(no subject)
Souji approached the apartment where Naoto lived during her stay in Inaba, apprehension and a pain deep inside him. He had finally settled down from his overwhelming apathy and anger from the kidnapping. Nanako was still in the hospital being checked over, but she was going to be coming home tomorrow. For now the group was still working through her dungeon, attempting to reach Namatame.
But Naoto's condition was deteriorating rapidly, though she relented to being on the team, she backed off from them at the same time. When they met up to discuss the dungeon or anything in general, she said nothing. Unless it involved the case she would speak, giving her account of events, only to fall silent again. Her Shadow had said that Naoto admired the cool confident men in detective fictions, to that end. Souji had tried to be just want Naoto admired. But what he never realized was that she was leaving their reality, facing other versions of him.
If all the people she bonded to in that Mall were adults, then why would she want a bunch of teenagers as friends? If the same situation was rising up in every reality with only slight differences, then shouldn't the group still be the same? He didn't know the foundation of her feelings towards the team. Clearly she accepted Teddie out of hand due to the mall. But what was causing her intense rejection of the rest of the team?
Worst yet, was the apparent demise of her idea of having friends. She had been made to believe that she had friends, then that Michael person tore it apart. If she believed those she called her friends really hated her...
He knocked on the door, waiting patiently for her to open it. She had to be home, she had no where else to go anymore. "Naoto-kun? It's me, Seta."
He waited as he heard the locks slide out of place, only to stop when the door opened. It wasn't Naoto standing there, it was Jack. Jack Frost in all his winter land glory and Souji was pretty sure that he didn't share persona and that persona could not be manifested in the real world.
"Hi ho."
"Jack?" Souji finally was able to speak, but even then he felt like he was floundering.
"Yes? You're Seta-ho right? You coming in?"
"I'm not a ho..." he replied automatically, even as he followed the Fairy into the apartment.
"I didn't say hee were," Jack replied casually.
Souji taking off his shoes even as he countered with a, "you just called me 'Seta-ho'."
"I hee not," Jack answered with a growing frown on his normally happy face.
"Yes, you did!" Souji argued his voice getting louder.
"Sheeeee you're going to wake Naoho up!" Jack put a finger before his lips in a 'shush' manner.
"Now you're calling Naoto-kun a ho? And why is she even still asleep?" Souji demanded. Yet Jack developed this look on his generally pleasant expressive face.
It read 'you are an idiot' and it wasn't fading away. "Ho just talk this way. What's wrong with that?"
"My Jack doesn't talk like that..." Souji floundered, all he had come to do was have a heart to heart with Naoto... This was not something he was prepared for.
"You have a demon partner hoo?" Jack looked surprised as his annoyed expression shifted.
Souji shook his head, "no, I have a persona."
"Like Yamaho, Naoto's Persona?" Jack asked pointing to his head as he said 'persona'.
"Yeah, like that," so it was a tic he had apparently. Souji shook his head as he looked around the apartment. "Why would Naoto-kun still be asleep?"
"She took me out again last night ho. So that I can enjoy the outside winter," Jack explained easily. But just a few hours shouldn't have been this exhausting could it?
"Jack?" Souji turned at the sound of the voice, as Naoto walked into view. She saw Souji then, and he was surprised at how she appeared. "You couldn't have called?" she was quietly escorting Jack Frost out of the room. No animosity in her voice as she spoke to either himself or the demon. Not much of anything anymore...
"I wanted to see you, in person... I talked to Satake-san, and Shura... I want to try to fix this..."
He watched her freeze at the mention of their names, before turning around to face him again. "You... you've been..."
"Not to this Mall you've been at, rather they came through a door here. They were worried about you, and with what I know now. I'm even more worried," he answered walking over. "All I ask is that you listen to me, and only me. Don't judge me for what some alternate reality version of myself has done. Look only at me please?"
"Let me send Jack back, I'll turn the heat on, so he can't be here. I don't want him to melt," she replied before slipping away. When she returned, she was dressed down from her normal prim and proper attire. Though in dressing down, she pulled it off in such a way as to make him take notice more. The feminine curves of her body and the gentle shape she clearly had.
And they wondered why he wanted to see her on stage.
"Here, you can have a seat here," she directed quietly.