[Minato waits patiently, aware that's not a real answer. He is wondering himself if he's betraying Shinji and Ken's trust by telling Jaime thus, but greater than that, he truly does believe it would help them if someone else knew. Minato doesn't mind being a source of support, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have more.]
I do what I can but it's a complicated situation. Before I say anything, what do you know about Persona already?
[Normally, Minato is not a verbose person; he's very circumspect and concise. In this case, however, he doesn't want to do a disservice to anyone involved. He doesn't want to leave anything out, and he also doesn't want to attach his own feelings to the story. He's sure Jaime will draw sympathetic conclusions without any pushing in that direction, and the story itself, he feels, deserves to be treated plainly, to be told with respect for the truth.]
Persona are an expression of the user's soul, in essence a mask that faces the world to protect us. Everyone has a persona as a psychological mechanism-- for a Persona user, ours take physical form.
However, if we're mentally vulnerable... if there's a disruption in our lives that makes us dislike who we are, profoundly, so that we don't believe we deserve protection... For a normal person, this might manifest as a self-destructive personality. For a Persona user, it means we lose control of our Persona.
Shinjiro-san has never had good control of his. He's been relieved to be here without it, I think. Years ago, there was one night that he lost control, and his Persona, Castor, killed Ken's mother. Ken-kun swore that he would have revenge... and joined SEES to find Shinjiro. But when he faced him, he learned that Shinjiro-san had been taking rare pills to suppress his power entirely, ever since that day, and due to that, his death would soon be coming anyway.
An enemy of ours was there, and tried to kill Ken, but Shinji intervened, and died to save him. Ken-kun changed his mind about how he saw him, but it was too late.
Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry. None of you have had it easy have you? I just need a minute.
[The thanks comes immediately, but he needs a lot more than a minute to digest all this information. He knew Shinji had died, and he had suspected that he died in a way that was more worthy than even Shinji himself would admit (he doesn't see that there's still goodness in him, even if Jaime knows it to be true, deep down in his gut), but seeing it all plainly laid out like this makes him feel ill at ease.]
It's all right; it's a hard story. I've often thought that Persona users are required to face the hardest parts of themselves. Sometimes that means tragedy.
I don't think so. I know they've seen each other, though, and Ken-kun said he didn't mind working with him. They both feel a lot of guilt, and I think becoming at ease with each other will help them absolve it. I'm also truly worried about Shinjiro-san's relationship with his Persona, even if he doesn't have access to it here... but it's a little personal to talk about with him. Anyway, you can see why I thought they could both use another friend that knew what had happened, and would support them.
I'll do whatever I can to help but I think you know them both better than I do. Me and Shinji have talked about some stuff before [Shinji's suicidal tendencies, specifically] but I'm not sure how good I was at helping him out.
[Not very good, he suspects. He had felt like he'd been plunged into the deep end, floundering to say the right thing, like if he could only figure out the right combination of words, things would be better. That didn't happen.]
Either way this is their chance to work some of this out.
[What he leaves unspoken is that it's the only opportunity they'll get, but Minato will understand.]
Don't discredit yourself, Jaime-san. Things like this take a while. If you spoke to him at all, it's more than he's had someone to speak to about it for a long time, I think. The same is true for Ken-kun.
I hope they do, so they can both be more at peace with themselves. I know them pretty well, but at home, we're very isolated from everyone else. These aren't things we could explain to normal people. Having someone else be concerned... it's valuable.
Well, technically, yes. But since I'm your senior and have had more experience, I should look out for you, help you when you need it. Kouhai... that is, underclassmen... should respect their upperclassmen.
For example, Shinjiro-senpai and Akihiko-senpai have both been Persona-users much longer than Ken-kun and I, aside from being older, so we should defer to their experience.
Oh. We don't really have a culture like that where I'm from I don't think. We just kinda exist together! But if you ever want to give me advice I'm not gonna say no
[He doesn't anticipate needing any help from Minato, at any rate, but it's a sweet enough idea.]
Yes, it's very informal in America. I'm adjusting... But in that case, let me know if you ever need any.
For the most part. If Yukari-san and Junpei were here, they'd call them that, too. I tried to tell Ken-kun to call me senpai, so he'd feel more like a part of SEES, but I'm not sure it worked...
It's fine, Jaime-kun. [See, you got switched to -kun now that he knows you're younger.] Shinjiro-senpai doesn't really use honorifics, anyway. In Japanese, he has a very blunt way of speaking.
Don't bother. Since we're in America, we should get used to this way of doing things. Though if you're confused about anything... or if there's something else you want to know about Persona, or what happened at home... let me know.
[As far as Minato's concerned, being a genuine friend gets you a big free pass to the gossip chain.]
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I do what I can but it's a complicated situation. Before I say anything, what do you know about Persona already?
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[Shinji's not big on detailed explanations.]
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Persona are an expression of the user's soul, in essence a mask that faces the world to protect us. Everyone has a persona as a psychological mechanism-- for a Persona user, ours take physical form.
However, if we're mentally vulnerable... if there's a disruption in our lives that makes us dislike who we are, profoundly, so that we don't believe we deserve protection... For a normal person, this might manifest as a self-destructive personality. For a Persona user, it means we lose control of our Persona.
Shinjiro-san has never had good control of his. He's been relieved to be here without it, I think. Years ago, there was one night that he lost control, and his Persona, Castor, killed Ken's mother. Ken-kun swore that he would have revenge... and joined SEES to find Shinjiro. But when he faced him, he learned that Shinjiro-san had been taking rare pills to suppress his power entirely, ever since that day, and due to that, his death would soon be coming anyway.
An enemy of ours was there, and tried to kill Ken, but Shinji intervened, and died to save him. Ken-kun changed his mind about how he saw him, but it was too late.
They've both arrived from shortly after that.
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[The thanks comes immediately, but he needs a lot more than a minute to digest all this information. He knew Shinji had died, and he had suspected that he died in a way that was more worthy than even Shinji himself would admit (he doesn't see that there's still goodness in him, even if Jaime knows it to be true, deep down in his gut), but seeing it all plainly laid out like this makes him feel ill at ease.]
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They haven't talked about it yet, have they?
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I don't think so. I know they've seen each other, though, and Ken-kun said he didn't mind working with him. They both feel a lot of guilt, and I think becoming at ease with each other will help them absolve it. I'm also truly worried about Shinjiro-san's relationship with his Persona, even if he doesn't have access to it here... but it's a little personal to talk about with him. Anyway, you can see why I thought they could both use another friend that knew what had happened, and would support them.
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[Not very good, he suspects. He had felt like he'd been plunged into the deep end, floundering to say the right thing, like if he could only figure out the right combination of words, things would be better. That didn't happen.]
Either way this is their chance to work some of this out.
[What he leaves unspoken is that it's the only opportunity they'll get, but Minato will understand.]
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I hope they do, so they can both be more at peace with themselves. I know them pretty well, but at home, we're very isolated from everyone else. These aren't things we could explain to normal people. Having someone else be concerned... it's valuable.
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Not like with just the two of them but so long as you and Akihiko are around it's gotta be a little less weird for them right?
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That's a good idea. Next time, will you come, too? I know you're not part of SEES, but it's sort of like a plus one.
[Plus one for who?? Minato's making a joke in his own very dry way. Maybe the conversation can lighten up a little now.]
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Though I'm not sure as whose plus one
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Everyone's?
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Oh. Well I'm 16 so I guess you don't have to worry about some random 80 year old crashing your place
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It wouldn't bother me if you were. Although, I didn't know I'm your senior... That's a little funny.
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[Okay, technically not, but he's going by the label on his birth certificate. It simplifies things.]
How old are you?
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Teasingly,] I'll try to live up to my responsibilities as your senpai.
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I also don't know what a senpai is. Does that just mean older than me?
[Shinji didn't teach him any of these things...!]
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For example, Shinjiro-senpai and Akihiko-senpai have both been Persona-users much longer than Ken-kun and I, aside from being older, so we should defer to their experience.
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[He doesn't anticipate needing any help from Minato, at any rate, but it's a sweet enough idea.]
So do you call them senpai all the time?
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For the most part. If Yukari-san and Junpei were here, they'd call them that, too. I tried to tell Ken-kun to call me senpai, so he'd feel more like a part of SEES, but I'm not sure it worked...
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Oh and you don't mind that other people don't use all the san and senpai stuff do you? Or is that rude?
[He'd feel pretty silly saying it...]
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It's fine, Jaime-kun. [See, you got switched to -kun now that he knows you're younger.] Shinjiro-senpai doesn't really use honorifics, anyway. In Japanese, he has a very blunt way of speaking.
[Minato means "rude" and "abrasive".]
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[As far as Minato's concerned, being a genuine friend gets you a big free pass to the gossip chain.]
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[At least one person is forthcoming!]
thread end!! gasp