And so it goes..[Mae]

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Thu May 14, 2015 5:20 pm

"Yeah. Right now, that desert seems like the place where we'll find our next set of clues on how to stop all this... It only makes sense right?" Mae said thoughtfully. What was actually waiting for them in the sands of Alternate Zela Academy? Mae had only been there once, and just that one trip there turned Mae's life upside down. She would not want to return there unless necessary. "Yeah, if they are even half as scary as I think they are, then I'm glad this Primordial you faced seemed rather passive. For the moment at least... A storm is approaching, and fast too..." Indeed, the future did look rather murky at this point. But Mae was still hopeful that there was a solution to all this. If she lost that hope... that will to keep fighting, all would be lost for her...

"Oh? Let's hope you get to stick around long enough to see it end too. I wish this would come to a swift, neat solution. But it never ends that way, does it? Only in fairy tales... But still, you have to believe right?" There was no doubt in Mae's mind that this catastrophe would claim the lives of so many innocents and awakened before it was all over, but the pinkette would keep fighting to keep that number as low as possible... And there was one person she couldn't afford to lose, no matter what... Charles...

"Say... Sharaku... Is there anyone you consider "Special" to you?"

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Thu May 14, 2015 7:00 pm

''Most likely. Can't say much. That world is one of those I have not been to as of yet. I did not have enough of a reason to sneak into the school just for that.'' It certainly seemed that he would probably have to soon, with how thing were developing. If it was indeed a Primordial's work, then it would require people that were strong enough, and he wasn't sure how many of the newly found Persona weilders were up to par at the moment. Ah well. ''She is most likely planning something, however. Either that, or she's camping in Standasen just for the fun. Which I sort of doubt.'' Sometimes, the passive enemies were the worst, because you had no idea what could they be planning inside their heads.

''That wish is long past. If it were to end swiftly, it would have already. It's been...around 8 months by now. Doesn't seem like we're ending yet.'', he would chuckle faintly, shaking his head. He would furrow his brows at her following question. Ahem...''Define 'special'.'', he'd state, in a somewhat uncertain tone. He had an idea what she could have meant, but he wanted to be sure before going into that. It wasn't a subject he was really happy about.

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Fri May 15, 2015 5:55 am

"I guess so... And you were in it from the start... too late to back out now, huh..." Mae said jokingly. 8 months was a really long time. Mae had barely been involved for 2 months, which to her had seemed like a long time... "How did this mess even start?" Seeing as Sharaku had been in this since the very beginning, he must know something about how it all started, right? "I guess things really started heating up just recently... And from what we've seen, it's only gonna get worse from here..." This was indeed only the beginning. Who knows what horrors awaited them in the future? "Geez... why can't things be simple for once?"

"I guess what I mean by "Special" is anyone close to you... whether it be friends, family or a lover... You don't have to answer, if you don't want, but if there is someone out there that's truly special to you... Keep that person close, no matter what..." She would make sure Charles stayed safe. She would get stronger, so that she could protect him when that time came...

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Fri May 15, 2015 11:15 am

''There's always time to run.'' Sharaku'd state flippantly, before thinking over her next question. How exactly did this start..? It has been a good while ago...Hmm. ''Now that you mention it...It actually started here, at this Tower. It was somewhat random...during one of normal reports everything turned black and white..something similar to what you've seen at Lunapa with most people being frozen. Four of us were forced to fight a few Shadows..I remember the tower displaying some glitched words about peace ending and something beginning. That's about it.'' Funny. He had never thought about it, but it all began with the Tower, had it not..? Did that mean the Angel had something to do with it from the start? She was the one that settled here later, and spoke about it changing into something...Interesting. He had nothing as proof, however. Not right now.

''Hm. I suppose it's mostly because things had become more visible lately. A good deal has been going on for a while, but before the Broadcast outing it all, it was pretty much only known by those involved, and kept under wraps as much as possible.'' Of course, it had not been to the point of the worlds leaking into each other, but they did have serious things like the kidnappings and such. It was back then that they met Thesis as well.

He would smile, almost sadly when she gave her explanation. ''I'm probably not the best person to speak about such matters. But I'll keep it in mind, I suppose...'' What was there to say...Yes, he did care about the people he knew more than just simple acquaintances..but he wasn't sure where exactly was the 'Special' line. Because he knew that not everyone could fit there, seeing as the word special implied right away. His relations to people were rocky at best, so he'd rather not take shots in trying to make definite sense of it if he did not have to.

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Sat May 16, 2015 12:30 pm

"Huh... So it all started like that? Here?" Mae thought about the information she had just been given... "Four of you? Who were the other three?" Mae asked out of curiousity. "Well, whatever that message said was the truth, no? Peace really has ended on Azores." A chill went down Mae's spine as she looked towards the tower. So this is where it had all begun? "Understandable. No need to cause unnecessary panic with this stuff... But since that broadcast... well... Things have gone from bad to worse since then. I'm not sure what the purpose of it even was..." Yeah, that was one point which Mae still didn't fully understand. Why disclose that kind of information to the general public? Sure, it made things easier for newly awoken people like Mae to find others of their kind, but.... what's to say it couldn't be used in the other direction?

"Hehe, I'm sure you'll find someone someday, Sharaku-sama." She smiled encouragingly towards him. "It's... mind-boggling how much my life has changed since I came here to Azores... I was just an ordinary high-school student when I got here, and now... All of this." Her powers, the shadows, and the whole situation she found herself in...

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Sat May 16, 2015 3:20 pm

Hm. ''Not sure if I should just be telling you like that, without them knowing. And I guess you'll find out once you meet them, if you do. But since you already know him, I can tell you that. One of them was Hyde.'' Technically, all the names were written out there, yes, but it still felt strange to talk about someone to a person that doesn't even know them...most likely. It's better if they just meet in person. It wasn't as if it would change much for Mae anyway. They all knew around the same, and she was already acquainted with two out of four.

He would look to the side. ''What is peace anyway? You never have complete peace in the first place, otherwise wars and crime wouldn't be happening.'', he'd shrug lightly. It has gotten much worse with this, but perhaps it was for a reason, as much as he didn't like it. The world was never the best thing to exist from the start. Yet, the question was whether changing it would even help anything. ''Don't ask me. I still don't get it myself. The Angel claims she did it to help us. How does outing everyone help, is somewhat beyond me, but it can't be changed at this point.'' That was something he had no answer for, because he was still wondering himself. It could be useful to some when they wanted to find comrades, perhaps, but he knew most people on the list by now, so it wasn't as useful for him. Besides, with that, even people that meant bad knew everyone. Didn't strike him as a smart move.

''What's with that suffix?'', he would raise an eyebrow at her. Sama just seemed weird for him. Really weird. ''Well, you aren't the only one. Most people didn't have any involvement with this before, with a few exceptions.'' No one really cared about that, though. Speaking of the enemies, that is.

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Sun May 17, 2015 8:48 am

"Huh... So Hyde was one of the first... Somehow, I'm not that suprised." Considering how much he seemed to know about everything persona-related. "Well, I'm bound to meet the other two eventually... I mean, I've already met 2 of you." Mae looked at the screens, seeing all the names on that list. She already knew quite a few on that list... Jack, Kazuya, among others. Jack had confirmed his status himself when Mae had applied to join the Rangers.

"I honestly don't know... It's impossible to achieve true peace on earth, but I guess Azores was pretty peaceful before all this started happening, right?" It would seem Sharaku had thought the same thing. This list of people had it's uses for newly awakened, but others could most certainly use this list to their advantage in various other ways, such as tracking down potential threats... "Well... It has yet to do any significant harm... Hopefully it stays that way." Mae said, looking at the image of herself on the screen, with her name written right next to it.

"It's just a habit of mine... I'm japanese remember? We have all sorts of Suffixes... I know I'm not in japan anymore... It's just a habit I've grown up with. It's difficult to stop." She said sheepishly. "Well, there are always exceptions no?"

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Sun May 17, 2015 10:52 am

''Hyde is Hyde. He has to be the first everywhere.'' Sharaku would roll his eyes. Well, wasn't that true? The redhead rushed headfirst into everything that came up. It would actually be surprising to not see him somewhere while an important thing is happening. ''If you're lucky, perhaps you will.'', he would shrug vaguely. What did he know? He didn't stalk his teammates to know who and when they hang out with, and frankly, it wasn't his business either, unless it ended up somehow personally involving him.

''I don't really know. I came here about 3 months before it started, and I didn't pay attention to the situation much.'' That wasn't truly long enough to know whether there was peace before. She'd be better off asking someone else about that matter. ''We'll see.'' There was no way to say whether it had not done harm already. Maybe someone was planning things in the shadows. You can never know for sure. Blind guesses were all they had in regards to that..and those helped little.

''I am aware of that. I can speak japanese after all.'', he would chuckle faintly. ''I just don't understand why that one specifically.'' He wasn't that much above her in anything...maybe except powers, depending on what she could do..but he didn't see that as enough of a reason. ''And they are not always fun.'' Mainly when you just have to be one of those.

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Mon May 18, 2015 4:33 pm

"Well, the guy seems to know everything and everyone. Honestly I'm not that suprised he was one of the first involved in this whole mess." Mae chuckled light-heartedly. Hyde was a funny guy. He had a very... spunky demeanor to say the least, and Mae thought she was energetic. He had the potential to get annoying, but there was something about him which made it difficult for one to dislike him. "He has... a very unique way with people, that much I've seen. I was over at that resturant he works at a while ago. Met some guy named Kei there. You know him, by any chance?" Considering Hyde apparently made friends with everything and everyone, it wasn't too much of a stretch to say that the redhead had introduced Sharaku to some of his friends.

"Well, yeah... Three months isn't that long... But an awful lot of things have happened over the last two months right now. Can't these islands catch a break from all this every once in a while?" Mae said half jokingly, half serious. "I dunno how much more of this Azores can take before complete chaos insues... People are worried, and rightfully so. It doesn't take a genious to see that something strange is going on..."

Speaking of current events... she had seen something... worrisome on the news that morning. "Did you hear about the Lasyian Ruins? I saw it on the news this morning... Apparently they have been vandalized brutally..." What was up with that anyway? Who would want to smash a set of old ruins like that? Maybe it was an accident? No... not with damages of that magnitude...

"I dunno. I just thought it fit you. Sharaku-sama has a nice ring to it. At least in my opinion." Mae would giggle lightly, smiling at the older man before continuing. "I can stop with it, if it bothers you."

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Mon May 18, 2015 6:57 pm

''Tsk. It's his own fault, because he can't stop himself from sticking his nose into everything. One day, he'll get himself killed because of that. He's too trusting towards everyone he meets as well.'' That, however, was not Sharaku's problem. Well, technically, it was to an extent. Because if Hyde did something that affected him in some way...he had to deal with it. And he could do nothing to prevent it. As much as he had every urge to knock Hyde to the moon and back at times...he didn't have the heart to truly go through with it. Ironically. ''Unique, right. That is actually a toned down version, in my opinion, but will do, perhaps.'', he would huff, his expression turning thoughtfull for a short moment. ''Kei you say? Yes, I've met him. Twice I think? But it has been long ago, to be honest.'' He did remember Hyde's friend, yes, but he hasn't seen a hair of him in months already.

''The faster it goes, the faster it will end? I don't know. But I've learned not to expect a break from the start. That way, it's actually a sort of a pleasant surprise when you manage to catch one.'' He couldn't truly say much to that. What did he know? Maybe Azores could take it, maybe not. That, was not up to him, as nice as the notion would be.

He would raise an eyebrow at her next comment. At first, at the very least. ''The ruins-Ah.'' It didn't take him too long to realize what she was talking about. And if it was possible, he would be sweatdropping just about now. Um. ''............'' Yeah, well. ''That...happened, yes. I don't think you truly need to...worry about that. It doesn't have anything to do with the actual problem going on...not really.'', he would furrow his brows. ''It is rather unfortunate that it had to be plastered on the news though...'' Ah well. At least it was apparently only that. As long as people didn't try too hard to track the source, he should be fine. It wasn't even his fault, however...He wasn't the one picking a bone there originally.

''No...Not bothered. Just that it sounds a little strange at first. I am not ever much older than you.'', he would state after a short moment of thought, leaving it at that right now.

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Mon May 18, 2015 8:25 pm

"Yeah... You out of all people should know. You've known him for quite a while now, haven't you?" Well, Mae honestly didn't know how the two ended up meeting each other to begin with... but that event that started all this might have contributed somewhat to their relationship with eachother. Was friendship the right term for it? Maybe... Mae hadn't actually seen the two together yet, so It was hard to judge based on their opinions about eachother (which greatly differed, by the way). "Well. He's gonna learn eventually... I hope..." Mae sounded a bit insecure on that last part. Hopefully, yeah... That guy wasn't gonna change anytime soon unless something major happens... "Yeah... In times like this, you really ought to be careful on who you trust. Especially now with the whole broadcast thing being accessible to everyone... It's a scary thought that someone might actually be out for your head..." Mae shuddered at the thought... What IF there was someone out there, waiting to chop her head off... Mae suppressed the thoughts. Worrying about it right now wouldn't exactly help. Neither would growing paranoid. Besides, she had Charles and her friends. With them on her side, she felt safer...

"Well, I've only met him three times, but he seems pretty reliable, if nothing else." Mae shrugged lightly. "He has his heart in the right place. Not sure if his brain is though..." Indeed. Hyde didn't exactly strike Mae as the type who would ask questions first, and then acting accordingly... No wonder the red-head gave Sharaku trouble sometimes... "Ah, so you have met him. Figured as much, considering him and Hyde are pretty close, from what I've gathered." So Mae was right. The two had met. At least twice.

"Hehe... Yeah. A lot of things have happened in very rapid succession lately. It's really worrisome... Let's just hope that the merging of the worlds doesn't spread as fast... Not that I know much about the other worlds... I've only been in Alternate Zela, the massive desert-like area... " What was the other worlds like...? Were they just as odd and hostile as the desert had been? Mae wasn't exactly eager to find out, but she would eventually need to... and that was something she was NOT looking forward to...

"Something wrong, Sharaku?" Mae asked, tilting her head slightly. He was acting rather strangely. As if he was... nervous about something. Was it regarding those ruins? Possibly... But seeing as the subject seemed to make him uncomfortable to say the least, Mae decided to drop it, and change topic. "I'm just suprised that the closing of the school hasn't been up on the news as much as I thought it would. It's... kind of a big deal. Considering a big bunch of students, including myself, are homeless..." Mae made a gesture towards the beige trunk she had been trudging along with her. "I need a place to stay... I can't really keep sleeping over at hotels... It just blows a hole in my wallet. I think... I have a solution on the go. I might be able to sleep over at my boyfriend's place until the school returns back to normal... If it ever does. At this stage... anything can happen."

"Well, whatever you say, Sharaku." Mae chuckled, smiling back at him. A humble fellow, eh? A good trait to have.

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Tue May 19, 2015 7:37 am

''I'm still not sure whether I should be happy about it or not.'' Sharaku would state in a deadpan. There were times when he felt like having not ever met Hyde in the first place might have been a good thing. But, he would never know anymore. Changing the past was still impossible, as of yet, no matter how advanced the world was. ''He isn't changing. Unless someone changes his brain. I'm entirely convinced he isn't even listening to what I'm telling him a good 80% of the time. Hyde is simply a category of his own.'' There was no other way to properly put it. ''Hm..'', he would hum faintly. ''I don't think having someone out for your head is a common matter. What I've dealt with was more of a personal problem. It most likely would have happened sooner or later whether this mess was ongoing, or not.'', he would shrug...before settling into a slight frown. ''Well...not exactly. Hyde does have a prize for his head written out himself. But that is his own fault. He brought it upon himself by his own actions.'' Tsk, it was still annoying to remember that. Did they still hunt him in the other San Malarus..? He didn't even know.

''I haven't seen him for months, however.'' And he had no particular reason to go after it either. He didn't have time to seek people all the time, and mainly not when he didn't know them too well. He would huff. ''Well, on the other hand, I've never been to Zela before. I've seen Standasen, Lunapa, Malstu, and the Prison so far, I think.'' All of them were just plain weird anyway. Zela was probably too. Deserts were not his forte. Too hot for comfort. And you can't just go in naked. Eh. ''Not really. I just wish the ruin thing didn't get out so fast...then again, I should have expected it. The police are probably watching everything like hawks with the ongoing situation at hand.'' Ah well.

''Maybe they don't want to go as far...? Having young students endangered is quite a big deal, I think. It would cause way more possible panic than some fallen apart ruins. Either that, or they are still working on a complete report. I don't work there, so I have no idea.'' But it did sort of make sense. If that got out publicitly...it would be a big ruckus. They can close off some ruins without a huge consequence...but a school is a more tricky matter. ''Well...at least it is only the school for now. I am not particularly looking forward to having the place where I live flooded by something as well. I am not fond of living on the street.'' Definitely not. It was a pain.

''I say a lot of things.'', he would respond flippantly.

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Tue May 19, 2015 8:08 am

"Hehe, he's quite stubborn, I'll give you that." Mae chuckled. That redhead was unbelievable at times. But he was a solid friend to have. That much Mae could tell by his relation to Kei. "Well... It's part of who he is, no? A friendly, yet somewhat abscentminded teen."

"I suppose so... Unless I make too much noise, and attract attention because of it. I don't see that happening anytime soon though..." Yeah. Why would anyone want a seemingly harmless 19-year old girl who loves to sing dead? "Ah... Ghosts of your past coming back to haunt you? Don't worry, I won't ask about it. It's, quite frankly, none of my buissness unless I get dragged into it somehow." Mae chuckled. Getting dragged into that sort of stuff... The teen didn't like the prospect of being hunted like that... "W-wait... Hyde has a Price on his head?! What did he do?" Mae asked worriedly. She had all the right to be worried. Hyde was a friend of hers after all.

"Well, it's understandable... I've heard he's pretty busy maintaining the resturant together with his father. It's gotten quite popular." Mae remembered the delicious sushi she had gotten there. Kei was a remarkably good chef, as he had made the pieces himself. An impressive feat coming from a 18 year-old... "Well, the desert isn't anything spectacular. It's about what you would expect. Tons and tons of sand, and constant sunlight..." Yeah, Mae wouldn't have lasted very long in that heat. She probably would've dried out had she stayed there for too long. Luckily, Julian had saved her from what would've been certain death. She had to repay that debt somehow...

"Yeah... With everything that's going on... How could they not be anxious about all this?" Facing a supernatrual threat like this wasn't anything the police force was equipped to deal with... Judging by what she had seen... Yeah, there was no way.

"Oh yeah... That would cause quite the ruckus wouldn't it? And the last thing we want right now is chaos..." Mae shuddered. The police couldn't keep all this under wraps forever though. Someone was eventually going to notice...

"Well, I wish I had a solution for you, Sharaku... But I'm in that very spot right now... Ehehehe..." Mae scratched the back of her head. "I do have a place in mind which I could stay at... Providing he lets me, of course..."

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Tue May 19, 2015 5:59 pm

''He just likes to disregard what is going on around him. Friendly only works so far, when the so called friend constantly doesn't listen to you just when you want them to.'' That was all he was going to say on this subject. Friendliness only works properly when it is done the right way. Repeatedly failing to take into account how the other person is responding to your advances and rather just trying what comes is a recipe for making it tough, unless you find a like-minded person to hang around with...or someone that simply does not mind.

Right. ''Well, whether you do or not...you'll be fighting anyway, as long as you get involved in this. Even if only Shadows. But those can be powerful too.'' In the end, did it matter whether you fought Shadows wanting to eat you whole or someone that wanted to chop your head off? The end result was the same. Either beat them, or die. Simple equation with a simple answer. It is perhaps just a bit more stressing to take on a real person..depending on how you feel about hurting other humans. ''I don't think they ever even left, to be honest. You get used to it, however. The past is something you cannot change, no matter what you do.'', he would shrug lightly. ''The only way for you to get even remotely dragged in into this, is hanging around the likes of me too much. And even then, it's a what if. I prefer to deal with these instances myself, as long as I can. It isn't really something people who don't know need to witness.'', he would smirk faintly. ''We don't really need more mentally scarred people in the world than we already have.'' Did they? It was bad enough to only hear about such, and he would rather not put people in the position of facing it, if it wasn't necessary.

He would pinch the bridge of his nose. ''Yes. I'll try to make it short. A good while ago, the group I work with, agreed to divide tasks between worlds, so we could cover things more easily. Hyde, however, decided to not really listen, and acted on his own, butting into someone else's business...without learning about the situation beforehand. He went and got into a fight in Alternate San Malarus. He kept fighting, even when it was obvious they seemed to be scared of a Persona. He barely got out of there. Safe to say, he inspired a hunt for Persona wielders there, and he's the main wanted person they want dead, unless anything changed lately. He could have avoided it, had he asked, since the one that was originally assigned to deal with that world knew that Personas were a tricky thing there..but, his hot head got him what he deserved, perhaps. It is not the first time he acted brashly. He did spend some time in a cell before as well.'' Well, he tried to keep it short. It wasn't really, but some things were hard to explain properly without giving in much premise. ''Funny how that works. Thanks to Hyde, I've been to that place a few times, but I haven't met him there yet. Ah well.'' He wasn't particularly upset.

He would go slightly cross-eyed at the mention of sand and sunlight. ''Too bad it is not a good idea to go in there naked or something. I think I like the Prison world somewhat more...Then again, too much cold and too much heat are both extremes in their own way.'' Frankly, the most annoying would probably be getting buried in heaps of sand. If all that stuff got stuck in his hair, he would not be happy. Period. Because, priorities, obviously. ''Makes one wonder who is in the worse position. Normal people, who are confused about what is going on...or those that have the power..but are aware what kind of hell is it that they have to face.'' Both sounded bad in their own way.

He would roll his eyes in slight jest. ''If that happens, I can just sleep on the street. Not the most efficient way of living, but still possible enough. I can adapt well enough.'' Didn't mean he actually wanted to...but if it came down to it, he would be capable of that.

Subject: Re: And so it goes..[Mae] Thu May 21, 2015 6:52 am

"I don't know him as well as you do, but I'll take your word for it." Mae shrugged. "That's gotta be tough to deal with... It stings." Not that the pinkette had to deal with much of that kind of people back in Japan, so she had very little experience with people like Hyde. "I hope things work out for you two... he has to learn about it, one way or another. Otherwise he will have it tough later on in life."

"Yeah... No matter how you slice it, I'm in this whole mess now. It's not like I can just back out, either. For one thing, tickets are expensive, and I'm not sure if I can be left alone with powers like mine... Besides, simply choosing not to use them would kind of ruin the point of having them..." Mae shrugged. She had no plans on fleeing. Not when she could make a difference. Mae would carefully nod at Sharaku's comment about the past. Unchangable, yet very relevant. "Well... I don't really wanna get involved with whatever mess you're in. One disaster at a time...". Yeah, that was Sharaku's buissness, not hers. Besides, she had a much more relevant threat to deal with. The Primordial, and whatever else might be out to destroy the world...

Mae resisted the urge to facepalm when she heard about Hyde's tactless move... Not only did it hurt him, but also any other persona user who wanted to go to Alternate San Malarus... Geez... He never thinks of the consequences... "Well, guess I'm not going there anytime soon... Since apparently they are driving a holocaust against all users there now... Bravo, Hyde... Bravo..." Mae sighed deeply. Why couldn't he just stand back and think for a second...?

"Yeah... Getting your powers is like trading away your innocence... With these powers, you can no longer look away from the things you don't want to see..." Living in Blissful ignorance, or living with the knowledge that the world could end, and you can stop it, or speed up the process... What's worse in this case?

"That sounds really rough... I don't think I can deal with sleeping on the streets..." Mae shuddered at the thought of sleeping on asphalt... Ugh, a terrifying prospect...