more boring classes. Usually wanted to be further in the back, too, so the teacher didn't bother focusing on you too much while you stared outside. With his mind made up, he didn't allow second guesses to delay his claim, and marched across the room to hang his bag off the seat second from last in the row.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

Kohaku

Seeing no reason to object, Kohaku fell in behind her new comrades as the group began their descent into the ruins. It was immediately apparent to the Faunus that her earlier assumption was correct; they were essentially maneuvering through a tomb. Whatever unfortunate souls had decided to use this bunker as a vulture's nest were either dead or scattered to the wind, like most of Vacuo's populace in the face of such attacks. As the group swept through room after room in search of the beasts responsible, Kohaku did find at least two disconcerting things among the empty chambers. Perhaps most obvious of them, the absence of bodies. Before coming to Shade, she had the misfortune of witnessing the fallout of a Grimm attack more than once. It was never so clean and tidy, with just a few splatters of blood here or there. The assault on this particular bunker was far from fresh, sure, but the Grimm had no need to eat or drink. She had expected rotting viscera to have painted the halls, an assembly of corpses to greet them.

Secondly, and perhaps most concerning, was that the markings left behind by the deceased looked familiar to her. She had remembered being present for negotiating with men bearing the same emblems. The Dust Devils or some such. They weren't especially large, but they had been friendly with her own people, and exchanged goods on more than one occasion. She even recalled mumbling of a lost outpost during one of their rendezvous. It was unfortunate that this was its ultimate fate, but such were the hard facts of life out in the wastes. The familiarity did give her the ghoulish hope that the Grimm had been thorough in their extermination—she didn't need anybody from that side of the tracks recognizing her.

Still, she had more to focus on than the phantoms of the past. Her senses were likely sharper than those of at least half the present Huntsmen-in-Training, so it behooved her to be on watch. Plus, old habits did die hard, and she pawed her way through an occasional desk to see if she couldn't appropriate some of munitions when she could. Their previous owners surely wouldn't need them any longer, and Dust was always in short supply. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for her reputation, the group seemed to move further into the structure before she could engage in too much looting.

The second floor was certainly more imposing than the first, and for all her experience, Kohaku had never ventured into a Grimm nest—she was a survivor, not suicidal. She depressed a trigger on her rusted staff as they continued their path, causing a soft 'thunk' as she switched the activate Dust canister on a hunch. The inhuman laughter that seemed to prove her intuition correct; no sooner than the group reached a cross roads, glowering red eyes seemed to surround them on both sides. Before the beasts could begin their horrid battle cry and launch their assault, the head of Requiem had already begun to glow orange.

"Take left!" She shouted as waves of black and white descended upon them from two sides.

Kohaku closed her eyes thereafter in a brief moment of focus, before slamming the bottom end of her staff into the material below them. From the rickety metal pole came several streams of bright amber light, snaking across the floor and between the legs of her team members further ahead. The lines cut a suddenly right as they reached the intersection, then raced towards the charging Grimm. Just as the monsters prepared to surge into the intersection, the ground itself seemed to come to life. Several long, thick spikes of stone erupted from the concrete, catching the first two Beowolves in the torso and skewering them against the ceiling of the corridors with a sickening crunch. Their fellows behind them crashed against the Dust-molded restraints, jaws and forelimbs swiping between the tightly bundled pillars like the bars of a cage.

It probably wouldn't hold forever, but it would for the time being, and that's all she needed. Trusting that a few of her teammates would have followed her request and kept the worst of the horde on the left at bay, she pulled the trigger on her weapon again and listened as it locked a different canister into place. Deciding it best not to wait for the Grimm to smash their way through her makeshift barrier with weight of numbers, she hurried into the breach, and leveled the head of Requiem down the tunnel to the right. Another brief moment, a dazzling red glow around the projector, and then luminescence. The snarling of hounds was replaced by howls of agony and rage as flames streamed forward from her armament and through the gaps between spires, setting the darkness alight.

Midnight Sun: Last Song Over the Horizon

Sirius Leverant

Sirius wasn't sure if the disbelief made his outrage better or worse, as he seethed in the second-hand embarrassment of having invested his emotional energy into a group of losers. It was a small consolation that he hadn't put money on the match; he would need his stipend from home to continue purchasing outside food, or his rage truly would have nothing holding it back. Still, his inquiring mind needed to know just how it was possible a team with such a track record managed to botch such a simple game, and as he frantically tapped his way across the screen to find just that out, he caught sight of something—someone—in his peripheral vision.

"No need to get so worked up, here I am. Don't worry, you still have two other wishes,"

He looked up just in time to hear that, and witness the bright, bubbly smile that accompanied it. The sweetness with which it was delivered might have softened the resolve of many a male cadet. Not so for Sirius. He had known this type before, even attracted them. The green stripes on her uniform at least separated her from the average harlot in his mind. Aurora de Realis-Donati, a fellow pilot-in-training. He had gone to the lengths of memorizing at least those who would be his competition in the rankings, something those of lesser colors did not have the privilege of. But acknowledgement wasn't a shield from his wrath. He affixed her with piercing silver eyes for a long moment, expressing both disdain and perplexity at her statement as he mowed over his response. Apart from her pedigree, there wasn't so very much that separated her from the others of her ilk.

Well, aside from one thing. The vexation of his gaze changed to a certain sharpness as he came to a decision.

"You aren't the kind of cow I was wishing for."

Another piece of jerky found itself between his lips after he deadpanned those words.

Midnight Sun: Last Song Over the Horizon

Sirius Leverant

The shrill chime of the academy's PA system shook Sirius from his inattentive trance, and it was as close to a mercy as he could receive on this godforsaken station. He had imagined an allegedly prestigious university such as Taiyotawa would have been, at the very least, worthy of his time. But in the month since his on-boarding, the youth had been subjected to the menial busywork one expected of a secondary school student. On what miserable world would writing an essay on Isao fucking Taiyotawa make somebody a more suitable pilot? He was just another colonist in an era of colonialism. Probably never set foot in the cockpit of an ICW. The indignity of it was infuriating, and Sirius could only imagine that was the point. The esteem with which the rest of the Confederacy held this school was just a sop to an otherwise inglorious exile. Ruminating on it all just caused fury to roil up in his throat like bile, and it fueled Sirius' hasty exit from the classroom, muscling his way through what few students dared to cross paths with him.

What spurned his break from academic drivel certainly didn't promise to alleviate his frustration either. The finest pilot school in the whole of the Confederacy and they couldn't even manage to serve solid food to their cadets. It was sold to the student body as a health service, to ensure they received the optimum nutrition to keep themselves in top form. Sirius knew better than that. He could spot a cost-saving measure when he saw one. It was to be expected, though: the Confederacy was little more than a collection of hanger-ons and grifters, clinging to the coattails of a few prominent planets. Any joint endeavor by its constituent worlds was bound to cut corners wherever possible. This knowledge did not make stomaching the slop they dispensed to the student body any more tolerable.

It was all just another trial to preserve through. He would do it just as he had with all others. Receiving his daily share in spite of the crowds was of no great difficulty—he was head taller than the majority of his peers, and had taken care to remind them that if they did not make way for him when he willed it, he would make them make way. It was perhaps this reputation for black moods that ensured his ability to find an empty table once his tray was full of the ill-considered paste. That suited him just fine. Solitude allowed him to decompress from the frustrations of the day without the inane chittering of his so-called peers. As he settled in, the teen reached into his belongings and produced a small, vacuumed sealed bag. The hiss it produced as he tore away the edge with his canines was like music to his ears, and in lieu of a mouthful of chemically-enriched sludge, he treated himself to the bite of contraband aurochs jerky.

It was pathetic that something so essentially human as the consumption of meat managed to soften his mood, but deprivation bred fondness, and he had already fished another piece from the bag as he laid out his datapad and tapped away upon the holographic interface. For all the ire he had towards the food served, the free time lunch intermission gave him at least had some value. It gave him enough time to check up on basquash scores, a small consolation for being unable to watch the matches directly.

What little goodwill the flesh of the humble steer had managed to provide him disappeared almost instantly as he navigated his way through the holonet. His expression darkened visibly, and he had to fight the urge to swear out loud as the results displayed before him.

97-124?! How did anybody manage to lose that badly?!

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Residential Kyoto → Hinotori Highschool T A G S -

When they first moved to Kyoto, Noriaki had been given his pick of the two bedrooms. Good son that he was, he had decided on the smaller of the two—he had never had very much stuff, after all. He had come to regret that filial piety in the days that followed. It just so happened that his room was on the east side of the house, which meant that the sun came beaming in through his window first thing in the morning. It woke him up before his alarm almost every day since. Every day except this one. The sun hadn't quite managed to fully free itself from the horizon before a bright, and very noisy competitor dragged the teen from his fitful sleep. Mrrow. Mrrow. Even under his blankets Noriaki could feel the little footfalls going up and down the side of his bed. The shuffling it caused only seemed to embolden the source. Mmrrow! The pitter-patter of paws drew closer to his head as he tried in vain to escape his fate. He was usually an early riser, couldn't he just have one day for a break? The pressure of something crawling up onto his chest seemed to indicate not. Mrro-rrrh. He peeled back just enough blanket to reach up and cup the face of the source of this rude awakening: the fluffy white snowball had accompanied him to bed the night prior. One which now nuzzled against his palm, apparently pleased with the scratches his tired fingers provided. In truth, Noriaki wasn't even sure whether or not they were allowed to have pets in this place, but he couldn't just leave the poor thing outside after... after, well, whatever last night was. With bleary eyes, the he peered towards the alarm clock on his bedside table read 6:28. "C'mon, man. I fed you last night. Already?" He asked, as if expecting an answer. Ruffling the top of the stray's head, he made to rise. The cat took that as an invitation to choreograph its own desires, and trailed to the side of the bed before hopping down and trotting towards the closed door of his room, a cacophony of meows in its wake. "Alright, alright, let's go. Don't need you peeing on the tatami." In the end, it was a good thing that the feline had gotten him up when it did. After foggily drifting through the house with an appropriated can of fish in his hand, the youth managed to let the cat out and see it fed just minutes before his mom got home. It wasn't an unexpected arrival, seeing as though she got off work at six, but definitely one that could have complicated his morning if it had been just a bit earlier. Trying to explain to his mother why he let a stray cat in might have made the following breakfast less awkward, though—she had insisted on making it for the both of them, in spite of her own fatigue. "The salmon came highly recommended, so I figured it'd be a nice and fresh." "Yeah, seems like." In spite of his relative luck, Noriaki couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Usually he was the one up early, making himself a lunch and preparing something quick to eat. Usually he'd leave some for his mother before heading off to an early practice, so she could eat after she got home. Then all the shit in Osaka went down. Ever since he had gotten out of detention, he could tell she was trying to make an effort. To be more present. Like if she had been here to make him breakfast and see him off to school, he wouldn't have gone off like he had. Like it was her fault. He hated that more than the months of confinement and all those shit heel social workers combined. "You're going to be fine, sweetie. It's a nice school, and I'm sure you'll fit in well. Nobody there knows about what happened but the teachers." She must have picked up on the turmoil he felt. He always did wear his emotions on his sleeve. "It's fine, ma. I'm not worried about that." It wasn't exactly a lie. He wasn't especially worried about fitting in. He was popular before. Hardworking, athletic. He would manage just fine. Even if he didn't, he sure as hell wasn't going to let that show. He had caused enough bullshit already. As the last bits of rice went down along with the remnants of his soup, Noriaki was tantalizingly close to freedom. "Think I'm gonna head out early. Don't wanna get lost on the way. Everything's new around here, y'know." He declared, rising from the shallow table and collecting his dishes. "Already?" She asked in return, the disappointment in her voice almost breaking his heart, "Well, it wouldn't do for you to be late on the first day. At least try to have a good time?" "I'll try, ma. Have a good day." A few minutes of dish washing and some brief fussing in the mirror later, Noriaki was out the door and reacquainted with his old enemy in the sky. It was certainly a bright day, and if he wasn't in such a god damn poor mood, it might have been encouraging. At least the cat was having a good time. He made sure to scratch the little fella on the head as he passed by the low-wall it was sunning itself on. The trek from home started much the same it had been the night before. Go east, passed some of the other townhouses, and to his chagrin, that creepy old ruin down the street. At least it tended to be less spooky in the daylight. Nothing like the crazy shit he dreamed up the night before. In fact, as he got closer to the abandoned lot it sat on, he found he was correct. Too correct. There wasn't a hint of fire damage on the building standing where it had been. It looked... normal! Just like every other cozy little townhouse in the neighborhood. Couldn't have been ten hours ago that he had seen—no, he had dreamed—that it was a soot covered wreck. How in the hell was it like this all of a sudden?! He stared at it, for a time. A long time at that. Then, he breathed. "Must have some crazy fast contractors up here. Didn't even hear them finishing up." That was the way it was. He must have not noticed workmen during the hectic move, simple as that. No need to think about it or any crazy nightmares about grabby mirrors too hard. Getting to school was much more important. For how affordable everything was, the house they had moved into was pretty close to the school. It only took Noriaki thirty minutes to get there on foot. Might have been quicker he had been more familiar with the route and avoided getting sidetracked by all the shops and restaurants. All that sightseeing must have cut down on whatever early advantage he had; the gates were swarmed with students of all different grades, returning to a familiar institution for another year. There was the slightest pang of unease as he looked through the sea of strange faces, one that he smothered quickly. No time for regrets. He had an assembly to get to. Navigating his way through the crowds as best as he could, the youth managed to find his way to the lockers after a brief consultation with the student handbook. Off came his shoes, on went his slippers and he was off again, this time towards the gymnasium they were so proud about on the brochures. Seeing it in person, well, maybe they had a point. It was certainly about as big as the one at his last school, and he gave a whistle of admiration as he looked over the shiny new exterior. Focusing on a taxpayer expense certainly beat moping about having nobody to talk to, in contrast to all the other students hurrying about to find old friends from the year prior. But he couldn't dally around forever. Noriaki strode through the open doors and made his way through the sections, just now starting to fill with the student body. Second years were always middle of the pack, so that was easy enough. A-2 was towards the front, as expected. It might have been a good idea to find a seat nearer one of the other folks in his class. Maybe introduce himself, and try to make some acquaintances. But everything that led up that morning—crappy sleep, the awkward breakfast, that god damn dream—had soiled his mood. He opted instead to find an empty, uncrowded seat towards the back, plop himself down and fiddle with his phone. At least until the principal decided to hop on his soap box. After that the school day could begin in earnest.