Bandaged Reason (Dried Fish Luka)

[Luka Kurokawa]

Certainly Luka had brought some good ideas to the table. Surely Akira would now discuss how they would incorporate them, right? Her eyes followed his left hand as he raised it then put it to his cheek. Watching him pinch his cheek and pull on the flesh caused Luka's eyes to squint. She let out a quiet, slightly pained groan as she watched it happen. That didn't look all that pleasant. Why would he do that? He was acting strangely now for some reason. Luka was ready to ignore the act he had just displayed to her when he decided to try a new tactic. Her eyes widened as Akira bashed his head into the desk.W-Wait! She instinctively rose from her chair slightly as the event unfolded.

Waitwaitwaitwait. Falling back in her chair she covered her eyes and flailed her other arm around as if signalling to stop. A muffled, high-pitched cry could be heard from her at that time. Just thinking of how painful that must have been bothered Luka. It was sort of like the feeling someone gets when another persona runs their fingernail down a chalkboard. And then, the boy went right back to the topic at hand. He outright rejected her proposal. That was fine to her. She was more concerned about him now. Auuuu. Why would you do that? Unveiling her eyes once more, they focused on the now red bandage on the boy's head. He clearly reopened the wound. Ah. You're bleeding again.

Luka went back into her bag for a moment and began to search for something. Meanwhile, Akira seemed to be disregarding his now opened wound. He wanted to talk about something regarding his clothing choice. Luka thought it was such an odd topic to require discussion. She would listen, of course. Walking around the desk over to the boy, she answered. Very well. We can discuss whatever you need. However, I'm afraid I will have to re-bandage your wound. She was now examining the bandage on the boy's face, deciding how to go about this. She wasn't even considering whether or not the boy would refuse her help.

[Akira Nakajima]

Seemed that the girl could not handle displays of self-afflicted violence. That could be interpreted in a number of ways, but it gave Akira a small edge to use in later engagements. He was about to continued speaking, but Luka just waltzed right around the desk, into his personal space, and began observing him. Re-bandaging was all well and good, but there was a certain time and place for everything. Just as easily as she stepped closer to him, Akira leaned away from the girl, raising an eyebrow as he made an effort to maintain the center of the chair's gravity.

"While I appreciate your willingness to attend to my needs, it really is flattering, I must ask you to refrain from it. I can dress my own wounds, if need be. Moreover, the topic at hand, my clothing choice." He had no intentions of letting himself get drawn up into her pace. "You saw me wearing feminine clothing during our battle." He reminded her, hoping that would get her attention. There was a number of ways this would turn out. He only hoped the course that popped out was favorable.

"My intents are to hide my identity while fighting Shadows." While not the exact case, it was certainly true. "As you might have guessed from this, crossdressing is my method of hiding my identity. I would appreciate it if you refrained from telling others my identity."

[Luka Kurokawa]

As Luka leaned in to examine the wound, she was met with an equally large movement back from her by Akira. Tilting her head in confusion, the boy explained that he could fix his wound on his own. Meanwhile, he simply continued on to talking about his choice of clothing. He seemed to want to justify his reasoning behind wearing clothing that was considered feminine. Why do you need justification? You looked fine. She didn't see anything wrong with it. The clothing looked just fine on him, after all.

Akira then presented a good enough reason to do so though. Ah, so you don't want people to know who you are. It's your method of protecting you and your loved ones. Like a super-hero, right? That's how it usually was for being disguised, anyway. Hence, Luka figured that protecting him and his family was the main reason behind it. And it seemed that Luka had gone and seen through said disguise. Now she would have to keep it a secret, lest she cause trouble for him. Though now that she thought about it, most super heroes wore masks. All he did was wear a different set of clothing. She wasn't one to judge, but it certainly would have been easier to hide one's identity with a mask or something akin to that. I'm not sure I follow your choice of disguise seeing that something like a mask or hood would serve a much more effective approach, but very well. I don't want to cause anyone any harm through my actions. She agreed to keep Akira's split identities a secret. Now onto more pressing matters. . .

Luka began to stare at the open wound again. It was really bothering her now. It was bothering her enough in fact, that she completely forgot the boy's previous protests to her help. She was more concerned with that fact that she didn't begin fixing the wound earlier. After a moment of staring, she began to speak in her usual straightforward tone and readied the bandages in her hand. I'm going to re-bandage that wound now. She then began to reach for the dirtied bandage on the boy's head with the intention of peeling it off. This might hurt a bit, so bear with me.

[Akira Nakajima]

”Yes, yes. Like a superhero. You should try putting on a costume too, sometime.” No, it was nothing like being a superhero, but if it would push the point through, then all was well. Seemed like she bought the rest, though. That made things simple. And it seemed she might have had a complex about hurting people. Her wording was just a bit more. . . expansive, especially considering how simple a response could have been. Of course, there was something that seemed to be looming over them- or him- as the conversation went on. Specifically, her. And then she started reaching in, re-declaring her intentions at playing doctor.

Ha-ha, no.

With a quick shift that might have been unexpected for the girl, Akira put his entire body on the arms of the chair, effectively planking it, with his head on the end opposite of the girl. With an elbow and knee on one side pushing against the arms, and an elbow and knee in the back of the chair, he kept a fairly good balance, all things considered. His hands were folded together just above his navel. His neck lowered, bringing his gaze to the girl; it was like she was stepping in on him while he laid to take a nap. His expression neutral, but his eyes betrayed his fatigue- not physical, but mental, as this had gone on longer than necessary.

”Again, I can bandage myself, if need be. I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't try to change my dressings for me. I did not become the Student Council President by being an invalid.” His words maintained an even tone, even if his speech was exceedingly format and direct. His eyes were locked onto her firmly.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Me, in a super hero costume? Luka pondered for a moment what that would be like. For some reason, that meant she had to consider doing poses in said costume. A slight blush came upon her face as she thought about such things. Ah. . . No, no. That wouldn't work at all. She continued to blush a bit, looking away. Her thoughts continued to wander on dressing up as a superhero. But now her focus was on dressing the boy's wound.

Once again, she was met with resistance. A much more extensive resistance for a much more extensive attempt. Despite having been told not to do what she did, Luka still put on a face of confusion with a head tilt. Then he voiced his disapproval of her dressing the wound. Luka couldn't really argue it, once again. She silently exhaled as her dejected expression looked off to the side. She held out the bandage to the boy without looking at him, hoping he would at least take it. Sorry. She was probably being a nuisance, she thought.

Deciding that she would let Akira bandage himself, Luka had apologized. Akira was certainly right in saying that he was more than able to help himself. He was capable. Very capable, in fact; as Luka had felt as she spoke with him. I was not questioning your capability, if that is what you thought. You can bandage yourself. I just thought you would like some help. She at least hoped that he would bandage it soon, though. Finally, she looked back to him. And again, she felt the need to say it again. Sorry.

[Akira Nakajima]

”So long as you understand, it's fine. There's no need to constantly apologize. I'm not a monster. You were just very eager to be of assistance. However, outside of emergencies, I am very particular about who touches my head.” After he was sure the offensive was over, he carefully shifted, eventually taking a proper sitting posture once again and straightening his clothes. He ultimately brought that on himself, even if it was in response to the girl's utterly ludicrous idea. Honestly, though, his head was beginning to hurt again. It wasn't the pain of a typical forehead-desk-meetup, though. It seemed like a fit, but it was too subtle. Probably a simple headache.

”I'm a very shy person, you see. It's very embarrassing to be touched like that by others.” A message with questionable validity, though it was delivered with such a flat tone and neutral expression that it could've easily been taken as the truth. With the excuse out in the open, he at least felt himself relax, figuring that the threat was over. His head itched, though. Rubbing at his temple, he sighed and nudged at the bandages. Eventually, they loosened. The weight in the back caught on to the band keeping his ponytail together, though. So, as he tugged it away, the band fell, letting the mane spread out like an untamed bird spreading its wings. He blinked. He hadn't really expected that. So, as strands flew about in the back, one or two in the front were allowed to swipe across his forehead, getting some slightly fresh blood on it. All in all, his forehead didn't look terrible. Outside of the fact that blood was smeared across the center, with some fresh beads still budding.

”Ah well.” He sighed, not seeming to care too much about the fact that his hair flew freely. Just that little change knocked him a little onto the feminine side of androgyny, though. Of course, he didn't seem to be in any rush to change his bandage, either. Frankly, it was laziness. ”I do insist that we should look into getting you a costume, however.” He noted after a moment, revisiting that point. If nothing else, he could at least make her flustered.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Akira urged that there was no need to apologize so much. Him saying that was at least enough for her to not get so depressed over it. Returning her slightly frowning gaze to him, she nodded a single time. Hm. She then returned to her own personal space as the boy sat up again. He mentioned being quite shy and not liking to be touched. Luka found that hard to believe, with him being the council president, but she wasn't one to question. I suppose I didn't consider that. Sorry. Yet again, another apology.

She then began watching him fiddle with his bandage a bit until it came undone. The fresh blood was in plain sight now. Along with the bandage, his hair seem to return to the form it was in during that battle in the terminal. He didn't seem too bothered by this, since he was probably getting ready to apply the new bandage. That's what he was gonna do, right? Luka was about to ask to make sure, only to interrupted by a statement that seemed out of the blue. What led that on?

E-Eh? Once again, Luka's calm demeanor was disrupted into a rather flustered state. Did he perhaps read her mind or something? No, she was over thinking it maybe. Wait, no, that was too specific. He definitely knew something. I-I can't wear a costume! I don't know what kind of name I would give myself, I don't know what I would say when I summon my persona, I don't have a catch phrase. I don't even have a cool exaggerated pose! She was beginning to unravel a bit, as she expressed some oddly specific qualifications for a super hero. He cheeks were completely flushed after having expressed her "disapproval" of such an idea. A low whine could also be heard from her if one were to listen closely right about now.

[Akira Nakajima]

It seemed he struck a chord. More than that, it was a rather delightful chord, and one that Akira could easily play with at will. Especially when considering that he already had an exotic collection of outfits for his own personal use. Now, this girl had specific complaints. Noticeably, each one was a lack of some thing or another. He had to thank her for basically offering the keys to the kingdom to him. That gave him more than enough fuel to work with. Slowly, he sat forward, elbows propping on the edge of his desk before his hands folded together, forming a bridge upon which his chin rested.

”I see. So you lack an alias, a battle cry, a catch phrase, and a signature pose.” He believed that summed up her concerns fairly quickly. Then, slowly, his lips curled into a smile that could have been compared to an angel's- it was simply that pure and warm and innocent. His eyes closed half-way, keeping Luka's form within perspective. ”Fortunately, you're in luck. It's the Student Council President's responsibility to see to his peers' needs. And I myself am quite interested in seeing what you would do. I believe I shall help you, Rukako. All you need is some inspiration. With that, you can shine like the stars and be equally as grand.” And, of course, Akira would have all the blackmail material he could ever use.

”In fact, since this is a matter of safety for both you and your colleagues, we could even use the privileges of the council to head out and rectify this issue right now. Of course, that's only if you so desire. I will spare no effort in assisting you to accomplish this. You can trust me.” Not once did his smile falter. How could it?

He was going to have such fun.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Her breathing was a bit off now having blurted all of that out. Her face still red, she watched as Akira moved his head forward and smiled. She could only return the gaze, having nothing more to say to him. How was she to follow up on that? Akira then restated everything she had just stated as an "issue" for her to become a superhero. There was no change in tone, no hint of teasing, nor any cruel after remarks. He simply said it, and formed an innocent smile on his face. However, hearing it from someone else's mouth only caused Luka to collapse. I mean this quite literally, by the way. Her lip started to quiver a bit, her eyes glistened, and her legs began to give. A moment later, she found herself crouched onto the floor in a rather sad state. Uuuuu. . .

She had said things that she should not have said, and now she was beginning to beat herself up in her own head. Nothing drastic, but the usual banging one's own head into a desk. Actually, that's probably why Akira was banging his head originally now that Luka thought of it. Hearing the boy's words, Luka looked up with eyes akin to a sad puppy left outside in the cold.

It seemed that he wanted so "help" Luka with her needs. Apparently, he could even get them out of school for such a need. Wouldn't that be a bit irresponsible? Then again, protecting her identity could prove useful. At least, that was what Akira must have been thinking. Returning to an upright position, she turned away from him. Then, in her usual straightforward voice, she responded to him. Y-You say that as if I wanted to do something like this. Though she said that, her face was still as flushed as before. Taking a deep breath, she gave it some thought. He said that she could "trust" him. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad? Very well, I will allow you to do so. I'm just not sure this is responsible. Leaving school to take me out to get a costume. . . What would the staff say?

[Akira Nakajima]

The girl had crouched on the floor, probably out of embarrassment. Yes, Akira would have a great deal of fun with her. She was. . . different. He knew that from the get go, but their conversation up to that point had illustrated that she was very odd. Off, even. Then again, having the balls to suggest taking a leader's position to their face suggested something like that. Whatever the case, it seemed like the girl would be an interesting diversion from monotonous days, as well as a potentially powerful ally in the battles to come. Blood ran from his forehead and down the left side of his nose. He wriggled a little, as if holding back the urge to sneeze. Of course, that was about the time that the girl spoke of responsibilities.

”For the sake of preserving a student's stability of life, staff permits even normal students to leave school at any given time. Naturally, with our privileges, this is only more true. Of course, I am not against waiting a while, if you would feel more comfortable doing so. After all, we have time. The danger is only when you head out into the Terminal and other locations. There's no rush. Give it some thought and build up some courage. I'll be with you every step of the way.” He tilted his head to the right at that point, still smiling. And the blood went down the right side of his nose, causing his entire expression to twist as he wriggled his nose. He resisted the urge to simply wipe his nose and face.

Of course, resisting that caused him to falter in the face of something else. His shoulders shivered. Then, suddenly, a high-pitched, girlish, squeak escaped him as he sneezed. For a moment, he sat there, staring ahead dully.

”Pardon me.” He coughed lightly, gesturing for a comment from her. He wanted to hear her next point, if there was one. Then maybe actually use the lunch break for. . . well, lunch.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka listened to what Akira had to say, trying to keep her mind off the blood that was slowly dripping down his face. His words were reassuring, at least. He made himself sound reliable. Too reliable. She didn't like how hard he was making it for her to refuse. She had all the reason to not doubt him. Though, that may have been partially due to her oblivious nature. Finally turning completely around, trying not to stare at the blood making a detour across his face, Luka decided to give a slight response. Very well. She paused for a moment, about to apologize again, but stopped herself. Thank you. That sounded much better than apologizing. Luka began to think a bit differently in regards to Akira now. If they were to work together not only in Student Council, but while fighting shadows, she would need to be able to actually "work together" as opposed to clashing at every turn.

Her attention turned to the dripping blood once again, watching it drip down the side of his nose causing him to wriggle it. Following that, a high-pitched squeak and a blank expression was all that was left over. Luka blinked, watching it all happen up until he pardoned himself. In response, Luka brought a single hand up to her mouth to cover a faint smile and a tiny giggle that managed to escape. I'll go with you today if you would like. Her mind began to drift back to what time it was, shortly after saying so. How about we do it after lunch first, though. You must be hungry having wasted most of your lunch period on me. If he agreed, they would eat then head out to wherever the boy had in mind. Yes, this would be the beginning of quite a unique alliance. For someone as odd as Luka, even she found the situation as a little odd. But could she complain? She had faith in him. And it was because of that faith that she had hope. Hope, that there were more Persona-users out there that could join their cause and protect the cit from whatever dangers were looming about.

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira lightly grunted when the telltale sounds of giggles reached his ears. While listening to her following words, the youth reached into a drawer, pulling out a small package of disinfecting wipes. They were, of course, also very skin-friendly. Carefully, without wasting any of the wipe's surface, he cleaned around and up the right side of his nose, then the left. Slowly, he worked up towards his forehead, wiping away mainly the “excess” blood. Wiping the opening would just present a new issue. He folded the wipe over, then finally roughly scrubbed at the spot where he effectively headbutted his desk. Doubtful that any germs came from him, but it was better to be sure.

”I obtained a filled position in my council. I found a potential ally. I can safely say that you did not waste my time- at least, at the present.” He briefly looked at the package containing the patch-styled bandage. Seriously, why was the girl so ridiculously prepared? A portfolio, bandages- did she have canned oxygen in that pack, too? With a slight shake of the head, he opened the package. Then, using one hand to get hair out of the zone in question, he planted the bandage in place using his other hand. There. That should have satisfied the girl's obsessive desire to care for him. Then, shaking his head forcefully, he allowed his hair to fly about. Looked more like a girl checking her hair after drying it, though.

”But, yes. I can help you today. If you're fine with skipping this afternoon's classes, I'll simply write you an excuse.” He noted, reaching for his hairband. One stretch wasn't enough. Two still didn't reach. Instead, the boy, who did not seem to care that there was a girl in the room, twisted his body. His upper body found itself under the arm of the chair. One leg waved in the air to keep the chair's balance. Success! Hairband get! With what seemed like practiced ease (which was scary, since it would have meant that he had time to do that sort of thing in that room), he slid back upwards and developed a proper posture once more.

”Of course, I'd ask that I was given time to stop somewhere else first. We could either split up and meet back in the market district, or what have you. The details there can be decided when the time comes.” He noted, situating his ponytail before retrieving a lunchbox and chopsticks, promptly beginning to eat. He did not care that he was sitting in front of a person who didn't seem to have food. Heck, she basically gave him permission. The contents seemed to be mostly leafy vegetables- things low in calories, but high in other nutrients. Very little artificial things seemed to be in the box.

”You can go get your lunch if you don't have it. Eat elsewhere. Eat here. I don't mind. You can even stare at me while I eat, if that's your cup of tea.” He casually noted before pulling a few papers out. No sense in just eating. Might as well have gotten some work done while doing so. Best way to utilize his time.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka was much more satisfied now that the boy had properly cared for his wound. Honestly, it took him long enough. He then went on to saying that today would be fine, and that he could write her a note if she needed. Watching him tie his hair back up, Luka responded. That's good then, I guess. And yes, I suppose an excuse would work just fine. The boy then requested time to go off somewhere else before they actually left. She wouldn't ask what it was, of course, but agreed to it nonetheless. That's fine with me. We can meet outside the school gate after lunch then. That seems like the most convenient time and place.

She noticed him pull out what must have been his lunch. At his words, she nodded, moving towards the door. I think I will do that, then. I will see you later in the day. Leaving the room, she closed the door behind her. It was time to go grab some lunch.