[Akira] Home Sweet Home

[Amane Mana]

Amane stretched herself as she left the beef bowl place she goes to. It was so nice to eat there after all that insanity. She adjusted her long coat and started to walk down the street, hands in her pockets. Come to think of it, she hasn't seen Ran in awhile. Not after the chaos that happened in their post-full moon battle celebration. Amane would still love to forget about that. It swore her off alcohol for the rest of her life.

Speaking of that one night alcoholic, Amane hasn't seen Ran in small while. Granted she wasn't exactly in a dignifying state the last few days what with the near panic attack she had with the scorpion but none the less it would be nice to see Ran more often. Though, it looked like her wish was going to get granted in an conventional manner. Amane dropped her staff at the sight of what she saw.

"What happened?!" Amane picked up her staff and started to run over to Ran. Her glasses were bent and her clothing was all ruffled up not to mention her hair is a mess. She seemed in good condition body wise but that's to be expected with Ran being a superior healer."Did you visit a stratum, what was in there!?'

[Akira Nakajima]

Frankly, Akira was a bit annoyed, still, from the fight with the golden-haired turtle-man. Admittedly, that was the closest thing to a serious fight in which he himself fought on his own that he had in a good while, so his "battle-high" he got from Heat Riser was adequately satisfied. However, he really felt bad about leaving such a dangerous thing there. He really. . . really should have killed it. Leaving that thing alive would likely come back to bite him in the rear one day. Or someone else's rear that happened to be around him. Sighing, the boy ran a hand through his dirty, dusty hair, ignoring the stares that he received from passerby. It was seldom that they saw a pretty "girl" who could get dirty, it seemed.

And then something interesting occurred.

Amane came running at him- at "Ran"- with a look of concern. Admittedly, it would have been embarrassing if anybody else he knew happened to see him in that shape. Well, at least the ones that fought alongside him in the more tense situations. He did have an image to maintain. For the most part, at least. With a slight smile and a casual pat on her head (after being sure that his hand was clean enough, of course), the boy just lightly giggled. The sound of it matched his image plenty well.

"I met a turtle, and we played." The boy casually responded. It was, in the essence, the most correct thing he could have said about the situation. It was just figurative, though. And would likely have confused the girl. But that was pretty much the point, so he was fine with that end result. Still petting her, he just smiled. "Ah, but I doubt you'll be satisfied with that. Shall we find somewhere to sit? It's like people have never seen a girl that's had to go do some dirty work before." Now, that double meaning was entirely innocent. He didn't even consider the implications.

Just tilting his head to the side slightly, he looked to the girl for a response.

[Amane Mana]

"I met a turtle, and we played." Turtle? Amane raised an eyebrow wondering what kind of turtle would do this much damage. Was she talking a turtle like shadow? That wouldn't be far stretch considering the type of shadows that Amane gazed into. The demonic tentacle school girl more or less made her believe anything at this point. "Ah, but I doubt you'll be satisfied with that. Shall we find somewhere to sit? It's like people have never seen a girl that's had to go do some dirty work before." Amane sighed in annoyance.

"Don't be ridiculous. Just finding somewhere to sit and people will constantly ask to get you to a doctor's office and we'll attract unwanted attention." Amane looked over at the direction of her apartment building. "My apartment is about five to ten minutes from here provided we walk at a standard pace." Amane suggested, turning a bit red. She didn't exactly decorate her apartment to entertain guests after all. "Besides I guess that way I can show you the notes I collected on these incidents." Good excuse is good at least that is what Amane would like to think.

[Akira Nakajima]

The girl just twisted the situation from “talking in moderate privacy” to “talking in the privacy of her room”. What an impressively forward and confident approach! The boy was a little impressed by her nerve. The crossdresser smiled a little, finally laughing, before giving her a final pat on the head and removing his hand. While going to her room was fine and dandy, he had no intentions of using her further kindness. No need to wash up while risking revealing his real gender. No, the game was not far enough in to ruin that surprise yet. The girl presented some excuse, though- to share information. It was okay, really. Excuses weren't needed to spend time together. In private.

”If you're fine with having me, I can't say that I would complain, stepping into another girl's holy garden.” With a slight wink and a smile, the crossdresser made sure to embarrass Amane to hell and back. And maybe right back to hell. ”But sharing information would be nice. Figuring out how far you're into this will give me a grip on how far you've come, too.” The crossdresser brought his free hand to his face, scratching a cheek, then rubbing his chin. ”So, my lady, please lead the way.” Ah, this was so refreshing.

After dealing with that damned golden-turtle-man, teasing was such a wonderful gift from above.

[Amane Mana]

Ran started to laugh as she gave her head once last pat. Amane wanted to say she was hardly in the mood for her head pats but the sad part is that she was slowly getting use to them....not that she'll ever tell Ran. She sighed as Ran lifted her hand off. On the other hand she was being treated like a kid here or at least like Ran's little sister. She could imagine that would be what a bystander would think given their similar hair styles.

”If you're fine with having me, I can't say that I would complain, stepping into another girl's holy garden.” Amane slapped her palm against her face. . ”But sharing information would be nice. Figuring out how far you're into this will give me a grip on how far you've come, too. So, my lady, please lead the way.” Amane sighed and then started to lead the way over.

"It's this way..."

...

Amane opened the door to her apartment. It was a studio style apartment so they were really only two rooms, the one they were in and the bath room. Amane pointed over at the table and chair set up in the center. It wasn't terribly decorated, if anything it was boring. She opened the refrigerator and then turned over to Ran.

"My home isn't exactly a place where one would entertain guests. Say Ran I have some snacks or refreshments in the fridge. Want anything in particular?"

[Akira Nakajima]

Well, upon stepping into Amane's little apartment, the boy had to admit one thing to himself. It was exceedingly bland. He was expecting something cuter. Much cuter. Something matching her little sister aura. Unfortunately, he was brutally stabbed, kicked, and pierced by conceptual rejection and his own broken dreams. Such a cruel girl, this Amane. She needed some new life in the place. Perhaps future visits should have included stuffed things. He could then chide her if she were to get rid of them. That was always an option! Moving along, the girl asked if he wanted something to sip or nibble. The crossdresser just smiled and shook his head. Hell, he didn't even bother to sit.

”I'm fine.” Said the one with dirty hair and damaged clothing. ”So, turtles, Shadows, and notes. Where to begin? And what all did you want to show me, exactly?”

[Amane Mana]

”I'm fine.” Amane stared at Ran a moment before closing the refrigerator. ”So, turtles, Shadows, and notes. Where to begin? And what all did you want to show me, exactly?” Amane walked on over to her closet and took off her long jacket and placed her staff inside. She opened the other door of the closet and took out some sheets of paper she has been hiding. Amane walked over and get some other sheets hidden in the desk.

"I'd like to ask about the 'turtle'." Amane took out some fresh sheets of paper and took out a pencil. "Some information would be nice. Not to mention it would add to what I got nicely." Amane passed and presented what she got so far. It was just what she gathered on shadows, their appearances, skills she has recorded both from herself, her allies, and enemies, theories about the full moon that she gathered from that bar incident, info about the stratums she has walked into and more.

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira blinked as the paper reached his hands. Sure, it was just general Shadow information. Some of it was theoretical. The crossdresser maintained a neutral expression while looking over it. After a few moments, he nodded, carefully tossing the papers at the desk. They landed with a slide. Crossing his arms, he headed to the nearest wall, leaning against it and rolling his head around on his shoulders. How to explain it to Amane? There were a number of ways. The boy slowly nodded again. Simple was best, so it was best to just tell her straight out and enjoy the resulting confusion.

”I fought a sentient Shadow that took human shape. It turned into a gigantic armored turtle-man with a big-ass hammer. He was exceedingly strong. I won, though. Even if I couldn't finish him off.” He nodded, offering a pleasant smile to the girl. ”Questions?”

[Amane Mana]

”I fought a sentient Shadow that took human shape." Amane's eyes widened at what Ran just said. A sentient shadow?! Like can speak and think on the higher level than animalistic instinct?! To add to that it was human shaped. Suddenly Amane is even more paranoid than ever. The fact that there is a class of shadows that is indistinguishable from humans. This would make those without Personas free meals for them. "It turned into a gigantic armored turtle-man with a big-ass hammer. He was exceedingly strong. I won, though. Even if I couldn't finish him off.” Amane couldn't believe the smile she was being given by Ran. ”Questions?”

"What did it look like? Also you do realize the implications of a human like shadow right?" Amane suddenly wondered if she trick her door. "Great first those super powered shadows that come on those weird nights now this..." Amane started to write some notes down and then sighed. "Is it really like a human? It's apparent transformation to attack you aside?"

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira just smiled as the flurry of questions came his way. Such enthusiasm should have been spread over the place, not just in regards to information regarding squiggly black murder machines. Though, granted, he could, at the very least, understand her feelings on the matter. New and important information regarding potential threats was something to pay attention to. All the same, the boy gave a light shrug, as if silently telling the girl to chill. His expression, however, was gentle, if not tinged with the spirit of mischief. He let out a slight giggle, then relaxed.

”Ah, well, it's a given, now, that you haven't encountered them yet. But, yes, lemme get on your questions. Implications- Shadows walk among us, hiding their identities, and doing whatever it is they want to do. They apparently feed off of emotional energy given off by humans like you and I. Anyway, putting the other two questions together, yes, Shadows do look and seem exactly like humans- at least the shifting ones do.” The boy crossed his arms again and closed his eyes. ”I have a full dossier on one that's actually a student. There's another that I'm about ninety-seven percent sure is the human shape of a Shadow I faced. Finally, turtle-man today, while I lack a full identity for him, I do have a place of work. So far, two of the three are pretty stupid. I mean, one tried to flirt, attacked under the pretense of protecting himself, showed his human form, and gave me his personal name. I mean, if that's not downright idiotic, I don't know what is.” The boy laughed slightly.

”Of course, turtle-man was pretty damn stupid, but I think that's because he was just a huge ball of physical rage. He was stupid enough to give me business cards of his workplace. Granted, I think he wanted me to show up so he could try to hit me. But, eh, probably not gonna help him with that.” The boy nodded with a note of finality. If she was shocked at first, then Amane would have likely had her mind blown by the facts he just gave her. He opened his eyes. He wanted to watch her as she descended into whatever pool of emotion she dropped herself into.

[Amane Mana]

”Ah, well, it's a given, now, that you haven't encountered them yet. But, yes, lemme get on your questions. Implications- Shadows walk among us, hiding their identities, and doing whatever it is they want to do. They apparently feed off of emotional energy given off by humans like you and I. Anyway, putting the other two questions together, yes, Shadows do look and seem exactly like humans- at least the shifting ones do.” Ran's calm as she explains this was almost disturbing. ”I have a full dossier on one that's actually a student. There's another that I'm about ninety-seven percent sure is the human shape of a Shadow I faced." Amane felt a shudder. There was a shadow at the school?! "Finally, turtle-man today, while I lack a full identity for him, I do have a place of work. So far, two of the three are pretty stupid. I mean, one tried to flirt, attacked under the pretense of protecting himself, showed his human form, and gave me his personal name. I mean, if that's not downright idiotic, I don't know what is.”

"Yeah..." Someone tried to flirt with Ran? Well suffice to say Amane can't nessecarily blame the-what in the hell is she thinking.

”Of course, turtle-man was pretty damn stupid, but I think that's because he was just a huge ball of physical rage. He was stupid enough to give me business cards of his workplace. Granted, I think he wanted me to show up so he could try to hit me. But, eh, probably not gonna help him with that.” Amane placed a finger upon her lips as she began to think. This was insane. As if the shadows weren't a threat already. Is there even a way to detect the differences?

"Can you show me the business card?" Amane might as well collect information on the few human shadows that they knew about already. "On that note, tell me more about the other ones." Amane might as well prepare herself when the time comes to confront them.

[Akira Nakajima]

The girl then asked something that, to Akira, was absolutely stupid and ridiculous. She wanted to see the card. That meant she wanted to go investigate. Considering the freakish strength turtle-man had in human form, that was a big no-no. That was an extremely large “hell fucking no”. The other two were issues in and of themselves, but golden-turtle was way too much of a threat for her to go snooping around and looking suspicious. Could this girl even stakeout? Without drawing attention to herself? As amusing and cute as the image he got in his head were, it was not something he was willing to risk under those circumstances.

”No on the card. If I show you, you'll go investigate, and turtle-man was freakishly strong, even as a human. I mean 'throwing vehicles around' strong. To top it off, he's as likely to let you walk by as he is to punch you for not looking his way. Him? No. Not risking it. As for the other two, I don't have my notes on me, obviously, but I do have a bit of a quick run-down on them. One is a 'Takemoto Gin'. Not really all that amazing. He was the idiot that gaze me a face and a name. Seems to be bipolar. Confirmed that Shadows come from weak humans. Had a powerful Dark-aligned attack. Seemed to be weak to Strike. Could be a threat to individual users or teams of weak ones.” He waved his hand dismissively, though, following that. Gin was the smallest threat to him from the trio he fought.

”Other one, the one I'm only almost-certain about, is an Isaac Strazos. Money-lender with bad rumors cycling around him. During my investigation, he had no issues sending me out on run into the lockdown despite having no access to knowledge regarding my being a User. In other words, a liar of sorts and an indirect murderer. In terms of combat, he's not a threat, per se, as he doesn't seem to like violence. Very defensive. Heavy usage of 'humane' skills. Status-infliction and mental drains were predominant. Also had access to some weaker tier skills, but he seemed to be confident in his ability to grow. Any of what I just said could very. He also completely nullifies physical attacks. Magic seems to be the way to go, and he has barriers to ensure that magic doesn't get through. Good defensive wall to stop an advance of a single person. Probably wouldn't handle a group too well, though.” With that, he just stared at the girl.

”Enough for you for now?”

[Amane Mana]

”No on the card. If I show you, you'll go investigate, and turtle-man was freakishly strong, even as a human. I mean 'throwing vehicles around' strong. To top it off, he's as likely to let you walk by as he is to punch you for not looking his way. Him? No. Not risking it." Ran's logic is sound...if not a little frustrating. She knew how to hide unless shadows can just detect humans instinctual. "As for the other two, I don't have my notes on me, obviously, but I do have a bit of a quick run-down on them. One is a 'Takemoto Gin'. Not really all that amazing. He was the idiot that gaze me a face and a name. Seems to be bipolar. Confirmed that Shadows come from weak humans. Had a powerful Dark-aligned attack. Seemed to be weak to Strike. Could be a threat to individual users or teams of weak ones.” Amane took a note of him.

"Shadows coming from weak humans?"

”Other one, the one I'm only almost-certain about, is an Isaac Strazos. Money-lender with bad rumors cycling around him. During my investigation, he had no issues sending me out on run into the lockdown despite having no access to knowledge regarding my being a User. In other words, a liar of sorts and an indirect murderer. In terms of combat, he's not a threat, per se, as he doesn't seem to like violence. Very defensive. Heavy usage of 'humane' skills. Status-infliction and mental drains were predominant. Also had access to some weaker tier skills, but he seemed to be confident in his ability to grow. Any of what I just said could very. He also completely nullifies physical attacks. Magic seems to be the way to go, and he has barriers to ensure that magic doesn't get through. Good defensive wall to stop an advance of a single person. Probably wouldn't handle a group too well, though.” Judging from Ran's words...the "turtle man" and Isaac are the more dangerous ones. Gin might also be dangerous given the bipolar description but seeing as how Ran doesn't think highly of him...”Enough for you for now?”

"Yes...just don't visiting that 'turtle-man's' place in return. It would do little good that you lecture me on the matter only to go there yourself. Though I can trust that you won't. You are one of the reasonable ones." Amane placed her pencil down. She looked at Ran's condition once more. "Are you sure your family won't have anyting to say about your condition?

[Akira Nakajima]

The boy really needed to pet that girl. Just plant his hand on her head, then built friction and create a web of statically-charged hairs. That was something he'd have to try at some point in the near future, he decided, when she went on to suggest what was a good course of action. Of course he wasn't just going to go around and picking fights with that tall, blonde and dangerous dude. He wasn't stupid. He had other people to risk life and limb in that chore. Ones good at doing just that while minimizing the risk. It was only natural to have them go and do it, he figured. He did, however, offer a thumbs up to the girl towards the end.

”I have information gathering, in a safe manner, already planned. As for my clothes, my parents would probably rejoice to see these shredded, so not much to worry about there. And it's nothing that can stop me from climbing a tree and invading my room via the window, anyway.” The crossdresser nodded with some degree of resolution. The fact that he casually produced this idea was a sign that it likely was not the first time that things had gotten to that point. It also showed that he had no restraints from doing just that, should the necessity have ever appeared.

[Amane Mana]

”I have information gathering, in a safe manner, already planned." Ran said. As expected though Amane admitted Ran would let her in on this plan but expressing such feelings would be childish and immature. "As for my clothes, my parents would probably rejoice to see these shredded, so not much to worry about there. And it's nothing that can stop me from climbing a tree and invading my room via the window, anyway." Amane wasn't exactly sure how she should react to that.

"Um...if I may ask why would your parents want to see your cloths shredded? Are they not fans of the fashion?" Amane wasn't exactly going to question climbing a tree and going through the window. She heard some people doing it and seen it plenty of times in movies. Okay moives weren't exactly the best frame of reference but still. If she can embrace supernatural powers but not this then she would question her sanity.