Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 74

The sudden realization... They had been so close and things were going so well. Maybe a little too well. And that resulted in them being so careless at the very last moment. They couldn't help but scoff at themself, grumble and curse themself. This was not how this was supposed to go. This was not what should have happened. This just was not it, at all. Not at all! And yet... Here they were, tied to a chair, not able to get out of it. It was a hard to even rest properly on this thing. They figured that they would need it, at least the moment Miyuki would return.

"I have some business to attend to first. I will deal with you in the morning. I feel a little generous today, you see." She said and then closed the door, leaving Anja themself in a dark room, unable to see a thing. No, literally, it was pitch black when this woman had turned the lights off. Not just that but that also made the smell ten times worse. Talk about feeling uncomfortable in every way. First sitting on this chair, with the wrists being tied together so tightly that it was just impossible to endure. Who knows, maybe they were already starting to get all red. But now also the smell becoming unbearable? This was just... Hah...

"Generous my ass..." They mumbled yet started to wiggle around in their seat, having to do something to break free after all. But nothing worked, no matter how hard they tried. Then again, they were never in such a situation to begin with. So how would they know how to escape this, let alone where to go a— No, they knew where to go. But... Hah, this was pointless.

At this rate they would have to pray that someone notices that something was up here and would come look for them. Yet it might be too late by the time they were found. Was there really nothing they could do!? No, that could not be it. There had to be something. Sitting here, all helpless... The last thing they wanted. The very last thing they wanted! They could not allow this to happen! No, they had to force themself out of here somehow. They needed to find a way!

But... How were they going to do it? Getting out of here is easier said than done. And they could not exactly move off the chair. Even if they did, they would had to crawl on the ground like a worm. And that wasn't going to work either since they wouldn't even see where they were going. So as soon as they hit a dead end it would be all over. Damn it, she thought of everything! There was no way this was her first time doing it... Was it? Uh... They weren't sure but that didn't matter! They had to think, come up with something. Just... Anything to—

"Oh dear, what trouble. Well, looks like we have to speed this up." A voice would echo through the room. They turned their head and gaze, in hope to see something. But nothing, still all dark. They were wondering if they were perhaps imagining it, a desperation since they wanted to escape somehow. Anyone would do, or even anything. To say that they imagined it... They considered it possible, very possible in fact. They probably couldn't think straight at this rate. And it was unlikely that they were going to do that. And yet... It was an eerie but familiar tone. A voice they have heard more often... A voice— "Let me take you there myself. You can't move in your current position anyways."

"Take me... Where? What—" Yet they felt it by then, how their body started to ache. Not just that but also going a little numb. It became hard to breath for a second, it hurt. Yet instead of staying awake to fight the pain their eyelids had become heavier and before knowing it... They collapsed on the chair probably, head dropping and their eyelids closing.

In one swoop their eyes shot open, right then and there. The moment they did they saw nothing but... Wait, this place... They remembered it! They were in front of it, in front of this... Palace? Yeah, and not just any. It was Miyuki's! They were wondering right at this moment, how did they get here!? What happened!? Moments ago they had been inside this one room Miyuki had stuck them in and now—

Wait, they noticed something else! Their hands moved freely again and they were standing up straight. They even twirled around just to make sure... Yeah, they were fully able to move! But how? Were they free or—

"Ding ding ding! Pick up, it's me, your trustworthy guide!" A voice interrupted them, making them stand in place from one moment to the next, the speaker still on, loud enough that they could hear the voice from their phone. Was there even a need to put it out of the pocket? Probably not.

"I can hear you Pipistrello." They responded with a sigh. Although... Honestly, they owed it their thanks here. If it wasn't for this figure they would still be stuck in this chair. But there was a catch, wasn't there? "Well, thanks anyways."

"Oh please~ You're truly talented enough to get yourself into trouble, aren't you?" It laughed, sounding dismissive yet also cheerful in that regard. "But no matter, I have a plan to get you out of this situation."

"A... Plan? But aren't I already free?"

"Well... Yes and no. You see, I dragged you here. But that doesn't mean that you are going to be untied when you return back to the other world."

"B... Back to the other— But wouldn't it affect—"

"Oh yes, it would. However, I think it would be in your best interest to put you back in place once we're done here." It interrupted, sounding so calm about this. This was a loophole to escape so why not take it!? Why—

Ah, wait. They got why. They understood. Honestly, maybe the heat of the moment had not made them think clearly about this but if putting it like this... It made sense. Yeah, they couldn't disagree. "Otherwise Ishikawa is going to suspect something and will hunt me down no matter what?"

"I knew you'd catch on quickly~"

"If she managed to get Father convicted and killed without being caught she would know how to get me too. Even if it was just thanks to her connections."

"Preciesely. So, want to hear of my awesome plan?"

They sighed, knowing that there was no other choice left. "fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Find the treasure room first, alright? I will discuss the rest once we're there."

They blinked, a bit shocked to hear that. "W... Wait. You mean right now!?"

"Unless you want to wait longer and be stuck there for a while."

"N... No I don't but—"

"Then go find the treasure room now dearie. The sooner the better. We have to rush this."

"Rush!?"

"I would have loved it if you could have taken your time but that is impossible under these circumstances. Let's ignore the details of this beautiful place and head straight to where we have to. Or rather, you have to."

"A... Are you suggesting another trip by myself!? Didn't you hear Ole last time!? I don't think he–"

"Oh, don't worry. I took care of that. Your feline friend will arrive–" Pipistrello was about to bring up yet it would be cut short when hearing quick footsteps, similar to tapping sounds. And they sounded as if they were in a rush. Not just that but there was a scream coming from this... Massive smoke cloud!?

"ANJAAAA!" The scream was more than audible and the voice was as clear as it could be, though louder than it usually would be. It would startle anyone hearing it the first time and they looked closer... Then again, did they really have to look? Especially when Pipistrello confirmed it in the end.

"Ah, there he is, Senior Ole~" It said. "Let's get this infiltration started then, shall we?"