The Darker Side of Life (Crossover RWBY/Persona)

It was a clear, but wet Sunday, the night before had been raining through the night, a certain Bear Faunus had attempted something he knew was stupid, he tried out the Midnight Channel, a rumour from one of his favourite games, Persona 4. He had seen himself, his Shadow, he contacted everyone he knew by snail-mail, hoping that he'd get at least SOMEONE to help him. He had been trying all day until now to figure out why his Shadow was there, in the game Shadows only appeared there once their other half was inside the other world, what's even stranger, there would usually be a TV show being filmed by the Shadow, well... Not "Filmed", but... It's hard to explain... His own shadow merely said "I know you're there, come and get me..." He was looking at the grandfather clock, the arrows were pointing to 12:31 "This just doesn't make any sense..." he said to himself...

Loose breaths would escape into the dampened and darkened atmosphere, creating a small, fog-like puff within a particular reptilian's vision before ascending into the heavens above. Said reptilian had his hands secured well within his pockets as he walked along the streets, glancing around on occasion while searching for a specific address. While doing so, however, he eventually reeled the western extremity from the fabric in which it was contained within, holding his phone within his grasp all the while. Fiddling around with the technological reference, he unlocked the device before averting his gaze down and scanning the text that it had to offer yet again and giving it another read over.

Around the time that he finished reading it, he found himself at the seemingly correct address. Taking a moment to look around the house, he gazed up at one of the windows before releasing another, fog-like huff. As the cloud from his exhale began to drift off, he shook his head while knocking on the door a couple of times.

Pete's bear ears twitched at the sudden sound "Someone came!" thought happily as he quickly got up and opened the door "Corvou! Nice to see ya you old... So-'n'-So... How are you? Come in, we've got a bit to talk about!" he said cheerfully, moving out of the way of the door to let the taller faunus in...

Corvou nodded and chuckled at the sound of the bear's greeting, bowing a bit before complying and stepping within the household. "It's certainly nice to see you, as well," the drake replied with a smirk. Stepping to the side in order to allow the neighboring lad to shut the door after his entry, the silver-eyed man glanced around the building a couple of times before giving a soft sigh and beginning to assess the situation. "I could have guessed as much, considering that you say that what happens within a game seems to have become a reality... ...Somehow..."

Cruc leapt across rooftop after rooftop, her small smartphone in her hand as she darted across the slate. She had received the message earlier in the day, but had been reluctant to act upon it until she was just a tad bit late to decide. So in an effort to make up for lost time she took to the rooftops, her feet barely touching the roofs of the houses as she jumped across. After a few minutes of running, she eventually found Pete's house.

Dropping down to ground level, the assassin slowly smoothed out her rumpled black clothing, and slowly approached the door. Her hair tied up in a ponytail as she knocked on the door. She tried to convince herself that her racing heartbeat was due to the running she had just done and not the fact that she was going to make direct contact with people for the first time in a while.

Pete closed the door before Cruc came, but she knocked immediately after, he opened it again immediately "Oh hey! Cruc, right? Just in time! You're the second person to get here!" he said cheerfully before walking over to the couch and sitting down, leaving the door open for Cruc and whoever else might come...

Cruc nodded before walking into the house, her gaze drawing towards the television in the room as she stood behind the couch. Her hand resting on one of her chakrams as the door closed behind her with an audible 'thud'. "How much longer do we have?" She asked, her form unrelaxed as she awaited the answer.

Pete shrugged "As long as we like, I'm guessing from that you know what's happening here..." he said with a shrug "Let's wait to explain things, see if anyone else comes... Give it, like, half an hour..."

Next to emerge from the outdoors would be Lapis. The small fauna slipped through the door, ears gently twitching nervously until she spotted the familiar face of Corvou, and would gently slide in his direction to ease her social anxiety, gaze lifting from the floor to give a quick scan of each individual. Her anxious manner would be calmed slightly upon discovering Pete was a faunus.

"H-H.......H....Hi."

She choked out the word finally as she still stared down at the floor.

Tama had found the note on the sidewalk when she was walking. She read the note and remembering a certain boy named Pete. She didn't understand the note too well, but she wondered if he was in trouble. The clans member appeared behind the deer fanus. Her kitsune mask tightly on her face as her weapon was behind her strapped on firmly. "I found your note... You okay?"

Pete smiled warmly at the doe girl, noticing her timidness, when Tama came in he turned to face her "Hey Tama, yeah, I'm fine, the question is "why"... Speaking of which I'm bored of waiting already, so let's just get into this. First of all, who here knows about the midnight channel?"

it wouldn't take too long for the drake to walk over to a vacant spot on one of the couches, taking his own seat and making himself comfortable. Leaning back into the cushions behind him, he breathed a quiet sigh and mutter while crossing both his arms and legs. Around the same general time, he looked back up, noticing the new arrivals. Noting the fact that they were both acquaintances from earlier events, he gave them both a small, polite smile while nodding in their direction, saying, "Hello, you two," in a calm and well-mannered tone.

After doing so, Corvou glanced back at Peter from the corner of his eye as the boy gave his inquiry. He lifted one of his hands, raising it a little bit. "I actually happen to. It comes from a game that my friends and I favor deeply," he spoke, gazing at the bear all the while. He lowered his hand, bringing it back into its folded position while sighing. "...I repeat, a game. Do not get me wrong; I am not attempting to judge you or imply that what you are suggesting is impossible, and that you hallucinated in some way. But...the thought does seem rather peculiar to the ear..."

Tama looked at Pete and titled her head tot eh side as she entered the house. "I only came because the note said so. It seemed like you were in trouble." She spoke softly as she sat a little away from Corvou. Tama looked at Pete. "Although it does seem a little strange. Did you have too much to drink at all? Or were you dreaming?" The black haired, tall girl said from where she sat. Her legs crossed over and tucked in. She had untied her weapon and laid it besides her.

Cruccifix crossed her arms and closed her eyes before speaking, her voice careful and calm as the words left her mouth. "Peter isn't the only one whose had this happen to him. I have as well. I just didn't think anything of it until now," She said, her mind backtracking to those few rainy nights when she would wander into the kitchen to get something to eat before glancing at the TV to find... something, staring back at her.

Pete smiled at Cruc "Oh. My. Goddess. I knew I wasn't crazy!!" he said excitedly "Anyways, yeah, that confirms it wasn't a dream or an alcoholic hallucination! The mystery here is this: Why did my shadow appear on the TV... In the game, Shadows appeared AFTER the original person was inside the TV... This doesn't make any sense..."

The fauna's ears swiveled as she gazed amongst the cast, trying to focus her logical thoughts into the situation.

"Well..... Its r-really weird. M-maybe there's a glitch or something??"

She said quietly, focusing her attention on the floor and she knitted her eyebrows from thinking so hard. There was nothing logical to explain it. How could it have happened?

Tama looked at looked at Cruccifix. "So... its no hallucinations. I agree with the spirit animal deer. It could be a glitch. Although there is only one way to find out. Maybe we can watch it again at 12? If that is possible?" Tama asked. "Sorry I never played the game, but I have heard of it." There was a soft ease in her voice as she spoke.

Pete sighed "Yes, because a glitch on my TV somehow gave me a clear image of myself with yellow eyes on a castle in Forever Fall with clear audio meant to mae me come afer him... Myself... And it's a bit of a wait 'til midnight, it's like... 12:37 PM, so.. The easiest way to prove this to you is the thing I should have shown first.." he said before walkin towards his large tv and putting his hand into the screen as if it was water "Check it, I'm like a poultergueist! Woooooo!" he said jokingly "No but seriously, this is as awesome to me as it is confusing..." he said before retracting his hand from the screen "I assume that's proof enough? If not, I got more!" he said to the disbelieving girls...

"I...believe that you have nothing else to prove to us, Peter..." Corvou muttered while continuing to stare at the TV, which, by then, had stopped its rippling image and had gone back to its smooth and solid glass state. He breathed a sigh. "If we were to follow the whole gist of the games, however...now would more than likely be the time in which you would have to face your Shadow. Thou art I, and I am thou, and other things along those lines..." Brushing a hand through his hair, the older man lifted his gaze at last, directing it upon the bear before him. "Truth be told, I have no problem with going in to help you, as it should be no problem so long as you have the ability to enter the TV world. You could act as a sort of portal gateway for all of us, unless some of us-"

The drake cut himself off, digging back into his own memories. Several nights at a time back at the dormitories, he often worked on assignments at his desk well past the darker hours of the day. Every so often, he had noticed some odd behavior with the device, as it would spark and static on occasion. At the time, he simply dismissed it to be shortages, or things of the sort.

"Actually...those who are actually able to see their own Shadow within the TV when the Midnight Channel is broadcasted... They should be connected to the world in some way, no...?" He trailed off for a moment, looking back over to Cruccifix. "Pardon me for requesting this of you, but... To actually make sure that what we just saw was not an illusion of sorts - again, not that I don't believe you, Peter - do you think that you would be able to at least try and do the same thing that Pete did just now...? If what you said earlier is true, then it should theoretically work for you, too."

Cruccifix nodded slowly before walking over to the TV, placing herself between Corvou and Pete as she looked at the device's smooth surface. She tentatively reached a hand up before moving to place it on the screen, finding that her hand went through the surface instead of being stopped by the glass. Her eyes narrowed as she retracted her hand and let it hang by her side. She took a small step backwards before looking at Corvou.

"I take it that is all the proof you need?" She asked, closing her eyes as she began to search for any logical reason that this could be even remotely possible.

Tama saw the mans hand go through the TV. Her eyes widen in wonder as she got closer. The hell? Then looking at Corvou to see where he might be going with this. If he can pull off a magic trick like this then I wonder if we all can? Slightly the female saw Crucifix stick her own hand in there at the same time she stuck her finger in there and then pulled it out. Blinking in a fast motion the clans member, grinned. That was pretty amazing. Do you think we can go through the thing? To much of Tama's dismay she hadn't seen the whole thing. She only understood it partially. Although what will be the purpose of going through it? Has there been any people missing from school and ending up dead? Tama asked as she poked the TV screen sad to see that she couldn't put her finger in it by herself.

Pete shrugged "Well I haven't heard any rumours, no, but if my Shadow wants me to chase him, why leave him waiting? Besides, if I remember right, the different Persona games had different physics to their dark worlds... Can someone confirm that? I've never played Persona 1-through-3 nor have I really researched them..." he said with a shrug "Ours might not be completely the same as 4's whether I remember right or not..."

Corvou shook his head while standing up and approaching the television set. He crouched down in front of it while inspecting the screen, his hands hanging in his lap as he crouched before it. "Seeing as though this whole scenario is a reality, it would only match with the fourth Persona game," he spoke simply. "Persona 4 was the only game within the Persona lineage that involved the whole television and Midnight Channel fiasco, alongside the entire 'true self' scenario. The other games handled matters in other ways." Pausing, he scratched his head before using the same hand that he had done to do so against the glass of the broadcasting device. His eyes closed as he took a mental step back and recalled the things that he had seen within his own dormitory yet again, feeling his own hand slip through the screen all the while. A sigh left his lips as he turned his head and opened his eyes to look at the others from over his shoulder.

"Concerning your inquiries, Tama; yes, we should be able to enter the Television World so long as at least one of us has the power to create the portal." He paused as he reeled his hand back out, gazing at it before curling it into a light fist and dropping it by his flank. "As for the purpose... My guess would be that our Shadow simply wants us to acknowledge our internal feelings. It may be through them acting aggressively to us, or by taunting us endlessly...but, all in all, that is what it should come down to in the end." Standing back to his full height, the crossbreed breathed a low sigh while brushing his clothes down and gazing down at the bear. "Due to the fact that we are all gathered here now - and we all have one another's support with the situation, I assume - we may as well do this now. However, the world within should be equally as dangerous as the Grimm-ridden territories of Remnant. That, alongside the fact that those without the ability to actually enter the world within could still encounter their Shadow, would make this scenario an even riskier one. ...It would be best to keep our guards up, even more so than usual."

The doe twitched her ears as she listened and watched. Phasing through the tv screen seemed to frighten her, but she cautiously did it once on her own, wiggling a finger in before pulling it out as she watched the screen ripple before falling still once more.

"Internal feelings? ...... Why do they want aknowledgement so badly?"

She questioned softly more toward herself as she looked back toward the others, taking deep breaths to help herself keep her calm demeanor.

"Well.... I support you guys all the way, and I hope you support me too. I mean I don't know what you shadows will say about you but I trust you all not to laugh."

Pete looked to Lapis "From what I know of the universe, it's not acknowledgement, it's the exact opposite, 'cause if you deny that they're you, they get really powerful, I don't understand it, last time I played was yesterday and I was right before the part I think stuff gets explained... I think... The mystery is part of the fun of the first playthrough! In my opinion at lea-I'm getting sidetracked, point is: Don't say they're not you, that'll just piss'em off! So, anyone not ready?"