Let the lessons begin! (For Tatsui )

Hmm, looks like it is hard for Tatum to think about currently, well, it will be good at least if I get a bit of it through to her now. *Sigh* I wish there was more I could do for her, but this will have to suffice for now. Looks like Tatum is hesitant about what she knows. Oh well, we still have time. And we will need time to learn to survive. "Don't worry, you don't need to rush all this now Tatum. I know this is overwhelming, and believe me it was for me too. So just... try to take it easy for now and use your shortcut knowledge to avoid the demons for now okay?" I say putting my hand on Tatum's shoulder and smiling warmly. It must be so hard for her being so young and going through this, but she is, and she is doing it well. I need to make sure to help her through this. ...Now that I think about it, I am actually trying to help two little girls in disadvantageous situations. Huh. That is weird.

Wait, they can keep attacking me?!

That was not a prospect she liked.  That crazy monster that nearly cleaved that girl in half was more than enough to traumatize her.  She only got through it thanks to the arrival of those two allies.

"Right... I'll be fine.  I have my ways around town.  And you could say I'm a lot less defenseless than I was before."

Still... I kind of need to simmer down for a minute and let this process...

And you need to investigate this some more. I know you like meeting people, but I think we need to get our priorities straight first. I know you at least want some time to think about this. I know I would.

As much as she wanted to just continue hanging out and potentially getting to know more about what she was getting into, her inner self was right. She wanted to be sure if she even WANTED to be involved in this whole paranormal stuff. At least this guy was kind enough to help her become more aware, so at least she knew he couldn't be all bad.

... you know, for a guy who is technically hiding from the law.

... oh right, she's now technically illegal too, just by being in possession of Mercury.

You don't want to think about it. That's fine. Just run for now. Do a good solo run. Don't think about anything else. Just run... I know I want to run. I kind of really just want to run and not think about anything else for a while. Anywhere is good, anywhere with a lot of space. Just... just run...

It was eerie how well Mercury could voice her own inner most thoughts and desires. That on it's own was particularly scary.

"Hey, I know I'm suppose to be teaching you about the shortcuts and passages ways here, but can we cut today short?  You've kind of given me a lot of food for thought that I need to chew very thoroughly... and I want to make sure I chew it properly. Don't wanna choke on it, after all."

Yeah, with a persona you are bound to be able to survive encounters with demons unless you are ganged up on or attacked by something much more powerful. Even then she should be fine with her shortcuts. Looks like she is thinking about this stuff. I wonder what she's thinking. "Yeah, that is definitely fine. You need time to work all this out. Yeah, choking is bad." Especially on the worse bits... like murder and torture. I'll have to ease her into those later on, because they are going to be pretty relevant. "So, I guess I'll be going then. If you want I could direct you to myself or another person. We are both in Sunlake Palms." I say giving her a note that I quickly scribbled my address on. "If you ring the front door, ask for me. My parents are at least considerate enough to allow me privacy. And you should know where the other one is by now." I say smirking. "It's your friendly lawn ornament." I say smugly. "So then, goodbye!" I say waving at Tatum.

Le [Exit]

She watched as she was handed a piece of paper with his address on it.  This was not what she was expecting to claim at this point, but in a way she's thankful.  Now she has someone else who may understand what she was going through whom she could speak to.  She simply pocketed the info and gave him a wave as he left.

As soon as he was gone, she turned around and started running.  She needed to clear her head badly, and nothing helped with that than a good run through the nearby area.

He does realize that he basically just gave us permission to pester him any time we want, right?  His property is no longer off limits!

"Mercury!" she cried out.

What?  You're thinking it too, aren't you?

"Just because I'm now allowed to come and see him if I need his help doesn't mean I'm going to disrespect his property!"

But you are gonna bring the permanent marker for his face, right?

"He's a friend!  I'm not going to do that to him!"

Mercury decided to let what she said sink in for a moment.

"... Okay, maybe I'll give him a mustache... a cool mustache!"

That's the spirit!