A Zoo in the Fog (PersonaxZoophobia)

This Has Happened Before

            After a decent enough time with Damian, Jackson would find himself running into Addison and Sahara, both of which looked very surprised as he walked toward them. Damian seemed still caught up in a Chinese finger trap that he got from the arcade, even beginning to gnaw at it. Though as they approached, both rushed over to him, seemingly worried.

"Jackson? Where the hell you been?" Sahara asked looking over him as he just stood there rather awkwardly.

"I was... doing the thing I told you about a couple of weeks ago?" Jackson says nervously. He had completely forgot about contacting them. He didn't know if he even got notifications from them in his phone.

"You've just been quiet for a while. Even Damian was getting worried." Though as Addison said that, they could see Damian stumble on the ground, still trying to free his fingers from the trap. "In... his own way."

"I'm really sorry..." Jackson looked down. He had almost completely forgotten about them, but it was all due to everything that he was getting involved in. "But... I was too busy with saving Kayla."

"Hey, it's alright. We just were getting really worried. I'm... glad you're safe though." Addison gave a little smile, looking up at Jackson.

"Heh, Addi got his tail in a fluff when you didn't answer our calls." Sahara chuckled and Addison would look away, a little red in the face.

"D-don't we have something to tell him..?" Addison just lightly hid his face in his scarf.

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon" Sahara began leading the group a little away from the sidewalk, and to a little coffee shop on the corner. "Damian, the usual for all of us."

Damian kept struggling against the finger trap. "I need. To break. Free!!" Damian yelled out, rolling along the ground as he kept trying to free his fingers. Sahara sighed a bit, picking him up, pulling his fingers from the trap and setting him down. Damian just looked at his hands, as if something beautiful just happened. "... I am free..." He looked to the distance. It was like he was imagining doves flying off behind him along with a majestic choir.

"Yeah yeah, just go get the coffee and don't flirt with the barista." Sahara lightly brought him to the door and let him in.

"Aw, but it's fun!" Damian complains while Sahara just gives him a stern look.

"If you do, no red cupcake parties for you." She spoke just as sternly as she looked.

"... You wouldn't dare..." Damian growled a little. Sahara was just silent for a bit, then pulled up her phone and dialed a number. Damian seemed to immediately get scared and rushed into the coffee shop.

"Heh, works every time." Sahara sat down with Addison and Jackson. Despite the open air, they seemed to have enough space to talk about something like this. "So, uh, there was another reason we were trying to reach you."

"Is it something having to do with a case?" Jackson asks, tilting his head a bit.

Addison and Sahara looked between each other before Addison says, "This has happened before."

"What do you mean? You mean a murder involving Shadows?" Jackson asks, his full attention being turned to what the others had to say.

"Something similar... there isn't much info as we can't hit outside news sources, but in Japan, apparently this happened before. The fog, the disappearances, everything." Sahara says, leaning on the table. "There was also a long time the fog just blanketed the area, but then it just went away when the killer was caught."