I do not own the Persona series or High School DxD. Everything belongs to their respected owners.
Akira sat still, his face straight as usual as he thought about his next choice of words carefully.
But Morgana managed to beat him to the punch as the cat had an answer already at the ready. "Yeah, sure we can. Just give me a second to help this guy to remember the basics of the basics." Leaping up to his shoulder, Morgana then jumped into the air as well. "Witness my Persona, Zorro!"
Akira was about to say something but then remembered. He was trying to pretend to make it seem like his power of a Persona were just new to him. So, since it was agreed that Morgana would do most of the talking when it came down to the subject, he had to act as if the entire ordeal was completely a subject he had no knowledge in. Something that would be a giant pain to remember.
With a spin and somehow managing to flourish in the air, a large silhouette began to take the form of something rather big. Not even a second passed as suddenly it erupted into reality with such a large body standing proudly in the center of the room. Akira nearly had to lean back due to how much space the Persona was taking up.
Apparently at the same time, Morgana had turned into his humanoid form as he landed on his two feet and stood proudly right in front of his audience. Silence followed and it was not really predicted, although there were exclamations of surprise which both Phantom Thieves saw coming.
"What the hell is that?!" Saji managed to eloquently put all of their thoughts into one simple question, a bit more improper but still similar.
"Zorro." Akira said easily and slowly.
"Zorro…" Sona parroted the black-haired Persona user with equal speed as her bespectacled eyes looked at Akira's own pupils. "You are talking about the secret identity of the fictional character Don Diego de la Vega I assume? The masked outlaw who defended commoners and indigenous people against tyrannical officials and other villains?" She looked down, not even wanting to bother thinking about the sudden change in Morgana's appearance unless she wanted to get off topic and forget the purpose of why they were even here in the first place. "I can see the figure wearing his signature mask and hat… but I never expected him to look like this."
Morgana scratched the back of his head, seeming a bit sheepish that he may have just ruined the image of such an amazing figure for someone who may have been a fan. "Err… that may be my bad." He slowly began, getting a look from the student council president. "You see… I don't really like how my name is feminine. Also don't like being called a cute cat. So… since I want to be viewed more like a man, that is the reason why Zorro's appearance pretty masculine." Its entire, muscular body seemed to shake with the hat as if the Persona was nodding in confirmation.
Sona then noticed a couple of things as she peered down to Morgana once more. "...What are those supposed to be?"
Her eyes fell upon some kind of blade that had the curved end of an axe but the body of a medieval sword. The hilt and handle of the sword were yellow in a color that represented gold. The shape was similar to a four-sided star that would shine in the sky as curved lines connect the points that were adjacent with one another to complete a circle while the handle had a diamond shape at the end.
On the flat sides of the blade however was also something that caught Sona's eye. More diamond designs lined up with one another vertically between half-way and three-quarters up the blade. For the first quarter of the blade, a long, thick, golden line was at the end of one of the shapes and connected itself with the star that was on the handle. Near the tip part, fitting around the arc-curved end, was an even larger diamond with some kind of design/s carved into it.
But next to it was an item that she was unsure of what it was. To her it was… some kind of crucifix that was the size of Morgana's humanoid body. But what made the golden weapon different from a normal cross was that there was a gigantic hole in the middle of such an object which made it larger than it should be. With the two ends that were horizontally connected with the hole, golden chains presented themselves linked to a leather pad. Due to that one part, with a mixture of interest and a puzzled feeling, she concluded that the weapon was supposed to be some kind of slingshot.
It was not only the designs of the weapons however, it was what kind of presence they had.
Morgana looked down and eyed the weapons that she was talking about. His jaw nearly dropped as his pupils fell upon the weapons that had been given to him from Akira when the human exited the Velvet Room a couple of times. The blade's name was Claiomh Solais: the large sword given its birth from the sacrifice made by Mother Harlot. Then there was the slingshot which, despite its shape, was not related to any sort of biblical figure at all. No, Sudarshana was gifted thanks to Kohryu: the Yellow Dragon.
"No way!" The humanoid feline exclaimed in excitement as he touched Sudarshana with a hint of nostalgia before it suddenly disappeared. But that did not seem to form any kind of negativity in the cat as he immediately began to lift Claimoh Solais in both of his hands. Laughing to himself, he then began to remember who he was surrounded by. Looking over to Akira, the boy seemed to have an amused look on his face. When Morgana turned his head to Sona, the female had a look that was blank but partially demanded an explanation.
"Sorry…" The cat trailed off, trying to quickly come up with an excuse to why he was acting so excited. "It's just that… I would usually use a normal scimitar and slingshot. But since these are here, they're technically replacements for it."
That… was not a very good explanation in the slightest at all. Either Sona knew that Morgana was lying but did not pry, or she was that convinced over his words. Most likely the former since she was the student council president after all. Looking over to Akira, she stared. "What about you, Akira-san? May I get to see your Persona?"
Akira looked over at Morgana and thought about it. But showing off Arsene was probably going to be a giant risk with him exposing a few things. He would appear in his Phantom Thief clothing, which was not the problem. Since Morgana immediately was equipped with his own weapons fueled by the power of a specific Persona, that would mean that Akira himself would have his Tyrant Pistol and Paradise Lost.
It wouldn't have been a problem before, but something was shown in Sona's eyes and everyone else in the room with a shiver of their bodies that they sensed powerful presences. Since there were the Four Great Maou, the feeling of Lucifer would place him under complete suspicion. Not only that, Satanael's presence… he just didn't want to think about it. Not to mention that Arsene's black wings could have him be depicted as him summoning a Fallen Angel.
"Would it be okay if I said no?" Akira asked.
If Sona was disappointed or suspicious, she didn't show it. Now that Akira thought about it, the girl actually kept her own emotions in check pretty well since it was probably a mandatory thing in the school position she was in. "I understand if you prefer not to." She answered before placing a hand to her chin. "Now where was I again?"
"Magicians and Sacred Gears."
"Ah, yes." Sona coughed, nodding in thanks to Akira's reminder. "A persona that possesses a Sacred Gear is usually not even aware that he or she even has one. It lies dormant inside of them until it is awakened."
Morgana had a thoughtful look on his face before turning back into a cat and having Zorro disappear at the same time. "Then what awakens them?" He asked as he leapt onto Akira's leg and hopped onto the boy's shoulder.
"That depends on the situation and conditions really. Some people awaken it during times of great distress, while others can learn how to do it." Sona replied, her face slightly scrunched up to come up with sentences that were simple. "There are many different varieties of Sacred Gears and each one has their own strengths so that might have a role in how and when it activates."
"Well, that's inconvenient."
"Among the various tyeps of Sacred Gears, the Longinus type are the rarest ones." Sona stated, narrowing her eyes slightly at Akira's comment. "There are thirteen of the Longinus type in total, and they each possess enough power to kill a God."
Kill a God… Akira remembered blowing a giant hole right in the middle of Yaldabaoth's face. Good times aside, did that mean that he had the power of a Longinus type Sacred Gear? Most likely.
"Finally, Magicians." Sona began. "Magicians are humans that have learned the spells of at least one of the various factions of supernatural beings. This gives them a wide range of abilities, limited only by their own knowledge and skill level. The whole magic system that they currently use was developed by Merlin Ambrosius, a man who once studied demonic power and Devil's magic. Besides that, nothing much else is currently known about them."
This was a really long explanation. Thankfully, Futaba would already get the recording and go over it to grab all of the key parts that mattered… at least when the girl would be in the mood for it. "Nothing else is known?" Akira asked, hoping to get more information on the topic.
"Well… there is a rumor that there was a Magician that predated to be Merlin, which I can't confirm or deny." The black-haired girl tensed slightly. "The same rumor also says that this same Magician may still be alive."
Morgana tensed slightly as well to the information. "And who is this guy?"
"I do not know since it is just a rumor which, as I stated before, I cannot confirm or deny."
Listening for a bit, there was nothing but silence between them. "Am I free to go now?" Akira asked, getting a small nod from Sona. Getting off his chair, Akira felt Morgana hop off his shoulder and make his way to the bag. "Well, thanks for the explanation, Sitri-san. I really appreciate it." Hanging the bag on his shoulder, Morgana's head popped out slightly before hiding again as Akira walked away.
"One last thing." Akira quickly stopped and turned around to see Sona's gaze. "You should know that Dragons exist as well, but I personally don't know much about them other than that they are powerful and not to be trifled with." He kind of did that when he chose Kohryu to be the living sacrifice to the electric chair. "Also, if you ever have any other questions regarding anything, please do not hesitate to ask. That is all."
"Actually, I have a question I'd like to ask, Sitri-san." Morgana's blue eyes could be seen within the darkness of Akira's handbag, such a sentence slightly surprising Sona due to how fast her offer was taken. "What are yours and Gremory-san's clan abilities?"
"Rias is actually part of both the Bael and Gremory clans. She inherited the Power of Destruction from her mother who originally came from Bael, and superior magic control from her father who is Gremory." Sona explained. "The Sitri, my clan, specialized in water magic."
"Hmm… That interesting. Thank you for being so informative, Sitri-san." Akira nodded in gratitude and quickly left the student council room, leaving all its members alone.
Sona sighed as she leaned back in her chair. She was definitely going to need something to help her relax after finishing today's word. Right when Morgana summoned his Persona, she felt that something was off about those weapons. She couldn't quiet place a finger on it, but there was definitely something strange about them. There was also the fact that Akira didn't want to summon his own Persona. But from what Rias had told her, the Persona had black wings and was named Arsene.
Arsene… Wasn't that a character created by French writer Maurice Leblanc? Not only that, there was also Zorro. Did that mean that all Personas are named after fictional characters? No, there had to be more to it.
Akira was certainly an interesting individual, but there was something else that concerned her. She began to build up on that weird feeling everyone Akira's group. If her theory was correct, then that meant everyone from Shujin Academy (or at least the group from Tokyo) had a Persona.
Then, such a thought made her think.
"Everyone," She managed to grab all of their attention. "I need you all to do some research. See if any sort of suspicious activity ever occurred in Tokyo."
Just as everyone spread out to get to work, Sona prepared her own laptop while she sighed deeply. She really wished she had some coffee or tea right about now.
TakeABreak
The late afternoon sun shined down as a cool breeze cruised though the air. The afternoon rush had just ended and everyone was getting back where they belonged. Well… most of them. The end of the afternoon rush also meant the beginning of the evening rush.
"The coffee's finished, get that ready! Next is Table #6's order of strawberry lemonade with a house-special coffee! Someone just asked for a refill by the counter on your right! That kid's parents are asking for some more napkins!"
Currently, Akira was behind the counter of Neko no Mise, preparing all of the different drinks that had been ordered by the customers with Morgana calling out the customers' needs. This place was a hot spot for customers though looking for a quick and quality meal or even just to hang out. However, due to the whole place also having the feature of interacting with cats, the number of customers was considerably high. Not only that, but today was a random day that all the workers had to wear cat ears. For some reason, such an accessory had a magnetic effect on people.
Thankfully though, help soon arrived and his workload was decreased by a good few levels. "Wow, it's a good thing you're so proficient. Guess all that time making tools and spending time with Iwai really paid off." Morgana commented as Akira nodded while the human flexed his fingers. The cat was still in the bag and was set up along a counter right behind Akira and quickly peered over. "Looks like we got more company."
Soon though, the entire Occult Research club walked right through the café's main entrance which meant that either they were going here for a nice meal or they were going to talk to him.
The group made their way over to the counter that Akira was working behind and sat down on the counter chairs, right in front of him. Grabbing a few menus, he gave each of them one. "What are you doing here?" Akira inquired, without a second of hesitation.
"Just checking in." Rias stated with a small smile and a shrug. "So, I heard that you were contacted by Sona." She pulled up the menu and began reading it but still kept an ear open.
Akira nodded and went back to mixing coffee. "I was." He answered.
"And?" Rias asked anxiously.
"He turned her down." Morgana replied, almost answering flatly. "He's already said it, but he doesn't plan on giving up his humanity any time soon; if ever."
Akira glanced at Rias and saw her bite her lip. It was clear as day that she didn't like the second half of Morgana's answer. His eyes then shifted to the side to see Akeno giggling about something, which Akira guessed was about Rias getting rejected before she could even bring up her offer to join her Peerage again. It was one of those things that made Akeno a very off putting person. The other reasons being with the way she talked and acted made Akira feel like she was trying to hide something. Maybe it was just his imagination.
Suddenly, Issei stood up and pointed at Morgana. "The cat is talking… Why is the cat talking?"
"It's better not to ask." Akira stated, placing his hand against the top of Morgana's head. But to his surprise, the feline didn't attempt to pounce.
That was when Issei then looked over to Akira. "You're Kurusu-senpai, right? You're friends with Takamaki-senpai and Nijima-senpai, right?"
Akira wondered why he remembered only half of the girl's names that was in his group. Then again, it was pretty much those two who would attempt to discipline them at times. Mainly Ann since Makoto would only come onto high-school grounds once in a while. "Yes, that would be me."
"Hmm…" Issei hummed, scratching his chin curiously. "There seems to be something off about you…"
Rias, Akeno, and even Kiba snickered while a short girl with white hair and Akira just gave them a flat look. Surely, Issei was not that stupid? Did the brunette really not see the cat-ears on his head? That was probably the worst and most cliché joke Akira had heard all year.
Akira placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Meow." He stated with a straight face.
"Uhh… Okay…" Issei slowly trailed off in confusion and quickly sat down to read the menu.
The grey-eyed teen nodded. But then his attention was grabbed by someone. "Excuse me, Akira-senpai," Said teen looked over to see Kiba giving him a smile. "Are those cat ears you are wearing?"
"Yes." Akira admitted shamelessly with a completely neutral face. "Cat ears are cool."
Kiba laughed while the white-haired girl nodded in agreement with him apparently. "I can't say that I agree." The blonde commented.
Akira blinked while staring at Kiba. Now that he thought about it, this was just one of the few times that he had actually seen Kiba in person. The description that Yusuke provided thanks to the girls from the Kendo club gave him was surprisingly accurate. Actually… most of the information the blue-haired teen provided him was pretty spot on, especially when it came to people they admired. He got everything from his slightly above average height, to his handsome looks, to his grey eyes, to the mole under his left eye. Even Yusuke was impressed with the attention to detail there. The girls of the Kendo club knew that they were talking about.
He then noticed the white-haired girl staring at Morgana. "…Cat." She said quietly, keeping her eyes locked on Morgana's.
"Do you want to pet him?" Akira asked. Seeing the female nod, he looked over at his feline companion.
"…Fine, I suppose it's okay." Morgana sighed as Akira carried the bag over the gap between the counter and his workspace. Hearing the zipper become undone, the cat was surprised to feel the perfect amount of strength used in the first stroke. Not only that, the girl was also petting all of the right places.
Akira didn't say anything when he heard Morgana purring.
He then remembered something. "You know, Gremory-san," Akira started off. "Sitri-san told me a lot of stuff that you failed to mention."
Rias laughed nervously. "Y-yeah?"
"I know that you must have had your reasons." Akira stated evenly. "So that is why…." He raised his index finger. "I ask you to be straight with me down the line from now on."
Everyone blinked at the request. Honestly, they expected Akira to at least be a bit peeved. But for him to be rather cooperative despite the secrets was a pleasant surprise. "So does that mean…?" Rias asked anxiously.
Akira's smiled. "Not on your life, Gremory-san."
Rias pouted and puffed out her cheeks. "You're no fun."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the entrance doors open. Looking over, he saw that the rest of the Phantom Thieves had entered and were walking right towards the part of the counter he was manning. He was thankful for their company, but this was also putting more work onto his plate at the same time.
"Yo, how's work been going?" Ryuji asked as walked right behind the Occult Research club and stared right at Akira.
"Not bad." Akira answered, immediately getting his current customers at the counter to look behind them and see that the unknown Phantom Thieves were surrounding them. "It was pretty busy at first, but it eventually began to lighten up with more help." He gestured to the other workers that were dealing with a couple of other customers. "What are you all doing here?"
"Hm, do you not remember Akira-chan?" Haru asked, causing the Trickster to tilt his head and have a thoughtful expression on his face. The heiress of the food company giggled at how cute Akira looked with such a look. "Today we agreed on eating out. But with the sudden change in Akira-chan's schedule, we thought that we would go to where you work and hope that we could catch you on a break."
Peeking out from behind the entire group since she was the shortest, Futaba's eyes drifted around in curiosity until she had her gaze set upon someone who she was familiar with. "Ah! Koneko-chan!" Popping out from the surrounding bodies, the orange-haired girl immediately grabbed a seat a set herself right up next to the white-haired girl. "How've you been?"
"…Fine." Koneko nodded, looking over to Futaba. "And you?"
"Oh, you know, same old same old." Futaba bobbled her head back and forth.
"So this is the Koneko character that you've been telling us about." Yusuke stated, looking down at the two short girls. "It seems that you are both are nearly of the same stature."
Koneko and Futaba seemed to glare right at the blue-haired teenager, the former also seeming to pout by puffing her cheeks out. "Boo," Futaba drawled out in a disapproving tone. "You're a meanie, perverted Inari."
"…Moron." Koneko added.
"You take that comment back!" Yusuke raised his voice slightly as he was not one to really yell. "In no way am I even close to such an absurd and repulsive title!"
"Oh! Looks like you've taken a liking to Morgana-chan as well!" Futaba quickly looked down and saw that Koneko was still petting the cat in a comforting fashion.
Everyone else watching them just sweat dropped at the sudden change in attention. "Anyways," Ann slowly said to get everyone back on track. "I didn't expect you to be here, Gremory-san. Also with your entire club."
The male blonde opened his mouth. "Were you talking about De-" Ann smacked Ryuji right on top of the head. "Right, that reminds me. What did you need to talk to Akira about anyways the other day?" Ryuji asked, rubbing the sore spot while glaring at Ann.
"That's a secret." Akeno sang once again.
Ryuji sighed, bending his head and back forward. "Of course."
"Why don't we start ordering some food?" Makoto asked as she sat down next to Futaba.
"Oh, oh, I want my usual!" Futaba raised one of her hands, the other one poking Morgana's cheek.
"Same for me!" Ryuji exclaimed as he sat down.
"I think that goes for all of us." Yusuke commented, grabbing a stool.
"Yeah." Ann agreed, taking a spot.
"It's especially wonderful when Akira-chan makes it." Haru added.
"I think we all know what we want then." Makoto smiled.
Akira nodded his head, already memorizing the orders. Plus, he was supposed to switch with one of the people in the kitchen soon since it was a massive order and he was good at multitasking. "What about you guys?" He asked, looking over towards the Occult Research club members.
"…I think I'll try the house special curry… with a medium-sized latte; single shot." Rias began handing over her menu.
"Ara ara, it's as if we had the same idea, Buchou." Akeno commented, implying that her order was the same as Rias'.
"I'll try the butter chicken with a Summer Breeze drink please." Kiba pointed out the items on the menu as Akira nodded and wrote it down.
"Koneko-chan, you should try what I'm having. It'll taste super yummy." Futaba commented to the white-haired girl.
"…Okay." The small girl nodded.
As for Issei. "Hmm… so much to choose from…" The brunette muttered to himself before finding something that look appealing. "I'll have the Voodoo Vindaloo!"
Everyone at the counter, including the workers that were within earshot, all slowly turned their heads towards Issei with surprised expressions on their face. The boy meanwhile was confused with all of the looks he was getting. "Huh? Is there something wrong with what I'm ordering?"
"Issei-kun…" Rias took it slowly. "I think the name may imply-"
"Thank you for your orders. Please wait for your food." Akira nodded his head and headed straight into the kitchen.
For a solid few minutes, the Occult Research club (minus Koneko due to being distracted by Morgana) and the Phantom Thieves (minus Futaba due to being distracted by Morgna) both tried to find a way to break it down for Issei what their thoughts were on such a name of the dish he ordered. But the boy seemed so eager to try it out they didn't have the heart to tell him.
Soon, everyone got their specific ordered dishes as Akira swiftly brought them each a plate that was filled with steaming food. "Right, time to dig in!" Issei exclaimed, his curry plate looking rather normal, being portioned with a curry sauce on top of rice and some chicken. There was some kind of green substance on the side of the plate, but it tasted as equally delicious as he began scarfing down the meal.
No one else touched their food and the workers stopped what they were doing as the brunette eagerly chewed his food. But then the movement of his jaw began to slow down. He was only a quarter way done with his food and his happy look grew into one of confusion. A full blown disturbed expression immediately morphed onto his features as he looked up towards Akira. "I feel like I'm having a baby!"
"The trick is to eat it before the rice dissolves." The Trickster replied, gesturing down to the food.
So a few things to get out of the way.
First, this chapter was supposed to come out earlier but there was work.
Second, the chapter was supposed to come earlier but I made a Persona/RWBY crossover so check that out if you'd like.
Third, the chapter was supposed to come earlier but then… I had no idea what Morgana's weapons were supposed to be. So, despite the power of the internet, there are no official images of the ultimate weapons, so it took some time to not only create the weapons, blaze right through new game plus, but also try to place Morgana in that perfect position so that I can write a proper description of the weapons.
It even took nearly an hour to try and find out what the blade he was using was called but I couldn't find any matches.
Fourth… Hopefully that's all the exposition out of the way… for the moment.
No flames please.