2025-11-09: What is This, a Crossover Episode?! A Phantom Dragon Story

• Log: What is This, a Crossover Episode?! A Phantom Dragon Story
• Cast: Myunghon Yeo, Umie Akabane, Shinjiro Aragaki, So-young Park, Mio Kazama, Shinobu Shimizu, Ren Amamiya, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Makoto Niijima
• Where: Cardboard Dragon, Hirasaka Ward, Sumaru
• OOC Date: November 09, 2025
• IC Date: August 07, 2012
• Summary: As arranged by everyone's favorite cognitive cutie patootie Jose, Cardboard Dragon and the Phantom Thieves finally meet. Feeling out each others' intentions, the two groups try to come to a mutual understanding to take that first step towards collaboration. It mostly goes well! Until the end, when it doesn't. ALSO FEATURING: Things in this waking nightmare we call life that cannot be unseen and cannot be forgotten.

---

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

    The Cardboard Dragon crew left a message with Jose a while back, delivered the next time they spelunk into the depths of Mementos.

    'As a gesture of gratitude for saving Hirasaka,
     We are hosting a sale of precious Skill Cards to the Phantom Thieves!
     The time will be at the end of Tuesday, August 7th during the Dark Hour.
     The place shall be the Cardboard Dragon, in Hirasaka Ward...'

    An address is just plainly supplied there.

    Well, it isn't as if the Cardboard Dragon is ever a secret -- Rumourmonger Merry, unlike the Phantom Thieves, is a public figure -- insomuch as they're very plainly part of the Sumaru City Rumourmonger network, and no seeming cognitive barrier to pierce their identity exists: you can very much confirm this is very much the same person that you can walk in on during the daytime, perhaps idiosyncratically stacking koalas or doing a random spot of baking or napping on their couch or other miscellaneous irresponsible activities.

    And that is the way it is today -- as the sickly moon hangs low over the verdant-cast air, the Cardboard Dragon has signs of life in it.

    The Phantom Thieves will find the typical fire escape door on the second floor accessible, and...

    and...

    well.... if they choose other means of infiltration, there is also the option of going through the balcony on the third floor into the Nightmare Hell Depression Bedroom, full of black mould and dilapidated, rotten ceilings, unpacked belongings in (fittingly) cardboard boxes, a cold, lumpy hard futon, a lack of even shitty furniture, and the quizzically unique nature of someone living with a men's bathroom and thus able to stake a special claim to having their own urinal.

    ... more details to be elucidated if the Thieves do enter from that direction.

    The Cardboard Dragon itself is a homey old three-storey brick building made sometime in the 70s some two blocks south of Hirasaka, the second floor of which certainly looks the part... but kept as clean as possible -- it's about one third card-playing space, one third bookshelves full of difficult and crusty-looking old books from authors around the turn of the 20th century amongst other things, and also one third a living room of sorts, with a couch and coffee table and entertainment unit.

    Rumourmonger Merry is in their seat of power in the actual storefloor, seated not on the couch but rather on their Cognitive Coat!! The Coat's stretched out to create a pitch-black throne with thrumming ebbs of crimson throughout, creating the striking effect that they are, in fact, just sitting on thin air and nothing else. They're dressed in their typical white dress shirt and black tie, along with black dress pants, fastidious as always.

    Next to them is... their yukata and haori from earlier tonight when they ventured to Shibuya and got rained on. It's hanging on a clothes-drying line. It looks somewhat sad, despite the lavish and fanciful nature of the traditional clothing. It might reveal where they were earlier today. A bout of carelessness, or simply that they don't have laundry space?

    "Today's special is a particularly fascinating card," Merry declares, already in the midst of their typical explanations. They raise a Skill Card with a blade of pure ice depicted upon it. "Courtesy of my peers in the Frost community... there are many foes in particular that wield flame and, consequently, are vulnerable to the cold. Why, this came in quite timely against a bonafide Homunculus!"

    And then, the inevitable arrival...!"Ara," pauses Merry, as they spread both of their arms out in a Y-pose -- before pausing as their smile goes rictus for a moment, cause wow, their shoulders and arms hurt a lot more than they thought. Still, it doesn't eliminate their aplomb one bit.

    "Welcome one, welcome all! Welcome... to the Cardboard Dragon! I am the purveyor of this humble place, Rumourmonger Merry. And these are my most trusted comrades..."

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

    ----EARLIER----
    There's a noise. Several, in fact, as if someone was scoping out the building. Quiet footsteps as if someone was being courteous, but otherwise not sparing any consideration of remaining undetected.

    Myunghon will get a text a few minutes in, coming from Umie.

    >> if you hear sounds, it's me
    >> checking for suspucuisou thiungs

    Some more minutes pass.

    >> did you block off that window
    >> is there a sign
    >> nm not enough time

    ----NOW(?)----
    The fire escape door creaks open dramatically, revealing a short shadow standing in the rain outside, draped in a pale grey rain jacket. As the figure steps in, they issue a very non dramatic tiny sneeze, a second before the lights go out. "*tszch!*"

    (.... why is So-young turning around like that)

    "It's just me, guys," comes Umie's voice, after she rubs her nose with the cuff of her sleeve (if her clothing and height didn't give it away at the beginning). Down comes her hood, revealing her hair, once nicely coffed into an elegant, wispy chignon, accented with a red silk peony and sprays of baby's breath, now matted down from being under the hood, and still damp. "Had to stop by my apartment so my yukata rental could dry out, and the last train was late arriving, so.... Can you believe it started pouring rain during the festival?"

    There's other signs of her rainy adventures, such as the remainders of makeup still slightly smudged from a quick rinse in the sink at her apartment. The delicate yukata and geta have likewise been since exchanged for the much less glamourous option of 'whatever Umie could find on top of the basket of clean clothes. ... Which means: a shirt that proudly says 'A APPLE ADAY' in English lettering, with a happy green cartoon worm coming out of a red apple, denim shorts, and those oddly nice sneakers, with the toes of shoe liners peeking up by her ankles. Her black thumbsleeves peek out from the loose sleeves of the rain jacket, which cover the quirky t-shirt. (She *wanted* to dress nicely, but reality, like always, had other plans.)

<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.

After the honestly pretty excellent fireworks show and followup dinner, Shinjiro came back to the Cardboard Dragon to get changed into his regular clothes, folding his haori and yukata and placing them to the side to take home. He didn't want to take advantage of the CLOTHES LINE, that's Merry's dirty laundry!

Now that Dark Hour has begun, Shinjiro's in his red faux-wolf-furred coat from Peacock Silk, beanie firmly back on his head. He looks... overly warm, but he was also one of the ones wearing a haori earlier, so.

His thoughts on the Phantom Thieves, if asked ahead of time, are full of suspicion. People who can change another's heart, their mind... taking away the choice of responsibility, how awful is that? It is a person's choice to either take responsibility or not. Without the freedom to choose, it's hollow, just a forced confession.

Can they really trust these people have the right intentions for their power? And if they do... do they really know what they're doing?

Myunghon especially could tell why Shinjiro has big thoughts on that. He's very much about personal responsibility, after everything he's done. But even so, he's promised not to ruin it. He needs to observe himself what they're about.

He's on the couch, tapping his fingers against his left thigh rhythmically. He's got a canned coffee in his other hand. He's basically the physical security here, and is prepared to spring up if something goes horribly wrong, even outside a Persona battle.

Hopefully, it doesn't.

As Umie enters, Shinjiro gives her a wave. "It was pretty cool, wasn't it? I'll have to show you the photos I got later," he tells her, trying to defuse his own tension about this meeting.

<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.

    Part of the Cardboard Dragon is set aside as a living area, with a couch pointed towards an entertainment unit and an aging CRT. There are some office chairs strewn around the couch for extra seating, and seated on one of them is... someone who is either trying much too hard, or enjoying herself far too much, or perhaps both at once.

    So-young Park would not miss this meeting for the world, not least because her thoughts about a Change of Heart kind of start and end at 'oh, you made the untouchable asshole confess? damn, good job!'. If she ever paused to think and properly evaluate the situation, there is a little part of her deep down that would love to figure out how they do it and ascertain whether it's a matter of convincing or coercion or mind control... ... but from her point of view, the two 'victims' she knows of have been a serial art thief and someone directly threatening her sibling. She's entirely happy with the outcomes thus far.

    Besides, So-young will always carry the DNA of a theatre kid. There's every chance she's simply here to recruit the Thieves into a revue act.

    With that moral quandary out of the way, and the conductor's energy at high just from the happy adrenaline of a festival and fireworks followed by a torrential downpour, So-young has room to be as So-young Park as she wants to be.

    The figure that is seated in the office chair is pointed away from both the fire escape and the stairs to the third floor at first, but there is a clear elegance in the way the monochrome figure carries themselves, sitting upright with their gaze levelled slightly high as they seemingly gaze out of the window. As the Thieves enter, the figure's chin lowers, their head turning a miniscule amount - and then as Myunghon calls out, a light kick sets the chair spinning as So-young leans forward to place her elbows on her knees and steeple her fingers together at her chin.

    (Yes, she absolutely practiced this. Not to mention she's never sure if it's the Thieves entering or someone else, so she's already done it a couple of times before having to hurriedly reset herself.)

    She realizes too late that she's misjudged her push and is coming to a stop pointed several degrees away from where the Thieves have entered, but the only reaction she gives is a quiver of her mouth as she successfully manages to avoid immediately grinning like an idiot. The show must go on. Damn it, she would never have expected Myunghon to be so, so much better at this than her.

    So-young has also found herself a mask... of sorts. It's cheap and plastic and the cord has already nearly snapped because it's meant for kids, but she has a half-face kitsune mask she picked up from a stall on the way. Maybe it's for the best that Fox is not present. Not that the mask helps in any way - it is completely mundane, So-young has no cognitive barrier to protect her identity, and most importantly there is really no mistaking her hair, long and hime cut, pure white but for the repeated black stripes to evoke a piano's keys, exactly the same as it has been when certain Thieves have seen her in the real world.

    "Greetings," she intones, setting her voice about an octave lower than normal and adding a bit of gravel for good measure.

<Pose Tracker> Mio Kazama has posed.

SOME TIME PRIOR

    Krump! Boom! Thoom! Kracklekracklekracklekracklekrackle~

    The Family Mart perched at the edge of Hirasaka Ward is a 24-hour convenience store ('conbini' to those in the know) and, blessedly on this humid and dreary night, is an oasis of cool, crisp air. Despite being sealed and warded against the oppressive summer heat outside, the rumble and peal of fireworks still creeps through the glazed windows a few seconds behind telltale flashes of coloured light. On this festival evening, Mio Kazama is...

    ... ringing up the order for a foreign tourist buying a late-night onigiri, drinks, and assortment of snacks. She is clad in the noble silks and finery of the FamiMart uniform, which is a cheap synthetic polo patterned in blue and white with a thick green stripe around the midsection. The item scanner on the counter beeps with every barcode waved before it. "Are you visiting for the fireworks?" asks Mio, directly disobeying Rule #113(1)(a)(vii) of the employee handbook, which discourages small talk with the customers. The foreign man nervously looks down at his hand of 1000-yen bills. Hideyo Noguchi stares back at him, unwilling to translate what the girl in bubblegum pink hair has just asked him. "Y...es." he answers, obliviously, hoping this is the right move that will let him pay and depart without further embarrassment.

    "Nice. Okay, that's 2,053 yen please."
    "Yes."
    "Would you like a bag?"
    "..."

    A new phrase. The tourist is caught in the gaze of their natural predator: the unassuming and harmless local, unsure how to respond. "Er..." he stammers, pretending not to have heard. Several people behind him in line silently shift their weight and pretend to focus on their phones. The background music begins a new loop once more, and a humid wave rolls in from outside as the store door slides open from someone walking too close on the sidewalk.

    Mio turns to look at the clock, bags under her eyes as if all her makeup suddenly stopped working, blue lines and sweat rolling down her face. Too... awkward...

NOWSIES

    (Un)fashionably late, the door to the Cardboard Dragon creaks open and a mess of wet pink hair, jeans, and Converse Chuck Taylors trudges through, all wrapped up in a 300-yen poncho whose seams have not survived the rigours of being folded. "Oisuuu~" Mio calls out while not being fully able to see, pulling herself free of her plastic packaging not long after. She's still wearing her FamiMart polo and her hair is hurriedly jammed into a knotted ponytail held in place with a handkerchief.

    She has a bag of much nicer clothes slung over one shoulder but has mistimed her arrival, or perhaps was unavoidably detained, and thus, is here to make connections looking like she's either about to inform someone that the bentos are half-price until 6 PM, or ask whether they prefer leaded or unleaded gasoline.

    "... oh . . ."

    Well, maybe the rollout of the Dark Hour will solve her fashion woes. Unless it's too late, in which case, people have worn stranger shit to Tartarus, man. Head empty, no thoughts of import, she'll figure this meeting out on the fly.

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Shinobu isn't entirely sure whether or not the Phantom Thieves will show. She wouldn't blame them for being suspicious, receiving a sudden, direct invitation... But, hopefully, their choice of messenger will at least help them give them the benefit of the doubt.

The only thing they can do now is wait, and hope they accept.

...And wait Shinobu does - leaning against a wall nearby Merry's makeshift throne, her arms folded in front of her as she scans the shop floor for signs of activity. She doesn't know which direction they'll be coming from, but she wants to be ready.

She's dressed casually, in her signature jeans, t-shirt, and jacket. Conversely to Shinjiro, she has taken advantage of the clothesline, her yukata hanging up to dry next to Myunghon's.

She looks up at Umie enters, cracking a smirk.

"...No kidding." She replies. "Least we got some fireworks in before they tried to drown us."

And then, the arrival. Merry introduces them all as their most trusted comrades, and Shinobu offers a nod of greeting.

"Shinobu Shimizu." Shinobu greets. By this point, it feels like too late to try to hide herself. She might as well be open.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    It happened not too long ago that Jose, that curious little robot boy who clown-cars around Mementos, passed on a message from the Persona Users of Cardboard Dragon that they want to meet and speak with the Phantom Thieves. (Well. It's basically a privately scheduled "sale"? Maybe even without the scare quotes. Either way.) The team had discussed this and, given their positive interactions while dealing with Shadow Kaneshiro, they agreed to accept... and now here they are.
    
    Not all of the Phantom Thieves are here. They agreed that, just in case, it might be a wise idea that people outside their group don't get to know all of them all at once. It helps, or doesn't help depending on your perspective, that some of the others just weren't able to make it tonight.
    
    That's fine. They can pass on the discussion to the others. For now, after the rained-out fireworks festival, The Phantoms dispersed and then reassembled in Sumaru after taking the trains during normal hours. Once the Dark Hour hits and the meeting is done, they can return to Tokyo via Mementos and Monabus.
    
    For right now...
    
    The sickly green light of the Dark Hour permeates the air in Hirasaka Ward. Only a few minutes after it's begun, something stirs in the shadows just outside Cardboard Dragon. Ren--or rather, Joker--has been here before a couple times, so they know the way in. This is an arranged, agreed-upon meeting, so why sneak? They simply walk up to the building and climb the fire escape exit, gloved hands tucked in the pockets of their long coat, as if they belong there.
    
    Of course, that's only the bold and potentially distracting approach of the leader. Why sneak? Because they're thieves, of course. Some among their others might open for alternate entrances, or to hang back and keep a weather eye out before approaching...
    
    As they stride in to Cardboard Dragon proper, they're greeted by Rumormonger Merry in their throne-esque Cognitive Coat. Joker takes them and their self-introduction in stride, glancing from person to person as their companions introduce themselves in turn--or just hang around, as the case may be. They of course recognize Merry as Myunghon; Umie is here too in a quirky T-shirt, and So-young spinning in her chair in practiced motion with a cheap plastic mask and Shinobu nodding to them all in greeting; they don't know Shinjiro in his unseasonable coat or Mio in her plastic poncho looking well out of sorts, but that's fine.
    
    It does look like a decent number of them got rained out from the fireworks festival too, though.
    
    "Greetings, Rumormonger Merry," Joker replies, projecting their voice. "As you know, we are the Phantom Thieves." They smirk as they raise their hands to tighten their red gloves--a personal tic as much as it is to show that they come unarmed. (Not that they couldn't be armed in an instant, but it's the thought that counts.) "Some of us will be arriving in alternate fashion... I do hope you don't mind." They slip their hands into their pockets, smirk fading. "Amongst ourselves, I'm known as Joker." They glance briefly at Umie, smirk for a second, and add, "No relation to the 'Old Maid.'"
    
    They'll let the others enter and introduce themselves in their turn.

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

Skull isn't sure what to make of a sale during the Dark Hour. It is a bold tactic but there was a part of him that found this all...sketchy? This feeling is made worse when Ryuji decides to take the Third Floor entrance for a moment. It made sense to keep these guys on their toes. How crazy would it be if the Phantoms just suddenly appeared from everywhere?! That's mind games and super cool to the mystique of the Phantom Thieves. Skull is going to Mind Freak these people!

 That was the plan. Instead, Skull is the one getting Mind Freaked.

 He is shell shocked by the bedroom, staring into it's disaster area with wide eyes. "Who...who lives like this?!" He is sure he might've seen a bug. Wait is that mold?! The blonde retches, feeling sweat underneath his mask as he tries to will himself to go on.

 It takes some time but finally Skull appears from the bed room and comes down stairs. He looks like he's seen somethings, giving everyone he doesn't know a look of just concern and pity. "Ok. Next time I'm using the Fire Escape. That wasn't what I was expectin to see during the Dark Hour, man... Sup? So what did I miss?"

 The deliquent stands ready in the corner he's nearest to, slouching with his hands in his pockets. For the moment, he is letting Joker handle the big gestures of this meeting, keeping most of his mistrust to himself. Skull just scans the room, stopping on Shinjiro for a moment. So these guys got a muscle too it seems. Cool. Skull shoots Shinjiro a grin before turning his attention to Rumourmonger Merry, nodding as respectfully as he can manage.

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

What is a Jose? A miserable pile of clown cars?

We're just not sure.

Or at least, Ann Takamaki isn't sure. She has pondered the Jose for a solid five minutes straight one time, and having found no logical answers and only just a deep well of creeping uncertainty demanding she not stare into the Abyss lest the Jose stare back, she decided to drop it there.

He's a little lost Mementos child with a buggy bumper and he likes to eat brain flowers! It's cute, not creepy!

So Ann, of course, was totally okay with the totally cute and totally normal Jose putting in a totally normal request that the Phantoms meet these totally trustworthy Cardboard Dragon people for a totally legit sale off in totally Sumaru. And she was initially, actually! After all -- they were going to celebrate their victory over Kaneshiro that day, and their morale would be skyrocketing, high off the backs of FIREWORKS.

What could go wrong?!

        A SERIES OF THINGS THAT WENT WRONG LATER,

"Whyyyyyy does the Dark Hour look so much creepier in Hirasaka??"

This is the grumble of Ann Takamaki - AKA THE PERILOUS PANTHER - that she starts out the green-soaked liminal hour with when she meets up with her fellow Thieves, leather-clad arms wrapping around herself in an assuring hug as she looks over the bleak landscape. It's probably because she's just used to the Dark Hour from the safety of her own home. There's usually barely anyone there, which means there's no coffins! And if you think that's depressing, well--

--

-- shut up!

The point is, Panther starts this meeting in dour spirits, having her great summer celebration ruined by a few measly drops of rain and one of her favorite yukata still air-drying off in the hotel room she rented for the night (oh god -- do things still dry during the dark hour--?!), and she is in desperate need of a pick-me-up. So, when she sees the angle that Skull is deciding to go with their grand entrance? Panther immediately perks up again!

"Oo! Oo, I wanna join! It'll be so cool and mysANOTHER SERIES OF THINGS THAT WENT WRONG LATER

It's a haunted figure in red leather, not a mysterious and dashing one, that emerges from the third floor of the Cardboard Dragon after Skull. Wrapped in red leather, Panther would have all the dangerous presence of a bona fide femme fatale!

If she wasn't so busy locking a thousand-yard stare off into the distance.

She was similarly, horrifyingly quiet when she and Skull wandered through the third floor. And now here she is, even paler than normal somehow, her blue eyes dead inside as she stares at that fixed point where surely there is a black hole a trillion light years off devouring all light and creation into its imperishably black maw.

"Um. Hey," she says, distracted. Does she notice everyone here??

"Are you--"

'okay?,' she wants to say 'okay,' she desperately needs to say 'okay'--

"--b-big into-- trading card games--?"

bwomp.

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.

    A message to a clandestine meeting with strange people conveyed by an even stranger boy, for a sale no less? It's hard to think a meeting like this *isn't* suspicious. On the other hand, the Phantom Thieves only discovered recently that other Persona Users exists, let alone a whole community of them. This was a good if risky opportunity to learn more. So after weighing up the options, Queen put her vote toward the meeting- if with precautions.

    She'd went over the rules: 'Treat this like a Palace. Codenames only, don't give away any unnecessary details, keep our real identities out of it. We were allies of convenience with Kaneshiro, we don't actually know anything about them yet, as Persona Users.'

    Queen is... definitely more on edge during the Dark Hour, and her Phantom Thief outfit activates as soon as the Dark Hour starts, with no effort or intent from Makoto. In Palaces, that happens when the ruler perceives a threat, obviously. Does it work the same way in the Dark Hour? It seems unlikely that a time of night or local shadows would recognize just Makoto as a threat. "We only have to endure it for now." Queen murmurs to Panther's complaints, but the edge to her voice is harder.

    Of course, Joker is the one who decides to walk straight in to make sure it's not a trap, and Makoto is hanging back before the initial all clear. She's the one who has to provide the escape plan in that case, after all.

    Fortunately, for the moment, the need for such plans is not necessary, given that Joker's initial entrance has not resulted in, say, an explosion or a giant shadow emerging or anything else.

    So after a few more moments, she turns to their fifth who is definitely not a bakemono. "Mona, I'm heading in. Keep an eye on things, and if things kick off or I send you the signal, you're our backup. I'm counting on you." With that Queen follows, also taking the fire escape for swiftness of entry. Which means she enters the room, sizing up the gathered Persona users. She encountered some of them in Kaneshiro's palace, but didn't really have time to talk. She falls in next to Joker, her scarf moving without the wind- her outfit is about as scandalous as Panther's, but spikier and with less skin showing, it's just rare she's standing still enough or not wrapped in an incredible veil of fury for it to be noticed.

    "I'm Queen." She offers simply, as Skull and Panther appear and are...

    She blinks. Skull seems to be doing okay, but Panther looks like she's seen hell. And neither of them introduced themselves so Queen decides to take care of that too (especially since she's not sure Panther *can* right now).

    "This is Skull and Panther." She clarifies, indicating them each with a wave of her hand before crossing her arms. She's in full business mode, but she looks to Joker first before deciding to set her own tone.

    She does, however, make mental notes of every name given. Rumormonger Merry and Umie Akabane she recognizes. Shinjiro, Mio and So-young don't give any details, so Shinobu Shimizu is the only new information she gains- with a full name. Far more than the Phantoms are volunteering.

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

    Unfortunately, Myunghon has their phone on Manner mode, so Umie's texts don't quite get responded to in time. No, Umie, they did not in fact block off their window to the nightmare hellscape bedroom! And when the door opens, it looks as if the Raincoat Killer is here to slaughter them all!! Aieee!! ... no, it's just Umie. Coming in from the third floor.

    "Unfortunately for you, Akabane-san, I've tidied up there. You can't deter me tonight," boasts Merry. ... tidying doesn't particularly do much against its nightmarish state, Myunghon.

    Myunghon does know that Shinjiro has big thoughts about the Phantom Thieves' methods, but they're not particularly interested in making this meeting automatically devolve into a meeting about ethics. Well, if it becomes an argument like that, it'd still be quite interesting information gathering, but they're aiming for a bigger prize at the moment...

    And they're not lying when they say that this is about a gift for saving Hirasaka, because in their mind, that is unequivocably true, even if they had other objectives in mind.

    In the end, too, one is reminded that So-young was all 'sucks to be you' at everyone else having to go home in the wet, crowded trains of Shibuya... and yet she also had to be here for the midnight meeting!! Doom, terror, crackow, avash. Still, Myunghon seems content enough to let her practice her little routine out, even if they also advised that perhaps she should get a mask from Umie.

    Mio's late entrance is given a nod by Merry, as they gesture with that characteristically vivid, almost V-shaped smile on their face. As if to give her an out from any awkwardness, "Myo, please, come in, and thank you for your efforts. You are not too late."

    And Shinobu's got the COOL POSE going on leaning against a wall beside their throne! (Some part of Myunghon is flailing and excited about how cool that looks, surrounded by their most trustworthy enforcers...)

    But here come the Phantom Thieves! Myunghon did consider that not all of them would be here -- that's just wise, in their books. They could be walking into a devious and dastardly trap!! Myunghon had a headcount from the battle with Kaneshiro and not much else, and they do identify that the Fox-masked one and the Beauty Thief are not here... and they're not about to read too much into it.

    Much like them, the Phantom Thieves are also, almost inevitably, people, with schedules.

    But Joker deigns to just simply enter right from the front as if he'd always belonged here. How bold! And intriguing. They offer a greeting in turn, tightening their gloves. They point out that some of the other thieves will be here in their own personal fashion.

    "Well met, Joker," nods Merry, amiably enough, and the connection they draw is already dispelled. What a fascinating... coincidence? Is it a coincidence, or something more? The supernatural has many ill designs beyond the means in which they know.

    Still, Joker's tactic (perhaps?) of having people enter through various means does seem to have an effect, because Skull and Panther emerging in from the third floor much like Umie did does prompt a particular mannerism, in which Merry taps their finger to their lips as they Shaft-tilt their head over their shoulder.

    "Ara ara, I see what you mean now, Joker-san. I hope my living quarters did not alarm you too much... Iron-san, Crimson-san, perhaps?" They have to guess at a codename for Skull and Panther. But it isn't long before Queen sets the record straight -- Skull, and Panther.

    But indeed, who the hell lives like that?! Is this also a tactic?! Did they somehow mess up their living arrangements beforehand just for intimidation... no, that ceiling is basically one bad torrent of rain (like tonight) away from just caving in on them. How are they still alive. How did they survive the last winter.

    It might be easy to connect Merry's bandaged appearance to that bedroom.

    "I do enjoy trading card games!" Merry cheerfully answers, papering right over the terror of having their bedroom stampeded upon. "We're celebrating the new release of the Sourdough Princess Sourdough Starter Pack! For just a bit of dough, I'll even throw a special eggwash-themed card sleeve set!"

    Is this the fabled 'disaster adult' they're warned to not become, one day???

    "My my! Queen-san! I hope you've been well," Merry does cheerfully say, having a bit more warmth with Queen despite her countenance because once you ride shotgun behind someone's Persona-Motorcycle to manifest a road made out of cloth so she can dunk the personification of one's gluttony with nuclear power, you can't not help but feel some camaraderie. "Thank you again for the other day. That was a magnificent performance. No, truly, it's all of you that I do have to thank."

    They gesture delicately with their bandaged hands. "It would not only have been this building. Kasugayama High School, and several other schools, not to mention homes that belong to the Zainichi... it is with sincerity," they gesture with a sweeping little bow, "that I thank you for your aid in stopping Junya Kaneshiro."

    Then Merry is spinning on their own throne, their seating posture becoming positively terrible as they poke their legs out one way and cross their legs. "Now! I do mean it when I say that I am offering a sale for precious and rare Skill Cards. I am a collector and spend much of my time in odd situations to earn these. And as a Rumourmonger, I am also privy to interesting morsels of information that may very well be of use to you in future endeavours. Now, as they say..."

    They lean their head down against one arm, elbow on their cognitive armrest -- and then wince again as they find that pose uncomfortable as well, but just suck it up and endures the pain. The facade is all, right now.

    "Are you interested in striking a deal, Phantom Thieves?"

<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.

As the group filters in, some from the third floor (what the hell is up there? He's going to have to Find Out if they're that horrified), Shinjiro sits up straight. "Shinjiro Aragaki," he introduces himself brusquely.

Don't worry, Merry, he's not going into ethics! That's for the SEES meeting.

Instead, he's gesturing to Mio to join him on the couch as she filters in from work. "Over here," he says, before turning to Joker, observant eyes appraising him.

"Good," he says to the quip about the Old Maid, though it's slightly less brusque. Ryuji then gets a nod as Shinjiro sees that grin.

"Are you all familiar enough with Skill Cards?" he asks, genuinely curious. "I only learned about them from Merry, myself."

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

    Arriving here about the same time as Mio, it doesn't take long before they're joined by someone else-- Joker, specifically, who briefly startles Umie by doing the one thing she didn't expect: come in through the front door. She recovers quickly enough, quickly moving to the side so that Joker and the rest of the cast of Cardboard Dragon can properly interact.

    ...but not before catching a glance with Joker and betraying a slight sideways grin back, for several reasons.

    ... One of which is her glance back towards the back room, where the stairs to the Third Floor are.

    Maybe they'll find another way in. Or possibly--

    Ah. Umie gestures with her hands, giving Myunghon a 'SEE?!' look. "..... Merry-san," Umie flatly murmurs, "I thought you said you had cl--"

    She lets out a lonnng sigh. "... I should probably head back up--" But then, she hears the two Thieves thump down the stairs, wearing expressions similar to what Umie had worn, not too long ago. "... I told you to put a sign up."

    Still. A part of her feels an odd flush of pride to have discovered that 'entrance'... even if it was for the same reason she was scouting the Cardboard Dragon building as a whole earlier.

    .... They all have enemies that would likely love a chance to attack either group, about now.

    Which is why, when Queen arrives, Umie's hands instinctually go to her jacket's pockets... for a weapon that isn't there.

    (Right. This is her *nice* jacket.)

    Still, she relaxes, realizing who it is: Motorcycle-san. And Red-san, and that must be.... a Skull-san.

    'Skull and Panther.' AHA. She got one on the first try!

    Umie's outward expression doesn't change, however, just making way for Skull and Panther to make their way in, while looking at Myunghon.

    (..... what was the deal, again?) Umie's face betrays a look of curiosity, seeing Myunghon's facade.

<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.

    Part of So-young had honestly been expecting Myunghon's offer to be rebuffed. Whichever way you cut it, that would have been the sensible thing to do when it came to meeting anyone, even a shadowy Rumormonger they've fought beside. So the conductor's practiced routine is still done with a degree of surprise evident on her face, the way her eyebrows raise to take in the sight of Joker properly, without the threat of a piggytank falling on her any moment.

    So-young's attempt at being foreboding and above all tactirun only lasts so long, not least because she's just not the sort of person to be able to keep up something like that for long. Her eyebrows go up at Umie's rather bedragged state, glancing over with genuine concern. "Oh, I certainly can believe it. You should have let me know! You couldn't have been far from my place. I'd have let you in to dry off."

    Mio's rather blitzed entrance gets an understanding frown as well, and So-young reaches behind her seat to where she's stashed a small Triple 7 bag with some snacks in there. She's starting to understand what really matters during the Dark Hour, and the troubles of trying to manage an extra hour of the day when that extra hour happens to be in the dead-ass of night, and as such - she has canned coffee on hand, waggling it in a silent offer.

    "I would be let down if they didn't, honestly," she chimes merrily towards Joker's statement as she straightens up in her chair and relaxes afterwards into a bright smile. "Though, maybe give us all a heads up if someone intends to crash through the window, just for safety's sake."

    Somehow, the third floor has remained safe from So-young's meddling. The conductor recognizes this as likely to be a hard stopping point - that if she willingly and openly invaded that part of Myunghon's space, there would probably be no mending whatever came next. Besides, just as she's fond of her own private space, so she will at least respect that in others. Maybe someday she'll see the state of it all, and woe betide anyone in her path afterwards. But for now, she has two new datapoints in the form of shellshocked Phantom Thieves to add to the burgeoning curiosity in her mind.

    She settles for an incline of her head, the convenience store bag still held in her hands, honestly uncertain how to mend first impressions given she's missing any context for what might have happened up there.

    So-young holds her introduction back for a while, letting Myunghon say their peace about Kaneshiro. Partially it's because the conductor enjoys being 'audience' for speeches like that - but the way her face also tightens with anger at the mafioso's name speaks volumes about what she still thinks of that man, repentance or no.

    "So-young Park," she finally adds to Queen's introductions once Myunghon has switched to sales mode, brightening again. "It's a pleasure - and, might I add, thank you from myself as well. It may not have been terribly obvious, but that time was only my second foray into the Metaverse, and I was still very much learning from example. I like to think I'm pretty good at flying around on my Persona now, but I do have to give you the credit for the idea." There's an artful pause. "That and the place collapsing, I suppose."

<Pose Tracker> Mio Kazama has posed.

    Perhaps there's something to be said for one's perception of oneself during the Dark Hour and the reflection of that. By which I mean, Mio was clearly so preoccupied with getting safely across town that her cognitive self is a convenience-store worker and not a cool warrior of the night clad in the raiment of shadows. Merry is giving her an out, but still, making it late to your own meetup is tipping the slider from Cool to Lame. The only saving grace is that she has taken off her nametag from work, because the cringe singularity of standing there before the uniformly-themed Phantom Thieves with a little FamiMart themed tag clipped to her shirt might actually crumple her up and kill her instantly.

    "Ahum--hey there. Myo here. Thanks for coming to meet us!" the young lady with the bright pink hair flashes a V with her fingers and turns her head to one side. Her free hand glides across her face, which looks kind of chuunibyou and faux-dramatic, but the shadows her fingers cast soon solidify into a pointed mask of white iron. Not dissimilar to Queen's, in fact, which I didn't realize until a few weeks into play. Anyway, her voice is very cheerful and her posture suggests a frustrating amount of energy in lieu of life's many vagarities.

    Also: perceptive. "Um. Hey," Myo points at Panther not long after. "Is she okay? I know the dark hour's kinda tiring..." she has not yet realized the source of that expression, for she has not seen the depths of depravity that lurk one floor above. It's better this way.

    Not being in the lead seat for negotiations for this whole thing, the now-masked young lady tiptoes across the floor towards the sofa, as beckoned. "Phew! Thanks, thanks." She snatches a can of coffee as offered, to boot, her thanks clearly directed to both Shinjiro and So-Young. She cracks the can open with expert timing when nobody else is talking. Unlike Myunghon, her offerings are much less business-focused and, let's be honest, less strictly useful, but she still pipes up after So-Young's introduction all the same.

    "Also, we've got refreshments. Help yourself, nothing's off the table! I've been itching to tell you guys how badass you looked when you were socking it to Kaneshiro!" there are little stars in Myo's eyes as she admits this, visible through her visor. Equal parts nervous energy and boundless enthusiasm, then...?

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Joker arrives, and greets them all - introducing their group as the Phantom Thieves. No relation to the 'Old Maid', they say - she nods.

"...Rotten luck, to have a guy like that with the same name running around." Shinobu observes.

Her attention turns toward the entrance from the third-floor and - oh, oh no. They didn't.

...They did. Shinobu's expression turns sympathetic as the horrified Skull and Panther emerge.

No one should have to see that.

Her attention turns to Queen instead, as she handles the introductions for the rest of them. She nods to her in turn.

"Nice meeting you all. Thanks for showing up." She replies. The fact that all they're getting is codenames doesn't bother her. She didn't expect anything more than that - just having something to call them by is good enough for now.

Merry confirms that they do in fact enjoy card games, and even gets a spot of advertising in. How clever of them...

They take point on the conversation, though, and so Shinobu goes quiet as they speak. And when they thank them all...

"...Yeah. Thanks. Hirasaka is a rough enough neighborhood without someone like that calling the shots." She agrees with a nod. "You all fight well. It was good to fight alongside you."

Merry confirms that they are in fact still having a sale, and Shinjiro asks if they're familiar with Skill Cards - so she goes quiet and lets them handle that part.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    Mona nods firmly to Queen, his white-tipped paws folded over his chest. "Leave it to me. I've got your backs," he murmurs. Given that he's the one who can transform into a car, they all agreed that it's wisest if he's outside so they can make the quickest possible getaway if needed. (Truthfully, he's not a fan of being left out, but he's the senpai here; he's got to show off how reliable and gallant he is to his proteges... Once Queen makes her move, Mona likewise starts circling the building from rooftop to rooftop, keeping careful eye on any suspicious movements. The Phantom Thieves won't be taken off guard!)
    
    On the inside, Skull and especially Panther seem... rattled, Skull with the look of pity he sends around to the people of Cardboard Dragon and Panther with her shellshocked thousand-yard stare into the inescapable core of Sagittarius A*. Joker gives them both a steady look, its inscrutable lack of emotion somehow meant to convey both 'keep it together' and 'are YOU okay?'
    
    Yes, they picked up on that word Panther so desperately wanted to say. It's not what you say, but how you say it. Fortunately, Queen makes her entrance then, and Joker shares a nod with her, silently urging her on, as she takes point on introducing the others. So those are Merry's living quarters upstairs... ...What the hell did Skull and Panther see?!
    
    Joker keeps that question off their masked face, though, only offering a faint chuckle at Merry's gay response and Umie's heavy sigh. Once greetings are done, Merry moves into the reason for this get-together: The Phantoms' actions having led to saving Hirasaka Ward from Kaneshiro's money-grubbing paws. Joker's already aware of this, and so they reply smoothly, "You're quite welcome." (They do wonder what a Homunculus is supposed to be in context, but they keep that question unvoiced for now.)
    
    So-young smilingly asks for a heads-up if anyone's panning to crash through the window. Joker smiles back, winks, and holds a finger up to their lips. "And ruin the surprise? What fun would that be?" (No one is. This is everyone who's showing up tonight. But Joker isn't going to just tell her that, either.) When So-young adds that she'd been a brand-new Persona User at the time, they add, "Oh? Interesting."
    
    Mio introduces herself next--and calls up her own cognitive costume with mask. Is it by design that she's still clearly herself? This is theoretically a friendly meeting--but if she's trying to encourage The Phantoms to mask down in return, Joker isn't on board. ...They don't get that vibe from her, though, given her concern for Panther. They wave a hand when she offers refreshments. "That's kind of you, but I'll pass." They chuckle and add, "But your admiration is appreciated."
    
    Shinobu comments on the rotten luck of sharing a codename with a serial killer. "My thoughts exactly," they say dryly. "But likewise. You seem like reliable fighters in your own right." They would have to be to hold their own against a Palace Ruler. All of them experienced firsthand just how tough a battle that was.
    
    They listen to Merry's pitch and hum a low, thoughtful noise. "That depends on the deal--but it sounds like you've got plenty to offer." They look from Queen to Skull to Panther and nod to the three before looking back at Merry... who seems to be in pain, judging by how they keep wincing. They respect the need for a facade, though, and pretend not to have noticed. Likewise, they pretend not to notice the surprised look Umie shoots at them. "We're listening."
    
    Shinjiro introduces himself properly now. Seems like he's anti-Old Maid; points in his favor. When he asks if they know about Skill Cards already, Joker nods once. "From Igor, yes," they lie deftly. The Phantoms actually know of it from Yusuke, but they're certainly not going to tell them that.

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

Skull gives Umie a quick nod as he passes, keeping mostly quiet as he keeps watch over the proceedings.

 He watches Merry, trying to get a read on them. He blinks as his eyes pop open on the name guesses, prompting a wide grin. "Woah. I coulda been IRON?! That's kinda badass." Surely someone gives his dumbassery a look, prompting him to cough and try to look 'serious' again. "I mean--Yeah, Skull is fine."

 Right now, Skull is sure his main duty here is to keep an eye out for trouble and deal with it. Queen and Joker are going to handle this deal or whatever. However, the offer gets a raised brow from the blonde, prompting to dart his eyes over to Joker for their take.

 However everyone is thanking them and being all nice. The delinquent rubs the back of his neck nervously, beginning to feel weird about this whole thing. Were they trying to butter them up? Was he too paranoid? Maaan, this was a tense dark hour and he wasn't even outside with all the horror movie stuff.

"Yeah I hear uh, it's pretty rough here." Skull comments back to Shinobu, wanting to say more but thinking better of it. He hasn't even told the others about why he was acting to weird and now sure as hell isn't the time. Maybe on the Mona-bus ride back?

 For now, Skull just crosses his arms, looking back to Shinjiro when he mentions skill cards. "Yeah...Heard of those." He is only kind of sure he knows what is being talked about.

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

"People live in that?!"

She doesn't mean to blurt it out. She means to be more diplomatic. To use a gentle touch.

But then she just blurts it out anyway because come on HUMAN BEINGS SHOULD NOT BE FUNCTIONALLY CAPABLE OF LIVING IN EXTREME BIOMES SUCH AS THAT

"I-I mean -- no way! Why even ask that!"

Ann thinks she covered for herself well enough there. Look -- her ACTUAL kneejerk reaction was to immediately derail this Very Important Meeting to run an impromptu intervention for this person she's never met who looks like they might be a mummy from those old-timey horror movies to IMPROVE THEIR LIFE or at LEAST give them an extreme (EXTREME) home makeover!!

Ann Takamaki, consummate latchkey kid, knows that ANY amount of mold in a house can quickly become a bad thing, let alone -- a house that is like, half mold now?!

So -- for her, this is good, not diverting things to have a frank discussion on Rumormonger Merry's personal well-being. (IS that good though--) For now, Panther - stirred from her bleak, blight-blotted reverie by way of bluster, blinks as Merry does some promotional plugging. "Wait, those are out--?!" she blurts, before Queen introduces her. "O-oh err -- right, Panther! That's me!"

Ugh. She's ruining this. She had a whole daydream about coming in, suave and sexy and rife with mystique, to finally be the Panther she knew she could be with complete strangers and now it's all dashed on the rocks. First impressions are everything!

She's stewing over her magnificent failures when Mio asks after her. Behind that feline mask, blue eyes blink once. "Huh? H-haha, I'm fine! I just -- got spooked by a Shadow earlier! The Dark Hour is so creepy, y'know?"

She thinks that covers her well, if she does say so herself, and given some breathing room as Joker starts to field - negotiations? weren't they just getting a big congratulatory surprise gift or something (they were not)? - Ann takes a moment to assess the others here. Most of them are passingly familiar from their unexpected arrival at Kaneshiro's Palace -- but it's Umie that stands out to her. She's here, too?? ... Well, maybe they can be trusted...?

Ann's personal thoughts on the matter are tabled for a moment, though, when Shinobu speaks up -- and as she and Merry both thank them for helping Hirasaka from what Kaneshiro was trying to do there. Despite how distraught she seemed earlier, Panther's response is immediate and firm: lips drawn into a tight, thin line, she crosses arms under her chest, and shakes her head exactly once.

"You don't have to thank us," she insists. "I mean... it's nice, but... keeping more people from being preyed on by pathetic bastards like that Kaneshiro is all the reward we need, really." Well, all the reward Ann needs, anyway.

As to the matter of the Old Maid - his creepiness aside - Panther proclaims quite firmly: "Our Joker is the only one who really deserves that name, as far as I'm concerned." Does she know the meaning of Joker in cards? Or symbolically? Of course not. But Ren's made it his own, and that's what matters!

And so - after Ann insists she's pretty good with just beating up exploitative jerks like Kaneshiro - things pivot to -- the REWARD. Or the DEAL. Myunghon talks about Skill Cards. Shinjiro asks if they're familiar. Panther nods once as she makes her way to join up with the others.

"Uh huh," she says -- and does NOT try to follow up on Joker's clever lie because even SHE knows she'll just draw undue suspicion trying to add onto it. Igor! Yeah! Totally!

So for now, she remains quiet, blue eyes wordlessly watching as Myunghon winces, saying nothing for now -- even if the mask can only do so much to hide any concern she might be wearing on her sleeve.

Is Merry really okay? ... and what do Homonyms have to do with Skill Cards?

Ann keeps her private worries about academics being tied into cognitive crimes strictly to herself for now, and everyone is all the better for it.

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.

    Makoto mentally adds an extra rule to the list: 'Back up Joker's story, let him do the lying cause we all suck at it'.

    Merry gets a nod of acknowledgement from Queen. "You helped us put Kaneshiro in his place. You don't need to thank us for that- we had our own reasons for going after Kaneshiro, his plans for Hirasaka were an additional reason to make him face consequences." She doesn't explain 'their own reasons', but so many were there when Queen lost her shit at the man in the piggytron. Still, the mention of the Zanichi gives Queen a momentary think.

    She, after all, had only overheard the term from phonecalls her father had sometimes. That required some research of her own, when she had realized they were having a meeting with this group. The good news is she didn't have the full picture!

    She still doesn't have the full picture, though, and wouldn't mind some more details.

    She sees Umie reach for a weapon, and Queen's hand shifts to her hip- where she could summon her revolver in a second just in case, but Umie relaxes for a moment.

    So-young gets a nod from Queen, who also offers thanks for- providing the idea of riding a persona...? "My persona is rather unique in that respect. I haven't seen another take a form like hers."

    Myo, however, seems to sacrifice her protection of anonymity as she musters her mask, and Queen takes note of that. It doesn't give her any other information- but she *is* surprised at the amount of praise being given out. That she's not really prepared to handle, so hopefully maybe the other three can handle that?? ...Skull and Panther can definitely handle that, they're great at it.

    Shinobu gets a nod back too, while Joker asserts that they're familiar with skill cards. "It also depends on who the deal is with. Are you bargaining on behalf of just yourself, your group as a whole or a broader interest?" Queen is here to be all business, the front of the metaphorical mullet that is the Phantom Thieves, while Panther and Skull represent the party at the back I guess? This got away from me.

    And then Panther blurts that out and Queen turns to her, briefly horrified- but thankfully Ann gets distracted by a new card game for a moment so Makoto does not have to introduce her to the patented Queen 'Shut Up And Stop Sharing' kick. Yet. Even Skull is keeping control better than Panther right now.

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

    Hmmm hmmm. It looks like everyone's hitting it off themselves, the way Shinjiro and Ryuji are comparing themselves to being the bruisers of the group. They just sweetly smile to Umie in turn, perhaps the topic of how the balcony door was breached a mystery for another time, waving her concerns away. "A phantom shall enter where they may!" they declare with all too much confidence. "There is no sense in dwelling of it."

    Even if Ann continues to express her extreme shock at the, as she puts it in narrative, Extreme Biomes that Myunghon Yeo persists in. Perhaps the mold grows into giant monster spores in the Dark Hour, like some kind of hazard tile? Perhaps it is an explorable Stratum all on its own.

    Merry won't dwell on it. Merry considers the offputting nature of the third floor a win. Myunghon's going to roll around on their depressing lumpy futon in mortal embarrassment later. That's Myunghon's job. That's Myunghon Yeo's only job.

    What was the deal? Well, information and Skill Cards is simple enough, but Myunghon is leaving what they want from the Thieves vague enough to see if they'll pony up any suggestions on their own first. So-young introduces herself in short order enough, and adds her own thanks in turn. And indeed, it's perhaps a stroke of mercy that So-young hasn't paraded herself up there to make a statement of it -- one of Myunghon's initial reactions might just be to buy a violin to hold it hostage up there to deter their sister, after all.

    Myo gets pulled in with Shinjiro and So-young on the couch, and manifests her Will of Rebellion outfit... though they do wonder if the disguise will still work now that she's been out in the open with the rest of them. Not that that will be a particular problem -- the Cardboard Dragon is very open to their real-life identities. That's part of their thing.

    Even Rumourmonger Merry being Myunghon Yeo is a very open fact, so Mio isn't alone in that, as she offers refreshments if any of them reach for it, as she admires the Thieves when they were enacting their style upon Kaneshiro's minions and Piggytron.

    It was pretty stylish, after all...

    Shinobu calls it rotten luck that Joker picked the same handle. It does intrigue them -- some people might choose to have a different name. It isn't as if 'Joker' is common knowledge amidst the Phantom Thieves' public popularity -- they might be some of the only ones to know the codename. So why keep it? Is there a personal reason? As always, Shinobu's straightforwardness is something they find terribly charming, having a quiet smile towards them.

    But ah, it seems that Joker's playing their cards particularly close to their chest. This is someone who's quite inflappable -- they convey a lot through those eyes, without betraying too much expression, the way they clearly have to manage Skull and Panther's reactions in a subtle manner. It's harder than it looks, Myunghon knows, to keep a group's messaging consistent across all its members...

    ... which is why Merry doesn't bother! It adds to the laid-back and truthful nature of the Cardboard Dragon group. Besides, can you imagine trying to corral So-young in line? Impossible. Merry certainly seems very jovial and grandiose, the way they have a delicate smile and wide eye as Skull considers Iron a cool codename.

    "Hmhm... well, I shall keep that in mind, Skull-san. Who knows? You sometimes need to discard or change codenames," is what they simply say, perhaps genuinely charmed by how hard he's trying to keep the 'serious' vibe going. Someone else might think 'exploitable!', but Merry does genuinely enjoy forthright personalities. Panther, too, kind of reminds them of some of the members of the Cardboard Dragon -- there's only so much she can mask before what they sense as genuine concern for their living condition takes over, and that speaks a lot to the quality of her character, as she insists that they don't really need rewards -- the reward of keeping predators like Kaneshiro away from people is reward enough.

    "I do admire your sense of justice, Panther," Merry affirms, head half-bobbed like they're just enjoying themself.

    Much like Panther, Queen says they don't need the thanks in particular -- but Queen's all business in contrast to Skull and Panther wearing their hearts on their sleeves. What a fascinating foursome this is -- Joker and Queen, the ones named after playing cards, are the ones to keep their cards close to their chest, while the ones with evocative codenames are the ones that do otherwise.

    They do remember Queen's rage, having stood right next to her when they made him pay -- Merry's approach was that of velvet draping the steel, on that day. Queen stands opposite to them, and yet, the way she carries herself is all too familiar -- they once wore such a mask in their corporate days.

    "I shall bargain for the Cardboard Dragon group gathered here, but please, any of you -- if you have your own concerns, do feel free to highlight any. But allow me to lay out the situation as I see it:"

    "We have common enemies and questions. The masked sniper that very nearly eliminated Kaneshiro's Shadow is no small concern to us. We have intelligence on the hostile group that intercepted both of us -- Strega, and the Joker Killer, or Old Maid. No doubt you have other enemies that we are not privy to," Myunghon first explains.

    "It is very clear to me that there are other factions that exploit the use of Palaces and supernatural spaces, and I for one have no particular desire for an alliance with Strega nor the Old Maid. No, in fact, as citizens of Sumaru, I consider the Old Maid killings a particular priority to cease."

    That vivid, sharp smile is back as they cross their legs the other way, leaning backward dramatically on their throne as they offer a hand forward.

    "I would like to propose a deal of cooperation between our groups in our explorations of these supernatural spaces. I shall permit the Phantoms to set the terms, to keep your identities safe, and you shall not need to divulge any facts that inconvenience you on that matter. A 'No,' shall suffice, with no additional explanation required. We will also arrange our own rendezvous points as required."

    Merry raises their hand in front of their face and twists their wrist -- and suddenly three Skill Cards have appeared, which they partially obscure their smile behind.

    "In turn, we will trade in information pertinent to defeating our common adversaries and keeping ourselves safe from them, and I shall offer you priority and deals on Skill Cards in turn to keep both our teams well-supplied with tactical options, since you are already familiar with these."

    So Igor told them... that stands to reason. They have no particular reason to doubt that, and Skill Cards aren't the greatest secret amongst Persona Users anyway.

<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.

As they talk, as Panther... reveals more horrors of the upstairs (CONCERN LEVELS RISING), Shinjiro thinks. These don't seem like bad people...

But he still can't approve of their method, but perhaps they can work with them, help them find a better way to pull it off... not repeat the mistakes of the past.

"Igor, huh. Makes sense," Shinjiro says amicably. "He has his own guy who works on them, right?"

But then, as Myunghon lays out the deal, and offers the others to speak... he's gonna take a refreshment if there's SNACKS from the bag, and then.

"We're pretty well-connected. I've been doing this for a few years now." He can't be older than eighteen, as he clears his throat. "And, basically, there's a lot that can't be done on your own. Things that only certain groups really know about. Tatsumi Port Island in the Dark Hour, Ateliers..." He's not making things up, if his face is read.

"But... not everyone's going to approve of what you do, either, even in this community. And the Old Maid... we've got business." That one's even *more* personal. He seems like he's going to voice a concern for a moment, then shakes his head.

"If Merry's for it, I'm for it."

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

    Umie gives Queen a quiet nod, having noticed her earlier reaction to Umie's own reach, quietly showing her palms as a silent gesture.

    The two of them are reacting the way they should; while Shinjiro represents the brawn, Umie represents paranoia.

    But also, bias.

    "...." Umie's flat expression says it all, as Myunghon falsely suggests that an alliance with Strega or Old Maid was even in the cards (ha ha ha). "... If that *was* even a possibility in your mind, I doubt I'd be the only one that'd throw a fit over it, Merry-san," she notes. (She knows Myunghon wouldn't. However, the Phantom Thieves do not know what she knows; they could easily take a suggestion as a reality.)

    Better to say it out loud, that to even look like, for a second, it was ever a passing possibility.

    She looks to Skull and Panther, then judges the layout of the room. ....

    Hm, no, she can't really display her own abilities without looking like a complete dunce; walking across the room on the bare assumption her cloaking abilities will do the heavy lifting.

    (Even if she really, really, *really* wants to suddenly be on the other side of the room.)

    "I'll freely admit to my bias here; you guys saved my life from the Old Maid, despite the danger he presented to you all." Skull may not have been there for that, but she'll nonetheless include him in on that.

    She considers, folding her arms, then sighs, raising a red coral nail'ed finger. "Bear with me on this, but I may be able to help, on the topic of the sniper. Not in terms of information," she's quick to say, "but in training. You help me improve my own abilities, and you guys just might be able to tell when they pop up. Besides... while I have no intentions of throwing myself in harm's way of someone like that, seeing any smug agent get their tricks thrown in their face will make my day. And, even if I can't tell if our abilities are the same, you guys just might be able to tell when they pop up."

<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.

    So-young seems completely unruffled at the way she passes Mio a can of coffee and scoots her chair across to one side to leave space to reach the couch. "It had to be miserable at work today, surely?" she offers, as if this wasn't a meetup of two clandestine organizations. Joker's entrance was certainly dramatic, and Queen seems to be very strict, but the mysterious Third Floor has done something unexpected - it's broken the ice at least a little, leaving a couple of the Thieves on the back foot.

    The conductor can appreciate Ren's showboating, and she theatrically frowns as she folds her arms. "I'm very allergic to glass shards, just to inform you, and they're usually considered a little rude as a welcome gift," she notes, before brightening into another of those incredibly common smiles. "I got sucked straight in, if you can believe that. I was arguing with the doorman, demanding to be let in, when Merry found me." Which rather leaves open the question of what would have happened if Merry _didn't_, but fortunately that never came to pass so So-young has never devoted a single braincell towards it.

    Her eyebrows rocket upwards as Panther finally blurts out the question on her mind, and once again So-young absolutely itches to go up there and experience it for herself, bound by her own moral code not to. What doesn't bind her is her expression, though, and her wide and curious eyes try to catch the attention of the young woman in red as she waggles her eyebrows. The message is intended to be a silent 'tell me afterwards, tell me afterwards'. Not that that'll work, but, you know, she can live in hope.

    Rather than the praise itself, it's most interesting for So-young to watch each Phantom Thief's reactions to it. Joker cooly accepts everything coming their way, whereas Skull looks completely confused by the prospect of someone being nice to them. That reaction makes more sense when you factor in Phantom and Queen's very independently-minded stances, and So-young nods to herself in satisfaction as she accepts that - mostly. "Even so, you could probably say we were out of our depth on our own, given what it all came to. Besides, some of us had a rather personal grievance against him."

    So-young grins brightly towards Queen. "Oh, it's not really meant for it at all. It is an absolute pain to try to find handholds amongst its shape, but I wouldn't stop myself for the world. Flying around on Icarus during the Dark Hour is absolutely addicting." She's volunteering a lot of information about her capabilities and Persona here, even if she probably yelled her Persona's name back during the fight with Kaneshiro. This seems to be her default position when interacting with most people - you could probably ask her about her job and immediately start an entire lecture on the nuances of conducting.

    And certainly, her forwardness has left Myunghon mortified at times and plenty of people stunned in her wake, but So-young can't imagine herself acting any other way. Besides, this is a collection of young adults who have seen enough of _something_ that they're willing to dive into the heads of untouchable people and try to correct something, not even wishing for thanks. She'd much rather aim to be more open to someone in that position, rather than more closed-off.

    ... and that's how it suddenly clicks for So-young that maybe they're not all that different in terms of groups. There's no regimented loyalty here, just two loose groups of connected people with all the bumps and knocks and weird shapes that can include. ... that said, she's smart enough to know that she might be projecting a little. Or to put it another way: she'd feel better about the Thieves being so young if that were the case. It's more pleasant to think they've got each other's backs, that behind the secrecy they have their own Cardboard Dragon to laze about goofily in.

    She does suddenly frown, though, because Rumormonger Merry is laying out the terms of a potential deal and this is serious stuff to pay attention to, fill of important concerns and gravitas. Ha ha ha no of course not it's about the codenames. "No, no, no, Skull is much better if you ask me," she insists quickly with a confident nod, as if she were the Judger Of Art. "It goes with the leathers. All you need is an electric guitar as a weapon to smash over people's heads and some death metal at maximum volume and you're set for life."

    "--Personally, I'd be delighted with an allegiance," she suddenly adds, quickly joining the main topic. Her voice is still light, but there's a distinct fire in her eyes. It hasn't been that long since she watched someone die in front of her, and that's still coming back to hit her at unexpected moments. "There are clearly plenty of groups out there with a lot more power than either of us."

<Pose Tracker> Mio Kazama has posed.

    Making the most of a bad situation, the remainder of Myo's cognitive costume unfurls over her. For a moment, it's like trying to read a book in a dream, where the details keep shifting and refusing to be pinned down by one's gaze. When the shifting and shadows are complete, the young lady once dressed up for selling instant ramen and ramune is now swathed in what amounts to an armoured nun's habit. The ramifications of this, well, she'll just have to deal with that. Anyway, more importantly, she's pointing at Skull with now-trademark vigour and amusement, since he's disappointed at not being Iron. "You could upgrade into Iron Skull!" she says without a trace of sarcasm.

    She also has nothing of a functioning lie-dar, or chooses to play on Hard Mode + Ironman by taking everything at face value. So when Panther's flustered defense is that the Dark Hour sucks and is scary, the Armour Nun(tm) nods in that 'SO true, bestie' way. "Oh! Okay! I getcha. I dunno if we _should_ ever get used to it, either..." her gaze falls down for a moment, the better to ruminate with!

    But, let's not get too sidetracked just because Myo is a violent scatterbrain. There's a very real reason to gather here today! She first pipes up after her boss, since Merry has called for questions, if anyone has them. It is more of a general address, in the end. Unlike Joker, her heart is worn plainly on her sleeve. Her reasons and rationale are those of someone who hasn't even heard of subterfuge, let alone practices it. "Oh, uh, yeah. What Merry said, I want to second. You guys are punishing the untouchable, and it's, like..." there's a squint behind the mask as she gauges how honest to be (the slider only goes between 95 and 100). "... what I wanna do more of. There's a lot of people out there at the top of the food chain who need to get what's coming to them for their crimes."

    By this point, she's sat up with both hands on her legs. That's somewhat formal, at least. "If someone threatens you, I'll knock 'em down. If you find another guy like Kaneshiro who needs reminding they're not all that, I'll be there."

    Her piece said, Myo returns to fiddling with an errant pink lock snooping out of her mask. She glances aside to Shinjiro and then across to So-Young and Umie. "You can tell why I'm not the negotiator, here..."

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Joker's dry response gets a smirk out of Shinobu - and then a nod, as they return her compliment.

"Thanks. We've got some experience." She replies. She looks toward Skull, then, as he comments on how Hirasaka is pretty rough.

"It can be." She confirms with a nod. She's not going to lie. "But it's ours. So what we do what we have to to keep it safe."

Panther, meanwhile... insists that they don't have to thank them. Shinobu considers that for a moment... and then, a smirk crosses her face.

"Fair enough. I can respect that." She replies with a nod. That's what's important, anyway.

She meets Merry's glance briefly, as they offer that quiet smile, then turns her attention back to the Phantom Thieves.

'Igor'. That's a reasonable enough answer, and she doesn't see any reason to dispute it. Back to the deal, though - Queen has questions on the specifics, and Merry does the bargaining. Shinobu listens.

"...I do have one question. We didn't really get a whole lot of time to talk shop given, well..." She unfolds one arm, miming a gunshot before folding it back in.

"Kaneshiro. What happened there? He wasn't the kind of guy to repent so easily. We did things your way, but I still don't really know what that meant for him." She asks. "...Not that I'm complaining. I wouldn't have lost sleep over him, but him dying on us would've meant a lot of trouble."

She shrugs.

"...But, it's not a dealbreaker, either way. I stand by what the boss says." She concludes.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    'A phantom shall enter where they may!' "True," Joker remarks. They smirk again at So-young. "Oh, well, if you're allergic, we can't have that." They can believe that she was just sucked in, though. It happens more often than you'd think.
    
    Panther blurts out her shock unthinkingly, as you do when you are Ann Takamaki, and Joker raises their eyebrows at her. Why ask that, indeed? (Maybe if they'd seen that room, they'd understand her shock better...) Fortunately, she gets distracted before Queen needs to silence her.
    
    Skull gets a wry smile when he gushes over the name Iron, but he settles soon enough. He seems to have some nerves still--whether that's anything to do with his odd behavior earlier today, Joker doesn't know, but Skull doesn't need to worry about doing any talking anyway. It'll be fine. They give him a reassuring nod.
    
    Panther handwaves the thanks Cardboard Dragon gives The Phantoms, asserting that justice is its own reward. Joker smiles, eyes shutting briefly behind their mask; it's well said. Queen makes the standard point that it wasn't really for Cardboard Dragon, that it helping them out was just a coincidence. However...
    
    "Panther's right, of course--as is Queen." They open their eyes to regard Merry and their band of mischiefs and sweep a slow hand in a gesture to encompass them before dipping into a theatrical bow. "However, when someone offers me their gratitude so earnestly, how could I do anything less than accept it?"
    
    In other words, they said 'thank you' with grace and they're moving on. They're not going to get buttered up, but out of respect, they're not going to reject those feelings either. Not when they do get the sense they're all being genuine about it.
    
    Panther's assertion that Joker is the only true Joker gets a grin. However, that point's already been made, and it's time for business. Queen makes some pointed questions. All of them skillfully back up Joker's lie by keeping their mouths shut. Merry says what they, Cardboard Dragon, want from a deal with the Phantom Thieves...
    
    Their sickle smile fades into a neutral line. They make a very good point--about the one in the Black Mask, about Strega, about the Old Maid... about the NWO, though Merry doesn't name that one specifically even though Umie's right there. They nod once, slowly, as they cite the Joker Killer someone who needs stopping in particular. The Phantoms had already come to that conclusion too--but without a name, their hands are tied. They don't say that, obviously. The terms Merry sets are generous regardless.
    
    But they don't respond at first. Rather, when they're done, they look at Umie and the others in turn to listen to what they say and gauge their reactions. Umie jumps in to make it clear an alliance with Strega was never in the cards, but they never thought that it was. Umie surely wouldn't be here otherwise.
    
    Igor has his own guy who does Skill Cards...? That's news to Joker, but then, maybe Caroline and Justine can do that and they're too busy executing Personas for fusion to let on. Their poker face remains intact. It does seem like Shinjiro isn't lying, though... Which means that The Phantoms sorely lack information about supernatural matters outside their own purview (purrview), because they know they have no idea what an Atelier is in context. That's a good reason all on its own to take this deal. However...
    
    "We're not doing this for approval. We do it because we can't look the other way when out-of-control tyrants trample the innocent underfoot." (They're... mostly not doing this for approval. Approval is a secondary concern for most of their members?) Noting the way Shinjiro hesitates before shaking his head, Joker adds, "Are you sure you're for it? You seem like you have misgivings."
    
    So-young, Mio, and Shinobu, by comparison, seem far more genuinely into an alliance. So-young and Mio specifically seem like extremely open people, and Joker chuckles at Mio commenting on why she's not the negotiator. "Maybe not, but I enjoy your straightforward honesty," they say. Obviously, since they're running with people like Skull and Panther.
    
    Umie offers to help with the one in the black mask by... having them help her train her ability to sense Resonance? That seems to be her part of the deal. Having more help dealing with that one is tempting, but it doesn't seem like something she can guarantee...
    
    Shinobu's the one who actually asks it: how do they change hearts? (Well, she asks what happened to Kaneshiro, but six of one...) Joker gives her a long look before sharing that look with their companions. "How we do it is a trade secret," they decide on--if that's Cardboard Dragon's true goal, that might dissuade them. They suspect that's not it, though. "But in a nutshell, we've stolen his distorted desires, and he now sees the world clearly. That includes his actions and their ramifications. This is something we only do after researching our target to make sure they're carrying out those distortions in the real world in a harmful way that normal people can't stop, then discussing it with all of our members and agreeing on it unanimously."
    
    All their debates with Akechi have served them well; this is an answer they've thought through for a long time. That 'unanimous' part, though, means they must add, "Your offer is intriguing. However, we'll need to discuss it amongst ourselves. If we don't all agree, we won't do it--same as changing hearts. If you can agree to wait for our decision, we'll send you a message back later letting you know what it is." They pause. "If we have more questions before we can agree, who will be your contact point?" They focus on Merry. "You?"

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

"So a team up..." Skull bluntly says when Merry lays out their cards on the table. Really the bruiser is of the mind to walk away since more bodies outside of the group might complicate things. Then again, he wasn't one of the brains here. This was entirely up to Joker.

 Skull does however nod to Merry's comment about codenames, offering a grin.

"Atelawhasit?" He repeats one of the things Shinjiro mentions and looks to the others to see if its something he should know and forgot or if they are equally confused. Finally, he returns to looking "tough".

 But then the topic of codenames comes back and he can't help himself, responding to So-young. "Woah... I can't afford a guitar to just smash it! That's like 40,000 yen right? Yeah, no way...Errr..Forget I said that." Skull tries to cover his very obvious blunder here, leaning back on a wall or something. Actually, a thought about the upstairs comes to his mind and Ryuji steps back from the wall, as if the mold from upstairs could travel to him.

 Skull perks up at Mio's talk of taking down people on the top of the food chain. "Heh. Yeah exactly. You get the idea then."

 Shinobu seems to be asking how the sauce is made and that isn't really something the group can spill. Was this the secret meaning of it all? Skull frowns and slouches in his spot, hearing Joker handle the answer before adding, "Yeah...Not something we can share."

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Oh good! Panther's Performance roll wins again with Mio, against all logic or sense!

And so Ann continues on, believing she's a great actress.

So-young waggles brows Pantherwards. And Panther, being a master of body language - especially when it comes to gossip - but for sad reasons - instantly picks up what the older woman is putting down. She blinks. Suppresses a grimace.

And then, keeping her hands at below-the-waist level, she discreetly waves gloved fingers around in a very on the downlow sign of 'no no no no no no'.

There are some things mortal minds were not meant to know.

And besides... Ann can kinda tell Merry has an image to maintain, and she can feel sympathy for trying (and failing) to project a certain idea of yourself, despite your best efforts. Out of solidarity, she can't in good conscience contribute to that undermining!

... you know. anymore than she already has.

(plus also she doesn't want to get a shut up kick, she likes her legs, they do much better thriving a kickless life)

But the further this conversation goes, the more adrift at sea Ann feels, and the more she's realizing that there is really a lot they don't know about this world of Persona -- unless Morgana's been holding out on them, like a secretive cat! ... Are cats secretive? She can't very well ask HIM that because it's going to make him mad, but now she's curious--

Regardless. It's something she latches onto, how in over their own heads they really are, when Myunghon starts talking about Ateliers, and Tatsumi Island relative to the Dark Hour like that should be meaningful, and Strega - those weirdos fighting with the Old Maid. What else is happening that they're unaware of?

Maybe it's okay, that they only know about Palaces, because that's where they can actually affect things. ... But do they really know everything about Palaces and Mementos, too...?

Maybe they do need help. Morgana can only do so much, without his memories. And... with people like Akechi, and the Black Mask out there...

Panther is lost in her own little world of thought as Joker and Queen field the negotiations with the Cardboard Dragon, right hand gripping at her left elbow and gaze cast groundwards as she chews the inside of her cheek. It's Umie's offer that causes her to blink. She looks the other blonde's way, the lift of her brows hidden behind her mask.

"For real? You could do something like that? I mean, I've been trying to train a bit, too!"

<FLASHBACKS TO ANN TRYING TO COMPEL REN TO ROAST HER MERCILESSLY GO HERE>

"But, um. Nothing like that."

It's only when Shinobu asks that question though that Panther's expression hardens, just a little. Joker offers a - pared down - answer to that question. It's smart. How they do things - Ann knows what it could do in the wrong hands. There's already the Black Mask out there, messing around in Palaces. It's why they have to be so careful about who they tell. But...

... and now he sees the world more clearly.

I wouldn't have lost sleep over him, but him dying on us would've meant a lot of trouble.

Sky blue eyes narrow.

"We don't kill people," she insists, simply. But she has to add, because if she can't speak her mind, what is the point?

"... People like Kaneshiro don't deserve an easy way out like that, anyway. They should have to live with what they did."

Kaneshiro. Madarame.

... Kamoshida.

She's not going to just let them escape the consequences.

After that, though, she quiets as Myunghon lays out their terms. As Joker explains the need for a unanimous decision, even on this. In this much, she mostly just contemplates the people here, quietly considering them all.

Save for a moment when she leeeeeans over to aside to Skull,

"... do you even know how to play guitar??"

<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.

    Queen frowns when Merry says the Phantoms can set the terms. That's generous- perhaps too much so, for Queen's own paranoia. The Cardboard Dragon offer priority on skill cards- which will take some of the load off mission logistics, and information which would be useful and that the Phantoms don't have, but it doesn't sit quite right with her as yet. She waits to hear what everyone else puts on the table from the Cardboard Dragon too- Merry is right, Queen plays her cards close to her chest.

    Don't get her into a Tycoon match, it gets competitive.

    Shinjiro brings up bthe topics of the Dark Hour and the Atelier as well as years of experience. *That* is a new one on her- there have been Persona users who have been active for years now? But they don't seem to know about the palaces, or the 'Psychotic Breakdowns'. That's useful information in and of itself.

    But... not everyone's going to approve of what you do, either, even in this community.

    "...I'm aware of that. But if it's a choice between someone else's approval or saving someone- I'll take disapproval any day. That's what my Justice demands."

    Looks like she took some of Ryuji's words to heart, after all. As she makes eye contact with Shinjiro, there's a fire to her red brown eyes- this isn't something that will shake her anymore.

    Umie shows her empty hands, and Queen too relaxes. The fact that they can't really be disarmed is another advantage the thieves have over normal persona users. Still, Umie expresses her own bias there, and Queen notes it.

    Icarus, huh? "...I just hope your Persona doesn't match it's namesake there." Makoto murmurs, quietly. "Even if it feels amazing, you can't afford to get lost in it."

    And Queen has come so close to getting lost in that euphoria that Johanna grants her sometimes.

    Myo, however, seems to be closer in interest to the Phantoms than some of the rest of CD. That's not even an offer of alliance, that's just an offer to become spare muscle. There's... really not a unified front, is there?

    Queen shoots Skull a look, when he reveals an element of the group's ignorance, thus confirming Shinjiro's suspicions. "Skull," she says, and the words come out cold enough to leave ice burns.

    Maybe there's a dash of something familiar to Shinjiro there, who can say?

    "...Panther's right. The Phantoms don't kill." Otherwise, Kaneshiro would be dead by now. Almost everyone here saw how tempted Queen was.

    Still, as Joker states that they'll have to confer with everyone else, Queen has her own questions. First and foremost...

    "...I'm curious," Queen comments, as Joker keeps to the theatrics part of the deal. "How did you enter Kaneshiro's Palace in the first place?" It's both a question to test the legitimacy of the deal and to see how much Cardboard Dragon are prepared to offer before anything has been struck. Merry isn't the only one testing the waters. Even though it was Makoto's first Palace, she has it on good authority that this is the first time one has drawn a crowd. They didn't encounter anyone else in Kobayakawa's palace, either. "Kaneshiro's identity was a well kept secret. I can understand a Rumormonger finding his name- but it doesn't explain so many people finding his palace." Hell, Merry and hers were 'customers', but not everyone was, were they? Or had the Thieves just left a way in for everyone?

    "You're putting a very generous- and vague- offer on the table. As it stands, we stand to benefit from it a lot more than you do. You can understand we might be suspicious of a deal too good to be true." Because it is, in Queen's mind. Even the Phan-site is something they don't handle directly. She nods to Umie. "You getting training opportunities is a tangible benefit for you that I can see- but it also gains you information on us without necessarily giving any." After all, if Umie is tagging along to train, that means she can see how the PTs work, and SOMEONE will slip up eventually. "So, while you offer for us to set the terms, I'd like to know what it is the Cardboard Dragon wants of such an alliance- and how we'd define 'mutual' enemies."

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

    Merry quizzically tilts a wide-eyed smile at Umie's comment. Their first instinct is to quibble since they think 'I have no particular desire' and 'common enemies' was quite clear enough, but that would weaken their position in the same way Joker and Queen would like to present a unified front in this meeting of theirs.

    "It is as Akabane-san says," they 'yes, and' Umie vivaciously, perhaps unable to pick up on sarcasm in the moment, "And if that were to ever change, why, you'd be in your right to strike me down first!"

    So-young's openness has always been particularly intriguing, the way she openly shares that she's a new Persona user, and even what experiences that they shared in the Palaces... but it's not new, and they're not all that different. After all, they willingly let go of any sense of security behind their cognitive mask to be known as Rumourmonger Merry. It seems that Joker quite likes the honesty nonetheless.

    As much as Myunghon can only think themself as such when they are Merry, and can only think of So-young's confidence as the reason their mother prefers her over them. Because mask enough and you start to believe 'Merry' is the only mask that can accomplish positive things.

    "I myself do not plan to become used to the Dark Hour, Myo, Panther! It can and shall be stopped," Merry boldly proclaims, on Ann and Myo's topic of the Dark Hour sucking (it does) and is scary (it is). Myo herself reflects on how she wants to punish the untouchable, and her desires to knock down the people at the top of the food chain. It's bold! It's ambitious! They particularly admire Myo's strong approach -- and Joker says much the same, given how much like how the Thieves have people like Skull and Panther, they have people like So-young and Mio.

    Shinobu, though, is asking the question that's been left unasked the entire time, the proverbial elephant in the room (and not the extra boss fight against Ganesha just waiting around the corner) -- how did Kaneshiro's demeanor change? What's behind a Change of Heart, in other words. There's something of a very pleased smile at that, wondering where the conversation will turn next.

    Joker underlines that they don't do this for approval. They do it because they can't look the other way when out-of-control tyrants trample the innocent underfoot. They question Shinjiro's dedication, and Myunghon won't step in the way -- they'd like to hear Shinjiro's own words, on his own terms.

    But what Joker explains after is of great interest indeed. Joker speaks of stealing 'distorted desires', and Myunghon's eye is glanced towards Umie once more. Joker's phrasing does bring some concern to Myunghon, though Merry's smiling face conceals it well...

    '...and now he sees the world clearly'.

    It's... ... ... prescriptive.

    And yet Myunghon has sensed the distortion echoing within Junya Kaneshiro when they visited the Cardboard Dragon in turn. 'Distorted desires' does echo in their mind. They also clarify that that's only something they do after a careful amount of research -- the Phantom Thieves only change the hearts of those who inflict harm in a way that normal people cannot stop, and that they only act when the deed is unanimously agreed upon.

    ... it's Ann that, again, provides the heart in contrast. We don't kill people, she insists. Quite simply, at that. She seems to hide behind how Kaneshiro doesn't deserve to die, they deserve to live with what they did. It's nice to hear, keeps the conversation a little less heightened.

    But Queen has a question. How did they enter Kaneshiro's Palace in the first place?

    Merry fields this one: "I have the Meta-Nav application," is the first thing they say, "And with it, the capability to bring others with me into a Palace. Even... unexpected people caught in its field. Palaces have also a circulating topic within the Dark Side of Sumaru forum, which is in part how others were able to discover their way inside." Like Katsuya.

    "As for his identity? He threatened us in this very shopfloor..." Merry's smile widens. "And I was able to sense his distorted desires."

    There it is, they've tipped their hand for now. They won't tip that Umie was able to sense it either -- she can do that on her own prerogative. "From there, we were able to work out that he had a Palace. The rest is pure, classic investigative work -- from unearthing his criminal elements and motives, his usual haunts in Shibuya, and the need to guess the form in which his Palace takes..."

    A quiet hum.

    "That was a half-hour of guesswork, the price of which I had to eat half a hamburg steak. It was nasty."

    Queen is suspicious of how generous the offer is. As it stands, the Phantoms stand to benefit more from it than the Cardboard Dragon does. It sounds too good to be true, and one should always be suspicious of deals of that nature.

    "We can define 'mutual enemies' as an ongoing list and agree -- or disagree. Strega. The Old Maid. The Black Mask." Myunghon gestures. "You've stated clear that you will not act upon one with distorted desires unless they are causing harm in the physical realm that the unawakened cannot stop. I believe it would be prudent for us to be able to disagree on whether each of us would like to act upon a Palace or not."

    As to what the Cardboard Dragon wants of such an alliance... the smile is a bit more delicate as they rise from their throne, which shrinks back into the coat that drapes over them and gives them a sense of grandeur.

    "As to what I want... you have spoken of motivations, and I shall share mine too, Phantoms. Where your aim is to strike fear at tyrants within the dark, I, Rumourmonger Merry -- nay, Myunghon Yeo, am amongst the people, for it is in common cause that the everyday people find strength and solidarity. A tyrant seeks to oppress the people with Despair, to isolate them, to make them whisper -- 'things can't be better', and it is in turn the destiny of the Revolutionary to counter that with Hope."

    Merry's smile is ear to ear once more. A Hope that shall seethe throughout a garden, strangling in its spread.

    "This is why our identities are plain, whatever consequence that may come. Why the Cardboard Dragon is an address plain enough to see. This is a rough town full of perils, as Skull has pointed out. There is much inequality here. We are in touch with the streets, for change must come in solidarity with one's neighbours first and foremost."

    They place the tip of their finger to their lips as they half-turn.

    "When the revolution comes, I should like to play the entire deck." Their head tilts as they turn towards them. "And that includes the wild card -- the Phantoms, in other words."

    But Joker does express the expected -- they're going to have to discuss it and come to a unanimous decision, just like changing hearts. It's so intriguing, they think. This Joker is the seeming leader of the group, the one to speak for most of them along with Queen, who provides more of an analytical bent... but they can sense that it's people like Skull and Panther that temper them, make them a cohesive whole. The fact that a unanimous vote exists between them is a positive, to Myunghon.

    They're not all that different, are they? Here they are, sitting on their vampire-aesthetic throne until now, making the biggest speeches and speaking most on people's behalf -- but they're nothing without people like Mio and So-young who most wear their hearts on their sleeve. Without the skepticism that Umie brings, the straightforward attitudes that Shinjiro an Shinobu have...

    "We will undoubtedly also need to come to a decision ourselves," Myunghon nods to the couch and the others. "As for our contact point... I am certainly happy to facilitate. I believe you are also better acquainted with Akabane-san, having saved her life. So if she agrees, I'd say either of us, lest the other be out of commission for any reason."

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

    One day, Umie once said, she'll call Joker Joker. But only when she can put to rest the memories of that night for good-- something, she hinted, that may be helped along by Joker (this one) impressing her.

    (... As if that was somehow going to be a hard feat, she reluctantly admits.)

    And one day, she'll reveal her own attempt to circumvent a potential disaster with those names -- perhaps, even later tonight if she can catch Joker before they slip away. However, if there's one thing she's managed to notice... things, especially in Sumaru City, have a way of blowing up in Umie's face, when she tries to address them. To manipulate rumors is one thing, but to get ahead of one... wouldn't speaking it aloud make it more likely that it'd become real.

    Almost like, sometimes, that's the way it was always supposed to happen.
    Like Sumaru City's web of rumors, somehow, reacts to the secrets branded onto her, retreating away like mercury on a slightly tipped table.

    ".... I think we should exchange information about Ateliers at the very least," Umie speaks up, realizing Skull's confusion. "They're going in the same circles as we are; whether this is a one-off thing we came across or something that'll happen more..."

    KAPPAS. ".... Let's... make sure we do that soon," Umie says, with an oddly nervous laugh, "kero--"

    Please stand by, as Umie has stapled her hands to her face, in a posture similar to how she looked when she discovered Myunghon's living arrangements. (My, that's a rich shade of red there, peeking out on Umie's cheeks.)

    ..... ...

    Minutes later, and she's still got her hands on her face, but arranged so that, at least, her lips aren't muffled against firmly pressed palmflesh. ".... Uh. I think we need to align ourselves for one thing: the cat's out of the bag concerning Palaces and Mementos. While the Phantom Thieves have found a way to use a part of this space, I imagine, even if the Phantom Thieves keep their secret safe, and--" She clears her throat, letting her hands slowly drop away from her cheeks, "--I'd *really* like to keep a hand pressing down on that particular Pandora's Box, so to speak.

    "But yeah. I don't think," she says, carefully, not wanting to reveal Myunghon's own 'cards' here, "that's the only way anyone could 'use' these areas. If some organization, like the NWO..."

    The letters bring that edge to her tone. ".... all of us here would likely be up there on their list." She closes her eyes. "... But let's save 'shitty what ifs' for another day," she attempts to say, lackadaisically, with a shrug.

    "Anyway..." Umie considers Joker's words, looking towards Shinjiro. "Honestly, that's not a bad idea. Shouldn't we do the same? We've put our offers on the table, but not everyone's here. If we got any conflicts, we really should talk it over and come back." She pats her head, feeling how damp it still is.

    *patpat* Augh, really? Her hair is still this wet? *patpatpat*

     Panther's shock distracts Umie, who looks up at her with a blink. "... Yeah. It's... contextual, but..." She shrugs, eyelids lowering as she shoots Panther a cheeky grin. "I was still alive for a reason, when you found me. If the bastard didn't teleport around I would've escaped. That sniper likely has more experience, but cloaking myself like that is something I'm also able to do. Maybe, if you can figure out how to catch *me* you may be better at catching *them*."

    But is that really something Umie could promise?

    And is it actually wise, as Queen points out something Umie failed to consider.

    She considers, a knuckle touching her chin.

    "... Hmm... yeah. And the same goes the other way, Queen-san," Umie replies, with an impressed grin. "While it's not my intent, you have no way of knowing that. And us knowing each other's secrets puts a bullseye on each others' backs as welll--"

    Myunghon volunteers Umie.

    Umie... squeaks.

    "O-of course!" says the utterly flummoxed blonde, revealing her cheeks have resumed being red.

    (Ren did say red was a good color for Umie, but that's definitely not what he meant.)

<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.

Shinjiro's attitude is noticed by the others, even as Skull reveals they do not know what an Atelier is. That's what he expected, but is still interesting to hear.

And then, Joker asks Shinjiro if he has misgivings. Myunghon seems to be willing for him to speak. Shinjiro takes a moment to listen to the answer to Shinobu's question...

He grimaces at the same words Myunghon is concerned by. 'And now he sees the world clearly.

"...I don't think you're bad people. I think we can help each other, because it's better not to be running on anyone's own. People die in this line of work."

"But I'd be lying if I said I liked your methods, and what you just said didn't quite impress me." A sigh. "Who decides what clarity is? Who decides what a distortion is? Even if it's all supernatural bullshit giving us the sense... who tells us what feelings to trust? None of us know what the fuck is going on with all of this."

He thinks back to what Mitsuru told them about Kirijo's past. He can't trust this group, too, hasn't been manipulated or something.

Then, he glances to Panther. "To truly live with something you did... you have to first accept responsibility. But Kaneshiro never did that. His hand was forced. People were saved, sure. His victims got justice. But it all rings hollow."

Rubbing the back of his head and letting the passion die down, he sighs. "I mean it when I say I'll support Merry. But yeah, I do have misgivings. At least let us talk about it some more. Maybe they'll change my mind."

He doesn't think so, but. He can at least try not to kill the deal entirely.

<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.

    "Each to their own," So-young replies to Mio with a sympathetic grin. "I'm not very good at playing the mysterious figure or keeping my mouth shut either. But, for what it's worth, I think you put it very well." So-young is a card carrying Audience Member, after all, so she's speaking with at least some level of authority here. That is, if you ask her. So, of course she'd say that.

    Joker's quip aside, So-young is quietly surprised at the way that the Phantom Thief suddenly divulges some information of their own. It's not exactly revelatory, but even So-young realizes they've just confirmed some things beyond a bare-bones description of what a change of heart does to someone - for instance, that they only go after targets they've unanimously agreed upon. Part of So-young's brain files that away for later as if it were mega-smart of her, never mind it being at least within the realms of expectation.

    The rest of her is mulling over that description of a change of heart. The fact that the desires are 'distorted' and how that might be defined isn't lost on her, though it's not that difficult for her to connect that to the wild and rabid way Kaneshiro treated the acquisition and power of money even outside of the cognitive world. So if they're talking in terms of cognition, maybe the idea is they just strip away the mental cotton wool and the rationalizations? So-young's frowning thoughtfully, but not at all because she disapproves - just because she's imagining what that would do to _her_.

    Some questions are better left alone, and in the end... So-young does have something of a habit of looking at the ends more than the means. Whatever the rest of her team may think about the moral implications, to her they slide off like water off a duck's back, to be dealt with later if necessary.

    Fortunately, Skull is there to provide a change of topic to leap at. "Not a real one, of course! Can't you just cognitive up a mental guitar of your own or something?" So-young it's not-- it's not a verb that you can just use in any situation like that!! But the temptation has been laid, and the conductor chases it with a joyous smile. "Come on, can't you imagine it? A drive-by guitar smack on the back of Queen's motorcycle," she mimics both hands coming around in a baseball bat swing.

    It's strategizing, okay.

    Panther gently rebuffs her in the sotto-voce language of a waggled hand, and So-young tilts her head in return in what can be accurately construed as 'fiiiiiiine...' until the young woman's voice firms. It's comforting to know that every group has someone in it who is entirely ready to get real mad at a moment's notice, and while Queen seems to be the one to embody fury it's that vengeful sort of fire that really resonates with the conductor.

    So-young tilts her head towards Queen's warning as well. Her Persona's name isn't lost on her. Maybe someday she'll experience a dreadful fall, but-- her smile is bright and alive. "I am rapidly learning to heed that warning. But, on the other hand, I can only ever be myself. And So-young Park will inevitably do what So-young Park's heart thinks is best, even if that ends up 'being a complete idiot'," she says placidly, and perhaps a little wistfully.

    "Personally," So-young chips in immediately afterwards to Queen's comments about the creeping scope of any potential terms, "I am not very good at maintaining and defining all the boundaries of an alliance ahead of time. Somehow, I doubt the Metaverse or Mementos are such cut-and-dry sorts of places as to make that sort of thing particularly easy either. I trust Merry fully to set the terms of any deal - but from where I stand, it is at least a start to have just sat here and talked to each other," she adds pleasantly. "Even if nothing official comes of it, we have at least shared a cordial 'hello', and I like to think that counts for something."

    She lapses into silence - and sure enough, as she lets Myunghon expound on their Hope, their grand speech is enough to bring a quiet and proud smile to So-young's face. There's a faint little chuckle under her breath, and for a moment So-young maybe understands why their mother might have tried to kill them. She knows little about the Baengnyong, but she'd love to see what the hell would happen if Myunghon really took its reins and pointed it in a direction with that sort of conviction behind it. She's convinced her mother wouldn't know what the fuck hit her.

    If she saves a wry smile for herself, it's to Shinjiro's argument: what exactly constitutes 'accepting responsibility', and what is left if someone refuses to? That's how they got to this point with Kaneshiro, after all, because it's not like they could just ask him to kindly stop his extortion and takeover attempt. So-young has dealt with her share of people being convinced that a young female conductor who likes 'modern' music wouldn't amount to much regardless of what she said, and that's already infuriating enough despite being the most tame first-world problem, let alone a rampaging mafioso. Is it fair to expect anyone to wait years of harm for someone's principles to sink in?

    She leaves that thought aside for the next time 3am rolls around and she wakes up with a corpse in her mind's eye. Always save the real philosophy for then.

<Pose Tracker> Mio Kazama has posed.

    Every squad got that one member who can't see further than two to three steps in front of them, bless their hearts. It's true that Myo's offerings are as empty-headed and vague as they come: what could someone stand to gain from offering to start cratering people's enemies? Because when you zap away the punk-headed morality of thumping the bad guys, what you're left with is a dedication to kicking the shit out of people for reasons undefined. And if you start to pick that apart, where's the line drawn? What makes Kaneshiro so wrong, and Mio Kazama so right? That he's bullying and beating up the wrong crowd? That she's bullying and beating up the right crowd? What's the _end goal_ here?

    Anyway, not a single one of these thoughts occurs to Myo, the masked, robed figure sitting on a sofa in the Cardboard Dragon, but the Narrator can't help but start to string up patterns on the corkboard for funsies. As a bad liar and negotiator, it's also obvious with Phantom Thieves line up more with her personality. She couldn't hide that if she wanted to. That's a good thing (for them)!

    "Distorted... desires, huh." whatever Myo was considering saying, the wind's whisked from her lungs and the phrase seems to have her spooked. That'll be one to ask about next time, she supposes. She feels self-conscious and less confident as Shinjiro throws a stone right through the window of this argument regarding distorted desires and how one fixes them. Luckily, behind that mask, she can just chill out. She stands up and smooths her long skirts out, as Myunghon's conversation and careful consideration of terms comes to a close.

    "Not gonna pretend I understand, but--let's do our best anyway!" the battle-nun exclaims with both hands clenched, clearly ganbarimasu'ing through whatever tension underlies the situation.

    Yeah, she's definitely gonna cause more problems than she solves.

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Shinobu asks her question. She sees the way Joker gives her that long look, Skull frowns and slouches, and Panther's expression hardens. Queen, she can't read as well.

Shinobu doesn't flinch. She's always been the straightforward type. Though it's because of that that she can respect it when Panther decides to speak her mind, too.

They don't kill people, she says and Queen confirms - and people like Kaneshiro don't deserve an easy way out. Shinobu considers that for a moment.

"Harsh. But I get it." She replies with a shrug.

Shinobu asks her question - and Joker says that the 'how' is a trade secret. That's fair, she thinks - but she does get an answer.

His distorted desires were stolen, and now he sees the world clearly - his actions and their ramifications...

She considers that thoughtfully. She hears Shinjiro's objections to it.

She can't say she objects to the idea on its face. Sometimes, you need a direct answer to a problem, and she's a very direct person.

"...That's a lot to take in." Is her ultimate conclusion. "I dunno that I really get what counts as a distorted desire, but I see that it works. Thanks for answering."

She can respect how thorough they are about picking their targets. She'll need time to work out how she actually feels about it - which is why she's ultimately glad that the Phantom Thieves need time to deliberate, and Myunghon says the same of their group. It's no surprise - they probably would anyway, after learning that much.

Queen has questions, but Myunghon addresses those well enough that she doesn't have anything to add.

"I don't think any of us are in any rush. Probably better to take time to think it over, anyway. Don't wanna jump right into anything any of us will regret." Shinobu decides, ultimately.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

    The Phantom Thieves don't kill. Joker nods once, sharp and decisive, in agreement with Panther and Queen. Once again, they're completely right--and this time, they don't add a caveat. Skull's blunder... they simply don't outwardly acknowledge. Better not to call attention to it.
    
    Myunghon answers Queen's questions and then some, waxing on about despair and hope, that they want to represent the people who are being trod upon. They've said as much before--but while Joker was Ren, in the real world--so they simply nod once. Umie as their groups' go-between... "Acceptable."
    
    Umie comments on the Pandora's Box nature of Palaces, and it occurs to Joker that she--and maybe the rest of the greater Persona User community--doesn't fully grasp the nature of a Palace. That's not her fault or anyone's in Cardboard Dragon, considering The Phantoms are the ones not explaining it all, but it does stand out to them. This is underscored when Shinjiro asks, among other things, who gets to determine what a distortion is. Joker stares at him for a moment before tucking their hands in their pockets.
    
    "You sound like that Detective Prince," they comment. Shinjiro's points are worth engaging with, but they simply don't have the time for it now. "Very well. But if you truly disagree with our methods, then I urge you not to passively let yourself be convinced."
    
    It does feel to them like at least some of this is a misunderstanding of what they're doing, born inevitably of The Phantoms only sharing partial information... but that's only part of the answer. Cardboard Dragon saw Kaneshiro's Palace. If what counts as a distortion is still ambiguous after that, Joker genuinely doesn't know how to explain it.
    
    Yet on some level, is that only wishful thinking--the idea that, if they'd just explained it more, explained it better, that Shinjiro would understand and agree? Sometimes, people simply don't see eye-to-eye. Isn't it arrogant to think otherwise?
    
    They wonder if that's how things will ultimately end with Akechi.
    
    Shinobu thanks them for the answer; So-young says at least they've all shared a courteous chat; Mio stays Mio, bless her. Joker gives them all a courteous nod. "Agreed. And if either of our groups can't agree to work with the other, no hard feelings. We all can only abide by our own Justice... and look after our own."
    
    They turn and gesture forwards to Skull, Panther, and Queen to the fire escape exit. Then, tucking their hands back in their pockets, they stride out and into the night.

<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.

Skull looks over at Ann as she leans over. He quietly mutters back to her, "Hmm? Hell no. I ain't got the talent or money for that." He never really saw music as something for him to do. Especially with his life the way it was, it wouldn't have worked out.

 Skull back straightens when he hears Makoto's tone. He cringes and just stands at attention to avoid getting on Queen's bad side.

 He is going to be a good boy. He swears.

 He does snort when he hears Shinjiro though, giving the other punk a look. Who does this guy think he is? The anime's protagonist?

 "'Live with what we do'? Who says that, man?" Ryuji wants to defend his friend's honor but he is sure it would make this tense situation worse. So the blonde just stuffs his hands into his pockets and begins to move to make an exit.

 Skull takes one last look around the room before just exiting the Cardboard Dragon. It was going to be an interesting ride back. That was for sure.

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Ann Takamaki - Panther - is, indeed, a light-hearted contrast to Joker and - perhaps especially - Queen. She's all wide-eyed wonder as Umie details the possibilities of her training, even despite what Queen points out -- clearly already letting her imagination run wide. She's sighing in open relief as So-young drops the point of the Ominous Third Floor despite that kind of undercutting the whole point of her discretion to begin with.

She even widens her eyes in surprise as Myunghon insists-- "Stopping the Dark Hour? Can... you really do that??" as if the idea had never occurred to her, and yet, she instantly hooks onto it. "That'd be great! Not having to live through this creepy hour again..." despite all the various conveniences it can provide people like them, because she only thinks of the ways in which it's disturbing--

The ways it's dangerous to people not like them.

She is, in every way, the heart of the Phantom Thieves.

To truly live with something you did... you have to first accept responsibility. But Kaneshiro never did that.

... it all rings hollow.

"... What?"

But a heart can also know anger.

"'Hollow'?" And it's immediately and painfully apparent in the way those blue eyes narrow behind that mask, in the way Panther just immediately draws up with squaring jaws and tensing posture. In the fire sparked behind her voice. "Kaneshiro, Madarame--" Kamoshida-- "they were never going to accept responsibility! No one was going to make them, or hold them to account, or anything! They would have just kept hurting people, because this shitty system didn't care about the people they hurt, or-- or--"

Hands clenched into fists, Panther cuts herself off as Joker answers Shinjiro's misgivings in a much more level-headed way. She knows she should just let them deal with it - or Queen, even, anyone who could be more diplomatic in this moment. And in the end, she forces herself to tear away from the conversation when they reach the end of the meeting. But there's a frown on her lips still as she nods to Joker. A fire in her heart still as she turns to follow him out the door.

Because after everything that they've been through-- everyone they've managed to protect-- after what Shiho had to go through--

"The hell it's hollow."

She just can't let herself accept that word silently.

A moment later, she's gone.





Don't worry: she'll kick herself later having been so angry she forgot she was going to offer to give Merry a lead on some great heavy-duty home renovators on the downlow.