"What the hell?! What happened?! Where am I?!" a tall, dark skinned man with glasses and frizzy hair asked, frantically scrambling to his feet and looking around. Where he had just a few moments ago been sleeping in a small hotel room in Shinjuku, he awoke to find himself in a prison cell, in a dark room illuminated by a soft, but powerful blue light. Looking down at himself, he was shocked to find that he was no longer wearing his pajamas, but the black and white striped attire of a stereotypical jailbird.
"What the fuck?! Am I in a prison? What the hell is going on here?!" the man got up and futilely rattled the bars of the cell. He sighed in defeat. "My dad always warned me about going to the Shinjuku district. Guess I should have listened to him."
"Oh trust me, you're a long way from Shinjuku, inmate!" a mocking voice rang out. The man looked around for the source of the voice, but couldn't see anyone.
"I do not believe he can see us, Caroline," said a softer, calmer voice.
"What do you mean he can't see us? We're standing right in front of him, Justine!"
"Perhaps it is because you are so short, Caroline. This is what happens when you don't eat healthy."
"Wh-who are you calling short, Justine?! You're just as small as I am!"
Looking down and realizing the source of the commotion, the man noticed the presence of two small girls with black, monogramed eyepatches on. One had her hair wrapped up in buns on the sides of her head while the other had her hair braided into a long ponytail. Both were dressed in blue prison guard uniforms.
"Uh, excuse me," the man interrupted. "Who are you two and where the hell am I?"
Directing her attention back to the man, the girl with hair buns brandished a disciplinary baton and banged it on the cell bars with an intimidating glare.
"How rude! Speak when spoken to, inmate!"
"Gah! Yes ma'am! Wait a minute, why am I taking orders from a little kid?" the man asked, scratching his head.
"Ugh! Don't call me little! Am I going to have to punish you?!"
"Now, now, Caroline, that is quite enough. That is no way to treat a guest," a powerful, deep voice reverberated through the chamber. Looking towards the center of the room, the prisoner saw someone who wasn't there before: a bald man, sharply dressed in a business suit, with wild, bloodshot eyes and a long nose that reminded the prisoner of a crow's beak. Everything about the strange man's appearance screamed "Igor", like the good Dr. Frankenstein's well-known deformed assistant.
"Did I stumble onto the set of another Frankenstein remake? Who the hell are you supposed to be? Igor?"
"Ah, so you are already familiar with my name. And yet, we still do not know yours," the strange man replied.
The prisoner was taken aback. This guy's name really was Igor? Maybe he really was in a Frankenstein remake that no one told him about. Or maybe he was just dreaming. He had watched Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein a few hours ago, after all.
"As you already know, my name is indeed Igor. Welcome to my Velvet Room," the strange man continued. "This place exists between dream and reality. Mind and matter. Now then...why don't you introduce yourself?"
Now the prisoner was sure he was in a movie. Or at least dreaming about being in one. He looked around for some sign of a director or a cue card, but finding none, he decided to give his real name. After all, maybe there was a talent agent watching or something. Gotta put yourself out there, right?
"Wait, what would a talent agent matter if I'm in a dream? Well, whatever," he thought out loud.
"Well? Are you going to tell us who you are or not, inmate?!" the girl with hair buns asked impatiently.
"My name is Rico Verde," the prisoner answered. "Yes, I know it sounds like a made up name, but we can't choose the family we're born into, can we?"
"Lose the sass, inmate! You're speaking to the master of this place!" the girl with hair buns banged on his cell again.
"Aren't you a little young for Hollywood, kid?" Rico asked, addressing the girl with a narrow squint.
"For the last time, I'm not a kid, you son of a-!"
"What my sister means to say is, please restrict your answers to within the scope of the master's questions. We do not require excess commentary from you," the girl with the braid interrupted.
"Why do my dreams always have to include a set of creepy twins?" Rico asked of no one in particular.
"Very well, then...Rico Verde," Igor went on. "I have a proposition to make of you," he said, tenting his fingers, the grotesquely cheshire grin never wavering on his face. "Humanity as you know it stands on the brink of irreversible Ruin. For months now, forces have been in motion against one another to sway the tide of events in their favors. To them, it seems little more than a game, making various plays against each other in order to win. However, as things stand, they have reached a stalemate. Far be it from me to interfere in such affairs, but as one who seeks to guide humans down a suitable course, I find this stalemate to be quite counterproductive. If the situation remains as it is, humanity's Ruin is inevitable."
"You sound like the beginning of every fantasy novel I've ever read," Rico interjected, rolling his eyes. "I suppose next, you're going to tell me that I'm the only one who can break this so-called stalemate? Never mind the fact that I don't even know what you're talking about."
"Ah, you are indeed quite astute. I do indeed believe that there exists within you...a certain potential. Properly applied, you may be able to become the wild card that this game needs to shake things up a bit."
"You hear that, inmate? Our master has chosen you directly to be a recipient of the power of Persona. Get on your knees and be grateful!" the girl with hair buns ordered.
"Okay, just one second, Mr. Igor. I have to ask: Who the hell are these kids?" Rico asked, glaring at the girls all the while.
"The one on your left is Justine. The one on the right is her twin sister, Caroline. While you are acting as my agent of change, they will help guide you."
"Guide me in what, exactly? You still haven't told me what I'm doing here!" Suddenly, music could be heard playing somewhere in the distance.
"Ooga chucka, ooga ooga, ooga chucka, ooga ooga…I can't stop this feelin'..."
"What the hell? Is that my alarm?" Rico asked, looking around.
"Ah, I see our time here is up. Worry not, Agent. All will be made clear to you very soon. I look forward to our next meeting…" said Igor.
Suddenly, everything faded into dark blue light, and a path of black chains…