Wednesday - May 18th
[Ann-Pan - So I talked to Kitagawa. I think we're ok. At least for now.]
A groggy, dishevelled Lynn rolled over in her bed to check the beeping phone. It was early. Earlier than her usual wake up time. "Ngh… ugh… damn it Ann…" she muttered as she read the message.
[Rin-Tin-Lynn - How d you figre?]
[Rin-Tin-Lynn - Figure. Sorry, just woke up.]
[Ann-Pan - He actually apologised to us.]
Apprehension took over. Shiho did quite the number on him and he didn't really have the best attitude towards Lynn and the others. So to hear he wasn't angry made Lynn question the sincerity.
[Ann-Pan - He told me that after we left, he was so confused and conflicted, he decided to google us. You can imagine what he found.]
[Shi-Hee-Ho - I don't like being violent. It feels wrong but I couldn't help myself.]
[Ann-Pan - It's ok, Shiho. After he found out what you and I have gone through with him, Kitagawa was horrified with himself. He's not demanding nude modelling anymore, but he's getting pressured to report the assault.]
[Shi-Hee-Ho - Oh… so we're still on the hook…]
[Ann-Pan - Sorry. He said he'd hold off until the end of the exhibit. So that at least gives us time.]
At least that explained things. Lynn felt the anxiety skyrocket, but it sounded like doomsday had at least been delayed. She relayed the news to Morgana. Unlike Lynn, the cat was an incredibly early riser and was already doing his morning routine. Which usually mainly consisted of grooming and lounging on the windowsill. Lynn grinned at a little thought. Maybe she should get a cat tower for him to play with.
Or a laser pointer at the very least.
[Vee - Can't say I'd have done any different.]
[Punchin-Judy - That's because you got iron for brains. Don't listen to this gonk, kiddos.]
[Vee - ;-P]
It seemed like the V Team had joined in on the morning's conversation. Not completely unlike normal, their presence in the chat usually had a lot of back and forth. A playful sort of energy. It was honestly a welcome change from the memes and chaotic nonsense conversations that Shiho and Ryuji usually partook in.
Still, it was a school day.
Lynn dragged herself out of bed and went about her own morning ritual. She didn't feel completely conscious until she was sitting in front of Sojiro's curry with a cup of coffee. Taking in its delicate aroma, the first sip was like a revitalising blast of pure divine ambrosia. Colour returned to the world. Each sip revived her bit by bit.
Sojiro himself was tending to the morning's prep work. The gentle sound of chopping vegetables, a calming sound of bubbling broth and the faint music coming from the old, beat up radio set the perfect atmosphere.
If Lynn was here under any other circumstance, she'd call it heaven.
She had to count herself lucky. Out of the infinite possibilities of places she could have wound up, she was genuinely glad it was Le Blanc.
"Shibuya is currently playing host to the prestigious master artist; Ichiryusai Madarame. His exhibit started mere days ago yet the event has already broken several attendance records. The exhibit will be continuing until June 5th and will be freely open to the public every day. We were lucky enough to gain a brief audience with the titular artist. He shared a few words with our cultural correspondent."
Lynn frowned. She didn't want to be disturbed during her breakfast.
"Mr. Madarame, could you share your thoughts concerning the recent rumours around several of your students leaving your tutelage?"
The image of Madarame's public face blinked on screen. His warm, friendly smile was indeed very convincing. Lynn had to give him that. Still, knowing what his Palace was like, it really didn't sit well with her just how comfortable he seemed.
He gave a brief chuckle. "My students are like acorns of a great oak. They grow under the oak's guidance until they one day depart and seek their own way in the world. I hope that each of my students who have left grow into their own strong oaks. I'm not sure what these rumours are exactly, but I can assure you, saying goodbye is a key part of growth." Lynn hid her unapproving grimace behind her mug. She wanted to make a snide comment, though Sojiro actually looked interested in the interview.
"Are you aware of the accusations surrounding one of your recent departures; Natsuhiko Nakanohara?"
"I am. A talented boy with love in his soul." Madarame's brow furrowed and took on the air of a disappointed father. Then he seemed to have made himself embarrassed. "Of course, a little too much love it seemed. I fear I may have failed him as his teacher. It was my duty to guide him to a bright future. Like many of my students; Nakanohara was a… troubled individual with a difficult home life. So I can't help but feel responsible."
"Wow… transparent, much?"
Sojiro raised an eyebrow. "Somethin' up?"
"Oh, sorry. Just thinking to myself."
Sojiro held his gaze for a moment longer. He shrugged and turned his attention back to the TV.
It was a little odd hearing Nakanohara's name again. It brought up conflicting feelings once more. He was the catalyst that had set the thieves on Madarame's trail, after all. But he was also an example of how sometimes situations were a lot greyer than first impressions would imply.
The interview continued in a similar manner.
Madarame had managed to answer each question with an array of colourful metaphors, humble allegories and genuine charisma. As twisted as he was under the surface, the man really knew how to talk.
Or rather he knew how to manipulate.
Still, the Phantom Thieves had their target. Even if it meant an uphill battle against public opinion, they were going to get him. They had too.
Once she was done with breakfast and began her commute, Lynn checked back on the group chat.
[User#7832 - Talked to the lovely lady who owns the capsule hotel. She might have a lead on a cheap rental.]
[Ryu-Ryu - River my guy! U gotta change ur name!]
[Vee - Hah, Badges is about as tech savvy as a day old lump of street scop.]
[User#7832 - Very funny.]
[Punchin-Judy - Says the girl who complained that this app doesn't allow single letter usernames. Anyway what's the scope? Is it close?]
[User#7832 - Funnily enough it's in Yongen Jaya. There's unused space above that old movie theatre. The hotel owner knows the old folks who own it. They're struggling right now so could use the extra scratch.]
[Rin-Tin-Lynn - It's a little close but sounds perfect. I think I've talked to the old couple a few times. Friendly bunch.]
It seemed that one issue was - at the very least partially - solved. Though Lynn had to admit that it was pretty weird how there was an abundance of old business owners with unused attic space. She shrugged. This was Tokyo, after all. Weirder things happened every day.
[Rin-Tin-Lynn - We need to meet as soon as possible. You haven't had a chance to report about the Seedling Palace yet. When things are settled with that rental, let me know. For now, we should focus on preparing.]
[Ryu-Ryu - So official! U got it boss!]
Even with the threat of legal action still hanging in the air, she thanked every higher power she could think of for the fact that Yusuke was infatuated with Ann. If that wasn't the case, Shiho probably would have been spending the night in a cell and the media buzzards would have swooped in for the free meal.
Even still, the daily commute was dragging on like usual. Everything went through the motions like usual until Lynn caught something out of the corner of her eye.
Or rather someone.
Makoto Niijima was staring at her, peeking over a thick manga anthology. It would have unnerved the thief if it wasn't so hilariously obvious. It wasn't the first time she had caught the student council president taking an interest in her, but it definitely was the first time she was so intense about it. As Lynn continued up the street to Shujin, so too did Makoto. When Lynn stopped at a vending machine for a quick pre-school drink, so too did Makoto - only on the other side of the street.
It was kind of laughable at how bad she was at this.
Even Morgana had caught on.
Lynn grinned and decided to have a little fun at the president's expense. Instead of turning into the school's main gate like usual, she dipped into a nearby alleyway.
When Makoto inevitably fell for the bait and cautiously entered the alley, she was shocked to find that no one was there. She lowered her manga and frantically looked around, muttering to herself. Then, the Silver Demon made her move. Out from the shadows, Lynn pounced and pressed an object against Makoto's back, Her toothy grin practically glowed in the shadowy alley. "Hands up or I pull the trigger."
Moments later, Lynn had been laid out on the ground.
What just happened?
The object in question was nothing more than a simple pencil case wrapped in a handkerchief. It was now laying sadly on the ground with its contents spilled out like a morbid murder victim. "Ow… that… hurt." Lynn whimpered, finally opening her eyes. What she saw was not human but a red eyed monster.
Makoto glared down with the fury of a supernova. "What the heck were you thinking!? I thought you actually had a gun!"
The monster immediately devolved into a rather panicked Makoto. She might have effortlessly laid Lynn out like a rag doll, but she was still shaking like a leaf. Which - oddly - made the whole thing seem worse. "Where the hell would a student get a gun from?…" shame overcame her as she dragged herself up. Her cheeks were dusted a slight red at the embarrassment. "Why are you following me?"
"I'm not following you!"
"Right. And I'm not currently regretting my life choices." After she recovered, Lynn gave a blank, unimpressed stare. "Niijima… it was so obvious a blind guy could have spotted you."
The president's eyes narrowed. "I'm just keeping an eye on you."
Well that was the most blatant non-answer she could have thrown out. A sigh passed through Lynn's lips. She knew that look all too well. It was the look of judgement. Disapproval. The girl was just another student who had bought into the rumours. The only difference being she was actually honest about it to Lynn's face. The thief could at least respect that.
"I saw you giving Mishima a hard time yesterday. I'd appreciate it if you didn't bother my friends." A standoff started between them. Lynn's prior mischief had turned into cold stoicism.
As they continued their little staring match, Makoto suddenly widened her eyes and stepped back. "Are… you threatening me?" Lynn's shoulders sagged and before she knew it, she was picking her stuff up and walking away, completely dejected.
Before she left the alley completely, she turned back with a wounded look. "I just want to be left alone. Ok? You're probably not doing this on your own prerogative so I won't hold it against you. But if you have any shred of dignity… you should question where your loyalties lie." Then, without giving Makoto a chance to retort or argue, she left for the school gate.
Friday - May 20th
"I'm dead."
Ryuji slouched and hung his head impossibly low. The exam results had been posted and the general buzz around the bulletin board had already started to dissipate. Many of the students had already looked, checked what they got and went about their days. Others lingered to watch people's reactions. A weird form of entertainment. This sort of thing just didn't exist when Lynn was going to school in England. So it was quite the culture shock.
Nonetheless, she patted her moping friend's back. Even if Ryuji had just barely scraped a passing score, it still was way down in the rankings.
Lynn looked down the list for her own postings. Her eyes lowered down. Down still. Then, as if to kick her in the gut, she was the very last name. The lowest scoring - yet still passing - student in her grade. She had done worse than Ryuji. And she was the one comforting him. She just prayed to whatever god was listening that her dad didn't find out about this.
This really wasn't going to help her bad reputation.
Being a prep school, students here really cared about their grades and openly judged others based on how poorly or well they performed.
"I hate this school…" Lynn muttered.
Ryuji agreed.
Sunday - May 22nd
For the first time, Lynn stepped into the V Team's new living space. Along with the other thieves, she looked around with keen interest. V and her companions were only given the run of the place yesterday and they had already made themselves well and truly at home.
It was a fairly standard three room set up. It looked like it had been used for storage much like Le Blanc's attic but a little larger.
Dust and grime had been completely scrubbed clean and the whole central room held the scent of cleaning products.
There were also boxes everywhere. Some were open, others sealed tight.
One side of the central room seemed to have been turned into a makeshift workshop complete with tools and bits of tech. Another side had been repurposed into a lounge area. Though it was nothing more than some old theatre seats and a makeshift plywood table right now.
V herself was hard at work tinkering with something that resembled a coil of wire.
The other two members of V Team were relaxing on the theatre chairs each with a drink in their hands. A quick glance at the table was all Lynn needed to know that it was hard liquor. Each to their own but was it really appropriate to drink when it wasn't even noon yet? Lynn shrugged and made her way deeper into the new digs.
"Welcome to the chop-shop." River grinned, spoke in Japanese and lifted his glass in greeting. "Just grab anything solid enough to sit on."
After all the pleasantries and greetings were out of the way and everyone had settled in, the meeting finally began. Each of the thieves were keen to hear the V Team's report, as well as to finally start on their plans in earnest. Over the past few days, Ann had kept in contact with Yusuke and it seemed things were relatively the same on that front.
Granted, once Yusuke had gotten over the initial guilt and shock of Ann and Shiho's situations, his irritation reared its head again.
He had completely stonewalled the other thieves. The only development was that he was now simply outright refusing to answer rather than vehemently defend Madarame. Perhaps there was something to that, or maybe he was just fed up with trying. Or maybe a lawyer had just told him to not speak to the thieves anymore.
"Well, like we've mentioned in some of the chats over the past few days; Madarame is laundering money, committing several types of fraud, is guilty of defamation and is actively seeking more victims." River began with quite an improved grasp on the Japanese language. He had clearly been practising. "We haven't gone looking for physical evidence of any of that, yet, but Ishida's Shadow pointed us in a good direction."
Morgana jumped onto the make-shift table. "Did you deal with the Seedling Palace? Take its treasure, I mean."
"No. We helped the Shadow overcome her issues and fear, destroyed Madarame's cognition and - after questioning her - we just left."
"Wait… ain't that bad? Won't it just grow into a full blown Palace?" Ryuji perked up in shock. His understanding of the Metaverse was dubious at best but, surprisingly, his grasp on Seedling Palaces was quite strong.
"Judy had that thought the other day, too." Judy wordlessly nodded with a wry grin. River continued; "we checked the Nav and it's gone. No Seedling, no full bloom, no nothing. Morgana, do you know what that means? It confused the hell out of us. Granted pretty much anything to do with this weird bullshit confuses us."
Morgana took a moment to think. His tail curled and he pawed his face like someone would when concentrating. "From the sound of it, I think Ishida must have changed her own heart. At least I think so. We'd have to go to her real self to confirm that."
From the workshop, a spark popped and V yelped in pain.
Whatever she was tinkering with was now smoking and bits of metal wire glowed bright with heat. From where Lynn was sitting, all she could hear was angry muttering under V's breath. The only thing she picked up was the name 'Vik.'
Shrugging, everyone returned their attention back to the meeting.
"So his crimes go beyond plagiarism and abuse." Lynn spoke more to herself than the others. "If he's involved in money laundering, there's bound to be some sort of paper trail. Dirty money has to go through something to come out squeaky clean. He also likely doesn't have this money under his real name."
"If he has any kind of sense he'd definitely not have it under his real name. Question is, where is that money even coming from?"
"That reporter said his most famous piece of work was stolen a while back. Don't missing pieces go for a whole bunch of money if they ever get found? Private collectors would splurge their entire life savings if it meant getting a genuine piece. There's a whole bunch of TV shows about that kind of thing." Ann made an interesting point. According to V, the shop Ishida owned was selling replicas of the Sayuri for a lot of money per unit. Although marketed as simple replicas, they must still have been making absolute bank.
At least for the artist that painted them.
Which begged the question; who was the artist supplying them?
"Hey, did you happen to get a name tied to those replicas?" Lynn's question seemed to have sparked some sort of recognition in River. The cogs started churning in his brain and for a few moments, he looked like he was in deep thought. The usual faint red glow of his robotic eye briefly turned blue before returning to normal and focusing his attention back to Lynn.
"Koryu Yamamoto. I think."
The name definitely didn't ring any bells. Not for Lynn or any of the other thieves.
"I'll look into it," said River, "might be nothing."
"Alright. Moving on, Morgana, you mentioned you found a weird door when you went snooping around?"
The cat nodded. "It was pretty conspicuous. If it's important to Madarame, it'll definitely appear in the Palace. Keep an eye out for some kind of obstruction decorated with peacock feathers." At least the failed trip to the Atelier turned something up. They hadn't run into anything like that in the Palace yet, but knowing how the Metaverse worked, it was likely deeper in. Closer to the treasure.
If not guarding the treasure itself.
"Ok, we absolutely have to get this done by June 5th. Madarame's currently well in the centre of the public eye. That at least gives us an advantage when it comes time to issue the calling card." Lynn's brow furrowed. It was their second target and for the second time, there was a looming doomsday to compete with. "Lucky for us that also means Madarame's going to be preoccupied, giving us some breathing room."
A frustrated growl filtered from the workshop corner and V came trudging over. She was sucking a burnt finger and looked particularly pissed off.
"Before you kids run off on your brainwashing bullshit, we're going to have a little lesson from a professional Edgerunner." She cracked open an eye and glared at Lynn. "You kids are strong. You have raw talent, but you're all fucking sloppy. You really want to make a go of this? Then you're gonna need to step up your damn game. Especially you, Ms. Leader."
Lynn had wanted to learn from V for a long time now. Even if the merc was a bit more abrasive than usual, she was right. The thieves had largely gotten by on luck alone.
Things were getting dangerous and as things progressed, they were only going to get harder.
"First lesson starts in an hour. We're going shooting."
"First thing's first," V produced the Lexington she had fabricated and held it out to Ann. Now that they were in the Metaverse, each of the kids were now transformed into their thief attire. "Brought back a solution to your iron issue. Lexington, custom made and modded."
It was Lynn's eyes that lit up like Corpo Plaza. Under the domino mask, she was practically salivating.
Ann, meanwhile, gingerly took the piece and inspected it. The black and red paint-job seemed to spark some excitement. Especially when she saw the 'Panther' decal. "It's so cute!" She exclaimed. At least she liked it. Now came the boring part.
Explaining how the piece worked and how to use it went by remarkably fast. To Ann's credit, she had already grasped the basics of gun safety as well as a decent neutral firing form.
Lynn had done well in that regard.
Now that was out of the way, there was something else weighing on V's mind.
She eyed Shiho who was preoccupied with a conversation of her own. She called her over and took both Ann and Shiho out of earshot. "Panther, could you translate?" With a curious nod from Ann, V continued. "I'm aware of the shit you went through. This training's going to be fucking rough so if you're not ok with that, I suggest you sit this one out."
Shiho didn't even hesitate. She shook her head and met V's gaze with fire in her eyes. "I want to get stronger. His regime was designed for simple cruelty. To only do harm because he could. You want to help us. To guide us and prevent us from getting hurt. Even if your plans could be considered worse than his, it comes from a place of care. I won't back away from this. You have my complete trust, Merc."
Not expecting such a sincere answer, V didn't quite know how to respond for a few seconds. Finally, she grinned. "Well fucking said, Hunter."
Everything was now in place and finally the lesson could begin. Even if the kids weren't aiming to become Edgerunners, a lot of the skills needed still applied. Stressful situations, coordination, combat awareness, observation, creativity. It all mattered. V wanted to instil as much of her own experience as possible into the kids.
As such, she took out a BD wreath from a duffle bag.
"This is a modified and repurposed bit of tech. Usually it's used for viewing things called Braindances. Think of it like temporarily experiencing something in the body and mind of someone else." Her words hooked each of the kids the moment she started to explain. "That's not what this one does. Mox reworked it into an Augmented Reality training sim. It'll create combat scenarios out of the immediate environment and record your performance." She then pulled her trusted Seraph from its holster. "It links to your iron in real time so if you shoot at a target the wreath creates, the target will react. We've tested it already with your world's iron. Works fine."
Out of the four teens and the cat, V could see each of them were a little confused, though it was Lynn that seemed the most concerned.
She tentatively raised her hand. "Isn't it a little dangerous doing this in Mementos?"
It was actually Morgana who answered the question, cutting Merc off before she had the chance. "We're on the surface. Shadows don't come up here so it's safe. We basically have an entire empty city to ourselves. Even if it is just a hollow shell." As irritating as it was getting cut off, V nodded. He was the Metaverse expert after all.
"The best way to learn is by doing. So, I'll have each of you run a course on your own. This is a live ammunition exercise, so those not running a course, let's go to Untouchable. Lynn, you're up first." V's first instinct was to throw the wreath like she usually would.
She then remembered the little incident with the radio. She smirked and then gently handed the wreath over.
"Wear it like a crown. The two screens should fall over your eyes."
Thankfully, the wreath fitted comfortably over the mask. Satisfied, V ordered everyone else to move out. The empty shell of Untouchable had been converted into a makeshift control station. V, River and Judy had been busy over the last few days going back and forth between worlds. Each trip brought more and more tech into Tokyo's Mementos.
She pointed to a screen set up where Iwai usually sat behind his counter. "Mox linked that up to some cameras we've set up around the area. We should have a live feed of each run. It's still a work in progress so we can't actually see the combat targets the sim creates, but hey, it's a start."
"You've… been busy." Morgana seemed honestly shocked. He knew the V team were doing something inside the Metaverse, but he never asked what. He didn't quite know how to feel about it either.
Clicking a button on the throat radio, V hailed to Lynn. "On the count of three, the sim will start. Follow the objective it gives you, when you've done come to us."
"Three."
Lynn took a deep breath and calmed her heartbeat. Her nerves had suddenly skyrocketed as she waited. She felt a surge of frustration. This really wasn't out of her comfort zone. Firefights were almost second nature to her.
"Two."
Her dad would be pretty annoyed if he saw her like this.
She was the Silver Demon!
She shook her entire body and let instinct take over. The chilling grin she was known for crawled its way from the depths of her soul. The sliver in her eyes gleamed beneath the mask. Everything around her fell silent. The only sound was her heartbeat. A slow, steady and calm thumping. She gripped the handle of her pistol and tensed her muscles.
She was ready to do this.
"One. Showtime."
V's words barely registered as the wreath sprang to life. A short buzzing sensation tickled the back of Lynn's mind as the simulation booted up.
Near enough instantly she was given several bits of information in the form of holographic text.
[Find and eliminate the high priority target "Naomi Mori" within the time limit.] That sounded simple enough. A radar-like pulse spread from her vision and within seconds virtual figures formed and animated in the near distance.
They didn't have any identifying features, so Lynn had to assume this target of hers was going to be one of those 'know it when you see it' kind of things.
Without skipping a beat, Lynn lunged forward. As quietly as she could, she zipped from surface to surface. The simulation was taking place in Shibuya's main street so at least the battlefield was familiar. It was a bit unnerving to see the place completely hollow but it made for excellent stealth.
It had been ages since she had tapped into her old skillset. This was what she was most comfortable with.
There was a group of three holo-people gathered just outside the DVD store across the street. They looked like they were supposed to be patrolling, yet all they were doing was standing around chatting with one another. Something Lynn was more than happy to take full advantage of. Keeping an eye on the timer, she crept closer.
The trio weren't actually talking in a traditional sense. It sounded like garbled static that tried its best to mimic the basic cadence of speech.
From the shadows, the Silver Demon pounced.
A razor slash cut the dark air with a slash of light. One of the holo-people shattered like glass. Quickly, Lynn reversed her grip on the karambit and threw herself into a full body spin. The knife slashed once again and took out the remaining two holo-people.
The adrenaline had well and truly kicked in and soon Lynn had become a blur of black, white and red as she sped through the shadows. Picking off one holo-person at a time, she thinned the crowd. Eventually, the holo-people caught on and realised they were under attack. That was when the real fun began.
What remained of the holo-person gang began to fire at anything that moved.
Taking advantage of their disarray, Lynn took a spare knife from her belt and threw it into the wall of what would have been the convenience store. The sound of glass smashing sent the holo-people into a mad panic. Their fire focused on the store which gave Lynn the opening to close in.
Once she engaged the remnants of the gang, her movements took on the air of an ice skater. She was almost sliding through the battlefield. Each shot hit with near perfect accuracy. She zipped and slid around advancing melee fighters. Baseball bats, swords, machetes and even a few katanas tried to land hits. None of which managed to succeed.
Finally, the last of the holo-people shattered into data.
The timer was still counting down and the objective had yet to be complete. Lynn felt herself tense up. She looked around and felt her chest tighten at the complete lack of activity. The latter half of that fight was incredibly loud which could only mean that Naomi holo-person definitely knew what was going on.
She took a step back into the centre of the street.
Lynn couldn't see Naomi, but she would bet her left leg Naomi could see her.
A suspicion that was soon proven true.
As if from thin air, a spinning cyclone of sharp objects flung itself towards Lynn. Thanking her heightened reflexes, she moved her knife to intercept the incoming blow.
Steel met steel as a katana grinded against the curved karambit blade.
Lynn didn't exactly know what to expect from the target.
But she definitely was not expecting a cat girl. The holo-person she was now faced with seemed a lot more detailed than the others. Atop her head protruded metallic cat ears. Curling and flicking excitedly behind her back was a mechanically segmented tail. Even her legs had been remodelled into mechanical representations of a cat's hind quarters. That wasn't even mentioning the clawed protrusions on her arms.
The sheer shock of it all caused Lynn's focus to waver. She lost grip on her knife and Naomi's katana cut cleanly into Lynn's shoulder.
Despite it not actually being real, there was a huge spike of pain that shot through her entire body.
[CRITICALLY WOUNDED]
A readout flashed across her vision. She backed off as quickly as she could. The simulated pain had completely cut off use of her left arm. She cursed under her breath and levelled her pistol at Naomi. Only to find she was no longer there.
Seconds later, the razor sharp tip of a katana burst from Lynn's chest. Memories of her first fight within Mementos flashed across her mind. She screamed in agony as the blade twisted then carved itself out of her side. If it had been a real attack, the blade would have cut cleanly through several vital organs.
In other words, she would have been dead.
She fell to her knees and as the simulation powered down, her breathing grew heavy. The wreath fell to the floor and she could see her gloved hands shaking. She wasn't actually injured and there was no longer any pain, but she felt heavy nonetheless.
"Alright, Joker, everyone's first time is always the most intense. Just breathe an-"
"Huughk!"
"... And you shouldn't… puke up your… guts. Lovely."
"A cat girl…?"
"Yep."
"Seriously?"
"Deadly."
V's grin threatened to completely take over her jaw. Lynn didn't look so amused. While V had been waiting for the teen to come back to Untouchable, she had already reviewed the performance data. At least at a surface level. As impressive as the show of skills was, V had plenty of points to go over.
Going off on her wasn't a good way to teach, however.
Instead she turned to the rest of the Thieves and put on her serious face.
"Anyone care to tell me what went wrong?" She was met with blank faces. Each one seemed completely lost. V pinched the bridge of her nose. "No one?"
Gingerly, Shiho raised her hand.
As beastly and savage as her outfit made her seem, she was still quite a meek girl.
"Joker lost her focus at the end."
"That is a good point, but no." V paused as she thought of the best way to get her point across. She turned back to Lynn and gave her a sympathetic look. "It was a little cruel pitting you against Naomi for your first run, but it was to get a point across. I should actually congratulate you. You lasted about six seconds against her. A whole five seconds longer than the average joe."
"So what was your point?" Lynn grunted. The irritation was understandable. V had neglected to inform her the simulation would be as real as it was.
"You're a thief. If you get caught, you run. You hide. You escape. Personas might give you an edge, but there will come a time when something comes along that you just can't win against." V grimaced at her own words. She probably wasn't the best person to be giving this lecture, but someone had too. "That sim was to teach you that the obvious solution is very rarely the best. You engaged the guards openly and - to your credit - did quite well against them. That set Naomi into high alert and gave her enough warning to set an ambush. An ambush that you blindly walked into."
"Hey… so… uh… why the cat girl?" Ryuji was scratching his head as he stared at the still on display over some of the screens. Naomi was barely a visible blur but you could definitely see the feline features the Danger Gals were known for.
"Naomi Mori - Danger Gal. Nasty one at that too. Had the pleasure, once. Bitch took my 'ganic right arm. Girl's got upwards of about three hundred kills under her name. And those are just the ones on public record." Her description sent a visible chill down each of the teen's spines. The mental image of V having her arm severed was probably playing through their minds on repeat. The memory - though old - was certainly not a very pleasant one.
All that aside, Lynn didn't look too happy with the results.
The sad puppy-like expression on her face very nearly melted V's heart. She genuinely did feel guilty using Lynn as an example, but it needed to be set as a base line. Without that context, any training V gave would be worthless.
As such, she cleared her throat and regained everyone's attention.
"Alright, we'll run a few basic team runs so I can get an idea of what I'm working with. I promise no nasty surprises anymore. If shit goes sideways, remember the Four R's. Retreat, Regroup, Recover and Rethink."
Monday - May 23rd
"Panther, checking in."
"Skull, checkin' it."
"Mona, checking!"
"Hunter, checking. Is it working?"
Each voice came through Lynn's earpiece loud and clear. Small victories.
Madarame's Palace was as exuberant as ever. Thankfully, the security had returned to normal since the last time they were here. Not enough for the thieves to remain untransformed. As such, Lynn perched herself on the lobby's roof and peered down through the skylight.
The rest of the thieves were all taking refuge in various alcoves of the main lobby.
"Reading clear," Joker whispered, "stay out of sight. We have two hours to figure out and secure a route deeper in. Keep on the lookout for anything weird." She took a deep breath and slinked into the open skylight.
As quietly as she possibly could, she landed on the rigging high above the lobby. It offered one hell of a vantage, but it was incredibly slim and - as she found out the hard way - quite unstable. The metal rattled under her weight. She held her breath as it started groaning. Then it settled and stopped. The cording that attached the rigging to the ceiling creaked under each movement. If they were the only source of support, the rig would have collapsed by now.
"Cheap nob-head couldn't be bothered to imagine some code compliant infrastructure…" Joker muttered, her British accent barging through.
She sighed and continued carefully forward.
Their previous assumption of the paintings being cognitions of people had turned out to be correct, according to Morgana. Oddly, Ann had reported there was no sign of Ishida's cognition after she finished her sweep of the 'Hall of Rejects'. Lynn came to the theory that Madarame likely didn't even think her worthy of being a reject. Hitomi's portrait had been put back where it belonged and was still completely desiccated.
The other exhibits turned out to be dead ends for the most part. Fluff. Ego stroking filler.
In a sense, they did serve to further build on Madarame's rotten heart. The man thought of himself so much he had entire sections dedicated to images and sculptures of himself. It was nauseating enough without the added obnoxious voice overs from the man himself playing on repeat over a speaker system.
It was nearly impossible to block it out, but Lynn managed to push on and move forward along with her companions.
Thanks to V's rigorous training the day prior, the thieves were moving much more in sync with one another. Communication was constant and their confidence was growing with each passing moment.
They had usually gotten into a fight by now.
Lynn flinched at that thought. She hoped she hadn't just jinxed them.
From her vantage, she could see the Shadows were none the wiser. That said, there were definitely a lot more Greater Shadows out on patrol since the last time they were here.
"Joker, I found… well… I found Kitagawa."
Shiho's voice sounded shaken. Likely conflicted by some internal struggle.
That aside, Lynn ordered everyone else to continue their search and moved to meet with Shiho. Getting off the rigging was a bit more precarious than what Lynn would have liked, but she had managed to reach ground level without tripping any alarms. Swiftly, she ducked behind various obstacles and made her way towards Shiho.
She had found her way into something more like a broom closet rather than any kind of display. It was marked as 'Hall of Contributors' but that title seemed more of a joke than anything. In the dismal, poorly lit room was a solitary painting.
Frozen in an anguished, desperate cry for help was the painted visage of Yusuke Kitagawa.
Shiho stood still in front of it, barely reacting to Lynn's arrival.
The display didn't seem to be on the Shadow's patrol routes, so Lynn calmly approached and placed a hand on Shiho's shoulder. "You ok?"
"I don't think I like being angry." Beneath Shiho's bear-pelt hood, her eyes squinted and peered up at Yusuke's portrait. "I couldn't stop myself when I hit him. It was like something was moving my body for me. At first, I thought it was Boudica… but it felt different. Darker. Chaotic." Her gaze fell to the floor in shame. "I don't like it."
A brief moment of understanding silence fell over the two.
Lynn could relate completely.
"No one likes being angry." She gently squeezed Shiho's shoulder. "I don't want to pretend like I know everything because I'm still figuring shit out for myself. That said, what I do know is one of two things can happen. One," she flicked up her index finger, "the anger controls and consumes you completely. You'll become nothing but a bitter, hateful shell."
"I don't want that."
Lynn's second finger perked up; "or two, you accept it, embrace it and use it to push forward. There are always going to be things about ourselves we hate. Things we would rather remove or ignore." She paused and looked up at Yusuke's painting. "But the thing is, it all adds up to make us who we are as people. The bad things, the good things, the dark, the light. They're all part of us."
"You sound like some wise old monk." Shiho cracked a smile. Going along with it, Lynn grinned and nodded as sagely as she could.
After a quiet giggle, she continued; "my point is, if you feel you're losing control of yourself, we should find some way for you to let off steam. Like a controlled environment. How about we spend some time figuring it out together?"
"That… would be nice."
The two shared a brief hug and as Lynn pulled away, a familiar feeling bubbled in her chest. By now it was a welcome sensation.
I am thou, thou art I.
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Strength Persona, thou hast attained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.
"So… you're gonna be our Fixer from now on?"
The leer V currently held might have been a little much. The meek, nervous wreck of a boy sat opposite her only shrank deeper into the diner seat. As far as meeting places went, Shibuya's family diner was pretty quaint and cosy.
River gave an exasperated sigh and while he did translate word for word, he also apologised for V's abrasiveness. That seemed to set the boy a little more at ease. When Lynn pointed the V Team to someone who could set them up with Mementos jobs, Yuuki Mishima was likely not what V was expecting at all.
"You… you guys are with the Phantom Thieves?"
"More like subcontractors."
The boy fidgeted with his glass of soda and nervously tried to laugh. "It's n-nice to meet you… uh… I'm Yuuki Mishima." V rolled her eyes and gulped her coffee. In her mind, this was a bust already. Mishima was way too passive to be a decent Fixer. Judy must have sensed her checking out of the conversation and gave the merc a light jab in the side.
"Cut the kid some slack, ya' gonk. Lynn said he's been through hell with that asshole."
"Yeah, sorry. Forgot about that." She snapped back to attention. Even if Mishima was a nervous wreck, he still came out of Kamoshida's abuse and torture alive. If what Shiho said was true - and V had no reason not to believe it - that was one hell of a feat. The boy deserved respect. So V shifted her weight and let herself relax a little. She gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, kid. Wrong foot and all that. Name's V. The guy with the sunglasses is River. The cute girl in the beanie is Judy."
Reluctantly, River translated.
Judy's eyes rolled.
Mishima's confusion grew.
"So… Rin said you guys might be able to help the Phantom Thieves?"
"Like I said, we're subcontractors. Our mutual friends say you've got a way with gathering intel. It…" She paused. Lynn had said Mishima at least partially knew what was going on, but was being held at arm's length for safety. "Your website occasionally brings up small time issues, right?"
"Right…"
"We can take care of those while the main team handles the big fish. You just have to zip us the deets. Names, I mean. We don't need home addresses or any funky shit like that."
Mishima took a moment. His untouched soda seemed incredibly interesting all of a sudden.
There was even a light dusting of a blush forming on his cheeks.
Mishima grinned and muttered something to himself. Too quiet for the auto translator to pick up. He then looked up and straight into V's eyes. Sudden passion had rushed up inside him and was almost bursting from his ears. Like a boiling kettle.
Perhaps the very idea of helping the Phantom Thieves was enough to get the kid motivated.
V made a mental note of that little tidbit.
"Oh man! I knew I could do something to help!"
V firmly planted a fist on the table. The clattering crockery dragged Mishima out of whatever fantasy he had thrown himself into. He blinked and immediately turned sheepish. "Keep your fucking voice down, Yuuki."
He quietly apologised then began muttering something about being called by his first name. The blush returned and a big goofy grin crawled over his face.
Judy snickered at that. "Careful, babe. The poor kid might get the wrong idea."
With an amused sigh and a quick massage of the temples, V got herself back on track. The kiddos were likely already getting on in their investigation of Madarame's Palace. Even if it wasn't directly, V still felt an obligation to help out with the smaller things. "Anyway, back on topic. Got any gigs lined up?"
"Actually… yeah. I think I do." V's eyebrow perked up. Mishima was hesitating but a quick gesture spurred him on. "There was a post on the Phan Site a few days ago. A guy has recently been causing scenes in bars and restaurants around Shibuya. I… don't really go over there. Shujin students aren't allowed. It's a bit lame, I heard there's lots of awesome places to hang out there."
"Focus, Yuuki."
Again, Mishima physically reacted to being called by his first name. Quickly, he shook off the shock and gave a nervous, apologetic smile. "Right, sorry, Ms. V. Is it just V? That's a cool name. Is it some kind of screen name?" The kid had begun to ramble. His nerves had kicked off some kind of word vomit defence system.
All he was met with was the irritated glower of an increasingly annoyed merc.
He might have gone through hell and back, but V could only take so much. The one thing she hated was wasting time. Especially when there was biz to discuss.
Thankfully, the boy took the hint, held in a deep breath and renewed his focus.
"Uh, back to… the info." He took a long gulp of his soda. "At first, people just tried ignoring the guy, but he's getting louder and more rowdy. He even tries stealing people's food and drink just to get their attention."
"Sounds like somethin' is bitin' his ass and not lettin' go…" said Judy. V nodded.
"The guy - he got a name?"
Mishima fumbled with his phone and opened up the post in question. "Shiro Takahashi. A common salary man. The post is more concerned about him than angry."
"Might just be a crazy. Don't see how this is an issue for our mutual friends." V saw people like this all the time. They were usually conspiracy nutjobs who just wanted the attention. Some didn't really believe what they were spewing, they just ranted and raved for the sole purpose of getting people to look at them.
Even if she had once gotten involved in something resembling a legitimate conspiracy, V wasn't going to throw herself and her companions into something pointless.
Her bluntness didn't seem to sit well with Mishima.
He even looked angry for a second. "Of course it's an issue for the Phantom Thieves! They're all about helping people. If this guy is causing problems then shouldn't the Phantom Thieves step up to stop him?" That prompted a long, exasperated sigh. Both from V and River.
"Yuuki, this honestly just sounds like a problem the local cops should deal with." V tried to ignore the puppy dog eyes. For someone as meek as Mishima seemed to be, he certainly was insistent. Again, the merc sighed, giving in. "Alright, fine. Spin it. What's this guy so vocal about?"
"That's the thing. He keeps yelling about someone or something called Arasaka."
Like a record suddenly cutting out on a turntable, V's waning attention crashed back to a solid focus. "Arasaka. You're sure?" Confused, Mishima nodded. "Fuck…" River tactfully decided to not translate that little slip of the tongue. V silently conferred with her two partners and each one nodded with affirmation. "Alright, Yuuki. We'll take the gig."
"O-oh? Really? That's great!" His lips parted into a large beaming smile. Genuinely happy, his nerves seemed to have completely vanished. At least for a few moments. "M-maybe… afterwards you and I could…"
"Taken."
Mishima's whole existence seemed to shatter. Such a sudden rejection. His wounded gaze fell on River. The betrayal in his eyes set V off laughing like a schoolkid.
"Wrong side, kid." V spoke through her chuckle as Judy gave a nonchalant nod. The cogs slowly turned in the teen's head. He genuinely seemed to be having trouble grasping the information presented to him.
Then it hit him. As hard as his head hit the table. What followed was a long string of apologies and V cackling at the whole thing.
A vein threatened to burst as it pumped on Lynn's furrowed brow.
A number of things had pissed her off, but the most prominent was a certain feline's dumb actions. Even after explicitly being told to leave the big gold vase alone, Morgana couldn't help himself. Whether it was some irresistible instinct or he was just that stupid, Mona had jumped up onto the pedestal, tripped some sort of security measure and consequently trapped everyone except Lynn in cages of red lasers.
"You're the one who was constantly pushin' us to be careful, y' useless cat!"
"For the last time, Skull; I am not a cat! And how was I supposed to know this would happen!?"
"Both of you are idiots. Both Hunter and I told you this would happen. That vase was so obviously a trap it was laughable!"
"Panther… uh… you were just as surprised as Mona…"
"I swear… it's like yesterday never happened." Lynn muttered to herself. The other thieves were bickering amongst themselves. It took a single trip up to make the team completely fall back to old habits.
As the bickering continued, the vein on Lynn's head only grew bolder.
Her face turned red and finally the anger got the best of her.
"Will you guys shut the hell up! For the love of god I'm surprised the whole damn security force hasn't burst in on us!" She took her mask off, massaged her nose bridge and turned her back on the others. "Just sit tight and I'll go find the override. There's bound to be one somewhere." She huffed and couldn't help but laugh at the absolute absurdity of the situation.
"Sorry… Joker." Mona's ears drooped.
Lynn didn't reply. Instead, she wordlessly dashed off into the backstage areas of the exhibit.
"Well if it isn't one of the new kids on the block. A bit early for a drink, isn't it?" The gruff yet welcoming voice of Lala Escargot beckoned V in from the street. It may have been early evening but there weren't many patrons just yet. In fact, there was only a solitary woman. The very same that they had run into the first time they visited Crossroads. Currently, it seemed she was more interested in her love affair with the bar than her surroundings. V could even swear she heard light snoring.
It seemed Lala had caught on and gave a quiet chuckle. If not with a tone of mild disappointment.
"Ignore the drunkard. Now, what can little old Lala do for you?"
"Here on biz, not pleasure today." V nodded in greeting and took a seat a little ways away from the sleeping woman. Lala's brow perked. "I've heard some salary guy is causing a stir around these parts recently."
Recognition washed over Lala.
V expected irritation aimed at the guy, but instead, the bar owner held an odd expression of genuine worry. "Ah yes. Young Shiro. He came into my little establishment with his ramblings the other day. I'm not sure what's wrong, but something is clearly eating that man alive. Never seen someone so… hm." Lala cut herself off and rubbed her chin in thought.
"Sooo…?"
"Scared, I suppose."
"What was he ranting about?"
Again, the bar owner rubbed her chin and let a rough exhale roll from her nose. "I couldn't really catch most of it. I was busy with my regulars at the time. What I did manage to pick up involved something called Arasaka and 'the radiant blue one'. If I may; why are you asking? Are you a PI?"
V shook her head and chuckled. "Nah. More of a problem solver."
Her vague deflection only caused confusion. Still, it had to do for now. At least that's what V thought until Lala's expression darkened. "You're not with the Yakuza, are you?"
Her tone could only point to that term being the name of some kind of gang.
Again, V shook her head. "I didn't think they took foreigners. Nope, I'm clean. Just doing my bit to help the locals." It was a complete guess. One that seemed to have been correct. Lala shrugged and any suspicion she held vanished in an instant. The matronly grin returned as she went back to cleaning glasses.
"Just making sure. There's been a rise in crime over the past few months."
When was there ever a drop in crime? V inwardly snickered at her mental joke. Even if this was a completely different world to her own, some things stayed the same. Crime seemed to be one of them. It just seemed to be better hidden on this side of the Metaverse.
"No worries. Gotta protect you and yours, am I right?" The two both nodded and laughed. "Anyway, do you know Shiro personally?"
"He comes in for a drink occasionally. I wouldn't call him a regular, but I've spoken with him a few times. Lovely boy. Recently out of college, got himself a good paying job. Not the type of man to suddenly go off the deep end." Lala's ability to multitask was remarkable. Without even breaking the flow of the conversation, she had managed to clean, polish and expertly stack several glasses of all different kinds. A casual demonstration of years of experience.
Her description did bring up one thing. The perp didn't seem to have a history of mental issues. At least on a surface level.
Just one day he decided to go berserk.
What made it more confusing was the subject of his new found obsession. Why was someone completely innocuous in this world ranting about Arasaka and some 'radiant blue one'? Either he had simply had a mental collapse, or something happened to him and it spooked him.
"I see. Thanks. Oh, if he comes in again, could you give me a call? Here's my number." V slid a slip of paper over the bar. Thick fingers plucked it up and Lala studied the number with curiosity. She then pocketed the paper and nodded.
"Oh, your recipe is selling very well, by the way."
V was just about to turn and leave when Lala brought that up. Confusion struck first. Then genuine curiosity. "Excuse me?"
"The recipe you ordered the other week. The… Vincent Garcia?" V nodded slowly. "I hope you don't mind but I added it to the menu. It's quite popular with my regulars. One in particular." Lala sent a sidelong glance toward the sleeping woman. Sure enough, the remnants of the drink in question sat just beside a slumped arm. "Could I ask about the name? I get a lot of questions about it."
"Oh…" Honestly, V didn't know how to react. It wasn't like the recipe wasn't already publicly available in the Afterlife. Still, it was in Vince's memory. She shrugged and decided to let it slide. The more people drinking his drink, the better. "It's my brother. A memorial drink."
"... I see. I'm sorry for your loss."
V nodded in appreciation.
Then there was movement in her peripheral vision. "Lala… I'm empty… need refill…" It seemed the woman had been roused from her slumber and was sleepily looking at her empty glass.
Lala's shoulders sagged and after giving V a wink, wandered over to tend to the poor girl.
With the information in hand, V bid her farewell and left to meet with the others. They should have finished their own questioning by now. With their current intel, they should be ready to head into the Metaverse.
"Peacock feathers."
It was less a question and more a statement. Lynn studied the colossal doorway blocking off the rest of the palace. The Phantom Thieves had found themselves in a large courtyard of sorts. Opulent sculptures dotted the grounds much like some of the other exhibits. The open air was a nice change of scenery, but the ever present near-blinding gold was still very much everywhere.
The Palace was a lot of things. Tasteful was definitely not one of them.
Still, their progress had come to a sudden halt thanks to the huge sliding door. Sealed shut and completely impervious to anything the Thieves tried throwing at it. Not even Boudica's overwhelming All-Mighty attacks could put so much as a scratch on it.
"Mona, you found this door in Madarame's house, right?"
"Yeah. It was locked up tight with a huge lock." Mona stepped up to the door and tapped it with a paw. The shimmering material gleamed and rippled under his touch. For a screen door, the damn thing was annoyingly stubborn.
"So what now? You got a plan, Joker?" Ryuji leaned on a nearby plinth. "No other way forward on the map, right Panther?"
Ann confirmed as much as she looked at the pamphlet containing the museum map. "This courtyard is supposed to lead to the main exhibit. The… Infinite Wellspring."
"This door's connected to the one in the real world. I think we need to open the real one while Madarame watches it open. It might trigger his cognition to change." Morgana began to pace as he thought. "He probably sees the real thing as completely safe and shut tight. Which is why we can't damage this one. So… if he were to see his security breached, he'll lose his faith in it and - theoretically - this door should open."
Although Lynn followed the logic, she still wasn't convinced. "That's… a lot of assumptions," she said, "firstly, how do you suggest we actually open the real one in the first place? We can't exactly invite ourselves in and then ask him to watch us pick the lock on his private stuff."
"I'm not going nude." Ann immediately threw a hand up and halted Ryuji's sudden motion to say something.
"For once I wasn't actually gonna say somethin' that dumb." Ryuji looked genuinely hurt at the cold accusing tone. "I was gonna suggest we get V Team to figure somethin' out. They're a bunch of badass future cyborgs!"
Ann blinked slowly. "Oh." She mumbled under her breath. "That's… actually smart. Sorry."
"I have my moments, y'know."
"Whatever we decide to do, it's going to have to be soon. We don't know where the treasure is yet and time is ticking away." Lynn spoke with authority and tried to sound as in control as she could. Granted, her worry still managed to sneak into her tone regardless. "We should call it here for today, rest up, then get V Team's input."
Everyone seemed to agree. Fatigue was beginning to show, so even if they could have progressed further, it probably would have been a mistake.
As such, the team made their notes, stashed their gear and headed out for the evening. It was good progress. Even with the mistakes along the way, the thieves had gotten through a large portion of the Palace without raising too much of an alarm. Even still, it was probably best to let security cool off a little.
At least for a day.
Tuesday - May 24th
"What the fuck is this guy's deal!?" V could do naught but yell as all three of the V Team ran for their lives.
The moment they stepped foot in Shiro's Seedling Palace all hell broke loose. Hordes of Shadows were actually fighting each other on what appeared to be an office floor. Cubicle after cubicle played host to faint shadowy cognitions of office workers. Each one completely oblivious to the literal war going on around them.
There didn't seem to be any obvious sides to the battle. It looked like the Shadows were just attacking everything around them.
That included V and her companions.
The broken and sparking remains of a computer monitor flew through the air and embedded itself in the floor right where Judy had been standing not two seconds prior.
"I think his mind's broken down into complete chaos." River huffed as he dove behind the flimsy wall of a cubicle. Turning back now didn't seem like an option. The Seedling Palace entrance had been blocked off by falling debris.
V scowled. "No shit, Badges…" she grunted and let off a few shots into a nearby mass of brawling Shadows. "Sorry. Let's fucking find Shiro's Shadow."
The group broke from their cover and - as a unit - moved deeper into the Seedling Palace.
Much like the previous two Seedling Palaces the V Team had visited, Shiro's was made of large motes of floating land suspended in an endless expanse of deep red and black. By now, the sight was less mind bending. Yet it was still confusing.
As they passed by cubicles, the ghostly cognitions of office workers remained locked in never ending busy work. Typing away at computers. Scribbling notes. Waiting at photocopiers and printers. Some of them continued their tasks regardless of the fact that their computer had been completely destroyed or their work station had been reduced to a crater.
Most of the Shadows were of the Lesser kind, but there were still many Greater variants.
Some of the Greater Shadows had transformed already. Various creatures were locked in combat. A floating green horse seemingly made of vines. A few bird people identical to the ones from Ishida's garden. A bronze urn with a strange little imp-like creature sitting inside. Ghostly wisps with jack-o lanterns for heads. It was a clash of colour, chaos and violence.
"Pixie, what the fuck is happenin'!?" Judy called and from her chest, Pixie burst free in a flash of light and sparking electricity. Annoyingly, the fairy girl only half emerged, essentially poking her head out instead of actually coming out to help. The sight of a tiny girl chilling out - half merged - on Judy's bosom was jarring, but right now there were more pressing matters.
"It's like Baldie said!" Pixie squealed in abject terror. "Something's kicked this guy into a full on meltdown. It's… like his cognition is trying to tear itself apart. Or… maybe something is warping his mental state. I can sense something weird nearby. Foreign. Not us, something else."
"Well that fucking helps…"
A stray Lesser Shadow pounced and made its attack. A single shot to the head halted its attempt and with a hissing squeal, the form dissolved.
Judy scowled and grabbed a hold of Pixie. She then pulled, literally dragging the poor girl out kicking and screaming. All things considered, for someone who was so afraid of conflict, Pixie wasn't exactly dead weight.
With a firm motion, Judy ordered the fairy girl to hang onto her shoulder once again.
With a slight protest, she obliged and began to focus electrical power by flapping her wings. Much like in Ishida's garden, the energy built up and coiled around Judy's right arm like a spiral sleeve.
By now, other Shadows had taken notice of the three of them and a few Greater Shadows swooped down.
A thunderous boom shook the air as lightning flashed and shot out straight at the incoming Shadows. The electricity struck the first one and sent several arching currents off to strike the others. Each of the Shadows fell and crashed into a group of cubicles. They weren't done yet. As they began to make attempts to recover, V and River rushed over and emptied their guns into them, finishing them off.
"Nice work, Judy!" V called out. She was met by a frustrated huff. Pixie was not happy with that reaction.
"Excuse me! I'm the one who makes the energy! The nerve!"
"Kid… I don't run an afterschool playgroup." An exasperated sigh accompanied Iwai's usual gruff and generally annoyed voice. "What are you doin' anyway?" The man peered over Lynn's shoulder.
Recently, the girl had taken to coming to Untouchable to perform her weapon maintenance. Although there was a perfectly serviceable workshop in her room, she really didn't feel comfortable stashing weapons there in case Sojiro found them. Or worse; her parole officer. As such, when Morgana wasn't holding on to all the various pieces, she had taken to paying Iwai to keep them safe ready for her to do the work she needed to do.
"Cleaning, replacing worn parts, zeroing sights. The usual."
Thankfully, Iwai had a fully stocked and functional workshop in the back room of his store.
Not so thankfully, it was just as messy - if not worse - than the store front. Parts, tools and scrap lay everywhere without a single hint of organisation. Half finished projects were haphazardly stacked on high shelves. The tool rack was in dire need of a good clean. Even still, it was Lynn's best option and honestly she didn't mind the chaos if it meant she could get the job done.
"Huh, that the blondie's Remmington?"
"Yup. The receiver needs a full service. Got any WD40?"
"Second draw on the left. What do you do with these pieces, anyway?"
"We misbehave." As Lynn went about her business, she tried ignoring Iwai's staring over her shoulder. The gentle clicking and tapping of maintenance helped, but eventually, she let her frustration go and sighed. "Don't you have a store to run?"
"Hah! Shop's always stone silent this time of day. You're pretty much the only sign of life I see until later in the night when the older gun-nuts get off work." Lynn could hear him chuckle quietly. Almost as if he was fond of something. "You got talent, kid. Ever thought about a career in this stuff?"
"All the time." Lynn's hands finally stopped and the sounds of work stopped. She paused for a moment before giving her own fond little chuckle. "At least I did. Certain circumstances have put an end to that little dream." Although she wasn't looking in his direction, Lynn could tell Iwai was regretting the question. "Eh, that's life, I guess. It sucks, but there isn't much I can do about it." Truth be told, she didn't want to give up just yet. It was just saying as much was easier than risking saying the wrong thing in front of the wrong person.
River's interrogation had really had an impact on her.
It got her thinking.
She was conflicted for a while, but ever since V's lesson, she finally grasped something. Lynn's reasons for being a Phantom Thief were selfish, there was no denying that. She wanted to lash out and rebel against a system that had completely failed her and painted her as some kind of villain.
Revenge.
A tale as old as time.
At least that's how it started. Now, Lynn wanted - or rather needed - to help anyone she could. It had become something of a compulsion by now. She didn't know if it was for atonement or something else. All she knew is that she had to use her power to help, not harm.
Her train of thought was abruptly derailed as Iwai's phone began to ring.
She glanced a soured frown as the man turned and left through the back door. In his haste to take the call, he neglected to shut the door properly. Lynn didn't particularly want to eavesdrop, but simply couldn't help herself. She quietly shuffled closer to the open door and eventually, Iwai's gruff voice became audible.
"... Shit. When was this?... Uh huh… Yeah… Fuckin' ay, what's Tsuda gettin' himself into?... You gotta be fuckin' me, right?... Damn. Alright, fine. I'll poke around, but only because it's Tsuda… yeah, yeah." The call ended and silence resumed. Lynn could see his shadow in the doorframe. He was slouched and looked like he was mulling something over. "I know you're listenin' kid. Get your ass out here." His rough and sudden order nearly sent Lynn jumping for the hills. She wasn't as sneaky as she thought and with a walk of shame, she joined him out in the alley.
Alarmingly, the lolly pop usually jutting from his mouth was now replaced with an actual cigarette, already lit and puffing smoke.
"Didn't you quit?"
"I did." His voice was cold and his face was dark. He took a long puff and let the smoke slowly leak from his mouth. "Listen, I need a favour."
Lynn was expecting to get chewed out. She had invaded his privacy after all. However, Iwai's expression was strained and hard to read. Whatever that phone call was, it sounded bad. The cigarette just added to Lynn's worries. "Sure, what do you need?"
"A fly on the wall."
Electricity impaled an amorphous mass of foul smelling slime. The visage moulded from its grotesque form wailed in agony. It was one of many similar masses that had crawled into the frey.
They were hardy and refused to stay down, but they were also slow and moved at a snail's pace.
V, Judy and River each threw attack after attack as they backed away. With the added threat of much faster moving bird people raining down icicles and blasts of frigid air, the group was slowly losing ground. A lunging sludge creature spat a large globule at high speed. It struck V in the thigh and with a grunt, she was forced to her knee. A blinking pop-up flashed over her vision declaring a "Foreign Contaminant" had breached into her chrome.
The impacted area felt numb as a dull ache spread outwards as though something was making its way through her system.
"Fuck… ugh…" she groaned and struggled to her feet.
"Pixie, heal her!"
"It's poison! I can't cure that!" Pixie exclaimed.
"Poison!? Fuck! I ain't fucking dying because of some dick looking ball of sentient shit spat on me!" V dug into one of Judy's pouches and with a quick rummage and a frantic motion she slammed an Air-Hypo into her thigh. An antitoxin stim. "Mithras! Cover us!" V ordered and felt the divine being burst into life. The shimmering celestial gladius swung through the air and sent a searing crescent shaped swathe of energy crashing into the advancing sludge things.
The attack certainly cut deep. The creature who received the brunt had been eradicated in nuclear fire. Even still, a large chunk of the monsters remained.
Retreat had crossed V's mind more than once, but her hopes were crushed at the sight of the huge pile of debris blocking their exit. As far as she was concerned, they had to push through the slime creatures.
She levelled her breath and felt the antitoxin work through her system.
The readout declaring a contaminant finally vanished and as soon as it did, she launched herself up and onto Mithras' floating rock. With a new vantage, she could clearly see over the remaining cubicles. Mithras fought off the creatures as she scouted and with the help of Judy, Pixie and River, the sea of sludge and storm of feathers was thinning out slowly.
Finally, V spotted something across the way. It was another floating island. Smaller than the one they were on. She zoomed in on her Kiroshi optics and there, suspended in the air, was a limp form of a young man. Grimmly, he was completely naked.
Cables snaked around his body and wires dug deep into his pale skin. Completely emaciated, the man was more skeleton than flesh.
As to what he was attached too, it looked like - "You… gotta be fucking kidding me!"
"What? What can you see?"
"... Mikoshi."