Empty Pockets (Open, 2 more people)

The wanderer had the feeling that he shouldn't have opened his mouth: both girls now wanted to solve the "mysteries of Ueitawa", mysteries that someone else had probably solved already years ago. Other than the web, there weren't many other places to search for information, as they couldn't simply fly to Japan from Azores... if the girl with the scarf had enough money and time to do that, Leander wouldn't stop her, but he wouldn't stick with her either. Same thing applied to the blonde girl. However, she did say she was going to pay for his food, and the wanderer himself couldn't help but feel some curiosity towards the mystery.

"...alright." He answered in a troubled tone of voice. "Then let's go right away. There's a restaurant around here that I like, so you'll treat me to food and we can start with this Ueitawa thing right away." Leander carried his backpack to where his items were, and quickly placed all his stuff back inside. He was a man that liked to start working on something the very same moment he decides to do so, and the two girls probably wouldn't complain about that. After putting his backpack on his back, Leander led the two girls to a family restaurant at the other side of the block, a common-looking one with not too many people inside. As soon as they walked in, a waitress took them to a table by the window and asked them to wait a moment for someone to come take their orders.

"Well then," he said as he opened his backpack again and pulled out a laptop, something that would certainly surprise the scarf girl, who still thought he was a homeless person, "right now we can only search through the web and hope for the best... but first, let's introduce each other, now that we're doing something else than trading: my name is Leander Arni. Call me Lea if you want."

The girl would follow him to said restaurant and take a seat -- stopping as he pulled a laptop out of his backpack. Indeed, it seemed she had been mistaken when Azami thought of this man as homeless. The fact that he had been to Ueitawa was justifiable but it made no sense for him to possess a laptop if he couldn't even afford a meal. Still, he couldn't have been a con-man. If he was he would have been rooting in jail for his blatant failure at concealing such a secret. Besides, why would he sell actual items with some potential value when he could simply beg people for cash? Ultimately she wasn't sure what to make of him. No sane man would wear dirty clothes and sit on the side of the street selling random trinkets if he could afford luxuries such as laptops and trips to foreign countries.

It didn't show on her face this time however. Azami had returned to her usual state and had became composed once again -- having a blank face as she looked at the man. "I thought you mentioned something about starving to death; or is sitting on streets alone in dirty suits and selling random trinkets to teenagers a hobby of yours?" The girl questioned in a monotone. Her voice had no disdain and not simply because she concealed but rather because it wasn't present. She had gotten an actual product from him despite how she mainly had purchased it simply to support what she thought to be an individual in need of monetary aid. Honestly, she didn't know what this man's game was. It was simply nonsensical.

"I'm Azami Aihara; a first year at Zela Academy."

When the man decided to walk off toward the restaurant, Naomi would follow after him with a smirk. She wondered if she should try to be a detective. That was something she hadn’t tried out yet and it sounded like fun. She could even act like one of those private investigators that were in the old black and white movies. She would have to practice the way she spoke to get that particular form of speech down, but she figured she could do it with enough time, ‘She walked into my office like hot wind in July’ . She was already starting to understand just what she was supposed to do. If that was all it took to be a detective, she would have it mastered in no time.

As they reach the place, she would lower her parasol to go inside. This place wasn’t anything like Martha’s and it almost made her flinch. The woman would never forgive her if she went to someone else to get food. Naomi could already feel the woman breathing down her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. She would take a seat with the others, anyway, so she wasn’t alone. Maybe Martha would understand if she said she was invited by some other people.

When Leander pulled out his laptop, Naomi would bring out her tablet. She could access the internet with it, so it was useful for this sort of thing. When Azami started speaking again, she would tilt her head in confusion, “Isn’t that just a job? Everyone needs to make money somehow and if you don’t, you’ll starve.” Naomi had never assumed the man was homeless, just that he needed to earn money like everybody else, “Besides, didn’t you approach him? It’s not his fault if you assumed something and ended up being wrong. He’s also offering to help you find information on Ueitawa. Seems fair to me.” Not that the man needed defending, but she hated to see the other one misunderstand the situation they were currently in.

Though most people would feel insulted by Azami's remark, Leander found it amusing more than anything, and he actually agreed with her: he did look kind of homeless, so it wouldn't be strange for someone to make the assumption that he didn't have money at all... even though that was actually the case. Naomi seemed to understand what he was doing a little better, and once she finished, he couldn't help but laugh for a second.

"Well, well, I don't really mind." Leander said with a smile, thinking that some explaination was necessary: "It's true that I don't have much money right now, but that's not always the case. There was a time when I had enough to save for a laptop; laptops are useful, after all... but I'm usually on the 'poor' side of things. Y'see, I'm a traveler, and selling stuff is the way to go for someone that doesn't stay more than a few weeks in the same place." Even though he was actually planning to stay in Azores for a longer time. He wasn't planning to talk about himself any longer though: they were there for a reason, and he planned to get as much information as he could in order to repay the meal.

The waitress returned to take their orders. Leander ordered a big sandwich and a drink, and then he waited for the other two to say what they wanted. Once they were finished, the waitress would leave. He'd use the next few seconds to properly turn on his laptop, wait for it to boot up, and then open an internet tab after securing the local connection.

"How about we start for the time being?" He'd finally announce. "Naomi, could you search in your tablet for news articles and similar stuff? In English, if possible, so we can all understand. And... Azami, right?" He'd confirm the name before proceeding. "I'm just guessing by your name... but can you read japanese? I can speak it, but reading is beyond me. I'd like you to help me search japanese boards and forums in search of rumors. If that 'Kizuna Academy' had something of the sorts, it'd be helpful."

Come to think of it, she said she was from Zela Academy, the same school Leader graduated from. Considering that she was interested in books, she may be part of the Literature Club. It'd be a big coincidence, considering that Leander was also part of it until the time he graduated. He decided to ask her about it later.

"It's not that I disdain him or are attempting to accuse him of wrongdoing. I was simply curious of why he chooses to do such things yet was able to afford a trip to Japan and a laptop. I'm not aware of his circumstances but normally you wouldn't expect such a visit to be conducted nor such a technology to be possessed by a homeless man." Azami responded to Naomi calmly; proceeding to listen to his response. It seemed plausible enough and even if it hadn't been the girl had lost interest in pursuing answers to these questions. They didn't really serve any practical purpose and would just be digging at straws for absolutely no reason. Plus, there was the matter of the mystery -- something she was ready to look into and far more interested in than his financial circumstances.

"Unfortunately I can't read Japanese despite my name. I know a little but I don't think I'd be capable of fully deciphering the various Japanese texts. I can look into Kizuna Academy though; that is, anything in English relating to it." Azami would state; deciding to bring a suggestion to the plate.

"I remember my grandmother mentioning a news website on the happenings of the Azore Region. On there there's also a forum for general discussion. I think that if we posted something up someone might be able to inform us of some leads. Of course, we'd have to look into exactly what they were stating and utilize critical thinking before we could consider it valid to our investigation but none the less it'd still be a good course of action. After all it can't do any harm."

"Aside from that we could look into some translators -- though they aren't always 100% accurate of course."

Her eyes would grow large when Leander said he traveled, “That is so cool. Have you seen the entire word?” She had never left Azores, so she was wondering what the outside world looked like. She would nod in understanding when Azami explained her reasoning. She understood wanting to help people. Although, she should know that anytime she spent money, she was helping people because money helped pay employs and buy more stuff that other people had made. It was a never ending cycle of helping people. It’s why she didn’t mind spending money, even though it was something she would rather hold on to.

Naomi would laugh a little under her breath, “It’s okay. Even if we can’t read Japanese, we can just use a translator. Well, as long as you don’t mind reading bad English.” She couldn’t speak Japanese herself, but she did have a few decent ways to turn in to a language she did understand, “Even if they aren’t the best.” She’d look at Azami when saying that, “As long as you’re creative, you can learn a lot.” Her fingers would begin to glide across the screen of her tablet as she searched for anything related to Ueitawa, the murders, and the quarantine.

((Muse tired. She sleep now and I give you short post))

"Not the entire world, just parts of it." The wanderer would respond. "Of course, I think I've at least visited a country in every continent, so I've seen a lot of things. There are many ways to travel and work at the same time if you don't have a set destination, so I took advantage of that." Working in a cargo ship was an option: they usually didn't care much about what type of person you are as long as you're willing to work. If workers are somewhere recruiting to go build or mine at the other side of the country, that works too: you just need to be prepared to be worked to the bone.

There was truth in Azami's words: even if they couldn't read the text itself, they could still copy/paste it into a translator to get the general meaning of the sentence. Leander wasn't too fond of the method: when possible, he prefered to read something in its original language, so nothing is lost. However, considering that they didn't have an actual japanese person there to translate for them, they'd have to do with the cheap internet translators. He sighed, remembering the times when he had the tools to do a proper investigation job.

"Then Azami, take a look at the Azores rumour board. It's your school's board, but it'll make do. Read the threads, and then post asking about Ueitawa. With some luck, someone will respond." She could do it with her phone. If her phone wasn't good enough for the job, she could simply snatch Leander's laptop for a second. The wanderer began to do what the girls recommended and searched through japanese webpages with a translator in an open tab. He went through forums and boards first, as news sites would probably tell him what he already knew.

He quickly stumbled with the Ueitawa's Dazzler Rumour Board. Translating one of the first topics he found gave him an interesting piece of information: users were talking about a red fog that had suddenly appeared in a city. "Red fog, huh..." He kept translating, hoping to find a better explaination.

"Aye, aye captain." Azami would respond to Leander; pulling out her phone and browsing through the articles. It didn't seem like anything on the rumor board was related to it -- hell, there weren't even really that many topics. Such circumstances didn't exactly fill her with confidence but none the less there was still the chance of someone responding to her post. So, with that, she began typing up a topic and would press enter upon finishing.

Just as she was about to inform the group of the lack of topics concerning it however she noticed several news articles; one of which that had been posted recently. It seemed that several people within the Azores Region themselves had disappeared. According to the most recent article they had been found safely and the culprit had been captured. At the same time though, despite its incredible likelihood of being a simple coincidence, the circumstances were similar.

"I didn't find anything of significance on the rumor board and posted up the topic but you guys might wanna hear about this. You said that the people in Ueitawa had disappeared before their bodies were found -- right?"

With that Azami would proceed to summarize the news articles; informing the two of the disappearance and reemergence of the two potential victims. It was a stretch and she herself clearly had large doubts concerning its relation to the previous case but none the less it wouldn't hurt to inform them of such. Maybe it wasn't likely that they had a relationship when it came to the cases but none the less it was still a possibility.

Naomi would actually get a visible pout when Leander said he hadn’t seen the entire world, “That’s too bad. If you had, you would be the coolest person in the world. Although, you’ve still seen more than me.” She wasn’t sure if that meant she was uncool or if she just wasn’t as cool. Then again, her aim wasn’t to be cool. She just wanted to be Naomi and have fun, “I think I’d rather save up so I don’t have to work when I’m trying to relax though. Maybe a cruise or something. No where to go but across the ocean.”

When Azami brought up the article about the two missing girls and Lewis capture, Naomi’s face would go white for a split second. She knew the article didn’t mention anything about the people who found them, but she was still nervous about anyone finding out just what had happened that day. She would shake her head at the girl, “That has nothing to do with Ueitawa, I’m sure.” She would turn off her tablet and sigh deeply, “Maybe this was a bad idea. It doesn’t seem like we’re getting anywhere. I don’t even think anything exists.” She really didn’t want to talk about the problems in Azores, especially since she had seen what had happened before she brought the girls back, “You know, this is probably just one of those creepy stories people like to post online. Like the one about the clown statue. I think the lack of information proves that.” She just wanted to change the subject at this point. Talking about this was making her feel sick.

Leander listened to what Azami had found. It didn't have anything to do with Ueitawa, but rather with something that had been happening around Azores. The information wasn't entirely new for the wandered, as he had seen something similar on the news, but it was the first time he actually heard the full story: about how two girls disappeared, one after the other, only to be found at the same time and place. People disappearing was a normal occurence in every city, but for some reason people were making a big fuss about it, as if it was part of something bigger. It was strange, sure, but again, news like those were common in every single part of the world. Just what was so interesting about the disappearance of two people? Maybe it was his inner historian talking, saying that past events were far more interesting, but he felt that he couldn't be bothered by it.

But before he could share his thoughts with the group, Naomi talked, saying that it wasn't a good idea to look into that and that it wouldn't get them anywhere. Considering how cheerful she was before about investigating some murders, her reaction was certainly strange: it seemed as if he didn't want anything to do with that or something. Maybe the thought of getting somewhat involved with a series of kidnappings/disappearances in Azores scared her? If so, Leander couldn't blame, but it was still rather suspicious.

He decided to check the topic Azami had posted in the school's rumour board. She asked about Ueitawa, without giving any specifics, probably knowing full well that the chances of getting a valid answer was slim at most. As expected, someone had replied back, dismissing her question entirely in a really annoying way. Interestingly enough, he had also mentioned the disappearances in Azores, hinting that something else may be going on in the shadows. Curious, Leander wrote an answer back in his laptop, hoping to get some information out of this guy.

The following response irritated him. There was something about this 'Box' person that he didn't like. His tone of voice... or rather, the way he wrote, made Leander grow a bit impatient, and thus he was a little bit more aggressive with his next post. Azami also contributed, sending a message on her own. And when the wanderer saw 'ObviouslyaBox' calling himself a 'true detective and reporter', he felt like punching the guy in the face. There was something he really disliked about self proclaimed reporters... he simply couldn't stand them, thinking themselves superior to people that studied the past instead of the present, like Leander. He wrote one last post, trying to make the 'reporter' spill some beans, but it was then that the 'Box' person sent a message that, on Leander's eyes, was taunting:

Oh you guys are still here?! Go out and look! I bet there's just clues waiting for ya outside the victims! Talk to someone! Search somewhere!

"...fine." He wrote a quick response in irritation. "Sorry girls, but I'm going to start looking into these disappearances in Azores now. I hope you don't mind." He wasn't going to lose to a 2nd class reporter that frequented internet boards... not that he was any different. His fingers moved quickly, opening a few tabs and getting into different news articles. First disappearance: Lune Dalamar, student, last seen around Lunapa. Second disappearance: Rinna Lauderdale, worked in the History Museum, assaulted by a fugitive in the run. This fugitive is Lewis Rhodes, and it seems he's quite the dangerous individual. He was captured after the two girls were found, and now they are in intensive care. Apparently, he claimed to be guilty for the disappearances. That would be all, but people still believe there's something else going on. Leander gave all of this some thought in silence, without taking notice of what the other two were doing.

[The thread]

Azami would input a few more messages; her input seemingly being ignored by detective Box -- the thread quickly seeming to grind to a halt. None the less it wasn't that big of a disappointment. If anything she was surprised that no one attempted to push false information into the topic.  Regardless though, the rumor board had been rendered pointless as expected.

It seemed Leander quickly went into an alternate investigation concerning the disappearances in the Azores Region. It was sure to be likely more easy than looking into Ueitawa considering a lack of a language barrier. On the other hand Naomi in general seemed to turn a sickly white; apparently frightened from the looks of it or at least feeling sick when it came to the Azores case.

Azami would simply sigh. She had simply gotten caught up in the thrill of interest. In the end there was no reason for her to continue taking this so seriously. While she still might look into it there was absolutely no reason to let her weekend be swallowed up by these matters. The time she spent with the two had, in the end, simply been a waste from the looks at it. Everyone seemed to be on different pages. Leander wanted to investigate the Azores disappearances whereas Naomi didn't and Azami herself thought the main focus should have been on Ueitawa; with them potentially looking into the Azores cases to see if there was any hypothetical connection.

"I think I'm just gonna go." The girl would speak; standing up and putting enough money to afford a filling meal on the table. Leander, though on a different investigation, still seemed to be willing to look into the matter. It was unfortunate that in the end though Azami wouldn't get anywhere sitting around a restaurant with them.

With that she'd simply close her phone and, if not interrupted, walk straight out of the restaurant in silence.

She would sigh at herself. She hadn’t meant to ruin something that was supposed to be fun, but Leander and Azami had brought up something she was still reeling over. She wouldn’t really feel fine about the entire thing until she knew the whole story. But for now, she didn’t know how Rinna or Lune where doing, so she was worried about them. But she didn’t want other people looking too deeply into it. She knew it was unlikely, but she was afraid someone would find out about the supernatural and then all panic would break loose. She needed to protect both sides.

“Azami.” Naomi would call after the girl as she was getting ready to leave, “You know, sometimes it’s good to just talk instead of getting caught up in things.” Her voice would trail off as she spoke. She was still learning how to speak to people directly. She turned her tablet back on and flipped through the pictures she had saved. When she found the one she was looking for, she would face it towards Azami. She didn’t want to leave this meeting one a bad note. She wanted it to be at least something Azami could recall as being partially good. She would face it towards Leander too, so he could see. She really wanted to get along with both of them, despite her trying to get them off the topic of the kidnappings.

Spoiler:

Leander would lift his eyes up briefly to watch Azami standing up. If she wanted to go, then she was free to do so; even though she had been the most interested in investigating Ueitawa from the trio, there wasn't anything binding her to the task: she had even left money on the table to pay for the promised lunch. Now there really was no reason for her to stay. Knowing this, he simply lift a hand in the air to bid his farewells, and would return his eyes back to the screen of his laptop.

But it was then that Naomi spoke. She was trying to make Azami open up a little before she left. The picture on her laptop was that of two small, anime-esque girls, with letters that read "cute chibi friends". Was she trying to say that she wanted them to be friends? For the three of them to get along.

"..." For a moment, Leander reminisced about the past few years. He had a couple of friends back at school, but he had long since lost contact with them. When he decided to travel the world, he got to meet a lot of people and get into many deep conversations with some of them... but because of his lifestyle, that of moving from place to place without staying anywhere for more than a few weeks, he had never made a proper 'friend'. No one to talk with, no one to hang out with... thinking about it was sad, really. Maybe Azami was the same, taking her personality in consideration. But would being friends with the two of them actually work out? Even he wasn't certain of how long he was going to stay in Azores. Plus, they were high school girls, much younger than him. But still...

"If you want to leave, that's up to you." Leander would finally say, before flashing a smile: "But it was kinda fun: it's been a while since I last got motivated to look into something. Sorry for getting a bit carried away. I hope that we can, I dunno, meet again sometime in the future."

Azami would look back at the two as Naomi spoke; showing her an image that seemed to indicate a desire for friendship followed by Leander adding his own words to the mix. After a few seconds of silence she'd simply look back at the door and walk towards it -- standing there for a few seconds before sighing and returning to the table in silence.

She would half blush when both Leander and Azami understood what she meant when she showed them the picture. She felt even better when Azami came back, “Thank you…” The words would come out almost like a whisper, “Well, now that we have that out of the way.” She would look around as if trying to keep a big secret, “Who likes chocolate?” If either of them answered that they did, Naomi would pull small chocolates from her purse and hand them to the others. Her bag was an endless supply of candy, since she ate it when she got hungry, “But Azami said she goes to Zela. Do you like it there?” Naomi hadn’t been to school in a while, so she was always wondering what other people thought of it. She would then turn her gaze back to Leander, “Did you go to school too? Where did you go?” She realized that she hadn’t asked them anything about their personal lives aside from their names. She didn’t feel like it was intruding, since she didn’t ask about anything too personal.