Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 55

"Haha, but don't worry. I can't have you die in an instant. I promise to offer you some tools. But maybe I should leave that for another time. I will meet you again later. You should go."

Well, looks like someone finally followed up on those words... Even if it took a few days. It got to the point. And now they were back in this strange area, feeling a breath down their throat this time. When they turned around however no one had been behind them, confusing them only further. Yet this place was a mess anyways.

And who or what had been there with them? The figure, of course it was. And right now it was hanging upside down while speaking, the mask's mouth only moving if its equivalent of a voice echoed through the... Halls? Was this a hall actually? They couldn't tell. Maybe it wasn't. This place was as bizarre as the figure itself... The figure which called itself Pipistrello. And yet, after its welcoming all it did for a bit was laugh out loud, slightly irritating them. But when they wanted to ask why the figure rotated itself in a way that it would look at them, positioning itself as if it was sitting in an armchair.

"Ohoho, looks like you found a target~" It then spoke all of a sudden, throwing in such a sentence out of literal nowhere. And since they had no idea what it meant they were just staring dumbfounded at the figure... The figure who still eerily smiled at them throughout this entire conversation.

"A target?" They repeated, wanting to make sure that they had been listening to this correctly, that their ears were not playing tricks on them in any way. But even then this 'target' thing could mean more things than one.

"Yes dear, your very own." The figure nodded before suddenly getting out of its 'seat', twirling around a few times before leaning across the table top which had suddenly appeared, leaning its arms against it and coming face to face with them. "Aren't you excited?"

They wanted to get up or reele backwards yet remembered how they were nearly soaked in somewhere if they moved. So they decided to just sit still, as hard as it was. Especially with Pipistrello right in their face. Yet their expression was probably a baffled yet nervous one, given that they didn't know what to make of it. "I don't think I follow..." They told it, stating a mere fact. It was always speaking as if they knew what it was talking about. But they had no clue whatsoever!

"Hoh? You're still in the dark? I see how it is."

"How is what!? Please, be more—"

"Didn't you want to know how the Phantom Thieves do things?" It suddenly threw in while backing off, a chuckle escaping its... Mask's lips yet again, the smile becoming wider. If it were a face it would be a smile extremely painful to maintain, going from literally one side to the other. Was something funny!? And why bring up the— Wait... Did it just say—

They tilted their head in confusion for a short moment. It knew about the Phantom Thieves? It knew something? Wait, then that would mean... "Why do you bring them up?" They asked, though carefully. One wrong step and they will not know what will happen to them.

Pipistrello had taken note of it probably, judging that it was laughing its ass off for a good few seconds there. "Hilarious! Utterly hilarious! You still haven't caught on, have you!?"

"Again, you're saying these things as if they should make sense to me!"

"You haven't put two and two together!"

"Are you implying that you're—"

"Oh no no. I'm not participating. I'm nothing but a mere spectator dear. Then again, if I cook up an outfit I could probably pass as one of them." It continued to laugh yet this became more and more subtle until fading into obscurity. Yet that smile persisted. "But that is not of importance. I think I should teach you their ropes, how they do things."

They were in disbelief. How does it know such things? Actually, they should have asked themself that earlier How was this figure in the know–how? And if it knows such things... What else does it know? This was starting to get a little unsettling. "But if you know how then—"

"Oh, I know those kids. Fine ones. But it'd be no fun if you didn't have to do the hunting." It interrupted. "But the how... Now that should be interesting. You will have to learn it sooner or later."

"I... Guess learning how they do it would be useful." When it came to tracking them down. But why was the figure going to spill the beans? Or wait, was it that easy? What was Pipistrello's goal here? What game is it playing? They wanted to know but they couldn't, not yet anyways. For now they should just play along, shouldn't they?

"Great. Then let me give you a basic rundown of the tools you will need~" It suddenly announced, clapping its 'hands' together. Who knew what lied beneath those gloves after all.

"The... Tools?"

"Yes yes. If you want to understand how they do it, you will need hands–on practice!"

"H... Hands on practice!? Hold on, that—"

"Allow me to teach you their methods by infiltrating a Palace." Pipistrello said, the chuckle not fading in any way. That is how they knew that they had no choice in the matter whatsoever. It was set on all of this and they will have to play along, whether they liked it or not. "Of course I will provide some assistance but you have to do the heavy lifting~"