Julian's Hollow Shell (Prime Awakening)

    Jak seemed almost disappointed as the shadows faded away from beneath his claws. After a forlorn glance at his nails and the now empty corridor, he moved behind Mae once more, flanking the little group as they continued on their way.

    Thank God this little encounter went so smoothly Julian mused to himself, combing a hand through his bangs. Hopefully there wasn't much more to this club. It felt like they'd already investigated every nook and cranny of it save for the final two rooms of this place. If they hadn't...well, he didn't want to know how far this place stretched on. Maybe it was infinite? ...No, that would be ridiculous. What would be the point of that? To drive him insane? That's all he could invision that accomplishing in the long run. "Let's keep moving." he spoke after he caught his breath for a moment, taking off down the corridor at a brisk walk. The sooner he got to Emmilene and "himself", the sooner this would be over. Time to finish this ASAP.

    While Julian walked ahead in silence, Jak trailed along quietly. The demon carefully avoided every chunk of glass and broken item that carpeted the floor, all the while keeping his gaze ahead. After a moment, however, his purple gaze drifted down and landed on Mae's hair. Tilting his head, Jak moved a little closer, intrigued by the color. Women of his own time never looked like her. Well, in the hair at least. There were plenty of others with the same girlish features. In fact, if memory served which it always did), one of the girls who first saw him...hm...

    After a moment, Jak would carefully reach out and finger a small strand of Mae's hair, looking it over for a few seconds. The touch was light and gentle, and it would be easy to dismiss. If she didn't notice, Jak would only do this for a few seconds before letting go and returning to his earlier position. If she turned around, he'd freeze in place, eyes widening. His face would then flush darkly and he'd scramble back, murmuring apologies profusely.

    Meanwhile, Julian would be sorting things out in his head. Or...well, moreso trying to clear them out. While not exactly in shambles, his mood and thoughts had taken a bad turn. While he was good in battle, he couldn't face Emmilene like this. She could possibly use his distraction to gain an upper hand in the battle, and then it would be all over from there. He needed to be able to think clearly and soundly if he wanted to get through this. And that meant no more outburts like before.

    A few minutes had passed in silence before Julian spoke up. "You said I scared you when we went up against that Cas copy, right?" He was sure he'd heard her say that. But after she confirmed it, he'd drop his gaze slightly. "Sorry. I should have held it together better. I just feel like this place is screwing with me moreso than trying to build me up or just be an obstacle to overcome." Maybe getting him angry was one of its goals all along, though? Everything he met in this place kept saying he was a coward for being "passive". Did this place want him to be more...open? To show when he got angry or something instead of being level headed? ...Hm. Possibly, he supposed. But that was a question for when they reached the core of this stupid place.

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"Well, that went much better... Are you doing okay?" Mae looked at Julian, brushing off some dust from her skirt. This place really was rather icky. But well... At least the place didn't smell bad, so that was a positive. Considering the vast amount of broken glass and stuff, you would think the smell of alcohol would be overwhelming, but... There really wasn't any smell at all... Or maybe Mae had just gotten used to it at this point. "C'mere. Lemme heal you..." And the very same familiar green light healed Julian's wounds. She was pretty much in peak condition herself, but Julian had taken that earth attack, and the skills he used seemed to put a strain on him as well...

As Mae walked along, she thought back of everything that had happened to her thus far since she arrived at Azores. She had been kidnapped, saved a couple of newly awakened people from a group of shadows in Lunapa, helped Hikaru awaken, became a member of the Rangers, helped Traeh awaken... And now, here she was, aiding Julian in this trial. Now that she really thought about it, she had done a lot ever since she got her powers. Sure, none of it really did have a large impact on the current events, but still, she was just trying to help, although two of the times... she had just happened to be at the right place, at the right time, so the only conscious aiding she had done was Hikaru's awakening, and this, really. The rest had just been through random chance.

Qilin looked at Jak as he curiously investigated Mae's hair, snorting lightly, which caused Mae to turn around. "Um... You like my hair?" Mae asked him with a light giggle, sort of teasing him. To be fair... Her hair color wasn't exactly common. "Oh, there's no need to apologize!" The girl chuckled at Jak's reaction. His demeanour was rather endearing in a way, when he wasn't attacking shadows or anything. Sometimes, it really was difficult to believe that the two were in fact the same person. "Hehe, I think he likes me." She would say in a bubbily voice, walking next to Julian as she casted a glance back at Jak. "Well, regardless of what dirty tricks this one might pull, don't let it get the better of you, okay? If she even tries to hurt you emotionally, I'll stomp her into next week personally!" Mae frowned, as the two proceeded through the hallways. There wasn't much left... And let's be honest here, playing with Julian's feeling and messing with his psyche was just cowardly... Would she stand up for that much longer? No way.

"Yeah... You did..." Mae said timidly, looking away. "Well... What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right? Regardless, I sure hope this is worth it in the end... It has to be." Now she knew at least what to expect when it was her turn in the limelight... When that time came, she would be ready for it. And probably more prepared than Julian was. Unlike him, Mae would have seen all of this first hand before it was her turn to overcome this kind of ordeal herself. A good thing, really.

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    Though that's what she said, Jak's mouth twisted into a funny, uncomfortable little grimace as he floundered for words. "B-But...I...I know..." His words trailed off into soft little murmurs of protest. There was no way he could accurately fit his thoughts into words at this point. // ?! // The shock was written plainly across his face as Mae commented to his owner, followedby deep embarrassment. His face turned a dark purple, obviously a blush, before he faded away back to Julian's subconscious.

    The teen jumped slightly at the sudden return of his persona. Face twisted in confusion, he closed his eyes for a brief moment, snickering softly at the mental image of his persona wringing his hands over and over again, obviously flustered at the whole situation. "Heh, maybe. You could always ask him, if you like." That said, a tarot card emblazoned with the sign of the devil floated out of thin air down to Julian's chest level. Nonchalantly, Julian reached up and shattered it, turning to give a smile at his persona who materialized next to him. Heh, poor guy. He still looked embarrassed, and was currently refusing to make eye contact with Mae or even look in her direction.

    It was reassuring to hear Mae was so willing to stand up for him. Although hearing her admit that getting angry was stupid move...ouch. It was one thing to berate himsef for it, and another to be told what he did was stupid. But he couldn't very well get angry with that. It would by hypocritical. Instead, it was a reminder not to screw up again, not only for his safety, but Mae's too. Getting angry clouded judgement, clouded thought, and ultimately made him inefficient in battle. And all he had to do was put up with some pointless smack talk for a few more fights and this would all be over. Yeah, he could hold it together.

    "Accoding to another user I know, getting through this place unlocks a deeper part of yourself. A new persona." What that meant, exactly, he wasn't quite sure. He understood the persona part, but would Jak be erased and replaced, or change form, or what? He had grown comfortable with the trickster by now; having him leave after this was over would be disheartening to say the least.

    As if sensing his owner's hesitance, Jak glanced at Julian out of the corner of his eye and attempted a smile. Like all the others, this one felt forced and awkward, but this time, it didn't look so fake. Maybe Julian wasn't the only one who'd grown lately.

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Mae snickered happily, while Qilin walked up beside her, obviously amused as well. Despite being an animal, her persona displayed her emotions rather well with just her body-language. That, and her flames did react to her state of mind as well... "Oh Jackiiieee~!" Mae would turn to face Julian's persona once more, with a teasing smile on her face. "What's with the flushed face? Do you like me?" Well, this certainly was something she didn't expect, but it was a pleasant suprise. He did sort of remind Mae of someone else she knew back in Japan. One of her classmates had these... attacks every now and again, where her demeanour could change on the tip of a hat from serious to flustered in a matter of seconds, and vice versa. Everyone got well along with her, so that was good. Someone like that could easily fall victim to bullies... but luckily, it never ended up happening to that girl... What was her name? Himeji? Sounds about right...

"Another persona? So that's what you get out of this? That's... interesting." Well, it could be worth it in all honesty. Made you stronger, more capable of fighting... For everyone else's sake. "Hrm... So, do you have any idea as to how the club motif of this place relates to you?" She'd ask somewhat perplexed. Perhaps he had figured out something. Keeping the brainstorming going like this could keep their thoughts away from what awaited them for at least a little while. And besides, it might actually help out in the long run. The more they understood about this place, the better...

"We're almost there, I can feel it... Just a little bit more..." She looked ahead... Somewhere, the two last pieces of the puzzle were waiting for them... As to when they would show up, there was no telling, but hopefully soon... She didn't wish to spend more time here than necessary. And Julian probably felt the same way about it, if she had to guess.


Mae nodded at Qilin. "Will do! Whatever comes our way, we'll stomp it." So far, they had done so without much hassle... except for that one time, but... they still made it out alive, so that was good. Hopefully they could keep this up. Only Emmy and Shadow Julian Remained... Once those two were taken care of, this ordeal would finally be over. She could use a bath after this... and a well earned rest...

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    Jak went rigid as she called his name, expression contorting to that of sheer panic. While he couldn't read his persona's thoughts, it wasn't that hard for Julian to read the flurry of emotions whirling through the demon's head. Panic. Anxiety. Worry. All of those things were flying around in there and getting more chaotic as time passed. Mentally reaching out to his persona, the teen shot him a few soothing thoughts. Apparently that little coaxing was enough to allow Jak to swallow hard and offer a timid, barely audible reply. "I...I do not dislike you, milady." He fell back into silence after that, and although he refused to look at Mae still, he no longer looked quite as agitated. It seemed that to him, once the question was answered, there was no further need to panic. It was not as if she'd ask him anything else, right?

    Mae's question caused Julian to tilt his head in thought for a moment. She'd asked him that before, but he supposed she wasn't happy with the "I usually go to the club on my days off so that might be why" explanation. "...Can't really say for sure." he shrugged, glancing around at the dimly lit area. "I was told this place was supposed to be a reflection of yourself. It takes shape according to...well, I guess however the Velvet Room sees you? Or whoever created this I guess." Rita had mentioned it was a place where you would face yourself and grow stronger. Pair that up with his expansive knowledge of video games, books, and other cliche good vs. evil plot, and yeah, that explanation seemed about right. "Maybe they want to imply that I'm a dark, angsty teenager on the inside." he chuckled. As amusing as the thought may be, he knew that was off-base. The copies and that voice that sounded hauntingly familiar from before were all blaming him for being lazy, for being a passive, selfish person. Wasn't that how people who came to clubs were viewed; as slackers, people only seeking pleasure for themselves? Maybe that was the correlation. Untrue on both counts, of course, but it made sense.

    As much as it annoyed him to agree with these doppelgangers hell-bent on riling him up (moreso because it felt like losing to them rather than actually being wrong), he could see their point. People saw him as a laid-back, easy-going teen with no clear direction in life. Pair that with a few exteriro traits such as his long hair and piercings and voila, you had modern society's conception of a slacker. But of course, there was more to him than that. He may not look it, but he worked. He worked long and hard for the things he did: hours poured into basketball practice and the gym, careful planning of his meals and the care of his body in order to stay in shape, days spent researching avenues he could take for college or hopping right into the work force. He worked for the things that mattered. That was the important thing. If people refused to see that, fine. But he knew what he did, he knew his struggles, and he wasn't about to let others convince him all that hard work was worth shit.

    Jak, who had slipped into silence next to Julian, froze and held out an arm to his owner, stopping him in his tracks. Cocking his head to the side, the demon glanced down the corridor, then looked at his owner with a questioning smirk. "It seems...we have more playmates."

    Julian nodded shortly and watched as all traces of the meek and mild persona Jak sported a second ago melted away into the eager, blood-thirsty attitude he donned every time battle was near. Without a word Jak sprang off towards the shadow in the distance. Julian gave Mae a glance and a reassuring smile before hurrying after Jak, anxious to get this battle over and done with so as to skip to the main event.

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"Hehe, I suppose that's good enough. You can be really cute when you want to, Jack." Mae smiled warmly at him. Indeed, it was a rather endearing trait he had. Such a stark contrast compared to how he was in battle... She vastly preferred this one over the bloodthirsty one. "What are you all shy for?" Admittedly, she was having fun with this. Sort of half flirting with him in a joking manner. If only for the reaction. She could finally see where Sharaku was coming from with all this.

"Well... As long as we get out of here... Imagine being stuck in a place like this for the rest of your life? Eesh..." Not that they would be stuck in here for much longer. The light at the end of the tunnel was drawing near... "This won't be easy... But I'm sure we can make. We have yet to fail after all. So there's still hope." She'd say, with a determined look on her face. "Well, actually... Now that I think about it... What's your mom like? I haven't seen her either... Is she living together with you and your father in San Malarus?" She'd ask curiously, yet carefully... Hopefully she would get to know these people a bit better as time moved on... She would definetely meet Julian's dad... After seeing his fragment here, how could she not want to see the real deal?

As the two kept on walking, Mae's thoughts drifted off towards Ayane, and her friends back in Japan... How were they doing? Imagine if they found out what Mae was doing right now? Hehe, they wouldn't believe it for one... Would anyone really, that hadn't seen this kind of stuff first hand? "So... what are you going to do once we're done here?" Mae asked thoughtfully. She would most likely prepare for an angel hunt of something with the rangers once this was all said and done, but... things may change quickly... Like say, if she got a text message about a door like this one of her own, then that would take priority over anything else... She needed to get stronger, for her friends and family. Even if she had to go through something like this, it would be well worth it... Anything for the ones you love, no?


Mae nodded, and followed Julian, ambushing the shadows. The final stretch was here at last. Just one final effort, and they would be all done with this mess...

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    Mae's question was harmless enough. But Jak still squirmed at it and grimaced. The answer to that was...not his proudest moment. Regretably, it was what he was most famous for. "I do not...mix well with women. They are...strange?" He balked and paled before spluttering out an apology. "T-That is, milady, they are...I do not know how to approach them. And the...the few times I have attempted to hold conversations with them have regrettably...turned out poorly."

    Julian smiled at Jak reassuringly, taking pity on his persona. Springheel Jak was well known in history for "assaulting" women. After some research and mental conversations with his persona, however, he found out that that wasn't quite true. Strange how history worked but, then again, they couldn't exactly get the facts from a reclusive demon.

    Said reclusive demon didn't seem nearly as flustered now as he crouched on the ground and smirked at the horde, energy crackling around him. "Now, who would like to play first...?"

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"Oh, I see... Well, this is going good so far, no?" Mae said with a bright smile. He was quite... interesting. For being a demon, he sure seemed quite human in some regards. Much like Qilin...

"Let's take em out, Qilin!"

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