MH - Aaron/Daiki - Feels, Rumors, and Allies (P1)

She sighed.
What crappy weather. She never felt as happy as she used to so the fact that it had to rain really kind of annoyed her. Not visibly, but still. It was already night time. Daiki held the umbrella above her head and began to make her way toward a particular place she had in mind.
Daiki was a magi, so only she could get there, and no it wasn't the training grounds. It was a bit past the hot springs she had been introduced to not too long ago. Apparently it was a really good look-out-view, don't ask how the girl found out about it. She wanted to know if it was as good as she thought it would be, and when she found herself reaching the edge of the cliff, Daiki found she had underestimated it.
She found herself looking down at the beautiful view of the city of Norwood below. Okay, maybe not the ENTIRE city, but definitely most of it, and it seemed to make her not focus on the fact that it was still raining.
She wasn't in her magi outfit, so walking by, she just looked like some normal school girl with her umbrella trying to get a good view. It seemed like a good place to think, as well.


Aaron liked of that place, the bench right there for anyone to sit and look around. It was usually romantic, but now it was just silent and dark and alone. It was familiar. He could see most of the city from there and wonder, in the middle of all those bright spots, which one was his old house, with Evie and his family having dinner, or which one was the apartment he shared with William, and how the idiot was doing by himself. Which one would be the Eggbreaker, scheming her killings, which one would be the next victim... It was a funny game, that one. Trying to guess who was the next to fall. Since he was all by himself once more, the raven-haired teen could do that for as much as he wanted.
He was surprised when he heard someone approaching, although he knew he was just invisible to anyone. His eyes were fixed on the blonde girl, at her twintails, at her saddened expression - she seemed... Familiar. Aaron was good in remembering people, that was the key to survival, but now... He was tired... He was just very tired, from everything... And he just couldn't concentrate very well. He kept looking at her, though, waiting to see if her name would just pop on his mind, in an 'eureka!' moment.
But of one thing he was certain: if he HAD the impression he saw her somewhere else, so she was a Magi.
And... That was it. If she was a bad one, or a good one, he still wasn't sure.


If she could read the boy's thoughts she would actually agree that it really was kind of funny. It was like a mafia, really. A group of sickos that decided they needed to kill people. Daiki still didn't know the reason behind it, all she had realized was that some magi wanted to kill other magi. If the blonde knew the actual reason she might not be as disgusted cause at least there's more to it than 'oh killing is so much fun let's do it'.
She'd still hate them, of course, but that goes without saying.
Daiki even wondered herself who was next, only it wasn't directed toward the evil group's killings. She wondered who was next to die in general, it wasn't abnormal after all. Recently that girl got hit in the skull too many times, and apparently some really experienced veteran got killed as well.
She hardly reacted at the thought of death, she was upset that he had to die too, and it made it worse that if he was experienced he probably and a lot of information on him.
The girl was brought out of her thoughts when she finally noticed someone else was there with her on the hill-- a teenager with raven-black hair. She blinked before talking awkwardly, "oh-- sorry! I didn't notice you there. Did you want to be alone out here?" Ah, well, if he could make it to a place like this, then he must be a magi.


As he made himself visible, he was already thinking of what were his real chances against the girl if she was evil. She was just like a normal girl, but... Where was her Soul gem? It was fall, so the chilly air made people go all long-sleeved on him. But Aaron could guess that it was a jewlery. A collar, an earring, something like that. Jewelries were common on women, yes. But he couldn't see it, and if he started to talk to her for too long, she would get her attention on him long enough for his invisibility being rendered useless - and he... Still wasn't sure if he could afford that.
But as she seemed so awkward talking to him, he nods. Aaron knew he was a dark, tall figure with a scrutinous look. He knew that he was intimidating. But he also knew she was a Magi - he was so sure. So sure. But where he saw her before...? -, So he tried to play nice.
"Good night. I come here sometimes, yes. It's the perfect place for thinking," he mirrored her thoughts, without Daiki knowing. Still looking at her, wondering from where those blonde twintails were familiar... "God knows we need to do that a lot lately."


She was indeed a magi, and a pretty good one at that in her mind. She didn't think of herself as a professional, and she didn't go around challenging people to fight her just to show off- no. If she asked to fight it was both magi to practice and get better, or to protect herself of course. Thankfully, she didn't have to do that yet, but with the new little schemes and plots from a particular group, she was sure she'd probably have to soon enough.
It was going to be so different telling apart a spar and an actual fight, and she mentally sighed at the thought. As for her soul gem it was a small necklace underneath her Bellingham uniform.
The boy in front of her did make her slightly intimidated, but it's not like she didn't like him or anything, he was just sitting there, after all...
"Yeah..." the blonde replied in agreement. There's was too much to think about as well and it actually gave her a few headaches, but Daiki couldn't help but think a lot more than she was used to. "I guess you're also having a few issues lately?" If this boy was a magi-- which he had to be-- then Daiki would have to warn him of anything he didn't already know. Or, if he had been around longer than her, maybe he could do that instead.
Unless he was a part of that group. Then there would be problems.
The teen seemed to recognize her, but she didn't. Or at least she didn't remember any interactions, and it made it more likely that she wouldn't remember because of his little ability.


The chilly air of the night made his skin crawl, but that was a good feeling. It was what being alive felt like - how many Magi just didn't had the same luck? How many would die today, tomorrow, the day after? Thinking about that was sad, but it was also reality. It wasn't like just the stronger ones would survive; at that point, being cunning was everything. Being adaptable. And if that girl was alive until there, it could only mean that she was that - smart enough.
Or evil enough.
"I suppose so. We all are having a lot to think about lately, right? With all the killing those guys are promoting," he looks at her, his amber eyes on her brown ones. Was she evil? She seemed innocent enough to not be it, but... "Oh. Right. I have one question though, lady: did you had fun hearing her screams?"
If she was evil, she would know what he was talking about.
If she was good, she would have no idea of what that question was about.
Aaron was good when it came to reading people, so he would know exactly if she was lying. He was looking intensely at her for a reason, after all - trying to get all the little details that would give her away if she tried to fool him.


Daiki liked the feeling of the night's chilly air, it also made her feel alive and got her mind even further off of the whole your-soul-is-your-soul-gem thing. Can zombies feel that breeze, after all? Probably not., or at least that's not what she thought.
The blonde feared making new friends at this rate, which is something that she thought she'd never do. The girl thought becoming a magi wasn't anything more than having powers who could fight these evil creatures. But she and everyone else was wrong, and because of that, people are now dead. Like that poor girl in that honeycomb-like labyrinth.
Poor girl. Daiki didn't want to meet a nice person and grow attached to them only to have them slip through her fingers...
But this man already seemed like the serious, intelligent kind of guy, and the only other person who was serious and intelligent in her eyes was Lastien. Who is still alive. Intelligence was rather useful in times like this, so Daiki has gathered over time.
Unless, again, he was evil and was a part of that group. But with the way he replied, he didn't exactly seem as likely to be in that group, but maybe that's what he wanted her to think? Maybe.
That question, though... Why would he ask that!?
"...U-uh..." Daiki replied with a mumble. Who was 'she'? The dark-haired teen was just talking about the 'group', which she could only assume was the one going around killing magi, so was he talking about one of their members? One of their kills? Roni? She certainly didn't hear Roni screaming.
"I..." She started. "...What?"
The blonde still didn't know what he was talking about.


Aaron wasn't a reader of minds - he couldn't hear what she was thinking, the words her brain was creating inside her head. He could only see how she seemed unsure, panicked even, and afraid. He could only see how her eyebrows twiched in surprise just the slightest, as if she was... Recognizing. Knowing what he was talking about. But not on the way he was expecting, but in the way someone with a good heart and too much days as a Magi would do.
He felt pity for her, almost. He wasn't friends with anyone, so he really didn't felt the death of people like her. She... Probably must had friend who perished.
His amber eyes softened after her reaction. Thank goodness, gentle people were just easy to read because they were gentle. It wasn't like he wasn't still alert - even gentle people could kill, if the situation asked for it -, but knowing that the girl in front of him was a strong, but untouched by evil, magi was just comforting.
"Sorry," he shakes his head, an almost invisible smile creeping on his lips. "Sorry, miss. I just had to make sure you were not one of the evil members. You know how it is. We need to be very careful, and even that is never enough."
He goes more to the side and leaves a good amount of vague space on the bench he was sitting on.
"Don't you want to rest for a bit? The view here is amazing. It's cold, yeah, but." He looks at the sky for a moment and then for her again, as if remembering something. "Oh, where are my manners? The name's Aaron. Nice to meet you."


She had many friends who had perished, but she wasn't as sad about it as she had been before, it seemed uncomfortably normal at this point, but each time still hurt like the last. The girl really had lived too many magi days.
Of course, she wasn't a veteran either, at least not yet, but she was around a lot longer than a lot of the magi around Norwood. Daiki almost felt like an upperclassman to them, even though she was only a fifteen year old in her sophomore year of high school. Some of the magi that had passed were younger than her, so it frightened her to know that her last day on Earth could be any day at such a young age.
Daiki wanted to punch Inky. Throttle the damn thing if she had to. Buuuut it was nowhere to be found, so she was out of luck.
The girl seemed to relax at his explanation. "Oh! I understand." Well, it may had been a strange way to know but, whatever. "Yeah, for all we know one of the people in that group could seem like a normal person during the day, passing through crowds... It's kinda scary."
Resting seemed like a nice thing to do, the rain was clearing up a bit at least. Aaron, huh? Well, maybe Aaron wouldn't be like the rest of the magi, he was definitely a lot more intimidating and mysterious than most she met. You can never be sure, though. "My name is Daiki... Masaru. Nice to meet you, too."


He shaked his head. That girl gave him such distinct impressions - the first was that she was very naïve; telling her full name like that to him. Not that there was many Daiki’s on Norwood anyway, but that was dumb nevertheless. But the other was of a smart girl; not accepting right away his offer of sitting there, showing distrust. That was smart. He... Decided that he liked that ponytail girl.
(He would like her even more if he could hear her thoughts about punching Inky. He wanted to do the same with Bater sometimes. Those furry pests.)
"Yes. I could observe many of them for quite a long time, considering our life expectancy, and I can tell you, they're so normal. You would never guess they're murderers," hell, Lastien Revler was even a rich kid. Who would think bad of a richie? Those guys were fucked up. "Anyway, Daiki, I really think you should sit for a moment. I can even get up myself if you don't want to share. But it feels weird to let a girl like this." He shrugs. Well, he was a gentleman - or that what he liked to think. A worker of the LaBoi Café was at least considerate to women. "Beside, the breeze is much better right here."


It was understandable that she would make different impressions if you truly new her well. Daiki was just a dumb and naive kid who was exposed to too much death and suffering that it made her a bit... Weird? She was slowly becoming more and more cautious of others but still dumb and naive at other times, like for instance, telling her entire name to a random magi she had just met with the reasoning that he seemed different so it was okay. Other examples was her thinking that there was still hope for battling with people and living happily. Or maybe she was right and there was just shitty luck, but you never knew.
Didn't really erase her vicious thoughts toward Inky and Abhaya, though. Those two... They were the true villains. No, Abhaya and any one of those cat-creatures in existence. There was no way Inky and Bater were the only ones that existed, not with the magi population.
When it came down to her making a stupid decision, the pigtailed girl would worry more about getting other people hurt rather than herself. Daiki would never admit it openly, but the thoughts of simply crushing her soul gem and joining her perished friends, and had come to mind more than she would admit EVER. But in the end, the blonde would reject those dark thoughts and keep going. Sometimes though, as she rejected them, there was a different voice in the back of her head asking 'what's the point?'
"It's really kind of funny, though." Daiki said. "But still cruel, nonetheless."
Yes, here was another moment of her actually being more serious than bubbly, but that was also understandable from the huge change of... Lifestyles, lately.
But Aaron was right about her not trusting him immediately, especially since she knew for a fact he was a magi. Of course, Daiki had ways of knowing that a magi was good-hearted right off the bat, there was no way Rivaster could be evil, after all, or at least not the last time she met up with him. The blonde stood there for a few moments before hesitantly taking a seat next to him. Aaron was also-- again-- a bit intimidating so she wasn't really sure how to act around him quite yet. "No, that's okay, you were here first, anyway."
She looked back over the cliff and down at the view. "It is a nice breeze, though." With that, a small smile formed on her lips.


If Daiki even shared her thoughts with that young man, he would agree with her. The thought of dying also crossed his mind once or twice, but he rejected those. He couldn't afford to die, he would stubbornly hold on his life for Evie - or for himself. Since he was alone now.
It was a sad and lonely life, and no one should ever be a Magi. Nothing would be worthy enough of a lifetime of fighting.
As she sat next to him though, his thoughts shifted back to the blonde girl. He was trying to come with something to talk about, at least so she wouldn't be awkward around him. He was very self-conscious when it came to his appearance, even worse when at his Magi form. He really didn't wanted the poor girl thinking he was bad. She seemed sad, the light was gone from her eyes, and he could only assume she saw too much to be normal again. It was sad.
(They were all broken.)
"You see...", he starts, and even as he talked, the tall teen still was thinking. What he should tell her? That she was brave for not giving up yet? That they were just dumb for being there - as it was a good point for bad Magi to observe too? What really he should say to that girl? "I don't want to patronize you or anything, but I don't think it's safe to be walking around at night like this. They prey on Magi just like that, as if they were wolves. You must really have something you want to think about to come here even knowing that." He almost smiles too.


Probably what made Daiki feel even worse about it was that she had very, very subtle thoughts of 'what if I had just let dad die', but then slap herself in the face for thinking such things. She was never one to simply watch others die, even if she had done it once before without knowing. It was sad how it was becoming a habit lately. There were so many thoughts, images, considerations, and feelings swirling inside at once just waiting to explode, or to be shared with someone. The closest she had ever gotten to admitting these things was BB, Kae and Lastien, and even they hadn't heard everything.
It was too much. Way too much, really, was it all worth it? In a sick, twisted way, losing her dad instead of probably ten friends by now would've most likely been better, despite the heartache. But life was basically a one-chance video game, you make mistakes you live with it, there is no starting over.
"I know..." Daiki replied. What should she talk about, anyway? "I didn't really have a specific thing to think about in general, I just kind of needed to be alone after a lot of... Issues."
Aaron understood that, right? He was a magi, and she could already tell he knew what it was like to be in a bad spot in life, she seemed to already feel like he understood a lot of what she was feeling right now.
That didn't mean she would openly share them, though.


Yes, he could definitely understand that.
Like all the voices in his head just whispering to give up. That it was better to just rest. Sometimes he wondered if he really just left himself to die like that he would have a good dream on paradise. Or even hell - Aaron wasn't sure if Magi would be allowed on Heaven by this point. It was so wrong, kids like them thinking that maybe death wasn't that bad at all, but that was what it was happening, and he knew that if they really gave up on hope things would never be okay.
But... He couldn't find the words to tell that to himself, nor to that kid right there with him. It made him so tired, so defeated, that the raven-haired just wanted to rest his head right there at the bench and close his eyes. He didn't had a home to come back to anyway, he could sleep anywhere.
"Oh." He nodded.
That unforgivable impulse crept on his heart, making it poisoned with dark thoughts.
Aaron looks at her and then decides that this question would be too personal to be made looking into her eyes. Besides, he knew he was a fear-inducing figure. Again.
"...Issues. Did you lost someone?", he sighs, quickly in adding. "Although it's not even that strange now, anymore. Losing people. This is just wrong."
He did lost his share of precious persons too, if anything.
Even if they weren't truly dead - but for him, it was like they were.


Daiki believed in a Heaven after death. It may be naive, but hey, if there was one last way to have hope it was going to be that way at the very least. But what she truly believed to be Heaven was basically a world where she got to regain that shine in her eyes again, no dull brown as she stared at the Hellish nightmare that surrounded her.
Daiki believed that when she died, the girl would finally move on and be with everyone again with a place to call home, and for everyone to be happy... Together. Even Abhaya was welcome, there had to have been a point in her life where she wasn't so seemingly horrid. But her friends, Daiki knew they wanted her to live at least a little longer before seeing them again, so she would.
What hurt the most is simply that if there was even one, small thing that could be changed, then everything could change. In a different timeline, under different circumstances, everything could've been different. But it was too late.
She just wanted to live in a world without witches and magi. She just wanted to go that Heaven she had been dreaming of every night.
The blonde was about to reply to that, until he added the rest in and felt... Disappointment? Maybe that's what it was, disappointment with how things in this world had become.
"Yeah... It kind of makes me sick." She said, frowning further. "I've lost a lot of people... I miss them a lot."


He sighed at her silence.
It wasn't as if he was happy about having her there, not unhappy. If anything, he wasn't feeling nothing really. That was also true for his self-preservation: his body wasn't feeling the urge to fight or to flight. As if he was a mass of nothingness. And maybe that was what they were? Just a bunch of nothing, since their soul were inside a Gem.
How could someone start to innocent, oblivious to that world, and then slowly become more and more like a different person? Losing even their own self? Wasn't that just sad? If he looked back at the Aaron Galvin he used to be, and compared to the one he was now, he would feel so shocked; as if those two were separate beings. An entire world of experience divided both. Maybe it was the same with that girl: she too must feel so disconnected from her civilian friends, her parents... Her life.
When he thought like that, it was good in a sense that they were dying.
It was gentle.
But at the same time, it was the very opposite of gentleness.
"I bet you do," he nods. Yeah, the raven-haired had guessed that much. "I would praise you, telling that if you survived until here you must be very strong and lucky, but... That would be horrible of me. There's no 'luck' in surviving here. It's hell itself."