[The vibes are off in the cafe, he realizes the moment he pokes his head in through the door. Something is wrong, something is weird, and for some unknown reason, his nerves are suddenly on edge.
But Haru greets him as she always does, and he can't just turn away now that she's seen him, right? It'd be rude, and so he nods.]
Yeah. Please? Just whenever you get a sec, I can wait.
[ Once the customer has been served their matcha latte, they head out the door, seemingly unbothered by whatever it is Kazuya might be sensing.
Haru doesn't seem to be acting out of the ordinary, serving a hot cup of hot chocolate with some extra chocolate syrup and then marshmallows on top for Kazuya that she brings over. ]
[It smells good. Sweet, just like her. Both scents he can catch across the room, from where he hovers awkwardly nearest the door, torn between the urge to escape, to get away, and be lured in further.
Thankfully, his choice is made for him when Haru closes the gap between them, and without a word, he obediently sits at a table, motioning for her to sit across from him politely.]
Lots of weird stuff going on right now, I guess. Kinda making it hard to think, you know?
It's hard to ignore, but nothing dangerous has happened yet luckily.
[ The unrelenting dark is something, but she's trying to keep the cafe open regardless. Who knows, it may be a much needed place of shelter if things go awry. ]
Not really. My boyfriend... I don't know if he would have attacked me or not, honestly, I think he might have wanted to? But it was definitely dangerous for us to stay together.
[... Not dangerous for Kazuya.]
So I told him he could stay at our house, and I'd find somewhere else for the time being until things return to normal.
[ This is the first she's heard of Kazuya's boyfriend, though perhaps she shouldn't be so surprised when it seems quite a number of people in this world are romantically involved with one another.
The cafe is quiet right now, so she slides into the chair across from Kazuya, keeping an eye out on the door in case. ]
Is it like the crystal monsters from summer? Did he turn into one of those or...
[ She pauses, lips pursing. ]
I'm sorry, Kazuya-kun. Perhaps you can stay at the machiya? There's a guest room and I'm sure Maruki-san would be glad to have you.
No. Kinda like the traditional sort you'd see this time of ear. I think he was supposed to be some kind of lycanthrope?
[Werewolf. Lycanthrope. Same animal.
Kazuya carefully picks up his hot chocolate, letting the heat seep into his hands. Not that they're cold, but it is nice, and helps distract him from the ever-present anxiety gnawing on him.]
It's alright. I don't need to stay there, I can find somewhere else. There's plenty of open houses still I can just bunk in for a bit. And I don't know how safe it'd be for them there either if one of them changed while I was around. I think it's better if I'm away from people, or at least far enough to not react to them immediately.
[ Kazuya's strategy doesn't seem to quell Haru's concern for his well-being. ]
What do you mean? You don't need to hide from your friends.
[ She looks at her palms; she doesn't feel different, nor does she feel an unusual or unsettling presence in her body like she had in the Labyrinth when that spirit possessed her and had her attack Akechi. ]
Ah... Sorry, I think I might have given you the wrong impression. It's not for my safety, it's for theirs. Because of what I am, I have a bad habit of lashing out or attacking things not human.
[He won't bother thinking too hard about why that's his first instinct. It's a demon thing, totally. Not a him thing at all!
He takes a sip. It's good, as always.]
Since I'm the problem, it makes more sense for me to be the one to put distance between me and other people so I don't cause problems and hurt people.
Not really. If I have time I can prepare myself, but if it's something that happens suddenly, I just tend to react first and think later.
[He does not seem to think this is an issue, judging by the way he's speaking in a rather calm manner about it. Even if he'd nearly hurt Basil... It's funny. He can't bring himself to care about it now, even if he knows in the future he'll feel absolutely horrible over it.
But Haru looks a little off, doesn't she? Does she have experience with this sort of thing? There's the demon in her head, Milady, was it? Kazuya tilts his head a little, curious.]
[ His response makes the most sense, but it's hard to wrap her head around the image of a Kazuya with no sense of control. Is it related to his power over demons?
Not shadows or Personas... but demons. It doesn't make a lick of sense still. ]
Hm? [ Oh. ] Nothing right now.
[ She would know if she had attacked someone, wouldn't she? Kazuya would not be sitting here across from her if that's the case. ]
Um, well I understand the feeling, I suppose. When the Labyrinth lured us in I ended up in some kind of haunted room.
[ Her stomach knots and the nausea kicks in harder. She swallows hard, the phantom taste of blood filling her throat. ]
Like your boyfriend, I didn't mean to.
[ Haru's hands sit in her lap, nervously picking underneath her nails. ]
There was something in that room. A demon or spirit, I'm not sure. It took over my body and I...
[ It's hard not to feel guilty, despite Akechi having no qualms (as far as she can tell) about it. If anything, he reveled in the violence of it all. ]
[Huh. She's nervous. Does that mean she regrets it? Or enjoyed it? It's funny, that even if he knows what someone might be feeling, there's no other information for why they're feeling like that.
And to say a demon or a spirit... So maybe it was that "Milady" of hers. He takes another sip.]
You attacked the person you were with. [He finishes for her. But a curiousity burns in him now, triggered by her nerves. His voice is even, non-judgmental.] Did you like it?
[ Whoops, her voice raises a little, but she's quick to quiet down.
She looks around nervously, then back at Kazuya, waving her hands back and forth. ]
Think of it as... my other self. Besides, my Persona isn't what made me attack Akechi-kun. There was something in that strange room that was trying to hurt us both.
You attacked Akechi, though? [He makes a face, like he's trying to puzzle something out.] I can't say I'm surprised... Honestly, he probably deserved it, even if you say something else was making you do it.
[ Akechi has incurred her wrath before. She doesn't need to keep rehashing that point.
She sighs, looking outside the window into the dark, only her reflection visible. ]
It isn't like that. He hadn't done anything.
[ It makes her sick, to think about that creature worming its way into her heart, trying to force them to sink into despair over what it thought was their desires.
Or maybe there was some truth it. She's been trying not to dwell on it, because each time she does, the image of Akechi's half torn lip, blood pooling around them, emerges in her mind's eye. ]
[... He hadn't done anything? Maybe that means he'd been playing nice for her. Ah well, it's not Kazuya's business to explain anything more than that. Instead, he focuses on drinking his cooling drink.]
Well... I wouldn't be too worried about it. He's a pretty strong guy, all things considered. I doubt he's hung up on whatever happened between you two, even if you did attack him. Besides, it's not like you killed each other or anything, or left any lasting damage.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
YAY
But Haru greets him as she always does, and he can't just turn away now that she's seen him, right? It'd be rude, and so he nods.]
Yeah. Please? Just whenever you get a sec, I can wait.
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Haru doesn't seem to be acting out of the ordinary, serving a hot cup of hot chocolate with some extra chocolate syrup and then marshmallows on top for Kazuya that she brings over. ]
I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?
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[It smells good. Sweet, just like her. Both scents he can catch across the room, from where he hovers awkwardly nearest the door, torn between the urge to escape, to get away, and be lured in further.
Thankfully, his choice is made for him when Haru closes the gap between them, and without a word, he obediently sits at a table, motioning for her to sit across from him politely.]
Lots of weird stuff going on right now, I guess. Kinda making it hard to think, you know?
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[ The unrelenting dark is something, but she's trying to keep the cafe open regardless. Who knows, it may be a much needed place of shelter if things go awry. ]
Do you think it will get worse?
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Thankfully, he can keep a carefully neutral expression all the same.]
It's likely. There are monsters roaming around, former dreamers, it seems. They might attack people.
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[ That's the first she's heard, but she realizes she must be lucky this time around as she hasn't had the same luck the other times around.
Her brows furrow. ]
Have you been attacked? Are you alright?
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[... Not dangerous for Kazuya.]
So I told him he could stay at our house, and I'd find somewhere else for the time being until things return to normal.
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The cafe is quiet right now, so she slides into the chair across from Kazuya, keeping an eye out on the door in case. ]
Is it like the crystal monsters from summer? Did he turn into one of those or...
[ She pauses, lips pursing. ]
I'm sorry, Kazuya-kun. Perhaps you can stay at the machiya? There's a guest room and I'm sure Maruki-san would be glad to have you.
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[Werewolf. Lycanthrope. Same animal.
Kazuya carefully picks up his hot chocolate, letting the heat seep into his hands. Not that they're cold, but it is nice, and helps distract him from the ever-present anxiety gnawing on him.]
It's alright. I don't need to stay there, I can find somewhere else. There's plenty of open houses still I can just bunk in for a bit. And I don't know how safe it'd be for them there either if one of them changed while I was around. I think it's better if I'm away from people, or at least far enough to not react to them immediately.
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What do you mean? You don't need to hide from your friends.
[ She looks at her palms; she doesn't feel different, nor does she feel an unusual or unsettling presence in her body like she had in the Labyrinth when that spirit possessed her and had her attack Akechi. ]
We can figure it out together, right?
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[He won't bother thinking too hard about why that's his first instinct. It's a demon thing, totally. Not a him thing at all!
He takes a sip. It's good, as always.]
Since I'm the problem, it makes more sense for me to be the one to put distance between me and other people so I don't cause problems and hurt people.
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[ It's a jarring idea, the thought that someone who seems as collected as Kazuya could lose control so easily.
Even if she had experienced something similar, it only happened because something had taken her over.
Her face is a little pale then, recalling the copper taste in her mouth. ]
Um, are you sure there's nothing we can do to help?
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[He does not seem to think this is an issue, judging by the way he's speaking in a rather calm manner about it. Even if he'd nearly hurt Basil... It's funny. He can't bring himself to care about it now, even if he knows in the future he'll feel absolutely horrible over it.
But Haru looks a little off, doesn't she? Does she have experience with this sort of thing? There's the demon in her head, Milady, was it? Kazuya tilts his head a little, curious.]
Did something like that happen with you?
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Not shadows or Personas... but demons. It doesn't make a lick of sense still. ]
Hm? [ Oh. ] Nothing right now.
[ She would know if she had attacked someone, wouldn't she? Kazuya would not be sitting here across from her if that's the case. ]
Um, well I understand the feeling, I suppose. When the Labyrinth lured us in I ended up in some kind of haunted room.
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[He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.]
Did you end up attacking someone, then? Since you said you understood the feeling.
[He can't imagine anything else that'd match, and Haru seems pretty mild-mannered and polite aside. Who then, would she have attacked?]
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Like your boyfriend, I didn't mean to.
[ Haru's hands sit in her lap, nervously picking underneath her nails. ]
There was something in that room. A demon or spirit, I'm not sure. It took over my body and I...
[ It's hard not to feel guilty, despite Akechi having no qualms (as far as she can tell) about it. If anything, he reveled in the violence of it all. ]
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And to say a demon or a spirit... So maybe it was that "Milady" of hers. He takes another sip.]
You attacked the person you were with. [He finishes for her. But a curiousity burns in him now, triggered by her nerves. His voice is even, non-judgmental.] Did you like it?
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[ Her response is immediate, defensive and a bit loud.
Haru takes a moment to gather herself, shoulders settling back into place. ]
Every moment of it controlling me was awful. I feel sick just thinking about it.
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[Maybe it's not the same thing then, and Kazuya shakes his head.]
I thought it might be different, with that demon inside you.
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[ Whoops, her voice raises a little, but she's quick to quiet down.
She looks around nervously, then back at Kazuya, waving her hands back and forth. ]
Think of it as... my other self. Besides, my Persona isn't what made me attack Akechi-kun. There was something in that strange room that was trying to hurt us both.
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[Just so she knows!]
You attacked Akechi, though? [He makes a face, like he's trying to puzzle something out.] I can't say I'm surprised... Honestly, he probably deserved it, even if you say something else was making you do it.
cw: blood??
[ Akechi has incurred her wrath before. She doesn't need to keep rehashing that point.
She sighs, looking outside the window into the dark, only her reflection visible. ]
It isn't like that. He hadn't done anything.
[ It makes her sick, to think about that creature worming its way into her heart, trying to force them to sink into despair over what it thought was their desires.
Or maybe there was some truth it. She's been trying not to dwell on it, because each time she does, the image of Akechi's half torn lip, blood pooling around them, emerges in her mind's eye. ]
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Well... I wouldn't be too worried about it. He's a pretty strong guy, all things considered. I doubt he's hung up on whatever happened between you two, even if you did attack him. Besides, it's not like you killed each other or anything, or left any lasting damage.
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Truthfully, Akechi-kun seems alright, but it was quite a vicious fight. I... or it, injured him rather badly then.
[ She'll have to assume Maruki or Akira patched him up afterwards. ]
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["Tussled" is putting it pretty mildly for what they've done...]
Like you said though, he's definitely alright now, so I wouldn't let it eat at you too much.
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how is this a conversation they're actually having
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