The four observed the castle closely, checking to see if the coast was clear. The dark building loomed overhead, the air as silent as the dead. Not a single sound could be heard from within, not even any screams from the prisoners. The pirate turned to his friends. "All right! Time to bust on through!" Ryuji declared, pumping a fist excitedly.
"What is this?!"
The Persona users turned in surprise at the unexpected voice. Ann walked up to them, completely bewildered as she eyed the European castle and the ancient designs amidst the regular modern buildings in Aoyama-Itchome.
Taking a step back, Ryuji stared at her incredulously. "T-Takamaki?!" He sputtered.
Airi looked away awkwardly, bringing up her scarf in an attempt to hide her face. "Oh no..." How were they going to explain this one.
"That voice...Sakamoto?!" Ann screeched, blue eyes wide before darting to examine the other two. "And Airi-senpai...and Kurusu-kun?!"
Furiously rubbing his head, Ryuji tried to contain his shock. "W-Why are you here?!" He choked out.
"How should I know?!" She snapped back before turning around to observe their surroundings. "What's going on? Hey, where are we…?! Isn't this the school?!" She remarked, disbelief written all over her face.
Morgana looked at the blonde dreamily, hearts floating above its head. Akira saw this and sweatdropped, giving the feline an unimpressed look. Couldn't he concentrate?
The cat shook itself from its stupor and turned to its fellow thieves. "I see. Perhaps she was dragged in because of that app thing." It contemplated. "If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason it'll pull anyone nearby."
"For real..?" Ryuji commented, rattled at the revelation.
Airi tilted her head. "Would that mean that Ann-chan has the potential as a Persona user as well?" She inquired softly. If she did, that would mean one more person on their side against Kamoshida.
"Maybe. We'd have to see." Morgana answered vaguely, shrugging. "But we shouldn't risk it."
Ann, finished with looking around the surroundings, snapped her head to look at them. "Wait, so THIS is related to Kamoshida?!" She squeaked, still completely lost.
Biting her lip, Airi stepped forward, her embroidered scarf fluttering behind her. "Ann-chan, you should leave. This place is dangerous." She warned softly, trying to convince the other girl. She wasn't going to hurt her again, and this place was dangerous for normal people.
"No!" She refused vehemently. "I want to help!"
"The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene." Morgana scolded slightly.
Ann flinched, taking a step back as she finally glimpsed at the feline. "No way! It talked!? Oh my god, it's a monster cat..!" She babbled hysterically, holding a hand near her mouth.
Taken aback, Morgana gawked at her. "Monster..?" It murmured, slightly hurt at her words.
Airi winced, and patted the cat's head comfortingly. He didn't deserve that. Plus, he was honestly really cute just like a plushie.
Frustrated, Ann marched up to the group. "You better explain what's going on! I won't leave until you do!" She demanded, glaring at them.
They looked at each other at a loss at what to do. "Looks like we gotta force her." Ryuji remarked, frowning softly. "But...how're we supposed to do that?" He questioned, looking at Morgana expectantly.
"Just take her back to where we came in." The cat shrugged. "That's how it worked last time, right?"
Taken aback, Ryuji blinked. "O-Oh, yeah." He uttered, surprised that the solution was so simple. He looked over at Akira. "Can you lend me a hand?"
Glancing at their only female teammate, who shrugged back at him, the black haired thief looked back at the skull adorned companion. "I feel bad...but yeah, got it." He answered resignedly. They couldn't put her in danger.
"We can't deal with Kamoshida if she's here." Ryuji mentioned.
The two delinquents turned to look at the model. Noticing them staring at her, Ann took a step back. "What're you-"
"We'll explain after everything's over!" Ryuji interrupted her, pushing her back across the drawbridge.
"Hey! And just where are you touching?!" Ann yelled out indignantly as her shoes squeaked against the rough wood, a hand dangerously close to her rear.
"Whoa, sorry, I didn't mean-" Ryuji sweated, then interrupted himself. "That's not important!" They dragged her toward the other end of the bridge.
"You guys seriously- Ugh, Airi-senpai, say something!" She screamed at the other girl.
"I'm really sorry, Ann-chan!" Airi yelled after her, waving a gloved hand sheepishly. They could explain this later, after they took Kamoshida's heart.
"Ah?!" Ann squawked, tripping out of the Metaverse.
Walking back to the entrance of the castle, the four stopped to reorganize. "We better be careful from now on when we use that app," Ryuji winced, his arms aching from Ann's struggling.
Morgana squinted at the punk. "You should've checked the tools you used!" It yelled, clearly defending the model. "Why do I-the one who was just watching-know more about it than you three?!"
Akira looked down at it, unimpressed. As if they were supposed to know. They weren't the ones with enhanced hearing like a certain animal's.
"Sh-Shuddup!" Ryuji sputtered, awkwardly looking away.
Airi held her hands up peacefully. She seemed to do a lot of that. "Let's focus on the Palace." She reminded quietly.
The ex-runner let out an irritated sigh. "Geez, Takamaki found out right when we were startin' off...We gotta deal with this fast!"
Letting out little purrs, Morgana looked back at where they entered. "That girl's name is Takamaki Ann, right?" It asked, eyes shining. "Lady Ann..." It sighed dreamily.
Sweatdropping, Airi herded them closer to the castle, where they staked it out. Not a sound could be heard aside from the rough winds, the banners flapping noisily compared to the dead silence that was the courtyard. There were no Shadows outside, or any guards.
Turning back from its observation, Morgana looked at the three humans firmly in the eye. "The Shadows have noticed us. I can feel their presence getting agitated by ours. You better brace yourselves, got it?"
The three nodded, any trace of humor on their faces gone as they were finally going to do what they set out to do.
The feline turned to Akira. "We're counting on you, Joker!" It proclaimed, jumping in the air.
Ryuji frowned in confusion. "Joker? That a nickname?"
"Don't refer to it in such a lame way. It's a code name." Morgana chided. "What kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real name?! I'm not down for that!" It complained, shaking its head. "And there's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace. It's just a precaution."
Airi nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. We don't want Kamoshida to remember we were in his head...So, why is he Joker?" She inquired curiously.
Morgana turned to the darkly clad thief with a sly smile. "Because he's our trump card when it comes to fighting strength."
Akira smirked confidently. "Nice. I'm game for it." It was nice to hear that he was reliable. The feline seemed to think he was the strongest in the group and he'd gladly try to prove that.
Ryuji grinned at him. "It ain't too bad, yeah? What should I be?" He asked excitedly.
Morgana crossed its arms, analyzing the his appearance and taking in the black leather and multitude of belts. "You'll be...Let's see..." It hummed. "Thug."
Offended, He stomped his foot. "Are you pickin' a fight with me?! I'll choose it myself!" Resting his hands on his hips, he hummed thoughtfully. "Hm...When it comes to me, it's gotta be this mask." He thumbed the cool metal skull. "Honestly, I actually kinda like it. What if we named me after this?" He suggested eagerly.
Airi nodded in agreement. "You'll be Skull then!" She declared happily. It did fit her middle school classmate really well.
"Ooh! That sounds awesome! I'm Skull!" Ryuji, now Skull, proclaimed.
Akira, now Joker, nodded, agreeing with the pirate thief.
Skull gestured at the cat with his foot. "What do we do about this one's code name?"
Tapping his chin, Joker shrugged. It didn't really matter to him. "What do you think?"
"How 'bout "Mona"?" Skull suggested with a grin, referring back to the incorrect name he used last time.
It nodded. "Well, if Joker thinks it's easier to call me that, then I'll go with it." Morgana, now Mona, stated firmly.
The three then turned to look at the only lady, humming thoughtfully. Airi grimaced, slightly uncomfortable at how their eyes roamed her body up and down.
"She's super regal lookin'. How about Empress?" Skull suggested, looking at the other two.
"No, that's too cold." Mona replied, looking at her with dreamy eyes. "How about Princess?" It countered, hopping up and down.
"That's way too girly!" Skull argued.
Airi sweatdropped. 'Is this going to be a regular thing..?' She sighed. Her name really didn't matter. She just wanted to get this over with and make Kamoshida pay.
Joker observed her closely. She was more woman than girl, if he was being honest. The way she acted made it seem like she was of high status since she was so smart, but how she treated everyone made her come off as motherly and caring. Her clothes were rich looking, with its embroidered silks and lace mask, so perhaps Princess would have worked, but her full figure complimented it by seeming more mature and dignified. It all came together really- "Elegantly." He murmured, his mouth dry.
The three looked at him curiously, not hearing what he said.
Taking a deep breath, he repeated himself. "Elegant. That should be your name." Joker stated, heart beating a bit faster. Why was he feeling like this just from observing her?
Humming, Skull nodded his head. "I like it! Works for our class prez!" He remarked, grinning widely.
Mona jumped in agreement. "That works perfectly!" It purred.
Airi blinked in surprise and blushed. Hearing her friends, her mostly male friends, call her elegant was flattering, if a bit embarrassing. "Well...if it's fine with you guys. I'll be called Elegant." Airi, now Elegant, stated, smiling cheerfully.
Mona looked at the three seriously. "All right. From here on out, we're Joker, Skull, Elegant, and Mona. We need to be absolutely thorough about using those code names from now on!" It declared firmly.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"All right! Let's go nab this Treasure thing!" Skull exclaimed, grinning viciously.
They set off into the Palace.