2025-10-17: A Reunion
- Log: A Reunion
- Cast: Maki Sonomura, Eriko Kirishima
- Where: Lunar Palace, Konan Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: October 17, 2025
- IC Date: Friday, July 27, 2012
- Summary: After a long time apart, Eriko and Maki finally have a chance to spend time in the same place again! Catching up is sweet.
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
The Lunar Palace is a reasonably nice apartment complex, and Maki has her own place these days. This wasn't always the case; she lived with Chisato! ...But not anymore. And it's going to be good to get inside, because there's some rain going on today. Maki's apartment is on the second floor of the complex, and Maki herself is home, having invited her friend Eriko over since they finally are in the same city, at the same time, with actual time to spend together.
The door is plain; there's a nameplate, 'SONOMURA' in kanji, and the apartment itself is small but not tiny. The entryway is tiled, as might be expected, and when Eriko comes in she'll find that there's a living area kept neat, with a couch and a chair next to it and a small table, as well as a television and a few other things for various purposes.
But before that...
Maki looks down at her phone, and startsto walk over to the entryway. When Eriko knocks--
"Elly-chan!" Maki will greet, and she might even give her a hug.
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Eriko has been... occupied lately with a number of things. With a sudden influx of work that she had to keep up appearances on as well as her personal investigations, she's been very busy of late. Barely any time for herself, or her friends.
Well, tonight that changes! It's Friday night, she has no other commitments, and she's been invited to catch up with her best friend. It's a perfect summer evening. She had to stop briefly by Aoba Way before making for the subway to Konan, and from there it's a quick walk to Lunar Towers. She's carrying a her purse, a gift bag, and sports bag over her left shoulder. It's a little awkward but, well...
After recent events it's best not to get caught out.
She's dressed a touch differently today. Instead of her usual tailored jumpsuit, she's wearing one of the more simple sets from Calamity's Child's 2012 spring/summer Ready to Wear collection- thigh length white knee length white shorts with wide slits that close at the mid thigh, a white sleeveless top with a frilled collar, black suspenders with silver fastenings, a semi-translucent white bolero that falls to a little below her chest and white 3-inch platform boots, with a pair of designer sunglasses completing the look.
The stairs up to Lunar Palace aren't particularly intense, and Eriko doesn't want to take up the elevator, so she makes her way quickly to the door. So when she knocks, and the door opens-
"Hello Maki-chan!" Eriko returns, her enthusiastic English *definitely* leading to a hug. She was raised in America, and one thing she never really got after coming back to Japan was that lack of casual affection. It's gotten a bit better amongst girls, it seems, but still... Well. St Hermelin 2-4 were always a bunch of weirdos anyway. "How are you? It's been far too long!" Indeed, Eriko might hold the hug a little overlong, but she will break off the moment Maki expresses any discomfort.
After the hug, she proffers the gift bag to Maki. "I brought some wine, just in case." She does remember etiquette and, well... Everyone around her at work drinks, even if Eriko's not the biggest fan. In the bag is a 2011 Moscato, a light sweet and fruity white, and notably low alcohol. The expectations of adulthood add up, after all. Once Maki takes the bag, Eriko takes a moment to remove her shoes, revealing simple ankle socks that she places beside the door, reducing the height difference between the two, before following her inside.
"Your apartment is very nice, Maki-chan." Her eyes glance over the room, taking it in, noting the little details- the art on the walls, the neat living area... It feels very lived in. A comfortable home for someone. Still, her eyes do linger on the front door locks a little, but she pushes those thoughts to one side. Tonight is for a nice night between friends, after all!
Warning 'my-desc' for Maki Sonomura(#60PenA):
player is missing description
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
For her part, Maki is dressed instead in a draping top over shorts, with no shoes because she's inside her house. It's definitely a casual sort of fit, but not so casual as to insult the fact that she has a guest. A guest who speaks good English!
Maki's been practicing, too!
But she hugs Eriko happily, and lets it linger for a few seconds, and then a couple more for good measure, because she really missed her. She then moves to step back. "You look great!" Maki says with delight, noticing the great fashion Eriko has on. Complete with the platform boots! They make Elly tower over Maki practically, but that makes them an even better look. As for her, "I'm good! It's been way too long," she agrees. "I have way too much to catch you up on to do it in the hall," she jokes, "But I'm good. Really."
"Oh, great!" Maki says of the wine, acceptingthe gift in both hands. She steps back to let Eriko get her shoes, and then leads her into the apartment proper. "Do you want some now, or should I save it?" Maki asks of the wine, and then steps further in. It is lived in! And not only by Maki all of the time; hanging in the kitchen area is more than just the one mug, even if everything else is put away.
Maki thinks for a moment... but decides if Eriko isn't going to make a point of that, she won't either yet.
"Well, make yourself comfortable either way!" she says. "How about you? Tell me everything!"
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Eriko smiles at the compliment. "Thank you!" She responds, before nodding as Maki mentions having too much to talk about in the hall. "That's good to hear." Eriko says, as they move further in. Still, Maki is the one to ask about the wine, and Eriko gives a little shrug. "It's a gift for you, after all. I don't mind at all if you save it." She's hedging perhaps overmuch here, especially compared to the loud and outspoken woman she was in high school. She does not the extra mug, but still, that's something that Maki can bring up herself, or Eriko can ask about later, once they're comfortable.
Eriko takes the opportunity to seat herself on the couch, rather than the chair, with plenty of room for Maki to set up where she wants. Her posture remains elegant and controlled, but that's always been part of who she is.
"Everything, hm?" Eriko smiles, deciding to start with the cheerier topics- well, cheerier to her. "Well, I've seen a truly 'exemplary' new form of monster over in Tatsumi Port Island a few months back! Shadows, I believe they're called. One was modeled on the Empress and the other the Emperor in the Tarot, and they changed their defenses constantly. I'm going to have to keep an eye on the area, especially while Kei's focus is elsewhere." Indeed she's had a hard time getting in contact with her partner in anti-government spying, but in the usual 'what is it kirishima i have a meeting' way and not the 'i am going out of contact to face an enemy solo' kind of way, so she's not too worried right now. "A number of organized young persona users too. Mostly high schoolers, admittedly..." She frowns a bit. "Still. There were adults too."
She muses a bit, on other things. "Oh, and Mark is back in town too! Have you heard from him yet?" Sure, Mark may have reasons for taking his time to talk to Maki, but, well... Eriko Kirishima is a little bit of a meddler and very much prone to missing her friends. "There was also a run in with that Joker Killer too..." That is less of a cheerful memory. "I'm afraid I rather underestimated him and his allies. Maybe friends, even. He seems fully capable of summoning demons to his aid, however. I'm fascinated in how he did it, honestly, but it seems to bring with it chaos. Otherwise it would be rather fun to be able to call a demon to talk to at will, don't you think!"
Yes, Eriko *will* be jealous of Tamaki when she finds out about that Nekomata. It's Eriko.
"What about you, how is college going?"
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
Maki smiles back. But the wine? She knows Elly isn't a big drinker, so a hedge may as well be a 'no'. Maki takes the wine over to the fridge and gets out a couple of cans of something more to Eriko's taste. What is that? Don't worry about it!
Maki sits on the chair nearest where Eriko is sitting, so she can look at her while they're talking without having to particularly stretch or turn. She's a lot more casual than Eriko; she outright lounges, taking up a posture on the chair that looks uncomfortable but is in fact very comfortable. And she listens!
"Oh ho," Maki says. "So that's what's going on out there..." She knew something new was happening--and while she doesn't revel in it like Eriko does, the enthusiasm is infectious. "Shadows, and they model on the Tarot... That's interesting. I'll have to brush up." And of course, very dangerous. "I'll help," Maki says. "I don't want to just stay out of things."
Still, "Hmm... I did meet an adult Persona-user the other day--and then another, too, a girl from our school who I'd thought died..." Pause. "Not in the incident--she was sick. Like I used to be."
But Mark! "Yeah!" Maki answers brightly. "I've gotten to hang out with him a few times, now. Ask him about the goat meat," she jokes, and Mark will now have to tell that story, whether he likes it or not. Poor Masao. But the Joker Killer--that's much less cheerful. Maki nods, thoughtfully. "I heard about him from Mark..."
"Haha. Hearing you say that makes me happy," Maki says. "I dunno how I'd feel about a demon buddy myself, unless maybe he was willing to sit still for a painting..."
"Oh, it's good--just finished finals for the semester, so that's nice. Though the high school kids are still at it," she says with a grimace. "A lot of them have come worrying about it to work."
She's mentioned where she works, of course; she has for some time!
"Let's see... I told you about running back into Mark--I'm hoping to see more of the others, too. Oh, and you remember that guy I was telling you about, the one who's in construction? Well, we're going on two months going out now!"
She smiles. "But what I'm also really looking forward to on the break is seeing you more, too. It's been way too long. You're sticking around for a while, right?"
"Oh, and I almost forgot to mention... I ran into Tamaki-san the other day, too. We're going to a festival this weekend. Something about dancing?"
Warning 'my-desc' for Maki Sonomura(#60PenA):
player is missing description
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Look, there's nothing wrong with something like a nice flavoured sparkling mineral water- especially when you have to watch your calories and everything else. If this is what that happens to be, who can say. It is a mystery to all.
When Maki offers to help, Eriko is briefly surprised, but that turns into a broad smile, her eyes lighting up. "Then we can finally have an adventure!" Eriko responds, cheerfully. Yes she has been throwing that same term at Mark. She's a menace like that.
The mention of adult Persona-users gets Eriko's attention. "From our school? Do you think she awoke back then?" Still, the fact that Maki thought she died- and in hospital no less- is a surprise. "...Really? Was she even still in Mikage-cho when it happened, or?" Eriko focuses on the other details. She doesn't have clear memories of any other sick students, but she'd only been back in Japan recently when it all occurred. If she was gone before Eriko got back, maybe they never met.
"Oh, I'm glad! I was worried he might take his time to see you. You know how he gets sometimes." She sighs. "Still, it's rather rough what he has to deal with. We really need to look into those Phantom Thieves some more..."
There's mention of a story, though, and Eriko lights up again. "Oh really. Now I have to know next time I see him!" Maki seems to sadden about the Joker Killer, and Eriko nods. "I don't know much about him yet- just that he's dangerous. And..." Eriko pauses for a bit, wondering if she should say something. But... Well. Maki's an insightful woman. She may as well say it. "...He felt a bit like Mr. Kandori." She says, quietly, that Maki might not fully understand-
After all, the Maki who fought Kandori and the Maki here and now are different people. And Eriko's always had to keep that in mind.
"I don't know how else to explain it, but he menaced one boy... The son of someone I work with occasionally and it reminded me of him but also... not. It's strange. Something certainly happened that night."
Maki mentions wanting a demon to paint and Eriko lights up again. "It could be fascinating... Have you been back to the Velvet Room lately? Someone new has moved in recently, and he's a painter. Maybe he could be an interesting person to talk to there. Maybe he could give you some tips to get them to sit still for a portrait!"
"I suppose exams are always stressful for students," Eriko nods in commiseration. "We had our fair share of exam pressures, after all. Do you remember studying when you got well enough to come back to school? Going back to your place or mine after school, and spending half the night going through books..." Eriko sighs, with a warm smile coming to her lips. "I don't miss it exactly, but I had fun back then. When we could all hang out more easily. I guess not every class has a Ms Saeko to cheer us on, though..."
The topic moves to romance, and Eriko shifts to focus more on Maki. "Oh? I'm glad to hear that things are going well. You seemed happy talking about when you mentioned him back then." Eriko seems to pause- after all, she knows Maki had feelings for someone else. But Maki seems able to find love in other places, and Eriko is... still pining after a boy she knew in high school. "I'm happy for you." Eriko says, after a moment, and she means it earnestly. Maki is her best friend, she deserves to find love, and be happy.
"Oh, definitely. My career is definitely Sumaru and Tokyo based for now. I'm a long way from being able to go on the international stage." Eriko doesn't talk too much about her career in the last few months, and Maki would have some idea why. "Things have picked up a little lately, thanks to Brown. He had me doing a week of spots on SumasumaSUMARU recently, and maybe talked to some advertisers. Yukino's been putting in a good word with her mentor, too. It's good to have the work..." But it would be nice if she were comfortable seeking it herself lately. "But, yes, I'll be around. So of course I want to hang out more! My schedule's a little wild but I can make time if I work at it."
The last comment is another surprise. "Oh, Ms Tamaki has some time to herself now? I haven't really had the time to talk with her, except when her agency is keeping an ear out for things. It would be nice to talk with her again- and see if she's kept up her fencing. I want to see if I'm back to where I was in High School yet." They were both members of the Fencing Club, after all. "But a festival, how interesting! If I have time this weekend I might have to see if I can get out myself. It would be interesting to see what interesting entities could be surrounding such a thing."
Eriko Kirishima is a girl who knows what she wants: and what she wants is supernatural incidents.
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
Not a thing!
"Yes!" Maki answers, laughing a little. "...I'm overdue." For an adventure! She has some complex feelings about it--but there's Elly to see the bright spot in the thing already.
"I don't," Maki says. Think she awoke back then. "As far as I know she was elsewhere. ...I wasn't great to her back then," Maki admits, "But now, maybe we can be friends."
"He did a bit," Maki allows. "I didn't realize he was here at first. But he did! And... Hmm. The Phantom Thieves..."
But the story! Maki grins. "Like 'him', huh?" Maki wonders. No, she wasn't there to sense him. But that Eriko would sense something in common... "I don't quite get it, but if you say so, I'll be on the lookout."
But he menaced a boy? "Oh!" Maki answers. "Hmmm..."
But the Velvet Room? "Not for a while," Maki admits. "...Really? Hmm. I'll have to talk to himfor sure!"
"I remember..." Exams. She smiles back, and there's that same warmth. She knows that set of memories well. "I miss it a little," she laughs. "Just because of that. ...But I'm happy where I am, too. I just... hope that more of us can get together."
Saeko, too, was really special.
And romance! "Yes!" Maki replies. "Thanks. If you're here long enough, maybe you can meet him sometime. I'm not so sure it's 'love' or anything like that yet, but... I like him. But at the 'months' stage it's probably the 'notice family' stage and you know how that goes sometimes for me." Maki, not having a father in her life... ever, occasionally reaches the point in a relationship at which it just can't get 'serious' because of that stigma. ...She knows there's one guy who would never hold it against her. But to wait for years... Well.
Maki does know why Eriko wouldn't talk about that, though. "Oh, that's good," she says of Brown. "I'm glad you'll be around, seflishly. ...Hmmmm..." Yukino, her mentor... And, "Great!" To hang out is pretty great. "I have more free time, so I'll work mine around yours a bit."
"A bit! I ran into her before." Fencing... Maki nods along at that. "Good luck!"
She doesn't mention the secrets Tamaki has for her--yet. She will, though. She trusts Eriko with anything.
"Haha, sure. Take me with you if you decide to go hunting in the Dark Hour, OK? I need the practice, and I'd feel better if we were together."
Warning 'my-desc' for Maki Sonomura(#60PenA):
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<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
There is a reason Eriko didn't say it was like the old days, after all. But Eriko is great at finding bright spots!
Eriko nods slowly as Maki talks about her releationship with that Persona User. "I see..." Eriko nods a little. "I admit, I didn't really get to know you until after everything, but you were going through a lot. That doesn't necessarily excuse things, but... you can always improve things now, after all. After all, the Maki here with me now isn't the same Maki as back then, just like I'm not the same Eriko I was."
At least... mostly, right? She's... fulfilled her promise, right?
"Mmm. He's a Kasugayama student, Jun Kashihara. His mother cohosts with Brown, and was quite the actress in her day. He didn't seem to be a Persona User to me but... the Joker Killer was obsessed with him... Maybe he's a lead we can follow, when we're more prepared."
"It would be nice, if you're ready to introduce to him your friends. Hopefully he won't find us too strange."
"It would be nice, wouldn't it... Everyone's so busy these days, or they've moved away... But... maybe we can try organizing a get together sometime. It's been three years since we graduated..." She doesn't necessarily have everyone's details- changing phone numbers didn't help with that- but with the people she does know, maybe they could get in touch with everyone...
Well, except for a certain someone...
"If she's kept up her training, though, I'd definitely be on the back foot. Still, I am blessed by the Goddess of Victory!" It remains a wonder how Eriko didn't become a theater kid back at St Hermelin. Maybe she decided she was dramatic enough all on her own.
And then Maki says the magic words. "Of course! In fact, did you know that Kasogayama High over in Hirasaka has demons come out at night? Oh and there's the bomb shelter underneath as well. The demons on the school floors aren't too strong I hear, so we could use that to help you get your eye in. Do you still have a bow, if not there's somewhere in Aoba we could stock up. Honestly the hardest part is getting back home after, with the trains stopping at midnight, and it's a little harder to get a taxi that late in Hirasaka, they're usually all in Yumezaki that late. Still, if you wanted to try tonight..." Oh no, Eriko really is excited by the idea. "Oh but you have that festival this weekend, don't you. I wouldn't want to make you stay up and miss your plans."
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
"That's what we're hoping," Maki says. "She's willing to give me the chance, and I'd like to get to know her. ...It's just like that, too. I'm... not the same as I was, back then. And I know why, too." It's not all her own work, after all--she smiles at Eriko, who'sone of the people who helped her to be so. "...But it's my turn to do the work, too."
Jun Kashihara... Hmm. "I see. Let's definitely look into that--I wouldn't want to leave him to the Joker's plans, anyway." ...An for some reason, she feels a little... No, it's nothing.
Eriko smiles, and Maki laughs a little. "I think so, it's been long enough. You might like him; he's looking forward to the ghost story season." A beat, "But of course, if you're all too weird for him... then I'll just have to get another boyfriend!"
Maki has priorities. If you want to be her lover, you--hm. Well, that's enough of that for now.
Maki claps. "Yes! I want to see how it goes!"
But the magic words... "Really?" Maki wonders of Kasugayama. "I do have a bow," she says, "But I'm a little rusty. I'm hoping to find a place to practice again." Her Persona--and the reintegration of the Ideal Maki--at least give her the basic skill, even though obviously the real Maki never did archery back then.
"Hmmm.... Yes..."
A smile. "Tonight's probably best not. But soon? I think it'd be nice."
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Eriko can only give a smile at Maki there. She's seen how far Maki's come, and she can't see how much further she can go, only that it is a long, long way if she sticks to her guns. "I'm really proud of you, Maki-chan."
Eriko shakes her head. "I don't think Kashihara-san was his target. More than... when he saw him, he became fixated. Still, that's reason enough to be concerned." She finds it a little comforting, after Mark's skepticism about the supernatural, Maki being prepared to jump in is comforting. "Yeah. We had the adults who looked out for us back then... Ms Ooishi, Ms Saeko, Nurse Yoshino, Kei's Parents. We owe it to them to look out for the next generation. I think everyone would agree with me there."
That reminds Eriko of something else, too. "...You heard about Hann'ya, right?" Eriko frowns, remembering the disliked Vice Principal of St Hermelin. "He was supposedly another victim of the Joker Killer." She sighs. "...I can't even say I'm particularly shocked, knowing what he was like, but even he didn't deserve that, right?" It sounds a bit like Eriko is trying to convince herself. He was an awful man but he wasn't a complete monster at St Hermelin. A lot of a monster, sure, but not a complete monster.
Admittedly, who knows what happened at Seven Sisters? Maybe they should be asking students there, too.
"Oh, well that's a point in his favour then!" Eriko says, with a smile. "Should I stick to the classics or go for some of the one's I've confirmed, do you think? I can certainly add some more realistic details..." ...Maki you may have put your new boyfriend in terrible danger, you know that right.
"Well then, Kasugayama sounds like an option. Maybe even that tower in Tatsumi Port Island, but it's harder to get to. Or... well, there's a place I've heard rumours about I want to investigate too. Maybe we can ask Mark and Tamaki to tag along as well! It would be a fun night out, wouldn't it?"
Eriko definitely still has her own idea of fun.
Soon is a good enough promise for Eriko. "Then I'll see what I can organize, yes? We've got plenty of options! I'm so excited!"
Even relaxing, Eriko's posture doesn't shift much as she sips from the can Maki brought earlier. "...I've definitely missed it. It's strange how you can forget how nice it was to have friends around until you have them again. Maybe it's just how we cope with getting older and more distant but..." Eriko lets out a sadder sigh. "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like..." She pauses again, once again wondering if it's worth stating. "...Do you ever feel like something bad is going to happen whenever you say goodbye to someone?" After all, Maki's the only person she can really say these things to.
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
"Thanks," Maki says, but it's warmer than the simple word might indicate. Informal, but heartfelt. ...Kashihara, though, is still a concern. "Hmmm..." Right," Maki says. "We won't let him down. ...Like you said, it's our turn, not just mine. We can do it. ...Though there's a few other adults with Personas around here, too. So that's still interesting."
The principal of Sevens. The former vice principal of St. Hermelin. "I'm... surprised, at least. Everybody always hated him, and that was true for our school, too. But someone willing to kill him? Even with the remove something like the Joker Curse allows--you just call your own number--it's still... disturbing." She nods. "Yeah. I agree. Not even he deserved that."
The should ask, though.
And then she laughs about the classics and her boyfriend. "The classics would be a good icebreaker, I think. Maybe build up to the idea that you can confirm them." It's fine. He likes that stuff! ...Right? Probably right.
"I definitely want to see the Tower," Maki says, but she's not sure, her tone says, what they should do from there. For the others though, "A place? That does sound fun..." Dangerous, but--even so! "I've been practicing my senses, too. I'll steer you right!"
They can be excited! But that serious matter...
"Mm," Maki agrees. It can be like that. "...That's part of why I'm dating," she admits. "I'm getting myself out there because it's lonely, otherwise. Since Chisato-chan got married, I've been living on my own, so..." Eriko probably got this message already; a certain other pair of high school sweethearts got married! Maki was happy at the time. But it still meant if she kept living with them she'd be a third wheel.
"But for something bad happening... Yes, sometimes," she admits. "I'm never sure if it's just worry or if it's something real. I get... greedy, to see my friends again. If that makes sense."
"But it's probably just our feelings. After all, everybody seems to be doing great. Just... a little apart."
<Pose Tracker> Eriko Kirishima has posed.
Eriko seems heartened at Maki's response- both that she agrees and that she's not putting it all on herself. "There are," Eriko says, rather thoughtfully, "but I wonder how many of them gained their powers before we did." It would be unwise to assume experience simply because of age, after all.
Eriko nods, after a moment. "I mean, I hardly expected him to improve, but..." Eriko sighs and shakes her head. "I don't know... Grandpa took me hunting when I was younger. It can be surprisingly easy to live with killing a deer or a turkey, and you'd be surprised how many people have more sympathy for animals than their fellow humans." Eriko frowns- after all, she'd adjusted to killing 'humans'- or whatever Kandori's MIB were- pretty quickly, along with the people of St Hermelin raised by undead. "And that was when I was pulling the trigger directly. So if you can have the result without getting your own hands dirty." Eriko sighs. "Of course, some people just went out hunting for the power trip." Eriko frowns, hand going to her chin. "...Hann'ya seemed to like the power trip too. Maybe he pushed someone too far? It's rather hard to investigate a killer who can appear and disappear like that."
Eriko gives a firm nod at Maki's suggestion. "The summer camp set to start off with, then. I probably have some from America he hasn't heard, too."
"Oh the Tower is wonderful. I'm so sad I couldn't explore that night, but that just means we can go explore as a group." And Maki's been practicing. "Wonderful! I can't wait to see you in action again. Actually, there's another place I'm following a lead on too."
Ah. That unasked question gets an answer, and Eriko nods. "I see..." Eriko's smile falters again there, as she thinks too hard about her reasons for not dating. "Living on my own is pretty lonely, it's true. I haven't even had Mom or Dad over to visit my new place, and especially not Hannah or May." Elly doesn't meet Maki's eyes, as she thinks back to the stalking incident. "And... I still have that promise to keep." ...Right now, though, Eriko's confidence in that promise seems even less than when she made it, given the way her face falls, but she quickly moves on. "Still, I'm happy for Chisato and Yosuke. Mr and Mrs Naito, now, huh?" At least, as far as Eriko knows, Chisato didn't keep her name, but she was never particularly close.
"Greedy, huh?" Eriko frowns. "I... hope it's not greedy, to want to spare more time with someone." Or unwanted. Or just... "...Yeah. Probably. At least... from what I've heard."
...Maybe that wine would be a good idea after all, given the conversational turn.
<Pose Tracker> Maki Sonomura has posed.
<poem> Maki puts a lot on herself--but not everything. She knows her friends are still willing to be part of this fight. How could she take issue with that?
"Couldn't say," Maki says of the adults with Personas. "But we could stand to find out in at least some cases. There's a lot of things older Persona-users--in the sense that longer than us--might know..."
Like why the Dark Hour happens. If it's not...
Hunting, though... Hm. "Right," Maki knows of many who have that kind of sympathy--she killed many, but indirectly, herself. Of course, Ideal Maki probably killed a number of MIBs too, but... does that count? It might not matter; Maki has her own body count. "He did," Maki admits. "But even he had a daughter, which means he probably had a wife once. Maybe he did... but death isn't the answer for most things."
She believes that strongly.
Still, "That'd be good," Maki says. "It'd be interesting to see. I really still don't know anything about it." She smiles. Eriko's enthusiasm helps, even if Maki tries to keep a damper on her own for caution's sake.
Still, "Mm-hm," Maki says. "It's fun, too. Don't get me wrong. ...But at least some of it is so that I'm not lonely. " Eriko has her own reasons, but, "...You have your own reasons for that, too," she says. Then she smiles. "But you do. I'm rooting for you, you know? ...Even if I haven't given up, either." She can be sure of that--both of those things.
But Mr. and Mrs. Naito! "Mm-hm! That's right! It was really lovely, too. ...Kind of crazy, though. Imagining already being married..."
A shake of her head, then. "No, it's not greedy," Maki says. "I just meant that it feels intense--almost too intense, like I'm not supposed to want it that much. But it's normal to want to spend time with people you care about. ...if that is greedy, then call me greedy!"
Maki rises from the chair and comes over--with only a little warning before she sits down with Eriko and wraps her arms around her in a big hug.
"We'll have to do more than hear!" Maki says brightly. "We'll see! We'll get everybody together who we can."
She'll squeeze if Eriko lets her, and then sit there for a few more moments before she decides to get up.
When she does, she'll probably get the wine, and try to cheer Elly up a bit. But for now...
"I'm just happy you stopped in."