Simply A Projection (Worm Projection Quest) (2024)

Current Energy: 20

You were about to retreat, just reaching back to grab your Host's wrist, when you were struck by an epiphany: There was no evidence you were in the wrong.

Bearing not a bruise nor cut — to say nothing of the frostbite Bufudyne could have left — your attacker would be hard pressed to claim you had attacked her. The only injured party was your host, with the other two girls having extracted themselves before the situation could escalate. You hadn't shown any overt powers except for your sudden appearance, which also left no evidence behind.

In other words, even if this girl had some form of sway over local law enforcement, it couldn't possibly be enough for them to take her at her word.

As the heiress to the Kirijo Gr-no, as a copy of the heiress to the Kirijo Group, you had plenty of experience with politicking. Image was everything, with good PR being the lifeline of any successful organization. This principle could apply to smaller-scale interactions as well. As long as you appeared to be "in the right", you would be.

You detested abusing your upbringing in such a way, but then, corporate CEOs and their children had done much worse. Even the memory of your-of Mitsuru's so-called "fiancé" had you simmering with rage.

Turning your head a little so she could hear you better, you requested your Host to "Please, stay put, even if this 'PRT' arrives. I will handle the girl." Then you — channeling your inner Akihiko — brought your hands up in a poor attempt at a boxing stance and made a "come at me" gesture.

"En garde."

To your eye, the girl before you was trained. Her build was that of a runner, but her footwork was too precise to have come from simple cardio. And the way she charged at you, keeping on her toes, eyes locked on your center of mass, was too coordinated to be the simple aggression of a thug.

Was she trained by whatever "in" she had with the PRT? It would explain both her confidence and her competence. Perhaps you could-

-dodge back from a probing jab that would have struck your nose. Her fists were up, protecting her face, and she kept throwing out quick strikes to gauge your reactions. You dodged every time, letting out subtle scoffs and titters when you could to infuriate her. Some of them were involuntary; she was no Akihiko.

Jab, jab, uppercut, left hook, straight… Left, left, back, right, right… It was a dance, and you were an exceptional dancer. You ducked a wild haymaker, thrown in frustration at your antics, and let yourself chuckle as you slipped behind her.

"Stay! STILL!"

Persona enhancements, years of combat experience, and frequent training alongside a prolific boxer… no, this wasn't a challenge at all. You expressed as much, saying, "You're telegraphing too much. Every time you punch, you settle your weight on the opposite foot."

The girl screamed incoherently, suddenly lashing out with a side-kick. You let this one land, hissing under your breath as a fresh bruise was inflicted upon your simulated flesh. As soon as you went incorporeal again, it would vanish, but for now it would be a useful tool in your PR campaign.

With the first real hit as your signal, you transitioned from lousy footwork to the grace of a swan. Heels together, feet pointed at a right angle from each other, one hand limply at your side, the other held out, you turned to profile to limit your available surface area. Yes, this felt much more natural. Now, if only you could take your wider, more practical combat stance…

The classic fencing stance was not designed with dodging in mind. It was stable, true, but only if one wished to move in two dimensions. As soon as you needed to back up or move forward, you would find yourself unbalanced. But the line of action was now perpendicular to your Host's viewpoint, so you could play back-and-forth like this without risking her safety.

The girl lunged at you, and you took a rapid step back, using your forearm to redirect her punch. You slid your front foot forward, at the same time performing a chop with your hand. Telegraphed as it was, the attack was easily avoided, and so the dance continued.

You were… honestly getting bored. Skilled as the girl before you was, she simply couldn't keep up with you. You weren't the fastest of your allies in SEES, but you certainly weren't the slowest either. From the start, this engagement had been in slow motion for you. Heavens forbid you actually used your Persona. What were you thinking before, about Marin Karin?

It probably would have missed, anyway.

You had just made a mental note to make hearing optional in future — she really was loud — when the distinct sound of police sirens overwhelmed the shouted invectives of your enemy.

She disengaged, an ugly snarl twisting her features. "I'm gonna break you, you f*cking scum. Too pathetic to even hit back. No wonder you're on Hebert's side." Her voice came out raspy; she was clearly somewhat winded. Not enough to have slowed down appreciably, but enough that you could poke at it.

"Perhaps you should take a break? It would be a shame if the friendly officers saw you in such a state."

So it began again, but this time, you let yourself pretend weakness. A glancing hit here, narrow dodge there, and the illusion of exhaustion was laid over you like a cloak. As for the dagger…

BAM!

Your Host gasped.

"Hey, freeze!"

Parfaite.

The girl — Hess! That's her name! — clicked her tongue and shook out her hand. "'Bout time you showed up. I've been keeping this bitch busy."

A group of people wearing tactical equipment (Too expensive to be standard police gear, more similar to SWAT or military-) stormed over. Without a word, one of them threw a-

IS THAT A GRENADE!?

You vanished. The grenade went off where you had been lying, and the area was filled with foam.

"Sir, target disappeared right before the confoam went off! Either Mover or Stranger!"

"Console says body cams aren't showing anything. Probably Mover."

"Perimeter check hasn't come back with anything. Long range teleportation?"

"No sensors are picking anything up. Put out a search!"

Orders were delivered with military precision, but your Host had yet to be spotted, hidden behind a tree. Her hands were over her mouth, as if she had tried to catch her exclamation before it escaped.

"Host," you thought at her. She startled, but thankfully didn't scream. Her eyes flicked wildly, quickly taking in her surroundings to locate you.

"What was that!?" she thought.

"Peace, Host. You need to escape; I don't doubt the PRT will arrest you on Hess's word. It seems she has more pull than I anticipated…"

"Who are you!?

Meanwhile, you were scouting the outer limit of your range, a nine yard radius around your Host. Spotting a lone officer down an alley, you answered, "Turn left here. And I am… well, in simplest terms, I am your power. My name is Queen Administrator, though I suppose you could call me 'QA'. I am currently scouting ahead. They haven't yet set up a cordon, but they're rapidly expanding their search area. Turn right."

Your Host turned right. "What… I mean, I have a power?" she thought incredulously. "How did this happen? What the f*ck is going on!?"

Oh dear. You hadn't anticipated this distress from your Host. Shouldn't she have been happy that you were here? After all, now that she had a power, all of her problems would be solved!

Especially because you weren't beholden to the Warrior's directives.

Asshole.

Naturally, you should tell her the truth. You couldn't expect her to trust you if you didn't first prove your own faith in her. But perhaps now wasn't the right time? She was on the verge of panic, and reaching a safe location was her top priority. You could practically feel the anxiety tearing up her insides.

[_] You explained that your Host had reached a sufficient threshold of suffering for you to bond with her. Thanks to your timely arrival, she would get to live out whatever dreams she held! …Once she inherited something from your template, that was. (1d100, DC 60 to escape.)

[_] You informed your Host that, regardless of

[_] You held off on explaining your nature in favor of guiding your Host to a safe location. Her memories indicated that Mrs. Lee's Orphanage was in the poorer part of town, but it would be secure once she was inside. (1d100, DC 20 to escape.)

Things didn't go as planned, huh? Sorry if it feels like a cop-out, but there's a good reason I hadn't left a "stick around and fight in melee" option in the previous vote. Not only did it feel weird for Mitsuru Kirijo to choose a drawn-out confrontation over an expedient one, but she didn't see Sophia as a true threat in the first place.

If you're curious, running would have led to a similar outcome to this anyway. Sophia is a track star and Taylor is deadweight; she would have caught up and forced an engagement. If you had blown two Energy on Marin Karin, you would have been declared a Master… but you also would have been home free. There were no "perfect" options here, but hey! This still worked out well in the end! Wait, what do you mean there's a chance you don't get away?

As an aside, you'll notice the rolls tied to the votes. While this doesn't deserve its own threadmark, I will clarify now that almost every roll will be tied to vote choices. Those few rolls that aren't… well, you'll just have to wait and see. Be at ease, for there will be no random encounters. Any BS you suffer is by my hand.