'The chapter everyone's been waiting for. Finally, you get an explanation!'
More like a piece of a bigger picture, but sure
'Bah, they're still getting an explanation'
Persona doesn't belong to the author. It belongs to it's creators at Atlus. The author only owns the original characters and ideas.
Chapter 12: Explanations, Personas, and the Aeon
Souji
"Other worlds? You mean like other planets?"
"I mean like parallel worlds."
He looked at Florence, who was looking at him with dead serious eyes, before looking at Crystal, who was looking at the floor, kneading her hands nervously. The atmosphere seemed incredibly heavy, and he took his time to consider Florence's answer.
"Parallel Universes?"
Florence nodded.
"Yes. I won't try to make it simple, what you have just said pretty much gives you an idea of what you're dealing with."
"You mean you come from a parallel universe?"
Florence nodded, and he thought for a while, before nodding.
"Go on."
Florence tilted his head, and Crystal looked at him in surprise.
"You seem to be taking this very well," Florence said.
Crystal on the other hand...
"How can you be so calm?! We've just literally told you that there's more than one universe out there, and we've all but told you we're not human-!"
Crystal immediately closed her mouth, before sighing.
"Like I said, how are you taking this so calmly?"
He thought for a moment, before speaking.
"I came to Inaba expecting it to be just like every other year. What I got was a murder mystery regarding a world inside the TV, filled with monsters, while the only people who can stop these unexplained murders are otherwise normal people who wield the 'power of the heart'. Next to that, the sci-fi staple of parallel universes and other worlds doesn't seem so far-fetched."
Florence and Crystal just stared at him.
"Plus, I'm pretty sure Teddie falls under absolutely not human," he added as an afterthought.
Florence continued to look at him, and he saw Crystal's mouth quirk upwards.
"Well, when you say it like that," she began.
"So you believe us?" Florence pressed on.
He nodded.
"It's still pretty out there. I'm just saying its well within my scope of belief."
Florence continued to stare at him, before turning to his sister.
"I told you it wouldn't be that difficult."
"Oh, shut up. How should I have known? You never know what people think when you tell them something!"
"What I'm slightly confused about," he interrupted, "is why and how you two are here."
"How's easy. My brother could probably give a whole complicated speech about it, but all you need to know is this-It is scarily easy to travel through worlds if you know what you're doing," Crystal said.
He pursed his lips and said nothing.
"As for how...That is somewhat more complicated," Florence said.
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that we don't know. Last we remembered, we were back at home. Then, we woke up here."
"Well, first we were in this weird blue room," Crystal interjected.
He narrowed his eyes at 'weird blue room'.
"Weird Blue Room?" he repeated.
Crystal nodded.
"Yeah. It was a limousine of some sort. I think it was called the-"
"-Velvet Room." he finished.
Crystal opened her mouth in surprise.
"Yeah, that was it. How did you know?" she asked.
"The Velvet Room...Is a place closely linked to Personas. It is there where I can create and summon new Personas."
"So that's where you get new Personas?"
"That's where I can strengthen Persona's."
"How?"
"With the help of the rooms denizens. Igor-"
"You mean long nose?"
"-, Margaret-"
"The serious woman."
"-And Marie."
Crystal frowned.
"I only remember two people."
"The point here it that we seemingly entered this world through this Velvet Room."
He remembered Igor's words.
'This room is tied to the fate of its guest'
Then that means that these two are somehow important to your journey Angel said.
"You seem very calm for waking up in a completely different world."
Crystal just put her hands behind her back.
"That's because we're used to it. This sort of stuff happens to our family all the time."
He looked at her, wondering how many times this sort of thing happened to make them take it in stride so much.
"Your family?"
Florence nodded.
"As my sister has mentioned, we have more siblings than each other."
Crystal nodded, closing her eyes.
"I have seven brothers including Florence, and six sisters, and two nieces," she said.
He raised an eyebrow. That was an impressively large family. And he didn't miss how she didn't mention parents of any kind.
"So, you're family regularly travels across worlds?"
"Not on purpose. But it still happens."
"But wouldn't they be worried about you?"
"No," Crystal said, waving her hand flippantly," Isaac always knows where we are. Besides, the time differential..." she shook her head, "The point is, this kind of stuff happens so many times, we've come to expect it. It is the first time it's happened to us though," she said with a frown, before shaking her head.
"Either way, we woke up there, and then here, and now we're here."
He nodded, making a note to ask Igor about this later.
"So you two aren't human?" he repeated curiously.
Crystal nodded, before taking a rock out of her pouch and levitating it.
"Not many humans have powers like us...At least, that's what you'd think. We've been proven wrong many times before."
He nodded, before noticing the time.
"It's almost midnight," he noted. Florence and Crystal took a look at the clock as well, and the clock struck midnight. "It is time we rest," Florence said, standing up.
Crystal sighed.
"Do we have to? I mean, we were unconscious for most of the day. Doesn't that count as sleep?"
Florence, funnily enough, disagreed, and Crystal grudgingly went to sleep. And he was given the second room for the night. No matter how much he argued against it, Florence wouldn't budge.
"Where will you sleep?" he sighed, accepting the fact that Florence was going to give his room to him no matter what he said.
Florence just smiled and gestured to the couch.
"I'll be fine Souji. You're our guest."
"...Fine. Good night."
"Good Night."
He made his way to the small bedroom, only to turn his head at the last moment. He saw Florence looking at the moon with an almost wistful expression on his face. He shook his head and went into the room for a night of sleep.
"Hey...Hey...HEY!" He sat up with a flinch on hearing that familiar piercing female yell. He looked to see Pixie hovering in front of his face, pouting.
"Jeez! How can you be a deep sleeper when you're already asleep?"
"Pixie? What do you mean by 'already asleep'?" he asked.
Pixie just flew around lazily.
"You're asleep. Can't you tell?"
"Not really-"
He closed his mouth on looking at the sky. It was a swirling void of clouds, like a hurricane, except...peaceful.
"It's been stormy ever since Yomotsu-Shikome appeared," Pixie said with a scowl.
"Pixie...Where am I?"
Then he looked at himself.
"And more importantly, what am I wearing?"
He stood up and tried to balance on the bladed tengu geta he was now wearing.
"You're Izanagi, can't you tell? Thou art I, I am Thou," Pixie said.
He took a step, surprised at how deceptively easy it was to move on the bladed stilts, before turning to Pixie.
"Is there anywhere I can see my reflection?"
"Yeah! Follow me!"
Pixie raced away, before looking over her shoulder and motioning to him impatiently. He nodded, and ran after her, feet almost gliding over the ground. He followed Pixie deeper into a small thickly wooded area. He could feel the weight of armor clink against his body, and was curious to exactly what Pixie meant by he was 'Izanagi'. Pixie stopped over a small crystalline pond, and he skidded to a stop and looked at his reflection.
What meet him was Izanagi. The lower half of his face was covered by a facemask, and he was wearing Izanagi's trademark long coat, plates of armor interwoven with red and black fabric. His hand went to his hip, and he unsheathed a razor sharp katana.
"Pixie...Where am I?"
"You're in Your Sea of Souls."
He turned around and shielded his eyes as Angel descended from the sky.
"My Sea of Souls?"
Pixie nodded, before landing on his shoulder.
"Yeah. This is the place created by your soul. Where your Personas reside. The stronger your heart becomes, the way it changes, is all reflected by this place,"
Pixie said. He looked at her for a moment.
"You know a lot."
Pixie blushed and looked away, whistling nonchalantly.
"Well, Knowledge is power...And it's the only power I can obtain..." Pixie said sadly.
He stared at her for another moment, before poking her.
"Hey!" Pixie said indignantly.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. After all, Thou art I..."
"And I art Thou," Pixie said with a soft smile, before landing on his shoulder again.
Angel smiled at the interaction, before cupping his face. "Uh...?"
"I just want to make sure you're okay after the events of the day," Angel said with concern, before letting go of him.
"Is it common for Wild Cards to dream in their Sea of Souls?" he asked, feeling that the answer was yes.
Pixie nodded.
"Yeah. It's common for all Persona users, actually."
He nodded, humming to himself, before sitting down on a rock.
"So...What should I do-?"
The breath was knocked out of him as something tackled him to the ground. He blinked tears out of his eyes, and looked into orbs full of feline mischief.
"Ohhh...I thought I smelt you," Senri said, purring him while she pinned him to the ground.
"Now, how about we have so-"
"Bad kitty!" Pixie zapped Senri with a Zio, and Senri hissed and swatted Pixie away, fur standing on end.
"Oh, buzz off you stupid bug!" Senri hissed.
Pixie stuck her tongue out and zapped Senri again.
"Make me! And I'm not a bug!" Senri gave a cat like yowl before bounding after Pixie, claws on fire.
"They're at it again," Angel said with a sigh.
"Does this happen often?" he asked, standing up and looking at Senri warily, one hand on the katana.
"Yes. The only reason you don't notice is because they are merely small scuffles in the landscape of your soul."
"Hmm...Where's Valkyrie?"
"She's currently guarding Yomotsu-Shikome."
Upon hearing the name, he felt a shiver travel up his spine, and did his best to ignore it. Angel suddenly looked up at the sky, pursing her lips.
"Ah. It appears it is already time for you to go."
"Really?"
"Time is subjective here. It can flow as fast as a river, or a slow as a snail."
He watched as the cloud started to still, and felt something similar to drowsiness. His vision started to turn white, and the last thing he heard before whiting out was...
"Aw...I haven't had my fun yet."
"Shut up!"
He woke up, this time in a bed. He sat up, dangling his feet over the edge, reminiscing about the dream. Unlike most dreams, it was crystal clear in his mind. He shook his head, before standing up and heading to the living room. He stopped on seeing the door panes open, and walked outside to see Crystal lying down on the grass.
The sun had barely risen, and the grass was still wet with dew. Not that he minded. He could use a shower. He laid down on the grass next to her, and she opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise.
"Hmm? Oh, good morning. I guess I'm not the only one to wake early."
"Good morning."
A moment of silence passed, and they both stared at the sky. Stars still twinkled up above, stars you would never see in the city.
"I've always wondered what the moon felt like," Crystal mused.
He looked at her questioningly.
"It's just that, back home we don't have a moon. And every single time we ended up on Earth, I've always stared up at its moon, wondering how it's 'earth' felt like."
She chuckled.
"I guess it's a bit of a stupid dream, but hey. The Earth is my passion."
He looked back at the moon, seeing it in a new light.
"It doesn't sound that stupid of a dream," he said.
Crystal glanced at him questioningly.
"No?"
"Not at all. In fact, you've kinda made me curious."
Crystal just hummed, before looking back at the sky.
"What's your world like?" he found himself asking after a moment.
Crystal pursed her lips.
"Well, the sky's different first of all. Other than that...It's kinda like Earth. It has a star, oceans, forests, grass. It even had civilizations."
"Had?"Crystal closed her eyes.
"We're one of the only things close to 'civilization' left."
He remained silent, imagining the world the girl next to him came from.
"What about your family? When you said you didn't have any parents-"
"We've never had any parents. Ever. The closest thing is our older sisters, and their friends."
He nodded, wondering what it was like, not having any parents. It sounded rough...
"Hey," Crystal said, sitting up and looking at him.
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For not freaking out yesterday. And for not being mad about secrets."
"Why would I freak out? Or be mad?"
Crystal sighed.
"Because, things like this don't happen normally. Most people would freak out. And most people would be mad if their friends were keeping secrets."
"I'm still not sure what there is to freak out about."
Crystal gave a frustrated groan.
"Damn it, stop being so calm-"
She stopped on seeing his smile, before punching him.
"Ouch."
"You deserve it," she said, though she also had a smile.
He sat up, looking at her.
"Look. If I was the kinda guy to freak out, wouldn't I have done it as soon as I put my hand in the TV? Besides," he looked at the sky, "People are allowed to keep secrets. Everyone has them. What matters is that you're trusting everyone on the team with yours."
Crystal nodded slowly, before gulping.
"Do you think they'll freak out?"
"Yosuke? Most certainly. At least, at first. But I think he's already suspecting it. As for Chie...Maybe. She shouldn't be too bothered for long though. And Yukiko-san...I'm not sure, but she seemed nice enough."
Crystal hummed in agreement.
"...Thanks."
"Again?"
"For helping. With everything."
He just stood up and offered a hand.
"What are friends for?"
She smiled and took his hand, pulling herself up.
Rank up! Pixie yelled in his head, almost making him flinch.
You've strengthened your bond with the Queen of Pentacles. Pixie informed.
He felt something stir inside of him as Izanagi agreed. He was knocked out of his thoughts by Crystal pushing him. He blinked and looked at her, seeing the grin gracing her face.
"Well, since we're awake anyway..." she fell into a battle stance," How about some fisticuffs? We still haven't found the murderer, and we have to be stronger than we were before to fight of anything in our way!"
He looked at her for a moment, before shaking his head and bringing his hands up.
"Bring it."
"Hey, Partner! Wait up!"
He turned around to see Yosuke running towards him.
"Hey, morning Sou-What the hell happened to your face?"
He brought a hand up to his cheek, which was still bruised from not blocking one of Crystal's punches. On the plus side, he definitely learnt a thing or two about fisticuffs.
"I fell."
Yosuke raised an eyebrow.
"You fell?"
"Down some stairs," Crystal supplied helpfully. He elbowed her in the ribs, not that it did anything. Yosuke just looked at him, before looking at Florence.
"Is there some vital contextual info I'm missing here?"
Florence just rolled his eyes at him and Crystal.
"Okay...Either way, I was thinking about the culprit."
"What about him?"
"Why is he pushing people into the TV in the first place? It seems like a lot of trouble just to kill someone."
He blinked.
"What do you mean? All you have to do is push them in."
"Yeah, but they'd be struggling a whole lot. Besides, how did they find about the TV world in the first place?"
Florence frowned.
"That's...A remarkably good question".
Crystal scrunched up her face.
"Well...We found the TV world because Souji found the TV world..."
"And Partner found the TV world because he already had a Persona..."
"Which means the murderer has a Persona," he finished grimly.
The sudden realization that the person they were chasing had a power similar to theirs made their goal a lot harder.
"Maybe they don't have a Persona? After all, Souji only got a Persona after entering the TV."
"You mean they can enter the TV, but have no Persona?" Yosuke shook his head, "I don't know. It just doesn't seem likely."
"No matter how much we guess right now, it's still just guessing. We have to wait and see if Yukiko-san remembers anything," he said.
Crystal and Florence nodded their heads.
"Yeah. Not much use in sweating about it right now," Yosuke said.
"So, what are you guys going to do after school?" Yosuke asked.
School had just ended.
"I'm gonna go check on Yukiko. She seemed pretty exhausted," Chie said.
Crystal cracked her knuckles.
"Florence and I are going to toughen up. We can't be a liability like with Shadow Yukiko."
"C'mon. Give yourself some credit. You got bit by a huge fire bird monster. Anyone would be out after that."
Yosuke's words fell on deaf ears.
"What about you Partner?"
"I think...I'm going to pay a visit to someone before heading home," he said.
"Huh"
"What about you Yosuke?"
"Just the usual. Part time at Junes. Give Yukiko-san our wishes."
"Will do."
They left their separate ways, and he followed Yosuke.
"I thought you said you were meeting with someone?"
"I need to see Teddie first and grab some stuff from the TV world."
Yosuke just blinked.
"Oh. For a second there, I thought you wanted a part time job or something," Yosuke said with a chuckle.
"I wouldn't mind that."
Yosuke looked at him in surprise.
"Really? If you want, I can recommend you to my dad."
"I'd like that."
They continued towards Junes, exchanging small talk, until moving their separate ways.
"See you later," he said, walking towards the electronic department.
"Yeah, see you," Yosuke said, putting on the Junes apron.
He made his way to the electronic department, momentarily distracted by the wide selection of groceries. Unfortunately, there would be no grocery shopping today. He needed all the money he could get. He made his way to the TV entrance, looked around to make sure nobody was there, before kneeling down and whispering.
"Teddie? Are you there?"
"Sensei? Sensei, is that you!?"
He nodded, before remembering Teddie couldn't see him.
"Yes. It's me."
"Sensei, did you come all this way just to visit this lonely bear? I'm so 'beary' happy!"
"Teddie, do you have all the money and Shadow parts I gave you for safe keeping?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah! I've kept them super safe."
"Good," he took out the duffel bag he had stuffed in his bag, and pushed it into the TV.
"I need you to put it all in that bag."
"Why, Sensei?"
"We can use the Shadow parts to make better weapons and armor."
"Oh, okay! Wait for just a moment."
A moment later, a now bulging duffel bag was pushed out the TV, and he hefted it up with some difficulty.
"I put the money in one pocket, and the Shadow parts in another."
"Thanks Teddie. That's very helpful."
"Well, I am one 'beary' helpful bear," Teddie said bashfully.
"I'm off. Be safe Teddie."
"I will Sensei."
He walked away from the TV, before encountering another problem. How was he going to explain entering Junes without anything, and leaving with a duffel bag?
He rang the bell, and waited for a moment. The clanging of metal stopped, and a moment later Diadara appeared at the counter.
"Ah, it's you again. Do you need something?"
Diadara glanced at the duffel bag.
"Or, do you have something to show me?"
He nodded, and dumped all the Shadow parts across the counter. Hablerie teeth, Bronze shards, Raven feathers, Cutlery, Purple Flowers, Beetle shells, Magus Robes, and a bunch of other things. Diadara casted an appraising eye over everything, before picking up the charred helm from the Avenger Knight.
"Interesting armor design," he mumbled, tracing the gash caused by Florence's scythe.
Then he glanced at something shinning in the mixture of parts and picked it up delicately. It was one of the feather's from Shadow Yukiko. Instead of being pure vermilion, it was now a shade of cherry blossom petal pink at the beginning, before becoming a deeper red at the edges. It sparkled with a warm light in the dark shop.
"This...I've never seen anything like this...Could make a great design for an ougi..."
"How much will all this fetch?"
Diadara looked at the pile, before crouching down behind the counter. When he stood back up, he had a large sack of money.
"That much?" he asked, taking the bag in surprise.
"The feathers alone would get you a lot. Do you need anything else?"
He nodded, and took out the broken imitation katana. Daidara looked at the broken katana, raising an eyebrow, before glancing at the helm.
"You need another weapon?" he asked, taking the hilt of the katana.
"Yes."
"Wait here."
Daidara returned with his new weapon. A stainless steel golf club. All he did was take the golf club calmly.
Look. You have your first weapon back. Pixie said cheekily.
He ignored her and gave Daidara the money for the club, before leaving the store with his newfound money.
"Come back tomorrow or so, and I should have a new armor worked out," Daidara called out. He nodded, and made a note to come back later in the week. He walked across the Shopping District, before stopping in front of the door only he could see. He took out the Velvet Key, and entered.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room."
"I see you are in need of our services," Igor said, grinning as always. "Allow me to explain. I can take preexisting Persona and fuse their powers to make new, stronger Personas. If you need an in-depth explanation in summoning, feel free to ask."
Margaret spoke up.
"I can register any Personas you want into the Persona Compendium. Inside, all the skills of the Persona will be registered as well. You are free to summon them as many times as you like. Registration, of course, is free."
Margaret looked at Marie, who was bust scribbling something down in a notepad.
"Marie?"
Marie looked up irrritatedley.
"What-?"
She stopped on seeing him, before hastily shoving the notepad in her handbag.
"Marie," Margaret repeated sternly,
"Explain your service"
"Yeah, yeah. I can register Skill cards you get during Persona shuffle times. Registering the card destroys it, but I can create as many copies as you want afterwards. You know, if you want to buy thirty Sukukaja's for whatever reason."
Margaret just frowned at Marie's lack of professionalism.
"Now then...I believe you are in need of fusion?" Igor said mysteriously.
Ask him about fusion before you fuse anything. Pixie suggested.
"I'd like to know more about Fusion."
Igor's grin widened, and both he and Pixie listened carefully to the lecture.
"So, now that you know more about Fusion, what do you want to fuse?"
He shook his head, mind still swimming from the info-dump, before concentrating.
"First...I need to register all my Personas."
Margaret opened her Compendium, and snapped her fingers. Multiple cards appeared from thin air, before flying into the Compendium.
"Next...I want to fuse Yomotsu-Shikome and Pixie."
Igor just lifted is hand, and Pixie and Yomotsu-Shikome's presence faded from his mind, cards appearing in front of Igor. Pixie turned to wave at him, and Igor waved his hand, the cards fusing together. The light faded, and in their place stood a small fae like being, just a little shorter than Pixie. She shook her head dizzily for a while, before seeing him and flying towards him smoothly.
Hi! I'm Sylph. Sylph, the spirit of air said happily.
He smiled, before turning to Margaret.
"I want to buy both Pixie and Yomotsu-Shikome."
Margaret raised an eyebrow, before taking the money required and opening her Compendium. Pixie appeared in a flash of light, and immediately flew towards him, looking at Sylph. Sylph looked back, before bopping her on the head. The two of them flew about playfully for a while, before sitting on both of his shoulders.
Yomotsu-Shikome appeared next, and for a moment he felt a familiar feeling of panic. Then Margaret grabbed the card and crushed it slightly, stopping the presence. Margaret looked at him curiously.
"You're going to fuse her, aren't you?"
"Yes. I wish to fuse...Yomotsu-Shikome and Sylph, before buying back Sylph."
Igor fused Sylph and Yomotsu-Shikome, and Sylph immediately appeared back on his shoulder, in exchange for more money.
The new Persona resembled bird with the head of a menacing lion. Everything except the lion's mane and eyes were a deep blue, the mane being a dried blood red and the eyes glowing green. The Persona let out a sound resembling a lion's roar and a bird's caw, and looked at Sylph and Pixie hungrily.
I am Anzu, otherwise called Zu. I serve you for now. Anzu, the tempest demon from Mesopotamia, said. Anzu disappeared, and Igor looked at him.
"Do you wish Fuse more Personas?"
He nodded.
"As a matter of fact..."
"Is there anything else you require?" Igor asked pleasantly.
He thought it might have been because he had used up most of the money he had just gotten.
"Can I do anything with skill cards?"
"Let me see," Marie said.
She opened a different notepad, before outstretching her hand.
"You have one card. Do you want to register it or not?".
He nodded, and Marie took the card that appeared from thin air. She took a blue pen, and looked at the notepad, before frowning. The frown quickly turned into a scowl.
"Marie? Why are you delaying?" Margaret asked.
"This card is fake or something." Marie said.
"Nonsense. You must be," Margaret took the card, "...Mistaken?"
Margaret joined Marie's frown, before Igor took it. Igor's eyes seemed to twinkle with delight as he looked at the card.
"Ah. And the fruits of your bonds had already appeared." Igor gave the card to Marie.
"This card needs a new section. Put it under Terra."
Marie frowned, before writing something down. The card dissolved.
"Alright. Do you want a Persona to learn...Terra?"
He nodded.
"Well, the only one who can learn it is Izanagi right now. You still want it?"
He nodded once more, and his wallet became even emptier as Izanagi suddenly learnt a new skill.
"Is there anything else you wish to do?" Igor asked.
He looked at Marie's still frowning face, before remembering her requests.
"Do you want to do something?" he asked her.
"'Something'?" she repeated frowning.
Margaret 'hemmed'.
"Actually...Marie, this would be a perfect time for you to explore the outside world. You have been unruly as of late, and I am of the opinion that you wish to leave, if only for a while."
"H-Huh? I'm not interested in leaving...Okay, maybe a little."
"You may leave this room...As long as our guest accompanies you. These are the terms."
Marie frowned, before looking at him.
"Do you want go outside?" he asked.
Smooth Senri said with a giggle.
"...Sure. It stuffy in here, the Nose never says anything."
If Igor was annoyed at being called the 'Nose', he didn't show it.
"Sure. If we can leave right now, let's leave right now...Can we leave right now?"
"Sure."
Marie blinked in surprise.
"Really? You're agreeing that easily? If you keep this up, I'll have you wrapped around my finger...That's the saying right? I've been studying."
"Phew. I can finally breath now. It's stuff in that car."
Marie was stretching her hands above her head. They were currently walking around the Shopping District. Marie looked around, taking in all the sights, before sighing.
"Something wrong?"
"No, it's just...I feel weird. It's like...nostalgic, for the smell and all."
"Nostalgic?"
"Yeah, nostalgic. That's what I said. It just...feels that way."
Marie just looked at the sky, and she seemed...peaceful. Then she suddenly opened her eyes, nostrils flaring.
"What's that smell?"
He walked up to her, and looked at what she was staring at. A small shop called Souzai Daigaku.
"'Steak Skewers'?" Marie asked curiously.
He felt a sudden foreboding feeling about his wallet, and his fears were confirmed when Marie walked up to the counter.
"Hey, lady. I want one of those steak skewer things."
"Oh, hello. That'll be 320 yen please."
Marie looked at him, and he sighed, before paying for two steak skewers. If he had to buy it, might as well try it.
"You have money!?" Marie asked.
"...Yeah?"
"...That's awesome. You're awesome."
He took the two skewers, and made his way to the table with Marie. Marie took the skewer and looked at it interestedly.
"You have to pay to eat?" she asked.
He nodded, observing her. Her curiosity was almost childlike.
"Yo, Souji. Gettin' your steak on, huh?"
He turned to see Yosuke walking up to them.
"Yosuke. You finished for today?"
"Yup."
Yosuke then looked at Marie, who was currently poking the steak skewer.
"Uh...She's cute...What? What's going on here? Who's this!?"
Marie stopped her inspection of the steak and looked at Yosuke.
"Remember when I said I was meeting with someone today?" he reminded.
Yosuke made an 'oh' sound, before leaning in towards him.
"So...If you two, you know, aren't a thing, you think you can introduce me to her?"
Ah, Yosuke. Good luck with that.
"What're you two whispering about?" Yosuke immediately stood up straight.
"Nothing. So, you're my Partner's friend?"
Marie frowned.
"Friend...? I guess...I don't know."
Marie then looked at the two of them strangely.
"'Partner's'?"
"Yeah. We're partners," he said, taking a bite of the skewer, surprised at how good it was.
"Like close friends?"
Yosuke nodded.
"Heheh, that about sums it up. Er, what's your name?"
"Huh? Uh, Marie"
"Marie-chan, eh?" Yosuke said with a wink.
"So, you two are eating the steak-skewers?".
He nodded.
"Yup".
"I think I'll join you two".
Yosuke bought a skewer, and joined them.
"That was a bellyful. This place always has huge portions," Yosuke said with a content sigh, standing up. He hummed in agreement.
"So, Marie-chan? What did you think of the town's local specialty?"
So this was the local specialty? Marie cupped her chin, pondering.
"Well...It's really weird. It's tough, hard to bite into, and it got cold while I was still eating it."
Marie closed her eyes happily and pointed a finger at the sky.
"It was delicious."
"Uh, if you say so. For a second there, it sounded like you didn't like it."
Yosuke said.
"She's right though. It's pretty good," he said, nodding in agreement.
Yosuke looked at them strangely, before chuckling.
"Hey."
He and Yosuke looked at Marie, who was looking at them curiously.
"Why's it called steak?"
Yosuke blinked.
"Hmm?"
"Why's it called steak anyway? Is it short for something?"
He nodded.
"It is. It's short for Steaaaaaaaaak," he said knowledgably.
Marie blinked.
"...That's stupid. Might as well call it 'ake'."
Marie cupped her chin and nodded.
"Yup. That's what I'm going to do from now on."
"That isn't much better," Yosuke said, before turning to him, "And you! Don't tell her lies! She's believing it!"
He blinked.
"Lies? I'm not telling lies."
"Yes, you are."
"No. As far as I know, I'm not."
Yosuke hesitated at the certainty in his tone, and he went in for the kill.
"In fact, I agree with Marie. From now on, I'm going to call it 'ake'."
Yosuke just looked at him in confusion, and Marie interrupted them.
"You guys eat this every day? ...No fair."
He looked at Marie, who was pouting.
"Well, not every day"
"Still...I should've come earlier," she said with a frown.
"Tell you what. Next time we do this, we'll come back," he suggested.
Marie looked at him in surprise.
"Really?"
He nodded.
Yosuke just scratched his head, before jumping up.
"Oh, crap! I forgot my keys in my locker at Junes! See ya Souji! You too Marie-chan!"
With that, Yosuke ran off, and he watched his running speed thoughtfully.
"Your Partner is a funny person," Marie noted.
He nodded.
"Yeah...He is."
"Hmm. But he bought me meat. That makes him a good person. That is fact."
He nodded, smiling.
"That he is."
"Hmm...It's really green here."
After several moments of him taking his eyes off Marie and her running off, they ended up at the top of a hill overlooking Inaba. He nodded, looking at the town.
"It is."
Marie followed his gaze. The town was bathed in the glow of the sunset, and it looked...peaceful. Nothing like the city at all.
"Leaves of green fly away."
He glanced at Marie, who was looking at the sky in an almost trancelike state.
"Farewell to you, clouds of sky. I fly as well, lost as the day. Farewell to you, moon of the night."
He waited for her to continue, and when she didn't, he opened his mouth.
"That was pretty good."
And it was.
Marie whirled towards him, eyes wide.
"H-Huh? N-No! I-I-I wasn't making up a p-poem!"
He raised an eyebrow. He never said it was a poem.
"It's just some words that I was thinking! That's all! Yeah!"
He continued to look at her, still raising an eyebrow, and she looked away, blushing.
"...ShutupIhateyouyoustupidjerk! D-Don't snoop on me!"
He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Sorry?" he offered.
Marie just scowled, but the scowl fell off her face on seeing the town, and the hills beyond it.
"It's pretty big..." she said.
He nodded, looking out at the town.
"I don't know why...but I felt good about this place. It reminds me of something."
Marie pursed her lips, before turning towards him.
"Are there any other places we can go? I want to see more."
"It's getting a bit late right now...But next time, we're definitely going to see the rest of town. I haven't even explored all of it."
Marie smiled.
"Really? That's great! I notice things when I'm around you".
He smiled, before turning around and walking back to the town, motioning to Marie to follow him.
"Marie?"
"Hmm?"
"About your question from earlier...I think we are friends."
Marie looked at him in surprise, and he smiled. Time stopped with the sound of glass, and a card appeared in front of him.
Thou Art I...And I Am Thou...Thou Hast Established A New Bond...It Brings Thee Closer To The Truth...Thou Shalt Be Blessed When Creating Personas Of The Aeon Arcana.
"I had a question to ask." Igor looked at him curiously.
"I was wondering why Crystal and Florence appeared in the Velvet Room when they entered this world".
Margaret looked at him in surprise, and Igor's grin grew wider.
"Ah...So you know about them. They appeared because they are tied to your journey. Those not born of man will be integral to your Journey".
He blinked. Those?
"Marie is also one of those not born of man," Margaret explained, "The reason I asked you to take her to see the outside world was because she does not know much about it. She is integral to your Journey. After all, you have met once before you met in this room."
Margaret cupped her chin and closed her eyes.
"One not born of man, and those not born of this world...Truly, your Journey is a mottled one."
He glanced at Marie, who looked at him with equal confusion. As always, Igor and Margaret were never forthcoming with advice or knowledge.
"As for your question," Igor said, "I do not know why they appeared here. This was the first place they entered this world through, but for what reasons I cannot say".
He pursed his lips. Well, it looked like Crystal and Florence's mystery wouldn't be solved do easily.
"Is there anything else you would like to ask?"
He shook his head.
"No. Good night Marie."
Marie looked at him in surprise.
"Good Night?"
He reached home to see Nanako alone, watching TV. He frowned and walked up to her.
"Oh. You're back."
Nanako said. He nodded, not sure what to say. Suddenly he felt guilty about yesterday.
"Nanako?"
"Yes?"
"I'm...Sorry about not coming home yesterday."
Nanako just tilted her head in confusion.
"Why? You were working on a project, right?"
"Well, yeah-"
"Then it's okay." Nanako said, smiling. He shook his head, bemused, before going into the kitchen and putting the shopping bag down.
"What are you doing?" Nanako asked, before looking at the bag in shock.
"You went to Junes!?"
He smiled.
"Yeah. I thought I'd cook dinner to apologize."
He turned to look at her.
"Do you want to help?"
Nanako blinked, before nodding.
"O-Okay".
While they were preparing dinner, Nanako looked at him shyly.
"What's wrong?"
"I...What was Junes like?" He considered the question for a moment.
"Like any other store...It was a bit more welcoming though," he mused.
Nanako looked at him curiously.
"We could go there one day, if you want."
Nanako looked at him in shock.
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. I have a friend there. We can go one day. It's a promise."
Nanako's look of shock slowly turned into a look of joy, and she let out a small cheer.
"Every day's great at your Junes!" she sang.
He smiled at her antics, and they continued with dinner preparations.
"I'm home-," Dojima stopped and stared at them in surprise. They were currently waiting at the table, dinner ready.
"Daddy!" Nanako said happily, hugging him.
Dojima smiled, before looking at him.
"I thought I'd make dinner."
Dojima nodded slowly, and Nanako sat down at the table. He walked up to Dojima, before bowing his head.
"I'm sorry for not telling you about the project yesterday."
Dojima stared at him, before sighing.
"It's fine. Nothing I can do about a school project. But in the future, I want you to tell me before you visit a friend."
He nodded.
"I will." Dojima nodded in acceptance, before looking at him curiously.
"So, a girl?"
"She's just a classmate. She's a transfer from the States."
Dojima looked at him for a moment, before nodding.
"I see..." He nodded, before gesturing to the table.
"Shall we eat?"
"Sure. I'm pretty hungry myself."
They all sat at the table, and enjoyed dinner together.
?
...
...
...
Soon...
'And there you go. A piece of the explanation. If your still curious, well...Wait I guess?'