Maybe we need more places to hang out (Lorielle)

Gabby stared at her phone. She needed someone, anyone, to talk to. She would have just called Vera to work this whole thing out, but she threw her phone over the bridge. Then again, that couldn’t have been the best course of action, considering neither of them was probably prepared to speak this out as calmly as they should. Vera was obviously mad, and Gabby was… in pain. She wanted to call her mother, but it was too late over in Fiji to do so. That meant there was only one other person who she knew well enough to call and speak to about this issue. At least, she hoped they knew each other well enough. She pushed the numbers into her phone and waited as it rang. If Lori would answer or not, she would say the same thing, “H…Hello, Lori?” She wondered if this was an inconvenience to the girl, “I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out. Maybe at that place we ate burgers before in Shibakuzoi. It’ll be my treat.”

After the phone call, she would hang up and get ready to leave. Shibakuzoi was not the closet place in the world. The place where she and Lori first decided to hang out and actually talked to each other. In was strange, but it was like a good luck charm. Somewhere where the atmosphere was good and cheerful. Right now, she needed that. Perhaps she should have told her friend over the phone why she wanted to meet with her, but that could wait until after the met up. Once she reached the aforementioned place, she would wait outside for Lori to come by. She could really use somebody’s help on the matter. Thank goodness she knew Lorielle, who seemed like she was better at dealing with people than Gabby. Maybe she would have an answer.

Lorielle luckily did not have much to do today. She even was told not to come into the nightclub at Nadashiki, which was a double-edged sword in and of itself. However, it would prove to be a good thing when she got a call on her phone fairly in the morning before the afternoon. Gabby showed up on the caller I.D. which did not come as a huge shock. She did not talk to many people from her phone apart from the manager at the club, Gabby, and on occasion Kahn. She seemed very odd at first, but instead just asked her to hang out with her at the burger joint at Shibakuzoi. “No problem! I shall be there in about a half hour. See ya then!” she said with a smile when she hung up her phone. Someone was abe to save her on the boring day. With her casual shorts and white t-shirt, she would leave her home in Nokawia and get on the tram to Shibakuzoi, almost on the other side of town completely.

It did not take as long as she said, probably around twenty minutes at best, also considering Lori knew her way around the city well enough, much more so after her experience with KatsuKatsu! And meeting Gabby here. They had gone to a lovely burger place where she got her junk food fix. If all she could eat was burgers, she would enjoy being fat if she did not fight or go to kendo as much as she did. However, she hoped Gabby was not seriously intending to pay for her. She had forgotten to tell her she brought something of her own. She actually earns money from her job, so it was always nice to have when it was needed. No longer does she have to mooch off of her parents for money.

Lorielle would be walking down the sidewalk towards the join and lightly dash to Gabby for a short distance before smoothly slowing down when approaching her. She would offer a hug for Gabby and put her arms down if she refused. It was odd how quickly she had gotten used to hugging her. She really was one of her closer if not closest friends. “Heya Gabby,” Lorielle said. “Glad you chose this place again. I am gonna eat like a queen in there!” Then again, the expression was “kings” not queens. Though she would not hold herself up on that thought, and would focus on something else she caught on her phone. She acted fairly nervous. Was she worried about calling on her? “Don’t worry about calling me to hang out or if you need help. Really I am available any time. Even at work,” she reassured her with a smile. She intended to remain outside unless Gabby walked in, in which case she would follow. Or if she said something about being hungry, Lorielle would open the door for her. Lori was gad she knew a person like her, despite not getting personal often. She was becoming an important person in her life as a friend.

Gabby stared as Lori held out her arms. By now, she had figured out that the gesture meant ‘want to hug’. It was still a slightly strange and uncomfortable way to greet someone. She could remember her mother hugging her when she was much younger, but that was a long time ago. She would hold out her arms awkwardly and hug Lori. It was the most unusual thing, hugging someone. Even summoning Hippocamp came easier to her. With that done though, she would separate once more, “Yeah. This was the only place I knew that we both know. That, and I may have been slightly hungry.” She was lying. She had been so distraught that eating was not something that she was concerned about.

The other blond seemed to pick up on that quite well. She was taken aback when her companion basically read her mind, but didn’t make a grand scene about it. Instead, she sighed and gave a small smile, “You’re too intuitive. I’m grateful for that.” Now she wouldn’t have to worry about bringing up the topic herself. She would open the door for Lori and invite her inside. If she went to the counter, Gabby would follow suit. If not, she would simply look around for a free table they could claim. In the meantime, no matter what course they took, she would speak, “Um… Do you ever get in fights with a friend and you don’t know how to make it better?” It was a stupid question. Everyone got in fights at some point, but she didn’t know how else to start the conversation.

“I need to keep remembering you are not the hugging type. I am a touchy person. Remind me to hadcuff my hands so I cannot do it anymore,” she said, giving off a slight blush of embarrassment and half a frown. How many times has she already done this and possibly made someone uncomfortable? Even in England greeting with a hug was a bit unusual. Where did she get this habit from? ‘Maybe I have been hanging with my parents for too long….’ She thought.”Sorry bout that,” she said. Though the compliment would make her purse her lips. “Intuitive? Thanks, but I am far too lazy to be so special,” she said her smile slightly returning. Truly, Gabby and her have not gotten too personal since they became friends, however, she was able to tell her some things about herself without being too over the top. She seemed fairly easy to talk to, and it was not often she came across people where masking her face did not seem to her an optimal decision.

She would walk inside, and soon after was directed to their table. The waiter offered them drinks, to which she ordered just a soft drink, nothing too expensive just in case Gabby seriously intended to pay. The Mark on her chest was still hidden by her shirt, she had just noticed. She had not even thought of that when picking out something to wear. She had been very careful at home however keeping herself hidden from her parents, lest they think it was a tattoo or some sort of cult mark. Though she would turn her focus to Gabby, who had proposed a sudden odd question. “Have I had that? Well sure, I have lost a friend or two, I have also been able to repair something. Did something happen Gabby…?” she asked. Maybe she should not have pried, but if she was going to ask, did she want her help? Helping others was always nice, considering she barely knew how to say no. But this would be one thing where she would be completely willing to do so, assuming that was Gabby’s intention of course.

Gabby shook her head, “It’s okay. I’m just not used to people hugging me. I haven’t gotten a hug in years.” Actually, about nine, give or take another. She hadn’t seen her mother in years, and she was the only person who hugged her. It was just unusual, “I’ll get used to it eventually.” She gave a small smile as she said this, showing that she was trying her best. It was strange to Lori continue by saying she wasn’t special. This would have objections to, “No, Lori, you’re really special. You make friends really easily and you get along with other people. You’re always happy and you live life each moment as in comes. You are kind-hearted and you’re really brave. If that doesn’t make you special, then I don’t know what does.” She blushed right after she said this. It was embarrassing to compliment someone so thoroughly.

They were brought to their seats. Gabby would sit across from Lori and beginning looking at the menu. She would order an ice tea after Lori had asked for her drink. As soon as the waitress was away, she would speak up, “You know I really want to make up with Ve- someone.” She caught herself before she said Vera’s name completely, “We had a fight recently and I haven’t been able to make up with her yet. I’ve thought about how it happened and what to say to make up for whatever I did, but I’m lost.” She turned her head down so she couldn’t see anything but the table between them, “She even made it clear that she doesn’t want to talk to me or see me, so I can’t ask her what I did.” It was unlike her to be so forthcoming with information, but she needed help, desperately.

Lorielle gave a light smile to her and her compliment. “Thanks, I suppose I am passive, I would not call myself that kind however. But again, thanks anyway Gabby,” she said, her smile widening a bit when her face grew a shade of red. “What, gonna fall in love with me now?” she joked. Was that sincerity or a natural flirt? To a girl no less? Who knows, either way, she did not see the compliment coming. She would have to make it up for Gabby if that was how she truly felt about her. She would listen to Gabby and catch some very important things. For starters, the person in question’s name started with “Ve” and was a girl as described by her. ‘Who else but Vera?’ she assumed in her head. She harbored no ill will towards Vera; she was actually rather indifferent to her as they did not really exchange many words in battle, nor have they seen one another since. But she did remember they seemed to get along well with one another. Though she would not bring it up, lest she make Gabby feel even more embarrassed.

“Hm…well, thinking about it, there is not much information,” she began. Gabby probably did not want to give away all the details, so she may have to think of something in this moment that can work. “The first thing you should figure out is what you did if you do not know. What you said seems to imply that to me. Or what happened to make you guys fight. For all you know, it may have been her fault, or both, or neither of your faults. So to me I would try to reconcile with her without placing blame on anyone unless you feel you were the cause. But….” She stopped for a short second. “If you are unable to see her to do this, then there may not be much you can do. At least not right now. For one, if she goes to school with you, you can always look for her there. But if you are too afraid to do that, I would just give it time. Fights may end, but tension may still remain, so whatever you decide to do, just give it a bit of time before you act,” she explained. She wanted to help her as well as help her feel better. It had been so long since she found someone whose emotions she legitimately cared for. That notion of hers was dashed a year or so ago at school no less. The rumors about her have luckily been dying down, but there were those that remained. But she would shake her head slightly and return her focus to Gabby. “Trust me, I know it is tough, but don’t get so down on it. Nothing is set so you just have to wait and see.”

Gabby would sigh and let out a laugh at Lori’s comment, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to declare I love you. I don’t think I’ve exactly hit puberty yet…” She trailed off as she thought about how underdeveloped she was for her age. It was actually a bit depressing when she looked at women that actually looked like women; like Lori. It was moments like these that reminded her that she was practically a boy to most people, “It’s the good part about growing up slowly. You don’t get distracted by boys until much later because you don’t have hormones running rampant.” She would laugh a bit at her comment and then return to normal as soon as Lori mentioned seeing her at school.

“She hasn’t been at school, and she threw her phone off a bridge.” Her eyes would glance away at this point, “All I did was tell her to worry about herself more than me. I didn’t want her distracted and I can take care of myself. It would have just been something in her way to be concerned about me. I don’t know how she got angry at that. Right before that, we were talking about having fun at a carnival and hanging out together. It was such a happy moment.” She looked back at Lori as their drinks arrived. She would order a cheeseburger and wait for Lori to get something so the waitress could leave, “It is tough. I just really want to apologize for whatever I did to make her angry with me.” Her eyes were burning again. Was she about to cry? She held back the tears she felt coming on and took a deep breath, “You and she are probably the best friends I have. I don’t want to lose that.” She then realized what she had said and tried to modify what she said, “I mean, you two are the people I’m closets to. It would be disadvantageous to lose bonds like that.” That didn’t sound much better. She gave up and dropped her head on the table, “You get my point, right?” She sound would appear slightly muted, since she was facing downward.

She smiled at Gabby. She was still innocent after all this time, maybe one day she will have to grow up. That will no doubt be a trouble for her, as it tends to be for anyone. “Well, it is probably best for now. Trust me, it is at least to me, better to maintain innocence and preserve than to have sudden changes thrust upon you,” she said. It had been quite a while since she had gotten to idealistic about her beliefs. But it was true to her, preservation was the best route to go, by whatever means necessary. “As for hormones, that can be controlled believe it or not. Look at me. I flirt every so often, but I am not stupid. But I guess either way it does not help if you can’t huh…?” she said. She needed to find some direction from her soapbox. This was about Gabby, not her.

For something to go from such a nice moment to something so bitter, something might have just come up in that moment, or maybe the person in question may have had some issues they needed to deal with if it was not truly Gabby’s fault. “Well, maybe something came up. Maybe they are the kind of person to get emotional easily. The point I mean to make is, if it was not your fault, then understanding why they did what they did is the first step. If you cannot ask, then wait, and perhaps in the mean time, think about it. Granted, you may not come up with the best of answers, you may have some idea about what is going on,” she explained, placing her order as well, a lovely spicy burger. She could go with something spicy right now. “Gabby, you are a smart person. I am sure you won’t make a rash decision, and I am positive that you won’t mess this up. Let’s face it, if the person is how I think she is from what you told me…” she said, which she gave a thought. She barely knew Vera at all, and was trying to grab all the information she could from Gabby, so hopefully that would be enough. “…Then it may just be a simple misunderstanding. With enough convincing, this could be fixed up in time, all you need is to be willing to wait,” she explained. Hopefully this was as simple as Lorielle hoped, and this would resolve itself in time.

She lifted her head from the table and stared, “I can’t wait to hit puberty. Then I may actually look like woman instead of a short boy.” She couldn’t count the amount of times she had been mistaken for a boy or how many times people called her a kid. She may have been 14, but she wasn’t a kid. Then, something was said that she had to stop and think about for a moment, “I would never call you stupid, Lori.” Well, technically she had thought that all women who flirted with men were stupid or vapid. She knew Lori wasn’t stupid, however. It was a logical error. Or, maybe, Lori was the exception to the rule. There was always ay least one.

“You may be right.” She took a sip of her ice tea and thought about it. If Vera were emotional, it would explain the sudden shift. But, even emotional people didn’t change that quickly, “I need to stop blaming myself.” She couldn’t fix it now, not when Vera wouldn’t even speak with her. The best she could do was to wait and think on it. All her thinking up to this point hadn’t done much though. It didn’t matter though. She would wait for Vera to forgive her, just as she was waiting for everything else, “You’re the best, Lori.” She smiled, “I could never have thought this all out on my own. Thank you. I believe the best option is to wait for her. After all, if she can’t forgive me at least even a little, we’ll never move on. I’ll give her the space she wants.” Hopefully she wasn’t forgotten by then.

Gabby took out her phone and looked at the only photo she had. It was the one where she surprised Vera the first time they met. If she forgot about their friendship, proof was always available. She put the phone away, “I’ll wait for as long as it takes. I can wait for all of eternity.” She was used to waiting. Waiting for Vera to even just speak to her again wouldn’t be a problem.

She laughed a bit. “You look just fine. I am sure you will look better once you hit that moment, but you have a certain innocence to you I like,” she said with a smile. Not often other girls would get compliments from Lorielle. In fact, it was never. But Gabby needed some confidence, cause she did look cute. She may never realize the boys that will adore her once she grows up. “You have clearly not seen me dance,” she said in response to her comment about being stupid. But the question did strike her in the mind. Would there ever be a time where her flirting was genuine? For that matter, apart from Gabby, Cain, and Kahn, would she be able to act natural around others? Her face is always hidden, either by laughing or flirting, it was hard. It was only lately she has been finding these people that she has been sincere around, Gabby being the closest.

“Do your best Gabby. I will be behind you, or lead you if you need help. Just drop me a line if you ever need me again. Actually, feel free to even if you don’t. You and I have to hang out more. I get to pick the place last time, maybe the hot springs…” she said, a half-evil half-joking grin on her face. The springs in Hayabusa lately she was interested in. She was probably going to go next weekend if all goes well. When the food came, she happily took a large bite on the delicious burger and savored the taste before swallowing and sitting back.

She would see her check her phone, not really paying attention as to let her keep her privacy. But one thing would spring to mind. Something that Lorielle was a bit curious about. “Hey Gabby. Out of curiosity, have you given any thought as to what you want to do? I mean, after getting stronger of course, but what then? I am not quizzing you, just curious,” she said with a look of interest.

“You like the way I look?” Gabby blushed and hid her face by looking down, “Thank you.” At least somebody liked the way she looked. She still couldn’t wait until she looked older. Then she would be even cuter. The thought made her face go even redder. She would be the prettiest adult ever. She realized what she was thinking and shook the thought off. It was so immature of her to think such a thing. Lori made a comment about her dancing, to which she had to laugh, “Dancing isn’t that hard. I can teach you sometime, if you want.” What was she doing? She had never offered to dance in front of another person, let alone teach them how to dance. She nodded, letting the topic drop, “You’re a good friend, Lori.” She wanted to take that back the moment the hot springs came up. Wasn’t that a place where people gathered naked and bathed in hot water? How could she do something like that? What if somebody saw them, “Well, I mean, do we have to?” She let the arrival of the food act as a distraction as she quickly bit into the burger she ordered. Now the conversation would hopefully move on from being so exposed.

She had to stuff the bit in her mouth down when Lori asked her what she would do. She had to think about it for a moment. Did she know Lori well enough to let her know just what she wanted, more than anything? Maybe she knew her well enough, but it was a deep scar. She didn’t want to explain everything, but just a little wouldn’t hurt, “I don’t have a real plan. I’m not even sure if Hippocamp can give me what I want.” She took a sip of her ice tea, “Even so, it’s all I want. It’s a foolish kind of wish, but I want it.” She was incredibly vague.

Lorielle sat back, with a light blush on her face as well. A genuine one at that, which did not come by much. Lorielle was starting to grow some affection for Gabby. Not really romantic, but a friendly kind of affection. Like she was inching ever closer to her heart. The thought did make Lorielle feel comfortable, as she was earning a very good friend. She would think about it along with other happy thoughts until Gabby had offered to teach her to dance. “Yeah, I’m in. I can slow dance easy. Dancing on my own is a pain though. I will have the perfect music to spice it up,” she said with an eager smile. Maybe with the right amount of convincing, she could convince her to possibly sing for one of her songs. That will have to be spring of the moment, that way Lorielle could trap her until she agreed to do it. ‘I am evil. Maybe I should reevaluate my life at some point…’ she thought to herself.

She shook her head with a grin when gabby gave a slight look of disdain at the hot springs idea. She had finished her bite, so she was free to speak while Gabby chewed. “Oh it was mostly a joke. Still itching to go there at some point. I could so use a vacation from school and home,” she said. Though, she would remain a bit quiet when she explained her not having an idea. Lorielle did have an idea of what she wanted to do. She wanted to preserve, and find a way to elevate every single human being. Whether it be through using the power of chaos, or subjugating it somehow, humanity needs a way to evolve, and be able to give everyone a chance, all under certain ideals. Maybe that could be realized, though she did not know how. Maybe someday she will figure it out; hopefully sooner rather than later. “Feel like talking about it? I will talk about mine if you do. I won’t laugh,” she said with a light smile. She did not have to. Lorielle respected her want to keep things to herself. Maybe if they were closer Gaby might feel comfortable, though it would be up to Gabby to judge if they were.

“Okay. I’ll make you the best dancer in all of Japan.” She let out a small, innocent laugh, “It won’t be easy though. I’m warning you now. I may not look like it, but I’m a pretty good dancer.” It helped that she did flips and tricks to make a living. She may have to teach Lori to stretch out her body before she could dance the same way Gabby could. Actually, she may never be able to, unless she could reach behind herself and touch the base of her neck with her fingers. It was going to be fun to watch Lori try though. The very thought made her laugh. Just to shut herself up, she took another bite of her burger.

Gabby finished the bite in her mouth before speaking again, “You call it a joke, but I know you’re serious. But, if you don’t mind, I’ll have to sit this one out.” Her desire to be in such an exposed state was far below zero. Lori would ask again, this time slightly differently, as to what Gabby was after. She would merely let a smile cross her face. She didn’t speak, instead finishing off her burger and iced tea. She would stand up, realizing she had been away from home for a very long time now. She had to get back, and Lori had reminded her of that, “Thank you for all your help, Lori. Hopefully my friend will forgive me. We’ll have to hang out again sometime; you and I. Just not at the hot springs.” She would leave just a bit more money than the total of the bill. This would cover the meal and the tip. She didn’t need the change, “You can come over again, if you want. I have more than enough slippers for a few quests.” She was giving her answer, but not straightforward. She wasn’t ready to admit to Lori, or to herself, just what she was fighting for. For now, it would be like a riddle to both of them, “You’re a good friend, Lori. Just tell me when you want to learn to dance.” With these words, she took off, back to Iwaigodai.

[EXIT]

Riddle:

Users have established a rank 4 Social Link...

Rank 4: Team Attack | Users may now create a simultaneous attack that can be used for 1/3 of each of their SP. The damage performed will be AoE and counts as Tier 2 damage. They will add their stats involved with the attack together first, and then calculate that total amount with the tier +. Can only be used once per battle. You will add this attack to your Persona Compendium under your fusion attack. This can be remade each time a user gains a new Persona. The Personas used in the team attack must be of the same level, such as Initial and Initial or Prime and Prime.

Code:

[b]Team Attack Name:[/b] [What is the name of your attack]
[b]Team Members Involved:[/b] [Should be your names here]
[b]Personas Involved:[/b] [Which Personas are used in the attack]
[b]Damage Type:[/b] [Choose Two types of damage involved in the attack. Make sure you note which party member is doing what damage type so you can add up the damage using the stats used, correctly.]
[b]Description of Attack:[/b] [What does the attack look like? What do you both do to perform the attack?