Time to have FUN! [Charles]

"H-huh?" One moment, he was standing on the stage, while the next, a flurry of people pushed him down as they tried getting off stage. It wasn't their fault, but eh, he wasn't even able to congratulate Mae on her victory. On a different note... he seemed to have been losing balance and/or getting pushed by people more and more frequently these last couple of days.

"Great! Then just call me on this number so I- or my manager, can fill you in on the details." She handed Mae a piece of paper, her card, and skittled away. "Tooraloo, cya and congrats!"

Charles stood there for a brief moment, surrounded by a flowing mass of people, all cheering and chatting and just generally making noise, when he noticed Mae running up to him. "Hey, Ma-" S-she hugged him!? T-that was unexpected, but very very welcome! "I liked it, yeah. Like everyone else. You were really good." He hugged back. "Next Saturday is that concert, right?" If Mae was gonna sing there again, then yes, he was definitely gonna be there.

Mae took the paper, and the card with a smile. "Thanks~! I'll see you on Saturday next week then!" Mae waved goodbye to her, before turning around, and heading towards Charles. This was wonderful news. She could practically hear Kinaku squealing on the other end of the phone when Mae would break the news. And she would be there, with friends, doing the thing she lived for; singing.

"Congratulations, Mae! Top notch performance as per usual!" Ayane smiled at Mae, who was positively bouncing around with happiness, before eventually embracing Charles. "Thanks. I'm glad you liked it~!" The pinkette looked up into her date's eyes and smiled happily. "Wow, I'm actually gonna be on stage in front of a large crowd. Geez. What am I gonna wear?" She was sure that Charles would've been fine with anything, but the pinkette wanted that something extra to blow everyone away with. She needed that. "So... Where do you two wanna go next?" Mae asked, as she grabbed Charles hand again with her own. "Well... Since I picked first... Why don't you pick the next ride, Charles? Fair's fair, right?"

"Huh, you're asking me?" Caught off guard by Mae's question regarding her clothes, Charles could only utter such a short, confused sentence. W-why him? She had Ayane here as well, so why not her? "U-uhm... Whatever you'd like?" Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Let's see, they wanted him to pick the next ride... But it was difficult; he had never been to such a place before! He looked around through the crowd of people, trying to get a glimpse of a ride or whatever that seemed entertaining enough. Waterslide? No... Some big wheel thing with cabins on it that spinned? Uhm... Were there gonna be other people with them in the cabin? Better not, then... Tunnel of love!? Hell nononononono! Akh, this was pointless! He wasn't gonna find anything good, no matter how har-

"W-what is that!?" He glanced up at a gigantic contraption, looming high above the ground. It seemed to be some kind of a fast railroad with hoops and whatnots... It... seemed kinda exciting, even to him. "Can we go on that?"

"Well, I-I'll find something..." Mae said nervously. "Sorry for putting you on the spot like that..." Her gaze drifted down, apologetically. It had been silly of her to ask him like that. He had no idea what girls wore anyway for occasions like the one in question anyway. At least not yet. "Don't worry, Mae. I'll help you find something to wear. After all, this is supposed to be an unforgettable experience right?" Ayane smiled at Mae. "Thanks, Ayane..."

"Oh, the rollercoaster? Sure. Why not? Let's go!" Another good choice by her friends. "I-I think I'll sit this one out... I'm not a huge fan of loops..." Oh yeah... Mae had almost forgotten how easily Ayane got motion sick by spinning motions. "Alright. It's okay, we can take so-" But Mae was interrupted by Ayane. "Oh, nonono. You go toghether with your boyfriend and have fun. I can wait." Ayane gave Mae a reprimanding look. "O-oh... Okay. See you in a bit then." Mae blushed furiously. She had just called Charles her 'boyfriend'... Sure they were dating, but hearing that coming from someone else...

"A-ah, don't apoogize, please! It's my fault!" Charles started waving his hands in front of himself. He didn't want her to feel as if she did anything wrong, especially when she hadn't done anything like that. "I-if you want me to help as well, I-I can help, sure!"

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So it's called a 'rollercoaster'... Coaster... like coast? Nah, couldn't have been. Or could it? Maybe it was constructed on a coast or something. Also, 'roller'? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even get a glimpse of any roller scaters on the contraption. Ah, but more importantly... the Bunny Girl wasn't gonna go with them! Hooray, Mae time! He waved her goodbye and joined Mae. "Sure, let's go! I'm actually rather excited to get on that thing." He smiled at her.

"If you say so..." Mae looked back into Charles eyes, smiling again. Hearing him say that made Mae feel better about it all. And he wanted to help too! "I-If you want to..." She smiled timidly. The thought sounded promising to the girl. Sure, he might not know much about clothing, but that's what Ayane was there for. But that was something she could plan for later, right now, she should focus on the date. Yeah...

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Now that the two stood in line without Ayane, awaiting for their turn, Mae siezed the opportunity to ask Charles something which had been on her mind for a little while right now. "So, Charles..." She started... "s-say..." Oh, come on, don't chicken out now! Just ask already! "W-why me?" Mae's grip around her date's hand tightened. She felt really nervous about this. What was it really that had caused Charles to fall for her? "I-If you don't know, or don't want to tell me now... that's okay." She looked into his eyes. She wanted to know so badly. But she would respect Charles' decision, regardless of what it was.

"I-I... uh... don't know, really..." They walked over to the line leading to the rollercoaster. Charles grinned sheepishly. Mae really asked a difficult question... And she set these inquiries one after another to top it all up! Like a questionaire full of messed up questions! How does one even answer such a question? N-nobody can really know that! But then what was he supposed to do? "I-I like your hair... a-and you're fun and kind. Like... last time we, uhm... met..." W-was that gonna be enough? 'cause he really had no idea how to word his answer better...

The line is slowly moving forward, but it's long...

"T-thank you... I guess you're still rather confused about all this huh? Don't worry about it though... If you do love me from the bottom of your heart, you'll find it with time. And I'll help you find it, should you need it." Huh... So it was back then, at the gates of the school where he realised his feelings for her? "I was just curious is all. I really can't force you to spit out something." Charles was struggling finding the words to correctly describe what he found so appealing about her. "I'm confident that you'll find it. All you have to do" Mae placed the palm of her right hand where Charles heart would've been. "Is follow your heart, alright?" She gave him a tender smile in return. "So, just... Relax, okay? Just because you're not sure about it now doesn't mean I like you any less."

All she wanted was Charles being comfortable with himself and his feelings. She would help him find the answer to that question, regardless of how long it would take to get there. The line proceeded slowly forward, until it was just two people in front of them. "You ready?"

"Mhm." He nodded and smiled at her. She was really considerate. Typical Mae, always thinking about how others felt. She really was nice. With her words of support, he felt as if he could do anything. As the line moved, so did his thoughts. The two of them hadn't spoken many words since Mae's curious question, but it was fine. Just being by her brought him joy. Hey, maybe that was what he liked most about her! This feeling of certainty and temperance, the aura she emanated which made everything around her seem magical... Her very own 'yogurt pink'. He smiled at her whymsically. The smile, out of context to all but him, would most likely appear odd to her at first, but Charles was sure that she would've been able to understand it. After all, she was the holder of the 'yogurth pink'!

As they stood there, in front of the entrance to the ride, Charles could feel only happiness. He didn't know what this rollercoaster even was, but with Mae, it was sure to become one of the best experiences ever.

"Good!" Mae said cheerfully. Glad to see him back to smiling again. It made the girl feel warm and fuzzy inside. "I really enjoy spending time with you..." She said quietly. "It... makes me happy knowing that I'm special to someone else... So... Thanks for telling me about your feelings for me earlier. It really does mean alot." What she said might seem random, but Mae really meant it. Every single word. Mae looked back at Charles, seeing his whimsical smile was a bit confunding at first, but then she realised what it was all about, and so she smiled back.

After about three minutes, it was their turn. Mae took Charles hand, and guided him over to one of the carts, everyone else looking at the two, obviously seeing Charles was madly in love with the pinkette. They all gave him subtle good luck signs, winks and the like. Mae sat down first in the sofa-like seat, after which, she moved a bit closer to charles, leaning her head on his shoulder, as the controllant checked seatbelts and the like. "You know... I could spend the rest of the day sitting here like this... Just you and me..." She closed her eyes, feeling the gentle rumble from the carts being put into motion. Yeah... She could get used to this...

Charles nudged Mae's sleeve as they were making their way over to the carts. "M-Mae?" He leaned over and practically whispered into her ear, nervously eyeing all the people around them. They were all giving him such weird looks... what was up with them? Was... something off about him? "Y-you think they can see I'm..." He stopped her in order to be able to whisper as silently as he could. "..an android?" If they could, then it was a serious issue he was going to have to take care of as soon as possible!

Still unable to truly shake off all the 'stares' he was getting from people, Charles almost unwillingly sat next to Mae, feeling really really nervous about them. He shook his head but then nodded rapidly at Mae's remark. "I-I know I could! Just if these people would go away... You sure what you said is true? They can't see through my disgui- Disguise! Huh?" As the cart started moving with a silent grumble of iron, Charles felt Mae's head leaning against his shoulder, gently... peacfully. S-she was as soft as a summer cloud... As tender as a butterfly. He sensed his head moving towards her head... to do what? He didn't know exactly, and it didn't matter, as he was stopped by the sudden, more forceful tug from the cart. As if pulled by some giant clockwork machine, the carts were brought up to the top of a small railroad hill. Okay, so far, so good. The ride wasn't anything special. Actually, he was sorta disappointeeeeeeeeeeeeeed! Downhill, downhill! Left, right, left, UP, around! Whoawhoawhoa!

"No... I don't think that's it... I think... they're cheering you on! I mean, just look at em. " If Charles would look at them, they would all give him the thumbs up, some even silently cheering on him. "I don't think they have caught on, so just relax, and act natural." Mae gave him a reassuring smile. "Come on, it's our turn!" She took his hand and guided him over to the cart.

When the cart had reached the peak right before the first drop, Mae looked at Charles. "Oooh, here we go!" Right as they dropped, Mae took his hand. The wind rushing past her face, everything else around her becoming a blur of different colors as they picked up speed. The tingling sensation in her stomach grew more and more intense as time moved on. And then... just like that, the cart pulled to a stop. "Whoo... That was fun! What do you think Charles?"

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By the time they got back to Ayane, the sun was already beginning to set. "Charles... I had a lot of fun today, with you..." Mae said nervously. It was no stretch to say that this had been one of the best days of her life. "So, yeah... We're officially dating now." Saying that caused Ayane to smile broadly. "See, Charles? You have nothing to worry about! I'm sure Mae will take good care of you." Mae blushed slightly at Ayane's comment, before hugging Charles tightly. "I will, Charles..." She didn't want to leave him just yet, but it was getting late, so she just stood there, embracing the android, while awaiting his response...

"I-I still don't think their intentions are clear..." He whispered to Mae, glancing all around. Why would they even be cheering him on? They must've been a part of some evil organization, probably the ones who made him and were now planning on retrieving him so that they could salvage all the tender body parts they could scavenge from his body. Ugh, but better not act first... He didn't want to upset them and cause a ruckus... Mae was with him now, after all.

The sudden drop after that tranquil climb came as a surprise to Charles. The speed of the cart made everything around the tracks seem like a blur of some sort and all the spinning began messing with his gyroscope until he had no clue which direction was up and which was down anymore. Mae clinged to him all the while until the cart came to a sudden halt, back where it started... "A-ah..." Whoa, he nearly fell out of the cart while trying to come out. It wasn't much fun... but it was exciting, just as he thought. "I-it was quite... exciting."

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"I had fun as well." Charles offered her a hand and a smile. They were officially dating now, wheeee ~ But uhm... what did it mean exactly? If they were gonna have to meet each day from now on, he had nothing to object about, though! "W-why would she have to take care of me? I-I'll t-take care of her..." He directed a weird look at Ayane as Mae hugged him and he hugged back. He WAS the Shadow slaying Persona using turbo android of the pair. If anything, he was going to protet Mae, l-like a boyfriend does! Yeah! "We should go back now. It wouldn't be good if we were to be late for the train."

"Glad to hear it!" Mae smiled back at Charles, taking his hand. What Charles said next made Mae blush more than ever, and she fell silent. "Ahaha, look Charles, you made her blush. And not a little either." Ayane chuckled, directing Charles attention over to the blushing Mae. The pinkette whispered to Charles, tripping over her words. "T-Thank you..." Mae clearly made the right decision by giving Charles a chance.

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"Will you follow me back?" She asked Charles nervously, when the three had arrived at the Penecia Station. "Alright. I'm going back to Malstu now.". Ayane said, as she turned around, and walked towards the platform to Malstu. Mae could probably get back on her own without any problems, but she wanted to spend a little bit more time with Charles. And she had a hunch that Charles felt the same. Mae sat down on a bench nearby, gesturing Charles to sit next to her. At this time, only the two of them were there, in complete solitude. Should Charles sit down next to Mae, she would lean her head on his shoulder again, closing her eyes.

"W-what did I do? W-was what I've said..." Charles stuttered, accepting Mae's hand. He couldn't find the right words to say in the ruckus of his brain, so he gave up. "I- I... You're welcome?" He chuckled nervously, ensnared by his own inability to properly indulge in this sort of a conversation. "L-let's just go now..."

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"Of course." Charles replied to Mae as they set Ayane off on her way. He followed Mae over to the bench, where she leaned over to his shoulder, closing her eyes. She seemed so serene like that... Like a beautiful masterpiece that shouldn't be touched by a mere mortal hand. So he left her be like that, leaning his head against hers as the lights of rumbling trains around them illuminated the subway every once in a while...
This was... perfect...

-Charles has left the scene ((technically))...