Persona 5 x persona 4

chapter 36

Ren dove into the TV as his vision filled with white and black. Entering the TV was about as disorientating as entering the Metaverse, but as he reached the other side there was a far different sight to behold. Joker landed upon the grass of the TV realm in a crouched superhero landing, his side sending him reminders not to be such a show-off. As he got to his feet, he noticed the others that had gone before him but what captured his attention was the world around him.

He was standing in a literal Eden. The world they had come from while nice had been snow-covered and cold. This place was warm but not too warm, as a cool breeze blew against Joker's face. There was no snow here; just seemingly endless scape of picturesque natural beauty rolled out in front of him. All accompanied by the sound of songbirds and the serene noise of a babbling brook. It was beauty beyond words and Joker almost wished he had Fox here. Perhaps Fox with his way of speaking could articulate the divine beauty this world seemed to hold.

"Welcome to the other side." Marie's voice lingered from behind Joker.

"I didn't know the other world could be so..." Joker took in the beauty before him. "Beautiful."

There was a small chuckle as Marie stepped up to Joker's side. "Thanks, I try."

Joker looked towards the woman he knew as Mariko Kusumi. She wasn't quite the Mariko Kasumi he had been chatting with at the party. She wore a long white robe with a hood, with some sort of deep red shirt underneath. Those minor changes didn't bother Joker much, after all, he was accustomed to people changing outfits in this other world. However, it was the fact Marie's left eye seemed to glow slightly.

"Does this appearance shock you?" Marie asked. "Perhaps..." There was a flash of green light before Marie changed again, this time with a sleeveless shirt, a blue cap, and a short skirt. The power of her eye seemed to fade with this appearance.

"Who are you?" Joker asked unsurely.

"Me? I suppose if I just said weather girl you wouldn't believe me anymore, would you little thief?" Marie smirked.

Joker took a step back, reaching for his weapon. Something about this situation put him on edge; Marie was something more then she appeared to be. However, as Joker reached for his weapons his hands felt nothing but air. A pause before Joker realized his problem, he hadn't transformed. This world didn't see him as a threat. Marie watched him struggle before she took a step up to him. Without another word, she reached out, putting a hand to his chest. Joker felt a surge of power tingling through his body as the ache his side normally gave him seemed to evaporate. Marie took a step back as Joker fully grasped what she had done. His side which had been a constant literal thorn in his side was healed.

"What did you do?" Joker asked because as far as he knew, that kind of damage couldn't be healed.

"What do you think? I healed you silly." Marie explained. "And you aren't the only one who needed it."

Marie then turned and walked off. Curious, Joker followed after her. Marie made her way through the gathering crowd and stepped up to Crow. He was currently talking to Kanji and Naoto and paid Marie no mind until she stepped into his personal space. Naoto regarded Marie with a glance as Marie examined the sling around Crow's shoulder.

"What a strange device. Does it ease the pain?" Marie inquired.

"In a way it does..." Naoto explained. "Goro-Kun this is our friend Marie, she is..." There was some hesitation in Naoto's voice.

"It's alright you can tell them, there is no need to keep it a secret from them here." Marie reached forward and gently pressed her hands against Crow's shoulder.