All rights remain.
Anew
Thursday—July 24, 2021
A/N at the end.
Sorry for the wait; I shortened it to 7k+ words and will put the rest in the next chapter.
"Arise, Trickster, with haste."
Ren sat up a little too quickly and immediately felt his head spin from the too-sudden movement. He could feel the cold metal on his skin and their familiar weight quick enough for him to deduce he was back in the Velvet Room. Lavenza opened the door for him and stepped to the side so he could come through. Ren did his best to move around with chains on his legs, managing to stumble out with some grace of Joker still intact. He immediately sought out his counterpart, who was already waiting for him.
"Deceiver, Trickster," the warden said as she approached them. "Have you come to terms with your new pact as the Metaverse has?"
Ren nodded wordlessly, but his mind was more occupied watching Goro stiffen his spine and glare at the young girl as if contemplating doing bodily harm. Yet, he could understand the other's reluctance to play nice. Lavenza looked innocent enough, but Ren knew her power's capacity and what she was capable of doing. Some of his memories here were nothing short of nightmarish.
"Why are we here now?" Goro demanded icily, curling his lip back. "Is our work not living up to your expectations?"
Lavenza blinked at him, indifferent to his attitude. "Your rehabilitation is at its end. And the next stage is your development."
"And?"
"In order for me to progress with you, I must ask a favor," the girl said though she looked at them both. "I request to be reverted back into two separate beings."
Ren's mind whisked back to the times with the false Igor and how he had severed Lavenza into Caroline and Justine. His heart sped up as he began to consider this all to be some elaborate trap.
"Why?" Joker demanded. "What will happen to you if Caroline and Justine return?"
Lavenza looked down at her hands and even wiggled her fingers. She seemed to be pondering this question, but it took an alarming account of time. Ren wondered if she even knew the answer.
"Lavenza will be in our memories. If you do not adhere to my request, I will simply fade away."
He certainly felt major reservations about this proposal and while he did have some…interesting memories with the girls, he could not forget the circumstances. She must have sensed his hesitation for she frowned in worry.
"Do not tell me now you have grown to care for me, too. It will only make the farewell all the more bitter."
Ren grunted and turned to Goro, looking for a permissive gesture. The other simply shrugged a shoulder, then crossed his arms over his chest while shifting his weight to one leg.
"Caroline nor Justine are names I am familiar with," he stated factually. "What you choose is your sole decision."
Ren figured it was the most he was going to get out of Goro, so he took it upon himself to make the choice. He only hoped he would not come to regret it later because the rest of eternity was a long time to regret something…
"I remember how much you didn't like being split, Lavenza," Ren said softly as he recalled the memories of watching her sleep-fight for the first time in his attic room. It was a spectacle, but even worse when he watched her have an entire nightmare while sleeping on his bed. "Are you sure that's what you want to go back to?"
"I exhibited the worst kind of pain under the pretense of that false god. But, by your gentle hands, I know it will not hurt," Lavenza said and looked up at him with adoration in her eyes. "I trust my being to be your responsibility."
Ren got down on his knees and opened his arms up for her. She welcomed the embrace with equal enthusiasm and when they pulled back, she wrapped her hands around his wrists. The chains slackened until they fell to the ground with a clatter. Goro gave him a bit of a stare, but he thankfully said nothing. He had no explanation for the detective. How could he explain that Lavenza was as much of a prisoner as he was under the monarchy of the false god?
The bond he had made over the time with her because she felt like the one secure thing in this cognitive world he could rely on. When the world was distorted and Ren felt like he had lost his friends, she was the one piece of normalcy he could cling onto—proof he truly lived in a different world and one that made him happy. Sumire nor Goro could quite provide him the same evidence Lavenza could and it hurt to say goodbye to the one he felt like he could depend on.
"I have watched you grow," she murmured softly, voice echoing melodically. "From a boy so angry at the world to a man who acted upon injustices. You have taken back the lost desires of my people and breathed old life back into them."
Lavenza paused and looked at Goro before averting her gaze back to him.
"You are in good company. I can slumber in peace knowing there will always be equilibrium."
He, too, finally looked over at Goro, who returned the gesture evenly but his gaze was softer. The Leader felt his heart twist and he was sure its mangled state could not risk another fissure.
"I guess I don't understand," Ren said and looked at her with a troubled expression. "Will you not come back? Will I never see you again?"
"What a truly magnificent puzzle you are, my Trickster," Lavenza said as Goro, who Ren never knew left, returned with a blanket and bindings. "It has been an extraordinary honor to stand at the side of such a great warrior….and a great friend."
Ren held his breath as he and Goro threw the blanket over Lavenza, covering her body and guiding it to the guillotine. She hardly struggled unlike other Personas, a clear indicator she knew precisely what she was doing. Still, it did not make things any easier. His eyes were on the large, slanted blade dangling ominously above.
With one fell swoosh, the blade decapitated its victim and the Leader found he could not tear his eyes away even if he tried. The severed parts began to emit a garish glow until it was almost unbearable to look at, but through the cacophony, he could hear familiar grunts.
"Ouch, Caroline!"
"Your boot has surely bent my spine…"
Ren released a ragged breath, which hurt to let go.
"What is this wretched thing? Get it off me!"
Hands tore away at the cover until it revealed a girl with two buns on either side of her head. Caroline grunted in displeasure, kicking it away before freeing Justine. The two girls dusted themselves off before taking some time to look around as though they were filling in memory gaps.
"I-Inmate?" Caroline stammered as her one eye finally landed on him.
Ren dipped his head respectfully.
"What kind of half-hearted answer is that?" Caroline barked, immediately straightening up and brandishing her baton. "Now explain yourself! Who is that?"
"Crow," Ren said as Goro stiffened. "He was brought here after you….were fused."
"Why are we back?" Justine asked, her voice still calmer than her counterpart.
"Only L-Lavenza knew that," Ren said and cleared his throat, jumping as the shackles from earlier snaked their way back into his wrists and clamped shut. "She just said it was necessary."
Caroline pointed her baton at Ren with an impatient tap of her foot. "You still haven't answered my question. Who is he?"
"The Deceiver," Justine gasped as her single eye widened.
"H-How do you know?" Caroline demanded, out off by the sudden burst of knowledge.
"Yaldabaoth created a trickster's counterpart to manipulate the game," Justine apprised and closed her eye to help her remember. "If I am not mistaken, this counterpart is a mirror—a second Wild Card."
Caroline's gaze snapped to Goro. "Is it true?"
"Yaldabaoth was the attendee for my Velvet Room," Goro replied, carefully treading with his words to avoid revealing too much.
"I see," Justine said and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Were you rehabilitated?"
"Of course he was," Caroline suddenly said, whipping around to fix him with a hard glare. "He already has multiple Personas in his mask."
"Your ability to see this is beyond me," Justine praised. "Then it is time for your development."
"I know," Ren said quietly and wearily. "La—she already told us."
Her name still did not sit well on his tongue.
"And you're already delayed, inmate," Caroline said with a click of her tongue. "No surprise there."
Some of Joker's old fire returned, rekindling a spark of defiance.
"I am not."
Caroline narrowed her eye at him. "You don't always have the willpower to summon your Persona, isn't that right?"
"No," Ren lied but he could feel Justine studying his every move.
"I hope that is the case," the softer-spoken of the two said. "Your next enemy may just be your greatest challenge."
Ren was not surprised in the least when they did not provide any more information after that.
"And don't think you'll be so free to wander the room," Caroline said loudly, stamping her foot. "You'll be back in that cell like last time!"
"Oh, so you do remember," Ren said cheekily.
"We never forget…Joker."
This warranted the faintest of smiles from him.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Ren woke with a start but he didn't rouse on his own. Yusuke was standing over him with a pencil on the tip of his nose. He yelped in a very undignified way and scrambled out of bed with a scowl. He slammed a hand to his chest and glared at his midnight-haired friend.
"There was a profound, unspoken beauty to you as you slumbered," Yusuke said, unabashed of being caught. He merely shrugged his shoulders, seeing no problem. "I could not find it in myself to wake you yet."
"I don't get—Yusuke, why was there a pencil on my face?" he panted breathlessly.
"I needed to perfect the scaling."
Ren jumped for the second time this morning when someone on the other side of his door began pounding a fist on it.
"Dude, we gotta meet everyone at the airport!"
Ren's heart faltered; he had forgotten who was all coming today.
"I...yeah," the tired teen said and ran a hand through his hair. "I—sorry. I forgot it was today."
"Dude, c'mon," Ryuji's voice bemoaned. "Ann's been harpin' about it ever since she told us."
"I know, I know," the ravenette said as he yanked the door open, allowing his friend to enter and grabbing his glasses. "Give me a few."
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Ren was exhausted from last night and feeling the lingering lethargy still hacking away at his energy. He had drifted off more than once and was caught staring at nothing more than a few times on their way to the airport.
"Hey, Ren," Morgana meowed from his bag, sticking his head out. "Are you even with us today?"
"Sorry," the Leader said and swallowed, trying to keep himself in the present by focusing on the man's magazine across from him.
Perhaps it was the frightful thought of seeing everyone else at once, but he was feeling more nervous than he logically knew he should be. The anxiety stemmed from his own self-consciousness, although his mistakes with Gahr did not sit too far behind on that list. While others confirmed he was not to blame, he still felt at fault.
"We're here!" Ryuji cheered and snagged his friend by the elbow. "Dude, let's go!"
Ren allowed himself to be jostled and dragged around by his friends even though it certainly did not make them move any faster. The airport was hauntingly like the one in Mementos, but fortunately smaller—small enough where he knew it would not take them six hours to cover one level by car. The Phantom Thieves made their way to the boarding gate where Makoto had informed them where they would be landing and getting off at.
They stood at the gate, waiting for the familiar faces of their friends. Ren, however, took this time to create unfavorable scenarios in his head, all of them ending with the others realizing he was far from this idealistic, perfect, and fearless leader and more like a man with empty words…
The people milled about, lost in their own worlds while he was wandering in his own. Ren had completely lost track of time and was most definitely unsure how long they were standing there before the announcer's voice echoed over the loudspeakers, notifying anyone who was listening of the arriving plane from Tokyo.
And all at once, the people began filing through, flooding through the door. It was not just Japanese individuals coming into the airport, but people of all ethnicities and nationalities. He came to the realization for at least the fourth time that America was much more diverse than Japan would ever be.
"Keep looking!" Ryuji said to everyone.
Through the crowd, he began searching for some recognizable faces. Beside him, Ren could feel the excitement emanating from his friends and though he tried to match their energy, his mind was too distracted to properly put his heart into it.
"Boss! Futaba!"
The pair from Leblanc was the first to make their way over to the group. Ren was nearly shoved out of the way as Ryuji came surging forward with a jubilant shout, picking Futaba right off her feet and hugging her tightly. She let out a squeal, but accepted the motion with a hearty laugh. Sojiro seemed to be watching rather carefully, but he let himself get pulled into a hug from the hyper blonde.
"That's enough," the Boss said, although there was a trace of fondness.
Yusuke stopped and stared at the orange-haired girl for a few moments before jerking awkwardly into some sort of staggered bow of sorts. It looked strange, but Ren chose not to say anything about it. Instead, he held out an arm and beckoned her into an embrace. Futaba skipped over to him and allowed herself to be welcomed graciously into his one-armed hug.
"You're still the same, I see," Sojiro said to Ren as the teen gave him a respectful bow.
"You still feel the same, Reeeeen," Futaba said with a disapproving click of her tongue; her hands reached out and wrapped themselves around his waist as if she was measuring the size of his midriff. "Thin as hell, almost as much as Inari."
Finally, she turned her attention back to Yusuke, who closed the distance and pulled the much-smaller girl into his arms and held her there, much longer than the others had. Futaba, to everyone's surprise, didn't seem to mind the prolonged physical contact. The artist, then, did something no one expected—he leaned down (quite a bit given their 33 centimetre difference) and pecked her cheek. Futaba turned bright red, Sojiro's eyes widened comically, and Yusuke looked shy for the first time.
It felt painfully quiet, but Ann was brave enough to break it.
"It's so good to see you! Have we gone over sleeping arrangements?"
"Ah, we were just gonna catch a motel room—"
"We have the space," Ren said with a shake of his head. "Don't worry about it."
"One can reside in my room while the other can use Ren's room as your temporary quarters," Yusuke explained. "The choice falls to you. We are, indeed, flexible."
"You can have my room," Ren offered to Sojiro, nodding in its general direction. "Futaba can have Yusuke's."
"I know how messy you get, kid, I'll take the artist's room," Sojiro said before anyone could interrupt, chuckling at his own antics and rubbing his neck. Ren had a feeling he had said something wrong, but the mystery was what he said. "Futaba, you don't mind taking this one's place?"
"I don't mind," Futaba chirped happily and gave Yusuke a poke in the stomach. "I missed you! It feels like it's been ages but I know it was only a few months."
The eccentric teen rested his hand on her lower back and smiled warmly, bending his head a bit to get a better look at her. "I concur. I missed you dearly, too."
Futaba turned pink once again.
Goro cleared his throat to interrupt politely and pointed to a pair of oncoming figures that were more or less running right at them.
Futaba eyed Goro tightly before forcing out her words. "I have to say it's…different seeing you again."
"Even though this is hardly the first time," Goro said coolly, voice on the border of being a sneer. "Are you really going to bring this up now?"
"No," the younger girl said, then hardened her voice. "But I'm sure we will talk about it."
"I have no doubt," Goro replied emotionlessly then gave her his shoulder after that.
Meanwhile, everyone else was occupied by the newest arrivals.
"I can't believe it's you!"
Haru came rushing towards them and threw herself into the arms of an unexpecting Ann and Sumire. All three shared the moment of welcome while Makoto came to join their group, giving everyone a nod of her head.
"It was quite a long plane ride, but who would have guessed she would be able to sleep through it?"
"Crappy, huh?" Ryuji said sympathetically but clapped her on the shoulder none too gently. "But we're glad ya made it."
"Yes, I am just relieved we made it safely and with no problems," Makoto said and massaged her shoulder with a bit of a stern look. "And for that little stunt to my arm, you can wheel my baggage."
Ryuji gasped then moaned, hanging his head but knowing better than to argue with her.
"So you and Haru came together?" Sumire asked as she bowed to the older girls.
"Like some domestic couple," Ryuji teased.
Makoto's eyes widened before they narrowed. "Do you really want to start this early?"
"No, no, no, no," he said and threw his hands in the air in surrender. "Isn't it a little early for threats?"
The former just rolled her eyes.
"Do you remember when we were all in Yokohama?" Ann said excitedly, giving up on wheeling Haru's carry-on and hoisting it over her back. "I asked Ren when we were going on our next trip. I suggested we go overseas. Look at us now!"
Sojiro chuckled softly at her excitement and fell in step with Ren and Goro in the back.
"Been doing okay, Detective?"
"Akechi is fine," Goro said in that false politeness though Ren could hear strain in his tone.
"Right," Sojiro said and stiffly rubbed his mouth with his hand. "Well, you still haven't answered."
"I'm well, thank you," the auburn-haired teen said and plastered on a waxy smile. "Yourself?"
"Tired as hell, but fine otherwise," Sojiro said and gave Goro a calculating look. "Are you kids hanging in there?"
Goro, to Ren's surprise, paused long enough to be noticeable—he nearly stopped in his tracks.
"Of course, sir. Not a thing has changed."
It was a sinister answer to those who delved deep enough to discover its true meaning, but Ren didn't want to address the incident with Gahr.
"And uh, who's the little redhead that isn't Yoshizawa-chan?" Sojiro asked, pointing to the smallest Phantom Thieves member.
"Sophia," Ren said quickly and debated internally whether to lie or not. However, Sojiro knew about them and their world, so he figured lying would be fruitless. "She came from Mementos."
"Mementos?" the older man echoed and wiped his glasses on his shirt. "That collective cognitive place in Tokyo? No…"
His eyes widened as he grabbed Ren by the elbow.
"Please tell me you kids aren't doing that crap here?"
Ren sniffed, unable to face the man, who housed and cared for him, and lie. Fortunately, Goro stepped in and placed a consoling hand on Sojiro's shoulder.
"Nothing to what you must think," he said smoothly and gave him another fake but eerily convincing smile.
Sojiro grunted and released his own grip, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You may not be under my care anymore, Amamiya, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you."
The former delinquent cast his gaze away.
"Go on, Ryuji," Makoto's voice interrupted as they all stood around the baggage claim area. "You can grab it. My shoulder is feeling sore."
"But—I—okayyyy."
Ren took this opportunity to put some distance between him and the cafe-owner. It was a foreign phenomenon to have someone act as a parental figure rather than an employer. While it came with a plethora of benefits, Ren also noted the disadvantages—one being the fear of disappointing Sojiro and the second being the guilt of lying.
Makoto, who had the most things, the majority of it being school work, had Ryuji lugging it around for a while before she let him take a break. Haru brought along the most brightly colored suitcase, while Sojiro and Futaba (thankfully) shared a large suitcase.
Ren came to the sudden realization that there were far more people than available seats no matter the size of the taxi. When they managed to hunt down a van, they all piled inside in the most unorthodox way in order to fit everyone. Sojiro had taken the front seat beside the driver while the others were stuck in the back seats. The males took the seats seeing as they were larger while the females doubled up.
This was how Ren found Haru in his lap.
"Don't you dare do anything funny," Ann warned Yusuke as she situated herself on his knees.
"Cannonball!" Futaba cheered as she practically jumped into Ryuji's legs, knees flying.
"Ah! Ah! Shit, be very careful!" the faux-blonde gasped as his legs instinctively tried to close.
"Sorry, senpai, I know this can't be very comfortable," Sumire said to Goro and tried to make herself smaller. "It sure is not for me so I can't imagine it is for you."
Sophia had chosen to take temporary residence in Ren's phone to have one less body to cram inside.
"Not gonna lie," Ryuji said as his hands found a comfortable place above his head so he would not have them close to Futaba. "I kinda miss the subway."
"Oh come on this was faster," the Boss said with a wave of his hand. "You're being dramatic."
"Easy for you to say," Ryuji muttered and scowled. "Where's your lap gremlin?"
"Shut up!" Futaba said and whipped him in the face with her hair.
"Oh! Sorry, Ren!" Haru said as she turned to look out the window, causing him to grimace.
"I don't mind," he says reassuringly.
"I bet he doesn't," Ryuji jested suggestively and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Really, Ryuji? In front of Boss?" Ann griped disapprovingly.
"I'm not surprised," Sojiro said and waved a hand. "Girls sitting in the laps of teenage boys. I can fill in the blanks just fine."
Ren was not feeling that embarrassed by it before, but now that it was brought up, his face burned bright red as the blood rushed from his head down. He hurriedly shifted in his place, nearly unseating Haru in the process and having to grab her by the waist to keep her from falling off.
"Sorry," he muttered under his breath.
"And you call me scandalous!" Yusuke grunted in sarcastic humor. "What irony."
"Can we please change the subject?" Ann huffed and adjusted herself, causing Yusuke to gasp.
"Please be gentle."
And that was how the rest of the ride remained more uncomfortable than rising heat, the awkwardly shifting weight on his lap, or the occasional grinding on his pelvis. Makoto kept tight-lipped the entire way but he swore he received at least one glare. But as to why, he didn't know.
"Thank God we're here!" Ann rejoiced jovially as she practically threw herself out of the van.
Ren followed close behind the moment Haru got off his legs, glad to be able to stretch them and regain some feeling. His jubilance was short-lived the moment he saw Goro tap Sumire on the waist, both looking too content for their own good.
"We'll walk Makoto and Haru to our place," Ann said as she picked up Haru's baggage after the wheel had broken. "And meet back at yours for dinner tonight!"
The Phantom Thieves cheered, but Ren's mind was, once again, somewhere else. He followed his friends into their townhouse, where they managed to get both their guests situated in their respective rooms. Whilst Sojiro was setting his things on the foot of Yusuke's bed, Ren knocked on the frame politely despite the door being left open.
He was never good at doing one-on-one conversations with adults given his past track record, but he could only hope the familiarity of this man would appease him because, yes, they had plenty of talks before—some more memorable than others and for all the wrong reasons….
"Now what?"
Ren startled and slouched his shoulders as those hands went back into his pockets. He could remember the time Sojiro had yelled at him for dragging Futaba into the mess called the Phantom Thieves, the time he chided him for insensitively putting her in danger—these things came back tenfold and suddenly, he felt the guilt crashing down on him.
"Why did you want this room? You've seen how clean my room was in Leblanc."
It was most definitely not the question he had but it was on the base of his tongue that just spilled out prematurely. He couldn't take it back, so he just went with it.
"It's obvious, ain't it, kid?" Sojiro snorted as if Ren was missing the answer written in big, red ink on his forehead. "I trust you won't be doing any funny business with her."
"What?" Ren said blankly, mind racing to catch up but missing a few pieces of the track that prevented him from picking up speed.
"Kitagawa's a good kid, but it's not just him, ya know? It's both of them," Sojiro said and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just keeping an eye on my daughter."
When it finally clicked, Ren tilted his head to the side and let out an involuntary laugh of disbelief.
"Sir—I don't think it's like that."
"What does he mean, Ren?" Sophia's voice asked from somewhere inside his pocket.
With a flash of light, she reappeared from the beads of light. The tiny girl brushed herself off and waved merrily like she did not just materialize from nothing. Ren chuckled at Sojiro's expression.
"You get used to it," he insisted and turned to the newly formed human and gave her a smile. "How are you?"
"Excited," she said warmly and tilted her head to the side. "Will you introduce me to your friend?"
Both her and Ren looked over to Sojiro, who looked uncomfortable at the staring.
"We...introduced each other before," the older man pointed out, but this was the first time meeting her in person (quite literally). "But, um, nice to meet you."
"Ryuji should be in the kitchen," Ren said to her as his eyes moved to the door. "He probably needs help."
"Okay," Sophia said and flounced out of the room with her arms still held aloft like they usually would whenever she ran.
Now left with Sojiro once again, the silence stretched on until…
"I wanted to talk about Futaba," he said softly, taking a deep breath and pushing the sleeves of his overshirt.
"What about her?" Sojiro asked cautiously, pitch lowering a few octaves and eyes narrowing dangerously at Ren.
"You asked us if what we're doing here has anything to do with the Phantom Thieves," Ren began, somehow finding the courage to look the other in the eye as he spoke. "It's...hard to explain, but just know it doesn't involve Futaba anymore."
This seemed to catch his attention, all traces of nonchalance gone as he straightened up and drew his eyebrows together.
"You're neither confirming nor denying that you're doing Phantom Thief work in this country," Sojiro said slowly and put a hand to his chin, eyes cast downward as if trying to find the answers written in the flooring. "But if you say you are not dragging Futaba into that mess, then how am I supposed to believe you?"
"I know I betrayed some of your trust back then," Ren said, recalling the subtle looks of anger, frustration, and disappointment from the older man; most of his disapproval was stifled for the sake of their shared commonality, but he knew there was a lot left unsaid. "I didn't want her dragged in either. She became the navigator. I made sure she wasn't in the fights—"
"I understand you were in one hell of a predicament, kid," Sojiro said and shook his head, allowing himself to deflate a bit. He rubbed the back of his neck and sounded a bit gentler this time. "I just wish you hadn't dragged her in it. I know you weren't trying to and once she's made up her mind, there's no telling her otherwise but—"
"I know," Ren said in understanding, knowing how much easier it was to come to terms with something when there was something or someone to blame. And perhaps he knew deep down Sojiro was not blaming him for Futaba's involvance in the Phantom Thieves, but he understood where the man was coming from.
Fortunately, it seemed like Sojiro was done with the conversation and Ren was only too happy to leave, annoyed at himself for overestimating his confidence. He emerged from the room, feeling that sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, but he didn't dwell on it; Ren brushed off his thoughts and forced himself to focus on the present because he knew if he didn't, he would dig himself deeper.
The others were downstairs, where Futaba was evidently waiting for him.
"Where are you gonna sleep?" she asked, concerned as she visually did a head count. "Inari said he would take the couch."
"We'll figure it out," Ren replied, not wanting to think about that either. He cleared his throat and held out a hand towards her bag of clothes. "I'll take you to my room. You didn't have to wait for me."
"Manners and all," she protested lightly but followed behind him with a bounce to her step.
It seemed like their past feud was long forgotten or forgiven, but he could not detect any animosity from her for his lack of consideration behind his past words. He led her into his room, and instantly groaned rather audibly, annoyed (yet again) at himself that he had forgotten to put the clean sheets on his bed.
"So much for personalization," Futaba mumbled as she made a face, disgruntled by his taste in decor (or the lack of), earning herself an eye roll.
"Not all of us want to clutter our space," he jested back playfully.
"Hey, you leave my action figures out of it," she gasped a bit dramatically. "So I'll stay here and what...you sleep on the ground?"
"Not unless I want Boss after me," Ren snorted and shook his head at the thought. "I'll stay on the couch or share a room with someone else for the time being. I told you not to worry."
Futaba hummed thoughtfully though the effect was ruined by a long and drawn-out yawn.
"Jet-lagged?" Ren guessed.
Futaba spared no time or reservation and jumped into his bed. He figured he would leave her alone for now, knowing she was the kind of person who needed more than the average amount of sleep. He closed the blinds, shut off the lights, and shut the door behind him, making a mental note to change the sheets when she woke.
He slipped out of the room and ventured back down the hallway, where the others had gathered in their living room.
"New interns at the District have a mandatory meeting," Goro apprised the others as Ren came into earshot.
The ravenette had almost forgotten and squashed the urge to let his posture slump. Instead, he mustered up the last of his strength to face the public once more...time alone could wait...
.oOo.
"Dude," Ryuji said, voice brimming with excitement. "I can't believe you're all here!"
Yusuke was surprised he was making a conscious effort to keep the volume to his voice lower for the sake of the slumbering Sojiro.
"It is quite a treat to have been invited by Ann," Makoto said and flashed her a smile. "You really should be thanking her for all this."
"Aw," Ann said and pulled her hair loose. "I'm glad everyone could make it. I'm excited that you get to meet my family, too. They've heard so much about all of you. I have a tendency to talk about you guys a lot."
"How sweet of you, Lady Ann," Morgana purred as he curled up on her lap, allowing his favorite Phantom Thief to stroke his fur. "Modest, smart, kind...is there no end to your marvel?"
"Yeah," Ryuji said, enthusiastically agreeing with him. "Hey, it's only like 21:00. Anyone wanna do something?"
"I can figure out what 'anyone wanna do at 21:00' if I can get into someone's phone—" Sophia said as she quoted Ryuji.
"That's okay," Ren said gently, wanting to reinforce the fact that she no longer had to do that for them.
"Let's go for ice cream," Ann suggested while the others perked up at the idea. "It's really warm, so it's a perfect night to head into the city for something cold."
"Even I can't find any reason to argue," Makoto said and nodded in approval.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Goro drawled from his spot on the couch, sitting forward with his chin propped up by his hand.
"Of course you can tag along, pancake boy," Ryuji joked then howled with laughter, having amused himself the most. "Anyway, nah, ain't she sleepin'?"
"Oh, like it's nothing but a pleasure to indulge in your dairy cravings," Goro said, tone dripping with obvious sarcasm. "I'm surprised you even know who we are talking about."
"I know it's Futaba," Ryuji grunted and jutted his chin towards the hallway to Ren's room. "She's still sleeping, right, Renren?"
"Yeah."
"Then we should let her rest," Ryuji said as he threw a hand to acknowledge Ren's confirmation.
While the hopes of spending their first night in a different country together fell, Yusuke did not let himself feel remorseful for long. Instead, he avidly (perhaps a little too much) watched their Leader pull out his phone and begin to type away.
"Let's just go," Ryuji said and threw his head back in exasperation. "I'm tired of havin' to whisper and shit."
"That's because you were never good at it," Ann retorted.
The Phantom Thieves decided it would be better to find a place outside where they wouldn't risk waking the others for everyone knew the longer Ryuji was cooped up inside when he didn't want to be, the louder he got (unconsciously or consciously).
But, Yusuke did not mind being outside despite the humidity and heat. There was something divine about New York City at night and it was easy to melt into the ambience, feeling his pulse thrum excitedly like the buzzing neon signs above. His fingers itched for his pencil, but he was hit with so much inspiration, it would have been overwhelming on paper.
From the corner of his eye, Yusuke could see Goro fall back in step with their leader, abandoning Sumire's side. The Detective was whispering something about needing a new lighter, for it was nearly out of fluid when Yusuke was struck with sudden inspiration; he framed the scene with his fingers.
"Quick!" he exclaimed suddenly, rushing over to them. "I have found my muse. Please...if I may."
Goro shrugged and held out the lighter, which Yusuke snatched with haste and began burning the edges of his small sketchbook, nodding in approval at its newly charred pages.
"That's it?" Goro muttered while Ren rolled his eyes.
"Of course not," Yusuke said and made a very deliberate show of taking a drag to appease the copper-eyed teen. "I would not dare displease you with something so mundane."
"Who knew you were capable of sarcasm?" Goro said lazily and took a drag of his own. "Where did you learn it from? Madarame?"
"Where have you developed your wit?" he shot back. "Shido?"
Yusuke had surprised even himself, so when Ren's eyebrows shot upward, it was no shock. However, Goro let out a ringing laugh and looked at him with mingled emotions. This amalgamation of respect, awe, suspicion, and astonishment was more muddled than if all the colors were splashed carelessly on a canvas. He tilted his chin up at Yusuke, who flashed him the most polished and painfully obvious faux-smile he could create.
"Not bad," he said and clicked his tongue. "I am relieved to see you do have a sense of humor beneath that strange personality."
"A rare one just for you," Yusuke replied and gave him a genuine smile this time.
It was a strange yet extraordinary feat to see Goro in this light when the great Detective Prince had already painted himself a rather vivid and unforgettable (perhaps not in the best way) portrait. Still, the son of Shido managed to pique his interest. Goro had resumed his conversation with Ren, talking about why he preferred chess to shogi for games of strategy. Yusuke watched his friend carefully and though he knew Ren had to agree with Goro, the bespectacled teen argued seemingly for the sake of arguing.
"Your brain only holds thoughts I put in there."
"You drool at my deductions."
Once again, they were back to their usual interaction. Yusuke averted his attention to Ryuji and Makoto, who were talking about the former's grades. The loud-mouth rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples.
"Relax. I can pull them up easily!"
"You better, otherwise I will have to take another trip here and it'll be far less enjoyable," Makoto chided, the warning obvious and rather sinister.
Thirdly, Yusuke turned to Sumire and Sophia...the two redheads of the group. There should have been something aesthetically pleasing about that, but he thought their hair clashed horribly with one another. The shades were all wrong.
Sumire's hair reminded him strongly of a rich, red wine...a tranquil autumn forest...a ruby glinting in the light from a miner's helmet. The soothing crimson colors reflected her calm and steady personality.
Meanwhile, Sophia's was an untamable fire that burned the eyes in the most unpleasant way. Yet, her hair also reminded Yusuke of chaos—chaos caused by the unpredictability of love and of passion. It was unstable and wild, but it was also fierce and free.
"You're staring off into the distance, man," Ryuji's voice cut in, bringing him back to the present. "It's kinda weird."
Yusuke gave them all a contrite look and tried to appear more actively engaged in the ongoing conversations. He could hear Ren and Goro return to their own little world in which no one was there but them. He could hear Ryuji and Makoto arguing over the best ramen flavor…
"Here," Ren said and gestured to the ice cream parlour.
"Ooh, it looks so good!" Ann said excitedly.
"You heard Lady Ann!" Morgana meowed. "Let's get some ice cream!"
Once they had their fill of dessert, courtesy of Ann's persistence and dedication to sweets, the Phantom Thieves were satisfied to the fullest by the time they were done. Yusuke was indeed quite proud of himself for not needing to borrow money now that he began selling his work privately.
On their way home, they took a different route, one that was supposed to be quicker if it were not for the thronging crowd of people.
"Listen," Sumire said softly and held up a hand as the beat of music began to fill their ears.
The group of friends gravitated towards the crowd that was gathered at the end of the avenue. The street performers were creating music that sounded heavenly. Yusuke felt the small hands of Sumire grab him by the elbow, dragging him along so he could dance with her. He sighed to himself and figured there was no harm in this engagement. Yusuke put a hand on either side of her waist and lifted her into the air so she could gracefully flip back down; the crowd gasped and moved out of the way, some even pulling out their phones to record. However, his sole focus was on the movement of his body, the way it felt weightless, and the way it moved as fluidly as his mind.
Yusuke could hear his friends cheering, but he was enraptured by the melody. There was no greater treasure than watching the world become a shared home through music.
Sumire flipped in the air, then twirled.
"I'm so jealous," Ann said from the side. "I've been dying to learn how to dance like that."
"I think you're good," Ren said earnestly.
"Merely because you're the only one she'll dance explicitly with," Goro huffed, almost inaudibly.
Yusuke was sure he heard the brunette right, but he was still taken aback. However, Sumire was returning to him with her hand out-stretched. He accepted the extension and began his own choreography, spinning on his heel and watching Ren try to drag Goro in, who dug his heels in until the other gave up and sought out Sophia instead. Ann grabbed Haru by the hand and started ballet dancing with her.
Makoto, Goro, Ryuji, and Morgana sat back and watched. Yusuke stopped long enough for him to notice that all four were staring at someone in particular. Why? That he could not answer, but the way their eyes did not stray far indicated it was not the crowd they were observing.
Ren had suddenly grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him towards the center. For the most part, Yusuke led while Ren followed, matching his pace and style with equal grace. Captivating it was, Yusuke knew he was watching the side of Joker rather than Ren. It was most evident in the way his friend moved. It strongly reminded Yusuke of Joker's fighting style in the Metaverse—he twisted and spun with the coordination and flexibility of the gymnast that he was when adorning that white mask.
Finally, Yusuke found his way back to Sumire, who was drawing an even larger crowd and she didn't seem bothered by it; on the contrary, she seemed more confident than ever.
When they all had enough, they broke away from the crowd and made their way back to the townhouse, warm all over again.
"That was fun!" Ann said to Ryuji as she regarded him in a softer manner. "Why didn't you dance with me?"
"Ah," Ryuji said and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I'm down for the exercise and shit but...nah. I-I just need some liquid courage, ya know? I don't get all that rhythm stuff like you guys."
"That's not true…" she insisted.
"I'll just look like...I dunno…"
"Like a chicken without a head," Morgana mewed with a cackle.
"Shuddup," Ryuji huffed. "You can't dance either!"
"No kidding," Morgana sniffed. "I have four paws! What's your excuse?"
Ryuji's eyes widened before he laughed in defeat, hanging his head. "Yeah, I got nothin'..."
"Exactly!"
Yusuke could not stifle the yawn behind his hand; fortunately, Ryuji was observant enough to catch on and was the one to suggest heading to bed (for the first time). His troublemaking friend waved a hand and beckoned him towards the stairs.
"You can take the bed tonight," he said. "I've got loads of blankets. I don't mind stayin' on the floor."
Yusuke's eyebrows rose so far up his head, he was sure they disappeared behind his bangs. He could not recall a time when Ryuji willingly offered a bed, but Yusuke had to admit, he had a bad habit of underestimating the maturity of his friend.
Perhaps New York was changing them after all.
Fun fact: In Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, the Phantom Thieves stop in Yokohama on 8/28. There, Ann talks to the protagonist about their next trip and suggests they go overseas. That's where this entire plot stemmed from!
Now, I wanted to address the commonly asked question: Where does this story fit within the "canon" timeline of Persona 5?
Here is the very long-winded answer: The canon timeline for Royale is April - March. Strikers takes place six months after Persona 5 Vanilla. This obviously doesn't fit in, so here is the revised/altered timeline. This means the years are off, too.
April 9, 2020 - March 20, 2021: Royale ends and Ren returns home for the remainder of his second year.
March 20, 2021 - March 31, 2021: Ren's second year ends. Ren applies and is accepted into Scope Studies.
April 1, 2021 - May 15, 2021: Events of Strikers take place.
May 27, 2021 - Present: A Thief's World events