AFTG; You'll never see it coming

[ephitomis]

Title: You'll never see it coming
Fandom: All for the game
Notes: Written for the prompt "Chernobog; Kelpie" for Esploratori del Polyverso
Wordcount: 1149
Summary: Persona 5 "AU"; Neil has been hiding his powers all his life. He's not going to allow Kevin Day, Andrew Minyard and a chance slip into a palace with the Foxes to ruin that

Andrew keeps looking at him, and Neil knows that’s not good. He doesn’t really know why the other has been staring daggers at his back, but he’s not really interested in asking.

The situation is strange enough already, after all, and he doesn’t really want to dig himself deeper in this shit.

“So what,” Allison asks, looking around the room, “you mean to tell me that there are people out there using the cognitive world to… control the world?”

Kevin huffs, sliding a little in the booth. “I’m telling you that the Moriyamas use the cognitive world to rule pretty much over everyone.”

Neil knows all of this already, of course, much better than anyone in this room, probably even Kevin himself. Because as much as Kevin has been living with the Moriyamas, Neil knows that he has never had to actually fight for his life inside a palace.

Neil wonders if Kevin has a palace, it would be fitting, after all. Neil does, he knows he does.

No one in this room will ever be able to find it, of course, but anyone else… they’ve always been fair game, and Neil has always had to fight hard to keep his mind safe.

“And people with… Personas they can fight inside these palaces?” Dan asks, looking around the room, “and most of us here have one?”

Neil almost laughs, but manages to reign it in. Being plunged into the Palace had been… disturbing, but unlike most of the others, Neil has been able to travel to the palaces for most of his life and so had been able to keep his abilities a secret.

“And this app on our phones is supposed to help us?” Nicky wonders, looking at the metanav on his cellphone screen. “I mean, I’m not sure i even want to go back in, those… things were terrible.”
“I have to agree with Nicky,” Matt says, sighing, “that thing with the things growing out of his feet…”

“A Chernobog,” Kevin interrupts, while Matt glares at him.

“I don’t care how it’s called, it kept trying to kill us,” Matt continues, “without Dan and Renee that seemed to be immune to his attacks it could have been bad.”

“That’s one of the cognitive shadows,” Kevin explains, looking around. Wymack is out for the night, so Neil doesn’t know why Kevin is so worried.

Also, Neil was surprised to discover that Wymack knew nothing of the cognitive world. Surprised mostly because he lived with Kevin, and for what Neil remembers, Kevin was always incredibly apt at entering Palaces.

It’s also something he obviously hasn’t really stopped doing, if Andrew already knew how to act in one. And he had.

Unlike all the others, Andrew had been able to summon his persona instantly. Surprisingly enough, it had taken the form of a knight with a big shield. Neil would have thought a statue would fit him more.

“Cognitive shadows,” Renee repeats looking interested. “This is fascinating. The theory of this world inside our mind, affected by all of our distorted desires.”

“I wonder why someone would want to have a distorted desire of a fucking horse without feets!” Nicky wonders, shivering a little. Before Kevin could open his mouth and point out that the footless horse was a Kelpie, Nicky glared in his direction, shutting him up.

Neil makes sure to keep his mouth closed the entire time, watching the others’ reactions.

The first time inside a Palace could be confusing for people, and beside Kevin and Andrew, it seems like no one had ever taken the trip.

It’s also incredibly strange to consider that everyone here had been able to summon their personas. It makes Neil nervous. He shouldn’t be here, but slipping out now would be too suspicious, especially with the way Andrew was looking at him.

It’s at this point that everyone looks at him and Neil fights against the need to shrink under the attention.

“Neil is the only one who didn’t summon a Persona,” Matt says, with a look that wants to convey that he still loves Neil anyway.

Neil shrugs. “I mean, I haven’t really understood much of what Kevin is talking about.”

That’s a lie, but what’s another to add to the collection.

“I just can’t believe you and Andrew kept this secret!” Nicky said, looking at the two of them, “and I mean how did we manage to fall into the Palace in the first place?”

“Someone else activated the Navi,” Kevin says, sighing, “at least I think. It wasn’t me, and it definitely wasn’t Andrew, so…”

“Why couldn’t it have been Andrew?” Dan asks, and Andrew simply raises his phone for them to see. Just like Neil’s, Andrew’s phone doesn’t support apps and so isn’t able to get the Navi.

“This is hurting my head,” Nicky says in the end, hitting the table with his forehead. Everyone else nods as well, while Kevin murmurs that it’s not that difficult.

Neil almost tells him that psi cognitive science is one of the hardest subjects to grasp, but he’s not supposed to know anything about it. “Wymack has left me some curry,” Neil offers, and everyone smiles in his direction.

Even Kevin seems less annoyed.

Great.

He stands up, walking towards the small kitchen in the back of ‘The Fox Pawn’, Wymack’s cafè and Neil’s temporary home. He’s taking the curry from the fridge when he hears someone sneak behind him.

Neil doesn’t startle, knowing full well that it’s Andrew, and that he’s only looking for more ammunition.

“Do you want to help me with the curry?” Neil wonders, but Andrew doesn’t do anything but watch him. Right.

Neil sighs, and starts making a couple of plates, ignoring Andrew’s presence.

“I don’t believe you,” Andrew says at the end, and Neil blinks, surprised.

“I’m sorry, I… what?” he wonders, looking up at Andrew.

“Lying liar who lies,” Andrew sings, with a smile, “is that what your persona is? A liar?”

Neil stiffens, looking at the other. “I don’t have a persona. It’s why I almost died tonight.”

Andrew looks at him, and shakes his head. “The biggest liar there is, then. Boring. I’ll figure you out anyway.”

After that, Andrew walks away, without bothering to help Neil in any way. He sighs, annoyed and puzzled by the encounter.

What can Andrew really do to him? He doesn’t have direct access to the Navi, and even if he did, he doesn’t know Neil’s real name.

His palace, and all the terrible secrets hidden in it, are still safe. And will be as long as Neil can fight.