Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 174

” Welcome! Would you care to listen to one of our stories? ” 

The greeting was said by two people, or rather Shadows as they were residing inside a Palace within the Metaverse. That and each of their eyes was glowing gold. All while their facial features looked the exact same, them even sharing the same, peach pink, soft and clean looking skin. At least judging from their faces. Not to mention their height as well. They looked like swaps of another, genderbend versions of another. Then again, if they were really twins maybe this wasn’t something too surprising.

The girl had long, brown hair, bound into a ponytail at the side, reaching up to the ground. She wore a white dress with long sleeves as well as a black bowtie and vest. Her socks were matching with her dress and her shoes were also black, though she seemed to be walking on heels (which made her appear slightly taller than the guy). The only other sign of color were her gloves, pink gloves.

The guy had shorter, brown hair. He wore a suit – A gray shirt and jeans, black jacket and bowtie. The shoes are fittingly black, a little shiny. He also wore gloves, blue ones. And unlike the girl he seemed to hide as much of his body as possible. While her legs were still visible as well as her body shape his clothing hid his entire figure, a little too big one may say. But not enough where it wasn’t noticeable unless you would look closely for it. 

They both were looking at the two, smiling. No, she was smiling while he was grinning. It was friendly, welcoming, or it at least tried to be. Because for some reason their smiles felt a little… Empty. Lifeless. It wasn’t forced but at the same time it was just so cold. It was odd to look at them if not just flatout uncomfortable. But one couldn’t look away either. It was… Weird. A feeling of uneasiness overcame them at that point. But how?

“So you two claim to own this place?” They heard Akechi ask which was also what got them out of their trance. They just couldn’t help but eye the two a little closer, maybe a little more than what was necessary, they had to admit that. And even then this feeling of uneasiness was just not leaving them. They didn’t really know why. Luckily they weren’t alone so Akechi could handle the talking until they had calmed down but it was just… Weird. What was this reaction about honestly? They weren’t so sure… But for now they were just listening.

“Yeah! Ya got that right!” The guy answered, nodding and grinning. “Our place. Ain’t it great?”

“You really need to learn how to clean up.” Was Akechi’s response however, sounding unimpressed.

“Ouch. Tough crowd, ain’t it?”

“Haha, now calm down Sir.” The girl interrupted with a chuckle before walking over to a shelf and grabbing one of the books. It was a large one, a cover hand drawn. It showed a person on it. No, not just a person. One half was looking like a girl while the other was looking like a boy. The side with the girl had open hair while the one with the boy showed a ponytail. The body itself was a silhouette yet seemed to melt down. While the upper half was still visible the lower it got the more the body disappeared and turned into a liquid – One side pink, the other blue, and it was mixing into purple.something looking like blood is dripping down. Though it is not red, no. There was no red on this cover whatsoever. The stains were pink and blue accordingly. Wounds cut open, making it drip down - From the chest to the hip. All while the background was black on one side and white on the other, mixing into a grey tone in the middle.The person had no face, only a mouth, a bitter smile, too wide to fit onto the face. It was unsettling. A smile forced yet ever so empty. Then again, it was hard to tell with the eyes missing.

The girl then peeked from the side while holding up the book, her smile had never faded though. “How about this one? It is our personal favorite.”

“We… Are not here for—” Akechi wanted to explain but she didn’t give him a choice. Instead she got right in between and started to talk yet again.

“The story is about a young girl, the outcast of society. But why could that be? She doesn’t know. However, she did manage to put the pieces together on her own. And once she realizes… Well, let’s just say that she struggles. People do not take her seriously, call her names and isolate her… Which ends with her seeking out revenge on all who wronged her. Doesn’t that sound interesting?” – She said it with such an upbeat tone that it was almost unbearable to listen to. Or one would not believe her words. Yet the smile she had, as empty as it was, as meaningless as it seems… There was some sincerity there. She was talking about this story with such passion. Although… To Lukanja’s ears it didn’t sound too new. Something about it, being pointed out like that… Huh… It felt oddly… Familiar but—

“Oi, don’t overwhelm ‘em like that.” The guy sighed as he put an arm on the shoulder of the girl. Yet he didn’t seem too upset. In fact his grin just never stopped showing, at all. Even when he turned back to the two and said: “Sorry ‘bout her. She always gets carried away without asking.”

“Ah– I… It’s fine…” The first thing Lukanja said, or rather uttered. It was a little too quiet. They were too afraid to speak up. They looked familiar yet they couldn’t put their finger on it. So much so that they were shaking a little. What were they so afraid of? They didn’t understand. 

“Yeah, just let her.” Akechi agreed, though not looking very amused. Yet he also seemed awfully calm when speaking, to the point that he had the guts to ask the last part: “Can we have your names?”

The twins looked at another, first just staring. The smiles faded for the first time, replaced with a bit of a startled expression. Though it was only reserved for another before they turned back, the laughter escaped from their lips one more time. “Oh riiight! We totally forgot! Sorry!” Both said, once more, their voices being in perfect sync. A little too perfect. But that wasn’t the terrifying part, no. The terrifying part came when the two introduced themselves in ever so cheerful tones. 

“Ah, right. Sorry. I am Anja.”

“Luka’s the name.”

And that was where the memory ended. Lukanja cannot remember more than that.