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[gotyourbach]

un: akapassionata

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[gotyourbach]

I see... that makes sense! When we met, you knew how to play, but not a lot about composers.

[She doesn't look disappointed! She just nods as if she's making a mental note, filling in a piece of the puzzle called Minato.]

It's different for me... I was pretty lucky, 'cause I've been playing the piano for, well, as long as I can remember! But... even though I love it, sometimes it's like... I wonder what kind of friends I could have made if I got to do normal clubs and stuff. I was always just the Piano Freak in school.

I wonder if we could have been friends back home?

[napstar]

[ That's why she's a prodigy and he just has a skill called Prodigy. And he was friends with a lot of different kinds of people, so he could easily imagine being friends with Kaede. ]

Probably.

[ Well... ]

Especially in the past year.

[gotyourbach]

[She hums, gaze drifting away from him for a moment as she tries to think about her time at school. She hasn't really thought about school in a while. Trying to think too much about stuff that happened before the killing game gives her a headache.

So she's grateful when Minato continues, pulling her out of her thoughts as she tilts her head with clear curiosity.]

What happened in the past year?

[napstar]

I put effort into making friends.

[ Because he got cool powers that relied on it... Yeah, that was his motivation. But over time he found he liked being with people. Mostly. ]

[gotyourbach]

But not before that...?

[Her brows furrow a little, a small, concerned frown curving her lips.]

Weren't you lonely?

[napstar]

[ Minato shrugs. ]

Sometimes. But it was better than dealing with people.

[gotyourbach]

[She hums again, not convinced. Even if people can be easy to misunderstand, or sometimes even mean, they're still good at heart! She has to believe that for everyone she meets.

But also...]

Ummm... I don't know if that means I should hang out with you more or less, you know! I don't want you to feel lonely, but I don't want you to get tired of me, either.

[napstar]

I'm not as bad now.

[ He's changed a bunch! Just. Not in the talking out loud part. ]

I've... learned to care.

[gotyourbach]

[Kaede opens her mouth. Closes it.

That's not usually something someone has to learn how to do, she's pretty sure?!]

Oh... that's good? [she says with more than a little uncertainty. She doesn't really know what to say to that, after all.

Time for a subject change!]

Oh, I have another question! [She holds up one finger.] What are your hobbies? If you didn't have a lot of friends, you must have had a lot of time to yourself, right?

[That's... really not the nicest way to put it, but she's just trying to get as far away from the concept of having to learn to care as quickly as she can.]

[napstar]

Whatever the caretakers wanted from me, mostly. Staying out of everyone's way... Sleeping... [ wow what an invigorating list ]

....I like music?

[gotyourbach]

Caretakers...

[She's starting to get why he doesn't like to talk about himself much. She might not understand much personally, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that "staying out of everyone's way," isn't a hobby.

He reminds her so much of Akechi it hurts, a physical pain right in the middle of her chest. She wishes she could have done something to help them when they were kids.]

Well, music is definitely something we have in common, so that's good!

... [Her hand goes to her chest as if touching there might ease some of the sadness she feels for what Minato's experienced.]

Umm... do you want to talk about... the time you spent with your caretakers? We can talk about something else. I don't want to pry, but... sometimes it can be good to talk about sad things with your friends.

[napstar]

[ Staying out of people's way is totally a hobby when you put enough time into it. ]

Not much to say... Some cared. Most didn't.

[ She could probably figure out that he was an orphan by now. But his life was pretty boring honestly. Only got exciting in the year leading up to being brought here. ]

[gotyourbach]

[That doesn't do anything to ease her pained expression, her fingers digging more tightly into her shirt. Minato's so kind, she can't imagine why anyone would be cruel to him.

He's acting cool again, huh...?

She leans forward and hugs him again.]

Well... you have a lot of people who care about you now, right? At the very least, you've got me, no matter what.

[napstar]

[ Oh, another hug. He nods. ]

I've made a lot of friends.

[ He's even managed to make friends within the Bureau without the help of all those Persona he used to have. It's pretty cool. ]

[gotyourbach]

And you have Orpheus, too!

[Sort... of. She still doesn't entirely understand the whole Persona-as-a-part-of-you thing, but she's starting to get the sense that one of the requirements for having one is to have been treated poorly as a kid. It makes her heart ache.]

Was it just the two of you for a while, then...?

[napstar]

Ah... No. I got him about a year ago.

[ You know, around the time he started trying to make friends. ]

[gotyourbach]

Huh?

[She pulls back from the hug again, though she doesn't retreat as far as before, close enough to take his hand if she wanted to. Which, well, she does, but there's no need to right now.]

You didn't always have him? Oh, I guess that makes sense, since you'd have to get that gun, huh...

[napstar]

[ Nod! The gun came first. Well, someone else's gun came first and then he was offered his own. ]

My classmate dropped hers, so I used it. Then I got my own.

[gotyourbach]

I don't think I've heard you talk about your classmates before... Oh, but I guess I haven't told you much about my friends either, huh?

[She gives him a little bit of an embarrassed smile. Here she is asking him all kinds of questions about himself, and she hasn't really answered any of his own! ...Then again, he's not asking.]

Were they all um... [she fumbles a bit with the terminology,] people who could use Persona?

[napstar]

No. Few people have one.

[gotyourbach]

Huh...

[She hums quietly with understanding. That makes sense! After all, Akechi thought he was the only person with a Persona for a while. If everyone had one, it'd be pretty obvious!]

Oh! Was your classmate Aragaki-kun?

[napstar]

No. He's a year older than me. [ And also a drop out... ]

Yukari Takeba.

[gotyourbach]

Oooh...

[Oh. Someone who's not here with them. Her expression softens as she tilts her head.]

What's she like? Takeba-san. I'll tell you about one of my friends in exchange, if you want.

[napstar]

Kind and sympathetic. Easily annoyed. Brave. Independent.

[gotyourbach]

I wish I could meet her. She sounds kind of like... Chabashira-san!

[Kaede has to close her eyes to think back, lips curving into a sad smile.]

She's the Super High School Level Aikido Master... she's really cool! Oh, but she only likes girls. She didn't have any patience for boys at all. I'm pretty sure she even called Saihara-kun a "degenerate male." But... even though she was scared during the killing game, she really wanted to protect all of us. Or, well, the girls anyway.

[She opens her eyes and huffs a laugh through her nose, shaking her head.]

You know, it's kind of weird, but... I'd never met so many unique people before I was involved in... in all of that. I only knew everyone for a few days, but I don't think I'll ever forget them.