Morning: Aftermath (Maria)

He was wired. Had been ever since he had come back from the hell hole that had been Wonderland. No matter how he tried to push the matter out his mind and place it in its own compartment of his mind like he had done everything in his life, the events of the night before would not leave him be.

That twisted place, the cat, and the insanity that had forced the once strong team into a duo. All of it raced in his mind, picking and prodding at him to the point that even though he was exhausted and should’ve been sleeping, he just couldn’t do it.

He had tried. Tried for long hours, but in the end he just couldn’t do it and so before the sun even rose, he had rolled out of bed, gotten dressed in some casual clothing, and then headed out. He done it all without disturbing his parents or Lisa by some miracle. Once outside, he took to wandering about the city trying to let the walk air his thoughts out; however, the action could not calm the tumbling mess upstairs, so it looked like he had to do something else to get rid of the thoughts and the feeling of unease that came up every time he reflected back on what happened.

Now what that something was he had not a clue yet as he took a turn into a narrow alley, he would travel along the back paths until he found his way to Seven Stars. Once at the school, he let his feet carry him towards Class Zero; however, instead of going to the class room he’d find himself wandering the halls until he came across a training room that caught his interest.

Peeking into the large area and taking note of the fact that it was empty, he would find himself slipping into the room to get a good look at the place. It was large and well stocked with various items that seemed to go beyond just a class function. It was an impressive space. One that looked like it could be used to sharpen his skills up a bit and maybe even be a place to help the team work better with one another….

Tch...the team...

The young man would frown a bit at that one as he moved over to a wall that held staves. He wondered what the others thought of him after what had occurred. While he had followed them in and aided a bit, he had left them to find Claire who had run off into the madness….and even after searching he still hadn’t found her….

He felt he had failed at more than just the search back there. Felt that maybe he had even broken what little trust the current Cadets had in him….and those thoughts along with others only kept him in a moody mode. He need to get rid of the negativity or else it would ruin his focus for an unwelcome amount of time. Though he wondered, as he looked at the staves once more, would this activity even help him much? Help him push through the muck and found clarity? Or would he end up leaving just as moody as he was now when it was all said and done?

He wasn't to sure of the answer as he found a staff that looked right for him and so picking it up and giving it a few test swings, he would nod inward. This one felt balance in his hands so he could use this one for practice. With a weapon in hand, he would drift to the middle of the room where he began practicing his staff forms, letting each swing, sweep, and move be a way to uncloud his mind. He would continue on this way figuring no one would come in this early to disturb him...

There was time to kill once morning swung in. Maria walked inside the Class Zero building, trying to find anything notable that she had to keep in mind. It was just a facility like any other, set aside for those who served the Queen. It was here that she didn't have to be as mindful about her coffin, and in a way that felt somewhat refreshing.  

A lot of what happened last night continued to weigh in on her. Who exactly was the culprit behind all of this? So much of this had to be engineered by someone with a devious mind. True, there wasn't any solid evidence, but there were tell-tale signs that began to rise. No matter how much Maria could try to reason to herself, nothing was definite. There was so much that she and her fellow Cadets didn't know... was it because of their novelty as inexperienced recruits?

She stopped thinking about it once she opened the entrance to the building's Training Area. Seeing how she had nothing productive to do, it was better off that she prepared herself here. The sight of Hatsuharu practicing greeted her, the Cadet was surprised someone was here this early and even more so that someone like him was diligently training. She had thought he was a bit too flimsy for any physical work, but here he was. She continued to look on in silence after setting her coffin aside.

It would be rude to interrupt as Lisa had shown, but she at least gave a wave in greeting to be as least intrusive as possible. Of course, chances are he probably heard her coming in.

He would continue to practice his mind focus, but his senses highly aware of what was happening around him as he moved across the open space with ease. It was hard to imagine someone like him, who was on the stage and dealt with screaming fans all the time, being the dedicated martial artist; however, due to stress, other matters, and just finding the practice fun, the young man had taken up this art form both for the health benefits and also the usefulness of it. Even if he couldn’t always have a weapon in hand, he had learned to adapt the art to be flexible and in turn could be used to defend himself if stuff went down. He always thought what he practiced would be there as a just in case sort of thing or used for a job. Never did he imagine it to be something he would use against something like demons or mad people….

Swoosh!

The staff came down in a hefty, yet control swing as the idol performed his actions with grace and precision that would show he was no novice to the matter if anyone had been watching. However there would not be anyone watching and he could probably finish his practice and leave before someone did walk in...or at least that is what he had hoped, but it appeared that Fate had other plans for him.

Just as he was making a turn to bring his staff around for a strike at some invisible enemy to his left, he would hear the door open and automatically halt his next action as he turned slightly to look over his shoulder, his expression hard to read and cold at first...a typical Haru look; however, upon recognizing who it was, his stance would relax along with his expression as he saw the young lady there and the wave.

He would give her a small smile as he lowered his weapon and turned to face her a bit more both to make conversation easier and also not have his back to her and be rude.


“Hello Maria,” he would begin and then pause to take a small breath to steady himself a bit before continuing on. “It is to see you again even if the timing is a bit odd. How are you?” he would ask his wording seeming like a normal greeting, but upon careful inspection of his face there were clear signs of concern and some other form of emotion there that could not be read. He really was happy to see her, especially since he had no clue as to what happened to her after she had left. From an outward appearance she seemed like her usual self, but he wonder how much of what could be seen could be trusted. Regardless, he would remain quiet as he waited to see what sort of response he’d get back.

So much for not attracting any attention. Apparently she wasn't subtle enough to escape notice. Maria noticed how guarded he was when it became obvious to him that she was here, but soon he relaxed his attention. She smiled back. He seemed to be more friendlier, but that's how relationships go. And it doesn't hurt to be in a good one with your fellow colleague. "I'm doing...

She paused for a moment, remembering what had happened last night and even after exiting that nightmarish plane. But she recovered quickly with the same smile. "...doing alright. I'm fine, just a little tired after last night."

She moved to find a spot to put her coffin aside. Maria made do with a wall and gently set it there where it wouldn't slide down and collapse. The Cadet looked back towards Haru with a look of concern, "And you? I heard you were all delayed in the mission. What happened? Are you alright?"

Based on what she heard from Shiina, it was quite the shitstorm. Even while her fellow Cadet could be trusted, she wanted to see things from the idol's perspective as well.

Haru’s expression would remained more or less calm, his head tilting slightly when he heard the hesitation in her voice and for a brief moment she seemed to be elsewhere; however, before that pause could stay long enough to be question she was smiling again and resuming where she left off.

“I see,” he would respond back easily enough with a light nod. While he wasn’t sure just what the other had been through, the older Cadet could relate to the feeling of being tired. Last night was...less than pleasant. He wish he could unsee what had happened, but it was there….and now here too. As he heard the other’s words, his eyes would closed as he lowered his head a bit and shook it with a sigh. How did he even begin to answer that? Taking a moment to think on it, he would move from his position at the center of the room and drift towards the a space to the side, but not too far from Maria and her coffin.

Leaning the staff against his body, he would take to leaning against the wall before he turned his mismatched eyes towards her.

“I am alive and for that alone I should be grateful. As for what happened after you left...Well…It wasn’t anything pleasant,” he pause to gather his thoughts. “Remember that talking cat we encountered, but instead of fighting it right off the bat we instead took a detour? Well, during that detour we somehow lost Noah cutting the forces down to just myself, Shiina, and Athena. From there things were going more or less okay...until we actually had to face the cat head on. The cat itself was a pain, but even worse than that was Ms. Claire suddenly losing her mind and running off. I...didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad would happen if we simply ignored Claire’s behavior. So I...uh...left the girls to cat and attempted to find the woman; however, I didn’t find her….and from there. Well here we are.”

And there you had it. He had given the story straight up not sugar coating anything or masking the fact that the ordeal still messed with him even after it was over. Having gotten to known Maria a bit better than the rest, he felt he owed her the honesty and was not bothered by showing how he felt on the matter openly.

He knew what he had done might’ve been a bad idea and probably stepped on some’s toes, but at the same time what did one do in that situation? Focus on one thing and potentially let other potential issues go? He wasn’t so sure anymore, but he did give her the truth. Despite how that impacted him, he managed to look up and meet Maria’s eyes. “And your mission? What happened there?”

She smiled gently at Haru, "I'm just glad most of you came back in one piece. We'll have to deal with Alice first before we find Claire. Our obligations to the People and the Queen comes before that, after all."

Maria wasn't pleased to hear what Haru had to say. But it sounded like the whole mission went FUBAR when Claire met up with that cat. It didn't bode well, but this wasn't anything she didn't know already even though it was good to hear from Haru's lips for some verification. The only thing that went missing was information about Lisa, but it was likely safe to assume she was still in the infirmary, recovering for the next Hunt.


She paused to allow Haru to contemplate what she had so far. They should all know that the Dragon Spas was the abode of a district leader. With that knowledge in mind, this meant whoever had manipulated the reality there, they were absurdly strong. And that information was worrying. Maria then continued to tell Haru what she knew. Especially about Viktor, the District Head, and how Julius' Persona sent them back out. "And that's what happened so far. I may have to end up going back there. I just wish communications weren't cut off there. It's... a bit worrisome, but I think I'll be fine."

A smile. He wasn’t expecting that considering hearing something like what he had just said could’ve easily made some blow a lid and start spewing things he honestly would have no tolerance for right now. However, instead of doing that or anything to further make the situation worse, she choose to smile and be gentle….and that sort of reaction and understanding was more than the idol could’ve asked for. While his serious expression didn’t change, his body did seemed to relax a bit more with relief as he closed his eyes and nod to what was heard.

“Yeah…” he would give a simple short answer to that one as he looked at the ground in thought. He was happy to hear the others had gotten out of the situation too, but at the same time he wasn’t too sure if he could fully agree with focusing on Alice alone. It was true they had been ordered to take care of her, but after what happened last night he was unsure if focusing on that mission alone was wise. If they placed their focus on one or two things then what would happen to that lose string?….The one that could’ve been prevented from causing a further issue?

….

He would remain quiet for a tick longer debating if he should say something, but then deciding to take a rare risk, he would speak again. “I...understand that Alice is our main objective and to be frank I am not trying to do anything against the Queen or the people when I say this, but... I cannot ignore Claire’s behavior. If she is out there, then I would feel more comfortable knowing that she has been handled in some fashion. So when we do go back...my plan is to find her….” He would trail off there as he glanced over at the other his expression a mix of bag of things. He wasn’t asking anyone to stand with him on this one. Wasn’t asking for anyone to cover for him. He knew what he was doing was against orders, but he was not a robot. He could not simply leave the loose string alone. Not when there may be some way of getting her back or if all else failed stopping her. On top of that, he did feel responsible for completing the task he had failed to do beforehand. He wasn’t about doing things half-ass and so he had to do this. If not the matter would drive him batty in another fashion.

He understood what he needed to do, but he wondered if Maria could understand it too. Typically, he did not take risks like this with people he did not know well, but she had at least gained a bit of his trust over time, so he was able to step out of his box slightly and just be honest with her. Though how it panned out was largely up to her as he simply gave that time to sink in before focusing on other matters at hand.

To what he heard, the idol would take a moment to absorb that as he fold his arms in a fashion that showed he was highly aware of the staff leaned against him still. He didn’t like what he heard and it only seemed to cement a wandering hunch he had in the back of his mind the whole time.  As for the rest of what was said….

The idol would look up at the ceiling with a perplexed frown as he tried to wrap his head around it all.

“.... I found it odd that our group was split up and even wondered if that was the enemy’s plan all along; however, if an infection of some sort is involved, then perhaps this is more complex than one thought. The Terrorists are one thing, but if they have a weapon that infects and drives people mad….then it changes the game to a different one….” He knew the job would be dangerous, but if they were going to be facing a threat of this nature why didn’t anyone warn them about this? Was it possible that even the Queen did not know of this new development?  And was it the same thing that caused Claire to go mad too? He try a bit to get the pieces to line up. Nothing was making sense and was becoming more and more bothersome the more he moved the pieces around. They needed more information to figure out what is going on here. For now though he would place what was said in the back of his mind as he refocused on Maria.

“That is a bit bothersome, but maybe with the increase in forces as of late perhaps this round will be different and the chances of success even better. I don’t like the idea of split groups, but we are going to have to do just that to figure this all out. I just hope his Majesty and Alex will be alright and that everyone can come back once more from the missions at hand.” He didn’t like this one bit. Things were way too out of control for his liking, but he had to adapt. They would be alright, right?

Hm?

Haru would pull himself out of the darker thoughts as he tilted his head at Maria’s question.

“Seras? Mmmm...” he would pause as he closed his eyes and thought a bit. “Well, outside of being a bit snappy about Claire, the only thing I recall him saying that was a bit odd was how he had failed at the ritual to become a Cadet. He said he had no potential at all and that Claire was saved by His Majesty instead. He said he didn’t want to lose her again….”Haru would frown as his mismatched eyes focused on the other once more as something just struck him. “Now that I think about it, I have to wonder about that kid. He wasn’t very fond of us and seemed highly concerned that Claire might fall again. And I hate to admit, but he was one of the first people I thought about when the cat in the that green fog greeted us and made mention of a “he” that saw us as not very smart. And now you raise questions about him,” he would tilt his head lightly at the other his expression becoming quite calm and unreadable despite the nature of the subject. “Do you think he set us all up?”

"I'm worried about Claire too," Maria admitted with concern etching on her face, "It all sounds like what happened to Viktor. Something is spreading and we have no idea how. But how do you plan on looking for her? For all we know, she could be anywhere. Right now, it's better to just focus on Alice until something pops up along the way."

It's not like she wasn't concerned about her senior and superior. The entire last evening was chaotic and so much had happened. And all that chaos was something to worry about when you have no control over it or have any idea what's it about either. So far, almost as if by luck, all these transformations in the Psyche Terrorists have had scary consequences. What exactly is going on...? Either case, she didn't agree with Hatsuharu acting on his own, none of them were able to take care of themselves at this point. They were all new recruits after all.

She found herself nodding in agreement with her peer, "Even the Princess noted that the change in Dragon Spas was unprecedented. And I think with how everything is going... it was all planned. There's too much happening to be just a coincidence. Someone is pulling the strings and we have no idea who."


What Serenity remarked earlier bothered her. That hellish event five years ago was a time where everyone wanted to forget. So many people had lost so much, and Maria was one of them. For some and people like Maria, it was an event that isn't easily forgotten. But there is a great consensus that nobody wanted a repeat of it. But to hear this from the Princess's lips, the situation was getting dire. The sense of danger was becoming real, especially what Maria had to hear.

Haru would watch the other for a moment quite conflicted with the situation as multiple things went through his mind. One one hand he was happy she did not blow up, but on the other he was not sure if could fully listen to her suggestion either. He wasn’t a fool. He understood what he felt like he should be doing was indeed dangerous, but still….

The idol would eventually blink a bit as he looked away thinking. “If it is the same thing, then perhaps by finding her a clue of some sort can gain be gained. I find it disturbing that this sickness seems to be targeting those within our ranks like it has been.” It was uncomfortable, but without further clues and information what could they do? As for her question, the young man would bow his head in thought for a bit as he pondered that. “The only thing I can do is go back to the place where we lost her and look for clues there. I can’t be sure, but maybe she is still within that mad world. Maybe even unable to escape. I know patience is a virtue and all, but I cannot rest knowing I did not at least try to find her.” The matter bothered Haru on a level far deeper than he’d like to admit. It was true that he should’ve been able to cut the thought off and detach himself from the matter. Focus on what the main task and then worry about Claire later. He didn’t understand what made him unable to do so now, but he couldn’t let it go.

The older male would back over at the young woman. “I understand what you are saying, but I cannot shake away that gut feeling that is telling me if we wait, she may be lost for good. It may be foolish, but I cannot take that chance,” he would tell her and then his expression would change as his serious tone shifted to a softer one.


He honestly didn’t want anyone worried about him when there were indeed bigger fish to fry, but at the same time for whatever reason he could not be swayed from this path so easily. He...had to go. It was as simple as that.

Regardless of where that matter went the older Cadet would only find himself frowning even more as he heard what the other had to say on the matter of the illness. To think that something like this had slipped under the watchful eye of the royal family. It felt so wrong, but why? What was happening here? What was missing? Why did he feel afraid….?

“I would have to agree. It is all rather too nicely laid out...and uncomfortable to say the least. It’s almost as if someone or something even is trying to break city again, but why?” A question he did not expect to get an answer to soon. There was indeed some form of puppeteer in the background pulling and snipping strings as they pleased. Trying to break the fragile peace they had. And if said thing was to succeed? Would another hell on earth be unleashed?

The thoughts were uncomfortable as the older Cadet rubbed his left arm slightly as he remained standing with his arms crossed. Five years ago….what happened back then, he couldn’t let happen again. Not again…

Those thoughts aside, the conversation would sway back to Seras and Maria’s questioning of the other. She didn’t seem too pleased about what she heard about the kid and the fact that she seemed to have a second suspect within their ranks only made an already ugly situation worse.

“Yes. Alex could potentially do something like this and if it turns out to be true...then I don’t know what to say. That would make a total of three seasoned Cadets taken out right out of the gate….” And that would only further imply that something wanted the system they had in play to go down. A worrisome thought, but one the Cadet quickly folded under himself as he gave the other a nod.

“Yes. Perhaps tonight everyone can find some light to shed on this situation. If we all make it back, we should have a meeting to see what everyone has gathered and perhaps whatever this is can become clearer than it already is. As for your mission, I am sure if anyone can succeed, it would be you.”

Despite being shaky with some of the others trust wise, Haru had had no doubt in Maria potential to soar to something great. She was a strong young lady and determined to do her best to succeed...and that alone had already made her a victor in his book. Yes, they were all still wet behind the ears, but it was quite amazing where determination and inner strength could lead someone.

"I see," she sighed at his answer and relenting at it.

Maria had mixed feelings about this, but she was definitely leaning on one side. It wasn't like she didn't understand that they should also keep tabs on Claire as well, but as said before, they lacked the actual resources to do anything meaningful for her at this very moment. But it seems that Hatsuharu was going to pursue that path anyway. She wasn't going to argue with him, yet hearing him say that he would be prudent about it? It was at least something.


They have most of the senior membership missing it seems. No one has any idea where Claire has gone and both Julius and Alex were trapped within the Spas. And where was Chris? It was like he was gone too, but where? Being new to this job, it felt very worrisome to her. Vulnerabilities were being laid out in the open and they had no idea how to close them up, but to jump right into it blind.

A small smile flitted across her face, she was glad to hear that he agreed that something is wrong. But it turned sad, the Forgotten didn't have any answers to this one. Then there was that word. 'Success'. It was such an innocuous term and a desirable word to describe most things. There was a light glaze over her eyes, as if she were looking at something else.


She stood there for a moment like a statue, as if not noticing Hatsuharu was there. Then she blinked, as if waking up from a mere daze. Maria was confused at first, but it was starting to come back to her. There it was again, and in front of someone else too. Her face was visibly contorted in uncertainty. But she forced herself to be composed, trying to pretend nothing had happened, with some lackluster result. "U-um... Ye-Yea-h. Yes! We should meet back if we can. And review and everything..."

He heard the sigh, but thankful nothing else would come about that would make his decision even harder. It wasn’t that he wasn’t hearing his team-mate here, but at the same time he could not leave this path he was on. He was relieved the other didn’t argue too much about it and in turn adding onto the stress and internal conflict within. For that small action alone the idol could not thank her enough. However, his feelings would not show much at first as he gave her a light nod as the matter seemed to settle itself. It wasn’t until she her next action and words that the serious mask finally broke.

At first he would watch her with a unreadable expression as internally he determined if he should accept this.

Kindness...

Outside of Lisa, most when displaying kindness only did it because they either thought it was what he wanted to see or they had planned to use the act as some form of leverage to get what they wanted. Yeah it was a complicated matter, but in the end the gaze was brief as he made a choice and looked away from the other slightly as his eyebrows furrowed a bit.

“Yeah. You stay safe and come back too.”

It was a bit awkward saying that out loud and that awkwardness did show a bit in the way the man stood and shifted a bit in his spot. He wasn’t use to receiving genuine kindness outside of that given by to him by Lisa. Accepting it was one small challenge, but to show he actually cared back when he had been pretending to do said thing most of his life to keep people out? That was a whole other challenge.... yet somehow he had managed to do it….though not as gracefully as he would’ve liked. Even so the fact he actually tried spoke volumes and showed that while the idol distance himself from the world and most people, he actually did care if one stuck around long enough and worked around the rough spots with him. That aside though…

In the end, it seemed that they came to an agreement about the strange issues that was at play. The small smile given was met with an understanding and calm gaze as the Cadet let his mind wander a bit. He wondered what this all meant and what would happen to the city if they couldn’t figure out how to stop it all. Madness and uncertainty…..they lingered close to the city once more, but why? And what could they do to get things back in order? Could they really do it on their own? It was a peculiar situation, but the thoughts would linger only for a short time before the idol pushed them away and tried to bury doubts.

They could do this otherwise they never would’ve become Cadets in the first place. …. Right?

The sad face that followed the smile made him wonder a bit more, but he didn’t pry at the other's thoughts until a very strange thing occurred when he mentioned the word ‘success’. He wasn’t sure what is was, but something took over the other and for a moment he wasn’t sure if the woman before him was another personality or something else.

Frowning as concern filled him, he would tilt his head at the young lady.

“Maria?” He would call her name unsure what else to do at the moment and then she somehow snapped out of it coming back to reality in a fashion that only doubled his worry for the other. When she spoke again and tried to cover it up, Haru would sigh softly inside as his expression softened a bit. “Mmm. Then let’s do so,” he would agree and then hesitating a bit he would follow up with something else as his eyes drifted over to her.

“....Just a moment ago...you…” he paused and shook his head. No. Not that way. Try again. “What happened back there? Are you okay?”

Well not any less rough, but he wasn’t very good about being subtle or beating around the bush. His direct manner was a blessing and a curse at times. Regardless, he would keep a careful eye on the other as he watched Maria hoping that what he just saw wasn't a sign of something bad happening to the other. He wasn't sure how much more of folk breaking and go haywire he could handle....

She tried so hard to stay composed and tried to pretend it didn't happen. There were a lot of painful memories from the Eternal Divide to her induction and transformation inside the Church's walls. Maria tried to stay strong and allow her own will-- rage to fester and keep her going. But it didn't mean she came out of it unscathed.


She tried to laugh it off and give Haru an assurance that the postulant wasn't breaking down or anything of that sort. It looked like to be that it was too late. The Forgotten had problems, she knew this. But she didn't want anyone helping her. No one can anyway...

"So! Is there anything else we should cover?" she tried to change the topic. Perhaps they could forget that ever happened and focus on something else.

The idol would see the reaction and hear what she had to say, but he wasn’t laughing or smiling about it as he gave her a light frown of disapproval. If she was trying to reassure him that things were fine, then this most certainly wasn’t the way to do it. While the idol wasn’t nosy, he much rather know what he was dealing with than play games of avoidance that could potentially lead to uncomfortable places later down the road. He didn’t like this path, but at the same time the idol wasn’t about to force what could be a personal matter out of the other either. So the frown would only last for a while before he sighed lightly.

“If you say so,” he say submitting to the brush off for now. He was still concerned about her, but he decided not to build the pressure and simply let it go for now. If she wanted to share, then maybe she would do so and if not that was okay too. He didn’t have to know everything about her or anyone to just chat right? Speaking of that chatting though...

When the other tried to change the subject, the idol would surprisingly give her a light smirk as he pushed off the wall and drifted back towards the rack to place the staff he had back into its plce. As he moved he would speak.

“You tell me that. It seems every time we meet we always speak about business and then we wander to do something else,” he would begin and then pause to place the staff back in its place quietly before turning to face her again, his face calm and serene as he watched her with an small smile on his lips, seemingly a bit amused. “Maybe we should try talking about how to break that habit. Have any ideas on where to start there?”

Heh. Well won’t you look at that. The awkward young man was trying to actually be social with another, but maybe that was because he was actually a bit curious about her outside of a business standpoint. It was only natural considering of all the Cadets she had been the one he ended up chatting with the most outside of work, so why not try to see if they had anything else to speak on outside of just business.

She was glad that Haru was backing off here. It made things a lot easier for her, not having to explain about her own background. Telling people who she was and what exactly the Church was... difficult. It would make things a whole lot awkward for both sides. Her fellow Cadet had been fairly respectful indeed and she wasn't one to forget that.

"Ah. Speaking of which, it does seem that way doesn't it?" Maria mused to herself out loud. They haven't really talked much outside of business. It's not exactly wrong per se. The Cadet thoughtfully touched her lip with a finger, thinking about what to do here. She never had much of a social interaction ever since the Church's doors closed on her from behind. "Mmn, I really don't know... But, I was wondering. If you aren’t a student here and you’re a Cadet, does that mean you have another job?”

Maria had wondered what Haru was up to before becoming a Cadet. And seeing how he appeared to be older than her, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had some kind of work on the side.

The situation seemed to calm as the idol let the previous subject matter go and flowed into something a bit more amusing: their odd ability to speak only business when meeting each other. He wasn’t exactly bothered by the idea and maybe if she was only a point of contact for said activity the young man would’ve left it at that; however, this young woman was more than that. She was a comrade on the battlefield and someone he had for whatever reason gotten a chance to hang with outside of the job too. While Haru was unsure of whether to call her friend or not, they had encountered each other enough times to cause the young man to point out this odd point in their conversing.

The idol’s lips would shift into a small smile as he nodded lightly in agreement with the statement heard and then hearing the question he pause just long enough to collect his thoughts a bit. “Mmm. I do,” he would begin as he folded his arms and let his weight shift to his left leg.“I am a stage performer that takes on various roles, but mainly stick with the music industry nowadays.” It was a general overview of what he did, but if the other wanted more detail than that, then she would have to be more specific with her questions. Though on the note of work... “And you? Do you work outside of school?”

Students did do that at times no? Work so they could have money for their own pleasures in life or even a spot of their own away from their parents? That was a normal option, yes? Or….did students simply focus on their studies instead and worry about jobs later?

...This was probably something that should’ve been common knowledge, but for someone like him who was barred in most of his life with only books and what he heard to go by, the situation became quite blurred after a bit. That aside though, he would wait calmly enough to see what she had to say.