A Walk in the Park [Sharaku]

"Hehe. I guess that's one way to go about it." Quite... unorthodox, but each to their own. If people were being spiteful they didn't exactly deserve being treated nicely either. Not that Mae would go about it that way. "Not sure how good that is in the long run. But as long as you don't do it too often, it should be fine." It wasn't like he went out of his way to be mean. Everyone's patience has their limits after all.

"Okay, I'll stop." Mae accepted that. If he didn't like it, why should she push that paticular subject any further? It would just end badly for her. "Well, then I suggest taking care of those who you consider to be close. Makes them that much more valuable." What was that saying again? It's better to have one bird in your hand than ten in the forest? Something like that. Whatever, she had gotten her point across. "I'd personally prefer to have a few really close friends over a large group of not-so close friends." A combination of the two was... kind of what she had right now? "I guess that's just the optimist in me, but you're fortunate to have somewhat close friends with you... It's all thanks to what's going on though... Nothing forges bonds better than a common cause." in true times of desparation, that is. Strong bonds could of course be made outside of that too, but... the friendship she had with Jack for instance felt quite strong despite that they hadn't known eachother for that long. Maybe it was thanks to the whole rangers deal that got them this close to begin with?

"Ah, nothing really. I was just thinking." Regardless, she had gotten what she asked for. "What's his name? The android you were talking about, of course." It was more out of plain curiousity than anything else that she had asked about it to begin with. "Well... If it's a good relationship, wouldn't the difficulties getting there be worth it? I always find a treat to taste better if I have actually worked hard to get it." But what did she know? Perhaps it was just how humanity has evolved over the course of time? "I guess so... Hence why I have pretty much let go of what I had with Charles. It just wouldn't work out after that..." Mae chuckled lightly at Sharaku's last remark. "Hehe, I guess you're right. I need to stop worrying too much about this stuff..." She smiled sheepishly at Sharaku. "Alright then. Let's just see what happens. If it doesn't work out... It just doesn't. Nothing more, nothing less... As sad as that would make me..." But if that did end up happening, at least she could try to make sure that the two were still on good terms afterwards. Sharaku was still a friend, after all.

"Hehe, okay. If you say so, Sharaku." Mae chuckled lightly, smiling at him. Bothering himself, eh? "Oh? So it's like... Penecia, then?" Obviously she would make the comparison. That island's primary source of income was tourism, after all. "Well... If you were willing to teach me, that would make things easier... Unless I can study Portugese in school. That would be very convenient." If Zela Academy ever re-opened again after this. Ah... She knew this would come up eventually. "Yeah... She's leaving this weekend. Apparently there was some troubles with the Refugee center, and her flight home was delayed..." Now that he mentioned it... "Since I don't live at Charles' place anymore, I have been living in Ayane's Room at the refugee center... As you may remember, I used to live in the dorms, which are still out of commission... So once Ayane leaves, I have no place to stay..." It was quite the predicament really... How would she actually go about finding a place to stay?

"Yeah... That's true. Running away is almost never a good solution..." Hence why she had planned on seeing Charles, and getting things settled on that end. She wouldn't gain anything from running away... Unless, he had already done so. If that was indeed the case, then things both became better and worse at the same time. On one end, she didn't have to deal with any potential conflict that may arise... but on the other end, nothing got solved either. But perhaps it was just meant to be. Well, she would find out in due time...

"Well... You can always try." Mae said with a sheepish smile. "I can tell you care though. If you didn't, would you have even showed up in the first place?" It was a nice thought, actually... He cared about her. Well, they were pretty much friends now, so she didn't see a reason for him not to... but still... It made her feel special, in a way. She wasn't exactly sure how, but it was a nice feeling that she would hold onto. "Yeah, and it's not like you have time to get any strong friendships going with any of them without being forced to neglect another..." That was why she preferred to have a few, really close friends that she could lean on in case she was in a bind, or vice versa. "Well... Not everyone can agree on everything." The way society was buildt, it was impossible. Heck, the very society they had right now was built on the very foundation that everyone was different... If everyone had the same opinion, there would only be one kind of clothing, just in different sizes, and innovation would pretty much come to a halt. And without innovation, progress stopped as well...

Alphonse... Sounded very... British for some reason, but Mae wasn't even sure if it was a british name to begin with. It was definetely an english name, that much was certain. She highly doubted she would actually meet this android, but you never knew... Sometimes, things change. "Yeah... But hey, everyone's different." Mae smiled warmly at Sharaku, before his next set of words slowly drained the smile from her face. "But that wouldn't be you..." Which was very true... Sharaku felt special to her. And it was not just the way he looked or anything that made him special. Perhaps it was the seemingly genuine care he had shown her that affected her somehow... Although, his looks weren't completely irrelevant either. They were just not a major factor. But they still did play a part. "Likewise... If this doesn't end up working, I wish you good luck finding someone... Whether it be a guy or girl, they're lucky, in that case. Heh. Once they get to know you a bit better..." It wouldn't be easy though... But hopefully it didn't end up like that anyway.

"Well, Penecia is the only city I've been in that's dedicated itself completely towards tourism... Sure, I've been in Thailand once... But we weren't exacly in any big city or anything. We were visiting a couple of islands where only a few locals live. That's pretty much the extent of my tourism." It wasn't that much honestly, but hey, if she actually ended up going to Portugal sometime in the future... That would be interesting, and probabaly a great deal of fun too. "Oh? That'd be great! I guess you'll be Sharaku-Sensei then." She'd poke at him teasingly. "I'm... Honestly not sure... I could stay at a hotel or something... But that would not be all that great in the long run... and most of my friends used to live at the dorms as well, and I don't wanna bother anyone who's already having a friend sleeping there with me..." But she couldn't just sleep on the streets either... That wasn't exactly a life-style she'd like. And her mother didn't have space in the bus for one more person...

"Well, yeah... But is that really an optimal solution to the problem?" Of course, the option was always there, if the person was being unreasonable. But again, people might see this subject in a different light from Mae.

"I dare say actions speak louder than words, no?" She was göad that he had showed up like this. That he had been willing to talk about her problems, and help her come to terms with them... "Hehe. With me, you don't have to be much of a sweet-talker. Sure, it helps, But I prefer genunine care, rather than someone talking nice to me, pretending they care." Words could easily be bent to fit the situation. Actions were a little bit more difficult to be deceptive with. Not saying that it couldn't be done. It was just a bit more difficult. That's all. "Indeed. That really wouldn't be a solution in the long run. I'd rather keep a close, but small group of friends than feeling the need to clone myself just to have enough time for everyone." And honestly, it wasn't worth it, even if cloning was a thing. "Besides, even if you did clone yourself... Would your clones really be you?" That was something worth thinking about. Mae couldn't help but chuckle in the end though. Somehow, their conversations ended up in some sort of Philosophical topic. Not that she minded it paticularly. Philosophy was interesting... "Indeed, everything would be so dull... No personality to speak of." A World where everyone thought the same... Sounded like a poorly constructed wish from an Angel, and a terrible wish at that.

"Hehe, what's with the sheepish look for?" Mae couldn't help but chuckle a bit, poking her left index finger carefully on the tip of Sharaku's nose. "It is. And it's quite beautiful. Plus, they have monkeys." Heck, there was even a very famous beach close to phuket called Monkey Beach. And it's not a name that's just for show. There were monkeys there, hanging out with humans. The locals had put up warning signs saying that you shouldn't feed them, as when a monkey realised you didn't have more food, or they thought you hid some from them, they could get violent really quickly.

"Hehe, maybe? You got a problem with it?" Mae asked, grinning widely at him. "Hehe, I didn't expect it to be either. Learning a new language from scratch is never easy." Luckily, Mae was a quick study when it came to languages. "Yes... I used to do that... But after what happened, I couldn't bring myself to live there anymore. It brought up bad thoughts... So I just left. As far as asking goes... I just don't wanna be a burden to anyone. Charles wanted me to stay at his place... It was kind of an act of desparation, really." She'd chuckle faintly. They were now almost halfway through the park... It's amazing how time flies when you have something to do.

"Probably not." Mae shrugged. It all depended on the situation and the people involved. There was almost never a clear-cut answer for everything. "In the end, it's up to the individuals view on the matter." That seemed to be the case for a lot of things nowadays. Nothing was ever Black and White in terms of what the right choice was. Everything was just different shades of grey. Picking the right choice wasn't always easy...

"Then what's your view on it? Do you prefer action over words?" Mae had already voiced her opinion on the matter for the most part. As to what Sharaku thought about it, she had no idea. That's why Mae had asked him to begin with, to learn. "See? That's a good trait to have, no? At least the former. It just means you genuinely care. If you don't, you just show it. Sure, that might cause some friction, but honestly, sometimes pretending to care can hurt the other more than simply not caring." She had tasted that herself once, back at Miyazaki High. A guy in her class had started dating her, pretending to care about who she was, until Mae found out he only did so as a shortcut to get famous... That was probably one of the more emotionally painful experiences that Mae had gone through. It was even worse than with Charles... Luckily, Ayane had been there to support her through the ordeal. What would Mae do with herself without any friends? "Hehe, yeah. That's very true. I don't think I could stand more than one Mae at a time." Some might beg to differ though. People generally liked Mae around here, and actually sought out her company. It was flattering, in a way. Just like everyone else, when you go someplace new, you go there with the expectation that you're not gonna get any friends... But look how wrong she was.

"Come on, don't sell yourself short. You're a wonderful guy, once people get to know you a bit better... or at least see the side of you which I have." Mae giggled happily. Seeing him confused like that was... kind of cute. Endearing even. "Well, it's really just that one beach. I think you'd enjoy the rest of Thailand though. The beaches are beautiful, the water is crystal clear and the food is delicious, if a bit on the spicy side. It gets really warm there though. When I was there last time, it was 50° Celsius at noon. In fact, you could step in the shower, wash away all the sweat, come back out, and immediately start sweating again. It's brutal. But on the upside, night-time is rather comfortable." Of course, she had been there during the dry season. And the temperature hadn't reached those heights in ten years prior to her visit, and to her knowledge, it hadn't been that warm there since then either. Just her luck, huh?

"Hehe, I called you that just for the laughs, honestly. But formalities aren't such a bad thing. I guess Sharaku-san will do." Mae said, giggling. "I dunno... Maybe?" She said contemplatively. "I guess not... But still..." It was more of a problem on her end. Mae blushed vividly at his suggestion. "R-Really? You'd be okay with that? I mean... Where do I sleep and such?" She had a futon with her, just in case, but if he had another option for her, she'd gladly take that instead. The futon was getting rather worn, and it was a rather cheap one too, so it wasn't all that comfortable.


If he was okay with it, of course. Moving to Penecia... Would be interesting. Perhaps she could start working part-time at the sushi resturant with Hyde. As a Waitress of course. That way, she could at least get money to pay for food and such. She didn't like the prospect of Sharaku needing to pay money for her needs. He was already kind enough to offer livingspace. Asking more than that from him would just be plain rude.

"Yeah... Arguments are probably better off staying verbal... I was mostly referring to positive things." Mae said with a bright smile. "I, for one, think it's worse when someone pretends to care, than actually not caring. It just adds insult to injury, in my opinion." Indeed... But luckily, Sharaku wasn't like that. "Hehe, yeah. I have enough trouble looking myself in the mirror as is. Because once I do, I can spend hours trying to make myself look good... I'm quite choosy when it comes to that stuff... I hope I did a good enough job today..." Mae smiled sheepishly. She had spent roughly 2-3 hours trying to look as good as possible for this paticular meetup.... Normally, it was around half that time, but she wanted to impress Sharaku somewhat. Hopefully, she did.

Mae giggled gleefully at Sharaku's reaction. "You're not that used to being complimented, are you? That's cute." She was being completely honest about it too. Sharaku was one of the last people she thought would react like this. And yet, here he was. "Isn't that usually me? Hehe" Mae had some trouble with recieving compliments as well, but probably for a different reason than Sharaku. Mae was a very modest girl. "Well... I like beaches and bathing in general... There's just one thing I dislike about the beach, and that's wearing a swimsuit. I... Don't really like showing off everything like that." She especially hated it if there were some guys who could not keep their eyes away. Sure, quick looks were fine, but when those turned into long, uncomfortable stares... She really couldn't stand people like that. Not that Sharaku looked like someone who would be perverted. It just didn't suit him. At all. "Hehe, alright then. I'll stop." Enough kidding around with that subject, before it got on his nerves.

"A-Alright... I-I'll swing by with my things after I have seen Ayane off this weekend... The airport is on the way to Penecia anyway." Mae blushed lightly. "T-The couch works fine..." Yeah... No way she was sleeping together with him in the same bed anytime soon... But perhaps one day, if this relationship worked out well. Still, thinking about it made her blush just as badly as she was back at the club. Her cheeks were positively glowing. She still carried a bright smile on her face though.

"You're being so nice... Thank you. It makes my life a lot easier." Now she had a place to stay, if only temporarily for now, which made her future look much brighter. And it was Sharaku's place... Which was the best part!

"Well, that can be changed. Teehee." Mae giggled, looking at him with a wide smile. Maybe she could shape him up to be a little more positive, at least. "Well... I dunno what I'd do. I haven't exactly found myself in a situation where I would need to do it..." Maybe it was because she cared for the people she knew? Or her upbringing? Either one of the two, if not a combination of both. "Ehehe... It's not necessarily that I spend much time on Make-up and stuff... I actually rarely wear it. No, the thing that takes so much time is picking clothes to wear. When it comes to that, I can be terribly indecisive..." She would try out all manner of combinations of clothes every morning to find a combination that fell to her liking. She had picked clothes with this in mind, that she could mix and match them without the colors or design clashing with oneanother. Plus, she always had to take her hair color into account. Pink didn't exactly go well with everything. "I just spent longer time than usual today... Because... W-Well..." Mae blushed, twiddling her thumbs.


Mae smiled at Sharaku. "So no-one's called you cute before?" She'd poke at him. To be honest, Mae was rather curious about this. Then again, as he had stated earlier, he didn't exactly have much time on his hands until now due to moving around so much. "I know. It's just the way guys look at my... Curves... that's bothering me. Sure, a quick glance is okay... but some guys tend to stare. It's not funny." Even less now that she had Sharaku...

"S-See! That's how flustered I am!" The notion of living in his apartment had pretty much occupied Mae's thoughts for a while, that she completely forgot the fact that she didn't know where exactly on Penecia he lived. Oh geez... "I guess not..." Mae looked at her watch, just as an excuse to hide her flushed face from Sharaku. Oh... She needed to get back to the Refugee center. It was her turn to cook today. "Oh... I'm sorry, Sharaku, but I need to get back to the refugee center. It's my turn to cook there today, so... I guess this is good bye for now..." If he looked carefully, Sharaku would notice that Mae was reluctant on leaving. "I-I'll see you on saturday then, ok?"

"T-Thanks..." Mae answered with a nervous giggle. Okay, noted. He didn't care much about what she was wearing... Good to know. But still... He said it suited her. That was more than enough.

She would smile at Sharaku. He needed to get used to this. And it was fun to see him being a bit confused. "Well, you are cute. I can attest to that." Mae looked away from Sharaku for a second, as she spoke up again. "It just feels like they're judging me somehow... I dunno how to explain it better without it sounding weird." She would then return her gaze back to him, as she smiled sheepishly. "Well... I have help today. I actually volounteered, just so I can get some assistance while cooking. I don't exactly wanna try it out on my own just yet..." The people there were nice enough to help her with it. Hopefully it would go well. "Y-Yeah... I'll see you then."

It was a very different Mae that left the park than the Mae who had entered it. She was actually smiling this time. Everything had gone so well... And He was okay with it all. Mae just had to get back to the Refugee center as quickly as possible and tell Ayane of what had happened. She just had to!