Lookout Point (Safi)

It was the very next day after she had acquired her Persona. She still felt the same feeling of paranoia, and distress that was all too familiar to her. She half-expected her new ability to possibly change that, though it seems that this power may never be enough to quench her fears. Though it was worth noting in her mind that she had been discovering certain functions she had that make her act similar to when she gets spikes in her personality. Though unlike that, she is now able to express it, albeit awkwardly. This did not mean she was in control of her random shifts in emotion by any means; in fact, it means that should she act a certain way and suddenly shift to something else, she would look even more odd and suspicious. That alone did not comfort her any more. She would look behind her several times as she walked up the hills between Nokawia and Nadashiki. She had never been in Nokawia herself, and had been coming from her home in Iwaigodai and chose to travel there in order to get a view of the city, before leaving to return home. Perhaps she would attempt to summon her Persona once she reached her home.

She had been wearing her normal clothing, short shorts, and her jacket, open revealing her two scars on her abdomen and on her ribs, made from metal and other products. For all the creativity her makers had in making her in this fashion, she sure proved defective and had to edit her several more times which resulted in said scars. Her blue eyes stayed focused either on the hill as she walked or behind her and to her sides watching for any company. She saw off in the distance that there was a small family eating, but nowhere near her and would hopefully prove no bother. In the meantime, she had given some thought to a few red doors she had come across on the way to this area. This clearly had something to do with Personas and Shadows as she learned in the information from her makers. Though in concern for her own safety, she remained decisive and decided not to explore it, without either help, or a better understanding of what the doors are all about. Ruo never wavered in her ability to be decisive, as without the ability to be sure, you will never know what you think and why, and you may miss facts and accept what “might” be true rather than what “is” true. It was one of the few things that Ruo kept in her makeup as something she was designed with. A machine without the ability to be sure is a useless machine.

Walking up to a tree on a top of the hill, she would walk under it, and see that it was actually still alive with green leaves, keeping shade over those who might want it. Spring had recently come after winter met a slow end, and the heat was rising, however, it was still cool enough for humans that they still wanted to enjoy the sun, as was apparent with the family. She would remain under the tree however, as she was the furthest from people, and looked out at Nokawia. She would probably walk along the hills to see better angles of the city before she would return. Naturally, anyone who would approach her from the east side of Nokawia she would notice. And she may even notice those who came from the side from Nadashiki, for as much as she remained focused on her scanning, she would take a glance or two behind her. The contradiction of those particular traits she would have to figure a way to reconcile, lest they make it worse on her, especially now with this newfound power of Persona

Most of the times Hibiki went out, he chose to go to places with a sizeable amount of people milling about. Today, hovewer was not the case, as his reason for this particular trip outside was far from making lenghty conversations with whoever he could. After his recent unplanned visit to this Limbo place with that strange girl from the Anime club, he had been left in quite the thoughtful mood, trying to figure out what exactly was the meaning of this all. It wasn’t what he was expecting back then, when he agreed to the contract from that man in the mask. At first, he wasn’t planning to look into it very much, but he was starting to get intrigued. It wasn’t often that he didn’t understand something. Usually, he was quick with solving things, but this time he was left more bewildered than anything, which was a good enough reason to pay it a piece of mind. Not that he was busy anyway.

The fact that he was thinking on what happened lately led him to take a walk where he would be less likely to get disturbed, as distractions wouldn’t be helpful in the least. And for some reason, it was somewhat relaxing to just trek around in the fresh air on his own, without being pestered by anyone. It wasn’t his cup of tea, at least these days, but it was something he could get used to doing once in a while. As of now, he was simply wandering around the hills between Nokawia and Nadashiki, mostly lost in thoughts, once in a while throwing a glance at the few people that were in these parts, either just passing by or having a picnic.

With a sigh, he made his way towards Nokawia, as he had already walked back and forth a few times, and Nokawia was closer to where he was going to head off to later on. His thought processes hadn’t yet got him anywhere, so he left it be for a while, as he figured thinking too much would just make him get tangled in it. With it probably being a big subject, he was going to get back to it eventually, even if he gave it a break now. It was only going to give him a headache without having anything to bounce off.

Walking further, there wasn’t much to take notice of, until he came near some people eagerly stuffing themselves with food. Not the best sight. Absentmindedly he turned his head around to look somewhere else. That was when he saw a figure that looked vaguely familiar. It took him a little longer than it usually would to recognize the female, as he payed too much attention to the tree she was standing under. Well, no matter. Making a quick decision, he walked up towards her, as he was done thinking for now anyway. ‘‘Hey.‘‘ he called out. ‘‘I didn’t expect to meet you around this place.‘‘ he kind of explained his sudden interruption, sporting a slight smile as he made his way to where she was standing.

Ruo had been looking upon Nokawia at the moment. The city looked very clean and large, in quite contrast to Nadashiki and its modernized areas with gangs filling them at night. She was a couple feet from the large tree, and still clearly under its shade. For whatever reason, she felt rather comfortable under the tree. Maybe it was just very similar to her home in the dim warehouse of Iwaigodai where all her trinkets and objects remained a mess. On the other hand, it did conceal her for the most part as far as light went. Concealment implies safety, so that could have certainly been a factor, though if it was, Ruo would most likely expect it. Though, it would not be much longer while remaining under the tree that she would hear a greeting from behind her and footsteps calmly moving towards her. The voice was rather familiar, and Ruo would have assumed who it was, if it was not against her ability to make proper decisions. Though she jumped slightly, it was unnoticeable unless whoever saw had very keen eyes, and turned rather calmly to the even more familiar voice.

It was Hibiki Nakahara. She had been running into him a few times since her recent reboot after escaping her old home. He seemed like a pleasant man, and fairly responsible as well. Then again, she knew little else people in a more personal manner such as Hibiki or Alphonse, so he was rather special. It appeared that Ruo for the time being was in control of her newfound emotions and could express some of them somewhat. She was still trying to get a grasp on how that worked. To speak and act without thinking; which was something that proved rather illogical from her own perspective. How does one not think when they speak? She assumed it was because unlike a machine like herself, these humans have what are known as “hearts”. She had taken a quick moment to look up a general idea of a heart in regards to emotions at one point, and it seems they house the emotions. Does that mean Ruo has a heart now? Or was she gaining one as she learned? The thought was rather unsettling to her.

However, getting back to what was going on immediately, she had turned to Hibiki, and made a gentle smile in greeting. It was something she was able to express sincerely. The man deserved some bit of greeting, and has not done anything to deserve Ruo’s disrespect or worry, at least not yet. Nonetheless, he no doubt earned his several chances. “Hello Hibiki,” she said. Her talking was a bit more relaxed than the last time they spoke, which truly was not much better than usual, but one might notice the contrast as she is still struggling with proper communication. “We seem to be running into each other quite a bit. I am actually here to look at Nokawia as it is my first time being near here. Are you well?” she asked, her smile lessened slightly, but nonetheless still a calm smile. She found herself a bit perplexed inside. She spoke casually of looking on Nokawia. Maybe she was just becoming a bit more sure he was not that dangerous, or was learning about herself.

Taking a few more strides, Hibiki came closer to Ruo, halting to a stop far enough, not to disturb her personal space. While she seemed quite a bit more relaxed than during the two times he has met her before, he didn’t want to tempt fate, as she was a little uncomfortable around company on those previous occasions. But she appeared to be in a more sociable mood today as she greeted him without seeming to be too wary. ‘‘Hello to you too, Ruo.‘‘, he responded, even though he had already kind of greeted her before. He supposed it was nicer than doing it in the middle of walking. Besides, what he had said before wasn’t exactly a proper greeting, at least for someone he didn’t know very well. Of course, they had met before, but it didn’t mean they were buddies yet. At least it usually didn’t go so quickly.

‘‘Yes, I suppose we do. Makes the world seem like such a small place, doesn’t it?‘‘, he replied, mirroring her slight smile. To be honest, it was actually a little funny. Meeting three times in a not so long period of time, in different places nonetheless? That was one hell of a coincidence for sure. Or maybe it was just simply luck. Hibiki didn’t mind in the slightest though. Ruo made a fairly pleasant company, so periodical meetings out of the blue had no reason to bother him, no matter how strange the succesion of it may seem. ‘‘I’m fine. Went for a walk, because I had a lot on my mind, but otherwise I’m doing good.‘‘, he responded to her question, trying to put it simply enough. In a way, he hoped she wouldn’t ask what he had been thinking on, as that would warrant one of the few times when he wouldn’t know what to say. He himself hadn‘t yet clearly decided on what to think of the supernatural happenings that have been popping up as of recently. And she’d probably think he lost his mind if he were to tell her the truth, which he wouldn’t blame her for.

‘‘If you haven’t been there before, it might be better to check out Nokawia personally. The view from here is amazing for sure, but it won’t tell you as much as a visit would.‘‘, he spoke in a slightly thoughtful tone, as he gazed down at the scenery of Nokawia that could be seen from their current location. It was pretty to look at, so he could understand why she chose to come here. And from what he already knew, he suspected that she would enjoy the smaller amount of people in these places. Then again, who was he to make such assumptions? She was a kind of a shifter, always acting at least a little bit differently than she did the last time he had a chat with her. So, logically, he couldn’t know what she liked for sure. Mysteries could be fun though, so he was willing to tag along with it for now. Maybe he would figure her out once.

“Indeed,” was her only response. Alright, so she was getting better, just by very small margins, but nonetheless, progress was being made, which was something. Hibiki seemed fairly welcoming in his tone, which to be fair seemed to be how he acted. He seemed fairly introverted and not very talkative in all the times she has seen him, which was not abnormal, as there were certainly those types of people in the world.  She noticed that he took several steps closer to her after she caught him, which may have bothered her in other circumstances, but not this time. Maybe Hibiki was lucky. Ruo would place her right arm on her left arm and give it a light squeeze, and then do the same with the other arm. It was a self-check to see how her machinery within her was going. That worry had not left her, and perhaps never will unless she gets a much-needed tune-up. She may have done the same to her legs, though she felt it would not help much, considering she was already walking. Once more, she was also near someone, and preferred not to do much to make it seem as though she was stalling.

When Hibiki said he was here for a walk, Ruo would nod. She had those urges herself, most likely for different reasons that he did, though he apparently had a lot on his mind as he said. She may have asked what he meant, but she up to this point never cared much for other humans, or other non-humans for that matter. The fact alone that she was considering asking, for either the sake of wanting to know, or genuine concern for him, she could not tell, but she knew it attested to her newfound ego. She did not know, but perhaps humans do this as well in order to bait the other into asking. So maybe it would be best to ask, just not obviously. “Did something happen to warrant your walk here?” she asked. Again, she spoke rather poorly, but something was there, so maybe if he said no it would just be forgotten immediately.

Whether he told her anything or not, Ruo would take another look at Nokawia in its pleasant tranquility. Hibiki was no doubt correct in that seeing the inside of it would help a lot. Though it was just her way of doing things to take some time to scout it out before going into it. She did the same thing when she made her home in Iwaigodai, several times as a matter of fact. It was her method of avoiding danger, and considering that on the other side of the city and hills was Nadashiki, which seems to hold gang members, and from what she has learned, those in Nadashiki  have a sort of animosity towards those who live here, it may be best to go her route until further notice. “Nokawia is actually my next place to explore. It is interesting to see how a town like this can stand so naturally next to other very different areas in Ueitawa. It is certainly something,” she said. She would give a half-smile to him before looking back at Nokawia. She had no idea why she smiled, maybe she was genuinely impressed, which may be the case. Her newfound emotions were certainly posing the confusion for her. Though she was speaking more than usual, which was certainly a change since her Persona came to her.

Well, Ruo seemed to agree with him so that was good. Not that he would have minded if she had a different opinion, he was just not in the particular mood for a drawn out discussion at this moment. Most times he would have enjoyed long conversations, but he was still a little looped around from his previous thinking. Too much processing in a row could prove to be extremely tiring. Or maybe he was just overthinking it again. Which was most likely the case, as usual. Sometimes, he wondered why he paid so much attention to some of the more useless details. He definitely had some habits that he could have gone without. The complexity of a human mind was astounding for sure.

''Nothing very important. I just figured it would be a good place to think about stuff here. Sort of a spur of the moment thing.'', he said with a shrug, after making a decision to avoid the exact subject. It just didn't feel right to talk about it without knowing the consequences. Who knew what she'd say, if he were to tell the complete truth, and dealing with the outcome would probably turn out to be a hassle. Besides, he doubted he would be able to make sense, if he were to try and summarize in words. It was better to be left at that. It wasn't as if he was lying. More like a half-truth. He just didn't say everything. Commenting on her strange action beforehand, when she seemed to be checking out her arms, was something he chose to not to do either. He came to the conclusion that it wasn't important enough for him to inquire about. And he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

The topic of Nokawia was a better way to go for sure. It required less focus on what he was saying, which gave it a plus point. He didn't have to think on his words as much. ''Yes, it is quite intriguing how it manages to blend in even through its differences. Ueitawa really is strange in many ways. Not in a bad way though.'', he said contemplatively, following her gaze to look at Nokawia once more, ''I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing it up close.'' He had been there before, and he had to say that it was enjoyable enough. It had a lot of interesting places to check out, so he was sure she would find something that would interest her, when she went to explore around.

Ruo would turn to Nokawia, with a bit of growing interest the more the two of them spoke about it. Perhaps just for today she really might walk down in the city if she felt up to it. Or at worst, get reasonably closer. She may have to leave Hibiki to his own devices unless he chose to come along. On the other hand, perhaps she should consider Hibiki for this moment. She did not know how he felt, so maybe she would wait it out until the time came to bring up the possibility. She could go anytime; it did not have to be today. She would turn to Hibiki, focusing her attention on him when he spoke. He did not seem like he wanted to talk about what had been going through his mind at the time. Ruo nodded at his statement. However, she thought going at the spur of the moment may have been a bit off. It was always good to plan your actions and do nothing spontaneous. Everything in your mind must be premeditated or otherwise, you have a much higher risk of things not going your way and turning out much differently. However, she would not say that out loud, as it may have seemed only trivial to him and it would be a waste of time to point it out. He probably had reasons, just reasons Ruo may not understand.

He did not seem to point out her checking on her defections, which was most likely for the best. Ruo had other habits for checking herself internally and externally. The quickest one just happened to be checking her limbs to see if they could still carry her through the day, literally. It was always worth it to see that her legs were fair enough to walk, even if she has not broken down in that regard just yet.

“I have only seen Nadashiki, Shibakuzoi, and Iwaigodai so far. I have yet to see this area or Hayabusa. That will be something else to check out,” she said aloud turning back to Nokawia. No one could say this town lacked diversity in architecture. She had also heard that Hayabusa had a very rural style of living that had the tranquility in a similar sense to Nokawia; Nokawia just happened to be modernized and seemed to have higher-income denizens. It would also be worth learning if the other areas had crimson doors like the areas she has explored. There was no particular reason to doubt they were, but it was never bad to check. It would mean that there were multiple entrances into another world she had recently learned of. But back on the subject, she would turn to Hibiki. “What is there to do in Nokawia if I may ask? I am rather new to having time like this, and I do not know what to do,” she said, her neutral expression returning. She was still struggling with learning people as well as herself, so she would still return to her proper neutral state at times. It was better than getting a spike in her personality, which luckily had not happened yet.

Hibiki nodded, as Ruo named where she had already been, and what she was still planning to check out. It was understandable that she wanted to see the differences between all those locations in Ueitawa, as they indeed varied a lot, and it surely proved to be an interesting subject for those that were newcomers in this region. Afterall, he himself had done that when he moved here too, which wasn’t even that long ago yet. Remembering how long he took to explore all of Nokawia on foot, as it didn’t occur to him back then to use any sort of vehicle, he almost made a face. That was definitely one tiring day back there. It had been worth the effort though, so he had no real reason to complain about it. Overdoing it was his own fault and the town had absolutely nothing to do with it. Except maybe being bigger than he originally thought, and thus keeping him on the move much longer that he had estimated. He definitely made a point of checking where he was actually going after that. A repeat performance wasn’t high in his list of priorities, even though such a long walk did provide some healthy excercise. He could have gone without being dog-tired though.

‘‘Let’s see. There are a lot of things, but the most known are the Bay, where you can watch the boats and such, and then there’s quite a nice shrine in the town’s centre. It really depends on what kind of things you like. There is enough variety to choose from.‘‘, he answered, after thinking on it a bit. Nokawia was quite the rich town in itself, so naturally there was a lot of fancy stuff that one could look at. He didn’t know what Ruo liked to do, but perhaps she would take interest in something in there. And even if she did not, she said she wanted to check other places out too, so there was the option to find something elsewhere. Ueitawa was diverse enough, so one would be able to find almost anything they though of. Of course, not something completely ridiculous. Then again, all this Persona and Limbo stuff, could easily warrant as quite the fantasy setting. But not everyone knew about that, at least it appeared so.

Hibiki seemed more than willing to talk to her about the area, which was very helpful for her. She took a moment to herself to think about all of this. He seemed friendly enough, probably the most friendly to her since she woke up. Hibiki may in fact be someone who could be very helpful in showing her around. Maybe people were worth listening to after all, as this man seemed to be proving so far. He told her about the areas around Nokawia, including the Bay, which she could actually notice from the distance. She could see the coastline going soon out of her sight and boats spread out among the water, some more far from the city than others. Though, her tendency to focus on keeping herself alive as it were, would prevent her from getting near the water, no matter how waterproof her creators claimed she was.

Though, when he mentioned the shrine, that was interesting enough. She knew what a shrine was, but had not seen one for herself. “The shrine would probably be where I would see first,” she said. There were so many things she could do around Nokawia apparently. Maybe she would have to think on it and see what she preferred to do, but all she had was surveillance and battle. She had no idea what else she had to do; maybe she had no choice but to ask for pointers from a human. Maybe she will get some guidance. “What do you do outside of exploring?” she suddenly asked. She would turn to him and give a very slight tilt of her head in curiosity. “I do not do many things outside of exploring the area. So I was curious,” she said. It was no doubt weird in Ruo’s mind to ask a question like that to someone she did not know all too well. It also might have seemed a bit off to Hibiki, she did not know. At the same time however, she had noticed she had been acting strangely sometimes since she gained her Persona. Things like being curious rather than questioning, and showing a semblance of emotion, it was all but familiar to her. On the other hand however, perhaps if Hibiki was someone Ruo was going to see more of in the future, perhaps they should get familiar with what they have not seen from each other already. It was better in all fairness that he was as careful as he was, so he has intelligence as a human being. She wondered if her sense of self-preservation was created to match a human. But she knew that not all humans were careful, and perhaps not as careful as her. But she had not met every human, that was fact.

The shrine, huh? It wasn't a bad choice, being one of the most known places in Nokawia. Although, he did slightly wonder why Ruo chose that one. She didn't seem like a much of a shrine person, then again, he had been there before without an actual reason. The way she spoke, made it sound more as if she just wanted to see how everything looked and worked. Which was a little strange, but maybe she was just overly curious. He didn't know how old she was, so he couldn't account it to her age. Besides, she didn't look that young, so it was probably just the way she was. ''The shrine is nice. You might like it.'', he nodded with a smile, his gaze drifting around the view.

''Not that much, really. If I'm not in school, then I mostly hang out with someone, or just do stuff around in the dorms. It sort of depends on what I feel like doing.'', he shrugged lightly as he responded to her question. He rarely paid much attention to what he was doing, so summarizing wasn't easy. And if he were to be completely honest, there wasn't much that he did since he came to Ueitawa. It just didn't occur to him to do anything really meaningful with all this weird stuff going around. Maybe he should start up a hobby or something so he'd have a better answer when people ask him that. Or perhaps he could go back to playing the piano, it's been a while. Of course, if he didn't get too busy with this Limbo business, that is.

''I'm sure you can find something that you enjoy doing. Afterall, exploring will probably keep you entertained only for so long. A change of activities can be a good thing.'', he added after a while, wondering how she didn't get the least bored from just exploring. It could be fun to do, yes, but continuously walking around and looking at things was bound to get tiresome after some time. Hmm, she certainly wasn't easy to understand.

Yes, maybe she would like the shrine. She would turn to the tree that was covering her and Hibiki. It was interesting to see her take the next step of exploring. Sure she would want to see the shrine so she would know for the future in case things happened. On the other hand, part of Ruo wanted to see this new site. She had never seen a shrine before; the most distinct structure she can remember seeing is the average building, nothing special. So to have a tie beyond simple observation was a bit confusing to Ruo. Why did she have this feeling? Was it because of her Persona? Or did her Persona just reveal to her many types of feelings she did not know she had, like interest, and courtesy. Up until this point, she only knew fear, paranoia, and the random shifts in her personality. Apart from that, she remained neutral in expression and action, trying to blend when she had to when talking to others. She would fold her arms comfortably in front of her chest, thinking to herself for a bit. “Hm….” She let out after a couple seconds of a pause. She would remember where she was, and shake her head lightly. “Oh, forgive me. I was just thinking,” she said, her far off expression still on her face, but she had to stop worrying, at least for now. She could not really tell him what was happening with her thoughts if he asked, at least, not truthfully. She would rather not lie to be honest, as even if he might have been lying, he was at least fair enough to not do anything rash. So she would have to have something ready if he did end up asking.

Ruo would take another look behind her and turn back when Hibiki spoke of his hobbies…or lack thereof. Did he truly not do much in his free time? He started to sound a bit more like Ruo herself. “It does not seem as though you do much Hibiki. Perhaps we should look for your hobby….though, I have no room to talk. I do little else. Aside from collecting objects and other things,” she said aloud. She had no reason to not say what she did. Ruo did not do much outside of surveillance. Then again, she did have a messy home, full of random objects waiting to be used. She would try to figure out these things, and probably will use much of her time figuring it out. She would never get rid of them either, unsure if there was not another way or not. That in mind, she would look on the ground around her, and near the tree, searching for anything she could see from her current position with her eyes, but to no avail. “That is only something I do. You never know what you may find on the ground,” she said, keeping a calm expression, but nodding lightly as if acknowledging it. For a man who did little like Hibiki, maybe he might understand the little things that could provide the most use.

Though his comment about finding possibly another hobby brought a light smile back to her face. “Walking around does not “bore” me as it were. If I may be so honest, nothing bores me, or rather, I have not done something I find boring yet,” she said. The concept she knew, but have not come across as of yet. She has just been doing things to get them done. She had reason, but calling them boring or exciting? She did not know yet. “Though…” she began. “I am interested in seeing if there are other things to enjoy. I have not come across much lately. Perhaps I should when given the time, I should probably just figure out where to start,” she said to Hibiki. What could she find as a hobby? She was contemplating the options. Maybe the next thing she would do once she left from her home would be to go to a well-known landmark in Ueitawa and look there. Maybe there would be a “hobby” to discover.

Hibiki did not speak up during the time Ruo was quiet.  Although he didn’t know what she was thinking about or why was she silent, there wasn’t really a reason for him to say anything and possibly interrupt her musings. It wasn’t as if she was quiet for way too long. Only a while, really, so he had no need to pitch in in any way. ‘’It’s alright.’’, he said in response to her apology, keeping a friendly expression as he glanced back at her. She was standing with her arms folded, and while she didn’t seem tense, he assumed that whatever was on her mind was most likely important to her. Even if not, he decided not to inquire unless she wanted to tell him herself. Asking her would seem too much like prying anyway, and that wasn’t what Hibiki normally did. There wasn’t anything to gain from it, aside from pissing others off by being too curious or insisting. If it wasn’t something he either needed to know or something that he could tell wasn’t too serious, then he preferred to leave the decision to tell to the person in question. It didn’t strike him as appropriate to stick his nose into another’s business when they weren’t interested in sharing. Of course, sometimes it was needed, but those times were an exception.

Besides, she appeared to be fine enough, no matter where her thoughts were flying, as she showed quite the interest in hobbies and all. As per usual, her choices were a little strange, but when it came to Ruo, he wasn’t that much surprised anymore. She kind of defied normal standards in almost everything. It wasn’t that it didn’t make sense, in honesty, it did, but collecting random objects wasn’t exactly common. He supposed there were people who did similar things, as humans were unbelievably diverse with their favourite ways to pass time, although it still was a bit rare. ‘’Maybe so.’’, he responded with a light smile, ‘’I had been doing more back then, before I came to Ueitawa. I guess I got a little bit too distracted after moving here.’’ And to be honest, it was true. So many things were happening here that he barely found the time to even think about free time activities. There was always something that jumped in his way, deterring him from spending his time on such. He never thought it would be so busy here when he was moving. Well, at least there wasn’t much time for boredom either. ‘’Collecting objects sounds like a fun thing to do. Have you found something useful yet?’’, he asked, taking a short look at the ground as well when he saw Ruo look around.

‘’You’re doing pretty good then, if it doesn’t bore you. Perhaps you could just keep looking around and you might find something that’ll interest you enough to keep pursuing it. It might be the best bet if you have no actual idea where to start.’’, he said thoughtfully. It seemed the most fitting for her, as she apparently like exploring around. So it might be the easiest for her to find something that way. In the end it was her choice how to go about it though.

Ruo would for once, give a bit of a wider smile. She had not given a smile bigger than her normal light ones since gaining her Persona. Though, this smile was not as bright and wide as that one, but it was noticeably more cheerful. Come to think of it, she had no idea why she made that large smile after her awakening, but perhaps some things were to remain mysterious. Perhaps this is what gratitude felt like if what she thought was correct. “Thank you, Hibiki,” she said. Did she feel gratitude for Hibiki’s forgiveness? Most likely, but there could have been many reasons for that way. But Ruo would kep her reasons to herself until she gave it some more time at home. It seemed as though every so often, she would feel a certain emotion that was genuine. Such an odd thing for a machine that has no “heart” per se to feel. She could only imagine how severe her emotional spikes could get now that she could express something.

Hibiki did agree with her that he did not seem to have any hobbies. Maybe he would find them one day; maybe even with Ruo if she chose to assist him. And to be fair, she had no reason not to. He was a pleasant man, and had good qualities of someone interested in their life. “You were distracted?  Something came up I assume,” she said, with a light nod to herself. Some people did have to sort priorities after all. Maybe if she joined him she could assist him in gathering his time. Two heads are better than one after all. “Perhaps if you ever have free time, I may join you if you have something you wish to do. Only if you wish me to join of course,” she said. Ruo would give Hibiki a nod and her smile would return and nod. “We will have to choose a place to go, I fear I do not have a method of contact outside of face to face things,” she would say if he agreed. If not, she would give him a nod in acknowledgement. He did not have to go with her after all. But for whatever reason, Ruo felt inclined to assist him. Maybe it was to make things even after his assistance with her, or maybe it was a spike in her emotions, which she doubted. Maybe it was her Persona, or something else…she was not sure.

When the subject changed to  her “hobby” she would nod, then shake her head. She had, but she hadn’t. “I have found some useful items. I found an umbrella in Iwaigodai. It seemed helpful for me in the rain, rather than purchasing one. Though, just recently I had found a purple rock-like object…” she said trailing off. To be fair it was just a rock. But it was smooth and had a shine to it. “…I have not found a purpose for it yet. It will help me hopefully in the future after more inspection.”

Exploring the town was probably going to be her plan anyway, she would just have to search with more attention to detail. She would have to look for more people, and look for their hobbies, as well as looking for things to do around the town. That shall be her new goal apart from surveillance. “Agreed. Thank you again for the advice,” she said. If she did not know why she was grateful before, she knew why she was now, and was for once, less worried now that for this moment, she knew.

One thing Hibiki hadn’t expected was Ruo to thank him. It wasn’t as if he did anything worth it. Although, maybe being okay with her spacing out and not insisting she tell him why was a good enough reason for her. That sounded like the most reasonable explanation. If she wasn’t used to people being nice to her, then it could have made sense that she was thankful. Or she may have had her own reasons that he knew nothing about. Even if he were to try, it was an obvious fact that he could not read minds or anything of the like, so he did not have a way of figuring her out. ‘‘There’s no need to thank me.‘‘, he said with a light friendly smile. While it was certainly nice to hear that she was grateful for what he said, he didn’t really find it significiant enough. That was perhaps, because it was just natural for him to act that way, and he could hardly imagine himself prying private details from others anyway. And since it was how he normally was, it didn’t occur to him to see it as if he had done something special. But he could understand if Ruo did, as everyone had a different sort of values.

He took a short while to contemplate Ruo’s suggestions and all before answering. ‘‘I should have time after school unless something comes up. I’d be glad to come along with you. Having company is more enjoyable than being alone.‘‘ He didn’t have any reason to decline her offer. Hanging out with others was something he generally enjoyed doing, and Ruo made a good companion so far. It seemed that they got along pretty well, so it shouldn’t be a hassle if they went together somewhere. Besides it would be a nice break from the routine as he usually ended up being with people he hadn’t met yet. A familiar face around was a pleasant change of pace for once, and in a way he was sort of glad she offered. Maybe it would do him some good. ‘‘I don’t really mind the place. Perhaps we could go somewhere you weren’t yet? You could explore then as well.‘‘, he added after she mentioned they’d have to choose a destination. Honestly, he was fine with going anywhere. All places have something interesting to indulge in afterall.

Hibiki nodded thoughfully at Ruo’s compliation of found items. The purple stone sounded a bit strange, but who knew? If someone could find a purpose for it, then it was probably Ruo, as she seemed to be quite dedicated to it. He was even kind of looking forward to seeing what would she make of it, if she ever saw fit to tell him. ‘‘That’s nice. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a suitable use for it, whatever it is.‘‘, he said calmly, although he was slightly amused by the lack of possibilities one could to with a piece of rock. Unless it was something else, as he hadn’t seen a purple rock yet.

‘‘You’re welcome.‘‘, he said, this time accepting the thanks, as he didn’t want to keep avoiding. Besides this one made more sense, although he had just said what came to him first. More like a common sense than anything. If it helped her, then that was good. Perhaps he was better at this than he realised.

“I do appreciate it however,” was Ruo’s response. She did mean it after all, so he deserved something for his help. Maybe Hibiki is more humble than he lets on, and it certainly seemed that way with the manner he just shrugged off his actions as just mere pleasantry. Maybe Ruo could find some part of her willing to trust this man in time; she was not sure, though the possibility did exist. Hibiki had done no wrong, she just finds it difficult to hand control over to someone else instead of doing the task herself. Sure she could lead as she was built for it she supposed, but that still has not been necessary yet and Ruo did not put any priorities on it, unsure if that would ever come up. But, Hibiki was the first, so perhaps in time she could learn what it meant to give someone control.

When Hibiki mentioned he would have time after school, Ruo would nod. Though that may raise an issue. Not only did she have no real method of contacting him since they kept meeting by chance, she had never been to wherever his school was. So three possibilities existed: She could relent and wait for him at wherever school he went, as she certainly would not tell him where she “went” during the day. She could also find a method of contact with him, though that seemed unlikely. Or, she could always suggest a time and a place after school or in the evening. Either way, she would have to ask him questions anyway. “Oh, I most likely do not go to whatever school you go to. But if you want, I can always remain outside the gates, I would just have to know where it was,” she said. Granted, she did not particularly like the idea. Too many faces to watch her, one of them could easily be someone after her with the knife ready. So hopefully Hibiki would suggest just a time and a place as what should happen. She also hoped Hibiki did not inquire about where she actually went to “school”, cause she didn’t. All the knowledge she needed was programmed into her or in the modem in her head to access the internet. Her creators built with that in mind, on the other hand, designed her to perhaps look like a high-schooler. That was a bit of a design flaw.

But he did not seem to mind the place, and Ruo put a finger to her chin lightly to think about where she had not been. She had been to Iwaigodai, Shibakuzoi recently; though she would not be favorable of going there even after what happened, she lived in Iwaigodai, and that was most likely it. She had been to bits of Nadashiki, but to be fair, if he suggested that, she could go, as there seemed to be plenty to do in that area. “Alright. I have not been to Nokawia of course…” she said nodding in confirmation. “I have been to various places in Nadashiki, but there are places I have not explored yet. Hayabusa I have not been to nor Yoro. Do you have any ideas on what there may be to do there?” she asked. If he did not have much of a clue, Ruo would nod. “Then perhaps we should meet up one day or evening in Nadashiki if you want,” she said. If he agreed, it meant she would not have to see his school, which would be just fine for her.

“Hopefully I will find other things as well,” she said with a face hinting with curiosity. She was genuinely interested in this sort of thing and would continue to do so. Maybe there were other “hobbies” to learn. She would have to investigate on that.