harmonize_rpg | Training Exercise #2

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Training Exercise #2

Who: Persona-users (optional), ensemble NPC cast
Where: The other world.
When: Thursday, April 27th, "critical thinking" class time.
What: Practice makes perfect?

There was little fanfare before this exercise. In a follow-up email, Yachiyo had instructed those who'd responded to the invitation to meet in the hall; once they'd gathered, she'd brought them to the lab.

From there, they were ushered more or less straight into the portal, after a cursory explanation for the newcomers. The landscape that greeted them was nearly unchanged -- same ominous red sky, same too-bright grass, same pile of equipment, no bizarrely-shaped targets.

Araragi, Komatani, Takaoka, and Suwa were the ones accompanying them today, and while the latter two busied themselves with the machinery, fiddling with some settings and picking up a few portable items, the former surveyed the horizon, down the somehow out-of-place path.

"Live-fire exercises today, kids," Komatani said by way of explanation, voice made oddly hollow by her suit's visor. "We set up a perimeter around this spot, but they're not far off." She paused, half-turning back to look at them. "Imaizumi-kun, you should be picking something up, off thataway." She punctuated the comment with a point down the path.

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Chloe nodded silently as she was instructed towards the lab. They didn't really have to ask considering they pretty much owned them now. No way they would unsink the hooks they had in the shinmen kids, so asking was a bit arbitrary at this point. With her usually grim expression, the giant of a girl stopped in front of Suwa. She wasn't sure what these scans would reveal, and inwardly she was afraid they would show what she thought was wrong. That she was inept. That she couldn't handle it. That she was doing something wrong. She was positive she had messed this up somehow.

Suwa wasn't that small, but Chloe still had a good several inches on her. Suwa had to tilt her head back a little to speak to her. "This shouldn't take long -- it's not much more involved than the physical exam from the entrance test. Just have a seat, and try to relax as best you can." Even with Chloe, she was reasonably good at sounding reassuring.

She sure was going out of her way to make her feel like the whole of the country didn't hate her. She wasn't sure how much it was working, but she politely nodded and took a seat as instructed. The burning in her chest was still there, but she was getting better at ignoring it now. She had noticed that in times of stress, the burning became worse... but that was the only thing she had noticed. The German took a deep breath through her nose, and exhaled slowly through her mouth. Calm... she could do that. Right...?

It was, indeed, none too complicated to start out.

While Ishichi took measurements -- heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, the basics -- Suwa peppered Chloe with questions. Had she been experiencing any pain or strain recently? Any mental stress? Of course, some was to be expected, but besides that. Any physical pain? If so, how intense, and for how long? Under what circumstances?

Meanwhile, once Ishichi had finished her basic measuring, she fiddled with an odd-looking handheld scanner, by all accounts completely absorbed in her own task.

Edited 2013-10-14 00:23 (UTC)

To her credit, the German answered the questions as truthfully as she could with as few words as possible. Pain or strain recently? Yes. Any mental stress? Yes. Physical pain? Yes. How intense and for how long? Mostly a quiet ache, sometimes a searing pain. Under what circumstances? Emotional stress and physical stress cause it to sear.

When she had finished answering the questions, her gaze turned towards the scanner. She said nothing, but her icy gaze never left the device. Just what was it, and what were they hoping to find out? The German already knew the answer; there had to have been a mistake. Clearly she was failing miserably at this whole "shinmen" thing. Would they take her off 'active duty' like they did to Miyume? These thoughts aggravated her slightly, and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she became lost in her own thoughts.

Suwa seemed a little surprised by Chloe's general cooperativeness, but was clearly pleased as well -- or at least relieved. The answers themselves, however, made her purse her lips with concern.

Ishichi met Suwa's eyes and lifted the scanner slightly, shaking her head. "Inconclusive. But we have a baseline."

She locked her flat gaze onto Chloe's, then. "Please summon the shinmen. We just need to take a few readings."

Inconclusive. What was the point of all this high tech machinery if it couldn't determine anything? Though she thought these things, not a word of it passed her lips. Instead, her cool gaze refused to flicker as the other stared at her. With a small nod, Chloe stood back from them slightly. After all, Garmr was a big guy...

"Garmr."

She said calmly as the blade flickered to life and plunged into her chest. As she had expected, the pain hadn't lessened any. She couldn't tell if it hurt more because it was just a sea of white hot agony. One of Chloe's knees buckled slightly and her breathe caught in her chest, the looming figure of the demonic beast of a dog rising in front of her to stand at attention. The hound's image flickered as last time, and Chloe was having a bit of trouble getting her breath back.

The light of the scanner played across Ishichi's face while Suwa stood back, eyes full of concern. It didn't take long for the nurse to nod and wave her hand vaguely.

"You can dismiss it now." She moved over to Suwa, and the pair had a quiet conversation over the scanner in which the word "irregularities" popped up a few times. After it was done, though, it was Suwa who went to deliver the results.

"We don't know the precise problem, but it's nothing that'll require keeping you from duty. Of course, we can excuse you if you need it, but it's up to you." She paused briefly. "But I would like to schedule an appointment for you with Sekimiya-san. She'll get in touch with you to make the arrangements."

The towering form of the hellish beast circled around Chloe for a moment, ducking down and butting his nose against her arm. the German's hand gently rested upon the nape of his neck for support. the flames that were apparent there didn't burn her hand at all, but it looked quite bizarre. When she was told it was alright to dismiss the shinmen, Chloe nodded weakly, locking eyes with her summoned guardian. She patted him once on the head before he let out a bark, disappearing back through the ground from whence he came.

Chloe did her best to straighten up once more, but her shoulders sagged a bit and her breathing was a bit laboured. She would be fine in a bit, she reasoned with herself. She just had to push through it. The possibility of being excused came up, and Chloe was almost confused. Just like that, they would let her go? After they had gone through all that just to get her here? It didn't really make sense... but even if she was excused, then what? She couldn't leave, not with what she knew. They would definitely keep tabs on her, she would be a loose thread just waiting to be snipped. Her thoughts turned to Miyume.... was that what they were doing with her? Unbidden, a warm, protective anger rose up. It was different from the usual anger she felt. It wasn't white hot and all-consuming. Why was that? Regardless, she would have to speak to Miyume about it next chance she got, perhaps when she delivered the girl's lunch.

"No." The German said in her low, even tone. "I can continue."

It was the last part that made her eyes narrow ever so slightly. Sekimiya-san? Wasn't that...? She didn't need a head doctor. Her mind was not a place anyone should go. It was off limits.

"Why?"

It was a simple question, one that would probably be met with a good amount of irritation. Yet the more she knew, the better she could come to a conclusion about what was wrong by herself. That was always how she solved things. By herself.

Suwa paused for a moment, not surprised by the question, but clearly considering how best to answer it.

"The shinmen are linked to the mind in ways we don't completely understand yet." She sounded almost apologetic as she said it. "There's nothing physically wrong with you -- not as far as we can tell -- so I think it's best for you to see someone who has a better chance of being able to help."

So. She had brain problems, was that it? That's definitely what it sounded like they were trying to say. Anger boiled in the pit of her stomach, but she managed to quell it after looking at the expression Suwa wore. There seemed to be no malice directed towards her... she couldn't justify being angry at her.

"...alright."

She had given in faster than she usually would have. The German didn't want to argue with Suwa. Mostly because she was tired, but also because she didn't want to upset the only staffer to show her any amount of kindness.

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Training Exercise #2

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