memori3s: (97)
minato arisato ([personal profile] memori3s) wrote in [community profile] expiationlogs2024-06-07 08:45 pm

dear fellow traveler under the moon

Who: Minato & You!
Where: All around Aldrip
What: Catch-all for the month with open prompts, maybe some closed starters too
Warnings: Injury, suicidal ideation, asphyxiation, updated as needed.

i. ball is life

[ City Hall's gardens have quickly become a spot that Minato frequented. He's often here in the early evenings, accompanied by Koromaru. It's an ideal place for the dog to stretch his legs. Aldrip doesn't appear to have any leash laws. Ergo, Koromaru roams free as Minato sits by himself on a bench.

The shiba inu trots about with a red ball in his mouth, tail held high with a pleased look on his face. He circles back to Minato who's seated on his usual bench today. Typically, Minato observes as Koromaru entertains himself, racing around the greenspace or flinging whatever toy he's brought with him that day.

Today though, Koromaru stands in front of Minato and presents the ball to him, tail wagging enthusiastically.

You WILL throw ball, Minato Arisato. Ball is LIFE. ]


ii. gardening

[ Visiting the farmhouse is a recent addition to Minato's daily routine. He greets the animals there even though he's technically not at the farmhouse to see them. He can't help but offer a friendly headpat or snoutpat to the ones that are bold enough to approach.

There's an empty field of soil just outside the farmhouse. Kotone's offered it to him, leaving Minato free to use it for his new project. He's there today wearing comfortable work clothes, kneeling in the dirt with a hand hoe to carefully loosen the soil.

It began with an off-the-cuff response, an answer to a question that's always been difficult for Minato to grapple with.

"Is there anything you've always wanted to try, but never have?" Kotone had asked as they walked side by side through City Center, a bag of peanuts in his hand that she'd pressed into his palm.

And even before that, there'd been Sha-Ming with earnest anger flaring in his eyes as he declared that all creatures should have dreams, desires, and things they wanted to do while clinging stubbornly to life.

He's not used to contemplating all the things he'd like to try, things he never got the opportunity to do. He's here now though, thanks to the response he'd given to Kotone's question. Minato decides this answer is satisfactory as he continues loosening the soil to prepare it for some seedlings.

There's some soil streaked on a cheek, and his elbows have some dirt on them too. He's content though, quietly working on his task. ]


iii. i am thou, thou art i

[ The mild breeze leaves delicate ripples along the oceanwater's surface. The shore's salty air fills Minato's lungs, clearing his mind and easing any troublesome thoughts that plague him as of late.

It's why he finds himself at the beach again today, shoes removed and socks tucked neatly in them. The sand is warm and silky under his feet, offering him something to focus on other than how, lately, his mind continuously strays to a ruined moonlit bridge.

Something brushes against his foot and disturbs his train of thought. It shifts his gaze from the horizon to the floor. There's a crab scuttling across his feet; it pauses in between them, freezing when it senses someone's attention focused on it. Then it's moving again, faster, making a beeline towards the water.

He takes a step forward to follow the trail left by the little crab. He doesn't get very far, interrupted by a sudden, agonizing pain in his head. He folds over with a gasp, pressing a hand against his forehead. He does not see the towering shadow taking shape from behind, unaware of its presence until a white-gloved hand grips his shoulder.

The creature shoves him down. He collapses like a marionette cut from its strings. And as he looks up to identify his assailant, he swiftly realizes there is nothing to truly fear. He immediately recognizes that metal mask. It's why he doesn't struggle against the hand holding him down, merely gazing back at the familiar Persona: Thanatos.

The Persona unsheathes its sword and releases an earsplitting wail, driving the weapon's sharpened tip through Minato's shoulder. But Minato makes no noise, even as it cuts through flesh and blood pools beneath him. There's no need to be afraid. After all, Thanatos must be here simply to remind him that, out of everything in the world, Death is the sole certainty. ]


iv. wildcard

[ Let me know if you're interested in a starter! You can send a private plurk to me at [plurk.com profile] alaudarum or hmu in the Discord! ]
orphne: (Kotone 214)

[personal profile] orphne 2024-06-30 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
I don't, either.

[She takes the manju, but just holds it in her hands, for once not hungry enough to want to eat it. Her brow furrows in visible conflict as she stares down at it, her teeth worrying at her lower lip as she shakes her head. The aftermath of Moonlight Bridge, finding Aigis broken and in pieces and Ryoji looking like he had... her heart twists and hammers painfully in her chest as she shakes her head.]

If he finds out, he'll leave again. 'Cause he won't want to hurt us. I looked everywhere for him all December, but he wasn't anywhere. He must have been really lonely, right? I don't want him to go through that again.

[And maybe it's childish to hope that he'll never remember, especially when she knows how much his missing memories upset him, but... she's already lost Ryoji so many times. Is it wrong to want to hold him close for as long as she can?]
orphne: (Kotone 52)

[personal profile] orphne 2024-07-07 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[She glances sharply over at him, brows furrowed with annoyance that his mouth is full. It's the same thing she usually does, and she never realized how infuriating it can be to have to wait for someone to continue speaking.]

How can you be sure? [She starts to squeeze her hands into fists, remembers the manju when it starts to squish between her fingers, and forces herself to relax. Pressing her lips tightly together, she shakes her head again.] He and I were really close last time, and he still just... left.

He said his time as Ryoji Mochizuki was really important to him. I don't want to take that away from him.