►(Persona 4/Multifandom) CASTING SHADOWS -literate-OPEN◄

Make it count!

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Total Votes:			[ 37 ]

[Ake00]

Ai Ebihara

Ai Ebihara, despite her tendency to shove people away because she didn't feel like dealing with them, could be a social butterfly if she would just put the effort forth. She had made conscious efforts to bite her tongue when particularly mean retorts would bubble up inside of her, and she didn't constantly isolate herself from her fellow students as much as she did before. For Ai, that was quite the accomplishment, even if sometimes it didn't feel like it was worth the effort.

This was another one of those times, as she barely managed to keep from cursing obscenely at whatever had scared her.

She'd been walking to school, minding her own business off in her own world when suddenly, she had heard a rather large scream followed by a horrific thump as a body fell from the sky. She had let out a startled scream and jumped back, her bag flying out of her hands. Surprises like these were not typical in the sleepy town of Inaba, but she steeled herself after her intial outburst, anger replacing her surprise.

"What is your problem! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she scolded the body on the floor, more concerned with her own welfare before the strangers. She had her hand on her chest over her rapidly beating heart.

It was then that she noticed it was a young man with a strange furball lying atop his chest by his arm. The kitten, despite the fall, was looking particularly unaffected. If anything, it managed to sit up on top of him and start licking its own paws. Ai's anger hadn't faded yet, but something inside Ai twisted at the sight of a kitten, feeling a rush of warmth come up in her cheeks.

She coughed, moving closer to the boy moaning in the street, half leaning over, placing one hand on her hip and the other resting on her bent knees. "Ah... are you.... dead?"

[Ake00]

Yosuke Hanamura

Yosuke nodded at Yvette's farewell and issued one of his own. He'd probably see her the next day in school anyway, so he wasn't in any hurry to get to know her. She seemed interesting enough, and he felt like he learned a little bit about her seeing her getting so excited about Daidara's. Not that he could really blame her, he was a bit like that himself, though he liked Deidara's for a completely different reason.

"It's kinda funny seeing someone that petite all riled up about weapons," Yosuke said to Yuuki once Yvette disappeared into the shop. Just then, something occurred to Yosuke. He'd recently been in the TV world and had acquired some rare materials that just might be useful to him.

"Actually, I've got some stuff to attend to inside the shop too.Feel like joining?" Yosuke wondered. He knew that Yuuki would probably have absolutely no reason to be in a metalworks shop, but he figured it would be polite to ask anyway. He chained his bike to a nearby pole just to be safe (though truth be told, it was never really necessary in a small town like Inaba. It must have been leftover habit from being in the city) and made his way inside.

Daidara was behind the counter by the time he entered the shop, and the moment he walked inside, Daidara turned to him and stared. He blinked a few times and then did the most subtle nod in his direction. They shuffled toward each other, Daidara polishing something that looked like a recently finished dagger, and Yosuke reaching into his bag as he walked.

"Hey. Long time no see. Hope sales has been good for you these days," Yosuke said, and returned the nod when he looked up. "I've got some good things for you today."

He placed them on the counter and Daidara inspected them thoroughly. He looked almost exactly the way Yosuke remembered two years ago, gruff and unshaven, though trustworthy with good humor. Daidara said gruffly, "No one's brought them in since I last requested. This is good news. I can make some good art with this."

"Idea paper and wonder cloth is kind of rare for most people to find, I guess." he replied, though he neglected to say that it was from one of the easier dungeons he'd been wandering around. He was relieved at the ease at which Daidara had spoken with him. It was like they were old friends, picking up right where they left off.

[Lumme]

"Ah... are you.... dead?"

Lumme grudgingly opened his eyes a bit to see a girl crouched over him,attempting to open his eyes more and sit up, still craddling Azure, " I, I am not dead no." as he tried to sit up he felt a sharp pain travel along his lower ribcage, and fought the urge to show any signs of actually being hurt. " Sorry that I startled you or what, I didn't exactly hear what you said before, I was just trying to save this Kitten from a large bird." He held up Azure in his hand to show the girl.

While he was showing her the kitten Lumme remembered his manner, " oh My name is Lumme Karanta by the way, nice to meet you." he slowly took back the kitten and held it at his torso as he skidded back a foot and tried to sit himself up, as he was trying to fight back the urge to show the pain he was in, Azure meowed softly, as if it could tell he was in pain.

Looking around Lumme remembered that he was in the shopping district, and knew that he might need to find the hospital soon, he figured he'd cracked a rib or something from the fall. He started to think and try to remember if he had passed the hospital on the way into town. All while very, very slowly standing up.

[Edge_Vanhite2121x]

~*~Yuuki Chariven, the Silent Scholar~*~

Yuuki simply shook his head and turned away. "No thanks..." he declined and began walking away. He was only here to familiarize himself with the local area even though it was only this particular region. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." he said within an earshot of Yosuke before heading out.

About midway down the road, a drop of rain splashed on the tip of his nose. He looked up as a few more drops landed on his glasses lens. He was right... it was gonna rain... he thought as he broke into a sprint, home still a ways away. It was just a drizzle for now, but it was enough to keep him running.

The moment he entered his home he immediately dropped his schoolbag and led himself to his room. He took a glance at the now soaked window as he took a seat at his study desk. It was like him to study endlessly like this. He was occasionally teased for being a 'genius'.

Lightning struck when he was on the verge of dozing off, awaking him abruptly. He shifted his gaze towards the clock in his room before hearing static from his TV again. Just like last night... but, midnight is still a few hours away... he said mentally as he approached it with caution, believing something was wrong with it. What gives?

Once within a certain range of the TV, a menacing yet familiar voice called out to him as a hand reach out to his neck. "...Come out and play, Yuuki..." Limited on choices, he slipped his hand into his pocket for his cell phone and tried to contact Yosuke. With a hand around his neck, it would be difficult for him to speak to him so he might as well drop it while it still tries to connect to Yosuke.

Soon after he dropped his cell, he was losing strength as he struggled to break free, pulled into the TV once again. He only hoped that Yosuke was able to figure out his current situation from an empty cell line. The static from his TV came to a stop, clearing the screen with light chuckle. "Just be patient, now... the show is about to begin..."

[CatFish0712]

Yvette Freimjahren

Yvette was still occupied with appreciating Daidara's collection that she didn't hear the clatter of the store's door being opened. Only when she heard a familiar voice she stopped her attention to the blades and turned to see the speaker, slightly surprised upon finding Yosuke there. Being at the peak of her best mood, she addressed the young man without a slightest inhibition.

"Yosuke-san? I thought you went somewhere else with Chariven-san." She paced closer to him. "Are you also interested in this kind of weaponry?" She uttered question, which was quickly followed by more as she laid eyes on some unknown objects on the counter. "What are those? Ah, wait... could it be that you're bringing Daidara-san materials to work with? Where did you get the-"

The girl didn't get to finish her last question, for her common sense finally got the better of her. She realized that Yosuke is her classmate; he is nice and all, but that doesn't mean he is already a friend whom she can ask questions at will, and she is being rude by butting into Yosuke's and Daidara's business.

"I-I'm sorry!" She said them, out loud, along with several bows. "I was... too excited, and..." She flustered, her voice shrank into a timid one before returning to its normal strength. "U-umm... Oh, I... suddenly remember that I have business back home... A-anyway... I apologize once again, Yosuke-san, Daidara-san. I'll be going now... Thank you for your time...!" With those words, and another bow, she stormed out of the store, moving at a quick pace all the way back to her boarding house.

[Ake00]

Ai Ebihara

Ai watched as he struggled to sit up, and mentally took note of how he was still cradling and taking great care with the kitten, despite his bruised state. Well his heart was still beating, he could still speak and he seemed coherent so Ai wasn't in a hurry to carry him off to the hospital like some knight in shining armor. Maybe if Seta was here, she'd tell him to do the footwork, but as it was, Ai wasn't a heavy lifter. This guy would have to settle with her hovering over him.

"Well, whatever. It's fine. Just... don't do it again. That's not exactly a good way to meet people in town- you're better off just shaking their hand like a normal person," she said. All in all, it may not have seemed friendly, but it was still progress. She hadn't insulted him yet, which she considered quite the accomplishment. If he'd met her two years ago, the boy would be running for the hills, she was sure. She knew she was pretty, but she knew just as much how sharp her own tongue was.

"Lumme? Nice. I guess you're a knight in shining armor, huh?" she replied. She stood there, watching him as he attempted to get up. That's when she finally noticed the difficulty at which he was trying to move. At first she attributed it to the fact that he was trying to get up one handed with a kitten in his arms and she reached over impatiently, with a huff, and took the kitten from his hands. For heaven's sakes. Put the thing down first.

She paused just a moment when it mewed at her and another rush of color rose to her cheeks. She deliberately ignored the kitten and tucked it in her arm, though it was making it difficult with all the licking it was doing at her fingers.

After that, he still managed to have difficulty getting up. She felt a touch of concern, just enough to say,

"... Maybe you shouldn't get up so fast. You're gonna hurt yourself," she said slowly. "I'm not a doctor or anything. Should I get help?"

[Ake00]

Yosuke Hanamura

Yosuke was taken aback by Yvette's sudden interest. Again, he was bearing witness to a side that Yvette typically didn't show. He took two steps back, but couldn't hold back a laugh. It was only when he tried to answer the questions that he realized that he couldn't without revealing or hinting at the TV world. He swallowed.

"Ah, Yuuki left for home or something. He's not the party-type, I take it," he replied, but just as soon as he did, Yvette fired off another question. He composed himself just enough to answer it. "Am I interested? Yeah I guess you could say I am. I spar? Or practice or something? A little bit?"

His last reply was a little uncertain, wondering if the answer was skating on dangerous or revealing. If he had one of his TV-saavy friends nearby, they might have kicked him in the shins for it, so he decided to try and be a little more careful. He hated to lie, but in some situations, it was better than letting her get too close to finding out anything. Only he never got the chance.

"Um. Y... woa," he said as Yvette suddenly asked so many questions, he couldn't keep track. Yvette must have realized how excited she must have looked because she backed off all of a sudden. "No, that's completely okay. This is your thing, I guess. On the bright side, at least me and Yuuki-san will know a good birthday present or something. Don't worry about it- we all get worked up about one thing or another. Nice seeing you, Yvette-san. I'll see you in class."

With that, he finished up his business with Daidara. The man had always suspected they weren't normal customers from all the different materials they brought to his store, but he had the grace to never ask, only have faith that they weren't teenagers of the troublemaker kind. It felt like Daidara knew what they were doing was important. And he appreciated it more than words could say that he helped them anyway, and without reservation. They exchanged a few quiet words after Yvette left, and it wasn't long until Yosuke was making his own way home like the other two.

He said hello to his parents when he got home, took care of some chores (stopping and stifling the painful thought that it was cleaner because Teddie wasn't around to make a mess) and then finally sprawled himself out on the small couch in his room. Somewhere along the lines, he drifted off to sleep. It wasn't until his phone rang that he blearily reached out and grabbed it. He frowned at the number, not recognizing it. It took him a full five seconds to realize that he'd only given out his number to one person and he answered right away.

"Yuuki-san, is that you? Yuuki-san?" he asked. He could hear breathing on the other line for a moment, and then a clatter like the phone was hitting something soft. Then there was some loud shuffling followed by an eerie silence. "Yuuki-san! What's going-"

A cold dread slowly made its way into his stomach. If that really had been Yuuki, then in all likelihood, something may have happened to him. After all, he had somehow managed to get pull into the TV world by himself. Though he was all right after the first day, there was no guarantee it wouldn't be a repeat. He slammed his phone shut and stuffed it in his pocket. He ran around the room, grabbing various items and his messenger bag, stuffing everything there as fast as possible. He wasn't up to snuff, wasn't fully rested from the previous day's fight, but he really didn't have a choice at this point if Yuuki was really in trouble.

He was on his bike in minutes, running out as quietly as possible without waking his parents, and speeding down the rain-slicked streets towards Junes. He hadn't known where Yuuki lived, so he didn't have a chance in hell of checking to see if he was still home. All he could do was check the TV world and hope that maybe the fox would lend him its nose once again. Just in case, he sped by the shrine, trying to spot the familiar sight of red that was the fox cub's apron.

"Hang on man," he said to no one in particular. "I'm coming."

[Lumme]

Lumme relinquished the kitten to Ai's possession, allowing him to use his other hand to help himself up, it was a bit easier, but it was just as painful, keeping his eyes closed as he stood up to try and not show any sign of the pain he was actually in.

After finding his new comfortable posture as to not upset his ribcage he looked over to the girl who had stopped to see if he was alright, just at the right moment to see her face light up with color. She was rather pretty, not that he would mention it, she seemed to be the kind of girl who knew that already,She'd totally be prettier with a slightly friendlier attitude. He laughed a bit in his own mind, mainly distracting himself from the pain of getting up too fast.

"... Maybe you shouldn't get up so fast. You're gonna hurt yourself," she said slowly. "I'm not a doctor or anything. Should I get help?"

" No, I don't need a doctor or anything." You sir, are a terrible liar. He thought to himself as he looked around, remembering he still hadn't had a good chance to actually check out the shopping district. " So, what is there to shop at around here anyway?" Almost anyone could tell he was talking through a decent amount of pain, but he would refuse to admit it.

[Edge_Vanhite2121x]

~*~Yuuki Chariven, the Silent Scholar~*~

Yuuki staggered when he came to, frozen stiff as he observed his surroundings. It was the last place he would ever dare to find himself in: a graveyard. Dreadful memories began to flood into his head upon sight of the cross-like tombstones, bearing a striking resemblance to his necklace. Just when he was starting to forget...

"About time you woke up..." It was the same ominous voice that spoke to him before entering the TV. A figure approached him from the dense fog clad in black, smirking at the scholar's presence. It was no surprise that Yuuki would be scared out of his wits again, especially noticing the strange similarities between the two. "Impeccable timing." he complimented before walking down a candlelit path and took a seat.

"Good evening, everyone... Such a wondrous night, isn't it?" The Shadow begun as the Midnight Channel flashed on, sitting laid-back on what seems to be a throne constructed completely from bones. "Welcome to a special broadcast of 'Six Feet Under Sheer Terror'. Tonight's little event on this little number, I'll be playing a little game everyone knows as 'Hide and Seek'." He motioned a hand towards himself as he continued on. "Where I, your host Yuuki Chariven, will play part as both predator and prey, the hunter and the hunted." The silver-haired 'scholar' then leaned forward, hands locked into one another. "I assure you that there's nothing to be afraid of. So, stay tuned... Don't get scared now..." He gave out one last chuckle before snapping his fingers, extinguishing the candles and ending his broadcast.

The Shadow stood from his throne and glared back at Yuuki with those eerie yellow eyes of his, speaking in the same sinister tone he used earlier that was loud enough for him to hear. "...Run..." Almost immediately, he sprinted away in a random direction, unable take in what he just saw and heard. Sharing not only his voice, but his name and appearance as well. Was this what Yosuke meant the other day?

~*~Yuuki Chariven?~*~

[Ake00]

Ai Ebihara

Ai wasn't sure who Lumme was trying to impress. If this was some manly attempt to be more macho in front of a girl, then he'd have to do a lot more than swallow a few cries of pain. Not that it wasn't admirable. She would have thought him a wimp if he'd been whining about it.

Now that she looked at how stiffly he moved, maybe the injuries were a little bit more serious than she'd previously thought.

"What are you ? Touched in the head? Hello, you fell out of a tree. Don't tell me that fact escapes you," she scolded, rolling her eyes as if it was common knowledge. From the look on her face, he probably knew exactly what she was thinking. After all, they were thinking around the same lines. 'From one liar to another, you can't fool your own kind.'

The kitten mewed quite loudly in her hands, and Ai tried to ignore it. She hoped she wasn't turning all red again. Heaven forbid Lumme think she was sunburned or something. And it wasn't like she had a thing for cute furballs either: she never really liked animals, they left fur all over the place, smelled in the rain and generally caused nothing but trouble.

... But the experience of holding the cat wasn't entirely unpleasant.

Maybe it was the kitten that was making her act a bit more generous than usual. She was really tempted to just move on and leave him alone to hurt by himself, but something was insisting she stay and at least make sure he got out of the area okay. For some reason, she kept getting the impression that he wasn't from around the area.

Ai sighed impatiently and held out her arm to assist him, as if he should already know what to do with it. "Come on. Let's get going to the hospital already. It's getting late and I'm not going to have bags under my eyes in the morning if I can help it."

As soon as he mentioned shopping, a bit of excitement seemed to radiate from her. She attempted to cover it up with impatience and indifference instead, "Besides, if you want to go shopping, this place is pretty lame. There are better places to shop in the city. This place has enough boredom to kill a horse. Or something like that."

She scrunched up her nose at the bad attempt at humor. It wasn't like he was a grammar nazi or anything at least.

[CatFish0712]

Yvette Freimjahren

Upon returning to her room, Yvette threw herself onto the bed with a sigh, slightly embarrassed as she remebered all the events that had transpired in just that single day.

I can't believe I talked that much before people who I just know this morning... She berated herself. Oh, well... that can't be helped. They'll just forget about it anyway, as long as I keep my manner better...

She indulged herself in the comfort of the bed for a time, only getting up when the sound of drizzle knocked in rhytmitically against all earthly surfaces they come onto. It started to rain... and judging from the look of the hanging clouds, the rain seemed going to linger until night. While the thought of going to bed with the sound of rain trickling outside was a pleasant one, it wouldn't be so if she does it on empty stomach. Unwilling to wait any longer in fear of the rain might get heavier, Yvette washed her face, changed out of her school uniform into her casual wear, and headed out to look for dinner, carrying an umbrella with her. Since she didn't know about other culinary spots in Inaba yet, she headed straight for Junes.

Junes Food Court had a wide selection, including those claimed as 'local delicacies', which included a grilled steak. Yvette was not particularly picky about foods, but since she was by herself, she didn't want to risk getting a stomachache from eating anything strange, she picked only familiar meals. After having her meal, she saw that she still had a bit of time, and so she decided to explore Junes a little.

Having lived most her life in the city, Junes did not offer anything different from any department stores out there. She found it surprising, however, that the store offered a complete range of commodities, despite being in a rural area. Especially in the electronics department, which had a range of widescreen high-definition TVs.

I wonder who would buy this kind thing out here...? She wondered as she checked the price tag of one of the TVs. It was pricey for sure, and that could be why there were only few costumers in electronics department.

Just then, the TV she was checking suddenly emitted faint static...

Huh?

Before she realized it, something shaped like a hand suddenly came out of the TV's screen and muffled her mouth. More hands came reaching out to her, grasping her anywhere they could hold on to and eventually dragged her into the TV. Yvette, completely taken aback, could only offer meager resistance. Soon after, everything went white all around her, and after that, it was complete darkness.

---

When Yvette opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on cold hard floor in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thick fog.

Where am I...? Was the first thing flashing in her mind as she got herself back to her feet. The fog was otherworldly thick, unlike anything she had ever seen. It also felt somewhat oppressive, as if it would eat her alive at any given moment. She reached for the pocket where she kept her cell, slightly relieved to find it still there, only to be disappointed upon seeing the 'no signal' notice displayed on the screen.

What am I going to do...? She felt herself shaking slightly. She looked around her in a futile hope to see any landmark which could possibly tell where she is. The fog was simply too thick. Amidst the confusion and fear, a yip broke through. Yvette turned to look at the source, finding a fox cub sitting nearby. Her eyes widened as she recognized the it.

"You are... the cub from before, right?" She blurted out of relief of finding something that she can relate to. It was still to early to be relieved, actually... but in this middle of nowhere, even the smallest thing that is only remotely familiar to her knowledge felt like a bliss. "If you're here... it means... this place isn't far from shopping district... Yes, that's must be it...!" She assured herself.

The cub yipped at her, and then moved back and forth at a certain direction, as if wanting to show her something. "What is it? Do you want me to follow you...?" She muttered question, which the cub answered with a yip. Yvette sighed. "Well... it's not like I have other choice. I'll follow your lead, then..."

The cub yipped again, almost like an answer. It then went off to a certain direction into the fog, with Yvette on its trail.

[Lumme]

What are you? Touched in the head? Hello, you fell out of a tree. Don't tell me that fact escapes you."

Lumme took the help she was offering and started walking, slowly but it was as if they'd take that long to get anywhere. " I may have fallen out of a tree, But I'm not that hu.." Lumme let out a small wrench of pain as he stepped to quickly and sent a small jolt up his back. " Alright, maybe I am, but it's terribly childish to admit pain, specially in front of a young lady such as yourself." Lumme was of course, just being nice, and trying to compliment her.

He heard her say she'd take him to the hospital, which he knew he would need to do, " Thank you.." He mustered without any sign of pain, and as they walked along he her talk about the shopping around here being boring enough to kill a horse, which made him laugh, and that also made his ribcage ache, but he did his best to not let it show, he honestly thought it was kind of funny, Wonder why she's such a snob, she seems so easy to get along with when she's not being snobbish.

" Thanks for holding Azure, poor things probably scared half to death right now, hopefully it's not bothering you to much." Lumme attempted to make conversation as they went along, after all he didn't know how far away the hospital was. " The family that took me in, just got it so I wouldn't feel like the only new member of the family." Which was true, moving halfway around the world away from everything you knew, to live with people you've only met twice was indeed a big change, and Lumme was gonna do his best to adjust. " Just how far do we have to go? I wouldn't want you to be out late, that's never a good thing." He pondered to the girl, and he wasn't lying, he disliked the idea of being a bother to someone.

[Ake00]

Yosuke Hanamura

To Yosuke's relief, he heard the pitter patter of feet somewhere in the soft hum of rainfall. Out of the mist came the fox, coming to a stop beside his feet and yipping as if to tell him that it was waiting for him all along. He swung his feet back over his bike and set himself to getting towards Junes as fast as his bike could take him. He nearly skid too far two or three times in all his hurry, but the ride towards Junes was pretty uneventful, even if he did end up running into Junes soaking wet and still tired from the day before. Still, the thought of Yuuki in there all by himself facing his shadow was enough to keep the adrenaline running in his veins.

He was at Junes' television department in a flash. After looking around to make sure no one saw him. "You ready little guy? Let's go find Yuuki... and probably find your brother or sister, huh?" asked Yosuke to the fox. The fox jumped to its feet as if in answer, and they were both leaping in without a moment's hesitation. The landing was smooth, and almost as soon as he was steady, he was reaching down to take his Kunai from where they were strapped to his ankles. With one in each hand, he looked to the fox to lead the way.

"Right behind you," he told it, then watched as it darted off into the fog. Yosuke was right on its tail, shoes squeaking on the floor from the rainwater still dripping from his clothes and onto the floor.

He wasn't sure how long he was running, but by the time that the fox slowed down, Yosuke was breathing a bit harder. They'd both reached something of a cemetery gate, towering over him bent and twisted. Their doors were open as if in invitation for anyone to enter. A creeping fog moved over the area, blanketing the area where bone-white tombstones as tall as Yosuke protruded from the ground. Silver crosses stuck out of the black earth as well, ones that looked more comfortable on a necklace than a graveyard. A cold chill made his clothes stick to his skin, almost guaranteeing a cold the morning after this. Yosuke stared in shock for at the horrific appearance of his new friend's dungeon.

"Are you kidding me?" he said miserably into the cemetery. He spared a reluctant glace at the fox, "Tell me this: Why can't anyone have a dungeon filled with balloons or some goddamn cotton candy or something."

He swallowed his reluctance and moved in after the fox didn't dignify his question with any sort of reply, probably because the fox seemed on edge. Even afraid in the atmosphere. Yosuke didn't blame him.

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and when he turned, the slow moving form of a shadow came creeping out from behind a cross. It moved under ragged cloak, carrying a rusted blade as long as it was tall behind him and eyes that glowed under darkened hood. Yosuke took a battle stance, both Kunai ready to strike.

That was when the shadow heaved its bony form not towards HIM but in another direction. It seemed to sniff the air and trudge hurriedly to his left, bones clacking all the way. Amidst the fog and mist, he spotted something- or someone - in the graveyard besides him and the fox. At first he assumed it might be Yuuki, but upon running towards it with the utmost urgency and getting a better look, he saw it was female.

Yosuke called out to her just as the Shadow raised the rusty blade over its head attempting to strike at her.

"Yvette, RUN!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. He pulled out his tarot and shattered it, summoning Jiraiya into existance and sending his persona in a blind charge towards the cloaked shadow.

[Ake00]

Ai Ebihara

Ai gave him the flattest, most disbelieving look she could manage until he finally gave in and admitted that he needed medical help. At that, she helped him along, finding it extremely annoying that she'd have to waste her night helping some good samaritan to the hospital when she could be at home doing her nails. It was somewhat of an uneventful walk, and not a very long one at that since Inaba wasn't a very large place to begin with.

"Whatever. Just don't fall down near me anymore. Unless I have a wagon and someone I can order around to pull it, I won't be carting you off to the hospital if you get hurt again," She threatened. She frowned at him with a hand on her cheek, "And don't call me young lady. That's embarrassing."

Almost to spite him, she didn't respond when he laughed at her, only kept her gaze straight forward towards the hospital further up the hill. She simply patted the Kittens head very subtly, almost like she was trying to hide it, and listened to him talk about the kitten and its owner. so she had been right the first time: He wasn't around the area. In fact he was staying with a family kind enough to get him a kitten to make his stay feel more comfortable. "Well that was nice of them." she said, though her attention was becoming more and more focused on the kitten in her hands. It had started pawing at the yellow cloth of her uniform. The claws, which weren't as sharp and long as an adults, clung to the cloth but did nothing to tear it, which was why Ai didn't see fit to stop it from playing.

"It's just that building right there," she said. "Let's hurry up and get you checked in."

If he was in a hurry to get rid of her just so he could leave (without getting at least an examination) as soon as she was gone, he had another thing coming. She was going to make sure he checked in, purely for the fact that maybe he thought he could pull one over on her. Pull one over on AI? Ha. Fat chance.

[Lumme]

Lumme reluctantly admitted defeat and knew he was going to have to get checked in and examined right now instead of later, but it couldn't be helped, and was probably for the best anyway. I bet she thinks I didn't catch her enjoying Azures company Lumme smiled to himself as he walked up to the receptionists desk to sign in, The waiting room was rather empty, Lumme figured it was cause it wasn't a big place, most people just went to their family doctors, which suited him fine.

The nurse told him it wouldn't be too long before a doctor could see him, but he'd have to wait in the waiting room, Lumme walked over to Ai, " Well, Looks like I've got to wait here a bit before a doctor can see me. You can leave if you'd like." half hoping she would, he didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about them, after all, she was pretty, but definitely thought she needed a better attitude about things.

Lumme slowly made his way over to one of the seats, in front of a television that was seriously lacking in modern convenience, it didn't even seem to have a remote, and he definitely wasn't in the mood to walk over and turn it on anyway, nothing was ever on this late worth watching. He eventually sat down on a chair and looked over to Ai. " Well I don't know if you want to leave, but if you wait till this is done, I could at least walk you home so you're safe, it's the least I could do, after all." He was being sincere and honest. Back in Canada, you would have gotten a pat on the shoulder and a point in the right direction unless you asked for help.