Hi, welcome to Wild Card, otherwise known as 'Kitty plays god with the Persona and Ruby Redfort universes'.

So, here's basically what's going on here. I took the events/mechanics/lore of Persona 4 (having watched the anime and also gaining information about it from my friend, the wiki, fanfiction, and the internet)…. And then proceeded to utterly disregard all of it, all the while creating a weird sort of… fusion AU thing in which Ruby is the sort of protagonist while the events of the original story take place in Twinford. I have no idea what I'm doing. Let's make that utterly clear. I pretty much rewrote how everything in the shadow world works, as well as making up an entirely new set of Personas for the characters to use, and changing how the murders take place. This is barely even recognizable as a Persona AU anymore, to be honest.

Also, even though I'm rambling on about Persona a lot here, you probably don't need to know anything about it to read this fic (see above: barely recognizable). No characters cross over, except for Igor and Margaret, and the two of them are pretty self-explanatory and only there in the story briefly for exposition's sake.

… I have been talking too much. So basically all I've got to say at this point is- Ace, I'm so sorry, I screwed up your fandom. Also if you aren't Ace, I hope you enjoy this.

- Kitty

Prologue: Welcome to the Velvet Room

The man's nose was far too long and his stare was far too intense. These were the first facts that Ruby registered when she opened her eyes, and they would probably be the ones that she remembered the clearest when she actually woke up.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," he said, and grinned- a face-splitting smile that appeared to convey genuine delight, although the sight was still pretty disturbing. "My name is Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

Ruby blinked- this was one of the stranger things that had happened to her, and had literally been trapped in a giant hourglass by an evil megalomaniac once. She began to open her mouth, stopped and frowned, then shut it and looked around her.

She was sitting on a couch in what appeared to be a small, fairly cosy library- walls lined with bookcases filled to overflowing with books, and small stacks of them on the ground where they didn't fit into the shelves. There was a fireplace roaring in a grate behind her. Most of the room seemed to be blue- wallpaper, carpet, ceiling, and especially the armchairs and couches that took up every part of the library that didn't contain books.

For some reason, she could hear the strains of piano music coming from somewhere- it was hard to pinpoint where, exactly. It was accompanied by a high, operatic voice, although the song didn't actually seem to have any words.

On a chair a slight bit away from Igor- whose hands were still steepled below his rather extraordinary nose as he continued to regard her with a slightly creepy stare- was a pretty blonde woman in a blue collared dress. She smiled at Ruby, and raised one hand off the book in her lap in a slight wave, but said nothing.

"Okay," said Ruby aloud, eyes travelling around the room again. There weren't any doors or visible exits. "Um, hi. It's nice to meet you too? You've got a really nice library."

Igor inclined his head. "Thank you."

Ruby glanced down at herself, and noted that she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that simply read BOZO- comfortable and familiar, although she couldn't remember putting them on. "Hey, so, this might seem a bit weird, but- I can't actually remember how I got here. Or where I am. Or… anything about this situation, really. Where am I?"

"You are in the Velvet Room, like I just said," Igor said, unfolding his hands from beneath his nose. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter- it is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter." His smile, impossibly, widened. "It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future, my dear." He leaned forward in his armchair. "Now then- why don't you introduce yourself…?"

"I'm Ruby," she said. "Uh, Ruby Redfort."

"I see," said Igor. "And may I ask, how old are you, Ruby Redfort?"

"Thirteen," Ruby said, deciding to just go along with it for the moment. If this was a dream, it was a very odd one.

"Thirteen, you say? Well, you're certainly the youngest one to enter here in a very long time." Igor raised his hand over the small coffee table in front of him, and Ruby leaned forward to look as a stack of cards appeared out of nowhere. "Tell me, do you believe in fortune-telling?"

"Not especially," said Ruby honestly. "Most fortune-tellers are con-artists or just really good at deductive reasoning. There's no actual magic behind it."

Igor chuckled. "A critical mind- an admirable quality. Nevertheless..." He gestured down towards the card stack in front of him. "I've found that the cards do tend to give somewhat accurate readings."

Ruby reached out curiously, and flipped over the uppermost card. The actual image on it was dark and indistinct, but the number zero was emblazoned at the top, and the words 'THE FOOL' were etched along the bottom. "Are these… tarot cards?"

Igor gave her a single nod of confirmation. Ruby flipped through the rest of the cards, which all were similarly dark. "Aren't they supposed to have pictures on them?"

"They take time to develop," said the woman with the book on her lap, smiling at Ruby again. "Give them time."

"Since you seem to be rather sceptical about the nature of the cards, would you like to shuffle them for your reading?" Igor invited. Ruby was put in mind of a magician, selecting an audience member to help him in his next trick.

"Sure," she said, pulling the rest of the cards towards her, and separating the deck into two halves. The cards were slightly more heavy than she would have predicted them to be. As she rearranged the deck randomly, Igor watched with an unfathomable expression on his face. Finally, she caught the full set of cards in one hand, tapping the bottom edge against the table to even them all out. "Is that okay?"

"Perfect, thank you," said Igor, and took the deck from her, placing it back in front of him. He lifted the top card from the stack, and flipped it over, placing it on the table between them. "The first card refers to your past, or the events that have led you up to this moment. Temperance, in the reversed position."

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked, eyeing the card.

"I thought you didn't believe in fortune telling," he said, with a hint of amusement in his tone. "You've changed your mind?"

"Nah," she dismissed easily. "But that doesn't mean that it's not interesting, right?"

"Very true," Igor agreed. "Best to keep an open mind. Very well."

"Usually, this card would refer to patience and time passing, but when reversed, it indicates that

something is out of balance, or has been in the past."

Ruby was silent for a moment- not wanting to admit that this actually had some relevance to her life at the moment. "Okay. Past, that's cool. What's next?"

"The second card represents the immediate future," he said, and drew a second card from the top of the deck, laying it next to the first. "Hm, the High Priestess, in the upright position. It represents secrets, and hidden influence. It seems that secrets and hidden circumstances stand in the way of your current path and need to be understood."

"Story of my life," muttered Ruby.

"And the final card, indicating the future beyond that is…" Igor pulled the third card from the deck, laying it below the first two. "The Emperor, in the upright position. It seems that the outcome of whatever happens next is out of your hands. You should yield or suffer the consequences, so to speak."

Ruby folded her arms. "Yeah, see- that's why I don't really tend to believe in fortune telling. The idea of a 'fixed destiny', or whatever-?" She shook her head. "No thanks. And that's not even counting the fact that it's all so… vague, y'know? Like, this could literally mean anything. If you can predict the future using cards, why not just give a straight answer? Tell me exactly what's going to happen, so I can be prepared?"

"The answers will come in due time," said Igor serenely. "Do not rush towards the destination, for the journey is something to be enjoyed as well. Such is life."

Ruby narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything.

"And now for the ultimate reason that you have been called here," Igor said, as he returned the cards back to the deck, and somehow made them all disappear without a trace. "Generally, you would be required to create a contract of your own accord, and the inhabitants of the Velvet Room would have no part in the matter. However- there will not be an opportunity for you to do so, if you wish to utilise it when you actually need it . Do you understand?"

Ruby nodded, and then shook her head. "No," she admitted.

"Fair enough," Igor said, with that same creepy smile, and nodded to the woman, who placed the book in her lap on the table, and opened it. Inside were what looked like pockets that should contain cards of some sort. Only one of them was filled, and the card within it was bright blue. It looked like one of the tarot cards that Igor had read from only minutes ago.

"A special request has been made for your… unique case," he said by means of explanation, as the woman slid the card from the pocket, and held it in her hands. "As such, it looks like you'll be forming a contract right now- if you so wish."

"A contract." Ruby stared at him. "A contract for what, exactly."

"Upon agreeing to this, you will gain something referred to as a Persona," said the woman. "It is a side of yourself that shows itself when you face the world around you."

Igor nodded. "Perhaps you can think of it as… well, let's say a façade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life."

Ruby nodded; this was sounding pretty good so far.

"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds," Igor continued. "As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, these bonds will determine your Persona's abilities."

Ruby pondered this over for a few seconds. "Are you saying I can gain vast supernatural power by making friends with people."

"Yes, more or less."

"Sweet, I'm in."

"Excellent." He glanced sideways at the woman. "Ah- I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you!" he said, with a tone of dawning realization. "This is Margaret. She, like me, is a resident of this room."

"Hi," said Ruby to her, and then glanced at Igor. "Hey, do I get supernatural powers by making friends with Margaret- or is just people outside of the room?"

"You'll need to make the contract first," Margaret told her with a faint smile, proffering the card. "And then maybe you can find out." Ruby only thought this over for maybe a split second, before thinking oh, what the hell, and taking it.

THE FOOL was its title- the same card as she had seen before. She only had a split second to look at the black void that made up most of its face before she suddenly gained a splitting headache that caused her vision to momentarily white out. She clapped her hands to her temples. "-ow!"

"I am thou," hissed a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Thou art I. Thou art the one who opens the door."

When her vision cleared, Igor and Margaret were still looking at her, and Ruby had braced both of her hands on the table in front of her in a death grip without even realizing it.

"Okay," she said when she stopped seeing spots in front of her eyes. "That was… wow. Okay. Does this mean I have a, uh, 'Persona' now?"

"That is correct," said Igor.

"And what does that actually mean?"

"Your Persona ability is that of the wild card," said Igor. "Compared to that of others, it is very special.

It is like the number zero- empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself."

"That makes absolutely no sense at all," said Ruby. "Cool."

"And there you have it," said Igor. His expression had barely changed in the entire time that Ruby had been there. It was beginning to get more than a little unnerving. "You are now, if you so wish it, our guest here in the Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance- you must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make."

"Isn't that what I do anyway?" Ruby asked with a frown, and then shook her head. "You know what, never mind. Assume responsibility- got it, I can do that."

"Good," he said, "and one last thing."

A blue key, heavily weighted, appeared in Ruby's hands suddenly. She looked down at it in surprise.

"It's mostly symbolic," explained Margaret. "It means that you can return here whenever you wish- you're our guest, after all."

Ruby looked at the blue key in her hands, and folded her fingers around it, grinning. Even if this was a dream, it was definitely one of the better ones she'd had. There was nothing resembling her usual nightmare imagery (although Igor's nose and smile were definitely coming close) and if there was any chance, somehow remote, that she could revisit this place, she was definitely going to take it. "I think I'd like that."

"Until we meet again," said Igor, and Margaret nodded once at Ruby in farewell, and the blue hue and flickering fireplace of the Velvet Room faded away into blackness.