Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dearest Minato, who won’t see this until his journey’s end ~

I remember it so clearly. The night I became the master of the Velvet Room, just like that. It was terribly strange, but it was also a terribly monumental day - for me, at least.

It happened one night, rather suddenly and quickly and all at once. It couldn’t have been earlier than 2000 or so. 

I awoke. 

In a room, laden with blue, very familiar to me, yet distant . 

A blue piano, polished with care, sat in the corner, without a player, alongside an old metal microphone stand with no vocalist. On the other side of the room was an easel - which I had never seen before, but it fit quite well in the room nonetheless - with no artist to tend to it. The room was empty, aside from the figure on the couch, but nay! It was not the long-nosed man I was accustomed to, but the masked figure of Philemon, no less!

“Welcome, to the Velvet Room,” he said, in that deep voice of his. Nothing like Igor; how strange it was, to hear those words out of his mouth.

I nodded my head. Everything about this was different. Even I felt different. “It’s good to be back in here, I suppose,” I managed a small smile, “although, under quite different circumstances, I presume.”

Philemon nodded at that, just as I had a moment before. “Yes, you catch on quick.”

It took me until then to register that I was even dreaming. But it made no difference, whether I was physically there or dreaming about it; to quote Igor (and to ignore the fact that he wasn’t here in this moment), the Velvet Room is the place between dream and reality, mind and matter. You were still in the Velvet Room, no matter by what means.

Philemon gave a sigh. “I thought Igor would last longer than this, I do admit,” his tone was almost remorseful, “but he’s… to put it delicately, he’s unavailable for Velvet Room duties.”

Igor was gone - most likely dead ? That was a shock to me, at least. God knows how Belladonna and Nameless must have felt about it. Well, maybe not God - maybe Philemon.

“And what does this have to do with me? Are you simply breaking the news to me? If so, thank you, and I’m terribly sorry that that had to happen,” I replied.

Philemon chuckled. “Ah, it’s more than just breaking the news to you, Naoya. Put the simplest and most straightforward way I can, I want you to be his successor.”

Philemon was right about the straightforward part.

And I almost couldn’t believe it. I laughed. I laughed and I laughed . I couldn’t control myself, the disbelief was so much that I literally broke out into hysterical laughter. “You- you want me to replace Igor !?” I said, in between laughs. “But what about- my friends and all?” I was starting to calm down.

Philemon nodded. “Yes, your friends. I was going to get to that - simply, they always have the choice to visit you, here in the Velvet Room.”

“I… understand.”
“Do you accept?”
“...I think so.”

I was handed a contract. I don’t remember much about what it said, something about the Velvet Room, something about responsibility, something else. I signed it, and watched as it began to float. It glowed, for a bit, and morphed in shape, from a piece of paper to many small butterflies, who seemed to fade away as they flew.

“It’s final,” Philemon clapped his hands together after the contract was signed, “I declare you, Naoya Todou, as the new Master of the Velvet Room.”

And soon enough, I found myself in the Velvet Room - though now it seemed to take the form of an ever-descending elevator. Belladonna and Nameless in the corner, as they always had been, playing “Aria of the Soul”, and whatever else Nameless chose after that - usually Gymnopedie No. 1, a beautiful piece in my opinion. (The painter - whose place was previously at the easel - though I had only seen him once, when everyone reappeared in the Velvet Room, I now on the couch, all he did was nod his head, his eyes smiling, and walk away, his black sunglasses and beanie on, carrying his easel with him. I sometimes wonder whatever happened to that artist, if I’m honest.)

There were two new residents, standing next to me, too; it was as if the two of them had taken the place that the painter had, as soon as it opened up.

The older one, a girl, had white hair coming down to around her neck, amber eyes that seemed to glow, and was dressed in a blue dress, to suit the room. She called herself Elizabeth. She wasn’t too kind, if I’m all too honest.

The younger one, a boy, with short white hair and eyeshadow and dark blue lipstick that looked nice on him. His amber eyes, too, seemed to glow, and he was clad in a blue velvet suit, with white silk gloves to match. He looked rather gentlemanly, and was gentlemanly personality-wise, too. He called himself Theodore, I liked him a lot more.

I got the chance to look at myself, too, properly. I wore a suit; akin to what Igor used to, only blue, only smaller to fit a meek boy such as myself, only - if I am to be so selfish - a bit more attractive . My eyes, too, glowed a gentle amber, I was wearing eyeliner, and my blue lipstick seemed to match Theodore’s.

Elizabeth alerted me that a guest would appear soon - a Trickster, and a wildcard , whatever that meant. Theodore tried to explain that a wildcard could switch Personas at their leisure, but I couldn’t quite understand that for a while. Anyone could switch Personas at their leisure, couldn’t they…?

I wish everybody around here could stop calling me ‘Master Toudou.’ I’m simply Naoya! No need to be so formal... 

In the end, I don’t regret become the Master of the Velvet Room, if I’m to be honest. A life of classical music and fusing Personas isn’t too bad if you have company like me. I’m glad that this happened. The ‘wildcard’ kid (that’s you!) will enter the Velvet Room for the first time, soon. I hope you’re not too much of a downer. (I doubt you will be!)

~ Naoya. (Or, Master Toudou, as you might grow to know me.)

Chapter Text

Minato was the quiet type, definitely. That’s the first thing I learnt, during our first meeting; I wasn’t riddled with questions, not constant confusion; he was quiet. The second thing was that he was very attached to his MP3 player, and the third was that he picked things up quickly.

He was a rather slender boy, with blue hair (that stood out, definitely), a rather nice shade of blue; a darker blue, at around chin-length, his bangs brushed to one side to cover one eye, framing his face nicely. It didn’t seem overly ‘ emo ’ or anything, though! His hair fit him. His grey eyes didn’t stand out as much, but they suited his hair well. 

The elevator continued its eternal ascent. As is always the case when a guest enters, Nameless swiftly changed to playing Aria of the Soul, Belladonna to start her vocals at her cue. Theodore and Elizabeth stood beside me, and of course, our esteemed guest Minato sat in front of us, eyeing me with a wary look on his face.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room,” I greeted the blue-haired boy, a playful smile on my face. “The residents here tend to refer to me as Master Toudou, but please do call me Naoya. It’s a pleasure to meet you…” He was evidently confused. He looked around, inspecting the large clock that hung high on the wall behind me, turning his head towards Belladonna and Nameless to see where the music was sourced, turning his head back to me and watching my face, as if to gauge who I was, how much of a threat I was.

He looked down and went on rolling his MP3 player in his hand, moving and turning it around his fingers in different ways, before gripping it in a fist, for whatever reason. And then he went right back to moving it in his hand, watching as he did so, as if it were the only thing important here. It probably was the only important item in the room to him, at the time. Seeing how he carried it everywhere, it wouldn’t be a surprise. And then he spoke, in a wary manner. “Who… are they ?”

“The boy next to me, that’s Theodore,” I motioned towards the male attendant.

He gave a polite bow as he introduced himself. “Do call me Theodore. I am at your service.”

“And the girl, Elizabeth,” I continued, motioning towards his sister, this time. She nodded, her eyes fixated on Minato.

“I am Elizabeth. Pleased to meet you.”

“The ones playing the music are Belladonna and Nameless. All of these people are residents of this room, much like myself. This is the place between dream and reality, mind and matter… It's been so long since we’ve had a guest, it’s refreshing to see a new face.”

“…Does this place have something to do with… with that hour…?” He murmured, evidently curious. It was a good inference, though, considering the supernatural and exclusive nature of them both! 

“Yes and no,” I rubbed the back of my neck, “The Velvet Room’s connection to such events is a long story.” 

A binder appeared in front of me, with a soft blue glow, and opened itself to show a certain page. That certain page, of course, being the contract Minato had signed, back when he had first entered the Iwatodai Dormitory. I tapped the paper in front of me. “You’ve signed a contract to be here, have you not?”

Minato nodded, fiddling with his MP3 player, surprisingly calm considering that this was his first visit. “…I have, you’re right.”

“Then, from here on out, you’ll be welcome here in the Velvet Room as our guest.”

A key formed itself, a golden glow fading until the form of the key was fully visible, sparkling in mid-air; a rather simple key, though instead of a hole at the end for easy attachment to a keychain was a flat surface; upon it, a depiction of a mask split into two, with triangular beams coming from it. Rather pretty, if I have the right to say so. “This key signifies that you are our guest… please take good care of it,” Elizabeth spoke.

“Until we meet again,” I rested my chin on my hands, a mischievous look in my eyes and a playful smile on my lips, “which I guarantee we will .”

Minato stayed silent for a few seconds, before nodding in response. “Understood.”

He faded away, with a blue glow. He’d be waking up now. After all, he’d nodded off on the train; he’d visited us, in that dream he’d had that day. Or rather, I had called him… It makes no difference in the end. A trip to the Velvet Room is governed by fate. If one is destined to be there at a time, they will be, one way or another. Maybe it wasn’t me who called him, but fate…?

From when I met him, I rather liked Minato, honestly. He was quiet, but not in a bad way; it was more that he only spoke when needed. When spoken to, or to ask a question. That meant he was to put more thought into other things.

He didn’t bombard me with questions like I had expected at first, either. Sure, he asked who everyone was and if the Velvet Room was connected to the Dark Hour, but that was about it! Rather surprising. But I don’t think he really cared about it all, whether it happened or not. That’s honestly an admirable trait, but at the same time, a rather dangerous one. It was alright. In the end, all would be revealed in due time…