It's A Promise
Mar. 23rd, 2020 09:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nyanderenekoWord Count: 2,212
Summary: Heading back from a routine visit to the Metaverse, the Phantom Thieves stumble across a threatening scene involving a Shadow chasing down a stranger that shouldn’t even have access to this world. Their leader takes initiative to save the poor lost and terrified individual, regardless of the risk.
Author’s Note: Since I already posted my Saruhiko piece and said most of what I wanted to there, I’ll just say this is the Ren half of my celebratory anniversary pieces! I can’t tell which one I think turned out better, and I kind of wish I could have done more with them both, but for now I’ll just say I think I’m satisfied with how they are now. There will always be time to write more in the future, after all (at least I hope), and thank you for reading!
Their visit to the Metaverse was a routine one, or at least things had gone smoothly for them thus far. The hours had passed from afternoon to evening, and they were all starting to feel the fatigue of their prolonged exertion. Confronting Shadows and dismantling Palaces, their job as the Phantom Thieves of Heart never seemed to end. But that suited them just fine, the elusive and mysterious group of wayward souls that’d all crossed paths with each other as if by fate. They’d been dutifully fulfilling their unique and unfortunately necessary role for years now, one that waxed and waned but never completely faded away. Each time it seemed that their usefulness was tapering off for good, another incident would crop up, and they would rise to the challenge like they always did.
Exploring the depths of the dimension born of the population’s collective unconscious, cleansing corrupted hearts of their malice and depravity as they strived to ensure the safety and prosperity of society and its many misguided, downtrodden citizens. It sounded like a tall order, and at times it was, but never anything they couldn’t handle. If not individually, then together. As long as their team remained intact, they were confident they could face any threat that came their way, no matter the size or strength. They’d proven as much plenty of times over the years, and there wasn’t really anything stopping them from continuing to carry out their own personal sense of justice.
It had been a long day full of fighting Shadows and narrowly avoiding the myriad of dangers posed by the various other inhabitants of this immaterial realm. Again, nothing they weren’t accustomed to, but even the renowned Phantom Thieves needed a break every now and again. As they retraced their steps through the eerily still city streets, wading through the sparse crowds of faceless zombies that paid them no heed, an unusual sight caught their keen leader’s eye. His legs stilled involuntarily as he surveyed the scene, mind racing as he tried to determine how to handle things. It took a few moments for his companions to notice that he’d fallen behind at all, but at that point he wasn’t even aware of their presence; all he could think about was the unexpected innocent that had apparently become the target of a particularly nasty and concerningly large Shadow.
It was only natural to be on edge in a place like this, where creatures radiating bloodlust and a desire to devour the first unlucky thing that happened upon them lurked around practically every corner. Although many had displayed meager intelligence and understanding in the midst of confrontation, just as many proved to be little more than mindless slaves to their predatory instincts. As veterans of their trade, the Phantom Thieves had had plenty of experience and practice navigating and surviving in such an unforgiving and hostile environment. But any normal person probably would have panicked and been subsequently torn to shreds by the first monster they were unfortunate enough to encounter. If the scene he’d stumbled upon was any indication, a tragedy of that nature was just about to play out before his dark, guarded eyes.
Her form had more color, standing out against the dull, monotonous tones of the scenery that surrounded her. She moved and spoke with greater purpose than any of the other mindless citizens that mingled about, her voice carrying through the air and ricocheting off the oppressively silent buildings, amplifying like a megaphone. She was more than aware of the threat and was wisely attempting to flee it, sprinting across the square she’d stumbled upon as if her life depended on it. An apt assumption, considering that was essentially the state of things.
Of course, being the type of person he was, Joker had to intervene. There was no way he could live with himself if he allowed such a disaster to occur in his presence, and it wasn’t like there was anyone else around to take care of it. Sure, he had the rest of his companions to fall back on, but in the moment a different kind of self-motivated conviction seemed to overtake him from within. There was a nagging question in the back of his mind as to why and how this person had ended up here in the first place, but that issue could be dealt with later. For now, the only thing he needed to focus on was getting them out of harm’s way, while also managing to keep the Shadow from turning on himself or any of the other Thieves.
He acted more on impulse than carefully planned strategy, which was just one of his many several bad habits his friends were frustratingly accustomed to scolding him about. Their words usually fell on deaf ears, though, or at least ears that registered their pleas yet maintained no real intention of changing. It was always easier for him to ask for forgiveness than permission, and in the heat of the moment there wasn’t always time for patient consideration, especially when lives were at stake.
That was the type of situation he found himself currently facing, and that fact in and of itself was alarming enough to warrant immediate action. Not to mention that regardless of who this unforeseen stranger turned out to be, this was just another part of the job. Helping people in need, no matter the circumstances, was their number one priority. After all he’d been through, Joker’s motivation to keep that vow was unwavering, no matter the cost.
The ghostlike projections of the citizenry finally started to react, catching on to the apparent presence of danger and devolving into their own riotous attempts to flee, complete with screams and flailing that jostled his thoughts. Shoving his way through the thicker concentrations of aimless consciousnesses that were only growing more panicked by the second, he kept his gaze focused on the girl. He heard his group calling after him, but he was already in the thick of things, there was no use turning back now. Racing towards the trembling form that attempted to take refuge from the beast behind the nearest wall she could reach, Joker drew his pistol and fired a few warning shots.
The Shadow’s attention shifted instantly, buying him a few necessary seconds as he prepared his next rounds. With his target distracted and stalled right where he wanted it, Joker fired more purposefully this time. The ring of his shots drowned out the distressed calls of his companions and the girl’s terrified mutterings as they successfully hit their mark, piercing the beast and dissolving its form into nothing more than dark fleeting wisps. He holstered his gun and lifted the young woman into his arms out of reflex, hoping his presence would soothe her somewhat as he inspected her condition up close.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly, realizing as he examined her that she appeared to be a foreigner. Everything about this situation just kept getting more and more bizarre. She made a small noise in an attempt to speak, but the rest of her words refused to form as shock set in more intensely than before. He supposed that kind of reaction was only natural considering the circumstances. She clung to his coat, fingers digging into the sleek fabric like it was her lifeline. In a way, he was, and nothing was going to keep him from ensuring she made it back to where she came from easily and unharmed. “You’re safe now, you don’t have to be afraid. Although, I am a little curious as to how you got here…”
The girl nodded weakly as tears began to distort her wide, dark eyes. She wiped them away and buried her face in her hands as if she hoped to smother the rest, but Joker hoped she knew he wasn’t here to judge her. If nothing else he was relieved to see she was coherent and rational…as rational as one can expect to be in a situation like this. Being chased down by a monster in a foreign cityscape that looks like it’s teetering on the edge of reality, liable to plummet into the depths of the unknown at any moment.
It had taken himself and the other Thieves a fair amount of time to adequately adjust to the setting and the parameters of this new reality. Even after all this time they still had moments of doubt and questions of their sanity. They were lucky none of them were ever really forced to deal with any of this alone, that they had the advantage of tackling this strange new world together. Without a second opinion, some of them weren’t sure they would have been able to accept it and keep moving forward.
“What a shot,” a voice piped up from behind, and Joker glanced over his shoulder to see that the other Thieves had finally decided to join him. “Although we’d expect nothing less from you. Is she alright? If you went out of your way to save her, I presume she isn’t a Shadow.”
“She’s definitely not,” Mona chimed in, and Joker was especially interested to hear what his tiny feline companion had to say. “She smells just like us, like another person from the real world. But she also smells…just like us. You know. In that other way.”
Well, that second part didn’t exactly bode well.
“I thought you said there wouldn’t be any more people like us because of circumstances and side effects and rules and all that complicated stuff.”
“Hey, guys,” Joker intervened before another one of Skull and Mona’s familiar quarrels could gain traction. “Let’s continue this conversation back at base. Right now, we need to focus on finding the vulnerability she came in through and make sure she gets back safe.”
Normally it wasn’t possible for just anyone to waltz into the Metaverse, even on accident. The barrier between the real world and this fantastical parallel dimension grew thin in places, but usually never enough to allow inhabitants of either realm to pass through uninhibited. Now that Mona had mentioned that there was something even more familiar, more supernatural about this young woman, things were starting to make more sense. But if what their feline friend said turned out to be true, the task at hand was going to be much more formidable than any of them had anticipated.
After giving his friends the indication that it was time to disband, he’d take care of things from here, he turned his attention back to the trembling figure in his arms.“Can you tell me where you’re from, what you’re doing here, and where you need to be?”
For a second he swore he almost saw a blush color her cheeks as he addressed her, but of course it couldn’t have been more than a side effect of her stress. “I was just trying to get back to my hotel. I was walking back, I don’t know…I don’t know what’s happening to me. Am I going crazy? Am I dying? Am I already dead?”
Joker chuckled, a bit more amused than he should have been considering the current state of affairs. “Is this the kind of place you imagine yourself going when you die?”
There was a pause, an uncomfortable beat of heavy silence as the young woman prepared her response. “Well, I’d prefer to go somewhere with less monsters…but I don’t think I’d have a problem with it if I always got saved by someone like you.”
He couldn’t believe the words that’d just come out of her mouth. Completely caught off guard, Joker gave in to a fit of delighted laughter that he realized after the fact probably seemed more mocking than anything. Recovering from his inappropriate outburst, he wiped an eye before continuing, “I’m honored to hear something like that, but you’re not dead, and it’s not anywhere near time for you to die. Tell me the name of your hotel and I’ll make sure you get back safe and sound, with no monsters following you.”
The girl rested her head against his shoulder, eyes seemingly fixated on her knees. As unprofessional as he knew it was, Joker couldn’t help thinking that the sensation of her weight against his shoulder, and in his arms, was actually kind of nice. Oh, he wasn’t already thinking that he was interested in her in some way, was he? The impression of a leader examining their potential new comrade was one thing, but the flutter of his heart and the flurry of his thoughts regrettably told him otherwise. He knew it was ridiculous to develop any sort of fondness for some stranger at first sight, but in a world where places and creatures like the ones he’d encountered existed, maybe those types of feelings weren’t really that far fetched after all.
“Alright, I’ll trust you to do it,” she murmured as she kept her eyes averted from his own. “But if I wake up tomorrow and there’s something waiting to eat me at the foot of my bed or something, you’d better be there to get rid of it.”
Joker couldn’t keep a small, flattered smile from forming on his lips. “It’s a promise.”
Summary: Heading back from a routine visit to the Metaverse, the Phantom Thieves stumble across a threatening scene involving a Shadow chasing down a stranger that shouldn’t even have access to this world. Their leader takes initiative to save the poor lost and terrified individual, regardless of the risk.
Author’s Note: Since I already posted my Saruhiko piece and said most of what I wanted to there, I’ll just say this is the Ren half of my celebratory anniversary pieces! I can’t tell which one I think turned out better, and I kind of wish I could have done more with them both, but for now I’ll just say I think I’m satisfied with how they are now. There will always be time to write more in the future, after all (at least I hope), and thank you for reading!
__________
Their visit to the Metaverse was a routine one, or at least things had gone smoothly for them thus far. The hours had passed from afternoon to evening, and they were all starting to feel the fatigue of their prolonged exertion. Confronting Shadows and dismantling Palaces, their job as the Phantom Thieves of Heart never seemed to end. But that suited them just fine, the elusive and mysterious group of wayward souls that’d all crossed paths with each other as if by fate. They’d been dutifully fulfilling their unique and unfortunately necessary role for years now, one that waxed and waned but never completely faded away. Each time it seemed that their usefulness was tapering off for good, another incident would crop up, and they would rise to the challenge like they always did.
Exploring the depths of the dimension born of the population’s collective unconscious, cleansing corrupted hearts of their malice and depravity as they strived to ensure the safety and prosperity of society and its many misguided, downtrodden citizens. It sounded like a tall order, and at times it was, but never anything they couldn’t handle. If not individually, then together. As long as their team remained intact, they were confident they could face any threat that came their way, no matter the size or strength. They’d proven as much plenty of times over the years, and there wasn’t really anything stopping them from continuing to carry out their own personal sense of justice.
It had been a long day full of fighting Shadows and narrowly avoiding the myriad of dangers posed by the various other inhabitants of this immaterial realm. Again, nothing they weren’t accustomed to, but even the renowned Phantom Thieves needed a break every now and again. As they retraced their steps through the eerily still city streets, wading through the sparse crowds of faceless zombies that paid them no heed, an unusual sight caught their keen leader’s eye. His legs stilled involuntarily as he surveyed the scene, mind racing as he tried to determine how to handle things. It took a few moments for his companions to notice that he’d fallen behind at all, but at that point he wasn’t even aware of their presence; all he could think about was the unexpected innocent that had apparently become the target of a particularly nasty and concerningly large Shadow.
It was only natural to be on edge in a place like this, where creatures radiating bloodlust and a desire to devour the first unlucky thing that happened upon them lurked around practically every corner. Although many had displayed meager intelligence and understanding in the midst of confrontation, just as many proved to be little more than mindless slaves to their predatory instincts. As veterans of their trade, the Phantom Thieves had had plenty of experience and practice navigating and surviving in such an unforgiving and hostile environment. But any normal person probably would have panicked and been subsequently torn to shreds by the first monster they were unfortunate enough to encounter. If the scene he’d stumbled upon was any indication, a tragedy of that nature was just about to play out before his dark, guarded eyes.
Her form had more color, standing out against the dull, monotonous tones of the scenery that surrounded her. She moved and spoke with greater purpose than any of the other mindless citizens that mingled about, her voice carrying through the air and ricocheting off the oppressively silent buildings, amplifying like a megaphone. She was more than aware of the threat and was wisely attempting to flee it, sprinting across the square she’d stumbled upon as if her life depended on it. An apt assumption, considering that was essentially the state of things.
Of course, being the type of person he was, Joker had to intervene. There was no way he could live with himself if he allowed such a disaster to occur in his presence, and it wasn’t like there was anyone else around to take care of it. Sure, he had the rest of his companions to fall back on, but in the moment a different kind of self-motivated conviction seemed to overtake him from within. There was a nagging question in the back of his mind as to why and how this person had ended up here in the first place, but that issue could be dealt with later. For now, the only thing he needed to focus on was getting them out of harm’s way, while also managing to keep the Shadow from turning on himself or any of the other Thieves.
He acted more on impulse than carefully planned strategy, which was just one of his many several bad habits his friends were frustratingly accustomed to scolding him about. Their words usually fell on deaf ears, though, or at least ears that registered their pleas yet maintained no real intention of changing. It was always easier for him to ask for forgiveness than permission, and in the heat of the moment there wasn’t always time for patient consideration, especially when lives were at stake.
That was the type of situation he found himself currently facing, and that fact in and of itself was alarming enough to warrant immediate action. Not to mention that regardless of who this unforeseen stranger turned out to be, this was just another part of the job. Helping people in need, no matter the circumstances, was their number one priority. After all he’d been through, Joker’s motivation to keep that vow was unwavering, no matter the cost.
The ghostlike projections of the citizenry finally started to react, catching on to the apparent presence of danger and devolving into their own riotous attempts to flee, complete with screams and flailing that jostled his thoughts. Shoving his way through the thicker concentrations of aimless consciousnesses that were only growing more panicked by the second, he kept his gaze focused on the girl. He heard his group calling after him, but he was already in the thick of things, there was no use turning back now. Racing towards the trembling form that attempted to take refuge from the beast behind the nearest wall she could reach, Joker drew his pistol and fired a few warning shots.
The Shadow’s attention shifted instantly, buying him a few necessary seconds as he prepared his next rounds. With his target distracted and stalled right where he wanted it, Joker fired more purposefully this time. The ring of his shots drowned out the distressed calls of his companions and the girl’s terrified mutterings as they successfully hit their mark, piercing the beast and dissolving its form into nothing more than dark fleeting wisps. He holstered his gun and lifted the young woman into his arms out of reflex, hoping his presence would soothe her somewhat as he inspected her condition up close.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly, realizing as he examined her that she appeared to be a foreigner. Everything about this situation just kept getting more and more bizarre. She made a small noise in an attempt to speak, but the rest of her words refused to form as shock set in more intensely than before. He supposed that kind of reaction was only natural considering the circumstances. She clung to his coat, fingers digging into the sleek fabric like it was her lifeline. In a way, he was, and nothing was going to keep him from ensuring she made it back to where she came from easily and unharmed. “You’re safe now, you don’t have to be afraid. Although, I am a little curious as to how you got here…”
The girl nodded weakly as tears began to distort her wide, dark eyes. She wiped them away and buried her face in her hands as if she hoped to smother the rest, but Joker hoped she knew he wasn’t here to judge her. If nothing else he was relieved to see she was coherent and rational…as rational as one can expect to be in a situation like this. Being chased down by a monster in a foreign cityscape that looks like it’s teetering on the edge of reality, liable to plummet into the depths of the unknown at any moment.
It had taken himself and the other Thieves a fair amount of time to adequately adjust to the setting and the parameters of this new reality. Even after all this time they still had moments of doubt and questions of their sanity. They were lucky none of them were ever really forced to deal with any of this alone, that they had the advantage of tackling this strange new world together. Without a second opinion, some of them weren’t sure they would have been able to accept it and keep moving forward.
“What a shot,” a voice piped up from behind, and Joker glanced over his shoulder to see that the other Thieves had finally decided to join him. “Although we’d expect nothing less from you. Is she alright? If you went out of your way to save her, I presume she isn’t a Shadow.”
“She’s definitely not,” Mona chimed in, and Joker was especially interested to hear what his tiny feline companion had to say. “She smells just like us, like another person from the real world. But she also smells…just like us. You know. In that other way.”
Well, that second part didn’t exactly bode well.
“I thought you said there wouldn’t be any more people like us because of circumstances and side effects and rules and all that complicated stuff.”
“Hey, guys,” Joker intervened before another one of Skull and Mona’s familiar quarrels could gain traction. “Let’s continue this conversation back at base. Right now, we need to focus on finding the vulnerability she came in through and make sure she gets back safe.”
Normally it wasn’t possible for just anyone to waltz into the Metaverse, even on accident. The barrier between the real world and this fantastical parallel dimension grew thin in places, but usually never enough to allow inhabitants of either realm to pass through uninhibited. Now that Mona had mentioned that there was something even more familiar, more supernatural about this young woman, things were starting to make more sense. But if what their feline friend said turned out to be true, the task at hand was going to be much more formidable than any of them had anticipated.
After giving his friends the indication that it was time to disband, he’d take care of things from here, he turned his attention back to the trembling figure in his arms.“Can you tell me where you’re from, what you’re doing here, and where you need to be?”
For a second he swore he almost saw a blush color her cheeks as he addressed her, but of course it couldn’t have been more than a side effect of her stress. “I was just trying to get back to my hotel. I was walking back, I don’t know…I don’t know what’s happening to me. Am I going crazy? Am I dying? Am I already dead?”
Joker chuckled, a bit more amused than he should have been considering the current state of affairs. “Is this the kind of place you imagine yourself going when you die?”
There was a pause, an uncomfortable beat of heavy silence as the young woman prepared her response. “Well, I’d prefer to go somewhere with less monsters…but I don’t think I’d have a problem with it if I always got saved by someone like you.”
He couldn’t believe the words that’d just come out of her mouth. Completely caught off guard, Joker gave in to a fit of delighted laughter that he realized after the fact probably seemed more mocking than anything. Recovering from his inappropriate outburst, he wiped an eye before continuing, “I’m honored to hear something like that, but you’re not dead, and it’s not anywhere near time for you to die. Tell me the name of your hotel and I’ll make sure you get back safe and sound, with no monsters following you.”
The girl rested her head against his shoulder, eyes seemingly fixated on her knees. As unprofessional as he knew it was, Joker couldn’t help thinking that the sensation of her weight against his shoulder, and in his arms, was actually kind of nice. Oh, he wasn’t already thinking that he was interested in her in some way, was he? The impression of a leader examining their potential new comrade was one thing, but the flutter of his heart and the flurry of his thoughts regrettably told him otherwise. He knew it was ridiculous to develop any sort of fondness for some stranger at first sight, but in a world where places and creatures like the ones he’d encountered existed, maybe those types of feelings weren’t really that far fetched after all.
“Alright, I’ll trust you to do it,” she murmured as she kept her eyes averted from his own. “But if I wake up tomorrow and there’s something waiting to eat me at the foot of my bed or something, you’d better be there to get rid of it.”
Joker couldn’t keep a small, flattered smile from forming on his lips. “It’s a promise.”
