Guidance (Mae)

An apology to his glare caused Hiro to look down with a light nod.

“Forgiven,” he would tell her in calm tones before he turned his eyes to the interior of the room to get acquainted with it. As he was observing his surroundings, Mae came in and collapsed on the bed. As she did this, Hiro’s eyes would move over to the girl a bit concerned. Was she going to pass out? It wouldn’t be surprising. The ordeal that had occurred was unexpected and tiring even for him. While he had to put in a physical effort to survive, it seemed as if the two ladies were more tuckered out than himself. Maybe that was because they used magic and he didn’t...that or perhaps the adrenaline in his body was still too high to realize just how tired he was. It was hard to say, but he would leave Mae alone for now as he returned to observing the place. Once he was done, he sat down on the floor not sure exactly what to do next.

If the girl did go to sleep, should he stay or leave? Hmmm…maybe he should ask before she actually fell into a deep sleep. Blue orbs would drift back to the girl his intent to ask his question; however, the words wouldn’t come when blue orbs met the girl’s strange colored eyes. Not knowing what to say, he’d watch her with a gaze that challenged her to speak first and thankfully she got the message. Good. He didn’t have to worry about fumbling over words for the moment. Even when the girl started to speak, he would remain quiet until it was his turn to answer.

“Mmm,” the man would begin as he placed his right hand on his leg and leaned against it being careful not to disturb Aria who still dozed on his other leg.

“You can say I was pretty much neighbors with them. They are definitely a common sight for me,” he would tell her with a nod as his blue eyes lowered as he thought. “It’s a bit troubling seeing them here though…” the man would say with a frown that matched the expression on the girl’s face. Why? Why had they crossed over? He wasn’t certain of the answer and that bothered him even more. He would continue to ponder this, his eyes only returning to the girl when she spoke her next words. To this, his expression became serious.

“…I don’t exactly have a place to go to…” he would begin as a light frown would appear on his face as he thought. He wasn’t asking for pity or anything. He was simply stating a fact. A trend he would continue as his lips parted again “So I suppose so unless you want me to leave,” he would tell the other honestly.

It was true Hiro had nowhere to go; however, he would not stay where he was not wanted. It was honestly up to the girl how long she wished for him to stay or not. Sure, the streets weren’t friendly, but being out there would be just like it was at home. The only difference was that he had humans to throw into his normal day equation. Even with the extra, he could manage if necessary. In the end, he wouldn’t be bother by the idea staying if Mae was cool with it. It could save them some trouble in the long run if they knew exactly where to find the other. So there were some perks with such an arrangement.

Meanwhile, Aria would turn in her sleep on his leg. She curled into a small ball to make herself more comfortable before relaxing and dozing off again...or at least attempting to. The small demon would be woken up as she heard a strange sound in the room. Sitting up startled she looked around the new surroundings disoriented for the moment until she saw Hiro and the pink haired girl...and settled a bit. She was still safe....good.

Hiro on the other hand took the situation a bit better than his winged friend. Sure, the sound was unexpected causing him to tense a bit when he first heard, but when he discovered the source of the sound he'd relax slightly before Mae excused herself to talk on the phone. Staying where he was for a moment, he could hear chat coming from the bathroom; however, he wouldn't pry as he carefully picked up Aria and got to his feet. He would drift over to the window and peak out the window a bit to observe the situation outside.

As he did this, Aria slipped out of his grip and flapped her wings. She would level herself with his shoulder before settling on it and relaxing once more.

Mae gave a relieved smile when he told her that she was forgiven. One less thing to worry about for her. "Oh? Well... are they all bad...?" She asked with a worried look on her face. She certainly hoped not. That would just be bad for everyone. Someone must be leading these Demons to Azores... speaking of which... why Azores?

Mae shook her head at his response. "You can stay with me. It's quite alright, Hiro. You're a nice guy." She said, turning over on the bed to face him, her head gently resting on the white pillow. "Hehe... I've had people sleep here before, so it's nothing new." Well, she couldn't just let him sleep on the streets. Mae couldn't bring herself to be that cold... Not to anyone. "Say... Hiro... How tall are you...?" She asked, sort of randomly. Thinking back on people sleeping over here, she had to make sure that he was small enough to fit the spare futon she had. Because she wasn't going to share bed with him! That would just be strange and awkward. Even moreso than with Sharaku, someone she knew fairly well.

Mae almost fell out of her bed when the phone rang. Standing up, she gave Hiro an excusing look before she headed towards the bathroom. About five minutes later, she returned, with a slight smile on her face.

"...Sorry it took so long. A friend of mine called. You might know him... Sharaku Rikei. Ring any bells?" She sat down in front of Hiro, as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket. "Regardless, he's coming here. He was just at the Beach in Penecia to check the waters... where the demons seem to be coming from... And it's not looking too good. He'll fill us in more once he comes here." She would then give Aria a curious look. "Hey there~!" A light smile made it's way to her face, trying to greet the little demon.

It seemed that his willingness to forgive caused the girl to relax. While it was true the action did ruffle his feathers a bit, did the girl think he really would hold a grudge over the error? Huh. Curious. In any case, his attention would shift from the small curiosity to the question asked.

“I don’t think bad is the word for them. You can say they are very much like us. Sure their forms and rules may differ, but each one has a personality and some can even be spoken to if they are calm enough. We just happened to get the more unreasonable of the bunch,” Hiro would respond back to the girl easily enough before he gave a light frown. “Do you think maybe something from two years ago started this and was just waiting until now to make itself obvious?” he would ask...did his sins from back then cause this too? He hate to think his narrow view did this and yet...Now that he could see clearly he had to wonder if this wasn’t all connected in some way. Was someone or something planning this invasion from the beginning…and if so why here? And did he only help what was going on? He ponder this for a while before looking up at the girl as the subject shifted to where he could stay.

Ah. So she was okay with him staying then; however, he had to wonder at her logic. She would let him stay because he was a nice guy? How did she figure that from just a few moments of interaction? A curious creature, but he had to wonder was it: Foolishness, kindness, or just giving him the benefit of doubt that led her to do this. Did it really matter? Not really. At least he didn’t have to worry about sleeping with one eye open all the time and that was something he could appreciate easily enough.

“Thank you for your kindness. I’ll do my best not to be a burden,” Hiro would say giving her a light bow from his sitting position; however, he would look up from that bow as she asked a rather odd question. He would look up into her eyes searching them for clarity before blinking a bit as he thought about that question. He never really measured his height, but if he were to guess….

“A little over 5 feet,” he would say easily enough. “Why?” he would ask as an expression of curiosity came over his face. Why did she suddenly need to know that information? Was it relevant to something? Or was it just a random question? He would ponder the question until the phone caused quite the stir in the otherwise calm room.

As Mae looked like she was about to fall off the bed, Hiro tensed a bit with every intent of attempting to help the girl should she actually begin to fall; however, thankful the girl was able to catch herself and get to her feet. Relaxing, he let her leave the room to take a call, taking the moment to get up and check the situation outside.  

He would watch the chaos in the streets below for a while before he heard the bathroom door open again and Mae came out. Drifting back to his spot, he pause as he listened to her speak.

“Sharaku?” he would repeat before following suit and sitting again. “Yeah, I’ve met him once or twice in life. Didn’t seem like a bad fellow,” he would say before pausing as Aria decided to speak. "No he was a pain in the ass," she would begin seemingly not forgiving him quite yet for what happened at another meeting, but just as quickly as she was angered she was sighing as she clasped her hands and looked upward with a dream like smile. "But he is so beautiful. So beautiful."  The demon would become quiet lost in her own thoughts as Hiro shook his head at this as began by brushing that moment away.

”Anyway.. so he is coming here, huh? I see,” he would say not exactly concerned about the guy traveling outside. Maybe it was just him, but there was something about the guy that suggested if need be he could probably take down a demon or two without trouble. However that last part of what was being said got a frown from the man.

“The ocean, where all life is born from... Ironic they would come from there, but that begs the question: what unlocked the door to let them in?” Hiro would fold his arms biting his left thumb in thought for a moment.

Meanwhile, Aria who had been sitting in Lala Land on his shoulder, would look over at the pink haired girl as she spoke. She would watch her for a bit as she pulled herself out whatever day dream she had before leaning forward with a grin on her face.

“Well hello, doll. How are you?” she said seeming to be okay with the girl…for now. How that board would change when the other came would be…interesting to say the least. Hiro just prayed that whatever happened would end up smoother than last time.

"Hm... Well, let's hope we can find some of the more reasonable ones in the future then, eh?" Mae replied with a light chuckle. She'd like to avoid fighting if she could, because really, senseless violence brought you nowhere in life.

"It's possible... As much as I hope it isn't, that would make some sense." The thought had crossed the girls mind before. What if these demons were related to Thesis and Ananke somehow? Or was there another party working on this...? "Well, related or not, it's still an issue. And a big one at that. I've fought for the safety of Azores once before, and I'm not afraid to do so again." Mae had always been one for defending those who couldn't defend themselves. Just like two years ago, she fought with her friends to stop the primordials from doing their thing. She could do this again...

"Oh, Geez... There's no need to thank me, Hiro-kun. Ehehe..." Mae said with a timid smile and a faint blush as she scratched the back of her neck. "I can't just let you sleep on the streets during times like these, now can I? That's just not right... So, make yourself at home. And don't worry, You won't be a burden." Oh, so he was around Ayane's height... Then this would do nicely. "Ah, well that's perfect." Mae replied, with a clap of her hands as she stood up, and headed for the wardrobe. After a bit of struggling with something, she finally managed to pull out the Futon, which was just the right size for Hiro. "Tadaa~" Mae exclaimed with a wide grin as she carefully dropped the Futon on the floor. "Something for you to sleep on tonight. It's kind of like a sleeping bag." And what do you know, it fit Hiro like a glove. She'd rather not go through the whole Sharaku experience with an almost complete stranger, so this came as a relief to the woman.

"Heh, I'd like to think I'm pretty close with him, and he's nice. Comes with a lot of good advice." Sharaku was indeed a wise one for his age. One of the many reasons why Mae was so fond of him. His insight on all manner of things was helpful to the girl, and had been so numerous times in the past. When Aria spoke up about Sharaku, Mae grunted with a frown. Sure, she wasn't together with Sharaku, but still... hearing someone talk about him like that made her a bit... agitated. Perhaps it was jealousy? Or something?

"Indeed. The subways might be out of service right now though, so it'll take him a while to get here." Indeed. Considering the state of things at the moment, it wouldn't suprise her one bit. "Yeah... That worries me too. Maybe there's someone here in Azores that opened the way for them?" She replied with a contemplative look. "Makes sense, when you really think about it, no?"

"I'm doing... okay, all things considered. Things sure could've been a lot worse. What's your name?" She asked the demon with a gentle smile. She couldn't really shake hands so... a finger would do, perhaps? Maybe?

“Well, assuming it is not only hostiles that were released…which I would find hard to believe with so many on the lose, we should be able to find some that can be reasoned with and maybe even convinced to fight for us. We’ll just have to try and see if an opportunity presents itself,” Hiro would say as he thought about back home. While it was true it had been rough over there, there were occasions where demons would simply pause to chat or observe him for a bit. Some were even kind enough to wait until he woke up and had his wits about him before attempting to kill him. Demons were indeed a strange bunch.

“Is that so? Can you fill me in on what happened back then?” he would ask. True he did know about some of it, but his knowledge was on the ending rather than what had led to that beast being summoned. While it might’ve been trivial maybe there was a clue in the past that could help them with the present. Perhaps a bit far-fetched, but who knew. Clues hide everywhere.

Hiro would raise an eyebrow at the girl’s next set of words. “Ah, so you fought in the battles back then? That explains much,” he said as many questions about the girl –namely her powers – were cleared up. A vet from the past, eh? Well, Fate had finally been kind to him for once and gave him a blessing rather than a curse. What a pleasant change from the norm. Speaking of norm was it normal for people to turn red when embarrassed about something?

Hiro would blink at Mae not exactly understanding why thanking someone made them embarrassed. Was she perhaps humble and that is why that happened? A curious thing, but one that Hiro would push away as he gently scratched his cheek and looked away feeling a bit uncomfortable for a moment.

“Okay,” he would say unable to find a better word at the moment. Her kindness was a bit overwhelming due to the fact he was not quite used to such actions; however, he appreciated it nonetheless. Awkwardness aside, Hiro would look over at the girl when she said his height was perfect before she was moving to get something. After a few moments, she’d return with a bundle in her arms. This bundle she would place down on the floor before him. Neh? What was this?

Looking from the bundle, he would look back at the girl and give her a light smile as she explained the bundle.

“Ah. I see. Thank you then,” he would say before examining the bundle. He unrolled it to see how long it was before carefully rolling it back up. From what he could gauge he would be able to fit right in it. Nice. Well at least he had something to keep himself warm if he needed it and while he didn’t admit it out loud, he kind of like the idea of having a bed of his own no matter the form. Aria on the other would frown at this.

“You realize I will not be sleeping on the ground with ya buddy?” she would say to Hiro and then flapping her wings, she would fly over to Mae with a grin. “I am gonna sleep with you okay?” she said with a grin that made it hard to tell if she was playing or not.

“Really?” Hiro would respond back with a deadpan expression. Was she really going to do this after someone was being kind to them?

“Yup. A girl like me wouldn’t be able to get any beauty sleep at all,” Aria would say as she shook her head at Hiro before refocusing on Mae. “Surely, you understand, right Mae Pie?” Aria would say as she looked at the girl with an innocent grin.

Lovely. Now she was giving out nicknames. Hiro would shake his head at this, but wouldn’t make any real effort to stop Aria either. She wasn’t harming anything yet, so he saw no need to get involved yet.

“Anyway, I can agree the guy is quite a interesting piece of work. I am afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know him like you have, but I am glad you two are friends. How long have you known him?” Hiro asked curious his eyes drifting up to the girl just in time to catch her becoming…agitated? Did he say something wrong or…no wait. That wasn’t at his question. That was thanks to Aria’s comment from earlier, wasn’t it?  As if to confirm this, Aria who was still in the air gave the girl a cocky smirk before floating over to sit on Hiro’s shoulder. He could feel rather than see the hostility the small demon held for the girl….She had found competition and now he was stuck in the middle....again. How nice…and to think that the thing of this competition was on his way here. Hiro honestly began to feel bad for the guy.

He was certain that Sharaku could handle two crazy girls, but at the same time….if they were to discuss business, such nonsense couldn’t occur. They’d never get anywhere at that rate, but it was not like he could seal Aria off this time either. She already bit him in the ear for doing so at the beach, so to perform the action again with someone else for her to lash out at?

…

This was going to be a long conversation, wasn’t it? Mentally bracing himself for whatever was to come out of that when Sharaku arrived, he would try to push the worry away for the moment though.

“Yeah, I think the trains stopped when the demons appeared. I guess I got lucky and got to on the last few before it all went down. I am not sure of the underground, but hopefully it fared better than up here.” A small hope, but who knew. There were some demons that liked the dark…so it was no telling if any had taken up residence there….

Hiro would blink as he folded his arms in thought on that one.

“Perhaps, but if that is the case, then who would do such a thing? Do you recall anyone suspicious from two years ago? Or perhaps something?” he would ask as he looked back up at the girl to see what her thoughts were on the subject.

Meanwhile, Aria who had been sitting quietly on Hiro’s shoulder for the moment, would push off from her resting spot as Mae held a finger out to her. Not seeing it as a form of greeting, but rather another perch, the demon would carefully balance on the finger as she looked up at Mae innocently enough.

“Well that is always good to hear, Mae Pie. As for my name, I am Aria. Pretty fitting no?” she said with a grin playing nice for the moment despite marking the girl as the competition.

"Mhm. We have to stay open, and willing to negotiate... perhaps they could even tell us why the demons are attacking us...?" That would be a start if nothing else. Aside from just, you know, the will to conquer another world, there had to be some reason why this one was chosen out of all the realities that existed. She had been to a number of those already, but... those were bound to the specific islands that the rifts were bound to... so she had no idea whether everything around the island of Alternate Penecia was in the same state of perpetual war and ruin... or whether or not the world surrounding Alternate Standasen was in this humid, almost toxic swamp-like state...

"Well, it's complicated. But essentially, there were these two primordial gods that wanted to end all life on earth running about... Pleasant stuff, I know. And on the other hand, you have the angels, who had a competition of sorts going, where the fate of humanity would be decided... These two factions... the primordials and Angels were in complete opposition, with one trying to save Humanity while the other tried to end it. Me, and my little group of friends led by a man named Jack Rannells, tried to unify the Angels against the primordials... sadly, we weren't successful in that, but we did manage to save the world... at a price." That price being Hyde's life... She could read between the lines. Of course he had been there, and fought with the others against Nesoi... and he lost his life, saving the world in the process. She of course felt bad about it, since she didn't get to know him as well as she would've liked, but she had to move on, and live to honor his memory... his sacrifice, to the best of her ability. She couldn't let the world end here, lest his noble sacrifice to save them all would've been for nothing...

"Indeed I did. I guess I should be proud of that... you know, fighting for the sake of humanity and all that, but really, powers aside, what makes me different from any other human? Not much, hence why I can relate to them... I've always been a fan of helping those that can't help themselves..." Just the thought of the kids at the orphanage was a testament of this. She almost felt like a mother to some of them, and perhaps some of the kids saw her in that light. Mae would know, as her caretaker had been like a parent to Mae as a child.

"Heh, don't mention it." Mae replied with a warm smile, looking at him as he inspected the futon. She blinked a bit at the demons request... that was... certainly odd... "I... Guess that's okay...?" She replied, a little bit unsure of what she thought about Aria's request. "Just beware... I move around alot in my sleep." Yeah... no kidding. She had even snuggled up with Sharaku last time he was here so... yeah. "Well, I can get behind that, I suppose..." Sleep was important, yes. Especially now when things went to all hell, they would need all the energy they could muster for the upcoming trials that the demons had in store for them.

"We met two years ago... so I'd say three years... but sometime before the event ended... something happened between us and... well, we didn't see eachother for two whole years." Which she wasn't paticularly proud of, but she had her priorities... she had even promised him that she would return a better woman next time they met... and even now, she failed to deliver on that promise. With how things went last time... yeah... She felt absolutely miserable about it. Especially due to the fact that despite the rejection, and lack of interest of that kind of relationship on Sharaku's end, her feelings for him just wouldn't go away. It tormented her, knowing that she couldn't have him... He just wasn't interested in her, from what Mae could understand. She didn't blame him over it, and she never would either... In the end, this was something she never planned on telling Sharaku. Not willingly anyway.

"Heh, I guess that's to be expected really. The islands are facing an unprecedented crisis. Of course people are scared... and as a result, the subways are out of commission." Mae replied with a light shrug. Hopefully he was coming here soon... but part of her dreaded his coming here. Aria seemed interested in Sharaku as well, and while Mae knew she didn't have a chance at him anymore, she'd feel bad if those two actually ended up being a couple... an odd one at that...

"Nice to meet you, Aria." Mae Pie...? That was... an oddly cute name coming from the little pixie-thing. Mae didn't know what to think of this little demon. A perplexing fairy...

“Mmm. I think with a bit of work it will be alright,” Hiro would say. While it had been a long while since he had actually spoken with demons for the purposes of becoming allies or negotiating, he knew demons could be worked with and become allies. After all, that was the way he got Aria on his side, so he was certain the same could be done with other demons open to the deal. The only reason he didn’t have more demons as it was was due to the fact that he didn’t need to collect them for war; however, now that board had changed.

“Hmm ask the demons for help? That is a bit risky, but I like your way of thinking. It’s worth a try,” Hiro would say with a nod of agreement though he had to wonder if the little ones would have information or if they’d have to hunt for a larger one. Either way they wouldn’t know until they actually tried such a method and that couldn’t really be decided until the last of their party arrived. So for now he would let the idea sit on the back burner as he focused on what Mae was saying about two years ago.

According to the girl, the last battle had been between the gods and angels fighting for humanity’s fate. That explained the disagreements of the time. Why some wanted to fight and others wanted to run. It also explained Red Ranger who appeared at the rally calling for peace and unity. All to bring an end to the war the gods had started. And when their efforts failed? Neosi appeared to erase them all until the sacrifice had come.

While he didn’t know the boy that one action had shaken what he had believed in for so long. Back then, he could not understand why someone would do such a thing, but now faced with the new world, he could kind of see what they were all fighting for….their future and right to survive. They all should’ve been able to rest after that; however…something else was threatening to take away all that they had fought to keep. That…was infuriating.

Staying quiet, Hiro would continue to stare at the ground for a moment as one hand balled into a fist. That hand would tremble slightly with frustration for a few seconds before it would relax and loosen, the emotion slowly running out of Hiro as he recomposed himself once more. Calm once more, he looked back at the girl as she spoke about being able to relate to humans and fighting for them. As she did, he would watch her only for a moment before doing what he did next.

“Then perhaps you will hate me for what I am about to tell you; however, I feel the need to be honest with you given the circumstances,” Hiro would begin his expression icy. “In the past, I could not relate to humans, so I sought to destroy them all. Unlike you, I wasn’t part of the fight to save the world and everything I did was to make sure the world would end. I was there at the final battle and I met some of the people you mentioned. They were the ones that stopped me and ended Neosi. I thought back then that the destruction of the islands was the only solution to the problems that existed; however…A run in with death and true selflessness has a way of jarring one's perception of things. That boy who sacrificed himself that day…I had hoped to never have to face that memory or my past again, but here I am face-to-face with one of the heroes of that time sitting on the complete opposite end of the game board from where I started. Ironic don’t you think?”

Hiro would say to the girl before falling silent to let her absorb that. It wasn’t that he was trying to be mean or intimidating with the girl, he was simply being honest. Something he felt he owed the girl since they would be living with each other for a bit and even fighting against whatever this new threat was together. If this was going to work, he needed to know if she could handle the truth. As far as Sharaku went, he didn’t think the past would be an issue, but for this girl? He wasn’t as certain thus why he laid the ugly truth on the table. Would her kind nature still be so open with that before it?

He would let the time needed to for that issue to sort itself out pass before he would fully relax once more. In any case, the mood of the room would return to normal after that moment had passed and soon the other issue wouldn’t be about the past, but rather sleeping arrangements since Aria seemingly would not allow herself to sleep on the floor.

When she heard the girl’s response, she took it as a definite yes rather than uncertainty. “Oh, that is fine. I can defend myself well enough, so don’t worry about squishing me,” she would say with a pleased grin and would you look at that? Mae Pie even understood where she was coming from when it came to beauty sleep. Maybe they could get along after all. Maybe... Quite proud of this, she would look back at Hiro with a triumphant smirk; however, Hiro would simply roll his eyes at this.

“…Fine…” he would say looking at the demon a bit moody. Honestly, she was such a brat at times. After a moment, his expression soften as he look back at Mae with a small smile.

“Don’t be afraid to kick her out of bed if she disturbs your slumber, okay?” he would say innocently enough. However, Aria caught the jab easily as she let out an agitated “Hmph! Quite hating bub,” as she folded her arms and tilted her nose in the air with a pout. Apparently, she didn’t see that happening any time soon. Hiro would shake his head at the small demon’s behavior. Some things never changed.

“Mmm. I can understand that. It might be safer considering how many would try to get off the islands with this chaos all around,” Hiro said shifting his position on the ground. He would lean against the rolled futon with one elbow as he laid down sideways to stretch his legs that were beginning to cramp a bit from being folded too long. As he did this he would pause to remove the portable radio in one of his pouches. It was still releasing a the low hum of static it had been since giving out since the last announcement.

With that out of the way, he was able to fully relax in his spot as Aria moved to sit on Mae’s finger. Letting the demon and the girl talk despite certain energies being tossed about, Hiro would rest his head on his hand for now and relax for a moment.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” the demon would say her grin never leaving as she simply took in the competition she was dealing with. She had to admit Mae was cute, but she was nothing compared to herself. Yup. She was definitely going to win this game. All she need to do is wait out her time.

Mae only nodded in response to Hiro's statement. Well, there was no harm in trying right? They wouldn't get any wiser by just sitting on their butts while the demons took over. "Well, we won't learn anything if we just kill them all... Besides, demons or not, if I can negotiate my way out of killing someone, I'll take that path over killing any day of the week." Perhaps that was a sign of weakness, in a way, but that's something she was fine with. The prospect of killing a sentient creature wasn't all that appealing, even if she had done it multiple times in the past with the Fragments of Julian and whatnot... still, it was never really pleasant, knowing that she had just ended a potential life...

"Hm?" Mae raised an eyebrow at him as he started talking... So, that's what he had been doing back then... "The fact that you tried to end the world back then... really doesn't bother me as much as it probably should... not that it matters, really. Your past doesn't dictate everything about you... in fact, you've been changing for the better over these two years, and that's a good thing. I'm glad for your sake, Hiro... I'm glad you got away from that destructive behaviour, siding with me... with us..." It must've taken a lot for his view to shift so drastically... "It is a bit Ironic, in a sense... but I'm just glad you're on our side now..."

Mae chuckled in response to the tiny demon's words. "Hehe, if you say so." With a wide smile on her face. A cocky little demon, eh? Well, Mae sure hoped the little one wasn't just acting tough. If Mae actually squished her... oh dear. That would just be all kinds of bad... or would it?

"Will do. You better behave there." She squinted at Aria. "No funny buissness with me when I'm sleeping. So no touching allowed." Especially no pranks. If the little one wanted to, she could probably tickle Mae really badly, and causing her to just have a bad night all around. She'd have to kick her off the bed if she didn't behave.

"Yeah... I'm just hoping this doesn't mean people have to flood the tunnels trying to escape once shit really hits the fan." Well, how much worse could it get? A lot, probably, knowing Azores' luck with these Supernatural events. Geez, these poor people just couldn't catch a break from all this stuff... It's really quite sad.

Mae gave Aria a thin smile before someone knocked on the door. She would set Aria down on the pillow gently, before she opened the door. And just as she expected, it was Sharaku. Now, the nerves really kicked in. After what had happened last time, and her feelings still being there, she looked off to the side, with a timid look, only giving Sharaku a quick glance. Even he could tell something was off. "H-Hi... Come in..." Her voice was a little bit shaky, but it still carried a certain cheerfulness that Sharaku would be familiar with... She was just happy to see him, that's all... Even still, she couldn't really look him in the eyes after what had happened last time... what did he even think of her?

Hiro would nod to the words he heard not having much else to add on to the conversation when it came to negotiating with demons. They had pretty much hit all the bases and until further discussions were held, they couldn’t do much more than speculate at this point. Something that wouldn’t exactly help in the long run.

When it came to revealing his past to the girl, Hiro would remain quiet and unconsciously tense as he prepared for the worse in this situation; however, he would find himself quietly releasing a held breath as his body relaxed with the girl’s words. So she was similar to Sharaku in the fact that the past did not matter to her. Good. Relieved, he would only give her a light nod when she spoke about him going down a better path over the last two years. If truth be told, he had resigned himself to purgatory during that time and only now, when Fate decided to spew him out into the world again, did he actually start walking the path of redemption. Outside of this moot point, he had no words to say at the moment. He was just happy to that she accepted the negative aspect of him.

While Hiro remained humble enough in the situation, Aria was a different story. While she indeed marked Mae as her target as far as competition went. The little demon had to admit she liked the girl’s attitude. At least she was less infuriating than some she had met, so as long as the girl didn’t do anything too drastic she wouldn’t have to worry about playing dirty in this game. In any case, she was quite content as she nodded at the girl with a grin of her own.

“I do say so,” she said quite confident that she could handle the sleeping arrangements just fine. And look! Mae Pie could even play.

The little demon would giggle.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be on my best behavior,” the demon said giving the girl her most innocent look. It was play for sure, but in all honesty Aria could play nice…if she wanted to and so far outside of one little hic-up when it came to choice in men, the demon saw no need to torment her just yet. So at least for tonight the girl wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

Hiro would watch the play from his laid back position not really adding much until the tunnels were brought up once more. To this he would he would hum lightly in thought.

“Well, they haven’t tried to do so yet, so I doubt they will do so if gets worse, but perhaps by that time the ones in charge will have something in play to keep such chaos from happening,” Hiro would reply calmly before his eyes drifted to the radio. The higher ups better have something in mind. Without communication or direction, the worse would come of the situation. He supposed for now they would simply have to wait it out.

A brief silence would fall between the trio only being broken by the low hum of static from the radio; however, within a few second there was a knock on the door that revived Hiro from his sleepy state.

As Aria was placed down, Hiro would push himself into a sitting position knowing already who was there. Aria who was on the pillow would remain in her spot a mischievous smile on her face; however, one cold glance from Hiro caused the pixie to stop grinning as she pouted and simply nodded, making an unspoken agreement to at least attempt to behave. How long she would keep to that deal was yet to be seen.

In any case, when Sharaku came into the room Hiro would give him a light nod of greeting, his lips easily falling into a relieved smile.

“I am glad you made here in one piece,” he would say to other and for now leave it at that. Aria would remain quiet for now.

Mae would only give Sharaku a quiet glance, but inside, she felt a bit distraught, yet relieved somehow. He chose not to ask her anything, which was good... but at the same time, the way he looked at her confused her a bit... After last time, she had expected an entirely different look, if any at all. She didn't make any attempts to stop him entering. She'd move out of the way as he walked in, letting him go up to Hiro and talk, while she quietly snuck back onto her bed, clutching the small plushie she had gotten from him two years prior quite fiercely, still shooting nervous glances at Sharaku every now and again... She... was a little bit afraid of how things would turn out. Because if Aria liked him... then this could get bad. Especially for her. How much more of this that her heart could take was up in the air... While she didn't blame Sharaku for his choice of dumping her, she couldn't help but still long for him... his gentle touch... his warm, yet rare smile... All things she missed... And there she was, sitting curled up in the corner of the room uptop her bed, clutching the one gift he gave her which she would keep with her forever, or at least try to...

At least, he hadn't met any opposition on his way here, which was good enough. That would explain how quickly he had gotten here considering how long the distance was. "N-Nothing, really..." She answered Sharaku's question quietly, casting one last nervous glance at him before staring down his feet emptily. The spark of life and will that had previously been glowing vibrantly in her eyes was now very, very dim. Almost extinguished completely... Sure, she had the will to fight for what was right, and all that... But this just made the girl feel empty inside, as the the pain inside her heart grew more intense by each passing second. She couldn't take much more of this...

As soon as Sharaku entered the apartment the whole playing field changed as the air became so tense that breathing felt like a danger. While Hiro could understand the issue between Aria and Sharaku, what he did not understand was why Mae who had been so lively before suddenly seem to shut down at the presence of this man. Had the pair fallen out also? And if so….how would that impact the situation?

Sighing inwardly, his attention was drawn from that situation to the man himself as he paused by him when he spoke. Looking up at the other, he would frown slightly in thought.

“No resistance, huh? Hmmm. I suppose that's good then if the demons are staying out of the underground systems,” Hiro would say as he took that bit of information in. He was a bit surprised nothing had tried to go after the man as he traveled, but then again maybe that was for the best considering the demons that typically rested in the dark corners were not the smallest of the bunch….and the last thing they needed was for a behemoth to be destroying the underground. They had enough drama topside to deal with.

In any case, Hiro would hear the question asked glancing at Mae as she crawled back into bed and seem to hug some form of stuff toy with unusual tightness as she gave a meek answer to what had been asked. Hiro would narrow his eyes slightly at her behavior quite confused before shaking his head and looking back at Sharaku who now leaned against the wall.

“All we were able to discuss so far was some ideas on how to tackle the situation and the problem at hand. The demons that are lose might be chaotic, but there has to be some that can be negotiated with and convinced to aid us both in a fight and perhaps with information too. We’ve come the conclusion that it might be worth asking the demons about the situation to see what they know and if all else fails well, we'd have to find a Plan B. Outside of that we were waiting for you to come to continue the discussion,” Hiro would begin, but would pause as the building rumbled slightly and quite unexpectedly the world outside became less noisy.

Blinking Hiro would look down at the radio as it came alive once more and a message from the minister and then another was given. As he heard the words said, he would fold his arms as he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm his agitation. Things were going so fast that his brain couldn't full grasp one thing before another was happening.

Meanwhile Aria pushed off the pillow and flew to the window and after moving the curtain peeked outside.

“Well, the baddies are gone for real, but won’t being in here mess up everything? Also who is this minister anyway? Is she a demon or something?” Aria asked actually saying something useful to the situation rather than trying to stir the pot.

Odd. Did she actually have some mercy on Mae? Or was she currently playing by the unspoken rules of the deal she made with Hiro earlier? In any case, the little demon would balance herself on the window sill as she kept her eyes focused on outside and not on causing trouble for the moment.

“Valid questions and something else to add to our already huge lists of things to sort out,” Hiro would say as he looked first at Sharaku and then at Mae seeing if either one had any suggestions on where to start here.

Mae would cast a glance at Sharaku briefly from her seat on the bed... She was being a bit of a debbie downer perhaps, and not really being honest with how she felt about the current situation. It was perhaps not the wisest choice, but she really couldn't talk about personal stuff with him now. Not with Hiro and Aria around. For the first time, however, her new persona, Tenryū, Spoke up within her mind... The dragon had stayed quiet for a long time, and this sudden urge to speak caught the woman completely off guard, causing her to almost slam the back of her head against the wall.


Mae gave Sharaku a look again, seeing the troubled, almost annoyed expression on his face. Was this bothering him that much...?


// What do you ev-Of course I want to do that, how could you even ask such a thi- // But Tenryū interrupted her before she could finish.


The Dragon's voice was very commanding and harsh, but there was a distinct tone of care to it that did not escape Mae. The two were one and the same after all. // ...Thanks for the peptalk, Tenryū. // Mae closed her eyes, and actually managed a smile, even though she had felt so miserable just a couple of moments prior. Perhaps, that was just the pick-me-up she needed.


The voice vanished from Mae's head slowly after the internal dialogue was over and done with. Tenryū understood exactly what kind of peptalk Mae needed to keep going, and indeed, she was right. Mae couldn't just sit there in the corner moping while the other two got to work. "Dunno. I know she used to be the principal at the highschool during my time there. I didn't talk much with her though." Mae shrugged, as she slipped of the bed, and gently put down the plush on the bed, giving Sharaku a "We need to talk later"-look before she turned her attention to the task at hand. "Oh, yeah. Sharaku..." Speaking of all this reminded her of something. "Could you give us a bit more detail regarding the situation over in Penecia? What was the water like...?" That's where the demon's came from, right?