A New World Fool (Rei no Kaado)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Takahashi blinked as he saw the figure approaching. It sure as hell wasn't a demon, wasn't creepy enough for that, hell, it looked almost adorable. It was a walking bear costume. And judging by its voice, that blond-haired kid was probably inside. Funny, Takahashi never would have guessed that the kid was into things like that.

"What's with the costume, kid?" Takahashi asked. It had to be a costume, there was a giant zipper around the "bear's" head. He was starting to wonder how the kid had gotten in here. Had he been pushed in too?

Takahashi was thinking no. Adachi had said that a lot of Seta's group could use Personas too. And Persona users were the only ones who could enter the TVs like that. So it was possible the bear had entered here intentionally. But why?

"...By the way... you wouldn't happen to know the way out of here, would ya, kid?" Takahashi asked.

[mugenginga]

"You know who I am? Wow! I mean," Teddie paused and shook his head, which meant his entire upper body. Now wasn't the time for this, they didn't have much time, he could talk after he got them out, "Yeah, and we have to hurry! The Shadows'll attack soon, I think its going to rain soon!"

Teddie looked around nervous. He'd wanted to leave before, but then he'd been snuck up on. Lucius narrowed his eyes at Teddie. The Shadow seemed nervous. Had he felt he could risk it, he would have smirked. If the Shadow wasn't part of a group of other Persona users, he might have. But he didn't need the story being told in a way to implicate him more than it probably already would. After all, the Shadow probably knew it was a Persona it didn't know that had attacked him. However, it didn't seem to realize he was the one who had attacked him. He let an annoyed look cross his face.

"Hey, if you know the way out hurry up and make it! My head feels ready to split in two!"

Teddie looked back, "Do you two know who pushed you in here...?"

He was positive they had enough time for that question to be asked. After all, Teddie was a Shadow himself, and while he had more "control" than his brethren, he could sense the agitation just fine. He wasn't that great with estimates of time on the Other Side, but he was sure they had at least an hour. He could make the exit right here, but there was time to ask questions. Although that one blond was complaining about a headache... Teddie glanced at Takahashi. The man was rubbing his head too...

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Takahashi couldn't get over how weird that costume was. It was still so very obviously a costume, but the mouth looked like it should have been moving with the kid's words. Of course, it wasn't, and for some reason that added a bit of a creepy effect. Stupid costumes.

He was rubbing his head a bit more when the bear asked who had pushed him in. Takahashi scowled.

"It was that bastard, Adachi! I was showing him this security tape that showed that kid he took in poisoning some kids, and he pushed me in!" Takahashi yelled. "...In fact, he was saying something about the kid before he pushed me in, too. About how this Anpu guy was gonna take the kid away if he didn't get rid of me. So I've been looking into the case a bit. Wasn't any reason to try to kill me."

Takahashi rubbed his head again. His head was killing him. And what were these Shadow the kid was talking about? There were only demons down here... right?

[mugenginga]

"Adachi-baby...." Teddie growled, missing most of the rest of what Takahashi said.

Lucius raised an eyebrow and winced. Just an action like that caused a headache. If he was going to keep any semblance of this form he was going to be brought to his knees soon. He heard Takahashi let out a small sound. The man didn't seem aware of it, but he could echo the sentiments as he was.

"Just get... us out of here," Lucius said in a low voice not unlike a growl.

Teddie's eyes seemed to widen in surprise. Which, considering the costume, was weirder than his mouth not moving. To those that didn't know the specifics of Teddie's "costume", it was a sign of some impressive mechanics. And a bit of hamming it up. Who made their costume react to their own surprise. He then nodded, that whole body moving nod of his and took a few steps back. He stepped over a body part until he was sure there was a large enough clear space.

Out of nowhere there was a puff of smoke. The fog receeded a bit back from it. As the smoke cleared a pile of large screened television sets stood there. Lucius blinked in surprise, able to see the television for its closeness and the slight recession of fog. Okay, he'd known that people had gotten out of here before, but really? That was a gag like he'd pull.

The screens gave off light that cut a bit throught he fog. Takahashi would see the office he had taken Adachi into on the screen, although all the lights were off indicating late at night. Teddie hadn't really picked the location they'd come out with, but whatever power allowed him to make an exit had keyed onto Takahashi more easily. Had the bear been asked to explain it, he might have stumbled through the fact that Takahashi was closer or that it was probably his world they were in. He waddled forward and gestured to the screen.

"You can use that! Just climb in! Hurry up, I really don't know how much time we have left, but its close!" Teddie said.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Takahashi raised an eyebrow as the costume's eyes widened. Damn, what kind of person made a costume that reacted to their own surprise? That was one insane costume. This kid probably had no life.

He jumped back a couple steps as the giant TVs landed in front of him. TVs. Of course. A TV was the portal into this crazy messed up Hinamizawa, so of course it was the way out. He could tell some time had passed, though. The TV screens showed the room he had been in. Someone had turned out the lights. It had to be getting late... probably weren't too many people around the station. Damn, he'd really lost track of time.

Takahashi didn't question Teddie's order to hurry into the TVs, and covered his head with his arms before diving into the bottom TV.

Takahashi rolled out of the TV screen in the real world into a dark room, lit only by the black and white ripples coming from the TV screen. He shook his head, and tried standing up, only to fall back down again. He felt absolutely exhausted.

"...Adachi, when I get my hands on you, I'm gonna kill you," Takahashi growled.

[mugenginga]

Lucius watched Takahashi dive into the television. Well, the man got around to accept oddness quickly. He realized Teddie was looking at him, but Lucius was smart enough to not react. The Shadow was just concerned about the time. Lucius walked forward and stuck his hand into the television. As expected, little to nothing in the way of resistance. He was more graceful about climbing into the television. Teddie let out a sigh of relief as Lucius vanished and headed in himself.

Lucius landed with quite a bit in the way of control. His ankle tried to give out from him and he was forced to catch a table to keep from faceplanting, but he hadn't crashed out the way Takahashi had. He saw Takahashi as he was growling to himself and realized he wasn't in much better condition. He kept himself standing with his hand on the table, but felt the need to sit. He was in better condition than Takahashi despite his from merely because it hadn't been his world.

When Teddie came out, still in his mascot form, Lucius did fall. His teeth clacked together as he hit the ground and Teddie looked at the two. Was this where Takahashi had been pushed in at? He looked around and realized it was not an unfamiliar type of place. Right, He looked annoyed, again with the odd reactions of his suit. Adachi had become a police officer again, probably because this world didn't know about what he'd done.

"Are you two alright?"

"Hey, old man..." Lucius began trying to get to his feet, "Where the hell are we?"

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Takahashi growled to himself and tried to come to his feet again, using the same table Lucius had been using to hold himself up to come to his feet. These old legs (old... he was only in his fourties; what was he doing calling himself "old?") felt like they were going to give out on him again. Damn, was this the effect that stupid fog had on him? It was a good thing they'd gotten out, though. Takahashi didn't want to deal with any stupid demons.

"I'm fine, kid," Takahashi said to Teddie. He turned toward Lucius as the other blond-haired kid in the room spoke. "It's an office at the Void City Police Station... this is the room where Adachi pushed me in..."

He managed to make it over to where the light switch was and flip it on, wincing at the sudden light. Damn, the lights in here were bright. Or maybe it was just because of how dark the office had been before. Even still, his head was hurting even more now. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked down at a wastebasket. Empty. Which was odd. The trash bags had just been changed before he called Adachi into this room.

Adachi must have changed this one. Which meant there had to be something that had been in them that wasn't there now.

"Hey! One of you two, check the VCR and see if there's anything in it!" Takahashi yelled, and his hand went to his head. Back to the headache, it seemed.

[mugenginga]

Teddie winced a bit at the light. Lucius hissed and almost fell from the force he blocked his eyes with. Okay, seriously, he was not doing that again. If he felt the need to bo back into that world again, he'd maintain his ability to see as well as the Shadow could. Were Persona users supposed to... well, he wasn't exactly a Persona user, no matter how well his powers masked themselves. The power was less a part of his psyche and more a power of his soul. Well, as much as he had one. He would have smirked if he wasn't in such massive pain. His true race didn't have souls. He managed to work his way over to a seat in time for Takahashi to yell again.

"Stop yelling old man!" Lucius winced, thankful he'd braced for his own yell. He hoped it hurt Takahashi's head as much as the man's yell had hurt his.

Teddie looked over to the device Takahashi had indicated and blinked. He knew what a VCR was, more or less, but it didn't mean he knew how to use one. Back in Inaba, he'd had to be taught the most basic of functions on a cellphone, after all. His mitts weren't eactly useful for fine work either, and the buttons looked small. Lucius noticed Teddie's expression and almost facepalmed. he got up and pushed back the flap on the VCR, moving his fingers around inside. He looked back at Takahashi.

"Only thing in there is wiring and crap. No tapes," Lucius smirked, "Don't tell me you lost evidence?"

Even in exhausted pain, Lucius found himself unable to pass up a taunt.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Takahashi winced as Lucius yelled at him to stop yelling. Maybe if the kid stopped yelling first, he'd stop yelling. They probably didn't need to be yelling this loud, but Takahashi couldn't help it. He was exhausted and pissed off.

Since the kid in the bear costume obviously didn't know how to check a VCR (stupid generation gap), Lucius had checked it. And the VCR had been empty. And then the stupid kid had asked him if he'd lost evidence. No, not asked. Taunted him about it. Takahashi scowled.

"I didn't lose it. Adachi must have taken the tape after he pushed me in," Takahashi said. He continued rubbing his head. He felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to his skull. He opened the door to the office, and on the other side was sweet darkness. Wasn't someone supposed to be on duty at night?

"Alright, we're all out of the other side. You kids skedaddle and get some sleep. I know I need it," Takahashi said. He could do something about Adachi the next day. Adachi was gonna get hell for this.

[mugenginga]

"You let him push you into the TV, didn't you. How's that not your fault?" Lucius glanced at the Shadow as it looked at him a mixture of surprise and upset, "You know what, nevermind. I could do with some rest. See ya, old man."

Teddie frowned at Lucius as he walked out. He was kind of like how he heard people talk about Kanji. Not how Kanji really was, of course, but the rumors he'd heard now and then surrounding him. He waddled towards the door, having to walk sideways to get past the table due to his girth. He stopped at the door and looked towards Takahashi.

"Hey, did you actually face your Shadow...?"

It seemed odd, considering the evidence, that Takahashi was in such good condition. He had to have been pushed in during the day, and with the rain coming soon it seemed unlikely he wouldn't have. But no one could face their Shadow on their own. The only possible way was if Takahashi had accepted it outright, and that never happened. It was possible the teenager had saved him. Maybe he could use Persona? It was also strange for two people to just run into each other like that. Lucius had never answered about how he got into the TV World, and the only way he could have arrived right at Takahashi's world was if he'd been pushed in through the same television. So...?

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Takahashi glared at Lucius as the boy finally left the room. He hadn't been expecting to get pushed in. Hell, had he had the chance, he probably would have pushed Adachi in instead. But Adachi had managed to catch him by surprise, and push him in. Takahashi had trusted Adachi. Adachi had seemed genuinely repentant; he'd been working just as hard as everyone else to catch the various murderers on this stupid island, including whoever had been pushing people in the TV. And then he'd turned around and pushed his own boss into it.

He'd watched the kid in the bear suit waddle toward the door, and then blinked as the kid turned back toward him. "Shadow"? Adachi had used that term before. People got killed by their Shadows if they were in the TV World when the fog came on this side. That had to be what Adachi had been planning, then. There was supposed to be a storm that night. Oh, hell with the "supposed to" part; he could hear the rain from inside this small office. It was practically pouring outside.

"I'm still alive, ain't I? 'Course not," Takahashi said. He didn't even want to think what his Shadow might be like. That was a terrifying thought.

[mugenginga]

Teddie looked concerned. His "costume" really was versatile in that sense. He looked in thought for a moment and then gave a silly grin. He nodded and seemed to pick up with energy.

"Make sure you get some rest! The Other Side is hard on people!"

Before Takahashi could respond he had spun around on one foot and had run out of the building. He had to find Souji. He didn't know how long it had been, but he was sure his friends were worried about him. He was concerned about Souji the most. He wanted to tell them about that odd room, too. It was more than possible there was another threat running around that none of them knew about.

Lucius found himself sneezing as he turned the corner into some alleys. He wanted to get out of this rain.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Takahashi waved to Teddie as he left. Yeah, get some rest. Place was hard on people. That would explain why his head felt like it was splitting in half the whole time he'd been in that place. He would have been demon food if it hadn't been for that bear. Kid, whatever.

Thing was, Takahashi was feeling too exhausted to go much further from here. It was like a wave of exhaustion had finally hit him now that those other two weren't there. Aw, hell with it. It was raining outside; he wasn't going after Adachi at this time of night when it was raining out and he was half dead from exhaustion. They'd find him in the morning, anyways.

Takahashi pulled up a chair at the table in the room and sat down in it before laying his head down on his arms and falling asleep.