View source for Logs: It's All In Your Head

<center><b>Okina - Okina City - January 15th, 2010. 3:00 PM.</b></center>







(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Okina City. A wondrous crossroads of the local country area, traveled by many a person, everyday, to get where they need to be. Many things have started and stopped here, and will continue to do so for a very long time. A small layer of snow here and there, as well as the biting air is a reminder of the temperature out is still quite cold.

Many people still travel the streets regardless, wrapped up in warm clothes, jackets and other clothing. Among the crowds a single boy seems to separate from the mainstream path and walk towards a small park-like area near a smaller fountain. He is wearing a white jacket with an orange stripe across the front, and a green scarf. He appears to be eyeballing something around his neck.

It is Yoh, and well, he has had a harsh day or two. Much has happened that, while he is still friendly and talkative, something seems... off about him. Of course, if one were to know what he had seen it would be different. Seeing Thora and Kandori fighting with what looked like magic. To top it all off, People have admitted it was indeed real, and as been told by many people, including Thora herself to forget about what all had happened, and to not talk about it.

It definitely irked him. As he begins to relax, he crumples up a cup he had been drinking out of, and tosses it into a nearby trashcan. After being what seemed like being told off by the scary girl, what possibly could get worse about this day?



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Shirou yawns a bit, stepping through the snowy streets. He's been taking to wandering out and about from Inaba when he could; sometimes heading to Lunarvale to try to keep tabs on Mikage-cho... sometimes to Sumaru to hear the latest rumors. He doesn't head to Port Island too much, for some reason; he's yet to really get into contact with SEES. It's weird. 

He's in his navy pea-coat, but most noticeable, to those in the know, would be his resonance. It continues to roll off of him like waves in an underwater lake, still and quiet and dark and deep. The faintest smell of stagnant water. 

He's window-shopping currently, trying to avoid the worst throngs of the mall; to him, large groups are an unpleasant reminder of a day long ago, at Sun Mall. So it's no surprise that he looks a bit more agitated then usual, but the crowd seemingly giving him a wider berth anyway, maybe because of his slightly unpleasant resonance...



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Hopping the train right after school, Shou has arrived in a relatively timely fashion at the bustling Okina City. Or shopping center or, well, whatever. Wandering around, crossing through small groups, peering over his glasses at a group of shops. His normally cool, collected expression is replaced by one with just a hint of frustration. 

He's got his earbuds in like usual, his book put away so he can navigate. Where is that stupid music shop? He's surpassed all the material for his classes, and after having three acquaintances breath down his neck about Harry Potter crap or something he's looking for something new to devote himself to, to get his mind off of things. A new book of sheet music would give him something to practice at least.

Spotting Yoh in the near distance, though, Shou groans to himself and grimaces. It's a look of further frustration coupled with some shame. Yelling at your friends, even if they're nuts, isn't something he wants to be known for. Shou pops his earbuds out and starts walking towards Yoh's bench.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
A loud sigh exits from Yoh, a visible cloud coming from his mouth. So much weird crap going on. Nothing of this sort happened where he transferred from. Honestly, large girls impaling people on ice, black ooze coming out of people, massive... things just appearing out of nowhere. It'd be a shock too if someone were in his shoes.

No matter what though, Yoh had to try and forget it. Several people had told him to ignore it, and that it wasn't his concern. Though it was proving... difficult to do that. He would probably just need to redirect his mind to something else.

Fortunately, that 'something else' was approaching him. Yoh tilted his head slightly at what appeared to be a figure approaching him. He didn't recognize him yet, but something about how they walked was familiar.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Shirou just <i>so</i> happens to be in the area, in the outdoor (?) mall, or at least he's still wearing his thick navy pea coat. He feels something happening behind him, something Charon to awakening just a bit in his sea of souls. 

So, he turns his head by happenstance... and wait, isn't that that Yoh kid that beat up those burglars? Huh... fancy seeing him here.



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
Rise Kujikawa is a normal person who doesn't sense Personae... at least, for right now. But she does happen to be in the area, getting a little air as she isn't working this evening and has a legitimate day off. Sometimes people recognize Rise from her old life, but that's gotten to be a lot quieter now that Yuuka is the new star in town, giving her a bit of piece and quiet.



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Shou lifts a hand in his patented understated greeting, not really so much managing a smile as just...leveling his face out so he doesn't look as frustrated. Once he gets close he nods a bit. "Hey, Yamatagani-san..."

After a brief pause Yoh grimaces again and looks to one side. "Sorry about yesterday, I...eh..." Really, there's nothing he can say about the situation. It was just kind of nuts, and that's the story.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh watches as the person continues to approach, as he closes in, he recognizes the figure! It was Shou, from the... awkward meeting at Junes, and previously at the collision in Inaba. He politely waves as he approaches.

The boy can't help but recall what he said. It was rather harsh, but of course with such a subject as the topic, he honestly was not surprised, nor did he hold anything against him. As Shou finished he held his hand up. "Don't you worry about it Hamada-san. It was very... odd." Despite having more confirmations from other people besides Hitoshi and Shiori, it still was best to probably play it off as fake, or possibly trying to change the subject.

Putting the purchase he made yesterday to work again, even though he asked the same thing yesterday to Shou, he looked at the love charm he bought, picking it up in his hand. "You know..." he began, eyeballing the trinket carefully. "I am beginning to doubt the priestess on this thing. The 900 Yen is beginning to seem wasted, though it probably helped support the shrine." Who ever heard of such a thing working anyway? Sure, rumors he heard suggested it, but why he even bought into it was beyond him.

Looking away from the charm for a moment, he spies another individual somewhat close, little did he know that he knew that person as well.

Looks like fate is conspiring again.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Ah. Fickle woman Fate is. She can be cruel to those that are already downtrodden, or kind to those that already are set for life. She smiles and frowns seemingly at random... but Shirou knows that she is but a guide towards Ends. And Beginnings. And frankly, he was happy to help her along when it suited her... 

It worked out better then trying to stop her sometimes. But on the other side of the coin; sometimes she can be far too cruel... and then the threads have to be cut sometimes. The will of the world has to be weighted against the will of the one... 

But these metaphysical ramblings can be held off for now. Shirou, once he's within visual range, gives Yoh a wave, smirking just a bit. He... vaguely does and doesn't recognize Shou. Maybe he's seen him around school lately?"



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
Rise looks over as someone holds up a charm, and the glint of it catches her eye for a second. With her hands in the pocket of her coat, she approaches.

She looks at it skeptically, and interrupts a bit, as she squints. "Was that supposed to be a love charm? To attract girls?" she asks, in what might be determined as a cute way.



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Shou just wiggles his glasses a bit and nods, with an "Oh well" sigh. He looks at the charm Yoh shows and...well, doesn't want to come off as doubting again, so just shrugs a bit, "Well, you never know I guess."

He turns his head to see the figure Yamagatani waves at, and...after a second remembers the face. He remembers it quite clearly from his unpleasant introduction to Thora, actually, and just sort of "Ergh"s to himself before turning to look at the almost professionally cute girl talking to Yoh.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Smiling to Shou, he nods to him about the necklace, before letting it dangle by the one he wears often. "I suppose it doesn't hu--" He stops mid sentence, a girl having walked up on them and inquired about the charm. Yoh looked at the girl analytically for a few moments. Has he met her before? She doesn't seem familiar. Still, best to be polite to newcomers! "Actually it is. A lot of folks I have been talking to said that the Samegawa Shrine was selling these. They are rather nice, the priestess said she made them herself."

As he finished talking, he caught some motion out of the corner of his eye, apparently someone waving to him. After the person continues approaching, he recognizes the person! It was Shirou, whom he seems to be bumping into a lot lately. Actually most of the people ehre he has been bumping into a good amount. Strange... "Sekigawa-san!" he says, waving back. Looks like he got the necessary distraction he needed from all this stress gathering from these encounters of the bizarre kind.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Oh how <i>wrong</i> Yoh is. But that's fine. Shirou doesn't mind letting him down like that. Life's strange and then it gets stranger. He gives a lazy wave to Shou, Yoh and the girl, a little quizzical look on his face... she does look oddly familiar. 

Oh, he met her once, he thinks, out in Junes. And probably around school too, yeah. But more then that... oh well. 

"Seems like I'm late to the party" He announces to the group, smirking slightly, his voice a little snarky. Vaguely sarcastic, as Yukiko once put it. "Hey, how ya been Yoh?"



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
"Oh, okay," says Rise, at the explanation about the charm. "Does it work?" That's intended to be a joking question. She's here, right? But maybe he won't pick up on the subtlety of that, as boys are sometimes bad at that. She waves at Shirou. "Hi. I don't think it's a party. I was just, um, being nosy."



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Shou keeps relatively quiet amongst the strangers, returning Shirou's lazy wave with an equally lazy one. Normally he'd realize that Rise looks familiar, but he's still trying to forget about that crazy crap, especially now that he looks at Shirou and realizes the guy is related to Thora somehow. Would he know about said crazy crap that Yoh said she was doing yesterday? Flying around and shooting fireballs or whatever? Shou stands in the eye of the conversation, quiet, wondering if he can think of a way to ask Shirou about that.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Standing up to stretch for a moment, Yoh merely looks at Shirou for a moment. How was he, eh? On the inside, shaken, somewhat scared, torn at how reality is much more different than it seems... that about sums it up. Of course that isn't what leaves his lips. "Nnh.... Uh, doing good. Doing good." For a moment, Yoh remembered that Shirou seemed to talk to Thora on a personal level at the accident in Inaba commerical, though talking about said incident involving Thora was out of the question. She did threaten him not to talk about it to anyone, so that was out.

Yoh turns back to Rise, asking more about the charm. As he answers, he looks at her with a gaze that says, 'Well, you are here, aren't you?' but doesn't really mean it. "Nnnnnot really, for what I can say. I mean it does look nice, and it was worth the purchase. Of course everyone knows that fated encounters caused by something like charms are impossible." Though Yoh was skeptical, if he did not believe in it at all, why would he be wearing it? It was painfully obvious that somewhere inside he did hope it might work, as wearing it, and saying something so hypocritical made no sense.

He looked between Shou and Shirou for a moment. How is it he keeps running into these two constantly? Sure, he has run into others twice, maybe three times, but these two, he kept bumping into at least one of them everyday.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Yeah, it was getting kind of annoying, really. No matter where he was going... there was Yoh. "I guess fits it to see us together once more." He gives a small bow to the female present, smiling towards Rise. "Nice to meet you, Miss." He says quietly. 

He kinda half glare/half looks at Shou. He's quiet. Toooo quiet. He looks so familiar. Where was he <i>from</i>!?



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
'Oh, he did get it,' Rise thinks. Well, that's good, she'd hate to have explained the joke. "Maybe you were waiting for someone in particular to come along. In that case, I won't interrupt you, but it is a pretty cool charm." She isn't sure why, but she senses some awkwardness. The idol in her says she should lighten the mood somehow. But, um, that girl retired.



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Shou sort of returns the look with a "What?" half-grimace. He doesn't talk when he doesn't have anything interesting to say, is that so wrong?

Shou bows just a bit, summoning a small, pleasant-esque smile for Rise before turning his head. "Seki...gawa-san? Do you know how Kobayashi-senpai is doing?" Shou doesn't know what year Thora's in, but calling her "senpai" just seems to come naturally.

"I heard she got into some trouble yesterday." Shou tries to play that last part down. He really doesn't want to sound like he's doubting Yoh's story. Though he does doubt it. Or disbelieve it almost entirely.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh listens to Shirou as he talks to him and Rise. He realized it too, it seems. It is weird that he keeps running into the same few folks. As Shirou talks, he does realize that he never asked the girl of her name. Before he can speak though the girl sounds almost put off. "No no! I am not waiting for anyone! I was just relaxing here." Hoping he did not drive here away bu something he said, he begins to speak again. "...What was your name now? I don't believe I caught it. I am Yoh Yamagatani," he says with a smile towards the lady.

Of course, his introduction is cut short, hearing what Shou said. Yoh's head quickly swivels to face the two, his eye twitching for a moment. Was Shou really going to talk about it again? He thought Shou didn't believe him... Why was he saying that? The boy could only listen with an anxious looking face, a bit distorted from the cold.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Shirou smirks dryly. "Thora's doing fine... and um... I don't think 'senpai's a good term for her man. He's a first year like me." Not that you'd could tell, the teen's already rather tall for his age. He waves a hand a bit, smirking just a liiittle more. 

"And she's often in trouble... And yeah, it's Sekigawa..." He gives Shou a bit of a squint... before recognition finally dawns on him. "Oh, Hamada-senpai... yeah." Man, so many questions...



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
"I am Rise Kujikawa," Rise says to Yoh, not sure who the other person is right away who they're talking about, and figuring it's totally rude to ask specifically about gossip that doesn't involve her. She gives a short bow. "Pleased to meet you."



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Shou grins, a bit wryly, when Shirou remembers him. The things we're mildly ashamed of. 

Shou "ah"s when he hears she's a first year, and nods his head, then letting him finish. He knows he's distracted Yoh, and he feels a little guilty about it, but still. "I just heard it was kind of a weird scene, so I was wondering..."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh eyes Shou and Shirou, carefully listening to the conversation. Shirou really was close to Thora? He figured the boy was merely trying to be nice at the happening in the commercial district. There were so many things Yoh wanted to say... but none that he could. The threats that girl gave lingered in his head... and after the whole river fight, he knew she was capable of kicking his ass, especially with those powers.

All Yoh could do was try to play it off for now, and try to ignore the conversation, instead turning to the newcomer girl to try and distract him from the troubling conversation. Though now sounding somewhat nerve-wracked now, his politeness still hangs on his voice. "Likewise to you, Kujikawa-san. So, where are you from? I haven't seen you around here or Lunarvale before... have I?" Yoh adds the last bit after looking at her face before. Has he... seen her on TV or something? He can't recall. All the while talking to her, his eyes dart over to the two boys, still keen on what they are saying.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
"Weird scene ...oh." Shirou says with a bit of a definitive 'Holy Crap' to it. Weirdness and Thora... he could figure what they meant. "You... heard about that, eh?" He says, trying to keep it cool. He spots Yoh's occasional glance over his way. Rise is probably for the first time outright ignored as he squares a little towards Shou. 

"Really... it's probably best to not ask. But you know, every time I tell someone that, it just gets worse..." He says, mostly to himself, closing his eyes and tilting his head just to the left a bit, his ponytail cascading down his shoulder a little more. "Err... so yeah."



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
"I'm from Inaba," Rise says, not answering the question entirely but answering it with a perfectly factual answer. "It's really quiet out there. Sometimes I'm... not exactly used to it, but generally it's sorta nice." She actually doesn't seem to mind being ignored by the other conversation, but again senses she might be intruding a little bit.



(((Ichiya Chigiri poses.)))<br>
Strolling along, humming softly to himself is a tall mid-twenty year old who apparently has no problem showing off his looks by the form of his cloths. Those ice-blue eyes peer around and glance over things as he walks with his hands in his pockets and a soft smile on his face.

He hasn't been in this area in awhile, mostly since he has been kept busy at work.. both forms. Personal Job, and Business job. After all, cars need work and sometimes stuff just never seems to stop.



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Shou adjusts his glasses quietly. He is a bit surprised by Shirou's reaction, but moreso surprised by how it relates to the conversation he found himself trapped in just last night. He stills his breathing for a moment. 'There it is again!' is all he can think. 

There's something to this, there really is. Of course it's not magic or whatever; that's just impossible. But there is something weird going on. And maybe what Yoh saw...

Trying to put on a faux act for Rise and maybe even Yoh, Shou shakes his head and smiles a little, "I just wanted to make sure nothing weird happened to Kobayashi-san, really." It's a pretty transparent deflection, but you never know.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh smiles and nods as Rise speaks. Right now she is his best friend in the world, being in the perfect place at the perfect time. Sure, he wasn't the best at small talk, especially with girls, but <i>anything</i> beat talking about what happened yesterday. Well, he wanted to, he REALLY wanted to, but he did not want to risk the chance of him gabbing to more people, word getting back to Thora, and be on a receiving end of a beatdown. "Yeah, I like Inaba, save I am not a fan of Junes. It is killing the local economy."

While showing interest in Rise, he is quietly listening in to the conversation to his side. It sounds as if Shou was trying to divert the talk to a different avenue, but he couldn't be sure. Though staying out of the conversation, he decided if he was addressed about it, he might as well talk, maybe talking with Shirou around may spare him a painful shakedown.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Shirou smiles a bit, but he knows a feint when he sees it. But he's eager to disengaged this line of questioning... but with a little bit of a wager put on the end. "That's very honorable of you, Hamada-san. Well, if you wish to inquire more... perhaps you can catch me after school this week..." 

The wheel of fate takes another turn.



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
"Yeah," says Rise. "My gramma runs a small tofu shop. It HAS been a lot quieter out there because of Junes. I guess I can't really blame them trying to make money, and Junes has such good deals.... but all the same, it's my family business too. Fortunately we have a lot of loyal customers. I guess I was a bit of a draw to the shop for a while, and that helped."

That's a bit of a slip, since he doesn't seem to realize she was an idol, but, eh, doesn't matter, she thinks, having said it.



(((Ichiya Chigiri poses.)))<br>
As he walked a bit more, he could pin point a voice, something he was good at. He raised a brow and recognized who it sounded like, so he went in that direction. Sure enough there was Shirou Sekigawa, thankfully no Thora in sight, since-- well, yeah...

Ichiya crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned up against the wall. A twenty-four year old, looking over a bunch of highschoolers. Was there anything wrong with this picture?

For a moment, he remained silent till he called over with a bit of a whistle, "Hey Shirou, some friends of yours?"



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
His face takes on a determined expression for a second, before shifting back into a playful, put-on grin and nodding, "That sounds good. I'm sure I can spare some time." Shou was never one for detective comics, but he's finding the idea of digging for information very invigorating lately.

He turns his head just in time to look at Rise when he hears someone calling out to Shirou, his head following the noise.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Huh... did Rise just say she was a draw to her family's shop? Odd. Did she think highly of herself? Did she do something special to draw crowds? He can't help but quirk a brow at the mention of that. He decides to give a bit of information back. "Well, for the most part, I live in Lunarvale with my parents, at the end of Joy Street where it turns into a residential area. I mostly do volunteer work in the area."

Yoh turns his head slightly, but still looking at Rise. From what it sounded like, it sounds like Shou and Shirou were going to meet somewhere to talk about the topic. Did that mean that Shirou may know about it as well? Possibly, there was too little to cast a judgement on it. At about that time, he heard someone yelling from nearby. He looked around, and saw someone nearby against a tree. It looked like he was addressing Shirou. As he watched the person, he took his finger and twirled it around both of his necklaces. Who was this new person? Well, at least Yoh was seeing new faces now.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Oh for the love of-- can't he go somewhere without running into someone he knows? Really, maybe they were all drawn to his resonance; which meant, really, they are <i>all doooomed</i>. 

Okay, not really. 

Shirou nods back to Ichiya, smirking a little more. "Yeah, kinda. Haven't seen ya around in a while, Ichiya. You doing some shopping too?" Whoa, Shirou's talking to a college student like nothing. And he's dating Thora. For a kid that used to be afraid of everything, he's come a long way.



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
'Wow, nobody really does recognize me,' Rise thinks, followed by, 'Well, I guess that's cool,' followed by, '...But, is it?' She gets jealous of other idols some times even though she's retired, and is a little conflicted about this. "Well, uh, it was cool to meet you, and if you happen to stop by in Inaba come by for some tofu. I have no idea how often someone from Lunarvale comes out to the neighborhood, but," well, hey, sometimes 'weird stuff' happens that attracts people, though there hasn't been murders in a while.



(((Ichiya Chigiri poses.)))<br>
Ichiya, attracted to Shirou? Surely the whole death vs light thing couldn't possible be it now, could it?

Naaaah!

Ichiya glanced over to those who looked upon him, seeming to sense the wondering eyes, before he steps up near Shirou. "Sorta, more like just getting out of Tokyo. Get tired of being in the same place, you know?" He says with a grin. "Besides, I have a few days off, so I'm just roaming around."

Or he is on a 'job' out here. Never know with the half American. Ichiya looked over to young man who was near Shirou and gave the kid a nod of his head, then those ice-blue eyes looked over calmly to Shirou, "Hopefully not interrupting anything, am I?"



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Shou watches the new meeting with mild interest, though his head is sort of just in the clouds now that he's sort of got a 'lead'. He turns back to Yoh after a bit with a little bit of an apologetic, guilty smile.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh can't help himself but smirk. Despite being far from Lunarvale, he has found himself in Inaba for the past four days for... whatever reason. "I will certainly do that, anything to support local businesses." He gives the girl a smile. She sure seemed nice. Maybe that charm does work. He laughs a little inside at the thought.

Turning to partly face the group, he gets a good view of the newcomer. Since they seemed to finally be doen talking about the whole incident, he appeared more interested in what they were doing. He tries to position himself where he appears to pay attention to both parties.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Shirou shrugs a bit, stepping away a bit from Yoh and Shou (and giving a guilty little nod to Rise), he turns to his friend. "Eh, not really... just kinda ran into everyone. You know how it goes." 

He immediantly regrets those words. Already. "Hey man... you hungry? 'cause I don't know about you, but I could murder a curry right now..."



(((Ichiya Chigiri poses.)))<br>
Ichiya raised a brow and hrms, "A bit yeah, been out and about most of the day, but I tell ya what. I'll catch up with you at the restaurant, though before then.." He glances over at the others, before his eyes fall upon Rise, "...maybe you could introduce me to these guys, just so you know, in case I run into them again."



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
"Oh, these guys?" Rise asks, looking at the others. She smiles. "I don't know who they're talking about right now and I feel bad interrupting. I really just... wanted to say Hi."



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
"Ahhh," Shou looks at Rise apologetically, then Ichiya. "I'm sorry, I was so wrapped up before..." He offers a polite little smile, not so frustrated now as he was earlier, "Hamada Shou. It's a pleasure," directing that at them both.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh smiles and begins to stretch more. He begins to look around, despite the group of folks here. "Well folks, It was nice meeting you all, but I should probably head out. I have somewhere I need to be," he says kindly, he glances again over at the guys, listening for any more strange details. He straightens out his jacket as he prepares to go.



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
Shirou nods a little as Shou introduces himself. "The other guy's Yoh... errr... dude what was your last name again?" He laughs just a bit, rubbing his temples. "I swear, I'm loosing my grip these days..."



(((Ichiya Chigiri poses.)))<br>
Ichiya nods his head to Rise, before he looks over to Shou, "It is a pleasure to meet, Hamada. I'm Ichiya Chigiri, my friends call me Iya, you can do the same if you like."

He then looks over to Shirou and then glances over at Yoh, as he starts to take his leave, "I see.." He then looks over to Shirou, "..maybe instead of you getting some food, you should get back home and take a nap. You don't look so great."



(((Shirou Sekigawa poses.)))<br>
"That... sounds good, too, actually." Shirou bows to everyone present, and quickly makes his way out, giving a lazy wave behind his head as he does so...



(((Rise Kujikawa poses.)))<br>
Rise gets everyone's name, and just for those who didn't hear before, adds, "I'm Rise. Good talking with you."



(((Shou Hamada poses.)))<br>
Shou waves all parties off, returning Ichiya's gesture with a smile and a nod just before turning to catch Yoh before leaving. He lowers his voice, trying to keep it between the two of them. "Yamatagani-san, if you wouldn't mind I'd like to exchange phone numbers." Shou 'mmm's' for a moment, considering the situation, "With the...stuff that's been happening, it's probably best if we can keep in contact. Even if we just forget about it." Shou gets out his cell. "You know, just in case..."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh begins to wave at people, until Shou pulls him aside. After listening, he says, "Of course, hamada-san. It is..." He continues on with his number, also acquiring Shou's at the same time, punching it in. "Call me anytime, I always have my cell on me," he says quietly. Afterward, he turns to everyone and waves as he walks off. before he makes it far though, he hears Shirou request his name. "It is Yoh Yamagatani," spoken with a smile as he continues.

How many weird meetings can one teenager have?








<center><b>Inaba - Commercial District - 8:00 PM.</b></center>







(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
For someone who claimed to be from Port Island, Shiori certainly spent a lot of time in Inaba.

This was actually not all that surprising, considering Port Island was lousy with SEES, all of whom would like to shoot her or experiment on her or both. So she retreated to this sleepy little town to get away from it all, especially since she didn't think the local Persona-user clubs here cared about hunting down Shadow-Possessed.

Well, except for Kandori's KNOWS, but he probably had better things to worry about, like recovering from Thora's attack. Whatever /that/ had been about.

Shiori stood just outside the convenience store, huddling next to the warmth of the vending machines. In her arms was a package of gently-roasted sweet potatoes, one of which she was steadily consuming.

This was the life. A brief one, of course, if Hitoshi's comments about how her own Shadow was consuming her were true, but at least she could enjoy it while it lasted.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Another cold night in Inaba. Traffic was beginning to die down, and the flow of people subsiding. Though, in particular, one person found themselves back at Inaba, what was drawing him here was unknown.

Once again, Yoh was traveling the streets of the commercial area, trudging in the sitting snow. What a whirlwind of days it has been lately. Seeing real magic, people telling him it is real, talking behind his back, it was all so fast. So hard to handle. After even the visit in Junes late at night, even more things happened afterward.

After the visit, he swore he saw someone following him home, but never actually confronted who it was. To make matters worse, around noon during today, he was confronted by Thora, whom told him to stay out of affairs that do not concern him, and to also, ignore what he saw. Whats more, is not even an hour ago, he heard Shou and Shirou discussing it right behind him at Okina city.

More people seem to know about this than he thought.

Well, at least the day was almost over.



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki's shoulders feel tired, but then again, they always do... 

He's making his way back from a late night, working a shift as a security guard assistant at some reclamation center, he doesn't quite remember the name of it, to his shame. He left the uniform back in the appropriate locker, but he still has the strange utility belt-like thing, although it mostly only has a flashlight and a whistle. 

He wants to go home, sleep, and get ready for school...but that's when he sees Shiori. A girl. Girls are always trouble... He makes his way over towards her. "Miss, are you in need of help? Are you lost, waiting for someone?"



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori blinked as a... middle-school kid? Approached her.

"Mrmph," she said, before remembering to swallow. "Sorry about that. No, I'm fine, thanks for asking." A bright smile. "Inaba's a pretty safe place, isn't it? So I'll be perfectly fine here." She tilted her paper bag of roasted sweet potatoes towards the boy. The aroma was tempting, steaming in the cold air. "Want one? You look like you could use a bite to eat."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
As Yoh trudged along in the snow, he pondered the happenings of the past two days. So much has changed in his life. So many new things. In so little time. After a few minutes of walking, he comes to a corner, and as he rounds the bend, he looks up at the right time.

...To see Shiori and Reki.

Whether this was an opportune meeting, or a horrid twist of fate? Reki, he had things to say to, like why he always took off so suddenly, but with Shiori it was going to be touchy to talk to her. Thora specifically said not to talk to anyone about it. But... Yoh had talked to Shiori before her. Would that make it all right? He did not know. he figure he may as well take his chances conversing with the two. Maybe nothing bad will come of it. Though, talking to Kurusu-san about people throwing magic at each other in the Samegawa River? That could turn out disastrous.

If he didn't already know, that is.



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki Kurusu nods slightly at Shiori, "...no...I ate already...but thank you very much for your generous offer, Madame. Please forgive my forwardness in inquiring as to your status, but you appeared to be listless, and I feared you may have been without a place to go, or food to eat and I wished to fulfill my civic duty in helping you..." 

He hrms, "And as for Inaba, I do believe I've heard rumors of a murderer on the loose?"



(((Aigis poses.)))<br>
An Aigis is here, approaching. She is wearing that backpack again. She is also wearing her beret and dress again. She kind of wishes she could wear pants like Metis could but they tend to accentuate her 'lack of hips'. She doesn't seem to be paying too much attention to her surroundings though she is able to avoid colliding into anybody.

Aigis pauses though as she hears Reki--another robot?! She looks towards him uncertainly.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
"Listless?" Shiori considered this. "Well, not really." Bored, perhaps, but Shiori really only had herself to blame. If she wanted excitement, all she had to do was to head back to Port Island, where she could insult SEES some more.

"I'll be perfectly safe, really," she insisted. "About as safe as you are, probably."

She eyed the boy. He was obviously a Persona-user, she could sense that much, and he looked... not exactly responsible, as much as going far beyond that into nosiness into others' affairs. Which was perfectly fine, since Shiori was of a like mind.

"You're sure you don't want one?" she said, waggling the paper bag. "There's plenty." Oho, SEES robot approaching, but Shiori ignored her for now; maybe she was just passing through on the way to shoot Kandori or something. Shiori would certainly not want to interrupt something like that. She might even amble over to watch.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh begins to approach Shiori and Reki. He might as well have someone to talk to in this area. Shiori will undoubtedly bring up the topic of his witnessing of the fight between Kandori and Thora. This was expected, as she seemed awfully loose with her words from their last meetings. As he comes close, he takes of his abhorrently massive earmuffs, maybe helping them recognize him.

As he stopped closeby, he was unaware of there being a freaking android near him, otherwise it would probably cause him to trip out more if he knew about it. "Hibiki-san, Kurusu-san. Hello," he says in a kind tone, though something underlying in his voice my indicate something is troubling him to those with trained ears.



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki Kurusu hrms, "...well, my safety as of late has been somewhat suspect, especially given..." He frowns, "Forgive me for almost troubling you with my meaninglessly problems, Madame." He's unaware of Aigis, or Yoh, until Yoh steps up closer and he turns his head to him, "Oh, hello Yamagatani-san, yes?" 

He then blanches, as if he just ran over someone's grandmother and turns back to Shiori, bowing deeply, "Please forgive me!! I forgot to make a proper introduction. I am Reki Kurusu, Middle School Student."



(((Aigis poses.)))<br>
"Safety?" Aigis asks, diverting her approach towards the conversation. Yeah, you just said cast Power Word: Summon Aigis, it's crazy. She looks to Shiori as if expecting that she's going to eat the kid but, when she doesn't, she looks back to Reki.

"I apologize for intruding on your private conversation. Is anybody in danger?" Look, two overly verbose people who talk in weird ways. TWOFER.

She looks to Yoh, but does not recognize him--she doesn't recognize anybody besides Shiori, really.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
"Yamagatani-san." Shiori turned the paper bag of roasted sweet potatoes in his direction. "Want one? There's plenty."

To emphasize, she took another bite from the one in her hand, as Reki introduced himself. "Oh! Kurusu-san, was it? I've heard so much about you." She bobbed her own head in greeting. "Shiori Hibiki, from Port Island. Gekkoukan High School first-year. No need for all the 'Madame' stuff, just call me Shiori."

She grinned. "I hear you almost got beaten up by a shirtless man, Kurusu-san." Spoken in the same tone as a discussion of the weather. "But you can probably take care of yourself anyway, right? Still, best to be careful. You're not the only one with a- ah, never mind."

A playful smile, as Aigis approached. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, am I, Aigis-senpai?" The paper bag was turned in her direction. "You're welcome to one as well, if you can ingest it." Wait, "ingest"?



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
'Hopefully talking to these folks will calm my nerves.'

As Yoh thought to himself, he smiles more as he is greeted by, once again, more people he keeps running into. Seriously, what is up with this? Japan is PACKED with people, but keeps bumping into the same group of people. Oh well. Yoh shrugs off the thought. "Oh, I suppose I will have one. I haven't had one in a while!" he says cheerfully, cupping his hands outward as if to catch something. He glances over at Reki, then back to Shiori. "Everything goes... okay, I suppose. A bit crazy, but okay, nonetheless."

Wait, did Shiori just say Reki almost got beaten up? Again? Man this guy, even thought he sounds so nice, sounds like he gets into trouble a <i>lot</i>. Before he can say anything to Reki though, someone walks up in... a wierd manner. Huh. Then Yoh blinks a couple times, staring at the newcomer with piercing eemerald eyes. She is almost talking as wierd as Reki does, almost too polite and formal.

Possibly boyfriend and girlfriend? Seems like they would fit well.

Yoh studies the newcomer for a moment before hearing Shiori's comment about eating to Aigis. Poor thing must be allergic to them. She has /no idea/ what she is missing.



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki Kurusu looks up as Aigis comes near, "...I was just confirming if this woman was safe and well. She seemed to be standing here, alone and cold and therefore in need of assistance, Miss. And no, it represents no intrusion, your assistance is most generous and welcome." 

The number of girls is increasing, and with them, the increased chance of disaster. 

He does blink as what Shiori said sinks in, "...uh, erm, yes...I attempted to assist the Junes staff in enforcement of their no shoes, no shirt, no service policy and was threatened by a delinquent and...wait...what do you mean I'm not the only one with a..." 

Something gnaws at the back of his head...something he should know about...



(((Aigis poses.)))<br>
Aigis shakes her head at Shiori. It smells like mindgame to her. An interesting game, Shadow Mindgame, the only way to win is not to play.

It is a pretty ridiculous idea to imagine Aigis as Reki's girlfriend, unless Yoh is also to imagine that she is taking advantage of a middleschooler (this is not somehing Aigis does, though it is something people have been known to do. Maybe she is allergic after all.

"Ah." She says, relaxing. And then, "Delinquent?" A pause. "Who was it?"



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori popped the sweet potato she was holding in her mouth, and used her free hand to pull out another from the bag to give to Yoh. Aigis and Reki didn't seem to be interested in the free food, sadly.

"You look kind of nervous, Kurusu-san," she said lightly. "Relax, we're all friends here." A glance at Aigis. "In a manner of speaking. We're not keeping you from anything urgent, are we?"

Still with that bright smile. "I'm sure the staff at Junes is grateful for your assistance, although probably not as much as they could be if you hadn't nearly gotten beaten up. Bad publicity, and all that." She cocked her head to the side. "Although whether there's such a thing as bad publicity, who knows. It's not like Junes is all that popular here in Inaba, are they?"



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh almost immediately begins viciously attacking the snack, as if it stole his wallet. If there was one thign the boy needed to work on, it was tableside manners. He was a ravenous eater. He merely listened to Reki and Aigis talk. Something about their exchange of words hit his funny bone, and he thought it was quite amusing. After they were done, he turned to listen to Shiori. Even though he was in Junes yesterday, he did not approve of them. It was sucking the life out of Inaba.

Finally Yoh began to relax, tension falling away. He had been paranoid, and sounding crazed for the last two days, and he hated it. Of course, if you had seen a scene that resembled someone getting impaled in the chest by a huge icicle, black stuff shooting out of the person's chest, them yanking it out, and walking away from it like nothing happened, YOU would be freaked out too!



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki Kurusu hrms once more. "I am not quite sure how the average person of Inaba feels about Junes. We are only recently arrived here...well, recent by a few weeks.." 

He looks at Shiori, and checks his watch..., "...I am nervous about...midnight, it gets uh, very dark around midnight...very unpleasant. But apparently, it is not very dark tonight..."



(((Aigis poses.)))<br>
"It is hard to say what the average people feels about Junes." Aigis says, "But enough people dislike it that the noise is unavoidable. I can understand why people do not like it, but I am unsure how it was able to upset so many people, when they provided the business with which its success over the local businesses is predicated on."

Around midnight? Nervous? Doesn't seem to be a robot after all, but he may be a Ken Amada. "If you stay inside, you should be safe at midnight." She says.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori chuckled. "Don't worry, Kurusu-san. It's mostly only dangerous at midnight in Port Island, and like Aigis-senpai said, only of you're out of doors. Inaba's... <i>mostly</i> safe. Unless you're near a TV, of course."

She turned to Yoh. "You're looking much better than the last time I saw you, Yamagatani-san," she congratulated him. "Have you decided on what you're planning to do yet? About... what you saw?"



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh finishes off the snack as he listens to Reki and Shiori talk about midnight and the danger at Port Island. This was like the third time people have talked about dangers at midnight there. If he wasn't mistaken. That man at the fountain, and at the chaotic fight at the river, Kandori, spoke of it as well, calling it... what was it? Dark-something? That meeting was fuzzy. He cannot seem to recall. Actually now that he is thinking about it, Shiori was there was well, talking about it. Seems like everytime it is talked about, Shiori is present. Hm. He ponders for a moment before being addressed.

Looking up upon hearing his name, and being asked about his wellness, he listens to Shiori. She /had/ to being it up, after it had almost left his mind. Was it jsut him, or everytime he tried to forget, something happened? This morning, he had let it sink into the back of his mind, he stunbles upon Thora, one of the combatants. In the early afternoon, almost off his train of thought, Shou shows up and talks to Shirou about it. Now this. He chuckles lightly to himself. Maybe he wasn't meant to forget about it. Yoh finally speaks up, though nervous to tlak about it around Reki or Aigis, seeing as he did not know if they knew about this magic power people used. "Well..." he started slowly. "I am still unsure. Though, many have told me to avoid this Kandori person, including the person that fought him. So, for sure I will do that." He tried his best to make it sound more like a fist fight than anything, just to be safe.



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki Kurusu frowns, "I heard that...somewhere... but I remember feeling very nervous regarding it..." 

Why do you feel nervous regarding it Reki? 

He raises his hands to his temples, "...its like a bad dream. I remember going to Port Island, but I can't remember why I was there...I remember something importan..." He looks up, blinking, "I am sorry. I was thinking out loud."



(((Aigis poses.)))<br>
Aigis frowns at Shiori.

"Perhaps you will remember someday." She says, "But for the time being, perhaps you should avoid Port Island. It is dangerous there at midnight, after all."

Yes, there she goes again, trying to run damage control. Sigh.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
A look at Shiori's face and body language, especially in the pleased little giggle she made at Yoh's sudden nervousness, would have made it perfectly clear that she had deliberately brought up the topic for that purpose.

"That's a good idea, Yamagatani-san," she said. "Of course, it's pretty futile, since Kandori-san always turns up when you least expect him, but it's worth a try, right?"

She met Aigis's disapproving look with a broad grin of her own.

"Just like how it's worth a try to forget about the things you probably shouldn't have seen, and forget the answers you probably shouldn't have heard."



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Judging by how Reki was acting, and what Aigis was saying, surely this Port Island location would be a poor choice for a moonlit stroll. He made a mental note not to travel there at night.

Yoh looked at Shiori as she continued on about the incident in a strange way. It was clear that she was trying to get him to talk about it, but should he? Maybe if he kept it vague... "Well, things heard, over time are easy to forget over time unless they hold deep meaning, as single words, or small sentences can get lost amongst the mind easily." Wait, was he trying to sound intellectual? it was like a bear trying to pass english. "But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Once seen, it is hard to forget."

Wait, that made no sense. It sounded RETARDED. It was clear what he was trying to say, sortof, but not being the best person in comprehension, it was... hard for him to communicate it.



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki Kurusu frowns, "I do have to avoid Port Island, especially at midnight. I just wish I could remember exactly why... I remember something important happening there, Miss..." He blinks, "Forgive me!" He bows at Aigis, "I am Reki Kurusu, Middle School Student. Please forgive my lack of appropriate introduction earlier, madame."



(((Aigis poses.)))<br>
Aigis says, "You are very sad, Shiori-San."

She focuses on Reki for the moment. Could Yoh be referring to Thora's fight? Gosh, those two. Specifically Kandori, who is supposed to be a mastermind--well, somehow they fought without Yoh realizing anything was up, apparently, beyond a brawl. That's kind of impressive since Persona Power is about as subtle as bricks to the face.

"There is no need to be apologetic, Reki-San. You seem very well mannered as it is. I often worry about being inappropriate myself--" She shakes her head briefly.



(((Shiori Hibiki poses.)))<br>
Shiori suddenly jerked in startled surprise. She quickly stuffed the rest of her sweet potato in her mouth, and dug into her pockets for her silently vibrating cellphone.

"I'm sure it'll come to you eventually, Kurusu-san," Shiori said, swallowing her snack quickly. "If nothing else, a return visit might jog your memory, although I'd really advise against it. Hm?"

Having taken out her cellphone, she bobbed her head apologetically at the others. "I'm sorry, but it looks like my boyfriend is calling. He must be worried about me." A dreamy, satisfied smile. "He's so sweet."

Shiori nodded to Reki and Yoh. "It's been a pleasure to meet you again, Yamagatani-san. And a pleasure to meet you too, Kurusu-san. I certainly hope we'll be able to meet again, preferably in pleasant circumstances." Now what had that meant?

To Aigis: "And I'm <i>sure</i> we'll see each other again very soon, Aigis-senpai. Most likely at the Kirijo facility, if this is anything to go by." She waved her cellphone vaguely. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

She flipped open the cellphone as she walked away, and started talking animatedly. "Hallo~"

Perhaps only Yoh would catch the tiny wink she tossed in his direction. Perhaps not.



(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh smirked at the cellphone answering. It was probably that guy, what's his name, Hitoshi? He seems to see her with him some of the time. The boy smiled and nodded when addressed. "Likewise, Hibiki-san," he says with a polite bow. Though, as he bowed he heard ehr talk to Aigis. There was a spcific word mentioned among it that seemed to get his attention.

Kirijo. Hum... wasn't that where his father said he worked before he disappeared? Couldn't be. They went out of business. Must be a coincidence. At the last second before turning around, he swore he saw Shiori wink at him. Was it?

Maybe she is bringing up these things to mess with him. He couldn't help but feel that.



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki Kurusu hrms, "..." Well Shiori apparently does in fact have someone to look after her. Thats a good thing! Especially since it means she'll leave. 

He looks over at Aigis, "...no, I had every reason...I should be more cautious about acting properly, especially when women are around. I do not wish to offend your sensibilities with my crudeness."



(((Aigis poses.)))<br>
Aigis would tell Reki that she is no woman, she is a machine and he should behave naturally, but that would ruin 'the cover'. She isn't sure how to express something similar without being entirely truthful and she cannot be entirely truthful so she simply has to be modestly truthful.

"As long as you do not harm your fellow man, and are kind to others--I think I do not mind whichever trappings you surround your behavior with." Aigis says carefully.




(((Yoh Yamagatani poses.)))<br>
Yoh only listens for now to the current conversation. It sounds as though it was spurned from the mention of the danger in Port Island. apparently something must have happened to Reki to make him scared. What could scare someone so much though?

The boy begins to back up, realizing the time. Surely his mother would be worrying by now. Yoh grimaced slightly at the thought. he hated it when she worried. "Well," he said suddenly, putting back on his earmuffs. "I should be leaving. Have a good night, Kurusu-san, and Miss." bowing to both of them.

Two things he would have to remember nextime he saw them. One, ask that lady her name. Two, talk to Reki about why the crap he kepy running off the past few days.



(((Reki Kurusu poses.)))<br>
Reki Kurusu frowns and nods, "I fear i must be going as well, my mother will be missing me..." It seems everyone has mothers... 

He does look at Yoh for a moment and then back to Aigis, "I must be going. Thank you for this conversation. And you as well Yamagatami-san."