Midnight Morals: Yukiko Noir (P4 TFMC) (Patreon)

Hey folks!

Right, all of the shorts are in, and I'm writing away at them. So far, progress has been good - I should have them ready for you next week!

In the meantime, please enjoy a return to the world of Persona 4, and a sequel to Midnight Morals: Princess Chie (P4 MCTF) | Patreon - as Yukiko finds herself learning a few lessons of her own...

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Step beyond the bindings of the day to day, and part the veil of deliberate thought. This is the place where dreams and idle speculation come to play, where fact and reason avail you… naught. Here lies the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and here slither the monsters that lurk beneath your bed. Pull up a seat and stay a while – just be careful where you rest your head.

Welcome… To the Midnight Channel.

“Welcome back, my dear watchers, my beloved readers.” The woman in blue smiled from behind her desk – though it was impossible to know if that smile reached her eyes, with them so shaded by her hat. “I’m so glad to see you again. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long for another fantasy…”

Leaning forward, she plucked another paper-filled binder up from her table, rolling through the pages with her thumb. “Tonight’s tale involves a woman who could never really decide what she wanted in life. An exciting career? A life of drive, and passion? Or to simply do what she was told by her parents, and let everyone else pass her by? Ah, decisions, decisions.”

The woman chuckled, paging through the manuscript. “They say rebellion’s just a phase, but dear readers, do know that if you make your choice wrong, you run the risk of all choices being taken away from you. Now that’s no trouble if it’s what you want…” She winked. “But I do wonder if it’s the kind of thing out delightful little songbird had in mind…”

“Ah well. It hardly matters anymore.” The binder fell open in her lap as she settled back in her chair, ready to read. “As you’ll soon see for yourselves. Do try to keep an open mind as I read, dear watchers – the Midnight Channel has no patience for those who see everything in black and white~”

-

“Where… Where am I…?”

Yukiko Amagi had been hoping for a short trip to the TV world, to be honest. She was a busy woman these days. It wasn’t like it had been when she was a student, able to vanish into the fog-filled maze on the other side of the TV screen at Junes for as long as she liked – now she had a whole Inn to run, and all the responsibilities that came with it. Staff to manage, reservations to book, supplies to order… Honestly, she was lucky to have a few hours to herself at all.

And this was how she’d chosen to spend them? Investigating the shadows again, instead of just getting a few drinks with her old friends? … Well, yeah, okay, it was fun to be reminded of old times – right up until it went wrong, anyway. The fog had gotten so thick she couldn’t see anyone even if they were stood right next to her, and when she had reached out for Chie, there had been nothing there to grab onto. She’d lost her balance, fallen, everything had gone black…

… And now she was… Here. Wherever ‘here’ was. Oh, and her glasses were gone, wonderful. Ugh, she was going to lose a whole day to this mess…

Okay. Come on Yuki. It was no good complaining. Just get your head on straight and figure something out. With a little luck and patience, she could find the others and get out of here. So, where was she?

Hm. Well, first off, she must’ve hit her head harder than she thought. That or the lighting in here was just that bad, because, uh, everything seemed to be in black and white. The walls, the carpet, the furniture – even herself. The red of her top was completely muted into grey, and her skin almost looked white like this. Like an old movie…

And speaking of old movies, this room looked like it might fit in one. She was in a dressing room of some sort – an old fashioned one by the look of things. She’d seen plenty of these places over the years, just by virtue of being good friends with one of the biggest idols in Japan, and this place didn’t exactly look high class, if you knew what she meant. There was a dressing table, complete with vanity mirror, over by the wall, a couple of chairs dotted around, a folding screen to get changed behind… Yeah, nothing fancy, all of it looking a little worn down, but it was probably functional enough for smaller venues.

“Okay,” she muttered, trying to find her footing. “Maybe some classic film freak’s dungeon? Well, whatever. Where’s the way out?”

“The Dame didn’t know whether she was comin’ or goin’. Never had. That’s the problem with broads like her. They’ll run ya’ down both ways at the intersection, and then still have the nerve ta’ ask ye fer directions.”

“Huh?” Yukiko’s head shot around, scanning the room with wide eyes. “Is someone there?”

There was no response. The mysterious voice that had spoken out of seemingly nowhere remained silent. Which was not the strangest thing that had ever happened in the TV world, but it was annoying none the less. It was going to be one of those dungeons.

“Fine then…” She sighed, folding her arms, before giving the ceiling the stink eye. “Teddie, if that’s you playing some kind of practical joke, it’s really not funny, got it?”

… Still no answer. Darn. Oh well, worth a try.

Alright. Then the plan was simple. Find the way out of this – theatre? Club? Movie set? – Out of this place, and regroup with the others. Surely they couldn’t be far. Hell, she’d probably hear Chie smashing through stuff any second now, and once the two of them were together, nothing would stop them! Then they could see about getting home.

Nodding resolutely, the Amagi heiress stepped over to the door, hand already reaching out for the handle…

“Her predicament was a riddle locked inside an enigma, but one thing was for sure – she wasn’t goin’ anywhere without her face on.”

“What?” She paused, looking around again. “Without my… Is something wrong with my face?”

Feeling rather self conscious all of a sudden, Yukiko pulled back from the door, instead slipping over to the dresser instead. There she hunched down, peering into the mirror to get a good look at herself. She looked… pretty normal, as near as she could tell? Except for the complete lack of colour, obviously. But hey, she pulled monochrome off nicely all the same.

Yeah, her face was exactly where it was supposed to be! So what had that voice… been…

Her thought trailed off as her eyes flicked down to the makeup station. Eyeliner, lipstick, blush and foundation… Whoever’s desk this was, they had it all. And for some reason, Yukiko felt the oddest urge to try some of it.

It was a silly notion. Practically pointless – more so than usual, even, since who would even be able to tell if there was no colour to anything? But still, though thought had wormed its way into her head, and now it just wouldn’t leave, gnawing on her patience until she gave in.

What would be the harm? No one had come in here yet. She could spare a few seconds to try out the lipstick…

Of course, as soon as she sat down and puckered her lips, seconds easily turned into minutes. Once the lipstick was on, leaving her mouth an enchanting shade of black, well, she just had to see what they looked like with the complimentary eyeshadow on, didn’t she? And naturally, eyeshadow without curled lashes? Please, she wanted to look nice here.

By that point she was all in, pointless exercise or not. Foundation, rouge, highlights, she applied it all with a well practiced hand, finishing off with a small cloud of sweet perfume that was sure to keep the boys drooling when she walked by…

“Hey there beautiful.” She winked at her refection as she finally put the last cosmetic down. “Bet you’d pay a pretty penny to get a good feel of these lips, right~?”

She giggled, almost falling into a full on laughing fit, but then she blinked. That hadn’t been how she meant to say that, had it? It sounded so… you know… slutty when she said it out loud. It- It wasn’t like she’d meant to, um…

… A-actually, now that she looked at herself properly, this makeup… It made her look more adult, sure, but also… kind of like a whore? Those thickly coated lips, those sultry eyes… Maybe she’d gone a bit overboard.

Yukiko swallowed, shaking her head and pushing away from the dresser nervously. O-okay, funny distraction, but now it was time to leave and- Oh!

She drew up short, eyes alighting on something she’d missed before. There, on the back of the dressing room door, hung a dress. A dress that sparkled, its sequins glinting even in this black and white world. A dress that looked more expensive than every scrap of loot in Izanami’s dungeon! A dress that filled her vision, that seemed to call out to her, begging to be worn…

“There’s an old saying, back across the Atlantic. In for a penny, in for a pound. I put it another way. The Dame’d already helped herself to the complimentary breadsticks, she might as well sit in for the whole meal. That dress matched her eyes, and in her mind, that meant it was already hers.”

“What?! No!” Yukiko squeaked, shrinking back in on herself as she spun around, hunting for the source of that voice. “I- I- I’ll have you know…!” Her voice hitched as it suddenly regained that sultry cadence from before. “That I would never stoop to stealing such a thing… But I might borrow it for a moment. Is that so wrong?”

That… Hadn’t been exactly what she’d meant to say, but the voice didn’t seem to have any snappy comeback, so it must have worked. With a huff, she turned back to the door, and put that very rude gentleman from her mind. Now, where was she?

Oh yes. That dress…

Like a pilgrim at the end of a long, difficult journey, she couldn’t help but reach out for the holy grail hovering before her eyes. Her fingers stroked across its silken folds, circling its sequins and trimmings like it was made of woven dreams. It was in her hands, pressed against her body for the benefit of her reflection before she even knew she’d moved.

… And honestly, it looked like kind of a poor fit, she noted to her dissatisfaction. The chest looked too wide, the waist too thin, and the skirt would never flare against her body the way it was designed to. It was stitched for a woman with a far curvier body than hers. She couldn’t help but pout at her reflection. She should just put it back and move on.

She should…

… But what was the harm in just trying it on, for fun, hm? Just for a moment. She could pretend she was a glamours movie star, instead of a tired Innkeeper…

It was almost funny how quickly Yukiko’s clothes hit the floor. Her top slid off without a second thought, her skirt dumped on top of it a moment later, and then the whole heap of clothing was kicked off into the corner, along with her shoes. Why care about those tacky little garments, when they weren’t the dress…

Then, the moment of truth. Standing there, left in just her practical underwear, the Amagi heiress gingerly lifted the dress, raised her arms, and slid it on over her head. It fell with a wave of warmth, washing over her like a cresting wave. She felt it drop past her face without so much as smudging her makeup. She felt it slide around her chest, the rushing heat seeming to gather inside her and expanding outwards with shocking ferocity. She felt it squeeze around her middle, so tight that it felt like it was moulding her like clay. And she felt it settle on her hips, the same heat from before radiating through her thighs.

“Mmmn…” The heiress couldn’t help but sigh in pleasant satisfaction. It was like scratching an itch that had been bothering her all day, or indulging in a craving she’d been putting off all month. This dress felt so good on her – if only it looked good as well…

But, alas, she opened her eyes, and… Oh!

Her reflection surprised her, in a distant, foggy kind of way. She’d expected the dress to look a little awkward – hanging off her in some places, stretching tight in others. But it fit her like a glove – only a little too small in a few places. Like around her tits, which- had… Had she always had that large a chest? … She must have. Yeah. Just like her waist had always been this thin… And her ass had always been this fat. The Amagi challenge hadn’t cropped up out of nowhere, after all – she’d always had a knockout figure…

“Of course, if you mess around for long enough, you’re gunna get yourself your very own personal encounter with the find out squad. And lemme tell ya, dollface, those gents, they don’t take no prisoners.”

“Eh?” Yukiko blinked. What was that supposed to-

The door slammed open, sending her jumping backwards, hand on her hammering heart. There, in the doorway, was… Chie?

No. No, that wasn’t Chie. Similar hair, and a kind of familiar face, but it wasn’t her best friend. Instead, it was a woman in a long white evening dress, an eyebrow raised. Maybe in other circumstances, that wouldn’t have been very intimidating, but here she carried an aura of… menace.

Yukiko swallowed.

“And who are you exactly?” The woman asked, twice as much sneer in her voice as on her face. “Are you lost, perhaps? Or do you just have trouble reading? This room is for employees only, and you are most certainly not one of my employees.”

“I… I… I didn’t mean to…”

The other woman towered over her, leering. “Didn’t mean to what, darling? Steal something that wasn’t yours? Because I must say, most thieves don’t dress themselves up in the loot their trying to pilfer.” She raised her chin. “How about you give me one reason not to call the cops on you right here and now?”

Oh… Oh dear…

“But that Dame, she knew just what to do. A flutter of her eyelashes, a hint of those creamy thighs, and she’d have ‘em eating right out of her hand. ‘Specially if her other hand was givin’ a below the belt special…”

Honestly, Yukiko was too intimidated to pay the mystery voice any attention. But even so, as it spoke, she felt a surge of confidence. Her back straightened, and the fear in her eyes faded. The timidity in her body language vanished, replaced with a much more assertive hand on the hip.

“Oh come now,” she purred, strutting forward a step and leaning forward, giving the other woman a nice look down her tight cleavage canyon. “There’s no need to be so skittish. I just… lost my way a little. I didn’t mean to cause any harm. And I’d certainly be willing to make it up to you, if you’ll let me~”

Her forwardness surprised the woman, who found herself drawing backwards, though not so far that she was out of Yukiko’s sultry advances. “Oh yes? Is that so? Well, maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement. My club could always use another willing woman – as long as you really mean willing.”

Yukiko’s black lips curled into a smile, and she leaned up against the other woman so that her breathy whisper would reach her ear. “Oh, willing for anything, beautiful~”

The club owner’s lips quirked into a curious smile. “Well now,” she said, sliding her hand around the ebon haired beauty’s hips and guiding her out into the hall, down towards the private offices. “Why don’t we give you a little job interview… See how you handle behind the bar – and under it, mm?”

“Sounds delightful~” Yukiko giggled, letting herself be guided with ease – pausing only to give a quick wink over her shoulder – to seemingly thin air.

“That’s the point of this little story. I tell ya’, gorgeous girls? They can get away with whatever they want…”

Fin~

-

The heiress’s head was spinning when she came back to herself. She wasn’t entirely sure what had happened to her. Her memory of the past… quite a while was a blur. After she’d left the dressing room, she remembered… A lot of exercise? She wasn’t sure what kind, but for some reason her knees were pretty sore…

No, no, it didn’t matter. Whatever weird spell had come over her – oh god, how had she managed to pull that act off with a straight face? How had she even thought to do that? – was over now, and she was getting out of here. This whole place was just too weird.

So where was here exactly? She wasn’t in the dressing room anymore. Or in that private office. No, now she was standing behind the bar of – what looked like a private club of some kind? It was hard to say for sure, but she could see a lot of tables, a whole lot of smoky atmosphere… And, over there, a stage for singing! Yeah, this looked like one of those old fashioned nightclubs she’d seen in old movies from time to time.

Okay, that answered where she was. But now, how did she get out of here…?

Sadly, before she could get anywhere, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

 “Looking a little skittish there, dear.” The woman in white – the owner of the club, of course – grinned at her from the customer side of the bar. “I hope you’re not thinking of trying to pull a fast one.”

“Of course not, sweetheart~” The words spilled from Yukiko’s lips without a second thought. “Just getting my bearings, is all.”

“Good, good.” The owner chuckled, leaning forwards. “You passed the first stage of the interview,” the owner said, licking her lips. “But let’s see how you handle work behind the bar. Think you can handle the pressure?”

“Of course~” Well, that’s what she said, but obviously she had absolutely no idea how to-

“Never met a Dame behind the bar I didn’t like – not ‘til they told me it’s closing time, anyways. But this one was a real keeper. She knew how to play the game.”

- To… To… Yes, obviously, she had no idea how to hold herself back. Tending behind the bar of a seedy nightclub was like a second nature to her… Wasn’t it?

Yukiko frowned, looking around. “Did you hear anything just now?”

The owner gave her a blank look. “Not particularly, dear. Feeling okay there?”

Hm. “Just fine. Sorry to worry you.” Whatever. Not important. “What would you like to see?”

“Well now…” The woman in white set her arms on the bar. “I don’t mind much about how you make the drinks – that’s never what the clients are after. What matters is how well you hold your liquor. Makes a guest feel welcome when the woman at the bar shares a few with them.”

Ah. That was certainly a request. And one that wouldn’t work out too well for her. Yukiko wasn’t exactly a teetotaller, but she’d never held her drink well, either. Hell, she’d gotten drunk off non-alcoholic drinks before (to her eternal mortification). So there was no way this would-

“She downed her shots on the rocks harder than the titanic, and never so much as put a foot sideways.”

- That this would… That this would…

The dark haired beauty’s eyes clouded for a moment as she poured out the contents of some dark bottle into a shot glass, and then threw the whole thing back without blinking. It wasn’t elegant, but her stone cold reaction said everything she needed to say.

“Oh my.” The owner couldn’t help but clap. “Very impressive.”

“Thank you.” Yukiko poured another glass, taking a more leisurely, almost flirtatious sip. “I think you’ll find I’m more than sufficient here.”

She sighed pleasantly. She could feel the liquor sinking into her, eroding away at her inhibitions. Why had she ever been so skittish about drink? She could handle it – and my, the warm buzz was such a fun way to spend an evening. Quite intoxicating – literally.

“Well quite.” The other woman nodded, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting up. “You might be just what I’ve been looking for. Oh, how rude of me – Cigarette?”

She offered the box – and of course, Yukiko raised her hand to refu-

“That woman, she smoked like a forest fire, and probably burned through more trees in cigarette cartons than anything that loud mouthed bear’s ever seen.”

- to take one with a smile, setting it between her lips and leaning down to allow the other woman to light it. The taste of nicotine put to rest that irritating itch at the back of her mind – the one that always grew whenever she went too long without a hit. Oh, she sucked that goodness down like the last drops of drink in a distillery, before releasing it all in a breathy cloud of ecstasy.

Smoke rushed out of her mouth – and with it, more went than just a cloud of vapor. It felt like all of her burdens were leaving her. All of her cares and worries. All of her good girl foibles. All that annoying stuff she’d watered down earlier with the drink were just drifting away now, dissolved into the smoke.

It felt good.

So good that she didn’t hesitate to take another puff, smoking like she’d been doing it for years. Why wouldn’t she, after all? What was she supposed to be, some goody little two-shoes? Please.

“A woman of all the finer tastes in life,” the owner said, grinning. “Don’t you have any limits at all?”

“That Dame wasn’t the type to take no fer an answer on anythin’ – least of all from herself.”

Yukiko snorted, grinning around her cigarette. “Not a one, Boss~”

“Oh yeah, she was unstoppable. That’s point, of course. The moral of the story, of every story: Life’s short. Indulge.”

“Couldn’t have put it better myself.”

“Hm? What was that?”

“Oh, nothing Boss. How about another drink?”

Fin~

-

Time blurred again. That was the second time now. Memories trailed off from that talk behind the bar into a haze of sweet smoke and booze – and then, just like that, she was standing back in the club, still in her thick makeup and dress, with no one to keep her company. It felt like time had passed, but how much? How long had she been stuck in this place?

Yukiko shook her head, lighting another cigarette and taking a long puff to cool her nerves. Everything was fine here. She was in control. And she was getting out of here.

“Like any canary in a cage, that Dame wanted escape. Dreamed of finer things and better places past that old locked door.”

“Shut up already,” she muttered with a role of her eyes. Normally she’d put the effort in to be seductive about it, but that voice had done more than its fair share to annoy her. It didn’t matter anyway. Just some irritating voice only she could hear – nothing that was going to stop her at this point.

The front door was right there. No one else was here. It was time. She started walking, unconsciously falling into a strut, hips swaying to an unheard beat…

“But life puts barriers where you’d least expect it. Sometimes in the form of an 8 foot gorilla with a Tommy. Sometimes in the form of a 6 foot angel with a devil’s tongue.”

Yukiko’s brow furrowed. “8 foot gorilla…?”

“Oh? Is that what you think of me?”

She turned around. There, arms folded in the middle of the club, was the owner.

“Boss…” She bit her lip. This woman… She wasn’t really her boss, was she? That had just been an act to get through this weird situation, right? She… She was an Innkeeper, not some nightclub hussy, no matter how fun that would be…

“I hope you’re not trying to run out on me, Yuki darling. I’ve invested a lot of money into you.”

That… That couldn’t be true, could it? “Money?”

“Oh yes. All those fancy dresses…”

Yukiko looked down. It was a really nice dress…

“The expensive jewellery…”

She felt her ears, fingers brushing the diamonds dangling there, dark metal bracelets clattering around her wrists…

“All those creature comforts…”

Visions flashed through her mind, memories of bubbly drinks, of expensive meals, of luxurious quarters, and of soft, well used beds…

“I made you who you are, dear. You didn’t think it was all for free, did you?”

“Sometimes you might try to forget your sins, but truth is, they’re not going anywhere. The moment you let your guard down, they’ll come rushing back in to eat all the food in your fridge, like they never left.”

Yukiko put a hand to her head, swaying on the steps. Her memories… She remembered all of that. Remembered being some no named thief. Remembered being found by the owner, impressing her, getting taken under her wing. Remembered being given the kind of fine life she’d always wanted, just so long as she always obeyed…

But… But, no, that was impossible! She… She’d only been here for a few hours, at most, right? This place, it wasn’t real! This was the TV world, not reality. She- She was Yukiko Amagi, heiress of the Amagi Inn – that was the only life she knew.

So then, why did she remember the club so clearly? Why did she remember all of those harsh lessons the Boss had taught her? Why did she remember how good it felt to have fools eating out of the palm of her hand? Why did her heart yearn for this club like it was her home? Why did the name Yuki Frost feel more real than that Amagi crap?

Indecision caught the heiress on its horns – and before she could break free, the Boss had crossed the floor over to her.

“I own you, Yuki.” The owner’s fingers caught Yuki’s chin in a surprisingly vice-like grip. “Never forget it.”

The two stared into one another’s eyes – like a mouse trapped before a cat, or a deer facing the headlights. Then, with a relieved sigh and a quiet chuckle, the dilemma dissolved away. Reality reasserted itself. The false memories faded like retreating fog.

“There are those that’d break under that kind of pressure – but not our Dame. Nah, she bent and flowed like a river. And when she needed to, she left that dress of hers like a pool on the floor.”

“Sorry about that, Boss,” Yuki giggled, slipping out of her grip and away from the door. “Guess I just needed a bit of fresh air. You know I’d never leave you on your own here~”

The owner grinned. “Damn straight you won’t. You owe me far too much money. And you’ll be paying me some of it back tonight.”

“Oh?” The black haired dame nodded, taking another drag on her cigarette. “What’s the job?”

“There’s a detective making the rounds,” the other woman explained, sliding herself behind the bar. “Asking inconvenient questions about matters where we don’t want anyone sticking their noses. You know the type.” Oh, did she ever know the type. “I want you to charm him, get him alone, and find out what he knows. Think you have problem handling detectives?”

Hmm. Detectives… Detectives… Did that mean anything to her?

… Nope. Not a single thing.

“Whatever it takes, Boss.” She shot her mentor a smile that’d be best at home on the lips of a viper. “Which way do you want me to take care of him after? The fun way, or the messy way?”

“Whichever you like, Yuki.” The owner matched her grin. “Whichever you like. Just make sure you clean up afterwards, either way.”

“She worked that place like she owned it – and might as well be that she did. Y’know how it is. If you can’t get outta the bird cage, you might as well be the bird at the top.”

Damn straight. She loved it here at the club. It was her home. It was her life. And one day, when the Boss retired, it’d all be hers – and life would be perfect.

And to think, she’d actually gotten confused there for a second. But who’d want to be some washed up old hag who’d given up on all of her dreams? The Amagi heiress, ha! Who’d believe a ridiculous story like that?

She wouldn’t – not ever again. She was the beautiful flower with poison thorns. She took what she wanted, she indulged in all of her vices, and she’d never, ever, let anyone take any of it away from her. She was Yuki Frost – and she always would be.

‘Cus that’s the moral of the story, folks. Learn from this fine femme fatale. Find a job you love, and don’t give it up – you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Fin~

-

The dossier snapped shut, and the woman in blue chuckled. “Ah, poor, sweet Yukiko. Although, not so sweet anymore, is she? You know, I think I might rather like the new her. I’ll have to pay her fantasy a proper visit sometime. No rush though – I doubt she’ll be leaving any time soon.”

She slid to her feet, walking across the room to open the door. “I’m afraid that’s all we have time for tonight, alas. But I hope you enjoyed the tale. Maybe reflect on its lessons, while you wait for the next session. What was the mistake that our former Innkeeper made? Aside from shoving her nose into my business, I mean~”

The woman smiled, red light flashing beneath her long brimmed hat. “Reflect well, my dear watchers. My beloved readers. And I do hope I see you next time. Until then…”

A songbird desperate to sing will be whistling her melody to the end of days, for the right pay. The sweetest smile now hid the deadliest bite. A dutiful daughter’s loyalty was twisted to herself and no one else. The princess had been looking for prince charming, but now found herself the dragon of the keep. If you don’t seek your dreams, they’ll seek you – and they won’t let anything stand in their way. At least…

… Not in the Midnight Channel.