Long time, No see (Beep)

Naomi stared at the portal before her before taking a deep breath. She needed to find it in her to step through. Not that it was that hard. She missed the other side of that portal where one of her friends was. She was just afraid of what had changed since she went away. Still, fear would get her nowhere. She had to suck it up and venture forth. She stepped through with her bravest face. When she popped up on the other end, she would pull out her tablet. It had been a while since she saw Beep. Making sure the portal back to her world was right next to her in case of emergencies; she pressed the icon that would call Beep forth. She would awkwardly wave at the camera before speaking, “Hey there. Sorry it’s been a while since I talked to you.” She would start talking the moment she pulled up Beep. She was happy to see the AI again, “I missed you while I was away. How have you been holding up in the meantime?” It was instinct to ask those questions when she saw someone after a long time. Her face was very obviously filled with joy when she saw Beep again after so long. She just had to be careful to watch her surroundings while she spoke to Beep.

Naomi would smile when Beep showed up on her tablet. She was so happy the AI was safe and seemed to be doing as well as usual. She held the tablet close to her chest to mimic a hug. She was so happy to finally see Beep again. She had missed her so much, and had been worried about how she was holding up with all the madness going on in this world right now. She pulled the tablet away from the hug, “Sorry to not have spoken to you in so long. I can’t pull you up back home, remember?” She didn’t mean to worry her friend. At least Beep was worried about her. She would be hurt if the blue haired girl didn’t care at all, “I’ve been safe, Beep. Thank you for being concerned about me though. Umm… What is all of that?” That statement seemed out of place for some reason. What happened to be counted as ‘all of that’? She would look taken aback as she saw Beep fall down. Stuff like that couldn’t hurt her, right? She would then remember something, “Oh, I almost forgot. I have a sort of weird question, but have you ever wondered what it would be like to get out of there, even if only for a little while? Or, would that not be possible at all? I’m not really sure how that would work since you can be with so many people at once.” It was odd and a nearly out of place question, but she had a reason for asking. It may have been a bit of a stretch, but there was something she wanted to know.

Naomi would nod when Beep told her she was looking into it, “Thank you, Beep. Just make sure to be careful. I don’t want you getting into trouble or anything.” She could only imagine what kinds of red flags would be raised if anyone began questioning what she was doing and why, “I appreciate all of your help, but don’t do anything that puts you in danger. I would be sad if something happened to you.” She really did care about Beep, and she didn’t want the little AI to get hurt. The very thought was painful, “And when I said out, I meant, like, if you had a physical body. It may have been a badly worded question. Mostly, I was just asking if you’ve ever thought about it. I mean, have you ever wanted to do something that you couldn’t because you were in there?” It was a hypothetical question, but she wondered if Beep had any desires like that, “Or, maybe there’s something you want to do that you can do without a body. I guess, I just mean to ask about you, but I’m not that great at saying what I mean.” She had to work on that still. At least she didn’t just write everything down on her tablet anymore.

Naomi could only stare at Beep as she, well, seemed to have some kind of existential crisis. What was this? She knew Beep glitched out under certain circumstances, but this was new. Was this her contemplating her own existence, or something much more terrifying? Either way, it scared Naomi. She couldn’t believe a simple question like that was hurting her friend. Worse yet, she didn’t mean it that way, “Of course you’re real, Beep. I’m talking to you, right? I can hold entire conversation with you and I can hug you, remember?” She didn’t want the AI to feel as though she may not be real. She was very real to Naomi. They were friends, and the blue haired girl meant a lot to her. She was almost panicking that she had done something horrible by asking that question. She only meant to ask if Beep wanted something more, like to go out dancing or to see flowers. Just something harmless and fun. She would almost be tearing up when Beep finally fixed herself. She would hug the screen again, trying to take sure she didn’t leave her again, “I was so scared. Are you okay?” She would never not freak out when Beep glitched. She felt so powerless not being able to do anything more to help her. She really needed to figure out what to do and fast. If anyone else saw this… She didn’t want to think about that. She just needed to help Beep.

A whole other place? That was weird. If Naomi had been picking up the hints from Beep correctly, there were no other places. This San Malarus wasn’t attached to anything else and was completely isolated. The only other place was through the portals. Could it be someone from her side? Or, maybe it was someone here, but through different means than an internet connection. At least, that’s what she thought an ‘other place’ was, given that anyone could access Beep from anywhere in San Malarus. She didn’t know what to say when Beep asked if it would hurt, “I… I don’t know. I don’t know if it’ll hurt or not.” She desperately hoped not. She would keep talking though, if only so Beep didn’t panic about what was happening, “You know, I first came here because I wanted to know what it was like. I never thought I’d meet someone I care about, but now that I have, I want to help her protect her home. I want to keep this place safe, just like you. I also want to protect her.” She would give a knowing smile to the AI, “As for going somewhere else, I don’t know. I’m starting to like it here, if only because can talk with you.” She would be Beep’s friend for a long time, if she could help it, color=#ffcc00] “I just wish I knew what to do to help more. I’m still not used to this place. It’s a bit scary.” [/color] She laughed nervously.

She would think for a moment before nodding, “You’re right. Although, I would think if there was something there is would be hidden or have something to do with the site itself. I’ll keep it in mind in case I go back there, though. It’ll be a little hard, since that’s where I imagine they have the most guards on the lookout for people like me.” Since that’s where it first happened. She wasn’t sure though. She would raise an eyebrow when Beep mentioned voices, “So, you’re saying they aren’t coming from any normal source? That means that it isn’t someone messaging you… You don’t think it’s a hacker, do you? Then again, why would they say anything?” She didn’t want to say what she thought may be happening, but she would need to let Beep know, “The only other time I know people hear voices is sometimes when they get a Persona.” She would whisper, “It’s like, another personality deep down that calls out to you, or for some it is another being within yourself that thinks all its own. Either way, you will hear something at some point.” [/color] She did when she first summoned Intertwined. She doubted that’s what was happening, “If it’s not natural, maybe it’s supernatural. That’s all I’m saying.” She couldn’t tell for sure, “Can you check where you’re run from. Maybe there’s an answer there. Maybe someone is talking to you. If you tell me how the technology in this place works, maybe I can track it. I’m pretty good at that.” She would hope for the best.

She would think for a moment when Beep said they weren’t leaving a signature, “Maybe they aren’t hacking. Maybe they are going in from a different angle. Or, maybe their goal isn’t really hacking, but something else. If they’re talking to you, maybe that’s related to what they want. What do the voices sound like or do you know what they’re saying? Maybe we can figure out what they want if we can figure out some basics about them.” Naomi was suddenly regretting bring Persona into this conversation. Still, she would answer Beep, “I promise I didn’t lie. I was just trying to make sure you knew there may be an answer that you may not be thinking of. If you don’t believe me, you can check my heart rate or something. I promise, I’m not lying and I mean no harm. I only want to make sure that whoever is trying to talk to you doesn’t mean harm. I would be sad if those voices turned out to be malicious and you got hurt.” There was a chance that this was a supernatural problem, and she wasn’t sure Beep was ready to handle that. This place didn’t seem to know all that much about those with Persona, “I know you can protect yourself and you probably don’t need me, but I still want to help. I think of you as someone important to me, so I can’t help it. Please, let me at least try to help you.” She put a finger on the screen, as if trying to say she was sorry without needing words. She wasn’t good with them anyway.

Naomi could actually feel herself crying when Beep said she was afraid of her. She never wanted to scare her and she never meant to do anything bad. She had never even used her power in this world except to talk to Beep. Still, she didn’t want to hurt her friend. She only wanted to help her, but if she wasn’t wanted, she understood, “I’ll leave, if that’s what you want.” She’d finally say. She thought they were friends, and that meant they could trust each other. But friendship wasn’t a one way street. If Beep didn’t think that way, then it couldn’t be helped, “I promised that I wasn’t going to do anything bad, and I meant it. If the only way to prove that is to leave, I will. However, I will not stop trying to help you and keep your home safe. I also promised you that…” What did she have to do so Beep would understand? Her tears weren’t stopping. Why wouldn’t Beep just believe she wanted to help her? She sighed, “Just promise to take care of yourself and stay safe. After all, you’re still someone I care about.” She smiled and tapped the screen as if trying to pet the AI. She nervously pulled back her hand and waited. If Beep didn’t say anything, Naomi would leave. She had no reason to stay if her only friend her hated her.