[What's eating him, indeed. It's hard to tell someone's tone from a text, but if Minato had to make a good guess he's still not on good terms with Hyoubu.
Which would explain why this text has been long overdue.]
I want to get stronger. You're one of the only people I know here who can use so many powers at once, and I'd appreciate it if you could teach me how to do so.
Of course he wants to get stronger. Of course. It's the reason so many people go on the network, asking to spar, asking for self-defense training. Thrust from their ordinary lives into ViViD or the often inhospitable "real" world here, they're over their heads, even the kids with powers. ]
I suppose I am a genius esper. You could learn a lot from me.
[ So modest, Hyoubu. ]
I'll meet you in ViViD. There are advantages to training in a virtual reality.
[ Not trashing either of their apartments or the city at large, for starters. ]
That's what I thought too. [He could have easily asked Yu for help, but what Minato needed wasn't power so much as a way to use his powers without having to pause to use his Evoker.
There was also the matter of the both of them being roughly of the same experience level, and Hyoubu was the only person he could immediately think of with multiple powers and a lifetime of experience.]
See you in a bit. [ViViD...while there were smaller locations Minato opts to head to the largest one instead, wasting little time in getting there. He's a little winded from all the running and it's certainly not the first time that he wished he could teleport too.]
[ Hyoubu teleports in, about a second after Minato arrives. Was he watching him, or...? I mean, surely Hyoubu wouldn't stalk people.
Surely.
In any case, he touches down lightly, hands in his pockets, gazing coolly at Minato. But...it's hard to stay angry, seeing how out of breath and flushed the boy is. He is trying, even if he is actually an idiot. ]
Hey.
[ The cool gaze turns into a smile, although it doesn't quite reach his eyes. ]
Looks like you ran all the way here. Actually — that reminds me. What do you do for exercise?
Hey. [It takes Minato just a few seconds to catch his breath, wiping the sweat away from his brow before placing his hands into his pockets.
He doesn't seem to react much to the cool gaze, but his surface thoughts would show otherwise: Is he still angry? Guess I expected that, but...]
Exercise, huh? I just walk around the city and work on my sword-fighting skills...I haven't been exercising much here. [Not consciously, at any rate. Minato simply wanders in his own time and there's nothing like Tartarus here to keep him motivated, so concrete training has been put much on the sidelines.]
[ His expression finally does soften, when he reads off Minato's surface thoughts. ]
Sword-fighting skills. Heh. If any unruly samurai turn up in the streets, I'll know who to call. Seriously, though —
[ He swings into one of the ViViD console chairs, and starts the process of uploading himself into the system. ]
"Getting stronger" includes, literally, just that. The body and the mind are connected. Physical strength improves your mental sharpness, your reflexes, and your stamina.
Don't count on it. [So Minato remarks dryly, following suit and climbing into the seat beside Hyoubu's. It's almost strange to be rather unfamiliar with how ViViD works like outside of the glitches that drag him into random levels, but such is the reality of Minato's life and he rests his hands on the console while he uploads himself.]
I've heard about that. My Persona also makes me stronger and faster than average, and it's based on the strength of our mind...but that's not necessarily what I'm looking for. [It's somewhat obscured by his jacket, but Minato's definitely carrying his Evoker with him as evidenced by a lump near his waist.]
[ Upload complete. They're in a sort of antechamber, one wall of which is filled with weapons, from missile launchers to machine guns, to swords and spears. Hyoubu selects a relatively small Glock pistol. There's another wall full of clothing (military-style fatigues, mainly) and body armor options, but unsurprisingly he ignores these. ]
Stronger and faster "than average." That's not quite good enough, right?
[ He twirls the gun around one finger, by the trigger guard, and then slides it into a pocket. ]
What are you looking for? Besides just "getting stronger."
[His weapon of choice catches Minato's attention briefly before he glances over the other weapons. He pauses over a particular gun, gaze lingering for a moment before settling on a simple-looking but sharp sword.]
It's not. It used to be enough, but I've been wondering lately if that's still true. [Minato's realistic about his limits, of course. He's never going to be performing exorcisms like Rei or create amazing technology like Hiro, but that's not important.
He holds the sword up by its hilt sideways before lowering it, carrying it with his right hand. There were still so many unanswered questions and there was no telling if CERES was the only enemy to contend with; preparing for troubles ahead is really all one can do at this point.]
I'm looking for a way to summon my Persona without using my Evoker, but I can't say if that's all. [There are nights where he wonders if there's anything to look for; he tells himself it's better to not think about it.]
He wants to learn to summon his powers without his Evoker, i.e. learning to do it without having to shoot himself in the head. That's... progress, maybe? ]
Back home...were you generally looking after yourself, or were you principally protecting other people?
[ The equipment room begins to fade, revealing the actual game. It's set in a lush jungle, full of palm trees and criss-crossing vines and beautiful jungle flowers. Their perfume smells like poison. The shrill cries of alien birds ring out above them. Somewhere in the distance, a faint growling noise is audible. ]
Protecting other people. [The lush jungle immediately brings back recollections of the one they'd been taken to previously, and Minato's instinctively reached for his Evoker as soon as he hears the growling sound.
...right, maybe he should clarify that bit.]
Do you remember what I told you about the Dark Hour? There are monsters in my world called Shadows, and they usually act during that time. Ordinary people usually transmogrify into coffins when it's the Dark Hour, but Shadows are capable of attacking them...my friends and I fought together to stop them. [The smell of the flowers is thick in the air, and he fights the urge to breathe in deeply.]
[ He's quiet for a while, and seems to be simply glancing about the jungle, but really there's something bothering him, the mental equivalent of passing one's tongue repeatedly over a missing tooth.
And then - there it is. "Fought." Past tense. Perhaps Minato is simply drawing a line between his old life and his one here at Cerealia, but still... ]
One thing to keep in mind, about getting stronger: ultimately, you've got to do it for yourself.
[Minato looks around after hearing the 'Hm', thinking that Hyoubu must have seen something too. It's only when he hears that second comment that he realizes it might have been related to what he said about the Dark Hour, or about protecting others.
He doesn't know what it's about though, having been completely honest with his words. The Dark Hour had ended and that had meant his friends no longer had any reason to fight; that his life happened to end at the same time might have coincided with that but it's not something he actively thinks about.]
Doing it for myself... [His expression darkens subtly; he might be mostly over being eaten but no one comes out of something like that without some scars to bear for it.] I don't want something like the incident in the jungle to happen again. [But that's all he's going to say before diverting the topic from himself.] Did you see anything just now, Major?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Text;
Which would explain why this text has been long overdue.]
I want to get stronger. You're one of the only people I know here who can use so many powers at once, and I'd appreciate it if you could teach me how to do so.
Text;
Of course he wants to get stronger. Of course. It's the reason so many people go on the network, asking to spar, asking for self-defense training. Thrust from their ordinary lives into ViViD or the often inhospitable "real" world here, they're over their heads, even the kids with powers. ]
I suppose I am a genius esper. You could learn a lot from me.
[ So modest, Hyoubu. ]
I'll meet you in ViViD. There are advantages to training in a virtual reality.
[ Not trashing either of their apartments or the city at large, for starters. ]
Text;
There was also the matter of the both of them being roughly of the same experience level, and Hyoubu was the only person he could immediately think of with multiple powers and a lifetime of experience.]
See you in a bit. [ViViD...while there were smaller locations Minato opts to head to the largest one instead, wasting little time in getting there. He's a little winded from all the running and it's certainly not the first time that he wished he could teleport too.]
Action!
Surely.
In any case, he touches down lightly, hands in his pockets, gazing coolly at Minato. But...it's hard to stay angry, seeing how out of breath and flushed the boy is. He is trying, even if he is actually an idiot. ]
Hey.
[ The cool gaze turns into a smile, although it doesn't quite reach his eyes. ]
Looks like you ran all the way here. Actually — that reminds me. What do you do for exercise?
no subject
He doesn't seem to react much to the cool gaze, but his surface thoughts would show otherwise: Is he still angry? Guess I expected that, but...]
Exercise, huh? I just walk around the city and work on my sword-fighting skills...I haven't been exercising much here. [Not consciously, at any rate. Minato simply wanders in his own time and there's nothing like Tartarus here to keep him motivated, so concrete training has been put much on the sidelines.]
no subject
Sword-fighting skills. Heh. If any unruly samurai turn up in the streets, I'll know who to call. Seriously, though —
[ He swings into one of the ViViD console chairs, and starts the process of uploading himself into the system. ]
"Getting stronger" includes, literally, just that. The body and the mind are connected. Physical strength improves your mental sharpness, your reflexes, and your stamina.
no subject
I've heard about that. My Persona also makes me stronger and faster than average, and it's based on the strength of our mind...but that's not necessarily what I'm looking for. [It's somewhat obscured by his jacket, but Minato's definitely carrying his Evoker with him as evidenced by a lump near his waist.]
no subject
Stronger and faster "than average." That's not quite good enough, right?
[ He twirls the gun around one finger, by the trigger guard, and then slides it into a pocket. ]
What are you looking for? Besides just "getting stronger."
no subject
It's not. It used to be enough, but I've been wondering lately if that's still true. [Minato's realistic about his limits, of course. He's never going to be performing exorcisms like Rei or create amazing technology like Hiro, but that's not important.
He holds the sword up by its hilt sideways before lowering it, carrying it with his right hand. There were still so many unanswered questions and there was no telling if CERES was the only enemy to contend with; preparing for troubles ahead is really all one can do at this point.]
I'm looking for a way to summon my Persona without using my Evoker, but I can't say if that's all. [There are nights where he wonders if there's anything to look for; he tells himself it's better to not think about it.]
no subject
He wants to learn to summon his powers without his Evoker, i.e. learning to do it without having to shoot himself in the head. That's... progress, maybe? ]
Back home...were you generally looking after yourself, or were you principally protecting other people?
[ The equipment room begins to fade, revealing the actual game. It's set in a lush jungle, full of palm trees and criss-crossing vines and beautiful jungle flowers. Their perfume smells like poison. The shrill cries of alien birds ring out above them. Somewhere in the distance, a faint growling noise is audible. ]
no subject
...right, maybe he should clarify that bit.]
Do you remember what I told you about the Dark Hour? There are monsters in my world called Shadows, and they usually act during that time. Ordinary people usually transmogrify into coffins when it's the Dark Hour, but Shadows are capable of attacking them...my friends and I fought together to stop them. [The smell of the flowers is thick in the air, and he fights the urge to breathe in deeply.]
no subject
[ He's quiet for a while, and seems to be simply glancing about the jungle, but really there's something bothering him, the mental equivalent of passing one's tongue repeatedly over a missing tooth.
And then - there it is. "Fought." Past tense. Perhaps Minato is simply drawing a line between his old life and his one here at Cerealia, but still... ]
One thing to keep in mind, about getting stronger: ultimately, you've got to do it for yourself.
no subject
He doesn't know what it's about though, having been completely honest with his words. The Dark Hour had ended and that had meant his friends no longer had any reason to fight; that his life happened to end at the same time might have coincided with that but it's not something he actively thinks about.]
Doing it for myself... [His expression darkens subtly; he might be mostly over being eaten but no one comes out of something like that without some scars to bear for it.] I don't want something like the incident in the jungle to happen again. [But that's all he's going to say before diverting the topic from himself.] Did you see anything just now, Major?