2025-07-25: Greatfellas

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<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    It's been a wild ride out of Kaneshiro's Palace and back down into the streets of cognitive Shibuya. It is, by happy coincidence, actually pretty easy to get into Mementos from there, since that's also based in Shibuya. With Makoto having just awakened and the group having decisively established a way to get into that floating bank, there's a lot to discuss.
    
    Like, for example, what Makoto's codename is going to be. But that will come a little later.
    
    "Looks like we didn't get followed," Ryuji--or rather, Skull says from the top of the stairs that lead into Mementos.
    
    "But we'll keep a lookout here, just in case," Morgana, or rather Mona, adds. "You three talk it over with our newly awakened Ms. Student Council President."
    
    Joker--not the evil one, but Ren Amamiya transformed--nods to them both. Then he turns to Makoto and the others from where they've stopped to take a rest just inside Mementos, far enough to stay transformed but not far enough to encounter any Shadows.
    
    "Very nice moves out there," he tells Makoto with a slight smile. There's something incredibly cool about riding your own Persona like a motorcycle, particularly when you smash a way out of a tightening net to lead the way for a catbus to charge out into an escape. But as euphoric as that first summoning of one's Persona is, Joker also knows it leaves one exhausted. So: "How're you feeling, Niijima-san?" 

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Oh my god a MOTORCYCLE

Ann Takamaki, raised in Japanese AND American AND Finnish popular culture, knows one thing in this life for absolutely certain:

"Motorcycles are sooooooooo cooooooooooooooooooooool!!"

Yes, Finnish love motorcycles too. Look it up!!

This is Ann's giddy declaration as she finally stumbles out of Kaneshiro's Palace and into the (relative) safety of the entrance to Mementos. Eyes shut behind her mask, red-gloved fist pumping into the air enthusiastically, Ann is joy's favorite child as she and her fellow Phantom Thieves, and their recent plus one, settle into some degree of calm after the storm. Like. Relatively speaking. Because, you know.

"I -gotta- ride that thing!!"

-So- cool.

Still, in those moments after, Ann is -acutely- aware from personal experience what happens to a person after the adrenaline from their first awakening has run dry. Bright blues turning on Makoto in all her leather-clad glory as Ren checks in on her. Ann leans in, concern touching her features plain as day even behind that mask.

"Yeah, are you okay? You were, like, -so- awesome out there!" A second passes. Ann scratches her cheek and clears her throat. "Um. And kinda scary? Remind me not to piss you off. ... any more than I already have, aheh..."

But, Ann pushes past that to remind Makoto,

"We should be safe here. Just don't forget, Morgana can talk, and he's not a bakemono."

Ann: remembering the important things she wished other people reminded her about from her first awakening. 

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.

    The rush of adrenaline and euphoria from awakening had carried Makoto rather far in the moments after the battle and the escape, and once they're clear of Kaneshiro's Shadow Security Forces, she's willing to let Joker take the lead again- he's the one who knows the route after all. When Skull and Mona say they'll be lookouts, she nods. "Understood." That steel hasn't left her voice, her communication efficient and forceful, even right now.

    Panther is right though, motorcycles are cool, even though Makoto hasn't had time to really appreciate it.

    It's only when they're into the relative safety of Mementos, and Joker relaxes that Makoto walks over to a wall to lean against it, to catch her breath- at which point she rather involuntarily slides down into a low squat, hands on her knees as the sheer exhaustion hits her like a ton of bricks.

    It takes her a few seconds to actually hear and acknowledge Ren's question (and, for that matter, his compliment), and her gaze is levelled at the ground ahead of her. This time, it's simply out of exhaustion rather than shutting down. It takes her a few moments to finally speak up.

    "I've never felt so exhausted in my life..." Makoto murmurs, her voice quiet, tired but, crucially, not weak. Perhaps for the first time any of them have had a conversation with her, she hasn't faltered at any point. "...but it felt amazing." Amazing, indeed, doesn't feel like a big enough word right now. How can she describe a feeling like that- those who have felt it understand it, and those who haven't... do they even have the mental vocabulary?

    When Ann compliments her further, Makoto looks up at her, her red-brown (definitely more red, in the light of Mementos) meeting hers, and that gets Makoto to raise her voice a little, if not angrily. "Oh, stop it!"

    Her steel coloured mask hides most of the embarrassed flush on her face, right now, as she shakes her head a little, before listening as Ann reminds her of the key matters. "Right..." She pauses. "...Is a talking cat usually the biggest stumbling block after..." Makoto lifts one of her hands, giving a vague gesture around their environment. "...all this?" 

<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.

Skull and Mona are watching the stairs that are the entrance to Mementos, and Yusuke is perched on one of the ticket gates, leg swinging idly as he looks down the escalators into the crimson smog of the subway.

"Doesn't seem like anything from below has taken an interest," he reports, swinging around to drop back onto the floor and walk over to the other Thieves. "We should be safe here, for the time being." Shadows usually don't cross the ticket barrier up to this level, but they're all keenly aware Makoto is about to crash at any moment; better make sure they're secure.

Indeed, Makoto slides down the wall as the post-adrenaline crash hits her. Yusuke smiles a little as she recovers enough to banter with Ann. "'Incandescent'," he volunteers as a substitution for 'amazing'. "That blue fire was quite spectacular."

"Some people latch on to specific things more, I suppose," he says, when Makoto asks if Morgana is really that big a stumbling block. 

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    Fox, meanwhile, takes up a spot at the turnstiles that lead deeper into Mementos and confirms nothing's coming up to greet them either. Joker gives him a single nod. "Good."
    
    Panther is right: motorcycles are incredibly cool. Is it possible for someone else to ride Makoto's Persona, though? If it is, Joker kind of wants a ride, too...
    
    He chuckles when Panther describes Makoto as not just cool but scary. In his opinion, that's a plus, but he keeps that opinion to himself. Similarly, he only nods when Makoto describes her experiences as 'amazing.' He felt it himself; he knows exactly what she means, no matter how limited her vocabulary on the subject. They all do. Fox has a good suggestion, at least. The blue fire is common for all of them, but for her, it really was incandescent.
    
    Is a talking cat really their biggest concern right now, though?
    
    "I'M NOT A CAT!!" Morgana hollers from the stairs above.
    
    "...It's worth mentioning, at least," Joker says. He walks over to join Makoto, the flaps of his longcoat drifting in his wake, before he turns and squats down a respectful distance next to her. He's noticed that resolve in her voice and her gait now. That's something else that doesn't need explaining, in his mind.
    
    "We'll be able to change Kaneshiro's heart now. All we need to do is find the route to his Treasure, send a calling card, and go in for the steal," he says with confidence, despite the still difficult and dangerous nature of the mission. Difficult and dangerous but not impossible is right at his sweet spot. "You want to stick with us for the rest of this mission?"
    
    He fully expects her answer to be yes after what they all just witnessed, but it's important that she get a chance to say so for herself.

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Incandescent.

"Right??" Ann enthuses, fortunately (??) oblivious to Makoto's embarrassment thanks to her mask. She snap points Yusuke's way, finger guns and all.

"You get it. You specifically get it. Hee, it was soooooo fierce, Kaneshiro looked like he was gonna have a heart attack!"

This may or may not be helping.

Fortunately (????) the subject shifts to something -else-: Ann attempting to preempt any potential further faux pas regarding Mona is doomed to failure; like a self-fulfilling prophecy, her invocation of the cat burglar in turn causes a chaining cascade failure in which Makoto invokes that dreaded three-letter word and Morgana yowls out his totally-not-cattish disapproval from afar. Ann winces at her magnificent crit fail, gloved hand lifting to rub the back of her head.

"Uhhhh, yeahhhh," is all she manages at first, though Yusuke's comments on the matter get a quick and defensive, "It's a totally normal thing to freak out about a talking you-know-what!!" because she is really just adamant about protecting the reputations of the many who have done so, not that she -personally- did!

A second later, Panther clears her throat, and tilts towards Makoto, confiding in a more hushed voice for the four of them. "Sorry! Mona gets kinda sensitive about the" Ann mouths the letters 'N E K O' here just in case because N E K O hearing can be pretty powerful "thing buttttttt he doesn't exactly have the best bedside manner about it..."

Definitely not a thing she personally freaked out about.

What remains, now, is dealing with Kaneshiro. And there's one very important thing to settle before that: does Makoto want to join them for it? Ann considers for a moment. And, despite their problems they've had in the past, Ann leans in, an easy, warm smile on pink lips.

"You gotta see this through to the end. Right?" 

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.

    Incandescent isn't a bad word for it, in all honestly. It was like she was burning bright enough to sear away all the darkness around her. It's rather comforting to have found that light inside her, to learn that it's so bright, that it hasn't been tamped out by life. Ann continues to enthuse about her and the blush gets a little brighter, but Mementos is a pretty dark place, even at the stairs.

    ...And yet, dark as it is, she's not afraid. Maybe it's just that it's not pitch black, but...

    The mention of Kaneshiro gets a response from Makoto, though. "Good. That piece of trash deserves to feel afraid." It's hard to deny how good that felt, too, after the terror he put Makoto through earlier that day.

    The inevitable cry of complaint from above does catch Makoto by surprise, and she blinks, before nodding. "...He's got really good hearing." Makoto all but whispers, noting this for later. After everything that's happened today, she should at least be able to take some of this in stride. And it seems she does, nodding as Ann avoids the term for a domesticated feline. "I suppose that's true enough." She responds, both to Yusuke and Ann's points, before nodding again. "I'll keep it in mind."

    And then Joker outlines the situation. Find the treasure, send a calling card, steal the damn thing. "...So the calling card isn't just for show?" She already understood most of the rules of the Metaverse from extrapolating from Ann's explanation. In fact, the thing that throws her for a loop is that she's invited to complete mission, first by Joker, then by Anne. She blinks, looking surprised under that mask.

    But there's no part of her that even remotely wants to refuse.

    Makoto pushes against the wall, coming back up to her feet, waiting for Joker to stand back up too."If you'll have me, after everything."

    And yet, she doesn't doubt that they will, despite how she acted toward them in the past.

    "I can't believe I'm joining the very thieves I was investigating. Sis would probably faint if she found out." And that brings a warm, satisfied smile to Makoto's lips, even if she can't fully understand why. 

<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.

"Oh, you'll probably be able to hear Mona talk when things are more... 'normal', now." The inverted commas sound like leaden weights in Yusuke's sentence... because he knows quite well that there's not a lot that will be 'normal' now Makoto has opened her eyes.

Makoto's answer to Ren's question is important. However... Yusuke remembers what his second midnight after his awakening to Goemon was like. (He was so exhausted he slept through the first one.) "... We should probably go over everything else we know, at this point," he murmurs to Ren.

"If I understand the nature of the rules correctly," Yusuke begins, as Makoto asks about the calling card, "notifying our target's real self of our intentions likewise alerts their Shadow that the Treasure is under threat - and that in turn catalyses it to appear, and makes it something we can steal."

Makoto says that if they'll have them, she's in - and Fox nods, grinning. "Superb." 

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    For all that Joker was going to let it pass without comment, Panther insists on gushing more about how hardcore Makoto is. He can't help it either: he grins. "She's right, you know," he adds to Makoto. That grin only gets broader when Makoto agrees from a different angle. "Well said."
    
    It subsides into a rueful smile at Panther's defensive in regards to you-know-what. "He used to be human, but he fell into a trap in some Palace somewhere and lost his memories and his human form. That's why he looks like that," Joker explains to Makoto sotto voce. "We've got a deal going on: he helps us out with the supernatural, and we'll help him get himself back."
    
    Whether Joker believes Mona is originally human or not is irrelevant. That's the terms of their deal, and that's what he'll pass on. Besides: why not? To paraphrase Fox, the Metaverse is full of plenty of weird things. Why not a human who's been cursed into the form of an animal? How many myths and fairy tales have exactly that as their basis?
    
    She stands, and so does he, gloved hands slipping into his pockets (the act so strong a part of his self-cognition that pockets appear even in his Metaverse costume). He glances at Fox, then nods. "You're right. Where to start..."
    
    A good starting place: the calling card. Fox covers that too, and Joker nods again. "Exactly. It's a vital part of the process. This whole world," he gestures around them, "is a result of people's cognition. Kaneshiro's bank, this subway--they exist because people perceive them into existence." A beat. "...Or so Mona told us. He's the real expert on all this."
    
    He grins anew as Makoto agrees, 'if they'll have her'--and that her sister would faint. He doesn't have a sister, but when it comes to contentious family relations, he definitely relates. "Of course," he replies. "Today's convinced us already: you're just like the rest of us." He nods firmly to Fox and Panther in turn, and then up at Skull and Mona as they lean down to smile their own approval. "An outsider who burns for justice."
    
    'Outsider' doesn't normally sound like a compliment... but coming from him in this moment, it definitely is one. "Oh--one other thing we should establish," he adds. "Kaneshiro and other Palace Holders don't know or remember what happens inside their Palaces, but just in case, we all go by codenames." Makoto might remember some of that from earlier, but at least now she knows why. He looks to each of his friends in turn. "That's Mona--that's Skull--Panther--Fox--and I'm Joker." Tone turning dry, he adds, "Once again: no relation to the crazy serial killer."
    
    Mona looks Makoto and her cognitive outfit over with serious thought. It looks tough--tough and spiky. "Hmmm... how about Spike? Although, I suppose that lacks elegance..."
    
    "Nah, man! She's got that sweet bike, so it's gotta be Rider!" Skull adds cheerfully, because that's definitely better. 

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

The calling card isn't just for show?

Yusuke puts it into words -- far better than Ann ever could, really. She scratches her cheek, staring up at the ceiling pensively. "Err, yeah, like that. I don't totally get it, but it's like... tricking the Palace ruler into making the Treasure something we can like" and her she makes evocative grabby hands; it's extremely exaggerated and sweeping. just how big is this treasure, is it an entire sack of them?!

(look, kamoshida's was HUGE before it shrinkflated, don't judge her)

"--swipe."

With this, Ann nods, satisfied. But when the subject shifts to whether or not they'd even accept her, after everything...

... Panther hesitates for a moment. It wasn't that long ago, after all, that they were fighting. That she thought every bad thing about Makoto and her intentions and even how much she knew about what had been happening to Shiho and the others. The sentiment is still fresh. But it's different now. Now...

"... We were wrong about you," she finally says, after a moment, in a 'we' that could just as easily be an 'I'.

"You're one of us."

Now she realizes something important.

It's an eye-shutting beam of a smile that she gives when Makoto -does- accept their invitation though. Arms swinging to and fro in her enthusiasm, it only pauses when Makoto talks about her sister. Blue eyes blink.

"... Your sister?" she asks, head cant to the side with the spill of platinum twintails. "You mentioned her before, right?"

But just as she asks -- Ren brings up an important subject. "Oh! Yeah! You totally need a codename!" she remembers, eyes widening in realization. "She's smart and super dangerous, so, um... Fixer? Oh! No, no!"

Ann fist pumps, certain she's got the ideal form of Makoto Niijima:

"What about 'Destroyer'??"

Is she -- just teasing Makoto?

No, no. Look at how Ann is pantomiming badass One Punch Punches and accept the grim reality:

She's -entirely- serious. 

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.

    "Ah." That might explain. "That would take more getting used to." Makoto pauses. "...Wait, so when he was meowing at you on the way here, you could understand him?" That... huh. Interesting. Ren explains the scenario, and Makoto nods. "That... must be incredibly difficult to deal with. I can't imagine what it would be to lose your body and self like that..." There's a strong note of concern in her voice for Morgana. It only feels like she just found her true self, so losing it so badly that you lost your form...

    Though, Morgana can still summon his Persona, right...?

    It also makes the occasional complaints about people hearing a cat at school make sense. It was Morgana, huh...

    She takes Yusuke's explanation in stride. "I see. We make them think it's under threat in reality, and that will change their cognition as to make it 'real' and vulnerable." Makoto nods, as if it all makes sense to her instantly. (Because it does. Sorry Ann.) Still, Ren adds an extra point to the framing. "...So it's not just the Palace Ruler's perception that matters, but the perception of how the public perceive them?" She seems a bit thrown by that, like it doesn't add up. (She doesn't have the details on Mementos yet, after all.) She'll have to talk with Morgana more, if he's the expert. "And stealing that treasure causes them to confess, like Kamoshida and Madarame?" No more 'Kamoshida-sensei' automatically, not in here.

    If people keep complimenting her, Makoto will be red enough she'll blend in with the lights of mementos, even when she redirects to being angry at Kaneshiro. Still, Ren, Ann and Yusuke all support her joining, as... expected. Ryuji and Morgana too... 'An outsider who burns for justice.'

    She likes that phrasing. She likes how it feels. She likes where she is.

    "...You weren't. Not entirely." Makoto says, a little quietly, as Ann tries to take the blame. "I lost sight of justice... or maybe I didn't really know what my justice was until now. You were right about me... I was doing whatever adults told me, even when it felt wrong." She looks at Ann, and there's something apologetic in her eyes. "I was just like the teachers, like everyone else in the school. Never again."

    The introductions come again- Ann had introduced her to them all the first time, but this time, it's as a peer, not as an asset to get into the bank. "...I can tell that now." Makoto admits, a little awkwardly. "You're not the sort of people who would kill." Indeed, she believes it down to her soul. They saved her from her own mess, they pulled her back when her rage drove her to beat Kaneshiro into a bloody pulp and let him bleed out on the floor- and she can't act like it was just because they might not win.

    ...She is one of them, isn't she?

    And then the codenames come thick and fast. Spike. "...I absolutely refuse to be called that."

    Rider. "Sounds too much like a courier. Next."

    She is about to deny fixer, when Ann changes tacts to destroyer and is... imitating Makoto's fighting style. A fighting style she didn't know until they fought. Aikido is all about throws and grapples, primarily. Huh. She might be able to interrogate that one later. ...Destroyer. Ann isn't even joking.

    "I'm not some kind of battleship." She complains, with a slight glare- not meant to be mean but she's getting a little frustrated before looking to Joker. "Can you give me anything better to work with?" 

<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.

"There are a few strange things that don't seem to align with how Palaces work. The tower, for instance."

We'll get there when we get there, Yusuke. He'll let Ren handle more explanations about the difficulties they've had with the Treasure before, as well.

When Makoto takes part of the blame - says that Ann was right when they fought - Yusuke nods. "I didn't believe the accusations leveled against Madarame-san either, when they first told me... no, I didn't want to believe them, but a part of me had always known something was wrong. I averted my eyes - told myself that there was nothing I could do anyway - until I had no choice but to see clearly."

He nods in agreement with Makoto, echoing her. "Never again."

The conversation, then, turns to codenames. "Perhaps something with a little more... grace might be in order?" Yusuke offers. 

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    You're one of us, Panther tells Makoto, as if realizing not just something about her but also about herself.
    
    Joker slides her a small smile. Not that he was all that crazy about Makoto before either, but Ann especially didn't like her. It's no wonder, given everything that happened with Shiho. It's only natural to have thought Makoto was complicit by staying silent. And... it seems like Makoto acknowledges that about herself, too, which allows Fox to commiserate. He's exactly right: none of them will keep their heads down anymore. Not now that they have the power to fight back and make real change. Scumbags like Kaneshiro might think they're on top of the world for now, but that won't last forever.
    
    "No, no--sorry, I got ahead of myself," Joker says, holding up a hand when Makoto starts to get confused. "Kaneshiro's Palace was just for him, but not everyone's like that; things like that are only for people with especially distorted views of reality. For everyone else, there's this." He gestures around at them. "We're in a kind of Palace right now called Mementos. Mona described it as 'everyone's Palace.' Everyone who has a Shadow shows up here."
    
    But... it's true that Mementos isn't the be-all-end-all. Joker nods to Fox. "Yeah. There's also a weird green time that takes place at midnight--the moon turns huge and yellow, water looks like blood, people turn into coffins... It's freaky. But it only lasts an hour or so, and then everything goes back to normal. Only us Persona Users seem to stay awake during it, so keep that in mind. Gekkoukan High over in Tatsumi Port Island has some weird things going on, too, but we're not as familiar with all of that."
    
    Makoto says they aren't the types who would kill. Joker's masked eyes gain a steely gleam. "Exactly. The Phantoms don't kill," he says firmly.
    
    As far as codenames go, it is a genuine struggle not to laugh at Panther's suggestion of Destroyer. Joker just manages to hold back a 'pfft' that he's not confident wouldn't get him punched. It's really hard to hold back, though! Look at how seriously Panther's suggesting it! None of the other suggestions are hitting the mark either, though; one by one, Makoto refuses them all. Fox suggests something with more grace; Mona muses of his own suggestion that it lacks elegance. Makoto ultimately turns to Joker for a suggestion.
    
    "Hmmm..." Something with grace, something elegant... Joker casts his thoughts around as he too takes in Makoto and her general aura. Honestly, she kind of does look like a battleship in his opinion, but he knows better than to say that. Maybe a commander of a battle. A general, like a shogi piece. Or maybe... His thoughts flash to that first night in his attic room, when he was cleaning up and putting away or throwing out the various junk in there. One of those pieces of junk was an old, dusty wooden chess set. It seemed in good condition, but he didn't exactly have someone to play with, so he put it aside in a box for the time being and forgot about it until now. All the same, when one thinks of the strongest piece in chess, one with both grace and elegance, it's got to be--
    
    "How about Queen?" he suggests. 

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Huh. Now that she thinks of it, didn't both their recent teammates join after basically blackmailing them? ...

Ann ruminates on this, but not too much, because it brings back TERRIBLE MEMORIES. Instead, she looks to the side, frown tugging down the corners of her lips.

"Jeez though, no offense, but I hope if we get another teammate they skip the threatening part..."

Oh, Ann.

You sweet summer child.

Still, now isn't the time for pie in the sky hopes! Now is the time for CODE NAMES. And Ann is sure she has a winner here. It's powerful! It's provocative! It gets the people going! She's channeling her Go Big Or Go Home fashion power to bring home the gold and--

I'm not some kind of battleship. Can you give me anything better to work with?

"N-no way!?"

HOW COULD THIS BE

Panther, alarmed, seizes up -- and then her shoulders sag, head hanging and twintails dangling in utter defeat.

"Aw."

Is she pouting? She looks like she's pouting.

"I thought it was great, though..."

She's definitely pouting.

Thankfully, like a rubberband, Ann can snap back into fighting form in mere moments! Straightening back up, she flips platinum locks over one shoulder as she maybe just -slightly- side eyes Makoto. "Jeez. Your standards are through the roof, Niijima-senpai." But soon enough, it comes.

How about Queen?

Ann blinks. Her eyes widen. She leeeeans back, as if to take in the whole of Makoto's demanding-but-badass biker vibe.

"Whoa," she exhales, "huh. Huh. That combination of like, impossible-to-please authoritative" how is she managing to say that like it's a compliment how is ann so powerful "and total graceful mastermind... ohmigosh!"

And a beaming thumbs up goes right--

"It's so -perfect-!"

--here. 

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.

    "The tower?" Yusuke raises a new element to this world, and she can't help but wonder.

    Yusuke own encounters with the thieves are... reassuring. It seems starting at odds with them is pretty normal... still. "I understand," Makoto says, quietly. "I just kept pushing on, kept my head down, tried to be a 'good girl'," a snarl makes it to Makoto's face as she says those words, repeating Akechi's unveiled insult, "that I kept looking away from the truth. I was too afraid of what I might lose." Ann's comment about skipping the threatening gets a small laugh, strangely, like it's darkly funny somehow. "Maybe I should bear the brunt of it if they don't. Only seems natural to stick the newest member with the annoying jobs."

    ...but what is she losing, really? A position on the student council? A letter of recommendation? Those barely feel like they matter right now. Maybe Akechi-kun was right. Maybe the mock exams, the striving, was meaningless. And for some reason, it doesn't hurt right now to admit that.

    The distinction is made between Palaces and Mementos, and Makoto seems to take that on board too. "...Does that mean we could encounter shadows of ourselves here?" The thought kind of stings, but... Well, her own heart was twisted, wasn't it? He then explains the tower- and the dark hour. That idea seems to send a shiver through Makoto, for some reason. "...I see. It... sounds a bit like a horror movie." It sounds like Makoto is not a fan. "And it might be connected to Palaces? We might have to investigate once Kaneshiro has his change of heart..." Huh. Interesting. Strategizing already?

    The Phantoms don't kill. Makoto nods. That's what she'd ultimately prefer herself, now that the high of emotion has worn off.

    Makoto is completely unapologetic in her harsh and cruel shooting down of Ann's super cool code name! What a monster! She stares briefly at the way Panther pouts, watching her face for a little long, before turning back to Ren.

    "How about Queen?"

    Ann seems to ramble into something that should sound insulting and yet it doesn't. It feels good. Right.

    "Queen." Makoto says it out loud, feeling the word on her lips... She smiles, fierce and bright. "...That's the one."

    It's then she remembers Ann's question. "...You all should know, my older sister Sae is a prosecutor- and she's heading the Phantom Thieves case." Despite that, Makoto seems calm, almost relaxed, and a small smile comes to Makoto's face. "...This kind of feels like fate."' 

<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.

"It's not pleasant," Yusuke agrees, of that strange extra hour. "Electronics fail, and the natural lighting is just dreadful."

Because that IS the most important thing, to him.

'The newest member should get stuck with the annoying jobs', Makoto suggests, and Yusuke shakes his head. "We all have the places where we're best-skilled. Designing the Calling Cards has become my role, for instance." That certainly explains the dramatic shift in aesthetic sensibilities between Kamoshida and Madarame.

"There are still a lot of things we need to learn, about Mementos and the rest of these supernatural occurences."

But then Joker volunteers a suggestion for the codename, and Makoto embraces it eagerly. "Queen it is, then. Splendid." 

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    I hope if we get another teammate they skip the threatening part...
    
    Joker gives Panther a rueful smile. At least Makoto is willing to accept that as her job as the fresh-faced newbie for the next time they have someone hostile approach the group but end up joining. Hopefully that won't happen, but, well, what happens twice will happen thrice, as they say.
    
    "Fox is right. We all have our strengths. Let's lean into those," he says to Makoto nonetheless. ...Though he follows it up with a bit of a crooked smile. "Who knows? Maybe wrangling hostile newcomers will be yours."
    
    Of the codename Destroyer, Mona yowls from the stairs, "I-I also thought it was great, Lady Ann!! It's very powerful and threatening!!"
    
    ...but let's not get too deep into that. Even if Joker also agrees, honestly. Pat, pat. That's him offering a hand on Panther's shoulder in reassurance.
    
    "Agreed," he says of exploring the Dark Hour and that mysterious Tower--once they all finish dealing with Kaneshiro. With the new time limit they're under, they don't really have the spare time to investigate other things, at least as a group. (As individuals, though... they're all managing their own time, save for when Joker makes the call of when they get together to explore Mementos and Palaces together. They can pursue their own threads in their own time.) The Dark Hour is kind of a horror movie, but... there's something to the way Makoto says that that makes Joker refrain from agreeing with that too. At least out loud.
    
    The suggestion of Queen is a big hit, though. Joker's pleased with himself for that. Panther's feedback in particular gets her another grin. How is she so incredibly funny, completely by accident? ...Maybe it's just Joker's particular sense of humor. It's Makoto's choice that matters, anyway, and when she accepts it with a smile, he mirrors it back at her.
    
    Of course, then she's got some concerning--and intriguing--news about her sister. "Really. That's one hell of a coincidence. It does kind of feel like fate, though," he admits. He's even met Sae before--though he doesn't know it, since she didn't introduce herself at the time, and Ren was too busy silently staring down a certain celebrity detective. On which note: "Does she know Goro Akechi? ...Well, we can get into that later. You'll have to watch yourself around her from now on--but we've got your back if you need it."
    
    The Phantoms don't abandon their own... and it sounds to Joker's ears like Queen might well enjoy the prospect of no longer fitting in the box her sister wants for her. 

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Ren offers a supportive shoulder pat. Mona offers his and unconditional enthusiastic support. One of these helps Ann recover to Maximum Ann in no time.

It's a mystery which one, though.

(it was ren she conveniently was too sad to hear mona it's never mona)

But that was then, and this is now, where she has other things to distract herself with, like. Disgusting, circadian-rhythm destroying, blood raining magic hours!

"Oh ugh," says Ann, a grimace seizing her fair features. "That extra hour is -seriously- creepy. Have you ever looked outside during it? There are, like. -Coffins-. And blood!"

ann may not be helping with makoto's problems here but y'know forewarned is forearmed

"I can't even get back to sleep during it. I lose a whole hour off my sleep schedule!"

Behind the mask, her brows scrunch up. "... But I guess I gain an hour, too...? ... ugh, whatever. Like Yusuke said, it's gross."

Well, technically he said 'not pleasant,' but look. Ann's interpreting Yusuke-ese.

"But I guess if it might have something to do with Palaces, we ought to look into it eventually..."

This is Ann, squaring up with having to explore -another- gross magic world. Mementos was bad enough!

But, Makoto has been given a name. And even Ann has to admit: Yusuke phrased it perfectly. It -is- splendid. Seeing no need to retranslate this prose, Ann bobs her head in a satisfied nod, big grin on pink lips. "Hee. Looks like you nailed it, Joker!"

But then, Makoto circles back around to something. Something Ann asked about, but similarly got distracted from. Her sister.

The prosecutor.

"A prosecutor..."

Heading the Phantom Thieves case.

"... h-heading the Phantom Thieves case...?!"

Ann pales. Her eyes go wide. And what else is she to say in the face of this, except:

"For real!?"

She looks to Ren. To Makoto. To -Yusuke-.

"Isn't this seriously bad?? Like, doesn't the Ministry of Justice have a crazy high rate of prosecution??"

Why are they so calm about this! 

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.

    Yusuke's comments about the lights and failing electronics seem to hit Makoto- Queen- as her eyes widen. Ann expounds on it, the creepiness, the coffins. Makoto seems to suppress a gulp. "...That's problematic." She manages to say, trying not to think about it or betray anything else. Talking about everyone filling a role is easier. "I see." She can intimate some things from that. Fox provides the calling cards, Joker is very clearly the leader, Mona is the expert. Does that make Panther and Skull the muscle? Or do they have other roles she's unaware of. For that matter, what will Queen's role be? Joker suggests wrangling hostile newcomers, and Makoto frowns a little at Joker's. "That seems unlikely."

    She does shoot a glare up the stairs. "Are you trying to piss me off?" Queen's voice is cold and harsh, the way it was with Kaneshiro, with less of the anger behind it. It seems she can still tap into it very easily.

    Joker's on board with her suggestion, to, but Kaneshiro has to be the priority.

    "...Maybe." Makoto says, quietly. "I think Principal Kobayakawa ordered me to investigate you because he hoped I'd be just like my sister." She says. "...But I could never be Sae." That admission seems... almost freeing. "Sis... practically raised me. Our mom died when I was little, and dad had to work, so she had to step up." It's something Makoto has never really talked about with anyone. She didn't really have friends to do so. "And these past three years, since Dad..." She shakes her head. "It's just been me and her." And yet, getting this off her chest seems necessary to her right now. "I can't be the way Sis is, it's not who I am. I knew we'd stop seeing eye to eye eventually. We're not made the same." Another thing she never knew how badly she needed to say it. And yet, instead of looking sad, she looks rather free.

    Makoto blinks, though. "Yes. She and Akechi-kun work together, he probably see hers more than I do." Makoto pauses briefly. "...In fact, Akechi-kun approached me a few days before I attempted to blackmail you." Makoto frowns. Coincidence after coincidence. "We were both at Shujin for Mock Exams that day. He said Sis didn't put him up to it, but..."

    She's too exhausted to connect any dots right now, to be honest. Ann's fear on the other hand just gets an easy smile from Makoto. "I wouldn't worry. A normal investigation would never lead them to a place like this. She'd never believe a whole other world exists." 

<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.

Ann, you should know by now; Yusuke rarely emotes strongly unless it's a matter of Art or visiting terrible violence upon Shadows.

"I suppose we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it," he says, as Makoto explains about her elder sister. He falls silent, out of words to say to her story there... at least until she brings up Akechi, at which point he looks towards Joker, a frown slightly visible through his mask. "I seem to have the luxury of having avoided this individual so far."

Talk about tempting fate, Fox. 

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    Is Mona trying to piss Queen off? "N-no, ma'am..."
    
    "They sure do," Joker, who knows this from personal experience, tells Panther. Sure, as Fox says, they could simply cross that bridge when they get to it. However, he's not just calm.
    
    He's smirking. Like he's excited about it. That smirk blossoms into a full-blown grin, which he aims at Queen. "So isn't it great that we just made the perfect ally to have a chance to counter it?"
    
    In other words--
    
    They're counting on you, Makoto.
    
    Just like you can count on them.
    
    That isn't the end of the story, though. Joker sobers, listening quietly as he faces Queen, when she shares not just about why she blackmailed them but about her past that made Kobayakawa's pressure so successful in the first place. He'd related to her at first about a contentious family situation, but it sounds like what she's got going on is completely different from him... Something to remember. More importantly, it seems like talking about it has lifted a weight off Queen's shoulders. Joker's glad for that. He offers her a supportive smile--
    
    --up until she goes into the matter of Goro Akechi after all.
    
    She and Akechi-kun work together, he probably see hers more than I do.
    
    Akechi-kun approached me a few days before I attempted to blackmail you.
    
    A normal investigation would never lead them to a place like this. She'd never believe a whole other world exists.
    
    "..."
    
    When Fox glances his way, he'll see Joker baring his teeth in a long, sharp grin. A bead of sweat trickles down the side of his face as his pulse breaks into a run. This could have been a very nasty revelation, but--
    
    I could swear I heard someone talking about delicious pancakes...
    
    "...heh. I think we'll all get a chance to see much, much more of him."
    
    --the fact that it is a revelation means that there's a chance for a turnabout and put the Detective Prince in check--and the prospect of it sends a thrill through his veins.
    
    Maybe Akechi's not the only one hot for a rival?

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