Tanyuu: Created page with "'''Log: Just Maria Things''' '''Cast:''' Umie Akabane, Maria Sakurai '''Where: In front of Seven Sisters High, Rengedai Ward, Sumaru City''' '''OOC Date:''' January 05, 2026 '''IC Date:''' September 05, 2012 '''Summary''': ''Umie meets with Maria to see if she has any questions, as well as to secretly make sure Maria doesn't get involved in further trouble with the supernatural. As the two talk, Maria continues to display an indomitable spirit, which may b..."

2026-01-12T06:46:21Z

Created page with "*'''Log: Just Maria Things''' *'''Cast:''' Umie Akabane, Maria Sakurai *'''Where: In front of Seven Sisters High, Rengedai Ward, Sumaru City''' *'''OOC Date:''' January 05, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' September 05, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Umie meets with Maria to see if she has any questions, as well as to secretly make sure Maria doesn't get involved in further trouble with the supernatural. As the two talk, Maria continues to display an indomitable spirit, which may b..."

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*'''Log: Just Maria Things'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Umie Akabane]], [[Maria Sakurai]]
*'''Where: In front of Seven Sisters High, Rengedai Ward, Sumaru City'''
*'''OOC Date:''' January 05, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' September 05, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Umie meets with Maria to see if she has any questions, as well as to secretly make sure Maria doesn't get involved in further trouble with the supernatural. As the two talk, Maria continues to display an indomitable spirit, which may be the most dangerous thing of all, especially as Maria leaves with something she wants to tell Umie later. Surely Umie'll get to find out what that is, right? ... Right?''

----

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
<poem> >> Sorry about leaving you in the dark there.
>> I'd like to change that, if you have questions.
>> When are you free?

It seemed like a great idea, at the time. Trust people more! Be more open! Stop being a selfish idiot with all this information!

After the third message, Umie groaned as she looked up, looking at the terrible vacancy where there *should* be a row of 'Scarlet Siren' nail polish.

(Sure, she could go over and get *another* color of red, but she liked *that* red, and that brand applied so nicely.)

More than that, she's already regretting trying to make the most of this trip over here to Sumaru City. What if she messes this up? What if she further ensnares Maria into the supernatural?

Well, maybe Maria will make the correct decision to text back 'thanks, but no thanks' to the strange young woman who decided to come to her rescue wearing a mask.

-------------

Nevermind, there is an Umie Akabane here.

There's nothing on her that would count as a 'disguise'; when Maria Sakurai exits school for the day, Umie appears not that much different from when Maria saw her at Alaya Shrine: A nice white summery blouse layered over a rank top, denim shorts, and sandals. There's the two hair buns, of course, and the red hairband and charm.

Her nails are an elegant shade of faded lavender, this time.

"Hey." Umie raises a hand in greeting. "Last chance to back out," she teases.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
<poem>
>> OK!!
>> come whn clubs r out
>> CU then!!

The contents of Maria's texts might be about what one would have expected.

School is long since out by the time Umie comes around; a few departing members of afterschool clubs are milling about the courtyard. In the distance, it's possible to see that in the fields, the sports teams are still going at it.

Maria, though, is doing no such thing. With her schoolbag in hand, she's hustling for the gates like she has somewhere to be.

When Umie had last seen her, she'd had her hair badly burnt. There's no trace of the damage now, but--
Maria's hair ''is'' very short, barely beyond ear length. It stands to wager that to salvage what could be saved, most of her hair had to be cut off.

Spotting Umie, Maria waves one hand enthusiastically over her head. "Hi there, Umie-san!" She breaks into a brisk trot, schoolbag just about hovering after her in her grasp.

"...Back out? Back out of what?"

She goes from cheerful to confused in the blink of an eye. This may be normal, for Maria.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
<poem>
At least Maria's texts *seem* more or less like she's back to normal.

Seeing Maria, completely with her hair being in the shape it is, Umie immediately regrets ever thinking such a thing.

Rather than betray that enthusiasm on Maria's face with a pitying look, Umie bites her tongue and mimes that casual, more laid-back wave back.

"Looks like you're doing your best to own the haircut," she says, instead. "It looks cute."

Though, with enough confidence, one could likely grin away even more, and get away scot-free.

'...Back out? Back out of what?'

Umie's wave freezes in place.

Oh. Oh no.

A chill wind seems to brush past Umie in that moment, bringing with it every memory of just what sort of person Maria is.

"The.... uh. Questions. Peeking into things?" She sags, her fingers wrapping around the strap of her purse, situated under one arm. "... I was trying to be mysterious."

No no no, that's being *too* brutally honest.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
<poem>
Maria lifts a hand to absently brush at the trailing ends of her shorter locks. "Actually, I like it better this way," she says. "It's not so hard to wash. And I feel a lot lighter, too! ...Grandmother says it'll grow back in time, but..."

But in truth, she thinks she'd like to keep it this way.

"If I slick it back liiike, this," she says, lifting a portion of her hair over the top of her head to demonstrate, "I think it looks pretty cool! I'll need to get some hairgel. Or maybe juse use some bobbypins?"

Most girls would have been devastated. She's... taking it in stride, though.

"The questions?"

Maria, blank, looks at Umie, then tilts her head to one side. "Like about... that guy?" Pause.

Paaaaause.

"Oh! Or the guardian spirits! I talked to Seki-kun about them." She swings her bag around, clasping it in front of her with two hands. "It's that power those superheroes who saved me had."

Pause.

"And Watanabe-sensei's wife? Is she a superhero?" ...Pause. "I have her number, though!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
<poem>
Maria's confidence inspires a smile from Umie. "I've never been one for gel, but I've usually had my hair long. Hair like yours, though, it'd be a cute look. Same with bobbypins. There's some cute accessory stores I can recommend, later." She brushes back a strand of hair. "Ssounds like you have the right mindset, there." And not a wound.

This *is* the same person who held a sword and tried to protect the very people who were pointing out her very sin. In a certain world, that'd be enough to manifest a Persona, right then and there, but... maybe it's better that it's not that simple. Strong people exist all around. Some have Personas. Many don't.

A Persona is not a 'gift' granted to the worthy, after all.

"... Er. I meant, like." Umie raises a finger, trailing it around in the air as she mentally searches for a word, a concept, *anything*--

Like about... that guy?

The words come to her like yet another ill wind, a sharp and uninvited brush with the colder weather to come in the coming months.

"You don't need to think about that guy. At all. He preys on people's weaknesses." Funny, how Maria and Umie may be talking about different people, or the same, and not even realize it.

"Guardian.... spirits..." Seki-kun. Why is Tsubasa involved? Umie blinks. "... You know Seki-kun, huh." Well, Kasugayama High *is* pretty close, but usually the overlap in friendships between the student bodies isn't that big. Maybe it's changed?

"Those superheroes..."

Maybe she forgot that Umie herself was there, like how people forgot the Dark Hour. Or maybe her powers were able to make up for her own weaknesses?

But then, why would Maria *say* that to her?

.......... oh, it may be because it's Maria, right

"Aha..." Umie grimaces, but manages a grin. "Best to ask them directly, I think. Superheroes, though, that's..." It's like Ixquic-san, all over again!!

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
<poem>
"Yeah, I was thinking about those, too," Maria says, when Umie mentions cute hair accessories. "I have a few, actually. I just never really wore them because managing the rest of it was, you know. Taking care of long hair is rough," she sighs. If her grandmother has her way, it'll be long again, though.

"Well, I can't get stuck thinking about it, you know? And, besides, I meant what I said. It really was a pain."

No marks on her. No marks on Takeshi Nakata. Her ex's friend, though, is still in the hospital. It was a terrible wound, and needed surgery to repair.

She'd only meant to hurt her ex, and then, wanted to take it back. But rash intentions can have consequences, as Maria has learned. Innocent people can get caught up in situations like that, and come away badly hurt.

She can't take it back, though. Apologizing-- it might do more harm than good. All she can do is keep on moving.

Still, after seeing that, a girl can't help but wonder. "Okay," she says, uncertainly. "Don't worry. I'm not going to call again." She glances away from Umie, her expression briefly more serious.

She knows Tsubasa, though? "Uh huh. They helped me to-- um, well, we met once!" Maria cuts herself off with. Even she's not (nearly) stupid enough to absently mention she got caught picking a lock (twice). "They're like a mentor, you know? And, they said Phoenix, one of the people who saved me, is a friend of theirs. They're like a superhero, you know? With magic powers and martial arts?" ...Tsubasa didn't tell her this part. Maria assumed. "I know. They're from Cuss High and all. But they really did help me out!" Which is more than most of her classmates have done.

Maria looks at Umie. She looks at Umie. She--

"Oh, you were there, too, right?"

...oh just maria things then.

"Is that why you were wearing that mask? I forgot!" she says to Umie in a stage whisper as she leans in.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
<poem> "Yeah," Umie sighs, as she lifts a strand of her own hair. "It gets worse when you bleach it. You, though? I think you could really make them work." (Hopefully Maria didn't think her hair was naturally that color with those dark roots beginning to peek out. That's not going to be a style choice until at least a decade later!!)

Maria's not stuck in the past, but looking towards the future.

The line of Umie's shoulders relax, just a little. "Good. Keep that resolve on you."

Apologies aren't possible, sometimes. There's no way to go back.

The only direction available is forward. Umie knows that much.

Umie shakes her head, her expression growing gentle. "I know you won't." She's just that sure of it.

Otherwise, Maria wouldn't have been at that shrine, or put herself in danger.

"It's okay."

But also, there's the mystery of what Maria says next.

"Phoenix?" Wasn't Tsubasa's 'friend' named Ogre? Not that she thought Tsubasa *had* an alter ego, but-- hm.

Maybe that's who was with Joker, if it was someone who came to save Maria.

'Oh, you were there too, right?

Oh, Umie just had to encourage it. She could have been mysterious and whatever, but *no*.

Umie's cheeks begin to turn red. "It's..." She coughs, glancing to the side. "I, uh, don't do it to be a superhero. It just.... helps. But in this case, the Old Maid already knew who I was, so... it didn't matter."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
<poem>
"I've heard! Doesn't it weaken the hair shaft??" Maria says to Umie, peering curiously (with interest) at her lifted strand of hair. Aha... she sees the beginnings of darker roots! But don't worry Umie, your hair secret is safe with her. No, really, she'd never tell even if threatened with a knife!
Probably.

Maria's hair is, meanwhile, naturally pink. Please don't worry about it.

"Mmmhmm," Maria replies, in agreement. She'd talked to Tsubasa about whether she ''owed'' an apology, and if there was something she should be doing. But, speaking to the kid who was hurt might be more confusing than not. And speaking to her ex, even if she owes him... she's not sure she can do it.

Tsubasa had said they'd hurt an ex of theirs as much as their ex had hurt them. Maybe, just going on is good enough. Maybe trying to do better is good enough. She can't shake the guilt entirely, but--

She smiles at Umie, though it's tight, though it doesn't meet her eyes. "...Yeah," she says ultimately, because it's all she can say to that.

"Uh huh! The one in the feathers with a big sword." Maria sighs. "I wouldn't mind having a sword." She pauses. "It's against the law, though."

But apparently it's fine if you're a 'superhero'.

"Oh. So you have that power, too, but you're not a superhero...?" She tilts her head. "Why not? I think you'd be a pretty cool one. That mask is almost a superhero outfit."

Pause.

"Old... Maid?"

No, she has apparently no familiarity with that term used for the killer.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
<poem>
"... yeah," Umie says, neatly. "But my hair's so dark otherwise that it's my only option."

Aside from, you know, just letting it all transition back to dark brown.

The tight smile, though... Umie takes it in, eyelids lowering.

There's so many things she could say, and *wants* to say, but the words will feel like nothing without the necessary context behind them. None of it will add to the message she wants to push, besides, or what she's come here to do: make sure Maria is safe, and that she'll be troubled no longer by the supernatural.

"... So that's Phoenix," Umie says, instead.

AND THEN. 'I wouldn't mind having a sword,' says Maria, after Umie _decided Maria will be okay_. (Swords are not supernatural, yes, but still!!)

"You could, uh..." *Should* Umie encourage Maria to carry a foam sword around with her?! "Maybe, look into a club? Or maybe make--"

UMIE NO, DO NOT SHARE FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE.

She clears her throat.

And oh no, Maria keeps going. The upper edges of Umie's cheeks turn pink. "W-well, I just... 'superhero' just sounds..." She waves her hands, the charm on her left making a cheery chime from the motion. "Just... so black and white. You saw mine, right? Superheroes don't have, uh, 'Guardian Spirits', like that. It's purely--"

Her blush is deepening, forcing Umie to press a two fingers to the bridge of her nose in order to form a mask over her own embarrassment. "I just... don't like it when I see people who look lost," she admits. "Like you did, at Alaya Shrine."

Maria's confusion over 'Old Maid', thankfully, is easier to resolve.

"It's... uh." Umie's lips push open in an involuntary sigh. "It's another name for him, from his case file. I just prefer it. Seems more likely you'd escape from the 'Old Maid' than the 'Joker Killer', right?" Nevermind the true reason being the potential confusing nature between Jokers, and how rumors often spring from those instances. (Ha ha ha, she has this all under control, especially if it never becomes a thing to begin with!)

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
<poem>
"Hmmm," Maria muses, looking Umie over. "I guess you can't help it, huh? Oh-- I know! What about a wig?"

Pause.

"I've seen some really cool ones! Like with big, blue ponytails!" Maria might be thinking about a cosplayer spotted in the wild, though...

Instead, though, the top moves towards 'superheroes' that Maria has seen and gotten to be rescued by. Like Phoenix. Who had a cool, big sword!

"Like... kendo club?" Maria wonders, when Umie suggests she join a club. "But that's different. I don't want a sword like that. And, it looks really boring! They stand around a lot, you know, and don't really do anything. I want... a big sword." She giggles, then waves a hand dismissively. "Ah, but don't worry! I know I can't really have one. Maybe, if I work hard, I can find a prop sword? I'll get in trouble if it has a real edge..."

too late maria is thinking about forbidden knowledge already! ...maybe.

Maria does not stop. That is, until Umie expresses some discomfort over the situation. "Eh? But, aren't you one if you have that kind of power?" Pause. "If you're not a superhero, what's left?" Paaaause. "A-- supervillain??" Maria regards Umie afresh, and for a moment, perhaps it would be easy to think that she, surely, ''thinks'' this is the case--

Except Maria giggles, and shakes her head. "No, I know you're a good person, Umie-san. I'm just kidding! I don't know how you have that kind of power, but you're definitely doing good things. So, I think that makes you a superhero."

She glances away then back at Umie. "But... thanks. I owe you one, too. I know. I really messed up, and... I'm really lucky it didn't turn out worse. I promise, no more calling my own cellphone, or things like that! I'll ignore all the rumors from here on out." Of course, this assumes that she can tell the difference between a rumor and fact, but...

She pauses again, though. Her lips press thin, and she frowns a little bit. "Lost... huh. I guess..."

But the question about the 'Old Maid' is easier to manage for ''both'' of them.

"Case file? Like... with the police?" Maria's eyes go wide. "Are you helping out the police? That's so cool! ...But why is it 'Old Maid'?"

maria may not be familiar with the game, one assumes
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
<poem> YEARS AGO:

A thirteen year old, far darker-haired Umie Akabane kneeled down in front of some gardening tools in a display. Lifting up a hori knife, she tested the sharp edge with a finger. Ninjas started out with farm utensils, because actual weapons were banned, she thinks. That's why all their weapons were simple; they were originally people like farmers and peasants.

"Looking to do some gardening, young lady?" asked a pleasant clerk with a mop of white hair, nearly startling Umie from her thoughts. "You're never too young!"

Umie looked over her shoulder, and gave the clerk as pleasant and normal a smile she could manage, as her thoughts were busy with how easily she could duct tape this onto some rope and swing it around, becoming the bane of demons and shadows everywhere! .... on her block.

"Y-yeah..."

NOW:

".... Props are enough," Umie says, automatically, dispensing the advice she wish a younger her had.

_damn it, you need to lure Maria away from the supernatural, not encourage her to run headlong into it_!!

"You know, if.... he comes again. But it's better to have something not obvious. Flashy is well and good for projecting an image, but the weapon that enables you to get away is the one that works, in the en--" DAMN IT UMIE

Maria regards Umie anew, considering whether or not she's, *gasp* a supervillain. "I'm not a super anything, I'm a... uh..." She waves a hand. "An Umie." Just an Umie, singular, a strange species of double-bunned gremlin.

'But... thanks. I owe you one, too.'

It feels so strange, hearing those words, like Umie is doing something wrong. She's supposed to not be known, to not have anyone know she was involved at all. That's the way it's supposed to be!

"I mean, just..." She shakes her head. "Like I told a friend of mine," ha ha ha 'Joker is my friend', I'm like a little kid claiming that my dad works at Nintendo, Umie reflects stoically, "rumors like those are... a ploy, to lure the hearts of those who feel wronged, in some way. The ease of access, and the lack of response, means it's easy to do, and easy to forget."

"Unlike those people, Sakurai-san, you tried to fix it, and put yourself in harm's way. Please, remember that, okay?" That's why Umie needs to keep an eye on her.

..... for reasons that may be just paranoid, in the end.

Lost.

Dividied between worlds, on the edge of something that could consume them. Like a moth, Umie's drawn to them. Maybe, it's the Badb in her, attracted to the scent of potential bloodshed.

Or...

"I was... er..." Umie adjusts the strap of her purse under her right arm with her left hand, smoothing out the good luck charm attached to it. "I was one of the Old Maid's victims. He warned me with a note, just like he did you. Despite my powers, I needed more help to even get away from him, so." That may explain it the best, as well as her involvement.

"... Card games." Umie shrugs. "Like how a Joker is part of a deck of playing cards. Like that."

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
<poem>
"Okay!" Maria cheers.

She hasn't demonstrated having a Persona yet, anyway. Perhaps... it will end here for her?

...probably not. She still has a death warrant over her head if the Joker Killer ever feels like coming back to finish the job. Like her homeroom teacher, she is in an interesting position for someone 'mundane': aware (ish) of what's happening, while also not having the power or potential to deal with it (one assumes, anyway).

"...You can use a prop sword against him, though? Is that how he works?" Maria wonders, tilting her head to one side like an over-curious dog. "Or, maybe I should put a knife in my purse? I can bring one from the kitchen," she says, as if it were no big deal. "I'll just have to be careful grandma doesn't notice."

But Umie says she's not a supervillain or a superhero or... anything but Umie. "Okay! Then... you're a superUmie, right?" The glint in Maria's eyes suggests that she's not ''just'' being as dim as a dying lightbulb: she's having one on at Umie's expense, too!

Paaaause.

Until Umie says 'that', that is.

"Ehhh? Joker is your friend??" She says to Umie, eyes wide in shock. She may be mixing up 'Joker' and 'Joker Killer'. Maybe. "Is he-- is he cursed! Oh, or, a, a, split personality! I read a light novel like that! But it all worked out, you know, the leading lady saved him with her love!" Maria declares, and she would have pressed both hands together over her chest if she'd been able to have them both free so Umie will have to understand what she's doing when she does it only with one. "...But it's not like that in real life." Oh good, she does have some grip on reality...

But there's one thing that she should remember. She ''did'' try to make it right. "But, it doesn't undo it, does it?" asks Maria, looking away from Umie. "...I guess, that's okay. We all... do things like that to people, huh."

"So, he went after you! Wait, someone wanted you dead?" She pauses, crinkling her forehead. "Why? You're nice," she tells Umie.

"Ohhh," says Maria, when Umie makes the last chunk of that clear as day. "I get it!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
<poem>
Maria still had those dreams of death, and her streak of bad luck.

Each of these could be small, forgivable curiosities, but they led to the coincidence of being able to jump in when Umie did. However, the Joker Killer's powers would have lured people in anyway, just as hers would have if she, for some terrible reason, used the same ability.

"It's..." How *does* that work, anyway? Is it that simple, that a prop would become something real when the Mark is used? Umie's never tried to test it extensively.

"It's better to just run," Umie says, instead. "Keep as much of a distance between him and you as you can. Even if it may seem impossible, the important part is to buy time. When he uses his... abilities, people like me can... know, if we're close by. You buy more time by running away than by engaging him."

It's okay to admit this much, Umie assures herself, because Maria needs to know.

Superumie. _Superumie_. "I'm not even going to justify that with a response," Umie says with a deadpan tone, crossing her hands in front of her.

'Joker is your friend??'

For a brief, regrettable moment, Umie mixes the two as well. She glances to the side, momentairely embarrassed to be caught red-handed (ha ha ha). "W-well, that is, er. I don't know him like--" MARIA IS TALKING ABOUT JOKER _KILLER_, UMIE "Wait, I'm talking about a different..." Joker. "Person! A different person!" Umie waves her hands in front of her. "_Different person, not a killer, at all_!"

What would that Joker think, if he knew what Umie did?

The blonde's gaze lowers. "I wouldn't say it like that," she murmurs, softly. "More like, 'we all that things we regret'. But that doesn't make you a bad person. It just makes you a person who knows how that weight feels. Grow and learn from it."

'Why? You're nice.' "Clearly somebody didn't think so," Umie wryly comments, her eyes circling over to the school gates. "All it takes is one."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Maria Sakurai has posed.
<poem>
She perhaps senses that this is giving Umie a hard time. "Um, don't worry about it if it's difficult!" One gets the impression that this is something that other people tell her a lot, too.

But, 'just run'?

"I can do that," Maria says. "I'm good at running." She puffs out her chest a little bit, as if it were a point of some pride. Then she can't help but glance back at the field and sigh a little bit. "And I have you, and sensei, and Phoenix's numbers in my phone. I'll just call all of you. And run, of course." She might not have the sense God gave a squirrel, but Maria knows when she's licked. Even with the sword, she hadn't... really stood a chance, had she.

...SuperUmie...

Umie's response just makes Maria giggle more. "You're so funny, Umie-san!"

It's not the ''killer'' who is her friend, though. It's the--
other one.
"So like... a nickname?" Surely not the mystical mystery thief everyone's been talking about, Joker! ...Well, probably not that...

"I guess so," Maria sighs, as Umie says everyone does things like that. ...Well, probably not nearly murder their ex, but still, the point stands. "Seki-kun said something like that, too. I guess it hasn't really sunk in yet," she muses, shifting her weight from one foot to the next.

All it takes is one. "Mm..." Maria muses, glancing away. "Hey, so--"

"Mari~chan~~!" calls out a voice. Who should come bounding along after but,

"Yuri-chan! I thought you already left!" Maria exclaims at her friend, a young lady with a sweet expression and her short, slightly fluffy hair trimmed into a neat bob. "Uh-uh," says 'Yuri', shaking her head. "I was... well," and she glances up at Umie, only to regard her with some confusion. "You don't go here, right?" the girl asks. "Anyway-- um, I'll tell you later. Let's go to Lotus Mall!" she insists, before turning to dash on off herself. One can see how girls like them might be friends...

Maria just offers Umie a regretful smile. "Sorry, Umie-san! Let's talk more later, okay? This is... important," she finishes, as if there were a moment of uncertainity, only to then herself turn as if she were about to run off, too.

School and life are, again, assuming their usual pattern.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
<poem> Maria is good at running. "Well, then you'll have a leg up--" WINCE "--on me."

Umie smiles softly, at the numbers. (WAIT, HOW DOES SHE HAVE A MASK-SAN's..... nevermind, this is good.)

"Only if you can. I tried to do the same thing, but he has a bad habit of appearing out of nowhere."

Another wince. She doesn't want to make Maria _paranoid_. "I haven't really seen him go after people a second time, though, if they've failed. So... just live your life, keep those numbers close by, and if you have more dreams, know that you have people now that'll listen to you. Okay?"

That brown gaze can't help but be just a touch melancholy. Almost like she was lost, herself.

Isn't everyone a little lost, though?

'So like... a nickname?'

Why yes, Maria, it *is* the mystical mystery thief everyone's been talking about. In fact, they showed up and helped rescue you! It was distracting! Umie does not have a crush on the mystical mystery thief named Joker, who also came to save her!

A part of her is about to bluntly deny it, and Maria can see the way Umie's face begins to twist, but the Badb in her feels... eager.

Instead.

Umie coyly winks one eye, placing a finger over her lips.

"Hi-mi-tsu~."

It's that expression that's on Umie's face when Yuri looks towards Maria and her 'friend'. "I was just seeing how some old teachers are doing." Her expression relaxes, and waves to Maria. "Don't let me keep you. We can catch up later."

'This is... important.' Umie remembers that for later. Probably something Maria wanted to say but couldn't, in public. But what?

Eh, she'll find out later.
[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

2026-01-05: Just Maria Things - Revision history

Tanyuu at 10:48, 12 January 2026

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:48, 12 January 2026
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	Eh, she'll find out later.		Eh, she'll find out later.
			</poem>
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	[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]		[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]