Diet Coke and Takoyaki (Persona, English)

Right now Elizabeth was here. Not as a denizen of this room, but as a temporary guest. So how could Theodore possibly ignore that his sister was here and yet wasn't? (One Shot. Written for machikurada @tumblr)

Can also be found on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net

When he met her that night, it was almost as if things had returned to how they used to be, back before these fateful days. But he knew that this could not be. Reality and time move forward, steadily without stop or rewind. The stream may turn, twist or even split, but what had happened was past. It could never fully be undone.

With a pull on the tab he opened the can.

"Hah! Marvelous. Do you see? With a precise amount of pressure applied to the tab, it is possible to attain the beverage inside without dismembering or bending the aluminum packaging! It required several days of training, but I believe I can say that I have finally mastered the art of can-opening to utmost satisfaction."

"Fascinating! I must ask in great shock and surprise, how much has my dearest brother grown ever since I have begun to neglect my duties so shamelessly?"

Theodore's proud smile was tarnished when a hint of dread entered his eyes. While his sister's words seemed like praise to the casual listener and had, in fact, appeared as such to him as well at first, the tone she had spoken them in was one he was quite familiar with. It frightened him. The feisty light-shine that he believed to spot in her eyes that moment only reinforced this foreboding feeling.

"Yes, impressive indeed... So impressive in fact that I am led to believe that it must be almost impossible for me to execute a feat ten times as skillful and exciting as yours! ...Hm."

Now it began. Picking up the toothpick placed before her so neatly, Elizabeth began to poke at the steaming-hot, round delicacies in the small cardboard ship in front of her. She poked once, and twice, and trice... Then she stuck the small tool into the first Takoyaki and picked it up. She pushed the hot treat as far back on the pick as she could. Then she added another Takoyaki onto it. And then yet another. Three of her eight Takoyaki were now layered one upon another on the pick. Elizabeth didn't seem to mind the still seething liquid dough dripping out from inside and touching her fingers. With ease she swung the pick up, shaking off the top-layered Takoyaki so that it flew in a high arc through the air and sailed right into her opened mouth, where she caught and devoured it whole. The second Takoyaki quickly followed. And then the third. Theodore watched his sister's neigh-acrobatic juggling feat in an awe which he tried -and failed- to conceal. The performance concluded with Elizabeth licking her lips in an almost malevolent glee.

"My, have I managed to exceed my own expectations? How very unexpected! I believe I am now owed a 'pay of bets', as it is customary in such an event!"

Elizabeth stared at her brother with expecting eyes, alarming him to what she was referring too. Theodore then quickly attempted to avert her demands.

"H-Hold it! You must remember, sister...!" He tried to find the words he required. "...As a person visiting this room by means of a dream rather than entering it in a waking state, you are not currently bound to physical laws, such as gravity or temperature in this place! Therefore the conditions under which this challenge was conducted were not entirely fair. It stands to reason that it must be voided!"

Theodore took a breath and nodded to himself. Yes, this reasoning seemed sound enough. Now he should be able to escape his sister's unreasonable claims...

"However..."

A freezing shiver in his back petrified Theodore's entire body when he heard that word.

"...Theo. Despite these indeed unfair limitations imposed on me, whichyou so thoughtlessly pointed out, I was able to not only consume food, but also do so in a manner most unexpected to the both of us! Therefore I have, in fact, overcome my own challenge twofold and demand double the payment!"

"Wha...!"

Dumbfounded, Theo rose from his chair and took a step back. His body, his mind, all of him was telling him to prepare to make a swift escape. Of course he knew that this was impossible. It was his duty to watch this room. Unlike his older sister here he could not simple come and leave as his soul so pleased. It wasn't his place to do so.

"Theo," Elizabeth softly led her velvet gloved hand across her own chin as she pronounced her brother's name. "As payment for my own bet, I demand of you..."

Theodore shrunk away, his head sinking in between his shoulders, deeper and deeper. He knew he would have to be prepared for anything. Depending on the state of her fleeting moods, his sister's demands could be quite merciless. Silently he waited for the fate which Elizabeth's voice would bestow upon him.

"Hm... Oh well. I believe for today a story should do."

Carefully, Theodore raised his head again. "...A story?"

This seemed quite curious to Theodore indeed. It was quite common for Elizabeth to impose tasks on him. However in all previous cases the deeds she demanded of him had been so unreasonable that one would be quite tempted to believe that she was acting out of spite or even malice towards her younger brother. For this reason, this latest demand seemed so much more surprising to him. Elizabeth, requesting but a simple story? Perhaps living outside this room for a number of years had changed his sister more than he had realized... Had she matured a little?

The world outside the Velvet Room... That was right. Though she was his sister, someone who was originally a denizen of the Velvet Room, it had been a long time since Elizabeth had last set foot into this place. Theodore still remembered it well, that night she left. Back then he had not noticed the lack of her presence until it was too late to follow. After many days of an unexplained silence that had been so unlike her, his sister had just disappeared to parts unknown, with no tangible explanation, no reason for her actions that he could discern. What drove her, a being born to serve and study here in this very room, to abandon it so suddenly? ... "Abandon". That word remained stuck in Theodore's mind for a reason that he couldn't quite explain. It left a sour taste on his tongue, like lime but without the characteristic sweetness of the fruit. Perhaps it would be better not to consider these things.

It was difficult to turn his mind to other matters. After all, right now Elizabeth was here. Not as a denizen of this room however, but as an outsider, a temporary guest. A dreamer whose thoughts had wandered into this place from the realms between. This was why she was able to perform such outrageous feats at the moment. Her physical shell, her body, had not come to this room with her. Theodore could clearly sense that Elizabeth right now was here in spirit only. So how would it be possible for him to ignore that his sister was here and yet wasn't?

"Theo." The scolding tone in Elizabeth's voice made Theodore realize that he had zoned out for a moment there. "I am waiting for my story. Should you not meet my demands soon, I will see myself forced to double interest to two stories!"

Alarmed by such a threat, Theodore sat up straight and cleared his throat.

"Ahem...! So it is a story that you want. I see! Well, then I shall provide- " It was then that it occurred to him that he had no idea how to continue. "Hm... But... What kind of story is it you wish for, sister?"

"I am very glad you ask!"

Elizabeth clapped her hands together. There it was again, that eager spark in her gaze. It was as if she had intentionally left out information for the sole purpose of triggering such a question from Theodore. The meaning of such behavior was for one to guess, as Theodore himself would never claim to understand his sister's odd lines of thought. He refrained from backing away as an excessively enthusiastic Elizabeth spoke with wide gestures.

"What I wish to hear of from you, my poor, talentless brother... Is a very special tale. I want to hear of someone inspiring to you. I want to hear... Of your most important guest."

"My... Most important guest...?" Theodore briefly had to consider her words before it became clear to him what Elizabeth was speaking of. Some of the color drained from his face. "S-Sister!" He urged her to quiet down as soon as possible. "You know that we mustn't...! It is forbidden for us to speak of one line of time whilst this room is located in another...!"

"Ah, yes. An old rule indeed. Ancient even!"

Despite her words, Elizabeth's voice carried carefree excitement rather than respectful awe. With loud, booming words she began to express her knowledge and feelings regarding what her brother had brought up.

"This room only loosely travels alongside the stream of time and can exist wherever and whenever it is required to. Therefore it would not be odd to encounter this very same room with its very same occupants in two different possibilities of the same world. Likewise this room itself may see many guests from many possible realities... But to speak to them of these other realities, to reveal their existence to each other... It would be nothing short of sacrilege and blasphemy! The resulting paradox could wear thin the boundaries of reality itself and cause unthinkable calamity to befall the world! And yet..."

The frightening amounts of gleeful passion that Elizabeth had put into her explanations of the terrible things that could happen should the old rule be broken finally subsided and made way for a more humble kind of interest on the former attendant's face. With a hint of a smile she places her hand on the table before her and drew lines on it with her fingers, still focusing her eyes on her brother.

"...I just cannot sate my curiosity," she said. "Ever since you first spoke of her... That one certain guest you came to be acquainted with... I've found myself with a strong desire to learn of that person you seem to think so highly of."

Judged by the way she looked at him, Elizabeth's interest appeared to be genuine. How very strange. Theodore couldn't remember his sister ever being this invested in his life before. His ventures, his duties and guests, they had always been matters he was requested to remain private about. It was unusual for either of his sisters to show interest in such things. Even more so, the person Elizabeth was asking about...

Theodore stumbled over his own thoughts. That person... That guest...

A name not spoken of in the world of their current guests. A memory of events that never happened in this reality. A dream.

"...When I told you of her, this room was still located in another line of time, abiding by rules that don't apply in the stream we currently follow," Theodore said. He averted his eyes from his sister. "I must not speak of such things now. Especially not to one who no longer dwells in this room..."

"So you would deny a guest's request?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sister, remember... You are not here under the terms of a contract."

"Hmm~..."

A disappointed sigh escaped Elizabeth's lips and yet, much to Theodore's wonder she did not bother to retort to his reasoning. Had his logic actually been firm enough to withstand even his dear sister's whims? Theodore observed as the youthful woman before him pierced another Takoyaki with her toothpick and brought it to her mouth. These Takoyaki had been brought here from Iwatodai strip mall. It had been an errand Elizabeth had tasked him with upon waking in this room. Octopia Takoyaki. A special delicacy eaten by those dwelling in the areas surrounding Port Island. Its secret ingredient was... Too outrageous to be mentioned even in a thought. And yet he had nothing but fond memories of the treat.

Without realizing it, Theo had brought his hand to his belt. There was a small object of plastic dangling from it by a metal chain. His fingers were now playing with it. The silence in the room allowed Theodore to become lost in thought and quietly Elizabeth began to observe her brother, taking notice of the object he was fiddling with right now. After a calm sip from the bottle in front of her, she had made up her mind. With a nod so slow it was almost unnoticeable, she parted her lips:

"Nothing without meaning happens in the Velvet Room."

At once the familiar words had called Theodore's attention back to the present and to his sister, who was now looking at him mysteriously. Theodore knew the sentence she had just spoken very well. It was what their sister - Margaret, the eldest among the three of them - would always say.

"If so," Elizabeth continued talking. "There must be meaning in my having returned here tonight as well. Likewise, my asking of such unspeakable questions may also have a certain purpose."

Theodore responded to her observations with a nervous gaze and silence. There was reason in Elizabeth's words. It was true that there had to be meaning to her presence in this room tonight and that it might be that the question she asked was indeed connected to that certain meaning, that purpose of her presence. In fact, heeding Elizabeth's request was not quite impossible. By being vague, disclosing only information that does not contradict the current reality and omitting hints to all else, referring to his experiences like to the mere dream that they were in this world, he should be able to circumvent the rules formidably. And yet he still found himself reluctant to answer. Why was that? Could it be that this discomfort he was feeling was not his sense of duty which forbade him to go against their masters' rules, but something different, something more personal to him? Why did he not wish to speak of that person he once called his honored guest...? Without realizing he had clutched the tiny plastic object hanging from his belt in his trembling hand. And again Elizabeth noticed.

"Hm... I see..." She mused to herself before correcting her position. "Well, then. If my rude brother does not wish to pay his due, then it seems I must set an example myself first. Theo, let me tell you of my favorite guest."

Theodore looked up. Somehow these words piqued his curiosity. "Your favorite guest, sister?"

Now that she had mentioned it he found that he was indeed interested to hear such a tale. Just like his sisters had never before asked him to tell of his duties, he also knew little of the guests his siblings received. What kind of person might Elizabeth's favorite guest have been? Both hands folded in his lap he took to listening to her. Observing this gesture of compliance with satisfaction, Elizabeth began speaking.

"My most favorite guest was an extraordinary person indeed. A wielder of the wild card with astonishing potential. Only sixteen years of age, he had been met with terrible turns of fate already. And yet what I sensed from him was not the despair of a person faced with death... But a hidden desire for the many pleasures of life which grew and became more radiant with every passing day. Offering our services to him, I found myself enamored by what I believed to be a desire to see the world this person had come from. And so I requested him to take me outside the room into his world... To show me the ways of his life."

"You... Requested to be taken to the outside world...?"

Theodore was taken aback by her words. Almost he added the word 'too' to his question, but he restrained himself. He should not reveal how his own experiences seemed to be similar to what Elizabeth was recounting to him. Yet hearing her words he found the scenes replaying in his head. The radiant smile on that person's face when she laughed. The subtle motions of her neck when she tilted her head in confusion at his antics. The short moments of dread when he feared for her safety... Theodore felt a strange twinge, like a sting in his chest, impairing his breath and making him grimace at the sensation. The thoughts on his mind were dominated by what he knew to be joyous memories, and yet there was this urging pain inside. He tried to distract himself from it, but then Elizabeth's continued speech painted the images even more vividly into his head.

"At the time I did not understand what my intense fascination with this city my guest resided in meant. Little by little, however, I realized that the longer I stayed the more personal my requests became. I wished to see places that were closer to his heart. The establishments of his leisure, the school he undertook his studies... And finally, his room. "

"...Elizabeth...!" Theodore interjected her retelling. He felt the need to yell at her, to tell her to stop. But the words were stuck in his throat. He felt... Paralyzed by her eerie similarities had finally become too much to bear.

"There, I spent the most wondrous time I had ever known with him. A short, fleeting and yet unforgettable moment of bliss... Yes, that's right, Theo. I was sinful."

'Sinful'. Yes, that was indeed the word for it. Theodore now understood. Behind his face, his wide open, hurting eyes and slightly opened mouth, his mind now realized what the truth was behind this tale his sister was telling him. It made sense now. Even here, in this reality, Dark Hour did no longer haunt the world with its terrifying presence casting people's mind into a state closer to death than to the living. The Fall must have been averted. Which meant that there must have been a sacrifice... A life and soul given away to protect those of billions.

Time may branch, two rivers may flow, but in the end they all meet at the same destination. In the same vast ocean of eternity.

"Elizabeth... That guest of yours..."

Theodore wanted to ask a question, but again the words would not come in the correct order. Now that he had lined up the pieces his mind was numb. This pain he was feeling... Was it grief? A grief he had long forgotten existed?

And yet Elizabeth was smiling. Even though she should have been feeling the same grief as him.

"There. I have now answered your question in sufficient detail!"

Her behavior confused him. If her story was true and his guess was right, then how could it be that Elizabeth did not seem pained? How could she seem so strong when what she was speaking of should have brought forth the weakness in her, as it did for him? And, even more than that...

"My question...?" Theodore asked carefully. "But, sister... I didn't ask you any questions, did I?"

"You intended to," she replied, the calm smile still on her lips as she took a bite from yet another Takoyaki and then cleaned her lips with a tissue from the table. "Remember the night that the red fog of lonesomeness descended upon the human world, threatening to engulf it in the unruly flames of yet another embodiment of human desire for death. That night... You were following me, were you not, Theo?"

Theodore remembered. That was right, his night in the outside world... His quest for the elusive 'Cola'... He took a glance to the table. Elizabeth had refreshed herself with almost the entirety of the small can's liquids content by now. Margaret had sent him to retrieve this beverage, this delicious treat... But if he was truthful to himself, so he had to admit that his primary intention that night had been to find Elizabeth. Yes, that was right, he left the room to find her, the sister who had left so suddenly without explanation or message. He had wanted to ask her... About why she...

...Theodore was silent now.

"Theo. It is your turn to give me the answer you so blatantly owe me with your honor," Finishing the final Takoyaki, Elizabeth moved the cardboard ship aside. "So tell me, Theo. That guest of yours... How sinful is your desire for that person?"

No. He couldn't say. Even if he was allowed to speak such vague descriptions, his mouth wouldn't move to form the words. Clenching his teeth and turning away, Theodore felt naught but shame and regret. ...Shame? Regret? No, he wasn't ashamed of what he had done back then and he didn't regret it. To say so would have been a sinful lie. He treasured the memory more than he treasured his life, his continued existence of waiting here, in this room, for guests who might never come and duties he might never get to carry out, endlessly waiting, here, with only his sisters, no, his sister, Elizabeth had gone, she had left, was no longer waiting, had betrayed them, and he was still here, waiting, but he didn't know on what or on whom he was waiting, because that person was gone, there would be no other guest like her, she was gone, she had fulfilled her destiny and he would never see her again, never learn more of her again, never touch her hand again...

Overwhelmed by the powerful thoughts overflowing in his mind, Theodore clutched his face in his hands, wishing he could just clear his consciousness of it all... Until a warm, fine hand touched his shoulder.

He raised his head with an odd and urgent anticipation on his mind. But when he merely found himself looking into the eyes of Elizabeth looming over him, he felt like crying. Before the tears could flow however, Elizabeth spoke yet again,

"Congratulations. You have answered my questions marvelously indeed. My many thanks, Theo!"

Again, she was speaking such confusing things. Theodore's voice was trembling with his body now, but he tried to reply to her regardless.

"But sister... I haven't said a word," he told her.

"Not all is communicated in words alone, Theo. Has your guest not taught you so? Though I find it more likely that you have simply not been a very receptive student. Ah, what pathetic little brother you are, Theo."

That mysterious smile was on Elizabeth's face again. But right now it seemed so oddly comforting. Despite her usual harsh words, there was sympathy in her voice, something surprising that he hadn't known from her before. A kindness that lessened this strange pain in him just a little bit. It was only that moment that Theodore truly realized it: No matter what the meaning or reason for it may be, he was glad that fate had brought Elizabeth back here tonight, of all nights, when he, with the purpose to wait without purpose was here. It seemed that tonight, somebody worth waiting for had actually come.

It was then that something curious happened.

At once there was a surge of energy in the room which Theodore had not anticipated. He meant to whirl around, searching for the power's source, but quickly located it right in front of him, in the intermediate space between himself and Elizabeth. A bright light, like that of a guest's heart shone between them, warmly like an embrace. Elizabeth's smile turned to a smirk. She touched the light and in her hand it became a card. An archetype of power, one of the compendium's tarots. Elizabeth turned it in her fingers a few times, looking satisfied.

"Theo, I must thank you again. It seems that I have come to understand your heart a bit better tonight." Elizabeth turned the card and showed it to Theodore. It showed a flame of youthful, growing power... The Magician Arcana.

"Sister..." Again, Theodore could only stare, but this time it was for a different reason entirely. He now recognized that energy that fulfilled the room. That faint trace of a bond between himself and Elizabeth. "Can it really be? Do you wield... The Wild Card?"

She did not simply grant him a reply. Instead she proved her point, or so he believed, by communicating her answer with her eyes alone. With a soft, yet mischievous smile she remained focused on him with, even after the card between her fingers had long faded back into her heart.

"Well then... I believe it is now time for me to awaken," Elizabeth said, and already Theodore could feel her presence in the room dimming.

"Sister!" Shocked by her words, Theodore leapt out of his chair. He wanted to stop her, make her stay and talk to her for a little while longer, even though he realized how impossible and unreasonable such intentions were. Elizabeth's time wouldn't halt just because it would be convenient to him. Nobody's time ever did. But now Theodore cursed his own hesitance. He wished he had answered her questions earlier. He wanted to speak to her about these things. He wished to ask her more questions, to know more about her power.

It was as if he had decided that moment that he wanted to learn how to become strong like her.

Elizabeth spoke once more before she finished fading, "... I believe our sister is lonely, Theo. I leave in faith that you will take good care of her. Otherwise she might feel as if we had shamefully abandoned her."

"But, sister...! Elizabeth! I... I want to...!"

He didn't finish. Elizabeth had taken his hand. It was a gentle, trustful grip.

"Theodore. Let me tell you a secret. I believe that we have a purpose other than to remain in this room, evermore waiting for others to seek us out," she told her brother with a sincerity he had never known of her before. "One day, my brother, we might join forces. But until then I request you to remain in the role of Margaret's foolish younger sibling. It is a proven fact that she requires at least one for her personal enjoyment!"

"Elizabeth..."

And then there was nothing in his hands. It was only a moment, a short instant, a second. Elizabeth's voice, her face and her presence, they had all disappeared from the room, leaving only an empty silence behind like a bitter aftertaste after a rich meal.

Now Theodore was all by himself.

Quietly, he returned to his seat. On the way, he passed by the table. Ah, yes. The remains of Elizabeth's snack where still there. The picante fragrance of the Takoyaki, the unmistakable sweetness of the cola... He would have to clean it up later. Right now, his heart felt too heavy to undertake any sort of task. Elizabeth's presence was gone, but the grief she had brought to his mind and lessened still lingered. And now for the first time, Theodore realized that this grief, too, was perhaps 'a bond'.

With his fingers he searched out the small object attached to his belt and carefully removed it from there. Now he could lift it up to his eyes and look at it. The tiny key-chain in the shape of a Takoyaki may have lacked the fragrance and flavor of the foodstuff it resembled, but to Theodore it was without doubt the most impeccable of all Takoyaki that had ever been made, in Iwatodai or elsewhere. He gazed upon it for a while before chuckling to himself.

"How unfortunate... I've acquired something precious to me," Theodore whispered at the small ornament. "It's your fault, you realize."

He took the second can of Diet Coke left on the table and opened it.