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In the beginning, Souji had never noticed the third occupant of the Velvet Room. To be honest, he was fairly easy to overlook; it wasn’t as though he ever spoke. In fact, he likely would’ve continued to go unnoticed if not for the fact that the car was suddenly short one occupant.
Ever since Marie left, it was getting increasingly difficult not to notice the silent boy nestled away in the shadows. Dressed head to toe in royal blue, it was easy to mistake him as part of the upholstery at first glance. If not for the occasional tinny music piped through the headphones around his neck, Souji would have believed him to be a trick of the light.
Perhaps the oddest part of it all were the chiding looks sent his way by Margaret. Every time he looked over at her after even a casual glance at the delicate boy, she always looked like a disapproving parent. It was like being a toddler all over again - “Don’t take candy from strangers, sweetheart and always come directly home after school.” - and Souji was tired of being left in the dark.
One day after a particularly fruitful run through the bath house, Souji sat himself down across from Igor and braced himself. “Who exactly is he?”
Igor just chuckled to himself and leaned forward while steepling his fingers. “A traveler we picked up a while back. Pay him no heed.”
That was clearly meant to be the end of that, but still…
For the first time in all of his trips to the Velvet Room, the boy actually stopped staring blankly off into space to give him a mildly shocked look. Small though it may have been, that tiny show of emotion had Souji shook. From that point on, he vowed to find out more about the curious inhabitant even without Igor’s permission.
(He couldn’t claim to be the Fool if he didn’t do foolish things from time to time, now could he?)
The plan was to start small; a quiet greeting and equally quiet goodbye on every visit. Maybe an occasional wave to spice it up…
Progress was slow. The boy did little more than blink at first and Souji actually found himself looking to see if his chest was actually rising and falling after a week of no response. But then, after a solid two weeks of nothing, he was stunned when the boy finally turned and offered a silent nod of recognition.
From then on, it became a game of how far he could go beneath Igor and Margaret’s radar. He began sitting just a little bit closer, tried just a little bit harder to draw the other into conversation. Every visit brought a new revelation; the boy’s eyes were a startling silver, his hair was just a shade darker than Marie’s (siblings?), he was almost waifishly thin…
There was a certain sorrow in those pretty eyes that Souji could not fathom. After several weeks of pretending his interest completely lay in fusing new personas and not in the mysterious passenger, he’d had enough of pretending.
“Is he also a persona user?”
Margaret frowned and snapped the compendium shut. “No, he is just another lost soul and nothing more.”
In opposition to his attendant, Igor seemed positively gleeful at Souji's curiosity. “Could it be you wish to form a bond with the boy?”
The subject of discussion chose that moment to remove his headphones and stare mutely at Souji.
(Him and Yosuke would probably get along swimmingly. He could see it now, each with a single headphone in their ears pouring over extensive playlists. Maybe…)
“I would,” Souji nodded before turning to the other.
Margaret shifted in her seat, crossing then recrossing her legs. “Master, are you certain this is a good idea?”
“You question my judgement, Margaret?”
Rather than answer, she settled back with an unhappy frown. Sensing that his point had been made, Igor turned his frighteningly large smile back on the other two present.
“The child is still but a husk; give him time and I'm sure he'll become a fine attendant here. However, until then, I cannot permit him to leave for much more than a few hours at a time. Minato, do you accept these terms?”
From the corner, the boy - Minato - nodded. “Yes, master.”
“Very well. Do you accept?”
Souji nodded, still reeling internally from having heard Minato speak after all this time. Thankfully, he had long ago mastered remaining composed in any circumstance.
Igor nodded. “Very well then. I suppose I'll be seeing you both in an hour and not a second more.”
Just like that, Souji found himself back in Inaba with the mysterious boy in tow.
Without missing a bit, he ran his fingers through his hair and smiled. “Well then, shall we?”
Minato blinked and nodded before they were both on their way.
The first half hour was spent in relative silence. For the most part, Minato seemed content to just listen to music and observe the people around them.
Oddly enough, their feet eventually led them to the Samegawa bank where some younger children had set up a makeshift baseball diamond. Without any warning, Minato plopped himself down on a nearby bench and patted the spot next to him in invitation,
Once Souji sat down, he was immediately offered an ear of Minato's headphones. Not wanting to look ungrateful that his company was willing to share their music, he offered a quiet “thank you” before slipping it on.
Something soothing and melodic immediately filled his ears. Watching the children with a soft instrumental track playing, Souji didn't feel even the slightest bit bothered by the silence.
“I think I've always liked this type of music…”
Surprised at hearing the other speak, all Souji could respond with was a casual,”oh.”
“Sometimes, I feel like I'm trapped in a fog-” Souji appreciated the irony of this statement “- and the only thing that helps is music.”
Rather than respond and risk interrupting his quiet company, Souji remained silent and attentive.
Minato finally looked away from the game to look into his eyes. “I never said thank you, did I? Thank you very much for inviting me out today.”
Outside of the heavy light if the Velvet Room, it was much easier to appreciate just how delicate and pleasing his features with. A little more breathlessly than he may have liked, Souji gave a soft “you're welcome.”
It shouldn't have come as a surprise, really; outside of Igor, the residents of the Velvet Room all seemed to possess an otherworldly beauty. It would figure Minato is no exception.
A softer track with subtle vocals began as the teams began a new inning. The two sat there watching in a pleasant silence until it began getting late. It was with great reluctance that he mentioned they should probably begin walking back.
Even,though much of their time was spent in silence, Souji found that he rather enjoyed spending time together. If the sparkle in Minato's eye was any indication, it appeared as though he was not the only one.
The pleasant mood of the day seemed to evaporate as the pair walked past an electronics store. Displayed front and center was a widescreen, 4K television airing newer reruns of Neo Featherman R.
“I’m not entirely sure why,” Minato murmured while trailing his fingers across the glass, “but I feel sad…”
He continued to stare longingly through the glass as the other rangers arrived on the scene. Minato appeared especially melancholic at the arrival of the pink ranger, ceasing all other movement to stare at her.
For some strange reason, Souji felt guilty prying his companion away from the store. Still, it felt even crueler to leave Minato alone with his thoughts for any longer than necessary.
Once they were a block away, his companion seemed much more composed. When he finally spoke next, Souji was pleased to note no lingering sadness.
“Ever since you first acknowledged my existence, there have been...fragments.”
“‘Fragments’?”
“Mmm,” he smiled and it was both beautiful and sad. “I remember a butterfly-” he tapped the back of his neck “-and a lighthouse-”a fist over his heart.
“...”
“Master once said that we all paid a price to be residents if the Velvet Room. I sometimes wonder if maybe mine wasn't enough…”
“How so?”
“I don't know how exactly, but something tells me within time I'll forget everything all together…”
Minato sighed in exhaustion but still managed a weak smile. “That may be for the best though. I'd like to believe that the Minato I was before - if that was even my name before - lived a full life. I'm sure he had plenty of people who loved and cared for him.”
He'd sounded so forlorn just then, Souji couldn't resist squeezing his hand tightly. Even if you forget it all, I'll make sure you never forget me. “Would you like to meet my friends sometime?”
“Hmm?”
Undeterred, Souji offered his companion a beauty pageant winning smile. “One of my friends - his name is Yosuke - I could see you two getting along really well. He'd probably talk your ear off with music recommendations.”
Minato looked intrigued, which Souji took to be a good sign. He seemed surprised, almost as though he'd never considered getting to know someone outside the Velvet Room. It was painfully endearing, like those videos Nanako loved of puppies experiencing things for the first time. ‘Come to think of it…’
“My cousin would adore you, probably. Her name is Nanako-” here he couldn't keep the proud smile off his face “- and she'll charm you just like she does everyone else. Chie can be a little...enthusiastic at times, but she's the best friend you could hope for. Yukiko might seem a little standoff-ish, but she's actually very kind.”
During the course of their conversation, the two had somehow managed to find their way back to the entrance to the Velvet Room. Disappointment began to settle heavy in Souji's gut at the realization that time had flown far faster than anticipated. There was still so much he wanted to talk about…!
Judging from the slight downturn of his mouth, Minato was not ready to part ways either. He gave the door a baleful look before turning to Souji. “I'm sorry to cut our conversation short, but it appears as though our time is up.”
“Oh.”
“Perhaps next time we could plan something with your friends?” A tiny, hopeful smile crept across Minato’s face, which he tried to hide behind his bangs.
It was too hard to resist a little teasing. “‘Next time’? Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?”
“Are you saying you wouldn't want to talk with me again?”
Oh, it appears as though the boy has a sassy streak. Souji couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up at that. “I'll be looking forward to our next chat.”
“Good, I'm glad.”
Minato looked up just then and smiled with a faraway look in his eyes. “The ‘wild card’, hmm? It's the funniest thing; you remind me so much of someone. I wonder... who they were.”
He brought a hand up to brush Souji's cheek, before seeming to remember himself and pulling away in a hurry. If he didn't know any better, Souji would think he was embarrassed. ‘Interesting…’
Minato gave him a slight bow and the brightest smile he'd seen to date. “Thank you once again and I look forward to seeing you again soon.”
As Minato crossed the threshold, Souji had to admit Minato wasn't the only one anxiously awaiting his next visit.