[Rio spends most of her time in the Velvet Room once she's conscious again, bandages still wrapped around her neck as proof of her demise.
She's survived all sorts of things, but in the end, she couldn't even survive a month in this place. There's a cruel irony to that, even if she acknowledges that ultimately, the problem stems from her own pride. Her pride in handling herself, in being able to come out on top.
It's inevitable. There's always someone else who's better, someone else who will win one day instead.
At least the fact that she's sulking about this in her room makes her extremely easy to locate.]
[ This is the least 45 can do, even if she isn't cut out for this. She's in her usual Attendant clothes and holds a fresh roll of bandages and an apple. At least time goes slow here.
[ Obviously, it didn't turn out well, but... she wants to believe that Rio has potential to put an end to it if she tried again, since she has the experience now. ]
[ 45 lets out a wad of cash wrapped in a rubber band onto the small table of the room, whichever is closest to Rio. It has some big bills, and the bundle is equivalent to 100k Hirajiro currency. Just straight to business. ]
This isn't down payment.
[ It is. ]
Your total isn't another hundred thousand if you succeed.
[ It is. 45 doesn't look all that happy, trying her best to make it look like she can't believe what's coming out of her own mouth. Being forced to lie sucks when you need to tell the truth. ]
Collecting information shouldn't be all that easy if it's you. He doesn't seem to know that many people.
[ They may be provoking words, but the tone and expression doesn't match at all. ]
My job for you isn't for you to assist Terrence Nowell into accepting his Shadow.
[ It... is... She swears, if Rio doesn't get this, she's going to scream internally. ]
[This is the part where she actually gives 45 a strange look, because that was a super bizarre way to explain all of that. Her gaze drops to the wad of cash only so she can look pointedly back at 45 in her disbelief.]
...You're doing a very bad job of trying to say you're paying me to take care of it.
This isn't the only way I can express myself right now.
[ She sighs. 45 knows this is all ridiculous and it makes her look like an idiot, but what else is she supposed to do... ]
I can get past the second floor because of this. The wall accepts lies.
[ So it's better to pay someone with experience to go, right? Right. Honestly, she can't believe she's the one who's paying someone to do this kind of work for her. That's supposed to be her job... ]
[Well, not like that's anything new. Kiyotaka often sent her to take care of things too, sometimes merely because she was the easiest to call to the site of the request.
She sighs. But she does reach out to take the money.]
Alright. I'll try again. I just need to make him accept that... other version of him?
You probably have the least experience out of the Persona users with this sort of thing.
[ She wouldn't bet on immediate failure. At least Rio tried last time?! And could have succeeded!! ]
And maybe.
[ She's so tired of lying (???), so she just opts for a vague answer instead. She places a smoke grenade on the table too, but it doesn't look like a smoke grenade. Looks more like an explosive, because grenades past 2050 look different. Might be useful. Thankfully this comes with a note, so she puts that alongside the smoke grenade:
"Smoke Grenade: Cuts movement speed in half within the smoke for 4 seconds." ]
[ At that, she smiles her usual smile, but she secretly hopes that it'll go well. One thing about perpetually dying is that even though bodies may come back and such, morale as a group would decrease, and she can't have that. She's already feeling it.
45 gives her a single thumbs-up gesture and walks to leave.
[After checking out the new house, Toki went off to do something or other that he no longer remembers. He's found himself in the woods again, turned around and having no idea where he is. He steps between two trees to head off in a different direction, and there he is. This man he hasn't seen before, though he looks very familiar.]
[ 45 was on her way back to the castle through the forest, but then she got lost... She's been wearing a frown on her face, until she hears Toki and turns around with a smile. Even if she looks like a dude, the eye scar around her left eye is still there. Her voice is a bit lower. ]
[ Neither does 45 in either appearance, but whatever. She's giving up because apparently some of her functions aren't working. There's nothing she can do about that right now. ]
Then camp with me. It'll be the raw outdoors without a tent.
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