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We could, but that would require us to go back to Inaba in order to fetch mine. And since we're already here...

[Well, it'd be a shame to simply turn back, wouldn't it?]

[True enough. He doesn't want to go back either.]

I am quite fond of my bike. It might tax my cognition to protect it from all of these rails.

[Second elevator get. He even moves like a crow, in a near-direct line to his target and fast as hell.]

[Crow follows along, keeping pace despite his frustration. He'd really prefer his more comfortable princely attire, but whatever. It's fine.]

Heh. I remember one time, my teammates and I had to ride our Personas through a dungeon.

[Yeah, he comes to a halt, right in his tracks, picturing that.]

Which one?

Teddie's.

[Because, yes, even the bear had one.]

It spawned as a literal pit in the main area of the TV world, so we didn't want to take our chances and dive in carelessly, but further in the path also fractured, and so I summoned Phoenix and Yu summoned Gdon. We carried the others across the splintered path for as far as we could.

[It was quite the ordeal. An unstable, haunting place.]

[It is haunting. And fascinating, the way the Metaverse still is, even with all the banality you'd expect from the human mind.]

Right. You and your unstoppable army of Personas. For a moment, you had me picture Robin Hood giving you a piggyback.

I'll add that to your tab.

[0f things owed and paid between them. But he's joking. He heads into the deserted uppermost tunnel at some speed.]

To be fair, he did carry a few of us down in the initial drop.

[Crow continues hustling alongside Magpie, determined not to fall behind.]

He also shot me on an arrow directly into Teddie's Shadow. That was fun.

I ought to try that.

[Though in order to do so, he'd have to voluntarily use Robin Hood.]

I think I told you about the time I murdered your principal. I still think about his palace. It was like Wakaba Isshiki's, very different for you, as I recall.

[These tunnels really are dead as shit, aren't they? Not even a Pixie. Not even a cognitive mouse.]

Edited 2024-01-06 19:45 (UTC)

Yes, it's interesting how our iterations of his Palace seemed to differ. Though, admittedly, the Palace we infiltrated was small. A fledgling, if anything.

[It at least made a good opportunity for Makoto to adjust to the Metaverse, but still...

Hmm.

Crow squints and scours the area. It truly is quiet.]

Edited 2024-01-06 19:46 (UTC)

[Magpie sees him looking around.]

They're hiding.

[Conveniently, the next corner they turn reveals the escalator down, the end goal of all this tedium.]

Edited 2024-01-06 19:49 (UTC)

Perhaps our power is too intimidating. I do have Ryuji's perk, after all...

[Being able to simply run over weaklings is delightful, after all. It served them well the last time they brought in the motorbikes.]

Really, Crow. Don't remind me of that idiot during our special time.

[Ryuji is, of course, on the long, long longlist of Magpie's least favourite people. He takes the escalator.]

Nosebleeds are so inconvenient in this suit.

Ha. I can think of a few things that would be inconvenient in this suit.

[Well, whatever the case, it's escalator time. Crow steps down and looks at all his excess belts. Honestly...]

Oh, I'm sure you can think of more than a few, after your recent exertions.

[But here they are, the railway tracks, where the trains run down and down... to where?]

I hope you can still jump. Should be easier, now you aren't tied up in the other thing. [The prince suit.]

Edited 2024-01-06 20:42 (UTC)

Oh, I've done many feats of athleticism in that outfit.

[Nonetheless, he gets into position. It is time to do some incredible, flashy stunts and hopefully get back into his preferred costume.]

[Heh. You can't fool him, Crow. He knows that voice; he's been that voice.]

So have I, trust me. And I felt like I was about to rip something every time.

[Waiting for the trains to time themselves so that there's a gap, between the ones screaming through at top speed and the one that stops, he launches himself into danger and over the dividing wall as if he's done it hundreds of times. Which, well... he has.]

[Crow leaps gracefully after Magpie, more or less mirroring his maneuvers. Despite being considerably newer to Mementos, he's done enough gallivanting around Palaces to get the feel for it all, plus his sheer belief that he can certainly doesn't hurt.]

[He vaults up onto the platform with the agility of a cat, perhaps illustrating why he finds the onesie more comfortable. It's remarkable to see Crow land behind him, in that same suit.]

See? It's all considerably more bendy. Symbolic of something, I'm sure. [And let's not talk about the belts.]

While I can't deny the flexibility, I do think there's something to be said about the style of the other outfit.

[It's just so dapper, okay? Heroic! It suits him well, Crow thinks. Still, he's relaxed a fair bit since he first came down here. That's a good sign.]

...Come to think of it, Ren's still yet to see this one.

[Clearly time to break out the tut of mockery.]

Hiding something from the eye candy? I'm appalled.

[He is not appalled. But here's the train, right on schedule. The shadows start filing in, and he intends to be behind them.]

Edited 2024-01-07 17:27 (UTC)

Technically, he's my fiance. ...In a sense.

[He uses that bright, almost musical voice to tease back, but... ah.

Time to board, then. He'll wait until Magpie moves forward, then file in behind him.

Though there's a little sound, almost sparkly, off to the side. If they look close enough, they may spot a familiar face, glowing like a Persona, but looking an awful lot like Crow without his mask in his preferred outfit.]

[And he's just about to bite back, when he sees the one face worth noticing in this whole crowd of shit. Just... older than it was, the same way Crow is older than Raven. His face falls.]

Well, today is just full of surprises, isn't it? Tell me you at least are a little less full of sunshine by now.

[Hi, Shadowkechi.]

[The Shadow chuckles, shaking his head in amusement.]

I'm not the one wearing barbs and black.

[Crow brings a clawed hand to his chin. There's something about this...]

I can still feel you. So you aren't separated, correct?

No. This form's just more approachable and appropriate to ride a train.

[The Shadow peers at some of the other faceless Shadows and cognitions aboard.]

I think the fact that you've defaulted to that outfit speaks volumes to your mental health, Goro.

[Wait, wait, wait, he hates that. Shitty mental health is not what his gear represents. At least, he hopes not.]

You're saying he showed up in black because of the pressure of work?

[Actually...] That would explain a lot, wouldn't it.

[The Shadow smiles in that cheery, pleasant way that's not unlike the Detective Prince.]

Congratulations, Detective. You solved the case.

[Crow places a palm over... well, not his forehead. The mask's in the way, but damn it...]

Joy. So that conversation with the other Ren resigned me to stripes and belts.

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