Requiem 07: SEES
Thank God for good dreams, it can be said; or perhaps thank Morpheus. He certainly knew how to please a...
Well perhaps that thought shouldn't be finished. In any case, it's a good morning as Tom is wheeled out of the hospital. The sun is shining, the birds
are chirping, and the city almost
feels like a normal place. He's left unceremoniously outside to stand and walk home on his own; the hospital determined that nothing was wrong with him
beyond a severe case of exhaustion, and no one else happened to visit that night, mysterious or otherwise. No phone calls, no nothing. It's been quite
peaceful, in fact.
Well. This was certainly a change of pace. Why, the place almost seemed... Welcoming. Nothing like what it was like at night... Or when covered in the
everpresent, noir-like fog. It wasn't an unwanted feeling- but this feeling of normalcy was, perhaps, even more unnerving than the usual strangeness.
Regardless, walking wasn't much of an issue- not when you had mechancial limbs.
Now... How far was it to 'home?' He wasn't about to pay a taxi, that's for sure...
He had a few options; he could always head to Akihiko's and see if Shinji had turned up any new leads, or he could head on down to the machine shop to
visit the happy trio; the Agency's open of course, but Mitsuru's probably not there (and Minato and the Skull Man are almost guaranteed to be asleep);
alternatively, he could just wander about aimlessly for hours.
...The Machine Shop should prove interesting. After all, the reason he came here was to learn about his limbs. And he figured that Shinji would find him if
anything strange turned up.
The guy did seem to be everywhere at once.
Schrodinger's Thug?
So then... The Machine Shop it was, 'Come on legs...' Click. Mobility up, acrobatics done.
'Let's get going!'
It's not a terrifically long walk there...at least, Tom doesn't think so. Hopefully, the hospital's in an easy-to-find locale.
...unfortunately, Tom's sense of direction is quite miserable. He winds up not even near the machine shop. Actually...he can't remember ever having
been here before.
That might have to do with his above-average speed. But hey, whatever floats a boat... But where the hell -WAS he?
It looks like it's a run-down part of the town, but there's an old-looking private school (very much closed and locked-off.)
A private school...?
Otherwise, there's nothing particularly stand out-ish.
...Curiousity killed the cat...
But Tom was definitely not anywhere near the genus of Felis. Time to do some detective work!
It's easy to jump the fence.
Quite like jumping a shark- but not quite as serious. It was a strange school, to be certain. Out here in the middle of nowhere...
Well, not quite the middle of nowhere. More like the middle of the crappiest part of the city. The old, run-down part, anyway.
No one seems to be in the school. The door comes open easily, and the front hall is deserted and dusty.
A cautious eye is cast about the ruined hall. Curiouser and curiouser. Now... What exactly was in here, anyway? Anything interesting...? Buried in the dust,
perhaps? The thought of it sparked wonder in the young Britannian's mind. He began by sweeping the school in general, dusting off anything of note...
There really truly is not much. There's some old papers, some stuff that didn't get cleaned up, and a copy of the last class's yearbook.
It's dated roughly...mmmm, five years ago.
Well, that could be interesting...
First the papers... Any names of note?
Not a one, sadly.
And the yearbook?
Quite a different story.
Ryoji's face is sitting inside the cover. It's dedicated to his memory.
Apparently, it's from that year.
To his... memory? So, maybe it was true...
Let's see, last names...
...Arisato.
Bingo.
So, what did the comments have to say?
Seems he and the others were part of something called SEES. It doesn't go into any detail, but it's listed as an "After-School Club".
There are, strangely enough, no comments.
...SEES?
...What could that stand for?
Perhaps this book was the one that couldn't get sold because the one who would've bought it was...well, departed.
So this was -his- book. Ryoji...
That, or it was the book that belonged to the person who didn't care enough to buy it.
If it was an After-School activity, maybe the office could shed some light?
Minato, perhaps.
It would be curious to see what his reaction would be. If any.
The office is empty.
Not a single paper, or missing desk?
Not a one.
So they got rid of everything...
Or someone did.
Well.
If anything...
He could ask questions.
Either way, it was probably high time he get out of there.
Interestingly, though, there's more than just them listed as SEES members.
Oh?
Somebody named Seta Souji...a girl named Chie...another named Yukiko...Kanji...Naoto...Teddie...there's a whole bunch of them.
Does it say anything else about them?
Where they may now be?
It's very limited.
After all, it is a yearbook.
True, but it might have things like plans for the future, contact details...
Anyone who might know them...
Teachers... Wait, there -WAS- a teacher he knew.
...It was time to get some answers.
He began on his way out of the school.
...And try his best to get himself home.
As he opens the door, he's greeted not by the sunlight but a blue brilliance.
In fact, behind him is blue too. And everything else.
...h~uh.
...Too much blue! Tom winces at the sudden change of scenery... "Wh-what?"
"..."
"You..." It's an old man's voice. "...aren't supposed to be here."
Once the shock settled, he'd glance about again at his surroundings. "...Damn. Second time in a month."
"Huh?" He tilted his head at the source of the voice, "Uh, yeah... I kinda figured. Where is 'here?'
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The old man is sitting in a weird chair, twisted upwards. "A place where your kind does not belong."
He has an enormous nose.
"And you shouldn't be here, in this place between fact and fiction, truth and lie, reality and dream."
It was the first thing he noticed. And, to be honest, he couldn't seem to avert his eyes from that thing, "Yeah... Sorry about that. I kinda... Fell
in, I guess?"
"Whatever made you want to go to that school?"
"Curiousity."
"...And I got really, -REALLY- lost."
"I see." The old man relaxes his posture and waves his hand to the side. "I am Igor. Now that you are here, I suppose I have no choice but to
act as the host that I am."
"Igor?" Tom settled into a much less 'where the fuck am I' state, "Huh. Ryoji mentioned something about you."
"Well, it's nice to meet you. The name's Tom."
"No it isn't." Igor replies, a smile on his face. "But you don't know anything about that."
"Uhm... Huh?"
"Yes, I know what transpired between you and Morpheus." Igor swaps tracks entirely. "I have the record here." He gestures to a piece of
paper that certainly wasn't there five minutes ago.
"I... see," Tom couldn't help but raise a brow at that... "So, call me curious, but what exactly is it that you do here, Igor?"
"Many, many things." He replies cryptically, his fingers waving dismissively. "But more importantly...how are you enjoying your time in
Vespertine City?"
A roll the shoulders, "Well, it's interesting, to say the least... I've never been in a city quite like it before."
"No, you haven't." More of that double-talk and cryptic crap that makes absolutely no sense.
"...But beyond the monsters, the most interesting part of this city has to be that Minato character."
"Ah yes...Minato. He and Souji both found their way here after my call and accepted the contracts they so valiantly were presented with."
"Souji Seta, am I correct? Did something happen to him, too?"
"I mean, I get the feeling that Minato wasn't nearly as... Shut in as he is today, so this Seta guy... Is he the same way?"
"No." Igor gives a bit of a smile.
"Well," Tom replies with a grin of his own, "Would you happen to know where I could find him?"
"You ask too many questions." He says after a moment.
"Hahaha... Well, I am a detective, sir."
"No you aren't." He says again, picking up the papers and reading through them.
"Crimenologist, is technically what it says on my diploma."
"No you aren't," Igor replies for the third time, fingering the papers briefly. "But it isn't yet your time to discover the truth you so
desperately crave."
"Yeah, I kinda figured that."
"But hey, a man's got to reach out for the truth."
"If it's there, it's there. If it's not, then I've just got to look harder."
"A man does." Igor...agrees? Maybe? The words are there, but there's something to the tone...
Maybe it's simply Tom's imagination.
"In any case, you may leave through the door behind you. Please do not return - you will find yourself unable to enter."
"When the time comes, you will know."
"I'm sure I will."
"Well, it's been nice talking to you, Igor..."
Igor doesn't reply, absorbed in whatever it is he's reading.
Sure enough, there was a door there...
"Have a good day." Click. Open went the door.
And out he was dumped unceremoniously in front of the Twilight Detective Agency.
Blink. How was the sky?
At least he had a few dozen new leads...
Apparently the Velvet Room transcends such simplicity as space and time; the sun hasn't moved since he entered the room.
...And it seemed, still some time to get to the mechanic's! Though...
...He probably shouldn't leave again without a guide.
Lest he get hopelessly lost.
...Again.
He'd turn the knob to that oh-so-familiar door. Let's hope he didn't end up in Halloween town next.
Nope. Just Yukari's front office.
Which is in and of itself strange enough.
True enough. It was a welcome change, though...
So, with yearbook in arm... "Hey, I'm home."
No one is manning the front office.
Well, that was interesting...
What about the basement?
Fuuka is down there, but she's asleep on the table.
Best not to wake her...
Who the hell was around?
Junpei?
Maybe the boss?
Well, it was worth a try to check the office...
Nope. It's still daytime; neither of them are up.
Well.
That was a load of 'goddamnit.'
He could always check across the street, at that bar... Provided he didn't get lost again.
Since nobody was around, that seems his only course of action.
Back to the streets, into the bar...
Akihiko is tending the bar, but it's very empty. He looks up as Tom enters and gives a half-assed wave. "Good morning."
"Hey there. People seem to be missing left and right."
"Don't joke like that, I'll get worried."
He'd set himself on one of the stools, "Heh, sorry. Yeah, Yukari's not at the office. I still need to apologize to her..."
"So how's everything been?"
"Pretty usual."
"Customers and stuff."
"What about you? Any nice leads on any good cases?"
"Yeah..." That conversation went nowhere... "So uh... Do you know if Shinji found anything?"
"Actually, yes."
He'd slide the old yearbook onto the countertop, "I got a little lost, but look at what I found."
Akihiko's eyes grow three sizes that day; wide, super-wide, and !!!!!!-wide. He stares at the yearbook for a moment before crossing his arms and leaning
across the bar. "I never thought...I'd ever see this again."
A sheepish grin- like one worn by a child who just got caught with his hand in the jar, "Yeah. It was pretty interesting. Someone cleaned the school out-
but this old thing was left behind."
"...yeah."
He's just sort of staring at the book.
"I assume this belongs to Ryoji... Or Minato."
"So, I don't mean to pry- so you don't have to answer if you don't want to. But what was this SEES thing? And where might I find the other
members?"
"SEES." Akihiko says after a moment. "...something else I never thought I'd hear again."
"I'm sorry if I'm dredging up unwanted memories, but..." Tom flipped open the page. Souji Seta, "This guy. Is he still around?"
"Not in Vespertine. He and the rest of Team 2 moved away."
"...I see. So I guess it'd be difficult to contact him."
"Sorry."
"It's alright. I'll find a way somehow."
"Not that SEES is something you want to look too closely into..." He looks down at the book again.
"The internet's a powerful thing... Hm? Why's that?"
"SEES was...you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He gives a half-chuckle.
"The things I've seen in this town? I'll believe anything once."
"It has to do with...well." Akihiko pours himself and Tom a pair of drinks.
He'd probably need that...
"...the afterlife."
"The afterlife?"
"Well, that's significantly more believable than hearing about giant shadow creatures emerging from people's subconcious."
Akihiko chuckles.
"I can't tell if you're kidding or not."
"I'm not, actually. Compared to the Requiems, talk of the afterlife is a lot more common. Many major cultures have one belief or another."
"Not like this." He takes a swing from his mug. "Anyway...SEES is the 'Special Exploration and Extermination Society.'"
"It was founded as a 'school thing' as a joke, sort of."
"But it wasn't a joke to us."
"I see... So I take it that this was when Minato's- and Souji's abilities began to manifest?"
Akihiko heaves a sigh. "It's complicated."
"Well..." Tom's eyes glanced at the clock. It was still fairly early, "There's a whole slew of hours in the day, and I've got time
to kill. If you don't mind lending a voice to my ear, that is."
"See...that school...it wasn't. It closed down after a certain incident occured."
"The school was built on a rift."
"A rift?"
"Between this world and a dimension we called ShadowSpace."
Straight out of a comicbook, "I see."
Akihiko snorts. "I know. It was a stupid name. Junpei came up with it."
"I assume that, given the identity of the man who this yearbook was dedicated to, the incident that occured there was the same that scarred Minato- and
all of you."
"...no."
"No?"
"No."
"-Huh.-"
"Well. That's something I didn't expect."
"What happened with Minato and Ryoji wasn't related to the Shadow incident."
"...the school was built on a rift because of a plan to use the kids in the school as bait."
"The owner of the school was attempting to bring forth the Shadows into our world."
"...Shadows?"
"Even more complicated."
"...That's just... Who would use children as bait like that?"
"A very sick man."
"It must have been..."
"Heh...all I cared about was fighting. Getting better. And then that happened."
"...we lost a bunch of friends and classmates to them before SEES managed to shut the door."
"...So they finally came through."
"Anyway..."
"What we found over there was...incredible."
"Hm?"
"It's complicated."
"Heh. I keep saying that."
"It just gets me more and more curious, that's all."
"Yeah, well..."
"Do you think... That gate has anything to do with the Requiems?"
"No."
"Requiems...I've seen them. They're nothing like Shadows."
"Shadows are..." He shakes his head and takes another drink.
"I don't know. But I know they're different. In the pit of my stomach."
Tom takes the first of his- the top of the cup, something to wet the throat, "It's alright. Take your time."
"It's just different."
"...So..."
"These shadows. What are they?"
"They're all over the other world. I don't know what they are, exactly."
"But they seem to be natural to that place."
"I see... So why did this person want to lure them here?"
"He wanted to destroy everything."
"That seems mighty antiproductive."
Akihiko sets his drink down. "He lost his wife. And she got "killed" on the other side, by a Shadow. So...I think he went crazy."
"...I see."
"I don't know. But I can't imagine knowing that Ai or Shinji wouldn't be able to move on."
"What do you mean?"
"As I understand it...the other side is basically a waiting room."
"For the real afterlife."
"So if you die in the 'afterlife'...what happens?"
"A purgator-"
"Yeah."
"What happens if you die in purgatory?"
"...Logic says that, death in the afterlife means Oblivion."
"The two possibilities are oblivion or rebirth."
"I'm not sure exactly what you're getting to, though. Why would they be unable to move on?"
"...They lost someone important, on that other side?"
"No."
"That's what happened to his wife."
"And I can't imagine what that must feel like."
"I see."
"Nothing, I assume."
"I guess knowing that, even in death, you shall be apart from the one you love would drive most people off the deep end.
"That's what I think."
"But...the deaths of students had the school closed down."
"I see..."
"The circumstances are listed as Unknown, but those of us who were in SEES know."
"They were consumed by those Shadows."
"You got it."
"...This is just a guess, but do people who die from those Shadows return to the afterlife?"
"Or do they vanish?"
"I have no idea."
"Curious..."
"Heh. Maybe these Requiems are visitors from Oblivion, then."
"I guess I'll find out someday."
"Who knows?"
"I'd say God, but I doubt any deity is crazy enough to let this happen."
"But I might be wrong. Ryoji- and that Igor guy seem pretty solid proof of SOMETHING out there."
"Igor?"
"And, hey, you wouldn't happen to know of something called the Shadow Syndicate, would you?"
"Yeah..."
"No, sorry. And I don't know who Igor is."
"He said he signed contracts with Souji and Minato a long time ago."
"I don't know anything about that."
"I'd ask the source, but I'm pretty sure he'd bite my head off."
"I doubt it."
"I expect he'd say nothing at all."
"I was being metaphorical..."
"Anyway, if you have any means of contacting Souji..."
"I'd be most appreciative."
"I'll look in the phonebook."
"Thanks for that."
"Oh- and, uh..."
"I was kind of on my way to the mechanics' when I got lost... Anyone around here know how to get to the Bonne's?"
"Heh. Sure, I'll point you in the right direction."
"Thanks again."
"No problem."
The last of the booze is sent hurtling down Tom's throat, a mechanical hand carefully replacing the mug on the countertop. It then retrieves the yearbook,
storing it in an unseen compartment of Tom's jacket, "Thanks for the drink, too."
"Heh. Next time I'll have a steel mug for you."
"Hey, steel's pretty soft. Maybe Titanium's a better fit for this grip."
"Hah. You don't come often enough for me to spend that kinda money on you."
"Yeah, at least I'm not asking for one made of Sakuradite."
"Small favors." He chuckles.
"I guess I'll just have to settle for steel."
With that, he slides off his stool, landing with a distinct clink of metal against the bar floor. "I should probably get over there before it gets too
late."
"Probably a good idea." Akihiko gives him a grin. "But, uh."
"You didn't pay for that."
Tom would stop in his tracks, "Oh- uh..."
A wallet, simple and black, is flushed from one of his pockets, "How much was it again?"
Thank God for good dreams, it can be said; or perhaps thank Morpheus. He certainly knew how to please a...
Well perhaps that thought shouldn't be finished. In any case, it's a good morning as Tom is wheeled out of the hospital. The sun is shining, the birds
are chirping, and the city almost
feels like a normal place. He's left unceremoniously outside to stand and walk home on his own; the hospital determined that nothing was wrong with him
beyond a severe case of exhaustion, and no one else happened to visit that night, mysterious or otherwise. No phone calls, no nothing. It's been quite
peaceful, in fact.
Well. This was certainly a change of pace. Why, the place almost seemed... Welcoming. Nothing like what it was like at night... Or when covered in the
everpresent, noir-like fog. It wasn't an unwanted feeling- but this feeling of normalcy was, perhaps, even more unnerving than the usual strangeness.
Regardless, walking wasn't much of an issue- not when you had mechancial limbs.
Now... How far was it to 'home?' He wasn't about to pay a taxi, that's for sure...
He had a few options; he could always head to Akihiko's and see if Shinji had turned up any new leads, or he could head on down to the machine shop to
visit the happy trio; the Agency's open of course, but Mitsuru's probably not there (and Minato and the Skull Man are almost guaranteed to be asleep);
alternatively, he could just wander about aimlessly for hours.
...The Machine Shop should prove interesting. After all, the reason he came here was to learn about his limbs. And he figured that Shinji would find him if
anything strange turned up.
The guy did seem to be everywhere at once.
Schrodinger's Thug?
So then... The Machine Shop it was, 'Come on legs...' Click. Mobility up, acrobatics done.
'Let's get going!'
It's not a terrifically long walk there...at least, Tom doesn't think so. Hopefully, the hospital's in an easy-to-find locale.
...unfortunately, Tom's sense of direction is quite miserable. He winds up not even near the machine shop. Actually...he can't remember ever having
been here before.
That might have to do with his above-average speed. But hey, whatever floats a boat... But where the hell -WAS he?
It looks like it's a run-down part of the town, but there's an old-looking private school (very much closed and locked-off.)
A private school...?
Otherwise, there's nothing particularly stand out-ish.
...Curiousity killed the cat...
But Tom was definitely not anywhere near the genus of Felis. Time to do some detective work!
It's easy to jump the fence.
Quite like jumping a shark- but not quite as serious. It was a strange school, to be certain. Out here in the middle of nowhere...
Well, not quite the middle of nowhere. More like the middle of the crappiest part of the city. The old, run-down part, anyway.
No one seems to be in the school. The door comes open easily, and the front hall is deserted and dusty.
A cautious eye is cast about the ruined hall. Curiouser and curiouser. Now... What exactly was in here, anyway? Anything interesting...? Buried in the dust,
perhaps? The thought of it sparked wonder in the young Britannian's mind. He began by sweeping the school in general, dusting off anything of note...
There really truly is not much. There's some old papers, some stuff that didn't get cleaned up, and a copy of the last class's yearbook.
It's dated roughly...mmmm, five years ago.
Well, that could be interesting...
First the papers... Any names of note?
Not a one, sadly.
And the yearbook?
Quite a different story.
Ryoji's face is sitting inside the cover. It's dedicated to his memory.
Apparently, it's from that year.
To his... memory? So, maybe it was true...
Let's see, last names...
...Arisato.
Bingo.
So, what did the comments have to say?
Seems he and the others were part of something called SEES. It doesn't go into any detail, but it's listed as an "After-School Club".
There are, strangely enough, no comments.
...SEES?
...What could that stand for?
Perhaps this book was the one that couldn't get sold because the one who would've bought it was...well, departed.
So this was -his- book. Ryoji...
That, or it was the book that belonged to the person who didn't care enough to buy it.
If it was an After-School activity, maybe the office could shed some light?
Minato, perhaps.
It would be curious to see what his reaction would be. If any.
The office is empty.
Not a single paper, or missing desk?
Not a one.
So they got rid of everything...
Or someone did.
Well.
If anything...
He could ask questions.
Either way, it was probably high time he get out of there.
Interestingly, though, there's more than just them listed as SEES members.
Oh?
Somebody named Seta Souji...a girl named Chie...another named Yukiko...Kanji...Naoto...Teddie...there's a whole bunch of them.
Does it say anything else about them?
Where they may now be?
It's very limited.
After all, it is a yearbook.
True, but it might have things like plans for the future, contact details...
Anyone who might know them...
Teachers... Wait, there -WAS- a teacher he knew.
...It was time to get some answers.
He began on his way out of the school.
...And try his best to get himself home.
As he opens the door, he's greeted not by the sunlight but a blue brilliance.
In fact, behind him is blue too. And everything else.
...h~uh.
...Too much blue! Tom winces at the sudden change of scenery... "Wh-what?"
"..."
"You..." It's an old man's voice. "...aren't supposed to be here."
Once the shock settled, he'd glance about again at his surroundings. "...Damn. Second time in a month."
"Huh?" He tilted his head at the source of the voice, "Uh, yeah... I kinda figured. Where is 'here?'
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The old man is sitting in a weird chair, twisted upwards. "A place where your kind does not belong."
He has an enormous nose.
"And you shouldn't be here, in this place between fact and fiction, truth and lie, reality and dream."
It was the first thing he noticed. And, to be honest, he couldn't seem to avert his eyes from that thing, "Yeah... Sorry about that. I kinda... Fell
in, I guess?"
"Whatever made you want to go to that school?"
"Curiousity."
"...And I got really, -REALLY- lost."
"I see." The old man relaxes his posture and waves his hand to the side. "I am Igor. Now that you are here, I suppose I have no choice but to
act as the host that I am."
"Igor?" Tom settled into a much less 'where the fuck am I' state, "Huh. Ryoji mentioned something about you."
"Well, it's nice to meet you. The name's Tom."
"No it isn't." Igor replies, a smile on his face. "But you don't know anything about that."
"Uhm... Huh?"
"Yes, I know what transpired between you and Morpheus." Igor swaps tracks entirely. "I have the record here." He gestures to a piece of
paper that certainly wasn't there five minutes ago.
"I... see," Tom couldn't help but raise a brow at that... "So, call me curious, but what exactly is it that you do here, Igor?"
"Many, many things." He replies cryptically, his fingers waving dismissively. "But more importantly...how are you enjoying your time in
Vespertine City?"
A roll the shoulders, "Well, it's interesting, to say the least... I've never been in a city quite like it before."
"No, you haven't." More of that double-talk and cryptic crap that makes absolutely no sense.
"...But beyond the monsters, the most interesting part of this city has to be that Minato character."
"Ah yes...Minato. He and Souji both found their way here after my call and accepted the contracts they so valiantly were presented with."
"Souji Seta, am I correct? Did something happen to him, too?"
"I mean, I get the feeling that Minato wasn't nearly as... Shut in as he is today, so this Seta guy... Is he the same way?"
"No." Igor gives a bit of a smile.
"Well," Tom replies with a grin of his own, "Would you happen to know where I could find him?"
"You ask too many questions." He says after a moment.
"Hahaha... Well, I am a detective, sir."
"No you aren't." He says again, picking up the papers and reading through them.
"Crimenologist, is technically what it says on my diploma."
"No you aren't," Igor replies for the third time, fingering the papers briefly. "But it isn't yet your time to discover the truth you so
desperately crave."
"Yeah, I kinda figured that."
"But hey, a man's got to reach out for the truth."
"If it's there, it's there. If it's not, then I've just got to look harder."
"A man does." Igor...agrees? Maybe? The words are there, but there's something to the tone...
Maybe it's simply Tom's imagination.
"In any case, you may leave through the door behind you. Please do not return - you will find yourself unable to enter."
"When the time comes, you will know."
"I'm sure I will."
"Well, it's been nice talking to you, Igor..."
Igor doesn't reply, absorbed in whatever it is he's reading.
Sure enough, there was a door there...
"Have a good day." Click. Open went the door.
And out he was dumped unceremoniously in front of the Twilight Detective Agency.
Blink. How was the sky?
At least he had a few dozen new leads...
Apparently the Velvet Room transcends such simplicity as space and time; the sun hasn't moved since he entered the room.
...And it seemed, still some time to get to the mechanic's! Though...
...He probably shouldn't leave again without a guide.
Lest he get hopelessly lost.
...Again.
He'd turn the knob to that oh-so-familiar door. Let's hope he didn't end up in Halloween town next.
Nope. Just Yukari's front office.
Which is in and of itself strange enough.
True enough. It was a welcome change, though...
So, with yearbook in arm... "Hey, I'm home."
No one is manning the front office.
Well, that was interesting...
What about the basement?
Fuuka is down there, but she's asleep on the table.
Best not to wake her...
Who the hell was around?
Junpei?
Maybe the boss?
Well, it was worth a try to check the office...
Nope. It's still daytime; neither of them are up.
Well.
That was a load of 'goddamnit.'
He could always check across the street, at that bar... Provided he didn't get lost again.
Since nobody was around, that seems his only course of action.
Back to the streets, into the bar...
Akihiko is tending the bar, but it's very empty. He looks up as Tom enters and gives a half-assed wave. "Good morning."
"Hey there. People seem to be missing left and right."
"Don't joke like that, I'll get worried."
He'd set himself on one of the stools, "Heh, sorry. Yeah, Yukari's not at the office. I still need to apologize to her..."
"So how's everything been?"
"Pretty usual."
"Customers and stuff."
"What about you? Any nice leads on any good cases?"
"Yeah..." That conversation went nowhere... "So uh... Do you know if Shinji found anything?"
"Actually, yes."
He'd slide the old yearbook onto the countertop, "I got a little lost, but look at what I found."
Akihiko's eyes grow three sizes that day; wide, super-wide, and !!!!!!-wide. He stares at the yearbook for a moment before crossing his arms and leaning
across the bar. "I never thought...I'd ever see this again."
A sheepish grin- like one worn by a child who just got caught with his hand in the jar, "Yeah. It was pretty interesting. Someone cleaned the school out-
but this old thing was left behind."
"...yeah."
He's just sort of staring at the book.
"I assume this belongs to Ryoji... Or Minato."
"So, I don't mean to pry- so you don't have to answer if you don't want to. But what was this SEES thing? And where might I find the other
members?"
"SEES." Akihiko says after a moment. "...something else I never thought I'd hear again."
"I'm sorry if I'm dredging up unwanted memories, but..." Tom flipped open the page. Souji Seta, "This guy. Is he still around?"
"Not in Vespertine. He and the rest of Team 2 moved away."
"...I see. So I guess it'd be difficult to contact him."
"Sorry."
"It's alright. I'll find a way somehow."
"Not that SEES is something you want to look too closely into..." He looks down at the book again.
"The internet's a powerful thing... Hm? Why's that?"
"SEES was...you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He gives a half-chuckle.
"The things I've seen in this town? I'll believe anything once."
"It has to do with...well." Akihiko pours himself and Tom a pair of drinks.
He'd probably need that...
"...the afterlife."
"The afterlife?"
"Well, that's significantly more believable than hearing about giant shadow creatures emerging from people's subconcious."
Akihiko chuckles.
"I can't tell if you're kidding or not."
"I'm not, actually. Compared to the Requiems, talk of the afterlife is a lot more common. Many major cultures have one belief or another."
"Not like this." He takes a swing from his mug. "Anyway...SEES is the 'Special Exploration and Extermination Society.'"
"It was founded as a 'school thing' as a joke, sort of."
"But it wasn't a joke to us."
"I see... So I take it that this was when Minato's- and Souji's abilities began to manifest?"
Akihiko heaves a sigh. "It's complicated."
"Well..." Tom's eyes glanced at the clock. It was still fairly early, "There's a whole slew of hours in the day, and I've got time
to kill. If you don't mind lending a voice to my ear, that is."
"See...that school...it wasn't. It closed down after a certain incident occured."
"The school was built on a rift."
"A rift?"
"Between this world and a dimension we called ShadowSpace."
Straight out of a comicbook, "I see."
Akihiko snorts. "I know. It was a stupid name. Junpei came up with it."
"I assume that, given the identity of the man who this yearbook was dedicated to, the incident that occured there was the same that scarred Minato- and
all of you."
"...no."
"No?"
"No."
"-Huh.-"
"Well. That's something I didn't expect."
"What happened with Minato and Ryoji wasn't related to the Shadow incident."
"...the school was built on a rift because of a plan to use the kids in the school as bait."
"The owner of the school was attempting to bring forth the Shadows into our world."
"...Shadows?"
"Even more complicated."
"...That's just... Who would use children as bait like that?"
"A very sick man."
"It must have been..."
"Heh...all I cared about was fighting. Getting better. And then that happened."
"...we lost a bunch of friends and classmates to them before SEES managed to shut the door."
"...So they finally came through."
"Anyway..."
"What we found over there was...incredible."
"Hm?"
"It's complicated."
"Heh. I keep saying that."
"It just gets me more and more curious, that's all."
"Yeah, well..."
"Do you think... That gate has anything to do with the Requiems?"
"No."
"Requiems...I've seen them. They're nothing like Shadows."
"Shadows are..." He shakes his head and takes another drink.
"I don't know. But I know they're different. In the pit of my stomach."
Tom takes the first of his- the top of the cup, something to wet the throat, "It's alright. Take your time."
"It's just different."
"...So..."
"These shadows. What are they?"
"They're all over the other world. I don't know what they are, exactly."
"But they seem to be natural to that place."
"I see... So why did this person want to lure them here?"
"He wanted to destroy everything."
"That seems mighty antiproductive."
Akihiko sets his drink down. "He lost his wife. And she got "killed" on the other side, by a Shadow. So...I think he went crazy."
"...I see."
"I don't know. But I can't imagine knowing that Ai or Shinji wouldn't be able to move on."
"What do you mean?"
"As I understand it...the other side is basically a waiting room."
"For the real afterlife."
"So if you die in the 'afterlife'...what happens?"
"A purgator-"
"Yeah."
"What happens if you die in purgatory?"
"...Logic says that, death in the afterlife means Oblivion."
"The two possibilities are oblivion or rebirth."
"I'm not sure exactly what you're getting to, though. Why would they be unable to move on?"
"...They lost someone important, on that other side?"
"No."
"That's what happened to his wife."
"And I can't imagine what that must feel like."
"I see."
"Nothing, I assume."
"I guess knowing that, even in death, you shall be apart from the one you love would drive most people off the deep end.
"That's what I think."
"But...the deaths of students had the school closed down."
"I see..."
"The circumstances are listed as Unknown, but those of us who were in SEES know."
"They were consumed by those Shadows."
"You got it."
"...This is just a guess, but do people who die from those Shadows return to the afterlife?"
"Or do they vanish?"
"I have no idea."
"Curious..."
"Heh. Maybe these Requiems are visitors from Oblivion, then."
"I guess I'll find out someday."
"Who knows?"
"I'd say God, but I doubt any deity is crazy enough to let this happen."
"But I might be wrong. Ryoji- and that Igor guy seem pretty solid proof of SOMETHING out there."
"Igor?"
"And, hey, you wouldn't happen to know of something called the Shadow Syndicate, would you?"
"Yeah..."
"No, sorry. And I don't know who Igor is."
"He said he signed contracts with Souji and Minato a long time ago."
"I don't know anything about that."
"I'd ask the source, but I'm pretty sure he'd bite my head off."
"I doubt it."
"I expect he'd say nothing at all."
"I was being metaphorical..."
"Anyway, if you have any means of contacting Souji..."
"I'd be most appreciative."
"I'll look in the phonebook."
"Thanks for that."
"Oh- and, uh..."
"I was kind of on my way to the mechanics' when I got lost... Anyone around here know how to get to the Bonne's?"
"Heh. Sure, I'll point you in the right direction."
"Thanks again."
"No problem."
The last of the booze is sent hurtling down Tom's throat, a mechanical hand carefully replacing the mug on the countertop. It then retrieves the yearbook,
storing it in an unseen compartment of Tom's jacket, "Thanks for the drink, too."
"Heh. Next time I'll have a steel mug for you."
"Hey, steel's pretty soft. Maybe Titanium's a better fit for this grip."
"Hah. You don't come often enough for me to spend that kinda money on you."
"Yeah, at least I'm not asking for one made of Sakuradite."
"Small favors." He chuckles.
"I guess I'll just have to settle for steel."
With that, he slides off his stool, landing with a distinct clink of metal against the bar floor. "I should probably get over there before it gets too
late."
"Probably a good idea." Akihiko gives him a grin. "But, uh."
"You didn't pay for that."
Tom would stop in his tracks, "Oh- uh..."
A wallet, simple and black, is flushed from one of his pockets, "How much was it again?"