5/23

"So then, everyone was like, 'Oh no, what do we do?'"

"A dire situation, indeed."

"Right, but then I was like, 'Never fear! Mona's here!' And I leapt off the chandelier. Remember how I told you I snuck up to the chandelier?"

"Of course. A harrowing bit of exposition."

"Exactly. So, I'm up there, and I leap off, and BOOM, I knock the crown right off Kamoshida's head."

"I see."

"And then Kamoshida was like, 'No! No! My crown! My Treasure! Blargh! Blurg! Argh!' and Lady Ann was like, 'You're a hero, Mona!' and I was like, 'Thanks, no big deal,' because I'm humble and all."

"Undoubtedly."

"And Akira said something cool, but I couldn't hear him because Ryuji was like, 'Blehblehbleh,' or something, so I missed it."

"That does sound like something he would say."

"Right? Then Lady Ann shot Kamoshida a bunch of times, and the Palace collapsed. And that was how we stopped Kamoshida."

Yusuke nods. "What a story, Morgana."

"Yeah, you can say that again."

The two cross the street. "Although, I'm a bit unclear as to why Ann chose to compliment your heroics so many times. I would think once would be enough."

Morgana bobs his head in his approximation of a shrug. "What can I say? I'm pretty great. Lady Ann's an exceptional... lady. She sees this greatness in me." His smile fades a bit. "But, uh, don't tell her I told you all this. It'd probably just embarrass her, you know?"

"Ah," Yusuke replies. "That makes sense. Do not worry, Morgana." His eyes sparkle. "I will not let this cat out of the bag."

Morgana doesn't reply.

Yusuke stops walking and stares down at him. "Did you hear me, Morgana? I said I would not let the cat out of the bag."

Morgana doesn't reply.

"Morgana? Do you understand? Cat and bag, yes?"

"I get it!" Morgana blurts out. "Are you done?"

Yusuke chuckles to himself, and nods. "Quite."

As it was Monday, and Akira needed to attend school, Morgana had been assigned the all-day task of bringing Yusuke 'up to speed,' on the Phantom Thieves, and their activities.

Yusuke, though not being fully expelled, had opted not to return to Kosei High. No doubt, the lie of his plagiarism had circulated among the staff - possibly even the students - and he did not think himself up to dealing with their ire.

He'd eaten breakfast alongside Akira at LeBlanc, again expressing his gratitude to Sojiro, who had shrugged - stoically - and shoveled more curry onto his plate.

Akira had advised Yusuke to 'take it easy,' but Yusuke had felt antsy before too long. His days had always been regimented. Wake. Practice. School. Practice. Sleep. Wake. Practice. School. Practice. Sleep. Food, occasionally.

That he now had hours to kill made him uncomfortable.

Therefore, he'd insisted to Morgana that they take an extended stroll across town, while the cat explained everything to him.

And then the trip had become about something else.

"Hey, Yusuke?" Morgana asks. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

They turn a corner, and Yusuke sees the house up ahead. "Yes," he whispers.

The truth is, he doesn't know. He never thought he would have a reason to come back to this place.

But there it is. The tired old house. Two stories. Disgusting shutters. Splotchy paint job. He used to have such warm feelings for it. Now, it sickens him.

"I just don't think this is a good idea," Morgana says. "You only just found out about the Metaverse yesterday. Akira's right, you should take it easy."

Yusuke stops on the sidewalk just beyond the property's limits. "Please wait here, Morgana."

The cat sighs. "Sure."

Yusuke walks across the yard, and up to the window. He has no plan. No real idea of what he's doing here.

But then, through the dirty window, he sees a familiar face.

It is the boy he'd seen manning the conveyor belt. The boy crafting those terrifying and beautiful landscapes.

Another of Madarame's apprentices.

Something rises in him, and he marches to the front door, and lifts his fist with intention to knock, then stops. He lowers his hand.

Yusuke stands there for a long time.

Then, he turns around and walks back to Morgana. "Let's go."

Morgana keeps pace with him down the street. "I thought you were going to barge in there and tell him about Madarame."

"I nearly did."

"So, why didn't you?"

Yusuke shrugs. "You all told me about Madarame, and I didn't believe you. Why would that young man be any different? I only became convinced after entering the Metaverse." He looks back down the street, at the house. "And I will not subject that boy to such horrors. I won't make life more difficult for him. It will be more than hard, soon enough."

"What'd you mean?" Morgana asks.

Yusuke's hands curl into fists. "We will change Madarame's heart, and free this boy and all the others from his corruption. But what will we be freeing them into?" He sighs, shakes his head with a sigh, and unclenches his hands. "However, that is an issue for another day." He smiles down at Morgana. "Come. Tell me of this 'Mementos,' place."

"Well, that's a little complicated," the cat replies. "Have I told you that I can turn into a bus?"

"You most certainly have not."

#

"Come on." Ohya's voice bounces out of the burner's earpiece.

"No," Akira replies, as he scrolls through the latest onslaught of texts from Takemi on his regular phone. "I can't."

TAKEMI: WHERE IS KITAGAWA? CALL ME.

TAKEMI: NOW.

TAKEMI: AS IN, NOW!

"Oh please," Ohya mutters. "What could you be doing that's so important?"

"School just got out, I've got something going on," he tells her, as he types out his response to Takemi.

AKIRA: Can't talk. Will bring you up to speed later. Promise.

"I'm a student, remember? I can't go traipsing around town with you every day."

"Did you just say, 'traipsing?'" Ohya asks, her voice flat.

A few dots appear on Akira's phone, indicating Takemi's incoming response.

"So?" He asks. "That's a thing I say."

"That's a thing no one says," she replies.

TAKEMI: Later!? No, you call me NOW.

Akira sighs.

"Am I boring you?" Ohya asks.

"No, no," Akira says, as he starts typing another response. Multi-tasking is a pain in the ass. "But look, I can't today, okay? I've got a study session I need to get to."

AKIRA: I promise I will talk to you soon. But I can't right now. Please. Yusuke is safe. I promise.

"A study session. Seriously?"

"I'm a student," he blurts out. "I study."

Silence from Ohya.

No reply from Takemi.

Then, Ohya sighs.

And dots appear on his phone.

"Fine," Ohya says, and she hangs up on him.

TAKEMI: Fine.

Akira exhales, slides both devices back into his pocket, and leans his head against the stone of the alleyway. This is getting insane. I need an assistant or something.

He chuckles as he turns his gaze back towards to Shujin, and straightens when he spots Ryuji and Ann cutting across the street towards him.

The former raises a hand in greeting, and when he's close enough, whispers, "So, we all set?"

Akira nods. "Let's go grab Yusuke and Mona, and get going."

#

Most people think stuttering is the telltale sign of a liar. In Ohya's experience, someone's lying when their vocabulary inexplicably diversifies.

'Traipsing,' my ass.

You can't be stagnant in her industry. You must always be moving. Always thinking ahead. If your plan doesn't pan out, have a backup.

Madarame isn't the only story Ohya's following.

She stares down at her phone, and the mirrored history of Akira's GPS.

"Should be right here," she mutters to herself, and looks up to smile at the sign, 'Takemi Medical Clinic.'

Let's see why you spend so much time with, 'The Plague,' Akira. She jogs up the steps, and has only a moment to wonder at the odd vibration coming from inside, before she opens the door and fast, brutal music assaults her.

"Ah! Fuck!" She screams, and claps her hands over her ears. It's a cross between punk and something, but she can't focus and determine what.

Then the sound cuts, and over the ringing din in her ears, comes a frustrated voice. "Sorry about that."

Ohya blinks and looks around. The waiting area is what she expected. Humdrum nothingness. Very nondescript.

The doctor is not.

Tae Takemi sits behind her desk, looking very annoyed, and that annoyance gives her an edge of sexiness accentuated by the ridiculous heels and dress she's somehow pulling off beneath a white lab coat.

Ohya finds herself rattled, and Ohya does not like being rattled.

"Can I help you?" Takemi asks. The woman stares down at her phone as if it has wronged her somehow, then tosses it - clattering - across the desk, and stands, finally regarding Ohya.

She sticks a finger in one of her ears, and makes a show of it, before saying, "Some waiting room music."

The doctor just blinks, slow and bored. "Mmmhmm."

Ohya forces herself back to composed, and adopts the look of someone the right kind of nervous. "So, uh, I've been getting these headaches, lately." She taps her skull with few of her knuckles. "And they're not going away."

Takemi nods, snatches a clipboard off her desk, and hands it out to her. "Fill this out."

Ohya takes it, and reads the form attached to it. Boilerplate medical information. She takes a pen from the barrier and scribbles a bunch of nonsense down, and hands it back.

Takemi glances down at it, face inscrutable, and nods towards the door marked 'Exam Rooms.' "Head through, I'll meet you over there."

A few moments later, and Ohya sits on the crinkly paper of an exam table, and Takemi stands alongside her, the clipboard held in a lazy hand, her bangs drooping down into her face.

"When did these headaches start?" She asks.

"They've been going on for a while now," Ohya replies. "A couple of weeks. Since early April, I think."

Takemi nods along. "Have you changed your diet recently?"

Ohya shakes her head. "No."

"Do you use drugs or alcohol?"

"No drugs," Ohya replies. "But I have the occasional drink."

"How occasional is occasional?"

"Few drinks a weeks. Never more than one or two, per day."

Takemi hesitates for a moment, before she nods and jots something down on the board. "Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Does anyone?" Ohya retorts.

Takemi shrugs. "I'll take that as a no. How many hours, would you say you get per night?"

"It's not like I don't sleep," Ohya says. "Anywhere between four and six."

Takemi glances at her. "You do know humans are supposed to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night?"

Ohya shrugs. "I'm in a high pressure job. I can't just sleep when I want."

"Then you should consider finding a less stressful job, with more consistent hours."

Ohya smirks. "Says the doctor."

Takemi sighs and sets the clipboard down, and retrieves an ophthalmoscope from a drawer. "Stare straight ahead," she says, and shines a light into her eyes. It hovers there for a moment, and then she lowers it. She doesn't step away, however. Takemi hovers there, just before Ohya's face. She feels the doctor's eyes traveling over her skin. It's a strange feeling, and makes her more self-conscious than she's felt in a long time.

Then, Takemi steps away, and reaches out her hands. "Could you take my hands, please?"

Ohya blinks. "What for?"

"Please. Just do it."

Ohya reaches out and wraps Takemi's hands in her own.

"Now, squeeze." Ohya does so. "Thank you."

Ohya lets her hands drop.

Takemi takes up the clipboard once more, writes a few more things on it, and says, "I'll be right back. Wait here."

Once she's gone, Ohya lets herself recoup. Okay. So, the rumor is that she sells barely legal prescriptions. If I can get my hands on one, I can probably pivot that around to find out just what her connection with Akira is. The kid's a healthy seventeen year old. He wouldn't go to a doctor's office as often as he does unless it was for a very specific reason. And there are plenty of other clinics in the area too. So-

But then Takemi returns, and Ohya pretends she hasn't been thinking anything at all.

The doctor's face is grim, and without saying anything else, she holds out a single card to Ohya. "Here. I think you should take this."

"Eh?" Ohya asks, and takes it up. Her eyes widen when she sees what it says. "What the hell is this?"

Takemi sticks her hands in the coat's pockets, and shrugs. "Based on what you told me, I don't think your headaches are due to stress. I'm willing to bet they stem from alcoholism."

Ohya jumps off the table, the paper ruffling as she does so. "So you give me the card for a Substance Abuse Center?"

Takemi nods. "Your eyes are bloodshot. There are burst blood vessels around your sockets and nose. And when you held my hands, I detected a slight tremor in them. Those are all symptoms of alcohol abuse." She jabs her eyes towards the car. "I actually know one of the doctors that works there. We went to med school together. I could give him a call, if you'd like."

"No! No, no, no!" Ohya says, and with each word, her voice raises an octave. "Where the hell do you get off, giving me a bullshit diagnosis like that?"

Doctor Tae Takemi doesn't as much as blink. She just stares at her, looking sympathetic, looking worried. "Given your lack of healthy sleeping habits, the amount of alcohol you consume is likely having a more detrimental influence over your body than for a normal person your age. I would suggest you check this place out sooner rather than later."

Ohya throws back her head and laughs too loud. "Yeah, right! Like I'd accept medical advice from 'The Plague!'" The words rush from her before she can even think them through.

Takemi tilts her head in surprise, and then sighs. Ohya has never heard a more infuriating exhalation of breath. "If you know who I am, why'd you come to me?"

Ohya bites her tongue. She's said too much. Shit! There's no real way to salvage this situation. "Just, get out of my way!" She growls, and marches past her and out into the hall.

Takemi follows her at a leisurely pace. "Feel free to come back," Takemi says, and Ohya glances back to see her lift the clipboard. "Maybe next time you'll feel comfortable about using your real information."

Ohya briefly considers knocking over the dead dracaena she sees in the waiting room, but just scowls and stomps her way out.

Goddamn Akira, going to stupid doctors making stupid assumptions about me. Alcoholism? Please! I'd like to see that bitch try and handle all the bullshit I've got going on and not need a drink afterwards.

It isn't until she's down the block that she remembers she's still holding the card for the Substance Abuse Center.

#

Joker, hands on his knees, pants.

"Look out!" Mona shouts, and he looks up.

The claw descends, and it is only at the last second he manages to leap away, before it punches a hole through the floor.

The Shift Manager Shadow, eyes swiveling on their stalks, hisses, "You're adversely affecting production output," and scurries to pursue him.

It'd look comical if it wasn't doing such a good job of almost killing him. A giant, crab-like beast with a maw dripping acid, and oversized claws snapping and stabbing, but with a boring yellow tie swooped around its neck like a noose, and khakis over each one of its six legs.

Skull runs out ahead of him and summons the Captain, who lances the thing with electricity. The shadow screams, but its oily eyes just narrow, and swings again.

"Crap!" Skull shouts, and the broad side of the claw crashes into his chest, and he is flung to the side like so much paper.

Joker glances back at the others.

Panther and Mona stand guard over a prone Fox, who lays on his side, breathing in ragged gasps.

Joker curses himself again for not realizing it. The Metaverse heightened your strength, speed, endurance, and stamina, but it didn't make you invincible.

Sure, Fox was stronger than he was in the real world. But in the real world, Fox was a malnourished, underweight art student who had never felt the need for physical exertion.

With each minor battle, Fox had grown more and more exhausted.

When the Shift Manager had ambushed them on one of the factory's upper floors, a single strike had been all it took to take him out of commission.

Joker turns back to the Shadow. "Arsene!" He calls, and his Persona erupts behind him, pumps its wings, and the black tendrils dart down towards his target. They glance off the thing's shell, without so much as denting it.

He grits his teeth, pulls out his gun, and fires a round of bullets into its hide.

Skull stumbles up alongside him. "Dude, this thing is way too strong!"

The bullets ricochet off the Shift Manager, and it grinds its feet into the ground, ready to strike.

"Dammit," Joker spits. "Genbu!"

The turtle-thing with the dragonhead tail materializes, and hisses at the shadow.

"Bufu!"

Ice catches along the Shift Manager's legs, just as it's about to launch itself forward. They snap, and the creature stumbles to its belly, with a groan. Joker draws his knife and charges forward. "Everyone, come on!"

It seems to take forever, but eventually, the Shadow bursts into ash, and the Phantom Thieves collectively collapse into a pile.

"That one..." Skull says, beneath gasps. "Was freaking...tough!"

Joker turns to regard Fox. He's conscious, and sitting up, with his back against the wall further down the hall. "We need to leave," he says, and pushes himself to his feet. He walks up to Fox and offers a hand. "You okay?"

"Please, forgive my constitution," Fox mutters, before taking it.

"Don't worry about it," Joker replies, and hauls him up. Panther slides up next to them and takes one of Fox's arms and slides it over her shoulder. "Come on, we'll get you out of here."

"I don't know what became of me. One moment I felt find, and the next I could barely stand."

"You're weak, dude," Skull says, from where he lays.

"Don't be a dick," Panther shouts at him.

"There's no shame in it!" Skull retorts, and rolls onto his stomach. "He's not used to this much exercise."

"I fear you may be right," Fox replies. "Perhaps, until I've the same level of strength, I should play a more supportive role. Goemon's abilities didn't tire me as much as the physical swinging of my sword did."

Joker nods, and the three of them begin hobbling back down the hall. "Sounds good."

"Also," Fox says. "I would like a gun."

The others all stare at him.

"What?" He asks. "All of you have guns. I want a gun."

Joker chuckles and nods. "Alright, fine. We'll get you a gun at Untouchable tomorrow, after school."

Fox flashes him a weak smile. "Superb."

Mona hits Skull with a healing spell, and the Phantom Thieves begin to pick their way back out of Madarame's Palace.

#

"How long?" Sojiro asks, from behind the bar.

Akira looks up from his plate, mouth full of food, mind returning from a million miles away. "Hmm?"

Yusuke is in LeBlanc's bathroom, washing his hands. Sojiro nods towards the shut door. "Bringing home a stray cat is one thing, but a kid?"

Akira manages to keep himself from groaning, and his face impassive. "His dorm should be ready soon. It won't be more than another few days." Provided we can steal Madarame's Treasure, get him to confess, and nullify his expulsion.

Sojiro's frown somehow deepens. "Yeah, well, if it's any longer than that, he better start cooking and cleaning around here."

The door opens and Yusuke steps out, patting his hands dry on his shirt. "What was that bizarre contraption besides the sink?" He asks.

Akira and Sojiro glance at each other. "Are you talking about the hand dryer?" Akira asks.

"Ah, so that's what it was. It looked rather unseemly. It indicated I was to put my hands inside it, but I certainly didn't trust it."

Sojiro shakes his head, and heads into the kitchen nook, grumbling beneath his breath.

Morgana pops his head out of Akira's bag as Yusuke sits down. "Boss is getting suspicious. We can't take much longer to find the Treasure and get Yusuke into those dorms."

Yusuke blinks. "If my presence here is causing you stress, I can certainly relocate and-"

"Forget it," Akira cuts him off. "You're not sleeping on the street or in some shelter. You're staying here." He looks over at Sojiro's back. "We'll figure it out. And we'll steal Madarame's Treasure before it becomes an issue."

Yususke smiles and nods, but his face quickly falls again. "But I'm afraid I don't think I'll be much use in the Metaverse. Given my poor performance today."

Akira shakes his head. "We'll get you a gun."

Morganan nods. "Yeah, and Goemon's really powerful! Stick with him, build up your strength, and you'll be okay."

Akira says something in agreement, but his mind is already working on the problem. Even getting Yusuke a gun, and keeping him in reserve won't make much of a difference. The other Phantom Thieves hadn't fared any better against the Shift Manager. They had a very short window to steal the Treasure, and if the Shadows in Madarame's Palace kept getting stronger, they wouldn't have time to build their strength to the point where they could be on equal footing.

Which means, there's only one thing I can do.

Akira hunches back over his meal, and shovels more food into his mouth.

#

"Trickster," Igor says, when Akira wraps his hands around the cell door's bars. "It has been too long."

"Not long enough," Akira whispers, and something shudders in the dark behind Igor.

Caroline.

The attendants remain silent.

Pricks of light materialize around Igor's misshapen head, and resolve themselves into what looks like cards. They hover and spin around the Warden, and his smile deepens. "You seem to have gathered more confederates to your cause. That is good to see."

Akira opens his mouth to reply, but Igor cuts him off. "It bears a mention, however, that those you interact with are themselves possessed of their own will and ambitions, and do not exist as mere automatons for your rehabilitation."

Akira thinks on this, then says, "Huh?"

This is too much for Caroline.

"UNDERSTANDINGCOMESTOTHOSEWHOLISTENINMATE"

Each spitfire syllable is a nettle scraping against his brain. He shuts his eyes and waits for the pain to go away.

"I merely wish to point out the inevitable," Igor says, unperturbed. "That you, like a sun, possess a gravity into which others may stray and thereby, revolve. Do not think, however, of collision as an impossibility."

He thinks of Takemi and Yusuke.

He thinks of Ohya and Sojiro.

"I get it."

Justine's words trickle down from above, like a spider on a thread. "A human will is a difficult thing to dominate. The more you attach to yourself, the more chaotic things may become."

"Just what I need," Akira mutters. "More chaos."

Igor gestures to the cards, and they vanish. "I would not presume to know your mind, but I believe you've other intentions behind your visit, beyond this amiable chat."

Akira swallows and nods. "I did."

"DOESOURCOMPANYCAUSEYOUDISCOMFORTINMATE"

"Just yours, Caroline."

He does not know why he says this. It tumbles from him like poorly clutched clutter. His eyes widen.

There is silence in the Velvet Room.

Then.

"Heh."

Not Igor. The brief chuckle is soft and feminine. Justine.

"Hehehe," it grows.

And then, from Igor, "Hmmhmmhmmhmmhmm."

And then Caroline starts to laugh.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Akira listens to all three things laugh at him, and though he forces a smile to his face, all he can think is, This is so much worse.

Eventually, the noise dies down.

"Perhaps," Justine says, from wherever she hides. "You are braver than we initially thought."

"ORJUSTASFOOLISHASWEBELIEVED"

"Come now," Igor says, waving his hand through the air. "Our time grows short. Tell us, Trickster, what is your true intention here?"

Akira takes a deep breath, and says, "I want to fuse Personas."

Igor's grin splits his face. "Excellent."

##
A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you all have a great weekend!

I really appreciate all the comments I received regarding what VNs to check out. My reading/to-play list just got a lot longer.

Next week, we'll be back at the M-W-F update schedule. Which means I've got some editing to do. ;)