Relaxed Observations [Gabe]

The brisk morning didn't exactly agree with Touko. She usually wasn't one to wake up early in the mornings, but the moment her eyes flitted open to see the soft greeting of dark, she was rather tempted to go back to sleep. But the woman had a rather odd feeling seeping into her bones that urged her to take a walk around outside of the Grotto. Being cooped up inside that enclosed space was not exactly what one would say was healthy physically or socially. Not that she cared, but it was a whimsical feeling of hers that was boosted by the coffee roast she was sipping through the orange ceramic.

Bitter and dark, that's how she always loved them. The harsh flavors complimented her droopy eyes, causing her to grunt in satisfaction as she drank before gingerly dropping off the mug at the kitchen sink. There was some work to be done, but none of the Persona Users that the Velvet Room had contracted bothered to contact her, save for a certain gambler. The familiar burning odor wafted in the office as she glanced at the amount of scant paperwork on her desk. It was that one glance that made her think better of it, procrastination always was a seductive and degenerative mistress. But it was good to see what the details were before sending it packing to the back of her mind.


She made one final puff of the cancer stick before sending it away to meet the same fate as its brothers in the ashtray. Looking through the documents, there were a couple of orders here and there for items of mystical interest. The Reflective Grotto was a simple front of a copier shop, serving as a conduit for supernatural goods. At least, that was what Touko had intended until being reinstated under Igor's wings. What a strange turn of fate. But all of that can wait as she addressed her whimsical seemingly-inconsequential desires.

As the door finally locked behind her while leaving the offices, Touko began to briskly walked around where her legs would take her and where her gut was in the mood for. For all of the good that did her, it was odd that she began to pass by the Dragon Spas that many seemed to frequent daily, if only to enjoy the Japanese experience than to commit to daily wash. Something had caught her eye, however.

The number of policemen standing near the inn seemed to be a passing interest to some. But the presence of law enforcement usually meant an event with an element of need that can only be fulfilled by the government. She studied the men in blue stationed there, noticing one of them looked rather fresh and another seemed to doze off. That alone seemed to indicate to the redhead that it was an extended event of sorts that the government didn't want anyone getting involved.

Time and time again, Gabe develops his skills to become the master of wasting time. But this time, t wasn't too much of a waste of time, Rick was actually planning to relax a little bit before he had to do anything stressful. Stressful activity was something that he looked to avoid, so Rick put in a reservation for a day pass at the spa. Rick has been at that spa on a few occasions, most notably when he went to the spa with his father once a year. It was the only time he was allowed to go out around the time he was very sickly. 

However the day pass was for two, and he needed someone to take with him. "Perhaps I will surprise Touko with this?" Gabe was always thinking of his attendant, not a lot of people tend to visit her, so Gabe brought it upon himself to make up for that.  However, when heading to the inn, Gabe couldn't help but to sigh heavily at the amount of police. " What happened here?" Gabe would say out loud as he spotted a familiar redhead around the area. "Touko?"

Touko had been idling away in thought as she continued to stare at the amount of law enforcement barring off the direction to the Dragon Spas. She began to draw out her phone and took a picture of the policemen barring the road. It was a good idea to take some form of documentation that verified the police were here. With a few presses here and there, Touko was able to time stamp the image to her satisfaction with an app. She sorely wanted to get in there, but she lacked the means to do so. While she had been awfully curious what could be worth protecting, someone familiar made his presence aware to her.


Touko sighed as she locked the phone and slipped back inside her coat pocket. She was feeling a tad disappointed that she couldn't use any powers to get her way in. But of course, they were meager compared to her younger age as an Attendant. With the potential she had right now, all it took were some two-bit Cadets to take her down, not exactly wise to rely on brute force to get in anyways. But never mind that, the younger boy who was here had her attention.

She grasped her hip with a free hand and leaned to the side in faint curiosity as her maroon hues laid themselves over Gabe's figure. Oddly enough they were meeting up quite frequently. But perhaps that was to be expected as they had a contract together. "What brings you here, Gatsby?"

Oh, so you don't know?" Gabe would say with a frown as he looked over to the security once more. Afterward, he would turn to Touko. "Well, i had a small deal with the spa that involved a day pass, two for the price of one. I came by to cash it in and call you over, figuring that you would have needed somewhat of a break from work, you know?" Gabe would say with a smile as he showed the tickets. " Doing something nice for my attendant every once in a while isnt required in a manual or anything, but a showing of appreciation to those who side with you can definatley go a long way. " Gabe returned the tickets to his pocket. "Maybe i should take a picture of what is going on and send an email to the site's email, demanding a refund? Doesn't look like they are going to let us in. 

"Unfortunately."

It sounded like Gabe didn't know either, what a shame. She wondered what the rest of the Psyche-Terrorists of this cycle were doing. A smile spread on her lips as she heard of the Psyche-Terrorist's thoughtful act. How kind of him. After dealing with that order from an 'old friend' of hers, a trip to the Spas would be well-worth the relaxation. But it was an utter shame that it was being blocked off right now. "Mmn, probably not. I have an odd feeling that the staff are a little busy right now."

Touko didn't exactly know why. But somewhere in her spine, there was something sinister behind those officers. And something else was keeping it at bay. What exactly, was what she wanted to know. But maybe she can find out later.

I guess it's worth an investigation for another time, but not a second longer. One way or another, I will gain a different date, or receive a refund. " Now Gabe wasn't petty or anything, he just maintained a strong set of principles that he liked to hold in order. Without withholding them, people tend to have the idea that they can always get one up on you, Gabe didn't want that to be contagious in the least. "Breakfast? Sure thing, I don't mind joining you for a small coffee or so. I was actually going to tell you a bit about what happened the other night, I don't know if you guys automatically receive updates or anything of the sort. So with that being said, I thought it wouldn't be considered as going out of my way to tell you about it." Gabe would then allow her to show him to the place. "Lead the way.."

Touko's lips flitted into a pleased smirk. She turned and began to move to the designated establishment, but not before she gestured with a single index finger for him to follow her. As the redhead walked, she found herself in the mood for a cigarette in this chilly morning. Flicking the box to allow a filter to poke out, she then offered it to him. "Want a smoke?"

If he did, Touko would be sure to help him light it for him. If not, the woman would shrug, utter a "Suit yourself", and then light one up for herself. She enjoyed the sensation of the cancer stick. Unfortunately she would find little time to enjoy it completely when they finally reached the diner. But it wasn't unexpected and what person wouldn't like to have a quick smoke at times?

"After you," she said while opening the door for him. Upon entering, it was your average everyday diner with the smell of breakfast meals and coffee wafting in the air. What was first noticed was the relative busy activity in the place. But it didn't take long for a waitress to finally sit them at a table and leaving them behind with a menu for the pair. "What will you be having?"

It only took her a single glance to know what she wanted. Yesterday was an omelet with hashbrowns and plain toast with coffee. Today, her peckish-ness wanted a good meal of eggs, home fries, and sausage with French toast. Her eyes eventually moved form the menu to the Persona User, waiting expectantly for his response. "How was your last evening, by the way?"

"Maybe later, i'm trying to cut down afterall. Smoking was never really my thing but it goes up in question as to how much pressure it actually takes away? Maybe it's selish of me to try to hold on to as may years as i can?"  Gabe would say with a small smirk as he followed her, still having the situation with the in at the back of his mind. Gabe wanted to know what was going on, but maybe that would be for another time.  After they arrived at the Diner, Gabe would pick up the menu breifly and look it over for a few seconds before answering. "I think i'll settle with an omlet and a cup of coffee to start. " After that, Gabe would close the menu and wait for it to be taken away.

"The last evening? Disorganized so say the least, there is alot to hope for when it coems to everyone working towards a common goal. I'm worried...

As the diner's waitress took their menus away and walked off towards the kitchen, Touko flitted an amused smile on her face. Just one evening alone, they were already facing problems? It wasn't unheard for a bunch of teenagers and young adults to come at odds with each other at first. But it promised a kind of conflict that would be fun to watch to see if they tried to come in terms with each other. In an environment like this, where even the populace would fear them, it was interesting to see how they were going to figure out how to deal with the obstacles ahead.

"You are all in the midst of your journey. It would be odd that you didn't face any hardship along the way," Touko reminded the young man as the soft jazz music crooned from the diner's sound system, "But this is only the beginning. I'm sure you will all pull through. Yet do tell me what exactly happened that night, I've been wondering what you've been up to."

If only that hardship wasn't based off of us sabotaging each other. " Gabe would say a bit sarcastically as he mulled over her words. What kind of story should he tell? Should he sugarcoat it?" Well, not step by step, maybe what stands out the most. Two things, ok? Or maybe three." Gabe would say in a low voice as he brought up one finger. "For starters, depending on your skill level, each  situation is based upon a quality that you might or might not have. There's no real jack of all trades, so you are mostly shooting in the dark. We had successes, but how about when someone purposely gets it wrong?" Gabe would say questioningly as he raised two fingers. He was extra careful as he leaned over. " The frog prince, right?  The one that can use more than one persona, he said the wrong answer on prupose. Then there was a gren haired girl that got angry at him and tried to kill him, all of this occured as his wrong answer sumoned a giant snowman that put us on the fence, desperately."

Leaning back again , Gabe sighed as he put up the final finger. "Three, much like the government outside of the inn, they were also there. Well, some kind of demon foot soldiers. They kidnapped one of the demons running the trials, but we saved them. However, if they found that place once, i'm skeptical of showing up again

She listened to what he had to say. For the most part, it was a first that the Wild Card was actually this chaotic. And even less of a team player, someone who derived their power from Social Links. This was a rather depressing start and she couldn't blame Gabriel for feeling this way. "Jeez, the bastion of your group is acting like a complete pissant? That's very... unfortunate. Nevertheless, the key to everything does lie with him no matter how much you hate it or not. But regardless, it is up to you if you wish to continue associating with him."

The maroon hues of her eyes gave off a glimmer of increased interest as he began to talk more about the demons. She had long suspected the government had some demons in control and there it was, the proof. This was certainly an interesting piece of evidence, but why were they there? Did someone tip them off? "You're free to not go. But that hideout is a significant path that will definitely lead you somewhere. Though I'm sure the Psyche Terrorists there will have some kind of plan in case something goes too awry. But tell me, what were these government demons like?"

"it's not like I have anything in common with that person anyway. This power doesn't make you special in any way, it's just a tool that's used to help you survive as things go south. I've been more accepting of things by maintaining that mindset, no matter how morbid it turns out to be every now and again. But if h truly is the key, then it basically explains why he acts the way that he does. A certain need of someone's presence in order to find more answers, bolsters their ego to uncontained heights, and that's when mistakes starts to happen. "

Gabe took out his "deck" of cards and started to shuffle, something that he tends to do idly, thinking of something, or straight up stressed. "Well, if you honestly think that there is some worth in going back once more, I 'll take your advice. " What were the demons like?" From what i heard, two people or.. human..or maybe they weren't... whatever they were, they fused together to make some sort of horse rider abomination. But the cross breed seemingly human references is rather disturbing. What can you make of it?

Touko's smile turned a strange mix of sardonic and faint interest... but also of nostalgia. Her eyes seemed to noting that she was thinking of something in the back of her mind. As if remembering an old memory of hers. "The funny thing is, people like him do not realize their true importance until very much later on. And that may reveal itself in unsatisfactory ways, but... many don't mind."

She was itching for a cigarette, but sadly had little patience with such pleasures. But it was only for a little while, abstaining from it hasn't really killed anyone. It was only a matter of will and commitment if anything else. But Touko didn't exactly do it out of mere enjoyment.

"Hard to tell when I've never seen it face-to-face," Touko admitted, "It isn't unheard of for demons to disguise themselves. But neither is it unheard of for them to possess humans or for humans to become one. That's a tricky thing there. But that's all I can say, unfortunately."

Regrettable, but this was as best as she can make of it. But it was fine. Knowing that there were actual demons working with the government and that they were making a conscious effort to disguise themselves did interest her and verify a lot of things. "It is quite possible that there will be more left. After all, some of those demons from the government are going to notice it missing. Whether you abstain from tonight, is up to you. But if you wish to find answers to more about this city... I suggest you go."

"I don't wish evil on the man or anything like that. I just hope those unsatisfactory ways aren't done at my expense or anything like that, there are still things i have to do. I understand being responsible for your own life, but i can already imagine the situations that will change that. "Hard to tell huh?" Why dont you come along then? I could use the company, and you could get yourself a little mask in order to cover yourself up, hopefully. I don't know what i'm trying to say i guess. "Gabe would then reveal a four of a kind. "Maybe people work best with people they know the best." Gabe left the cards on the table for a while as he sat back. "Alright, if i find anything interesting, i'll be sure to tell you about it.

"You're a good man," Touko chuckled at his words, her smile began to grow more sardonic. Though they weren't the kind to be mocking at Gabriel, but it was up to the guy to decide if it was or not. But his words were indeed very pure and innocent in a couple of ways. Perhaps there were still some upstanding people even in a place like this. "Unfortunately, as a resident of the Velvet Room, I cannot take such an active role as I mentioned before. This is your Journey, not mine. But I am always open to give suggestions, dear."

Finally the waitress came in with their foodr The hubbub in the restaurant and their small exchange had a way of making the timing of the restaurant staff seem so small. It's funny how conversations worked. "Of course. I'll be looking forward to it. Now. Let's eat."

And she began to dig in. But before she took another bite, Touko began to ask him, "Say. Remind me what you did during these five years after the Divide?"