[ENTER THE PALACE]

[warpweft]

[You find yourself with a sensation like floating in water.]

[Above, the sky is dark. You can occasionally see things shifting, like gusts of wind, or perhaps waves of water. Is it…even a sky above you? Or is it some kind of giant ocean? Whatever it is, you can’t make it out very well. All around you, you appear to be floating in what appears to be water. It looks like a great, wide ocean of…space in every direction around you, with stars and lights twinkling in the distance. It looks like water and feels like water, but it doesn’t make you wet. You can reach your hand into it and pull some out, the purple and violet water and the tiny points of light inside it will even rest in your hands if you cup them to carry it, but once you’re not trying to hold it anymore, it’ll flow off of you, not a single drop remaining behind. You feel something similar if you go underneath the surface. The “water” doesn’t touch your eyes, mouth or nose when give the chance, it merely drifts around you, allowing you to breathe and see unabated. And you can see for a great distance, the twinkling stars illuminating the ocean of space all around you. Though perhaps less dark and empty, it feels every bit as vast as the sky above. You feel like you could swim forever and never reach the edge.]

[It’s quiet, here, with little noise around you but the starry ocean’s waves crashing back into its surface. It’s peaceful. In another situation, it might even be comfortable.]

Comments

[voidhearts]

[Nell picks up her own mug and blows on it a bit. She lets out a little bit of a sigh at Minato's question.]

No...no, it's not. Normally it's just some fog and a little rain and thunder, you know, just for...ambiance! But lately it's gotten really bad...

[She nervously twiddles her fingers on her mug.]

I think it's because of... [She starts to say a name, but trails off. She doesn't even seem to want to say it out loud.]

[messianic]

[ he sips his cocoa quietly for a moment, towel still over his hair, before finally: ]

Do you mean a white-haired young woman, by any chance? Kind of...stab happy?

[voidhearts]

[She gives a couple anxious nods.]

Y...yeah.

I guess you already ran into her, huh...? Sorry about that.

[messianic]

Oh, you don't have to apologize. I'm okay.

[ ish. mostly. ]

So she's a big problem, huh... is there anything you can tell me about her? I don't know much.

[voidhearts]

...

...

[She nods and sets her mug down.]

She's our oldest cousin. She was, uhm. Our teacher. Our grandmother made her our teacher.

....I'm guessing you...probably saw what she did to Nessa by now.

[messianic]

... I did, yeah.

[ a faint frown. Family..... ]

Why would she do something like that?

[voidhearts]

....

[It takes her a moment to say this next part. It's clearly pretty difficult for her to say, but it's equally clear that she thinks it's important that she share it.]

Our grandmother, Lilith.

She told her to.

[messianic]

Your--your grandmother did?

[ that startles him a bit despite himself. ]

Why?

I--sorry, I don't want to pry if it's hard to talk about it, but...

[voidhearts]

I-it's fine. I think....I think you'll have to know one way or the other eventually, if you're going to be able to help...

...there is one thing we could do. That might make it better.

[messianic]

Really? What is it?

[ HE'LL DO IT... ]

[voidhearts]

Well, Nessa is a really private person. She doesn't really like talking about this kind of stuff...which is probably why the Treasure is hidden in the first place, to be honest...

But! I have an idea for that!

I think if you share some of your memories with Nessa, it'll make her open up a bit more! And we can use that to find the Treasure!

[Minato's phone gets a notification.]

[You're being offered a quest. Do you accept?
> Yes
> No]

O-of course, if you have another quest you're doing right now, it's okay if you do that one first! I don't want to intrude or anything, it's totally fine if we do this later!

[......she looks like she's kind of hopeful that you'll do her quest first.]

[messianic]

[ ... well. Minato blinks at the notification, sipping his cocoa quietly.

It seems fair, honestly. If he's in the depths of Nessa's heart, then... he probably has to share some of himself, too.

> Yes ]

Okay. That sounds fair to me. What do I need to do?

/2

[voidhearts]

I'll show you how! It's really easy, Puck will help us! C'mon, Puck!

[Nell runs a hand on the lounging black cat's back. He stretches out and lets out a yawn before getting back to his feet and hopping onto Nell's shoulder, where she gives him some scratches under his chin.]

[New quest obtained!]
[Quest: The Cousin
The story of two cousins and their second chance.]

[Step 1: Share a Memory
Use Puck to share a memory with Nell.
Shadow Nessa: Is she….? Where did she get the idea for that….? ]

[Which in turn....!]

[Welcome to the Palace: Step 3 Completed!]

[Wow, you're a real dynamo!]

[Step 4: Collect a memory.
Experience a memory and add it to your inventory.
Shadow Nessa: Honestly, this place is in such bad shape. Memories are just pouring out of every nook and cranny right now, odds are you’ll have tripped over one before you even got to this step. Sigh. The inner sanctum of my soul really has seen better days.]

[voidhearts]

[Puck then hops off of Nell's shoulder and lands on a violet crystal that suddenly appears in the middle of the living room, using his feline reflexes!!! to balance perfectly atop it. The crystal shimmers for a second....before a silhouette appears beneath its surface.]



[Nell puts her hands together, looking a little excited, but a little anxious too.]

Okay! It's working so far....! Just focus on the memory you want to share!

[When Minato focuses hard enough, he'll find a pulsing sphere of light appearing in his hand. Nessa's memory earlier was purple, what color will his be...?]

[messianic]

[ Ah... this is a lot. He only has a brief chance to glance over most of the notifications and messages before he has to focus instead on Puck and Nell. ]

A memory...

[ he stares down at the silhouette, tilting his head a little. ]

Does it matter what kind of memory it is...?

[ he's ready and willing to share, but... if it'll help Nessa more to see a happy memory, or if it'll help to share a sad memory... he wants to be sure! ]

[voidhearts]

Uh....

[Nell looks at Minato. Then looks at Puck. Puck lets out a brief meow and bats at Nell with his paw.]

Puck says "not yet".

[messianic]

Okay... any memory, then.

[ he's quiet for a long moment, thinking, and then he focuses on... a memory!

It is completely silly, but there is a lot of fondness there for it as well. ]

/2

[voidhearts]

[After enough focusing, the memory appears and you can place it into the crystal. Once the memory is inside the crystal, it starts to glow brightly, slowly shifting from violet, to blue, then back....as a violet orb drifts back out of the memory and touches against your chest. As it does, visions start to flow through your mind....]

[Welcome to the Palace: Step 4 Completed!]

[The Cousin: Step 1 Completed!]

[You are so powerful.]

[Step 5: Use the NessaShare app.
Open the NessaShare app and share your thoughts on the memory you acquired to earn NessaPoints.
Shadow Nessa: You don’t have to talk specifically about the memory. It can be anything, honestly. Just make sure it’s pithy and clever. But also, detailed and eloquent. Don’t suck up, I find it very annoying when people are cloying with me. But I’m extremely susceptible to being buttered up, so throw in some compliments. Look, I’m rambling, just share something honest and poignant about how fascinating my life is and you’ll be well compensated for it.]

[Step 2 is still processing....please stand by momentarily....]

[...the other quest seems to need a minute to catch up.]

[voidhearts]

[Nell, meanwhile looks shocked.]

Oh...oh! That looked like a nasty drop! Was everybody okay?!

[She doesn't seem to find the girl pressed against the window with bolts in her neck particularly out of the ordinary....]

[messianic]

[ he's going to need a minute to really parse through the memory he just saw--there was a lot to it, and his phone is beeping at him again, and... oh.

He blinks. ]

Oh--yes, thank you for your concern. But we ended up falling into the hot springs, which were deep enough to break our fall without anyone getting hurt. We were all safe.

[ he fiddles with his phone. Share his thoughts, huh...? ]

[voidhearts]

That's a relief...!

I suppose if there were hot springs, that must have been a vacation! That sounds like... ...fun!

[That little bit of hesitation because, for real she would just be terrified of falling of balcony like that.]

[Also, pretend this link was included in the quest step.]

[messianic]

[ He's tapping away at his phone slowly, thinking hard, but he does pause to speak with Nell as he does. It'd be rude to ignore her, after all! ]

Mm, it was for a school trip. Honestly... it really was a lot of fun. I'm glad I was able to go with my friends, even if it meant things were a little chaotic sometimes.

You know how it is, right? Sometimes you need people to push you outside of your comfort zone.

/2

[voidhearts]

[Welcome to the Palace: Step 5 complete!]

[Step 6: Use the NessaWallet and NessaShop.
Check your inventory with the NessaWallet + NessaBook app, then open the NessaShop app and spend your points on a service or spell.
Shadow Nessa: So I know you’re probably scrambling to re-purchase all of your techniques, but here’s a thought. Your techniques all stink. That’s why when I was scrambling to get your heart started again, they were the first thing I tossed off - by the way, if this didn't come up in our conversation? I had to get rid of all of your techniques to get your heart started again and they're for sale in the shop now. But you should buy some magic instead. It’s much better and more interesting than your old techniques. Don’t you want to be a cool witch like me? And Sprezzatura, I know you’re thinking something along the lines of ‘I was already a witch, this unhinged rant clearly doesn’t apply to me’, it applies twice as much to you. Your magic stinks even worse than everybody else’s techniques. What the hell is a Thunderstep? That sounds like something you use to treat athlete’s foot. Use my magic instead. It’s better.

[voidhearts]

Ah...

[Nell rubs the back of her head a little sheepishly.]

W-well, I've never exactly...been on a school trip before...but. I think I know what you mean anyway! Ever since I moved in, Nessa is always trying to get me do stuff outside my comfort zone...she says that's the only way you can learn what the stuff you really like is!

I'm glad you and your friends had fu-- oh!

[The crystal suddenly shines brightly and turns.....GOLD! The crystal then shatters and something pops out of it and lands in Minato's hand. It's a gold coin! With...someone's...face on it....? Your phone beeps and notifies you that you've earned 1 GOLDEN NESSAPOINT!]

Oh! Oh, it worked! This is great, it really worked!

[She claps her hands together.]

Now we just need to take one of your techniques and one of Nessa's spells and...!

[She blinks and looks Minato up and down as if realizing something]

Oh, I guess you don't have one of those yet...that's fine! We can fix that!

[Nell takes out her own phone and what looks like...a credit card with Nessa's face on it? Whatever it is, is says "Diamond" so it must be pretty exclusive. She types the number in and Minato's phone beeps again. You were transferred 100 NessaPoints!]

[Step 1B: Unlock one of your techniques.
Use NessaPoints to unlock one of your technique in the NessaShop.
Shadow Nessa: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I wonder if this step appears if you already have enough techniques unlocked to move on to step 2….well, if it doesn’t, make sure to take some pity on the shmucks who didn’t think to take this quest first.]

[messianic]

[ ...?

Wow, that's a lot. Minato squints at his phone for a long moment, cautiously going to look at the various pages.

Oh... oh!! His Personas.



... ]

So should I buy one of each...? One of Nessa-san's spells, and one of my, um, "techniques"?