Just a Game (Naoki, Kei, Sayomi)

Kei had been rather surprised when she'd been invited to Yukari's party.  In her experience, parties were usually for cool kids, and Kei was 100% certain she didn't fit that bill... And yet, Yukari had made it a point to include her anyway.  If it had been anyone else, Kei would have suspected them of something -- of maybe pulling a prank, or just taking pity on a loser kid like her.  But this was Yukari, who was kindhearted and good and genuine and would never do anything horrible ever.  As such, Kei had been quick to accept the invitation -- and apparently unlike 99% of the guests, had actually bothered to show up (the nerve of those people!).

Of the two other people who had come, Kei only recognized one -- another first year, though she hadn't known the girls name until she'd introduced herself.  She seemed very nice and friendly, and Kei was hoping to get a chance to talk to her more as the night went on.  Maybe they could be friends!

The other guy -- Ginrou-senpai -- was a little more intimidating.  He had that sort of tough-guy look, that rough around the edges look, and it made Kei just a little nervous... But!  He was friends with Yukari, so he had to be a good guy, right?  Yukari wouldn't be buddies with some douchebag. 

He also seemed just as bored by this movie as Kei was.  She'd glanced over at him a few times during the film, and each time he seemed more and more ready to just fall asleep.  She didn't blame him; the movie was funny at points, but man, those scares were cheap.  Sure, it was supposed to be a parody, but even then -- throw some real horror in there!  Just a little bit would've done well!

...Though, maybe not for Yukari, who seemed to find the movie pretty scary.  Perhaps it was better that they'd watched something a little more tame after all.

When Yukari stood up, so did Kei, eager to get up and move around a bit.  She stretched her legs, which were stiff from sitting for so long in one spot.  As she did, she watched as Naoki crumple up his trash and throw it in the garbage bin, which was sitting a good several feet from him.  Kei straightened up and turned to smile at him, giving him a thumbs up and saying, "Nice throw!"

Then she turned to Yukari, and smiled at her, too.  "I wouldn't have missed your party for anything!"  She declared, grinning like a moron.  She was, however, being 100% serious.  Nothing would have stopped Kei from coming -- not even her mother, who'd needed a lot of convincing that this party wasn't anything unsavoury.  Kei had been worried she'd have to sneak out her window or something, but fortunately, Eri had given permission in the end.  Thank goodness, too, because leaving an eighth-floor apartment through the window was not an easy task.

"Anyway, I think we should play the game first!  Even if nothing comes of it, it'll still be fun," Kei nodded.  Her decision was not in anyway influenced by not wanting to sit through another horror parody, nope, not at all.  "What is this game, anyway?"

Kei had been hoping for a scary game -- something like... Something like the teenager's equivalent to little kids' Bloody Mary (which became much less terrifying when you weren't afraid of the dark).  But the game Yukari explained sounded like a watered down Bloody Mary.  Just hold hands, say a little chant, and see an angel.  An angel.  Those things were the opposite of scary!

...Well.  To Yukari's credit, she had admitted she wasn't good with scary things.  To her, this stuff probably was scary.  Which was kind of funny.  ...Man, did she ever want to tease Yukari about it now.  But Kei wasn't sure they were close enough for that yet, and didn't want to come off as mean or rude... Nor did she want to seem like she was insulting the party Yukari had worked so hard on.  Because she was having fun -- sure the movie had been a bit boring, but she was glad to be hanging out with other people.  Yukari could have made them watch children's shows and Kei still would have shown up.

So instead of teasing Yukari, Kei just smiled at her and said, "Sounds like fun, senpai!  I'm in!"

When Naoki moved to hold one of Yukari's hands, Kei stepped forth to take the other, and held her free hand out to Sayomi.  "Persona, come here!"  She chanted with the others, speaking just a little louder to be heard over the downpour that had outside.

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Notes: Short post is short and Kei doesn't do much.  If there's not enough to go off of, lemme know!

"Huh...?"

"Look, I don't know what just happened, but -- but that wasn't normal."  Kei expressed her surprise in a very eloquent manner. "I didn't see a dress or-- or hear anything about a python or Pyth-whatever but I did not have a good time and I think we should go to the hospital because hearing voices and seeing dresses and whatever the hell else just happened is probably not a good thing.  At all." Python? Was the word Persona?

"... Wow... that was really weird..." It really was. "Pythia... I don't know, what I felt a few seconds ago felt real, but... I don't know. Is this what it feels like to summon a spirit? I thought if we did it right they'd stay longer... hmh. Let's do it again, just to make sure! If that's my guardian angel I have got to get a better look!" Sayomin nodded enthusiastically.

"I agree!" Poor Kei's concerns weren't even on her mind. "Is it coincidence or did the game actually work? I have to find out!!" Sayomi was just too excited despite how undeniably ominous that image of the dress was to her.