9/13 – Monday
Evening
Cafe Leblanc, Attic
Sojiro gently applied the bandage over the cut above Haru's eye, then straightened up. "That alright, little miss?"
Haru nodded, giving the cafe owner a wide smile. "Thank you very much, Mister Sakura," she said. She sat in the center of the couch, the rest of the Thieves spread out across the room.
"You can just call me Sojiro," he chuckled. "Or Boss, if you prefer. That's what most people around here call me."
"I call him dad," Futaba piped up. "Just sometimes though." She snickered. "Don't want him getting a big head, do we?"
Sojiro rolled his eyes. "And thank you for bringing our cat back." He reached over and ruffled Morgana's fur, and the feline barely reacted. Maybe exhaustion had set in, but Mona seemed distinctly upset still, lying on his stomach on the table. "Sorry he scratched you up."
Haru shook her head. "Oh, no, it's not his fault. It's mine, really." A flicker of a glance towards Ren. "I should have been more careful."
"It wasn't anyone's fault," Makoto protested. "You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, Haru."
Haru giggled. "That's very kind of you to say, Makie."
Sojiro made a sound like an engine turning over as Makoto's cheeks slowly approximated the hue of a tomato.
"Makie?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow, glancing towards the distinctly flustered Makoto. "Hey, wait, you said in the–"
Ann elbowed him sharply in the side, cutting the jock off. "When we met you," she corrected, "Makoto seemed to recognize you. Do you two know each other?
"Haru's been working on a sort of beautification idea," Makoto said, stumbling over her words. "On the school's roof. Normally she'd get a key from the student council, but there's the strike, so, erm, I've been helping her out."
Haru giggled. "I wouldn't go as far as beautification, it's more of a personal test to see how different environments affect the flavor of different vegetation."
Kasumi perked up. "What sort of veg-vegetation?"
"All sorts! My initial focus is on squash, but I'm planning to branch out into a wider variety after this harvest." Haru gave a genuine little smile. "I'd be happy to show you sometime, Miss Yoshizawa."
"Yes please!" Kasumi chirped, grinning up a storm.
"Assuming Makie's okay with it," Futaba teased, smirking across the room. Makoto just glared at the girl.
Sojiro chuckled. "I'll be getting out of your hair now. You kids let me know if you need anything, alright? I'll be downstairs."
"We will!" Ann said, throwing on a big smile. "Thanks again, Boss."
Sojiro just waved a hand, heading towards the staircase. He paused, one hand on the bannister, and glanced back towards Haru. "Don't let these guys bully you or anything, alright?"
"Come on Sojiro," Futaba whined. "Trust your own kids for once, hey?"
"Thank you for your concern, Boss," Haru said, hiding a giggle behind one hand. "But I can handle myself just fine."
"Alrighty then," he replied. Sojiro looked like he wanted to say something further, but he only turned back and headed downstairs.
Ren waited until his footsteps were well and truly gone, more out of cowardice than caution. "Before we debrief, or fill in Haru any further," he began, "there's something I'd like to address." His attention turned towards the feline. "Morgana?"
The not-a-cat didn't respond. He merely turned his head to face away from Ren.
"I'm sorry." And with that, the rest of the words fell into place, spilling out of him with reckless abandon. "I'm really, really sorry. You weren't wrong to be cautious, I know that, I knew that. You were just trying to take care of me and I should have listened. I shouldn't have brushed you off, and I'm so, so sorry that I did." His hands pressed tight together in his lap. "I'm sorry. I fucked up, and you don't have to forgive me, but I want to try and make this right, if I can. However I can."
"You don't need to," he grumbled. "It's fine." The still-dejected sound of his voice felt like a bullet gorging its way through Ren's chest. "It doesn't matter."
"Your feelings matter, Mona," Makoto said, her voice soft. "If you're upset about this, it's alright–"
"I'm not," Morgana said. Almost a growl in the back of his throat.
Kasumi hummed a thought in the back of her throat. "Is there something e-else?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
"Dude," Ryuji mumbled. "You're like...you can tell us, you know? Like you're our friend, we care 'bout you. Whatever's going on–"
"You'd hate me." Simple, and sharp. Morgana's whole body was tense, fur standing up on end.
"We'd never hate you," Ann said, a thread of genuine pain through her words.
Yusuke nodded. "I can absolutely concur. No matter what you're dealing with, Morgana, you are one of us. From what I have seen, the Phantom Thieves do not abandon their own."
The feline flinched. "Don't," he mumbled. "Don't lie to me."
"Mona," Haru said. Her voice even, and firm. She shifted to the edge of the couch, and with one smooth motion, plucked Morgana off the table and held him to her chest. He didn't so much as squirm, just stood almost upright with his feet on her thighs, front paws resting on the arm around his gut. "You're being very stubborn right now, silly kitty."
"Oh, uh, he's not a cat," Ryuji corrected. "Just kinda looks like one."
"Of course," Haru said. She chuckled in an odd way, almost knowing. And Morgana seemed to deflate somewhat in her arms. "But you are being quite stubborn." She ran her hand across his head, petting him gently. "I know you're afraid, and I won't say you're wrong to be, but I don't think this is the right place for that fear." She glanced up across the Thieves, a soft smile on her face. It seemed honest, genuine. "They love you quite a lot, even an outsider like me can see that. You shouldn't be afraid of them, Mona."
Morgana made a sound almost like a whine. "You're not going to tell them, are you?" His voice was so small, so nervous. Ren bit back an unsteady breath.
"I promised I wouldn't," Haru assured, "but you should tell them. Not for their sake, but yours. You deserve better than to keep hiding this from the people who love you."
"I dunno," he said. Morgana lowered his head onto Haru's arm, eyes towards the ground. "It's scary."
"I know what that's like," Futaba said. She rocked back and forth a little on her chair. "Being scared of telling people something important. But it hurts to hang on to a secret like that. I mean, I assume..." She trailed off, and shook her head. "I know I'm never going to hate you, or be mad at you, though! I don't think Ren would ever feel that way, either."
Ren nodded. "I'm not mad. Even when you went into the Palace without me, I wasn't mad." He swallowed hard. "I was scared, Morgana. You're my best friend. You're...irreplaceable to me. I don't want to lose you." He smiled through the ache in his chest. "Could you tell us? Whatever it is, whatever you have to say. Please. Could you trust us with that?"
Morgana was silent. Staring at the floor. "I've been having dreams, for a while," he said, quietly. Ren almost had to strain to make out the words. "About being deep in Mementos. There's Shadows there, all around me, and they look at me and see something like them." A shudder traced up his fluffy body from the tip of his tail. "They see another Shadow. And I thought it was just a nightmare, just a bad thing I was scared of, but it just kept coming back to me so clearly, and I think..." His little voice shook. "It's a memory. That's who I used to be, back then. Not a human, but a Shadow."
"Mona," Ann's voice, almost breaking.
"And I'm not even that anymore." He sighed, almost wilting, half-collapsed in Haru's arms. "Someone down there took the Shadow out of me, made me just...a cognition, I guess." He gave a weak, humorless chuckle. "I can't even call myself a cat, really. I'm just a dream of a cat that someone had, once."
"Do you want to be a cat?" Haru asked. "You can be, if you want."
"I do want to," Morgana mumbled. Ren blinked. Okay. That was...wow, that was news. "But I'm not, though. I can't be. I'm not anyone. I'm not even useful anymore." He closed his eyes. "Futaba's a better navigator than me, you all know about the parcels, and Ren doesn't need someone like–"
Ren shook his head. "Stop." The word came half-choked, unbidden. "Don't say that, Morgana. Don't you dare. Don't fucking speak for me, and don't you dare say I don't need you." His breath shook. "You're not no one, you're Morgana. You're my best friend, and if you want to be a cat then you're my goddamn cat, but you're not fucking useless. And, even if you were, I still want you here." He couldn't move. He wanted to, so badly, but he couldn't.
"I guess I shouldn't speak for anybody else," Ryuji added, "but I'm damn sure they agree. We don't give a fuck where you came from, dude." He grinned, even though his eyes shone with what were almost tears. "If you were a Shadow, or a cognition, or a cat, or whatever; doesn't matter. You're one of us. There's not a damn thing changing that."
Futaba took a deep breath. "You're a Phantom Thief." Her voice was steady, and even. Ren had no idea how she managed that. "You have the power to control your own story." He could barely breathe. They were his words, weren't they? "You get to be the kind of person you want to be. We all do." Another careful exhalation. "I get to be a girl, even though I wasn't born one. And I don't even feel like one all the time, and I get scared I'm lying or pretending at being something I'm not." She smiled. "But, I want to be a girl. When I say I am one, no one here is going to tell me I'm not. And when I'm doubting, I know they'll reassure me."
"None of us are perfect," Kasumi added. "I still can't speak without st-st-stuttering." She giggled, probably at the irony. "And I don't always feel like I fit in here. But, Miss Makoto said that she felt that way too. And Mister Yusuke as well. I think...we all feel a little use-useless, sometimes? That doesn't mean we are, though. That doesn't mean you are."
Morgana didn't say a word. He just shook, softly, in Haru's arms. Maybe he was crying.
"Could you tell them what you want, Mona?" Haru asked. "You don't have to be afraid anymore." She turned her body on the couch to face Ren, moving Morgana similarly. "Go on."
A hesitation that stretched into what felt minutes. "I want to be here," Morgana said. His voice breaking, but he pushed on through, steadily louder, steadily more confident. "I want a reason to be here. I know I don't have one, I know I'm not human, and I don't have any heart to change, or anyone I need to save." He shook his head, and then raised his gaze. Ever so slowly. "But I want to stay with you guys! This is the only place I feel like I belong, and I know it's selfish, but I don't ever want to go!" His jaw trembled. "I want to stay here forever!"
It was as if the room itself let out a breath held since they entered. A pressure lifting across the Thieves.
"Thank you very much, Morgana," Yusuke said, softly. "Your trust in us means more than I believe any of us can ever say. I know it wasn't easy, and I am very grateful."
"You don't need a reason to be here," Ryuji said. "Dude, don't you get it? You're the reason we're here at all. There wouldn't be any Phantoms, or changing hearts, or any of that shit without you." He wiped his eyes on his arm, sniffling between breaths. "I'd never let myself live it down if I left you behind, okay!? Like, I know you don't always like me, and we get on each other's nerves sometimes, but you're still my bud. You're my friend, and, fuck, if I ever made you feel useless, or less, or like you didn't belong, that wasn't fucking right and I should have done better and I'm fucking sorry, alright?" He was crying openly now, and he wasn't the only one. "So don't ever leave, you got that!? Cause I know damn well we're never going to leave you."
"Not in a million years." Ann's smile trembled. "You're always going to be my favorite little gentleman, don't forget that. Who else is gonna be the classy Thief around here, if you're gone?" She chuckled, even as she looked to be biting back tears.
"I don't believe there's anyone in this world who could ever replace you." Even Makoto seemed close to losing her eternal composure, though she held strong. "And you shouldn't try to be responsible for our burdens without letting us help with your own."
Morgana seemed lost for words. Finally, he met Ren's gaze. "Can I come back?" he asked, quietly. "Can I come be your cat again? I know I'm a lot of trouble, and I can't always be the most useful, but I want to be here. This place feels like home, and there's nowhere else I'd want to be."
Ren's eyes were blurry with tears, and he blinked them away. "Yeah," he said. "There's no one else I'd rather have."
And with one continuous motion, Mona squirmed out of Haru's arms, hopping from her lap onto the table and then onto the bed, and headbutted Ren's arm. Ren couldn't help but flinch, pulling his hand off the bed, and Morgana immediately pushed his head into Ren's palm. He was purring. So loud and so resonant that Ren could feel it in his bones. Slowly, carefully, the boy let his hand come to rest there. Petting Morgana, ever so slightly.
"Welcome home," Ren said.
Morgana made a sound like a happy note in a content melody. "Thank you," the cat whispered. "Thank you."
Morgana had settled in Ren's lap as discussion turned towards conspiracies and premonitions, curling into a ball and then breathing slow, deep and still. Ren didn't doubt he was exhausted, running multiple days of infiltration with two Thieves must have taken a heavy toll on the already snooze-prone feline.
"Do you have any questions?" Makoto prompted. "We're happy to answer them."
Haru nodded, smiling in that odd, fake-seeming way she'd done before. "Concerns more than questions, but I'm not quite sure it's my place to raise them."
Ann raised an eyebrow. "But, you're a Phantom Thief too. We only work unanimously."
"Yes, I understand that." Haru let out a little thoughtful hum. "But even as I wish to work alongside you all, I don't at this point know that I wish to be a Phantom Thief."
Ren blinked. "I'm not exactly sure what you mean."
"I wish to change my father's heart," she said, firmly. "You all wish to do so as well, so it would be foolish for us not to work together." Haru giggled. "Not to mention that I still owe Mona a great deal. But once this Palace crumbles, I don't know that I will wish to continue acting as a Persona-user at all. Let alone alongside the Thieves." A hint of sympathy leaked into her expression. "I'm sorry. I just don't know that I trust you."
"I suppose that's entirely fair," Yusuke said. "We did just meet, after all." He scratched his chin. "Even if you intend to depart from our ranks at a future point, I believe I would still wish to hear your concerns."
Ryuji nodded. "Yeah, totally. Like, we're teammates right now. That's 'nuff for me."
A chorus of similar affirmations, but Haru still seemed hesitant. "I could get you in contact with Naoto or Mitsuru, if you want," Ren said. "They both know about the Metaverse and Oxymoron, and I would trust Naoto especially to help with a whole fucking lot. If it would be more comfortable to work with them, I think I'd be willing to talk about letting them take over infiltration."
"Thank you for the offer," Haru said, "but even if I don't trust you all entirely, I feel comfortable working alongside the Thieves for the time being." Her smile seemed to tighten. "At the very least, I believe that you all would respect my autonomy more than any well-meaning adult."
Mitsuru's early offer flickered across his mind, and Ren found himself nodding. "Yeah. I can definitely relate. That's one of the big reasons we decided to work independently, early on."
Haru gave him a little glance, like she was surprised, but her expression did not change. "And as for my concerns...firstmost, I suppose, would be your memories, Amamiya." She flicked her fingernails idly against each other, hands still in her lap. "Even from the little you've mentioned, you remember quite a lot of darkness our collective futures might hold. But as of yet, no other Thief – not even Mona – knows the full details."
Ren blinked. To say he hadn't expected that would be an understatement. He tried to form a reply, but Haru's cold gaze bored a hole in his thoughts. It reminded him of Akechi, yet again, even as he wasn't sure why.
"I trust Ren with sharing what's important," Ann cut in. "He's promised not to lie; and I know that kind of sounds stupid, but I really do trust him."
"Me too!" Futaba added.
"I don't doubt that," Haru replied, her tone almost soft, if it wasn't so cold. "I have no reason to question any of your judgements, but I still feel it's rather irresponsible to leave this to him."
And that drew his intent to the front of his mind. "It's not been anyone else's choice but mine to keep those things hidden," Ren said.
"Dude, Renren, we all decided that." Ryuji sent him half a glare across the room. "We could'a said you had to tell, but we didn't. You don't get to hold just yourself responsible and shit."
"Yes," Haru said. "While I can agree that it's irresponsible of Amamiya to keep this hidden, it is equally irresponsible of you all to let him." Her fake smile constant, careful gaze towards each Phantom Thief in turn.
"We're not all ready at this moment to know what our futures hold," Makoto protested. "There's still...I mean, it's not...we're not ready." Ren couldn't help but wince at the desperation in her voice.
"I believe that is Miss Okumura's point," Yusuke said. One arm crossed over his chest, his other hand against his chin. "Ren has expressed no such readiness himself, but he has received these memories nonetheless. I cannot speak for all of us, but I feel rather ashamed, realizing my own complacence in letting him bear this burden alone."
Ren shut his eyes tight. His heart was straining at his chest at the mere implication of giving up the ghost on this. About letting go, giving up control. Giving up...
You won't make my mistakes. You've already made that clear.
His eyes flicked open. "Okay," he said. "Okay." Deep breath in and out. All eyes were on him. "Haru, you're right to criticize me for keeping silent about this stuff. I would blame myself for that more than anyone else, but I think that might be beside the point." Ren sighed. "I'm going to push myself to be better about disclosing what I've learned from those memories. If it was just my own cowardice, I might ask you to force me to dump that all on the table right now, but it's...not just that. Anachronism's memories are blurry, I can barely make out anything substantial – and any names or faces are garbled to shit. There's a few things I feel I can say with certainty: Black Mask joined Anachronism's Thieves at some point after Anachronism nearly killed him, they worked together with Oxymoron on the contents of the parcels, uh..."
"We made a promise, didn't we?" He could almost feel her pulse through her palm, beating against him. She squeezed his other hand tight. "We'll be at your side. Always."
Ren pulled his gaze away from Haru and prayed his blush had died somewhere on the way to his cheeks. "And there's stuff that's probably confidential, or more private at least. I can reach out to who it concerns, for that." He cleared his throat. "But, that's only a fraction of the memories. There's a lot there that I don't have any context for, or that isn't clear enough for me to make out all the way. Just bits and pieces and feelings. And I don't think it's a good idea to try and ask any of you to look for patterns in secondhand explanations of something vague like that. Same with the parcels, there's still stuff from them that I don't know the reason for. So, until I know more, I'd like to keep the vague stuff to myself, if that's alright." He glanced back towards Haru.
She didn't react outwardly for a long few seconds. Then, she simply nodded. "I'm still not quite satisfied with that answer," she admitted, "but I'm comfortable enough leaving it at that, for now." Haru tilted her head. "Out of curiosity, am I present in any of these memories?"
Ren's mouth felt dry. "Yeah," he said, forcing a casualness into his tone that did not at all feel natural. "Everyone in this room is, and one or two people who aren't. Some...aren't Phantom Thieves, exactly, from what I can tell; but we still all worked together, when things got drastic."
Haru made a humming noise in the back of her throat. Then, she turned towards Makoto. "Makie," she said, quietly. "It's alright to be scared of what might come. I'm a little afraid too." It didn't quite sound accurate in Haru's voice, Ren almost wanted to doubt her, but he forced himself not too. "I won't force you to know. I won't force anyone to know, but especially not you." She smiled, sympathetic and soft. "I am going to ask what happens, though. So, if you don't want to hear..." Haru let the implication trail off.
Makoto swallowed hard. Arms crossed across her chest, almost hugging herself. Brow furrowed. Like caught between two awful alternatives. "I think," she said, slowly, "I should bear it."
"You don't have to," Futaba said. "I mean, we don't all have to know, right?" She glanced towards Ren, almost searching for confirmation. "If most of us know, that'd be okay, I think."
Makoto shook her head. "No. That's...not something I can accept." She let out a long, unsteady breath. "If I'm to be a Thief, I need to stand with you all. I can't back out. And I shouldn't have tried to ask you all to do so, for my sake."
"We didn't do it just 'cause of you," Ryuji said. "Shit, Koto, I'm an anxious guy; course I'm worried. But Haru's right." He nodded her way. "Can't let my dude carry all this alone, you know? We all shoulda been better 'bout that."
"Yes," Makoto said. "Yes, we should have." One last moment of hesitation, and then she looked towards Ren. "What happens, Ren? What future does Oxymoron wish for us to avoid?"
Ren probably would have been prouder of her if his heart hadn't sunk into the bottom of his gut. "On December 31st of this year, Oxymoron's going to present us with some sort of test. I don't know what it is, or why she needs to test us, but I do know Anachronism failed it. And, a year after that test..." He closed his eyes. "The world is going to end."
9/14 – Tuesday
After School
Shujin Academy
Ren had known returning to school would be difficult, but the sight of half a dozen officers stationed around campus made it clear exactly how difficult.
"Are you holding up alright?" Makoto asked.
Ren forced himself not to stare at the cop standing next to the side of the entrance. "I only panicked alone in the bathroom once, so I think that's an accomplishment." He adjusted his bag. "Morgana's helped a lot. I don't think he's stopped purring since we got here."
"I have too!" the cat snapped.
"How 'bout you, Makoto?" he asked, trying to keep from laughing.
"My father was a police officer." She paused as they passed through the entrance, waiting until they were halfway down the steps before continuing. "I suppose I'm somewhat used to it." An odd bitterness in her tone; Ren could have pressed further, but he decided against it.
"I mean about last night," he said. "I've been trying to reach out to everyone, I guess. I wouldn't want to just dump that on you guys and then not make sure you're doing okay after."
"Ah, right." Makoto sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I suppose it's...perhaps the best of the worst-case scenarios." She gave a tight-lipped smile. "Apparently, the apocalypse isn't something much anyone is prepared to process. And I'm no different." A chuckle bubbled out of her. "I guess it's good I've had other frustrations to help take my mind off it."
"About Kobayakawa's mental shutdown, right?" They turned the corner, and Ren felt the tension start to leak out of him, like a balloon slowly deflating.
"In part. Though my primary concern is more of a consequence of that." Makoto sighed. "The rest of the student council called off the strike this morning. They felt it would be inappropriate to make demands of the school board at this time, considering the board's current focus on finding a new principal."
"They can do that?" Ren asked. "You're the president, though. Can't you call it back on?"
"Two-thirds majority vote can overrule any presidential decision," Makoto said. "And the vote was unanimous; except for my dissension, of course."
Morgana popped his head out of Ren's bag, paws up on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said. "You worked really hard on that, it must suck to have to drop it now."
Makoto smiled softly at the feline. "I can't say it doesn't, but I'm more irritated at the school board's stubbornness. The only reason we were even still striking was because they had refused even our most basic demands. And now, they're turning Kobayakawa's death into an excuse to shirk responsibility." She took a breath, as if catching her tone. "Regardless of my opinion of the man, it still feels exploitative to weaponize his passing against those who are trying to hold them accountable. It's bullshit, plain and simple."
Ren nodded. "Yeah. It definitely is."
"And," Makoto continued, "I'm definitely not looking forward to breaking the news to Shiho." She pursed her lips. "She's been through so much already, and I'd hoped to be able to provide some reassurance that her pain wasn't for nothing. But, I suppose that was sort of a foolish endeavor."
"It wasn't foolish," Ren said, as firm as he could manage. "And you weren't wrong to try it, even if it failed. Change can't always come all at once, right?"
"It wasn't even a big change," Makoto fired back. "It was barely anything, just a basic level of accountability."
Ren sighed. "Yeah. I know. I still don't think you were wrong to try. Cause, even if they got away with it this time, they can't get away with it every time." He offered a little smile. "And if they spend too long dragging their feet, you can probably find some way to make them sweat again. Even if you're not president anymore. I know if anyone could find a way, it'd be you."
She chuckled, returning his smile in kind. "Thanks, Ren." She glanced up towards the nearly orange sky. "I know it sounds silly to take pride in being frightening, but I think I am a little proud of that." Her smile almost looked like a smirk. "I don't think any of the board would ever call me a pushover again. And I'll make sure it's the farthest word from their lips whenever they think of me."
9/14 – Tuesday
Evening
Cafe Leblanc, Attic
"Parcel today," Ren said, plopping down on the couch and slipping off his shoes.
Morgana hopped up onto his bed and sent a glare across the room. "That's my line," he growled.
"Sorry," he laughed. Ren gestured towards the hiding spot under his bed. "Do you wanna do the honors?"
"You really need to dust under there," Morgana grumbled, but he nevertheless jumped down and slipped beneath the frame. Less than a minute later, he crawled back out, a parcel between his teeth. He dropped it and shook himself off, dust motes flying in every direction. "Ughhhh, I feel like I'm gonna sneeze for years."
"I bet Futaba would give you a bath tomorrow," Ren offered, and scooped the parcel up before sitting on his bed. "Have you ever tried doing a proper bath? I know most cats don't like it, but some do."
"I dunno." Morgana leapt up next to him. "I guess I could try it."
Ren nodded, but his focus was on the envelope in his hands. The third to last parcel. They were getting closer and closer to the end, and the only Thief yet-unaccounted for was the young man in the black mask. No, no anxious speculation. Just open the damn parcel.
The contents this time were sparse: an oddly shaped, intricate black metal blade only slightly larger than Ren's hand – looking almost like the head of an axe – and a folded note.
"This one's probably for Haru," he said, weighing the blade in one hand. "They've had a new weapon for each Thief besides Futaba."
"And Kasumi," Morgana reminded. "But...wait, she wasn't in the photo..."
"Yeah." Ren sighed. "I'm still figuring out exactly why that is. But I guess we'll have to find a better weapon for her, somehow."
"Maybe Yusuke can help?" Morgana said, stretched out his whole body. "He painted a design onto his sword, and now it's stronger. Maybe he can come up with something like that for her."
Ren nodded. "Yeah. Good idea, I'll send him a text tonight." He slipped the black metal blade into the envelope again, and put it aside to unwrap the note.
Joker,
This is Mona. Hi! I am asking Anachronism to write this letter for me, because I do not have opposable thumbs. I am now biting him because I did not tell him to talk about my thumbs. He is happy to report that my teeth are still very sharp.
It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to send you. I thought at first just the lockpick would be okay, but I only helped with that, and Anachronism says I should find something for you that's all my own. Even though he's writing the letter, the words are going to be mine, so I think that's okay.
I'm not sure what I can say to make things better for you. I know that you deal with so much every single day, and that you're still so hard on yourself. I see all the ways you push yourself for your friends, and your family, and me. If I can, I want to find a way to make things okay for you, when they're not okay. I haven't always done a very good job of that, but I am going to keep trying. I know, in your world, I will probably be trying very hard too. I could ask you to be patient with me, but I have a feeling you already are.
I guess the best thing for me to say would be thank you! When I met you and Skull in that castle, I never expected things to turn out the way they did. I never expected I'd be okay with being a cat, let alone your cat. I never thought the Thieves would be as big as they are now. I never thought we'd come as far as we did. It's because of you that any of that is possible at all.
Even though we didn't go the whole way, that's alright, I think. The point of these other worlds is to be other chances, right? So I hope you'll make it, but even if you don't, there's always next time.
Mona.
P.S. If I love sushi in your world, tell me to try tamago. It doesn't sound good, but it's really really tasty. Still not as good as tuna though.
Ren
Yo
Are you still awake?
Ann
Unfortunately, lol.
I took a super long nap right when I got home, so I'll probably be up for houuuurs.
Guess I'm turning into you. ;p
Ren
Haha, you've got a ways to go still
Ann
Anyway, what's up? Something on your mind?
Ren
Kinda, yeah
Remember what I said last night?
Not the end of the world stuff, the disclosure stuff
Ann
Sure, sure.
Ren
So uh
Okay
Not sure how to preface this so I guess I'll just say it
In Anachronism's world, you and I aren't friends
Ann
Huh.
Like, we don't meet each other or something?
Ren
No, we do
The you in that world changed Kamoshida's heart still, with me and Ryuji and Mona
But sometime after that, I think before we met Yusuke
We got in a fight, and you left the Thieves
Ann
Oh.
Ren
Yeah
I dunno for sure, but I think it was back in May
When you got me to tell you about the parcels
Ann
OH.
Holy shit, okay.
So when did Anachronism tell everyone?
Ren
October
Ann
Fuuuck.
Wow. Holy shit.
Ren
Pretty much
I'm really not surprised you left the Thieves, after something like that
Ann
Left the Thieves? Dude I'm surprised I didn't fucking murder him!
Ren
Haha, me too
Ann
I'm still just a little grumpy you took a month to tell us, tbh.
But fucking OCTOBER?
Dude. Murder on SIGHT.
Ren
Haha
I wouldn't blame you for that
I still can't forgive myself all the way either
Ann
I mean, I'm not mad though. You know that, right?
I know why you kept it secret.
And I can guess why Anacronisim did too.
*Anacronism
Fuck it, whatever. You get me.
Ren
I get you
That means a lot, I guess
That you still trust me after I kept that from you
Ann
Do I have to break out my secret sob stories again?
I will! Don't fucking test me.
But, Ren, come on.
You got scared of admitting that you might be less of a leader than we thought you were.
That's not a mortal sin or something, that's just like.
Normal human fuck up.
Ren
Okay
It's hard for me to see it that way
I'm my own worst critic, right?
Ann
Hey, and I'm mine.
Anyway, I've gotta at least TRY to get to bed.
Shiho's been getting me to wake up early so she can like, do morning jogging vicariously through me or something lol.
Ren
Good luck haha
Ann
Love ya, dumbass.
Ren
Love you too, asshole
Big thanks to Jane for beta-reading, and for helping me come up with "Makie" as a properly playful replacement for "Mako-chan."
