i still got a little boy at heart ♔

so i wait in line, i'm a modern man and the people behind me, they can't understand naoto shirogane [ shibuku academy ]

[detecting-blog]

♔ not quite festive enough [open]

Christmas season... Her thoughts had been wandering more often to her memories of home -- more specifically, her grandfather -- as December days came and went far more quickly than she had time to keep up with. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would be spending Christmas, a time supposed to be shared between friends, family and loved ones, caught up in the escapades of a bunch of delinquents tossed into a distant Japanese city. If anyone had tried to warn her in the past, she might have found the idea almost amusing.

It wasn't as funny anymore. It was just... intensely cold.

Snow was far from one of Naoto's most favoured natural phenomenons. Aside from being a thorn in her side when it came to simple things such as getting from point a to point b without getting her pants soaked up to the knees, and aside from chilling her to the bone without so much as a care in the world, it only made navigation that much more difficult for someone as... well, as short, as she was. A single rising slope coated with white slush was all it took to throw off the detective's otherwise keen sense of direction, effectively ruining any plans she had of turning her long overdue trip outside the dorm into anything even remotely resembling an organized stroll.

She was left slipping on thin sheets of ice the second her feet hit the concrete pathway, which put a bit of a damper on things as well. Winter was terrible. The complete lack of proper caretakers in this city was terrible. Maybe she should have worn better shoes, or just decided to stay indoors from the get-go. Now that she was outside, that hardly seemed like a good idea if not for the fact that it would make her voyage into the cold a total waste of valuable time.

"This is... completely inane," she sighed, her hands finding their way to the cold walls of one of the many buildings lining the street for support. With each tentative step she took, hesitantly pressing her heel against the glistening, ice-coated concrete, she was met with an almost inaudible crack and the growing sense that maybe hightailing it back inside actually would be a good idea. There wasn't much ice on the ground, not really, but there was enough to make her steps shake and uneasy. That might be partly attributed to her reluctance to move at all, though -- not that she'd admit it.

For now, Naoto made her way along the quiet street while sticking as close to the edge of various walls as she could, occasionally tripping over herself with half-muted exclamations. She might as well try to set up something for Christmas, even if she would end up spending it on her own in the solitude of her dorm room after almost falling flat on her face for the millionth time since stepping outside.

Her shoulders slumped and she quickly scooted over to a nearby tree trunk, rested her back against it and sighed through gritted teeth as small droplets fell onto her shoulders. Winter was not looking particularly enjoyable from this angle.

[stillatrainee-blog-blog]

i just want somewhere quiet to study !! [ intro ~ ]

[stillatrainee-blog-blog]

The noise in the class room didn’t seem to change. Which left Haruhi standing there— wondering what to do. Looking up she noticed a group of girls gossiping and giving her looks. Where they good looks? Or were they bad… Haruhi couldn’t tell. She was hoping they were good, she didn’t want to get into an argument on her first day.

Speaking of getting into an argument, there was a group of male students… fighting by the looks. She couldn’t exactly tell if it was a play fight or not but she had hoped they hadn’t notice her call out. Haruhi didn’t exactly want to be bashed up. Sometimes she kinda did wish she was a guy— or that she had a black belt in karate. Just so that if people did mistake her for a guy.. she’d be able to defend herself.

Haruhi’s attention shifted when she noticed a small figured person coming towards her. By looking at their appearance— they looked like they would a be male. But the small figure of the person reminded Haruhi of herself. They could be just like he— no way.. like she would meet someone with similar circumstances to her.

“Well it is loud in here so… it might be better if we do go out in the hallway. Maybe then no one will give us weird looks—” Haruhi stifles a small laugh, motioning towards the group of girls in the corner.

[detecting-blog]

Naoto sort of wishes she found the situation to be at all amusing. She was more focused on how disruptive the other's behaviour was. Did they really think they were going to get anywhere if they acted rowdy in a school specifically designed for reformation? It was... well, ridiculous, in a word. Ridiculous and entirely too annoying.

At least the stranger in front of her now seemed to understand the fruitlessness of that behaviour, though, which made the detective feel a bit more at ease about having gotten up in the middle of the hustle and bustle. She wasn't the only one who actually wanted to use class time to her advantage, which was a good sign. Perhaps everyone else here wasn't as juvenile as she'd thought.

She glanced back at the brunette, as inexpressive as ever. "I can't say I care much for their mannerisms... Given that this is a school for the more troublesome students, though, I suppose it's only to be expected." She offered a light shrug before she made her way past the door, signalling with a slight wave for Haruhi to follow after. She would be all too relieved to get out of that room with an actual reason.

Turning on the spot once she was past the doorway, she placed a hand to her chest and the corners of her lips upturned into a very minor smile. "I, ah... My apologies, an introduction is probably in order. I am Naoto Shirogane. It's a pleasure to meet you."

[stillatrainee-blog-blog]

i just want somewhere quiet to study !! [ intro ~ ]

I don’t feel like I’m in Tokyo anymore… were Haruhi’s initial thoughts of the place. She knew she was getting sent off to a delinquent school for something she didn’t do. Simiply, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who would of thought that the even the police would mistake her for a guy after she showed them her ID … oh well. What she couldn’t change was the fact she was here now. She had accepted her punishment calmly— knowing she probably had no way out of it. Haruhi knew that it had probably lowered her chances of becoming a lawyer too, and she was pretty down about that.

And now she is here— holding her arm in pain as she walks down the brand new corridors. This place kind of reminds her of a mix of her junior high— and Ouran. Just because of how new everything looks. Speaking of Ouran though— everyone was pretty crushed when they found out. She knew that they’d all be able to find a way for her to escape her punishment but… she didn’t want to be in more debt at the Host Club! She didn’t want to spend her life as an errand dog and host…

Haruhi was pretty lost in her thoughts. She wasn’t really paying attention to the death stares she was getting from real delinquents. How many troublemakers would be here? Would she have a hard time not getting into trouble? — Those were two of the main questions floating around in her head. But the main question was … where was somewhere quiet that she could study. There had been a few classrooms that had Haruhi had walked passed but they all seemed pretty rowdy.. until she stopped and peered into the next room. A few people, it seemed quiet. Maybe she could study in this room?

Haruhi walks up to the door, shuffling the books in her arm a bit. Did she have too many books? Was the work going to be hard? She wouldn’t know until she started classes, of course. Anyway— Haruhi opens to the door to.. chaos. The room is way louder than it was on the outside. Soundproof walls? Maybe.… She looks up at everyone looking at her. She smiles weakly. 

“… Does this place have a library or somewhere quiet to study in?” Haruhi questions everyone.

— This was probably not a good impression, was it? Being known as someone who wants to study at a delinquent school, that is. Oh… and she did look like a guy too, apparently. 

[detecting-blog]

Naoto, herself, put very little thought into the situation she had found herself in. Since being suspended from the ongoing investigation in Inaba on grounds of not only falsely withholding information from the authorities but refusing to attend proper schooling until she was convinced that the case had been wrapped up entirely, she was working hard on focusing on the future rather than dwelling on how annoyed she was by the accusations.

Such a feat would be easier if the school she was sent to wasn't equally as aggravating.

The room she had decided to spend her break in had been entirely empty when she found it and sat herself at a free table, the single book she had brought resting atop the wood, though time had passed; students filed in, one by one, some in pairs and some in groups, until there were too many to expect them to actually get along. From the corner, she sat with her shoulders hunched over and tried to block out the noise of elder males picking fights with one another and younger girls gossiping about all of the new 'recruits.' This wasn't the sort of environment she wanted. Far from it. But she'd dealt with plenty of delinquents in her life, so the detective was determined to endure for as long as she had to.

When the door squeaked open and Haruhi's figure appeared through the doorway, she glanced up and listened intently; anything to take her mind off of the ruckus. Part of her felt bad for the way the stranger, having to address a large crowd of people like the ones occupying the room, but she soon took her book into her hands and stood, walking over to the -- er, were they a female or a male? She wasn't sure. Appearance-wise, she'd guess a rather androgynous male, but, all things considered... She herself had been concealing the fact that she was female for quite some time now, the only people knowing that she wasn't the 'prince' the media liked to make her out to be being her grandfather. She wasn't going to assume anything.

Naoto bowed her head once she was close enough to the other to speak up without her voice being drowned out, and motioned towards the doorway. "Forgive me for being forward, but... If you're after directions, perhaps it would be best we confer outside of the room. The students here can be quite bothersome, at best."

[detecting-blog]

♔case one;

‘Concealing evidence,’ they’d said. ‘Don’t you think you ought to start attending school now that the investigation is being handled well,’ they’d said. ‘You’ve been spending a lot of time sneaking around town,’ they’d said. ‘You aren’t permitted to carry on this investigation on your own,’ they’d said.

Everything they had said infuriated her.

Naoto had integrity, she had a reputation; she was a talented detective and a representative of the law, not only in her own division but as a beacon through which the truth and the welfare of the public could shine through. Inaba was her home, even if temporarily, and she hadn’t been assigned to the murder case to listen to the higher-ups badger her for her supposed inexperience just because they needed someone younger to pick on when they felt like it. Part of her knew that her reasoning was flawed, but the words stung like daggers when they reached her ears.

She didn’t mind being advised to attend the so-called ‘delinquent’s school.’ When was the last time she’d even heard of such an institute? In a rural town like Inaba, such things would seem to be a luxury, the mere murmurs of parents who spent too much time fretting over the peace and quiet of their nights in the face of gangs. Even if she had no way of working on her own investigation while she was out here, at least she had something new to occupy her mind.

The detective found herself wandering without any real aim, a keycard to the male's dorm slipped into her pocket and her light, near empty save for a few changes of clothes and notes from her signup, travel bag slung over a shoulder. The doors to the school were locked, would be for a while longer, and nothing in the stretches of street caught her interest enough to deter her from mapping out the area in her head. 

“How troublesome,” she sighed, a hand absently tilting her cap down. Locating the dorm was at the top of her priorities, naturally, but scouting out another resident to ask for directions certainly wasn't. It was too bad she didn’t have a map on hand to use, nor did there seem to be any nearby. Was she just... supposed to continue walking until she came across someone who looked like they weren't in the same situation she was? At least she was covering good ground.

[detecting-blog]

lol fuck

[detecting-blog]

down-with-the-city:

When Nezumi heard the unfamiliar voice, his silver orbs glanced up to catch sight of a rather masculine female. It wasn’t as if she was unappealing to the eyes, it was the fact that her chest appeared to be flat while her voice was rather dull that dismissed her femininity. Someone could have easily mistaken her for the opposite gender. Luckily, Nezumi could differentiate. He had years of analyzing people psychically from afar behind him as experience.  

Her stare remained stern as he took a couple of steps closer to her, the sound of different pieces of metal and shards of glass shuffling underneath his feet becoming the background music. That was, until he spoke.

“If I were to leave to another location, wouldn’t it be the same? This entire circus is a rather dangerous place.”

“Either way, I don’t need protection if that’s what you’re going to ask. I’m fine on my own.”

Naoto kept her shoulders raised just slightly, watching as the male approached her with dull interest. Well, at least he didn't look dangerous. The last thing she needed on top of the worries moving about the back of her mind was to deal with someone stupid enough to attack her.

She shifted her weight, kicking a few stones out from under her shoe on instinct and offered nothing more than a raised eyebrow to his words. "Perhaps so, though there is strength in numbers." She waved off his comment with a shrug, a small, uninspired smile making its way onto her lips. She hadn't talked to anyone for a few days now; it was nice to hear her thoughts out loud, however small and meaningless they were. 

"I did say it was potentially dangerous on one's own, whereas a group is quite the contrary. On the other hand... I don't intend to offer assistance if you're going to ignore it." The mere way he dressed was enough to let the detective know that he was probably one of those keep-to-yourself sort of people, not that she minded. Being trapped in the circus for so long was the only reason she was even willing to consider conversing with strangers now, and even then, she tried not to sound too standoffish. 

Turning her head to the side, she folded her arms across her chest before continuing. "Naoto Shirogane, while I'm here. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary here?" A pause. "As out of the ordinary as anything can get in this wretched place, at any rate."

[detecting-blog]

down-with-the-city:

The dimly lit sky had slowly become dark, Nezumi watching the sun drop behind a pair of clouds. Then again, he could barely even call what he watched a sunset. All he was able to see were a few fading rays of light thanks to the fog. It hadn’t bothered him the first few days he was here, but now it was becoming irritating. Back in the Western District he was used to clear skys; day or night. He had a crystal clear view of whomever was near him back then. Now, he had to focus on a figure to tell if it was a person, inanimate object, etc.

The silver-eyed young man brushed the thoughts away, starting to head back towards the decapitated city. Somehow, it had managed to become more of a home than the rotten trailer had appeared to be. He was currently in the outskirts of the city, stepping over random pieces of rubble. It was only a few minute long walk back in, Nezumi throwing his scarf around his neck.

Tonight, he didn’t know what he felt. Was it longing? Sadness? Anger? Frustration? He just wanted to shut the world out and focus on his thoughts. He had become so scatter-brained the last few days, it was sickening. He had to gather himself up again and quickly. He faced too much defenselessness in this position. He didn’t even notice the shadow that had emerged on his far side, the figure slowly approaching.

Weren't professionals supposed to have a better sense of direction than this? Naoto internally sighed, pulling on the edge of her cap indecisively. She'd wandered this far with no real goal at all; just seeing the outskirts of the circusgrounds was enough to decide whether or not traveling further was a wise decision or not. Though she wasn't the sort to believe in ghosts or anything paranormal, really, the clicking sound of her shoes against the ground wasn't helping her feel safe at all. She'd been told that there were 'spirits,' or something to that affect, that liked to linger about the city, after all.

With a shake of the head, she rounded a corner, blinking once to make out another -- person? -- standing nearby. Nobody familiar, unfortunately, though the fact that they were meeting in the middle of an old, forgotten city dispelled any of the detective's worries about striking up conversation. She didn't particularly care for formalities when she herself was more on edge than usual, pulling her gaze over the figure of the other nonchalantly.

"Are you aware that wandering on one's own in this city is potentially dangerous?" An eyebrow quirked momentarily, regarding the male with a steeled expression. Her hand rested on the edge of a crumbling windowsill of an equally as crumbling, abandoned building, absently grazing along a trail of dust. "Unless you're looking for a way to ensure that you run into trouble, leaving might be worth considering."

[detecting-blog]

kantanmode:

[ Slowly, Reisen is starting to get used to staring — the confusion about her ears was one thing she did not like about the outside. All nearly forty years of her life everyone had passed her ears as something normal and nothing special. It seemed like more and more people were arriving every single day, thus more and more questioning about her ears… What a dreadful thought. ]

[ Smiling, Reisen shook Naoto’s hand at the same time she answered the other’s question. ] I just arrived. I’m still adjusting.

If it was at all obvious that the youkai wasn't fond of her staring, Naoto would be all too happy to stop -- she was all about that public and social decency or whatnot, after all.

She moved her gaze back to the other's face regardless and nodded, pulling her hand back to her side. It seemed like forever and a day had passed since she herself was new, though the memories were clear enough. That was a rollercoaster ride of conflicting emotions and endless questions that she wouldn't want to repeat any time soon, nor would she wish it on anyone else.

Seeing newcomers always made Naoto just the slightest bit uneasy, but she managed to uphold her otherwise professional demeanour.

"In that case, should you need any assistance, you're more than welcome to direct any and all questions in my direction. Though I can't say I'm exactly an expert on the area itself... I'd be more than willing to help as thoroughly as possible."

[aseeringgaze-deactivated2011090]

@lalolololonde

[detecting-blog]

aseeringgaze:

Rose let slip an uncharacteristic albeit slight grin at the mention of information. Ah, finally someone with at least something to tell, no matter how slight or inconsequential or basic it might turn out to be. Knowledge did indeed feel like power.

“Fruitless, you say? Hmm… That’s rather disappointing to hear, but I suppose I did not expect any others to be forthcoming with any information—had they any to offer in the first place, of course. I suppose that means we’ll have to do some research on our own here.” She sighed and gave a slight shrug of the shoulders before returning to a rather bland, vague expression.

“But yes, I’ve been assigned a trailer. A-7.”

"Usually I'd say I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I believe you'll find that information is uniform and very rarely at all insightful here." Of course, she was quite used to having to go to all lengths to get a straight answer from people -- or to devise her own conclusions.

It was nothing new, as painful as it might have been to run into continuous dead ends and false leads. Nobody else was to be blamed for the lack of information circulating the area; with a man as secretive and enigmatic as the Ringmaster behind things, it was a bit of a given.

"From what I've been told, the order of trailers is at least somewhat relevant to each other. I imagine you and I will be housed fairly close together." The detective returned the girls' own near unreadable expression with one of her own, keeping her posture straight as she pulled a small, crinkled piece of paper from her own pocket. Sure enough, B-7, just as she had recalled.

"I, ah... Assuming it isn't too much trouble, of course, I wouldn't mind helping in any way to assure you grow accustomed to the way things are here as quickly as possible." Civil duties and whatnot.

[xxii-thefool-blog]

@minty

[detecting-blog]

xxii-thefool:

Alright, it`s settled. I`ll help guide you.  [ All aboard the Minato express, whoo whoo. Not really. ] Bear in mind, I`m still getting used to this place…however, after a few months, you tend to get a sort of feel around the area. 

[ He began a step forward, knowing s/he would soon follow suit.  Had it really been that many months? Nearly seven, if his count was right… Seven months of being alive. That was nice. Seven months in this place? Not so much Minato was too busy being lost in thought that he nearly ignored Naoto`s question.  Smooth. ] 

What I did in my previous world? [ Ah, this was always a funny topic to delve into. It would take ages to explain, but they had all the time in the world, after all. ]  Ah, see, I was getting that feeling earlier myself…well, you may not believe everything I`m going to say, but humour me.

[ Continuing his walk forward, he took a deep breath and ceased his steps for just a moment. ] Have you ever heard of something called a “Persona?” No, not the vocabulary word…an entity of it`s own.

"That's very much appreciated, Minato-kun," Naoto nodded shortly, trailing after him slowly, taking the time to survey the area and note down the directions she'd need to take should she find herself in this particular spot again. "As loathe as I am to admit it, I fear I may not be the most reliable person here when it comes to directions." Getting lost was hardly a desirable outcome for anybody let alone a renowned detective.

She was grateful that there was at least someone who knew their way around, even if his words were troublesome, somewhat. He must have been here for a while. Sad. 

His response came as a surprise, pulling her from her reverie with a start that disrupted her steps. The word made her pause in her tracks, a short distance from the boy himself. It rung in her mind for a moment, over and over -- yes, she had heard of something called a 'Persona.' She knew all too well what it meant, psychology and Freudian theoretic aside.

Realizing that she had been gawking just slightly, the detective shook her head, the smallest hint of a smile playing on her lips. She hadn't given it terribly much consideration since arriving, but Yamato-Takeru's steady hum had all but vanished, leaving a quiet vacancy in the recesses of her mind. It was... lonely, to say the least, now that she thought about it.

"Yes... I'm familiar with the term, and its variations." Her eyes wandered over Minato's figure, studying him carefully. Well, there was one answer -- Persona users weren't limited to just herself and the Investigation Team, if what he was saying truly did mean that he had a similar 'power.' 

"Are you implying that you, too, posses another self?"

[detecting-blog]

kantanmode:

[ Was this… a boy or a girl? Reisen didn’t introduce herself at first, instead simply staring, perplexed. She blinked a couple of times before realizing how rude she was being by staring instead of greeting the other; her cheeks heated up and she quickly bowed in both a greeting and apology. ]

M-my name is Reisen Udongein Inaba! It’s… a pleasure to meet you as well!

While the girl took her time staring at her -- and Naoto had a fairly good idea of what prompted that, it wasn't anything new, after all -- the detective took the chance to fold her arms across her chest, studying the other as thoroughly as possible in turn. She looked harmless enough, thankfully.

"Inaba...? Ah, I see. That's quite an interesting name." She let her gaze move to the ears atop the strangers' head, narrowing just slightly in confusion. She'd been out of commission for some time now, so it wouldn't come as a surprise if there was some occasion for fancy dress. 

Disregarding it with a quick shake of the head, Naoto extended a hand. "Are you perhaps a newcomer, Reisen-san?"

[detecting-blog]

thejudgeisin started following you

 kantanmode started following you

She'd stepped away for a short time, deliberating over theories and deductions and spending countless hours trying to decode the message that the Ringmaster had left her with -- to no avail, unfortunately -- yet the second the detective decides to resume her exploration of the area, there are even more unfamiliar faces.

By now, it was hardly a surprise, and her aggravation towards the situation had dulled considerably.

"A mere week makes very little difference in the grand scheme of things, it seems. How disappointing. Nonetheless," she sighed, nodding her head towards the two strangers, her expression as steeled as ever, "it's a pleasure to meet the both of you. My name is Naoto Shirogane." 

[detecting-blog]

triangulumagus:

“If you really wish to struggle futilely against the inevitable, that’s entirely your choice. You’re hardly the first to refuse to accept the position you’re in.” He shrugged. He wouldn’t try to stop her; it wasn’t really his business, anyway. Reality would hit soon enough.

“I wish you the best in your pursuits… however hopeless they may be.”

While his words weren't amusing themself, it wasn't news to her; more people than she'd expected thought the idea was a useless endeavour, to the point where hearing their opinions on the matter was becoming hilariously predictable. 

"Ah, but it's quite the contrary. While I cannot accept that the Ringmaster continues to evade punishment for his actions, I understand that there is a very real chance that my efforts will fail." The detective stifled a quiet chuckle with a small smile, nodding slightly. 

"Rather than stand aside and let whatever happens happen, which very well could be nothing at all... I am merely putting my time to better use. But, I thank you for your support, however lackluster it may be. I like to think that regardless of how others see my goals, we are all on the same page."

[friendia-deactivated20120109]

revolveroyalty started following you ~

[detecting-blog]

tattooface:

Lily didn’t detect at the slightest that she was irritated with her, still leaving the same smile on her face. “Alright! Then I won’t call you by your name… maybe a nickname!” Her voice rose with the thought of her brilliant idea, her face becoming an even more noticeable shade of red. “Nao~ How about just Nao~ It’s easy and cute! That sounds good, doesn’t it? It does!” Or at least she thought.

Her facial expression than change completely, her happy expression dispersing and forming into a childish pout, stamping a foot to the ground underneath. “Huuuuh~?! Why would Nao say that?! Why can’t we be friends?” And again her expressions changed with the blink of an eye, now wearing the face of pure fear. “I-Is it because you don’t like me?”

“We have to be friends, or else— or else!” The child whined, wriggling around where she stood, foot still making impatient contact with the dirt underneath her. If this person wouldn’t be friends with her, she’d be so upset! She needed to be friends with everybody, after all. So that way, she could keep the good ones, and the ones that betrayed her… she could feed them to Bandersnatch! He always got hungry, and those blundering perverts she would often find in the parks wouldn’t suffice! And plus, playing with their remains would be just as fun as playing with them as if they were alive!

So… she needed to have options!

The other girl's actions were -- worrisome, to say the least. For all of her cold sounding words and less than friendly demeanour, if that's how some chose to perceive her, Naoto wasn't exactly fond of coming off as offensive towards others. She winced at the sound of the girl's foot stomping against the ground, raising her hands to try and convince the other to calm down or at least stop making such a ruckus. 

"N-No, of course that isn't the case...! Lily-san, please calm down." If she caught anybody else's attention, the detective may just start to lose her focus and end up stepping further out of line. Talk about first impressions -- she was probably a master at getting the worst ones around so many unfamiliar faces.

Naoto sighed, tilting her head slightly, dragging her gaze over the young blond. Her eyebrows knitted half in frustration and half in concern, as though she really believed that there was anything to worry about.

"If you really are so intent on being... friends, then I suppose we'll need to work towards that. Firstly, you'll need to stop making such an unreasonable fuss. I apologize if what I said was out of line." It was an awkward thing for her to say. She wasn't used to being thrown into companionship, not after finding stable ground with the investigation team.

[detecting-blog]

triangulumagus:

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it’d reached that point by now. And I doubt the Ringmaster’ll ever really be satisfied, no matter how many people he abducts.” He sighed. Sooner or later, he’d inevitably find more people he cared about in this place, and his feelings about that were… mixed.

“You can do what you want… nothing’s about to change.”

"I'm inclined to believe that, actually, though as long as I remain here, my primary duty will be to reverse what it is he's done." 

Well, at least it wasn't too much of a surprise to hear about the Ringmaster's own overzealous attitude towards his crimes. He was certainly an eccentric one, and that wasn't really anything new to Naoto; though she didn't accept it, she did understand that there might be little she could do for the time being.

"Whether you believe anything will change or not is your own decision, of course."

[detecting-blog]

royalcurrytaster:

The news that Naoto had been here before was something of a shock to Soma. So far he hadn't heard any stories of their memories having been tampered with. Vaguely, he wondered how many of those he had met suffered from the same case. It seemed to add an entirely new level of contempt for the Ringmaster the more Soma thought about it. If anything, he had been sure that their thoughts and their memories were all they were left with. But now even those were questionable.

"I really hope you can find some sort of clue, Naoto..." Soma spoke up, mulling over this new information in his head, more discomforted by it than he would have imagined he would be.  "I want to wish you good luck in tracking down this man that may be of help. Just be careful."

"... Yes, of course." Without her gun or Yamato-Takeru to aid her, she had a hard time imagining how well approaching the Ringmaster a second time would go, so it was true that her hopes for the moment were riding on the chance of somebody else being aware of an escape.

Disappointment wasn't usually something that really got to her, but she couldn't help but feel as though it might hit her harder this time than it had before. She was dealing with hundreds of other people as well.

"I will try to remain as careful as I can allow myself to be under the circumstances," she muttered, glancing away with a small frown. Always so professional, wasn't she? It seemed silly, especially when it was clear that there wasn't any threat in speaking to the other.

Naoto cleared her throat, giving the man a small smile. "... Thank you, Soma-san. I didn't imagine that there would be those here who would have the slightest bit of faith in my actions. I am just one person, about as lost as anyone else here, after all."

[theedgesoflightanddarkness-blog]

A few people started following you

[detecting-blog]

theedgesoflightanddarkness:

Riku nodded at the new face, and smiled slightly. To be honest, it had been a while since he actually greeted someone, and he figured it was high time to get out of that habit. Carefully combing his hand through his hair, he then began to speak again.

“Naoto. That’s a pretty cool name, I have to say. You been here long?” 

'Cool'? That was new. Well, at least he knew how to pronounce it, which definitely counted for something. The detective relaxed her posture just slightly, eyeing him with curiousity.

"A few weeks, at most. I'm afraid keeping track of time can be rather difficult with the erratic weather," she sighed, folding her arms across her chest. Weather, and the fact that the clock in her trailer had been broken. 

"And yourself...? I take it you're not a newcomer."