Margaret: Ah...You know what a Persona is already. Excellent...I am surprised nobody among you thought to ask what this place even was to begin with. The Velvet Room is...Not a room, per-say. It is a location in the collective unconscious of mankind, some space between conscious and unconscious, floating in the sea of souls...If it sounds somewhat poetic, then it is. Explaining what this all is would take much time, and-

*Suddenly, a graphical glitch impairs the windows and the shuttle rocks violently. The glitchy effect resides quickly and the ship resumes proper course.*

Margaret:...We do not have much of it...Less than I thought, it would seem.

For those of you not nearly as well-learned as the mechanical construct...A Persona is a creature created of your own ego when it has developed enough. By this, I mean, you understand yourselves, including the negative concepts. Especially the negative concepts. This is a very simplified explanation of what a Persona is, but it is best you work with this for now. What a Persona truly is in full is a more complex subject. Very few can even summon Personas to begin with, and most go unaware of the ability, as they are not chosen nor put into such situations where they can even work...All nine of you seem capable, though, and you are here, chosen to wield one.

First, we must determine your Arcana. This is derived from the Tarot Deck...I have been made aware that this might violate a few religious principles for those involved, but I assure you, these cards only work for a simple reason. The reason is, we are here, in the Velvet Room, between the thought and the un-thought. Beliefs and wishes shape this place, as this place is effectively made of thought-thus, the power of the Tarot actually works here, as many believe that the Tarot have power. I can assure you that outside the Velvet Room, these cards are worthless as divination tools. In any case, I am not here to divine your future path...But what you are.

*Margaret reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small deck of twenty-two. She puts the cards down in front of her, on the table, without shuffeling, creating a spread of twenty two. Ten of the cards levitate and land into your laps.*

*SIVELOS got the FOOL, a card of a man with a bindle stick and a dog, number 0. APOPH got the WHEEL OF FORTUNE, which is a wheel with a regal beast at the top and a very mangy beast at the bottom, number 10. NIGHTMARE got the DEVIL, which is a pitcure of the titular, along with two D(a)emons of opposite gender chained to a pole underneath, standing, number 15. LIGHT CHAOS got the TEMPERANCE, a picture of a cup with water falling into it, a Triangle with a white, smaller triangle in it, a square, and a birded creature, clockwise from the top-left, on different-colored backgrounds, split into four spaces, with the number 14. ECRIVAIN got the HEIROPHANT, which seems to be dominated by a hat, with two small figures kneeling to it, number 5. TAZZ got the EMPEROR, a picture of a king, number 4. REBECCA got the EMPRESS, a picture of what is presumably a queen, number 3. BAHAMUT (not Ominous, mixed up there) got the JUSTICE, a sword doubling as a scale, number 8. WANDER got the SUN, a picture of exactly that and the number 19. Lastly, CARCINO gets the LOVERS, depicting exactly that and the number 6, to his confusion.*

*Margaret stares at Sivelos'es card for a while...*

Margaret:...No, not a Wild Card...It's nothing. Sometimes there are Wild Cards. They have the power to wield any Persona and use it as their own, a power of unlimited potential and usually representative of those who could be anything...It's usually found in the Fool's hands, making it a rare card to draw...But it seems that, in this case, this is not the Wild Card. Of course, the Fool is nothing to scoff at in and of itself. It still represents potential, and you have much of it, as do you all.

However...None of you can actually summon a Persona yet, sadly to say. I have merely given you the means for when you can.

Tazz: Why not?

Margaret: You must use the Card-interact with it in some way, whatever way you feel-and have an understanding of your Ego...Including the negative parts of it. This doesn't exactly represent evil...

*MARGARET's eyes drift to NIGHTMARE.*

Margaret:...Merely suppressed thoughts, deep things about yourself that you do not think of...Only Bahamut here can summon a Persona right now.

Bahamut:...Um, what? Is this because-

Margaret: You have had very little else to think about but yourself and Avalon, being bound to a chain and having no real ability to do anything. Was there anything else to think of but yourself? You had this ability by the time Avalon entered the Velvet room for his second time...It has only unlocked itself now, that you are solid and capable of action, Latries. Even then, I doubt that it has been brought to its full potential.

Bahamut:...It's Bahamut.

Margaret:...Oh, my apologies. I did not know you called yourself anything other than what you were. Rash behavior on my part...I presume that the rest of you would like to introduce yourselves to me before I continue? Also, any more questions?