9/10 – Friday
Late Afternoon
Cafe Leblanc, Attic
Someone shifted against his back. "Ren?" came the quiet feline voice. Familiar, and almost comforting. A nudging head, warm and fuzzy.
Ren hadn't opened his eyes all day. He wasn't about to start now. "Yeah?" he asked.
"I was thinking," Morgana began, and paused. "What if this gets worse? Or, just doesn't get any better, by the time everyone gets back?"
"It will," Ren said. He wished he knew where he'd found that confidence, amidst everything.
"But what if it doesn't?" He sighed, letting out all the breath in his tiny lungs. Pulling away, still near but not touching. "We'll have to put the infiltration on hold–"
"We can't." Ren felt his chest contract at the thought, the very idea pulling at some innate instinct.
Morgana made a sound that was almost a growl. But Morgana would never have growled, not at Ren. "Can't, or won't?" he asked.
"Can't." Ren tried to pivot around to face the not-a-cat, but something swam behind his eyelids, turned over inside his stomach, and he aborted the motion with a strained groan. "Black Mask's gonna keep doing mental shutdowns if we can't stop him."
"You can't stop anyone in your condition," Morgana said. His voice sounded close to cold. Closer than it ever should have been. "You're barely able to get out of bed, and you want to push yourself into a Palace!?"
Ren set his jaw. "If that's what it takes." Why did he sound so angry, so bitter, so fucking resigned? Had it ever even been him who had written this script, or was he merely dancing to another's whim even now? The Witch in his head, pulling strings.
"What if he's there?" Morgana paced back and forth on the bed behind Ren's back. "What if that guy in the black mask is waiting there to ambush us? What if An-So did something to Okumura's head to protect themselves? What if he has a mental shutdown and we get caught up in it?"
"Then we fail and die, I guess." Ren swallowed. His mouth felt dry, his throat compacted against his chest. "What's your point?"
"My point is you're not listening to me," Morgana said. "There's too much at stake for you to be this stubborn. You're just pushing through a bad situation even though it might kill you." His small voice strained and awful. Hurt, and hurting. "You're just doing what you think is right, even if it's wrong. Even though I'm telling you it's wrong!"
He couldn't think. His head was still spinning at static songs, echoing far off voices. "Wouldn't anyone?" he replied.
Morgana didn't say a word. Not then, and not for the rest of the day, not before Ren slipped back into the restless depths of slumber.
█████
Evening
Ogikubo
His Sun finished his ramen before he spoke. "Okay. You said, uh, heavy shit, right? Lay it on me." Hands fiddling on the counter, fingers tapping idly.
The Trickster couldn't help but smile, just a little. "I want to come clean about...no, that's not quite right. I can't, actually. I guess that's what I'm trying to say."
He received only a raised eyebrow in response.
"I'll try again," he said. Deep breath in and out. He knew he'd lose his nerve if he waited for too much longer, but the words slunk around the edges of his mouth, sticking in uncomfortable places, difficult to dislodge. "There's something I've been keeping from you. From most of the Thieves, anyone I could. I can't say what, and I can't let that go yet. But you deserve, at least, to know I've been hiding it. And–"
"That why ████ left?" the Trickster's Sun asked.
A pain through his spine. Something like a whip pulled taught around his innards. "Yeah. That's why she left."
His Sun nodded slowly. "So, like, if you can't say what, what are you saying?"
"I don't know." He sighed, twisting a strand of hair between two fingers. "I guess...just trying to warn you. I'm gonna have to tell everyone, eventually. And once I do, it'll probably be awful for you."
"Guess I should brace myself for that," he mumbled, like he wasn't sure if he believed it.
"You should probably do what ████ did." Honesty should have felt nicer than dishonesty. It shouldn't have stung so fucking badly. "If you left, before it gets bad, it'll probably be easier for you."
His Sun didn't say a word, not immediately. He picked up his water glass and took a long sip. "So, uh, you mean leave you though, yeah? Not just the Thieves."
The Trickster nodded.
"Do you want me to leave you?" he asked. His voice was so quiet, so...hopeful. Like he still believed in him.
The Trickster shook his head. "I just think it'd be easier on you–"
"Then I'm not going." Firm, maybe a little angry. There was a familiar fire in him, one the Trickster hadn't seen firsthand for months, but it felt longer. "If you don't want me to go, and you're not making me go, then I got no reason to go."
"I'm not testing you or something," he said. "I'm being honest."
"Yeah, me too." His Sun leaned over and nudged him with his shoulder. "Dude, like, maybe this isn't as bad as you think." The Trickster sent a glare his way, and the young man shrugged out a correction. "Or maybe it is! Fucking whatever, like, yeah it sucks to know there's stuff you're not telling me. Especially big stuff, stuff that might hurt. But even if this goes bad, even if I end up trusting you less after, I still love you, ███. So, when shit gets rough 'tween us, then it'll be rough, but we can get through it." He reached out and took the Trickster's hand, squeezing it tight. "If it's worth loving me, then trust me, yeah? Cause I know it's worth loving you."
Trust had been in short supply for him. Too much to take, not enough to give. It hadn't felt worth it, even when it was deserved; and it was almost always deserved. The Trickster did not trust, he relied. A traitor cannot ever let himself fear betrayal. "I trust you," he said. His grasp tightened around his Sun's hand. And maybe it was only for that instant, or maybe he was fooling himself, but at that moment it was not a lie. At that moment, he trusted him.
9/11 – Saturday
Evening
Cafe Leblanc, Attic
Ren could hear birds through the phone. They sounded so different, so distinct. Something about the sound alone held the implication of hot air tinged with lingering salt from the nearby ocean, the smell of sunbaked food from nearby stands and a feeling he couldn't quite place. Something that tasted almost like nostalgia.
"Last day in Hawaii," he offered. "Got any plans?"
"Not really," Ryuji said. "Mishima said she'd be up to hang out, and the other gals are off doing their own thing. So I thought I'd just chill with her till it gets late enough to call it a day."
Ren hummed an affirmation. "What about Yusuke?"
A rustling adjustment. "Well, he was people-watching in the hotel lobby with his sketchbook. Just chilling in one of those, like, super cozy chairs, staring at other tourists. But I'm pretty sure he got kicked out cause now he's just standing on the beach with his feet in the–" Ryuji burst out laughing, and Ren almost flinched. "Never mind, the crazy bastard just jumped in! Holy shit he is going. Fully fucking dressed too."
"Seriously?" Ren tried to imagine the stoic artist paddling into the surf, and he couldn't quite make the image fit.
"Yeah man, like..." The jock snickered. "I'm pretty sure he's got whatever the opposite of cabin fever is."
"Sounds more like sunstroke," Ren said.
"Fuck, maybe." He could hear Ryuji's grin behind every word. "Dude, it's like..." Hesitation, a handful of breaths that sounded almost strained.
"What's up?" Ren felt his chest begin to tighten, pulling in like a string. Tension he couldn't bear for too long.
"I dunno," Ryuji said. "I just miss ya, Renren." He sighed, and Ren could hear the tapping of his heel against the pavement. "Like, shit, it's a blast here but I still wish I was having that blast with you, you know? I think everyone does."
"Right." He swallowed hard. Fuck, why couldn't he let go of this? Why couldn't he just enjoy the moment? "I...feel like I should apologize."
"For what?" Ryuji laughed. "Dude, you're not doing nothing wrong. You came down with a bad case of memory-itis, not like you had any–"
"I feel like I hurt you, in that other world." It all came at once. Flooding out of Ren like the tears that had soaked into his pillow. "I fucked up. I feel – I know – Anachronism did something...he, I, really fucked up. And you got hurt, cause of it."
"Ren," Ryuji said immediately. Soft, and loving, but unyielding. "Dude, you're not Anachronism. Like, you were both the same guy, at one point. But you're not, now. You're not him, and you haven't hurt me. Old world's old, and we're brand fuckin new, man. Like, you don't need to take responsibility for the shit he mighta pulled."
"I could have been him," Ren said. "I could still be him. We're one-to-one, same name, same past, same bullshit."
"So, what's stopping you?" That compassionate bluntness he was always so good at. "Like, you don't wanna be him, right? You don't wanna make those same mistakes."
"Of course–" Ren began.
"So you're not." Ryuji chuckled. "Dude, you're not gonna make me hate you just cause you could have done some fucked up shit. Like, I'm just as capable of being a dipshit as you are. Doesn't mean I'm gonna be. Cause I won't let myself be that, even though I know I could. And, so long as you feel the same, you won't have to be."
It didn't feel right to be this comforted. To feel safe the way he did. Someone like him...no, it wasn't him, was it? Someone like Anachronism wouldn't have deserved this; that's the idea, right? If that was true, if a possible Ren was unworthy of this love, would that make Ren himself unworthy? It didn't seem to add up in his head. No matter how hard he tried, it didn't feel right. He wasn't Anachronism, and Anachronism wasn't him. So why would another Ren's mistakes be his burden to bear? "It's...yeah. I get stuck in my own head sometimes, right? Thanks for being patient with me, and stuff."
Ryuji laughed. "Yeah, always. I've got your back forever, Renren."
"Love ya," Ren said, and the words came easy.
"Love ya too," Ryuji replied, and it sounded just as simple.
9/12 – Sunday
Afternoon
Cafe Leblanc, Attic
Ren hadn't remembered falling asleep. He hadn't braced himself, lying awake, staring at the inside of his eyelids until his brain flooded him with enough melatonin to knock out an elephant. He'd just...slipped, and then he was awake again. Drowsy, and restless, and a little stiff. But awake. The sun was hot against his back and his phone was softly buzzing away on his bedside table.
For the first time in what felt like years, he hadn't dreamed.
It was supposed to be steady, wasn't it? A gradual decline, numbing more and more until it barely hurt, and then maybe it would go away. He'd been dreading that, even as he knew it. But, even as he could still feel those memories, those feelings that haunted him like so many ghosts, they hadn't visited. It almost felt as if they had nothing else to say, not for the moment at least.
Ren sat up. Morgana wasn't next to him – probably downstairs, or hanging out with Futaba. Now that he thought about that, he hadn't seen him the previous day either. They'd...argued, hadn't they? He shook his head; he couldn't quite remember. Something said in anger while half-asleep. Something said in a voice not quite his own. It was tricky to pull things apart, to find what was his, and what was Anachronism's. But they were distinct, when he focused on them. His own were blurry, and messy, but they were clear in parts. They didn't shy away, not like Anachronism's did. The Trickster's recollections were more like dreams than memories, faint and blurred over and more feeling than fact. Ren's own were sterile, simpler. They were his, and they felt his.
Ren sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Yawned, and stretched his stiff back. He almost felt like running around the block a few times, his legs jittered at nothing and his fingers itched. Coffee never made him feel this awake. He slipped his glasses on, unlocked his phone, and scrolled the Phantoms group chat.
Yusuke
Whilst the majority of my photographic souvenirs will be shared in person for maximum benefit I felt you would all enjoy a snippet of the collection.
Four pictures sent after, all expertly taken. Ren could have easily mistaken them for professional work. The nearly-empty beach at what looked like daybreak, distant surfers paddling out. Ann painting Kasumi's nails on the floor of one of the hotel rooms. Ren, Morgana and Futaba on the video call during their "potless hot pot," surrounded by snacks and stuffed animals – he remembered Yusuke taking that one. And Ryuji standing in near-silhouette in front of the sunset, his hands in his pockets, grinning up a storm, looking fucking radiant. Ren saved the last image, mentally reminded himself to thank Yusuke later, and returned to the conversation.
Makoto
We need 2 talk.
It can't wait 4 tomorrow.
Ann
Makotooooo.
We got back I am like so fucking jetlagged please.
Makoto
I'm srry.
I really really am. I wish I didn't have 2.
Yusuke
Your tone sounds rather dire.
Should we expect bad news?
Makoto
Yes.
Went to Shujin bc I needed to check in w/ the council on strike upd8s.
There's cops everywhere. No1's allowed inside.
Ryuji
what the fuck
like seriously what the fuck what happened?
Makoto
Principal Kobayakawa had a mental shutdown.
Ann
Fuck.
Ryuji
shit fucking goddamnit mother of fucking
Ann
We should have been here.
I don't know. We should have stopped this.
Kasumi
It's not your fault, Ann. :(
It's not any of the Thieves' fault.
Yusuke
Kasumi is right. We should remain calm and address this situation as carefully as we can.
We did not do this.
Makoto
Ppl are talking about Phntm Thieves here.
Black Mask might be trying 2 pin this on us.
Ryuji
ren's still asleep and shit i guess
taba too prolly
fuck, man
just
FUCK
Kasumi
We can figure this out, right?
We have to do something. :\
Yusuke
I'm not sure what we can do.
But we shall at least try.
Ren dialed Futaba's number, his hands almost shaking. He couldn't text, he wouldn't be able to make his fingers work.
It rang twice – two times too long – before she picked up. "Hey," she said, in a very small voice.
"You saw the texts?" The first words out of his mouth, and they made him wince.
"Yeah. Got too upset to say anything, I guess." Futaba made a small noise in the back of her throat. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Deep breaths Ren, you can't panic now, not in front of her. Stay strong. "It's okay, it's gonna be okay. We'll figure something out–"
"We're gonna stop him." There was anger in her voice. There was so much anger. "He can't...we won't let him hurt anyone else, right? We'll stop him. We have to."
"Yeah." Ren's hand slowly curled into a fist against the covers. "We'll stop him." One breath. Then another. Okay. He was still the leader, so it was time to do some fucking leading. "I'll call everyone over. We're not up for infiltrating, but we can at least make a game plan."
"Mhm," Futaba affirmed.
He twisted a strand of hair around his finger. "Uh, Morgana's filled in, right? You read him the texts and stuff?"
A pause. "I haven't seen Mona since the day before yesterday? I've been working on stuff, and he said he was gonna take care of you, so..." Her voice trailed off. "Isn't he with you?"
Ren knew. Morgana could have been a million places – downstairs bugging Sojiro, off on one of his private walks, or he could have even gone to one of the other Thieves. He could have been anywhere. But Ren knew. And he felt the floor drop out from under him.
"Morgana's gone," Ren said.
The Thieves had been half-slumped around the room, visibly exhausted. They probably still were, but now every eye was on him, wide and anxious.
"Ren, what exactly do you mean by that?" Yusuke asked.
"We got in an argument." Ren's chest was tight again, guilty again. Words like rocks through a sieve. "Something about the infiltration, he wanted to put it off and I...don't even remember, I was half asleep. I said something stupid, I think. But he went to Futaba, and then..." He trailed off. Ren couldn't say it again.
"I discovered the keyword on Friday," Futaba said, shuddering next to Kasumi on the couch. "And he was there with me. It was kinda late, and I wasn't paying attention, and Morgana said I should focus on Anachronism's phone and he'd take care of Ren, so I said okay but then he didn't come back and he's gone." Her voice broke, and Futaba swallowed hard, looking on the verge of tears.
"We'll find him," Kasumi mumbled. She reached out a tentative hand, and then wrapped her arm around Futaba's shoulders, pulling the girl closer. Futaba herself looked startled, but leaned against Kasumi, seeming to relax somewhat. "It'll be okay, Futaba. We'll find him, I pr-promise."
Makoto rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Ren, do you remember why he wanted to put off the infiltration?"
"It was about staying safe, or something." He closed his eyes, trying to pull those hazy words back. "If my memories got worse. He didn't want me to endanger anyone, or...myself. He was worried about me." How had he been such a fucking moron? How could he be such an idiot!? "He was right. He was fucking right. Goddamn it." Ren lowered his head into his hands. He'd done this. This was his fault.
"He's in the Palace." Ann said. "He must be, right? If he's worried about Ren, he must be trying to do the infiltration on his own."
"He doesn't have a phone," Kasumi mumbled. "How would he have been able to do that?"
"He was investigating the Metaverse before we met him," Ann said. "He must have some other way of getting into the Palaces, otherwise he wouldn't have been in Kamoshida's."
"We can't confirm today." Yusuke sighed. "It's far too late to begin an infiltration into an unknown Palace, we're all deeply jetlagged and Ren has yet to get the go-ahead from his doctor."
"Tomorrow then." Makoto didn't sound happy to break the news. "We should all try to rest up, prepare ourselves. We can meet back here then."
"Fuck." Ryuji's tone was low, furious if not for the stifled sob below the word. "Goddamn it. Fuck. Fuck. That son of a..." Ren glanced up to see Ryuji's hands shaking in his lap, his posture tense. He looked halfway between the verge of screaming and sobbing, and clearly not wanting to do either. "Where does that fucking kid get off making me worry so goddamn much?" Ryuji forced a smile that looked like a grimace. "I'm gonna kick his ass when I see him, I swear to god."
"Please don't," Futaba mumbled. "I just wanna know he's safe." She turned her face into Kasumi's shoulder. "I just want him to be okay."
"Yeah," Ryuji said, barely a breath. "Me too. Me fucking too." He ran a hand through his blond hair. "We're gonna rescue that fluffy dumbass. We're gonna get him back."
9/13 – Monday
Noon
Takemi Medical Clinic
Ren still had the day off from school, but the rest of the Thieves didn't, and Takemi wasn't available first thing, so he could have slept in. But he didn't. After Ren woke up, he sat at his desk in his room for six hours and tinkered. Morgana's instructions flowed through the back of his head, his little points of advice and praise; he could let his fingers move on automatic and pretend the not-a-cat was still there. It hadn't made him feel much better, but at least he hadn't watched the clock the whole time.
Takemi spun a pen between her fingers, leaning back in her chair. "If you lie to me–"
"I won't." Ren stared her down. It wasn't a bluff, but he needed her to believe him. He couldn't afford to wait around.
She nodded. "When was your last 'premonition,' then?"
"Friday," he replied. "Haven't had one since."
"Hm," she said. "How was the walk over here?"
"Short." He sighed. "I mean, it was fine. I've been up for hours, haven't had any queasiness or dizziness anymore. I felt kinda gross yesterday, but now I'm just restless."
Takemi spun to face her computer, placing her pen down and clicking away at the keys. "I don't see any signs of profound fatigue. Under normal circumstances, I'd ask you to take another day off, just to make sure." She chuckled, and sent a smile over her shoulder. "But you look like you have somewhere to be."
Ren found himself nodding. "A friend–" And he had to cut himself off as his throat tightened around the words. "Someone I care about. I've gotta get him back, he's family to me." He almost expected Morgana to be purring at him inside his bag, soothing. The bag that felt so painfully light now.
"Alright," Takemi said. "Then go get him back." She clicked a final key, and her computer wheezed out a confirmation. "You have my permission to change hearts, Mister Phantom Thief. Good luck out there."
9/13 – Monday
After School
Okumura Foods HQ
Ren stared up at the towering corporate monolith, that garish mass of cement and glass, then back down at the Thieves. "Everyone ready?"
"I've got the keyword." Futaba shifted back and forth, letting out little breaths and flapping one hand. Probably a lot of nervous energy – Ren could relate. "We should be close enough to use it now."
"There seems to be no one around," Yusuke said. He took another long glance around the courtyard. It was still too early for any workers to be heading home, and it wasn't as if many students frequented this area. The Thieves themselves probably looked suspicious, but they wouldn't be there long.
"Is there anything in particular I should exp-expect?" Kasumi asked. "It's my first time in a Palace, after all."
"Uhh," Ann said as she fiddled with a ponytail, "not really? Every Palace has been different so far. No telling what this one will be like 'til we're there."
"We gotta stay focused, a'ight?" Ryuji's left leg was jittering, and he had his arms crossed, staring at the pavement. "We're here for Mona first, Okumura second."
Makoto blinked, as if she hadn't expected to hear that from him. "Yes," she agreed, "but let's not forget that we're stepping into unfamiliar territory. Beyond that, there's still the possibility of interference from An-So or the black masked Persona-user. We need to be careful."
One breath in and out. "Futaba," Ren said. "Send us in."
She nodded, and raised her phone. "Kunikazu Okumura, Okumura Foods HQ. Keyword: Black Hole."
Reality pitched to the left.
Ren vaguely recalled black holes from science class; not that he'd ever paid that much attention. Something about a space where no light escaped. The inversion of matter, a literal hole in existence. The thought, even then, was a little chilling.
No lesson could have prepared him for the sight of a star frozen in pieces, slowly being ripped apart by a voracious emptiness, something that was not something. Enclosed though he was in the Palace's entrance, gravity working exactly as intended, Ren still felt as though any second he would...drift. Take one wrong step and slip directly into oblivion.
"The architecture here is quite indicative of early science fiction sets," Fox mumbled, taking in the entrance. It was a wide metal room, with what looked like thick glass windows, chairs and tables scattered across both walls, like they'd been shoved to either side by some cataclysmic force. "I would guess this Palace is masquerading as some sort of space station. Though, one not long for this world, judging by..." He gestured towards the black hole.
"This was a place where people lived." Panther knelt down and picked up a discarded teddy bear out of a barricade of tables against one wall. "Where do you think they all are?"
"In escape pods, probably. Or trying to save everyone, somehow." Oracle seemed distracted, glancing around at odd angles, fingers typing away at air – interacting with one of Necronomicon's displays, no doubt. "That's usually how shows like these go."
"Why the fuck would Okumura think of his company like a dead ship or something?" Skull asked. He kicked a chair leg, and it skittered along the metal floor. "All falling apart like this?"
"Perhaps he believes it's a dying cause," Queen said. "Or, he's desperately trying to save those around him from something he cannot control."
"We won't know until we're farther in." Ren adjusted his gloves. Under better circumstances, being back in Joker's outfit would feel exhilarating. Right now, Ren just felt cold. "Oracle?"
His sister frowned and gestured a dismissal, sliding her goggles onto her forehead. "This place doesn't really have a map I can access. I guess, 'cosmic interference?' But we're just gonna have to–" Her voice trailed off as she glanced towards Kasumi. "Oh. Hi. You look really cool."
Kasumi giggled, and twisted back and forth, her coattails flapping behind her. "Thank you very much, Futaba."
"She's Oracle in here," Panther reminded, and nudged Oracle's shoulder with a little chuckle.
Oracle let out a small "eep!" and pulled her mask back down onto her face to hide what must have been a blush.
"Ah, yes! And of codenames; we have yet to procure one for you." Fox rubbed his chin. "Perhaps something in the same vein as Joker? Your outfits seem quite aesthetically in-line."
Ren blinked. He hadn't even noticed that, but...yeah. Same red gloves, primarily black outfit.
Kasumi wiggled her fingers together, looking almost bashful. "I act-actually have an idea, if that's okay."
"Course it is, Kasumi." Skull still seemed tense, from what Ren could tell, but the jock put on a smile. "It's your codename, dudette. Whatever you want us to call you, that's what we're goin' with."
She nodded. "Okay. Um...Violet, then?"
"Show me what you've got, Violet."
Ren blinked the memory away, and nodded. "It's a good name." So Kasumi had been a Thief – or a Persona-user at least – with Anachronism. Then...why hadn't she been in the photograph? More questions than answers; par for the course, but it still frustrated him.
"Oh!" Queen's face lit up. "You said your sister's name was Sumire, right?"
Kasumi, or Violet, nodded quickly. "Yep! The flower she's named after is called a violet, in English." She stared down at her hands, interlocking her fingers as if in odd prayer. "I feel like my codename should remind me why I bec-became a Thief in the first place. And that was because of her. I never want to ever forget that." A breath, and then Violet looked back up at the Thieves. "I'm ready. Let's go rescue Mister Mona."
Ren couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. Let's go."
Dark forms slid across the metal like liquid, peeling off, red eyes shining within the oozing mass. And behind them, swirling crimson shapes that vaguely resembled a child's drawing of a star, with one massive eye in its center. The Thieves were pincered.
"This place fucking sucks!" Skull yelled, and fired off a shotgun volley into the hallway. Pellets ricocheted into the Shadows, plopping against the ichor but seeming to have little effect otherwise.
"Gunfire's not gonna do it," Oracle's voice buzzed into existence. "You gotta use something else."
"Allow me!" Violet grabbed her mask with one hand. "Cendrillon!" The hall around them ignited in a furious display like a solar flare, and the dark forms before them screeched and sizzled. When the light faded a second later, they were gone.
"Woah! That's four Shadows down at once!" Oracle's manic giggle distorted slightly from what must have been a hyperactive movement. "Everybody thank Violet!"
"Uh," the gymnast shook her head, her cheeks flushed. "You d-d-don't have to! It was my pleasure."
"Still grateful," Ren said, chuckling. He glanced over his shoulder. "Panther, how's the cleanup? Those guys hate fire or something?"
Panther yanked her dagger out of a star-shaped Shadow, and whirled towards Ren while it dissolved behind her. "Oh fucking contraire! In fact, they love fire!" Was she letting off smoke? Her hair looked a little singed on the edges...oh.
Ren winced. "Sorry. Good to know for next time?"
Fox slashed through one crimson star, then another. "They seem to be fairly weak otherwise," he noted. "We should be able to take care of them without even using our Personas."
"It's fine," Panther grumbled, massaging an ember out of one of her ponytails. "I'll just stab 'em to death, like God intended."
Queen shook some black dust off her fist. "I'm not seeing any more enemies. Oracle?"
"That was the last of 'em!" Oracle chirped. "You're all clear. Good work, team!" She hummed something before the coms cut out – some sort of victory tune from a game he hadn't played, most likely.
"Alright, Joker." Panther threw a two-finger salute his way. "See you next you get ambushed by a Shadow." She, Queen and Fox jogged farther down the corridor.
Ren rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's continue." Back down the hallway he went, with Skull and Violet right behind him. Ten seconds and a sharp right turn later, and Ren froze in place.
The hallway widened out into a small room, some sort of vestibule. They hadn't been the first ones here. Deep gouges in the metal floor, traces of black dust under a flickering overhead light. A triplicate of enormous dents buckling one of the walls. This place had been devastated, and some number of Shadows killed.
"Shit," Skull mumbled. Ren could hear him swallow. "Think it's..." Mona, or Black Mask? Either way, Ren didn't know if wanted to answer.
"Let's go one at a time," Ren said, and drew the red-striped pistol from its holster. "Oracle, pass on the word."
Buzz in. "Got it," she said. And buzz out.
One long breath. And Ren stepped into the vestibule. Eyes first left around the sharp corner, then right. "No Shadows–" he began.
Beep.
Skull and Violet's simultaneous yelp behind him, and Ren whirled to see an instant of their shocked faces before a sheet of metal slammed down between them.
"Alien presence detected," chimed a robotic voice from somewhere overhead. "Sealing off contaminated area."
"Damnit!" Skull's frantic voice, and then a pounding on the metal door. "You robotic fuck! Open the hell up!"
"Skull, calm down." Ren was having trouble staying calm himself, but he knew it didn't do them any good to panic. "I'm fine. We've just gotta loop back around, meet up somewhere else."
"Joker," Oracle mumbled, "Necronomicon's coms don't reach that far in here. If you're not close to the Thieves, I won't be able to help you."
Fuck. Okay, think. There was no telling what lay further into the Palace. Without a navigator, he'd be putting himself at enormous risk. Even if someone had cleared out this entire area already, it still probably wasn't anywhere close to safe. But he hadn't used Arsene at all so far, and the longer they waited, the more they risked not finding Mona at all. "I'll keep going farther in," he said. "If we can both find safe rooms, I should be able to get you guys over to this side. Assuming the Palace doesn't want us here, that's probably our best bet anyway."
"Fuck." Skull muttered. Another indistinct clunk of something against the door. "You better come back in one fucking piece, you hear? I'm already freaking out about losing Mona, I'm not about to lose you too."
Ren took an unsteady breath and placed a hand on the metal door. "I promise. You're not gonna lose either of us. I fucking promise."
"Stay safe, Joker," Violet added. "I bel-believe in you."
"Take care of my brother, Joker," Oracle said, and maybe there was a little smile in her voice, covering up the worry. "I'll see you later, okay?" And before Ren could answer, her coms buzzed out again.
He was alone. Deep breath in, and out, like Maruki had taught him. "Okay," he said. "I can do this. One foot in front of the other." Ren turned away from the hallway, away from his friends, and walked.
I am holding up a sign. It says "thank you jane." I turn over the sign and it says "for editing and beta-" it's too short so i turn it over again "-reading this chapter." I turn it over "I love you."
