Chapter 8
“So sometimes I’ll see Marie around town with Firefly and his friends, and I’m told Mom and Uncle used to take Uncle Theo and Aunt Liz out too.”
Ignoring Lavenza’s chime of “A true statement, Trickster,” he continued.
“But do you know who I NEVER see outside the Velvet Room? Margaret! She's always here, looking at the compendium!” At this 4 sets of eyes turned to the Velvet attendant.
Anytime when Akira wasn’t playing, doing music, writing, or art, and when Firefly wasn’t around, He’d hang out in the limo, gossiping with Igor, Margaret, Marie, and Lavenza. It took a while, but he was bonding with Margaret, and as such had discovered her whimsical humor.
“Huh, I-” Marie was cut off.
“SO, my point is, what is up with that? Can she like, not leave the limo?”
“The Empress card exudes power and grace. Those of that arcana go where they desire, when they desire.” Igor nodded.
“It is possible she cannot leave Le Grimoire for long, though it stands to reason: Could she not carry it with her? No human could possibly snatch it from her without her consent, lest they face her wrath.” Lavenza shuddered.
“Maybe she can’t. Hey, Nose, are you keeping her here?”
Igor repeated his previous statement.
“Théories valides, mes soeurs de velours.” (valid theories, my velvet sisters.)
“I thought you considered The Nose as a creepy grandfather.”
“I do, but here, in the gossip circle, we’re all sisters.”
Igor chuckled.
“Ahem. I can leave the Room, I just don’t. However, I will be leaving for Yasogami’s high school culture festival. I have something special planned.”
“How nefarious, Margaret. Anyway, I gotta go, Naoto got un-kidnapped yesterday, and I wanna check on them. Plus, I need to ask them, Kiki-chan, Ri-chan, and Kanji-kun something and it’ll be a perfect opportunity to wear that new hoodie. Though, I also wanna practice. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.”
“The Wheel of Fortune represents change in one’s life. I wonder what change will undertake them, though it has been in the works for a long time now.”
“Fortune? What a coincidence.”
“Oh my god, Margaret, you’re gonna open a fortune telling stand.”
“She’ll probably be really good at it.”
“Indeed. My sister’s gut has never led us astray. Usually it’s Elizabeth.”
Akira snorted.
“Anyway, ta ta for now~”
“Bye, Akira.”
“Farewell, Trickster.”
“See ya.”
“May you be guided by your bonds, Trickster.”
“Adieu, mon peuple bleu~” (farewell, my blue people~)
_________________________
Aragaki Minako was walking through the Central Shopping district when the blue doors of the Velvet Room opened. She started heading towards there to congratulate Yu-kun on saving Shirogane Naoto, but the person that walked out was not him. The one that walked out was her son, Kurusu Akira, saying goodbye in French? Akira never spoke French so playfully unless he was super comfortable with the person. Or entity, in this case.
Something was fishy. Her Velvet Room key was only lost once, after that, she put it in her dresser and it was always there. UNLESS, Akira took it while she had work. She summoned her key, but there was still one in her son’s hand. There was no way he could have stolen it from her brother, unless! He still pickpocketed every now and again, she called Yu-kun.
“Minako-san? What’s wrong?”
“Do you still have your Velvet Room key?”
“Yes, it’s with me now.”
“Then where- Are any of your friends at school?”
“Yosuke should be there, why?”
“Alright. Could you tell him to stay there?”
“Sure, but what’s all this about?”
“I- I’ll tell you later.”
“Okay. Be safe Minako-san.”
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
She called Yosuke.
“Minako-san? I got a text from Partner telling me to stay at school, what’s happening?”
“Listen, Akira’s going to Yasogami right about now. I need you to mute me, tail him, and text me updates.”
“Sure? Oh wait, I see him now.”
Hanamura Yosuke → Aragaki Minako
Yosuke: hes @ the msic rm rn.
“Hey, uh, who’s that in there?”
The young girl jumped.
“Oh, uh that’s a middle school child named Akira. He comes here to play piano sometimes, but he also sings and plays guitar. Akira-kun focuses on two songs, mostly, though.”
Minako’s eyebrows widened, she never knew he could do that, though it would make sense if Belladonna and Nameless taught him.
“Thanks. Uh, can I listen …?”
“Oh! I’m Ayane Matsunaga, first year.”
“Yosuke Hanamura, second year.”
She listened to the music, to hear the Aria of the Soul. She knew it. Now to figure out how, why, and how much he knows. In the middle of her musings, she heard him change songs. It was Kimi no Kioku. She let out a choked sob, remembering how important that song is to her and her brother, how her and Aigis would sing it on the rooftop on full moons, after he died. The music sounded nice, she thought.
She texted Yosuke-kun that it was alright to go home, and gathered her current house guests.
“Okay, so I saw Akira going outside the Velvet Room speaking French.”
“How did he even get there?”
“French? He only speaks it to people he’s comfortable with!”
“Anyway, I asked one of the other kids to tail him, and he was in Yasogami’s music room, playing piano and singing Aria of the Soul and Kimi no Kioku.” Her brother smiled.
“Okay, we GOTTA catch him in the act. Everyone in agreement? Minako? Dearest? Say aye!”
“Aye.”
“Aye!”
At this point, Akira walked in with Shinjiro, and dinner started.
_____________________
Akira put on his winter girl clothes: fake small breasts, a pastel hoodie, black leggings, sneakers, clip on hoop earrings, and a wig of black, messy, shoulder-length hair. When he got to Junes, Firefly’s group started leaving, but he managed to catch the four he needed. He put his voice in a higher pitch.
“Ri-chan, Kiki-chan, Naoto-chan, and Kanji-kun! Can we talk?”
Yukiko and Rise seemed to realize because of the nickname, while Naoto had seen him like this. Kanji, however, was confused.
“Huh? Who are you?”
The girls started snickering. He whispered in his normal voice.
“I’m quite offended you don’t recognize me, Kanji-kun!”
“Akira? What happened to you?”
He changed his voice to a girl's again.
“I wanted to try out my new hoodie! How is it?”
“Pretty cool and convincing.” Kanji replied.
“I see you’ve been using the techniques. Nice.” Naoto nodded.
“It’s so cute Kira-chan!” Rise squealed.
“I love it, though how would you like to be addressed?” Yukiko questioned.
“Well, I’d prefer she/her when I’m like this in public, but I still identify as he/him.”
“Gotcha! Now what did you want to talk about?”
“Well, this.”
Akira grinned as they continued complimenting the outfit.
“Great! Ummm, I gotta dash, and see what my friends think of this new outfit!”
“Bye!”
“Adieu!”
Akira found Marie outside the Velvet door, neither of them noticing three people watching and listening to them.
“Hey, mystérieuse messagère.” (mysterious messenger lady)
“Hey Kira. Nice look.”
“Why thank you, darling, I wanna show it to the others. Is Firefly in?”
“Nope. He’s supposed to meet me here, but I think he stopped at the metal shop.”
“Good thing I came when I did. I’m gonna hop in there, before he gets back.” Akira took out his Velvet key.
“Bye. Have fun.”
“See ya. I will.”
When he got there, Igor and Margaret were waiting.
“Welcome. Nice leggings.”
“Yeah, we match now!”
“The Fool arcana has many faces, many personas. This one suits you.”
“Thanks, Igor. Mind if I take a drink?” Akira poured a “wine glass” which, in reality, was his favorite juice. He chugged it and went to find Lavenza.
“Akira! It looks better than I thought it would!”
“Oh hush, you. I think it’s the legs.”
“Hmmmm. Maybe?”
“Excuse you, I have great legs!”
“If you say so~ Come on, let’s go see the others.”
“God, why did I teach her that? Curse me and my flamboyance.”
_______________________
When Akira finally came out of the Velvet Room, it was dark, and he got ambushed. Street Instinct cut in.
“Merde!” Akira slid under their legs, chopped one hard in the back, and ran. When he stopped to breathe, his assailants had already caught up with him.
“Akira! Breathe, honey, it’s just me.” His mom?
“Mom? Uncles? Why did you do that?! You triggered my fight or flight response!”
“Your response was both.”
He felt one of them rummaging around in his pockets, and was confused, but dread filled him soon after as Uncle Ryoji held up his Velvet Room key.
“We all know what this is, so don’t play dumb. Why do you have this?” Uncle Minato asked.
Akira gulped.
“Aunt Liz gave it to me when you dropped me off there a month or two ago.”
“You were speaking French, honey.”
“Uhhhhhh, I may or may not have stolen your key back in April? And since I had been coming there for a while, I may or may not have asked them for a key?”
“I knew it. What have they told you about that room?” Uncle Ryoji sounded… worried?
“When I first got there, Igor said that thing about it being in a dimension between this world and another one, which I kinda just accepted?”
“You… did? And you didn’t ask any more questions?”
“Well, Igor always answers cryptically, and they’re all really nice to me so…”
“What else have they told you?”
“Okay, well since Igor kept talking about tarot cards, that’s why I got so interested in them.” Not a lie, but not the whole truth. Akira figured that their eyes glowed like Firefly’s, but they didn’t need to know that his did too. “I know that you guys, minus Uncle Ryoji, were guests there, and Aunt Liz and Uncle Theo helped you, but I don’t know what being a guest means. Oh! Mr. Painter paints all of the guests once they're finished doing whatever.”
They all breathed a sigh of relief. The kid didn’t need to know about personas or shadows or any of the whole mess.
“Sooooo, can I still come back?”
“Under one condition.”
“What is it?”
“You need to show us what Belladonna and Nameless taught you! Come on, we’ll borrow the piano one of these days.”
“Moooooooom!”
“Come on, now let’s go home.”
“Sure.”