Of Phantoms and Thieves

Lavenza

Sae frowned down at Makoto as she slept. She kept glancing over at Ren, who wouldn't meet her gaze. She knew he felt guilty about what had happened. He didn't seem to know yet that he and Makoto had entered his palace, or what the other Phantom Thieves were doing. Sae pushed her hair out of her face and crossed her arms.

"It's not your fault," Sae spoke.

Ren flinched and looked over at her.

"She made her choice, and you just happened to be there," Sae continued. "I'm actually glad that you had showed up, or else I don't know what could have happened to her."

Ren stared at the floor. One person lost to whatever cause his friends were fighting for was one too many.

"I couldn't summon my Persona," Ren muttered.

"You shouldn't be worried about that right now. You still need to recover. It wasn't smart for you to wander into that dimension in your current state, but for once you made the right choice."

"Where's Futaba and Boss?"

"They had an emergency to attend to. That's all they said to me. They'll be back soon. If not, I can take you to them if it comes to that."

Ren pursed his lips and nodded. Sae hoped that Ren would buy the act. For now, all she could do was lie to him. If it meant keeping him and the other thieves safe, then she would continue to do so. She didn't want any of them to end up like Makoto had.

It would have been a triangle of staring if Makoto was awake and staring at Sae. She watched Ren examine Makoto. His fists were clenched, his prosthetic arm slightly creaking at the force he was exerting. He was angry. Sae wasn't sure who exactly he was angry with. Perhaps the "palace ruler" or himself, or his friends for going into the Metaverse without him. Whatever the case, he stayed silent and tried not to let it show.

So stoic, Sae thought. I wish he would relax himself sometimes.

"Makoto told me..." Ren paused for a moment. "She told me that the others are in trouble. That there was something wrong with the Nav. It works for me, so I'm not sure what she is talking about."

Sae shook her head. "I don't have a clue about it either."

Sae kept her poker face on and inwardly frowned. She did have a clue. She knew what was happening. Makoto had discussed the probable situation. She didn't know who this "Lavenza" was, but she was in trouble. A lot more trouble than the Phantom Thieves.