27th of January, 2017
*Knock, Knock* Mae looked up at the sound of someone knocking on her door. She had been busy all day with either practicing her singing or being drowned in so much homework that she barely could breathe, so hearing someone knock on the door to her appartment was... suprising. On days like these, she was fairly difficult to reach, due to her being so busy... But occasionally, someone did manage to catch her not doing her homework, or practice, and those instances was very welcome. It was a nice change.
The girl rose up from her comfortable position on her bed, and walked over to the door, as the knocking continued. "
Hey~!" The voice of someone Mae knew very well greeted her as the door slowly swung open. Ayane, her childhood friend, waited for her there, with a big smile on her face. Ever since the girl had moved over to Azores for good, things had gotten much brighter since. The two were finally almost done with school. For those who do not know, almost the entirety of 2016, the school had been shut down due to supernatural activity, which in turn caused the studies to cease. Now, being their final year, the girls had a lot to catch up on... Or at least, in Ayane's case, that was very true. She had the unfortunate luck of transferring just a week before the school got shut down, and things only got worse from there for the girl. Luckily, the world was saved by a group of people Mae knew quite well... or at least most of them. To this day, Jack still told his stories of bravery to anyone who would listen. It's incredible what saving the world does to someone. Of course, Mae had not forgotten the events that transpired on the island a year ago, and even now, she felt that it somehow wasn't over yet. Her gut feeling had been wrong before, but... better be safe than sorry. At least now, Ayane knew exactly what had transpired on the island, and she stayed a supportive friend here, despite Mae begging her to go back to Japan if things turned ugly. The girl was indeed a bit too stubborn for her own good...
"
Hey, Aya-chan! Come in!" Mae stepped out of the way so Ayane could indeed walk in. She did so, looking around the appartment. There were still some cardboard boxes littered around the place, but most of the furniture and the essentials had been un-packed. It was just things like books, movies, games and the like left inside them now. A microphone stood by it's lonesome in the corner next to the window, along with her laptop. Now that the whole ordeal was over, Mae could dedicate more of her time towards her hobby. "
Nice. You're almost done~!" Ayane said as she slumped down on the bed with a small bounce. "
Yeah. Almost there. It's slowly becoming my new home here." Mae said with a light smile. She had made the decision to move away from the dorms on her own accord, seeing as she needed a place to stay after school was done, and... well... She got an offer on this appartment not too long ago, which she couldn't afford to miss. It was suprisingly difficult to find a good apartment in San Malarus... Mostly because there really weren't many places left that one could stay at. Standasen wasn't really her thing... and well, Penecia was simply too expensive for her economy right now. She worked part time at an orphanage not too far away from her new home, which made things even better. She had to work there, if she wanted to pay the bills. Of course, that wasn't the only source of income she had, as the girl often held concerts all around the islands, whether it be at the Wave's Peak or other places... It earned her a decent amount of cash... enough for her to live comfortably in this apartment of hers. Most of the furniture had come from her room in Japan, or it was bought on Azores itself. Both Jack and Blaez had been kind enough to help her with the furniture. Such nice people she had met here, no? Then again, had it not been for Ayane's intervention, Blaez probably wouldn't have helped her... Not that he disliked Mae or anything, no, but the two just didn't see eachother so often anymore, and had Ayane not spread the news to him, he probably wouldn't have known.
"
You're going to the Wave's Peak tonight, right?" Ayane asked Mae curiously. The pinkette nodded in response. "
Mhm! You're coming, right?" The pinkette asked in return. "
Why of course! You know that I personally adore your music." To this, all Mae could do was smile sheepishly. "
Besides, I love the Wave's Peak anyway. It's such a nice place." The club had recovered relatively quickly, all things considered... It was nice to see that things slowly returned to normal on the islands... Or as normal as it could. The ruins on Malstu were still in shambles, and the island as a whole was a shell of it's former self... At least the vegetation was slowly returning back in full strength, just give it a couple of years.
"
You still have this thing?" Ayane asked, nodding towards the pink ranger mask hanging on the wall above her bed. "
Yeah, I kept it as a memento of what happened here on the island..." Mae said, looking at her own, distorted, reflection on the glossy surface of the mask. "
You really don't want to forget...?" Ayane said with slight worry. "
No... All the things that transpired back then... shaped me into the person I am today. I can't lose sight of what I want with my life... that mask is a reminder of that." Mae sat down next to her friend as she spoke. "
Anyway... I think it's almost time for me to leave for Wave's Peak. I'll go change. See you outside." Ayane nodded, before Mae rose up again, and headed for the bathroom, to change into a more fitting attire... Gotta look fancy on stage, and all that.
Once ready, sporting a white vest, a red tie and having tied up her hair, she was ready to go. "
I'm ready." The girl said in a chipper tone. "
Alright then. Let's go~!"