A Walk in the Park [Sharaku]

Some time had passed since Mae met up with Sharaku now... A good long while in fact. She was still a bit confused regarding her own feelings for both him and Charles... Of course, she had intended to meet up with him the day after they met at that club, but... things changed. He was forced to stop the corruption on Malstu and Mae... well, she had the mysterious Velvet Door that concerned Julian to deal with that she didn't have much time to focus on her own relationships that much... But she had put this up long enough. So it was with a determined attitude that she sent a text message over to Sharaku, asking if they could meet up in the San Malarus park. Either way, she would make an important decision today... Charles... or Sharaku. In one way shape or form. Of course, she might not confess to him straight away... But she couldn't just sit here being torn either. And Charles, being the stubborn android that he was, had not contacted Mae since. Was that his way of saying he didn't want anything more to do with her? Or was he just not ready yet? Regardless, when the time came, she would need to confront him regardless.

After a short walk, Mae eventually reached the park, and she found herself sitting down on the same bench that she had been sitting on the same day Traeh awakened, right in front of that strange statue. A pretty good location. No one was around, except for her. If Sharaku showed up, he would most likely spot her pretty easily.

Mae looked up when she heard footsteps closing in, and much to her delight, Sharaku did indeed show up! "Indeed. How're you doing, Sharaku? Well, I hope?" To be honest, Mae had been sort of nervous prior to seeing him here. The last time they met had been interesting in many different ways. Now that Ayane wasn't around, they had a lot of things to discuss... Might as well start, no?

"Well... I guess I should get straight to the point... You remember that I had a boyfriend right?" There was no turning back now. She was commited to this, whether she wanted to or not. "We were dating on the day we saw eachother last time, but well..." Mae paused for a second, trying to keep herself together.

"It couldn't have ended any worse... I got a phone call in the middle of it, and it was a relative of his, telling me that he was deathly ill, and asked me to keep it a secret from my boyfriend... Naturally he started asking what it was all about... And I... I just couldn't bring myself to Lie to him... I just couldn't. And that's where everything... went wrong. He left me in this park without a word, as if he was blaming me for what happened... I don't know... How do I even deal with this?" Mae said with a lost, almost hopeless, expression on her face. "It doesn't feel... like he genuinely loves me." Was Sharaku really the one to talk to about this? Maybe not, but she trusted him...

Yes... Things had been getting rather hectic and stressful as of late... "I'm glad you're doing somewhat decent at least. I've seen better days, that's for sure... But I can't complain much right now." Well, yes, she could complain. She wouldn't though. Mae wasn't a whiny girl, after all. But considering the circumstances, she was doing... okay. If you could call her emotional state okay. It had been all over the place recently.

"Pretty much, yeah... And that's what I thought too. I didn't wish to lie to him because... Well, to be frank, he didn't deserve being lied to, and I just couldn't bring myself to do just that. Did I do the right thing?" In any other case, the answer would be yes, without a doubt, but... Charles was a bit different from your average human. He didn't react the same way to things that someone like Mae would.

"I... thought so too... Why keep it a secret from him? But judging by the way he acted after hearing it... well... I can sort of get where the old man was coming from. Charles is scary when he's angry..." A slight slip of the tongue, but how big was the chance that Sharaku knew Charles to begin with? Slim to none... But then again, it wouldn't suprise her. Everyone seemed to know eachother here nowadays.

"He hasn't yet, I'm afraid... I will have to talk to him about this eventually. A nice resolution would be preferrable, but... I just don't think he's the right guy for me... or that I'm the right girl for him, you know?" If that made sense... Mae looked at Sharaku as he sat down next to her. Why he hadn't done so earlier was anyone's guess. It did feel nice sitting on that bench with him though, talking about things that had been bothering her for weeks now. It was about time she got this burden off her chest...

"Yeah... Before all of this started..." Mae said casually. But getting back that peace was what they were fighting for, no? It gave them a purpose, a reason to keep going. Was it a good enough reason? Maybe not, but it would have to do. Mae also had friends and family to protect, so that made her work harder than normal. But that didn't mean that she could completely neglect her social life as well. A compromise had to be made... And somehow, her powers seemed to be connected to her friends... In some way... She didn't know how or why, but there was without a doubt a connection there.

"Well... I vastly prefer the truth over any sugar-coated lies... But again, he's different than most of us..." Talking to Sharaku about this slowly erased her doubts... He was right. How could she have possibly known how Charles would react? There was no way, considering how unpredictable he was... "Yeah, and then things would be even worse, I bet... It's picking between the lesser of two evils, in a sense... " She didn't want to lose him as a friend either... If that kind of relationship could be salvaged from this mess, then she would gladly take it...

"Hm? Wait what?! Y-You know Charles?!" Mae stared at Sharaku, speechless for a second. Even though she knew that this might be the case, it was nontheless something that caught Mae off guard. What was the chances of them actually knowing eachother to begin with?

"Well, yeah. That's what I meant by him being different... He's not human, I know that very well..." She had learned that a couple of months ago... Back then it wasn't as big of an issue, since he was being so sweet and nice... but now his robotic side was showing itself more clearly than ever before, and Mae did not like it... "Their? Wait... There's more of em?" That... Mae had not expected. She assumed Charles to be a one-of-a-kind sort of deal. And what did a robot really know about love? Sure, he acted somewhat humanly, but he seemed to understand very little if anything at all what being 'human' entailed... Maybe one day he would understand. She hoped so, for his sake...


She would need to contact him, eh? It was just a matter of actually doing it that was the hard part. It wasn't gonna be a very happy meeting, she knew that much. What if he got violent? "Yeah... Because I really feel like this isn't going to work out as I hoped initially..." Charles had been so happy back then... Was he really that unstable back then too? "Ehm..." She then looked at Sharaku's hand on her shoulder. It seemed like he genuinely cared for her... Mae smiled somewhat sheepishly back, with a light blush on her cheeks...

"For the most of us? It wasn't for you?" Mae asked, with a slightly raised eyebrow. Well, she knew that he had been moving around a lot during his life. Maybe that had something to do with it. Of course, she would ask ever so carefully, as she didn't wish to overstep any personal boundaries. If Sharaku didn't feel like telling her, she would accept that.

"Lies only beget more lies after all. It's going to end pretty badly if you do lie to people you wish to keep close. If anything, Lying pushes people away from eachother..." Mae sighed deeply. When she put it like that, it sounded pretty crystal clear that what she did was indeed the right thing to do... So why was this feeling that she had done something wrong still lingering?

"Oh geez... Do you think he's jealous?" Mae asked. Charles... What in the world was going on inside his head? "Well... He's yet to ask me about it... And I don't think he ever will, considering how he just left me like that." She was very doubtful that Charles would return to her anytime soon, if at all... Although, she did not know for how long he could hold a grudge... Probably for a long time, considering what he was. "I don't see how it's an issue to him though. At least not back then. I can hang out with whoever I want. It's my life, after all." Mae crossed her arms, huffing somewhat. The android had never struck Mae as the dominant type, who wants to keep check of everything his significant other is doing... But then again, all this stuff was new to him. He might've thought any guy Mae hung out with could steal Mae from him... Not that there was any danger of that. Until he decided to leave her like that.

"It does make sense... So he's designed to defeat shadows? I guess he's not supposed to feel something as intimate as love then, let alone understand it. He might've looked things up in books and whatnot. He seemed awfully text-book inspired on that date. He had planned the entire evening in great detail... I think he even quoted some romance novels to try and win me over... He did succeed for the most part. And everything would've been fine and dandy had that manager not decided to call me..." Why did he even disclose that kind of information to her at a moment like that? "I don't want to lose him as a friend though... Charles is still a good friend of mine." Would he even want to talk to her after that? Hopefully. But then again, he's being somewhat childish in his mannerisms... If that still held true, then he would not let go of this for a long time...

"I don't really know how I should approach him... I mean, what if he gets violent?" That was a rather big concern for her. The machine was most likely physically stronger than she was in every way imaginable... And it wasn't like she was any quicker than him on foot either. Considering his lack of control when angry, he could very well lash out at her in a fit of rage or something... and accidentally kill her. She did not wish for that to happen. Hence why she was scared of actually confronting him. "S-Should I just leave him be, then?" That wasn't a solution... but she didn't want to risk her own life by just seeing him. Who knows what was going on inside Charles' head? "O-Oh... it's nothing." Mae replied, somewhat nervously as she turned her gaze towards the pond. "It's quite beautiful here, isn't it? Sometimes I forget that we're in the middle of a big city when I look at our surroundings like this... It really feels like we're somewhere else." The sun's reflection was dancing on the pond's flat surface.

"Unfortunately that's the case. But everything can't be rainbows and sunshine everyday, no?" You sometimes needed a bit of bad things to truly apprechiate the good things in life. But if one's life had been nothing but bad things... then what? "I'm sorry it's been rough for you... Hopefully everything gets better. I doubt there's anything I can do. But if there is, I would gladly help out." That was the least she could do for him. He had done nothing but help her with various things as of late. Not that she minded it per se, but she wanted to do something for him for a change. "Hehe. I suppose you're right." How to even begin...

"I suppose I could've kept quiet about it until a later point in time... but he started asking me about it. I couldn't just flat out ignore him either. That would've just been rude in and of itself..." Come to think of it, that whole scenario didn't have that many desireable outcomes... Sure, she could've lied, but what would that actually accomplish in the long run? Making things worse than they were right now, that's for sure. "Hehe... I remember the second time I saw him. We were going out to eat lunch, and back then I didn't know that he was an android. He ended up giving me his food, giving me a rather odd explanation as to why he couldn't eat it." That's when her suspicions about him not being human was firmly rooted. And surely enough, the next time they met after that, Mae learned the truth... "He's been through a lot... And he was trying hard to make me like him... It's really sad that it had to come to this..."

"Oh? So you're the one behind the outfit he wore that day? Huh..." Interesting... So Sharaku helped him find those clothes. Did he have a day off from work or something to be able to do that? Or had he just taken the opportunity when Mae was away on an errand or something? Regardless, Mae was a bit suprised over what she'd just heard. It did make some sense though. "He's quite... gullible..." That's a good word to describe Charles... He really was like kid in some regards. "Yeah... I asked him once why he had fallen for me... and he was unable to answer that... Not even a "I find you attractive" either. He just couldn't put his finger on what." Maybe it was just that Mae treated him like a human instead of a robot? She would still do that, as she did have some respect for him left. But he had to be careful if he didn't wish to lose the one person who cared for him... "I hope so..." That would be a desireable outcome... But the chances of that actually happening was quite slim... That of course, didn't mean that Mae still wouldn't try her best to keep their friendship intact.

"Would you...?" Mae asked, a little afraid to finish, but he probably got where she was going with that anyway. The pinkette would feel a lot safer with Sharaku watching her back... "I mean, you don't have to! But... I would feel a lot safer if you were around... After all, you're the only one who knows about this, except for Ayane... And I doubt she could do anything to stop Charles..." In fact, the android hadn't been to fond of Mae's childhood friend the moment they met... And sadly, Ayane being there with Mae could potentially make things worse. And besides, Mae would never drag Ayane into that kind of danger to begin with... What kind of friend would she be if she did that?

There was no denying it. She did look up to Sharaku somewhat. He had been there, helping her with various things, that Mae had come to rely on him whenever she felt lost... Hence why she had turned to him about this matter in the first place. She wouldn't have been comfortable with anyone else... Except maybe Jack. But he was rather close to Charles. She didn't want them to fight because of her feelings... That would just be selfish of her. "Well, as long as I'm with someone I like... I'm happy for the most part." Friendship or Romance, it didn't matter much which one. As long as she was around people that was important to her, nothing else really mattered. But the surroundings did have a positive effect on Mae, hence why she had picked this bench in paticular.

"Well, it's only fair if I help you out every now and again. You've helped me out a number of times already, without asking for anything in return..." Anything would do really. It could be something small like... taking care of his cat if he was going to be away for a while, or something like that. It didn't have to be anything lifechanging. As long as she could repay him for all the help he's given her. "I wasn't specifically talking about your past. I was just speaking in general when it came to the helping bit..."

"Yeah... I suppose I did do the best I could to salvage the whole situation..." Mae said sheepishly. It felt comforting hearing Sharaku say that. It made the girl slightly more confident in the choice she made earlier. She had done nothing wrong. Charles just overreacted... Like a child... "I guess it's the thought that counts? He did actually go out of his way to apologize. So he isn't completely hopeless. Hehe." Not by a longshot. He had some redeeming qualities. Like actually going out of his way to renovate the appartment just for her sake. Sure, it seemed a bit silly to do that just because she moved in, but at the same time, it was quite touching... He really was a mixed bag in every sense of the word. "Yeah... It would seem that way. He even tried cooking for me once. Sadly the eggs ended up being so burnt they weren't edible, but it was his first time, so it's to be expected, really." And again, it was the thought that counted. Sadly she didn't get any breakfast that morning. She had to eat brunch at a resturant after she walked out of that tower...

"Oh? Some kind of Fashionista?" Mae asked curiously. The clothes Charles had worn on that day did look... good, actually. She had already guessed back then that he didn't exactly pick those up on his own. "......" Mae sat there, speechless for a couple of seconds, registering what Sharaku had just said. "Did he seriously put them on as a hat? I dunno if I should laugh or cry." Probably a bit of both. Poor Charles... "True... Was it unfair of me to ask that?" Mae asked anxiously. For all tends and purposes, yes, it might have been a bit unfair of her to ask him such a question... but she had felt the need to know back then... She still didn't quite understand why Mae of all people ended up being his love-interest.

"I would apprechiate that." Mae said with a wide smile. Her worries were put to rest now that Sharaku would be there with her. In case anything went wrong, he could step in... She didn't like the prospect of dragging him into danger like that, but... he seemed to be rather okay with it. In fact, it seemed that Sharaku was rather eager... But maybe that was just Mae imagining things. "Just try not to damage him beyond repair, alright?"

Mae's cheeks flared up vividly when Sharaku asked that, but despite that, her eyes were focused on his. Now was as good of a time as any. The cat was out of the bag... She was a bit concerned with how he would react to her answer. As far as the answer itself...


It probably wasn't all that difficult to decipher how she felt at this point. Her body language basically told Sharaku everything he needed to know. She finally said it. And now the nervousness started kicking in. What did he think about it? Would he be fine with it, or just dismiss her? Did he like her that way too? All she could do now was wait for his response... And the wait for that response felt like an eternity for Mae... Time itself seemed to stop for everything else around the two... What would his answer be?

"Hehe. Alright." Mae returned the smile with one of her own. So it wasn't needed? "As long as you're happy, I'm not gonna argue." Why would she argue? It was his choice whether he wanted her to repay the favor or not. That was something she could not change. Maybe one day she would get an opportunity though.

"I guess... All I really needed was just someone to talk to about it... And you're one of three people I would feel confident talking to about this..." She might talk to Rin about this later. Just to get her opinion on what she should do. "Cooking isn't easy... I'm actually trying it out myself weekly nowadays... I mean, I only live at the Dorms for one more year... once school opens up again. After that, I have to survive on my own. And without food... it's difficult to do so in the first place unless you're a robot." Mae chuckled lightly. She really should get Hyde to start test tasting her food... He could almost eat anything, from what she'd seen. Letting Sharaku do that though... was a big no-no. She didn't wanna knock him unconscious with something that tasted really bad... Hyde could probably take that. Jack as well... considering the weird tea he had been drinking at Chagall a couple of weeks back...

"Yeah. Seeing someone act like that is bound to leave an impression on you." Charles was pretty memorable. A little silly, yes, but that android had a nack for making a strong impression, whether good or bad... The latter was probably the more common, but at least it was sort of amusing in it's own way. "Ehehe... What you're saying makes a lot of sense. Abstract things like love works differently for everyone, so it's really difficult to really see any right way to go about things... If there even is a 'Right way' to begin with." There sure were a lot of wrong ways to do things too... most of them pretty obvious, others not so much...

Mae smiled warmly at Sharaku. "Let's just hope it doesn't come down to that." She wanted to avoid a conflict from occuring, but if it was inevitable, then having Sharaku by her side was comforting.

"Technically, yes... I'm planning on breaking up with him though... I don't think this relationship I have with him would last much longer anyway... It felt more like he had a crush on me or something..." Mae looked at Sharaku with a sheepish look on her face. "I-I've given it some thought since we saw eachother at the club...  I think I would be happier with someone like y-you." Hopefully it was a good enough answer. "I honestly am willing to give it a shot... if you want to that is..." It felt like Sharaku understood Mae better than Charles did. He was more mature, and a human to boot. "S-So yeah... That's my view on things..." All she could do right now was wait for an answer. What would he say?