Catch-22: The Reveal of Everything (and Nothing)
By: M14Mouse
Summary: The stranger sit across from them looks kind of familiar. Where has Ren seen him before?
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Everybody is just a stranger, but that's the danger in going my own way. -John Mayer
Ren stared at the stranger from Mementos in front of them. He watched as the guy took a slip of his coffee and just stared right back at them.
He could feel the sense of familiarity wash over him. It nagged at him like in Mementos but it was worse now.
It was going to drive him nuts. He glanced at Futaba who look confused
"WHAT THE…." Futaba said behind him in surprise.
The stranger just grinned at them.
"Why don't you three sit down? We have much to talk about and little time to do it."
"How in…how did you know?!" Morgana shouted as he jumped from his bag to the stranger's table.
"Like I told Futaba…your group is loud," The stranger said mildly.
"We aren't loud!"
The stranger's eyebrow rose slightly.
"I believe that I heard the following conversations in no particular order. Sojiro had a new flavor of curry and you can't wait to try it. That conversation continued into your favorite types and if Ren or Sojiro had the best curry which then lead to you talking about the elderly couple who orders nothing but coffee and sit there for hours in the café. Followed by a conversation about coffee which Ryuji hates by the way. I am not sure how related to previous conversation…but the catnip is located under the sink in LeBlanc because Morgana hates the smell. Then Google did the rest."
Morgana mumbled about smells and wet paws. Futaba mumbled to him that they weren't loud.
Well…..
Boss snorted.
"That sounded like them. Do you know each other?"
Boss glanced over at the group and the stranger.
"Mildly. Possible as an ally if this conversation goes well," The stranger said.
"If it doesn't, what then?" Boss asked. He heard the worried undertones in the Boss's voice.
The stranger shrugged his shoulders.
"Leave. Time is short, after all. If we can't be allies, then we could make it a race to steal the heart first."
Morgana snorted.
"No contest. We will beat you hands down."
He has his doubts about that. The stranger didn't have their limits. Only downside, he is by himself. After the display, he might pull it off.
He would rather have him as an ally.
"This isn't a contest, Morgana. We should hear him out," He said.
Morgana sighed.
"Fine."
"Should I leave?" Boss asked.
"It doesn't matter to me," The stranger said with a wave.
He turned to the Boss.
"I think that we will be fine. We keep our phones on," He said.
"Okay. At least, let me serve you some more coffee and curry before I leave. You close up when he leaves?" Boss said with a nod.
"Of course," He said to Boss.
It didn't take long for the curry and coffee to be served. Futaba tried to make awkward conversation with him and Boss but her true focus was on the stranger. Morgana kept giving the stranger dirty looks. And the stranger? He just chatted with the Boss. It was kind of funny listening to them talk.
"I'm surprised that you don't serve tea. It seems odd for a café," The stranger said.
"There are those awful Starbucks and many tea shops in the city. You can get your tea there," Boss grumbled.
"And miss your wonderful company? I think not. Besides, I have a theory."
"What is it?"
"Somewhere, tea has insulted you. You probably made an awful brew. So, when you open your café, you decide not to put it on your menu. Payback if you will."
Boss stopped and stared at the stranger.
"You think that you are funny."
"No," The stranger said as he took a sip of his coffee. Damn, the stranger had an unbelievable poker face. He wanted to learn that.
Boss stared at him for a moment before barking out a laugh.
"You are one strange kid," Boss said.
"I get that a lot," The stranger said.
Soon after that conversation, Boss left them. He and Futaba were sitting across from him with Morgana sitting on the table.
"SO HOW IN THE HELL DID YOU HIDE FROM ME?!" Futaba shouted as stood up and slammed her hands on the table.
"Hmm…I told you before. You tried too hard to find me. My persona compared you to a baby deer in the woods. You make a lot of noise. If you want a more detailed response, you only scan one level at a time and never above or below. So, I could easily move a floor above or below without being detected. Second, you limited your scan to threats and since I never acted as a threat, you couldn't detect me," The stranger said calmly.
Futaba's mouth dropped for a second.
"That is the same mistake you made with Akechi."
"How did…."
"Very loud, even Akechi. He likes to gloat and tell your group all about your flaws. Of course, his flaws are easy to see…at least to me. Your group needs to work on that. I was able to get a lot of information like that."
Futaba sat down in a huff then folded her arms.
"You want to be allies?" He said before they got off track.
"Of course. From what I can sense, the palace is quite large. It would be better to take it on as a group than by myself."
"That is all nice and all but we have seen what you can do. How do you know that you won't betray us or take over the world?!" Morgana said.
"Honestly, you don't. You have trusted your own gut. Taking over the world takes a lot of paperwork and I hate paperwork," The stranger said thoughtfully.
"Well…you control some part of Mementos. So, you can control the rest of it once the doctor is gone."
The stranger stared at him then he jolted when he burst out laughing.
"No," The stranger said as he stopped laughing.
"No?" Morgana said in confusion.
"No."
The stranger went back to drinking his coffee. He glanced over at Futaba and Morgana who stared back at him with a bewildered look.
"Uhh…care to explain?" He asked.
"I control the independent parts of Mementos. They are rebellious thoughts that refuse to bow down to rule. It took me a bit of time because the doctor is gaining ground. I think that I control around a quarter of Mementos."
"So, you do," Morgana started to say before the stranger cut him off.
"No."
Morgana stopped and stared at him.
"Then what do you want?"
"Choice. Free Will."
"I…I don't know what to make of you. Ren? Futaba?" Morgana said as he turned to them.
"I think that he is lying but telling the truth at the same time. He hasn't really said anything about himself but…I vote yes," Futaba said.
"But you said that he was lying…" Morgana said confusedly.
"I vote yes because we need all the help that we can get. Of course, we have to talk to the others. So, we get their feedback and allow them to vote. I don't think that he is lying. He makes sure that he is telling us the truth but only half of it. I'm not sure why he is hiding the rest unless he really wants to take over Mementos," He said.
He has been watching the stranger through his entire conversation with Futaba and Morgana. He didn't seem all that surprised by their reactions.
"A good gambler never reveals his hand until he is ready to play it. I'm not ready to play mine," The stranger said amusedly.
"But you showed your hand," Morgana said to the stranger.
"I show you what I wanted to show you. You only saw bits and pieces of what I was able to do. No more and no less. Until the time and our alliance bear fruit, then that is all you will see."
"So…what do you or us get from this alliance?" Futaba asked.
"You get an extra pair of eyes and abilities at your call. I will make sure that this event never happens again."
He paused at the stranger's tone. The guy has been cool and calm this whole time. He could hear the anger.
The word…"again".
Did this happen before?
He felt himself get cold. When and where did this happen?
The stranger stood up from his place at the table.
"I will give you time to decide. Day after tomorrow. I will be back in the afternoon after school," He said.
"Wait…how…"
Futaba coughed and waved to him in his school uniform. Morgana looked over at him.
"Oh, right," Morgana said with a mumble.
The stranger chuckled then bowed.
"I await your decision. Rest up and have a good night."
The stranger got up and started heading toward the door.
"Hey, what is your name?" Futaba shouted as she got to her feet.
The stranger stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"Come now, if I did that, you would have all of your answers or none at all."
Futaba looked so confused.
"What does that mean?"
The stranger smiled briefly then turned toward the door.
"Hey, sir…uhhh…have we met?" He asked as he got his feet as well.
The stranger stopped when he reached the door.
"Yes and no."
He frowned at his response.
"Good night," The stranger said as he opened the door and disappeared into the night.
"AHHH! He told us nothing! You know what…I'm going to go and talk to him" Futaba mumbled angrily as she followed him out the door.
"Yes, he did. I think….," He said as he stared at the door.
"Ren?" Morgana said.
"I think that he has been doing this a lot longer than any of us."
"Then why does he just say it?"
"I think…"
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"…like us, if he told us what is going on, we might make it worse."
"Huh…? How do you know?"
He paused.
"I have no idea."
End of The Reveal of Everything (and Nothing)
Next Chapter: The Master of None And The Master of Everything
A/N: This chapter was actually really fun to write. Yu telling them everything but nothing at the same time. I also started playing Persona 5 Strikers…the weird action elements aside…I like it. Definitely making a rough draft of a sequel. Although, I am definitely getting Teddie vibes from Sophia. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, favorites, kudos, etc. :D You guys are the best.