[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

[survivaltricks]

[Akira comes too from the memory rather quickly, but. . . gently too, as if waking from a dream. he lifts his head as his eyes flutter open, his features soft. . . distant, like he's mulling over the scene he just saw]

[he raises his eyes to speak to Agnis, but--]

-- Agnis?

[oh no. where'd she go. also now is about the time he probably gets a text from Minato]

[voidhearts]

[Akira can hear voices from the hallway - before one responds to him.]

I'm here. I just left for a second.

[She walks back into the room.]

Something was happening outside that we had to deal with. We have more company, by the way.

[And in with her walks....hey look! It's Minato!]

[messianic]

[ It's Minato! He's, uh. He's a little bloody, and carrying himself a little stiffly, but here he is.



Looking a little sheepish when he realizes it's Akira. ]

Ah... hey.

[survivaltricks]

[yeah those texts had Akira INCREASINGLY ALARMED, and he's on his feet and ready to bolt towards the door by the time Agnis and Minato return]

M-- Minato!

[rushing towards the other wild card, immediately reaching for his shoulder]

Are you. . . what happened? Are you okay?

[to Agnis]

Is he okay?

[voidhearts]

No. He's injured, and I keep telling him to rest. He refuses.

[messianic]

[ at the same time: ]

I'm fine--

[ ... oh.

:( ]

... Um, anyway. I'm still functional. Don't worry.

[survivaltricks]

[shooting Minato a concerned look; there's a reason he asked Agnis!]

Hey-- sit down.

[guiding Minato to SIT ON THE BED]

I can get Ishtar to. . .

[and he trails off]

[and freezes as he realizes Ishtar isn't there, ready to answer his beckoning like she usually is]

[voidhearts]

[Sigh.]

I don't know what Ishtar is, but I'm guessing it's a spell of some kind. That's not going to work, unfortunately.

[BUT, before they can despair too much, Akira's phone beeps.]

[Akira: Welcome to the Palace: Step 4 Completed!]

[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.]

[Wow! Perhaps this is the solution to all of your problems!]

[messianic]

[ Minato obediently sits down when Akira fusses over him, offering a sheepish and awkward smile. Sorry.... ]

Yeah... our Personas aren't here, but... we've got skills that are based off of them that we can buy.

[ ... anyway he snoops, peering at Akira's phone. ]

Oh, yeah. I had to do this one too.

[ ... also that glowing orb........ maybe he should touch it too. He doesn't yet, but he's thinking about it. ]

[survivaltricks]

[WELL. . . THIS IS A SOLUTION, though he doesn't like it, if only because it increases the time Minato will have to spend injured. he casts a furtive glance at the other wild card, before letting out an exhale and opening the NessaShare app]

[to Agnis]

I'm a little surprised she's asking me to comment on something so. . . personal.

/2

[voidhearts]

[Akira: Welcome to the Palace: Step 5 Completed!]

[Step 6: Open the NessaWallet, then spend NessaPoints in the 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]

She's very guarded most of the time, but....what she really wants and what she says are sometimes two different things, I've found.

[Without elaborating more, she glances at Minato.]

You can look the memory too, if you want. If you're both going to do this, then I'd like you both to see it.

[messianic]

Mm... okay then.

[ He nudges shoulders with Akira very.... very gently and carefully.


And then touches the orb to grab that memory. ]

[voidhearts]

[You touch the orb and you get just a bit woozy as images start to filter into your head, playing out as if they're happening to you...]

[survivaltricks]

[muttering]

She doesn't even have Diarahan here. . .

[but as Minato touches the orb, Akira grabs his hand to hold same during the reliving of Nessa's memory]

[messianic]

[ thanks. Minato squeezes that hand a little shakily--between the memory wooziness and also the stabbing/blood loss/potential cracked ribs wooziness, Minato's Going Through It.

That hand is a good tether, though, as he slowly shakes it off. ]

[survivaltricks]

[it doesn't take long for Akira to purchase the only healing skill he can find in the shop, and since it's an unfamiliar one. . . well. he has no idea how it works! but he's going to give it a go, since he can't just leave Minato here to continue bleeding out!!]

[so once the Well of Life has been purchased, he turns towards Minato and places his now free hand against the other wild card's chest, right over his heart, and just. . .]

[thinks really, really hard about that magic doing its healing thing. please magic, work your-- uh. magic]

/2

[voidhearts]

[Akira: Welcome to the Palace: Step 6 completed!]

[Step 7: Return to Shadow Nessa.
Return to the Courtyard and speak to Shadow Nessa.
Shadow Nessa: Honestly, I’m a little proud of you. I placed the lowest hurdles I could think of in front of you and you managed to clear them. My expectations for you were low, and you passed them. Come back and we’ll go over a final few things.]

[voidhearts]

[The spell.....doesn't do anything.]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[Agnis sighs.]

You won't be able to use a spell like that right away... ...here.

[She reaches a hand out and places it on Akira's shoulder. Her body briefly glows orange....then the glow passes to Akira. He'll feel a warmth build inside his body and find the next time he casts the spell, the warmth will empower it.]

That spell and my Spark are different, so don't ask me to do that again.

[survivaltricks]

[it's immediately obvious when the spell doesn't work. . . and Akira draws back in light frustration, mouth open, ready to ask about it-- when Agnis touches his shoulder]

[the warmth causes his mouth to snap shut, and he takes a moment to lift his hand and examine his fingers, as though marveling at the new power he feels coursing through him]

[okay. . . maybe this will be better]

How do these spells work?

[he asks Agnis as he reaches out to touch Minato's chest again, willing the healing magic to mend as many of those injuries as it can]

[messianic]

[ ... Ah. The healing magic seals up the worst of the wound, and while it's still a little difficult to breathe, Minato's got a little more color in his face.

He offers Akira a weak but grateful smile, and gently pats his hand, but doesn't interrupt the conversation.

He's good, don't worry. ]

[voidhearts]

[Minato: 78/100 HP]

I have no idea how it works. I'm not a witch.

[Ah.]

I believe there's somebody in the south wing who can explain it to you, though.

It's up to you if you want to go handle that, or...hear what I have to say next.

[survivaltricks]

[relief washes over Akira like a waterfall when some of that color returns to Minato's face, and he flashes the other wild card a grateful, weak smile. he also isn't moving his hand from Minato's chest, because he's gay]

[to Agnis]

I don't see a reason why we can't do both.

. . . you can go first, Agnis.

[messianic]

[ This is fine with him, Minato just rests his own hand over Akira's on his chest fondly. Gay.



But yes, Agnis first! Minato turns his attention to her as well, head tilted curiously. ]

[voidhearts]

Alright.

You both saw what state she was in in that memory...when she first came to live here, she was very, very weak. Her body was very badly damaged by what Esmau did to her and it took a long time for it to adapt to having something like the Voidheart in it. And the Order made me promise to keep the Voidheart a secret from the non-Witches, so I couldn't even take her to a hospital. So I nursed her back to health the best I could.

Her involvement with the Voidheart has been hurting her since she was a child. Before she had any choice in the matter. But...she's always tried her hardest to be strong.

[Agnis turns and walks up to the door. She glances back at Minato and Akira.]

If you want to know what caused all of this, go to the forest. Speak to our mother, and our grandmother. They're the ones who set all of this in motion.

[Akira & Minato: The Sister: Step 1 complete!]

[Step 2: Speak to Lyra and Lilith.
Lyra, Nessa and Agnis’ mother and Lilith, their grandmother, can be found in the Dark Forest in the East Wing. Speak to them to learn what happened to Nessa as a child.
Shadow Nessa: Mother is fine. She should talk to you without too much problem and may even try to help you. ….we’ll cross the road of whether or not you should accept it when we get there. Lilith, on the other hand, is… …well, you’re going to meet her yourself. Bright side, she hates to do her own dirty work, so you should only have to run away if she calls for Esmau.]