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My Appraisal
Monday—July 6, 2021
Ann was tired of trekking around this new Mementos on whims and guesses. She knew Ren was desperate to find something here, but they had been spending too much time running around with little planning or clear objective. She put her hands to her knees as she stopped at another gate.
Mementos in Tokyo had been an underground subway with several levels that varied each time they visited. However, Mementos had changed once more and the collective cognition of New York City was one she still had to get used to.
"I'm getting kinda worried about him."
Ann looked at Ryuji for a moment or two before she sighed and nodded, shifting her weight onto one leg. As she twisted her whip around her arm, she could hear their Leader break out into another bout of coughing, wrapping his arms around himself afterwards as if cold.
"He's been at it for days now."
"Senpai won't give up," Sumire added as she landed neatly from above, sheathing her sword and turning her head to look at Ryuji and Ann. "He still blames himself."
"It's not his fault," Ryuji growled and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I wish he'd believe us."
"It's Joker, what do you expect?" Ann deadpanned as she watched Goro walk towards him while tugging off his glove. She frowned as the brunette put a hand to his forehead and shook his head. "He's just….selfless like that."
"It'd just help if we knew what was goin' on, ya know? No one knows what we're really doing…." Ryuji whispered.
"I don't think he even knows," Sumire said fretfully.
"I know," came a new voice, one that sounded weary and riddled with guilt. Ren stuffed his hands in the pockets of his tailcoat as he approached them. "You think I have no idea what we're doing."
"Senpai!" Sumire exclaimed with a squeak, turning bright red beneath her mask. "I—"
"What's goin' on?" Ryuji demanded before Sumire could finish, taking a long look at Ren. "You look like shit."
"Thanks," the ravenette said with an attempted scowl; however, he let out a sneeze instead, shaking his head.
"Joker, I can see you shivering," Ann huffed as she grabbed his wrist and peered closer, fingers running along the sweat-drenched skin. "Are you running a fever?"
"No," he insisted stubbornly.
Despite his best efforts to look well, Ann could tell he was leaning on Goro to maintain his balance. She looked to Morgana, who flattened his ears and put away his sword with a lash of his tail.
"Forget it," the feline declared decisively and transformed into a bus. "Let's head back to reality. We did enough for today."
"What a waste. I know they're close—"
"Shut up," Goro interjected impatiently, but his tone reflected his concern. "You're a burden here. I can't fight and cover you at the same time."
Ren glared, but as soon as he was getting in the van, Haru cried out, brandishing her axe. Makoto rushed to her side, hands curling into fists, and stood in front of her protectively. The Leader pushed himself off Goro and straightened up, pulling out his handgun and putting his free hand to his mask.
"Ar—"
A sneeze interrupted his summoning, but neither Makoto nor Haru waited for his aid. The axe-wielder threw her weapon into the chest of the charging Shadow while she let out a snarl of rage, eyes ablaze with rage.
"I promise this won't be a battle I will lose!"
Makoto's eyes just widened as she revved the engine on her motorcycle, grabbing Haru by the hand and swinging her up on the backseat.
"Hang on tight," the cyclist said and lurched forward.
Haru's arms wrapped around Makoto's waist as the two charged towards the writhing Shadow, who was still trying to remove the axe from its chest. The auburn-haired girl leaned to the left and snatched her weapon back, ripping it from the Shadow's figure and touched her mask, calling upon her Persona.
Milady came out with guns blazing from the bottom of her dress, aiming the barrels at the Shadow before it even had a chance to move.
"Johanna, frei!"
She drifted her bike towards the Shadow, which made a lunge for the back wheel, but a white-blur blast of nuclear energy burst from the motorcycle and flung it back. The Shadow moaned as its hide began to dissipate slowly.
"Again, Johanna!"
Makoto drew in close with a cry of rage and sent another bolt of energy. The Shadow's claws tore at its face as the blast melted away more of its skin, leaving its eyes bulging in agony. Haru leaped off the bike and launched herself in the air, twirling her axe before sending it straight between the scapula.
The Shadow fell to its knees in an explosion of black mist.
Ren and Goro watched in silent awe while Ryuji whooped and Yusuke exclaimed in excitement. Haru even went for a little bow but Makoto held up a hand to cease the antics before they got out of control.
"We can't afford to linger."
Ren knitted his eyebrows and put a hand to his chin, looking contemplative. "No...listen. Our target's near. I can—"
"It doesn't matter how close it is. We are all tired, and we can't fight like this," Haru said bluntly and grabbed him by the arm, fingers gentle yet firm. She jumped when he flinched at her contact. "Joker…."
He closed his eyes briefly before letting out a string of apologies, but something clicked in the back of Ann's mind, like someone had whispered something inaudible, but it sparked a certain memory. When she looked at Ren and Haru, it became clear—so much so, she grabbed Ryuji by the arm and pulled him in close.
"What is it?" he asked, concerned.
"It's her, Skull," Ann breathed as she jutted her chin out at the pair. "Have you ever noticed that Joker can't spend more than a few minutes talking to Noir before he kind of….shuts down?"
"It's 'cause he's sick, yeah?" Ryuji asked, squeezing an eye closed in concentration. "Or…"
"He blames himself for the suicide," Ann said and used a finger to turn Ryuji's head back to her. "Just like what happened with Noir's father. He's trying so hard because he feels obligated to—for us—for her."
"What?" Ryuji breathed but the metaphorical lightbulb went off in his head. "Shit….I didn't see that before."
"It can be easy to miss," she said reassuringly, but she wore a frown nonetheless. If what she thought was true, then their problems were a bit deeper than she thought. "He's never good when he gets like this."
"Perhaps you will be the one to free him from the stupor that binds him," Yusuke said as he came waltzing up, speaking the moment they were in earshot but not loud enough to be overheard.
"Why me?" Ann asked, knitting her eyebrows.
"You two seem to have a connection," the artist replied as he looked over at their Leader, who was now standing off to the side with Morgana while Goro, Haru, and Makoto exchanged words. "Perhaps he feels safe when around you."
Ann looked at her hands; it was a treasure to have Ren's friendship because as comfortable as he was with her, she was equally so. She only hoped it would be enough.
"W-well...lemme talk to him," Ryuji said, his tone indicating a hint of hurt. "I was his first friend and all. Maybe he'll talk to me."
"That's a good idea actually," Ann said, brightening at the offer; she knew Ryuji would have better luck getting Ren to open up about his behavior over the past several days. She placed a hand over Ryuji's. "Find out what's going on with him. Just….play it close to the vest, you know?"
Ryuji interlocked their fingers and gave her hand a squeeze, something that made her heart skip a few beats. When he looked at her with that kind of determination brimming in his gaze, she felt reassured. Ann gave him a smile and turned to Yusuke, mourning the loss of Ryuji's warm hand holding hers.
Sumire was the next one to approach Ren, but like he did with the others, the Trickster brushed her away with a hand held up; she looked wounded at the subtle rejection, but she knew he was feeling unwell and gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder instead before venturing to Goro's side.
"Let's head back," Morgana said to the ones who were not around, waving them over. "We need to do more planning in reality."
"Like what?" Ryuji asked.
"Supplies run, battle tactics, starting parties…." Morgana listed off impatiently, unhappy at having to explain himself. "I thought a seasoned Phantom Thief would know that by now."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," Ryuji said, trailing off.
One by one, the Phantom Thieves began climbing into the van, all moving over to accommodate for the next person.
Ren climbed into the passenger's side while Haru got behind the wheel, stealing sideways glances to their Leader every once and a while—and either Ren was oblivious to it or he pretended not to notice.
"I'd wish you good luck, but I don't think you'll need it this time," Ann whispered to Ryuji as she hopped in after him.
"Hey, thanks—wait! This time? Whaddya mean?"
Ann fell silent for the majority of the ride around Mementos, which was no longer a subway but an airport. Mementos had changed into a place where people come and go the most. The aisles were large and the airport seemed endless, but each gate they went through, Ann felt like they were getting somewhere.
She and Ryuji sat knee-to-knee, not speaking but relishing the company of the other. Ryuji would occasionally rub his hands on his knees, accidentally touching her own as he did so, and she swore she saw him cast a few sideways glances whenever he did that. Perhaps it was her over-active imagination, but she was willing to take the crumbs of affection for now.
"Almost there," Morgana said and came to a stop.
Sumire pulled out her phone while everyone clambered out of the van, allowing Morgana to transform back into a cat. Ren was the last one out, stumbling blindly and bolstered by Goro. Ryuji looked concerned although Goro shook his head to keep his thoughts to himself.
Sumire activated the MetaNav and brought them back to reality. Because they had traversed through the alternate reality on the schedule of Makoto this time around, it was hardly past midnight. The thirteen hour difference meant they were operating on very little sleep and Ann was beginning to feel the exhaustion hit as soon as the adrenaline wore off.
"Why….didn't we….do this at….home?" Ryuji groaned as they began their trek back.
"Because we aren't sure if we needed to be somewhere more public for Mementos," Morgana grumbled unhappily as the tip of his tail twitched in mild annoyance. "Trust me. I wouldn't want to go trampling through Times Square at this hour if I can help it either."
Ann looked up and around, unable to find it in herself to be upset when she was surrounded by such beauty. The lights were bright, sure, and it didn't help her headache, but she loved the bustling city noises.
From zooming cars and honking horns to sirens blaring and dogs barking, she loved it all. Ann looked up at the tall buildings around her and smiled wider. She could see lights on through windows, allowing her to glimpse through and catch a peek at the lives of the occupants.
She grabbed Yusuke's arm and chuckled. "Beautiful, right? What can you tell me about the lights of New York City?"
"They are bedazzling stars, each humming a melody of their own. Alone, they shine, but together they burn as bright as the heart of our beloved Leader."
Ren turned around at the sound of his name and threw a playful smile over his shoulder. "Thanks."
"Eyes reflect that in which beauty is revealed," Yusuke continued and held her hand, kissing the back of it. "A place in which you call home and underneath the stars maps a route to your divinity, Ann."
Ann was about to say something, but she felt hands on her shoulders and a chest pressed against her back.
"Dude….how?" Ryuji said, looking at him with a fond shake of his head. "Do you have the energy right now?"
"Beauty never ceases for slumber," Yusuke said simply and eyed the two before dipping his head. "That is why the life of an artist is restless."
Ryuji rolled his eyes fondly and stopped his griping to admire the scenery with Ann the rest of the way home.
When the Phantom Thieves finally reached the front door of the townhouse, they all collapsed in the foyer, backs against the wall and in the cases of Sumire and Ryuji, just sitting in the middle of the hallway.
Ann could feel the pangs of agony in her hip and knee. Everything of hers screamed in protest as she tried to rise, but she managed to summon the strength to stand on her feet.
Ren, who looked no better, gathered his long legs out from underneath him, hands rubbing a sore spot on his back ruefully.
"Joker, where are your weapons?" Sumire asked when she looked up at him.
"I lost them a few weeks ago," Ren replied and held up a hand to stop her flow of questions. "I'll replace them."
Goro helped Yusuke up and the two, for once, were okay with the physical contact. Ann inhaled sharply at the second wave of agony that shot up her leg, traveling right to her hip. She grabbed it with a grumble, unaware of the attention she drew.
"Ann," Ren said, voice sounding worried.
"I'm fine," she grunted and waved away the ones who were moving to help her. "I'm fine."
Ryuji closed his eyes briefly and turned to Ren. "Let's talk about a game plan. We can't keep running around like chickens with our heads cut off."
Much to her surprise, Goro slid up to her side and put a hand around her side, bending at the knee to let her drape an arm around his neck. She did so gratefully but apprehensively; it felt a bit too forced to not be awkward. However, his sturdiness was precisely what she needed; from her peripherals, she could see Ryuji scowl and make his way over to them.
"Do you need help walking home?"
"I'll be fine," Ann said to the blonde teen and offered him a small smile. "He's offered."
Goro looked at her quizzically but he caught on with haste and nodded, dipping his head at Ryuji of all people. "I will see it done."
"How bout you just keep your eyes to yourself!" Ryuji muttered in displeasure.
"I beg your pardon?" Goro asked, genuinely confused.
"Come on," Ann interrupted and turned to Sumire. "Are you and Sophia coming?"
"In a bit," Sumire said and yawned, eyes closing as she curled up on the couch of their living room.
Ann turned to Goro and shook her head. "I'll wait for them. But….can we talk?"
This time, it was Goro who looked wary of her. In the past, she would have been offended or felt insulted, but now she took it as a compliment. At least someone saw her as a possible threat.
"Privately?" Goro inquired. "If so, my room is available."
"That's fine," she said through gritted teeth, the pain in her hip and knee worsening the longer she stood. "Anywhere I can sit and talk."
"Whoa, whoa," Ryuji barked and walked up to them again with some vigor in his pace. "Wait—I thought—"
"A talk," Ann repeated for emphasis, eyes darting purposely over to Ren.
"Oh," Ryuji said and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Just….you know…."
"I'll be back," she said reassuringly.
Ann couldn't help but smile at the thought of Ryuji's protectiveness as Goro helped her to his room. It looked exactly like the way she saw it last time—not a thing out of place. The Detective had positioned her on the edge of his bed while he took residence across the room, leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.
So, this was what it was like from Ren's point of view. She had to admit—it felt foreign to be in such close proximity to him when it was usually Ren whose arms Goro would wrap around.
She stared at the brunette with a blazing look, unable to believe she was once afraid of him.
"We're worried about Ren," Ann stated factually, deciding not to dance around the subject. "We know he blames himself for the suicide."
"Do you blame him?" Goro asked.
His tone was not one that indicated accusation, but one that indicated it was nothing more than a simple inquiry.
"Of course not," Ann said firmly and truthfully. "It was on us all. He may be our Leader but we have our own responsibilities."
Goro hummed in response, but his defensive stance relaxed slightly. "That may be so, but it will always be the role of a Leader to bear the weight of his group. That has always been and it will always be."
Ann cast her gaze downward, unable to find something good enough to use for a refute. Her silence must have been taken into context, for Goro grumbled something inaudible under his breath and slowly walked over to her, sitting a ways off but on the bed.
"I daresay the Phantom Thieves are lucky to have you, Takamaki-san—"
"Don't," Ann said with a shudder, pulling her hair off her shoulder to tie it back. "Call me Ann, otherwise I feel weird calling you Goro."
"Fair enough, Ann," Goro said and rubbed the corners of his eyes wearily. "So, what would you do to alleviate his guilt?"
Ann raked her fingers through her hair as she tapped her knees. "I guess the best we can do is be there for him."
"Yes…."
"It's easy for you to say," Ann huffed as she threw her hand up at him. "You're you."
"Pray, what is the meaning behind that?"
Ann looked at him with a mixture of incredulity and suspicion. "Think on that for a bit."
.oOo.
"Why do you think she wanted to talk to him alone? What do you think they're talking about? Can we trust him around the girls alone?"
Ryuji's never-ending questions eventually piqued Ren's curiosity. He sniffled and looked up at his friend, who was pacing around despite the things strewn about the floor. Ren sat on Ryuji's desk due to the chair being occupied by a mound of Ryuji's dirty laundry, eyes following the blonde's movements.
"I mean—I know Ann can handle herself, but why did she wanna go to his room? Isn't that weird? I mean, he just sorta grabbed her—"
"She was injured," Ren pointed out.
"Yeah, but alone with Goro?" Ryuji snorted and kicked a sock out of the way. "She never does that. She barely talks to him—"
"They talk more than you think," Ren stated, unbothered and unable to figure out why the other was getting himself so worked up.
"For real?" Ryuji balked.
"She was the first one to accept him back after all," Ren said softly, pushing his glasses into place. "Well, after Sumire—but…."
Ryuji gave him a bit of a look. The subject of Maruki was still a bit sore and it was most definitely not just water under the bridge. The brown-eyed teen stopped his pacing and scuffled the ground with his shoe, shoulders slouching as he looked at Ren a bit guiltily.
"About that…."
"Do you really want to talk about that now?" Ren asked seriously, letting out another sneeze.
"Probably not," the other said and frowned in concern. "Seriously, are ya feelin' okay?"
"I might just be coming down with something," he said hastily and shook his head. "It's nothing serious."
"You look like shit," Ryuji said unapologetically, walking over to slap a hand to Ren's forehead. "You've had the shakes all day. You've been shiverin' non-stop since the Mementos."
Ren pulled back with a bit of a disgruntled huff and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'm fine."
"Of course you are," Ryuji snorted and rolled his eyes playfully. "How can a guy who beat a god's ass be stopped by a cold?"
"It's not that," Ren said with a click of his tongue.
"Seriously, man, what's been going on with you? It's like you're on this hellbent man-hunt."
Ren felt his stomach twist, having no energy left to delve into the topic, but Ryuji might have been the only one he felt comfortable telling.
"So, what gives?" Ryuji asked.
"I have an obligation to fix my mistake—the best I can."
"I know you blame yourself, Ren, but you can't put it all on you," Ryuji said earnestly, hooking his thumbs in his pockets, ceasing the pacing to give him his full attention. "We're grown-ass people who made our own choices, too."
It was comforting, but Ren couldn't bring himself to let it go that easily. He pulled out his phone instead and sent a text before pulling up the MetaNav, finger hovering over the button.
"You ain't seriously thinkin' of going back tonight, right?" Ryuji said with his jaw dropping, although he sounded uncharacteristically serious. "We need to rest. Please don't."
"I wasn't," Ren said, although it sounded too open-ended.
Ryuji was wholly unconvinced.
"I'm pretty tired. Have the girls sleep here tonight and they can head back when the sun is up," Ren instructed, sounding more like his Metaverse-self. He rose to his feet and did his best not to yawn, although he let out another sneeze.
"Bless you," Ryuji said and frowned. "Ya sure you're okay?"
Ren gave him a reassuring smile, albeit he was not sure how convincing it was. Nevertheless, he exited Ryuji's unnaturally messy room (having to persuade the door to open wide enough for him to slip through), and ventured down the stairs and to his room, having to fight the urge to kick down Goro's closed door; at the very least, he wanted to eavesdrop, but he just looked at his phone and smiled when he saw the text on his phone.
Goro (02:39): Come inRen hastened his pace to Goro's room and slowly came in, looking around for Ann. Goro, ever the observant one, held up a hand.
"She's not here. She and the others went back with Yusuke."
"And you think Yusuke's fine alone?" Ren snorted.
"He's got Morgana."
The ravenette, who would have usually gone straight for Goro's bed, stood at the doorway awkwardly, hands shoved in his pockets and his gaze darting about the bedroom.
"Things do not need to be uneasy between us," Goro said after a few moments of silence. "You said not to put meaning behind it."
"I—yeah—"
"It's nearing two weeks now," Goro said pointedly, giving him a sharp look. "I tire of dancing around you."
Ren flicked his eyebrows up in response.
"Stay the night."
He looked up in surprise and hummed softly, a smile spreading across his tired and ill-stricken features. He felt at ease once more.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"Where are we?"
"I think I've been here."
"No, none of us have."
"I don't think we're actually awake-awake…."
"Dude, I can't even remember falling asleep."
"Wait! We have been here!"
"Told ya! And nothin' good came out of it…."
Ren jolted awake at the cacophony of familiar voices, all overlapping one another in an attempt to be heard. It felt as if someone had doused him in a bucket of cold water and he began shivering from the lack of heat. He could see nothing through the blackness, which was so impenetrable, he momentarily wondered if he was blindfolded. However, when he tried moving his arms to touch his face, he found them bound to his side by a chain wrapped twice around his midriff.
"Shut up."
Goro's voice came from somewhere directly behind him; he adjusted his posture enough to feel a warmth that did not belong to him. It took him a moment to realize that he was tied back-to-back with his counterpart.
"I welcome you, the ones who call yourselves the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."
The sky illuminated itself as if all the stars in the galaxy turned themselves back on. Ren could now see clearly and he was sitting in the middle of the Velvet Room's courthouse. Lavenza stood in the front, looking grave and solemn, trouble lurking behind those unnaturally yellow eyes.
"You will stand before the judge, my divine master," she said and bowed her head as if performing a silent vigil. "You will attend trial and present yourselves with dignity."
Once again, her statement was met with a chorus of protests.
"Trial for what?" Sumire gasped.
"What are you talking about?"
"Who are you?" Haru asked, almost too politely.
"How absurd!"
"What are the charges?" Makoto demanded.
Lavenza appeared to hear none of this or she chose to ignore it. Instead, she looked at the sky, which widened its horizon.
Instead of the customary two prison cells, there were more….one for each Phantom Thief. The doors swung open slowly, allowing for them all to come pouring in, each one handcuffed.
"You have failed your mission," Lavenza said mournfully and looked at them with somber eyes. "You must face the consequences."
"Consequences?" Ann echoed, eyes widening. "And what might that be?"
Ryuji immediately rushed over to her side and did his best to put his arms around her protectively. However, the handcuffs prevented him from doing so.
"Where's Joker?" Makoto asked.
"And Crow?" Sumire added.
Despite being displayed in the middle of the courtroom, he and Goro must have been invisible.
Lavenza gestured to the pair, and Ren felt a flood of light from above shower them in what appeared to be an emulation of a spotlight. Upon seeing the two bound together, Ryuji bounded forward with a cry.
"I'm comin', guys!"
However, he was thrust backward as if he ricocheted off a transparent wall.
Goro couldn't help but snicker at that. "So that's what I look like…."
"Each one must stand speak with the judge before you are to go free," Lavenza said with a shake of her head.
"I-I can't!" Sumire said, backing away as she put her hands over her mouth. "I don't understand. What did we do wrong?"
"It's fine," Morgana said as he twitched his ears to and fro. "We did what we could. We did nothing wrong, Violet."
"That's not what she's saying," Sumire protested shrilly and buried her face in her hands. Yusuke did his best to pat her shoulder comfortingly. "How much trouble are we really in?"
"We must stand firm in our beliefs, Violet, for only then will the purity of our intentions come to light."
"I won't let anythin' bad happen to ya—any of y'all," Ryuji chimed in, turning to face Lavenza defiantly, fists flexing at his sides. "So bring it!"
"No," Ren said, finding his voice. He lifted his chin up at the judge's bench. His eyes raised themselves wearily. "Don't—blame them."
He could feel Goro stiffen behind him as he began to strain against the chains. The Detective Prince's hand reached out as if trying to grab him into silence, but Ren just put a hand on top of his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"The Trickster has spoken," a voice spoke, coming from all directions but from nothing in particular. "Will you bare yourself before me?"
"Yes."
The chains around his middle loosened enough where he was able to slip out. Goro tried holding him back, but the chains around him tightened, preventing him from moving his arms. Ren gave him an affirming nod and rose to his feet, fingers flying to unconsciously run his wrists.
"Your rehabilitation staggers as you failed to succeed in your mission."
Even though his back was turned to the others, Ren could hear the muffled cries of indignation and protests. He, however, kept himself facing forward, refusing to bend now.
"Perhaps you do not understand the severity of your mistakes."
Ren shook his head. "I do."
"Then you accept blame."
"I do," he repeated.
The noises from behind grew louder.
"Then you admit fault."
"I do," Ren said for the third time.
He barely got done speaking when there were new voices that joined in but these ones were much clearer and Ren could visibly see the source of said voices. They belonged to the same men who were in the interrogation room all that time back.
"It looks like we're back with the same damn punk."
"Who are these clowns?" Ryuji demanded.
"Policemen," Goro replied coldly.
One went for Ren's wrist, which seemed to trigger the boy to react. He jumped back and threw off his mask, calling upon his stronger self. Arséne emerged with a screech, wings unfurling and flaring out. The surge of courage and power courses through his muscles, filling every vein with an agonizing fire desperate for release. He threw his head back and extended his arms out on either side of himself, eyes closing blissfully as the dizziness cleared.
The Tall Man made a lunge, but Arséne's wing curled in front of him to create a barrier in which he could not be touched. Ren took the moment of hesitation and vaulted forward in a wild attempt to get to Goro and the others, but something blew a red hole from the back and through the front of his chest.
Arséne moaned in agony as Ren howled, falling to his knees. The Persona began to shake the Velvet Room before he exploded. Ren's mask returned to his face as he pressed the hole in his chest from a single bullet yet not a single drop of blood fell.
The group of Phantom Thieves watched in horror, some even doing their best to break the barrier, but it fell on deaf ears. Ren could not hear them nor was he actively seeking them out. His concern remained with Goro, knowing the Velvet Room had a greater impact on him than usual.
"Make sure he doesn't do that again!"
Ren was seized around the neck and forced up, hands grabbing his arm and holding it there as the Tall Man shoved the tip of a syringe into his arm.
"Joker!" Ryuji bellowed, slamming a hand against the barrier.
"Easy, Skull," Morgana hissed with flattened ears. "Remember….this is the Velvet Room. It doesn't work the same as the Metaverse."
"I dunno what that means!" Ryuji growled in frustration, cursing wildly. "But are you seriously askin' me to calm down while I watch my friend get attacked?"
Ren was terrified of needles; he was never before but he developed a handicapping fear. He froze, involuntarily allowing them to stick him in the arm. He glared at them through heavily-lidded eyes and black lashes.
"Just in case he tries something funny before the drugs kick in…."
Ren's hands flew to his wrists once more, but the motion was interrupted when the two men grabbed his arms and cuffed them behind his back—yet, he couldn't bring himself to struggle like he usually would.
"Finally taking some responsibility, eh?" the man said and poked him hard in the chest. "Still ain't good enough cause you're right back where ya started."
A boot flew out of nowhere, landing a square blow to his chest. Ren let out a wet cough as he went down with the impact….but with his hands tethered behind his back, he could not get back up. Ren was not sure if his chest could take another hit without risking the possibility of it caving in. The pain was localized, but the waves carried the discomfort from his sternum to his limbs.
"How vulgar!" Yusuke exclaimed and put a hand to his eyes as if trying to cover them. "How dare they force us to watch?"
"That would have been us all," Goro scoffed humorlessly, a darkened look shadowing his cold features. "But he took the fall."
"They didn't even let us talk," Makoto pointed out thoughtfully. "That's not how a courtroom works. You—"
"Do not recite the way of the courtroom to me, Niijima," Goro growled, temper flaring. "Unlike you, I've worked in many."
"Guys!" Ann interjected heatedly, flaring her whip in midair, which made a sharp snap.
Their attention went back to Ren, who was slumped over the chair, head bowed as the men in the suit ridiculed him relentlessly. For a while, it left no lasting impact as he knew they were blowing hot air and they seemed to know this so they switched tactics.
"You think they give a shit about you? They woulda done somethin' by now if they did. They'd be happy to let you take the blame. If it means clearing their name."
Ren sat there with a glare but nothing more, knowing they were reaching to the farthest corners to provoke him.
"That girl, the one with the bike—she seems smart, yeah? You and her are pretty close…."
Ren blinked and Makoto, from afar, blushed.
"She's a smart girl. Pretty to boot….where is she?"
Ren merely wiped the blood off his lip with his shoulder.
"What about that blonde? The hot one. She's pretty fiery, right? Well, it's a good thing I like to play with fire."
"Don't say that," Ren snapped, finally letting a hint of his temper flare and his mask of indifference crack. "Show some respect."
"Oh-ho, you're one to talk," Tall Man said with a snort, rubbing a hand over his mouth before leered forward with his lips curled back. He grabbed Ren by the jaw and brushed a thumb over Ren's split lip. "You don't fancy some broad like that?"
Ren snorted, unimpressed.
"Interesting ladies man," Tall Man sneered and braced himself on the table between them.
Ren's heart raced, but he forced himself to remain stoic in fear of giving himself away. He had a hunch what was coming up and that he should be expecting it, but he was inwardly and outwardly hoping it would never come up in conversation.
"Kitagawa—he was gonna get the same thing you're gettin' now," Tall Man drawled and grinned ominously. "But now you're getting it and he ain't here to save your ass."
Ren sniffled away his runny nose, which was seen as a gesture of disrespect—and earned himself a blow to the face.
"Akechi would rather save his own reputation over you," Tall Man continued after he wiped some spit from his chin. "A reputation that you're already ruinin', kid. You like him, right? He doesn't give two shits about you—you think he'd taint his image bein'—"
Ren couldn't listen to the rest of it nor could he bear the thought of his friends hearing it any more than he could.
"Fuck you."
The words came out before he could stop them from tumbling. He bit his lip and clamped his jaws shut immediately after but the damage was done.
"Show some respect, bastard!"
Ren's vision flickered in and out of blackness as Tall Man swung an elbow into his nose. Ren could feel and hear the crack of his cartilage falter under the pressure. He screwed his eyes shut, but he was unable to bite back a howl of pain, listening to it rip from his teeth. Tall Man shackled the chains around his neck, hand grabbing his mask and ripping it off. No blood came this time, only revealing the blackened marks on his face from the blows.
"Whose hands would you like running up and down your legs, hm?"
Ren gritted his teeth as the tip of a knife came to cut away at his pant legs, tearing through the fabric at his skin to leave a thin trail of blood to drip.
"Or leave their mark on that smooth neck of yours…."
Tall Man pulled at his tailcoat until he exposed bare arm and shoulder. Ren jerked his head away the best he could to get away from the blade, but it slipped and cut away at his waistcoat.
"What about it?" Tall Man sneered and dragged his knife mockingly down Ren's front until they rested at the waistband, pulling away at the buttons, slowly displaying midriff, navel, hips…
"Jesus, how can you watch this?" Ryuji hissed as he kicked the barrier with his foot. "It's sick!"
"Don't overreact, Skull. The Velvet Room is a place between the conscious and unconscious," Makoto explained patiently but worriedly. "This is all a cognition—what happens here isn't really hap—"
"And that makes it okay?" Goro finally snapped at her, eyes darkening from their reddish brown to crimson. Smoke began to trail from the corners of his eyes. "After all, he is going through this all because of us."
"I understand—"
"Do you or is this all merely in our heads?" Goro growled and curled his hands into fists, traces of Crow disappearing. "None of this will matter in the morning, yes? We are to wake peacefully and pretend this never occurred? Feign ignorance to his stubborn beliefs in his friends?"
"Easy, Crow," Violet murmured, being the only one brave enough to approach him as his anger grew. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "No one is saying he isn't selfless."
"Why is it that the loud-mouthed blonde is overreacting when it is warranted? Are you comfortable watching your beloved Leader oppressed by the boot of shitty adults?"
Goro's figurr burned in black flames, revealing his real-self as it warped his attire. Haru brandished her weapon, but Sumire growled at her.
"What's that little thing going to do?"
"I'm not afraid," Haru snapped back, very uncharacteristically. "Do not think that because of my father—"
"A pale imitation of his power, Noir," Yusuke said and sidestepped as a show of support to Sumire. "A measly axe will only poke the dragon."
"Leave her alone," Makoto said in a warning tone,
"Shut up, shut up!" Goro hissed and put his head in his hands.
"This is what they wanted! The lot of us bickering idly while they feed on our humiliation and stupidity!" Morgana said while lashing his tail, claws unsheathing.
"If some of us would stop acting like they're so much tougher than the rest of us," Ann huffed, shooting a glare at Makoto.
"What is happening to the Phantom Thieves?" Sophia breathed.
Goro let out a roar of rage and threw his head back, releasing his Persona with an explosion. Loki appeared, power flickering dangerously as he lifted his hand and engulfed Makoto's motorcycle in its grasp, swallowing it entirely in a black hole.
Ren looked up at the scene of his friends and began to stir weakly. Each Phantom Thief had their Persona summoned to act as a shield against the onslaught of Loki's attacks. Sumire threw her arm up to protect her face as she tried grabbing onto Crow's arm to stop him, but he was blinded by his ire.
He began to shift against the chains that bound him, straining harder until he could feel his desire to fight return. He rose to his feet and broke his arms free, metal shattering; he grabbed the collar around his neck and tore it off, leaving a liberating mark around his throat. Tall Man backed away in shock as Ren's fire blew a ring of heat around his feet, cracking the floor beneath his boots.
"This happens too much," Ren said, voice echoing around the room. "But, I'm always able to stop it. I'm just sorry I didn't end it sooner."
He grabbed the chains hanging off his shoulders and neck, throwing them to the side. Ren lifted a hand to his friends and allowed his fire to burn away the barrier, shattering the transparent wall. His friends were able to back away from Goro as he put his head in his hands. Yusuke threw out a hand to stop his Persona from throwing out a sheet of ice, watching Ren stride towards Goro.
Without hesitation or a flicker of fear, their Leader threw his arms around Goro's shaking shoulders, fisting his clothes tight and burying his face in his shoulder. Ren could feel fingers thread themselves through his hair and an arm grip him around his neck in desperation.
Goro gasped softly in his ear as he let go of his anger, reverting back to white attire. Ren's fingers tangled themselves in the red fabric. He hadn't any idea how long he stood there with Goro like this, but time was nothing but ticking on a clock and like this, Ren felt like he could outrun the clock for the rest of time.