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[ENTER THE PALACE]
[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.]
[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.]
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[ without the weapon, preferably.
He'd also like to keep running but he has no idea which way to go. He looks around hastily, breathing ragged still, before he decides he'd really rather not lead her towards more people, so... to the bridge! ]
/2
[Esmau is chasing after him, glaive reared up to swing at his back again....]
[When something shoots across the bridge, past Minato, too fast to see.]
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[It's a woman, with white hair. She's wearing sunglasses and a mask. And she's stopped Esmau by planting a fist in her stomach in the middle of her latest lunge at Minato's back.]
[Smoke rises from where she struck Esmau - after a second, it becomes clear the smoke is coming from her hand. She steps forward into her punch, delivering enough force to drive Esmau into the ground below. Minato's attacker is now holding her stomach - there are scorch marks where she was punched.]
[For the moment, this woman is standing, resolutely, in between Minato and Esmau.]
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Minato... wheezes a little, hunched over his injury, still wincing--but for a moment, he's safe, or at least seemingly so.
This must be... ]
... Agnis-san?
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Just stay there for a moment.
[She then turns back to Esmau, hands drawn into fists.]
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[Esmau is holding her stomach as she gets up.]
You friggin' reject...I'm gonna fuck you up for this...!
[She gets back up, but she's on rollerskates, stumbling back and forth. She needs to plant her glaive just to keep from falling over again.]
You're -- dead!
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[She brings up one of her fists. It starts glowing orange. She walks, carefully, stoically, towards Esmau...]
I think you should leave.
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-- fuck! You just got a lucky shot in! This isn't over, you hear me?!
[And Esmau strikes the ground with her glaive - creating a hole that she leaps into. She's gone.]
done
[She turns back to the bridge, and to Minato. She tilts her glasses down and looks him up and down.]
Are you alright?
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Y-yeah... thanks to you. Thank you... for stepping in.
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Be careful if you're going to keep exploring. That likely won't be the last you see of her, and she's going to be very angry, now.
There's somebody that will give you a place to rest in the west wing. You look like you could use it.
But if you don't want to get hurt any further....you should think about leaving the palace.
[With that, she walks past him, across the bridge, and starts heading back up the hill.]
[Welcome to the Palace: Step 10 completed!
Step 11: Return to Shadow Nessa.
Return to the Landing and speak to Shadow Nessa.
Shadow Nessa: Oh my god. Just give me a second to catch my breath…. Oh my god, that was scary. Okay. Okay. Well. Now we know what to do if that happens again! Just…come back. There’s one last thing.]
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Um... I'd like to... to talk to you, if that's okay.
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I know what you're here for.
You're hurt. Are you sure you want to do this now?
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[ He'll catch up eventually, managing to keep on chugging forward as only a Persona protagonist can. ]
It's worth it anyway, for Nessa-san.
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... ...
We'll see.
[And she says nothing else as she continues up the hill.]
[At the top of the hill, away from the rest of the houses is a simple little one-story cottage. Despite it being a beautiful day, all the windows are closed and the curtains are drawn, so you can’t see inside at all. All of the doors, front and back, are locked.]
[If you check around back, you’ll see a small garden with some flowers and vegetables. ]
[Around back, you find a garden with some flowers and vegetables growing. It looks very carefully tended to. There’s also a path leading out of the small backyard, heading out of the village and into the the forest.]
[But if you stay with Agnis, she'll open the door and let you in first.]
Come in.
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[She closes the door and pulls her mask down.]
As I said, I know why you're here. I know why you're here. I know what you're looking for. If you want me to help you find it, I need you to understand what we've already gone through over it - what she's already gone through.
You've been hurt very badly in your exploration already. Because of that Heart, Nessa has been through far worse already. And there will be more pain for you and her in the future, if you stay in this palace.
If that's what you want...
[Your phone beeps.
You're being offered a quest. Do you accept?
> Yes
> No]
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Minato doesn't hesitate. He looks around, he listens to what she has to say, and then he immediately hits Yes. ]
If it's been that bad for Nessa-san, that's all the more reason for me not to give up.
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The story of two sisters and what being a witch means to each of them.
Step 1: Bring an item or memory of Nessa’s back to Agnis.
Find an item representing Nessa somewhere else in the palace and bring it back to Agnis to unlock Nessa’s room.
Shadow Nessa: Look. Don’t take it too personally, she’s like this with everybody when the subject is me and some magic horseshit trouble I’ve gotten myself into. But she seems to find you particularly distasteful for some reason, so, take it at least a little personally. Maybe it’s an odor thing? Anyway, you should be able to find something of mine in one of the other wings.]
Show me something belonging to Nessa. Then we can get started.
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He pauses for a moment, and then reaches into his inventory to offer up...!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. ]
Does this work...?
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...
...
This is her favorite book.
[She runs a hand over the cover.]
When she was young. I read it to her every night.
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When I was looking at the books on her bookshelf... it kind of stood out to me.
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Come with me.
[She walks down the hall, gesturing for him to follow.]
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He quietly follows, of course. ]
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"Agnis?"
[Agnis blinks once.]
Ah....he must be done.
[She glances at Minato.]
Someone came here before you. I hope you don't mind sharing the experience.
[Then she continues into the open room - it's Nessa's bedroom.]
[The room is immaculately organized, as if the person that owns it gets pissed off at the mere idea of somebody seeing anything out of place. There’s a bookshelf up against one wall filled with novels and texts, a desk up against the opposite wall with notebooks, writing supplies and a little desk buddy that happens to be a black cat. Next to the desk, on the wall, is a whiteboard with a schedule for classes, a schedule for online tutoring, a schedule for studying and a to-do list which just lists a bunch of books. The bed is neatly made and the clothes hanging in the closet are all freshly pressed.]
[On the bed is a glowing violet orb, and next to it -- hey look, it's Akira!]