Mosaic City, located along China's coast, is quite large city sometimes called the Crossroads Between Nations due to its diverse population. While it was once a large tourist spot, the city was placed under a blockade as the military appeared claiming there was a radiation leak. The true hazard, however, is much more sinister.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on May 24, 2014 21:29:26 GMT -5
The last thing I really remembered was the encounter with Pyxis' shadow, which had at that point pushed my own body to the maximum limit. I had such difficulty moving that at the end, Pyxis ended up picking me up in her arms, and all I could really do at the time as snuggle up into her and fall asleep. Now, come to think of it, where exactly was I? Mm... Feels nice to be lying in a bed though. Opening my eyes, I woke up to find myself in a room that most certainly was not my own. Upon further reflection in my drowsy stupor I soon realized that, naturally, I had to be in Pyxis' apartment. Where else would she possibly take me, after all?
Sitting up and looking around I winced as I felt sharp pains in my left arm. Looking at it I realized I was relatively bruised and I had multiple wounds that had sealed up weakly by now, and while my head was no longer bursting I realized I'd probably still need to bandage it up. I sighed and lay back down again looking up at the ceiling. I soon started to think about Pyxis and how she felt about me. And how I felt about her, for that matter. I really did like her. I was a little awkward about thinking it at first, but maybe I really did have strong romantic feelings for her.
She certainly was attractive, and we worked well together. In any case, I'm sure this would be something Pyxis would want to talk about, so I might as well prepare myself for it while I'm resting. In her apartment. Whew... What a week this has been.
Most of the time Alisa had been asleep since getting back, Pyxis had been only a few feet away, resting in her charging pod. If Alisa turned to look at her, she would see her standing up in the pod, stripped down to the barest of coverings and, by all appearances, asleep. Her consciousness was not 'off', exactly, but in 'sleep mode'. It was temporarily shut off to mitigate the fact that while charging she had to disable almost all of her motor functions and couldn't even play video games, but would come back on with even the slightest disturbance. Like, say, Alisa sitting up on the bed next to the pod.
Pyxis's eyes opened. She briefly noted that she wasn't fully recharged, but close enough that it didn't matter too much. She shut the pod down and brought her motor functions back online, then turned to look over at Alisa. A warm smile came to her face. "Hey. Feeling any better?" she asked. "Want me to get you anything?"
Post by Ayakura Alisa on May 25, 2014 1:29:46 GMT -5
I had spotted Pyxis in the charging pod, but I didn't want to really disturb her. It seemed however that she responded to my getting up regardless, as after some time she ended up shutting the pod down and turned to face me. I sat up again in the bed, blushing faintly as Pyxis smiled and asked if I felt better. She also asked if she could get me anything. "I'm feeling a lot better than since then," I simply said softly, smiling. "Well... a cold drink would be nice, to be honest, but... Is it alright if you stay with me for a bit first?" I simply asked. It took me a while to register that Pyxis was barely covered, but to be honest, I didn't care. "It feels good and nice to see and be with you, you know? It's a bit embarrassing, but... Yeah, I guess I should throw that out there..." I sheepishly laughed, wincing a little as I clutched my left arm.
"Well... It'll still take some time for me to recover."
Pyxis giggled a little at Alisa's awkward response. Yes...maybe there was something there after all. There was a chance, and it was a chance Pyxis was going to take. No 'mission', or even the limitations of her body, would get in the way of that. But first, it sounded like Alisa might be out of the game for awhile. That wasn't surprising. Whatever lingering effect the slime lady's core energy had, it had still been affecting her back in the castle, and now she'd gotten injured further on top of that. It could be another week until Alisa was fully recovered. Maybe more. But Pyxis was prepared for that. "You can stay here as long as you need," she said. "I'll take care of you until you're fully recovered."
Her expression shifted to one that was still gentle, but more serious as she continued. "Hey...what my shadow said back there, about my feelings for you...it was true. I don't know how it happened, or fully understand what it means. But, I do love you, Alisa. I just wish I got a chance to say it before some other half went and spilled it while taunting me." And there. It was out. Come whatever may, she'd managed to put words to it. Her own words, directly.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on May 25, 2014 2:48:34 GMT -5
Pyxis offered to let me stay here as long as I needed, even going so far as to say she would take care of me until I was up and ready to fight again. I smiled warmly towards her, nodding gently. Though, soon enough, she made her expression a little more serious as she properly decided to confess her feelings for me, as it may. She said she wasn't sure where the feelings came from or how they materialized, but all she did understand was that she loved me. Whatever that entailed. And to be honest, I couldn't find myself rejecting that at all. Continuing to sit up, I shifted myself so I could be closer to Pyxis, and I weakly took her right hand with my own hands, smiling. "I can't hide my own feelings from you any longer, either. After all's said and done, I won't forget you. I can't. I'm not sure what it means to 'love' someone either. But since meeting Chidori, and ever since I met you, and ever since I got to know you... I'm starting to feel that perhaps I have those same romantic feelings towards you." As I held her hand and spoke to her, my gaze never left her's.
Seeing what Alisa was trying to do as she shifted closer to the edge of the bed, Pyxis stepped out of her pod and walked over to the edge herself. When her hand was taken, she closed it around Alisa's. And when Alisa spoke, effectively echoing her feelings, Pyxis face seemed to light up, and she returned Alisa's smile with a bright one of her own.
Staring back into Alisa's eyes, Pyxis realized that Crux couldn't have been more wrong about humans. Better off ignoring them? No, if she'd ignored humans, and especially if she'd ignored Alisa, she would have never come this far. She would have been stuck, unable to grow stronger, unable to understand her own feelings, and blaming her mechanical nature for it all. The Persona was the power of the heart, after all. It took a human heart to master it, and Pyxis felt like, thanks to Alisa, she'd finally achieved that.
But more than that, if Pyxis hadn't grown this close to her, she would never have been as happy as she was in this moment. "I guess we'll just have to find out what it means together," she finally said. She put her free arm around Alisa and pulled her into a hug.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on May 25, 2014 21:07:47 GMT -5
Somehow, it was kind of strange, this sort of relationship. Well, it wasn't really a conventional sort. I didn't really care too much, though. Yeah... I couldn't really look at it any other way. But, seeing as how happy Pyxis seemed after I told her how I felt, I guess that meant I didn't mess up. That said, with my current condition and state, I wondered if it was viable to move my stuff up here instead, considering how I only lived a floor below. Soon enough, Pyxis pulled me into a hug, and I quickly responded in kind, wrapping my arms around Pyxis as well. "You think I could stay here instead, even after I get better? It's... nice here. I like it. And besides, it means I can be with you, right?" I nestled my head into Pyxis, enjoying the hug and the warmth it provided. Yeah... It was really nice. I mean, I couldn't really think of Pyxis as a machine anymore.
All of a sudden, Alisa asked something surprising. She...wanted to stay here? Would that even be okay? Sure, Pyxis's place still had all of the accommodations of a normal apartment, right down to the bed Alisa was sitting on. But, it was still by all intentions a temporary place. In addition, it was her base of operations, being used as much by the organization as herself. ...Well, that wasn't exactly true. Most of the time, the only reason Pyxis got visitors from the organization were because they weren't on official business. So, if Alisa really was okay with it, it should be fine.
"Do you really want that? The weapons and everything else won't bother you?" Pyxis asked, bringing one hand up to pat Alisa's head. "I mean, if you don't mind it, I'd love to have you. It does get lonely here sometimes, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather share this place with."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on May 26, 2014 3:29:35 GMT -5
I smiled and closed my eyes as I felt one of Pyxis' hands pet my head. She asked me if the weapons and everything else wouldn't bother me. Well honestly, that was a bit of a silly question. Honestly, ever since my parents disappeared, it was getting awfully lonely in my old place, and it's not like I wasn't ever going to go back to it again in the event that we would have to separate, so it wasn't going to be a problem at all. "Sure, the weapons and stuff wouldn't bother me one bit," I said, smiling warmly. "It gets lonely where I live too, so... Yes, I'd love to stay with you... I really would." I nodded and smiled again as it seemed that it would be a winning proposition for both of us.
"Ehehe. I can even wear the uniform you gave me before. It'll totally be matching, and stuff." I randomly joked.
If that was the case, if nothing about Pyxis's place was going to bother her, then there really was no reason left to turn Alisa down. Actually, it seemed like it would be a good thing for both of them. They would be able to be together more, and actually make proper use of the place while they were at it. And if any problems did arise, Alisa's place was still just below them. So, they would be fine.
"Then I have no reason to say no," Pyxis said. "By all means, stay here with me." She laughed when Alisa joked about matching maid uniforms, then responded in kind. "Well, I don't usually wear mine when I'm at home, so I guess you'll just have to wear it into battle again sometime."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on May 27, 2014 1:39:28 GMT -5
Yeah, ever since I learned that Pyxis had feelings for me, I couldn't help but realize that I did have those same feelings for her. And I guess it did certainly help that I found her very nice to look at aside from how I thought of her as a reliable and understanding partner to work with. So, I'm glad at how that turned out. Pyxis told me she had no reason to decline, and laughed after my half-assed joke. "So, then, it's an agreement," I smiled at Pyxis and playfully winked at her. "Truth to be told, I'm glad we were able to talk about your feelings on this. Since I could open up as well towards you. So I'm very grateful for that." I tried to hug and snuggle into Pyxis further. Yeah... This was really nice. It felt really good.
"Mhm," Pyxis answered. "I am too. It...wasn't easy, actually. I've been trying to say it ever since we fought your shadow back in the library." Back then, she recalled, she'd tried to express her feelings and ended up saying something that was almost a confession, but still fell short. And while Alisa's response strengthened her desire to be more direct, it also made it harder. Pyxis scratched her head. "It's strange. Normally being straightforward comes naturally to me. But this time, I couldn't manage it until another side of me said it first. I don't understand. Is that normal, or was it just because of my...unique circumstances?"
Post by Ayakura Alisa on May 30, 2014 6:20:24 GMT -5
Pyxis mentioned how she was really trying to confess her feelings to me at the time ever since she fought alongside me back in the library. Indeed, she had said something, but it wasn't as straightforward at the time. "I think it's normal to feel tense when you want to confess your feelings to someone. It might seem weird or awkward because of your circumstances. But at the same time, humans have a natural propensity to feel awkward or nervous when they want to say to someone they like, 'I love you.' Or, even if they want to say, 'I like you', when they are unsure of the person of their affections, in how they would respond. Of course, it gets easier once you know that they're going to reciprocate, but it is very personal." I looked at Pyxis, smiling and stroking her forearm reassuringly.
"Love is a complicated thing. Even humans have difficulty fully grasping it."
So that was how it was. Yeah...Alisa's explanation matched up with how Pyxis had felt. The reasoning was a bit different, but...well, her shadow had put her worries rather plainly. She had been worried that Alisa wouldn't reciprocate her feelings because of what she was. But was that really so different from how how Alisa said it normally worked? No, no it wasn't. "I see. That makes sense," Pyxis answered. "Well, sort of. I'm still trying to wrap my head around humans not understanding something that's inherently very human. Maybe that's why I've had so much trouble figuring some of the things you all do and say out, though. I...kind of like that, actually. Not understanding things that seem so natural to humans is distressing sometimes. But knowing that I'm not alone there is reassuring. Plus, that means there's a bit of mystery to it."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Jun 2, 2014 23:31:55 GMT -5
I nodded as Pyxis shared her own thoughts to me. "It's complicated, as I said. People think they understand what love means, but very rarely do they find they're correct the first time around. I mean, they learn the hard way," I fidgeted and smiled at Pyxis. "But you're right. It can be seen that way, love is a bit of a mystery. What does it really mean to love someone? Is it treating them out to lovely romantic dinner dates every other day, or does it mean just to spend quality time with one another while watching a sappy movie..." I tried to snuggle up into Pyxis again.
"Yeah... We can figure that out together, right? I'll stay by your side."