“Hm. Maybe. Shadows do seem to have their own rules, after all. Wouldn’t surprise me to learn they’ve got their own set of powers they can use.” Maybe Shadows were able to create cracks, and get out from the cells they were supposed to be in? Or that it looked like they were supposed to be in. “If I knew how to take them back, I might entertain the idea. And, you know… if I knew it’d have any effect on their behaviour. Easier to keep ‘em in my Palace for now, lock them up in the cells I added.” Shadows and Desires both, because sometimes you wanted the entire Shadow, just in case.
It was easier to lock up the entire Shadow, in regards to keeping track of them, than just yanking the stone out. And also with changing them - small adjustments with the Desire stone, big ones with the shadow.
He shot her a sympathizing look as she spoke, though. Decaf couldn’t imagine how hard it must be in the entertainment industry - having to listen to all those people telling you what, when, and how, to do everything. He wouldn’t have been able to stand it, all the orders and demands.
“Want any help with them? Shadows, palaces… desires. got a whole host of options I can pick from if they’re awful enough.” It felt odd to offer, but he wasn’t about to let another set of shitty people go free if he had any say.
That aside though…
“Oh definitely. It’s big, it’s got chains coming off of it, and more importantly, it’s sitting outside the cells, not in one of it’s own. And sure, I could argue that the chains might be ‘cell’ enough, but I don’t think so.” He began, following her. “Anything more I can learn about that thing, I’ll take. Made a replica of it to study in my off-time, and I’ve been wondering if it can even talk. Seen weirder shadows. Nice to get a name, if that’s the case, ‘cup’ feels so… rude. What’s another word for… oh! Chalice! That’s better.” Much more impressive.
And much less rude if the thing actually could understand him. Which it likely could, all things considered. There was no way it was just there for decoration. Mementos didn’t do decoration like that.
“That chalice is the most interesting thing I’ve seen in a while. Something about it, I don’t know…” Decaf muttered, trailing off as he followed Rise down. Something about it drew him in. He needed to know more. “Answers would be nice. Be good to have some sort of direction, and not just flail around on the surface taking out shitty people.”
“Shadow Selves definitely can have their own set of powers. I remember one Shadow Self I saw in the TV World, she was able to take a teenager and age them up to be old men. Thankfully we had recovery skills for it, but that’s just the tip of the ice berg.”
She knew what her own Shadow Self could do in her berserk form. Dodge attacks and retaliate with the exact skill type the attackers were weak against. Though with the new element types that exist in Mementos, she wasn’t sure if she could counter those. However, that didn’t matter. She knew who she was and as long as she followed the Lord’s path there would be no need to worry about her Shadow Self reappearing.
“If you have the time, I know the names of a few people who are willing to promote idols if they trade certain favors... or tarnish a reputation if you get on their bad side.”
Thankfully before she learned of the Lord’s path, she didn’t have to deal with those individuals. Offers were made, and suggestions heard. However, Inoue quickly turned them down and thanks to her popularity and how she interacted with her fans. The was no point in them trying to tarnish Risette’s reputation, as it would be quickly called out as fake.
A small smile came onto Speaker’s lips listening to Decaf talk about her Lord. A chalice was a much better way to describe them without knowing their true name. She kept quiet, listening intently to Decaf’s thoughts as they walked deeper into the depths. This hidden path really sped things up and with no threat of Shadow attacks, made it perfect to get down into the Depths without a vehicle.
“I haven’t gone to see it up close recently. Though I did do a quick scan of it and I could tell that it’s alive somehow. But that’s all I could get at the time.”
A partial truth, she hasn’t gone close to her Lord’s sanctuary recently. She’s been busy with other tasks that’s she’s either undertaken or requested to oversee, that kept her away from the heart of Yaldabaoth’s domain. Though she was very aware of what the chalice is.
“I was concerned if I did a deep scan, I wouldn’t be able to watch for Shadows. Being alone, that’s a huge problem. Though if you want, we can go check it out after I show you what I found.”
