Chapter Text
Entering the TV never proved to be a challenge, they would enter, attempt to find the dungeon, explore it then save the person in danger. But when they got in, they didn't expect to have the shadow come to them itself.
As the shadow stood there, it wore something different than when they saw it on the TV. Its previously black tailcoat replaced with purple along with its hat, accentuating the yellow of its button-up and accessories, and a whip attached to the right of its hip.
They stared at the thing standing in front of them, a grin on its face, piercing them with its gaze. It giggles slightly at their shocked expression. It started talking in a distorted voice, "Now you didn't actually think I'd keep a guest waiting, did you?"
He chuckled as if that thought was the biggest joke of the century. It turned its back to them and gestured for them to follow, "Come."
They were quick to follow, but not without questioning the shadow's strange behavior. They were used to having to go through hell the fighting the shadows tormenting their friend, and they had never even encountered a single one at the place where they enter, so why was this one any different.
The shadow, taking notice of how Rise was staying behind like always, said sternly "All of you."
She immediately left her spot and jogged up to them to catch up. They continued to walk into where the shadow was leading them to, readying themselves for an ambush should this be a trap.
It was leading them to the dungeon. From the distance, they could already see a giant Ferris Wheel, could see the tent of the circus, the light from the carnival shining like a lighthouse in the dark of the night. They followed the shadow quietly, afraid any wrong move would be enough to provoke it. Seeing the carnival was one thing, but actually going inside was another.
When they had come here they expected this place to be dead, deserted, empty, despite all the liveliness to it. But it seemed that its appearance was not merely for show. Everywhere they looked, shadows were crawling around the place, they would take notice of their group, but one stare at Yosuke's shadow later, they would always dismiss them.
A crowd was formed from a bunch of black figures, dark distorted colors mixing together while in the shape of a person. They all seemed to mind their own business, like normal customers of a carnival, standing around stalls, waiting in lines, conversations that blocked each other out turning into a twisted cacophony of words, what with the things that came out of their mouths.
'Hey, isn't that the Junes boy?'
'Hanamura? Hah, yeah. What is he even doing here anyway? Figured he'd be some spoiled little brat that would rather stay at home and do nothing.'
'I know. Maybe he's just that desperate to annoy us and rub it in our faces that Junes is sooo much "better" than the other stores.'
'Whatever, talking about him isn't even worth our breaths, let's just go.'
They heard whispers. Whispers of rumors they've caught wind of more than once, whispers about Junes, whispers about how it was bad, and whispers specifically about Yosuke, the face of Junes, the prince of disappointment, the nuisance who was the cause of all their problems. They heard each and every name and hypocritical comment again and again, while the figures moved on autopilot, committing actions that contradicted their words.
And Yosuke- his shadow just smiled through it all. Nodding to each and every customer whose gaze would fixate on him for a second before leaning closer to a friend to make yet another insult of him, as if ignoring their words and only focusing on the sounds and looks of amusement and joy in every corner. Which only now they noticed, is the exact same thing he normally does, and with the same smile he would flash every day.
His shadow noticed how tense they were with the situation, and spoke up. "Now now, no need to be so antsy about this~ Look, we're almost there."
They look up to see a giant striped tent of gray and an amber-like shade of yellow, specifically gold – an unusual color choice for a circus, but won't dare question it – the entrance wide open and the place completely empty. All seats were vacant, not a single person found inside, save from the shadows that hid from under the chairs. In the middle of it all, there was a wooden pole and- was that Yosuke tied up to it?!
He had rope wrapped around him and the pole, keeping him from leaving. His head lifted a bit at the sound of footsteps until his eyes widened at the sight of his friends.
"Yosuke!" They all went running to Yosuke when two shadows blocked their path, causing them all to take a few steps back. The slipping hablerie's tongues swayed from left to right, their former color of pink when he last saw them being replaced with purple.
"I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid that this area is highly restricted. Entertainers only." His shadow said, sporting a seemingly pitying expression.
"Partner!" Yosuke screamed out, struggling to break free and when Yu averted his gaze from his shadow, he took notice of how more shadows were beginning to gather. They wore clothing of half white and half red, the bells on their jester hat jingling as they rode their way towards them on a unicycle. He looked back at Yosuke's shadow, and god did he want to beat that smug look off of its face. The jester-like shadows were then right in front of them, blocking their way to Yosuke. They braced themselves for an attack, yet it never came.
"Oh, don't worry. They aren't here to hurt you, they're simply part of the show. Now, why don't you sit back, relax, and enjoy." There was no doubt that it wasn't a request, more of a demand said in a soft voice.
Teddie acting irrationally about this after growing so attached to Yosuke yelled, "Let Yosuke go you little-!!"
He was cut off by a loud burst of laughter, the shadow held its head in its hand, shoulders shaking from how hysterical it was currently being. "Let him go? Let him go?! That's funny, you make it sound like I forced him or something, when he was the one that came to me." It mocked. And Yosuke froze.
"He came here- Yosuke, what does that mean?" Yu faced his partner – who seemed to tense up at the focus being on him – with a confused look.
"I meant exactly what I said, he willingly went in."
"Yosuke?" He asked the boy again, wanting answers to
The fawn-haired boy looked hesitant, distressed like he knew he had the answer but couldn't get a grasp of what it was again. So he spoke, unsure if his given answer would satisfy them or not. "I don't- I don't remember. I blacked out"
Kanji wasn't pleased with that, but he decided to be rational and at least state what was clearly the sanest thing to do. "It doesn't matter if he came here himself or not, it's dangerous here in the TV world and we're not gonna risk his life and get him out!"
It sighed and got in front of the other shadows, looking at them all with a blank face, and said, "You all seem so desperate. Don't you understand? The show must go on, and what would a circus - one of the little amount of things that exist to entertain people of all ages - be without all of its acts ready to be played. With how much they'd be associated with festivals, they're practically the life of it, the kind of entertainment that everyone looks forward to seeing."
He kept his face emotionless, speaking in a voice that made it sound like he had said the most obvious thing in the world. "And that's simply the role he plays here. He's our final act, your typical clown that basically exists just to entertain the audience, and entertainment isn't simply something amusing, so it doesn't matter whether laughs were driven out of pure amusement or mere humiliation.
We performers are the main attraction, we come in and all attention is on us. The second that we- I step on the floor, all eyes are on me. Now, what kind of madman would give that up.
There's absolutely no need for him to leave when the whole purpose of this entire place, is to give everyone the satisfaction that they want? I mean, there's no need to be ashamed in here, we don't judge and you're free to do what you want until you feel like you've had enough, until you grow bored of it."
Hearing what Yosuke truly felt deep down made sympathy grow in Yu, he knew Yosuke would much prefer to keep these kinds of things to himself, and his shadow exposing all his secrets to them right now definitely did not make this situation any easier for him.
Yosuke kept his mouth into a thin line, forcing himself to bury down his frustration as to not say those three words. His shadow knew the right buttons to push and when, they were practically the same person after all. But even so, even if Yosuke knows this, even if knows it's true, he can't bring himself to accept it. He can say all he wants that they're the same person, just to end this, but he also knows he would be lying.
He can't lie to his shadow, that'll only provoke it, he can't tell what's true either because then he'd still be lying to himself. There was no right answer, and this made anger boil up in him, how he got himself into this mess but can't get out of it.
He could see just how much the others were restraining themselves to not run up to him at this instance, when he's so close yet so far away because they would be disobeying his shadow, and everyone knew that it would not hesitate to get rid of them.
His shadow seemed insistent on getting them to snap at any given moment now, so it continued to say things it knew would provoke them. "The world is a stage, and the stage is a world of entertainment."
(Did I just make a Hazbin Hotel reference?👀 Yes. Yes I did.😌)
He turns to Yosuke who was glaring daggers at him. "And all you need is just to play your part, and obey them like an obedient little dog. Say the right lines, do the right actions, and you won't have to worry about being tossed back into the trash."
And surprisingly enough, it was Yu who lost his cool first way before any of them. He ran up to the shadow only to be hit by an attack from the weaker ones, caught off guard, he was pushed back on the floor. As Yosuke was going to call out for him, he was gagged with a cloth the second he opened his mouth.
Naoto and Kanji got into a defensive position,(couple goals, ig.🙄) as the other went to their leader's aid. Yu lets out a groan of pain as they help him sit up, opening his eyes to look at glowing yellow ones that stared right back, its owner beginning to speak and gain their attention.
"It's a shame really. How I was generous enough to escort you here myself, and even save you the trouble of trying to find it and fight your way to the heart, then this is how you'll treat me?" The shadow's voice grew darker, venom laced with its statement.
"You." It took the attention of one of the jesters then said, "Get rid of them for me will ya'."
With that it walked away, the platform where Yosuke was tied up sinking into the floor, the hole left behind being covered by a trap door. They had no time to catch him in time because of the shadows that blocked their way.
They were surrounded and got ready to summon their personas. Rise who stayed behind a bit and was hopefully safe from the shadows, called out for Himiko, observing their opponents while the rest had gotten in a circle.
Yu nodded to the IT, gesturing for them to go on the offensive, summoning an arcana and before crushing it in his hand he yelled, "Persona!"