[video]

[darkhourdear]

Hey guys! I have a question!

[Phillip holds up a thin red folder, opening it to reveal a piece of paper inside. The only word visible is the one at the top, which is a.) in Japanese and b.) for those who can read it, simply says 'contract.']

I got this thing, and, um... I can't read it, but it was in an Echo so I'm pretty sure it's a contract. But mom's a lawyer and all the contracts she has are super long and this is only like a page. Is that a thing? I mean, I guess it is, since I have one, but... yeah.

Um. Can anyone tell me what it actually says? The Echo pretty much just said that it meant 'you'd accept full responsibility for your actions.' Which is super vague.

...I'm pretty sure this is kind of contract my mom hates.

[ooc: For those who would want to read it... the contract is super vague and pretty much just says that the signer will take responsibility for their choices and the consequences.]

Comments

[Video]

[chalicejoker]

[Hajime leans in with a bit of interest.]

I can read Japanese. It definitely seems to be a contract, at least if the page is labeled accurately.

[Video]

[darkhourdear]

Oh! Ok! [Phillip... pushes the paper towards the camera (???) until it's pretty much pressed up against it and his voice can only be heard off screen.] Does that work?

[Video]

[chalicejoker]

Yeah, I can see it now.

[There's a pause as he scans the contract.]

It's pretty vague. Just says that whoever signs it is going to take responsibility for their choices, that sort of thing.

[Video]

[darkhourdear]

That's stupid. [When Phillip pulls back he's pouting a little.] Thanks for reading it though.

[Video]

[chalicejoker]

No problem.

[And there's a smile.]

So what did you think it was going to be a contract for?

[Since the kid seems disappointed and all.]

[Video]

[darkhourdear]

I didn't know. I just sort... hoped it would have actually had something. I don't really know what it's for.

[Video]

[chalicejoker]

Yeah, it's pretty vague...maybe it'll all make sense with another pulse.

At least you didn't wind up with any weird real estate. That's some kind of plus, right?

[This is not the best attempt at humor Hajime's ever made to cheer up a kid, but he is trying.]

audio;

[pheromonecoffee]

[Forgive Matt for mumbling a little. His head hurts.]

It's mine. [Maybe not. Maybe the girl Phillip keeps talking about, but-- He's trying to keep his breath even. No panic.] It says he'd accept full responsibility for his actions.

[Nope nope nope nope he did not want to piece this together. Not when he's alone at home and he doesn't want to face anybody about it because this... this has come to scare him.]

Something about time... You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes...

audio;

[darkhourdear]

[...oh. um. Phillip didn't think this one was that bad. It was creepy, sure, but... did it mean more to Matt than it did to him...?]

Matt...? Are you ok? [no that's a stupid question.]

I'm sorry, I didn't think this one would be anything really bad.

audio;

[pheromonecoffee]

I'm fine. Perfect. [How's Phillip supposed to know what's going through his head. He steadies himself as best as he can, though he's got that pit in his stomach again.]

It's not bad. Just... I didn't expect it.

audio;

[darkhourdear]

[Phillip's not sure how much he believes it, but... Matt's really strong so he will be ok, right?]

Ok... d'you wanna play with Gloria or something? [because this is the only way Phillip really knows how to cheer Matt up, with the way they kind of keep avoiding the big conversations.]

Re: audio;

[pheromonecoffee]

Thanks, but I'm stuck at home. [It's an excuse to get Phillip not to see him like this, too.] Studying for finals. I don't want to lose my GPA at the end...

audio;

[darkhourdear]

Oh... ok. [It's a reasonable excuse, and aside from the context of the conversation Phillip has no reason to doubt him.] ...Is that going ok?

video;

[orangehoodie]

Super creepy, too.

video;

[darkhourdear]

I think all my Echos are super creepy. Or most of them.

video;

[orangehoodie]

What are you going to do with it?

[Memories of creatures like Nyx, like Erebus, of Minato Arisato's fate as the Seal and the falling of his past self's mother and Shinjiro Aragaki have only caused Ken to become extremely fearful of death. Not of his own, but of people around him. He would get in the way of anything that could cause someone to dis on him again, and of them, Matt is highest on the list. Minato's fate was sealed from the beginning, and it was because of Persona and Shadows and the Dark Hour, and of all the things related to that life--]

Seriously. You're not going to give it to anyone, are you? It can be dangerous.

video;

[darkhourdear]

[In contrast, Phillip's become rather numb to the idea, and it's only after having it pointed out to him that he would miss people who died that he's begun to understand why there's an issue in the first place. But he would agree with Ken on the issue of Matt- there is no way Phillip's going to let what happened to him before happen again.]

No, I wasn't. I just wanted to know what it said.

video;

[orangehoodie]

[He's silent for a long time. Seconds. Maybe the video muted? But-- there we go. He speaks. His voice is low, quiet, and doesn't say much. Just]

... Keep it away from him.

video;

[darkhourdear]

You mean Matt? [well... who else would it be? If it helps, Phillip seems to kind of understand why Ken's so serious and he nods.]

I will. ...He doesn't have to sign it here anyway. [because fate is not a thing!!]

[gogoghostpowers]

...do you really need a whole contract for just saying "take responsibility for your actions"?

[darkhourdear]

It wasn't for me.

But... I think it was kind of for something big.

[gogoghostpowers]

Oh. I guess for big stuff you do need that in writing I guess. For lawyers and court cases or whatever, right?

...what was the 'something'?

[darkhourdear]

I don't know. It's just a feeling I got. [Also just... context of what little he knows about the world Pharos came from.]

[gogoghostpowers]

Well...do you know anything else about it?

I mean, it's weird for a big contract to pop up out of nowhere.

[darkhourdear]

It's not big. It's tiny. [He'll hold it up again- it's literally just a page.]