(Author's Note)
Hey guys, I'm back!
Sorry about the wait on this, midterms were annoying and were eating up all my free time. Thankfully, we're past them now, and I have a clear picture of what we're doing next time so hopefully I'll at minimum keep pace with the current update schedule of "Almost a month later".
With that said, let's not waste anymore time and get onto reviews!
To Rebiele: Well, we'll see how things turn out. That said, if it does come to that, I'd hope I would do enough different with her character to make her less... One-note as I've heard her be so far.
To everyone who mentioned my idea for the "Third Option" side story thing: I'm... not sure if I'm going to do the "Third Option" side story. I have one... sorta worked out, but writing that up made things apparent that it's not at all as simple of a process as I originally thought. Especially when I need to consider how long I let things spiral out from said choice. So, yeah, it's a bit up in the air. I will say the first chapter would've been based off of the choice to say "He's my dad", so... Think what you want about how that might've ended up. If people really want to see it, I'll probably add it on to the end of the next chapter. (Or on it's own in-between the release of this chapter and the next if things are taking too long...)
Alright, thank you to everyone who left a review! I really appreciate the support, as does my motivation. If you liked what you read, please leave a review! Love to hear what you guys think about how things are going and if I'm able, I like replying to those thoughts.
Alright, enough of me talking, er... writing? Let's get to this!
(Play Singularity - P5 Strikers)
"Joker." Mona began, looking up at the teen. "What happened in there?"
"It looked a little… intense." Rokuó agreed, crossing his arms. "We couldn't hear anything either. Is she…?"
"Whatever they're doing to her is effecting her in ways that I didn't think possible." Joker said, looking over to Mona. "Her self in reality, or at least her consciousness, suddenly took over during my talk with her Shadow."
"What!?" Mona exclaimed, eyes wide.
"My sentiments exactly." Joker replied with a sigh.
"Wait, I'm a touch lost here. What part of this is cause for concern?" Rokuó asked. "Because from what I understand, the Metaverse is the world of the unconscious. Knowing that, her conscious self appearing here would be just like what we've done so far. If we can do it, why would it be surprising if she could?"
"Quite a few things are wrong with that assumption! First, we should be the only ones capable of using the Metanav to get into the Metaverse, so they would've had to have used some other method to get her into her own Jail." Mona began. "Which we had to trek through Mementos just to get to, remember?"
"Wait, you said she overtook her Shadow?" Mana asked Joker, getting a nod from the teen. "Then it's entirely different from how we enter the Metaverse! Whoever is doing those… experiments have found a way to force her real self to interact in the body of her own Shadow…"
"Point is, she's not doing well." Joker said. "She's lost hope, or at least she almost has. I think I might have been able to buy us a bit longer, but there's no telling how much that really is."
"As much as I'd love to worry about that, we need to be proactive here. Joker, you said you know where she is?" Mona asked, putting his hands on his hips.
Joker placed a hand against his chin in thought. "She mentioned somewhere around Count Rowe's territory. Of course it's not a whole lot to go off of, but the outside of her Jail looks like a fortress of some kind, so I'm gonna try to work off that as well."
"Finding her is all well and good, but how are we going to get there to help?" Rokuó asked, tilting his head. "If it is an actual fortress, then going in with just us won't work."
"We know the bandits are there as well, so it's just a matter of getting the information to Seteth without implicating any of us." Joker replied. "Our mission this month is to clean up whatever bandits survived, so if we can do that, I can try and split off to find Monica."
"There's still a lot that can go wrong with that." Rokuó noted. "But… It's unfortunately our best bet. Shame I'll have to stick out of the rescue though…"
"You've played your part. Besides, we both know that you'd come along if you were able to." Joker smiled, placing a hand on Rokuó's shoulder. "You'll just have to settle for being with us in spirit."
"Suppose I will…" Rokuó said with a shrug.
"We should head back to reality. We've been in here for a while." Mana noted.
"Right. Everyone, get close." Joker said, pulling an item out of his pocket. "Time to Goho-m."
Rokuó deadpanned at Joker. "...That was terrible-"
(Stop Music)
[Day 10 of the Harpstring Moon, 1180]
"I'm surprised you got us the training grounds booked today." Ren noted, looking around the arena as Byleth laid out various practice weapons on the nearby table.
"It was mainly between Professor Hanneman and I." Byleth said with a nod. "We compromised, he got it yesterday and us today."
"Works out nicely then, since we had yesterday as a free period." Ren replied with a smile. "So, where are we starting?"
"A quick review of everyone's current abilities, and then I was thinking of pairing them up." Byleth said, picking up a wooden bow before giving the drawstring a testing tug. "Wood's warping. The draw is off and the arrow will be as well. Ren, can you grab another from the weapon rack over there?"
The teen turned and walked over to the rack. "Pairing them up isn't a bad idea." He said, grabbing another bow off the rack with his off hand. "Depends on what we want them to work on together though. Building relations or getting them used to fighting alongside someone with a different weapon?"
"The latter." Byleth nodded, sliding the previous practice bow to the side as Ren walked up and handed her the replacement. The mercenary gave another test draw of the bow before nodding. "Better. The rules that one fights with change depending on the weapon. It becomes more nuanced when you have to factor in a partner."
Byleth put the bow down and looked at the thief. "For example, in a fight, the reach of a spear is its most powerful asset. You're always thinking about how to best monopolize it to your advantage." She began, before picking up a practice sword. "A sword on the other hand is different. Depending on the style of blade you narrow down what kind of attack you'll make. Some swords work best by slicing through an opponent, others for fine targeted piercing."
Byleth tossed Ren the practice sword and motioned him to the center of the arena. The thief raised an eyebrow, moving over with a light smile as Byleth grabbed another sword, moving to stand opposite him. "A sword can also be a good defense. Swing at me."
"Alright…" Ren nodded, darting forward to swing at her.
Byleth held her practice sword in front of her, body tense and ready. As the teen got close, he swung upwards to the right, aiming the initial strike at Byleth's hip.
The swordswoman swung down and clashed her sword with the thief's. In a single motion she expertly applied pressure and forced the thief's sword to point upwards. She turned her sword slightly to put it upright, breaking the lock she had put them in and thrust forward, sliding along the thief's practice blade towards his center mass with ease before coming to a stop just before impact. "A sword is very good at countering a less skilled opponent. Any moment that sword isn't blocking an opponent's attack is one that can be capitalized on easily as you've just seen."
"Yeah… Noted." Ren chuckled drying, lowering his practice sword.
Byleth pulled her sword back with a nod and turned around, pausing in place as she caught sight of her students standing by the practice weapons. "Class." Byleth said, tilting her head to the side. "When did you all get here?"
"Somewhere around when you asked him to take a swing at you." Dorothea replied, a smirk on her face.
"I see. All of you grab a practice weapon. We're going to have a quick review before moving on." Byleth said, walking over to the table to put back the practice sword she borrowed. Dorothea sighed, before glancing over to Ren, smirk returning at the deadpan look the thief was leveling at her.
"Not even a blink at the double meaning…" Ren muttered as he idly twisted some of the curls of his bangs, flipping his hold of his practice sword as he walked over to join Byleth.
Ren leaned back, avoiding the swing from the axe that Caspar swung at him. The thief reached out and grasped the shaft of the axe and pulled, wrenching it out of his student's hand. "You're getting close." Ren noted, adjusting his grip on the axe. The teen rolled his wrist, feeling out the weight distribution of the axe. "Is the weight balance accurate to the real thing?"
"Not even close. The real thing is metal, that's all wood. Way lighter here." Caspar replied.
"Not exactly what I was asking, but that does have an effect as well." Ren held the practice out in front of him. "What I mean is, if you held the axe like this, is the side that feels heavier the same here that it is with the real deal?"
"I think so…" Caspar said. The professor handed the axe back to the teen and maneuvered his grip of the axe. "Oh, I see it now!"
Ren raised an eyebrow with a smile. "So?"
"Definitely close. It's a bit lighter around the head than the rest of the body, but it's close." Caspar noted.
"Good. Now, keep doing what you were doing. You use a lot of windup for your attacks and while powerful, you won't hit anything if they can out maneuver you." Ren replied, patting the teen's shoulder. "I'll leave you to it."
The thief turned around and walked away from his blue haired student. The thief ran a hand through his hair, idly playing with his bangs. "Now then…" He muttered, glancing out at his other students.
"Professor Amamiya." The voice was foreboding, enough so to put the teen on edge as he turned to look at the speaker. He was tall, dressed in whites and red that wouldn't look out of place on a Knight of Seiros. Blonde hair was tied up and draped down his back, his bangs cascading over the mask that adorned the man's face.
"Yes…? I apologize, but I don't think we've been introduced yet." Ren stated as his arms tensed.
"Jeritza. I'm an instructor for the Academy." The man said, steel blue eyes boring into the teen's. "I'm here to assist with your class' training."
"Is that right?" Ren replied.
"I was also hoping to test your skill first. It was disappointing to hear that you'd be joining the academy. I was looking forward to crossing steel with you." The man continued, as if discussing the weather and not an apparent death match. "A skilled fighter if the rumors are to be believed. Even muted like this, I'd like to see if they're true."
"It sounds like a grand idea to me, Sensei." The thief snapped his head to the side to look at Hubert, who apparently decided it was a great idea to add his own opinion to the conversation. "The instructor was likely to have your position if you and Professor Eisner were not hired. I think we're all curious to see how you measure up."
Ren glanced around and realized very quickly that everyone's attention was now on him. He looked to Byleth and narrowed his eyes at the nod she gave him.
"Well, I see the choice is out of my hands now." The thief mumbled, shooting a not so subtle glare at Hubert.
"I suggest we all give them some space, lest we get caught in the crossfire." Hubert said to the rest of the class, a smirk on his face.
Ren breathed out a sigh, looking over at Jeritza as the instructor walked a few paces away from the thief. "Alright, let's do this then." He said, holding his hand out to the side as Petra tossed him a practice sword. The thief gripped the blade, pausing for a moment as he looked down at the rusted and blunted steel in his hand. "Oh."
"Begin!" Byleth shouted.
Ren looked up from his sword just in time to see Jeritza close the distance. The instructor's sword slid out from its sheath, swinging out at the thief. "T-thats-!?" The word tumbled out as he brought his sword up to block, steel clashing against steel at the last moment.
Jeritza narrowed his eyes and pushed into a thrust, forcing the thief to lean to the side. The edge of the instructor's blade slid along the teen's cheek, slicing out a thin cut with the motion. 'It's sharp!' Ren thought, swinging his sword to the right to push Jeritza off balance and give him some space.
Jeritza took a few steps back to reorient himself. His eyes locked onto the thief as the teen leaned backwards with the momentum and flipped into a handspring to gain distance.
Ren landed on his feet and raised his off hand to feel his cheek. He pulled it away to find blood lightly coating two of his fingers. 'Live steel? This is a practice duel!' He looked up at the instructor with a glare. 'And since no one feels the need to call this off, I guess we're actually doing this.'
'Sprite, a hand.' Ren raised a hand up to cover his wound from sight, swapping Personas quickly.
"Right. Dia." Sprite said for the thief, as green light glowed from beneath the thief's hand. Ren swiped his hand to the side, revealing the unmarked skin beneath.
"Alright, he wants a fight. Let's give him one." Ren muttered, swapping Personas once more before rushing at the Instructor.
Jeritza brought his sword up into a stance, muscles tensing as the thief closed in. The two swung their swords at each other, steel smashing against steel with a shockwave that ran up both combatants arms. The instructor's eyes narrowed. "This strength…" He began as the two swordsmen broke their clash to make another strike. A strike to the thief's shoulder was blocked, a thrust to the instructor's stomach was deflected, and a strike that would cut through Ren's neck was ducked under.
The thief kicked out as he ducked under the swing, forcing the instructor to stumble back. Jeritza recovered his footing with a speed unseen yet in the spar and charged in. Ren narrowed his eyes, his sword still wide from his impromptu dodge, and slammed his foot on the ground. "Tera!" He shouted, feeling Panser's magic rush through him.
A spike of stone and dirt ripped out from the ground, rising up like a small mountain between the thief and the instructor. Jeritza's sword slammed into the side of the rock, embedding it into the stone.
Ren kicked out in the same moment the sword slammed into the rock, his foot slamming into the rock and forcing another blunted spike of dirt to shoot out from the other. The rock slammed into Jeritza's gut with enough force to make the instructor cough, forcing the man's grip open and sending him tumbling backwards without his sword.
Ren leapt over the mound of rock and rushed the still recovering opponent, sliding down to come up next to him. He pulled his sword up towards the man's neck and held it there. "Concede." He said, eyes narrowed.
"...Interesting." Jeritza droned, a strange glint in his eyes. "This fight is lost."
Ren pulled his sword back and flipped it into his off hand. He stood up and held a hand for Jeritza, who quickly took it. The thief pulled the instructor to a stand.
Ren merely nodded to the instructor, eyes narrowed before passing him the practice sword he was holding. "Here." The teen began. "I think you'll want to use this one when you're helping my students."
Jeritza nodded, unflinching in his apparent stoicism. Ren turned around and looked at the gathered class with a raised eyebrow. "So, does that appease your curiosity?"
The thief looked at Hubert, catching a glint of the calculating look he was being given before it quickly morphed into a smirk. The rest of the class burst into animated chatter, drowning out the sound of Ren's heart pumping in his ears.
"Trickster, breathe." Panser said in the thief's mind.
'Right, thanks…' Ren replied, closing his eyes as he took in a deep breath before releasing it. He raised a hand up and rubbed his cheek, idly brushing some of his hair out of the way.
"Are you alright?" Byleth asked, walking up to Ren.
"Yeah." The teen replied, before smirking. "Not a scratch on me."
"That wasn't what I saw." Byleth said, eyes narrowing the slightest bit at his cheek. "Live steel is not meant for practice."
"Glad we're in agreement then." Ren noted, before turning to the Black Eagles. "Alright! Let's move onto paired practice now!"
"Sensei."
"Hubert. Is there something you'd like my help with?" Ren asked, turning to look at the retainer.
"Yes. I was wondering if you would care for a spar." Hubert began. "Your magic continues to intrigue me, and I wish to see more of how it compares to my own."
"Much like you had earlier with Jeritza?" Ren asked, crossing his arms.
"Am I sensing a touch of hostility, Sensei?" Huber asked.
"No, at least not any that's a fault of yours. I'm just not very happy that I had to defend against live steel in a spar." Ren replied with a shake of his head. "I'm also not happy no one called it once that fact became apparent."
"I seem to recall you being no worse for wear seconds later, Sensei." Hubert noted, tilting his head to the side. "Your skill with magic continues to astound me."
"Which leads us back to your request." Ren finished with a sigh. "Look, I don't exactly feel comfortable with throwing magic at my students. I hit you with something-"
"As much as your concern is noted, I feel it should be made equally aware that we are not so fragile." Hubert interrupted. "Besides, we are more than capable of healing any problems that arise."
"Alright then. Magic only I assume?" Ren asked, getting a nod from his student. "Okay. Let's make some space then."
The two walked away from the other, leaving enough room to comfortably maneuver without getting in the way of the other pairs. Ren looked at Hubert, both waiting for a signal to begin.
It wasn't verbally acknowledged, but the violent bang that sounds off when the steel of Sylvain and Ferdinand's spears clash is the proverbial gunshot that starts the fight.
Hubert moved first, hurtling the condensed energy of his reason at the teen. Miasmas burst forth in front of the thief, exploding out at him in a haze of purple. Dust exploded out with a flash of blacks and reds as Ren ran through the dissipating magic, his Personas rotating out as he rears his arm back.
"Bufu!" The words are accompanied by an orb of frost forming in his hand. The professor threw the magic like one would a snowball at Hubert, the energy slamming into the ground in front of the student's feet.
Hubert leaped back, eyes narrowed as the ice bursts forth from where it impacted. He fired off another blast of magic at the teen, who had already begun to close the distance between the two. Ren leaned to the side and rolled, dodging the incoming haze at the last moment.
Personas cycled through once more, before locking into place as the thief raised a hand up at Hubert with a smirk. "Kouha!"
A flash of white erupted behind Hubert, the teen turning around just in time to see the sudden ball of light whip around him and slam into him. The light energy washed over the teen, knocking him firmly off balance as it collided with him. Hubert forced his jaw shut, muffling the involuntary shout that forced its way out of his lungs.
Ren lunged forwards, Personas swapping out once more as he grabbed the collar of Hubert's uniform as his student attempted to regain his balance. Hand igniting in curse energy, he swung his arm down at Hubert, stopping inches away from the retailer's face. "This enough for you?"
"Yes, I believe it's satisfactory." Hubert said, his breathing a touch haggard.
Ren let the curse magic dissipate and let go of his student's collar, moving to help him to a stand. "I'm surprised. I didn't think you would take to faith magic like that…" Hubert noted, dusting his uniform off. "What with your common use of… curse magic, was it?"
"Well, for starters, I'm not using faith magic." Ren replied with a shrug. "Faith is the other source that can power spells, yes?"
"Indeed. It used to be the case where magic flowed through one's reason or faith, but that's no longer the full story with what you can do." Hubert nodded. "You said you use your Willpower. Care to elaborate?"
"I could, but I'm curious about you." Ren said, crossing his arms. "I believe we had a mutual agreement of information going on between us?"
"That we do, but is this not also in class learning?" Hubert remarked with a shake of his head. "If we acted off that, then I doubt I have enough information to repay you for what you're teaching."
"There's also a difference between what I teach and my own personal information." Ren said. "...One question. You can feel free to say no and I'll say either way. How is that?"
"Horrendous, for you." Hubert noted with a smirk. "But I suppose it is one I will abide by."
"How did you end up as Edelgard's retainer? Your loyalty to her is something special." The thief asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I am the heir of the Marquisate of Vestra. My family has been vassals of the imperial family for over one thousand years. It is a duty I take very seriously." Huber stated, eyes narrowed. "I was six when I became her retainer."
"So you were childhood friends then." Ren remarked.
"It is not something as simple as friendship that favors my undying loyalty, Sensei." Hubert stressed.
"But you care for her. And even if your position is that of her vassal, to me that shows that there's at least something close to that kind of bond." The thief replied with a shrug. "Thank you, though."
"I believe you owe me an explanation in exchange." Hubert said.
"I do." The thief nodded. He held out a hand and let an Eiha sit on the surface of his palm. It wasn't easy to let a spell sit like this, especially of an element like curse. "My magic is fueled by my will, but the actual ways it's made manifest is dependent on something else. I guess you could call it my perspective."
Hubert tilted his head to the side. "Elaborate."
"I suppose the closest I can describe it is shifting around my perspective to perceive the world differently, the people and their connections… Like I'm stepping out of my own shoes and trying on aspects of someone else." Ren said with a shrug. "It's not exactly something you can do easily, and with one exception it's primarily been something only I've been able to do for my magic."
"I see…" Hubert said, closing his eyes in thought. "Well, I suppose I can think more about that on my own time. I suppose I should thank you, Sensei."
"I suppose so." Ren replied with a shrug.
It was really just like riding a bike, getting used to the sudden sensation of time rippling to a halt as he felt his bonds strengthen, straining once more against chains to be free. The chains snapped, and the Arcana Card flourished.
{Rank Up!}
[The Hanged Man Arcana has increased to Rank 2!]
[You will now earn a Stat increase in a randomly chosen stat from Arcana Boost when fusing a Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana!]
Time resumed to its natural flow without issue, and as Hubert walked away from the thief Ren chuckled softly to himself.
"Yeah, I expected as much."
Ren walked past the various drills his students were running, taking a few idle moments to watch anything that got his attention before moving towards his target.
"Byleth." Ren said with a nod, walking up next to the mercenary.
"Ren." Byleth replied, keeping a watching eye on Edelgard.
The thief flared his Third Eye, glancing pointedly over the swordswoman's shoulder at the floating tag-along.
"Oh, well this is a surprise. Do you need me for something?" Sothis asked, raising an eyebrow. "I cannot do much in this state, and unless it's important I'd rather we not waste a divine pulse."
"Did you feel anything… strange, a little bit ago?" Ren asked, glancing over to where Hubert was sparring with Feridnand. Both were going at it with a strange ferocity that the thief made a mental note to check on later.
"Strange? No… No, I don't recall anything of the sort." Sothis replied before tilting her head at the thief. "Why?"
'So the time dilation when I progress or form a confidant is just me and not something supernatural then. Good, that would've been weird to explain.' Ren shrugged. "It's probably nothing. I think it was just the adrenaline wearing off."
"It was obviously something." Byleth said. "However, we won't push it if you don't think it's important."
"Wait, at least tell me what it felt like! You asked me, so obviously it's something time related, right?" Sothis asked.
Ren idly played with his curls. "Well… All it really did was slow my perception of time down. My movement wasn't gonna follow, but I could… see? I dunno. I still think it's the adrenaline though."
"Well either way, if you can see me and exist in your… you state, then there's a chance you're somehow tapping into some of the things I can do." Sothis replied with a huff. "Which is frankly concerning."
"What does Frank have to do with this?" Ren asked, forcing the growing smirk off his face.
"I-! You-!"
"Let's leave it for now." Byleth cut in, letting out a sigh. "We do have a class to teach."
"Right." Ren replied, turning off his Third Eye. "Let's finish today up."
"All right! That's enough for today!" Ren said, clapping his hands together. He let his arms fall to his side as his students lowered their weapons, disengaging from whatever spar they may have been in.
"Good work today." Byleth said with a nod. "On Monday we'll go over the notes we made from today's practice. You all have the rest of the day off, use that time as you see fit."
Ren pulled out his diary, flipping through the pages until he arrived on a blank one. 'Let's see…' The thief thought idly as he pulled out a pen from his pocket.
5/10
The thief glanced back over at his students, watching as their equipment was quickly put away in their proper places. "Overall not a lot of difference from the first week. Most of the improvements I did see today were with their teamwork in their random pairs. Might just be a case of them getting used to each other…"
"Ren." The teen blinked, turning towards Byleth as she walked up to him. "You said earlier that Lysithea was planning to join our house."
"I did." Ren replied with a nod, idly twirling his front bang. "You've gone over this with… Seteth, right? Regarding the process?"
"Yes. Go to his office with Lysithea tomorrow. You'll need to sign some papers once there, and everything else will be taken care of by him." Byleth noted, before tilting her head. "Also, are you alright?"
"Hm?" Ren blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You've been nervously touching your hair all day." Byleth stated as she motioned to the teen who was doing just that.
Ren froze. "I… didn't realize." He said, sheepishly lowering his hand. "I'm fine, just… nerves from the fight with Jeritza earlier."
"You were doing it before then as well though." Byleth noted, eyes narrowing a tiny bit.
Ren let out a sigh. "I guess… I'm just worried about the next mission." The teen replied. "It feels like there's more riding on it than just what it would originally seem. I guess it's getting to me."
Byleth nodded slowly before turning around. "Come on." She said, walking towards the exit of the practice arena.
"Huh? Where?" Ren asked, following after. The teen let out a sigh at the silence he received in response. "Oh okay, so don't fill me in then."
"Isn't this… Jeralt's office?" Ren asked, looking at the set of double doors the two found themselves standing in front of.
Byleth responded with a simple knock on the doors.
"It's open!"
"Talk to him." Byleth said, grabbing Ren by the shoulder before pushing him at the two doors.
"W-wait-!"
Ren collided with the doors and stumbled into the room, both doors swinging open with his impact. The teen glanced back at the empty space where Byleth had been standing moments prior and sighed. "...And she's gone." The teen muttered, turning around to look at the slight smirk adorning Jeralt's face. "...Yeah, I think I broke your door."
"Don't worry about it. The monastery covers the cost of repairs." The mercenary looked a touch too pleased by that fact. "I assume Byleth brought you here?"
"Yeah…" Ren rolled his neck, feeling the stiffness pull and release with a pop. "She said to talk to you, but I'm… not sure you're qualified to be a therapist."
Jeralt chuckled, motioning to the seat in front of his desk. "It amazes me how perceptive she is to everything but social cues." The mercenary said with a shake of his head. "So, what's on your mind?"
"...Nerves I guess." Ren replied with a shrug as he sat down. "It feels like everything hinges on what happens during this next mission."
"Your class is trying to capture the bandits we fought at Remire." Jeralt said with a raised eyebrow. "Hardly feels like the end of the world. Especially for bandits."
"It's… complicated, but I feel like there's something… more to this." Ren said with a sigh. "And I guess I'm still not looking forward to having to bloody my blade again."
"Then don't." Jeralt said, earning a raised eyebrow from the thief. "Your job here is to teach these students. From what I've heard so far, you've excelled at this role far more than you likely would've under my employ as a merc. If you are to come to blows, choose the non-lethal option. Let the church deal with the murder."
"It's… not that simple." Ren replied.
"Isn't it?" Jeralt asked. "You're a supervisor at worst, and a commander at best. Your students are the ones who are really being graded on these excursions, not you."
Ren leaned back into the chair, a pensive look on his face. "...What was your first kill like?" The teen asked after a moment. "If you don't mind me asking."
"My first… The first one that really mattered would've been when I met Lady Rhea, I suppose." Jeralt noted with a nod.
"Really?" Ren asked with wide eyes.
"You wouldn't know this, but before all this I used to be a soldier for the kingdom of Faerghus. At the time, I was… not fresh, but… it was a long time ago and those early memories are foggy at best." Jeralt said with a shrug. "I was hired to escort Lady Rhea, and it was during this mission that we came under attack. The details are foggy, but I killed people. It was desperate, more reactive than purposeful. All that effort to save my charge."
Jeralt watched as Ren's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint in the mercenary's eyes as the teen seemed to pick up on the underlying meaning he was putting down. "Ren, I don't have all the answers here. When you live as long as I have, you learn that sometimes all you can do is roll with the punches. But what I can share is this."
"Fighting to protect is an oxymoron, but it is never an act that anyone should condemn someone else for. This is the unspoken rule of life, and it is a rule that will likely never be broken." Jeralt stated. "However, we get to choose how we fight. We get to decide for ourselves what course of action to take. And when there's no other course but to draw steel and take, we can only do what we think is right. Do not think of what may have happened, because you can't change the past. So embrace the future you've fought for."
Ren nodded slowly. "...Thank you, Jeralt."
"Don't mention it. You're a good kid, Ren. The world needs someone like you here to shake things up." Jeralt replied with a smile.
Time fluttered to a halt as Jeralt's words echoed in the thief's head. Chains rattled and snapped, and the Hierophant strengthened.
{Rank Up!}
[The Hierophant Arcana has increased to Rank 2!]
[You will now earn a Stat increase in a randomly chosen stat from Arcana Boost when fusing a Persona of the Hierophant Arcana!]
Ren breathed out and smiled lightly. "So, any news about the bandits yet?"
"None yet. Last report was around Zanado, and it was undisturbed." Jeralt noted with a shrug.
"Zanado?" Ren asked.
"The red canyon. It's located in the Oghma Mountains, the range the monastery sits at the heart of." Jeralt replied. "It's got some importance to the Monastery, but otherwise isn't much to look at."
"Right… Weren't the knights searching up north earlier though?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Technically they still are. The recent report was from a smaller battalion that was sent out to take a look during a routine check." Jeralt replied with a nod.
"I see." Ren nodded. "...Speaking of up north, do you have any maps of the area around there I might be able to look over? I was thinking about possibly going over an established map for one of my upcoming classes and less one I made from scratch. Plus, it'd help prepare us if you do find the bandits around there."
"I might have one or two… Anywhere specific in mind? Up north is a vague specification."
"...Edelgard brought up Count Rowe's territory during lunch a few days ago. Would that work?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Count Rowe, huh? Hm… I don't know if the monastery has such a map… but I think I might." Jeralt replied with a furrowed brow. "Just give me a minute to look through the corps maps…"
"Wait, did you make your own maps for the mercenaries?" Ren asked with wide eyes.
"Not me, but we had a cartographer on hire to keep a… up to date map of the region. It's informal, and likely has some details in it that more widespread maps of the area wouldn't." Jeralt said as he pulled out a map and rolled it open. "Saved a lot of time when we were figuring out our next moves too…"
"I'd imagine." Ren replied with a nod.
"Hm. Ah, here we go." Jeralt said, looking down at another map before rolling it up and passing it to the thief. "Here. These haven't had much use since I've been rehired at the monastery, so feel free to hold onto it for however long you need."
"You sure?" Ren asked, taking the map in his off hand.
"Positive. Now, don't let me keep you." Jeralt said with a nod.
"Right. Thanks for this!" Ren waved as he walked out the broken doors. "And… sorry again about the doors."
"Heh. Seriously, don't mention it." Jeralt chuckled with a smirk.
The thief didn't walk far once he was out of Jeralt's office, seeing as Seteth's office was close by. Ren walked up to the doors and knocked, taking in a breath as he waited for a response.
"Come in."
Ren opened the doors and stepped inside, catching sight of Seteth hunched over some papers. "Seteth." Ren began, inclining his head towards the green haired advisor.
"Ah, Professor Amamiya." Seteth said, looking up from his documents. "Is there a meaning to this visit?"
"Yes. I was told you were the person to come to regarding having a student change houses." Ren replied, walking up to the man's desk. The teen peered down at the papers and raised an eyebrow. "Professor ranking?"
"Ah, I do not believe I have gone over the concept yet with you or Professor Eisner yet." Seteth said with a nod. "We use it as a test of your ability. It's usually only in effect during a professor's first year, as by the end of said year they usually plateau into a specific rank. These ranks dictate how much support we grant to a professor. Be that with higher budget allotments, more specialized services, or delegation of some of a professor's more monotonous work to give you more time for other activities."
"I see." Ren nodded. "And what rank are Byleth and I at?"
"Currently, I believe E+." Seteth nodded. "But this is not why you are here. You mentioned a student switching houses."
"Yes. Lysithea asked me about such a thing earlier this week. We felt it was best to wait until the end of the week to avoid any… curriculum issues that may have arised." Ren said, placing his hands in his pockets. "I do wish to ask something though."
"What would that be?"
"Is there a limit?" Ren asked, getting a raised eyebrow from the advisor. "In regards to students joining our class. Not to say I expect we'll end up stealing Professor Manuela and Hanneman's students, but…"
"It pays to be knowledgeable." Seteth finished, getting a nod from Ren. "There is no real limit, as it is the student's choice as to what house they ultimately reside in. They are paying for their tuition, after all. With that said however, if you do somehow manage to have all of our students transfer over, then I think we will have to have a staff meeting to discuss how to handle things."
"That's fair."
"So, where is Ms. Ordelia? She does have to sign these forms herself as well." Seteth asked.
"Not available to do so today. This was mainly a courteous visit to ask you to help us go over the process tomorrow." Ren said. "If that is fine with you?"
"Well, it gives me time to prepare the paperwork, so I have no issue with the advance notice." Seteth replied, standing up from his desk as he headed towards a wood filing cabinet. "Is there a time you had in mind? I admit my schedule is rather open tomorrow."
"Not yet, I need to ask Lysithea when it would work with her, but when we're ready, is it alright if I send Morgana to fetch you?" Ren asked.
"Morgana? Ah, that's your… cat, correct?" Seteth asked, getting a nod from the teen. "Forgive me for being frank, but your cat is scarily intelligent. Did you train it?"
"Well…" Ren glanced to the side and played with the bangs of his hair. "Something along those lines I suppose…"
Seteth chuckled. "I doubt there will be issues with that. My office is open come 7 tomorrow morning, so feel free to send… Morgana, to inform me you're ready. I assume we'd be meeting in your café?"
"That's right. I'll have coffee ready, if you want?" Ren asked with a shrug.
"I would not be opposed to a cup."
"Sounds like a plan then." Ren said, giving a light wave as he turned and walked out of the office. "See you tomorrow!"
Seteth closed the filing cabinet and placed the student house forms to the side, sitting back into his chair as he looked at the closed doors of his office. "...I have the strangest feeling. Tomorrow…" The advisor mused, a pensive look on his face.
"Ren!" Anna said with a smirk. "Just the man I was hoping to see!"
"Anna. You're in particularly high spirits? Do you have an update on the book deal?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked over to the merchant.
"Not just yet, but there's one publisher that seems interested. I might be able to get them to crack soon…" Anna replied before shaking her head. "No, I have something else for you!"
"Something else?" The thief asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yep! Just came in today!" Anna replied with a smile as she reached down and lifted a wooden box onto her counter. "I think you've been waiting for this, yeah?"
Ren's eyes widened as he moved to lift the lid off of the box. "Ha! You actually did it!" He said with a wide smile as he looked down at the brass horn in the box.
"Naturally." Anna replied with a smug shrug.
"How much do I owe you for this?" Ren asked, looking at the merchant.
"Here." Anna handed the thief a slip of paper. "Your receipt."
"Right, one sec." Ren replied, putting his receipt into his pocket before handing Anna her payment. "Here you go."
"So, are you here to buy something or is this just lucky timing?" Anna asked as the thief picked up the box with his free arm.
"Lucky timing I guess." Ren replied with a shrug, eyes glancing to the side to look back at the marketplace as a whole. "Also, to ask a question."
"Sure."
"I'd like to make an effort to avoid Louis Vangaur, considering the recent… scuffle." Ren said with a shrug. "Any window of time he normally isn't present in the market for?"
"Aside from right now?" Anna paused before nodding. "There's the early morning setup around 7 to 8 where he's not present. Most people aren't to be honest, at least in the last 15 minutes. Immediately after though, I'd recommend keeping clear, since he does an inspection at 8. There's the usual lunch break he leaves for, and then… it's a bit random if I'm being honest."
"Got it, I'll keep that in mind." Ren smiled.
"Glad to see you're keeping your head down around him." Anna replied. "Socially you're untouchable, but…"
"Hey, don't worry. I'll keep safe. Besides, I can't have you take all the profits for the books." Ren laughed as he turned and walked away from the merchant.
"Sure, that's all it is." Anna replied with a smirk as the thief walked away. "...Something exciting is brewing. I can feel it."
The bell rung as Ren walked into Leblanc Nouveau, box held steady in one arm and map tucked under his armpit as he used his free hand to open the door. "I'm home!"
"Hey, you've been out for a while." Morgana noted as he stood up. The cat raised an eyebrow at the box the thief placed down on the counter. "What's that?"
"The last piece of the puzzle." Ren said with a smile as he quickly placed the rolled up map onto a nearby table before running upstairs. The thief came back down a few seconds later, arms wrapped around a wooden box with various metal pieces connected to the top.
"It's done!?" Mona asked, eyes wide as Ren placed his DIY project on a cleared space by the counter.
"Yep." Ren replied with a smile as he reached to the side and opened the box, taking the brass horn out of the box before attaching it to the record player. "And that… should do it."
Compared to earlier, it was no longer a mess of wires held together by dreams and spite. The player was encased in a wood box with a drawer at the bottom, the corners covered by metal caps. Ren pulled open the drawer and took a breath. "Okay… now please… please work."
The teen lifted the record and carefully put it into place. He flicked the power switch with his off hand before carefully lowering the needle down onto the disk.
There was a quick static sound that rang out as the device adjusted, before a familiar melody began to echo through the café.
(Play Beneath the Mask - Persona 5)
The teen exhaled. It was shaky, as he leaned against the counter, head bowed until his bangs brushed against the wood. "...It works…" He whispered.
"...It does." Morgana replied, walking up next to the thief. He placed a paw on Ren's shoulder and smiled, eyes watering. "It works."
Ren laughed, wet and heavy as the familiar song played. "...I was starting to forget what it sounded like." He said, raising his head to look at the painting displayed proudly on the wall. "...We'll make you proud, all of you. Until we see each other again."
"Well said." Morgana nodded, as the two fell into a comfortable silence as the song played.
"...Hey Morgana, can you get Lysithea and Claude here? I think it's time we discussed tomorrow." Ren asked.
"Yeah, I'll be right back!" Morgana replied, leaping off the counter and rushing up the stairs.
Ren turned around and leaned his back against the bar, looking up at the ceiling with a smile. "I'm a shape-shifter… At Poe's masquerade~"
(Stop Music)
Ren poured out three cups of coffee and placed them at the counter. The teen patted down his uniform, looking down at it with a soft smile. The thief smoothed out a few of the wrinkles on the white button up shirt he wore, fiddling a touch with the sleeves to confirm they stayed rolled up to just below his elbows. The red apron was still pristine, the colors slightly muted so it didn't pop too hard against his shirt.
The thief nodded to himself and picked up the cup closest to him, taking a moment to take in the aroma before sipping the coffee. "...Just like home." He muttered, placing the cup down on the counter.
The bell by the front door rang out as said door swung open, both Claude and Lysithea walking in after. "We're here." Claude remarked as he sat down on one of the stools.
"You are." Ren replied with a smirk, motioning to the coffee cups. "Here. Just brewed them, so they're probably a bit hot."
"Thank you." Lysithea said with a smile as she picked up the cup.
Morgana pushed the front door closed after he ducked inside. He glanced up to the sign by the door and nodded. "Okay, we're closed."
Ren smiled before turning to the side and pulling out the record drawer. "So, let's get down to business."
"Hey, Sensei? What's that you got there?" Claude asked, raising an eyebrow as the thief pulled out a record.
Ren smirked, placing the record onto the player. He flicked the switch and dropped the needle down in quick succession before turning to his teammates with a smirk. "Just a little something I've been working on."
(Play Wicked Plan - Persona 5)
"Huh!?" Lysithea stood up, eyes wide as music began to echo through the café. "I-Wait, did we end up in the Metaverse while I wasn't looking?"
"Nope!" Morgana said, hopping up onto the counter. "Lady and gentleman, we give you… The record player!"
"Record player?" Claude asked.
"It's an old device from back home that was used to play music off of records. That was that round disc thing I put onto it, by the way." Ren replied, crossing his arms. "It was the last piece that was missing, and now… it's ready."
The thief placed his hands on the counter and smirked. "Now, let's talk about the real reason for today's meeting. Louis Vangaur."
"Oh right, that's the guy who's planning to hire an assassin to kill you tomorrow." Claude deadpanned, before rolling his eyes sarcastically. "Why would we be talking about him?"
"Could you take this seriously?" Lysithea asked with a huff.
"She has a point. Tomorrow is going to be tight." Ren said, crossing his arms. "I asked Anna earlier when he'd be away from the market under the guise of figuring out when best to come to avoid him. Good news, he's gone between 7-8 in the morning, and it's mostly dead 15 minutes before 8 proper."
"Which would give us time to set up the Calling Card." Rokuó noted.
"Yes, but not fully. I hate saying this, but I'm high profile. A new professor, and a foreigner at that. Unless my alibi is air tight when the card is delivered, I'd likely be suspect right away." Ren shook his head and sighed. "And neither of you can be seen setting those cards up."
"So how are we doing this then? You said it yourself, the market is basically empty." Claude said.
"Yes, and considering the monastery is full of them, no one would notice a stray cat wandering the place." Ren replied, glancing over at Morgana.
"This is nothing for me. I've done this exact thing dozens of times before." Mona replied with a smirk.
"So then if he's doing that, what do we do?" Lysithea asked.
"...Claude, think you can be there to witness the discovery of the card?" Ren asked. "Hell, start rumors, get the guards on the guy, anything to make the impact of the card not be brushed off."
"Oh, I can do that. Think I'd be able to drag Hilda along with me for it? She'd get a kick out of the drama." Claude asked, holding his coffee to his lips.
"As long as you can keep her in the dark, go ahead." Ren said with a nod, before turning to look at Lysithea. "Now then, us."
"Us?" Lysithea asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't you remember, we have a meeting with Seteth about switching your house." Ren said with a smirk. "Which just so happens to nicely fall into that 15 minute point of time where we'd be delivering the Calling Card."
"Oh! And with Seteth here, your alibi would be airtight!" Lysithea said with wide eyes.
"Well, you sure have this all planned out." Claude noted with a smirk. "But what are we going to actually do for the Calling Card?"
Ren paused and glanced over at Morgana. "Hm… Thinking we go big? Plaster the whole market with them?"
"Our introduction needs to be showy, I can think of no better way!" Mona replied.
"Alright then. We're all in agreement?" Ren asked, getting nods from the test of the thieves. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow, we step out of the shadows and take the world by storm!"
