Tea and Investigations at the Bookstore [Alisa]

[Phoebe Minola]

Shakespeare & Co. wasn't very busy today. The weather had grown nicer over the months and the cafe tables had returned to the outdoor porch of the place but not a lot of people were coming in. Sure, they came to buy books but they didn't really stick around to get coffee. Phoebe finished helping a customer with some books after she did her usual Perfect Book Selection for them and decided she needed a small break. Besides, she was expecting someone.

Phoebe checked her cellphone. Yup, she still had some time until Alisa showed up. She ducked behind the coffee bar and started to munch on a muffin. She'd phoned up Alisa yesterday to tell her they needed to meet. She'd gotten a chance to 'interview' Gin a little and wanted to talk to Alisa about her findings. She was hoping to get Alisa to guide her on what else to ask him for another time and hopefully, get the investigator's angle on some stuff that was worrying her.

Specifically, what could she do from here on out? Surely this truce with Gin wasn't going to last, especially if someone attacked him. She'd like to protect him for now but not at the cost of another User or even the other Users' regard. She didn't want to pick sides, but inevitably, she might have to.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I got a message from Phoebe some time ago; it looks like she managed to ask some questions to the Shadow, "Gin Takemoto." One of the marks that was pointed out to me from Ran. Good on me! I made my way back to the bookstore, Shakespeare & Co. which seemed rther quiet today. I went over to the cafe section of the establishment and soon spotted Phoebe munching on a muffin behind the coffee bar, looks like she was on break. I approached her from where I went in and yawned, hailing her.

"'Ey, Feebs," I said to her. "Sorry if I'm a little late. You told me you got some stuff to tell me about Gin, so I'm looking forward to see what you've got to say about him. We can work things out together to see what we can do, as it's pretty obvious to me that you have some vested interest in keeping him alive. However, not everyone is as lenient as me and may feel you are being too trusting."

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe's look brightened when she saw Alisa and she swallowed the last of her muffin before getting out behind the counter and taking her apron off. "Hey Alisa. Good to see you. I've got a break lined up so we can talk without any issues. C'mere, let's get comfy," she added, indicating a table somewhat to the back of the cafe. "Can I get you anything? Kyle's coming back in a sec, he popped to the loo."

Actually, now that she thought about it, Kyle had been asking about Alisa since after the full moon fight. Like, asking about her a lot. What was the dingbat thinking? Perhaps after they were done with Gin, Phoebe'd ask Alisa about Kyle...

As they were sitting down, Phoebe sighed a bit. "Yeah, I understand if everyone else is miffed," she said and cupped her chin with her elbow on the table. "But, I'll say it again: Had they been in my shoes when I found out what he was, they may have done the same thing."

She stared at the wooden table. "As for my 'interest' in keeping him alive? That's nothing more than... well, frankly, I just promised him that I would if he swore he wouldn't hurt people. I didn't think he'd take to it and now that I look back, it was probably stupid of me. I have no way of monitoring him. But I don't really think he has done anything drastic."

She shook her head. "Anyway, let's see... where to start? Well, Gin's a student at the school, senior class. Pretty good grades, fairly quiet kid - in fact, he doesn't stick out at all. There's no indication that anything's anomalous about him in the least. Even now that I know what he is... I just can't reconcile the idea that he's a Shadow. There's absolutely no indications. It's freaky."

[Ayakura Alisa]

I followed Phoebe over to the table at the back when she told me she had a break so we could talk without any interruption. Then, it's good she invited me at a good time because I was free as well. She asked if I wanted anything. "Just a muffin or something would be nice," I said softly as we made our way to the table. She mentioned Kyle coming back in a bit and I seriously wondered if he had an eye for me. Is he my type? Well, anyway, Phoebe explained that the whole reason why she kept him alive was because she had made a deal with him, stating she would spare him as long as he wouldn't hurt people. What a bold deal to make with a Shadow. Are they really trustworthy? "I couldn't tell you if it was stupid of you or not, though I think it's a little on the foolish side, there may be some benefits to come from that. A dead Shadow of that nature could not tell us anything more about the Shadow kind, after all," I mentioned, prioritizing my information gathering over the need to eliminate Shadows.

"So he's just like a regular student, basically, as a human," I said, responding to Phoebe's description of him. "If he's a Shadow, then I can immediately come up with one theory based on my stock knowledge. Shadows are a manifestation of a human's negative side, something within their psyche that the human has yet to come to terms with. So, it's possible that the 'human' Gin, the actual body, was assimilated or killed by the 'Shadow' who took his form and is now literally living his life," I continued. "If that is the case, that literally answers nothing about the lockdown, since we can not be totally sure if actual humans were the root cause to begin with. Then again, I could be wrong."

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe smiled stiffly and before answering she spied Kyle returning to his post, then do a double-take when he noticed them talking. Specifically, he stared at Alisa. Huh. She waved at him and told him to get them a couple of muffins. He nodded sheepishly.

Then she cringed a little at Alisa's commentary. She really wished she could keep a cool head like Alisa and be more impartial about these things. Would've saved her a lot of stress. "Yeah... I... felt a bit sorry for him. See, I can't help it. He's my student. You could've knocked me down with a feather when I saw him," she groaned. "And yeah, I... sort of thought that if I just killed him, we'd never get answers."

"That's correct," she said and nodded at Alisa's theory. "That's what he told me. I tried to press him a little on the issue of the human Gin and the current Gin. He claims that he doesn't remember exactly why he killed the boy and took over his life, but his memories are clearer after that, as if assuming the boy's life... brought him to his senses. I don't know for sure how truthful he is but I'm willing to accept at least a grain of truth in his explanations."

She rubbed a stain on the wooden surface of the table with her finger, staring at it fixedly. "Somehow I don't think Gin has any information about the perimeter. At least not yet. I asked him and he claimed he wasn't sure. He can sense other Shadows but that's about it. He can't sense Users. He said it had to do with..."

She paused to find the right words. "He says that Shadows sense emotions and feed on them. Apparently it doesn't harm people - he claims - and that the sentient Shadows even have preferences. Nevertheless, they must still eat normally, otherwise I think his family would've suspected something. I think that while they can eat, their real nourishment comes from feeding on emotions, though what that entails is still beyond me. It could explain why they're here, though. If the same applies for normal Shadows... they could be trying to push in to feed."  

[Ayakura Alisa]

I nodded as I paid attention to Phoebe's explanations. She seemed to describe some things that proved some parts of my theory, before also admitting that Gin probably had no information about the perimeter. Not yet, she said. He claimed he wasn't sure, which was code for "I'm hiding something or I really know nothing and couldn't tell you." Soon, Phoebe said that these Shadows sense emotions and feed on them for sustenance. While he claims it doesn't harm people she said it's possible that regular Shadows were capable of the same thing.

"I disagree," I said. "If they were trying to push in to feed, they would have infiltrated the city by droves and they would be more concerned with feeding rather than being aggressive and actively trying to harm civilians and users alike," I continued. "I believe that the sentient Shadows and the Shadows we are typically used to are probably different on some fundamental level I've yet to discern. Though, hearing this from you at least gives me extra direction on where to look, so I appreciate it."

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe nodded at Alisa's conclusions. Yeah, she probably was wrong. Alisa's counter-arguments made sense.

"I see... you're right. I didn't think about it from that angle," she said thoughtfully. "Buh, this is so frustrating. Just when you think we've got more information to work with, it just leaves us with even more questions than before," she groaned.

Kyle interrupted her train of thought, swinging by with a bunch of muffins on a plate, which he deposited between them, and two glasses of water. He was trying pretty hard not to stare at Alisa, then wandered off with a mumbled 'Enjoy, see you later'.

...The fudge is wrong with him? she thought.

She shook her head. Not the time to question Kyle's perpetual weirdness. "Anyway, is there anything specific you want me to question him on, later? I'm going to drag him off for another round of talking anyway, might as well have some material to grill him with. Subtly, of course."

[Ayakura Alisa]

"Well, that's just the way these things work," I said to Phoebe, "Especially with this crisis mixed up with all this unknown phenomena we know basically nothing about. It almost seems like a classic case of 'one step forward, two steps backwards.' Alas." Soon, Kyle arrived with two glasses of water and a bunch of muffins on a plate. He wandered off with a mumble, but I was sure to give him a pleasant "Thanks very much, Kyle." I am pretty sure he is trying to come on to me this time. I thought to myself as I realized he was trying to avoid my gaze and looked pretty internally flustered every time he saw me.

Phoebe soon followed me up to ask if I wanted to know more specific things. "Hmm... Let me think for a moment," I said, trying to rack up on my proverbial thinking cap. "First, have you ever thought about asking Gin where exactly he 'became' the Shadow? I need to confirm if it's possible for them to have come from the outside before the lockdown. Next, try to discern if he has an intrinsic feeling of camaraderie or friendship towards other Shadows. This will allow us to figure out if we should treat them separately as we have been, or to consider them one large collective. Lastly..."

I stopped speaking for a moment.

"...Lastly, ask him why he wanted to act on our side so badly that fight at the mall."

[Phoebe Minola]

"Guh, I feel stupid, I should've thought of asking him whether he was living in Mosaic when he changed or not," Phoebe groaned. "In fact, I feel kinda dumb not asking him all of those questions."

She grabbed a muffin and nibbled on it. "Thanks for all the pointers, Alisa. And the talk. I..." she sighed. "I really needed to talk to someone sane about this. Kyle's been miffed that I didn't tell him fully what happened, CJ's been a worrywart, John's trying not to give me the evil eye, I think, and Tristan's been... ugh, let's not even talk about him now. I just feel like we're re-enacting WWI here with trench warfare."

That's actually how it had felt for her, for quite some time. Trench warfare, just taking pot-shots at the Shadows and running around in a no-man's land and pray they didn't get taken out by some ginormous Shadow, and now the sentient Shadows who could be lurking everywhere. It was nerve-wracking.

She wanted a change of subject and eyed Alisa up and down a bit. "So... what do you think of Kyle?" she asked slyly.

Honestly, if Kyle thought he was being subtle... then again, Kyle had probably missed the memo that explained what subtlety was in the first place. He seemed to have developed a fancy for Alisa and knowing him, he was going to make a complete and utter hash of it.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I just nodded off as Phoebe thanked me for the pointers and things to keep in mind when going to chat with Gin. Phoebe explained she needed someone 'sane' to talk about this, addressing me as if I were actually sane. Sanity is not something I was possessing in great amounts, but I suppose if my calm and reasonably not-angry demeanor gave that impression, then I couldn't complain. It looks like those who could be considered to be Phoebe's friends were apprehensive about the whole situation as well. That Tristan kid, too... He sounds like a real pain in the ass. Anyway...

Soon, Phoebe looked at me funny and eventually asked me what I thought of Kyle. I guess the secret's out, then. "Well, Feebs, if you ask me, it's pretty obvious he likes me a little," I said, softly, as I leaned forward towards her. "But that's okay, I guess. Kyle's a little hot-headed at times, but I think he's a nice and well-meaning guy when he means to be. I'd hate to piss him off, though. Heh."

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe giggled a little bit. "Heehee, I knew it was something like that," she chuckled. "Kyle's such a dork. You're right, he is a good kid. Bit stupid, but good nevertheless. He can look as grumpy and hot-headed as you like, but he's actually pretty nice to people who don't push him around."

Then she grinned. "But you're right, he's not someone you want to piss off. He's got a horrible temper and it doesn't help that he drinks so much coffee, even if he makes it awesome. Sometimes I worry about him, handling that axe in battle. He's just a beard away from the full Viking berserker."

She nibbled on her muffin again. "Well if you like him, go get 'im, love. Just be frank with him because I have this suspicion that what gets things sour for him concerning girls is all about dishonesty. He'd rather you tell him the truth even if it's bad, than lie to him."

[Ayakura Alisa]

I shook my head as Phoebe said what she said. I thought Kyle was alright, but I didn't really think he was my type. I could consider him a friend, but I'm not sure if I'd ever want to take it further than that. Nibbling on a muffin, I sighed. "I think we'd just be friends, to be honest. I'm not sure if I can see myself in a relationship with him anyways. Not of the romantic sort," I whispered softly to make sure nobody aside from Phoebe really heard. "But I'll probably wait until it comes up to make it really clear. After all, from the way you talk about him, it does sound dangerous to lead him or string him along. And he flushes and gets flustered too easily for me to really get anywhere substantial in the first place. Some people may find that cute and adorable, but really, I don't..." I shrugged and fidgeted sheepishly.

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe chuckled. Well yeah, she hadn't really thought Alisa was interested. They had other fish to fry - but still, seeing Kyle get all tied up over this was funny.

"Hehe, I understand, really, I do," she giggled. "Ah, Kyle's not all that bad. He'll get mad and grump like a grizzly bear with a sore throat, but he won't lose it - not if he knows what's good for him. Don't be in a big hurry to clear things up, it's entertaining to watch him spazz."

She ate another muffin. "And friends is exactly what he needs right now. Might teach him how to behave in society later," she scoffed. "Anyway, are you still going ahead with the plan of going undercover in the school?" she asked, a bit more seriously. "Let me know if you do, I'll help smooth stuff out. The English teacher's had an accident so I'm full-time now; I've got a bit more access than before."

[Ayakura Alisa]

I stifled a yawn, taking a sip of my water while munching on a muffin. "I figured he's not really a bad kid," I said. "Just one of the more rowdy kinds, I guess." Phoebe seemed to make it a point to mention that Kyle was a dork or something. Apparently he was quick to flip out about things a lot. I think I had already seen that at least once or twice, so I had a general idea of what she meant.

"Yes, I'll still go ahead with the plan of going undercover. If you'd please, it would be a great help and boon for me if you could help me with facilitating transfer and enrollment. I'll appreciate it very much," I continued, as the conversation moved on to admittedly more important and productive topics. "I'll remember that I'll owe you one from that as well."

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe nodded. "Not a problem, just let me know when you need me. And I can have your back should anything go south. In the meantime... there was something else I wanted to ask you about..."

She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, thoughtfully. "I remember some Users from the last full moon battle. I don't know them well but you might. The girl that chewed me out, what's her name?"

Then she hesitated again. "And... call me crazy, but I recall this girl dressed in a tattered maid outfit... and I think I saw guns growing out of her arms or something. Was...was I seeing things or something?"