This choice: The discussion continues • Go Back...Chapter #12Ann's Palace by: Drez  
"So," said Makoto. "what do you plan to do with your power?"
"I don't have any idea" said Ann after a short pause. Ann sipped at her coffee and added, "you have no idea what having this power is doing to my psyche"
"Well, yeah" said Ryuji. "I can only imagine. That would explain why you have a Palace"
"That only means her desires are warped and distorted" said Futaba.
"Yeah, my desires are all screwed up" said Ann. "there's this part of me that doesn't want all this power...and yet, my other side wants to use the power I have to my liking"
"What do you mean?" asked Yusuke.
"I mean, with a snap of my fingers I can have everything I ever wanted" said Ann. "with a snap of my fingers, I could have all of you bowing at my feet, mindlessly following my orders like drones. I could have everyone in the world worshiping me. I can rewrite reality itself if I want and there isn't anything anyone could do to stop it. My word can be law.
But, I won't do that because you're all my friends and teammates. I don't want to see you as mindless drones or...insects. I don't want this power; I haven't deserved it, I am not worthy of it, I just want to be a normal teenage girl. I once told Akira that I wanted to be a ray of light for people and that all men couldn't take their eyes off of me but I didn't want to be a god to achieve that goal. I could have the world in my hands but I don't want to"
A long silence followed Ann's speech.
"What's your Palace?" asked Futuba in a subdued voice.
Ann sighed. "A strip club"
Ryuji and Yusuke stood up a bit straighter in their chairs.
"Really?" asked Sumire looking at Ryuji and Yusuke in mild digust.
Makoto sputtered while taking a sip of her drink. "A strip club?!"
"Well, she did say that she wanted to have all men to have their eyes on her" said Yusuke. "A strip club would certainly be a place for that"
"Well, now...." said Makoto clearing her throat. "I guess you have a point there. Where is it, if I may ask?"
"Odaiba," said Ann. "The same place where Maruki's Palace was located. It isn't visible to the public yet"
"Yet?" asked Haru.
Ann sighed deeply. "I might be using Mementos subconsciously to bring my Palace into reality. I'm certainly not doing it consciously. It might be an automatic thing that comes with these powers"
"Doc's Palace wasn't immediately visible to the public either" said Ryuji.
Sumire nodded. "It took several months for Maruki's Palace to be visible to the public"
"Can you tell when your Palace will encroach on reality?" asked Futaba.
"No I can't" said Ann. "it won't happen tomorrow...or the day after that but it will eventually encroach upon reality"
"And I'm guessing we have a month for...Ann's world to overwrite the cognition of the masses so that everyone will see and accept Ann as a god" said Yusuke.
"In that case, wouldn't her Palace be a temple rather than a strip club?" asked Ryuji. "or a modeling agency or something?"
"It's all on Ann and how she sees herself" said Makoto.
"I don't really see myself as a stripper" said Ann.
"Not even with your Phantom Thief attire?" asked Ryuji. "still, it could be worse. Your Palace might've been a sex dungeon"
"RYUJI!" said Makoto sharply, blushing a bright red.
Ann glared at Ryuji...or that's what Ryuji assumed but Ann was still wearing her sunglasses.
"Um, Ann?" asked Haru. "why is your chest growing?"
Ann gasped and looked down to see that, indeed, her chest was growing by the second!
"It isn't just her chest..." said Yusuke in a faint voice.
Ann stood up from her chair to discover that she was a little over six feet tall!
"Ann, what's happening?" asked Makoto as Ann's breasts were approaching the size of coconuts.
"I don't know!" said Ann. "the same thing happened to me yesterday at the underground mall. I think I may be having a growth spurt"
"That's some growth spurt" said Futaba.
"Can't you control it?" asked Sumire.
Ann was quiet for a few moments, then she replied, "I don't think so. It feels like my body wants to grow bigger..or the mantle wishes it or whatever. All I know is that I can't stop it now"
Makoto looked deep in thought, then gasped.
"What is it?" asked Ryuji as Ann reached nine feet tall. Ann was on her knees to prevent her from knocking her head on the ceiling.
"You don't suppose she's growing as tall as the God of Control?!" asked Makoto in a panicking voice.
"I sure hope not" said Ann. "The God of Control was bigger than most buildings! If I grew to that size, there'll be lots of collateral damage"
"Why didn't Doc grew to....?" asked Ryuji, his voice trailing off.
"He did when he fused with his Persona" replied Futaba.
"Still, he didn't grew to be like thousands of feet tall!" exclaimed Ryuji.
"I better get out of here" said Ann. She somehow managed to squeeze her way out of the much smaller door.
"Come on" said Ryuji rushing towards the door. He was soon followed by the others.
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