Chapter 24: Infiltration: Start!
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Akira•
Sighing, he let his head fall into his hands as he sat down on his bed.
Why art thou so down, Trickster? Thy showing against the artist was quite the spectacle!
He groaned harder.
As a general of hell, I must disagree with you, Arsène. It is smart to know when you should fight, and when diplomacy is necessary.
'Yeah, and the problem is I jumped straight over diplomacy when I began throttling him,' he thought to them.
That was rather foolish, kouhai.
'Stop calling us that, Picaro. What do you think, Berith?'
It was foolish to let your emotions take control like that. It may have been frustrating dealing with him, but lashing out in such a way was unbecoming.
I think it was perfect! Arsène's voice boomed within his head, dark laughter echoing. After all, didst thou not promise that you would stay true to thyself? To defend those in need of help, and never turn away? Thy paramour was in trouble, and so thou stepped in. There is no shame to be had.
'And I'd agree if I hadn't— as I've said— literally started choking him before even trying to question him.' He paused, having nearly missed a certain comment. 'And don't call Ann my paramour.'
You are being too harsh, Dear, Saki Mitama spoke, you did attempt to talk at first, but Kitagawa was within his own world. You saw as much, even as you attacked him he almost seemed lost in thought about his painting.
'Still…'
"Hey, still thinking about today?" He nodded at Morgana's question, and the not-cat jumped into his lap. "Yeah, I could tell. You've been holding your head like that for a while."
"I really messed up, Morgana. I assaulted Kitagawa-san. Just because he didn't even seem to care afterward doesn't erase that. Hell, it just makes me feel even worse about it. I escalated a misunderstanding and nearly beat the crap out of him…"
"Was it really that bad?"
"Mona, I shattered his supplies, threw him across the room, and threatened to beat his face in. I think at one point I was considering blasting him with a Rebellion."
"Oh. Yeah, that's pretty bad."
"Thank you for the wondrous insight."
At least he did not call the police. Thy record wouldst not let thee survive that.
Too true.
He just groaned again, getting up and grabbing his phone and pajamas. It wasn't late enough that Sojiro had closed up for the night, so he quickly made his way across the street and into the bathhouse. Morgana followed of his own accord, which he didn't mind. Well, he did partially, but he was slowly getting used to being 'naked' around others in the bathhouse, what was one more? At least Morgana was just a cat.
He was smart enough to not say that out loud.
He breathed out, embarrassed, as he stepped into the bathing area in his towel, quickly submerging himself. Today, the only other patron was an old man who was slowly adding hot water into the bath. Hopefully he'd stop soon, it was already on the verge between 'warm' and 'uncomfortable.'
"So, you're going to apologize by modeling for him?" Morgana questioned, laying on a towel he'd brought in himself, not caring about the old man. To be fair, that man was hyper-focused on that faucet. It wasn't like he'd be telling anyone.
"It's the least I can do. I also bought some art supplies online to replace the ones I destroyed, they should be shipped over to Madarame's shack soon enough."
"Isn't art stuff expensive? You destroyed a lot of things, you know."
"Yeah, I'll probably head into Mementos to make back the money I spent," thinking up an answer quickly. "Or at the very least I'll make that back and then some by exploring the Museum."
"Hm…" they spent the rest of the time at the bathhouse in companionable silence, until he couldn't take the rising heat anymore and he grumbled his way out, the old man still pouring in more hot water. After washing his hair he sat in the locker room and cooled off, idly petting Morgana, who only complained half-heartedly.
His phone ringing drew him from his thoughts, and he saw Mishima's name on the screen. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. Got a minute?"
"Of course."
"Great! I actually have some real interesting news! Someone who received a change of heart contacted me on the Phan-site!"
His heart leaped into his throat, and, after looking around to make sure no others were in the locker room, glared down at his phone. "Mishima, you need to be more careful! Right now it's only the student council president trying to find out who we are, but it very well could be law enforcement in the future!" Morgana looked up at him in confusion but kept silent as he tried to listen in.
"Don't worry, I looked into all the info, it was someone whose heart was changed a while ago because of a post talking about a stalker-ex boyfriend. Everything checked out."
"Still, you have to promise to be extra careful. I don't know everything about computers or hacking, but I'm sure it's possible for someone to find out nearly everything about us just by you accepting a message request."
"Right, sorry. I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, he contacted me and said he wanted to talk to you about another person who needs a change of heart."
He sighed at Mishima's blasé attitude, while his mind whirled. Given what Mishima had said, and what he remembered from mementos, the only person who came to mind was Nakanohara. "Alright, what did you tell him?"
"That I could get him in contact with you if you accepted."
He pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten, but he was at least happy that Mishima hadn't immediately agreed to have them meet up. "Alright, message him that we'll send a representative of the Phantom thieves to speak with him, and to head down into Shibuya station at the Buchiko statue entrance by four in the afternoon tomorrow. I'll also need a way of messaging him, but don't tell him that, just give me the username he's using to speak with you on the Phan-site."
There was silence as Mishima either went through with his instructions or wrote them down. "…Alright, I'll send you the name now! Good luck tomorrow!" Mishima hung up, and he sighed.
"He needs to learn subtlety."
"From what I heard, I agree. How are you going to meet with Nakanohara without giving away your identity?"
"Probably with a lot of bullshit cliches like wearing a black hoodie and sunglasses," he groaned, head falling into his hands. What else could he do?! He would have given himself more time to set something up or brainstorm ideas, but Nakanohara was the one who first set them after Madarame, and with their deadline of the end of the exhibit, getting this over with as soon as possible would be for the best. Whatever he had to say might affect if they even went after Madarame, after all.
He trudged back to Leblanc and sat at his desk, grabbing his tools and creating some lock picks, wanting to do something without needing to think. His hands lazily grabbed pieces and tools and began working them together, Morgana napping in his lap and his Personas having conversations in his head, and he was able to create at least two picks before his phone buzzed.
Chat Room: The Phantom Thieves
Ryuji— Just found out somethin insane bout Madarame
Ryuji— sounds like a student offed himself when he couldn't talk about Madarame stealin his work
You— That is simply unforgivable.
Ann— There was that journalist looking into Madarame, too… it could be real.
He nodded, thinking back to the woman who had spoken to them after they'd left Yusuke to paint, outside of the shack. He still had her business card, slightly crumpled and shoved into his school uniform's pants pocket.
Ryuji— This is xomplete bullehit tho!
Ryuji— Someoje died and no ones talkin about it!
Ryuji— I bet it was covered up!
Ann— I wonder if Kitagawa-kun heard anything. It'd be great if he could help us out.
Ryuji— Aint that askin a bit much?
Ryuji— I mean Akira's gonna model 4 him n all but askin him about anything to do wit M is p much beggin 4 trouble
You— You're learning, Ryu. But yes, if I do ask him anything I've got to be subtle while doing so. Frame it as innocent concern from what I heard today, which will be easy because it's the truth.
Ryuji— Either way M's a real piece of crap
Ryuji— Let's meet up at the new hideout tmw!
Ann— The passageway in Shibuya, right?
You— Correct, in the teikyu building accessway.
Ann— Alright, see you guys tomorrow!
"So, that's one heck of a rumor…" Morgana, having woken up and read through the conversation with him, flicked his tail in thought. "If it's true, there have to be other victims…"
"It's truly despicable, driving someone to suicide. Even were that his only crime, it'd be worth it to make him confess to that," he spoke. "Come on, let's get to bed. We have an important day tomorrow."
Ω • Ω • Ω
5/18, Wednesday
DEADLINE: JUNE 5TH
DAYS UNTIL EXHIBIT ENDS: 18
Steal Madarame's heart.
•Nakanohara•
He descended the stairwell, looking around at the orderly chaos of Shibuya station. An immense amount of people came and went, and there was a low hum of voices, enough that you'd need to raise your voice slightly for someone to hear you if you were speaking to them.
His phone suddenly buzzed, and he looked down to see a notification that someone had messaged him on the Phantom Aficionado site. The username was a jumble of letters and numbers, so it was probably a burner account. The message, however, was anything but spam.
RQA8279SOS: Take the first left. Walk straight. The third bench. Sit there. A representative of the Phantom Thieves will speak with you.
Nakanohara sucked in a breath, before following the directions. He wasn't sure whether the energy flowing through his body was from nervousness or excitement. On one hand, he'd be meeting with a group that could very well be dangerous, and it seemed like they were very professional with how they were setting up this meeting.
On the other hand, this was a chance for Madarame to see justice…
Eventually, he sat down on the bench and looked around. He didn't see anyone that looked like a potential Phantom Thief. Everyone was constantly moving, and no one was spending any time stopping to even look in his direction.
"Hello, Nakanohara."
He jumped and looked around. "H-Hello?" No one was looking at him, or standing near him. Where…?
"Don't bother looking for us." He felt a shiver run up his spine and sat still. He was reasonably sure that the voice was coming from a phone, but he didn't know how they knew when he'd sat down when he'd entered the station, what he was doing… He was probably being watched, but there was no one around that looked like they were watching him! Had they hacked into the station's cameras and watched him through those or something?
"U-Um, so, the admin of the Phantom Aficionado Website has told you that I had information on someone who needed a change of heart?"
"Of course. We accepted a meeting, after all."
"Er, right."
"But know this: If you contacted us to deliver petty revenge unto someone who has wronged you, but committed no crime, this meeting will end here. The administrator will accept no more messages from you, nor will we."
"No, it's nothing like that… the crimes this person committed are real. It's my old teacher, Madarame." He sighed, the memories bubbling up. "He gave me lodging at his home, where I only thought about art. I genuinely wanted to be an artist… There was another student there, my senior, by multiple years. Obviously, Madarame kept tabs on him. Everything he made was claimed as a Madarame original. And he wasn't the only victim."
"..."
Whoever he was speaking to stayed silent, so he continued. "In response to Madarame's actions, he committed suicide. He must not have been able to bear seeing his work praised under Madarame's name. That's when I disobeyed his orders and left, but he quickly pressured other parts of the art world, and my life as a painter was destroyed."
"Despicable, and crimes that must be confessed to."
He heaved a sigh of relief, happy to hear that Madarame would be getting his due and that maybe his final pupil would now be safe. "Ha… because of him, and my own attachment to art, I became warped… hell, I even became a stalker… please, give Madarame a change of heart. There are so many people he's hurt that deserve justice, not just me. Yusuke…"
"Yes, we've done our research. The final pupil under Madarame, Kitagawa Yusuke, a student at Kosei, who already Madarame has stolen several works from."
"So you know… yes, not only is he a talented artist, but he also owes Madarame for taking him in after his mother passed. He is the perfect target. I've spoken with him a couple times back when I still lived there, asking if he'd ever want to leave… and he responded by saying 'if I could, I would…'"
"I see."
"I probably have no right to say this given my prior cowardice, but I don't want to see another suicide! I'd like to find a way to save this young man. He has a bright future ahead of him! So please, save him!"
"We will. What you've told us, combined with our own investigations, leaves little doubt to his guilt. You can leave it in our hands. You should leave, now, while we get to work."
He stood and began walking away, a weight lifted from his shoulders.
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Ann•
It was a bit nerve-wracking, waiting around for Morgana to return. Akira had waited thirty minutes before calling to tell them that Nakonhara should be gone, so Morgana had run around the corner, speeding towards the bench to grab Ryuji's phone, which had been duct-taped to the bottom.
Finally, he returned, Ryuji's phone held in his mouth. He wouldn't be happy to hear that, but she'd just not mention it… either way, she took it from Morgana and picked him up, before walking outside to where he was waiting.
"Hey, it all go smoothly?"
Akira's voice crackled through the speakers of her phone, "it did, he gave us some damn good information. I recorded the conversation if you guys want to hear it." To make sure that no noise would be in the background to give anything away, Akira had gone to his home and called Ryuji's phone from his room. Ryuji then subtly, or as subtly as Ryuji could manage, taped his phone beneath the bench, before walking out of the station.
Ann waited underground and kept an eye out for Nakanohara, who she recognized from his Shadow. She sent a quick text to Akira, who began messaging him, and Morgana followed. When Nakanohara sat down where Ryuji's phone waited, Morgana signaled her, and she messaged Akira to begin speaking. After that, it was all up to him. "Do you want me to send it? Make sure to wear headphones so no one else hears."
"Yeah, send it over." Ryuji's phone beeped, and he fished out a bundled-up ball that looked like it might have once been earphones, taking a full minute to unravel it. After she grabbed one and Ryuji the other, they played the video.
"So?" Akira asked after a minute.
"We've been asked to act directly by one of Madarame's victims… And added onto that, Nakanohara's story perfectly matches what we've learned so far. I think we can all agree that Madarame is a worthy target."
She and Ryuji looked at each other, before nodding, agreeing with Morgana. "Right. Plus, from what he said, it seems like Kitagawa-kun as well wants help too, even if he didn't admit it to us."
"Hell yeah, we gotta save him! Madarame's a piece of shit who preys on the weak, and we're gonna make sure he pays!"
"Then it's decided. Our next target is the plagarist and abuser, Ichiryusai Madarame."
"Suicide…" She clenched her fists, and a roaring fire blazed within her, Carmen's chuckles echoing silently. "I won't ever let something like that happen!" A moment passed, and she forced herself to calm down. "Plus, we finally get to hear how Kitagawa-kun really feels!"
"Since we've settled, let's get started right away. I'll get to Shibuya as soon as possible and we'll begin planning."
They agreed and entered the accessway to wait for Akira. When he finally arrived, he immediately entered planning mode. "So, we all know that the Museum will likely be different from the Castle."
"We could pay dearly if we assume it'll be any easier, or even that it might be of the same difficulty level," Morgana agreed. "We should be careful… and furthermore, Akira's chastity is on the line!"
Everyone paused, Ryuji fumbling with a soda he nearly dropped. "'Scuse me?"
"We all saw how quickly Yusuke's mind shifts gears! Who knows if he might one day want to paint Akira nude? While not as much as a travesty were it Lady Ann, we must still protect our leader!"
"How thoughtful," Akira drawled, causing her to giggle. "Truly, I'm thankful that my not-cat is so protective of my body."
Ryuji grinned and nudged him, "Just do some workouts and gain some abs so you got nothin' to be embarrassed about!"
"Back to the planning, please? We have until June fifth, the day the exhibit ends."
"Wait, we got a deadline?" Ryuji chugged some soda and burped, causing her to gag as Akira rolled his eyes. "What for?"
"From what Kitagawa's told me, the exhibit will end with Madarame unveiling his new artwork. Guess who will really paint it."
The can of soda was crushed as Ryuji realized, and he began hissing in anger. She furrowed her brow as well and clenched her fists. "Then let's do this. Come on, Akira, lead the way! We'll start today!"
He smirked his Joker smirk and pulled out his phone. "Alright, let's drop into the Metaverse from somewhere inconspicuous. Since it's not Mementos, there should be relatively few Shadows on the way to his Museum from here. Everyone ready?"
"Bring it!"
"Yeah!"
"Mrow, of course!"
"Then let's go! Infiltration, start!"
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Akira•
The museum loomed overhead, garish colors and lights shining high into the sky. As he'd thought, there had been barely any shadows on the run over and said run was done easily with Persona-enhanced stamina. None of them were even out of breath.
"So, I'm sure you all remember, but the first step is securing an infiltration route."
"Yeah, and after we find the treasure, we send in the card, we know the drill! Now let's go!" Everyone rolled their eyes at Skull, before sprinting at the truck still parked at the wall to parkour over.
Mona leaped up with cat-like agility, Skull jumped and nearly tripped at the top, and Panther clambered up easily. He made to follow, only for some sixth sense to blare in his mind. "Our master would like a word with you, Inmate. Please, come in." Justine had appeared from nowhere, the door to the Velvet Room swinging open.
He paused, before shrugging and heading inside. Whatever time-altering properties the room had would at least mean the others wouldn't lose him. He appeared back in his cell, his clothing once more transforming into his prison uniform. He grimaced at the texture of the clothes and gripped the bars of his cell lightly, looking at Igor. "So, you've come."
"Well, Justine did say please."
"Justine, don't coddle the Inmate!"
Igor ignored Caroline's fuming, steepling his fingers. "Your rehabilitation is progressing smoothly, it seems."
"I suppose that's partly from your help," he spoke, leaning against the door. He'd gotten used to him, but there was still a small niggling fear that the man was dangerous.
"Most excellent. I have prepared a gift for you, a reward for your most excellent conduct."
His mind shifted suddenly, and he stumbled, feeling sick. There was a cacophony in his head, like a dozen voices speaking at once, as his perception of the world shifted. Trickster, art thou alright?!
"Ha… ha…"
"Inmate, are you alright?" Caroline looked at him in concern, before catching herself. "I-I mean, get up, Inmate! How can you complete your rehabilitation if a simple headache knocks you out?!"
"Careful, you were showing your dere side there." She squawked in offense, and he breathed out as he stood up fully. "Igor, what was that?"
"Every Shadow has a 'Trait' you could call it. I shifted your cognition of the world so that you could be aware of them, what they do, and how to swap them between Personas. A most powerful gift, once you've gotten the hang of it."
"Our master is extending incredible kindness, Inmate! Shed tears of joy!"
"Can they be tears of pain?" He asked, head still throbbing.
"Your Personas are born from the masks of your heart and come in many shapes and sizes. Master the inner workings of each on your journey towards rehabilitation. Do so, and they will aid you greatly."
"If you have other business, you may leave now," Justine spoke, a flit of concern passing through her emotionless eyes at his pain.
"See you." He turned and walked out, nearly stumbling from the transition of Velvet Room to Metaverse. His fellow Thieves were just barely hopping the wall now, so he chased after them, hopping up the truck.
Trickster?
'I'm fine. Not perfect, but the migraine's subsiding.'
He said Thou couldst see 'traits?'
'I've got no idea what that means. Guess I'll experiment when we have the time.' He focused on keeping up, and slowly his headache vanished, by the time they'd reentered the museum through the skylight they'd used previously, it was completely gone.
"Come on, let's get this done!" Skull ran forward towards the next room, but Mona suddenly grabbed his pant leg and pulled him back.
"Wait, you numbskull! There are infrared lasers there!"
Everyone paused and looked at the doorway. They couldn't see anything there, but once he activated his Third Eye he could see the bright red lights. Perhaps Mona had sensed them with some thief sense. "So there are. Why weren't they activated last time we were here?"
"Maybe something's happened in reality to heighten his security in here. Either way, we've got to be careful."
"I can keep my Third Eye active constantly. It doesn't seem to drain me or hurt me, so it should be alright…"
He got down and crawled beneath the lasers, but once he got up he sighed when he realized the next room was filled with lasers.
Good luck!
This should be entertaining.
Cheering for you.
Anyone got popcorn?
'Screw all of you.'
Ω • Ω • Ω
"Double Fangs!" Eligor charged forward, his spear thrusting once into the stomach of a tiny gnome-like creature holding a leaf, before pulling back and swinging it around to strike a second time.
There was a screech from the Shadow as it disappeared, and another fae-like creature that looked similar to Pixie attempted to blast him with flame. It did barely anything against the horseman, and she also quickly vanished when Skulk pulled out his shotgun and blasted her.
"'Nother Shadow down!"
"Careful not to fall into any lasers while celebrating," Panther shook her head.
"I got it, I got it."
"Hmph. I had no chance to unleash my 'trait' within that battle.'
"You'll get your chance next time," he commented, patting Eligor's horse before turning him back into his mask. Thermal Conduct. An ability that let Eligor have a much higher hance of burning enemies after they'd been powered up by allies... It wasn't exactly much use against the tiny fairies that were immune to fire. He didn't know when exactly he'd noticed it, but all of a sudden the knowledge of his Persona's 'traits' had appeared in the back of his mind, like how he knew their skills or affinities intuituvely. Perhaps it had been after the headache had subsided completely?
Either way, he needed to focus. The world became dark once more, and he waved everyone forward. "Alright, follow me." Just as the lasers had been randomly activated, Shadows had appeared in the rooms that had been empty beforehand, so they couldn't be complacent.
He approached a corner and peered around it, seeing Shadows in the form of security guards, like how the generic guards in Kamoshida's castle were knights. The door they needed to through next was behind them, but between the shadows and them were several lasers.
"More traps, between the shadows and us."
"There's no way around, and if we try to attack through the lasers we'll trip the alarm. If we try to sneak through carefully they'll see us coming and raise the security level," Mona muttered.
"I'll go first," he decided. "I can probably get through these quick enough to rip off their masks before they sound the alarm."
"You'll be on your own for a few seconds while we try and follow your path through," Panther pointed out.
"Yeah, we can't let you kick ass on your own!"
"I'll be fine, hell I'll probably finish this before you even get there to help," he smirked. With that, he prepared to leap forward through the walls of lasers.
And… go!
He sprinted around the corner and slid below a laser, jumped over another two, and dove between another set. The guards spotted him and began shouting, but before the security level could raise he ripped off his mask and summoned Succubus. She flew above the lasers and buffeted the guards with flames, and he quickly followed up by springing into them, his right hand jamming his knife beneath one guard's mask, and his left using his nails to dig into it.
With a heave, he tore both masks free, and the Shadows quickly exploded into black goop, becoming a group of about eight fairies. "Whoa! Where'd you come from?!"
He just grinned and dove into the thick of it. This was probably the most enemies he'd faced at once… although maybe that was when he, Skull, and Mona were running from Kamoshita's guards after Skull had Awakened. Then again, that wasn't a fight, more a retreat…
Whatever, that wasn't important, he was in the middle of eight enemies who wanted to kill him, even if they were fairly weak fairies. He sidestepped a fireball and thrust, piercing a fairy and killing them. He dove and rolled as two more balls of fire flew over his head, before Succubus used Marin Karin, placing two fingers on her lips and blowing a kiss towards one fae.
The tiny woman flashed pink, before turning to attack another, while he pulled his gun out and shot down two more. The rest screeched and flew down to attack him with their tiny fists, which wasn't that threatening. Obviously.
Still, they tried. So, he'd give them a consolation prize. "PSI Rebellion α!" Red, silver, and black light flooded the area as the Shadows were blasted back by the psychedelic lights. The PSI attack was tiring, but it made sense when the ability was so devastating. It was best saved for situations like this when he was absolutely surrounded by a large number of enemies.
Most of the fairies evaporated, and of the remaining two, one was his brainwashed fae. The last enemy hesitated, unsure whether to attack or retreat, but a blast from Skull's shotgun turned her to dust, and his brainwashed fairy followed with another blast. "Hey, what took you so long?"
"Well, I'm sorry I can't see a buncha lasers."
"Oh please, it's not like they're that hard to avoid." They walked into the next hall and found it completely filled with lasers. "Fuck."
"You were sayin'?"
"Zip it."
"How're we supposed to get through this?" Mona groaned.
"Are there any gaps?"
He eyed the lasers crisscrossing the room and nodded. "A few, but they're all in a lot of different places. It'll be hard to sneak through them, and we'll need to use our grappling hooks."
"The good news is that only one of us needs to do it." Mona pointed at the other end of the room, where a button stood proudly. "I'm willing to bet that'll shut all the lasers off."
"Why? Wouldn't somethin' like that be in a security room?"
"Or at least not out in the open," Panther added.
"Well, there's nothing else around here it'd be connected to. And it doesn't have a big sign saying 'alarm' over it. Last but not least, this is someone's cognition of a museum, not a real one. How many movies or shows have you seen where the thieves parkour through lasers then hit a switch to shut them down that was conveniently nearby?"
"Too many."
"Alright, Joker, you're up!"
"Uh, and why is that?"
"You're the best with that hook! Plus, I'm sure you can manage it!" Skull pat him on the back while Panther and Mona gave him thumbs up and they all backed away.
"Screw all of you."
Thou has this! Just swing and then dive, then grapple again and—!
'Not helping!'
Good luck.
This'll be entertaining.
He grumbled and aimed his hand, making a gun shape with his fingers and looking down his arm to see exactly where the grappling hook would launch. When he had the angle through the first laser and he mentally calculated how he would move through the rest, he fired.
The hook sailed through the air and wrapped around a pipe on the ceiling before it reeled him in. He straightened his body to fly through the first set of lasers, before recalling the hook, and tucking his body in to roll midair and through another set of lasers. When his feet were pointed downward he held his arms to his side and dove through a third set.
He hit the ground hard but rolled to bleed off the momentum, all while slipping under more lasers. He transitioned into a run and dove through a fifth set, landed on his hands to position himself for a flip over a sixth, and began running up a wall to slip over a seventh.
He kept his breathing even and tried not to think too hard about what his next move would be. He knew how to do a roll, he'd learned in his self-defense courses, but everything else? Not so much. But, just like he'd suddenly learned how to use a dagger, or how he just knew how to command his Personas efficiently or what powers they had, moving like a thief was simply natural while he was in costume.
As he fell back to the ground after his wall run, he spun and flicked his hand towards the ceiling, sending his grappling hook up once more. It collided with the ceiling and stuck, but his weight would tear it free in a moment. But, before it would, his downwards momentum transferred into forward momentum, and he swung towards the final set. He pulled, and the hook came free just as he swung his body forward, crossing his arms in an x over his chest.
His body sailed through, landed safely, and he held his hand out to let the hook snap back into place. He casually walked forward and hit the button, causing the lasers to shut down. Well done! Thou almost did it as perfectly as I would!
He snorted and waved the others over. "You aren't even real, you're from a book."
Sayeth that to mine face, bitch.
"Joker, that was awesome!"
"Yeah! Effin' amazing, dude!" Skull clapped him on the shoulder while grinning.
"Hey, check it out." Mona hopped over to a door covered in lasers and pressed the button next to it, turning the lasers off and revealing the room they had rappelled into. "It's a small shortcut, but it's still a shortcut."
"Great, now let's keep moving." He turned and pulled his glove tight. "We've got a Museum to rob."
I really enjoyed Nakanohara's section, this chapter. In the game they literally just meet this guy face to face without even thinking about the consequences, which obviously wouldn't mesh well with how cautious I've written Joker when he's not losing his shit with anger lol.
Then we had a small section of the museum, with more to come in the next chapter. We should be getting some more Personas soon, which of course will include the true strongest character in SMT/Persona, Jack Frost. Hee Ho.
But yeah, had fun writing the chapter in general, so let me know what you think, or just a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!